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Last Movie You Watched

Discussion in 'Film' started by Bluemilk, May 14, 2017.

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  1. Use the Falchion

    Use the Falchion Jedi Contrarian

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    Going to watch The Green Knight either tonight or tomorrow. But for now, here's my quick review of Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning.

    [​IMG]

    The Beginning is the final movie in the Rurouni Kenshin saga, and chronologically the first one. It tells the tragic and heartbreaking story of Kenshin and Tomoe, and how Kenshin ended up with his iconic x-shaped scar.

    Of the five movies, I would rank this third, which sort of sucks since it was the one I was looking forward to the most. It's not that the movie is bad. It's action-packed, drama-filled, and definitely has the best story.

    But it just doesn't fully fit for me for some reason. Maybe it's the fact that The Final has a dedicated flashback sequence to summarize this movie and how it plays into the current one, so it feels like we've already seen the movie by the time we watch it. It's like if at the end of ESB after Vader claims to be Luke's father, we have a whole flashback of Anakin and Padme's romance, their falling in love, Anakin's betrayal to the Dark Side, and his fight with Obi-Wan. And then we got the PT in full.

    The actor of Kenshin is great, but he's far too old to be playing the age Kenshin is supposed to be. It's to the point that in one flashback, you can tell it was played by a younger version of the same actor.* (I mean, nine years have passed since the movie the flashbacks were from came out and this one.)

    The antagonists in this movie also don't live up to any of the previous antagonists at all. Granted, you really can't beat Shishio's manic magnetism (or Einishi's youthful insanity). But the villains are practically nobody's in this movie - faceless mooks that don't matter at all. This is partially due to the changes in The Final. In the manga, some of the villains in the Jinchuu/Judgement arc were after Kenshin because of his actions against them during the time of this movie. But some of those villains were taken out of The Final, or changed to the point where they weren't even recognizable, so the connection simply isn't there. And sure, the ones in this movie are manga-accurate, but they simply don't have the special panache that the manga versions did. Oh well.

    But with the bad, there is good. The directing and cinematography of this movie is, as always, gorgeous. The fight scenes are unique and well-paced, giving us enough clarity to catch what is happening while also letting us feel the supernatural speed of Kenshin. There are a good amount of long cuts too, so we can feel the fights.

    This movie is bloody - far bloodier than any of the other stories, and given Kenshin's job as an assassin at the time, that fit. The violence really set it apart from the other movies in showing what type of world Kenshin lived it. There's also the standalone nature of this movie, something only this and the first-released movie share. Tomoe's actress was easily the star of the movie, and that's good, since the movie really hinges on her character. The music is muted, again underscoring the dramatic nature of the story and giving the actors the spotlight. There are some nice callbacks to previous movies, with the reuse of leitmotifs and wholesale songs at times, but it all works.

    There were some changes that didn't truly matter, but did actually help the story when compared to the manga; none of the changes were as large as the ones from the previous movies though, so I wasn't weirded out by any of them but one. The major one in detail:
    In the manga, Kenshin doesn't read Tomoe's diary until after her death, compounding his own guilt as he killed her previous fiancé. In the movie, the Kenshin's tells him about the diary and Kenshin reads it before going to find her. This works well with her final words of "I'm sorry, my love." Because there's ambiguity now. is she talking about her deceased fiance, or Kenshin? Is she saying sorry because she can't avenge the dead, or because she has to hurt the living in order to do so? Or is it some mixture of them all?


    Finally let's talk about the placement. When you have something called The Beginning, you'd expect it to be placed first in the timeline. And indeed you can do that! The final scenes in this movie are the first scenes in the first movie. You can also just watch the movies in release order and place it at the end, as this movie bridges the final arc with Kenshin's first live action foray - again, the final scenes in this movie are the first scenes in the first movie. Personally I'd probably place it either before or after Movie 3, "The Legend Ends." Putting it before Movie 3 is like watching Star Wars movies in the Flashback method - you have time in-universe, and it helps give context to some of the characters and their struggles and decisions. Putting it after Movie 3 is less about the first trilogy and more about giving the full context of The Final, and letting The Final actually be the final movie for Kenshin. One could also watch The Beginning after Movie 1 "Origins" but before Movie 2 "Kyoto Inferno." In doing so, it puts this movie into the position of setting things up, as the villains for the rest of the series are introduced and/or alluded to in this movie. Overall, you can watch this at anytime you want, as it doesn't really require knowledge of any of the main characters outside of Kenshin to function.

    Ultimately, The Beginning really sells the bitterness in Kenshin's story, but also gives us hope for a future. We see love, hope, redemption, idealism, extremism, and so many other things in this story, and it's brilliant. The Beginning's biggest problem is it's biggest boon - we've been told this story before. The manga is what this is based off of, The Final does it's clip show, and the OVA "Trust and Betrayal" has existed for two decades. This means that it has to compete with not only the other movies, but also its own story because of the high expectations and quality of everything else. And The Beginning is good! ...it's just not as good as "Trust and Betrayal" or about half of the other movies. Still, it's head and shoulders above many movies. It'd give this a solid 8/10, with the potential to rise to a 9/10 on good days or with good company.

    *And things like this are a cinematic pet-peeve of mine. I don't mind it so much with television in certain instances (Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Arrow mostly), but when you've got the budget to cast a younger character and you know you should, then do it Bob Saget! This also applies to voice acting too. Star Wars in particular is very guilty of this, choosing to go for cameo roles that distract fans from the story rather than simply hiring someone that actually fits the age/role/sound better.
     
    #2141 Use the Falchion, Jul 31, 2021
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2021
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  2. NunbNuts

    NunbNuts Rebel Official

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    [​IMG]

    I watched it with Rifftrax but it probably would have been just as hilarious without. It stars Reb Brown who once played Captain America back in the day but is probably more well known for the awful movie Space Mutiny that gained fame through Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Rifftrax. The first half of the movie seems aimed at the Conan the Barbarian demographic then halfway through they decide to try and be Star Wars and abandon the Sword And Sorcery source material for a sci-fi plot. Not that I've read the source material but from what I understand the novel had no sci-fi aspects to it at all.

    The best part is the theme song though, apparently by some band that pieced together the lyrics from random words/phrases and scraps of broken English. It plays over the opening and closing credits and the opening credits is a montage of the guy just running around through the countryside in broad daylight and the lyrics are like "He never sees the sun...".

     
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  3. MandoChip

    MandoChip Hate me later. Work now.
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    s-l400.jpg s-l400-1.jpg
     
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  4. Use the Falchion

    Use the Falchion Jedi Contrarian

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    Saw The Green Knight tonight!

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    I remember reading the book in Sixth Grade. It was one of my favorite reads of that year. The contents of the book have mostly faded with time, but I remembered enough to go "this ain't it," at several points in this movie.

    The Green Knight is a stunning movie in beauty, sound, and acting. It's grounded yet fantastical; true to the characters yet wildly different; the most relatable Arthurian adaptation I've seen in a LONG time yet also the most outlandish. I'm sure when the Oscars come around, this movie will do phenomenally. However, it doesn't really hit all of its story or theme beats well. The ending literally had me going "huh? What? No, it can't end like that!" and the movie also pulls one of the single worst tropes of all time. Things aren't explained at all, meaning if you don't know the original story in-depth and/or Arthurian lore, you will be lost at several points. I saw this with friends and had a blast. I probably should see this a second time with more understanding eyes, but I really don't feel like it.
    Ultimately, this is a 9/10 movie that I personally rank a 7.5/10 at best. This should go on my list of top movies of the year, but it's so weird to me in so many ways I'm not sure it'll make the cut. It's definitely in the Most Beautiful category.
     
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  5. Lazarus Dei

    Lazarus Dei Tree Dodger Extraordinaire
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    It's decent enough and smashes it's predecessor, but there's still something about having a whole bunch of anti-hero a-holes as leads which means you really don't care much who makes it to the end credits. With all the positive hype, a solid RT score (for a DCEU flick) and Gunn involved I think perhaps I just set my expectations higher.

    Subjective Lazarus Score: 6.5/10 - Disengage brain, watch once, forget.
    [​IMG]
     
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  6. Jedi Knight Fett

    Jedi Knight Fett Jedi General

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    Just watched attack of the clones again. The movie isn’t as bad as some say. It’s still a good movie. Maybe not the best but a good movie
     
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  7. SKB

    SKB Force Sensitive

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    Why do all you people only seem to watch new films ? You're missing out on over 100 years of stories and cinema history.
     
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  8. MandoChip

    MandoChip Hate me later. Work now.
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    I've watched loads of older films, including most of the ones I wanted to watch...so now I'm catching up on more recent films.
     
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  9. deadmanwalkin009

    deadmanwalkin009 Force Sensitive

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    ..
     
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  10. NunbNuts

    NunbNuts Rebel Official

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    There's usually a pretty good mix of old and new though the latter might generate longer discussions since they're being discussed for the first time. Sometimes people talk about an old film and I don't chime in because I've already been in that discussion multiple times and probably sound like a broken record. Or don't mention a movie I watched because it's been discussed before... sometimes by me since I tend to watch a lot of old favorites MANY times. Like last night I caught Men In Black on tv and almost posted it then remembered I'm pretty sure I've had at least two Men In Black discussions here. :D
     
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  11. Mando LXXXV

    Mando LXXXV Rebel Official

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    [​IMG]
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  12. NunbNuts

    NunbNuts Rebel Official

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    I have not seen that movie since it was fairly new (not in the theater but on HBO or whatever) when I was 12/13 and I don't remember it doing much for me at the time except I thought the play on the Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road joke was funny. That and the opening scene with the guy running around the football field with a gun are the only things I remember. I'll have to rewatch it as an adult.
     
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  13. Rogues1138

    Rogues1138 Jedi Sentinel - Army of Light
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    Loved King Shark, Weasel, Bloodsport, Polka Dot Man, and Ratcather 2. Second viewing was a lot more fun! Can't wait for Gunn's return to GOTG. :D
     
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  14. Mando LXXXV

    Mando LXXXV Rebel Official

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    [​IMG]
     
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  15. NunbNuts

    NunbNuts Rebel Official

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    [​IMG]

    The only TNG movie that I thought was really great. Generations was a mess, Insurrection feels like it was commissioned by the Lifetime network while Nemesis I enjoy but I'm not going to pretend like it doesn't have a lot of problems. This was also my first real introduction to TNG. I'd been into Star Trek since I was a kid but I was only into the TOS crew and their episodes/films. While TNG was on the air I had a strict No Kirk/Spock/McCoy Then No Me rule. Then at one point in college, probably around '02 when TNG was wrapping up with the final film, I was laying on the couch nursing a SERIOUS hangover and First Contact came on. I wanted to change it but I had left the remote somewhere out of reach and I couldn't get up without risk of my head feeling like it was going to explode or getting serious nausea. So I just laid there and let it run and before long I was sucked in and forgot about my hangover. By the end I was ready to go back and watch the whole show and films which I eventually did. But also at the end I recall the awful film Rat Race came on and I HAD to get up and change the channel.
     
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  16. Rogues1138

    Rogues1138 Jedi Sentinel - Army of Light
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    I want to see this. I know the source material is from a comic book.
    --- Double Post Merged, Aug 7, 2021, Original Post Date: Aug 7, 2021 ---
    I've been watching Star Trek since I was 6 years old, the 1960's series. Kirk, Bones, and Spock are my heroes. Star Trek got me into Star Wars. When I saw the ANH trailer I instinctively knew this was a movie I had to see. I have to agree Insurrection was a major disappointment. I went by myself since my friends aren't sci-fi fans. It felt like a made for TV movie very lackluster. Star Trek the motion picture is my favorite. I also enjoy watching the Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, The Voyage Home and The UnDiscoverd Country pure nostalgia. If you are a true Star Wars fan you must subscribe to Robservation, a YouTube show created by filmaker Robert Meyer Burnett.

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4YIKjJU7wT9wnunmz3dWAw









    Rob is a great host I learn something every time I watch his show. He also reads letters from fans and articles in periodicals pertaining to the subject at had.
     
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  17. Grand Master Galen Marek

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    Fast 9 & The Suicide Squad.
     
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    @NinjaRen and I have this one on our watchlist, thank you for your review, I think you got me a bit more hyped for this one.
     
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  19. Use the Falchion

    Use the Falchion Jedi Contrarian

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    Any time! Glad to have been of service, and enjoy!
     
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  20. Mando LXXXV

    Mando LXXXV Rebel Official

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