Review the last movie you viewed (NO LISTS) IV

[lazarus]

Oh god yes. I mean, the 90's were great, and you could certainly make a case for the 50's being the best as you had people like Welles, Ford, Hitchcock, Minnelli and Wilder all operating at the height of their powers, but the 70's really marked a shift where you were seeing studios taking these huge chances and letting young auteurs do pretty much anything they wanted to. We're not likely to ever see that again.

I appreciate where you're coming from with respect to Allen. I think if you see some of his earlier films, like Sleeper or Bananas, you'll see what a huge heap forward Annie Hall was.

What's next, Manhattan?

As much as I'd like you to see Stardust Memories, you'll really want to see Fellini's 8 1/2 first because it was a huge, obvious influence on it.

 

[LMP]

I'm thinking Manhattan, Sleeper, What's Up Tiger Lily?, then move into Crimes and Misdemeanors, and Stardust.

Okay, I'll check that one out first then.

 

[No spoken words]

Manhattan



My favorite of his.

YLB, I think that it's great that you're watching these films now, but, yeah, it'll be good to revisit them in a few years when you're maybe better able to appreciate them. I think your intelligence, tastes and maturity make us sometimes forget your age. Not to dismiss someone your age (I had definitely seen Sleeper, Annie Hall and Manhattan by your age), but, sometimes films and books and such take on new meaning when you've got some life experience behind you. Laz will take this post and do all sorts of shit to it.

 

[lazarus]

I'm still laughing at my last one. Sorry.

LMP, I'd suggest catching Manhattan Murder Mystery in the near future. It's a nice complement to Annie Hall, and was actually a subplot removed from the later drafts of the script. It's really funny, and features a great homage to Orson Welles' The Lady From Shanghai.

That reminds me. What Welles have you seen?

I'm sensing a looming beatdown.

 

[LMP]

Thanks, and there's about a 95% chance he's working on fixing that post right now.

I'd read that about the Annie Hall/Manhattan Murder Mystery thing, and that makes it worth checking out - after the ones I've mentioned though. Speaking of weird, funny seeing Walken as Annie's brother, Duane.

Yeah, yeah, you sense right. Citizen Kane and Touch of Evil are high on my list, Top 10 actually, on movies I want to see ASAP.

 

[lazarus]

Citizen Kane is "high" on your list? How about A.S.A.M.F.P.?

3 days to live.

 

[LMP]

Here's the Top 10, buster:

1. Citizen Kane
2. Goodfellas
3. Dog Day Afternoon
4. Raging Bull
5. The French Connection
6. Full Metal Jacket
7. Taxi Driver
8. Heat
9. Metropolis
10. Touch of Evil

The list runs about 120 deep. The higher on the list, the more interested I am, but if any of them are on are recorded, I'll try and see them.

 

[No spoken words]

At least he has an amazing list of films to watch for the first time.

 

[lazarus]

Here's the Top 10, buster:

1. Citizen Kane
2. Touch of Evil
3. Taxi Driver
4. Raging Bull
5. GoodFellas
6. The French Connection
7. Dog Day Afternoon
8. Metropolis
9. Heat
10. Full Metal Jacket

Fixed. You may as well watch the Scorseses in order. I'm telling you right now, after recently watching Apocalypse Now, you are NOT going to be impressed by Full Metal Jacket. Next to Lolita, Kubrick's weakest film.

You definitely want to get a hold of The Lady From Shanghai. And don't let the title fool you. It's Welles' most flat-out entertaining film.

 

[LMP]

You're the first person to tell me FMJ is one of his weakest, but I'll take that into consideration.

What's the difference between watching the Scorseses in order or the way I had them?

And I'll check out Lady.

 

[No spoken words]

The first hour of FMJ is, to me, not weak at all....just starts to tail off once they leave Basic Training.

 

[lazarus]

Well yeah, the basic training segment is fantastic. Unfortunately it only takes up like 40% of the film.

Kubrick waited way too long to weigh in on Vietnam, and basically said nothing that hadn't already been said better by Coppola, and Oliver Stone, who was actually there.

By comparison, Kubrick's Paths of Glory is a far superior film about the insanity of war.

And LMP, I would just say you can't go wrong watching the films in chronological order. It will be nice for you to see how both De Niro and Scorsese evolved over the course of their careers. Besides, Taxi Driver is the most hardcore of the 3 and I would suggest seeing it first just on that alone.

 

[LMP]

And LMP, I would just say you can't go wrong watching the films in chronological order. It will be nice for you to see how both De Niro and Scorsese evolved over the course of their careers. Besides, Taxi Driver is the most hardcore of the 3 and I would suggest seeing it first just on that alone.

Okay, that makes sense.

 

[Lancemc]

I prefer FMJ to Platoon by a great margin, if only because of how beautifully filmed the second section is. That and I'm just not a fan of Stone's style too much, though I do enjoy some of his work quite a bit.

 

[No spoken words]

Lance, which Stone films do you enjoy?

 

[Lancemc]

JFK, of course. That thing's a near-masterpiece.

I also enjoy Platoon (to an extent) and Any Given Sunday.

Some others I'm more lukewarm to, others I can't stand, and there are a few I haven't seen.

 

[lazarus]

Well of course it's beautifully filmed, it's Kubrick. But it was filmed on a lot in England, and you can tell. There's just no authenticity at all, and while that approach may have worked for the waking dream element of Eyes Wide Shut or The Shining, for Vietnam it doesn't. I just feel after the go-for-broke location work on Apocalypse, and the almost-verite quality of Platoon, FMJ just comes off a bit phony and too-little-too-late.

 

[Diemen]

Just saw Once last night. Gorgeous music, decent acting, but it seemed a bit aimless overall. I liked it, though

 

[No spoken words]

I could not stand Any Given Sunday.

I liked Platoon a lot, as well as JFK. I like Midnight Express, but, that's just his screenplay, not him directing.

 

[No spoken words]

Just saw Once last night. Gorgeous music, decent acting, but it seemed a bit aimless overall. I liked it, though

That's not a film that will necessary scream out to be watched again and again, but, was also a very hard film to not like.

 

[Diemen]

That's a good way of putting it.

 

[lazarus]

Lance, if you haven't seen Stone's Talk Radio you should definitely check it out. One of his more restrained films in terms of visuals. Fantastic script and performance by Eric Bogosian, who wrote the source play.

 

[Lancemc]

Will do.

 

[Dalton]

Who doesn't love Platoon?

Shut up! Shut up and take the pain! Take the pain!

 

[LMP]

I could not stand Any Given Sunday.

I liked Platoon a lot, as well as JFK. I like Midnight Express, but, that's just his screenplay, not him directing.

I don't know what to say really.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=WO4tIrjBDkk

 

[No spoken words]

Yeah. Stone was in Nam, but, obviously, he did not spend too much time around professional sports.

Here you go:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3HURJNd0J4U&feature=related

 

[LMP]

God, that movie should just be called Everyone Fucking Hates Kevin Spacey, Motherfucker.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=dH4p9BQ3V9o

Hoo-ah!

 

[No spoken words]

Have a sip of this:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZIjpP-XngKA&feature=related

 

[Dalton]

When exactly did Al Pacino become Al Pacino the caricature of a great actor instead of Al Pacino the great actor?

 

[No spoken words]

He's Pacino the great actor in a great movie in The Insider. He's way over the top in Scent of a Woman, though.