Cameron H.

Ah, you’re talking about the “Goonies Conundrum.” I’m kind of the opposite. I saw it as a child. We had the soundtrack. However, as an adult, I find that I can appreciate it on an academic level, but I don’t exactly love it. Appropriately enough, it falls somewhere in between Citizen Kane and Ben-Hur. What works, works really well, but I feel like the whole thing could have tightened up a bit.

Does anyone else have favorite covers?

With all do respect to Me First and the Gimme Gimmes and Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, I think my two favorite Wizard of Oz covers have to be the ones by Bob Schneider.

I’ll skip it with you in solidarity, bro.

I haven’t listened to the episode yet so maybe Paul covers this, but, just as a head’s up, Hurricane Heist will be available to rent on June 5th. I don’t want anyone to feel like they have to pay full price if they don’t want to.

I feel like - especially with this viewing - my relationship with Oz is that I respect it more for its impact on popular culture, performances, and technical achievements than I do as a “movie.” I found the pacing confounding at times. I agree with Amy that “King of the Forest” is a fun number, but at the same time, I agree with Paul that it comes at a terrible time in the movie. We’ve been building up to this moment and we’re going to stop and do this kind of self-indulgent, novelty number? Okay... Also, as they mentioned on the show, I found the ending to be a bit confusing - especially in light of my newfound appreciation for the early Kansas scenes. I honestly couldn’t figure out why she wanted to go home so bad. The people in her life treat her like garbage, and unless Elmira Gulch was killed in that twister, she still has to deal with the whole Toto thing. Most of all, I found it odd that the movie ended with the same sepia tone with which it began. It just seemed to imply that nothing had actually changed. All Dorothy has to look forward to is a bleak, colorless existence in which she lives out her life on her Aunt and Uncle’s dirt farm. There’s no hope nor imagination. I honestly started to wonder if this was the intention. Maybe it was trying to say we *shouldn’t* be as insulted as it seems to suggest. We prefer a nostalgic past (that never really existed) to change and a future fraught with risk. We find comfort in empty tokens. Now, had the movie ended at the farm *in color* I might be able to buy it as place of comfort. It would provide a visual metaphor for Dorothy’s journey. In the beginning, everything is dull and brown. She then goes on a Seuessian journey through a Technicolor wonderland at which point she comes to realize that maybe things weren’t so bad after all. Then the movie ends with muted color - it’s a good place to be, but not without its issues.

Not to make this completely about The Simpsons, but this is my favorite Oz reference...

Probably both

Jason seemed to have a problem with Totenkopf already being dead at the end of the movie, but for me, that was one of the best moments in the movie. I get that it’s not exactly an exciting reveal, but I enjoyed it for saying that evil can’t always be reasoned with or punched in the dick. Sometimes a person’s sins can outlive them, and the best the people left behind can do is just try and deal with the consequences. Now, whether that was effectively illustrated in the movie, that’s another story...

Sorry, for the multiple posts but I just finished the episode During the underwater fight sequence, we are told they are at a depth of "1,600." They never specify whether that's in feet or meters or whatever, but that doesn't really matter. What matters is that I'm fairly confident that the sudden depressurization from Jolie's rapid ascent from the ocean floor to the deck of her helicarrier (20,000 ft?) would most likely result in her immediately exploding into a steaming pile of goop.

When Cap and Polly see the “mini-mals” being loaded into the rocket, we see Polly physically remove the camera’s lens cap. We never see her put it back on. It was pointed out earlier, but it is clear that the lens cap was off in the final scene: So, honest question, was this a filmmaker goof or was Cap just being a piece of shit?

When Sky Captain returns to headquarters after the battle in New York, we see that he’s managed to capture one of the robots and it is being hauled into the hanger on a couple of tanks. Dex enters the scene and the following exchange takes place: Dex: I thought you said this thing was big. Can I have it? Sky Captain: You find out where it came from, and I’ll buy you one for Christmas. And that’s fine, except one scene later, once they’ve decided to let Polly in on the whole deal, we find out they have an entire hanger full of gigantic robots - each of them no bigger or different than the one Cap has just brought in. It’s like they’re hoarding the fuckers. What’s incredibly sad is how this reveal changes the earlier exchange. It suddenly becomes apparent that what at first glance seemed like playful banter between two friends, is merely the symptom of two people stuck in a rut. How many times has this same exchange occurred? Fifty times? A hundred? Is “I’ll get you one for Christmas” Sky Captain’s “Sounds like someone’s got a case of the Mondays?” It’s obvious that Dex and Cap are stuck in a spiral of empty platitudes and pet names. These guys need to mix it up; try something new. They need to go rock climbing or wine tasting or something where they can reconnect and remember what drew them together in the first place. They need to ask each other, “What good is a ‘World of Tomorrow’ if you’re not in it?”

I haven’t heard anyone say the 15th is bad, so unless there are any objections, I’m going to put it in for then. Thanks everyone! I’m looking forward to watching The Love Guru with you! (Words never before uttered.)

Great pick! I’ve only seen this one and loved it, but almost immediately, I started having my doubts. It will be cool to watch it again and see how it holds up under scrutiny. P.S. Sorry your kids are sick. Mine are too - cough and boogers. Just in time to get us all sick for our vacation

I double checked and 23 is right. I’m not sure where I got 36 from. I can’t even blame my dyslexia on that.

Well, to Esther, his mother, and sister, they already were dead even if they weren’t *technically* dead. They would have had no idea that the Son if God was in play. I think the idea was rather than watch them die a slow, disfiguring, and agonizing death, he can begin the healing process right away and remember them the way they were. Also, I think she also thought, that if they’re already dead, Judy would have no reason to challenge the Roman Empire. Unfortunately, when he learns of their death, his objective goes from recovery to revenge.

I wouldn’t be happy about it, but I think I’d forgive her, yes. Especially once she’s explained that it was Miriam and Tizrah’ wish. It’s not like she was being deliberately malicious or anything.

No, it’s cool. I didn’t take it that way at all. It was a really good movie, but I doubt I’d be in a rush to watch it again. It’s awesome that it worked for you though. I think I may have said something like this already (or at least I meant to), but I think I’m just jaded. For people at the time, I bet this movie blew their minds. For sheer scale alone, it deserves to be on here.

I didn’t hate Ben-Hur. It had a lot of great parts. I just don’t feel like those parts came together in a way that made the entire movie great. There are other movies on the list that I feel are far less deserving than Ben-Hur.

I can do the 15th if that works for everyone else

Hmmm...I copied that right from Wikipedia. I wonder what I missed... You can keep Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner off the list, but can we at least keep this scene?

I really need to see The Third Man, huh? I’m actually surprised Close Encounters isn’t on the updated list. When I saw it was one of the movies taken off, I had to double check sure that it wasn’t a mistake.

Regarding The Thin Man, apparently you’re not the only one who questions it’s “American-ness.” Per Wikipedia: I also get his point about listing them alphabetically rather than by ranking by “merit.”

I think we’re all pretty much in agreement that - while Ben-Hur is certainly a classic - it maybe shouldn’t be on the Top 100. I thought it might be fun for us to “save” one of the 36 movies that didn’t make the 10th Anniversary List. So, of the 36 movies below, which one would you like to see reinstated in place of Ben-Hur? AFI ABSOLUTION Doctor Zhivago (1965) The Birth of a Nation (1915) From Here to Eternity (1953) Amadeus (1984) All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) The Third Man (1949) Fantasia (1940) Rebel Without a Cause (1955) Stagecoach (1939) Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) The Manchurian Candidate (1962) An American in Paris (1951) Wuthering Heights (1939) Dances with Wolves (1990) Giant (1956) Fargo (1996) Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) Frankenstein (1931) Patton (1970) The Jazz Singer (1927) My Fair Lady (1964) A Place in the Sun (1951) Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) There’s a lot to choose from, but personally, because of its epic nature - and my apparent preoccupation with Rock Hudson - I’d like to see Giant back on the list.