LISTS

Chit-chat, current events
Mr. Arkadin
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Re: LISTS

Post by Mr. Arkadin »

kingrat wrote:This is another case of how I think I'm supposed to react (either being pleased the boy is reunited with his mother, or, as you suggest, an open ending) vs. the way I actually react (believing that what happens is a disaster for the boy).
I think the idea of all these films ( Paris, Searchers, Taxi Driver, Hardcore) is that you should have mixed feelings and perhaps your perspective changes somewhat each time you view the movies--I know mine does.
RedRiver
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Re: LISTS

Post by RedRiver »

Favorite fantasies.

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN. A much better movie than is usually acknowledged.
THE TIME MACHINE. Even better than WAR OF THE WORLDS, this H. G. Wells adventure is thrilling and insightful.
WAR OF THE WORLDS. See above!
ISLAND OF LOST SOULS. Creepiest, most disturbing of the Universal horror entries.
Do we count THEM? Is it Sci-Fi, horror or fantasy? I think it qualifies, and it's outstanding.

It's a stretch to include Ray Harryhausen's exciting "monster on the loose" films. THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS and IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA are pretty much the same story. Big animal wreaking havoc is not exactly classic literature. But the concept is other worldly. The scenario imaginative. It's as much fantasy as any other genre.

I'll think of some more later. Have to go now!
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CineMaven
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Re: LISTS

Post by CineMaven »

King Rat...I liked the way you laid out the ingredients that make a good romantic fantasy:

( * ) Script
( * ) Chemistry
( * ) Music
( * ) Director maintaining the right tone

Kate and Mitchum...not a match made in heaven. I've thought that of Spence & Hedy in "I TAKE THIS WOMAN." Not a spark nor even an ember. But I saw "RIFF RAFF" recently, and Spence with Harlow made me slightly weak at the knees. It's all a delicate balancing act, isn't it. But without that good solid script, you've got bupkiss.
"You build my gallows high, baby."

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RedRiver
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Re: LISTS

Post by RedRiver »

In absolutely no order, here's a list of some acting performances that really impressed me. Peter O'Toole in GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS. I always cite this one first. The epitome of sensitive, unspoken characterization. The best acting I've ever seen. James Stewart in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. The great Stewart roles are pretty interchangeable. He's just as good in several others. But this is the one that hurls him through every emotion available, and he plays it deftly.

Katherine Hepburn, LION IN WINTER. I watched this movie expecting to admire O'Toole's work, but it was Hepburn's captive Queen I marveled at. Her interpretation of the shining dialogue is poetic. Her well oiled timing has never been matched. Deborah Kerr: SEPARATE TABLES. Timid and dominated, this role is far from the confident women she often plays. I watched the whole movie without even realizing it was her. An expert portrayal of a syndrome we've all witnessed, or lived.

Dustin Hoffman as LENNY. This tour de force allows one of our great modern actors to take a crack at stand-up comedy, drug addiction, arrest and trial, tragic death. What's not to like?

Also:

Carole Lombard: VIGIL IN THE NIGHT
Al Pacino: DOG DAY AFTERNOON
Spencer Tracy: INHERIT THE WIND
Jean Arthur: MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN
John Wayne: SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON. Duke was not a subtle performer; not always at his best. But in several films, he overacts so purely, with such conviction, the result is as impressive as those of the most classically trained thespians. This is his finest work.
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JackFavell
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Re: LISTS

Post by JackFavell »

Thanks! I never even saw this thread before.

Does anyone have a list of the directors or critics who voted in the Sight and Sound polls? I'd be curious.
MikeBSG
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Re: LISTS

Post by MikeBSG »

Okay, I have to say that the love for "Vertigo" has always surprised me. Maybe that film was "forbidden fruit" for so long that it built up a mystique among film critics of a certain age, but I think it is inferior Hitchcock. The plot is too slow and too complex/hangs too much on coincidences for me.

Surprised "The Seven Samurai" didn't make the top 10, and surprised that "The Searchers" did. (To me it seems like there has been an anti-"Searchers" backlash brewing for several years, attacking the movie as racist.)

Very surprised that three silent films were in the top ten. I like "Sunrise" and was very impressed by "Passion of Joan of Arc" but I would put "City Lights" and "Metropolis" in my top 10.
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JackFavell
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Re: LISTS

Post by JackFavell »

I was surprised by the lack of Kurosawa as well. But I am happy that The Searchers made the cut.
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JackFavell
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Re: LISTS

Post by JackFavell »

You know I love BT!
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movieman1957
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Re: LISTS

Post by movieman1957 »

A gallon of milk.
Cookies.
Eggs.
Pepsi.
Shampoo.
Winning lottery ticket.
Chris

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Sue Sue Applegate
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Re: LISTS

Post by Sue Sue Applegate »

Milk.
OJ.
Apple turnovers.
Cheese.
Crackers.
Diet coke.
Another winning lottery ticket.
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knitwit45
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Re: LISTS

Post by knitwit45 »

Fresh mozzarella
Fresh Basil
Ripe tomato
French Bread
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