Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle”. There is a silent version from 1914, but it hasn’t been attempted since. It would’ve been impossible to do for most of the modern era due to the cold war and McCarthyism, but I think right now would be the perfect time to tackle the issue of the failures of capitalism.
Moviemakers’ Master Class: Private Lessons from the World’s Foremost Directors by Laurent Tirard is a wonderful collection of interviews with some of the best filmmakers of all time: Woody Allen, Almodovar, Berolucci, Tim Burton, John Boorman, the Coens,Cronenberg, Godard, Jean-Pierre Juenet, Takeshi Kitano, Emir Kusturica, Lynch, Claude Sautet, Scorcese, Oliver Stone, Lars Von Trier, Wong Kar-Wai and Wim Wenders. Each of them asked the same set of questions getting to the very core of their art. Check it out http://www.amazon.com/Moviemakers-Master-Class-Foremost-Directors/dp/057121102X
“Time Bandits” 1981. I was 5 years old and it was my first time in a multiplex. I’ll never forget trying to keep my aunt’s hands off my eyes as she tried to cover them at the parts SHE thought were too scary for me!
I see your point about Hollywood re-making it’s OWN movies as a result of no new ideas, but I have to disagree with the notion that re-making films from other cultures might be considered anathema. Some great films have been, perhaps a better word here is reinterpreted, from culture to culture. Perhaps you’re right that a Speilberg/Smith version of Oldboy might not work, or what is rightly called a “perfect” film like’Umberto D.‘, however, in some cases, it can happen that a remake is better than the original. As much as I liked ’Infernal Affairs’, I think ‘The Departed’ is a far superior film. Although I haven’t yet seen the Russian film ‘12’, and don’t expect it to be “better” than "12 Angry Men’, it looks pretty awesome and I’ve heard that it is worth seeing.
Anything by Joyce and PKD. I’m currently trying to go through The Modern Library’s top 100, which might take the rest of my life, and I probably don’t read enough of what’s current. I would like to read some Cormac McCarthy and I’m open to suggestions on anyone else.
Sorry but Terrence Malick has only produced about a film a decade for the last 40 years so that hardly puts him up there with Hitchock and Kurosawa in the proficiency department, even if they’re all awesome. And David Fincher? He’s got a long ways to go.
The first Python film I have ever saw was The Meaning of Life which was at the time, the funniest thing I’d ever seen. Then came The Holy Grail, when I was a freshman in High School. My friends and I laughed and laughed until it hurt, real side splitting laughter. And we were actually rolling on the ground. except for my one friend who couldn’t understand what was so funny, which in itself was nearly as funny as the film itself. Finally, The Life of Brian. The funniest of all in my book, and the only one to elicit the same level of laughter with each viewing.
The first Python film I have ever saw was The Meaning of Life which was at the time, the funniest thing I’d ever seen. Then came The Holy Grail, when I was a freshman in High School. My friends and I laughed and laughed until it hurt, real side splitting laughter. And we were actually rolling on the ground. except for my one friend who couldn’t understand what was so funny, which in itself was nearly as funny as the film itself. Finally, The Life of Brian. The funniest of all in my book, and the only one to elicit the same level of laughter with each viewing.
I’ve already answered, but I’m going to sneak another one in. Which I guess would have been easier had I not began with the words, I’ve already answered, but when I was 12 my brother took me to see U2 Rattle and Hum with his friends and everyone was smoking and drinking in the theatre. And back then I actually liked U2 so it was awesome!
I just finished watching ‘Young Mr. Lincoln’ (Brilliant, by the way) and was wondering if anyone else agrees that Criterion should have many more John Ford films in their collection. He’s arguably one of, if not the best American filmmaker ever, and a few of his works could benefit from new transfers. Most notably, ‘The Quiet Man’. I long to see this film as it was photographed originally. With the lush and vibrant Irish countryside.
Anything by Kevin Smith(except Dogma, I liked Dogma). And the last three Star Wars movies, particularly the last one.Also, people think it’s weird that I’ve never seen De Palma’s ‘Scarface’.
Well Tom, it could be said that sentimentality can have it’s place in a story about one of the United States’ most revered heroes. And Ford does it so well. I think it’s even there a little bit in Stagecoach?
You’re certainly right that it’s not the only way. It may not even be the best way, but there are artists who fall into that certain category and rightfully claim authorship of there work. And I think the guys at cahiers were really making a statement. I think it was more important to them that cinema was taken seriously as an art form on par with the novel and painting and so forth.
Secretary, the Dreamers,Crash, and ‘The Piano Teacher’ are some of my favorites already mentioned by many others. I’d like to add Wayne Wang’s "The Center of the World’, and ‘The Lover’, not the greatest movie, but plenty of eroticism. And back to ‘The Piano Teacher’, I find Issabelle Huppert pretty erotic in nearly everything I’ve seen her in. Even if it is to comic effect such as in ‘I ♡ Huckabees’ or one of my favorite films ever, Hal Hartley’s ‘Amateur’ where she plays a nun who has left her convent to go into the porn industry, only, her work is actually very well written erotic literature and not smut.
I’m lost on the whole boarding school angle, just can’t think of any not already mentioned, but here are some of my favorites: To Kill a Mockingbird. The Unbelievable Truth ( I just don’t see Hal Hartley enough in any of these forums)
Cinema Paradiso, American Graffiti, Basketball Diaries, The Graduate, Welcome to the Dollhouse, Sweet Sixteen, Fanny and Alexander…..Leolo
I’ve seen Dances With Wolves twice and I just don’t think i can sit through it again. Ditto Requiem For a Dream, although for different reasons. However, my memory is so bad, I believe most great films, or even good ones for that matter, can benefit from multiple viewings. Certainly in my case, anyway.
I’m not sure if anyone mentioned ‘A very Long Engagement’ I’ve seen Malick mentioned a lot, every one of them! The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, In America, The Wind That Shakes the Barley, Lost in Translation, Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes, Paris,Texas, Wings of Desire, Until the End of the World, Jules et Jim, How Green Was My Valley, ….ditto Carl Cross Apologies in advance for repeated titles
‘Jack Be Nimble’ starring a pre-cross-dressing Alexis Arquette disturbed me more than anything else I’ve ever seen, also the original "Wicker Man’ is one of the creepiest film I’ve ever.
I love everything I’ve seen. And Topsy-Turvy is one of my favorites. Perhaps the subject matter of Gilbert and Sullivan isn’t for everyone(most people I know can’t stand contemporary musical theatre much less late 19th century operettas), but I thought it was perfectly executed. It was like the second coming of ‘The Red Shoes’. And a real learning experience to boot!
When it comes to film, I’ve been labeled as a “snob” by those as close to me as my own wife, but that last post sounds downright elitist. Are you really suggesting that all American film goers need be so passionate about film as to want to watch films from all over the world?
Who says remakes have to improve upon the original? Films can be remade to entertain new audiences who might not otherwise see them. Sometimes, it’s because a particular director might enjoy the original so much, he wants to recreate that enjoyment for other. I think Paul Mazursky’s ‘Down and Out in Beverly Hills’ is a great example. My mother and father loved that film when it came out. But I guess that’s because they didn’t know any better, and they should have hunted down a copy of Renoir’s ‘Boudou Saved From Drowning’ instead!
Ditto The Castro Theatre, San Francisco. I only went there once, to see ‘Contempt’, in the year and a half I lived there and I regret not having gone on the regular now that I live in a place with nothing even close to its equal. Such a beautiful landmark with wonderful programming.
Greatest Films You'll Never See over 3 years ago
Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle”. There is a silent version from 1914, but it hasn’t been attempted since. It would’ve been impossible to do for most of the modern era due to the cold war and McCarthyism, but I think right now would be the perfect time to tackle the issue of the failures of capitalism.
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Books about film. over 3 years ago
Moviemakers’ Master Class: Private Lessons from the World’s Foremost Directors by Laurent Tirard is a wonderful collection of interviews with some of the best filmmakers of all time: Woody Allen, Almodovar, Berolucci, Tim Burton, John Boorman, the Coens,Cronenberg, Godard, Jean-Pierre Juenet, Takeshi Kitano, Emir Kusturica, Lynch, Claude Sautet, Scorcese, Oliver Stone, Lars Von Trier, Wong Kar-Wai and Wim Wenders. Each of them asked the same set of questions getting to the very core of their art. Check it out http://www.amazon.com/Moviemakers-Master-Class-Foremost-Directors/dp/057121102X
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What is your most memorable film going experience? (Only one per post please!) over 3 years ago
“Time Bandits” 1981. I was 5 years old and it was my first time in a multiplex. I’ll never forget trying to keep my aunt’s hands off my eyes as she tried to cover them at the parts SHE thought were too scary for me!
Go to Comment
Why Does Hollywood INSIST Upon Remaking Flawless Films? over 3 years ago
I see your point about Hollywood re-making it’s OWN movies as a result of no new ideas, but I have to disagree with the notion that re-making films from other cultures might be considered anathema. Some great films have been, perhaps a better word here is reinterpreted, from culture to culture. Perhaps you’re right that a Speilberg/Smith version of Oldboy might not work, or what is rightly called a “perfect” film like’Umberto D.‘, however, in some cases, it can happen that a remake is better than the original. As much as I liked ’Infernal Affairs’, I think ‘The Departed’ is a far superior film. Although I haven’t yet seen the Russian film ‘12’, and don’t expect it to be “better” than "12 Angry Men’, it looks pretty awesome and I’ve heard that it is worth seeing.
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Directors over 3 years ago
Woody Allen is still doing it. True they’re not all ‘Annie Hall’, but …
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Who do you read? over 3 years ago
Anything by Joyce and PKD. I’m currently trying to go through The Modern Library’s top 100, which might take the rest of my life, and I probably don’t read enough of what’s current. I would like to read some Cormac McCarthy and I’m open to suggestions on anyone else.
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Directors over 3 years ago
Sorry but Terrence Malick has only produced about a film a decade for the last 40 years so that hardly puts him up there with Hitchock and Kurosawa in the proficiency department, even if they’re all awesome. And David Fincher? He’s got a long ways to go.
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Worst Criterion DVDs over 3 years ago
Chasing Amy
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Worst Criterion DVDs over 3 years ago
Chasing Amy
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The best Monty Python film? over 3 years ago
The first Python film I have ever saw was The Meaning of Life which was at the time, the funniest thing I’d ever seen. Then came The Holy Grail, when I was a freshman in High School. My friends and I laughed and laughed until it hurt, real side splitting laughter. And we were actually rolling on the ground. except for my one friend who couldn’t understand what was so funny, which in itself was nearly as funny as the film itself. Finally, The Life of Brian. The funniest of all in my book, and the only one to elicit the same level of laughter with each viewing.
Go to Comment
The best Monty Python film? over 3 years ago
The first Python film I have ever saw was The Meaning of Life which was at the time, the funniest thing I’d ever seen. Then came The Holy Grail, when I was a freshman in High School. My friends and I laughed and laughed until it hurt, real side splitting laughter. And we were actually rolling on the ground. except for my one friend who couldn’t understand what was so funny, which in itself was nearly as funny as the film itself. Finally, The Life of Brian. The funniest of all in my book, and the only one to elicit the same level of laughter with each viewing.
Go to Comment
What is your most memorable film going experience? (Only one per post please!) over 3 years ago
I’ve already answered, but I’m going to sneak another one in. Which I guess would have been easier had I not began with the words, I’ve already answered, but when I was 12 my brother took me to see U2 Rattle and Hum with his friends and everyone was smoking and drinking in the theatre. And back then I actually liked U2 so it was awesome!
Go to Comment
John Ford over 3 years ago
I just finished watching ‘Young Mr. Lincoln’ (Brilliant, by the way) and was wondering if anyone else agrees that Criterion should have many more John Ford films in their collection. He’s arguably one of, if not the best American filmmaker ever, and a few of his works could benefit from new transfers. Most notably, ‘The Quiet Man’. I long to see this film as it was photographed originally. With the lush and vibrant Irish countryside.
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Best Online Film Resources over 3 years ago
Senses of Cinema has wonderful articles and critical database of important directors.
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Directors over 3 years ago
lol back to ya Paul. I’m usually better at picking up on sarcasm. Oy Veh, what a putz am I.
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What films do you always catch shit for for not liking? over 3 years ago
Anything by Kevin Smith(except Dogma, I liked Dogma). And the last three Star Wars movies, particularly the last one.Also, people think it’s weird that I’ve never seen De Palma’s ‘Scarface’.
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John Ford over 3 years ago
Well Tom, it could be said that sentimentality can have it’s place in a story about one of the United States’ most revered heroes. And Ford does it so well. I think it’s even there a little bit in Stagecoach?
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GREAT SITE, BUT AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO'S NOT A BIG FAN OF AUTEUR THEORY over 3 years ago
You’re certainly right that it’s not the only way. It may not even be the best way, but there are artists who fall into that certain category and rightfully claim authorship of there work. And I think the guys at cahiers were really making a statement. I think it was more important to them that cinema was taken seriously as an art form on par with the novel and painting and so forth.
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GREAT SITE, BUT AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO'S NOT A BIG FAN OF AUTEUR THEORY over 3 years ago
and if it you say it correctly, it sounds cool!
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Your favorite title sequence over 3 years ago
’Miller’s Crossing’Go to Comment
Most erotic films you've seen. over 3 years ago
Secretary, the Dreamers,Crash, and ‘The Piano Teacher’ are some of my favorites already mentioned by many others. I’d like to add Wayne Wang’s "The Center of the World’, and ‘The Lover’, not the greatest movie, but plenty of eroticism. And back to ‘The Piano Teacher’, I find Issabelle Huppert pretty erotic in nearly everything I’ve seen her in. Even if it is to comic effect such as in ‘I ♡ Huckabees’ or one of my favorite films ever, Hal Hartley’s ‘Amateur’ where she plays a nun who has left her convent to go into the porn industry, only, her work is actually very well written erotic literature and not smut.
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BEST SEQUENCE OR SCENE FROM ANY FILM(CAN BE AN OPENING OR ANYTHING ELSE) over 3 years ago
The dance scene from Bande a part.
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Coming Of Age over 3 years ago
I’m lost on the whole boarding school angle, just can’t think of any not already mentioned, but here are some of my favorites: To Kill a Mockingbird. The Unbelievable Truth ( I just don’t see Hal Hartley enough in any of these forums)
Cinema Paradiso, American Graffiti, Basketball Diaries, The Graduate, Welcome to the Dollhouse, Sweet Sixteen, Fanny and Alexander…..Leolo
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Great movies that you never want to see again over 3 years ago
I’ve seen Dances With Wolves twice and I just don’t think i can sit through it again. Ditto Requiem For a Dream, although for different reasons. However, my memory is so bad, I believe most great films, or even good ones for that matter, can benefit from multiple viewings. Certainly in my case, anyway.
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The most beautiful films? over 3 years ago
I’m not sure if anyone mentioned ‘A very Long Engagement’ I’ve seen Malick mentioned a lot, every one of them! The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, In America, The Wind That Shakes the Barley, Lost in Translation, Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes, Paris,Texas, Wings of Desire, Until the End of the World, Jules et Jim, How Green Was My Valley, ….ditto Carl Cross Apologies in advance for repeated titles
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Whats the scariest film ever or some of ur favorites over 3 years ago
‘Jack Be Nimble’ starring a pre-cross-dressing Alexis Arquette disturbed me more than anything else I’ve ever seen, also the original "Wicker Man’ is one of the creepiest film I’ve ever.
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Has there ever been a bad Mike Leigh film? over 3 years ago
I love everything I’ve seen. And Topsy-Turvy is one of my favorites. Perhaps the subject matter of Gilbert and Sullivan isn’t for everyone(most people I know can’t stand contemporary musical theatre much less late 19th century operettas), but I thought it was perfectly executed. It was like the second coming of ‘The Red Shoes’. And a real learning experience to boot!
Go to Comment
Why Does Hollywood INSIST Upon Remaking Flawless Films? over 3 years ago
When it comes to film, I’ve been labeled as a “snob” by those as close to me as my own wife, but that last post sounds downright elitist. Are you really suggesting that all American film goers need be so passionate about film as to want to watch films from all over the world?
Who says remakes have to improve upon the original? Films can be remade to entertain new audiences who might not otherwise see them. Sometimes, it’s because a particular director might enjoy the original so much, he wants to recreate that enjoyment for other. I think Paul Mazursky’s ‘Down and Out in Beverly Hills’ is a great example. My mother and father loved that film when it came out. But I guess that’s because they didn’t know any better, and they should have hunted down a copy of Renoir’s ‘Boudou Saved From Drowning’ instead!
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Why Does Hollywood INSIST Upon Remaking Flawless Films? over 3 years ago
JP I prefer to respond directly, someon else must have disagreed with you enough to give the thumbs down.
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Favorite Theaters/Movie Houses over 3 years ago
Ditto The Castro Theatre, San Francisco. I only went there once, to see ‘Contempt’, in the year and a half I lived there and I regret not having gone on the regular now that I live in a place with nothing even close to its equal. Such a beautiful landmark with wonderful programming.
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