The film thread.

[Al ears]

The shark scene in the arena was a little naff. The rest of it, was really enjoyable.

That and the rather odd looking baboons yes

 

[Revolutions]

What about a man riding a Rhino??? 🤣🤣🤣

 

[Jasonovich]

What about a man riding a Rhino??? 🤣🤣🤣

Ha ha ha yes!

 

[davidf]

Sod that, it's almost time for my annual visit to Amity Island...

 

[Al ears]

Ha ha ha yes!

Yeah ha!
Well they ride elephants don't they???

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

Duel on 4k - thoroughly enjoyed it - I'd not picked up things like how clearly you can see how much the truck is receding in his wing mirrors in some of the earlier sequences. Loved it when I saw it as a kid, less so the second time, and the third I was mostly dawn to how Dennis Weaver's acting isn't exactly from the top drawer. But this time, probably because my expectations were not in the stratosphere, I really enjoyed it. And whilst he's not always reached the greatest of highs, it was ample demonstration that Spielberg was born to direct. Looks like the scene where Weaver has to jump out of the phone box just before the truck hits it really didn't leave much margin for error!

 

[Jasonovich]

Duel on 4k - thoroughly enjoyed it - I'd not picked up things like how clearly you can see how much the truck is receding in his wing mirrors in some of the earlier sequences. Loved it when I saw it as a kid, less so the second time, and the third I was mostly dawn to how Dennis Weaver's acting isn't exactly from the top drawer. But this time, probably because my expectations were not in the stratosphere, I really enjoyed it. And whilst he's not always reached the greatest of highs, it was ample demonstration that Spielberg was born to direct. Looks like the scene where Weaver has to jump out of the phone box just before the truck hits it really didn't leave much margin for error!

Conspiracy theorists claim Weaver boasted about the sonic merits of speaker cables to a pole dancer in a truck bar.
Hey Hank this weirdo spoke dirty to me.
😂
Great movie BTW.
Spielberg's first directed movie I think? I'll argue he's best before his future movies started to degenerate into overcooked infantile action scenes that lacked finesse but under the same breath he was probably the best in his genre. George Lucas fans will argue differently. 😊

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

The Wicker Man from Beeb4. Didn't really rate it last time I saw it, but thought it was much better this time. The influence on The League of Gentlemen/Inside No.9 is apparent.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

Pale Rider on 4k - my expectations were not in the stratosphere, as some of Eastwood's stuff isn't transformed on 4k - I'm thinking Unforgiven here - but I can't think of another film so transformed by HDR. There's lots of sunshine and bright blue skies, and it really shows.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

Dark City on 4k - unusual for SF in that the human story works better than the SF story - I guess that's the right way around though!

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

Starship Troopers on 4k -a guilty pleasure in that it's basically rubbish, but palatable brain off entertainment. Special effects still look very good for a film that's nigh-on 30 years old.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

Monty Python and the Holy Grail on 4k - as you'd expect it's not like watching a new film in the shiny new format, but there are worthwhile gains in resolution (there are signs after Sir Robin's encounter with the three-headed knight that I hadn't registered before, let alone been able to read), but it's the HDR gains that make the biggest difference.

I'd strongly recommend avoiding the ''tis but a tribute' extra though - a series of soundbites from people who are almost all American, whom you are unlikely to have heard of, and who cannot pronounce 'python'.

Found out from a book I'm reading that my favourite author, the late, great Iain (M.) Banks was an extra in it.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

La Femme Nikita on 4k. Luc Besson’s take on the Pygmalion/My Fair Lady genre, just with crash bang wallops.

Entertaining, and another for my small but growing Besson collection. Not up to his Leon, but what is?

Just got around to watching that - good film.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

The Name of the Rose on 4k - not sure that the lead couldn't have been executed even better with someone with more than one accent, but a thoroughly good film. I've no idea how they managed to get so many ugly people in one place, though...

 

[davidf]

The Name of the Rose on 4k - not sure that the lead couldn't have been executed even better with someone with more than one accent, but a thoroughly good film. I've no idea how they managed to get so many ugly people in one place, though...

Pet hate of mine - actors employed to play a role they can't do the accent for. Usually British playing Americans, or vice versa. My first exposure to Christian Bale was American Psycho - I thought he was American. Ewan McGregor cannot do an American accent, but still gets roles playing Americans.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

After the death of Robert Redford, we'd decided our next couple of films would be his - The Sting last night on 4k, to be followed by All is Lost.

I recall watching The Sting with my mum as a child, and having no experience of plot twists I was struck by how cleverly-constructed it is, and I guess I still am. I also can't imagine that anybody wouldn't love the score, but obviously that can't be true. Given that it's only two years' older than Jaws and six younger than Alien, it definitely feels like a film from a older era though.

Seems like he was a thoroughly decent bloke too, so RIP.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

Shrek on 4k - hard to believe it's nearly 25 years old. Few films of any kind use music as well.

 

[Shrek]

Shrek on 4k - hard to believe it's nearly 25 years old. Few films of any kind use music as well.

Every body loves Shrek 😇

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

Just ploughing through the original Star Wars trilogy - reminded me of this, mixing up footage with Withnail quotes - the language is definitely cert 18:

View: https://youtu.be/e3EVuoOo3kA?list=PLFtLWdCwYqgdM6tQdbiDi8tppim7Uh22l

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

Having finished the original three:

1) Why did Lucas add the rubbishy special effects? They aren't very good and just jar.
2) The Ewoks. Just Why?
3) Overwriting bits so that they wouldn't clash with the prequels, such as having Hayden Christiansen/Christian Heydensen appear at the very end of Jedi? Every time one of us who grew up with the originals sees these parts, they just drag us out of the film and make us realise how wrong Lucas's priorities were.

 

[davidf]

Having finished the original three:

1) Why did Lucas add the rubbishy special effects? They aren't very good and just jar.

1) because he thought it'd look better.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

1) because he thought it'd look better.

That's the thing though - if you look at the stormtroopers' mounts in Mos Eisley, for example, they look pants. It's one thing to try something expecting improvements, but surely someone in the editing suite had eyes?!

 

[davidf]

That's the thing though - if you look at the stormtroopers' mounts in Mos Eisley, for example, they look pants. It's one thing to try something expecting improvements, but surely someone in the editing suite had eyes?!

I haven't watched them for a long time, as I've been waiting for the unadulterated originals to be released, despite picking up the 4K Bluray box set - even though I'm not really much of a fan.

I guess Lucas just thought some CGI to replace puppets would appeal to a wider audience. I get it, I know young people who laugh at the effects in The Exorcist, and the rubber shark in Jaws. They're not the target audience though, and for me, the above are still the two best examples of their sub genre to date.

I'm a great believer in leaving things "as is". A historic film isn't made better by visual improvements. Cleaning up a damaged print, fair enough, but not messing with the effects. It'd be like remastering all the Ray Harryhausen films with CGI monsters and creatures (which would make it look more like the remake, which was pants) - it'd look stupid, and then you piss off all the fans. Leave films with the limitations of their eras, they'll still be appreciated by those who love them.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

I guess Lucas just thought some CGI to replace puppets would appeal to a wider audience.

Definitely agree with your gist - though the example I quote they're just added in - they don't replace anything. I'd certainly replace 4 and 6 if there were unadulterated versions.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

The Score on 4k - a hackneyed basic plot in terms of a con doing one last job, but well-done. Of the three generations of heavyweight acting talent (Brando, De Niro and Norton), the young pretender definitely steals the show.