^I have plenty of love for Rio Bravo. One of Hawks’ best.
Nothing really competes with The Searchers for the top spot, in my opinion.
Other favorites:
Rio Bravo
Once Upon a Time in the West
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Unforgiven
Stagecoach
McCabe and Mrs. Miller
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
Forte Apache
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon Red River
High Noon
Shane
I definitely haven’t seen enough Mann, which is why none of his films are on my list. So far I’ve only watched Winchester 73, which I liked, but not enough to rank alongside the greats. Maybe after a few more viewings.
Where do you all stand in the Rio Bravo/High Noon rivalry? I actually like both quite a bit, but if I was forced to take sides I’d definitely have to go with Rio Bravo. High Noon works great as social commentary, but I think Rio Bravo is better as an overall film. It’s quintessential Hawks.
I also went to a traditional university and studied film. The problem was that you essentially had to choose between a theory/writing oriented concentration and a production oriented concentration. I ended up going with theory since I felt it would better inform me as a future filmmaker. I figured I would be able to learn the more technical aspects on my own, while knowledge from the classroom discussions and critical analysis would be more difficult to get outside of school. I don’t regret that decision, but I do miss the experience that production classes could have given me.
Last I heard, my university was in the process of combining the two concentrations, but it will probably be a few more years until they have anything that you could call an all-out film major.
A film club sprang up in the last two years I was at school and was lots of fun. Unfortunately the production aspect of the group only began to take shape in my last year and the meetings conflicted with night classes.
My plan at the moment is to keep writing and hopefully create something strong enough to film Coen/Raimi/Rodriguez style with my own financing. Until then I’m trying to break into some menial production jobs so I’ll have enough working knowledge of the process to one day film something on my own.
In the meantime I support myself as a graphic designer, using skills I mostly gained in high school…
“But another great one I’m surprised no one’s mentioned yet is Tombstone.”
Eh. Tombstone is fun, but I like it less every time I see it. I loved it as a teen, but I’ve seen dozens of classic westerns since then and Tombstone suffers greatly in the comparison. It’s got some great lines and memorable sequences, but so much of it still feels like a B picture…
“High Planes Drifter is also unsparingly awesome.”
Agreed. This is the movie that convinced my old roommate that westerns are awesome.
I guess I’m pretty late to the game here, but this is my first attempt. I was trying to find a movie that hadn’t been done yet and didn’t see anything when I searched for Brewster McCloud, so here goes:
Can’t take credit for the bird illustration myself. I cheated a bit and snagged it from here: http://www.birdwatch.co.uk/website/content/view/375/102/
Blow-Up is the first film I ever watched in a college film course and after that I was hooked. Something about the film just clicked with me. I went home and immediately began jotting down several pages worth of thoughts for the class discussion. I can’t remember much of what I said at the time, but I’ll try to dig up the old notebook and see if anything is worth posting…
For those of you who aren’t fans of Blow-Up, what are your thoughts on Blow Out and The Conversation?
I know what you mean about Short Cuts. As a big Altman fan and a sucker for Criterions (Criteria?) I’m surprised I don’t own it, but the plot is so bleak that I can’t imagine myself rewatching it all that often…
I attended a reading/screening/Q&A with Crispin Gover last year. We watched his film “What is it?” and the reactions pretty much ran the gamut. He had plenty of admirers in the crowd, but after a few ice-breakers of awkward criticism, naysayers certainly weren’t afraid to tell him what they really thought of the movie. He took it in stride and was very gracious to all the critics, reiterating his point that the film was meant to be challenging and intended to inspire a wide range of reactions.
I enjoyed Watchmen for what it is: A pale translation, rather than an adaptation. Many aspects of the casting and design were spot-on, but I still feel that it’s essentially unfilmable as a straight up translation. The comic was so suited to its medium that any film adaptation would need to find a similar cinematic niche, which I don’t think Snyder was able to accomplish (whether he attempted to or not).
Bad Boys 2 – Easily the worst film I’ve ever paid to see in a theater. I already had a general dislike for Bay, bt this really drove the feeling home. In my defense, I only went because my roommate had his heart set on seeing it all year (Will Smith and Martin Lawrence were gods to him) and his buddies went while he was out of town.
I don’t even want to think about Patch Adams.
Here’s an article that makes Batman and Robin much more palatable: http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/Batman___Robin_1997.aspx
Following the same train of thought as From Hell, I’d like to see a new take on Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper. Not necessarily a remake of Murder by Decree, but something along those lines. I think there’s lots of potential that MBD didn’t quite fulfill.
And for Doyle’s sake, keep Guy Ritchie far, far away.
I’m a huge Holmes fan. Nice to see the complete Brett collection is affordable these days. I love the first two series, particularly The Return. Of course, I collected the series on DVD back when the Adventures or Return alone cost $96, not to mention the other three sets…
Grumble, grumble.
I did, however, get a nice deal on the Complete Basil Rathbone set at Costco a while back. As much as I love Brett, I find myself re-watching Rathbone more often (particularly The Scarlet Claw).
I’m going Yay. I’ve enjoyed most of his movies (didn’t see Grindhouse) and Jackie Brown, in particular, is a favorite of mine. With a decent amount of help from Elmore Leonard, Tarantino’s characters actually came alive in that one.
@Zeke: Yeah, the OOP status is what compelled me to go for the blind-buys on both counts. The frustration of hunting for the ridiculously pricey OOP Hitchcocks haunts me to this day…
Of course, it’s hard go wrong with Godard or Kurosawa, but I’ve been trying to cut down on the blind-buys lately.
In regards to the first comment: putting Ghostbusters on the same level as Happy Gilmore? I mean, I can see someone feeling guilty about a Sandler movie, but bustin’ makes me feel good, and there’s no shame in that.
As far as Hound adaptations go, I think Rathbone’s is second only to the Hammer/Cushing version. It’s not nearly as faithful to the plot as most incarnations, but the cast and characterizations are great (one of the first “serious” Watsons!) and it’s just plain fun to watch.
@Casey – The WWII themed Rathbone films are the low-point in the series, in my opinion. Pure propogandistic cheese, which could have been forgiven if it wasn’t so dull.
My first thought is that PJ needs to get some sleep. He was so much livelier/jollier when he was fat.
Trailer looks promising. Don’t know much about the book, but hasn’t this been the plot to several movies within the last couple years? Of course, those movies could have ripped off the book before the official adaptation…
“Piracy will bankrupt the 200 million dollar movie (Goodbye Bay,Fincher,Nolan etc) causing a collapse of the studio system bringing about a turn away from the digital and CGI to artisan/handcrafted films(Hello Guy Maddin)”
Yeah, because there’s no way Chris Nolan could pull off a low budget film…
-The African Queen (it’s patiently waiting for me on my TiVo)
-Night of the Hunter
-Cinema Paradiso
-Persona
-The Lady from Shanghai
-How Green was My Valley (and I own it!)
-Barry Lyndon
-The Gold Rush
-Modern Times
-I’ve only seen one Godard film (Breathless), but I just picked up Contempt.
-I’ve never seen anything by Fassbinder or Cassavetes…
-Dozens of DVDs that I already own… (lots of random floaters from box sets and the like)
I go to the Belcourt in Nashville whenever I can. They show recent arthouse fare alongside the classics and there’s usually a cool festival going on. I saw a LOT of film noir last year…
This summer they’re doing weekend westerns. I got to see one of the only decent prints of The Big Sky a few weeks back (this movie needs a DVD restoration pronto, before it’s too late).
Their bar serves all kinds of mixed drinks and has local brews on tap. The seats kind of suck, but they’re working on that…
Really great venue. Being that it’s in Nashville, they host a lot of small concerts as well.
@Rich: I haven’t been to the Eastman House, but I did check out the George Eastman Collection when it was on tour and got to see Kubrick’s “Fear and Desire.” Apparently they have one of only two prints known to be in exisstence.
I was about to suggest The Long Goodbye myself. I know it’s readily available (and cheap at that) from MGM, but I’d love to see a tricked out special edition.
I always enjoy Altman’s commentaries. He was obviously very willing to record them so it’s a shame we’ll never get one for what is easily one of his best films. Same with Brewster McCloud. I just picked up a book on the making of Brewster so I guess that will have to suffice…
I’d love to see an Eclipse set of early Hitchcock. His British films are largely available in a wide variety of crappy public domain sets, but somebody desperately needs to clean them up. The Man Who Knew Too Much and The Secret Agent are the only two of the “Thriller Sextet” that haven’t gotten decent DVD treatments yet (as far as I know), so those would be no-brainers.
I’ve loved Ghostbusters for as long as I can remember. One of my earliest vivid memories is of asking my mom what a phone book was and, after finding out, seeing if she could look up Bill Murray’s number for me.
Lewbowski. At any given moment on any given day I can drop everything and watch that movie.
Anything Python is hilarious. While Life of Brian is probably their best film, Holy Grail is still my personal favorite and Meaning of Life gets better every time I watch it.
This is Spinal Tap. Wish I could have seen them on tour this summer…
As far as more contemporary fare goes, I’m definitely an Apatow fan (much moreso when he’s actually directing, though I haven’t seen Funny People yet) and I love the Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg/Nick Frost team.
What films do you want to see on BLU Ray the most? about 4 years ago
Once Upon a Time in the West
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What's the greatest Western? about 4 years ago
^I have plenty of love for Rio Bravo. One of Hawks’ best.
Nothing really competes with The Searchers for the top spot, in my opinion.
Other favorites:
Rio Bravo
Once Upon a Time in the West
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Unforgiven
Stagecoach
McCabe and Mrs. Miller
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
Forte Apache
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon Red River
High Noon
Shane
I definitely haven’t seen enough Mann, which is why none of his films are on my list. So far I’ve only watched Winchester 73, which I liked, but not enough to rank alongside the greats. Maybe after a few more viewings.
Where do you all stand in the Rio Bravo/High Noon rivalry? I actually like both quite a bit, but if I was forced to take sides I’d definitely have to go with Rio Bravo. High Noon works great as social commentary, but I think Rio Bravo is better as an overall film. It’s quintessential Hawks.
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Film School - Effect on you as a filmmaker about 4 years ago
I also went to a traditional university and studied film. The problem was that you essentially had to choose between a theory/writing oriented concentration and a production oriented concentration. I ended up going with theory since I felt it would better inform me as a future filmmaker. I figured I would be able to learn the more technical aspects on my own, while knowledge from the classroom discussions and critical analysis would be more difficult to get outside of school. I don’t regret that decision, but I do miss the experience that production classes could have given me.
Last I heard, my university was in the process of combining the two concentrations, but it will probably be a few more years until they have anything that you could call an all-out film major.
A film club sprang up in the last two years I was at school and was lots of fun. Unfortunately the production aspect of the group only began to take shape in my last year and the meetings conflicted with night classes.
My plan at the moment is to keep writing and hopefully create something strong enough to film Coen/Raimi/Rodriguez style with my own financing. Until then I’m trying to break into some menial production jobs so I’ll have enough working knowledge of the process to one day film something on my own.
In the meantime I support myself as a graphic designer, using skills I mostly gained in high school…
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FAVOURITE DOWNBEAT ENDING about 4 years ago
The Searchers
The Dark Knight
Chinatown
Nashville
Blade Runner
Citizen Kane
Vertigo
The Third Man
(similarly) The Long Goodbye
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What's the greatest Western? about 4 years ago
“But another great one I’m surprised no one’s mentioned yet is Tombstone.”
Eh. Tombstone is fun, but I like it less every time I see it. I loved it as a teen, but I’ve seen dozens of classic westerns since then and Tombstone suffers greatly in the comparison. It’s got some great lines and memorable sequences, but so much of it still feels like a B picture…
“High Planes Drifter is also unsparingly awesome.”
Agreed. This is the movie that convinced my old roommate that westerns are awesome.
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Movies That Should Be In the Criterion Collection about 4 years ago
-Brewster McCloud
-The Long Goodbye
-Nashville
-McCabe and Mrs. Miller
-Day for Night
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The Auteurs' Fake Criterion Covers almost 4 years ago
I guess I’m pretty late to the game here, but this is my first attempt. I was trying to find a movie that hadn’t been done yet and didn’t see anything when I searched for Brewster McCloud, so here goes:
Can’t take credit for the bird illustration myself. I cheated a bit and snagged it from here: http://www.birdwatch.co.uk/website/content/view/375/102/
Is that kosher?
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The Auteurs' Fake Criterion Covers almost 4 years ago
Thanks, Josh!
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Blow Up...What the hell? almost 4 years ago
Blow-Up is the first film I ever watched in a college film course and after that I was hooked. Something about the film just clicked with me. I went home and immediately began jotting down several pages worth of thoughts for the class discussion. I can’t remember much of what I said at the time, but I’ll try to dig up the old notebook and see if anything is worth posting…
For those of you who aren’t fans of Blow-Up, what are your thoughts on Blow Out and The Conversation?
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what did you watch today? almost 4 years ago
Audio commentary for 8 1/2. Most of it at least. I’ll have to finish up tomorrow.
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Heads up!!!! 50% off Criterions almost 4 years ago
I picked up Yojimbo/Sanjuro, Ran, and Contempt.
I regret not buying Hidden Fortress, but hopefully deepdiscount.com will do another buy one get one free Criterion sale like they did last summer.
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Worst Criterion DVDs almost 4 years ago
I know what you mean about Short Cuts. As a big Altman fan and a sucker for Criterions (Criteria?) I’m surprised I don’t own it, but the plot is so bleak that I can’t imagine myself rewatching it all that often…
[Requisite Michael Bay jab]
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Meeting Zack Snyder almost 4 years ago
I attended a reading/screening/Q&A with Crispin Gover last year. We watched his film “What is it?” and the reactions pretty much ran the gamut. He had plenty of admirers in the crowd, but after a few ice-breakers of awkward criticism, naysayers certainly weren’t afraid to tell him what they really thought of the movie. He took it in stride and was very gracious to all the critics, reiterating his point that the film was meant to be challenging and intended to inspire a wide range of reactions.
I enjoyed Watchmen for what it is: A pale translation, rather than an adaptation. Many aspects of the casting and design were spot-on, but I still feel that it’s essentially unfilmable as a straight up translation. The comic was so suited to its medium that any film adaptation would need to find a similar cinematic niche, which I don’t think Snyder was able to accomplish (whether he attempted to or not).
Filmmakers just need to leave Alan Moore alone…
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Ten Worst Movies You've Ever Seen? almost 4 years ago
Bad Boys 2 – Easily the worst film I’ve ever paid to see in a theater. I already had a general dislike for Bay, bt this really drove the feeling home. In my defense, I only went because my roommate had his heart set on seeing it all year (Will Smith and Martin Lawrence were gods to him) and his buddies went while he was out of town.
I don’t even want to think about Patch Adams.
Here’s an article that makes Batman and Robin much more palatable: http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/Batman___Robin_1997.aspx
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If You Could Direct A Remake... almost 4 years ago
“Something Wicked this Way Comes”
Of course, I should probably watch the original first…
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The Auteurs' Fake Criterion Covers almost 4 years ago
Thanks for the positive feedback, guys.
Love the Harold and Maude design, Zeke. Keep the Bud Cort love flowing.
The Troy McClure stuff is great. I can’t wait for “Alice’s Adventure through the Windshield Glass.”
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If You Could Direct A Remake... almost 4 years ago
Following the same train of thought as From Hell, I’d like to see a new take on Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper. Not necessarily a remake of Murder by Decree, but something along those lines. I think there’s lots of potential that MBD didn’t quite fulfill.
And for Doyle’s sake, keep Guy Ritchie far, far away.
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Any Sherlock Holmes fans? almost 4 years ago
I’m a huge Holmes fan. Nice to see the complete Brett collection is affordable these days. I love the first two series, particularly The Return. Of course, I collected the series on DVD back when the Adventures or Return alone cost $96, not to mention the other three sets…
Grumble, grumble.
I did, however, get a nice deal on the Complete Basil Rathbone set at Costco a while back. As much as I love Brett, I find myself re-watching Rathbone more often (particularly The Scarlet Claw).
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Tarantino...yay or nay? And why? almost 4 years ago
I’m going Yay. I’ve enjoyed most of his movies (didn’t see Grindhouse) and Jackie Brown, in particular, is a favorite of mine. With a decent amount of help from Elmore Leonard, Tarantino’s characters actually came alive in that one.
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Heads up!!!! 50% off Criterions almost 4 years ago
@Zeke: Yeah, the OOP status is what compelled me to go for the blind-buys on both counts. The frustration of hunting for the ridiculously pricey OOP Hitchcocks haunts me to this day…
Of course, it’s hard go wrong with Godard or Kurosawa, but I’ve been trying to cut down on the blind-buys lately.
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BEST CLOSE-UPS IN FILMS almost 4 years ago
Here are a couple of classics from The Searchers:
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The Gultiest of Guilty Pleasures. almost 4 years ago
Teen Wolf.
In regards to the first comment: putting Ghostbusters on the same level as Happy Gilmore? I mean, I can see someone feeling guilty about a Sandler movie, but bustin’ makes me feel good, and there’s no shame in that.
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Any Sherlock Holmes fans? almost 4 years ago
As far as Hound adaptations go, I think Rathbone’s is second only to the Hammer/Cushing version. It’s not nearly as faithful to the plot as most incarnations, but the cast and characterizations are great (one of the first “serious” Watsons!) and it’s just plain fun to watch.
@Casey – The WWII themed Rathbone films are the low-point in the series, in my opinion. Pure propogandistic cheese, which could have been forgiven if it wasn’t so dull.
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The Lovely Bones (2009, Peter Jackson) Trailer almost 4 years ago
My first thought is that PJ needs to get some sleep. He was so much livelier/jollier when he was fat.
Trailer looks promising. Don’t know much about the book, but hasn’t this been the plot to several movies within the last couple years? Of course, those movies could have ripped off the book before the official adaptation…
Consider my interest piqued.
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What's the Next Great Movement in Cinema? almost 4 years ago
“Piracy will bankrupt the 200 million dollar movie (Goodbye Bay,Fincher,Nolan etc) causing a collapse of the studio system bringing about a turn away from the digital and CGI to artisan/handcrafted films(Hello Guy Maddin)”
Yeah, because there’s no way Chris Nolan could pull off a low budget film…
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The Greatest Film of the 2000s almost 4 years ago
If I can only pick one…
City of God, I suppose.
…but Memento and No Country for Old Men are hard for me to ignore.
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CONFESSIONS--FILMS YOU ARE ASHAMED TO SAY YOU HAVE NOT SEEN (YET) almost 4 years ago
-The African Queen (it’s patiently waiting for me on my TiVo)
-Night of the Hunter
-Cinema Paradiso
-Persona
-The Lady from Shanghai
-How Green was My Valley (and I own it!)
-Barry Lyndon
-The Gold Rush
-Modern Times
-I’ve only seen one Godard film (Breathless), but I just picked up Contempt.
-I’ve never seen anything by Fassbinder or Cassavetes…
-Dozens of DVDs that I already own… (lots of random floaters from box sets and the like)
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What are your favorite "art houses" around the country? almost 4 years ago
I go to the Belcourt in Nashville whenever I can. They show recent arthouse fare alongside the classics and there’s usually a cool festival going on. I saw a LOT of film noir last year…
This summer they’re doing weekend westerns. I got to see one of the only decent prints of The Big Sky a few weeks back (this movie needs a DVD restoration pronto, before it’s too late).
Their bar serves all kinds of mixed drinks and has local brews on tap. The seats kind of suck, but they’re working on that…
Really great venue. Being that it’s in Nashville, they host a lot of small concerts as well.
@Rich: I haven’t been to the Eastman House, but I did check out the George Eastman Collection when it was on tour and got to see Kubrick’s “Fear and Desire.” Apparently they have one of only two prints known to be in exisstence.
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criterion predictions almost 4 years ago
I was about to suggest The Long Goodbye myself. I know it’s readily available (and cheap at that) from MGM, but I’d love to see a tricked out special edition.
I always enjoy Altman’s commentaries. He was obviously very willing to record them so it’s a shame we’ll never get one for what is easily one of his best films. Same with Brewster McCloud. I just picked up a book on the making of Brewster so I guess that will have to suffice…
I’d love to see an Eclipse set of early Hitchcock. His British films are largely available in a wide variety of crappy public domain sets, but somebody desperately needs to clean them up. The Man Who Knew Too Much and The Secret Agent are the only two of the “Thriller Sextet” that haven’t gotten decent DVD treatments yet (as far as I know), so those would be no-brainers.
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favorite funniest movie almost 4 years ago
I’ve loved Ghostbusters for as long as I can remember. One of my earliest vivid memories is of asking my mom what a phone book was and, after finding out, seeing if she could look up Bill Murray’s number for me.
Lewbowski. At any given moment on any given day I can drop everything and watch that movie.
Anything Python is hilarious. While Life of Brian is probably their best film, Holy Grail is still my personal favorite and Meaning of Life gets better every time I watch it.
This is Spinal Tap. Wish I could have seen them on tour this summer…
As far as more contemporary fare goes, I’m definitely an Apatow fan (much moreso when he’s actually directing, though I haven’t seen Funny People yet) and I love the Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg/Nick Frost team.
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