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That's a shame, but not entirely unexpected since his last post in the thread was about 2 months ago. Hopefully he's alright.
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Damnit. That was my #1. Still glad I watched it!
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Damnit. That was my #1. Still glad I watched it!
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It was my #2 at the time. I haven’t forgotten to write up a review for Crossfire yet. Just thinking about what to write exactly.
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Double Indemnity was #4 could have easily have been #1, I have ended up voting for plenty of #1's that were worse than that.
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Crossfire
Crossfire begins with a murder. We see it conjures by two men, but hidden in shadow. We know not why, the circumstances, the reason nor the victim even quite yet. Over the course of the 90 minute films we learn these reasons.
Antisemitism was a bold new direction taken by this film. Unfortunately it doesn’t quite dig deep enough into it. And on occasion it gets a little long winded. Add to the fact there are a few Unnecessary scenes and characters introduced and it becomes a little uneven. *
The main thing here was the acting. Mitchum and Robert Young great in this. But I felt Gloria Grahame was wasted here.
It also doesn’t do a good job of keeping up the suspense, nor try hard enough to keep us guessing about who might have committed the murder. I had guessed it fairly early and wasn’t surprised when I was right around 45 mins in.
All of this seems like I didn’t like it, but I actually did. It’s not a bad film. It’s good even. But it’s just falls short of the other films nominated here
Crossfire begins with a murder. We see it conjures by two men, but hidden in shadow. We know not why, the circumstances, the reason nor the victim even quite yet. Over the course of the 90 minute films we learn these reasons.
Antisemitism was a bold new direction taken by this film. Unfortunately it doesn’t quite dig deep enough into it. And on occasion it gets a little long winded. Add to the fact there are a few Unnecessary scenes and characters introduced and it becomes a little uneven. *
The main thing here was the acting. Mitchum and Robert Young great in this. But I felt Gloria Grahame was wasted here.
It also doesn’t do a good job of keeping up the suspense, nor try hard enough to keep us guessing about who might have committed the murder. I had guessed it fairly early and wasn’t surprised when I was right around 45 mins in.
All of this seems like I didn’t like it, but I actually did. It’s not a bad film. It’s good even. But it’s just falls short of the other films nominated here
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With only 5 days left John-Connor & Double Indemnity is disqualified. I did give him plenty of time.
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Man. That was really going to be ranked high by me.
What a shame
What a shame
That's a shame, but not entirely unexpected since his last post in the thread was about 2 months ago. Hopefully he's alright.
Damnit. That was my #1. Still glad I watched it!
Double Indemnity was #4 could have easily have been #1, I have ended up voting for plenty of #1's that were worse than that.
Of the 7 I saw, Double Indemnity was the best
It DOES warrant it. Though, for me, it actually registered in the lower end -- not out of dislike but out of enjoyment and old-time favorites that could not be denied.
Would you be willing to show the different results after the reveal, @Citizen Rules? Where it would have stood and, thereby, the impact of it not making it across the finish line. I'd be VERYcurious, if you'd be so kind, CR?
And echoing @CosmicRunaway, hope he's okay and just simply busy or otherwise occupied.
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This happened during the 20th HOF as well with him and iirc he said work got in the way. It could be, hopefully, more of the same.
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Well, life goes on. And our little contest doesn't matter much in the larger swim of things. However, out of common courtesy and good sportsmanship, if someone has to drop out they really ought to notify the HOF's administrator and/or let the other participants know.
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...Would you be willing to show the different results after the reveal, @Citizen Rules? Where it would have stood and, thereby, the impact of it not making it across the finish line. I'd be VERYcurious, if you'd be so kind, CR?
This happened during the 20th HOF as well with him and iirc he said work got in the way. It could be, hopefully, more of the same.
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Well, life goes on. And our little contest doesn't matter much in the larger swim of things. However, out of common courtesy and good sportsmanship, if someone has to drop out they really ought to notify the HOF's administrator and/or let the other participants know.
The sad fact is of all the HoFs I've been in and I've been in a lot!...it's rare for someone dropping out to actually say so and tell the host. Usually they do the opposite, they say they're in, even when repeatedly asked...And then people watch their noms, the host has to fuss about what to do...Then it comes done to the wire and the drop out has to be declared at the last moment. To me this is egg on my face because as host it's my job to take care of this stuff.
Next time I host this will be my participation rule:
New HoF Members & Previous HoF Dropouts: will need to post their movie write ups on a regular basis. 1 write up every week...If more than 2 weeks are missed, you're on probation, 3 weeks missed and your out and your nom disqualified.
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Would you be willing to show the different results after the reveal, @Citizen Rules? Where it would have stood and, thereby, the impact of it not making it across the finish line. I'd be VERYcurious, if you'd be so kind, CR?
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I'm curious as well. Just based on what everyone's posted so far, if it didn't win it definitely would've ranked pretty high. I had it second, which makes one #1, three #2s and a #4. That's quite a lot of points already.
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Agreed, it's only common decency to do so.
The sad fact is of all the HoFs I've been in and I've been in a lot!...it's rare for someone dropping out to actually say so and tell the host. Usually they do the opposite, they say they're in, even when repeatedly asked...And then people watch their noms, the host has to fuss about what to do...Then it comes done to the wire and the drop out has to be declared at the last moment. To me this is egg on my face because as host it's my job to take care of this stuff.
Next time I host this will be my participation rule:
Or something along those lines
The sad fact is of all the HoFs I've been in and I've been in a lot!...it's rare for someone dropping out to actually say so and tell the host. Usually they do the opposite, they say they're in, even when repeatedly asked...And then people watch their noms, the host has to fuss about what to do...Then it comes done to the wire and the drop out has to be declared at the last moment. To me this is egg on my face because as host it's my job to take care of this stuff.
Next time I host this will be my participation rule:
Or something along those lines
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the third man
one of those classics that i can never get into as much as others seem to. i watched it once five years ago and i was hoping a rewatch would unlock it more for me, but i liked it about the same. it's still a good film and it's merit is obvious in its shadowy lighting, canted angles, and well-crafted mystery, but none of those things add up to much when the film is as dry and passionless as the first two-thirds of this one. but that all changes with the ingress of orson welles, whose presence revives the film by not only injecting some much-needed personality, but providing the heft to its cynicism that got me to finally properly engage with its themes of corruption and urban decay. the final chase scene in the literal underworld was wonderful, and i love the last shot as alida valli walks by joseph cotten. always great to see a movie where the guy doesn't get the girl. i'm open to the idea of a third watch to get me to finally love this, but it'd probably have to be on the big screen. the cinematography is undoubtedly impressive but that can only go so far in the standard definition version on my tv.
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one of those classics that i can never get into as much as others seem to. i watched it once five years ago and i was hoping a rewatch would unlock it more for me, but i liked it about the same. it's still a good film and it's merit is obvious in its shadowy lighting, canted angles, and well-crafted mystery, but none of those things add up to much when the film is as dry and passionless as the first two-thirds of this one. but that all changes with the ingress of orson welles, whose presence revives the film by not only injecting some much-needed personality, but providing the heft to its cynicism that got me to finally properly engage with its themes of corruption and urban decay. the final chase scene in the literal underworld was wonderful, and i love the last shot as alida valli walks by joseph cotten. always great to see a movie where the guy doesn't get the girl. i'm open to the idea of a third watch to get me to finally love this, but it'd probably have to be on the big screen. the cinematography is undoubtedly impressive but that can only go so far in the standard definition version on my tv.
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Most Biblical movies were long If I Recall.
seen A Clockwork Orange. In all honesty, the movie was weird and silly
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The Big Heat
Fritz Lang was usually ahead of his time. With the Big Heat, I realized I was watching an early “rogue cop” film that was prevalent in the 70’s. Think an early precursor to Dirty Harry.
It starts with a suicide that becomes apparent is tied to a secret of some sort. It seems like a open and shut case, until the a mistress appears and claims otherwise. Before long she ends up dead, after apparent torture. Before long the bodies start to pile up as the detective finds himself involved in a conspiracy. One of those bodies, in a surprising scene, is his wife.
This film is violent, and many of the violence is directed towards women. Lang holds no punches as he guides us in a tour of a city filled with corruption. *
It’s filled with good performances from Ford as the detective and Lee Marvin as gangster Stone. *
But true standout here is really Grahame. I actually prefer her here over the earlier Crossfire. She Has a certain frailty with an undercurrent of strength that she finally shows at the end. It’s her performance is heartbreaking at the end.
Good pick, and would probably be a real contender if there wasn’t so many other heavyweights already nominated!
Fritz Lang was usually ahead of his time. With the Big Heat, I realized I was watching an early “rogue cop” film that was prevalent in the 70’s. Think an early precursor to Dirty Harry.
It starts with a suicide that becomes apparent is tied to a secret of some sort. It seems like a open and shut case, until the a mistress appears and claims otherwise. Before long she ends up dead, after apparent torture. Before long the bodies start to pile up as the detective finds himself involved in a conspiracy. One of those bodies, in a surprising scene, is his wife.
This film is violent, and many of the violence is directed towards women. Lang holds no punches as he guides us in a tour of a city filled with corruption. *
It’s filled with good performances from Ford as the detective and Lee Marvin as gangster Stone. *
But true standout here is really Grahame. I actually prefer her here over the earlier Crossfire. She Has a certain frailty with an undercurrent of strength that she finally shows at the end. It’s her performance is heartbreaking at the end.
Good pick, and would probably be a real contender if there wasn’t so many other heavyweights already nominated!
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l.a. confidential
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some of the most sturdy filmmaking 90s hollywood has to offer. it takes its thoughts on institutional corruption as seriously as it does its duty to entertain. features an incredible cast operating at the top of their game, with crowe, cromwell, and spacey as the standouts. it's a shame spacey is a monster irl, he's so good at playing characters who are charming yet dead inside. this could so easily have been a film where the characters become mere objects to be shifted around in accordance with the necessities of the labyrinthine plot, but hanson gives each character genuine agency, with their every decision informed by their respective personalities and relationship to the corrupt system. in light of recent events, i would've been more impressed if it had gone even further in its critique of the police instead of upholding the myth of the good cop and giving russell crowe a fairly un-nuanced redemption, but it's a pretty damning critique as it is and besides, i don't need a film to perfectly align with my politics to appreciate the way it delivers its ideology. my only other complaint might be the length, but it's hard to fault the film for that because it doesn't really waste much time, especially in the back end which is stuffed with necessary plot machinations. the only excess fat could probably be found in the front half, and that was probably my favorite part because of the way it establishes the ecosystem of the city and the LAPD. i hadn't seen this since i was 13 and i really liked it then, but i think i liked it a bit more this time, possibly because i've seen a lot more noir and can appreciate the way this film manages to be referential to those earlier works without too much self-conscious winking. it's just a damn fine picture.
some of the most sturdy filmmaking 90s hollywood has to offer. it takes its thoughts on institutional corruption as seriously as it does its duty to entertain. features an incredible cast operating at the top of their game, with crowe, cromwell, and spacey as the standouts. it's a shame spacey is a monster irl, he's so good at playing characters who are charming yet dead inside. this could so easily have been a film where the characters become mere objects to be shifted around in accordance with the necessities of the labyrinthine plot, but hanson gives each character genuine agency, with their every decision informed by their respective personalities and relationship to the corrupt system. in light of recent events, i would've been more impressed if it had gone even further in its critique of the police instead of upholding the myth of the good cop and giving russell crowe a fairly un-nuanced redemption, but it's a pretty damning critique as it is and besides, i don't need a film to perfectly align with my politics to appreciate the way it delivers its ideology. my only other complaint might be the length, but it's hard to fault the film for that because it doesn't really waste much time, especially in the back end which is stuffed with necessary plot machinations. the only excess fat could probably be found in the front half, and that was probably my favorite part because of the way it establishes the ecosystem of the city and the LAPD. i hadn't seen this since i was 13 and i really liked it then, but i think i liked it a bit more this time, possibly because i've seen a lot more noir and can appreciate the way this film manages to be referential to those earlier works without too much self-conscious winking. it's just a damn fine picture.
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