The 19th Hall of Fame

[edarsenal]

WELCOME!! ONE AND ALL

(and anyone else who just feels like enjoying it from the sidelines)

TO THE--


https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/b9bb73aa-af8f-4ce6-acdc-5314a385ab02/dd76wx4-44f717b8-02ae-4c5f-a6e9-3bfe16d58958.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQz NzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6 W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2I5YmI3M2FhLWFmOGYtNGNlNi1hY2RjLTUzMTRhMzg1YWIwMlwvZGQ3Nnd4NC00NGY3MTdiOC0wMmFl LTRjNWYtYTZlOS0zYmZlMTZkNTg5NTguanBnIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.4NOeh0zS kvuzcWRau7mVYKnE9kaUyQ_rvLmId7PBiOI


For those who have been joining in previously, or for those considering to join in:

1) Pick a film
2) PM the name, year, and, if possible, the Director of said film to me with 19th HoF Nom in the Subject
3) After about a week I will post everyone's Nomination and we will get this puppy a-walkin.
4) Should anyone wish to wait till after all Noms are posted before deciding on joining, please post your interest to do so and we'll accommodate. But, PLEASE, should that be the case, get your Nomination in, to me ASAP and let us all know in the thread whether or not you decide to join in, in the thread.
5) I haven't initiated any Mentions at this time - I may later in the week, BUT, should anyone know of someone who wished to be notified of this starting, PLEASE DO post a mention for them. THANKS!

Rules of Participation:


-This is a general Hall of Fame so any genre or medium of film can be nominated, provided that it is no more than 220 minutes in length and has not won a previous MoFo Hall of Fame. Please review the Hall of Fame Archive (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=52323) before nominating, so that you do not nominate a previous winner.

-If you have trouble locating a particular film, please ask for help in this thread. When responding to help requests, please do so via private message. Do not directly link or embed films in this thread.

-You will be required to watch all the nominated films and will be expected to write at least a few sentences about each of them. If you have seen a nominated film already and feel you have watched it recently enough to give it fair consideration in voting, you may pass on watching it again. However, you will still be expected to write up your thoughts on the film in this thread.

-Refusal to watch any nominated film will result in disqualification.

-If for any reason you need to drop out of participating in this Hall of Fame, please notify me a.s.a.p. either in this thread or via private message or profile comment.



New Rule
You must have 1 write-up done in the first 2 weeks
You must have 2 write-ups done in the first month
You must have 4 write-ups done in the first 6 weeks


You will get a PM and one extension with a request otherwise you're out.


Those joining in
edarsenal - Nom Sent In
Citizen Rules - Nom Sent In
ahwell - Nom Sent In
KeyserCorleone - Nom Sent In
Miss Vicky - Nom Sent In
Siddon - Nom Sent In
John-Conner - Nom Sent In
neiba - Nom Sent In
rauldc14 - Nom Sent In
jiraffejustin - Nom Sent In


OPEN DOOR POLICY FOR JOINING IN IS NOW CLOSED
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
HAPPY MOTORING


New Rule
You must have 1 write-up done in the first 2 weeks (June 9, 2019)
You must have 2 write-ups done in the first month (June 26, 2019)
You must have 4 write-ups done in the first 6 weeks (July 7, 2019)

Deadline: August 14, 2019

[edarsenal]

COMPLETED REVIEWS 98 out of 100


edarsenal - Ballot Sent In
Open Range (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2014467#post2014467)
Tombstone (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2015581#post2015581)
Pulp Fiction (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2017088#post2017088)
The Godfather (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2018149#post2018149)
Angel Face (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2019638#post2019638)
Gaslight (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2024655#post2024655)
Raging Bull (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2026197#post2026197)
Return To Paradise (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2026493#post2026493)
Cinema Paradiso (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2029436#post2029436)
The Virgin Spring (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2029674#post2029674)


Citizen Rules - Ballot Sent In
Pulp Fiction (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2014216#post2014216)
The Godfather (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2015460#post2015460)
Tombstone (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2015591#post2015591)
Angel Face (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2015718#post2015718)
Gaslight (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2016017#post2016017)
The Virgin Spring (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2016776#post2016776)
Open Range (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2017269#post2017269)
Cinema Paradiso (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2017620#post2017620)
Return To Paradise (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2018522#post2018522)
Raging Bull (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2027738#post2027738)


ahwell - Ballot Sent In
Pulp Fiction (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2014196#post2014196)
The Godfather (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2014781#post2014781)
Raging Bull (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2019842#post2019842)
Open Range (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2019956#post2019956)
Tombstone (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2020026#post2020026)
Cinema Paradiso (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2021740#post2021740)
Gaslight (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2022115#post2022115)
Return To Paradise (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2023104#post2023104)
The Virgin Spring (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2025197#post2025197)
Angel Face (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2024915#post2024915)


KeyserCorleone - Ballot Sent In
The Godfather (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2014146#post2014146)
Open Range (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2014159#post2014159)
Return To Paradise (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2014160#post2014160)
Gaslight (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2014278#post2014278)
Pulp Fiction (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2014867#post2014867)
Angel Face (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2020313#post2020313)
Tombstone (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2021068#post2021068)
The Virgin Spring (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2021365#post2021365)
Cinema Paradiso (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2023752#post2023752)
Raging Bull (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2024448#post2024448)


Miss Vicky - Ballot Sent In
Tombstone (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2014313#post2014313)
Open Range (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2014492#post2014492)
Raging Bull (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2014804#post2014804)
Gaslight (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2015605#post2015605)
The Godfather (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2015747#post2015747)
The Virgin Spring (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2016202#post2016202)
Angel Face (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2016676#post2016676)
Cinema Paradiso (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2017100#post2017100)
Pulp Fiction (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2017266#post2017266)
Return To Paradise (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2017282#post2017282)


Siddon - Ballot Sent In
Cinema Paradiso (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2015753#post2015753)
Tombstone (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2017295#post2017295)
Raging Bull (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2017543#post2017543)
Gaslight (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2018564#post2018564)
Pulp Fiction (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2019539#post2019539)
Angel Face (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2020816#post2020816)
Return To Paradise (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2021155#post2021155)
The Godfather (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2021503#post2021503)
Open Range (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2022142#post2022142)
The Virgin Spring (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2022943#post2022943)


John-Conner - Ballot Sent In
The Godfather (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2014200#post2014200)
Pulp Fiction (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2014214#post2014214)
Open Range (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2014448#post2014448)
Return To Paradise (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2014813#post2014813)
Tombstone (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2015757#post2015757)
Angel Face (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2024104#post2024104)
The Virgin Spring (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2024338#post2024338)
Gaslight (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2027692#post2027692)
Raging Bull (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2027789#post2027789)
Cinema Paradiso (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2029454#post2029454)


neiba - 8/10 Reviews/Ballot Sent In
Pulp Fiction (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2014190#post2014190)
Angel Face (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2014193#post2014193)
The Godfather (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2014198#post2014198)
Tombstone (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2014325#post2014325)
Gaslight (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2015002#post2015002)
The Virgin Spring (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2017780#post2017780)
Return To Paradise (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2018433#post2018433)
Open Range (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2018595#post2018595)


rauldc14 - Ballot Sent In
Open Range (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2016468#post2016468)
Pulp Fiction (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2017730#post2017730)
Raging Bull (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2018778#post2018778)
Angel Face (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2018820#post2018820)
Return To Paradise (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2021478#post2021478)
The Virgin Spring (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2025107#post2025107)
Tombstone (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2025440#post2025440)
Cinema Paradiso (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2026401#post2026401)
Gaslight (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2027521#post2027521)
The Godfather (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2028015#post2028015)


jiraffejustin - Ballot Sent In
The Godfather (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2015572#post2015572)
Open Range (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2016016#post2016016)
Tombstone (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2016923#post2016923)
Pulp Fiction (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2018451#post2018451)
Return To Paradise (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2021370#post2021370)
Gaslight (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2024957#post2024957)
Cinema Paradiso (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2027454#post2027454)
Angel Face (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2027454#post2027454)
Raging Bull (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2014175#post2014175)
The Virgin Spring (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2029690#post2029690)

[edarsenal]

19th HoF Movie List


Open Range (2003) Director: Kevin Costner (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0316356/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1)
Nominated By edarsenal
Reviews: 10/10

https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.aZAciMgN46zGkzU8jyJL1AHaFj

You Tube Link (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p28yT3Z3oj8&t=4551s)


Tombstone (1993) Directors: George P. Cosmatos, Kevin Jarre (uncredited) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108358/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)
Nominated By Citizen Rules
Reviews: 10/10

https://secure.img2-fg.wfcdn.com/im/89472719/resize-h600-w600%5Ecompr-r85/4430/44309967/Tombstone+Cast+Autographed+Movie+Poster.jpg


Pulp Fiction (1994) Director: Quentin Tarantino (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110912/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1)
Nominated By ahwell
Reviews 10/10

https://www.aaavintageposters.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/pulp-600x900.jpg


The Godfather (1972) Director: Francis Ford Coppola (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1)
Nominated by KeyserCorleone
Reviews 10/10

https://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/7/9/9/4/6/1/webimg/917237891_o.jpg


Return to Paradise (1998) Director: Joseph Ruben (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0124595/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1)
Nominated By Miss Vicky
Reviews 9/10

https://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/107/MPW-53701


Gaslight (1944) Director: George Cukor (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036855/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)
Nominated By Siddon
Reviews 10/10

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61uyST%2BqQML._SX425_.jpg


Cinema Paradiso AKA ‘Nuovo Cinema Paradiso’ (1988) Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095765/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)
Nominated By John-Conner
Reviews 9/10

https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1zq1qSpXXXXc0aFXXq6xXFXXX6/cinema-paradiso-movie-posters-retro-poster-vintage-home-decor-adornment-character.jpg_640x640.jpg


Angel Face (1953) Directed By: Otto Preminger (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044357/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)
Nominated By neiba
Reviews 10/10

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOTk4NGU4YzAtN2UzMC00ZGIwLWExOGYtYTI5NGNiYzJmOGJkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUxODE0MDY@._V1_.jpg


The Virgin Spring (1960) Directed By: Ingmar Bergman (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053976/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)
Nominated By rauldc14
Reviews 10/10

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51VBM9WM85L.jpg


Raging Bull (1980) Directed By: Martin Scorsese (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081398/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)
Nominated By jiraffejustin
Reviews 9/10

https://cdn.cinematerial.com/p/500x/mq9jxynm/raging-bull-italian-movie-poster.jpg

[Citizen Rules]

In...and nom is sent! :)

[ahwell]

Awesome, I'm in. I have a great movie picked out that I'm surprised hasn't been nominated before.

[cricket]

Might be time for me to get back in the game. I'll give it a couple days to make sure.

[edarsenal]

CR, ahwell and Keyser has sent in noms, so, we're off like gangbusters!

And yeah, been missing you, cricket, it'd be very f@ckin cool if you jumped in!


EDIT: and one more, Miss Vicky!

[KeyserCorleone]

I'm already prepared to start watching the other noms, once we're told what they are.

[pahaK]

I'm not sure if I'll join yet. In theory I'd have time but there will be so many series to binge during the summer and I do have some other things to do as well. Will decide in few days.

[edarsenal]

no worries, pahaK, I'm going to take the week, tentatively, to keep nominations open, so by all means, take a little time to decide.

[edarsenal]

And another is added to the list, Siddon has joined in and sent a nomination.

[Citizen Rules]

And another is added to the list, Siddon has joined in and sent a nomination.Star Wars (1977) I bet. No one told me that, it's just a guess.

[John-Connor]

Nom sent, ready to watch some good movies.

[rauldc14]

I'm in out of town right now though

[Siddon]

Star Wars (1977) I bet. No one told me that, it's just a guess.



Actually my nomination hit a big anniversary this year which was one of the reasons I nominated it,
it's also from a decade I haven't nominated in a Hall of Fame,
it has not been nominated in a Hall of Fame yet
it has shown up on a MOFO list
It's from an acclaimed director who it appears has never been nominated by anyone else in the history of MOFO



The Little Stranger (2018)
Thelma (2017)
Monsters University (2013)
Last Supper (1995)
Akira (1988)
My Favorite Year (1982)
Deep Red (1975)
The Beast Must Die (1974)
The Godfather (1972)
Aguirre Wrath of God (1972)
Mr Freedom (1969)
The Innocents (1961)
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Forbidden Planet (1956)
Mad Love (1935)
Top Hat (1935)
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
It's a Gift (1934)

[Citizen Rules]

Good clues, I'll have to think about it and take a guess (just for fun of course) I know that noms are private until the reveal.

[edarsenal]

I'm in out of town right now though
Nominations will be open all week, and I'll still except folks joining a short time after the reveals, so no worries!


Actually my nomination hit a big anniversary this year which was one of the reasons I nominated it,
it's also from a decade I haven't nominated in a Hall of Fame,
it has not been nominated in a Hall of Fame yet
it has shown up on a MOFO list
It's from an acclaimed director who it appears has never been nominated by anyone else in the history of MOFO



The Little Stranger (2018)
Thelma (2017)
Monsters University (2013)
Last Supper (1995)
Akira (1988)
My Favorite Year (1982)
Deep Red (1975)
The Beast Must Die (1974)
The Godfather (1972)
Aguirre Wrath of God (1972)
Mr Freedom (1969)
The Innocents (1961)
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Forbidden Planet (1956)
Mad Love (1935)
Top Hat (1935)
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
It's a Gift (1934)

Good clues, I'll have to think about it and take a guess (just for fun of course) I know that noms are private until the reveal.

It's a toughie, good luck CR and anyone else who wishes to hazard a guess.


And as noted, John-Conner has joined in and actually broken the minor common thread that all the previous movies had with each other.

[ahwell]

Star Wars (1977) I bet. No one told me that, it's just a guess.



Actually my nomination hit a big anniversary this year which was one of the reasons I nominated it,
it's also from a decade I haven't nominated in a Hall of Fame,
it has not been nominated in a Hall of Fame yet
it has shown up on a MOFO list
It's from an acclaimed director who it appears has never been nominated by anyone else in the history of MOFO



The Little Stranger (2018)
Thelma (2017)
Monsters University (2013)
Last Supper (1995)
Akira (1988)
My Favorite Year (1982)
Deep Red (1975)
The Beast Must Die (1974)
The Godfather (1972)
Aguirre Wrath of God (1972)
Mr Freedom (1969)
The Innocents (1961)
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Forbidden Planet (1956)
Mad Love (1935)
Top Hat (1935)
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
It's a Gift (1934)

Well, the Third Man meets all those criteria, that’s my guess... if that’s not it no idea.

Edit: Never Mind, looks like it was nominated before.

[Citizen Rules]

...It's a toughie, good luck CR and anyone else who wishes to hazard a guess. I'll hazard a guess. D.W. Griffith's Broken Blossoms (1919).

[rauldc14]

Really struggling with what to nominate this time. Lots of possibilities.

[neiba]

Ed, clear up your inbox, I wanna send my nom :p

[cricket]

I'm sorry, I'm still gong to have to wait to get back in but I look forward to seeing the nominations.

[Citizen Rules]

I'm sorry, I'm still gong to have to wait to get back in but I look forward to seeing the nominations.Bummer as you've been missed in the recent Hofs. But hopefully you'll be back in for the 20th, which I'm hosting!

[edarsenal]

Really struggling with what to nominate this time. Lots of possibilities.
I know what ya mean, but we have time, still looking at the end of the week, tentatively, so take the time to choose the right one for you.
Ed, clear up your inbox, I wanna send my nom :p
DOH! Sorry, neiba, it's cleared up and excited to see what you chose.
I'm sorry, I'm still gong to have to wait to get back in but I look forward to seeing the nominations.
https://media2.giphy.com/media/RLiVkYjnhhGipCUhH2/giphy.gif

I promised myself I wouldn't cry.

I PROMISED myself I wouldn't cry.

I promised myself I WOULD NOT cry!

I PROMISED MYSELF- - -
https://media1.tenor.com/images/c03a52dfb7b5df72a304efe987378327/tenor.gif?itemid=3524741

OH DAMMIT!!!

[edarsenal]

All tighty, got neiba's nom in and raul is in decision mode, so that'll put us at 9 so far.

Some solid noms by the way, with a minor, secondary connection through a very large majority of them. The exception breaking the norm quite nicely.

[Citizen Rules]

...Some solid noms by the way, with a minor, secondary connection through a very large majority of them. The exception breaking the norm quite nicely. I can't guess what that connection might be. But I bet Showgirls is in my future:p


edarsenal - Nom Sent In
Citizen Rules - Nom Sent In
ahwell - Nom Sent In
KeyserCorleone - Nom Sent In
Miss Vicky - Nom Sent In
Siddon - Nom Sent In
John-Conner - Nom Sent In
neiba - Nom Sent In
rauldc14


Who are we missing? Time for some shout outs:) @CosmicRunaway (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=90868) @Thursday Next (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=9011) ...who else has joined before that might not have seen the thread yet?

[Siddon]

pahaK will hopefully join I suggested a pair of films he's recommended recently and I believe they would do very well

[edarsenal]

I know TheUsualSuspect has been getting into a few recently and Yam12 may have an interest, along with ScarletLion

[Citizen Rules]

@pahaK (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=100614) will hopefully join I suggested a pair of films he's recommended recently and I believe they would do very wellYup, he should join! I know he watched in the last few months a very controversial American film from the 1970s, that would make for a very interesting nom..and get the conversation going too.

[CosmicRunaway]

Since I skipped the last General HoF, I did intend to join this one. However, I haven't been able to watch films for the Sci-Fi HoF at my usual pace, and I don't want to take on more than I have time for.

I'm still hoping I might be able to join the Animation HoF though, since that's a medium I don't see enough of, and the last one introduced me to a film I ended up absolutely loving.

[rauldc14]

Animation is next. Hopefully Mid June!

[Yam12]

I know TheUsualSuspect has been getting into a few recently and Yam12 may have an interest, along with ScarletLion

I'll pass for now. Thanks anyway.

[edarsenal]

Considering we have Sci-Fi going and Animation gearing up next month, if we break the 10 participants, we should do very good for an HoF.

Thanks everyone who responded to the mentions, that IS very much appreciated.

[jiraffejustin]

I think I'll join this one

[edarsenal]

I think I'll join this one

WELCOME! Just got your nomination.

We have officially hit the 10 Member marker, people!! WOO HOO

[Citizen Rules]

I invited Iron Pony to join. I don't think that he will, but it would be cool if he did. If you guys know of a MoFo (new or old) that hasn't joined an HoF before, send them a PM or post comment. We really need to get new people as a lot of the regulars aren't as active as before.

[ScarletLion]

I know TheUsualSuspect has been getting into a few recently and Yam12 may have an interest, along with ScarletLion

The SciFi HoF is enough to keep me busy for the time being. But I'll be checking in on this. Looks good. cheers.

[edarsenal]

The SciFi HoF is enough to keep me busy for the time being. But I'll be checking in on this. Looks good. cheers.

THANK YOU! Most kind of you.
Looking forward to seeing you browse and, of course, the Sci-Fi HoF

take care!

[Thursday Next]

I don't have the time to commit to this right now, but it's a shame because I have a feeling it might be a good one.

[KeyserCorleone]

That Jeopardy jingle isn't going to play 24/7 until we get the nom, is it? :D

[edarsenal]

I don't have the time to commit to this right now, but it's a shame because I have a feeling it might be a good one.
Would have loved to have ya, but, by all means, feel free to stop by any ole time, my dear.
https://i.imgflip.com/1ljqv2.gif
That Jeopardy jingle isn't going to play 24/7 until we get the nom, is it? :D
Sticks in your head, doesn't it? lol

[Citizen Rules]

I don't have the time to commit to this right now, but it's a shame because I have a feeling it might be a good one.You're missed, so hopefully in the near future you can join an HoF again.

[edarsenal]

Citizen Rules, ahwell KeyserCorleone, Miss Vicky Siddon, john-Conner, neiba, rauldc14, jiraffejustin

Raul has sent in his Nom so I'll be doing a reveal some time late afternoon or early evening.
I'll also keep joining open for a limited time for anyone deciding on participating.

[Citizen Rules]

...I'll also keep joining open for a limited time for anyone deciding on participating.I like that idea:up: I don't know if I said that before, but it's a good thing IMO. Some people have said in the past that they don't join HoFs because they're not sure if they can find the movies, or because they might have already seen most of the movies and don't want to watch them again...So hopefully that Grace Period rule brings in a new person or two, if not this time then sometime in future HoFs. We need new Hof members coming in as some of the long time members aren't participating much these days, and others have left the board completely.

If I forget to include that Grace Period rule in the 20th HoF, let me know, because I tend to include it.

[cricket]

I will watch anything already on my watchlist or eligible for the next countdown:)

[Citizen Rules]

I will watch anything already on my watchlist or eligible for the next countdown:) If I hadn't already picked my nomination months ago, I would have went with a silent film. Oh well maybe we'll get lucky and see a silent era nom or two.

[edarsenal]

I like that idea:up: I don't know if I said that before, but it's a good thing IMO. Some people have said in the past that they don't join HoFs because they're not sure if they can find the movies, or because they might have already seen most of the movies and don't want to watch them again...So hopefully that Grace Period rule brings in a new person or two, if not this time then sometime in future HoFs. We need new Hof members coming in as some of the long time members aren't participating much these days, and others have left the board completely.

If I forget to include that Grace Period rule in the 20th HoF, let me know, because I tend to include it.
Yeah, I do like that extra Grace Period for those who like to window shop, as it were, before deciding.

I'll be posting the Reveal shortly.

[KeyserCorleone]

I've been having trouble deciding what to watch next, so I can't wait.

[edarsenal]

Citizen Rules, ahwell KeyserCorleone, Miss Vicky Siddon, John-Conner, neiba, rauldc14, jiraffejustin


https://media.giphy.com/media/YPIrsRqqO7oB2/giphy.gif

[neiba]

jesus!!! 4 giants, some movies I never heard about and a Bergman... This has everything to be an amazing HoF!

[edarsenal]

19th HoF Movie List


Open Range (2003) Director: Kevin Costner (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0316356/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1)
Nominated By edarsenal

https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.aZAciMgN46zGkzU8jyJL1AHaFj

You Tube Link (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p28yT3Z3oj8&t=4551s)


Tombstone (1993) Directors: George P. Cosmatos, Kevin Jarre (uncredited) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108358/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)
Nominated By Citizen Rules

https://secure.img2-fg.wfcdn.com/im/89472719/resize-h600-w600%5Ecompr-r85/4430/44309967/Tombstone+Cast+Autographed+Movie+Poster.jpg


Pulp Fiction (1994) Director: Quentin Tarantino (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110912/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1)
Nominated By ahwell

https://www.aaavintageposters.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/pulp-600x900.jpg


The Godfather (1972) Director: Francis Ford Coppola (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1)
Nominated by KeyserCorleone

https://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/7/9/9/4/6/1/webimg/917237891_o.jpg


Return to Paradise (1998) Director: Joseph Ruben (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0124595/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1)
Nominated By Miss Vicky

https://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/107/MPW-53701


Gaslight (1944) Director: George Cukor (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036855/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)
Nominated By Siddon

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61uyST%2BqQML._SX425_.jpg


Cinema Paradiso AKA ‘Nuovo Cinema Paradiso’ (1988) Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095765/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)
Nominated By John-Conner

https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1zq1qSpXXXXc0aFXXq6xXFXXX6/cinema-paradiso-movie-posters-retro-poster-vintage-home-decor-adornment-character.jpg_640x640.jpg


Angel Face (1953) Directed By: Otto Preminger (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044357/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)
Nominated By neiba

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOTk4NGU4YzAtN2UzMC00ZGIwLWExOGYtYTI5NGNiYzJmOGJkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUxODE0MDY@._V1_.jpg


The Virgin Spring (1960) Directed By: Ingmar Bergman (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053976/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)
Nominated By rauldc14

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51VBM9WM85L.jpg


Raging Bull (1980) Directed By: Martin Scorsese (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081398/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)
Nominated By jiraffejustin

https://cdn.cinematerial.com/p/500x/mq9jxynm/raging-bull-italian-movie-poster.jpg

[edarsenal]

I've also got the front page set up, and as mentioned, An Open Door Policy is in effect for anyone looking to join up within the first week, should they wish to participate.

[cricket]

The Godfather, Raging Bull, and Pulp Fiction are of course monsters in the history of film and all brilliant, and I also love The Virgin Spring and Gaslight. My wife and I watched Return to Paradise several years ago and both loved that. It's a hidden gem. I know I've seen Open Range I but don't remember it, and I'm not sure if I've seen Tombstone. I'll watch those when we do a westerns countdown. I've always wanted to see Cinema Paradiso so I'll check that out. I never heard of Angel Face but I love Jean Simmons and Robert Mitchum so I think I'll watch that too. This is an impressive lineup.

[Miss Vicky]

Well this is going to be a relatively easy HOF considering quite a few of these are in my collection. Lots of rewatches in general. Open Range and Tombstone are among my favorite Westerns. Pulp Fiction used to be a big favorite, but I didn't quite love it when I watched it about a year ago. We'll see how it fares this time. I hated The Godfather the first time I watched it, but respected it well enough the second time around when I watched it for the Best Picture HOF. I thought The Virgin Spring was well made, but it is not among my favorites from Bergman.

I chose Return to Paradise because I think it's a good example of Phoenix's talent and I think the premise could spark some interesting conversation.

I've been meaning to watch Gaslight for awhile. Haven't seen Angel Face, Cinema Paradiso, or Raging Bull.

* * *

For My Reference:
Watched 10/10

Angel Face (Otto Preminger, 1953)
Length: 1 hr, 31 mins
Nominated by neiba
Rewatch?: No
Source: Library
Review: June 6, 2019 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2016676#post2016676) / 2.5

Cinema Paradiso (Nuovo Cinema Paradiso) (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988)
Length: 2 hrs, 1 min
Nominated by John-Conner
Rewatch?: No
Source: Library
Review: June 8, 2019 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2017100#post2017100) / 3-

Gaslight (George Cukor, 1944)
Length: 1 hr, 54 mins
Nominated by Siddon
Rewatch?: No
Source: Library
Review: June 2, 2019 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2015605#post2015605) / 3.5-

The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
Length: 2 hrs, 55 mins
Nominated by KeyserCorleone
Rewatch?: Yes
Source: Library
Review: June 3, 2019 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2015747#post2015747) / 3+

Open Range (Kevin Costner, 2003)
Length: 2 hrs, 19 mins
Nominated by edarsenal
Rewatch?: Yes
Source: My collection
Review: May 27, 2019 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2014492#post2014492) / 4+

Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
Length: 2 hrs, 34 mins
Nominated by ahwell
Rewatch?: Yes
Source: My collection
Review: June 9, 2019 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2017266#post2017266) / 4+

Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
Length: 2 hrs, 9 mins
Nominated by jiraffejustin
Rewatch?: No
Source: Amazon Prime
Review: May 29, 2019 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2014804#post2014804) / 1-

Return to Paradise (Joseph Ruben, 1998)
Length: 1 hr, 51 mins
Nominated by me
Rewatch?: Yes
Source: My collection
Review: June 10, 2019 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2017282#post2017282) / 4.5-

Tombstone (George P. Cosmatos and Kevin Jarre, 1993)
Length: 2 hrs, 10 mins
Nominated Citizen Rules
Rewatch?: Yes
Source: My collection
Review: May 26, 2019 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2014313#post2014313) / 4

The Virgin Spring (Jungfrukällan) (Ingmar Bergman, 1960)
Length: 1 hr, 29 mins
Nominated rauldc14
Rewatch?: Yes
Source: Library
Review: June 4, 2019 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2016202#post2016202) / 2.5+

[John-Connor]

Just saw the noms, seen all of them, crazy good, insanely high level noms ..!:eek:

[HashtagBrownies]

Lots of popular ones this time round, should be fun to see everyone's opinion on them.

[KeyserCorleone]

Cool, already seen half of these. But of course, we're pitting Pulp Fiction against The Godfather. I just started Rush in Rio, so I can't watch Return to Paradise now.

[ahwell]

Oh gosh, thought Pulp Fiction had this in the bag, now not quite so sure... I may not even put it first now, and it's my all time favorite!

[MovieMeditation]

Wauw. Y’all got some big ones to play with this time around...

[John-Connor]

Important @ all participants, when you're going to watch my nom Cinema Paradiso please make sure it's the 123 min. (2 hour 3 min) theatrical (international) version.

[Citizen Rules]

I've seen some of these many times, others only once. I'm most excited for these:



Tombstone (1993) My own nom, I haven't seen it in years, but recently I watched every movie I could find on the gunfight at OK coral. There were a lot of them too, but in my mind this is the best.

Open Range (2003) My parents love westerns and just last week they told me I MUST watch this one. So I guess I will. I love westerns too and Robert Duvall is IMO one of the finest actors working today.

Return to Paradise (1998) Joaquin Phoenix is another actor who IMO is one of the best around. So this might be interesting, though I don't even know what it's about right now.

Cinema Paradiso (1988) I've heard of this one and so it's one of those must see films, at least for me.

The Virgin Spring (1960) I've hated every Bergman film I've seen and strangely that's why I'm glad another was nominated, as maybe I just haven't seen the right Bergman yet.



These are going to be interesting watches for me:

Raging Bull (1980) I only seen this once and reviewed it and didn't care for it. Because of that I will make sure and watch it when I'm in a good mood so maybe my opinion will go up this time.

Angel Face (1953) Same here as Raging Bull...I only seen it once and reviewed it, but didn't care for it. So I will make sure and watch it when I'm in the mood for it, so as to give it a good chance.


I've seen these recently and was OK with them, but didn't love them like so many do.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

The Godfather (1972)

Gaslight (1944)

[edarsenal]

I quite agree, quite a number of Big Films, a few I REALLY need to see and a couple unknowns that are intriguing.
When the noms first started coming in and with a few more there was a very cool underlying connection through a very large majority regarding subject matter that delved outside the law and/or how things were settled. The exceptions making for excellent palette cleansing.

Open Range (2003) Director: Kevin Costner
Nominated By edarsenal This is on my Countless Rewatching List and an ultimate Western favorite of mine. I also added a YouTube link for an excellent widescreen copy should anyone need it.

***Also, should anyone else have youtube link for their film, I will happily do the same for those on the front page.***

Tombstone (1993) Directors: George P. Cosmatos, Kevin Jarre (uncredited)
Nominated By Citizen Rules While I am of the Wyatt Earp fan club, this is still a great film and it's been far too long since I last saw it.

Pulp Fiction (1994) Director: Quentin Tarantino
Nominated By ahwell Another big favorite of mine that I actually rewatched a couple months ago, but will happily see again.

The Godfather (1972) Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Nominated by KeyserCorleone Had a lot of fun talking gangster history with Camo during the Best Picture HoF that this featured in. Another great film, seen countless times and happy to see again.

Return to Paradise (1998) Director: Joseph Ruben
Nominated By Miss Vicky Always been curious to see this one and never seemed to get around to, so now I can.

Gaslight (1944) Director: George Cukor
Nominated By Siddon Been a while since I saw this one and remember enjoying it very much.

Cinema Paradiso AKA ‘Nuovo Cinema Paradiso’ (1988) Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore
Nominated By John-Conner This is completely unknown to me and after reading about it, I'm pretty excited to see it.
Oh, and yes, this is one of the exceptions I was referring to in the opening paragraph.

Angel Face (1953) Directed By: Otto Preminger
Nominated By neiba Been quite a while since I saw this one. Should make for a great revisit.

The Virgin Spring (1960) Directed By: Ingmar Bergman
Nominated By rauldc14 I've only seen a very small list of Bergman films and still remain on the fence with him. The story line seems pretty intense, and I'm very open to seeing how this one plays out.

Raging Bull (1980) Directed By: Martin Scorsese
Nominated By jiraffejustin On that list of Should have, STILL haven't To See List.

[CosmicRunaway]

The nominations I've seen are all quality films, so this will definitely be an interesting HoF to follow. :up:

Where I work, we have a small home fragrance section, and one of the scents is called "Santiago Huckleberry". I think of Tombstone every single time I see it haha.

[rauldc14]

Hall of Titans is what this is.

I think one of three films will obviously win, but they probably will deserve to as well.

[Citizen Rules]

Tombstone (1993)...While I am of the Wyatt Earp fan club, this is still a great film and it's been far too long since I last saw it. Several months ago I watched the old Star Trek episode Spectre of the Gun in which Captain Kirk and the gang are condemned to die as the Clatons at the hands of the evil Earps at the O.K. Corral. As a kid I always thought that the Earps were the bad guys!

So like I said I then went looking for all the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral movies I could find and I watched these:

Gunfight at OK Corral (1957)
Hour of the Gun (1967)
Frontier Marshal (1939)
Masterson of Kansas (1954)
Doc (1971)
My Darling Clementine (1946)
I Married Wyatt Earp (1983)
Wyatt Earp (1994)
Tombstone (1993)

I Married Wyatt Earp has Marie Osmond in it! Aren't you guys glad that I didn't nominate that one:p

[neiba]

Open Range (2003) - never watched it, never heard about it. I'm not particularly a fan of Costner, but I'm curious.

Tombstone (1993) - Heard about it but have no idea what's it about, except it's a western and it was nominated by CR, so it must be good! xD

Pulp Fiction (1994) - The first giant of the list. Probably my favourite movie. It's special to me in so many ways. Can't see any other movie taking the 1st place on my list to this. Don't really need to watch it again cause I've seen it dozens of times but might just for fun.

The Godfather (1972) - Another giant. Thought it's not my favourite movie from the trilogy, The Godfather is a monster of cinema history. I don't think it will win this but might end up Top 3.

Return to Paradise (1998) - Never heard about it, don't know a thing about it and will keep it like that till I watch it.

Gaslight (1944) - Same this as Return to Paradise.

Cinema Paradiso AKA ‘Nuovo Cinema Paradiso’ (1988) - As things are standing now, this will be my number 2. It's one of the most beautiful cinematic experience I've ever experienced. Don't trust anyone who doesn't cry their eyes out on that last scene.

Angel Face (1953) - One of the most interesting noirs I've seen recently. Watched it on the big screen a few weeks ago and loved it! I'll review it soon.

The Virgin Spring (1960) - Never watched it but it's a Bergman so it's probably good.

Raging Bull (1980) - And the 4th Monster of the list, my favourite Scorcese film and I'm kinda sad it gets nominated on this HoF in particular when could have won easily any of the last few ones.

Great list of noms everybody!

[cricket]

I think Raging Bull is one of the best films ever made but it seems a lot of people don't enjoy it. I don't think it makes top 3. I think Cinema Paradiso is a sleeper contender even though I haven't seen it yet.

[Miss Vicky]

Looking at that list, I'm getting nervous that my nom might place last.

[rauldc14]

No matter what I would have nominated this time, none of them would have stood a chance with these nominations.

[KeyserCorleone]

If I need four write ups done in the first five weeks, can I post write-ups for the five movies I've already seen right now?

[HashtagBrownies]

If I need four write ups done in the first five weeks, can I post write-ups for the five movies I've already seen right now?

Yes.

[KeyserCorleone]

The Godfather.

This is the greatest movie ever in my eyes. From start to finish, Coppola puts a perfect focus into cinematography, bringing everything needed to more consistency and ease to follow the complex plot. The real standout of the movie, however, is the evolution of Michael Corleone from a war-hero and family man to a ruthless mafioso. And when taking into account what he went through, it questions whether or not we'd become something like him if we were in his shoes. And the score managed to implement the Italian sound with the modern film classical sound perfectly. Many movies try a cultural sound that doesn't appeal, but the score of this film characterizes the dark side of the Italian family the film focuses on. The Godfather is a great movie through and through.


10 / 10


I'll write up the others later.

[edarsenal]

I think Raging Bull is one of the best films ever made but it seems a lot of people don't enjoy it. I don't think it makes top 3. I think Cinema Paradiso is a sleeper contender even though I haven't seen it yet.

I've been kind of wondering about that myself.
I definitely know there is no clear winner at this point - far too many heavy hitters. It could even end up a surprise winner, such as Paradiso.

[edarsenal]

Several months ago I watched the old Star Trek episode Spectre of the Gun in which Captain Kirk and the gang are condemned to die as the Clatons at the hands of the evil Earps at the O.K. Corral. As a kid I always thought that the Earps were the bad guys!

So like I said I then went looking for all the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral movies I could find and I watched these:

Gunfight at OK Corral (1957)
Hour of the Gun (1967)
Frontier Marshal (1939)
Masterson of Kansas (1954)
Doc (1971)
My Darling Clementine (1946)
I Married Wyatt Earp (1983)
Wyatt Earp (1994)
Tombstone (1993)

I Married Wyatt Earp has Marie Osmond in it! Aren't you guys glad that I didn't nominate that one:p

let's see:

Gunfight at OK Corral (1957) SEEN IT
Hour of the Gun (1967) HAVEN'T SEEN IT but I am curious
Frontier Marshal (1939) HAVEN'T SEEN IT
Masterson of Kansas (1954) HAVEN'T SEEN IT
Doc (1971) HAVEN'T SEEN IT
My Darling Clementine (1946) SEEN IT
I Married Wyatt Earp (1983) HAVEN'T SEEN IT
Wyatt Earp (1994) SEEN IT
Tombstone (1993) SEEN IT

[KeyserCorleone]

Open Range


Open Range is a pretty fun movie when 8t comes to general western badassery. The shoot-out scenes in general were pretty thrilling, and the character development scenes added a decent new level to the story. Open range also made the most out of Robert Duvall and Kecin Costner's acting if you ask me, although Spearman was far from Duvall's best role. But it wasn't a very original western. Many plot plot points (while well organized) felt like slight variations of things from other westerns, and the romantic subplot didn't feel real at all. Other than that, Open Range is a good western with a lot of charisma.


8 / 10

[KeyserCorleone]

Last one for the night.

Return to Paradise

OK, this one was pretty good. It had a fair bit of subtle psychological examination, which I'm a sucker for, as the main character's role in the movie represents a real soul search. The film was directed well enough with no clunky cinematography or inconsistency of story or mood. The romantic subplot was another thrown-in opposites attract story, but it had its touching moments. But what happened to one character at the end was ABSOLUTE BULL****. I'm not satisfied with that ending at all, and I don't see myself coming back to that like I do with The Godfather and Pulp Fiction.

7.5 / 10

[Miss Vicky]

But what happened to one character at the end was ABSOLUTE BULL****. I'm not satisfied with that ending at all, and I don't see myself coming back to that like I do with The Godfather and Pulp Fiction.

Which character? Why was it BS? How is the ending unsatisfactory?

[KeyserCorleone]

Lewis. All because the judge is mad about a newspaper, he's going to execuye a boy he knows doesn't deserve the death penalty by his own laws? It means everything Sheriff and Beth did was for nothing. That's not a happy ending. That's a sad ending caused by a crappy excuse for a judge. Now because of him, his own country has to release Sheriff after six months as opposed to three years in order to "save face," and that's all the good guys get out of this? The judge's decision only made things worse for the good guys and his own country.
I'm sorry, but that judge is an idiot. He's mad because American newspapers write articles, and he's making a statement about how much cleaner Malaysian streets are by executing a young man? "Saving face" means all he accomplished was making America even more mad.


Maybe I'm just a "happy ending" guy, but this was quite the serious movie about serious topics, so I say this with seriousness: the judge was an idiot. I really wanted Lewis to live. Not delivering on that... just hurts, and not in the good way, like the Infinity War way. It means everything accomplished in the movie amounted to precisely... d


I didn't like that ending, though the rest was good.

[Siddon]

Return to Paradise (1998) - Never heard about it, don't know a thing about it and will keep it like that till I watch it.

Gaslight (1944) - Same this as Return to Paradise.



Gaslight was released 75 years ago on May the 4th, it received 7 Oscar nominations and the director George Cukor went on to receive 5 Best Director noms himself. This film also was the feature debut of an 18 year old Angela Lansbury who received her first supporting actress nomination for her debut role.



https://i.cdn.turner.com/v5cache/TCM/Images/Dynamic/i393/gaslight44_itsanoddhousehold_FC_470x264_022620160256.jpg


As for the nominations...


The Virgin Spring - very happy to see this nominated as I intend to buy this behemoth next month when it goes on Sale



https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/product_images/1927-97213ab6adcd90c52f7d146a27a5e792/7wT4bPXK8EBW1qJ5q9Mk9TRwXuDYk2_original.jpg




Angel Face - I've seen it twice, liked it remembered the ending so I wonder if it's going to feel like a chore for the third time.


The Godfather - actually nominated this film before so you know it's going to score highly I wonder how it will do with some fresh voters.



Raging Bull - saw it once always intended to revisit it, feels like the right time to do it this summer.


Tombstone - this is my dark horse pick for a winner



Pulp Fiction - I feel like I watch this one every summer not sure how I feel about the revisit but who knows.


Cinema Paradiso - I saw this two years ago, bit underwhelming to me but we'll see how a second watch works out.


Return to Paradise/Open Range - One I think I saw and the other I know I saw and forgot 90% of it almost immediately If I were to guess on the final results


1. Tombstone
2. Pulp Fiction
3. The Godfather
4. Raging Bull
5. Cinema Paradiso
6. The Virgin Spring
7. Gaslight
8.Angel Face
9. Return to Paradise
10. Open Range

[Miss Vicky]

I didn't like that ending, though the rest was good.

Interesting. Also strange that you don't seem to put any blame on the reporter who put getting a jump on the story at a higher priority than not endangering someone's life.

Do you require movies to have happy endings in order to enjoy them? 'Cause the movies I love (and nominate) don't often end that way.

[KeyserCorleone]

I can appreciate a sad ending if there's more merit in it, but I didn't really view the reporter as a threat. There's no good reason any newspaper should endanger a life when they clearly stated what Malaysian law would give Lewis at the beginning of the movie if his friends showed.

The end of Paths of Glory made a statement, and that's why while I didn't care for the way events panned out, I appreciated the ending for the art. I can say the same about Dead Poets Society and Ivan's Childhood. This ending didn't add anything to the movie. The stuff left for the movie was already resolved, like the romantic subplot and Sheriff's soul search. Plus, the judge didn't think about how his actions would make his own government look bad. Basically, the ending was decided on by a man who let his emotions get the best of him, leaving everyone of the main cast to suffer for the unfairness. Yes, it had emotional value, but everything the movie built up was torn down for an old man's childish decision. That kind of ending pisses me off.

[jiraffejustin]

I nominated Raging Bull mostly because I recently rewatched it and it was on my mind. I wrote a couple notes to myself about it on Notepad, but it wasn't really anything too substantial. I'll just share them here since I already have them.

Many reasons exist to shoot films in black and white, but it seems to me that just one of the reasons chosen for Raging Bull is to make it stand out as far as possible from the hugely popular Rocky films at the time. Raging Bull is the best boxing film of all-time and probably the the boxing film that least cares about boxing. Which makes it all the more interesting that the boxing scenes do such a great job of being interpretive dances representing LaMotta's outside-the-ring life. The Janiro fight and the final Sugar Ray fight are the best examples; his insecurities, jealousy, and anger are taken out on Janiro and he pummels the poor kid, and the final Sugar Ray fight is his penance for all his sh*ttiness. Even though he is shown fighting another person in all these fights, his real opponent was always himself.

[neiba]

Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)


There's nothing much to say I didn't already say on this forum about this film.
Watched it for the first time when I was 15, rewatched it countless times since then. It was the film who first planted the first seeds of cinephilia, so it's special for me.

About the film, it was made in a time where creativity didn't matter much in Hollywood by a guy with a unique path and vision. It revolutionized the independent cinema all over the world, in particular in USA, it creted a whole generation of amazing directors and screenwriters and it showed you actually make money without following the same old formulas.

The cast needs no presentation, it's filled with many legendary actors and a little surprise: the portuguese Maria de Medeiros who is actually perfect as Fabianne.
The soundtrack is the definition of coolness, blending all the different chapters with the same energy (something that is lacking on some later Tarantino works).
But what I really adore about this is the insanely good script. From the epic hamburguer scene till the bad motherfuc*er wallet scene (I own that one btw) everything is so quotable and it flows so well. I still know huge chunks of it by heart.


5 +
(only 3 movies ever got this rating from me)

[neiba]

Don't read this if you never watched it.

Angel Face (Otto Preminger, 1953)

Watched this on big screen a few weeks ago. I knew it was a noir and that starred Mitchum and Jean Simmons, two actors I really love and that have solid reputations about what the kind of characters they usually take.
So, the first thing that I liked about this was the completely inversion of what was expectable. Mitchum is amazing as the manipulated guy, especially cause he uses his strong image to come across as a know-better. There are times where we feel he can escape from the seductive power of Diane but the cycle proves too hard for him to break it.
As for Jean Simmons, it's amazing how she uses his innocence to make us fall in love and actually have pity for her, so when she reveals herself as the cold hearted assassin the effect is that we witness the birth of the most dangerous type of femme fatale.

I'd like to know what the MoFo's think about that ending. It took me totally by surprise. Did Diane doubt her powers on Frank and actually gave up on seducing him again, or was she simply to hurt about killing her own father that nothing mattered?

4 +

[ahwell]

Pulp Fiction

I'm actually not too big of a fan of Quentin Tarantino. His dialogue verges on pretentious and his violence can just be so over the top. But Pulp Fiction is absolutely perfect. This is one of those movies that I watch, and then think - "I can't change anything about this movie." I'd maybe only cut slightly the scene between Butch and Fabinne, everything is gold. The hamburger scene, the diner robbery scene, everything with Mia Wallace. The acting is amazing, the script is amazing, Pulp Fiction is just too good. Blows me away every time I see it.

5

[neiba]

The Godfather (F. F. Coppola, 1972)

Watched it many times, the last of them less than a year ago so this doesn't need a rewatch.

The best thing about this is to witness Brando in one of this most famous roles, delivering a steady and experienced perfomance. He doesn't feel the need to prove anything to anyone. He was one of the greatest living actors at this time, and he plays the role of Don Corleone from that place of power which gives it the perfect energy.
Then, there's a great introduction to Pacino's character that achieves its peak on the second entry of the trilogy.

Those are the two main forces on the film, and everything revolves around them. The rest of the cast is very strong, but Vito and Michael Corleone are the dynamos that drive this film forward.
Then there's a legendary soundtrack, endless amazing quotes and a story that is perfectly paced till one the best climaxes in history.

4 +

[neiba]

Gonna try watching Tombstone today! Maybe can finish this entire HoF by the end of the week.

[John-Connor]

https://i.imgur.com/Hz0NatP.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/wky8ls9.jpg


The Godfather 1972 Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
https://i.imgur.com/kKVXbuV.jpg
2h 55min | 3h 22min | Crime | Drama
Writers: Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo
Cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, James Caan, Sterling Hayden, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, John Cazale, Robert De Niro, Talia Shire, Richard S. Castellano, John Marley Richard Conte, Al Lettieri, Abe Vigoda, Gianni Russo, Lee Strasberg, Michael V. Gazzo

My favorite / best movie of all time, I know half the script by heart and I could talk for days about it but I will try to keep it short here and only focus on a few of the masterful aspects of this aforementioned cinematic giant.

Directing
Francis Ford Coppola is one of your favorite directors favorite director.
Coppola is the only director that appears on the Top 10 Greatest Films According To 358 Directors, chosen by 358 other respected established filmmakers twice!
http://www.openculture.com/2019/04/the-ten-greatest-films-of-all-time-according-to-358-filmmakers.html

Marlon Brando and the Don Vito Corleone character
Never before or after have I seen an actor portray a role the way Marlon Brando did Don Vito Corleone. Experienced, wise like the old owl, hardened by his traumatic experiences as a boy and struggles through the gutters and rooftops of New York as a young man. The head of an organized crime family that would later turn into a fully legit conglomerate; Immobiliare.
Also displaying sympathetic characteristics like his intense love for his family, speeches invoking peaceful relations between the five families, urging them to stay out of the drug business, a powerful forgiving gesture embracing Tattaglia the man who had his boy Sonny brutally killed by Tommy guns. A playful side shown in his final heartwarming scene playing with his grandson in the garden (with oranges). Great performance and character.
https://i.imgur.com/Oa6tLwd.jpg

Foreshadowing
Every time you see an orange in the scene, death soon follows.
Excellent use of foreshadowing that really build up the suspense in scenes.
https://i.imgur.com/ALRJ69R.png
https://i.imgur.com/9ge7zo9.jpg
And continued in part II & III.
https://i.imgur.com/tKlOTGw.png

When Corleone's hitman Luca Brasi was sent to infiltrate the rival Tattaglia family by feigning dissatisfaction with the Corleones. The camera follows him entering the bar entrance, but does not follow him through the door. Instead, the camera continues to pan from the doorway to outside the bar, filming through the window. The glass pane is etched with images of fish.
https://i.imgur.com/Wzua1DH.png
Later Clemenza tells Sonny;
https://i.imgur.com/yl8ZwPw.jpg

I could go on for days about this movie, the real life people and events this fictional story is inspired by, Sicilian origin stories, and the making of is also a very interesting story on it’s own, it had many movie making obstacles and casting problems on it’s path before becoming The Greatest Movie Of All Time.

5+
9000/100



https://i.imgur.com/K2G4soH.jpg

[KeyserCorleone]

Hey, it hasn't made Hall of Fame yet, and you're talking my favorite movie up more than I am. ;)

[ahwell]

It'll be interesting to see who wins out, Pulp Fiction or The Godfather (or maybe even Raging Bull).

[John-Connor]

Pulp Fiction

Another top five favorite of mine. Love the very memorable and often quoted dialogues that somehow never tire even after lots of re-watches. Great chemistry between the characters; vega-winfield, vega-mia, wallace-butch and mr. wolf-everybody.
QT is well known for paying homage to filmmakers and films that inspired him when he was still working in the video store. In Pulp Fiction the syringe scene with mia wallace pays tribute to Scorseses unreleased documentary called “American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince” for some film critics this takes away some originality points from pulp fiction.
For me, since QT never denies doing this and even talks about his inspiration in such a fanboy-ish manner, I believe there are no plagiaristic intentions.

5

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=54495
Pulp Fiction (1994)

I've watched this several times and each time I like it less. A lot of the dislike is bound up with my dislike for Quentin Tarantino, I can't stand the guy and his decision to include himself in the movie is one of the weak points.

The other main reason I don't care for this is the Bruce Willis/pawn shop scene...it's just too hard for me to watch. Bruce is fine, it's the torture scene itself that I dislike. Then there's the oddly out of place Julia Sweeney/junk yard scene, which seems tacked on. Someone said she was Tarantino's girlfriend at the time or maybe he just wished that! I don't know if that's true but her scene didn't work.

The worst part of the film is Quentin's acting role. Nothing takes you out of the world of Pulp Fiction like seeing Quentin act. It was such a strange juxtaposition of professional actors immersed in their roles (Travolta,Jackson) talking to Quentin in the kitchen scene. If this wasn't bad enough. This scene erases any integrity that the film had built up.

On the pro side the characters are still rich and lively. I mean these are some colorful people! But the scenes drag, they go on and on past the point of the average attention span. Then there's the interesting conversations about nothing much, I.E. the famous Big Mac speech. At first this seems pretty cool, as the characters are talking like 'real life'. But after awhile I realized Quentin is just padding the film with random dialogue. And it grows thin. First John Travolta is an expert on an inane subject like hamburgers in Europe. Then Samuel L. Jackson is an expert on foot massages and launches into his speech. Later this trend continues with Travolta and Uma Thurman at the restaurant both taking turns at their 'expert speeches.' The first time I seen this I was impressed by the dialogue, now I find it contrived.

In short the movie is too long, the scenes are too long, and Quentin's on screen time is a distraction, not to mention I'm not a fan of most crime/mafia movies.

[KeyserCorleone]

Gaslight

I'm glad this got nominated, because I'm a fat sucker for psychological dramas. The light foreshadowing of the film throughout was delivered as the best possible scenario for the art of film, which is something I insist on in order to consider an example of psych-out movies to be perfect. An Ingrid Bergman's performance was stunning. She didn't falter once in the whole film, and the other actors felt lame when compared, even though the was nothing wrong with their performances. There were two moments in the film which I felt were thrown in for the sake of added drama/sentiment, but that was it. And the last five seconds of the movie... I just love that part. If that's what qualifies as a happy ending, I'll take it.

rating_5

[Miss Vicky]

Damn, I feel like I'm falling behind already. I'm waiting on a bunch of movies from the library, but I may try to watch one from my collection today. So either Pulp Fiction, Tombstone, Open Range, or Return to Paradise.

[Miss Vicky]

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

Tombstone (George P. Cosmatos and Kevin Jarre, 1993)
Imdb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108358/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 5/26/19
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 19th MoFo Hall of Fame, nominated by Citizen Rules
Rewatch: Yes

Tombstone has been a favorite of mine since I first saw it back in the 1990's. It boasts exciting shootouts, badass one-liners, great sets, and strong performances. Unfortunately, it's also very much a film of its time in terms of style. I still had a really good time with this film, and certainly it'll rank high on my Westerns ballot whenever that countdown comes around, but I must admit I found myself rolling my eyes at its over the top theatrics. The narration, slow-motion camerawork, and overly dramatic - and often intrusive - score took me out of the film a bit and kept me from loving it nearly as much as I once did.

4

[rauldc14]

I'll be the caboose on this one, like I have been with the latest HOFs.

[neiba]

Tombstone (Cosmatos, 1993)

So... Didn't see anything special about this.
There's one character I liked and that actually felt both real and cool, Val Kilmer's Doc Holliday.
The rest of them just felt like stiff puppets trying to look manly and violent but far from being believable. Even the bad guys, Ringo and Curly Bill who looked solid at the beggining just ended up having the sole purpose of showing how awesome a hugely miscasted Wyatt Earp was. Except Doc, not a single character had any depth whatsoever, the actresses are all simply horrible on this and the supposedely key moments just fall flat.
It's entertaining ok, but the dated and cliched style, turn it into a barely decent western.

2.5+

[edarsenal]

thirteen reviews in two days -- WOW!!

[Siddon]

I guess some people don't want to save reviews for the summer

[rauldc14]

I will be saving them Siddon.

I could honestly write reviews for the five films I've seen but I always rewatch everything nominated as to me that's a part of the Hall of Fame process.

[Miss Vicky]

I could honestly write reviews for the five films I've seen but I always rewatch everything nominated as to me that's a part of the Hall of Fame process.

I agree. I've never understood the people who skip over watching some of the noms. I always like them to be as fresh in my mind as possible so they all get a fair shot.

That said, I kind of hope The Godfather wins this so I never have to watch it again.

[KeyserCorleone]

thirteen reviews in two days -- WOW!!

Having already seen half the nominations might make the latter weeks a bit uneventful, so we need a couple more nominations. Though the tough competition might be interesting to debate once everyone's finished.

[John-Connor]

https://i.imgur.com/vnQvs1l.jpg

Open Range 2003
Directed by: Kevin Costner
nominated by: edarsenal

The intro and opening scenes (first 34 minutes) were near perfect for me.
Except for the opening title font choice, thought it was a more fitting font for a Little Women or Driving Miss Daisy type movie.

https://i.imgur.com/bPwwXm4.jpg

The cinematography by J. Michael Muro (Dances with Wolves) is amazing, love the natural landscapes and lighting.
The set design of the town, the costume design and the excellent score all really contributed to an authentic looking Western setting.

https://i.imgur.com/GWumsIY.jpg

Fine acting and great interaction between Duvall and Costner's characters. (Big fan of Robert ‘Consigliere Tom Hagen’ Duvall should have gotten a nomination for his role in Widows. Costner has always been one of my ‘mixed-bag’ actors, but I was one of the few that sort of liked Waterworld back when it came out in ‘95.)
For me the films weaker points were the somewhat illogical shoot-outs and action sequences and the slightly too sweet final scenes. (I blame Benning)
Overall still very much enjoyed this re-watch, especially the first half hour.

[edarsenal]

quite agree about the cinematography, John, truly gorgeous!

[rauldc14]

I agree. I've never understood the people who skip over watching some of the noms. I always like them to be as fresh in my mind as possible so they all get a fair shot.

That said, I kind of hope The Godfather wins this so I never have to watch it again.

It would defeat the purpose of me joining just to talk about the films. Watching them is the real purpose, regardless of seeing them before once or twenty times.

[rauldc14]

Having already seen half the nominations might make the latter weeks a bit uneventful, so we need a couple more nominations. Though the tough competition might be interesting to debate once everyone's finished.

Just because you've seen them doesn't mean you can't see them again.

[edarsenal]

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5748a24986db431f09373b1c/t/57e962115016e1168cef4ed3/1474912790216/?format=750w


Open Range


Mack: Shame what this town's come to.

Charley Waite: You could do something about it.

Mack: What? We're freighters. Ralph here's a shopkeeper.

Charley Waite: You're men, ain't you?

Mack: I didn't raise my boys just to see 'em killed.

Charley Waite: Well you may not know this, but there's things that gnaw at a man worse than dying.

My nomination and on my list of Countless Rewatches to the point I will come across it and just watch a good 30-40 minutes of it, just to watch it, at any given point of the movie.

For me, this is the ultimate Tip of the Hat to Old Time Westerns. Which could explain a lot of the familiar plot points; but, then, it's kind of like having a Sword & Sorcery film WITHOUT having the lead character being The Chosen One and a special item or weapon is sought after to prevent an evil presence from destroying the hero's world.
Still, this film draws deeply from the Well of Western codes, ideologies and basic beliefs in what's right and when it comes to take a stand for it without being a mere copycat.
And, like a good ole western, the scenery and town are shown with an almost poetic beauty.
The same can be said about the props, costumes and the list of characters that inhabit and bring such life to this Western.
It's all done with love and respect for the Western genre and in so doing, makes it my #1 favorite of all time, Western. And d@mn pretty high on all time favorites, period.

Duvall and Costner's characters are en route with a large herd of cattle when they bypass a town with a rancher who vehemently hates "free grazers" and things go sideways until things get settled, out in the street with six-shooters and shotguns.

Now, that is the very basic premise of this, but it is the people of the town, the interactions of our two protagonists and the "conversations" that we traverse through as the final showdown eventually comes to play that truly shine in this film.
And it's the reason why I can pop into any spot in this film, sit back, and enjoy it all. Due to the countless "moments" throughout this film. Moments that make me smile, and one in particular that brings a tear to my sentimental eye, every single time. (And once enough folks watch this, and should there be an interest, I'll share that moment.)

[ahwell]

It would defeat the purpose of me joining just to talk about the films. Watching them is the real purpose, regardless of seeing them before once or twenty times.

Yeah, but to some extent I think it's fine. I literally watched Pulp Fiction a day or two before this hall of fame was started, it would just be a waste of time to watch it again.

[edarsenal]

Yeah, but to some extent I think it's fine. I literally watched Pulp Fiction a day or two before this hall of fame was started, it would just be a waste of time to watch it again.

Seeing a film a short time before a Hall of Fame is perfectly fine. Lots of folks who had watched something within a month of it popping up on a HoF, state so and write something up. That's cool.

Now, while I don't speak for other people, especially when they are quite able to do so themselves, and forgive me for doing so, raul's statements is more about keeping a film fresh in your mind and not just simply posting a review for something you saw a significant time ago. For example, half a year a go or more. Or for one that any one of us has seen countless times.
He speaks of sharing a movie watching experience with others doing the same within a close time frame. (the given HoF).

If a movie is one that you know by heart, it's easy to write something up or consider a previous write up for it. I did that recently with two Cary Grant films in the Comedy HoF. My thoughts and feelings were the same, so I did a repeat post of both. I may even do this with a write up I did for The Godfather in the Best Picture HoF.
But I also made sure to rewatch both of the comedies and will be doing the same for The Godfather even though I've seen it a ton of times. To familiarize myself when reading other's thoughts/reviews and sharing mine.
Another rather important note is, after watching all of them, we all do vote on a favorite to least favorite. And having a recent view as opposed to a memory of having seen it is a more fair way of making a voting list.

[Miss Vicky]

Seems like it’s the time for watching Open Range. Just finished my own rewatch of it. Gotta gather my thoughts and then I’ll post my write up.

[KeyserCorleone]

Having already seen half the nominations might make the latter weeks a bit uneventful, so we need a couple more nominations. Though the tough competition might be interesting to debate once everyone's finished.

Just because you've seen them doesn't mean you can't see them again.

But they were so recently seen that I'd rather spend my time with other movies. I'll watch Cinema Paradiso again, but that's all I need. I watched The Godfather four or five times last year since it was on Netflix Instant Watch.

[Miss Vicky]

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

Open Range (Kevin Costner, 2003)
Imdb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0316356/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_11)

Date Watched: 5/27/19
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 19th MoFo Hall of Fame, nominated by edarsenal
Rewatch: Yes

One of the things that I've always disliked about Westerns is that all too often they focus too much on machismo and swagger, without letting us in on the inner depth and humanity of the characters. Open Range doesn't do that. Don't get me wrong, Charley and Boss are hardened, manly men with plenty of grit, but when Charley says the two of them are "like an old married couple," he's not kidding. They're not just riding partners, they're family - and so are the two younger men and the dog they travel with. The love and respect the men have for each other is palpable in every scene. And, of course, the strength of that partnership comes from the fine performances of both Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall - though I might be a bit biased when it comes to the former, since I've been a fan of Kevin Costner for about as long as I've been a fan of movies. But to Costner's credit as a director, I also love that these men are presented with subtlety. There are no overly heroic scenes. No badass one-liners. And the slow motion is kept to a minimum - though I'd have preferred if it was absent entirely.

On the other side of my relationship with the Western genre, some of the things I've always loved about it are the cinematography, the gorgeous landscapes, and the shoot-outs - and here the film is not lacking. Now it's nowhere near as breathtaking as Costner's masterpiece Dances With Wolves (a previous general Hall of Fame winner) but it still holds its own as a solid piece of cinema in that regard.

I think this is only the second time I've seen this film, and for the moment I'll give it a conservative but still very positive rating, but I suspect that this one might make a future top 100 favorites list, should I ever choose to redo it.

4+

[Miss Vicky]

I may try to get another one or two watched today. The library's closed today and I work the rest of the week so I'm not sure how soon I'll be able to get over there to get the movies I need, but in the meantime I own Return to Paradise and Pulp Fiction, and Raging Bull is available to stream for free on Amazon Prime, so it'll be one of those next.

[John-Connor]

Important @ all participants, when you're going to watch my nom Cinema Paradiso please make sure it's the 123 min. (2 hour 3 min) theatrical (international) version.
^ Reminder, please don't waste your time on the directors cut.

[Miss Vicky]

^ Reminder, please don't waste your time on the directors cut.

My library appeared to have both in their catalog. I made sure to request the longer one, but I'll double check it when I pick it up.

[ahwell]

My library appeared to have both in their catalog. I made sure to request the longer one, but I'll double check it when I pick it up.

Wait, doesn't John-Connor want us to watch the shorter one?

[neiba]

I could honestly write reviews for the five films I've seen but I always rewatch everything nominated as to me that's a part of the Hall of Fame process.

I agree. I've never understood the people who skip over watching some of the noms. I always like them to be as fresh in my mind as possible so they all get a fair shot.

That said, I kind of hope The Godfather wins this so I never have to watch it again.

It's about being honest with oneself, I believe. I don't watch a movie if I know it very well, either for having it watched many times or for having it watched recently. Regardless of how much I like it.

On this HoF there are 4 huge favourites of mine, I will rewatch 2 of them because I feel I wouldn't be 100% true on my write ups if I didn't. About the other 2, I hv no reason to believe that anything will change with another rewatch.

[John-Connor]

Wait, doesn't John-Connor want us to watch the shorter one?
^ Yes! :D
My nom is the shorter version that won;

Cannes Film Festival
Grand Prix du Jury
Golden Globe Awards
Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Awards
Best Foreign Language Film
César Awards
César Award for Best Poster: Jouineau Bourduge
BAFTA Awards
Best Film (Not in the English Language)
Best Actor: Philippe Noiret
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Salvatore Cascio

Not the directors cut!

[Miss Vicky]

Wait, doesn't John-Connor want us to watch the shorter one?

There was one listed as 121 minutes on the library website. I guess that was the right one? But that didn't match what he said so I chose the other one.

I'll cancel the hold and request the other one.

I'm not familiar with either cut of the film so I can't say either way, but when I nominated Dances With Wolves some people watched the 4 hour version instead of the 3 hour theatrical, award winning version and it still came in first.

[John-Connor]

There was one listed as 121 minutes on the library website. I guess that was the right one? But that didn't match what he said so I chose the other one.

I'll cancel the hold and request the other one.
The 121 is the one, my media player said 123 min. sorry bout that, the DC is 30 min. longer..

[rauldc14]

This seems like a HOF seanc would love

[edarsenal]

This seems like a HOF seanc would love

The Open Door Policy for late entries is still going on til June 1 and sean would be an excellent addition.

[neiba]

Yeah, this HoF would benefit with a couple more hidden gems!

[ahwell]

The Godfather

A movie that has barely aged at all since 1972, and it's shocking how well it holds up. The lighting and cinematography are both absolutely beautiful, the dialogue amazing, the characters so in depth. The transformation of Michael Corleone's character has to be one of the greatest character developments in all of cinematic history. Marlon Brando has the Godfather too, gosh, is it just wonderful. In the 18th Hall of Fame, I would have put this at #1 on my ballot without a second thought. Unfortunately, now that, Pulp Fiction, Raging Bull, and some other gems were nominated... Maybe 3rd?

But regardless, it's one of my favorite films of all time.

5

[Miss Vicky]

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

Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
Imdb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081398/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Date Watched: 05/28/19
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 19th Hall of Fame, nominated by jiraffejustin
Rewatch: No.


When I sit down to watch a film, I ask only one thing of it: that it makes me give a damn. Raging Bull failed to engage me on any level. It viewed as little more than a two hour long montage of chauvinism and douchebaggery. Now don't get me wrong: Normally I'll take a testosterone soaked film over an estrogen soaked one any day of the week, but this thing barely even had a discernible story to be had and La Motta was so completely one dimensional that it rendered the movie unrelentingly boring. The last time I reviewed Rocky (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1852580#post1852580), I called its protagonist a "dim-witted brute who can't ever seem to the shut the **** up" but damned if La Motta doesn't make Balboa look like a sophisticated intellectual by comparison. I hated Rocky too but I was at least engaged enough to want him to fail. I didn't give a damn one way or the other here.

Now there are things about Raging Bull that I might have been impressed by had I actually given even a fragment of a **** about it. De Niro made quite the physical transformation for his role (though that prosthetic nose was distracting) and the remainder of the cast did well and bravo for that, I guess. Whatever.

Looking back again at my last Rocky review, I ended it with "Screw this movie." As for Raging Bull, SCREW THIS MOVIE EVEN HARDER.

1-

[John-Connor]

Just started Return to Paradise.. first seconds Vince Vaughn describes 5 weeks of partying in Malaysia, but then, they show their home video of 5 weeks partying in Thailand..?!?:rolleyes:
Maybe it will make sense later..? on with the movie..

[John-Connor]

Return to Paradise 1998
***SPOILERS***

The Good:
Counting down the days on screen really built up the suspense, an excellent performance by Joaquin.
Good acting efforts by Vaughn, Heche and the guy that played Tony.
Vera Farmiga and Jada Pinket looked pretty cute back in '98. :D

The Bad:
The movie starts with a home video of three guys partying it up in Thailand.:rolleyes:
Three smart and educated young men, (well at least one was smart enough to build skyscrapers) out of the thousands of places back in the early nineties, (there were so many party islands and exotic party destinations back then were you could smoke till you pass out without any repercussions.) they chose good ol death penalty Malaysia to do the up in smoke tour.:shrug:
Besides that the following drama could have easily been avoided:
Get 150.000,-, bang sister, do 3 yrs. , come back do interviews get some news coverage and a heroes welcome home party, bang sister again, spend the 150K, the end.
But nooo… we get a lot of unnecessary drama because of so much disloyal, dishonorable, cowardice traits being displayed by Sheriff and Tony's characters, their thought process and decision making were pretty upsetting during a large portion of the movie.

The Ugly:
Anne Heche feet Aah!:sick:

[KeyserCorleone]

Pulp Fiction

I've spoken several times on how much I love this movie. I suppose if I had any complaints about it, it's that the number of f-bombs makes the dialogue occasionally feel unrealistic. But that's really it. Pulp Fiction is a movie about how everybody, whether you be a common man or a hit man, has a normal life in which we can just chat about random bull before the important stuff happens. Through this, we learn to relate with anyone who's become a victim or is victimizing someone else. On occasion, Marsellus is a villain, but we... well, anyone with a heart would feel sorry for him after that. We also see on several occasions how its possible or these people to better their lives and turn away from crime, even if temporarily. These tales of redemption in the film get more and more effective as the end result steers closer to real moral redemption at the end of every arc. Every time I watch that movie, I pick up on new things that usually improve on the movie. This is well one of the best movies in all of history, even though I think Sin City is better.


rating_5

[Miss Vicky]

Besides that the following drama could have easily been avoided:
Get 150.000,-, bang sister, come back do interviews get some news coverage and a heroes welcome home party, bang sister again, spend the 150K, the end.


I like how you conveniently skip over having to spend 3-6 years in Malaysian prison. :up:

[John-Connor]

*edited thanks..👍

[Citizen Rules]

Raging Bull Looking back again at my last Rocky review, I ended it with "Screw this movie." As for Raging Bull, SCREW THIS MOVIE EVEN HARDER. rating_1- Ha, you do have a way with words! and I thought I was harsh on movies...I didn't care for Raging Bull either the one and only time I seen it and felt basically like you did. I'll rewatch it shortly and see if my opinion changes or not.

[jiraffejustin]

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

Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
Imdb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081398/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Date Watched: 05/28/19
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 19th Hall of Fame, nominated by jiraffejustin
Rewatch: No.


When I sit down to watch a film, I ask only one thing of it: that it makes me give a damn. Raging Bull failed to engage me on any level. It viewed as little more than a two hour long montage of chauvinism and douchebaggery. Now don't get me wrong: Normally I'll take a testosterone soaked film over an estrogen soaked one any day of the week, but this thing barely even had a discernible story to be had and La Motta was so completely one dimensional that it rendered the movie unrelentingly boring. The last time I reviewed Rocky (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1852580#post1852580), I called its protagonist a "dim-witted brute who can't ever seem to the shut the **** up" but damned if La Motta doesn't make Balboa look like a sophisticated intellectual by comparison. I hated Rocky too but I was at least engaged enough to want him to fail. I didn't give a damn one way or the other here.

Now there are things about Raging Bull that I might have been impressed by had I actually given even a fragment of a **** about it. De Niro made quite the physical transformation for his role (though that prosthetic nose was distracting) and the remainder of the cast did well and bravo for that, I guess. Whatever.

Looking back again at my last Rocky review, I ended it with "Screw this movie." As for Raging Bull, SCREW THIS MOVIE EVEN HARDER.

1-


It's fair that you want a movie to make you give a damn, I get it, I do too. I can't speak for how much Raging Bull engaged you, but personally, I was invested the whole time. As far as the montage of chauvinism and douchebaggery, maybe your usage of the word montage is meant as a shot, but I don't think we are ever supposed to be in support of La Motta. I don't need a film to have characters that I should be supporting, but if that's your preference, that's fair. His behavior is never glorified, in fact, his behavior puts him in all kinds of bad situations. Plus, he is never comfortable in his own skin, which must be torture in itself. He winds up alienated. La Motta, at least this character, is 100% a piece of sh*t, but I think that's a symptom and not his problem. His jealousy, insecurities, and inability to control his anger basically consumed his life. Once again, if you don't want to watch a couple hours of this, I get it. However, I wouldn't call this film a typical testosterone soaked film when part of the film is about how La Motta couldn't get it up for his woman because he was too far into his own head. We find different things enjoyable in movies, but that's okay. Thanks for at least putting yourself through that experience. It sounds like it was your penance fight against Sugar Ray.

[neiba]

Gaslight (G. Cukor, 1944)

A noir that totally feels like a noir but that has a very different structure from the quintessencial noir.
The cinematography has some truly beautiful moments and the acting by the main lead is impeccable: It's amazing how I hated Gregory right from his first line. That energy is really spooky and really goes well with the contrasting innocence displayed by Ingrid Bergman.
I liked all those small characters, especially the old lady always coming in random moments, it brought some lightness to the screen.

A very solid nom.

3 +

[Miss Vicky]

Gonna go pick up Angel Face, Gaslight, The Godfather, and The Virgin Spring from the library today. I hope to get at least one watched today.

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=54612
The Godfather (1972)

So what is it that people love about this movie? In a way it could be described as the ultimate soap opera. Now I know people use the phrase 'soap opera' negatively when talking about a movie, but not me. To me a film that's soap opera like, means it has a lot of heart and it has a lot of complex human interrelationships, and to me that's what makes a movie interesting. With a 'soap opera' movie if it's done well, you get so much more than just an action-thriller. The Godfather takes us inside of the Corleone family and make us a part of that closely woven family for a three hour journey. We see their hopes and aspirations, we learn the meaning of loyalty and respect, and we see how interconnected relationships can break down when loyalty is lost.

The first act is by far my favorite that's where we meet the Corleone family as they come together to celebrate their daughter's wedding. The Godfather is based on a rather lengthy novel and that's why the second and third acts seem condensed as the director is tying to squeeze this big story into a 3 hour movie. That's always a problem for lengthy/detailed novels being turned into a screen play. If this had been made as a 2 part movie, with 6 hours the full story could have been told exceptionally well. I do think highly of Francis Ford Coppola, and I've considered nominating a couple of his films. Well maybe one day I will. What keeps me from loving The Godfather, is that I'm not at all interested in organized crime or movies about it.

[Captain Steel]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=54612
The Godfather (1972)

So what is it that people love about this movie? In a way it could be described as the ultimate soap opera. Now I know people use the phrase 'soap opera' negatively when talking about a movie, but not me. To me a film that's soap opera like, means it has a lot of heart and it has a lot of complex human interrelationships, and to me that's what makes a movie interesting. With a 'soap opera' movie if it's done well, you get so much more than just an action-thriller. The Godfather takes us inside of the Corleone family and make us a part of that closely woven family for a three hour journey. We see their hopes and aspirations, we learn the meaning of loyalty and respect, and we see how interconnected relationships can break down when loyalty is lost.

The first act is by far my favorite that's where we meet the Corleone family as they come together to celebrate their daughter's wedding. The Godfather is based on a rather lengthy novel and that's why the second and third acts seem condensed as the director is tying to squeeze this big story into a 3 hour movie. That's always a problem for lengthy/detailed novels being turned into a screen play. If this had been made as a 2 part movie, with 6 hours the full story could have been told exceptionally well. I do think highly of Francis Ford Coppola, and I've considered nominating a couple of his films. Well maybe one day I will. What keeps me from loving The Godfather, is that I'm not at all interested in organized crime or movies about it.


We've been waiting a long time for your review of this, Rules (mostly because it's not often you come across a movie aficionado who hasn't seen it, but also to get the perspective of someone seeing it for the first time in this day and age after having seen much of what came after and was influenced by it).

The big question is, have you seen part II yet?

My favorite part also is the the wedding - I guess I like the beginning and the end as I like the wedding and the climax of when Michael finally "turns" and decides to close all accounts in a manner of speaking! ;)

[rauldc14]

I'll probably just start with Raging Bull, but not until Monday or Tuesday.

[Miss Vicky]

WELL SH*T.

I went to the library. I checked out the movies. I went home. I took out the disc for Gaslight and put it in the player. I watched the movie. Liked it well enough. Then got on the computer to find a suitable gif and do my write up - only to discover that I watched the wrong ****ing movie. Awesome.

To be clear, I checked out the right movie from the library but didn't realize until after the fact that the disc has the 1940 version on one side and the 1944 version on the other. Guess which side I had it on? :facepalm:

Oh well. Off to my movie log to write it up anyway. Will watch the other version probably tomorrow. Damn it.

[Thursday Next]

I've seen Gaslight. I liked it. I just don't know which Gaslight it was that I watched.

[edarsenal]

Don't think I've ever seen the 1940 version. . . I did read that the MGM studio tried to destroy all the copies of the 1940 version when they made the 1944 version with Boyer and Bergman.
I read a similar bit about Boyer in Algiers and the (director?) bought the rights to the original Pepe le Moko. Using most of the secondary cast along with a lot of the on-location footage and kept the original film out of the U.S. for a year or two until Algiers got a good run at the movie theaters.
The original film ended up being the far better rendition, I learned, having previously no idea that there WAS an original.
So I'm awfully curious to see the comparison between the two Gaslights.

[edarsenal]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=54612
The Godfather (1972)

So what is it that people love about this movie? In a way it could be described as the ultimate soap opera. Now I know people use the phrase 'soap opera' negatively when talking about a movie, but not me. To me a film that's soap opera like, means it has a lot of heart and it has a lot of complex human interrelationships, and to me that's what makes a movie interesting. With a 'soap opera' movie if it's done well, you get so much more than just an action-thriller. The Godfather takes us inside of the Corleone family and make us a part of that closely woven family for a three hour journey. We see their hopes and aspirations, we learn the meaning of loyalty and respect, and we see how interconnected relationships can break down when loyalty is lost.

The first act is by far my favorite that's where we meet the Corleone family as they come together to celebrate their daughter's wedding. The Godfather is based on a rather lengthy novel and that's why the second and third acts seem condensed as the director is tying to squeeze this big story into a 3 hour movie. That's always a problem for lengthy/detailed novels being turned into a screen play. If this had been made as a 2 part movie, with 6 hours the full story could have been told exceptionally well. I do think highly of Francis Ford Coppola, and I've considered nominating a couple of his films. Well maybe one day I will. What keeps me from loving The Godfather, is that I'm not at all interested in organized crime or movies about it.


Had a very strong feeling you'd enjoy the soap opera aspect of The Godfather, regardless of it being a genre you're not a fan of.
Glad to hear it.

[jiraffejustin]

The Godfather


The Godfather gets touted as the greatest movie of all-time a lot. I don't think that's true, and I don't think it gets close to a whole bunch of my favorite movies. That's not the name of this game though. It only has to be the greatest movie of this small group of films to be the winner. If you make the argument that it is indeed the greatest movie of this group of films, I wouldn't look at you sideways. There's a lot to like about The Godfather. The daughter's wedding is perfect. You couldn't ask for a better way to set the table. The end of the film is perfect. You couldn't ask for a better way to solidify Michael's transformation. The juxtaposition of the baptism and the violent ends to all those involved with the attacks on the Corleone family was so well done that I think that scene has a legitimate claim to the throne of the best movie scene of all-time. I also love the look of the film. From the usage of color, such as the different fruits, plants, and colorful outfits of the various people not involved in the family to the dark colors of the well-dressed mafia men, it all looks good. Luca Brasi looks like my aunt's ex-husband, and that is funny to me, which is a bonus for this film. I also love the music. It makes parts of this film feel so haunting. Pacino's young, handsome face is perfect for the character of Michael Corleone. It fits the music. It all adds together and creates a lot of tension. The horse head in the bed is iconic and great. There's a lot to love in this film.

The Godfather is not perfect though. Citizen mentioned the pacing, and he's right. The back half of the film feels rushed. It doesn't seem like enough time is spent on Michael in Italy, or maybe that portion of the film is unnecessary. I'd never dictate to Coppola on how to do it or what should have been, but the stuff in Italy didn't really do it for me. Michael's courting and marriage and loss of his Italian wife just flies by and I don't really know how I am supposed to feel about it. He seems stricken by her at first, but I don't know if I am supposed to interpret this as him really, truly falling in love or not. Maybe there could have been more gravitas there. Citizen also mentioned soap operas, which at times, I would agree with him on. The Corleone sister acted as though she was in a soap opera, which was kind of off-putting for me this time around. It's not enough to ruin anything for me, but it was noticeable to me how much better I liked all the performances of the guys playing the Corleone men.

The Godfather is not the best film of all-time, but it is still pretty damn good. The sequel is better and so is The Sopranos.

[neiba]

I would rank the best mafia movies as (and this is the part where you all kill me):

1. The Godfather 2
2. Once Upon a Time in America
3. The Godfather 1
4. Goodfellas
5. The Untouchables

[edarsenal]

https://media.giphy.com/media/Z8E9Cxokox5Ha/giphy.gif


Tombstone

Wyatt Earp: How are you?
Doc Holliday: I'm dying, how are you?

I will first start with what I truly love about this film.
Val Kilmer.
His every nuance, swagger, spoken word; including a very well done Southern accent via Georgia, Kilmer utterly nails it. Giving Doc Holliday a bit of panache that places him on an equal plane with past actors who have, in equal measure, did an outstanding job as the former dentist, now gambler and killer, dying of tuberculosis. Placing Kilmer, accordingly, within their number. His performance shines with a brilliance above and beyond everyone and everything in this film.

Perhaps that's why I find almost everyone else sort of dulls in their performance. Which is a complete shame for actors who should be doing the exact same thing. Kurt Russell and Sam Elliott should have knocked their roles out of the park. And yet, somehow, it feels more like a half-hearted attempt at something they've grown tired of doing over and over again, previously.
The same with Boothe Powers, whom I KNOW can do a man of villainous persona far, FAR better (eg Deadwood for one) than the mere serpent beneath the feet of righteous men that he does here. Along with the rest of the Clantons and McLaurys that are portrayed as cowardly scum and thereby exalting the Earps to almost mythical stoicism.
The exception to this is Michael Biehn's Johnny Ringo who, even in the end, this ruthless gunslinger loses his grit upon facing off with Doc Holliday.

Perhaps I'm being unnecessarily critical of an action western focusing on the bravado of a historical and famous shoot out and it's aftermath than on the participants themselves. Making things more of a flash. The rare bits of substance are more to enhance the flash of this real life incident made legend.
Perhaps that critique is because I've seen past renditions that still provide a humanistic connection with, at least Wyatt and Doc.
Thereby, the fault is mine for seeing the immense potential and taking umbrage with it merely skimming the surface. And I shouldn't fault a film for taking that route. As I do find myself doing from time to time when viewing this very worthwhile western.

I do enjoy this film. And have enjoyed revisiting it on several occasions.
It is just that it only incurs a deeper thirst for the story and the people involved instead of sating said thirst or, for that matter, creating an inebriation worthy of that story and those people who lived it.

So, while this particular revisit wasn't of the highest caliber, I still consider this a good rendition with an incredible Doc Holliday.

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=54631
Tombstone (1993)


I've been meaning to re-watch Tombstone ever since I got on an O.K. Corral movie kick. Over the last few months I've watched a number of films about the gunfight at O.K. Corral. Some you might know of, like John Ford's My Darling Clementine (1946). Others you should've heard of like John Sturges' pair of fine films: Gunfight at OK Corral (1957) & Hour of the Gun (1967)...And others like the Marie Osmond's TV vehicle, I Married Wyatt Earp (1983) is best unheard of.

As I worked my way through all these films and documentaries too, I started getting an appreciation for the life of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday and the infamous fight in Tombstone at the O.K. Corral. Well actually the gun fight only lasted seconds and took place in a vacant lot next to the O.K. Corral, but like they say, 'don't get your history from movies.'

I probably could write a mini novella about the real Wyatt Earp and still get it all wrong because the only true facts are: that no one left alive knows the real story and it has been spun so many different ways that Wyatt and Doc have entered that magical realm of mytho-heros and have become like Captain Kirk and Mr Spock.

Tombstone doesn't try to be factual, thank goodness...Instead it takes the myth and delivers it up in a folklore way. The characters are larger than life with memorable lines and unforgettable scenes that one can recall long after the movie is over. The last Wyatt film I watched was Kevin Costner in Wyatt Earp (1994), I can't say I remember a thing about that movie, not one line, not one scene...and I just watched it a couple month ago. Dennis Quad was a great Doc in it, but for my money I'm going with Val Kilmer as the best Doc Holiday around. Val's Doc has heart and damn if he doesn't get all the best scenes to boot, even the scene without his boots! I loved the scene where he first meets Johnny Ringo who pulls out his gun and spins it around all fancy like...then, Doc answers him by taking a tiny tin cup and spinning it around his finger like it was a fancy six shooter. Did Val Kilmer win best supporting actor? If not he was robbed!

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/gaslight1944.jpg

Gaslight (George Cukor, 1944)
Imdb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036855/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 06/01/19
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 19th MoFo Hall of Fame, nominated by Siddon
Rewatch: No.

Well, I've got some mixed feelings on this one. I realize that my task in this Hall of Fame is to compare this film to the other nine nominations but after my little mix-up it is of course impossible not to compare this film to the 1940 version.

First I'll talk about its strengths. I thought the performances were much stronger here. They felt a little more natural than in the earlier film and I had an easier time buying into the charm of Charles Boyer's "Gregory Anton" than in Anton Walbrooks's "Paul Mallon." I also felt more strongly for Ingrid Bergman's "Paula" than for Diana Wynyard's "Bella." (I see what you did there with the names, writers.) Paula seemed far less frail in the beginning than Bella and so her husband's efforts to break down her mind felt more tragic. I also think it was smart to change it from the husband being the nephew of the previous owner to the wife being the niece and heir to the house, rather than a random victim with money enough to allow the husband to buy the house.

Now to its big weakness: the length and pacing. I felt less engaged with this film than with the earlier version and paused it a few times to take some breaks. I'll allow that part of my struggle with it was the familiarity with the basic plot, having just watched the other version the previous day, but mostly it was the unnecessary padding of the story. There was no need for us to actually see the romance between Gregory and Paula and those scenes only made the opening drag and make a story that took 84 minutes to tell in 1940, plod on for nearly 2 hours. I was also rather irritated with Miss Thwaites - the utterly pointless and annoying nosy neighbor character whose scenes also padded out the film.

Overall still a very good story and a strong film, though I can't say for certain which version I liked better.

3.5-

[Siddon]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/gaslight1944.jpg

Gaslight (George Cukor, 1944)
Imdb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036855/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 06/01/19
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 19th MoFo Hall of Fame, nominated by Siddon
Rewatch: No.

Well, I've got some mixed feelings on this one. I realize that my task in this Hall of Fame is to compare this film to the other nine nominations but after my little mix-up it is of course impossible not to compare this film to the 1940 version.

First I'll talk about its strengths. I thought the performances were much stronger here. They felt a little more natural than in the earlier film and I had an easier time buying into the charm of Charles Boyer's "Gregory Anton" than in Anton Walbrooks's "Paul Mallon." I also felt more strongly for Ingrid Bergman's "Paula" than for Diana Wynyard's "Bella." (I see what you did there with the names, writers.) Paula seemed far less frail in the beginning than Bella and so her husband's efforts to break down her mind felt more tragic. I also think it was smart to change it from the husband being the nephew of the previous owner to the wife being the niece and heir to the house, rather than a random victim with money enough to allow the husband to buy the house.

Now to its big weakness: the length and pacing. I felt less engaged with this film than with the earlier version and paused it a few times to take some breaks. I'll allow that part of my struggle with it was the familiarity with the basic plot, having just watched the other version the previous day, but mostly it was the unnecessary padding of the story. There was no need for us to actually see the romance between Gregory and Paula and those scenes only made the opening drag and make a story that took 84 minutes to tell in 1940, plod on for nearly 2 hours. I was also rather irritated with Miss Thwaites - the utterly pointless and annoying nosy neighbor character whose scenes also padded out the film.

Overall still a very good story and a strong film, though I can't say for certain which version I liked better.

rating_3_5-


Yeah I can't imagine not hating the length and pacing when you watched the shorter version first and then immediately watched the remake you basically had to do a scholarly comparison on a thriller which y'know takes a bite out of the central drama and theme.

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=54633
Angel Face (1953)

I liked it! I re-watched it last night and really got into the movie this time. I think the reason I didn't care much for it the 1st time was that I was watching a bunch of film noirs, back to back. And when I got to Angel Face, it didn't quite jive with the other noirs I was watching, with their hard boiled detectives and slinky femme fatales...and quirky one liners. But you know what? There was no such genre as film noir back in the 40s-50s, that's a made up movie term. So it's no surprise that Angel Face doesn't fit into what we now consider noir. It wasn't trying to be noir-ish, it has it's own unique style.

Both Jean Simmons and Robert Mitchum were great in this and so was the supporting cast. I swear ever time I see Miss Simmons she's playing a cold, calculating, odd ball, that men are best warned to stay away from! What I liked about Robert Mitchum's character is he's kind of sneaky lying to his girlfriend and kind of a not to bright type of guy. That all works well for the story so that the two love birds can end up feathering their own nest.

Otto Preminger handled the pacing and direction beautiful, never a lull or awkward scene, the movie flows from start to finish. I'm for one am glad to see an older film nominated, thanks @neiba (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=85193)

[cricket]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=54633
Angel Face (1953)

I liked it! I re-watched it last night and really got into the movie this time. I think the reason I didn't care much for it the 1st time was that I was watching a bunch of film noirs, back to back. And when I got to Angel Face, it didn't quite jive with the other noirs I was watching, with their hard boiled detectives and slinky femme fatales...and quirky one liners. But you know what? There was no such genre as film noir back in the 40s-50s, that's a made up movie term. So it's no surprise that Angel Face didn't fit into what we now consider noir. It wasn't trying to be noir-ish, it's its own style.

Both Jean Simmons and Robert Mitchum were great in this. I swear ever time I see Miss Simmons she's a cold, calculating, odd ball that men are best warned to stay away from! What I liked about Mitchum's character is he's kind of sneaky, lying to his girlfriend and kind of a not to bright type of guy. That all works well for the story. Otto Preminger handled the pacing and direction beautiful, never a lull or awkward scene. Even the court scene was interesting. I'm for one am glad to see an older film nominated, thanks @neiba (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=85193)



If feels like every time I see her she's an absolute doll. Maybe that's why I like her so much.

[Citizen Rules]

If feels like every time I see her she's an absolute doll. Maybe that's why I like her so much. You can have her:p she always creeps me out, but she's damn good at doing it.

[edarsenal]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=54633
Angel Face (1953)

I liked it! I re-watched it last night and really got into the movie this time. I think the reason I didn't care much for it the 1st time was that I was watching a bunch of film noirs, back to back. And when I got to Angel Face, it didn't quite jive with the other noirs I was watching, with their hard-boiled detectives and slinky femme fatales...and quirky one-liners. But you know what? There was no such genre as film noir back in the 40s-50s, that's a made-up movie term. So it's no surprise that Angel Face doesn't fit into what we now consider noir. It wasn't trying to be noir-ish, it has its own unique style. [/URL]



I had the same scenario the first time I saw Angel Face. Had been watching a slew of fatales and sleuths that a subconscious list of what should be and critiquing it for it instead of enjoying its own way of things.
Which, like you, I'll most likely be doing this time around.

[Miss Vicky]

You can have her:p she always creeps me out, but she's damn good at doing it.

Hmm. Maybe it's because I've only seen her in a handful of swords-and-sandals type flicks, but I've never found her creepy.

[Siddon]

BTW I am in this I'm just not sure where to start

[Miss Vicky]

BTW I am in this I'm just not sure where to start

Step One: Choose one of the ten nominated films.
Step Two: Watch it.
Step Three: Write and post a review of it in this thread.

Repeat 9 times.

[Miss Vicky]

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

The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 6/2/2019
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 19th MoFo Hall of Fame, nominated by KeyserCorleone
Rewatch: Yes

This is the third time I've sat through this movie and, honestly, I hope it will be the last. I hated it when I watched it the first time back in 2014. I didn't care about the story and I didn't care about the characters. I was bored nearly to tears and felt like it wouldn't ever end. I had to watch it again last year for the Best Picture Hall of Fame and was surprised to find that I didn't hate it. I respected it. The performances were strong, the story was engaging (though I'm not convinced it really needed 3 hours to tell it), and the film looked great, but I still felt nothing for its characters. I also came away with the feeling that perhaps a second rewatch might push me over the line from respecting it to actually liking it.

My feeling was wrong. My experience tonight was really no different than it was last time. I still think the performances are strong, I still think the story is engaging, I still think the film looks great, and I still don't really care about any of its characters. I am once again coming away from this film with a feeling of respect, but not one of fondness.

3+

[Siddon]

And you thought Forrest Gump was better than the Godfather


/smh




https://www.wttr.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Cinema-Paradiso.jpg


Cinema Paradiso is the coming of age story of Salvatore and his relationship with Alfredo the owner and projectionist of a Movie House named Cinema Paradiso. The film takes the familiar three act structure of portraying Salvatore as a child, teenager, and adult. The adult portion is used for exposition, the teenage part for conflict and the child part for the world building.


Like most films from this era it has a very simple and strong message that I'm not sure I agree with and that's what hurts the film in my eyes...to a point. The film isn't just about a love of movies but also the role of a father and family in each person's lives. Salvatore has been orphaned by the war while Alfredo is a confirmed bachelor. Alfredo leads a somewhat sexless life while Salvatore grows into a person that just has meaningless relationship after meaningless relationship. What is this film telling us about love. The conflict in the first part is the teenage Salvatore falling in love with a girl and then going off to serve and losing touch with her. Is their is a strong sense of cynicism to go with the nostalgia, at one point Alfredo loses his sight in a fire and his love of film is basically taken away from him.


Unfortunately when you have a film where the artist is trying to tell you something other things fall by the wayside. I'm not really sure if any of the performances where strong or if they even mattered because the messaging overwhelms the film. Is this a film or is this a philosophy lecture and how does one properly rate a film like this.

[John-Connor]

Tombstone 1993 (re-watch)
nominated by: Citizen Rules

https://i.imgur.com/jHv2Hfe.png

This is the first time I have revisited Tombstone since I saw it on the big screen in ‘93. I loved it back then and it has never left my all time Western top ten since.

Big budget, star packed cast movie with very well balanced never too serious or dramatic performances. Features some of my favorite actors in great roles; Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, and Kurt Russell. Although not one of my favorite actors, Val Kilmer really stole the show, haven't checked his catalog in awhile but I think this may be my favorite Kilmer performance.
A classic and simple story, with like-able characters, delivered in a fast pace for western standards, so it’s never boring. Love the opening and ending title sequence font.
Locations are very town based, it's a bit light on cinematographic wide open landscape shots we usually get from Westerns. (Could also be I was just too spoiled by my last Western nom viewing Open Range which had this aspect in abundance.)

When re-watching a movie after so many years there is always that fear it may have aged in some aspects , but i'm happy too say it stood the test of time and still very much lived up to my memory of it.
Excellent re-watch and nomination.

fav scene :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RrFxOHbHn0

[Siddon]

Did Val Kilmer win best supporting actor? If not he was robbed!


1993 was stacked...




John Malkovich - In the Line of Fire
Leonardo Dicaprio - What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Pete Postlethwathe - In the Name of the Father
Raph Fieness - Schindlers List
Ben Kingsley - Schindlers List
Harvey Keitel - The Piano
Denzel Washington - Philadelphia
Will Smith - Six Degrees of Separation
Sean Penn - Carlito's Way

Jeff Daniels - Gettysburg
Tommy Lee Jones - The Fugitive


He was only nominated for one award
https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000453/1994/1

[GulfportDoc]

Angel Face (1953)
...
Otto Preminger handled the pacing and direction beautiful, never a lull or awkward scene, the movie flows from start to finish. I'm for one am glad to see an older film nominated, thanks neiba (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=85193)




A unique noir for sure. The film always seems somehow contemporary in feel to me. You're right about Simmons: sort of a "black widow spider" type. The ending is always a shock, even though it was adequately forewarned. I never felt that the Mitchum character deserved the outcome...;)

~Doc

[Miss Vicky]

And you thought Forrest Gump was better than the Godfather


/smh

I rate movies based mostly on personal enjoyment, not on which is objectively "better."
Forrest Gump is more enjoyable than The Godfather.

[Citizen Rules]

If feels like every time I see her she's an absolute doll. Maybe that's why I like her so much. Oh heck I forgot she was the love interest in one of my top 10 movies, The Big Country. Yeah she played it sweet there.

Hmm. Maybe it's because I've only seen her in a handful of swords-and-sandals type flicks, but I've never found her creepy. I mostly know her from Angel Face and from repeat viewings of Star Trek Next Generation ep: The Drumhead. In that she was frightfully powerful and manipulative.




A unique noir for sure. The film always seems somehow contemporary in feel to me. You're right about Simmons: sort of a "black widow spider" type. The ending is always a shock, even though it was adequately forewarned. I never felt that the Mitchum character deserved the outcome...;)

~DocI thought on the 1st watch Mitchum would have been too street smart to fall for Jean Simmon's character. But on a 2nd watch, we see it's not the usually savvy Mitchum, but more of a loutish 'regular joe' Mitchum. What I really appreciated in the film is the way his first girlfriend (Mona Freeman) handled some sticky situations: both at lunch with Simmons and later in her apartment when Mitchum makes a reappearance in her life. Good movie!

[Citizen Rules]

I like what you wrote, so a few of my thoughts on your thoughts:pTombstone 1993 (re-watch)
nominated by: Citizen Rules

This is the first time I have revisited Tombstone since I saw it on the big screen in ‘93. I loved it back then and it has never left my all time Western top ten since.

Me too, sometimes I think about the scenes in Tombstone, like the one you posted with Billy Bob Thornton and especially about the Val Kilmer 'Doc' scenes...and I hadn't seen it like in 10 years or more, so it's kind of amazing that I still think about it from time to time.

Big budget, star packed cast movie with very well balanced never too serious or dramatic performances. Features some of my favorite actors in great roles; Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, and Kurt Russell. Although not one of my favorite actors, Val Kilmer really stole the show, haven't checked his catalog in awhile but I think this may be my favorite Kilmer performance.Like you said, not too serious of performances...and not too over the top either...but played larger than life...as these people where LARGER than life! That's for sure.

You might check out Val Kilmer in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373469/)

[John-Connor]

I like what you wrote, so a few of my thoughts on your thoughts:p Me too, sometimes I think about the scenes in Tombstone, like the one you posted with Billy Bob Thornton and especially about the Val Kilmer 'Doc' scenes...and I hadn't seen it like in 10 years or more, so it's kind of amazing that I still think about it from time to time.

Like you said, not too serious of performances...and not too over the top either...but played larger than life...as these people where LARGER than life! That's for sure.

You might check out Val Kilmer in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373469/)
Agreed, good decision on the acting and fitting for the actors capabilities it just worked/still works. Lot's of classic movies have this approach I've noticed.

Seen Kiss Kiss Bang Bang twice, it's on my fav xmas movies list # 8 and my TOP100 of the 2000's.. Good rec CR👍

[Citizen Rules]

Agreed, good decision on the acting and fitting for the actors capabilities it just worked/still works. Lot's of classic movies have this approach I've noticed.

Seen Kiss Kiss Bang Bang twice, it's on my fav xmas movies list # 8 and my TOP100 of the 2000's.. Good rec CR👍A lot of mid 80s to 90s movies had the same not too serious but very entertaining feeling that Tombstone had.

[John-Connor]

A lot of mid 80s to 90s movies had the same not too serious but very entertaining feeling that Tombstone had.
Whereabouts would you place it on your Westerns list? The Western hof hasn't started yet so you can still speak freely.. :D

[Citizen Rules]

Whereabouts would you place it on your Westerns list? The Western hof hasn't started yet so you can still speak freely.. :DGood question, but a hard one! I know Tombstone would make my Western List, but I'm not sure where, there's sooooo many great westerns...and they span from the silent era to today. They've never went out of style. I think 1950s westerns are the most fun for me to watch, but not necessarily the best.


You know the funny thing about all the Earp/OK Corral movies I watched was in everyone of them the best character was Doc Holiday. Doc always was the most colorful and forlorn character, and generated the most emotions.

[edarsenal]

You know the funny thing about all the Earp/OK Corral movies I watched was in everyone of them the best character was Doc Holiday. Doc always was the most colorful and forlorn character, and generated the most emotions.

That's true, Doc is very much a Bad Boy and a Bad@ss and, along with the pending demise of his sickness there is SO MUCH to get caught up in as viewers and so much for an actor to work with.
Wyatt is tricky since he is the silent, brooding lawman with a painful past and with only one thing on his mind: to secure him and his family (brothers) a lucrative life.
That's a very hard individual to get behind and quite difficult to pull off for an actor.
Perhaps that's why their friendship (Doc and Wyatt) is such a great one to watch. So much connection and so much difference in outlooks of life that, for cinematic intentions, it's just pure gold.
I can easily place their friendship very highly in the realm of literary friendships.

[edarsenal]

Tombstone 1993 (re-watch)
nominated by: Citizen Rules

https://i.imgur.com/jHv2Hfe.png

Locations are very town based, it's a bit light on cinematographic wide open landscape shots we usually get from Westerns. (Could also be I was just too spoiled by my last Western nom viewing Open Range which had this aspect in abundance.)

I didn't remark on it directly in my review, but I'm pretty sure watching my all time favorite western so close ( a space of less than a week) to watching this dampened my normal enjoyment of it.
I may rewatch it near the end of this HoF and see just how strongly that affected me.

[Miss Vicky]

I thought Victor Mature made a terrible Doc Holliday, but then I didn't care for My Darling Clementine at all.

[Citizen Rules]

I thought Victor Mature made a terrible Doc Holliday, but then I didn't care for My Darling Clementine at all.He was one of my favorite Docs, along with Caesar Romero in Frontier Marshal (1939) I'm not a big fan of My Darling Clementine either.

[John-Connor]

I didn't remark on it directly in my review, but I'm pretty sure watching my all time favorite western so close ( a space of less than a week) to watching this dampened my normal enjoyment of it.
I may rewatch it near the end of this HoF and see just how strongly that affected me.
After re-reading your review, I think it's your passion and knowledge about the real story behind it and it's potential with this budget and stars that dampened the enjoyment, I don't think yet another watch will change that.

[edarsenal]

After re-reading your review, I think it's your passion and knowledge about the real story behind it and it's potential with this budget and stars that dampened the enjoyment, I don't think yet another watch will change that.

Perhaps, but I did love it when it came out and have enjoyed it quite often since then. Even with my bias toward Wyatt Earp (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111756/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1) that came out near the same time (1994). Which has been a while since I last watched it so it wasn't as prominent in my judgment as any of my past viewings.
I am pretty sure with all the substance of a recent watch of Open Range, I did find myself faulting Tombstone for the lack of it, it instead of enjoying all that it does offer. Beyond Kilmer's Doc, I mean.

Speaking of, it's been far too long since I've seen My Darling Clementine, to remark on Mature's portrayl and almost as long for Gunfight at the OK Corral with Kirk Douglas. Whom I remember being good but more Douglas than Holliday.
So, I'd have to go with the two more recent renditions with Kilmer's panache and Dennis Quaid's more coarse versions. Both of which brought forth the perfect Doc Holliday for the films they were doing.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BqsIawRCEAAgTN1.jpg
And how I DO LOVE Quaid's quote: "You all can suck my rebel d!ck."

[Miss Vicky]

Speaking of, it's been far too long since I've seen My Darling Clementine, to remark on Mature's portrayl and almost as long for Gunfight at the OK Corral with Kirk Douglas. Whom I remember being good but more Douglas than Holliday.

That's exactly my problem with Mature's Holliday. He was just Victor Mature dressed as a cowboy. The man could not act - which normally is what I love about him, but it just didn't work for me in that movie.

[GulfportDoc]

Y'all make a good point about Holliday being the most interesting character. Although I personally like Burt Lancaster's W. Earp from the 1957 film.

But a rebellious, bawdy character is always going to be more interesting than is a straight one. That's why so many actors lust after the naughty and the villain parts..:)

[jiraffejustin]

Open Range


Most of the dialogue in this film is either not very good or too on-the-nose. I can't necessarily put my finger on it, but it feels like people just saying words and not people living what they say. There is a pretty great line delivered in one of the better non-shootout scenes of the film that I should at least mention; the bit about things gnawing at a man worse than dying is a pretty good line. The music in the film is almost always overbearing and noticeable in a bad way. The Diego Luna didn't do anything for me. I really didn't care for most of Costner's performance. I hated how they acted like the dog dying was worse than Mose dying. The romantic subplot didn't do anything for me at all.

The scenery looked pretty good. I like the chroma keyed skies. I liked the muddy town. I liked the look of the bad guys in the baldknobber masks. I liked Mose. I liked the shoot out. I don't think I liked anything else.

[Citizen Rules]

54708
Gashlight (1944


Gaslight...launched the career of Angela Lansbury and further made Ingrid Bergman a household name. Indeed both actresses act up a storm here and that's the strong point of the film.
It'sconsider one of the great films, but was it really all it's cracked up to be? While it's a good film with strong performances by the actors, the script which was padded out to 2 doesn't have enough meat in it to sustain the suspense. To make matters worse, the audience knows who 'done it' almost immediately. We know poor Ingrid isn't really crazy, and we know it's her manipulating husband played by Charles Boyer that is the culprit...and that takes the suspense out of it.

Now the film could be still amazing if it was a deep character study, but it's not...Or the film could have had a couple subplots going, that could have added extra dimensions, but it doesn't.

The film does hint that the young maid played Angela Lansbury, might be having an affair with the husband, or at least it seemed that way, but that issue is never explored. So instead we have two hours of Ingrid being slowly driven mad by her husband and I got bored. The film would have been better at 90 minutes.

[rauldc14]

I know I said I would start with Raging Bull but I changed my mind and will start with Open Range instead.

Time has been hard to come by but hopefully I can make the first deadline and not get kicked out.

[Miss Vicky]

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

The Virgin Spring (Jungfrukällan) (Ingmar Bergman, 1960)
Imdb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053976/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 06/04/19
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 19th MoFo Hall of Fame, nominated by rauldc14
Rewatch: Yes.

If my count is correct, then I've seen eleven of Ingmar Bergman's films. For the most part, I've enjoyed his work and the few I haven't liked I've at least respected (with the exception of The Passion of Anna, which I hated so much I couldn't finish it). The Virgin Spring, which I've seen before, falls into that latter category - but only barely.

As with all of the other Bergman films I've seen, it looks good. The costuming, sets, and cinematography leave nothing to be desired. Unfortunately I can't say the same for the performances or the story. It all felt very contrived. The character of Ingeri in particular felt both poorly written and poorly acted. She was more caricature than character. At no point in the film did she feel like a real person. The bridgekeeper was even more ridiculous, but his role was mercifully small. The remaining characters also seemed artificial, though to lesser degrees. The whole thing just felt irritatingly like I was watching a stage play that had been filmed, which is especially frustrating because I know just how moving a Bergman film can be.

2.5+

[rauldc14]

Open Range

https://theactionelite.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Capture-8-1186x520.jpg

I had either never heard of this film before or it completely slipped my mind. It seems like something that I would have wanted to see for all this time so I was glad to see it nominated.

I was quite surprised with how well structured the film was. Costner does a good job when he is the director, certainly no different here. I love the locations that he uses for his films settings, it gives the film a real Western authentic vibe. He really did an outstanding job with that shootout scene too, my favorite part of this film.

The top parts of the film are highlighted by the very solid performances of Costner and Robert Duvall. The two made a very good pairing and played off of each other real well.

I would say the negative of the film was the performance of Annette Bening as Sue, I didn't care for her character all too much and at times the love story seemed forced. Not enough to kill the movie, but I did really think that it could be done better.

Overall well worth the watch. Too bad it will get lost among the Giants in this HOF. It will certainly score higher than a few of them for me personally.

3.5+

[edarsenal]

Open Range

https://theactionelite.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Capture-8-1186x520.jpg

Overall well worth the watch. Too bad it will get lost among the Giants in this HOF. It will certainly score higher than a few of them for me personally.

3.5+

just happy to spread some love for it. Glad to hear you enjoyed it.

[Miss Vicky]

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

Angel Face (Otto Preminger, 1953)
Imdb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044357/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2)

Date Watched: 06/06/19
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 19th MoFo Hall of Fame, nominated by neiba
Rewatch: No.


Whenever I sign up for a general Hall of Fame, I do so in the hopes of being introduced to something new that I really enjoy. Unfortunately this time it hasn't panned out that way, at least not so far.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing really wrong with Angel Face, it's just that it does nothing for me. The film looks good and the performances are fine, but I disliked both of the leads - and didn't find either particularly interesting. She was selfish and spoiled. He was a douche. Both got what they deserved. Unfortunately though that fate was something I predicted long before it happened. When that car went careening over the cliff as I expected, all I felt was a sense of mild disappointment. There was no real suspense to the whole thing and no real surprises.

If I were to sum up my viewing experience in a word, I think I'd choose underwhelming.

2.5

[Miss Vicky]

I picked up Cinema Paradiso from the library today. Just have that and rewatches of Pulp Fiction and Return to Paradise left. Good chance I'll be done by the end of this weekend.

[edarsenal]

A Slacker < Miss Vicky

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=54774
The Virgin Spring (1960)


This is the third or fourth Bergman film I've seen and the first one that held my attention. Of course it was beautifully filmed with compositions that could be printed, framed and then hung in an art museum. I was intrigued at first by the jealousy the dark haired-servant girl showed towards the blonde spoiled daughter. But I was disappointed that instead of an exploration of that jealousy, the film simply shows a brutal rape and murder scene of the poor frightened girl. Then comes a long slow march until we finally get the prerequisite revenge scene.

I don't see what the appeal of this film is? I mean what do people get from it? Besides the aforementioned cinematography, what does the film have to offer? I know that this was based on a 12th century folk ballad so when the film was made I can understand that the movie might resonate with the Swedish audience of that time. But despite the master craftsmanship by Bergman, the story itself offered little to me.

[jiraffejustin]

Tombstone

I read through all of the write-ups for this one right after I watched it to see where I fall in with everybody else, and I think neiba and I are probably the closest on this one. This is what he had to say:

Tombstone (Cosmatos, 1993)

So... Didn't see anything special about this.
There's one character I liked and that actually felt both real and cool, Val Kilmer's Doc Holliday.
The rest of them just felt like stiff puppets trying to look manly and violent but far from being believable. Even the bad guys, Ringo and Curly Bill who looked solid at the beggining just ended up having the sole purpose of showing how awesome a hugely miscasted Wyatt Earp was. Except Doc, not a single character had any depth whatsoever, the actresses are all simply horrible on this and the supposedely key moments just fall flat.
It's entertaining ok, but the dated and cliched style, turn it into a barely decent western.

2.5+

Where we disagree is that I did see some special things. The problem is they may not have been on purpose or they just were never followed up on. When the film was in its early stages I thought my preconceived notions were going to be untrue and that I was in store for a weird experience. Billy Bob Thornton being unrecognizable if it wasn't for his unmistakable voice and getting slapped around by a mustachioed, robot cowboy Kurt Russell was bizarre. I was getting JV Lynch mixed with JV Coen vibes at first. They were helped along by the weird Val Kilmer performance. I know he gets a lot of credit for this role, but I didn't find it to be a net positive on the serious side of things, but in a weird way it was perfect. He actually had depth, but none of the other good guys did at all. So, maybe just because everybody else was carved from wood, Val Kilmer stood out even more. He was doing that southern accent that sounds effeminate, yet he was very masculine. Yet he was nearly flirting with the men he would be about to kill. He reminded me of the Velveteen Dream or something. I just wish they would quit bonking us on the head with the tuberculosis reminders. I get it. He's going to die at the end. I think Powers Boothe, who played Curly Bill, was pretty good in his role as well. It was scene chewing role, but it worked in the weird Coen Brothers way that some of this film had going for it. When he shot the sheriff, I thought that was pretty damn good until it was taken seriously. That scene is great, because when he came out of the opium den there was this odd red tint that looked really cool, but wasn't followed up on. There were several times where there was some out-of-nowhere style that should have been more present than it was. Another example was the look of the town during the thunderstorm, of course that was ruined with the cliched scene of Kurt Russell yelling in the middle of the stream that had me rolling my eyes so hard they nearly got stuck staring into the back of my skull. Another thing that I thought was going to be awesome was at the beginning of the killing of the Cowboys montage was a quick jump cut to Russell walking directly towards the camera firing his pistols at men we could not see. It looked badass and more symbolic than anything else at that point, but then it cut back to the horseback slaughtering of men. And how about the first time Earp and future wife meet one another? They could have said way more by saying way less. That scene should have ended with them running the horses and not giving us anymore boring, lame exposition. There was so much potential wasted in this film. And man did every scene with women suck a fat one. There was no payoff to anything with these women. So why have them in the film at all? If you don't plan on doing them any justice, you are just wasting our time. I am frustrated about this film. Going into it I was worried it would suck. Then it teased me by showing me some weird stuff. Then it fell into what I thought would be, which is an early 90's cliched film that somehow felt cheap and expensive at the same time. I just wish Val Kilmer would have gotten to play this role in a weirder movie where it would have been served some bonafide justice.

[edarsenal]

https://i.gifer.com/2T3M.gif


Pulp Fiction

Title Card: pulp /'p&lp/ n. 1. A soft, moist, shapeless mass of matter.
Title Card: 2. A magazine or book containing lurid subject matter and being characteristically printed on rough, unfinished paper.
Title Card: American Heritage Dictionary
Title Card: New College Edition

Following up on Reservoir Dogs (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105236/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1) and his writing credits on True Romance (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108399/?ref_=nm_flmg_wr_25), this ex- video store employee and movie fanatic unleashes this monster of vignettes; chock full of sh#t going sideways in very unexpected ways, clever banter and a solid list of actors to keep you glued from the opening Title Card to the Closing Scene. All of which done completely out of order of sequence and instead of causing confusion, it creates a better paced film.

Not too f@ckin shabby.

This was a very serious turning point from the action/drama films of the previous decade of the Eighties where things followed a pretty basic recipe without any dialogue of actual substance. Just catch phrases and cornball sh#t being said when someone gets taken out.
This and the films that mimicked it brought dialogue back. Yes, yes, I know, not in a philosophical capacity or in some grandiose poetic prose, but still.
Creating a fanboy's film with "Wha' da f@ck?!" scenarios that, I'm sure, came about from these movie fanboys talking about past films and cracking jokes about other crazy stuff that could or should happen in those scenes.
And Tarantino, (and let's not forget his writing partner, whom did get forgotten by the roadside, Roger Avery), got the chance to do just that. And he did such a great job at it, Hollywood backed him as he continued on all his following projects that continue to come out as we speak.
I remember when this first came out, I took a friend to watch it and when we got to the Date with Mia, back at her house, he scoffed, thinking the usual outcome. "They're gonna have sex, ain't they?" Watching her dance to Neil Diamond as Vincent is telling his reflection in the mirror, "You're gonna drink your drink. Say goodnight. Go home, jerk off, and that's all you're gonna do."
I grinned ear to ear, knowing better.

As I've said, for first timer watchers and us addicted fans that return for that "hit", Pulp Fiction delivers with an intensity that we savor and cheer for. Even decades later, it continues to deliver. Regardless of the countless clones that have appeared since.

[Miss Vicky]

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

Cinema Paradiso (Nuovo Cinema Paradiso) (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988)
Imdb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095765/)

Date Watched: 06/08/19
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 19th MoFo Hall of Fame, nominated by John-Conner
Rewatch: No.

I wanted to like this film. I really did. Honest.

I did really like the character of Alfredo, especially in the first half of the film, and the way he took over as a father figure for Toto. I also liked the basic idea of the film - essentially a love letter to cinema and to the art and passion that goes into every aspect of it. I also thought it was beautifully filmed. The final scene, too, was quite poignant.

Unfortunately my appreciation stops there. I really disliked Toto and found the townspeople to be rather irritating. I also didn't care at all for the film's particular brand of whimsy and quirk, which at times felt like a less extreme version of the work of Jean-Pierre Jeunet. I didn't care at all for Toto's romance with Elena - and found some of his behavior to be far more stalker-like than romantic or endearing. The second half of the film also really dragged for me and I struggled to maintain interest.

Ultimately, I respected the film for what it tried to do but mostly just found it disappointing.

3-

[Miss Vicky]

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

Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
Imdb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110912/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 6/9/19
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 19th MoFo Hall of Fame, nominated by ahwell
Rewatch: Yes

Ah yes, the film that introduced a teenaged me to gimps, ball gags, non-linear storytelling, Ezekiel 25:17, and that badass motherf***er Samuel L. Jackson. It was so stylish, in your face, and unlike anything I'd ever seen before. I loved it.

As time has passed and my tastes have changed, I find myself drawn away from films that favor style over substance and more to films that pack an emotional punch. As such, after 25 years my love of Pulp Fiction is not what it once was, but I absolutely cannot deny that it is still one wildly entertaining and unforgettable ride.

4+

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=54807
Open Range (2003)


I liked Open Range, with some reservations. I have reservations about most movies I watch. By that I mean: smaller things that I didn't care for or would have done differently if I was in the director's seat. If I'm really into a movie then those reservations are forgotten. But with Open Range I'm on the fence, a barbed wire fence, ha get it. I did enjoy the film, but like a lot of Kevin Costner's films it felt long to me. The only movie of his that didn't feel long was Dances With Wolves, which was fairly long, go figure.

The opening scene out on the range, could have been trimmed by 10 minutes as it took 24 minutes before the crisis began and I was losing interest during that first establishing scene. But once the big guy goes missing and the boys go looking for him, the film caught my attention.

I'm sure some will say Open Range is sentimentalism. Well I like sentimentalism myself, though a couple of times director Costner dipped into that well too deeply, especially the scenes with the dog which had me in the mindset of Hallmark. But mostly it had a nice touch to it.

Each film takes it's own tone and Open Range takes it's tone from Kevin Costner and despite his character's shady past we see he's a decent guy who's thoughtful and considerate...kind of like me! ha:p

Well Costner's character did remind me of myself, except for the gun slinging stuff of course, but rest assured if I got mud all over a pretty woman's floor I'd be picking it up too! Loved that scene BTW, also the scene in the general store where he's looking at a mail order catalog to replace a china set, just in case he doesn't survive the gunfight. That was a nice touch to the movie. And that's what works for me in this film is Kevin Costner, he's easy to relate to.

I liked Robert Duvall too, he's always good especially in westerns. I read some of the reviews here and I'm not sure why you guys didn't like Annette Benning, she seemed fine to me and the love story worked as it made a statement about how a good man can be forced to do bad things if put into a precarious situation.

I liked the idea of the Hispanic kid who Robert Duvall takes under his wing, but the actor just didn't deliver on the role. Can't say I like the big guy either, he seemed to modern in his speech. If I had one reservation that does matter it's the gun fight, too long, too much. Once the first group of bad guys were dealt with we didn't need a second group coming so that we could have yet another gun fight. Other than that, I liked it.

[Citizen Rules]

Ed, refresh the page and read my review that way. I swear I always post them without proof reading them, then hastily try to fix em up, before anyone see them:shifty:

[edarsenal]

lol
I know that feeling ALL TOO WELL!!

Great lil review and I agree, there are these little moments that have quite the nice sentimental feel to them.

That whole general store scene is quite nice and the one that gets me teary eyed is the old guy in the barn reading Costner's note regarding the china set moments before the fight. Can't explain why, but I just find it oh so beautiful. Gets me every time.

[Citizen Rules]

..whole general store scene is quite nice and the one that gets me teary eyed is the old guy in the barn reading Costner's note regarding the china set moments before the fight. Can't explain why, but I just find it oh so beautiful. Gets me every time.Yes! that one too, another great scene that added a very human touch.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoTop100/returntoparadise.gif

Return to Paradise (Joseph Ruben, 1998)
Imdb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0124595/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Date Watched: 6/9/19
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 19th MoFo Hall of Fame, nominated by me
Rewatch: Yes

When I blind bought Return to Paradise on DVD back in 2002, all I knew about it was that it starred Joaquin Phoenix. It was just one title on a list of many that I was working my way through as I explored Phoenix's resume. I was not at all prepared for how emotionally devastating the film would be.

And of course the bulk of that comes from the haunting performance of Joaquin Phoenix, who masterfully transitions his character from one of ideals and passion to one of desperation and hopelessness. But what surprised me about the film was the character of "Sheriff," played very convincingly by Vince Vaughn. I really love the journey he takes from being the careless man-child that nobody expects anything from to being a man who stands up and takes responsibility, even in the face of terrible self-doubt and fear. This film, along with Clay Pigeons - a crime comedy from the same year that also stars Joaquin Phoenix - really cemented my appreciation of Vaughn as an actor, despite the many missteps of his career. And, while Phoenix and Vaughn stand out to me, there were no weak links in the cast.

But what I love most about the film too is how gray the characters were and how real they felt. There were no heroes here and no real villains - just a collection of very fallible, selfish humans faced with horrifying choices and and life-or-death consequences. It does very well to portray the common misalignment between people's self-image and reality and reminds us that both cowardice and bravery can be found in unexpected places.

4.5-

[Miss Vicky]

Ballot sent.

[Siddon]

https://scalarama.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/tombstone.png

Tombstone is one of the last Westerns of the late eighties early nineties revival. In a number of ways you can view this film as a time capsule the last of the westerns that tell the story straight up. We're introduced to the Cowboys first, an American gang as they shoot up a wedding, murder the priest and rape the bride.



The overall theme of the film is revenge, the battle at the OK Corral is almost a throwaway for the second act which focuses on escalating violence. The film walks the line of male masculinity, of duty and honor. It's also about cowardice and the degrees in which men suffer from some.



4

[edarsenal]

Yes! that one too, another great scene that added a very human touch.

I could make a long list of those little moments, which is one of the reasons I love this film as I do.

[rauldc14]

I'll be rewatching Pulp Fiction tomorrow

[Siddon]

https://media3.giphy.com/media/j3uYDznBZgknK/giphy.gif




https://media2.giphy.com/media/mYVJpXy6aCoko/source.gif




I think it's important to go with duel images with Raging Bull because this is Scorcese's attempt at making a duel masterpiece. Inspired by classic sports films the boxing are given a beautiful dream like quality to them and then we get to reality, cringy Cassavettes style drama.



Jake Lamotta is a great boxer, and a terrible person abusive yet also a bit of a cry baby, controlling of his wife yet he's a constant philanderer. The film also subverts your expectations as the Mafia are almost portrayed as sensitive victims not these over bearing tough guys. I think the impact is somewhat lost with today's audience but this warts and all biopic was still pretty great.

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=54847
Cinema Paradiso (1988)


When Cinema Paradiso was over and the credits rolled...I was sure I hated it, due to the over abundance of quirky cuteness and oodles of nostalgia...But then a funny thing happened, I put those images of the grinning boy and quaint Italian village aside and I started to think about the underlying theme of the movie. Some might describe this as uplifting and get misty eyed from the warm tale of a boy who loves the magic of movies and grows up to be a successful director and that is what the film shows you...but it's not what it's truly about. Those happy coming of age aspects hide the devastating truth from plain sight, and in that truth lays the films greatness.

'when dreams become more important than reality'


The film projectionist warns the boy that the life of film is no life at all, and that he will become isolated from the world as he watches movies 100s of times over. But the boy falls under the spell of film and escapes into a world of movie fantasies and that's what we see...the older director looking back at his boyhood and seeing the town and it's people as if they were characters in a film.

The boy loses himself into a world of movies and by that ruins his own life. Cinema Paradiso warns us not to live inside a dream, and that, the illusion of cinema is so strong that one can live a lie, instead of living a life.

[edarsenal]

three reviews with intriguing perspectives for films I've yet to see and will be taking with me when I see them.

VERY nice

[rauldc14]

Pulp Fiction

https://i0.wp.com/braincharm.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Pulp-Fiction-Gradient.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1

The first and only time I had seen this film was about a decade ago. It was known as one of the greatest films ever made and it seems a popular choice to still hold that crown. I don't get it and I don't buy into that being a true statement.

Don't get me wrong, there are some decent scenes. I specifically think the scenes with Travolta and Jackson are pretty darn good, but I have a lot of issues with certain aspects of the film. My first issue is Bruce Willis, who has always come off as a pretty wooden actor for me. Once we get to his main scenes the film seems to go bland and the scenes seem to go on forever. Tarantino's acting scenes are even worse, but luckily we do not get stuck with him for too long.

Uma Thurman is pretty highly regarded in this film too and I think she did pretty well, but I think her angle was really underutilized and she could have been in the film more.

I think a lot of people love the beginning and the ending of the film too, but I disliked both.

Samuel L. Jackson (and Travolta) were my favorite parts of the film and it could pretty much end there. I still think this is a highly overrated film. Of course, I expect it to win this.

2.5

[Citizen Rules]

I don't believe it:cool: Raul didn't like Pulp Fiction, I would have pegged you as a fan of it. Can't say I disagree with you though, especially about Tarantino's acting scenes, ugh. I liked Travolta and Jackson and Uma too. The one scene I really did like was with the overdosing Rosanna Arquette stuff. Too funny!

[neiba]

The Virgin Spring (Ingmar Bergman, 1960)

Bergman is gradually becoming my favourite european director (excluding UK here), and this film represented one more step on that path.
At first sight this is just a tragic film about revenge and redemption, but as always with Bergman, its power lays on metaphors.

The elements: water, fire and earth are characters themselves here. The water representing cleansing and at the same time death and passage (with the river image), the fire representing punishment and earth probably forgetfulness or sin.

The last 20 minutes are simply some of the best I've seen in a Bergman picture: You have the hateful and revengeful father killing his daughter's murderers including a poor innocent child who doesn't resist his anger (that shot where he sits on the throne and a halo appears behind his head is out of this world), representing the worst side of God.
Then you have the other side, the caring, forgiving God who conforts the pain of a father and forgives him, while also forgiving Ingeri, a pagan girl who wished death on the innocent Karin, and converting her to Christianity in a very moving scene of baptism.

Bergman struggled with his sense of faith and this struggling becomes obvious on The Virgin Spring. Being a convict atheist, I may not relate to this struggle but I can definitely feel touched by it.

Thank you to whoever nominated this. It's always a pleasure to get to know more of the Swedish master and undisputed King of the Arthouse cinema.

4 +

[Citizen Rules]

Cinema Paradiso

Like most films from this era it has a very simple and strong message that I'm not sure I agree with... That's interesting. What message did you think the film gave?

[Siddon]

That's interesting. What message did you think the film gave?


That Hollywood is the place all your dreams come true.

[edarsenal]

Since I've seen The Godfather countless times, after rewatching it several days back, the review I wrote for the Best Pictures HoF says it all for me so I will be cut and pasting it here.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Bwa4ZwGhMM8/TPCSIkT-gYI/AAAAAAAABas/tg_Du-CuOlE/s1600/the-godfather-mafia-movie.png


The Godfather

"I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse."


I can't count the amount of times I've watched this movie and since it has been a while since seeing it, it was an absolute joy to sit back and enjoy.
I do understand that, like with any genre, if it's not your cup of tea, a nearly 3 hour film can be rather difficult to endure, so I do appreciate anyone who runs that gambit. For myself, having a fascination with the genre, and a love for this movie, the 3 hours slip right on by like visiting a favorite friend - or more appropriately, famiglia.

Set in post Word War II we get to meet "the family" of the Corleones at an incredibly large wedding. From Brando's Vito, The Godfather, granting "favors" with the adopted son; Tom (Robert Duvall) who is the family consigliere or advisor. We meet the eldest, Sonny, the hot-tempered son played with his usual gusto by James Caan, the second son, Fredo (John Cazale) who seems to be one that resides in the shadow of his brothers. And finally, the youngest, the war hero, Michael, played with such a dangerously calm waters by Al Pacino.

From here we learn a bit about the family business and what becomes of those who don't simply take the offer they really shouldn't have refused in the first place.
We also witness the war that erupts when the Corleones do not wish to join in on the Narcotics Business with the Tattlagias and the Barzinis, two of the five families of New York.
For the majority of us, this is common ground, even for some who haven't watched this movie, there are a number of scenes that are known and stick in our memories. For me, it is far too countless and to put them down would be the lump sum of reading a 3 hour review, since there are so many to easily choose from.

While still a glamorized rendition of Sicilian mafia families, there is still a tangible grit to the story line and what becomes of everyone. Especially in the finale of this movie. But, also, what raises it above a simple gangster film, is that we experience more than the underworld, but of the family themselves. Their interactions and who they are to one another.

[rauldc14]

Probably Tombstone next for me on Monday.

[neiba]

Return to Paradise (Joseph Ruben, 1998)

Very good film!
I loved the moral debate that it put to the characters and ultimately to the viewer.
The acting was quite good from everyone involved especially from Vaugh and Phoenix, who do an amazing job portraying characters going through a great deal of pressure and changes. The scene where Phoenix says he wouldn't go back for Vaughn, after living all that, really impressed me. It showed how far he was from being that kind soul that wanted to help orangutans.
The press thing really angered me too, and knowing he was killed because a journalist couldn't wait 1 day with a man's life on the stake is maddening.

I disliked the romantic thing though, and simply can't understand why was it there. You have a girl looking to save her brother's life, meets a man-child with no compassion that is basically condemning him to death and still bangs him. Call me cold hearted but I can't see it happening, and that probably stops me from considering this a great film.

Apart from that, very good nom!

3.5 +

[jiraffejustin]

Pulp Fiction

An early favorite of mine and important in the trajectory of film watching habits, Pulp Fiction will always hold a special, little place in my chubby, little heart. It's the film that showed me how cool movies could be. From this film, I checked out some of Godard's 60's output, and I enjoyed that. That lead me to check out different film movements, and from there I saw some Italian neo-realism and then some film noir and blahblahblah. I credit Pulp Fiction and a couple other films for being the table setters for me, so whenever those films pop up in Hall of Fames that I am participating in, they have a built-in advantage.

The obvious reason to like Pulp Fiction is that it is really cool. The dialogue doesn't feel like real people speaking, but if we were all as cool as we wanted to be, it would feel like real people talking. I can see how that could possibly be a turn-off for some, but it works wonders for me. Tarantino's presentation is flawless in this film. He plays with the timeline, but he makes sure all of the questions are answered and there aren't any lose ends.

Every now and then I think about Christopher Walken talking about shoving a watch up his ass, and I can't believe that he does that in one of my favorite movies of all-time.

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=54958
Return to Paradise (1998)

Loved the premise and the moral exploration of the theme of responsibility...that's my kind of movie.

But I hated how the actors, especially Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche acted so light heartened in so many of the scenes, which then diluted any power the movie's moral dilemma had. A scene would start out strong only to have Vince end it by grinning at Anne Heche...I've never seen more smirks and smiles than in this movie. For the subject matter, the tone of the film was too light, except for Joaquin Phoenix who added needed believably to the otherwise mess of a movie.

The characters almost never delivered their lines like a person's life actually depended on them. I didn't believe them for one second, as they didn't act like they believed the situation themselves.

What derailed the film was the romance thing between Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche, it added way too much lightness to what needed to be a hard hitting film. I actually laughed a couple time at the daft way the characters handled themselves...At the beginning of the film Anne Heche confronts Vince Vaughn on the street and tells him his friend will be executed in 8 days if he doesn't return to Malaysia to serve jail time (Heche was OK there but then) she goes from serious to happy chirpy when she says 'how about dinner?' 'how about drinks'...The film lost me right there. Then again the script doesn't offer the actors much to work with but ad-hoc gimmicks. But it's the director who I blame most as the entire movie felt too light weight for the seriousness of the subject matter.

[Siddon]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT-Xqwet0QGuV_zw_EUltq-WksplUjTXALOC0st4GupvPL4NDyypw


Gaslight well this is my nomination and on rewatch I didn't really notice anything different from what I loved about the first time. This is sort of a horror movie/drama/suspense type film, really it's a play adaptation and you can at times feel it with the limited cast. But the film is still brilliant as it plays with the ideas of relationships and sanity.

Bergman clearly won the Oscar with the brilliant double ending the film has in it's third act. But it shouldn't be glossed over what a wonderful rat basta@#$ Charles Boyer is in this. You can see what he's doing the entire time but you can also see how he's manipulated and subjugated the women around him so well.

The interiors and exteriors of the film are just amazing it feels like a period piece, with the Hitchcockian flare to it.

rating_5

[neiba]

Open Range (Kevin Costner, 2003)

My opinion of Costner as an actor is similar to as a director: not bad at all, but not a genius either.
There are some parts I really liked about this: the opening is very solid, and the build up is slow but well paced. The shoot out is definitely the best of this film, especially that first few shots, really exciting. It drags a bit towards the end of said shoot out but nothing critical.
I also liked the relationship between the leading duo and how the folks from the town seemed friendly and familiar. And the cinematography looks stunning.

What I didn't like, and this is something that usually is a important aspect for me, is the writing. The dialogues, especially between Costner and the woman, seem artificial and forced. The whole romantic thing comes from nowhere. Also, after the shooting is finished, every minute the film took, was a minute too long. This could have been easily 30 minutes less.

A good film, but one I don't plan on revisiting.

3 +

[neiba]

Only two rewatches left, and two I'm really looking forward to. I'll download Cinema Paradiso to watch it on the airplane in a few days, while flying to Switzerland!

[rauldc14]

Raging Bull

https://vaguevisages.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/robert-de-niro-cathy-moriarty-raging-bull1.png

This has always been a movie that I've usually been underwhelmed with watching, and this time I really didn't feel any differently.

Don't get me wrong. The acting is really good. My favorite performance is Joe Peschi playing Jake Lamottas brother. I also think that Robert DeNiro did a good job of playing Lamottas and I commend him for how much research and physical transformation he did to play the part. Cathy Moriarty was solid as one of Lamotta's many wife's.

Also the cinematography is a beauty and it was a great choice to film this in black and white as it gave the film a real gritty feel to it and made it feel like it really did well going back in time. I don't think it would have felt very on point in color. The camerawork by Scorsese was real good too.

But I be damned if I really thought the story was bland here. With as much of a character Lamotta was I would have liked to have seen some sort of a different angle or take. Maybe it needed more of a strong boxing story. Maybe it needed a little more tension of the rough personal life he had. Whatever the case, it REALLY brings the overall enjoyment, and in conjunction with that, the actual rating and how I feel about the film down for me.

I respect it, but I also think Scorsese has done far better work. I actually feel his heart wasn't solely into this, so it surprises me that this is always so welll liked in cinematic history.

3+

[rauldc14]

Angel Face

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lBGf9wVMWwM/VRtHUYb15LI/AAAAAAAAFEQ/YeLyAOEdsXw/s1600/angel%2Bface%2Bmitchum.jpg

I really liked this film, the fifties seems to be a great decade for film and this can add another solid one to the decade. The best thing about the film is the acting. There's great chemistry between Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons here. I loved seeing Simmons in particular in a rather villanous role.

The direction of Otto Preminger was great, I'd say he's pretty underrated as a director and I need to see more of his work. He always seems to keep my attention from beginning to end. He knows how to not have lulls in his movie. That ending was definitely interesting enough for me, and seems a pretty fitting one in regards to wrapping the whole story up.

3.5

[Siddon]

https://i0.wp.com/www.moviehousememories.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Pulp-Fiction-Photo-2.jpg?fit=1920%2C810&ssl=1


I likely should have done a comparative review of this and Raging Bull. Both films are stories of criminals, degenerates and the world the encapsulate. Both films revolve around a thrown boxing match and both films have a period piece element to them. But while Raging Bull attempted to address the realism of the world of a single character Pulp Fiction attempts to tell a ensemble story in a dreamlike world. Though both choose to page homage to other earlier works of pop culture and film.



The film has a number of qualities to admire. It's easy to love the dialogue but you've got a series of more subtle aspects to the film. Tarantino loves using different color pallets for each scene. You could also love the use of mirroring For example Vincent and Mia coming in dancing with a trophy to the home the first time with the camera in the home. Well Mia gets snorts her heroin and then when she recovers and Vincent drives her home the scene is almost shown in reverse as it's more somber. The party is over for both characters. The film is littered with parallels like that, that allowed me to enjoy the re-watch. I also enjoyed how unlike most of Tarantino' ripoff films you have a cast that spreads out throughout the entire age spectrum, this isn't a collective of 20 year old acting students you have characters from 20's to 50's and it feels more authentic.



The only knock I have with the film is because I've seen so many pop culture referenced films since than the dialogue can become a bit tiresome and the philosophy doesn't really hold up 25 years later.



4

[edarsenal]

https://everythingnoir.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/842e1-475268989_d38e63798b_z.jpg


Angel Face

Diane Tremayne: ...How can you say that to me?
Frank Jessup: Oh, you mean after all we've been to each other?... Diane, look. I don't pretend to know what goes on behind that pretty little face of yours - I don't want to. But I learned one thing very early. Never be the innocent bystander - that's the guy that always gets hurt.

I remember the first time I saw this a few years ago and was kind of so-so with it.
This time around, I truly enjoyed it and all it had to offer.

Director Otto Preminger, in my limited experience of his films, has a great knack of delving into the "grays" of the characters. You rarely see someone who is completely one thing or another. You see a more rounded out version and thereby, a little more depth and/or hidden layers of any given character. Sometimes with such subtlety that you may miss out at first glance.

We get this with both Jean Simmons (playing the predator pretending to be a house kitten) to Robert Mitchum's every day guy, who should know better, does know better, but takes a little too long to follow through to get the f@ck outta Dodge.
Along with them, there is the alleged evil stepmother, Barbara O'Neil, who, has we become aware of, isn't at all and is the one and only responsible individual taking care of everything while her slouch husband, played with his usual charm, Herbert Marshall, is easily lovable even after we discover his flaws.

While there is a bit of formula following in the story, placing it in the noir genre, there are a few surprises the actual deaths of the parents, and the clever repeat of it at the finality. Which I can easily imagine as an utter WTF moment when it first played out at movie theaters and drive-ins throughout America.
Especially the graphic detail of the bodies (dolls) being bounced out of the car and dragged down with it in the second one.
For it's time, it is pretty intense. Especially that look Simmons' character gives Mitchum before slamming the car into Reverse and that's why I chose it for the image to this review.

[ahwell]

Raging Bull

This is not a film for everyone, but I for one loved it. I think the screenplay was brutally accurate at times, and the relationship between Jake and Vickie was chillingly similar to many real life relationships (of course this was one). The acting was phenomenal of course, with Robert DeNiro as Jake and Joe Pecsi as well. I actually didn't like the boxing scenes at all, but there weren't too many of them so that wasn't a huge problem. Other than that, I thought everything was on par in this well constructed film. The usage of Mascagni's Cavilleria Rusticana is totally on par, especially considering that opera was all about jealously between lovers. This doesn't beat out The Godfather or Pulp Fiction, but it is a well made picture that I will certainly be returning to again.

5

[jiraffejustin]

ahwell it's pretty crazy to me that you give it the full popcorns but didn't like the boxing scenes. What about them did you not like?

[ahwell]

ahwell it's pretty crazy to me that you give it the full popcorns but didn't like the boxing scenes. What about them did you not like?

They weren’t bad, the editing and movements just got kind of old.

[jiraffejustin]

They weren’t bad, the editing and movements just got kind of old.

Man, those were the best parts of the movie. Different strokes for different folks and all that, but to me the editing and movements and things like blood splatter and sound and something like how weird the dimensions of the ring looked in the fight when he beats Sugar Ray were so interesting. Scorsese made them all different and more metaphorical than realistic. When he fought Ray and beat him there was a long ring and felt more wide open and free, but fighting Janiro he was pissed and most of the time the camera hugged LaMotta tight and like neither he or Janiro had a chance to get away from with LaMotta's insecurities and jealousy.

But you gave the movie 5 stars, so maybe I shouldn't be trying to convince you to give it 6. :D

[ahwell]

Open Range

I’ve never much liked Westerns, but this one wasn’t bad. The plot was interesting enough, and I loved Boss and Charley. But I think a lot of it was unnecessary and bloated, like the ending that dragged on and on. The first half is definitely the best, it sets up characters and motives beautifully. The cinematography was also great. However, other than Kevin Costner, I don’t think the acting was all that good, it felt not right most of the time, probably because of the stale script. So, even though I’ve mostly complained about it, I did end up liking this movie.

3.5

[ahwell]

They weren’t bad, the editing and movements just got kind of old.

Man, those were the best parts of the movie. Different strokes for different folks and all that, but to me the editing and movements and things like blood splatter and sound and something like how weird the dimensions of the ring looked in the fight when he beats Sugar Ray were so interesting. Scorsese made them all different and more metaphorical than realistic. When he fought Ray and beat him there was a long ring and felt more wide open and free, but fighting Janiro he was pissed and most of the time the camera hugged LaMotta tight and like neither he or Janiro had a chance to get away from with LaMotta's insecurities and jealousy.

But you gave the movie 5 stars, so maybe I shouldn't be trying to convince you to give it 6. :D

Yeah, I don’t know, all that “symbolic” stuff went right over my head I guess. I still ended up loving it, but maybe I’ll pay closer attention to what you said if I watch it again.

[ahwell]

Tombstone

This one was a pleasant surprise, I quite liked it. I thought the characters were well fleshed out (although there were a few too many and it got stretched thin) with an interesting take on the OK shootout. Especially the scenes between Wyatt and Josephine verge on philosophical, which is fresh and delightful for a Western. The second half dragged, but it was overall a fun watch.

4

[KeyserCorleone]

Angel Face

This was the one movie I was the least hyped about, so I decided to quickly get it out of the way. Angel Face has some impressive actors about it, especially considering the chemistry between Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons and their seemingly love-hate relationship. And the dialogue was perfectly written, never leaving a moment for something that didn't feel realistic. My main problem with the movie is that the movie's plot wasn't very unique. The story took some great turns (no car joke intended), but the basics of the movie didn't really add anything new noir hadn't seen yet. Other than that, great movie.

rating_4_5

[KeyserCorleone]

However, other than Kevin Costner, I don’t think the acting was all that good


Wow. You might be the only person on Movie Forums to ever say that about a Kevin Costner movie. :P

[Miss Vicky]

Wow. You might be the only person on Movie Forums to ever say that about a Kevin Costner movie. :P

Costner has always been one of my favorite actors. :shrug:

I've nominated a couple of his movies for the Hall of Fame before, including Dances With Wolves which was the winner of the 13th HOF.

[KeyserCorleone]

Nice to see such an underrated movie get there.

[Miss Vicky]

I also previously nominated A Perfect World. It finished somewhere in the middle of the pack, if I recall correctly, but even the people who didn't care a lot for the movie as a whole thought Costner was very good in it.

[Citizen Rules]

Costner is usually a good actor, if the role suits him. He owned! the role in Dances With Wolves.

[ahwell]

Costner is usually a good actor, if the role suits him. He owned! the role in Dances With Wolves.

Except for the voice over diary readings (if I remember right).

[Citizen Rules]

Except for the voice over diary readings (if I remember right). I liked the diary readings as far as I can remember. In general I don't know why people seem to have a problem with inner voice narrative of any kind. In most HoFs I've been in, if we hear the character's inner thoughts being vocalized, many seem to hate that, I don't. I guess that's one reason why I like the original theatrical cut of Blade Runner so much better than the Final Cut, or whatever it's called.

[ahwell]

Except for the voice over diary readings (if I remember right). I liked the diary readings as far as I can remember. In general I don't know why people seem to have a problem with inner voice narrative of any kind. In most HoFs I've been in, if we hear the character's inner thoughts being vocalized, many seem to hate that, I don't. I guess that's one reason why I like the original theatrical cut of Blade Runner so much better than the Final Cut, or whatever it's called.

I’m good with it, as long as it’s done well. I thought it sounded so fake from Costner.

[CosmicRunaway]

In most HoFs I've been in, if we hear the character's inner thoughts being vocalized, many seem to hate that, I don't. I guess that's one reason why I like the original theatrical cut of Blade Runner so much better than the Final Cut, or whatever it's called.
I haven't seen the theatrical cut of Blade Runner in so long that I don't know how I'd feel about it now, but I know I didn't hate the voice over like most people seem to. Maybe I should watch that again.

I also liked the voice over in the theatrical cut of Payback as well, and prefer it to the Straight Up edition, which is strange since usually I like the darker versions more. The original cut of Payback feels more like a noir to me, which probably helps.

[Citizen Rules]

I’m good with it, as long as it’s done well. I thought it sounded so fake from Costner.Fake in what way? In what he was saying? Or in the way he said it? (as in his vocal inflections).

I haven't seen the theatrical cut of Blade Runner in so long that I don't know how I'd feel about it now, but I know I didn't hate the voice over like most people seem to. Maybe I should watch that again.

I also liked the voice over in the theatrical cut of Payback as well, and prefer it to the Straight Up edition, which is strange since usually I like the darker versions more. The original cut of Payback feels more like a noir to me, which probably helps.I almost went with the theatrical cut of Blade Runner as my nom in the Sci-Fi HoF, but thought that it might be hard to find for others ( I have it on Blu Ray set). I haven't seen Payback or Straight Up, but usually when a character has a voice over of what they are, or were thinking, I like it.

[ahwell]

I’m good with it, as long as it’s done well. I thought it sounded so fake from Costner.Fake in what way? In what he was saying? Or in the way he said it? (as in his vocal inflections).

I haven't seen the theatrical cut of Blade Runner in so long that I don't know how I'd feel about it now, but I know I didn't hate the voice over like most people seem to. Maybe I should watch that again.

I also liked the voice over in the theatrical cut of Payback as well, and prefer it to the Straight Up edition, which is strange since usually I like the darker versions more. The original cut of Payback feels more like a noir to me, which probably helps.I almost went with the theatrical cut of Blade Runner as my nom in the Sci-Fi HoF, but thought that it might be hard to find for others ( I have it on Blu Ray set). I haven't seen Payback or Straight Up, but usually when a character has a voice over of what they are, or were thinking, I like it.

Kind of both. Maybe it’s just me, I don’t know.

[Citizen Rules]

Kind of both. Maybe it’s just me, I don’t know.If you're interested here's a link (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1729366#post1729366) to the 13th HoF write-up links. That's the HoF that Dances With Wolves was in. We talked about the voice over narration in some of our write ups. I just read my old review of the movie and apparently I was impressed with the reading of his journals. I actually had forgotten about that, until just now.

[Miss Vicky]

Dances With Wolves is one of the few films in which a voiceover actually works for me. :shrug:

I think that has a lot to do with the fact that he was voicing the words that he was writing in his journal and that the journal itself was significant to some of the events in the film.

Not that any of this is relevant to the movies actually in this HOF. :laugh:

[edarsenal]

Dances With Wolves is one of the few films in which a voiceover actually works for me. :shrug:

I think that has a lot to do with the fact that he was voicing the words that he was writing in his journal and that the journal itself was significant to some of the events in the film.

Not that any of this is relevant to the movies actually in this HOF. :laugh:

I can definitely see how thinking out loud what is written makes for a better narrative when you're not a fan of characters narrating. It definitely makes for a valid exception.

For myself, with Costner, (being late to the party) I've always enjoyed him in a larger number of films as well as his directing. Dances With Wolves being the very top of his game for both. His mixture of epic storytelling and delving into the characters' personas has always been a pleasure for me.

With Narratives, I've pretty much enjoyed them since childhood. Not sure if it was the cartoons where characters talked to the audience or the serial style oldies like Flash Gordon and the like along with shows like Batman where the Announcer teased us about "how will our hero get out of THIS one?" or even Shakespeare where the Narrator and Soliloquies were commonplace.
No idea, but I've even come to enjoy the mocking narrations like in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
times it can become a bit of a trope, but, like ahwell stated,(as in anything) when done right. . . I quite very much enjoy them.

Which is an amusing irony since there is not narrating in an HoF I'm hosting, as Miss Vicky pointed out. lol

[edarsenal]

I haven't seen the theatrical cut of Blade Runner in so long that I don't know how I'd feel about it now, but I know I didn't hate the voice over like most people seem to. Maybe I should watch that again.

I also liked the voice over in the theatrical cut of Payback as well, and prefer it to the Straight Up edition, which is strange since usually I like the darker versions more. The original cut of Payback feels more like a noir to me, which probably helps.

I was the same way. Normally I prefer the original film but I definitely enjoy Payback more.

[ahwell]

I just thought of a good example. Annie Hall, I think, does an excellent job of including narrations from woody Allen’s character, especially the opening scenes. It doesn’t feel forced.

[Siddon]

https://www.classicmoviehub.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/angel-face-2.jpg


Otto Preminger is one of my favorite directors and when does film noir he really nails it. Angel Face is a story of balance it's told in a very strict three act structure and each act works well. All the characters are defined well enough, none is portrayed with excess of sympathy or cruelty everyone feels human and while we know who the villain is basically at the start we get charmed and lulled into the story.



Robert Mitchum is an old man basically at the point of settling down, he's broke he's got a nurse he calls on and dream of opening a garage. Jean Simmons is a young woman living in an opulent lifestyle in Los Angeles with parents waiting on her inheritance. Both are veterans of the war, and have a hollowed out pragmatism and they connect over that.


3.5

[KeyserCorleone]

Tombstone.

My favorite westerns are ones that typically focus on badassery, and Tombstone is one of the best in that field. Its all-star cast still manages to be outshined by Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer in two of their best roles. The action is usually very well filmed, although there are a couple of slow moments during the climax. But that's pretty much all I've got for nit-picking, since the rest of it is a rough and gritty western with enough manliness to keep it going. To think this is a true story seems almost unbelievable.

rating_4_5

[Siddon]

https://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/review/primary_image/reviews/return-to-paradise-1998/hero_EB19980814REVIEWS808140303AR.jpg

Return to Paradise is one of those films I would say has a concept but doesn't have a plot. The concept of the film is good, two men have to make a moral decision of returning to Malaysia to serve a prison term otherwise their friend will end up dead. The men are given opposing lives and the lawyer Anne Heche's job is to convince both of them to return.

The problem is often times the run time feels incredibly padded, the moralizing scenes are played repeatedly so they lose a degree of their impact. You also have a number of plot points that are predictable as the foreshadowing is very on the nose.

Joaquin Phoenix is good in the bits and pieces that he's in but the rest of the cast leaves quite a bit to be desired, Heche and Vaughn are just poor choices of leads. It's kinda sad that Vera Farmiga and Nick Sandow who are very strong performers who meander in the background while Heche, Vaughn, and Smith take up the screen time.


What I enjoyed about the film is that it has a budget, the film is shot on location and feels like a real film not just a morality play.



2

[KeyserCorleone]

The Virgin Spring

Like pretty much any other Ingmar Bergman movie, the direction was spot-on. The drama of the story felt real, and very bitter to the point where much of it hurt to watch. The faint symbolism and meaning of the movie, mostly centering around confliction from a religious standpoint, helped bring out the harsh behavior of the characters and the delivery. But the movie was pretty slow at times and the story needed a little more depth. While I love the central themes of religious conflict and holiness and sin conflicting with each other, such as the secret pagan worship, I felt the religious symbolism concerning why God allows things to happen and the secrets of this world and the people who claim to be holy was better-handled in The Witch. It's a good movie, but it's probably the worst of the few Ingmar Bergman movies I've seen. But I'd easily watch it again to pick up on more later, and it managed to gets the point across. And to top it off, Bergman always had a bird's eye for brilliant actors, and I love Max Von Sydow's ability to evoke emotions to a painfully realistic level.

rating_4_5

[jiraffejustin]

Return to Paradise

Vince Vaughn catches flak for not being a very good actor, and when he talks in this film, it's not great (not terrible either, more just okay at best), but I think he did a fine job of looking like he was being mentally tortured with his facial expressions. I was sucked into the idea of this man grappling with a decision but also grappling with the mask he wears for the world (and also wearing for himself) coming in conflict with who he really is. The other dude, with less screen time, did a fine job of getting over the same thing too. It's just that his was in the opposite direction. He felt like a bit of a smarmy assh*le that wants to show the world that he's a good guy. It's a little more grey than that black and white description, but that's how the two came off to me. I also like Anne Heche's character too. Her performance was fine, but what stood out more to me is how they all wrestled with this predicament and how it affected their behavior and choices. I like how the film ended because I think it kinda leaves the door open on Heche's character not following through on her final promise. To me, that makes all of the "desperate times, calls for desperate measures" possibilities to be true of Heche. Though maybe she does find herself falling for Vaughn's character because of his seemingly selfless actions. Phoenix's performance in this movie seems to be getting love despite the short time he is onscreen. The only thing I can say to this is: I guess it was alright, but we'll see him do much better things. This best part of his performance was how decrepit he looked, but that's more of a shout to the makeup department and not really Phoenix. Overall, this wasn't a bad movie. It worked best as a thought experiment on how you'd handle the situation.

[KeyserCorleone]

Well, I'm at the point where I've saved the possible best two that I haven't seen for last: Cinema Paradiso: The International Cut and Raging Bull. I've seen the original version of Cinema Paradiso, but I'm a little weary of this new version considering the perfection I sensed in that version. And Raging Bull is something I'm looking forward to considering I haven't found a sports movie I can say is above and beyond like Godfather and Pulp Fiction. Rocky was great but nowhere near perfect, and The Hustler came very close but didn't reach that height.

[jiraffejustin]

Well, I'm at the point where I've saved the possible best two that I haven't seen for last: Cinema Paradiso: The International Cut and Raging Bull. I've seen the original version of Cinema Paradiso, but I'm a little weary of this new version considering the perfection I sensed in that version. And Raging Bull is something I'm looking forward to considering I haven't found a sports movie I can say is above and beyond like Godfather and Pulp Fiction. Rocky was great but nowhere near perfect, and The Hustler came very close but didn't reach that height.

Raging Bull is only technically a sports film, I suppose. It doesn't feel like any other in that the actual result of the fights are less important than what they stand for. You aren't watching to see someone triumph over anything, but instead the fights are symbolic vignettes of the life of LaMotta outside of the ring.

[rauldc14]

Return to Paradise

https://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/review/primary_image/reviews/return-to-paradise-1998/hero_EB19980814REVIEWS808140303AR.jpg

This was ok but not anything that really made me feel for the characters situations like it should have. I quite like Vaughn overall, and in this I suppose he was ok. I couldn't stand Heche, and I think that is something that would be common with all her films. I just don't see the appeal of her as an actress and I really hated the romance scenes with her and Vaughn. Phoenix was good, but he obviously really wasn't in it all that much. I think the film made it take to long for Vaughn to decide what he was doing so in conclusion I really lost interest in the overall outcome anyways. Like I said nothing bad it's just that it doesn't feel worthy of a Hall of Fame and it doesn't do anything that great in it either.

2.5-

[Siddon]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2d/f4/59/2df4596f7335c735c28d777190a61ba5.jpg


The Godfather is one of those films where you see something new everytime to watch it. I won't go into the plot because it's an epic one but I'll talk about some of the things I loved about it.


1. The role of marriage and love in the film, each wife is given a very different objective and perspective with respect to the male characters. Apollinia ends up being such a major character towards Michael's character growth (perhaps more so than his father and brother) and how Kay starts off the film as an equal and ends the film as just someone on the outs.

2. Tom Hagen is the ultimate survivor, he's not a war-time consigliere (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consigliere). And I believe that ends up saving his life.

3. Vito goes about his business and how Michael learns from his father how to weed out problems.

Love the film, great nomination, look forward to see how it does with this Hall.