The 27th General Hall of Fame

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Is that a seal or just a massive igloo with windows and a door though?



Is that a seal or just a massive igloo with windows and a door though?
The secret seal hideout from all the hunters isn't as secret as we were led to believe.



I rewatched Thunder Road (2018) today. Written, directed by and starring the fantastic Jim Cummings, Thunder Road is a comedy/drama about a police office facing a personal crisis after his mother dies and his wife files for divorce. I loved this film the first time I saw it and I think I may love it even more this time. Jim Cummings is excellent here, creating a character who is flawed yet likeable, funny yet sad, awkward yet relatable. The rest of the cast are great too, especially Kendal Farr. I thought the screenplay is well written and the film has some really heartfelt, moving scenes, as well as some laugh out loud moments too. I've seen 3 of Cummings' films and this one remains my favourite of his work.



28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds
True Romance





Rewatch

Yup, still a great film in my opinion.

Written together with Natural Born Killers, this was meant to be one big film, but Tarantino broke them up and sold them separately. He has an audio commentary on this film and hates what Stone did with NBK.

Written in typical Tarantino format, the story was originally told out of chronological order. Scott reversed this and put it chronologically to streamline the story. I think it works better this way.

This is a film that I feel I can re-watch anytime despite the pretty graphic and violent nature at points, specifically when Gandolfini brutally attacks Patricia Arquette. You see glimpses of the rage that man can bring before he ever stepped into the role of Tony Soprano.

This has to be one of if not the film that has perfect "small" roles. Oldman, Walken, Hopper, Pitt, Gandolfini all do great things with little screen time. Of course it ends with a stand-off and guns blazin' but I don't care. This movie rocks.

I miss 90's movies.
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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews



I just rewatched True Romance (1993) Directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino, the film has a fantastic ensemble cast, including Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Michael Rapaport, Bronson Pinchot, Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini and Samuel L. Jackson. I think this is Slater's best performance and the rest of the cast deliver memorable and interesting performances too. The screenplay is sharp and clever and the film moves along at a brisk pace. There is some good action and the film builds to a satisfying climax. For me, this is Tony Scott's best film. True Romance is an entertaining and wild ride.



I may have gotten the ol' covid, so depending on what my test says, I may go on a rampage through this hall of fame a la ueno
I hope your case is as mild as mine has been. Take care of yourself.



I may have gotten the ol' covid, so depending on what my test says, I may go on a rampage through this hall of fame a la ueno
Hope it doesn't hit you that hard. Get well soon.
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I may have gotten the ol' covid, so depending on what my test says, I may go on a rampage through this hall of fame a la ueno
welcome to the club
hoping your symptoms are mild and your days off paid



I rewatched Midnight Cowboy on Criterion blu ray. Brillaintly directed by John Schlesinger, the film stars Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman. Hoffman is fantastic here and Voight is great too. The film tells the story of the characters in a really memorable way, with a lot of flavour and a distinctive look and feel. The screenplay is very well written and clever. This is really a love story about two unlikely friends and the impact they have on each other's lives. Midnight Cowboy is a special film and was considered quite daring for its time. There are some fantastic and iconic moments in the film that stay with the viewer. This is a really interesting and rewarding film. Midnight Cowboy is currently ranked as my 143rd favourite film and I enjoyed revisting it. A worthy nomination.





Thunder Road, 2018

Jim Arnaud (Jim Cummings) is reeling from the loss of his mother and an impending divorce from his wife, Ros (Jocelyn DeBoer), with whom he shares custody of their daughter, Crystal (Kendal Farr). As Jim tries to put on a "everything is fine" attitude, the emotional pressure builds and builds and starts to come out in destructive and unpredictable ways.

My sister and I have been trying to set up a time to watch The Beta Test together, and she refers to it almost every time as "What's the name of that new movie? You know, from that guy who makes you laugh but also really uncomfortable?"

I really, really love this movie, and for many reasons.

What I like most about it is the way that it shows a man whose behavior and mannerisms are incredibly erratic. We have caught him as he's approaching rock bottom. But what we can infer about him is that at some point---most points---he has behaved in a way that has earned him loyalty and love from a range of people. He is a highly decorated officer, he has a good relationship with his sister, and he has an incredibly loyal friend in the form of his partner, Nate (Nican Robinson).

Jim is a character who clearly wants to do the right thing and wants to be a good father, but he just can't help getting in his own way. He is fixated on the way that he is perceived by others, and the pressure that he puts on himself is simply too much.

I also give this film like a whole half star for the sequence in which Jim attends a parent-teacher conference with his daughter's weary teacher (Macon Blair!!!). If you've ever wondered what parent-teacher conferences are like . . . . look no further. I watched this film with my sister and her husband, both of whom are teachers, and we were all howling with laughter. "Oh my god. Yes. Correct," was my brother-in-law's verdict.

I realize that enjoying this film really comes down to whether you are able to vibe with the very specific brand of borderline-cringe comedy that Cummings is laying down. (And just to be VERY clear, I absolutely do not mean that in a "Oh, you just don't get it" way at all---I just mean I think it's the kind of comedy that is very much a matter of taste). From the more outlandish funeral sequence or his breakdown outside the police station, to the disastrous conversation he has with the judge overseeing his custody dispute, you either peek through your hands in sympathy or you probably think "Why would I ever root for this goober?".

For me, it really works. Jim so clearly struggles with self-esteem. And he is such a try-hard. He reacts to any negative feedback with desperate attempts to get back into the good graces of anyone he might have offended. His all-in approach is clearly sincere, in its own way, but he has reached a point where it no longer does him any favors.

And finally, I think that the film manages some genuinely moving moments. Jim encountering a mentally ill suspect in a way that ends in tragedy, his conversation with his sister, or especially the film's final ten or so minutes. It might be punctuated by some pretty outlandish sequences, but I think that the film is able to find moments of stillness and gravitas that keeps the characters and their world feeling grounded.

This is a movie that makes me feel a lot of things. It makes me laugh. I knew that some people would find it kind of dumb, but I'm glad there are some people who are enjoying it. I think it's a special little film.





Thunder Road (2018)

'Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.'

It takes guts to nominate a comedy film in an HoF. There are some who don't like comedy and most everyone's idea of what's funny is different from the next person.

Me, I like comedy and I really liked this film...but I didn't think it was funny. To me it was a first person drama with perhaps a few lighter moments included in, as of course life often has humorous moments at the strangest times.

I did feel great empathy for Officer Jim (Jim Cummins). He suffered so much and wanted to do so good but often didn't have the words to say what he felt. He was described as being dyslexia but it seemed he had some other mental condition as well. I don't know much mental health well enough to label what condition he had, but I've run into people like him on the internet. Anyway I'm getting side tracked here, but that's a good thing because this movie made me feel and made me think.

I expected to not like this movie, never even heard of it. I don't generally like new movies but I do like new indie films and this really felt like a one person vision indie film.

Maybe there would be a few things I'd change but the important thing is I dug it...This will finish towards the top of my ballot. Of course there's a lot of heavy hitter films in this HoF. So I'll just say:

Thanks Takoma, neat nom.




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Let the night air cool you off
Take home test came back positive. Gonna be in touch with the nurse at work and probably take a test through them to verify. Right now I feel about like I have a common cold. I do feel kinda tired, a little bit of a cough, but no problems breathing or anything. Should be able to at least knock a couple hof flicks out in the next couple days until I figure out how long I'm actually going to be out of work.



Take home test came back positive. Gonna be in touch with the nurse at work and probably take a test through them to verify. Right now I feel about like I have a common cold. I do feel kinda tired, a little bit of a cough, but no problems breathing or anything. Should be able to at least knock a couple hof flicks out in the next couple days until I figure out how long I'm actually going to be out of work.
Get well soon.



Take home test came back positive. Gonna be in touch with the nurse at work and probably take a test through them to verify. Right now I feel about like I have a common cold. I do feel kinda tired, a little bit of a cough, but no problems breathing or anything. Should be able to at least knock a couple hof flicks out in the next couple days until I figure out how long I'm actually going to be out of work.
Get well soon
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Geez is like 3 or 4 people in this HoF who had/have covid? That stuff is spreading! Best wishes JJ & happy movie watching
COVID is spreading virtually through this Hall. We better disband it before more people catch it.