The 13TH Hall of Fame

[Camo]

Buffalo '66 (Vincent Gallo, 1998)
Nominated by Camo

https://s3.postimg.org/l4alhgq9v/bufalo.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/y8g5u5ibj/)[/url]

Dead Poet's Society (Peter Weir, 1989)
Nominated By Sarge

https://s28.postimg.org/835nwm831/poets.jpg (https://pixxxels.org/)

Manchester By The Sea (Kenneth Lonergan, 2016)
Nominated By Raul

https://s12.postimg.org/4pbtznxj1/sea.jpg (https://postimage.org/)

Dances With Wolves (Kevin Costner, 1990)
Nominated by Miss Vicky

https://s12.postimg.org/mo9asmewt/wolves.jpg (https://postimage.org/)

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring (Kim Ki-Duk, 2003)
Nominated By Nestorio

https://s29.postimg.org/hpj7lelx3/summer.jpg (https://postimage.org/)

The Marriage of Maria Braun (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1979)
Nominated By Cricket

https://s23.postimg.org/voppdua9n/braun.jpg (https://postimage.org/)

The Three Musketeers (Richard Lester, 1973)
Nominated By Edarsenal

https://s22.postimg.org/vhxcjxzf5/musket.jpg (https://postimage.org/)

Captain Fantastic (Matt Ross, 2016)
Nominated By PussyGalore

https://s17.postimg.org/8q8kbpulb/fantastic.jpg (https://postimage.org/)

The Hunt (Thomas Vinterberg, 2012)
Nominated By Neiba

https://s10.postimg.org/4o4vhg8nd/hunt.jpg (https://postimage.org/)

The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin, 1940)
Nominated By SilentVamp

https://s16.postimg.org/bzs6kffk5/dictator.jpg (https://postimage.org/)

The Broken Circle Breakdown (Felix Van Groeningen, 2012)
Nominated By ScarlettLion

https://s18.postimg.org/exbgd43gp/breakdown.jpg (https://postimage.org/)

Nightmare Alley (Edmund Goulding, 1947)
Nominated By Citizen Rules

https://s30.postimg.org/d9ofx25j5/alley.jpg (https://postimage.org/)

Forbidden Games (Rene Clement, 1952)
Nominated By Jeff Costello

https://s11.postimg.org/l0hd1dsur/games.jpg (https://postimage.org/)

The Quiet Earth (Goeff Murphy, 1985)
Nominated By Clazor

https://s13.postimg.org/9cvy3nmsn/quiet.jpg (https://postimage.org/)

Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders, 1987)
Nominated By Cosmic

https://s3.postimg.org/gxw9xao6r/desire.jpg (https://postimage.org/)


Flesh + Blood (Paul Verhoeven, 1985)
Nominated By Blix

https://s9.postimg.org/irdbglxgf/flesh.jpg (https://postimage.org/)[url=https://certificity.com] (https://postimage.io/)

[Camo]

Updated list of write-ups (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1729366#post1729366).

[Nestorio_Miklos]

I am in for this, are we starting on April of 12th? Good stuff:):):):up::up::up: I'm already thinking carefully about my nom :)

[CosmicRunaway]

I still have no idea what I'm going to nominate, but I'll think of something. :up:

[Swan]

Another HoF, another attempt at participating on the sidelines. I suck. :p

[cricket]

I'm pretty sure I know what I'm going to nominate, but I'm going to take my sweet ass time sending it in.

[Pussy Galore]

I'm also in, I finish school on April 26, I will have all the time in the world after that :D

[ScarletLion]

Nice to be part of this (I think). Is there a list of movies that we can't nominate? Just so I don't make myself look like a complete spoon?

[ScarletLion]

Glad to have you. Anything not longer than 220 minutes is fine, i don't think it is supposed to be a rule but i'd suggest not nominating a past winner; the past winners are in this post and the one after it - https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=1391842#post1391842

Send your nom whenever you are ready :)

This may well be a stupid question, but am I supposed to be nominating a film that I think is one of the best ever? Or am I supposed to nominate a film that I think others might not have seen?

[Jeff Costello]

Glad to be participating in this... I'll have to do some heavy thinking on what my nomination should be.

[ScarletLion]

3 or 4 Noms immediately spring to mind. Whittling it down to a single one will be tough.

[Citizen Rules]

This may well be a stupid question, but am I supposed to be nominating a film that I think is one of the best ever? Or am I supposed to nominate a film that I think others might not have seen?I bet if you're thinking of a film that you think everyone has seen, they haven't all seen it.

[ScarletLion]

I bet if you're thinking of a film that you think everyone has seen, they haven't all seen it.

Ah come on, everyone's seen 'Weekend at Bernie's II"

[rauldc14]

I'm going to join. Was going to wait another round but I figured waiting is for chumps.

[SilentVamp]

I'll do it, I suppose. I have a list of about 4 movies that I want to nominate, but I think I will hold off on two of those for awhile.

Give me a few minutes while I decide between the other two which one I will nominate.

[cricket]

I'm going to join. Was going to wait another round but I figured waiting is for chumps.

It was for chumps last time too;)

[ScarletLion]

Will there be a deadline for watching all of them?

[rauldc14]

Will there be a deadline for watching all of them?

November 6th, 2045

[ScarletLion]

November 6th, 2045

Well that's better than 13 April 2017

[Jeff Costello]

Will there be a deadline for watching all of them?

If I understood correctly, there will be a week for each nominated film. So suppose there are 15 nominated films, we'll have 15 weeks to watch them all.

[seanc]

November 6th, 2045

Ooh, can I get that extended till December. I just got busy...watching different movies.

[cricket]

Sent my nomination. I know there's a couple of members who've seen it, but there's some who haven't that I think would like it.

[MovieMeditation]

The 14th HoF... count me in on that one 100%

But for now I'll skip. I will peak a little from the side lines though :cool:

[edarsenal]

sending my nom now! THANKS for the invite!!!

[neiba]

nom sent!

[Miss Vicky]

I'm in, but no clue what to nominate.

[edarsenal]

I've seen that one, crazy, wild flick

[rauldc14]

Who is Titu and Nestorio? Sounds like we have a RoyalewithCheese situation.

[Citizen Rules]

Who is Titu and Nestorio? Sounds like we have a RoyalewithCheese situation. I don't know who Titu is, but I can vouch for Nestorio_Miklos. He's joined both mine and Vamps Hof and has been very active, watching the movies and doing reviews. He's a nice guy too! I think he will make a good member.

[rauldc14]

Would be nice to see a cream of the crop HOF rather than a highly underseen HOF. Or at least a minor blend.

[cricket]

Would be nice to see a cream of the crop HOF rather than a highly underseen HOF. Or at least a minor blend.

Everyone's cream might taste different

[Citizen Rules]

Would be nice to see a cream of the crop HOF rather than a highly underseen HOF. Or at least a minor blend.It is nice to get actually Hall of Fame quality movies. You know the earlier Hofs had lots of great classics from around the world.

I agree. Don't think people should shy away from The Godfather or whatever if they want to pick that, it was good to see JJ nominate Casablanca. I get it though it's an opportunity to introduce people to films they'd maybe never try and few pass up the opportunity.I've never seen The Godfather, unless you count the time I seen it with my parents when I was a toddler. So there's another classic that not everyone has seen.

[edarsenal]

STILL haven't seen Schindler's yet. Hell, I haven't seen all of 2001 YET. Just bits and pieces, never in its full entirety.
And I'm sure there's others, so, yeah, grabbing a big classic CAN be the same as nominating an unknown

[Citizen Rules]

Schindler's List is pretty big alright.... Geez, I don't remember a thing about that movie. I really need to watch it again. I'm hoping we get a few of the big films, and like you said, a mix is good.

[edarsenal]

Who is Titu and Nestorio? Sounds like we have a RoyalewithCheese situation.

I don't know who Titu is, but I can vouch for Nestorio_Miklos. He's joined both mine and Vamps Hof and has been very active, watching the movies and doing reviews. He's a nice guy too! I think he will make a good member.

Nestorio is doing the Live Action Musical HOF and they are going to finish. They (god i hate not knowing someones gender "they" is so awkward haha) are cool and will finish. Titu actually didn't want to nominate a film because they thought everyone would have seen it, i'll be honest i'm not familiar with him/her but they seem interested.

Royale was annoying coz he started off really well and it seemed like he was going to finish haha. I loved his nom anyway so i don't really care.

Nestorio IS very cool and does some really great reviews. He's got my support for joining in. I have seen Titu in the Song Tournament and in a few other threads.

[neiba]

I join HoFs exactly because the hidden gems, but I can understand the appeal of great classics from time to time.

[edarsenal]

I've been racking my brains trying to think of a big well known/watched classic in the same vein as The Godfather that i haven't seen and i can't. I'm sure there's something just can't think of one.

Did you try running through a Classic List on IMDb? That might spark an idea or two

[Sarge]

Count me in!!!

Can someone please link me up the previous HoF winners, I cannot seem to locate them.

Cheers.

[CosmicRunaway]

Can someone please link me up the previous HoF winners, I cannot seem to locate them.
It doesn't look to have been updated with the 12th HoF winners yet, but Sean has the general and speciality HoF winners listed in the 3rd and 4th posts of the organization thread which you can find here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=43149).

[neiba]

Count me in!!!

Can someone please link me up the previous HoF winners, I cannot seem to locate them.

Cheers.

here you go:

https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1391842#post1391842

[Sarge]

Thank you :D

It doesn't look to have been updated with the 12th HoF winners yet, but Sean has the general and speciality HoF winners listed in the 3rd and 4th posts of the organization thread which you can find here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=43149).

here you go:

https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1391842#post1391842

[Sarge]

Good to have you. Just send me your nom by the 12th.

Will definitely do that :D

[rauldc14]

Bring it on!

[rauldc14]

Rewatch time then!

[rauldc14]

All! You will watch all!!!!!

[edarsenal]

that's right! and the ones with a surprise ending you'll have to TWICE!!!


I'm not really sure why, but. . .

[SilentVamp]

November 6th, 2045
That's my birthday. Not that anyone cares. :) But it was just funny to me that the random date he comes up with is that. :) Anyway, it is kind of depressing to know how old I will be in 2045, though. :( Yes, I did take the time to figure that out just now. I shouldn't have done it, though. :(


15 films to watch so far? That is good. That will give me a nice amount of time to finish them. I am actually considering taking my time this time. I don't know why I rush through these HoF's. I really don't.

[rauldc14]

That's my birthday. Not that anyone cares. :) But it was just funny to me that the random date he comes up with is that. :) Anyway, it is kind of depressing to know how old I will be in 2045, though. :( Yes, I did take the time to figure that out just now. I shouldn't have done it, though. :(


15 films to watch so far? That is good. That will give me a nice amount of time to finish them. I am actually considering taking my time this time. I don't know why I rush through these HoF's. I really don't.

Because you are a Wisconsinite and it is what we do best!

[neiba]

Start this damn thing! I don't want to wait for the 12th!!!!!!!!!!

[edarsenal]

That's my birthday. Not that anyone cares. :) But it was just funny to me that the random date he comes up with is that. :) Anyway, it is kind of depressing to know how old I will be in 2045, though. :( Yes, I did take the time to figure that out just now. I shouldn't have done it, though. :(


15 films to watch so far? That is good. That will give me a nice amount of time to finish them. I am actually considering taking my time this time. I don't know why I rush through these HoF's. I really don't.

that's my room mate's AND a friend I work with's birthday as well -- sweet!

and hold on, didn't I just read you telling us in CR's review thread the other day NOT to complain about age????

Scorpios . . . figures :rolleyes:
;):)

[CosmicRunaway]

My mind is still completely blank on what to nominate so I was planning to take the weekend to rewatch some films (or just parts of them) to see if I can get 100% behind something.

Let me know if you plan to start earlier so I can make a decision in time.

[Thursday Next]

I am going to sit this one out as it looks like you have plenty of people already and the next few months are my busiest time. Maybe the 14th.

[Nestorio_Miklos]

My mind is still completely blank on what to nominate so I was planning to take the weekend to rewatch some films (or just parts of them) to see if I can get 100% behind something.

Let me know if you plan to start earlier so I can make a decision in time.

just get your feelings take charge and think what you wanna watch right now :)

[rauldc14]

I would nominate something good.

[Citizen Rules]

I am going to sit this one out as it looks like you have plenty of people already and the next few months are my busiest time. Maybe the 14th. I do hope to see you in the 14th, you've consistently been a solid Hof member so I'm always glad to see you join:)...After the twin Musical Hofs are winding down, I will do the 40s Part 2 Hof....but that won't be for a long while and Cosmic was going to do a Foreign Film Hof which I'm looking forward to.

[SilentVamp]

Because you are a Wisconsinite and it is what we do best!
I figured that had something to do with it. :yup:


that's my room mate's AND a friend I work with's birthday as well -- sweet!
But I am still the most important one on that day. :D
and hold on, didn't I just read you telling us in CR's review thread the other day NOT to complain about age????
:D
No, YOU guys can't complain about age. I can say whatever I want. :D
Scorpios . . . figures :rolleyes:
;):)
I know I have the traits to be a very stereotypical one. And I don't care. I quite enjoy it, in fact. :)


After the twin Musical Hofs are winding down, I will do the 40s Part 2 Hof....
Do you think you will have enough time to get that in? If I need to alter my plans a little, I will.

[Citizen Rules]

...Do you think you will have enough time to get that in? If I need to alter my plans a little, I will. No need to alter anyone's plans:p. The 40s Part 2 Hof won't start for a long while. I was just saying, I'll hopefully see Thursday (and everyone else) in future Hofs.:)

[edarsenal]

But I am still the most important one on that day. :D
that's EXACTLY what THEY say lol

No, YOU guys can't complain about age. I can say whatever I want. :D

I know I have the traits to be a very stereotypical one. And I don't care. I quite enjoy it, in fact. :)

and there be the proof, right there in those two statements :):D

god bless ya darlin and may the devil raise a toast to ya;)

[neiba]

I do hope to see you in the 14th, you've consistently been a solid Hof member so I'm always glad to see you join:)...After the twin Musical Hofs are winding down, I will do the 40s Part 2 Hof....but that won't be for a long while and Cosmic was going to do a Foreign Film Hof which I'm looking forward to.

And let's not forget the Spaghetti Western HoF!!!

[JayDee]

I might join/follow this in an unofficial capacity. I don't want to join properly because with my health (mental and physical) I couldn't promise for definite that I'd be able to fulfil the requirements to watch everything that was nominated. However as much as I can I may watch and give my opinion on the nominated films

[ScarletLion]

Can't wait for this to start now. I should have at least 3 weeknights every week spare for the next couple of months so I'm looking forward to smashing a few noms.

[CosmicRunaway]

The film I was considering nominating doesn't appear to be readily available online, despite winning an arguably more prestigious award than my previous HoF nominations. :suspicious:

I'll figure something out by the end of the day or tomorrow at the latest though.

[Citizen Rules]

The film I was considering nominating doesn't appear to be readily available online, despite winning an arguably more prestigious award than my previous HoF nominations. :suspicious:

I'll figure something out by the end of the day or tomorrow at the latest though. Camo is real good at finding links, maybe tell him the name of the movie and see if he can find it? If it's a foreign film, you could try looking for both the English title and the original title (I'm sure you already thought of that:p...but just in case:))

[Clazor]

Speaking of...

[Clazor]

I too got four noms rolling around my head. Feels like I'm gonna have to pull one out of a hat....

...which does sound like a better idea than it did a minute ago. Hang on for a second

[Clazor]

Done, will send nom in a moment.

[edarsenal]

wow, 16 members, VERY impressive!

[Swan]

Post the noms Camo! DAMN YOU CAMOOOOOOOOOOO

[edarsenal]

We have a pretty good mix of era's so far:

1940's - 2
1950's - 1
1970's - 2
1980's - 2
1990's - 2
2000's - 1
2010's - 5

that IS a really great spread! A really good sign for a good HoF

[Sarge]

Looking forward to this :cool

Partly for new experiences and partly because it takes the responsibility away from me to choose what to watch for a while.

[neiba]

damn, I wanna know the noms!!!!!!!!

[Sarge]

Hope you enjoy :)

As i said there's quite a good amount of variety so far. Along with those decades i posted there's five foreign language films and quite a good amount of genres.

Good stuff. I love how people (me included) get protective over their favourite films. I am sure there might be a bit of that here too :D

[rauldc14]

I just hope people can make a pact and actually stick this out. It's deflating when there are so many noms and you watch a film of someone that doesn't finish.

[CosmicRunaway]

I see everyone is waiting on me. My mind has been completely blanking on what to nominate this entire time. I thought I had a nomination, but I wasn't 100% behind it, so when it wasn't readily available online I decided to just pick something else and...that's about as far as I've got. So to the people who liked my previous (non-animated) nominations, expect to be disappointed this round. :lol:

I'm deciding between two films right now. Camo will have my nomination within the hour because it's irritating me that it's taking so long to come up with something haha.

[Citizen Rules]

I just hope people can make a pact and actually stick this out. It's deflating when there are so many noms and you watch a film of someone that doesn't finish. Welcome to all the first time Hof members:) It's great to get new people joining in and it makes the Hofs fun!

Some advice from someone who's done a lot of these Hofs. Like Raul said it's a blow when we spend an evening watching someone's movie, who then later drops out.

We're all making a pact and giving our word that we will watch everyone's movies and write about them...It's a matter of honor and a matter of treating people right.

The best way to make sure anyone finishes an Hof, is to start watching the movies from the get-go. I've noticed that the people who drop out are the ones who procrastinate leaving all the movie watching until the end, then they feel overwhelmed and give up.

And if someone knows they're not going to finish, for Gods sake, tell us! So many people drop out but don't have the balls to say so, wasting the other members time.

But! I have faith that everyone can finish:)

[rauldc14]

Is the reveal tomorrow then Camo ?

[Cobpyth]

I won't participate. I have a hard time watching films when I have to watch them, lately, so I won't force myself or make this thread suffer because of my incapability.

I wish you all a lot of fun and naturally I will not hesitate to leave a comment once in a while about a certain nominated film when I feel it's appropriate.

Thanks for letting me know, Camo!

[rauldc14]

Slacker!!!! :p

[rauldc14]

Reveal them right now! Or in 2 hours!

[cricket]

I'll post more after work but I am ecstatic over the nominations.

[edarsenal]

a couple of movies I love, several I haven't but been wanting see and a few unknowns that look very intriguing -- QUITE the list!!!!!
I concur with Cricket!!

[Camo]

First of all i've seen six of these films. I'm not going to rewatch five (including my nom) because i've seen them all recently enough that i remember them and i think another watch would only hurt them. I'll post my five write-ups i did in separate posts so i can link them, the reviews will be kept in my second post in the thread. I'll link the post after i add my write-ups.

Dead Poets Society - 5.5/10

https://s28.postimg.org/835nwm831/poets.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/5ltwpco6h/)

This was alright, I liked Robin Williams in this but would still say he was better in One Hour Photo and Good Will Hunting. My main problem was all of the students except the guy who played Neil who was ok, Ethan Hawke is one of my very favourite actors working today but he got on my nerves probably the most. Also a few of the inspirational scenes like Hawke reading the poem in class with his eyes closed and the famous last scene made me cringe a bit if i'm honest. Still it had its moments, i liked the first hour alot more than the second which may be a bit odd.

Bit of a mixed reaction for me Sarge but i didn't think it was bad and i think it will do well here. Pretty sure it is one of Pussy Galore's favourite films.

[Camo]

Already told you in a PM PG that i'm not a big fan of this but as you can see i didn't hate it, just personally thought it was mediocre. Think some members will really dig it because there is good stuff there, some of it annoyed me though.

Captain Fantastic - 2.5


http://i63.tinypic.com/33f9mvq.jpg

A friend of mine really liked this so i gave it a shot, it was alright. There was quite a bit of corny humour and bad dialogue that actually bothered me. I get what they were trying to do with Ben answering anything his kids ask truthfully without any sugar-coating but it mostly came across really awkward, and the whole little girl says things no one her age should know/understand thing got annoying quick. Certainly wasn't all bad though, it touched on some interesting themes, had some touching moments and Viggo Mortensen and Frank Langella were very good.

Overall a mostly enjoyable but mediocre film in my opinion.

[Camo]

As you know Raul i love your nom. Watched Margaret from Lonergan recently and wasn't crazy about it but this film is great and probably an early favourite.

Manchester By The Sea - 4+

http://i63.tinypic.com/2uo6ipl.jpg

Great film. Top four of 2016 for me so far. I'm pretty tired right now so i don't have that much to say but anyway.

Casey was great he deserves the praise he's been getting. I thought the flashback structure was used to great effect, showing how happy and just genuinely lively Lee was before compared to his current day lifeless self was a good move. Everybody in Manchesters reaction to hearing about him "the Lee Chandler?", etc, really created genuine intrigue to finding out what happened and went well with the flashbacks. The film took a sharp turn when i found out what happened, up to that point the film had had a sombre tone but of course that heavily escalated it. The actual scene was great, the music and the cutting between the most horrible moment in his life and the present where he has to make this enormous decision which is even bigger here because it means he'll have to trust himself to have responsibility again, how it completely explained why he is the way he is now, the gun, etc, really excellent scene. Lucas Hedges was very good too, think he deserves his Oscar nom. I loved how through his constant prodding and his own problems he forced some life back into Lee. His breakdown scene at seeing the freezer for example, that was legitimately unsettling i thought at first he may have been having a heart attack; wasn't sure if his fathers disease was hereditary or not but that's definitely what went through my head at first, well acted by Hedges. He was a real smartass too, loved some of his interactions with Lee "what happened to your hand?" "I cut it." "Oh, for a moment there i didn't know what happened." :D.

Overall it had a great cast. Quite a few people popped up that i wasn't expecting; Matthew Broderick, Tate Donovan, Kara Hayward, etc. Got to be honest though, the one thing i don't completely agree with is the praise for Michelle Williams. She was fine i just didn't find anything special in her performance and i really don't understand why everyone else apparently did. That's not to say i didn't like their scenes together though; her apologizing scene was fantastic and practically everything after that was very powerful. Great film.

[CosmicRunaway]

I haven't seen quite a few of these, so it'll be an adventurous HoF for me. Looking forward to it! I've been meaning to watch The Hunt, as well as Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring, so it looks like I'll finally be getting around to those. :up:

Dead Poet's Society, The Marriage of Maria Braun, The Three Musketeers, and Wings of Desire are all films I haven't seen in many years, so it'll be nice to revisit those.

I really enjoy The Great Dictator, and watched it fairly recently, so I don't think I'll rewatch that (though I might want to anyway), and I only saw Manchester by the Sea not long ago, so I won't be rewatching that either. I'll definitely posts my thoughts on both films when I have the time though.

[Jeff Costello]

Buffalo '66 - Never heard of it, looks interesting.

Dead Poet's Society - Haven't seen it in a while... It'll be fun revisiting it.

Manchester by the Sea - Watched it fairly recently and liked it. Will likely give it a rewatch.

Dances With Wolves - Very eager to see this !! Seems like the type of movie, I'd love.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring - Never heard of it, looks interesting.

The Marriage of Maria Braun - Never heard of it, looks interesting.

The Three Musketeers - I'm not sure if I saw this. Still looking forward to it !

Captain Fantastic - Looks interesting.

The Hunt - I think this might be my early favourite for the win. Excpetional film!

The Great Dictator - I've only seen clips of it. Cannot wait to watch it in full lenght !

The Broken Circle Breakdown - Never heard of it, looks interesting.

Nightmare Alley - This was actually suppose to be one of my next watches. Nice timing CR !

Forbidden Games - My nomination.

The Intouchables - I actually watched it for the 3rd time, couple of weeks ago. It was still suprisingly entertaining.

The Quiet Earth - Never heard of it, looks interesting.

Wings of Desire - Looks interesting.

Seems like a nice variety of films. Should be a fun HoF.

[Sarge]

Only seen four of them so am pretty excited.

Not sure whether I will rewatch Manchester by the sea as I have only recently seen it.

With that said, I was largely disappointed with it although the acting was excellent.

A second viewing may change my initia opinion or simply reinforce it.

[Dani8]

Some great nominations there. I don't have time for a movie hall of fame watch this month but looking forward to the reviews especially for the hunt which is a very powerful movie with outstanding acting.

[SilentVamp]

Alright. Some movies I have seen. Some I have not. And there were a couple that I have honestly never heard of before.

Buffalo '66 - This is one that I have never heard of but it sounds just like my kind of thing to watch. And you don't disappoint me with your nominations, Camo. :nope:
Dead Poets Society - I was honestly thinking about maybe watching this movie again the other day. It has been years and years since I have watched it. I am going to assume that I will still like it just as much as before (and up to my final viewing I had seen it a bunch of times), but after all of these years we will see.
Manchester By the Sea - I requested this from the library a few weeks ago when the DVD became available. I am still on the hold list. I believe I am 47 out of 307. So it may be awhile before I can watch it, but I will most definitely be able to see it before the deadline.
Dances With Wolves - Seen it and I own this one. And I am always in the mood for a little bit of Kevin Costner. :randy:
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring - I know it, of course, but I have never seen it.
The Marriage of Maria Braun - Why, cricket, why??? This is the one that I cannot obtain. :( The only one, in fact. You just had to be the troublemaker for me two times in a row now. :)
The Three Musketeers - Oh, get off your Three Musketeers kick, Ed. :D I don't know if I have seen this ever. I don't think so. But I am not 100% positive. If I have, it was a long time ago when I was a kid (I am just getting the feeling that I have seen this version).
Captain Fantastic - I have heard of it, but I have never seen it.
The Hunt - Have heard of it, but have never seen it
The Great Dictator - My nomination, I have seen it and I own it. :)
The Broken Circle Breakdown - Never heard of it.
Nightmare Alley - I saw this one a long time ago, but I don't remember much about it.
Forbidden Games - Again, heard of it, but have never seen it.
The Intouchables - I have been wanting to see this for awhile now. Glad to see that it was nominated here so I will now get around to watching it.
The Quiet Earth - Never heard of it
Wings of Desire - Saw it once years ago.

So, other than cricket making life hard for me again :D, I can obtain all of these and it sounds like a pretty interesting HoF. And, like the Short Films, I will wait until next week to try to begin this - or whenever I can get some of the movies in from the library first. I think I will hold off on the two that I own until the end again. I actually own Dead Poets Society, too, but yes, only on VHS, and you guys don't want to hear about my dead VCR again. :)

[Camo]

As i told you Nesto your nom is one of my favourite films. Curious what people will think, after it showed up in my 250 i remember Citizen saying he's interested in seeing it actually.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring - 4+

http://i67.tinypic.com/2qizsx1.jpg

Watched this earlier but didn't get a chance to write anything because i was going to a halloween party. If you haven't seen it don't read as there's spoiler here.

Oh, man this film was effective. For as simple as it was the Spring tied stones part at the beginning really got to me; the fish being dead was enough but the snake and then the kid crying! Think it was the being forced to confront your actions/mistakes thing makes you think of some silly stuff you may have done in your life that you never had to think about the consequences of (obviously not harming animals or even anything serious) because it was done you moved on; but this kid was actually forced to see what his actions resulted in. That and just the fact that the master could've stopped him as soon as he started doing it to the fish; obviously he was teaching him a lesson but he clearly let it go overnight because he knew chances were at least 1/3 would be dead or seriously harmed. And i'm not ruling out that sick maniac going out in the middle of the night to kill the snake himself :p!

Summer was good too, but pretty awkward. It wasn't easy watching him have to deal with sexual attraction at first, mainly because it was obviously something he had never really had to think about or deal with because he'd been alone with his master there since he was a kid, he was just so clueless and weirdly forceful at first that it was a bit cringey. There were some great things about this part though; particularly seeing him acting like a normal teenager or whatever age he was supposed to be like when he put the cricket on the girls shoulder and was messing around with her. The thing that annoyed me most about this part was their recklessness; there was no need for them to sneak into each others beds or out at night, i get that there had to be a way for them to get caught and the best way that suited the film was for his desire to be so strong, still was annoying though.

One thing i found funny about Fall was the fact that the master first heard about the murder from a newspaper. Such a minor thing but i kind of cracked up at the idea of a paperboy rowing through this river to deliver the paper :D. Obviously that doesn't have to be how he got it, but i still don't even see why it was needed at all; i mean 10 seconds later he arrived and clearly said he killed her, it's not important enough to bother me but i did find it funny. All of Fall was pretty weird; it included the oddest suicide attempt i've ever seen and the master finally showing some emotion by angrily beating him with a stick. Not to mention the omnious music playing. It was very good though. For how angry and emotional it started it ended on a very peaceful note even though it kind of broke me; the masters suicide was a beautiful scene.

Winter (and Spring) was just gorgeous. Throughout the other parts the weather seemed to be only changing slightly every time so the drastic change to snow/ice was so noticeable and welcome. That first shot of him walking across the frozen lake to the house was sublime. The actual story of Winter was good too. I thought it would just be a full part of him becoming the master which i was all for; when the woman come though i had no idea what was going on. I couldn't tell if her baby was sick or if it was her (possibly neither) i can't tell you how paranoid i was about her taking off her headscarf and having a really mangled face. From the moment she brought the kid there it was obvious that he'd take the new masters role as the student which was fine, got to admit though i wasn't a fan of the 'circle of life' look he's making the exact same mistakes ending; well they changed it from tying a rock to the back to putting a rock in the animals mouth but they even did it with a fish, frog and snake again.

Great film. It is a bit uneven but it isn't a big problem since it was always going to be with it basically being four (technically five but i don't really count And Spring because it was only a few minutes long and was basically a repeat of the first story) separate stories. I think it goes without saying that it was stunning; they picked one of the most picturesque places imaginable to film and with a very capable cinematographer it is greatly amplified. Very beautiful, soothing score as well that gels perfectly with most scenes.

[Camo]

Camo as you know i :love: you and your nomination is outstanding and should win. Just keep being yourself :up:

I actually already told Cricket what i was nominating because he saw my post about it and said that he can't stand the sight of Gallo's "bug eyed dirty ugly face" :laugh: He's correct of course. I absolutely despise Gallo and think he is a vile human being so i don't just think i was expecting to hate this but on some level i think i wanted to because i didn't want to have to admit he was talented on any level... but i did.

I absolutely won't blame anyone for hating this or even thinking it is a bad film, after you watch it read my post and you'll see that i think it is very flawed. But i think these flaws create a unique environment which makes this a really beautiful film. It got to me on quite a strong level and i'll be happy if even one of you likes it half as much as i did.

Buffalo '66

https://s14.postimg.org/676c9wmfl/gallo.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/ecoe82aod/)

From everything i've read about him and what he has said Vincent Gallo sounds like an awful person so i was half expecting to dislike this but i really loved it to my surprise. There's so many problems with it too; the events of the film aren't believable - Layla has multiple chances to escape early on all she knows him as is an aggressive ******* who kidnapped her and has just left prison, if the film had it as her being too scared to say drive away when he was peeing then fairenough but she is clearly not by her demeanor and attitude towards him, it's bad enough that she falls for him after he calms down a bitafter his pee but i felt the film was telling me she was attracted to him right away which isn't believable. Her falling for him at all is the most tough to swallow, he's aggresive and potentially dangerous and just acts completely terrible to her throughout; he softens up in the motel scene towards the end but before that he hasn't shown her any other side to him which makes her calling him "the most handsome", "too good for her", etc, throughout the film doesn't make much sense as well as her not leaving when she can after the scene with his parents. So yeah on paper this shouldn't have worked at all but for whatever reason i felt a connection/chemistry that i can't quite explain which made this work. Another thing that initially annoyed me but ended up a positive and possibly the explanation for their relationship working for me was the self-aggrandizing; Billy was a character in a movie of course so if it was pretty much anyone else other than Gallo who had written and was playing the character i wouldn't have thought anything of it but from the various comments i've read from Gallo including some related to this film he sounds arrogant and unpleasant so say the "it's just so huge" urinal scene felt like him stroking his own ego in some weird way to me. The first Lalya comments felt the same at first as well but then as we got more into i realized that Billy is a messed up loser and Layla is the only one that takes notice of him and says anything positive about him, it made it feel like they were in their own little world; every other character felt weirdly detached from Billy which worked to justify his existence being so terrible to him, Layla payed attention to and had a genuine interest in him, she noticed things that Billy had no reason to believe were there and maybe they weren't but i don't think it actually matters. I certainly think all of those problems i mentioned still stand but i think this goes some way to explain why the relationship worked for me despite them. Even the urinal part has a self-deprecating explanation that i wasn't expecting with his serious self-consciousness; doesn't want to be touched/watched. So yeah not sure if it will hold up but to my surprise i kinda loved this. Still don't like Gallo and while i really like his script (co-written so i'm not sure how much was his) and performance the film was certainly not his alone, Ricci was just as good as him and his comments about her were awful and Lance Acord's visuals played a massive part; again Gallo's comments about him were awful, don't believe for a second the visuals were Gallo's when you consider some of Acord's other credits: Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Lost In Translation, Marie Antoinette and Where The Wild Things Are.

4.5+

[neiba]

Buffalo '66 - Never heard of it.

Dead Poet's Society - Haven't watched this for ages! Going to be fun!

Manchester by the Sea - This has to be the most recent movie ever being nominated on a HoF! Haven't seen it yet but I'm curious.

Dances With Wolves - Watched this last week, the extended version! Great movie, won't rewatch it cause it's still fresh!

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring - Watched it 3 or 4 months ago. I don't know if I'm going to rewatch this yet, it depends on how much time I have and other people opinions on it.

The Marriage of Maria Braun - I have heard of it but I don't have any idea what's it about.

The Three Musketeers - Didn't watch it and I have a sense it's not my cup of tea but I hope it surprises me.

Captain Fantastic - Never heard of it.

The Hunt - My nom. After nominating some hidden gems that had little chance of winning one of these things, I brought a big gun this time. The Hunt is one of the most amazing films I ever seen and I hope it has the same impact on you that had on me.

The Great Dictator - I've been meaning to watch this for ages. Nice!!!

The Broken Circle Breakdown - Never heard of it.

Nightmare Alley - It's a CR nom, so there's a great chance I'll love it. Apart from that, never heard of it.

Forbidden Games - Never heard of it.

The Intouchables - Watched this recently. It's a nice movie, won't watch it again.

The Quiet Earth - Never heard of it.

Wings of Desire - Uuuuh, Wim Wenders!!! I'll finally have the chance to watch this!!!

[rauldc14]

Looks like the Hall of Fame is back in a big way guys. Should be fun!

[Miss Vicky]

Aside from my own nomination, I've only seen one of these films and it was so long ago that I barely remember it. This is going to be a lot of work.

* * *
Watched: 16/16

The Broken Circle Breakdown (Felix Van Groeningen, 2012)
(1 hour, 51 minutes)
Nominated By ScarlettLion
Rewatch: No
Review: April 26, 2017 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1693576#post1693576)
Rating: 4+

Buffalo '66 (Vincent Gallo, 1998)
(1 hour, 50 minutes)
Nominated by Camo
Rewatch: No
Review: April 16, 2017 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1688866#post1688866)
Rating: 3+

Captain Fantastic (Matt Ross, 2016)
(1 hours, 58 minutes)
Nominated By PussyGalore
Rewatch: No
Review: April 12, 2017 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1687017#post1687017)
Rating: 3+

Dances With Wolves (Kevin Costner, 1990)
(3 hours, 1 minute)
Nominated by Miss Vicky
Rewatch: Yes, obviously
Review: May 14, 2017 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1703047#post1703047)
Rating: 5

Dead Poet's Society (Peter Weir, 1989)
(2 hours, 8 minutes)
Nominated By Sarge
Rewatch: Yes, but it has been a very long time.
Review: April 30, 2017 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1695814#post1695814)
Rating: 3-

Flesh + Blood (Paul Verhoeven, 1985)
(2 hours, 8 minutes)
Nominated By Blix the Goblin
Rewatch: No.
Review: May 2, 2017 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1696765#post1696765)
Rating: 3.5-

Forbidden Games (Rene Clement, 1952)
(1 hour, 26 minutes)
Nominated By Jeff Costello
Rewatch: No
Review: April 22, 2017 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1691666#post1691666)
Rating: 2.5

The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin, 1940)
(2 hours, 5 minutes)
Nominated By SilentVamp
Rewatch: No
Review: April 14, 2017 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1688018#post1688018)
Rating: 3.5-

The Hunt (Thomas Vinterberg, 2012)
(1 hour, 55 minutes)
Nominated By Neiba
Rewatch: No
Review: April 24, 2017 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1692399#post1692399)
Rating: 4+

Manchester By The Sea (Kenneth Lonergan, 2016)
(2 hours, 17 minutes)
Nominated By Raul
Rewatch: No
Review: May 6, 2017 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1698962#post1698962)
Rating: 4

The Marriage of Maria Braun (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1979)
(2 hours)
Nominated By Cricket
Rewatch: No
Review: April 18, 3017 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1690032#post1690032)
Rating: 3.5-

Nightmare Alley (Edmund Goulding, 1947)
(1 hour, 50 minutes)
Nominated By Citizen Rules
Rewatch: No
Review: May 5, 2016 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1698474#post1698474)
Rating: 3+

The Quiet Earth (Goeff Murphy, 1985)
(1 hour, 31 minutes)
Nominated By Clazor
Rewatch: No
Review: April 17, 2017 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1689451#post1689451)
Rating: 3+

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring (Kim Ki-Duk, 2003)
(1 hour, 43 minutes)
Nominated By Nestorio
Rewatch: No, but I've been meaning to see it for awhile
Review: April 13, 2017 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1687632#post1687632)
Rating: 1-

The Three Musketeers (Richard Lester, 1973)
(1 hour, 46 minutes)
Nominated By Edarsenal
Rewatch: No
Review: April 20, 2017 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1690948#post1690948)
Rating: 2.5-

Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders, 1987)
(2 hours, 8 minutes)
Nominated By Cosmic
Rewatch: No
Review: April 15, 2017 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1688398#post1688398)
Rating: 2

[rauldc14]

I've only seen Spring Summer and Maria Braun other than mine. But there's at least 5 I have had my eye on.

[seanc]

I have seen 8 of these, pretty good list. Lots of new flicks. Have fun Mofos.

[JayDee]

I've previously watched 5 of the nominated films - Dead Poet's Society, Manchester by the Sea, Dances With Wolves, Spring Summer Autumn Winter...and Spring and The Three Musketeers. Of the rest there are a few I've been interested in and several I've actually blind bought over the years (The Hunt, Wings of Desire, Quiet Earth).

So as I said I'll maybe try and join in with this depending how things go.

[cricket]

Out of all the Hall of Fames I've been in, this is the group of nominations I've been most excited about.

Buffalo 66

I meant to watch this a while back because it's one of Matt's favorite movies, but then I just forgot about it. My interest was renewed recently when Camo reviewed it. I despise the lead actor but it looks like my kind of movie.

Dead Poets Society

I've seen this once, but 20 years ago. It didn't do much for me but I hardly remember it and my taste has changed dramatically. I was planning on trying it again at some point.

Manchester By The Sea

I watched this very recently. Despite enjoying it an awful lot, I was a little disappointed. Granted, my expectations were through the roof. I love the story, but I wasn't thrilled with the execution. I thought there were some needless scenes, and it wasn't as emotionally powerful for me as I had hoped. The main performances are terrific. I was in that city today and will be tomorrow as it's part of my regular delivery route. Setting familiarity always makes me enjoy a movie more. I don't feel that I need to watch it again.

Dances With Wolves

Probably the biggest name movie nominated, and along with Schindler's List, probably the biggest name movie I haven't seen yet.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter....and Spring.

This was already on my watchlist as I've heard nothing but wonderful things.

The Marriage of Maria Braun

My nomination that I picked off of Ebert's great movies list to watch back for the 70's countdown, and it made my list for that decade. It features one of my all time favorite female performances and characters.

The Three Musketeers

I loved this as a kid but it's been about 35 years since I saw it last. It will be great to watch it again.

Captain Fantastic

I recently added this to my watchlist because of the great things I've heard and because I like Viggo.

The Hunt

In a big coincidence, Netflix mailed this movie out to me this morning as I was already planning on watching it this coming Saturday night with my wife. Strangely enough, the exact same thing happened in a recent Hall of Fame.

The Great Dictator

This was already on my 40's watchlist for the upcoming countdown.

The Broken Circle Breakdown

This was already on my watchlist.

Nightmare Alley

I watched this recently for the upcoming 40's countdown after randomly picking it off of the noirs list. It is not a typical noir and I enjoyed it enough to not only put it on my list of contenders for my 40's list, but it was a contender for my nomination for the upcoming 40's Hall of Fame.

Forbidden Games

I watched this movie for the 50's countdown. It didn't make my list, but it's a terrific movie. It looks like the typical foreign arthouse movie that normally doesn't do well in these tournaments, but I think people are going to like this one. It's an easy watch at less than 90 minutes long, and I'm going to watch it again.

The Intouchables

I actually just added this to my watchlist a couple days ago after answering a question about it. For those that don't know, it is very high on the IMDb top 250.

The Quiet Earth

I only just heard of this recently thanks to the Sci-Fi countdown. That's not one of my favorite genres but I will hope for the best.

Wings of Desire

This will only be my third movie from director Wim Wenders and was already on my watchlist.

[rauldc14]

Looks like I picked a bad nomination as nobody will be watching it for this :(

[cricket]

Looks like I picked a bad nomination as nobody will be watching it for this :(

For me it was just sooo recent. I thought you were going to nominate that or La La Land. I'm sure some of us haven't seen it though.

[rauldc14]

For me it was just sooo recent. I thought you were going to nominate that or La La Land. I'm sure some of us haven't seen it though.

I usually don't pick recent nominations, but I wanted to change it up. Almost went American Hustle then realized Miss Vicky would kill it.

[Miss Vicky]

Looks like I picked a bad nomination as nobody will be watching it for this :(

I'll be watching it.

[Cobpyth]

I'm not participating in this, but I'm bored, so I'll just post along. Quite a lot of films I haven't seen yet!

NOT SEEN:

Buffalo '66 - Has been on my watchlist for quite some time, but not as a priority (I have more than 5000 films on my watchlist so that puts things in perspective a little bit). I'll definitely look out for people's opinions about it here.

Manchester by the Sea - Might give this one a go some time in the future.

Dances With Wolves - I have this one on DVD, but haven't watched it yet because of its running time. There's a good chance I'll watch it this year for the first time, though.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring - Looks really good and has been on my watchlist for a while. Will definitely watch this in the future.

The Marriage of Maria Braun - Probably the film I'd be most excited about if I was participating. I've only seen one Fassbinder film so far (Despair) and I've been wanting to watch more of his work.

The Three Musketeers - Probably a fun adventure. Wouldn't mind watching this.

Captain Fantastic - A good friend of mine really liked this and recommended it to me, but I haven't watched it yet. I Might in the future.

Forbidden Games - Would be very excited to watch this one as well.

The Quiet Earth - I never knew what to expect from this, which makes it intriguing.

Wings of Desire - I love the films I've seen from Wenders so far, so I would be very excited to watch this, as it's one of his most acclaimed films.


SEEN: (from favorite to least favorite in my opinion)

1) Nightmare Alley - As a big fan of magic, cons and great cinema, this is one of my favorite films of the noir genre!

2) The Hunt - Rarely has a film made me so angry, in a good way.

3) The Great Dictator - Not my favorite Chaplin film (although it's been some time since I've last watched it, so I should check again), but still a fantastic and historically important film.

(gap)

4) Dead Poet's Society - Has some good bits and has some bits that I don't like as much. I generally look at the film in a favorable way, though. It becomes an even more emotional trip now that Robin Williams has left us in the way he did.

(gap)

5) The Broken Circle Breakdown - I'm glad a Belgian film got nominated, but I'm not a huge fan of this one. I think this film hammered too much on its main point and wasn't able to handle its heavy topic in an elegantly subtle way. It's all emotions and clashes throughout the whole film and I wasn't satisfied by how everything came together. The lack of moderation is a bit of a trend that's apparent in many modern Belgian films and it tends to bother me. It's however perfectly possible that people from other countries find this refreshing.
I liked the play this was based on a lot better. I'm sure many of you will like/love this film, though, and you wouldn't be wrong! I reacted rather coldly to this whole film, but I'm sure many of you will feel more warmth and genuine emotions when watching this. Perhaps it was my fault.

(gap)

6) Les Intouchables - This didn't work for me at all in any meaningful sense, but I can see why it's such a crowd-pleaser.

[Citizen Rules]

Damn! I think this might be the best Hof ever! I'll be watching every single one of these...all 15!

My thoughts, and I ain't got many as I haven't seen a lot of these:p

Buffalo '66 (Vincent Gallo, 1998).....No idea on this one?

Dead Poet's Society (Peter Weir, 1989)....this was on my watch list, OK, my wife's watch list actually.

Manchester By The Sea (Kenneth Lonergan, 2016)... I tried watching it a month ago and didn't finish it. But I'll give at a try.

Dances With Wolves (Kevin Costner, 1990)...Seen this twice, and love it! It's fine film making. I'll watch it again too.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring (Kim Ki-Duk, 2003) I had wanted to see this, so glad it's nominated, as now I will!

The Marriage of Maria Braun (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1979)...no idea about this, but I liked the poster.

The Three Musketeers (Richard Lester, 1973)...sounds fun! I might have seen it, but what the heck I'll watch it again.

Captain Fantastic (Matt Ross, 2016)...Never heard of it, but looks fun.

The Hunt (Thomas Vinterberg, 2012)...I really want to like another of Neiba's noms:p I feel bad about hating on his last two, maybe this one will be it.

The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin, 1940)...Very cool, I've been wanting to see this for a long time.

The Broken Circle Breakdown (Felix Van Groeningen, 2012)...another that I've never heard of.

Nightmare Alley (Edmund Goulding, 1947) This is my movie. IMDB says it's a noir, but it's not a typical noir so don't expect detectives, and gun play...in fact don't think of it as a noir.

Forbidden Games (Rene Clement, 1952) Interesting!

The Intouchables (Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano, 2012) Never heard of it, but looks promising.

The Quiet Earth (Goeff Murphy, 1985)...I was going to watch this for the Sci Fi countdown but never got around to it.

Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders, 1987) I've loved all of Cosmic's other noms, so I hope the trend continues.

[edarsenal]

Buffalo '66 (Vincent Gallo, 1998)
Nominated by Camo Haven't seen this since it first came out at the theaters. Curious to see how I feel about it now.

Dead Poet's Society (Peter Weir, 1989)
Nominated By Sarge A past favorite of mine. Been a while since I saw this one, so, YAY

Manchester By The Sea (Kenneth Lonergan, 2016)
Nominated By Raul Haven't seen it but curious to see what everyone is talking about

Dances With Wolves (Kevin Costner, 1990)
Nominated by Miss Vicky Great call, Vicky! Been ages since I saw this

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring (Kim Ki-Duk, 2003)
Nominated By Nestorio Haven not seen this but have been quite curious about it

The Marriage of Maria Braun (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1979)
Nominated By Cricket Have not heard of this but since Cricket nominated it, should be QUITE the crazy ride

The Three Musketeers (Richard Lester, 1973)
Nominated By Edarsenal :):):)

Captain Fantastic (Matt Ross, 2016)
Nominated By PussyGalore I've been on the fence on this one, time to hop off and see what's what

The Hunt (Thomas Vinterberg, 2012)
Nominated By Neiba Been wanting to see this one, sweet!

The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin, 1940)
Nominated By SilentVamp Oh fer Eff's SAKE, a CHAPLIN MOVIE!?!?!? SERIOUSLY!!??

just kidding!! LOOOOVE Chaplin!!!! :) EXCELLENT nom, SV!

The Broken Circle Breakdown (Felix Van Groeningen, 2012)
Nominated By ScarlettLion Haven't heard of this one

Nightmare Alley (Edmund Goulding, 1947)
Nominated By Citizen Rules Cannot, for the life of me, remember if I've seen this or not. Either way, looking forward to it

Forbidden Games (Rene Clement, 1952)
Nominated By Jeff Costello Haven't heard of it but very curious to see it

The Intouchables (Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano, 2012)
Nominated By Nebu Another I've been wanting to see


The Quiet Earth (Goeff Murphy, 1985)
Nominated By Clazor Haven't heard of this one but I've enjoyed Clazor's noms, so should be all kinds of fun

Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders, 1987)
Nominated By Cosmic Haven't heard of this one as well, and like Clazor, Cosmic has come up with some great movies, so I may I say: YAY

[SilentVamp]

Looks like I picked a bad nomination as nobody will be watching it for this :(
You want to know something? I really wasn't too surprised that you nominated that. Considering how you felt about it, I wasn't too shocked to see it here and to see it that soon. Like I said, I've had it on hold at the library for awhile now. So I will be watching it, anyway. And if I am going to be watching it, I might as well be watching it for a HoF. That way I will actually take the time to write how I felt about it.

[Pussy Galore]

I've seen most of the nominations and have enjoyed most of them!

[CosmicRunaway]

Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders, 1987) I've loved all of Cosmic's other noms, so I hope the trend continues.
I think you'll like Wings of Desire more than the film I was originally thinking of nominating, which was Nowhere in Africa (2001).

[Camo]

The Marriage of Maria Braun

https://s8.postimg.org/79s4uop85/brauns.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/biwuwushd/)

This was my second Fassbinder after Ali: Fear Eats The Soul which i liked alot. Oddly enough i almost watched it two days before Cricket nominated it. This sta rted off slow and not that interesting but it wasn't for long at all, 10-15 minutes until Maria changes. This was actually pretty similar to Ali: Fear Eats The Soul; challenging social norms, even the racial angle at first. Completely agreed with Cricket; Hanna Schygulla is outstanding, i'd go as far to say she is one of the best female characters i've seen. Her transformation is pretty remarkable, even moreso because you don't actually get to know her that well before it. That's the thing; she transforms more than once, after she ends up working at the bar still dependent on men then she transforms into a confident, powerful women. It was all very well handled. The best thing about Maria for me was the despite all the using and manipulating i never disliked her, she had to do this, this was the only way she could get things done and be happy and i don't see why she shouldn't do exactly that. I did feel a little sorry for Karl who was a decent person who was deeply in love with her and was probably better for her than Hermann, but thing is it's her choice. She is rarely pleasant but then why should she be, she is fighting to survive throughout the film even when she gets great wealth. Even after she finds out about Hermann and ends up really bitchy and forceful it's understandable when you consider everything she has been through and this goal she has been working so hard being crushed so abruptly, as her mom says "These Roses! It's like dying once a month." So yeah, i loved her. If she was in even a fairly known English Language film and not a German one i think Maria Braun would be known as an iconic character today. She is to me now anyway.

There were plenty of great scenes, powerful, funny, odd.. bordering on surreal for me at times mostly in peoples reactions. Like Hermann's return scene which was excellent and obviously seriously upped the drama. So crazy, it made me feel like a moron coz i didn't even consider that was him standing in the door, i was just thinking who is that weirdo, thought it might have been some racist relative or something. It was oddly surreal with Maria's reaction being one of happiness as if nothing was wrong; think that really confirmed her fragile mental state that had been a question up to this point. Not to mention Bill sitting there naked staring at him. That was an excellent turning point as i thought she wasn't capable of that, up til then she didn't seem particularly strong willed and it also cemented her main goal throughout the film as she now literally had blood on her hands. And that ending, jesus that ending. I thought at first it would probably end quietly with her sitting contemplating everything then BOOM...literally.

Sorry this is a scattered collection of my random thoughts. I watched this a few hours ago then i fell asleep for a few hours so it was tough to put everything together. I liked this alot, great start to the hall of fame. Nightmare Alley next for me.

[ScarletLion]

Great list of nominations. I can't wait to get stuck in. I've seen 6 including my own nom. But I'll be re-watching most of them. I'm a huge fan of Manchester by the Sea and The Hunt.

I'm most looking forward to The Quiet Earth and The Marriage of Maria Braun

I'm like a kid in a sweet shop now. No idea what to start with.

[neiba]

Also apologies to @Titu (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=96435) , i was calling you Nebu both in the first post and the mention until i noticed it earlier :facepalm: It's probably @neiba (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=85193) fault, he's all i can think about :p

Damn Camo, you make me blush... :blush::blush::blush:

:licklips::randy::randy:

[MovieMeditation]

I'm not participating but as always I'll just give some quick thoughts on the nominees. :up: I've seen 9 of the movies...

Buffalo '66 - Yeah I know about it. Vincent Gallo's most praised picture I would assume. I'm interested in this and had I participated I would've looked forward to it

Dead Poet's Society - Sentimental and cliché but still good and Robin is a lot of the reason why

Manchester by the Sea - Glad to see this nominated. My favourite film of last year. I loved it. As a critic this is one of only three films I have ever given full house to (on the Danish scale)

Dances With Wolves - Only seen the extended version and while long indeed I was never what you would call bored. Great epic and I'll look forward to seeing the theatrical version some day too

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring - I owe this one a revisit some day... but I still liked it just fine the first time around. Maybe it was a little too "predictable" and "cliché" in the way that it played out because of its very structured concept and forced fundament. But a nice movie and interesting experiment.

The Marriage of Maria Braun - Never heard of it but it sounds great!

The Three Musketeers - Never really had any interest in these old adaptions of the story, but it could be interesting.

Captain Fantastic - This was good and Viggo was awesome - probably one of his most personal and honest roles. I liked the idea, I liked the story but the execution was not as good as I hoped. This was merely a good film but I expected it to be either really good or even great.

The Hunt - Local masterpiece. One of the few Danish films that comes through once in a while and is actually amazing. Great and heartbreaking and depressing little film.

The Great Dictator - One of Chaplin's very best. Maybe his best. His transition into talkies was god damn flawless.

The Broken Circle Breakdown - One of those low budget indie flicks that everybody loved upon release but I found it to be meh... I loved the concept but the execution was too obvious and predictable and it annoyed me...

Nightmare Alley - Never heard of it

Forbidden Games - Never heard of it.

The Intouchables - The essential feel good movie. Such a very human and touching story. Great fun and sentimental while keeping it real.

The Quiet Earth - Never heard of it.

Wings of Desire - Really want to see this. Sounds great!

[ScarletLion]

Which 5 other than your nom out of interest?

Dead poets, Manchester, Dances with wolves, The Hunt and Captain Fantastic.

My nom certainly won't be for everyone, but then as long as 1 person enjoys it I will feel ok.

[MovieMeditation]

What are the other two?
Boyhood and Whiplash.

Obviously I've seen plenty of full house features since I started, but if we are only counting those movies I went to press screenings for and reviewed on the Danish website then that's it...

[Titu]

Also apologies to Titu , i was calling you Nebu both in the first post and the mention until i noticed it earlier :facepalm: It's probably neiba fault, he's all i can think about :p

:bawling:
https://media.giphy.com/media/d2W7eZX5z62ziqdi/giphy.gif

No just kidding ;). It's no big deal

[Sarge]

The instructions seem to have gone.

So I just watch each of these films and review and rate them by August right?

Do I post my reviews on this thread?

[Titu]

When sending the ranked list at the end should we include our own nomination or not?

[Titu]

When sending the ranked list at the end should we include our own nomination or not?

Yep include your own nomination.:up:

[Sarge]

Starting with 'Buffalo 66' right now. 👍

[jiraffejustin]

Interesting hof stat:

The last seven numbered winners have been English language films. In the first five numbered hofs we had six hof winners, due to a tie, and three of those were non-English language films. So, we went from 3/6 to 0/7. Big drop off from foreign language winners. That's not necessarily a good or bad thing, but it is kind of weird. Any thoughts on why this happened?

[jiraffejustin]

I think my numbers are off, btw. I think it was 4/6 and 1/8. Someone fact check me please. I'm on my phone and I am too lazy.

[jiraffejustin]

Thanks Camo :up:

[Thursday Next]

Not playing for real, but here are my thoughts on the ones I have seen:


Dead Poets Society

Not really a fan. There just seems something so cliched about the whole 'inspirational teacher who gets through to kids but is kept down by the establishment' thing. Not one of Peter Weir's best in my book.

Wings of Desire

I think this is a fantastic film, but possibly a hard sell for a hall of fame. It took me three attempts to get into it, and even as a fan I will say that there are parts of it that have a soporific effect :D . But it is thought-provoking as well as gorgeous to look at.

Forbidden Games

I love this film! I was disappointed that it didn't make the fifties list. It is directed by Rene Clement, who also directed Plein Soleil (for those of you who were in the fifth hall of fame). It looks great and the story of loss in world war ii is really touching without being schmaltzy.

Dances With Wolves

I don't remember a lot about this, besides it being long and having lots of scenery, but I remember quite liking it.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter....and Spring.

Not a fan of this one at all. Heavy handed and full of animal cruelty. Looking forward to Miss Vicky's review of this one :rotfl:


I would quite like to see The Quiet Earth, Intouchables, The Hunt and the Marriage of Maria Braun, so I'll keep an eye out for those and post here if I get round to them!

[Jeff Costello]

Not playing for real, but here are my thoughts on the ones I have seen:


Dead Poets Society

Not really a fan. There just seems something so cliched about the whole 'inspirational teacher who gets through to kids but is kept down by the establishment' thing. Not one of Peter Weir's best in my book.

Wings of Desire

I think this is a fantastic film, but possibly a hard sell for a hall of fame. It took me three attempts to get into it, and even as a fan I will say that there are parts of it that have a soporific effect :D . But it is thought-provoking as well as gorgeous to look at.

Forbidden Games

I love this film! I was disappointed that it didn't make the fifties list. It is directed by Rene Clement, who also directed Plein Soleil (for those of you who were in the fifth hall of fame). It looks great and the story of loss in world war ii is really touching without being schmaltzy.

Dances With Wolves

I don't remember a lot about this, besides it being long and having lots of scenery, but I remember quite liking it.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter....and Spring.

Not a fan of this one at all. Heavy handed and full of animal cruelty. Looking forward to Miss Vicky's review of this one :rotfl:


I would quite like to see The Quiet Earth, Intouchables, The Hunt and the Marriage of Maria Braun, so I'll keep an eye out for those and post here if I get round to them!

Plein Soleil is an outstanding film, with a top notch cinematography and a chilling performance by Delon.

Glad to hear it was nominated at some point.

[Dani8]

Captain Fantastic - This was good and Viggo was awesome - probably one of his most personal and honest roles. I liked the idea, I liked the story but the execution was as good as I hoped. This was merely a good film but I expected it to be either really good or even great.

The Hunt - Local masterpiece. One of the few Danish films that comes through once in a while and is actually amazing. Great and heartbreaking and depressing little film.

I agree to both comments, MM. I really enjoyed Captain Fantastic a lot more than I thought I would. The acting was excellent.

As for The Hunt, I've seen it a few times and each viewing leaves me curled up in the foetl position. Brilliant film but has a kick like a mule. Also superb acting, and the little girl is amzing.

[Nestorio_Miklos]

:):):)
Thanks Camo for taking care of this!

I must say these are all great nominations and I'm very enthusiastic about the HOF

Buffalo '66 - rewatch
Dead Poet's Society - rewatch but I'm actually rewatching it. I watched first half Monday.
Manchester by the Sea - rewatch - saw it just recently
Dances With Wolves - rewatch
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring - rewatch
The Marriage of Maria Braun - rewatch
The Three Musketeers - rewatch - I've seen this version like zillion times and the French one from 1961 too, and read the book of course :D
Captain Fantastic - never seen
The Hunt - rewatch
The Great Dictator - rewatch -
The Broken Circle Breakdown - never seen
Nightmare Alley - never seen
Forbidden Games - rewatch
The Intouchables - rewatch
The Quiet Earth - never seen
Wings of Desire - rewatch
:):):)

[Nestorio_Miklos]

This is so good i can't decide what picture to watch first haha👍👍👍

[Nestorio_Miklos]

Before your rewatch; did you like it? If not it's cool, you'll break my heart but i'll live haha.

i actually did like it. And i liked Ricci in it too. :D That's probably only Gallo's picture I like, not that he did many:)

[Dani8]

Oh *****. I didn't even think about that. I'm not dumb just sheltered i think but i always assumed or at least hoped that was somehow fake.

Is it actual animl cruelty? I've never heard of that movie.

[Miss Vicky]

Is it actual animl cruelty? I've never heard of that movie.

It's real and the director has quite a history of torturing animals in the name of "art."

[Dani8]

Is it actual animl cruelty? I've never heard of that movie.

It's real and the director has quite a history of torturing animals in the name of "art."
I don't find anything about torture either animal or human artistic but I'm OK with cams explanation.

[Miss Vicky]

Is it all real? I know that doesn't make a difference but there's a quite major thing that i read wasn't real and even if he has a name for that i see no reason why he'd make this part real.

I don't know if it is all real. I watched some clips from it on YouTube and what I saw was most definitely real.

[Nestorio_Miklos]

I really hate Gallo as a person as i've said alot already, he's pretty amazing in this though. Probably partially because he is an a-hole for the majority of the film. Hope you still like it/like it more.

You've seen 12/16? Damn, think that may be the most someone has seen going into one of these hall of fames Hope you enjoy and reconnect with a few, appreciate a few more, etc.

you've motivated me and i've just decided to watch your nom first. to honour the host haha :)

[Miss Vicky]

I've made that exact italicized point multiple times now to you and others, c'mon now. i'm not saying it's better that it wasn't more severe, i'm just saying that it wasn't more severe.

Like I said, I'm going to watch it all. But it's not possible for me to go in with an unbiased opinion. I'll be going into it with a feeling of disgust and it'll basically take a miracle for it to change that into anything remotely positive.

[Sarge]

:up:

Sarge is off watching it now, bet he hates it haha.

Got 20 mins in and had to stop...

...because we had visitors. :D

Will get back to it in an hour or so.

[Nestorio_Miklos]

Got 20 mins in and had to stop...

...because we had visitors. :D

Will get back to it in an hour or so.

just tell them to join you watching :D

[Sarge]

just tell them to join you watching :D

:D

They are the kind that would talk through it.

:mad:

[Miss Vicky]

Anyway, I'm taking a break for lunch, but I've watched most of Captain Fantastic so I should have a write-up for that later today.

[Sarge]

Best 20 mins of a film you've ever seen of course :cool:

I never judge a film by it's first 20 minutes :D

[Clazor]

Buffalo '66 (Vincent Gallo, 1998)
Nominated by Camo
Haven't seen it

Dead Poet's Society (Peter Weir, 1989)
Nominated By Sarge
Haven't seen it, but have enjoyed everything else by Williams (including most recently The World According to Garp, which was amazing!)

Manchester By The Sea (Kenneth Lonergan, 2016)
Nominated By Raul
The first HoF nom I'll actually have to go to the cinema to watch, as it hasn't been released here yet. A local arthouse cinema's showing it on monday, so I guess that's my chance.

Dances With Wolves (Kevin Costner, 1990)
Nominated by Miss Vicky
Seen and owned, though I've ever only seen it once, several years ago. Remember liking it then, so I guess a rewatch won't hurt.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring (Kim Ki-Duk, 2003)
Nominated By Nestorio
Have seen it on some lists, but never been sufficiently curious to discover what it is. The comment about animal cruelty has brought it down a few pegs for me allready, but I will try to keep an open mind going forward.

The Marriage of Maria Braun (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1979)
Nominated By Cricket
Recognize the name of the director, but little else. Not even sure if I've seen any of his movies, but it does look interesting.

The Three Musketeers (Richard Lester, 1973)
Nominated By Edarsenal
Aha, bringing out the big guns here I see, Ed. No joke, after we discussed our favourite adaptations of this story, I found both of these movies a few days later in my movie shop. More or less shrugged my shoulders and thought 'what the heck'. Bought them both on the spot and put them in my unseen pile. They still remain there, but now I guess I've got no excuse.

Captain Fantastic (Matt Ross, 2016)
Nominated By PussyGalore
Been wanting to see this since I first heard about it. Mortensen is always a interesting watch, and I liked this setup. Looking forward to this one.

The Hunt (Thomas Vinterberg, 2012)
Nominated By Neiba
Haven't seen this, looks interesting. As with Mortensen, Mikkelsen is always an entertaining watch (excluding Valhalla Rising, what in the everloving f***?)

The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin, 1940)
Nominated By SilentVamp
Was supposed to watch this for a film class when I was in high school, but missed it. Was supposed to write a paper on it too, but didn't do that either. Still came away with an A in that class. I guess it's time to make up for being lazy.

The Broken Circle Breakdown (Felix Van Groeningen, 2012)
Nominated By ScarlettLion
Haven't heard of this one.

Nightmare Alley (Edmund Goulding, 1947)
Nominated By Citizen Rules
Haven't heard of this either, but if you say it contains magic, then it has piqued my interest. Practical or actual magic?

Forbidden Games (Rene Clement, 1952)
Nominated By Jeff Costello
Don't know anything about this one

The Intouchables (Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano, 2012)
Nominated By Nebu
Funny and charming, and totally they way I'd pick a assistant if I were in his shoes. (in his chair?) Highly entertaining and I'm looking forward to the rewatch

The Quiet Earth (Goeff Murphy, 1985)
Nominated By Clazor
I think I've taken the lead in the chategory "least people have heard of" for this HoF. Don't think I've read that anyone has actually seen this, and only one that was aware of it before. I take this to mean that I've stumbled across a hidden gem that everyone will like and will go on to win this HoF! ;)

It was a toss up for me between this and three other noms. In the end, as I said, it came down to a hat and a blind draw. Looking at it now, I'm so glad I pulled this one. I stumbled across this in my pursuit for sci-fi movies to watch for the top 100 countdown, and in the end it made my list. Hopefully some of you will actually find this to be worth your time.

Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders, 1987)
Nominated By Cosmic
Heard of this, but haven't seen it. As previously stated by Ed, I've liked what movies Cosmic has nominated before, so I'm sure I'll like this one too.

[Citizen Rules]

Nightmare Alley (Edmund Goulding, 1947)
Nominated By Citizen Rules
Haven't heard of this either, but if you say it contains magic, then it has piqued my interest. Practical or actual magic?Carnival magic;)

[rauldc14]

I'm going to kick this off with Three Musketeers. That will probably happen on Friday.

[edarsenal]

Carnival magic;)

CARNIVAL magic, ya say. Curiouser and Curiouser!!

Hope ya enjoy Three Musketeers, Raul!

NO IDEA WHICH movie to start on, for me. SO MANY GREAT CHOICES AAAAAH

[edarsenal]

second best, after you, my friend! ;)
Camo Wanted to comment on your reviews but nearly all of them are ones I haven't seen and since you have a great perspective on films It's almost a two edged blade when seeing something I haven't yet. Depending on how much I would like or not want to know when going in. So I do quick glances and comeback later to delve in more deeply to appreciate the insight.

Buffalo, as I stated, I saw only once when it first came out, so, as I was reading I realized I needed to stop and wait.
I'm also one of those that are bias about Dead Poets so I happily enjoyed reading that one and appreciated your views on it.
I'm curious to pick your brain on Hawke's character standing in front of the class and spouting poetry with his eyes closed and how it made you cringe. It always struck me as one of those "moments of improv" that can be quite exciting.
So, I'd love to hear a little more in depth, if you'd wish to share.

[edarsenal]

i think I missed something. . .

which part caused the angry face?

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/captainfantastic.gif

Captain Fantastic (Matt Ross, 2016)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3553976/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 04/12/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 13th HOF, Pussy Galore's Nomination
Rewatch: No.

I'd never heard of this movie before its nomination in the Hall of Fame and going in I must admit the poster had me kind of worried. The vivid colors and quirky looking people had me concerned this might be a Wes Anderson-esque experience.

Thankfully it wasn't that, but the story it told and its eccentric characters were pretty unlike anything I've seen. However, like a Wes Anderson film, I struggled to connect with the characters - though not because they were stilted like those in Anderson's films. There was definitely a sense of genuine emotion and humanity with them, but I found Viggo Mortensen's patriarch Ben in particular to be pretty damn unlikable for most of the movie. He did eventually redeem himself but by that time I still cared very little for him. I also found the children to be mostly irritating, perhaps with the exception of Rellion, who was the only one to question his father's methods. Ben's in-laws were not especially likable either, but I found myself siding with the father in-law over the film's main conflict.

But, characters aside, the story was good. I did find Ben's viewpoint on life and on the raising of children to be interesting and some aspects of his philosophy definitely had merit. I also liked the way the clash between Ben's idealism and the reality of society was presented, particularly in Bodevan's struggles to interact with regular people. There were also some genuinely heartfelt and funny scenes but ultimately, while still good, Captain Fantastic did not grab me in the way a film like this should.


3+

[Jeff Costello]

Just finished with my 4th viewing of "The Intouchables" ... I'll post a write-up soon.

[ScarletLion]

'The Quiet Earth' (1985)

http://i.imgur.com/SsBa8E0.jpg

I had this film ready to go last week, so was happy when I saw it nominated for the HoF. It's the type of sci-fi film I tend to enjoy these days; cerebral, no monsters / aliens / long action sequences, very ambiguous and with a massive dose of mystery. Zac wakes to find himself alone in the world, and we follow his travails across New Zealand as he searches for answers to why the earth is like it is, what caused it, and what can be done to help.

It felt like a long TV episode that Lost, Last Man on Earth and The Outer Limits were based on. And that's a compliment. The movie is dated and the acting sometimes falls below par - that has to be said, and the "effects" are obviously of the time, but it's easy to look past that because the viewer is concentrating on the mystery element, which never leaves us right from minute 1. We are thrust into this eerie world knowing that there is some sort of other worldly explanation. Whether we finally find that out at the very end is not clear.

I took the meaning of the film to be one of existentialism and the value of human relationships and in particular the patriarchal nature of society. But you could equally see that the film can be dissected as a study of religion. Are they in purgatory? Does Zac enter heaven (or hell) at the very end? It's up to you.

[I also couldn't stop thinking that Api resembled a Maori version of Lionel Ritchie. But whatever.]



It's a very interesting movie and one which I'd recommend despite not having the best cast.

The score by John Charles is also fantastic.

I'd give it 7.5/10

[Sarge]

http://www.impawards.com/1998/posters/buffalo_sixty_six_ver1.jpg

Buffalo 66

Release date: 2 October 1998
Director: Vincent Gallo
Cinematography: Lance Acord
Screenplay: Vincent Gallo, Alison Bagnall

I had never heard of this film before the nomination to this HoF.
I knew that Vincent Gallo is a controversial figure, but wasn't fully sure why, and chose not to research this until after I had viewed the film, so that I could judge the film on it's own merits.

From the opening scene of this film I loved the cinematography and that continued for the full length of the film.
As I knew so little about this film, I was also really intrigued to see what story would unfold.
The film starts with Billy Brown leaving prison and making his way home. He is also looking for a toilet/bathroom. The search for a toilet leads to Billy seeing an opportunity to make a lie seem true, and sets the story into motion.

http://cineplex.media.baselineresearch.com/images/76203/76203_full.jpg

What I liked

Cinematography - As I have said, I loved the way the film was shot. It was very classy and somehow gave a greater sense of realism to the film for me.
The colour palette and composition are an outstanding feature of this film. It was Lance Acords feature debut and it was breathtaking.
Acting - As I said, I had never heard of this film before the nomination and had chosen not to read anything about it before viewing. Therefore I didn't realise that Gallo was the lead until after I had watched it. In my opinion he was superb. He portrayed a deeply complex and affected young man superbly. I disliked the character and cared deeply for him in equal measure, and that is a credit to the acting. I didn't realise Ricci was in this until she appeared on screen and was pleasantly surprised, as I am a fan of her work and consider her to be a seriously under rated actress. She was once again excellent.
The quality of acting from the two leads, gave the film a greater authority and sense of realism.
Characters- The two lead characters were multi layered and beautifully complex. That was true of the supporting characters too. They were all so weird and eccentric that it made them feel more real and sincere.
Screenplay - This was a really well written story the character of Billy Brown was initially easy to dislike but a glimpse into his past and to his family gave an understanding of that, which then led my to sympathy and pity.


http://sensanostra.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/large_buffalo_66_blu-ray_x01.jpg


https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e9/dd/f9/e9ddf916242635746922011b07ff0544.jpg


What could have been better

I am not sure a lot could have been done better. The flashback sequences were a bit weird as they blocked in.
There was little background to Ricci's character, but I would assume that was intentional as the focus was on Billy.
I fluctuated between thinking that the story was really believable and utterly ridiculous and still don't know where I ultimately landed.


Summary

I really enjoyed this film. I wasn't sure that I would and neither was Camo.
Well, I say enjoyed, but I mean I appreciated it's quality throughout and then the last 5 minutes led to it being a film that i 'enjoyed'.
It is a very raw and sincere film that has a sensitivity to it.
Overall, I think it is a great piece of work with a genuine undercurrent of complexity to the characters.


3.5

[ScarletLion]

'Manchester by the Sea'

This is the review I gave after watching it at the time. My feelings are still the same on re-watch.

http://i.imgur.com/cH5hPdD.jpg

Once in a while, a film will make you shake yourself down, and it will take hours maybe even a couple of days to get your real self back. This is one of them.

From the very first minutes, Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams and the rest of the cast just transport you into their world. So much so that you feel like you're sitting in the corner of the room just watching them go about their daily business.

It's one of those movies that you think you are done with the grit in your eye - then a larger piece of grit appears. Then an even larger one. At the end of the movie I was reduced to a wreck and just felt like curling up in the fetal position for a few hours.

Some may question why one would want to experience this feeling. But the answer is for me at least, it is a cinematic emotion that I so rarely go through, that I know, when I have it - I have just seen something and experienced something that very few other movies have made me experience. This film conjured up memories of watching 'Dear Zachary' (a devastating documentary) and 'Blue Valentine' (another Michelle Williams movie).

What we learn about the characters in this movie is tragic. The first half is a journey into why Casey Affleck's character Lee Chandler is so aloof, distant and angry. When the reveal comes you begin to wonder what the movie has left to tell us. But the manner in which it resolves (or doesn't) the plots and subplots is masterful. Kenneth Lonergan has simply created a masterpiece of drama that is up there with the very best American dramas of the decade. He truly is a master script writer, a wonderful director and even appears in this film himself.

The scene in which Williams and Affleck meet towards the end of the movie just has to be seen to be believed. The dialogue, the mannerisms and the circumstances all meet to create one perfect storm of bubbling, weepy, tearful masterwork that has to go down as one of the most heart-wrenchingly brilliant scenes in recent cinema.

The movie is so achingly brilliant that in the days after watching, not only did I not stop thinking about it for almost every waking moment, but I also had doubts whether I would again ever feel the same way about another movie. I am sure I will, but I would guess not for a long time. This movie will stand the test of time as a masterpiece of modern drama. Was it oscar-bait? Maybe but I got snagged on the hook and I couldn't care less. 10 out of 10.

[rauldc14]

I couldn't say it any better, Scarlet. Thanks for that write up.

[cricket]

The Three Musketeers

http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/TheThreeMusketeers099.jpg

3.5-

I had said somewhere that I hadn't seen this movie in about 30 years. It was probably more like 35 plus years. I remembered loving it as a kid, but I could only remember sporadic images from the movie. I picked it randomly out of all the nominations to watch last night. If I had put any thought into it, it probably would have been best to watch it somewhere in the middle of the other nominations. It's a lighthearted movie compared to the others, and it would have been a good break from the more serious movies that are leftover. My taste is obviously very different from when I saw this as a kid, and that was a big concern for me as I now prefer darker movies. I'm also not a big fan of costume type flicks.

This movie starts out strong and then is well paced throughout. Even if it's not my normal type of humor, I thought there were consistent laughs, although there were moments that felt silly. There's also plenty of action. I thought Oliver Reed and Michael York were the standouts of a pretty deep cast. Reed is always someone I enjoy watching while I'm less familiar with York. Raquel Welch and Faye Dunaway both looked terrific. The sets and costumes all look good, and the musical score was appropriate and effective. It's not the kind of movie I love anymore, but it's entertaining and well done at the very least. I think it's a movie that's hard not to enjoy to some degree.

[rauldc14]

Talking about the best HOFs we had, I would certainly opt for the 4th and 5th. I thought the 11th was perhaps the weakest. From top to bottom, anyways.

[Clazor]

'The Quiet Earth' (1985)

Glad you liked it, Scarlet.

I actually liked the actors throughout the movie, but I get what you're saying. I believe it's a first time acting job for both "Maori Little Richard" and the female co-star, but the guy playing Zac was awesome. He has this subtle shift going as he slowly loses touch with reality and the lonlieness gets to him. A really well done performance.

[Jeff Costello]

The Intouchables

I was really happy to see "The Intouchables" nominated for this HoF. Now I've seen it 3 times before, but I still decided it to watch it ,and I ended up really enjoying it once again. I believe that's a true testament to how enjoyable and entertaining this film is, that it holds so well after so many watches. The film tells a simple story about a young unemployed man, with a criminal record named Driss, who ends up being a care giver to a wealthy quadriplegic Phillipe. But the thing is Driss is nothing like people, Phillipe's surrounded with. He's loud, vulgar and hyperactive, however Phillipe enjoys his company, because he's the only one who doesn't pity him and he ultimately proves to be pretty good at caring for Phillipe.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYmJjMmM3NDgtOTIxMy00YzJkLTlkYmEtNjI1YmRkM2UyYjA5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTc3MjUzNTI@._V1_.jpg

The main assets of this film, which made me return to it so many times are its humour and lightheartedness. Literally every scene with Driss and Phillipe is a comedy gold. I like how their characters are total opposites, with an entirely different upbringings and cultural backrounds. You have Driss on one side, who listens to Earth&Wind&Fire and Phillipe on the other, who enjoys classical pieces. Yet, they mash together so well. Truly one of the most unique and beautiful friendships ever put on screen.

Despite being comical, "The Intouchables" is a very moving and uplifting fim aswell, with a great inspirational message.

In the end , this film may not possess the biggest emotional prowess or the most complex plotline and it can be a bit sentimental and cliche at times, but if there's one thing I'm sure it possesses ; is the ability to put a smile on the viewer's face, with its incredibly human story.

[edarsenal]

And we are off and running with a number of reviews!! VERY nice!
Miss Vicky Got a lot of respect for your straight-forward reviews and glad to hear a little bit about this movie.

ScarletLion Can't remember if I've ever read any of your reviews so it's kinda cool to do so now. Got a kick out of some of your descriptive writing "It's one of those movies that you think you are done with the grit in your eye - then a larger piece of grit appears." for Manchester.
Also enjoyed The Quiet Earth; I've enjoyed a lot of Clazor's picks so far. They have a great quirky, off-center feel to them and this looks to be another such movie. Thanks for the insight!

Sarge good solid pro & con of Buffalo 66. Scarcely remember this one since it came out and with yours and Camo's review little snippets are beginning to come back to me.

cricket You do me honor. Considering the movies you enjoy watching, I wasn't sure if this was going to work for you.
"It's not the kind of movie I love anymore, but it's entertaining and well done at the very least. I think it's a movie that's hard not to enjoy to some degree."
And I take that as a compliment, thank you.

Jeff Costello I've popped in and out of your review thread and very happy to see you reviewing one that that has been on my radar for movies I've been wanting to see. Even more happy to hear that it delivers on the points that got me curious about it in the first place.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/springsummer.gif

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom) (Kim Ki-Duk, 2003)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374546/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 04/13/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 13th HOF, Nestorio_Miklos's Nomination
Rewatch: No.

Potential Spoilers Ahead

Full disclosure: I did not go into this film with an open mind. Before watching it, I was made aware that it contained actual animal cruelty and I went into it fully expecting to be disgusted by it. Before watching the film, I also did a bit of research and discovered that the actual torture of animals is common in Kim Ki-Duk's films. I also found a video montage of various scenes of cruelty from those films, which included some scenes from Spring, Summer that were not included in the cut of the film that I watched. Here's the link for that video (Contains graphic, potentially disturbing content): https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CrA4BIGlvqg

The film attempts to convey the concepts of cruelty, lust, guilt, anger, and rebirth. Unfortunately, not all of these concepts are handled with much subtlety and the idea of cruelty and guilt in particular were hammered in ad nauseum. This is especially true of those scenes of animal torture that I was warned about, which are shown in the beginning and then repeated later in the film - intercut with scenes of the central character inflicting similar punishment upon himself, as if we the audience couldn't make the connection on our own and needed the heavy-handed reminder. :rolleyes:

As to the nature of that brutality, let me spell it out: a child is shown torturing a fish, a frog, and a snake by tightly tying them to stones and laughing with delight as they struggle to move. Later the fish and snake are shown dead and the frog is shown still struggling. More sickening still are the scenes that were cut from the American release of the film, which is the version I watched. The American cut shows a second child tormenting a turtle by rolling it around and poking at it, merely hinting at this child's cruel nature. But the version seen elsewhere shows that child wedging rocks into the mouths of a fish, a snake, and a frog while gleefully laughing at their suffering. We see the frog - an air-breathing creature - upside down in the water, its head pulled down from the weight of the stone, kicking in a vain attempt to free itself from the object that will otherwise drown it.

While it is, of course, unclear whether the dead animals were in fact the same as those shown being abused or if they were killed specifically for the film, it is apparent that the director has little regard for the lives and safety of the animals he uses, despite the message of the film he created. And given his history of torturing and killing these kinds of animals in other films, I can only assume that he is responsible for these deaths as well.

That said, the film is not without its strengths. The cinematography is beautiful, the performances are strong, and the concept is admirable (though the execution is not). But frankly I don't give a s*** about what Spring, Summer does right, because what it does wrong is completely unnecessary and unacceptable.

1-

[rauldc14]

Ratings wise, for the first viewing we weren't far off MV.

[CosmicRunaway]

A lot of great write-ups already! I only skimmed through the ones for films I haven't seen yet to avoid spoilers, but I'll go back and read them fully once I have seen the films in question.

I don't know what I'd like to watch first. Possibly Captain Fantastic or The Hunt. I plan to have at least one of those films plus a write-up for either Manchester by the Sea or The Great Dictator posted by the end of the weekend.

[ScarletLion]

'Buffalo '66'

http://i.imgur.com/pQuk3Rp.jpg

This is a simple movie done very well. I'd not really heard much about Vincent Gallo other than his appearance in 'Essential Killing' and never heard of this movie before this week, but he sure is one talented guy. Music, direction, script and lead character all in one. At it's heart, this is a character driven chamber piece exploring the mind of a troubled, unloved rogue terrified of women and commitment due to the harsh dysfunctional upbringing experienced. But it's also a very beautiful portrayal of love, performed through some improvised dialogue (presumably?) with a huge pay off in the third act.

2 huge performances from Gallo and Ricci, together with some lovely lighting make it quite a memorable drama. I'd say that a few of the scenes didn't work with the score - at one point there was an almost noir piece of music for the scene in the motel which I thought was misplaced.

But overall it's a gem which I'm delighted to have found. A solid 7.5/10

[rauldc14]

The Three Musketeers

http://rarefilm.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/The-Three-Musketeers-1973-4.jpg

Let it be known that I am not very well versed in the history of the story of the Three Musketeers. Perhaps that is why I had such a hard time with it. I feel that the movie tried to overblend comedy with the action. I actually found a lot of the jokes to be funny. But it really lessened how I felt about the action sequences, which came off as pure cheese. Like when the storage chest flipped over and his hand got stuck in it, I rolled my eyes a bit. Same with when the polar bear ended up saving him. Was this what they were actually going for? Probably, but it's usually something that I have a hard time going for, especially with something that comes off as a fairytale historical piece.

I liked the sets and I did like a majority of the cast. I thought the costumes were well done and they gave the film a nice period piece feel. It's the story that is the big problem for me. I think it is half on me and half on the structure of the film. If I had to guess correctly this is one of those films that nostalgia really is needed to love, could be wrong about that. Either way, it was nice to finally see a Musketeers film even if it didn't really work for me.

2

[SilentVamp]

I will be starting this a lot sooner than I anticipated. Here I said that I would have to wait awhile for Manchester By the Sea, but it came into the library already. I picked it up today. And as there are many requests on it, I won't be able to renew it. So this will be watched within the next few days.

[edarsenal]

this is one time when spoilers is helpful in preparation for this movie, thanks, Vicky!

And one more strong review from Scarlet - very nice

and thanks Raul for posting your thoughts; the sets and the costumes are pretty incredible and the mix of comedic and serious action won't be for everyone and like with anything, it'll work for you or it won't. :)

[Citizen Rules]

I'm waiting for my movies to come into my library, so no reviews for me until the beginning of next week.

[edarsenal]

I'm waiting on Wings of Desire and Intouchables from my library, should be getting them by Monday

[rauldc14]

I'm going to get to Nightmare Alley tonight!

[edarsenal]

I'm going to get to Nightmare Alley tonight!

read up a little on that one, it actually sounds familiar, looking forward to hearing what ya have to say about it

[rauldc14]

Nightmare Alley Potential Spoilers

http://www.midnightonly.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/nightmare-alley-12.jpg

A nice little change up from a typical film noir. I hadn't even heard of this film prior to seeing it nominated here, and that's quite surprising giving how solid it was. I liked the setting of the carnival and I liked the set up to how we are introduced to the characters. Zeena is the lead to her show with her sidekick Stanton and an even lesser sidekick Molly. But it all changes once Pete (Zeenas husband) drinks the wrong bottle of moonshine and dies. Eventually Stanton is kicked out as he and Molly have become an item.

Stanton's past haunts him as he regrets what he did to Pete. Stanton is played brilliantly by Tyrone Power, who was also excellent in Witness for the Prosecution. He is surely the acting highlight of the film. But I really, really liked Coleen Gray (who apparently I've seen in other stuff but just didn't think too much of her). Joan Blondell and Helen Walker give great performances as well. It's the performances that make the film flow real well and keep it interesting.

My favorite part was when Molly attempted to ask as a ghost as Grindles wife, but then we see the scene take an unexpected turn. I thought that was really well done and a standout piece for me.

I go back and forth on how I liked the ending. Acting wise it was well done, but story wise I think it could have been done more effectively. Perhaps seeing it again would change my opinion but I was quite impressed overall with the film. I think it does good but not great overall in this HOF. I'm glad it was nominated as it's definitely looking like it's criminally underseen yet it's respected by many online reviewers.

3.5+

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/thegreatdictator.gif

The Great Dictator (Charles Chaplin, 1940)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032553/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 04/14/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 13th HOF, Silent Vamp's Nomination
Rewatch: No.

Charlie Chaplin was a man of great skill and - as the film's writer, director, and star - his skills were on full display here. The concept of The Great Dictator is quite brilliant, the film itself looked great, and the timing and physicality of Chaplin's dual performances are very impressive.

That said, I had a tough time with this one. While some of the gags nearly brought a smile to my face, most of them - like those in the other Chaplin films I've seen - simply fell flat for me. This isn't really the fault of the film, though. I can definitely see how someone who appreciates slapstick/physical comedy would enjoy the film, but that type of comedy just doesn't appeal to me. Making matters worse, the repetition of some of these gags made the film's two hour run time feel considerably longer and at times I struggled to engage. However, the situation improved considerably by the film's final scene. And it's mostly for that scene that I give The Great Dictator a favorable rating. The barber's speech was poignant, moving, and still relevant all these many years later.

3.5-

[Nestorio_Miklos]

Buffalo '66


Vincent Gallo is to me this unkempt type of guy with danger radiating from his eyes. He looks like a guy who likes to stir problems. Buffalo '66 is also kind of unkempt film but in a good way. I really like the feature and this was my fourth watch. It is very real and unusual at the same time. I mean Billy desperately looking for a washroom finding himself in a dance school. Then calling his parents and Layla just came in handy so he simply kidnaps her to pretend to be his wife. I love the way how Gallo manages to describe his life story, his character, and relationship with his parents, his traumas, pains in 24-hour-story.

http://i.imgur.com/7FIjf4x.png
I love that change from a guy full of anger to this gentle guy who manages to smile and finally be nice. I like cinematography, camera, flashback sequences, score, plot, acting and Gallo showed an interesting way to meet girls haha. This is one complete piece of cinema and there is nothing to add or remove, it’s perfect as is.
Great nom Camo!

[Sarge]

Caught up with the reviews, great start guys :up:

ScarletLion Sarge So glad you guys liked my nom :up:. Good reviews.

Won't be able to watch anything tonight as it's late here, but i'll be watching Nightmare Alley tomorrow.

And you thought that I would hate it.

First ever HoF viewing and I enjoyed it. Bar set high. Will get round to another one today.

[Jeff Costello]

I'm watching Ed's nomination tonight !

[rauldc14]

I'm going to aim for CosmicRunway's nomination today. No guarantees though.

[Nestorio_Miklos]

Dead Poets Society

I saw it first time back in 90s and I wonder why I’ve never revisited this feature again. Well, I guess because something just wasn’t fitting in the story. I mean it all started very good. New school year begins and there he is Mr Keating, cool new English teacher with his unconventional methods who teaches his students to think for themselves, to think freely. And they are indeed inspired starting Dead Poets Society, searching their true feelings, searching their true talents, becoming more opened, breaking down that shell of conventionality. Up until now everything was great but then all those unreal twists arrived.
http://i.imgur.com/up5eh7P.jpg
Like Neil’s father getting all upset about Neil taking part in a play even though he’s got straight A’s. for me this was unreal. All that sternness of his father. It was overdone. Subsequently Neil’s suicide was also unreal for how the movie’s mood was set. Also Richard suddenly ratting out Mr Keating. I mean it was real, he just wanted to save his skin however he was overly convinced about Keating being responsible for Neil's suicide. It was unreal to me. It was like a coat with so many holes and someone would sew all kinds of colourful patches that don’t fit any more. Even that scene Mr Nolan striking, I think Knox, with that cricket bat was unreal to me. I thought he would yell at him or put him to suspension or similar. It just didn’t fit there.

But hey, if the movie didn’t work for me it doesn’t mean it is a bad movie. If only one person from hundred was inspired and it’s changed their life then it works and the movie has its purpose.:):):):up::up::up:

[Nestorio_Miklos]

Glad you still liked Buffalo '66 Nestorio, great review :up:

Your "I love that change from a guy full of anger to this gentle guy who manages to smile and finally be nice." line is exactly it. I adored the ending.
yeah, i was so relieved. i actually laughed when he was saying "easy easy easy" , nothing funny about that i was only glad he was finally happy :) i think this feature matures well.

[Jeff Costello]

The Three Musketeers

As it turned out, this was actually my first time seeing this film and I must admit, it was a great goofy fun. The old Victorian charm and humour were really amplified, and eventough some jokes were funnier than the rest, the film in general was hysterical and I had several laugh out loud moments, throughout its course. The rich and talented cast was fully mobilized and most of them really strived in their comedic roles. My favourite performance was by Jean-Pierre Cassel, who really excelled as a clueless King Louis VII. But not too much behind him was Michael York, with his enthusiastic and energetic performance, as a young, naive and ambitous D'Artagnan.

http://www.davidmullenasc.com/musketeers4.jpg

The costumography was top notch , as well as the nice rustical and authentic settings. Film's fast pace appealed to me greatly, as there was literally not a single boring moment and I was really enjoying it every second. I also liked how the film captured perfect blend of adventure, romance and battle scenes. The same battle scenes were my favourites. They were well choreographed and entertaining. I particularly liked how the sword fights were made, as a delicate and calculated game, with lots of swift and unpredictable movements.

Ultimately this was a fun, fast-paced adventure flick, with a suprisingly good photography, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Great nomination Ed !

[cricket]

Nice to see that worked for you as intended. Lighthearted movies don't usually do well in the Hall of Fames. I think that movie does what it does well and just needs the right audience.

[Citizen Rules]

Agreed...comedies have a hard time in Hofs, though I'm very glad people nominate them. I almost nominated a comedy myself. I don't see a musical ever winning a main Hof.

Comedies, musicals, religious movies, extreme graphic violence, animal torture will almost always be at a disadvantage, over straight dramas in a main Hof.

[CosmicRunaway]

I just watched The Hunt. I wanted to get my write-up finished, but I didn't realize how late it was, so it looks like I'm going to be sleeping on it. Hopefully in the morning I'll have something more to say other than "children are awful, adults are worse" which is about all I have right now. :lol:

[edarsenal]

The Three Musketeers

As it turned out, this was actually my first time seeing this film and I must admit, it was a great goofy fun. The old Victorian charm and humour were really amplified, and eventough some jokes were funnier than the rest, the film in general was hysterical and I had several laugh out loud moments, throughout its course. The rich and talented cast was fully mobilized and most of them really strived in their comedic roles. My favourite performance was by Jean-Pierre Cassel, who really excelled as a clueless King Louis VII. But not too much behind him was Michael York, with his enthusiastic and energetic performance, as a young, naive and ambitous D'Artagnan.

http://www.davidmullenasc.com/musketeers4.jpg

The costumography was top notch , as well as the nice rustical and authentic settings. Film's fast pace appealed to me greatly, as there was literally not a single boring moment and I was really enjoying it every second. I also liked how the film captured perfect blend of adventure, romance and battle scenes. The same battle scenes were my favourites. They were well choreographed and entertaining. I particularly liked how the sword fights were made, as a delicate and calculated game, with lots of swift and unpredictable movements.

Ultimately this was a fun, fast-paced adventure flick, with a suprisingly good photography, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Great nomination Ed !I had a feeling this MAY be up your alley, very happy to hear that it was. The cast IS rather rich with talent. Cassel's nuances were brilliant. Like so many others in this.
And on a side note, in that photo is Geraldine Chaplin, first daughter to Charlie Chaplin's fourth wife, Oona, who stayed with Charlie for the rest of his days.
For the fights, I actually enjoyed that some aspects were more realistic, not so over the top. Specifically with Oliver Reed's Athos who fought like an ex-soldier would; what ever way works.

Nice to see that worked for you as intended. Lighthearted movies don't usually do well in the Hall of Fames. I think that movie does what it does well and just needs the right audience. Aptly put.

That's definitely true. Looking at the winners in Seans post i'd say the only film that could maybe be called lighthearted to win a general one is Empire Strikes Back. And that has hand chopping and incest revelations haha. Out of the other Hall of Fames: Beauty & The Beast and Wall-E are the only ones (i've seen) that i think come close to that and that was because they were both in Animated HOFs, and both aren't really "lighthearted". Think what i think of as lighthearted involves a decent amount of humour and that's something that is really difficult to get right for any number of random people. A Comedy HOF that works now that we've stopped arguing about this stuff for the most part would be really interesting, i think it would all be very close as more than anything in film people are divided by comedy i feel.

MoFo likes their heavy dramas is basically what any aspiring hall of fame winner should remember. LOL I'll have to keep that mind -- at some point, anyway lol

Comedy and light-hearted films ARE a tough sell with HoFs while at the same time to stop nominating them would lessened the really great diversity of these. Which, I know for a fact, no is saying. They're just a hard sell.

It is an interesting observation though.
With just about any other genre; mystery, sci-fi, drama, action, while things may work or not work for any given viewer, they'll simply focus elsewhere. For some odd reason, if a comedy DOESN'T work, I think, the viewer gets more disgruntled. We refuse to find anything, or find ourselves incapable of any attempt to find something else that is enjoyable in it.
In the Musical HoF I had trouble watching Tenacious D and since the comedic aspect didn't work, I had trouble enjoying the music or anything else in it.
Now, speaking of Y Tuma, seeing Camo mention it in a previous post; being over 50, watching horny young men made me roll my eyes. BUT, I still really enjoyed the camera work, the really beautiful landscapes, I got involved in the narration and, I was happily blown away by the final act and the understanding of what the "real message" of the movie was about.
If it was a comedy that I didn't enjoy, would I have appreciated all of that? Maybe, but the probability is marginally less.

[Dani8]

I just watched The Hunt. I wanted to get my write-up finished, but I didn't realize how late it was, so it looks like I'm going to be sleeping on it. Hopefully in the morning I'll have something more to say other than "children are awful, adults are worse" which is about all I have right now. :lol:
Looking forward to reading your review cosmic

[CosmicRunaway]

For some odd reason, if a comedy DOESN'T work, I think, the viewer gets more disgruntled. We refuse to find anything, or find ourselves incapable of any attempt to find something else that is enjoyable in it.
In the Musical HoF I had trouble watching Tenacious D and since the comedic aspect didn't work, I had trouble enjoying the music or anything else in it.
I sort of had the opposite experience with The Pick of Destiny. I liked the music so much that I was much more forgiving when some of the comedic elements didn't work for me. But I was familiar with Tenacious D before seeing the film, and also knew exactly what to expect from seeing a few clips previously.

But I agree that if a film centres around its comedic aspects, if that brand of humour doesn't work for the audience, then it's likely going to ruin the experience. It's really hard to sit through an unfunny comedy if there's nothing else to catch your attention, so it's easy to let resentment build up.

[rauldc14]

Wings of Desire

http://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/styles/full/public/image/wings-of-desire-1987-004-bruno-ganz-angel-statue-head.jpg?itok=Wwz8CJjc

Previously I had only seen Wim Wenders Paris in Texas, which I was very impressed with. I had been happy to see that this film was nominated as I wanted to get to another one of his films.

First off, the film is gorgeous. The sharp contrast in the black and white images was a real treat, and I enjoyed when it toggled back and forth between color and the black and white scenes. I really liked it especially when it did that to differentiate the point of views.

That being said, I couldn't get into the story until Damiel became human. I almost feel as if either the film was pointless up to that point, or just that the film had no real story until that occurred. I will definitely be keeping this film on my radar as far as the discussion goes in her so I can get a better idea of how to interpret it.

I thought the scene near the end was really beautiful, with Damiel and Marion getting together, that was definitely my favorite scene in the film. Perhaps after I get a better interpretation I will watch it again. It seems like a film that is deep to digest, almost like a Bergman film in a way. After the first viewing though, it was an unfortunate tough sell.

2.5+

[CosmicRunaway]

I haven't seen Wings of Desire in ages, so I definitely need to rewatch it before I can discuss it fully, but I totally agree with everything you've said Raul. There is a distinct lack of real plot for a long stretch of the film, which has a tendency to divide audiences. A lot of people have mentioned that it took them two or three viewings to really appreciate the opening parts of the film, so I'm not at all surprised by how you received it.

From what I recall, Berlin itself plays a major role in the opening act or two, with the locations telling a story that's not present in the dialogue or events. The German title of the film, Der Himmel über Berlin can mean both "the sky over Berlin" or "Heaven over Berlin", which is a wholly appropriate title in my opinion, so taking "Berlin" out of the English title really does a disservice to the setting of the film which (again, if I recall correctly) Wenders has said is integral to appreciating those early scenes.

[edarsenal]

Dead Poets Society


Like Neil’s father getting all upset about Neil taking part in a play even though he’s got straight A’s. for me this was unreal. All that sternness of his father. It was overdone. Subsequently Neil’s suicide was also unreal for how the movie’s mood was set. Also Richard suddenly ratting out Mr Keating. I mean it was real, he just wanted to save his skin however he was overly convinced about Keating being responsible for Neil's suicide. It was unreal to me. It was like a coat with so many holes and someone would sew all kinds of colourful patches that don’t fit any more. Even that scene Mr Nolan striking, I think Knox, with that cricket bat was unreal to me. I thought he would yell at him or put him to suspension or similar. It just didn’t fit there.


great lil review; wanted to try to answer a few of your questions in your spoilers
Neil's father grew up poor and worked to get the money to get his son into a school that would get him a far better life. The idea of his son doing something that was going to put him in the poor house JUST WOULD NOT do. Also, he didn't have the "words" to tell him this. He was just terrified for his son making a huge mistake and got enraged/protective.
Also, this wasn't something Neil wanted to do on the side for fun. It was what, he felt, he was born to do. And when he couldn't "be" that... well, nothing else would matter.
Richard did firmly believe if Neil simply "went along" with what he was told to do and the life that was being prepared for him, he'd still be alive. Richard Is a VERY practical and conservative person. He played it safe when he didn't follow along. Which is also why he kept his head down at the very end. The courageous act would never be him and he wasn't happy about that truth and would not change it. Hence, remaining in his chair.
And, finally, the disciplinary action was a pretty common thing during that time, but I can understand how it "didn't fit" for you.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/wingsofdesire.gif

Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin) (Wim Wenders, 1987)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093191/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 04/15/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 13th HOF, CosmicRunaway's Nomination
Rewatch: No.

Well, that was... that was something. Something that I didn't like. Something that seemed to drag on endlessly. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not necessarily against films that are quietly contemplative. When done well it can be a very moving and emotional experience. But this wasn't that. It wasn't that for me at all.

From a visual standpoint, Wings of Desire is absolutely gorgeous. Whether the scenes were in black and white or in vivid color, the images were breathtaking and evocative. I also really liked the basic concept of the film and felt there was some definite potential in it, but my praise for it really ends there.

The constant repetition of certain phrases ("When the child was a child..."), the near total lack of humor, and the endless droning of people's ridiculously melancholy thoughts combined to nearly eliminate my interest in it. I felt every damn minute of its two hour run time and actually ended up taking a break about 2/3 of the way through. I get that there is beauty in most things, including sadness and despair, but I really didn't buy that the rather narrow view of life that the film presented would be enough to ignite the angel's desire to become human. And, frankly, I found his lady love Marion to be not so much intriguing as irritating, particularly in the final scenes.

2

[Jeff Costello]

I just watched The Hunt. I wanted to get my write-up finished, but I didn't realize how late it was, so it looks like I'm going to be sleeping on it. Hopefully in the morning I'll have something more to say other than "children are awful, adults are worse" which is about all I have right now. :lol:

Curious to read your observations, Cosmic. I myself will save "The Hunt" for last, as it made me physically angry, the last time I saw it. Still a terrific film though.

[Jeff Costello]

I had a feeling this MAY be up your alley, very happy to hear that it was. The cast IS rather rich with talent. Cassel's nuances were brilliant. Like so many others in this.
And on a side note, in that photo is Geraldine Chaplin, first daughter to Charlie Chaplin's fourth wife, Oona, who stayed with Charlie for the rest of his days.
For the fights, I actually enjoyed that some aspects were more realistic, not so over the top. Specifically with Oliver Reed's Athos who fought like an ex-soldier would; what ever way works.

Interesting tidbit. I noticed the surname on the cast last, but haven't realized she was related to Charlie.

And definitely agree with the fights aspect. It was cool to see, how everyone had their own style of fighting. Like you mentioned Athos, with his scrappy and buldozing style, while d'Artagnan and Aramis fought more attractively and visually pleasing.

I also wanted to ask you about the sequel and how does it compare to this one? I think I'd like to check it out, at some point.

[Jeff Costello]

Also @edarsenal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=50536) could you do me a big favour just for this HOF even and not read peoples spoilers/reviews if you've not seen the film? It's completely up to you obviously mate but i feel if a film relies on some sort of twist you are going to read about it if you are reading everything everyone says before you watch a film and it may not work on the same level for you because of this. Even if there's no twist there's going to be central plot points people want to talk about that you shouldn't read until you've seen it IMO.

You've seen Buffalo '66 already so you know this is nothing to do with my own nomination it's just something i've felt for a while. Im genuinely considering not posting more than a spoilerless paragraph for every film and not taking part in any discussion because i think you'll read whatever i write and spoil the film for yourself.

So far, I avoided the reviews of films I haven't seen, but I plan to read&rep them all accordingly, after I finish.

Also, do we write the reviews of our own noms? Or we just discuss it with people, after they've completed it.

[Nestorio_Miklos]

great lil review; wanted to try to answer a few of your questions in your spoilers
Neil's father grew up poor and worked to get the money to get his son into a school that would get him a far better life. The idea of his son doing something that was going to put him in the poor house JUST WOULD NOT do. Also, he didn't have the "words" to tell him this. He was just terrified for his son making a huge mistake and got enraged/protective.
Also, this wasn't something Neil wanted to do on the side for fun. It was what, he felt, he was born to do. And when he couldn't "be" that... well, nothing else would matter.
Richard did firmly believe if Neil simply "went along" with what he was told to do and the life that was being prepared for him, he'd still be alive. Richard Is a VERY practical and conservative person. He played it safe when he didn't follow along. Which is also why he kept his head down at the very end. The courageous act would never be him and he wasn't happy about that truth and would not change it. Hence, remaining in his chair.
And, finally, the disciplinary action was a pretty common thing during that time, but I can understand how it "didn't fit" for you.
you might have convinced me there Ed :D. I understand exactly what you saying however sometimes I'm a lazy viewer and I want movie to tell me the whole story. Perhaps it was not explicit enough and the shortcuts director took went too far cutting too many frames. But you told me once too use those imaginary deleted scenes. I'm probably gonna rewatch those dialogues between Neil and his father to exactly pinpoint the moment where Neil's father understands the acting is not just fun for him (Neil)

[Nestorio_Miklos]

I'm going to watch Manchester By The Sea tonight. I've started to watch it last night but was only too tired to finish it. Looks like I'm just gonna watch all noms by order how they are listed on page 1.
[/SIZE]

[rauldc14]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/wingsofdesire.gif

Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin) (Wim Wenders, 1987)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093191/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 04/15/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 13th HOF, CosmicRunaway's Nomination
Rewatch: No.

Well, that was... that was something. Something that I didn't like. Something that seemed to drag on endlessly. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not necessarily against films that are quietly contemplative. When done well it can be a very moving and emotional experience. But this wasn't that. It wasn't that for me at all.

From a visual standpoint, Wings of Desire is absolutely gorgeous. Whether the scenes were in black and white or in vivid color, the images were breathtaking and evocative. I also really liked the basic concept of the film and felt there was some definite potential in it, but my praise for it really ends there.

The constant repetition of certain phrases ("When the child was a child..."), the near total lack of humor, and the endless droning of people's ridiculously melancholy thoughts combined to nearly eliminate my interest in it. I felt every damn minute of its two hour run time and actually ended up taking a break about 2/3 of the way through. I get that there is beauty in most things, including sadness and despair, but I really didn't buy that the rather narrow view of life that the film presented would be enough to ignite the angel's desire to become human. And, frankly, I found his lady love Marion to be not so much intriguing as irritating, particularly in the final scenes.

2

A predictable reaction. So predictable (because I felt the same way) that I was worried it would be one of those goofy likes for you since we are film opposites. But it looks like we agree.

When I look at what was nominated as a whole I don't really see anything that screams Miss Vicky will like this. Maybe Three Musketeers, but I'd be surprised.

[CosmicRunaway]

I think the people who didn't really like Murderers are Among Us in the 40s HoF are going to find Wings of Desire difficult to sit through, because they both rely heavily on visuals, but Wings of Desire lacks a discernable plot early on, which Murderers are Among Us did at least have.

I had a lot of difficulty coming up with a nomination, and went with Wings of Desire because of its cinematography, which I think is amazing, but partly because I've seen people mention the film (and/or Win Wenders) around before, so I figured it would be something semi-familiar that may have already been on a few people's watchlists. My hope is that even if people find the film's pace to be mind-numbing, they'll at least have some appreciation of the visuals. I think it's one of those films that critics tend to heap praises on, but most people find a bit boring, and that's the sort of reception I'm expecting.

[ScarletLion]

If it's anything like Paris, Texas then i'll be happy. Oddly, and i'm not just saying this, Paris, Texas is the film that reminds me of Buffalo '66 the most. Hope someone who has seen both, maybe Nesto? Will kinda know what i mean.

I know what you mean. The pay off at the end gives you a similar feeling. Paris, Texas was brilliant, so I'm looking forward to Wings of Desire.

[CosmicRunaway]

I haven't seen Paris, Texas. In fact, the only other one of Wim Wenders' films I've seen is Million Dollar Hotel, which I absolutely hated. I'm pretty sure it was on my Worst Films list for that Countdown Tongo was going to do.

[CosmicRunaway]

That's crazy, thought you would have seen it. Guess it didn't interest you coz it's American despite being from Wenders?
Actually, I'd never even heard of it until recently. I looked it up a little while ago after seeing it mentioned somewhere, but don't really know what it's about.

I've had no incentive to look up Wenders' other films, because like I said I've only seen Wings of Desire about a decade ago, and Million Dollar Hotel, which I actually tried to rewatch a couple of years ago but ended up turning it off.

[CosmicRunaway]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=29889

The Hunt / Jagten (2012)
Dir. Thomas Vinterberg
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Annika Wedderkopp, Susse Wold


I've been meaning to watch this film for a number of months now, but could never quite get around to it. Given the subject matter of the film, I was expecting something fairly heavy and difficult to sit through. I'm glad that it was nominated so I had an excuse to finally sit down and try it. While the film plays out how I expected it to, in the end it was nowhere near as uncomfortable as I had anticipated. Mads Mikkelsen gives an amazing performance as Lucas, and the supporting cast are all great as well. You can feel the tension in the air, and everyone's emotions are clearly evident without needing any dialogue to explain it. The film had a few “I think there's something in my eye” moments, and is definitely not something I'll be forgetting any time soon.

Normally I avoid mentioning plot points in my write-ups, and reserve any spoiler talk for other posts, but if you don't already know the basic story of this film, then you may not wish to read the next paragraph.

The film shows us why there is a disproportionate amount of women involved in childcare compared to men. It's so easy to accuse a man of misconduct in situations like that, and the phrase “innocent until proven guilty” seems to be thrown out the window. For a long time in the film, I blamed the girl for the circumstances Lucas found himself in. But children say things without understanding the consequences all of the time, so the fault is really with all the adults in the film who jumped to conclusions and particularly with those who started treating Lucas poorly. The most disgusting part of the whole ordeal is that it's pretty accurate to reality. Just being accused of something awful can have permanently devastating effects, even if all charges are dropped. It's particularly bad in a small town like the one portrayed in The Hunt, because gossip spreads quickly, and there's nowhere to hide because of how closely knit the community is.

The Hunt feels very grounded in reality, whether we want to admit that or not. It's shot in a manner which emphasises the characters' reactions and the emotions of the scene, forgoing fancy camera set-ups or unique visual designs for a more intimate connection between the viewer and the events depicted on screen. I think it works very well, as it easily engaged me and created a lot of sympathy for Lucas and his ordeal. While it's unpleasant to watch at times, it's still very engrossing. It's probably not a movie I'd revisit any time soon, but I'm glad I got the chance to experience it.

[cricket]

I didn't read after the second paragraph ^^I'm planning on watching that tonight!

[Jeff Costello]

Dead Poet's Society

After somewhat liking it the first time I saw it, I really must admit, it didn't work for me this time. I found the film to be very preachy and aggressive in pointing out its message, which I'm not even sure was suppose to be. It also didn't help, that plenty of scenes were overly cheesy and sentimental. I liked Robin Williams in it, altough I don't think this was his best role. Only other performance that really stood out to me, was by then 19-year old Ethan Hawke, who was great as an introverted young man, who just became to come out of his shell. Sure he had his moments of overracting, like majority of the cast, but I still quite liked him. I must say that I liked the first part of the film much better than the second. By the end the film turns into a heavy melodrama, sort of a completely opposite tone, of the one established in the first part. And there were some fragments in the plot, I felt were used just to achieve dramatic effect.
https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2014-08/12/20/enhanced/webdr09/enhanced-buzz-30760-1407889212-12.jpg

I didn't like how Neil's dad was made as such one-dimensional character. I think they could have added a whole more depth to him, instead of painting him as a classic authoritarian, with no regard for his son's wishes. Also I might be criticized for it, but I thought the film tried really hard to show us Mr. Keating as a saint, where in reality his methods weren't really that correct and moral. I mean he directly encouraged a group of pliable 15-year olds to actively fight against the authority and live some kind of Dionysian lifestyles. I'm not saying that his heart wasn't in right place, by wanting to teach his students to think independtly and live life to the fullest. But his methods could've been a lot subtler in my opinion.


There was a particular scene I very much liked ,at the end of the film. When a fellow professor wawed at Mr.Keating, symbolizing how much he influenced him. I also thought the cinematography was pretty good, especially the shots in the cave and the snowy setting.
Sadly Dead Poet's Society didn't resonate with me this time, but at least I enjoyed Williams and Hawke performance.

[Jeff Costello]

@CosmicRunaway (https://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=90868)

Very well written and thoughtful review! Jagten was definitely a fascinating study of a lynch mob mentality and how one innocent little lie can escalate to such great proportions and almost ruin a man's life. I must ask you, what did you think about the final scene? To me it was perhaps the most poignant and intruguing scene in the entire film. While at the same time really ambiguous.

At first, I thought that the shooter was Klara's brother. Remember how him and Lucas shared a really awkward eye contact, during Lucas's son celebration. I thought it was quite obvious, he felt guilty for introducing Clara to pornography and indirectly being a causer of the entire catastrophe.

Later I kinda adapt the conclusion that the shooter, didn't mean to be anyone in particular. Rather than a symbol of how this whole incident will haunt Lucas, and that he'll forever have to look over his shoulder. Basically his name was already dirted and he'll never be able to escape the jaws of a judgmental society.

Curious to hear what you think...

[CosmicRunaway]

I must ask you, what did you think about the final scene? To me it was perhaps the most poignant and intruguing scene in the entire film. While at the same time really ambiguous.
I felt much the same way you did.

It's definitely left open to interpretation. After how things escalated in the supermarket earlier in the film, it's completely plausible to believe that someone would try to shoot him. I actually thought from the very start of the film that this would end with Lucas shot dead while hunting, so I was glad to see the ending didn't quite go that far.

It's also possible that Lucas heard a gunshot and assumed it was someone trying to kill him, because it's obvious in the preceding scenes that while things are sort of back to normal in the community (at least on the surface), he clearly doesn't feel at home the way he did before. He's quieter, more reserved, and is watching the others closely. The figure did look like a younger man to me as well, but like you said I don't think it's meant to be Torsten or any villager in particular.

I think that whether the attempted murder was real or imagined is sort of irrelevant, because what matters is how Lucas feels, and the reality is that that mistrust will follow him everywhere now.

[Camo]

Nightmare Alley

https://s13.postimg.org/xhiluydtz/alleyyy.png (https://postimg.org/image/7lyvbrc03/)[/url][url=https://certificity.com] (https://postimage.io/)

This was great. I've always (with the exception of Never Let Me Go) enjoyed your noms Citizen but i haven't found anything that could become a favourite until now. First of all Tyrone Power: dude has the best name of all time and yet i'm not really familiar with him, i've seen Witness For The Prosecution but that's it from him i think. Thought he was really good in this. I really liked his character, how he was so arrogant and money driven, always scheming, some of it was a little silly like him only getting enthusiastic about his marriage when he remembers that she knows the code but it worked. Oddly i felt like him during the film, well not like him he was paranoid i wasn't obviously but i did feel like people were scheming against him from pretty much the first minute. That's obviously due to this being a Noir which often has twists and it being a film about magic or "tricks". How it all works out is great, i kind of saw it coming but it was still pretty haunting how he completed the cycle, repeated what he had watched transpire. The others were good too but it was clearly his film, all of the others had their parts of the film with him but they drifted away at times too. The only person i didn't really like was Helen Walker; she sounded like K-Hep, really unnecessarily snappy at all times. Personally i love the way K-Hep talks but i've always understood people not liking her because of this and here it was a little jarring, probably only because it wasn't K-Hep. Think the only time that sort of thing has worked for me when it wasn't K-Hep is Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday and that's because the film is all about snappy dialogue, a more "normal" film like this made it stand out. She was generally fine tho, i accept that this is a personal hang up and not a fault of hers. Good visuals and dialogue too.

Sorry for talking so much about what isn't that important of a scene but it may very well end up my favourite in the full hall of fame. Completely adored the cold reading scene with the Marshall, that's something i know quite a bit about so i was so into that. I completely understand what cold reading is, he was supposed to be prodding at random things then following up when he got a hit, it largely does go that way and can be very effective to the point that people understandably can't comprehend it being anything other than someone reading their mind/talking to spirits. It works so well because if done well it makes you forget about the misses that passed and of course on tv shows, youtube videos, etc it's edited to make it look like there were no misses which is why it looks alot different in an event the "psychic" doesn't control. Similar to how a great salesman will convince you that you're haggling with him when really he has a goal in mind from the start that he'll probably get. Stan had to make this up on the fly and he had to trick a guy who was fully expecting him to try and trick him which made it alot more difficult, so he used his goofy tricks to gauge him, figure out a few things about him and try a few things on him without letting him know that he was trying a few things on him. You see, this was done so absurdly well because Stan starts off by demonstrating that he's got quick hands; the ability to descretely take something from you basically, so when he turned his attention to the Marshalls pocketwatch (was it a pocketwatch? i don't even remember, whatever it's not important) his mind instantly went to him taking it from him, you see this when Stan points then moves towards the pocketwatch as if he's going to touch it and the Marshall quickly snaps back. This has all completely took the Marshalls mind off the questions Stan is asking him, there's a few subtle misses there; not really because he's not really asking him questions but he's gauging what direction is the best to go in and when he gets a hit he follows up on it. Brilliant. The best thing about it is as i said Stan starts off by demonstrating that he has quick hands, if Stan really had any intention of stealing something from the Marshall the Marshall would never have known about Stans quick hands, Stan needs him to know about this for it all to work because it makes the victim i'll call it because i really hate this sort of stuff think they're in control, it makes them think they have it all figured out. Sorry i'm kind of a dork about these sort of things so this scene was perfect for me, i know noone else will care nearly as much as me haha.

Thanks for nominating this Citizen, i hadn't heard of this so i doubt i would have watched it and it's now a strong contender for my 40's list. Forbidden Games next for me, either tonight or tomorrow.

[Jeff Costello]

I felt much the same way you did.

It's definitely left open to interpretation. After how things escalated in the supermarket earlier in the film, it's completely plausible to believe that someone would try to shoot him. I actually thought from the very start of the film that this would end with Lucas shot dead while hunting, so I was glad to see the ending didn't quite go that far.

It's also possible that Lucas heard a gunshot and assumed it was someone trying to kill him, because it's obvious in the preceding scenes that while things are sort of back to normal in the community (at least on the surface), he clearly doesn't feel at home the way he did before. He's quieter, more reserved, and is watching the others closely. The figure did look like a younger man to me as well, but like you said I don't think it's meant to be Torsten or any villager in particular.

I think that whether the attempted murder was real or imagined is sort of irrelevant, because what matters is how Lucas feels, and the reality is that that mistrust will follow him everywhere now.

Thanks for the detailed answer !

I remember the first time I saw Jagten, I was completely caught off guard by that scene. I had to replay the ending a couple of times, so I could fully grasp it.

[Citizen Rules]

I haven't seen many of the movies so haven't been commenting much...but I have seen my own nom:)Nightmare Alley
...Stanton is played brilliantly by Tyrone Power, who was also excellent in Witness for the Prosecution. He is surely the acting highlight of the film.

But I really, really liked Coleen Gray (who apparently I've seen in other stuff but just didn't think too much of her). I really liked Coleen too, this is probably one of her best films. This is her third Hof appearance. We've seen her in the Western Hof: Red River (1948) with John Wayne and Montgomery Clift, she had a small role and was John Wayne's girlfriend who got capture by the Indians at the start of the film.

And in the Film Noir Part 2: Kansas City Confidential (1952) with John Payne which was Vamp's nom. She was the love interest of the lead.


Nightmare Alley
First of all Tyrone Power: dude has the best name of all time and yet i'm not really familiar with him, i've seen Witness For The Prosecution but that's it from him i think. Glad you guys are liking Tyrone Power in this. He's often overlooked when people talk about great actors of the 40s, as he mostly made matinee pictures. Another of his really strong films is John Ford's The Long Gray Line (1955).

Completely adored the cold reading scene with the Marshall, that's something i know quite a bit about so i was so into that. I completely understand what cold reading is, he was supposed to be prodding at random things then following up when he got a hit, it largely does go that way and can be very effective to the point that people understandably can't comprehend it being anything other than someone reading their mind/talking to spirits. That's one of the best parts of the film, and a subject that really fascinates me. It's been a long while since I seen Nightmare Alley, so I'm looking forward to a much needed rewatch.

[JayDee]

Just out of interest what are the specific rules for the HoF? Obviously I'm only flitting about in an unofficial capacity but was just curious. Do you need to watch all of the films after the nominations have been announced or can you leave rewatching a film if you've seen it previously? If so do you need to have seen it within a specific period of time, like within the last year?

[Nestorio_Miklos]

I didn't like how Neil's dad was made as such one-dimensional character. I think they could have added a whole more depth to him, instead of painting him as a classic authoritarian, with no regard for his son's wishes. Also I might be criticized for it, but I thought the film tried really hard to show us Mr. Keating as a saint, where in reality his methods weren't really that correct and moral. I mean he directly encouraged a group of pliable 15-year olds to actively fight against the authority and live some kind of Dionysian lifestyles. I'm not saying that his heart wasn't in right place, by wanting to teach his students to think independtly and live life to the fullest. But his methods could've been a lot subtler in my opinion.






Very nice review Jeff! Yeah, there was something bothering me about the tearing up the introduction page from the Poetry manual. First i waved it off as I know very well about the competitiveness between professors in one academic field. But demeaning a fellow professor in front of the whole class of teenagers was something that was bugging me. I think, here, Keating lost his judgment and overdid it.

[JayDee]

You don't have to watch a film as long as you've seen it enough times or recently enough that you remember it well. There's not really a specific period of time, it's up to your own judgement.

I noticed you mention at one point that you don't have to provide a rating for a film but are you at least expected to say a little something about it to convey your opinion?

[JayDee]

At the moment just wondering. As I said I'm going to partake in this one in an unofficial capacity and see how it goes. I have already made a start in terms of watching one of the films. Perhaps at some point in the future I'd attempt to join one properly. I think I already know the film I'd nominate if I did.

[edarsenal]

Camo Truly do appreciate the concern. You rock!
I am traversing the razor's edge in this regards.

In the last HoF reading up on Hiroshima would have truly helped my enjoyment of that movie. And you mention Joe, which is an excellent example of reading about a twist instead of watching it. So, in those 2 films lies my dilemma. Accidentally reading about a twist and not getting a little necessary research to "get what the movie is about".

So, here I dance amongst the minefield, listening for the clicks while exploring the field itself.
As you mentioned, having seen Buffalo when it first came out, I am safe to read reviews while still fading out when it gets very specific and since it's been so long - I haven't read any of the discussions about it for the exact concern you voice. (which is very cool of you to do so. And yeah, I know, I already made that abundantly clear already.) ;)
I'm also skipping over Manchester entirely so that I don't stumble onto anything that would be better to discover for myself. Which I had done previously in the Rate The Latest Movie Thread.
There is also a couple of others I will be doing the same for the same reason.
Oh, and I DO skip Spoilers COMPLETELY and try to come back to them, along with the discussions after seeing the film.

With Cosmic's nom: Wings of Desire, like her 40's nom: Murders Are Among Us, a little knowledge really set me up for enjoyment. The deciphering having already been laid out. So, with prior experience of her wonderful noms, strolling into the minefield is a bigger payoff when I do view it (which should be later this week or next week since its waiting at my library for me)

There was one other review I read in search of that person's reaction to a movie I've had very high on my watchlist - won't mention it or what I was searching out, since it may be a kind of spoiler for others.


So, um, in closing. . . did I mention my appreciation for your concern, Camo? :D :)

I WILL try to be less Dr. Frankenstein in my experimentation of what I read, as it were, and thank you

[edarsenal]

you might have convinced me there Ed :D. I understand exactly what you saying however sometimes I'm a lazy viewer and I want movie to tell me the whole story. Perhaps it was not explicit enough and the shortcuts director took went too far cutting too many frames. But you told me once too use those imaginary deleted scenes. I'm probably gonna rewatch those dialogues between Neil and his father to exactly pinpoint the moment where Neil's father understands the acting is not just fun for him (Neil) It's been a while since watching this so it is a bit foggy and I'd be guessing about your spoiler, so perhaps I may wait for my rewatch and review to add a spoiler response for ya.
And I agree about the lazy viewing; I do that myself sometimes lol
Yeah Ed that was a great post. Think i skipped over it to go to MVs review of Wings of Desire and forgot to go back. Glad Nesto quoted it.
THANKS

[edarsenal]

Very nice review Jeff! Yeah, there was something bothering me about the tearing up the introduction page from the Poetry manual. First i waved it off as I know very well about the competitiveness between professors in one academic field. But demeaning a fellow professor in front of the whole class of teenagers was something that was bugging me. I think, here, Keating lost his judgment and overdid it.
I've never thought of that in that light along with Jeff's concern. . . very interesting aspect for when I rewatch it.

[edarsenal]

That's all cool, Ed. I'm just naturally paranoid and always think i'm ruining films for you haha.

right, right.
I gotta tell ya, your reviews are THE HARDEST NOT to read when I haven't seen something. There is great perception, insight and knowledge in your write ups intermixed with details so I can't browse and have to wait and come back later AFTER I see the film.
So there are both things that would be great to know and surprises I need to steer clear of.

I did it just now with Nightmare Alley. Had to keep telling myself: Scan down, Ed -- no, faster! No reading! NOOOO
:lol:

I did see a quote about you remarking on Power in CR's response. Beside Witness, is there anything else by Power you've seen?
For me, his swashbuckling roles that he's known for are my favorites. Mark of Zorro is #1 for me.

[edarsenal]

I do the exact same thing. I ALMOST typed in Robin Hood and had to check IMDb to be sure. Seen a bunch of Flynn's and only a small handful of Power: Jesse James, Black Swan and Marie Antoinette

[Citizen Rules]

I didn't actually remember it was Coleen in Red River. She wasn't bad in that just a bit forgettable; or her character was at least, liked her here though. And yeah The Long Gray Line is a film i've been meaning to see, think it's Dave Kehr's second favourite Ford after The Sun Shines Bright. Might be thinking of someone else.It often takes the right movie with a choice part for an actor/actress to shine. Yeah, in Red River Colleen didn't do anything but get killed!

@Camo (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=75103) Truly do appreciate the concern. You rock!
I am traversing the razor's edge in this regards. A Tyrone Power nod, very cool:up:...and a film I had seriously considered for this Hof. I considered a lot of them.

I've said this before but I never spoil plots in my review.

If I ever do mention an important plot element and or ending...
I will type this ***Spoiler***. So far I haven't wrote anything yet, so nothing to read of mine.

[Dani8]

Good reviews of Jagten, Cos and Jeff. I rewatched this last night - very powerful movie, and the acting from the whole cast was excellent. Well deserved win for Mads. Gut wrenching film and makes me despise kangaroo courts even more than I already did. OMG Grethe was incompetent.

[edarsenal]

wow, forgot about Razor's Edge - did that one subconsciously lol

which is why I read your reviews when I haven't seen something, Citizen Rules for the insight sans spoilers :)

[Citizen Rules]

Wow! see how post can sometimes be misinterpreted, at least by me:eek: I thought for sure that was a clever reference to The Razor's Edge. And...I never would have known it wasn't, unless I asked:D

[Jeff Costello]

I somewhere read that Power was most proud of his roles in Nightmare Alley and Witness for Prosecution. That alone makes me really excited for Citizen's nomination.

So far I've seen him in : Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake, The Razor's Edge and Witness for Prosecution.

[CosmicRunaway]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=29895

The Great Dictator (1940)
Dir. Charlie Chaplin
Starring: Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Reginald Gardiner


The Great Dictator has long since been my favourite Chaplin film. Not only is it a great satire that is both funny and thought-provoking, but it was also an incredibly brave film considering the year in which it was released. Unsurprisingly given Chaplin's background in silent slapstick, the funniest moments don't rely on dialogue at all, and it's the spoken humour that tends to fall a bit flat for me. Sound and music are utilized particularly well throughout the film, with the recurring use of the prelude to Wagner's “Lohengrin” setting the mood for a number of scenes, and naturally the ever entertaining shaving scene set to the pace of Brahm's “Hungarian Dance No. 5” is brilliantly timed and performed.

Chaplin began his work on The Great Dictator before the true extent of Hitler's atrocities became known, allowing for a sillier depiction of Hitler than what Chaplin would have been comfortable with had the film's production been delayed. In retrospect, this parody may come across as brazen or crass, but I think that that kind of mockery is needed to undermine the authority that a brutish dictator commands, so I'm certainly glad we got the film we did. However the finished product was released well before the United States became involved in World World II, so it unfortunately didn't have the social impact it really deserved.

I appreciate that even though the film is a rather light-hearted take on a serious subject, it ends in a way that lets audiences know that it wasn't just joking around. Chaplin's final speech was something that needed to be said at the time, even if no one was listening, and is something that we can still find meaning in today.

[CosmicRunaway]

I only have half a shift tomorrow morning, so I'll probably have the chance to post a write-up for Manchester by the Sea sometime tomorrow afternoon or evening. After that I think I'd like to watch Captain Fantastic next, since I haven't seen Viggo Mortensen in anything in awhile.

Since a number of people have already written about Buffalo '66, I feel like I should watch that one soon as well so I don't feel so left out. :lol:

[Dani8]

Cool. I look forward to your writes up for MBTS and CF.

[JayDee]

My first unofficial contribution -

http://i.imgur.com/a1VGaPq.jpg

Captain Fantastic
(2016, d. Matt Ross)

rating_3 -

The main crux of this film is the rights and responsibilities of a parent. Exactly what decisions are you allowed to make for your child and who decides where that line is? I think we know what people are 'meant' to provide for their kids; a home, food, an eduation, a loving environment etc. But how about what a parent is 'allowed' to do in regards to their kids? That's a somewhat murkier area. I think most people would agree with the right to, and expect a parent to introduce their own beliefs to their kids in terms of politics and religion. But at what point do you cross the line into indoctrination? That's a question I imagine most viewers will ask upon spending time in the company of the unconventional family at its heart.

As the patriarch of this unique family is Viggo Mortensen and he unsurprisingly delivers a strong performance. Many of his most acclaimed performances (Lord of the Rings, History of Violence, Eastern Promises, The Road etc) have seen him display a great deal of intensity so it comes as not great shock that he brings a great conviction to his character's beliefs. Mortensen has always presented himself as a bit of an offbeat bohemian amongst his acting colleagues, not exactly fitting in with the Hollywood template. As a result he feels like a perfect fit for the character of Ben Cash. Also quite impressive I thought were the young cast that portrayed Mortensen's troop of kids. It's never easy working with kids, especially this many, but Matt Ross does a really nice job at drawing out performances from them.

I found that one of the most interesting facets of the film was the shifting emotions I felt towards the story and the characters. While Ben's ways are certainly different from the norm (I wouldn't foresee a childcare book authored by him becoming a best seller) there are things to admire about how he has raised his kids. In America today, one in three kids are overweight or obese. That's certainly not an issue for Ben's kids who are all in fine physical shape. Additionally, it's estimated that 19 percent of high-school graduates are illiterate. By comparison Ben's kids, even down the very youngest, are all exceptionally well-read and learned. And they certainly know more skills than your average child or teenager. So for the opening act of the film I found myself largely on side with Ben's parenting, however unconventional it may be. The longer the film goes however the less I felt this. We see just how extreme his methods are and also the damage he has done to his kids. They may be able to quote the Constitution and survive in the wilderness but they have no social skills whatsoever. Watching Ben's eldest, Bodevan, attempt to interact with members of the fairer sex is so uncomfortable to watch that it's painful. He has prepared his kids for everything except the real world. By the time they've crashed the funeral I instead found Ben to be an arrogant, obstinate ass who attempts to inflict his viewpoints on everyone around him.

Similarily I found my opinion of Frank Langella's grandfather character changing over time. Langella, in a very authoritative performance, initially comes across as a real d!ck; a bully who would deny his own son-in-law and grandchildren the chance to say goodbye to their beloved wife and mother. However the longer the film goes, and the more we see just how ridiculous Ben's actions are, the more you begin to understand and sympathise with his position.

I felt that the first half was certainly the strongest period of the film. The scenes that depict the off-the-grid existence of the kids; hunting, rock climbing, being pitted against each other in combat etc are lively and feel very authentic. And their initial interactions with the outside world work well. As the film moves into its second hour though I felt it began to lose its way somewhat; it just seemed to become a bit silly and over-the-top. All of a sudden it seemed to be throwing comedic set-pieces at us that just didn't sit comfortably with the rest of the film and I found its credibility began to seep away. I especially disliked the family's contrived arrival and disruption of the funeral. While the happy, sentimental conclusion didn't feel entirely earned to me. In fact I'd say that in the end I felt that the film actually goes fairly soft on Ben. Looking online I see that Matt Ross based the movie on some of his own childhood experiences as part of an 'alternative-living community' and perhaps that has led to a biased view. Now I'm very much of the left-wing persuasion so I'm on board with some of the stuff that Ben teaches his kids. However he goes way overboard in many respects, such as teaching his kids how to steal or that it's alright to mock Christians. The film seems to allow Ben off as just being loveably eccentric rather than harshly judging him.

For all of its family drama I actually found Captain Fantastic to have quite a tranquil sensation to it, largely down to some lovely photography of America's backroads and rural scenery, as well as its unique, somewhat beguiling soundtrack. While I'm not sure if I'd ever feel the urge to revisit it, all in all I'd describe this as an interesting film, even if Ben would deride me for using such an illegal non-word. It presents an alternative worldview, is very strongly acted and features the occasional moment of real beauty.

[Dani8]

Beautiful review Jaydee.

[gbgoodies]

Dead Poets Society

I saw it first time back in 90s and I wonder why I’ve never revisited this feature again. Well, I guess because something just wasn’t fitting in the story. I mean it all started very good. New school year begins and there he is Mr Keating, cool new English teacher with his unconventional methods who teaches his students to think for themselves, to think freely. And they are indeed inspired starting Dead Poets Society, searching their true feelings, searching their true talents, becoming more opened, breaking down that shell of conventionality. Up until now everything was great but then all those unreal twists arrived.
http://i.imgur.com/up5eh7P.jpg
Like Neil’s father getting all upset about Neil taking part in a play even though he’s got straight A’s. for me this was unreal. All that sternness of his father. It was overdone. Subsequently Neil’s suicide was also unreal for how the movie’s mood was set. Also Richard suddenly ratting out Mr Keating. I mean it was real, he just wanted to save his skin however he was overly convinced about Keating being responsible for Neil's suicide. It was unreal to me. It was like a coat with so many holes and someone would sew all kinds of colourful patches that don’t fit any more. Even that scene Mr Nolan striking, I think Knox, with that cricket bat was unreal to me. I thought he would yell at him or put him to suspension or similar. It just didn’t fit there.

But hey, if the movie didn’t work for me it doesn’t mean it is a bad movie. If only one person from hundred was inspired and it’s changed their life then it works and the movie has its purpose.:):):):up::up::up:


In reference to Neil's father getting upset about Neil being in the play, if you think back to the beginning of the movie, there's a scene with Neil and his father in Neil's room where his father tells him that he's taking on too many extracurricular activities, and he tells Neil to drop the School Annual, and Neil replies that he's the assistant editor this year. Neil's father immediately brings Neil out to the hallway and tells him never to talk back to him in front of people again.

That scene is basically an early setup for the later scene. It shows that his father basically controls his life, without any regard for what Neil wants. That's why Neil has to lie and forge the letter from his father to act in the play. It has nothing to do with Neil's grades. It's all about control. Neil's father wants him to be a doctor, whether he likes it or not. That's why he commits suicide. He doesn't want to go through 10 more years of school to live a life that he doesn't want. He tries to talk to his father about it, but his father doesn't want to hear anything about him acting, so he doesn't see any other way out. (Ironically, Robert Sean Leonard, who played Neil, later went on to play a doctor on the TV show "House M.D.".)

It's like that for all the boys. None of them stand up to their fathers. That's why the parents are brought in when they're told to sign the document against Mr. Keating.

About Cameron (Richard) ratting our Mr. Keating, Cameron was the guy who nobody really liked. He was only in their group because he was Charlie's roommate. It makes sense that he would be the guy to rat out Mr. Keating.

BTW, it was Charlie Dalton who was being punished. It was after the "phone call from God" stunt he pulled after writing about the Dead Poets Society in the school paper.

[gbgoodies]

Dead Poet's Society

After somewhat liking it the first time I saw it, I really must admit, it didn't work for me this time. I found the film to be very preachy and aggressive in pointing out its message, which I'm not even sure was suppose to be. It also didn't help, that plenty of scenes were overly cheesy and sentimental. I liked Robin Williams in it, altough I don't think this was his best role. Only other performance that really stood out to me, was by then 19-year old Ethan Hawke, who was great as an introverted young man, who just became to come out of his shell. Sure he had his moments of overracting, like majority of the cast, but I still quite liked him. I must say that I liked the first part of the film much better than the second. By the end the film turns into a heavy melodrama, sort of a completely opposite tone, of the one established in the first part. And there were some fragments in the plot, I felt were used just to achieve dramatic effect.
https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2014-08/12/20/enhanced/webdr09/enhanced-buzz-30760-1407889212-12.jpg

I didn't like how Neil's dad was made as such one-dimensional character. I think they could have added a whole more depth to him, instead of painting him as a classic authoritarian, with no regard for his son's wishes. Also I might be criticized for it, but I thought the film tried really hard to show us Mr. Keating as a saint, where in reality his methods weren't really that correct and moral. I mean he directly encouraged a group of pliable 15-year olds to actively fight against the authority and live some kind of Dionysian lifestyles. I'm not saying that his heart wasn't in right place, by wanting to teach his students to think independtly and live life to the fullest. But his methods could've been a lot subtler in my opinion.


There was a particular scene I very much liked ,at the end of the film. When a fellow professor wawed at Mr.Keating, symbolizing how much he influenced him. I also thought the cinematography was pretty good, especially the shots in the cave and the snowy setting.
Sadly Dead Poet's Society didn't resonate with me this time, but at least I enjoyed Williams and Hawke performance.



Mr. Keating wasn't encouraging them to live recklessly. He was trying to get them to learn how to think for themselves. The problem was that the school and their parents were teaching them the opposite, that they should do what they're told to do. His methods of doing this were perfect. He was the English teacher, and he was using poetry from the greatest poets to teach them. They were learning, and they were happier, until tragedy struck.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/buffalo66.gif

Buffalo '66 (Vincent Gallo, 1998)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118789/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 04/16/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 13th HOF, Camo's Nomination
Rewatch: No.

This film was a very different experience than what I'm accustomed to. I disliked pretty much everyone on the screen and most of the behavior of its characters felt unnatural and tough to buy. And yet, I found it all somehow fascinating.

In spite - or perhaps because - of the bizarre behavior, the performances were universally strong. Writer, director, star Vincent Gallo was particularly good as Billy, the film's greasy, crude and unlikable protagonist (though after a little research on the man, I have to wonder how much of this performance was an act). Christina Ricci brings a tenderness and patience to her role as "Layla" that feels very much out of place in the contrast to other characters.

On the more technical aspects, if there was a soundtrack I can't recall it. What I did very much notice though was the look of the film. The dark and gritty cinematography really enhanced the film's seedy atmosphere. I also thought that the transitions to flashbacks were handled in a very interesting way.

But this praise is something that I come by in hindsight. I mostly felt a vague sense of disgust and a sort of morbid curiosity when I was watching it. Ultimately this is a film that I like more on reflection than I did during the actual viewing. I suspect it would benefit from a rewatch at some point, but I doubt that will actually happen.

3+

[Pussy Galore]

I think it would be a good idea for me to explain why I absolutely loved Captain Fantastic, I wrote a very long review in french after watching it, I'll try to say shortly what it said. Actually it was more of an essay than a review, this film worked more to me as a philosophical exploration then as a movie. I mean I think it's a good film, but it's not that ''cinematic'', it's the ideas it has that made me absolutely love it.

Basically, what I loved about it is that I agreed with the lifestyle of Viggo Mortensen's character and that the way the director presented it seemed realistic, beautiful. I study philosophy and I think a good life is, as Socrates said, an examined one, a life of the mind, but also a life where you train your body. The way Viggo in the film raises his children seems to be the way children are raised in Plato's Republic (not exactly obviously, but in spirit I think it embodies it quite perfectly.). How is that? The argument I'd give is that humans have capacities which can be exploited or not, if you have X lifestyle, you'll have Y capacities, if you have W lifestyle you'll have Z capacities, etc. (The point I want to make is that the way you live life has precise consequences on the way you are.). And the way Viggo raised his children seemed to be a rationalisation as to the best way to live to have more capacities maximised. There might be some problems, namely the fact that his children are socially awkward, etc. But I think it can be easilly fixed, it is possible for them to have this education while having some sort of social encounters with others. And ultimately why I find it great is that when you have developed all these capacities by the way you've acquired habits the way you think is changed and that I think that if most people would be raised that way, ideas in the world would be better, rationality might evolve.

Also, and that is in reference to Plato, there is a distinction between what is universally true and what is contingently true, I think that sociability is contingently true because it depends on particular time in history which have particular way to live, particular habits, etc. Reason, argumentation, maximising the body's potential are more in the realm of universal truth, that movie made me think that and when a movie gives me such profound reflexion, it deserves the high praise of being one of my favorite film.

[Sarge]

https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/disp/70c77e55541907.56098dbab24df.jpg

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring

Before watching this film, I had no idea what it was about. The only thing that I had heard was when reading on here that there was some dialogue about the director and his tendency to use animal cruelty in his work.

The film starts with a Buddhist monk and his young apprentice. It shows the relationship between the two.
Everything seems to be going well and then...Cupid strikes.
The film goes on to document the lives of the Monk and the apprentice through the various seasons over the years.

https://img.yescdn.ru/2016/07/15/cover/0ba63651bcc6fb205d03d8304ca39cb6-spring-summer-fall-winter-and-spring-1468572005.jpg

What did I like?
Some of the cinematography was really good, with some beautiful scenic shots of what I believe to be South Korea.
I liked the set of the film. I would like to visit and maybe have a week in the tranquillity of the house. So quiet and peaceful.
There was a good use of symbolism throughout the film. There may well have been more than I noticed, but I did notice the 'Four noble truths' woven in there, and also Samsara (Birth, Life, Death and Rebirth) that were represented by the seasons and also by different animals for each season.
My recognising of the symbolism helped me to understand the film more than I would have otherwise.

http://www.tasteofcinema.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/2.c10c2ef2.jpg

What didn't I like so much?
Overall, I just found the film boring. Everything was so slow, and with such dreary music. It felt like I was watching in real time and the years were actually passing as I watched.
I understand that it was meant to be that way but I just became more and more frustrated with it.
Apart from the Monk (Yeong-su Oh) who was great, I thought the acting was weak. The kids were unconvincing and as for the detectives :D
Again, apart from the Old Monk, I didn't really find myself liking or caring about any of the characters.

Summary
I think that I can understand why some people really appreciate this film and why it is highly rated by many.
As I said however, I found myself looking at the clock, and just wanting the film to finish.
This may be more to do with me than the film, but it is never a good thing to be bored when watching a film.
It wasn't awful, there were some good elements about the film, and plenty to be appreciated.
I look forward to reading what others make of this film.


2.5

[CosmicRunaway]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=29907

Manchester by the Sea (2016)
Dir. Kenneth Lonergan
Starring: Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, Michelle Williams

In late February, Manchester by the Sea was still playing here in a small theatre outside town so my room mate and I decided to go see it. We were the only ones in the theatre, so it was just like watching it at home. I had previously heard people describe this film as depressing, but I didn't find that at all. Yes, it had a sort of sombre tone, but there are a lot of comedic moments, many of which caused audible laughter from myself and my room mate. The banter between Lee and Patrick was particularly amusing. There were definitely a few scenes that were more melancholic or borderline heartbreaking, but as a whole the film didn't come across as overly sad, and I didn't leave the theatre feeling dejected or anything similar to that.

While I didn't experience a personal tragedy in my home town, not wanting to return to a smaller community that still talks about things that happens years ago is something that I found very relatable. Lee's character as a whole was very sympathetic, even when drunkenly getting into brawls. I think his story was handled very well, since you can see a clear distinction between how Lee behaves in the flashbacks compared to how he acts now, which clues the audience into the fact that something devastating must have happened long before the whole truth is revealed in the film. Casey Affleck really sold the character for me, and the whole cast was phenomenal as well.

I enjoyed Manchester by the Sea well enough, but it's not a film I feel like I ever need to see again. Perhaps that's because it feels less like a movie, and more like an experience in this other person's life. It all feels very real and authentic, and I appreciate how the film doesn't go for a neat ending that ties everything up nicely. The uncertain and bittersweet ending fits the film very well in my opinion. I was surprised to see such a recent film nominated, but it definitely feels at home in a Hall of Fame.

[CosmicRunaway]

Sorry if that review doesn't flow very well. I'm actually very ill and had to leave work an hour early this morning. There's a tough strain of H1N2 going around, and it seems like I have it. :(

[rauldc14]

Just letting everyone know I probably won't get to another film until next week, as I'm going to Las Vegas Friday and I am pretty busy up until then.

[Dani8]

Sorry if that review doesn't flow very well. I'm actually very ill and had to leave work an hour early this morning. There's a tough strain of H1N2 going around, and it seems like I have it. :(

That's a great review, Cos, as usual.
Hope you get better soon. Sending some cyber chicken soup for you.

[CosmicRunaway]

Thanks Dani!

Enjoy Vegas, Raul! Try not to lose too much money. ;)

[Dani8]

Thanks Dani!

Enjoy Vegas, Raul! Try not to lose too much money. ;)

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, except for Mofos. We need a write up when you get back, Raul.

[SilentVamp]

Interesting tidbit. I noticed the surname on the cast last, but haven't realized she was related to Charlie.
If you've ever seen the film Chaplin, Geraldine portrays his mother (her grandmother, of course).

[Citizen Rules]

The Marriage of Maria Braun - Why, cricket, why??? This is the one that I cannot obtain. :( The only one, in fact. You just had to be the troublemaker for me two times in a row now. :).

Vamp you're not the only one who can't find that movie. @cricket (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=68505) @Camo (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=75103) @anyone! I need a link to The Marriage of Maria Braun with English subs. I looked everywhere, my library doesn't have it, Netflix DVD doesn't have it. I checked all of the usual good places to find it. And I can't. The only thing I found was the German language version with no subs.

Anyone have a link? PM me, you might PM Vamp too.:)

[SilentVamp]

Anyone have a link? PM me, you might PM Vamp too.:)
Thanks for trying to help me out, but I am good. :D I don't need one sent to me. :)

[Citizen Rules]

Thanks for trying to help me out, but I am good. :D I don't need one sent to me. :)Can you send me the link that you have?

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/quietearth.gif

The Quiet Earth (Geoffrey Murphy, 1985)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089869/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 04/17/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 13th HOF, Clazor's Nomination
Rewatch: No.

You'll have to forgive this rambling write-up, but I really don't have a whole lot to say about this one. Everything about The Quiet Earth just felt very average. The film's concept was interesting, but not especially original. The film looked good but, save for maybe two or three scenes, was not particularly impressive or memorable. (Actually really the only scenes that stood out to me at all were Zac's speech from the balcony, his behavior in the church, and the Inception-esque scene in the gif above.) The performances were good, but mostly unremarkable. I felt a very weak sort of involvement with the characters - I kind of cared what happened to them, but probably wouldn't have shed a tear if one or two had died along the way. I never felt bored with it - probably largely thanks to the film's relative brevity - but I also wasn't invested enough to bother giving much thought to the rather ambiguous ending.

Ultimately this was not a bad way to spend 90 minutes, but not a great way either.

3+

[Sarge]

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMWNlY2UxYWUtZTIwMS00NmFjLTg3M2EtM2Q3MWRmZjIwYWZiL2ltYWdlL2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc1NTYyMjg@._V1 _UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

The quiet earth (1985)

Another on the list that I knew nothing about. As with the others I kept it that way before viewing.
As the film started, I didn't know what to expect but was drawn in by the score and the opening scene of the sun rising...

The films starts with a man called Zac Hobson waking up to find the place eerily quiet and things become more and more strange as there seems to be no people anywhere.
The film follows Zac as he searches for answers, whilst facing challenges to his own mental well-being, from his forced solitude and the lack of answers.

https://trailersfromhell.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/5277b.jpg

What I liked
It is a great idea for a film, I love the way that I was immediately led to placing myself in that situation. What would I do? Where would I look for answers? How would I cope mentally?
The opening scenes were really good. From the sunrise scene as the film started with some music that really created an anticipation. The film did well at setting the scene and showing the uncertainty and eeriness of what was going all around Zac.
It showed how such an event may have an effect on the characters mentality.

What could be better
Some of the acting was so bad that it was comical.
Bruno Lawrence was largely good as Zac, but there was some really bad acting elsewhere in the film.
The dynamic between the characters was at times weird and confusing. I will refrain from giving specific details as I don't want to influence the opinions of others.
I said that I liked that the film addressed the effect of the events on the characters mental well being, but I thought that the way this played out in this film was a bit strange.

Summary
The film started well, and I was intrigued. It set the scene really well, and I was convinced by the world that was created on the screen.
After such a strong start, it just faded away as the film went on. I felt that it just lacked direction and descended into obscurity.
It didn't really answer the questions that I wanted it to in a comprehensive enough way.
Ultimately I think that it was a great idea for a film that largely failed to deliver after showing early promise.

2.5

[cricket]

The Hunt

http://www.kino.dk/sites/default/files/imagecache/k_gallery/gallery/jagten03.jpg

4.5+

This movie had been on my watchlist for quite a while. If I had those movies in order of priority, rather than watching them at random, The Hunt would have been near the top. Netflix mailed it out to me about 8 hours before I learned it was nominated, so obviously I was happy and it was the nomination I most looked forward to. I only knew the general synopsis, but I have noticed the praise it has received the last few years. I was not disappointed.

I don't know if courage is the right word, but I think a filmmaker needs a certain something to make a movie with this kind of subject matter. I think most of us have probably imagined what type of movie we'd make, and I doubt a story revolving around sexual abuse has crept into most of our minds. Most movies dealing with this subject matter are more graphic in some way, and it's a credit to the director for making such an upsetting movie without ever making it exploitive. Of course, this movie has an entirely different take than the usual.

The character of Lucas is introduced as a good man who's down on his luck a little bit. He's a likable guy, and it's nice to see things start to turn around for him until his world gets rocked out of the blue. When Lucas first gets accused, I kind of wondered how realistic his reaction was. My thought was that he'd be flipping out right away. I also wondered about the reactions of everyone else. Yet, there's no playbook for this kind of delicate situation. If you're being accused of something you didn't do, I think the normal reaction would be to attack your accuser. I think that changes dramatically when the accuser is an innocent child. As for the other adults, you have to take a child's word seriously, because if you don't, and you're wrong, it makes a horrible situation worse. It's just such a truly awful situation for everyone involved, and the story was handled masterfully and is so engrossing. Even the last scene, when everything has supposedly gone back to normal, you can sense the residual effects. Lucas will never forget what he had to endure, and the other people will always know what they did to him. Beyond that, I think it would be human nature for some of them to always have some doubt. In fact, I had at least a tiny bit of doubt about his innocence myself. I'm not exactly sure what the very last part with the shooter was meant to signify, or if it was real or imagined.

I've seen the name Mads Mikkelsen mentioned many times on this forum, but this was basically the first time I've seen him in anything. I've seen Casino Royale, but I hardly remember that movie much less his performance. He's an odd looking dude, and I can understand why he was chosen to play Hannibal in that TV series. He was perfectly suited to play Lucas and he was fantastic. In fact, the whole cast was excellent in a film that is reliant on it's performances. It was these performances, along with the story, that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, and made this movie a new favorite for me.

[ScarletLion]

'Captain Fantastic'

http://images.trailer.town.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/stills/_default/captain-fantastic-still.jpg?mtime=20160428153816

I'd watched this about 4 months ago and thought I'd give it another go. The first time I thought it was good but flawed. The third act just doesn't seem in keeping with the rest of the film and at first I thought it may have even been a dream sequence. This means that I started questioning myself as to whether I was supposed to be believing the movie and how seriously I should be treating it. It does pull itself out of the bag though and manage overall to be a movie that doesn't disappear up it's own backside. Which is good because it is a fun filled, quirky feelgood ride and in the end I was able to set aside the "That would never happen" moments and enjoy this piece for what it was. Mortensen is as good as ever and some of the kids are good (some are slightly annoying).

As it happens I listened to a music podcast (before the HoF nominations were announced) that featured Director Matt Ross, so it was nice again to put references to the music into the film.

I could easily see why people would take this as being a faux hippy, sentimental, run of the mill family drama. But I liked it. 7/10

[Camo]

Forbidden Games

https://s16.postimg.org/drbjs42vp/gamessss.png (https://postimg.org/image/3u0iz1v9t/)[/url][url=https://certificity.com] (https://postimage.io/)

I didn't actually realize until i was about to watch this that it's my second Clement film; i watched Purple Noon for a Hall of Fame here actually, i like that quite alot, probably my favourite Tom Ripley film and i like all of them. Kind of had the wrong impression about this, not exactly but it did surprise me a little at the start. From looking through screenshots to find a poster i figured it would be a coming of age drama, it kind of was but i never even thought about it being war related for whatever reason. So the air attack scene at the start was a slight shock, great scene; very well shot and oddly not that sad more mundane/expected which set the tone. At this point war is so ingrained in these people that the only ones who try and save Paulette are her parents, and they walk by the bodies as if it is not out of the ordinary because it isn't, not to mention the mob 'look after your own' mentality with them flipping over the families car. Of course it is sad that a little girl has lost her parents but the scene isn't played this way, she seems more confused by the incident, shellshocked, picking up her dog and kind of wandering about until someone finally helps her after at least 5 have passed. I find that a very interesting way to treat something like that, personally i really can't think of anything i don't think like the way the scene plays out so that got me interested right away. Actually something that came to mind while reflecting on the scene now was in Ex Machina when Ava allows Caleb who saved her die (well killed him but ya know what i mean), obviously they are completely different for multiple reasons; i'm only mentioning that because they gave me the same weird feeling and they have the surface similarity of the character being saved not showing grief over the person who saved thems death. There was alot of death being such a constant thing for these people that it was brushed over, i mean it kind of seems that she doesn't understand her parents are dead at this point but the first time she is asked about her parents from Michel she frankly tells him they are dead. And that's the scene she picks up her dead dog and briefly cries until he said he'll give her a new one, she literally happily skips away after he tells her that 30 seconds after crying about her dead dog. This did seem weird but was probably ingrained in alot of peoples attitudes then that you need to instantly move on as you are constantly in danger of dying too and waiting about moping will do no good. It does make you think that grieving is an expected thing today; someone is genuinely seen as weird if they don't take their time to be sad over a loved ones death and at least the characters in this film weren't granted that luxury. Another big part of it was the kids floating about doing their own thing while the family dealt with various troubles in the background, having accepted the way life is and trying to keep themselves entertained. Both child performances were great, particularly Brigette Fossey who was adorable and effectively conveyed everything the director was trying to get across.

Film looked gorgeous. There's something about beautiful landscapes like the countryside here, shot very well being blown up and rundown that makes it more powerful. Think it's being so used to already blown up houses, or tattered buildings, whatever in most war films that makes it that way. I know it shouldn't make a difference unless there's a larger concentration of people in one of those but i think it's a natural human instinct to be more shocked by nice areas being bombed than already worn down ones. There was loads of great shots, one part that got to me was the planes flying over at very close proximity during the scene we are first introduced to Michel. Being post-war born in a 1st world country these things just seem impossible, as if they never happen but they do still in the real world and the idea of that being reality to people in the 21st Century is depressing as hell; don't know why that part really hit that home but it did. Despite everything i'm saying i didn't actually find this sad as a whole, it's not really meant to be an outwardly sad film i don't think. It's the greater realities of these characters actions that are sad when you think about them. There was clearly buried sadness and trauma in Claudette from the start that obviously came out during her nightterrors and at the end. It made the end all the more effective because of this, particularly with her briefly changing her cries from Michel to her Mother who it has felt like she has completely forgotten about by this point.

Good nom Jeff. Really glad you picked it as it wasn't really on my radar. The Quiet Earth next for me.

[Dani8]

ScarletLion and cricket - two great reviews.

[JayDee]

http://i.imgur.com/wWrDWUS.jpg

The Quiet Earth
(1985, d. Geoff Murphy)

rating_2 +


My main complaint about this sci-fi film from the land of the hobbits is that it was just....well, boring to be quite honest. I know that's not a particularly in-depth assessment and may seem rather lazy but unfortunately it's the truth.

An individual finding themselves to be the sole survivor on Earth isn't a new concept; it's long been a favourite scenario of the science fiction genre, with Richard Matheson's “I Am Legend” perhaps the most famous example. It's always going to generate at least a modicum of interest, however it never amounted to anything more than that mere modicum for me. To me it felt like the film had that intriguing hook but went into production without knowing where to go with it and how to resolve it. We get some potential explanation in the form of mutterings about Project Flashlight but it's all kept frustratingly vague; perhaps to prevent us questioning the logic behind it. The sense of intrigue is strongest in the opening half hour when Hobson is on his own, exploring his desolate environment and quickly losing his marbles. Once the film's two additional characters come into the equation I found my interest beginning to wane; that's when we get Hobson's musings on what may have happened. It's also when a predictable and clumsy love triangle storyline comes into play.

The film was clearly made on a budget but to their credit the filmmakers are able to come up with some arresting and powerful images as Hobson explores his brave new world. The sight of him gunning down a statue of Jesus in a church was a particularly striking moment. And certainly not one I imagine you'd see had this been an American production. Geoff Murphy (director) and James Bartle (cinematographer) also deliver some odd and intriguing camera angles, especially during the opening act where Hobson's sanity begins to crumble, that catch the eye. In addition to its modest budget the cast aren't exactly the slickest of performers. Pete Smith as Maori survivor Api in particular felt quite cumbersome. Credit to Bruno Lawrence though for his efforts in the opening act. Holding the screen all on your own is a tough ask. And while he may not succeed to the levels of a Tom Hanks (Cast Away) or a Sam Rockwell (Moon) I think he makes a good fist of it.

And while I'm not really sure what to make of it in terms of the story the final scene provides quite a beautiful, haunting image.

PS - Was I the only one left peeved by the scene in which Hobson gives a balcony address to an assemblage of cardboard cutouts? Where the hell did he get them all?! I can perhaps imagine he looted a store that sold some of them. But Hitler?!!! Where the hell do you get a Hitler cutout?! :lol:

[Jeff Costello]

Camo Really great observational write-up. I'm glad you seemed to enjoy Forbidden Games. After I rewatch it, I'll likely do a more detailed analysis , but I definitely agree with you on the beauty of the film's cinematography and a great performance by Briggite Fossey.

I think I read somewhere that Clement originally looked for a 10-year old to play the role of Paulette, but ultimately decided to cast then 6-year old Fossey. It was because she could perfectly and almost robotically transfer the emotions to screen, which director wanted. Unlike her older peers ,who thought too much about it.

Also agree that film wasn't suppose to be sad. Despite dealing with such morbid themes, it never really stepped into morbid territory. It was definitely touching and poignant , with even quite a few comedic elements, but definitely never morbid.

[MovieMeditation]

Freaking finally cricket!! Glad you liked it too. :up:

[Jeff Costello]

cricket Always great to see someone discover a new favourite ! If you'd like to check out more of Mads's work, I suggest watching "After the Wedding " by a director Sussane Bier. It was nominated for the best foreign picture in 2007 and it features some really powerful performances. As a matter of fact I considered nominating it for this HoF.

[Dani8]

cricket Always great to see someone finding a new favourite ! If you'd like to check out more of Mads's work, I suggest watching "After the Wedding " by a director Sussane Bier. It was nominated for the best foreign picture in 2007 and it features some really powerful performances. As a matter of fact I considered nominating it for this HoF.

After the Wedding ws great. So was Flame and Citron.

[Thursday Next]

Camo Really great observational write-up. I'm glad you seemed to enjoy Forbidden Games. After I rewatch it, I'll likely do a more detailed analysis , but I definitely agree with you on the beauty of the film's cinematography and a great performance by Briggite Fossey.

I think I read somewhere that Clement originally looked for a 10-year old to play the role of Paulette, but ultimately decided to cast then 6-year old Fossey. It was because she could perfectly and almost robotically transfer the emotions to screen, which director wanted. Unlike her older peers ,who thought too much about it.

Also agree that film wasn't suppose to be sad. Despite dealing with such morbid themes, it never really stepped into morbid territory. It was definitely touching and poignant , with even quite a few comedic elements, but definitely never morbid.

She was great, very natural.

I'm not sure I agree that the film isn't sad - I found the ending very sad.