Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate it | {Insert Appropriate Seasonal Greeting Here}

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

If there are other contenders for most beautiful film, I hope others share immediately

A few of my favorites, but I don't know about oil paintings.

 

[kihei]

Some of my favourite beautiful movies::

 

[The Macho King]

I am just catching up on the thread after a few weeks not clicking in. I also happened to watch this for the first time last night.

Wow. Just wow. As you say, it is beyond gorgeous. A few times I actually paused the movie just to admire what is on screen. If there are other contenders for most beautiful film, I hope others share immediately because this was like watching an oil painting in motion for many stretches.

The amazing thing is, this is not a one trick pony of a film. I am not always into narration, but the humor and cadence of this narrator nailed it. Really just an immensely enjoyable film. If the powers that be ever get around to putting this in a proper 4k release, it very well may be the movie by which all others are judged on picture quality on that medium.

One of the most interesting parts of it to me is the amount of negative space in some of these shots. These rooms are cavernous, and especially in the scenes lit by candlelight - the cast are all huddled into this very small space in a forced intimacy.

I also think the scene where Barry is passed out and Lord Bullingdon challenges him to a duel - when I think "this frame is a painting" this exemplifies it. You almost jump when Bullingdon comes in because you think you're looking at oil on canvass.

 

[Nakatomi]

One of the most interesting parts of it to me is the amount of negative space in some of these shots. These rooms are cavernous, and especially in the scenes lit by candlelight - the cast are all huddled into this very small space in a forced intimacy.

I also think the scene where Barry is passed out and Lord Bullingdon challenges him to a duel - when I think "this frame is a painting" this exemplifies it. You almost jump when Bullingdon comes in because you think you're looking at oil on canvass.

I think you might enjoy this ~5-minute video showing some of the actual paintings that inspired his approach to the film:

Separately, it seems you watched this digitally or the older WB release. The next time you watch it, I implore you to seek out the Criterion version since it features Kubrick's preferred aspect ratio. It stood out to me immediately because the hat and shows are just cut off at the bottom of the frame in yours:

The entire movie will look just that much better for you next watch-through!

 

[The Macho King]

I just picked that image off of a google image search - not a screenshot or anything.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Lolita by Kubrick is also super underrated in terms of shot composition. One of the coolest shots I've ever seen is the one with Clare Quilty/Peter Sellers and his female companion looking at each other behind a newspaper when Humbert Humbert walks into the hotel. Same with his him waiting in the shadows before pretending to be a cop to try and screw with Humbert. What a film.

 

[The Macho King]

Lolita by Kubrick is also super underrated in terms of shot composition. One of the coolest shots I've ever seen is the one with Clare Quilty/Peter Sellers and his female companion looking at each other behind a newspaper when Humbert Humbert walks into the hotel. Same with his him waiting in the shadows before pretending to be a cop to try and screw with Humbert. What a film.

I never loved Lolita. A lot of what makes the book great just can't be translated - namely Nabokovs prose and Humberts narration. Obviously Humbert still comes off as a creep but in a way the detachment from his POV makes him more creepy?

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I never loved Lolita. A lot of what makes the book great just can't be translated - namely Nabokovs prose and Humberts narration. Obviously Humbert still comes off as a creep but in a way the detachment from his POV makes him more creepy?

I love it so much, personally. I think it's a first-rate demonstration of how to adapt a novel. What you're saying is true - what makes Nabokov ultra special is his way of crafting words through both intensity and rhythm. Put his stories on the screen and you lose a lot of makes them special because the plot generally isn't what makes his books tick.

I think Kubrick fully understood that (at least in practice) and it's why he did away with Nabokov's screenplay (though in a gesture of extreme honor, released the film with Nabokov having the only screenwriting credit) but what he did is retain the story's underlying humorous, sad-sack spirit (something the '97 version completely does away from and portrays a character like Humbert like how he fancies himself to be instead of the idiot the book knows he is). It's all a bunch of boobs doing something utterly terrible. No adult comes off looking right. But he kept that spirit and made the adaption his own while mixing in his own eye for photography and composition, something mirrors the aesthetical focus of a book like Lolita. It's pretty much a forgotten film at this point, especially on Kubrick's filmography but I personally see it as an awesome exercise in style.

Added note: Another great read of how the film got the book is that it plays Clare Quilty as a scoundrel and a pedophile on top of it. The 90s version sells him as a basic pedophile, losing a lot of what makes the character Humbert's delusional doppelganger.

Not that it should matter but I always liked that Nabokov conceded that Kubrick dumped his screenplay but that as soon as he watched the film, he knew Kubrick was a massive talent.

 

[The Macho King]

I don't think you're wrong and for me it's like the first "real" Kubrick film, it is just an uneven film imo. I don't think it "misses the point" of the book for the record - I just think it doesn't work as well as the book (of course that's an incredibly high bar to clear so I don't begrudge him that).

The themes are consistent but the execution doesn't get there for me. I don't think this is Kubricks fault - I think it's just an impossible task.

It's funny because his later adaptations (specifically A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, and The Shining) are all far superior to the originals, but the originals are not nearly the level of Nabokov.

Kind of as a side note - has there been a successful adaptation of a "literary masterpiece" that's recognized as such? Not genre fare, but like modern/post-modern literature. Most attempts I can think of are meh at best and downright failures most of the time.

 

[Raging Bull]

Dune (1984)

I actually really liked it. Sure some of the effects have aged terribly and it is way too much crammed into way too short of a film, but what is there on screen is great. It's too bad David Lynch won't go back and do a directors cut, it'd be awesome to see what he could have made if he had free reign.

 

[Nakatomi]

I've never seen Lolita or The Killing, and my one effort to watch The Shining as a teenager ended in a nap and an early tap out. Since I have watched three Kubrick films in as many weeks, I may as well continue working through the rest of what he has to get me to spring.

 

[Unholy Diver]

had a flu bug run thru the house this week so spent a lot of couchtime with a sick kiddo

Boxtrolls - 8/10 We are generally fans of movies from Laika, and this was no different, great voice cast

Moana - 9/10 - always a favorite, the Rock was a perfect choice for Maui

Sing - 7.5/10 - as much as she enjoys singing and dancing, my daughter was not super into it

Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs 7/10 - I enjoyed it, kid fell asleep, Mr T and Bruce Campbell were great in their roles

 

[Devilsfan992]

Society of the Snow 10/10. Amazing movie about the 1972 Uruguayan Rugby club team air disaster in the Andes.

Really enjoyed this movie. In my opinion, it should be an Oscar nom for Best Picture.

 

[Chili]

Some of my favorite beautifully shot films:

Mutiny on the Bounty-1962

The far better film is the 1935 version with Clark Gable and Charles Laughton. The two couldn't stand each other which helped feed the on-screen animosity of their roles. Brando's portrayal in the remake is kind of odd but the film itself is stunning. A replica of the Bounty was built in Lunenburg, NS and sailed down to Tahiti for the film. Great location shots and ceremonies, Brando loved it enough to buy an island and marry his costar.

Emperor of the North-1973

I love train films and this is one of my favorites. Find the old sky high trestles fascinating. Beautifully shot in the same location in Oregon as the Buster Keaton classic The General. The film recaptured 'riding the rails' during the Depression.

Badlands-1973

Terrence Malick has made a number of striking visual films (Days of Heaven, The New World, The Tree of Life...) including this one of love on the run.

The Last Emperor-1987

Many beautiful shots including in The Forbidden City. Great film.

The Motorcycle Diaries-2004

The story of the trek of Che Guevara and his friend on an old motorcycle in 1952. From Chile to Venezuela, through a lot of awesome scenery. Like a travelogue of western South America.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover is tops for me out of those mentioned.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Few things I enjoy more than falling ass backwards into an unintentional double feature. The odder the mix, the better. Threw on the new movies Self Reliance. A lot of funny folks who I like are involved in it — writer, director and star Jake Johnson, produced by The Lonely Island with a cameo by Andy Samberg. Co-staring a lovely Anna Kendrick. Lonely guy going through a bit of an mid-life crisis. He signs on for a reality TV show where he is hunted by assassins and if he survives 30 days, he gets $1 million. It's got some laughs, but not enough. It's got an idea, but also not quite enough. Not bad, but definitely a bit middling.

Now by sheer chance I chased this with The Swimmer, a late 60s flick focused on Burt Lancaster who decides over the course of the day he's going to run between his neighbors houses and swim in their pools as he works his way back to his home. Lo and behold, this too turns out to be about a damaged and deluded man who takes on a ridiculous task (with set time and parameters) perhaps as a means to not confront the issues both outside and inside his life. As their journeys progress they get closer and closer to the truth about who they are ...

Lukewarm on the modern comedy, but truly loved the older movie. A stellar performance from Lancaster, both emotionally but also physically. He's in trunks the entire time showing of an almost impossibly sleek body as he runs and swims between his stops, which start friendly but gradually grow more confrontational. It's a very literary movie (based on a Cheever story) and very late 60s in its suburban ennui. You feel the short story-ness.

 

[Chili]

Now by sheer chance I chased this with The Swimmer, a late 60s flick focused on Burt Lancaster who decides over the course of the day he's going to run between his neighbors houses and swim in their pools as he works his way back to his home. Lo and behold, this too turns out to be about a damaged and deluded man who takes on a ridiculous task (with set time and parameters) perhaps as a means to not confront the issues both outside and inside his life. As their journeys progress they get closer and closer to the truth about who they are ...

Lukewarm on the modern comedy, but truly loved the older movie. A stellar performance from Lancaster, both emotionally but also physically. He's in trunks the entire time showing of an almost impossibly sleek body as he runs and swims between his stops, which start friendly but gradually grow more confrontational. It's a very literary movie (based on a Cheever story) and very late 60s in its suburban ennui. You feel the short story-ness.

Love that race against the horse. Burt had to learn how to swim for the film. He called it 'Death of a Salesman in Swim Trunks'. I remember that @nameless1 liked the film too.

 

[nameless1]

Love that race against the horse. Burt had to learn how to swim for the film. He called it 'Death of a Salesman in Swim Trunks'. I remember that @nameless1 liked the film too.

I highly recommend the original short story too, which is a very interesting meta reading experience. While the film plot is a little different, because the original work is very hard to adapt, especially for the technology back in the late 1960s, I am impressed that the filmmakers are still able to keep the original sentiments and the emotional impact.

Few things I enjoy more than falling ass backwards into an unintentional double feature. The odder the mix, the better. Threw on the new movies Self Reliance. A lot of funny folks who I like are involved in it — writer, director and star Jake Johnson, produced by The Lonely Island with a cameo by Andy Samberg. Co-staring a lovely Anna Kendrick. Lonely guy going through a bit of an mid-life crisis. He signs on for a reality TV show where he is hunted by assassins and if he survives 30 days, he gets $1 million. It's got some laughs, but not enough. It's got an idea, but also not quite enough. Not bad, but definitely a bit middling.

Now by sheer chance I chased this with The Swimmer, a late 60s flick focused on Burt Lancaster who decides over the course of the day he's going to run between his neighbors houses and swim in their pools as he works his way back to his home. Lo and behold, this too turns out to be about a damaged and deluded man who takes on a ridiculous task (with set time and parameters) perhaps as a means to not confront the issues both outside and inside his life. As their journeys progress they get closer and closer to the truth about who they are ...

Lukewarm on the modern comedy, but truly loved the older movie. A stellar performance from Lancaster, both emotionally but also physically. He's in trunks the entire time showing of an almost impossibly sleek body as he runs and swims between his stops, which start friendly but gradually grow more confrontational. It's a very literary movie (based on a Cheever story) and very late 60s in its suburban ennui. You feel the short story-ness.

Yeah, Lancaster was in his 50s when he did the movie, and he looks at least 10 years younger. While I am not sure if he was ever considered to be a sex symbol, because his prime was over 30 years before I was born, his physique is impressive.

 

[kihei]

I highly recommend the original short story too, which is a very interesting meta reading experience. While the film plot is a little different, because the original work is very hard to adapt, especially for the technology back in the late 1960s, I am impressed that the filmmakers are still able to keep the original sentiments and the emotional impact.



Yeah, Lancaster was in his 50s when he did the movie, and he looks at least 10 years younger. While I am not sure if he was ever considered to be a sex symbol, because his prime was over 30 years before I was born, his physique is impressive.

He was definitely considered a sex symbol, sort of the male Rita Hayworth, though he ignored behaving like one completely.

 

[nameless1]

He was definitely considered a sex symbol, sort of the male Rita Hayworth, though he ignored behaving like one completely.

Yeah, that was what I thought, because I know I read something like that, but I was not 100% sure.

Lately, I have more appreciation for Lancaster, because he is really unique if one examines his entire career. I happened to watch a couple of his movies from different decades the last year, and interestingly, from the 1940s to the 1980s, his acting is pretty much the same level, not any better or any worst, but he is still able to maintain that leading man presence throughout his career. Honestly, that consistency is something else, and not a lot of actors can do that. De Niro and Pacino are titans, but lately, they are parodies, at best.

 

[sr edler]

My Fair Lady (1964) by George Cukor – 4/10

Audrey Hepburn is pretty hot but goddam this film is long. The main male character is also super annoying and unlikable, the guy can't even sing. There's some okay-ish props and choreography though.

This is the type of film you fall asleep during watching and then wakes up 1 and a half hours later and it's still on and you ask if you missed anything, and the person you watch the film with can't give you a good answer.

 

[Ceremony]

Jaws (1975)

What is so captivating about fiction about men who go out to sea to capture some impossibly large and inhuman beast? I don't know what it is, but it am. Music could have been better. Immaculate besides.

 

[The Macho King]

Jaws (1975)

What is so captivating about fiction about men who go out to sea to capture some impossibly large and inhuman beast? I don't know what it is, but it am. Music could have been better. Immaculate besides.

I don't know if I've ever seen criticism of John Williams' score of all things vis a vis Jaws.

 

[Ceremony]

I don't know if I've ever seen criticism of John Williams' score of all things vis a vis Jaws.

The theme is obviously good although it doesn't feature as prominently as I expected. There are other parts of the film where it sounds... and my lack of insight into films will show here, out of place. There's something about old(er) films where the score or parts of it sound almost generic, as if they're composed elsewhere and put into different films when they need a certain type of sound - happy, tense, shocked, etc. In this case when your main theme and the most distinctive part of the film (I realise this is nearly fifty years after release) sounds so different from other musical parts, it stands out. Or maybe it's because it was my first time seeing it, who knows.

 

[The Macho King]

I haven't seen it in awhile but maybe the iconic nature of the shark's music kind of overrides discussion of the score as a whole. That's not my memory, but... ya know.