The Personal Recommendation Hall of Fame II

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Women will be your undoing, Pépé
If it makes you feel better, the one I picked for you is not an obvious choice at all. I think it’s a very good movie but it’s not a personal favorite and not a movie I’ve ever really talked about on the forum.
Interesting. . .
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The trick is not minding
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?





An American Werewolf in London (John Landis, 1981)
Imdb

Date Watched: 10/30/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The Personal Recommendation Hall of Fame II, no idea who nominated it.
Rewatch: No.


I had some pretty mixed feelings about this movie. On the whole, it was well done. The performances were good. The make-up and practical effects were very impressive and held up well despite the film being nearly 40 years old. I also enjoyed the soundtrack (though the lack of a certain Warren Zevon song seemed like a missed opportunity).

But where the film fell short for me was in its comedic elements. Most of the humor fell flat. I think I chuckled once and that didn't happen until it was almost over. Overall I think the film works well as a horror, but not so much as a comedy. I can't say I'm disappointed as my hopes weren't particularly high, but in the end I respected it far more than I actually enjoyed it.




I want to thank everyone who joined and chose a movie for me. I know it's not easy putting yourself on the line by suggesting another person's film taste in a choice made specifically for them. It takes some guts to join this Personal Recommendation as a person risk making a movie choice for another that's going to get slammed.

So I just wanted to say I do appreciate the effort and feel kinda bad hating on a film. But I'd feel worse if I lied and pretended to like something I didn't.




A Matter of Life and Death (1946)

A Matter of Life and Death is the type of film that I'd seek out for myself to watch. I've seen a number of 'afterlife' fantasy/drama movies where the idea of a person entering the 'afterlife' is explored. This was a popular theme after WWII, most likely because so many people were grieving over the untimely loss of so many friends and loved ones.

Some of my favorites in this sub genre is A Guy Named Joe (1943), Heaven Can Wait (1943) and I just watched this one a couple weeks ago: Between Two Worlds (1944)...So I do like this sub genre.

A Matter of Life was a good choice for me, But sorry to say it was one of the worst constructed movies I've seen. The title credits followed by a long exposé of the mysteries of the universe, made for a slow, cumbersome start. That type of opening worked for Frank Capra in It's a Wonderful Life, but here it just sucked the energy out of the all important establishing 1st scene.

I did enjoy the next scene where David Niven is about to die as he jumps out of a burning aircraft and without a parachute. His waking up confused on a beach but somehow miraculously alive from the jump was done well...But why oh why was a naked boy needed on the beach scene? I'm befuddled by the reasoning for that? We don't see any nudity but it's clear from the side profile that the 10-12 year old boy is setting on the beach naked? Why?

But the first real faux pas was the instant love when the pilot spots the U.S. Army flight control woman he'd talked to as his plane went down (Kim Hunter). I mean he just kisses her after only a few words between them. Sure I know they had this emotional connection as he told her his farewells before dying...But geez, I just didn't buy that instantaneous jumping into each others' arms. That scene needed some room to breath. It should've been expanded as it's ALL important to the theme of the movie. Even another 60 seconds could've made their love seem real.

But my real complaint was the totally daft ending in heaven, with the trail to determine if David Niven gets to remain alive or has to be called to heaven. The trail should've been about the unbridled strength of love and it's power to rise above it all. Instead we get this silly fight between a dead American revolutionary patriot (Raymond Massey) who hates the British. Oddly the jury is made up of dead members of countries once dominated or defeated by Britain. All very heavy handed. Heaven seems to be very politicized, and all the soldiers are carrying guns To still a line from my friend & fellow MoFo reviewer Gideon, the movie was a 'hot mess'.



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Women will be your undoing, Pépé
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?
Good flick that I liked much more the 2nd time around, and a great choice for Wyldesyde!
Very good film. Cinematography was exceptional. Especially the scene in the pool.
And like cricket I got a greater appreciation on my second viewing.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé


An American Werewolf in London (John Landis, 1981)
Imdb

Date Watched: 10/30/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The Personal Recommendation Hall of Fame II, no idea who nominated it.
Rewatch: No.


I had some pretty mixed feelings about this movie. On the whole, it was well done. The performances were good. The make-up and practical effects were very impressive and held up well despite the film being nearly 40 years old. I also enjoyed the soundtrack (though the lack of a certain Warren Zevon song seemed like a missed opportunity).

But where the film fell short for me was in its comedic elements. Most of the humor fell flat. I think I chuckled once and that didn't happen until it was almost over. Overall I think the film works well as a horror, but not so much as a comedy. I can't say I'm disappointed as my hopes weren't particularly high, but in the end I respected it far more than I actually enjoyed it.

Had a feeling about the comedic aspects not working for you and yeah, Warren Zevon SHOULD have been in there, but a film I've always enjoyed.



I've decided to not join in, but it was tempting.

I'll be back for the 24th and perhaps the next specific Hall of Fame
No worries. See you in the next general.
I would've given you Wreck-It Ralph, btw. So watch the damn thing already!



i didn’t nominate a matter of life and death for CR but it was my backup choice for him and i thought i might regret not choosing it but now i’m glad. it’s still a great film tho
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No worries. See you in the next general.
I would've given you Wreck-It Ralph, btw. So watch the damn thing already!
Yeah I don't know what the hell has taken me so long. The wife and I will watch it hopefully soon.



I happen to believe that An American Werewolf in London is a masterpiece, but if you go in looking for a comedy, I could understand a level of disappointment. It is a pure horror film, no more a horror/comedy than Die Hard is an action/comedy. It's just a well rounded film that happens to have humorous moments sprinkled in.

On the surface, A Matter of Life and Death is a great nomination for CR. However, the first thing I thought of was that he didn't like The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp in the last go around. Same directors and same era, there's bound to be some similarities. I happened to like both of them quite a bit and they are not necessarily my types of movies. Is this a case of standards and expectations? Idk. I still think they were both great picks for CR, they just didn't work out.



And regarding the song Werewolves in London not being in An American Werewolf in London, the lyrics are obviously a perfect fit, but I don't think the sound is.




On the surface, A Matter of Life and Death is a great nomination for CR. However, the first thing I thought of was that he didn't like The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp in the last go around.

Same directors and same era, there's bound to be some similarities. I happened to like both of them quite a bit and they are not necessarily my types of movies. Is this a case of standards and expectations? Idk. I still think they were both great picks for CR, they just didn't work out.
Wow, I didn't know it was the same director, no wonder I didn't like it. British humor doesn't always work for me. I can't really think of a classic British comedy-drama that I liked.



Wow, I didn't know it was the same director, no wonder I didn't like it. British humor doesn't always work for me. I can't really think of a classic British comedy-drama that I liked.
There's 2 directors listed in the IMDb credits, same 2 for both movies.



The trick is not minding
Went to my local rental and picked up Bambi, The Shape of Water and Dial M for Murder.
The Innocents that I had thought seen on display is actually a more recent French film of the same name. So I’ll probably look it up to rent on Amazon soon.
Sad face



I happen to believe that An American Werewolf in London is a masterpiece, but if you go in looking for a comedy, I could understand a level of disappointment. It is a pure horror film, no more a horror/comedy than Die Hard is an action/comedy. It's just a well rounded film that happens to have humorous moments sprinkled in.
I disagree that it's pure horror. It was definitely trying to be funny quite frequently, but failed to make me laugh. 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.

As to "Werewolves of London," they played some pretty upbeat music over the end credits. I think it would've worked quite nicely in place of what they chose there.