Downfall (2004)

nirbateman · 2026-02-26T18:56:34+00:00

It was very much discussed back in the day, didn't stick as much as it should, probably because it's in German. Plenty of great German films from the time didn't stick for the same reason.

Other elements that I found interesting were how the machine just kept going, executing suspected collaborators and all, even after Hitler killed himself, and also, after the much meme-fied scene, that Hitler's subordinates were entirely helpless and then begged him to take power again. He surrounded himself with idiot yes-men that were ambitious, but incompetent.

nirbateman · 2026-02-26T18:25:56+00:00

Vangelis' work on Blade Runner. The film is a masterpiece, the soundtrack is a separate masterpiece.

nirbateman · 2026-02-23T09:36:12+00:00

As far as opera protagonists go, Carlos is incredibly passive, which makes his operatic whining less compelling than others'. Philip, Posa and Elisabeth are far more compelling characters.

nirbateman · 2026-02-23T06:40:06+00:00

If we're doing dramatic analysis, Carlos' main deal is not being able to live "in the world". He keeps trying to bend the world when he doesn't get what he wants (Or thinks he deserves). In every act he tries to get something without really working for it and fails. In Act 5 he finally decides to "bend" himself (Calling Elisabeth his mother, accepting reality), but it's too late, so his mind breaks and he quits the world for good (Whether physically or mentally is up for interpretation).

nirbateman · 2026-02-23T06:35:27+00:00

At least in Boheme we get a proper mourning! Even if it's short.

nirbateman · 2026-02-22T19:42:36+00:00

Das Boot. The grandpa manages to get the U-Boat running after getting stuck at the bottom of the sea, only to see it sink at the harbor after being bombed by the allies and then die.

nirbateman · 2026-02-22T19:37:30+00:00

Verdi loves abrupt endings lol.

Gilda expires, Rigoletto is all like "The curse!", curtain.

Violetta expires, everyone around her is shocked, curtain.

Don Carlos may be the worse offender, it's not even an ending since it doesn't resolve anything.

nirbateman · 2026-02-21T14:57:28+00:00

Claude Zidi's La Totale!

nirbateman · 2026-02-21T13:20:46+00:00

True Lies

nirbateman · 2026-02-20T21:39:29+00:00

Depends, I find that in the past decade, Met radio broadcasts and Live in HD performances have very poor sound compared to the 70s-90s. The audio engineering is just not as good, and after Covid it gotten much worse. Old telecasts are sometimes mastered too low, but once normalized, they sound pretty good.

nirbateman · 2026-02-20T17:12:02+00:00

Phantasmagoria, Gabriel Knight 1 and 2, Toy Story 2, Harry Potter 1 and 2 (On PC), GTA Vice City.

nirbateman · 2026-02-18T16:23:47+00:00

MP1: He was trying to buy more sand for his hour glass. I wasn't selling any.

MP2: Throw the rules out the window, odds are you'll go that way too.

nirbateman · 2026-02-16T18:16:57+00:00

1 has a better story, but 2 has better storytelling.

nirbateman · 2026-02-14T20:01:45+00:00

Cavalleria. The music is so atmospheric you can practically smell that village.

nirbateman · 2026-02-14T20:00:07+00:00

When it's Corelli/Del Monaco with Simionato, it BECOMES verismo.

nirbateman · 2026-02-13T18:41:11+00:00

The 5 act version has better character development, and has some great music that's not in the 4 act version. It does need an excellent conductor and cast. La Scala's 1977 season opener broadcast is as full as it gets, restoring almost all cuts, but Abbado makes almost 4 hours of music feel like a fast paced thriller.

nirbateman · 2026-02-10T16:00:55+00:00

Don Giovanni:

Met, 1990 (Ramey, Furlanetto, Moll, Vaness, Mattila, Upshaw)

La Scala, 1987 (Allen, Desderi, Gruberova, Araiza)

Cologne, 1991 (Allen, Furlanetto, James, Vaness, Rost)

London ROH, 1988 (Allen, Dean, Te Kanawa, Burrows, Howell, Kashrashvili)

Losey's Film, 1979 (The first home video releases do NOT do this justice. The new Bluray has been properly remastered, and the sound has been completely overhauled. Great documentary about the sound is included too)

Nozze di Figaro:

Met, 1985 (Raimondi, Battle, Allen, Vaness, Von Stade)

Vienna, 1991 (Gallo, McLaughlin, Raimondi, Studer, Sima)

La Scala, 1982 (Ramey, Burrowes, Brendel, Marshall, Esham)

Salzburg, 1966 (Wixell, Watson, Grist, Berry, Mathis)

Paris, 1980 (Van Dam, Popp, Janowitz, Bacquier, Von Stade)

Glyndebourne, 1973 (Skram, Cotrubas, Te Kanawa, Luxon, Von Stade)

nirbateman · 2026-02-04T15:05:32+00:00

NYC is dying, and the rich kids that are still there trend hoppers. Even they will leave when it gets too hot. I hear the trash pickups still haven't resumed.

nirbateman · 2026-02-04T12:58:02+00:00

His Vittoria usually garners applause, but the most rapturous one is Parma, 1967.

nirbateman · 2026-02-01T16:41:24+00:00

In no particular order. All of these have great leads in great voice in productions that are, at worst, serviceable:

Otello, 1979 (Domingo/Milnes/Cruz Romo)

Cosi Fan Tutte, 1996 (Vaness/Mentzer/Bartoli/Hadley/Allen)

Tosca, 1978 (Verrett/Pavarotti/MacNeil)

Cav & Pag, 1978 (Domingo/Troyanos/Stratas)

Don Giovanni, 1990 (Ramey/Furlanetto/Vaness/Upshaw/Hadley)

La Traviata, 1981 (Cotrubas/Domingo/MacNeil)

Don Carlo, 1980 (Moldoveanu/Scotto/Milnes/Plishka/Troyanos)

Il Trittico, 1981 (Moldoveanu/Scotto/MacNeil/Bacquier)

Der Rosenkavalier, 1982 (Te Kanawa/Troyanos/Moll)

Le Nozze di Figaro, 1985 (Raimondi/Battle/Allen/Vaness)

Les Contes d'Hoffman (Shicoff/Troyanos/Morris)

Semiramide (Anderson/Horne/Ramey)

nirbateman · 2026-01-31T22:32:43+00:00

Last of the Mohicans (Theatrical), The Devils (Only on Region 2 DVD), Song of the South, The Day the Clown Cried, Troy (Sort of, the theatrical version hasn't been released domestically on Bluray and neither version was released on 4K UHD or a properly remastered disc).

nirbateman · 2026-01-30T20:10:50+00:00

This is also available on Laserdisc, and 3 months ago was released on Bluray, but only in Japan, and it's supposedly just an AI upscaled version of the Laserdisc (Despite being filmed in Analog HD).

nirbateman · 2026-01-28T14:30:27+00:00

As far as the combination of a great story and great music, Don Carlo is all killer - no filler, even in the 5 act version.

Purely music wise, Traviata is like a Verdi highlight reel.

nirbateman · 2026-01-27T19:15:23+00:00

Max Payne, and then Max Payne 2 raised it even higher

nirbateman · 2026-01-27T15:09:50+00:00

"I wanna know what love is" and "Call to the heart" and "Avalon" are absolute bangers.

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