30th Hall of Fame

[Citizen Rules]

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

Welcome to the 30th HoF!


Everyone is Welcomed to Join Even if you've never joined an HoF before or dropped out in the past...We'd love to have you join.

Hall of Fames are a long standing tradition here at MoFo and have been going on continuously since 2013. We've done 90 of them in the last 9 years! That's close to a 1000 movies and that's a lot of movies!

The rules have changed and for the better! Thanks to everyone who gave input on how to make future HoFs better, friendlier and funner. Make sure and read the new rules before joining. New rules and revisions are in red.




Procedure:

Movie Nominations: Any movie that you feel is worthy of an HoF, that's under 240 minutes can be nominated...Previous HoF winners are excluded. Movies that were HoF nominated in the past but didn't win are still eligible.

PM Me Your Nomination: Include the film's title & year of release...and a short write-up about why you nominated it. Keep your nomination a secret until the films are revealed.

Open Door Policy: For one week after the reveal of the nominations people can still join. This is also the time period in which to withdraw from the HoF if you've changed your mind. Look carefully at the movie nominations and make sure you can find & watch them. Members have 3 days to withdraw after the last movie is nominated. That way no one is ever forced to watch a movie that they are uncomfortable with.

Length of HoF: There will be approximately one week of viewing time per movie. So if there are 10 movie nominations the HoF will be about 10 weeks long. The deadline to finish will be posted after the HoF starts.

During the HoF: Everyone watches the nominated movies and will discuss them in this thread. You need to write at least a few sentences about your thoughts on each movie after you watch it. Part of the process is a shared discussion of the movies as a group. Note: If you've seen a movie recently or have seen it many times you can skip watching it, otherwise you have to watch all nominated movies.

Requesting Help to Locate Movies: If you have trouble locating a movie make a post and ask for help in the HoF. When responding with a movie link send it by private message, don't post links or embed films in this thread.

Dropouts: Members who don't finish will be disqualified and their movie nomination removed from the HoF. It helps to start watching the movies right away so that you don't have a bunch of movies to watch at the end. If for any reason you do need to drop out make sure and let me know that you can't finish.

Participation: An HoF is about participation, you can go at your own pace with one caveat: If a member is inactive with no movies reviewed for long periods of time I will contact them to see what's up. Depending on the situation I might place their movie in 'undetermined status' meaning the movie is not required to be watch at that time. Basically we don't want a situation where someone joins but never participates as we can't tell if that person has dropped out or not.

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.

Ballots: When you're done watching the nominations PM me your ballot. Once you've sent in a ballot it's not changeable so make sure you're happy with your rankings before sending it in. Keep your ballot private until after the reveal of the final voting results, then it's customary to post your ballot (voting list) once the HoF is all done.

Rules of Conduct:

No personal disputes or accusations are allowed on the HoF thread. If you have a complaint or suspect another member of being disingenuous with their nomination or criticisms of other films, etc do not post about it in the thread. Instead message the host with your concerns and the host will investigate and resolve it. This way people aren't airing grievances in the thread and if someone does seem to be a problem the host can privately speak to them and determine the best course of action. The host is in charge and settles disputes.

Negative movie reviews are of course allowed and are part of the HoF, but using a review to 'pay someone back' isn't allowed. If such reviews are posted the member will be messaged and asked to take out the snarky comments before linking them and flagging them as official.

If you have a difference of opinion regarding a film be respectful to other's viewpoints and debate the topic with an open mind and respect...and never make it personal.



Past Main HOF Archives (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1836290#post1836290)........ Past Specialty HOF Archives (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1836291#post1836291)

Deadline March 10th midnight PST

Reviews:

Allaby 11/9...Ballot received
An Autumn Afternoon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2356433#post2356433)
Candyman (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2359697#post2359697)
Dead Man's Letters (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2358498#post2358498)
Dog Day Afternoon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2358714#post2358714)
Ida (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2368048#post2368048)
Fat Girl (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2371077#post2371077)
Lawrence of Arabia (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2368545#post2368545)
Ship of Fools (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2364144#post2364144)
The Uninvited (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2367974#post2367974)
To Live and Die in L.A. (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2363797#post2363797)
Valley of the Dolls (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2359486#post2359486)

Beelzebubble 11/9...Ballot received
An Autumn Afternoon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2365919#post2365919)
Candyman (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2365065#post2365065)
Dead Man's Letters (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2376440#post2376440)
Dog Day Afternoon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2365919#post2365919)
Fat Girl (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2365065#post2365065)
Ida (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2365919#post2365919)
Lawrence of Arabia (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2376440#post2376440)
Ship of Fools (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2365919#post2365919)
The Uninvited (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2365919#post2365919)
To Live and Die in L.A. (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2376440#post2376440)
Valley of the Dolls (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2361271#post2361271)

Citizen 11/9...Ballot finalized
An Autumn Afternoon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2359199#post2359199)
Candyman (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2357070#post2357070)
Dead Man's Letters (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2361492#post2361492)
Dog Day Afternoon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2360361#post2360361)
Fat Girl (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2355256#post2355256)
Ida (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2364192#post2364192)
Lawrence of Arabia (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2358245#post2358245)
Ship of Fools (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2356929#post2356929)
The Uninvited (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2356732#post2356732)
To Live and Die in L.A. (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2363309#post2363309)
Valley of the Dolls (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2364769#post2364769)

Edarsenal 8/9...Ballot received
Lawrence of Arabia (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2376872#post2376872)
Ida (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2358492#post2358492)
Dog Day Afternoon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2365557#post2365557)
Fat Girl (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2377582#post2377582)
Ship of Fools (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2369336#post2369336)
The Uninvited (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2357797#post2357797)
To Live and Die in L.A. (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2376873#post2376873)
Valley of the Dolls (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2378255#post2378255)

Jiraffejustin 4/9 Dropped Out
An Autumn Afternoon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2362354#post2362354)
Dog Day Afternoon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2368617#post2368617)
Ship of Fools (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2371622#post2371622)
To Live and Die in L.A. (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2357676#post2357676)

MovieGal 2/9 Dropped Out
To Lie and Die in L.A. (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2362428#post2362428)
Valley of the Dolls (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2362383#post2362383)

Phoenix 11/9...Ballot received
An Autumn Afternoon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2369197#post2369197)
Dead Man's Letters (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2370408#post2370408)
Dog Day Afternoon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2359568#post2359568)
Fat Girl (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2362483#post2362483)
Ida (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2363142#post2363142)
Lawrence of Arabia (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2361706#post2361706)
Ship of Fools (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2371400#post2371400)
The Uninvited (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2374623#post2374623)
To Live and Die in L.A. (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2373261#post2373261)
Valley of the Dolls (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2364596#post2364596)

Raul 9/9...Ballot received
An Autumn Afternoon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2370341#post2370341)
Dead Man's Letters (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2357111#post2357111)
Dog Day Afternoon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2376843#post2376843)
Fat Girl (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2363657#post2363657)
Ida (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2365496#post2365496)
Lawrence of Arabia (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2371972#post2371972)
Ship of Fools
To Live and Die in L.A. (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2369974#post2369974)
Valley of the Dolls (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2358861#post2358861)

Siddon 11/9...Ballot received
An Autumn Afternoon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2356174#post2356174)
Candyman (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2360246#post2360246)
Dead Man's Letters (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2376097#post2376097)
Dog Day Afternoon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2361027#post2361027)
Fat Girl (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2374038#post2374038)
Ida (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2354929#post2354929)
Lawrence of Arabia (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2374055#post2374055)
Ship of Fools (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2356842#post2356842)
The Uninvited (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2355724#post2355724)
To Live and Die in L.A. (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2376159#post2376159)
Valley of the Dolls (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2375732#post2375732)

SpelingError 10/9...Ballot received
An Autumn Afternoon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2355676#post2355676)
Candyman (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2357318#post2357318)
Dead Man's Letters (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2355107#post2355107)
Dog Day Afternoon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2359480#post2359480)
Fat Girl (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2361920#post2361920)
Ida (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2364767#post2364767)
Lawrence of Arabia (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2369193#post2369193)
Ship of Fools (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2371372#post2371372)
To Live and Die in L.A. (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2373179#post2373179)
Valley of the Dolls (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2374623#post2374623)

Thief 10/9...Ballot received
An Autumn Afternoon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2354954#post2354954)
Dead Man's Letters (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2373317#post2373317)
Dog Day Afternoon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2379255#post2379255)
Fat Girl (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2373732#post2373732)
Ida (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2354953#post2354953)
Lawrence of Arabia (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2377264#post2377264)
Ship of Fools (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2381442#post2381442)
The Uninvited (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2372487#post2372487)
To Live and Die in L.A. (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2374059#post2374059)
Valley of the Dolls (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2380448#post2380448)

[Citizen Rules]

The Nominations for the 30th Hall of Fame

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=90429
An Autumn Afternoon (1962)
Director: Ozu
Nominated by Raul

I nominated An Autumn Afternoon because I believe it was a fantastic culmination to a great directors filmography. It is one of the most beautifully shot foreign films I've seen. While I often have trouble connecting to some foreign films, this one I felt I was on the same level with. It truly showcases Ozu's every talents that he has...Raul



https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=90437
Dead Man's Letters (1986)
Director: Konstantin Lopushanskiy
Nominated by SpelingError

My interest for this film was piqued once I learned that some elements of it were reminiscent of Tarkovsky's Stalker, my #1 film of all time. When I first watched it, I felt it was a lesser Stalker (though still very good), but after I revisited it a couple years later, I ended up giving it a 10/10 and it landed in my all-time top 20. If you're a fan of Tarkovsky's masterpiece, I think both films would make for a terrific double feature. Overall, I'm looking forward to reading your reviews and I'm curious how the rest of you will respond to the film...SpelingError



https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=90431
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Director: Sidney Lumet
Nominated by Phoenix74

I first watched Dog Day Afternoon when I was 20 - I remember I'd been gardening, done a lot of hard work, and was relaxed and ready for a good film. I remember everything because that's how good Dog Day Afternoon is - I'll never forget that first time - I was elevated to the "wow" plain from the very start, and it maintained that grip on me for every minute of it's run-time. It left an indelible mark.
I nominate Hall of Fame movies on a three-movie rotation : Well known classic/hardly seen gem/great Australian films - and this is my "well known classic" pick. My last one of those was Jaws...Phoenix



https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=90432
Fat Girl (2001)
Director: Catherine Breillat
Nominated by Allaby

Also known as ‘À ma soeur!’ I selected this film because it is in my all time top 300 and I love it. Fat Girl is a thought provoking and powerful drama anchored by a brave, beautiful and haunting performance from its young lead. It's directed in a compelling and memorable way and packs a punch. Love it or hate it, you won't easily forget it...Allaby



https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=90433
Ida (2013)
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Nominated by Thief

Why? It was recommended to me by a great Internet friend and I was really blown away by the cinematography/direction, but also by the story/performances. It's from the same director as Cold War, which a lot of people raved about; and although I liked Cold War quite a bit, I prefer this one a whole lot more. So that's about it...Thief



https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=90434
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Director: David Lean
Nominated by Beelzebubble

This is a fabulous movie. The story of TE Lawrence is fascinating, An British Army officer goes to the Middle East during the WWI and leads the Arabs, who are then a disparate group of tribes, in battle wresting much of the Middle East from the Turks and creating sovereign countries under Arab rule. The cinematography is gorgeous. I have no interest in desert places. Yet this cinematographer uses the desert to its greatest advantage. The script is 3 hours long but you wouldn't want to lose a minute of it. The actors are amazing from the lead, Peter O'Toole to the smallest supporting role...Bubbles



https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=90435
Ship of Fools (1965)
Director: Stanley Kramer
Nominated by Edarsenal

Originally sought out for Simone Signoret I became more and more enamored by everyone and how mercurial the transition was between characters and their storylines similar to a symphony. All poignant and interlocking with the sensation of being a passenger on this cruise ship engaged in people watching as everyone passed in and out of frame...Edarsenal

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=90436
Valley of the Dolls (1967)
Director: Mark Robson
Nominated by Citizen

Valley of the Dolls is a hyper kinetic soap opera, don't expect reality and don't expect realistic acting...it ain't about that. It's pure soap and pure glitzy glam 1967. It's suppose to be over the top, if you've ever seen a daytime soap opera you know what I mean. I love it as it succeeds at doing what it's trying to do while entertaining and while encapsulating the feeling of a fleeting time during the height of the 'summer of love -1967'. It co-stars Sharon Tate, Patty Duke and Barbara Perkins...Citizen



https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=90439
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
Director: William Friedkin
Nominated by Siddon



https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=90443
The Uninvited (1944)
Director: Lewis Allen
Nominated by MovieGal
Note: Optional to watch for now

I love gothic horror and The Uninvited is just that. It was 1 of 3 I was choosing from that are gothic horror and from the 1940s. Two of my other ones were Finnish but as you know there is none out there with English subs for one. My other choice was in the past 20 years and had a full cast of actors of a specific race/culture and still in English. Beautiful film...MovieGal



https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/candyman_1992_poster.jpeg
Candyman (1992)
Director: Bernard Rose
Nominated by Jiraffejustin

Candyman is one of the best horror films of the 90s. It has one of the best scores in the history of the genre, a relatively simple score that adds to an already, at times, dream-like atmosphere. I don't know if there is another horror film to ever satisfy the needs of the social commentary crowd, the atmospheric horror crowd, and the gore whores all at once the way Candyman does. Tony Todd is great. Virginia Madsen is great. I'm not sure how much weight to put into the whole story of Virginia Madsen being "hypnotized" during certain scenes, but there are a bunch of fantastic close ups that are often shot with interesting lighting and shadows with Madsen looking totally out of it. I still haven't seen the new one, but the OG is fantastic and I hope some y'all get something out of it...Jirrafejustin
.

[Citizen Rules]

There's new rules based on what everyone said would improve the HoFs. I really hope everyone takes the time to read them😊 And now is a good time to ask questions or to discuss them.

We all need to pull together here as a group and make this the best HoF ever! I hope people will support this new effort by joining, because if people don't join then all of these improved rules won't mean anything if people don't give the HoF another shot.

I promise I'll be working my ass off to keep things super friendly but I need your help too. So please join in on the fun, it's easy 1 week for each movie and that's a leisurely pace. This will be fun & friendly or else!😁

[rauldc14]

I'm in

[Citizen Rules]

I'm inCool:cool: Glad to have you.

[jiraffejustin]

I'll probably join, but I might wait a little bit to fully commit.

[SpelingError]

I might join this.

[Citizen Rules]

I'll probably join, but I might wait a little bit to fully commit.

I might join this.Hope you guys can join, I do think it will be a smaller HoF so easy to do.

[cricket]

Not planning on joining, but not ruling it out either.

[SpelingError]

Not planning on joining, but not ruling it out either.

What if we hand out free cookies?

[Miss Vicky]

Negative movie reviews are of course allowed and are part of the HoF, but using a review to 'pay someone back' isn't allowed. If such reviews are posted the member will be messaged and asked to take out the snarky comments before linking them and flagging them as official.

Is this a thing that has actually happened? I'm kind of out of the loop with the HOF lately, but WTF if people have actually been doing that.

[Citizen Rules]

Is this a thing that has actually happened? I'm kind of out of the loop with the HOF lately, but WTF if people have actually been doing that.It was talked about in the last HoF as a problem or potential problem and some members thought that would be a good idea to stop problems before they happened. The Hall of Infamy had that listed as a rule.

[Citizen Rules]

Not planning on joining, but not ruling it out either.Hope you can join.

[MovieMeditation]

:shifty:

[rauldc14]

:shifty:

Get back in the game bro!

[Allaby]

I will have to think about it...

Okay, I just thought about it and decided I'm in!

I promise to try and be on my best behaviour and make an effort to be nice.

[MovieMeditation]

Get back in the game bro!
It’s been a while for sure…

I*might join this time.

[MovieGal]

We will see. I need to know what is nominated first. Haven't really feel like movie watching lately.

[LAMb EELYAK]

What if we hand out free cookies?


I'm afraid of internet cookies. :shifty:

[Thief]

I might consider joining this one, so you can write me down as tentative.

[Allaby]

I've narrowed my nomination down to 14 choices, all equally awesome!

[Citizen Rules]

I've narrowed my nomination down to 14 choices, all equally awesome!You get 14 reps for that:p

[Citizen Rules]

Still plenty of room! So far we have only 3 members and a few more who are tentative. So join already:)

[Allaby]

Come on people! Join the fun! All the cool kids are doing it! I’ve narrowed down my nomination options to eight.

[MovieGal]

Come on people! Join the fun! All the cool kids are doing it! I’ve narrowed down my nomination options to eight.

Again, I want to see what is nominated first.

[Citizen Rules]

Time to tag some former HoFers, in alphabetical order

@beelzebubble (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=109178)
@CosmicRunaway (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=90868)
@edarsenal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=50536)
@Frightened Inmate @Hey Fredrick (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=95709)
@KeyserCorleone (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=94296)
@pahaK (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=100614) @PHOENIX74 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=112080) @seanc (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=75240) @Siddon (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=95448)
@Takoma11 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=107735) @Thursday Next (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=9011)
@TheUsualSuspect (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=9280)
@ueno_station54 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=111569) @Wyldesyde19 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=104656) @Okay (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=95618)

If you've already posted in this thread I didn't tag you.

I'll take nominations until next Wednesday the 21st. Don't worry about Christmas I can add some extra time to the HoF if we need it:)

[Citizen Rules]

Again, I want to see what is nominated first.Totally fine. I will post the noms on next Wednesday.

[MovieGal]

When will you do the first reveal?

[MovieGal]

Totally fine. I will post the noms on next Wednesday.

You typed while I was. Had to stop, got customer call. 🤣

[Citizen Rules]

You typed while I was. Had to stop, got customer call. 🤣You're at work?

[Siddon]

Time to tag some former HoFers, in alphabetical order

@beelzebubble (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=109178)
@CosmicRunaway (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=90868)
@edarsenal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=50536)
@Frightened Inmate @Hey Fredrick (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=95709)
@KeyserCorleone (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=94296)
@pahaK (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=100614) @PHOENIX74 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=112080) @seanc (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=75240) @Siddon (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=95448)
@Takoma11 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=107735) @Thursday Next (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=9011)
@TheUsualSuspect (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=9280)
@ueno_station54 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=111569) @Wyldesyde19 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=104656) @Okay (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=95618)

If you've already posted in this thread I didn't tag you.

I'll take nominations until next Wednesday the 21st. Don't worry about Christmas I can add some extra time to the HoF if we need it:)


I'll join after the reveal unless a certain film from 1975 that runs for over 3 hours gets nominated which in that case I'll likely sit out because I don't feel like fighting for four months.

[Citizen Rules]

I'll join after the reveal unless a certain film from 1975 that runs for over 3 hours gets nominated which in that case I'll likely sit out because I don't feel like fighting for four months.Have you seen that one? Assuming we're talking about the same movie? If so of course you don't have to rewatch it. I'd actually like to be able to say I had seen it, but haven't watched it so far. I hope you'll join.

[Siddon]

Have you seen that one? Assuming we're talking about the same movie? If so of course you don't have to rewatch it. I'd actually like to be able to say I had seen it, but haven't watched it so far. I hope you'll join.


Twice including earlier in the year for the film challenge. I give every film I hate thats a classic a second look (The Leopard, House) because I'm a fair guy.

[Citizen Rules]

Twice including earlier in the year for the film challenge. I give every film I hate thats a classic a second look (The Leopard, House) because I'm a fair guy.That's admirable. I can't say that I'm that open minded myself. But :up: for anyone who's willing to rewatch a film they hate to give it a second chance. With two watches of that 1975 film you sure don't have to rewatch it yet again. You've been a solid member and we need some members so hope you'll join this time.

BTW I didn't like The Leopard at all, I only finished watching it because it was an HoF nom, but it was a chore for me to finish. Not seen House.

[beelzebubble]

Ok, I am in. This has got to be better than the Hall of Infamy. At least movie-wise. Forum-wise the Hall of Infamy is fun but those movies can be a chore.

[CosmicRunaway]

I'm off all next week so I'll put some thought into whether or not I'll be able to join the Hall of Fame then. I'll have plenty of time to consider and rewatch potential nominations since I'm travelling to my mom's this weekend (and staying until Boxing Day), and there isn't exactly anything else to do out there haha.

[KeyserCorleone]

I don't know if I can join. I'll think about it as I got a bunch of other movies to get through.

[Citizen Rules]

Ok, I am in. This has got to be better than the Hall of Infamy. At least movie-wise. Forum-wise the Hall of Infamy is fun but those movies can be a chore.Good! I was hoping you'd join. We've had some really great movies in past Hofs, for sure better than in the Hall of Infamy! But my hats off to Phoenix, glad he hosted that it looked fun. Now I hope he joins this one, we need him.

I'm off all next week so I'll put some thought into whether or not I'll be able to join the Hall of Fame then. I'll have plenty of time to consider and rewatch potential nominations since I'm travelling to my mom's this weekend (and staying until Boxing Day), and there isn't exactly anything else to do out there haha.I really hope you can join. This is going to be small, so not many movies to watch and a full 1 week per movie so plenty of time.

[Citizen Rules]

I don't know if I can join. I'll think about it as I got a bunch of other movies to get through.Like I just said to Cosmic, I'm guessing this will be a smaller HoF, so not many movies.

[MovieGal]

You're at work?

I work from home.

[edarsenal]

I am definitely in.
Should make decision for a film today or tomorrow evening.
Thanks for mention CR.

[MovieGal]

I am definitely in.
Should make decision for a film today or tomorrow evening.
Thanks for mention CR.

Eddie babe!

[Citizen Rules]

I work from home.Lucky you! So do I! It sure saves on gas and commuting time. Today I'm not working. Usually I work my assets off, that's why I probably don't have any money:D

[MovieGal]

Lucky you! So do I! It sure saves on gas and commuting time. Today I'm not working. Usually I work my assets off, that's why I probably don't have any money:D

I have weekends off. Getting extra days next week. Nice that if my inspectors don't work, then neither do I.

[Citizen Rules]

I am definitely in.
Should make decision for a film today or tomorrow evening.
Thanks for mention CR.Just seeing this now. I missed your post, sorry Ed!....But yahoo and looking forward to your nom.

[PHOENIX74]

I'm in! Formulating a nomination right now...

[Citizen Rules]

I'm in! Formulating a nomination right now...
Yahoo Phoenix sent in a nom and it's a good one! Still plenty of time to join in the fun:D

[Allaby]

I've narrowed down my options to 2 and I will make my final decision shortly.

[Citizen Rules]

I've narrowed down my options to 2 and I will make my final decision shortly.Are you watching these movies to narrow them down? Or just flipping a coin?:D

[Allaby]

Are you watching these movies to narrow them down? Or just flipping a coin?:D

I'm watching them. I watched the first one earlier and am finishing up the second now. I'm leaning toward the second one. The first one might be too weird for some people and they might find it objectionable. The second one could be somewhat controversial too and may end up being a love it or hate it type film, but I will probably go with it.

[Allaby]

Alright, I sent in my nomination!

[MovieGal]

I'm watching them. I watched the first one earlier and am finishing up the second now. I'm leaning toward the second one. The first one might be too weird for some people and they might find it objectionable. The second one could be somewhat controversial too and may end up being a love it or hate it type film, but I will probably go with it.

Trying to pull an "MG"??

That's my thing, controversial films :lol:

[Allaby]

Trying to pull an "MG"??

That's my thing, controversial films :lol:

You can never have too many controversial films! ;)

[edarsenal]

Eddie babe!
SWEETY!

[beelzebubble]

Citizen Rules When do we have to submit our nomination?

[Citizen Rules]

@Citizen Rules (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=84637) When do we have to submit our nomination?By early Wednesday would be nice as that's when I'm doing the reveal of the noms. I'll post those Wednesday sometime around noon.

[edarsenal]

All tighty, got my nom it. I kept coming back to it why pondering options, and it spoke out the loudest, so. . .

[Hey Fredrick]

I'm going to wait until the reveal.

[Citizen Rules]

I'm going to wait until the reveal.So far I have everyone's noms but Rauls and I can say we have a very good group of movies this time. Hope you can join.

[MovieGal]

So far I have everyone's noms but Rauls and I can say we have a very good group of movies this time. Hope you can join.

You know me. It depends if it's the type I watch or not.

[Thief]

Ok, I've narrowed my choices to 12. Will probably send tomorrow.

[Citizen Rules]

Ok, I've narrowed my choices to 12. Will probably send tomorrow.:up:

[SpelingError]

I decided to join. My nomination is available on YouTube, so once the noms are revealed, I'll post the link in this thread.

[Citizen Rules]

I decided to join. My nomination is available on YouTube, so once the noms are revealed, I'll post the link in this thread.Glad you could join:up: Cool nom too! I think people will be interested in seeing it.

One thing please don't post the YouTube link in the thread, you can just message the members with it if they need it.

[SpelingError]

Glad you could join:up: Cool nom too! I think people will be interested in seeing it.

One thing please don't post the YouTube link in the thread, you can just message the members with it if they need it.
Aren't YouTube links exceptions to the no-link rule? I know that Putlocker, 123movie, etc. links aren't allowed since they come from sites devoted to posting pirated versions of film, but YouTube is, of course, different.

[cricket]

Aren't YouTube links exceptions to the no-link rule? I know that Putlocker, 123movie, etc. links aren't allowed since they come from sites devoted to posting pirated versions of film, but YouTube is, of course, different.

YouTube is a legal site of course, but people still illegally download movies onto YouTube. What I think happens is that it's easier for YouTube to catch the people and take it down when it's posted somewhere. So in theory, if you post the link it could get taken down and not be available to us anymore.

[SpelingError]

YouTube is a legal site of course, but people still illegally download movies onto YouTube. What I think happens is that it's easier for YouTube to catch the people and take it down when it's posted somewhere. So in theory, if you post the link it could get taken down and not be available to us anymore.

Fair, I'll just stick to DMs then.

[Citizen Rules]

Aren't YouTube links exceptions to the no-link rule? I know that Putlocker, 123movie, etc. links aren't allowed since they come from sites devoted to posting pirated versions of film, but YouTube is, of course, different.I think the "Do not directly link or embed films in this thread." goes back to the 17th HoF and Miss Vicky was the first to come up with...at least that's when I first seen it written. Most of the host since then have used that rule so it's fairly standardized in HoFs.

[rauldc14]

I'll send my nomination tomorrow. I got it down to 4 possibilities

[Citizen Rules]

I'll send my nomination tomorrow. I got it down to 4 possibilities:up:

[rauldc14]

Ok, I've narrowed my choices to 12. Will probably send tomorrow.

We are waiting bro!

[Thief]

Totally forgot. Am I late?

[Thief]

Ok, nomination sent.

[Citizen Rules]

Totally forgot. Am I late?Not late, still time to join people!

Ok, nomination sent.Got it, a good one too!
The reveal of the noms is tomorrow, Wednesday late morning/early afternoon PST.

[edarsenal]

https://media.tenor.com/Y5KE6M2fu3gAAAAM/happy-dance.gif

[Citizen Rules]

@rauldc14 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=60169) @Allaby (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=110465) @Bubbles (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=120834) @edarsenal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=50536) @PHOENIX74 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=112080) @SpelingError (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=91134) @Thief (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=109353) @MovieGal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=80538) @jiraffejustin (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=76459) @cricket (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=68505) Siddon and anyone else!...the noms are up on the 2nd post. Happy watching!

[SpelingError]

Cool nominations. Here are some brief thoughts:

An Autumn Afternoon (I remember it being pretty good, but not Ozu's best)
Dead Man's Letters (this is my nomination; curious how you'll all react to it)
Dog Day Afternoon (I remember it being a bit overlong, but otherwise, I enjoyed it quite a bit)
Fat Girl (I think the ending kills a lot of the potential of what comes before, but I did enjoy the earlier parts of the film)
Ida (haven't seen this one; looking forward to it)
Lawrence of Arabia (It's been years since I've seen this one, but I'll look forward to rewatching it)
Ship of Fools (haven't heard of this one; looking forward to it)
Valley of Dolls (I've heard of this one, but I haven't seen it; looking forward to it as well)

[MovieGal]

There are two I don't care to see. Lol.

I want to see what others have. When is the deadline to let you know?

[MovieGal]

Citizen Rules and SpelingError or anyone else. Wanna guess at the two I don't care for?

[Allaby]

Some really interesting nominations. My thoughts:

I haven’t seen An Autumn Afternoon but Ozu is excellent and I look forward to checking it out.
Dead Man’s Letters sounds really interesting. Haven’t heard of it before.
Dog Day Afternoon is fantastic. Looking forward to rewatching it.
Fat Girl is my nomination. I’m curious and a little scared as to see how people will respond to it.
Ida I have seen once and was a little underwhelmed by, but maybe I will like it more on rewatch.
Lawrence of Arabia is a great classic and I’m due for a rewatch.
Ship of Fools I saw once, but wasn’t a big fan. Maybe a rewatch will change my mind.
Valley of the Dolls I enjoyed and am due for a rewatch.

[SpelingError]

Citizen Rules and SpelingError or anyone else. Wanna guess at the two I don't care for?

Hopefully, not my nomination :eek:

[rauldc14]

I've seen 4/7 so far. Arabia was already on my rewatch list so that's a pleasant surprise. No doubt the frontrunner here.

[MovieGal]

Hopefully, not my nomination :eek:

Nope I haven't seen yours so I can't make that judgment.

[SpelingError]

Nope I haven't seen yours so I can't make that judgment.

I'm not sure then. Maybe An Autmn Afternoon? I don't remember you being an Ozu fan.

[MovieGal]

I'm not sure then. Maybe An Autmn Afternoon? I don't remember you being an Ozu fan.

You don't know what Im a fan of. Maybe a few things but not everything. :)

[Citizen Rules]

@Citizen Rules (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=84637) and @SpelingError (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=91134) or anyone else. Wanna guess at the two I don't care for?Easy. Ship of Fools and Valley of the Dolls.:D

[SpelingError]

Also, one of the films in this Hall is my nomination. Who thinks they know what it is?

[MovieGal]

Easy. Ship of Fools and Valley of the Dolls.:D

Never seen Ship of Fools and Valley of the Dolls, I have seen. Actually Don't Worry Darling (2022) is very similar to Valley of the Dolls, from what I can remember. Yeah, there are differences but I still get a similar vibe.

[Siddon]

@Siddon (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=95448) and anyone else!...the noms are up on the 2nd post. Happy watching!


Sent...something different for the New Year

[Citizen Rules]

Also, one of the films in this Hall is my nomination. Who thinks they know what it is?The one with your name on it;)

[SpelingError]

The one with your name on it;)
But SpelingError isn't my real name.

[Citizen Rules]

Siddon just joined! and sent his nom which is:

To Live and Die in LA (1985)
https://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/movie/movie_poster/to-live-and-die-in-la-1985/large_oZPcBKy1SKEoAacXthHeQfJlgW8.jpg

[Citizen Rules]

MovieGal just joined! and sent her nom.....this is Optional to watch for now.

After she finishes the HoF and sends in a voting ballot then it will be required. That's a procedural rule from the 1st post, that I hope everyone read:D

The Uninvited (1944)
https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/6ea2e35b-db60-4a32-883c-d434d6e4f4b3_1.989887e76a53c1f67b87c47427be1409.jpeg?odnWidth=612&odnHeight=612&odnBg=ffffff

[SpelingError]

Haven't seen either To Live and Die in LA or The Uninvited, but I'm looking forward to both.

[Citizen Rules]

Haven't seen either To Live and Die in LA or The Uninvited, but I'm looking forward to both.I've seen The Uninvited and really enjoyed it. Ray Milland is always great on screen and my personal favorite was Gail Russell who has this really sad feeling in her eyes like a lost soul.

[MovieGal]

Haven't seen either To Live and Die in LA or The Uninvited, but I'm looking forward to both.

SpelingError, I love gothic horror and The Uninvited is just that. It was 1 of 3 I was choosing from that are gothic horror and from the 1940s. Two of my other ones were Finnish but as you know there is none out there with English subs for one. My other choice was in the past 20 years and had a full cast of actors of a specific race/culture and still in English. Beautiful film and one I knew CR wants to see.

[Citizen Rules]

SpelingError, I love gothic horror and The Uninvited is just that. It was 1 of 3 I was choosing from that are gothic horror and from the 1940s. Two of my other ones were Finnish but as you know there is none out there with English subs for one. My other choice was in the past 20 years and had a full cast of actors of a specific race/culture and still in English. Beautiful film and one I knew CR wants to see.I'm going to include most of that as your intro to The Uninvited on the 2nd post.

If @Siddon (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=95448) and @edarsenal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=50536) want to pm a short intro to why they chose their films, I'll post that on the 2nd post.

[Thief]

I'm out for the day, but I just checked the noms. Nice bunch! I've seen 4, I think, but a couple of them are due for a rewatch. I'll post more thoughts when I get home.

[Allaby]

Haven't seen either To Live and Die in LA or The Uninvited, but I'm looking forward to both.

Same here.

[Siddon]

To Live and Die in LA is my favorite type of film, the movie that is one thing on the surface but years later comes off as something wholly different and powerful. I cult classic of sorts expect it's expertly crafted with nuanced character work, practical effects, and a script that is far more than it appears to be. This is a movie you watch once and you go back and watch it again. A true hidden gem.

[Citizen Rules]

Jiraffejustin just sent in a nom! This HoF is shaping up real nice. His nom is:

Candyman (1992)
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.JzsP6dX89JScG_26JKCWfQAAAA%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=c4f88b43e1ac7f64206fce1722d47c32402c254850838382c5dcfd25537ceedb&ipo=images

[cricket]

I've seen all of them except Ship of Fools and Dead Man's Letters. I'm going to watch those.

[Allaby]

Jiraffejustin just sent in a nom! This HoF is shaping up real nice. His nom is:

Candyman (1992)
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.JzsP6dX89JScG_26JKCWfQAAAA%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=c4f88b43e1ac7f64206fce1722d47c32402c254850838382c5dcfd25537ceedb&ipo=images

Nice! Candyman is fantastic. I have all the Candyman movies on blu ray.

[SpelingError]

I'll look forward to revisiting Candyman. Huge fan of it.

[Siddon]

https://artisticmetropol.es/web/wp-content/uploads/ida.jpg

Ida(2013)

Ida tells the story of a young nun in training who finds out that she's actually jewish. She then goes on a road trip with her surviving family member while being confronted by the disillusionment of her life. The film is a period piece shot in black and white.

I have to confess I'm torn the film is a visual feast and it's got a very strong basis for it's story. But man did this feel like I was watching a perfume ad...every scene was just drawn out. I understand that the director loved the way he was photographing the film but this is a 20 minute story padded out to an hour and 22 minutes.

I also had an issue with the characters...I never got a feel for Ida and her personality and her voice. She was like this haunted spectre in the film a ghost of sorts. If you are going to do that than you really need to surround her with memorable characters but Ida doesn't really do that. The film just left me feeling like I watched gorgeous but shallow film. In hindsight it's a good road movie I just wished that it more to it than what I saw. It did make my top four on personal recommendation list



B-

[edarsenal]

The Nominations for the 30th Hall of Fame


An Autumn Afternoon (1962)
Director: Ozu
Nominated by Raul
Raul knows Ozu. And this is one I need to see, so d@mn fine choice, bud!

Dead Man's Letters (1986)
Director: Konstantin Lopushanskiy
Nominated by SpelingError
I have never seen Tarkovsky's work or know anything of him (shut up, don't judge), but I am a little excited/nervous but d@mn curious to experience this lil adventure. Thank you, Spelling!

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Director: Sidney Lumet
Nominated by Phoenix74
F@ckin AMAZING flick!! Seen it a number of times throughout my life, the last one in the Seventies HoF, so shit YEAH, very hyped to see this again. Excellent call, Phoenix!

Fat Girl (2001)
Director: Catherine Breillat
Nominated by Allaby
I did a quick read of the story description and something hinted at me to go blind, and I do concur. Thank you, Allaby

Ida (2013)
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Nominated by Thief
I know nothing of this, and after reading the short description, I do believe I will venture in, blind as well, and see where Thief takes me. YAY

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Director: David Lean
Nominated by Bubbles
Hi, Bubbles!! WELCOME! Quite the powerhouse nomination, Bravo. Been several decades since I've seen this, and rarely did before that in my youth so pretty excited about the revisit that will feel nearly brand new. NOICE.

Ship of Fools (1965)
Director: Stanley Kramer
Nominated by Edarsenal
That's me. Helloooo!

Valley of the Dolls (1967)
Director: Mark Robson
Nominated by Citizen
Ahh, Valley of the Dolls finally got its turn as a CR nomination. Very happy to be a part of it since I never, ever saw this. In fact, I don't think I ever saw anything that Sharon Tate was in. So, discoveries abound.

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
Director: William Friedkin
Nominated by Siddon
Completely off my radar. First off, Willem Dafoe in his early days? F@CK YES. Secondly, my dumb@ss had to look Friedkin up, and holy sh#t what this man has done, so this puppy is definitely in the high echelon of Excited To See. Thank you, Siddon!

The Uninvited (1944)
Director: Lewis Allen
Nominated by MovieGal
Note: Optional to watch for now
Hell, I'm d@mn tempted to see this any ole way. Looks pretty d@mn cool, and it's got Milland - sweet. BRAVO darlin!

Candyman (1992)
Director: Bernard Rose
Nominated by Jiraffejustin
Been a decade and a half since I saw this. BIG Clive Barker fan. I loved reading his stuff. It should be a very fun revisit. Noice, JJ, thank you!

[edarsenal]

https://artisticmetropol.es/web/wp-content/uploads/ida.jpg

Ida(2013)B-

Not gonna read it till AFTER I see this.

[edarsenal]

I've seen all of them except Ship of Fools and Dead Man's Letters. I'm going to watch those.
I'd be curious to see what ya think of SoF

[MovieGal]

The Uninvited (1944)
Director: Lewis Allen
Nominated by MovieGal
Note: Optional to watch for now
Hell, I'm d@mn tempted to see this any ole way. Looks pretty d@mn cool, and it's got Milland - sweet. BRAVO darlin!



I figured you and Citizen Rules would like this as it's an older film.

[Citizen Rules]

I just copied Ed's post because I'm lazy:p But I'll add my own comments of course as I'm not THAT lazy.

An Autumn Afternoon (1962)
Director: Ozu
Nominated by Raul
I'm a huge fan of Ozu and prefer his films over Kurosawa:cool: I've loved everything I've seen from Ozu, so far, haven't seen this.

Dead Man's Letters (1986)
Director: Konstantin Lopushanskiy
Nominated by SpelingError
I've not seen this but have heard good things about it. I looked at a minute of the video to check the quality of the link and wow this really looks like Stalker in it's cinematography. I've been impressed with Russian language films from this era and Stalker is tops with me so high hopes here.

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Director: Sidney Lumet
Nominated by Phoenix74
Seen this once in an HoF and was totally impressed, far more than I would've guessed. It's the human element and the relationships that I responded to...that and the acting which is sublime.

Fat Girl (2001)
Director: Catherine Breillat
Nominated by Allaby
I cheated! and watched this last Wednesday so this will be the first nom I review.

Ida (2013)
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Nominated by Thief
Seen and really liked this in a past HoF and I'm happy to rewatch it again.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Director: David Lean
Nominated by Bubbles
Very glad to have Bubbles join us🙂 and glad to have a long needed rewatch of LOA. I seen this only once when I first got into films some 20 years ago and was blown away by it. Love that direct cut from the match to the sun. I've seen direct cuts since but nobody does it better than David Lean.

Ship of Fools (1965)
Director: Stanley Kramer
Nominated by Edarsenal
Another film I seen only once and 20 years ago. I was so tired that night I really couldn't focus on the film so I can't remember a thing about it. But I do love movies set on ships, that's why I'm currently binge watching the old TV show The Love Boat.

Valley of the Dolls (1967)
Director: Mark Robson
Nominated by Citizen
My nom and I think it's a blast. Hope some of you like it.

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
Director: William Friedkin
Nominated by Siddon
Haven't seen this but I sure have heard of it. Sounds good.

The Uninvited (1944)
Director: Lewis Allen
Nominated by MovieGal
Two words: Gail Russell! I've seen her in a number of films and she has this certain quality to her. Sadly she had a tragic life. Good movie and looking forward to it.

Candyman (1992)
Director: Bernard Rose
Nominated by Jiraffejustin
Two more words: Virginia Madsen do I need to say more! Never seen it but have always been curious thanks to the lovely Miss Madsen.

[Thief]

I will echo Citizen and steal Ed's format :D


An Autumn Afternoon (1962)
Director: Ozu
Nominated by Raul
Saw this very recently. It was actually my third Ozu; the weakest of them, but still very good. Will probably post what I wrote then in a while.

Dead Man's Letters (1986)
Director: Konstantin Lopushanskiy
Nominated by SpelingError
Never heard of this, but hey! I liked the poster.

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Director: Sidney Lumet
Nominated by Phoenix74
Haven't seen this in a very long time, so I'm happy to rewatch. Remember liking it a lot, though.

Fat Girl (2001)
Director: Catherine Breillat
Nominated by Allaby
Don't know anything about this.

Ida (2013)
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Nominated byThief
My nom. It's great.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Director: David Lean
Nominated by Bubbles
Saw this a couple of years ago, and liked it a lot. Still, I wouldn't mind a rewatch.

Ship of Fools (1965)
Director: Stanley Kramer
Nominated by Edarsenal
Another one I don't know anything about.

Valley of the Dolls (1967)
Director: Mark Robson
Nominated by Citizen
Haven't seen it, but I have seen Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, so that counts for something, amirite :shifty:

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
Director: William Friedkin
Nominated by Siddon
Heard a lot of good things about this, so I'm looking forward to it.

The Uninvited (1944)
Director: Lewis Allen
Nominated by MovieGal
40s Gothic horror? Count me in!

Candyman (1992)
Director: Bernard Rose
Nominated by Jiraffejustin
Another one I saw fairly recently. If I have something written, I might use that, but I might give it a rewatch.

[Thief]

IDA
(2013, Pawlikowski)

https://i.imgur.com/L0jr4nI.jpg


"What if you go there and discover there is no God?"



Set in 1960s Poland, Ida follows Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska), a young, aspiring Catholic nun who is confronted with the reality of her past before taking her vows. Orphaned as an infant during World War II, Anna is sent out to meet her aunt Wanda (Agata Kulesza), her only surviving relative, through which she learns about her Jewish parents. Both women set out on a trip into the Polish countryside to find out what happened to their family.

The thing is that Wanda is, in many ways, the opposite of what Anna (or Ida, which happens to be her real name) represents; she's a sexually promiscuous, chain-smoking, alcoholic that used to be a Communist resistance fighter during the war. The above question is one she poses to Anna/Ida as they are about to embark on their journey. Wanda challenges Anna/Ida's beliefs, but in the same way finds herself challenged by Ida's.

This is the second film I've seen from Pawlikowski, after Cold War, and as much as I liked that one, I loved this one even more. This film is, and I hope I can stress this enough, *gorgeously shot*. The framing and overall shot composition is superb, while the black and white cinematography conveys the lifelessness of the post-war world in which these women live, as well as the contrast within their mindset.

Both lead performances are magnificent, and you can feel the mutual "breaking" in both characters as the film progress. The contrast and similitudes continue, as both of their journeys are connected, but separate as well. Ida is determined to uncover a past she doesn't know anything about, while Wanda is drawn to uncover a past she'd rather keep buried.

In the end, we realize that first, the journey never ends. Life continues, despite whatever pit stops we make along the way. And second, that regardless of where the journey leads you to at any point, it is what you make with what you find what counts; even if it's God or your own demons.

Grade: 4.5

[Thief]

AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON
(1962, Ozu)

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


"In the end, we spend our lives alone... all alone."



An Autumn Afternoon follows Shūhei Hirayama (Chishū Ryū), an aging widower torn between his parental duty of arranging a marriage for her daughter, Michiko (Shima Iwash!ta) and her desire to remain with him and take care of him and her younger brother. If it sounds similar to other film, that's because there are several parallelisms between this film and Ozu's own Late Spring, which I saw in December last year.

On that film, however, the focus is mostly on the character of the daughter, whereas here, Ozu decides to focus on the father. This is my third Ozu film within less than a year, and it's just another evidence of how well he can craft compelling and moving stories from seemingly mundane family occurrences, which he does with great writing and excellent performances.

Just as he has done in the other Ozu films I've seen, Ryū does a great job of transmitting the inner dilemma within Hirayama. His performances are not flashy, but there's such a calming aura in his delivery and presence, and you can see the genuine care for his children in his performance. Iwash!ta's role isn't as meatier as Setsuko Hara's were, but she does a great job with the moments she gets.

I won't deny that there is a certain element of "been there, done that" to the film, since it pretty much follows the same beats as Late Spring, but coming 13 years after that film, it's interesting to see tinges of "evolution" and "growth" in how men and women, fathers and children interact. Just like with Late Spring, I have some very minor issues with the notion of an "arranged marriage", but that's not on Ozu, but the culture itself. Still, I like how Hirayama doesn't force things on his daughter as he's setting things up ("I'm not insisting on this other man. If you don't like him, you can say so") which, again, shows some degree of growth in the country's overall culture and Ozu himself.

I'm still wondering why Ozu invested so much time into the whole "golf clubs" issue. Maybe I missed something, but I feel like he could've nipped most of that and it would've felt tighter. I also feel that this film didn't pack as much of an emotional punch as the other films of his I've seen. Maybe it's because of its similarities to Late Spring, or maybe it's because I feel it kinda lacked a more defining and climatic moment towards its last act, but I still found myself moved by it.

I just realized after watching this that Ozu never married, and that he lived all of his life with his mother, dying from cancer two years after her. This adds a bit more weight to the film, as far as being his final film but also in how it approaches the subject of loneliness, particularly as you get older. Some of the characters reiterate the point that I quoted above, but also warning not to end up "lonely and sad". Regardless of what we do, we spend our lives alone. The other part's on us.

Grade: 3.5

[SpelingError]

I probably won't rewatch my nomination for this thread (I watched it earlier this year), but I'll post my review here once I have a chance to read it over and make any necessary edits to it (likely by tomorrow).

[PHOENIX74]

What a great set of nominations! I'm really happy about this Hall of Fame, which is shaping up to be a really good one. Going to enjoy delving deep into a few of these fantastic films. I've already seen 5 out of the 11.

An Autumn Afternoon - I've loved the Ozu films I've seen so far, and An Autumn Afternoon is a bonus because it's one I haven't seen yet. Look forward to adding it to the "seen" list.

Dead Man's Letters - This film is on my watchlist, and is one I've been looking forward to getting on top of - it's always great to see nominations of films I've been dying to see for a while.

Dog Day Afternoon - The bonus here is that I haven't watched my nom for a few years and I'm in the mood to reexperience it.

Fat Girl - I saw this for the first time recently, and bought the Criterion edition of it - I think very highly of this, but it is a challenging watch at times. The Criterion extras should help me look into it a bit more. Great to see this here - I think highly of it!

Ida - This is a film I love, and might have been an eventual nomination from me if Thief hadn't of done that here. Gonna have to be something good, really good, to beat Dog Day Afternoon and Ida on my ballot.

Lawrence of Arabia - I fell in love with as a younger guy. I haven't revisited this in ages, so I'll sit back and enjoy those desert vistas and sweeping orchestral music.

Ship of Fools - This is a film I'm not overly familiar with. The film in this HoF which I'm least aware of and as such a real wild card (or is that wildcard?) - a potential cat amongst the pigeons, for knowing Edarsenal it will be really good.

Valley of the Dolls - You know what, scratch that - even though I'm very aware of the existence of this film I don't have a really clear idea of what it will be like. A mystery!

To Live and Die in L.A. - I have a friend who would definitely have nominated this film if he posted here and participated in Hall of Fames - I've always wanted to give it the serious look I probably owe it considering his love for it.

The Uninvited - I hear about this film a lot - it'll be great to be able to know what everyone is talking about once I've seen it. I'll be looking for it on Criterion before long I reckon.

Candyman - I wasn't impressed by the recent Candyman movie, but seeing that made me feel like I ought to have started here - at the very beginning. Candyman here I come.

[edarsenal]

I figured you and Citizen Rules would like this as it's an older film.

Definitely

[SpelingError]

Figured I'd get my nomination out of the way since I already had my review for it written up.

Dead Man's Letters (1986) - 5

My interest for this film was piqued once I learned that some elements of it were reminiscent of Tarkovsky's Stalker, my #1 film of all time. When I first watched it, I felt it was a lesser Stalker (though still very good), but after I revisited it a couple years later, I ended up giving it a 10/10 and it landed in my all-time top 20. The more I think about it, the more I wish that other people would know about it.

The main thing which keeps me coming back to this film is how well it maintains such a bleak and depressing atmosphere throughout its entirety. Most people in this film had a nihilistic view on life and doubted that there was any hope for humanity. This seemed to be the prevailing attitude amongst most of the survivors we saw in the film except for the main character, Larsen, who believed that other surviving humans existed outside the central bunker and the town he lived in and that their species wasn't doomed. While much of his arc consisted of him trying to convince the people he encountered of his theories to no avail (which made for a number of compelling exchanges, like when a man referenced how Jesus called humanity doomed when he saved them), another handful of scenes featured several intimate moments which detailed his mental state, delivered by the way of the letters he wrote to his son. While the biting knowledge that his son might never read them lingered over these scenes, I found them to be pretty compelling in and of themselves. The monologue of how an operator was unable to make it to a computer in time to prevent the first missile strike since he was slowed down by a cup of coffee in his hands stuck out as a brilliant slice of dark humor. It was easily the standout in that regard. I do think a couple bits can come off as fluffy, like Larson reciting a story of how seeing a cow run over by a locomotive when he was little gave him recurring nightmares of a black locomotive just to describe the distance and the insecurities he felt for his son, but for the most part, I think that aspect worked really well, so in the grand scheme of things, I didn't mind it much.

Ultimately, Larsen's emotional conflict came to a compelling culmination. Allowing the children in the orphanage to be admitted into the central bunker would help pave way for humans to live on, as he believed they still could. They're young and, when they get older, they'll be able to produce more offspring. They represent the next generation of humans. Since the central bunker rejected them from entering and since the kids Larsen saw inside the Children's Department of the central bunker were all sick and injured though (I don't think his reaction upon seeing them was as much a response to his son Eric as I initially thought as much as it had to do with his fears of the potential outcome of the children in the area), this made it likely that an entire generation of people could be lost, potentially dooming humanity in the process. However, by caring for them in the final act, they were eventually healthy enough to venture out into the landscape to hopefully find the surviving humans which Larsen fervently believed in, making this the only significant impact he had on the town. Granted, I'm not holding my breath that their journey is going to lead to anything (I don't think the ending is meant to be optimistic so much as a last resort), but regardless of whether they live or die, Larsen still gave them a chance at finding somewhere else to live, a chance they surely wouldn't have had at the central bunker or if they had remained in the town.

Lopushansky is often thought of as a protégé of Tarkovsky. I see these influences in the style of this film, like some of the long takes, or the ethereal beauty to be found in certain devastated landscapes. The most significant influence is with the sepia filter which permeates throughout most of the film. This was reminiscent of the first act and the ending of Stalker (which, curiously enough, had undertones of a nuclear disaster looming over it). Overall, I found this choice of filter to be a great touch. I was initially bothered by the occasional usages of a blue/purple filter for some scenes, but though this choice is indeed noticeable every time it comes up in the film, I warmed up to it when I rewatched the film. It probably wasn't necessary, but it didn't distract me either. It's just more of the film's atmospheric design. Beyond the sepia filter though, beauty could be found in several other shots in the film, like an early tracking shot which followed Larsen out of the museum and eventually revealed the full extent to the destruction and immensity of it, a hypnotic shot of an emotionally defeated Larsen as a trickle of water ran down his head and body, and the climactic shots in the library where the camera pulled back and revealed the massive scope of the room. The film's style was packed with several types of greatness and it stuck out as one of the film's main strengths.

Overall, I feel no shame in being an ardent supporter of this film. The more I think about it, the more sad I feel that it isn't regularly considered to be a classic of Soviet cinema since I think it holds up with the best of the country's output. Here's hoping it eventually grows in popularity though.

Next Up: An Autumn Afternoon

[Citizen Rules]

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
Fat Girl (2001)


I liked the film when it reflected on the sisters love hate relationship. In those moments the film had something profound to say about sibling bonding & rivalry...The girls complex relationship was manifested in the way they treated each other, bittersweet to be sure. The abusive aspect between the girls was never taken over the top but was handled in a grounded reality. That rendered their relationship as believable. My hat's off to the director for that achievement.

The portrayal of an all too eager 15 year old girl to experience love through sex, with a young man...was also quite believable. The immaturity of the 15 year old girl who's on the cusp of becoming an adult and the way she perceived love & relationships seemed all true to me. So my hat's off to the director for that portion of the film.

I was really impressed with the staging and camera work of the drive home on that crowded and foggy highway. The film sets it up that the mom doesn't like to drive and is nervous about the long drive home. I don't know if they found a stretch of highway and just filmed on it with traffic, or if they hired all those semi trucks and cars...but wow! The drive was tension filled and that tension is solely created by the fog and the crowded vehicles changing lanes. I was impressed by how much emotion 'traffic' could add to the film's story arc.

But what I disdained is what I perceive as the director's decision to take a rock solid story with great casting and add in some 'used car salesman' type scenes to maximize publicity. Image if the end scene was removed and the sex scenes all took place off camera, leaving the same story but with a PG13 rating, I don't the film would be well known, controversy sells.

The silly slasher ending had me flipping off the TV screen, then I laughed as it struck me as comic satire. To me the director seems like someone with not enough confidence in their core story that they needed to tack on some very controversial stuff to get publicity.

[rauldc14]

I'll try to get to one on Monday or Tuesday

[Citizen Rules]

I'm still watching Christmas movies but after the 25th I'll probably not be in the mood for them:D

[Allaby]

I'm still watching Christmas movies but after the 25th I'll probably not be in the mood for them:D

Same here. I watched 4 Christmas movies today and 2 yesterday.

[Citizen Rules]

Same here. I watched 4 Christmas movies today and 2 yesterday.You got the Christmas spirit:homealone:

I've been watching only 1 a night, mostly classics from the 1940s-50s.

[SpelingError]

An Autumn Afternoon (1962) - 3.5

When I watched this film a couple years ago, I had a lukewarm reaction to it and I began to wonder if I was starting to feel diminishing returns with Ozu's style. When Early Summer blew me away earlier this year though, I thankfully found out this wasn't the case. I was also pleased to enjoy this film a bit more with a rewatch, though while I wouldn't say I'm a fan of it, I wouldn't say my issue is a result of feeling burnout with Ozu's style.

Before I explain my reservation though, it's important to defend Ozu a bit to explain why this film isn't just a case of recycled themes from his earlier films. While a couple other films I've seen from him (Late Spring and Early Summer) have recurring themes regarding marriage and while both their endings convey similar moods, this film stands in contrast from them by taking a two-sided approach to the subject of marriage, showing both the pros and cons of it. On one hand, we get the usual scenes of various people urging Hirayama to marry off Michiko, in addition to The Gourd and his middle-aged daughter Tomoko acting as a what-if scenario of what could happen if Hirayama's and Michiko's situations don't change. On the other hand though, given the occasional bickering between Kōichi and Akiko and the discussions of one of Hirayama's acquaintances being ruined by marriage, it's apparent that, while Michiko may not necessarily be worse off if she gets married, it might not give her any further happiness than living with her father would. As a result, the habitual bittersweet ending works in a few ways this time. Of course, there's the surface level solemnity of families splitting apart. More importantly though, it's the implication that Michiko's emotional state while married might be the same as it was when she was with her father. Finally, there's Hirayama's reaction in the ending mimicking The Gourd's drunken behavior throughout the film, suggesting that marrying off Michiko might not have been enough to save Hirayama from meeting Sakuma's fate.

With that being said, while the potential for a great film is certainly here, that we don't get enough memorable scenes of Michiko provides a ceiling for my enjoyment of this. Throughout much of the first two-thirds of the film, her character is largely secondary to the conflicts and sub-plots of other characters in the film, whether you're referring to the banter of Hirayama's classmates, The Gourd's fractured relationship with his daughter, Kōichi's conflict with his wife, or Sakamoto. As I sort of alluded to up above, these characters aren't necessarily irrelevant to the plot (I'm not sure how to interpret the post-WW2 aspect though), but their sub-plots took too much time away from Michiko. As a result, once the film got to the inciting scene of Hirayama urging Michiko to get married, I didn't have anywhere near the amount of emotional investment in her character to be moved by her scenes as much as I could've. Plus, that her arc in the final act moved at somewhat of a fast clip didn't help in this regard.

And this is a bit of a shame as the film had more than enough potential elsewhere to stand with Ozu's best films. Due to the lack of focus on Michiko though, it didn't reach that level of greatness for me. Regardless, it's still a pretty good film as the strengths I discussed up above are more than enough to carry it. If you're a fan of Ozu, you should find plenty to enjoy here.

Next Up: Candyman

[Siddon]

https://images.static-bluray.com/reviews/9086_1.jpg

The Uninvited (1944)

The Uninvited is a bit of a paradox of filmmaking. Apparently this was the first Hollywood ghost film to take itself seriously, It was also the popular gothic romance mystery genre that put out films like Jane Erye, Rebecca, Wuthering Heights. This is the story of a brother and sister who purchase a mansion in the country side. It's a gorgeous estate but it comes with a haunted ingenue Gail Russel. I don't know for a fact that Elizabeth Taylor and Cary Grant passed on this film but you get that feeling watching Russel and Milland act.

The film's photography is breathtaking, the score is haunting and the production design incredible. The film maker expertly crafts every shot to make you feel like you are witnessing a truly great ghost story. But it does have issues. Being the first serious ghost film it doesn't quite know how to keep the momentum going. The film has a number of third act script issues. The actual deliver of the mystery is muddled and you have these two characters who feel out of place. Beech and Holloway are two characters with potential but they feel like add-ons. Characters used to pad the run time.

This is a film with A potential but left me giving it a solid B. I really can't say how much I enjoy the first act of the film. It's a house that both terrifies you and you want to live in walking that fine line. The actors are really good in spite of the weird script choices Rick and Pamela's relationship is fresh and the romance between Rick and Stella is well handled.

B

[Citizen Rules]

Think I'll watch The Uninvited shortly after Christmas...I'm starting to run out of Christmas classics:D and wanting to see something different.

[edarsenal]

Been doing the same with Christmas movies these past few nights and two more nights to go LOL

[Citizen Rules]

Been doing the same with Christmas movies these past few nights and two more nights to go LOLYup, last night was Elf, tonight is White Christmas and the Christmas day movie is still up for grabs.

[SpelingError]

I'll probably get to Candyman either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.

[cricket]

I watched Dead Man's Shoes. It could have been my device, but the subtitles were about 2 seconds off on the version I watched on YouTube. I sent CR another link if anyone needs one.

Heck of a movie, hellish, nightmarish, whatever you want to call it, and it's not due to violence. Very unique and effective look. Doesn't overstay it's welcome. Great nomination that should do very well here.

[cricket]

I watched Dead Man's Shoes. It could have been my device, but the subtitles were about 2 seconds off on the version I watched on YouTube. I sent CR another link if anyone needs one.

Heck of a movie, hellish, nightmarish, whatever you want to call it, and it's not due to violence. Very unique and effective look. Doesn't overstay it's welcome. Great nomination that should do very well here.

By the way, I've seen Stalker once and I wasn't a big fan.

[SpelingError]

I watched Dead Man's Shoes. It could have been my device, but the subtitles were about 2 seconds off on the version I watched on YouTube. I sent CR another link if anyone needs one.

Heck of a movie, hellish, nightmarish, whatever you want to call it, and it's not due to violence. Very unique and effective look. Doesn't overstay it's welcome. Great nomination that should do very well here.

Could you send me a link to the version you watched? Sorry if the subtitles in the YouTube link were delayed.

Still though, glad you enjoyed it :up:

[SpelingError]

EDIT: I DMed all of you with a better link to my nomination.

[edarsenal]

Yup, last night was Elf, tonight is White Christmas and the Christmas day movie is still up for grabs.
Been through several, but the other night we did Klaus on Netflix a recent addition to our Christmas Movie List. Last night, my roomie Ana watched her Christmas movie It's a Wonderful Life while I revisited one I haven't seen in nearly two decades and truly loved and even more so last night, Scrooge (1970) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066344/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_6) musical with Albert Finney as one of the top-notch, layered Scrooges that challenges my ultimate favorite Alistair Sims. And Alec Guinness as Marley. I was downright giddy the entire time I watched, having forgotten so many nuances and some of the hilarious and catchy songs like Finney singing I Hate People with lines like "deplorable, kickable people" and the ones I could never forget like the caroling kids teasing Scrooge in Father Christmas "He's the meanest man in the whole wide and the whole wide world knows it" or Thank You Very Much sung during the visit of Ghost of Christmas Future when Scrooge is dead. I love, LOVE this flick, and SO glad I revisited it since it had been nagging me forever to do so.

[Siddon]

https://shots.filmschoolrejects.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/an-autumn-afternoon.jpg


An Autumn Afternoon (1962)

This was Ozu's last film and unlike other filmmakers he seemed to have maintained the same degree of quality throughout his run even to the end. Now if you are an Ozu fan and you enjoy glacier dialogue and minor stakes then that's great for you. For me I'm not a fan of the guy. I like how the film is shot though everything is very flat and staged. These films always feel like they are theatrical productions of plays that are very boring with a parade of forgettable characters.

On a political note it's also fairly uncomfortable to watch a film about women getting married where the women have little to no agency in their lives. You have a lot of great subtle aspects of the story (one old man has a suit that doesn't fit...he's the failure of the group. But on the other hand it was really hard for me to keep tracks of all the different relationships and bonds and characters in the story. The film is so slow that you kind of just glaze over and you miss who this XYZ person is.

It's also difficult to talk about things like performances and plot because everything and everyone is so sedate and polite. You have a scene later on in the film when the lead is at the bar and the bar tender gives him a sexy look and the story...does nothing with that. It's a part of Ozu's films that I just hate he's like anti-plot. But still I made it through and can respect the artists intent...I just wish that the selection would have more to talk about.

C

[SpelingError]

I forgot I work most of the day tomorrow, but I hope to rewatch Candyman on the 27th.

[rauldc14]

I watched Dead Man's Shoes. It could have been my device, but the subtitles were about 2 seconds off on the version I watched on YouTube. I sent CR another link if anyone needs one.

Heck of a movie, hellish, nightmarish, whatever you want to call it, and it's not due to violence. Very unique and effective look. Doesn't overstay it's welcome. Great nomination that should do very well here.

If you watched Dead Mans Shoes, you watched the wrong movie :)

[cricket]

If you watched Dead Mans Shoes, you watched the wrong movie :)

Oh right, seen Dead Man's Shoes a few years ago:p

[SpelingError]

You guys should watch Dead Man's Socks as well.

[Thief]

https://shots.filmschoolrejects.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/an-autumn-afternoon.jpg


An Autumn Afternoon (1962)

This was Ozu's last film and unlike other filmmakers he seemed to have maintained the same degree of quality throughout his run even to the end. Now if you are an Ozu fan and you enjoy glacier dialogue and minor stakes then that's great for you. For me I'm not a fan of the guy. I like how the film is shot though everything is very flat and staged. These films always feel like they are theatrical productions of plays that are very boring with a parade of forgettable characters.

On a political note it's also fairly uncomfortable to watch a film about women getting married where the women have little to no agency in their lives. You have a lot of great subtle aspects of the story (one old man has a suit that doesn't fit...he's the failure of the group. But on the other hand it was really hard for me to keep tracks of all the different relationships and bonds and characters in the story. The film is so slow that you kind of just glaze over and you miss who this XYZ person is.

It's also difficult to talk about things like performances and plot because everything and everyone is so sedate and polite. You have a scene later on in the film when the lead is at the bar and the bar tender gives him a sexy look and the story...does nothing with that. It's a part of Ozu's films that I just hate he's like anti-plot. But still I made it through and can respect the artists intent...I just wish that the selection would have more to talk about.

C

I wrote something to that effect on my review...


Just like with Late Spring, I have some very minor issues with the notion of an "arranged marriage", but that's not on Ozu, but the culture itself. Still, I like how Hirayama doesn't force things on his daughter as he's setting things up ("I'm not insisting on this other man. If you don't like him, you can say so") which, again, shows some degree of growth in the country's overall culture and Ozu himself.


So, although I understand the "arranged marriage" angle is something we have to accept as part of the time and place the film is set in, I also appreciate that level of growth I noticed when contrasting it with Late Spring.

[Citizen Rules]

If you watched Dead Mans Shoes, you watched the wrong movie :)

Been through several, but the other night we did Klaus on Netflix a recent addition to our Christmas Movie List. Last night, my roomie Ana watched her Christmas movie It's a Wonderful Life while I revisited one I haven't seen in nearly two decades and truly loved and even more so last night, Scrooge (1970) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066344/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_6) musical with Albert Finney as one of the top-notch, layered Scrooges that challenges my ultimate favorite Alistair Sims. And Alec Guinness as Marley. I was downright giddy the entire time I watched, having forgotten so many nuances and some of the hilarious and catchy songs like Finney singing I Hate People with lines like "deplorable, kickable people" and the ones I could never forget like the caroling kids teasing Scrooge in Father Christmas "He's the meanest man in the whole wide and the whole wide world knows it" or Thank You Very Much sung during the visit of Ghost of Christmas Future when Scrooge is dead. I love, LOVE this flick, and SO glad I revisited it since it had been nagging me forever to do so.Oh cool, glad to hear you find a new-old favorite. Funny thing is the wife and I were going to watch Scrooge (1970) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066344/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_6) as part of our classic Christmas movies, but ran out of movie time. Now that Christmas is over and I'm exhausted from it, I need a movie vacation! So it's off to watch a HoF nom🙂

[edarsenal]

Oh cool, glad to hear you find a new-old favorite. Funny thing is the wife and I were going to watch Scrooge (1970) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066344/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_6) as part of our classic Christmas movies, but ran out of movie time. Now that Christmas is over and I'm exhausted from it, I need a movie vacation! So it's off to watch a HoF nom🙂

How's this for a Christmas movie vacation? Watching my first Rectification List movie on the Countdown 1917 lol which, if I had the time BEFORE - I knew and watching it, seals it, it would've been on my voting list for the Countdown easily.

[Siddon]

So, although I understand the "arranged marriage" angle is something we have to accept as part of the time and place the film is set in, I also appreciate that level of growth I noticed when contrasting it with Late Spring.


I think the big problem I have with Ozu characters is while they are very polite many of them are bland and forgettable. While forgettable is something that many films have for a week/month/year after watching them this film I couldn't track them through the film. This wasn't offensively boring as some of the other Ozu films I've seen. Did they even tell us who she got married to at the end?

[Thief]

I think the big problem I have with Ozu characters is while they are very polite many of them are bland and forgettable. While forgettable is something that many films have for a week/month/year after watching them this film I couldn't track them through the film. This wasn't offensively boring as some of the other Ozu films I've seen. Did they even tell us who she got married to at the end?

I don't think so. After the arrangement they had thought of falls through, we just see Michiko agreeing to meet other potential matches. Then they cut to her getting ready for the wedding ceremony (same happens in Late Spring). I actually like that for various reasons. First, because the point of the story is not who she marries with, but how she and her father face that crossroad. The second reason applies more to Late Spring, but is how the characters of Michiko and Noriko essentially "vanish" after they marry. I don't know if its intentional from Ozu, but I see it as a way to acknowledge how women essentially become "null" after marriage. In Autumn Afternoon it didn't hit me as much because although Michiko is a central character, the focus of the story was always Hirayama. In Late Spring it hit me harder because Noriko is the central character of the story through all the film. I think those cuts are an interesting directorial choice.

[cricket]

I watched Ship of Fools today. As someone who loves black and white classics but has rummaged through most of those that are well known, I was looking forward to it. It feels a little older than 1965 and I think that's intentional since it's set earlier. I was very surprised early on by what different characters were saying, but after thinking for a bit I realized that Stanley Kramer was known for dealing with racial and social issues. One of the main characters is a dwarf, and he introduces the film early on by saying (paraphrasing) there are different types of fools onboard, maybe you'll see yourself. I liked that. There are a good amount of characters, pretty much all good performances, and we see existing relationships and relationships being formed. I liked this movie, but I was hoping for even more melodrama. I wasn't 100% riveted but I would watch it again.

[Allaby]

I watched An Autumn Afternoon (1962) this winter evening. An Autumn Afternoon is the final film directed by the legendary Yasujirô Ozu. Ozu is a director I respect and I have purchased a few of his films, but he is not one of my all time favourite directors. I have rated any of his films higher than an 8/10, but I also have rated any lower than a 7/10. After viewing this film, that has not changed.

I thought An Autumn Afternoon is a well made film, but not one that I found all that interesting. I respect the film more than I actually like it. Performances are fine, although I didn't find anyone exceptional. I think Chishû Ryû gave the best performance. The story wasn't overly engaging or compelling. I didn't care that much about the characters or what happened to them. There were a few nice, effective moments though. The cinematography was quite nice. This is a lovely looking film.

Even though I wasn't blown away by the film, I still appreciate that it was nominated so I could finally get around to seeing it. 3.5

[Citizen Rules]

90582
The Uninvited (1944)

I enjoyed the The Uninvited...and like last time I watched it over a decade ago I find myself both impressed and saddened.

There are two aspects of the film that caught my attention: One was the ambiance that the film creates with the isolated mansion perched percarisly on a cliff side over looking the ocean. I was fascinated by the isolation and the loneliness of the country side setting. The other aspect was Gail Rusell. She has this look of forlorn lost-ness, like someone adrift and in need of an anchor to keep her from floating out to sea. I've seen her in a couple of other films (Angel and the Badman and Wake of the Red Witch) and she has this quality that comes across the screen that makes her special. Gail Russell lead a troubled life and it always makes me sad to think about her and the way she ended.

Back to the film, as Siddon noted the cinematography, score and sets are top notch and make the film a stand out. I personally liked the character played by Donald Crisp who was Stella's father. He's a signpost with his closed-mouth behavior telling us there's something terribly wrong with the mansion or something wrong with his daughter. He sets the tone of danger and suspension with his cloistered behaviour. I have to agree that the character Holloway (Cornelia Otis Skinner ), a woman who owns a treatment center seems tacked on and that part of the story where Stella is sent against her will to the treatment center seems a bit clumsy.

I really liked The Uninvited, it's an impressive film from 1944. And it's an import film as it's the first serious ghost haunting movie to be made by Hollywood.

[edarsenal]

I watched Ship of Fools today. As someone who loves black and white classics but has rummaged through most of those that are well known, I was looking forward to it. It feels a little older than 1965 and I think that's intentional since it's set earlier. I was very surprised early on by what different characters were saying, but after thinking for a bit I realized that Stanley Kramer was known for dealing with racial and social issues. One of the main characters is a dwarf, and he introduces the film early on by saying (paraphrasing) there are different types of fools onboard, maybe you'll see yourself. I liked that. There are a good amount of characters, pretty much all good performances, and we see existing relationships and relationships being formed. I liked this movie, but I was hoping for even more melodrama. I wasn't 100% riveted but I would watch it again.

There were a number of scenes like that and some of the dialogue that really caught my attention and appreciation for this film to the point of nominating it. Glad it was an enjoyable watch for ya.

[Siddon]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CFGTjIBDv4o/S8ZjynETfOI/AAAAAAAAA7k/VGbvXz83mD4/s1600/Ship+of+Fools+-+inside.jpg

Ship of Fools (1965)

When MOFO did it's 100 western film countdown I was shocked and surprised that I was the only person that had Cat Ballou on it's ballot. I keep thinking about nominating William Wylers The Collector for one of these halls. And last year I finally bit the bullet and sat down and watched Doctor Zhivago . I bring this up because this is what 1965 in Hollywood was about. Sound of Music was the best picture (and the biggest box office hit) but going down the line in 65 you just had classic after classic and a true variety of films. It was the year of the epic


10 nominations: Doctor Zhivago (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Zhivago_(film)) and The Sound of Music (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sound_of_Music_(film))
8 nominations: Ship of Fools (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Fools_(film))
5 nominations: The Agony and the Ecstasy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Agony_and_the_Ecstasy_(film)), Cat Ballou (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_Ballou), Darling (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darling_(1965_film)), The Great Race (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Race), The Greatest Story Ever Told (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Story_Ever_Told) and A Patch of Blue (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Patch_of_Blue)
4 nominations: Othello (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Othello_(1965_British_film)), A Thousand Clowns (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Thousand_Clowns) and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Umbrellas_of_Cherbourg)
3 nominations: The Collector (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Collector_(1965_film)) and Inside Daisy Clover (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_Daisy_Clover)

While you had these massive epics you also had some incredible small budget character pieces. Stanley Kramer decided rather than do a series of small character studies or a giant epic about the lead up to WWII...Kramer decided he was going to do both...balls....giant balls is what Kramer had in making this movie.

Kramer puts together an international cast to tell multiple stories aboard this Ocean liner heading for Spain. Now today we look at a film like this and realize how silly it is to try and tell love stories along with holocaust ones. You can't really do both well...but on the other hand you can admire the intent. You have a lot to unpack in this film Simone Signoret a french actress plays a Cuban countess exiled and sent to Spain to serve a sentence. She begins a romance with a disillusioned german doctor. Obviously the symbolism of a doctor with his heart breaking wasn't lost on me. You also have a love story between jewish actor George Seagel and gentile Elizabeth Ashley. It's a choice that perhaps doesn't age well but you can see what Kramer was going for.

The sexual relationships in the story are what's surprising to me. Kramer is really trying to balance things out andI'm not sure if Vivian Leigh's works compared to everyone else in the film. Like Lee Marvin is the American trying to get laid he feels of this world and that represents an American idea compared to all the other Europeans. Jose Ferer is also really good in this as the major anti-semite on the boat. He represents the hypocrisy and boorishness of the fascist. He's a great contrast between this guy that is basically doomed in the coming years and the "other" table with the Jew, the little person, and the guy married to the jewish woman.When the film touches on the fatalist nature of the coming war it works and it works really well.

B/B+

[Citizen Rules]

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w533_and_h300_bestv2/t3bXP5pUnckfoJ8WonlvAGovCun.jpg
Ship of Fools (Stanley Kramer 1965)

This was the nom I was most looking forward to watching...I'd seen it some 15 years ago but remembered nothing about it. I knew it had an all star cast and was directed by one of the great 20th century directors Stanley Kramer (The Defiant Ones, On the Beach, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, Inherit the Wind, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner). Kramer directed one of my all time top films, his tour de force Judgement at Nuremberg. So I expected big things from Ship of Fools especially as it features three of my favorite actors: Lee Marvin, Jose Ferrer and Vivian Leigh.

I hate to say this but I was underwhelmed and found the movie middle of the road. I think the problem stems from Abby Mann's screenplay of Katherine Anne Porter's novel Ship of Fools. When a screenplay is adapted from a lengthy and complex multi-character novel the screenwriter has literally two choices: They can include the bulk of the characters by skeletonizing the characters down to just a few core characteristics thus removing most of their story arcs and nuances, so as to save on film runtime...Or the screenwriter can cut mercilessly until the side characters are removed from the movie's screenplay allowing the main characters to be more fully explored in the shorter time that movies offer. Ship of Fools does the former and retains all the characters albeit in very reduced story form.

It's that lack of character exploration that disappointment me the most. Consider the rich uncle who has left all of his money to his young poor nephew with one catch, the nephew doesn't get the money until the uncle has died. But we learn nothing of their relationship other than that single fact. Then there's Vivian Leigh, we're directly told by another character she's an aging coquette who's looking for a kind of love she'll never find. But how about letting the character's actions divulge this to us instead of having the film directly tells us through a monologue...That's what happens when a novel has the characters skeletonized down to mere whispers of their former selves. It would've been better to cut the secondary story of the Spanish labors who board the ship in Cuba. Their story could be interesting but not in the short time the movie has when one considers all the numerous characters that the movie includes.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.9GK7KMQ-IgZnRhkA1MS-sgAAAA%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=07133920f2cfcb3931ad26be7037d2f881f4d4ec686fb6047c683b67063aefac&ipo=images


Pros: There are some real strengths in Ship of Fools. Simone Signoret and Oskar Werner who were both Oscar nominated for best actor/actress for their work on this film. Their acting and their scenes together are worth the 'price of admission'. The way they are written says much without telling us their whole story, we 'get them' through their emotions and actions, that elevates the movie and was greatly appreciated by me.

The scenes with the Jewish man (Heinz Rühmann) and the dwarf who also narrates the film (Michael Dunn) were among my favorites. Those two character added needed humanity and warmth. They felt alive, they felt real as opposed to some of the other characters who seemed like contrived archetypes. I did like Jose Ferrer's likable but loudmouth bigot. The funny thing is he doesn't even know he's a bigot and that is a bit of clever writing.

Strangely both Vivan Leigh who I adore and Lee Marvin who's just plain cool both disappointed me in this film. I don't blame the actors as I know they have the chops, I blame the script.

Despite the overly long runtime and the unevenness of the movie I am very glad to have watched this and find myself wanting to explore more of Stanley Kramer's filmography.

[Citizen Rules]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse4.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.TF9-zb1nSrppJ6h21WT-QwHaE8%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=880abc8d11077ec8d5a38d26917af060d54ae3853c593e9a60bf6a5563d5a789&ipo=images

Candyman (1992)

*Spoilers*



Love that sadness in Virginia Madsen's eyes. She carries that forlorn look through much of the film. I always thought she was attractive but I never knew just how good of an actress she was until now. She did more with an expression than most actors can do with a 1000 words. She made me care about her character's plight and that pulled me into the movie.

It's no secret that I don't care for most modern horror films, just not my bag. I have to say this movie held my attention and kept me interested from the start. That's something alot of movies don't do for me. So I appreciated it for that. I also appreciated that the film took a good amount of time building the premise of the backstory. I'm sure some horror fans wanted the film to jump right into those jump scares and gore kills, but for me the deeper physiological aspects of the film was what intrigued me.

It was a perfect choice to locate this in Chicago's Cabrini-Green projects. I had read about them when I was a teenager and as soon as I heard Cabrini-Green it piqued my interest. I also liked the concept that long held fears are transformed into a collective belief system by society and then passed down through the generations. I wish the film had ended at the funeral with the Cabrini-Green residents coming to 'pay their respects' to Helen, ending with the little boy dropping the hook into the grave...as to say that they were finally free of the fear they had lived in.

[KeyserCorleone]

The first Candyman seriously impressed me. Loved how new and unique it was while relying more on weird-ass plot points than gore.

[Wyldesyde19]

The Remake is just as good

[rauldc14]

Dead Man's Letters

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRrOT0O4S_kVnvlg0VUhZYBHpc21G6Lv0nSmA&usqp=CAU

I kicked this thing off with the movie I knew the least about going into it. In a way it almost felt like a side movie to Stalker. Which would be great and might even be great to those who really enjoyed Stalker. The problem is I'm not a Stalker fan and I wasn't much of a fan of this either, actually I think I enjoy Stalker more. The movie just looks ugly to me. I get that part of it may be intentional but it just doesn't really have any value to me how the film looks. I feel like I'm just too bored by it. Maybe the story is supposed to really latch on to it's audience but I never really cared about what was going on or the consequences of some of the characters actions. I wish the Larsen character was more interesting as it perhaps could have helped.

I mean I do love some dark films, but this one just felt hopeless and desolate. I know things necessarily didn't turn that way in the end, but the mood the film had me in really never wavered even after we realized what had happened later on. There just didn't seem like a lot for me to work with on this unfortunately.

2

[SpelingError]

Candyman (1992) - Either 3 or 3.5. I'll just say 3.5 for now.

*SPOILER WARNING*

When I first watched this, I felt some of its social commentary went over my head, but having read some reviews since then and having watched the recent film, I felt I had a decent understanding of what the film was going for. So yeah, I was looking forward to rewatching this. To my surprise though, its themes didn't come together for me with this rewatch and the character motivations felt kind of muddled and unclear in the end. I like the characterization of Candyman as a slasher of sorts who only kills people to make sure enough people believe in him, but the more I watched the second half, the more I found myself asking "How does any of this accomplish his goal?" The various murders he committed throughout the second half were all set up to make it look like Helen committed them, so how these killings were supposed to get people to believe in him again was beyond me. Then, when the film moved to the final act, his intentions suddenly changed to him destroying himself and making Helen into the new Candyman. And this is fine and all, but if that was actually his initial goal, why did he go through all that trouble in the second half when he likely had the power to kill Helen right away? I think the idea of a white person stealing an urban legend popular amongst black people is a good concept as it adds to the theme of black struggle, but Candyman's behavior/killing patterns were too random and shapeless for those themes to come together.

I'll give the film credit where it's due though as its strengths are quite plentiful. Firstly, while it's clear the film will be a horror film, I found it impressive how the changeover in the second half still came as a surprise and managed to change the tone without causing any dissonance in the process. Also, I'm not sure if the accounts of Virginia Madsen being hypnotized are true, but regardless of how the effect was achieved, the various close-up shots of her face looked terrific. Her forlorn and dazed expressions suited the film very well and were impressive to watch. I also enjoyed how the film didn't jump into the horror right away and took its time to introduce us to certain characters and provided enough time for the urban legend/settings to sink in. The early scenes at the Cabrini-Green Homes project, in particular, were rather memorable. Finally, the gore and the soundtrack were both great. Anyways, I don't know how much this reads as a positive review, but even though I elaborated a bit more on what I didn't like, I did enjoy the film. Again, the first half was very good and, issues aside, the second half its moments as well. I was just hoping for the film to come together better.

Next Up: Dog Day Afternoon

[cricket]

I've been to the Cabrini Green projects but I was so young I can't remember it. I do remember a funny song on Chicago radio, it went "Cabrini Green where the mayor sleeps", that's the only part I remember. The mayor at the time had moved there or something.

[jiraffejustin]

spoilers ahead for:

To Live and Die in L.A.
https://media.tenor.com/pkcodGiijPsAAAAd/willem-dafoe-you-are-beautiful.gif

Director: William Friedkin

Other Friedkin films I've seen:

The French Connection (1971)
The Exorcist (1973)
Bug (2006)
Killer Joe (2011)

To Live and Die in L.A. makes five Friedkin films for me.

My rating - I'd go somewhere between 3 and 3.5, with the truth being closer to somewhere underneath 3 and a quarter. There is a great chase sequence and a very wild, unexpected ending that moved the needle a long a way in a positive direction. The first half of this film was a little rough to get through as it seemed to be more about how many cliches could be stuffed in an hour. I was thinking that I was getting too old for that shit, but stuck with it, because a) that's what you have to do to participate in the hall of fame and b) something was still intriguing me about the film, something I didn't quite understand. Despite the cliches and some of the goofiness that comes from the 80s, there was still plenty of cool stuff going on, the main character, a cop who doesn't play by the rules, but always gets his man, has the coolest name in the history of dudes being dudes: Dick Chance. Willem Defoe wasn't asked to do a whole lot, but his charisma makes every scene he is involved in. Plus the cinematography was above average the whole film, which helps when characters are just standing around in a very 80s way looking very 80s. Also when Dick Chance took his shirt off, I'm not sure why, but I was honestly taken aback by how f*cking bodied up that guy was. Shoutout to that chase sequence going through parts of Los Santos I would drive through in San Andreas. Also shoutout to how quick and swiftly they did Dick Chance in there at the end, there is no other way a character like that can go out and you just keep going about your business unless it is like that. I don't think I'll ever love this film, but I am glad I got to see it.

[Siddon]

The first half of this film was a little rough to get through as it seemed to be more about how many cliches could be stuffed in an hour. I was thinking that I was getting too old for that shit, but stuck with it, because a) that's what you have to do to participate in the hall of fame and b) something was still intriguing me about the film, something I didn't quite understand. .


Well like I said in my setup of the nomination this is a film you watch twice because the first half is riddled with cliche's. And then you go back and you see all the small things Friedkin slips in there that explains the third act. And it completely contextualizes the film

[edarsenal]

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/images/4047-92d3ee2a634564f7e0947f300bf478f8/current_27964id_001_medium.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vFDmq-3LdUk/UmkY_p35sOI/AAAAAAAAEa0/GLTDt0uPuuk/s1600/theuninvited.jpg
https://i0.wp.com/thelastdrivein.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/ray-milland-barbara-everest-and-ruth-hussey-in-the-uninvited-19445.jpg?resize=490%2C356&ssl=1

The Uninvited (1944)

Starting this off with one I was very highly intrigued to see and very much enjoyed.
I fully agree with CR's description of Gail Russell:
https://64.media.tumblr.com/b84484e11abe42010c811aa4ac84b6a2/91293989a11df265-d6/s400x600/5a12465fcb9d1a1bea3cc326798ef2ce63215cff.gifv
"She has this look of forlorn lost-ness, like someone adrift and in need of an anchor to keep her from floating out to sea." and like him, I've also seen her in Angel & the Badman and genuinely enjoy her ethereal, slippery connection between the living and the deceased in this film. A genuinely ideal casting for this part.
Along with Ray Milland's cavalier bravado, the rightfully concerned grandfather Donald Crisp regarding the haunted house, and Cornelia Otis Skinner's gothic Keeper of the Secret to Milland's kind-hearted sister, Ruth Hussey, there lies a significant diorama to stage this ghost story that for all of its intended horror there is a gentle love/respect for its subject matter and the interaction of ghosts and the living. The continual use of scents, specifically the smell of mimosa, whenever the ghost of Russell's mother is present, is something I loved seeing, giving substance and depth to how ghosts' presence creates more than just "cold spots" and moments of poltergeist (sh#t being tossed about).

There was also a certain tangible lightness to this unfolding of a dark tale of the initial cause of the haunting that is hard to describe but remains quite discernable for me—adding layers to what could have been simply a scary story into something more. And as someone who cares little for slasher horrors but thoroughly enjoys a good ghost story, this definitely hits the mark.

Thank you, my dear MovieGal, for nominating this; it is a wonderful opening to this Hall of Fame. BRAVO

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.larsenonfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/lawrence-of-arabia-review.png
Lawrence of Arabia
(David Lean 1962)

rating_5

Second watch and I'm even more impressed than the first time...and the first time blew me away. I'm so impressed that I don't know if I have the words to do this film justice.

When I watched this some years ago I was amazed at the cinematography. I just don't mean the beautiful desert locations I mean the choice of the camera lens which is often wide angle and the choice of the composition and the lighting...it's all sublime.

This time around I realized how powerful the script was. Especially the handling of the story of a man who would be a self proclaimed prophet and lead a people to their destiny. No one could have pulled this off like the odd and interesting Peter O'Toole.

But you know what struck me the most? Was how much Frank Herbert's 1965 novel Dune was inspired by this movie. Just watch David Lynch's 1984 Dune and then watch Lawrence of Arabia to see what I mean. I love the novel Dune and even Lynch's 1984 Dune so while watching Lawrence of Arabia I felt like I was watching a prequel to Dune. I mean that in the most positive way possible.

[edarsenal]

https://media.newyorker.com/photos/59095123ebe912338a3726f2/master/w_2560%2Cc_limit/Ida-580.jpg
http://filmint.nu/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Idafilm-1.jpg
https://thumbs.gfycat.com/RaggedEasygoingAmericanalligator-size_restricted.gif

Ida (2013)

A sojourn of exquisite composition expressing all that is left unspoken or acted upon by Anna/Ida (Agata Trzebuchowska) of fanciful still waters and her bitter, taciturn aunt Wanda (Agata Kulesza) with solemn determination to search out the truth of a family tragedy.

I had decided to witness this completely blind, which was THE ideal way for me. I was wrapped up in every continually beautiful and captivatingly arranged shot in the perfect media for this, Black & White.
Such an experience does not always work if no substance equally captures the constructed long takes of every shot. For me, it did. Connecting easily with the characters, the emotions clamped down beneath veneers and the ones that seep out.

I have only just finished this stoic, reflective sojourn of poetic resonance and find words lacking that I wish to quote Thief's final words of his review:
In the end, we realize that first, the journey never ends. Life continues, despite whatever pit stops we make along the way. And second, that regardless of where the journey leads you to at any point, it is what you make with what you find what counts; even if it's God or your own demons

A Truly Wonderful Nomination, BRAVO, my friend. BRAVO

[edarsenal]

https://www.larsenonfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/lawrence-of-arabia-review.png
Lawrence of Arabia
(David Lean 1962)

rating_5

Second watch and I'm even more impressed than the first time...and the first time blew me away. I'm so impressed that I don't know if I have the words to do this film justice.

When I watched this some years ago I was amazed at the cinematography. I just don't mean the beautiful desert locations I mean the choice of the camera lens which is often wide angle and the choice of the composition and the lighting...it's all sublime.

This time around I realized how powerful the script was. Especially the handling of the story of a man who would be a self proclaimed prophet and lead a people to their destiny. No one could have pulled this off like the odd and interesting Peter O'Toole.

But you know what struck me the most? Was how much Frank Herbert's 1965 novel Dune was inspired by this movie. Just watch David Lynch's 1984 Dune and then watch Lawrence of Arabia to see what I mean. I love the novel Dune and even Lynch's 1984 Dune so while watching Lawrence of Arabia I felt like I was watching a prequel to Dune. I mean that in the most positive way possible.





I am SOOO gonna do this when I watch this!

[Allaby]

I watched Dead Man's Letters (1986) today. Directed by Konstantin Lopushanskiy, this Russian drama focuses on the survivors of a nuclear apocalypse. I liked the look of the film. I found it quite striking and I think it suited the tone and feel of the film. Performances were fine overall. I found the characters to be sufficiently believable. The only issue is that I wasn't overly invested in them and couldn't really connect with the characters or care about them. The idea of the film is an interesting one, but the execution of it only partially worked for me. The story wasn't as compelling or as engaging as it could have been. I found the film a little too slow at times and to me it felt longer than it was. There was some good dialogue in the film though that I appreciated. It was intelligently written and had some thought provoking, haunting moments. People have compared this to Stalker, which I get, but Stalker is a superior, more engaging and overall more effective film than Dead Man's Letters. Although I didn't love this film, I can appreciate things about it and it was an interesting pick for a nomination. 3.5

[Citizen Rules]

I am SOOO gonna do this when I watch this!I'd love to hear your thoughts juxtaposing Lawrence of Arabia & Dune. There was some spoken dialogue and camera shots especially of the moon that reminded me of Lynch's Dune, as well as the over all story/narrative.

BTW if anyone needs a Blu-Ray/HD quality video link for Lawrence of Arabia just let me know.

[rauldc14]

I'll try for another tomorrow hopefully.

Is The Uninvited still in this thing?

[Thief]

https://media.newyorker.com/photos/59095123ebe912338a3726f2/master/w_2560%2Cc_limit/Ida-580.jpg
http://filmint.nu/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Idafilm-1.jpg
https://thumbs.gfycat.com/RaggedEasygoingAmericanalligator-size_restricted.gif

Ida (2013)

A sojourn of exquisite composition expressing all that is left unspoken or acted upon by Anna/Ida (Agata Trzebuchowska) of fanciful still waters and her bitter, taciturn aunt Wanda (Agata Kulesza) with solemn determination to search out the truth of a family tragedy.

I had decided to witness this completely blind, which was THE ideal way for me. I was wrapped up in every continually beautiful and captivatingly arranged shot in the perfect media for this, Black & White.
Such an experience does not always work if no substance equally captures the constructed long takes of every shot. For me, it did. Connecting easily with the characters, the emotions clamped down beneath veneers and the ones that seep out.

I have only just finished this stoic, reflective sojourn of poetic resonance and find words lacking that I wish to quote Thief's final words of his review:
In the end, we realize that first, the journey never ends. Life continues, despite whatever pit stops we make along the way. And second, that regardless of where the journey leads you to at any point, it is what you make with what you find what counts; even if it's God or your own demons

A Truly Wonderful Nomination, BRAVO, my friend. BRAVO

So glad you liked it. It is truly a wonderful film.

[edarsenal]

I'd love to hear your thoughts juxtaposing Lawrence of Arabia & Dune. There was some spoken dialogue and camera shots especially of the moon that reminded me of Lynch's Dune, as well as the over all story/narrative.

BTW if anyone needs a Blu-Ray/HD quality video link for Lawrence of Arabia just let me know.

I've watched Lynch's Dune so I'm pretty curious to go into this relatively new experience with that fun bit of nugget.

[edarsenal]

So glad you liked it. It is truly a wonderful film.
Very much so. Very much so.

An excellent second added to an ideal first film of this HoF for me. Frickin YAY

[Citizen Rules]

I'll try for another tomorrow hopefully.

Is The Uninvited still in this thing?MovieGal is still in.

[SpelingError]

I'll try to write my review for Dog Day Afternoon in a couple days.

[Allaby]

I rewatched Dog Day Afternoon (1975) on dvd today. (I really should buy the blu ray at some point.) Directed by the late legendary filmmaker, Sidney Lumet, Dog Day Afternoon stars Al Pacino as Sonny, a man who attempts to rob a bank, but finds it is a lot more complicated and challenging than originally thought. The film is based on actual events.

Dog Day Afternoon was nominated for six Academy Awards, including best picture and best director. It's not hard to see why. This is a classic and a terrific film. Al Pacino is fantastic. His performance is believable, complex, and high energy. Pacino delivers a memorable and very effective performance that really works within the world of the film. The rest of the cast are very good too.

The Oscar winning screenplay is really well written. It's smart, sharp, and compelling. The story is told in an engaging and satisfying way. The audience is invested in the story and the characters, while being entertained. Dog Day Afternoon is a progressive film that feels ahead of its time. There are LGBTQ elements and characters that are handled well and are just part of the story.

Lumet's direction is excellent here and he really knows how to tell a story and get the most out of his actors. Lumet directed at least a few masterpieces and for most directors Dog Day Afternoon would be their best film. For Lumet, I would actually rank Dog Day Afternoon 4th in his impressive filmography. This was a great nomination and definitely worthy of the Hall of Fame. 4.5

[edarsenal]

Helluva great film!
Even though I've seen this enough times and can't say better than my review in the 70s HoF, I STILL intend to sit back and enjoy this since it's been a couple of years. Looking forward to kicking back to this one. "ATTICA! ATTICA!"

[rauldc14]

Valley of the Dolls today

[rauldc14]

Valley of the Dolls

https://images.ctfassets.net/m3qyzuwrf176/4QOQBjBLnvxkAiHroLRKPc/eaaafe237b43ade676603cdd2c25522b/Jan8_VALLEY_OF_THE_DOLLS_OscarSundays1-web.jpg?w=2000

The girls are good looking, but the story isn't one that really does a whole lot for me. In Citizens short write up, he said it's kind of a bit soap opera-y. I don't even think it's really like that but I do feel it's a bit off from reality yet I don't see the soap opera connection either. I don't know it just feels like something is missing. You wouldn't know without digging into it that this is a John Williams score either and I thought that was some interesting information. I figured with all these pretty girls that the film would hold my attention more but it really wasn't the case and the pacing felt off to me. I wish I was more entertained. There were some good scenes here and there but overall I was left with the feeling of wanting more from the film. I will say that I thought Patty Duke was the best acting piece in the whole film, I think she did a really good job.

2

[SpelingError]

I should have my Dog Day Afternoon review written by tomorrow. Been a bit busier than expected.

[Citizen Rules]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.gOz4L-JPIoxG8Wun5bG4KgHaE_%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=df6f7bd57e611eb7387ded19426c54d9c76b4f934cdad2cda2e7011151a7fc97&ipo=images
An Autumn Afternoon (Ozu 1962)

Ozu might just be my favorite foreign language director. I haven't seen that many of his films but everyone that I've seen has been to my liking. I actually enjoy 'quiet' films where nothing much happens and plot isn't all that important and never were those two film making aspects more clear than in An Autumn Afternoon.

It might seem like Ozu has rehashed his classic Late Spring updating it in color. Indeed both movies have a young adult daughter leaving her widowed father to get married. But look closer and you'll see this is a film about loneliness and aging and yes marriage and how it has affected a group of former students and their former teacher.

For his last film Ozu has taken nearly all contrived drama out and filmed what comes close to reality. Notice how he constantly shoots with a very low camera angle. I think he did that to distance the film from the subjects themselves. It's like we're the proverbial fly on the wall, or on the floor in this case. You can say the film is static and that the camera is usually still, certainly the camera work & the sets & the score & the editing are all minimalist. In a way Ozu reminds me of my favorite current working director Kelly Reichardt.

As this was Ozu's last film and he himself had never been married but lived with his elderly mother (I learned that from Thief's review) the film then takes on an autobiography vibe with the aging Ozu reflecting on life and where it takes one along it's long journey.

4

[SpelingError]

Dog Day Afternoon (1975) - 3

This is my second time watching this film and my opinion of it is about the same as it was last time. I think the film is at its best when it shows the reactions the civilians have to Sonny throughout the day. Those scenes are all great. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the scenes which occur inside the bank. Sal isn't that memorable as Sonny's accomplice and the other bank workers are pretty bland as well. I do like the rare bit of tension in the bank (mainly in the first act) and how both groups eventually get along with each other, but even those elements grow a bit tiring as the film goes on, especially in the second half. But yeah, whenever Sonny exits the bank, the film gets me on board again. Whether you're referring to how Sonny becomes a celebrity amongst the civilians, the iconic "Attica!" scene, or how the civilians remain supportive of him after they learn he's from the LGBT community (I'm curious how well those scenes were received back in the day), those parts of the film are full of life. So much texture and detail is thrown into that one street, it feels like a vivid portrait of New York in the 70's which you could step into. Though yeah, all things considered, the film is a mixture of great and (somewhat) dull which provides a ceiling to my enjoyment of it.

Next Up: Fat Girl

[Allaby]

I rewatched Valley of the Dolls (1967) on Criterion blu ray. I was initially disappointed that there are no actual dolls in the film. Not a Cabbage Patch Doll anywhere. Not even a Barbie. Once I got past my initial disappointment at the lack of Cabbage Patches in the film, I enjoyed it. I thought Mark Robson did a good job directing the film. It's a slick, glossy film with a lot of style. I found it entertaining and engaging and I was interested in the characters and the story. I get what Citizen is saying about the glitzy, soapy elements of the film and I agree that it works pretty well. I liked the performances. The style of acting here is somewhat heightened and a little on the campy side, but in a good way. The screenplay is interesting and clever, with a sharp wit. I loved the look of the film. It really pops. I was happy to rewatch the film. Good nom. :) 4

[Citizen Rules]

I rewatched Valley of the Dolls (1967) on Criterion blu ray. I was initially disappointed that there are no actual dolls in the film. Not a Cabbage Patch Doll anywhere. Not even a Barbie. Once I got past my initial disappointment at the lack of Cabbage Patches in the film, I enjoyed it. I thought Mark Robson did a good job directing the film. It's a slick, glossy film with a lot of style. I found it entertaining and engaging and I was interested in the characters and the story. I get what Citizen is saying about the glitzy, soapy elements of the film and I agree that it works pretty well. I liked the performances. The style of acting here is somewhat heightened and a little on the campy side, but in a good way. The screenplay is interesting and clever, with a sharp wit. I loved the look of the film. It really pops. I was happy to rewatch the film. Good nom. :) rating_4Yeah at least one person liked my nom, you might be the only one:D But I love Valley of the Dolls it's just a lot of fun.

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/LhKpM8ct/dog-day-afternoon.jpg

Dog Day Afternoon - 1975

Directed by Sidney Lumet

Written by Frank Pierson
Based on an article called "The Boys in the Bank" by P. F. Kluge & Thomas Moore

Starring Al Pacino, John Cazale, James Broderick, Charles Durning
Chris Sarandon, Lance Henriksen & Judith Malina

When a great actor gets on a roll, getting offered his choice of the best screenplays, getting to work with the best directors going around, and getting to work with filmmakers who have studio money backing them up, they can really string along some truly memorable performances. When the astonishing true story of Dog Day Afternoon came along, Al Pacino thankfully took a golden opportunity to work with Sidney Lumet again - in Lumet's Serpico, he played the real-life titular police officer who fought corruption at great personal risk to himself - under so much pressure his psyche always seemed to verge on collapsing. In fact, by the time Dog Day Afternoon came around Pacino had already been nominated for 3 Oscars despite the fact that his acting career had only taken off three years previously. For playing Sonny in this film, Al Pacino would be nominated for a Best Acting Oscar for the fourth year in a row. Had it not been for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, this film may very well have swept the Oscars, and Pacino may very well have had an Oscar he truly deserved. It's a remarkable performance in a remarkable film.

On a hot August afternoon in 1972, three completely inexperienced and rather nervous young men walked into a Chase Manhattan bank branch in Brooklyn armed to rob the place. Just as the robbery was commencing one member of the group, 20-year-old Bobby Westenberg (Stevie in the film, played by Gary Springer) fled. This left 27-year-old John Wojtowicz (Sonny in the film, played by Al Pacino) and 18-year-old Sal Naturale (played as a much older man in the film, by John Cazale) to face setbacks (in the film, the bank's daily pickup had departed, leaving the place with just over $1000 to take) and become lost in desperate improvisation. When Sonny burns a register after taking traveler's checks, this attracts outside attention - and soon enough the place is surrounded by the police. What followed was a bizarre, 14-hour hostage drama with Sonny negotiating with flustered Police Detective Sergeant Eugene Moretti (Charles Durning) for a bus to the airport, and a plane. Meanwhile, the general public and members of Sonny's family turned the affair into a circus, with the media joining in, letting an incredulous public in on the fact that Sonny had recently married a man by the name of Ernie Aron (Leon Shermer in the film, played by Chris Sarandon) - in fact, the whole reason for the robbery was to attain money for this man's sex-change operation.

The character of Sonny becomes Pacino's in this - and while the real-life John Wojtowicz seems a mentally off-balance sort of man in real life, Pacino gives his version more endearing traits than John really had. He's a nice guy in the film, and Lumet hit upon giving Sonny a defining characteristic of wanting to please people and wanting to be the man who sorts out problems for people. This certainly dovetails into Sonny's motive for robbing the bank - to help his "wife" Leon get that sex change operation - and it also helps foster a sense of 'Stockholm Syndrome' camaraderie amongst the hostages and hostage-takers here. Pacino turns Sonny into the de-facto hero of the film, and the man we're all taken with - he rails against the corruption and enmity that took the lives of so many innocent people during the Attica prison riots, and in the meantime looks after the bank tellers. I love the part of the film where he talks about "having to keep people happy" - whether it's the police, his family, the hostages or Sal. John Cazale's Sal is a darker character though - a middle-aged man-child with limited understanding about what it going on, and a professed readiness to kill that perturbs Sonny a little. Pacino is on fire though - he roars through this film with energy and charisma and it's his incredible talent that gives Dog Day Afternoon it's edge.

The other performers in the film support the main star very ably, and are an interesting group. A lot of people won't know that the chief F.B.I. man is played by veteran actor James Broderick, Matthew Broderick's father. Lance Henriksen can be seen in one of his earliest roles as the other F.B.I. man. Charles Durning is great as Moretti, and brings his own energy to the movie, but the real standout amongst all the other performers is Chris Sarandon. His scenes were some of the hardest and most emotional. The other great performer is the city of New York itself, which we seem to let soak in during the opening credits - one of my all-time favourite opening-credits montages while Elton John belts out Amoreena, rhythmically grinding away at a piano while the average person on the street sweats through another day. The song is playing on the radio in a car Sonny and his two co-conspirators are sitting in, which is how it's all tied into the film's opening. All staged so perfectly, and although the film has absolutely no score or other musical accompaniment it's been given a great start by what we've seen and heard.

The screenplay earned Frank Pierson an Academy Award - sadly, it ended up being Dog Day Afternoon's sole win at the 1976 Oscars, despite 5 other nominations. Lumet was beaten by Milos Forman in the Best Director category. Jaws and Verna Fields took Best Editing from Dog Day and Dede Allen. Pacino lost to Jack Nicholson as far as Best Actor went. Best Supporting Actor went to George Burns for his part in The Sunshine Boys, meaning that Chris Sarandon sadly missed out on a deserved Oscar win. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest took Best Picture of course. Frank Pierson got his Oscar win on his third attempt, previously being nominated for 1965 film Cat Ballou and 1967 film Cool Hand Luke - a great pair of films. As far as the screenplay itself is concerned, it was changed a little when the film was committed to celluloid, with actors being encouraged to deliver lines in ways they'd naturally word them instead of following each line in an exact fashion. It helped to give exchanges a more naturalistic flow - and naturalism was the exact thing that Lumet was looking for here.

Director of Photography Victor J. Kemper's work translates well to indoor and outdoor work - this probably being one of his most challenging jobs. He's getting natural light to work for him in the frequent outdoor scenes, tying it all into the frequent changes from inside to outside with Sonny leaping from hostages to police negotiations and crowds - meanwhile helicopters fly overhead, and everything needs to be captured, almost documentary-style and very naturalistically. Assistant director Burtt Harris always gets a mention from Lumet due to the general chaos and demands of the situations - and especially for going up in those helicopters and braving the heights that Lumet couldn't face. Visually, you get something of a 'news footage', documentary feel about the way everything is shot, and when you see snaps of the real life drama, you can tell that everything was being presented to us in very much that fashion. It was shot on a real street location, but the real bank wasn't used, instead being constructed as a set in a warehouse-like building. Filming on the streets was a great idea - there's no substitute for reality, and it shows. There are similarities to The Hospital, directed by Arthur Hiller, which Victor J. Kemper worked on.

I first watched Dog Day Afternoon in my very early 20s, and at that time I was kind of falling in love with the New Hollywood wave of filmmaking and films, most of which I'd been just too young to have caught as they were happening. This film seemed to be one of the best examples of the success of that era, being unconventional in taking the point of view of not only a villain, but breaking the taboo of having a big-name actor play an openly homosexual character who we're meant to be sympathetic for. It must have seemed progressive for it's day, and it was something I wasn't expecting from a mid-70s film. It was particularly enjoyable coming into it without knowing much of what happens, because each new revelation comes as a great surprise and adds to the excitement and head-shaking unbelievability of the crazy situation. It's such an energetic film, and it keeps a lightning-fast pace - a lively, vigorous narrative that glows with vitality and desperation. It showcased what was at the time a new situation for a new era in inner-city living - where unexpected violence is often mixed with surreal and ridiculous situations.

So, Dog Day Afternoon goes down as one of my favourite films, and a film I still love just as much today as I did when I first watched it, for when I watched it yet again recently it still held me captive, much as Sonny does his hostages. A huge part of why it does that is the scintillating performance from Al Pacino, and the able support he gets from the likes of Chris Sarandon, John Cazale and Charles Durning, gathered in such a strange circumstance and surrounded by crowds of people baying for blood much as they did in the Colosseum in Rome. I also really enjoy Lumet's 12 Angry Men, Fail Safe, Serpico and of course Before the Devil Knows You're Dead - I really should get into more of his filmography, as he's a director I've not seen enough of considering the body of his work. Pacino bounding along the city streets shouting "Attica! Attica!" has become one of the enduring moments in 20th Century film, and for that we have Lumet to thank, for he knew just when to let his actors off the leash and when to reign them in. He did the right thing here, letting Pacino loose on that Dog Day Afternoon.

5

[Allaby]

I rewatched Candyman (1992) on blu ray. Directed by Bernard Rose, this horror film stars Tony Todd as the mythical killer known as Candyman who has a hook for a hand and appears if anyone says his name five times. Virginia Madsen plays the skeptical grad student who inadvertently summons him while researching the story of the Candyman. This is a terrific film, thrilling, smart, and entertaining. Tony Todd gives a fantastic, iconic performance as Candyman. His voice, demeanour, and everything about him is flawless. Madsen is great here too and I was really engaged by her character's journey. The screenplay is a cut above most horror films. The score is hauntingly beautiful and enhances the film in a really effective way. Candyman really hooks the audience and delivers a treat for horror fans. I've seen three of Bernard Rose's films and this is the best of them. There are three sequels to Candyman. I own all of them on blu ray. Just for fun, here is my ranking and rating of all four Candyman movies:

Candyman (2021) 4.5
Candyman (1992) 4.5
Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995) 3.5
Candyman: Day of the Dead (1999) 3

[Siddon]

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5637f9fbe4b0baa6d85a1011/1493690362713-M7KYML4XL8DTLBTX7R7P/candyman-pic-5.jpg?format=1500w

Candyman (1992)

Candyman is a good news bad news type of film. The good news is the film is technically fantastic...Phillip Glass's score is memorable and haunting. Anthony Richmond's cinematography is incredible this isn't his best work but for a mid-budget film it's incredible. The film's production values greatly elevate what is a silly and confusing story. The first half of this film is perfect...the idea of this urban legend that deals with urban people is great. Madsen gives an incredible performance as a woman who is going mad...the movie has a Yuppie nightmare quality to it(similar to After Hours). Tony Todd is a compelling actor and he chews scenery very well.

But the second half of this film is just and lead weight on the story. The rules and mythology of Candyman become so muddled I didn't know where the film was going or what Helen could or could not do. I liked the full array of people in the ghetto it didn't feel like the overtly sanitized stories we get today but a number of the later horror scenes could have been played for terror but instead they were just here's a hook slash dead. It was surprise not horror wasting a concept that I'm still confused about.

Was Candyman trying to seduce Helen...but he was terrorizing her. The concept just came off like Freddy Kruegar light...just didn't work for me. Still credit where credit belongs the first half of this film is fantastic...they just didn't stick the ending.

C+

[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=imagesDog Day Afternoon
(Sidney Lumet 1975)

Second watch and it's still amazing! I loved every minute of it and every character too from Sonny & Sal to Leon to the city cop in charge and all the women bank tellers. Talk about some stellar acting! These people seemed real.

They just couldn't make this movie today. First off you would never get a major city like Brooklyn to close down a city block to film a movie. And you'd never get that many extras packed onto the street if they did manage to get permits to close off the street for shooting. And no way in hell would they ever allow a helicopter to hover so low over a crowd of people. None of that would be happening these days, it would be all done with CG:rolleyes: And you couldn't tell a personal story like this because some producer or director armed with the latest meta data would want to ramp up the picture and get a thrill a minute, adrenal fueled movie and turn this into a thriller...Thank goodness for the 1970s!

The 1970s was a special time in Hollywood, the baby boomers had come to age and wanted more serious films patterned after European films. I guess they had gotten tired of Beach Blanket Bingo & Easy Rider type movies. Of course not all of the movies in the 70s were of the same caliber as Dog Day Afternoon but there were enough quality dramas that it marked the decade as one of the best for serious dramas in Hollywood.


Just for fun here's my old review.

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Dog Day Afternoon (1975

I've known about this movie for years but I've never gotten around to watching it, until recently...I liked it too and was blown away by the first 30 minutes, it was like 'you are there' during a botched bank robbery. I laughed too, I don't know if anyone else found a lot of the film humorous but I did.

Al Pacino is great of course, so was Charles Durning as the Police Chief. Those two made the movie. Sal (John Cazale) the other bank robbery was interesting as we never really learn much about him, and yet I could tell he had his own back story, which we learn only a little about, which keeps him a mystery.

I didn't know anything about the actual robbery before the movie, so when we see Sonny's other wife, I did a double take! I wasn't sure at first what was suppose to be happening. The actor who played his wife Chris Sarandon (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001697/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t23) was extremely good. I looked him up on IMDB and that's a link, damn! He's done a lot of movie roles where I've seen him but never knew his name.

Loved the on scene street locations, so much nicer than in a studio and it allows a huge exterior set with lots of extras! It looked great and the ending while not a surprise, happened so fast that it was shocking.

I do wish the film was 30 minutes shorter, I did find myself getting restless during the middle of the film. But overall a strong movie.

rating_4_5

[Thief]

Damn, some of you guys are flying!

[rauldc14]

Damn, some of you guys are flying!

You don't have to worry about that with me. It seems like there will only be 9 films at least anyways, so it shouldn't be too hard a chore.

[SpelingError]

I should have my next review out by tomorrow.

[Citizen Rules]

Damn, some of you guys are flying!I'm actually holding back some so I don't finish in only a few weeks:D I mix it up with the HoF noms and whatever movie theme I'm working on...Currently watching Bogart's filmography and I just started on an Agathe Christie kick.

[SpelingError]

Currently watching Bogart's filmography

Out of curiosity, which ones have you watched so far?

[Siddon]

Damn, some of you guys are flying!


I want to give an accurate ranking so I hope to finish in the next week

[Citizen Rules]

Out of curiosity, which ones have you watched so far?I'm watching Bogart's films chronologically, there were several I could not find. I'd seen most all of his well known later films but hadn't seen most of his really early stuff.
Here's my working list:

1941 High Sierra......................Have...Seen
1940 They Drive by Night
1940 Brother Orchid
1940 It All Came True......................Seen
1940 Virginia City..............................Seen
1939 Invisible Stripes..........................Seen
1939 The Return of Doctor X..............Seen
1939 The Roaring Twenties................Seen
1939 Dark Victory
1939 You Cant Get Away with Murder.....Seen
1939 The Oklahoma Kid....................Seen
1939 King of the Underworld..............Seen
1938 Angels with Dirty Faces.............Seen
1938 The Amazing Dr Clitterhouse.....Seen
1938 Racket Busters.......................Seen
1938 Men Are Such Fools..............Seen
1938 Crime School.........................Seen
1938 Swing Your Lady....................Seen
1937 Stand-In.................................Seen
1937 Dead End..............................Seen
1937 Kid Galahad..........................Seen
1937 San Quentin.........................Seen
1937 Marked Woman....................Seen
1937 The Great O'Malley...............Seen
1936 Isle of Fury............................Seen
1936 China Clipper.......................Seen
1936 Bullets or Ballots..................Seen
1936 The Petrified Forest.............Seen
1936 Two Against the World.........Seen
1934 Midnight...............................Seen
1932 Three on a Match................Seen
1932 Big City Blues......................Seen
1932 Love Affair............................Seen
1931 A Holy Terror***
1931 Bad Sister.............................Seen
1931 Body and Soul***
1930 A Devil with Women***
1930 Up the River..........................Seen

Humphrey Bogart films needed:
1930 Broadway's Like That
1930 A Devil with Women (can't find)
1931 Body and Soul (can't find)
1931 A Holy Terror (have but really poor video)

[SpelingError]

Humphrey Bogart films needed:
1930 Broadway's Like That
1930 A Devil with Women (can't find)
1931 Body and Soul (can't find)
1931 A Holy Terror (have but really poor video)

Yeah, I can't find those either sadly. With A Holy Terror, I found two versions of it (YouTube and the Russian site), but the quality for both are pretty bad, like you say.

[Siddon]

https://64.media.tumblr.com/0ac1dc072d2809ffc2dffc6608bd37ae/533fdbae9ae3b920-0b/s540x810/76f4c4d6ffac21aaf2faa5c253db2753e01d3fbd.gif

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

While I nominated William Friedkin I have to admit Lument is the superior auteur. Dog Day Afternoon is his masterpiece this is from a man who averaged one film a year from 1957-1999. This is basically a stage play elevated into a feature film. It's also a one man show as everything goes through Sonny (Al Pacino). Sonny is crazy but he's not stupid and the film walks the balance between his humanity and the tension he's feeling as this bank heist collapses.

This is a film that would never be made today, if this film were made today the cast would be "diverse", you would have these crazy action stunt sequences, everybody would be very smart. What makes this film work so well is that everyone in the film is human and real. Carol Kane talks to her husband on the phone about dinner, the bank manager is a diabetic but he's also a good guy and Sonny recognizes that. No modern film would take a second out of it's story to humanize the bank robber and the wealthy bank manager.

Part of what makes the film work so well is that you have one track...the slow build up to the guys getting away and the other track of entrances and exits. We see Sonny's two wives, the first his homosexual lover that he's doing this so he can pay for her operation and the other his fat housewife raising two kids. Both women love him but we also know he abuses them...it's something right underneath the surface it's a plot point that demonstrates both restraint and understanding that Sonny is not a good guy but rather a human and crazy.

The suspense of the film is based on reality, it's ugly and clunky and confusing. Lument lets us see all the people in the background reacting to the craziness but it's never over the top it's always very much grounded. And it really should be said how expertly casted the film is these feel like real new yorkers in the 70'd. James Broderick and Charles Durning play the pair of officials on the other end (another thing you wouldn't see in a modern film). Broderick is almost the creepiest person in the film an FBI agent who seems displaced from reality. Durning on the other hand plays the sergeant who isn't really that smart but he's coming to terms with everything going around him.

A

[beelzebubble]

The Valley of the Dolls
This is a fun and cheesy movie from the Sixties. It has gorgeous women in it and fabulous fashions and wild hairdos. I love the production values of this movie. The music is excellent. I especially like when Neely and Tony sing in the sanitarium. Yes it is corny, but the song is beautiful and the harmony is lovely. Patty Duke tears up the scenery but she seems to be the only one who is acting in this thing. She is very effective in the scene where she visits Anne when Lyon is out of town. You really feel her vulnerability and her exhaustion. She seems to be the only one who knows she is in a melodrama. Barbara Perkins is very calm and cool. But she often looks like she is waiting for her line instead of listening to the other actors. I have always loved her look in this movie. Sharon Tate is lovely, but she is just a neophyte. But in the scene in the screening room, just sitting there with her hair up, she has a much more sophisticated look to her. She at least looks as if she is involved in the scenes unlike Barbara. The writing of the narration at the beginning of the film is awful. It must have been pulled directly from Susann's book. Yeesh! the rest of the script is passable. I loved Susan Hayward as Helen Lawson. The scene in which she and Patty Duke lock horns is so much fun. The Real Housewives of Broadway.

C+

[Citizen Rules]

Beelzebubble (can I still call you Bubbles?) it's less typing:D...Was that your first watch of Valley of the Dolls? You might know this buy Judy Garland was originally cast as Helen Lawson but had a problem.
From wikiBefore filming on Valley of the Dolls started in early 1967, there was much publicity surrounding the casting of Judy Garland as Helen Lawson. Garland had not made a motion picture in five years. Her last film, I Could Go On Singing, was filmed in 1962 and released in March 1963. Despite decent reviews, it was a box-office failure. Shortly thereafter, Garland embarked on a weekly CBS television variety series, The Judy Garland Show, in the fall of 1963. Although it was favorably reviewed by the press, the ratings were low and was canceled in the spring of 1964. By 1967, Garland was thin, frail, in dire financial straits, and desperate for work. 20th Century Fox then signed her to appear as Helen Lawson in the film version of Valley of the Dolls. According to Gerold Frank, the author of the biography Judy, Garland was to receive $75,000 for eight weeks of work, then $25,000 a week if she was needed longer. This would also include her singing one song in the film. In March 1967, Garland flew to New York to attend the wedding of her daughter singer-dancer Liza Minnelli to Australian performer Peter Allen and to meet with the author of Valley of the Dolls, Jacqueline Susann, at a press conference to promote the upcoming film. In addition, both Garland and Susann appeared as the mystery guests on the CBS-TV game show What's My Line on Sunday, March 5 the same year, to further plug and publicize the film. Garland then returned to Hollywood to start work on the film.

At first, all went well. Garland filmed some costume tests for the role and successfully pre-recorded the song "I'll Plant My Own Tree". However, after a week's shooting, she was unable to function and was heavily dependent not only on alcohol but also Demerol. Susann, who was cast in a bit part in the film and was sharing Garland's dressing room at the time, found the drug on the floor in her closet. As a result, with no footage deemed usable, Garland was fired by Fox. She begged them to give her another chance, but the studio refused. They did, however, agree to pay her half of her promised fee—$37,500—for her time. Garland was also given the copper-colored sequined pant suit designed by Travilla for the film which she wore during her final New York Palace Theatre engagement in August 1967.[5]

Patty Duke told an audience at a screening of the film at the Castro Theater on July 20, 2009 that director Mark Robson made Garland wait from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm before filming her scenes for the day, knowing that she would be upset and drunk by that time. In her 1987 autobiography Call Me Anna, Duke felt that Garland had been deliberately exploited by the studio. She wrote: "The producers may have felt justified in hiring her in the first place ... They had gotten their PR mileage out of the situation, the 'Judy comeback' stories had created extraordinary publicity for the film and now she was expendable".[6] Academy Award winner Susan Hayward replaced Garland in the role. Hayward reportedly had a difficult relationship with the cast and crew, and her clashes with Duke became part of the dramatic tension between their characters.

[mattiasflgrtll6]

That is just unbelievably sad :( Garland didn't have an easy life.

[beelzebubble]

Beelzebubble (can I still call you Bubbles?) it's less typing:D...Was that your first watch of Valley of the Dolls? You might know this buy Judy Garland was originally cast as Helen Lawson but had a problem.
From wiki
You can call me Bubbles if you want. This is the first time I have seen VofTD from beginning to end. I caught it towards the end a couple times.
Poor Judy! I wonder if the studio encouraged Robson to treat her like that.

[Citizen Rules]

That is just unbelievably sad :( Garland didn't have an easy life.According to Judy herself, when she was a teen actress MGM studio under Louie B. Mayer gave her amphetamines so she could have more energy and work longer...Which eventually got her hooked on a downward spiral of uppers and downers and booze too. I watched some of her last TV specials and she was clinging to every guest as if she just wanted someone to hug her back. Judy also said Louie B. Mayer referred to her as his 'ugly duckling', which crushed her as she was very self conscious about her looks.

You can call me Bubbles if you want. This is the first time I have seen VofTD from beginning to end. I caught it towards the end a couple times.
Poor Judy! I wonder if the studio encouraged Robson to treat her like that.I don't know if any of that was true or just speculation, though it might be true as Judy Garland could have tanked on the movie thus ruining production. She'd did that on Annie Get Your Gun and was replaced after shooting had begun with Betty Hutton.

On one of the DVD extras, Barbara Perkins was talking about her time on the set and said Mark Robson deliberately antagonized Patty Duke to get more emotion out of her performance. And he belittled Sharon Tate to put her in the mindset of someone who had been beaten down by life. And lucky Barbara Perkins the director treated her like royalty so she would have this regal air about herself in the movie....Lots of interesting stuff about Valley of the Dolls on those DVD extras.

[mattiasflgrtll6]

Louie B. Mayer is a monster! She ruined Judy's life forever :mad:

[Citizen Rules]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--tZhWnlnK6I/VGoSwYKcr1I/AAAAAAAAHfA/uidceviRoBM/s1600/vlcsnap-2014-11-17-20h19m30s95.png
Dead Man's Letters (1986)


This was depressing. It was utterly bleak, like one long funeral dirge. The lack of hope rose from the monochromatic film stock like urine soaked clothing. I liked it!

This was a great nom and a solid movie. I like post nuclear war apocalyptic films and this rates up there with the best. Each image from the movie is a powerhouse in and of itself. The set designs and cinematography are a sensation treat and propel the film's down trodden vibe to the pits of despair...Loved that multi-latching door that they passed through and the outside scenes with those HUGE piles of debris and burnt out cars, damn that was impressive.

The film makes a striking example of what living in a near-dead world destroyed by nuclear war would be like. Oh, I got say I loved the flickering light bulbs that hung from the ceiling of the museum basement. Equally I loved the humming sound they made, so effective especially with the shots of the peddle operated generators. I wonder if Terry Gilliam every watch Dead Man's Letters, I think he'd be impressed.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.explicit.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.8fakX49Gtp0isoaA34qmiQHaFm%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=dbccb0930fe78bd4aff904cafa369e7e8dfa90046b79673ab4da9678cdf18ff8&ipo=images


Through out Dead Man's Letters there's this palatable feeling of humanity on the brink of extinction which is relayed to the viewer on a purely visual level. One example would be the older woman who went topless so she could get use to the cold. It suggested that societal norms had broken down and no one cared if she was topless or not...it was never titillating and no one cared or even noticed her...and that said a lot.

The most powerful scene was when the old man left to look for his son and entered the children's hospital ward and we hear all those children screaming in painful agony and we look at his horrified face but can't see the burnt and dying kids, but we can hear their suffering.

rating_4

[SpelingError]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--tZhWnlnK6I/VGoSwYKcr1I/AAAAAAAAHfA/uidceviRoBM/s1600/vlcsnap-2014-11-17-20h19m30s95.png
Dead Man's Letters (1986)


This was depressing. It was utterly bleak, like one long funeral dirge. The lack of hope rose from the monochromatic film stock like urine soaked clothing. I liked it!

This was a great nom and a solid movie. I like post nuclear war apocalyptic films and this rates up there with the best. Each image from the movie is a powerhouse in and of itself. The set designs and cinematography are a sensation treat and propel the film's down trodden vibe to the pits of despair...Loved that multi-latching door that they passed through and the outside scenes with those HUGE piles of debris and burnt out cars, damn that was impressive.

The film makes a striking example of what living in a near-dead world destroyed by nuclear war would be like. Oh, I got say I loved the flickering light bulbs that hung from the ceiling of the museum basement. Equally I loved the humming sound they made, so effective especially with the shots of the peddle operated generators. I wonder if Terry Gilliam every watch Dead Man's Letters, I think he'd be impressed.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.explicit.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.8fakX49Gtp0isoaA34qmiQHaFm%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=dbccb0930fe78bd4aff904cafa369e7e8dfa90046b79673ab4da9678cdf18ff8&ipo=images


Through out Dead Man's Letters there's this palatable feeling of humanity on the brink of extinction which is relayed to the viewer on a purely visual level. One example would be the older woman who went topless so she could get use to the cold. It suggested that societal norms had broken down and no one cared if she was topless or not...it was never titillating and no one cared or even noticed her...and that said a lot.

The most powerful scene was when the old man left to look for his son and entered the children's hospital ward and we hear all those children screaming in painful agony and we look at his horrified face but can't see the burnt and dying kids, but we can hear their suffering.

rating_4

Glad you enjoyed it! Out of curiosity, what's your take on the film's ending?

[Citizen Rules]

Glad you enjoyed it! Out of curiosity, what's your take on the film's ending?I'd say that the ending is necessary as the film states something to the effect of: the Soviet science community wishes humans to wake up and not destroy the world. So no complaints about the end, but if I had my dithers I would've ended it on an even bleaker note than the film started on. Oh, regarding Dead Man's Letters being reminiscent of Stalker, I didn't see it myself...other than the use of monochromatic film in the beginning of Stalker, at least for me the emotions both film's produced were completely different.

But you know what film this really did remind me of? Visitor of a Museum (1989) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0173024/) and not because of the museum tie-in but because of the whole dismal post apocalyptic world that is explored. Not surprising both movies are directed by the same director. Visitor of a Museum was made a few years later and plays like an epilogue or a sequel. Worth watching.

[SpelingError]

I'd say that the ending is necessary as the film states something to the effect of: the Soviet science community wishes humans to wake up and not destroy the world. So no complaints about the end, but if I had my dithers I would've ended it on an even bleaker note than the film started on. Oh, regarding Dead Man's Letters being reminiscent of Stalker, I didn't see it myself...other than the use of monochromatic film in the beginning of Stalker, at least for me the emotions both film's produced were completely different.

But you know what film this really did remind me of? Visitor of a Museum (1989) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0173024/) and not because of the museum tie-in but because of the whole dismal post apocalyptic world that is explored. Not surprising both movies are directed by the same director. Visitor of a Museum was made a few years later and plays like an epilogue or a sequel. Worth watching.

I'm a big fan of the ending.

I like the concept that, even though Larsen was finally able to make a positive impact in the post-apocalyptic world (inspiring the kids to leave and find civilization elsewhere), it's still possible that they may all perish and that his efforts may be for nothing. The slight bit of hope comes as a relief to all the depressing scenes from earlier, yet one which comes with a downside.

I think that, in addition to the monochromatic film used, Stalker also has an undercurrent of nuclear disasters bubbling underneath the surface, one which is heightened by how the toxic chemicals in the area the film was shot in arguably lead to the real-life deaths of Tarkovsky and two of the three main actors in it. Different themes run through both films, but I think it's definitely clear that Lopushansky is a prodigy of Tarkovsky in some ways.

I've heard of Visitor of a Museum, but I haven't gotten to it yet. Given how much I love this film though, I have a feeling it would be up my alley.

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/K8nHR7qp/lawrence-of-arabia.jpg

Lawrence of Arabia - 1962

Directed by David Lean

Written by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson
Based on Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T. E. Lawrence

Starring Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Omar Sharif
Jack Hawkins, Claude Rains & José Ferrer

Lawrence of Arabia is a magnificent, wonderful and magical film that defies all boundaries of reason and expectation for how interesting, exciting and entertaining it is to watch. Upon first seeing it, I fell in love with it - most probably some time around my mid-teens, unexpectedly being carried away by the preternatural combination of other-worldly score and panoramic vision which turns the desert into one of nature's beautiful creations. Through this we absolutely understand why it's so seductive to the subject of this film - T. E. Lawrence, once an army officer and later a writer of some fame who became known for his part in the Great Arab Revolt - an event which happened during the latter half of the First World War. It turned Peter O'Toole into an instant star, and saw David Lean at the utter peak of his career, coming after the much-heralded Bridge on the River Kwai, and just before Doctor Zhivago. Not even a gargantuan running time of 227 minutes could blunt it's popularity and esteem.

The film starts with a prologue showing us Lawrence's death in a motorcycle accident, and the significant dignitaries who attend his memorial service at St Paul's Cathedral in 1935. We then go back to 1916, where he's a disgruntled officer making maps for British Forces, learning about an Arab revolt and having a Mr. Dryden (Claude Rains) convince General Murray (Donald Wolfit) to send him to act as an adviser to Arab Prince Faisal (Alec Guinness) in his fight against the Turks. On his way he meets the distinguished Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif) - a man he'll share a contentious relationship with at first, but whom he'll later become quite close to. Lawrence convinces Faisal to attack the Turkish-occupied city of Aqaba by crossing the deadly and "uncrossable" Nefud desert - picking up another ally, Auda Abu Tayi (Anthony Quinn) on the way. This victory and others increases his standing in the Arab community, and his fame spreads when war correspondent Jackson Bentley (Arthur Kennedy) starts to follow him and write articles about Lawrence for English-speaking people back home. Lawrence is a complicated "hero" however, one seemingly with bloodlust, masochism, and egotistical mania.

I've never seen such an assured and instinctively cinematic performance from a newcomer as I see in Peter O'Toole's portrayal of Lawrence here. He'd be nominated for the one Oscar he really should have won during a long and storied career, but ended up losing to Gregory Peck who had played Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. O'Toole would go on to be nominated another 7 times, always in a leading role, and never win a competitive Academy Award in his lifetime. This was one of the great screen performances in the history of film, and nothing can take that away from him. It's really one of my favourite performances, and absolutely spellbinding. Meanwhile, Alec Guinness is unfortunately in a difficult position in retrospect, being a pale-skinned Brit playing a dark-skinned Arab. Good to see then, that Omar Sharif and Anthony Quinn were called on, preventing this film from being extensively 'whitewashed'. Sharif would be nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar - beaten by Ed Begley appearing in a rendition of Sweet Bird of Youth. Great actors doing great things, but all and sundry are nearly drowned out by the sheer amount of explosive energy delivered from O'Toole.

Shooting this in the deserts of Spain, Jordan and Morocco was the experienced and brilliant cinematographer Freddie Young - doing things here, in such an immersive way, that still impress the eye all these years later. We find ourselves looking at desert most of the time during this 4 hour film, but absolutely no shot looks exactly like another shot, and we're treated to mirages and a derailed steam engine locomotive seemingly heading straight for the camera - two shots which keep on impressing me over and over again. Young won the first of his three Oscars for his work on Lawrence of Arabia, and his other two would come soon after - in 1966 where he worked again with Lean on Doctor Zhivago, and 1971, once again with Lean for the epic Ryan's Daughter. He was also nominated for Ivanhoe (1952) and a film that I really like a lot, but a lot of others don't, Nicholas and Alexandra (1971). Let me emphasize again that Lawrence of Arabia is a stunningly beautiful film, and there's hardly a moment that goes by where we're not being treated to something spectacular. It brings the desert to us and envelops us in it's bright majesty, all the while sweeping us forward sure-footedly on camels and in Bedouin tents.

The very next aspect of brilliance that will automatically come to mind when thinking about Lawrence of Arabia is it's sweeping and majestic score, dominated by strings and percussion that bring to mind an Arabian style of music while also being something of it's own heavenly embodiment. It's one of the most memorable in history, and was voted 3rd Best Score ever in the American Film Institute's Greatest Ever American film scores. Maurice Jarre, who was fairly unknown at the time, was offered the chance to score this film only when William Walton and Malcolm Arnold became unavailable - Lean had heard what he'd done with Sundays and Cybèle, impressing him. Jarre won the first of three Oscars for this, a masterwork of music, and would later, much like Freddie Young, win Oscars for collaborating with David Lean on Doctor Zhivago and A Passage to India. He was nominated six other times.* Combine the score, film footage and acting and you're on another level of filmmaking above most others.

Obviously editing is an all-encompassing discipline that affects an entire film, but there's one transition that everyone talks about with Lawrence of Arabia, and it's one I'm quite fond of as well. When Lawrence blows out the flame from his match, and we immediately switch to a large setting sun in the desert - it's not something that's likely to be visually interlocked shot-to-shot, and in fact it's jarring, but it works incredibly well. It transports us, surprises us and signifies a quantum shift in the story. Anne V. Coates - nominated for an Oscar 5 times in her career had her one win for Lawrence of Arabia. The film also won Oscars for Best Sound and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration to go along with Best Director for Lean and Best Picture. It was Lean's second win after Bridge of the River Kwai and meant Lawrence won 7 out of it's 10 nominations, quite deservedly, along with 4 BAFTAS (O'Toole picking up Best Actor in that format) and 6 Golden Globes. The film picked up many other wins around the world. To Kill a Mockingbird's screenplay, by Horton Foote beat Lawrence's for an Oscar, meaning Robert Bolt would miss out on his first (he won twice later in his career.) Michael Wilson, who had first stab at it before it was rewritten would receive an amended co-nomination in 1995 - he had been blacklisted at the time.

Lawrence of Arabia is part of popular culture now, and the main reason a figure like T. E. Lawrence is likely to be remembered beyond those who specialize in early Twentieth Century history. It's a film that always surprises me for how easy it is to watch versus how long it is - for there are numerous films I really like that I struggle with if they shift northwards of the three hour runtime mark. There's just something so pleasing about it's rhythm that it lulls me to the point where it's approaching end always surprises me - and that's with listening to all the Entr'acte and Intermission business, which is the one thing that shows it up for it's age. It's a film that caught my intrigue from Lawrence's "The trick is not minding that it hurts" comment, which I found especially clever, and which has been picked up upon by other filmmakers and screenwriters. Watching it now, I'm reminded that my youthful enthusiasm for it has carried over into my middle age. I remember being further interested in all of this when reading the play "Ross" in high school, a play by Terence Rattigan that debuted in 1960.

So, what does this visually sun-drenched, operatic and epic tale tell us about the film's version of Lawrence? He was an outsider amongst his own people - born in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was an erudite man who perhaps viewed himself, and was viewed as, a messianic figure for his tactical and strategic cleverness and his wise countenance. That his ultimate failing lay in his bloodthirsty and passionate fascination with death, and a belief in utopian dreams that had no hope at all of becoming realised realities as he thought they might. By the end of the film he seems to be a lone hand playing against the might and superiority of the British Empire, unable to quell a thousand years of tribal enmity and mistrust. He was even more of an outcast, when considering his sexuality and masochism, than he was for his insubordination and individuality. He was brave, and thus respected amongst a people who valued courage above all else. All of this is not to say that the film provides an accurate depiction of what the man was really like - as in all biographical accounts put to film, it dramatizes real events. It's a complex portrait painted on a grand canvas, and one of the greatest cinematic achievements of the 20th Century.

5

*Jarre's other Oscar nominations were for : Les dimanches de Ville d'Avray (1962), For the song "Marmalade, Molasses & Honey" in The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), The Message (1976), Witness (1985), Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey (1988) and Ghost (1990)

[SpelingError]

Fat Girl (2001) - 3

I first watched this one about 2-3 years ago, and I felt it was batting on being a very good film up until the ending, which killed much of the film's power. I kept searching for a big thematic reason for why the film ended in such a shocking and provocative way, but the more I thought about it, the less it worked. In my opinion, having something far worse happen to Anaïs in the ending overshadows what happened to Elena throughout the film. And while overshadowing a crime with a far more heinous crime can work in the right context, I think what Elena went through in the film is far more common and relatable for girls her age than surviving an encounter with a serial murderer/rapist, like Anaïs goes through in the final act. I forget if I brought it up before, but while endings usually don't matter a whole lot to me, I think this is a case where the ending erases much of the film's strengths. Sadly, I was left kind of disappointed when I finished the film since it could've been a much better film if the final five minutes were cut. To give the film credit where it's due though, in spite of the ending, most of what comes before that is really well-done. Elena's and Fernando's relationship was handled really well (Fernando pressuring for her to have sex with him sticks out as being appropriately disturbing) and some of the scenic shots, particularly during the beach scenes, were lovely to look at. Still though, I'd probably call the film a failure, albeit a highly ambitious and daring one. Which makes it kind of interesting to a certain extent. It just could've been far more than that.

Next Up: Ida

[jiraffejustin]

An Autumn Afternoon

Another masterpiece by one of the masters of the medium. There are directors where you can watch a small portion of any of their films and point out quickly who directed it, but is there anybody who stands out as uniquely themselves as Ozu? The camera refuses to move and we get tight shots of hallways, we get closeups of the stoic Chishu Ryu facing tough decisions, of family members moving in different directions, of an impending loneliness. So many directors want to wow you with where they can move their camera to show you the thing they had hidden just out of sight, but Ozu does the opposite, he puts all of his attention to everything he has on screen and the only thing that can change in the shot is human movement. The climax of this film really did a number on me. From the point that Michiko found out that the man she had really wanted to marry was already betrothed to another on, I was all up in my emotions.

[MovieGal]

My reviews will be small as I'm not going to type a lot or format on my phone. Just know that I did watch them.

[MovieGal]

Valley of the Dolls
(1967)

First I want to say, Sharon Tate portraying an adult film star and they didn't put you in a Drug Treatment program but a mental hospital.

Valley of the Dolls is about the promiscuity and drug use of a few women in the entertainment business in 1960s New York.

It's not a film I hate, as Citizen Rules thought I would, but at times it was boring. Remember this is my opinion of it. Again it's not terrible but more not my genre. I can understand why CR enjoys it. Patty Duke was very good in it but she is enjoyable to watch.

[Citizen Rules]

Valley of the Dolls
(1967)

First I want to say, Sharon Tate portraying an adult film star and they didn't put you in a Drug Treatment program but a mental hospital.

Valley of the Dolls is about the promiscuity and drug use of a few women in the entertainment business in 1960s New York.

It's not a film I hate, as Citizen Rules thought I would, but at times it was boring. Remember this is my opinion of it. Again it's not terrible but more not my genre. I can understand why CR enjoys it. Patty Duke was very good in it but she is enjoyable to watch.

Fair enough:) I do expect it to finish last so not surprised people aren't into it like I am but I find it a blast to watch. At least you can you've seen the real Sharon Tate now. Or had you ever seen a movie with her before?

[MovieGal]

Fair enough:) I do expect it to finish last so not surprised people aren't into it like I am but I find it a blast to watch. At least you can you've seen the real Sharon Tate now. Or had you ever seen a movie with her before?

Nope just movies about Manson murdering her.

This film is as old as I am.

For late 60s, I enjoy horror movies.

[MovieGal]

I did find it interesting one of the best vocalist sings the main theme song - Dionne Warwick. Some of the minor actors looked familiar too.

I read on imdb that Richard Dreyfuss was uncredited.

[MovieGal]

In regards to Sharon Tate, yes I have seen two that she is uncredited, Rosemary's Baby and Barabbas.

[Thief]

Just started The Uninvited!

[MovieGal]

Just started The Uninvited!

Enjoy!

[Citizen Rules]

In regards to Sharon Tate, yes I have seen two that she is uncredited, Rosemary's Baby and Barabbas.I've seen her in The Fearless Vampire Killers (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061655/?ref_=nm_flmg_t_5_act) it's a comedy horror by Roman Polanski, maybe you'd like that? I didn't finish the movie myself I thought it was a bit silly. And I seen her in The Wrecking Crew (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065225/?ref_=nm_flmg_t_2_act) with Dean Martin and of course Valley of the Dolls.

[MovieGal]

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

First to say, I don't know much about 'money laundrying ' except I know it's counterfeit money or filtering it in a way it's untraceable to the authorities. Now I know a bit more.

It's about a secret service officer trying to catch a criminal who is involved with several illegal activities. His partner was killed by a terrorist. Willem Defoe is always great in films, especially the bad guy. He's young in this movie as well.

This is similar to other cop movies from the 80s, so if you enjoy them (which I do) you will enjoy this. It's more serious than Lethel Weapon, Tango and Cash and Beverly Hills Cop.

If I'm right and I'm pretty sure I am, after William Defoe launders the counterfeit money, he drives off, in what seems to be a 1984 Mazda RX 7. I knew someone who had the same make and color featured in the film. So if someoneknows cars can you confirm.

Nice pick too!

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/63V1wKpK/fat-girl.jpg

Fat Girl (À ma soeur!) - 2001

Directed by Catherine Breillat

Written by Catherine Breillat

Starring Anaïs Reboux, Roxane Mesquida, Libero De Rienzo
Arsinée Khanjian & Romain Goupil


I first sought out Fat Girl because it was a title swirling around cinematic circles as an important turn of the century title from a serious French filmmaker (who also happened to be a professor of auteur filmmaking and a novelist) - Catherine Breillat. I avoided reading anything about it so it would surprise me, so during my first viewing I kind of felt like I was watching a horror film and not a film about adolescent sexuality. This is not a film about being erotic or sensual, just as girls of 15 and 12 know little about sensuality and eroticism - and a girl's virginity often comes down to being something to get past, and has little to do with sexual desire. In a man's case, it very often comes down to lust alone, leaving the emotional complexity as pieces to be picked up by the girl after the guy has come and gone. In Fat Girl we have two sisters, Elena (Roxane Mesquida) and Anaïs (Anaïs Reboux) who are 15 and around 12 respectively and although they are often cruel to each other they share a tight bond. Elena is attractive, which feeds her self-esteem helped by the guys who see her, while Anaïs is decidedly rotund, dumpy and unpleasant. Their parents insist on the two going everywhere together while on vacation, hoping that will cramp Elena's style and keep her at her best behavior.

While on vacation the girls meet Fernando (Libero De Rienzo) who is studying at university to become a lawyer. Despite the troubling age difference and the fact that Anaïs is right there, Fernando wastes no time getting intimate with Elena while Anaïs finds herself a regular third wheel with the two of them. Although introduced to the pair's parents (played by Arsinée Khanjian and French filmmaker Romain Goupil) Fernando soon finds himself sneaking into the pair's room at night, working hard at getting Elena undressed and pressuring her to have sex with him while all Anaïs can do is lay there and uncomfortably listen. After pledging his love and threatening to relieve himself with someone else if she refuses, Fernando eventually persuades Elena to have anal sex, which she finds quite painful. The intimacy encourages Elena to be more familiar with him, and soon Fernando has convinced her to give her virginity to him after he gives her a valuable ring and promised his hand in marriage. As the two have sex the next night, Anaïs cries as she hears the two of them. Fernando's mother discovers that he's stolen one of her rings, and that in turn leads to the discovery by Elena's mother as to what's been going on. The vacation is over, the girls are in tears and as their father had already departed, the three embark on the long journey home by themselves.

Of course Fat Girl doesn't end with the three of them unscathed, and we're treated to an ending that I at first assumed was a dream sequence - such is it's brutality and "out of nowhere" surprise. The first time I saw this film I was not the least bit bothered, because I was confidently assuming we were about to cut back to Anaïs and discover the horror is simply her fantasy. It's not, and on reflection the horror we witness here fits this film as a whole. I've never been as uncomfortable as I was watching Fernando pressure 15-year-old Elena sexually, and Fat Girl doesn't skimp visually, showing us shocking explicit nudity. I already felt uncomfortably like a voyeur, and at the same time disgusted with Fernando, and exposing even more of their intimate moments to us really grabs us and puts us squarely where Anaïs is - having to experience what feels so wrong to Elena and doubly wrong concerning her presence. Fat Girl doesn't hold back, and Catherine Breillat shows a lot of guts to put what she has into the film without knowing the reception it would get. Fortunately, the film has enough artistic merit to assuage any suspicion of exploitation or pornography.

This film and it's long uncut scenes in the bedroom have been filmed by a favourite cinematographer of mine - Yorgos Arvanitis, who is most famous for being the regular director of photography for Greek filmmaker Theo Angelopoulos. He was cinematographer on The Travelling Players, and as far as Breillat is concerned was DP on her previous film Romance and her subsequent Anatomy of Hell. Everything in this film is carefully framed and Arvantitis does a great job with the more intimate scenes - he's often not credited personally despite how great the film is visually and how often that factor is mentioned. When the characters hit the road at the end, there's a great sense of how vulnerable they all are by placing their car near looming trucks which often box it in. I also enjoyed how often the camera focuses on the expressions of Anaïs, which often tell us as much as the lines she's delivering. The actress Anaïs Reboux, discovered at a McDonald's, never appeared in much else and seems to have been plucked out of obscurity due to the perfection of her for this specific part.

There's no real music in the film, but at times Anaïs sings songs that I at first thought must have been real songs she'd heard but were in fact creations of Catherine Breillat with interestingly dour lyrics. Aside from that, David Bowie's "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell" booms in late and makes as much of a startling impression as the interloper who brings the film to such a brutal close. It seems spending so much time quietly contemplating and watching seductions makes the sudden imposition of rock music startling. The song is also used in the trailer, and I found it to be a very interesting choice - as is contemplating just how purposeful the choice of song was. It's an "in-movie" kind of musical imposition, for it comes at a time when Elena and Anaïs's mother is trying to drown out the unpleasantness that sometimes descends on an uncomfortable car trip. Not a lot else encroaches on the two young actresses and Breillat's direction, for which she was awarded a Manfred Salzgeber Award at the Berlin International Film Festival, a France Culture Award at Cannes, a Gold Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival and a MovieZone Award at the Rotterdam International Film Festival.

This honest and unflinching look at adolescent sexuality isn't a comfortable watch, but it's thought-provoking and meaningful. Anaïs, who has a deep craving for romance but takes a very critical stance when it comes to her sister (who she basically calls a "whore") is someone who is more considered when it comes to losing her virginity, because she's more removed from having to deal with desire, male seduction and the added pressure of being older. She maintains that she'd rather lose her virginity to someone she doesn't love, and will deny being raped after a man has forced himself upon her. She finds what her sister goes through very painful because she's not confused by Fernando's persuasion like Elena is, and although she is younger she can see what's going on more plainly and it seems to sadden her. In the meantime the parents seem to be lost in a world of their own, and no help at all to their daughters until matters are out of hand. Breillat explores all of this through an unflinching gaze, unexpectedly being visually explicit, and also introducing unexpected violence. It creates a memorable viewing experience.

I'm kind of surprised there wasn't more protestation over Fat Girl - it's not as if Breillat is immune to controversy, as it's followed her around because she's very apt to go places other filmmakers don't dare. It was banned in Canada for a while, but otherwise the film community has accepted this film, probably because it has such artistic merit, and is saying something honest about youth sex that shines a light on the way things are for young girls in the world around us. Her cleverness was in using Elena and Anaïs as the two opposite sisters - one with inner beauty, the other with outer beauty - and showing us how either one deals with the first overt sexual experiences that happen to them. The last words of the film are from Anaïs, and they are defiantly telling us that if we don't believe what she says then she doesn't care. I agree that guys who apply severe psychological pressure and tell awful lies, promising love, are in their own way a kind of rapist. When I had to sit through the uncomfortable moments of Fernando's "seduction" I felt like I was witnessing an underage rape scene, and it mattered little if Elena consented in the end - especially considering her age. That Anaïs had to go through it as well made it doubly worse, especially considering that to her the lies had no power. This film however, is very powerful - and makes me want to see more of Catherine Breillat's films.

4

[rauldc14]

Ship of Fools

This was a film that I had a hope would be a nice under the radar film, but it doesn't deliver because there seems to be little to no charm in hardly any of the characters, aside from the narrating dwarf who I really liked. His intro at the beginning was cool and if I cared about the rest of the film the ending would have been too. It was very long and drawn out and I just felt the need to clock check way too much. The story itself just felt straight up bland to me too, which was a bummer because a setting on a ship with a lot of interesting characters would have been a hoot and a half. But I don't think Kramer really delivered. Probably something that I will just flat out forget about relatively soon.

2

[Thief]

90582
The Uninvited (1944)

I enjoyed the The Uninvited...and like last time I watched it over a decade ago I find myself both impressed and saddened.

There are two aspects of the film that caught my attention: One was the ambiance that the film creates with the isolated mansion perched percarisly on a cliff side over looking the ocean. I was fascinated by the isolation and the loneliness of the country side setting. The other aspect was Gail Rusell. She has this look of forlorn lost-ness, like someone adrift and in need of an anchor to keep her from floating out to sea. I've seen her in a couple of other films (Angel and the Badman and Wake of the Red Witch) and she has this quality that comes across the screen that makes her special. Gail Russell lead a troubled life and it always makes me sad to think about her and the way she ended.

Back to the film, as Siddon noted the cinematography, score and sets are top notch and make the film a stand out. I personally liked the character played by Donald Crisp who was Stella's father. He's a signpost with his closed-mouth behavior telling us there's something terribly wrong with the mansion or something wrong with his daughter. He sets the tone of danger and suspension with his cloistered behaviour. I have to agree that the character Holloway (Cornelia Otis Skinner ), a woman who owns a treatment center seems tacked on and that part of the story where Stella is sent against her will to the treatment center seems a bit clumsy.

I really liked The Uninvited, it's an impressive film from 1944. And it's an import film as it's the first serious ghost haunting movie to be made by Hollywood.



I will write my review later, but this is more or less where I stand with this film. Maybe a tad less enthusiastic, but still.

[Citizen Rules]

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

If I'm right and I'm pretty sure I am...William Defoe....drives...what seems to be a 1984 Mazda RX 7. I knew someone who had the same make and color featured in the film. So if someoneknows cars can you confirm.[/spoilers]


I just watch the movie and the black sports car Defoe drove was a Ferrari. I believe it was a 308 GT Ferrari like the one drove in Miami Vice.

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/bvW7Wmsj/ida2.jpg

Ida - 2013

Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski

Written by Pawel Pawlikowski & Rebecca Lenkiewicz

Starring Agata Kulesza, Agata Trzebuchowska & Dawid Ogrodnik

Ida patiently descends on you like snow, greeting you with a flourish by unveiling achingly beautiful shots, one after another, endlessly inventive and incredibly well-framed. It's visual poetry, pleasing to the eye while at the same time being especially spare and straightforward. One of the film's most striking features is it's simplicity and it's barren locations, with very little extraneous material like props or features that would ordinarily decorate a set. There's no way you can't take away from the film a sense that this is a desolate place in a political, moral and spiritual sense - as well as literal one. This is the 1960s Poland the director is returning to. Paweł Pawlikowski left his native Poland when he was 14, in the early 1970s while the country was still ruled by a Soviet-friendly communist regime. His documentaries of the late 1980s and early 1990s examined the likes of Russian figures and the Bosnian War, before his transition to fiction with Twockers in 1998. With Ida, he comes home.

Ida begins with Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska) departing a convent to spend time with an aunt she's never met before, Wanda (Agata Kulesza) - a compulsory action before taking her vows. Anna, an orphan, immediately learns much about herself - it turns out she's actually Jewish, and that her mother and father died during the war years. Her name is actually Ida. Wanda turns out to be a judge who used to be a high-profile prosecutor, sending enemies of the state to their deaths. She's hard-drinking, a smoker and sleeps around a great deal - the complete opposite to the abstinent Anna/Ida. The two agree to track down the young novitiate's parent's grave, which leads them to the people who were hiding them during the occupation - and the man who ended up killing both of them. Wanda reveals that she had a son who was also killed. After agreeing not to make claims on what was once their house, the pair are taken to the place where they are buried, and after the bones are dug up they take them to the burial plot of the family to inter them there. When Anna/Ida returns to the convent, Wanda isn't able to deal with this past and the emptiness her niece's departure has left - she commits suicide. This leaves Anna/Ida to try her lifestyle like Wanda suggested, before making her final decision.

There are no melodramatic outbursts in Ida - the tragedy and pain are revealed to us in a very cold manner, befitting the cold and passionless place the Poland of the 1960s seems to be. The only warmth generated is in the slow, painful process of Anna and Wanda finding a way to reach each other - a process that germinates when both parties are holding the bones of their loved ones. There's a lot of repressed pain here, and it has descended over the country as a whole. Pawlikowski has chosen a curious character to base Wanda on - the notorious Polish prosecutor Helena Wolińska-Brus, who sent many of Poland's heroic resistance fighters to their death for opposing communist rule. It kind of weaves the pain of the nation into this character, and gives her enough regret and complex fallibility to be a kind of sacrificial necessity for the titular character. She appears to have directed the pain the war caused her, in losing her son and her sister, towards humanity itself, taking a kind of wicked pride in sending people to their death. She completes her arc by meeting the antithesis of herself in her sister's daughter, someone who has found solace in spiritual empathy rather than pleasures of the flesh - and she tries to test her to know for certain whether this is only because of her upbringing in a convent. A challenge Anna takes up in the end, after striking a nerve by taking her own life.

Ida is one of the most visually pleasing and best shot films of the 21st Century, but in a cinematic era where there's much to dazzle, it still didn't win it's nomination for Best Cinematography at the 2015 Oscars, losing to Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (cinematography by the Oscar-rich Emmanuel Lubezki - the middle of his hat-trick.) This cinematography was handled by both Ryszard Lenczewski and Lukasz Zal, and whether the former left the production due to illness or fighting with the director depends on what you read. In any case, both Zal and Pawlikowski benefitted from this when his 2018 film Cold War was also nominated for Best Cinematography, meaning Lukasz Zal has two Oscar nominations to his name - and foreign language films often find it difficult to get nominated in other fields, so these nods as to the quality the pair produce are significant. Ida's cinematography is an interestingly static one, with the camera most of the time dead still while characters walk around, sometimes in and out of frame - but the framing is always interesting and artistic in it's purposefulness. This stillness is markedly absent from the last shot in the film, denoting a signal of freedom and being unbounded.

Almost all of the music in the film is diegetic, with some Mozart and Bach and quite a memorable few moments where Joanna Kulig is singing up-tempo kinds of upbeat songs while at the same time managing to sound a little harsh and unpleasant (to me.) This is in the mid-portion of the film where Wanda and Anna are staying at an Inn where a band is playing. Lis (Dawid Ogrodnik) is the saxophone player in this band, and becomes the love interest for Anna after meeting her there. Lis promises a happy marriage and children, and introduces her to sex after Wanda has gone - he's handsome, and as a musician really plugged in, but he seems to be missing an element of passion that has bled from everything in Poland at that time. The booze, the music and the sex seem to only offer most of the people here an escape from the misery of their grey, dull lives instead of enhancing them. That's the kind of vibe I get from the band and it's singer - a desperate dance to try and shake off the coldness which permeates everything. Good thing the film is set in winter, so even the literal can join the allegorical meaning of it all, completing the picture.

Agata Trzebuchowska makes Anna very hard to define in this, because from what we see she's devouring all of the newness this outside-the-convent action is providing her with, and not giving expansive indications on how she feels about it. The biggest indications we get are when Wanda tests her patience, and Trzebuchowska reacts stiffly, but resolutely. Agata Kulesza gives the standout performance in the film, her Wanda appears to burn inside with all of the regrets, stress, unhappiness, hate, anger and need she has. There's no portion of the film when we don't feel all of that pent up anxiety, which isn't even alleviated all that much when she's fall-over drunk - it's just loosened somewhat. The pair of leads earned plenty of nominations from various Film Festivals around the world, but it's the cinematography that kept on pulling in the prizes when all of the awards are tallied up. Pawel Pawlikowski also found himself feted, especially after the film won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar - a real boon to his career, and this gave Cold War all the impetus it needed to add to his success.

Pawlikowski wanted to capture the Poland of his youth with Ida, and he probably ended up doing a lot more than that. It is the spiritual realisation of the post-war Polish nation, and it forcefully repositions us with it's old style 4:3 aspect ratio and black and white visual quality. I find watching it makes me feel calm and relaxed, while giving me those small endorphin rushes when shots of exquisite beauty pass by. It's such a beautiful film, and so measured - showing us a lot with very little in frame, or decorating whatever it is we're looking at. That can bring to mind poverty and dullness, but also spiritual simplicity and the kind of absence of material wealth needed for a person seeking oneness with religion. The pain still felt due to the scars of the Second World War are represented by Wanda, who herself takes on the mantle of oppressor before her spirit is reawakened by Anna. I think it's something of a transformative film in which Wanda sacrifices herself for Anna and the coming generation who might hope to be free. Of all the films I had been watching at the time, I set Ida aside as one of the great ones, worth lauding for it's original look, incredible visual attractiveness and spiritual depth.

4.5

[rauldc14]

I should get to Fat Girl today or tomorrow.

[SpelingError]

I should get to Fat Girl today or tomorrow.

Not if I can stop you!

[rauldc14]

Not if I can stop you!

Good luck brother.

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.imcdb.org/i228918.jpg
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
William Friedkin

*spoilers*

I'm going to mirror what JJ said in his review on several points.

1...At the start of the film I was like, 'OK, this is all right I guess, in an 80s type way'. The movie felt pretty much pot boiler to me, like a 2 hour movie version of Starsky and Hutch. Run of the mill type stuff. But then the movie gains speed with the abduction and accidental killing of a diamond smuggler who was actually an undercover FBI agent. That put a whole new spin on the pair of gung ho secret service crime fighters, and took the story to a higher level.

2...Kudos for a fresh and brave resolve to the lead secret service agent and his final resolution which felt very real. Something about the scene just felt right and satisfying.

3...I enjoyed the cinematography that showed us a good deal of the L.A. city scape and showed us portions of L.A. that usually aren't filmed in movies. It was awesome for me to see the San Pedro waterfront and portions of the port as I just spent the last six months binge watching The Love Boat and each episode starts with the 'Love Boat' sailing out of San Pedro with the Vincent Thomas bridge and the huge oil refineries in the background. So it was very cool to see more of those scenes here.

4...The chase scene. I'm not a big car chase scene type of guy but I have to say I was impressed with the huge scope of the chase down the actual streets and freeway of L.A area. I had to stop and remind myself that this was done for real and not CG. It's so easy to take these dangerous stunts in older movies in stride. But these stunts took some serious planning and were dangerous, like that semi with it's trailer skidding out of control...Now that's an OMG moment!

For all those good points, I have to say the acting was really flat. Except for DeFoe who was rock solid. I don't know who cast this movie but those actors had no business playing leads (except DeFoe). The story premise as I mentioned was good but the actual script and dialogue was uninspired which leads me think Friedkin made a good director but not such a great writer. I haven't seen many of his films but I did see Sorcerer (1977) which Cricket nominated in an HoF and that movie had characters who came alive and atmosphere and world building that one could literally feel. I didn't get that from To Live in Die in L.A.

[rauldc14]

Fat Girl

https://filmobsessive.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/548id_083_primary_w1600.jpg

I didn't really care for this. Sounds silly but it spent too much time in the bedroom and not enough time surveying the sisters relationship. Also, I find it hard to believe any girl would be crazy to do things like this with her sister and earshot away. And my god we're those parents awful. The movie was filmed quite well though. Not only did the ending come out of nowhere but I also didn't find it particularly all that great as I think even that limited what the film was trying to do. Another one to just say not my cup of tea to.

2

[Allaby]

I watched To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) today. Directed by William Friedkin, this crime drama action film stars William Petersen and Willem Dafoe. To Live and Die in L.A. is very much an 80s film and feels like an 80s film. Depending on your perspective, that could be good or bad. The 80s are my least favourite decade for film and I'm not usually a big fan of police action thriller type of movies.

With that in mind, I didn't really enjoy this. I can understand why others might dig it, if they love the 80s and are fans of police thrillers. The story didn't really interest me. I wasn't engaged and couldn't really care about the characters. The film dragged on for me and felt longer than it was.

That being said, there were a few things I liked. Dafoe's performance is pretty good. He brings some energy to the role and seems to be having fun with it and it works for him. Cinematography was effective. The film has a sweaty, sleazy look that works well. The music fit with the style and tone of the film and complemented it. There were a couple decent action sequences that were fairly well directed.

Overall, this is more of a miss for me, but I can get why others might be more on its wavelength and vibe with it. 2.5

[Allaby]

I rewatched Ship of Fools (1965) on dvd. (I got it as part of the Stanley Kramer box set.) Directed by 9 time Oscar nominee Stanley Kramer, the film has a strong ensemble, including Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, José Ferrer, Lee Marvin, George Segal, Michael Dunn, and José Greco, amongst others. It takes place in the 1930s aboard a ship with a diverse group of passengers. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning two.

When I first saw the film years ago, I was somewhat underwhelmed. This time, I appreciated the film a little more. The actors did a fine job and I felt the ensemble worked well together. Some parts were that interesting, but there were enough good moments to offset that and make it worthwhile. The cinematography and art direction were well done and the film looks good. I do think the film is probably at least 20 minutes too long and there were some parts here and there that could have been cut. I've seen 7 films directed by Kramer and I would rank this one 6th. 3.5

[Citizen Rules]

I rewatched Ship of Fools (1965) on dvd.

I've seen 7 films directed by Kramer and I would rank this one 6th. rating_3_5I've seen 7 of his films too. How do you rate the one's you've seen?

[Allaby]

I've seen 7 of his films too. How do you rate the one's you've seen?

My ratings:

The Defiant Ones (1958) 4
On the Beach (1959) 2.5
Inherit the Wind (1960) 3.5
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) 4.5
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) 4
Ship of Fools (1965) 3.5
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) 4

[Citizen Rules]

My ratings:

The Defiant Ones (1958) rating_4
On the Beach (1959) rating_2_5
Inherit the Wind (1960) rating_3_5
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) rating_4_5
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) rating_4
Ship of Fools (1965) rating_3_5
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) rating_4Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) of all those would be my top rated. I liked On the Beach better than you. But mostly I'd be along the same lines.

[Citizen Rules]

I watched Ida last night for the second time and I'm still totally impressed! I'm impressed with the compositions with their usage of negative space to impart aloneness. I'm equally impressed with the director's restraint in his story telling. He never forces an event or action onto his, not directly, Instead he allows us to discover for ourselves what Ida discovers. This show don't force attribute is at it's most gentle reveal during the grave discovery scene. We see a local man digging a deep grave site with the two women sitting in somberness. Then Wanda removes her scarf and places it over her lap. For a second I wondered why? Then she wraps her scarf around something round and stands up with reverences. I respect the director for not throwing emotional shocking scenes directly into our face. Ida is a rare movie, somehow I doubt many movies like this are being made today.

Below is my old review of Ida which I still stand by.

https://67.media.tumblr.com/fac7eda0c5a2f86ec6ea5fc62543fe9e/tumblr_ne4gk0NdrF1szuim7o7_500.jpg


Ida (2013)

Director : Pawel Pawlikowski.
Very enjoyable film. I had wanted to see Ida for a long time and I was not disappointed. It's so exceptionally well made that I don't know where to begin?

Let's start with the black and white photography...I love b&w, and the choice to use it here was perfect. Without color, our eyes & our minds go then to the shape and form of what we are looking at...And talk about amazing compositions! I loved how the camera shots were framed with the subject often very low in the frame, with a vast space of emptiness over their heads. Which shows us how small Ida is compared to the world outside of her convent, a world she knows nothing about. Through black and white cinematography we see the shape and form of a bleak communist Poland, circa 1962.

Equally I was impressed with the subdued minimalist style of story telling. Very simply done and very effective. I thought Ida was an interesting story and it held my attention.

[SpelingError]

I'll try to review Ida tomorrow.

[Wyldesyde19]

From Kramer I’ve seen:

Guess Who’s Coning to Dinner (4/4)
The Defiant Ones (3.5/4)
It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad World (2/4)
Inherit the Wind (3.5/4)
Decent films, decent director, but far from among my favorites.
The Domino Principle and Bless the Beasts and Children are available on Tubi, so I’ll probably get to those soon.

[Citizen Rules]

I have at least one Kramer film on my future HoF nom list. Who knows maybe next time???

[SpelingError]

I've seen three Kramer films so far:

1. High Noon - 5
2. Judgment at Nuremberg - 4
3. The Defiant Ones - 3

[Thief]

Re: Kramer, here is what I've seen, with links to my reviews on LB...

High Noon (https://letterboxd.com/thief12/film/high-noon/) (1952), producer - 4
On the Beach (https://letterboxd.com/thief12/film/on-the-beach/) (1959), producer & director - 3.5
Cyrano de Bergerac (https://letterboxd.com/thief12/film/cyrano-de-bergerac/) (1950), producer - 3.5

[rauldc14]

I have at least one Kramer film on my future HoF nom list. Who knows maybe next time???

Think I've already got my next one picked out actually.

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.postimg.cc/Gppb62VT/valley2.jpg

Valley of the Dolls - 1967

Directed by Mark Robson

Written by Helen Deutsch & Dorothy Kingsley
Based on the novel "Valley of the Dolls" by Jacqueline Susann

Starring Barbara Parkins, Patty Duke, Sharon Tate & Susan Hayward

I tried to be as open-minded as I could be, realising that Valley of the Dolls was considered "camp" but being somewhat ignorant as to how it was looked at by critics on it's release late in 1967. All the way through it all I could think was "This is very epitome of trash" - and "trash" is a word that kept cropping up in every corner of the Valley of the Dolls world I peeked in at after watching it. This is a film that was adapted from an already trashy novel, and then sanitized to the point where any fun that might have existed amongst the rubbish was washed away. This is a film that even author Jacqueline Susann considered excrement after seeing it at it's premiere on the Princess Italia cruise to celebrate the ship's maiden journey. It has a soap opera feel to it, and is far too dull for me to get terribly invested in. It's going to be hard to talk about the film, because it's just so empty, facile, shallow and terribly scripted. 20th Century Fox put just enough money into it to give it the veneer of respectable studio competence it needed to trade on the book's Best Seller status, and as such the film was a runaway success.

The story is based around three women whose careers in the entertainment industry rise and fall, tied together by friendship and acquaintance. Anne Welles (Barbara Parkins) leaves her family home to travel to New York and become a legal secretary for a theatrical agency, and there is discovered and recruited by a cosmetics firm to be a promotional model. Neely O'Hara (Patty Duke) wins a role in a Broadway show, but her song is cut when she threatens to outshine star Helen Lawson (Susan Hayward) - she ends up singing on television, getting discovered, and becoming a music and film star. Jennifer North (Sharon Tate) doesn't have musical or acting talent, but trades on her well-proportioned and built body in Hollywood. When her husband falls ill, she starts featuring in soft-core pornography to help pay the bills. All three ladies find themselves fighting addiction at certain times, with alcohol and prescription medicine both helping them perform to the demanding standards they must, but ultimately destroying them. In the world of the film, the pills they pop are known colloquially as "dolls".

Melodrama is the order of the day, and we get plenty with nervous breakdowns, fighting, tantrums, people making drunken "scenes", stumbling, bumbling, Vegas-like showtunes, insults, bickering, affairs, trysts, hospital visits, pill popping, backstabbing, scandal, parties, drama-filled opening nights, suicides and rejected marriage proposals. It's the stuff of day-time television, and it is carried off with everyone speaking lines that others have gleefully put in print in books about bad movies. Valley of the Dolls has serious feminist credentials, but completely wastes them with such an insipid adaptation - and before seeing it I thought I'd perhaps love it. But I didn't. I was bored, and felt insulted. I know some people have embraced all of the melodrama and campiness, and absolutely love Valley of the Dolls, but I tried and just couldn't. It either nearly put me to sleep, had me rolling my eyes or otherwise got under my skin because I love what cinema can do and films like this undermine it's integrity. They're the most cynical of products, and usually end up earning money and perpetuating themselves.

It won't take me long at all to talk about what I liked about the film. The theme song, written by André and Dory Previn and sung by Dionne Warwick, is actually quite good, and the score by John Williams was good enough to be nominated for an Oscar. That just happened to be the first of 59 Oscar nominations for the venerated film composer. It seems strange that "Valley of the Dolls" would have been uttered at some stage of the 1968 Awards, but it happened. Williams would lose to Alfred Newman and Ken Darby for their work on Camelot, which did well that year in the technical categories. André and Dory Previn also provided some other quite decent songs, although they lose some of the kudos due to them with "I'll Plant My Own Tree", which was originally meant to be sung by Judy Garland when she'd signed on as part of the Valley of the Dolls cast. Instead, Susan Hayward was stuck lip-synching to Margaret Whiting. When all added up, I think Valley of the Dolls doesn't sound too bad considering what it is.

I don't want to keep on harping on things that I found unpleasant (although we're pretty much stuck with that subject now that I've finished discussing the music of Valley of the Dolls) but one other factor was Jacqueline Susann's attempt to turn "dolls" into slang for pills - we hear over and over again characters (especially Neely) talk about "dolls". It twists the dialogue in a way that makes everything seem even more artificial, when the exact opposite is needed. "Dolls" never took off as a colloquialism for pills like Susann hoped it would. I have to admit that there are some memorable lines (for all the wrong reasons.) "Boobies, boobies, boobies! Nuthin' but boobies! Who needs 'em? I did great without 'em" Then there are the spontaneous outbursts, and the way the story leaps from breakdowns to addictions to recoveries in a kind of hodge-podge manner, without any real sense that a considered story is being told. I simply couldn't embrace it, although I can kind of understand why some people can. Perhaps if this was a bad horror film, or a bad science fiction film, I'd be having more fun - but for me this was movie hell.

Now, for Fox this was a big movie, and they spared no expense with an Oscar-winning cinematographer, William H. Daniels (he won for 1948 film The Naked City), a 4-time Oscar-nominated editor, Dorothy Spencer, an Oscar-nominated production designer, Philip M. Jefferies and art direction from 7-time Oscar winner Richard Day, and 3-time Oscar winner Jack Martin Smith. The set decoration was performed by 6-time Oscar winner Walter M. Scott and Oscar winner Raphael Bretton. Most important was the costume designer, who was Travilla, an Oscar winner for Adventures of Don Juan, with three other nominations to his name. This was serious studio professionalism in as much as having everything look right for a big 1967 feature film. It might be in service to something really trashy, but if cinema-goers didn't mind that, and fancied themselves some cleaned-up Jacqueline Susann at the movies, their eyes and ears weren't going to discern much difference from other studio features they'd see that year.

Perhaps one day I'll approach Valley of the Dolls again, armed with my initial experience of it, and ready to treat it as silly fun. Approaching it in a serious manner however, I have to express my thoughts about it thus - this movie is terrible, principally because of an awful screenplay by Dorothy Kingsley and Helen Deutsch, thoughtless direction by Mark Robson, and mystifyingly bad acting by most of it's cast. A substandard story, told in an unacceptable manner. The music isn't too bad, and the film doesn't have many technical faults, but it's one of the campiest, trashiest and most disordered films I've ever seen from a major studio. I had to fight boredom, and I felt insulted, but I do admit to a few chuckles when I look back on some of the strange dialogue the characters speak, and some of the things people have had to say about the film over the years. Perhaps something of a baptism of fire for someone fairly ignorant about the cultural phenomenon that was Valley of the Dolls. It's unusual and somehow compelling montages, and it's hysterical, bipolar-like shifts in energy. From now on whenever an actress bares a breast in a film, I'm very likely to shout "Boobies, boobies, boobies! Who needs 'em? Valley of the Dolls did great without 'em!"

2

[SpelingError]

Ida (2013) - 3

I didn't enjoy this film as much as I hoped to, but it's still pretty decent. I think a lot of my indifference towards it was that there wasn't enough to keep me on board with it. I've read some reviews which point out how Kulesza and Trzebuchowska show subtle changes as more insight about Ida's past is revealed, but while I don't doubt this is the case, acting usually doesn't matter a whole lot to me. I've said this in the past, but I'm generally not one who pays attention to acting, and it wasn't until the few minutes before Wanda's suicide where I began to feel something towards the acting. Of course, there are all kinds of tools a film can utilize other than acting to represent characters being shaped and changed, but aside from the final act, I didn't think there was a whole lot to this. So much time is spent on slowly revealing Ida's background and it wasn't until Ida and Wanda parted ways when their characters grew more interesting. Though yeah, the final act is pretty memorable, specifically due to Ida's arc. Even though I would've preferred it taking up more of the film, it's a compelling depiction of attempting to start a new life and being haunted by your past. The black and white cinematography is also lovely to look at since it contains multiple well-framed shots. In spite of enjoying the final act a good bit, however, I'd say this film was decent and I don't imagine it will stick with me. Interestingly enough, My Summer of Love, the other film I've seen from Pawlikowski, gave me a similar reaction of not being on board with it until the final act. I'm curious now if this will be a pattern for his films.

Next Up: Lawrence of Arabia

[Citizen Rules]

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 (Mark Robson 1967)


'Dolls' a 1960s slang term for Dolophine, which was a prescription drug brand name for methadone.


I just flat out love this movie...but my reasons for loving it just changed dramatically with last night's viewing. The first time I seen Valley of the Dolls I thought it was colorful and interesting with a melodramatic, glossy soap feeling and I love movies like that. The second time I watched it I had a two disc deluxe DVD with hours of extra special features. I was smitten with the movie's unintentional camp, but done oh so seriously. Sparkle Neely, Sparkle was my mantra. But last night I had an ephinany, I seen Valley of the Dolls as a far sadder tale than I had ever felt before...A wreckage of broken lives and wasted dreams all wrapped in a fleeting moment of time during the turbulent 60s.

Valley of the Dolls hit me hard on an emotional level and most films never do that. Even in looking for images for this review some of the screen shots just made me feel melancholy. Maybe it's because I'm getting older and think about things that once were and now lost. Or maybe what makes the emotional impact harder for me was knowing the real story behind some of the actresses lives. Or maybe it's that haunting song by Dionne Warwick. Whatever the reason I took the film and it's subject matter more seriously than I had ever done before.

I think we all know about the sad and senseless killing of Sharon Tate and her unborn baby. Sharon Tate who played Jennifer North might not be the greatest actress but she had this vulnerability that came across the screen and I'm sure that came from deep inside Sharon Tate herself. It was palatable in how everyone around her from show business types to her own mother used her attractive body to earn bucks from her. Her mom badgers her over the phone, hitting her up for another $50. You can just feel Jennifer's heart breaking...And break it does when she's diagnose with breast cancer and is facing a mastectomy. That last scene of her laying on the bed was especially hard to watch as it felt like Sharon Tate saying goodbye to us...Sharon Tate had a Golden Globe nomination for her role in Valley of the Dolls.

91037


Unknown to anyone at the time Patty Duke suffered from manic depression bipolarism. According to Patty Duke her guardians that raised her during her teen years, while she starred in the Patty Duke Show gave her “happy pills” – Thorazine, Stelazine, and Percodan. Even as an adult and before filming of Valley of the Dolls Patty had overdosed several times on pills. Neely O'Hara might seem like a caricature to some but the inner turmoil in Patty Duke would make Neely far too believable. That picture of Patty was taken on the set of Valley of the Dolls by a reporter who caught her in a deep funk...it speaks volumes.

Much of what seems outlandish in the movie is based on factual events. Helen Lawson (Susan Hayward) is based on Broadway legend Ethel Merman. At the start of the movie Anne Welles (Barbara Parkins) has relocated to New York City and her first job is to get Helen Lawson to sign a contract for her boss. Backstage at rehearsals she witnesses a young talent, Neely O'Hara belting out a tune and then hears Helen Lawson demand that Neely be removed from her Broadway show because she doesn't want to be upstage by the young star. This causes a producer to take Neely to Hollywood where she becomes a star. Ethel Merman actually ordered a musical number cut during previews of the show "Panama Hattie" before it opened on Broadway. The singer of that number was Betty Hutton, who was creating quite a sensation with her performance of the song. Just like in the movie, the producer of the show took Hutton to Hollywood and made her a star to make up for her treatment in the show.Judy Garland was original cast to play Helen Lawson but on the first day of shooting was too boozed up and was replaced with Susan Hayward. How's that for art imitating life.

I know some people will watch Valley of the Dolls and think of it as fluff due to some of the scene chewing and colorful tag lines...but for me it's a real and very sad story of abuse, in the entertainment industry. Not the best acted movie or best written movie in this HoF but for me it's the most moving story.

91038

[beelzebubble]

Candyman (1992)
Clive Barker + Hollywood = Myth
I was a follower of the Hellraiser mythos but I had never seen Candyman. I think I saw a clip and didn’t like the acting. It’s quite good in its creation of a mythic figure but the movie itself has a problem and I put this squarely on the director’s shoulders. The scenes of conversation between multiple characters always land flat. I don’t think a lot of care was taken in filming them. I think there was a lot of, “ok, that’s good enough.” I am glad I’ve seen it now. I am definitely going to see the Jordan Peele reboot. It definitely needs to be seen through African American eyes as well.
Fat Girl (2001)
I didn’t like this movie. I think that is because this is a message movie. It is, in the end, an allegory. This is why as many have noted the relationship between the sisters isn’t fully explored. The fat girl in Fat Girl is the symbol of how women see themselves through internalized misogyny. Ignored, ugly, unlovable, constantly jealous and in competition with other women, their sisters. Nowhere is the nature of the film as a message movie more blatant than in its brutal ending. The fat girl sees her mother and sister brutally murdered and she is then raped by the murderer. While she is being raped, she does not have a look of fear or revulsion, in fact she embraces him. Later when speaking to the cops she doesn’t even claim it as rape. The brutality, the murder and the rape are in the eyes of the filmmaker nothing more than the business of life as usual in patriarchal culture.

[Thief]

Ida (2013) - 3

I didn't enjoy this film as much as I hoped to, but it's still pretty decent. I think a lot of my indifference towards it was that there wasn't enough to keep me on board with it. I've read some reviews which point out how Kulesza and Trzebuchowska show subtle changes as more insight about Ida's past is revealed, but while I don't doubt this is the case, acting usually doesn't matter a whole lot to me. I've said this in the past, but I'm generally not one who pays attention to acting, and it wasn't until the few minutes before Wanda's suicide where I began to feel something towards the acting. Of course, there are all kinds of tools a film can utilize other than acting to represent characters being shaped and changed, but aside from the final act, I didn't think there was a whole lot to this. So much time is spent on slowly revealing Ida's background and it wasn't until Ida and Wanda parted ways when their characters grew more interesting. Though yeah, the final act is pretty memorable, specifically due to Ida's arc. Even though I would've preferred it taking up more of the film, it's a compelling depiction of attempting to start a new life and being haunted by your past. The black and white cinematography is also lovely to look at since it contains multiple well-framed shots. In spite of enjoying the final act a good bit, however, I'd say this film was decent and I don't imagine it will stick with me. Interestingly enough, My Summer of Love, the other film I've seen from Pawlikowski, gave me a similar reaction of not being on board with it until the final act. I'm curious now if this will be a pattern for his films.

Next Up: Lawrence of Arabia

I obviously disagree with your take, but I appreciate your insight about it. Personally I found both characters immensely interesting from the beginning, and their contrasting personalities/lifestyles to be a perfect way to highlight the themes of people finding themselves.

[rauldc14]

Ida

https://api.agoodmovietowatch.com/wp-content/uploads/Ida.jpg

My appreciation for this film certainly grew on this second watch. Pawlikowski is one heck of a director and you can tell he is very detailed in his craft. The use of black and white was perfect here and the film is absolutely gorgeous to look at. The casting choices for Ida and Wanda were superb too. Particularly thought the actress who plays Ida gives on hell of a performance. The story is simple like I said the last time is quite simple but it's still pretty moving. I'm bumping this one up an entire star because it just feels like a movie that there was a lot of thought put into and I can certainly appreciate something like that.

3.5+

[edarsenal]

https://images.static-bluray.com/reviews/56_4.jpg
https://tangentgroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/chris-sarandon-dog-day-afternoon.jpg

and the gentleman that inspired the film,
https://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/08/05/arts/05THEDOG1/05THEDOG1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale


Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Ah, the things we do for love. Amore, huh?

Just an all-around great film! I so do love it when an iconic film gets nominated, allowing me a well-deserved revisit. As I initially mentioned, I have seen it many a time throughout my life, the last time in the 70's HoF, so THANK YOU, PHOENIX74, for giving me cause to revisit.

Director Sidney Lumet brings a very realistic presentation that creates some very intriguing displays of not only mob mentality and the circus that the media seems to know as the only protocol but of those caught in the very center of it all. Those on both sides of the standoff of the two attempted Bank Robbers and police, the six women tellers, and the manager being held captive as it all plays out. The sprinkling of unintentionally amusing moments as things spiral nearly out of control enhances that realism.

The tension is done so incredibly well that I was unconsciously taught on this viewing as before. Lumet does an incredible job at a precarious acrobatic high-wire exhibition where, on a muggy Brooklyn day, an unruly mob is getting WAY out of control cheering on Al Pacino's Sonny's foiled Bank Robbery, now hostage situation as a New York Sargent (Charles Durning) frantically keeps sh#t from exploding full tilt.

A fantastic revisit! YAYY!!

[edarsenal]

Be back to play catch-up!

[Thief]

Ida

https://api.agoodmovietowatch.com/wp-content/uploads/Ida.jpg

My appreciation for this film certainly grew on this second watch. Pawlikowski is one heck of a director and you can tell he is very detailed in his craft. The use of black and white was perfect here and the film is absolutely gorgeous to look at. The casting choices for Ida and Wanda were superb too. Particularly thought the actress who plays Ida gives on hell of a performance. The story is simple like I said the last time is quite simple but it's still pretty moving. I'm bumping this one up an entire star because it just feels like a movie that there was a lot of thought put into and I can certainly appreciate something like that.

3.5+

https://media.tenor.com/qay5r__Xf8oAAAAC/the-office-yes.gif

[rauldc14]

Very close to a 4 by the way.

[Citizen Rules]

I'm done, I've watched all the noms:cool: and finalized my ballot. I have to say this was an excellent set of noms! Thanks to everyone for choosing some cool stuff!

I'd be happy if any of my top 6 noms on my ballot won and all of the noms were worthy of a watch:)


Get watching people:D

[rauldc14]

I'm at 5/11. Probably watch 3 more. I'll wait on the last 3 to see if those 3 members properly finish.

[SpelingError]

I might rewatch Lawrence of Arabia tomorrow.

[Citizen Rules]

I might rewatch Lawrence of Arabia tomorrow.Best use of the direct edit of any movie.