re-evaluating older films....
Discussion
Pesty said:
P5BNij said:
Another Burt Lancaster film which still stands up is 'The Train' from 1964.
And if you like westerns the professionals still stands up and is a great film. 1966 Lancaster stole it in a big way. Lee Marvin was allegedly extremely unhappy with how his role was diminished and how well received Lancaster was.
'Le Mans' is often easily dismissed by some, probably due to the lack of any real plot and the soppy 'romance' bits that are dropped in here and there, but the photography, soundtrack and actual racing sequences are superb. From the gentle opening until about half an hour in there is no dialogue other than the race commentator building up to the start, very few film makers would dare to do something like that these days...
Back to the future and the goonies, I have watched recently and they are still superb.
My brother and I watched Weird science about 3 times a week for a few years... When it was remastered on DVD I bought it when it was released. I can't bring myself to watch it and doubt I will.
Star wars, still great, Henry V, wonderful film, ice cold in Alex superb.
My brother and I watched Weird science about 3 times a week for a few years... When it was remastered on DVD I bought it when it was released. I can't bring myself to watch it and doubt I will.
Star wars, still great, Henry V, wonderful film, ice cold in Alex superb.
P5BNij said:
Talking of Lee Marvin - I recently re-watched 'Point Blank' again, twice, a few nights apart, it's still a great film which always leaves me wanting more, Marvin owns every frame of film he's in.
Possibly too late for the context of this thread, but Lee Marvin makes one of my favourite films that much better, Gorky Park (also a great book and very different to the film).If ever a film was made wonderful by perfect casting it's that for me; Brian Dennehy as the gargantuan force of nature Yank sledgehammer ("a man with fists of stone") was the perfect foil for William Hurt's asectic louche Sherlockian detective. And Lee Marvin was just superb as the villain who simply was a villain because... why not? "And in the meanwhile, I have a hat. And you don't."
And then Joanna Pacula of course, who managed to be pale and interesting and yet not cheapen anything she was involved in, despite perhaps being written in a bit lite by the scripters. Almost a perfect film that even fails to be ruined by Michael Elphick's bumbling but adorable sidekick copper and even more weirdly Rikki Fulton as a supposedly sinister KGB Colonel. Anyone who's watched Scotch and Wry probably found that downright bizarre
I gutted him... because he killed my dogs
Bad Day at Black Rock...probably quite high in my top 100 movies.
I'm another Marvin fan.
The one where he swims to an island from a ship to fight with John Wayne is amusing.
Nik da Greek said:
Possibly too late for the context of this thread, but Lee Marvin makes one of my favourite films that much better, Gorky Park (also a great book and very different to the film).
If ever a film was made wonderful by perfect casting it's that for me; Brian Dennehy as the gargantuan force of nature Yank sledgehammer ("a man with fists of stone") was the perfect foil for William Hurt's asectic louche Sherlockian detective. And Lee Marvin was just superb as the villain who simply was a villain because... why not? "And in the meanwhile, I have a hat. And you don't."
And then Joanna Pacula of course, who managed to be pale and interesting and yet not cheapen anything she was involved in, despite perhaps being written in a bit lite by the scripters. Almost a perfect film that even fails to be ruined by Michael Elphick's bumbling but adorable sidekick copper and even more weirdly Rikki Fulton as a supposedly sinister KGB Colonel. Anyone who's watched Scotch and Wry probably found that downright bizarre
I gutted him... because he killed my dogs
Never seen that. Will remedy one dayIf ever a film was made wonderful by perfect casting it's that for me; Brian Dennehy as the gargantuan force of nature Yank sledgehammer ("a man with fists of stone") was the perfect foil for William Hurt's asectic louche Sherlockian detective. And Lee Marvin was just superb as the villain who simply was a villain because... why not? "And in the meanwhile, I have a hat. And you don't."
And then Joanna Pacula of course, who managed to be pale and interesting and yet not cheapen anything she was involved in, despite perhaps being written in a bit lite by the scripters. Almost a perfect film that even fails to be ruined by Michael Elphick's bumbling but adorable sidekick copper and even more weirdly Rikki Fulton as a supposedly sinister KGB Colonel. Anyone who's watched Scotch and Wry probably found that downright bizarre
I gutted him... because he killed my dogs
I'm another Marvin fan.
The one where he swims to an island from a ship to fight with John Wayne is amusing.
JagLover said:
SimNugget said:
T2 is still great and the great breaking FX are just good enough, the remastered 4K version has a few tweaks which fixes the obvious stunt double grabbing the kid off the bike in the storm drains.
Aliens has aged badly due to the grainy film used, but I watched Alien on Blueray a few years back for the very first time - a brilliant film.
...
Aliens looks good on Blu Ray I thought?Aliens has aged badly due to the grainy film used, but I watched Alien on Blueray a few years back for the very first time - a brilliant film.
...
I think of the "older" action movies the Cameron ones still hold up because the pacing is spot on. Someone likened Aliens to a rollercoaster ride and the pacing of both T2 and Aliens cannot really be bettered. Some modern movies appear either frenetic by comparison or the time spent on character development feels empty.
The opening sequence of T2 still looks utterly fantastic though, with a weight that cgi can never fully replicate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mg7qKstnPk
Alien and Aliens still look great though, all the more remarkable given that former was released at a time when a VCR was a luxury and 4k resolution beyond the wildest dreams of film makers.
A Winner Is You said:
Alien and Aliens still look great though, all the more remarkable given that former was released at a time when a VCR was a luxury and 4k resolution beyond the wildest dreams of film makers.
Yarp, they still hold up, also in my top 100 films, and of course, we have them thanks to Star Wars.P5BNij said:
Talking of Lee Marvin - I recently re-watched 'Point Blank' again, twice, a few nights apart, it's still a great film which always leaves me wanting more, Marvin owns every frame of film he's in.
The remake (Payback) with Mel Gibson is actually better. An overlooked classic. It also stars some old -Hollywood toughguys - James Coburn, Bill Duke, William Devane. Oh and it also stars Lucy Liu and Maria Bello 
Casablanca is still the finest film ever made IMHO. It's pretty much perfect given that it was made during the war. It's dated of course but the dialogue still pings and the atmosphere is excellent, all the better for being made in black and white. Presumably it's why no major studio has dared do a remake.
"Here's looking at you kid".
"Here's looking at you kid".
popeyewhite said:
P5BNij said:
Talking of Lee Marvin - I recently re-watched 'Point Blank' again, twice, a few nights apart, it's still a great film which always leaves me wanting more, Marvin owns every frame of film he's in.
The remake (Payback) with Mel Gibson is actually better. An overlooked classic. It also stars some old -Hollywood toughguys - James Coburn, Bill Duke, William Devane. Oh and it also stars Lucy Liu and Maria Bello I'm going to put on 'Wrong Arm Of The Law' later, as perfect a Peter Sellers film as you'll find, bonus points for featuring two of Sellers' own cars, the Aston DB4 and Ferrari 250GTE. 'Two Way Stretch' is another of his I always enjoy.
popeyewhite said:
P5BNij said:
Talking of Lee Marvin - I recently re-watched 'Point Blank' again, twice, a few nights apart, it's still a great film which always leaves me wanting more, Marvin owns every frame of film he's in.
The remake (Payback) with Mel Gibson is actually better. An overlooked classic. It also stars some old -Hollywood toughguys - James Coburn, Bill Duke, William Devane. Oh and it also stars Lucy Liu and Maria Bello tdm34 said:
Payback is brilliant, great gritty acting, totally believable, also LA Confidential is a masterclass, The Negotiator, The Insider, Westerns got a boost with The Unforgiven and Tombstone... just a few, i'll think of a few more...
Val Kilmer in Tombstone is utterly fantastic.Nik da Greek said:
The Professionals.... MMMMMmmmmmm, Claudia Cardinale Also the fourth star of the second-best Western ever, Once Upon a Time In the West . Jack Palance in The Professionals too, hamming it up as usual and apparently having a jolly fun old time 
I was going to mention OUATITW. What do you think is the *best* Western? Also the fourth star of the second-best Western ever, Once Upon a Time In the West . Jack Palance in The Professionals too, hamming it up as usual and apparently having a jolly fun old time Honourable mention to Deliverance.
+1 vote for Casablanca. And The Maltese Falcon.
Hackers
Enjoyed this as a teen but thought it was forgettable hokum in my twenties.
To my surprise I enjoyed it again in my late 30s. Feels like a spiritual successor to Goonies; rather than kids/teens looking to influence their local community you have teens looking to have an impact on the world and pre-empted hacktivism/Anonymous. Looking back on it the flaws of the film shows how difficult IT is as a visual medium for entertainment ends up becoming unrealistic and so you appreciate film making more - a film like Hackers is there to entertain.
To my surprise even Mark Kermode is a fan of the film! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SM-Su6gcIQ
Enjoyed this as a teen but thought it was forgettable hokum in my twenties.
To my surprise I enjoyed it again in my late 30s. Feels like a spiritual successor to Goonies; rather than kids/teens looking to influence their local community you have teens looking to have an impact on the world and pre-empted hacktivism/Anonymous. Looking back on it the flaws of the film shows how difficult IT is as a visual medium for entertainment ends up becoming unrealistic and so you appreciate film making more - a film like Hackers is there to entertain.
To my surprise even Mark Kermode is a fan of the film! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SM-Su6gcIQ
rlm did a review a while back.
RedLetterMedia Published on 5 Nov 2018
Hackers - reView
https://youtu.be/lM7_oyCZqj0
RedLetterMedia Published on 5 Nov 2018
Hackers - reView
https://youtu.be/lM7_oyCZqj0
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