I think that you have to really see what Tarantino has done and is doing. Whether you like his movies or hate his movies, EVERYBODY is talking about them and he is only getting more inspired. It is kind of like Rocky movies or Jason movies. Even though you know what is going to happen in them, you still have to see them to be sure you didn’t miss anything. THIS IS THE ESSENCE OF TARANTINO’S FAME. Whether you like him or hate him, everybody is rubbernecking his next movie like a bad accident…some hoping to see improvement from Pulp Fiction days, and others just to see if he (according to them) is losing his skills and running out of steam. What we fail to realize is that because both parties are watching his movies, he is generating lots of movie tickets, and is therefore a sound director of movies by ticket sales alone. If you don’t like his movies, DON’T WATCH ‘EM!! But stop dissing the greatest director of our time because he ain’t your cup of tea. People who are ignorant of cinema from the 60’s and 70’s WILL NOT GET TARANTINO’S ideas. Period. IF that is you, either bone up on your movie rentals like STRAW DOGS, COFFY, DEATH RACE 2000, etc. and then pop in Pulp Fiction or Jackie Brown. OH AND LET ME CLEAR SOMETHING UP…FINCHER IS A GREAT DIRECTOR, BUT HIM AND TARANTINO ARE LIKE APPLES AND ORANGES. COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES AND GENRE. SOME DIRECTORS STAND ALONE IN THEIR WORK. FINCHER, HITCHCOCK, KUBRICK, ARGENTO, BAVA, FULCI…WHY COMPARE THESE MEN? THEY ARE ALL FANTASTIC AND VERY, VERY, VERY DIFFERENT FILMMAKERS!!!!! And DEATH PROOF is so chock full of brilliance that I could teach a film class on it. And if you don’t believe me, I’ll follow this post up later with it’s brilliance. Everything in that movie is IMPORTANT, from the very first word spoken to the music playing in the bar. I love it, though, that everybody thinks it sucks. It just shows that our country is in the toilet. Tarantino SOOOOO knew what he was doing from his casting in that movie to the long (boring, to most…but important) dialogue. This movie was meant to be his masterpiece by him. And when you have EVERY great stuntman that ever lived working on this movie say that in all of their career they have never worked for a greater director…something’s gotta be right there!!! I put Death Proof as his #1 movie, Reservoir Dogs as #2 (this movie was the prelude to PULP FICTION…without Reservoir Dogs, no one would have known what to expect with PULP), Pulp Fiction as #3 (This movie made him famous), KIll Bill as #4 (I don’t look at this as 1 and 2 because it is one whole movie), and yes Jackie Brown is dead last, not because it is a bad movie, but because he really just made a Pam Grier movie – this really wasn’t original…kind of like when he directed CSI, the show itself was his template and we saw alot more of CSI than Tarantino (the sets were CSI sets that looked nothing like any of Tarantino’s movies)
Jackie Brown is pop culture. It is one huge reference. Have you watched Foxy Brown or Coffy? He is totally just trying to make one of those films. And he does it well. But your comment about “real” film? This movie was his BIGGEST pop culture reference and his least original movie including the music which came from Coffy. Watch Death Proof again…there is more than Kurt Russell in that movie. I promise you.
While you are correct his movies showcase his knowledge of film (especially Death Proof), we do have to credit him also with his vast knowledge and use of pop culture. Other directors will throw pop culture in their films, but pop culture is like a trademark to Quentin’s work. I believe that it creates nostalgia. I liked the Dukes of Hazzard music cue because what it did was it showed that the mood of the chase had lightened up (the audience was supposed to laugh at this point because Kurt Russell is no longer the big bad wolf as he was at the beginning, and it is black comedy he uses). I actually thought when I watched Death Proof for the very first time that that music cue was perfectly timed and used. I can understand why maybe you didn’t care for it, but I loved it. Jackie Brown was good but it, to me, did not feel like a Quentin Tarantino movie. There was WAAAAYY too much Robert Forster’s character which we needed to see him be a tough guy (Quentin only showed us his potential to use some weapons that he never uses). Also, by the end of the movie I am not wanting to buy the Delfonics album but rather burn it. The audience is so sick of that song that is overused as well (and it is a good song). Another problem with Jackie Brown are Samuel L.Jackson and Robert De Niro. Samuel’s hair and beard were not cool to me at all. And his stupid Kangol hat just sealed his fate for me. Robert De Niro did not play a good bumbling idiot fresh out of prison to me. Sid Haig was about the nicest and warmest judge I have ever seen in a movie.The story was told well in Jackie Brown, but the movie was TOOOO long. I remember that point in the film where I began to say, “Let’s get this thing over with!!!” There were parts of the movie I loved. The chicks who love guns video at the beginning was fantastic (aside from Samuel’s crappy interp of each gun). I liked the music, though one song being way overused (which I know was intentional). Pam Grier to me did not get used to her fullest (how come Quentin never uses full nudity?).Anyways, Deckard…I can say something GOOD about all of Quentin’s movies but you and I are polar opposites I am afraid to say. Kudos to your comments. I don’t want everyone to agree with my ideas. That would be boring.
Roth is not the savior of the horror film. Hostel was not a horror movie…it was just violence taken WAAAYY too far. Anyone can film people being butchered to death and call it film. He forgets that Tarantino moved the camera away from the cop getting his ear sliced off – we never see any blood. But people will tell you that in Reservoir Dogs, we see a cop getting his ear cut off. And that is because they turned their heads or closed their eyes and they met up with their worst nightmare – their own imagination. Roth leaves nothing to the imagination. He is just exploitation to the nth degree. Exploitation done tastefully is cool. Done the Roth way is just too much. I saw a forum asking which movies people have walked out on. For me, it was Hostel.
Roth is not the savior of the horror film. Hostel was not a horror movie…it was just violence taken WAAAYY too far. Anyone can film people being butchered to death and call it film. He forgets that Tarantino moved the camera away from the cop getting his ear sliced off – we never see any blood. But people will tell you that in Reservoir Dogs, we see a cop getting his ear cut off. And that is because they turned their heads or closed their eyes and they met up with their worst nightmare – their own imagination. Roth leaves nothing to the imagination. He is just exploitation to the nth degree. Exploitation done tastefully is cool. Done the Roth way is just too much. I saw a forum asking which movies people have walked out on. For me, it was Hostel.
THIS IS TO MIKE SPENCE. YOU HAVE NAMED A BUNCH OF GREAT DIRECTORS, BUT TO SAY THEY ARE BETTER THAN EACH OTHER IS LIKE SAYING BACH IS BETTER THAN BEETHOVEN, WHEN IN ESSENCE WE NEED BOTH OF THEM EQUALLY AND FOR DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO CLASSICAL MUSIC. TARANTINO DOES THINGS SO DIFFERENTLY, HE SHOULD STRICTLY BE IN A CATEGORY BY HIMSELF, NOT COMPARED TO ANY OTHER DIRECTOR. WHO HAS MADE MOVIES TODAY LIKE TARANTINO? THE ONLY ONE I CAN THINK OF IS ROBERT RODRIGUEZ, AND HE ACTUALLY DOES A BETTER JOB IN GRINDHOUSE THAN TARANTINO. MY ONLY QUALM WITH RODRIGUEZ IS HE LEANS ON THE CRUTCHES OF DIGITAL CG EFFECTS WHILE TARANTINO IS STILL USING FILM.
I thnk Tim Burton is one of the great directors of all time. I think stylistically he is the master of his gothic genre of filmmaking. Visually, SLEEPY HOLLOW was one of the best movies I’ve ever taken in. But is Tim Burton as good as directors like Stanley Kubrick and others? We also have Tim Burton to thank for the resurrection of the superhero movie. The first Batman was so ahead of its time when it came out. Let me know what you think of this great filmmaker.
Thanks for responding to my forum topic. I haven’t seen all of Tim Burton’s films, but what I have seen by him I was surprised that he wasn’t mentioned very much here at the Auteurs. I do consider him to be groundbreaking as a filmmaker. I don’t see anything like his movies out there, and I can spot a Tim Burton movie just by the way it visually looks. Thank you for the advice to watch ED WOOD. I haven’t seen it.
From DIRTY MARY,CRAZY LARRY to VANISHING POINT to STRAW DOGS, these type of movies all push adrenaline, sex, drugs, and violence on the audience. These are just a few movies that are considered among Grindhouse films. Other movies can get into the zombie films like Lucio Fulci’s ZOMBIE or PLANET TERROR by Robert Rodriguez. Or you can even look at the Italian giallo’s like BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE or NEW YORK RIPPER. The question I am asking is: Are grindhouse movies to be regarded as great films?
I feel that traditionally it has to be an Italian film. But then there are movies made in America that have skirted the edges of the mold for a giallo: Scream trilogy, The Rain Killer, The Shining, American Psycho, Dressed to Kill, etc. What defines a giallo? Giallo means yellow in Italian and the genre is given this name for the pulp fiction books that were circulated in Italy with yellow covers that had slasher content in them. Is it the content or the country that makes the giallo? Are American attempts just coming up as plain yellow want to be’s.
Lost Highway, Blue Velvet, and Wild At Heart were all better than Mulholland Drive. Hell…Twin Peaks was better than Mulholland Drive. I didn’t particularly like the film myself. And I am a David Lynch fan. Best movie so far in the 21st century would have to be Grindhouse by Tarantino and Rodriguez. It’s not my fault that idiots refused to go watch the films. I’m sorry that you have to sit in your seats for 4hours of completely awesome cinema!!! I’m sorry that it isn’t Mission Impossible or another Nicholas Cage film produced by Bruckheimer! Grindhouse, creatively, had the potential to stand as the greatest collaboration of our time. But WE screwed that up. The chance was there to usher in exploitation film once again…and we shut the damn door on it!! Other great films were Passion of the Christ, There will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men, The Dark Knight, and Disney’s UP. I loved that animated old man…OK sorry for joking. IT was in 3D though, which was cool.
70’s. You just got to love the style and diversity of films that were made in that decade. 70’s music also played a huge role in my enjoyment of the films in that time.
Alright Axel. Let me hear your superior breakdown of the greatness of Mulholland Drive, which I have seen 3 times, and it got worse not better. Here is your chance to change my mind. It better be good.
Well Ben, I was watching The Shining with my brother (an avid giallo fan) and I mentioned how the beginning music sounded a little like Suspiria. IT was sort of a moment for both of us. Then I began really breaking down the story. Gialli typically focussed on actually seeing the knife penetrate the victim. In fact, that was what made the style of film stand out from regular horror films. In the Shining we see Scatman get his arm hacked off with an axe. Not to mention the claustrophobic sense we get in the scene where the famous “Here’s Johnny” speech was acted out. As we see the axe go through the door from clearly a giallo influence, we can see Jack Torrance’s wife holding what? A very LARGE giallo-like knife. Also her cacophonous screaming nonstop for five minutes while we hear the axe breaking the door down was reminiscent of the long scream at the ending credits of TENEBRAE.And we see her slice Nicholson’s hand. The camera does not pan away. Also, the choice of the axe as a weapon had been used in Tenebrae by Argento. The whole mood and sort of creepy supernatural elements of The Shining along with the crazy score that was very Goblin-esque, it seems as if Suspiria was an influence, although I am not sure which came first. Maybe, Suspiria was influenced by Kubrick. I mispoke when I put it in a list of possibles for giallo. It has giallo elements. But typically, gialli involve more of a city situation where a killer in black gloves is wreaking havoc and causing panic. The isolation of THE SHINING does disqualify the movie from actually being a giallo. It is somewhat of a slasher film though.
Adam, you raise a possible good thread topic…are there any remakes that were better than the original? Deckard, you are right that everyone is remaking everything. Movies still yet to be redone like Jaws and Star Wars probably will be left alone since they are already 4 star classics. But they did remake Psycho. Why would anyone attempt to remake a Hitchcock film? There was so much going on in his films beyond what the naked eye could see….so much that Hitchcock challenged about our world.
Deckard, in response to your opinion on the music in The Shining, it was only in the very beginning of the movie that I thought sounded Goblin-esque (and my brother agreed, who is a huge Argento fan). Mostly when the strange noises were happening within the opening music (not the music itself), kind of reminded me of the music at the first of Suspiria when the word “witch” was spoken through an effected microphone as the taxi cab was driving through the trees. In a similar way, we hear all sorts of effected unnerving vocals being layed over the opening score of The Shining. Certainly, the music is not a match for Goblin, but some of the same ideas were used to create possibly a similar tone. Another reason why I see a huge giallo influence in The Shining is that I read the book before watching Kubrick’s adaptation. There is no axe used in the book, but a croquet mallet instead. Kubrick abandoned Stephen KIng’s idea for the mallet and went with the axe. Why? Giallo influence. As subtle as it may appear to you, Deckard, he slipped the axe in, I believe, to draw that type of movie-goer that watched TENEBRAE and loved the screaming and the blood. Kubrick took King’s book from average to menacing. I’m not sure Kubrick would even have admitted being influenced by anyone. He was an artist who liked things done his way. But, I believe influences can be seen in Kubrick’s work. Again, I am not saying The Shining is a giallo. I just had a hunch that there was some subtle and obvious influences in the movie. I hope this explains my last post better.
It seems like the concensus so far is that The Thing by John Carpenter is the best remake over Hawk’s version. Good answers from everyone. I think another good thread would be what was better, the book or the movie? for movies that are adaptations. Feel free to post the thread if you think it is a good idea.
Michelangelo Antonioni “Blow-up”, Sergio Leone “Once Upon A Time In The West”, Federico Fellini “8 1/2”, “La Dolce Vita”, Lucio Fulci “Zombie”, Dario Argento “Tenebrae”, “Deep Red”, “Bird With The Crystal Plumage” (Ok pretty much all of his films), Luchino Visconti “The Damned”
1. Star Wars IV
2. Wizard of Oz
3. Jaws
4. Psycho
5. The Shining
6. Alien
7. Blade Runner
8. Pulp Fiction
9. The Matrix
10. Eyes Wide Shut
This was difficult for me because there are many films that are better than these, in my opinion. Just not greater. Greatness is a class of film that is groundbreaking for the future of films. I believe that each film I listed was the flagship for what film should be in the days that they were in the theatres. Star Wars to me (and I am not a fan at all) was so ahead of its time and groundbreaking. The Wizard of Oz is just such a classic film that is so perfectly made and untouchable. Jaws really changed the world’s perspective forever about swimming in any body of water, as much as Psycho still to this day makes me uncomfortable in a shower. The Shining was groundbreaking for the horror film because of its perfect casting of Nicholson (which is the role that most remember him for along with Carnal Knowledge), and for its pacing and cinematography that were unlike anything the world had ever witnessed in a horror film. Alien was another movie that just shook me up when I saw it. I remember feeling unsafe in the darkened theatre the first time I saw it. Blade Runner was another film ahead of its time. It was The Matrix movie in its day. Pulp Fiction came first before The Matrix which is the only reason it is my #8. It was another pioneer in filmmaking. Everyone since Pulp Fiction has tried to emulate it and has failed miserably. The Matrix as my #9 is because it introduced bullet-time and other filming techniques that were essential in the DVD revolution moving forward. Finally, Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut was great in every way: casting, plot, Nicole Kidman naked, the orgy scene, the paranoia. There may be a film that is more deserving than Eyes Wide Shut in #10 spot but I can’t think of one immediately.
Scariest movies would be #1 The Exorcist and #2 The Shining. Nothing to me is scarier than The Exorcist when she comes down the stairs all twisted funny and you hear those freaky piano notes as she descends. The movie just makes you feel terrible while you are watching it. One movie that is neck and neck with The Shining is the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. That was a freaky movie. Another movie that made me feel ill for a week after I watched it was Suspiria. I kept feeling like maggots were falling from the ceiling on me. Other movies include Alien, Jaws, Psycho, Halloween, Prince of Darkness, The Thing, Zombie, Tenebrae, Trilogy of Terror (with that little brown voodoo doll that comes to life when his necklace breaks), and Blair Witch Project.
directors better than tarantino about 3 years ago
I think that you have to really see what Tarantino has done and is doing. Whether you like his movies or hate his movies, EVERYBODY is talking about them and he is only getting more inspired. It is kind of like Rocky movies or Jason movies. Even though you know what is going to happen in them, you still have to see them to be sure you didn’t miss anything. THIS IS THE ESSENCE OF TARANTINO’S FAME. Whether you like him or hate him, everybody is rubbernecking his next movie like a bad accident…some hoping to see improvement from Pulp Fiction days, and others just to see if he (according to them) is losing his skills and running out of steam. What we fail to realize is that because both parties are watching his movies, he is generating lots of movie tickets, and is therefore a sound director of movies by ticket sales alone. If you don’t like his movies, DON’T WATCH ‘EM!! But stop dissing the greatest director of our time because he ain’t your cup of tea. People who are ignorant of cinema from the 60’s and 70’s WILL NOT GET TARANTINO’S ideas. Period. IF that is you, either bone up on your movie rentals like STRAW DOGS, COFFY, DEATH RACE 2000, etc. and then pop in Pulp Fiction or Jackie Brown. OH AND LET ME CLEAR SOMETHING UP…FINCHER IS A GREAT DIRECTOR, BUT HIM AND TARANTINO ARE LIKE APPLES AND ORANGES. COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES AND GENRE. SOME DIRECTORS STAND ALONE IN THEIR WORK. FINCHER, HITCHCOCK, KUBRICK, ARGENTO, BAVA, FULCI…WHY COMPARE THESE MEN? THEY ARE ALL FANTASTIC AND VERY, VERY, VERY DIFFERENT FILMMAKERS!!!!! And DEATH PROOF is so chock full of brilliance that I could teach a film class on it. And if you don’t believe me, I’ll follow this post up later with it’s brilliance. Everything in that movie is IMPORTANT, from the very first word spoken to the music playing in the bar. I love it, though, that everybody thinks it sucks. It just shows that our country is in the toilet. Tarantino SOOOOO knew what he was doing from his casting in that movie to the long (boring, to most…but important) dialogue. This movie was meant to be his masterpiece by him. And when you have EVERY great stuntman that ever lived working on this movie say that in all of their career they have never worked for a greater director…something’s gotta be right there!!! I put Death Proof as his #1 movie, Reservoir Dogs as #2 (this movie was the prelude to PULP FICTION…without Reservoir Dogs, no one would have known what to expect with PULP), Pulp Fiction as #3 (This movie made him famous), KIll Bill as #4 (I don’t look at this as 1 and 2 because it is one whole movie), and yes Jackie Brown is dead last, not because it is a bad movie, but because he really just made a Pam Grier movie – this really wasn’t original…kind of like when he directed CSI, the show itself was his template and we saw alot more of CSI than Tarantino (the sets were CSI sets that looked nothing like any of Tarantino’s movies)
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directors better than tarantino about 3 years ago
Jackie Brown is pop culture. It is one huge reference. Have you watched Foxy Brown or Coffy? He is totally just trying to make one of those films. And he does it well. But your comment about “real” film? This movie was his BIGGEST pop culture reference and his least original movie including the music which came from Coffy. Watch Death Proof again…there is more than Kurt Russell in that movie. I promise you.
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directors better than tarantino about 3 years ago
While you are correct his movies showcase his knowledge of film (especially Death Proof), we do have to credit him also with his vast knowledge and use of pop culture. Other directors will throw pop culture in their films, but pop culture is like a trademark to Quentin’s work. I believe that it creates nostalgia. I liked the Dukes of Hazzard music cue because what it did was it showed that the mood of the chase had lightened up (the audience was supposed to laugh at this point because Kurt Russell is no longer the big bad wolf as he was at the beginning, and it is black comedy he uses). I actually thought when I watched Death Proof for the very first time that that music cue was perfectly timed and used. I can understand why maybe you didn’t care for it, but I loved it. Jackie Brown was good but it, to me, did not feel like a Quentin Tarantino movie. There was WAAAAYY too much Robert Forster’s character which we needed to see him be a tough guy (Quentin only showed us his potential to use some weapons that he never uses). Also, by the end of the movie I am not wanting to buy the Delfonics album but rather burn it. The audience is so sick of that song that is overused as well (and it is a good song). Another problem with Jackie Brown are Samuel L.Jackson and Robert De Niro. Samuel’s hair and beard were not cool to me at all. And his stupid Kangol hat just sealed his fate for me. Robert De Niro did not play a good bumbling idiot fresh out of prison to me. Sid Haig was about the nicest and warmest judge I have ever seen in a movie.The story was told well in Jackie Brown, but the movie was TOOOO long. I remember that point in the film where I began to say, “Let’s get this thing over with!!!” There were parts of the movie I loved. The chicks who love guns video at the beginning was fantastic (aside from Samuel’s crappy interp of each gun). I liked the music, though one song being way overused (which I know was intentional). Pam Grier to me did not get used to her fullest (how come Quentin never uses full nudity?).Anyways, Deckard…I can say something GOOD about all of Quentin’s movies but you and I are polar opposites I am afraid to say. Kudos to your comments. I don’t want everyone to agree with my ideas. That would be boring.
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When is violence in film too much? about 3 years ago
Roth is not the savior of the horror film. Hostel was not a horror movie…it was just violence taken WAAAYY too far. Anyone can film people being butchered to death and call it film. He forgets that Tarantino moved the camera away from the cop getting his ear sliced off – we never see any blood. But people will tell you that in Reservoir Dogs, we see a cop getting his ear cut off. And that is because they turned their heads or closed their eyes and they met up with their worst nightmare – their own imagination. Roth leaves nothing to the imagination. He is just exploitation to the nth degree. Exploitation done tastefully is cool. Done the Roth way is just too much. I saw a forum asking which movies people have walked out on. For me, it was Hostel.
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When is violence in film too much? about 3 years ago
Roth is not the savior of the horror film. Hostel was not a horror movie…it was just violence taken WAAAYY too far. Anyone can film people being butchered to death and call it film. He forgets that Tarantino moved the camera away from the cop getting his ear sliced off – we never see any blood. But people will tell you that in Reservoir Dogs, we see a cop getting his ear cut off. And that is because they turned their heads or closed their eyes and they met up with their worst nightmare – their own imagination. Roth leaves nothing to the imagination. He is just exploitation to the nth degree. Exploitation done tastefully is cool. Done the Roth way is just too much. I saw a forum asking which movies people have walked out on. For me, it was Hostel.
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directors better than tarantino about 3 years ago
THIS IS TO MIKE SPENCE. YOU HAVE NAMED A BUNCH OF GREAT DIRECTORS, BUT TO SAY THEY ARE BETTER THAN EACH OTHER IS LIKE SAYING BACH IS BETTER THAN BEETHOVEN, WHEN IN ESSENCE WE NEED BOTH OF THEM EQUALLY AND FOR DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO CLASSICAL MUSIC. TARANTINO DOES THINGS SO DIFFERENTLY, HE SHOULD STRICTLY BE IN A CATEGORY BY HIMSELF, NOT COMPARED TO ANY OTHER DIRECTOR. WHO HAS MADE MOVIES TODAY LIKE TARANTINO? THE ONLY ONE I CAN THINK OF IS ROBERT RODRIGUEZ, AND HE ACTUALLY DOES A BETTER JOB IN GRINDHOUSE THAN TARANTINO. MY ONLY QUALM WITH RODRIGUEZ IS HE LEANS ON THE CRUTCHES OF DIGITAL CG EFFECTS WHILE TARANTINO IS STILL USING FILM.
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Who likes Tim Burton? I don't see much mention of him in here. about 3 years ago
I thnk Tim Burton is one of the great directors of all time. I think stylistically he is the master of his gothic genre of filmmaking. Visually, SLEEPY HOLLOW was one of the best movies I’ve ever taken in. But is Tim Burton as good as directors like Stanley Kubrick and others? We also have Tim Burton to thank for the resurrection of the superhero movie. The first Batman was so ahead of its time when it came out. Let me know what you think of this great filmmaker.
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Who likes Tim Burton? I don't see much mention of him in here. about 3 years ago
Thanks for responding to my forum topic. I haven’t seen all of Tim Burton’s films, but what I have seen by him I was surprised that he wasn’t mentioned very much here at the Auteurs. I do consider him to be groundbreaking as a filmmaker. I don’t see anything like his movies out there, and I can spot a Tim Burton movie just by the way it visually looks. Thank you for the advice to watch ED WOOD. I haven’t seen it.
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What do you think about Grindhouse cinema? Is it true filmmaking? about 3 years ago
From DIRTY MARY,CRAZY LARRY to VANISHING POINT to STRAW DOGS, these type of movies all push adrenaline, sex, drugs, and violence on the audience. These are just a few movies that are considered among Grindhouse films. Other movies can get into the zombie films like Lucio Fulci’s ZOMBIE or PLANET TERROR by Robert Rodriguez. Or you can even look at the Italian giallo’s like BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE or NEW YORK RIPPER. The question I am asking is: Are grindhouse movies to be regarded as great films?
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Tarantino...yay or nay? And why? about 3 years ago
Yay. Love all his films, especially his Grindhouse collab with Rodriguez.
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Can any slasher film with black gloves be considered a giallo? Or does it have to be Italian-made? about 3 years ago
I feel that traditionally it has to be an Italian film. But then there are movies made in America that have skirted the edges of the mold for a giallo: Scream trilogy, The Rain Killer, The Shining, American Psycho, Dressed to Kill, etc. What defines a giallo? Giallo means yellow in Italian and the genre is given this name for the pulp fiction books that were circulated in Italy with yellow covers that had slasher content in them. Is it the content or the country that makes the giallo? Are American attempts just coming up as plain yellow want to be’s.
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Mulholland Drive -- The Best Film of the 2000s (So Far)? about 3 years ago
Lost Highway, Blue Velvet, and Wild At Heart were all better than Mulholland Drive. Hell…Twin Peaks was better than Mulholland Drive. I didn’t particularly like the film myself. And I am a David Lynch fan. Best movie so far in the 21st century would have to be Grindhouse by Tarantino and Rodriguez. It’s not my fault that idiots refused to go watch the films. I’m sorry that you have to sit in your seats for 4hours of completely awesome cinema!!! I’m sorry that it isn’t Mission Impossible or another Nicholas Cage film produced by Bruckheimer! Grindhouse, creatively, had the potential to stand as the greatest collaboration of our time. But WE screwed that up. The chance was there to usher in exploitation film once again…and we shut the damn door on it!! Other great films were Passion of the Christ, There will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men, The Dark Knight, and Disney’s UP. I loved that animated old man…OK sorry for joking. IT was in 3D though, which was cool.
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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? about 3 years ago
70’s. You just got to love the style and diversity of films that were made in that decade. 70’s music also played a huge role in my enjoyment of the films in that time.
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Mulholland Drive -- The Best Film of the 2000s (So Far)? about 3 years ago
Alright Axel. Let me hear your superior breakdown of the greatness of Mulholland Drive, which I have seen 3 times, and it got worse not better. Here is your chance to change my mind. It better be good.
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Mulholland Drive -- The Best Film of the 2000s (So Far)? about 3 years ago
I didn’t think you’d reply when asked to lay your cards on the table.
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Can any slasher film with black gloves be considered a giallo? Or does it have to be Italian-made? about 3 years ago
Well Ben, I was watching The Shining with my brother (an avid giallo fan) and I mentioned how the beginning music sounded a little like Suspiria. IT was sort of a moment for both of us. Then I began really breaking down the story. Gialli typically focussed on actually seeing the knife penetrate the victim. In fact, that was what made the style of film stand out from regular horror films. In the Shining we see Scatman get his arm hacked off with an axe. Not to mention the claustrophobic sense we get in the scene where the famous “Here’s Johnny” speech was acted out. As we see the axe go through the door from clearly a giallo influence, we can see Jack Torrance’s wife holding what? A very LARGE giallo-like knife. Also her cacophonous screaming nonstop for five minutes while we hear the axe breaking the door down was reminiscent of the long scream at the ending credits of TENEBRAE.And we see her slice Nicholson’s hand. The camera does not pan away. Also, the choice of the axe as a weapon had been used in Tenebrae by Argento. The whole mood and sort of creepy supernatural elements of The Shining along with the crazy score that was very Goblin-esque, it seems as if Suspiria was an influence, although I am not sure which came first. Maybe, Suspiria was influenced by Kubrick. I mispoke when I put it in a list of possibles for giallo. It has giallo elements. But typically, gialli involve more of a city situation where a killer in black gloves is wreaking havoc and causing panic. The isolation of THE SHINING does disqualify the movie from actually being a giallo. It is somewhat of a slasher film though.
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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? about 3 years ago
Deckard…i couldn’t agree more. Nathan, thank you for your vast knowledge of the 50’s. I learned a lot from your reply.
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Who would do a better remake of The Wizard of Oz: Peter Jackson or Tim Burton? about 3 years ago
I think they would both do a good job on their own. But I think a collaboration would be out the roof awesome! Kind of like their SIN CITY.
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Who would do a better remake of The Wizard of Oz: Peter Jackson or Tim Burton? about 3 years ago
Should it be remade?
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Who would do a better remake of The Wizard of Oz: Peter Jackson or Tim Burton? about 3 years ago
Is everyone alright? I didn’t mean to blow up the site…maybe this idea was a little too far out of the box.
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Who would do a better remake of The Wizard of Oz: Peter Jackson or Tim Burton? about 3 years ago
Adam, you raise a possible good thread topic…are there any remakes that were better than the original? Deckard, you are right that everyone is remaking everything. Movies still yet to be redone like Jaws and Star Wars probably will be left alone since they are already 4 star classics. But they did remake Psycho. Why would anyone attempt to remake a Hitchcock film? There was so much going on in his films beyond what the naked eye could see….so much that Hitchcock challenged about our world.
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Are there any remakes that are better than the original film? about 3 years ago
You can thank Adam Cook for this thread. I don’t know of any that come to my mind. If you do know of one please let me know.
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Can any slasher film with black gloves be considered a giallo? Or does it have to be Italian-made? about 3 years ago
Deckard, in response to your opinion on the music in The Shining, it was only in the very beginning of the movie that I thought sounded Goblin-esque (and my brother agreed, who is a huge Argento fan). Mostly when the strange noises were happening within the opening music (not the music itself), kind of reminded me of the music at the first of Suspiria when the word “witch” was spoken through an effected microphone as the taxi cab was driving through the trees. In a similar way, we hear all sorts of effected unnerving vocals being layed over the opening score of The Shining. Certainly, the music is not a match for Goblin, but some of the same ideas were used to create possibly a similar tone. Another reason why I see a huge giallo influence in The Shining is that I read the book before watching Kubrick’s adaptation. There is no axe used in the book, but a croquet mallet instead. Kubrick abandoned Stephen KIng’s idea for the mallet and went with the axe. Why? Giallo influence. As subtle as it may appear to you, Deckard, he slipped the axe in, I believe, to draw that type of movie-goer that watched TENEBRAE and loved the screaming and the blood. Kubrick took King’s book from average to menacing. I’m not sure Kubrick would even have admitted being influenced by anyone. He was an artist who liked things done his way. But, I believe influences can be seen in Kubrick’s work. Again, I am not saying The Shining is a giallo. I just had a hunch that there was some subtle and obvious influences in the movie. I hope this explains my last post better.
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Are there any remakes that are better than the original film? about 3 years ago
It seems as if the majority of people have listed The Thing by John Carpenter
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Are there any remakes that are better than the original film? about 3 years ago
It seems like the concensus so far is that The Thing by John Carpenter is the best remake over Hawk’s version. Good answers from everyone. I think another good thread would be what was better, the book or the movie? for movies that are adaptations. Feel free to post the thread if you think it is a good idea.
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Who are your favorite Italian directors and what are your favorite Italian films? about 3 years ago
Michelangelo Antonioni “Blow-up”, Sergio Leone “Once Upon A Time In The West”, Federico Fellini “8 1/2”, “La Dolce Vita”, Lucio Fulci “Zombie”, Dario Argento “Tenebrae”, “Deep Red”, “Bird With The Crystal Plumage” (Ok pretty much all of his films), Luchino Visconti “The Damned”
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10 GREATEST FILMS IN YOUR OPINION!!!(in order) about 3 years ago
1. Star Wars IV
2. Wizard of Oz
3. Jaws
4. Psycho
5. The Shining
6. Alien
7. Blade Runner
8. Pulp Fiction
9. The Matrix
10. Eyes Wide Shut
This was difficult for me because there are many films that are better than these, in my opinion. Just not greater. Greatness is a class of film that is groundbreaking for the future of films. I believe that each film I listed was the flagship for what film should be in the days that they were in the theatres. Star Wars to me (and I am not a fan at all) was so ahead of its time and groundbreaking. The Wizard of Oz is just such a classic film that is so perfectly made and untouchable. Jaws really changed the world’s perspective forever about swimming in any body of water, as much as Psycho still to this day makes me uncomfortable in a shower. The Shining was groundbreaking for the horror film because of its perfect casting of Nicholson (which is the role that most remember him for along with Carnal Knowledge), and for its pacing and cinematography that were unlike anything the world had ever witnessed in a horror film. Alien was another movie that just shook me up when I saw it. I remember feeling unsafe in the darkened theatre the first time I saw it. Blade Runner was another film ahead of its time. It was The Matrix movie in its day. Pulp Fiction came first before The Matrix which is the only reason it is my #8. It was another pioneer in filmmaking. Everyone since Pulp Fiction has tried to emulate it and has failed miserably. The Matrix as my #9 is because it introduced bullet-time and other filming techniques that were essential in the DVD revolution moving forward. Finally, Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut was great in every way: casting, plot, Nicole Kidman naked, the orgy scene, the paranoia. There may be a film that is more deserving than Eyes Wide Shut in #10 spot but I can’t think of one immediately.
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Whats the scariest film ever or some of ur favorites about 3 years ago
Scariest movies would be #1 The Exorcist and #2 The Shining. Nothing to me is scarier than The Exorcist when she comes down the stairs all twisted funny and you hear those freaky piano notes as she descends. The movie just makes you feel terrible while you are watching it. One movie that is neck and neck with The Shining is the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. That was a freaky movie. Another movie that made me feel ill for a week after I watched it was Suspiria. I kept feeling like maggots were falling from the ceiling on me. Other movies include Alien, Jaws, Psycho, Halloween, Prince of Darkness, The Thing, Zombie, Tenebrae, Trilogy of Terror (with that little brown voodoo doll that comes to life when his necklace breaks), and Blair Witch Project.
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directors better than tarantino about 3 years ago
I agree to disagree…and OUCH on the Phillip Glass comment.
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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? about 3 years ago
What a great thread this turned out to be. Let the posts keep coming in.
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