The 13TH Hall of Fame

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The Three Musketeers (Richard Lester, 1973)
Imdb

Date Watched: 04/20/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 13th HOF, Edarsenal's Nomination
Rewatch: No.


I don't mind silliness in movies - hell, I've got Encino Man in my personal top 100 - but this often felt like I was watching a bad Mel Brooks knockoff (not that I'm a fan of Brooks, either). Upon doing a little research, I discovered that it was originally intended to star The Beatles, which I think explains at least some of the film's lunacy. Regardless, the humor just didn't work for me. This was due in large part to the fact that, with the exception of Oliver Reed's Athos, I found the characters incredibly irritating and none moreso than Michael York's D'Artagnan. I actually cringed whenever he was on the screen.

I do have to give some credit to the set and costume design though (and it is mostly for this that I give the movie its rating). The film looked great and I do appreciate a good period piece. I also liked the basic idea of the story, though how faithful it was to the source I don't know. I've never actually read Alexandre Dumas' book nor seen another film adaptation of it (unless you count The Man in the Iron Mask). Were this version to have taken the attempt at humor down a couple of notches and gone at least a slightly more serious route I might've actually enjoyed myself, but as it was I found it to be a bit of a chore to get through.

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I might rewatch The Three Musketeers sooner than planned considering how many people have watched it lately.

I know the 1993 Disney version much better, and honestly I think I've even seen that terrible Musketeer film more times than the 1973 film. So it's something I probably should've rewatched awhile ago, instead of just repeatedly watching worse versions (though I do actually like the Disney film quite a bit).



Out of the three I mentioned it's definitely considered the best one. I don't really know anything about the older films though, or what people tend to make of them.



I just watched Captain Fantastic. Write-up coming later. I get the feeling that this is going to be one of those HoFs where I'm going to have a hard time deciding on an order for my ballot.



Legend in my own mind


Nightmare Alley (1947)

Another of the nominations that I had never heard of. I didn't know what on earth it was about and couldn't really obtain a lot from the title.

So I kept an open mind and jumped right in.
The film starts with a group of people that work on a travelling carnival, and there is one young ambitious employee Stanton Carlisle (Tyrone Power). Who is fairly new to the job but has desires to make it to the top.

I struggled to really engage with the film, whilst appreciating it's quality. I did find my thoughts wandering throughout and at times it took real effort to focus on the film.



What I liked

Acting - For the most part the acting was good with me only having a few issues throughout. Power commanded the screen and gave a good performance and really led from the front in terms of performance.

Set - I think the set for the film was great. This was especially true of the scenes at the carnival. What I could see and hear, had me convinced that I was indeed looking in at a group of show people that worked at a travelling show.

Intrigue -- I felt that I was continually trying to guess what was going to happen next, and what certain characters agendas were etc. I didn't find it overly predictable and it maintained a level of uncertainty throughout.

Lessons - There are plenty of lessons to be learned from the story that is told in the film. There is a life lesson or two for all of us within it.



What I didn't like
There were parts of the film that had me shaking my head, One scene in particular involves 'Stan' and a Police officer/Marshall, and it had me laughing at how ridiculous I felt that it was.
I felt at times the pace was a bit slow and these were the times that I found my attention drifting.
Maybe, I wasn't in the right frame of mind (I feel ok) or something but it just seemed to lack any excitement.



Summary
I just don't think that this film was my bag. It was ok and it did a lot of things well, but I can't think of anything that I would say that it did more than well. The acting was largely good, the film looked ok, the plot was good, if a bit far fetched. There was only one character that I felt any kind of warmth for.
It was good, but not great for me.


__________________
"I don't want to be a product of my environment, I want my environment to be a product of me" (Frank Costello)





Captain Fantastic
(2016)

Dir. Matt Ross
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, George MacKay, Annalise Basso

Captain Fantastic features a lot of commentary on modern society, particularly on capitalism, education, organized religion, and parenting which could easily become overbearing if done wrong, but luckily it's presented in a very amusing and entertaining way...most of the time, at least. There are some moments that are quite cringe-worthy, and the whole last half of the film struggles to reach the bar set by the first, but as a whole I found the film to be incredibly charming, witty, and thoroughly engaging.

Viggo Mortensen is really the driving force behind this film, so your enjoyment of it will probably hinge on whether or not you feel compelled by his character. I personally thought his performance was outstanding, but I'm a fairly big fan of his so you can take that with a grain of salt. He clearly wants the best for his children, but his execution is inherently flawed, which is a lesson he learns the hard way over the course of the film. Ben's kids are highly educated in a variety of subjects, but lack the ability to socialize outside their small familial circle, or to integrate into the outside world at all. He has given his children important tools (such as knowledge and self-discipline), which with they can become successful adults, but not everything in life can be learned from the pages of a book.

This was a very beautiful looking film, and I like how it opens incredibly quietly, and then ends silently as well (before the music for the end credits starts to play that is). If you haven't seen the film, you should stop reading now because I'm briefly going to comment on the film's conclusion. To me, it didn't so much feel like a compromise, but rather a logical, and much healthier progression of how the family started. It's a far more balanced, less-radical situation, that's trying to blend the best aspects of their world with those of the more conventional. While it's nice to see that Ben learned from his mistakes and that his children are hopefully going to lead better lives now, it did seem overly sentimental, and like it was taking the easy route out instead of ending with a dramatic punch. I did still very much enjoy the film though, and its easily one of my favourites from 2016.
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The Quiet Earth (1985).....*SPOILERS*


Sorry @Clazor I just flat out disliked this one. I loved your last nom in the 12th, City of Lost Children...and I'm a huge sci fi fan, but didn't care for this one.I had seen it before too, about 25 ago, so at least I'm glad to have a chance to seen it again.

This was silly, the film had next to nothing to say. It's main claim to fame is that it shows us all the things a person could do if you were the last person in the world...such as: drive cars really fast, drive farm equipment through buildings, collect artwork, shoot at a statue of Jesus, wear a slip and blow up stuff. None of that was food for the brain. I like to be challenged by a movie or at least care about the characters. I didn't care about anyone in this, especially the lead guy who was like watching paint dry.

The scene where a person walks on the wall, was ridiculously tacked on for eye candy effect. It wasn't incorporated into the story, nor did it move the movie forward or contribute anything other than just being filler space. In fact that's what most of this movie is filler scenes.

The editing wasn't great, especially in the scene where he first has the girl back at his place. Watch that scene carefully, the edits between the camera shots are erratic.

The Quiet Earth
reminded me of another sci fi film, The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959) though that one was not only much more cinematic, but much more thought provoking.

I love 80s sci fi, even B budget movies as long as they have something going on with them, there was nothing engaging in this one. The one cool thing about The Quiet Earth is the movie poster.




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Hi guys, i meant to watch these pictures in order of how @Camo listed them on page 1 but i just can't get thru Manchester by the Sea. I mean I saw that but it is sooo depressing. I'm gonna try to watch something more cheerful for now like Three Musketeers or i'll see. Definitely this weekend i will watch another feature.
__________________
You can call it the art of fighting without fighting.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
The Beatles? Damn, as much as i love them that would have been nuts and probably bad.

Is the 73 version generally thought of as the best? Just wondering as i said i don't think i've seen any other live action adaptations.
I'm not really sure if there is an official best of, though I have heard that 73's version and its sequel (The Four Musketeers which were all shot at once) is the closest to the Dumas' story.
As a kid I do remember how it was measured by 1948 Release with Gene Kelly, but then that is the course for remakes/retellings.

In regards to the comedy used, (this is purely a self-perception) that over the decades previously, there had been such a deluge of period, swashbuckling movies that there may have been that part of the cycle of appreciation that drifted toward viewing it in a more farcical light. Camo makes an excellent comparison to Monty Python.
Again, this is simply my own wild assumption; hell, it could be merely a marketing idea to bring in the crowds to the theater. The initial trailer did showcase both the pageantry AND the comedy when it came out.
__________________
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



Legend in my own mind


Forbidden Games (1952)

Yet another that I had never heard of or knew anything about before I watched it. I suspected it would be in French due to the poster being in French, but that was about it.

I have just finished watching this film and I have all kinds of thoughts and feelings about it.
It was simple,complex, enchanting, weird, dark, funny, moving, happy, sad and so much more, in less than 90 minutes.
I am struggling to find what my over riding opinion is. The film has a real purity to it.
Whatever words I eventually get to, in order to sum up my thoughts on this film, they will be positive.

The film starts with a girl and her family trying to get out of Paris as it is under attack from the German bombers.


The two main characters in the film are children, Michel and Paulette.

What I particularly liked
The Characters - The characters were an absolute joy. The film is carried by the two main characters of Michel and Paulette. They are an absolute joy to behold. I found the relationship and dynamic between these two kids to be utterly charming. They are naive and don't fully realise how inappropriate some of their actions are, but they share a special friendship. Brigitte Fossey and Georges Poujouly who play the roles are excellent.

The story - Any good film rises and falls on the strength of it's story. This is a simple story with a great deal of complexity running through it. It is superbly told and from the first scene, I was transported into the story and it was almost tangible.



What I didn't like
There is not a lot that I didn't like about this film at all. There were a couple of bits where I thought "That is not realistic", but unusually for me, I really didn't care about it. It was like they didn't matter as they were a side point anyway, that only existed to highlight the heart of the story.



Summary
I have found myself surprised at how much I enjoyed and was affected by this film.
It has left me with many feelings and that is key for me, as I want films to make me feel.
I was genuinely sad when this film ended, as I had to leave the world that I had been enjoying for the previous 85 minutes or so.

I loved the experience of watching this film.

Thanks for nominating it Jeff






Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring


I'm glad this was nominated since it was already on my watchlist. I had high hopes with all the praise I've heard the over last few years. Unfortunately, I was disappointed.

I liked how it was going for a while as it was great to get a look at the monk lifestyle. The old monk's manner of teaching was very interesting. It got even more interesting when the girl came into the picture. I hoped the love story versus the religious aspect would be a major part of the movie. It completely lost me upon the young monk's arrival back, as I actually thought it got silly in parts. Speaking of the young monk, he was a character I never liked or cared for. I did like the old monk, and I thought his last scene was the most powerful of the film. I thought they were father and son but I guess not?

As much as I loved the setting, I thought the look of the movie was surprisingly average. I expected beautiful cinematography and I honestly didn't see any. With the exception of the old monk, I didn't think there were any good performances. There's a lot of symbolism, but I didn't know what any of it meant without looking it up. I didn't think the movie was especially artistic or deep. The animal cruelty is certainly a turn off, although I'm not going to judge the movie based on that. There was enough I liked about the movie that kept me from disliking it, but that's about it.




Legend in my own mind


The great dictator (1940)

I know that this film was one of my Grandfathers favourites and that my own Father also was also a fan.
I have never seen it before (apart from the speech) but realise that Charlie Chaplin is held in such high esteem by so many people. I cannot recall seeing much of his work before, whilst always being aware of it's status.



I am so glad that this film was nominated and that I have now watched it.

What I appreciated
The Comedy - This film was funny in so many ways. It is however important to say at this point that I don't find anything about Hitler or the Nazi party funny at all, but this is more about the way that Chaplin set's about trying to undermine Hitler. The film was released in 1940 and Chaplin later said that if he had realised the full horrors of Hitler and the Nazis, he wouldn't have considered it funny, and that he wouldn't have made the film The slapstick, the dialogue and the situational comedy,was all very funny. It was subtle and times and blatant at others, sometimes it was simple and other times it was really quite intelligent. I really appreciated the humour within this film, it was really well done and was present throughout.

The message - This is a really ballsy film and had a huge impact in many ways upon it's release. Chaplin is openly mocking Hitler in this film, but it is worth acknowledging that when the film started filming in 1938, Hitler wasn't yet viewed by many as the ruthless, evil person that we now know him to be. Chaplin was onto him though and plenty of the things that the film focuses on indicate that Chaplin could already see what many more would come to know. The film was progressive and seems meant as a personal insult to Hitler himself. Chaplin didn't hold back and without giving too much away, the Character that Chaplin plays in this, is yet another act of insult and defiance towards Hitler.
In some countries the film was banned and even caused Chaplin issues within the United states, resulting in problems for him and many believe it contributed to his long exile.
I admire the blatant open, honest stand that Chaplin made with this film. And then there is THE speech...



Summary
This is a powerful, funny film with great messages at it's core. Messages that run throughout the film, but also the sheer defiance in the making of the film and the courage of Chaplin to use his influence to openly insult the man and the regime that spread a message of hate and fear. I would recommend everyone to watch this film.




Legend in my own mind
Truly enjoyed your review, @Sarge! You really connected with the soul of the movie and what Chaplin was looking to do with it. BRAVO!
Thanks. It really resonated with me and I was as impressed with the driving force behind the film as much as the film itself.



Dead Poet's Society


I don't exactly remember when it was that I had previously seen this movie for the only time. It was somewhere between 20 and 25 years ago during my drinking days when I had different taste. I hardly remembered anything about the movie, except what I thought about it. I remember thinking it was ok but overrated. My opinion has changed.

I thought the movie started out well, but it got much better for me as the individual stories of a couple of the boys became more of a focus. This made the movie more personal for me, rather than the beginning when I had more of a nostalgic feeling. It's kind of dramatic how the movie shifts from feel good to upsetting, although I think there's plenty of merit to both halves. I don't think the movie is as profound as some of it's biggest supporters seem to think, but I do think there's still plenty of nobility and meaning to it's message.

I think Robin Williams was an amazing talent. I always found him to have a beautiful aura about him, and he was perfect for this role. Most of the boys also gave fantastic performances. The movie is beautifully filmed and has an appropriate musical score. It's a strong combination of good natured and tragic, and I think that's something that's hard to pull off. I didn't think it was quite brilliant, but I feel that it has this special quality about it that is hard to define. I'm very happy that I got the impetus to watch it again.




Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Thanks. It really resonated with me and I was as impressed with the driving force behind the film as much as the film itself.
been a fan of Chaplin since I was a tiny tot. Always loved the "magic" of performances and its actually been a while since I saw this.
If you're interested, there's 2 of his shorts in the Shorts HoF going on right now, should it have put you in the mood for a little more of him.

Regardless, very happy to hear how much you enjoyed it.



I've nearly finished my write-up for Wings of Desire. I'm warning you guys in advance: it is less of a review and more of a thematic dissection of the slower first half of the film.

Since that's the part of the film most people tend to struggle with, I think it deserves the most attention. It's spoiler-free as far as plot goes (though it's hard to spoil plot that doesn't happen), but since it is my personal interpretation of the film, you may want to watch it first if you're worried that reading it may influence your viewing.