Last movie watched...

[JOE SOAP]

The correct order is, of course TESB >ANH>RotJ>Tartakovsky Series>TFA (Provisional)>TPM>Clone Wars Series>Rebels (Provisional)>AotC>Clone Wars Movie>RotS>>>>>>>>Holiday Special

Nothing is worse than the Holiday Special and nothing ever could be - and I speak as one who rewatched the whole thing last week. Okay, I used the FF button a lot, which is the only reason I'm alive to talk about it.

Tartakovsky's Clone Wars is the only good sustenance available to satisfy any Prequel hunger you might have; and I have a soft spot for the Boba Fett carton in the Holiday Special - which makes it canon.

[JOE SOAP]

The wide-range of opinions on the prequels is especially baffling... I'm having an email conversation with a friend who's complaining about TFA because —in all seriousness— he feels that the new film is missing the gravitas and presence Hayden Christensen brought to the prequels.

I can only put it down to taste but there's a great many people who think not one performance in TFA lives up to Prequel standard.

Personally I think BB8 out-performed everyone in the Prequels.

[radiator]

For me TFA is right in the absolute middle.

Saying it's either worse than any of the prequels or better than any of the original films is equally absurd as far as I'm concerned.

[radiator]

On a related note, I finally saw Inside Llewyn Davis over Christmas.

I'm split on Coen Brothers films, but tend to be more inclined towards their more humorous ones. As with many of their films, ILD is on first watch a bit rambling and inconsequential, but I loved it nonetheless.

I wasn't blown away initially, but it seemed to really sink in after I watched it, and I found myself returning to certain scenes to watch them again. I feel like it's going to be a perennial comfort film in the future.

Oscar Isaac is just phenomenal isn't he? What a performance. You find yourself wishing that something - anything - will go right for him despite him being such a dirtbag. I loved the contrast of this guy being such a trainwreck of a human being, but possessing this undeniably beautiful, singular talent, and a strange sense of dignity too. It feels real, honest.

Great movie.

5/5

[TordelBack]

The wide-range of opinions on the prequels is especially baffling... I'm having an email conversation with a friend who's complaining about TFA because —in all seriousness— he feels that the new film is missing the gravitas and presence Hayden Christensen brought to the prequels.

I can only put it down to taste but there's a great many people who think not one performance in TFA lives up to Prequel standard.

Madness. Even if you hated everything else about TFA, you couldn't deny that most of the performances were brilliant. 

On my 2nd viewing I was really struck by Ford and Fisher, who had simply mesmerising chemistry in TFA - streets ahead of the awkward coolness that mars RotJ. They could have strolled straight off the set of TESB and slapped on some oldie makeup, they were that perfect as a couple. As alluded to earlier, their final exchange had involuntary tears streaming down my cheeks. Nothing in the Prequels ever made me feel close to that.  I don't think Carrie is getting half enough credit for her acting - immobile upper lip aside, she delivers so much character in a handful of lines, and at the same time effortlessly connects our heroes with the broader struggle. Her silent mourning was also heartbreaking this time round.

[JOE SOAP]

On my 2nd viewing I was really struck by Ford and Fisher, who had simply mesmerising chemistry in TFA - streets ahead of the awkward coolness that mars RotJ. They could have strolled straight off the set of TESB and slapped on some oldie makeup, they were that perfect as a couple. As alluded to earlier, their final exchange had involuntary tears streaming down my cheeks. Nothing in the Prequels ever made me feel close to that.  I don't think Carrie is getting half enough credit for her acting - immobile upper lip aside, she delivers so much character in a handful of lines, and at the same time effortlessly connects our heroes with the broader struggle.

I know.

You're right about Fisher; she's a lot more in-the-zone than many expected - I'm fan-fixing her partial facial paralysis as a war injury - and that scene where they meet again for the first time is note-perfect - as is C-3PO's, on-point, annoying interjection.

[TordelBack]

...as is C-3PO's, on-point, annoying interjection.

That may be my favourite moment of the whole film, a better gag than all the attempts at humour in the Prequels combined.

That or:"...because it's the right thing to do". "You need a pilot". " I need a pilot".

[Colin YNWA]

Surely the correct order is

ESB >> SW >>> RoTJ >>> who gives a fuck they are all a bit pants in their own unique pants way?

(I may be being hard on TFA and once I've seen it again and got over my multiple beefs it might warrent a ranking after Return)

[Hawkmumbler]

No one going to rank the actually rather good The Clone Wars movie from 2009?

[Jim_Campbell]

Nothing in the Prequels ever made me feel close to that.

This is the maddening thing (for me) about TFA... it feels more like a proper Star Wars movie than all the prequels rolled together and mashed up in a bucket the way I like — I enjoyed everything about it, except for Emperor Gollum and the fucking plot.

Cheers

Jim

[Magnetica]

Can't believe Star Wars has taken over this thread as well...I came here to talk about the Amazing Spider-man.

Anyway for my money TPM is easily my least favourite.


So back on message..saw the Amazing Spider-man yesterday. It was great apart from one thing...it was, to my mind, fairly pointless, being pretty much a remake of the first Sam Raimi - Tobey Maguire film.

Just substitute Gwen for MJ and Lizard man for the Green Goblin and its pretty much the same.

I am sure its all very good, but  I just felt I had seen it before:

Peter gets bitten by spider - check.
Peter has "fun" discovering his spider powers - check.
Thief steals something, Peter does nothing to help, [spoiler]Uncle Ben gets killed [/spoiler]- check.
"Mad" scientists turns experiments on himself and turns into the "baddie" - check.
Peter [spoiler]tells his new girlfriend he can't see her any more to keep her safe [/spoiler] - check.


Basically I would rather have had a 4th Sam Raimi film. And now they are going to reboot it again...please please lets not have the origins tale again!!!

[HdE]

I just kicked back and watched Raider of The Lost Ark with the old man. First time I've seen it for something like 10 years, I reckon.

I'm surprised how well it holds up, a few obviously pulled punches in fight scenes and some really abrupt lurching from one scene to the next aside. Lots of fun. And still funny enough to get genuine belly laughs in places.

That bit on the boat with the swing mirror. Ow.

[Mardroid]

I was irritated that they produced The Amazing Spiderman reboot after the Raimi films, which i rather liked. (Including the third. Yes.) But when I watched it, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Much as I like Toby Macguire, the quipping of the new Spider-man made the character right on point with the comic version.

I just watched The Empire Strikes Back for the first time in a good while. It's a really good film isn't it? Up there with the others I reckon.

tESB>ROTJ>ANH

I'm not comfortable ranking TFA yet. It's arguably not as good as the others as I think that the plotting was a bit dodgy, so from that POV it should be last. Yet from an emotional POV, I rank it very highly.... Hmmm.

To rank the prequels:
AOTC>ROTS>TPM

Again I find it hard to rank them with the original trilogy as I really like aspects of each. I liked the storyline of the prequels*, but the heart and better acting of the originals. Hmm.

*Which isn't to say I dislike the story of the original trilogy. It's a simpler story, but told very well. I do like the sith machinations of the prequels though. I wish the dialogue and acting was better though.

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

Hateful Eight

I....liked it. Very different to what I expected. It's not what I'd call a Tarantino movie. No, that's not right, it is a Tarantino movie, but not in the traditional sense. It still has his trademark, verbose dialogue, but the tone and cinematography are incongruous to his usual style.

It's a very claustrophobic movie. I think that's the selling point here. Tension is the order of the day. I suppose that's to be expected, since Tarantino loves ripping off Sergio Leone. He even got Ennio Morricone to do the soundtrack.

Overall, I'd say it's worth a watch. Apparently there's a whole thing about high-def celluloid associated with this, but I'd say that's a counter-gimmick to 3D/48fps nonsense. I don't care how it gets into my eyes as long as there's a good movie under the gimmick.

[JamesC]

My Star Wars ranking would be:

ROTJ>>ESB>>TFA>>SW>>(after this point I don't really care and probably won't watch them again, but)>>TPM>>ROTS>>AOTC

This is just based on how much I like the films, not how important or influential they are.