Best Movie Ever...

[aarghh]

And I also completely forgot about the director's cut of Blade Runner, which is far superior to the original release (someone finally did justice to probably my all time favorite writer, Philip K. Dick).

koji

Hear, hear. Philip K. Dick is one of my favorites as well - I thought Minority Report was good, but seemed to miss the point of the story. Total Recall was too ... Arnold.

Have you seen Screamers? I thought that was a rather decent adaptation - walked into the hall not knowing anything about it, and suddenly realized it was one of Dick's.

 

[Thracozaag]

Quote:

(Thracozaag @ 12 Dec. 2004, 03:47) And I also completely forgot about the director's cut of Blade Runner, which is far superior to the original release (someone finally did justice to probably my all time favorite writer, Philip K. Dick). koji
Hear, hear. Philip K. Dick is one of my favorites as well - I thought Minority Report was good, but seemed to miss the point of the story. Total Recall was too ... Arnold. Have you seen Screamers? I thought that was a rather decent adaptation - walked into the hall not knowing anything about it, and suddenly realized it was one of Dick's.
Yes, I believe based on the short story "Second Variety." Apparently there's an adaptation perhaps his finest book, "THe Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch" in the works. There's also a very faithful adaptation of "Confessions of a Crap Artist", but i forget the title of the movie (It's in french). koji

 

[matadorpoeta]

re: minghella's 'ripley'

i saw 'purple noon' first and loved it. then i went to see 'ripley' because a friend of mine had read the book, was a big minghella fan, and she said he stayed true to the novel where 'purple noon' had not.

i haven't read the book but regardless the original film is better, with much better casting.

one question: at the end of 'ripley', he kills his lover. doesn't this open up another can of worms and how he will dispose of the body, etc...? instead the movie just ends. there's no conclusion for me.

apparently in the book ripley gets away with his crimes, but the way the end was portrayed in the film just doesn't work.

and what happened to our previous 'best/favorite movies' thread? i can't find it.

 

[acole]

I was mightily disappointed by Heat. Pacino was annoyingly overacting throughout (although DeNiro was terrific).

Overacted? Ya think? Well, OK. I did notice that, but I guess I made allowances...

"'Cause she got a...*********... And you got your head...ALL THE WAY UP IT..."

Replacement Killers is a weak ripoff of the much better Hong Kong films Chow yun Fat has made (check out God of Gamblers, for example)

Yeah, I know it's a ripoff...I actually did try a few of his authentic HK films afterward--can't remember which, but GoG I doesn't appear to be on DVD (not at Netflix, anyway). And for whatever reason, I just didn't like them as well.

We all have to be unsophisticated in something, I guess. For anyone on SF, that something definitely ain't clothing, and since I already voted for--uhh, OK, not going there...still, when someone upthread mentioned American Psycho, I had to remind myself it was a film title...

 

[acole]

i saw 'purple noon' first and loved it. then i went to see 'ripley' because a friend of mine had read the book, was a big minghella fan, and she said he stayed true to the novel where 'purple noon' had not. i haven't read the book but regardless the original film is better, with much better casting. one question: at the end of 'ripley', he kills his lover. doesn't this open up another can of worms and how he will dispose of the body, etc...? instead the movie just ends. there's no conclusion for me. apparently in the book ripley gets away with his crimes, but the way the end was portrayed in the film just doesn't work.

OK, I can see I'm going to have to rent Purple Noon; maybe I'll understand better your point about the casting in Ripley (which I thought was OK, actually). I've not read the book yet either, but I know it is the first in a series. I guess I just assumed that the final murder was Highsmith's way of showing Ripley (and us) that there wasn't some simple "way out" of his so-called mental "basement", and that he would have to accept deception and living on the lam as a perpetual state of being. Minghella's cinematography (which is a bit heavy) shows Ripley's image being constantly splintered (on broken mirrors and whan-not) and his final shot has this broken effect collapsing in on him, which tends to reinforce that interpretation. I agree if you restrict yourself to "film-internal" arguments that it's somewhat lacking in typical "closure"--but then, so is life. For instance, I'm still waiting to see someone here announce that he's completed his wardrobe, and will therefore not be buying any more clothing. ("Well, honey, see, I just need maybe 2 more colors of Certo monk-straps, some real formal pumps, and a few more hand-grade chukkas, and then I'll have All The Shoes I Need{tm}...")

 

[Thracozaag]

Quote:

(Thracozaag @ 13 Dec. 2004, 11:48) I was mightily disappointed by Heat. Â Pacino was annoyingly overacting throughout (although DeNiro was terrific).
Overacted? Â Ya think? Â Well, OK. Â I did notice that, but I guess I made allowances...

"'Cause she got a...*********... Â And you got your head...ALL THE WAY UP IT..."

Replacement Killers is a weak ripoff of the much better Hong Kong films Chow yun Fat has made (check out God of Gamblers, for example)

Yeah, I know it's a ripoff...I actually did try a few of his authentic HK films afterward--can't remember which, but GoG I doesn't appear to be on DVD (not at Netflix, anyway). Â And for whatever reason, I just didn't like them as well.

 We all have to be unsophisticated in something, I guess. For anyone on SF, that something definitely ain't clothing, and since I already voted for--uhh, OK, not going there...still, when someone upthread mentioned American Psycho, I had to remind myself it was a film title...
LOL. Poor Hank Azaria (I think); I wonder how many takes they had to do for him to keep a straight face in the um, face of such exuberance. If you can procure a copy of God of Gamblers, I really urge you to do so. It's great, as well as other HK Chow Yun Fat stallwarts such as Better Tomorrow I and II, Bullet in the Head, Hardboiled, and the Killers. koji

 

[clarinetplayer]

Purple Noon IS the better movie of the two.  I've read most of Highsmith's books, and they all deal with the DARK side of the human mind.

 

[Thracozaag]

The ending of Purple Noon is just...phenomenal.

koji

 

[acole]

It's in my Netflix queue now, and I've picked up the Highsmith novels to read sometime, after I make it thru SR Donaldson's new Thomas Covenant tome...

 

[Mike]

Down & Out Attempted ...No, I'm just kidding. These are the 2 films I produced/DPed this semester. I just got back from the student film festival, and there were 8 or 9 films WAY better than ours. Their groups probably had a better camaraderie than ours, and actually asked and listened to the other members' opinions. Perhaps I'm just bitter...

 

[shqiptar]

There are a lot of movies that deserve to stay at my collection. Preferences and tastes have changed with the age and it'll change again. In an unorganized way here are some of them that come to mind right now: American movies Most of the movies dealing with mafia. Although highly idealized and stylized, they still provide the essence of the men's struggle: power Godfather Trilogy, Boss of the bosses, Bonano, Casino, Donnie Brasco, Gotti, and whatever... In an unorganized way: Gladiator (an epic that cann't be repeated)/ American Beauty (there was no dry eyes left at the theatre)/ The age of Innocense(a story of forbidden desires, female manipulation, the main male character: - dickhead)/ The untouchables (fantastic suits, great clothes, inspiring music, great Sean Connery, Robert DeNiro)/ Tomas Crown affair (the original with Steve Mcquinn: manly behaviour, great suits, pocket watch never looked more appropriate)/ The good, the bad, and the ugly (a classic, Clint Eastwood, the genius of Ennio Morricone)/ Gone with the wind ( great suits, the art of seduction and being a true man)/ Bogart movies (The big sleep, To have and have not, Casablanca, etc.)/ Cary Grant movies (Charade, To catch a thief- oh. Grace Kelly my ideal of a woman)/ Chuemada (with Marlon Brando- great moral lessons)/ The quite american ( the evil american exposed by a brit.)/ Wall Street ( an icon, enough said)/ Rounders ( guts, mental strenght, friendship, manipulation)/ The tailor of Panama ( Saville Raw in the banana republic, Geoffrey Rush)/ Elisabeth ( life at the english court of the 16-th century, macchiavellian manouvering)/City hall ( New York city power and its workings)/ The color of money (on character, game, love, experience, manipulation, exceptional Paul Newman)/ Glengerry glennross ( The most crushing sales peep talk in the history of cinema)/ Kate & Leopold (how to be a gentleman in our mannerless society)/ The man from elisian fields (human frailty, desperation, decadence, how to lose your soul)/ An ordinary decent criminal (being a criminal is fun and enjoyable in Ireland)/ The yards (a touching and emotional movie- not for the weak of heart)/ Silence of the lambs (you'll let me know when those lambs stop screaming)/ Hannibal (whoever lived in Florence and didn't get goosebumps in the initial scenes unfolding in the Palacio Vecchio.)/ The insider (moving and dramatic, fantastic acting)/ Breakdown Palace (emotional violence - show it to a girlfriend/wife and she'll thank you for it)/ True crime (the bickering scenes priceless)/ Runaway jury (intense, powerful, a lesson in mental games)/ A beautiful mind (a much needed appreciation for the intelligent people, in the times of the bum's glorification)/ The score (it takes time to achieve anything)/ Get Carter (the original with Michael Caine)/ Meet Joe Black (touching, great suits, great acting)/ Payback (Mel Gibson, what else)/ Miller's crossing (breathtaking suits, emotional, and mental violence)/ The truth about Charlie (a charming version of the Charade, arab hip-hop)/ Ocean's Eleven (great fun)/ Pretty woman (great suits, a decent show of the inner workings of power)/ Master spy (great drama, realistic and very cynical)/ The last samurai (breathtaking scenes, great costumes, wonderful japanese actors, imposing Kenn Wannatabe, ****** Tom Cruise)/ The spanish prisoner (exploring the dark side of people's hunger for power, exploitation, manipulation: nerve-stretching)/ The affair of the necklace (***** power, manipulation, machiavellian rules at the french court)/ Midnight in the garden of good and evil (exploring the southern charm of the U.S.)/ Remains of the day (emotional, historical innacuracies, human drama, very touching, fantastic music)/ 15 minutes (a charichature of the east european people: a blunt exploration of corruption in the police force, media outlets, etc.)/ ........and many more. To be countinued...

 

[Tokyo Slim]

shqiptar:

I take it that english is NOT your first language.

I got the message though, and agree with you that several of those movies were good, but I wouldn't put hardly ANY of those movies in the "Best Movie Ever" category. Pretty Woman? You really think it's even in the top 50 movies ever? Oh man... I think my eyes have started bleeding.

 

[Get Smart]

good call on Ichi the Killer. i'm a big fan of Miike....just picked up Gozu on dvd so i cant wait to watch it

my list of best films:

-Snatch (Ritchie picked up the pace from Lock Stock and perfected his take on the heist flick with this)

-Pulp Fiction (an obvious choice but it really is a great film on so many levels)

-Sussho Iwai aka "the wolves" (the BEST yakuza film ever made starring Tatsuya Nakadai and directed by Hideo Gosha. stunning visuals and even tho it is from early 70s, it still seems fresh when i watch it)

-Annie Hall (my favorite Allen film and one of the best comedies of all time)

-Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders film is poetic, everything from the script to the plot to the cinematography. perfect)

-Zoolander (the best silly comedy of all time)

-Saving Private Ryan (the best war movie i have seen, just edges out Full Metal Jacket)

-Quadrophenia (the best subculture film, edging out Suburbia...influenced an entire new generation of mod revivalists)

 

[Mike]

I have to disagree with you on "Zoolander." I thought it was funny, but definately not the best silly comedy of all time. I have to go with "Caddyshack" or "Animal House." "Monty Python and The Holy Grail" is a major contender as well.

 

[aarghh]

Nobody like Brazil?