View Full Version : 30th Hall of Fame
edarsenal
03-11-23, 02:29 PM
CONGRATS on Beelezebub on the win and for nominating a Must See! that I FINALLY got to see at just the perfect time of my life, so YAY!
Lawrence was the #2 that fought tooth and nail with Ida, and Dog Day was the guilty placement of one below my nom for the #4 spot.
A very, very prominent list of nominations for this with very happy revisits, must-sees, and new discoveries. THANKS EVERYONE
and THANK YOU, CR, for that Voodoo that you do -- so well!!
1) Ida #3
2) Lawrence of Arabia #1
3) An Autumn Afternoon #4
4) Ship of Fools #5
5) Dog Day Afternoon #2
6) Valley of the Dolls TIE #8
7) To Live and Die in L.A. TIE #8
8) Fat Girl #6
9) Dead Man's Letters #7
Citizen Rules
03-11-23, 02:32 PM
My ballot with all 11 of the original noms. The numbers after the movie titles are my ratings on the 5/5 scale. I rate them so I can remember what I though of them months later when it's time for my ballot.
1 Lawrence of Arabia 5
2 Valley of the Dolls 4.5
3 Dog Day Afternoon 4.5
4 Ida 4.5
5 An Autumn Afternoon 4
6 Dead Man's Letters (1986) 4
7 The Uninvited 3.5
8 Ship of Fools 3
9 Candyman 3
10 To Live and Die in L.A. 2.5
11 Fat Girl 2
For the next hall, I'm going to nominate my 107th favourite film. It's a classic comedy that I rate a 10/10, but it doesn't get talked about a lot and I would bet at least some of you haven't seen it.
Citizen Rules
03-11-23, 02:35 PM
for that Voodoo that you do -- so well!![/B] For some reason that made me think of Veronica Lake, I don't know why! I must be tired today.
edarsenal
03-11-23, 03:38 PM
For some reason that made me think of Veronica Lake, I don't know why! I must be tired today.
Now I'm thinking of Veronica Lake.
Thank you!:D
I don't remember my exact ballot, but Ida was a sure #1 for me, while Valley of the Dolls was the surest #9 (even though I enjoyed it).
Thanks to CR for the pickup :laugh:
Ida
Dog Day Afternoon
Fat Girl
Lawrence of Arabia
Ship of Fools
Dead Man's Letters
An Autumn Afternoon
To Live and Die in LA
Valley of the Dolls
2 to 6 are mostly interchangeable for me. I was really surprised by Ship of Fools. I was expecting something that felt more Oscar-baity, which maybe it was, but I thought it was pretty effective.
edarsenal
03-11-23, 07:24 PM
For the next hall, I'm going to nominate my 107th favourite film. It's a classic comedy that I rate a 10/10, but it doesn't get talked about a lot and I would bet at least some of you haven't seen it.
I SOOO loved when you nominated Born Yesterday for me in the IV Personal Rec HoF so I'm pretty geeked to see what this classic comedy is.
PHOENIX74
03-11-23, 11:36 PM
That Hall of Fame zipped by! I thought Lawrence of Arabia would win, it's unbeatable no matter which film is up against it. One of the greatest - and I'm still waiting for it to show at a nearby cinema so I can see it in all it's glory. If I'd voted using tactics, and put my Lawrence last, I would have won - but it wouldn't have felt right. I may as well have gone the whole hog - and put it first on my ballot where it belongs.
Many thanks to CR!
1 - Dog Day Afternoon
2 - Lawrence of Arabia
3 - Ida
4 - Fat Girl
5 - An Autumn Afternoon
Candyman
6 - Ship of Fools
7 - To Live and Die in L.A.
8 - Dead Man's Letters
The Uninvited
9 - Valley of the Dolls
edarsenal
03-12-23, 01:20 PM
https://fr.web.img6.acsta.net/r_1280_720/medias/nmedia/00/02/23/18/69197309_ph1.jpg
https://filmitalia.org/Files/2001/07/24/995978090411.jpg?1093517905587
http://www.popoptiq.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/ama.jpg
À ma soeur! aka Fat Girl (2001)
These recent years, and with this viewing compounding the fact that there is something far, far more emotionally and psychologically disturbing that delves with such callous abandonment upon our senses as movie-goers when it comes to films directed by women. The justifiable rage at so many circumstances of being lied to, used, abused, and quickly dismissed should they express their pain and humiliation.
I have never cringed more than during these films when they are illustrated in cinematic form. It's incredibly eye-opening scenarios necessary to broadcast beyond mere conversation into the suffering of not only the body but of the heart and the soul. It is wholly and utterly devastating. And much like the origins that inspire and drive the creators of these films, their effect does not go away. Their brilliance, at times, is lost in the shock we, as viewers, are incapable of escaping long after viewing them.
Writer/Director Catherine Breillat does precisely that, with unflinching honesty and precision. The film is exceedingly well done, as are many similar films that create such an uncomfortable and genuine shock founded in a fascination to be incapable of looking away no matter how much we desire to—mirroring the characters that are held hostage in what transpires and the genius of the Director to cause such extreme reaction/empathy within us for them.
I applaud them, but my god, how they do kill me.
Citizen Rules
03-12-23, 01:56 PM
Now that the 30th HoF is done and over with, I'm glad to say it went very smoothly, no arguing, very peaceful! Thanks to everyone for keeping it friendly.:)
As an aside I do wish we had more direct discussion about the merits or lack of merits of the noms. If you guys ever get a chance try skimming through some of the first HoFs, they were quite different in that people really interacted more...I miss that aspect of it.
The first main HoF I was ever in was the 8th Hall Of Fame (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=42907)...my movie came in second to last. The first ever HoF I was in I also hosted, odd but true: Film Noir HoF...Hall of Fame (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=1230157#post1230157)
edarsenal
03-12-23, 05:24 PM
Now that the 30th HoF is done and over with, I'm glad to say it went very smoothly, no arguing, very peaceful! Thanks to everyone for keeping it friendly.:)
As an aside I do wish we had more direct discussion about the merits or lack of merits of the noms. If you guys ever get a chance try skimming through some of the first HoFs, they were quite different in that people really interacted more...I miss that aspect of it.
The first main HoF I was ever in was the 8th Hall Of Fame (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=42907)...my movie came in second to last. The first ever HoF I was in I also hosted, odd but true: Film Noir HoF...Hall of Fame (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=1230157#post1230157)
Very true, the dialogue has drifted away and I am very guilty of that myself. Maybe that's WHY it was very peaceful :D:cool:
Let's see, my first General was the 12th, the first specialty was the 40s with a Blind Grab and my first time Hosting was the 70s and the first General was the 19th.
Citizen Rules
03-12-23, 05:31 PM
Very true, the dialogue has drifted away and I am very guilty of that myself. Maybe that's WHY it was very peaceful :D:cool:...Nah, not any one person's fault but just collectively we've moved away from discussing the noms...to writing book movie reports and then onto the next movie. The best discussions were when a number of people would watch the same movie within a few days of each other. It helps if the movie is topical too or at least though provoking. I remember when I hosted the 10th HoF and back then people would call out what they'd watch and some would try to watch the same thing. We had a great convo about Lilya 4-Ever.
edarsenal
03-12-23, 10:09 PM
It definitely helped when a few would see something around the same time to get discussions going
beelzebubble
03-13-23, 08:46 PM
I knew Lawrence of Arabia would pull through. It is why I stayed in the Hall of Fame even though I was having trouble watching the movies. I knew it would be the winner and I couldn't let down David Lean. I am glad you recognized its greatness. I congratulate you on your taste and perspicacity.
Citizen Rules
03-14-23, 09:41 PM
beelzebubble
Here ya go:)
https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=1836290#post1836290
edarsenal
03-15-23, 07:49 PM
https://drinkscoaster.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/neely-drinking.jpg?w=788
https://alexonfilm.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/valleyofthedolls1.jpg?w=584
https://basementrejects.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/valley-of-the-dolls-1967-jennifer-suicide-sharon-tate.jpg
Valley of the Dolls (1967)
For all its schmaltz and rep as a bad film that many genuinely like, I will readily place myself in that group of folks who found this film an enjoyable experience. Written by Jacqueline Susann about her own experiences in Hollywood during the 30s - 50s regarding addiction to prescription drugs used to keep actors "up." Some main characters are inspired by real stars, such as Judy Garland for Patty Duke's Neely O'Hara. Even Patty Duke had similar experiences, getting hooked during her TV Show by Execs.
Hers is not the only mirrored tragedy. Sharon Tate, whose character was inspired by Marilyn Monroe, would meet a far more tragic end two years after making this film by Charles Manson's "family."
This Behind The Scenes Trivia adds gravitas to a film exposing the common addiction to pills and alcohol that the filmmakers failed to bring—instead, making a soap opera-styled film.
One that, despite or perhaps because of, still retained a successful run and attained Cult Status.
One particular pop culture reference that caught my eye regards a line from the Theme Song that I recognized from Helen Bonham Carter's character Marla from Fight Club when being told to leave the rundown house on Paper Street by Edward Norton's character. Exiting while singing in a haunting voice, "Gotta get, gonna get off this merry-go-round.".
I had always wondered where it came from, and now I see how apropos its inclusion was.
Anyway, I am pretty happy to have seen this. THANKS, CR
DOG DAY AFTERNOON
(1975, Lumet)
https://i.imgur.com/mvEC1VW.jpg
"Well, I'm talking to you. We're entertainment, right? What do you got for us?"
Set in a hot summer day in New York, Dog Day Afternoon follows Sonny (Al Pacino) as he tries to rob a bank along with his friend Sal (John Cazale). However, what is supposed to be a simple robbery goes all wrong, and ends up putting the spotlight on the two amateur robbers, as it all becomes a media spectacle.
We've all been there; glued to the TV and the news as some event unfolds, usually a tragic one. The adrenaline of everyone involved – the perpetrators doing the deed, the media recording it, and us watching it – makes everything feel tangible and close, but at the same time surreal and incredible.
That might be part of what prompts Sonny to ask the above question. He knows the spotlight is on them, and he feels like he has some sort of upper-hand. His frequent references to the Attica prison riot in 1971, where innocent people were killed by the police along with the guilty, hints that he's afraid his fate might be the same, so having cameras on him gives him a certain amount of security.
Despite the spectacle around them, the film doesn't treat these characters like "superstars", but rather makes an effort to showcase their humanity. Sonny and Sal are not robbers, that much is evident. They're humans, they're lovers, husbands, friends; just ordinary people that are driven to incredible events because of the circumstances around them.
By focusing on that humanity and those circumstances, which can be economic disparity or social differences (all things that Lumet smartly highlights in the opening credits scene which focuses on various New York settings and landmarks where regular people work and mingle), we can feel closer and identify with those characters. They're on TV, but at the same time tangible and close.
In the midst of its spectacle, Dog Day Afternoon manages to put a spotlight not in the event, but in the characters and the circumstances that drive them. It is a wildly effective mixture of drama, humor, social commentary, and thrills, with a clever script and some great performances. I mean, that's entertainment, right?
Grade: 4
Citizen Rules
03-22-23, 03:43 PM
Thanks Thief:)
VALLEY OF THE DOLLS
(1967, Robson)
https://i.imgur.com/skGB0Kr.jpg
"Honey, listen, it's a rotten business."
"I know. But I love it!"
That's the entertainment business they're talking about in the above quote. A business that one can say is equally plagued by the "highs" of success and the glory of fame, as well as the bitterness, the jealousy, the resentment, the backstabbings, and the overall pressures of keeping a certain status. Those are waters that a lot of wannabe artists crave, but not everybody can navigate, which serves as the backdrop of these 1960s titillating drama.
Valley of the Dolls follows three young women that find themselves dipping their toes in these waters and then end up being washed away by it. Most of the plot follows Anne Welles (Barbara Parkins), a recent graduate that starts as a secretary at a theatrical agency but ends up unwittingly sucked deeper into the business. She is joined by Neely O'Hara (Patty Duke), a rising star in Broadway, and Jennifer North (Sharon Tate), a chorus girl with low self-esteem.
The film chronicles the rise and fall of the three friends as they struggle with newfound fame, failing relationships, and addiction to alcohol and barbiturates (i.e. the titular "dolls") in the midst of this "rotten business". Generally speaking, I feel like there is a strong story here about the burdens and pressures of fame. Unfortunately, it is buried under mediocre craftmanship and bad acting.
The film has some serious issues with its pacing, and the way the events unfold. Maybe it's the editing or the direction, or a mixture of both, but there is an unnevenness in how the film moves from one sequence to the other. Certain relationships, interactions, and plot developments feel like coming out of nowhere, as if there was a scene or two missing in between.
Some of these plot developments either "half work" or should work, but it's all so shoddily assembled that it ends up hindering the overall effect. Add to that the poor performances and the excessive melodrama, and you end up with all the ingredients for a disaster... and still, just like the "rotten business" the characters are sucked into, there is something captivating about it. Not enough for me to "love it", but enough to not turn it off.
Grade: 2
SHIP OF FOOLS
(1965, Kramer)
https://i.imgur.com/WFfaClD.jpg
"Are you happy?"
"Who is happy?"
That's the exchange between two characters during a climatic conversation in this film. It goes to the core of every passenger, each of which is coping with different shades and levels of unhappiness. And yet, most of them pretend things are not what they seem as they try to "avoid being fools". Knowing where the ship, and their lives, are headed, we know things aren't getting any easier.
Set in 1933, Ship of Fools follows a group of passengers on a ship headed to pre-World War II Germany. The passengers include a "flirty" divorced woman, a young couple that can't stop fighting and making up, a disgraced former baseball player, an opiate addict, a troupe of flamenco musicians and dancers, a dwarf, Nazi sympathizers, Jewish people, and hundreds of poor Spanish workers sent back to their country. Through their interactions, the film addresses themes like classism, racism, xenophobia, regrets, love, infatuation, happiness, and the lack of it.
The film boasts an impressive ensemble cast that includes Vivien Leigh, Oskar Werner, Simone Signoret, Lee Marvin, José Ferrer, and George Segal, among many others. Most of the performances are solid, with Werner probably being my favorite. His role as the ship's medical officer, Dr. Schumann, is the closest that comes to a protagonist and his complex relationship with La Condesa (Signoret) provides a lot of the emotional baggage of the film.
Ferrer also seems to be having a lot of fun with his performance as a loud anti-Semite while Marvin, although not as effective, still has a particularly solid scene as he drunkenly reminisces on his career. Michael Dunn also has an excellent performance as Glocken, the dwarf that seems to be on the sidelines most of the time, observing everything and even breaking the fourth wall to comment on what he sees in this "ship of fools".
Like it often happens with ensemble films, the attempt to juggle so many characters results in some of the subplots falling by the wayside. For example, even though Leigh is pretty good, her subplot was one that I didn't particularly care about. The film also relies often in the use of dramatic irony, which sometimes ends up feeling like forced attempts of the film elbowing us and going like "get it?".
Despite those few flaws, I still find this film to be quite effective. Even though it's not as subtle as one would want, I appreciated how it showed the many ways that these passengers try to find happiness; whether it is in sex or love, a dance or a drink, a seat at the table or a moment alone, or maybe even a spray from a water hose in a hot day. They might not end up finding happiness, but they'll be happy... at least for a moment.
Grade: 4
SpelingError
04-05-23, 12:01 AM
Wow, take your time, much?
Well, just the writing. Lots of stuff going on here, so apologies for not putting the review on time. I did see it within the timeframe, and voted accordingly.
Citizen Rules
04-05-23, 01:48 PM
Well, just the writing. Lots of stuff going on here, so apologies for not putting the review on time. I did see it within the timeframe, and voted accordingly.Thanks Thief, I totally appreciate you posting these reviews:up:
SpelingError
04-05-23, 05:06 PM
Well, just the writing. Lots of stuff going on here, so apologies for not putting the review on time. I did see it within the timeframe, and voted accordingly.
I'm just messing with you, btw.
I'm just messing with you, btw.
I know.
Citizen Rules
04-05-23, 05:25 PM
So Thief, was that the last of your reviews? I'm too lazy to go and count:p
https://i.postimg.cc/wB1yqTsJ/TOM-HANKS-FILMS-CAST-AWAY-0.jpg
Counting the days - or is it months - for Thief to post his Candyman review
Wyldesyde19
04-05-23, 07:01 PM
https://i.postimg.cc/wB1yqTsJ/TOM-HANKS-FILMS-CAST-AWAY-0.jpg
Counting the days - or is it months - for Thief to post his Candyman review
You have to say his name 3 times for the review to appear.
https://i.postimg.cc/8kW30RsQ/MV5-BMDU1-ZGM5-OWYt-MTQy-ZS00-YTA3-LTg1-N2-Yt-MTFl-NDk1-OTA0-Yz-Az-Xk-Ey-Xk-Fqc-Gde-QVRoa-XJk-UGFyd-Hl-Jbmdlc3-Rpb25-Xb3-Jr-Zmxv.jpg
Oops. Did it wrong.
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