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Post by Prince Hal on May 16, 2019 16:46:31 GMT -5
My wife had been trying to get me to watch Oh Brother Where Art Thou? for going on a decade now, as it is one of her favorite movies, but being a particular fan of musicals or George Clooney I had resisted, until recently when I learned that it was based on the Odyssey (something that had inexplicably escaped my attention for some reason). So this afternoon when she got home from work, we finally watched it. I quite enjoyed it, despite my misgivings about the genre and leading man. -M I don’t want no Fop. I’m a Dapper Dan man! I really love that movie. I quote from it in Court semi-regularly. "Pete, it's a fool that looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart." And about a hundred other great lines.
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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2019 9:16:02 GMT -5
I just watched the stylish movie ... Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and it was an amazing movie and by far my favorite Jude Law movie and it was really quite an adventure and the chemistry of him and Gwyneth Paltrow as Polly Perkins was excellent. Jolie and Bai Ling were excellent and they made it really an unique movie.
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Post by codystarbuck on May 20, 2019 12:25:55 GMT -5
I desperately wanted to enjoy that film and did enjoy segments of it; but, I hated Gwyneth Paltrow's performance. It just felt way too bland for a Lois Lane-type. Also, the plot seemed rather disjointed and Conran didn't really have a story to tell. He had a fan short that kind of grew beyond his control; an homage to times past. The visuals were great and I loved the design work of his brother. However, he really didn't capture the tone of those adventure films and serials, with the actors. Angelina Jolie and Giovanni Ribisi get it right and are great; Law is square jawed but kind of lacking in personality. Gwyneth is just moderate. She's playing a Rosalind Russell character and needed a snappier delivery. By the actor's accounts, Conran had the same problem that Lucas had in Star Wars; he didn't know how to direct actors. Lucas, at least, had developed a story; Conran had a short piece; but, didn't really have a notion how to enlarge it and it shows. I'm a story guy and that really stood out.
On the other side, there are some really great visual scenes in it and I love retro-future and pulp adventure; and, it had enough to grab my interest. I just wish there had been more time spent on story development, compared to effects work. I also think the lack of real sets greatly affected the actors, as they had little to work with. This is also an issue in the Star Wars Prequels, though it seemed more pronounced, here. I thought they should have gone the Babylon 5 route, with practical set pieces enhanced by CGI, not replaced by it.
I've also watched the other 2 CGI films of that era: Casshern and Immortal. Casshern is a darkly lit muddle of stuff blowing up and people getting carved up and all kinds of stuff flying across the screen, without much story, though lots of scenes of people standing around orating and looking pretty or evil. Immortal suffers from budget and from Enki Bilal being as obtuse in his film work as in the original comic (the Nikopol Trilogy). That thing is a great visual feast; but, is rather esoteric in its storytelling and the film matches that, though with less impressive visuals, as Bilal's art gives more life than the film's CGI could.
I think all three stand as a lesson for filmmakers that technology provides you with new tools; but, the essence of the medium is still storytelling; and, if you neglect it, you won't have a great film. You may still make millions of dollars, though, as the Transformers films show.
With Sky Captain, I was more mad that the poor box office killed the art book, for Kevin Conran's designs. I clipped out examples from film mags, of the time and wanted that book. However, it seems that it may still arrive (or did it finally get released? Last I saw it was delayed)
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2019 13:54:12 GMT -5
I'm kind of sad that you don't enjoy Sky Captain and Gwyneth Paltrow's performance in that movie. I thought that this movie had so much visual it's totally amazing film and I find it so attractive and all that. It's really a powerful film and its has that charm and like you've said ... retro/future aspects and that's an area that really pulls me into. I watch that film every year just the sheer joy of it.
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Post by beccabear67 on May 20, 2019 14:03:55 GMT -5
I liked Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow... about as much as The Rocketeer (though the Rocketeer comics were miles better than the movie), but maybe a notch below Pacific Rim. Paltrow looked more right for her movie than Jennifer Connolly did for The Rocketeer (but how many Bettie Pages were there around in 1991... now of course they're everywhere, but in '91 not so thick on the ground).
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Post by brutalis on May 21, 2019 9:04:23 GMT -5
Sunday afternoon kicked back and relaxed with 1956 George Montgomery western Canyon River. A few well known television faces with Peter Graves, Alan Hale Jr, Jack Lambert and William Fawcett and lady interest Marcia Henderson along for the trail ride. Longhorn steer prices are at an all time low and Montgomery a cattleman seemingly sells out his herd too cheaply according to other ranchers in the area. What they don't know is that Montgomery has a plan to get as much money together as he can, ride to Oregon and buy up new Hereford stock to cross breed back on his Wyoming ranch. Once the cattle are bought he can't find any trail hands interested in going back the opposite direction of the Oregon Trail during the "down season" before winter comes. He chooses to hire on a group of rowdy's who he impresses by standing down Hale Jr the big tough guy in town. Along with with Graves his foreman the crew begin the journey after Grave's has healed from a gun shot wound (received when crooked business men try to stop Montgomery's plan) and the young lady who helps him heal decides that she and her son will come along. Graves falls for the girl, but she has eyes for Montgomery so bitterly Graves joins up with the crooks to stop the trail drive. Later on Graves finds out Montgomery wants to help him set up his own ranch and will gift Graves with cattle and land. Graves tries to convince the crooks from their dirty business only to die saving the herd. Montgomery finishes the trail drive with the hired hands who he promises jobs working the ranch with him and declaring his love for the woman and child.
Not a big gun fight or Indian kind of western, more a slice of life and story driven movie where you see how tough life can be and the decisions you are faced with in living the western life. Good ensemble of actors and an amiable and enjoyable western. I have always like George Montgomery and he makes a splendid cowpoke! Worth your time for seeing something more than typical shooting and yahooing.
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Post by codystarbuck on May 21, 2019 22:18:13 GMT -5
I liked Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow... about as much as The Rocketeer (though the Rocketeer comics were miles better than the movie), but maybe a notch below Pacific Rim. Paltrow looked more right for her movie than Jennifer Connolly did for The Rocketeer (but how many Bettie Pages were there around in 1991... now of course they're everywhere, but in '91 not so thick on the ground). See, I enjoy Rocketeer way more. The story is there, you have a great villain and Dalton plays it with relish. Billy Campbell has the right touch as Cliff; maybe not as playful as the comic character; but, earnest and lively. Alan Arkin is always great, though the comic Peevy was more curmudgeonly. I thought Jennifer Connelly was fine; but, Jenny isn't Betty. They watered it down too much to avoid potential legal issues and connections to Bettie's past. of course, the real Bettie, reportedly, loved it when it was screened for her.
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Post by Prince Hal on May 22, 2019 5:49:29 GMT -5
I liked Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow... about as much as The Rocketeer (though the Rocketeer comics were miles better than the movie), but maybe a notch below Pacific Rim. Paltrow looked more right for her movie than Jennifer Connolly did for The Rocketeer (but how many Bettie Pages were there around in 1991... now of course they're everywhere, but in '91 not so thick on the ground). See, I enjoy Rocketeer way more. The story is there, you have a great villain and Dalton plays it with relish. Billy Campbell has the right touch as Cliff; maybe not as playful as the comic character; but, earnest and lively. Alan Arkin is always great, though the comic Peevy was more curmudgeonly. I thought Jennifer Connelly was fine; but, Jenny isn't Betty. They watered it down too much to avoid potential legal issues and connections to Bettie's past. of course, the real Bettie, reportedly, loved it when it was screened for her. And so many touches in Rocketeer that show how much the filmmakers loved the milieu: the Rondo Hatton henchman, the dirigible battle, Griffith Observatory, those beaautiful planes, the set piece in the restaurant, etc. And that great score by James Horner! Director Joe Johnston also did the first Captain America movie, which had much of the same affection for the 40s, a similar headlong pace and a nice blend of innocence and realism.
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Post by codystarbuck on May 22, 2019 10:13:07 GMT -5
See, I enjoy Rocketeer way more. The story is there, you have a great villain and Dalton plays it with relish. Billy Campbell has the right touch as Cliff; maybe not as playful as the comic character; but, earnest and lively. Alan Arkin is always great, though the comic Peevy was more curmudgeonly. I thought Jennifer Connelly was fine; but, Jenny isn't Betty. They watered it down too much to avoid potential legal issues and connections to Bettie's past. of course, the real Bettie, reportedly, loved it when it was screened for her. And so many touches in Rocketeer that show how much the filmmakers loved the milieu: the Rondo Hatton henchman, the dirigible battle, Griffith Observatory, those beaautiful planes, the set piece in the restaurant, etc. And that great score by James Horner! Director Joe Johnston also did the first Captain America movie, which had much of the same affection for the 40s, a similar headlong pace and a nice blend of innocence and realism. You also get to hear Jan, from The Office (Melora Hardin), sing. Plus, who didn't love the "captured" Nazi animation of the rocket pack-equipped stormtroopers? I give them credit for turning the inventor into someone that fits, when they had to go from Doc Savage to Howard Hughes. Plus, the kids at the end, with the oatmeal canister, was straight from one of Stevens' illustrations.
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2019 13:13:29 GMT -5
See, I enjoy Rocketeer way more. The story is there, you have a great villain and Dalton plays it with relish. Billy Campbell has the right touch as Cliff; maybe not as playful as the comic character; but, earnest and lively. Alan Arkin is always great, though the comic Peevy was more curmudgeonly. I thought Jennifer Connelly was fine; but, Jenny isn't Betty. They watered it down too much to avoid potential legal issues and connections to Bettie's past. of course, the real Bettie, reportedly, loved it when it was screened for her. And so many touches in Rocketeer that show how much the filmmakers loved the milieu: the Rondo Hatton henchman, the dirigible battle, Griffith Observatory, those beaautiful planes, the set piece in the restaurant, etc. And that great score by James Horner! Director Joe Johnston also did the first Captain America movie, which had much of the same affection for the 40s, a similar headlong pace and a nice blend of innocence and realism. The Score by James Horner was excellent.
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Post by Hoosier X on May 25, 2019 12:29:28 GMT -5
So far in May, I've watched twelve movies from the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" list. I'm going to Idaho for a few days and I doubt very much that I'll have time to watch any more films from the List before I go or while I'm there. (However, I did find Satantango (1994) online. Satantango is infamous in the 1001 community because it is seven and a half hours long and it has a reputation as a real snorer! It's a Hungarian film and I'm hoping I won't find it as much of a chore as has been suggested by some of the other reviewers. The truth is, I love some of the much-reviled films that I've seen! I love Vinyl and Jeanne Dielmann, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles. And I just watched Turkish Delight (1973), a film that has some very bad reviews in the 1001 community, and I thought it was great! I watched the first ten minutes of Satantango yesterday, just to get a taste, and it's cows wandering in a barn yard. For ten minutes! I kind of liked it. I will probably watch a few more segments of Satantango before I go to Idaho. Maybe I've seen enough Eastern European cinema that I almost get it.) Here are the films from the List that I've seen so far in May: Lola (1961) - This is probably a good starter film for people interested in the French New Wave. The protagonist is aimless and lacks ambition and hangs around in cafes, but he's not nearly as pretentious and unpleasant as a lot of the other French New Wave heroes. And Anouk Aimee as Lola is great! Murmur of the Heart (1971) - I liked this a lot more than I thought I would from the summary. And I would have been less cautious if I had known it was directed by Louis Malle, my favorite French director. This film is set in 1954, so I think the obnoxious teenage boys in Murmur of the Heart grew up to be French New Wave protagonists. The Harder They Come (1973) - Jamaican Cinema! Jimmy Cliff plays an aspiring songwriter and singer trying to make it big in the Kingston music scene. He runs into a few obstacles along the way. Great movie! Turkish Delight (1973) - Warning! This movie is not for the faint of heart! But it's AWESOME! It stars Rutger Hauer and it's directed by the guy who did Robocop, Starship Troopers and Showgirls! India Song (1975) - This is one of the other movies that everybody seems to hate. I didn't much like it myself. The actor who played Drax from Moonraker is in it! As is Delphine Seyrig, who played Jeanne Dielman, but she couldn't save this one. Too Early, Too Late (1981) - A French/Egyptian co-production that's about … well, I'm not really sure. I didn't hate it but I didn't really get it either. Project A, Part II (1987) - An awesome Jackie Chan movie! I've long wondered why they picked this particular Jackie Chan movie for the List instead of, say, Rumble in the Bronx. Now that I've seen Project A, Part II, I understand completely! A Tale of Winter (1992) - I liked this well enough but I saw so many good ones this month that A Tale of Winter doesn't stand out. Based on the few Eric Rohmer movies I've seen, this is easily his best! Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993) - This is very interesting and I'm guessing I would have gotten a lot more out of it if I knew more about Glenn Gould. Caro Diario (1994) - The title is Italian for "Dear Diary" and the director plays himself narrating his diary as he travels around Rome and the Italian islands, and then in the final third, he deals with a medical problem that's much more severe than it first appears. I liked this film a lot. It's not really a comedy, but there's one segment in the middle of the film that had me laughing out loud. Underground (1995) - Yugoslavian Cinema! This film is just nuts! It's three hours and it covers the time period from World War II to the early 1990s. I'm not even going to start to try to describe it beyond that. Highly recommended, and available on YouTube in two segments. Happiness (1998) - This is another one from May that I thought was great! It's not for the squeamish! Prepare to be very uncomfortable. A LOT!
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Post by codystarbuck on May 25, 2019 19:37:13 GMT -5
I like Paul Verhoeven's Dutch films (though I haven't seen Katie Tippel or Spetters); but, Turks Fruit, aka Turkish Delight is a rather disjointed affair. There is a great story in there; but it kind of gets lost a bit, in the middle. Loved the actress playing the Turkish woman (Monique van de Ven). Hauer is great and plays a not so likeable character, which is something you find in almost all of Verhoeven's Dutch films. His protagonists are usually complex people. Watching Hauer in these films you see how Hollywood has mostly wasted him (and some of his fellow actors, like Renee Soutendijk (though Jeroen Krabbe and Carice van Houten have done alright for themselves). Soldaat van Orange (Soldier of Orange) and Der Vierde Man (the 4th Man) are more accomplished films, with Soldaat probably being Verhoeven's best work.
If you explore Jackie Chan's filmography beyond the major ones re-released in the US, you can see why those didn't make it, compared to some of the others. Project A and Project A II are excellent period adventures, with Jackie's "brothers," Sammo Hung and Yuen Bao. They all grew up in Peking Opera together and have a tight bond that comes through in their films. The Project A films are probably the pinnacle of their work together, though Wheels on meals is pretty damn fun, with Benny the Jet Urquidez is one of the villain's tugs (Urquidez is the guy that John Cusack fights in the convenience store, in Grosse Pointe Blank). Jackie started to believe his own press, when he was making that film, and wanted to have a charity kickboxing fight with Urquidez, until someone showed him some footage of Urquidez's real fights. Jackie's martial arts training was for performance, not combat. He dropped the idea quickly.
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2019 7:30:54 GMT -5
Lola (1961) - This is probably a good starter film for people interested in the French New Wave. The protagonist is aimless and lacks ambition and hangs around in cafes, but he's not nearly as pretentious and unpleasant as a lot of the other French New Wave heroes. And Anouk Aimee as Lola is great! Loved this film and I'm a huge fan of Anouk Aimee! Murmur of the Heart (1971) - I liked this a lot more than I thought I would from the summary. And I would have been less cautious if I had known it was directed by Louis Malle, my favorite French director. This film is set in 1954, so I think the obnoxious teenage boys in Murmur of the Heart grew up to be French New Wave protagonists. I did not care for it for reasons that I just don't get it. India Song (1975) - This is one of the other movies that everybody seems to hate. I didn't much like it myself. The actor who played Drax from Moonraker is in it! As is Delphine Seyrig, who played Jeanne Dielman, but she couldn't save this one. I agree to your comments here and I did not care for it. Project A, Part II (1987) - An awesome Jackie Chan movie! I've long wondered why they picked this particular Jackie Chan movie for the List instead of, say, Rumble in the Bronx. Now that I've seen Project A, Part II, I understand completely! Loved this film and I'm a huge Jackie Chan fan ... I seen all of his films. Caro Diario (1994) - The title is Italian for "Dear Diary" and the director plays himself narrating his diary as he travels around Rome and the Italian islands, and then in the final third, he deals with a medical problem that's much more severe than it first appears. I liked this film a lot. It's not really a comedy, but there's one segment in the middle of the film that had me laughing out loud. Very true and I find it enjoyable and it's has a nice flow and I did laughed at that segment and I did missed about 3 minutes after that segment to compose myself. I had to rely on my friends to tell me what I missed out.Underground (1995) - Yugoslavian Cinema! This film is just nuts! It's three hours and it covers the time period from World War II to the early 1990s. I'm not even going to start to try to describe it beyond that. Highly recommended, and available on YouTube in two segments. Excellent Film ... I did see the two segments on YouTube a year ago.
My Comments about each film is inside the films that you listed here in italics.
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Post by Hoosier X on May 26, 2019 12:55:53 GMT -5
I see that I forgot to mention that I have only 17 films left from the 1001 list. If I can find them, I should be able to finish the List over the summer.
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2019 14:53:14 GMT -5
I see that I forgot to mention that I have only 17 films left from the 1001 list. If I can find them, I should be able to finish the List over the summer. That's would be an awesome achievement!
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