Bodisathva
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That's a bit morbid...don't you think?ColinEssex said:
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ColinEssex
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no not at all. Hollywood have used real news footage for some WW2 films they made. I think it would make a fortune at the boxoffice.Bodisathva said:
Col
Tasslehoff
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ColinEssex said:When do you think Hollywood will make a film of the twin towers thing and the Pentagon crash on 11/9?
I reckon that'll be good if they don't spoil it by using stupidly obvious special effects- maybe they can incorporate real news footage. . . . .
Col
Uhh, I thought that they had. At least, I remember seeing the commercials for it...don't remember the name, though. Perhaps it is not out yet?
I remember that right after 9/11 war movies became kinda popular...but none of them even touched 9/11, they made sure to stay FAR away from even mentioning it. Anyone remember "Black Hawk Down"?
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Bodisathva
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I believe that's just about the plane that crashed in PA...United Flight 93.Tasslehoff said:Uhh, I thought that they had. At least, I remember seeing the commercials for it...don't remember the name, though. Perhaps it is not out yet?
www.united93movie.com
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Guess I'll toss in my two cents' worth.
1. An older movie that is an absolute side-splitter if you like "screwball" comedies: Arsenic and Old Lace, with Cary Grant.
2. A more modern movie that has some really great moments (though overall it is not a classic): The Replacements, with Keanu Reeves, Annabelle Sciorra, and Gene Hackman, plus some fun appearances by Pat Summerall and John Madden. The "friendly dancers" scene is a hoot every time. But if you get the "family" cut, that scene might be missing.
3. In passing, I'll comment that despite those who thought Bruce the Shark was hokey, there is no movie with better pacing than Jaws. I have a cousin with an advanced degree in theater. He tells me that many schools -not just his own alma mater - use Jaws for an example of how to pace movies.
4. I saw Superman Returns and found myself with mixed emotions. It is well done but so strongly derivative of other movies in the Christopher Reeve series that it seems somehow "ashamed" to stand on its own. By contrast, Batman Begins was NOT at all afraid to stand by itself.
5. "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was well done given that the movie is totally impossible to bring to the screen in less than another couple of hours of material per installment. I suspect that this contributes to the feelings by some that the series was somehow missing something. As a long-time fan of the written series, I must say that Peter Jackson's vision of many scenes was spot-on to the novels. Many, many scenes.
6. If you were wondering about Galaxy Quest, add this to your list: It is not only a spoof of the womanizing, hard-living Captain Kirk. It is also a true send-up of Trekkers, bad script-writers, and stereotyped actors who can't find work any more because of that one role that poisoned their careers.
7. Classics from a consideration of scope, even though somewhat hokey by modern movie-making standards: Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston version) and The Ten Commandments (Charlton again). In the latter, Edward G Robinson as Dathan the overseer is a hoot with his impossible accent and corny delivery. Then, Debra Paget as Lilia (?) has a bit of overacting to do just to compensate for EGR stealing all her scenes.
8. A true classic from the 1950's... Forbidden Planet with Leslie Nielsen (before he started doing comedy), Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Jack Kelly, and some character actors you've seen a thousand times: Richard Anderson, James Drury, Earl Holliman. Watch this and then consider NEARLY ANY of the Star Trek (first gen) episodes. Be ready to chuckle - and gasp - at the incredible similarities.
9. Let me toss in a couple of real stinkers just so you can AVOID them
Creation of the Humanoids, probably late 1950's or early 1960's - cribs a popular Jack Williamson novel title but otherwise bears no resemblance.
Rollerblade, 1970s - though you have to tip your hat to the cheeky concept of a T&A movie based on post-apocalyptic roller-skating ninja nuns with slingblades and interesting habits.
Hell Comes to Frogtown, 1970s. (Rowdy Roddy Piper) Some movies are just BAD.
10. As far as enjoyable, more modern comedies:
Victor, Victoria - a hilarious gender-bender with Julie Andrews and Robert Preston, and funny roles for James Garner and Dick Butkis
Mel Brooks's Young Frankenstein is as funny as any movie I have ever seen and incredibly effective. Gene Wilder is superb in this role, though some of his portrayals leave me cold. And Kenneth Mars as the one-armed police inspector? Plus the uncredited appearance by Gene Hackman as the blind beggar.
One you'll have to look for, another gender-bender: Lust in the Dust, with Tab Hunter, Lanie Kazan, Caesar Romero, Henry Silva, and Divine. If you have ever seen a western movie and recognized the hackneyed cliches they frequently use, watch this one, which turns those cliches on their heads.
11. A really good musical production nicely brought to screen: Phantom of the Opera (modern version from the play). The actress who plays Christine Daae is incredible for someone so young. And what a voice!!!!!
12. An observation, since someone brought up the Bond movies... The movie Thunderball (Sean Connery) is incredibly close in scenes and dialog to the original novel of the same name. In most other cases for the Bond films, you have a hard time recognizing the original work. I think the farthest away from the original was the movie Octopussy, where the entire text of the short story was the basis for one SCENE. Not even a sequence of scenes. Just one dialog sequence between Maud Adams and Roger Moore, what writers sometimes call an expository lump.
13. Movies where you have to wonder if there was ANY redeeming feature intended to be present, just an excuse for an action heroine to wear something close-fitting and shiny:
Ultraviolet (Milla Jovovich), Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron) , Underworld (Kate Beckinsale).
Don't get me wrong, I panted my way through each one because each of those actresses is very pretty. Also Batman Returns with Michelle Pfiefer in skin-tight glossy vinyl. But after a while, the prurient interest fades and you are left with something less than totally enjoyable.
14. A comment about Battle Beyond the Stars. There is a triva question of sorts between BBTS and Magnificent Seven.
Q: Which actor portrayed the same role in both films (allowing for the genre difference)? A: Robert Vaughn, who played the aging, jaded gunfighter looking for redemption through one worthy cause.
15. A note about a movie I saw that probably will NEVER be found on any but the rarest of sites: Mardi Gras Massacre, with a cast of unknowns. And after seeing the movie at a dollar theater one night, I know why they are still unknowns. This was one of those films where they actually ripped the credits because almost EVERY PERSON involved in the film wanted their names removed. An Alan Smithee project if ever there was one. If you happen to see it, I don't know whether to recommend it or tell you to run like the devil was after you. I guess it depends on how hokey you like it. I knew about the film because a friend of mine was part of the effects crew. He did model molds so the bad guy could stab a life-like vinyl replica of a naked woman's breasts. Lucky stiff!
16. A movie that should always be discussed with care: Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. (First one, but not the sequel.) Here is the philosophical question for you: If a movie was originally conceived to be really BAD and it does so, should it be considered a success or a failure?
17. Another question, and one man's opinion: Was there ever a sequel that was better than the original? Yes: Aliens was better than Alien. But then the third and fourth movies in the series came around and had nowhere to go but downhill.
1. An older movie that is an absolute side-splitter if you like "screwball" comedies: Arsenic and Old Lace, with Cary Grant.
2. A more modern movie that has some really great moments (though overall it is not a classic): The Replacements, with Keanu Reeves, Annabelle Sciorra, and Gene Hackman, plus some fun appearances by Pat Summerall and John Madden. The "friendly dancers" scene is a hoot every time. But if you get the "family" cut, that scene might be missing.
3. In passing, I'll comment that despite those who thought Bruce the Shark was hokey, there is no movie with better pacing than Jaws. I have a cousin with an advanced degree in theater. He tells me that many schools -not just his own alma mater - use Jaws for an example of how to pace movies.
4. I saw Superman Returns and found myself with mixed emotions. It is well done but so strongly derivative of other movies in the Christopher Reeve series that it seems somehow "ashamed" to stand on its own. By contrast, Batman Begins was NOT at all afraid to stand by itself.
5. "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was well done given that the movie is totally impossible to bring to the screen in less than another couple of hours of material per installment. I suspect that this contributes to the feelings by some that the series was somehow missing something. As a long-time fan of the written series, I must say that Peter Jackson's vision of many scenes was spot-on to the novels. Many, many scenes.
6. If you were wondering about Galaxy Quest, add this to your list: It is not only a spoof of the womanizing, hard-living Captain Kirk. It is also a true send-up of Trekkers, bad script-writers, and stereotyped actors who can't find work any more because of that one role that poisoned their careers.
7. Classics from a consideration of scope, even though somewhat hokey by modern movie-making standards: Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston version) and The Ten Commandments (Charlton again). In the latter, Edward G Robinson as Dathan the overseer is a hoot with his impossible accent and corny delivery. Then, Debra Paget as Lilia (?) has a bit of overacting to do just to compensate for EGR stealing all her scenes.
8. A true classic from the 1950's... Forbidden Planet with Leslie Nielsen (before he started doing comedy), Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Jack Kelly, and some character actors you've seen a thousand times: Richard Anderson, James Drury, Earl Holliman. Watch this and then consider NEARLY ANY of the Star Trek (first gen) episodes. Be ready to chuckle - and gasp - at the incredible similarities.
9. Let me toss in a couple of real stinkers just so you can AVOID them
Creation of the Humanoids, probably late 1950's or early 1960's - cribs a popular Jack Williamson novel title but otherwise bears no resemblance.
Rollerblade, 1970s - though you have to tip your hat to the cheeky concept of a T&A movie based on post-apocalyptic roller-skating ninja nuns with slingblades and interesting habits.
Hell Comes to Frogtown, 1970s. (Rowdy Roddy Piper) Some movies are just BAD.
10. As far as enjoyable, more modern comedies:
Victor, Victoria - a hilarious gender-bender with Julie Andrews and Robert Preston, and funny roles for James Garner and Dick Butkis
Mel Brooks's Young Frankenstein is as funny as any movie I have ever seen and incredibly effective. Gene Wilder is superb in this role, though some of his portrayals leave me cold. And Kenneth Mars as the one-armed police inspector? Plus the uncredited appearance by Gene Hackman as the blind beggar.
One you'll have to look for, another gender-bender: Lust in the Dust, with Tab Hunter, Lanie Kazan, Caesar Romero, Henry Silva, and Divine. If you have ever seen a western movie and recognized the hackneyed cliches they frequently use, watch this one, which turns those cliches on their heads.
11. A really good musical production nicely brought to screen: Phantom of the Opera (modern version from the play). The actress who plays Christine Daae is incredible for someone so young. And what a voice!!!!!
12. An observation, since someone brought up the Bond movies... The movie Thunderball (Sean Connery) is incredibly close in scenes and dialog to the original novel of the same name. In most other cases for the Bond films, you have a hard time recognizing the original work. I think the farthest away from the original was the movie Octopussy, where the entire text of the short story was the basis for one SCENE. Not even a sequence of scenes. Just one dialog sequence between Maud Adams and Roger Moore, what writers sometimes call an expository lump.
13. Movies where you have to wonder if there was ANY redeeming feature intended to be present, just an excuse for an action heroine to wear something close-fitting and shiny:
Ultraviolet (Milla Jovovich), Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron) , Underworld (Kate Beckinsale).
Don't get me wrong, I panted my way through each one because each of those actresses is very pretty. Also Batman Returns with Michelle Pfiefer in skin-tight glossy vinyl. But after a while, the prurient interest fades and you are left with something less than totally enjoyable.
14. A comment about Battle Beyond the Stars. There is a triva question of sorts between BBTS and Magnificent Seven.
Q: Which actor portrayed the same role in both films (allowing for the genre difference)? A: Robert Vaughn, who played the aging, jaded gunfighter looking for redemption through one worthy cause.
15. A note about a movie I saw that probably will NEVER be found on any but the rarest of sites: Mardi Gras Massacre, with a cast of unknowns. And after seeing the movie at a dollar theater one night, I know why they are still unknowns. This was one of those films where they actually ripped the credits because almost EVERY PERSON involved in the film wanted their names removed. An Alan Smithee project if ever there was one. If you happen to see it, I don't know whether to recommend it or tell you to run like the devil was after you. I guess it depends on how hokey you like it. I knew about the film because a friend of mine was part of the effects crew. He did model molds so the bad guy could stab a life-like vinyl replica of a naked woman's breasts. Lucky stiff!
16. A movie that should always be discussed with care: Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. (First one, but not the sequel.) Here is the philosophical question for you: If a movie was originally conceived to be really BAD and it does so, should it be considered a success or a failure?
17. Another question, and one man's opinion: Was there ever a sequel that was better than the original? Yes: Aliens was better than Alien. But then the third and fourth movies in the series came around and had nowhere to go but downhill.
Yes, YES, YES!!!! Fantastic choice!The_Doc_Man said:
I actually have not seen this next movie, only pieces, but The Philadelphia Story is an amazing comedy with (again) Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart and Catherine Hepburn.
I didn't see the first two, as my impression was exactly how you described. However, I did like Underworld. If you're into that sort of thing, I think it's a good quality vampire-werewolf fantasy flick. I thought it had enough depth to indicate a rather rich backstory, whereas most of these types of movies tend to just ride the mythology already established in pop culture (ie., the Blade series, though I still enjoyed those too). If that's not the type of genre you get into, though, definitely skip it.The_Doc_Man said:
Agreed, though I admit I saw Aliens before Alien, so I don't know if my opinion counts.The_Doc_Man said:
dan-cat
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The_Doc_Man said:
My favourite in this genre is Spartacus. Especially when Spartacus drowns his slave master in the soup of the day. Drink up fat boy!
Sorry I have a weird sense of humor ...
EDIT: Oh by the way 2nd favourite is probably Jesus of Nazareth though I don't know whether this counts as a movie. Anyway Robert Powell's portrayal is the best I've seen. Not quite sure where he disappeared to...
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Another great recommendation. Not that I've seen many films/miniseries that portray the life of Jesus, but this one is fantastic. It's fairly complete, wonderfully acted (featuring other big names such as Anne Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine, James Earl Jones, Laurence Olivier, Anthony Quinn, Rod Steiger, Ian Holm) and directed by Franco Zeffirelli. I haven't seen it in years and would like to watch it again. The theme music is so sublime; I'll never forget it.dan-cat said:
Tasslehoff
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The_Doc_Man said:
It seems you have a pretty good and eclectic taste.
I do agree that some sequels are better than the originals, and also that Aliens was an excellent movie, but I do not think Aliens was better than Alien. The real determining factor in my decision is the impact the movies had on viewers at the time they were released. My dad took my cousin (he was like nine years old) to see Alien when it first came out, and my dad tells me that my cousin soiled himself
. When Alien came out, it was like nothing anyone had seen: a new brand of horror. We may be used to it now because those techniques have been copied so much, but back then it scared the shite out of people. Aliens, while still original and good, borrowed from its predecessor's style and did not cause as much of an impact. It was broader in its themes, true...and the queen alien was awesome 
...but still I have to say it did not trump Alien.I suppose it really comes down to whether or not you want to reckon in historical impact when rating a movie. However, if you didn't, then most good, old movies would lose at least some appeal.
Trivia: In Aliens there were supposed to be legions of badies swarming around the good guys...but did you ever count how many aliens are on screen at the same time? All those legions end up being just a few guys in suits.
ColinEssex
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Its nice that 3 of "your" (the USA) top stars ever, were all English.TessB said:
Cary Grant
Charlie Chaplin
Bob Hope
Col
Bodisathva
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We're not going to start this argument again, are we?ColinEssex said:Its nice that 3 of "your" (the USA) top stars ever, were all English.
Cary Grant
Charlie Chaplin
Bob Hope
Col
R
Rich
Guest
and of course half of the most famous comedy duo everColinEssex said:Its nice that 3 of "your" (the USA) top stars ever, were all English.
Cary Grant
Charlie Chaplin
Bob Hope
Col
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Hey, I'm as multinational as the next guy. That pretty little lady from down under, Ms. Nicolle K., would make me pant heavily regardless of whether she was USA, Brit, Aussie, or bloody Welsh.
Cary Grant being British doesn't bother me a bit. Let's add Alec Guiness to the list of really great actors.
I'll probably give away my age by doing this, but does anyone recall the glossy brochure printed by Fox studios when "Star Wars" was first released in the late 1970's? You saw the acting credits for Mark Hamill - a paragraph. Carrie Fisher - a paragraph. Harrison Ford - two paragraphs. James Earl Jones - a couple of paragraphs. Alec Guiness - a couple of pages. What a HOOT. You can't honestly say he was the lead actor, but if you want to talk talent, no comparison!
But then, on the other side of the coin, the Medved Brothers claim that Sir Richard Burton might well have been the WORST big-name actor of all time, based on the frequency of his box-office flops when he had a leading role.
So I guess the Brits are allowed to have their clinkers, too. Equal opportunity for mediocrity, as I always say.
Cary Grant being British doesn't bother me a bit. Let's add Alec Guiness to the list of really great actors.
I'll probably give away my age by doing this, but does anyone recall the glossy brochure printed by Fox studios when "Star Wars" was first released in the late 1970's? You saw the acting credits for Mark Hamill - a paragraph. Carrie Fisher - a paragraph. Harrison Ford - two paragraphs. James Earl Jones - a couple of paragraphs. Alec Guiness - a couple of pages. What a HOOT. You can't honestly say he was the lead actor, but if you want to talk talent, no comparison!
But then, on the other side of the coin, the Medved Brothers claim that Sir Richard Burton might well have been the WORST big-name actor of all time, based on the frequency of his box-office flops when he had a leading role.
So I guess the Brits are allowed to have their clinkers, too. Equal opportunity for mediocrity, as I always say.
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By way of clarification, Alien and Aliens differ most greatly in my book in that the former is just a "monster in the attic" movie whereas there is more interpersonal interaction in the latter. I.e. Ripley's character has more to do that reveals her character. For that reason, Aliens was the more demanding role. Sigourney Weaver has had many good roles, but you have to admit that she rode the crest of a really big wave on that one.
Let's not forget, either, that she can play self-deprecating comedy as well, witness "Tawny" in Galaxy Quest.
Let's not forget, either, that she can play self-deprecating comedy as well, witness "Tawny" in Galaxy Quest.
Matt Greatorex
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ColinEssex said:
They have, although I forget the name. Steven Dorff is in it, I believe.
Matt Greatorex
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The_Doc_Man said:
Comparing apples and oranges. The first was a suspense/horror film, the second was an action film. Both excellent, but which one you prefer will depend largely on which genre you prefer, surely?
My votes for sequels improving on the original go to The Empire Strikes Back or any of even numbered Star Trek films.
