Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) -

Quite charming.

Asylum Blackout 5/10

If you like violent movies, it is ok. If you don't like violent movies, there is nothing here for you.

Because any work that is interesting purely for innovative purposes doesn't age well, since the story is quite unremarkable, just about in every way. Many people have said, like Truffaut and Welles himself, that the music was mostly why it succeeded, and while I can see this perspective a bit more, since that score in particular did help move away from the 'hide the music' mentality and more towards the music being a "character" as it were, it's still interesting for technical purposes alone, especially considering the main theme was stolen from Rachmaninoff, who I'd rather listen to.

As I've said before, I don't care one way or another about Citizen Kane's innovation, it's a godd*mn well crafted movie. While I would certainly characterize a lot of Welles' output as obvious showiness, most notably that Touch of Evil opening shot that's ever praised. What better way to show your desire for showmanship above all else than with an impressive shot that wholly disconnects from the rest of the film's language (See Scorsese vs. De Palma). Citizen Kane might be the most wholly focused effort at showing off by Welles, what differentiates it from purely self-centered craftsmanship is that it's also a concerted effort at thematic resonance on a shot-by-shot basis. I think it's difficult to find a shot in Kane that doesn't have something interesting (or at least something) to say about the narrative. Again, Kane, is quite commonly mistaken for a purely seminal film in reputation, which it certainly isn't.

I find your last sentence a bit conflicting in argument. First you talk about music's role as a component of a film, and then reject Kane's score on account of it being inferior to the original piece. Would you rather the original piece be used throughout the film instead of Hermann's copy, or are you just stating general (non visually accompanied) preference for Rachmaninoff? Because that second purpose (which seems more likely the real one) seems irrelevant in talking about the film.

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Mubi

Well-crafted doesn't really mean anything for a reaction to the story itself. I find the story to be a lesser version of a good theatrical tragedy since men like Kane don't merit my sympathy, and no one else in the story is interesting, so it's practically a chore to sit through, as focused as it is, but you can say it's a mistake all you wish I suppose.

Holy jeez you love to make assumptions. I talk about it as a component the same way I talk about the film's technical aspects, they're interesting on a theoretical level alone. No I'd rather not have Isle of the Dead be in the film, it was just a side note.

A Night at the Opera (1935)

My first Marx brothers film and definately not my last. Absolutely hilarious! 9/10

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Too weird to live, and too rare to die.

But Citizen Kane is one of the most interesting, complex and fascinating character studies I have ever seen. Kane doesn't require our sympathy, the story is layered and told in such an interesting way that despite numerous viewings we will never be able to fully understand his character no matter how much we know about him, that is the beauty of it.

I don't understand why people purely rate it on being innovative, it has one of the greatest written stories and characters ever, and it is extremely interesting. As a film, the techniques employed in order to tell this story and expand the character without the need of dialogue or obvious actions in particular scenes are remarkable, and a joy to behold.

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Broken City 7/10

I may be the only one, but I quite liked this. It probably helped that I had very low expectations.

That may be true for all you, and good on ya, it's your enjoyment that counts, but for me it's a very simple situation, the man had no childhood, and for the rest of his life he was a child in an adult's body, making elementary mistakes on all social levels, and he never chose to acknowledge it. So, in other words, he's like most adults in that regard, and I don't find those people fascinating, I find them to be asses.

Until the Light takes us (2007) : Documentary on the Black Metal music scene and related murders. It's, nice summation of it all. 6.5/10

Well, if you want to react to a story and then to the craft, that's a very unique way to watch films, because I think that most people react to the story because of the craft. There are films with fascinating stories and no technical skill (I think of Synecdoche, New York, a technically messy film) and technically accomplished films with as dull a story as can be (I think Playtime here, possibly the most perfect film ever made, but the film purposely doesn't supply any interesting narrative), but the vast number of movies build themselves on technique and fundamental cinematic devices. If in retrospect you dissect a film, certainly the plot and technical elements become more easily separable because of the way we think, but while watching, a combination of technical components and narrative are what make the story, so describing the film in technical parts seems no less important than in narrative terms.

Anyway, this still hasn't gotten to my original concern. What is dated about Citizen Kane, or, what makes it more dated for you than other films of that time?

Perhaps these posts should be moved to The MoFo Movie Club Discussion: Citizen Kane.

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

I already responded to all of these, for me the only interest in the film is the technical elements, which, having been expounded upon for 70+ years, makes this film much less interesting.

PS: Synecdoche is intentionally messy, sort of the idea of the movie.

Il a raison

Everyone should just calm down. It really doesn't matter if one person loves something and someone else hates it.

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Here, if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, that's a straw, you see? You watching?. And my straw reaches acroooooooss the room, and starts to drink your milkshake... I... drink... your... milkshake!
-Daniel, There Will Be Blood

Calm down? It's a movie forum, such debates/discussion/arguments should be encouraged!

I know that, my point is that it doesn't really have anything formally interesting to it.

Calm down? It doesn't matter? Are you new to the internet or something?

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

What. Discussing something isn't allowed now?

Definitely, I agree. I love a good old fashioned debate as much as the next guy. But at some point, it becomes the matter of an unstoppable force trying to push an immovable wall, and things start getting repetitive and coincidently pointless. That's what I was seeing at that point, which is why I waited till then.

I just don't think this is the right thread to go one about a movie for this long.
Something like this could go on for several pages, without a real end. People are just trying to rate the last movie they saw, and move on.

My bad, I forgot that I was trying to stop a discussion involving wintertriangles. I should have realized that there's no point in this.

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