Films

[bocumaroy]

I'm with you on these bocumaroy. But not forgetting Dr. Strangelove, Lolita and Paths of Glory in the Kubrick masterpiece round up. And Barry Lydon and Eyes Wide Shut in the bit rubbish category

Not seen them.

Clockwork Orange is fucking sublime. wash your mouth out.

I think it's shite. When I was studying it I could have written an essay on why, but I've not seen it in years. There are loads of interesting ideas, sure, but that's down to the book.

Talk about films dating badly makes me wonder... What films from the last few years do you think will be remembered in 40 years as classics?

How far back we talking? No Country For Old Men remains one of my favourites, and I doubt it will age badly. It has a 'classic' kind of feel. Honestly don't think there's that much in terms of mainstream (ish) films that will have that kind of reputation. Obviously there's been loads of great independent films, but it's difficult to know which will be known to a wider audience in time.

[t8yman]

I think it's shite. When I was studying it I could have written an essay on why, but I've not seen it in years. There are loads of interesting ideas, sure, but that's down to the book.

Granted the book (one of the few fiction books I have ever read) provides the narrative, but the way Kubrick directed it is fantastic (imho). There was obviously a huge furore over the copycat attacks etc at the time, and SK's "ban" of the film. It certainly had a mystique about it, and I remember sourcing a grainy VHS of the "uncut" version of it in the late 80's and watching it almost weekly.

[kaosmark2]

The best of the Coens stuff (O Brother, Fargo for instance)?

Yes. Definitely should be.

Not sure about Nolan's stuff. Memento and maybe Batman Begins aside, all his films are at least 45 minutes too long. Mind you, that's a trend of this era. Most films could do with 3+ scenes cut out and several others shortened.

[Ted Dansons Wig]

Yes. Definitely should be.

Not sure about Nolan's stuff. Memento and maybe Batman Begins aside, all his films are at least 45 minutes too long. Mind you, that's a trend of this era. Most films could do with 3+ scenes cut out and several others shortened.

Yeah - agree with you about films being too long nowadays. I think its hard to separate out the Batman movies - to me you have to see them as 3 parts of one statement. In that context I think it works better. Be interesting to see how Inception sands up in a few years as well. Bit of a Marmite film - I loved it but how it will date I dont know. Bit like Brazil - I thought it was visionary genius at the time but tried to watch it recently and couldnt get through it.

[kaosmark2]

Yeah - agree with you about films being too long nowadays. I think its hard to separate out the Batman movies - to me you have to see them as 3 parts of one statement. In that context I think it works better. Be interesting to see how Inception sands up in a few years as well. Bit of a Marmite film - I loved it but how it will date I dont know. Bit like Brazil - I thought it was visionary genius at the time but tried to watch it recently and couldnt get through it.

The days of films being countable in minutes seems to have gone. Almost all films are 2.5+ hours. Go back not that long and it wasn't the case.

Actually, another film that should be considered a classic is the Truman Show. Brilliant stuff and a fantastic performance from Jim Carrey as an actor and not a series of facial expressions.

I think TDKR is weaker as part of the trilogy that it is on its own. It revisits the theme of Bruce Wayne discovering how to be batman, and then discovering how to be Bruce Wayne. Working with catwoman makes less sense in the aftermath of his isolation response to the events of TDK, and Alfred changes attitude completely in the 3rd film. On its own, you have a really strong performance from Tom Hardy standing out in a film with a just-about-respectable plot. As part of a trilogy, the plot and themes are inconsistent or repeated for the hell of it.

I think Inception will stand up okay without standing out. Its a good film but the "complexity" is seriously exaggerated. I watched it again a couple of months ago and still enjoyed it a lot.

[bocumaroy]

Granted the book (one of the few fiction books I have ever read) provides the narrative, but the way Kubrick directed it is fantastic (imho). There was obviously a huge furore over the copycat attacks etc at the time, and SK's "ban" of the film. It certainly had a mystique about it, and I remember sourcing a grainy VHS of the "uncut" version of it in the late 80's and watching it almost weekly.

Obviously 'shite' is a bit much, don't really know why I said it. I just think the style is pretty dated, as mentioned, and in terms of substance, it's only really interesting from a conceptual perspective, which was already in place before the film. I might watch it again just so I can revisit why I really didn't like it, as it's frustrating when people just dismiss things without any real reasoning.

Yeah - agree with you about films being too long nowadays. I think its hard to separate out the Batman movies - to me you have to see them as 3 parts of one statement. In that context I think it works better. Be interesting to see how Inception sands up in a few years as well. Bit of a Marmite film - I loved it but how it will date I dont know. Bit like Brazil - I thought it was visionary genius at the time but tried to watch it recently and couldnt get through it.

I loved the Batman films when they came out, but looking back, I don't really think they are all that (or Nolan, for that matter). Batman Begins is alright but pretty unspectacular, and The Dark Knight is by far the best (mainly down to the incredible Ledger), but TDKR rises is a complete mess, in my opinion. It's pretty entertaining, but in terms of plot it's weak, and bordering on nonsensical.

Inception is my favourite Nolan film by a distance. Pure entertainment with some brilliantly executed scenes and performances. But whilst I think the plot holds together pretty well, I'd agree with the comments about it's complexity being exaggerated.

I like Brazil in many ways, it's funny and fascinating, but at the same time also pretty hard to sit through, yeah. I find that with a lot of films, though. Even when I can appreciate a lot of their qualities, I find myself getting bored and wanting them to end.

Edited December 24, 2014 by bocumaroy

[FloorFiller]

yeah every film having to be a 2 hour 30 epic is definitely a quite recent thing. no more 1 hour 30 films (apart from maybe kids films)

i'm a fan of it most of the time - i like to be invested in a film - but then you get films like the three Hobbit films which all could've done with a massive edit and seem to be 'epic' for the sake of being epic

[kaosmark2]

I loved the Batman films when they came out, but looking back, I don't really think they are all that (or Nolan, for that matter). Batman Begins is alright but pretty unspectacular, and The Dark Knight is by far the best (mainly down to the incredible Ledger), but TDKR rises is a complete mess, in my opinion. It's pretty entertaining, but in terms of plot it's weak, and bordering on nonsensical.

Memento is my favourite Nolan film by a distance. Pure entertainment with some brilliantly executed scenes and performances. But whilst I think the plot holds together pretty well, I'd agree with the comments about it's complexity being exaggerated.

I think Batman Begins has fewer weak points than TDK actually. Far fewer fantastic moments as well(due to the brilliance of Ledger), but I think it's more concise, has a more fluid plot, and has far fewer cheesy moments.

Hmm, I enjoyed The Prestige more on rewatch than I did Memento. Memento is brilliantly crafted and executed, but I found it had the Nolan tendency to try and go "look how clever I am as a director" which I didn't see so much in The Prestige.

[bocumaroy]

I think Batman Begins has fewer weak points than TDK actually. Far fewer fantastic moments as well(due to the brilliance of Ledger), but I think it's more concise, has a more fluid plot, and has far fewer cheesy moments.

Hmm, I enjoyed The Prestige more on rewatch than I did Memento. Memento is brilliantly crafted and executed, but I found it had the Nolan tendency to try and go "look how clever I am as a director" which I didn't see so much in The Prestige.

Wait, Inception is the one I like! Not Memento. What I said doesn't apply to Memento, I don't think. It is quite complex in terms of narrative. I don't really like it, though. Kind of agree with your comments, and for me it misses the mark emotionally when there's plenty of scope for it to be very evocative in that regard.

Not seen The Prestige.

[kaosmark2]

yeah every film having to be a 2 hour 30 epic is definitely a quite recent thing. no more 1 hour 30 films (apart from maybe kids films)

i'm a fan of it most of the time - i like to be invested in a film - but then you get films like the three Hobbit films which all could've done with a massive edit and seem to be 'epic' for the sake of being epic

There are plenty of old epics, particularly the classic crime films, but now it's become universal.

I like having epics, sitting down to watch such a film is a great way to get invested, but I also like to sit down and think I'm only committing to 80 minutes to enjoy something, rather than devoting the next 3 hours of my life to it. I've said it before, but I flat refuse to watch the hobbit on the grounds that the book is 1/9th of the length of LOTR so there's no reason for the films to be near as long.

[bocumaroy]

Re-watched The Godfather and Part II recently. Not a second too long. Despite getting bored easily, I don't really have a problem with long films as they quite often justify the runtime. Even Nolan's films, which I'm not that fond of, never seem too long to me. He's entertaining.

90 minutes is usually optimum for me, but it all depends on the film. Even that can seem like a drag sometimes.

[kaosmark2]

Wait, Inception is the one I like! Not Memento. What I said doesn't apply to Memento, I don't think. It is quite complex in terms of narrative. I don't really like it, though. Kind of agree with your comments, and for me it misses the mark emotionally when there's plenty of scope for it to be very evocative in that regard.

Not seen The Prestige.

Inception has some great scenes and great acting but does have a fair bit of showing off visually. Memento tries very hard to be arty and special while borrowing lots of styles and mechanisms from elsewhere. I still really like Memento, but I felt it was overhyped.

Watch it. Really good film.

[kaosmark2]

Re-watched The Godfather and Part II recently. Not a second too long. Despite getting bored easily, I don't really have a problem with long films as they quite often justify the runtime. Even Nolan's films, which I'm not that fond of, never seem too long to me. He's entertaining.

90 minutes is usually optimum for me, but it all depends on the film. Even that can seem like a drag sometimes.

I've only watched them once because of the length, but on first viewing I didn't feel they were too long. I tend to judge length more harshly if I repeat though.

I think the problem is that most ones nowadays don't need the runtime. I'd also say Dark Knight could do with 45 minutes trimmed. That boat scene is tiresome, as are most of the scenes without The Joker or Two-Face in the 2nd half of the film.

[FloorFiller]

i love The Prestige. such an underrated film i feel (by Nolan's standards, anyway)

[Ted Dansons Wig]

Blade Runner? Alien?

Most of Ridley Scotts stuff is tosh imo (although Gladiator is a hoot at times).

But these two will continue to stand up with the best of them. In Aliens case especially - most SF movies have copied it ever since then

[Ted Dansons Wig]

Gladiator was garbage... Mindless action yawn.......

Were you not entertained?

You see what I did there?

[TheJackson]

How strange, I've literally just watched Blade Runner and thought it was very VERY slow. Didn't enjoy it.

[TheSilence]

I work at Odeon and Memento is the film under my name on my badge fantastic film.

[Ted Dansons Wig]

Do you only let people in at the end of the film?

[metallimuse]

I don't really think any films from now will be revered in 20 years time like The Godfather or Star Wars and such have been.Society is so quick & instant these days most films are forgotten in 5 years,definitely by 10.Ask most 18-21 year olds now about The Godfather or Aliens and they wouldn't have a clue.

[t8yman]

very few "current" films will stand up in 20 years time IMHO. Most of nolans output is actually shite except for memento and the prestige. The best films of "recent" years for me are Se7en & Usual Suspects, dead mans shoes, the departed, life is beautiful, and tyrannosaur, outside of those few, I dont see much else that will go down in history tbh. I am prepared to be reminded and corrected on a few I may have forgotten, but they are my standout films of the last coupla decades.

[DomDom1984]

Pan's Labyrinth is an absolute classic for me, and The Wolf of Wall Street has held up for me. That's off the top of my head. Could come back with more.

Oh, seen Dumb and Dumber To, which is absolutely shit.

[metallimuse]

Se7en & The Usual Suspects are 20 years old lol!

[Ted Dansons Wig]

Some good choices. How's about Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind?

[bocumaroy]

I've only watched them once because of the length, but on first viewing I didn't feel they were too long. I tend to judge length more harshly if I repeat though.

I know it's completely populist, but they're amongst the best things ever, for me. Tried to watch the third but only got about half an hour in. So detached from the brilliance of those first two.

Pan's Labyrinth is an absolute classic for me, and The Wolf of Wall Street has held up for me. That's off the top of my head. Could come back with more.

Oh, seen Dumb and Dumber To, which is absolutely shit.

Not seen Pan's Labyrinth, but I think those non-english language films from recent years that are popular in more mainstream circles are likely to hold up in terms of reputation. City of God, Let The Right One In etc. My favourite (of all time, possibly) would be The Diving Bell & The Butterfly.

Wolf Of Wall Street is really good, and another really long film that doesn't seem at all excessive to me. I liked Her even more, but that might seem dated in a few years.

Some good choices. How's about Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind?

Great film. The Tree Of Life will be talked about for a while, I reckon. Didn't think much of Boyhood, but maybe that just in terms of how ambitious and innovate it is.