jurassic world was a great film. i wrote a review of it on my blog if anyone wants to see why i feel that way: http://smokelukeeveryday.tumblr.com/post/121719079490/more-teeth
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Media itt: movie/film discussion - Beware Spoilers
- Thread starter Jebus McAzn
- Start date
Someone needs to make me a gif of all 8 Sensates singing "What's Going On" for a new avy. Ok I talked about Sense8 Valk. It's amazing, but I'm only halfway done watching it.
#72 Das Boot
Set piece: The 3.5 hour movie. Don't get me wrong, the spectacle is absolutely spectacular. It's well worth seeing for the cinematography. I just want a little more story out of my nearly 4 hour movie than "submarine gets shit on repeatedly". It certainly uses its time more wisely than Lawrence of Arabia, it's hard to think of what I'd cut, but I'm still really scratching my head over what the movie was supposed to make me feel. Not that it's without it's good character and poignant moments, but when you're this long, I expect the plot to be offering a little bit more as well.
#73 Amélie
You know almost immediately that this is a movie that will either annoy the fuck out of you or suck you in with its bullshit. The director practically screams "pay attention to this movie, I'm awesome!". Well, I'll admit it eventually did suck me in a bit. Some scenes made me laugh like crazy, and by the end I was indoctrinated in its cuteness. What's it actually about? Hmm, that's a hard question to answer. It's at best about a shy girl learning to open herself up to others... but that's really misleading as to the experience you'll actually get from the movie. It's more about a girl doing goofy and sometimes endearing shit until the movie ends. The original French title, The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain, probably tells you more about the film than any English synopsis possibly could.
#72 Das Boot
Set piece: The 3.5 hour movie. Don't get me wrong, the spectacle is absolutely spectacular. It's well worth seeing for the cinematography. I just want a little more story out of my nearly 4 hour movie than "submarine gets shit on repeatedly". It certainly uses its time more wisely than Lawrence of Arabia, it's hard to think of what I'd cut, but I'm still really scratching my head over what the movie was supposed to make me feel. Not that it's without it's good character and poignant moments, but when you're this long, I expect the plot to be offering a little bit more as well.
#73 Amélie
You know almost immediately that this is a movie that will either annoy the fuck out of you or suck you in with its bullshit. The director practically screams "pay attention to this movie, I'm awesome!". Well, I'll admit it eventually did suck me in a bit. Some scenes made me laugh like crazy, and by the end I was indoctrinated in its cuteness. What's it actually about? Hmm, that's a hard question to answer. It's at best about a shy girl learning to open herself up to others... but that's really misleading as to the experience you'll actually get from the movie. It's more about a girl doing goofy and sometimes endearing shit until the movie ends. The original French title, The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain, probably tells you more about the film than any English synopsis possibly could.
#75 Once Upon a Time in America
God dammit Jennifer Connelly stop getting younger as I grow older. When you were 16 in Labyrinth and I was 14 it was fine. Then you were 15 in Phenomenon and I was 20 and it was a bit awkward. Now I'm 26 and you're 14, so seriously don't show me full back nudity. Please. This is only going to make it worse in a few weeks when I watch you getting double dildo'd.
In many ways Sergio Leone's least known and most underrated film, when this was first worldwide released in 1984 it was chopped almost in half and the non-sequential film was re-edited in sequential order. That version is infamously bad. We didn't something even close to the original cut until 2012. Anyway it's really fucking good. I have little doubt that this is the absolute all time best mafia movie out there. If The Godfather 1 and 2 are supposed to be the best movies ever made, then damn, what should that say about this one? I don't even really know where to start gushing about it. A cursory glance of the people involved should probably tell you that the music and casting choices are excellent. But it's the nature of the story itself, the excellent framing, and all the room for interpretation that puts this leagues above Godfather, and then even further above any true story. And for a movie with lots of scenes starring children, the kids did a pretty great job. I thought that kid standing in for Robert De Niro did a pretty great job acting like him. Then I thought the adult woman standing in for Jennifer Connelly did a fairly decent job looking and acting like her. Wait, was that not the intention?
What a good film. Oh, but it's also like, super fucking misogynistic. Like, I'd probably be saying that anyway, but I said the same thing about Once Upon a Time in the West, so we're seeing something of a pattern here.
#78 Witness for the Prosecution
So I didn't know who this Billy Wilder guy is or about half his movies but imdb loves him it seems. For the most part this movie seems like watered down Hitchcock... which I also said of his last movie. Well, it's a bit funny here and there, and the fat elderly lawyer main character is pure badass. But for the longest time I couldn't for the life of me figure out why this movie would be so well regarded...
And then there was a twist ending. I wouldn't wager this was the first twist ending in a movie, but it must have been some serious shit at the time, as during the end credits the narrator announced "hey dicknobs don't spoil this for your friends". Not an amazing movie from start to finish, but a very good twist.
God dammit Jennifer Connelly stop getting younger as I grow older. When you were 16 in Labyrinth and I was 14 it was fine. Then you were 15 in Phenomenon and I was 20 and it was a bit awkward. Now I'm 26 and you're 14, so seriously don't show me full back nudity. Please. This is only going to make it worse in a few weeks when I watch you getting double dildo'd.
In many ways Sergio Leone's least known and most underrated film, when this was first worldwide released in 1984 it was chopped almost in half and the non-sequential film was re-edited in sequential order. That version is infamously bad. We didn't something even close to the original cut until 2012. Anyway it's really fucking good. I have little doubt that this is the absolute all time best mafia movie out there. If The Godfather 1 and 2 are supposed to be the best movies ever made, then damn, what should that say about this one? I don't even really know where to start gushing about it. A cursory glance of the people involved should probably tell you that the music and casting choices are excellent. But it's the nature of the story itself, the excellent framing, and all the room for interpretation that puts this leagues above Godfather, and then even further above any true story. And for a movie with lots of scenes starring children, the kids did a pretty great job. I thought that kid standing in for Robert De Niro did a pretty great job acting like him. Then I thought the adult woman standing in for Jennifer Connelly did a fairly decent job looking and acting like her. Wait, was that not the intention?
What a good film. Oh, but it's also like, super fucking misogynistic. Like, I'd probably be saying that anyway, but I said the same thing about Once Upon a Time in the West, so we're seeing something of a pattern here.
#78 Witness for the Prosecution
So I didn't know who this Billy Wilder guy is or about half his movies but imdb loves him it seems. For the most part this movie seems like watered down Hitchcock... which I also said of his last movie. Well, it's a bit funny here and there, and the fat elderly lawyer main character is pure badass. But for the longest time I couldn't for the life of me figure out why this movie would be so well regarded...
And then there was a twist ending. I wouldn't wager this was the first twist ending in a movie, but it must have been some serious shit at the time, as during the end credits the narrator announced "hey dicknobs don't spoil this for your friends". Not an amazing movie from start to finish, but a very good twist.
#50 Inside Out
I'm sure it was 90% the pinkeye, but I've never cried as much while watching a movie. And I'd have been crying a LOT more if I wasn't trying very hard not to noisily cry in a public theater. Basically the Fantastic Voyage as interpreted by Karl Jung, this movie will entertain and move children, but leave a lot of thinking to be done for adults. The characters may not be super fleshed out or developed, but the literall stream of consciousness technique both allows you to empathize with the main character and get more use out of a film's short story time than damn near anything I've seen before. This movie will go down as an absolute masterpiece, and if you haven't seen it, what the fuck, go do so.
#79 Braveheart
Fuck the English. 10/10 movie.
Nah, but seriously this film was a lot more than the dumb macho film I would have expected. The dialogue is sometimes clever, and certain choices of direction make scenes and characters feel real even in comparison to films on modern subjects. It's pretty a good film. Though, I'm not sure about the film's treatment of women. I can't put my finger on it, but I'm not sure it's depiction of them is all that great.
#81 Double Indemnity
I'm just really tired of watching Billy Wilder movies at this point. You won't convince me that Sunset Blvd. isn't renowned just because it sucks hollywood's dick, and Witness for the Prosecution got a pass due to its twist ending. If I caught Double Indemnity on tv past midnight, I'd swear it was a B movie. The dialogue is atrocious and the character motivations are baffling. It's not all that bad, but I have to nitpick it mostly cause at this point Billy Wilder movies are just boring for me. I don't get the appeal at all.
I'm sure it was 90% the pinkeye, but I've never cried as much while watching a movie. And I'd have been crying a LOT more if I wasn't trying very hard not to noisily cry in a public theater. Basically the Fantastic Voyage as interpreted by Karl Jung, this movie will entertain and move children, but leave a lot of thinking to be done for adults. The characters may not be super fleshed out or developed, but the literall stream of consciousness technique both allows you to empathize with the main character and get more use out of a film's short story time than damn near anything I've seen before. This movie will go down as an absolute masterpiece, and if you haven't seen it, what the fuck, go do so.
#79 Braveheart
Fuck the English. 10/10 movie.
Nah, but seriously this film was a lot more than the dumb macho film I would have expected. The dialogue is sometimes clever, and certain choices of direction make scenes and characters feel real even in comparison to films on modern subjects. It's pretty a good film. Though, I'm not sure about the film's treatment of women. I can't put my finger on it, but I'm not sure it's depiction of them is all that great.
#81 Double Indemnity
I'm just really tired of watching Billy Wilder movies at this point. You won't convince me that Sunset Blvd. isn't renowned just because it sucks hollywood's dick, and Witness for the Prosecution got a pass due to its twist ending. If I caught Double Indemnity on tv past midnight, I'd swear it was a B movie. The dialogue is atrocious and the character motivations are baffling. It's not all that bad, but I have to nitpick it mostly cause at this point Billy Wilder movies are just boring for me. I don't get the appeal at all.
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Monthly film update
The films I saw in cinemas in June were:
1. London Road -
An ingeniously crafted and structured unorthodox musical, London Road is a deeply moving and melancholic portrayal of a mundane village coming to terms with the murder of 5 young prostitutes. The film excels at creating incredibly realistic, relatable characters, and the performances are all-round impressive; Clare Burt fantastic in particular. Tom Hardy has a wonderfully unsettling cameo as a serial killer-enthusiast, his entrance one of the greater scenes of the film. The flick suffers from the occasional lull, where the incessant mundanity struggles to progress its largely captivating story, but overall London Road is a very innovative musical that ends on a beautiful, bittersweet note.
2. Minions -
Cynics beware, Minions is a film of irrepressible joy; the plot is inconsequential, the logic is out the window, and sight gags, puerile humour, creative character design and sumptuous animation are all in. One of the funniest films of the year so far.
3. Les Combattants -
Its slight and tonally jarring at times, but Love at First Fight (Les Combattants) revels in a romcom that strips away a large amount of the tedious stereotypes given to that particular genre. Adele Haenal and Kevin Azais both give strong performances, and the chemistry is certainly present on screen, while the flick's bizarrely charming score and array of beautiful shots create definite impact; one of the film's final scenes, that takes place in an abandoned town, surprised me in its method of creating danger.
4. Spy -
Intensely hilarious, though hardly original in its use of humour, Spy presents a return to form for McCarthy-flicks, that only loses its way once the film makes the step (or stumble) from prioritising comedy to prioritising drama.
5. Jurassic World -
Very average.
6. Listen Up Philip -
Functioning as a cheap parody of Wes Anderson, Woody Allen and Louis C.K, Listen Up Philip is irritatingly edited and so far up its own ass that it's a wonder Philip can listen to anything at all.
A consistent month (with one outlier), and July has a few films I really want to see, in the form of Terminator Genisys, Amy, Comet, Magic Mike XXL, Ted 2, Dear White People, Love & Mercy, Song of the Sea, Ant Man, Self/Less, True Story, Inside Out, Maggie, Southpaw, and MI Rogue Nation.
The other, non-2015 films I saw in June were:
The Great Gatsby -
(REWATCH)
The critics were way too harsh on this flick. They criticise the film's superfluous nature, its vapid and empty demeanour, its lack of subtlety, without realising that's the whole point.
Lost in Translation -
Surprisingly enough, this is the first time I've seen this highly-acclaimed flick. And yeah, yeah it's brilliant, as I expected; Johansson and Murray play their parts wonderfully, the mood created is one of unbridled joy, and the script is one of the best I've heard in ages.
Dr. Strangelove -
Has a few flaws in expositional problems/plot contrivances, but Dr. Strangelove is an incredibly well-scripted, iconic dark comedy that is rightly heralded as the definitive satire in film, with an exceptional final 20 minutes that produces one of the most instantly recognisable scenes in cinema, and an ending that's hilarious and horrifying in equal measure.
Bronson -
I found the whole exercise to be slightly pointless, but still terrifically executed and Tom Hardy brings his best performance to date. As with Refn, this can only grow on me.
The films I saw in cinemas in June were:
1. London Road -
An ingeniously crafted and structured unorthodox musical, London Road is a deeply moving and melancholic portrayal of a mundane village coming to terms with the murder of 5 young prostitutes. The film excels at creating incredibly realistic, relatable characters, and the performances are all-round impressive; Clare Burt fantastic in particular. Tom Hardy has a wonderfully unsettling cameo as a serial killer-enthusiast, his entrance one of the greater scenes of the film. The flick suffers from the occasional lull, where the incessant mundanity struggles to progress its largely captivating story, but overall London Road is a very innovative musical that ends on a beautiful, bittersweet note.
2. Minions -
Cynics beware, Minions is a film of irrepressible joy; the plot is inconsequential, the logic is out the window, and sight gags, puerile humour, creative character design and sumptuous animation are all in. One of the funniest films of the year so far.
3. Les Combattants -
Its slight and tonally jarring at times, but Love at First Fight (Les Combattants) revels in a romcom that strips away a large amount of the tedious stereotypes given to that particular genre. Adele Haenal and Kevin Azais both give strong performances, and the chemistry is certainly present on screen, while the flick's bizarrely charming score and array of beautiful shots create definite impact; one of the film's final scenes, that takes place in an abandoned town, surprised me in its method of creating danger.
4. Spy -
Intensely hilarious, though hardly original in its use of humour, Spy presents a return to form for McCarthy-flicks, that only loses its way once the film makes the step (or stumble) from prioritising comedy to prioritising drama.
5. Jurassic World -
Very average.
6. Listen Up Philip -
Functioning as a cheap parody of Wes Anderson, Woody Allen and Louis C.K, Listen Up Philip is irritatingly edited and so far up its own ass that it's a wonder Philip can listen to anything at all.
A consistent month (with one outlier), and July has a few films I really want to see, in the form of Terminator Genisys, Amy, Comet, Magic Mike XXL, Ted 2, Dear White People, Love & Mercy, Song of the Sea, Ant Man, Self/Less, True Story, Inside Out, Maggie, Southpaw, and MI Rogue Nation.
The other, non-2015 films I saw in June were:
The Great Gatsby -
The critics were way too harsh on this flick. They criticise the film's superfluous nature, its vapid and empty demeanour, its lack of subtlety, without realising that's the whole point.
Lost in Translation -
Surprisingly enough, this is the first time I've seen this highly-acclaimed flick. And yeah, yeah it's brilliant, as I expected; Johansson and Murray play their parts wonderfully, the mood created is one of unbridled joy, and the script is one of the best I've heard in ages.
Dr. Strangelove -
Has a few flaws in expositional problems/plot contrivances, but Dr. Strangelove is an incredibly well-scripted, iconic dark comedy that is rightly heralded as the definitive satire in film, with an exceptional final 20 minutes that produces one of the most instantly recognisable scenes in cinema, and an ending that's hilarious and horrifying in equal measure.
Bronson -
I found the whole exercise to be slightly pointless, but still terrifically executed and Tom Hardy brings his best performance to date. As with Refn, this can only grow on me.
Can confirm that Jurassic World is very good. Another summer movie released in the fun genre. Lots to love for long time fans and new people.
#81 A Clockwork Orange
I'm really loving Kubrick not as an eccentric and ridiculously dedicated director, but as a satirist and social commentator. Clockwork Orange is on point in these regards, and it's very interesting to watch with an amazing performance by Malcolm McDowell. I'm just really not certain about the style though. The movie doesn't look like it's set in any real time period, and there is sexual imagery god damn everywhere. I may need to think about it and rewatch it, and maybe it will all make sense, but I think it's just as likely that Kubrick was being a weirdo. Either way, the movie is very good at worst.
#83 Taxi Driver
Didn't really go in expecting to watch a madman's descent into villainy. Very obvious inspiration for Watchmen's Rorschach here. It's a very watchable and well made movie, and I just adore seeing the growth of flawed characters like this. It's a seriously lost art. But I didn't really like the ending. The action scene is one of the worst shot and edited I've ever seen, and I've seen a ton of actually bad action movies. Then the main character gets off with no punishment, even getting a hero's treatment. I read later that this was supposed to reflect how sometimes facts get mixed up and villains get turned into heroes, but the movie doesn't really go into that. Here's a case where a longer epilogue would have really helped sell your point. As is, it's a movie that doesn't really drive home its message. But it's a good watch anyway.
Also this puts me at just over 50% of the list, due to people being unable to decide whether Akira deserves to be on the list or not (possibly controversial opinion, it doesn't).
#81 A Clockwork Orange
I'm really loving Kubrick not as an eccentric and ridiculously dedicated director, but as a satirist and social commentator. Clockwork Orange is on point in these regards, and it's very interesting to watch with an amazing performance by Malcolm McDowell. I'm just really not certain about the style though. The movie doesn't look like it's set in any real time period, and there is sexual imagery god damn everywhere. I may need to think about it and rewatch it, and maybe it will all make sense, but I think it's just as likely that Kubrick was being a weirdo. Either way, the movie is very good at worst.
#83 Taxi Driver
Didn't really go in expecting to watch a madman's descent into villainy. Very obvious inspiration for Watchmen's Rorschach here. It's a very watchable and well made movie, and I just adore seeing the growth of flawed characters like this. It's a seriously lost art. But I didn't really like the ending. The action scene is one of the worst shot and edited I've ever seen, and I've seen a ton of actually bad action movies. Then the main character gets off with no punishment, even getting a hero's treatment. I read later that this was supposed to reflect how sometimes facts get mixed up and villains get turned into heroes, but the movie doesn't really go into that. Here's a case where a longer epilogue would have really helped sell your point. As is, it's a movie that doesn't really drive home its message. But it's a good watch anyway.
Also this puts me at just over 50% of the list, due to people being unable to decide whether Akira deserves to be on the list or not (possibly controversial opinion, it doesn't).
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saw Inside Out yesterday, it was really good
Great laughs throughout the entire film, terrific voice acting (and casting), and a lot of emotional moments that, like in Toy Story 3, will resonate more so with the adult audience than with children
I really like the direction that animated films have taken over the last few years - there was this mentality in the early 2000s of "anything is possible if you believe" and I'm glad to see children's movies stepping away from that to preach more realistic and - more importantly - healthier messages to their younger audience
Great laughs throughout the entire film, terrific voice acting (and casting), and a lot of emotional moments that, like in Toy Story 3, will resonate more so with the adult audience than with children
I really like the direction that animated films have taken over the last few years - there was this mentality in the early 2000s of "anything is possible if you believe" and I'm glad to see children's movies stepping away from that to preach more realistic and - more importantly - healthier messages to their younger audience
#84 Requiem for a Dream
Ah, the world's longest trailer. It's very easy to nitpick this when thinking about it as a typical movie. The editing borders on annoying, and this is a less of a drug message and more of a scared straight video marginally better than reefer madness. But it's not a typical movie. It is a spoken word opera, complete with movements based on the seasons. It's very ambitious and interesting, and it has a ridiculous way with juxtaposition. By far the most interesting story is about the mother. She never intends to, or is aware of her drug habit, but it's a natural extension of addictions to tv, food, and attention. It's this plot alone that gives the film enough weight to mostly live up to its high ambitions. It's not to drugs what American History X was to racism, but it's pretty damn good at what it does.
#85 To Kill a Mockingbird
Pretty good adaptation. The character portrayals are so spot on it almost feels like I watched the movie first. Still, it's probably not a surprise that I think the book is better. The movie has to cut out a great deal of good scenes. But for what it's worth, I'd still have to say it's one of the better black and white movies I've seen. The soundtrack is pretty great too.
Ah, the world's longest trailer. It's very easy to nitpick this when thinking about it as a typical movie. The editing borders on annoying, and this is a less of a drug message and more of a scared straight video marginally better than reefer madness. But it's not a typical movie. It is a spoken word opera, complete with movements based on the seasons. It's very ambitious and interesting, and it has a ridiculous way with juxtaposition. By far the most interesting story is about the mother. She never intends to, or is aware of her drug habit, but it's a natural extension of addictions to tv, food, and attention. It's this plot alone that gives the film enough weight to mostly live up to its high ambitions. It's not to drugs what American History X was to racism, but it's pretty damn good at what it does.
#85 To Kill a Mockingbird
Pretty good adaptation. The character portrayals are so spot on it almost feels like I watched the movie first. Still, it's probably not a surprise that I think the book is better. The movie has to cut out a great deal of good scenes. But for what it's worth, I'd still have to say it's one of the better black and white movies I've seen. The soundtrack is pretty great too.
The style of the movie follows the book pretty accurately, so if anything, blame Anthony Burgess for its style. That being said, I think the sexual imagery is a lot more prominent in the movie than in the book, so I guess we have Kubrick to blame for that, at least.
its every pixar film before it, just done over again. character A dislikes character B, they end up in an unfamiliar situation and character b proves their worth and everything is resolved. the jokes also sucked. im not a big pixar fan but incredibles is actually pretty good unlike this crap
Appealing to plot is already a pretty lousy argument (there is a lot more to storytelling than plot) even when you're not grasping at straws. The jokes are for children. Adults enjoyed Inside Out because of the way it taps into a sense of painful nostalgia, and the vivid and thorough way it explores the movies singular character (there is no character A or B you speak of, there is one character, the girl, and an abstraction of her thoughts).
I was actually somewhat reminded of it as I watched
#87 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Like Inside Out, this is all about one character's intimate stream of consciousness through the abstraction of the film medium. It's very visually appealing and interesting to watch, but unlike Inside Out I'm not entirely certain what the point of it all was. The name comes from a poem used in a scene that very much glorifies the idea that ignorance is bliss. However the movie later decides that forgetting the past is wrong, and the two characters end up back together anyway (this is known from the beginning). Are we supposed to feel that they are so right for each other because against all odds they by chance fall in love again? Cause all in all, they seem like a really bad couple. This movie also really cemented Jim Carrey as an actor with dramatic potential, but he just mutters all of his lines and I don't find it convincing.
I do have to give credit though. This movie came up with an entirely new profession AND filled with it people that I have no doubt are the worst at their jobs in the industry. I don't have a frame of reference, so this is pretty impressive work.
#90 Bicycle Thieves
This movie made me so damn nervous in the beginning, because I really didn't want this motherfucker to have his bicycle stolen, and it goes and happens anyway. Well, it's a shame that some movies, no matter how much critical love they have (this is like a lesser known Citizen Kane apparently), some kids in my generation will never give them a chance just because they are black and white, subtitled, or both. But then it's also a shame when some movies are mostly really boring and attaching words like neorealism to them doesn't do a thing to fix it. For me, this was the latter. Boring is not a critically useful thing to say about art, but sometimes its subjectively just what you feel anyway. Though I do have to give props for a very ballsy ending, I did not see it coming and I thought it was very good. But the middle of the story dragged even for being an hour and a half.
Which are the Phase 2 films? Cause it doesn't touch Winter Soldier or Guardians, but it is a really good "fun" film. Paul Rudd was a really good choice to take over the role of Antman, and he and Michael Douglas actually work pretty well together. The shrinking/getting bigger shots and animations are really good as well. Saw it in 2D (as 3D gives me headaches) and you could certainly tell the shots that were intended for the 3D effect.
Best part? Thomas the Tank Engine :3
It is the first of phase 3.
Edit: Apparently it's randomly the last of phase 2???
Edit 2: Civil War is apparently the beginning of Phase 3.
Edit: Apparently it's randomly the last of phase 2???
Edit 2: Civil War is apparently the beginning of Phase 3.
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The MCU is releasing films as part of their "3 phase plan for the Avengers" or something.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Cinematic_Universe#Films It's just a way of grouping the films together I guess...
oh huh.. gotg supposed to be in same time/universe/whatever as the avengers movies?
Yes. Infinity Stones are linking all of the films together. People think the plot to the final 2 Avengers films will be heavily related to Thanos acquiring the power of the majority of the Infinity Stones.
#89 The Sting (movies change position okay?)
This is something of a weird movie, as it's a 70s movie that really seems to pay homage to movies that were old even by their standards. It employs frequent use of drawn title cards, employs music literally straight from the ice cream truck, and doesn't start very strong with the "partner dying right as they retire". But the truth is this is a really good con artist movie. It's a genre without enough movies, and this is one of the best. The plot is a lot of fun, and the acting is stellar. It doesn't feel as artificial as some other con movies made recently.
#91 Amadeus
It's hard to give this movie a fair review for a few reasons. First, only the director's cut is available anymore, much like the with the original Star Wars trilogy. The longer added scenes that I'm aware of are very bad. I don't know what impact all the short snippets and changes had, but I do know that turning this movie from 2:30 to 3 hours was not an appreciated change. Second, while I can concede that elements of the plot would work very well with fictional characters, I don't like Mozart. It's one thing to make a movie about Mozart being good. This movie stresses that he has no faults and is even the very voice of god. It has cartoonish and not even slightly inspired by history portrayals of Mozart and Salieri, and is grossly unfair to the music of the latter. Even that might work somewhat if I liked Mozart's music, but I don't. It's subjective I guess, but they could have toned it down a bit. It's a very pop culture take on history. All pizzazz, exaggeration, and outright lies, and feeding off of (and into) Mozart's popularity and nothing else of substance. Also the American acting is beyond awkward, with the movie's use of language in and out of the opera houses entirely inconsistent.
But at least this movie led to Rock Me Amadeus being a thing.
This is something of a weird movie, as it's a 70s movie that really seems to pay homage to movies that were old even by their standards. It employs frequent use of drawn title cards, employs music literally straight from the ice cream truck, and doesn't start very strong with the "partner dying right as they retire". But the truth is this is a really good con artist movie. It's a genre without enough movies, and this is one of the best. The plot is a lot of fun, and the acting is stellar. It doesn't feel as artificial as some other con movies made recently.
#91 Amadeus
It's hard to give this movie a fair review for a few reasons. First, only the director's cut is available anymore, much like the with the original Star Wars trilogy. The longer added scenes that I'm aware of are very bad. I don't know what impact all the short snippets and changes had, but I do know that turning this movie from 2:30 to 3 hours was not an appreciated change. Second, while I can concede that elements of the plot would work very well with fictional characters, I don't like Mozart. It's one thing to make a movie about Mozart being good. This movie stresses that he has no faults and is even the very voice of god. It has cartoonish and not even slightly inspired by history portrayals of Mozart and Salieri, and is grossly unfair to the music of the latter. Even that might work somewhat if I liked Mozart's music, but I don't. It's subjective I guess, but they could have toned it down a bit. It's a very pop culture take on history. All pizzazz, exaggeration, and outright lies, and feeding off of (and into) Mozart's popularity and nothing else of substance. Also the American acting is beyond awkward, with the movie's use of language in and out of the opera houses entirely inconsistent.
But at least this movie led to Rock Me Amadeus being a thing.
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Like Von Fiedler, I have been going through the IMDB 250 as a personal goal of mine since last winter. While I have been going through them at a much slower clip then him and have had to go through a lot more movies to catch up as a result of only seeing 32 movies on the list when I started and going largely out of order in the start... I do feel that I have enough movies under my belt to give a post about some points I have in opposition to Von's great summaries, which I love by the way. I'm really only going to talk about some movies which I disagree with Von or feel like something should be said about in agreement just because if I talked about every movie, I'd probably bore most people to death. Anyways... enough digression.
Seven Samurai: This is one of those movies I am proud of myself for getting through to the end of. It took me three days just to get through it and rewind it to try and understand everything that was going on in the movie. All in all, the movie really ends up dragging itself waaaaaaay too long at the beginning when they are assembling themselves and for as realistic as the movie is in the depiction of war and battle seems to fall very short in the field of why are the two factions (Samurais and bandits) doing what they are doing. If it was an hour shorter and a little more direct, I could see myself really liking this movie. But going through it just felt like a marathon which left me feeling a little short, especially as a history major who is very familiar with these sorts of themes. 6/10
Life is Beautiful: This was one of the few movies I had seen before I started the project, having seen it in my high school AP Euro class. I never took the movie to ever be a comedy when I watched it, but rather the desperate attempts of a father to shield his son from the horrors of the holocaust. The things he does are not to provide a hilarious take to the audience, but rather a desperation to not frighten or scar his son through the seriousness which he would get otherwise. It is almost a powerful kind of story not so much about the holocaust, but the love of a father to a son... and the desperation to make the world a better place for him despite the circumstances. Is it a top 20 movie of all time? No. But it is deserving of being in this list and should be watched. 8/10
Sunset Blvd.: Was completely as bad as Von says it was. I'm not as privy to the references as Von seemed to be, but what I got from it was a lot of very dry, boring story about a man and his weird sugar momma. This does indeed feel like a very big shot at people in the industry who feel disgruntled and critical at the way film has evolved. Definitely a movie written for people in the industry whether as critics, writers, actors, etc. and doesn't really pull much weight for me as just an audience. It wasn't a bad movie and there was good edgy moments to it. But I couldn't seem to give it any more than a 6/10.
The Lives of Others: I don't get at all why Von likes this movie, apart from the jacket. It does take a pretty good look into the humanistic looks of Bloc Communism and the shadow of the Soviet Union way of life. Maybe this is the history major in me being familiar with this subject and reading literature on the lives of people in soviet controlled Hungary and Poland, but I really didn't feel like what happened was so profound of a thought. And as such, the development to the end made me feel very... lacking. I wanted more than what I got out of this kind of movie and I would find it hard to recommend this to anyone who didn't know much about the Soviet Bloc. Ended up giving it a 6/10 though.
Cinema Paradiso: This was a GOOD movie despite some plot holes. One of the problems with this movie is that there are two versions: one that is the regular cinematic version and one that is an extended edition. You pretty much have to watch the extended version of the movie to get the full understanding of the movie. I think Von's review of it reflects well for the regular version in which everything seems very lose, unrelated, and just kind of existing with implied meaning. And this is exactly how I felt when I watched it too. HOWEVER when I went to rate it, I saw a thread question at the bottom of the IMDB page asking a question that made no sense... only to figure out that things in the extended version completely change the story around and give the end more direction. And makes it a far better and deeper movie. Why this wasn't in the original, I have no clue. But I ended up pushing this up to a 8/10.
Charlie Chaplin Movies So Far (Modern Times, City Lights, Great Dictator): I am totally ass backwards with Von here. Modern Times is one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long long time and a lot of the messages he carries apply to things that I can relate to today. The movie has to deal with working low wage jobs, being treated like crap, and trying to make a life for yourself the right way all while trying to battle forces in life which try to hold you back. It's done remarkably well, and there is a scene at the beginning regarding optimizing breaks and meals which had me in tears on the floor. 8/10
The Great Dictator is just as good, but not as funny. Putting on my historical lenses, I understand just entirely what this movie was intending to be. This is very much a piece of propaganda used by Chaplin to argue against the atrocities of what has going on in Germany to the American public. Keep in mind that this is done in 1940 with an isolationist America. The ghetto jokes are done without knowledge that Hitler would take his misguided beliefs on evolution and eugenics to murderous levels, because largely the atrociousness of the holocaust were not even at their peak yet, much less being discovered by the west. But because this movie largely serves a political role, a lot of the humor is very absent.... though there are some really great moments. I gave it an 8/10, as it is probably a 7/10 movie but I'll chalk up another point for being a super creative piece of historical thought.
City Lights is the highest movie of his on the list, and was to me the least funny and the worst story. Opposed to Modern Times, the tramp ends up most of the movie being friends with a drunk, suicidal millionaire who can only remember who he is half the time and tries to use his wealth to impress a blind woman. Whether it is through borrowing his car to pick her up, promising to take care of her housing situation, and using the drunk millionaire to hand over money to use on fixing her eyesight... this whole movie lost my favor pretty quick. There are some funny scenes, but it isn't all that great of a story and the premise of being who you aren't to win a girl over just loses me. I gave it a 6/10 for now and might raise/lower it after I watch the other Chaplin movies on this list of mine.
Other extremely enjoyable movies: Fight Club, Leon the Professional, The Departed, Rear Window, Sin City (out of order), Gran Torino (out of order),
Other disappointments: The Usual Suspects, The Green Mile (2nd worst movie on the list I have seen so far behind Stand By Me), Clockwork Orange (book way better), Indiana Jones saga, Casablanca
What is next to watch: The Shining, Paths of Glory, Grave of Fireflies, Citizen Kane
Seven Samurai: This is one of those movies I am proud of myself for getting through to the end of. It took me three days just to get through it and rewind it to try and understand everything that was going on in the movie. All in all, the movie really ends up dragging itself waaaaaaay too long at the beginning when they are assembling themselves and for as realistic as the movie is in the depiction of war and battle seems to fall very short in the field of why are the two factions (Samurais and bandits) doing what they are doing. If it was an hour shorter and a little more direct, I could see myself really liking this movie. But going through it just felt like a marathon which left me feeling a little short, especially as a history major who is very familiar with these sorts of themes. 6/10
Life is Beautiful: This was one of the few movies I had seen before I started the project, having seen it in my high school AP Euro class. I never took the movie to ever be a comedy when I watched it, but rather the desperate attempts of a father to shield his son from the horrors of the holocaust. The things he does are not to provide a hilarious take to the audience, but rather a desperation to not frighten or scar his son through the seriousness which he would get otherwise. It is almost a powerful kind of story not so much about the holocaust, but the love of a father to a son... and the desperation to make the world a better place for him despite the circumstances. Is it a top 20 movie of all time? No. But it is deserving of being in this list and should be watched. 8/10
Sunset Blvd.: Was completely as bad as Von says it was. I'm not as privy to the references as Von seemed to be, but what I got from it was a lot of very dry, boring story about a man and his weird sugar momma. This does indeed feel like a very big shot at people in the industry who feel disgruntled and critical at the way film has evolved. Definitely a movie written for people in the industry whether as critics, writers, actors, etc. and doesn't really pull much weight for me as just an audience. It wasn't a bad movie and there was good edgy moments to it. But I couldn't seem to give it any more than a 6/10.
The Lives of Others: I don't get at all why Von likes this movie, apart from the jacket. It does take a pretty good look into the humanistic looks of Bloc Communism and the shadow of the Soviet Union way of life. Maybe this is the history major in me being familiar with this subject and reading literature on the lives of people in soviet controlled Hungary and Poland, but I really didn't feel like what happened was so profound of a thought. And as such, the development to the end made me feel very... lacking. I wanted more than what I got out of this kind of movie and I would find it hard to recommend this to anyone who didn't know much about the Soviet Bloc. Ended up giving it a 6/10 though.
Cinema Paradiso: This was a GOOD movie despite some plot holes. One of the problems with this movie is that there are two versions: one that is the regular cinematic version and one that is an extended edition. You pretty much have to watch the extended version of the movie to get the full understanding of the movie. I think Von's review of it reflects well for the regular version in which everything seems very lose, unrelated, and just kind of existing with implied meaning. And this is exactly how I felt when I watched it too. HOWEVER when I went to rate it, I saw a thread question at the bottom of the IMDB page asking a question that made no sense... only to figure out that things in the extended version completely change the story around and give the end more direction. And makes it a far better and deeper movie. Why this wasn't in the original, I have no clue. But I ended up pushing this up to a 8/10.
Charlie Chaplin Movies So Far (Modern Times, City Lights, Great Dictator): I am totally ass backwards with Von here. Modern Times is one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long long time and a lot of the messages he carries apply to things that I can relate to today. The movie has to deal with working low wage jobs, being treated like crap, and trying to make a life for yourself the right way all while trying to battle forces in life which try to hold you back. It's done remarkably well, and there is a scene at the beginning regarding optimizing breaks and meals which had me in tears on the floor. 8/10
The Great Dictator is just as good, but not as funny. Putting on my historical lenses, I understand just entirely what this movie was intending to be. This is very much a piece of propaganda used by Chaplin to argue against the atrocities of what has going on in Germany to the American public. Keep in mind that this is done in 1940 with an isolationist America. The ghetto jokes are done without knowledge that Hitler would take his misguided beliefs on evolution and eugenics to murderous levels, because largely the atrociousness of the holocaust were not even at their peak yet, much less being discovered by the west. But because this movie largely serves a political role, a lot of the humor is very absent.... though there are some really great moments. I gave it an 8/10, as it is probably a 7/10 movie but I'll chalk up another point for being a super creative piece of historical thought.
City Lights is the highest movie of his on the list, and was to me the least funny and the worst story. Opposed to Modern Times, the tramp ends up most of the movie being friends with a drunk, suicidal millionaire who can only remember who he is half the time and tries to use his wealth to impress a blind woman. Whether it is through borrowing his car to pick her up, promising to take care of her housing situation, and using the drunk millionaire to hand over money to use on fixing her eyesight... this whole movie lost my favor pretty quick. There are some funny scenes, but it isn't all that great of a story and the premise of being who you aren't to win a girl over just loses me. I gave it a 6/10 for now and might raise/lower it after I watch the other Chaplin movies on this list of mine.
Other extremely enjoyable movies: Fight Club, Leon the Professional, The Departed, Rear Window, Sin City (out of order), Gran Torino (out of order),
Other disappointments: The Usual Suspects, The Green Mile (2nd worst movie on the list I have seen so far behind Stand By Me), Clockwork Orange (book way better), Indiana Jones saga, Casablanca
What is next to watch: The Shining, Paths of Glory, Grave of Fireflies, Citizen Kane
How could you not like the usual suspects :(
The Usual Suspects was very weird because the
entire story is one big huge lie, and I didn't get the point at all of taking the journey through this made up story. It pretty much boils down to a movie about a genius criminal with a photographic memory and physical disabilities can pick shit off a wall and get away with a crime for like a split second before getting caught and getting away. I expected far more from this movie based on all the praises I have heard about it from friends, and after seeing another twist ending movie in Fight Club, I was just really disappointed. And without being impressed by the ending the movie just felt flat and pointless. :( I did really want to like it though...
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