23rd MoFo Hall of Fame

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I struggled to write two sentences about Le Samouraï yesterday, and jj just swoops in with nearly 1000 words!

@edarsenal I'm glad you liked Jojo Rabbit! Archie Yates does resemble Nick Frost quite a bit. I was wondering who he reminded me of, and that was probably it.

It's nice to see Hashtag join as well, even if I don't particularly care for the Beatles.



I'm surprised they showed it in class, but maybe that's the reason one might think it's an educational film? I saw Cuckoos Nest in school but never thought of it as an educational film. Did they show the uncut version?
No idea I don’t remember that. Only remember we saw it and definitely remember key scenes from it (how can one not )

That so-called uncut version still seems like a myth by now pretty much. I doubt there’s even one out there with the length of 138 minutes... because widely known version is like 2 hours and 11 and even then I’ve seen versions shorter than that. So I’m beginning to doubt that 138 version even exist anywhere



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The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

This was a nice, easy watch and short too! Which is a plus with all these heavy, dark and long nominations.

I'd never heard of The Great Mouse Detective before. Which isn't surprising as back in 1986 when this first came out I had other things on my mind than watching Disney films I suppose a lot of younger people had this on VHS and watched the hell out of it. I missed that VHS era by a decade or so...and when I was a kid we were lucky that the TV was a color set!

My favorite scene was the mouse trap death defying scene. That sorta reminded me of a James Bond film. I liked the way Basil mouse quickly calculated the trajectory of the ball and then he set off the trap at just the right moment for the trap wire to hit the ball instead of their heads. Though I'm not sure how they avoided the axe and crossbow from getting them, oh well that doesn't really matter

You know what really surprised me was the amount of smoking the characters did. Even back in the 1950s a Disney film wouldn't have had that much smoking going on. I think that's because of the era it was made, mid 80s. In the mid 80s the popularity of smoking went way up after it had been in a long decline. Had this been made in 1976 or 1996 the amount of smoking would've been far less. Now, don't think I'm pissed or something, cause that would be a wrong assumption. I just find it fascinating how films reflect the social norms of the times in which they were made.
Glad you enjoyed it or at least it sounds like it!



Yellow Submarine



During their decade of existence, the Beatles had many films made about them (Some out of contractual obligation, some were passion projects). probably the film that sticks out most from that time period is Yellow Submarine, an animated musical inspired by their song of the same name. The story tells of the Beatles traveling in Young Fred’s submarine to get to Pepperland, which has been taken over by Blue Meanies.

I love Yellow Submarine. It’s not just a great Beatles film, it’s a great animated musical. Previous Beatles songs were taken, then a plot was vaguely structured around them. I feel this is one reason people find this film so surreal; A lot of the film is just random musical numbers before they actually get to Pepperland. I feel this works quite well; though I understand why people would prefer a more structured musical. Four new songs were introduced due to this film, which were just as good as the rest of the songs in the film, with ‘All Together Now’ and ‘Hey Bulldog’ being great jams and ‘It’s all too Much’ and ‘Only a Northern Song’ being two great ventures from the band’s psychedelic period.

The animation for this film is wonderful, it’s quite simple and colourful making for a very family friendly feel. The animation for the ‘Eleanor Rigby’ is also brilliant. The designs of the locations and creatures are all very bizarre, so the great animation is not put to waste. I feel this film makes for great music videos for the songs featured, sometimes I enjoy a song much better if the music video is also as good.
The comedy in this films is quite reminiscent of ‘A Hard Day’s Night’, with the Beatles making cheeky banter in a monotone voice throughout the film. Another way in which the film adds to its fun, surreal vibe. Even if the Beatles don’t voice themselves, the voice actors used do a good job.

A great animated musical even if you’re not a fan of the band.




My first Impressions:

Christiane F: Have never heard of this but looks good. Reminds me of Cricket’s nomination for the 17th Hall of Fame.

The Fisher King: I haven’t seem a Terry Gilliam film in a while so this is desirable.

Gangs of New York: There’s still a good few Scorsese films I have not seen yet so I’m looking forward to this.

The Great Mouse Detective: The last time I watched a classic Disney film, I think it was also a Hall of Fame. This looks fun.

Hunger: LOVE this movie.

Jojo Rabbit: Saw it at a film festival and quite enjoyed it.

Late Spring: Looks good, this will be my first Ozu film.

Le Samouraï: Another classic film I have yet to see, looks stylish.

The Night of Counting the Years: I have never heard of this before, I’ll go into it blind and see how I like it.

The Reflecting Skin: Never heard of this films before, it looks dark though so that’s exciting.

Schindler’s List: I haven’t seen this in ages, i wonder how my opinion will change on a re-watch.

The skin I Live in: Found this a little over-rated the first time I saw it, maybe I’ll like it better on a rewatch.

Stand By Me: One of my all-time favourite films; Watched this so many times when I was younger.



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Le Samourai



Some films just bring all the goods and this is one of them. One of the GOATs of the crime genre for me so far. The story is so simple but we feel like we are there. The film oozes coolness and it isn't forced upon us like a Tarantino film, it just feels way more natural.

The film looks magnificent too, love the setting pieces. Each scene feels like it belongs and has a purpose, there's really never a full moment and I felt like I was rooting for Jef to get away with everything, which seems rather odd to feel that way. Speaking of Jef, Delon's performance was excellent in the lead role, and his supporting counterparts also carried their weight. The ending is really intense and I thought it was really different from what I had initially expected to happen at the time. Always good to have that last bit of shock at the end. The empty gun made it even more entertaining. Definitely will see this again to unwrap other things that I had missed.

Great nom!




I struggled to write two sentences about Le Samouraï yesterday, and jj just swoops in with nearly 1000 words!
I know the feeling!

But no worries. You're only required to write a few sentences, not a novel.



Yellow Submarine is a film I watched last year, and really admired, but didn’t love. Will be happy to revisit it!

By the looks of it, I will have time to rewatch Late Spring AND Jojo Rabbit. I just saw Stand By Me in May and don’t feel the need to revisit as I really loved it.



Legend in my own mind
Where on earth did Yellow submarine come from?

I swear it wasn't on the list yesterday

I have seen it once previously and hated it with a passion, so we will see if it or I have changed.
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Le Samouraï
(Jean-Pierre Melville 1967)

I absolutely loved this film. I was engaged, engrossed and encapsulated by it for its entire run time. Not one false step in this movie. There's nothing I would've changed about it...and rarely do I not find at least some issue with a film...but not here!

Le Samourai is everything I could want in a movie watching experience. I loved it's slow, still approach and it's solid determination. Even it's lack of narrative information was a plus, as watching the events unfold in almost real time was rewarding for me. It was like I was along for the ride and was waiting to see what would befall our unlikely protagonist next. The director skillfully builds sympathy for an otherwise unsavory character and he does this without dipping into the cliche bargain bin of director's tricks. I'm impressed with Melville's film making instincts!

I read online that Le Samourai has influenced a lot of film makers and their movies. That's not surprising as the style and story narrative are quite unique and striking.



But...am I the only one who sees a striking similarity between Le Samourai (1967) and This Gun for Hire (1942) starring Alan Ladd as an emotionless hitman with no friends except his cat. Just look at that photo I used. No that's not Alain Delon/Jef Costell that's Allan Ladd with the same cold, distant look in his eyes. Both men look remarkable alike. The narrative of both films are very similar, as is the modus operandi for both characters. As far as I know Alan Ladd's portrayal of an emotionless, loner hitman was unique at the time and not a character trope.

Thank you Siddon for nominating this!
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But...am I the only one who sees a striking similarity between Le Samourai (1967) and This Gun for Hire (1942) starring Alan Ladd as an emotionless hitman with no friends except his cat.
I actually watched both these films back to back while trying to decide on a nomination for the last Film Noir HoF, and there are indeed some striking similarities. It was just a coincidence that I watched those two together, but they made for a nice, unintentionally themed double feature.



I actually watched both these films back to back while trying to decide on a nomination for the last Film Noir HoF, and there are indeed some striking similarities. It was just a coincidence that I watched those two together, but they made for a nice, unintentionally themed double feature.
I thought about doing that too and re-watching This Gun For Hire tonight, but I kind of feel like a fun film for Friday pizza night





Le Samouraï (1967)
Directed By: Jean-Pierre Melville
Starring: Alain Delon, François Périer, Nathalie Delon

Le Samouraï is a slow, quiet film with minimal dialogue that's framed and directed so well, it could've gotten away with even more silence. The cinematography is every bit as restrained and patient as it's main character, but so absorbing that something as simple as watching Castello walk down a corridor turns into incredibly compelling cinema. The atmosphere is set perfectly from that very first shot, and the film flows from there just as easily as that smoke fills the darkened room.

The colour palette is incredibly coool and almost monochromatic, since the drained and muted blues and greens practically blend into the greys around them. That apparent coldness is a great reflection of Castello's stoic and detached mannerisms. When watching neo-noirs or anything even remotely noir-adjacent I often find myself longing for the high contrast lighting techniques commonly found in the classics, but the dulled aesthetic was a great choice for this particular film.

The performances were fantastic as well, and despite his minimal number of spoken lines, Alain Delon was quite captivating whenever he was on screen - which thankfully was most of the runtime. It's impressive how much of the film he manages to carry without having anything flashy or spectacular to do. The plot can be interpreted a number of different ways, and I've seen some well-constructed arguments for a variety of philosophical readings, but the real beauty of Le Samouraï is that it works just as well when taken at face value as well.


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I remember being incredibly impressed by Mercedes when I first saw this and thought she rose above being a secondary character and truly had her moment in the sun.
I'm pretty sure I'll be feeling the same this time around as well.
I've had my eye on one of Mercedes Ruehl's movies for an HoF nom. I think you'd really like it, I'm not sure how much others would though.




The Fisher King (1991)

The Fisher King feels like a hodge podge of really cool ideas. We of course have the story have a man who has caused great tragedy, and can't find redemption. And another man who has suffered great tragedy, and is now coping with it in unnatural ways. The holy grail story begins as a main adventure and turns into a subplot. There are love interests, and later, love battles. Friendships form and dissolve, and then form again. There's a lot going on.

So with all this complexity, it had to get some things right. And it certainly did. The glue holding the movie together is probably either Robin Williams's brilliant performance (when is ever not gold?) or the character arc of Jeff Bridges's character Jack. He is a cynical, sarcastic idiot who makes people feel bad through his radio programs; he knows that, and he enjoys that. It's only when he sees the violent repercussion of his acts that he opens his eyes wide open.

Yet the interesting part is that after this event (three years after), his personality has not changed one bit. We still see him throw out snide remarks, disregard everyone he loves (and hates), and generally bumble negatively about life. He knows he is depressed, and knows he has nothing to live for. In a sense, I guess he enjoys that.

So when Robin Williams's earnest, happy face shows up on screen, praising God and life and showing Jack all the sunny things he missed, I knew there was going to be some sort of redemption arc. The film takes several twists and turns from there, and has super amazing imagined fantasy scenes. But it ends pretty much exactly as I expected.

There's nothing wrong with a film doing that. Dozens of my favorite movies are predictable as hell, and often times predictability is something I really enjoy in movies. Here, for some reason it fell flat. Maybe is that I wasn't feeling the chemistry between either of the two couples. Or that there is one too many (predictable) side-plots that make us forget the main conflict. Either way, it felt more than predictable - it felt dull.

My two previous experiences with Gilliam (The Holy Grail and Tideland) were entirely different than this. The Holy Grail is absurd, brilliant, and hilarious. I loathe Tideland, but it sure as hell wasn't predictable or boring. I enjoyed The Fisher King, and certainly enjoyed it more than that latter effort. However, I couldn't help wondering if Gilliam could have done something more with it.


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Le Samouraï (John-Pierre Melville, 1967)
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Date Watched: 08/14/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 23rd MoFo Hall of Fame, nominated by Siddon
Rewatch: No


Le Samouraï is a film that oozes cool. From gorgeous Alain Delon's sharp-dressed lone wolf assassin, to the color palette, to the way the shots are framed, to the cars he steals, to the women he encounters. It's all very stylish and very pleasing to the eye.

Unfortunately however, it's so cool that it's rendered cold and the overwhelming feeling that I got by its conclusion was one of emptiness.




Women will be your undoing, Pépé
I've had my eye on one of Mercedes Ruehl's movies for an HoF nom. I think you'd really like it, I'm not sure how much others would though.
ya know, I'd love to see another of her films. Only seen her in a spattering of them, and usually in small roles. I do believe Fisher King was the first one where she had a decent amount of time on screen and I loved her in it.
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Women will be your undoing, Pépé
I love the reception La Samouraï is getting. It’s a great film
It is definitely sounding like the one to beat. Pretty excited to see it again - even more so with the slew of reviews posted.