30th Hall of Fame

[SpelingError]

Best use of the direct edit of any movie.

You're referring to the match scene in the opening, I assume.

Overall, I'm a big fan of David Lean and a few of his films are among my favorite films of their respective decade. Also, The Bridge on the River Kwai is among my all-time favorites. It's been some time since I've seen this one, but I remember it blowing me away when I watched it and I'm curious how well it will hold up for me.

[beelzebubble]

I am going to have to conjure up from memory my thoughts on these movies, because I do not want to keep you all waiting.
Dog Day Afternoon
Dog Day Afternoon is a wild ride. Pacino is on fire as Sonny. Every one is there to support him. John Cazale’s brooding and not too bright Sal is the perfect foil to Pacino. You definitely wonder whether poor Sal is coming out this situation alive, though I can’t remember when I realized that. Sonny is “a character” to end all characters. There is a documentary about him and he is just as wild as Pacino portrays him. The documentary I saw was The Dog, but two others were made as well. I highly recommend the documentary also. It would make a great double feature with Dog Day Afternoon. The entire film is madness and the tension madness causes. The madness in the bank, the madness on the street and the madness of Sonny’s life are all on display. It is a great movie.
Ship of Fools
It is full of star turns and multiple stories reflecting on the situation in Europe of the Thirties particularly Germany, but it doesn’t quite hang together for me. I have read disparaging things about Lee Marvin’s and Vivian Leigh’s performances but I can’t find fault in them. In fact, Lee Marvin won an Academy Award for his performance. Most memorable to me were of course Lee Marvin as the rough American character (I don’t remember much at all except that he was the antithesis of the Europeans), Vivian Leigh as the fading beauty, Oscar Werner as the ailing ship’s doctor, and Michael Dunn as a kind of Greek chorus (he was also up for an Academy Award, and anyone growing up in Sixties USA remembers him for his many wonderful television roles.) It tends to get better for me every time I see it but it is still not at the top for me.
Ida
Beautifully filmed in black and white, it is the story of a Polish novice who travels to meet a long lost relative, her aunt. It turns out that Ida is Jewish and was hidden in plain sight by a farmer. I am not too clear on the plot. I mostly remember the aunt being an impressive person. I think she was a judge or magistrate. The film was mostly about the loss of their family, one that Ida did not know and that the aunt knew all too well. The thing that stayed with me is the aunt’s suicide, leaving her apartment to Ida thus giving Ida a choice as to whether she wants to continue in the convent or taste some more of the world. We never know what her decision is.
An Autumn Afternoon
I’m sorry but I found this to be very boring. I’m not against slow moving, slice of life movies but this one never grabbed me. The women all look miserable except for the one who isn’t married. So, let’s fix that and marry her off! I liked the way it was shot as if it was a play or an industrial landscape by Charles Demuth. I wondered how it was filmed. The picture is square and looks as if it would fit quite well on an old television screen. (Those of us of a certain age remember watching films being squished into the appropriate size to be seen on TV or the pan and scan methodology. Thanks goodness for oblong TVs.) But it was in color which, as far as I know, wasn’t available yet on TV and was theatrically released. If anybody knows anything about that let me know?
The Uninvited
This is another film that gets better each time I see it. I like Ray Miland. He lived a long life and I remember seeing cheesy horror films that he was in during the Sixties and Seventies as an elderly man. The Frogs and another whacked out movie with Rosey Grier in which he and Rosey played a two headed man come immediately to mind. One of the heads is that of a black man and the other is a loudmouth angry. Oh my goodness, I couldn’t find the name of the movie on Ray Milland’s IMDb page. I had to look on Rosey Grier’s page to find The Thing with Two Heads. We can only speculate why this is so. Interesting thing about both these movies is they address big concerns, environmental devastation and racisim. But back to the Uninvited, which is actually quite scary. At least we, the audience are afraid for the safety of the young woman who is target by the ghost. I don’t remember it clearly but I do remember liking it and have seen it a couple of times. It’s pretty good, if not great.

[Citizen Rules]

You're referring to the match scene in the opening, I assume.

Overall, I'm a big fan of David Lean and a few of his films are among my favorite films of their respective decade. Also, The Bridge on the River Kwai is among my all-time favorites. It's been some time since I've seen this one, but I remember it blowing me away when I watched it and I'm curious how well it will hold up for me.Yup, the match scene towards the opening. The first time I seen that direct edit from match to the sun over the desert I was speechless! I must have went back and rewatched that scene three more times. I was just getting into film and had not seen anything quite like it. There's also another direct editing sometime later on in the movie but I don't remember exactly where it was.

[Citizen Rules]

... I had to look on Rosey Grier’s page to find The Thing with Two Heads. We can only speculate why this is so. Interesting thing about both these movies is they address big concerns, environmental devastation and racisim...I remember that movie from when I was a kid. I keep telling my wife about it too, but I didn't even remember the name of the movie until I read your post. One of these days I'm going to watch it!

[beelzebubble]

I remember that movie from when I was a kid. I keep telling my wife about it too, but I didn't even remember the name of the movie until I read your post. One of these days I'm going to watch it!
Maybe it will be nominated for a Hall Of Infamy. :laugh::laugh::laugh:

[Citizen Rules]

Maybe it will be nominated for a Hall Of Infamy. :laugh::laugh::laugh:It can't be that bad can it?:D

[beelzebubble]

It can't be that bad can it?:D
It's pretty bad.

[Citizen Rules]

...An Autumn Afternoon
... I wondered how it was filmed. The picture is square and looks as if it would fit quite well on an old television screen. (Those of us of a certain age remember watching films being squished into the appropriate size to be seen on TV or the pan and scan methodology. Thanks goodness for oblong TVs.) But it was in color which, as far as I know, wasn’t available yet on TV and was theatrically released. If anybody knows anything about that let me know?...It's was shot in Academy ratio of 1.375:1 which was standardized and used in Hollywood for many but not all pictures in the mid 20th century. By the 1950s widescreen formats were often used for higher budget films. Ida is also shot in 1.375:1 ratio. I image the director of Ida wanted to give the film an authentic early 1960s look.

[Allaby]

I had been wanting to see The Uninvited for a while now,so since it was nominated for this hall I decided to order the Criterion blu ray. I picked it up today and watched it. I enjoyed this. Directed by Lewis Allen, the film stars Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey as siblings who purchase a house that may be haunted. I thought the main performances were effective. The characters were fairly interesting and I was curious to see where the story went. It loses a little steam towards the end and the resolution of the mystery isn't completely satisfactory, but it is still a worthwhile journey. The cinematography is beautiful. The film has a romantic gothic atmosphere that works well. Production and set design are wonderful. The score is very good too. I'm glad I finally watched this and am happy to have it in my Criterion Collection. 3.5

[Allaby]

I rewatched Ida today. I first saw the film on my 36th birthday. I had heard a lot of great things about it and my expectations were high. I was somewhat underwhelmed after my initial viewing. My initial review was "Beautiful cinematography and well acted but a little slow and not as interesting as I would have hoped." On the second viewing, my feelings are more or less the same. The cinematography is beautiful and really well done. To me, that is the strongest element of the film. Performances are fine, but no one really impressed me. I wasn't blown away by the acting or by the story. I didn't find the film interesting or engaging and it was a little slow at times. I know a lot of people love this film, but it just doesn't do much for me. The only other film I have seen by this director is My Summer of Love, which also didn't do much for me. I've been meaning to watch Cold War for a while now, but still haven't gotten around to it even though I own the Criterion blu ray. I can appreciate why others love Ida, but it still failed to impress me, despite beautiful cinematography and fine performances. 3.5

[Allaby]

I rewatched Lawrence of Arabia today. Directed by legendary filmmaker David Lean, the film has a fantastic cast including Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Omar Sharif Jack Hawkins, Claude Rains and José Ferrer. It won 7 Academy Awards, including best picture and best director. This is truly an epic film, in every sense of the word. It is big, sweeping, grand, and ambitious. The film is masterfully directed and technically exceptional on all levels. The cinematography is gorgeous. The film looks incredible. Costumes, set design and production design are all top notch. The score is beautiful, memorable, and effective. Peter O'Toole gives a commanding, nearly flawless performance and the rest of the cast are great too. My only slight quibble is that I don't feel the film really needed to be as long as it is. Not everything feels completely necessary to me and it could have been just a touch shorter. I know a lot of people feel the film is perfect and I respect that, but it is not quite there for me. It's pretty close to it though. I've seen 9 films directed by David Lean and I consider Lawrence of Arabia his best work. 4.5

[Thief]

I've been really busy with a lot of personal and podcasting stuff, but now that January ended, I have plans to barrel through some of these. Sorry. I've enjoyed reading the reviews, though.

[jiraffejustin]

Dog Day Afternoon

Classic film. Great directing. Great story. Great performances. I don't have anything to add to the conversation with this one as it's, to me, one of those films that just belongs in the canon. It's my favorite Pacino performance, a more nuanced performance than I think we get out of him in other films. He gets all the little details down and obviously we know he can do the big and loud scenes. The pacing of the film is perfect, we get were we need to go when we need to get there. It's already in the canon, let's keep it there. If it wins this hall of fame, I'd be just fine with that.

[SpelingError]

I'll try to have my next review out by tomorrow.

[beelzebubble]

I rewatched Lawrence of Arabia today. My only slight quibble is that I don't feel the film really needed to be as long as it is. Not everything feels completely necessary to me and it could have been just a touch shorter. I know a lot of people feel the film is perfect and I respect that, but it is not quite there for me. It's pretty close to it though.


:furious::furious::furious::furious::furious: WRONG!!!!
Now that i have cleared that up. Does anyone know where one may get a hold of To Live and Die In LA. It is not on streaming anywhere.

[SpelingError]

:furious::furious::furious::furious::furious: WRONG!!!!
Now that i have cleared that up. Does anyone know where one may get a hold of To Live and Die In LA. It is not on streaming anywhere.

Sent!

[SpelingError]

Lawrence of Arabia (1962) - 4.5

This is the film I was most looking forward to revisiting. It's the kind of film where there's not much I can say about its greatness that hasn't already been said, but since I read about some controversy about the apparent white savior elements of the film, I figured I'd respond to them. First things first, I don't have an issue with the white savior trope as long as the people the white person is helping aren't depicted as dumb or incompetent, and I'd say this film accomplishes that just fine. However, to dismiss Lawrence as a white savior is an inaccurate reading of his character. Instead of being portrayed as a hero, Lawrence is instead shown to be naïve for thinking he can save the Arabic people from the Turkish army and from British colonization. The film also makes a point to nullify many of Lawrence's significant accomplishments. For instance, acting as a father figure for Daud and Farraj is countered by how they both die in his company, his rescue of Gasim is countered when he's forced to execute him shortly afterwards, his decision to blow up the Ottoman railways is countered by how he's forced to execute one of his only remaining friends, his ambush of a group of retreating Turkish soldiers is countered by how he leads to the massacre of numerous surrendering soldiers and later regrets it, and his victory in capturing Damascus is countered by how they lose the city to British rule. Most importantly though, all his accomplishments in the film are countered by how they help pave way for British colonization. Given all that, it's clear Lawrence is actually presented as a modern Icarus rather than a hero. Calling this a white savior film because of Lawrence's success against the Turkish army misses the entire point. With that being said, The Bridge on the River Kwai is still my favorite David Lean film, mainly because the character dynamics and the final act in that film resonated with me more. If there's one area this film outshines the other one in though, it's the cinematography. In addition to having some terrific shots, like the iconic match scene and Ali's introduction, the numerous landscape views of the desert look incredible. Seemingly stretching out for miles and miles, they're at once beautiful and foreboding to look at. Overall, while I don't think this film will ever rise to favorite status, it's still great and I'm glad I was finally able to rewatch it.

Next Up: Ship of Fools

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/Zqyc8Wf4/autumn-afternoon.jpg

An Autumn Afternoon (Sanma no aji) - 1962

Directed by Yasujirô Ozu

Written by Yasujirô Ozu & Kôgo Noda

Starring Chishū Ryū, Shima Iwashita, Keiji Sada & Mariko Okada

The camera peeks up from only a foot or two off the floor, and it never moves. Characters shuffle around corridors, and establishing shots playfully misdirect the audience. If you don't know already that you're watching an Ozu movie, the familiar story will - marriage and family, youth and old age. This was Yasujirô Ozu's last film before his death, and only one of two he made that was in colour as opposed to black and white. I've been a big fan of what I've seen so far of his films, but I have to admit to being a little surprised by how similar this one is to Late Spring - it's so similar that many reviewers put it into the "remake" column. It's so difficult to judge the film by itself in that respect, because if I'd seen this before watching his other films I'd be raving, so I'll try hard to not base my thoughts on that familiarity. Instead, I'll focus on what Ozu himself might have wanted me to be focusing on - the emotional core, and the rare chance the director got to play around with colour, which he handled with the aplomb of someone who had been making colour films ever since he started his career.

Shūhei Hirayama (Chishū Ryū) is an older type guy who works in an office, and who was once a naval officer during the Second World War. He lost his wife during those war years, and lives with his younger son and daughter, Michiko (Shima Iwashita), who looks after him. His workmates are of the opinion that he should let his daughter get married instead of keeping her around taking care of him, even though his wife is gone. As if to illustrate why, Shūhei's old teacher, Sakuma (Eijirō Tōno) laments that he kept his daughter from marrying, and now she suffers a lonely fate as she's too old and still takes care of the elderly man. In the meantime, Shūhei meets Yoshitarō Sakamoto (Daisuke Katō) who was once a Petty Officer on a ship which he served on. Yoshitarō takes Shūhei to a bar where the latter meets a woman who reminds him of his wife. He decides that it is indeed time his daughter got married, and that he took more responsibility as far as looking after himself is concerned. In the meantime, Shūhei's older son Kōichi (Keiji Sada) struggles to find a balance between being financially responsible and enjoying life when he seeks to buy some expensive golf clubs.

When you zero in on the emotional stakes in the story, and where our attention is directed, you can see one clear and major difference this film has to Late Spring. In that film, we're more concerned with how the daughter is faring feelings-wise, and with this film it's the father. The daughter isn't paid much attention or given much film time, and we stick with the father throughout - right to the end when we get to one of Yasujirô Ozu's patented bitter-sweet and sorrowful endings. In this, the father has held onto his daughter for too long, or at least he feels that way. When he suddenly decides to "marry her off" (an expression I really hate) he's not at all prepared for the experience, and he likens the wedding to a funeral. After the wedding we spend some time in what feels like a deserted and empty house - bereft of life, love, and full of darkness and shadows. In one lonely corner of the house, Shūhei Hirayama cries. The difference for me personally with this ending is that Japanese men are so stoic - I feel something, but it still pales beside the utter sorrow I felt at the end of Late Spring.

Ozu had his usual cinematographer on this film, Yûharu Atsuta, with whom he had made many of his most famous films. The visual style is interesting - there's several visual motifs, one which insists on the repetition of red and white - a favourite Japanese combination - which we see over and over again. The shots from low angle (nearly the ground) are an expected style, and often the shots are framed in very exacting ways - there's little that's natural, and a lot of tight geometric spaces are balanced. Everything feels very exactly timed, like clockwork, and even bottles and bowls take up absolutely precise spaces. It all reinforces that cultural gap that I have with Japan and the Japanese, where my table layout in comparison could be considered the aftermath of some disaster compared to the inch-perfect sake bottles, and noodle dishes. I love the way we're teased sometimes when scenes shift, and we're never quite sure where we're off to when new establishing shots give us few indications where we're going but very specific items to look at. Ozu's film language is very much his own, and has rarely, if ever, been imitated.

The composer for An Autumn Afternoon's score was someone who had arrived on the scene in time for Ozu's Tokyo Story, and here delivers a typically wistful strain of light melodic daydreaming. Takanobu Saitô also made his name by being lucky enough to be associated with this Japanese filmmaker. It's as fitting as a score could possibly be, and is taken into account along with everything else when I judge this movie as it's own entity. It can sound like I'm harping on a film I dislike when I compare this to Late Spring, but really it's just a shade different but made with all of the exacting quality that all of Ozu's films seem to be - and I enjoyed listening to this film as much as I enjoyed watching it. Funnily enough if I wasn't familiar with it, and someone had put a blindfold on me I'd say I was definitely listening to something French, with the violins and the way it sounds anything but Japanese and exactly like French music. I'm sure the French appreciated this because towards the end of Ozu's career his stuff really started taking off in France.

There was a mix of old and new at Shochiku studios where production designers and costumers were concerned, where a panic was on due to a sudden steep decline in cinema patrons going out to see movies over the past three to four years, and cost-cutting measures were in effect. Ozu had the same editor, Yoshiyasu Hamamura, putting his film together so all the the main elements were part of a steady and consistent line for him. The director died on his 60th birthday, seeming to keep even that along strictly exacting guidelines, but it's unlikely that he knew that this film would be his last. It gladdens me to know that it's a celebrated part of his library all the same, and not some last gasp from a fading artist losing control of his fine judgement. I enjoy watching it, and it's definitely something I intend to watch again at some stage - perhaps as part of an Ozu marathon when I have a few more of his films under my belt and perhaps a biography to boot. He seems to be an essential component of cinema itself.

An Autumn Afternoon was my third Ozu film, and as such I was wise to his methods. Otherwise I would have been like I was in the past watching his films - impatient, and not realising that these films are concerned with the small details, the building emotions in all of the players and how that pays off as a whole when we reach the end of a poetic journey. At first these films astound in just how prosaic, slow and measured they are as we work our way forward scene by scene. There's repetition (repetition within repetition when you consider his films as a whole repeated as he went along) just like in poetry, and sometimes the lyricism is lost on us, because what Ozu shows us is a modern Japan full of offices, houses, streets, buildings - all functional and geometric. It's the last place we'd look for the beautiful and the lyrical, but Ozu is showing us where the beauty still sits at the center of the Japanese family. Often it doesn't dawn on us until the very last scene - and then we need to see the film again.

Lastly, to Chishû Ryû, who has played the same part in every Yasujirô Ozu film I've watched so far - this seemed to have been the biggest challenge out of all of them. It was his turn to have his character's heart broken, and he can't rely on histrionics or tantrums to get through to us the myriad things he's feeling. He has to do that in the most subtle of ways, and I suppose you don't get nearly 300 credits to your name if you don't possess some etherical acting ability and attract one of the titans of the industry, becoming part of that family which sadly met it's end after this film was released. I wonder if anyone has thought about making a fictional representation of what it was like for the various members of Ozu's family of filmmakers after he departed and they realised that they'd made their last film together - whether there was any Ozu-like stoic drama associated with one last get-together to say farewell to that rarified air. It would have been just like the end of An Autumn Afternoon - a darkened film studio, where all is quiet except for one actor remaining behind to shed that very last tear with dignity and the bitter-sweet memories of a wonderful past.

4.5

[edarsenal]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gGY4kUfwnwk/Ug9-6FV6KBI/AAAAAAAAIvQ/pVwK4tD-EMs/s1600/frameimage.jpg
https://images.immediate.co.uk/remote/images.atlas.metabroadcast.com/api.pressassociation.com/content/f56d01b7-6ab5-5c2c-99e9-24565664ac5e.jpg?quality=90&resize=556,313
https://64.media.tumblr.com/f6d3e8dc185be67ea2a75469d451a9ff/tumblr_niuaq9FG1x1qdj2qoo2_500.gifv


Ship of Fools (1965)
Glocken: One of the saddest things in the world must be to see two people who feel so much for each other and who feel that they belong together and, yet, they really don't belong together at all.

My initial interest, MyGirl! Simone Signoret and what would be one of oh so many reasons for my appreciation to rise and rise for this ensemble cast on a 26-day ship voyage in 1933 from Veracruz, Mexico, to Bremerhaven, Germany. The tagline's description of EXPLORER, MISTRESS, VAGRANT, LOAFER, ARTIST, TRAMP ... THEY ARE ALL AT THE CAPTAIN'S TABLE! Setting the bar for both the ship's officers and the guests. Along with 600 Spanish workers picked up in Cuba, stuffed like cattle on a separate, lower section of the deck.
Along with Simone's La Condesa, playing the Ship Docter with such a genuinely subtle mastery is Oskar Werner. Quite the captivating performance to the point that on this second rewatch, along with the others, his screen time with My Girl! struck the most profound chord for me. While on the opposite end of pure dark amusement were the Spanish dancers who cheered one another in performance but were continually at one another's throats when seen about the ship.
Sharing equal time to explore their characters entirely are Lee Marvin's wreckless, ill-tempered, belligerent drunk veneer attempting to hide the fractured soul beneath. Vivian Leigh, a lady of cynical memes of hard-earned wisdom named Mrs. Treadwell. Along with George Segal, the emotionally lost artist. José Ferrer, whom I so RARELY see beyond my countless rewatches of Cyrano de Bergerac, playing a Nationalist German.
ANNND those always delightful surprises of beloved characters from a favorite show appearing in a film. Mine was Michael Dunn --
https://www.dvdizzy.com/images/s/shipoffools-03.jpg
from guest appearances on the Original Star Trek and notably on Wild, Wild West as the iconic arch-villain Dr. Miguelito Loveless. Our opening and closing host and participant of this cruise. My second viewing endeared me to his subtle layers.
The second surprise was Colonel Klink from Hogan's Heroes Werner Klemperer --
https://resizing.flixster.com/7ZZPbG3vzS4bWYhJVw22lrgoErA=/300x300/v2/https://flxt.tmsimg.com/assets/p3186_i_h10_ac.jpg
as a lower officer on the ship making moves on a disinterested Vivian Leigh. Showing a more dramatic turn than the comedic foil I have seen him as.

Each character, every personal story of inner turmoil, and vented passion is beautifully interwoven with an orchestration that is so sublime; there is never a bump or awkward shift; we glide through each variance of emotion and the actions that illuminate and, at times, ignite them with equally regarded and engaging supporting characters. This is visually enhanced by a well-earned Oscar for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White by Ernest Laszlo. (F@ckin BRAVO, sir).
I must also express a love for the poignant dialogue on this twenty-six-day cruise. A fitting locale for strangers to express deep-rooted emotions and inner flaws that we forever fumble with those closest to us—so many excellent lines and debates throughout to list.
With so many incredible films that I rarely revisit, I am delighted I got to with this one.

[Thief]

Just started Dead Man's Letters. I also have a pending review from The Uninvited.

[rauldc14]

:furious::furious::furious::furious::furious: WRONG!!!!
Now that i have cleared that up. Does anyone know where one may get a hold of To Live and Die In LA. It is not on streaming anywhere.

I can't find it either if someone can help me. Thanks

[SpelingError]

I can't find it either if someone can help me. Thanks

Sent!

[rauldc14]

To Live and Die in L.A.

https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/b2r9syo_IpDPtnRUTRzGPw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTg1MztoPTQ4MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en-us/homerun/deadline.com/79dde39543ff6b48b34b29523f4d29c9

I feel like this is another of those films that probably just works better for a viewer if you saw it back then, because it feels a bit outdated. Not from a visual standpoint though, I thought the L.A. backdrop looked really cool and the film looked quite crisp and vibrant for an 80s film. But I feel the story is just overall dated. There are certain scenes that I thought were really well filmed. I liked how they filmed the Dafoe in the kitchen scene with the guy with the gun in the hallway. Stuff like that really works for me from a filming standpoint. Like others have said though a lot of the characters other than Dafoe come off flat and that unfortunately kills my enjoyment of the film overall. It's not anything bad but it's just nothing groundbreaking either.

3

[Citizen Rules]

1 month to go until the deadline, March 7th. I'm not planning on extending the deadline. So if you can't make it now is a good time to let us know.

@Allaby (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=110465) 10/11
@beelzebubble (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=109178) 8/11
@SpelingError (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=91134) 7/11
@Phoenix (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=65447) 6/11
@rauldc14 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=60169) 6/11
@Siddon (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=95448) 6/11
@edarsenal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=50536) 3/11
@jiraffejustin (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=76459) 3/11
@MovieGal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=80538) 2/11
@Thief (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=109353) 2/11

[rauldc14]

1 month to go until the deadline, March 7th. I'm not planning on extending the deadline. So if you can't make it now is a good time to let us know.

@Allaby (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=110465) 10/11
@beelzebubble (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=109178) 8/11
@SpelingError (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=91134) 7/11
@Phoenix (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=65447) 6/11
@rauldc14 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=60169) 6/11
@Siddon (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=95448) 6/11
@edarsenal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=50536) 3/11
@jiraffejustin (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=76459) 3/11
@MovieGal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=80538) 2/11
@Thief (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=109353) 2/11

I'll try my damnedest to see Arabia before then. That will be my biggest challenge of the lot. I'm assuming I won't have to see The Uninvited since Moviegal won't finish by then.

[Citizen Rules]

I'll try my damnedest to see Arabia before then. That will be my biggest challenge of the lot. I'm assuming I won't have to see The Uninvited since Moviegal won't finish by then.Of course if you've seen Lawrence of Arabia you don't have to rewatch it, but if you haven't seen it it's well worth watching.

As far as Moviegal's nom The Uninvited all I can say is MG told me twice that she was still in, that was some time ago. She hasn't been on the board for 2 weeks. The Uninvited is optional to watch per the rules. If we don't hear from MG in 2 weeks from now it will have to be removed. Good movie though.

[rauldc14]

Of course if you've seen Lawrence of Arabia you don't have to rewatch it, but if you haven't seen it it's well worth watching.

As far as Moviegal's nom The Uninvited all I can say is MG told me twice that she was still in, that was some time ago. She hasn't been on the board for 2 weeks. The Uninvited is optional to watch per the rules. If we don't hear from MG in 2 weeks from now it will have to be removed. Good movie though.

It's been so damn long I couldn't properly rate it

[Citizen Rules]

It's been so damn long I couldn't properly rate itI see. Funny thing for me is that if I watch a film at the start of an HOF by the end I can't remember it:p So I started keeping the noms in a text file and ordered my list as I watched each one of them. If I had to make my ballot list right now it would be tough.

[SpelingError]

I should finish in time.

[Thief]

1 month to go until the deadline, March 7th. I'm not planning on extending the deadline. So if you can't make it now is a good time to let us know.

@Allaby (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=110465) 10/11
@beelzebubble (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=109178) 8/11
@SpelingError (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=91134) 7/11
@Phoenix (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=65447) 6/11
@rauldc14 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=60169) 6/11
@Siddon (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=95448) 6/11
@edarsenal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=50536) 3/11
@jiraffejustin (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=76459) 3/11
@MovieGal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=80538) 2/11
@Thief (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=109353) 2/11

I'm already at 4/11. Need to catch up with reviews, but I think I can make it.

[Citizen Rules]

I'm already at 4/11. Need to catch up with reviews, but I think I can make it.:up: good to know.

[Thief]

If need be, I've seen Lawrence of Arabia and Candyman fairly recently, that I might be able to write something up without rewatching them... but I think I want to rewatch them anyway. I'll just leave them for the end, just in case.

[edarsenal]

I'll finish.
Very much appreciate the reminder, THANKS CR

[Citizen Rules]

As always if someone has seen a nom before and can remember it good enough to rank it on their ballot, then they don't have to rewatch it.

[rauldc14]

As always if someone has seen a nom before and can remember it good enough to rank it on their ballot, then they don't have to rewatch it.

Yeah but that's not fun. I like to go all out :).

I've technically seen the last 5 I need to watch already, but I'll watch them all again still.

Watching An Autumn Afternoon today.

[Citizen Rules]

Yeah but that's not fun. I like to go all out :).

I've technically seen the last 5 I need to watch already, but I'll watch them all again still.

Watching An Autumn Afternoon today.:up: You're a trooper! and watch them all. I try to do that too. I'd seen 6 of the noms in this HoF but rewatched them all and I'm glad I did as they were worth a rewatch.

I usually try to nominate something that I want to revisit but haven't seen in sometime which is funner for me that way.

[rauldc14]

:up: You're a trooper! and watch them all. I try to do that too. I'd seen 6 of the noms in this HoF but rewatched them all and I'm glad I did as they were worth a rewatch.

I usually try to nominate something that I want to revisit but haven't seen in sometime which is funner for me that way.

Yeah I'm the same. I haven't seen An Autumn Afternoon in over 7 years.

My next nomination for the 31st I haven't seen in I believe over 5 years too.

[Citizen Rules]

Yeah I'm the same. I haven't seen An Autumn Afternoon in over 7 years.

My next nomination for the 31st I haven't seen in I believe over 5 years too.Good nom, I loved An Autumn Afternoon. There's 5 noms that I'd be happy if they won. The rest were pretty damn good too. Though I can guess which one will be last:eek:

I'm still flip flopping on my nom for the 31st.

[SpelingError]

I'll have my next review out by tomorrow.

[Citizen Rules]

I'll have my next review out by tomorrow.:up:

[rauldc14]

An Autumn Afternoon

https://assets.mubicdn.net/images/film/784/image-w1280.jpg?1623345959

What a way to go out for Ozu. This is probably his best looking film, which makes sense because it was his last. The themes to a lot of his films are the same but I never really considered that a bad thing and this could be one of his better directed films here. The acting is on point and feels rather genuine. The story is a simple one yet seems to evoke a lot of emotion from me. Very well shot film in my book and the pacing is splendid. So yeah, watching this is just an overview to how much Ozu rocks for me.

4

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/T1tfzh69/dead-mans-letters.jpg

Dead Man's Letters (Pisma myortvogo cheloveka) - 1986

Directed by Konstantin Lopushanskiy

Written by Konstantin Lopushanskiy, Vyacheslav Rybakov & Boris Strugatskiy

Starring Rolan Bykov, Vatslav Dvorzhetsky, Iosif Ryklin & Vera Mayorova

For reasons I still don't fully understand, the world became an especially fearful place in the 1980s as far as worldwide nuclear devastation was concerned. Perhaps this had everything to do with media depicting war in the nuclear age - a new wave of ultra-realistic, doom-infused films came out in this era, and most of them terrified an already wary public. After two world wars, the entire planet seemed to be waiting for a third to hit - and this time the stakes were as high as they could get. We now had the power to completely destroy ourselves. Threads (1984) left a mark, and the less realistic, but no less popular The Day After (1983) was seen by many. When the Wind Blows (1986) brought the horror to us in animated fashion, but it was no less visceral and terrifying. Across the Iron Curtain, Konstantin Lopushanskiy added to the apocalyptic series of horror with Dead Man's Letters (1986) - a sepia-toned dream-like view of life after the kind of poisoned destruction left in nuclear war's wake. It's familiarly depressing, and it's tone is as seriously dark as anything produced by the West.

A professor by the name of Larsen (Rolan Bykov) - a Nobel Prize in Physics laureate - shelters in the basement of an abandoned museum in a post-apocalyptic world completely destroyed by war. He tends to his sick wife, writes to a son he'll never see again, and is kept company by some compatriots who are sheltering with him. On their mind much of the time is a "central bunker", which obviously houses a fair percentage of the remaining population and could be either haven or hell. Larsen must brave the poisoned elements from time to time to barter and find his wife pain medication, but is hit hard when he comes across a group of orphans who are about to be abandoned to a grim fate. When his wife mercifully passes on, and after one of his fellow-basement dwellers commits suicide, it's Larsen who decides to become something of a father-figure and protector to the very young children left for dead. When he's gone, it's these children who will wander over the wastelands of jagged ruin, and sifting and irradiated dunes. It appears certain that they'll fall, one by one, until all that's left is the mournful wind spreading death and a chill to the rest of these unlucky survivors.

How depressing is that? At the very least, in comparison our world appears like heaven with juicy hamburgers, disease-free members of the opposite sex and sun-drenched meadows visited by flitting, tuneful birds abounding. No poison, pain or misery for the most part - which pretty much makes up these people's entire life from now until their imminent demise. Dead Man's Letters confines us in such a claustrophobic manner because of it's hazy, blurry and yellow-tainted visuals that are usually filled with various wreckage and waste. You kind of visually suffocate as your eyes struggle to make sense of what they're seeing - and although some of it's dissonant, misty and messy cinematography isn't intentional, a lot of it is and all of it works in the film's favour. It's as if the camera itself is half-dead and sick. Wrecked figures fill the frame, wearing ripped and dirty clothing - their faces covered with grease, muck and worse. There's an imperceptible wobble, changes in contrast and a smoky yellow film between us and those we see. Cinematographer Nikolai Pokoptsev expanded on Lopushanskiy's entire concept with the apocalyptic follow-up Visitor of a Museum in 1989.

Tinny sound and reverberating echoes even further remove us from anything that might feel natural about this world. It's not one of silence, but on the contrary a world full of both natural and unnatural impositions to quiet contemplation - voices contort under gas masks and rubber radiation suits, and an old man's breathless panting turns into lurid and sickly gasping. When silence comes, it's uneasy. Perhaps someone has died, or is about to. There's little musical accompaniment, but when the score does intrude it's uncomfortable - often one whining note, jangling or screeching strings - and never anything that sounds natural of beautiful. A distant roar like thunder perhaps. The most melodic it sounds is during the opening credits, but the tone it hits is still mournful - bells strike, and there's always that distant rumble. Lopushanskiy seems to want to make his film feel dream-like in all ways - an hallucinatory nightmare. Aleksandr Zhurbin - a composer of operas, and who has a PhD and has worked in the film industry since the mid-70s added his talents to the film.

Konstantin Lopushanskiy served as an apprentice to Tarkovsky, probably the most renowned of all Russian filmmakers - so he didn't come from nowhere. He adapted the signature style of Stalker to this film about nuclear war, which is where the arresting, tinted and bleak imagery comes from. I've probably become so used to slow plotting in films these days that I don't notice it too much in Dead Man's Letters - and in any case, any film about this subject matter will feature characters struggling from one activity to the next - almost all of them related to his own survival, or to that of his loved ones. Actor Bykov seems resolutely miserable, but probably had a lot of practice seeing as how he's a Soviet citizen. Any battle that takes place is in his mind, and it's a battle of his attempt to retain any kind of optimism. Of his son getting his letters, or perhaps he figures the fighting is over due to some seismological reports he talks about. Perhaps he can save these children after trying so hard with his wife. He's old, but he keeps going when most of the world has come to an ash-laden halt. He puffs and wheezes, avoids crackdowns by troops when he's out past curfew. While his basement-mates declare mankind a failure, his positive intuition tells him that we'll bounce back.

Larsen's positivity doesn't turn Dead Man's Letters into a fun, bright and joy-filled film. It's a horror, and a disheartening, dismal, pain-filled cinematic journey to extinction. The message is "don't let things get this far" - because once we do there's no amount of optimism and intuition that will get humanity to where it once was. Sting would have been well pleased to learn that the Russians loved their children too - even random assortments in orphanages, although perhaps the odd bureaucrat might refuse them entry into the "central bunker". I think perhaps any reasonable person could watch a film like this once per month lest they want to become incurably depressed and miserable. It really comes off like a dream - unusual in every respect, with production design and set decoration headaches that look like they necessitated the bombing of a small city. After an atomic war, it seems that humanity will divide itself into the realistically pessimistic, and unreasonably optimistic - with the latter category sorely lacking. That Larsen writes his son letters is part of what probably made him a remarkable person when the world hadn't fractured yet.

I don't know what else to say about such a painful movie. For it's time, and for it's people, it must have worked as well as Threads worked on me back in those days. It drills into those who don't know yet, that we've reached a stage in our development as a species where we can't afford to go to war anymore. We've become too good at it, and are able to do just about everything bar crack the entire planet in two. War like this favours those who die at the very start, and punishes the survivors in the most cruel way imaginable. I can't fault the artistry much at all, but even from a point of admiration it still gives me a heavy heart to recall all the scenes of misery put before us. Perhaps people will watch this in the future, and feel sorry for all the people who even lived under the threat of this happening. Watching it made me feel uncomfortable, depressed and sad. My only happiness can be found when I look around and see the world I have in contrast to the world in Lopushanskiy's film. All of that, and we have emails now, as opposed to a dead man's letters. We still have the bomb though. Hard to believe, those missiles sit in those silos as eat breakfast every morning - connected to switches that would fire them if anyone were crazy enough to decide to.

4

[Allaby]

I rewatched my nomination Fat Girl (2001). Brilliantly directed by Catherine Breillat, the film stars Anaïs Reboux as Anaïs,a chubby 12 year old girl and focuses on her relationship with her older sister and their ideas and experiences regarding growing up and sexuality. This is a powerful film that packs a punch. It's uncompromising, compelling, and memorable. I though young Anaïs Reboux is excellent in her performance. She is brave, bold, fierce, and vulnerable in a challenging and complex role. Roxane Mesquida is very good too as the older sister. Breillat isn't afraid to take risks in the film and makes some bold decisions that won't sit well with some viewers, but this film really worked for me. The ending may seem out of nowhere, but I thought it was really effective and well executed. There is some ambiguity in the film and what it may or may not be saying. I think it is certainly open to interpretation, at least in part, and for this type of film that approach works better. If there was an obvious stated moral to the story or message, it might dilute the power of the film. Granted, this is not always an easy film, but for me,it is a worthwhile and rewarding one. 4.5

[SpelingError]

Ship of Fools (1965) - 2.5

The "I wasn't engaged by much" kind of film isn't always my favorite type of film to review as I often struggle to come up with interesting thoughts to say, but I'll try my best here. As you can probably tell, I was kind of underwhelmed by this one. To cut it some slack though, it does have some interesting ideas here and there. For instance, Dr. Schumann's relationship with La Condesa is a compelling dynamic since the senses of doom and determination they both have make for a fine contrast. This is the kind of dynamic which should act as the emotional core of the film. Also, Lowenthal's friendship with Glocken has some potential since the two bond over both being outcasts (the former being Jewish and the latter having dwarfism). Also, Tenny's drinking problem in the film is colored when you consider actor Lee Marvin being a heavy drinker. Finally, since the film is set several years before the start of World War II, the fates of a few characters are colored by how their situations will grow worse in the years to come. In spite of this potential though, I found myself deeply unengaged by much of the film. Part of the issue was that, with so many main and side characters the film had to cut back and forth between, the memorable characters I mentioned up above didn't have enough time to leave a lasting impact on me. Rather, cutting away from them so much constantly broke my engagement time and time again. The sub-plot of the rich uncle and his nephew, Mary's characterization, and the Spanish laborers being deported back to Spain stuck out as the weaker aspects to the characters and, though their stories could've potentially worked in a different film, it probably would've been best to cut them from this film. In short, I'd describe this film as a compelling 90 minute film stretched out to 2.5 hours.

Next Up: To Live and Die in LA

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/Rq5RDLVf/ship-of-fools.jpg

Ship of Fools - 1965

Directed by Stanley Kramer

Written by Abby Mann
Based on the novel by Katherine Anne Porter

Starring Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, Jose Ferrer, Lee Marvin
Oskar Werner, Elizabeth Ashley, George Segal & Michael Dunn

This review contains some spoilers

Stanley Kramer and Abby Mann's painful post-war reckoning Judgement at Nuremberg had it's pre-war counterpoint in Ship of Fools four years later. It's a film that tackles much human drama and more than one theme, but one over which the shadow of Nazism looms threateningly. It's a film where, unforgettably, one German Jew, Lowenthal (played by Heinz Ruehmann), in a very relaxed manner asks, "listen, there are nearly a million Jews in Germany. What are they going to do? Kill all of us?" It reminds one of the complacency of those who sailed on Titanic, so sure are all on board that their place in the world is secure. In any case, it's obvious that anyone who exercises their conscience only asks for trouble. Look at the man who rescues the dog - it costs him his life (and the poor dog's owners can't understand why he did it.) Best to look the other way, shrug off the inconvenience and have a drink while sharing a joke. All things must pass, and common sense surely must reassert itself as the most natural and compelling law of the universe. Best to not even acknowledge that this is a ship of fools.

The ship in question is travelling from Veracruz in Mexico, to Bremerhaven in Germany. On board are a disparate group including the ships doctor, Schumann (Oskar Werner), a condemned lady from Cuba who he falls for, La Condesa (Simone Signoret), an artist and his fiancé - David and Jenny (played by George Segal and Elizabeth Ashley), a failed baseball player called Tenny (Lee Marvin), an anti-Semitic businessman called Rieber (Jose Ferrer), a Jewish jewelry salesman called Lowenthal (Heinz Ruehmann), a dwarf called Glocken (Michael Dunn), an upper-class divorcée called Mary Treadwell (Vivien Leigh), a group of Spanish singers and dancers who turn out to be a pimp and his prostitutes, an older couple, the ship's captain, and hundreds of Spanish workers which the ship picks up in Cuba. The workers are of course herded into steerage, enduring cramped and unsanitary conditions. Race and discrimination comes up a lot, with Lowenthal, Glocken and eventually a man called Freytag (Alf Kjellin) whose wife is Jewish finding themselves seated at a table far away from where passengers dine with the captain. Romances, friendships and controversies abound during the voyage.

If there is one story amongst the story of all the passengers, it's that of Schumann and La Condesa - the relationship that blossoms between them really provides some of the most touching scenes in the movie, and both Werner and Signoret were nominated for Oscars. They provide enough vulnerability, angst, care and deep feeling to shine through in their scenes, and I enjoyed watching them very much. Signoret has a kind of weathered beauty, and her eyes light up the screen, while Werner's world-weariness and crumbling façade of strength play really well. Werner would lose to Lee Marvin at the Oscars, not for this film but for Cat Ballou. Signoret would lose to Julie Christie for her role in Darling. Michael Dunn would be nominated for Best Supporting Actor, losing to Martin Balsam for his role in A Thousand Clowns. One of Ship of Fools' most enjoyable strengths is that of it's actors and actresses giving great performances, and it's an ensemble who really comes through for the film. I have to give Heinz Ruehmann and Jose Ferrer a mention as well. Werner and Signoret were also nominated for BAFTAs and Golden Globes, but nothing would come of that. The only award either got was a New York Film Critics Circle Award, which went to Werner.

I first became aware of how good the cinematography was during the dancing sequences, with the way they were framed and the obvious careful planning that was put into the way the camera moved with the performers. Characters would be lumped together or separated by convenient parts of the ship's interior décor, and the camera itself danced with superb ease. This was the movie that provided the famous Ernest Laszlo with his sole Oscar win, from his eight nominations.* including three other Stanley Kramer films on which he was director of photography. This was filmed on a reconstructed ship at both Columbia studios and Paramount studios - it could be pulled apart, and thus gave Laszlo the freedom to film the action however he wished. There's a great choreography which takes place as characters move about the ship, and the camera really gets close to Simone Signoret, which I didn't mind one bit. I felt myself being drawn towards her, but perhaps that's exactly what Kramer and Laszlo meant for me to feel - a good cinematographer and director can make if feel as if you're guiding the camera.

The music of Ship of Fools mainly comes to us via the ship's band or the passengers themselves, and it has a Spanish flavour to it, although German songs also show up here and there. I loved the excitement of the opening credits tune, and most of the songs and pieces of music were composed by Oscar winner (Exodus) Ernest Gold. The films other Oscar was won by it's set decorators Robert Clatworthy (who would be Kramer's production designer on Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and once worked on Psycho) and Joseph Kish, who was coming to the end of a long career in motion pictures. It would be the only Oscar either man would ever win, but the impressiveness of Ship of Fools' sets obviously impressed the Academy, and it was a well put-together real-looking ship with furnished cabins that felt real. Supporting that whole look was Oscar-winning costume designer Bill Thomas (Spartacus) and Oscar-winning costume designer Jean Louis (The Solid Gold Cadillac) both of whom would earn Ship of Fools another of it's 8 Academy Award nominations.

The technical side was obviously done quite well for it's day, and the performances were great, but it's Katherine Anne Porter's story, and Abby Mann's adaptation which provides the weighty and most memorable part of watching this film. It was actually based on a 1931 sea journey the author kept a diary about - one between Veracruz and Bremerhaven just like in the film. It stirs feelings of anger and discomfort due to the prejudice and exploitation on display - a prejudice and exploitation which by all intents and measure seems to be accepted by many of the passengers. It's a morass of moral decline, and is timeless in the way this kind of behaviour is recognizable, and the way characters like those in this film still exist in society. The whole film is like a society in miniature, with it's classes, separations, lack of equality and lack of equal distribution. At the captain's table people can talk about exterminating the weak and spout racism with impunity, but in the lower classes a wood-carver has his knife taken away for fear he'll inexplicably start violence with it. The rabble are treated with disgust, and are feared by those who are wealthy. Abby Mann had won an Oscar for writing the screenplay to Judgement at Nuremberg - here, he was nominated, but lost to Robert Bolt, who penned the screenplay for Doctor Zhivago.

Watching Ship of Fools made me feel like a big dummy, because there was a lot of insinuation which flew way over the top of my head. For example, La Condesa is apparently an opium addict, and I thought her request for medication to "help her sleep" was just that - she wanted a pill to help her sleep. Also, I did not pick up on the fact that Schumann and the captain of the ship were having a gay fling - being released in 1965, the film had to be awful careful in the way that was communicated, and went so subtle on it that I didn't pick up on it at all. Worst of all, at the end, when a certain character is having a heart attack, I thought he was just having a panic attack and would be fine. I was actually thinking to myself "I had a panic attack, and that's exactly what it was like - well done movie." When "heart troubles" was referenced I thought they were talking about love - but it was literal. Still, for 1965 this film surprised me in the way it openly referenced sex. A character loses his virginity, and there's sex before marriage and out of wedlock, so for it's day, compared to films a few decades before, it felt kind of dark even while it made some of it's more risqué allusions come through in such a sly, obscure and finely-drawn way.

Overall, I really enjoyed Ship of Fools - it's a really solid film that tackles a whole range of serious moral, ethical and consequential themes. Other films would be made, and had been made, which used Germany's first serious steps into Nazism to examine how a population can completely lose their moral compass - but this one did it really well. I also enjoyed the fact that it took time to examine so many other things as well, and it's one of the best films I've seen which looks at characters who carry so much unbearable metaphorical baggage on their voyage, and how that poisons any attempt to have relationships with other people. It mixes so much together in it's dark Nazi atmosphere that it maintains a kind of unconscious eerie and uncomfortable vibe for it's entire run-time. Director Kramer had a wide range, and that opened up many possibilities when it came to the depth of what he created. The Sound of Music won Best Picture that year, over Ship of Fools, simply because the former was the joyful kind of film Academy members overwhelmingly voted for.

Finally, just a word on Lee Marvin, who I'm a fan of, and Vivien Leigh, who in her final film role made it hard to separate the crazy in her character from the legend. At times both were frightening in this - two lost souls who felt like they had hit the darkest of nights as far as their souls went. They were terrific, and another great addition to such an interesting film. Two characters who seem to have been lost all of their lives, and it's the generational passing on of heavy sorrows and prejudice that makes it so hard for this world to change, and so slow. It's not enough for people to stand back and assume the natural moral order of the world will always reassert itself without their help however. There's a whole lot of "what if" in Ship of Fools, from characters and their personal decisions to general attitudes, apathy and an unwillingness to change. "Too late" comes far sooner than most people think, and it's that approaching "too late" that haunts the corridors of that ship on it's journey to Spain then Bremerhaven.

4


*Ernest Laszlo was also nominated for an Oscar for the films Inherit the Wind, Judgment at Nuremberg, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, Fantastic Voyage, Star!, Airport and Logan's Run.

[Thief]

Just finished Fat Girl. I mean, WTF?

[rauldc14]

Just finished Fat Girl. I mean, WTF?

Look forward to your elaboration

[Thief]

Look forward to your elaboration

I'll write something later. For the moment, I just want to ease Citizen's mind by reminding him that I'm halfway through, or maybe a tad more. I just need to sit down and write.

[Allaby]

Just finished Fat Girl. I mean, WTF?

Is that a good WTF or a bad WTF?

[SpelingError]

It stands for Walruses Touch Flowers.

[Thief]

Is that a good WTF or a bad WTF?

Still mulling over it. Overall, leaning towards positive.

[SpelingError]

I'll be busy most of tomorrow, but I'll watch To Live and Die in L.A. on Tuesday.

Also, I forget if it was brought up or not, but is MovieGal still in this?

[Citizen Rules]

I'll be busy most of tomorrow, but I'll watch To Live and Die in L.A. on Tuesday.

Also, I forget if it was brought up or not, but is MovieGal still in this?I haven't heard from her. 5 day ago I wrote this
https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2370007#post2370007

[jiraffejustin]

Ship of Fools

I had a tough time with this one. I will say that I am currently dealing with what is almost positively sleep apnea (I am scheduled for a sleep study on March 2nd), so some of this will be unfair to the film. But if a film does not completely engage me, I will fall asleep watching it. I fell asleep at least 5 times watching this film over the course of at least a week. Once again, not the film's fault entirely, but at least partially. For instance, I fell asleep once a piece during Dog Day and An Autumn Afternoon, and maybe two or three times for To Live and Die in L.A.. I don't feel great about having to watch films this way, but I don't have much choice right now. So that's my apology for not viewing these films as intended, or at least not viewing them how I feel is fair to them. This film could have been cut down and maybe more tightly focused on less characters. I know it's based on a book, so perhaps there were just too many things they decided they need to squeeze in. Maybe a healthy viewing of film would help, but even when I was awake completely, I was being bored by this film. I do think it picked up near the end though, but still drug on with the doctor, who I wasn't that interested in. There were times were I noticed the cinematography in a positive way though, so maybe on rewatch that aspect of the film would stand out more to me as well. While ranking my films, I will do my best to be fair with this film and only judge it on the parts that I think are wrong with the film and not the things that are wrong with me.

[edarsenal]

Sleep apnea is NOT fun. Sorry to hear you're dealing with that. I hope the Sleep Study helps. Good luck, JJ.

[Thief]

I will say that I am currently dealing with what is almost positively sleep apnea (I am scheduled for a sleep study on March 2nd),

For what it's worth, my wife has sleep apnea. Hope everything turns out well.

[SpelingError]

I haven't heard from her. 5 day ago I wrote this
https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2370007#post2370007

I'll save her nomination for the end to be on the safe side.

[SpelingError]

Also, get well soon justin.

[rauldc14]

I'll save her nomination for the end to be on the safe side.

We all won't have to worry about it. I may watch it for the hell of it since I own it though.

[Citizen Rules]

jiraffejustin
Bummer about the sleep apnea. I hope the sleep study helps. If you can't finish it's OK, we're all friends here and no one will get mad. Of course I hope you can finish and if you've seen any of the movies in the past you don't have to rewatch of course.

[Thief]

I'll save her nomination for the end to be on the safe side.

Oh, and of course that MovieGal's nominations was one of the ones I already watched :facepalm:

[Citizen Rules]

Oh, and of course that MovieGal's nominations was one of the ones I already watched :facepalm:I did mention that it was optional a couple of times:
The Nominations for the 30th Hall of Fame
The Uninvited (1944)
Director: Lewis Allen
Nominated by MovieGal
Note: Optional to watch for now

[jiraffejustin]

Thanks y'all. I still plan on finishing up.

[Thief]

I did mention that it was optional a couple of times:
[/CENTER]

I'm just joking, but I think I got to it before that. I saw it early in January. I'm waaaaaaaay behind on my reviews :laugh:

[Citizen Rules]

I'm just joking, but I think I got to it before that. I saw it early in January. I'm waaaaaaaay behind on my reviews :laugh:It's a good movie, I know I'm glad I rewatched it.

[rauldc14]

Lawrence of Arabia

https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/12/06/larab_stl_8_h_wide-30ea556bcef6ae8150c2d39903776bc72eae17a6-s1100-c50.jpg

When we saw the nominations I figured this was a shoo-in to win as long as the nominator finishes and I still believe that. There's a lot to like here, particularly Peter O' Tooles performance as T.E. Lawrence. The pacing in that first half of the film is admittedly quite good, the movie seems to have little to no lulls and the time went by quite fast. The soundtrack of this movie is as epic as the film itself, it is really that good. I thought all the supporting performances involved were good too. And lots of credit to David Lean who may have done his best job directing here, although I am pretty partial to his work with Bridges on the River Kwai. The really only downfall of the film for me is after the intermission it seems to lose a bit of steam. Luckily, we already saw over 60% of the film by then so it wasn't a deal breaker. It's overall very well shot and looks marvelous. Glad to have seen again.

4

[Thief]

One totally random question about Fat Girl :laugh: what is that gooey thing that Anaïs is eating? Is it like a chewy taffy or something like that?

[Thief]

THE UNINVITED
(1944, Allen)

https://i.imgur.com/5ExEFkW.jpg


"Turn your back on the past and run, run hard."
"I'll go there somehow."



The past is a collage of memories and events; some of them pleasant, others not so much. But more often than not, we cling to them either way, for comfort, security, or just because we fear the uncertainty of the future. Those feelings are part of what is in the background of this 1944 gothic horror film.

The Uninvited follows siblings Rick and Pamela (Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey) as they deal with the potential haunting of their new house. Things are complicated when Stella (Gail Russell), the granddaughter of the original owner, who is deeply attached to the house and what it means for her becomes the target of some of these supernatural events.

It is Stella the one who has the above conversation with Rick, as he implores her to let go of the past. The film unfolds more like a mystery "whodunit" than a proper horror film, as Rick and Pamela investigate the source of the ghostly occurrences, which might be tied to Stella's mother and her mysterious death.

The pace at which the story moves is pretty effective, even if the resolution feels a bit undercooked. However, both the direction from Allen and the cinematography by Charles Lang, Jr. are stunning. There is some really solid use of the structure of the house, the stairs, windows, etc. along with the lighting and the shadows around it.

Milland and Hussey are pretty good as the leads. Their chemistry and sibling banter is believable. Unfortunately, Russell is pretty weak and her relationship with Milland doesn't feel real. The cast is rounded out by solid supporting performances from Donald Crisp as Stella's strict grandfather, and Alan Napier as the helpful doctor that joins Rick and Pamela in their investigation.

Finally, even though the film is labeled as a "gothic horror", the truth is that it plays more like a very light mystery, with lots of "jokey" one-liners, especially from Milland. However, I take it as a sign of the past and the era. Even if I would've preferred if the film played its cards more seriously, it still plays the cards it has well.

Grade: 3

[SpelingError]

I'll try to get my next review out by tomorrow.

[rauldc14]

Candyman, The Uninvited, and Dog Day Afternoon left for me. Probably Candyman next for me.

All are Rewatches.

[Thief]

Starting To Live and Die in L.A. right now.

I also owe my review of Fat Girl, which I might get to this weekend.

If I'm too swamped, I think I might write something on Candyman. I saw it a couple of years ago, but I still would like to rewatch it.

[SpelingError]

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) - 4

Friedkin is now two for two with memorable car chases.

I might be rating this film too high, but since its best elements have stuck with me to a significant degree since watching it, my better judgment says my rating for it is fair. On the surface level, it has some strong acting across the board (Willem Dafoe, in particular) and some well-executed action scenes (including a car chase scene whose choreography and sense of thrills rivals that in The French Connection). It also has some memorable music choices. Beyond all the gloss though, it's also a compelling story which examines the personality and morality of the two main officers in the film. Chance is reckless and corrupt, while Vukovich is more level-headed and follows the rules. Watching the two of them carry out the investigation in their own distinct ways and observing the impact it has on them is where the film shines. For instance, while the aforementioned car chase is great, the aftermath of it comes with its own set of teeth since Vukovich is crippled by guilt for his involvement in it, while Chance remains unfazed throughout it. I wasn't a fan of the culmination of Vukovich's arc since his actions were too rushed for me to buy them, but this is a minor flaw in the grand scheme of everything else. For the most part, the film handles the characters very well and does a fine job at exploring the ways their shaped by their surroundings.

Next Up (or probably last up): Valley of the Dolls

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/13zBNL2B/to-live-and-die-in-la.jpg

To Live and Die in L.A. - 1985

Directed by William Friedkin

Written by William Friedkin & Gerald Petievich
Based on a novel by Gerald Petievich

Starring William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow, Debra Feuer
John Turturro, Darlanne Fluegel & Dean Stockwell

A counterfeit world. Counterfeit people. Lawless, with a desperate need to court death and feel adrenaline coursing through their veins. William Friedkin's crime thriller To Live and Die in L.A. feels a little dirty, and the people in it corrosive and unpleasant. This isn't a film with "good guys" in it, but it does have it's fair share of "bad guys", and you'd probably put anti-hero Secret Service Agent Richard Chance (William Petersen) in with the criminal element when you get towards the end of the story and find out that nothing matters to him other than the rush and bringing down Eric "Rick" Masters (Willem Dafoe) - artist and counterfeiter supreme. For writer/director Friedkin, the 1980s had proved to be a difficult decade to date, so for this film he sought out no-name actors new to cinema, and set out to make something more satisfying to his sensibilities and less commercial. Something more stylish - and as always cutting edge. It continues to build an audience and reputation as decades pass.

Chance's partner Jimmy Hart (Michael Greene) has been killed - three days out from retirement (a terribly perilous few days for a fictional Agent.) Masters is to blame, so with the help of informant Ruth (Darlanne Fluegel), snitch Carl Cody (John Turturro) and new partner John Vukovich (John Pankow) he aims to take Masters down. This would all be fine, but it's the manner in which Chance does this that's cause for concern. He might be getting good information from Ruth, but he's also forcing her to have sex with him by way of extortion. He might learn a thing or two from Cody, but he thoughtlessly lets the convict get the upper hand and lets him get away. He might have a new partner in Vukovich, but he's leading the Agent down a dark path involving dangerous car chases involving unknown forces, robbery, stealing evidence and unsanctioned law-breaking practices. Chance is a thrill-seeker, and seems to have the need to frequently risk his own life - finding that an addictive rush that fulfills him in a way that nothing else can. His future is mapped, and Chance is less an agent than a death-defying adrenaline junkie.

To Live and Die in L.A. is a remarkable motion picture in a variety of different ways. First of all, one of it's crowning glories is a car chase that rivals the one Friedkin created for The French Connection - a famous landmark by itself. Secondly it provides the great Willem Dafoe with his first really solid and substantial role in a big film - a challenge he rose to in a big way, playing the very "Zen" and calm artist Masters, who obviously has a fire raging inside of him. Thirdly, it builds to a conclusion that no other mainstream film would dare to end with - even if Friedkin was forced to shoot an alternate ending to pacify nervous producers. Lastly, there's the well edited and shot counterfeiting scene which was actually guided by a real once-incarcerated counterfeiter that stuck to the real process, and gave the film an authenticity that's compelling, and makes the film feel genuine. That's before we get to the various talented people who contributed to making the film we see before us today.

Wang Chung were a huge part of it - providing music which feels emblematic of the 1980s crime thriller genre. I can't listen to Dance Hall Days without thinking of Grand Theft Auto, and various parts fill To Live and Die in L.A. - but also very iconic is the opening credits song which shares the film's title. There's a certain dramatic excitement to the music, which gives a harder edge to the film. Cinematographer Robby Müller came to Friedkin's attention by being director of photography on many of Wim Wenders' films, and he'd become a regular of Jim Jarmusch as well - he had the ability to capture what was exciting about a scene, and do it quickly and efficiently. Müller is generally known as one of the greats. Important as well, to bringing this off, was stunt coordinator Buddy Joe Hooker, who planned the famous car chase scene in meticulous fashion and helped with what was a weeks-long process of successfully staging each shot needed, at times in command of 900 different vehicles as the lanes usually driven in were inverted.

I want to like To Live and Die in L.A. more than I do, and it's a real struggle for me to understand why it is I feel fairly ambivalent about it. I don't dislike it, and if I judge it objectively I think it's brilliant, but something about it just doesn't fit my personal criteria for loving a film. Car chases have never been my thing, cinematically speaking. I enjoy listening to Wang Chung in context with the film, but they're not a band I'd ever listen to outside of that. The only actor I really hold close to my heart amongst the cast is Willem Dafoe (I like John Turturro as well, but he only has a small part in this) - and he's purposely at odds with the audience in this. The neo-noir and crime/action genres are not my favourites either. It's like a perfect storm of alienating factors which have turned a film I'd normally enjoy into one that I don't quite connect with. When that happens, it combines with the downer "there are no heroes" atmosphere of the film which makes that feeling all the more pronounced.

I have a friend who describes this film as having the same "no rules" cop/agent that we normally see in movies, but for the world he comes up against to be unusually less forgiving and more real. It's refreshing that there are consequences to so much of what the characters do in this film, but we can by no means find much to soothe our souls with. You can't spend too much time with these people without having to wade through the same cesspool as them, but it illustrates very clearly why ethics is such an important component of being a professional and doing your job well. It might pay off to cut a corner, or bend a rule (for example, the way a certain library list is obtained in Se7en), but to be a no-holds-barred all-out bastard and take advantage of your position to sexually exploit people, and actually commit robberies to help corner the target of your investigation, will eventually get you killed and will always help criminals in the courtroom. Nothing is ever done really well by going to absolute extremes - and there's no justice in all-out murder.

To Live and Die in L.A. was a real return for William Friedkin to the kind of filmmaking that produces memorable and lasting cinematic treasures. It's not quite suited for my tastes, but it's obviously a well-made and exciting movie that has refreshing sensibilities that challenge the viewer and often surprises with it's narrative choices. Watching it feels like seeing a cinematic version of a Grand Theft Auto game, with the same moral ambiguity, and rough action. You're constantly reminded of why siding with one particular character might be troubling at certain times - even the absolute best of them. It's the world these agents live in, with counterfeit money on the streets, and counterfeit personalities and niceties fronting criminals with deadly ambitions, and counterfeit agents breaking the laws they hope to uphold - killing each other if necessary. Enhanced by Robby Müller's exciting work behind the camera and Wang Chung's music, it helps to give yourself up to the danger and spectacle - there aren't many places like L.A. and there aren't many crime thrillers like this either - it's the real deal.

3.5

[Thief]

DEAD MAN'S LETTERS
(1986, Lopushansky)

https://i.imgur.com/Bmwow61.jpg


" 'Look, o you shall see a star'. But there were no stars in the sky for the darkness took over the world."



This line, delivered towards the end of this bleak, post-apocalyptic drama from the Soviet Union, highlights what I think is the main line of thought of the film; the idea of transmitting hope in spite of everything against it. Set in this post-nuclear wasteland, Dead Man's Letters follows Larsen (Rolan Bykov), a professor determined to find hope somewhere, anywhere.

But how can we find hope when everything around us is in ruins? When everybody is telling us it is futile? When all our loved ones are gone? The film presents us a world that seems completely beyond hope, as people are forced to live underground, while wearing protective clothing and gas masks outside to keep them safe from the polluted air, the dirty water, and the scattered carcasses.

Although the slim hopes of most people rely on the existence of a "central bunker", Larsen is sure that there has to be more outside of that. Released towards the end of the Cold War, this seems like a very clear analogy of the centralized aspect of communism in the Soviet country; something that results in fewer resources, and therefore fewer chances to "survive" outside of this "centralized" system.

I do wish that the character of Larsen would feel more real, more relatable. The film goes for a bit of a more cold and distant approach that keeps its characters at a distance. And even though the despair and hopelessness of the situation does come through, I feel that a more emotional and character-driven approach could've been more powerful.

At several points, Larsen interacts with a group of orphaned children that have been discarded and pretty much left to die. It is in them that Larsen sees the hope of a future in this world, and it is to them that he shares the above story about "a star". Maybe he saw it, maybe not, but when darkness takes over, sometimes we have to hold on to the hope that that star is there.

Grade: 4

[rauldc14]

I realize it says only 10 movies now. Just heads up for everyone.

[Citizen Rules]

I realize it says only 10 movies now. Just heads up for everyone.Sharp eyes! I just changed that yesterday.

[beelzebubble]

What was dropped?

[Thief]

What was dropped?

The Uninvited is optional for now, since MovieGal has been M.I.A. for a while

[Citizen Rules]

What was dropped?

The Uninvited is optional for now, since MovieGal has been M.I.A. for a while Neither are technically correct:) No one has dropped out...and...MovieGal's nom The Uninvited has been optional to watch since the start of this HoF.

From the Rules of Participation on the 1st post:
Past HoF Dropouts: Are welcomed but if they haven't completed an HoF since last dropping out they will need to watch all the movies, write the reviews and send in a voting list before their movie is officially listed and required to be watched.

[Thief]

Neither are technically correct:) No one has dropped out...and...MovieGal's nom The Uninvited has been optional to watch since the start of this HoF.

From the Rules of Participation on the 1st post:

https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/240/699/000.gif

[SpelingError]

I'll get to Valley of the Dolls tonight.

[Thief]

FAT GIRL
(2001, Breillat)

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


"No one would think we're sisters. lt's true. We don't take after anyone. It's like we're born of ourseIves."



Fat Girl follows the relationship of sisters, Anaïs and Elena (Anaïs Pingot and Roxanne Mesquida) as they each face their respective coming-of-age issues and sexual awakening in very different ways. The contrast between both is the central focus of this drama from Catherine Breillat.

As Elena herself says in the above quote, they are very much different. Anaïs is 12-year old, "chubby", and leaning more to the shy/introvert side albeit with a bitter cynicism to her, while Elena is 15-year old, skinny, and bolder in her approach to men, with a certain dose of wickedness. But as "daring" as Elena presents herself, she is actually waiting for the right man to lose her virginity. Anaïs, on the other hand, says she wants her first time to be "with nobody. I don't want a guy bragging he had me first."

The film extends that juxtaposition also to how supporting characters approach and treat the sisters. From Elena's new "boyfriend" (Liberto de Rienzo) to a key character in the last act, we are left to wonder on the differences and similarities between both treatments, and how much lies, deceit, and violence play into the "game".

It is the last act what might separate the film from being a masterpiece to some or a disappointment to others; the ones that love it from those that might hate it. It is most definitely one that's filled of unexpected tension, and a twist that feels completely out of left field (but is it?). Regardless of where you fall, I give Breillat heavy props for unapologetically throwing it out and just let the chips fall where they may.

Grade: 4

[jiraffejustin]

I am going to go ahead and do what I don't want to do, but probably should do: bow out. The way I am watching these films is negatively affecting how much I enjoy them, which isn't fair to the films or the people who nominated them. And it has nothing to do with film quality, most of these films are already on my big imdb watchlist. I've been trying for at least two weeks to get through Valley of the Dolls, I fell asleep within the first ten minutes of both Ida and Fat Girl. I do have problems in other areas of my life with this as well, but after a day at work, it's very, very hard to focus on something if it is not exactly what I want to focus on. And even then it's just a matter of how long I can do it. I have a sleep study scheduled March 2nd, and from there I can only hope they prescribe me one of those Darth Vader machines that helps me breathe at night so I can get passed this. Sorry for the woe is me, sorry if you watched my nom, sorry if I didn't watch yours. I don't imagine I'd be ready to roll by the 31st, but hopefully by the 32nd I'll be back in commission.

[Thief]

I am going to go ahead and do what I don't want to do, but probably should do: bow out. The way I am watching these films is negatively affecting how much I enjoy them, which isn't fair to the films or the people who nominated them. And it has nothing to do with film quality, most of these films are already on my big imdb watchlist. I've been trying for at least two weeks to get through Valley of the Dolls, I fell asleep within the first ten minutes of both Ida and Fat Girl. I do have problems in other areas of my life with this as well, but after a day at work, it's very, very hard to focus on something if it is not exactly what I want to focus on. And even then it's just a matter of how long I can do it. I have a sleep study scheduled March 2nd, and from there I can only hope they prescribe me one of those Darth Vader machines that helps me breathe at night so I can get passed this. Sorry for the woe is me, sorry if you watched my nom, sorry if I didn't watch yours. I don't imagine I'd be ready to roll by the 31st, but hopefully by the 32nd I'll be back in commission.

You do what's best for you, JJ. I hope the study goes well, and if you get the machine, just remember that it's for your benefit. My wife uses hers and she was surprised by how fast she got used to it.

[SpelingError]

That's understandable, Justin. Take care and best of luck to you.

[Citizen Rules]

JJ, no hard feelings on my part and I totally understand...I hope all goes well for you in the near future.

[Citizen Rules]

Candyman is no longer in the HoF and if you haven't already watched it you don't have to.

Looks like you guys haven't watched Candyman. @edarsenal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=50536) @rauldc14 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=60169) @Thief (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=109353) PHOENIX74

[rauldc14]

Dang this will end up as quite the small Hall.

[Thief]

Candyman is no longer in the HoF and if you haven't already watched it you don't have to.

Looks like you guys haven't watched Candyman. edarsenal phoenix11 rauldc14 Thief

I had seen it recently, so I had it on the bubble.

[rauldc14]

In that case, I'll finish up with Dog Day Afternoon this weekend.

[PHOENIX74]

I was in the middle of my review. I'll finish it up, and I may as well post it here anyway. I'd never seen Candyman before and I thought it was quite good.

[SpelingError]

I'll try to write my review of Valley of the Dolls over the next couple days. Overall, I enjoyed it quite a bit more than I expected I would.

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/BQHCLpxq/candyman.webp

Candyman - 1992

Directed by Bernard Rose

Written by Bernard Rose
Based on the short story "The Forbidden" by Clive Barker

Starring Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd, Xander Berkeley
& Kasi Lemmons

Candyman. Candyman. Candyman. Candyman. Every since I was a very small boy, I've had an overactive imagination. I'd look at my bedroom window at night, and expect some kind of ghoul to appear there - almost anticipating it as if my imagination were enough to tempt something supernatural to materialize. That inner fear turned out to be an unexpected benefit when it came to scary movies - the more unnerving the better and more fondly remembered. Is this masochism? Mathias Clasen and others have studied this strange counterintuitive compulsion some of us have regarding these films - and I'm definitely a fan of freaking myself out. So, how well does a film like Candyman do in comparison to the broad spectrum of scary horror films out there? It's pretty good. It's not up amongst the absolute best, but it has many of the necessary components and Bernard Rose had many varying factors which fell his way.

Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) is a research graduate doing a study on urban legends, and this is how she comes across the Candyman legend - if you speak his name five times into a mirror, he is meant to appear and wreak bloody havoc. Trying to dig deeper into where all this came from, she investigates a murder which took place in a nearby building tenement with her friend Bernadette (Kasi Lemmons) leading to her being assaulted. After recovering, a mysterious figure claiming to be Candyman (Tony Todd) approaches her. She faints, and when she comes to she's covered in blood, with the beheaded dog of a woman she'd contacted during her research near her - and worse, the woman's baby is missing. Charged with murder, but bailed out by her husband Trevor (Xander Berkeley) she tries to maintain her innocence, but this is further complicated when Bernadette's body is found in her apartment after being killed by the apparition. The Candyman wants one thing - for Helen to join him in infamy and help revive his legend, seemingly claiming that she's his lover and fated to die a horrible death to become legend herself.

These films often supply twisted backstories to the plight of whatever villain or monster is in them, and this one creates a great mythos for itself. Daniel Robitaille was an African-American man living in late 1800s America, an artist and son of a former slave. Daniel fell in love with a white woman, and impregnated her which led to her father assembling a lynch mob to kill him - and they did this job with the requisite cruelty, common during that period. They severed his right hand with a rusty saw, covered his naked body in honey, and then threw him into an apiary where 1000s of bees stung him to death. Personally, I'm extremely allergic to bees - only a couple of stings can kill me, so the bee element of Candyman works as well as anything else does. The other major theme is racial, and of course this includes both the myth-making time period and modern Chicago, where the poor people who live in the building tenement of Cabrini-Green are nearly all black - in the original novel this translated into different classes in Liverpool.

One of the best elements of Candyman is it's haunting score, which at different times uses piano, organ and choir to modulate drama and an awareness of the otherworldly - almost in a religious sense. That the music is go good comes as no surprise when you learn that Philip Glass was involved with composing it - and he'd have to have been the most talented person working towards the end product of this film. Nominated for 3 Oscars (for Kundun, The Hours and Notes on a Scandal), Glass rarely participates in scoring a horror film but still manages to create one of the best horror scores I've ever listened to. It's eerily reminiscent of Wendy Carlos and her work on The Shining and A Clockwork Orange. He joins a select group (Joseph Bishara, Goblin, Colin Stetson, Mark Korven etc) and stands out as being one of the all time great musicians outside of film scoring, having worked with David Bowie and other high profile artists in the industry. That organ and choir work during Candyman's climax was especially memorable and created the perfect atmosphere for the ending of a horror film.

Visually, there's a lot going on. From cinematographer Anthony B. Richmond (who worked on the likes of Don't Look Now, The Man Who Fell to Earth and Let it Be with The Beatles) to visual effects supervisor William Cruse (The Green Mile and The Fisher King) and one of the most crucial men on set during certain scenes - expert bee wrangler Norman Gary, who had to breed thousands of bees to make sure the ones he used extensively in scenes where Virginia Madsen and Tony Todd would be covered in them would be very young and not likely to be able to sting yet. The effects are all practical (which I always prefer in horror) - but some of the most eye-popping moments are those with the bees. Also noteworthy is the view we get of Chicago during the opening credits - while not as unique today, it's one of the first times a large drone was able to film at such a close range looking straight down. It's always good for a film like this to give us views that are uncommon, disorientating and unusual. You'll see many horror films using that same 'strange spatial viewpoint' type of cinematography at it's start.

The story itself came from Clive Barker, well known for his macabre writings and occasional forays into filmmaking - Candyman is one of two major properties he's well known for, the other being Hellraiser. These days, a success in horror means you've spawned a kind of franchise, and the genre is well known for inevitable sequels to films that achieve even moderate success (Candyman was followed by two sequels and in 2021 a direct sequel to the first film brought Candyman into the modern era.) I really hadn't had much experience with Candyman at all, despite being a fan of the genre - it was just a major blind spot for me - our two paths seemed destined to never meet. I saw the 2021 film when it came out, and I was unimpressed, but now I think it's more a case of needing to have seen the original and become steeped in it's mythos to really be able to understand and appreciate this more recent film, and I look forward to giving it another chance.

As for Bernard Rose - despite arriving on the scene making horror films, the only real connection I'd made with him before this was with a film I really like a lot - Immortal Beloved, featuring Gary Oldman playing Beethoven, ill-fated in love. He made that only two years after Candyman, and his post-1990s work seems to have been sporadic and inconsistent. Snuff-Movie? Found footage film Sx_Tape? He seems to have wanted to blur the lines between film and reality in the 2000s and 2010s but has been met with critical condemnation and very little interest, really making for a lower profile career. I actually have Mr. Nice on DVD, but someone else bought it for me cheap, and I have no real desire to watch it. Rose had really reached the peak of his career in the early to mid-90s, and Candyman is probably the apex of all that - the film he'll really be remembered for. It seems that as time has gone on, Candyman has been looked at and evaluated more and more like a horror classic, and with it's eerie atmosphere and the presence of the large and imposing (but handsome and charming) Tony Todd it really works well.

I really enjoyed watching Candyman a lot, and the more I looked at it, the more about it I liked. It has that tragic kind of bittersweet and painful scope all the great horror films have - it's monster is really something you feel compelled to actually feel something for. It's protagonist is someone who may have had many flaws (being cultured and superior, she patronizes and looks down upon those people in Cabrini-Green in her own subtle way) but she's someone who was really undeserving of her ultimate fate. It's a film that speaks to urban legend and folklore, along with the power people give to myths - and I love films which incorporate that into them. It scares us by psychologically guiding us into a certain mindset, and it's one of those horror films where I'm more scared by the ideas it represents than by any visceral gore or sudden jump-scares. It's the pain that lingers in a place where unspeakable experiences seem to have soaked into the walls and ground, yearning for hushed voices to whisper and worry about curses. It's that fear of powerful horror that has transcended our physical world, and waits for us on the other side - waiting for a way through, just like a killer through a gap behind the bathroom mirror. Candyman.

4

[Siddon]

https://www.slantmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2001/09/fatgirl.jpg

Fat Girl (2001)



Frankly the film has basically nothing going for it other than it's exploitation of children. When you remove the underage sex scenes, and the rape scene, and all the child nudity you are left with a lazy puddle of nothingness. With an ending that is unearned and random.


D borderline F

[Allaby]

https://www.slantmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2001/09/fatgirl.jpg

Fat Girl (2001)

I don't understand how every hall of fame has to feature graphic underage nudity and sex. I'm supposed to review a film where if I discuss what happens in it Yoda would likely have to edit the posts.

Frankly the film has basically nothing going for it other than it's exploitation of children. When you remove the underage sex scenes, and the rape scene, and all the child nudity you are left with a lazy puddle of nothingness. With an ending that is unearned and random.

rating_1

I can respect why the nudity and sexual content may bother some, but there are other elements to the film that make it worthwhile. The performances are good and the relationship between the two sisters is interesting. The ending seems random, but I don't think it is. I think it connects to Anaïs's early comment about wanting her first time to be with a random nobody. The ending can be interpreted in different ways, but to me it does feel earned, even though it initially seems out of nowhere. Not trying to start an argument or anything. I can respect where you are coming from, but I disagree with your assessment.

[Siddon]

I can respect why the nudity and sexual content may bother some, but there are other elements to the film that make it worthwhile. The performances are good and the relationship between the two sisters is interesting. The ending seems random, but I don't think it is. I think it connects to Anaïs's early comment about wanting her first time to be with a random nobody. The ending can be interpreted in different ways, but to me it does feel earned, even though it initially seems out of nowhere. Not trying to start an argument or anything. I can respect where you are coming from, but I disagree with your assessment.


We aren't really allowed to start fights over stuff like this...but really what was in this film to review other than the child exploitation? 1/3rd of the film was watching a 15 year old maneuver her first sexual encounters(graphically) and then the other parts of the film were the doldrums's of this vacation life. We could have or maybe should have gotten more from the mother character as she's an important part of the plot.

[Allaby]

We aren't really allowed to start fights over stuff like this...but really what was in this film to review other than the child exploitation? 1/3rd of the film was watching a 15 year old maneuver her first sexual encounters(graphically) and then the other parts of the film were the doldrums's of this vacation life. We could have or maybe should have gotten more from the mother character as she's an important part of the plot.

The main focus was on the sisters' relationship and their experiences growing up, along with their ideas and experiences about sexuality. I thought the acting was really good and the dialogue was well written. The mother isn't the focus of the film, so I didn't mind that there wasn't much with her. Personally, I think there is a lot of substance to the film. It's fine that you disagree. You are entitled to your opinion of course, no hard feelings on my part. I nominated the film because I think it is a genuinely great film. I recognise it is divisive, as many great films are, but my intent was not to offend or upset anyone.

[Siddon]

https://arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-tronc.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ZZJRNR7AMBDSDMDORJBOY55QQA.jpg


Lawrence of Arabia strives for perfection in so many ways. Leans last five films (except for the documentary) are basically epic classics. And this film does so many things right, to start off with the film opens with the leads death and funeral. A popular trope from Life of Colonel Blimp and Citizen Kane that fit's the narrative style of this story. T.E. Lawrence is a hero that will survive to the end and we are going to get a story.

Visually it's a spectacular film, shot in the desert with thousands of extras set piece after set piece feels epic. This is a world that is strange but also filled with glorious excesses. So many shot in this film look good. The musically the score is thunderous but never overwhelming the visuals on screen. Peter O'Toole is a star and he's surrounded by a series of character actors that play off Lawrence so well. Even though Guinness and Quinn are in brown face...I can look past that and appreciate the character work from both of them. And O'Toole is great in this starting as a man of confidence to someone who's faith has been broken and shattered by the end of the war.

But the film has a major issue and that's the script. The story never really comes together so when you are watching a four hour film you feel like you are missing chunks of important narration and character growth. The movement of time and characters were confusing to me we didn't really get to see much of a progress from O'Toole in the first act to the second. I loved the big scenes and set pieces but random characters would die and I wasn't sure who they were.

I've noticed watching some of Lean's lesser work that he does try and do different things naratively. But they didn't really work on the same level as other Lean films that I enjoyed more (Blithe Spirit, Bridge on the River Kwai, and Great Expectations). It's a great film but it's a film that I feel like I need to have a commentary track going to understand everything that was going on.

B

[Thief]

TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A.
(1985, Friedkin)

https://i.imgur.com/0vKohAX.jpg


"I'm gonna bag Masters, and I don't give a shit how I do it."



That's the lengths to which Secret Service agent Richard Chance (William Petersen) will go to grab his man. To Live and Die in L.A. follows his attempts to arrest criminal Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe), a skilled but ruthless counterfeiter that is responsible for murdering Chance's partner. To do this, he has to reluctantly work with newly assigned partner, John Vukovich (John Pankow), a more straight-laced agent.

Released in 1985, this is as 80s as you can get. From its traditional plot of a cop set on revenge, paired with an opposite partner, to its gritty, Miami Vice-like ambience and overall feel. There is also a certain "sleaze" to its vibe, along with huge doses of ultra-violence that just makes it feel of a certain time.

Friedkin keeps the pace a bit on the restless side, so there isn't much of a chance to let your guard down. Maybe because of this, some cuts feel a bit abrupt, while also some subplots and storylines feel either underserved or end up falling by the side. One notable example is the subplot of Chance's informant/lover Ruth Lanier (Darlanne Fluegel).

My main issues, however, is with the character of Vukovich. I think Pankow was a bit miscast, but beyond that, I don't think the script gives him the depth and space that he needs; especially considering how important he becomes as the film progresses. It was halfway through the film that I kinda realized, "Oh, this is like an important guy. I thought he would be a 'red-shirt' nobody". Maybe that has to do with my expectations, or maybe with the way he was introduced and presented at first.

Chance, on the other hand, is cold and brooding. Petersen does a solid job with the character, and you believe that this guy doesn't really give a shit how he does things. Finally, Dafoe gives one of his committed performances, although I wouldn't have mind a bit more "crazy" from him. Finally, John Turturro gives a great supporting performance as one of Masters' men.

Despite some of the issues stated above, I really enjoyed this. I enjoyed the dark and gritty approach to things, and Friedkin did a solid job directing. It's worth mentioning that there's a particularly intense car chase that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The script has some issues, but a lot of the dialogue is sharp and cool, and there is a twist towards the end that's bound to make you go "what?!" Apparently, MGM executives weren't happy with it, but I guess Friedkin said "I'm gonna do it, and I don't give a shit how I do it."

Grade: 3.5

[Thief]

Re: Fat Girl, just sharing my perspective, but I thought the film was an interesting exploration and contrast of the sexual awakening of two sisters. There is a mixture of toxicity and true love between them, and I think the film juxtaposed those really well. I can understand the nudity bothering some people, but I disagree that there was "nothing" there.

[PHOENIX74]

I think the ending of Fat Girl was meant to juxtapose itself in comparison with the sex scenes between Elena and that rat Fernando. In fact, more than thinking it's meant to be a juxtaposition - it simply is meant to be one, and is anything but random. Catherine Breillat didn't think up that ending for a bit of a thrill, or just at random without careful consideration behind it. She's saying that what Fernando did to Elena is comparable with the savage rape - or, closer to the truth and being more controversial - the rape of Anaïs was simply brutally honest and therefore the earlier sex scenes with Fernando were more uncomfortable to watch. They were worse than what happens to Anaïs at the end, because of the falsity and deception. Elena felt violated and humiliated after her experience, but after Anaïs was raped she felt that nothing had really been done to her.

[Thief]

I think the ending of Fat Girl was meant to juxtapose itself in comparison with the sex scenes between Elena and that rat Fernando. In fact, more than thinking it's meant to be a juxtaposition - it simply is meant to be one, and is anything but random. Catherine Breillat didn't think up that ending for a bit of a thrill, or just at random without careful consideration behind it. She's saying that what Fernando did to Elena is comparable with the savage rape - or, closer to the truth and being more controversial - the rape of Anaïs was simply brutally honest and therefore the earlier sex scenes with Fernando were more uncomfortable to watch. They were worse than what happens to Anaïs at the end, because of the falsity and deception. Elena felt violated and humiliated after her experience, but after Anaïs was raped she felt that nothing had really been done to her.

This. Obviously, not meant to minimize the implications of a rape, but ultimately Fernando lied and deceived Elena into having sex with him. The whole film consists of this elaborate emotional manipulation just for him to satisfy that need. It is not random that Breillat chooses to highlight Elena's screams both times that she has sex with Fernando. It is not meant to be pleasant or romantic.

[PHOENIX74]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f0/The-uninvited-film-poster.jpg

I still ended up watching The Uninvited, even though it won't be in the mix for the 30th Hall of Fame. It was an interesting piece of cinema history as far as the supernatural is concerned, with so many of the films that preceded it having rational explanations for haunted houses and the paranormal. It was also interesting to see the ill-fated Gail Russell in her feature debut - the ultra-shy girl who ended up using booze to overcome her fears, which in the end destroyed her. I'm a little tired of these films featuring a romantic coupling where the guy is twice as old as the girl - but it doesn't really go anywhere in this, so it didn't bother me too much. I thought the effects were brilliant for it's day, and the cinematography - wow! So much invention and clever use of angles - the director of photography turned The Uninvited into a piece of art, and it was the most enjoyable aspect of the film to me. There's a little too much explanation, which removes more and more of the mystery - I prefer my scary movies to keep as much mystery as they can.

No big or proper review and rating from me for this one (unless MovieGal makes a sudden reappearance) but I felt like seeing it all anyway.

[SpelingError]

Valley of the Dolls (1967) - 3.5

Before I start this review, let me note that I'm not one who tends to pay attention to acting, so while I don't disagree with criticisms that the acting is mediocre, I didn't notice the apparent bad acting much and, therefore, I wasn't bothered by it. What I instead saw was a compelling story with a couple flaws here and there. If acting and dialogue are deal breakers for you though, you probably won't enjoy this film and may be bothered by the disconnect between the unintentionally funny bits and the straight-faced drama of the film. But again, these aren't elements I tend to care much about, so while I'm not going to pretend this is a good film, it is a good film for me. I, for one, was taken in by the three main characters as their individual stories of faded dreams and the forces both inside and outside their control which tore them down throughout the film were compelling and made for a handful of tragic scenes. Jennifer's final scene stuck out as especially moving, in fact. And this is all topped with the melancholy look of various shots and the haunting soundtrack from Dionne Warwick. The only thing holding my rating back is how certain phases of the individual character arcs felt rushed. Because of that, the breakdown-recovery-breakdown cycle didn't always feel true to the characters. The worst offender for this was Neely's actions after being released from the sanitorium. The execution of her arc after that felt very hodgepodge and some more breathing room would've worked wonders. Fortunately though, the film is mostly well-executed and, while the hammy bits will provide a cap to many people's enjoyment of it, I enjoyed my time with it well enough.

[Thief]

I still have four to watch (Dog Day Afternoon, Ship of Fools, Valley of the Dolls, and Lawrence of Arabia), but I might leave them for the first days of March. I still need to finish one film for my own February challenge, and wanna try sneaking one more from the 1950s scifi thread before the month ends. Also, if I find myself swamped, I think I can get away with writing something for Lawrence of Arabia, cause it's only been a couple of years since I saw it. I would really like to rewatch it, though. Either way, I don't think I'll have any issues finishing this before the deadline.

[SpelingError]

I might get to The Uninvited anyways.

[Thief]

I might get to The Uninvited anyways.

It's worth it.

[SpelingError]

It's worth it.

Yeah, but what if I find the film uninviting?

[Thief]

Yeah, but what if I find the film uninviting?

Throw it off a cliff then

[Citizen Rules]

...It was also interesting to see the ill-fated Gail Russell in her feature debut - the ultra-shy girl who ended up using booze to overcome her fears, which in the end destroyed her.

...I thought the effects were brilliant for it's day, and the cinematography - wow! So much invention and clever use of angles - the director of photography turned The Uninvited into a piece of art, and it was the most enjoyable aspect of the film to me.

No big or proper review and rating from me for this one (unless MovieGal makes a sudden reappearance) but I felt like seeing it all anyway.I liked your review and you hit all the highlights of the film at least the ones that were highlights for me: Gail Russell and the cinematography.

I remember watching The Uninvited years ago and being touched by Gail Russell's performance so much that I sought out some of her other well known films: Wake of the Red Witch & Angel and the Badman were two that I really liked and liked her in. I see she made some more films that look pretty interesting so maybe I'll go on a Gail Russell binge:)

Valley of the Dolls (1967) - rating_3_5

Before I start this review, let me note that I'm not one who tends to pay attention to acting, so while I don't disagree with criticisms that the acting is mediocre, I didn't notice the apparent bad acting much and, therefore, I wasn't bothered by it. What I instead saw was a compelling story with a couple flaws here and there. If acting and dialogue are deal breakers for you though, you probably won't enjoy this film and may be bothered by the disconnect between the unintentionally funny bits and the straight-faced drama of the film...

Fortunately though, the film is mostly well-executed and, while the hammy bits will provide a cap to many people's enjoyment of it, I enjoyed my time with it well enough.Enjoyed your review and I'm happy you liked Valley of the Dolls. I knew it wasn't going to be popular especially with a younger crowd. It's not a perfect movie, but it's one I really like.

I know you've said you're not that much into acting while watching a movie but look for a film that delivers emotions. I find the reasons we all love what we love in film to be interesting as it's so varied from person to person. Myself I can be elevated by brilliant acting as it's something I really look for...but it's not the only thing. I'm into set design. The art direction of a film can set the ambiance for me and feels like I'm in another place and time. And of course excellent writing scores high with me. Now VotD doesn't have the same caliber of writing as say Sweet Smell of Success, but for me lines like Neely's drunken rage scenes or her famous 'Sparkly Neely, sparkle."...put a smile on my face.

[SpelingError]

I know you've said you're not that much into acting while watching a movie but look for a film that delivers emotions. I find the reasons we all love what we love in film to be interesting as it's so varied from person to person. Myself I can be elevated by brilliant acting as it's something I really look for...but it's not the only thing. I'm into set design. The art direction of a film can set the ambiance for me and feels like I'm in another place and time. And of course excellent writing scores high with me. Now VotD doesn't have the same caliber of writing as say Sweet Smell of Success, but for me lines like Neely's drunken rage scenes or her famous 'Sparkly Neely, sparkle."...put a smile on my face.

I'm generally into films which leave a huge emotional impact on me, whether that be due to cinematography, aesthetic choices, compelling characters, or having an emotive feel.

[rauldc14]

I don't know that everyone will finish before March 7th.....anyways I do plan to watch Dog Day Afternoon on March 6th so don't fret on me.

[Thief]

I'm feeling the pressure. I have 5-ish days to watch four films, and one of those is freakin' Lawrence of Arabia :laugh: I barely have time to watch one a day, if at all, but I'll push through. Again, it's been just 3 years maybe since I last saw Lawrence, so maybe I can get away with writing something for it, but we'll see.

[Citizen Rules]

I'm feeling the pressure. I have 5-ish days to watch four films, and one of those is freakin' Lawrence of Arabia :laugh: I barely have time to watch one a day, if at all, but I'll push through. Again, it's been just 3 years maybe since I last saw Lawrence, so maybe I can get away with writing something for it, but we'll see.Counting today there's 6 days left to watch the movie. The deadline is at 12 midnight March 7th but any ballots that come in by the morning of the 8th will be OK. I hope to start tallying the results on the 8th, depending on my work. Happy watching:D

[Thief]

https://media.tenor.com/_xBI-s53_PMAAAAC/the-big-bang-theory-jim-parsons.gif

[Siddon]

https://64.media.tumblr.com/aa0380d2f3c6de161ecf984c6d2f3de6/457f7993acdccab3-cc/s540x810/9a05cbfc4cca5b93cceb44aea31110ed75f0bc5a.gif

Valley of the Dolls (1967)

This is a film of it's time...which is a shame because had the film been made 10 years later or 10 years earlier it might have been a classic. Valley of the Dolls tells the story of drug abuse in Hollywood in the 1960's...it covers Patty Duke's rise and fall thanks mostly to the use of the drugs. The film shows flashes of Douglas Sirk style plotting (though forgoing subtly) mixed with cheesecake soft core sexuality. While the two elements are not bad it would have been better had the film been made later. Frankly I prefer the Roger Ebert Russ Meyer sequel Beyond the Valley of the Dolls for it's horror influences and better use of sexuality.

The issues I had with the film were two fold. Patty Duke really isn't a good singer, this is a musical and what is serviceable for the time comes out as sharp and out of tune today. I would have turned down the volume but the sound mixing is so awful that the score drowns out the dialogue. And this is from The Criterion Collection disc so it's not a rip.

I can understand why someone would love this film, visually it's spectacular and styled in a way that one would enjoy it. But that style comes at a cost. I also found Patty Duke's performance to be over the top...many would say camp but I would say it was just bad...a huge misfire. The film got an Oscar nomination for it's music and I get that. It has good songs they just aren't well executed ones. At the end of the day I wouldn't recommend this film. It has some very strong visual aspects to it but it's just not at a level I would call good.


Also I would have much rather follow Sharon Tate working through the French New Wave. And it's never a good sign when you are more attached to the B-plot than the A one.


C-

[Citizen Rules]

Counting today there's 6 days left, the deadline is March 7th midnight.

Take a look at these numbers and see if they are correct.
@beelzebubble (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=109178) 3 more movies
@edarsenal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=50536) 6 more movies
@rauldc14 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=60169) 1 more movie
@Siddon (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=95448) 2 more movies
@Thief (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=109353) 4 more movies

*I know Thief & Raul just posted about their remaining movies.

[Thief]

Counting today there's 6 days left, the deadline is March 7th midnight.

Take a look at these numbers and see if they are correct.
@beelzebubble (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=109178) 3 more movies
@edarsenal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=50536) 6 more movies
@rauldc14 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=60169) 1 more movie
@Siddon (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=95448) 2 more movies
@Thief (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=109353) 4 more movies

*I know Thief & Raul just posted about their remaining movies.

Yep. I plan to start either Valley of the Dolls or Dog Day Afternoon right now.

[beelzebubble]

Counting today there's 6 days left, the deadline is March 7th midnight.

Take a look at these numbers and see if they are correct.
@beelzebubble (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=109178) 3 more movies
@edarsenal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=50536) 6 more movies
@rauldc14 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=60169) 1 more movie
@Siddon (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=95448) 2 more movies
@Thief (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=109353) 4 more movies

*I know Thief & Raul just posted about their remaining movies.
Are you counting Lawrence of Arabia as one of my movies?

[Citizen Rules]

Are you counting Lawrence of Arabia as one of my movies?Yes.

If you've already seen LoA and I assume you have then just write a brief review. A paragraph or two will do.

[Citizen Rules]

Yep. I plan to start either Valley of the Dolls or Dog Day Afternoon right now.Just don't mistakenly watch the seldom seen Valley of the Dogs.:cool:

[Thief]

Just don't mistakenly watch the seldom seen Valley of the Dogs.:cool:

Went with Dog Day Afternoon. It's in the bag already, but I'll keep an eye on that :D

[SpelingError]

https://i.imgur.com/IRO2roQ.gif

[Siddon]

https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/sm/upload/e4/ii/bp/iy/deadmans-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg?v=90f84835fe

Dead Men's Letters (1986)

When I nominated a film from the 80's I picked one as a stark contrast to the boring modern cop TV shows and car chase films. This one on the other hand is burdened by following hundreds of better made post-apocalyptic films. This isn't a bad film it's just a dated one. The nuclear apocalypse has occurred and the survivors are living in bunkers.

It's a film that's mostly style over substance, using different color filters for the time periods during the nuclear winter is clever. The film also has great set design (though shouldn't the dead bodies have been decayed a bit). While you don't have to have a great plot this one just kinda meanders around for it's run time. It's makes a short film feel 2 or 3 times longer than it should. I couldn't connect or even remember much of the characters a day after watching it...which is the fundamental problems with films like this. It's great to look at, the visuals are striking but it feels more like a novelty than a fully realized piece of work.

C

[Thief]

I'm halfway through Valley of the Dolls right now.

[Siddon]

https://i.gifer.com/kSL.gif

To Live and Die in LA (1985)


William Friedkin won an Oscar for his police procedural The French Connection. In the film Popeye Doyle is a bad guy of sorts who assaults witnesses, shoots suspects in the back and fails to get the bad guy in the end. At the time the deconstruction of the genre was a revolution for its time. As time went on Friedkin made good films even a classic (The Exorcist) but he ended up in a slump. They had already done a sequel and spinoff of The French Connection so Friedkin did something great film makers ofter do...he tried to tell the same story in a different way.


In this film the focus is the cat and mouse game between Chance and Masters. Chance's partner is murdered three days from retirement, Masters has his mule busted and feels the walls coming in on him. At first the film is a cliche something that you'd see in hundreds if not thousands of pulpy noirs. But as the film goes on you start to see differences between this film and others of it's sort.

The story moves from setting to setting, opening up this world of Los Angeles. You see Masters not as psychopath but rather a calm pragmatic murderer. His competiticy is then contrasted with Chance who is a drunk, a fool, and kind of a rapist. And the black and white story starts to get color and nuance. Both are cogs in a wheel, Masters using his art to run his business, Chance operating as a cop who plays by his own rules.

Now we know in the future that the LA law enforcement is ripe with corruption and that the cops are bad guys. But that is part of what makes this time period piece work so well. This is also the lost art of the midbudget film. Where the cast isn't filled with stars but rather up and coming actors and character workers. The effects are also practical, everything is lived in. When you see a thrilling car chase the cars actually move like real cars. Something that the CGI world we live in has gotten rid of. And unlike other films of the time that bought 80's rock tracks Friedken chose to use Wango Tango to basically score the film which they did an incredible job.

Naturally the film has one of the great plot twists in noir history and concludes on an interesting note that careful viewers can see as a villains origin story. Other films from this era were more popular (Beverly Hills Cop, Lethal Weapon, Cobra) but to me this is the thinking mans and cinephiles 80's cop film.

A

[Siddon]

Like others have said though a lot of the characters other than Dafoe come off flat and that unfortunately kills my enjoyment of the film overall. It's not anything bad but it's just nothing groundbreaking either.




What Freidkin does in the film is similar to what George RR Martin does in Game of Thrones were the first watch the characters seem flat but if you decide to revisit the film you'll see that almost everyone in this film has an angle/character arc.


One of the little things he does which is genius is how the authority figures are placed. The Lieutenant is a by the book middle man who lives in a little hole of an office. He wears a cheap little outfit and carries around paperwork and really doesn't care about any of the cases. That is then contrasted with the DA who has a huge office and a nice suit but he's still a dick...when Chance goes to him about changing Turturo's deal he makes it clear that if anything goes wrong it's on Chance. And then the rule of three kicks in with Dean Stockwell who is wealthier than the others and is at the center of the crime. He's the one trying to get the 50K they stole in the diamond heist from a different angle.

[Thief]

I'm a bit against the wall. I had to record an interview today, so I couldn't see anything. I'll try to watch Ship of Fools tomorrow, but I seriously doubt I can sneak in all 4 hours of Lawrence of Arabia the day after. Most probably, I'll write something about it since I've already seen it, but I was looking forward to rewatch it.

EDIT: I just realized I have a review up on Letterboxd, so I will probably end up putting that up.

[Citizen Rules]

I'm a bit against the wall. I had to record an interview today, so I couldn't see anything. I'll try to watch Ship of Fools tomorrow, but I seriously doubt I can sneak in all 4 hours of Lawrence of Arabia the day after....Thief, I can extend the HoF for you, how much more time do you need?

Same question for @edarsenal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=50536)
Would it help if I gave more time for you to finish?

See, I am a nice guy:p
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Ff5%2F2c%2F9d%2Ff52c9d604e0d84540f9733236f708162.gif&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=3f625ca76315b0331f6a0fe0881bd76cf9f4c9c6389da3d00372ef9d060f64f5&ipo=images

[rauldc14]

I could use a minor extension for Dog Day. Was gonna watch today but I think tomorrow is more realistic.

[Citizen Rules]

I could use a minor extension for Dog Day. Was gonna watch today but I think tomorrow is more realistic.OK. Let's say the new deadline is the 10th. Does that work for you and Thief? And if Ed replies I can extend further, I hate to disqualify movies, it makes me a sad host:(

[SpelingError]

Admittedly, the deadline was a bit more sudden than what I'm used to, so though I'm already finished, I think an extension would be a fine idea.

[rauldc14]

It works for me.

[rauldc14]

As long as Eds intentions are there I would recommend extending it for him though because he's always finished these things. Plus I don't feel like we are really in a rush for the 31st Hall, which in good with hosting if everybody else is cool with it.

[edarsenal]

OK. Let's say the new deadline is the 10th. Does that work for you and Thief? And if Ed replies I can extend further, I hate to disqualify movies, it makes me a sad host:(
10th is great. I only have Dead Man's Letters, Candyman and Autumn Sonata to watch and write ups.
THANKS

[Citizen Rules]

Admittedly, the deadline was a bit more sudden than what I'm used to, so though I'm already finished, I think an extension would be a fine idea. The reveal of the noms were on 12-21 and the stated deadline was 3-7. That makes 77 days for 11 movies AND is 7 days per movie...which is the usual length formula of most HoFs. There was nothing sudden about it.

[Thief]

Thief, I can extend the HoF for you, how much more time do you need?

Same question for @edarsenal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=50536)
Would it help if I gave more time for you to finish?

See, I am a nice guy:p
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Ff5%2F2c%2F9d%2Ff52c9d604e0d84540f9733236f708162.gif&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=3f625ca76315b0331f6a0fe0881bd76cf9f4c9c6389da3d00372ef9d060f64f5&ipo=images

An extension could give me some breathing room to maybe rewatch Lawrence of Arabia and finish writing the reviews I still owe.

[rauldc14]

10th is great. I only have Dead Man's Letters, Candyman and Autumn Sonata to watch and write ups.
THANKS

An autumn afternoon you mean

[Citizen Rules]

An extension could give me some breathing room to maybe rewatch Lawrence of Arabia and finish writing the reviews I still owe.Sounds like everyone can make it by the 10th midnight. So that's the new deadline.

I wish you and Ed had messaged me and let me know you needed some more time. I figured Ed might have dropped out and I didn't know you needed anymore time. I've hosted 18 HoFs and have always made exceptions for people who needed more time.

[Thief]

Sounds like everyone can make it by the 10th midnight. So that's the new deadline.

I wish you and Ed had messaged me and let me know you needed some more time. I figured Ed might have dropped out and I didn't know you needed anymore time. I've hosted 18 HoFs and have always made exceptions for people who needed more time.

Thanks, man. My main worry was to catch up with Lawrence, but I figured I could let that one slide cause I had seen it, and like I said last night, I have a review available, so I didn't wanna bother.

[SpelingError]

The reveal of the noms were on 12-21 and the stated deadline was 3-7. That makes 77 days for 11 movies AND is 7 days per movie...which is the usual length formula of most HoFs. There was nothing sudden about it.
Hm, I stand corrected then. For some reason, it felt shorter, but apparently that wasn't the case.

[beelzebubble]

Lawrence of Arabia is one of the greatest films of all time. I will brook no nonsense about this. David Lean is a great director. As for the length, I personally couldn’t shorten this masterpiece. O’Toole is great. We see war and fame from many different angles as we do in many of Lean’s epic films.
To Live and Die in LA I really wanted to enjoy this but I had to watch it on my phone which kind of prohibited my relaxing into the film. I was on edge because I really didn’t care about any of the characters or the mis en scene, LA in the Eighties. It’s Friedkin so it is an excellent neo-noir. Willem Defoe is always a pleasure to watch. William Peterson is cute but he makes me want to yawn. Because of my problems watching it, the movie was just meh for me and more of a chore than a pleasure.
Deadman’s Letters was also one I saw on my phone. I had no idea where it was going so I paid attention better attention than I did to the previous film. It was beautifully written The eulogy for humanity was very moving. I certainly related to it as a person who lived through the Cold War. The most interesting thing about it was how obedient the Russian people were to this authoritarian regime as it tried to continue after an apocalypse. I just kept thinking about how obsteporous Americans would be.

[edarsenal]

An autumn afternoon you mean
lol um, yeah, lol

[SpelingError]

I'm going to check out The Uninvited tonight.

[Citizen Rules]

I'm going to check out The Uninvited tonight. The spirits say Yes you will like it.
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Fc5%2F21%2F93%2Fc52193cce019c1363f12637f24c363e7.gif&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=4021565b23a5dc03e4d273f604ddd5fb59364c87f9026bf2ef05c1ea684284fa&ipo=images

[rauldc14]

Dog Day Afternoon

There's nothing quite like the 30 first minutes of this film. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and you wonder just how awry this whole robbery could go. I thought it very well may be Al Pacino's best performance. The movie is a bit longer than needed and there is a lull in some of the phone conversations in the movie but it is overall quite a treat of a film to watch. Lumet does a great job telling the story and makes a good one two punch with Pacino. I also thought the character of Sal seemed hilarious to me. I was always waiting for him to make a big screw up with the robbery, and although he didn't, he always gave off that vibe to me. Perhaps Lumets second best.

4

[SpelingError]

The spirits say Yes you will like it.
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Fc5%2F21%2F93%2Fc52193cce019c1363f12637f24c363e7.gif&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=4021565b23a5dc03e4d273f604ddd5fb59364c87f9026bf2ef05c1ea684284fa&ipo=images

They were right!

I don't feel like writing a full review, but here are a few thoughts:

-I quite enjoyed how this film was a blend of a few different genres. Elements of horror, mystery, and romance films are in this and all three elements blended very well together without one overshadowing the other. The Ouija board scene felt a bit too on-the-nose though.

-The mansion on the cliffside made for a memorable setting. It added to the foreboding tone of the film since the shots of the waves crashing against the seashore were shot in a way so that they seemed more menacing than lovely to look at.

-The film could've used a less undercooked ending as the conflict felt resolved a bit too easily. That was the only weak part of the film for me.

Overall: 3.5

[Citizen Rules]

They were right!

I don't feel like writing a full review, but here are a few thoughts:

-I quite enjoyed how this film was a blend of a few different genres. Elements of horror, mystery, and romance films are in this and all three elements blended very well together without one overshadowing the other. The Ouija board scene felt a bit too on-the-nose though.

-The mansion on the cliffside made for a memorable setting. It added to the foreboding tone of the film since the shots of the waves crashing against the seashore were shot in a way so that they seemed more menacing than lovely to look at.

-The film could've used a less undercooked ending as the conflict felt resolved a bit too easily. That was the only weak part of the film for me.

Overall: rating_3_5Right on, I'm glad you liked it for the most part. Gail Russell? I found her utterly charming when I first watched The Uninvited.

[Thief]

Tomorrow I'll probably be done with the movie-watching. I'm working on the reviews I owe and I also expect to have them by the 10th.

[SpelingError]

Right on, I'm glad you liked it for the most part. Gail Russell? I found her utterly charming when I first watched The Uninvited.

Yeah, same here. Real shame that she died from alcoholism at a young age though :(

[edarsenal]

https://f.clip.cafe/img400/theres-nothing-further-here-a-warrior.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X3dto3l3PFQ/V8mv5kn5oHI/AAAAAAAAiUE/AylVyX-NlCQCxApepOxyJdxUiDdBvf9hwCLcB/w1200-h630-p-k-no-nu/960__lawrence_of_arabia_blu-ray_x05_.jpg
https://film-grab.com/wp-content/uploads/photo-gallery/thumb/33%20(598).jpg?bwg=1547227173

Lawerence of Arabia (1962)

Words like "epic saga" and "iconic" can, at times, get tossed around easily; there is no denying just how apropos they are for this. A film that I had never taken the time to watch in its entirety and fully appreciated. Often filing them under heartfelt regret for not doing so much earlier in my life. An exception to the rule, I do believe my appreciation of not only the film but the full course of the story of T.E. Lawrence and what transpires affects and draws me in far more now than when I was a far younger man—making for ideal viewing and leaving only my continual wish and desire (especially in the first twenty mins) to witness it all in an old-time movie theater, seeing the gorgeous landscape that traversed the usual dunes and explored the colors, vegetation, and mountains of the desert. These impeccable shots represent why Lawrence fell in love with the desert.
A very deserving win for cinematography and one that truly stands out amongst its peers. This says a lot coming from someone who rates his enjoyment of any given film by how captured I am by camera work. Just. F@ckin. Beautiful.

It is almost redundant to commit to words the overall experience of such a movie, along with the subtle magic of the actors.
I was unaware that this was Peter O'Toole's Introduction! Holy crap! The toll plays out so deeply in every expression.
Alongside such folks as Omar Sharif, Claude Reins, and Anthony Quinn, and a wonderfully serene performance by the master Alec Guinness, just to name a few.
EDIT: after reading Thief's review, it's important to me to include the equally exceptional portrayal and depth by Jose Ferrer of the Turkish Officer who captures and tortures Lawrence. An actor I so rarely get to see and count my blessings when I do.

A truly exceptional film that I am utterly delighted to finally and fully enjoy viewing.

[edarsenal]

https://www.joblo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/rsz-to-live-apeters.jpg
https://i.makeagif.com/media/6-15-2015/akLZPW.gif
https://cache.moviestillsdb.com/i/500x/zus0f3xl/to-live-and-die-in-la-lg.jpg

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

This was a fun and pretty enjoyable watch, especially with its uncharacteristic noir-influenced twists during a plethora of heroic cops doggedly pursuing bad guys in the Eighties. Taking a more dramatic, dark realism to the usual "at all costs" with good intentions, we happily rally behind others Like Beverly Hills Cop or Lethal Weapon. It creates an almost Anti Cops and Robbers film as our lead cop is really more corrupt and dangerous than the ad guy; he's willing to commit crime after crime to pursue.
Freidkin's willingness to explore police corruption when everyone else celebrated Cowboy Tactics in a grand style without repercussions really created an almost palate cleanser for the usual tropes that I loved during this decade.
BRAVO.

[Citizen Rules]

Tomorrow I'll probably be done with the movie-watching. I'm working on the reviews I owe and I also expect to have them by the 10th.If you need a couple extra days it's not a problem.

[edarsenal]

For me I'll be watching Dead Man's Letters and knocking out more reviews by tomorrow night.
Very much appreciate the extra couple of days, CR!

[Thief]

Ok, I started Ship of Fools last night. I'm halfway through. I plan on finishing it tonight, but I'm also behind on some podcast editing I wanted to do before the Oscars this Sunday. Hustle, hustle.

[edarsenal]

Ok, I started Ship of Fools last night. I'm halfway through. I plan on finishing it tonight, but I'm also behind on some podcast editing I wanted to do before the Oscars this Sunday. Hustle, hustle.
Hope you enjoy SoF. I had SOOO Loved Ida; that was wonderful!

The Hustle, hustle made me think of the magician from Frosty the Snowman lol
https://j.gifs.com/A2w8rr.gif

[edarsenal]

Annnd, vote sent

https://media.tenor.com/BEru_KxSqIoAAAAM/add-oil-good-luck.gif

Scattered Reviews following

THANK YOU, everyone. Thoroughly enjoyed a very large majority of these films. Fantastic job everyone!!!

[Thief]

Hope you enjoy SoF. I had SOOO Loved Ida; that was wonderful!

The Hustle, hustle made me think of the magician from Frosty the Snowman lol
https://j.gifs.com/A2w8rr.gif

So far, I liked the first half a lot!

CR, I have yet another podcast recording tonight. Not sure if reviews will be up tonight, but I'll keep you updated.

[Citizen Rules]

So far, I liked the first half a lot!

CR, I have yet another podcast recording tonight. Not sure if reviews will be up tonight, but I'll keep you updated.No worries here:) you can always send in your ballot if your done and post the reviews when you have the time.

[Thief]

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
(1962, Lean)

https://i.imgur.com/yNj2LXp.jpg


"Lawrence, only two kinds of creatures get fun in the desert: Bedouins and gods, and you're neither."



Shortly after being sent deep into the Arab desert, Lieutenant T.E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole) receives the above warning from his superior, Mr. Dryden (Claude Rains). Bedouins (desert dwellers) and gods are the only ones who would enjoy their time or feel comfortable in the harsh conditions of the desert. With time, it can be said that Lawrence became both.

Lawrence of Arabia follows the life of Lawrence as he joins the Arab forces of Prince Faisal (Alec Guinness) in order to provide help in their fight against the Turks. As he goes deeper and deeper into the desert, and into the Arab culture of his companions, Lawrence rises in power and becomes a key figure in what came to be known as the Arab Revolt. The film focuses greatly on Lawrence's infatuation with this power, and the cult-like following that surrounded him during his time in the desert.

This is only the second David Lean film I've seen, both within the last few months, and it might be one of the most visually striking films I've seen. Lean uses frequent panoramic and wide shots that showcase the vast landscape against which our "hero" has to fight. This "burning, fiery furnace", as Dryden puts it, that dwarfs most men that live in it. But not Lawrence. From the beginning, the film makes an effort not to portray him to be the typical "strong leader", but rather as a mild-mannered, ordinary man that uses his sensibilities and his ability to empathize with his companions and their culture to become one of them, and eventually become the central figure of their rebellion.

O'Toole's portrayal is great as he moves almost seamlessly between charming naivete and dangerous egotism. However, the rest of the cast isn't far behind with most of them having great performances. From Guinness' subtle turn as the manipulative Prince Faisal, to Omar Sharif's blunt but loyal companion. Anthony Quinn, who I also saw recently in Barabbas, has another great performance as the leader of one of the main tribes (and has probably my favorite line of the film), and my fellow Puerto Rican José Ferrer has a very brief, but great moment as a Turkish officer.

I'm pretty sure somebody here, or in another forum, once told me to see this film "widescreen and in the biggest TV you can". After seeing it, I can see why. Even if the story doesn't resonate with you, the film is worth seeing only for Lean's magnificent direction. Fortunately, he has a good story and great performers to match it.

Grade: 4

[Thief]

No worries here:) you can always send in your ballot if your done and post the reviews when you have the time.

Then that sounds like a plan, cause I will surely finish Ship of Fools tonight.

[Thief]

Ballot just have to be the list of ranked films, right? No points, nothing more?

[Thief]

Finished Ship of Fools and already sent my ballot. Great set of films, so thanks to everybody.

[Thief]

For what it's worth, my lowest one was a 3/5, so these were all really solid films.

[Citizen Rules]

5 in a row!

Thanks Thief glad you enjoyed the films:D I'll have the reveal sometime today, I hope.

[rauldc14]

Unrelated, but I'm thinking of kicking off the nominations for the 31st the day after Easter if people are cool with that.

[Allaby]

Unrelated, but I'm thinking of kicking off the nominations for the 31st the day after Easter if people are cool with that.

I’m cool with it only if you dress up like the Easter Bunny when you do it.

[Citizen Rules]

Unrelated, but I'm thinking of kicking off the nominations for the 31st the day after Easter if people are cool with that.That's cool. Maybe I'll nominate something themed for Easter:eek:

[edarsenal]

Sounds like excellent timing, Raul!!

[Allaby]

I'm going to nominate a wholesome classic comedy with no naked people.

[edarsenal]

https://www.reelworldtheology.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/An-Autumn-Afternoon-Featured.png
https://www.filmcomment.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/07/3An-Autumn-Afternoon.png
https://images.justwatch.com/backdrop/45369480/s640

Sanma no aji aka An Autumn Afternoon (1962)

This is my third Yasujirô Ozu film. My initial respect and admiration have grown into genuine endearment with this, his final film with a variation of my second Ozu film Late Spring. And much like that film features a truly beautiful and touching ending as the father, once more played by Chishû Ryû, faces the first night alone after his daughter's wedding.
For some oddball reason, I was surprised by just how magnificent the color scheme was, as if the switch from B&W (Shadows and Light) to Color would be a problematic switch of the medium. Silly moi. But it was gorgeous all the same and, along with particular dialogue, seemed to add an extra dash of warmth to the interactions that my prior two films that, included A Hen in the Wind, had a more restrained, reserved ambiance to the characters previously. Understandably HitW had a more dramatic storyline, and I could be simply warming up to Ozu, but it did feel, as a whole, a warmer story and movie. Late Autumn does seem to be one with the MOST drinking though LOL. And it may be a sign of the times for Japan that the women are more vocal about what they think and feel, and those moments made me chuckle.
Along with everyone else, one standout performance I immensely enjoyed was Eijirô Tôno as The Gourd, whom I remember from Yojimba as the taciturn Bar owner, along with the result of his daughter not making her own life and remaining with him. Quite moving.

So, BRAVO raul! THANK YOU for nominating this.

[Citizen Rules]

I have the HoF results ready and will be posting them shortly.

[Allaby]

I have the HoF results ready and will be posting them shortly.

The excitement! The suspense!

[edarsenal]

NOICE!
Best to stick around then lol

[rauldc14]

Soon as in like I shouldn't leave the site now?

[rauldc14]

Top 3 Prediction
1. Lawrence of Arabia
2. Dog Day Afternoon
3. Ida

[Citizen Rules]

NOICE!
Best to stick around then lolYup stick around everyone. I'll be quick too...even though I just got up and I'm still half a sleep:cool:

[Citizen Rules]

Soon as in like I shouldn't leave the site now?Like in 3 minutes.

[Allaby]

Like in 3 minutes.

3 minutes? I can't wait that long!

[edarsenal]

https://media.tenor.com/c74iYOfHS14AAAAd/happy-cute.gif

[Citizen Rules]

And it begins...

Coming in dead last are two movies at least somebody liked;)



https://i.gifer.com/kSL.gif

Tied for Last Place 8th
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
Siddon
33 points


and

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.2ra6CITmh4yLc6O2xg32RAHaDO%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=957bb7a249292452fe3be8f75d1905e6a20f452ac59031662c83a58c0a79d345&ipo=images

Valley of the Dolls (1967)
Citizen
33 points

[Citizen Rules]

I knew my movie would be last place before the HoF even started. I love it, that's all that matters to me.

[Allaby]

I liked Valley of the Dolls! I have it on blu ray. I'm surprised it finished so low. It was 5th on my ballot.

[Allaby]

To Live and Die in L.A. was last on my ballot, but I appreciate why some might dig it.

[edarsenal]

This may be a first for HoFs with two tying last.

I had LaDiLA at 7th and VofD at 6 but thoroughly enjoyed both and regret having to place them where I did.

[Citizen Rules]

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--tZhWnlnK6I/VGoSwYKcr1I/AAAAAAAAHfA/uidceviRoBM/s1600/vlcsnap-2014-11-17-20h19m30s95.png
7th Place
Dead Man's Letters (1986)
SpelingError
34 points

[edarsenal]

Okay, this WAS my last place, and ONLY due to how harsh a watch it was. Going on the List of Amazing Films That Kill Me To Endure But Thankful to View.

[Citizen Rules]

I liked Dead Man's Letters I had it at 6 out of 11 so middle of the pack. I thought it was darkly poetic.

[Allaby]

Dead Man's Letters was 10th on my ballot, but it was an interesting nomination and glad to have checked it out.

[edarsenal]

I liked Dead Man's Letters I thought it was darkly poetic.
VERY MUCH so

[Citizen Rules]

I liked Valley of the Dolls! I have it on blu ray. I'm surprised it finished so low. It was 5th on my ballot.Oh cool that you have it on Blu Ray. I don't know if people realized that it's popular with the gay community and was considered ground breaking as it's one of the first times a movie has a gay or bi character (Neely's husband) who is portrayed as a real person with a real job (he's a writer in Hollywood) as opposed to what Hollywood normally did with gay characters and made them into comical stereo types. I learned that from the Blu Ray extras.

[rauldc14]

No real surprises. I thought maybe Dead Mans would fare a tad better though. For the record, I disliked all 3 :)

[rauldc14]

I mean To Live and Die in LA wasn't bad but I definitely disliked the other 2.

[Citizen Rules]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.austinchronicle.com%2Fbinary%2Fdf11%2Ffatgirl.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=dd4909ab9d79362eb6802aadd44084bfc14d4349c969d4a7ccb6b98a33eb786f&ipo=images
6th Place
Fat Girl (2001)
Allaby
36 points

[edarsenal]

I was hoping Dead Man would be higher, feeling pretty bad about placing it last

[rauldc14]

Another meh one. Overall this HOF didn't have much power IMO sorry to be the Debbie downer.

[Citizen Rules]

I was surprised at the positive reaction to Fat Girl. After I watched it I thought it might come in last. I didn't care for it and it was the only HoF film I didn't like. It was last on my ballot. Sorry Allaby!

[Allaby]

I'm content with 6th place considering how divisive the film is overall. I'm happy for those who got something out of Fat Girl. I sincerely believe it is an excellent, worthy film. Sorry if any one was upset or offended by the film, that wasn't my intention.

[Allaby]

I was surprised at the positive reaction to Fat Girl. After I watched it I thought it might come in last. I didn't care for it and it was the only HoF film I didn't like. It was last on my ballot. Sorry Allaby!

That's okay. I understand. It's a controversial, challenging film and honestly I was prepared for it to come in last.

[edarsenal]

A Ma Soeur was #7 and again, ONLY due to the "punch" and my growing inability to endure such.
D@mn fine film.

[rauldc14]

I'll be shocked if Ship of Fools isn't next.

[edarsenal]

I think mine should pop up next
EDIT: too

[Citizen Rules]

I don't know what's next, damn short term memory. Let me go look and I'll post it....

[rauldc14]

5. Lawrence of Arabia

[Citizen Rules]

https://images.immediate.co.uk/remote/images.atlas.metabroadcast.com/api.pressassociation.com/content/f56d01b7-6ab5-5c2c-99e9-24565664ac5e.jpg?quality=90&resize=556,313
5th Place
Ship of Fools (1975)
Edarsenal
37 points

[edarsenal]

Lawrence will be #1 or #2

I will take #5 happily. I had it at #4. Three films simply outdid it for me, and one I felt pretty guilty of putting in #5

[Citizen Rules]

I'll be shocked if Ship of Fools isn't next.Good call.

Glad to have rewatched Ship of Fools as my first watch was late night and I was tired. Interesting film and I do love movies set on ships. It didn't quite gel with me and I had it at 8 of 11.

[Allaby]

Ship of Fools was 7th on my list. I have the dvd and I liked it more on rewatch than the first time I watched it.

[rauldc14]

With how close the bottom 5 are, it's like nobody could figure out which one was the crappiest. Even I had a hard time lol.

I do like the top 4 though but those first five are definitely just not good for me.

[Allaby]

I predict Lawrence to be #1.

[rauldc14]

I should have the rest predicted right.

[Citizen Rules]

With how close the bottom 5 are, it's like nobody could figure out which one was the crappiest. Even I had a hard time lol.

I do like the top 4 though but those first five are definitely just not good for me.Yeah the numbers were really close on some of these.

[Citizen Rules]

Are right so what is 4th place going to be???

[rauldc14]

Autumn Afrernoon

[edarsenal]

I predict Lawrence to be #1.
It'll be tight between Ida and Lawrence, I think. Hard to say which will pull it off

[Allaby]

Are right so what is 4th place going to be???

An Autumn Afternoon

[Citizen Rules]

https://assets.mubicdn.net/images/film/784/image-w1280.jpg?1623345959
4th Place
An Autumn Afternoon (1962)
Raul
43 points

[Citizen Rules]

An Autumn AfternoonYou are correct sir.:)

[Allaby]

An Autumn Afternoon was 9th on my list. I feel like it is the type of film I respect more than I actually like. Well made film from a great director, but I just didn't click with it.

[rauldc14]

It'll be tight between Ida and Lawrence, I think. Hard to say which will pull it off

Lawrence by at least 7 I say.

[Citizen Rules]

Any Ozu film will score high on my ballot! He's my favorite foreign director. That's a hint for any future HoFs:)

I really enjoyed the slow and simple, yet effective story telling in An Autumn Afternoon. I had it 5th on my list but only because the other 1-4th place movies on my ballot were freaking amazing.

[edarsenal]

Autumn Afternoon was #3 for me. As I wrote in my review, it brought my original respect and admiration for the two I've seen by Ozu to one of endearment.

[Citizen Rules]

Lawrence by at least 7 I say.Interesting, without looking I don't know, but we'll find out in a bit.

[edarsenal]

Lawrence by at least 7 I say.

Interesting. Even more curious now

[Citizen Rules]

https://i.imgur.com/L0jr4nI.jpg
3rd Place
Ida (2013)
Thief
55 points

[edarsenal]

Any Ozu film will score high on my ballot! He's my favorite foreign director. That's a hint for any future HoFs:)

I really enjoyed the slow and simple, yet effective story telling in An Autumn Afternoon. I had it 5th on my list but only because the other 1-4th place movies on my ballot were freaking amazing.

annnnd noted lol

[rauldc14]

It won't be by 7 now. I didn't see Ida being that far ahead of Autumn.

[Citizen Rules]

My second viewing of Ida and I liked it even more this time. It was 4th on my list but once again only because my top 3 were such good movies.

[Allaby]

Ida was 8th on my list. It was a rewatch. It's a well made film, but I just don't find it very interesting or compelling.

[rauldc14]

Ida was great for me the second time around.

[edarsenal]

Ida at #3 is a surprise. For me, it was #1, and vied for it with #2 VERY heavily when deciding. I was so utterly floored by it.

[rauldc14]

Ida at #3 is a surprise. For me, it was #1, and vied for it with #2 VERY heavily when deciding. I was so utterly floored by it.

Was it your first watch or were you in the other Hall that it was in?

[edarsenal]

Was it your first watch or were you in the other Hall that it was in?
The first time. I believe my first General HoF was #12 and I think Ida was around #10 or something like that.

[Citizen Rules]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2F23wh7e5ryr18%2Fphoto-45699%2F854fcd52a7bd920c052a07bfd4b74145%2F45699-dog-day-afternoon.jpg%3Ffm%3Djpg%26fl%3Dprogressive%26w%3D900%26q%3D50&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=72a70ea1be6e8fc53ace9ee0ffc19b486c76cb4b7e54be23121e4bf0de36a9bf&ipo=images
2nd Place
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Phoenix74
64 points


https://www.larsenonfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/lawrence-of-arabia-review.png
1st Place
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Beelzebubble
70 points

[rauldc14]

By 6. Was close. Glad to see it win.

[Allaby]

Dog Day Afternoon was my #2 and Lawrence of Arabia was my #1. Both excellent films.

[Citizen Rules]

I told ya I was fast! That's it, thanks everyone for joining. Congrats to Beelzebubble and to Phoenix too

[Allaby]

I have both on dvd.

[rauldc14]

1. An Autumn Afternoon
2. Dog Day Afternoon
3. Lawrence of Arabia
4. Ida
5. To Live and Die in L.A.
6. Fat Girl
7. Valley of the Dolls
8. Dead Mans Letters
9. Ship of Fools

[Allaby]

Great job hosting, Citizen.

[Allaby]

My ballot:

1. Lawrence of Arabia
2. Dog Day Afternoon
3. Fat Girl
4. Candyman
5. Valley of the Dolls
6. The Uninvited
7. Ship of Fools
8. Ida
9. An Autumn Afternoon
10. Dead Man's Letters
11. To Live and Die in L.A.

[SpelingError]

And it begins...

Coming in dead last are two movies at least somebody liked;)



https://i.gifer.com/kSL.gif

Tied for Last Place 8th
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
Siddon
33 points


and

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.2ra6CITmh4yLc6O2xg32RAHaDO%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=957bb7a249292452fe3be8f75d1905e6a20f452ac59031662c83a58c0a79d345&ipo=images

Valley of the Dolls (1967)
Citizen
33 points
To Live and Die in LA was #3 on my ballot and Valley of the Dolls was my #5.

[SpelingError]

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--tZhWnlnK6I/VGoSwYKcr1I/AAAAAAAAHfA/uidceviRoBM/s1600/vlcsnap-2014-11-17-20h19m30s95.png
7th Place
Dead Man's Letters (1986)
SpelingError
34 points
This was my #1. Sad it didn't place higher, but I'm still glad that most of you enjoyed it.

[SpelingError]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.Ww2WXHIcjCBpdHGKL1Q0DgHaD_%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=c50ef1549af7097ca7fde4c4b5b5f65fd3a150054492298093e12cd1fa7f08a8&ipo=images
6th Place
Fat Girl (2001)
Allaby
36 points
Fat Girl was #6 on my ballot.

[SpelingError]

https://images.immediate.co.uk/remote/images.atlas.metabroadcast.com/api.pressassociation.com/content/f56d01b7-6ab5-5c2c-99e9-24565664ac5e.jpg?quality=90&resize=556,313
5th Place
Ship of Fools (1975)
Edarsenal
37 points


Ship of Fools was #9 on my ballot. Didn't care for it.

[Allaby]

It was an interesting group of nominees. There were things I appreciated about all of them films, even the ones that finished lower on my ballot. This was good fun!

[SpelingError]

https://assets.mubicdn.net/images/film/784/image-w1280.jpg?1623345959
4th Place
An Autumn Afternoon (1962)
Raul
43 points
An Autumn Afternoon was my number 4 as well.

[SpelingError]

https://i.imgur.com/L0jr4nI.jpg
3rd Place
Ida (2013)
Thief
55 points
Ida was #8 on my ballot.

[SpelingError]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2F23wh7e5ryr18%2Fphoto-45699%2F854fcd52a7bd920c052a07bfd4b74145%2F45699-dog-day-afternoon.jpg%3Ffm%3Djpg%26fl%3Dprogressive%26w%3D900%26q%3D50&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=72a70ea1be6e8fc53ace9ee0ffc19b486c76cb4b7e54be23121e4bf0de36a9bf&ipo=images
2nd Place
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Phoenix74
64 points


https://www.larsenonfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/lawrence-of-arabia-review.png
1st Place
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Beelzebubble
70 points



Dog Day Afternoon was #7 on my ballot while Lawrence of Arabia was #2.

[SpelingError]

Full ballot:

1. Dead Man's Letters
2. Lawrence of Arabia
3. To Live and Die in L.A.
4. An Autumn Afternoon
5. Valley of the Dolls
6. Fat Girl
7. Dog Day Afternoon
8. Ida
9. Ship of Fools