IGX

My 12 year old was interested this weekend in two classic movies. Jaws and Jurassic Park.

Jaws was absolutely irritating. The acting was good but the scenes vacillated between soundless, boring, too-long and trivial events or landscapes and mind-numbing, everyone-talking-at-once dialog scenes that made my whole family yell at the TV to shut the fuck up

Jurassic Park on the other hand was still just as good today as it was a Jennifer Lawrence ago*. I didn't find the special effects any less compelling than Jurassic World. Maybe even better.

*credit Jon Stewart

Are you talking about the plot being timeless or special effects holding up over the years? Are you evaluating these through the lens of consideration if they would be successful if they came out today or whether they have a degree of watchability that will require viewing even if you've seen them endless times before?

If you combine all factors, you get Star Wars. If you combine all factors but plot, you have Independence Day. If you remove the special effects, you get good parts of Ghostbusters. If you remove the watchability element, you have...Gravity. Nobody is going to sit through that if it's on at 2am whereas you are going to stop on Roadhouse, First Blood or American History X (none of which would be a success in the current market).

I'm just asking if you're surprised at how good it still is or surprised it isn't.

Sounds like you should've been a sommelier

I disagree w. you about Jaws and agree w. you about Jurassic Park.

The problem some will have w. Jaws and other classics like The Exorcist is that they are long and there's a lot of character/plot building. Modern audiences don't have the patience for them. Jurassic Park is probably 20 years younger - it just makes sense the special effects and storyline would appeal more to modern audiences.

Protobuilder wrote:Nobody is going to sit through that if it's on at 2am whereas you are going to stop on Roadhouse.

Turdacious wrote:

Protobuilder wrote:Nobody is going to sit through that if it's on at 2am whereas you are going to stop on Roadhouse.

Read that again.

Slowly.

Roadhouse = re-watchability high

Gravity = no re-watchability

Unless you are defending Gravity, which wouldn't be out of character for you.

Boris wrote:I disagree w. you about Jaws and agree w. you about Jurassic Park.

The problem some will have w. Jaws and other classics like The Exorcist is that they are long and there's a lot of character/plot building. Modern audiences don't have the patience for them. Jurassic Park is probably 20 years younger - it just makes sense the special effects and storyline would appeal more to modern audiences.

It's funny because Crighton gets dinged for character development.

I still think Jaws is good

OTOH, I saw Annie Hall last year for the first time and holy fuckballs did that ever suck. Jesus.

Jaws is basically the same length as Jurassic Park and Jurassic World.

I'm shocked to find out that World isn't longer than Park - it felt so much longer with the endless CGI action sequences, I was guessing it clocked in at 2:30ish.

Why you guys watching stupid movies and wondering if they're "still" good? Watch some good movies.

Chinatown
Glenngarry Glenn Ross
The Maltese Falcon
Clockwork Orange
The Godfather
Pee Wee's Big Adventure
Terminator
Aliens

buckethead wrote:My 12 year old was interested this weekend in two classic movies. Jaws and Jurassic Park.

Jaws was absolutely irritating. The acting was good but the scenes vacillated between soundless, boring, too-long and trivial events or landscapes and mind-numbing, everyone-talking-at-once dialog scenes that made my whole family yell at the TV to shut the fuck up

Jurassic Park on the other hand was still just as good today as it was a Jennifer Lawrence ago*. I didn't find the special effects any less compelling than Jurassic World. Maybe even better.

*credit Jon Stewart

I run a similar litmus test. If my 10 and 12 year old like it, it's a keeper. One of the things I'm really surprised is how well clunky 70's TV holds up. It's campy and terrible (no worse than anything on the CW really) but the kids seem to understand how to cut them some slack for the crap effects.

Old campy horror holds up well too as indicated by Thud's list.

The 5th Element still rocks and always will.

If you get impatient watching Jaws then you have fucking ADD/ADHD.

Lone Wolf and Cub series-=gold.....

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World has lost nothing over the years. My kids love it.

oh, you're talking kids? scratch my list except for pee wee's big adventure.

If I'm ever channel surfing and catch a single frame of Cool Hand Luke, I'm there till the end. Still holds up as one of the two best prison movies ever made (Shawshank).

Thud wrote:Why you guys watching stupid movies and wondering if they're "still" good? Watch some good movies.

Chinatown
Glenngarry Glenn Ross
The Maltese Falcon
Clockwork Orange
The Godfather
Pee Wee's Big Adventure
Terminator
Aliens

The Godfather is the only movie I can watch over and over and over and never get bored. Best evah.

The Third Man.

For those of you not familiar with it:
The Third Man is a 1949 British film noir, directed by Carol Reed and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. It is considered one of the greatest films of all time, celebrated for its atmospheric cinematography, performances, and musical score.[2] Novelist Graham Greene wrote the screenplay and subsequently published the novella of the same name (originally written as preparation for the screenplay). Anton Karas wrote and performed the score, which used only the zither; its title music "The Third Man Theme" topped the international music charts in 1950, bringing the then-unknown performer international fame.

The Third Man.

For those of you not familiar with it:
The Third Man is a 1949 British film noir, directed by Carol Reed and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. It is considered one of the greatest films of all time, celebrated for its atmospheric cinematography, performances, and musical score.[2] Novelist Graham Greene wrote the screenplay and subsequently published the novella of the same name (originally written as preparation for the screenplay). Anton Karas wrote and performed the score, which used only the zither; its title music "The Third Man Theme" topped the international music charts in 1950, bringing the then-unknown performer international fame.

The Third Man. Damn it.

Third Man? More like Third Post! Heyoooo!!!!!!!

Grandpa's Spells wrote:OTOH, I saw Annie Hall last year for the first time and holy fuckballs did that ever suck. Jesus.

I was once fired by Diane Keaton's father. I deserved it.

Jaws doesn't hold up? Get the fuck outta here.
Just saw Chinatown again for the first time in about ten years. Never gets old.

Prime Hitchcock is still the shit - Vertigo, Rear Window, NxNW

A lot of the old screwball comedies are great.
Bad News Bears
Old Eastwood flicks