The 10th Mofo Movie Hall of Fame

I loved Little Miss Sunshine so your review of The Lucky Ones has got be existed to see it. Maybe I'll get to watch this weekend as well.

I know this is after the deadline for this HoF, but maybe it can be extended if someone needs an extra week for this.

For those of you who get Turner Classic Movies, My Man Godfrey (1936) will air on TCM September 6th @ 1:45 AM EASTERN TIME

As always, CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THE CORRECT TIME IN YOUR TIME ZONE!

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If I answer a game thread correctly, just skip my turn and continue with the game.
OPEN FLOOR.

The Lucky Ones

I liked this one. Raul nominates another enjoyable film. I love indie films, and I love road trip films, especially when they're cleverly written and insightful.

"Thank you"
"...No, Thank You!"....I loved that line!

I instantly liked the film and cared about the three characters. I thought all three main actors were very good and made me care about what happened to them. In the hands of another director this could have turned into a typical sentimental film but it never does that, thank goodness.

I loved the way this was edited and filmed...no quirky camera tricks, no fast cut edits, no flash backs. I especially like the way each of the character's stories wrapped up at the end. Good old fashion story telling, that kept me involved!

Amour

This was a film that I knew about, but it is also one that I must admit I never really had any desire to watch (I do have my reasons for that).

It ended up being played out a little differently than I expected it to. I thought it was going to be a case of showing a love story with her gradual decline thrown into it. I suppose, in its own way, that is what it was. But what I mean is that I didn’t expect so much of it to be his actual taking care of her. I assumed that would be in the story eventually, but I didn’t like that fact that it was practically the entire film.

I, for one, would’ve appreciated a little more romance in this film. No, I am not speaking about hugs and kisses. Just little gestures here and there that show that they care for one another as much today as they did when they were younger. For me, that would’ve made the end result poignant and not just depressing. This film is called “Amour”. I wanted more of it. Not just showing his caring for her. I know he could be doing that out of love, but he could also be doing it out of obligation. After all, she was his wife of many years.

But then again, maybe my own life experiences make me blind to whatever this movie is trying to do.

I am not a big fan of “homes” for people who can no longer take care of themselves (or even so-called rehabilitation facilities that are there for people during their recovery from some medical issue). There were three situations in my life that has made me exceptionally prejudiced towards them. I am also not the biggest fan of hospitals because that played a big part in one of those unfortunate situations. So, I completely understand taking care of someone, if you are able to do so, on your own. I was alright with George doing that with Anne.

What I didn’t care for was seeing what happened while he took care of her. I know what it is like to take care of someone who really is limited with what they can/cannot do because of one thing or another that has happened in that person’s life. I know how it alters the life of the person that needs to be cared for. I know how frustrating and, oftentimes, humiliating it can be to have a person do things for them that they should be able to do for themselves.

What I also understand, and definitely more than the other do I understand it, is what it is like for the caregiver. I understand how it is equally as frustrating for that person as it is for the person that needs to be taken care of, but it is a kind of frustration that you can’t really speak of because then you just might make the other person feel guilty and that goes into something completely different. I understand how a life is so very much altered because of it. I understand the thoughts and emotions that George was most likely going through. And no matter what, nobody – not even the person who needs the help – will understand what it is like for the caregiver unless the person who is hearing the stories has had similar experiences, also.

So, I understand George. What I don’t understand is the end. Part of me isn’t entirely sure why he did what he did. I have a couple of reasons in my mind:

No matter what, I could never do something like that. I may be so selfish to think “Why am I the one who gets chosen to end up being the one who has to take care of everything?”, but I am also so selfish that I could never do that to a person that I truly cared about. So, did he do it out of amour? I have no idea.

I know that this movie wasn’t the best thing to watch. It is depressing. I know that may be its purpose, but the depression that I felt during it comes from a different aspect than it might for others. I can’t say that I will ever watch it again. Put it this way, when I want to watch a movie, I watch it for escapism. I don’t care to see particular aspects of my life sort of played out on a movie screen.

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I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity - Edgar Allan Poe

Ugetsu

I don’t know what to say about this movie that I haven’t already said. I have already discussed a part of it that I planned to mention in my review, but to avoid redundancy, I won't touch on that subject again. That will, unfortunately, make this a much shorter review.

To start, I liked this movie. It was a film that focused really well on strong greed and blind ambition. While there were certain parts of it that I wasn’t 100% sure about how the story was being told, I still liked the ultimate message it was delivering.

The acting was fine (Kinuyo Tanaka was the standout for me). And I really liked the overall look of the film. The sets and cinematography (particularly the scenes when he was with Lady Wakasa) were very well done.

But the best part of it came at the end.


Overall, a very good nomination that I am glad to have finally seen after all these years.

Vamp, very impressive review of Amour. Not because of your rating of the movie, but because you posted from a very personal view...and that gives us something to think about, that we might not have thought before.

How come the lady members always seem to have the best post

This was a movie that I went into without any preconceptions. I like all three of the lead actors; Robbins, McAdams, and Pena, and the most important thing was that I instantly liked and cared for all of their characters. This movie had a 14 million dollar budget, but only made just under $300,000 at the box office. What a damn shame. At one point early in the movie, I actually had the thought that I wish I spent time in the military; that's how much I liked these people. I skimmed a few reviews after I watched it, and I saw that several critics labeled this movie as contrived. That's a bunch of horsesh!t from people who don't get out much. When you're out and about on the road, the types of situations that are portrayed in this movie certainly do happen. This movie has natural humor and emotion, and is extremely endearing. The cinematography and musical score are negatives, but this movie is so much better than it should be, that I wouldn't change anything about it. It just works. My wife and I had just finished a movie that she didn't like, she had her iPad out, and it was getting to the time when she normally falls asleep when I put it on. 10 minutes in, she was completely into the movie and enjoying every minute of it. After a little while, she said, "this is way better than the last movie." I said, "I didn't pick it out." She said, "of course you didn't." She loved it, and while I'm unsure about how good it actually is, I loved it too. I believe it has a certain spirit about it that is very rare. This movie was probably the biggest surprise for me in all of the Hall of Fames I've participated in.

Awesome Cricket! I really think the 3 leads did a great job obviously, so it shores up the support acting which can seem a bit over the edge at times. I'm glad it's getting positive reviews from Mofos.

I thought the supporting actors were fine. With a road trip movie, the secondary characters only have a small window with which to make an impression. They should have some quirk to them.

Awesome review Cricket, I can tell you really liked that film on an emotional level and that's cool when a film can do that.

...I think he enjoyed the movie!

If you had this strong of a positive reaction to it, then it is an excellent movie!

Cul-de-Sac

I enjoyed this movie. I surprised myself with that because I didn’t think I would like it. I don’t know what it was exactly that made me feel as if this movie just wouldn’t be for me, but I ended up really liking it.

I thought this was a fine film. I really liked the bleak look of it. I thought it kind of gave it more of a foreboding atmosphere at times. That was how I perceived it to be, at least. And I liked that because, in truth, there was nothing foreboding about the film at all. But it worked so well with the fact that these people were stuck with each other at this isolated castle. It was almost as if it made the atmosphere seem heavier and claustrophobic. And there were a lot of enjoyable moments and many good lines in the film (the “mentally retiring” one was the best).

I really didn’t know where this film was going to go. I am not saying it is very suspenseful, but I really didn’t expect some of the things that happened in it to happen. To put it simply, it wasn’t predictable.

I enjoyed the characters. If I had to pick a favorite, I would say that I liked George and Dickey equally. They were both the most entertaining of any in the film. I wasn’t overly fond of Teresa, but I actually did enjoy her moments with Dickey. Although I think his character helped those scenes along more.

All-in-all, this was a movie that I really did enjoy watching. I am glad that it was nominated. It was another one of those films that I’d heard about for years but never got around to seeing.

”Get the hell out of my fortress!” – I think I should use that line more often when I want to get someone to leave my house. I quite liked it.

Glad you liked it Vamp

So I have been back from Notre Dame for a week but I realized I didn't show the films I and the other students made. Here's the playlist of all 5 films. Scholar Zone is the film the group I was in made and you can see me as an actor in Flushdance as Eugene.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...sLzCz3Zo7Ofpay

If anybody can send me a link of Amour with subs it would be much appreciated. I had one that usually works so i didn't check it when i did it had no sound or subs .

Just so nobody goes looking Cricket already helped me out

My Man Godfrey

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This was very good. I usually without fail enjoy classic screwball comedie from the 30s,40s, and this one was no different. It was all about the script and performances for me, the story and romance was fine it just isn't a major concern for me in these types of films unless it is particularly bad which it obviously wasn't here. Although i will say i really liked how it all wrapped up and the positive way it all ended. Very charming and funny film. The premise alone is hilarious. Man i love the carefree reckless 30's. When you would invite a homeless guy into your home after knowing him for 20 minutes with no thought to the circumstances that led him there or his state of mind. . I loved Godfrey from the first conversation he had with Irene and Cornelia. "i'm also in the habit of hitting gentleman too, you want some?" Godfrey's first day was great, it was amazing how he was trying to politely react to these nutjobs to keep his job. Irene calling him her protege was just so absurdly hilarious to me. The first hour i think was a bit better than the last half because that was more focused on comedy than the story which didn't become the main focus until the stuff with the necklace. Anyway i don't think there's much more i can say, just a very funny and charming film. Thank for nominating this Vamp . I think this was my favourite quote, i don't even know why possibly the delivery or just how silly it sounds:

Irene: Well if other people can have five children then so can other people.

Going to watch Amour tomorrow then i just have East of Eden left.

Damn. That was fast Citizen, i went to check the My Man Godfrey write ups and mines was already there. haha

I think that's what i like best about these old screwball comedies. The incredibly quick, witty responses. Everybody seems to have a clever answer for everything, no one in real life talks like this which is why it is so fun to watch. One of my favourite films is His Girl Friday that surely has to be #1 or at least close to it in that department.

Damn, i didn't know that . She was very good in this.

I didn't really find Carlo funny himself but i found just the idea of him hilarious. How the mother was always "stop it you are upsetting Carlo"

I try! Actually it was lucky timing, I had just set down for breakfast and seen there was a new post on the 10th.

That's a perfect description of how screwball comedies work. Script & performance first....story & romance secondary.
Ha, that made me laugh to myself just reading that. I loved Irene's goofiness.