The Personal Recommendation Hall of Fame II

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I disagree that it's pure horror.
Many would agree with you. I agree with the director.

The fact that it was initially a nominee in the ill-fated original Comedy HOF tells me that the humor definitely works quite well for some other people.
It was kicked out for not being a comedy. Oh wait, I did that



Women will be your undoing, Pépé



Cabaret

Brian Roberts: How's the, uh, gigolo campaign going?
Fritz Wendel: Terrible. This week, already I'm giving up three dinner invitations to spend thirty-two marks on her.
Brian Roberts: That's quite a sacrifice.
Fritz Wendel: And here's the craziness: I like it. God damn it!
Brian Roberts: What?
Fritz Wendel: I think I'm falling in love with her.
Brian Roberts: Oh, I'm so sorry.
Fritz Wendel: So am I.

Life is a cabaret old chum
so come to the cabaret

Watching the first episode of the mini-series Fosse/Verdon last night it featured some behind the scenes situations regarding this nomination so I just had to watch it today.

A sublime, melancholy film who's inner pain is given a kind of mercurial haven within the colorfully raunchy stage productions of the local Kit Kat Klub.
Reviving a Broadway production that was inspired by the true stories written by Christopher Isherwood about him and close friend, Jean Ross, during the 30's in Germany, Bob Fosse did an excellent vision of a truly dark lit, burlesque club and balanced it with two newly met friends (Liza Minnelli and Michael York) and their own tragic excursions with love. Giving the finale song, Cabaret a more ardent depth and meaning, it is no wonder that anyone of a theatrical nature attempting to pull themselves out from beneath one of life's emotional brutalities will sadly chuckle these words like a hymn.

An antithesis to the normal musical, there is no bright lights, or bright colors with every detail lit up for all to see. The numbers are of a garish nature befitting a small night club and that, I feel, brings even more life to them. Fosse with the un-credited assistance of his wife, Gwen Verdon brings forth a prolific musical that doesn't sugar coat the tragic while giving the broken heart a song it yearns to sing and a spotlight to hide in. albeit with a show must go on smile.

I F@CKIN LOVED IT
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Women will be your undoing, Pépé
That's a brilliant gif too
Fully agree with ya all and yeah, I thought that gif really epitomizes the very heart of it. Being both the opening and the closing of the film.



A Man and a Woman



As I said before, I just discovered this movie in another thread just before the nominations were sent and I put it on my watchlist myself. I didn't realize it was on any MoFo list (Cannes'), or that it was an Academy Award winner (foreign film and screenplay). All of this is great but that doesn't mean it's a good nomination if I don't like it. Well it was a great nomination.

I'm not an expert on French new wave so I don't know if this is part of that. It felt like it was and I haven't seen one in a while, so that was a big factor in the film being a treat for me.

A man and a woman have both loved and tragically lost, they meet, and a new romance blooms. It's beautiful yet full of sorrow. It's hard to move on from grief and it shows. Everything is believable here. The current story is pretty minimalist but the flashbacks are not. I loved how the flashbacks were done; you could tell the characters were thinking back and you would see what they were thinking back of. The total package is very moving. It's a movie you need to feel and I felt it.

I was happy with everything; the performances, dialogue, style, and score. Some scenes were in color and some were in black and white. I believe this was due to budgetary restraints and if so it was a blessing in disguise. My rating is conservative.



Any guesses on who picked it for me?



2022 Mofo Fantasy Football Champ
I watched Cabaret back in 2016 and didn’t have much praise to give it. Somehow I still gave it a
+. I must have been feeling really generous that day.
That seems super generous from you for this movie.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
I watched Finding Neverland last night and enjoyed it. Johnny Depp is really good at playing the offbeat but likeable character that follows his own vision instead of society's. Kate Winslet was likeable too, then again she's usually amiable in most of her films.

What I liked most was the insight into the playwright who penned Peter Pan. Yes it's sentimental, but what in the world is wrong with that? We see so many movies that revolve around the negative, that it's refreshing to see a film that channels more positive emotions.

What intrigued me was the few brief scenes of Peter Pan being performed on stage, that's what I want to see more of!
I had a feeling that you might like Finding Neverland. I'm not a big fan of Johnny Depp, but I think it's one of his best movies. Also I've seen Freddie Highmore in the TV shows "Bates Motel", and "The Good Doctor", so I also loved seeing him when he was so young. He's such a talented young actor.


Have you ever seen Peter Pan (1955) or Peter Pan (1960) both starring Mary Martin? I'm keen to watch those.
I've seen one version of Mary Martin's Peter Pan, but it was along time ago, and I'm not sure which year it was from. As I recall, it was okay, but I didn't love it.

I've also seen a version with Danny Kaye as Captain Hook. (I think it was from the mid-70s.) It has completely different songs, but nothing that stands out. I enjoyed that version mainly because of Danny Kaye. He has a uniqueness to him that makes everything he does worth watching.
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OPEN FLOOR.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
I actually don't dislike Robin Williams per say. It's just in some of his movies he goes way over top...which some folks like and some don't. I use to like him as a talk show guest on late night talk shows. I think in more serious movie roles he could be great. I haven't seen him in much so Good Will Hunting will be a good one for me to watch. I'd also like to see Williams in One Hour Photo, I've heard good things about that one.

I'm not a big fan of either Matt Damon or Ben Affleck, (but I don't dislike either of them), and I love Good Will Hunting. It's my second favorite Robin Williams movie, just behind Dead Poets Society.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
I'm OK with Matt Damon, he seems kinda boring usually. But I suppose for this kind of role that might work out. I did like his movie about people being made small, I forget what it's called.

I haven't seen it, but I think it's called Downsizing.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
The fact that it was initially a nominee in the ill-fated original Comedy HOF tells me that the humor definitely works quite well for some other people.
It was kicked out for not being a comedy. Oh wait, I did that

Actually, the movie that caused the problem in the Comedy HoF was Braindead (also known as Dead Alive), not An American Werewolf in London. I think Swan was the one who nominated An American Werewolf in London, and he wasn't asked to change it. He offered to change it, and I told him not to.



Actually, the movie that caused the problem in the Comedy HoF was Braindead (also known as Dead Alive), not An American Werewolf in London. I think Swan was the one who nominated An American Werewolf in London, and he wasn't asked to change it. He offered to change it, and I told him not to.
Haha the way I remembered it was that I hosted it but that wouldn't have made sense. Nobody could forget the controversy with you and Braindead, but I also remember you not having an issue with American Werewolf because you had already seen it. I ended up getting into a smaller debate about it after your big dust up. 2 different issues for 2 different reasons.



Thursday Next's Avatar
I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
Let the Right One In

Oskar is a lonely boy. No friends, his parents are divorced and hardly interact with him as far as I could tell. He’s bullied. One day he meets what he thinks is a girl, Eli. Eli harbors a secret, one that is both terrifying and sinister.
One that forces Eli into an even lonelier existence.
What developes between is a friendship. They need each other, more then they’re aware of. And they accept each other as they are.
For a vampire film, it isn’t interested in being conventional. Which works for this film. A straight horror film would have been unwise . LTROI is about the emotional bond between the two children, and so it wisely focuses on them. It does remain true to its horror elements, however.
The scenes are wonderfully shot, from the opening snowfall in the dark, to Eli’s eyes mysteriously glowing in the dark before a Oskar turns on the light and we catch a glimpse as they return to normal.
Throughout the film I was struck by this sadness and loneliness with Eli, and wish we could have learned more about Eli’s past.
It’s a good pick, and one I have been wanting to see for a long time now, since it’s first release in fact.
Thank you, I’m guessing...Thursday Next?
It was not my pick for you, but it is an excellent movie and I'm glad you enjoyed it



Haha the way I remembered it was that I hosted it but that wouldn't have made sense. Nobody could forget the controversy with you and Braindead, but I also remember you not having an issue with American Werewolf because you had already seen it. I ended up getting into a smaller debate about it after your big dust up. 2 different issues for 2 different reasons.
Justin hosted it. GBG is correct that Swan chose American Werewolf.

Your nomination, Happiness, was far more disturbing than either of the horror comedies.



A Man and a Woman

I'm not an expert on French new wave so I don't know if this is part of that. It felt like it was and I haven't seen one in a while, so that was a big factor in the film being a treat for me.

A man and a woman have both loved and tragically lost, they meet, and a new romance blooms. It's beautiful yet full of sorrow. It's hard to move on from grief and it shows. Everything is believable here. The current story is pretty minimalist but the flashbacks are not. I loved how the flashbacks were done; you could tell the characters were thinking back and you would see what they were thinking back of. The total package is very moving. It's a movie you need to feel and I felt it.

I was happy with everything; the performances, dialogue, style, and score. Some scenes were in color and some were in black and white. I believe this was due to budgetary restraints and if so it was a blessing in disguise. My rating is conservative.

Any guesses on who picked it for me?
My guess is Siddon picked it for you, as he's both well watched and has diverse film taste.

Man and Woman
sounds like a film I'd liked to have seen chose for me.



Justin hosted it. GBG is correct that Swan chose American Werewolf.

Your nomination, Happiness, was far more disturbing than either of the horror comedies.
Yep I remember it was Swan I was debating about it, but nobody had an issue with American Werewolf's content, just its genre classification.

You like Happiness?