The Personal Recommendation Hall of Fame II

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Very cool that you liked the The Right Stuff @cricket When I seen it was chose for you I wasn't sure if you would really like it, but I suspected you'd respect it. I've only seen it once and like 20 years ago. I do remember liking it quite a bit AND I'm very interested in the early space efforts. I need to watch The Right Stuff again one of these days.
It's over 3 hours but it's an easy watch. Everything was so cool like how the guys were picked to the training to how they presented themselves and got along. Everything really.



It's over 3 hours but it's an easy watch. Everything was so cool like how the guys were picked to the training to how they presented themselves and got along. Everything really.
I've seen a couple of documentaries & dramas about the Mercury and Apollo missions, most of those were 4/5 really good stuff.
From the Earth to the Moon is a 12 part mini series that told the Apollo mission from different perspectives AND different directors did the different segments. Worth watching if you liked The Right Stuff.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
The Right Stuff

I was 12 when this came out and I can remember how big of a movie it was. It must have been based on critical acclaim though because I was just shocked to read that it was a box office flop. It must've had something to do with the over 3 hour running time, which is probably why it took until now for me to see it. The movie I just watched looked to me like an enormous crowd pleaser. As far as true stories go, think Titanic except better.


I haven't seen The Right Stuff in years, but I remember it being a very good movie. I had no idea that it was a flop at the box office.


The deep cast is really good with the standouts being Ed Harris as John Glenn and Scott Glenn as Alan Shepard. It also stars Sam Shepard, Dennis Quaid, Fred Ward, Barbara Hershey, Jeff Goldblum, Lance Henriksen, and more.
Does anyone else think it's strange that some of the actors' last names match the last names of some of the characters? I know it's just a coincidence, but it just kind of jumped out at me when I read that paragraph.
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Does anyone else think it's strange that some of the actors' last names match the last names of some of the characters? I know it's just a coincidence, but it just kind of jumped out at me when I read that paragraph.
Oh yea it threw me off, not that it takes much.



The Right Stuff



I was 12 when this came out and I can remember how big of a movie it was. It must have been based on critical acclaim though because I was just shocked to read that it was a box office flop. It must've had something to do with the over 3 hour running time, which is probably why it took until now for me to see it. The movie I just watched looked to me like an enormous crowd pleaser. As far as true stories go, think Titanic except better.



For anyone who doesn't know, it's about the early days of the space program, and in case Miss Vicky doesn't know, it's from the same director as Quills. The deep cast is really good with the standouts being Ed Harris as John Glenn and Scott Glenn as Alan Shepard. It also stars Sam Shepard, Dennis Quaid, Fred Ward, Barbara Hershey, Jeff Goldblum, Lance Henriksen, and more. This movie really succeeded at showing the danger to the test pilots/astronauts as well as the wonderment of it all. I thought it was involving and entertaining from start to finish and it was another home run nomination for me.

Glad you liked it because if you didn't, 3 hours of a bad movie can seem like an eternity. I promise to find you a short(er) one next time.



Glad you liked it because if you didn't, 3 hours of a bad movie can seem like an eternity. I promise to find you a short(er) one next time.
I don't mind at all for these because I'm interested in everything on the lists. Doing on my own is a different story, I need a kick in the ass.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
watched Spartacus tonight. Pretty impressive film. I should be getting a review up in the next day or so
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For anyone who doesn't know, it's about the early days of the space program, and in case Miss Vicky doesn't know, it's from the same director as Quills.
I’ve had very mixed experiences with Kaufman movies so his involvement in a film isn’t a selling point for me. I love Quills and enjoyed Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but absolutely hated The Unbearable Lightness of Being.




The Awful Truth

Never considered myself a fan of old comedies but having now seen two for this HoF I'm beginning to come around on them a little. There isn't much to The Awful Truth in terms of story, a couple, going through a divorce, try to sabotage the others newest romantic interests. Pretty simple and the movie is clearly broke down into 4 acts: The divorce, her romance, his romance and the end.

The third act was my favorite and I wish it had more screen time. Irene Dunne invading a dinner party pretending to be Cary Grant's floozy sister Lola in an attempt to ruin his relationship with a rich socialite, was the highlight of the movie. That scene was fantastic and is where I thought both Dunne and Grant were at their best - her performance and his reactions to her performance.

While it was a small role the Aunt had some really good one liners and how could I not mention Mr. Smith, that little S.O.B was fabulous as well.

As the movie progressed I kept thinking the same thing: These two are perfect for each other. The awful truth... Recommending comedies is always a risky affair. If they don't grab you early it's easy to lose interest. I'm happy to say the The Awful Truth had me chuckling from the first scene on.



I started Ordinary People yesterday, but had an emergency with my cat and couldn't concentrate enough to finish it afterwards. I'll try to finish it tonight.



I started Ordinary People yesterday, but had an emergency with my cat and couldn't concentrate enough to finish it afterwards. I'll try to finish it tonight.
Hope all is well with the kitty. Ours has been more or less back to normal since his last incident.



Hope all is well with the kitty. Ours has been more or less back to normal since his last incident.
He seems to be okay this morning. He's diabetic and I think his blood sugar got too low. He fell off of his cat tree and seemed really dazed. I gave him Karo syrup and some food and he perked up. I'm taking him in to the office with me today.

Glad to hear your kitty is doing better.






Ordinary People (Robert Redford, 1980)
Imdb

Date Watched: 12/10/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The Personal Recommendation Hall of Fame II, nominated by Siddon? (I'm guessing)
Rewatch: No.


I don't have a whole lot to say about this one. I thought the film was pretty solid overall, but sometimes it started to feel like an overly long and not especially effective advertisement for therapy. Although I related on some level to Conrad's struggles, something about his attitude for much of the film prevented me from truly connecting with him and the movie.

Another huge obstacle to my enjoyment of the film was Mary Tyler Moore's "Beth." Kudos to Moore for turning in a very convincing performance of that superficial, ice cold c*** that is the character, but damn I wanted to punch her so bad.

The one strong point of the film that did affect me though was Donald Sutherland's turn as "Calvin" - the husband and father who struggles to keep his crumbling family together while also struggling with the realization that his love for his wife isn't what it used to be. I felt very strongly for his character and it was the one thing that really kept me from getting bored and gave some balance to how much I despised Beth.

I do have to acknowledge though that this film was not watched under optimal conditions. Due to circumstances in my own life, I had to watch it in pieces and that probably contributed some to my struggle to engage. I do think it's probably a better movie than I'm giving it credit for. It's unlikely that I will revisit it before I vote, but I will try to keep factor that in when I consider my rankings.

+



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Night Moves



I’ve watched one Kelly Reichardt film before, Meek’s Cutoff, which I wasn’t that keen on. Still, I was interested to see this film and to see more from the women directors list in general, so in that respect it was a good nomination for me.

Even after finishing this I’m not sure what to think of it. There were parts of it that were very good and worked well and other parts that didn’t so much. Its deliberately a very quiet sort of film with long takes of long silences, some of which worked well, like the lingering view of the faces of the three of them as they drive away in the truck after leaving the dam. Others not so much like the way the camera pans all the way round Jesse Eisenberg’s room before reaching him sat on his bed the next day. Parts of it were quite tense, especially when they are actually carrying out their explosive plan. I also liked the scene of Dena trying to get the fertilizer.

I didn’t like the dialogue. It felt definitely unscripted, as if they were making it up as they went along but also not quite effortlessly naturalistic and it made me cringe a little. I wasn’t completely convinced by Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of the main character. I get that he’s a closed off sort of a guy, but despite some of his actions later on there wasn’t that much development or insight – I don’t know whether that’s an acting issue or a writing issue though to be honest.

I felt that it went downhill in the last third or so of the film. It lost any tension, even when it should have been even more, and I don’t quite understand the significance of the ending. I guess the mirror representing some kind of surveillance and him thinking people are watching him, but I don’t think it was particularly well conveyed. I don’t generally think there has to be a ‘point’ to movies, sometimes the atmosphere or even the visual aesthetic can be the point, but I wasn’t really sure what this film was trying to say in the end.



Night Moves


I’ve watched one Kelly Reichardt film before, Meek’s Cutoff, which I wasn’t that keen on. Still, I was interested to see this film and to see more from the women directors list in general, so in that respect it was a good nomination for me.
I'm a big fan of Kelly Reicnhardt's. I've seen all of her films except her latest, First Cow (2019). I'm not sure why I haven't caught that one yet,? I'm probably to busy watching movies for this and HoFs...I can definitely agree with a lot of what you said about Night Moves. It's a quiet, non formulaic film. Even though I thought it to be very effective and unique, I can agree that the 1st and 2nd parts were the most effective. Especially in the aftermath of blowing up the damn. In that moment the film transcends the typically movie and makes one feel what could've been in one's life if they made such a stupid mistake as these people did. I like then how the film shows the people involved unraveling in their psyche as the weight of their consequences come clear.

I wrote a short review that sums up what I'm trying to say here, Night Moves



I finally watched Ordinary People about a year ago after always being interested and I thought it was pretty good. I liked The Awful Truth and just thought Night Moves was ok. Good job folks!



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Every time I see The Awful Truth mentioned I have to pause a moment on whether or not I've seen it. I often get the premise mixed up with Grant's The Philadelphia Story and realize: nope, I haven't but would love to. Having enjoyed quite a number of Grant films, especially his comedic endeavors as well as a fan of Irene Dunne.

Have not seen Ordinary People as of yet nor Night Moves.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé



Spartacus

Gracchus: This republic of ours is something like a rich widow. Most Romans love her as their mother but Crassus dreams of marrying the old girl to put it politely.

Directed by Stanley Kubrick (who, after the completion of this film, made sure he always kept full control over all aspects of his movies) and the screenplay written by Dalton Trumbo (who was still blacklisted at the time, Kirk Douglas spoke up so that Trumbo got actual credit for his writing), and with a run time of just over 3 hours, Spartacus is quite the epic film.

For many this is a Kirk Douglas film. Being the lead, Spartacus; for me, it is the impressive list of those that share screen time and the characters that they portray. Starting with Peter Ustinov as the slave trader that buys Spartacus to be trained as Gladiator. I've been endeared to Ustinov since I was a little kid when he voiced Prince John in Disney's Robin Hood. Followed very quickly by Charles Laughton playing the crafty Senator, Gracchus. Some of my favorite dialogue comes from these two gentlemen.
Along with them is Laurence Olivier (Crassus) who unknowingly sets Spartacus forward in his revolt against Rome itself. Playing Spartacus' wife, Varinia is a very noble and enchanting Jean Simmons. And lastly, Tony Curtis as Antoninus, a poet that joins Spartacus' revolt.

For such a lengthy film time I had originally expected to have to break my viewing into at least two sections but found myself shooting through the entire film in one sitting. Growing more and more impressed as the story progressed. Even more so by the ending, which I was completely ignorant of.

Once more I am truly thankful for whomever made it possible to see another Must See! Film of such a grandiose proportions.
THANK YOU