The Movie Thread

[Vermont Red]

Or if it sucked like "JFK", speaking of Oliver Stone.

I liked "JFK", mostly for the audacity and technical virtuosity. Yet I hated "The Usual Suspects" because the story didn't hold together. Go figure.

[SirManchester]

JFK was actually good, for the reasons VR pointed out. Stone actually had a purpose in making it, but I can see why many might not have liked it. World Trade Center is his most commercial movie yet.

The Usual Suspects is just a fun little movie, nothing brilliant, it's climax was practically a cheapshot by Bryan Singer.

[Vermont Red]

The Usual Suspects is just a fun little movie, nothing brilliant, it's climax was practically a cheapshot by Bryan Singer.

Finally, someone who understands how I feel about that ending. It's a total cheat because it calls into questions whether anything that Verbal tells Dave actually happened. Compare with the "The Sixth Sense" in which nothing is cheated at the end.

[Achtung]

Finally, someone who understands how I feel about that ending. It's a total cheat because it calls into questions whether anything that Verbal tells Dave actually happened. Compare with the "The Sixth Sense" in which nothing is cheated at the end.

I figured the whole point is that none of it happened.

Depends on how you feel about the whole "I just got totally duped" ending. But it was also before trick endings were completely passe like they seem to be now. I'm not saying they didn't exist back then, but they were more purposeful and not used all that often.

[SirManchester]

Depends on how you feel about the whole "I just got totally duped" ending. But it was also before trick endings were completely passe like they seem to be now. I'm not saying they didn't exist back then, but they were more purposeful and not used all that often.


Exactly, it seemed original back then, and all the credit to Singer for coming up with that. But copying that over and over in movies now is the real injustice.

[Vermont Red]

I figured the whole point is that none of it happened.

A surprise ending has to be earned. For me, it's just not compelling if all the ending reveals is that all the preceded it was meaningless. The ending of "The Usual Suspects" is a cop out. It's the equivalent of the main character in a movie waking up at the end and realizing that it was all a dream.

By the way, a movie that came out the year before "The Usual Suspects" has a very good ending and featured a very attractive female lead. For those who haven't seen it, check out "Dream Lover" with James Spader and Madchen Amick.

[SirManchester]

A surprise ending has to be earned. For me, it's just not compelling if all the ending reveals is that all the preceded it was meaningless. The ending of "The Usual Suspects" is a cop out. It's the equivalent of the main character in a movie waking up at the end and realizing that it was all a dream.

By the way, a movie that came out the year before "The Usual Suspects" has a very good ending and featured a very attractive female lead. For those who haven't seen it, check out "Dream Lover" with James Spader and Madchen Amick.

What movies would you consider to be in your top 10 or 20 of all time, or what do you consider your favorite movies?

[Vermont Red]

What movies would you consider to be in your top 10 or 20 of all time, or what do you consider your favorite movies?

I need to give this some thought and I have to run so I'll just name some in alphabetical order.

"Annie Hall"
"Casablanca"
"Chinatown"
"Citizen Kane"
"Crimes and Misdemeanors"
"Do the Right Thing"
"Fargo"
"The Godfather"
"The Last Picture Show"
"Raging Bull"
"Raiders of the Lost Ark"
"The Shawshank Redemption"
"The Silence of the Lambs"

[SirManchester]

great list so far. Any foreign movies? :p

[lamu202]

[QUOTE=SirManchester]JFK was actually good, for the reasons VR pointed out. Stone actually had a purpose in making it, but I can see why many might not have liked it.

Most people don't like it b/c it's just Oliver Stone on a conspiracy rant, re-inventing history. There are literally hundreds of historical innaccuracies in a movie he attempts to play as legit. It's about as absurd as his Alexander movie.

For Oliver Stone, give me Platoon, Wall Street, Born on the Fourth of July, and Natural Born Killers. At least for the soundtrack.

[Achtung]

great list so far. Any foreign movies? :p

Some great ones in the past few years, IMHO (foreign language, that is):

The Postman (Italy)
Life Is Beautiful (Italy)
Goodbye Lenin! (Germany)
Hero (China)
Amores perros (Mexico)
With A Friend Like Harry... (France)

Off the top of my head, at least. And then of course some of the classics like Das Boot, Seven Samurai, Ran, and Metropolis. Also great British films like Chariots Of Fire, Trainspotting, Bridge On The River Kwai, and the Monty Python films.

I've been meaning to see a few I missed though, like City Of God and The Motorcycle Diaries. Opinions?

[SirManchester]

Some great ones in the past few years, IMHO (foreign language, that is):

The Postman (Italy)
Life Is Beautiful (Italy)
Goodbye Lenin! (Germany)
Hero (China)
Amores perros (Mexico)
With A Friend Like Harry... (France)

Off the top of my head, at least. And then of course some of the classics like Das Boot, Seven Samurai, Ran, and Metropolis. Also great British films like Chariots Of Fire, Trainspotting, Bridge On The River Kwai, and the Monty Python films.

I've been meaning to see a few I missed though, like City Of God and The Motorcycle Diaries. Opinions?

Both very good, City of God especially, that has to be in the top five of this decade and one of the best of all time.

In any event, I'm going to go see The Descent tonight, it has finally hit theaters here.

[Jon Pall]

My favorite "foreign" movies are..

1. Indochine
2. Life is Beautiful
3. Brotherhood of the Wolf
4. A Very Long Engagement
5. Carandiru

By the way, everyone should do themselves a favor and watch JFK. One of the best flicks ever.

[holytoledo]

And I can imagine anybody who would take a Syriana-like approach with 9/11 will ultimately be deemed unpatriotic.

"If you don't like America, then you can gittout."
South Park

[Teso Dos Bichos]

Has anyone seen 'A Perfect World'? It's starting after the next ad break and was considering watching it. I don't need genius, just a decent film to pass the time. Is it worth it?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107808/

[Nicodemus145]

Has anyone seen 'A Perfect World'? It's starting after the next ad break and was considering watching it. I don't need genius, just a decent film to pass the time. Is it worth it?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107808/

Yes. Watch it. It's rated R so it might suck with commercials though.

[Teso Dos Bichos]

Thanking you. I'll give it a go.

[Vermont Red]

great list so far. Any foreign movies? :p

If I wasn't on a self-imposed joke ban I would make a comment about how some of those movies on my list are foreign, at least to me. Maybe next week.

Two foreign movies that I think of right away are "All About My Mother" and "Amores Perros". The only discouraging thing about "Amores Perros" is that I'm beginning to feel that the director is a one-trick pony.

I'll be able to put more thought into this on Monday when I get back to work.

By the way, the wife and I are going to check out "The Descent" tomorrow afternoon.

[caco794]

heh it's almost 11pm here in the east coast and Im delaying as much as I can to watch the descent. Some ntsc copy popped up online a few days ago so we're going to check it out. I'll probably watch silent hill tomorrow. I loved the gaming franchise so it's a definite.

Btw, I watched The Magdalene Sisters the other day and it was really good. best scene was when two of the nuns get the all the girls undressed and proceed to pick which one had the biggest bum, biggest milk bags and the ever popular, biggest bush. :D

[StrikerCW]

City of God. Great movie, all go see it. Even a heathan like myself loved it. Top 3 movie for me. Up there with Good Bad Ugly and co.