Personal Recommendation Hall of Fame VI

[Citizen Rules]

Double Indemnity was actually my back-up choice for Phoenix, but someone else happened to nominate it for him anyway. It's weird that this happened three times, but it's also strangely comforting, since going into this HoF, I was not confident in my ability to recommend films haha... I bet you put a lot of thought and effort into your movie selections. I wouldn't be surprised if you did well your first time out.

[Citizen Rules]

I might join one of these sometime in the future. They look fun.You should!

Oh and Double Indemnity rocks.

[Hey Fredrick]

Double Indemnity was on my list for Phoenix but I've recommended it a couple times in previous HoF's so I went with Dances instead. I didn't want to win this thing anyway. Double Indemnity is THE noir film. Whenever someone says noir this is the movie that immediately comes to mind and I'd be surprised if I'm in the minority on that. It's almost a perfect film. For me, this and Sunset Boulevard are comfortably sitting atop the noir mountain.

I haven't seen the Tenant but it has been recommended to me a couple times, usually from folks who know that I think Repulsion is top two Polanski.

Gave Ratatouille a 3/5 and I don't remember a thing about it other than rats. Looks like 25 years of hard living is catching up to me.

The Innocents is another I recommend quite often, usually to people who say they don't like horror films. It's either this or Salo (it's art house horror - you'll love it. Trust me.) Another one I think is great and is usually a safe recommendation (The Innocents, not Salo) but I don't watch it often.

I loved Robert Mitchum's performance in Night of the Hunter but the movie itself is kind of underwhelming. It's one of them movies I want to love but can't get there. I also remember it feeling much longer than it is and that's not a good sign, usually. It looks good, but it's missing something to bring it all together. Haven't seen it in awhile so maybe I should try that one again.

[CosmicRunaway]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=88687

Being John Malkovich (1999)
Directed by: Spike Jonze
Starring: John Cusack, Catherine Keener, John Malkovich

From the basic premise, to the film's overall themes, and through each major story beat along the way, everything about Being John Malkovich was completely different from the preconceived image I had in my mind going into it. The film is highly imaginative, and contains odd, fantastic elements that are treated in such a nonchalant manner, that it never seems unreasonable. It was a pleasant surprise that in some ways in reminds me of Brazil, a film I'm rather fond of.

The writing is clever, amusing, and even occasionally laugh-out-loud funny. The mix of social commentary and personal drama is well balanced, and although I'm typically not a fan of love triangles, even that story worked well within the overall scope of the film. The actors all did a good job, and John Cusack in particular seemed perfect for his role, ditching his normal aesthetic and embodying the look and feel of creepy weirdos uncomfortably well.

Strangely - or perhaps appropriately, I think the best acting in the film wasn't by any of the main cast, but by the puppets and their puppeteer. Even without their symbolism and relevance to the film's themes, the marionettes were incredibly compelling. They were the perfect example of what the profession is capable of, showing that with the right choreography, music, and people at the helm, even lifeless puppets can give the audience an emotional performance.

[Allaby]

Being John Malkovich is a strange movie. I was underwhelmed by it the first time I saw it, but I ended up buying the Criterion blu ray on sale and rewatching it. I enjoyed it a lot more the second time around.

[Miss Vicky]

Malkovich, Malkovich!

Glad you enjoyed it, Cosmic. :)

[cricket]

Glad you liked it Cosmic, I was surprised you had never seen it as it seems your type.

[CosmicRunaway]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=88696

CODA (2021)
Directed by: Sian Heder
Starring: Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin

Even though La Famille Bélier was surprisingly better than I had expected, I honestly never would have watched CODA on my own accord. The only difference appeared to be changing the family's profession from farmers to fishermen, and to me that didn't seem like enough to justify a remake. Hearing that CODA had a more serious tone worried me slightly as well, given how the original needed humour to combat how clichéd its plot was.

However in a surprise turn of events, all of the American version's changes turned out to be vast improvements. It wasn't as melodramatic and over-the-top as La Famille Bélier, and its use of comedy was more realistically integrated, rather than having scenes that served no purpose other than to make a joke. There is also a distinct difference in regards to how sign language is treated, which can likely be attributed to CODA's casting of deaf actors in prominent roles, which was something the original failed to accomplish.

Ruby's interactions with her family are definitely the highlight of the film. The story contained nothing new or unexpected, but it was still a pleasant and heart-warming watch thanks to the performances of its main cast. Troy Kotsur was especially impressive, excelling at comedic relief just as well as he does with his more dramatic scenes. The romance sub-plot was significantly weaker than I remembered it being in Bélier, but that's just another change I think was for the better. It's fairly rare for a remake to improve so much on the original, but CODA definitely manages to hit all the right notes.

[cricket]

Not going to read that as I also have to watch CODA.

[CosmicRunaway]

Not going to read that as I also have to watch CODA.
No worries. I also don't read reviews of films I haven't seen (yet intend to watch) until after I've seen them for myself. :up:

[edarsenal]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=88653

Ratatouille (2007)
Directed by: Brad Bird
Starring: Patton Oswalt, Lou Romano, Ian Holm

I vastly prefer the look of traditional animation methods over computer-generated images, but even I have to admit that Ratatouille is a fantastic looking film. While the characters, both human and rodent, are highly stylized, many of the buildings have a more classic aesthetic, and the food is typically far more realistic in appearance, sometimes even approaching photo-realism. This artistic blend might sound jarring on paper, but they actually come together quite nicely. Perhaps an appropriate analogy would be that it's an unusual recipe masterfully executed by a talented chef.

Despite being impressed with the opening shots, the first fifteen minutes or so of the film didn't fully interest me. However the introduction of the other main characters, and the shift in focus to Remy and Linguini learning to cook and work together had me fairly engaged. I don't particularly care for the culinary arts, but there's something about cooking shows I find compelling, so whenever people were working in the kitchen, I was extra attentive.

The film started to lose me a bit approaching the final act, but that all changed when the restaurant had to cook for the critic. I absolutely loved every second of that. All the rats, the health inspector, the roller-skating – it all greatly amused me. Peter O'Toole's performance as Ego was amazing, and I could listen to him read his lines all day. The ending was almost too sweet for my taste, but considering it's effectively the dessert course to Ratatouille's heart-warming meal, perhaps those lingering flavours are just the right ones after all.





I had a good feeling you'd enjoy this, and for the same particulars, you mentioned. I think only Miss Vicky loves this film more than me. It was one of our Sleepy films when I worked evenings. Hell, we watched it last night! lol
Sh#t YES about O'Toole. Always adore that man, and he was, as he is, perfect. The entire cast did great. Patton Oswalt (Remy) and Lou Romano (Linguini) had an excellent connection. From the moment he stood outside the restaurant, unsure where to stash "Little Chef" and the entire blindfolded practice is a big favorite of mine.
Just great characters and voice acting all around.
Like Janeane Garofalo playing this gentle rosebud
https://y.yarn.co/dc5adf9d-bcac-4986-95a9-a8593a8b7ef0_text.gif

So, YAY!

[Citizen Rules]

CODA (2021)
Directed by: Sian Heder
Starring: Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin

Even though La Famille Bélier was surprisingly better than I had expected, I honestly never would have watched CODA on my own accord. The only difference appeared to be changing the family's profession from farmers to fishermen, and to me that didn't seem like enough to justify a remake. Hearing that CODA had a more serious tone worried me slightly as well, given how the original needed humour to combat how clichéd its plot was.

However in a surprise turn of events, all of the American version's changes turned out to be vast improvements. It wasn't as melodramatic and over-the-top as La Famille Bélier, and its use of comedy was more realistically integrated, rather than having scenes that served no purpose other than to make a joke. There is also a distinct difference in regards to how sign language is treated, which can likely be attributed to CODA's casting of deaf actors in prominent roles, which was something the original failed to accomplish.

Ruby's interactions with her family are definitely the highlight of the film. The story contained nothing new or unexpected, but it was still a pleasant and heart-warming watch thanks to the performances of its main cast. Troy Kotsur was especially impressive, excelling at comedic relief just as well as he does with his more dramatic scenes. The romance sub-plot was significantly weaker than I remembered it being in Bélier, but that's just another change I think was for the better. It's fairly rare for a remake to improve so much on the original, but CODA definitely manages to hit all the right notes.



That might be the first time I've seen someone review a remake of a foreign language film and like it better than the original. I seen La Famille Bélier in the same HoF you did and I liked it, but yes it did suffer from some plot cliches. I've not seen CODA but now I'm wondering why didn't anyone choose it for me?🙂

[edarsenal]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2F66.media.tumblr.com%2Fef0ee3e3dc41b6dc93a898cc1e303309%2Ftumblr_oopnhinQxe1u4mt3bo1 _500.gif&f=1&nofb=1


I was not aware that Wages of Fear was The Sorcerer story. I've seen The Sorcerer and wasn't impressed but this... I loved this. Even the beginning half hour, which was a bunch of character setting was good and just flew by but once they start moving product it went next level fun.

I'm not going to say a lot about the plot except that four guys are to transport two truckloads of nitro glycerin through mountainous dirt roads for two thousand dollars apiece. It's a suicide mission. Thee company doesn't expect them all to survive. Three of the guys, Bimba, Luigi and Mario are solid dudes, they are well aware of what they're up against and are very resourceful. Jo, the gun toting, BMOC, former gangster, is a little bitch and I wish Mario had left him on the side of the road a few times. However, if Mario had done that we wouldn't have had one of the best moments of the film when Mario, also sick of Jo's crap, beats Jo down pretty good, then, when it's all over, Mario just slaps him one more time for good measure. Just completely demoralizes Jo. It was great. Gave a little tee-hee at that. Bimba and especially Luigi are two guys you'd love to have a beer with. Just lighting cigars and transporting explosives.

So the beginning was really interesting but once they hit the road the pacing of this movie is perfect. This is really one of the fastest two hours I can remember thanks in part to three great, high tension, scenes. The switchback scene was fantastic. Loved the close up shots of the wheels working, watching the ass end of the truck start sliding out towards the edge of a bridge, then, later, meeting a gigantic rock blocking the road and figuring out how to get through that and finally, finding a way to navigate an oil pit. All three scenes were top notch.

The acting is fine, I really enjoyed the cinematography and the ending sucks. Hard! The movie is five minutes too long. But I could watch this again and just turn it off at the 2:05 so I'm not gonna knock it any points for that because for just over two hours I was thoroughly enjoying this movie. Thanks to whomever selected this one. Easily one of the more entertaining movies I've seen from the 50's.

And this, Sonny Jim, makes a trifecta for my opening of nominations reviewed.
So glad to hear you loved this. So did I when I had the pleasure of getting it in the Second Personal Rec HoF. Fully agree with everything you said about this one.
I wrote, "Director Henri-Georges Clouzot knows when to use extreme angles, when to set up close-ups and when to give a more grand scale to what is occurring to this collection of desperate individuals where no one is the good guy. Nor is anyone truly bad, either. Just a very, highly dangerous job needs to be done, and Clouzot gives us four flawed men with pasts looking for enough cash to get the hell out of the crummy town they've been stuck in."

Really need to rewatch this one. And so many others lol

[edarsenal]

OK, that was weird, this was the first one I responded to and she vanished, so,

88657

I’m A Fugitive Of The Chain Gang

Unfortunately this is the first hall rec that really didn’t work for me at all. When I feel the age of an older film it usually is about the pacing. That was certainly the case here. It’s just a jump from plot point to plot point. At numerous times those jumps are marked by simply watching the pages of a calendar fall to the floor. I really don’t like that device at all.

When I thought this film would work for me is when we are spending time with the chain gang. There is so little time spent there I really didn’t get to enjoy it.

It’s a bummer. I don’t like being this negative, but this one was a let down.

https://c.tenor.com/KrcTRVGhiWkAAAAC/dug-up.gif

That would be me. Sorry, man.
Both you and raul are complete and utter enigmas to me when it comes to these. You both always surprise me with what you like and don't. Still try though. Not well -- lol

[seanc]

OK, that was weird, this was the first one I responded to and she vanished, so,



https://c.tenor.com/KrcTRVGhiWkAAAAC/dug-up.gif

That would be me. Sorry, man.
Both you and raul are complete and utter enigmas to me when it comes to these. You both always surprise me with what you like and don't. Still try though. Not well -- lol


I was glad to see it even though I didn’t care for it. Sorry brother

[edarsenal]

I'll be back to share meandering thoughts about the rest of the reviews.

[edarsenal]

I was glad to see it even though I didn’t care for it. Sorry brother
Appreciate ya.

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=88698
Collateral (2004)


This was the movie that I was most unsure of as I'm not big on action thriller Hollywood flicks, but it turns out it was kinda fun and it made for an interesting watch. I guess I liked it as it wasn't really serious or realistic, more like a movie you'd watch as you polish off a large pepporini pizza with extra cheese of course and a quart of ice cold root beer. I mean who can take Tom Cruise as a hitman seriously, but he appeared to have fun with his role and seeing how I usually like Cruise the movie then worked out OK. I don't know if I've ever seen Jamie Foxx in anything but he didn't really seem to have a grip on his character. I get what the writers were doing with his character but as an actor he just didn't gel with the role. Well truth be told nobody stood out but like I said it was sorta fun as I don't normally watch these kind of movies. So thanks to whoever chose it for me, I'll guess it was Raul?

[PHOENIX74]

I caught up with Collateral when it appeared on the 2000s top 100 Countdown and thought it was pretty good - especially the set-up, which makes the first half so interesting. Slowly revealing just how ruthless Tom Cruise's character is was great. I really like the short villainous part Javier Bardem had in it. I rated it quite highly at the time.

I haven't seen CODA, but I've seen La Famille Bélier, which it's based on - which I thought was kind of average.

It's been way too long since I last saw Being John Malkovich, which I remember being another brilliantly written film from Charlie Kaufman (and credit too, to Spike Jonze.) I love most of Kaufman's stuff.

[CosmicRunaway]

I've not seen CODA but now I'm wondering why didn't anyone choose it for me?🙂
There's always next time!

That might be the first time I've seen someone review a remake of a foreign language film and like it better than the original.
I know, right? Feels weird haha. The only other time I remember seeing that happen is with The Departed vs Infernal Affairs. I still haven't seen The Departed, so I can't personally comment on that match up in particular, but I imagine the reasons many people like the remake more are similar to mine for CODA.

[Thursday Next]

Mrs Miniver

I really didn't know anything about this going in, other than it was from the 1940s and about a woman named Mrs Miniver. Even as it started, I wasn't quite sure how it was going to pan out.

One of the odd things about this film is that it is set in Britain, about a British family, but it's also very obviously an American Hollywood movie in feel. Greer Garson, in the title role, is (thankfully) British, although some of her family members struggle with their accents at times.

I really liked how it showed the changes in their lives over the course of the war - or rather the war so far. This was released in 1942, so the war was only half way through and of course at the time they wouldn't have known how long it would go on. I liked how we follow the changes in the lives of the same characters and their relationships, and how even the minor characters are woven in so well that we get to know and care about their fates.

There's more than a little of the propaganda film about it. Reading about it subsequently it seems it was designed to make Americans feel more well disposed to joining the war in Europe. It also tends towards the melodramatic and schmaltzy at times - not all the time, and it works much better when it's more understated. Some scenes and speeches are just stretched out a little too long to make their point. There are also a few liberties taken with plausibility, with major events happening all at the same time and the idea that Vin could make his engine make a particular noise just as he flew over their house. In the blackout.

I remember having a discussion thread on here ages ago about films with one scene that encapsulates the entire movie and I think there's one of those here, in the bomb shelter scene. It starts with Mrs Miniver and her husband being quite jokey with each other, moves on to a sort of keep-calm-and-carry-on attitude while she knits and pretends that everything is fine, and then finally to terror as the bombs drop nearer and nearer. I really liked how that scene was constructed to mirror the movie as a whole.

There's a (fairly simplistic) attempt at showing the war as a kind of leveller for class barriers. The Minivers are described at the start as ordinary, and they are - they aren't leaders or war heroes or famous scientists or anything - although financially of course they are really quite well off. In a fairly amusing scene near the start, Mrs Miniver's eldest son is lecturing his neighbour's granddaughter about her being a member of the aristocracy while being completely oblivious of his own casual imperiousness towards the family's maid. Later, after the flower show and in the church there is much more of a sense that everyone is in it together.

The church scene at the end was interesting. It's clear that the church has been bombed and that huge wooden supports have been put in place; just behind the altar the supports form the shape of a cross - it's not referred to but it's a fairly powerful image. In real life, in 1940 the cathedral in Coventry was bombed and when people went to clear the rubble they found two pieces of wood that had just fallen in the shape of a cross near the altar and that cross is still kept in the rebuilt cathedral today.

One interesting piece of trivia is that Greer Garson married the actor who played her eldest son in Mrs Miniver (who was 12 years her junior) shortly after the film was made. Which makes all their scenes together slightly uncomfortable. (She was definitely better at acting than he was.)

Good choice, I think it's probably my favourite so far. No idea who picked this but I'm going to guess Ed.

[rauldc14]

I did pick Collateral for you, Citizen Rules . Glad you somewhat liked it.

[edarsenal]

Mrs Miniver

I really didn't know anything about this going in, other than it was from the 1940s and about a woman named Mrs Miniver. Even as it started, I wasn't quite sure how it was going to pan out.

One of the odd things about this film is that it is set in Britain, about a British family, but it's also very obviously an American Hollywood movie in feel. Greer Garson, in the title role, is (thankfully) British, although some of her family members struggle with their accents at times.

I really liked how it showed the changes in their lives over the course of the war - or rather the war so far. This was released in 1942, so the war was only half way through and of course at the time they wouldn't have known how long it would go on. I liked how we follow the changes in the lives of the same characters and their relationships, and how even the minor characters are woven in so well that we get to know and care about their fates.

There's more than a little of the propaganda film about it. Reading about it subsequently it seems it was designed to make Americans feel more well disposed to joining the war in Europe. It also tends towards the melodramatic and schmaltzy at times - not all the time, and it works much better when it's more understated. Some scenes and speeches are just stretched out a little too long to make their point. There are also a few liberties taken with plausibility, with major events happening all at the same time and the idea that Vin could make his engine make a particular noise just as he flew over their house. In the blackout.

I remember having a discussion thread on here ages ago about films with one scene that encapsulates the entire movie and I think there's one of those here, in the bomb shelter scene. It starts with Mrs Miniver and her husband being quite jokey with each other, moves on to a sort of keep-calm-and-carry-on attitude while she knits and pretends that everything is fine, and then finally to terror as the bombs drop nearer and nearer. I really liked how that scene was constructed to mirror the movie as a whole.

There's a (fairly simplistic) attempt at showing the war as a kind of leveller for class barriers. The Minivers are described at the start as ordinary, and they are - they aren't leaders or war heroes or famous scientists or anything - although financially of course they are really quite well off. In a fairly amusing scene near the start, Mrs Miniver's eldest son is lecturing his neighbour's granddaughter about her being a member of the aristocracy while being completely oblivious of his own casual imperiousness towards the family's maid. Later, after the flower show and in the church there is much more of a sense that everyone is in it together.

The church scene at the end was interesting. It's clear that the church has been bombed and that huge wooden supports have been put in place; just behind the altar the supports form the shape of a cross - it's not referred to but it's a fairly powerful image. In real life, in 1940 the cathedral in Coventry was bombed and when people went to clear the rubble they found two pieces of wood that had just fallen in the shape of a cross near the altar and that cross is still kept in the rebuilt cathedral today.

One interesting piece of trivia is that Greer Garson married the actor who played her eldest son in Mrs Miniver (who was 12 years her junior) shortly after the film was made. Which makes all their scenes together slightly uncomfortable. (She was definitely better at acting than he was.)

Good choice, I think it's probably my favourite so far. No idea who picked this but I'm going to guess Ed.

Nope, not me. Though I was very happy to see someone nominated it for you, knowing you'll enjoy it. I fell in love with Greer Garson in this role.
https://64.media.tumblr.com/0aaea181589714cdedccbfb9eb7b7e3b/tumblr_nhkfqofw7r1qdj2qoo2_500.gifv

And yes, the church scene and the bomb shelter scenes were very well done.
A truly heart-warming, sentimental film.

[seanc]

So I watched Ms Miniver in April going through BP winners gave it a 4, and remember absolutely nothing about it. Awesome.

I thought Coda was pretty good. Really strong ending. Definitely not BP material for me, but hey, at least I got to moan about the Oscars like everyone else this year.

Haven’t seen Collateral since the theater so it definitely needs a rewatch. I remember thinking it was pretty good, but being a little disappointed because of expectations.

[seanc]

88702

Seconds:

I feel like dream like movies usually really work for me or not at all. Surprisingly I think this one falls in the middle somewhere. The beginning and the end were really good. I like the set-up to the conceit quite a bit. Liked not knowing where it was going. I liked my mind saying “where’s Rock Hudson” for half an hour. And then, ultimately, I thought the conceit was cool, so I was sufficiently curious.

The ending is also really strong. I like how Hudson feels like he has taken control again, until he finds out he hasn’t. It leads to a satisfying, even if upsetting, conclusion.

So it’s the middle third that I wish had gone differently. I just didn’t find the visualization of his journey very interesting. You can kind of guess where the story is going, so you really need some strong character stuff and character connections in that build up to sustain the film. I think Seconds stumbles in that middle third.

Once again, glad I saw this. It wasn’t even a movie I had heard of till a couple weeks ago.

[rauldc14]

Rock Hudson's performance is what stands out for me too. I don't remember a whole lot about this however.

[seanc]

Calling resourceful Mofos. I haven’t been able to track down A Man And A Woman or Forbidden Games.

Any help is appreciated

[CosmicRunaway]

I like the set-up to the conceit quite a bit. [...] The ending is also really strong.[...] So it’s the middle third that I wish had gone differently.
Seconds has an incredibly strong opening, and a satisfying conclusion. The problem lies with the film's second act, which feels overly long and unrewarding to watch.
I saw Seconds before it was disqualified from the 2nd Science Fiction HoF, and given the above quotes, we seem to have had almost the exact same reaction to the film haha.

Glad you enjoyed the good parts of it. :up:

[seanc]

I saw Seconds before it was disqualified from the 2nd Science Fiction HoF, and given the above quotes, we seem to have had almost the exact same reaction to the film haha.

Glad you enjoyed the good parts of it. :up:

That’s kind of crazy actually

[SpelingError]

Seconds is one of my favorites. I like how the middle third acts both as an escapist fantasy and a claustrophobic environment where you're constantly being monitored at the same time. I don't know that the character dynamics are strong throughout that section, but it's still able to remain compelling. The 'stomp the grapes' sequence is outstanding, in particular.

Calling resourceful Mofos. I haven’t been able to track down A Man And A Woman or Forbidden Games.

Any help is appreciated

Since you didn't rate Seconds as high as I hoped, I won't do it.

Jk links sent ;)

[cricket]

I was not all that impressed with Collateral, but I saw it at the drive-in so I had other things going on.

When I joined MoFo, Mrs. Miniver was one of the few classics I had seen besides Hitchcock and I was a fan. 11 years later and I remember nothing.

Watched Seconds for the 60's countdown and liked it a lot.

[rauldc14]

Catch Me If You Can review coming tonight. My god, I feel like I can't keep up with you all anymore.

[Citizen Rules]

So I watched Ms Miniver in April going through BP winners gave it a 4, and remember absolutely nothing about it. Awesome...That made me laugh:D...and that happens to me all the time, in fact it just happened. I just read your review of Seconds and I know I seen it and I know it stars Rock Hudson but that's all I can remember of it. Luckily for me I wrote a review of it in The 2nd Science Fiction HoF hosted by Cosmic. Here's a link to the members reviews including mine:
https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2007009#post2007009

I seem to agree with what you just wrote about it.

[Citizen Rules]

Catch Me If You Can review coming tonight. My god, I feel like I can't keep up with you all anymore.I know what you mean! Last night I looked at what everyone has watched so far and Cosmic and Sean are just about done. I need to get watching more myself.

[rauldc14]

I know what you mean! Last night I looked at what everyone has watched so far and Cosmic and Sean are just about done. I need to get watching more myself.

I guess it doesn't really matter in reality since we have until December.

[cricket]

The sooner we finish, the sooner we start the next!

[Citizen Rules]

I guess it doesn't really matter in reality since we have until December.

The sooner we finish, the sooner we start the next!With any luck I should be done by the end of this month and I'm looking forward to watching all of my movie choices...So far I'm 3 watched and 3 liked...I'm a happy camper🙂

[cricket]

Naked Lunch (1991)

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/1d/c5/dd/1dc5dd1b6998500e2eb4378e4b206c66---movie-lunches.jpg

I think of David Cronenberg much in the way I see David Lynch, a director whose films are mostly must see and is a little out there. Most of his films I like quite a bit, while a couple I love and a couple I don't care for. I would put Naked Lynch towards the bottom of his filmography but it's still worth watching and it's definitely unique.

I mostly prefer movies that aren't too weird, and this one is so weird that I couldn't even explain it without taking a lot of time and going into detail. The first thing I noticed and what I really liked was, despite all of the lunacy, it was in the style of noir. I've never seen anything quite like it. Cool to see Peter Weller in the lead as there's not a lot I've seen him in. Some other recognizable faces made their marks as well. It's a pretty disgusting film but not in the usual way. These bugs are just damn gross. I think I would have liked it a lot more if it were about 90 minutes rather than almost 2 hours. I think The Fly is even less than that and I see it as Cronenberg's masterpiece. Picking a film of his was a smart choice for me. Not quite a hit but not a miss either.

3+

[Citizen Rules]

Naked Lunch (1991)
...Cool to see Peter Weller in the lead as there's not a lot I've seen him in.

I thought I liked Naked Lunch better than I did but I see I only gave it a 2/5 rating. I'd probably rate it higher today. For me the best part was Peter Weller, I think he's got lots of screen presences and I've watched movies just to see him in them. One of these days I'm noming another Peter Weller film, maybe even two,

I won't post my review of Naked Lunch but I did write this bit:
I actually did like the scenes of Weller's talking alien-bug typewriter. That was the best part of the film as the typewriter serves as a narrator and Weller's subconscious too, giving him a chance to interact with himself.

[cricket]

I always think of him as RoboCop, but if I had to name a second movie with him it'd be Shakedown. That's not a deep list.

[CosmicRunaway]

Picking a film of his was a smart choice for me. Not quite a hit but not a miss either.
I'll consider that a win, given how few options I had for you. :lol:

[Citizen Rules]

I always think of him as RoboCop, but if I had to name a second movie with him it'd be Shakedown. That's not a deep list.Not the biggest fan of RoboCop and I've not seen Shakedown, that probably gives away too much:D

[edarsenal]

Been a minute, but I always loved RoboCop, and it is hard NOT to think of Weller without thinking RoboCop. But considering the number of times I've seen Naked Lunch (in my youth, ALWAYS on acid or very, very stoned). Though just as enjoyable for me, sober, this ranks kinda even for me. Loved him in the Longmire TV Series (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1836037/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_6).

Like Allaby stated, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? is an extremely well-made film by Pollack, but oh, so, way, way, so, Suicide Watch, bleak.

Double Indemnity is iconic when it comes to noir. A powerhouse from the man! Wilder. Seen it many times, and my recent watches were spent focusing more on Robinson's subtleties.

I've only seen Catch Me If You Can once and found myself enjoying it more than I expected, which for some reason at the time, wasn't very much. Have not seen it since.

Seconds was a strange watch where I swung back and forth from engaged to not so much.

The Innocents just oozed mood, and the cinematography was dead on. Though, if I remember it was low on my vote when I saw it in an HoF.

I bounce back and forth on Being John Malkovich, but I always enjoy the last act.

I enjoyed Collateral when it came to Cruise's hitman. But Fox's character irritated me. I was cheering for Cruise to take him out.

Have not seen The Tenant nor Coda, and I enjoyed La Famille Bélier, so with the rarity of an American remake improving on a film, as I read in Cosmic's review, does raise my curiosity.



With Monday off for Labor Day -- HAPPY HOLIDAY for those enjoying it, I'll be watching one, possibly two more this weekend.

[rauldc14]

The sooner we finish, the sooner we start the next!

You'll be out of films to chose from by then

[cricket]

You'll be out of films to chose from by then

It doesn't look like it, but I think there's still like 300

[rauldc14]

It doesn't look like it, but I think there's still like 300

That's insane to think that there's still that much. I must have about 3000 left then.

[rauldc14]

Catch Me If You Can

https://www.muse.ca/uploads/Movie_Main_Images/catch-me-if-you-can.jpg

It was pretty obvious that this was a slam dunk film for me, yet I haven't been able to get around to it until now. The cat and mouse games between Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprios characters were just the perfect recipe for me. These are two characters that I really grew to enjoy as each minute of the film passed by. Rare to see two of the greats of their generation in the same film and that's what we have here and it was certainly on showcase as they both turned in really good performances. I liked Adams in her role too and she's one of my favorites as well. Spielberg did a really good job directing this as well. The script was tight and the story was very engaging and well told. My favorite scene was probably the Miami airport scene, it was really well done. I particularly thought the last twenty minutes were also pretty special. Thanks to whoever nominated, great choice.

4

[cricket]

Surprised that you hadn't seen Catch Me if You Can up to now, Raul. I haven't seen it either and am a little surprised it hasn't been picked for me yet.

[seanc]

I was going to be shocked if you didn’t love Catch Me, Rauldc. I have liked it more each viewing and I’m probably about due for my fourth.

[Allaby]

Yeah, Catch Me If You Can is pretty entertaining. I've only seen it once but I liked it. I'm probably due for a rewatch.

[PHOENIX74]

It's been ages since I last saw The Naked Lunch - it's a film that always reminds me of having strange waking dreams that make sense when you're in them, but when you fully wake become bizarre, unrelatable, psychedelic anecdotes. I remember the creatures in the film always oozing, with phallic imagery coming at me from everywhere. I remember it went from normal to completely crazy in the first 4 or so minutes. I'll have to get myself the Criterion edition, because I don't have it on DVD or Blu-Ray at all.

I watched Catch Me If You Can again recently - I think it had just appeared on the 2000s Top 100 Countdown and I wanted to refresh my memory. It has that Steven Spielberg sheen to it, with interesting characters - and it also has a great opening credits, and those credits would definitely fit my top 100 Opening Credits List (I need another 22 - I'm searching.)

[CosmicRunaway]

Just watched another film, and will hopefully write something about it later. In the meantime, here's a related image:

https://c.tenor.com/ucKgTPqTXdIAAAAC/sunk-my-battleship-battleship.gif

It feels weird to be almost finished the HoF this early. Guess I've just had more free time than usual lately haha.

[edarsenal]

https://i1.wp.com/www.audienceseverywhere.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/The-Iron-Giant.png
https://64.media.tumblr.com/d36c05a0483dfe6237858d4a77de9e5c/c6f834392b0f4d29-1b/s540x810/eeae78e9a2ebf173580b98cb2860e4c44d41224a.gifv
https://c.tenor.com/V1X7BMJ5anUAAAAd/iron-giant-u-there.gif


The Iron Giant (1999)

Another film that I, at the time of its release, thought little of and didn't bother checking out. Silly moi.
Researching, I found out it is Directed by Animator/Director/Writer Brad Bird with three favorites under his belt; Ratatouille, The Incredibles, and Mission Impossible; Ghost Protocol which kicked my curiosity into genuine interest and it paid off.

Now, as his first Directing gig, I was not head over heels, but I WAS very much engaged and found many of the characters' appearance novel, much like looking at a caricature, something I quite enjoyed. It added a certain something to the mix.

With many of the usual emotional connections in any Disney or Pixar film where Bird comes from though this was a Warner Production, there are some slight variations to the formula, including a mild dose of gravitas at a few points that brings Bird's individuality into play. Such as the film in class with cartoon characters showing kids how to Duck and Cover when the Atomic Bomb hit.

Set in 1957, we have a mixture of retro nostalgia without specifically dating the storyline of an "outsider" kid who befriends a 100 ft tall Robot. His origin is left entirely unknown, and such a considerable pothole becomes almost inconsequential to the story. Which is NOT an easy task.

Thoughtful and warm-hearted, with crisp animation and a compelling story, a list of secondary actors doing first-rate jobs, this was a wonderful way to spend a late Saturday morning.

So, THANK YOU to whoever nominated this.

[rauldc14]

Rango

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2011/03/04/arts/04RANGO-span/jpRANGO-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale

This is a film that has sat and collected dust in my DVD cabinet. A couple of attempts to watch it that never worked out as well, and now here we are.

The most impressive thing to me is the voice acting of Johnny Depp as Rango as he really gives the character some flair and helps to make Rango a character to really root for. I really liked the scenes of the hawk chasing him and his reactions towards those close calls. I also liked his standoffs with the snake.

The music in this film is really quite spectacular choices. I liked the birds with the guitars who helped to narrate the film as well, they were badass. My favorite part though had to be the homage to Clint Eastwood. Really dug that as a big fan of him.

While I can't really pinpoint exactly what was missing for the film to reach the next level for me, it really was quite an adventurous film to say the least. Pretty confident Cricket was the nominator.

3.5+

[John-Connor]

@John-Connor (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=102242)
Whatever you do, don't skip The Two Faces of January.

Seen it, liked it, still contemplating what I think of the ending but overall solid Thriller/Noir/Mystery.. 👍

THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY 2014 Hossein Amini
88723
1h 36m | Thriller | Mystery | Romance | Film-Noir
Writer: Patricia Highsmith
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, Oscar Isaac

3.5+ 72/100

[Citizen Rules]

The Two Faces of January. Seen it, liked it, still contemplating what I think of the ending but overall solid Thriller/Noir/Mystery.. 👍Cool...I was working on my 2010s master list for the countdown and just double checked to make sure I had that movie on my list. It's been awhile since I seen The Two Faces of January so I don't remember the ending well, but I do know that I liked Kirsten Dunst in it! Thanks for watching it:)

[edarsenal]

Rango

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2011/03/04/arts/04RANGO-span/jpRANGO-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale

This is a film that has sat and collected dust in my DVD cabinet. A couple of attempts to watch it that never worked out as well, and now here we are.

The most impressive thing to me is the voice acting of Johnny Depp as Rango as he really gives the character some flair and helps to make Rango a character to really root for. I really liked the scenes of the hawk chasing him and his reactions towards those close calls. I also liked his standoffs with the snake.

The music in this film is really quite spectacular choices. I liked the birds with the guitars who helped to narrate the film as well, they were badass. My favorite part though had to be the homage to Clint Eastwood. Really dug that as a big fan of him.

While I can't really pinpoint exactly what was missing for the film to reach the next level for me, it really was quite an adventurous film to say the least. Pretty confident Cricket was the nominator.

3.5+
Not cricket. It was me, and I am happily surprised you enjoyed it for the amount you did. I knew this would be a wildcard and didn't expect much. It did turn out rather ironic since you and sean are the most problematic for picking for, I thought I had a chance with his choice and disappointment with yours. lol

Considering it came in at #5 just for my Comedy Countdown Voting List, it is an understatement of my love for this film. And yeah, Depp's voice was ideal for Rango.

[edarsenal]

Cool...I was working on my 2010s master list for the countdown and just double checked to make sure I had that movie on my list. It's been awhile since I seen The Two Faces of January so I don't remember the ending well, but I do know that I liked Kirsten Dunst in it! Thanks for watching it:)

Thinking about it, Kirsten Dunst is a bit of an underappreciated actress. I'd be curious about this because of her.

[Citizen Rules]

Thinking about it, Kirsten Dunst is a bit of an underappreciated actress. I'd be curious about this because of her.I just read my old review of The Two Faces of January, I think it might just be a lock on my 2010s ballot. If you're interested here's a link to my review and it's spoiler free.
https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1365788#post1365788

[seanc]

Thinking about it, Kirsten Dunst is a bit of an underappreciated actress. I'd be curious about this because of her.

Dunst is one of my faves

[seanc]

Rango I haven’t seen since the theater but I remember liking it. Very imaginative.

Iron Giant I just watched this year. I thought it was pretty great. Probably would make an animation list for me if we ever did another. Took me a minute to get into the aesthetic choice, but once I did I really liked it.

Seems like I watched Two Faces Of January, but I would count it as not because I remember absolutely nothing.

[CosmicRunaway]

I should probably rewatch The Iron Giant when I get the chance. I had no interest in seeing it when it was new, and only watched it later because my younger brother wanted to. I remember it being fine, but I've heard a lot of praise for it in recent years, and both my room mates really love it. I just had a feeling Ed would enjoy it too, and I'm glad he did. :up:

[Citizen Rules]

Dunst is one of my favesI would guess that a couple of her 2010s films might have a shot at the countdown?
The Beguiled (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5592248/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_8)
The Two Faces of January (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1976000/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_15)
Melancholia (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1527186/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_22)

I really should watch all three of those again before the countdown deadline is up, of course it hasn't even started yet.

[Citizen Rules]

The Iron Giant (1999)

Set in 1957, we have a mixture of retro nostalgia without specifically dating the storyline of an "outsider" kid who befriends a 100 ft tall Robot. His origin is left entirely unknown, and such a considerable pothole becomes almost inconsequential to the story. Which is NOT an easy task.

Thoughtful and warm-hearted, with crisp animation and a compelling story...The Iron Giant was chose for me in PR2. I liked it and I'm not usually a big animation fan. What I liked was the 1950s setting, I thought that was a cool choice, though I wish the ending had been more darker.

Rango

This is a film that has sat and collected dust in my DVD cabinet. A couple of attempts to watch it that never worked out as well, and now here we are.

The most impressive thing to me is the voice acting of Johnny Depp as Rango as he really gives the character some flair and helps to make Rango a character to really root for. I really liked the scenes of the hawk chasing him and his reactions towards those close calls. I also liked his standoffs with the snake.

The music in this film is really quite spectacular choices. I liked the birds with the guitars who helped to narrate the film as well, they were badass. My favorite part though had to be the homage to Clint Eastwood. Really dug that as a big fan of him.

rating_3_5+Surprised you hadn't seen this before as I know you like animation. Rango was picked for me in a PR, I think? I can't remember who maybe Ed? Anyway I really liked it and for all the reasons you just gave.

[seanc]

I would guess that a couple of her 2010s films might have a shot at the countdown?
The Beguiled (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5592248/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_8)
The Two Faces of January (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1976000/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_15)
Melancholia (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1527186/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_22)

I really should watch all three of those again before the countdown deadline is up, of course it hasn't even started yet.

Melancholia should probably make my list. I need to make time for a rewatch

[edarsenal]

I just read my old review of The Two Faces of January, I think it might just be a lock on my 2010s ballot. If you're interested here's a link to my review and it's spoiler free.
https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1365788#post1365788
Well, that pretty much cinches it. In fact, I added it to my Movie Challenge to ensure I watch it. lol

[edarsenal]

The Iron Giant was chose for me in PR2. I liked it and I'm not usually a big animation fan. What I liked was the 1950s setting, I thought that was a cool choice, though I wish the ending had been more darker.

Surprised you hadn't seen this before as I know you like animation. Rango was picked for me in a PR, I think? I can't remember who maybe Ed? Anyway I really liked it and for all the reasons you just gave.
Didn't see it in the Personal Rec HoF or the Movie Roulette but I do remember it somehow recommended for you and I'm sure I raved about it at the time lol

[Citizen Rules]

Didn't see it in the Personal Rec HoF or the Movie Roulette but I do remember it somehow recommended for you and I'm sure I raved about it at the time lolAck! I couldn't find where Rango was picked for me either, it drove me nuts cause I knew it had been chosen...OK, so finally I found out it was in the Movie Roulette II and you picked it for me. The reason it couldn't be found was that I had misspelled it as Ragoon. *just now fixed the spelling:rolleyes:

[CosmicRunaway]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=88724

The Seventh Seal / Det Sjunde Inseglet (1957)
Directed by: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Max von Sydow, Gunnar Björnstrand, Bengt Ekerot

Sometimes it's dangerous to watch a film you've seen referenced and parodied many times before, but fortunately none of the things I'd previously encountered had a negative impact on my opinion of The Seventh Seal. I had however expected a more sombre film, and while Bergman's masterpiece is indeed melancholic, it also has a very dry sense of humour that I rather appreciated. Most of that came from the indifferent squire, who - misogyny aside - was almost always amusing.

Given the heavy focus on dialogue, the paired down costumes, and minimal movements, The Seventh Seal feels very much like a theatrical play, so it wasn't at all surprising to read that the film had indeed started its life on the stage. There's plenty of striking, memorable imagery to be seen, but I think it's that yearning for existential knowledge, and disillusionment with a silent god that will leave a more lasting impression on me.

The performances are great all around. Other than Björnstrand's squire I previously mentioned, I particularly liked the interactions between Max von Sydow and Bengt Ekerot. They weren't in the film as much as I had anticipated, but the few scenes they had together were fantastic. I also enjoyed how, even though the The Seventh Seal presents the notion that we're all just playing a long game of chess with Death ourselves, it isn't entirely without hope. Everything is left comfortably vague as well, which is entirely appropriate for a film that keeps asking questions that can never truly be answered.

[seanc]

Seventh Seal is one of the greats. Absolutely correct about that Bergman humor. Always there, and probably why he is one of my faves.

[CosmicRunaway]

The reason it couldn't be found was that I had misspelled it as Ragoon. *just now fixed the spelling:rolleyes:
No, you had it right.


88726

[Citizen Rules]

No, you had it right.


https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=88726

Oh gawd I'm so daft!

[Hey Fredrick]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.wixstatic.com%2Fmedia%2F48c5c9_aa076d06871d4c709c5d2d4fadffaa8d~mv2.gif&f=1&nofb=1


Moonlight - This is the story of Chiron told in three parts: i. a young boy struggling to find himself on the streets of Miami. ii. A teenage boy struggling to find himself in the schools of Miami and iii. A young adult, drug dealer in Atlanta struggling to accept who he really is. I really liked the first two parts quite a bit but felt the final act didn't quite match the energy of the first two, which was probably intentional.

This was a weird watch because of how relatable certain aspects of the film were. Aspects that I will not get into here. I thought the acting, especially the young and teenage Chiron were very good. While I wanted teenage Chiron to exact some revenge on his tormentors this isn't the kind of movie that makes that revenge seem good, even though I was glad he did it, the repercussions were real and it was like Jeez, can't this kid catch a break.

If there's one thing I wish we saw more of it was Chiron's relationship with Teresa. The Juan scenes were great when Chiron was little but once he's gone what is Teresa doing with a teenage Chiron? She certainly helps him with the essentials, food and shelter, but she seemed to be mostly absent for emotional help. I would have liked to have seen more interaction between them during the teenage years.

Have to admit to knowing nothing about being an African American or gay but I do know how people can overcompensate to project a false image of themself, usually for protection and often times with results that aren't too good. Hopefully the final act of the film helped Chiron come to some kind of closure as to who he wants to be.

Thought this was a very good movie.

[Hey Fredrick]

https://64.media.tumblr.com/887355d5790642bdc85dc54a3ecde49b/tumblr_peseq0OtZQ1wpdmero3_500.gifv


The similarities between Fail Safe and Dr. Strangelove are too numerous to list. Sorry, but the entire time I was watching this Strangelove was on my mind.

Set during the 50's, a computer glitch causes a bomber squadron to exceed the fail safe area and start heading for...The Soviet Union. Once that happens it's a mad scramble from the President, the Premier and the Generals to avert nuclear war. You have the guys who believe a first strike may be the best option, you have the guys who are willing to give the Soviets some classified info to help take down the squadron to avoid WW3 and you have the guys who just go a little funny in the head due to the stress and crack.

While the story is very similar to Strangelove the tone is not. This is not a comedy and is played straight. Zero Hour to Airplane. I hate to compare movies like this but, sheesh, how do you not? I enjoyed this and if Strangelove wasn't one of my top 3 all time fav's this may have had a better chance at being a little more than kind of amusing.

[Citizen Rules]

The similarities between Fail Safe and Dr. Strangelove are too numerous to list.....
I knew when I read that first sentence that you didn't like the movie.

It's hard to like a movie if you already love something very similar, I know it is for me. Usually the first version I see and like will always be my favorite. But Fail Safe wasn't my choice, luckily:D

[Allaby]

Someone recommended Fail Safe for me in a previous personal hall and I was blown away. It is now on my list of all time favourite films. Moonlight is fantastic and also on my list of favourite films. I may or may not have picked one of these for someone...

[Citizen Rules]

Someone recommended Fail Safe for me in a previous personal hall and I was blown away. It is now on my list of all time favourite films. Moonlight is fantastic and also on my list of favourite films. I may or may not have picked one of these for someone... I might have recommended Fail Safe for you or maybe I didn't:p....I think I did though!

[edarsenal]

Ack! I couldn't find where Rango was picked for me either, it drove me nuts cause I knew it had been chosen...OK, so finally I found out it was in the Movie Roulette II and you picked it for me. The reason it couldn't be found was that I had misspelled it as Ragoon. *just now fixed the spelling:rolleyes:
ahhhh,
No, you had it right.


88726

LOL!

Holy sh#t Snickers I've been looking for this elusive Pirated F#ckin E-crypted Limited Director's Cut from Taiwan.
I understand there's a bit of backstory to the Toad and Hawk that causes a genuine spiritual giggle.
Well, that's what I heard on Twitter, I don't know, I'm just saying, that'd be cool.

[PHOENIX74]

Some great films reviewed here. I've decided not to mention which ones were my nominations, for I'm not entirely sure which people are okay with that.

I saw Fail Safe for the first time around about Christmas time, for I had the Criterion edition and it had been jumping out at me from everywhere for quite a while. It was really good - a tense, nightmare-like vision of humanity subordinated to technical malfunction. I thought the president, played by an 'enjoyable to watch' Henry Fonda, inspired in his way of averting the end of days. Could that really have happened? Can you imagine the questions he would have faced? I guess the film gave people a lot to ponder, but unfortunately most people didn't end up seeing it because Dr. Strangelove pushed it aside (I think both films were based on the same novel) and Kubrick won the war of the doomsday movies. It's one I want to see again soon.

I love The Seventh Seal. When I was really young it seemed like a film that would always be beyond me - real arthouse stuff, but in all actuality it's very easy to understand, and it's actually far more accessible than I would have imagined. It is surprisingly light-hearted for a film about death, and is never ponderous or pretentious. Ingmar Bergman never stoops to becoming pretentious in his films, and they never have the feel of being made by a man who feels self-important - only one who loves making films. I must watch this again one day soon.

I saw Moonlight not long after it came out, and it's another film that I feel the need to go back and revisit, because I thought it was great. I have what's nearing 1000 DVDs piled up on a table next to me and Moonlight might be buried in there somewhere, or sequestered elsewhere. I hope so anyway.

I haven't seen Ragoon or The Iron Giant, but I've been interested in the latter for a while now.

[edarsenal]

In the last year or two, I've delved into Bergman and, more importantly, appreciated the man. The usual journey of anyone new to his films. My last film and Top of the List for me is Wild Strawberry. The Seventh Seal always daunted me as the Mt. Everest of Bergman Arthouse dirge. Though reading Cosmic: --it also has a very dry sense of humour that I rather appreciated. Most of that came from the indifferent squire, who - misogyny aside - was almost always amusing. and Phoenix: It is surprisingly light-hearted for a film about death and is never ponderous or pretentious. It may not be so daunting anymore. Yay,

I've been curious about Fail Safe. And don't feel bad about the Strangelove vibe, Frederick. I read this on IMDb:
Columbia Pictures produced both this movie and Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). Director Stanley Kubrick insisted his movie be released first, and it was, in January 1964. When Fail-Safe was released, it garnered excellent reviews, but audiences found it unintentionally funny because of "Strangelove" and stayed away. Henry Fonda later said he would never have made this movie if he had seen "Strangelove" first because he would have laughed, too.


This is what I wrote in the Best Picture HoF regarding Moonlight:
Was pleasantly surprised with the "father figure" Juan; finding such a person in such an unlikely circumstance had a wonderfully "out of real life" aspect to it. The same can go for Teresa; what a truly wonderful "home" that they had together.
The romantic scenes were just that, romantic.
The time with Kevin was done beautifully, especially with the shot from behind the two of them. There was a balanced portrayal of vulnerability and pleasure.
And that closing scene with the two of them and a quick shot of him as a child standing before the ocean was a very beautiful moment.


As always, I do love seeing the pageantry of all these films in these HoFs.

[CosmicRunaway]

I know I saw Moonlight when it was nominated for the Oscars, but I remember almost nothing about it, so I guess it didn't really leave much of an impression. Other films that were its competition for Best Picture haven't shared the same fate, as I still clearly remember Arrival, Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, and Manchester by the Sea. The others I never saw to the begin with.

I haven't seen Ragoon or The Iron Giant, but I've been interested in the latter for a while now.
I had The Iron Giant on my list of possibilities for you, but obviously it wasn't either of the two I sent to cricket.

I've been looking for this elusive Pirated F#ckin E-crypted Limited Director's Cut from Taiwan.
:lol:

It may not be so daunting anymore.
Definitely give it a go! Like Phoenix said, it's not at all pretentious, or at least I didn't think so.

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/6Q0pnYYm/the-wicker-man.jpg

The Wicker Man - 1973

Directed by Robin Hardy

Written by Anthony Shaffer

Starring Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Lindsay Kemp
Britt Ekland & Diane Cilento

This review contains spoilers

It's completely enthralling. Mysterious, unusual, and unlike any other film of it's time, The Wicker Man has held the fascination of many down through the decades - a kind of horror film that shocks in it's final act, but gives a sense of unease leading up to it. It gives us a glimpse into a world many people lived in centuries past with Paganism, Druidism and the worship of the old Gods before Christianity and Islam cut swaths through people's spiritual lives in the Western world and beyond. A Wicker Man was once used to burn criminals to death inside of it's structure on anointed days, and was noted by Julius Caesar and relayed through the centuries from his personal observation. Some of my favourite recent films, from Kill List to Midsommar, draw their inspiration directly from The Wicker Man, and the film's ultimate survival and restoration depended on it's inspired value as an extremely literate and quality work of cinematic art. It's principally known for it's finale, which is both frightening, and a surprise for those who come to the story without knowing what's coming.

Sgt. Neil Howie (Edward Woodward) is a devout Christian and police officer who has received a strange letter relating the suspicious disappearance of a young girl on Summerisle. The island is known locally for it's fruit harvests, and as a strange place where the people there follow a kind of Celtic Paganism, and as soon as Howie lands he's introduced to various oddities - not the least of which are the bawdy, but seemingly ritualistic songs and music everyone partakes in. The daughter of innkeeper/landlord Alder MacGregor (Lindsay Kemp) is the beautiful Willow MacGregor (Britt Ekland) and is worshipped as if Aphrodite, introducing all the young men to love. When Howie meets up with the powerful leader of the island, Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) he learns of it's history, renunciation of Christianity, and attitudes towards the Christian God - at odds with Howie's personal beliefs. He begins to suspect that the missing girl is tied up with a planned sacrifice due to failing crops on the island, and sets out to surreptitiously join their May Day parade to rescue her from an awful fate.

It's a straightforward story, and much of the film deals with the conflict Howie finds himself embroiled in every time he crosses paths with a strange custom that he finds offensive. Men and women copulate freely in fields, and people in the island's tavern sing lude songs about Willow in front of her father and herself - who both enjoy them. He overhears children being taught that the Maypole the boys are dancing around specifically represents a penis, and notices that churches and graveyards have been deconsecrated and abandoned. Young women dance naked around fires while chanting fertility rites, and one young girl must hold a frog in her mouth to aide in her recovery from a sore throat. This is all deeply distressing to him, and his firm believe that only Jesus Christ can be the saviour of mankind. Most of all he harbors a deeply held suspicion that Rowan Morrison has been murdered, but later comes to the conclusion she's about to be sacrificed. All of this is represented in fascinating ways, and this is specifically aided by the fact that the film is presented very much as a musical - the songs all neatly fitting the narrative. At times spooky, at others either lurid or forthright, it eventually presents a compelling case for Paganism as a religion that is closer to nature than other more modern ones.

The film started life as an idea that crystallized through discussions around a number of figures eventually involved with it's production, including Christopher Lee, who wanted to get away from his more regular Hammer Horror roles, screenwriter Anthony Shaffer, who had read an interesting novel involving the concept of Paganism in David Pinner's Ritual and prospective film director Robin Hardy, looking for a first project. Hardy was in contact with British Lion head, and film producer, Peter Snell, who was also interested in the idea. Pinner's Ritual, as a whole, seemed unsuitable for being translated film-wise as it was and adapted, but the idea of a devout Christian policeman investigating the work of Pagans and a missing girl was what brought Shaffer's story about. It was a project that Lee, Shaffer, Hardy and Snell worked closely on together and all felt passionate about, especially after Shaffer delivered a screenplay that was obviously an exceptional piece of work - something to truly be excited about. Unfortunately, the conception was to lead to an especially painful birth - as is the movie business.

British Lion as a financial entity was going through convulsions, and they needed The Wicker Man immediately - with a minimum of funds, and to be shot on location in Scotland in October instead of the Spring it's set in. Freezing temperatures and cloudy weather had to be translated into fine weather, no matter the hardship on the actors and the production as a whole, which needed to transport in fake trees in blossom. The difficult, rushed and uncomfortable shoot was bad enough, but insult was added to injury once EMI had bought British Lion and a manager by the name of Michael Deeley found himself in charge. During the editing process Deeley was dismissive towards Christopher Lee, whom he found contemptable, and let it be known to him that he thought The Wicker Man amongst the ten worst films he'd seen in his life. The studio found itself unable, and almost unwilling to sell it to one of Britain's two premier distributing chains. The initial cut of the film was shortened so it could be sold as a "second feature" on double bills - with the only version the filmmakers were content with finding itself with Roger Corman in the U.S. - who was happy to help distribute it there.

The Wicker Man is so good that it would survive all of these machinations, and even in shortened form, it's interesting and compelling enough to have made a name for itself. In the years since it's been somewhat cobbled back together into what it should have been - but regardless of that, film aficionados have loved it down through the years. I've been aware of it for a long, long time, and my practice of seeing movies as they eventually come my way delayed my first viewing until now. Unfortunately, I'd already seen the remake - and I understand even more clearly why it was so derided - having abandoned most of the interesting facets of the original film. I was pleased to discover that knowing the ending doesn't detract at all from the enjoyment I found in the film. It's far more than it's ending, which holds onto it's power. I was very surprised by the music of The Wicker Man, composed by Paul Giovanni, as it becomes a central focus of the film. It's interwoven, not only into the reality of the film but also as part of the narrative. I really loved it, especially Willow's song, 'How Do'.

Cinematographer Harry Waxman had been working on films since the early 1930s, but his experience, while always something to be thankful for on a film shoot, also developed into an animosity for his first-time director in Robin Hardy. This, on top of everything else, created an element of disharmony and ill-feeling during the shoot. Waxman didn't like the screenplay, didn't think Hardy knew how to make films, and was generally in ill-humour - although that final shot that he captures, of the Wicker Man's head slowly collapsing to reveal the setting sun behind it is considered to be one of the greatest shots in cinema by some involved with the film. Visually, I found The Wicker Man to be very enjoyable and astute - without any problems. Perhaps I was wrapped up in the story to an extent where clever shots didn't matter, or else the expertise of Waxman in getting what was needed gave the film what as needed to support some great performances and a superb script from Shaffer.

The original negatives to The Wicker Man have been lost - although there is some hope that one day they will be found. Christopher Lee always maintained that they couldn't have been accidentally misplaced. I've rarely come across so much animosity, ill-feeling, arguing and disunity among filmmakers when it comes to such a classic film, but this indeed seems to be the case with The Wicker Man. Lee initially saw a cut which had left a great part of some really well-shot and important scenes on the cutting room floor, and there are several versions which have superseded the theatrical cut, most of which run some 10 minutes longer, and includes material which enhances the narrative. Through all of this though, the quality of the film just shines through, and it seems to me that the film is literate enough to survive as it does today. I thoroughly enjoy watching it - the strange, mysterious and mystifying rites and traditions interest me. I'm carried away by the sense of ghostly conspiracy on Summerisle. I think the narrative, and passion from certain members of the cast and crew shine through.

To the end, Christopher Lee believed it was his greatest film, and Edward Woodward was similarly passionate about it. I'm not sure if the issue of whether Britt Ekland's voice (with Scottish accent) was dubbed or not has been solved, but regardless, she's as alluring as she needs to be for the film. It's unfortunate if she felt uncomfortable about her nude scenes, but for once I really feel that those scenes were critical for the film, and the scene where she's alluring the virginal Howie in a test of wills works perfectly. I very much enjoy watching the usually silent Lindsey Kemp play such an interesting role in a film. Human sacrifice is of course chilling, and the Wicker Man itself has a kind of spell it casts when you know it's significance. I actually like the connection these people have to nature, and Christopher Lee's quotation of Walt Whitman poetry when alluding to it is beautiful. So much so, that it's nearly easy to forget the violent superstition at the heart of what this film is about. Another interesting fact is that Howie's final words in the film come directly to us as a quote from Sir Walter Raleigh just before his execution.

Horror is often hard to classify - The Wicker Man contains little violence, and nothing horribly gory and gruesome happens - except for the "hand of glory", which happens to be one poor woman's severed hand turned into a creepy spell-ridden candle for Howie. Many people miss the fact that this woman is first seen in the library with him, then in a casket with her hand missing, and finally, the hand turns up. There are many small details that you can easily miss in the film, and it surprises me how well the production design has been managed considering how rushed the film's production was. I love small details that take time to pick up on. But in a larger aspect, The Wicker Man is a haunting film full of the kind of atmosphere I love in my films. That atmosphere pervades everything, and comes partly from a great screenplay, partly from the performances, and mostly from what has been brought to bear from those rituals of old. Behind the ideas this film brings forward is a real history many of our ancestors took part in. I very much agree with those who bestow the greatest praise on it, from Eli Roth to Ben Wheatley and Ari Aster, who have used it's inspiration to create the horror that has continued to enliven my cinematic pursuits.

4.5

[Hey Fredrick]

I knew when I read that first sentence that you didn't like the movie.

It's hard to like a movie if you already love something very similar, I know it is for me. Usually the first version I see and like will always be my favorite. But Fail Safe wasn't my choice, luckily:D




I thought it was a good movie and would recommend it especially to somebody who didn't like Strangelove.

The Iron Giant is one of my favorite animated movies. So much so that I even recommended it in one of these HoF's.

The Seventh Seal I watched when I was just starting to explore movies that weren't made before 1973. I was still having a rough time dealing with the "oldies" so it's one I've always been meaning to check out again. Probably shouldn't have started out with one quite so heavy. I'm sure I smoked some dope and sat there glassy eyed waiting for the Bill and Ted scene to show up.

The Wicker Man is a blast. This was one, much like The Lair of the White Worm, that I didn't have high hopes for, thought it would be too cheesy but really got into it. Has one of the best looking casts ever.

[Allaby]

The Wicker Man (1973) is fantastic. I even enjoyed the remake!

[cricket]

A bunch of movies I've only seen once except for Fail Safe, which I've seen a few times. As usual when it gets mentioned, I'd also recommend the live made for TV remake.

The Iron Giant and Rango both made my animation ballot, with Rango being very high.

I very much enjoyed Moonlight, The Seventh Seal, and The Wicker Man. I could use another viewing with all of them because I think my opinion would go even higher, especially with The Wicker Man.

[rauldc14]

Fail Safe was ok but I never really saw it as a great film.

Seventh Seal is a classic.

Iron Giant I liked but didn't love.

[seanc]

I’m glad you enjoyed Wicker Man Phoenix. I actually only thought it was pretty good, very good aesthetically. I’m always hesitant to rec movies I’m not crazy about but I had a strong feeling when I saw you didn’t have it checked off.

[seanc]

88731

Forbidden Games:

How come the deeper I get into HOFs, I keep feeling like I have less and less to say? Anyway, this is the second movie from my group I had never even heard of, and I still have one more of those left to go.

I really love the set-up here. I think it’s a very interesting idea, and one that seems completely plausible in these absolutely war torn countries. It’s heart breaking just watching this young girl want nothing more than her puppy and losing everything in the world in a heartbeat.

What surprised me about Forbidden Games is that it moves the war element to the back of its mind and becomes a, often times silly, domestic drama. I don’t mean silly as a negative either. It’s very playful at times and the conflict between the neighbors is just 100% benign when you consider what is going on in the country.

Despite liking that different approach to a war film, this one never envelopes me entirely. I do think it’s good and watchable, but nothing really elevates it beyond that for me. Good ending too incidentally. I like ambiguous endings.

[CosmicRunaway]

I saw Forbidden Games when it was nominated in the 13th HoF, and I didn't have much to say about it at the time either. One line of my review sticks out because of how far off base I was:

I think the only part of this film I'm really going to remember is the abrupt ending.
I literally have no idea how the film ended. I recognize the image you posted, and I have some vague memories of a bridge, and maybe a dog as well. That's about it.

[cricket]

I've seen Forbidden Games twice and I think I felt that same way both times.

[SpelingError]

I like Forbidden Games a good bit, though it's not a great film for me.

[rauldc14]

The Wrestler

https://www.backtothemovies.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/The-Wrestler-Review.jpg

Mickey Rourke's performance here could go down as one of the most memorable of all time. He completely transformed into his character on screen. At times it almost felt documentary-ish as strange as that sounds but he really killed it. I get that the guy had a background as a wrestler at one point but he really put his heart and soul into this.

Im in awe that I connected so well with an Aronofsky movie, but he did everything right here. The direction was fantastic, the shots and the cinematography were super on point and the story was super fascinating to me. Although it was a simple tale of a wrestler on his last leg, both in life and career, it felt like it was so genuine and authentic.

Marissa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood I also thought killed it in their roles too. Their chemistry in scenes with Rourke just made the situations feel so damn realistic. Quite an emotion roller coaster with the film too. When Rourke finally gets his daughter to believe that he can change, it is so disappointing to see him screw up again, even though the situation itself even felt like it was a bit out of his control. Luckily, when he messes up with Tomeis character, we see in the end that she forgives him by going to that match.

I think the biggest thing to see here is that there is a purpose and a chance for everybody in this world. It's just what you make of it that determines how everything will play out for you. Been awhile since I've felt so strong about a film.

5

[cricket]

Dammit!

[cricket]

That was my #1 choice for you and it got snatched from me at the last second!

Glad you loved it!

[rauldc14]

I thought maybe it was you. I'm guessing maybe Phoenix now

[CosmicRunaway]

People have been telling me to watch The Wrestler for awhile. It'll probably take it getting nominated in a HoF for me to actually bother though haha.

[rauldc14]

People have been telling me to watch The Wrestler for awhile. It'll probably take it getting nominated in a HoF for me to actually bother though haha.

I don't know if it's your type of film, but definitely struck a chord with me.

[Miss Vicky]

People have been telling me to watch The Wrestler for awhile. It'll probably take it getting nominated in a HoF for me to actually bother though haha.

I watched it once years ago after reading so many great things about it. I couldn't connect on any level and was bored to tears - which can be said for my experience with every Aronofsky movie I've seen.

[cricket]

People have been telling me to watch The Wrestler for awhile. It'll probably take it getting nominated in a HoF for me to actually bother though haha.

Not that you wouldn't like it, but it wouldn't have ever occurred to me to choose it for you.

[rauldc14]

I watched it once years ago after reading so many great things about it. I couldn't connect on any level and was bored to tears - which can be said for my experience with every Aronofsky movie I've seen.

Maybe you'll like the new one with Brendan Fraser

[CosmicRunaway]

Yeah, it's definitely not something I'd watch on my own accord. But everyone talks about Mickey Rourke's performance in it, so I'm a little curious to see that myself.

[CosmicRunaway]

Maybe you'll like the new one with Brendan Fraser
I thought you meant a new version of The Wrestler, but starring Brendan Fraser, and for a moment I was really confused, slightly put off, but also intrigued by that idea haha.

I was kind of disappointed when google told me it was just a new, unrelated Aronofsky film. It's called The Whale, apparently.

[rauldc14]

I thought you meant a new version of The Wrestler, but starring Brendan Fraser, and for a moment I was really confused, slightly put off, but also intrigued by that idea haha.

I was kind of disappointed when google told me it was just a new, unrelated Aronofsky film. It's called The Whale, apparently.

I mean, it looks like he's a Sumo wrestler in it. So that wouldn't be far off.

[Miss Vicky]

Maybe you'll like the new one with Brendan Fraser

Doubt I'll even watch it. I love a lot of what Fraser did in the 90s and the synopsis sounds decent, but I just don't like Aronofsky.

[cricket]

Fraser is in an upcoming Scorsese movie I believe.

[rauldc14]

Fraser is in an upcoming Scorsese movie I believe.

Also sounds like something she will hate. Remember she hates approx 75% of movies.

[Miss Vicky]

Fraser is in an upcoming Scorsese movie I believe.

Yes. That one I do intend to watch.

[cricket]

The Age of Innocence (1993)

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/images/9743-099e6521ce1aeab2f4a8e5a3bebbf451/Current_28834id_737_(1)_medium.jpg

Historical costume drama - oh no. Martin Scorsese - oh yes. Rated PG - oh no. Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer - oh yes. Winona Ryder - oh no. A lot of reason for trepidation going into this, but also reason for hope.

This is on the Ebert list, and I quickly felt better about the costume drama part after realizing it was late 1800's New York rather than some British castle a century earlier.

Newland, played by Day-Lewis, is set to marry May (Ryder). It's not that they don't love and care for each other, but it's more about high society, class, and who you're "supposed" to be with. Very early on Newland meets May's cousin played by Pfeiffer and there's immediate chemistry. Of course this is a realistic drama because if he was suddenly smitten with anyone played by Ryder then this would be some kind of horror fantasy. The cousin's reputation is not the best as she's coming off a failed marriage to someone she wasn't "supposed" to be married to. She also thinks for herself (OMG).

There is no sex, violence, swearing, or anything improper in this movie. It's all very proper and subtle, probably a little too subtle for me, but that's kind of the point. The characters have dilemmas of the heart and I thought that was the heart of the movie. I'm a little torn on how much I enjoyed it and got out of it, but it's masterfully done. It looks amazing. I would need to be able to engage more in order to love it and that's definitely possible in the future, especially now that I realize what it's all about.

I almost forgot, there's those high society dogs in it-pomeranians!

3.5

[seanc]

The Ryder hate is killing me.

Definitely another movie I need to rewatch. Scorsese and Lewis though, I liked it tge first time but there’s still nowhere to go but up.

[cricket]

The Ryder hate is killing me.

Definitely another movie I need to rewatch. Scorsese and Lewis though, I liked it tge first time but there’s still nowhere to go but up.

I've liked a couple of movies she's been in but the only movie I remember liking her in is Edward Scissorhands.

[cricket]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/66/40/54/664054f2b925465649fd4fc9530459a9.jpg

:D

[seanc]

I've liked a couple of movies she's been in but the only movie I remember liking her in is Edward Scissorhands.

Definitely a teen celebrity crush for me. Her real life personality really destroyed the facade though.

[cricket]

Definitely a teen celebrity crush for me. Her real life personality really destroyed the facade though.

I was into Michelle Pfeiffer after Married to the Mob

[Hey Fredrick]

https://64.media.tumblr.com/4d4ff12ab18bfc33f81eba83d79adfa3/f744a2ab30eb1f45-5a/s1280x1920/f1c4635c2188f719039684d1ca12396526e92909.gifv



Toshiro Mifune stars in The Hidden Fortress as a defeated General looking to sneak his princess, and a several bundles of gold, through enemy territory, back to her home. If discovered they will surely be killed and it sounds like beheading is the manner of execution. However, before we meet the General we catch up with two greedy, dimwitted peasants looking to make a quick buck. It just so happens that every scheme they come up with turns out not working very good for them. They're latest scheme - hunt down the princess and collect the reward. There's no way these two could possibly do that but they try which leads them right into The General. The General initially figures these two dolts are of no use but later realizes that they MAY be useful and off the four of them go. The princess, acting as a mute (she's a bit of a fireplug and the minute she says something, well, "YOU BLEW MY COVAHHH!!"), the two peasants looking for anyway to ditch the general and steal the gold and the General trying to hold it all together. Of course it doesn't go smooth and that's good, for us, the viewer.


This is a highly entertaining movie. I love Kurosawa's sense of humor and this is the funniest movie from him I've seen so far, thanks in large part to the two peasants. It has action but with the exception of one pretty long spear fight, most of it is quick. The General is no joke when it comes to disposing of potential threats and it's also kind of humorous how things that seem to be setbacks actually end up working in favor of the traveling foursome. This may be the most fun movie I've watched so far but is it the best? It's up there.

[Hey Fredrick]

Definitely a teen celebrity crush for me. Her real life personality really destroyed the facade though.


Just the opposite for me. Never thought much of her when she was young but she's a celebrity crush now. What was wrong with her real life personality? Other than being a bit of a thief I never heard anything else about her.

[seanc]

Just the opposite for me. Never thought much of her when she was young but she's a celebrity crush now. What was wrong with her real life personality? Other than being a bit of a thief I never heard anything else about her.

It’s really just that but even when she talked about it’s like she doesn’t realize how entitled she sounds. Obviously I don’t know her and this is just all surface level garbage, but so are celebrity crushes so I thought it was worth mentioning.

[cricket]

The Hidden Fortress is one of my favorites from Kurosawa, very entertaining indeed.

[Allaby]

The Age of Innocence and The Hidden Fortress are both great films. I have both on Criterion blu ray.

[Allaby]

I watched Dheepan (2015) today. Directed by Jacques Audiard, the film stars Jesuthasan Antonythasan, Kalieaswari Srinivasan, and Claudine Vinasithamby. It's a drama about three strangers who pose as a family to escape war torn Sri Lanka and immigrate to France. Dehhpan won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. I thought this film was pretty good, but not great. The first half of the film was the strongest part. Some of the story elements in the later part of the film didn't completely work for me. Performances were good from the three main actors. The story had some interesting moments, but overall I felt it could have been more compelling. There were a lot of other better films in 2015, so this wouldn't have made my list of best films of 2015. I've only seen one other film by Audiard, which was The Prophet, but I was severely underwhelmed by that one. For me, Dheepan is a much better film than The Prophet. I think this was a bit of a risky choice for me. I did appreciate and like the film, but didn't love it and wasn't blown away by it. My guess is that Siddon nominated this for me, but I could be wrong. 3.5

[seanc]

I was mixed on Dheepan as well. Think he’s a good director though. The Sister Brothers and Rust And Bone are both pretty interesting films. He’s certainly doing some original things. I need to check out Paris 13th District soon. I have heard some good things.

[edarsenal]

Have not heard of Dheepan.

Hidden Fortress is one of Kurosawa's I'm still missing. Definitely sounds like one I'd enjoy for the same reasons I loved Yojimbo.

Even with my love for Period Pieces, The Age of Innocence did feel long for me. Still loved it with Day, and I've always liked Ryder and still do, and I simply adore Pfeiffer in this, even more so in Dangerous Liasons. Following cricket's remark, I've been utterly and completely smitten with Pfeiffer since Ladyhawke playing Isabeau (god, I love that name!)

And Pomeranians? They're part rat, right? :D;)

Have not seen The Wrestler, and like Cosmic, I've heard A LOT about Rourke nailing it and would be the reason for visiting it, but it'll take an HoF to finally see it. I'm mid-road when it comes to Aronofsky. I enjoy The Fountain but lack the intellect to truly appreciate his work.

I also saw Forbidden Games in the 13th HoF, one of the last films I watched. A lot of emotionally shattering films in that one, and I had dreaded watching it believing it would be very much like the others was happy to discover that after the initial air raid where Paullette loses her parents and dog, and comes across the understanding, considerate, helpful, strong-willed Michel.
He brings her to his home; from there, a kind of dark comedy evolves from their comprehension of and thereby facing death. Creating a cemetery in the old mill and stealing crosses for the graves. Interspersed between the everyday life of Michel's family.
It is this twisted, naive, and somehow beautiful ideology on how to accept death and the outlandish lengths they go to, or rather, Michel is willing to go to, for Paulette, that eased the tension I started with and gave this heart of mine something whimsical and fantastical to appreciate. And appreciate, I did.
Even the abrupt ending, though quite sad, had its own endearing beauty. Which, leaving an audience hanging is always a difficult endeavor seemed very apropos here. Which I, too, have forgotten.

I've always appreciated The Wicker Man far more than truly enjoying or loving it. Not entirely sure why. I always sympathize SO MUCH for Woodward's character, which is a truly unique scenario for such a situation where I loved watching such a righteous individual get his world rocked, his mind blown, and his dogma f@cked with. No denying the greatness of the film.

[Citizen Rules]

Damn it! I had wrote some comments on the last films you all watched and then accidentally I deleted my post...So I'm trying again!

The Seventh Seal...I've yet to find a Bergman film that I can warm up to. I watched The Seventh Seal in PR3 and this was my reaction: I was impressed with Berman's skill and yet it left me cold...My two word review would be: Masterfully austere.The Wicker Man 1973...MovieGal wanted me to watch this and so I did. I reviewed it here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1358851#post1358851) and gave it a rating_4
...In what has to be seen to be believed, Britt Ekland does a musical number in which she attempts to beguile the police sergeant. Her movements and the way the scene is shot give the look of an early music video, quite artistic....and she does it in the nude too.Forbidden Games...I don't remember much about this film but apparently I liked it as I rated it rating_4 in my review here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1866995#post1866995)
The film in a way feels like an old Twilight Zone episode, not so much in structure but due to the strange subject matter. What the children do after the bomb attack is odd, extremely odd! And yet believable. The Wrestler...Not see it but Raul's write-up makes it sound pretty cool.

The Age of Innocence (1993)...I have this checked off my list as watched and yet I'm not totally sure I did...I know at one time the wife and I watched a ton of these costume period piece films so I probably seen it. I do like Winona Ryder though never had a crush on her.


The Hidden Fortress...Not seen this but Hey Fredrick's write-up makes me want to see it. So far I prefer Ozu to Kurosawa.

Dheepan (2015)...might have heard of it before?

[cricket]

I watched Dheepan for the last Personal Rec. I agree with Allaby about the first half being better which I found compelling, but then I thought the second half went in a much more generic direction.

[MovieGal]

Ppl who really know me, know The Wicker Man is a favorite of mine and I'm excited that someone who is fairly new around these parts informed me recently they watched it and loved it as well. They and I share common cinematic interests, which always helps.

[Citizen Rules]

88752
Raising Arizona (1987)

All this time I never knew what movie Hey Fredrick's avatar came from...Now, I'll always think of him as H.I.:D

For years I've been hearing about Raising Arizona but knew nothing about it, so image my surprise when I seen that it was a Coen Brothers movie. I usually have high praise for the Coens, but mixed with some criticism of their more, uhmm, colorful choices.

First off I should say I liked this. I laughed, I liked Nic Cage I usually do...Holly Hunter was as cute as a button and John Goodman was good too though not as cute. Mostly I loved the set choices the Coen's used: the single wide trailer set in the middle of nowhere in the Arizona desert gave the film a good vige. I loved the interior of that trailer with it's cheap & ugly carpet and the early 1980s wooden framed furniture...add to that Nic Cage's loud & trashy clothes and that hair-do! All that detail made the film unique and that's a Coen Brothers trademark.

The characters were fun and interesting. I thought the script was creative and I liked the story. Occasionally when the script tried to be overly funny it didn't work for me but that didn't happen much. What I didn't like is: what I don't like in most Coen Brother films...when they include over the top elements...I did not need the biker bounty hunter, I thought that was too silly and not needed. But the film redeems itself with a really satisfying ending and that's something most movies blow but Raising Arizona got it right.


Glad to have watched this and if it wasn't chose by Hey Fredrick I'll be shocked.
88753

[seanc]

I’m a Coen brothers fan boy, but for some reason Raising Arizona remains one I am lukewarm on after a couple watches. Does have some brilliant moments, especially early. Cage running down the road with diapers might be one of the funniest moments in movies for me. Need to give it another go.

[Thursday Next]

Sad there's not more love for Forbidden Games. I found it very moving. Although I have to admit I have forgotten some of the details.

[Thursday Next]

The Wrestler

I think the biggest thing to see here is that there is a purpose and a chance for everybody in this world. It's just what you make of it that determines how everything will play out for you. Been awhile since I've felt so strong about a film.

5

Nailed it! :D (Sorry cricket ...)

[cricket]

It's been a few years but I was not a fan of Raising Arizona the 2 times I've seen it.

[Citizen Rules]

I’m a Coen brothers fan boy, but for some reason Raising Arizona remains one I am lukewarm on after a couple watches. Does have some brilliant moments, especially early. Cage running down the road with diapers might be one of the funniest moments in movies for me. Need to give it another go. Here's how I ranked the Coen films I've watched:

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (liked it)
Hail, Caesar! rating_3_5
True Grit (didn't care for, I prefer The Duke)
The Man Who Wasn't There rating_4
The Big Lebowski rating_2_5
Barton Fink rating_4_5
Miller's Crossing rating_3_5
Blood Simple rating_4

[Citizen Rules]

Sad there's not more love for Forbidden Games. I found it very moving. Although I have to admit I have forgotten some of the details.I rated it a 4/5 and gave it a glowing review. Thought the subject matter might be of the kind that people don't end up loving for emotional reasons? But what do I know:p

It's been a few years but I was not a fan of Raising Arizona the 2 times I've seen it.Surprised, I would have though you a fan back when it first came out.

[seanc]

Here's how I ranked the Coen films I've watched:

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (liked it)
Hail, Caesar! rating_3_5
True Grit (didn't care for, I prefer The Duke)
The Man Who Wasn't There rating_4
The Big Lebowski rating_2_5
Barton Fink rating_4_5
Miller's Crossing rating_3_5
Blood Simple rating_4

Not sure how you would feel about Fargo, it’s fantastic though. Definitely could see you digging No Country.

Actually just watched the original True Grit about a month ago. One of my favorite watches this year so I prefer it too. Doesn’t mean the Coen’s version isn’t top notch though. Both great movies.

[cricket]

Nomadland (2020)

https://64.media.tumblr.com/d43f25865a3cb21482874d9de2d7f9d4/bacc47df1586c2f7-17/s540x810/db60f4ed40d5f97766f492339c030b5184a4809f.gif

All I really knew about this was that it starred Frances McDormand and that it won best picture. I'm not sure what I was expecting but I wasn't expecting much.

For about the first half of the film I was wondering what it was trying to tell me, and I was constantly thinking about what I thought about the potential message. I was thinking that whatever it was, I would probably not be totally on board with it. There could be multiple messages, but about halfway through the film there's a scene with Fern and her sister that fell in line with my way of thinking, so that's what I went with. Fern has been a nomad her entire life. It's not something that she needed to do or was forced into, but rather it's her nature. I see the whole nomad culture here as merely the setting of the film, which is about Fern coping with the grief of losing her husband.

Mcdormand is great as usual and fits the role perfectly. From what I understand there are real non actor nomads in the film, and it was easy to pinpoint 3 of them. The two women are fantastic. The man came off like a cult leader in every scene he was in until near the end when his last scene was perhaps the best in the entire film. These three nomads are not important to the film for the way they live, but rather because of there own personal stories. They could be doctors or lawyers and it wouldn't change much. Very good movie.

4

[Citizen Rules]

Not sure how you would feel about Fargo, it’s fantastic though. Definitely could see you digging No Country.

Actually just watched the original True Grit about a month ago. One of my favorite watches this year so I prefer it too. Doesn’t mean the Coen’s version isn’t top notch though. Both great movies.I wouldn't be opposed to watching any Coen movies, so far they are hitting me from 3 all the way to 4.5. True Grit probably was a good film but you know how nostalgia works, my brain is programed for Wayne in that roll...But I bet any Coen film would be a fairly safe bet for me as a PR choice.

[cricket]

I did not like the Coen version of True Grit at all

[Allaby]

Raising Arizona is great and lots of fun, a 9/10 from me. Nomadland blew me away when I saw it and I rated it a 10/10.

[Allaby]

I’ve seen 14 Coen brothers films and liked most of them.

[Citizen Rules]

Nomadland sounds like something I might dig.

[CosmicRunaway]

I rewatched Raising Arizona a few years ago with my room mate in the middle of a Nic Cage bender, after not recalling much about it, but then forgot all about it again until I tried to watch it in preparation for the Comedy Countdown. I wasn't really in the mood though, so I turned it off. I thought I previously liked the movie, but now I don't know.

I didn't realize Nomadland won Best Picture...but then again I didn't pay too close attention to the Oscars that year, as I hadn't seen a single film nominated in any category. I intended to watch Minari, but never got around to it. A couple months ago I finally saw Tenet, and I semi-recently watched Another Round as well, but that's it.

I've just finished watching Black Narcissus, but probably won't write anything about it until tomorrow.

[Allaby]

Nomadland sounds like something I might dig.

It’s a masterpiece. I think you would dig it.

[Citizen Rules]

It’s a masterpiece. I think you would dig it.PR7🙂

[edarsenal]

Have not seen Nomadland and only know of it and am unsure if I'd venture to see it, though I do love Frances McDormand. It would take an HoF to see it for me.

Raising Arizona was one of my first Coen Brothers. It took a few viewings to assimilate to their style and become a fanboy of them and come to enjoy this Convict/Cop marriage looking to have a baby and deciding to take an extra one from a rich guy with six of them. Being an earlier Coen Brothers, along with their signature elements, it's a bit rawer than their future, more polished endeavors. And that is in no way a critique or slight, just a simple observation.
Regarding True Grit, I am a John Wayne guy with the most films on my voting list for Western Countdown. I grew up with him, and since being here, I finally experienced so many early roles of his. The role of Rooster Cogburn and the lead in The Cowboys are drenched in nostalgia and love. So you must understand that when I say an extraordinary thing, for myself as well. Coen's remake squeaked it's way above that I even had it on my Western Countdown list.


Spent the afternoon watching Secrets & Lies and will get a review out probably tomorrow. A hard but rewarding watch.
And very curious to read Cosmic's thoughts on Black Narcissus.

[seanc]

88759

A Man And A Woman:

Finished it off with a pretty strong one. I would definitely like to see another transfer of this because I think the cinematography is the strongest part of the storytelling here. It really drives it, with its close-ups and focus on the protagonists trades. I love that there is a lot of time spent with no dialogue and the way it stays focused on mundane moments for long periods. I love directors who aren’t afraid to make us linger in the minds of the characters when other movies would edit us along quickly.

This is a really good movie that I’m glad I saw.

[cricket]

That was a nice pick for me in a different Personal Rec and I thought it was a good choice for you as well.

[Citizen Rules]

A Man And A Woman:

Finished it off with a pretty strong one. I would definitely like to see another transfer of this because I think the cinematography is the strongest part of the storytelling here. It really drives it, with its close-ups and focus on the protagonists trades. I love that there is a lot of time spent with no dialogue and the way it stays focused on mundane moments for long periods. I love directors who aren’t afraid to make us linger in the minds of the characters when other movies would edit us along quickly...Another movie I've not heard of but sounds like my type of film. PR7🙂

[cricket]

Congratulations Sean, you are the 1st member to finish!

As the first member to finish, you have won-

The honor of hosting the 2010's HoF!

[rauldc14]

88759

A Man And A Woman:

Finished it off with a pretty strong one. I would definitely like to see another transfer of this because I think the cinematography is the strongest part of the storytelling here. It really drives it, with its close-ups and focus on the protagonists trades. I love that there is a lot of time spent with no dialogue and the way it stays focused on mundane moments for long periods. I love directors who aren’t afraid to make us linger in the minds of the characters when other movies would edit us along quickly.

This is a really good movie that I’m glad I saw.

By far the fastest anyone has ever completed one of these I would believe.

[cricket]

Another movie I've not heard of but sounds like my type of film. PR7🙂

I had it listed as a possibility for both of you

[seanc]

Congratulations Sean, you are the 1st member to finish!

As the first member to finish, you have won-

The honor of hosting the 2010's HoF!

Could happen. Seems like there is a lot going on right now. I will gauge interest tomorrow.

[seanc]

By far the fastest anyone has ever completed one of these I would believe.

Think I have seen Takoma finish a couple of these in however many hours if runtime her movies had

[Frightened Inmate No. 2]

88759

A Man And A Woman:

Finished it off with a pretty strong one. I would definitely like to see another transfer of this because I think the cinematography is the strongest part of the storytelling here. It really drives it, with its close-ups and focus on the protagonists trades. I love that there is a lot of time spent with no dialogue and the way it stays focused on mundane moments for long periods. I love directors who aren’t afraid to make us linger in the minds of the characters when other movies would edit us along quickly.

This is a really good movie that I’m glad I saw.

this was my pick for you. saw it randomly at a 50th anniversary screening with director claude lelouch in attendance and fell in love with it. it’s an easy one to nominate because it’s barely checked off most lists. nominated it for cricket last time and you this time, glad you liked it!

[cricket]

There's a movie I really want to see that I'm shocked nobody has picked for me yet. It's not on the British, Cannes, Docs, Directed by Women, or Foreign Language Oscar Winner lists. Maybe next time?!?!

[CosmicRunaway]

So, I'm trying to write something about Black Narcissus and I failed so badly to spell "phenomenal" correctly, that not even auto-correct knew what I was trying to write. :lol:

I'm not joking that it took about 20 different tries to get auto-correct to suggest the right word. I was seconds away from using a different adjective. At least when I consistently screw up "millennium", auto-correct knows what I mean right away haha.

[seanc]

So, I'm trying to write something about Black Narcissus and I failed so badly to spell "phenomenal" correctly, that not even auto-correct knew what I was trying to write. :lol:

I'm not joking that it took about 20 different tries to get auto-correct to suggest the right word. I was seconds away from using a different adjective. At least when I consistently screw up "millennium", auto-correct knows what I mean right away haha.

Been there unfortunately

[CosmicRunaway]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=88768

Black Narcissus (1947)
Directed by: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Starring: Deborah Kerr, Kathleen Byron, David Farrar

Black Narcissus is without a doubt a fantastic looking film. The colours are vivid, and the matte paintings are simply gorgeous to look at. It doesn't matter that the landscapes don't look photo-realistic, because the ethereal quality they possess serve to elevate the film's hauntingly beautiful atmosphere. I can't even imagine how stunning the whole thing must've looked to audiences in 1947. The story itself was interesting as well, and it's practically a masterclass on how effective suggestion can be, in lieu of explicating stating the obvious.

The cinematography is likewise phenomenal. The close-ups in particular were great, especially those of Sister Ruth as she becomes progressively more unhinged. They were lit differently than the other scenes, which made them even more visually striking. I also appreciated the constant juxtaposition between the sensual palace artwork and the conservative nuns and their religious artefacts. Some shots appeared to use a scale model, and it too looked fantastic.

With the exception of May Hallatt's shrill screeching, the performances in the film were really good, though Jean Simmons should've been recast, or her role cut completely. She looked ridiculous in that brown-face make-up, and didn't have any speaking lines anyway. Esmond Knight as the General looked even worse, but at least he was only in one scene. His son was thankfully played by an appropriate actor, who I think did a great job as well, but I was just so enthralled by his beautiful, shiny clothing that it makes me wonder if I might've been a crow in a previous life.

[Citizen Rules]

There's a movie I really want to see that I'm shocked nobody has picked for me yet. It's not on the British, Cannes, Docs, Directed by Women, or Foreign Language Oscar Winner lists. Maybe next time?!?!It must be that historical period costume fantasy movie set in 18th century London starring Winona Ryder;)

[Citizen Rules]

So, I'm trying to write something about Black Narcissus and I failed so badly to spell "phenomenal" correctly, that not even auto-correct knew what I was trying to write. :lol:

I'm not joking that it took about 20 different tries to get auto-correct to suggest the right word. I was seconds away from using a different adjective. At least when I consistently screw up "millennium", auto-correct knows what I mean right away haha.Happens to me daily! I usually give up when auto-correct can't spell a word and just type 'groovy'.:D

[Hey Fredrick]

88752
Raising Arizona (1987)

All this time I never knew what movie Hey Fredrick's avatar came from...Now, I'll always think of him as H.I.:D

For years I've been hearing about Raising Arizona but knew nothing about it, so image my surprise when I seen that it was a Coen Brothers movie. I usually have high praise for the Coens, but mixed with some criticism of their more, uhmm, colorful choices.

First off I should say I liked this. I laughed, I liked Nic Cage I usually do...Holly Hunter was as cute as a button and John Goodman was good too though not as cute. Mostly I loved the set choices the Coen's used: the single wide trailer set in the middle of nowhere in the Arizona desert gave the film a good vige. I loved the interior of that trailer with it's cheap & ugly carpet and the early 1980s wooden framed furniture...add to that Nic Cage's loud & trashy clothes and that hair-do! All that detail made the film unique and that's a Coen Brothers trademark.

The characters were fun and interesting. I thought the script was creative and I liked the story. Occasionally when the script tried to be overly funny it didn't work for me but that didn't happen much. What I didn't like is: what I don't like in most Coen Brother films...when they include over the top elements...I did not need the biker bounty hunter, I thought that was too silly and not needed. But the film redeems itself with a really satisfying ending and that's something most movies blow but Raising Arizona got it right.


Glad to have watched this and if it wasn't chose by Hey Fredrick I'll be shocked.
88753






Glad you liked it. Its my no. 1 comedy of all time. I didn't recommend it though.

[cricket]

I know I liked Black Narcissus but that's another I could do with seeing again.

[Citizen Rules]

Glad you liked it. Its my no. 1 comedy of all time. I didn't recommend it though.Rats I can never guess who chose the movies for me? I have no idea then, I thought for sure it was you.

[Allaby]

I watched The Lion in Winter (1968) today. Directed by Anthony Harvey, the film has a good cast including Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, and Timothy Dalton. It was nominated for 7 Oscars, winning 3. As expected with a cast like this, performances are very good. Hepburn and O'Toole are the two standouts for me. Costumes and set design were well done. My main issue with the film is that I didn't find the story very interesting. The film is 2 hours and 14 minutes and drags on at times. There are some good moments, but overall it feels too long and is not as compelling as it should be. The Lion in Winter is not a bad film, but maybe with a different director it could have been a truly great film. My guess would be that Edarsenal nominated it for me. 3

[cricket]

Historical drama set in the 1100's with Katharine Hepburn OMFG!!!!!

[Thursday Next]

I really liked The Lion in Winter, it was all the biting arguments and back-stabbing. I watched it as a play though and it didn't have quite the same magic, so it must have been the performances in the film that brought the dialogue to life.

[Thursday Next]

It must be that historical period costume fantasy movie set in 18th century London starring Winona Ryder;)

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) isn't on any of the lists 🙂

[beelzebubble]

I really liked The Lion in Winter, it was all the biting arguments and back-stabbing. I watched it as a play though and it didn't have quite the same magic, so it must have been the performances in the film that brought the dialogue to life.
I believe it was originally a play. I'll have to check... Yes it was a play.

[seanc]

I liked Lion In Winter but definitely need to rewatch it.

[Citizen Rules]

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2330466#post2330466)
It must be that historical period costume fantasy movie set in 18th century London starring Winona Ryder;)


Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) isn't on any of the lists 🙂Good call!

[Citizen Rules]

The Lion in Winter isn't a film I loved BUT it's one I can say is masterfully written and performed.
...The Lion in Winter is not an easy film to watch. I found if I didn't pay close attention I would miss bits of dialogue and lose my place in the ongoing, plans-within-plans. The dialogue is very stage like and reminded me of a modern adaption of a Shakespearean play.

I do love historical period pieces but this film is really about cleverly written verbiage. Really the things they say are very witty and roll off the actors lips like fine tuned prose....

[Siddon]

I watched Dheepan (2015) today. Directed by Jacques Audiard, the film stars Jesuthasan Antonythasan, Kalieaswari Srinivasan, and Claudine Vinasithamby. It's a drama about three strangers who pose as a family to escape war torn Sri Lanka and immigrate to France. Dehhpan won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. I thought this film was pretty good, but not great. The first half of the film was the strongest part. Some of the story elements in the later part of the film didn't completely work for me. Performances were good from the three main actors. The story had some interesting moments, but overall I felt it could have been more compelling. There were a lot of other better films in 2015, so this wouldn't have made my list of best films of 2015. I've only seen one other film by Audiard, which was The Prophet, but I was severely underwhelmed by that one. For me, Dheepan is a much better film than The Prophet. I think this was a bit of a risky choice for me. I did appreciate and like the film, but didn't love it and wasn't blown away by it. My guess is that Siddon nominated this for me, but I could be wrong. rating_3_5


Yup that's me...I'm pretty much going to nominate Dheepan for everyone at some point. And while I agree the first half is better than the second half...the first half is a masterpiece I still think the second part is solid. Generally I hate british class working films (I, Daniel Blake, Naked, Ratcatcher) Dheepan is the exception to me because it's actually about real people that feel real and the movie actually goes some place.


The Lion in the Winter was my second choice for you (I think) so I picked the right film of the two choices for you.

[Allaby]

I watched Raise the Red Lantern (1991). This is one of my friend's all time favourite films and I had heard that it was supposed to be really good. I had been meaning to get around to watching it. Sorry to say, this didn't live up to the hype for me. It didn't do much at all for me. For me, the best thing about the film is the cinematography. I did love the look of the film. The biggest problem is the story. I did not find this interesting or compelling. To be honest I found the film boring in parts. It dragged on and felt longer than it was. I had a hard time caring about the characters. The performances were fine, but honestly no one really impressed me, acting wise. There were a couple good moments here and there, but overall I didn't care for this film. I've seen two other films by this director, Hero (2002) and Ju Dou (1990). I liked both of those, but this one is a miss for me. I would guess Citizen Rules picked this for me. Whoever it was, good effort, sorry that it didn't work for me. 2.5

[Allaby]

So for Once Upon a Time in America, does the nominator prefer that I watch the theatrical cut or the extended director's cut or no preference? I have the blu ray, which has both cuts.

[cricket]

So for Once Upon a Time in America, does the nominator prefer that I watch the theatrical cut or the extended director's cut or no preference? I have the blu ray, which has both cuts.

If the person who picked it wants to pm me I can answer for you in the thread. If Allaby doesn't mind knowing who picked it, answer yourself if you want.

[cricket]

I watched Raise the Red Lantern (1991). This is one of my friend's all time favourite films and I had heard that it was supposed to be really good. I had been meaning to get around to watching it. Sorry to say, this didn't live up to the hype for me. It didn't do much at all for me. For me, the best thing about the film is the cinematography. I did love the look of the film. The biggest problem is the story. I did not find this interesting or compelling. To be honest I found the film boring in parts. It dragged on and felt longer than it was. I had a hard time caring about the characters. The performances were fine, but honestly no one really impressed me, acting wise. There were a couple good moments here and there, but overall I didn't care for this film. I've seen two other films by this director, Hero (2002) and Ju Dou (1990). I liked both of those, but this one is a miss for me. I would guess Citizen Rules picked this for me. Whoever it was, good effort, sorry that it didn't work for me. 2.5

Saw this a while back, surprised you didn't think more of it.

[SpelingError]

I love Raise the Red Lantern, personally. It's one of my favorite first-time watches of this year.

[Siddon]

I loved it the first time I watched it....but it loses a bit on repeat viewings...doesn't make sense for this hall though.

[rauldc14]

Twelve Monkeys

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/1200x675/p06gwq70.jpg

Like anything Gilliam the story goes here there and everywhere. It's got those trademark Gilliam camera shots (at least felt very similar to those used in Tideland which I have seen prior) and I'm not really a big fan of those. The film is gritty looking and has some nice looking sequences although it also doesn't wow me. In Sci-Fi films I like it when we have cool world building which this really doesn't have.

Bruce Willis is a tough actor for me to like. I have found most of his performances quite wooden and there's really nothing different in his case here. I feel like he can be substituted and the film could have equal or even greater impact. There's a lot of people behind the performance of Brad Pitt here too but overall I found it to be just ok.

What I did like was the ending which was very climatic and it was cool to see a younger version of the crazy Disturbia neighbor wreaking havoc on the world again. His mini performance may have been my favorite as crazy as it sounds. It was cool to see how it didn't depend on the heroic ending and I like how tense those final scenes were. Probably something that will deserve a rewatch down the line although I won't be in a rush. So a bit unfavorable overall for me but at least I finally got around to it.

2.5+

[cricket]

Love Willis and Pitt but I don't care for Twelve Monkeys.

[rauldc14]

Love Willis and Pitt but I don't care for Twelve Monkeys.

Performance wise I really only care for Willis in Unbreakable and Sin City

[SpelingError]

Twelve Monkeys

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/1200x675/p06gwq70.jpg

Like anything Gilliam the story goes here there and everywhere. It's got those trademark Gilliam camera shots (at least felt very similar to those used in Tideland which I have seen prior) and I'm not really a big fan of those. The film is gritty looking and has some nice looking sequences although it also doesn't wow me. In Sci-Fi films I like it when we have cool world building which this really doesn't have.

Bruce Willis is a tough actor for me to like. I have found most of his performances quite wooden and there's really nothing different in his case here. I feel like he can be substituted and the film could have equal or even greater impact. There's a lot of people behind the performance of Brad Pitt here too but overall I found it to be just ok.

What I did like was the ending which was very climatic and it was cool to see a younger version of the crazy Disturbia neighbor wreaking havoc on the world again. His mini performance may have been my favorite as crazy as it sounds. It was cool to see how it didn't depend on the heroic ending and I like how tense those final scenes were. Probably something that will deserve a rewatch down the line although I won't be in a rush. So a bit unfavorable overall for me but at least I finally got around to it.

2.5+

That one used to be among my favorites. It declined for me a bit with a second viewing, but I still love it, personally.

[Allaby]

I though Twelve Monkeys was fantastic, even better than Eleven Monkeys.

[cricket]

Performance wise I really only care for Willis in Unbreakable and Sin City

But you haven't seen Die Hard yet, one of the most unbelievable things on this forum.

[rauldc14]

But you haven't seen Die Hard yet, one of the most unbelievable things on this forum.

That will be quite interesting for sure. One of the biggest things I've yet to see.

[SpelingError]

Raul hasn't seen Die Hard?!?!?!

[Siddon]

Raul hasn't seen Die Hard?!?!?!


Perhaps he wants to read the book first

[rauldc14]

Raul hasn't seen Die Hard?!?!?!

Correct sir. But it was nominated here.

[SpelingError]

Perhaps he wants to read the book first

I didn't even know it was a book adaptation. I'll have to check that out.

[SpelingError]

Correct sir. But it was nominated here.

Oh, I see. Curious what you'll think of it.

[PHOENIX74]

From what I've seen :

The Hidden Fortress was one of the first Kurosawa films I ever watched (after Kagamusha I think) and during the film I kept thinking to myself that it was structured like and reminded me of Star Wars. I was very pleased when I read that Star Wars was partly based from this George Lucas favourite. It's right up there amongst the best, and I voted for it in the Foreign Language Countdown - I was bummed when it didn't show up. It's just so exciting, and moves along at a cracking pace with everything working in perfect unison.

The Wrestler is a top film that I mean to catch up with again some time soon. A real character study, and a there's a sense that Mickey Rourke was in the perfect headspace to play the role he did, for the actor was in similar circumstances to the part he plays.

Raising Arizona is a film I find very funny and extraordinarily well made - the comedy in it didn't really mesh with who I was when the film came out, but over the years I've warmed up more and more to the film, and once I'd gotten to know the sensibilities of the Coen Bros I found it very easy to love.

I really liked Nomadland when I saw it, but like most Best Picture Oscar winners, I didn't think it had the kind of awe-inspiring brilliance that I'd like all my Best Picture winners to have - and which they sometimes do (3 or 4 times out of every 10). Again, this is a film I'll have to catch up with once more. All great films firm up in my opinion over more than 1 watch.

I think 12 Monkeys is one of Terry Gilliam's best films, and pushed it's science fiction time-travelling story into a really interesting sphere. Has that great mix of comedy and horror, with Brad Pitt (at the apex of his career) giving one of his greatest performances. Gilliam doesn't always do it for me, but he did with 12 Monkeys.

Black Narcissus is up in my Top 10 of movies I really want/need/must see. Powell and Pressburger are great.

[CosmicRunaway]

I saw Raise the Red Lantern in the Second Chance HoF and really enjoyed it. Absolutely beautiful cinematography, and an atmosphere that is both sombre and full of tension. I ranked it at #2 on my list.

Twelve Monkeys is a film I've been meaning to rewatch for ages now, but never quite manage to get around to. I remember liking it, but not more than Brazil. I do recall thinking it was one of his more accessible films though.

[SpelingError]

Also, if you like Twelve Monkeys, you should check out La Jetee, the 30 minute short which inspired Gilliam's film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kKbPyU9DAc

[rauldc14]

And if you don't like it check out Three Monkeys. It's nine less monkeys and a completely different film.

[CosmicRunaway]

I'm 35 minutes into The Player, but I've definitely seen this much before. At the start I thought maybe we just viewed that opening in one of my film classes, but everything since then has been incredibly familiar as well.

@cricket (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=68505) + whoever nominated this for me: Should I continue watching this as one of my films, or are we getting a replacement? I do not recall how it ends, and I'm not even entirely sure I've seen the whole thing. I've definitely seen up until this point though.

[rauldc14]

I'm 35 minutes into The Player, but I've definitely seen this much before. At the start I thought maybe we just viewed that opening in one of my film classes, but everything since then has been incredibly familiar as well.

@cricket (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=68505) + whoever nominated this for me: Should I continue watching this as one of my films, or are we getting a replacement? I do not recall how it ends, and I'm not even entirely sure I've seen the whole thing. I've definitely seen up until this point though.

You get a new film, and since you are almost done with this Hall of Fame, you get to choose between Satantango, War and Peace, or Shoah.

[CosmicRunaway]

You get a new film, and since you are almost done with this Hall of Fame, you get to choose between Satantango, War and Peace, or Shoah.
Is it too late to say I don't want any films over 3 hours? :p

[Citizen Rules]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2F91%2Fc5%2Fdd%2F91c5dd2b0fe19d6bd9c799a3ae84b6c6.jpg&f=1&nofb=1Magnolia (1999)


So, I set through three hours of caterwauling potty mouth by hyperactive cartoonish characters only to find outthat the frogs did it!
I really, really hated this. I've never spent a longer three hours of my life watching such bombastic characters and badly written dialogue. Not everyone, everywhere punctuates every other sentence with F**** but in Magnolia every character spoke the same way and had the same rage dialogue delivered in monologue style. That made it clear to me that only one person was speaking through all of these characters, which then caused me to see everyone in this movie as actors and not the people they were suppose to be portraying. I never once felt anything for anyone. Though I was disappointed that William H. Macy didn't end up killing everyone in the movie.

I gather that the love for this movie is based on some spiritual idea that everything is related in a master plan...I could dig that and have in other movies, but not here.

Sorry to be so blunt and that does make me feel real bad as I hate to dump on someone's choice. But like the blonde, coked out chick said, "I'll tell you everything...and maybe we can get through all the piss, shit, and lies...that kill other people."
***That was the only line of written dialogue that struck me as relevant.

[Allaby]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2F91%2Fc5%2Fdd%2F91c5dd2b0fe19d6bd9c799a3ae84b6c6.jpg&f=1&nofb=1Magnolia (1999)


So, I set through three hours of caterwauling potty mouth by hyperactive cartoonish characters only to find outthat the frogs did it!
I really, really hated this. I've never spent a longer three hours of my life watching such bombastic characters and badly written dialogue. Not everyone, everywhere punctuates every other sentence with F**** but in Magnolia every character spoke the same way and had the same rage dialogue delivered in monologue style. That made it clear to me that only one person was speaking through all of these characters, which then caused me to see everyone in this movie as actors and not the people they were suppose to be portraying. I never once felt anything for anyone. Though I was disappointed that William H. Macy didn't end up killing everyone in the movie.

I gather that the love for this movie is based on some spiritual idea that everything is related in a master plan...I could dig that and have in other movies, but not here.

Sorry to be so blunt and that does make me feel real bad as I hate to dump on someone's choice. But like the blonde, coked out chick said, "I'll tell you everything...and maybe we can get through all the piss, shit, and lies...that kill other people."
***That was the only line of written dialogue that struck me as relevant.


Honestly, I'm not surprised that you hated it. It doesn't strike me as your type of film. I like some of the director's other films, but I didn't like this either. It's highly rated by most people, but I rated it a 5/10.

[rauldc14]

Gave it 7/10 way back. Needs a rewatch from me sometime.

[Siddon]

I gather that the love for this movie is based on some spiritual idea that everything is related in a master plan...I could dig that and have in other movies, but not here.


Actually everything in the film is related and PT Anderson did have a masterplan. Magnolia is a musical a film that was written based on the songs of Aimee Mann. Her music works as a chorus here and if you listen to the music they are telling you what it's about. I think of each of the characters as part of a track that comes together in the album and the film is the result.

It's not What you thought When you first began it You got What you want Now you can hardly stand it though By now you knowIt's not going to stop It's not going to stop It's not going to stop
'Til you wise up

I did not pick Magnolia for you...your dislike of Colonel Blimp and Zodiac made is apparent that I can't pick epics for you. But yes Magnolia is in my opinion one of the greatest films ever made.

[CosmicRunaway]

The only thing I remember about Magnolia is that I really disliked it, and was surprised that I managed to sit through the whole thing.

[Citizen Rules]

Honestly, I'm not surprised that you hated it. It doesn't strike me as your type of film. I like some of the director's other films, but I didn't like this either. It's highly rated by most people, but I rated it a 5/10.I gather from reading some IMDB reviews that Magnolia is loved for it's Christian ideas and symbolism (by some). I did notice some Christian symbols and perhaps themes but not being a Christian I'm not sure if this film speaks to one's faith?

[SpelingError]

I have Magnolia at a 9/10. It's not for everyone, but I really loved it. When I consider how it's able to create suspense and heartbreak in just about every scene, have one of the most surprising movie scenes of all time, and contain a ton of re-watch value, it sticks out as one of the most impressive films I can think of.

[Citizen Rules]

..I did not pick Magnolia for you...your dislike of Colonel Blimp and Zodiac made is apparent that I can't pick epics for you... Are Magnolia, Colonel Blimp & Zodiac epics? I don't see them having anything in common other than I disliked all three, but my reasons were different for each.

If you give me a list of what you consider to be epics, I'll give you feedback on the ones I've seen. That way you and others can gauge what it is I like and dislike in movies.

[Citizen Rules]

I have Magnolia at a 9/10. It's not for everyone, but I really loved it. When I consider how it's able to create suspense and heartbreak in just about every scene, have one of the most surprising movie scenes of all time, and contain a ton of re-watch value, it sticks out as one of the most impressive films I can think of.I believe you've said your religious, is your love of Magnolia partially faith based?

[Allaby]

I gather from reading some IMDB reviews that Magnolia is loved for it's Christian ideas and symbolism (by some). I did notice some Christian symbols and perhaps themes but not being a Christian I'm not sure if this film speaks to one's faith?

I'm sure the film speaks to some people's faith, but personally it did not speak to mine. I've been a Christian for many years and did not like Magnolia and did not get much out of it.

[SpelingError]

I believe you've said your religious, is your love of Magnolia partially faith based?

I used to be religious, but I fell out of touch with religion years ago. Either way, I don't think faith plays a part in my reaction towards the film. It's more or less finding the characters highly compelling. When I rewatched the film a couple years ago, a couple conflicts hit closer to home than when I first watched it, but this enhanced my enjoyment of the film.

It's still a strange film for a number of reasons (not just for the frogs at the end), but while I wouldn't disagree with anyone who didn't care for those elements, they worked really well for me.

[Citizen Rules]

I'm sure the film speaks to some people's faith, but personally it did not speak to mine. I've been a Christian for many years and did not like Magnolia and did not get much out of it.Thanks Allaby:) I actually have watched a lot of Christian themed movies especially about Jesus's life and his ministry and liked them.

[Citizen Rules]

I used to be religious, but I fell out of touch with religion years ago. Either way, I don't think faith plays a part in my reaction towards the film. Thanks for explaining! So I must be wrong that people are mostly loving Magnolia for faith reasons (but if they did that's fine with me, I don't judge).

It's more or less finding the characters highly compelling. When I rewatched the film a couple years ago, a couple conflicts hit closer to home than when I first watched it, but this enhanced my enjoyment of the film. I wish I could've found the characters more compelling. I think the original idea of the characters was compelling but the film was so in my face and grated on my nerves so much with all the yelling, anger and foul language that I lost any caring for the character's plight. I really wanted to see some of them just die, I'm not kidding. The only character's story arch I liked was the coked out chick and the cop.

[SpelingError]

Thanks for explaining! So I must be wrong that people are mostly loving Magnolia for faith reasons (but if they did that's fine with me, I don't judge).

I wish I could've found the characters more compelling. I think the original idea of the characters was compelling but the film was so in my face and grated on my nerves so much with all the yelling, anger and foul language that I lost any caring for the character's plight. I really wanted to see some of them just die, I'm not kidding. The only character's story arch I liked was the coked out chick and the cop.

I was fine with that, personally, but that's fair.

For what it's worth though, this was my favorite scene in the film. Love Robards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w8ctRs2IW8

[seanc]

Ugh…on the other hand I would have never recommended Magnolia for you. Definitely saw that coming.

[Citizen Rules]

Ugh…on the other hand I would have never recommended Magnolia for you. Definitely saw that coming.That wasn't your film choice for me? I thought it probably was, as we've talked about it before.

But now that I know it wasn't your choice I feel better because I know you love Magnolia and I didn't feel good about dissing a movie someone I know loves. Though still sorry for not liking someone's choice. Which brave soul wants to claim Magnolia:D

[seanc]

That wasn't your film choice for me? I thought it probably was, as we've talked about it before.

But now that I know it wasn't your choice I feel better because I know you love Magnolia and I didn't feel good about dissing a movie someone I know loves. Though still sorry for not liking someone's choice. Which brave soul wants to claim Magnolia:D

I’m the same. We have way too much ownership of movies here at mofo. :) I hate when I don’t like a HOF movie.

[CosmicRunaway]

I did finish watching (or rewatching) The Player after. There was a stretch near the end that I don't think I saw before, then a scene I clearly had, but then the last 5 minutes seemed completely new again.

I'll wait for cricket and/or the nominator to get back to me about whether or not it's a valid choice before I write anything though. I don't mind having watched it even if it is disqualified, but if it is, I won't be posting a review for it. Gotta save that mental energy haha.

[cricket]

I'm 35 minutes into The Player, but I've definitely seen this much before. At the start I thought maybe we just viewed that opening in one of my film classes, but everything since then has been incredibly familiar as well.

@cricket (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=68505) + whoever nominated this for me: Should I continue watching this as one of my films, or are we getting a replacement? I do not recall how it ends, and I'm not even entirely sure I've seen the whole thing. I've definitely seen up until this point though.

I will get back to you

[Siddon]

I gather from reading some IMDB reviews that Magnolia is loved for it's Christian ideas and symbolism (by some). I did notice some Christian symbols and perhaps themes but not being a Christian I'm not sure if this film speaks to one's faith?

https://akns-images.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/2014231/rs_560x315-140331131937-feudama5.gif?fit=around%7C560:315&output-quality=90&crop=560:315;center,top

Let's go to the lyrics that inspired the film....

Prepare a list of what you need
Before you sign away the deed
'Cause it's not going to stop
It's not going to stop
It's not going to stop
'Til you wise up



If anything knowing Aimee Mann's music the film is sort of a referendum against the commandment of "honoring your Mother and Father"...a major element of the story is the effect of childhood neglect and the different stages that poor parenting can have on those children throughout their lives.

Also look at the characters names and what they represent

Stanley Spector - The start of the story, where the pain begins. We are seeing the childhood abuse at the start of the film.

Donnie -To Don is to show...the spector sees and the donner shows what the end result of the character is.

Rose - The daughter...what is a rose but a flower and in this case the flower has died out. But rose can also mean a rising and hope with a new life with Officer Jim.

Frank - Is the cynic we find out in the story that he had to take care of his dying mother when he was abandoned by his wealthy father.

To me Magnolia is like a great novel you can dive into so many different aspects of the story and find different things to look at.

[Thief]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=88724

The Seventh Seal / Det Sjunde Inseglet (1957)
Directed by: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Max von Sydow, Gunnar Björnstrand, Bengt Ekerot

Sometimes it's dangerous to watch a film you've seen referenced and parodied many times before, but fortunately none of the things I'd previously encountered had a negative impact on my opinion of The Seventh Seal. I had however expected a more sombre film, and while Bergman's masterpiece is indeed melancholic, it also has a very dry sense of humour that I rather appreciated. Most of that came from the indifferent squire, who - misogyny aside - was almost always amusing.

Given the heavy focus on dialogue, the paired down costumes, and minimal movements, The Seventh Seal feels very much like a theatrical play, so it wasn't at all surprising to read that the film had indeed started its life on the stage. There's plenty of striking, memorable imagery to be seen, but I think it's that yearning for existential knowledge, and disillusionment with a silent god that will leave a more lasting impression on me.

The performances are great all around. Other than Björnstrand's squire I previously mentioned, I particularly liked the interactions between Max von Sydow and Bengt Ekerot. They weren't in the film as much as I had anticipated, but the few scenes they had together were fantastic. I also enjoyed how, even though the The Seventh Seal presents the notion that we're all just playing a long game of chess with Death ourselves, it isn't entirely without hope. Everything is left comfortably vague as well, which is entirely appropriate for a film that keeps asking questions that can never truly be answered.




This is a film I feel like I owe a rewatch. It was my first Bergman probably around 10 or 15 years ago, and after hearing praises about it all around, I was underwhelmed by it. However, I've liked/loved every Bergman I've seen since, so I think it might fare better with me now.

[Thief]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.wixstatic.com%2Fmedia%2F48c5c9_aa076d06871d4c709c5d2d4fadffaa8d~mv2.gif&f=1&nofb=1


Moonlight - This is the story of Chiron told in three parts: i. a young boy struggling to find himself on the streets of Miami. ii. A teenage boy struggling to find himself in the schools of Miami and iii. A young adult, drug dealer in Atlanta struggling to accept who he really is. I really liked the first two parts quite a bit but felt the final act didn't quite match the energy of the first two, which was probably intentional.

This was a weird watch because of how relatable certain aspects of the film were. Aspects that I will not get into here. I thought the acting, especially the young and teenage Chiron were very good. While I wanted teenage Chiron to exact some revenge on his tormentors this isn't the kind of movie that makes that revenge seem good, even though I was glad he did it, the repercussions were real and it was like Jeez, can't this kid catch a break.

If there's one thing I wish we saw more of it was Chiron's relationship with Teresa. The Juan scenes were great when Chiron was little but once he's gone what is Teresa doing with a teenage Chiron? She certainly helps him with the essentials, food and shelter, but she seemed to be mostly absent for emotional help. I would have liked to have seen more interaction between them during the teenage years.

Have to admit to knowing nothing about being an African American or gay but I do know how people can overcompensate to project a false image of themself, usually for protection and often times with results that aren't too good. Hopefully the final act of the film helped Chiron come to some kind of closure as to who he wants to be.

Thought this was a very good movie.


This is easily on my Top 5 of the millennium. Fantastic film.

For what it's worth, here's a link to my review on Letterboxd (https://letterboxd.com/thief12/film/moonlight-2016/)

[Thief]

https://i.postimg.cc/6Q0pnYYm/the-wicker-man.jpg

The Wicker Man - 1973

Directed by Robin Hardy

Written by Anthony Shaffer

Starring Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Lindsay Kemp
Britt Ekland & Diane Cilento

This review contains spoilers

It's completely enthralling. Mysterious, unusual, and unlike any other film of it's time, The Wicker Man has held the fascination of many down through the decades - a kind of horror film that shocks in it's final act, but gives a sense of unease leading up to it. It gives us a glimpse into a world many people lived in centuries past with Paganism, Druidism and the worship of the old Gods before Christianity and Islam cut swaths through people's spiritual lives in the Western world and beyond. A Wicker Man was once used to burn criminals to death inside of it's structure on anointed days, and was noted by Julius Caesar and relayed through the centuries from his personal observation. Some of my favourite recent films, from Kill List to Midsommar, draw their inspiration directly from The Wicker Man, and the film's ultimate survival and restoration depended on it's inspired value as an extremely literate and quality work of cinematic art. It's principally known for it's finale, which is both frightening, and a surprise for those who come to the story without knowing what's coming.

Sgt. Neil Howie (Edward Woodward) is a devout Christian and police officer who has received a strange letter relating the suspicious disappearance of a young girl on Summerisle. The island is known locally for it's fruit harvests, and as a strange place where the people there follow a kind of Celtic Paganism, and as soon as Howie lands he's introduced to various oddities - not the least of which are the bawdy, but seemingly ritualistic songs and music everyone partakes in. The daughter of innkeeper/landlord Alder MacGregor (Lindsay Kemp) is the beautiful Willow MacGregor (Britt Ekland) and is worshipped as if Aphrodite, introducing all the young men to love. When Howie meets up with the powerful leader of the island, Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) he learns of it's history, renunciation of Christianity, and attitudes towards the Christian God - at odds with Howie's personal beliefs. He begins to suspect that the missing girl is tied up with a planned sacrifice due to failing crops on the island, and sets out to surreptitiously join their May Day parade to rescue her from an awful fate.

It's a straightforward story, and much of the film deals with the conflict Howie finds himself embroiled in every time he crosses paths with a strange custom that he finds offensive. Men and women copulate freely in fields, and people in the island's tavern sing lude songs about Willow in front of her father and herself - who both enjoy them. He overhears children being taught that the Maypole the boys are dancing around specifically represents a penis, and notices that churches and graveyards have been deconsecrated and abandoned. Young women dance naked around fires while chanting fertility rites, and one young girl must hold a frog in her mouth to aide in her recovery from a sore throat. This is all deeply distressing to him, and his firm believe that only Jesus Christ can be the saviour of mankind. Most of all he harbors a deeply held suspicion that Rowan Morrison has been murdered, but later comes to the conclusion she's about to be sacrificed. All of this is represented in fascinating ways, and this is specifically aided by the fact that the film is presented very much as a musical - the songs all neatly fitting the narrative. At times spooky, at others either lurid or forthright, it eventually presents a compelling case for Paganism as a religion that is closer to nature than other more modern ones.

The film started life as an idea that crystallized through discussions around a number of figures eventually involved with it's production, including Christopher Lee, who wanted to get away from his more regular Hammer Horror roles, screenwriter Anthony Shaffer, who had read an interesting novel involving the concept of Paganism in David Pinner's Ritual and prospective film director Robin Hardy, looking for a first project. Hardy was in contact with British Lion head, and film producer, Peter Snell, who was also interested in the idea. Pinner's Ritual, as a whole, seemed unsuitable for being translated film-wise as it was and adapted, but the idea of a devout Christian policeman investigating the work of Pagans and a missing girl was what brought Shaffer's story about. It was a project that Lee, Shaffer, Hardy and Snell worked closely on together and all felt passionate about, especially after Shaffer delivered a screenplay that was obviously an exceptional piece of work - something to truly be excited about. Unfortunately, the conception was to lead to an especially painful birth - as is the movie business.

British Lion as a financial entity was going through convulsions, and they needed The Wicker Man immediately - with a minimum of funds, and to be shot on location in Scotland in October instead of the Spring it's set in. Freezing temperatures and cloudy weather had to be translated into fine weather, no matter the hardship on the actors and the production as a whole, which needed to transport in fake trees in blossom. The difficult, rushed and uncomfortable shoot was bad enough, but insult was added to injury once EMI had bought British Lion and a manager by the name of Michael Deeley found himself in charge. During the editing process Deeley was dismissive towards Christopher Lee, whom he found contemptable, and let it be known to him that he thought The Wicker Man amongst the ten worst films he'd seen in his life. The studio found itself unable, and almost unwilling to sell it to one of Britain's two premier distributing chains. The initial cut of the film was shortened so it could be sold as a "second feature" on double bills - with the only version the filmmakers were content with finding itself with Roger Corman in the U.S. - who was happy to help distribute it there.

The Wicker Man is so good that it would survive all of these machinations, and even in shortened form, it's interesting and compelling enough to have made a name for itself. In the years since it's been somewhat cobbled back together into what it should have been - but regardless of that, film aficionados have loved it down through the years. I've been aware of it for a long, long time, and my practice of seeing movies as they eventually come my way delayed my first viewing until now. Unfortunately, I'd already seen the remake - and I understand even more clearly why it was so derided - having abandoned most of the interesting facets of the original film. I was pleased to discover that knowing the ending doesn't detract at all from the enjoyment I found in the film. It's far more than it's ending, which holds onto it's power. I was very surprised by the music of The Wicker Man, composed by Paul Giovanni, as it becomes a central focus of the film. It's interwoven, not only into the reality of the film but also as part of the narrative. I really loved it, especially Willow's song, 'How Do'.

Cinematographer Harry Waxman had been working on films since the early 1930s, but his experience, while always something to be thankful for on a film shoot, also developed into an animosity for his first-time director in Robin Hardy. This, on top of everything else, created an element of disharmony and ill-feeling during the shoot. Waxman didn't like the screenplay, didn't think Hardy knew how to make films, and was generally in ill-humour - although that final shot that he captures, of the Wicker Man's head slowly collapsing to reveal the setting sun behind it is considered to be one of the greatest shots in cinema by some involved with the film. Visually, I found The Wicker Man to be very enjoyable and astute - without any problems. Perhaps I was wrapped up in the story to an extent where clever shots didn't matter, or else the expertise of Waxman in getting what was needed gave the film what as needed to support some great performances and a superb script from Shaffer.

The original negatives to The Wicker Man have been lost - although there is some hope that one day they will be found. Christopher Lee always maintained that they couldn't have been accidentally misplaced. I've rarely come across so much animosity, ill-feeling, arguing and disunity among filmmakers when it comes to such a classic film, but this indeed seems to be the case with The Wicker Man. Lee initially saw a cut which had left a great part of some really well-shot and important scenes on the cutting room floor, and there are several versions which have superseded the theatrical cut, most of which run some 10 minutes longer, and includes material which enhances the narrative. Through all of this though, the quality of the film just shines through, and it seems to me that the film is literate enough to survive as it does today. I thoroughly enjoy watching it - the strange, mysterious and mystifying rites and traditions interest me. I'm carried away by the sense of ghostly conspiracy on Summerisle. I think the narrative, and passion from certain members of the cast and crew shine through.

To the end, Christopher Lee believed it was his greatest film, and Edward Woodward was similarly passionate about it. I'm not sure if the issue of whether Britt Ekland's voice (with Scottish accent) was dubbed or not has been solved, but regardless, she's as alluring as she needs to be for the film. It's unfortunate if she felt uncomfortable about her nude scenes, but for once I really feel that those scenes were critical for the film, and the scene where she's alluring the virginal Howie in a test of wills works perfectly. I very much enjoy watching the usually silent Lindsey Kemp play such an interesting role in a film. Human sacrifice is of course chilling, and the Wicker Man itself has a kind of spell it casts when you know it's significance. I actually like the connection these people have to nature, and Christopher Lee's quotation of Walt Whitman poetry when alluding to it is beautiful. So much so, that it's nearly easy to forget the violent superstition at the heart of what this film is about. Another interesting fact is that Howie's final words in the film come directly to us as a quote from Sir Walter Raleigh just before his execution.

Horror is often hard to classify - The Wicker Man contains little violence, and nothing horribly gory and gruesome happens - except for the "hand of glory", which happens to be one poor woman's severed hand turned into a creepy spell-ridden candle for Howie. Many people miss the fact that this woman is first seen in the library with him, then in a casket with her hand missing, and finally, the hand turns up. There are many small details that you can easily miss in the film, and it surprises me how well the production design has been managed considering how rushed the film's production was. I love small details that take time to pick up on. But in a larger aspect, The Wicker Man is a haunting film full of the kind of atmosphere I love in my films. That atmosphere pervades everything, and comes partly from a great screenplay, partly from the performances, and mostly from what has been brought to bear from those rituals of old. Behind the ideas this film brings forward is a real history many of our ancestors took part in. I very much agree with those who bestow the greatest praise on it, from Eli Roth to Ben Wheatley and Ari Aster, who have used it's inspiration to create the horror that has continued to enliven my cinematic pursuits.

4.5

Easily one of the most interesting and rewarding film-watching experiences I've had. Definitely a must-see!

[Thief]

Twelve Monkeys

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/1200x675/p06gwq70.jpg

Like anything Gilliam the story goes here there and everywhere. It's got those trademark Gilliam camera shots (at least felt very similar to those used in Tideland which I have seen prior) and I'm not really a big fan of those. The film is gritty looking and has some nice looking sequences although it also doesn't wow me. In Sci-Fi films I like it when we have cool world building which this really doesn't have.

Bruce Willis is a tough actor for me to like. I have found most of his performances quite wooden and there's really nothing different in his case here. I feel like he can be substituted and the film could have equal or even greater impact. There's a lot of people behind the performance of Brad Pitt here too but overall I found it to be just ok.

What I did like was the ending which was very climatic and it was cool to see a younger version of the crazy Disturbia neighbor wreaking havoc on the world again. His mini performance may have been my favorite as crazy as it sounds. It was cool to see how it didn't depend on the heroic ending and I like how tense those final scenes were. Probably something that will deserve a rewatch down the line although I won't be in a rush. So a bit unfavorable overall for me but at least I finally got around to it.

2.5+

EXCUSE ME!!??? Don't you mean, Mr. David Morse *scoffs*

[Thief]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=88501

Predestination (2014)
Directed by: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, Noah Taylor

Predestination captured my attention right from its opening shots. They were so purposefully framed that I knew paying attention to small details throughout the film would reveal information that a casual viewer might initially miss. I pieced together almost every aspect of the story's “twists” quite early on, but that didn't negatively affect my enjoyment of the film in any way. Instead, I appreciated how well the film makers laid out the groundwork for those major reveals.

The visual style, atmosphere, and tone of the film all worked really well for me. Even without the aforementioned clues for attentive audiences, I would've praised the film's cinematography. The Unmarried Mother's story was rather compelling, and the performances by Ethan Hawke and Sarah Snook were quite captivating. I'm not sure why, but I keep forgetting how much I like Ethan Hawke as an actor until I see him on screen again.

Based on the posters I saw before hand, and the brief “action thriller” description I had read, I expected a much different film than the thought-provoking drama Predestination delivered. So ultimately, the biggest twist for me was that it wasn't an action film at all, and I'm perfectly happy with that. If I could change anything, I wish I didn't know the film's title before I saw it, as it does remove some of the initial mystery, but that's practically impossible to do these days.





Just watched this myself two nights ago and I have to say I agree with everything you said; down to how the framing in the opening shots immediately caught my attention. I really enjoyed this.

[cricket]

I love Magnolia and it's definitely not because of my faith because I have none. I think it's a great director at the top of his game when he has the cast to match him. Still love Boogie Nights more.

[Citizen Rules]

...a major element of the story is the effect of childhood neglect and the different stages that poor parenting can have on those children throughout their lives... Yeah, I got that...I mean it's pretty clear that the parents screwed up the kids who then grew up to be screwed up adults. As far as Aimee Mann's music, I don't know it, so has no impact on me.

How about that list of epic films? If you post them I'll give the ones I've seen quicky critiques.

[Allaby]

So I did it. I finally watched Once Upon a Time in America (1984). This is a film I had been meaning to watch for a long time. Out of the imdb top 250, I had seen 235 of them and Once Upon a Time in America was the highest rated (at #81) that I had not seen. I even bought the 2 disc blu ray with both the theatrical and director's cut on it a while back. So I'm glad someone nominated it so I could finally force myself to watch it. This is a very well made film. Performances are great from the cast and the film looks really good. Cinematography was excellent and so were the costumes. I liked the score too. I do feel that the film didn't need to be so long. I watched the theatrical cut, which was 3 hours and 49 minutes. They could have actually trimmed it down a little here and there. I don't think it is the best gangster film ever, as it doesn't quite reach the level of The Godfather trilogy or Goodfellas, but definitely a top 10 gangster film. Glad I finally saw Once Upon a Time in America. 4

[cricket]

I've never hated a movie more than I hated Once Upon a Time in America the 1 time I watched it.

[seanc]

Glad you enjoyed Allaby. Looking through your favorites on Letterboxd, I had a feeling it was an easy win. I love it as well but the length has kept that love to one viewing. Maybe I will go for the directors cut next time. I wasn’t sure which I watched but I should have looked at the runtimes yesterday before I answered. I would have known based off that.

[Allaby]

I've never hated a movie more than I hated Once Upon a Time in America the 1 time I watched it.

Can I ask why you hated it? Was it certain content, the length, the subject matter, or something else?

[cricket]

Can I ask why you hated it? Was it certain content, the length, the subject matter, or something else?

It's been a while, but I actually felt offended by it and I watch the worst kind of crap. And not to sound too simple, but I thought it was flat out stupid and silly. And there's nothing I like more than a good gangster film.

[cricket]

I did finish watching (or rewatching) The Player after. There was a stretch near the end that I don't think I saw before, then a scene I clearly had, but then the last 5 minutes seemed completely new again.

I'll wait for cricket and/or the nominator to get back to me about whether or not it's a valid choice before I write anything though. I don't mind having watched it even if it is disqualified, but if it is, I won't be posting a review for it. Gotta save that mental energy haha.

Classic replacement up on 1st page

[Siddon]

Yeah, I got that...I mean it's pretty clear that the parents screwed up the kids who then grew up to be screwed up adults. As far as Aimee Mann's music, I don't know it, so has no impact on me.

How about that list of epic films? If you post them I'll give the ones I've seen quicky critiques.


I feel like when a film is at or near three hours it's an epic. Zodiac is a crime epic, Magnolia is a musical epic, and Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is a war-epic. I can't think of too many films that have runtimes as long as those films that I wouldn't classify as an epic.

[cricket]

People might have their own definitions, but I don't think runtime really has much to do with what an epic is. Most are long because of the scope of the story though.

[Citizen Rules]

I've never hated a movie more than I hated Once Upon a Time in America the 1 time I watched it.I haven't seen that, maybe someone will take a gamble in PR7. You never know I might like it🙂

[Hey Fredrick]

I loved Magnolia the first time I saw it and I still think it's one of the top films of the 90's but I rarely watch it anymore. It's not exactly an uplifting 3 hours. The performances from everybody are insanely good and PT Anderson does a fantastic job balancing all story lines. Not a terribly religious person but I did love the "And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs" ending. That crazy, out of left field stuff is always fun for me. Would never have considered this for CR, however.

12 Monkeys is maybe my favorite Gilliam. That or The Fisher King but that's not saying too much as I'm not a huge fan of Gilliam films. I think they're both good but I don't connect with Gilliam very well. His films always feel longer than they are so...pacing issues. Brad Pitt and Madeline Stowe are really good, the story is very interesting and Bruce, well he actually kind of gets on my nerves a bit in this. Still, I own it and watch it every once in awhile.

[cricket]

I haven't seen that, maybe someone will take a gamble in PR7. You never know I might like it🙂

I HIGHLY doubt it

[Allaby]

I haven't seen that, maybe someone will take a gamble in PR7. You never know I might like it🙂

I would say there is only a 10-15% chance that you would like it.

[Citizen Rules]

I would say there is only a 10-15% chance that you would like it.:eek: Got ya:p

[rauldc14]

So far it's either Fisher King or Tideland. But they were both 3/5

[PHOENIX74]

I've seen an abundance of love for Magnolia here on MoFo - always love and praise, but I've never seen the dark side before - the side of seething finger-pointing detestation, but now I have. I should always figure on there being another side. How do I feel about Magnolia? It's a film I really loved a lot the first time I saw it - and although I've cooled on it a little, I think I watched it one too many times in a short space of time and my familiarity with it made it less enjoyable. Regardless, I still get a lot from the performances, which are special. Philip Seymour Hoffman (miss him) - William H. Macy - Philip Baker Hall - even Tom Cruise, who I'm not a fan of, but can't deny how well he does here. The soundtrack as well, songs from Aimee Mann, is exceptional. Strangely, I've never really connected any religious implication to the connected events - at least not organised religion. The universe is full of patterns, and bizarre happenstance, and is unfathomable. Anyway, did I make the big mistake and nominate Magnolia for Citizen Rules? Maybe. (Ahh, but maybe not!)

I've been meaning to see Once Upon a Time in America for a long time now, and it's actually on my schedule (229 minute version) - I hope I love it, because that's a pretty long movie to hate!

[Citizen Rules]

I've seen an abundance of love for Magnolia here on MoFo - always love and praise, but I've never seen the dark side before - the side of seething finger-pointing detestation, but now I have...Is that a reference to my review of Magnolia? I image it is. If it is a reference to me, what do you mean by finger-pointing?...that sounds somewhat ominous. I thought I should ask for clarification.

[Thursday Next]

I really, really hated this. I've never spent a longer three hours of my life watching such bombastic characters and badly written dialogue. Not everyone, everywhere punctuates every other sentence with F**** but in Magnolia every character spoke the same way and had the same rage dialogue delivered in monologue style. That made it clear to me that only one person was speaking through all of these characters, which then caused me to see everyone in this movie as actors and not the people they were suppose to be portraying. I never once felt anything for anyone. Though I was disappointed that William H. Macy didn't end up killing everyone in the movie.


This is exactly what I don't like about all the PT Anderson movies I don't like.

[CosmicRunaway]

Feels a bit late to still be doing "first impressions" of my films, but since I've got a replacement, I figure I'd might as well write one so it's not the only one left out:

All About Eve (1950)
I've seen a few people mention this film in passing elsewhere on the forum, and I think it came up when The Asphalt Jungle was nominated in another HoF, since Marilyn Monroe is in both. That's about all I know about it, other than the quick basic summary and the stills I just looked at. I'm confident I haven't seen this one before. Then again, nothing about The Player seemed familiar at first glance either haha.

[PHOENIX74]

Is that a reference to my review of Magnolia? I image it is. If it is a reference to me, what do you mean by finger-pointing?...that sounds somewhat ominous. I thought I should ask for clarification.

I had absolutely no problems with your review - I was just searching around for colourful language and unusual phraseology to dress up my comments and make them sound eccentric. If I made it sound like I was accusing you of some impropriety I apologize - I enjoy reading your stuff on MoFo. (The comment wasn't even directly aimed at your review - but at an imagined "dark, other side of the coin" ala Magnolia viewpoints on the boards as a whole.)

[Citizen Rules]

Feels a bit late to still be doing "first impressions" of my films, but since I've got a replacement, I figure I'd might as well write one so it's not the only one left out:

All About Eve (1950)
I've seen a few people mention this film in passing elsewhere on the forum, and I think it came up when The Asphalt Jungle was nominated in another HoF, since Marilyn Monroe is in both. That's about all I know about it, other than the quick basic summary and the stills I just looked at. I'm confident I haven't seen this one before. Then again, nothing about The Player seemed familiar at first glance either haha.Happens to me all the time that I watch a movie and I'm still not sure if I've seen it or not, or maybe even just seen bits of it at one time...I loved The Player myself, did you like it? MM has a very small role in All About Eve, I'll be interested in reading your review.

I had absolutely no problems with your review - I was just searching around for colourful language and unusual phraseology to dress up my comments and make them sound eccentric. If I made it sound like I was accusing you of some impropriety I apologize - I enjoy reading your stuff on MoFo. (The comment wasn't even directly aimed at your review - but at an imagined "dark, other side of the coin" ala Magnolia viewpoints on the boards as a whole.)Cool, I just couldn't wrap my head around what you were meaning by finger-pointing so thought it best to just ask and find out. No worries I just wasn't sure what you meant.:)

[CosmicRunaway]

I loved The Player myself, did you like it?
Yeah, it was quite good. Great satire on the film industry, with a lot of interesting camera work, and not to mention that impressive single shot at the start.

I was very distracted by Cynthia Stevenson whenever she was on screen though, because I couldn't remember what show she played the main character's mom on, and it was driving me crazy. I didn't want to look it up, but I had to afterwards. It was Dead Like Me, if anyone was curious.

[edarsenal]

I watched The Lion in Winter (1968) today. Directed by Anthony Harvey, the film has a good cast including Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, and Timothy Dalton. It was nominated for 7 Oscars, winning 3. As expected with a cast like this, performances are very good. Hepburn and O'Toole are the two standouts for me. Costumes and set design were well done. My main issue with the film is that I didn't find the story very interesting. The film is 2 hours and 14 minutes and drags on at times. There are some good moments, but overall it feels too long and is not as compelling as it should be. The Lion in Winter is not a bad film, but maybe with a different director it could have been a truly great film. My guess would be that Edarsenal nominated it for me. 3
And YUP!!
Huge, HUGE fan of this film. O'Toole and Hepburn are excellent together. Yeah, it does drag in parts with, for me, a more theatrical presentation than cinematic, and I could see how another Director could make something visually compelling. Still, love it all the same, lol.

Speaking of visually compelling, I had the distinct pleasure of having Black Narcisuss nominated for me in the First PR HoF, and I do believe I paid it forward in a later one.
Completely agree about Kathleen Byron (Sister Ruth) is quintessentially haunting as she dives into the erotic fervor of the locale with abandon.
https://66.media.tumblr.com/d8232ccc8a4860e29cbf6f8f1f34958d/tumblr_myzremLlKo1ql2w65o6_250.gifv

A truly gorgeous film.

And sorry to hear that Raise the Red Lantern didn't work for you, Allaby. It's been a while since I saw this in the Second Chance HoF, where it won first place. The symmetry of Asian films continually amazes and enamors me, and RTRL did exactly that for me. When it came to the four wives and the various outlooks on the "game" of securing the No. 1 spot, I found it refreshing that the No. 4 was no naive waif or cared for the "game" at all. Also, having the husband being a more vague character that we don't even see his face was a very good touch and kept the focus on the women and their interaction.

I've always loved and continue to love 12 Monkeys.

I've only once seen Once Upon a Time in America , and it will stay that way. And this comes from a gangster fanboy. Visually, very well done but I felt lost the entire time, and quite frankly, the rape scene ruins any chance I'll watch it again.

Have not seen A Man and a Woman or Magnolia.

[CosmicRunaway]

I've watched All About Eve now as well. It's probably too late to write anything about it tonight, but I should have plenty of time tomorrow.

I just have The Best Years of Our Lives left then, which I've intentionally left for last due to its runtime. Hopefully I can get to it tomorrow evening or Sunday, because it's a little too long to watch all of it at once during the work week. Over the years I've started caring less and less about being able to watch films in a single sitting, but I always like to have the option in case it's especially engaging.

[edarsenal]

I've gotten into the habit of catching a film over a few days, even for 90 min plus lol
So totally feel ya, my dear.

[SpelingError]

I've watched All About Eve now as well. It's probably too late to write anything about it tonight, but I should have plenty of time tomorrow.

I just have The Best Years of Our Lives left then, which I've intentionally left for last due to its runtime. Hopefully I can get to it tomorrow evening or Sunday, because it's a little too long to watch all of it at once during the work week. Over the years I've started caring less and less about being able to watch films in a single sitting, but I always like to have the option in case it's especially engaging.

Both terrific films. Curious what you'll think of them.

[Citizen Rules]

I've watched All About Eve now as well. It's probably too late to write anything about it tonight, but I should have plenty of time tomorrow.

I just have The Best Years of Our Lives left then, which I've intentionally left for last due to its runtime. Hopefully I can get to it tomorrow evening or Sunday, because it's a little too long to watch all of it at once during the work week. Over the years I've started caring less and less about being able to watch films in a single sitting, but I always like to have the option in case it's especially engaging. Nothing wrong with breaking up a long film and watching it on different days. I did that with Robot. With Magnolia I was planning on watching half and then the other half the next night, but I was hating it so much that I didn't want to spend yet another evening with it so I muscled through it and finished it in one long watch. I think you might like The Best Years of Our Lives, maybe even the time will fly.

[Wyldesyde19]

Going to start up The Lives of Others tonight.

[edarsenal]

https://i.makeagif.com/media/6-16-2018/Erfa8s.gif
http://i.imgur.com/vjPiA.png
https://cdn2.highdefdigest.com/media/2021/04/13/660/101860/Secrets--Lies-Timothy-Spall-Brenda-Blethyn-2.jpg


Secrets and Lies (1996)

Monica Purley: Can't miss what you never had!
Maurice Purley: Can't you?

Have you ever had a movie COMPLETELY turn around on you in a great way? From one of dread to engagement to endearment?
Such was my voyage with this Mike Leigh film.
I thought at the start of this film that I had only seen Naked. Forgetting that I had also seen and loved Turner with Topsy-Turvy on its second year of Jab's Film Challenge, and I'm dying to and never seem to watch.
So, in the first twenty minutes of introduction of genuinely truly miserable, mis-er-a-ble, beaten down people, trying to hold on to one another. Recognizing the fragmented denizens and the slowly draining light of one or two individuals they cling to, similar to Naked, I thought that would be all there would be.
I paused.
Gleened the other two films and dove back into the waters.
And swam.

Unfolding in a Real-Life Soap Opera setting, I went into this completely blind, and it was the ideal way to go as the Secrets and the fallible attempts to keep them, or as we like to call them, lies come gushing out. The truth of one specific secret that, to my delight, is embraced, triggers a cathartic reaction in the stunted, battered emotional train wreck of familial connections that swept me away, unknowingly.

A tightly woven storyline, it clipped along with the passing away of Hortense's (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) adoptive mother, she locates and meets her biological mum, Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn). MY GOD, can this woman unleash such emotional abandon! And I mean that in the highest of praise.

There was an intriguing side bit involving Cynthia's brother, Maurice (Timothy Spall), a Portrait and Wedding Photographer, and several people getting their portraits done. The snapping of the camera reveals so much in such minuscule time frames. Very impressive.

My aforementioned endearment continues to bloom since watching this last weekend and writing this five days later.

THANK YOU to whoever nominated this for me.

[SpelingError]

https://i.makeagif.com/media/6-16-2018/Erfa8s.gif
http://i.imgur.com/vjPiA.png
https://cdn2.highdefdigest.com/media/2021/04/13/660/101860/Secrets--Lies-Timothy-Spall-Brenda-Blethyn-2.jpg


Secrets and Lies (1996)

Monica Purley: Can't miss what you never had!
Maurice Purley: Can't you?

Have you ever had a movie COMPLETELY turn around on you in a great way? From one of dread to engagement to endearment?
Such was my voyage with this Mike Leigh film.
I thought at the start of this film that I had only seen Naked. Forgetting that I had also seen and loved Turner with Topsy-Turvy on its second year of Jab's Film Challenge, and I'm dying to and never seem to watch.
So, in the first twenty minutes of introduction of genuinely truly miserable, mis-er-a-ble, beaten down people, trying to hold on to one another. Recognizing the fragmented denizens and the slowly draining light of one or two individuals they cling to, similar to Naked, I thought that would be all there would be.
I paused.
Gleened the other two films and dove back into the waters.
And swam.

Unfolding in a Real-Life Soap Opera setting, I went into this completely blind, and it was the ideal way to go as the Secrets and the fallible attempts to keep them, or as we like to call them, lies come gushing out. The truth of one specific secret that, to my delight, is embraced, triggers a cathartic reaction in the stunted, battered emotional train wreck of familial connections that swept me away, unknowingly.

A tightly woven storyline, it clipped along with the passing away of Hortense's (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) adoptive mother, she locates and meets her biological mum, Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn). MY GOD, can this woman unleash such emotional abandon! And I mean that in the highest of praise.

There was an intriguing side bit involving Cynthia's brother, Maurice (Timothy Spall), a Portrait and Wedding Photographer, and several people getting their portraits done. The snapping of the camera reveals so much in such minuscule time frames. Very impressive.

My aforementioned endearment continues to bloom since watching this last weekend and writing this five days later.

THANK YOU to whoever nominated this for me.

That's a very good one. Glad you enjoyed it!