Personal Recommendation Hall of Fame VI

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Performance wise I really only care for Willis in Unbreakable and Sin City
But you haven't seen Die Hard yet, one of the most unbelievable things on this forum.



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But you haven't seen Die Hard yet, one of the most unbelievable things on this forum.
That will be quite interesting for sure. One of the biggest things I've yet to see.



I forgot the opening line.
From what I've seen :

The Hidden Fortress was one of the first Kurosawa films I ever watched (after Kagamusha I think) and during the film I kept thinking to myself that it was structured like and reminded me of Star Wars. I was very pleased when I read that Star Wars was partly based from this George Lucas favourite. It's right up there amongst the best, and I voted for it in the Foreign Language Countdown - I was bummed when it didn't show up. It's just so exciting, and moves along at a cracking pace with everything working in perfect unison.

The Wrestler is a top film that I mean to catch up with again some time soon. A real character study, and a there's a sense that Mickey Rourke was in the perfect headspace to play the role he did, for the actor was in similar circumstances to the part he plays.

Raising Arizona is a film I find very funny and extraordinarily well made - the comedy in it didn't really mesh with who I was when the film came out, but over the years I've warmed up more and more to the film, and once I'd gotten to know the sensibilities of the Coen Bros I found it very easy to love.

I really liked Nomadland when I saw it, but like most Best Picture Oscar winners, I didn't think it had the kind of awe-inspiring brilliance that I'd like all my Best Picture winners to have - and which they sometimes do (3 or 4 times out of every 10). Again, this is a film I'll have to catch up with once more. All great films firm up in my opinion over more than 1 watch.

I think 12 Monkeys is one of Terry Gilliam's best films, and pushed it's science fiction time-travelling story into a really interesting sphere. Has that great mix of comedy and horror, with Brad Pitt (at the apex of his career) giving one of his greatest performances. Gilliam doesn't always do it for me, but he did with 12 Monkeys.

Black Narcissus is up in my Top 10 of movies I really want/need/must see. Powell and Pressburger are great.
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Latest Review : Le Circle Rouge (1970)



I saw Raise the Red Lantern in the Second Chance HoF and really enjoyed it. Absolutely beautiful cinematography, and an atmosphere that is both sombre and full of tension. I ranked it at #2 on my list.

Twelve Monkeys is a film I've been meaning to rewatch for ages now, but never quite manage to get around to. I remember liking it, but not more than Brazil. I do recall thinking it was one of his more accessible films though.



I'm 35 minutes into The Player, but I've definitely seen this much before. At the start I thought maybe we just viewed that opening in one of my film classes, but everything since then has been incredibly familiar as well.

@cricket + whoever nominated this for me: Should I continue watching this as one of my films, or are we getting a replacement? I do not recall how it ends, and I'm not even entirely sure I've seen the whole thing. I've definitely seen up until this point though.



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I'm 35 minutes into The Player, but I've definitely seen this much before. At the start I thought maybe we just viewed that opening in one of my film classes, but everything since then has been incredibly familiar as well.

@cricket + whoever nominated this for me: Should I continue watching this as one of my films, or are we getting a replacement? I do not recall how it ends, and I'm not even entirely sure I've seen the whole thing. I've definitely seen up until this point though.
You get a new film, and since you are almost done with this Hall of Fame, you get to choose between Satantango, War and Peace, or Shoah.



You get a new film, and since you are almost done with this Hall of Fame, you get to choose between Satantango, War and Peace, or Shoah.
Is it too late to say I don't want any films over 3 hours?



Magnolia (1999)

So, I set through three hours of caterwauling potty mouth by hyperactive cartoonish characters only to find out
WARNING: spoilers below
that the frogs did it!

I really, really hated this. I've never spent a longer three hours of my life watching such bombastic characters and badly written dialogue. Not everyone, everywhere punctuates every other sentence with F**** but in Magnolia every character spoke the same way and had the same rage dialogue delivered in monologue style. That made it clear to me that only one person was speaking through all of these characters, which then caused me to see everyone in this movie as actors and not the people they were suppose to be portraying. I never once felt anything for anyone. Though I was disappointed that William H. Macy didn't end up killing everyone in the movie.

I gather that the love for this movie is based on some spiritual idea that everything is related in a master plan...I could dig that and have in other movies, but not here.

Sorry to be so blunt and that does make me feel real bad as I hate to dump on someone's choice. But like the blonde, coked out chick said, "I'll tell you everything...and maybe we can get through all the piss, shit, and lies...that kill other people."
***That was the only line of written dialogue that struck me as relevant.



Magnolia (1999)

So, I set through three hours of caterwauling potty mouth by hyperactive cartoonish characters only to find out
WARNING: spoilers below
that the frogs did it!

I really, really hated this. I've never spent a longer three hours of my life watching such bombastic characters and badly written dialogue. Not everyone, everywhere punctuates every other sentence with F**** but in Magnolia every character spoke the same way and had the same rage dialogue delivered in monologue style. That made it clear to me that only one person was speaking through all of these characters, which then caused me to see everyone in this movie as actors and not the people they were suppose to be portraying. I never once felt anything for anyone. Though I was disappointed that William H. Macy didn't end up killing everyone in the movie.

I gather that the love for this movie is based on some spiritual idea that everything is related in a master plan...I could dig that and have in other movies, but not here.

Sorry to be so blunt and that does make me feel real bad as I hate to dump on someone's choice. But like the blonde, coked out chick said, "I'll tell you everything...and maybe we can get through all the piss, shit, and lies...that kill other people."
***That was the only line of written dialogue that struck me as relevant.
Honestly, I'm not surprised that you hated it. It doesn't strike me as your type of film. I like some of the director's other films, but I didn't like this either. It's highly rated by most people, but I rated it a 5/10.




I gather that the love for this movie is based on some spiritual idea that everything is related in a master plan...I could dig that and have in other movies, but not here.
Actually everything in the film is related and PT Anderson did have a masterplan. Magnolia is a musical a film that was written based on the songs of Aimee Mann. Her music works as a chorus here and if you listen to the music they are telling you what it's about. I think of each of the characters as part of a track that comes together in the album and the film is the result.

It's not What you thought When you first began it You got What you want Now you can hardly stand it though By now you knowIt's not going to stop It's not going to stop It's not going to stop
'Til you wise up

I did not pick Magnolia for you...your dislike of Colonel Blimp and Zodiac made is apparent that I can't pick epics for you. But yes Magnolia is in my opinion one of the greatest films ever made.



Honestly, I'm not surprised that you hated it. It doesn't strike me as your type of film. I like some of the director's other films, but I didn't like this either. It's highly rated by most people, but I rated it a 5/10.
I gather from reading some IMDB reviews that Magnolia is loved for it's Christian ideas and symbolism (by some). I did notice some Christian symbols and perhaps themes but not being a Christian I'm not sure if this film speaks to one's faith?