SF Film/Cinema Thread

Originally Posted by jonglover

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Wow, what an experience that must've been. And I appreciate that sentiment, as the Monk quote is a favorite of mine.

I agree, Neighbours is a masterpiece, along with the Ballet Adagio. It's neat to see the parallels between his work and that of the likes of the earlier artist Oskar Fischinger, and later Stan Brakhage, and I wonder to what degree these contemporaries played off each other.


You're bringing up names I haven't thought of in years. Jules Engel first showed me Fischinger's work and I was blown away.

If you haven't already seen it look for anything by Starevich, who animated insects. Or Pojar, whose work I also loved.

lefty

Originally Posted by countdemoney

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The original star wars definitely had its moments, and there's no denying that some shots in the movie are iconic (such as the light saber duel). In addition, it helped launch one of the biggest film stars ever in Harrison Ford.

but many of the movies here are notable for character. That the people and characters stay with you long after the film has ended. Two of the better modern examples might be Y tu Mama Tambien and Silence of the Lambs. While the beauties of Silence have often been overshadowed, there are some terrific and memorable shots (the lone chair in the hall the first time Clarice meets Lecter, the reflection of Lecter's face in the glass when they meet again, the "crucifixion" of the cell gaurd). But Clarice's confession of what ultimately drives her, is rich in intensity and emotional depth.

Getting and capturing those stories and performances is the magic of the movies.

That last comment is kind of condescending IMO. My point was that the original Star Wars had ironically not yet been mentioned in this thread and that I can make a perfectly legitimate argument that it is one of, if not THE, most influential films ever produced...and there would be many film experts that would agree.

Star Wars excels on so many levels that one could practically write a book on the subject. Unfortunately most people only remember the revolutionary special effects which laid the groundwork for all of the effects-driven films of today. Lucas has always said that Star Wars was more about the story-telling than anything else...classic mythology; the inner struggle of the young and average transforming into a hero, Good vs Evil, etc., etc.

Memorable characters and character development? Please. There are too many great performances in Star Wars. I'd bet that Darth Vader has as much character recognition internationally as any, including Superman and Spiderman...Clarice Starling? (I love that movie BTW...even though, as usual, the book was better).

I think what really sets Star Wars apart though is that it truly created and immersed the audience in "another world". As unrealistic as it is, that world is still actually believable.

Like I say, I'm not a film connoisseur, but Star Wars at least deserved mention in this thread and should be in any "Top 10 Films of the '70's List", IMHO.

What did you think about A High Wind In Jamaica?
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Redcaimen, I enjoyed that movie! Great cast. Lila Kedrova is aways a feast for the senses.
Another great movie, that I keep forgetting to mention: THE TRAIN, with Paul Scofield, and Jeanne Moreau. Exciting tale of resistance fighters trying to stop a train filled with art treasures, from leaving France. Great movie.
The Dirty Dozen is another terrific, WWII film.

Faded501: As much as I like Star Wars, you'll notice that there are very few epics in my favourite films. I've also seen enough 70s movies to have plenty of (IMHO) superior choices available for a compilation. That being said I have the Thai or whatever release (great quality) which does NOT include the stupid add ons that Lucas tacked on afterwards.

^^^ Whatever HomeSkillet. Your opinion does not seem so humble to me and further, you just don't seem to like Star Wars to begin with. Just say so...why would I care? Your lists are not that bad but I would hardly qualify them as anything more than amateurish opinions. Enter The Dragon...really?

Originally Posted by Faded501s

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^^^ Whatever HomeSkillet. Your opinion does not seem so humble to me and further, you just don't seem to like Star Wars to begin with. Just say so...why would I care? Your lists are not that bad but I would hardly qualify them as anything more than amateurish opinions. Enter The Dragon...really?

I had to look up HomeSkillet in the urbandictionary, you wacky Americans and your slang 

I don't see how my small comment could be seen as an admission of distaste for Star Wars, it is a fun movie, of which I have very fond memories and that I chose to own on DVD. However I don't see it as a major entry in my own cannon of the "greatest" movies, hence its absence of an arguably very short list (a top 100).

Directors like Lucas and Spielberg have one major flaw that prevent them from achieving greatness; they present works that do not take into account the history of cinema that preceded them and how it has integrated the fabric of our (pop) culture, therefore aiming their films at an innocent spectator that does not exist. If an artist wants to contribute something that has been attempted before, he has to acknowledge that it was there; either by building an additional layer of meaning on top of the preceding one or by at least, referencing the previous works (think Quentin Tarantino). This false pretension of virginity, both on the part of the viewer and the filmmaker, is what keeps me from fully appreciating the films of these two directors.

About my top 100: It is a short list that I compiled to contribute to a thread similar to this one; it is, of course, an hastily assembled amateurish opinion. Keep in mind that a few movies on the list could definitely be classified as low brow, not that I care; I'm confident enough in my taste to include what I like, analytical and knowledgeable enough to know why I like it and open minded enough to accept diverging opinions and possibly view my choices in a new light.

PS: I'd really appreciate it if you would present your ideas in a less aggressive tone, this isn't the current even forum, let's keep this thread civil!!

Originally Posted by Fuuma

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I had to look up HomeSkillet in the urbandictionary, you wacky Americans and your slang 

I don't see how my small comment could be seen as an admission of distaste for Star Wars, it is a fun movie, of which I have very fond memories and that I chose to own on DVD. However I don't see it as a major entry in my own cannon of the "greatest" movies, hence its absence of an arguably very short list (a top 100).

Directors like Lucas and Spielberg have one major flaw that prevent them from achieving greatness; they present works that do not take into account the history of cinema that preceded them and how it has integrated the fabric of our (pop) culture, therefore aiming their films at an innocent spectator that does not exist. If an artist wants to contribute something that has been attempted before, he has to acknowledge that it was there; either by building an additional layer of meaning on top of the preceding one or by at least, referencing the previous works (think Quentin Tarantino). This false pretension of virginity, both on the part of the viewer and the filmmaker, is what keeps me from fully appreciating the films of these two directors.

About my top 100: It is a short list that I compiled to contribute to a thread similar to this one; it is, of course, an hastily assembled amateurish opinion. Keep in mind that a few movies on the list could definitely be classified as low brow, not that I care; I'm confident enough in my taste to include what I like, analytical and knowledgeable enough to know why I like it and open minded enough to accept diverging opinions and possibly view my choices in a new light.

PS: I'd really appreciate it if you would present your ideas in a less aggressive tone, this isn't the current even forum, let's keep this thread civil!!

I take it you didn't like Schindler's List?

Jon.

I watched the original Thomas Crown Affair last night. Other than the wacked out camera work and the ackward chess scene towards the end of the film I thought it was well done. McQueen's dress was legendary with a range of three piece suits that looked as good as I've ever seen, though the use of peak lapels would have been preferred.

Originally Posted by imageWIS

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I take it you didn't like Schindler's List?

Jon.

There are no Spielberg movies that I enjoy enormously, although I kinda like the Indiana Jones series and the first scene of Saving private Ryan. Minority Report started pretty well and got into typical Spielberg mode about halfway...

To be fair I haven't checked any of his movies since then and I heard very good things about Munich. I remember watching a tv series about the same topic (following the Israëlian commandos/killers) when I was a kid, anybody saw that and can tell me what it was?

Originally Posted by Fuuma

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There are no Spielberg movies that I enjoy enormously, although I kinda like the Indiana Jones series and the first scene of Saving private Ryan. Minority Report started pretty well and got into typical Spielberg mode about halfway...

To be fair I haven't checked any of his movies since then and I heard very good things about Munich. I remember watching a tv series about the same topic (following the Israëlian commandos/killers) when I was a kid, anybody saw that and can tell me what it was?

Killers?

Jon.

Originally Posted by Fuuma

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To be fair I haven't checked any of his movies since then and I heard very good things about Munich. I remember watching a tv series about the same topic (following the Israëlian commandos/killers) when I was a kid, anybody saw that and can tell me what it was?

The Sword of Gideon.

Originally Posted by JBZ

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The Sword of Gideon.

Wow thanks. I remember really enjoying this series and looking forward to the next episode but it might have been my childhood memories, what did you think of it?

ImageWis: "Killers?" Yeah, what about it?

Originally Posted by Fuuma

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There are no Spielberg movies that I enjoy enormously
I love Close Encounters

Originally Posted by Fuuma

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Wow thanks. I remember really enjoying this series and looking forward to the next episode but it might have been my childhood memories, what did you think of it?



I don't remember it being a series. Perhaps it was divided into two parts. It premiered on HBO, if memory serves (it's always possible we're thinking of two different things). Steven Bauer played the Avner character, and Michael York played the bomb expert. I remember thinking it was good, but not great. Some of the scenes are virtually identical to what happened in Munich, while some are quite different. I thought Munich did a much better job of examining how this type of violence effects both sides.

Originally Posted by gdl203

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I love Close Encounters

By far my favorite Spielberg and the only one I really like, actually. That's before he figured out that people lap up sentimentalist ****.