The Personal Recommendation Hall of Fame

For the record though, A Town Called Panic is one of my favorite movies. I don't think I voted for it for the countdown, but if I were to vote today I might.

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Knew very little about Dorian Gray and Les Miserables but both sound very interesting and just got added to my watchlist.

The biggest blind spot in my cinema watching resume has to be The Godfather Part II. At a daunting 3hrs22mins, it was always going to be a challenge to sit my ass down and just find time to watch a slow burn crime movie. I watched the first film in high school and yeah, it's a certified classic. All this talk about the sequel being better than the original, decades of sitting near the top of people's BEST OF lists...how in the world could this movie live up to the reputation it has received?

These films are all about family and what one will do to make sure that nothing breaks a family up. We see this when Michael refuses to let his wife leave him because he doesn't want her to take the kids away. Is this because he loves her and the kids? Maybe, but maybe the dark underlining to it is that he wants his family to continue the business, which is why he is so adamant on having a son. Must feel awkward for his one son right now, having his dad want more sons in an effort to continue the business because there might be a chance they die before taking over. Have a couple sons to choose from. Michael had two brothers, one died and one was passed over, so he sees his own future reflecting his own past.

My jaw hit the floor when Kay revealed disturbing details to Michael about their unborn child. Moments of violence can thrill people, disturb people or shock, but put two talented actors in a room, give them a well written scene and an emotionally distraught story element and you can have more success at garnering emotions from the viewer than anything else. The ending of the film reflects the ending to the original in a small way, having Michael eliminate his 'enemies'. We are then given one brief glimpse of a moment in their past when the Corleone was happy, waiting for a surprise party for their father. They all leave the table to give the surprise and Michael sits there alone, just like he is now. His family is essentially destroyed. These movies are really about the depressing nature of destroying families. Those measures that people will go to save a family, can ultimately destroy it.

Sure some elements were spoiled for me, which is the nature of the business when you watch a famous movie more than 40 years after the fact, but that doesn't limit the suspense or emotional impact of the scenes. Heck, I even thought that maybe I was wrong and things might turn out different, but in reality we are all watching a slow motion train wreck. Never be alone in the middle of nowhere with these people, chance are that two go in, one comes out.

I was invested in BOTH timelines. The film doesn't jump back and forth a lot, instead Coppola gives each sequence room to breathe and we are treated to elongated elements in both. At times you wonder which timeline is suppose to be the main story because we spend so much time with Vito. The flashback elements are used appropriately too, never once does Coppola try to fool us into thinking that Vito is in danger. We know he lives through this time because he's an old man in the original, so instead of false suspense scenes we get a character study and an understanding of how he became the man who knew from the original. The performance from DeNiro is great as well, mainly spoken in another language.

What I'm saying is stuff people have been saying for decades, so nothing new to really report. I'm telling you thinks you already know people. The movie is great. It's a huge blindspot for me so it was something I expect people to nominate and it is something that could have been nominated by anyone.

Now....do I watch the dreaded third? Hahahaha

Well now that's pretty awesome. I should watch it too as it's been a very long time.

I only gave Godfather II a , it didn't do much for me, I think the first one is better. Have no interest in watching the third one.

Just watched Part 2 and absolutely loved it. But Like Citizen, no interest in 3.

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I haven't seen a lot of Woody Allen's movies, but of the few that I've seen, The Purple Rose of Cairo is one of my favorites.

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If I answer a game thread correctly, just skip my turn and continue with the game.
OPEN FLOOR.

Purple Rose is amongst his best imo.
Behind Annie Hall, Stardust Memories and Love and Death. And I’ve seen a lot of his 70’s-late 90’s work.
I really need to catch up on his post 2000 works (seen a few here and there such as Blue Jasmine And Match Point)

Resurrecting Woody Allen HoF. Could be a good idea, just sayin

If that was more to my taste it's at least a 4/5 movie. There was nothing wrong with it.

I watched Predestination a while back and I thought it was a great movie. I've almost forgotten enough about it to rewatch it.

I'm not from America, so I have a great appreciation for American films set in the desert outback: I find it to be a very striking place that I'd love to visit and drive down its roads someday. What I guess I appreciate most about this film is that it's quite lighthearted. Of course there are sad scenes and intense scenes, but the film never really has a frightening tone apart from maybe two scenes. Alot of the lightheartedness comes from the really good pairing of Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward, they really feel like life long buddies.
Another thing to note is this is one of the few films I've seen where all of the side characters are actually memorable and likable. Most films only have the effort to make the main character memorable and likable. Since it's a creature feature I'll talk about them. Very good practical effects, quite the horrorshow for anyone who doesn't like worms. I liked that at the start of the film there was a perspective shot of one of the worms, a cute nod to Jaws. I love in these types of films where the characters have to use their surroundings and figure out possible ways to stop a seemingly unstoppable force, and this film certainly didn't disappoint.

Really enjoyed myself with this one. +

I haven't seen Tremors since it came out but I did like it.

I had originally went with this for your nomination but someone else beat me to punch, before going with Les Miserables.
I had a real strong feeling you'd enjoy this, being that exception to the rule kind of movie that you wouldn't normally check out on your own, for the reasons you mentioned.

I reacted the same way as you did on my first watch and, due to how it all plays out, I watched it two more times within the following week. Exploring the nuances of this "mindblower".
And, yeah, it's pretty much impossible to say anything about it without spoiling anything and whenever I suggested it someone I'd refuse to say anything except, "Just watch it. And then, watch it again."

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Been quite a while since I've seen this tip of the hat to old B-Film Creature films. Bacon and Ward WERE ideal as long time friends. And like you said, the others that could have been mere background were pretty cool, enjoyable characters.

I'm not a fan of horror movies, but Tremors was one of the good ones that made my Top 25 Horror list.

I made a point to watch Yellow Sky and Hud last week in case either made a strong enough impression to make my western ballot. Unfortunately I just haven't been in a writing mood lately. Gonna have to just force myself to sit down long enough to write something for them soon before too many details fade from my memory.

Predestination was so much better than I ever expected it to be. I was also very impressed with Sarah Snook. It's a shame she hasn't received many other (any?) chances to showcase her talent. Seems she's either relegated to small roles (Steve Jobs) or sh*tty films (Winchester).

That was my choice for you. I've never interacted much with you (post more! and since you're also on Letterboxd, feel free to jump in on some of the discussions on there involving various MoFos; it'd be nice to get to know you better), but from what I've seen, you seem to be drawn to genre films that offer a good, fun time, and Tremors certainly fits that bill. It's remained one my favorites since I was a kid, back when I used to set up obstacles in my yard and hop from one to another, pretending as if a graboid would eat me as soon as I touched grass. I love that it's a mish-mash of so many genres -- Horror/Comedy/Action -- with a Western aesthetic. Glad you enjoyed it.

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Thanks bro.

Of course, I'll be waiting for the next discussion that I see.