Kurosawa’s ‘Dreams’
Fincher’s ‘Fight Club’
Cuaron’s ‘Children of Men’
Fellini’s ‘Il Bidone’
Ray’s ‘Apu Trilogy’
Wong Kar-Wai’s ’60’s Trilogy’ (2046 is one of my favorites- IMO better than ItMfL!)
A boxset of classics by Chaplin? (‘City Lights’, ‘The Kid’, ‘Gold Rush’, etc… with silent-film scholar commentary! Please!)
Just had a minor ‘brainstorm’ for this discussion group- train rides! (not necessarily ‘CC’.) So far, my short list…
-La Bete Humaine (1938/Renoir)
-The Lady Vanishes (1938/Hitch)
-Strangers on a Train (1951/Hitch)
-North by NW (1959/Hitch)
-High and Low (1963/Kurosawa) (suspenseful scene in middle…)
-Gandhi (1981/Attenborough)
-Murder on the Orient Express (1976?)
-Silver Streak (1978-9?)
-Legend of Drunken Master (1980s?/Chan)
-The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957/Lean) (maybe?)
-Before Sunrise (1990’s/Linklater)
-V For Vendetta (2006) (final scenes!)
-I’m Not There (2006/Haynes)
The ‘Almost’ list…
-8 1/2 (had Felliini kept the outtake final scene!)
-O Brother Where Art Thou? (it’s too short a scene for my criteria, but so memorable!)
Jarmusch’s ‘Mystery Train’ fits the theme, but not one of my fav.s of his…)
Any other good titles you folks can come up with?
Not everyone is meant to understand Terry Gilliam, or his films, of course. Artists, intellectuals, musicians, writers, animation/filmmakers, graphic designers, etc… will ‘get Gilliam’. Basically all of the folks that ‘conservatives’ can’t stand (which I’m sure he appreciates!) I’ve been a Gilliam fan since childhood (Monty Python first, then Time Bandits, Brazil, and almost everything else…)
My college photography prof. made us sit down and watch all of only one film – Brazil – he instructed us to watch for ‘symbols’ and ‘symbolism’ in the film (Thanks Doug M!) and to see how Gilliam mixes fantasy/dream elements with so-called ‘reality’/waking life of his iconic and imaginative characters. I absolutely LOVE ‘Fisher King’, and even have had dreams about the themes involved. I wish it would get a better DVD treatment (with ANY bonus features/commentary!) ‘Tideland’ shows that Gilliam’s imagination/genius has not waned- I was abit ‘stunned’ at first watching, but then I started to ‘get it’… (the meanings of themes in ‘Tideland’ is a LONG discussion- I appreciate Gilliam’s commentary to the film. And I do like the tip-of-hat ‘homage’ of sorts to ‘the dude’ of Lebowski fame…)
‘12 Monkeys’ and ‘Fear and Loathing’ IMO could have been abit more wholly-realized (but then again, I’m not Gilliam! Not even close…)
So WHY does CC have excellent releases for Life of Brian, Brazil, and Time Bandits (love those commentary tracks!) but no ‘Fisher King’? Anybody else like this film but find it under-appreciated? If not- ‘FORGIVE ME!!!!’ (And Have a Nice Day…)
Being a Dylan (and Fellini) fan, I’d add ’I’m Not There’. Also- Children of Men, Amelie, V For Vendetta (and I don’t even like Natalie P.!), Howl’s Moving Castle, The Dark Knight, The Prestige, The Departed, The Darjeeling Limited, Lost in Translation, and 2046!!!!!!!!
‘Breathless’ is a classic of neo-noir, a must-see, including some cool ‘hidden’ film criticism, and it’s easy to watch multiple times. Belmondo and Seberg make a good duo, and it’s Godard’s first film! With MUCH help from Truffualt’s script to keep things ‘together’ plot-wise. I feel that ALL of Godard’s following films were pretentious and ‘self-consciously arty’, as another post-er put it. His ego seemed to get spoiled by the success of “Breathless”, and thought he could just put his then girlfriend Anna Karina into any half-composed story, and then ‘simply’ make up the script (and lines) on the day. This may be ‘cute’ or ‘fun’ for many, but for some, more serious mid-20th century cinophiles (into say, Hitch, Fellini, Malle, Truffault, Kurosawa. Ozu, etc) IMO most of the rest of Godard’s work is disappointing. ‘A tout va bien’ is my LEAST favorite! ‘Band of Outsiders’, ‘A Woman is a Woman’, and ‘Contempt’ I only enjoyed on the first viewing, then I found them all pretty slow, boring and well, poorly-scripted. Again, merely inserting a pretty girl (e.e. Karina or Bardot) into a half-baked ‘art film’ plot (or the overuse of ‘jump-cuts, as mentioned earlier) is no ’quick fix’ for a poor script. That said, there are many other great filmmakers from the 1960’s to explore – try Francois Truffault (Jules et Jim,) or Roman Polanski (Knife in the Water) for starts! Sorry if this rubs anyone the wrong way… It’s all just fallible human opinion here….
I don’t like to walk out on movies either- no one wants to be that person. But for one exception – ‘Independence Day’ (I know, alot of people will disagree…) I thought it was the most mindless, effects-laden piece of crap- what a waste of an overblown post-production budget. (How many hungry people would it have fed…) Expecting a somewhat intelligent morality-tale (something like ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’) and instead got a painfully bad, ‘farcical’, fear/paranoia-invoking slap in the face….
Anyone ever hear of …. Claudia Cardinale? Also, I’d vote for Bardot, A. Hepburn, Harriet Anderson (in “Smiles…”), Anouk Aimee (81/2), and Juliete Binoche (Unbearable…)
As long as this thread is stretching, I’ll contribute to the ‘worst’! SNL ‘comics-turned-wannabe-actors’: Adam Sandler, Chevy Chase, Steve Martin (except for great roles in ‘The Jerk’ and ‘Spanish Prisoner’), Nic Cage, L. DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Richard Gere, J. Aniston, Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, Jessica Alba, and the worst of ALL: Keanu Reeves (sorry, but he never seemed to grow out of that ‘Point Break’ role…) I find that whenever I watch films starring these actors, I never stop thinking ‘this is merely (insert celeb name) playing themselves playing a role’ i.e. we are never really convinced that these actors are actual characters- they will always be seen as celeb.s/themselves.
George Clooney is another celeb.-we-can-never-suspend-disbelief-over, but at least he’s got a valuable sense of irony, and has done some different, decent film roles (O Brother WAT, Good Night and Good Luck- also produced by, and Burn After Reading come to mind)
And, how could I forget- more 80’s actors! Michael Douglas, Tom Cruise, and Mel Gibson- do they make anyone else want to vomit?
And, more recently, M. McCaunaghy, Ben Stiller… sorry for the double-post.
I agree about N by NW – massively overrated, and so many plot holes – too much comedy/not enough suspense! (IMO)
Otherwise, there are SO MANY classic Hitch films otherwise… My pix, as of today…
-The 39 Steps
-The Lady Vanishes
-Notorious
-Rebecca
-either Psycho, Shadow of a Doubt (Hitch’s own fav.), or Strangers…
Tatsuyo Nakadai in final scene of Kurosawa’s ‘Sanjuro’! Also, the 3 on-screen samurai deaths in ‘Seven Samurai’…
Yes, King Kong in PJ’s new ‘K.K.’, Brad Pitt in ‘B.A.R.’, and L. DiCaprio’s in ‘The Departed’ – very memorable.
Alan Rickman in ‘Die Hard’, Orson in ‘Third Man’, Joe Cotten in ‘Shadow of a Doubt’…
And, being a huge Toshiro Mifune fan, TM’s demise in ’Japan’s Longest Day’…
I saw in some Hollywood celeb mag. recently- the Hollywood tombstones of some of our favorites that have recently passed…
I like that Jack Lemmon’s gravestone reads… “Jack Lemmon (dob/dod)
(next line down) in…”
He even knew how to keep us laughing in death!
Surprised no one has mentioned (or liked?) ’Howl’s Moving Castle’ – one of my favorites. Also, I like ‘Princess Mononoke’, then ‘…Totoro’, then ‘Nausicaa…’. I also don’t really like ‘Spirited Away’- it gives me some kind of weird childhood bad nightmare/flashbacks. So I guess it does find it’s way into an adult’s ‘subconsciousness’! Looking forward to any new releases (I wish Disney hadn’t bought Ghibli, but that’s another thread!)
OK- a few more to add to the list…
- ASHES OF TIME redux (WOW! What a ‘insanely gorgeous’ film, indeed! Can enjoy multiple viewings, and now we see where the visual style of ‘Crouching Tiger’, ‘Hero’, and ‘House of Flying Daggers’ partly originated…) 2046 is also worthy of the CC treatment, imo…
- I’M NOT THERE (a great new ‘thread’ has just begun on this underrated film…)
- INFERNAL AFFAIRS (Scorcese’s inspiration for ‘The Departed’ – great suspense drama, ditto to previous comments on the current DVD!)
- Z (the classic political thriller)
1973: (a great year for Prog Rock, but an ‘in between’ year for films…)
- Amarcord (yes, CC lists it as 1973)
- Badlands
- The Day of the Jackal
- Serpico
- The Spirit of the Beehive
- Paper Moon? (I admit- haven’t seen it yet)
- Enter the Dragon
- A Film About Jimi Hendrix (doc)
- Monty Python’s Holy Grail
(my TNT Film Encycl. says that The Godfather (and Super Fly!) belong(s) to 1972- o well!)
Anyone able to add others…?
Yes – so many good posts here. I finally found out about WKW about a year ago, when I first saw…
- ‘In the Mood for Love’ – fantastic, will make one fall in love either with Maggie Cheung or Tony Leung (or both,) but I found on repeat viewings that I notice the ‘style over substance’ issue mentioned above – beautiful camera-work, but a slow-moving story (with little romantic ‘pay-off’ in the end…) I leave this film every viewing feeling disappointed that Tony and Maggie’s characters never really ‘get together’… But the ending scenes in Cambodia are visually memorable as well…
-Then I saw ‘Chungking Express’ after the CC new release (w/ great commentary btw) and fell in love immediately w/ Faye Wong – what amazing eyes! Love to see her ‘dancing’ while sweeping, and hiding in the back of the restaurant as she ‘spies’ on Tony Leung… And her getting ‘frozen’ in her footsteps when Tony surprises/embarrasses her at his door. (What are YOU doing here?‘) I had to watch it several times, and love/enjoy it more w/ every viewing (as mentioned above, for two seemingly unrelated ’short story’ threads, WKW and Doyle nicely include several ‘cross-over’ references to the other plot-line, for those paying close attention…)
-Then I saw ‘2046’ a few months ago, and I like this film MUCH more than some of the other reviewers here. I actually like Zhang Ziyi’s performance in 2046 better than in any other film – WKW and Tony Leung seem to have helped her to ‘open up’ abit. Yes, many will criticize the overly stylized costumes, music and performances (especially in the futuristic, ‘writing-of-the-book’ scenes.) Also, I still fall in love with Faye Wong every time I see her! Amazing – anyone know of other films she’s been in?
- Recently, I saw ‘Ashes of Time Redux’ – and this may be my favorite WKW film for the time being (or tied w/ ‘C E’) – for me, a perfect blend of martial arts action w/ a dramatic storyline (based on a famous Chinese book whose title I am forgetting at the moment) great performances, music, and especially cinematography, again, by Christopher Doyle. A direct influence on ‘Crouching Tiger…’ and ‘Hero’.
- Otherwise, I need to find/rent ‘Days of Being Wild’ and ‘Fallen Angels’ next…
Some people may find WKW’s films overly/too romantic, but I don not believe that they are sentimental – they remind us of great loves lost, or of special people in our memories, but no longer in our lives… Thanks for the thread!
Ditto to Tom Wilson – the last one I watched! Or…
Seven Samurai, Ikiru, The Lower Depths, Rashomon, Drunken Angel, Hidden Fortress, High and Low, Red Beard, I Live in Fear, and The Bad Sleep Well (of course, almost everyone loves Yojimbo/Sanjuro, and I also hold Dersu Uzala and Dreams as personal treasures, tho maybe not received as his ‘best’ work- surely, touching and memorable…
Bravo Caroline and Pedro- I do not have any form of cable/satellite (only a DVD player hooked to a TV), so I was completely immune last year to any commercial/advertising (or Oscar) hype for ‘Benjamin Button’. But I did just rent the CC double-disc version yesterday, and watched the whole movie, along w/ (later) the excellent documentary on the 3 trimesters of pre-production, production, and post-production. I don’t understand why people are trashing this movie so nastily! I like almost all of Fincher’s work (as many readers here surely do,) and it took nearly 20 years for this film to be made! Along w/ the fact that it was filmed in New Orleans just after Katrina (which the docu. does a good job of revealing the physical and psychological damage of.) The ‘CC treatment’ was IDEAL for this film, which will help fans/repeat viewers understand more of what went into making it, and the themes that the writers/director/producers intended. I think it was a very well (and carefully) conceived AND produced film, the acting is great, the story is probably more interesting thatn Fitz’s throw-off short-story (from what the comments of those involved have said.) And the film is special/unique in that deals w/ the darker realms of love, esp. parting and death (not being able to BE w/ the ones we love,) and all of the stages of life that we normally take for granted, or that Hollywood films don’t usually address. I know, let the ‘flames’ begin, but I am one supporter of this film (despite its huge studio budget!), and of it’s CC 2 DVD release! (But yes, I’d also like to see ‘Slumdog’, along w/ a few other recent films, also released soon by CC.) Peace!
I recommend listening to Scorcese’s audio commentray on the Criterion DVD, where he explains that the ‘street grammar’ that is used by Keitel etal. in the film would be a far more listenable (and realistic) option than the fake British accents we are so used to seeing in the Biblical epics (e.g. Ben-hur) the 50’-60’s. The Grammy-winning score is by one of my favorite musicians (and people) Peter Gabriel, who Scorcese liked/valued for his ability to blend ethereal melodies w/ ‘primal’ rhythmic patterns (Scorcese was impressed by PG’s 1982 ‘Birdy’ soundtrack.) Sure the film is slow-going (sorry there were no car crashes back then to keep us awake,) but yes, the story is based on Kanzanzakis’s excellent novel, and NOT on the Gospels. I loved the soundtrack first, as a 16 yr old, then bought the film on VHS soon thereafter. In 2003 I saw the CC DVD on a bookshelf at Borders and had to have it. One of my favorite, most watched films.
And, I also don’t understand why more ‘confessional-school’ Christians can’t ‘get with’ this film- it is quite deep, but many still don’t ‘get it’…
My Favorites…
10. Amelie
9. Shaun of the Dead
8. King Kong (sorry- I love Naomi W)
7. Hero
6. In the Mood For Love
5. 2046 (or Ashes of Time Redux)
4. Infernal Affairs
3. Children of Men
2. Burn After Reading
1. Bamako
Ok- so I couldn’t really stand ‘Forrest Gump’, and I really haven’t seen it in over 10 years. But now that I’ve watched ‘Ben Button’ a couple times, I can see why people gave the film (and its makers) such a hard time. And yes, the effects don’t quite suspend disbelief that convincingly- I kept thinking ‘yea, that’s about what Brad Pitt would look like at that age…’ So I can understand people’s reaction to those points. But I still didn’t think it was THAT bad. The ‘flatness’ of the characters, btw, is part of the point of the film- according to Fincher’s audio commentary. I.e. the ‘boring’ aspects of the dialogue and characterizations were apparently intentional. That said, thake it or leave it, or let’s try to make/write a better film ourselves!
It's Year 3009 - What 3 Films Survived Through A Millenium of History? about 3 years ago
1. Seven Samurai (1954, Kurosawa)
2. City Lights (1931, Chaplin)
3. Notorious (1946, Hitch)
among my ‘desert island discs’- but a tough ? to answer!
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Movies That Should Be In the Criterion Collection about 3 years ago
Kurosawa’s ‘Dreams’
Fincher’s ‘Fight Club’
Cuaron’s ‘Children of Men’
Fellini’s ‘Il Bidone’
Ray’s ‘Apu Trilogy’
Wong Kar-Wai’s ’60’s Trilogy’ (2046 is one of my favorites- IMO better than ItMfL!)
A boxset of classics by Chaplin? (‘City Lights’, ‘The Kid’, ‘Gold Rush’, etc… with silent-film scholar commentary! Please!)
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WHICH DIRECTORS...NOT...CURRENTLY REPRESENTED IN THE CRITERION COLLECTION DO YOU WANT TO SEE INCLUDED? about 3 years ago
Satyajit Ray of course, but what about some more Spike Lee ‘joints’? CC’s ‘Do the Right Thing’ is great, but what about Malcolm X, or 25th Hour, etc…
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Favorite films involving Train Rides! (of at least 10 min of film) about 3 years ago
Just had a minor ‘brainstorm’ for this discussion group- train rides! (not necessarily ‘CC’.) So far, my short list…
-La Bete Humaine (1938/Renoir)
-The Lady Vanishes (1938/Hitch)
-Strangers on a Train (1951/Hitch)
-North by NW (1959/Hitch)
-High and Low (1963/Kurosawa) (suspenseful scene in middle…)
-Gandhi (1981/Attenborough)
-Murder on the Orient Express (1976?)
-Silver Streak (1978-9?)
-Legend of Drunken Master (1980s?/Chan)
-The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957/Lean) (maybe?)
-Before Sunrise (1990’s/Linklater)
-V For Vendetta (2006) (final scenes!)
-I’m Not There (2006/Haynes)
The ‘Almost’ list…
-8 1/2 (had Felliini kept the outtake final scene!)
-O Brother Where Art Thou? (it’s too short a scene for my criteria, but so memorable!)
Jarmusch’s ‘Mystery Train’ fits the theme, but not one of my fav.s of his…)
Any other good titles you folks can come up with?
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misunderstood genius about 3 years ago
Not everyone is meant to understand Terry Gilliam, or his films, of course. Artists, intellectuals, musicians, writers, animation/filmmakers, graphic designers, etc… will ‘get Gilliam’. Basically all of the folks that ‘conservatives’ can’t stand (which I’m sure he appreciates!) I’ve been a Gilliam fan since childhood (Monty Python first, then Time Bandits, Brazil, and almost everything else…)
My college photography prof. made us sit down and watch all of only one film – Brazil – he instructed us to watch for ‘symbols’ and ‘symbolism’ in the film (Thanks Doug M!) and to see how Gilliam mixes fantasy/dream elements with so-called ‘reality’/waking life of his iconic and imaginative characters. I absolutely LOVE ‘Fisher King’, and even have had dreams about the themes involved. I wish it would get a better DVD treatment (with ANY bonus features/commentary!) ‘Tideland’ shows that Gilliam’s imagination/genius has not waned- I was abit ‘stunned’ at first watching, but then I started to ‘get it’… (the meanings of themes in ‘Tideland’ is a LONG discussion- I appreciate Gilliam’s commentary to the film. And I do like the tip-of-hat ‘homage’ of sorts to ‘the dude’ of Lebowski fame…)
‘12 Monkeys’ and ‘Fear and Loathing’ IMO could have been abit more wholly-realized (but then again, I’m not Gilliam! Not even close…)
So WHY does CC have excellent releases for Life of Brian, Brazil, and Time Bandits (love those commentary tracks!) but no ‘Fisher King’? Anybody else like this film but find it under-appreciated? If not- ‘FORGIVE ME!!!!’ (And Have a Nice Day…)
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Favorite films involving Train Rides! (of at least 10 min of film) about 3 years ago
Thank you Daniel- and everyone! Always meant to see ‘Runaway Train’, ‘Dr. Zhivago’, and keep hearing about Godard’s ‘La Chinoise’ etc…
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The Best Films of the New Millenium about 3 years ago
Being a Dylan (and Fellini) fan, I’d add ’I’m Not There’. Also- Children of Men, Amelie, V For Vendetta (and I don’t even like Natalie P.!), Howl’s Moving Castle, The Dark Knight, The Prestige, The Departed, The Darjeeling Limited, Lost in Translation, and 2046!!!!!!!!
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breathless or contempt about 3 years ago
‘Breathless’ is a classic of neo-noir, a must-see, including some cool ‘hidden’ film criticism, and it’s easy to watch multiple times. Belmondo and Seberg make a good duo, and it’s Godard’s first film! With MUCH help from Truffualt’s script to keep things ‘together’ plot-wise. I feel that ALL of Godard’s following films were pretentious and ‘self-consciously arty’, as another post-er put it. His ego seemed to get spoiled by the success of “Breathless”, and thought he could just put his then girlfriend Anna Karina into any half-composed story, and then ‘simply’ make up the script (and lines) on the day. This may be ‘cute’ or ‘fun’ for many, but for some, more serious mid-20th century cinophiles (into say, Hitch, Fellini, Malle, Truffault, Kurosawa. Ozu, etc) IMO most of the rest of Godard’s work is disappointing. ‘A tout va bien’ is my LEAST favorite! ‘Band of Outsiders’, ‘A Woman is a Woman’, and ‘Contempt’ I only enjoyed on the first viewing, then I found them all pretty slow, boring and well, poorly-scripted. Again, merely inserting a pretty girl (e.e. Karina or Bardot) into a half-baked ‘art film’ plot (or the overuse of ‘jump-cuts, as mentioned earlier) is no ’quick fix’ for a poor script. That said, there are many other great filmmakers from the 1960’s to explore – try Francois Truffault (Jules et Jim,) or Roman Polanski (Knife in the Water) for starts! Sorry if this rubs anyone the wrong way… It’s all just fallible human opinion here….
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What films have you walked out on and why ? about 3 years ago
I don’t like to walk out on movies either- no one wants to be that person. But for one exception – ‘Independence Day’ (I know, alot of people will disagree…) I thought it was the most mindless, effects-laden piece of crap- what a waste of an overblown post-production budget. (How many hungry people would it have fed…) Expecting a somewhat intelligent morality-tale (something like ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’) and instead got a painfully bad, ‘farcical’, fear/paranoia-invoking slap in the face….
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Favorite Novel of Yours which is dying to made into Film about 3 years ago
Daniel Quinn’s ‘Ishmael’ !!!
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WHO IS / WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FILM ACTRESS EVER? about 3 years ago
Anyone ever hear of …. Claudia Cardinale? Also, I’d vote for Bardot, A. Hepburn, Harriet Anderson (in “Smiles…”), Anouk Aimee (81/2), and Juliete Binoche (Unbearable…)
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Whats your favourite actor,and what actor is so bad you cant look at him about 3 years ago
As long as this thread is stretching, I’ll contribute to the ‘worst’! SNL ‘comics-turned-wannabe-actors’: Adam Sandler, Chevy Chase, Steve Martin (except for great roles in ‘The Jerk’ and ‘Spanish Prisoner’), Nic Cage, L. DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Richard Gere, J. Aniston, Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, Jessica Alba, and the worst of ALL: Keanu Reeves (sorry, but he never seemed to grow out of that ‘Point Break’ role…) I find that whenever I watch films starring these actors, I never stop thinking ‘this is merely (insert celeb name) playing themselves playing a role’ i.e. we are never really convinced that these actors are actual characters- they will always be seen as celeb.s/themselves.
George Clooney is another celeb.-we-can-never-suspend-disbelief-over, but at least he’s got a valuable sense of irony, and has done some different, decent film roles (O Brother WAT, Good Night and Good Luck- also produced by, and Burn After Reading come to mind)
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Whats your favourite actor,and what actor is so bad you cant look at him about 3 years ago
And, how could I forget- more 80’s actors! Michael Douglas, Tom Cruise, and Mel Gibson- do they make anyone else want to vomit?
And, more recently, M. McCaunaghy, Ben Stiller… sorry for the double-post.
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Top 5 Hitchcock about 3 years ago
I agree about N by NW – massively overrated, and so many plot holes – too much comedy/not enough suspense! (IMO)
Otherwise, there are SO MANY classic Hitch films otherwise… My pix, as of today…
-The 39 Steps
-The Lady Vanishes
-Notorious
-Rebecca
-either Psycho, Shadow of a Doubt (Hitch’s own fav.), or Strangers…
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Top 5 Hitchcock about 3 years ago
Ooops! How could I forget Rear Window! In my Top 3, at least…
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Memorable/Favorite Film Deaths about 3 years ago
Tatsuyo Nakadai in final scene of Kurosawa’s ‘Sanjuro’! Also, the 3 on-screen samurai deaths in ‘Seven Samurai’…
Yes, King Kong in PJ’s new ‘K.K.’, Brad Pitt in ‘B.A.R.’, and L. DiCaprio’s in ‘The Departed’ – very memorable.
Alan Rickman in ‘Die Hard’, Orson in ‘Third Man’, Joe Cotten in ‘Shadow of a Doubt’…
And, being a huge Toshiro Mifune fan, TM’s demise in ’Japan’s Longest Day’…
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Actors who've passed, and you miss the most... about 3 years ago
I saw in some Hollywood celeb mag. recently- the Hollywood tombstones of some of our favorites that have recently passed…
I like that Jack Lemmon’s gravestone reads… “Jack Lemmon (dob/dod)
(next line down) in…”
He even knew how to keep us laughing in death!
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Favorite Studio Ghibli Film about 3 years ago
Surprised no one has mentioned (or liked?) ’Howl’s Moving Castle’ – one of my favorites. Also, I like ‘Princess Mononoke’, then ‘…Totoro’, then ‘Nausicaa…’. I also don’t really like ‘Spirited Away’- it gives me some kind of weird childhood bad nightmare/flashbacks. So I guess it does find it’s way into an adult’s ‘subconsciousness’! Looking forward to any new releases (I wish Disney hadn’t bought Ghibli, but that’s another thread!)
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Movies That Should Be In the Criterion Collection about 3 years ago
OK- a few more to add to the list…
- ASHES OF TIME redux (WOW! What a ‘insanely gorgeous’ film, indeed! Can enjoy multiple viewings, and now we see where the visual style of ‘Crouching Tiger’, ‘Hero’, and ‘House of Flying Daggers’ partly originated…) 2046 is also worthy of the CC treatment, imo…
- I’M NOT THERE (a great new ‘thread’ has just begun on this underrated film…)
- INFERNAL AFFAIRS (Scorcese’s inspiration for ‘The Departed’ – great suspense drama, ditto to previous comments on the current DVD!)
- Z (the classic political thriller)
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TOP 10 FILMS FROM YOUR "BIRTH YEAR" about 3 years ago
1973: (a great year for Prog Rock, but an ‘in between’ year for films…)
- Amarcord (yes, CC lists it as 1973)
- Badlands
- The Day of the Jackal
- Serpico
- The Spirit of the Beehive
- Paper Moon? (I admit- haven’t seen it yet)
- Enter the Dragon
- A Film About Jimi Hendrix (doc)
- Monty Python’s Holy Grail
(my TNT Film Encycl. says that The Godfather (and Super Fly!) belong(s) to 1972- o well!)
Anyone able to add others…?
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TOP 10 FILMS FROM YOUR "BIRTH YEAR" about 3 years ago
Thank you Kenji! I esp. have to find/see ‘Day For Night’ – I’ve heard so much good about it! Ditto to ‘Ali: Fear…’
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Wong Kar-Wai about 3 years ago
Yes – so many good posts here. I finally found out about WKW about a year ago, when I first saw…
- ‘In the Mood for Love’ – fantastic, will make one fall in love either with Maggie Cheung or Tony Leung (or both,) but I found on repeat viewings that I notice the ‘style over substance’ issue mentioned above – beautiful camera-work, but a slow-moving story (with little romantic ‘pay-off’ in the end…) I leave this film every viewing feeling disappointed that Tony and Maggie’s characters never really ‘get together’… But the ending scenes in Cambodia are visually memorable as well…
-Then I saw ‘Chungking Express’ after the CC new release (w/ great commentary btw) and fell in love immediately w/ Faye Wong – what amazing eyes! Love to see her ‘dancing’ while sweeping, and hiding in the back of the restaurant as she ‘spies’ on Tony Leung… And her getting ‘frozen’ in her footsteps when Tony surprises/embarrasses her at his door. (What are YOU doing here?‘) I had to watch it several times, and love/enjoy it more w/ every viewing (as mentioned above, for two seemingly unrelated ’short story’ threads, WKW and Doyle nicely include several ‘cross-over’ references to the other plot-line, for those paying close attention…)
-Then I saw ‘2046’ a few months ago, and I like this film MUCH more than some of the other reviewers here. I actually like Zhang Ziyi’s performance in 2046 better than in any other film – WKW and Tony Leung seem to have helped her to ‘open up’ abit. Yes, many will criticize the overly stylized costumes, music and performances (especially in the futuristic, ‘writing-of-the-book’ scenes.) Also, I still fall in love with Faye Wong every time I see her! Amazing – anyone know of other films she’s been in?
- Recently, I saw ‘Ashes of Time Redux’ – and this may be my favorite WKW film for the time being (or tied w/ ‘C E’) – for me, a perfect blend of martial arts action w/ a dramatic storyline (based on a famous Chinese book whose title I am forgetting at the moment) great performances, music, and especially cinematography, again, by Christopher Doyle. A direct influence on ‘Crouching Tiger…’ and ‘Hero’.
- Otherwise, I need to find/rent ‘Days of Being Wild’ and ‘Fallen Angels’ next…
Some people may find WKW’s films overly/too romantic, but I don not believe that they are sentimental – they remind us of great loves lost, or of special people in our memories, but no longer in our lives… Thanks for the thread!
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In the Mood for Love or 2046? about 3 years ago
I wholeheartedly agree w/ Grecco, Amelia, AND Brian! They should ALL be considered ‘classics’ at some point in the future (IMO.)
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Favorite Kurosawa flicks? about 3 years ago
Ditto to Tom Wilson – the last one I watched! Or…
Seven Samurai, Ikiru, The Lower Depths, Rashomon, Drunken Angel, Hidden Fortress, High and Low, Red Beard, I Live in Fear, and The Bad Sleep Well (of course, almost everyone loves Yojimbo/Sanjuro, and I also hold Dersu Uzala and Dreams as personal treasures, tho maybe not received as his ‘best’ work- surely, touching and memorable…
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Benjamin Button!?!? What the Hell? about 3 years ago
Bravo Caroline and Pedro- I do not have any form of cable/satellite (only a DVD player hooked to a TV), so I was completely immune last year to any commercial/advertising (or Oscar) hype for ‘Benjamin Button’. But I did just rent the CC double-disc version yesterday, and watched the whole movie, along w/ (later) the excellent documentary on the 3 trimesters of pre-production, production, and post-production. I don’t understand why people are trashing this movie so nastily! I like almost all of Fincher’s work (as many readers here surely do,) and it took nearly 20 years for this film to be made! Along w/ the fact that it was filmed in New Orleans just after Katrina (which the docu. does a good job of revealing the physical and psychological damage of.) The ‘CC treatment’ was IDEAL for this film, which will help fans/repeat viewers understand more of what went into making it, and the themes that the writers/director/producers intended. I think it was a very well (and carefully) conceived AND produced film, the acting is great, the story is probably more interesting thatn Fitz’s throw-off short-story (from what the comments of those involved have said.) And the film is special/unique in that deals w/ the darker realms of love, esp. parting and death (not being able to BE w/ the ones we love,) and all of the stages of life that we normally take for granted, or that Hollywood films don’t usually address. I know, let the ‘flames’ begin, but I am one supporter of this film (despite its huge studio budget!), and of it’s CC 2 DVD release! (But yes, I’d also like to see ‘Slumdog’, along w/ a few other recent films, also released soon by CC.) Peace!
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Movies you would like if you were a hermit about 3 years ago
This thread reminds me of the 1979 Hal Ashby film “Being There”. For anyone who hasn’t already seen it, pls do – Peter Sellers was a genius!
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The Last Temptation of Christ about 3 years ago
I recommend listening to Scorcese’s audio commentray on the Criterion DVD, where he explains that the ‘street grammar’ that is used by Keitel etal. in the film would be a far more listenable (and realistic) option than the fake British accents we are so used to seeing in the Biblical epics (e.g. Ben-hur) the 50’-60’s. The Grammy-winning score is by one of my favorite musicians (and people) Peter Gabriel, who Scorcese liked/valued for his ability to blend ethereal melodies w/ ‘primal’ rhythmic patterns (Scorcese was impressed by PG’s 1982 ‘Birdy’ soundtrack.) Sure the film is slow-going (sorry there were no car crashes back then to keep us awake,) but yes, the story is based on Kanzanzakis’s excellent novel, and NOT on the Gospels. I loved the soundtrack first, as a 16 yr old, then bought the film on VHS soon thereafter. In 2003 I saw the CC DVD on a bookshelf at Borders and had to have it. One of my favorite, most watched films.
And, I also don’t understand why more ‘confessional-school’ Christians can’t ‘get with’ this film- it is quite deep, but many still don’t ‘get it’…
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TOP TEN 2000 - 2008 about 3 years ago
My Favorites…
10. Amelie
9. Shaun of the Dead
8. King Kong (sorry- I love Naomi W)
7. Hero
6. In the Mood For Love
5. 2046 (or Ashes of Time Redux)
4. Infernal Affairs
3. Children of Men
2. Burn After Reading
1. Bamako
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Benjamin Button!?!? What the Hell? about 3 years ago
Ok- so I couldn’t really stand ‘Forrest Gump’, and I really haven’t seen it in over 10 years. But now that I’ve watched ‘Ben Button’ a couple times, I can see why people gave the film (and its makers) such a hard time. And yes, the effects don’t quite suspend disbelief that convincingly- I kept thinking ‘yea, that’s about what Brad Pitt would look like at that age…’ So I can understand people’s reaction to those points. But I still didn’t think it was THAT bad. The ‘flatness’ of the characters, btw, is part of the point of the film- according to Fincher’s audio commentary. I.e. the ‘boring’ aspects of the dialogue and characterizations were apparently intentional. That said, thake it or leave it, or let’s try to make/write a better film ourselves!
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Best film to cover the topic of incest? almost 3 years ago
Les Enfants Terribles, The Dreamers?
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