The Movie Reel

[Kieran]

Just watched Battleship on telly. It's based on a board game.

A board game.

And I watched it. :cover

 

[TsarMatt]

Call me silly, but I just can't get into digital projection! The last two features I saw at the theatres were Boyhood and Interstellar (two films shot on film). They were both digitally projected, and yes, the cinematic experience was still rather immersive on the whole, but it honestly feels like I am just watching a Blu-ray (albeit with better sound and a larger screen). The picture quality is very nice, don't get me wrong, but something feels... missing. Going to the cinemas, at least to me, used to be a truly distinctive experience because how the film was presented to the audiences could not be replicated anywhere. You were watching this wonderfully magical illusion of movement. It's something that was so technologically different to anything home media could (and can) offer. But digital projection is just a media file being projected onto a larger screen.

Even as 4K digital projectors start to slightly become more prevalent and the resolution gets better in general, it is still not the same. There is a large disparity overall.

Of course, I'll still continue going to cinemas that have digital projection, but I'm not sold. I hope that doesn't come across as smug but it's the honest truth. In saying all of that, at the end of the day, it is the quality of the film that matters, irrespective of how it is being presented. I'd definitely prefer to watch a good film being digitally projected at 2K than I would an average film being projected in 35mm or even 70mm. I just don't get that 'cinematic' feeling anymore like I used to when I would watch a good quality film print.

 

[Kieran]

I agree about the quality of the film, etc, but it's kinda like listening to really old vinyl, with its cracks and hisses before the band start playing, and nowadays listening to CDs, where everything is cleaned up and buffed with a sterile sheen. It's kinda soulless. Old projectors added something to the experience, maybe because they were the original experience of film. Having said that, of course I have CDs and DVDs and enjoy them, but... :nono

 

[TsarMatt]

I agree about the quality of the film, etc, but it's kinda like listening to really old vinyl, with its cracks and hisses before the band start playing, and nowadays listening to CDs, where everything is cleaned up and buffed with a sterile sheen. It's kinda soulless. Old projectors added something to the experience, maybe because they were the original experience of film. Having said that, of course I have CDs and DVDs and enjoy them, but... :nono

Good point, but I'll also add that 35mm photochemical film has a generally higher resolution than most films shot on 4K digital. That is, watching a 35mm projection spawns a better quality image than most digital projectors today in cinemas (the standard projector still projects at 2K with some of the high-end cinemas now being at 4K).

So, in many ways, it's like we're going backwards. We're watching an inferior image.

 

[brokenshoelace]

As someone who's a huge fan of the LOTR trilogy, and thought the first two Hobbit movies were kinda meh, I really enjoyed the final installment. At least it ends on a high, in my book.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

I am aware how many different rewrites a script goes through before making it into production and then eventually to the screen, but this script I found for Interstellar is so different from the movie that I was a bit surprised. I love reading scripts and if anyone is interested, here it is :


http://leonardlangfordlexicon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/INTERSTELLAR-Jonathan-Nolan.pdf

 

[TsarMatt]

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uucoz08p7A4[/video]

Above is the opening to the short film I have been slowly working on. The film is going to be about the protagonist's battle with grief over his grandmother's recent passing, something that happened to me last month and something I am still currently, to some extent, dealing with. I definitely aim to change the music, but the film is definitely going to have a surrealistic and somewhat dark vibe.

And yeah, that's me in the film.

 

[the AntiPusher]

Brando picked some duds in his day, too...

Brando and Affleck are mutually exclusive,NO

One thing i will say in your defence, however, is that I personally wouldn't read too many books or watch too many fillums recommended by my missus. What wimmin like is different. Now, my wife has exceptional taste, but still, a man has his limits...

Okay, I have to admit, the wifey dragged me to the theaters to see Gone Girl, I actually enjoyed it.. It was a very good movie.. However..I still dislike Ben Affleck as much as Sam I am hates greens eggs and Rafa(sorry, I am thinking like Darth, i meant ham):laydownlaughing

 

[Kieran]

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uucoz08p7A4[/video]

Above is the opening to the short film I have been slowly working on. The film is going to be about the protagonist's battle with grief over his grandmother's recent passing, something that happened to me last month and something I am still currently, to some extent, dealing with. I definitely aim to change the music, but the film is definitely going to have a surrealistic and somewhat dark vibe.

And yeah, that's me in the film.

That's fairly strong, Matt. I have to confess I watched without sound because the missus is busy working in the same room, so I'll keep that til later, but like your previous vid, you use light very generously and at about the 30" mark you came out of darker and went through brighter light and the result was the image seemed magnified almost. Great title and effect. Sorry to hear about your grandmother, she will be impossible to replace but I hope working on this film will help you in some cathartic way, or any other way. It's very subtle and strong...

 

[TsarMatt]

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uucoz08p7A4[/video]

Above is the opening to the short film I have been slowly working on. The film is going to be about the protagonist's battle with grief over his grandmother's recent passing, something that happened to me last month and something I am still currently, to some extent, dealing with. I definitely aim to change the music, but the film is definitely going to have a surrealistic and somewhat dark vibe.

And yeah, that's me in the film.

That's fairly strong, Matt. I have to confess I watched without sound because the missus is busy working in the same room, so I'll keep that til later, but like your previous vid, you use light very generously and at about the 30" mark you came out of darker and went through brighter light and the result was the image seemed magnified almost. Great title and effect. Sorry to hear about your grandmother, she will be impossible to replace but I hope working on this film will help you in some cathartic way, or any other way. It's very subtle and strong...

Thank you very much, Kieran, I sincerely appreciate the kind and encouraging words.

 

[shawnbm]

It seems to me that nothing beats black and white cinematography for creating mood and a film. I liked the beginning of your future film, Matt. I am interested in seeing what transpires with the fella walking down the sidewalk.

 

[DarthFed]

[split] The Movie Reel

Just saw The Imitation Game last night. Very good movie. Quite the story and very well acted. Benedict Cumberbatch is truly a great actor. Hadn't heard/noticed him until I saw Sherlock. And for GOT fanatics this movie has Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister) in it. As one would expect he plays an arsehole in it and does it quite well.

 

[britbox]

Just watched a great film "Come and see" - it's set in WWII, not a traditional "war film" but very much dealing with the horrors of conflict.

It's English subtitles, but well worth a watch.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091251/

I ended up watching it on recommendation - it was classed by veterans as one of the best representations of what it was like.

 

[Kieran]

Looks interesting, brother.

I finally saw the third Hobbit movie today. Aside from all the obvious and incredible add-ons to the book, this film felt unnecessary to me, makey-up and at times, unintentionally hilarious. They didn't skip a battle cliche ("We attack...at dawn!") and though the fight scenes were up to computer game scratch, it just wasn't tense. Not even a teensy bit. You see, we know it all has a happy ending. We've seen the sequel already. And it annoyed me a little to see how stupid and useless the battle hardened orcs were, that little kids and hapless hobbits were able to slay them with ease. I know, it's prolly aimed more at nippers, except it's a little frightful for the little ones.

There maybe some sequencing errors too, but I'm due a binge on the LOTR trilogy, so I may watch them next week. I'll be curious to see. All in, I think he made a right bags of the Hobbit book, and would have been better off with one simple film, instead of a bloated trio of extraneous flotsam...

 

[TsarMatt]

Just watched a great film "Come and see" - it's set in WWII, not a traditional "war film" but very much dealing with the horrors of conflict.

It's English subtitles, but well worth a watch.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091251/

I ended up watching it on recommendation - it was classed by veterans as one of the best representations of what it was like.

It's a masterwork, and perhaps the most forbidding, grim, and bold of all war films, right up there with Shepitko's The Ascent. Technically, it's absolutely impeccable - the level of mastery here is nothing short of impressive. The tracking shots, the long takes, the editing, the sound design...I can not speak highly of it.

Glad you liked it! I'd highly recommend The Ascent for more harrowing Soviet war drama.

 

[britbox]

Just watched a great film "Come and see" - it's set in WWII, not a traditional "war film" but very much dealing with the horrors of conflict.

It's English subtitles, but well worth a watch.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091251/

I ended up watching it on recommendation - it was classed by veterans as one of the best representations of what it was like.

It's a masterwork, and perhaps the most forbidding, grim, and bold of all war films, right up there with Shepitko's The Ascent. Technically, it's absolutely impeccable - the level of mastery here is nothing short of impressive. The tracking shots, the long takes, the editing, the sound design...I can not speak highly of it.

Glad you liked it! I'd highly recommend The Ascent for more harrowing Soviet war drama.

Yeah, it was a gem and will take in the Ascent over the next couple of weeks. Re-watching "Saving Private Ryan" right now - a good but more conventional war movie and then I'll probably watch Blackhawk Down again, as I only watched it the once.

 

[Kieran]

Just watched The Wolf of Wall Street. I really enjoyed it but couldn't help but think of it as a secular remake of the gangster classic, Goodfellas. Secular in the sense that these weren't made-guy gangsters, but geeky scammers, but the drive and addictions were the same, some scenes seemed transferable from one film to the other, the style was classic Scorsese, all the performances were top notch.

Where Goodfellas became threatening, this one became funny, maybe Scorsese's funniest film. How diCaprio didn't get the Oscar... :nono

 

[the AntiPusher]

American Sniper is another Clint Eastwood masterpiece. Very powerful and movie mega drama.. Brilliantly portrayed by Bradley Cooper, produced by Cooper and Eastwood.

 

[shawnbm]

Now for something completely different. Today I took my kids and wife to see the new Amy Adams movie, Big Eyes. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Christoph Walz is very good in the movie in the story is compelling. It has a bit of a trite and predictable ending, but the first half of the film was fairly compelling.

 

[TsarMatt]

Now for something completely different. Today I took my kids and wife to see the new Amy Adams movie, Big Eyes. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Christoph Walz is very good in the movie in the story is compelling. It has a bit of a trite and predictable ending, but the first half of the film was fairly compelling.

I want to see this. It definitely feels and seems like a more stylistically calmer and inert Burton film.