That was a "GREAT FILM!"

When was the last time you said, "That was a Great Film".
I'm sorry but we are not making great films anymore. I think we were making great films in the 80's early 90's, e.g. Aliens, Predator, Die Hard, Total Recall, Robocop, Terminator1 + 2, The Thing ..need I go on!

Every year I wait for something great, only to be let down and dissapointed by the latest crap dished out every summer. One of my biggest gripes is, films that should be good are let down by the certificates.

Who in there right mind brought out the 12 certificte. This is absolutely crucifiying films which shuould at least be a 15 or even 18 certificate. Terminator 3 anyone! How can a Terminator film be a 12?

Another big let down this year was AvP. This could have been so much better, but again it's down to the film studios again puting a strangle hold on the content and film length. I was reading the post earlier that was in this column and there were some good points made.

Anyway, I could go on, but I don't want to bore you. Am I being to critical?

Here's hoping to a fruitful 2005 and hopefully a "Great Star Wars Film!".

Um, what about Mystic River? I thought that movie was off da' chain like a motorcycle gang. The one with Tom Cruises ex-wife where they dance and sing was aight' too (mainly the editing and lighting). LOTR movies were pretty darned good.

I will agree that the majority of the movies in theaters are crap, but that just means you can go rent some good ones and you won't have to sneak your own candy into your house. Unless your teeth are yellow, then you just shouldn't eat candy anymore in general.

I also think our taste are completely different. I wasn't expecting anythign out of AvP. And still don't. Any time they pit two well known franchises against one another, no one will win. Did anyone win in that movie? If not, someone should have.

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Ok. I see what you is gettin at, matey.

But I have to say there have been several very recent movies that have blown me away and have fallen into the great category for a variety of reasons. For example the simplicity, power and the darkness of Dogville (2004), the bizarre and subtle yet powerful and touching message behind Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) and the beauty and elegance of Lost in Translation (2003).

Also remember some movies tend to be appreciated more over time. Remember Citizen Kane (1941) was despised when it was released and now it is considered to be a masterpiece.

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The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.

that's soo true, I loved all those movies but I think he/she's talking about big action flicks, perhaps by "BIG" Saxon Wench means big budget action films. I think he's sort of right in that regard, apart from Gladiator + LOTR which seem a bit more historically action orientated rather than the present and futuristic ones he mentions.

There haven't been many like the ones Saxon Wench mentioned, at least not as good as any of them in a long while.

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Concert Tab!! MOFO poetry Been Dreaming Lately?

snatch rocked

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"I realize that everyone is entitled to their opinion and they have every right to express it, but some people are just stupid."-- OG-

ok movies along those lines LOTR trilogy, The Matrix, Kill Bill vol 1 and vol 2...

yeah your right The matrix + Kill Bill vol 2, were up there for me, how much bigger can u get?

Yeah, I can see where you guys are coming from, and I must admit LOTR was excellent + Gladiator, wasn't that fussed on Kill Bill.
I know the films I mentioned were action films but I really feel that those films have made a huge impression on me and I don't think that type of impression will be made again judging by what I've seen over the last decade. Ok there have been one or two good efforts, but nothing on par with what I mentioned.

The first time I saw 'Aliens', Wow! It was like a knock out punch, it just wouldn't let you come up for air!
Honestly, when was the last film that you saw that made that kind of impression on you?

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.


But for somebody who walked out of Total Recall and said, "THAT is a GREAT movie!", we're already speaking different languages of film.

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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

just about everything can happen! this time i agree with Pikey, it was the last time i came out of a movie theater thinking it actually was a great movie. (and since then, i've watched many DVDs at home, and several were good movies, but i wouldn't call them great.)

Total Recall is a C grade film at best, that clearly does not stand the test of time...

I think the period of time mentioned is full to the brim with GREAT movies.

Pulp Fiction
Solaris
American Beauty
Solaris
Traffic
Kill Bill I and II
The Matrix
LotR
12 Monkeys (one of the besat sci-fi pieces, ever, IMO)
The Usual Suspects
X2
Spiderman II
Minority Report
AI: Artificial Intelligence

...and what about the battery of exceptional films from the Coens throughout this period.

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Believe it or not i was only able to sit through 3 of these movies listed. Because our tastes are quite different, I can't say that these movies were great for me. I can say that Terminator 1 and 2 were great. Aliens, the other one i saw was okay, but Alien was better. They should have ended it at the 2nd and lost the 3rd.

in defense of the third one, i found it gave an epic flavor to Ripley's life (and death). the best heroes always do die in ancient epic poetry (Homer for example).
and they at least tried to get back to the original idea of Alien, which was the fight of a bunch of Humans against ONE impossible-to-kill Alien, and that in a confined space, like the prison of Aliens 3.
definitely though, if one deserves the epithet "great", it would be the first. after all, it's a Ridley Scott movie.

Pirates of the Caribbean. Last year.

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"When I was younger, I always wanted to be somebody. Now that I'm older, I realise I should've been more specific."

i only saw alien 3 once, maybe i will watch it again..

Well, If you can get the Fincher extended cut, check it out, but Fincher (the director) has stated that the theatrical cut is flawed and that the film needed the extra scenes that were cut for time to be a complete work. I have grown to like 3 a bit more on subsequent viewings, but it is still my least favorite...

I saw a DVD recently of the documentary Lost in La Mancha about Terry Gilliam's movie about Don Quixote that was never completed--a sorted of making of documentary about a movie that never got made. I thought it was pretty impressive and pretty profound. Liked it! Hope he finally gets to make his movie! Not necessarily a "great" movie, but very good all the same.

In the past year I remember saying that about
1) Dawn of the Dead
2) Shaun of the Dead
3) I, Robot

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"All I have in this world is my balls and my word, and I don't break them for no one."

Shaun of the Dead sounds interesting. I saw the preview and it looked borderline humorous, but not quite enough for me to shell out 10 bucks to see it in the theater. I figured I'd wait for the DVD. Do you really think it's that good?