21st Hall of Fame

Actually he was great in Midnight in Paris too

Yup to Midnight in Paris. Rachel McAdams wasn't bad either

The Tree of Life (2011)


My tastes don't align with Malick's vision, but I do respect him for both his technical skill and staying true to his distinctive style. I don't read much poetry, but I think Malick's movies are cinematic poems and share the same (purely subjective) issues with their literary counterparts. They're too introverted and too interested in their imagery.

Because of this poetic style, The Tree of Life never draws you into its story or make you feel anything for the characters. Malick tries to shoot the story intimately, but the moving camera that either follows the backs of the actors' heads or gets into their faces feels restless and intrusive (this feeling gets weaker as the time goes by, but I'm not sure if I just got used to it or did something change). The story and characters never have enough space to grow, and they feel just an excuse for the wilder picture collages.

It's quite hard to review The Tree of Life in cinematic terms as it's often more like a video installation than a movie. There's no story in a traditional sense; characters are more like vague ideas than real people, and everything is shrouded in cryptic symbolism that appears to support multiple interpretations.

Despite all of the above sounds negative, I'm not even close to hating the film. After the awkward beginning, I was somewhat captivated by the visual style. At times the movie feels pretentious, but I can live with that. So, it's another mediocre film in this HoF, but it's a different kind of mediocre than most of the others (better, I'd say). I'm still not a fan of Malick, but he didn't lose my respect either.

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I sent in my vote as well so I'm done with this one

The Breakfast Club

Films that feature children either in Middle School or High School are tricky to pull off. They’re inevitably about coming of age. I’ve seen a number of them over the years, ranging from good (Goonies, American Graffiti), great (Stand By Me, Say Anything) to awful.
The Breakfast Club is closer to great, but falls somewhat short of it.
Everyone knows the story, so I won’t go into it. And the story itself is fine. A groups of kids in a purgatory of sorts who are forced to come to terms with who they are and where they’re going. They all seek some sort of meaning to their lives.
And each are dealing with their own issues with their respective families. Each are stereotyped, and act the part, but they also reveal there’s more to each of them then meets the eye.
There are some silly scenes to be sure, such as trying to outrun the Principle to avoid getting caught, and the scenes involving them getting high, mostly Estevez. It’s almost like he was auditioning for Footloose.
Nelson is over the top at times, but he manages to properly show fear and confusion when the occasion calls for it.
And Ringwald is the perfect muse for Hughes. Here she dazzles as the pristine princess who has an image to uphold.
A nice trip down memory lane, but the funny thing is I found Myself asking.....did I ever truly watch this before? Maybe as a kid? I couldn’t recall, and yet the scenes were familiar to me. Maybe it was just because it has been aired countless times over the 90’s, and I maybe skimmed it here and there, but this may well have been my first official watch.
Either way, a good film, and decent nomination.

The Hunt

Lucas: What are you saying? Have you got something to tell me?
Agnes: Stop it, Lucas.
Lucas: You want to tell me something?
Theo: Relax, Lucas.
Lucas: The whole town is listening. Tell me! What do you want to say?
Agnes: Stop it, you ****ing psychopath!
Lucas: I want a word with Theo. Look into my eyes. Look me in the eyes. What do you see? Do you see anything? Nothing. There's nothing. There's nothing. You leave me alone now. You leave me alone now, Theo. Then I'll go. Thank you.

Mob mentality, witch hunts and how one rumor regardless of how unlikely can spread like something far worse than the accusation itself is done exceedingly well in this film.
It is a hard watch that angered me, seeing what an innocent man goes through because of how everyone around him - people who know him for practically his whole life will easily think the worse and d@mn him for it.

It is d@mn near impossible NOT to write a review on this film without going on a tangent about the subject matter and I've had to stop, delete and start again several times to prevent myself from doing just that.

I do believe this is an excellent film though it is one that is very, very hard to watch without hitting that emotional anger at what befalls him and how he's treated by the town he was born in and lived his life in.
Even in the end scene, a year later when things "appear" to be slowly coming back to what they are and what occurs in the woods. . . making for a very strong and significant ending to this film.

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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

One more left for me. I’ll be unable to watch it for a few days as I’ll be out of town until Sunday.
I should be able to finish on Sunday night.

Going hard this weekend. Getting it done!!!

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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

Meaning of Life

Young Jack: [voice over] Mother. Make me good. Brave.

A Poetic director, Malick fabricates a cosmos of symbolism that focuses the emotional and cerebral concepts through imagery and facial expressions far more than on dialogue or story-oriented symmetry. While mildly off setting, should you find yourself searching for a kind of process to a story instead of absorbing the conceptual imagery, does make for quite the impressive cinematic adventure.

Much like an outing to a visual poetry reading at a coffee shop there are times of wondering when it'll come to a closing. But, when you become submerged, there is an intensity that shakes you.
I completely understand how it is recommended that this should be viewed in prime audio/visual conditions to truly appreciate and get lost in Malick's poetry. Otherwise it's a bit easy to meander as the pageantry of symbolism traverses it's emotional landscape.

At the end of it, I'm unsure where I stand regarding this film; being more of a visceral creature than an intellectual one. Which could be a merit to the film and the film maker. But I do know, the man DOES have my respect.

Being There

[Riding in a car for the first time]
Chance the Gardener: This is just like television, only you can see much further.

I was in 9th Grade when I saw it in the movie theater.
It was a complete 180 from The Pink Panther films that proceeded it, that I was utterly in love with. I wasn't sure what to make of it and found myself grasping at any and every comedic moment I could. Waiting for the more outlandish caricatures that I enjoyed that included other films like What's New Pussycat?. Missing out on the subtleties entirely. And even more so on the layers that were expressed in this film.

It was interesting to watch this now, with the knowledge of recently learning how much he hated the more outlandish characters like Inspector Clouseau and how he fought to finally get to do this very film.
My appreciation for what was done was very heightened while at the same time, I did find myself not quite absorbing the more cerebral aspects of the film that seem to create a variety of discussions online that I found after watching this. Which, in the end, I must admit, enjoying the more simplistic aspects and commentary that Chance spoke and symbolized as a character exposed to the media/political world beyond the television he watched.
One of my favorite commentaries in the film regarding it all was made by Louise, seeing Chance on TV:

It's for sure a white man's world in America. Look here: I raised that boy since he was the size of a piss-ant. And I'll say right now, he never learned to read and write. No, sir. Had no brains at all. Was stuffed with rice pudding between th' ears. Shortchanged by the Lord, and dumb as a jackass. Look at him now! Yes, sir, all you've gotta be is white in America, to get whatever you want.

At the end of the day, this is a Peter Sellers film, and, being a huge fan of the man, I enjoyed it as such. Because, when it comes to Sellers, like Chance says, "I like to watch."

Yeah, me too, Chance. Me too.

Finished Pretty Baby tonight. Will write a review in the morning and then send in my ballot. It’s a tough decision between 2 films for that #1 spot. 3 and 4 are set, as are 8, 9 and 10, but need decide spots 5-7. Difficult choices here, as I enjoyed most of the films.
Late night musings....going on 5 A.M here and I can’t sleep....

Two days left folks! Just let me know if you need a couple day extension.

The Hunt



This is really powerful storytelling for me. I thought Thomas Vintenburg did an excellent job of telling a story about an innocent man who has become the enemy of the entire town. Sometimes the truth gets twisted so bad that one's reputation can never recover from it and in this situation it was downright saddening. The guy did nothing to deserve this an it was told in a clever yet upsetting way.

I haven't seen a lot from Mads Mikkleson, but he was fantastic here as Lucas. Most of the other roles were nothing special but they did their part to keep the film in check.

Not a lot to say but I do think the film is very well crafted and I actually even enjoyed it a bit more the second time around!

Pretty Baby

Considering all the controversy surrounding this film, both upon first release and here in our very own HOF, I expected much worse. Maybe I’m just jaded.

As for the films itself? I was disappointed. Especially considering the director, Louis Malle has directed some good (Atlantic City) to decent (Goodbye, Children) films. I felt detached from this film. I felt like there wasn’t any chemistry between the two main leads Violette and Belocq. Which is bound to happen considering they’re decades apart. You get she was fascinated by him, but you never really know how he really felt about her. Sometimes he looked at her like maybe she was his daughter, but even then it was hard to tell.
I felt the acting was flat throughout with the exception of Brooke Shields as the child. She was really the only bright spot here.

In the end, I felt like the film played for too safe in regards to how it viewed the prostitutes, and how I kept thinking they should have shown the grime behind the glamour. But everyone seemed so happy and complacent. A closer look into each of their lives would have been much more revealing.
I had similar thoughts about Driving Miss Daisy, a film I felt played it too safe as well.
Why a missed opportunity here. It’s a shame.

And with that, I’m done. Ballot incoming

Pretty Baby

Nell: There's only two things to do on rainy days, and I don't like to play cards.

Set in the final days of New Orleans' legalized Red District, known as Storyville, near Basin Street, we meet 12 year old Violet. Played by Brooke Shields. Unlike a lot of the usual scenarios regarding this subject matter; Violet is born and raised within the brothel by her mother and the rest of the ladies of the house and sees herself inevitably becoming one of them as a pretty natural turn of events. One she's quite happy to venture into.
There is no cruel brute in this story, violently forcing Violet into this life to feed their greed. It seems like a rather happy place where the prostitutes pretty much get along. Watching over and for each other.
The more grittier, negative and dark aspects of such a life are glossed over and only shown in passing. The violent "john" getting taken out when he starts shooting up the place, by another prostitute without being punished for hurting a customer. (Which I rather liked seeing.)

It's an almost protective, safe environment to film this under-aged story of prostitute-to-be who becomes a child bride. Which, in that sentence would cause you to expect horror upon horror heaped upon Shields' character. Who is actually a very strong willed young girl who thrives in her life at the brothel and as a child bride.
It is at the very ending as she is reunited with her mother and her new husband and dragged off to a "normal" life that there can be perceived a far more cruel life ahead of her.

So, beyond the nudity of a child, this was actually a very "safe" film story and the only "offensive" scene was the nudity.
I wonder if the story was purposely tamed down to get it made and distributed? Most likely.

Regardless, the story was pretty decent, though the acting was pretty so-so, but still, a worthwhile watch.

Consider this one the biggest surprise for me this HoF as I was expecting this film to be a complete bore. Boy was I wrong, I found myself utterly glued to the screen once Mr. Gardner made his way to the mansion. It is indeed a slow start and the film could benefit from losing about 20 minutes, but I was surprised by how much I was invested in this character. The entire time I was expecting people around him to finally clue in and the whole charade to come crashing down, I like that it never did though, it made the film feel "sweeter" if that makes sense. The entire film had a Forrest Gump vibe.

I had no idea what this movie was about and based on the poster I assumed he was an angel or going up to heaven. Then as the movie began I assumed the angel on earth aspect was correct as he seemed to be "different". I finally accepted the fact that he is simply a man who doesn't know his own limitations in life, then the ending is thrown at us and I question the religious angle again. Yet it also makes sense with the fact that he doesn't understand his limitations. The man doesn't understand he shouldn't be able to walk on water, but he does. Everything is simply coming up aces for him, despite his own non-understanding of the very interactions in question.

Sellers does a magnificent job in this role and reading about how this was a passion project for him (almost a decade to get it made) then have him pass away within a year afterwards is a tad depressing. The film has a melancholic vibe throughout, but it's mixed with an odd sense of positivity. Being There is a genuine surprise of a movie and one I'm glad I watched.

A really engaging and though provoking performance from Shields isn't enough to elevate a rather tedious film about a sad time in America. The controversy here is of course regarding the depiction of nudity of a 12 year old girl, I understand the thought process behind it, but question the purpose of the scene in which it was used. Surely the sequence could have been handled with a different viewpoint, we see the film though Violet's eyes anyways. I agree with PahaK that children are indeed sexualized more now and at an even younger age and not for the "art". Neiba mentioned how they felt more awkward watching Leon...and knowing Luc Besson's personal history would make me agree.

Disregarding that portion of the film, I still found very little to be engaging for me. I liked the atmosphere of the brothel, it brought the film to live when needed, but every time we left I felt like the film tried too hard to be artistic and elevated. So consider me a fan of the first half of this film. The editing and pacing needs work, the acting is a little stiff from the adults and the film doesn't really "get going". I left a little disappointed.

Will watch The Hunt tomorrow and will have my ballot in before MIDNIGHT.

Which means I’ll hopefully be doing the reveal Friday or Saturday!!