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Guest Jlall

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I am firmly convinced that "Better Off Dead" is the greatest movie ever made. Truly brilliant on so many levels.

 

Very fond of

 

Blood Simple

Blazing Saddles

Dr. Strangelove

Reservoir Dogs

South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut

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1) The Graduate, though now as an old guy I really dig Mrs. Robinson more than that flake Benjamin. Music is still wonderful.

2) Risky Business, being from Chicago I really dug the car and bought one in my youth. Music is still wonderful and check out the subway scene.

3) Hard Days Night. First time I saw it I did not hear a lick of music with all the girls screaming, a truly great movie.

 

 

I am glad Richard put Blood Simple on his list that is really a good movie that no one ever saw. Dr. Strangelove is great. Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein very funny.

 

I never understood why people love Shawshank

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Can you guys who have fav movies share a little more about why they are special? A striking scene? Fantastic plot, great writing? Great acting, great directing?

 

Maybe I can get some ideas and add non-frasier titles to my netflix queue.

 

2 movies I'm looking forward to are Enders Game and Da Vinci Code. They sound pretty good. I think Timeline will make a very watchable movie too--lots of gore and action.

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Guest Jlall
Can you guys who have fav movies share a little more about why they are special? A striking scene? Fantastic plot, great writing? Great acting, great directing?

 

Maybe I can get some ideas and add non-frasier titles to my netflix queue.

Sure.

 

Closer: I really enjoy movies with a lot of character development and interesting symbolism/recurring themes etc. I found this movie had both of those, and some great dialogue too. The plot was not much, basically just 4 people living life and how their lives were intertwined. It's not for everyone. Throughout the movie you see the characters evolve and change and get a brief look into just how many facets there are to people.

 

Cruel Intentions: Loved the plot. It's about a guy who is basically a sociopath, along with his apparently "perfect" sister who is just like him. He is a womanizer and screws with people for fun. He then falls in love (of course). Something about the main character, the ultimate manipulator, struck me. Also it has Reese Witherspoon and Sarah Michelle Gellar and they're hot :) Some great dialogue, but very explicit and graphic.

 

The Hustler: An oldschool movie about a pool hustler. I like this because he is a real person, a skilled competitor, a gambler who gets too cocky, and a guy who is down on his luck and has to make a decision about the character of himself. As a competitor myself, I really liked this movie.

 

I already said a bit about shawshank.

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My All Time Favorite Movies:

Casablanca - Truely romantic in every sense of the word

 

Babette's Feast - A must for any foodie. Explains why food is a spiritual endevour.

 

Dr. Strangelove - A truely funny and terrifying movie. And if you don't agree, you will have to answer to the coca cola company

 

Raiders of the Lost Ark - best action film ever made

 

La Strada - Beautifully filmed and acted. Absolutely heartbreaking

 

The Princess Bride - That movie? Inconcievable. This has it all. Its very funny, and has an awesome sword fight!

 

The Sweet Hereafter - A subtle but amazing movie. Great ensemble cast. One of the few movies I watched a second time immediately after my first viewing.

 

Persona- I think this is Bergman's best. A meditation on ART as well as on EGO.

 

The Godfather - Just brilliantly filmed and a great ensemble cast. The montage during the baptism is one of the great all time film scenes.

 

Kind Heart and Coronets - One of the funniest movies of all time. After finding out that his mother, who had married a commoner, would not be allowed to be buried in the family cemetary, the main character, who was 13'th (?) in line for a dukedum, sets out to kill the 12 ahead of him, man and women alike, and all played by Alec Guiness.

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Can you guys who have fav movies share a little more about why they are special?

Looking at the list I picked, I would divide them into three general categories: Hilarious, Thought-provoking, and Magical. (With overlap between the last two.)

 

First the Hilarious: The Producers; Clueless

I don't really know what to say about them. They're both non-stop laughter from beginning to end, but never talk down to the audience or strike you with dumb moments like many modern comedies. Sample joke from Clueless:

 

Dad: You mean to tell me that you argued your way from a C+ to an A-?

Cher (the daughter): Totally based on my powers of persuasion, you proud?

Dad: Honey, I couldn't be happier than if they were based on real grades.

 

 

Thought-provoking:

Shawshank: What defines freedom? What defines friendship? What's good/bad behavior? Just how TALL is Tim Robbins?

 

Gattaca: What defines who a person is? What is human potential and how can it be measured? What do you do when society's rules are against you? How cute is Jude Law?

 

Magical: This is a quality that I can't put my finger on. It just is this feeling you get after seeing a movie that makes you want to see it again fifty million times because it was SO good!

Shawshank

Gigi (This is a musical set in France. It won many Oscars, and I love it for its love story and music, but most of all for Maurice Chevalier and all the clothes!)

Stalag 17 (This a drama set in a POW camp in Germany in WWII. It's a very American movie and many of the references may be incomprehensible to non-americans, but the drama and feeling behind it are just wonderful.)

Star Wars(I don't know what I can say about this movie that hasn't been said. My first memory of it is already knowing all the lines, so you can see that I didn't really have a choice about liking this movie).

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Cruel Intentions: Loved the plot. It's about a guy who is basically a sociopath, along with his apparently "perfect" sister who is just like him. He is a womanizer and screws with people for fun. He then falls in love (of course). Something about the main character, the ultimate manipulator, struck me. Also it has Reese Witherspoon and Sarah Michelle Gellar and they're hot :) Some great dialogue, but very explicit and graphic.

You could also watch Dangerous Liaisons. :( But I agree, this movie was great. Ryan Philippe is GORGEOUS (just to point out that there's eye candy for those interested in men, too).

 

Of course, you could say the same (modern remake) about Clueless and Emma.

 

Babette's Feast - A must for any foodie. Explains why food is a spiritual endevour.

And one you must be very patient to see. When I saw this, it just felt LONG! But after, I thought it was great!

 

Another really good movie revolving around a special family meal is Eat, Drink, Man, Woman which was directed by Ang Lee, who just won an oscar as best director.

 

I can list a bunch more movies about food. One you shouldn't see unless you feel particularly in the mood for grossness is The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover It was not rated X for sex.

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Just rented La Strada from NetFlix, just seems like another overrated Fellini movie,

Mom sells disturbed very young daughter to circus creep and no one yells Police!

Will the young girl fall for the creep, will the creep become gentle and learn love,yada yada yada. I wanted to arrest Quinn and the Mom!

 

Shawshank, overwrought, boring, predictable....

Braveheart pretty much the same, but so many do seem to love these movies and consider them all-time classics. I could barely stay awake.

 

Of course if you Like Dawson Creek, Gilmore Girls you really may love these movies. :)

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Shawshank, overwrought, boring, predictable....

Braveheart pretty much the same, but so many do seem to love these movies and consider them all-time classics. I could barely stay awake.

 

Of course if you Like Dawson Creek, Gilmore Girls you really may love these movies. :)

I strongly disliked Braveheart.

 

I don't like GG because of the emotional stuff (in fact, I dislike it now that they're laying the emotions on thickly) I like the humor, which is now severely lacking. :)

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Cruel Intentions: Loved the plot. It's about a guy who is basically a sociopath, along with his apparently "perfect" sister who is just like him. He is a womanizer and screws with people for fun. He then falls in love (of course). Something about the main character, the ultimate manipulator, struck me. Also it has Reese Witherspoon and Sarah Michelle Gellar and they're hot :) Some great dialogue, but very explicit and graphic.

You could also watch Dangerous Liaisons. :) But I agree, this movie was great. Ryan Philippe is GORGEOUS (just to point out that there's eye candy for those interested in men, too).

 

Of course, you could say the same (modern remake) about Clueless and Emma.

 

Babette's Feast - A must for any foodie. Explains why food is a spiritual endevour.

And one you must be very patient to see. When I saw this, it just felt LONG! But after, I thought it was great!

 

Another really good movie revolving around a special family meal is Eat, Drink, Man, Woman which was directed by Ang Lee, who just won an oscar as best director.

 

I can list a bunch more movies about food. One you shouldn't see unless you feel particularly in the mood for grossness is The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover It was not rated X for sex.

I think the father (and master chef) in Eat Drink Man Women is a major stud. :)

 

Actually I consistantly like Ang Lee's Movies. An earlier film of his, The Wedding Banquet, was hysterical.

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I think the father (and master chef) in Eat Drink Man Women is a major stud. :)

 

Actually I consistantly like Ang Lee's Movies. An earlier film of his, The Wedding Banquet, was hysterical.

Wasn't the father also in The Wedding Banquet? But I agree, that movie was superb. Ang Lee has done everything from Jane Austen (Sense and Sensibility) to action (The Hulk and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Tiger). In between he's thrown in westerns (Ride with the Devil, which I actually haven't seen) and gay dramas and comedies (Brokeback Mountain and The Wedding Banquet, respectively). Is there anything the man can't do?

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I think the father (and master chef) in Eat Drink Man Women is a major stud. :)

 

Actually I consistantly like Ang Lee's Movies. An earlier film of his, The Wedding Banquet, was hysterical.

Wasn't the father also in The Wedding Banquet? But I agree, that movie was superb. Ang Lee has done everything from Jane Austen (Sense and Sensibility) to action (The Hulk and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Tiger). In between he's thrown in westerns (Ride with the Devil, which I actually haven't seen) and gay dramas and comedies (Brokeback Mountain and The Wedding Banquet, respectively). Is there anything the man can't do?

And I hear he makes a good Kung Pow!

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I'll try to keep this short. First of all I second Justin on Reese Witherspoon and Sarah Michelle Gellar being gorgeous :-).

 

Favourite Movies:

 

The Big Lebowsky: I could watch this over and over again, for the humour and great situational comedy, characters and dialogue. Probably a hate-it-or-love-it movie.

The Flight of the Phoenix: The only airplane disaster movie that is not only bearable but even really good; a great character study and thriller at the same time. No silly romance side plots or senseless violence, it keeps to the point and still works because of the great acting and directing. Edit: Uh, maybe I should point out that I'm talking about the original from the 60s, not the silly remake that has been released recently...

The Abyss: Awesome science fiction story; by all means watch the director's cut.

Lost in Translation: I've hardly seen any love story which was that well told, in all its subtlety.

 

And many many more ("Fargo", "Alien(s)", "Star Wars" (the old ones) and many more, but the above four are good examples for the kinds of movies I fall in love with).

 

--Sigi

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I am glad Richard put Blood Simple on his list that is really a good movie that no one ever saw.

Hey, I've seen that one! The later Coen movies were a lot better IMHO (esp. Fargo and The Big Lebowsky, but with Blood Simple their talent was clearly recognizable already).

--Sigi

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Eclectic group..

 

Princess Bride... inconceivable

Memento ... if i could remember it

 

 

Some recent movies i enjoyed

 

Batman begins ... i can't believe, all the other batman's were horrible

Incredibles ... hey, its more than a cartoon

 

Recent ones that were better than i thought they might be...

40 year old virgin ... ok, better if you get a bleeped version, language rough

I robot... will smith did ok

 

Recent ones that were horrible

Bewitched... blech

Sin City ... what was i thinking spending 10 bucks on that trash

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This will be a weird mix...

 

Princess Bride: No explanations necessary.

 

The Rocky Horror Picture Show: The music matches the vision incredibly.

 

The Wall: Bob Geldof, an actor? Whou would have thunk it?

 

Ferriss Bueller's Day Off: Despite my age I still enjoy him singing on the german float.

 

Romper Stomper: Very violent. It was the beginning of Russell Crowe's career.

 

Angel Heart: De Niro, Rourke (before he was punch-drunk)

 

The Power of One: Although a disappointment compared to the book, a great story about apartheid in South Africa.

 

Sean

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