74 new of 144 responses total.
If it hasn't been mentioned so far - another underappreciated Coen brothers film is their early gem, "Murphy's Crossing", a beautifully photographed period piece about Irish gangsters. Oh, those *hats*...
Re. 70: If half of how Steve Jobs was portrayed in the movie was true, I'd never want to work at Apple. I remember the scene where Jobs is asking one of his minions...er, employees, "How's it going?" The slave...er, employee responds, "Good sir. I've been at it almost 70 hours now" while shaking from too much caffine, or worse. I remember seeing the actor who played jobs at one of Apples big todos, again playing jobs. After a couple minutes the real Steve came on stage saying, "No no, your doing it all wrong..." and showed the actor how it was done. That was pretty cool.
Steve Jobs seems to be one of those people that some people love to hate, and others love to love. I know Andy Hertzfeld, former employee at Apple and later part of the team at Eazel that created Nautilus, said that when Jobs left Apple the company lost its soul. Given the new-found confidence and profitability at Apple, I'd say there is a good chance he was spot on.
Or it could just be that they got saddled with John Sculley at that point..
<twenex grins> Yes, but between Scully and Jobs, the Revenge there were also Markkula and Gil Amelio. And maybe someone else, so....
Unreal. I was in a class with Hertzfeld
in 1978, 'advanced topics in operating systems'.
Thing is, the prof gave me a copy of his paper on
'distributed computing', an early network
effort. It was an example of a better paper.
I *think* I still have it.
"Miller's Crossing"? or "Murphy's War"?
That's cool, jor.
Re #76 re #71: Oops, got the title wrong. It's "Miller's Crossing".
JESUS OF MONTREAL-- This is another movie from a few years ago that came and went under the radar. It was made up in Quebec, and is about a theater group in Montreal that does a Passion Play, and the play becomes more and more real. The guy who plays the guy who plays Jesus really starts to get into the part. I found this to be a quite moving movie, about the power of belief. Its on video, I'd recommend it as a rental.
That's interesting. The BBC did something a couple of years back (for tv), which although I didn't watch it seemed based on the same sort of idea. I wonder if it's a case of independent invention, or if one was based on the other.
thnking of overlooked movies..... you only need to see this one once, but ... the farmer .... is pretty thought-provoking, to say the least. btw, NOT for the kiddies under 25-ish.
They mentioned many different good movies but didn't mention American Beauty. American Beauty is one of the most important movies of the century. 20th century, i mean. I think that movie have shocked a lot of people, including those here in this conf, because it exposed the bitter north american pattern & his innocuous lifestyle. Certainly, American Beauty will be in a lot of people's memory as a picture faithful of the life & soul of some real characters.
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Some of my favorites have been mentioned here, although many don't really qualify as "underappreciated," such as "The Princess Bride." "Local Hero," a great movie, solidified my own Hibernaphilia. How about "Strictly Ballroom," a very funny Australian film? (Not to mention "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," so much better than the idiotic American remake "To Wong FU...") Anything by the Coen brothers is pretty good in my book. "The Big Lebowski" is one of the best. Since the success of "O Brother Where Art Thou," though, the Coen brothers can hardly be called underappreciated. I am also partial to anything done by Christopher Guest. "A Mighty Wind" was extremely funny...I love folk music, but the next concert I attended (John McCutcheon) was made inadvertently funny for me because of having recently seen "A Mighty Wind"...darned if many of the folk music cliches that Guest skewered in that movie weren't right there at the concert... I finally saw "This is Spinal Tap" last year, and since then my husband and I have seen all of these mockumentaries.
I loved "Strictly Ballroom". Usually, I tend to like all of a director's work but I hated Moulin Rouge so much I couldnt even sit through it.
Are they the same director?
BTW, I agree with slynne about "Moulin Rouge". I probably would have walked out if I hadn't had someone else at the movie with me. I can't say that I loved "Strictly Ballroom", though I thought it was enjoyable.
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"Strictly Ballroom", "Romeo and Juliet" (with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes) and "Moulin Rouge" are the Baz Luhrman trifecta.
See. I loved that version of "Romeo and Juliet" too! So what was so terrible about Moulin Rouge. I couldnt believe how much I hated it. Ok, mcnally, you are now officially on my good list. ;)
Great. Is there some sort of seal-of-approval icon I can put on my web page?
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(Is that the version of Romeo and Juliet featuring 9mm pistols made by "Sword"?)
resp:91 Hahaha. Now that is a good idea! I'll have to make one.
I didn't hate "Moulin Rouge". I just didn't like it. The singing was great, the music great, the dancing great, the costuming, etc. I just didn't like it.
Didn't even touch Moulin Rouge with a bargepole.
To compare Saving Private Ryan impact with American Beauty impact is a
completely mistaken thing. The difference among the two movies is gigantic.
Reaaly, this is an opinion from who doesn't know the difference between the
sugar and the salt.
I agree with you Maura, anything by the Coen Brothers is
pretty good. The Coen brothers is great and irreplaceable.
Each movie these guys is an art. The Big Lebowski is a
very very good movie but I think Bloody Simple and Fargo
are the best productions under all point of view.
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re #82..."American Beauty" doesn't quite count as "overlooked" since it won the best picture oscar in 2000. But it is a great movie. Speaking of films that won best picture, and today might be overlooked by younger generations, I was in the video store the other day and was looking at a dvd and a kid of 17 or 18 saw it and said, "never heard of it, any good?" The movie was "Midnight Cowboy", the 1969 best picture winner. "Midnight Cowboy" is a great movie, a story of friendship and love between two drifters, Joe Buck (Jon Voigt) and Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman) It is really a love story, about how we all need and look for someone to love and care about. There is great chemistry between Voigt and Hoffman in this movie. One of the most moving scenes in any movie I can recall is in this, when Ratso Rizzo dies on the bus, and Joe Buck (Voigt's character) puts his arm around him and holds him tightly as the bus goes down the road. In a lonely world, if you find something or someone you really care about, you hold onto it for all its worth. When you find love, you don't want to let it go.
I agree with you Richard, "Midnight Cowboy" is a great movie. "Midnight Cowboy" is director John Schlesinger's best movie. I believe Schlesinger had luck of getting a good screenplayer (Waldo Salt)to write this beautiful story. Unhappily Schlesinger doesn't have a great philmography; his movies oscillate between reasonable quality movies. The performance of Dustin Hoffman is magnificent. Dustin knew how to give to his character a convincing & touching charisma.
re #99
If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign
you're not doing anything very innovative.
quote by Woody Allen
re #99
I forgot to say that we don't need to try the flavor
of the acid to feel its "impact".
We just need knowledge.
Marlon Brando remember me a great John Huston movie,
"Reflections in a golden eye".
This movie is a classic as well as John Huston for
the movies.
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John Carpenter isn't a filmmaker,
he's a truck farmer.
Nah. He's done some turkeys (e.g. "Ghosts of Mars"), but at his best, he's pretty good.
John Carpenter should work at a grocery store, he's a
great salesperson of green vegetables or something
like that.
Although his products have few nutritious as well as
the films he directs.
You should tell him that next time you sit down to lunch. ;-)
Yes. And I shall ask to him personal questions
relating to his life. Ex. "Did you ask Pumpkin
whether he bought the yatch yet?"
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I thought about Bob Crane thing but it's been
in all media gossip columns, y'know. :P
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No, it's a different John Carpenter.
I'm afraid we're talking of the same Carpenter.
Are there how many Carpenter & Crane in the same situation?
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That's a damn lie.
Here we go again...like Halloweenn series( I want your blood...)
Is it just me, or has John "Truck Farmer" Carpenter made more
bad movies than most other directors can even dream off?
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Well, one thing you must learn from the movies is to
force you to think, no matter how hard it is to
contradict you.
American History X wont force you to think.
John Truck Farmer Carpenter's films will force
you to think in pumpkins.
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This is the second step, tod.
First you'd force your brain to think over ideas.
Pumpkins aren't ideas.
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You're right tod, we don't have to understand the ideas for
a movie to happen. Perhaps this is the simple reason which
Hallowen was made for people that don't think.
But all good film says a message.
And speaking honestly tod, I don't believe that an intelligent
guy like you is just going to the movies to see images, special
effects and dialogues.
"If you want to send a messasge, use Western Union!"
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#re 125
Joe, say that to John "Truck Farmer" Carpenter.
I think this is the only way that
John "Truck Farmer" Carpenter knows to send
messages.
#re 126
It doesn't matter what that sounds. The fact
is that we're here to talk about films...criticizing
or not criticizing. That only depends on your knowledge.
The one just matter is we discuss points of views,
peacefully.
"Taxi driver":
That's a nonsense, VIP. You mentioned a film
in which is replete of messages and honestly
I believe that you didn't understand anything
about "Taxi Driver".
Paul Schrader is, first of all, a good writer. Didn't
you learn literature at school, VIP?
Look, I'm sorry if you're offended about John "Truck
Farmer" Carpenter.
#127: "The one just matter is we discuss points of views, peacefully." I wish you'd apply that principle to your own posts. You seem to be mainly into stating your own views and insulting anyone who challenges them. I don't call that "discussion". On the topic of this item (which is "Underappreciated Movies", in case you forgot), I'll mention last year's "Northfork", a fictional account of the evacuation of a small Montana town in the 1950s that is being evacuated to make way for a new dam, given an epic quality by its stunning photography and larger-than-life characters.
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#re 128
Are you lawyer of tod?
Well, about peacefully: I didn't mean that someone was not being
peaceful. I think that you didn't understand the point.
About insulting: where are you reading some insult?
Look,I recommend that you pay attention where our discussion began
exactly. My discussion concentrated in John "Truck farmer" Carpenter
when then tod provoked me with ironies.
Did you think I'd be quiet? Ah no way mr. lawyer, I'm not afraid of
discussing point of view because I have how justifying my arguments.
But that doesn't seem common here. Some people don't have enough
arguments to debate an idea then they use ironies or something like
that.
#re 129 Iris? What it means? Insult or praise? And how I'll call you from now on? I'll think it soon. Say or think or do whatever you want but that won't change the fact that John Truck Farmer Carpenter is a terrible director and his films was made for people that don't think. p.s. Look, how much did your defense cost to remmers?
Hi, Vito. Welcome to Grex, where we do, in fact, say and think whatever we want, and your opinion is just that.
Re #130: I rest my case. :)
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I do try to iron all my comments before posting...
#re 134
Dear tod, I know that Iris is a character of the film. I also
know what she represents in the film and represents for
Travis Bickle. We can discuss the plot if you maybe want that one.
But in the context of our debate I didn't understand why you'll
call me Iris. Metaphorically I could understand the meaning
however I don't really know what you want to achieve.
So that you didn't prove your point.
Listen tod, I don't have anything against you. I'm not your enemy
and just consider you my opponent in a kind of game. So I
shake hands with you.
re# 132
Thank you Mary.
re# 133
Although you haven't won the cause, don't forget
to send the charging of the defense to tod.
I wasn't speaking of Tod specifically, just making an observation about your posts.
I'll see you in court. LOL
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I notice that you're obtaining positive results
in studying movies. Dont stop doing it.
Let's clear this up. I suppose that there's nothing
much one can do about the debate here except to accept
it philosophically.
Well, I thought that we were speaking about messages
in Taxi Driver & now you mention an underlying message.
Wish it were that simple. Listen, I haven't counted the
exact number of messages, but I would say that at least "many".
I don't get someone to agree with me but it's no wonder
that you will have it that you is right. Okay, I'm prepared
to improvise if necessary.
You know Scorsese films has psychotic characters living
in closed worlds where their lunatic behavior seems
the norm then Taxi Driver underscores Travis' outsider status
by giving us a realistic world that he is isolated from,
is the story of a man living the proverbial life of
quite desperation. Travis, like Norman Bates hides his
insanity behind a facade of banality & nurses it with
his loneliness.
Jodie Foster, playing the child prostitute to whom
Travis hopes to play savior, still has the youthful
freshness and wise innocence that made her a shape of
hope in the world. Travis wants to save her & Iris is
saved from the clutches of evil & Travis has become a hero.
Well, Scorsese at least suggests anyway that in the
end Travis Bickle is still insane, & armed & dangerous.
But Scorsese provides us with at least two great
scenes. It was when as a passenger graphically
boasting of his plans to murder his wife seems to
be Scorsese's way of showing that there are people
who are even crazier than Travis. Why? To suggest that
Travis is justified in his paranoia?
Also the final climatic bloodbath provided only a
cheap shock at the time. Such over the top mayhem
doesn't underscore the brutality of the violence, it
trivializes the rest of the fim.
...
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Way Out -- playtime
A restored 70mm print of Playtime is making the rounds in the US. I hope that it comes to Ann Arbor at some point.
You have several choices: