Movies, movies, movies

[chris h]

Sam,

My views on Braveheart are well known but when I first saw it I never realised it was Patrick McGoohan playing good king Edward ! It has some good scenes especially Edward disposing of his sons 'friend' via the window !

[d_kendal]

well I thought Star Wars episode II started today here (Saturday) but I was wrong (it actually started thursday night at 12am) so I got to see it the first day it was out on friday evening. (so I didn't even have to "call in sick" on saturday ) the theater was packed but I managed to get in just before it started. I really liked it, even more then Episode I. has anybody else seen it yet? if so what did you think of it?

- David

[fugitive]

Originally posted by chris h
The Shawshank Redemption is always a pleasure to watch, strong storyline, excellent cast and revenge (always a good theme)followed by a happy ending. And in a similar vein the Green Mile. I hought Lord of the Rings was quite good, a vast improvement over the Harry Potter tripe.
I can't approve of the Scottish propaganda in the form of Rob Roy and Braveheart, amusing tales but biased against the benevolent rule of England !!

Almost forgot the 'Seven Samurai' by Kurosawa its a stand alone masterpiece.

Are you aware that 2 of those you mentioned were written by Stephen King?

[fugitive]

Originally posted by Doug Nelson
OK, we have a thread for books, a thread for music, an entire forum for cooking, it's about time we had a thread for my favorite subject: movies.

I'm a total moviephile. I have every movie channel our cable system offers, and netflix.com's biggest subscription package. And I wish I had more

I like "thinkers", not "stinkers". Big budgets don't impress me, in fact the worst movie ever made (IMO) was a big-budget summer smash.
Was it Godzilla? or Armagedin?
Some of my current favorites are "Magnolia", "American Beauty", "Pay it Forward", and "As Good as it Gets".
I took my son to that one, we were sitting in the back so we could see everyones reactions, and no one laughed more than we two. We were laughing so loud, no Sitcom ever made me laugh that much. The dog down the laundry shoot, classic.

Some of my classic favorites are "The Stunt Man" and "Once Upon a Time in the West". Of course these just came to me as I typed this, I have thousands of favorites.

I'll watch about any genre, but my favorite favorites usually have an ambiguous touch of magic.

So, what are your favorites? (and of course, "why?")

[fugitive]

Originally posted by OhThatGirl2001
I have to say - Hearts In Atlantis is my new favorite movie. Who would have guessed Steven King could write such a touching story!

Lisa

I see too many films. I saw that and can't remember it, though I know it was good.
Anyone see Stand by Me? King wrote that too.

[fugitive]

Originally posted by G. Couch
I'm with DJ on the Lord of the Rings! I have waited for that since I was a little kid.

Other science fiction movies I love - Metropolis, Things To Come, 2001, Blade Runner, Brazil.

1st two classic. 2001, I took off work and went to Hollywood to see it in '68 on grass, blew my mind completely.
Brazil, very cool/weird.

Jerry mentioned The Outlaw Josie Wales ... I have not seen that, but I love the ""spaghetti westerns" Eastwood did- The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, A Fistful of Dollars... I love the off kilter style and Ennio Morricone's music.

just remembered another movie I saw recently, Das Boot. VERY tense movie about a German U-boat crew during WW2

[fugitive]

Originally posted by Jakaleena
I have a few favorites -

The Magnificent Seven
Sommersby
Of Mice and Men (with Gary Sinise & John Malkovich)

(If you've ever seen them, you could probably guess why).

And Rancho Deluxe (Jeff Bridges/Sam Waterston) for no other reason than it made me roll on the floor laffin'

You know, don't you, that Jeff is one of the forgotten by the academy, best actors alive don't you. Watch his performance in Star Man, he transforms himself.
greg
who loves movies more than anyone.

[chris h]

I was aware that Stephen King was the author of the Shawshank Redemption but only made the connection with the Green Mile a few weeks ago. Film makers rarely make good interpretations of books but they suceeded in this case. The best adaptation of a book for film that I've seen is 'Day of the Jackal' Frederick Forsythe's novel about the attempted assassination of De Gaulle.

[fugitive]

Originally posted by G. Couch
I saw two movies over the weekend... AI and How to Kill Your Neigbor's Dog, which was good but not great.

Anyone stand in line to see Star Wars last night?

No, but I stood in line for the 2nd StarWars in what? '80?
It was the 2nd time I waited in a big line for a flick, the 1st being The Exorcist. There was a family that had a motorhome, and they would have different people stand in line for a while and then spell them, they had drinks and everything.
greg

[rondon]

I like watching many movies..... but some I reach for when I like to enjoy some familar moments.... altho i think this was released a little before I could appeciate it ..

I'll go with AFRICAN QUEEN ... so timely .... anyone who has it but has never seen it's value ... just pay attention to the opening scene as boggie happens to steam in , during an un-harmonized church service in the jungle...

Imagine ... going wherever you pleased on a boat that only required wood for fuel ... and for a time all the gin one man would need to sit out a war..

the two main characters fit me and my lady well I think... and I long ago made this animation of the four of us.. boggie and Kate... pam and I

[Jakaleena]

Originally posted by fugitive


You know, don't you, that Jeff is one of the forgotten by the academy, best actors alive don't you. Watch his performance in Star Man, he transforms himself.
greg
who loves movies more than anyone.

I've seen most of his movies. I love him. I went on an actual quest about 4 years ago to BUY every JB movie that was on video that I could get my hands on. Then someone broke into my house and stole them (along with all of my camera gear). But you're absolutely right - he is excellent and unfortunately very forgotten...

I take it you've seen American Heart... I really think he does an incredible job in that one!

[fugitive]

American Heart, can't remember, give me a little backgrnd.

[Jakaleena]

Originally posted by fugitive
American Heart, can't remember, give me a little backgrnd.

Here's the synopsis I found:

A boy [Edward Furlong] longing for a relationship with his newly-released ex-convict dad [Jeff Bridges], tracks him down and begs to stay with him. Grudgingly, the father agrees and they set up house in a residential hotel. Jobs are hard to come by for ex-cons "who can't do nothin'," but the father finally gets work washing windows, and instructs his son to go find a school to attend.
As the father and son struggle to become a family, the father tries to resist the temptation to return to the streets and slip back into his old ways. They plan to fulfill the father's dreams of resettling in Alaska, but a feud between the two has dire consequences, leading to a tragic ending.

It was filmed in Seattle. I've never read a bad review on it, and most were just glowing. If you haven't seen it, you really should. It's one of the first ones I spent actual $$ to own.

[fugitive]

Thanks Jac, still don't recall. Problem is I see a lot of films, though not as many as Roger Ebert.
I'll see if I can find it. Did you see the one where he was in the plane crash?
greg

[Jakaleena]

Yeppers - Fearless.

[CJ Swartz]

Rondon -

the two main characters fit me and my lady well I think... and I long ago made this animation of the four of us.. boggie and Kate... pam and I

Kate and Bogie are one of my all time favorites, and a great pair to "fit" with! Nice animation.
Rondon -

I like watching many movies..... but some I reach for when I like to enjoy some familar moments

I feel that way about a number of movies - laugh myself out of a sad/bad mood -- "9 to 5" with Lilly, Dolly, & Jane; have a good cry (AND revive my patriotic fervor) watching the WWII tour shows in Jane Froman's story "With a Song in My Heart", [especially singing 'Back Home Again in Indiana']; the great bits from Mae West/W.C. Fields movies, wrenching free from conformity with "Holiday" (Cary Grant/Katharine Hepburn); the thrill watching the cafe crowd fervently singing "La Marseillaise" over the sounds of the Gestapo voices... and the eerie shock of watching the sweet blond boys singing the sweet tune and horrifying threat of "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" in "Cabaret". Of course, "Cabaret" includes many more special moments.

[fugitive]

Just finished watching Grand Canyon, with Kevin Kline. Great film. The dynamic of good and bad, violence and peace. Someone was a genius, writer or director or both.

[Doug Nelson]

Grand Canyon is marvelous. Writer/director are the same guy, Lawrence Kasdan. He also did Body Heat, Big Chill, Accidental Tourist, and Silverado. Plus he wrote two Star Wars movies

[fugitive]

I'll try to remember that> It sound like you might be deeper into films than I. I only know a few directors.
The first was Hitchcock, from the TV shows, 2nd was in the '70s Huston, then Spielberg, and on ..........

Loved Body Heat, saw it recently, Big Chill..fantastic.
Tourist, good, Silverado loved Kevin Kline, and Linda Hunt.

[Doug Nelson]

I cheat

[fugitive]

Originally posted by Doug Nelson
I cheat

You use the book then? I have one too. Don't use it for conversation, just bets.

[fugitive]

Hey, wanna see a good murder mystery?
Body Double..................I'm watching it right now, 1984, a very, very good yr for films, in fact, to me one of the best ever. I can't count how many good ones came out that year.

I know Doug will have a comment on this.