14th Hall of Fame

Cool. I was curious about that. THANKS!

back to the woods you go, now

Barton Fink



While No Country is my favorite Coen and Fargo may be my second, this is no slouch. The eerie atmosphere is what makes this film so great. I really like John Turtorro in the lead role and this is probably the best John Goodman performance for me. The writing of the film itself is fantastic and like all other Coen they rely heavily on a great film dialogue. I love that the Coens make this a reality vs. perception film. Hard to differentiate what is and isn't actually happening, but it makes it very thought provoking. This time around I also grew to admire Michael Lerner's role as Jack. I also am left to wonder why the dead seagull dropped in the ocean at the end as I've never really thought about that before in the film . But like I said this is a great film and one that is in my top 119. I would be very happy to see it do well here.

Another update of where everybody is at review wise:

Citizen Rules 12/12
Rauldc14 10/12
Yam12 8/12
Edarsenal 8/12
CosmicRunaway 9/12
Miss Vicky 10/12
Cricket 6/12
Nestorio 9/12
Sarge 4/12
Joel 8/12
Jiraffe 2/12
Jeff Costello 5/12

Contratiempo (The Invisible Guest) (2016)
Director: Oriol Paulo
Rated: R

It's been a long time since I had seen a movie that flipped the script like this one did. The who/how dunnit aspect was handled very well and I can't say anything felt predictable to me. I was surprised just about every step of the way. My only hang up was that some of the exposition came on so fast that I felt as if I didn't have enough time to process everything so I'd be a cheat if I fibbed and said that I had a handle on every facet of the story. I don't.

The reveal at the end made me chuckle a bit because it was so far reaching, but you know what? I didn't matter. I'll buy it! It was such an incredible reveal that I just felt amused and had one of those frozen moments where everything seemed quiet and open. I really got off on that moment at the end.

Also, this movie gets points for changing my mind about 20 minutes in. At first I really wasn't feeling it at all. That changed in a big way once the stakes started to raise. I'd watch this one again just to get hold of everything that happened, and I feel this is a real winner for this HOF because of the way the story was handled. I usually prefer films that emphasize atmosphere and performances for air tight plot but this film really balanced everything out nicely so...

++

thanks for posting the update, @rauldc14, and just to let ya know, I'm actually at 9/12, you missed my Black Snake Moan Review
I'll also be posting one for The Hurricane - hopefully tonight.

JJ is actually 3/12, with M, Barton Fink, and Lone Star.
You've got them all linked in the first post. Just miscounted here.

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quite agree on the major points here. VERY happy with the ending, made me chuckle too.

Sorry about that. I got it linked now for you.

no worries! and you're doin an excellent job!

I've seen seven total, but internet problems have kept me from being able to get anything written up on my laptop.

Cool! What other ones?

Passengers, Black Snake Moan, La Grande Illusion, and my own.

looking forward to the reviews, especially Empire since it's always kinda cool to the whys of someone choosing something. Always get some great insight before seeing something I haven't seen or heard of previously.

Empire of Passion

I wanted to nominate something Japanese this time around, but I didn't want to nominate anything before the 70's. I kinda feel like most of the time it's only the "classic" Japanese films or the Studio Ghibli anime films that really get much love. So I wanted to go for something a little different. It had been a long time since I had seen my nomination, but I remember really loving the cinematography and beautiful location. That's still the focal point of the film, but there is also some very good melodrama that is a staple of Japanese cinema. I know it doesn't work for everyone, and I get that. It works for me though.

Black Snake Moan

This is probably the most flawed film in this hall of fame that I'll still like. I don't think anything is very remarkable about it except for Samuel L. Jackson, who is just a joy to watch. He throws this film on his back and carries it cross the finish line. Timberlake's acting in this film is atrocious, but Ricci is alright. It's a morally muddy film, that I am not entirely sure it knows what is right or wrong or even what it is saying is right or wrong. But f*ck it, Sam Jackson is great.

Passengers

This type of film doesn't really work when you have two leads like Lawrence and Pratt. Sure, they are both likable and fun, but is that really what you want in a movie about two people stuck floating through space with nothing but each other for company? This type of film is not easy though, because it would seem like it would require a big budget to do a space picture, but then when you go big budget you end up lacking the intimacy required to make it work because everything has to be bigger. That's what happens here.

La Grande Illusion

I can't speak on the issue regarding von Stroheim's German, as I don't speak German myself. So I had no problems with it obviously. Much like with M, I don't really know what to add on to this one. It's a classic, and it's a classic for good reasons. It manages to tackle classism, the futility of war, and how after not seeing a pretty woman for a while you might want to bang a dude dressed like a woman.

Sad to see you didn't enjoy Black Snake Moan more than that, but glad to see a mostly positive review.

I liked it, but it'll probably never be a favorite of mine. I like it as a nomination, even if it won't get a bunch of points from me. It's not a conventional or safe choice, so kudos for that. It's part of what makes these fun.

This is why I miss you being around as much as you used to be JJ. Best Mofo laugh I have had in a minute.

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Letterboxd

I was gonna highlight that paragraph as well, but @seanc beat me to the punch. Definitely made me chuckle!

The Hurricane

Just a somewhat short comment about this being "based on true events" which we all know is Hollywood for: "Facts? F@ck the facts, we got a movie to make!" and make note that there is a placard at the very opening expressing that certain aspects of the following film will be fictionalized.
So, I won't go into the distinctions, arguments and so forth regarding what is presented in the film and what allegedly occurred. While I did wander around a little this afternoon researching, I will much rather delve into my review OF A MOVIE I WATCHED and enjoyed, and leave it at that.

Any ole how, Denzil Washington does what he is truly brilliant at; portraying a righteous man unfairly treated. I have seen him do this in countless movies and, as I've stated: he is brilliant at it. And deservedly so here. There was one particular scene when he firsts goes to prison and he is in "the hole" and we see him conversing with his hate and with his fear as living identities and its a great lil scene.

This is definitely a Washington vehicle and everyone else seems to step aside and leave it all to Washington to shine and take full command.
And understand, this is not a critique, merely a perception of how I saw the performances within this movie that got me hooked from the beginning and held me, and actually made me cheer and grow tense at the final court room scene.

Everything seemed to really work here, the use of flashbacks worked very well, the cinematography and the use of black and white for past boxing matches were some really great choices. I am very happy to have seen this and will, most likely, be seeing this again.
Thank you, @rauldc14 for sharing this movie, it was quite the movie experience!

Going to watch La Grande Illusion in about 5 mins. Might also re-watch Lone Star so I can double up on some thoughts tomorrow. Arrivederci!