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Marsellus_H

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Posts posted by Marsellus_H

  1. Posted

    Oh, come on, twenty years later, and we're supposed to believe they're all still alive? Kinda takes away from the first movie a lil', doesn't it?

     

    It basically becomes the before-trilogy of drug films. Next time they'll meet in Rome with their families.

    • Like 1

  2. Posted

    I love Bonnie and Clyde. Actually, to give some historical context and to show how groundbreaking this film really was in the year 1967, we should make it Dr. Doolittle vs Bonnie and Clyde. I think that would be a great fun episode. Also, because the Oscars get their nominations never wrong, as everybody knows.

    • Like 1

  3. Posted

    I think I'm fine with a Matrix stand-alone episode. Although Dark City is in my books superior, it has never ever had the same cultural impact. Maybe it deserves a single episode as well, somewhere down the line?

     

    By the way, the options in the voting thread should DEFINITELY be "blue pill" and "red pill".

    • Like 1

  4. Posted

     

    Well, I know where I'd go on that one.

     

    A few months ago, I suggested Citizen Kane v Vertigo, which Devin replied to, suggesting some perverse interest (which was really my point in suggesting it). Because of the recent AFI #1 re-shuffling, not because I felt one didn't deserve inclusion.

     

    But two of the best Hitchcocks against each other, for no good reason? No. I'd be reachy-peachy-keen if To Catch a Thief missed out, or Saboteur, or Dial M for Murder, or even (barely) Strangers on a Train. But Vertigo? North By Northwest (my personal favorite of his)? Psycho? Rear Window? Denied entry? Sure, I'm still holding my bloody grudge against Frodo for Empire Strikes Back, but we must all be civilized. Pitting the best against the best, just because.....we must not abuse our power.

     

    I couldn't agree with you more. Versuses are the most fun, if there is some interesting reason outside of the films' context to pitch them against each other (i.e. Sight And Sound's somewhat controversial 2012 poll for Citizen Kane vs. Vertigo), so you can anchor the discussion on a certain angle. It also works if the two films had a similar cultural impact (i.e. King Kong vs. Jurassic Park in terms of who did special effects in monster movies better), or if it's a original vs. a remake (Let Me In vs. Let The Right One In). I really don't see much reason to put up two of Hitchcock's greatest films against each other, since each would lend itself easily to a one-hour stand-alone discussion. Which is, by the way, also something I noticed during the Boogie Nights vs. There Will Be Blood episode. I loved Boogie Nights, and voted for it, but I was a bit disappointed that the same discussion-effort wasn't spent on There Will Be Bloodl.

  5. Posted

    Shot by Gilbert "He Shot Repulsion, Strangelove, And Star Wars" Taylor, this is one you don't wanna miss. Pure cinema, this movie is more fun than half The Beatles' records. As the Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips would say, "it's a pip!"

     

    I'm not entierly convinced that the film is great. But after you sat through the first 40 minutes, and the director's paint-by-the numbers job is over of what you assume comes out, when you think of "Beatles", "early 60s" and "film", it turns to some pretty interesting places.It's that part, that would make it canon-worthy in my books.

     

    Also, I still would say that the early-to-mid Beatles catalogue covered in here contains some of the greatest, purest pop compositions ever written. It's neither as out-there nor as well-arranged as their later stuff, but it terms of pure enjoyability it certainly earns it's spot. The shizzle they were able to produce with simply 2 guitars, a base, a mediocre drum-set and a harmonica is pretty amazing, if you ask me. And I really think to see these prodyigies just doing what their good at on screen is pretty amazing.

     

    But that's just my opinion on that stuff. I'm looking forward to hear what the other people on this site think about it.

  6. Posted

    This is an easy yes. Also, while listening to the episode, I noticed that the plot description, i. e. long chase scene in the first half, a short intermezzo and a long chase scene back in the second half, sounds awfully similar to Mad Max: Fuy Road. It seems that we're kind of coming full circle in tirms of the visual language in films.

    • Like 1

  7. Posted

    Oh man, The General is really a special film to me. One of my profs uses the scene with the train crashing down the bridge to demonstrate the impact of structures that aren't sound. I would watch it constantly while studying for the exam ... so, there were a lot of nerdy feelings coming up, while revisiting the film for the show. Also, on a different issue, I noticed that the damsel in distress was pretty pro-active for its time. She seems to save him about as many times as he saves her. That's something I had totally forgotten about.

     

     

    City Lights. PLEAAAAASE City Lights.

     

    Couldn't second that one more. City Lights might be my favorite of the Chaplin bunch. The last line always hits me in the guts.

  8. Posted

    One could argue that Platoon is the American Beauty of Vietnam films.

     

    My feelings exactly. I was never really a Platoon guy. The Deer Hunter is fine, I'd say it has got some of the best scenes of all three films. But in between these couple of great set pieces, you've got to endure a looooooot of really slow 70s filmmaking, and the politics are hard to swallow.

     

    I think, of all three, this one expresses the dichotomy of the two lives a soldier has to endure the best: one at home, one at war. I for one like the second half even a bit better, because there you see some truely human stuff going down. Also, it shows that all that drill is pretty pointless in the end, and if you remember (SPOILERS!) the sniper in the end was female, it really makes you think about which side was of that war was truely more liberal.

  12. Posted

    Ok, first things first: Breakfast At Tiffany's is one of the most uninteresting, blunt songs that ever kissed the realm of the radio waves: Everything about it is lazy: the chords progression is about as exciting as watching paint dry, and that guitar riff shall burn in the bonfire of mediocre elevator music forever.... except, to be able to burn you'd need some hint of passion, and the songwriter clearly forgot to include that.

     

    The film on the other hand is just alright enough to be included... I guess. It's hard for me to judge this film, becuse it was so clearly not made for me, and that's fine. So, I'm going in with a very, very, very soft yes.

  13. Posted

    I would love to hear about the adaptation choices RE the dude being gay in the books V a romantic interest in the film.

    He's so boring, verging on dislikable in the film.

     

    I haven't read the book, but I did get some vibes from him, in the beginning of the film. And since this was written by one Truman Capote, my suspicion was that the censorship bureau kind of went ballistic on the script.

  14. Posted

    Reading this thread's title, the first thing popping into my mind is Tom Ford's A Single Man. I'm not sure how overlooked this film actually is, since Colin Firth was nominated for a bunch of awards, but I can't help but think that this one's sorrowly underseen. Apart from looking great and having some neat performances by both Julianne Moore and Colin Firth, it kind of taps into an aspect of a gay guy's life which I haven't seen: Because you love the world, but the world doesn't quite accept you, you have to build your own world with your own people. And because you just feel safer and more comfortable in this private world, you start to lose touch with the real world. To me, this film is about how the real world forcefully invades the private world. And to wrap this message up in an extremly watchable, appealing, great-looking film, that's a feat in itself.

    • Like 1

  15. Posted

     

    O_O

     

    Maybe I'm due a rewatch, but Maltese Falcon is a favorite of mine. One of those things where I've only seen it once and long ago, so you've shaken my faith.

     

    Having said that, your reaction to Falcon was my reaction to two acclaimed Bogart films that come to mind.

     

    Uh, I agree that Bogart's filmography is, albeit iconic, hit-or-miss in terms of the quality of the actual films. The Big Sleep, for example, has got a really convoluted plot and I'd say some structural weaknesses. But then again, I guess the main reason to rewatch it is the chemistry between Bogie and Bacall, and also the fun dialogue.

     

    In some ways, this also tackles the issue of The Maltese Falcon: It has got some interesting aspects, like the way it uses shadow in the frame, and it must have defined some film noir archetypes. But I found the story to be really weird, and some plot points didn't make sense to me at all. Also, I was underwhelmed by the performances. I couldn't idetnify myself at all with any of the characters, or enjoy them, because I found them pretty one-note, and simply not that interesting. To sum it up, I simply haven't had a very good or memorable viewing experience.

    • Like 1

  20. Posted

    Three Amigos versus Three Men and a Baby because they came out a year apart and are both about 3 men who get into a situation they are not prepared for.

     

    Hmm. What about Three Amigos vs. Three Men vs. The Third Man? Numerology says it needs to be three, in this case, you know.

    • Like 1

  21. Posted

    DR CALIGARI vs CARNIVAL OF SOULS

    LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT vs THE HILLS HAVE EYES

     

     

    i like your second pairing. I remember suggesting on the old forum to put up Carnival Of Souls against NIght Of The Living Dead. Both are kind of B-Movie 60s drive-in black-and-white classics. I think I'd pair Das Cabinet des Dr Caligari with Der Golem: Wie er in die Welt kam, though. Both came out in 1920, both German expressionistic horror films, an furthermore, both with Conrad Veidt. But while Caligari was kind of the blueprint for the genre, Golem took the set design style to the next level. Also, it would give Amy to geek out a bit on her knowledge about the genre. What do you say?

  22. Posted

    Yep, I'm all for a vs.

     

    But against Gone With The Wind as well as against Sabrina, I feel Casablanca would win in a landslide... I'd rather have it up against something like Treasure Of The Sierra Madre, with Bogie as a possible connecting point.

    • Like 3

  23. Posted

    Oh man. As a film nerd, I love the structural audacity and the performanes and the imagination in M., but as an architect, I can't help but admire Metropolis. You know, when I was studying, one of our profs used to say that we only had to watch 2 films for our profession: Metropolis and Blade Runner. The set design and the action pieces belong to the greatest ever, but I think the acting and the characters are really, really weak. And that film has so many flaws in its pacing and narration, which M. simply doesn't have. I'm not sure if it would make the canon, even on its own terms.

  24. Posted

    Also: Was I the only one to notice that Moonriver, which is getting played a gazzilion times in the film, begins with the same three-note vamp as Goldfinger? And yes, once you know that, you can't stop hearing in your mind "Goooooooldfinger, wider than a mile, I'm crossing you in style...." and "Moooonriver, he's the man, the man with the midas touch...." during the whole fucking movie.

    • Like 2

  25. Posted

    I mean if Re-animator gets in, this has to also

     

    I feel your pain, dude. But to me, this line of argumentation is invalid since that Cannibal Holocaust episode. I'm still trying to find a way to sue Devin and Sam Zimmerman over these 96 minutes of waisted lifetime. But in the end, it's just a fun podcast, a nice diversion.

     

    Nice to see a rom-com, though. The Canon's short on romance.

     

    We do have There's Something About Mary, Beauty And The Beast, Annie Hall, Sunrise, Rocky, Sex, Lies And Videotape and Brokeback Mountain. I think that's quite a list. But you're right, a straight-up rom-com is pretty much missing. After watching the film itself, though, I'm really not sure if this one is canon-worthy. It hasn't aged that well, and some parts felt a bit meandering. The dialogues are pretty clever, though, and I enjoyed watching a young, half-naked, hunky George Peppard in bed..... WherewasI?

    • Like 1
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