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Ryan L

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Everything posted by Ryan L

  1. Ryan L

    Episode 84: RE-ANIMATOR

    A bunch of Devin's arguments this episode felt lacking. Sure, this may be the best Lovecraft adaptation, but the bar for that is pretty damn low. I don't think this should be a criterion. I mean, the best Lovecraftian genre film works aren't even adaptations but things like ALIEN, THE EVIL DEAD, THE THING (sensing a theme here?), or THE CABIN IN THE WOODS. If we're looking for body horror, Cronenberg is the master there and THE FLY or VIDEODROME would be shoe-ins for the canon (well, the former if it weren't up against the aforementioned THE THING). Tonally, maybe there's something else here, but it's honestly not too far off the mark of anything listed here - and these are all far superior, historic, and influential. All the talk that this film is "the definitive" for certain actors too doesn't cut it. No offense to them, but these aren't exactly profilic players in the history of cinema. Barbara Crampton might even be better known for soap operas than for being a scream queen. Stuart Gordon's greatest achievement might be co-writing HONEY I SHRUNK THE KIDS. And I can't even think of anything else Jeffrey Combs has been in. (Looked it up, he was in some of the Star Trek series.) The recent line of conversation has been about if you wanted to show an alien the best, most influential, most representative films of human cinema. Is this the best? No, as discussed earlier in this post. Is this influential? Outside of genre devotees like Devin, no - which is counter to what you could say about films like ALIEN or THE EVIL DEAD films in their influence on cinema as a whole. Is this representative of film overall or a particular period/place/idea? Possibly, but it's so niche. Meanwhile, something like EVIL DEAD II or THE FLY hit that niche while transcending the niche. I really want to emphasize THE FLY here. Obviously the tone is different (comedy versus drama), but think about the big thoughts and themes that THE FLY is dealing with. The death of oneself, losing one's mind, losing loved ones. As Amy said, RE-ANIMATOR has opportunities to make thematic points like its forerunner FRANKENSTEIN does about humanity and life, but just doesn't take the shot. Yes, I can hear people saying "but it's not trying to, it's trying to be fun" - but there are plenty of fun movies out there that do it all and thus deserve being in The Canon of the all-time greats.
  2. Ryan L

    THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES

    At the very least it would most assuredly get inducted into the very long titles canon.
  3. Ryan L

    Terry Gilliam Showdown: 12 Monkeys vs Brazil

    Time Bandits, The Fisher King, or even Lost in La Mancha would be better options for a Gilliam versus than Brazil; it's just too easily going to trounce anything in its path.
  4. I know it's a little ways away, but since it was mentioned on the most recent episode I thought I'd throw out an idea I had for the format of the episode. The mentioned idea was for the 100th to take out a film from the Canon. I think that's an amazingly devious idea, but I think to ramp it up a notch - it's the 100th, let's super size this baby! A fatal three-way for the dishonorable discharge from the Canon, with one nominated by Devin, one by Amy, and one by the community. The forum will then vote for the movie they most want to stay in the Canon (since we're a place of positivity and merit here, right?) and the last place movie will live on in infamy. Also, with the 100th being an ejection episode, would that mean we wouldn't get another opportunity like the 50th to bring a previously rejected movie in? Or, an even more devious idea, could it be a movie already in versus on that didn't make it? Any other ideas to make this 100th episode a real spectacular?
  5. Ryan L

    Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

    I think in the modern era (post Scary Movie), yes these or one of the more recent Guest films would be great. As far as all-time parody/spoof/mock works, I think we'd have to look at Brooks, ZAZ, or This Is Spın̈al Tap.
  6. Ryan L

    Your Indulgence Picks

    I'd much rather nominate the film that best shows the impact of the MCU in its masterful display of the heights of a shared universe film series, and the best Iron Man film in the MCU - Captain America: Civil War.
  7. Ryan L

    Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

    "But Black Dynamite, I sell drugs to the community!" Just rewatching some scenes from this, I forgot how much of a master parody this is. Recycled stock footage, odd soliloquies, actors saying stage directions and script notes as lines, delayed camera movement, boom mics in frame. If we wanted to do a modern parody or mock-movie, this has to be the one.
  8. Ryan L

    Horror then and now

    There's an impact issue for things like It Follows, The Babadook, Drag Me to Hell, Cabin in the Woods, or even Under the Skin. We've already hit some of the most influential genre flicks of the last decade or so already with things like Let the Right One In, Pan's Labyrinth, and Battle Royale, but I think some other influential ones couldn't hurt too. That's not to say that I don't think we should have those films considered (and somebody more well-versed in horror can correct me if I'm wrong with their still relatively-new influence), but I think I'd rather see a Scream, The Blair Witch Project, even The Others (definitely influenced a lot of 00s horror, it won the Goya Award for Best Film and Director - although I think Abre Los Ojos is Amenábar's superior work) or like 'em or hate 'em Saw, 28 Days Later, and Hostel considered first. Maybe have a versus between The Ring or The Grudge and its Japanese original.
  9. Ryan L

    Suggestion: "The Room"

    Room versus The Room! /s
  10. Ryan L

    Moon

    In recognition of the biggest movie opening in Chinese history, I submit the debut film from Warcraft director Duncan Jones - Moon. We need some dancing machine Sam Rockwell in the canon!
  11. Ryan L

    Cinematic Universes & The Canon

    I'd make the argument that Civil War is not only possibly the best MCU film but the ultimate representation of the MCU and its impact for the Canon. Much like The Winter Soldier, the fact that you can watch this movie without much knowledge of the greater MCU but it being an integral part of the MCU is an achievement on its own. It being able to grab the tendrils of various characters and storylines from throughout the many films and create a cohesive piece in which multiple characters (not just the main ones) have worthwhile and meaningful character arcs is amazing, especially vis à vis something like Batman v Superman. And the fact that this is one of the few superhero films that breaks the mold and has not only a villain win but a villain win without casting a single blow to the heroes ... this film is a great thing, and it takes everything that people say The Avenger has to be the one to get in because it's the first big hurray meshing and perfects it. They would be remiss not to nominate this for the Best of 2016 episode, or sooner if they want to do an MCU episode. I just hope they don't versus it against an earlier era superhero movie like say X-Men, 2002's Spider-man, or The Dark Knight because I think this film truly highlights and shows the best that can be achieved with the current craze in Hollywood of expanded universes better than any other. The only others I would consider are Iron Man for kicking it off and The Winter Soldier for being a perfect piece.
  12. Ryan L

    Carol vs Velvet Goldmine

    I would think Velvet Goldmine and I'm Not There would be a better versus, as their the not-quite-rock-autobiographical films.
  13. Ryan L

    Moon

    The only similar experiences that I've had since Moon have been Her and Ex Machina. That feeling that you're witnessing one of the great works of our age.
  14. Ryan L

    Episode 81: ED WOOD

    And, to boot, this is one of the classic films studied in film schools. It was brought up just in my intro to film theory class in college. The script and plot are perfectly plotted and a fantastic example for new filmmakers. Pee-Wee as a character is established, he has a conflict, he goes on a journey to resolve the conflict, and he succeeds all the while improving himself and developing his character. Every scene is both a vignette and integral to the plot of the film (which puts it above The Shawshank Redemption). That's not even considering what you mentioned regarding Burton's direction and cinematographic & design mastery, and the debut film score by one of the seminal composers of the current film age, the then-New Wave punk Danny Elfman. If this had been a Burton versus between Pee-Wee and Ed Wood, this would be an easy decision for the former.
  15. Ryan L

    TV Movies

    Brian's Song is what immediately jumped out to me when they mentioned TV movies.
  16. Ryan L

    Episode 81: ED WOOD

    I'm conflicted on this one. On one hand, this is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's a fantastic film, and I always love going back to watch it every time. It has great rewatch value (or, as Jonah would attest, re-listen value). The performances are dynamite, as is the production design and cinematography. However, I have a few problems with putting it in... Plan 9 is a very important piece in cinematic history and deserves to be discussed (and I think many would vote yes on it). And this reminds me of my first problem: I'm not sure if we should put in a tribute to something else. That's not to say that tribute, homage, or remake cinema shouldn't be considered for the Canon, but it just feels off. Then there's putting it within the personal canons. There is an oddly semi-autobiographical element to the film for Tim Burton, but this isn't the film I'd first think of when I think "Tim Burton movie." Is it one of his superior works? Yes, but is it him? Not really. The script isn't usual, the production design doesn't scream him, and Danny Elfman doesn't even score the film. Howard Shore does a great job, but just imagine how amazing Elfman would've been for this kind of movie. Pee-Wee's Big Adventure is a damn near perfect film *and* it is trademark Tim Burton. Edward Scissorhands. The Nightmare Before Christmas. Even Big Fish is another subdued Burton picture that still captures the trademark elements of Burton better than Ed Wood. And then there's the Johnny Depp canon, which again this is one of his superior works but not necessarily a piece indicative of his filmography. There are three Depps: teen idol, disappearing artist, and weird characters. This falls into the second category, but is it really the best example of how Depp can do that? I actually think the first Pirates movie, despite Jack Sparrow being an over-the-top crazy character later on in the series, is much more him disappearing into a role than him hamming it up as he does as, say, Willy Wonka or Mortdecai. ... But again, I want to emphasize how great this movie is. It's one of the few movies that never gets old for me no matter how many times I watch it. I'm going to give this a day or two to digest a little more before voting, but I'm begrudgingly against my own love for the movie leaning towards a soft no right now.
  17. Ryan L

    Kurosawa?

    I think a remake versus would be very interesting between Yojimbo and A Fistful of Dollars.
  18. Ryan L

    Pixar showdown Wall-e vs. Up

    The thing about WALL•E that people forget about is that it's actually had a fairly large historical impact already. In 2008 there was a campaign to get it nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, but remember that this is when there were only 5 nominees and the only animated feature to be nominated was Beauty and the Beast in the 1992 ceremony. Disney made a big push but it ultimately failed because, at least to the voters, animated films had their own category and didn't belong in Best Picture. WALL•E racked up the most nominations for an animated film in history that year, and the campaign to get it nominated (along with The Dark Knight, which had its own battle due to being a superhero blockbuster) paved the way for the Best Picture category expanding and the eventual nominations of Up and Toy Story 3 and allowing for smaller pictures to be recognized (The Hurt Locker as referenced in an earlier episode had the door opened by WALL•E's snubbing). Now that might not be a huge impact like Toy Story had on the animation world, but it's a pretty big deal in the movie industry. In an ideal world, Toy Story and WALL•E would get their own episodes as both are definitely deserving, but if we wanted to do a Pixar battle royale then the best versus would indeed be these two - the original versus the best - and not involving Up.
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