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Zogo posted:#111 The Sure Thing - Rob Reiner directed this between This Is Spinal Tap and Stand by Me and it's supposedly good. 5/26/22 There were a ton of 80s teen comedies I’ve seen but this holds up to this day Just finished Singin’ in the Rain. What a fun movie! Not a big fan of musicals but this was funny and sweet. Amazing choreography, sets, stunts. Donald O’Connor was a highlight for me 1. Mr Smith Goes to Washington 2. Casablanca super shameful I know 3. Lawrence of Arabia long! 5. All About Eve 6. North by Northwest Hitchcock! 7. The Maltese Falcon Bogart! 8. The Philadelphia Story 9. It’s a Wonderful Life [/quote]
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Jun 30, 2022 01:42
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Cat Hassler posted:
You've got a lot of heavy hitters ahead of you, but I just rewatched this somewhat recently myself so I'm particularly curious to get your take on Casablanca. Watched The Prestige (2006): This movie was the last time poor Christopher Nolan had to scrape by with a sub-100-million-dollar budget. Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale are a pair of stage magicians in 19th century London. They start off working as assistants for someone else, but split apart when Jackman's wife dies during a magic trick gone wrong and he blames Bale. Each of the two become successful solo headliners, particularly when Bale debuts "The Transported Man," a trick in which he seems to instantaneously warp between two doors across the stage from each other. Jackman wants revenge for his wife's death, sure, but he becomes arguably even more obsessed with their professional rivalry as he tries to find out how the trademark trick is done. We've got a knotty narrative here, as we start with one character on trial for the other's death before we pull back to their early days, cutting back and forth in time to fill in the blanks leading up to the present day. To further complicate matters, the magicians get ahold of each other's diaries, so we're seeing the story from multiple points of view. And they might not be reliable narrators, either. At some point since this was released I did learn that at least one version of the trick involves cloning, but it wasn't as much of a spoiler as I had feared. There are tons of twists and secrets in this movie, so it's just one among many. Besides, it was fun to look for hints along the way and, more importantly, there was enough characterization and motivation underlying the mechanics of the story that knowing what happens isn't the be-all and end-all. The answers to the puzzle aren't always satisfying, and some aspects came across as pretty illogical to me, but at its core the movie is about obsession and that carries it through a lot of Nolan's standard sloppy screenwriting. The performances are great, and I could understand the motivations and care for the characters a bit more than usual for Nolan, particularly for Jackman. The aspect with Bale regarding him being a pair of twins that inexplicably secretly share one identity and trade off day by day doesn't make much sense to me, although, who knows, there are probably hints and details that would surface on a rewatch. I was worried this would be purely about the mystery aspects, but there's more to it than that, which goes a long way. LIST OF SHAME: 1. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939) (added 06-03-22): I need a civics lesson. I like Jimmy Stewart, but I primarily know him through his work with Alfred Hitchcock. I've actually never seen It's a Wonderful Life, either, but I'm saving that for a Christmastime viewing. 2. Singing in the Rain (1952) (added 06-03-22): I'm simply not a musicals guy, but even I know this titan is practically synonymous with the genre. 3. The Searchers (1956) (added 06-03-22): Although I like westerns, I do not think I have ever seen a John Wayne movie. 4. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) (added 06-03-22): I like war films, but when we get back to the fifties and earlier we are getting to the point where I have seen a handful of classics and things by directors I like but otherwise have a lot of blind spots. 5. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) (added 06-03-22): I am not often going to sit down to watch a three-and-a-half-hour historical epic. 8. Schindler's List (1993) (added 06-03-22): This is the only film in the IMDB top 20 I have never seen. 9. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) (added 06-03-22): I like martial arts films, but I don't think I've ever seen one you would classify as wuxia. 10. Brokeback Mountain (2005) (added 06-03-22): I would have to consider myself a Jake Gyllenhaal fan, and of course we lost Heath too soon. I vaguely remember finding Ang Lee pretentious and annoying in the press cycle/Oscar buzz period for the movie, which may have contributed to missing out on it at the time. 11. Tootsie (1982) (added 06-06-22): Shame might be a strong word, but it IS on my 100-movie scratch-off poster. And it does have an appearance by my favorite actor, Bill Murray, smack dab inbetween Stripes and Ghostbusters. (and introducing...) 13. Heat (1995) (added 07-01-22): I've never seen a Michael Mann film, and this sounds like a doozy. SHAME OVERCOME: Midnight Cowboy (1969); E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982); The Prestige (2006)
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Jul 1, 2022 07:00
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Crescent Wrench posted:2. Singing in the Rain (1952) (added 06-03-22): I'm simply not a musicals guy, but even I know this titan is practically synonymous with the genre. Pretty freaking wonderful stuff. Double Indemnity  It was obvious from the beginning that this was the quintessential film noir, with all the best staples on the genre - the incredible chiaroscuro lighting, the amazing femme fatale, the moral complexity. Absolutely loved the relationships between Walter and both Phyllis and Keyes, very layered and effective character work. My only minor issue was that, seeing how this was the originator of so many tropes, it didn't really have any surprises for me.....but that just meant I could spend more time appreciating the excellent filmmaking, writing, and performances. Shame List: - 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. - All About Eve: I don't really know much about this one other than it's highly acclaimed and won a billion Oscars. - Ikiru: Gonna keep a Kurosawa slot open for a while I think. - The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie: My Bunuel knowledge is extremely lacking so let's fix that huh? - Tropical Malady: Memoria was my first Joe and I loved it. This is also the highest-ranked movie on the TSP 21st Century list I haven't seen. - The Turin Horse: Love love LOVE Satantango and Werckmeister but just. Haven't watched this. Have probably download it about six separate times at this point. And I just. Never watch it. - Sans Soleil: Don't know a lot about this one other than it's by Chris Marker and I think it's a documentary? - The Lives of Others: Another highly acclaimed 21st century movie I missed. - My Winnipeg: An Ebert fave I've always been interested in. No idea what to expect. - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Not that into Westerns and it's very very long but obviously I gotta get to it eventually. (note: it's been a little frustrating that at least four times in this thread already someone just picks the last thing I added, so please don't pick this one yet) Watched: Beau Travail, Harakiri, Memories of Murder, Being There, Schindler's List, Ugetsu, Branded to Kill, F For Fake, Videodrome, Brokeback Mountain, The Thing, Close-up, Rio Bravo, Double Indemnity Escobarbarian fucked around with this message at 18:24 on Jul 1, 2022 |
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Jul 1, 2022 18:16
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And how crazy that Raymond Chandler even worked on the screenplay for that. He was involved in everything cool.
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Jul 1, 2022 21:43
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Escobarbarian posted:- Ikiru: Gonna keep a Kurosawa slot open for a while I think. "How beautiful! Truly beautiful. A sunset. I don't think I've really looked at one in thirty years." The Sure Thing - This one has lots of characters spouting funny dialogue, sophomoric humor and awkward pickup lines. The old adage that opposites attract plays out as the regimented lifestyle of Alison Bradbury (Daphne Zuniga) clashes with the carefree lifestyle of Walter Gibson (John Cusack). They have that classic love-hate relationship dynamic. Anyway, they both go on a road trip to California for different reasons. Teenage jealousies flourish as Gibson is chasing after a girl in a bikini. The young characters make a handful of strange choices but one could chalk it up to youthful exuberance. It has a Hollywoodized ending but that's no big surprise. James Bond versus Godzilla (44/64 completed): Casino Royale - I remember people raging because Daniel Craig's hair was the wrong color. Then came the news articles demanding that he dye his hair or drop out of the role etc. 6/26/22 new Godzilla vs. Destroyer - This looks like a very large monster. 7/1/22 Hesitation (106 completed): #93 The Naked City - Another Jules Dassin film I haven't watched. 1/23/22 #103 Joyless Street - One of the few films I've recommended ITT that I haven't seen (as it's been hard to track down). 3/28/22 #106 The Roaring Twenties - Another one of those James Cagney gangster films I haven't seen. 4/13/22 #108 Cabiria - This old epic was supposed to get a restored Blu-ray release many years ago but it never happened. I guess I'll just watch the available version. 4/23/22 #109 Little Caesar - Not the greatest pizza company. 5/2/22 #112 Pickup on South Street - An early Samuel Fuller film I need to see. 5/26/22 #114 Dreamscape - Dennis Quaid and dreams. 6/11/22 #115 Prophecy - I've heard it's an underrated monster movie. 6/26/22
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Jul 1, 2022 23:16
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Heavy Metal posted:And how crazy that Raymond Chandler even worked on the screenplay for that. He was involved in everything cool. Chandler’s bizarre style of patching together his short stories into amazing novels like some sort of Marlowe Frankenstein sounds like it shouldn’t work but does really well Edit: My Shame list this summer is The People v Larry Flynt (started), Save the Tiger, and l’Adventura (sp?)
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Jul 2, 2022 17:10
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Edit: whoops Zogo you get Casino Royale I’ve only seen 2 Craig Bond films but really enjoyed this. Mads is great Just finished Casablanca Goddamn what a wonderful thing Shame List 1. Mr Smith Goes to Washington 3. Lawrence of Arabia long! 5. All About Eve 6. North by Northwest Hitchcock! 7. The Maltese Falcon Bogart! 8. The Philadelphia Story 9. It’s a Wonderful Life Cat Hassler fucked around with this message at 22:29 on Jul 2, 2022 |
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Jul 2, 2022 22:20
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Don’t forget to pick one of Zogo’s for him 
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Jul 2, 2022 22:23
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Cat Hassler posted:9. It’s a Wonderful Life "I forgot my hat." Casino Royale - For being 2.5 hours long it goes by quickly. A few things are telegraphed but it has a few organic twists and misdirections that don't feel forced. It sheds a lot of the Bond film hallmarks for something a little more gritty. We witness a parkour exhibition near the beginning followed by a protracted poker segment in the middle. Bond's basic modus operandi is to kill someone and then read their text messages. It's different but I was reminded of the ending of On Her Majesty's Secret Service. If I wanted to nitpick I'd say that a lot of action films of recent years really oversell the pain tolerance of humans. James Bond versus Godzilla (45/64 completed): Godzilla vs. Destroyer - This looks like a very large monster. 7/1/22 Hesitation (106 completed): #93 The Naked City - Another Jules Dassin film I haven't watched. 1/23/22 #103 Joyless Street - One of the few films I've recommended ITT that I haven't seen (as it's been hard to track down). 3/28/22 #106 The Roaring Twenties - Another one of those James Cagney gangster films I haven't seen. 4/13/22 #108 Cabiria - This old epic was supposed to get a restored Blu-ray release many years ago but it never happened. I guess I'll just watch the available version. 4/23/22 #109 Little Caesar - Not the greatest pizza company. 5/2/22 #112 Pickup on South Street - An early Samuel Fuller film I need to see. 5/26/22 #114 Dreamscape - Dennis Quaid and dreams. 6/11/22 #115 Prophecy - I've heard it's an underrated monster movie. 6/26/22 AFI's 10 Top 10 (90/100 completed): new Sleepless in Seattle - Tom Hanks talks on a phone. 7/7/22
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Jul 7, 2022 06:19
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Zogo posted:
The move I'm reviewing for this round gave me a more glamorous look at the decade, and Cagney and Bogart sounds fun. Watched Singin' in the Rain (1952): It's the Roaring Twenties, and Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) are an acting duo at the top of their game during the silent film era, but change is in the air when The Jazz Singer, the first ever talkie, is released and changes cinema forever. Lockwood and Lamont need to retool the film they're in the middle shooting for the sound era. Lockwood's got a vaudeville background, so he's comfortable with speaking and singing. Lamont not so much--she's got a piercing Brooklyn screech that she can't turn off. Lockwood hatches a scheme to convert the film to a musical, and get his new chorus girl love interest Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds) to secretly overdub Lamont's part. It's definitely one of those nostalgic stories where Hollywood sucks itself off--and The Artist should be paying royalties to the screenwriters here--but this is tempered with some good-natured spoofing of the industry (although nothing like the "malicious satire" that Pauline Kael inexplicably described). Somewhat surprisingly, although the film was a hit, it was nothing like its iconic status might make you think--a solid number five at the box office that year, and a respectable two Oscar nominations. Hilariously, it was nominated for but failed to win Best Score. It's also note-worthy that most of the songs, even the titular number, were repurposed from previous works. "Singin' in the Rain" is, of course, iconic, and you've probably absorbed the general idea from cultural osmosis (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1ZYhVpdXbQ), but don't sleep on "Make 'Em Laugh," in which Lockwood's sidekick Cosmo Brown (Donald O'Connor) gets a few minutes to steal the show with his acrobatic slapstick routine (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTkKLWW_myw). Despite not being into musicals, it's not too hard for me to see why this is a beloved movie. It's consistently charming and engaging, and the low-stakes plot is a plausible enough framework to hang the songs on. LIST OF SHAME: 1. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939) (added 06-03-22): I need a civics lesson. I like Jimmy Stewart, but I primarily know him through his work with Alfred Hitchcock. I've actually never seen It's a Wonderful Life, either, but I'm saving that for a Christmastime viewing. 3. The Searchers (1956) (added 06-03-22): Although I like westerns, I do not think I have ever seen a John Wayne movie. 4. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) (added 06-03-22): I like war films, but when we get back to the fifties and earlier we are getting to the point where I have seen a handful of classics and things by directors I like but otherwise have a lot of blind spots. 5. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) (added 06-03-22): I am not often going to sit down to watch a three-and-a-half-hour historical epic. 8. Schindler's List (1993) (added 06-03-22): This is the only film in the IMDB top 20 I have never seen. 9. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) (added 06-03-22): I like martial arts films, but I don't think I've ever seen one you would classify as wuxia. 10. Brokeback Mountain (2005) (added 06-03-22): I would have to consider myself a Jake Gyllenhaal fan, and of course we lost Heath too soon. I vaguely remember finding Ang Lee pretentious and annoying in the press cycle/Oscar buzz period for the movie, which may have contributed to missing out on it at the time. 11. Tootsie (1982) (added 06-06-22): Shame might be a strong word, but it IS on my 100-movie scratch-off poster. And it does have an appearance by my favorite actor, Bill Murray, smack dab inbetween Stripes and Ghostbusters. 13. Heat (1995) (added 07-01-22): I've never seen a Michael Mann film, and this sounds like a doozy. (and introducing...) 14. Come and See (1985) (added 07-13-22): I hear this could be the rare anti-war film that effectively communicates its message without glamorizing war. SHAME OVERCOME: Midnight Cowboy (1969); E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982); The Prestige (2006); Singin' in the Rain (1952)
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Jul 14, 2022 04:58
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Crescent Wrench posted:8. Schindler's List (1993) (added 06-03-22): This is the only film in the IMDB top 20 I have never seen. "I threw away so much money." The Roaring Twenties - The film opens with WWI soldiers in the trenches but quickly moves to the economic troubles back home in the US after the war ends. The newsreel segments make it a decent historical document. It has a good mix of humor and cynicism. The typical points of conflict can be boiled down to greed and love. Without any good prospects a lot of people go into bootlegging. Plans go by the wayside in a variety of ways: backstabbing and Tommy Guns blazing to name a couple. With the 1929 stock crash it ends up becoming a rags to riches to rags story as the downtrodden struggle in the unforgiving 1930s. Also watched: Little Caesar - This one has a few aspiring gangsters going through power struggles. Gang wars over territory etc. Lots of holdups and assassinations followed by the perpetrators running to a hideout. Followed by gangsters with comical nicknames screaming at each other. Broadly, The Roaring Twenties (1939) echoes the same story arc found here. It's rudimentary but considering its release date it could be considered praise because gangster films were a nascent genre in the early 1930s. James Bond versus Godzilla (45/64 completed): Godzilla vs. Destroyer - This looks like a very large monster. 7/1/22 Hesitation (108 completed): #93 The Naked City - Another Jules Dassin film I haven't watched. 1/23/22 #103 Joyless Street - One of the few films I've recommended ITT that I haven't seen (as it's been hard to track down). 3/28/22 #108 Cabiria - This old epic was supposed to get a restored Blu-ray release many years ago but it never happened. I guess I'll just watch the available version. 4/23/22 #112 Pickup on South Street - An early Samuel Fuller film I need to see. 5/26/22 #114 Dreamscape - Dennis Quaid and dreams. 6/11/22 #115 Prophecy - I've heard it's an underrated monster movie. 6/26/22 AFI's 10 Top 10 (91/100 completed): new Cat Ballou - The comedy western usually makes for a strange mixture. 7/14/22 new Evil Angels AKA A Cry in the Dark - A movie with two titles. Let's see which one fits better. 7/14/22 Sleepless in Seattle - Tom Hanks talks on a phone. 7/7/22
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Jul 15, 2022 05:16
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Zogo posted:#115 Prophecy - I've heard it's an underrated monster movie. 6/26/22 I watched this one for the May Horror Challenge thread and yea it's just a very unique monster movie, a very odd mix of things that I personally enjoyed a lot. From my list I watched The Fisher King. I didn't know the specifics of the plot but I was aware on some level that this was gonna be on the heavier side for Gilliam and oh boy did it deliver on that. The performances were excellent all around, especially Williams but really the entire cast was perfect in their roles. But man, emotionally the film is really a tough one for a bunch of reasons. Reckoning with the incalculable impact of something like a mass shooting, the mistreatment and disregard for the homeless and mentally ill, the loneliness of modern life, there's just a whole list of issues Gilliam is grapping with here that were emotionally devastating at various different points in the film. So yea it's something I'm really really glad to have finally experienced but at the same time I know myself and I usually end up putting movies like this aside and not revisiting them because of the emotional toll that they take. Although it does have a relatively uplifting ending and that trademark Gilliam tone so we'll see.    Current List: 1. The Big Sleep: I've used this thread a few times already to pad my Bogart resume so here's another one 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. 7. For All Mankind: I want to check this out because there's a Criterion UHD release so if I like it I may want the UHD 8. The River: I love India as a setting for film and I've read a lot of good things about this one. 9. Mon Oncle I loved Playtime but for whatever reason it's the only Tati I ever saw, not sure why I haven't followed up on that 10. Castle in the Sky: More Miyazaki
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Jul 15, 2022 14:51
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The Fisher King is loving great, agreed. Probably one of Gilliam's best movies and one of Williams' best performances. I remember it getting kind of average reviews when it came out but was blown away when I saw it. Also, glad to see Prophecy in this list since it's one of those bad monster movies I have a soft spot for. I saw it in theaters when I was about maybe 10 or 11 and it scared the poo poo out of me but when I watched it as an adult, a lot of it struck me as funny. Exploding sleeping bag gets me every time but a few of the set pieces are still fairly effective. If they'd improved the effects and toned down some of the overly serious liberal melodrama and goofy stereotypes a bit, I think there's a decent movie in there somewhere. But it suffers from taking itself SO loving SERIOUSLY that the clunkier moments really stand out. Probably a decent candidate for a remake actually in the right hands. The environmental message is still on point. IIRC, John Boorman (who did Deliverance and Excalibur) was attached or involved at some point but Wiki doesn't turn up anything so maybe I misremembered that
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Jul 15, 2022 17:11
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I love The Fisher King too, Gilliam in his prime.Basebf555 posted:
Playing it Bogart. Chandler helps too. I watched Le Samourai. Pretty cool, overall the movie wasn't as much my thing as a whole. But I love the idea, the main character, and the first say 40 mins of the movie. I'm thinking ok this is more entertaining and smooth than I expected, really like this lonely hitman samurai tiger guy. Like the vibe. As is often the case though, the other stuff I found less engaging. Too many long scenes with the perfunctory characters like the cops. Some of the musical chairs-esque scenes of line-ups or subway engagements were just not that exciting. I dig the idea of the minimalism and lack of dialogue, but I would've liked more screen time focused squarely on our main guy. I dig the style, I care about Jef, the ending is well done, just as a total package it's not a keeper for me. But I appreciate its influence, and glad I checked it out. I'll say, not too articulated here, but I remember some stuff when I was reading up on French New Wave after I loved Breathless a couple years ago. The stuff about girls and guns in a story, the postmodern or whatever aspects etc. I guess that applies here. Not half bad, and Jef is memorable. The list: Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 - Keeping the Lemmon and/or Matthau thing going, everybody says it rules. Hard Times - Looks like a better Bronson movie, and is said to be must see by Tarantino. Harold and Maude - Keeping some vibes and motifs going, a movie I've meant to see for years. In a Lonely Place - Looks like it rules. Bogart. Wonder Boys - It has Michael Douglas and a memorable poster, it's gotta be worth a watch. La Haine - I hear it's cool. Trouble in Mind - keeping the 80s picks rolling. Gridlock'd - looks like a 90s gem. Duck Soup - keeping the comedy history thing going. Plus Nic Cage referenced Harpo recently, and he knows his stuff. Koyaanisqatsi - I am curious about this. Heavy Metal fucked around with this message at 22:49 on Jul 15, 2022 |
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Jul 15, 2022 22:40
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BiggerBoat posted:
John Frankenheimer directed, so maybe you misremembered which famous director named John was attached to it?
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Jul 16, 2022 05:14
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Heavy Metal posted:In a Lonely Place - Looks like it rules. Bogart. And a Bogart for you! (This might be my favorite Bogart.) RAN (1985) | Akira Kurosawa  This might be my new favorite Shakespeare adaptation. There's something endlessly absorbing about evil people destroying themselves and each other in pursuite of glory. RAN is ultimately a colorful, mystical build up of schadenfreude, where a kingdom built on bloodletting and suffering between families crumbles during a transition of power. It's all karma and retribution. Right now, with the current world stuck in a decline from collaborations between political leaders and corporations, it's entertaining as hell to see the proud Hidetora be banished and driven mad by the betrayal of his sons Taro and Jiro (and the secret machinations of Lady Kaede, on a sadistic quest for revenge), and the castles he's claimed as spoils of victory are set on fire and destroyed. There isn't a lot for me to empathize with, but that doesn't mean the film wasn't emotional. A father betrayed by his sons is a classic premise, and there is, in turns, moments of glory, of suspense, action, beauty, and comedy. My favorite moment was Lady Kaede's beheading. Violence married with catharsis, a complex character who is both evil, grating, but justified in her deceit and the pain she delivered. It lived up to it's reputation as an epic, not just because of the elaborate battle sequences (The visual use of arrows in this are so cool.), but because it manages to endear us to the character and their political maneuvers through emotional storytelling. And it's beautiful to look at. (The 4k restoration ruled, and I did watch the featurette on how they did the restoration.) Maybe it's my new favoite Kurosawa. My List: Being There (1979) - I love Hal Ashby, and I just keep putting this one off. Bob le Flambeur (1956) - Jean-Pierre Melville . I've seen Le Cercle Rouge and thought it ruled. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) - I hear it's funny and surreal. Wild Strawberries (1957) - Love the Bergman I've seen, just too lazy to get that heavy box off the top shelf. The Holy Mountain (1973) - Big fan of Jodorowsky Shadows (1959) - Still haven't seen a Cassavetes-directed film. Who's That Knocking On My Door? (1967) - An early Scorsese I haven't seen. I have this one on DVD. Short Cuts (1993) - Love the Altman I've seen, and I like Raymond Carver, but it's 3 hours long. The Wild Bunch (1969) - Grumpy ol' Peckinpah is cool, but it's also long. I Vitelloni (1953) - Next up in the Fellini box COMPLETED: Aguirre: The Wrath of God | Casablanca | After Hours | Schindler's List | Ikiru | F for Fake | Raging Bull | The Seventh Seal | Treasure of the Sierra Madre | Lawrence of Arabia | The French Connection | In The Mood For Love | Stalker | Tootsie | M. | The Thin Red Line | Network | The Godfather Part 2 | Monsier Hulot's Holiday | Nashville | Akira | Y Tu Mamá También | Bicycle Thieves | RAN Letterboxd
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Jul 19, 2022 14:29
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Franchescanado posted:Short Cuts (1993) - Love the Altman I've seen, and I like Raymond Carver, but it's 3 hours long. "I want to talk about that little bastard Casey." Prophecy - The local paper mill is encroaching upon pristine forestland and also polluting the local waters. This leads to a lot of tension with the natives. So a cynical and jaded EPA employee is sent in to investigate. It's as if the characters from The China Syndrome (1979) were thrown into a monster movie. It's discovered that the local animals are mutating. It's kind of adjacent to what's seen in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996). Anyway, the second half of the film focuses on characters who are in great fear of the giant rampaging mutant bear. One issue is that the abortion/mutant baby subplot is left unresolved. It almost feels like they were going for a sequel. Free on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRWdvzVDTHw James Bond versus Godzilla (45/64 completed): Godzilla vs. Destroyer - This looks like a very large monster. 7/1/22 Hesitation (109 completed): #93 The Naked City - Another Jules Dassin film I haven't watched. 1/23/22 #103 Joyless Street - One of the few films I've recommended ITT that I haven't seen (as it's been hard to track down). 3/28/22 #108 Cabiria - This old epic was supposed to get a restored Blu-ray release many years ago but it never happened. I guess I'll just watch the available version. 4/23/22 #112 Pickup on South Street - An early Samuel Fuller film I need to see. 5/26/22 #114 Dreamscape - Dennis Quaid and dreams. 6/11/22 new #116 New York, New York - Perhaps the most well-regarded Scorsese film I haven't seen. 7/19/22 AFI's 10 Top 10 (91/100 completed): Cat Ballou - The comedy western usually makes for a strange mixture. 7/14/22 Evil Angels AKA A Cry in the Dark - A movie with two titles. Let's see which one fits better. 7/14/22 Sleepless in Seattle - Tom Hanks talks on a phone. 7/7/22 Zogo fucked around with this message at 06:03 on Jul 20, 2022 |
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Jul 20, 2022 05:31
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Heavy Metal posted:I watched Le Samourai. Pretty cool, overall the movie wasn't as much my thing as a whole. Yeah, I wasn't a fan of that Jean-Pierre Melville film but I did like his two later ones: The Red Circle and Army of Shadows considerably more. BiggerBoat posted:Also, glad to see Prophecy in this list since it's one of those bad monster movies I have a soft spot for. I saw it in theaters when I was about maybe 10 or 11 and it scared the poo poo out of me but when I watched it as an adult, a lot of it struck me as funny. Yeah, I'm mainly inoculated to horror films but that bear is going to scare the youngsters for sure.
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Jul 20, 2022 05:33
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Zogo posted:Yeah, I wasn't a fan of that Jean-Pierre Melville film but I did like his two later ones: The Red Circle and Army of Shadows considerably more. Le Cercle Rouge is indeed awesome. A slow-burn, methodical heist (probably a huge influence on Mann).
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Jul 20, 2022 12:40
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So for years I’ve carried an embroidered BAD MOTHER FUCKER wallet, and I’m sitting here at my local tavern just now, waiting for my friend to arrive, and it’s sitting on the table in front of me. Barmaid - probably about 25 - says, “I love your wallet.” And I say, “Yeah, great movie.” And she has no idea what I’m talking about. I’m not upset, because the film is drat near 30 years old, but I was disappointed. She had never even heard of the movie. The early- to mid-90s were my college years, and anything that happened since my early 20s was yesterday. I am pathetic.
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Jul 21, 2022 21:35
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Lincoln posted:So for years I’ve carried an embroidered BAD MOTHER FUCKER wallet, and I’m sitting here at my local tavern just now, waiting for my friend to arrive, and it’s sitting on the table in front of me. Barmaid - probably about 25 - says, “I love your wallet.” A few years ago there was a UHD release of The Matrix and I went to Best Buy to grab it and the kid checking me out had never heard of it. This was before they did the more recent fourth movie of course, but even so it was pretty shocking to me.
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Jul 21, 2022 21:41
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I still have a BMF wallet too lol. I honestly find it a bit embarrassing now but hey it refuses to fall apart so I’ma stick with it
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Jul 21, 2022 22:17
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I wouldn't be surprised in a few decades if only historians/big film fans know of those films.
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Jul 21, 2022 23:02
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Some math for the hell of it, Pulp Fiction is 28 years old. I saw it around 98 or 99, so The Godfather was about that old at the time. And I dug that naturally. In general I feel like 80, 90s, 2000s stuff ages progressively smoother, and those decades will always have cool entertainment to me. But also being a film fan digging into vintage stuff is a more niche interest, as interests become more specialized with less big cultural touchstones. But I know the feeling for sure, when somebody at a party says they've never seen a Terminator etc, always wild.
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Jul 21, 2022 23:18
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Heavy Metal posted:But I know the feeling for sure, when somebody at a party says they've never seen a Terminator etc, always wild. Well there's definitely a big difference between not having seen something, which is totally normal because a lot of people just don't watch a ton of movies growing up, and not having even heard of something. If something enters that territory where the current generation is mostly not aware that it exists, that means it really doesn't have a pop culture footprint at all anymore. Which is hard to imagine for someone like Tarantino or a huge film like The Matrix but as generations turn over these things do fade away and become more obscure if you aren't someone who goes out of their way to delve into past eras of film.
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Jul 21, 2022 23:23
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Lot of factors for sure. I think it's more the different areas of interest than the passage of time, at least for stuff like this I've seen. And each area of interest becomes more niche. Not knowing the title of that Tarantino movie, even though it was huge, that's for sure a notable example. But still it seems most people have at least heard of Tarantino. So to me not knowing the titles of his movies or say a Coen brothers movie, it just suggests they're probably not into that area of movies/entertainment in general. To get the real info, we've gotta find out this person's top 20 movies. I hope Clue is on there, or Tim Curry in some form.
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Jul 21, 2022 23:33
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I think it goes to that saying about things revolving around what was the big thing when someone was ~20 years old. That holds true for a lot of people their whole lives. If you ask someone in their 80s or 90s about what the most favorite/significant film in their lives is and you can get answers like Niagara or Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House or Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation and any other zillion films that younger people will think you made up on the spot. They won't have a clue about the stars either. Then another factor is that there are so many entertainment options now. Tons of people following Twitch and social media and MrBeast etc. who may've been more interested in films without so many other options.
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Jul 21, 2022 23:47
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Zogo posted:Then another factor is that there are so many entertainment options now. Tons of people following Twitch and social media and MrBeast etc. who may've been more interested in films without so many other options. Yea before streaming but I'd say also especially before digital cable and DVR came into the picture, you were pretty much stuck watching what was on and I think that was a natural way that a lot of kids were exposed to the big films of the prior 20-30 years.
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Jul 21, 2022 23:54
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For me it was the Tuesday video store deals, four movies for 2 or 3 bucks. Pulp Fiction, Repo Man, you name it, good times. Sometimes me and a friend would swap tapes too, like he had Fright Night and I covered The Lost Boys. I'm not crying, you're crying. To quote Ben Stiller. Throw me in the trash to quote Danny Devito, when I was 23. Ay yi yi (Power Rangers). Also I did google to see if Mr. Hobbs was a made up title, and I've even seen a couple Jimmy Stewart flicks this year. I have brought shame upon the house of Jimmy for doubting.
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Jul 22, 2022 00:14
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Zogo, watch Cat Ballou, a film I only know about because Bill Pullman mentions it in Casper. Touch of Evil was really cool. Everyone knows about the opening shot, but the whole movie has a great look to it. Charlton Heston playing a Mexican is questionable, and some of the stuff with Janet Leigh at the motel felt a tad goofy, but it's a really solid thriller. The climactic scene with Heston listening in on Welles as he walks past oil derricks and over the bridge was masterful. The List: NEW 1. Cleo from 5 to 7: Started cracking into the Agnes Varda Criterion box earlier this year but got distracted when I got to this one. 2. Andrei Rublev: More Tarkovsky. 3. Sanjuro: More Kurosawa 4. McCabe and Mrs. Miller: Just making this my Western slot. 5. Lolita: This one seems essential but I can never work up the nerve 6. The Life Aquatic: 7. Bullitt: I’ve started this twice and gotten distracted and turned it off but it seems up my alley. 8. The Piano: The only Campion I’ve seen is Power of the Dog, which I really liked. 9. 8 1/2: I've scrolled past this on Criterion Channel so many times. 10. The General: Never seen any Buster Keaton. Watched (69): Goodfellas, Rear Window, Rashomon, The Searchers, Lawrence of Arabia, American Psycho, The Usual Suspects, L.A. Confidential, Unforgiven, Once Upon a Time in America, Blue Velvet, Schindler's List, Vertigo, First Blood, The Sting, Annie Hall, Twelve Monkeys, The Deer Hunter, Rain Man, Chinatown, Glengarry Glen Ross, Patton, Brazil, Casino, Scanners, Black Swan, Superman, Spartacus, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Seven Samurai, Double Indemnity, The Thing, Aguirre The Wrath of God, Badlands, Planet of the Apes, Shane, Léon: The Professional, Trainspotting, The Conversation, Miller's Crossing, A Fish Called Wanda, City of God, Psycho, Singin' in the Rain, Witness for the Prosecution, Se7en, The Wild Bunch, Oklahoma!, Cool Hand Luke, Paths of Glory, The Night of the Hunter, Blood Simple, Eyes Wide Shut, Memories of Murder, Sunset Boulevard, City Lights, The Artist, The Hudsucker Proxy, Stalker, Barry Lyndon, Stagecoach, Solaris, Reds, The King’s Speech, The Seventh Seal, The Man Who Wasn't There, Throne of Blood, Tokyo Story, Akira, North Dallas Forty, Touch of Evil Alfred P. Pseudonym fucked around with this message at 22:07 on Jul 22, 2022 |
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Jul 22, 2022 21:44
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I guess I should update my list and replace the three I already watched to get to ten again. I don't know how to do the formatting some of you post with but this should do I guess until I figure it out. Someone gave me Nashville so I'll get to that one next. Robert Altman usually delivers for me. MY LIST (last 3 are new ones) On the Waterfront - I usually like Brando and know this is classic 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. Nashville - I like Altman a lot but musicals are a hard sell for me if ti's the main thrust like "Chicago", Showgirls" or "Moulin Rouge" - Assigned to me next 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" or Blood Simple which I liked a lot. The Searchers - Not a John Wayne fan at all and, again, generally dislike westerns but I have heard good things The Conversation - I have this queued up on one of my streaming platforms, I like Gene Hackman and Coppolla a lot and really dig caper movies 12 Angry Men - Jack Lemmon is a favorite and I've absorbed enough of this movie through cultural osmosis to where I feel like I've seen it. But I never have. Watched: Casablanca, The Thin Red Line, Patton
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Jul 22, 2022 22:00
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You don’t need to post a new list until you’ve watched the last one you were assigned
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Jul 22, 2022 22:41
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Escobarbarian posted:You don’t need to post a new list until you’ve watched the last one you were assigned Noted. And at least now I have one. I watched three without updating it and had some time to kill so...
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Jul 22, 2022 22:49
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Can you please pick a movie from my list for me to watch?
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Jul 23, 2022 00:33
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Alfred P. Pseudonym posted:Can you please pick a movie from my list for me to watch? Until somebody watches their pick and posts to select your next pick, you could always watch one anyway. And just post two reviews when the time comes. Piccolo picks the pepper.
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Jul 23, 2022 03:45
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Alfred P. Pseudonym posted:8. The Piano: The only Campion I’ve seen is Power of the Dog, which I really liked. "We can't leave the piano." Cat Ballou - Much like comedy gangster films I find the comedy western mashup to be bizarre, atonal and hokey i.e. no suspense, affected acting and unintentionally funny. The banjo music and vacuous villains don't help matters much either. I won't go into the story but if you've seen a few westerns you know the common tropes. But everything here has a veneer of zaniness added on. In that respect I was reminded of Tom Jones (1963). Something that I could see being very novel at release but something that gets lost in translation now without a prism tuned to the 1960s. James Bond versus Godzilla (45/64 completed): Godzilla vs. Destroyer - This looks like a very large monster. 7/1/22 Hesitation (109 completed): #93 The Naked City - Another Jules Dassin film I haven't watched. 1/23/22 #103 Joyless Street - One of the few films I've recommended ITT that I haven't seen (as it's been hard to track down). 3/28/22 #108 Cabiria - This old epic was supposed to get a restored Blu-ray release many years ago but it never happened. I guess I'll just watch the available version. 4/23/22 #112 Pickup on South Street - An early Samuel Fuller film I need to see. 5/26/22 #114 Dreamscape - Dennis Quaid and dreams. 6/11/22 #116 New York, New York - Perhaps the most well-regarded Scorsese film I haven't seen. 7/19/22 new #117 Electra Glide in Blue - Some say it's Robert Blake's best role. 7/24/22 AFI's 10 Top 10 (92/100 completed): Evil Angels AKA A Cry in the Dark - A movie with two titles. Let's see which one fits better. 7/14/22 Sleepless in Seattle - Tom Hanks talks on a phone. 7/7/22
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Jul 24, 2022 23:27
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Zogo, Watch Godzilla vs. Destroyer Saw Lost Highway. It was a typical David Lynch mind screw movie. Which means I loved it. Lynch has such a unique style and vision. His scenes can be both terrifying and yet humorous at the same time. (I'm thinking of the tailgater scene.), and they're always memorable I love his focus on identity and duality in this movie, such that you're not sure who anybody is or what they are capable of. I saw I a lot of similar themes as in Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive, and yet each movie feels unique and different. I wish more directors would take risks like this, but then, would we really appreciate Lynch for his unique vision then. Great job by the cast in this one. Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette and Balthasar Getty were phenomenal. Amazing job by Robert Loggia, who always seems to play characters you'd feel comfortable around, playing a psychotic mobster in this. Pullman also managed to play creepy effectively after seeming decades of being kind, comfortable characters. My List: Fort Apache - This will be my John Wayne spot for now. The Greatest Showman - My daughter recommended this one. Jabberwocky - Following up one Terry Gilliam movie with another. The Cocoanuts - Working my way through the Marx Brothers movies. This is their first movie.OLDEST Battleship Potempkin - Don't know much about this one. Pelle the Conquerer - Big fan of Max Von Sydow. Need to see more of his work. The Road to El Dorado - Heard a lot about this movie, Lookin forward to seeing it. White Christmas - Just saw Holiday Inn. Looking forward to seeing this film Star Trek: Nemesis - This is the only Star Trek movie I haven't seen. I haven't heard good things about it, but I'll give it a shot. Inland Empire - Keeping the David Lynch fest going. NEWEST Ocean's 11 - A slot here for Elvis, Sinatra, Beatles movies. This is the original with Frank Sinatra.
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Jul 25, 2022 05:15
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So happy somebody picked Godzilla vs Destoroyah, one of my favs. And Lost Highway rules hard. Just for fun, a little Battleship Potemkin talk. Marc Maron recently name-dropped it when talking old films with Michael Mann (no response from Mann), just struck me as funny. My thought was, does Marc like that movie? Also I noticed how I rated it a 3/10, and on Letterboxd I'm the only person who's given it under a 7/10 of everybody else I follow. I saw it for a film class, so I did get context and all that, I just find that the movie sucks rear end in this century. And I feel like there's not enough roasting of really enshrined in the history movies like that. Was it a chore to watch? Surely lower than a 5/10 if so. But just a silly topic on my part, people rate stuff for all different reasons, even if it's not a movie they'd watch again or enjoyed much. And I know everyone has their own experience. It's just one of those movies where I'm a bit baffled by the high scores from fellow film fans.
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Jul 25, 2022 05:46
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Heavy Metal posted:So happy somebody picked Godzilla vs Destoroyah, one of my favs. And Lost Highway rules hard. The camera work and editing is super impressive. It may not be the most compelling film, but it is a treat to the eyes throughout. So many sequences are ambitious and busy. The baby carriage scene is great, of course. edit: I watched it on the Criterion Channel a while ago, and I think the transfer on there was high quality.
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Jul 25, 2022 15:55
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Heavy Metal posted:I saw it for a film class, so I did get context and all that, I just find that the movie sucks rear end in this century. And I feel like there's not enough roasting of really enshrined in the history movies like that. Was it a chore to watch? Surely lower than a 5/10 if so. I thought it was easy to get through for its era. It was particularly violent for its time (not so now) and banned in many countries for a long time. A lot films from that time are going to come across as even more insipid and that's what it was being measured up against. It's firmly entrenched as one of the greatest of all-time so it'd take a long time to lose that reputation. Not too long ago some people started rating Vertigo higher than Citizen Kane and that was a big moment. My watershed film is Bride of Frankenstein (1935). That's the first one I've seen that feels like it has modernity in it. Even films I like before then just come across more like academic exercises. Zogo fucked around with this message at 23:52 on Jul 25, 2022 |
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Jul 25, 2022 22:37
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