There are so many films that are great productions, I thought a thread for it was a good idea...

Please add to it....


bjl

;) Let's try The Secret Garden , a Warner Brothers production. Quite possibly the most important piece of anything in my life, although that says nothing of its value. I do think it is one fine film, and deep enough to get lost in. This year, after the first 6+ inch snow, I'll hide in a pine tree and then go watch it. Like it sustains me, or something. Just another cycle of time.

I've always been dubious of people averring to have a favourite anything, but if had to pick five films to watch again and again, the only one that'd consistently be up there would be Robocop. Violence, science fiction, humour, biting satire, there's nothing it hasn't got.

Monty Python:Holy Grail and Life of Brian.
I will never get tired of seeing those two.:D

Neb you've picked two of my favourites too. But how far back are we going? I got a kick out of Dogma with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, but there are many different categories. Maybe we should put them in categories and then pick a movie for each.

Teri

I noticed we've both hit 75 posts at the same time, so I thought I'd one-up you.
Cheers :D :D :D

Teri

If you're a monty python fan (and who isn't?) you should check out the Criterion DVD of Life of Brian. Not only has it two commentary tracks, but there are a bunch of deleted scenes. Well worth a watch.

As for categories: best movie starring Peter Weller as a cyborg: Robocop.
Best satire set in the future: Robocop.
Best movie directed by Paul Verhoeven: Robocop.

Best movie directed by James Cameron with 'Titanic' in the title: No award.

Originally posted by Teri 2
I noticed we've both hit 75 posts at the same time, so I thought I'd one-up you.
Cheers :D :D :D

Teri

Damn it you got two up on me so I thought I'd reduce the margin:D
I also thought Dogma was great, Kevin Smith put a spin on the Catholic religon i'm sure would have opened a few peoples eyes.

I saw this old Jimmy Stewart film years ago. I noticed that several bids by xstudio's opting for a remake?


any comments?


bjl:rolleyes:

It rings a bell but I can't remember what that one was all about. I loved all those old Jimmy Stewart movies.

Looks like I'll have to get myself a DVD if only for the extra parts. Are they really that great though? It's a bit like old vinyl records, not all of them have been made into CDs, so I don't throw my out.

I think I'll have to actually buy the monty python movies because the video stores don't seem to keep them.

Cheers
Teri

I ended up buying the Monty Python video's to save money, I must have hired each one at least 50 times.:D

Originally posted by Teri 2
It rings a bell but I can't remember what that one was all about. I loved all those old Jimmy Stewart movies.How could you forget a movie with a giant rabbit? Or was that the Holy Grail?

Looks like I'll have to get myself a DVD if only for the extra parts. Are they really that great though? It's a bit like old vinyl records, not all of them have been made into CDs, so I don't throw my out. I've become a DVD snob; I don't buy videos any more. If you're a fan of commentary tracks, some DVDs are absolutely excellent. Dogma - like all Kevin Smith movies - is doubly worthy buying on DVD, as his commentaries tend to be as entertaining as the movies.
Some of the best extras on DVDs I've found to be on: Robocop, Life of Brian, Brazil (three disks), Seven Samurai (excellent commentary)... all from Criterion (www.criterionco.com). Shrek on two disks is also great, and Avalon comes with two disks and a book.

Seven Samurai by Akira Kurosawa

http://us.imdb.com/Title?0047478


Riiped off by anyone & everyone (Spielberg for instance)

A few films off the top of my head:

* The Lotus Eaters ('93)
* War of the Buttons (Irish)
* Incredibly True Adventures of 2 Girls in Love (Maria Maggenti dir.)
* In the Name of the Father (starring Day-Lewis)
* Closet Land (starring Rickman/Stowe)
* Book of Love (1991)
* Last House on the Left (Wes Craven)
* South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut (you set a new standard, you get some notice)
* Brighton Beach Memoirs

Notes: As good as Stewart's Harvey is, I'm still a fan of it as a play; the Pentacle Theatre in Salem, Oregon, has done a couple of bang-up revivals of the play. And as long as I'm mentioning plays and movies, it's worth pointing out both Brighton Beach and Closet Land started out onstage. The latter is easy to tell, but does anyone know who Jonathan Silverman replaced as Eugene Jerome in Brighton Beach Memoirs? (Who played Eugene on opening night on Broadway?)

I couldn't think of a title for this post, so I decided to throw in the Shakespeare question. I can mark both my favorite and the least thereof. The best I've seen is Roth and ... damn it! Anyway, Rosencranz & Guildenstern are Dead; the worst I've seen is that Leo D Romeo & Juliet that was out a couple of years back. Pete Postlethwait is a credit to any film, but you can't carry a feature-length Shakespeare adaptation on one actor and an overdose of glitz. It was a nice attempt, but missed wide.

thanx,
Tiassa :cool:

South Park movie was awesome:D
They have set new standards hey, it gives me the shits when people complain about kids watching it cause its not aimed at Kids, just because its an animation its immediatley labled a kids show, how wrong were they:D

Looks like I'll have to save up and buy a DVD.

And it was a giant rabbit in Holy Grail - with 'nasty pointy teeth':D

..... I have to go get that move, see ya.

Teri

See if you can spot the Genre links in these films:

The Matrix (1999)
If you didn't see it, where have you been.. hiding?
One day it will happen, you shall be sat infront of your computer, and suddenly a trojan you didn't know exist will open up a whole new world to you, one that occupies the very one you exist within. It's of course up to you wether you take a spirally path down a rabbit hole, or continue a mundane existance and meet pre-destined demise.

The Thirteenth Floor (1999?)
This is what your waiting for, A computer company to get their ascii into gear and churn out the best fully Virtual environment ever created, of course the systems in Alpha... that's what usually happens when the company Tycoon happens to get hooked to his 1930's virtual representation of the city.
All the Mundanes that roam the virtual world live real lives (As far as they can tell) and on occasion the Tycoon "Avatars" one of the characters to enjoy his creation, this is all very well until one day the Tycoon winds up dead and his best programmer can't remember what happened the night before.

Frequency (1999)
Something happens in a mans life he can't forget, he loses his father a firefighter. Later in life he is toying around with some old family airlooms and finds a HAM radio system his father use to use. He tests it out and begins speaking to someone with a call sign, but the someone he is speaking to is very familiar to him without him realising... It is his father in the past... Can he change what happened to gain a father in his life?

Ghost in the Shell (1997/8?)
One of the biggest Manga films ever made. It's the Future and the internet has moved onto higher bandwidth (like we all dream about) Cybernetics is in the highest state of development where androids are being produced as crimefighters. Implants are available at all your Black market outlets. The problem is no matter how good the security agencies (section 6 and section 9) the world is still plagued with terrorism, one such terrorist is the Puppet master, a Hacker capable of penetrating the human mind and turning people into puppets that do his bidding.
Can he be stopped?

Johnny Mneumonic (????)
Johnny... oh he's just a curiour, that's it.. just delivers things from person to person, funny thing is he doesn't carry a case or a box, he carries the delivery in his head. Uploaded through his cranial jack he has a decent enough capacity, the problem is his clientel... Somebody should of told him when he started messing with the Zaibutsu's (large companies) they tend to hire the Yakuza. Johnny's got a problem, the data he's got the Yakuza wants, other than that he's brains awaiting some form of cranial meltdown because someone jacked up his upload beyond his capacity... Johnny is in a sheet load of trouble... is he going to make it through the day alive? will he be granted room service?

I've seen many other films but the titles tend to merge after awhile.

Best movie directed by James Cameron with 'Titanic' in the title: No award.

Agreed, $200million worth or utter drab crap with poor acting poor story line and poor directing, i really hated the way mass media peddeled this as the best thing since sliced bread and it stunk worse then a over cooked scotch egg.

Originally posted by Teri 2
Looks like I'll have to save up and buy a DVD.

And it was a giant rabbit in Holy Grail - with 'nasty pointy teeth':D

..... I have to go get that move, see ya.

Teri (pedantic mode): the nasty pointy teeth were on the killer rabbit of Caer Bannog ; a normal, wascally wabbit.

The giant rabbit was, of course, used against the castle of Guy de Lombard.
(/pedantic mode)

It's a terrible thing to be able to quote every monty python film and episode. It's a worse thing to prove it. But day by day I'm getting better. I haven't said "amongst our weaponry" in ages now.

The best one i have seen in a while is Pitch Black/ i have a lot of vids and have just started DVDs the Mummy returns is quite good aswell, but pitch black is great.:cool:

Originally posted by Teri 2
Looks like I'll have to save up and buy a DVD.

And it was a giant rabbit in Holy Grail - with 'nasty pointy teeth':D

..... I have to go get that move, see ya.

Teri

"Well, what if we make a large wooden badger":p

It was a nasty little rabbit who had the nasty pointy teeth.

rde, can you remember the dialogue between the python boys and the frenchmen, something about birds and carrying coconuts, I think - I'm really going to have to find the damn movie now. I've got in my head the words, "I fart in your general direction" (with a french accent of course).

For scifi fans there was a movie called 'Virus' which started out interesting. It was an alien life form made up of pure energy, slammed into the Mir space station which was communicating with a ship at sea, so the energy was transmitted to this ship. The concept was interesting but I didn't like how it turned out, it was a bit over the top. Anyone see it?

Cheers
Teri

I was half way through typing in the conversation, well nearly finished when my computer died, i'm sorry but I'm not going to do it again just yet.

Thanks for trying anyway. I hope your computer is okay. I've read about a new virus emailing itself around and destroying data.
I get a newsletter on such things on a daily basis. If anyone's interested let me know.

Ned it's blastoff how are you getting on with your martial art.

Not that it has to do with the discussion above, but I saw a old James Bond film that I just had to mention "Live and Let Die!"

I just love that one.......


bjl:rolleyes:

Originally posted by Teri 2


rde, can you remember the dialogue between the python boys and the frenchmen, something about birds and carrying coconuts, I think -
That was the beginning of the movie, when a solider questioned arthur's possession of coconut shells. I'd be doing you a favour by not quoting it and letting you watch the movie again instead. My favourite line from that sketch: "Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?"

I'm really going to have to find the damn movie now. I've got in my head the words, "I fart in your general direction" (with a french accent of course).Your mother was a hamster and your father smells of elderberries.

For scifi fans there was a movie called 'Virus' ... Anyone see it? Didn't get as far as the ending. Had to turn it off. 'Twas shite, but based on a great comic. Like so many movies before it.

You made me laugh when I read, "Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?" The wit these people come up with is so great!

I know the movie Virus ended up ludicrous, but the original idea seemed, to me, to have some substance.

PS The word 'shite' sounds so much nicer than 'shit' - reading that also made me laugh.

See ya
Teri

Originally posted by Teri
Thanks for trying anyway. I hope your computer is okay. I've read about a new virus emailing itself around and destroying data.
I get a newsletter on such things on a daily basis. If anyone's interested let me know.

I recieved the Hi e-mail containing the goner virus 9 times at work last week, pretty cool stuff, no other virus has ever made it through the fire walls here.

Originally posted by BLASTOFF
Ned it's blastoff how are you getting on with your martial art.

Haven't had a chance to get into a Karate class yet, I'll probably start at the start of 2002, i'll let you know of my developments, thanks for your interest.
BTW: I tried to send a private message to you but I had trouble doing it so I posted here instead, sorry to clutter up the board everyone else who weren't interested

I am not into favorite things persay, but my most watched movies are 1st the Godfather trilogy and Fight Club.

* <i>Moulin Rouge</i> - Baz Luhrman
* <i>Superman</i> - R. Donner
* <i>Gladiator</i>
* <i>Fist of Legend</i> (the one with Jet Li)
* <i>Groundhog Day</i> - I. Reitman (?)
* <i>Empire of the Sun</i>
* <i>Memento</i> - at least for its originality
* <i>Fight Club</i> - Norton and Pitt aren't too shabby in this one
* <i>Goodfellas</i> - M. Scorsese (?)

I better stop for now.

Thanks!

prag

Movies on a grand scale with a soundtrack to match:

Lawrence of Arabia

No one's mentioned Dr. Strangelove?
I'm beginning to smell a big fat commie rat!

Hey, you can hear Major Kong ride the bomb to glory at:

http://www-scf.usc.edu/~dsykes/sound.html

Michael

Very Old: Casa Blanca
Old: Ben Hur
Middle Aged: Easy Rider
Early Middle Aged: Gods Must Be Crazy
Contemporary: O Brother Where Art Thou?

My 5:
The Secret Garden
A Little Princess
Dancer in the Dark (you guessed it)
Contact
Pay it Forward

I haven't seen much good cinema; I hope to start watching some good 'worthwhile' movies. However, The Secret Garden has always been, in my mind, a collosal picture; something to base your life upon- watch it!

Thought I would throw a few movies into this list

Godfather part II-finally saw the first two of this series when it came out on DVD. I personally like the Godfather part II better. The parallels between Don Corleone's and Sonny Corleone's rise are very interesting. Essentially this is two movies tied into one great package

This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, and Best in Show-Will call this one the Christopher Guest trilogy Tap is definetely the best with Guffman being a close second. Guffman and Tap both turn it up too 11 with Best in Show not quite reaching that high.

Big Lebowski-For years I said that Fargo was the best of the Coen brothers movies but I have started to move to the Big Lebowski camp. Although Fargo ranks in my top five Lebowski is genious for the suttle jokes in the movie.

Being John Malkovich-This movie is original and completely wacky, but the thing that makes it great is below all the humor there is an underlying current of despair. So many people are so tired by and hate their lives so much being someone else for five minutes becomes the greatest experience of their lives.

Rushmore-Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson are masters of the awkward moment where no one really knows what too say so they just start to fill space with whatever comes to mind. Bill Murray's funniest performance. Anyone who likes this check out Bottlerocket.

Goodfellas-No movie list is complete without something by Scorsese and this is the best of his movies.

I've got to agree about John Malkovich. You know who is on the soundtrack.

I just saw a trailer about this movie. Has anyone else seen it? It looked pretty good from what little I saw about it. Its about a guy who lost his memory, turnes out he was a top agent for the intel community, Jason Borne.......


bjl

:( My Grandma wants me to read that book but
Sorry, Grandma...

;) I don't want to. I didn't know there was a movie. Maybe I'll just watch that.

BUT anyway...has anyone here seen Magnolia? You guessed it-I did. I've got to say, it's pretty darn good. It's so large it's like a symbolism from itslef; it doesn't try to render meaning to humanity or even symbolise it. It just represents it in itself. By the end you know it's massive- like a manifesto on modern culture. But still, its massivity is subtle, and I could, at times, easily miss it in the harsh, real mix of the film. I want from depresse to coy to awe inspired over the course of that movie- clumsy yet a microcosm for your own life, however better it may be than the lives in the film.

;) And has anyone here seen 'A Little Princess'? A childrens' story but my, what a powerful mesage, and my, what a tearjerker.

Some of my favorite movies in no order:
Patton
Star trek movies(except 5)
Platoon
Matrix
Full Metal Jacket
Blade Runner
Das Boot
Alien/Aliens
Stalingrad
Robocop 1&2
Saving Private Ryan
Madmax/Road Warrior
Black Hawk Down
12 Monkeys
To Hell and Back
The 5th Element
Pentagon Wars
The Hidden
Hamburger Hill
Lord of the Rings
Gardens of Stone
Krull
Abyss
Planet of the Apes
Excalibur
Hard Boiled
Wild Bunch
The Killer
Unforgiven
Lethal Weapon
Pale Rider
Die Hard
Once Upon a Time in the West
The Professional
True Romance
Good Fellas
The Changeling
God Father 1&2
The Haunting(the first one)
Casino
The Thing(remake)
Heat
Cristine
Once Upon a time in America
Poltergeist
Kiss of the Dragon
TheShining
Reservoir Dogs
Final Destination
Taxi Driver
The Cell
Usual Suspects
Blade
True Lies

No order here...

Unusual Suspects
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Something about Mary
Eddie Murphy - Delirous

Oh, can you tell I like comedies?:D

I seen Lord of the Rings and thought it was awesome.
I liked Forrest Gump too


Groove on:cool:

The Fellowship of the Ring was definitely the best fantasy or science fiction movie ever made. Never have I thought to myself 'wow, that was....incredible' for weeks after seeing such a perfect assemblage of craftsmanship. It may be the best movie I've ever seen, the best collection of images to grace thine eyes.

I'm curious as to whether you had read the book before seeing the movie.

If you haven't, is there anyone who has who can tell me whether it lives up to the book?

I'm dying to see it but whenever something gets so my hype you inevitably get disappointed.

Teri

It does leave out some parts but the story does come together the way Tolkien intended it. For instance when Frodo n friends leave the Shire they head straight for Bree in the movie and run into Pippin and Merry while they're being chased by farmer Maggot, then get chased by the Nazgul. They completely leave Tom Bombadil out (which really disapoints me because that guy is so awsome!) but the movie really is just amazing, Tolkien would be proud of it but he wouldn't be satisfied. You will leave the movie theatre thinking to yourself: "that was...just...amazing." After this your standards for good movies'll probably be raised, too. Anyway they leave out some parts and change others, however you can see that sometimes exactly what Tolkien described occurs, when Arwen takes Frodo to Rivendell (not that elf) the river raises through these rocks, and its just perfect, you can see that exactly, exactly what you pictured has happened. You're really missing out if you don't see it, Teri 2.

Thanks Pollux V

It's been such a long time since I read the book that I don't think I'll remember the things that are missing anyway. So I'll pop down to see it as soon as I can. Thanks for the reply.

I was going to thank you with the link to 'the hobbit name generator' but it seems to be down at the moment. You put your name in and it gives you a hobbit name. I can't remember mine exactly but it was something like 'Dolly Millstone of the Bree Milstones.'

It's a cute little web site. You'll probably find it if you do a search using 'the hobbit name generator'. I did that and found one called that, but it must be down, as I said, because my PC just wouldn't connect.

I hope you have better luck.
Thanks again,
Teri


:)

lol thanks, I found the website on a google search with quotation marks (a web surfers best friend!). My name is "Isengrim Gold from Oatbarton." I think it fits me pretty well.

Glad you liked it. I was just thinking -why don't you start a thread giving the web address and all the hobbit lovers can tell us their hobbit names?

What do you think?
Teri