The Personal Recommendation Hall of Fame II

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The trick is not minding
I noticed a lot of Palme d’Or recommendations this time around.
Those are quite often less seen films, so that’s a good sign.
Particularly The Eel for Siddon.
Going further into my nominations, I love how they are all spread across the Decades and genres, once again



Yeah little disappointment people didn't dive into documentaries and noirs for me


Angst (1983) - good sign I like horror it's Australian so that makes it a bit iffy,

Arthur (1981) - I think I watched 10 minutes of this and turned it off.

Beverly Hills Cop (1984) - good pick likely the winner from this group.

The Dark Valley (2014) - well it's a modern western so we'll see not terribly optimistic but meh

Dinner at Eight (1933) - I'm either going to love this film or despise it based on the trailer

Django (1966) - well I like dark westerns but I don't know about this one.

The Eel (1997) - it's on Youtube so this is a score

La Collectionneusse (1967) - Rohmer is my least favorite of the New Wave directors so we'll see.

Shoplifters (2018) - I gave it ten minutes and turned it off I'll give it another shot.

Starman (1984) - good pick this is the last John Carpenter film I haven't seen.

The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice (1951) - I already saw just under a different title.



Yeah little disappointment people didn't dive into documentaries and noirs for me
I had a noir all picked out for you but then changed it at the last moment as I thought you'd think it was common place. Funny thing is I can't remember what it was? I should've saved my alternative choices.



Yeah little disappointment people didn't dive into documentaries and noirs for me


Angst (1983) - good sign I like horror it's Australian so that makes it a bit iffy,

Arthur (1981) - I think I watched 10 minutes of this and turned it off.

Beverly Hills Cop (1984) - good pick likely the winner from this group.

The Dark Valley (2014) - well it's a modern western so we'll see not terribly optimistic but meh

Dinner at Eight (1933) - I'm either going to love this film or despise it based on the trailer

Django (1966) - well I like dark westerns but I don't know about this one.

The Eel (1997) - it's on Youtube so this is a score

La Collectionneusse (1967) - Rohmer is my least favorite of the New Wave directors so we'll see.

Shoplifters (2018) - I gave it ten minutes and turned it off I'll give it another shot.

Starman (1984) - good pick this is the last John Carpenter film I haven't seen.

The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice (1951) - I already saw just under a different title.
So I should get a replacement for that one?



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
planet of the apes

was considering watching this last night before it was even nominated for me so i'm glad to have finally seen it. was never in a hurry to get to this one because i've seen it referenced so many times that i felt as if i'd seen it already, but it was still thrilling to see the original. this film is very much just a dramatized thought experiment ("what if... there was a planet... of the apes???"), which can be a bad thing, but when it's this grand and cinematic, it can be a wonderful thing. especially if it involves charlton heston going crazy on some apes in an epic sci-fi metaphor about the evils of humanity and how systems of oppression and cruelty are reproduced. i usually try not to let knowing the twist in advance affect my perception of a movie, but it's a bit harder with this one simply because it's so integral to the premise of the film and in retrospect it feels extremely obvious, but i'm sure i would've been surprised at the time. regardless, the cold matter-of-factness of the final shot is still incredibly powerful. not much else to say about this one that hasn't been said. it's about a freaking planet of the apes, what's not to like?

Can't remember how many times this one was on TV when I was a kid and pretty much watched it every single time. So I imagine seeing a film AFTER all the parodies and references might put a few crinkles into the viewing, but yeah, that ending remains a powerful one.

On a side commentary, I remember when Letter screen versions began coming out and the above image was what showed me just HOW MUCH formatted for TV versions left out. You only saw Dr. Zaius (center) and not the other two. I swore at that exact moment I'd watch Letter Screen ONLY from then on.
__________________
What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes
~Mr Minio



The trick is not minding
Ok, I hope you like all the different seasons-



Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring (2003)
Such a great film. Marred by its treatment of animals, sadly.



Such a great film. Marred by its treatment of animals, sadly.
I hated it. I had to watch it for a previous general HOF. Besides the animal cruelty, it was just way too heavy handed with the message. Not nuanced at all.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé



Ace in the Hole

Charles Tatum: I can handle big news and little news. And if there's no news, I'll go out and bite a dog.

Said to be the most cynical of Billy Wilder films which is saying a lot considering it came right after Sunset Boulevard which I truly believe was. . . until I saw this.

It's almost difficult to write about this hard-hitting film featuring a big time reporter stuck in a small town, so desperate for that big break story. . . well, if, like me, you haven't seen it - you should and find out for yourself.

While it does showcase the callous, parasitic underbelly of journalism it also shines a light on everyone else and their more truer intentions. Delivered with Wilder-esque expertise. A literal Trip & Fall as we first meet the cocky Reporter with such a style few are capable of pulling off like Wilder can; to the story of a man stuck in hole in a mountain in the desert is discovered by happenstance, there is a derelict cave-in of human nature that takes you along into the news circus that erupts as Tatum "takes control of the story".

Showcasing a lot more beyond the ruthless, selfishness of those wanting to benefit from the news circus, but also how Kirk Douglas' character arc takes him from the bellowing rooster orchestrating it all to what becomes of him at the end.

A dark, grim ride by the master of storytelling, Billy Wilder.
F@ckin Bravo!!



You lucky dog you Ace in the Hole is amazing. I gave it a 5/5. It's one of my favorite noirs. I wrote a review, but won't post it all but here's an except of what I thought of Billy Wilder's tour de force.

Some might say this movie is over the top. I mean Kirk Douglas' character was completely out of control...and the idea of a carnival gathered outside of the cave, seemed outlandish.

But...this movie is all about ballyhoo!

The director, Billy Wilder, not only made a film about ballyhoo, he made the film in the ballyhoo style. Now that's when I realized this film is amazing. Nobody is better at being intense than Kirk Douglas he works the character for every ounce of scandalous, self serving moxie he can muster. He uses people, he lies, he manipulates...all to promote his own career as a newspaper man. Even the poor man who's trapped in the cave becomes fodder for Douglas' self indulgent scheme.

You know what? Nothing has changed. Today's news media is ready to hype and distort facts to get ratings, just like Kirk Douglas did. Ace in the Hole is a brilliant film by Billy Wilder, it's just as relevant today as it was back in the 50s. CR
From Wikipedia
The film's plot was inspired by two real-life events. The first involved W. Floyd Collins, who in 1925 was trapped inside Sand Cave, Kentucky, following a landslide. A Louisville newspaper, the Courier-Journal, jumped on the story by dispatching reporter William Burke Miller to the scene. Miller's enterprising coverage turned the tragic episode into a national event and earned the writer a Pulitzer Prize. Collins's name is cited in the film as an example of a cave-in victim who becomes a media sensation.

The second event took place in April 1949. Three-year-old Kathy Fiscus of San Marino, California, fell into an abandoned well and, during a rescue operation that lasted several days, thousands of people arrived to watch the action unfold. In both cases, the victims died before they were rescued.



The trick is not minding
I hated it. I had to watch it for a previous general HOF. Besides the animal cruelty, it was just way too heavy handed with the message. Not nuanced at all.
Hard disagree here.
Didn’t find it heavy handed at all. Especially with the Buddhist representation of the animals in each Season.
I can think of heavier handed films, such as Joker for example in its last 30 minutes



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Didn't know about the second reference.
You delve into the carnival atmosphere of self interest perfectly. I was afraid to get into the story and what transpires without giving away everything - it was just too easy to do.
And yeah, Kirk scrapes up every filthy inch of this character and unleashes it with a rattlesnake's swiftness
WARNING: "like when he" spoilers below
double-slapped the wife. That caught ME by complete surprise just as much as it did the wife



Hard disagree here.
Didn’t find it heavy handed at all. Especially with the Buddhist representation of the animals in each Season.
I can think of heavier handed films, such as Joker for example in its last 30 minutes
I don’t disagree that Joker’s messaging was heavy handed, but saying that there are films that are more heavy handed than Spring, Summer doesn’t actually say anything about Spring, Summer (also I disagree that Joker is the bigger offender there). It’s still heavy handed and extremely hypocritical in its message especially its message about cruelty. The scene with the monk punishing himself intercut with scenes of his own cruelty was eye-rollingly bad and the repeated scenes of animal torture were unnecessary - and that’s not even taking into account that the version I saw was the somewhat sanitized American cut of the film that eliminated additional and IMO worse scenes of animal torture.

I recall Thursday Next having similar feelings about it.



The trick is not minding
I don’t disagree that Joker’s messaging was heavy handed, but saying that there are films that are more heavy handed than Spring, Summer doesn’t actually say anything about Spring, Summer (also I disagree that Joker is the bigger offender there). It’s still heavy handed and extremely hypocritical in its message especially its message about cruelty. The scene with the monk punishing himself intercut with scenes of his own cruelty was eye-rollingly bad and the repeated scenes of animal torture were unnecessary - and that’s not even taking into account that the version I saw was the somewhat sanitized American cut of the film that eliminated additional and IMO worse scenes of animal torture.

I recall Thursday Next having similar feelings about it.
It isn’t about the seasons themselves, which are metaphors about the young mans various stages of life.
Aside from the animal torture, this film is amazing. Totally subjective obviously.
I disagree with Joker being the lesser offender with its message of sensationalized violence (although not as bad as Natural Born Killers I would say) but I guess in Joker the violence was perpetrated on people, rather then animals and somehow that makes a difference in some eyes. Also, the animal violence was real. Can’t ever shake that.
I found a deeper message from Spring....then I ever could with Joker.
But it’s also a somewhat unfair comparison from me, as it is.



It isn’t about the seasons themselves, which are metaphors about the young mans various stages of life.
I’m aware of that...

but I guess in Joker the violence was perpetrated on people, rather then animals and somehow that makes a difference in some eyes. Also, the animal violence was real. Can’t ever shake that.
There’s more to Joker’s message than just sensationalized violence. It’s also about the way the mentally ill are treated and the divide between the rich and the poor. There’s also more that separates the violence of the two films than just real violence vs. fake violence and violence against animals vs. violence against humans. Fleck’s violence was revenge motivated. Every victim was someone who had wronged him in some way. The violence of the kids in Spring, Summer... was motivated by them taking pleasure in the act.



The trick is not minding
I’m aware of that...



There’s more to Joker’s message than just sensationalized violence. It’s also about the way the mentally ill are treated and the divide between the rich and the poor. There’s also more that separates the violence of the two films than just real violence vs. fake violence and violence against animals vs. violence against humans. Fleck’s violence was revenge motivated. Every victim was someone who had wronged him in some way. The violence of the kids in Spring, Summer... was motivated by them taking pleasure in the act.
I get that, but it’s splitting hairs, in my mind. With the exception of the violence against the animals, of course.
I should point out the young mans violence as revenge motivated as well.
In any case, I realized that we’re somewhat spoiling part of the film for Siddon, so I’ll stop here.
Good debate though



Thursday Next's Avatar
I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
I recall Thursday Next having similar feelings about it.
Oh gosh, yes, I hated that film! It seems to keep getting nominated in halls of fame for some reason. I definitely agree that it was heavy handed.