Recommended: Middleweights, Tier 3
Submitted by jim on Mon, 06/04/2001 - 11:40
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- Artificial Intelligence (2001) ... A speculative fiction movie to be proud of (and there ain't that many). The cast is stellar, and the world this movie creates is visually stunning - at times utopian, and at times straight out of a Bosch painting. The images of NYC submerged were eerily poignant - totally familiar and alien at the same time. I was impressed by how much Kubrick there was in this Speilberg movie. Parts just feel like Kubrick. That said, I've never really liked how Kubrick emotionally holds you at arm's length, and I felt a bit of that here. But I'd still happily watch it again. I've heard lots of bad things about the ending, but I had no problem with it.
- Atlantic City (1980) ... This was my second movie swap with JohnnyWaco. The first time around I agreed to watch The Verdict if he'd watch A Fish Called Wanda and the second time around he watched Panic in exchange for me watching this. I don't know which of us is getting the better of the exercise, but I certainly feel well-served by it. Both movies have a low-key feel and feature flawed heroes. I don't know how flawed a hero has to be to qualify as an antihero, but I'd say Lancaster's "hero" here certainly qualifies. Even when his character is riding high you can't really forget that he's a small-time loser, and neither can he. And when his triumphant moment arrives, his triumph is on a very skewed scale. And yet I couldn't help rooting for him. Kudos to Lancaster; great performance. And I don't care what AJDaGreat says, even with big 80s hair Susan Sarandon is *miles* sexier than a forklift. :-) While the movie is Lancaster's, she's very good as well.
- Big Night (1996) ... Despite being a bit slow, I really liked this movie for the gentle comedy, nice family touches, and the glorification of good food.
- Billy Elliot (2000) ... While I was watching this movie I was a bit disappointed that it seemed be taking forever to tell the central story. But it worked. The final scene is one that keeps coming back to me. Stick around for the payoff.
- Boiler Room (2000) ... Everything a "Wall Street for the 90s" should be.
- Cabaret (1972) ... Great music! I particularly liked that "Money money money" number. I always find it interesting to see how musicals work the music in. Do you just have seemingly ordinary folks inexplicably burst into song, or is there some kind of mechanic to make such outbursts reasonable? I used to need such a mechanic, but I find it matters less to me as I get older (although I'm sure I'd find somebody just bursting into song in real life quite unnerving (especially if the rest of the crowd joined in singing chorus)). Anyway, I wasn't really expecting a straight separation in Cabaret, where the music is confined to the stage, but that's what I got and it worked very well, especially as Liza Minelli's character's showy stage personality seemed to bleed into her everyday life. A very interesting movie that I'm guessing would grow on me with subsequent viewings. Oh, Vicky saw it years ago and is still apparently creeped out by the emcee. When I told her what was in the return Netflix envelope she shuddered and said, "ooo, Joel Grey..."
- Changing Lanes (2002) ... A morality tale. The moral? Turn the other cheek, fer cryin' out loud! Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Affleck play two guys at war over a fender-bender. It was so deliciously frustrating to watch one guy be this close to doing the right thing only to have some time-delayed catastrophe instigated by the other guy harden his heart. The credibility of the plot stretches at times, but it never breaks.
- Chicago (2002) ... I watched this back-to-back with Cabaret on purpose, and this one did suffer a bit in comparison, but I still enjoyed it. This kind of work is Liza Minelli's bread-and-butter, but it's just a part-time gig for the Chicago actors, and it shows. Ain't nothing like the real thing. Still, I never would have predicted this level of versatility from the cast of Chicago. I was particularly impressed by John C. Reilly, who turned in my favorite number (Mr. Cellophane) and my favorite non-musical moment (when Richard Gere finally gets his name right when he takes the stand - a wonderful thespianical moment). And y'know what? I liked Richard Gere for the first time in a very long time.
- Chocolat (2000) ... Predicatable but enjoyable, and filled with actors that I like quite a bit. Judi Dench has a cushy job these days (not that she hasn't earned it): it seems like she's had a string of short, pithy roles that she can nail without stretching and then sit back with a cup of tea and reap the critical rewards. Juliette Binoche is as beautiful and talented as ever, even if she can coast to victory in this movie. Johnny Depp and Alfred Molina I almost always like; although they too didn't have to work too hard here. While perhaps a touch overwrought at times, I thought Lena Olin was the standout. While I haven't seen enough 2000 movies to judge definitively, I'd say it was only the Miramax Oscar Propaganda Machine that nabbed a Best Picture nomination for this one, but it was a fun tale nonetheless.
- Chungking Express (1994) ... I suspect this movie will move up if I rewatch it, as I spent a good portion of the first story getting into the mood of it, just in time for the second differently mooded story to start! The movie is composed of two stories that are unrelated except for 0.01 centimeters of overlap and lovelorn themes. While the stories are quite different, both capture the essence of being lovesick beautifully. Of the two I think I preferred the second, as it was hard not to love the waifish Faye. The camera techniques were also striking, from the almost impressionist chase scenes in the first story to the foreground/background time-shifting in the second. And to the credit of the translators, it may be the first dubbed movie I've seen that I found eminently quotable.
- Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) ... Sam Rockwell is apparently incapable of turning in anything but a home run performance, be it supporting or leading, comedy or drama. Great stuff from him. As for the movie, there's no question this is a Charlie Kaufman script. Like Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, it is endlessly clever, dark, and impressive. Also like those movies, I just don't quite get into his stuff, even though I really really want to. But I think this was my favorite of the lot, and even though all the theatrical-release reviews tipped me off to this, I was still surprised at George Clooney's directorial chops. Mark my words, that guy'll be a big star some day.
- Diggstown (1992) ... James Woods plays a con man just released from prison who makes a bet with Bruce Dern that 48-year-old boxer Louis Gossett Jr. can beat 10 Diggstown men in 24 hours. Oliver Platt and a completely wasted Heather Graham round out this surprising cast. Given the litany of despair that is his filmography, I don't know why I like Lou Gossett, but I do. Despite the big con not really being much of a con, a fairly anti-climactic ending, cut-and-dried good guys/bad guys, and an incongrously dark moment that is never resolved satisfactorily, I quite enjoyed this movie. Not bad for one I hadn't even heard of prior to seeing dgeiser13's list!
- Dogma (1999) ... Fun and clever until the 10 yard line, when it bobbles the ball a bit. But I loved the premise of two banished angels who find a "loophole" they could exploit to get back to Heaven. But this would be a chink in God's infallibility, which is a Bad Thing. Bunches of great characters and dialog are drawn into this premise. A good ride.
- Double Indemnity (1944) ... I enjoyed Edward G. Robinson's supporting role greatly, but for the other roles this movie was a prime example of how the old acting styles can sometime distract me. But I thought the movie carried off the "bound fates" theme that trapped our protagonists quite well.
- Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993) ... I love it when you can make a good movie about the life of a good movie maker. A great story, with some great action scenes to boot.
- EdTV (1999) ... I quite enjoyed this, I think mostly because everybody was so likeable. Foibles 'n all. Good performances all around, and nice implementation of a clever plot device.
- Elling (2001) ... Apparently in Norway if you're male, only think about women and food, and bang your head against hard objects when you're frustrated that's enough to get you committed to a mental hospital. They must have LOTS of mental hospitals there, or else Norwegian guys are wired differently. That flip observation did cross my mind, but it doesn't reflect negatively on my enjoyment of this gentle "odd couple" tale of two released mental patients trying to find their way. The pace is easy-going and I didn't even realize I was sucked in until the very end, when I found myself waiting with bated breath to hear whether Kjell had gotten good news or bad.
- Frequency (2000) ... I love stories that can take a subtle supernatural element and fold it into an otherwise "normal" story. The plot device here works great, and it meshes well with what is already a good mystery story.
- From Here to Eternity (1953) ... Damn Montgomery Clift was great. He did indeed get a raw deal. He's been the best part of the few movies of his I've seen. Anyway, I was surprised at how much I liked this, especially considering how melodramatic it was at times. The first three-quarters were particularly strong, and I couldn't help but be reminded of Cool Hand Luke, which can't be a bad thing. The ending left me a little cold, and the attack felt a bit tacked on, but I swear to god they really did strafe some poor guy in the courtyard. It startled me, it looked so realistic. Anyway, the melodrama and the ending cost it points, but otherwise I give this a pretty high ranking. Oh, and Frank Sinatra could clearly do more than croon (as if The Manchurian Candidate wasn't proof enough).
- The Game (1997) ... I feel like I'm in a minorty liking this movie, but I really enjoyed it. It was fun to watch Douglas as kinda a broken Gordon Gekko, and the twists-within-twists managed to get me all turned around.
- Good Will Hunting (1997) ... I really didn't care for the end of this movie. But I enjoyed it quite a bit otherwise, so I don't hesitate to recommend it.
- The Hidden Fortress (1958) ... A buddy of mine recently saw The Seven Samurai for the first time, and his reaction was lukewarm. Kinda slow, too stagey, and he singled out at least one actor for making these grimacing overacting clownish faces (can't think of who that would be; I think he was talking about a supporting character). Anyway, all those objections were fresh in my mind when I watched The Hidden Fortress, and I can see where even the great Kurosawa's movies can be inaccessible to your average viewer. The plots build gradually, the acting style is not modern, and, some of the mannerisms are, well, Japanese, and perhaps don't evoke the same emotional response in some non-native viewers. In fact, I remember having all those feelings when I saw The Seven Samurai for the first time as a preteen, but I love it and Kurosawa's other movies now, and this is one of his better ones (but not one of his best).
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) ... I think if you tried to stretch most Twilight Zone episodes beyond half-an-hour they'd look pretty thin. But this movie, which *feels* like a TZ episode (even if it had nothing to do with that great show), is fully fleshed and quite thrilling, even almost fifty years later. I do think they wussed out on the ending, but it's forgivable.
- Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001) ... I really must be a sucker for sports movies to watch a four-hour semi-musical in a language I don't understand about a sport I don't understand and still dig it. Lagaan is a grain tax placed on poor Indian farmers. There's been no rain, so of course the arrogant sneering British captain doubles Lagaan, ostensibly to balance the books after cutting the farmers a break the previous year, but really does just because he can and because we are supposed to hate him (we do). One thing leads to another, and our villain proposes a bet to our hero: beat us in a cricket match, and no Lagaan for three years. Lose, pay triple Lagaan. It's a colorful exuberant production, and much to my surprise threw in about six musical numbers. We finally have a hero where we can understand why not one, but two beautiful women fall in love with him. While breathtakingly long and quite predictable, the movie rarely drags, and even the hour-long (!) cricket match excites (it did help that I read a brief summary of the rules beforehand). And, just a few days after seeing Korea's most expensive movie, I've now done the same for India. Money talks, I guess.
- Matchstick Men (2003) ... A con movie worth recommending if for no other reason than because the ending is highly unconventional for the genre. Perhaps even unprecedented! Con movie convention DICTATES that a character-to-be-named-later take an action-to-be-named later in a situation-to-be-named-later, and yet it doesn't happen. Stunning. Awesome. Well, perhaps just surprising, but still nice since I suspected many of the other twists along they way. Then you have Cage and Rockwell doing their respective things, which is rarely a bad thing (never a bad thing in my Rockwell experience, actually). Alison Lohman is right there in the game with those guys too, which is no small feat.
- My Left Foot (1989) ... I enjoyed this much more the second time around. An uplifting story marked by a couple great performances. I always think of this movie as kicking off the "play a disabled character, win an Oscar" trend, but Daniel Day-Lewis is just terrific, and very deserving.
- My Life As a Dog (1985) ... Quirky, bittersweet, and charming. A little boy learns to cope and have fun in the face of adversity.
- The Limey (1999) ... Terence Stamp plays an ex-con who travels to the US to avenge his daughter's death. Stamp's performance is so good, I can't imagine anyone else in the role. The movie is low-key, and like so many of Soderbergh's movies, the gradual fleshing-in of the past is as interesting as the action that moves the plot forward.
- Local Hero (1983) ... An enjoyable, quirky story. Paced kinda slowly, but has a nice small town feel about it with well-drawn characters.
- The Man Who Would Be King (1975) ... Sean Connery and Michael Caine do Heart of Darkness (similar themes, anyway). I love the gradually encroaching sense of doom you get as your two rouges dig themselves in deeper and deeper.
- Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) ... Because of a touch of the croup in our youngest, we were unable to see this on an uncrowded Wednesday in a theater with a big screen, great sound, and stadium seating and instead ended up at a crowded Friday show in a theater boasting a small screen, mediocre sound, and conventional seating. Par for the course, the audience was unable to shut the f__k up. This undoubtedly detracted from our enjoyment. That said, this beat my pre-release expectations by miles. The movie's greatest strength is by far its powerful evocation of life at sea; it just does a fabulous job of transporting you to the microcosm of onboard living. Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany are both very good, although I have the advantage of only having read one of the Aubrey/Maturin books. My wife, who has read them all, was a bit dissappointed in both the casting and the script, even though she knows better than to compare the movie to the book. The movie is somewhat inaccessible in that we are dropped right into the midst of this ship which clearly has a storied history, but we only really understand the relationships and friendships amongst the characters by the end of the movie, so at the beginning various affectations or resentments are without context. But it's an interesting approach, one that largely works, and one I'm sure will make me enjoy the movie that much more on a second viewing.
- Monsoon Wedding (2001) ... The wedding and the stories it brings together is wonderful, but ironically--and somewhat distractingly--the ostensible central couple is less interesting and sympathetic than practically anyone else in the film. The wedding planner and his story? Terrific. The troubled cousin? Touching. The beleaguered, bewildered father who loves his daughters and his family and has to reconcile all his feelings? Perfect. The bride and groom to be? Pale in comparison, and somewhat incomprehensible in their motives. Still, a very good movie with moments of greatness, and the city of Delhi is practically a character in inself. One could make a case for listing it alongside the actors in the cast credits.
- Network (1976) ... At times the dialog struck me as distractingly theatrical, but it really is amazing how prescient this movie is of modern day TV programming. Movies like this make me glad we killed our TV. As an aside, it's amazing how intrusive and artificial the laugh track sounds after you've been away from TV for a year or so.
- Nine Queens (2000) ... I'm trying to decide if I should make a distinction between heist movies and con movies, and I think I should. I expect to enjoy both, and both often let me down, heist movies to a greater degree. So what a treat to watch this, The Italian Job, and The Good Thief all in a row - a con movie and two heist movies, all likeable! A miracle! That said, I think the only movie from the two genres that I've ever loved is The Sting, so I'm going to have to keep looking for another of it's caliber. Anyway, on to the movie: two Argentinian con men meet and begin working together. One is sorta not nice, the other is really not nice. They happen upon a big money making opportunity. Can they trust each other and reach the payoff? Is there a payoff? It's actually not that hard to predict, but I always had a kernel or two of doubt, which kept me watching and entertained. That, and for a con movie the lead characters seem like actual people, and not mere devices who exist merely to demonstrate the cleverness of the con. Actually, this is more a problem for heist movies than con movies. Maybe I *shouldn't* separate them!
- North by Northwest (1959) ... A good spy-thriller, but I wanted to like this even more. Thought it was a bit slow at times, and lacked some of the darkness and tension I've enjoyed more in other Hitchcock movies. Still, great plot with very enjoyable performance from Cary Grant.
- Not One Less (1999) ... Zhang Yimou is incapable of making a bad movie. This one made me ashamed that I ever thought I didn't have enough money. Very slow at first, but ultimately enjoyable and educational. Remarkable sidenote: no professional actors were used in this movie - all performances are from people of the same name and profession as their characters.
- Ocean's Eleven (2001) ... I wanted to love this movie, but I merely liked it. Still, it's one of the better heist movies in recent memory, and it's filled with actors I enjoy. While it glosses over some (admittedly important) details, in general the heist itself holds together suprisingly well. I'm always surprised by my enjoyment of Matt Damon, but I'm sad to report that Don Cheadle's considerable talents were almost completely wasted. I think what this movie lacked was a villian we could sink our teeth into. Andy Garcia does a fine job with the part he's given, but the character doesn't really do anything to earn our ill will.
- Punch-Drunk Love (2002) ... I knew Emily Watson had it in her, but I never would have guessed Adam Sandler or PT Anderson did. I never would have guessed Sandler would make a movie I could list anywhere but on a "Guilty Pleasures" list, or that Anderson would make a movie I didn't think was overrated. Take a romantic comedy, inject it with enough darkness and loneliness that you can't really call it a comedy anymore, bless it with an unexpected and remarkable Sandler performance, and you've got a winner. For all that though, I wasn't as emotionally engaged as I should have been, but perhaps this will move up on a rewatch (I highly doubt it will move down).
- Quiz Show (1994) ... Ralph Fiennes expressions as he grapples with the dilemma of being fed easy questions on national TV is worth the price of admission alone.
- The Ref (1994) ... There is no comedy that Denis Leary can't redeem to varying degrees. And this one was pretty good on its own.
- Romancing the Stone (1984) ... A beloved movie from my youth that holds up pretty well. Not outstandingly, but pretty well. Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner have great chemistry. His Jack Colton borrows more from Han Solo than Indiana Jones (although coming three years after Raiders it's clear which movie's coattails are being ridden here). Her Joan Wilder is timid -- almost mousy -- and yet gets believably more proactive as the movie progresses. Very good roles for both of them. I had a devil of a time deciding where to file this. "Lightweight" for the comedy? "Middleweight" for the mild violence? "Welterweight" for the action? Then I noticed that The Mask of Zorro is filed on this list and I figured they belong in the same place.
- Rosewood (1997) ... I'm guessing the characters in this movie (including our hero) are entirely fictional contrivances pinned onto a historical event. Nonetheless, the movie alternates between packing a respectable emotional punch and delivering some good action. And as a bonus, it has Ving Rhames AND Don Cheadle in it!
- Sleuth (1972) ... I saw this as a teenager, and it's still relatively fresh in my mind as one of the more interesting twisty movies I've seen. Caine and Olivier were terrific. I've always thought of Olivier as too stagey for me, but he was great here and in Marathon Man, so I probably need to dispel that prejudice from my mind.
- Spartacus (1960) ... Kubrick's range never fails to impress. I can't believe he would direct Dr. Strangelove just four years later. To me, this movie seemed to straddle classic and modern acting styles. Jean Simmons' performance felt like it was out of the 40s, while Peter Ustinov's felt like it was out of the 70s. Everybody else was somewhere in the middle. While I enjoyed this movie, I think I would have loved it if Spartacus himself didn't seem rather one-dimensional.
- The Tale of Zatoichi (1962) ... I swore to myself that I wouldn't compare this to Yojimbo, but it's impossible. A comparison is inevitable, to Zatoichi's detriment. But this is a fine Japanese western, and it's worth checking out for Shintaro Katsu's wonderful performance as the blind masseur/swordsman and reluctant gangster Zatoichi. It's nice to find an interesting character so well-realized.
- Traffic (2000) ... Ambitiously tries to capture all factions of the drug war, and does well enough to make this movie interesting and enjoyable without being preachy. I would say that its reach does exceed its grasp at times, but that's more of an overall sense rather than a pointer to specific failings. Soderbergh's roll continues.
- The Train (1964) ... If I recall correctly, an excellent movie on whether it's better to do the right thing for the wrong reasons or the wrong thing for the right reasons, but I really need to see this again before commenting more.
- Unbreakable (2000) ... I wasn't going to recommend this movie initally, as it didn't make that big an impression on me at first glace. But it's grown on me over several days. Neither Willis's nor Jackson's characters alone are compelling, but their unfolding relationship is.
- The Untouchables (1987) ... I watched this first when I was 17 and then again at 32. I liked it better as a teenager, but find that's true in general for me. De Niro plays his few Capone scenes with relish. Of the untouchables, Andy Garcia is the standout, and Costner is the weak link. I'm afraid the famous baby carriage scene, which I remember loving, seemed kinda cartoonish now. Nonetheless, an enjoyable gangster movie told from the police perspective.
- Vanilla Sky (2001) ... Every now and then the nation's critics band together to lambaste a movie and I'm left scratching my head at their unified vitriol. My wife and I both enjoyed this movie (I quite a bit). Very clever, good performances from Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, and yes, even the much-maligned Penelope Cruz (who suffers only by comparison). And the shots of a deserted Times Square (no CGI!) are worth the price of admission alone. I generally like to be entertained first and foremost, but I also like some mental stimulation. This worked on both fronts. I've heard that Cameron Crowe has implored audiences to watch it twice (expecting them to hate it the first time and like it the second) and I've also heard it needs to be approached with an open mind. I'm not sure where all the trepidation comes from, but apparently it was justified given the critical resposne.
- The Verdict (1982) ... A terrific legal drama, what really worked for me about this movie was how the ending allowed you to feel your own feelings, rather than telling you what to feel via swelling music or some other manipulative overture.
- Walkabout (1971) ... I liked this movie, but can't articulate why. The imagery? The critique of "civilization"? The beauty? The sadness? It begs for a rewatch.
- West Side Story (1961) ... For the first thirty minutes I figured there was no chance I'd get into this, as it's a rare musical that manages to turn my head. But it won me over. Approach this one like you'd approach a stage musical, and you'll be well-prepared to enjoy a classic story told via great music.
- Wild Things (1998) ... Could this be more trashy or more fun? The thing that earns this movie a spot here instead of "Guilty Pleasures" is that the plot and its twists are surprisingly good.
- Witness for the Prosecution (1957) ... A very enjoyable courtroom drama with a closing twist-fest that'll leave you spinning. Vicky has convinced me that Agatha Christie really was all that. This adaptation is helped tremendously by a wonderfully curmudgeonly performance from Charles Laughton, who somehow never made it onto my radar as an actor until now.
Author Comments:
If you're going to use these lists for recommendations, you really should read how they're organized.
Jim, perusing your lists is starting to make me ashamed of my tendancy to let acclaimed Asian movies pass me by. I know where I can get hold of NOT ONE LESS, so I intend to watch it. That truly is very remarkable and adventurous film-making; I mean using "real" people as your cast. Talk about blurring the line between fiction and documentary.
Cool! You'll have to let me know what you think of it.
I really don't watch enough non-American movies. But Zhang Yimou is a favorite, so I try not to miss any of his. And I really have to tackle some of the movies on thecritic's list. Also, I keep hearing good things about Iranian cinema, so I have to do more research there as well.
Jim, the gods were against us on this one. I did actually rent NOL, along with another movie that I started watching first, and it was then that my VCR started showing 'snow' instead of a picture. So instead of yet another trip to the VCR repair shop I bought my DVD, and I'm glad I did. Trouble is I can't find NOL on DVD, so I might eventually have to either get my VCR repaired or borrow my brother's.
If I had to rely on local shops I'd be outta luck on most DVD rentals as well. Netflix greatly expanded my options (and hopefully RentMyDVD will next). Is there a similar Australia-based service you could sign up for?
Jim, I do love this series of lists. Insightful comments that contribute new ideas about the films. Great lists.
Thanks AAA! While I'm a proficient programmer, I tend to feel like I struggle to keep up with you and the other regulars cinematically, so I'm flattered that you're enjoying this series and my comments.
Ah, so humble! ;) I must agree with AAA. Given my current boxing training schedule, I don't have much time to check out the Listology as thoroughly as I once did, but I have gone through every single one of your "Recommended" series. I enjoy and respect anyone who takes the time to give reasons and comments in their lists, and I usually find that I agree with your opinions more than most. As such, I tend to gravitate towards your recommendations on the rare occasion that I get to the video store.
Thanks! I'm flattered, and happy to hear that you've gotten a little mileage out of my recommendations. But enough about me . . .
You box?! Impressive! Are you a beginner or seasoned professional? How long have you been doing it? Where would we have to go to cheer at one of your bouts? :-)
Still a beginner, and no actual fights in the foreseeable future. I am, however, looking forward to sparring with my partner soon. I box in a thoroughly squalid gym here in Vancouver, BC. I actually find it somewhat satisfying going there - I feel like I'm boxing in some grainy, gritty movie. ;P I've been doing serious training for almost a year now, and was playing around with it a bit for a year before that.
That's excellent. It must keep you in great shape. My own fitness level decines drastically during the winter, as I spend almost all my time inert, except for one indoor Ultimate game on Sundays. Every spring it's harder to recover from the winter. :-)
Unfortunately, if you were to have a cheerable event, Vancouver is a bit of a hike for me, although it's certainly on my "to visit" list.
Re: Cast Away. Robert Zemeckis is not living up to his potential by a long shot. Contact is still my favorite recent movie of his. I thought What Lies Beneath was merely OK and Cast Away was a big letdown.
I agree completely. He's made some really good movies, which makes some of his recent efforts particularly disappointing.
Jim, Since you just recently watched Ocean's Eleven maybe you can explain something to me...
It's a logistical thing. I still cannot see, for the life of me, how they got the bags (the ones with the Big White X's on the end) and their contents (the sex flyers) into the vault. The chinese acrobat definitely didn't have them. Clooney and Damon didn't appear to have them. Yet they had everything bagged and waiting for the casino employees to carry out to the first white van.
Do you know what I'm talking about or is there something I missed?
I'd have to watch it again to double-check, but if I recall correctly, the cart that the contortionist stowed away in was a fairly large cube. The contortionist squeezed into a cylinder running down the center of the larger cube. I believe there would be plenty of room in the corners of the cube not occupied by the cylinder for stuff like the bags and flyers. How's that sound?
It sounds plausible. :-) I guess they didn't really make a big point of showing it though.
Your reaction sounds like it was pretty much the same as mine to the film.
Thanks for the mention, Jim. Yes, my Little Seen Movies lists are probably some of my favorite lists although they don't really do much except sit there half-finished. I really should do something about that. :-)
It's been awhile since I've seen Diggstown so refresh my memory. Doesn't seem young kid end up getting killed or at least savagely beaten in that movie? If it's the movie I'm thinking of that part had a particular visceral effect on me.
I love those lists - I didn't know they were only half-finished, so I'm looking forward to their expansion! As for the grim Diggstown scene:
Platt pays two brothers to throw their fights. The first brother does such a bad job of it that Dern knows what's up. He puts the first brother in a noose at gunpoint and tells the second brother if he doesn't win his fight he'll bury his brother in the morning.
Diggstown. IIRC, I remember the ending managing to be both clever and anti-climatic at the same time. A fun role for Woods, though.
Oh, and despite his films, I still manage to continue to like Gossett as well...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Thanks for the Chocolat review!
Lena Olin is always a standout. While all my high school friends were going gaga over supermodels, I had a huge crush on Lena, having spotted her in The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Enemies: a Love Story (that latter film is a very under-rated movie). Now, she helps keep Alias alive. What a woman!
Judi Dench may seem like she's coasting, but at one point in the film, I realized how great she is. She actually utters the line, "It's like nothing I've ever tasted before" (or something close to that), and my, if she doesn't make that horrible little sentence work! She actually drinks the chocolate in such a way, you even believe her. She can deliver a line, that's for sure.
I've already address the Best Picture ruckus elsewhere, so I'll let that be.
I'm glad you gave the film a shot. I find it quite rewatchable, but maybe I'm just an ol' softy after all... :)
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Thanks for the response! As a result, Enemies: A Love Story is in my rental queue (although my queue is pretty long, so it might be awhile before it comes). Also, I should clarify my Dench comments: anybody that's truly great at something makes it seem effortless, so that's probably the effect I'm observing. It's more the shortness of the roles that makes them cushy. Winning the Oscar for Shakespeare in Love (not to get you started on that movie (which I know you've softened on slightly :-)) despite being on screen for something like 12 minutes must be a record. Screen-time aside, I do have to maintain that these authoritative curmudgeon roles are right in her strike zone.
That said, I agree; she sold what would have been a dreadful line coming out of anyone else's mouth.
Oh, I'm glad I gave it a shot too! My definition of a "Tier 3" movie is, "definitely worth watching, and I probably wouldn't mind rewatching some of them, depending on my mood." While I really should prune some of these lists, I'm fairly confident Chocolat will at least hold its spot.
Did you happen to catch Lena Olin in Romeo Is Bleeding (1993)? She was great in that as well.
Yes, I did, and while I didn't enjoy that film quite as much as the others I listed, I have to confess, that movie is nirvana for any poor sap with a crush on Lena. Oh my!
A very enjoyable film. One of the first films I watched with my future wife. (The first was Pulp Fiction opening weekend. She loved it. I knew that was a great sign.)
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Hey Jim,
Glad to see you liked Atlantic City...very low-key yet well done in every aspect. We'll have to have "Movie Swap III" soon.
Johnny Waco
Howdy Johnny! Did you see I caught Tender Mercies too? I believe that puts you one in the hole! :-)
Wow! I'm glad to see you've liked all three. Now I'm really going to feel pressure next time not to recommend a bomb of some kind:) Yeah, I guess I am one in the whole, but I believe you did recommend Silverado on my Westerns list, so I'll try to get ahold of that one soon.
Johnny Waco
ahem, one in the hole, not "one in the whole"...Good to see that Ph.D work in English really pays off;)
Johnny Waco
:-) Hey, it's not terribly obvious, but I put in the ability for users to correct their posts, as long as they do so within 30 minutes. Any post that has a red-rimmed star next to it is editable by clicking on the star (although doing so prevents enjoyable Ph.D jokes).
That's true! I'll be curious to hear what you think of it. It's been quite awhile since I've seen it. In fact, in my youth my taste was even more suspect than it is now, so this recommedation is a bit more of a crapshoot than my others, I think.
A comment about The Thing From Another World. I remember my mom and dad telling me when I was a kid that this movie scared them and everyone they knew when it was first released. (I remember the comment because it was the first time my dad had admitted being scared of anything. ;^)
Anyway, it was the combination of the post-war "commie spy" thing added to what I believe was the first major release of a monster from outer space movie. My dad believed so at the time, but I'm not sure which came first, "The Thing" or my personal fav, "The Day The Earth Stood Still". I believe their release dates were close.
Perhaps the people you mention who prefer the original take the era in which it was made into account. I, myself enjoy both versions of "The Thing", the first for the b/w cold war feel and the second for the special effects - still good enough to this day to hold off a CGI remake.
Yeah, I tried to take the era into account when I was watching it as well, but the threat of the "super carrot" never quite latched onto me. :-) Even the scene when we are told the creature has locked itself in the greenhouse, has hung two victims upside down, slashed their throats, and is using their blood to grow seedlings of itself is not revealed in the chilling manner I'd expect given how gruesome the prospect is. I never felt like our heros ever felt truly threatened. But then perhaps we were cocky Americans even then, and never *really* believed we could lose.
I just moved The Day the Earth Stood Still to the top of my Netflix queue, and I also added Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I'm looking forward to watching those in close proximitiy to this one.
Oh, regarding Carpenters version of The Thing, I still remember how nerve-wracking I found the "testing the blood" scene.
It's too bad the triple "commie-alien" play didn't work for you. All three movies are too thoroughly entrenched in my childhood psyche for me to offer an unbiased review. You may want to think twice before ever watching "Forbidden Planet", though.
Oh, I wouldn't go so far as to say they didn't work for me! They did all make my "recommended" lists, albeit on tier 3, but that's still pretty good. From my notes:
"Tier 3 movies are definitely worth watching, and I probably wouldn't mind rewatching some of them, depending on my mood. I'd happily rewatch the Tier 2 movies at least once, and I can rewatch the Tier 1 movies over and over (although it's pretty rare that that I'm in the mood to rewatch movies from the heavyweight division - those have virtual rewatchability :-)"
Wow, we had incredibly similar reactions to Confessions!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Wow is right; that's uncanny. I'm glad I got my review up before I saw yours, otherwise I would have been tempted to just write "what he said."
Then I'm glad as well, as I enjoyed reading your review!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs