1godzillafan
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Post by 1godzillafan on May 30, 2020 9:41:08 GMT -5
PG Cooper, that is one hot take you got there. This in regards to your Fugitive slander My Fair Lady slander just as bad.
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on May 30, 2020 9:43:27 GMT -5
PG Cooper, that is one hot take you got there. This in regards to your Fugitive slander It's a good movie, just not one I've thought about since I first saw it. Maybe I'll rewatch it. This in regards to your Fugitive slander My Fair Lady slander just as bad. Audrey Hepburn does indeed rule in the film.
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1godzillafan
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Post by 1godzillafan on May 30, 2020 10:01:34 GMT -5
PG Cooper knows he dare not challenge my love of Audrey Hepburn.
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IanTheCool
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Post by IanTheCool on May 30, 2020 10:32:13 GMT -5
The Fugitive has provided 2 great Simpsons spoofs, so it cant be discounted.
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1godzillafan
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Post by 1godzillafan on May 30, 2020 10:51:53 GMT -5
If I had the patience and/or discipline to do a top 100, The Fugitive would be on it. (My Fair Lady too, because I won't let it go)
TV show is great too.
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on May 30, 2020 11:15:56 GMT -5
Yeah, The Fugitive is really damn good. Has some great dashes of humor in it, too. One of my favorite examples of which is when Kimble is trying to get out of that one building while being chased by Gerard, and he tells some security guards, "There's a crazy man yelling and waving a gun back there." Then, seconds later, Gerard bursts out from the door: "STOP THAT MAN!!!"
Cracks me up every time.
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1godzillafan
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Post by 1godzillafan on May 30, 2020 11:32:20 GMT -5
That scene's great, and it leads straight into an excellent homage to Hitchcock's 39 Steps where Kimble makes his getaway by hiding in a parade.
The chase thrills in that movie are outstanding.
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Neverending
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Post by Neverending on May 30, 2020 14:02:10 GMT -5
Similar argument can be made for putting James Bond (and specifically citing his appearance in Dr. No) on their top 50 film heroes list. The James Bond films were financed by United Artists but treated as British films. Dr. No was released in October 1962 in the U.K. but the U.S. release wasn’t till May 1963. Similarly, From Russia With Love was also an October release for the U.K. (1963 in this case) but the U.S. didn’t get it till April 1964. Goldfinger was the first Bond film to be released within the same year in the U.K. and U.S., in this case, receiving a high profile date in the U.S. by being United Artists’ Christmas release. Thunderball was also a Christmas release and the first to come out in the U.S. before the U.K., so really, the first true American release. AFI should have put Thunderball on their list and shown a clip of Sean Connery punching a guy in drag.
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IanTheCool
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Post by IanTheCool on May 31, 2020 10:04:50 GMT -5
One of my favorite bits of the Undpooled podcast is they look for famous bad reviews of the AFI 100 films. Pauline Kael was wrong. A lot. Kael was a great writer with bad opinions. Speaking of Unspooled, their Bridge on the River Kwai review almost convinced me to do my own AFI podcast. Not worthy of the top 100 my ass. Huh. I've listened to the first half of this podcast, and she both seem really on board with this movie. I wonder what caused them to turn.,
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on May 31, 2020 21:22:46 GMT -5
Widows
*Spoilers*
I'm as big a fan of heist movies as anyone else. They've been around for decades and while the formula generally remains the same we keep going back to that sub-genre not so we can watch what's being stolen, we want to see who's doing it and how. Crime/heist films are largely dependent on the characters involved, whether we sympathize with them or root against them. Widows tries to take the heist formula and flip it, well not quite on it's face, more on it's side. We don't follow a crack team of professional thieves and how they meticulously plan out the perfect crime down to the last detail. Instead we watch how that crack team gets blown up in a crime gone bad and after a gangster demands his money back from the wife of the ringleader she assembles the rest of the widows of the gang, all green and with no experience in thievery, to take down the ultimate score.
Ultimately Widows is an effective movie. I say 'ultimately' because while it attempts to invoke drama with its ever building tension it tries very, very hard for you to feel certain things for characters that you may have already been feeling in the first place. There are heavy elements that are introduced but I sometimes thought they were trying to invoke anger in the audience when it didn't really need it, like it was trying to stir the pot just for the sake of coming off as thought provoking. Robert DuVall has a nice turn here as an elderly, racist politician who says the N-word and it's shown that he doesn't really care for his African American constituents, he just wanted power. We also learn that the son of the main couple/ringleaders was a half-black teenager who was killed by cops while reaching for his cell phone. These seem like pretty heavy elements to introduce in a movie about a heist only for them to be discarded and forgotten about. The movie isn't about those things so it jars you and rattles you out of the film. At times it also felt like it was trying to be too clever for its own good. I think you would have pretty much the same movie if you cut out the whole Liam Neeson double-cross storyline and just left the wives as the focus of the third act. I don't feel like his presence later in the movie really added anything to his character and removing him would have helped the movie flow rather than feel too twisty and turny.
I highlighted the main issues I had with Widows because the good things I thought worked quite nicely overall. It was suspenseful and the characters really stood out and played off each other well. The pacing and heightening work effectively and while the mood sometimes feels a little too somber and bleak for a caper film it was able to course correct when need be. I know Steve McQueen is a pretty hot commodity in Hollywood even though this was his first film in half a decade and I think this was a nice foray into a genre that didn't have to do with slaves, hunger strikes or dicks (admittedly I haven't seen Shame but I've heard a thing or two). While I'm not as crazy about his films as others I do recognize that he brings an unflinching, realistic eye to what he puts on camera in a way that other filmmakers often struggle to do. While Widows isn't so much of a realistic drama like his other films it does feel grounded and well constructed and that helps it overcome the flaws that it carries.
B+ so says Doomsday
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on May 31, 2020 21:26:53 GMT -5
Just so I don't have to dig through pages of stuff to keep track...
neverending - pgcooper dracula - thebtskink
phantomknight - Doomsday
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thebtskink
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Post by thebtskink on May 31, 2020 21:34:35 GMT -5
I'll watch mine tomorrow or Wednesday.
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on May 31, 2020 22:44:48 GMT -5
Take your time, I wasn’t trying to bug you guys, I copied and pasted which tagged you all by accident.
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on May 31, 2020 22:58:57 GMT -5
Widows*Spoilers*I'm as big a fan of heist movies as anyone else. They've been around for decades and while the formula generally remains the same we keep going back to that sub-genre not so we can watch what's being stolen, we want to see who's doing it and how. Crime/heist films are largely dependent on the characters involved, whether we sympathize with them or root against them. Widows tries to take the heist formula and flip it, well not quite on it's face, more on it's side. We don't follow a crack team of professional thieves and how they meticulously plan out the perfect crime down to the last detail. Instead we watch how that crack team gets blown up in a crime gone bad and after a gangster demands his money back from the wife of the ringleader she assembles the rest of the widows of the gang, all green and with no experience in thievery, to take down the ultimate score. Ultimately Widows is an effective movie. I say 'ultimately' because while it attempts to invoke drama with its ever building tension it tries very, very hard for you to feel certain things for characters that you may have already been feeling in the first place. There are heavy elements that are introduced but I sometimes thought they were trying to invoke anger in the audience when it didn't really need it, like it was trying to stir the pot just for the sake of coming off as thought provoking. Robert DuVall has a nice turn here as an elderly, racist politician who says the N-word and it's shown that he doesn't really care for his African American constituents, he just wanted power. We also learn that the son of the main couple/ringleaders was a half-black teenager who was killed by cops while reaching for his cell phone. These seem like pretty heavy elements to introduce in a movie about a heist only for them to be discarded and forgotten about. The movie isn't about those things so it jars you and rattles you out of the film. At times it also felt like it was trying to be too clever for its own good. I think you would have pretty much the same movie if you cut out the whole Liam Neeson double-cross storyline and just left the wives as the focus of the third act. I don't feel like his presence later in the movie really added anything to his character and removing him would have helped the movie flow rather than feel too twisty and turny. I highlighted the main issues I had with Widows because the good things I thought worked quite nicely overall. It was suspenseful and the characters really stood out and played off each other well. The pacing and heightening work effectively and while the mood sometimes feels a little too somber and bleak for a caper film it was able to course correct when need be. I know Steve McQueen is a pretty hot commodity in Hollywood even though this was his first film in half a decade and I think this was a nice foray into a genre that didn't have to do with slaves, hunger strikes or dicks (admittedly I haven't seen Shame but I've heard a thing or two). While I'm not as crazy about his films as others I do recognize that he brings an unflinching, realistic eye to what he puts on camera in a way that other filmmakers often struggle to do. While Widows isn't so much of a realistic drama like his other films it does feel grounded and well constructed and that helps it overcome the flaws that it carries. B+ so says Doomsday Awesome, glad you liked it! It was one I figured would be up your alley, and I was a little surprised you hadn't already seen it.
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Jun 3, 2020 10:22:30 GMT -5
Apocalypto (2006)
The trailer for Apocalypto promised "an experience unlike anything you've ever witnessed." Well, between that and the massive amounts of praise that have been heaped upon this movie since its release, I can happily say that it more than lives up to the hype. Before now, my only experiences with Mel Gibson as a director were Braveheart and Hacksaw Ridge, both very impressive efforts in their own right, but Apocalypto feels like it's on its own level by comparison. This is an impeccably-directed film, but also a hell of an experience -- and that phrase has never felt more accurate (but I mean that in a good way). Just like movies such as Mad Max: Fury Road in the years since, Apocalypto is driven almost purely by its action-adventure elements and rarely ever lets up once it gets going. The first half hour DOES take the time to establish its setting, society and characters, however, and that right there is one of the ways this movie feels so fresh: not only do we get a rather vivid portrayal of Mayan civilization (a culture that's rarely, if ever, been portrayed on film), we also get just as vivid -- and brutal -- portrayal of the fall of said society, not to mention its more...um, interesting hallmarks such as human sacrifice. As a director, Gibson renders all these details in ways that are simultaneously compelling, beautiful and vicious, creating a rather visceral end result that was hard to take my eyes off of. The cinematography by Dean Semler is absolutely first-rate, capturing every detail of this world gorgeously, most of the time in all of its bone-crunching, blood-splattered glory. On top of that, this movie is just an extremely thrilling action movie. The whole Third Act, of course, is the part I've constantly heard singled out as particularly great, and that is definitely the case. Here, the movie becomes a big extended chase sequence as the main character, Jaguar Paw, races for his life against pursuers to make it back home. There are a number of thrilling mini-setpieces in this section that really showcase Mel Gibson's talent for filming violence and action. And even though this movie has very simple plot and characterization, by this point, we're really invested in Jaguar Paw's plight, which makes this Third Act that much more exciting. Apocalypto may not offer anything very complex in the way of story or characters, but it more than fulfills its purpose, which is to be a pure action-adventure film, and as such, I think it's wholly satisfying and some of Mel Gibson's finest work as a director.
****/****
This is probably one of my favorite movies I've watched for this Film Club since its first iteration on the old boards. Thanks, Doomsday!
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1godzillafan
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Post by 1godzillafan on Jun 3, 2020 10:30:19 GMT -5
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Jun 3, 2020 11:54:08 GMT -5
Apocalypto (2006)
The trailer for Apocalypto promised "an experience unlike anything you've ever witnessed." Well, between that and the massive amounts of praise that have been heaped upon this movie since its release, I can happily say that it more than lives up to the hype. Before now, my only experiences with Mel Gibson as a director were Braveheart and Hacksaw Ridge, both very impressive efforts in their own right, but Apocalypto feels like it's on its own level by comparison. This is an impeccably-directed film, but also a hell of an experience -- and that phrase has never felt more accurate (but I mean that in a good way). Just like movies such as Mad Max: Fury Road in the years since, Apocalypto is driven almost purely by its action-adventure elements and rarely ever lets up once it gets going. The first half hour DOES take the time to establish its setting, society and characters, however, and that right there is one of the ways this movie feels so fresh: not only do we get a rather vivid portrayal of Mayan civilization (a culture that's rarely, if ever, been portrayed on film), we also get just as vivid -- and brutal -- portrayal of the fall of said society, not to mention its more...um, interesting hallmarks such as human sacrifice. As a director, Gibson renders all these details in ways that are simultaneously compelling, beautiful and vicious, creating a rather visceral end result that was hard to take my eyes off of. The cinematography by Dean Semler is absolutely first-rate, capturing every detail of this world gorgeously, most of the time in all of its bone-crunching, blood-splattered glory. On top of that, this movie is just an extremely thrilling action movie. The whole Third Act, of course, is the part I've constantly heard singled out as particularly great, and that is definitely the case. Here, the movie becomes a big extended chase sequence as the main character, Jaguar Paw, races for his life against pursuers to make it back home. There are a number of thrilling mini-setpieces in this section that really showcase Mel Gibson's talent for filming violence and action. And even though this movie has very simple plot and characterization, by this point, we're really invested in Jaguar Paw's plight, which makes this Third Act that much more exciting. Apocalypto may not offer anything very complex in the way of story or characters, but it more than fulfills its purpose, which is to be a pure action-adventure film, and as such, I think it's wholly satisfying and some of Mel Gibson's finest work as a director.
****/****
This is probably one of my favorite movies I've watched for this Film Club since its first iteration on the old boards. Thanks, Doomsday ! Glad you liked it! It really is one of my favorite movies from the 2000s and it gets better with repeat viewings. It breaks a lot of rules and benefits strongly from it.
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Jun 3, 2020 12:11:30 GMT -5
Yeah, I read how it was partly borne out of Mel Gibson's overall frustration at the current state of Hollywood movies and how he just wanted to make something different, more stripped-down, etc. Well, mission accomplished!
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thebtskink
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Post by thebtskink on Jun 3, 2020 13:11:51 GMT -5
This was a week or so of content for radio shows when it came out. So many usable quotes.
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Jun 3, 2020 13:20:24 GMT -5
This was a week or so of content for radio shows when it came out. So many usable quotes. (Very NSFW)
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thebtskink
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Post by thebtskink on Jun 3, 2020 15:49:49 GMT -5
It's time to welcome Mel back.
Get him drunk and angry at least once per movie, tape him with hidden cameras, and release the footage. Only cowards would say no to that.
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thebtskink
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Post by thebtskink on Jun 4, 2020 21:32:27 GMT -5
The Florida Project was great. Review up by end of weekend.
I'm so glad I was offered this movie.
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Jun 4, 2020 22:04:13 GMT -5
The Florida Project was great. Review up by end of weekend. I'm so glad I was offered this movie. Cool. My review might be a little late but the movie should be watched sometime next week.
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Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Jun 5, 2020 7:14:06 GMT -5
OBSESSION (1976)Yup, that's a patented Neverending list if I ever saw one. Obsession (1976) Of the major filmmaking talent that established themselves in the 1970s, Brian DePalma is probably the one I'm least familiar with. Sure I've see Untouchables and Scarface and Mission: Impossible and he also has more than his fair share of stinkers but I'm very unfamiliar with his earlier work that came out in a time when Hollywood was in a huge state of flux. DePalma was never a commercial household name like Steven Spielberg or George Lucas nor was he really considered a popular auteur like Martin Scorsese or Francis Ford Coppola. His entire body of work seems to greatly range between hitting it out of the park and going way, way off the mark. I think that can be a really good thing though because it's often the sign of an artist pushing their craft and themselves forward. I like someone with some balls and as far as I'm concerned it takes balls to remake a movie like Vertigo. From the start Obsession feels very Hitchcockian and the influences are plentiful. Uncle Ben plays Michael Courtland, a successful real estate developer happily married with a wife and child. After an anniversary party the Courtland girls are kidnapped and are both killed after a botched rescue attempt. Years later Michael and his business partner Lasalle (John Lithgow) are visiting Italy to close a deal when Michael sees a woman the spitting image of his wife in the same church where they first met. He introduces himself to her, takes her out, romances her and slowly begins to mold her into the image of his wife. As the affair continues however Courtland discovers that there's a more sinister scheme behind the romance, one that's been years in the making. To keep it short and sweet, Obsession is a very engrossing movie and is a great example of a movie whose slow pace and established atmosphere greatly serve the building tension and suspense. Speaking of Hitchcock, Bernard Hermann's score is also a fantastic addition. My only major gripe with the movie is the predictable twist with Lasalle. Not only do you see his backstabbing coming, his plan didn't make a whole lot of sense. Fortunately that's all overshadowed by Cliff Robertson's great performance and the steady buildup to the very end. A- so says Doomsday Rewatched this for the first time in YEARS. On the surface, it’s a really stupid movie — but it has a dreamlike/nightmarish quality to it that is quite engrossing.
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Deexan
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Post by Deexan on Jun 8, 2020 9:53:49 GMT -5
Doomsday recommended The Sweet Smell of Success for someone and I thought he meant this classic.
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