I actually loved Lolita, the book as well as the movie. I felt the actors were really something— James Mason made such a perfect Humbert Humbert. Peter Sellers is obviously adds a silly touch, but put him a side and there is a deeply moving, somewhat darker picture. I find it more compelling, a story that deals mostly with character, than an epic like 2001.
I also agree with Drew that obsession a fascinating topic for film. Vertigo is a fabulous movie— last night I saw the original of “The Vanishing”, the French “Spoorloos” and found it very well done.
I’m thinking romantic thriller starring Colin Farrell as Ashton Ace, a bad boy on the run from the law after a bank-hit gone wrong. He hides in the most unlikely place: a nursing home for the elderly. Playing the role of grandson to an aging and confused woman with Alzheimer’s, Ashton unexpectedly falls for the attractive nursing attendant, the warm hearted, innocent Cherry,(Amy Adams). The two bond while playing checkers and dominoes with the patients and enjoy secret sessions of heart felt discussion. Cherry is also an expert knitter, and decides to teach Ashton. It soon becomes apparent that not only is she teaching him how to cast-on and purl, she is teaching him how to knit his life back together again.
How’s that?
I also foresee a heart wrenching scene in which Ashton is reunited with his real grandmother (Nana Ace), and possibly a police bust when they discover Ashton’s location and somebody gets shot.
Hmm Maggie Smith is tempting but I would have to go with Gloria Stuart (The old lady in Titanic) if she’s still alive.
Now to decide who should direct it? Any suggestions?
I don’t think a bargin bin is the worst destination for a great film— it just allows more people to enjoy them.I buy most of my movies on VHS at garage sales, and I’m always thrilled when I find a good deal. This summer, I got Clockwork Orange, Rebecca, Rope, Trainspotting, and Harold and Maude for a total of like five bucks.
Also, props to Joshua for your good deed, haha— everyone should see Network.
Following is great— it demonstrates that amazing films can be made even under constraints. With a $6000 budget, Nolan managed to create a film that is artistic, effective, and intelligent. Lets compare that to… say….“Nutty Professor II: The Klumps”, which cost 86 million, which (although I haven’t seen it) is idiotic and a complete waste of time.
I go to film college with a bunch of stoners who have the attention span of rabbits and whose idea of cinema spans from Transformers to V for Vendetta.
I’ve got to admit I’m a sucker for early Frank Capra- You Can’t Take it With You, Lost Horizon, Mr Smith Goes to Washingotn, etc…
Also, The Lady Vanishes, Frankenstein, and Duck Soup
The Innocents, with Deborah Kerr (1961), based on Henry James The Turn of the Screw. Even though it’s considered tame by todays standards, for some reason, it scares the living shit out of me.
The Innocents, with Deborah Kerr (1961), based on Henry James The Turn of the Screw. Even though it’s considered tame by todays standards, for some reason, it scares the living shit out of me.
I also loved In the Company of Men, Fargo & Harold and Maude. I would add Beetlejuice, and maybe Arsenic and Old Lace (1941) if you care for older movies.
Yeah, I didn’t expect a comedy with Fargo either. The humour is so subtle, but so funny at the same time. I think Frances McDormand’s pregnant cop might be one of my all-time favourite characters in a film.
Wow, a lot of favourites in the 70’s! I must admit there have been some really terrific movies made then, but I think that I would personally have to say the 40’s.
I’m a film noir fanatic, so maybe I’m a little biased, haha. But it’s not only the birth of film noir that make this decade great. There were also great romances (Brief Encounter) Comedies (The Lady Eve), and Mysteries. My favourite Alfred Hitchcock movies (with the exception of Strangers on a Train) were made in the 1940’s— for example Rope, Shadow of a Doubt, and Rebecca.
I’m not a fan of the 1950’s, mainly because I am more familiar with American films from that time period. From looking at the lists, amazing foreign films were made in the 1950’s, but US cinema (Thanks to Joe McCarthy’s communist witchhunt) produced many melodramas and a lot sappy drivel. That’s not to say there weren’t some excellent films in the 50’s, I just don’t think it was an artistic high point.
Great list- you have managed to cover many of the building blocks of this category of films, though I’m not quite sure I would have included “Fight Club”.
I would definitely add “Repulsion”, and perhaps Maya Deren’s short “Meshes of the Afternoon”.
Do you find that Psycho is Hitchcock’s best and more frightening portrayal of madness? I myself prefer Walker’s subtly insane Bruno Anthony in “Strangers on a Train”, or the sociopathic Brandon in “Rope”.
Yes you’d think that people who have seen “The Neverending Story” would have realized that it did, actually, have an ending, and then wouldn’t want to disappoint themselves a second time by seeing the sequel, haha.
And how about “Trainspotting”?
The film has nothing to do with the act of Trainspotting at all.
Agree with Mr. V— the cuts to black at the beginning don’t really serve a purpose, other than giving a certain tone which you have already achieved with the inserts of the notebook (the first cut by the way, could last longer).If you really like them, I would synchronize them with sound as well.
The acting was definitely weak- but it the direction makes up for it. I’m also a student filmmaker, so I too know the limitations of a student budget & availability.
I liked the originality of the split screen in the car, but I’m not sure how well it works. Maybe it’s just a little too long? Also, it’s the only time in the film that you use a split screen, so it doesn’t really help achieve a continuous feel.
Other than that, the effects were great, & I liked the story— you have a lot of potential!
Blow (2001)
5/10
Not particularly terrible, but so average that it hurts.
Agree with you Jason about George Clooney- he and Grant do share a certain quality, although I prefer Grant. North by Northwest is a good film, though not my favourite.
Director's Best AND Worst Films almost 3 years ago
I actually loved Lolita, the book as well as the movie. I felt the actors were really something— James Mason made such a perfect Humbert Humbert. Peter Sellers is obviously adds a silly touch, but put him a side and there is a deeply moving, somewhat darker picture. I find it more compelling, a story that deals mostly with character, than an epic like 2001.
I also agree with Drew that obsession a fascinating topic for film. Vertigo is a fabulous movie— last night I saw the original of “The Vanishing”, the French “Spoorloos” and found it very well done.
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Ridiculous adaptations almost 3 years ago
Hmm ok… how about Knitting?
I’m thinking romantic thriller starring Colin Farrell as Ashton Ace, a bad boy on the run from the law after a bank-hit gone wrong. He hides in the most unlikely place: a nursing home for the elderly. Playing the role of grandson to an aging and confused woman with Alzheimer’s, Ashton unexpectedly falls for the attractive nursing attendant, the warm hearted, innocent Cherry,(Amy Adams). The two bond while playing checkers and dominoes with the patients and enjoy secret sessions of heart felt discussion. Cherry is also an expert knitter, and decides to teach Ashton. It soon becomes apparent that not only is she teaching him how to cast-on and purl, she is teaching him how to knit his life back together again.
How’s that?
I also foresee a heart wrenching scene in which Ashton is reunited with his real grandmother (Nana Ace), and possibly a police bust when they discover Ashton’s location and somebody gets shot.
Go to Comment
Ridiculous adaptations almost 3 years ago
Hmm Maggie Smith is tempting but I would have to go with Gloria Stuart (The old lady in Titanic) if she’s still alive.
Now to decide who should direct it? Any suggestions?
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Ridiculous adaptations almost 3 years ago
Oh definitely.
Tagline: “He was a bank robber on the run. She was an champion knitter. Could she be the one to stitch his life back together?”
That pretty much sums it all up, haha.
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Ridiculous adaptations almost 3 years ago
Also, love the Latawnya idea. That could really go somewhere.
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Best Films with NO soundtrack almost 3 years ago
Hmm definitely would agree with Network
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Underrated Films... almost 3 years ago
Stage Door, with Katherine Hepburn
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Shed a tear almost 3 years ago
I don’t think a bargin bin is the worst destination for a great film— it just allows more people to enjoy them.I buy most of my movies on VHS at garage sales, and I’m always thrilled when I find a good deal. This summer, I got Clockwork Orange, Rebecca, Rope, Trainspotting, and Harold and Maude for a total of like five bucks.
Also, props to Joshua for your good deed, haha— everyone should see Network.
Go to Comment
Where are...? almost 3 years ago
Following is great— it demonstrates that amazing films can be made even under constraints. With a $6000 budget, Nolan managed to create a film that is artistic, effective, and intelligent. Lets compare that to… say….“Nutty Professor II: The Klumps”, which cost 86 million, which (although I haven’t seen it) is idiotic and a complete waste of time.
Go to Comment
I know it's wrong but I prefer... almost 3 years ago
Most movies over “2001: A Space Odyssey”.
I know it’s wrong.
I also like Ovaltine more than hot chocolate.
Sue me.
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Where are...? almost 3 years ago
>>It’s really pathetic…
I know. When I think about what I could do with 86 million…
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What do you do? almost 3 years ago
I go to film college with a bunch of stoners who have the attention span of rabbits and whose idea of cinema spans from Transformers to V for Vendetta.
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what in your opinion is the major inspiration souce for the story of the matrix (1999) over 2 years ago
Plato’s Allegory of the Cave
Wachowski once said that had he made the film as a school project, he would have been expelled for plagerism, haha.
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Your favorites of the...30s over 2 years ago
I’ve got to admit I’m a sucker for early Frank Capra- You Can’t Take it With You, Lost Horizon, Mr Smith Goes to Washingotn, etc…
Also, The Lady Vanishes, Frankenstein, and Duck Soup
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Absurdly romantic movies - Suggestions? over 2 years ago
BRIEF ENCOUNTER
You’ve probably seen it, but it definitely fits the category. I also love The Ghost and Mrs Muir- it always makes me cry my eyes out!
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The scariest or most disturbing film you have EVER seen. over 2 years ago
The Innocents, with Deborah Kerr (1961), based on Henry James The Turn of the Screw. Even though it’s considered tame by todays standards, for some reason, it scares the living shit out of me.
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The scariest or most disturbing film you have EVER seen. over 2 years ago
The Innocents, with Deborah Kerr (1961), based on Henry James The Turn of the Screw. Even though it’s considered tame by todays standards, for some reason, it scares the living shit out of me.
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What film scenes really make you cry? over 2 years ago
Brief Encounter- when they separate. Also, the last scene of Meryl Streep’s face in Sophies Choice. Gets me every time.
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What film scenes really make you cry? over 2 years ago
Brief Encounter- when they separate. Also, the last scene of Meryl Streep’s face in Sophies Choice. Gets me every time.
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What is the strangest movie that you've ever seen over 2 years ago
hahaha Ben that’s hilarious. Umm… Troll 2.
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best dark comedies? over 2 years ago
I also loved In the Company of Men, Fargo & Harold and Maude. I would add Beetlejuice, and maybe Arsenic and Old Lace (1941) if you care for older movies.
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best dark comedies? over 2 years ago
Yeah, I didn’t expect a comedy with Fargo either. The humour is so subtle, but so funny at the same time. I think Frances McDormand’s pregnant cop might be one of my all-time favourite characters in a film.
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What was the best decade for film? 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, or our present decade? over 2 years ago
Wow, a lot of favourites in the 70’s! I must admit there have been some really terrific movies made then, but I think that I would personally have to say the 40’s.
I’m a film noir fanatic, so maybe I’m a little biased, haha. But it’s not only the birth of film noir that make this decade great. There were also great romances (Brief Encounter) Comedies (The Lady Eve), and Mysteries. My favourite Alfred Hitchcock movies (with the exception of Strangers on a Train) were made in the 1940’s— for example Rope, Shadow of a Doubt, and Rebecca.
I’m not a fan of the 1950’s, mainly because I am more familiar with American films from that time period. From looking at the lists, amazing foreign films were made in the 1950’s, but US cinema (Thanks to Joe McCarthy’s communist witchhunt) produced many melodramas and a lot sappy drivel. That’s not to say there weren’t some excellent films in the 50’s, I just don’t think it was an artistic high point.
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10 Mind-Blowing Movies about Madness (and 11 runners-up) over 2 years ago
Great list- you have managed to cover many of the building blocks of this category of films, though I’m not quite sure I would have included “Fight Club”.
I would definitely add “Repulsion”, and perhaps Maya Deren’s short “Meshes of the Afternoon”.
Do you find that Psycho is Hitchcock’s best and more frightening portrayal of madness? I myself prefer Walker’s subtly insane Bruno Anthony in “Strangers on a Train”, or the sociopathic Brandon in “Rope”.
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films whose titles don't make sense to you over 2 years ago
Yes you’d think that people who have seen “The Neverending Story” would have realized that it did, actually, have an ending, and then wouldn’t want to disappoint themselves a second time by seeing the sequel, haha.
And how about “Trainspotting”?
The film has nothing to do with the act of Trainspotting at all.
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STOP THE LISTS! over 2 years ago
I’m with Dimitris— I like American Beauty too. Far from a masterpiece, but still a good film.
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"HIDDEN" - Criticism Please over 2 years ago
Agree with Mr. V— the cuts to black at the beginning don’t really serve a purpose, other than giving a certain tone which you have already achieved with the inserts of the notebook (the first cut by the way, could last longer).If you really like them, I would synchronize them with sound as well.
The acting was definitely weak- but it the direction makes up for it. I’m also a student filmmaker, so I too know the limitations of a student budget & availability.
I liked the originality of the split screen in the car, but I’m not sure how well it works. Maybe it’s just a little too long? Also, it’s the only time in the film that you use a split screen, so it doesn’t really help achieve a continuous feel.
Other than that, the effects were great, & I liked the story— you have a lot of potential!
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Last movie you saw and rate it over 2 years ago
Blow (2001)
5/10
Not particularly terrible, but so average that it hurts.
Agree with you Jason about George Clooney- he and Grant do share a certain quality, although I prefer Grant. North by Northwest is a good film, though not my favourite.
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Films leaving a big smile on your face over 2 years ago
You Can’t Take it With You, Harold and Maude, His Girl Friday
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Films leaving a big smile on your face over 2 years ago
You Can’t Take it With You, Harold and Maude, His Girl Friday
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