The Personal Recommendation Hall of Fame IV

Tools    





Thursday Next's Avatar
I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
The Little Foxes


Family drama in which a trio of greedy siblings bicker, scheme and double-cross each other over bonds and investments.

It’s quite fun watching all the scheming and one-up-manship. Bette Davis is great. You can’t be quite sure how far they will each go and who will get the upper hand in the end. I felt sorry for Birdie and Horace, both completely steamrolled by their spouses. I wasn’t quite sure what to think about the character of Zan, she seemed a bit childish and spoilt – I guess that was kind of the idea, but I wasn’t quite sure what David saw in her.

It’s a little play like in that it never really expands far beyond the confines of the house, it’s not a film that is particularly visually remarkable.

I enjoyed this, good pick.



Thieving Thief gets on the board with a classic that I considered picking for him. I like High Noon more every time I watch it.

I love The Little Foxes and believe I nominated it for a HoF.



I don't know if the rest of you noticed it, but there's a new list-Oscar winners for best foreign language film. More to choose from going forward.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
I don't know if the rest of you noticed it, but there's a new list-Oscar winners for best foreign language film. More to choose from going forward.
YAY NEW LIST!!
I have to go check it out!

Gotta see High Noon for the Westerns Countdown and absolutely loved it!

Been a while since I saw Little Foxes from one of the earlier HoFs and I do remember getting a kick out of it
__________________
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



I don't know if the rest of you noticed it, but there's a new list-Oscar winners for best foreign language film. More to choose from going forward.

Cinematography would be a very good list to also put up



Thursday Next's Avatar
I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
I don't know if the rest of you noticed it, but there's a new list-Oscar winners for best foreign language film. More to choose from going forward.
And there will be the movieforums foreign language top 100 as well. Although so far a lot of those are already on lists.





House of Wax (1953)

Sgt. Shane: Where is Burke? Who got him? Who’d want him?
Lt. Brennen: We’d better find out pretty quick. Did you read the blast in this mornings' World?
Sgt. Shane: Yeah, it’s dynamite.

Vincent Price is Prof Henry Jarrod, an artist. He creates tasteful wax sculptures of historical figures. They are his babies. His partner doesn't give two sheets about being tasteful or the art. He's in it for the money and want Jarrod to up the game a bit. Be a little more seedy. Like the place down the street. Butts in the seats is what it's all about, in his eyes and people want a little more oomph! They end up having a little scuffle in which the partner burns down the joint to collect the insurance and if Jarrod happens to burn up with his wax sculptures (which he does...or, does he?), well, okay then. I don't want to give away too much but Jarrod didn't die and he re-opens a new wax museum, with a couple new partners and a little something extra put into his new sculptures.

Is this a great movie. Probably not. Is it a fun movie? Hell yeah! This was a big surprise for me and I had a blast watching it. Vincent Price is an actor, for whatever reason, I've avoided. Seen him in Edward Scissorhands and The House of Long Shadows and that's it. He was great in this. The entire movie has that stage production feeling to it, which I like, and it's got bubbling beakers which is par for a 50's horror flick. The fx were good for the time. Nothing special but I didn't see any wires and the fight scenes seemed relatively legit. Really, there isn't anything to complain about. I wish I could have seen it in 3D. Just the scene with the guy playing with the paddle-ball would have made it worth it. I hated them stupid paddle things! Solid rec. Thanks!



House of Wax is definitely a fun film!
Grew up on Price and always got a kick out of his horror films. There's an elegance to that gentleman.
I've seen Vincent Price in pre-horror films where he often plays a cultured, well-to-do man and I STILL think of him as the guy from all those 60s horror films...it's that voice!

He made a lot of Edgar Allen Poe based movies with Roger Corman, I use to love watching those when I was a kid. I should check those out again.



Cinematography would be a very good list to also put up
That is a good idea. Can you put together a chronological list of all the Oscar best Cinematography winners? Maybe Yoda will add it to the MoFo list.





It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012)

Narrator: And as the Sun continues to set, he finally comes to realize the dumb irony in how he had been waiting for this moment his entire life.

neiba: You are forbidden to dislike It's Such a Beautiful Day!

This is the story of Bill. A guy with some undiagnosed mental issues just trying to navigate life. I don't know what to say about this one. The animation isn't exactly mind blowing unless stick figures and still pictures are mind blowing and there really isn't any acting to speak of. The entire story is narrated except for a few lines from some nurses, Dr.'s and Bill's roomate in the hospital. And yet...

There is so much I loved about this that I don't even know where to start. The animation is perfect for the story. The narrator, something about his voice and delivery is perfect for the story. The story itself is great. Everythings about this movie is simple to the max except for Bill. I feel like I know him after hanging around with him for a very fast hour (it's a short movie). There is so much emotion packed into this hour of stick figures it really is remarkable. You feel kind of sorry for Bill but you never get the impression that he wants you to. Everything is told very matter of fact. This is just how life is. There's a lot of very serious stuff going on here but it uses humor very effectively to balance it out. I don't know. This is so unique. The only thing I can think of comparing it to would be a combo of Mary and Max (tone) and La Jetee (style). I've seen a lot of really good movies on all your recommendations and this is one of the best. Already watched it twice. Highly recommend!



That is a good idea. Can you put together a chronological list of all the Oscar best Cinematography winners? Maybe Yoda will add it to the MoFo list.

27/28 - Sunrise:A Song of Two Humans
28/29 - White Shadows in the South Seas
29/30 - With Byrd at the South Pole
30/31 - Tabu:A Story of the South Seas
31/32 - Shanghai Express
32/33 - A Farewell to Arms
34 - Cleopatra
35 - A Midsummer Nights Dream
36 - Anthony Adverse
36(Color) - The Garden of Allah
37 - The Good Earth
37(Color) - A Star is Born
38 - The Great Waltz
38(Color) - Sweethearts
39 - Wuthering Heights
39(Color) - Gone with the Wind
40 - Rebecca
40(Color) - The Thief of Bagdad
41 - How Green Was My Valley
41(Color) - Blood and Sand
42 - Mrs Miniver
42(Color) - The Black Swan
43 - The Song of Bernadette
43(Color) - Phantom of the Opera
44 - Laura
44(Color) - Wilson
45 - The Picture of Dorian Gray
45(Color) - Leave Her to Heaven
46 - Anna and the King of Siam
46(Color) - The Yearling
47 - Great Expectations
47(Color) - Black Narcissus
48 - The Naked City
48 (Color) - Joan of Arc
49 - Battleground
49 (Color) - She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
50 - The Third Man
50(Color) - King Solomon's Mines
51 - A Place in the Sun
51(Color) - An American in Paris
52 - The Bad and the Beautiful
52(Color) - The Quiet Man
53 - From Here to Eternity
53(Color) - Shane
54 - On the Waterfront
54(Color) - Three Coins in the Fountain
55 - The Rose Tattoo
55(Color) - To Catch a Thief
56 - Somebody Up There Likes Me
56(Color) - Around the World in 80 Days
57 - The Bridge on the River Kwai
58 - The Defiant Ones
58(Color) - Gigi
59 - The Diary of Anne Frank
59(Color) - Ben-Hur
60 - Sons and Lovers
60(Color) - Spartacus
61 - Hustler
61(Color) - West Side Story
62 - The Longest Day
62(Color) - Lawrence of Arabia
63 - Hud
63(Color) - Cleopatra
64 - Zorba the Greek
64(Color) - My Fair Lady
65 - Ship of Fools
65(Color) - Doctor Zhivago
66 - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
66(Color) - A Man for All Seasons
67 - Bonnie and Clyde
68 - Romeo and Juliet
69 - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
70 - Ryans Daughter
71 - Fiddler on the Roof
72- Cabaret
73 - Cries and Whispers
74 - The Towering Inferno
75 - Barry Lyndon
76 - Bound for Glory
77 - Close Encounters of the Third Kind
78 - Days of Heaven
79 - Apocalypse Now
80 - Tess
81 - Reds
82 - Gandhi
83 - Fanny and Alexander
84 - The Killing Fields
85 - Out of Africa
86 - The Mission
87 - The Last Emperor
88 - Mississippi Burning
89 - Glory
90 - Dances with Wolves
91 - JFK
92 - A River Runs Through It
93 - Schindlers List
94 - Legends of the Fall
95 - Braveheart
96 - The English Patient
97 - Titanic
98 - Saving Private Ryan
99 - American Beauty
00 - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
01 - Lord of the Rings:Fellowship of the Ring
02 - Road to Perdition
03 - Master and Commander:The Far Side of the World
04 - The Aviator
05 - Memoirs of a Geisha
06 - Pan's Labyrinth
07 - There Will Be Blood
08 - Slumdog Millionaire
09 - Avatar
10 - Inception
11 - Hugo
12 - Life of Pi
13 - Gravity
14 - Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
15 - The Revenant
16 - La La Land
17 - Blade Runner 2049
18 - Roma
19 - 1917
20 - Mank



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
I've seen Vincent Price in pre-horror films where he often plays a cultured, well-to-do man and I STILL think of him as the guy from all those 60s horror films...it's that voice!

He made a lot of Edgar Allen Poe based movies with Roger Corman, I use to love watching those when I was a kid. I should check those out again.
Same as me, I've seen earlier films but it always goes back to the Corman rendition of Poe that really sticks in my head when I think of him.
Oh, and the voice over he does on Alice Cooper's "Black Widow" on the Welcome To My Nightmare record. lol



Good job Fredrick banging out a couple in a row. 2 movies I like, although I prefer the horrible remake of House of Wax only because Paris Hilton does a striptease. Yea I have great taste in movies, but I have even better taste in women



The trick is not minding
27/28 - Sunrise:A Song of Two Humans
28/29 - White Shadows in the South Seas
29/30 - With Byrd at the South Pole
30/31 - Tabu:A Story of the South Seas
31/32 - Shanghai Express
32/33 - A Farewell to Arms
34 - Cleopatra
35 - A Midsummer Nights Dream
36 - Anthony Adverse
36(Color) - The Garden of Allah
37 - The Good Earth
37(Color) - A Star is Born
38 - The Great Waltz
38(Color) - Sweethearts
39 - Wuthering Heights
39(Color) - Gone with the Wind
40 - Rebecca
40(Color) - The Thief of Bagdad
41 - How Green Was My Valley
41(Color) - Blood and Sand
42 - Mrs Miniver
42(Color) - The Black Swan
43 - The Song of Bernadette
43(Color) - Phantom of the Opera
44 - Laura
44(Color) - Wilson
45 - The Picture of Dorian Gray
45(Color) - Leave Her to Heaven
46 - Anna and the King of Siam
46(Color) - The Yearling
47 - Great Expectations
47(Color) - Black Narcissus
48 - The Naked City
48 (Color) - Joan of Arc
49 - Battleground
49 (Color) - She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
50 - The Third Man
50(Color) - King Solomon's Mines
51 - A Place in the Sun
51(Color) - An American in Paris
52 - The Bad and the Beautiful
52(Color) - The Quiet Man
53 - From Here to Eternity
53(Color) - Shane
54 - On the Waterfront
54(Color) - Three Coins in the Fountain
55 - The Rose Tattoo
55(Color) - To Catch a Thief
56 - Somebody Up There Likes Me
56(Color) - Around the World in 80 Days
57 - The Bridge on the River Kwai
58 - The Defiant Ones
58(Color) - Gigi
59 - The Diary of Anne Frank
59(Color) - Ben-Hur
60 - Sons and Lovers
60(Color) - Spartacus
61 - Hustler
61(Color) - West Side Story
62 - The Longest Day
62(Color) - Lawrence of Arabia
63 - Hud
63(Color) - Cleopatra
64 - Zorba the Greek
64(Color) - My Fair Lady
65 - Ship of Fools
65(Color) - Doctor Zhivago
66 - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
66(Color) - A Man for All Seasons
67 - Bonnie and Clyde
68 - Romeo and Juliet
69 - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
70 - Ryans Daughter
71 - Fiddler on the Roof
72- Cabaret
73 - Cries and Whispers
74 - The Towering Inferno
75 - Barry Lyndon
76 - Bound for Glory
77 - Close Encounters of the Third Kind
78 - Days of Heaven
79 - Apocalypse Now
80 - Tess
81 - Reds
82 - Gandhi
83 - Fanny and Alexander
84 - The Killing Fields
85 - Out of Africa
86 - The Mission
87 - The Last Emperor
88 - Mississippi Burning
89 - Glory
90 - Dances with Wolves
91 - JFK
92 - A River Runs Through It
93 - Schindlers List
94 - Legends of the Fall
95 - Braveheart
96 - The English Patient
97 - Titanic
98 - Saving Private Ryan
99 - American Beauty
00 - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
01 - Lord of the Rings:Fellowship of the Ring
02 - Road to Perdition
03 - Master and Commander:The Far Side of the World
04 - The Aviator
05 - Memoirs of a Geisha
06 - Pan's Labyrinth
07 - There Will Be Blood
08 - Slumdog Millionaire
09 - Avatar
10 - Inception
11 - Hugo
12 - Life of Pi
13 - Gravity
14 - Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
15 - The Revenant
16 - La La Land
17 - Blade Runner 2049
18 - Roma
19 - 1917
20 - Mank
Nice list, Siddon. Thank you for putting it together. Hopefully it does get added to the database because cinematography is one of my favorite categories.
Amazingly, I’ve seen 75/121 if counted the total of the winners correctly. Feel free to correct me there if I miscounted.




The General (Buster Keaton 1926)

"Buster Keaton was the greatest of all the clowns in the history of cinema. For too many years he was under the shadow of Charlie Chaplin and for too many of his last years he had a very bad time of it...Those are the years in which I knew him. We use to work in the old Stage Door Canteen, I was doing magic tricks for the troops and Keaton was washing dishes. He was a lovely person, the supreme artist and I think one of the most beautiful people ever photographed."
Orson Welles

Reaction: Touched

Knowing how badly Hollywood treated Buster Keaton and knowing how the great man who made great cinema was eventually left with only his sad face...makes me sad. As much as I appreciate the creative genius of Charlie Chaplin, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool fan of Buster Keaton. I've seen other Keaton films and liked them all. So bless the dear MoFo who nominated this.

I know silent films aren't for everyone and even though I do enjoy them they can be a mixed bag...especially the long ones. The General is only 79 minutes so a quick & easy watch and one that's packed full of Keaton's patented comic stunts that are both humorous as all hell and frightening to watch as he risks his life riding on an old steam engine or other daring feats.

Keaton wrote, directed and starred in this film and like Orson Welles and Citizen Kane, The General was the last time that Keaton would have full control over his films, which is indeed sad.
Attachments
Click image for larger version

Name:	Screenshot from 2021-07-15 19-08-21.jpg
Views:	187
Size:	207.3 KB
ID:	79433  




Bob Le Flambeur (1956)

Reaction: Cool watch

Pretty much any 1950s French film will work for me. Some are better than others of course, but if it's French or Japanese film and from the 50s or early 60s, then it's a safe bet I won't hate it. And betting is what Bob The Gambler is all about! I don't have any deep analyst of the film, I just enjoyed seeing the sights and sound of Paris circa 1956, I especially like the small cafes and clubs.

The actor who played Bob made the film! I liked his story and the way the film treated Bob and those who came into his world and I liked his relationship with the head detective . At one point I thought this would be another crime caper film and I thought, well that could be OK. But I ended up liking the way the story turned out, especially once the young apprentice of Bob slipped up and told the girl there was a casino robbery being planned.

A side note, I didn't like the girl, she was just plain dumb and looked like she was 14. Not a great actress either and she sure didn't have much screen presences, but the film itself was a good watch.

Attachments
Click image for larger version

Name:	Screenshot from 2021-07-16 18-36-00.png
Views:	181
Size:	285.0 KB
ID:	79431  




Bullitt (Peter Yates 1968)


Reaction: Positive

"Robert Vaughn received the script and didn't like it. He felt that there was no plot, nor a sensible story line."

...and that's why I liked this film! It's straight up police investigation, stylishly done but without the Hollywood trappings of hero vs villain or any of the typical trappings that a Hollywood film usually goes for.

Had this film been made in the last 30 years it would've been a ramped up, edge of your seat, adrenaline ride...and I would've hated it! I appreciate how this 1968 classic stayed low keyed and realistic...If one of my favorite directors, Kelly Reichardt directed a stakeout, crime cop movie, it would look like Bullitt.

I don't have any complaints here, in fact I'm amazed at how artistically creative this film was made. Oh sure I LOVED the car chase. I've owned different 1960s Mustangs myself, so the car chase was aces! But I respect the way the film respected the intelligence of the audience, to me that's the real highlight.

So glad to have finally seen this one.


Attachments
Click image for larger version

Name:	Screenshot from 2021-07-16 18-57-56.jpg
Views:	243
Size:	41.2 KB
ID:	79432