Personal Recommendation Hall of Fame VI
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Have not seen Nomadland and only know of it and am unsure if I'd venture to see it, though I do love Frances McDormand. It would take an HoF to see it for me.
Raising Arizona was one of my first Coen Brothers. It took a few viewings to assimilate to their style and become a fanboy of them and come to enjoy this Convict/Cop marriage looking to have a baby and deciding to take an extra one from a rich guy with six of them. Being an earlier Coen Brothers, along with their signature elements, it's a bit rawer than their future, more polished endeavors. And that is in no way a critique or slight, just a simple observation.
Regarding True Grit, I am a John Wayne guy with the most films on my voting list for Western Countdown. I grew up with him, and since being here, I finally experienced so many early roles of his. The role of Rooster Cogburn and the lead in The Cowboys are drenched in nostalgia and love. So you must understand that when I say an extraordinary thing, for myself as well. Coen's remake squeaked it's way above that I even had it on my Western Countdown list.
Spent the afternoon watching Secrets & Lies and will get a review out probably tomorrow. A hard but rewarding watch.
And very curious to read Cosmic's thoughts on Black Narcissus.
Raising Arizona was one of my first Coen Brothers. It took a few viewings to assimilate to their style and become a fanboy of them and come to enjoy this Convict/Cop marriage looking to have a baby and deciding to take an extra one from a rich guy with six of them. Being an earlier Coen Brothers, along with their signature elements, it's a bit rawer than their future, more polished endeavors. And that is in no way a critique or slight, just a simple observation.
Regarding True Grit, I am a John Wayne guy with the most films on my voting list for Western Countdown. I grew up with him, and since being here, I finally experienced so many early roles of his. The role of Rooster Cogburn and the lead in The Cowboys are drenched in nostalgia and love. So you must understand that when I say an extraordinary thing, for myself as well. Coen's remake squeaked it's way above that I even had it on my Western Countdown list.
Spent the afternoon watching Secrets & Lies and will get a review out probably tomorrow. A hard but rewarding watch.
And very curious to read Cosmic's thoughts on Black Narcissus.
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A Man And A Woman:
Finished it off with a pretty strong one. I would definitely like to see another transfer of this because I think the cinematography is the strongest part of the storytelling here. It really drives it, with its close-ups and focus on the protagonists trades. I love that there is a lot of time spent with no dialogue and the way it stays focused on mundane moments for long periods. I love directors who aren’t afraid to make us linger in the minds of the characters when other movies would edit us along quickly.
This is a really good movie that I’m glad I saw.
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That was a nice pick for me in a different Personal Rec and I thought it was a good choice for you as well.
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A Man And A Woman:
Finished it off with a pretty strong one. I would definitely like to see another transfer of this because I think the cinematography is the strongest part of the storytelling here. It really drives it, with its close-ups and focus on the protagonists trades. I love that there is a lot of time spent with no dialogue and the way it stays focused on mundane moments for long periods. I love directors who aren’t afraid to make us linger in the minds of the characters when other movies would edit us along quickly...
Finished it off with a pretty strong one. I would definitely like to see another transfer of this because I think the cinematography is the strongest part of the storytelling here. It really drives it, with its close-ups and focus on the protagonists trades. I love that there is a lot of time spent with no dialogue and the way it stays focused on mundane moments for long periods. I love directors who aren’t afraid to make us linger in the minds of the characters when other movies would edit us along quickly...
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Congratulations Sean, you are the 1st member to finish!
As the first member to finish, you have won-
As the first member to finish, you have won-
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A Man And A Woman:
Finished it off with a pretty strong one. I would definitely like to see another transfer of this because I think the cinematography is the strongest part of the storytelling here. It really drives it, with its close-ups and focus on the protagonists trades. I love that there is a lot of time spent with no dialogue and the way it stays focused on mundane moments for long periods. I love directors who aren’t afraid to make us linger in the minds of the characters when other movies would edit us along quickly.
This is a really good movie that I’m glad I saw.
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Another movie I've not heard of but sounds like my type of film. PR7
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Congratulations Sean, you are the 1st member to finish!
As the first member to finish, you have won-
As the first member to finish, you have won-
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By far the fastest anyone has ever completed one of these I would believe.
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A Man And A Woman:
Finished it off with a pretty strong one. I would definitely like to see another transfer of this because I think the cinematography is the strongest part of the storytelling here. It really drives it, with its close-ups and focus on the protagonists trades. I love that there is a lot of time spent with no dialogue and the way it stays focused on mundane moments for long periods. I love directors who aren’t afraid to make us linger in the minds of the characters when other movies would edit us along quickly.
This is a really good movie that I’m glad I saw.
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Most Biblical movies were long If I Recall.
seen A Clockwork Orange. In all honesty, the movie was weird and silly
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There's a movie I really want to see that I'm shocked nobody has picked for me yet. It's not on the British, Cannes, Docs, Directed by Women, or Foreign Language Oscar Winner lists. Maybe next time?!?!
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So, I'm trying to write something about Black Narcissus and I failed so badly to spell "phenomenal" correctly, that not even auto-correct knew what I was trying to write. 
I'm not joking that it took about 20 different tries to get auto-correct to suggest the right word. I was seconds away from using a different adjective. At least when I consistently screw up "millennium", auto-correct knows what I mean right away haha.
I'm not joking that it took about 20 different tries to get auto-correct to suggest the right word. I was seconds away from using a different adjective. At least when I consistently screw up "millennium", auto-correct knows what I mean right away haha.
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So, I'm trying to write something about Black Narcissus and I failed so badly to spell "phenomenal" correctly, that not even auto-correct knew what I was trying to write.
I'm not joking that it took about 20 different tries to get auto-correct to suggest the right word. I was seconds away from using a different adjective. At least when I consistently screw up "millennium", auto-correct knows what I mean right away haha.
I'm not joking that it took about 20 different tries to get auto-correct to suggest the right word. I was seconds away from using a different adjective. At least when I consistently screw up "millennium", auto-correct knows what I mean right away haha.
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Black Narcissus (1947)
Directed by: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Starring: Deborah Kerr, Kathleen Byron, David Farrar
Black Narcissus is without a doubt a fantastic looking film. The colours are vivid, and the matte paintings are simply gorgeous to look at. It doesn't matter that the landscapes don't look photo-realistic, because the ethereal quality they possess serve to elevate the film's hauntingly beautiful atmosphere. I can't even imagine how stunning the whole thing must've looked to audiences in 1947. The story itself was interesting as well, and it's practically a masterclass on how effective suggestion can be, in lieu of explicating stating the obvious.
The cinematography is likewise phenomenal. The close-ups in particular were great, especially those of Sister Ruth as she becomes progressively more unhinged. They were lit differently than the other scenes, which made them even more visually striking. I also appreciated the constant juxtaposition between the sensual palace artwork and the conservative nuns and their religious artefacts. Some shots appeared to use a scale model, and it too looked fantastic.
With the exception of May Hallatt's shrill screeching, the performances in the film were really good, though Jean Simmons should've been recast, or her role cut completely. She looked ridiculous in that brown-face make-up, and didn't have any speaking lines anyway. Esmond Knight as the General looked even worse, but at least he was only in one scene. His son was thankfully played by an appropriate actor, who I think did a great job as well, but I was just so enthralled by his beautiful, shiny clothing that it makes me wonder if I might've been a crow in a previous life.
The cinematography is likewise phenomenal. The close-ups in particular were great, especially those of Sister Ruth as she becomes progressively more unhinged. They were lit differently than the other scenes, which made them even more visually striking. I also appreciated the constant juxtaposition between the sensual palace artwork and the conservative nuns and their religious artefacts. Some shots appeared to use a scale model, and it too looked fantastic.
With the exception of May Hallatt's shrill screeching, the performances in the film were really good, though Jean Simmons should've been recast, or her role cut completely. She looked ridiculous in that brown-face make-up, and didn't have any speaking lines anyway. Esmond Knight as the General looked even worse, but at least he was only in one scene. His son was thankfully played by an appropriate actor, who I think did a great job as well, but I was just so enthralled by his beautiful, shiny clothing that it makes me wonder if I might've been a crow in a previous life.
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There's a movie I really want to see that I'm shocked nobody has picked for me yet. It's not on the British, Cannes, Docs, Directed by Women, or Foreign Language Oscar Winner lists. Maybe next time?!?!
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So, I'm trying to write something about Black Narcissus and I failed so badly to spell "phenomenal" correctly, that not even auto-correct knew what I was trying to write.
I'm not joking that it took about 20 different tries to get auto-correct to suggest the right word. I was seconds away from using a different adjective. At least when I consistently screw up "millennium", auto-correct knows what I mean right away haha.
I'm not joking that it took about 20 different tries to get auto-correct to suggest the right word. I was seconds away from using a different adjective. At least when I consistently screw up "millennium", auto-correct knows what I mean right away haha.
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Raising Arizona (1987)
All this time I never knew what movie Hey Fredrick's avatar came from...Now, I'll always think of him as H.I.
For years I've been hearing about Raising Arizona but knew nothing about it, so image my surprise when I seen that it was a Coen Brothers movie. I usually have high praise for the Coens, but mixed with some criticism of their more, uhmm, colorful choices.
First off I should say I liked this. I laughed, I liked Nic Cage I usually do...Holly Hunter was as cute as a button and John Goodman was good too though not as cute. Mostly I loved the set choices the Coen's used: the single wide trailer set in the middle of nowhere in the Arizona desert gave the film a good vige. I loved the interior of that trailer with it's cheap & ugly carpet and the early 1980s wooden framed furniture...add to that Nic Cage's loud & trashy clothes and that hair-do! All that detail made the film unique and that's a Coen Brothers trademark.
The characters were fun and interesting. I thought the script was creative and I liked the story. Occasionally when the script tried to be overly funny it didn't work for me but that didn't happen much. What I didn't like is: what I don't like in most Coen Brother films...when they include over the top elements...I did not need the biker bounty hunter, I thought that was too silly and not needed. But the film redeems itself with a really satisfying ending and that's something most movies blow but Raising Arizona got it right.
Glad to have watched this and if it wasn't chose by Hey Fredrick I'll be shocked.
For years I've been hearing about Raising Arizona but knew nothing about it, so image my surprise when I seen that it was a Coen Brothers movie. I usually have high praise for the Coens, but mixed with some criticism of their more, uhmm, colorful choices.
First off I should say I liked this. I laughed, I liked Nic Cage I usually do...Holly Hunter was as cute as a button and John Goodman was good too though not as cute. Mostly I loved the set choices the Coen's used: the single wide trailer set in the middle of nowhere in the Arizona desert gave the film a good vige. I loved the interior of that trailer with it's cheap & ugly carpet and the early 1980s wooden framed furniture...add to that Nic Cage's loud & trashy clothes and that hair-do! All that detail made the film unique and that's a Coen Brothers trademark.
The characters were fun and interesting. I thought the script was creative and I liked the story. Occasionally when the script tried to be overly funny it didn't work for me but that didn't happen much. What I didn't like is: what I don't like in most Coen Brother films...when they include over the top elements...I did not need the biker bounty hunter, I thought that was too silly and not needed. But the film redeems itself with a really satisfying ending and that's something most movies blow but Raising Arizona got it right.
Glad to have watched this and if it wasn't chose by Hey Fredrick I'll be shocked.
Glad you liked it. Its my no. 1 comedy of all time. I didn't recommend it though.
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