145 replies to this topic

[Thom Wade]

Rich Kennedy, on 18 December 2009 - 05:55 PM, said:

American Pie I & II, An American Wedding, A Wedding, all Farrely Brothers, almost. Liar, Liar!, any of the Zucker, Abrams, Zucker (Airplane I&II, Young Doctors In Love, Top Secret),
Canadian Bacon, Octopussy, Payback, Gremlins II, for starters.

I am in agreement with most of these.

My contribution? Deep Rising.

[J.A.A. Purves]

Choke
We Own the Night
Rocky Balboa
Romance & Cigarettes
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Troy
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog
Payback

Edited by Persiflage, 15 January 2011 - 04:38 PM.

[NBooth]

Quote

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

I'll join you in that one. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is an absolute riot.

May need a re-watch, but as I recall, I was more intrigued with My Son, My Son, What have Ye Done? than pretty much anyone else on the planet. Of course, along with CQ and Masked and Anonymous, it goes on my list of "movies that are pretentious and probably terrible but which exert a strange attraction for me."

Edited by NBooth, 15 January 2011 - 05:35 PM.

[Andrew]

Persiflage, on 15 January 2011 - 04:29 PM, said:

Choke
We Own the Night
Rocky Balboa
Romance & Cigarettes
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Troy
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog
Payback

I'm with you on Troy and Confessions.

Critically, I understand why Troy is lame, but I've still found it engrossing both times I've watched it, and would love to see it again.

With Confessions, I think Clooney and company did some fascinating things with the imagery and narrative, Sam Rockwell played a great Chuck Barris, and I have fond memories of watching 'The Gong Show' with my family as a kid.

Edited by Andrew, 15 January 2011 - 06:34 PM.

[Persona]

I find Confessions of a Dangerous Mind fascinating, actually, and if you watch the director's commentary, some of the things they did in that film were brilliant.

[Nathan Douglas]

Andrew, on 15 January 2011 - 06:33 PM, said:

Critically, I understand why Troy is lame, but I've still found it engrossing both times I've watched it, and would love to see it again.

Have you seen the 3 hour director's cut? The extra material improves the overall pacing -- it actually feels like a faster film -- and gives more time to Peter O'Toole and Sean Bean. It also adds some much more brutally violent bits that do a better job of grounding the film in its intent to make a gritty re-telling of the myth than the original cut did.

I say that as one who, at the time of release, easily fit the prime target audience for Troy (teenagers still high on Return of the King and endless aerial battle shots), and who hated the original cut when I saw it in the theater. But the DC makes me kind of fond of it.

[Andrew]

Quote

Have you seen the 3 hour director's cut? The extra material improves the overall pacing -- it actually feels like a faster film -- and gives more time to Peter O'Toole and Sean Bean. It also adds some much more brutally violent bits that do a better job of grounding the film in its intent to make a gritty re-telling of the myth than the original cut did.

No, I haven't seen this - thanks for pointing it out. And it looks like Netflix carries this version - reading their description reminded me of other reasons I liked Troy: actors like Brendan Gleeson and Brian Cox at their scenery-chewing finest.

[Ryan H.]

N.W. Douglas, on 15 January 2011 - 11:00 PM, said:

Andrew, on 15 January 2011 - 06:33 PM, said:

Critically, I understand why Troy is lame, but I've still found it engrossing both times I've watched it, and would love to see it again.

Have you seen the 3 hour director's cut? The extra material improves the overall pacing -- it actually feels like a faster film -- and gives more time to Peter O'Toole and Sean Bean. It also adds some much more brutally violent bits that do a better job of grounding the film in its intent to make a gritty re-telling of the myth than the original cut did.

I say that as one who, at the time of release, easily fit the prime target audience for Troy (teenagers still high on Return of the King and endless aerial battle shots), and who hated the original cut when I saw it in the theater. But the DC makes me kind of fond of it.

I saw the DC and didn't consider it any major improvement. I did like seeing more Sean Bean, but all in all, I didn't think the extra material added that much. And what they did with the music--some of it original score, some of it recognizable temp track taken from films like the Burton PLANET OF THE APES--bugged me a bit, especially when they had a pretty decent, unused Gabriel Yared score to rely on.

[Cunningham]

Intolerable Cruelty
Pirates II
Rat Race

[Rich Kennedy]

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang; Intolerable Cruelty. Oh yes, absolutely. Anything that can contain, to some extent, Downey, Jr and Kilmer deserves a watch.

Super Troopers

Edited by Rich Kennedy, 16 January 2011 - 08:02 AM.

[BethR]

Bollywood movies have millions of fans worldwide, but very few on this board. I'm no expert, but Lagaan, Veer-Zaara, Jodha-Akbar, Asoka, and Swades stand out, both visually and for some slamming musical numbers.

[Darrel Manson]

BethR, on 16 January 2011 - 08:23 AM, said:

Bollywood movies have millions of fans worldwide, but very few on this board. I'm no expert, but Lagaan, Veer-Zaara, Jodha-Akbar, Asoka, and Swades stand out, both visually and for some slamming musical numbers.

Interestingly, A Bollywood film - Well Done, Abba(I think it's probably Bollywood-lite, only 2 musical numbers) - was included in the Whitehead Film Festival this year. Not up to normal WIFF standards, but it wasn't a bad film. Lagaan is on my list to try out.

[Ryan H.]

LAGAAN was one of the most painful moviewatching experiences of my life.

[SDG]

BethR, on 16 January 2011 - 08:23 AM, said:

Bollywood movies have millions of fans worldwide, but very few on this board. I'm no expert, but Lagaan, Veer-Zaara, Jodha-Akbar, Asoka, and Swades stand out, both visually and for some slamming musical numbers.

Sharing the love on Jodha Akbar, among others.

[Rich Kennedy]

Lagaan was not so painful for me, but I enjoy sports motiefs anyway. Almost any Bollywood I've seen, even the hybrid stuff like Bride and Prejudice has been quite enjoyable, though the squeaky singing on the part of otherwise sultry voiced actesses takes getting used to.

I'm having a new appreciation of some of Alan Rudolph's work. I've often thought of him as a paint-drying version of Robert Altman. Saw The Moderns again when a DIA exhibit of frauds, fakes, and forgeries picqued my interest. I liked it. Very intriguing plot concerning just what the false might be and how one might discern the false and the forged.

[Anders]

I was under the impression that KISS KISS, BANG BANG is pretty well regarded by most film fans. Perhaps more under-seen than under-appreciated.

A movie that I love that is not loved by everyone else is Ridley Scott's KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, which I think is probably my favourite of his films since BLADE RUNNER. Granted, it grew on me. I didn't rave about it when I first saw it, but repeat viewing has raised it in my estimation. I doubt many have given it much repeat attention.

Also, SUNSHINE and LAST OF THE MOHICANS.

[Persona]

Anders, on 16 January 2011 - 02:14 PM, said:

Also, SUNSHINE and LAST OF THE MOHICANS.

Oh, come on. EVERYONE LOVES THOSE TWO.

[Nathan Douglas]

Ryan H., on 16 January 2011 - 06:20 AM, said:

I saw the DC and didn't consider it any major improvement. I did like seeing more Sean Bean, but all in all, I didn't think the extra material added that much. And what they did with the music--some of it original score, some of it recognizable temp track taken from films like the Burton PLANET OF THE APES--bugged me a bit, especially when they had a pretty decent, unused Gabriel Yared score to rely on.

Yeah, the Yared score was a nice throwback to the era of classic epic film scores. Funny; I think Troy was the first movie in which I was distracted by how much James Horner borrowed from himself, and after that couldn't sit through any movie he scored without listening for the same melodies.

Anders, on 16 January 2011 - 02:14 PM, said:

A movie that I love that is not loved by everyone else is Ridley Scott's KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, which I think is probably my favourite of his films since BLADE RUNNER. Granted, it grew on me. I didn't rave about it when I first saw it, but repeat viewing has raised it in my estimation. I doubt many have given it much repeat attention.

I love the Director's Cut of this film, warts and all. I think it comes close to being the most personal film Scott has ever made, particularly in how Balian's agnosticism reflect's Scott's own views (or at least did at the time of making and release).

[Overstreet]

Watership Down.

I love that movie. I've seen this movie more than any other animated film and it always smashes my heart to pieces. Part of this comes from my love of the novel. But much of it comes from a smart adaptation, astonishing animation, uncompromising and unflinching coverage of the story's darker chapters, and a score that I rate among the finest motion picture soundtracks I've ever heard. (And yes, I'll embrace the Art Garfunkel song along with the rest of it.)

John Hurt is great as a noble leader (for once!), and Zero Mostel's voice work as Keehaar is... um... the feather in the movie's cap.

[Ryan H.]

Rich Kennedy, on 16 January 2011 - 01:13 PM, said:

Lagaan was not so painful for me, but I enjoy sports motiefs anyway.

Apparently it wasn't so painful for many people; it was nominated for Best Foreign Film, if I recall.

But I fail to see what there is to love about it. It's even more cliched and dull than HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL, and twice as long.