The 19th Hall of Fame

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Angel Face (Otto Preminger, 1953)
Imdb

Date Watched: 06/06/19
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 19th MoFo Hall of Fame, nominated by neiba
Rewatch: No.



Whenever I sign up for a general Hall of Fame, I do so in the hopes of being introduced to something new that I really enjoy. Unfortunately this time it hasn't panned out that way, at least not so far.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing really wrong with Angel Face, it's just that it does nothing for me. The film looks good and the performances are fine, but I disliked both of the leads - and didn't find either particularly interesting. She was selfish and spoiled. He was a douche. Both got what they deserved. Unfortunately though that fate was something I predicted long before it happened. When that car went careening over the cliff as I expected, all I felt was a sense of mild disappointment. There was no real suspense to the whole thing and no real surprises.

If I were to sum up my viewing experience in a word, I think I'd choose underwhelming.




I picked up Cinema Paradiso from the library today. Just have that and rewatches of Pulp Fiction and Return to Paradise left. Good chance I'll be done by the end of this weekend.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
A Slacker < Miss Vicky
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The Virgin Spring (1960)

This is the third or fourth Bergman film I've seen and the first one that held my attention. Of course it was beautifully filmed with compositions that could be printed, framed and then hung in an art museum. I was intrigued at first by the jealousy the dark haired-servant girl showed towards the blonde spoiled daughter. But I was disappointed that instead of an exploration of that jealousy, the film simply shows a brutal rape and murder scene of the poor frightened girl. Then comes a long slow march until we finally get the prerequisite revenge scene.

I don't see what the appeal of this film is? I mean what do people get from it? Besides the aforementioned cinematography, what does the film have to offer? I know that this was based on a 12th century folk ballad so when the film was made I can understand that the movie might resonate with the Swedish audience of that time. But despite the master craftsmanship by Bergman, the story itself offered little to me.
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Let the night air cool you off
Tombstone

I read through all of the write-ups for this one right after I watched it to see where I fall in with everybody else, and I think neiba and I are probably the closest on this one. This is what he had to say:

Tombstone (Cosmatos, 1993)

So... Didn't see anything special about this.
There's one character I liked and that actually felt both real and cool, Val Kilmer's Doc Holliday.
The rest of them just felt like stiff puppets trying to look manly and violent but far from being believable. Even the bad guys, Ringo and Curly Bill who looked solid at the beggining just ended up having the sole purpose of showing how awesome a hugely miscasted Wyatt Earp was. Except Doc, not a single character had any depth whatsoever, the actresses are all simply horrible on this and the supposedely key moments just fall flat.
It's entertaining ok, but the dated and cliched style, turn it into a barely decent western.

+
Where we disagree is that I did see some special things. The problem is they may not have been on purpose or they just were never followed up on. When the film was in its early stages I thought my preconceived notions were going to be untrue and that I was in store for a weird experience. Billy Bob Thornton being unrecognizable if it wasn't for his unmistakable voice and getting slapped around by a mustachioed, robot cowboy Kurt Russell was bizarre. I was getting JV Lynch mixed with JV Coen vibes at first. They were helped along by the weird Val Kilmer performance. I know he gets a lot of credit for this role, but I didn't find it to be a net positive on the serious side of things, but in a weird way it was perfect. He actually had depth, but none of the other good guys did at all. So, maybe just because everybody else was carved from wood, Val Kilmer stood out even more. He was doing that southern accent that sounds effeminate, yet he was very masculine. Yet he was nearly flirting with the men he would be about to kill. He reminded me of the Velveteen Dream or something. I just wish they would quit bonking us on the head with the tuberculosis reminders. I get it. He's going to die at the end. I think Powers Boothe, who played Curly Bill, was pretty good in his role as well. It was scene chewing role, but it worked in the weird Coen Brothers way that some of this film had going for it. When he shot the sheriff, I thought that was pretty damn good until it was taken seriously. That scene is great, because when he came out of the opium den there was this odd red tint that looked really cool, but wasn't followed up on. There were several times where there was some out-of-nowhere style that should have been more present than it was. Another example was the look of the town during the thunderstorm, of course that was ruined with the cliched scene of Kurt Russell yelling in the middle of the stream that had me rolling my eyes so hard they nearly got stuck staring into the back of my skull. Another thing that I thought was going to be awesome was at the beginning of the killing of the Cowboys montage was a quick jump cut to Russell walking directly towards the camera firing his pistols at men we could not see. It looked badass and more symbolic than anything else at that point, but then it cut back to the horseback slaughtering of men. And how about the first time Earp and future wife meet one another? They could have said way more by saying way less. That scene should have ended with them running the horses and not giving us anymore boring, lame exposition. There was so much potential wasted in this film. And man did every scene with women suck a fat one. There was no payoff to anything with these women. So why have them in the film at all? If you don't plan on doing them any justice, you are just wasting our time. I am frustrated about this film. Going into it I was worried it would suck. Then it teased me by showing me some weird stuff. Then it fell into what I thought would be, which is an early 90's cliched film that somehow felt cheap and expensive at the same time. I just wish Val Kilmer would have gotten to play this role in a weirder movie where it would have been served some bonafide justice.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé



Pulp Fiction

Title Card: pulp /'p&lp/ n. 1. A soft, moist, shapeless mass of matter.
Title Card: 2. A magazine or book containing lurid subject matter and being characteristically printed on rough, unfinished paper.
Title Card: American Heritage Dictionary
Title Card: New College Edition

Following up on Reservoir Dogs and his writing credits on True Romance, this ex- video store employee and movie fanatic unleashes this monster of vignettes; chock full of sh#t going sideways in very unexpected ways, clever banter and a solid list of actors to keep you glued from the opening Title Card to the Closing Scene. All of which done completely out of order of sequence and instead of causing confusion, it creates a better paced film.

Not too f@ckin shabby.

This was a very serious turning point from the action/drama films of the previous decade of the Eighties where things followed a pretty basic recipe without any dialogue of actual substance. Just catch phrases and cornball sh#t being said when someone gets taken out.
This and the films that mimicked it brought dialogue back. Yes, yes, I know, not in a philosophical capacity or in some grandiose poetic prose, but still.
Creating a fanboy's film with "Wha' da f@ck?!" scenarios that, I'm sure, came about from these movie fanboys talking about past films and cracking jokes about other crazy stuff that could or should happen in those scenes.
And Tarantino, (and let's not forget his writing partner, whom did get forgotten by the roadside, Roger Avery), got the chance to do just that. And he did such a great job at it, Hollywood backed him as he continued on all his following projects that continue to come out as we speak.
I remember when this first came out, I took a friend to watch it and when we got to the Date with Mia, back at her house, he scoffed, thinking the usual outcome. "They're gonna have sex, ain't they?" Watching her dance to Neil Diamond as Vincent is telling his reflection in the mirror, "You're gonna drink your drink. Say goodnight. Go home, jerk off, and that's all you're gonna do."
I grinned ear to ear, knowing better.

As I've said, for first timer watchers and us addicted fans that return for that "hit", Pulp Fiction delivers with an intensity that we savor and cheer for. Even decades later, it continues to deliver. Regardless of the countless clones that have appeared since.





Cinema Paradiso (Nuovo Cinema Paradiso) (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988)
Imdb

Date Watched: 06/08/19
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 19th MoFo Hall of Fame, nominated by John-Conner
Rewatch: No.


I wanted to like this film. I really did. Honest.

I did really like the character of Alfredo, especially in the first half of the film, and the way he took over as a father figure for Toto. I also liked the basic idea of the film - essentially a love letter to cinema and to the art and passion that goes into every aspect of it. I also thought it was beautifully filmed. The final scene, too, was quite poignant.

Unfortunately my appreciation stops there. I really disliked Toto and found the townspeople to be rather irritating. I also didn't care at all for the film's particular brand of whimsy and quirk, which at times felt like a less extreme version of the work of Jean-Pierre Jeunet. I didn't care at all for Toto's romance with Elena - and found some of his behavior to be far more stalker-like than romantic or endearing. The second half of the film also really dragged for me and I struggled to maintain interest.

Ultimately, I respected the film for what it tried to do but mostly just found it disappointing.

-





Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
Imdb

Date Watched: 6/9/19
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 19th MoFo Hall of Fame, nominated by ahwell
Rewatch: Yes


Ah yes, the film that introduced a teenaged me to gimps, ball gags, non-linear storytelling, Ezekiel 25:17, and that badass motherf***er Samuel L. Jackson. It was so stylish, in your face, and unlike anything I'd ever seen before. I loved it.

As time has passed and my tastes have changed, I find myself drawn away from films that favor style over substance and more to films that pack an emotional punch. As such, after 25 years my love of Pulp Fiction is not what it once was, but I absolutely cannot deny that it is still one wildly entertaining and unforgettable ride.

+




Open Range (2003)

I liked Open Range, with some reservations. I have reservations about most movies I watch. By that I mean: smaller things that I didn't care for or would have done differently if I was in the director's seat. If I'm really into a movie then those reservations are forgotten. But with Open Range I'm on the fence, a barbed wire fence, ha get it. I did enjoy the film, but like a lot of Kevin Costner's films it felt long to me. The only movie of his that didn't feel long was Dances With Wolves, which was fairly long, go figure.

The opening scene out on the range, could have been trimmed by 10 minutes as it took 24 minutes before the crisis began and I was losing interest during that first establishing scene. But once the big guy goes missing and the boys go looking for him, the film caught my attention.

I'm sure some will say Open Range is sentimentalism. Well I like sentimentalism myself, though a couple of times director Costner dipped into that well too deeply, especially the scenes with the dog which had me in the mindset of Hallmark. But mostly it had a nice touch to it.

Each film takes it's own tone and Open Range takes it's tone from Kevin Costner and despite his character's shady past we see he's a decent guy who's thoughtful and considerate...kind of like me! ha

Well Costner's character did remind me of myself, except for the gun slinging stuff of course, but rest assured if I got mud all over a pretty woman's floor I'd be picking it up too! Loved that scene BTW, also the scene in the general store where he's looking at a mail order catalog to replace a china set, just in case he doesn't survive the gunfight. That was a nice touch to the movie. And that's what works for me in this film is Kevin Costner, he's easy to relate to.

I liked Robert Duvall too, he's always good especially in westerns. I read some of the reviews here and I'm not sure why you guys didn't like Annette Benning, she seemed fine to me and the love story worked as it made a statement about how a good man can be forced to do bad things if put into a precarious situation.

I liked the idea of the Hispanic kid who Robert Duvall takes under his wing, but the actor just didn't deliver on the role. Can't say I like the big guy either, he seemed to modern in his speech. If I had one reservation that does matter it's the gun fight, too long, too much. Once the first group of bad guys were dealt with we didn't need a second group coming so that we could have yet another gun fight. Other than that, I liked it.


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Women will be your undoing, Pépé
lol
I know that feeling ALL TOO WELL!!

Great lil review and I agree, there are these little moments that have quite the nice sentimental feel to them.

That whole general store scene is quite nice and the one that gets me teary eyed is the old guy in the barn reading Costner's note regarding the china set moments before the fight. Can't explain why, but I just find it oh so beautiful. Gets me every time.



..whole general store scene is quite nice and the one that gets me teary eyed is the old guy in the barn reading Costner's note regarding the china set moments before the fight. Can't explain why, but I just find it oh so beautiful. Gets me every time.
Yes! that one too, another great scene that added a very human touch.





Return to Paradise (Joseph Ruben, 1998)
Imdb

Date Watched: 6/9/19
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 19th MoFo Hall of Fame, nominated by me
Rewatch: Yes


When I blind bought Return to Paradise on DVD back in 2002, all I knew about it was that it starred Joaquin Phoenix. It was just one title on a list of many that I was working my way through as I explored Phoenix's resume. I was not at all prepared for how emotionally devastating the film would be.

And of course the bulk of that comes from the haunting performance of Joaquin Phoenix, who masterfully transitions his character from one of ideals and passion to one of desperation and hopelessness. But what surprised me about the film was the character of "Sheriff," played very convincingly by Vince Vaughn. I really love the journey he takes from being the careless man-child that nobody expects anything from to being a man who stands up and takes responsibility, even in the face of terrible self-doubt and fear. This film, along with Clay Pigeons - a crime comedy from the same year that also stars Joaquin Phoenix - really cemented my appreciation of Vaughn as an actor, despite the many missteps of his career. And, while Phoenix and Vaughn stand out to me, there were no weak links in the cast.

But what I love most about the film too is how gray the characters were and how real they felt. There were no heroes here and no real villains - just a collection of very fallible, selfish humans faced with horrifying choices and and life-or-death consequences. It does very well to portray the common misalignment between people's self-image and reality and reminds us that both cowardice and bravery can be found in unexpected places.

-





Tombstone is one of the last Westerns of the late eighties early nineties revival. In a number of ways you can view this film as a time capsule the last of the westerns that tell the story straight up. We're introduced to the Cowboys first, an American gang as they shoot up a wedding, murder the priest and rape the bride.



The overall theme of the film is revenge, the battle at the OK Corral is almost a throwaway for the second act which focuses on escalating violence. The film walks the line of male masculinity, of duty and honor. It's also about cowardice and the degrees in which men suffer from some.






Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Yes! that one too, another great scene that added a very human touch.
I could make a long list of those little moments, which is one of the reasons I love this film as I do.













I think it's important to go with duel images with Raging Bull because this is Scorcese's attempt at making a duel masterpiece. Inspired by classic sports films the boxing are given a beautiful dream like quality to them and then we get to reality, cringy Cassavettes style drama.



Jake Lamotta is a great boxer, and a terrible person abusive yet also a bit of a cry baby, controlling of his wife yet he's a constant philanderer. The film also subverts your expectations as the Mafia are almost portrayed as sensitive victims not these over bearing tough guys. I think the impact is somewhat lost with today's audience but this warts and all biopic was still pretty great.




Cinema Paradiso (1988)

When Cinema Paradiso was over and the credits rolled...I was sure I hated it, due to the over abundance of quirky cuteness and oodles of nostalgia...But then a funny thing happened, I put those images of the grinning boy and quaint Italian village aside and I started to think about the underlying theme of the movie. Some might describe this as uplifting and get misty eyed from the warm tale of a boy who loves the magic of movies and grows up to be a successful director and that is what the film shows you...but it's not what it's truly about. Those happy coming of age aspects hide the devastating truth from plain sight, and in that truth lays the films greatness.

'when dreams become more important than reality'

The film projectionist warns the boy that the life of film is no life at all, and that he will become isolated from the world as he watches movies 100s of times over. But the boy falls under the spell of film and escapes into a world of movie fantasies and that's what we see...the older director looking back at his boyhood and seeing the town and it's people as if they were characters in a film.

The boy loses himself into a world of movies and by that ruins his own life. Cinema Paradiso warns us not to live inside a dream, and that, the illusion of cinema is so strong that one can live a lie, instead of living a life.

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