SHAMEFUL: The greatest movies you've never seen

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Cinema Discusso > SHAMEFUL: The greatest movies you've never seen

Zogo: Jul 29, 2003

I have seen that a few times over the years. It would be nice if more films had candid moments like that recorded all to see.

# ? Nov 22, 2021 01:05

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# ? Apr 23, 2024 11:16

twernt: Mar 11, 2003; Whoa whoa wait, time out.

Zogo posted:

I'll have to get around to watching I ♥ Huckabees as that's been on my watch list for a long time.

PS You never added Notorious to the bottom of your watched list.

I was surprised that the ratings spread for I ❤️ Huckabees is generally positive. People I know either like it or hate it.

Thanks for catching the Notorious omission! I just added it.

# ? Nov 22, 2021 03:38

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

twernt posted:

7. Once Upon a Time in China (1991) The most famous Tsui Hark film and one of his best. 2021-09-18

Early Jet Li was really something, the big guys in the 80s like Jackie and Sammo Hung had leaned more into lighter side of martial arts and Li felt like a return to that Bruce Lee type of ferocity. No surprise they chose him for Fist of Legend a few years after Once Upon a Time in China.

I watched Tampopo, which I was surprised by because it almost has a Robert Altman element to it. There's a through-line that one would call the main story, but there's also a bunch of characters orbiting around that and you get a lot of little vignettes that all involve food and cooking in one way or another. But there was an immersive quality to it all, where I felt like I was sinking into this world completely and learning it's inner workings. One great surprise was the scene featuring the chef who sneaks into the kitchen and makes omurice, which is like a fried rice/egg dish that I've seen a bunch of youtube videos about because it's mesmerizing to watch. I did some googling and found out that the dish is actually referred to as a "Tampopo Omelet" on some menus, so it was cool to see that bit of what is clearly iconic film history that is still remembered today when people order that dish.

And as with Altman stuff, I definitely feel the need to see Tampopo at least one more time because in trying to pay attention to things like plot and dialogue it's easy to miss the forest for the trees. Fully appreciating the total package requires a more relaxed, laid back approach that comes from familiarity.

Current List with a few additions:

1. Superman: The Movie: Very odd that I've never actually sat down and watched this from start to finish. I feel like I know what all the parts are and what they look like but I don't know how they fit together.
2. Bonnie and Clyde: One of those movies where I've seen the iconic ending but never actually sat down to watch the whole thing. It won a bunch of awards though so I guess I should.
~~3. Tampopo: I've considered blind buying the Criterion edition of this movie so there's really no excuse to not watch it if it's available for streaming~~
4. The 400 Blows: I'll be honest, for me Truffaut has always been the guy from Close Encounters. But this is an iconic film that I've heard about many times and never seen.
5. Oliver Twist: David Lean is one of my favorite directors so I'd like to fill in the gaps I have left with his filmography.
6. All The President's Men: I actually think I probably was forced to sit through this when I was in school, but I was notorious for sleeping through class so I really have no memory of it.
7. American Graffiti: I was a Star Wars kid so not having seen this one is pretty shameful
8. Romancing the Stone: You don't really hear much about this one these days but in it's time it was actually a pretty big hit, and it's one of the few Zemeckis films I haven't seen.
9. The Hero: I've enjoyed everything I've seen from Satyajit Ray so far and I've been meaning to delve into his work further.
10. Castle in the Sky: More Miyazaki

# ? Nov 22, 2021 16:56

Escobarbarian: Jun 18, 2004; Grimey Drawer

Basebf555 posted:

4. The 400 Blows: I'll be honest, for me Truffaut has always been the guy from Close Encounters. But this is an iconic film that I've heard about many times and never seen.

Definitely a classic movie, although maybe one that works better when you're younger/just getting into movies? Let's find out!

Schindler's List

Good to finally watch this after so long. I liked it a fair bit - certainly more than I expected - but it did have some pretty typical Spielberg melodrama stuff I wasn't into. The photography was beautiful, especially in 4K, and I really enjoyed the dual characterisation of Schindler and G�th. Some incredibly powerful sequences, especially the purging of the ghetto, and of course the amazing ending scenes, from Schindler's breakdown to the survivors, which I already knew about but it still hits really hard. That whole moment where a bus full of Schindler's female workers gets accidentally routed to the camp and herded in the showers and oh no will it be gas or water!!!!!!!!! oh it's just water thank god!!!!!!!! was, imo, really awkward and weird and out of place. Also, hey, Ms. Honey was in this!

I also watched Ugetsu to finish off the They Shoot Pictures top 50. I thought it was a little simplistic story-wise, but I really liked the visuals - extremely effective supernatural/creepy imagery, especially on the lake. Cool ending!

Shame List:
_{currently less than 10 so I can get some of these watched}

01. As Tears Go By: Got the WKW Criterion boxset so wanna go through it in order (I�ve already seen Chungking/Happy Together/In the Mood)

04. Branded to Kill: Watched Tokyo Drifter in Jan and loved it and apparently this is even crazier????

05. The Double Life of Veronique: I actually did watch this like a decade ago but remember almost nothing about it!!!! Irene Jacobs is cute though and I recently did a Three Colours rewatch. Oh my god I just realised I�m gonna have to put Dekalog on here eventually

06. F For Fake: This sounds great and I don�t know why I haven�t seen it but I just haven�t!!!! Owned on Criterion.

07. A Face in the Crowd: A few friends watched this at around the same time and all loved it so I picked the Criterion up. Seems like something I�d enjoy quite a bit.

09. Songs from the Second Floor: Picked up Artificial Eye�s Roy Andersson boxset recently. I remember adoring You, the Living when I saw it in 2008-9, but that�s my only experience with his work so far.

12. Mikey and Nicky: I'd never heard of this until last year when it started popping up all over the place. It sounds really interesting and I love me some Peter Falk.

13. Close-Up: First entry for a new bit "Films my best friends adore but I haven't bothered to see yet". Also obv one of the most acclaimed films ever that I'm yet to see and so on.

15. Late Spring: Now finishing off the last few in the Sight & Sound top 50. Just in time for it to change next year! Only seen Tokyo Story from Ozu, but liked it a lot.

_{Watched: Beau Travail, Harakiri, Memories of Murder, Being There, Schindler's List, Ugetsu}

Escobarbarian fucked around with this message at 11:41 on Nov 24, 2021

# ? Nov 24, 2021 11:39

twernt: Mar 11, 2003; Whoa whoa wait, time out.

Escobarbarian posted:

04. Branded to Kill: Watched Tokyo Drifter in Jan and loved it and apparently this is even crazier????

I loved Branded to Kill and I hope you do too!

Once Upon a Time in China
Directed by Tsui Hark

Once Upon a Time in China is great, but it can also be a bit of a sprawling, epic mess. There are some fantastic fights, but there are also just so many characters and subplots. The Americans, the British, or maybe both are kidnapping people to sell into slavery. A penniless, wandering kung fu master seeks a way to make a name for himself. A gang is extorting local merchants. An actor just wants to find his place in the world.

It all happens in the context of the �westernization� of China, with corrupt local officials complicit in the partition of Chinese territory. If I knew more about Wong Fei-hung or the end of the Qing Dynasty in China I�m sure I would appreciate it more. I still think that it�s an important and entertaining kung fu movie.

My list of shame:
1. The General (1926) I like Buster Keaton and I want to eventually see all of the features he directed in the 20s. 2021-11-04
2. Minari (2020) One of the Oscar nominees I didn�t get to see and really wanted to. 2021-05-28
3. Metropolis (1927) This is another great one I've only seen bits and pieces of. 2021-04-01
4. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) Iconic early best picture winner. 2021-11-04
5. The Apu trilogy (1955) Let's replace one trilogy with another. 2021-11-21
6. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) Probably the best non-Miyazaki Studio Ghibli film. 2021-03-29
7. Sorcerer (1977) I�ve seen Wages of Fear, so I�ve wanted to be able to compare these two for a while. 2021-11-25
8. The 400 Blows (1959) Seems like it should be on every movie person's checklist. 2021-11-04
9. The Tale of Zatoichi (1962) I've wanted to get into this series for a long time. 2021-06-17
10. La Dolce Vita (1960) I've liked all of the Fellini and Mastroianni I've seen so far. 2021-11-04

Watched:
_{The Godfather 5, The Godfather: Part II 4.5, Alien 4.5, The Hills Have Eyes 3, The Rules of the Game 4, Battleship Potemkin 4, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 4.5, Schindler�s List 5, Halloween 4, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4, A Woman Under the Influence 4.5, Harakiri 4.5, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb 4.5, 8 1/2 4.5, Get Out 4.5, M 4.5, The Evil Dead 3.5, Safety Last! 4, City of God 5, Portrait of a Lady on Fire 4.5, Wild Strawberries 4, Some Like It Hot 4.5, Amadeus 5, Tokyo Story 5, Platoon 4, Friday the 13th 3.5, The Passion of Joan of Arc 5, Stop Making Sense 4.5, The Bride of Frankenstein 4, A Fistful of Dollars 4, Ran 5, The Innocents 4.5, The Searchers 4, Reality Bites 3, Barry Lyndon 4.5, Hoop Dreams 4.5, The Human Condition I: No Greater Love 5, The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity 5, The Human Condition III: A Soldier�s Prayer 5, Casablanca 4.5, First Blood 4, The Deer Hunter 4.5, They Live 3.5, Ivan the Terrible, Part II 4, Us 4, Modern Times 5, Before Sunrise 4.5, Notorious 4.5, Three Colors: Blue 4.5, Three Colors: White 4, Three Colors: Red 5, Once Upon a Time in China 4}

# ? Nov 26, 2021 05:29

Zogo: Jul 29, 2003

twernt posted:

10. La Dolce Vita (1960) I've liked all of the Fellini and Mastroianni I've seen so far. 2021-11-04

"By 1965 there'll be total depravity. How squalid everything will be."

Certified Copy - The film opens with an author giving a book chat like those found on C-SPANs Book TV.

Later on a couple meets and begins conversing in English, French and Italian. There's some basic arguing over art and philosophy and what constitutes an original work of art (Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns are brought up). But it quickly descends into marital quibbles. A bunch of nitpicky and banal gripings between an immature couple unfold. It's a clash between a sentimental wife and her bookish husband. The angsty husband, fifteen years into marriage, futilely trying to figure out that work vs. family balance. They share a tenuous relationship to say the least.

We're shown repeated juxtapositions of happy newlyweds against the angry couple. Showing how their marriage has nearly faded away. It's very comparable to The Before Trilogy (1995, 2004, 2013) and Journey to Italy (1954).

Also watched:

Lilya 4-ever - This is one of the more cynical and bleak films I can recall seeing. The two lead characters are victimized at every turn in this world of predators and nightmarish despairs.

I won't go into too much detail but there are tons of broken promises as kids live desperate lives in blighted slums. A girl is tricked into sexual slavery and we witness how human trafficking actually works. It has the bluntness of Ken Park (2002) and Irreversible (2002).

In the end the two main characters commit suicide. This nightmare is based on a true story. It brings to mind the Pat Benatar track Hell Is For Children: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxeImHBa_io

James Bond versus Godzilla (43/64 completed):

Hesitation (78 completed):

#69 Iceman (1984) - One of those films I saw briefly on cable many years ago but had trouble tracking down until recently. 7/18/21

#73 Bug (1975) - A horror film that may or may not be good. 8/12/21

#78 Night and the City - I haven't seen a Jules Dassin film in a long time. 9/5/21

#79 Catch-22 - A satirical film concerning WWII. 9/5/21

#80 Sergeant York - A popular one about a WWI hero that I haven't gotten around to watching. 9/5/21

#84 Shadow Warrior AKA Kagemusha - One of the last major Kurosawa films I have not seen. 11/4/21

#85 As Good as It Gets - The last film to win both the Best Actor and Best Actress Academy Awards. :eyepop:

11/4/21

#86 Summer Rental - John Candy didn't live very long but he appeared in a ton of films. 11/13/21

#87 Hostel - Bog-standard torture porn or cr�me de la cr�me torture porn? 11/13/21

new #88 Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle - An extreme level of product placement. 11/30/21

new #89 The Sacrifice - This one sounds kind of like Melancholia (2011). 11/30/21

I've crossed the 800 films watched threshold. As is customary here is my latest top/bottom list.

Top 5% and bottom 5% of the last 300 I've watched:

1. Head-On
2. Blood Simple
3. Claire's Knee
4. Demolition Man
5. Police Story
6. There's Something About Mary
7. Runaway Train
8. Last Tango in Paris
9. Deep Red
10 The Fugitive
11. Hair
12. Terror of Mechagodzilla
13. Van Gogh (1991)
14. What Have I Done to Deserve This?
15. Scarface (1932)

286. Inchon
287. Red Desert
288. Under the Cherry Moon
289. Captain Phillips
290. My Night at Maud's
291. The Mother and the Whore
292. Adam's Rib
293. Tora! Tora! Tora!
294. Celine and Julie Go Boating
295. The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum
296. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
297. The Monuments Men
298. Passages from James Joyce's Finnegans Wake
299. Marketa Lazarova
300. The Turin Horse

# ? Nov 30, 2021 22:06

Escobarbarian: Jun 18, 2004; Grimey Drawer

Turin Horse at the bottom? drat! Have you seen any other Tarr?

# ? Nov 30, 2021 22:10

Zogo: Jul 29, 2003

Escobarbarian posted:

Turin Horse at the bottom? drat! Have you seen any other Tarr?

No, but I plan to see the other well-known ones later.

All lists are subjective of course but I should mention that mine isn't even intended to be a conventional best/worst film list. It's more based on what I feel like rewatching or not rewatching (for a multitude of reasons).

Marketa Lazarova and The Turin Horse are both well made but I just don't feel like watching them at the moment.

I forget who said it but someone once said that many films only need to be seen once and those two feel that way to me at the moment.

# ? Nov 30, 2021 22:27

Escobarbarian: Jun 18, 2004; Grimey Drawer

Zogo posted:

#85 As Good as It Gets - The last film to win both the Best Actor and Best Actress Academy Awards. 11/4/21

I don't know a lot about this except for the cast and that it won a bunch of Oscars. I will learn through the medium of Zogo posting in the Shameful thread about it!

Branded To Kill

An unbelievably audacious pop-art sendup of Yakuza/crime films, with the usual archetypes twisted in bizarre and hilarious ways. The story itself is rote, but the details and twists give it so much life - from the literal ranking of hitmen to the bizarre rice fetish (the change from 'suave sex-having murderer' to 'weirdo who has rough sex with his wife while sniffing rice' is amazing, especially given the period it was made in) to the obsessive butterfly imagery around our femme fatale. I think I still prefer Tokyo Drifter slightly - it was a bit more dynamic and imo had better visuals - but this was consistently hilarious with a significant amount of moments that made my head spin. The third act is funny as hell and the ending is perfect.

Shame List:
_{currently less than 10 so I can get some of these watched}

01. As Tears Go By: Got the WKW Criterion boxset so wanna go through it in order (I�ve already seen Chungking/Happy Together/In the Mood)

05. The Double Life of Veronique: I actually did watch this like a decade ago but remember almost nothing about it!!!! Irene Jacobs is cute though and I recently did a Three Colours rewatch. Oh my god I just realised I�m gonna have to put Dekalog on here eventually

06. F For Fake: This sounds great and I don�t know why I haven�t seen it but I just haven�t!!!! Owned on Criterion.

07. A Face in the Crowd: A few friends watched this at around the same time and all loved it so I picked the Criterion up. Seems like something I�d enjoy quite a bit.

09. Songs from the Second Floor: Picked up Artificial Eye�s Roy Andersson boxset recently. I remember adoring You, the Living when I saw it in 2008-9, but that�s my only experience with his work so far.

12. Mikey and Nicky: I'd never heard of this until last year when it started popping up all over the place. It sounds really interesting and I love me some Peter Falk.

13. Close-Up: First entry for a new bit "Films my best friends adore but I haven't bothered to see yet". Also obv one of the most acclaimed films ever that I'm yet to see and so on.

15. Late Spring: Now finishing off the last few in the Sight & Sound top 50. Just in time for it to change next year! Only seen Tokyo Story from Ozu, but liked it a lot.

_{Watched: Beau Travail, Harakiri, Memories of Murder, Being There, Schindler's List, Ugetsu, Branded to Kill}

# ? Dec 6, 2021 11:57

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

Escobarbarian posted:

06. F For Fake: This sounds great and I don�t know why I haven�t seen it but I just haven�t!!!! Owned on Criterion.

This is an odd one. I didn't really know what to make of it for most of the runtime but it's definitely stuck in my mind since then so I'll probably rewatch it at some point.

I watched The 400 Blows. This was strikingly realistic and I suppose that's why it's so iconic within the French New Wave movement. I actually had no idea that Truffaut went on to make three more films centered around this main character, but I can understand why because it's really some great child acting on display and Jean-Pierre Leaud was obviously a major talent to discover. My American Hollywood expectations, along with the cryptic title of the film had me bracing for something dramatic and horrible to happen but I actually feel like that kinda added to the experience. Antoine is a kid who is always barely contained within himself, he feels like a pot constantly about to boil over, and the way the films ends makes you think about the possibilities for where his life might go from here.

Aside from the characters though, The 400 Blows does an amazing job of transporting you to post-War Paris. There are countless shots that just immerse you in the city, and make you want to step into the screen and have a walk around.

Current List:

1. Superman: The Movie: Very odd that I've never actually sat down and watched this from start to finish. I feel like I know what all the parts are and what they look like but I don't know how they fit together.
2. Bonnie and Clyde: One of those movies where I've seen the iconic ending but never actually sat down to watch the whole thing. It won a bunch of awards though so I guess I should.
~~3. Tampopo: I've considered blind buying the Criterion edition of this movie so there's really no excuse to not watch it if it's available for streaming~~
~~4. The 400 Blows: I'll be honest, for me Truffaut has always been the guy from Close Encounters. But this is an iconic film that I've heard about many times and never seen.~~
5. Oliver Twist: David Lean is one of my favorite directors so I'd like to fill in the gaps I have left with his filmography.
6. All The President's Men: I actually think I probably was forced to sit through this when I was in school, but I was notorious for sleeping through class so I really have no memory of it.
7. American Graffiti: I was a Star Wars kid so not having seen this one is pretty shameful
8. Romancing the Stone: You don't really hear much about this one these days but in it's time it was actually a pretty big hit, and it's one of the few Zemeckis films I haven't seen.
9. The Hero: I've enjoyed everything I've seen from Satyajit Ray so far and I've been meaning to delve into his work further.
10. Castle in the Sky: More Miyazaki

Basebf555 fucked around with this message at 16:53 on Dec 6, 2021

# ? Dec 6, 2021 16:37

Chili: Jan 23, 2004; college kids ain't shit; Fun Shoe

Go with Romancing the Stone. It's not the best on your list but it's a nice, easy, pandemic watch. Even if you hate it you'll chuckle at times. I watched it on discord with a buddy and do suggest a crowd experience if possible.

Watched Uncut Gems. It took a bit for me to be won over by this. I was not gripped with the anxiety I was promised to be gripped by. I didn't find the consistency of the poor decision-making to be groan-inducing, as much as eye-rolling. The colors, sounds, and general sense of the film carried the intrigue for me through the first half. By the time I got to the second, I was much more invested. The scene with the opal behind the glass was legitimately tense and there was so much impending doom in the moment that it felt heavy. And the end? Well the may be one of my favorite endings to a film I've seen in a long time. It's an ending that surprised me but shouldn't have and that's always impressive. A novel happy ending is hard to find and the Safdie's found one. Howard winning the big score, feeling the joy of it, and then being cut down before he had another chance to gently caress it all up? Perfect. His death with the smile on his face made perfect sense, but the execution was still jarring and upsetting. I'd go so far to say that the whole film is in service of the last 2 minutes of it and it lands spectacularly.

9/10

My new ten:

1. The Florida Project - Go ahead, break my heart.

2. You Were Never Really Here - Kevin was a loving knock out that has stuck with me. Very interested in this.

3. Akira *NEW* - Just watched one classic anime, let's knock down arguably one of the classicist animes.

4. Midnight Run - No idea how I missed this. I've missed so many things.

5. Mother Bong joon ho's that is. I've seen everything else of his (apart from barking dogs, and that's just never gonna happen) , and have enjoyed everything.

6. Moonlight Missed it in theaters, but I hear it's worth watching.

7. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three - Love Matthau, and I understand this is a bit of a change of pace for him.

8. Anatomy of a Murder Another classic that I've missed.

9. Paprika - New to Kon.

10. *NEW* Total Recall *NEW* - Another of the "how did I miss this" films.

151 Total De-Shamed!

_{_{_{Yojimbo 7.5/10, Aliens 6.5/10, Brazil 8/10, Cool Hand Luke 9.5/10, 28 Days Later 6/10, Predator 8.5/10, Blade Runner 7.5/10,Crimes and Misdemeanors 9/10, Vertigo 7/10, Being There 7.5/10, Psycho 10/10, Apocalypse Now 7.5/10, Citizen Kane 8.5/10, Dr. Strangelove 7/10, Close Encounters of the Third Kind 8.5/10, The Bicycle Thief 7/10, Raging Bull 8/10, Ikiru 10/10, Terminator 2: Judgement Day 7/10, The Night of the Hunter 8.5/10 How to Train Your Dragon 6.5/10, There Will Be Blood 8/10, Manhattan 7/10, Rashomon 8.5/10, Unforgiven 8.5/10 The Third Man 9.5/10, Requiem For A Dream 4/10, Charade 5.5/10, Sunset Blvd. 8/10 , Badlands 6.5/10, Dead Man 8.5/10, On The Waterfront 9/10, Mad Max 6/10, Singin' In The Rain 9.5/10, Sleeper 7.5/10, Enter The Dragon 6.5/10, The Hustler 8/10 , The Town 9/10, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 5.5/10, Boogie Nights 7.5/10, Hanna 8.5/10, The Conversation 7.5/10, Serpico 8/10, Hoop Dreams 9/10, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind 8/10, Blood Simple 7.5/10, Roman Holiday 8.5/10, Miller's Crossing 8/10, M 7.5/10, Moonrise Kingdom 6.5/10, Rope 7/10, Tiny Furniture 1/10, On The Town 5.5/10, Gosford Park 5.5/10, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, 8.5/10, City Lights 8.5/10, The Exorcist 6.5/10, California Split 7/10, Aguirre, The Wrath Of God 8/10, Following 8/10, The General 10/10, Barton Fink 8.5/10, Tombstone 8/10, The Hudsucker Proxy 9/10, Love Actually 6.5, La Dolce Vita 7/10, Chop Shop 9.5/10, Duck Soup 6/10, When Harry Met Sally 8/10, Tokyo Story 7/10, Kelly's Heroes 8/10, The Thing 8.5/10, Lost In Translation 9.5/10, Anchorman 6.5/10, Mulholland Dr. 8.5/10, Rebecca9/10, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans 7/10, Steamboat Bill Jr. 9/10, Double Indemnity 9/10, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum 6.5/10, The Man Who Wasn't There 8.10, Synecdoche, NY 10/10 , Leaving Las Vegas 9/10, The Hidden Fortress 8.5/10, Magnificent Seven 8/10, Dear Zachary -/10, The Fly 9/10, Time Bandits 6/10, Before Sunrise 6.5, The Buddy Holly Story 7/10, Pleasantville 7/10, The Rules of the Game 6/10, Senna 7.5/10, Kiki's Delivery Service 8/10, Gojira 9/10, The Blues Brothers 5/10, Notorious 7/10, Little Shop of Horrors 9/10 , The Last Starfighter 7/10, Rebel Without A Cause 8.5/10, Sherlock Jr. 7.5/10, Intolerable Cruelty, 9/10, The Ladykillers 9/10, Spring Breakers 7.5/10, Touch of Evil 8/10, The Purple Rose of Cairo, 9/10, My Cousin Vinny 7/10, Galaxy Quest 8/10, First Blood, 9/10, Arsenic and Old Lace, 7/10, Mad Max 2, 9/10, The Raid: Redemption, 8/10, Kramer vs. Kramer 9.5/10, Nightcrawler 10/10, Frank 9/10, Strangers On A Train 8/10 , Wild Strawberries 7.5/10, They Came Together 5.5/10, The Squid and the Whale, 10/10, Poolhall Junkies 1/10, Citizenfour 10/10, The 400 Blows 9.5/10, Event Horizon 2/10, Ashes and Diamonds, 8/10 Defending Your Life 9/10, The Informant! 8.5/10 The Lady and the Tramp 8.5/10, Memories of Murder 8.5/10, Ordinary People 8.5/10, Blue Ruin 7/10, F For Fake 9/10, The Best Years of Our Lives 6.5/10, Saturday Night Fever 7/10, We Need to Talk About Kevin, 10/10, Beasts of the Southern Wild, 10/10, 2011: A Space Odyssey ???/10, The Master, 9/10 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 7/10 Certified Copy, 8/10, Ace in the Hole, 9/10, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy 6.5/10, The Grand Budapest Hotel 7/10, Train to Busan 4/10, Her 10/10, In the Mood for Love 6.5/10, Rififi 6.5/10, Murder on the Orient Express 7/10, The Nice Guys 9/10, Starship Troopers 7.5/10, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 6/10. Uncut Gems 9/10}}}

Chili fucked around with this message at 02:27 on Dec 7, 2021

# ? Dec 6, 2021 20:21

Escobarbarian: Jun 18, 2004; Grimey Drawer

e: I accidentally edited this instead of quoting it for my next post. anyway basically f for fake ruled and I�m a real stupid idiot

Escobarbarian fucked around with this message at 13:37 on Jan 13, 2022

# ? Dec 7, 2021 10:40

Zogo: Jul 29, 2003

Escobarbarian posted:

16. Videodrome: Sorely lacking with my Cronenberg.

"The television screen is the retina of the mind's eye."

As Good as It Gets - This one is filled with needy characters. People needing money, companionship and discretion. It's an absurd melodrama throughout as Jack Nicholson plays an Archie Bunker-type character. An ornery OCD sufferer who has a knack for putting his foot in his mouth.

The three main characters (Jack Nicholson, Greg Kinnear, Helen Hunt) make for strange bedfellows (especially on a road trip to Baltimore). Likewise, the story itself is inconceivable in a handful of ways. But it's a lighthearted movie so things close with a redemption arc that's a little hard to buy.

James Bond versus Godzilla (43/64 completed):

Hesitation (79 completed):

#69 Iceman (1984) - One of those films I saw briefly on cable many years ago but had trouble tracking down until recently. 7/18/21

#73 Bug (1975) - A horror film that may or may not be good. 8/12/21

#78 Night and the City - I haven't seen a Jules Dassin film in a long time. 9/5/21

#79 Catch-22 - A satirical film concerning WWII. 9/5/21

#80 Sergeant York - A popular one about a WWI hero that I haven't gotten around to watching. 9/5/21

#84 Shadow Warrior AKA Kagemusha - One of the last major Kurosawa films I have not seen. 11/4/21

#86 Summer Rental - John Candy didn't live very long but he appeared in a ton of films. 11/13/21

#87 Hostel - Bog-standard torture porn or cr�me de la cr�me torture porn? 11/13/21

#88 Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle - An extreme level of product placement. 11/30/21

#89 The Sacrifice - This one sounds kind of like Melancholia (2011). 11/30/21

new #90 Slither - Seems to have a good reputation. 12/8/21

# ? Dec 9, 2021 06:39

Chili: Jan 23, 2004; college kids ain't shit; Fun Shoe

Zogo, go with Catch 22. Heard a lot about it, would like to hear more.

It sure is something to go from Uncut Gems to You Were Never Really Here, but that's what I did!

It parallels Uncut Gems in its immersive quality and how it really puts you into the emotional center of the film right away and doesn't let go. Is this Joaquin Phoenix at his best? Hard to say. It certainly demonstrates his range to play damaged characters and make them feel different as this is no Joker. Is it Lynne Ramsay at her best? No. But what's gonna top Kevin? The images and the choices she makes in how she handles violence are all profoundly interesting and are leaving me thinking a lot, but when it was happening, I was bought in and just feeling it. Specifically striking was how distant all of the present-day grit and gore was presented and yet we know that Joe is just gathering more images for the PTSD reel in his future. It's an immensely powerful film and it worked well for me.

9/10

My new ten:

1. The Florida Project - Go ahead, break my heart.

2. *NEW* High and Low - Don't really feel like Kurosawa ever needs billboarding. Just gotta see more.

3. Akira - Just watched one classic anime, let's knock down arguably one of the classicist animes.

4. Midnight Run - No idea how I missed this. I've missed so many things.

5. Mother Bong joon ho's that is. I've seen everything else of his (apart from barking dogs, and that's just never gonna happen) , and have enjoyed everything.

6. Moonlight Missed it in theaters, but I hear it's worth watching.

7. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three - Love Matthau, and I understand this is a bit of a change of pace for him.

8. Anatomy of a Murder Another classic that I've missed.

9. Paprika - New to Kon.

10. Total Recall - Another of the "how did I miss this" films.

152 Total De-Shamed!

_{_{_{Yojimbo 7.5/10, Aliens 6.5/10, Brazil 8/10, Cool Hand Luke 9.5/10, 28 Days Later 6/10, Predator 8.5/10, Blade Runner 7.5/10,Crimes and Misdemeanors 9/10, Vertigo 7/10, Being There 7.5/10, Psycho 10/10, Apocalypse Now 7.5/10, Citizen Kane 8.5/10, Dr. Strangelove 7/10, Close Encounters of the Third Kind 8.5/10, The Bicycle Thief 7/10, Raging Bull 8/10, Ikiru 10/10, Terminator 2: Judgement Day 7/10, The Night of the Hunter 8.5/10 How to Train Your Dragon 6.5/10, There Will Be Blood 8/10, Manhattan 7/10, Rashomon 8.5/10, Unforgiven 8.5/10 The Third Man 9.5/10, Requiem For A Dream 4/10, Charade 5.5/10, Sunset Blvd. 8/10 , Badlands 6.5/10, Dead Man 8.5/10, On The Waterfront 9/10, Mad Max 6/10, Singin' In The Rain 9.5/10, Sleeper 7.5/10, Enter The Dragon 6.5/10, The Hustler 8/10 , The Town 9/10, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 5.5/10, Boogie Nights 7.5/10, Hanna 8.5/10, The Conversation 7.5/10, Serpico 8/10, Hoop Dreams 9/10, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind 8/10, Blood Simple 7.5/10, Roman Holiday 8.5/10, Miller's Crossing 8/10, M 7.5/10, Moonrise Kingdom 6.5/10, Rope 7/10, Tiny Furniture 1/10, On The Town 5.5/10, Gosford Park 5.5/10, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, 8.5/10, City Lights 8.5/10, The Exorcist 6.5/10, California Split 7/10, Aguirre, The Wrath Of God 8/10, Following 8/10, The General 10/10, Barton Fink 8.5/10, Tombstone 8/10, The Hudsucker Proxy 9/10, Love Actually 6.5, La Dolce Vita 7/10, Chop Shop 9.5/10, Duck Soup 6/10, When Harry Met Sally 8/10, Tokyo Story 7/10, Kelly's Heroes 8/10, The Thing 8.5/10, Lost In Translation 9.5/10, Anchorman 6.5/10, Mulholland Dr. 8.5/10, Rebecca9/10, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans 7/10, Steamboat Bill Jr. 9/10, Double Indemnity 9/10, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum 6.5/10, The Man Who Wasn't There 8.10, Synecdoche, NY 10/10 , Leaving Las Vegas 9/10, The Hidden Fortress 8.5/10, Magnificent Seven 8/10, Dear Zachary -/10, The Fly 9/10, Time Bandits 6/10, Before Sunrise 6.5, The Buddy Holly Story 7/10, Pleasantville 7/10, The Rules of the Game 6/10, Senna 7.5/10, Kiki's Delivery Service 8/10, Gojira 9/10, The Blues Brothers 5/10, Notorious 7/10, Little Shop of Horrors 9/10 , The Last Starfighter 7/10, Rebel Without A Cause 8.5/10, Sherlock Jr. 7.5/10, Intolerable Cruelty, 9/10, The Ladykillers 9/10, Spring Breakers 7.5/10, Touch of Evil 8/10, The Purple Rose of Cairo, 9/10, My Cousin Vinny 7/10, Galaxy Quest 8/10, First Blood, 9/10, Arsenic and Old Lace, 7/10, Mad Max 2, 9/10, The Raid: Redemption, 8/10, Kramer vs. Kramer 9.5/10, Nightcrawler 10/10, Frank 9/10, Strangers On A Train 8/10 , Wild Strawberries 7.5/10, They Came Together 5.5/10, The Squid and the Whale, 10/10, Poolhall Junkies 1/10, Citizenfour 10/10, The 400 Blows 9.5/10, Event Horizon 2/10, Ashes and Diamonds, 8/10 Defending Your Life 9/10, The Informant! 8.5/10 The Lady and the Tramp 8.5/10, Memories of Murder 8.5/10, Ordinary People 8.5/10, Blue Ruin 7/10, F For Fake 9/10, The Best Years of Our Lives 6.5/10, Saturday Night Fever 7/10, We Need to Talk About Kevin, 10/10, Beasts of the Southern Wild, 10/10, 2011: A Space Odyssey ???/10, The Master, 9/10 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 7/10 Certified Copy, 8/10, Ace in the Hole, 9/10, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy 6.5/10, The Grand Budapest Hotel 7/10, Train to Busan 4/10, Her 10/10, In the Mood for Love 6.5/10, Rififi 6.5/10, Murder on the Orient Express 7/10, The Nice Guys 9/10, Starship Troopers 7.5/10, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 6/10. Uncut Gems 9/10, You Were Nerv Really Here 9/10}}}

Chili fucked around with this message at 04:58 on Dec 10, 2021

# ? Dec 10, 2021 04:29

DeimosRising: Oct 17, 2005; �Hola SEA!

Chili posted:

5. Mother Bong joon ho's that is. I've seen everything else of his (apart from barking dogs, and that's just never gonna happen) , and have enjoyed everything.

Barking dogs is on Hulu atm

# ? Dec 11, 2021 06:21

Chili: Jan 23, 2004; college kids ain't shit; Fun Shoe

DeimosRising posted:

Barking dogs is on Hulu atm

Oh, it's not an availability issue. Ain't gonna go watching that movie. Okja was hard enough.

# ? Dec 11, 2021 07:37

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

Chili posted:

7. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three - Love Matthau, and I understand this is a bit of a change of pace for him.

This has to be one of the most underappreciated films of the 70s, it's pretty much a perfect thriller and it just isn't brought up very often these days, for whatever reason. Also, Matthau gets one of the absolute best final lines in movie history imo.

I watched Romancing The Stone. Funny how the mind works sometimes, I put this movie on my list because of Zemeckis, but then by the time I want to actually watch it I'd totally forgotten that he directed it so when his name came up on the credits I was like "Oh excellent, this is a Zemeckis movie!".

While there's nothing unique or groundbreaking about Romancing the Stone, it knows what it's trying to do and it does those things extremely well. The casting, the setting and the script all come together to make what is a consistently entertaining and very tight, streamlined adventure. I'm actually not a huge fan of either of the two leads, generally speaking, but Zemeckis caught them at the right moment in their careers and with the right script that accentuates the things I do like about them. Even more so than Douglas, this is a role that feels almost custom written for Kathleen Turner, she's absolutely perfect for the character and the arc that the character goes through in the film. There are times when casting completely makes or breaks a movie and I feel like this is definitely an example of that.

I understand there is a sequel, and it's also available on HBOMax so I'll probably check that out, although I don't think it's really considered "shameful" to have not seen it so I won't put it on my list here.

Current List:

1. Superman: The Movie: Very odd that I've never actually sat down and watched this from start to finish. I feel like I know what all the parts are and what they look like but I don't know how they fit together.
2. Bonnie and Clyde: One of those movies where I've seen the iconic ending but never actually sat down to watch the whole thing. It won a bunch of awards though so I guess I should.
~~3. Tampopo: I've considered blind buying the Criterion edition of this movie so there's really no excuse to not watch it if it's available for streaming~~
~~4. The 400 Blows: I'll be honest, for me Truffaut has always been the guy from Close Encounters. But this is an iconic film that I've heard about many times and never seen.~~
5. Oliver Twist: David Lean is one of my favorite directors so I'd like to fill in the gaps I have left with his filmography.
6. All The President's Men: I actually think I probably was forced to sit through this when I was in school, but I was notorious for sleeping through class so I really have no memory of it.
7. American Graffiti: I was a Star Wars kid so not having seen this one is pretty shameful
~~8. Romancing the Stone: You don't really hear much about this one these days but in it's time it was actually a pretty big hit, and it's one of the few Zemeckis films I haven't seen.~~
9. The Hero: I've enjoyed everything I've seen from Satyajit Ray so far and I've been meaning to delve into his work further.
10. Castle in the Sky: More Miyazaki

# ? Dec 14, 2021 19:55

DeimosRising: Oct 17, 2005; �Hola SEA!

Chili posted:

Oh, it's not an availability issue. Ain't gonna go watching that movie. Okja was hard enough.

Ah, gotcha. It was very hard to find for a long time so I mistook your meaning.

# ? Dec 14, 2021 23:00

Chili: Jan 23, 2004; college kids ain't shit; Fun Shoe

DeimosRising posted:

Ah, gotcha. It was very hard to find for a long time so I mistook your meaning.

No problem. Any interest in making a list and joining the party?

# ? Dec 15, 2021 02:33

Chili: Jan 23, 2004; college kids ain't shit; Fun Shoe

Go watch All the President's Men which I will always recall fondly as my AP Government teacher showed it to us instead of teaching one day.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three was pretty good! It had a visceral feel to it at times which was likely due to the time of its shooting. The film just feels alive, and New York is handled not as a character, but as a setting which I was grateful for. Beyond that, the film's villains lack inspiration, and Matthau and Stiller never really seem to get enough to do. This heist film gets outdone by many that come later but it definitely feels foundational in how it establishes the rules of the game. The threat of violence looms larger throughout and the mystery of 'who is the police' is a fun one. Both of those two notions however peter out as there's a relatively pointless execution over a character we haven't learned much about and the police reveal is inconsequential. I wanted more from the characters, and I wanted something more clever from the crooks. Overall though, this was watchable and fun enough and I'll agree that Matthau gets to close out the film in a very fun way.

7/10

My new ten:

1. The Florida Project - Go ahead, break my heart.

2. High and Low - Don't really feel like Kurosawa ever needs billboarding. Just gotta see more.

3. Akira - Just watched one classic anime, let's knock down arguably one of the classicist animes.

4. Midnight Run - No idea how I missed this. I've missed so many things.

5. Mother Bong joon ho's that is. I've seen everything else of his (apart from barking dogs, and that's just never gonna happen) , and have enjoyed everything.

6. Moonlight Missed it in theaters, but I hear it's worth watching.

7. *NEW* The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming - My mother thinks I'll like this. She's been wrong nearly every time with her picks.

8. Anatomy of a Murder Another classic that I've missed.

9. Paprika - New to Kon.

10. Total Recall - Another of the "how did I miss this" films.

153 Total De-Shamed!

_{_{_{Yojimbo 7.5/10, Aliens 6.5/10, Brazil 8/10, Cool Hand Luke 9.5/10, 28 Days Later 6/10, Predator 8.5/10, Blade Runner 7.5/10,Crimes and Misdemeanors 9/10, Vertigo 7/10, Being There 7.5/10, Psycho 10/10, Apocalypse Now 7.5/10, Citizen Kane 8.5/10, Dr. Strangelove 7/10, Close Encounters of the Third Kind 8.5/10, The Bicycle Thief 7/10, Raging Bull 8/10, Ikiru 10/10, Terminator 2: Judgement Day 7/10, The Night of the Hunter 8.5/10 How to Train Your Dragon 6.5/10, There Will Be Blood 8/10, Manhattan 7/10, Rashomon 8.5/10, Unforgiven 8.5/10 The Third Man 9.5/10, Requiem For A Dream 4/10, Charade 5.5/10, Sunset Blvd. 8/10 , Badlands 6.5/10, Dead Man 8.5/10, On The Waterfront 9/10, Mad Max 6/10, Singin' In The Rain 9.5/10, Sleeper 7.5/10, Enter The Dragon 6.5/10, The Hustler 8/10 , The Town 9/10, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 5.5/10, Boogie Nights 7.5/10, Hanna 8.5/10, The Conversation 7.5/10, Serpico 8/10, Hoop Dreams 9/10, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind 8/10, Blood Simple 7.5/10, Roman Holiday 8.5/10, Miller's Crossing 8/10, M 7.5/10, Moonrise Kingdom 6.5/10, Rope 7/10, Tiny Furniture 1/10, On The Town 5.5/10, Gosford Park 5.5/10, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, 8.5/10, City Lights 8.5/10, The Exorcist 6.5/10, California Split 7/10, Aguirre, The Wrath Of God 8/10, Following 8/10, The General 10/10, Barton Fink 8.5/10, Tombstone 8/10, The Hudsucker Proxy 9/10, Love Actually 6.5, La Dolce Vita 7/10, Chop Shop 9.5/10, Duck Soup 6/10, When Harry Met Sally 8/10, Tokyo Story 7/10, Kelly's Heroes 8/10, The Thing 8.5/10, Lost In Translation 9.5/10, Anchorman 6.5/10, Mulholland Dr. 8.5/10, Rebecca9/10, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans 7/10, Steamboat Bill Jr. 9/10, Double Indemnity 9/10, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum 6.5/10, The Man Who Wasn't There 8.10, Synecdoche, NY 10/10 , Leaving Las Vegas 9/10, The Hidden Fortress 8.5/10, Magnificent Seven 8/10, Dear Zachary -/10, The Fly 9/10, Time Bandits 6/10, Before Sunrise 6.5, The Buddy Holly Story 7/10, Pleasantville 7/10, The Rules of the Game 6/10, Senna 7.5/10, Kiki's Delivery Service 8/10, Gojira 9/10, The Blues Brothers 5/10, Notorious 7/10, Little Shop of Horrors 9/10 , The Last Starfighter 7/10, Rebel Without A Cause 8.5/10, Sherlock Jr. 7.5/10, Intolerable Cruelty, 9/10, The Ladykillers 9/10, Spring Breakers 7.5/10, Touch of Evil 8/10, The Purple Rose of Cairo, 9/10, My Cousin Vinny 7/10, Galaxy Quest 8/10, First Blood, 9/10, Arsenic and Old Lace, 7/10, Mad Max 2, 9/10, The Raid: Redemption, 8/10, Kramer vs. Kramer 9.5/10, Nightcrawler 10/10, Frank 9/10, Strangers On A Train 8/10 , Wild Strawberries 7.5/10, They Came Together 5.5/10, The Squid and the Whale, 10/10, Poolhall Junkies 1/10, Citizenfour 10/10, The 400 Blows 9.5/10, Event Horizon 2/10, Ashes and Diamonds, 8/10 Defending Your Life 9/10, The Informant! 8.5/10 The Lady and the Tramp 8.5/10, Memories of Murder 8.5/10, Ordinary People 8.5/10, Blue Ruin 7/10, F For Fake 9/10, The Best Years of Our Lives 6.5/10, Saturday Night Fever 7/10, We Need to Talk About Kevin, 10/10, Beasts of the Southern Wild, 10/10, 2011: A Space Odyssey ???/10, The Master, 9/10 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 7/10 Certified Copy, 8/10, Ace in the Hole, 9/10, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy 6.5/10, The Grand Budapest Hotel 7/10, Train to Busan 4/10, Her 10/10, In the Mood for Love 6.5/10, Rififi 6.5/10, Murder on the Orient Express 7/10, The Nice Guys 9/10, Starship Troopers 7.5/10, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 6/10. Uncut Gems 9/10, You Were Nerv Really Here 9/10, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 7/10}}}

# ? Dec 15, 2021 08:18

twernt: Mar 11, 2003; Whoa whoa wait, time out.

Chili posted:

3. Akira - Just watched one classic anime, let's knock down arguably one of the classicist animes.

It really is influential and you'll see its fingerprints everywhere.

La Dolce Vita
Directed by Federico Fellini

La Dolce Vita apparently disappeared from all streaming services after I added it to my list. Always check your local library.

Marcello Mastroianni plays a man (also named Marcello) looking for meaning in a world where everything is shallow, false, or meaningless. Mastroianni has been good every time I�ve seen him but here it seems like his acting is all on the surface. I have to assume it�s intentional, given the director and the way his character never seems to really connect with anyone or anything.

It�s a beautiful film, but every time I close my eyes I�m tormented by the snarling visage of Riccardo, the bearded actor from the second episode.

My list of shame:
1. The General (1926) I like Buster Keaton and I want to eventually see all of the features he directed in the 20s. 2021-11-04
2. Minari (2020) One of the Oscar nominees I didn�t get to see and really wanted to. 2021-05-28
3. Metropolis (1927) This is another great one I've only seen bits and pieces of. 2021-04-01
4. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) Iconic early best picture winner. 2021-11-04
5. The Apu trilogy (1955) Let's replace one trilogy with another. 2021-11-21
6. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) Probably the best non-Miyazaki Studio Ghibli film. 2021-03-29
7. Sorcerer (1977) I�ve seen Wages of Fear, so I�ve wanted to be able to compare these two for a while. 2021-11-25
8. The 400 Blows (1959) Seems like it should be on every movie person's checklist. 2021-11-04
9. The Tale of Zatoichi (1962) I've wanted to get into this series for a long time. 2021-06-17
10. Dog Day Afternoon (1975) 12 Angry Men is the only Sidney Lumet I've seen so it's time to fix that. 2021-12-18

Watched:
_{The Godfather 5, The Godfather: Part II 4.5, Alien 4.5, The Hills Have Eyes 3, The Rules of the Game 4, Battleship Potemkin 4, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 4.5, Schindler�s List 5, Halloween 4, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4, A Woman Under the Influence 4.5, Harakiri 4.5, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb 4.5, 8 1/2 4.5, Get Out 4.5, M 4.5, The Evil Dead 3.5, Safety Last! 4, City of God 5, Portrait of a Lady on Fire 4.5, Wild Strawberries 4, Some Like It Hot 4.5, Amadeus 5, Tokyo Story 5, Platoon 4, Friday the 13th 3.5, The Passion of Joan of Arc 5, Stop Making Sense 4.5, The Bride of Frankenstein 4, A Fistful of Dollars 4, Ran 5, The Innocents 4.5, The Searchers 4, Reality Bites 3, Barry Lyndon 4.5, Hoop Dreams 4.5, The Human Condition I: No Greater Love 5, The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity 5, The Human Condition III: A Soldier�s Prayer 5, Casablanca 4.5, First Blood 4, The Deer Hunter 4.5, They Live 3.5, Ivan the Terrible, Part II 4, Us 4, Modern Times 5, Before Sunrise 4.5, Notorious 4.5, Three Colors: Blue 4.5, Three Colors: White 4, Three Colors: Red 5, Once Upon a Time in China 4, La Dolce Vita 4.5}

# ? Dec 18, 2021 14:45

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

twernt posted:

5. The Apu trilogy (1955) Let's replace one trilogy with another. 2021-11-21

These are unique films, at least in my somewhat limited experience. They really transport you to a different time and place. A whole trilogy seems like a pretty tough assignment though so I guess just watch the first one and see how you like it?

I watched All The President's Men. It's a solid movie, if maybe a bit dry, but it's definitely satisfying to watch an investigation unfold step by step in that way. To me Hoffman was really the standout of the movie, along with some great supporting actors like Jason Robards and Hal Holbrook. Redford does his thing but his character isn't as memorable as some of the others. It's funny to think about how many teachers have probably shown this movie to their students, because there's no way kids are gonna actually sit there and pay attention to the specifics of what's going on in any given scene. Names and titles are flying by and if you're not paying close attention and making the connections along with the characters then the majority of the movie isn't gonna be very compelling. I definitely slept through this in class myself.

Obviously this is based on a true story, so you have limitations in what you can do with that, but I do think it lacked a satisfying ending. You basically just get a montage of all the later developments where Nixon got caught on tape admitting to the cover up and then resigns. And that's intentional because this is supposed to be a film focused only on the role that Woodward and Bernstein played, but it would've been nice to have something with a bit wider scope to be able to see more of the impact and fallout of their reporting.

Current List with some new stuff to replace the old:

1. Superman: The Movie: Very odd that I've never actually sat down and watched this from start to finish. I feel like I know what all the parts are and what they look like but I don't know how they fit together.
2. Bonnie and Clyde: One of those movies where I've seen the iconic ending but never actually sat down to watch the whole thing. It won a bunch of awards though so I guess I should.
3. Watership Down: I've often heard this one come up in discussions of some of the greatest animated films of all time
4. A Streetcar Named Desire: This is a big iconic Brando performance that I haven't seen.
5. Oliver Twist: David Lean is one of my favorite directors so I'd like to fill in the gaps I have left with his filmography.
6. Risky Business: Definitely feels like I've seen this but I actually haven't. One of only a few Cruise movies I haven't seen.
7. American Graffiti: I was a Star Wars kid so not having seen this one is pretty shameful
8. The River: I love India as a setting for film and I've read a lot of good things about this one.
9. The Hero: I've enjoyed everything I've seen from Satyajit Ray so far and I've been meaning to delve into his work further.
10. Castle in the Sky: More Miyazaki

# ? Dec 21, 2021 18:07

Zogo: Jul 29, 2003

Basebf555 posted:

6. Risky Business: Definitely feels like I've seen this but I actually haven't. One of only a few Cruise movies I haven't seen.

"The dream is always the same."

Catch-22 - Primarily it feels like a spoof of Twelve O'Clock High (1949) as it focuses on the dangers many bombers faced during WWII. These expendable bombers have now been supplanted by drone warfare. It features a big cast of well-knowns and many of the characters are oblivious and obtuse with each other.

The film touches on that familiar paradox from the novel:

quote:

Doc Daneeka: Sure. Catch-22. Anyone who wants to get out of combat isn't really crazy, so I can't ground him.

Yossarian: Ok, let me see if I've got this straight. In order to be grounded, I've got to be crazy. And I must be crazy to keep flying. But if I ask to be grounded, that means I'm not crazy anymore, and I have to keep flying.

Doc Daneeka: You got it, that's Catch-22.

But it's a lot more than that. It's a kaleidoscope into the absurdities of war: War as a crime syndicate, abdication of all responsiblity, cheap religion, exploitation etc. The military is a well-organized gang with its own specious set of rules.

It features scenes that would be at home in these other films:

-Paths of Glory (1957)
-Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
-Johnny Got His Gun (1971)
-The Ninth Configuration (1980)

Also watched:

Night and the City - Harry Fabian (Richard Widmark) is a conman among conmen. He's a super hustler who acts like he's on uppers. Always working on the next get rich quick scheme on the streets of London.

It's kind of a funny noir as Fabian leaves a wake of disasters and troubles wherever he goes. He keeps turning the tables on people but rooting for him means you're rooting against everyone he meets.

His latest endeavor is in the world of wrestling promotion. And when it's all said and done many lives have been ruined and all he has to show for it is a �1,000 bounty on his head.

Free on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFnpoaRHpfA

James Bond versus Godzilla (43/64 completed):

Hesitation (81 completed):

#69 Iceman (1984) - One of those films I saw briefly on cable many years ago but had trouble tracking down until recently. 7/18/21

#73 Bug (1975) - A horror film that may or may not be good. 8/12/21

#80 Sergeant York - A popular one about a WWI hero that I haven't gotten around to watching. 9/5/21

#84 Shadow Warrior AKA Kagemusha - One of the last major Kurosawa films I have not seen. 11/4/21

#86 Summer Rental - John Candy didn't live very long but he appeared in a ton of films. 11/13/21

#87 Hostel - Bog-standard torture porn or cr�me de la cr�me torture porn? 11/13/21

#88 Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle - An extreme level of product placement. 11/30/21

#89 The Sacrifice - This one sounds kind of like Melancholia (2011). 11/30/21

#90 Slither - Seems to have a good reputation. 12/8/21

new #91 One Cut of the Dead - I've heard this is a creative one. 12/21/21

new #92 Elevator to the Gallows - An early Louis Malle that I haven't gotten to. 12/21/21

# ? Dec 22, 2021 06:06

twernt: Mar 11, 2003; Whoa whoa wait, time out.

Zogo posted:

#69 Iceman (1984) - One of those films I saw briefly on cable many years ago but had trouble tracking down until recently. 7/18/21

I remember seeing this and I remember it being strange. I realize this is not a great endorsement.

Pather Panchali
Directed by Satyajit Ray

Pather Panchali is the almost universally acclaimed first film by Satyajit Ray who is considered to be one of the greatest directors of all time. It�s astonishing to consider the result when it apparently took almost three years to complete, with amateur actors and a tiny budget � less than $10,000 in today�s dollars.

It�s easy to compare Pather Panchali to Bicycle Thieves. According to a Wikipedia, seeing Vittorio De Sica's film is what inspired Satyajit Ray to become a filmmaker himself. Both chronicle the lives of families living in poverty. Pather Panchali is maybe more of a �kids on bikes� story, with its focus on the children�s experiences with and apart from their parents. It does let us see them experience wonder in little things, without romanticizing them.

Everything about Pather Panchali just clicks � the performances, the music, the cinematography. It is objectively slow, but it doesn�t feel slow. The pace is gentle, not hurried.

I will definitely watch the rest of the trilogy, but I can add something new to my list.

My list of shame:
1. The General (1926) I like Buster Keaton and I want to eventually see all of the features he directed in the 20s. 2021-11-04
2. Minari (2020) One of the Oscar nominees I didn�t get to see and really wanted to. 2021-05-28
3. Metropolis (1927) This is another great one I've only seen bits and pieces of. 2021-04-01
4. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) Iconic early best picture winner. 2021-11-04
5. A Brighter Summer Day (1991) It's the highest-rated film on my watchlist. 2021-12-22
6. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) Probably the best non-Miyazaki Studio Ghibli film. 2021-03-29
7. Sorcerer (1977) I�ve seen Wages of Fear, so I�ve wanted to be able to compare these two for a while. 2021-11-25
8. The 400 Blows (1959) Seems like it should be on every movie person's checklist. 2021-11-04
9. The Tale of Zatoichi (1962) I've wanted to get into this series for a long time. 2021-06-17
10. Dog Day Afternoon (1975) 12 Angry Men is the only Sidney Lumet I've seen so it's time to fix that. 2021-12-18

Watched:
_{The Godfather 5, The Godfather: Part II 4.5, Alien 4.5, The Hills Have Eyes 3, The Rules of the Game 4, Battleship Potemkin 4, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 4.5, Schindler�s List 5, Halloween 4, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4, A Woman Under the Influence 4.5, Harakiri 4.5, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb 4.5, 8 1/2 4.5, Get Out 4.5, M 4.5, The Evil Dead 3.5, Safety Last! 4, City of God 5, Portrait of a Lady on Fire 4.5, Wild Strawberries 4, Some Like It Hot 4.5, Amadeus 5, Tokyo Story 5, Platoon 4, Friday the 13th 3.5, The Passion of Joan of Arc 5, Stop Making Sense 4.5, The Bride of Frankenstein 4, A Fistful of Dollars 4, Ran 5, The Innocents 4.5, The Searchers 4, Reality Bites 3, Barry Lyndon 4.5, Hoop Dreams 4.5, The Human Condition I: No Greater Love 5, The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity 5, The Human Condition III: A Soldier�s Prayer 5, Casablanca 4.5, First Blood 4, The Deer Hunter 4.5, They Live 3.5, Ivan the Terrible, Part II 4, Us 4, Modern Times 5, Before Sunrise 4.5, Notorious 4.5, Three Colors: Blue 4.5, Three Colors: White 4, Three Colors: Red 5, Once Upon a Time in China 4, La Dolce Vita 4.5, Pather Panchali 5}

# ? Dec 22, 2021 17:19

BiggerBoat: Sep 26, 2007; Don't you tell me my business again.

BeefSupreme posted:

Boy, there sure are a lot of great choices on your list... But I can't allow you to continue not having seen Casablanca, whether you ultimately like it or not.

OK.

Took me over three loving years but I finally watched this bitch and it was...good enough (?) but didn't blow me away

I think it suffered from being one of those classics that I'm supposed to like because of its reputation but, to be honest, I found most of the acting in it a little stiff and forced. Line deliveries during conversations felt more like people were reading and remembering their cues more than any sort of natural dialog, especially when characters are supposed to be stepping over each others' lines. I think that's more due to it being a product of its time and how films were made back then than a reflection of the talent on screen however but it could almost be a play - and kind of comes off like one for 2/3 or 3/4 of it.

And the best performances weren't from the two leads but from Paul Henreid as Laszlow, Peter Lorre as Ugarte and even Dooley Wilson as Sam (in what could have easily become a problematic stereotype role). I don't get the fascination with Bogart and have seen parts/most of The African Queen and The Maltese Falcon. He doesn't really do it for me I guess. I found almost all of the supporting actors more compelling and delivering better performances than the leads.

Like a lot of older films, things that were innovative and cutting edge at the time have become rote, run into the ground by old Bugs Bunny cartoons and are cliches for a reason, but I will say that I'm glad I hung in with it because as cheesy and rigid as I found a lot of it and starting to grow bored before the half way mark, the tension really starts to build around after that when everything is properly set up and the payoff is really good. I appreciate the layers of storytelling on display here and how well they're woven together with a pretty solid screenplay and genuinely good direction that succeeds really well at creating a sense of atmosphere.

I get why it's regarded as a classic but I wouldn't slot anywhere near my top 100 of all time, let alone my top 10.

...

So...I can cross that off. What do I do next to assign a movie and who gets to pick my next one?

MY Shameful List:

Casablanca - I've seen "The Maltese Falcon" and "The African Queen" but can take or leave Bogart. Plus I know the gist of the story and the ending, so just never felt the urgency.
7/10

On the Waterfront - I usually like Brando so not sure how I never got to his one

High Noon - Not a huge fans of westerns in general so never piqued my interest but I like GOOD westerns.

The Producers - I usually like Mel Brooks and somehow never got around to this one

Pan's Labyrinth - Sounds dumb but I need to be in the mood to deal with subtitles

The Bridge on the River Kwai - Need to be in the mood for a war movie too. Apparently I'm moody.

The Thin Red Line - Speaking of war movies, this one has been recommended to me and has drawn favorable comparisons to "Apocalypse Now", "Full Metal Jacket" and "Platoon" so I am very interested. Might watch it soon anyway if no one suggests it.

Patton - Another war movie. Was always worried this would be hokey and too "USA! USA!". The people I know who love it tend to be authoritarian types.

Nashville - I like Altman a lot but musicals are a hard sell for me if ti's the main thrust like "Chicago", ~~"Showgirls"~~, "Dreamgirls" or "Moulin Rouge"

Double Indemnity - I like caper films and double crosses and poo poo. The description sounds like the Coen' s "The Man Who Wasn't There" which I liked a lot.

EDIT: I meany Dreamgirls not Showgirls

BiggerBoat fucked around with this message at 15:37 on Dec 23, 2021

# ? Dec 23, 2021 00:36

Zogo: Jul 29, 2003

BiggerBoat posted:

What do I do next to assign a movie and who gets to pick my next one?

Pick one of twernt's movies so they can watch it. You can pick one you've seen or just randomly or by any method you like.

And then wait for someone else to come in and select one from your list for you to watch next.

# ? Dec 23, 2021 00:57

BiggerBoat: Sep 26, 2007; Don't you tell me my business again.

twernt posted:

10. Dog Day Afternoon

Watch this one, twernt

Not only is it the only one on your list I've seen, it's one of my favorite movies period

Edit:

Couple other things I'll say about Casablanca, since my review was kind of lazy, is that the screenplay deserves all the credit it receives. The dialogue is sharp and often sarcastic and funny. I liked how Rick was written as this totally unapologetic self serving drunk ("only cause I care about is me") except with an occasional sense of empathy (rigging the roulette table) and a bit of a romantic side.

I just don;t think I "get" Bogart and found his line delivery and the acting in this film overall a little hit and miss, especially the leads, and felt like the supporting actors did a ton of the heavy lifting. The supporting actors kept me in the film. Maybe a few more pregnant pauses here and there might have helped? A lot of the physical acting was overdone as well - at least for me. The directing often gets lauded but I didn't see anything really impressive about it beyond doing a good job establishing atmosphere, and even that was a lot of "have everyone smoke cigarettes all the time" while the music sets the mood. The camera work and everything seemed pretty much by the book to me and the whole thing kind of felt like I was watching a play instead of a legendary cinematic masterpiece.

I don't mean to dump on it so much and it was fine but felt I owed the thread a better review than what I posted up there.

BiggerBoat fucked around with this message at 21:14 on Dec 23, 2021

# ? Dec 23, 2021 12:36

Zogo: Jul 29, 2003

BiggerBoat posted:

I don't get the fascination with Bogart and have seen parts/most of The African Queen and The Maltese Falcon. He doesn't really do it for me I guess.

BiggerBoat posted:

I just don;t think I "get" Bogart and found his line delivery and the acting in this film overall a little hit and miss, especially the leads, and felt like the supporting actors did a ton of the heavy lifting.

I'm not a big fan of The African Queen or Casablanca myself.

The Big Sleep and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre are probably my two favorite of his appearances.

# ? Dec 23, 2021 21:57

BiggerBoat: Sep 26, 2007; Don't you tell me my business again.

Zogo posted:

I'm not a big fan of The African Queen or Casablanca myself.

The Big Sleep and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre are probably my two favorite of his appearances.

I like him a lot in the Bugs Bunny cartoons. Coconut custard pie with whipped cream and all that. He was great

BiggerBoat fucked around with this message at 22:06 on Dec 23, 2021

# ? Dec 23, 2021 22:04

twernt: Mar 11, 2003; Whoa whoa wait, time out.

BiggerBoat posted:

The Thin Red Line - Speaking of war movies, this one has been recommended to me and has drawn favorable comparisons to "Apocalypse Now", "Full Metal Jacket" and "Platoon" so I am very interested. Might watch it soon anyway if no one suggests it.

This has been on my watchlist for a while and I've really liked the Terrence Malick movies I've seen so far.

Dog Day Afternoon
Directed by Sidney Lumet

I really liked this! At first, it feels like Dog Day Afternoon is the Die Hard of movies about a situation spiraling out of control. It�s bursting with cliches, but it�s one of the sources for all of those cliches. I especially liked the gun in the flower box.

Everything single performance was great � Pacino was at the height of his power and Cazale is very underrated. The supporting characters were also fantastic. Knowing that John Cazale died of lung cancer, his conversation with the head teller about smoking was kind of heartbreaking.

It's really interesting that Lance Henriksen and Charles Durning were younger at one point, but I'm pretty sure that neither of them has ever actually been young. It's also interesting that the limo was a stretched Suburban or something like that. I didn�t even know that such things existed in the 1970s.

My list of shame:
1. The General (1926) I like Buster Keaton and I want to eventually see all of the features he directed in the 20s. 2021-11-04
2. Minari (2020) One of the Oscar nominees I didn�t get to see and really wanted to. 2021-05-28
3. Metropolis (1927) This is another great one I've only seen bits and pieces of. 2021-04-01
4. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) Iconic early best picture winner. 2021-11-04
5. A Brighter Summer Day (1991) It's the highest-rated film on my watchlist. 2021-12-22
6. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) Probably the best non-Miyazaki Studio Ghibli film. 2021-03-29
7. Sorcerer (1977) I�ve seen Wages of Fear, so I�ve wanted to be able to compare these two for a while. 2021-11-25
8. The 400 Blows (1959) Seems like it should be on every movie person's checklist. 2021-11-04
9. The Tale of Zatoichi (1962) I've wanted to get into this series for a long time. 2021-06-17
10. Network (1976) Having seen Dog Day Afternoon, how can I not add this to my list? 2021-12-26

_{Watched:

The Godfather 5, The Godfather: Part II 4.5, Alien 4.5, The Hills Have Eyes 3, The Rules of the Game 4, Battleship Potemkin 4, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 4.5, Schindler�s List 5, Halloween 4, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4, A Woman Under the Influence 4.5, Harakiri 4.5, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb 4.5, 8 1/2 4.5, Get Out 4.5, M 4.5, The Evil Dead 3.5, Safety Last! 4, City of God 5, Portrait of a Lady on Fire 4.5, Wild Strawberries 4, Some Like It Hot 4.5, Amadeus 5, Tokyo Story 5, Platoon 4, Friday the 13th 3.5, The Passion of Joan of Arc 5, Stop Making Sense 4.5, The Bride of Frankenstein 4, A Fistful of Dollars 4, Ran 5, The Innocents 4.5, The Searchers 4, Reality Bites 3, Barry Lyndon 4.5, Hoop Dreams 4.5, The Human Condition I: No Greater Love 5, The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity 5, The Human Condition III: A Soldier�s Prayer 5, Casablanca 4.5, First Blood 4, The Deer Hunter 4.5, They Live 3.5, Ivan the Terrible, Part II 4, Us 4, Modern Times 5, Before Sunrise 4.5, Notorious 4.5, Three Colors: Blue 4.5, Three Colors: White 4, Three Colors: Red 5, Once Upon a Time in China 4, La Dolce Vita 4.5, Pather Panchali 5, Dog Day Afternoon 4.5}

# ? Dec 26, 2021 22:55

Zogo: Jul 29, 2003

twernt posted:

6. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) Probably the best non-Miyazaki Studio Ghibli film. 2021-03-29

"September 21, 1945. That was the night I died."

Iceman - This one concerns a few arrogant scientists who like to argue over ethical issues. They happen upon a Neanderthal man who's been frozen for ~40,000 years. At first they're going to dissect him but then miraculously they're able to revive him.

At times it almost reaches the wonderment found in Jurassic Park (1993) or Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) but so much of the film involves the caveman grunting and groaning in his vivarium as the anthropologist attempts to make sense of the foreign language. The scenes are well-done but it's not the kind of fare most people would find appealing.

Anyway, the iceman is stuck in his old theology and wants to continue his dream walk quest. He ends up falling from a helicopter (he thinks it's some kind of deity). So it kind of ends with a bit of dark humor.

Also watched:

Slither - This was a very polished B movie taking place in South Carolina. It's an alien invasion film where the citizens are turned into interconnected carnivores who feed on mutilated animals etc.

At one point the film score mirrors that of Predator (1987) as some police hunt the deceptively fast prime monster who keeps transforming. I was also reminded of Without Warning (1980) at times.

Side notes:

-The comedy comes through when the monsters' wife wants to keep her marriage vows.

-It has a lot of realistic dialogue.

-The monster seems inspired by both The Fly (1986) and The Thing (1982, 2011).

James Bond versus Godzilla (43/64 completed):

Hesitation (83 completed):

#73 Bug (1975) - A horror film that may or may not be good. 8/12/21

#80 Sergeant York - A popular one about a WWI hero that I haven't gotten around to watching. 9/5/21

#84 Shadow Warrior AKA Kagemusha - One of the last major Kurosawa films I have not seen. 11/4/21

#86 Summer Rental - John Candy didn't live very long but he appeared in a ton of films. 11/13/21

#87 Hostel - Bog-standard torture porn or cr�me de la cr�me torture porn? 11/13/21

#88 Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle - An extreme level of product placement. 11/30/21

#89 The Sacrifice - This one sounds kind of like Melancholia (2011). 11/30/21

#91 One Cut of the Dead - I've heard this is a creative one. 12/21/21

#92 Elevator to the Gallows - An early Louis Malle that I haven't gotten to. 12/21/21

Jim Emerson's 102 Movies You Must See to Become Movie Literate (98/102 completed):

new Bambi - The Killing of a Sacred ~~Deer~~ Doe. I may have seen all of this when I was very young but I'm not 100% sure. Either way it'll be a fresh view or rewatch. 12/27/21

new It's a Gift - It looks like it may be time for another film starring W.C. Fields. 12/27/21

# ? Dec 27, 2021 23:50

BeefSupreme: Sep 14, 2007; to ride eternal, shiny and chrome

THUNDERDOME LOSER 2022

BiggerBoat posted:

The camera work and everything seemed pretty much by the book to me and the whole thing kind of felt like I was watching a play instead of a legendary cinematic masterpiece.

You are actually making some astute observations here... Direct from Wikipedia: "Although Casablanca was an A-list film with established stars and first-rate writers, no one involved with its production expected it to stand out among the hundreds of pictures produced by Hollywood yearly.[7] Casablanca was rushed into release to take advantage of the publicity from the Allied invasion of North Africa a few weeks earlier." The film was based on an unproduced play, so that does inform a lot of the blocking and scene framing. And the film was not supposed to be some amazing cinematic masterpiece; it was just supposed to be another standard studio production, directed by Michael Curtiz (who, despite his involvement in some great films, is often given little credit for those film's greatness).

I love the film, but I'm a sucker for its sentimentality, and I have a deep appreciate for noir style and a lot of tolerance for the particular storytelling quirks of old films.

# ? Jan 5, 2022 22:25

Escobarbarian: Jun 18, 2004; Grimey Drawer

Thread revival time!!!!!!

Zogo posted:

#91 One Cut of the Dead - I've heard this is a creative one. 12/21/21

This movie is such a blast.

Videodrome

This was a really great movie that I wasn�t super into. Really smart plot with interesting themes and lots of cool turns, great visuals and effects (minus a couple dated ones - the pulsing tapes made me laugh a bit), and a fascinating, effectively creepy tone. But unfortunately it just didn�t connect with me how I like. It�s a shame, but it happens. Still extremely glad I watched it.

Shame List:

01. As Tears Go By: Got the WKW Criterion boxset so wanna go through it in order (I�ve already seen Chungking/Happy Together/In the Mood)

05. The Double Life of Veronique: I actually did watch this like a decade ago but remember almost nothing about it!!!! Irene Jacobs is cute though and I recently did a Three Colours rewatch. Oh my god I just realised I�m gonna have to put Dekalog on here eventually

07. A Face in the Crowd: A few friends watched this at around the same time and all loved it so I picked the Criterion up. Seems like something I�d enjoy quite a bit.

09. Songs from the Second Floor: Picked up Artificial Eye�s Roy Andersson boxset recently. I remember adoring You, the Living when I saw it in 2008-9, but that�s my only experience with his work so far.

12. Mikey and Nicky: I'd never heard of this until last year when it started popping up all over the place. It sounds really interesting and I love me some Peter Falk.

13. Close-Up: First entry for a new bit "Films my best friends adore but I haven't bothered to see yet". Also obv one of the most acclaimed films ever that I'm yet to see and so on.

15. Late Spring: Now finishing off the last few in the Sight & Sound top 50. Just in time for it to change next year! Only seen Tokyo Story from Ozu, but liked it a lot.

17. Double Indemnity: I love Wilder and I love noir but I haven't seen this one yet.

18. Brokeback Mountain: I think this is the most acclaimed American movie from the 21st century I have yet to see.

19. Stand By Me: Always expected I�d like this but never actually gotten around to it. Plus it�s such a key reference point for a lot of other things.

_{Watched: Beau Travail, Harakiri, Memories of Murder, Being There, Schindler's List, Ugetsu, Branded to Kill, F For Fake, Videodrome}

# ? Jan 13, 2022 13:34

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

Escobarbarian posted:

18. Brokeback Mountain: I think this is the most acclaimed American movie from the 21st century I have yet to see.

I haven't seen this either and I'm gonna watch Sense and Sensibility soon because it's in a box set that I bought recently, so I'll be interested to see your thoughts on Brokeback Mountain. Maybe I'll do a whole deep dive into Ang Lee.

I finally got around to checking out Risky Business. It was good, but for me it was caught in a no-man's land where it wasn't really funny as a comedy but also didn't want to commit to the serious drama side enough to make those moments hit as hard as they could have. That's certainly part of it's uniqueness as a film though, which I know fans often point out. It's not just the standard coming of age goofy comedy, it does deal with some weightier issues than that genre typically does. My guess is that not actually seeing this in the late 80s as I was really meant to takes a lot away from it, a "you had to be there" type of situation.

Hopefully I can be quicker with my next assignment now that football season is winding down!

Current List:

1. Superman: The Movie: Very odd that I've never actually sat down and watched this from start to finish. I feel like I know what all the parts are and what they look like but I don't know how they fit together.
2. Bonnie and Clyde: One of those movies where I've seen the iconic ending but never actually sat down to watch the whole thing. It won a bunch of awards though so I guess I should.
3. Watership Down: I've often heard this one come up in discussions of some of the greatest animated films of all time
4. A Streetcar Named Desire: This is a big iconic Brando performance that I haven't seen.
5. Oliver Twist: David Lean is one of my favorite directors so I'd like to fill in the gaps I have left with his filmography.
~~6. Risky Business: Definitely feels like I've seen this but I actually haven't. One of only a few Cruise movies I haven't seen.~~
7. American Graffiti: I was a Star Wars kid so not having seen this one is pretty shameful
8. The River: I love India as a setting for film and I've read a lot of good things about this one.
9. The Hero: I've enjoyed everything I've seen from Satyajit Ray so far and I've been meaning to delve into his work further.
10. Castle in the Sky: More Miyazaki

# ? Jan 17, 2022 18:50

BiggerBoat: Sep 26, 2007; Don't you tell me my business again.

Basebf555 posted:

1. Superman: The Movie:

I was torn on your list between this one, Watership Down and American Graffiti but Chris Reeves being the living embodiment of Superman is hard to pass up.

I got The Thin Red Line and Ohhh...my...god.

This thing was incredible. It's one of the best war movies I've ever seen and one of the best movies I've seen, period, so thanks for the recommend. Not a real pick me up or something that fuels my optimism but it was amazing.

I just...wow.

First of all, and right out of the box, let me say that the cinematography in this film rivals anything I've ever loving seen in film by any director. That goes for Kubrick, Spielberg, Coppola, Lynch, Nolan, Burton and you loving name it. My jaw was on the floor half the loving time just marveling at the camera work, framing, lighting and establishing shots. Holy loving poo poo.

I'm not a huge WW2 historian and it took me a while to figure out where this was supposed to be taking place. At the start, it's almost like a Vietnam setting but that's quickly ruled out by all of the villagers and natives being black. Later in the film, it says it's in Guadalcanal so there you go.

DO I need to use spoilers? I guess I might as well

Beyond being immediately struck by the stunning cinematography, I was taken aback by the cast and double checking if I was sure who I was watching. Some were obvious, like John Travolta, Sean Penn, Nick Nolte and Adrian Brody but a couple of times I was like "is that John C. Reilly, Thomas Jane, Jared Leto and Nick Stahl?

Then George loving Clooney out of nowhere in basically a cameo that stands right in next in line for Nolte?

Who's NOT in this loving movie? And they're all great in it.

It was like Tropic Thunder without the funny for a minute there and there wasn't really a "star", so to speak, which I thought added to the underlying idea of everyone being expendable. Nolte's character struck me as middle management and drew some weird parallels between working working in an office, where no one listens to the WORKERS in the trenches and the guy on top is just doing everything they want to achieve a goal with no concern or care whatsoever for the people actually doing the hard work (I'll get some water here soon, I promise but first let's take that NEXT hill). Then when he fucks up and commits war crimes he immediately starts cutting deals and dangling worthless commendations and medals for his troops when all the while he's been in the rear with the gear.

"This is MY WAR. You'll get your turn" loving rear end in a top hat. All for a lethal game of literally King of the Hill. One soilder said "this war is all about property and nothing else". That rang true and stung.

More than a few scenes struck me but a couple really stood out. When Jack says gently caress it, breaks out of the bamboo/palm fronds into the open and it flashes back to him swimming with his wife and the expanse of the ocean is one. I thought that dude was gonna die, get word back that his wife was pregnant waiting back home but instead we got a dear Jack letter and she left him for an Air Force Captain when that was the only thing inspiring him. God drat. Gut punch.

And when they're capturing and torturing the Japanese POW's during the second raid you can see and it's made clear that those poor saps on the other side are fighting for equally stupid reasons, have no agency, are merely taking orders, fighting over property themselves and care about their families and poo poo. None of the people that create these wars have to fight in them or risk their lives but are more than happy to let others do it.

It wasn't a pick me up but it was fantastic. I didn't realize it was so LONG and though it was ending with the Japanese soldier's face in the ground over that monologue but there was an entire 3rd act. It seemed like it was touching occasionally on elements of God and Satan ("who's doing this?") but it wasn't overplayed. The irony of shoving cigarettes up you nose to drown out stench I thought was clever.

I don't have one bad thing to really say about this film except perhaps the length so

9.5/10

...

Am I supposed to add new ones to the two I've watched or just keep rolling?

# ? Jan 22, 2022 22:07

BiggerBoat: Sep 26, 2007; Don't you tell me my business again.

MY Shameful List:

Casablanca - I've seen "The Maltese Falcon" and "The African Queen" but can take or leave Bogart. Plus I know the gist of the story and the ending, so just never felt the urgency.
7/10

On the Waterfront - I usually like Brando so not sure how I never got to his one

High Noon - Not a huge fans of westerns in general so never piqued my interest but I like GOOD westerns.

The Producers - I usually like Mel Brooks and somehow never got around to this one

Pan's Labyrinth - Sounds dumb but I need to be in the mood to deal with subtitles

The Bridge on the River Kwai - Need to be in the mood for a war movie too. Apparently I'm moody.

The Thin Red Line - Speaking of war movies, this one has been recommended to me and has drawn favorable comparisons to "Apocalypse Now", "Full Metal Jacket" and "Platoon" so I am very interested. Might watch it soon anyway if no one suggests it.

Patton - Another war movie. Was always worried this would be hokey and too "USA! USA!". The people I know who love it tend to be authoritarian types.

Nashville - I like Altman a lot but musicals are a hard sell for me if ti's the main thrust like "Chicago", ~~"Showgirls"~~, "Dreamgirls" or "Moulin Rouge"

Double Indemnity - I like caper films and double crosses and poo poo. The description sounds like the Coen' s "The Man Who Wasn't There" which I liked a lot.

EDIT: I meant Dreamgirls not Showgirls

# ? Jan 22, 2022 22:08

Escobarbarian: Jun 18, 2004; Grimey Drawer

You add a new one every time you watch one, so your list is always 10. Although you can always do less than that if you really wanna make sure certain ones get picked, like I did when people picked my most recent addition literally twice in a row

# ? Jan 22, 2022 22:09

BiggerBoat: Sep 26, 2007; Don't you tell me my business again.

Escobarbarian posted:

You add a new one every time you watch one, so your list is always 10. Although you can always do less than that if you really wanna make sure certain ones get picked, like I did when people picked my most recent addition literally twice in a row

OK. Let me freshen my list

MY Shameful List:

On the Waterfront - I usually like Brando so not sure how I never got to his one

High Noon - Not a huge fans of westerns in general so never piqued my interest but I like GOOD westerns.

The Producers - I usually like Mel Brooks and somehow never got around to this one

Pan's Labyrinth - Sounds dumb but I need to be in the mood to deal with subtitles

The Bridge on the River Kwai - Need to be in the mood for a war movie too. Apparently I'm moody.

Patton - Another war movie. Was always worried this would be hokey and too "USA! USA!". The people I know who love it tend to be authoritarian types.

Nashville - I like Altman a lot but musicals are a hard sell for me if ti's the main thrust like "Chicago", ~~"Showgirls"~~, "Dreamgirls" or "Moulin Rouge"

Double Indemnity - I like caper films and double crosses and poo poo. The description sounds like the Coen' s "The Man Who Wasn't There" which I liked a lot.

The Last Picture Show - In honor of the late and recently deceased director, Peter Bogdanovich, I'll add this

The Conversation - I like Gene Hackman and capers and have seen snippets of this. It looks interesting and up my alley

# ? Jan 22, 2022 22:17

DeimosRising: Oct 17, 2005; �Hola SEA!

Chili posted:

No problem. Any interest in making a list and joining the party?

i do a similar sort of thing with a friend of mine but have been considering trying to up my watch rate, if i do i'll sit down and write a list

# ? Jan 23, 2022 00:51

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# ? Apr 23, 2024 11:16

Zogo: Jul 29, 2003

BiggerBoat posted:

Patton - Another war movie. Was always worried this would be hokey and too "USA! USA!". The people I know who love it tend to be authoritarian types.

"Only a pimp from a cheap New Orleans whorehouse would carry a pearl-handled pistol."

One Cut of the Dead - This one starts out showing a low budget zombie shoot with an overbearing and exploitative director. We follow a few characters who frantically run around and fight a few zombies. It's a comedic story that unfolds in a unique way.

It brings about that old appearance vs. reality dilemma and how things can be layered in deception. I was reminded of Halloween: Resurrection (2002) at times. This film appreciates those behind the scenes more than most.

Also watched:

The Sacrifice - Alexander (Erland Josephson) is celebrating his birthday but isn't aware that WWIII is brewing. So he spends the day dispensing his own brand of rambling dime-store philosophy upon the small group of partygoers. But then jets go zipping by and it appears nuclear annihilation is upon the world. So Alexander starts praying to stave off this impending doom.

The latter half of the film shows Alexander doing a bunch of brash things but I suppose it could be chalked up to the aforementioned events.

The indoor and outdoor settings are very isolated and drab. The atmosphere and vibes reminded me of Cries & Whispers (1972) and The Mist (2007). Tarkovsky takes some artistic license with color choices, surreal scenes and an amazing dream scene. But the final product leaves plenty of memorable moments.

James Bond versus Godzilla (43/64 completed):

Hesitation (85 completed):

#73 Bug (1975) - A horror film that may or may not be good. 8/12/21

#80 Sergeant York - A popular one about a WWI hero that I haven't gotten around to watching. 9/5/21

#84 Shadow Warrior AKA Kagemusha - One of the last major Kurosawa films I have not seen. 11/4/21

#86 Summer Rental - John Candy didn't live very long but he appeared in a ton of films. 11/13/21

#87 Hostel - Bog-standard torture porn or cr�me de la cr�me torture porn? 11/13/21

#88 Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle - An extreme level of product placement. 11/30/21

#92 Elevator to the Gallows - An early Louis Malle that I haven't gotten to. 12/21/21

new #93 The Naked City - Another Jules Dassin film I haven't watched. 1/23/22

new #94 Alone in the Dark - I heard this is an overlooked classic. 1/23/22

Jim Emerson's 102 Movies You Must See to Become Movie Literate (98/102 completed):

Bambi - The Killing of a Sacred ~~Deer~~ Doe. I may have seen all of this when I was very young but I'm not 100% sure. Either way it'll be a fresh view or rewatch. 12/27/21

It's a Gift - It looks like it may be time for another film starring W.C. Fields. 12/27/21

# ? Jan 23, 2022 07:17

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Cinema Discusso > SHAMEFUL: The greatest movies you've never seen

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