The 12th Hall of Fame

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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.
That all makes sense to me...

I think for me expectations or preconceived notions can be the make or break of a film, especially the more offbeat ones. I do really want to see more Wes Anderson films, just for that reason.

I might have already posted this, but I looked up the Wes Anderson films that were in previous Hofs, and they did surprisingly well, usually finishing in the middle of the pack or better.




Casablanca
(1942)
Dir. Michael Curtiz
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains


Casablanca is a film that has become so ingrained in pop culture that even people who haven't seen the film can be found quoting some of its iconic lines. It's attempts to resonate with a wartime audience have turned it into something of a timeless classic that's studied in countless film classes and is definitely going to be a frontrunner for the upcoming 40s Countdown. I likely can't say anything about the film that hasn't already been said, so I'm going to try and keep this short and simple.

The film has a number of great performances, with great chemistry between the characters - and not just between Bogart and Bergman either. As is the case with practically any film that utilizes noir and expressionistic lighting and framing techniques, I really enjoyed the cinematography. The first half of the film is a bit lighter on those elements, but towards the end it becomes much richer, and is just pleasant to watch. I like that Rick is a cynical man just trying to survive, and doesn't start off as a typical heroic figure.

One thing I'd like to mention specifically though, is that during the unforgettable “Die Wacht am Rhein” vs “La Marseillaise” scene, apparently “Die Wacht am Rhein” was only used because the Nazi anthem “Das Horst-Wessel-Lied” was still protected under international copyright laws. However, given that the lyrics of “Die Wacht am Rhein” involve defending the Rhineland against the French, I think it's inclusion was very appropriate, and believe it's actually a much better choice. It's one instance where I'm glad the filmmakers weren't able to use the song they originally wanted.
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I might have already posted this, but I looked up the Wes Anderson films that were in previous Hofs, and they did surprisingly well, usually finishing in the middle of the pack or better.
Yes, but then raul and sean are both pretty big on Wes Anderson and neither is in this HOF. I doubt Budapest will do very well, but I guess that depends on what everyone thinks of the other nominations.



Ive not been feeling well lately so ive been slacking,but im ready to catch up tomorrow,I think I will have time for 2 which means I`ll only have 2 left.The nominations have been great this round!
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Yes, but then raul and sean are both pretty big on Wes Anderson and neither is in this HOF. I doubt Budapest will do very well, but I guess that depends on what everyone thinks of the other nominations.
I do NOT like Budapest, so naturally this is the HOF that I skipped



Midnight Run

This was fun in some parts. So no complaints, but I wasn't passionate about it either.

Robert De Niro was likeable and funny. I haven't seen any of his big films (Taxi Driver, Godfather, Raging Bull, etc). I mostly know him from Meet The Fockers, so it was interesting to see him so young.

Charles Grodin, I've never liked him. I remember watching him on Late Night TV shows being interviewed and he's just as annoying off screen as he is on.

My favorite characters/actors were the big FBI guy who was pissed at De Niro, and the two Mafia hitmen who couldn't do anything right.

What stayed with me the most was some of the little nuances:

I thought it pretty interesting that when De Niro visits his ex wife's house, both him and Grodin wipe their feet before entering. I don't know why that was impressive, but I haven't seen that much in movies...or real life come to think of it.

The other interesting thing was the $1000 dollar bills. Has anybody seen one of those in person? They use to make them, but haven't in the longest time.

Oh and I liked seeing Sedona in Arizona as I've been there. I know no one cares but somehow it's fun to spot places in movies you've actually been.



Glad you liked it somewhat. Have to say though, only knowing DeNiro from Meet The Fockers is one of the most depressing things i've ever heard . Not even Meet The Parent, Meet The Fockers haha.



Let the night air cool you off
Glad you liked it somewhat. Have to say though, only knowing DeNiro from Meet The Fockers is one of the most depressing things i've ever heard . Not even Meet The Parent, Meet The Fockers haha.
That's like only knowing Michael Jordan the Wizard.



Glad you liked it somewhat. Have to say though, only knowing DeNiro from Meet The Fockers is one of the most depressing things i've ever heard . Not even Meet The Parent, Meet The Fockers haha.
And this is Citizen Rules we're talking about! You'd think he's know one of DeNiro's older, more famous roles.



Ha! I lied...I checked out his filmography at IMDB and I've seen him in more films, but none of his big, well known films from earlier in his career.

I've seen these:
Brazil
Goodfellas
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Casino
Backdraft
Ronin
Meet the Parents
Meet The Fockers
The Intern
Joy
The Bridge of San Luis Rey

I didn't even remember he was in most of those!



Citizen If you would go watch Taxi Driver. Even if you don't like it, it's an essential film and I'd be curious to read your thoughts.



And wait, you haven't seen The Godfather movies, Citizen? C'mon man!



Citizen If you would go watch Taxi Driver. Even if you don't like it, it's an essential film and I'd be curious to read your thoughts.
Yeah... you need to see Taxi Driver and Raging Bull.
I'd love to watch both of those, one problem...time...I never seem to catch up on my movie watching. I want to see all 3 Godfathers too.

Oh...I did see the first Godfather actually, at the drive-in movie theater when I was a little kid, but I don't remember anything about it, except the horses head




Hiroshima mon amour
(1959)
Dir. Alain Resnais
Starring: Emmanuelle Riva, Eiji Okada


I could not get into this film at all. From the very start, I was put off by the manner in which Riva read out the opening lines. It sounded like an Arts student half-heartedly sharing a poem with their class to me. I didn't mind the rhyming, but the repetition seemed unnecessary and kept drawing my attention away instead of letting me focus on the visuals. I think she did much better in the second half of the film, but for the first half, whenever she spoke to Okada, she just reminded me of a language teacher trying to get the students to repeat what she said.

Whenever she and Okada laughed, it sounded so forced and unnatural it made me cringe. I didn't think the two had good chemistry at all. Many (if not all) of Okada's lines were clearly dubbed over in post. His French did sound really good throughout the film, but the dub was incredibly distracting to me. There is one scene about an hour in, where there is a close-up of Okada and the lip synchronization is not even close. With how poorly the ADR matched-up, it seemed like a strange decision to keep that shot in the final film.

I wish I could understand the praise for this Hiroshima mon amour, but it just did not engage me on any level. I was wholly disinterested from start to finish. It probably didn't help that the main characters were adulterers, so I had no sympathy for their love story at all. For me, they were poor avatars through which to tell the story of Hiroshima.
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Going back and reading the other posts about Hiroshima mon amour, it seems like everyone mentioned the footage near the start. I had read about that before seeing the film, and didn't find it too startling because I was expecting much worse. I think my grade school did a good job traumatizing us on the horrors of war, and the visuals in this film were actually pretty tame in comparison.

As small children (around grade 2 or 3), sometime around Remembrance Day, our school started working on this big presentation. They got photos and information from home about family members who died in World War II, local war veterans, and truly horrifying documentary footage (such as a man shovelling a mountain of lost limbs into a furnace which has been forever etched into my mind), and made an unforgettable presentation in the school gym. Looking back on it, I'm surprised the school board didn't receive complaints over it.

Fun fact: said traumatic incident was set to Rod Stewart's "Forever Young", and I can't help but think about that presentation whenever I hear that song.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
what an odd song to go with the presentation. . .
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Women will be your undoing, Pépé


The Man From Nowhere


This is a rewatch for me, and, like a large number of other Korean films, it's always good to see again.
It has become a common remark for me that there is an intriguing poetry to Korean films in both the cinematic and the storytelling and while in this movie it is not as dominate as others I've watched, there is still symmetry to it on a more subtle layer.
While there has been comparisons to Leon and others, I've never really considered that and paid attention this time around and preferred to leave it as a stand alone cinematic experience than a comparative one - for the simple reason of that always takes away from the movie when looking for comparisons. I can see them but find myself delving into the relationship itself instead. Which is a good, solid scenario and I did find myself thinking of Cha as the solitary cowboy figure of old time westerns at times (without it detracting ).
It is very easy to make comparisons to countless other movies of its genre and a few outside of it, but, it is NOT the same old, same old. It holds it own and does so very, very well.
This is a good story with good pacing with a tension that continually builds and eventually unleashes in a bloody third act.
I thought the little girl was extremely good, especially with the intense situations and scenarios she was dealing with and the ending did get me, quite nicely.

Thanks for nominating this, Royal, nice job!