The 12th Hall of Fame

Tools    





Romper Stomper

Great title!...I just wish that in between their romping to abandoned cavernous buildings and stomping immigrants, Russell and the boys would have done some musing on their basic tenants of Skinheadism.

I liked parts of the film and it was surprisingly cinematic, but I wanted more on their back story...To me the most interesting aspect isn't endless fight scenes, it's the peek inside a world most of us won't ever know. I thought the movie was going to open up and give us some insight when he brought out his copy of Mein Kampf, but nothing much was said.

I didn't find Russell Crowe's character all that interesting.
The girl with the pervy-rich dad and the skinhead who lived with his grandmother, were the best characters. Both had some depth to them that made me want to know more about them and actually care what happened to them.

My favorite scene was where the older skinhead sells them them a Nazi knife and Russell Crowe immediately knows it's a Hitler Youth dagger made at the end of the war in 1945 when quality metal was scarce...that scene told me more about his character than the rest of the film.



You've not liked any of the ones you've watched so far, right? Damn, that's unlucky. Hope you like my nom but i'm pretty doubtful even though it has had a pretty good reception so far.



Sad you didn't get more out of it than that, Citizen.

Personally, I think spending much time on their backstories would've killed the film's momentum and wouldn't have had any effect, positive or negative, on my feelings towards the characters and understanding of their motivations. It's a story that is very much in the moment and it works well for me.



I think it would've made me like it less, i have no interest in finding out their motivations in becoming terrible people. Hated those parts in AHX trying to get us to sympathize with the horrible racists.



I agree with Vicky,i liked the fact thats theres not too much focus on that.It also could have turned out way too sappy
The characters where interesting enough (for me) as they were in the moment. I hope you`ll like the ones you have left better than the ones you`ve seen so far though!
__________________
Britney is my favorite



You've not liked any of the ones you've watched so far, right? Damn, that's unlucky. Hope you like my nom but i'm pretty doubtful even though it has had a pretty good reception so far.
So far I haven't found any favorites...But I have my fingers crossed.

Sad you didn't get more out of it than that, Citizen.

Personally, I think spending much time on their backstories would've killed the film's momentum and wouldn't have had any effect, positive or negative, on my feelings towards the characters and understanding of their motivations. It's a story that is very much in the moment and it works well for me.
I did like some of it, the overall premise is very interesting. I'm not a fan of marital arts films and that seems to be the direction they went with the movie, I would have liked more essay, less action.

Some other scenes and aspects I liked such as:

The opening fight scene in a hi-way tunnel reminded me of the beating scene of a homeless man in a tunnel in A Clockwork Orange. I'm pretty sure the director was paying homage to that scene.

Gabe having an ecliptic fit on the floor and no one knowing what to do...with one skinhead stupidly mocking her....was both shocking and effective! That was a powerful scene. I felt bad for her...then when Davey comforted her it made a dynamic between him, her and Hondo...that all was interesting.

Spoiler*** I thought how the scene was shot with Russell Crowe stabbed in the neck and dying was very well done, it seemed real and I don't recall seeing the same type of shot before.



I think it would've made me like it less, i have no interest in finding out their motivations in becoming terrible people. Hated those parts in AHX trying to get us to sympathize with the horrible racists.
American History X, I hadn't had any interest in it, but after Romper Stomper I might give it a look.



Let the night air cool you off
Sad you didn't get more out of it than that, Citizen.

Personally, I think spending much time on their backstories would've killed the film's momentum and wouldn't have had any effect, positive or negative, on my feelings towards the characters and understanding of their motivations. It's a story that is very much in the moment and it works well for me.
I agree with this. I don't think we need to know their motivation, because no matter what their motivation was it wouldn't be sound in any way. They are impressionable individuals who fell into the hands of the wrong people that molded them the wrong way. It seems as though Hando and Davey were first, and I am guessing they were friends before the whole skinhead thing. I assume Hando got hold of Mein Kampf, and shared this with Davey. Knowing that they have a German background and were a rebellious lot, they held onto what they were reading because it was against everything that decent human beings would be for. While I do think AHX is a good film, I think the approach of never rehabilitating these characters is more realistic. I don't know how a person would ever come back from that type of thing. Especially when considering the performance that Crowe gives; I believe he is this person the whole time. He's deep in it. I think the director had a delicate handle on this too, because he never punished his characters for their actions or beliefs, regardless of how messed up they are. Everything that happened was cause and effect, and most of it was ugly. But that's what you get when you have these types of people. I also don't think of the Koreans as being shown as barbarians like these skinheads, because they are only retaliating. I understand the feeling of really wanting to take matters into your own hands, because you know that the process of getting this fixed the "right way" would take too long and might not fix anything at all. Whether that's right or wrong can be debated by other people.


Anyway, I watched this last night after I watched Y Tu Mama Tambien . Two very different movies.



71 write-ups out of a possible 196 after exactly 2 weeks. Including those of us who might not be doing write-ups for every single movie, we're probably about halfway done as a group.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
that's a HELLUVA an achievement!!

NICE JOB to those responsible!!
__________________
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





Withnail & I (Bruce Robinson, 1987)
Imdb

Date Watched: 01/21/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 12th Hall of Fame, Neiba's nomination.
Rewatch: No


When this was announced as a nomination, I was actually quite glad. Though I knew nothing of its content, I'd heard great things about it. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm for the film was killed within the first few minutes and, truth be told, it took me several attempts to complete it.

I think a big problem is that this is supposed to be a comedy and it's a rare thing for a live action comedy to work for me. But moreso my issue was with the characters. Rather than finding this pair of neurotic losers amusing, I found them incredibly irritating. Making the experience worse still was that I didn't like any of the other characters, what few there were, either. And I liked Uncle Monty least of all. Heaven forbid a gay character in a movie from this era actually behave anything like a normal human being. No - let's make the gay uncle a rapey creep, because reasons.

So yeah, not amused by this. Not amused at all.




Let the night air cool you off
I didn't see him as a rapey creep. I thought he thought he was picking up vibes from the dude and he was mislead by his nephew, but he was just misreading the situation. I thought the way he bowed out showed that he wasn't there to do anything to anybody without their consent.



Monty goes into the room, physically blocks the door, says "I mean to have you even if it means burglary" then traps the guy in a corner. Rapey vibes to me.



Let the night air cool you off
I forgot about that... whooops. I do think it was because he mainly misread the whole thing though, and not just because he initially wanted to rape someone.



The Grand Budapest Hotel


Wes Anderson is a director that I never thought I would like. I watched my first movie from him (Moonrise Kingdom) about a year and a half ago and hated it. I then watched Fantastic Mr. Fox for the animation countdown and loved it. I thought his style suited an animated movie perfectly with his not quite realistic dialogue and characters. I then decided to try The Grand Budapest Hotel because of all the acclaim it had gotten. I enjoyed it, and I credited the movie with getting me over the hump so to speak, in that I thought I had finally acquired a taste for his style in a live action film. I then watched Rushmore when it was nominated for a previous Hall of Fame, and my appreciation grew further. That became my favorite live action film of the three. I then rewatched Moonrise Kingdom for another Hall of Fame, and that turned from a movie I couldn't stand, to another Anderson film I very much enjoyed. I watched The Grand Budapest Hotel for a second time this morning.

I think Ed is really getting screwed in this Hall of Fame. It just so happens that he nominated it for the wrong group of members. Had this been a different group, this movie could have been a threat for the top spot. Even for myself, who has grown to enjoy and appreciate the films of Wes Anderson, they are still not perfectly suited for my taste. I actually think this movie is not far off from a masterpiece, at least for the right viewer. I find it a little more fantastical than Moonrise Kingdom and Rushmore, and that is not a positive for me, but it has edges over those other films to balance them out. The cast is very deep and talented for one, and it's fun to recognize all of the different actors as they first appear in the movie. I also think it is the most visually grand film of the ones I have seen. It is stunning to watch at times. The humorous quirky dialogue has been a constant with all of these films, and I look forward to my next from this talented and unique director.




Monty goes into the room, physically blocks the door, says "I mean to have you even if it means burglary" then traps the guy in a corner. Rapey vibes to me.
That's how I seen it too.

I had liked the character of Monty best of all, until he blocks the door in the bedroom and becomes a masher. I had thought he was the most accessible and less annoying of the characters. Though throwing his cat was a no-no.

MV, that was a honest and straight forward write up, I like that you don't sugar coat your reviews.



...I watched my first movie from him (Moonrise Kingdom) about a year and a half ago and hated it.

I then rewatched Moonrise Kingdom for another Hall of Fame, and that turned from a movie I couldn't stand, to another Anderson film I very much enjoyed.
I'm very curious about your 180 degree change on Moonrise Kingdom. Why do you think you initially hated it, and then later really enjoyed it? What changed in your mind about it?


The Grand Budapest Hotel I think Ed is really getting screwed in this Hall of Fame. It just so happens that he nominated it for the wrong group of members. Had this been a different group, this movie could have been a threat for the top spot.
Yea, I think Sean and Raul would have rated it higher on their list. Though I can see it be higher on my list too as I have not liked most of the noms I've seen so far.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Withnail & I (Bruce Robinson, 1987)
No - let's make the gay uncle a rapey creep, because reasons.
yeah, but isn't that MOST men, regardless of sexual preference???

sorry, I HAD to say that -- we get a hard on and all our attempts at nobility go RIGHT OUT THE WINDOW lol


And thanks Cricket, I nominated Budapest BECAUSE I don't really care for Anderson, (tried and tried and had given up) and I utterly love this movie and WHERE it rates isn't important for me - so, no worries. But, still, THANKS
Very happy to see you enjoyed and renewed you're own pleasure in Anderson



I'm very curious about your 180 degree change on Moonrise Kingdom. Why do you think you initially hated it, and then later really enjoyed it? What changed in your mind about it?
I'm not sure. Sometimes I think movies can be situational, kind of like songs, in that it can depend on your mood how much you enjoy them. I also think expectations or preconceived notions can factor in. He is so unique that it may have just been a matter of getting used to his style.