CADTWNHMS #3: The Movies Post
by J.R. Wilco on Jul 31, 2010 3:36 PM CDT
in Off The Wall
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PrintLast year, right around Summer League time, Wayne and I talked about a few ideas we had for non-basketball posts that we thought would be fun. While I did start my series of Crazy Arguments/Discussions That Would Never Happen Mid-Season, I never did get to them all.
And here I am, a year later: older, wiser, more savvy than ever, and (after watching Inception) ready to talk movies.
Follow me after the jump for a dive into the world of cinema.
Good movies are hard to find. Really good movies are as rare and as precious as gold. I'm pretty picky when it comes to what I watch. At the same time, I don't like to know too much about a film before I go see it. I absolutely hate it when a trailer of a film gives away a plot turn that comes half an hour into the story. I want the film itself to reveal those things. I don't want to be in the middle of a scene where some of the characters are in danger, and think, "Well, he's going to be okay, because he hasn't said that quote from the trailer yet."
So, if I don't want to know much of anything about a film before I see it, and I don't like to just watch everything that comes out, then how do I manage? Well, I've got a couple of tricks I use. The first one, as I told SiMA in a conversation we had recently, is that I have a short list of directors whose films I will go to see without question: Wes Anderson, The Cohen Brothers, M. Night Shyamalan (I'm pretending The Happening never happened), the guys at Pixar, and Christopher Nolan. But I won't see many films a year if all I do is just wait for movies from this group. Well, that's where Movielens comes in.
Those of you who use Netflix will be familiar with their recommendations. Well, Movielens is to Netflix recommends as Alfred Hitchcock is to Ed Wood. It rewards the time you take to rate movies on a five star scale, with stunningly apt predictions for films you haven't yet seen, or rated. I've used it for the last 10 years or so, and trust it so much that I'll see a movie I've never even heard of before, based solely on its prediction that I'll like it. I can't recommend it highly enough.
But I don't want to make this post simply a list of my favorite movies. I'd prefer it to be more of a discussion of films we've enjoyed and what we liked about them. So, feel free to post a comment, with a link to the trailer if you so desire, and a bit about what the film is about, and/or what you liked about it. If it's a recent movie (especially Inception) or if you want to talk about something in detail, please put "SPOILER" at the beginning of your comment so those who haven't seen it yet can avoid knowing too much.
So, that's it. I'll get the ball rolling, with the first few comments/films below in the comments section.
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Miller’s Crossing, a Cohen brothers prohibition-era gangster film set in an unnamed city. Although it pretty much bombed at the box office (it made $5M back in 1990 on a budget of $14M) it has since been recognized for the amazing work that it is. One of the only films I’ve ever watched twice in a row, just to try to wrap my mind around what I’d just seen. Definitely worth your while.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Absolutely agree. One of my favorite films, and one of the Cohens’ least appreciated. I love this film for the script, which is fun and thought-provoking. Great story with lots of twists (inside joke) and memorable lines. Everyone speaks in this highly stylized prohibition street gang lingo. And of course the signature Cohen visuals, the complex set pieces, the soaring Carter Burwell score. It’s the Cohen brothers. This film has darkness and violence, but mostly it leans towards humor and exploration of relationships, integrity, honor. “Ethics.” It’s a fun and funny film with a heart and a brain, more Raising Arizona than No Country for Old Men.
And I have to add the standout performances from John Turturow in his best, villainous role, from Albert Finney, who I don’t think has ever given a bad or boring performance, and from Gabriel Byrne as the movie’s antihero. Byrne is the brains of the story, and the fun is watching him sink deeper and deeper into complex trouble and then use his wits to scramble out of it. Great, great cast. I think I may have to go watch it right now…
Good points, quincy, but I’d say that Miller’s has more in common with No Country than Raising Arizona.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
My favorite Coen Bros. is O Brother Where art Thou, but their early stuff—Miller’s, Barton Fink—still resonates.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Jul 31, 2010 10:56 PM CDT up reply actions
I sure love The Hudsucker Proxy too.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I wanted to like Raising Arizona more, but something about it held me back. Maybe it was just not my kind of humor, maybe I wasn’t in the mood to laugh at anything that day (yesterday). Still a good movie
Biggest coach Pop/Tiago Splitter homer on the internet™
by Josh Guyer (completely deck) on Aug 1, 2010 12:03 PM CDT up reply actions
I wanted to like it more too. And I was ready to. But it just didn’t really do it for me.
It’s incredibly quotable, but that really just means that it was fun to have seen the movie, and not that it was actually enjoyable to see.
This is Spinal Tap is the same way. That movie is NOT very easy to watch, it drags so much. But once you’ve seen it and can quote the few funny parts, then you’re glad you sat through it.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Ahhh, the Lone Biker of the Apocalypse. Precious memories from days of yore.
(Before Wayne and I met he was convinced that I WAS that guy and that the character was based upon my existance.)
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 1, 2010 7:00 PM CDT up reply actions
And that conviction didn’t last beyond his first meeting with you?
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I think after I lobbed a grenade into his pet bunny’s cage he willingly just thought whatever I told him to think.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 1, 2010 10:56 PM CDT up reply actions
was the hudsucker proxy, the battle scene at the end, just a nod to the literal ghost on the machine? Just watched that last year for the first time and I enjoyed it but was confused when good and evil start fighting it out through random characters.
I am a big fan of the Cohens’ work. One of my favorite things they do often is to roll actors over from one film to the next. I love that familiarity, and incentive to see the next film. My favorite Cohen bros film is still Fargo. Certain parts of it are just laugh out loud funny. I love a good dark-comedy, and this is always the first one that comes to mind. Just some wonderful lines.
William H. Macy has long been one of my favorite actors. He is completely underrated and vastly under-honored, in my opinion. Steve Buschemi is wonderful… playing the head-kidnapper. Finally, Francis McDormand got her due in this Oscar-winning role.
We agree on nearly all of this. I just don’t see the familiarity of the same actors as an incentive to watch. But everything else I’m with you on.
Speaking of underrated, The Man Who Wasn’t There was really good for a film that gets nearly no recognition. Just about every frame of that movie could make an excellent b&w still. And Tony Shalhoub’s performance is as enjoyable as it could be. Billy Bob and Frances are terrific as they always are, and Scarjo in her first adult-ish role. Tons of great dialogue, and the narration actually serves the story. I like it quite a bit.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
No Way Out a Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman twisty thriller from the late eighties. Tense and thrilling throughout with an ending that hit me like a load of bricks.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Laura, a film noir classic from the 40’s.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
The Usual Suspects, a crime/whodunit from ‘95. Source of the lines, “Who is Keyser Soze.” and "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist." One of the best third act revelations in all of cinema.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Just realized that this is the 2nd Gabriel Byrne film I’ve posted. Weird. He’s by no means on my list of favorite actors, but he was cast in some pretty good projects, and quite a few big budget ones, in the early 90’s.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Good point. I HAD forgotten he was in Excalibur. Wow. What a cast THAT had.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
The Shawshank Redemption is, for my money, best movie ever set in a prison. “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things.”
i’m not posting a trailer for this one. The film is rough in spots and earns its “R” rating, but there’s a reason it is rated #1 on IMDB’s top 250.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
One of my favorite films of all time. Have you read the novella it was based from?
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Jul 31, 2010 9:11 PM CDT up reply actions
Huh?dunno what happened there…
The Shawshank Redemption is one of my favorite films of all time. Have you read the novella it was based on?
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Jul 31, 2010 9:12 PM CDT up reply actions
No I haven’t. Do you think it reads as well as the movie plays?
King’s short fiction really works well when converted to celluloid. Shawshank, The Green Mile (despite it’s weird, and slightly downer of an ending), The Body/Stand by Me — it’s quite a lineup. His novels aren’t quite as transferable.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I enjoyed reading the novella as much as I enjoyed watching the movie. There were a few differences, but as a whole, the film adaptation stayed true to the story. Great read, indeed.
Stand By Me is my favorite coming-of-age movie.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Jul 31, 2010 9:32 PM CDT up reply actions
Different Seasons is the title of the collection of 4 shorts stories that Shawshank was taken from. From what I understand, the collection was his first non-horror published work. I believe he said he wrote the stories in the book to prove to his critics that he was able to write more than horror.
The book includes “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption”, “The Body” (Stand By Me), “Apt Pupil” (also a good movie), and a fourth story called “The Breathing Room” (I think). Four good stories, turned into three very good movies – I think, as far as Stephen King goes, it’s the best bang for your buck.
Wow, good stuff. I think I’ll get it.
Do you read much of King? If so, what do you think bout the gunslinger series? I’ve never read much of his stuff at all, but that’s the one project of his that I kind of feel drawn to trying out. Either that or The Stand.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I’ve read the whole Dark Tower series. It’s got ups and downs… towards the end there are some seriously meta elements that other people hated, but I thought was cool. The ending… well, I won’t talk about the ending. But it’s worth reading, if you’ve got a month or two. It’s got a great style, and cross-genre appeal.
The Stand, however, is freaking INCREDIBLE. Definitely my favorite of his, in a big, big way.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 3:21 PM CDT up reply actions
Well then.
I guess it’s Different Seasons followed by The Stand.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Stephen King is one twisted guy, at least when he writes. Love his books. The Stand IS freaking incredible. Dark Tower series, couldn’t wait for the next one to come out. King is the only author that can scare me, might even sleep with the reading lamp left on. Have never really trusted clowns after reading KIng.
Fluff reading – Janet Evanovich, make you laugh out loud, even in a public place. Grandma Mazur, I aspire to be like her some day. Probably chick books, but seriously if you want something to lighten your mood, try her. Start with One for the Money. Only the number series tho, I hate her other books.
Timmy D .... enough said.
I’ve asked my wife for Under the Dome for my birthday this week. Have you read his On Writing? It’s like my bible, besides the Bible.
On Writing is fantastic. It’s one of the best things he’s ever written, better than much of his fiction. Have you read John Gardner’s On Moral Fiction? Or Eudora Welty’s One Writer’s Beginnings? I highly recommend them both. You might disagree with Gardner, but you’ll definitely be inspired.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
I have to agree that On Writing is a fantastic read. :)
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 1, 2010 8:10 PM CDT up reply actions
I love Stephen King’s work. Try reading Misery as well. I enjoyed reading The Dark Tower series. One amazing thing about this series is how it is related to other King novels. You should also try The Talisman and Black House.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 1, 2010 8:09 PM CDT up reply actions
I haven’t read the book Misery - but that is also one GREAT movie! I am a huuuuge Kathy Bates fan, also. She deserved that Oscar!
She was mysteriously frightening in that film. She definitely gave justice to the excellently-written Annie Wilkes character.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 1, 2010 8:40 PM CDT up reply actions
I own a fair amount of his stuff, but seem to prefer his non-horror more. One of my favorite things about his writing is that he is SO detailed. Annoyingly so, at times. He’ll talk about the fly on the wall for 3 pages. But every line counts – another one of my favoite things about him. Is it true that all of his stories come from his dreams?
To answer the question, I think I’ve read a decent amount. I tend to avoid the horror – for the sheer fact that it’s just not my personal preference. IT, from what I’ve been able to get through, is great. Haven’t seen the movie. I very much enjoyed Green Mile, Different Seasons, Night Shift & Everything’s Eventual (both horror – most are good. A few movies came out of this one. You’ll recognize some of the titles.). I guess I can take his horror, just in smaller doses, hence my preference for his short stories.
My personal favorite work of King’s remains Hearts in Atlantis. It was the first of his books that I ever finished, and I’ve never read anything as good by him, yet. The book was amazing. I highly recommend it. The movie was awful! The screen adaptation’s of his stories are hit or miss.
Allright, Ed. Thanks for the detailed reply. Adding Hearts in Atlantis to the list.
I didn’t even know that was King! I remember seeing that the movie was almost universally panned, and never really thought of it again. Interesting that you rate it so highly.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I too read the Gunslinger series (at 16 years of age). I loved the first three, liked the fourth, and didn’t really like the fifth to seventh. All in all, a véry good read. I’d certainly recommend it!
"Age ain't nothing but a number!" - Reggie Miller after a Dice block
And I really liked Eyes of the Dragon from King as well.
"Age ain't nothing but a number!" - Reggie Miller after a Dice block
Oh yes. That one’s good too. I think that’s the second Stephen King novel I read.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 2, 2010 6:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Found a trailer for those who’ve already watched Shawshank. I don’t remember seeing this one in the theater.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Witness for the Prosecution courtroom mystery from the 50’s. I defy you to figure out the ending before it’s revealed. (What’s hilarious is that I wrote this before I found or had seen this trailer.)
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, a fantastical adventure comedy from Terry Gilliam. Just a blast to watch with tons of wonderful non-sequitur laughs, great set pieces, and overall wackiness of the verbal and visual variety.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
This is one of those movies that got a lot of press at the time because it went over budget. It gave Terry Gilliam a reputation as one of those directors who self indulgently spends too much. But it’s a great, great movie. I guess Brazil is his masterpiece, but Baron Munchausen is a LOT less depressing. Smart, beautiful, uplifting, funny.
I couldn’t agree with you more. I could watch Baron over and over while Brazil, although incredible in its own right, isn’t a place I want to spend too much time in.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Tiago won’t be pleased to read that.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on DeJuan Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Jul 31, 2010 5:45 PM CDT up reply actions
Amelie a quirky, stylish French comedy that nearly defies description. Clever and engaging with an adorable lead performance by Audrey Tautou.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I fell in love with Audrey Tautou in that movie, I fell out of love when I saw The Da Vinci Code.
I did a lot of soul searching. I didn't find anything.
I never saw Code. That must be why I still have a soft spot in my heart for sweet, 25 year old Audrey.
Ms. Tautou, please tell me it will always be 2001 for us.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I also like A Very Long Engagement.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Hey guys!! HOLY COW!! I just got in from my third time seeing Inception, and it was AMAZING!1 I got it so much better the third time than the second, and I’m hoping that I’ll get it even moreso after my fourth time seeing it late tonight!! Yeah for movies! LOL
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
Until you review Bottlerocket, Boondock Saints, or Big Lebowski your list is offensive to me.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
You should just watch it again; you must just not “get” it.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Jul 31, 2010 9:03 PM CDT up reply actions
Have you seen the sequel yet?
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I bought it right when it came out but haven’t yet even watched it. I’ve heard bad things about it and think that’s probably what gives me pause. I keep thinking though that at worst it still has Julie Benz, so it’s gonna have some value.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Jul 31, 2010 11:14 PM CDT up reply actions
Mrs. JRW and I started watching season 1 of Dexter just last night.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Stay with it… you’ll soon be enamored. The story is impeccable, although at times raw.
It’s the tie that bonds Hipuks and I.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Jul 31, 2010 11:49 PM CDT up reply actions
Until you get to the finale of Season 4, then you’ll just be a weird mixture of angry and shocked and anxious and relieved.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Jul 31, 2010 11:57 PM CDT up reply actions
That’s a good way to put it. I’m both relieved but yet stunned by the events of S4, so I’m now just ambivalent about S5.
I’m more excited about Eastbound and Down. Did you ever get into that?
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 1, 2010 12:02 AM CDT up reply actions
Have you seen Will Ferrel’s outtakes from the episode he was in?
The riff he does on plums? Please tell me you have.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Of course, there’s a tragic and comedic brilliance to that show and I’m excited about this upcoming season to see where they go.
“Dollar dollar bills, ya’ll.”
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 1, 2010 12:06 AM CDT up reply actions
“Let … the boy … watch. He needs to learn … like I learned from my father.”
The guys on my row at work quote this all the time.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Love it. “NO, let…the boy….watch.”
I also loved, “Fundamentals are a crutch for the talentless.”
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 1, 2010 12:15 AM CDT up reply actions
Just go straight out and get it tomorrow; if anyone here should appreciate the irony and satire, it’s you.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 1, 2010 12:06 AM CDT up reply actions
Kenny Powers motivational tape: “Undaunted, I knew the game was mine to win. Just like in life, all of my successes depend on me. I’m the man who has the ball, I’m the man who can throw it faster than fuck. So that is why I am better than everyone in the world. Kiss my ass and suck my dick, everyone.”
"It's Manuway or the Highway" - tlo
I think you may be right. I paused it halfway through the first episode to see how she was handling it; she was fine.
I’d heard enough about it to expect really good things. I liked episode one quite enough. Then there was the title sequence of episode two. That was the moment I knew I was hooked. The way that entire sequence was filmed to make even the most ordinary tasks appear so grotesque and unseemly. Technically difficult to do, but the idea, simply brillian.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I can’t stand Boondock Saints. Every time they fade to black I want to shoot myself in the head.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Jul 31, 2010 10:28 PM CDT up reply actions
It’s a lot like Inception. If you don’t like it, it’s probably because you don’t get it.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Jul 31, 2010 11:15 PM CDT up reply actions
I disliked it too. Thought it was ludicrous and overdone, like all the arch stylization and hyper-violence would distract people from noticing that it just missed the zeitgeist train.
The documentary (Overnight) about making it was interesting, though. To a point. Toward the end I disliked everyone involved so much that I didn’t really care what happened to them.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
Fuckin’ amateurs.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 1, 2010 7:02 PM CDT up reply actions
8 year olds, Dude.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 1, 2010 10:57 PM CDT up reply actions
I don’t watch many movies but Crash is my favorite at the moment. Avatar bored me but don’t tell my grand daughter. And yes, I have set through the Twilight movies with her as well. I like movies that make you think so will have to go see Inception.
Timmy D .... enough said.
Crash is a nice film.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Jul 31, 2010 9:25 PM CDT up reply actions
Well, at least it’s a better winner than Shakespeare In Love.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
No doubt.
1998 Nominees the year Shakespear one:
Elizabeth
Life is Beautiful
Saving Private Ryan
The Thin Red Line
2005 Nominees the year Crash won
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Good Night, and Good Luck
Munich
I also think other films should have won over Titanic in 97 and others should have beaten Gladiator in 2000.
Gladiator is a fine film. It just wasn’t a great film, for my money.
So, who do you like in ’05 better than Crash?
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
2000 was a year of a lot of solid films.
You had Chocolat, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Erin Brockovich and Traffic. I would have preferred.
I thought Traffic was solid. Although I also thought Crouching Tiger was really well done.
CT, HD was such a bore. And Erin Brockovich is a weird phenomenon. It’s an okay movie, but why the hell do people love it so much?
I smell death... everywhere.
CT, HD was such a bore.
Dead to me.
That’s one of the few films I like enough to own. Can’t believe you didn’t understand it. Guess you just need to watch it again, or have SiMA explain it to you.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
LD-
A bunch of people from the East fly around and kick each other in mid-air. There’s a story involved somewhere.
The end.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 1, 2010 2:04 PM CDT up reply actions
Nice synopsis. Is this how you’d describe Rocky?
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Also, you forgot to mention the longing.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Twihards, take note. THIS is how you stare deeply into each others’ eyes.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 2:25 PM CDT up reply actions
“Hero” SPOILERS
I thought that the last five minutes of Hero (besides Jet-Li’s demise) were laughable they were so over-the-top. I really enjoyed it up to that point. Great visuals, an interesting story inventively told, as each perspective told more than the one before.
But the end of the film, with all of the supporting characters committing suicide and finding each other too late to stop them, and then holding their dying bodies while wind machines blew their streaming robes out in billowing patterns as music that went beyond dramatic was crescendo-ing into almost deafening levels.
I couldn’t take it. I tried but couldn’t.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Not yet. Is it worth it?
I saw House of Flying Daggers, and was disappointed by the third act.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I still say Munich was the best film in ‘05, but the one that’s surprisingly gotten the most play at my house is Good Night and Good Luck.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 6:30 AM CDT up reply actions
Munish? Ok, we’ll pass on that, but we still have issues to discuss.
You think that Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon was a bore, and Munich was too slow.
I think I see the problem, Mr. No-Attention-Span. How do you even watch an entire basketball game?
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
So… no Lawrence of Arabia for you, then?
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 2:34 PM CDT up reply actions
I loved LoA. Thought it was incredible, but I can allow for it having been merely excellent, yet remembered as better than it actually was owing to the fact that I saw it with one of my favorite human beings on the planet. Someone I hardly ever get to see anymore.
But still. It’s in my top 50 for sure.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I prefer Crash over Brokeback Mountain and I think Munich was the best among those nominated films. Winning the award was a long shot for Munich because of the late release date and weak campaigning.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 1, 2010 8:15 PM CDT up reply actions
I don’t believe I’ve ever rooted as hard for something NOT to happen as I did with the girl and the invisible cape toward the end of that film. As that scene plays out, and everything happens so slowly, I was vowing to murder myself a screenwriter if she didn’t survive. It’s not my favorite movie, but I’ve got to tip my cap to a moviemaker who can build something that causes me to react so strongly. And the way he checks her over afterward, as the audience realizes how it came to be, what with the daughter having bought those particular rounds earlier in the film. Just well set up. Kudos to you Crash-people.
Also, looking back, my favorite scene in that film is when he first “gives” her the cape. The way he ties it around her neck and pulls her hair through so gently. It just so completely communicated his love for her and his desire to protect her. Nice moment there.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
That was my favorite part as well. I’m with you on the scene where the shop owner shoots at her dad. I thought, I can’t watch this movie any more if she dies. It would just be too much.
It was very well set up, loved how one action led to the next. And how everyone had to face how their negative actions affected the next person.
Timmy D .... enough said.
Another exceptional scene is with Dillon and Newton in that upside-down car. Quite tense. The aftermath is heart-wrenching.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
It’s really hard for me to sit still long enough to watch a movie, this one kept me totally focused, hated for it to end.
For some reason I have a hard time understanding accents, British in particular. Watched Full Monty with my kids, they were laughing, I’m asking constantly – What did they say?? Thank God for closed caption now. Don’t know why it is, hate it. If we have to have tech support, I have my daughter handle it. Besides the fact that anything to do with computers is Greek to me, it’s too frustrating for the folks I’m talking to.
Timmy D .... enough said.
I guess we should just be grateful that you’ve been able to figure out how to post here. =]
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I have never been more grateful for subtitles than when watching Gosford Park. Seriously.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 2:22 PM CDT up reply actions
One of the absolute BEST scenes I’ve ever witnessed. That was powerful.
"You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas." -Davy Crockett
"Give me an army of West Point graduates, and I'll win a battle. Give me a handful of Texas Aggies, and I'll win a war." -Gen. George S. Patton
by Trey Felder on Jul 31, 2010 11:53 PM CDT up reply actions
lol
You are only young once, but you can be immature for a lifetime
by the little o on Aug 1, 2010 12:26 PM CDT up reply actions
I like the original Star Wars trilogy, the original Indiana Jones trilogy, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the Back to the Future trilogy.
Don’t judge me.
I smell death... everywhere.
No wonder you want all of our Big Three to finish their careers in S.A.
You’re a trilogist!
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I think Back To The Future could have done without the 3rd or even the 2nd. Although as a kid, the 2nd was cool because of the hover boards.
Really? The third one is a bit jarring because it’s set in the WWW and is kind of offbeat, but I think it wraps up the story nicely. The more I watched it, the better I liked it.
I smell death... everywhere.
Are you sure it didn’t drag a bit during the love interest storyline? You know, there are entire minutes that go by and NOTHING BLOWS UP. Not even a little bit!
Ok, I think I can let this go now. I guess that CTHD disagreement took more out of me than I thought.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Well, regardless of your jibe, Doc’s love interest was annoying at times. Definitely the weakest part of the movie.
I smell death... everywhere.
Couldn’t agree with you more. I couldn’t believe that I was watching a BttF movie, and had to watch Jim Ignatowski go a-wooing. NOT what I was expecting when I plunked down my $4.50 in 1990.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
$4.50 doesn’t even get you a slushie anymore.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 2:55 PM CDT up reply actions
The closest cinema to me (a Cinemark twenty-theatre multiplex) has an “early bird” special for the first showing of the day just to try to get some butts in the seats. They still charge $5.75 for it.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
our local plestex is $5.50 for an adult and $3.50 for children and seniors. the matinee is a set $3.00 no matter what you age is.
Dejuan BLAAAIIIIIIRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!
They aren’t bad, but they weaken the story more than help. It still is a good trilogy and it’s fun. But if it was a one off movie, then it would have been a little bit more solid as a solo piece. I’m not unhappy about 2 other sequels to it though. Obviously you need to go three with the way 2 ended, but then I believe they were planning for 3 once they did the 1st sequel.
They filmed 2 and 3 back to back.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Yeah, I thought so (little kid back then and also too lazy to look up). Thanks!
I think it was stretched a little more for popularity story quality (at least re-watching as an adult)
I agree so hard with this. His TPM review is 70 minutes of pure brillian.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 2:18 PM CDT up reply actions
I think Back to the Future is the greatest trilogy of movies ever. I love all three for different reasons. All bring back fond memories of my childhood. Everytime one of them is on, I stop whatever’s going on an watch. And… I LOVE the score!
I’m waiting for a hoverboard, still.
went to see some family today and they were all watching BTF trilogy. You forget how fun those movies are.
Talking of the original Star Wars:
interesting choices on screening for the actor to play Hans Solo
I like this quote:
One actor who was not considered for the role: Harrison Ford.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
When it comes to movies that just floor you…or just keeps you at the edge of your seat till you realize that the theatre has actually emptied…
- Saving Private Ryan
- Good Will Hunting
- Clerks
Just to mention a few of the movies that I think are just worth every single cent paid and probably more. There are a few already mentioned…ie…The Usual Suspects
Hard to pinpoint why I loved that movie so much. Maybe its the chemistry between Robin Williams and Matt Damon. Or maybe its the story we all love, the ordinary, good guy ( in this case, he happened to be extraordinary, but he still could have ended up in the dumps) making it in the world.
The Spurs = Not your granddaddies 7th seed !
It’s really well-written and, in my opinion, perfectly cast. William Goldman swears up and down that he didn’t write the screenplay and only gave them a few tips on what to leave out. And I guess we’ll have to believe him.
There are a number of scenes from that movie that I really enjoy watching. Williams has a couple of monologues that are simply riveting – the one where he tells Will that he’s just a kid is especially good (2nd to last quote on that page). The writing is so well done that Ben Affleck couldn’t even screw it up – that scene where he’s telling Will about the best part of his day is probably his best 3 minutes ever captured on film . Minnie Driver is just terrific in it. There really isn’t a false moment in the whole thing. I like it quite a bit.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Probably Robin Williams’ best performance, too.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Jul 31, 2010 10:58 PM CDT up reply actions
I just cruised through his IMDB listing, and there’s not one I’d put above it.
Good call.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Don’t mess with me, man.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I’m telling you … don’t mess with me!
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
*shoves LD in the chest
Don’t mess with me. Not you!
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Obligatory Family Guy reference to tie everything together.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 1, 2010 7:06 PM CDT up reply actions
I had a feeling that someone would come along to ruin it. I just didn’t think it’d be SiMA.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I was really disappointed. I loved watching it play out.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 2, 2010 8:42 AM CDT up reply actions
We were taking our time with the scene. Just letting the truth reveal itself through our performances.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 2, 2010 10:27 AM CDT up reply actions
And the entire soundtrack is by Elliott Smith. My favorite musician ever. No one even comes close to him for me. ::::sigh::::
"It's Manuway or the Highway" - tlo
Agreed. But the scene where Robin Williams gets mad and threatens Damon felt unreal to me. Psychologists good ones, that is never let patients get to them.
I smell death... everywhere.
I really felt like they set that up by the fact that he’d been taken to all of the GOOD ONES already, and Will had chewed them up and spit them out. Then there’s this Psychologist from the same part of town who knows how to speak the only language Will would understand.
A bit movie-ish, sure. But it didn’t stretch my WSoD.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
This is a trailer for a very very good movie. Watch this and be entertained.
Yo, I’m 6-11, but I just want to dribble through my legs and shoot jumpshots like a guard. - Marc Blucas on Tim Duncan
“Can you say, ‘BURRRRR’?”
“BURRRRR”
“Very GOOD!”
by DrumsInTheDeep on Jul 31, 2010 10:49 PM CDT up reply actions
Ah, M Night Shyamalan, the Sixth sense was classic, I loved “Unbreakable” and “Signs”. Then things got progressively worse… “The Village” was merely Ok, Lady in the water was horrible, and I just stopped watching after that. It was unanimously agreed by everyone I spoke to that “the happening” was horrible, and the trend has continued with “the last airbender”.
As a sidenote, I didn’t know M Night was only 39 years old.
The Spurs = Not your granddaddies 7th seed !
Whenever I think of those kids able to save the life of an (nearly) invulnerable hero, I get goosebumps.
The part where the kids manage to fish Bruce out of the swimming pool, water being his only vulnerability…
The Spurs = Not your granddaddies 7th seed !
Did anyone else theorize that he was actually one of the aliens from Signs?
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on DeJuan Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Jul 31, 2010 8:04 PM CDT up reply actions
I don’t think I’m with you on that one. But here’s my take on what’s up with Shyamalan.
I saw an interview with him after The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, and he said something to the effect that he “didn’t want to be known as the guy who writes the movies with a twist at the end.” And I think he’s actually working against what comes naturally to him, in order to NOT be put into some niche by the industry.
But I think that if he would just be himself, and write without trying to avoid something, then he’d get back to making films like his first four.
I guess we’ll see.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I think M. Night just wasn’t as good as we thought he was, and this is coming from someone who thinks “Unbreakable” was his best work.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Jul 31, 2010 10:36 PM CDT up reply actions
Making SS so early doomed him; we now expect so much.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Jul 31, 2010 11:16 PM CDT up reply actions
It’s just my theory, and time will tell. But every one of his first four films has at least one scene (if not more than one) that I simply cannot resist.
The Sixth Sense, that entire movie was about as good as it gets, enough said.
Unbreakable, the scene with the father and the son testing out the weights, the scene where the son gets the gun to prove this theory to his dad, the scene between husband and wife after he comes back home from being a hero.
Signs, the “which kind of person are you” scene on the couch with the kids asleep, the scene around the dinner table when Mel refuses to bless the food, the flashback between Mel and his wife.
The Village, the scene on the porch when she assumes she knows how he feels about her, but won’t stop talking until he finally interrupts her and works his way around to telling her, the scene where she first encounters the pit.
I don’t think you can lose your ability to create these kind of interactions just like that. He might not ever have another hit like Sixth Sense but I think he still has a number of high quality films still in him. Look at Hitchcock, even his run from ’53 to ’63 (which is about as good as any director has ever had) has a number of ho-hum films in it.
It’s easy to forget that we’re in the middle of his career and every film he makes seems to indicate that the rest of his films will be awful or amazing. The latest film he wrote (Devil) is coming out later this year. He didn’t direct, but if it’s at all a hit, then I think his next writing/directing credit will be quite anticipated.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I agree with your choice of scenes. Great, all of them.
I just don’t know how you can do something like Lady in the Water. Or ruin the great scenes we saw in The Happening’s trailer with such a nothing plot.
I smell death... everywhere.
As for Lady I don’t mind giving him a pass. It’s a film born from a bedtime story he told his daughters. If you’re a filmmaker, that’s probably just too difficult NOT to make your next project. And there are a few scenes that I enjoyed, but all in all, I don’t think it rises to the level of his previous work.
Now, The Happening — well, I like to pretend that it doesn’t exist. I’m not sure that there’s a single redeemable thing in that entire film. Even the best parts of the trailer that were so visually arresting just fell flat in the context of the movie. I hope that’s as close as he ever comes to a full-on strike out.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
spoiler
You nailed the scenes, jrw. Night’s first four films are unbelievable. I tense up when thinking about them. I can only shake my head and think that’s unbelievable. Sixth Sense is absolutely on of the greatest films of our time.
I was completely caught off guard at the end. The same goes for Village. And I loved every second of it.
I was just joking, since the Signs aliens & Bruce’s character in Unbreakable were both weak to water, albeit to different degrees.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on DeJuan Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Aug 1, 2010 12:06 AM CDT up reply actions
That actually makes sense. I sure hope I’m not on meth right now.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Me too. PtR could stand to avoid any meth users. Otherwise, it would just be another Spurstalk, haha.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on DeJuan Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Aug 1, 2010 12:15 AM CDT up reply actions
“They call me….. Ian Mahinmi.”
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Jul 31, 2010 9:05 PM CDT up reply actions
GOL, a staircase is the man’s worst enemy.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on DeJuan Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Jul 31, 2010 9:23 PM CDT up reply actions
When he’s in a hurry, you bet.
I thought it was interesting that even though it cost him so much, that he considered it a worthwhile sacrifice because of what he learned before he passed out. I like it when writers are confident enough to require their characters to make really difficult choices, and what it reveals about them because of what their priorities are.
Very few people could go through that much pain and still consider it a win, but he’d been searching for so long and it meant so much to him, that it was worth it for him to go though all of that, and the rehab, because he felt his existence was validated. Really interesting writing.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Wait… are we talking about Yawn or Samuel L?
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Jul 31, 2010 11:17 PM CDT up reply actions
I didn’t like the Airbender movie. It’s too serious. It didn’t capture the funny side of Sokka and Aang.
Yo, I’m 6-11, but I just want to dribble through my legs and shoot jumpshots like a guard. - Marc Blucas on Tim Duncan
As a man with a 1 year old boy, I’ve learned that you can teach him 70% of life’s lessons by making him watch: Goodfellas, Godfather I&II, Casino, Donnie Brasco, Scarface, Road to Perdition, Gattaca and The Incredibles.
Weird list, i know, but it’s true.
I had high hopes for the road to perdition. Something of a letdown….
The Spurs = Not your granddaddies 7th seed !
I don’t know, but I loved Road to Perdition.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Jul 31, 2010 9:10 PM CDT up reply actions
Great father/son relationship in Road. I quite enjoyed it. Actually saw it with my father. One of the few movies the two of us have seen at the cinema together as adults.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Aside from that and the acting of the cast, I really liked the film’s cinematography.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Jul 31, 2010 9:24 PM CDT up reply actions
Man, I sure love that film. Everything about how they told that story was so economical. If something’s on the screen, there’s a reason, and it’ll come up later. Just a terrific ride with tons of great dialogue.
Also, the score is pitch perfect throughout. And don’t get me started on Edna Mode.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I own that soundtrack… my wife and I are HUGE Giacchino nerds. The sequence with Dash running through the jungle—the moment where he realizes he can run on water—that’s my favorite moment in any animated film, ever.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Jul 31, 2010 10:37 PM CDT up reply actions
Drums, I can’t see that film without wanting to watch that moment multiple times. Dash’s reaction and laugh once he realizes that he’s able to run on the water are made of win.
Other awesome moments from The Incredibles (in reverse order):
“Run! Run! Run! … Not TOO fast! … 2nd place!”
Jack-Jack’s temper tantrum all over Syndrome.
“I love our family!”
The entire sequence of the family vs. the Omnidroid — so well constructed, everybody contributes while being stretched to their limits.
“We get there … when we GET there.”
Elasticagirl’s instructions to the kids & pep talk to Violet (gives me a lump in the throat every time).
The scene with the missiles closing in on the plane, all the way through to the splashdown. Just amazingly well done. (They also work Beethoven’s Fifth into the score at the moment she comes to after covering them up from the explosion.)
Every single moment Edna Mode is on the screen, especially when she unveils the suits. “Oh, well. He’ll look fabulous anyway.”
The entire Golden Age sequence the evening before the wedding; add in the interviews and EVERYTHING in the film is set up in about 6 minutes. That’s impossible, and yet they did it.
And I know I’m leaving stuff out but if I don’t stop eventually, I’ll just be listing every scene.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
“The public’s in danger? My EVENING’S in DANGER!”
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
“YOU TELL ME WHERE MY SUIT IS, WOMAN! We are talking about the GREATER GOOD!”
“GREATER GOOD?! I am your WIFE. I’m the GREATEST GOOD you are EVER gonna get!!!”
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 2:31 PM CDT up reply actions
God bless you. You can tell if someone is awesome or not by their feelings about Goodfellas and Godfathers I&II.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Jul 31, 2010 9:06 PM CDT up reply actions
My two year old is really into dinosaurs and Go Diego Go. I don’t think he’s quite ready for Goodfellas.
He’ll love Jurassic Park and Land Before Time. I too loved dinosaurs as a kid and enjoyed watching those movies.
Yo, I’m 6-11, but I just want to dribble through my legs and shoot jumpshots like a guard. - Marc Blucas on Tim Duncan
Jurassic Park was HUGE for me, as I was that magical age of 7 when it was released… it was the first VHS I ever bought with my own money, and I’ve got the whole thing memorized. I like to entertain my friends during sound checks on stage with the entire “Mr. DNA” monologue.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Jul 31, 2010 10:36 PM CDT up reply actions
Also, the first family copy of it was an old VHS that we had recorded from the first network broadcast… an NBA game went late (back when Shaq was playing for the Magic), so we’d have to fast-forward through that, and THEN there were frequent storm warnings throughout. To this day, I can sit down and watch the film, while adding the “boop boop boop” at the exact moment.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Jul 31, 2010 10:39 PM CDT up reply actions
Then you’re LOVE this.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Yeah, Jurassic Park has a special place in my heart, too. The novel is probably my favorite of Crichton’s.
I smell death... everywhere.
Definitely my favorite Crichton novel. It’s a shame that The Lost World book and movie—while being completely different from each other—were both so flawed.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 1:40 PM CDT up reply actions
Read Androm. Strain. Wait…. how have you not already?
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 1, 2010 2:06 PM CDT up reply actions
I have a Top 50 list, but I’ll only bore you with my top five, and some of them have already been mentioned. Bear in mind that I’m a populist, even though I went to film school, and will happily discuss/debate anything mentioned in this thread… I don’t think you’re ready, JRW:
1) The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
2) Saving Private Ryan
3) The Incredibles
4) The Shawshank Redemption
5) Amadeus. Vibrant direction, beautiful music, and two of the finest performances ever recorded. The dictation scene towards the end… I get chills every time, and I analyzed it for one of my classes in college.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Jul 31, 2010 10:34 PM CDT reply actions
I LOVE Amadeus. One of those that not many know but that’s glorious.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Jul 31, 2010 11:18 PM CDT up reply actions
I saw Amadeus in the theater in 1984; the first release, before the Academy awards. I sat next to Margaret Van den Brook and we held hands. Ahhh, Peggy — so pretty.
Being only 14, I couldn’t completely understand what I saw that day. She was, sad to say, a bit bored by the whole thing.
It didn’t work out between us.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Ok, Drums. You’re on. I don’t care if I’m outmatched; I’ll gladly play the underdog.
We each choose a film for the other to break down. We’ll each post and let PtR decide. What do you say? Your film, should you choose to accept the challenge, is Synecdoche, New York (2008). Let me know if you haven’t seen it, and I’ll choose another. Although, if you have Netflix, it’s on instant watch.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Haha, oh, great. You picked one of the only films that I didn’t get around to seeing that year. Offer another substitute, and if I haven’t seen it I’ll find one of them.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 6:34 AM CDT up reply actions
Allright, how about Stranger than Fiction?
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I really like that film. Something about it just really works for me. Got me to become fans of Spoon too! One of the only roles that I like Will Ferrell in.
I found StF off-beat, unexpected, inventive and completely charming.
I wish Ferrell would do more like this.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Stranger than fiction was great, I enjoyed it very much. I can’t say I was surprised by Will Ferrell’s acting, but it was nice to see him in that type of role.
It was the greatness of Emma Thompson rubbing off on Will Ferrell. I’m not a Will Ferrell fan, but I will see almost any movie with Emma Thompson in it.
I haven’t seen that either! But I’ll Netflix one of those and get back to you… your assignment? Glengarry Glen Ross.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 2, 2010 8:44 AM CDT up reply actions
Walked out of the theatre upon my first viewing of GGR and thought, “Glengarry Glen Ross, the movie that’s like getting hit by a bus.”
Ok, so I gave you two films at your request, but if you haven’t seen either (and now that I know you have Netflix) then I’m going to need to ask you to instant watch SNY in exchange for me revisiting Glengarry.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I feel like I should give you something less blatantly based on a play. How about Michael Clayton?
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 2, 2010 12:44 PM CDT up reply actions
I would watch Tilda Swinton in anything, all day long.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
Shoot, I could write a whole post just about the bit at the end, after the last of the dialogue, when Clayton leaves the building and gets into the taxi and the camera stays on him while he’s just reacting to everything that’s happened, and processing it.
That was fascinating.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I'll say it, I don't care.
Yes, my taste in movies is particular and refined, with appreciation for subtle nuances and fine writing. I can appreciate and value your analysis, J-Wil.
That said, I’m actually watching Predator on TV right now and LOVING every second of it. It’s highly entertaining. But…. I may only be dreaming, or just dreaming about dreaming about dreaming.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Jul 31, 2010 11:56 PM CDT reply actions
Please enjoy this wonderful bit of Predator humor.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Fantastic. (whispering) Get to the choppa.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 1, 2010 1:00 AM CDT up reply actions
My favorite movies (numbers not concrete):
1.) Inception
2.) Saving Private Ryan
3.) Miracle
4.) Finding Nemo
5.) Forrest Gump
6.) The Dark Knight
7.) The Incredibles
8.) Crash
9.) I Am Legend
10.) Mr. and Mrs. Smith
I’m an absolute sucker for Disney/Pixar (all those younger siblings will do that to you lol). I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not overly discriminating in my movie tastes—if the trailer tickles my palate and I like the storyline, I go see it and form my own opinion.
"You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas." -Davy Crockett
"Give me an army of West Point graduates, and I'll win a battle. Give me a handful of Texas Aggies, and I'll win a war." -Gen. George S. Patton
I know Inception was good. I agree, really. But best movie of all time?
Also, 9 and 10 I pretty much hated. Oh well.
I smell death... everywhere.
I can understand the hate for 9, but 10? It was just a fun bit of fluff. Hard to get worked up over. Why the hate, LD?
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I agree with you, LD. 9 and 10 were blah.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 1, 2010 8:22 PM CDT up reply actions
NUMBERS NOT CONCRETE!!!!!!!!
I was just throwing shit up there in no particular order lol. And Inception is NOT the best movie of all time, not by a long shot. And my reason for liking I Am Legend is NOT for the storyline or the 3d effects (those sucked). It was that it really allowed Will Smith’s talents as a lone actor to shine.
"You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas." -Davy Crockett
"Give me an army of West Point graduates, and I'll win a battle. Give me a handful of Texas Aggies, and I'll win a war." -Gen. George S. Patton
Hate to admit it, but I’m totally with you, AFaggie. I love any good apocalyptic movie in which the protagonist is the only or one of the only people left alive.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 1, 2010 10:59 PM CDT up reply actions
Whatever. They ruined a great book in which the lone survivor was actually the boogeyman, the monster. It was an exercise in POVs and perception, and had one of the strongest final chapters I’ve read. I loved it.
I smell death... everywhere.
Thanks for ruining the book for me. Guess I’ll never read it NOW.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
He was also in I, Robot, which pretty much rainbowed the original story. When you break the central premise of the book in the trailer, I don’t see what’s the point of even attaching its name to it.
I did a lot of soul searching. I didn't find anything.
Agreed, I liked the original stories, and liked the movie, but they were not connected in any way other than having robots around. Probably would have liked the movie more if they had called it something else so my expectations were set properly.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
Yeah, those are really good. I know for I Am Legend, the scene where his dog dies and then he goes back to the video store and talking to the manicans were just unbelievable.
"You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas." -Davy Crockett
"Give me an army of West Point graduates, and I'll win a battle. Give me a handful of Texas Aggies, and I'll win a war." -Gen. George S. Patton
Anyone watched Memento? Way before Chris Nolan got famous with The Prestige, Batman franchise & Inception…
The Usual Suspects, Scarface, the Shawshank Redemption,
Memento is excellent. I actually like it better than either of Nolan’s Batman films.
Have you seen his first film, Following?
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I think Memento is Nolan’s best film yet.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 1, 2010 8:23 PM CDT up reply actions
Memento is terrific, but feels like a play date compared to Inception.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 8:25 PM CDT up reply actions
I had a dream just yesterday that I was watching Memento. At least, I think it was a dream.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 2, 2010 2:36 AM CDT up reply actions
You should check your Cracker Barrel novelty talking parrot totem just to be sure.
I did a lot of soul searching. I didn't find anything.
My brother actually had one of those growing up.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 2, 2010 10:28 AM CDT up reply actions
City Of God
American History X
Good Will Hunting
Cinema Paradiso
Finding Neverland
are some of my all time favorites….
As for comedies and horror, Wedding Crashers and In Dreams are definitely top for me.
Good choices. Gotta love the score for Cinema Paradiso. Ennio’s always on target.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Oh, he’s terrific. I could listen to his Sergio Leone stuff all day.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 6:38 PM CDT up reply actions
You haven’t lived until you’ve seen Once Upon a Time in the West on a big, big, BIG screen with that insane Morricone score blasting at you. Oh my God, I will never forget the chills that washed over me when the significance of that wailing harmonica was made brutally clear. Unforgettable. Fantastico!
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
Great Morricone score, or Greatest Morricone score? I say the latter.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 6:44 PM CDT up reply actions
Two thumbs up for Cinema Paradiso.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 1, 2010 8:24 PM CDT up reply actions
Nice list. :)
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 1, 2010 8:24 PM CDT up reply actions
Good picks. Ed Norton in American History X is so badass. Edward Furlong, too. One of my favorite films.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 1, 2010 8:29 PM CDT up reply actions
Well, since we are listing movie faves, I’ll throw mine out there. If you don’t like it, you can throw it right back….
Lord of the Rings (mainly parts 1 and 3)
The Matrix (part 1 only)
Stargate (movie is probably Emmerich’s best work)
Predator (appeases my inner fan boy)
Forrest Gump (all-around classic)
Saving Private Ryan (opening scene..best and most believable ever?)
The Prestige
Gladiator
Aliens
Jurassic Park
Terminator 2
The Fifth Element
3:10 to Yuma (riveting performances)
…okay sorry now I’m just rambling. And most of them are Sci-Fi so you know I’m a geek. Any thoughts?
"He has an innate ability of putting the damn ball in the hole." - Pop on Ginobili
What do you feel made Stargate so good?
Also, which 3:10 is your favorite?
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Stargate had a gate that went to other worlds. That’s interesting enough on its own.
Movie could’ve been better, but at least it followed the book closely.
I smell death... everywhere.
Yes, Egg-zactly! The movie has sort of a thin plot, but it is very easy to get caught up in the action and the mythology of it all. There are books (and followers of it) that profess how Egypt’s pyramids were built by alien beings and this movie doesn’t explicitly say this, but the way that Stargate implies it is one of the movies’ strong points. Theories about wormholes, portals, and traveling to distances far in the universe also seem plausible, just ask Dr. Michio Kaku (astrophysicist seen on youtube whose theories are explained in Layman’s terms).
"He has an innate ability of putting the damn ball in the hole." - Pop on Ginobili
Stargate had a gate that went to other worlds. That’s interesting enough on its own.
C’mon, LD. You know that it takes more than an interesting premise to make a good movie.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Well, considering it spawned multiple popular spin-off series with little to not plot…
Seriously, you’re right, but the premise made it cool enough to watch, regardless of inconsistencies, plot holes, etc. Then again, I was younger when I watched it.
I smell death... everywhere.
I thought Stargate was just a TV series not a movie but it was cool to go into that gate always in the nick-of-time.
by cojones2thewall on Aug 1, 2010 6:45 PM CDT up reply actions
Favorite 3:10 to Yuma is the 2007 version. James Mangold utilized the acting abilities of Christian Bale and Russel Crowe and translated it perfectly on to the screen. Bale was good, Crowe was bad, and they were the worst of enemies and best friends at the same time. Very underrated classic, in my opinion.
"He has an innate ability of putting the damn ball in the hole." - Pop on Ginobili
Agreed. One of the best recent examples of them “making ’em like they used to.”
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 2:32 PM CDT up reply actions
I was surprised how much I liked the remake, since I rarely do and the original was pretty darn good.
If you like science fiction,You should watch “Solaris”. It was a little slow at times, ok it was slow throughout the entire movie. But what made it cool was the cinematography, the movie score, some of the special effects, and the thought provoking end that makes you wonder what really happened.
Also make sure to watch
Twelve monkeys.
Event horizon.
Pandorum.
the mothman prophecies.
The Spurs = Not your granddaddies 7th seed !
To this day, I still haven’t finished watched 12 monkeys. Event horizon freaked me out a bit when I watched it at the theater.
Many reasons, really. When I was younger I started watching it on tape and the one I rented, something was wrong with it. I never got a different copy so I never watched it then. I borrowed it later on from a friend and never had the chance to finish it. This last time I put it on my Netflix streaming queue and I was watching it at work on a slow day…of course it got busy halfway through the movie and I was never able to finish it.
Right now I’m at the point where I need to re-watch the movie from the beginning and I usually end up watching something else. I guess I need to finish watching it just so that it’s not taunting me when I bring up Netflix.
Have you ever seen City of Lost Children? If you don’t mind subtitles, it’s quite a trip.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
thats definitely in my top 5, even if its plot isn’t exceptionally strong.
free malik hairston!
perth wildcats - 2009/2010 nbl champions baby!
by sleep research facility on Aug 1, 2010 10:29 PM CDT up reply actions
Speaking of a trip, I just saw the weirdest, trippiest, craziest movies I’ve ever seen. Pink Floyd’s The Wall. The plot is very detailed and has the best art direction in a movie i have ever seen. But In the detailedness of the plot it was way too over the top. It had parts that were unbelievable (at least to me, I have never really been into the mind of a crazy/Depressed to that extent of a person.) I any of you have never seen it, then you probably don’t want to. It is an EXTREMELY depressing and disturbing movie, that is not fun in any way other than the outstanding animated scenes. Plus, it is told entirely through music and symbolic imagery that you either need to look up or decode on they fly. If you are willing to sit down, listen to every lyric, and think about what everything means, then it is pretty good.
Dejuan BLAAAIIIIIIRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!
I believe that movie was intended to view under the influence.
But I could be wrong.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Yes, but arent all movies that are psychadelic in nature? It has a good art direction without the need of drugs or alcohol and it has a deeper story than any other psychadelic movie I have seen.
Dejuan BLAAAIIIIIIRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!
by beastage on Aug 2, 2010 5:11 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
I like a lot of the classics but those would be easy to pick. One of my favorites movies is A.I..
I always thought it was better than it was given credit for, and although a lot of people didn’t like the final third of the movie, for me it was what made the movie so different. Growing up reading short sci-fi stories I was used to far-out endings and scenarios which strained the limits of belief, and I’m glad they suck with that while making the movie. I always wonder what kind of movie Kubrick would’ve made with the same material.
As far as documentaries go, Bus 174 should be required viewing. You couldn’t stage the kind of drama that happens in that documentary.
I like almost all of Pixar’s movies, but I think that a good test for whether you’re a psychopath or not is to watch these two clips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GroDErHIM_0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsG2S_1PRnk&feature=related
Some of the best done scenes in cinema, and they get to me every freaking time.
I did a lot of soul searching. I didn't find anything.
First UP clip goes from zero to misty room in 4:21.
Haven’t seen anything that consistently successful at turning on the waterworks since Fat Joe and Lil’ Wayne.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I teared up at that sequence all three times I saw it in the theater—I’m not ashamed.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 6:37 AM CDT up reply actions
Heat – A very nice action movie. A Michael Mann film with a very nice cast. Dinero and Pacino to top it off and a very awesome action scene in Download LA.
I just barely saw that movie a few months ago. One of the best I have ever seen
The Spurs = Not your granddaddies 7th seed !
Caught it just in time too!
Download instead of Downtown would’ve been a nice addition to the Lexicon. Ah well, guess it wasn’t meant to be.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Hmmmm. Hate to be a stickler, grego21, but if you really felt that way, then you should’ve left well enough alone.
Rules is Rules. But I think I could be convinced to put it to a vote.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
And, you also said Dinero. Who’s that?
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 1, 2010 6:34 AM CDT up reply actions
Lost in Translation, Good Will Hunting and Pulp fiction are movies I can and will watch over and over again.
Lost in Translation because I think every man has reached that extreme low/high point in his life.
Will Hunting is the character who, if I were to write a book (which I won’t) about a conjured image of myself, I would portray myself to be like him(which I’m not).
And Pulp Fiction is filled the the greatest quotes in any movie. Especially the exchange between Jewls and Marcellus in The Bonnie Situation:
Marcellus: “You ain’t got no problems Jewls, I’m on the muthafucka’. Go back in there, chill them niggas out and wait for The Wolf who should be coming di-rectly.”
Jewls: “You sendin’ The Wolf?”
Marcellus: “Feel better muthafucka?”
Jewls: “Shhiitt yeah negro, that’s all you had to say!”
Coolest exchange ever because my friends now call me The Wolf since the character and I share last names.
"It's Manuway or the Highway" - tlo
Now tell me about the car you drive.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Oh and by the way I intend on using my full three days to make my next move. The next couple of moves are going to determine the game in my opinion. I’m nervous.
"It's Manuway or the Highway" - tlo
I gotta quit experimenting with my opening moves and get serious with these games. I’ve been getting myself into uncomfortable spots, and it’s exhausting trying to get back out.
BTW, take all the time you need. I have been.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Inglourious Basterds I just re-saw since seeing it in the theater. Solid film. I reminded me why Christoph Waltz definitely deserved that Oscar.
Fun film to watch.
free malik hairston!
perth wildcats - 2009/2010 nbl champions baby!
by sleep research facility on Aug 1, 2010 4:57 AM CDT reply actions
I had a hard time enjoying that film, srf. It’s a classic, to be sure. I just didn’t like going into that world.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
its not my favourite movie of all time (though it could well be in the top 10), but i get the feeling its something not a lot of people have seen/heard of, so i put it out there.
free malik hairston!
perth wildcats - 2009/2010 nbl champions baby!
by sleep research facility on Aug 1, 2010 10:12 PM CDT up reply actions
I’m astonished that ‘28 Days Later…’ hasn’t been mentioned yet! It’s my favourite movie of all time, Cillian Murphy (Inception) is just… WOW! And the score is wonderful too.
I also like Dawn of the dead (1980), 12 Angry Men (1957).
Has anyone ever seen the tv serie from Brittain, The Young Ones? It’s eighties, but what wonderful comedy! Madness also stars twice, and I recently went to a concert. AWESOME CONCERT!!
"Age ain't nothing but a number!" - Reggie Miller after a Dice block
by Bakkie009 on Aug 1, 2010 5:45 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
The original 12 Angry Men is in my Top 10. I love everything about it. Notice how Lumet moves to narrower and narrower lenses as the film goes on, while slowly dropping below eye line, to compress the space.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 6:40 AM CDT up reply actions
12AM was the next film on my list, but I had to stop somewhere.
The Young Ones is pretty hilarious; haven’t heard anyone reference that one in a while.
28 Days Later, eh? Interesting choice. A few of the action and infection scenes didn’t really work for me, but it was pretty good, all told. What about it makes it your favorite, Bakkie?
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Pretty hard to say, but I’m a zombielover. 28 Days Later… was the movie that made me fall in love. Cillian Murphy played the part of his life. I’m intrigued by an empty London, where a man wakes up all alone, not knowing what happened. And then the struggle to survive… The dilemma whether for example killing someone you know is justified when he has been infected (as you can see Jim has in the movie).
Movies that I saw because of this one:
Night Of The Living Dead, Dawn Of The Dead (Wow), Day Of The Dead, Land Of The Dead, Diary Of The Dead, Survival Of The Dead, [The First three remakes], Zombi 2, Zombieland (terrific!), Braindead, Shaun Of The Dead, Twilight (JK!), and many more…
Zombieland is highly recommended because of the humor, for intense zombiemovies I’d say Dawn and Day, and the remake of Dawn.
But this one I found legendary:
Dead Snow
It’s about… Wait for it… Nazi Zombies!
Glad to hear that The Young Ones are still appreciated (and this coming from a 19 year old).
"Age ain't nothing but a number!" - Reggie Miller after a Dice block
Has anyone here seen the five-minute trailer for Thor? It looks awesome. It was on youtube a couple of days ago and they took it down. Bastards.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 1, 2010 6:48 AM CDT reply actions
You can still see it here:
Catch it quick before someone gets wise to the “play on words”. ::blairlol::
↓↘→ ↓↘→ ↓↘→ + P
by transgojobot on Aug 2, 2010 12:02 PM CDT up reply actions
Awesome.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 2, 2010 6:48 PM CDT up reply actions
Ill just mention a couple of movies that are getting little to no love:
Forrest frickin Gump. Everything on that movie is memorable. It kinda helps that I have a similar love story like Forrest/Jenny (yeah, im the retarded one…..stop laughing!)—ANYTHING tarantino touches. The man is a genius.
-The Dark Knight. Best hero movie ever. AMAZINE performance by you know who.
-Pulp Fiction/Inglorious Basterds/Reservoir dogs
-El secreto de sus Ojos. We just won an oscar dammit. WATCH IT NOW.
-Scent of a woman. Touching movie. Pacino flawless.
-Shutter Island. Incredible movie. I dont know why it doesnt get mentioned more often.
-Slumdog Millionaire. I admit it: I only watched after it won the oscar. INCROYABLE
-The rebuiild of evangelion 1 y 2. Yeah its anime.
-Braveheart!
-Dumb and dumber. My favorite comedy of all time.
-Sin City. I liked this movie so much. I thought it was oscar worthy when I watched it. Didnt know why it got so critiziced.
"Rock and Roll angels bring that HardRock Hallelujah"
I dont know why the first couple got striked…..
"Rock and Roll angels bring that HardRock Hallelujah"
You an Eva fan? Huh. I still need to watch Rebuild. Any good? Part 3 still hasn’t come out, has it?
I smell death... everywhere.
I fell asleep watching Shutter Island. I think I watched it at too late an hour. I’ll go watch it again for you.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 1, 2010 8:11 PM CDT up reply actions
A small sampling of the movies that have stayed with me (the ones I’ll watch over and over):
Andrei Rublev, The Lady Eve, Jules et Jim, Raise the Red Lantern, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Ran, Manhattan, Diary of a Country Priest, Le rayon vert, Rosemary’s Baby, Paths of Glory, Matewan, and a few thousand more (and that’s not including the documentaries).
When I lived in NYC after I got out of NYU, I worked at the Film Forum (while it was still down on Watts Street—it has since moved). One of the perks of working at a movie theater in New York, at least at that time, was that you got comped tickets to pretty much any other movie theater in New York. On my days off I would call in my ticket requests and go to as many movies as I could fit in a day, racing from one theater to the next by foot or by subway, sometimes as many as five or six films in a row. I had to see everything—didn’t matter if it was good, bad, old, new, I just had to see it for myself. And of course, I got to watch everything that came to the Film Forum. Best job I ever had or ever will have, bar none, and I made $5 an hour. New York was full of revival houses then, so I got to see many great classics on the big screen. The revival houses are mostly gone now, as are many of the art houses. I was lucky to be there when I was.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
Yeah, that’s usually the reaction I get. You would think I had learned my lesson long ago. . . .
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
GOL! You just make everyone feel inadequate. I’m not prepared to talk Jarmusch.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 3:56 PM CDT up reply actions
Nor am I!
How about Lars von Trier or Michael Winterbottom?
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
What were your thoughs on Tristram Shandy? I love the cast, but it didn’t quite pop for me as much as I wanted it to.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 4:17 PM CDT up reply actions
I loved it. It found it hugely moving for some reason (part of that was the music, which was simply gorgeous and sweet and understated). It all felt very humane and flawed and compassionate, if that makes sense.
I was predisposed to like it because when I was in high school my favorite teacher asked me to read Tristram Shandy just because he thought I would like it. And then a couple of years later I ran into him early one morning (not literally, but nearly!) at the track at Rice University and told him, hey, I read it, and we walked the track for about an hour talking it over. It was one of the first really deep, adult conversations about a book I’d ever had, and I felt so honored by it that even now it almost makes me want to cry. So even though the movie had close to nothing in common with the book (because it couldn’t, which is why Winterbottom chose it), I had happy associations going in.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is one of those little gems that for some reason has been overlooked. Really cool movie.
I did a lot of soul searching. I didn't find anything.
And great original score, too. Carter Burwell, man. He’s done some amazing work.
/soundtrack nerd
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
First a question, did you ever see Shangai Triad? If so, your thoughts, please.
Second, about Manhattan, great opening (wonderful music choice) and terrific how he’s changing tones and styles in the same way the scenes are changing and replacing one another as well. There’s lots to like, but I kind of feel like it’s one of those movies without enough there there. So I’m curious as to what about it stayed with you.
I’ve been meaning to see Raise the Red Lantern ever since it came out. Thanks for mentioning it; I just added it to my Netflix queue. And did Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead simply stay with you, or did you enjoy it as well?
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I answered this at length and sounded insufferably pretentious, so I deleted it. Short answers: I haven’t seen Shanghai Triad. Manhattan absolutely brims with "there"ness for me entirely apart from the usual crap people say when they talk about that movie (“it’s an ode to New York,” “that fabulous opening sequence and Gershwin,” “oh that gorgeous black and white cinematography”)—it’s about how we sabotage our own chances at happiness while insisting all the while that we’re just trying to figure out what we want. It’s about deception, of others and ourselves, and the amazing contortions we go through to rationalize our treatment of those we profess to love. It’s about loss (of various kinds). It’s about all of those things while walking a tightrope of humor. I’m not sure how to even explain that without sounding like an asshole. If you didn’t feel like it had depth, then I doubt anything I could say would change your mind anyway. Yes I enjoyed Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead—obviously not the same way I enjoyed, say, Tropic Thunder. Surely one can enjoy tense, complex, despairing movies in a tense, complex despairing way.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
Argh. You deleted your reply. That stinks. And not because I was hoping for you to look silly in front of PtR or anything stupid like that. I asked the question because I wanted to hear your thoughts on it; not because I wanted to get some white-washed version.
Yes, I know we all tailor our responses to our perceived audience, but I’d far prefer to get the real skinny without either of us worrying about what it sounds like. I don’t think your list of movies sounded pretentious either. I just thought you had different tastes and it made me wonder about some films I hadn’t heard of.
One last appeal: what if your favorite teacher had held back when you bumped into him at Rice, and didn’t really get into his real thoughs about Tristram Shandy because he was concerned about how he’d sound? This analogy kinda breaks down, because I’m comparing a private conversation to a public one, but it was the closest metaphor to hand.
(My reply to your thoughts about Manhattan to follow.)
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I come here regularly enough that I open firefox, just type p and the first link is here with pandora as a close second. I never felt like posting but I had to get this in.
The Truman Show is my favorite movie of all time. The story is great, Jim is great, the ending makes me want to be a better person. I don’t think you ask more from a movie.
That’s in my Top Ten as well. The most prophetic film since Network, and brilliantly directed… I love all of the little “hidden cameras” Peter Weir uses. Jim Carrey is tremendous, but that’s still probably only his 2nd-best performance… 1st, of course, being Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 1:09 PM CDT up reply actions
Well yeah. Eternal Sunshine is most subdued Jim character. What makes it so good is that I think every man can find a part of himself in his character.
Forgot to mention… Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle and Grave Of The Fireflies.
3 anime movies by Studio Ghibli. They’re just wow.
I remember Grave Of The Fireflies being quoted as “The best movie you never want to see again”.
"Age ain't nothing but a number!" - Reggie Miller after a Dice block
Studio Ghibli, you say? Here’s a man after my own heart. I love their movies, all of them. Incredible.
I like you, Bakkie. You’re a good man.
I smell death... everywhere.
Nausicäa’s great, and its manga is even better.
Whisper of the Heart is so sweet, and anyone who ever dreamed of writing a book should read it.
Princess Mononoke is underrated.
Spirited Away, just brilliant.
Howl’s Moving Castle, wonderful animation.
The one I haven’t watched yet is Grave, because I know it’ll break my heart and I need someone willing to endure it with me.
I smell death... everywhere.
That someone to watch Grave is necessary.
Forgot to mention Princess Mononoke, I actually liked that one better than any of their movies not named Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle!
"Age ain't nothing but a number!" - Reggie Miller after a Dice block
I just want to say…
I think it’s a shame there is a mainstream. There’ll always be something like it, but still.
My basketball team (according to me) knows NOTHING about music or movies.
When I start talking about music like Madness, Dire Straits, dEUS, Mumford & Sons… I can already hear them say "Bakkie, you’re crazy listening to that music.
When I get going about zombie movies… The same.
And also with things like manga (and even normal drawn) movies. They can’t and don’t want to understand.
(Yeah, my friends really call me ‘Bakkie’. My last name is Baeckelant.)
"Age ain't nothing but a number!" - Reggie Miller after a Dice block
You need to see Porco Rosso and Laputa/Castle in the Sky. Immediately.
↓↘→ ↓↘→ ↓↘→ + P
by transgojobot on Aug 2, 2010 12:05 PM CDT up reply actions
Anything produced by Darren Aronofsky is an automatic must watch. Period.
My favorite movies are all must watches. Some you may have seen, some you may have not:
Requiem for a Dream – The hopes and dreams of four ambitious people are shattered when their drug addictions begin spiraling out of control. Produced by Darren Aronofsky. Stars Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans.
Pi – A paranoid mathematician searches for a key number that will unlock the universal patterns found in nature. Produced by Darren Aronofsky.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Upon arrival at a mental institution, a brash rebel rallies the patients together to take on the oppressive Nurse Ratched, a woman more a dictator than a nurse. Produced by Milos Forman. Stars Jack Nicholson, Christopher Lloyd, Louise Fletcher.
Apocalypse Now – During the on-going Vietnam War, Captain Willard is sent on a dangerous mission into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade Green Beret who has set himself up as a God among a local tribe. Produced by Francis Ford Coppola. Stars Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall.
Downfall (Der Untergang) – You know this movie from the YouTube parodies of Hitler’s meeting with his staff. But the movie is so much more than that scene…Traudl Junge, the final secretary for Adolf Hitler, tells of the Nazi dictator’s final days in his Berlin bunker at the end of WWII..
Full Metal Jacket – A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the Vietnam War has on his fellow Marine recruits from their brutal basic training to the bloody street fighting set in 1968 Hue, Vietnam. Produced by Stanley Kubrick.
Biggest coach Pop/Tiago Splitter homer on the internet™
by Josh Guyer (completely deck) on Aug 1, 2010 1:22 PM CDT reply actions
It’s a great movie.
Biggest coach Pop/Tiago Splitter homer on the internet™
by Josh Guyer (completely deck) on Aug 1, 2010 2:12 PM CDT up reply actions
Pi got a mention. Yes!
Amazine idea, great execution. Not always easy to watch, but I love where it takes you.
Nice choice.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Pi was good. I too enjoyed that movie. I remember at that time I had so many coupons for free rentals that I was running out of movie to watch. I’m glad I picked that one up.
Full Metal Jacket is one of my all-time favorites. Tons of quotes from that, especially the first part of the movie. LD, definitely watch it!
I have a couple of acquaintances who will never take a movie recommendation from me again because I made them watch Pi. Absolutely stellar movie.
I’m going to have to watch Downfall one of these days just because of all the parodies.
Why would you ever try to recommend a move to anyone who didn’t like Pi?
Just tell them to enjoy Die Hard VI, and have done with it.
The Spurs have an awesome front office. They are the envy of the entire league. - olf
Now that you mention Die Hard, I thought the last movie in the installment was really really super!! I just absolutely loved it.
You liked Live Free did you? I saw most of it and there were some good action sequences in it, for sure. Particularly the one with the SUV in the office building/parking garage. But the 18-wheeler vs the jet on the on-ramp just went over the top for me.
Although, I just heard that there IS a Die Hard V in the works.
Unbelievable.
The Spurs have an awesome front office. They are the envy of the entire league. - olf
No one made a better analysis of the Die Hard franchise than Michael Scott:
Here’s the thing about Die Hard 4. Die Hard, the original, John McClane was just this normal guy. You know, he’s just a normal New York City cop who gets his feet cut and gets beat up. But he’s an everyday guy. In Die Hard 4, he is jumping a motorcycle into a helicopter. In the air. You know? He’s invincible. It just sort of lost what Die Hard was. It’s not Terminator.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 11, 2010 4:05 PM CDT up reply actions
Open letter to Michael Scott
First, it’s a car he jumps into a helicopter; not a motorcycle. Okay?
Two, it’s just the inevitable evolution of McClane’s character. Look at what he went through in the first three movies. You think that’s not going to change a person? You think you can zip-line from a bridge onto a barge without crushing yourself to a pulp, then beat all the bad guys’ up, and stay the SAME? Well you can’t!
C, John McClane’s awesome. He never did anything to you. Leave him alone.
Next season, our only FIGASENI is @ NJ on the RRT. It is also a THIGAFONI, but not part of a BABA. - BlaseE
And that’s not even pointing out the fact that McClane has gotten old really fast in the 4th installment. He also got shot towards the end and still beat the shit out of the bad guys.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 11, 2010 11:54 PM CDT up reply actions
Yipeekiyay, m10r.
Next season, our only FIGASENI is @ NJ on the RRT. It is also a THIGAFONI, but not part of a BABA. - BlaseE
Not a big fan. It was good in spurts, but not overall IMO. I would put it in my top 10 if the credits rolled after 45 minutes; I think Kubrick got greedy.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 1, 2010 7:08 PM CDT up reply actions
I liked the first part of the film. The war scenes were so-so.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 1, 2010 8:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Wow, a list where I’ve seen all the movies. I have seen Apocalypse Now Redux a bunch of times and that movie is like 3 hours long.
I did a lot of soul searching. I didn't find anything.
I’ve seen horrors… horrors that you’ve seen. But you have no right to call me a murderer. You have a right to kill me. You have a right to do that… but you have no right to judge me. It’s impossible for words to describe what is necessary to those who do not know what horror means. Horror… Horror has a face… and you must make a friend of horror. Horror and moral terror are your friends. If they are not, then they are enemies to be feared. They are truly enemies! I remember when I was with Special Forces… seems a thousand centuries ago. We went into a camp to inoculate some children. We left the camp after we had inoculated the children for polio, and this old man came running after us and he was crying. He couldn’t see. We went back there, and they had come and hacked off every inoculated arm. There they were in a pile. A pile of little arms. And I remember… I… I… I cried, I wept like some grandmother. I wanted to tear my teeth out; I didn’t know what I wanted to do! And I want to remember it. I never want to forget it… I never want to forget. And then I realized… like I was shot… like I was shot with a diamond… a diamond bullet right through my forehead. And I thought, my God… the genius of that! The genius! The will to do that! Perfect, genuine, complete, crystalline, pure. And then I realized they were stronger than we, because they could stand that these were not monsters, these were men… trained cadres. These men who fought with their hearts, who had families, who had children, who were filled with love… but they had the strength… the strength… to do that. If I had ten divisions of those men, our troubles here would be over very quickly. You have to have men who are moral… and at the same time who are able to utilize their primordial instincts to kill without feeling… without passion… without judgment… without judgment! Because it’s judgment that defeats us.
Biggest coach Pop/Tiago Splitter homer on the internet™
by Josh Guyer (completely deck) on Aug 1, 2010 9:27 PM CDT up reply actions
I’ve always felt that Kurtz just needed a nice hug, and a hot chocolate.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Full Metal Jacket is definately worth checking out. R. Lee Ermey steals the show.
“Ten Dollars is all my mother allows me to spend!”
No one’s mentioned it, but the Bourne Trilogy. Solid action series with a good story. Heck, even the Bond series borrowed the fighting style used in Quantum.
Casino Royale/Quantum is a good back to back for the Bond series. Daniel Craig makes a good Bond. And Eva Green is stunning in some of her outfits in CR.
I LOVE the Bourne movies. Everyone craps on the shaky-cam, but lost in all of motion sickness is the fact that those action sequence are some of the best edited you’ll ever see. And it’s completely changed the action genre forever—like you said, the new Bond movies are a direct borrow (I won’t say rip-off) of Bourne. Everything now has to be “gritty” and “real,” but it’s going to be hard for anything to be better than Matt Damon kicking ass.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 2:29 PM CDT up reply actions
YES! Bourne seemed like a much more real character than Bond. One of the overlooked things is that they guy, for all his badassery and quiet-mysterious-type appeal only falls in love with one girl in the movies. He doesn’t bed a hot chick every half hour, he actually sticks with one girl, and when she’s gone he can’t get over it as if it didn’t matter. Plus he can kick your ass using common household items.
I did a lot of soul searching. I didn't find anything.
Too true. The only guy I can think of that can match up with Bourne is Liam Neeson’s character in the movie Taken (which I can watch over and over).
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 1, 2010 8:36 PM CDT up reply actions
Which was also a direct takeoff of Bourne.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 8:37 PM CDT up reply actions
And that’s not necessarily a bad thing now is it.
↓↘→ ↓↘→ ↓↘→ + P
by transgojobot on Aug 2, 2010 12:07 PM CDT up reply actions
Well, Bond isn’t supposed to be a real character. That’s the whole point.
I smell death... everywhere.
Although the last two Bonds have tried to make him more of a real guy. I actually like that, even if they are taking a lot from the Bourne series. Borrowing/stealing is the best form of flattery.
This is the kind of stuff that LD and I fight about. Bond never “borrowed” from Bourne; Ludlam lifted the ENTIRE Bourne concept/series from Fleming’s ideas.
Besides, in Fleming’s original novels, Bond IS that “real guy.”
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 2, 2010 10:32 AM CDT up reply actions
But we’re not talking about the Bourne novels—we’re talking about the films, which diverge so completely in plot that they’re Adaptations In Name Only. Amnesia as a plot device is one of the most cliched in storytelling history, but as directing/shooting/editing exercise, Paul Greengrass (with an assist from Doug Limon) and Matt Damon created an indelible action franchise whose style the new Bond movies were ABSOLUTELY lifted from.
So there.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 2, 2010 11:49 AM CDT up reply actions
Agree to disagree.
I’ll give you that the cinematography and different nuances that the Bourne films brought to the table were quality. Although I question whether they weren’t actually lifted themselves.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 2, 2010 12:21 PM CDT up reply actions
The whole “shaky-cam” aesthetic wasn’t exactly new, but I’m having a hard time thinking of any previous “Hollywood Action” film that used them to that extent, and throughout (Greengrass used it in Bloody Sunday, but that’s a much lesser-known work. At the very least, Bourne brought it mainstream.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 2, 2010 12:30 PM CDT up reply actions
I despise the word “mainstream” and everything that it usually entails. That’s probably why I tend to recoil from Bourne. Nothing major, but it’s interesting that it’s such a hot topic. LD and Cap nearly had an stroke when I first mentioned that I wasn’t a fan, and they furiously tried to convert me. I can’t quite understand why everyone seems to have such a devotion to the Bourne cult/trilogy.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 2, 2010 12:34 PM CDT up reply actions
To me, “mainstream” simply means that you can walk into your local grocery store and find someone to talk about it with. Most of the time, the product is going to be bad, and heavily advertised. But Bourne built its audience over three films by the quality of its product. You don’t have to like it, and I’m not trying to convert you, but you can’t deny the influence its had over the last 15 years of action films: Casino Royale, Taken, Crank, Salt, on and on and on. When something works (and a Best Editing Oscar for Ultimatum can attest to that), it gets emulated.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 2, 2010 12:41 PM CDT up reply actions
Oh I know for the novel, that Ludlam used pieces from Fleming. However, from the movie perspective, the adaption to screen was pushed forward by Bourne. I like the new Bonds a lot too so I’m not really on either side.
As for Bond, the movie pushed him more to an “ideal guy” than a “real guy.”
Yeah, but they were already enough gritty, hardboiled action heroes. Bond isn’t supposed to be that.
I smell death... everywhere.
Both of you read the books. Or watch either of the Timothy Dalton films.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 3, 2010 11:54 AM CDT up reply actions
Bond isn’t supposed to be that.
Huh? Are you one of those (US) Americans that grew up on Roger Moore as Bond? Bond as depicted by Fleming was gritty.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
He’s not a reader.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 3, 2010 3:28 PM CDT up reply actions
The books were not that great, but I read them as a teenager and liked them back then. The point is he was more Timothy Dalton than Roger Moore as created by Fleming.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
Hear hear about the Bourne trilogy. Can’t believe I had forgotten. And they improved with each movie, which is rare.
I smell death... everywhere.
We’ve had this conversation.
My point still stands. You forgot for a reason.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 1, 2010 7:09 PM CDT up reply actions
For the longest time, my favorite working director was Christopher Guest. Waiting for Guffman, Best In Show, and A Mighty Wind are all classics, and he was the driving force behind This Is Spinal Tap, too. For Your Consideration was funny in spots, but really suffered from him moving away from the mockumentary format. He’s due for a new project.
Guffman and Show are quiet wonders. I love them so much that every time I realize that I still haven’t seen Wind, I berate myself all over again. Spinal Tap has many brilliant bits in it, but as I said above, much of is it all but unwatchable.
I need a “Best Hits of SiST” DVD to make it easy for me to enjoy it.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
A Mighty Wind is my favorite of the three. So many great characters (especially Eugene Levy)… and the music is actually really good, not to mention that it features a Spinal Tap reunion with the guys 15 years later playing a washed-up folk trio.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 6:41 PM CDT up reply actions
I really do need to see it. I know this.
Must say that I didn’t care much for Eugene Levy’s character in Breed. So I’m ready to enjoy him in a Guest film.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I really dont have like a top 10 favorites movies but I’m going to try anyway:
The Shawshank Redemption
Pulp Fiction
Pan’s labyrinth
Forrest Gump
Pirates of the Caribbean 1 & 2
The Dark Knight
Crank
John Q
Training Day
Saw 1
BTW I watched inception yesterday, and it is a really awesome movie
"He was just a young skinny guy who looked like a winner. We didn’t know he was going to be as good as he is."
—Popovich on Manu Ginobili
Recently watched Pan’s Labyrinth. Amazing, without the American influences, a good ending, and it makes you think about stuff, I always like it when a movie does that!
"Age ain't nothing but a number!" - Reggie Miller after a Dice block
I loved Pan’s Labyrinth. It made my heart hurt.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
Oh . . . meh yourself!
Here I am baring my cinematic little soul and you “meh” at me. Maybe I hear it wrong, but it sounds like “whatever” in my head.
And, you know, sadism does exist, and it gets entrenched in certain cultures and moments, and dismissing any examination of it by conflating that examination with what is being examined . . . well, you know what they say about history and the ones doomed to repeat it. Not just the ones who don’t or can’t remember, but the ones who selectively forget; the ones who deny. As far as I’m concerned, there was no sadism for sadism’s sake in that movie, no lazy exploitation (that I could point out in quite a few of the movies already discussed). Your meh-lage may vary.
(I’m not myself at the moment. Enjoy the show!)
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
Eh. Well, “meh” was my way of expressing my dislike for the movie without actually writing a wall of text. Basically, I thought the torture scenes were overly bloody just for the sake of shocking the audience. Especially when the broke that man’s face with a gun (was that what he did? I forget).
The ending is one of those cases where it could’ve gone either way, and yet they still picked the sad ending (after the monster chased the her down, for no real reason). What does it add to the movie? Poignancy?
But maybe the sadism was needed to explain to the kids how awful Franco and his men were. It’s possible.
I smell death... everywhere.
What’s the point of any sad ending? Sometimes things do not end happily. Sometimes you fight and you lose, but that doesn’t make the fight any less imperative. She was so brave—that’s what I remember when I think back on the movie.
I thought the movie was very organic—I didn’t get the feeling that the violence or the ending or any other aspect of it was shoehorned in because del Toro was thinking “Okay, here’s where I want the audience to gasp, let me just pull this string” (I’m looking at you, Spielberg).
Sorry to rant about “meh” — I’ve managed to squelch that rant for a long time and it escaped today. I’d prefer a wall of text or an outright “You’re wrong and you suck” to indifference (or contempt) and a shrug, but that’s just, like, my opinion, man.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
I just posted this in another thread somewhere, but this is one of the rare occasions I disagree with you Lauri. I really like LD’s concise replies. Expresses things perfectly without wasting words. I actually like his “meh” or “ugh” or three word sentences.
Perhaps because I am prone to rambling and don’t have the gift of being able to express myself so succinctly. Grass is greener and all that.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
Yeah, I’m a rambler myself and I could use an editor. The thing that bothers me about “meh” isn’t that it’s only one word—it’s that it’s the verbal equivalent of a shrug, or “whatever.” Why post that at all if you’re basically saying “I don’t care?” To make the point that you’re being dismissive? If succinctness is the goal, you could just not post at all and make the same point.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
There were all of two other words! TWO! And both about the movie! That’s, like, three words total! How could you not follow my complex trail of thought with such a large sample?
For shame. Today, English is sad.
I smell death... everywhere.
Try a “Harumph.” Always works when you give the Governor one of those.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 3, 2010 11:55 AM CDT up reply actions
Talking about things not ending happily, have you seen Up In The Air?
I did a lot of soul searching. I didn't find anything.
Well, Lauri, my "meh"s will always be directed towards the object, not the subject. So consider yourself beyond the reach of my mehs. It wasn’t my intention to brush your suggestion aside, or belittle you. I’ll try to answer properly in the future.
Regarding the movie, it just felt a bit manipulative to me – and there were a few scenes where I couldn’t find a reason for the incredible violence beyond making it damn clear that he was a monster. And I think there are better ways of doing that that bashing someone’s head in with a gun after murdering his father (or however that went).
Mileage may vary.
I smell death... everywhere.
I understand where you’re coming from, LD, but I’m going to have to agree with Lauri on this. Plus, the visuals were – well, I have no description for them. However, have you ever seen MirrorMask? It’s by Neil Gaiman – I think you would enjoy it.
MirrorMask for all of its fascinating visuals, left me a bit cold. It was almost weirdness overdose.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 10, 2010 7:38 AM CDT up reply actions
Ditto. :)
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 2, 2010 6:37 PM CDT up reply actions
So jrw, I finally watched Brick. Good stuff, thanks for the recommendation.
Tony apologist since 2010.
That would have been the next one I brought up. Damn, JRW.
I LOVE that screenplay. Every time I watch it, I spend the rest of the day attempting to talk like those characters… It never sounds as good.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 3:29 PM CDT up reply actions
Overrated? Maybe?
I mean, Kevin Spacey, yeah, and Thomas Newman’s score… but otherwise?
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 6:55 PM CDT up reply actions
I’m with you, Drums. And I thought that it was a damn shame to waste Annette Bening on such a caricature. She tried to turn the wife into a character, but she was given nothing to work with. Would have been a much more interesting and complex movie if she had been a human being.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
Look closer. :)
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 1, 2010 8:33 PM CDT up reply actions
Thought I’d mention some of my favorites, the few that weren’t mentioned in the scores of great films above:
To Kill a Mockingbird—I can’t help but watch it every time it’s on.
Better Off Dead—Very silly but captures something magical in all the insanity.
For me, I think we’ve reached a strange age in media when television is putting out more quality products than the film industry. Inception is the only movie I was actually compelled to see this year, and I still haven’t but we’re getting a baby-sitter, and Toy Story 3 was impressive, but beyond that give me Dexter, Breaking Bad or some Wire reruns. TV is putting out some compelling stuff. Hollywood needs to catch up.
Also, caught this on IFC late one night, zombie short film—a lot of fun. Very harsh language so NSFW: I Love Sarah Jane: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYxs7Y7ulrM
I’ve read a lot of articles in the past few years about television being better than movies today—and I’m inclined to agree. Long form work like Lost, Mad Men, or Arrested Development are lightyears ahead of 95% of big-budget, focus-grouped Cinema Crapidiso.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 6:44 PM CDT up reply actions
It’s true. In TV you can a story more properly. That’s why shows like Mad Men and Lost work for instance.
And when you can combine the kind of character depth TV allows for, with the technical aspects that Hollywood is known for, then you really have the best of both worlds.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Overall, TV allows for more variety, if given a chance. It’s nice to see shows like Mad Men on cable succeed. No longer do you need the motion picture to create great works of art.
Wow – my grammar in any of my posts in here is lousy as hell.
This is why I love Pushing Daisies so much, and wish that some cable network had really made a strong case for taking it over so that they could have continued it.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
AAAAHHH! Oh, what a beautiful, beautiful show. Brian Fuller is continuing it as a graphic novel, but I’ll never forgive America for letting it die.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 3, 2010 11:45 AM CDT up reply actions
Fuller pretty much blamed it on the writer’s strike. So many people had to make life-type decisions during all that, and once it had been all worked out, the show was one of the casualties.
In an alternative universe, it runs a full 3 or 4 seasons — however long it took for him to tell the whole story, anyway.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Ty for not spoiling Inception. Can’t wait to get to the movies for that one. I love Bourne, Good will Hunting, Just like Heaven (chick flick), and holiday Charlie Brown when its the holiday haaa. Which is just around the corner again.
Was watching a few episodes of Arrested Development with a friend last night. A running gag in one episode was that whenever any of the characters had a let-down, they’d walk away with their head hanging down and the Vince Guaraldi music from the Charlie Brown Christmas Special playing. So poignant! Hilarious.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
Okay…. I’ve been looking for someone to push me over the buying threshold with Arrested. I’ve heard bits and pieces of good things about it, just not enough to woo me. I’m intrigued, I just need more from a more reliable source.
Go.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 1, 2010 7:10 PM CDT up reply actions
Not sure if I am reliable..I have heard I am a flake..(not really) :) but you can always try to just rent it but i would buy it!
by cojones2thewall on Aug 3, 2010 9:07 AM CDT up reply actions
If you happen to be a Netflix subscriber, they have all three seasons available to watch instantly online.
Oh, and I just had to take a moment and state that the best thing about the entire series was Jessica Walter’s Lucille Bluth; pure comedy gold, that woman!
For example, her reactions to P.I. Gene Parmesan’s [terrible] disguises just had me rolling.
↓↘→ ↓↘→ ↓↘→ + P
Ok, I don’t know if SiMA is sold yet, but I am.
I’ll be starting with Season 1 Episode 1 this weekend.
Thanks, everybody.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Oh I’m totally sold. Lauri started the engine, cojones and trans brought it home. Picking up Season 1 as well this weekend.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 5, 2010 11:36 PM CDT up reply actions
It’s simply the best sitcom I’ve ever watched. It’s a show that my friends and I have playing when we’re hangining out and drinking casually. It’s the show to watch when you’re getting ready for bed. It’s the show to watch when you want to watch something really really fucking funny and genius.
I went to Seattle for the first time two years ago and the friend I stayed with had all three seasons. I hadn’t seen them yet and once I started watching them I didn’t get out much and experience the city. Oh well Arrested is better than Seattle.
"It's Manuway or the Highway" - tlo
Haa, always the classic peanut gallery for “full-effect” !! Arrested Development is a good one too.
by cojones2thewall on Aug 3, 2010 9:05 AM CDT up reply actions
Wow, so many movie buffs on here. A lot of the ones I like have already been mentioned but recently, I’ve taken a serious liking to comedy films directed, written or produced by Judd Apatow and his team (40-Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Anchorman, Pineapple Express, etc.).
Just watched Nick and Norah’s playlist yesterday and I loved it. Geez… bringing comedies in the discussion, what the hell is wrong with me?
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 1, 2010 8:20 PM CDT reply actions
Best comedy I’ve seen recently was last year’s In the Loop. British political black comedy loosely based on the run-up to the Iraq War. But the dialogue is brilliant… with some of the most creative swearing I’ve ever heard.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 8:24 PM CDT up reply actions
Makes a killer (heh) double feature with Shaun of the Dead.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 1, 2010 9:22 PM CDT up reply actions
I can’t bear to watch British comedy because their accent and pronunciations drives me crazy.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 1, 2010 9:53 PM CDT up reply actions
same
Biggest coach Pop/Tiago Splitter homer on the internet™
by Josh Guyer (completely deck) on Aug 1, 2010 10:20 PM CDT up reply actions
I absolutely love the British style of comedy, well, for the most part. Hot Fuzz was great. Shaun of the Dead was very enjoyable as well. It takes me a couple of minutes to adjust to the accent, but not long enough to were it detracts from the movie.
One of my favorite TV shows is Top Gear, the original one.
Laughed at that so hard. Shaun of the Dead (same team) is just as good.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Almost as good, I thought. Hot Fuzz was tighter.
If you liked Shaun of the Dead, the main actors did a special on zombies afterwards. Here’s part 1.
I smell death... everywhere.
Have you seen Kung Fu Hustle? Comedy + Kung Fu= Win. That movie is so cartoonishly over the top that you can’t help but love it.
It also has one of my favorites fight scenes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5SCihtqwxY
I did a lot of soul searching. I didn't find anything.
Yes, that film has good replay value for me. Have you watched his previous film, Shaolin Soccer? Funny and over-the-top stuff as well.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 1, 2010 10:56 PM CDT up reply actions
I’ve seen bits of it. Heard it wasn’t to KFH’s level
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Yes but it’s still insanely fun. Oh wait, Americans don’t like soccer :)
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 1, 2010 11:54 PM CDT up reply actions
Nick and Nora is in my Netflix queue.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Another Thin Man is going back to Netflix on Monday. Mrs JRW and I have seen the first 3 of these. They’re terrific.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
So how many movies do you think the wilco household watch every year?
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 1, 2010 11:55 PM CDT up reply actions
First, we need to define our terms.
Are we including the jrwlings? And are we counting only unique titles, or does every viewing count, even if it’s a repeat?
Help me out so that my estimate is in the same ballpark as the actual (unknown) answer.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
As much as I love those jrwlings, I’d limit it to those that only you and the Mrs. watch. And I’d count every viewing, even if it means watchign a certain flick once a month.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 2, 2010 1:50 AM CDT up reply actions
I’m guessing that we average a bit less than film every other day, so something around 150 sounds good for a ballpark figure if you count for both of us.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Holy bejeezus, that’s a lot.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 3, 2010 6:54 PM CDT up reply actions
Maybe it’ll seem less when I tell you that we watch hardly any TV in my home.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I’d qualify watching DVDs of TV series as “watching TV”.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 3, 2010 11:22 PM CDT up reply actions
And I’d still call say it “hardly” happens.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Fair enough.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 3, 2010 11:26 PM CDT up reply actions
You are neglecting American commercials. It is a huge waste of time over here. Every hour of actual content is in fact 1.25 hours of your life.
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
It’s just a simple film with likeable characters (I don’t know why, but Michael Cera seems to be the poster boy for not-so-handsome guy who scores cute chicks nowadays), and the indie soundtrack is great. As mentioned in earlier comments, having a good soundtrack really enhances the movie experience.
Speaking of, how come nobody has mentioned Almost Famous yet? Killer soundtrack, terrific coming-of-age story, retro hairstyles and facial hair, and of course, Kate Hudson whooping it up. This movie also made me buy a damn Polaroid camera. Maybe it’s gotten too commercialized?
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 2, 2010 12:03 AM CDT up reply actions
Almost Famous was awesome. Kate Hudson’s best role. Down hill from that role. Great music to compliment the movie.
Agree on Nick &Norah. It definitely ages down, but it is a nice “cute” movie. Some good humor and a nice date movie I’d say.
What book was that? Same title?
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 2, 2010 8:05 PM CDT up reply actions
Gracias.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 2, 2010 8:22 PM CDT up reply actions
So many good movies and suggestions in this thread! A lot I have seen. Of course, it will probably take me another whole life to see all the stuff Lauri speaks off.
As far as recent comedies go:
I enjoyed Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
I have a short list of directors whose films I will go to see without question: Wes Anderson, The Cohen Brothers,
Are you pulling a Bill Murray?
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
So I haven’t seen yet listed my favorite movie of all time and I think it deserves a place on this thread so here it goes:
The Silence of The Lambs –
I thought I was unoriginal for liking it so much but I guess i am after all….A classic if you ask me.
I still have yet to see Inception, hope is half that good.
by spursfan_needs_counseling on Aug 1, 2010 10:23 PM CDT reply actions
…and to complete the list: Seven comes as a far second place with The Big Lebowski in third.
by spursfan_needs_counseling on Aug 1, 2010 10:32 PM CDT up reply actions
You have to have a strong heart to get past the ending though. I have a hard time re-watching that ending. The last Dexter Season Finale reminded me of that sadness I felt.
spoiler
the end makes it so special though, I wish he never pulled the trigger, that was even more painful to watch for me!
by spursfan_needs_counseling on Aug 2, 2010 12:31 PM CDT up reply actions
spoiler
Wait….
What “trigger” are you talking about? You mean killing Trinity?
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 2, 2010 12:35 PM CDT up reply actions
Sorry. I was talking about Seven…
by spursfan_needs_counseling on Aug 2, 2010 12:40 PM CDT up reply actions
plus after seeing that scene of Brad Pitt along his Eleven Monkeys performance that same year is when the dude stopped being just a cute good actor for me.
by spursfan_needs_counseling on Aug 2, 2010 12:50 PM CDT up reply actions
DAMN. I thought it was a spoiler for Seven so I continued reading. Given that I dont know what you are talking about, I will assume that something has been spoiled.
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
In case you were wondering, I’m pretty sure that SiMA isn’t taking this thread seriously.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Don’t you dare… I am taking it COMPLETELY seriously and if you’ll notice above, I not only replied directly to the comment above me which referenced the show I was asking about; I also headlined my comment with “spoiler.” So you see, I am not to blame for that at all and I respected the rules.
Of course, this might all just be some elaborate dream I’m having.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 3, 2010 12:25 PM CDT up reply actions
I love it when you pretend to be all offended. The effect produced when the tone and emotion of your post plays directly against the benevolence your smiling Manuvatar never fails to bring me joy.
Thank you for being you, SiMA.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Don’t mistake my Manuvatar. He may be smiling, but there’s destruction in those eyes.
And I love when you don’t even acknowledge my hilarious mockery of your favorite movie’s review. Maybe you’re just trying to keep things real for those who haven’t seen it; or maybe you’re just a prisoner in all of this, my dream.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 3, 2010 1:28 PM CDT up reply actions
If this is all SiMA’s dream, can someone hand me a gun?
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 3, 2010 1:29 PM CDT up reply actions
It’s called a “kick,” apparently. That’s what you need. A gun won’t help you- you’ll only wake in another dream within a dream within a dream.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 3, 2010 1:46 PM CDT up reply actions
And I love when you admit that it’s mockery, but still want me to comment on it. It’s almost as good as when you declare something that you just wrote to be hilarious, and use that in your attempt to justify why it shouldn’t be ignored. That smells more than a little bit like neediness.
While there may be destruction in Manu’s eyes, SiMA, there’s no neediness. Maybe it’s time to go back to the drawing board as far as the crafting of your online persona goes. Just a tip from a friend.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Meh, neediness. If that were true I would still post and even moreso, post about non-SPURS related things on a SPURS blog. I need nothing. Just bats to destroy, like my namesake.
Just because the average age and intellect on PtR has lessened in the past 2 years doesn’t negate the indwelt and obvious hilarity of some comments. If a kitten dies and no one’s there to see it, it’s still dead. I’m only disappointed that you don’t respond to mockery because usually it’s so easy and effective. I sense that you could be evolving, and that means I’ll have to change my methods.
That, or just kick your chair and jog you out of this dream world of equality-based banter.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 3, 2010 1:55 PM CDT up reply actions
The negation of “indwelt and obvious hilarity” notwithstanding, you’re spending a lot of time in a “post about non-SPURS related things” to be busting on it so much.
Also, this kitty?
I sense that you could be evolving, and that means I’ll have to change my methods.
Now, you’ve got me interested. Can’t wait to see what’s next, assuming that you’re not making empty boasts.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
What it is at it’s core is that I’m secretly just really hurt that you, of all people, didn’t even make a comment when I referenced Road House in this thread.
And I said “could” be evolving; I don’t really think that you are.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 3, 2010 4:11 PM CDT up reply actions
Ah, as I feared: an empty boast.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Is there any other kind on PtR?
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 3, 2010 8:20 PM CDT up reply actions
I hate all of you Magnificent Bastards! I was trying to barely skim this and actually get some work done instead, but y’all are too much fun. I am not even a movie buff (watch one every year at the most) and still read this entire thread.
How about movies that you loved at the time but are ridiculously dated now? The first Highlander was one of my fav moves in college, loved it loved it loved it. Then went to watch it ten years later and realized what a crappy movie it really was.
Blade Runner, otoh, really is a classic. Never gets old, and I liked it even more ten years later.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
And oddly enough, one of the movies that had the greatest impact on me was groundhog day. Before that I used to be a last minute crammer, but after watching that (admittedly otherwise crappy movie) I started getting disciplined and setting aside time to practice stuff every day .
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
Alright, it was a decent movie. But y’all are talking highbrow stuff like inception and memento (one of my all time favs), so Groundhog Day just seems a little out of place.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
Thought of some more:
Memento, original Star Wars, Lord of the Rings (already mentioned).
The original Jungle Book cartoon, great movie and soundtrack.Only movie I have ever bought.
Angel Heart. Every scene in that movie was so perfectly lit.
Princess Mononoke. Cliched storyline, but really nicely done.
Wizards by Ralph Bakshi. I suspect it would be really dated now, but loved it in college.
The three musketeers with Oliver Reed (not the newer one).
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
Angel Heart. Every scene in that movie was so perfectly lit.
Finally, somebody says that they like a movie because of how well it’s lit!
Now I have to see it.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Nothing beats the old black and white movies for lighting though. Unbelievable dramatic lighting with careful attention paid even to the shadows.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
I defy anyone to name a better example than The Third Man.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 2, 2010 1:05 PM CDT up reply actions
The Night of the Hunter? Rashomon? Nosferatu?
No, I agree, The Third Man is right up there with the best. I might not be able to name a better example, but I can name a few as good as.
My personal favorite—I’ve really still never seen anything quite like it:
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
Murnau used insanely forced perspective, and combined with the lighting and the luminosity of the acting it creates this dreamlike feeling that just tugs you in.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
And yes, as a movie buff and a photographer you have to see it. Incredible visuals and an outstanding performance by Rourke. Have not seen a lot of his movies, but from the little I have seen this is his best performance.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
Blade Runner still gives me the shivers. Not one thing in common with the book, and I didn’t mind at all. The art direction was incredible.
I smell death... everywhere.
I downloaded it a month ago and was just watching it last night. The cityscape shots were breathtaking, considering the year it was made. Should I go read the book?
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 2, 2010 12:05 AM CDT up reply actions
Hm. Depends on how much you like Dick. It was one of his most cerebral novels.
I smell death... everywhere.
Thanks. I’ll probably look for it now seeing that I can’t find a Dune novel here.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 2, 2010 12:09 AM CDT up reply actions
I loved the first Dune novel. Read it a couple of months ago. I also decided not to read any other Dune novel, because I just know it’s going to ruin my good feeling. Like watching Matrix 2.
I smell death... everywhere.
Yeah, I read the first 5 or so and they get incredibly repetitive. Then I reread Dune and realized it is also really repetitive, but you don’t notice it so much until you read the rest.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
That’s what I’ve been hearing. Tthe only available here is the Dune trilogy bound in one book, and I don’t want to waste money buying it because I won’t bother reading the other two.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 2, 2010 12:17 AM CDT up reply actions
I quite enjoyed the second. And the third has my favorite Dune moment in it.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Damn you, now you’re putting me closer to the brink of buying that darned trilogy.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 2, 2010 12:24 AM CDT up reply actions
Huh, “closer to the brink” seems redundant.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 2, 2010 12:26 AM CDT up reply actions
Have you ever read Steven Brust? My favorite author (by far) in the fantasy genre. He has a few different styles of writing and I love all of them.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
The current series is the Taltos series, which starts with the book Jhereg. Most of his books are set in that world and there are themes that span all the books.
I really like a vampire novel called Agyar which is written in a completely different style from his other books, and is not like any other vampire books. It takes a while to realize that the main character is a vampire.
“To Reign in Hell” is another awesome book outside of his normal style of writing, though it may offend the overly religious – it is an interesting take on the God/Satan disagreement. I am told it is reminiscent of “Paradise Lost”, but have not read the latter yet.
I am totally hooked on the Taltos series and reread those books fairly often.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
Talking of Dune, the biggest letdown of a movie ever was the movie (featuring Sting!). Years and a small fortune in the making had built up the expectations for the rabid fanbase to ridiculous levels, and the movie was flat out horrible. Not just in comparison to the expectations – just plain horrible.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
The movie sucked but it’s sort of developed into one of those cult films that people like to keep hidden in their collection. Or maybe that’s just me.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 2, 2010 3:29 AM CDT up reply actions
Wow. I did not know that. I stopped watching at some point and never want to see it again.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
Yes, the movie was awful. SPOILER – Sting can’t act. However, SciFi did a mini-series that wasn’t bad.
Sting can act. He just doesn’t show it in Dune.
The Spurs have an awesome front office. They are the envy of the entire league. - olf
I can’t believe I forgot about one of my favorite comedies, Groundhog Day. Have watched it so many times.
I smell death... everywhere.
That’s one of those movies you can watch over and over. And you kind of feel like you have, even after just a single viewing.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Got to throw a good recent ones.
Zombieland – great Bill Murray cameo in it as well. Hilarious stuff, but enough and a good amount of action. My favorite zombie film since Shaun of the Dead.
Away We Go – sweet comedy about a couple trying to figure out things (such as where they should live) before their baby come. I was suprised, but Maya Rudolph (of SNL fame) works very well with John Krasinski.
State of Play – good thriller with a lot of good twists and turns. Solid cast. Rachel McAdams is cute as always. Kind of went under the radar in the box office.
Zombieland surprised me. I thought it was going to be lame, but it most certainly wasn’t.
Biggest coach Pop/Tiago Splitter homer on the internet™
by Josh Guyer (completely deck) on Aug 2, 2010 8:31 AM CDT up reply actions
I’ve got Zombieland in my netflix streaming queue; going to watch it, after I finish catching up on back issues of The Walking Dead comic.
↓↘→ ↓↘→ ↓↘→ + P
by transgojobot on Aug 2, 2010 12:10 PM CDT up reply actions
So did I. I thought it would just be another lame movie but I ended up enjoying it. I liked Bill Murray’s cameo.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 2, 2010 6:39 PM CDT up reply actions
I think I just filled up my Netflix queue with all the recommendations that have been mentioned here. Here are some of my all-time favorites.
Matrix trilogy, but nothing tops the first one.
Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The Untouchables
300 – I really enjoyed the cinematography
Toy Story and The Lion King are probably two of my favorite cartoons, ever.
Nothing to Lose is probably the first movie where I cried from laughter.
It’s hard for me to just list movies because I really do try to enjoy a number of them and from every genre.
Ooohhh, How could I forget the first Matrix in my list. Damn. And yes, Toy Story was awesome.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
Toy Story. One great trilogy.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 2, 2010 6:40 PM CDT up reply actions
So many great Pixar movies. I haven’t watched much. Missed Up, Toy Story, and a few others. Woe is me.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 2, 2010 6:55 PM CDT up reply actions
I took a movie class in college about independent films, where you had to analyze every single detail in the movie. We watched some great movies:
El Mariachi
Clerks
Reservoir Dogs
Swingers
In the Company of men
Do The Right thing
"He was just a young skinny guy who looked like a winner. We didn’t know he was going to be as good as he is."
—Popovich on Manu Ginobili
Swingers is definitely on my list.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 2, 2010 12:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Can someone please tell me why Inception was so great? I saw it, I am pretty sure I “got it,” but what I don’t get is why everyone thinks it’s so amazing.
You want to take this one, JRW, or should I?
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 2, 2010 12:42 PM CDT up reply actions
If anyone should take it it should be SIMA.
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
Feel free. Let’s see if you can do it in less than 300 words.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
BTW- I now have “Non, Je ne Regrette Rien” waking me up in the morning. But will I really be waking up..?
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 2, 2010 7:28 PM CDT up reply actions
Yes, you will.
I’m waiting until Mrs. JRW sees it before decorating our entire house in the same decor as the hotel in the 2nd level down. I’ll dress as Arthur every day and raise my eyebrow at whatever happens, turn my head quickly when any sound is made, and jump around, over and onto random pieces of furniture while making no noise at all. Occasionally, I’ll allow myself to say the word “Paradox” before dropping one of the jrwlings into the bath, or onto a couch or bed.
And my wife won’t say anything against it, because I’ll be dressed to the nines everyday. Also, it’s not all that different from how I already act.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Let me kick it off by saying I laughed every time I heard Ken Watanabe speak. Unfortunately for the film, it was more than once. What a horrible casting decision. Anyone agree?
Very, very true. I had no idea what was going on in the beginning of the movie because of his horrible accent. The only reason I was lost in the movie was because I had no idea what he said and it made it much harder for me to follow how the plot worked.
"He has an innate ability of putting the damn ball in the hole." - Pop on Ginobili
Well Rich, the simple explanation here is that you DON’T actually get it. I’m sure if you watched it another 3 or 4 times, it would finally dawn on you and you’d come away realizing what all of us already know- Inception is God’s gift to mankind; if Manu was a major motion picture, he would be Inception; if Mexico had Inception there would be no need for SB 1070; if Inception was a color it would be tree-bark camouflage; if Germans had invented Inception, we’d celebrate Leonardofest every September; if Inception was a film starring Patrick Swayze, it would be Roadhouse.
The reality is that JRW loves and has absurdly oversold Inception simply because it sounds a lot like “conception.”
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 2, 2010 1:22 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Thanks for the hilarious sales puffery and additional hype. However, I am still not sold, and can’t bring myself to watch it 3 or 4 times until someone tells me what I may have missed.
rich, I’ll posting an Inception only film thread soon, probably as a fanpost, so that those who’ve seen it can talk about it freely without being concerned about ruining it for people who haven’t.
My guess is that you’ll see what different people have enjoyed about it and either think, “I saw that too, but I just didn’t think it was all that.” Or you’ll wonder how you missed what’s being discussed and get yourself back into a theater.
Fair enough?
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
(This) should help clear up any misunderstandings you had about the movie …or not, I dunno.
↓↘→ ↓↘→ ↓↘→ + P
If this is over, I’m going to be crushed. We should make it permanent fixture on the sidebar.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 2, 2010 1:17 PM CDT up reply actions
Here are three little words that will get the film geeks here salivating: Children of Men. Alfonso Cuaron is the new master of mise-en-scene: discuss.
How about we spend the rest of the week arguing about exactly what mise-en-scene means? Then we can tackle your topic afterwards.
That will also give me the time I need to watch CoM, which I’ve been putting off doing since its release because of a feeling that the 2nd half of the film will leave me very unsatisfied.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I don’t even know how to respond to that, except to say that the 2nd half of the film is arguably better than the first.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 2, 2010 5:46 PM CDT up reply actions
I dont think I was sophisticated enough for this movie. Did not enjoy it at all.
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
by LasEspuelas on Aug 2, 2010 7:20 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Exactly. And I just +1ed you for your humility and understanding of your own limitations.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 2, 2010 7:46 PM CDT up reply actions
If you keep +1ing me like that I know that one day I will reach your level of sophistication, put that blue ray disk in and open my eyes to the wonders of Children of Men.
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
Meh to you both.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 3, 2010 11:57 AM CDT up reply actions
The car chase was off the effing wall, and the extremely long tracking shot towards the end…Love that movie.
I did a lot of soul searching. I didn't find anything.
Car chase. One of the best I remember was in Ronin. Holy crap, that was entertaining.
I smell death... everywhere.
That was a great one. Other great car chases:
The Blues Brothers (just exhilarating)
The Italian Job (both versions, Mini Coopers FTW)
The Bourne Supremacy (the one in Moscow)
The French Connection (the most intense chase scene I’ve ever seen and my personal favorite—please see this movie if you haven’t)
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
Bourne is just a great set of movies and jason is darn cute :0}
by cojones2thewall on Aug 3, 2010 9:11 AM CDT up reply actions
I know it was nothing more than an oversight, and with our tastes you no doubt simply didn’t add the greatest and bar-setting chase of all time…
Bullitt (arguably my favorite actor and un-arguably my favorite movie car)
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 3, 2010 12:00 PM CDT up reply actions
Nobody has mentioned Minority Report yet, right? It’s one of my favorite sci-fi films.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
I like that one, too.
And I guess Schindler’s List hasn’t been mentioned also, which is one of my favorties.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 2, 2010 6:57 PM CDT up reply actions
I loved it too, despite the Tom Cruise factor, which states that any movie he is in will automatically suck 20 percent more than if he were. The adverse is the Gene Hackmann law.
Haha, the only Tom Cruise movies that I enjoyed enough to watch more than once are Minority Report & The Last Samurai.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on DeJuan Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Aug 2, 2010 7:29 PM CDT up reply actions
I can’t stand him as a person, but I can think of at least 5 or 6 other films with him I would happily watch multiple times.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 2, 2010 7:36 PM CDT up reply actions
I agree. Jerry Maguire, Vanilla Sky, Top Gun (has one of the funniest soundtracks ever), and Interview with the Vampire are some of the T.Cruise films I’ve enjoyed watching.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 2, 2010 8:10 PM CDT up reply actions
I’d add Collateral and the third Mission: Impossible.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 2, 2010 8:15 PM CDT up reply actions
Definitely Collateral, I actually thought that was his best work.
And you gotta at least consider Tropic Thunder as well.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 2, 2010 8:21 PM CDT up reply actions
For sure, but he’s gonna lose all of that goodwill by forcing a Les Grossman spinoff into development.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 2, 2010 8:24 PM CDT up reply actions
Is he really doing that?
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Interesting how often that adverb is being used around Cruise over the last few years.
The news of that project is unfortunate, but it doesn’t have quite the negative impact of a Spider-Man musical with music by U2. And I wish I was kidding.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I enjoyed Rain Man as well.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 2, 2010 11:41 PM CDT up reply actions
I don’t get it. Maybe I just need to look at it again.
No, not quite there. I’ll try again.
Yep, that did it. Unbelievable. Best jpg ever.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 2, 2010 8:27 PM CDT up reply actions
You know who was ahead of his time?
Bill Watterson with Calvin & Hobbes.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 2, 2010 8:38 PM CDT up reply actions
Love Ellen Page.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 2, 2010 8:45 PM CDT up reply actions
Calvin and Hobbes – Best Comics Ever!
That would be a pretty good detour post: fav comics.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
I’m with you, brohams.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 2, 2010 9:41 PM CDT up reply actions
Watterson and Larson are just about untouchable.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Couldn’t agree more.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 3, 2010 12:01 PM CDT up reply actions
As you can clearly see, there’s really nothing to discuss about this movie.
I did a lot of soul searching. I didn't find anything.
I am averting my eyes from that graphic until after I watch the movie. Kinda the way I avoid looking at body parts on a date until we are happily married. Maybe a little out of the corner of my eye in that creepy shifty way, but other than that…
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
There are lots and lots of reasons why I am single. BTW, spending time on PtR instead of hanging out with Women is #184 on the list.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
I also enjoyed watching the three multi-branching drama films by Alejandro González Iñárritu:
Amores Perros
21 Grams
Babel.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 2, 2010 11:59 PM CDT reply actions
The I was interested in seeing is Babel, but I haven’t yet. Any motivational words for me?
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
An excerpt from the reaction paper I made when I was in college:
In this film, the director expanded his common theme and dealt with cultural differences. As one scene is shown, a question arises. And as the characters grow with their roles, realizations in the part of the audience take place. Bit by bit, their questions are answered as they sympathize with the characters. Though there are tragic events in it, the film is not about the harshness of human beings nor the worship of one’s culture. It is not about what should have happened but what is actually happening in the world today. The writing and editing of the films build a strong aura, moving from one scene to another with utmost emotional clarity and distinctiveness. It does not only give a heavy and full-load tragedy but instead it offered human insight. It did not give us a selection of heroes or a bag full of villains. Instead, it allowed us to be with each character all the way and reflect on the things we might do.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 3, 2010 3:56 AM CDT up reply actions
Did you enjoy Crash? If yes, you’d probably enjoy this as well. The film’s strengths are character development and editing.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 3, 2010 9:32 PM CDT up reply actions
It’s hard to use the word enjoy in conjunction to my experience with Crash. I talked about it somewhat here. If the Babel is similiar, then I’ll wait until I feel ready to go through the emotional wringer, and that’ll be Babeltime.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
That particular scene from Crash was really powerful and would have illicited a strong reaction from anyone wacthing it. I can’t remember if Babel has a scene equally as gripping as that but as a whole, I think I liked Babel more.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 3, 2010 11:41 PM CDT up reply actions
Fracture is another movie that I love. Great crime/mystery film. One of Anthony Hopkins best performances.
"He was just a young skinny guy who looked like a winner. We didn’t know he was going to be as good as he is."
—Popovich on Manu Ginobili
Guess I need to put that on the list. I don’t think I’ve even heard of it?
Are you familiar with Sleuth? The original version, of course.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
My favorites sports films
Cinderella Man
A league of their own
Remember the titans
Million Dollar Baby
Rocky 1& 4
Any given Sunday
Major League
Varsity Blues
"He was just a young skinny guy who looked like a winner. We didn’t know he was going to be as good as he is."
—Popovich on Manu Ginobili
Good list. Aside from what jrw and Drums added, I’d put in Hoosiers, Glory Road, Friday Night Lights, He Got Game (RayRay as Jesus!) and White Men Can’t Jump on the list, and maybe throw in Base-ketball just for laughs.
I also have a soft spot for The Mighty Ducks “trilogy” — ducks fly together!
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 3, 2010 9:16 AM CDT up reply actions
Hoosiers was great. Glory Road was good, then again I’m biased since I attended UTEP (Texas Western) and one of my best friends was in the movie.
Major League was one of my favorite comedies and sports movies as well.
O hai freaking awesome movie I can’t believe hasn’t been mentioned yet!
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
It seems we’ve had a failure to communicate how great this is.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 3, 2010 12:17 PM CDT up reply actions
Never seen it. I should watch it, as the incredibly classy Paul Newman was one of my favorite human beings.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
Is everyone here afraid to talk musicals? I’m not. I shamelessly hold West Side Story, Once, and Sweeney Todd in as high esteem as most of these mentioned so far.
Added to queue. On the surface, reminds me of No Man’s Land, only… you know, a musical.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 3, 2010 1:11 PM CDT up reply actions
I love the musicals, but I’m more of a Swing Time and 42nd Street kind of gal.
Singing in the Rain is way up there, as is An American in Paris. Oh, I could go on and on about the musicals.
::knitting; rocking::
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
I like Chicago. Sweeney Todd though is pretty good.
I did a lot of soul searching. I didn't find anything.
Chicago’s cool. If I said I liked Moulin Rouge, does that make me odd? (NTTAWWT)
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 3, 2010 11:24 PM CDT up reply actions
Good point.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 3, 2010 11:26 PM CDT up reply actions
I liked Moulin Rouge too. And speaking of musicals, I think I need to mention Fiddler on the Roof.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 3, 2010 11:43 PM CDT up reply actions
THAT’S IT!
I just knew there was another musical that I needed to mention. Thanks, dlf. I owe you one.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
No problemo. :)
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 4, 2010 4:06 AM CDT up reply actions
I appreciated, but didn’t really like, Moulin Rouge.
I won’t judge you.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 4, 2010 8:53 AM CDT up reply actions
Seen Cannibal! The Musical? I keep meaning to and never seem get around to it. It’s on Hulu now though.
Basically voted most normal person on PtR.
Are we gonna talk documentaries too?
Gotta say that I love Spellbound tons..
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
That one’s great!! I’ll raise you a Man On Wire for sheer inspiration, though.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 3, 2010 1:16 PM CDT up reply actions
Just saw Big River Man a couple of days ago. It was surreal.
I did a lot of soul searching. I didn't find anything.
I don’t have much time, as I am at work and supposedly working (huh!), but copy/pasted from my facebook, my favorite movies are: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Casablanca, Gran Torino, The Dark Knight, Amelie, Good Night, and Good Luck, A Beautiful Mind, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Iron Man
(The last one is because I think it’s the perfect “lazy” action movie, and RDJ is awesome.)
"Whereas I never went fly like some of the boys." -- Ice
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. Yes! One of my favorites. I don’t often find anyone who’s seen it, much less has it toward the top of their list.
Have you ever read the play, Doc, or seen it performed? It’s something else. Especially the “tennis” scene.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Yesss! Another fan! So great. It’s so underrated — well, less underrated than “nobody has ever heard of it”, but same difference. I used to date a girl with whom I could recite the whole tennis scene by heart, it was wonderful. I’ve read the play several times, not sure exactly how many, but haven’t had the chance to see it performed yet. It’s on my bucket list though. I make it a point to see films with Tim Roth or Gary Oldman in them, because they’re both underrated in my opinion. Just phenomenal actors.
Speaking of Tim Roth, Reservoir Dogs is one of my favorite movies ever. Not sure why that’s not on my list.
"Whereas I never went fly like some of the boys." -- Ice
Quoting the tennis scene together — that’s awesome.
I just found out that there was a performance of R&GAD, in San Antonio last year and I knew nothing about it. Ugh!
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I hate when that happens. Last year I missed two of my favorite artists in concert because they’re semi-retired and it was barely advertised. They were literally 10 miles away. I wish there were better ways to keep track of your favorite plays and musicians so you always know when you’ve got a shot at seeing them. It’s even worse for plays because there are so many incidental places you forget to check in on…
"Whereas I never went fly like some of the boys." -- Ice
I was just thinking the other day… it’s interesting that several people have listed The Dark Knight as a favorite. Not that I don’t agree, because I completely do, but it’s interesting because if we’d had this conversation 4 years ago many of us would claim Batman Begins as a favorite. It’s an enormous credit to Nolan that we don’t even think of the first because the second was so incredible.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 3, 2010 4:14 PM CDT up reply actions
Batman Begins wasn’t even in the ballpark of TDK. And despite how much I loved TDK, I’m a bit sad that it means that we won’t see Miller’s DKR in movie format any time soon.
Not that I’m so excited about them desecrating that comic.
I smell death... everywhere.
If all goes well, we won’t see DKR in cinemas at any point. It needs to stay where it is an remain unsullied forever.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I’m with SiMA here. Still have Batman Begins on my iPod as I really enjoy re-watching it. It’s better to watch it more than once. In terms of character development it’s much better than TDK (duh, it’s all about Batman’s origin).
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 3, 2010 7:02 PM CDT up reply actions
Buster Keaton’s movies belong on the list of humankind’s greatest achievements.
That’s what I meant to say first.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
I haven’t seen enough of his work. Does it get better than The General?
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
What an odd thing to ask.
Am I to gather from that question that you didn’t like The General?
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
NOT AT ALL. It’s just the only one I’ve seen.
I should have chosen my words more carefully.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Well, given that The General is considered not only Keaton’s masterpiece but one of the greatest movies ever made, it would be hard for any of his other work to top it. But among my favorites are Steamboat Bill, Jr., The Cameraman, and Our Hospitality.
The thing about his movies that I think makes it so hard for current, younger generations to appreciate them isn’t so much that they’re silent but that there isn’t a single wasted frame. And there is greatness packed into every shot. I don’t know if people watch movies as closely as they used to in the silent era. I don’t know if they can anymore—we’re just too used to distraction and multi-tasking and interruption and looking away, even when we’re at movie theaters.
A little Keaton primer stolen from Wikipedia (it’s a very good entry) for the uninitiated:
Joseph Frank Keaton, known professionally as Buster Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966), was an American comic actor and filmmaker. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname “The Great Stone Face”.
Keaton was recognized as the seventh-greatest director of all time by Entertainment Weekly. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Keaton the 21st-greatest male actor of all time. Critic Roger Ebert wrote of Keaton’s “extraordinary period from 1920 to 1929, [when] he worked without interruption on a series of films that make him, arguably, the greatest actor-director in the history of the movies.” Orson Welles has stated his belief that Keaton’s The General is the greatest comedy ever made, the greatest Civil War film ever made, and perhaps the greatest film ever made. A 2002 worldwide poll by Sight & Sound ranked Keaton’s The General as the 15th best film of all time. Three other Keaton films received votes in the magazine’s survey: Our Hospitality, Sherlock, Jr., and The Navigator.
Keaton’s writers included Clyde Bruckman and Jean Havez, but the most ingenious gags were often conceived by Keaton himself. Comedy director Leo McCarey, recalling the freewheeling days of making slapstick comedies, said, “All of us tried to steal each other’s gagmen. But we had no luck with Keaton, because he thought up his best gags himself and we couldn’t steal him!” The more adventurous ideas called for dangerous stunts, also performed by Keaton at great physical risk. During the railroad water-tank scene in Sherlock Jr., Keaton broke his neck when he fell against a railroad track, but did not realize it until years afterward. A scene from Steamboat Bill Jr. required Keaton to run into the shot and stand still on a particular spot. Then, the facade of a two-story building toppled forward on top of Keaton. Keaton’s character emerged unscathed, thanks to a single open window which passed directly over him. The stunt required precision, because the prop house weighed two tons, and the window only offered a few inches of space around Keaton’s body. The sequence became one of the iconic images of Keaton’s career.
The film critic David Thomson later described Keaton’s style of comedy: “Buster plainly is a man inclined towards a belief in nothing but mathematics and absurdity … like a number that has always been searching for the right equation. Look at his face — as beautiful but as inhuman as a butterfly — and you see that utter failure to identify sentiment.” Gilberto Perez describes “Keaton’s genius as an actor to keep a face so nearly deadpan and yet render it, by subtle inflections, so vividly expressive of inner life. His large deep eyes are the most eloquent feature; with merely a stare he can convey a wide range of emotions, from longing to mistrust, from puzzlement to sorrow.”
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
1996 was a very good year
Best Movies nominated for an Oscar – 1996
The English Patient The Winner
Shine Geoffrey Rush at his most brilliant
Fargo I wonder if Sima has a wood chipper at home?
Secrets and Lies Brenda Blethyn is amazing
Jerry Maguire A great movie, but the weakest of the bunch
Just missed the cut in 1996:
The People vs. Larry Flynt
Sling Blade Billy Bob Thornton gets a pass for all future film roles because of this movie. And I really miss JT Walsh.
Breaking the Waves Twisted and definitely not a PG film… or trailer for that matter.
Primal Fear Break out role for Edward Norton
Ghosts of Mississippi
Like a fine wine… it was a very good year.
Superman wears Manu Ginobili pajamas to bed. ~ CMoney
I am happy. I am proud. ~ Manu Ginobili
Bella, thanks for joining the party! And what a great list.
Secrets and Lies was incredible. The first film that I wholeheartedly recommended to my parents that they utterly disliked. Each of us was stunned by this. They, at the thought that I could enjoy such a film and expect them to as well. Me, at the realization that amazing acting and gently developing relationships weren’t something that they could appreciate.
Sling Blade, excellent. Fargo, ditto.
In looking up Breaking I gave Stellan Skarsgård’s IMDB listing the once over and — dude has been in, not just a ton of films, but a ton of good films. Wow.
And then there’s Shine. About two weeks ago, I went to youtube and pulled up the scene where he first plays “Flight of the Bumblebee” in the restaurant, and watched it a half dozen times — at least. Great stuff.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I thought this was an apt summation of this thread and how we all experience movies (and life) in general:
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
Here’s a list of some of my favorites that I didn’t see previously mentioned:
Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Being John Malkovich
Donnie Darko
Metropolis
Blade Runner
The Seven Samurai
Young Frankenstein
Reservoir Dogs
The Pianist
Tombstone
The Motorcycle Diaries
Little Miss Sunshine
Mulholland Drive
Drunken Master
Seconds
Dark City
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on DeJuan Blair
I agree with this list so much, that I’m putting the film I haven’t seen (Seconds) on my list simply based on you liking it.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Oh, Seconds is great. Really trippy John Frankenheimer (I prefer the original Manchurian Candidate), but Seconds has some really terrific—and revolutionary—camera work.
Also, big props for the original Seven Samurai.
By the way, JRW… are you going to e-mail me back, or did my opening argument scare you out of the water?
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 4, 2010 2:28 PM CDT up reply actions
When I was first going to watch Seven Samurai, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to sit through the whole 3 1/2 or so hours, but I’m glad that I was wrong.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on DeJuan Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Aug 4, 2010 2:48 PM CDT up reply actions
You won’t be disappointed. Essentially, it’s a bit like a full length movie of an Twilight Zone episode with the great camera work that Drums mentioned. Sadly, there’s no Rod Sterling hosting it.
I found out about it while reading about Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. He saw the film on drugs & was also beginning to experience symptoms of schizophrenia while watching it, which resulted in a poor viewing experience, to say the least.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on DeJuan Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Aug 4, 2010 2:41 PM CDT up reply actions
Somebody else rec this post so that we can keep it alive a little longer on the “Featureds.”
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
Done.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on DeJuan Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Aug 4, 2010 3:03 PM CDT up reply actions
It’s a conspiracy. Damn thing’s got 6 recs now and it’s still not a Featured.
Probably another one of JRW’s ploys to appear “modest.”
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 4, 2010 3:45 PM CDT up reply actions
Thanks for the reminder, I always forget to rec the “main” posts. E.g. I rarely think to rec Wayne’s posts even when I really like them – just take them for granted.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
Yeah, I too deliberately don’t rec Wayne’s posts. Different reasoning though, pretty much the opposite of yours.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 4, 2010 4:17 PM CDT up reply actions
There’s a mod function where we can place this as a “Featured”. No amount of recs will bring this to that spot unless one of the mods puts it there :———-)
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 4, 2010 8:48 PM CDT up reply actions
IE- another PtR conspiracy.
Make it so, FSM.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 4, 2010 9:43 PM CDT up reply actions
I have seen very few martial arts movies listed here. I grew up on martial arts fodder, both foreign and local(indian movies including bollywood). I will give a tentative list
Enter the Dragon
Fists of Fury
Way of the Dragon
Big Boss(or was it the The Boss? Bruce Lee movie)
Blood Sport (first one)
Legend of the Drunken Master (1994)
Drunken Master
Shaolin Temple (Jet li debut movie)
Rambo III – technically not martial arts, but childhood fav
I am sure I am forgetting quite a few good martial arts movies and actors in the above list. The above ones left me changed forever as a kid :P
Curiously… why Rambo III specifically? Why not 1,2 or 4?
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 4, 2010 5:43 PM CDT up reply actions
I don’t know. Since it was in afghanistan, it was closer to home(india) and I lived a bit in libya as well as a kid. So the landscape and the ppl drew me to it I suppose.
The other ones were straight up war and bang bang(not exactly accurate, but vietnam and american towns were more unfamiliar).
I’d just never heard someone pick that one of the four. I didn’t even consider that; totally makes more sense though since you’re from that part of the world.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 5, 2010 2:16 PM CDT up reply actions
My captain!
Your list is the stuff dreams are made of. I’m going to make some additions:
- Karate Kid (you know you’d watch that scene again – or that)
- Matrix (brought martial arts to the computer game era)
- Brotherhood of the Wolf (don’t judge me, it has some martial arts in there, right?)
- Seven Samurai (even though MeM already mentioned it)
- Ong Bak (Kung fu is for wusses – real men do muay thai)
- Kill Bill 1 (knife fight, fight in the caravan, so many others?)
- Police Story (and Police Story 2, for that matter)
- District 13 (adding parkour to this list)
- Wheels on Meals (Jackie versus the Jet, daaaaamn)
- Blade (damn right)
- Gorgeous (Jackie still has it)
I smell death... everywhere.
Wait, I forgot of another Jackie Chan classic: Dragons Forever. Watch that now.
I smell death... everywhere.
Rumble in the Bronx has always been one of my favorites.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on DeJuan Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Aug 4, 2010 6:52 PM CDT up reply actions
And Pan’s Labyrinth is too violent? You goober.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
Awesome lists LZ and LD. Speaking of Districts, I think District 9 hasn’t been mentioned yet. Really cool movie.
Also, as far as ass-kicking, name-taking movies go, you should really see Ip Man. It’s loosely based on Bruce Lee’s master – heck, the guy effing taught Bruce Lee how to fight! How great can he be? Ip Man 2 is also due to hit the Asian movie circuit, I think.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 4, 2010 8:56 PM CDT up reply actions
Nice list! I agree with most of them. I thought I would just start with the older orient ones first.
Color me surprised but the new Karate Kid movie with Jackie actually impressed me. And I thought the second biggest scene( that LD referred to) in the movie in the new one kicks ass! It is an even better one legged kick. It has a few dragging parts in there, but overall it is not a let down at all.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 5, 2010 12:45 AM CDT up reply actions
We should just talk about dreams and forget basketball.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Aug 5, 2010 9:01 PM CDT up reply actions
Maybe we should dream about basketball and forget talking?
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Or dream about talking about basketball but actually weave baskets?
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 6, 2010 6:52 AM CDT up reply actions
I just watched inception (awesome movie), so i just read this post today. Sad that no one liked the grammaton clerics. i liked the concept of the movie. i won’t even post the title for fear of being ridiculed. but i liked it.
and no one mentioned wilsooooooon either?
or, “call me Dragon.”
i guess i have weird taste in movies.
"Yes, it's important that I have good numbers, and I'm well-respected as a player. But I think it's more important that I'm respected as a man." - Some Tall Guy Who Wore #50
and “You people dont know how to love.”
"Yes, it's important that I have good numbers, and I'm well-respected as a player. But I think it's more important that I'm respected as a man." - Some Tall Guy Who Wore #50
Ok, I’ll agree that there was a small amount of cheesiness in Equilibrium, but it was actually quite an entertaining show. No reason to withhold the title, TOR. =]
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
what’s this equilibrium that you talk about?
"Yes, it's important that I have good numbers, and I'm well-respected as a player. But I think it's more important that I'm respected as a man." - Some Tall Guy Who Wore #50
by theonlyromeo on Aug 8, 2010 11:04 PM CDT up reply actions
Ok, play dumb if you want, but it has a 7.7 out of 10 rating on imdb.com.
That’s nothing to sneeze at.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I just hate that it was a box office flop and most of my friends haven’t seen it.
"Yes, it's important that I have good numbers, and I'm well-respected as a player. But I think it's more important that I'm respected as a man." - Some Tall Guy Who Wore #50
by theonlyromeo on Aug 8, 2010 11:30 PM CDT up reply actions
You can hate the fact all you want without sneezing on the film.
And you sneezed all over it. DON’T TRY TO DENY IT.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
I’m not gonna win this conversation, am I?
I’m coming out. I loved Equilibrium. I liked it better than the two Matrix sequels. There.
"Yes, it's important that I have good numbers, and I'm well-respected as a player. But I think it's more important that I'm respected as a man." - Some Tall Guy Who Wore #50
WWWIIIILLLLLSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOoooooooonnnnnn!!!!
I cried, man… I cried.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 9, 2010 8:18 AM CDT up reply actions
Doesn’t he apologize to him too? Something like, “I’m sorry Wilson. I’m sorry.” Followed by a muffled sob or two. Just heartbreaking.
I suppose you noticed that in the final scene, when he’s driving around in that old SUV (or whatever it is) to make that final delivery, one of the items in the passenger seat next to him is a brand new Wilson, that he hasn’t taken out of its packaging yet.
I always knew someday I was going to go viral - Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez
Otstanding performance from Tom Hanks.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 9, 2010 7:34 PM CDT up reply actions
the academy got it all wrong. he should have won it in 2000. maybe russell for a beautiful mind in 2001.
but my pick that year was sean penn for the last movie i quoted, i am sam (i watched it thrice. i fucking cried thrice). at any rate, you could never go wrong picking denzel.
"Yes, it's important that I have good numbers, and I'm well-respected as a player. But I think it's more important that I'm respected as a man." - Some Tall Guy Who Wore #50
I agree. Tom Hanks should have won the Best Actor award in 2000. He virtually carried the entire film by himself.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 9, 2010 11:02 PM CDT up reply actions
Hevirtually carriedwas the entire film by himself
FIFY
The Spurs have an awesome front office. They are the envy of the entire league. - olf
Well, yeah, I just wanted to give credit to Zemeckis and his direction because I admired his approach for this film.
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a fifth ring on it.
by day_late_friend on Aug 10, 2010 4:06 AM CDT up reply actions
Aha, good point.
The Spurs have an awesome front office. They are the envy of the entire league. - olf
We realllly should get this on the “Featured” list…
by DrumsInTheDeep on Aug 10, 2010 10:34 AM CDT up reply actions
The problem is that it’s a front-page item, and not a fanpost that was promoted to the front-page. So, the easiest way to access it is to go to the left side of the main page, just under the PtR logo, in the “Sections” area, under “Off the Wall”.
Unless anyone else knows a way to make it easier to access than that.
The Spurs have an awesome front office. They are the envy of the entire league. - olf
You can put it under the Fun Pages, I guess.
"We choose to go to the moon... and do the other things, not only because they are easy, but because they are hard." - JFK
by silverandblack_davis on Aug 10, 2010 6:50 PM CDT up reply actions
So many movies have already been listed, but I have to add my 2 cents worth. Plus, I’m still on California time and wide awake. A lot of great movies have already been listed, so I’ll just throw out a few more titles:
Dead Again
Saving Grace
Serenity
Strictly Ballroom
Heavenly Creatures
Inside Man
Braveheart
Glory
Of course, this doesn’t account for all the really bad 80s B-movies that I will sit down and watch when on TV.
Not that you have, but I’d rank them as follows: Serenity, Inside Man, Braveheart, Strictly Ballroom, Glory.
Guess I need to SG, HC and DA now, eh?
The Spurs have an awesome front office. They are the envy of the entire league. - olf
Saving Grace is a howlingly funny comedy with Brenda Blethyn and Craig Ferguson. Blethyn plays a widow in a small British town who discovers her husband left her bankrupt, so she decides to grow marijuana with the help of her gardener to make ends meet.
Heavenly Creatures is one of the earlier works by Peter Jackson, but not in his usual genre. It’s based on an actual crime in the 1950s in New Zealand where two girls conspire to commit matricide. Obviously, not suitable for children, but with some really intense acting.
Dead Again stars Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh (rocking American accents for those who have trouble with British ones) and is a thriller/mystery switching between two time periods.
And I’m still mourning the loss of Firefly.
Serenity? Which one? If it’s the Firefly movie, I might have to marry you.
I smell death... everywhere.
Of course it’s the Firefly movie. Joss Whedon and cast did an amazine job with that movie by adding to the mythology, but not diminishing the TV series. That man is a genius and (excuse my language) Fuck Fox for canceling the series. It could have been an all-time great.
Wait. I have been on the fence about whether to watch that series or not. Its available for instant on netflix. I liked the movie. But figured, since I am coming in with high expectations, the series might be a let down. So I don’t have to worry?
You should definitely NOT worry about a let down. You’re fine going in with high expectations. They’ll be fulfilled.
Next season, our only FIGASENI is @ NJ on the RRT. It is also a THIGAFONI, but not part of a BABA. - BlaseE
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