RATE or REVIEW The Last Movie You Watched.

[Remembermyname]

I like Gangs, but don't love it. Like you, I think the primary reason to watch is for Lewis's performance. It is masterful and iconic, and pulls the whole film up. Leo is good, but I think that's my general take on Dicaprio. He's a solid actor in everything, but doesn't typically stand out too much for me on the level of an actor like Lewis, Gary Oldman, or even someone like Paul Giamatti. One exception might be Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. I love that movie completely and he was perfect for the role he was in.

Interesting, I see the likes of Lewis, Oldman and others of this calibre to be Chameleons taking the craft to the next level.

 

[Remembermyname]

Thanks for the heads-up. I'd never heard of it.

I'd go a 7.5/10 as it was a bit rough around the edges, but the time flew by (something I can't say for most movies these days), and as you said, it got me from start to finish as well.
And really good to see Neeson in an age-appropriate film.

Mr Neeson has a few more in the pipeline.
It is said by some, Watch out for the old fella he has less to lose.

 

[The Entity]

Waterworld: The Ulysses Cut - 7.5/10
I loved Waterworld back when I was a kid. I can't count how many times I built the mariner's trimaran from Lego. I always thought this movie got an undeserved bad rap. Granted, it's not the best movie in the world and I liked it more when I was younger, but it still is very entertaining.
A couple of nights ago I was able to watch the Ulysses Cut. Which is basically a European TV version of the movie with added scenes. It was both better and worse than the theatrical cut. Better because you get quite a bit of extra scenes displaying the motives of some characters and how they are the way they are. Worse because it uses a number of location shots as filler or to show where certain characters are. This results in mistakes, like showing the Atol under attack with the trimaran in it, while it had already escaped the atol. A number of scenes showing the trimaran in different sailing configurations that don't match the narrative at that point and worse of all, spoiling the 'Deez (and the oars) way before you get to see it in action in the theatrical cut. So while it was fun to watch this extended version, I'll probably stick to the theatrical one in the future.

 

[Rotfish]

Been on a historical epic kick over the last few months.

Alexander (Ultimate/4th Cut) - 5/10

Alexander (Theatrical Cut) - 7/10

Watched this for the first time, starting with the most recent Ultimate cut, then the theatrical to compare. No idea why the later cuts are so favored; the theatrical is a much tighter movie. Chronology is easier to follow, which better sells the theme of Alexander losing himself the further he gets from home. 7 instead of a 6 because I simply love these kinds of films. Even at their clumsiest, they're still comfy.

Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut) - 8/10

My second time watching this and I enjoyed it even more. Haven't seen the theatrical version, but I can't imagine this without the story of Sibylla's son. While I still think Bloom is miscast, he works well enough and plays into the everyman vibe they were going for.

Troy (Theatrical Cut) - 8/10

Must have been my 20th viewing, but still a pleasure. I watched the director's cut about ten years ago and remember it being overlong with less interesting musical choices, so the theatrical is my go-to.

 

[davejames]

Yeah I almost always end up preferring the theatrical cuts to the extended ones (with Blade Runner and BVS being some of the rare exceptions).

 

[a-dev]

Been on a historical epic kick over the last few months.

Alexander (Ultimate/4th Cut) - 5/10

Alexander (Theatrical Cut) - 7/10

Watched this for the first time, starting with the most recent Ultimate cut, then the theatrical to compare. No idea why the later cuts are so favored; the theatrical is a much tighter movie. Chronology is easier to follow, which better sells the theme of Alexander losing himself the further he gets from home. 7 instead of a 6 because I simply love these kinds of films. Even at their clumsiest, they're still comfy.

Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut) - 8/10

My second time watching this and I enjoyed it even more. Haven't seen the theatrical version, but I can't imagine this without the story of Sibylla's son. While I still think Bloom is miscast, he works well enough and plays into the everyman vibe they were going for.

Troy (Theatrical Cut) - 8/10

Must have been my 20th viewing, but still a pleasure. I watched the director's cut about ten years ago and remember it being overlong with less interesting musical choices, so the theatrical is my go-to.

I need to give KoH another go, can't remember much about it to be honest but that means it didn't make an impression on me when I watched it first.

I've tried Alexander a number of times and it just doesn't sell me on what I'm supposed to feel about this man one way or another. If anything I don't like him, I don't like what he's trying to do and so I'm kind of against him at every step of the way...is that what was intended?

Troy is simple enough. An enjoyable film. I know Peter O Toole thought it was ***te, Brian Cox probably the same. What can I say, it worked as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Rotfish]

I need to give KoH another go, can't remember much about it to be honest but that means it didn't make an impression on me when I watched it first.

I've tried Alexander a number of times and it just doesn't sell me on what I'm supposed to feel about this man one way or another. If anything I don't like him, I don't like what he's trying to do and so I'm kind of against him at every step of the way...is that what was intended?

Troy is simple enough. An enjoyable film. I know Peter O Toole thought it was ***te, Brian Cox probably the same. What can I say, it worked as far as I'm concerned.

That's also how I felt about Kingdom the first time. I had to revisit it because I couldn't remember anything.

My takeaway from Alexander is that he was... complicated. But like Ptolemy said, even his failures towered over other men's successes. An impressive life considering the chaos inside and out.

I didn't know O'Toole wasn't a fan of Troy. He was fantastic, as was Cox. My favorite scene in the film is his interaction with Achilles over Hector's burial.