Doomsday
Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 23,149
Likes: 6,687
Location:
Last Online Oct 7, 2024 14:57:06 GMT -5
|
Post by Doomsday on Jul 22, 2016 11:10:02 GMT -5
|
|
RedStorm901
Production Manager
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 799
Likes: 179
Location:
Last Online Nov 12, 2021 23:35:54 GMT -5
|
Post by RedStorm901 on Jul 22, 2016 13:20:18 GMT -5
I'll do Fail-Safe, never seen that one.
|
|
RedStorm901
Production Manager
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 799
Likes: 179
Location:
Last Online Nov 12, 2021 23:35:54 GMT -5
|
Post by RedStorm901 on Jul 25, 2016 13:00:10 GMT -5
Fail-Safe (1964)
Overall I'm pretty well versed on films from the 80's on up having seen many of them. The reason I wanted to try and watch 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die, and start doing this Film Club is to find gems like this movie that I have never heard of.
Fail-Safe takes place during the cold war and stars Henry Fonda as The President of the USA who must do everything in his power to convince the Soviet Chairman that faulty equipment caused a group of bombers to launch an attack on Moscow. Even 52 years after its release it is even more relevant today with the advancement of technology and mans reliance on it. One scene that really stuck out to me was when everyone was celebrating after a russian jet shot down one of the bombers and the General (I Believe) told everyone to shut up it's a not football game. The fact that they were glad that a couple of their own soliders just died albeit possibly avoiding a nuclear war was bittersweet. There's nothing I can really say I disliked about it, after just finishing watching it I'm still digesting an ending that I loved and didn't see coming.
A+
Also I'm in for the next round as well.
|
|
Justin
Script Supervisor
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 739
Likes: 355
Location:
Last Online Oct 17, 2017 12:05:25 GMT -5
|
Post by Justin on Jul 25, 2016 14:02:54 GMT -5
Count me in for the next round BTW.
|
|
Doomsday
Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 23,149
Likes: 6,687
Location:
Last Online Oct 7, 2024 14:57:06 GMT -5
|
Post by Doomsday on Jul 25, 2016 15:03:27 GMT -5
Fail-Safe (1964) Overall I'm pretty well versed on films from the 80's on up having seen many of them. The reason I wanted to try and watch 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die, and start doing this Film Club is to find gems like this movie that I have never heard of. Fail-Safe takes place during the cold war and stars Henry Fonda as The President of the USA who must do everything in his power to convince the Soviet Chairman that faulty equipment caused a group of bombers to launch an attack on Moscow. Even 52 years after its release it is even more relevant today with the advancement of technology and mans reliance on it. One scene that really stuck out to me was when everyone was celebrating after a russian jet shot down one of the bombers and the General (I Believe) told everyone to shut up it's a not football game. The fact that they were glad that a couple of their own soliders just died albeit possibly avoiding a nuclear war was bittersweet. There's nothing I can really say I disliked about it, after just finishing watching it I'm still digesting an ending that I loved and didn't see coming. A+Also I'm in for the next round as well. Awesome! I've recommended it to a few others for the film club and I think it's one of the most well-received movies I throw up. Well this and OSS 117: Lost in Rio.
|
|
PhantomKnight
CS! Gold
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 20,426
Likes: 3,079
Location:
Last Online Oct 7, 2024 14:22:39 GMT -5
|
Post by PhantomKnight on Jul 26, 2016 8:36:24 GMT -5
Still waiting on Jibbs... Star Trek Beyond must've really numbed him into a state of indifference.
|
|
Jibbs
Administrator
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 75,725
Likes: 1,657
Location:
Last Online Feb 20, 2024 18:06:23 GMT -5
|
Post by Jibbs on Jul 26, 2016 18:42:30 GMT -5
|
|
Jibbs
Administrator
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 75,725
Likes: 1,657
Location:
Last Online Feb 20, 2024 18:06:23 GMT -5
|
Post by Jibbs on Jul 26, 2016 18:45:31 GMT -5
I'll go with The Gift.
|
|
PhantomKnight
CS! Gold
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 20,426
Likes: 3,079
Location:
Last Online Oct 7, 2024 14:22:39 GMT -5
|
Post by PhantomKnight on Jul 27, 2016 12:56:29 GMT -5
And I'll go with Nausicaa, which will be my first Miyazaki film.
|
|
Jibbs
Administrator
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 75,725
Likes: 1,657
Location:
Last Online Feb 20, 2024 18:06:23 GMT -5
|
Post by Jibbs on Jul 27, 2016 19:42:11 GMT -5
Iiiiinteresting.
|
|
PhantomKnight
CS! Gold
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 20,426
Likes: 3,079
Location:
Last Online Oct 7, 2024 14:22:39 GMT -5
|
Post by PhantomKnight on Jul 27, 2016 19:51:17 GMT -5
It was between that or Pandorum, and I wasn't quite sure about Pandorum.
|
|
Neverending
CS! Platinum
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 65,274
Likes: 8,557
Location:
Member is Online
|
Post by Neverending on Jul 27, 2016 21:08:53 GMT -5
And I'll go with Nausicaa, which will be my first Miyazaki film. Well... it IS the first Miyazaki movie. Unless you wanna count Lupin the 3rd. I love Lupin the 3rd, as do most anime fans, but that was strictly work-for-hire. Nausica is the first genuine Miyazaki movie.
|
|
PhantomKnight
CS! Gold
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 20,426
Likes: 3,079
Location:
Last Online Oct 7, 2024 14:22:39 GMT -5
|
Post by PhantomKnight on Jul 27, 2016 21:15:17 GMT -5
Iiiinteresting.
|
|
Jibbs
Administrator
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 75,725
Likes: 1,657
Location:
Last Online Feb 20, 2024 18:06:23 GMT -5
|
Post by Jibbs on Jul 27, 2016 22:09:43 GMT -5
Lupin the 3rd was awful.
|
|
Jibbs
Administrator
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 75,725
Likes: 1,657
Location:
Last Online Feb 20, 2024 18:06:23 GMT -5
|
Post by Jibbs on Jul 30, 2016 14:15:54 GMT -5
I'm sorry I put this off so long. I really haven't been watching many movies these days and have trouble motivating myself to do so.
Heaven Can Wait (1943)
Heaven Can Wait is the story of a man's life from boyhood to death as told to "His Excellency" (The Devil) at the gates of Hell. It starts of with a heavy comedy feel to it, but by the end it's a more or less drama character study. I would have liked to have seen more of the dark and witty humor that is weighted more towards the opening, but it was still a very good movie. The main character, Henry Van Cleve (Don Ameche), is a bit of a playboy Casanova-type, but the movie showcases his sympathetic side just enough to make a unique and compelling case...for his soul. The movie also thankfully avoids a lot of the 40s cinema stereotypes that I'm really not a big fan of. Even the obligatory "man hounds woman enough until she falls in love with him and marries him that same day" was a least done slightly in jest and early in the movie.
His Excellency: "I presume your funeral was satisfactory."
Henry Van Cleve: "Well, there was a lot of crying, so I believe everybody had a good time."
***/****
|
|
Neverending
CS! Platinum
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 65,274
Likes: 8,557
Location:
Member is Online
|
Post by Neverending on Jul 30, 2016 21:44:17 GMT -5
I'm sorry I put this off so long. I really haven't been watching many movies these days and have trouble motivating myself to do so. Heaven Can Wait (1943)Heaven Can Wait is the story of a man's life from boyhood to death as told to "His Excellency" (The Devil) at the gates of Hell. It starts of with a heavy comedy feel to it, but by the end it's a more or less drama character study. I would have liked to have seen more of the dark and witty humor that is weighted more towards the opening, but it was still a very good movie. The main character, Henry Van Cleve (Don Ameche), is a bit of a playboy Casanova-type, but the movie showcases his sympathetic side just enough to make a unique and compelling case...for his soul. The movie also thankfully avoids a lot of the 40s cinema stereotypes that I'm really not a big fan of. Even the obligatory "man hounds woman enough until she falls in love with him and marries him that same day" was a least done slightly in jest and early in the movie. His Excellency: "I presume your funeral was satisfactory." Henry Van Cleve: "Well, there was a lot of crying, so I believe everybody had a good time." ***/****Isn't this the Chris Rock movie where he trades places with an old white guy?
|
|
Dracula
CS! Gold
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 26,028
Likes: 5,687
Location:
Last Online Oct 7, 2024 15:04:48 GMT -5
|
Post by Dracula on Jul 30, 2016 22:01:00 GMT -5
I'm sorry I put this off so long. I really haven't been watching many movies these days and have trouble motivating myself to do so. Heaven Can Wait (1943)Heaven Can Wait is the story of a man's life from boyhood to death as told to "His Excellency" (The Devil) at the gates of Hell. It starts of with a heavy comedy feel to it, but by the end it's a more or less drama character study. I would have liked to have seen more of the dark and witty humor that is weighted more towards the opening, but it was still a very good movie. The main character, Henry Van Cleve (Don Ameche), is a bit of a playboy Casanova-type, but the movie showcases his sympathetic side just enough to make a unique and compelling case...for his soul. The movie also thankfully avoids a lot of the 40s cinema stereotypes that I'm really not a big fan of. Even the obligatory "man hounds woman enough until she falls in love with him and marries him that same day" was a least done slightly in jest and early in the movie. His Excellency: "I presume your funeral was satisfactory." Henry Van Cleve: "Well, there was a lot of crying, so I believe everybody had a good time." ***/****Isn't this the Chris Rock movie where he trades places with an old white guy? That's Down to Earth, which is a remake of the 1970s Warren Beaty movie Heaven Can Wait, which was itself a remake of a 40s movie called Here Comes Mr. Jordan, which had a sequel called Down to Earth... and none of them have anything to do with the 40s Heaven Can Wait movie that is at issue here.
|
|
Jibbs
Administrator
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 75,725
Likes: 1,657
Location:
Last Online Feb 20, 2024 18:06:23 GMT -5
|
Post by Jibbs on Jul 31, 2016 0:40:54 GMT -5
Yeah, I was surprised it wasn't like the Warren Beatty one.
|
|
PhantomKnight
CS! Gold
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 20,426
Likes: 3,079
Location:
Last Online Oct 7, 2024 14:22:39 GMT -5
|
Post by PhantomKnight on Aug 3, 2016 17:54:11 GMT -5
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is my first Hayao Miyazaki experience, and I have to say I'm quite impressed overall. What immediately struck me about this movie was just how strong of a storyteller Miyazaki is, and how well he uses the animation medium for it. If I'm being totally honest, Nausicaa is a much more ambitious and exciting story than I was expecting. Miyazaki does quite an exceptional job of world-building here while never bogging the film down too much with exposition. You basically learn all you need to know as the plot chugs along and it's a world I was very intrigued by and wanted to spend more time in. On top of that, the film has some pretty exciting action sequences as well that fit into the narrative well. Sort of building off that, I really liked the character of Lord Yupa, a total badass who -- at times -- threatened to steal the movie from Nausicaa. In fact, I wouldn't have been opposed to a spinoff just about him. And Nausicaa herself is a very likable character, too.
But for all the movie's strengths, there are a few weaknesses as well. Such as the dialogue in the first act feeling too stilted and exposition-y/awkward, especially in Nausicaa's introduction scene, where she and Yupa are constantly saying things that sound like they'd be better suited as internal monologues/thoughts. I also have to question the presence of things like a prophecy of sorts -- which isn't needed, really, because the mythology of this world is already fascinating -- and the film ends in a way that seems a little at odds with the tone of the rest of the film. But overall, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is quite a good movie and one I'm glad I got to see, plus it gets me curious about Miyazaki's other films.
***/****
|
|
Jibbs
Administrator
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 75,725
Likes: 1,657
Location:
Last Online Feb 20, 2024 18:06:23 GMT -5
|
Post by Jibbs on Aug 3, 2016 18:18:16 GMT -5
Awesome.
|
|
Dracula
CS! Gold
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 26,028
Likes: 5,687
Location:
Last Online Oct 7, 2024 15:04:48 GMT -5
|
Post by Dracula on Aug 3, 2016 18:21:19 GMT -5
You don't know the half of it, Nausicca is kind of an early and not entirely formed work, there's bigger and better things ahead if you keep pursuing his work.
|
|
PhantomKnight
CS! Gold
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 20,426
Likes: 3,079
Location:
Last Online Oct 7, 2024 14:22:39 GMT -5
|
Post by PhantomKnight on Aug 3, 2016 18:28:11 GMT -5
In reading some other reviews of it since writing my own, one of the common beliefs seems to be that Nausicaa is pretty much an "audition" for Princess Mononoke, which gets me even more interested in seeing that film.
|
|
PG Cooper
CS! Silver
Join Date: Feb 2009
And those who tasted the bite of his sword named him...The DOOM Slayer
Posts: 16,551
Likes: 4,013
Location:
Last Online Oct 7, 2024 14:57:09 GMT -5
|
Post by PG Cooper on Aug 3, 2016 18:44:18 GMT -5
In reading some other reviews of it since writing my own, one of the common beliefs seems to be that Nausicaa is pretty much an "audition" for Princess Mononoke, which gets me even more interested in seeing that film. That's accurate. Also, Princess Mononoke is awesome.
|
|
PG Cooper
CS! Silver
Join Date: Feb 2009
And those who tasted the bite of his sword named him...The DOOM Slayer
Posts: 16,551
Likes: 4,013
Location:
Last Online Oct 7, 2024 14:57:09 GMT -5
|
Post by PG Cooper on Aug 3, 2016 19:02:18 GMT -5
When I heard Charlotte Rampling had been nominated for an Oscar for 45 Years, my reaction was similar to most: "What the fuck is 45 Years?" I'm not exactly proud of my cinematic ignorance on that one, but the film did sort of slip under the radar and having now seen it I can sort of see why. Not that this is a bad film, far from it in fact. This is actually a really smart analysis of an elderly couple living contently who have their relationship challenged by a seemingly minor incident from the husband's past. Rampling's performance is indeed excellent and Tom Courtney is also great as her husband. Both give really subtle performances and show the slow transition and coming of pain very well.
This is a very good movie that has some real insight into people and it also examines an age that few movies seem to lately, or at least seem to with any degree of seriousness and dignity. And yet, something about the film didn't grab me. Much as I was interested in the couple's plight, I was never emotionally invested and found myself pretty cold to what was happening on screen. It wasn't until the film's ending that I really felt something personally. All told, 45 Years does seem a little bit minor, but it remains a smart piece of filmmaking with some great acting at its center.
B+
|
|
Jibbs
Administrator
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 75,725
Likes: 1,657
Location:
Last Online Feb 20, 2024 18:06:23 GMT -5
|
Post by Jibbs on Aug 11, 2016 20:16:01 GMT -5
The Gift (2015)
The Gift is about a rich couple who have a run-in with a man from the husband's past. What starts as a stranger overstaying his welcome leads into more serious situations.
Overall I enjoyed watching this movie. Once it got going it had very good pacing and avoided cliché thriller/horror moments that I was afraid of. The movie is more than just a thriller about a stalker, but I'm not sure the themes involved with this side of the movie were as strong as they think. Also, there was an odd side-story involving a drug problem with the wife that really didn't mean anything. In fact, I think it may have been thrown in to mask an event that leads to a major twist. The acting was good and I enjoyed Jason Bateman in this role - not something I've said a lot since Arrested Development.
I think what ultimately prevents this from being a solid 3 star film is that although the film was built well around the "real story" slowly coming out of the woodwork, it was both a bit obvious from early on where it was going, and I could still even remember trailers that had no problem pointing this out. When I'm stuck between a 3 and 2.5 star rating, I try to think if I would want to see it again or if I'd get the same amount or more out of it, and I don't think I would.
**.5/****
|
|