Rate the Last Movie You Saw

[Dan Hocker]

Bond is a hard breakdown for me. I like every Bond in a different way. Brosnan is one that is particular hard to place, as I really think only one of his Bond movies was good, but it was so good that it's probably one of my favorite Bond movies.

[bugen]

Timothy Dalton was Bond at his peak for me. Brosnan was a thruway Bond. Craig's interpretation is great.

I think we're close to agreeing here. It's been a while but as memory serves Dalton and Brosnan approached the role in a similar way with a kind of gleam-in-the-eye, sophistication and precision over energy and power. For the longest time License to Kill was my favorite Bond movie, but it’s been so many years I’d have to see it again to see how well it holds up.

Bond is a hard breakdown for me. I like every Bond in a different way. Brosnan is one that is particular hard to place, as I really think only one of his Bond movies was good, but it was so good that it's probably one of my favorite Bond movies.

I'm with you, Dan, they can be tough to like. I'm sure we're both thinking of GoldenEye as his best, and I think it's one of the best Bond movies ever made. I also found a lot to like in Die Another Day, partially because it was the first time we'd seen a broken Bond after being disavowed, enduring months of torture, then trying to regain his spirit and prowess.

[Dan Hocker]

I'm with you, Dan, they can be tough to like. I'm sure we're both thinking of GoldenEye as his best, and I think it's one of the best Bond movies ever made. I also found a lot to like in Die Another Day, partially because it was the first time we'd seen a broken Bond after being disavowed, enduring months of torture, then trying to regain his spirit and prowess.

Yea we're both talking about GoldenEye. I also think Tomorrow Never Dies is passable, but The World is Not Enough and Die Another Day don't really work for me. I feel like the writing was pretty bad in those and the leading actresses where kinda awful as well. Or maybe it was just that they where written awful.

[bugen]

Well, it's tough to say which are actually the best Bond movies, but now having seen the 4 Daniel Craig films I've got to say his run is my favorite from any of the actors (I always forget Lazenby, and I've never seen his film).

At this point I've still gotta stand by Brosnan's portrayal as the final version of Bond, kind of like Eastwood's portrayal in The Unforgiven was the final version of The Man with No Name. Unofficial, but a nice narrative and evolution of the character. Like Brian said, Daniel Craig plays the 'man's man,' and I really like how his set builds on its own storyline like one extended saga. It's a damned fine collection of films.

Casino Royal - 5 stars
Quantum of Solace - 3+ stars
Skyfall - 4 stars
Spectre - 5- (4+) stars

[Dan Hocker]

Well, it's tough to say which are actually the best Bond movies, but now having seen the 4 Daniel Craig films I've got to say his run is my favorite from any of the actors (I always forget Lazenby, and I've never seen his film).

At this point I've still gotta stand by Brosnan's portrayal as the final version of Bond, kind of like Eastwood's portrayal in The Unforgiven was the final version of The Man with No Name. Unofficial, but a nice narrative and evolution of the character. Like Brian said, Daniel Craig plays the 'man's man,' and I really like how his set builds on its own storyline like one extended saga. It's a damned fine collection of films.

Casino Royal - 5 stars
Quantum of Solace - 3+ stars
Skyfall - 4 stars
Spectre - 5- (4+) stars

Interesting ratings. I'd probably rate Skyfall a little higher and Spectre a fair bit lower. I liked Spectre, but at time Craig felt like he just didn't want to be there. Casino Royal is practically perfect though.

[bugen]

I didn't actually complete the 4-film marathon in one shot, and Skyfall ended around 4 am when I decided to hold off on Spectre until the next day--tiredness could have been a factor in enjoyment. But I did end up liking Spectre a bit more, and part of it was because I liked how Daniel Craig played it. I saw the rumor he was offered $150 million for two more, and also that he was under a loose contract for a total of 5. But he'd also said in the media he'd hate to do another Bond film.

These are great movies and I want to bring up the ending. Please no one read this unless you've seen them:

Spoiler!

I actually feel like the ending of Spectre is a great ending for Daniel Craig as James Bond. You're right, Dan, he seemed tired and even old in the last film, like he didn't want to be there. For me that seemed to work for the character, who wanted out. It's sort of meta. Even though Blofeld lives to come up in the other Bond films, if you interpret Bond leaving the agency at the end of Spectre to run away with Dr. Swann as permanent, it all makes for kind of a perfect story arc.

Anyway, the way it all wrapped up helped boost the rating for me. Even though the Daniel Craig films were my favorites of the Bond movies, I hope they go with a new Bond and Craig gets these four as a complete, cool story.

[Dan Hocker]

I didn't actually complete the 4-film marathon in one shot, and Skyfall ended around 4 am when I decided to hold off on Spectre until the next day--tiredness could have been a factor in enjoyment. But I did end up liking Spectre a bit more, and part of it was because I liked how Daniel Craig played it. I saw the rumor he was offered $150 million for two more, and also that he was under a loose contract for a total of 5. But he'd also said in the media he'd hate to do another Bond film.

These are great movies and I want to bring up the ending. Please no one read this unless you've seen them:

Spoiler!

I actually feel like the ending of Spectre is a great ending for Daniel Craig as James Bond. You're right, Dan, he seemed tired and even old in the last film, like he didn't want to be there. For me that seemed to work for the character, who wanted out. It's sort of meta. Even though Blofeld lives to come up in the other Bond films, if you interpret Bond leaving the agency at the end of Spectre to run away with Dr. Swann as permanent, it all makes for kind of a perfect story arc.

Anyway, the way it all wrapped up helped boost the rating for me. Even though the Daniel Craig films were my favorites of the Bond movies, I hope they go with a new Bond and Craig gets these four as a complete, cool story.

I would guess that seeing them back to back like that certainly has an effect on how you perceive each film. For me having only seen each Skyfall once in theaters, then waiting 3 years for Spectre, which was fairly "hyped" up, Spectre just didn't live up to Skyfall. Seeing them back to back, or even just all in the span of a couple of days would probably make them feel more like a cohesive story across 4 movies. In the end my ranking is probably Casino Royal, Skyfall, Spectre, then Quantum of Sollace.

[mhatchett]

Anyone Remember 'Brotherhood of the Wolf" 2001? Brotherhood of the Wolf (French: Le Pacte des loups) is a 2001 French historical horror-action film[3][4] directed by Christophe Gans, written by Gans and Stéphane Cabel, starring Samuel Le Bihan, Mark Dacascos, Émilie Dequenne, Monica Bellucci, and Vincent Cassel.

The film is loosely based on a real-life series of killings that took place in France in the 18th century and the famous legend of the Beast of Gévaudan; parts of the film were shot at Château de Roquetaillade. The film has several extended swashbuckling fight scenes, with martial arts performances by the cast mixed in, making it unusual for a historical drama.
Great to re-watch it as a Halloween Treat!

[TacomaDiver]

Anyone Remember 'Brotherhood of the Wolf" 2001? Brotherhood of the Wolf (French: Le Pacte des loups)

I still owe this on DVD. My ex-wife called it a Dick Flick - the opposite of a chick flick. Martial arts, werewolves and boobs. No Nicholas Sparks kissing in the rain with this one!

However I don't remember the last time I took this for a spin, but have let a number of people borrow it and they've all enjoyed it.

Might have to take this out when I have a free weekend (can't see my GF enjoying this one.)

[bugen]

I loved The Brotherhood of the Wolf! That's a good idea to bust this one out for Halloween.

[TJCams]

Watched Abattoir. Pretty interesting ghost story, without saying much to spoil for those who haven't seen it. Worth a look though!

[Theli]

^ Maybe I'll try to catch it this weekend. Is it in theatres?

[Sock Monkey]

Watched Abattoir. Pretty interesting ghost story, without saying much to spoil for those who haven't seen it. Worth a look though!

This is Darren Lynn Bousman's new movie, right? I heard about this and it sounds pretty interesting.

[Sock Monkey]

The Legend of Hell House: I'm a huge Richard Matheson fan and his novel Hell House is a classic, but for some reason I never got around to watching the 1973 movie based on the book with a screenplay by Matheson himself. Overall, it's a faithful if idiosyncratically directed--the camera angles and blocking are all over the place in this movie-- adaptation of the novel. Roddy McDowell as Fisher steals the show, but the cast is uniformly good even if the acting is a little uneven at times.

The movie is good, but not great, and what stifles it is the pacing. Like Matheson's prose, scenes are tight and to the point, but unlike the writer's novel there is little connective tissue to bind the movie together, creating at times a sense of the movie being more a series of scenes rather than a naturally flowing narrative. An additional fifteen minutes to flesh out the characters and build their arcs would have made the movie even more effective.

What also doesn't help was the choice to give date and time stamps on the screen breaking the tension. As soon as I started to get into the groove, the movie would cut to another master shot of the Belasco House and title letting us know that it was December 23 at 9:40am. This would work if the movie utilized it to control the ebb and flow of tension, using it to create a break in the tension only to build it once again. Unfortunately, if this was the intention it doesn't work due to the fact that the movie never truly frightens.

I watched the Scream Factory Blu-ray release and, as always, their work to restore these rather forgotten horror movies is fantastic. There was a scene that was rather grainy, but beyond that the picture was beautiful. If you are going to watch this movie, I'd recommend seeing it in this fashion.

As a whole, being a horror movie and Richard Matheson fan, I enjoyed it for what it was: a surprisingly dark haunted house tale that while not as memorable as other more notable films in the subgenre, was worth the 85 minute runtime. Here's to Mike Flanagan or James Wan doing a remake.

Grade: C

[TJCams]

This is Darren Lynn Bousman's new movie, right? I heard about this and it sounds pretty interesting.

Yes - that's the one. IMDB (not sure how much of an authority this site truly is) only has it as 4.5/10, but I thought it was pretty good.

Unlike..... I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House.... Netflix original. Sounded good by the description but...... I don't understand what the point of it was!