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timschochet's thread- Mods, please move this thread to the Politics Subforum, thank you (1 Viewer)

94. Avatar (2009)

Directed by: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver

Here's another movie that a lot of people panned but which I really enjoyed. Sure, I know, it's Dances With Wolves in outer space, and the plot is corny and predictable, but that's OK. The character interaction was very good, the special effects great, the action and battle sequences excellent, and the suspense element was there throughout. It's a very entertaining motion picture. The lead character is sympathetic, and Stephen Lang is terrific as the villain. There is a bit of a deux ex machine climax in which all of the animals on the planet help the natives, and the very ending, in which Jake becomes a member of the Na'vi, makes no sense at all. 

Perhaps the corniest part of the whole movie is the name of the element that is so precious on Earth: unobtainium. I mean c'mon James. Even Star Trek had dilithium crystals. You couldn't do better? But whatever. It's a fun movie to watch and I love it. 

Up next: Do you know what I saw on the television in my motel room at one o'clock this morning? Films of Hitler! They are showing films about the war! The movement! People are fascinated! The time is ripe! Adolf Hitler is alive!

 
I did put a list of my top 100.

So far, none of these movies are on my list.
Wow; some of you guys around here have to be on the other side of the fence than Tim on everything.

He's listed 5 out of "his" favorite 100 movies. It's shocking U guys haven't picked the same 5 so far.

Tim,

I like reading your reviews in here; it's interesting food for thought.

 
Wow; some of you guys around here have to be on the other side of the fence than Tim on everything.

He's listed 5 out of "his" favorite 100 movies. It's shocking U guys haven't picked the same 5 so far.

Tim,

I like reading your reviews in here; it's interesting food for thought.
In my book, by choosing Can't Buy Me Love, Tim went from totally geek, to totally chic!

 
I snt the day coming up with a list of all the movies I've seen. I'm.   sure I missed a few but it's at least 1500.

Not sure I could pick a top 100.
Seems like a low #, but I guess that's about a movie a year for life  

How did you attempt to figure that out, go year by year on wikipedia? 

 
Andy Dufresne said:
Wiki and IMDB
Still think it seems low, but I guess that's what, 50 movies a year for the last 30 years.  I still would have guessed 3x that, but I am probably thinking more about times I have watched a movie over and over.  (Sadly, I would say between Back to the Future, Karate Kid, and Ghostbusters I have seen them at least 600 times).  It would be interesting to see what type of number I would come up with.  I don't watch as many now, but there were years where it wouldn't be unheard of that I watched 8-10 movies a week.   I don't watch movies all the time like I used to, but probably still average 4 a week or so, just now it's not as many rewatches.  You've got me thinking now, AD...

 
Seems like a low #, but I guess that's about a movie a year for life  

How did you attempt to figure that out, go year by year on wikipedia? 
I really have been a post 1975 movie fan and have only recently started watching - and enjoying - older movies.

Plus there are certain genres that aren't my favorite. Comedies in particular.

And then there are movies that I'll skip because I'm pretty certain I won't enjoy.

 
Andy Dufresne said:
I really have been a post 1975 movie fan and have only recently started watching - and enjoying - older movies.

Plus there are certain genres that aren't my favorite. Comedies in particular.

And then there are movies that I'll skip because I'm pretty certain I won't enjoy.
Meant a movie a week for life - I would guess that's about right for a lot of people.   

Not taking shots or anything, more just thinking aloud.  I have always watched too many movies, even growing up.  Only recently did I get hooked on a couple TV shows, so I watched a movie instead of Seinfeld or Friends or whatever people were watching.  Plus, when I worked at the video stores, I felt like I had to watch a ton and keep up with the new releases. 

 
I have not heard one person talk about Avatar since it's release.

The movie hasn't aged well.
Aged well?  Wasn't that good at the time of release. 

I will admit that I am really glad that I saw it in 3D.  It did change my opinion a little bit that 3D is just a gimmick. I really did look great in the theater, but the movie itself is pretty damn dumb. 

 
The good news is that we have Avatar 2-5 to look forward to.

James Cameron is expected to finally start shooting his Avatar sequels in the next 12 months. Currently, he’s up to four, with Avatar 2 due in December 2018, through to Avatar 5, which is currently scheduled for December 2023.

 
93. The Boys From Brazil (1978)

Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner

Starring: Gregory Peck, Lawrence Oliver, James Mason

Franklin J. Schaffner was a fine director of some very diverse films, including the original Planet of the Apes and the epic Nicholas and Alexandra, two movies I love and which just missed out making my top 100. This film, based on the novel by Ira Levin, combines old school spy-thriller-drama with science fiction. Deep in the mountains of Paraguay, Dr. Josef Mengele (Peck) plans to clone 100s of Hitlers. Can the renowned Jewish Nazi hunter (Olivier as Yakov Lieberman, based heavily on Simon Wiesenthal) uncover his plot and stop him?

Lots of good acting in here, especially Peck as Mengele in a very different role for him; he should have been a villain more often. Stage actress Uta Hagen is particularly chilling as a former SS guard, and James Mason, who as usual played himself, is always fun to listen to. But the kid who portrays the various cloned Hitlers manages to steal every scene he's in. The plot is rather silly and has tons of flaws, but if you ride with it it's a very entertaining movie.

Up next: And I'm gonna' show him this. And if there's a borehole party - and I pray there will be - I'm going ask to lead it. And I'm personally going to shove you down, but not too fast, because I want to hear you scream for a long, long time before you die.

 
93. The Boys From Brazil (1978)

Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner

Starring: Gregory Peck, Lawrence Oliver, James Mason

Franklin J. Schaffner was a fine director of some very diverse films, including the original Planet of the Apes and the epic Nicholas and Alexandra, two movies I love and which just missed out making my top 100. This film, based on the novel by Ira Levin, combines old school spy-thriller-drama with science fiction. Deep in the mountains of Paraguay, Dr. Josef Mengele (Peck) plans to clone 100s of Hitlers. Can the renowned Jewish Nazi hunter (Olivier as Yakov Lieberman, based heavily on Simon Wiesenthal) uncover his plot and stop him?

Lots of good acting in here, especially Peck as Mengele in a very different role for him; he should have been a villain more often. Stage actress Uta Hagen is particularly chilling as a former SS guard, and James Mason, who as usual played himself, is always fun to listen to. But the kid who portrays the various cloned Hitlers manages to steal every scene he's in. The plot is rather silly and has tons of flaws, but if you ride with it it's a very entertaining movie.
Definitely true. I liked this movie in spite of its flaws. 

 
93. The Boys From Brazil (1978)

Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner

Starring: Gregory Peck, Lawrence Oliver, James Mason

Franklin J. Schaffner was a fine director of some very diverse films, including the original Planet of the Apes and the epic Nicholas and Alexandra, two movies I love and which just missed out making my top 100. This film, based on the novel by Ira Levin, combines old school spy-thriller-drama with science fiction. Deep in the mountains of Paraguay, Dr. Josef Mengele (Peck) plans to clone 100s of Hitlers. Can the renowned Jewish Nazi hunter (Olivier as Yakov Lieberman, based heavily on Simon Wiesenthal) uncover his plot and stop him?

Lots of good acting in here, especially Peck as Mengele in a very different role for him; he should have been a villain more often. Stage actress Uta Hagen is particularly chilling as a former SS guard, and James Mason, who as usual played himself, is always fun to listen to. But the kid who portrays the various cloned Hitlers manages to steal every scene he's in. The plot is rather silly and has tons of flaws, but if you ride with it it's a very entertaining movie.

Up next: And I'm gonna' show him this. And if there's a borehole party - and I pray there will be - I'm going ask to lead it. And I'm personally going to shove you down, but not too fast, because I want to hear you scream for a long, long time before you die.
I disagree. Thought he was dreadfully miscast as he was too nice a guy to be believable as one of the worst monsters of the Nazi regime. - and found his performance too over the top. Outside of that liked the film, thought it was one of Laurence Olivier's better film roles (which isn't saying much, as Hollywood (or perhaps audiences) were never very keen on him until he started doing character roles later in life. 

 
92. King Rat (1965)

Directed by: Bryan Forbes

Starring: George Segal, James Fox, Tom Courtenay

British and American World War II prisoners of war are held in Singapore by their Japanese guards. They can only escape starvation through illegal trade, most of which is controlled by an American (Segal), the "King". 

This movie represents the only good filmed version of a James Clavell novel. His other 3 great "Asian Saga" epics all were filmed: Taipan as a movie, Shogun and Noble House for television. Clavell was heavily involved into the two TV series and the first one, Shogun, is considered to be excellent by some critics, but I found it lacking compared to the novel (which is my #1 favorite novel, BTW.) But King Rat, filmed in black and white, captures the grim themes of the book almost exactly, and a large part of this is because they got the characters almost exactly right. 

Segal, Fox, and Courtenay are all perfect in their roles, but it is Courtenay who truly shines as Lt. Grey, stricken with misery, class envy, and a Javert type sense of rectitude. The film does a very effective job of capturing the troubling ethical problem of the King: whether or not he is truly a life saver, or a Mephistopheles of sorts to the Faustian Marlowe (Fox) or both. In both the novel and the film, this remains an open question. 

Up next: These are the toughest fans there are. They threw snowballs at Santa Claus.


 





 
Courtney is always a revelation. From one of my favorite films, Loneliness of the Long-distance Runner, to this, The Dresser, Little Dorrit on Masterpiece not too long ago. A half-century of fussy brilliance.

 
91. Invincible (2006)

Directed by: Ericson Core

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear

Invincible is the NFL version of Rudy, and like Rudy, it's sheer fantasy: the real Vince Papale had been playing semi-pro football for years, and received a special invitation to try out for the Eagles. But just as in the earlier film, the fantasy is better than real life, and this is a pretty engrossing feel good story that is also reminiscent of Rocky (particularly because of the locale.)

Both Wahlberg and Kinnear are fine; the movie doesn't call for outstanding acting and everybody does OK. I was a little annoyed by the constant disparaging remarks about my Bruins, whom **** Vermiel led to the Rose Bowl- lines like "Hey ****, this ain't UCLA!" But other than that, very entertaining movie. Special props to the use of  Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold" for the climatic kickoff scene against the Giants.

Up next: No sir. You're never going to forget this happened, because I'm going to stay here. And every time you see me, you'll remember that it happened. You used me for football. I'll use you to get into Harvard.

 
Invincible is one of those movies that really grows on you the more you watch it. It's also very nostalgic for guys like me who watched football in the 70s. Great soundtrack, too.

 
90. School Ties (1992)

Directed by: Robert Mandel

Starring: Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris O' Donnell

Poor man's version of Dead Poet's Society, with many of the same elements: New England prep school in the late 50s, coming of age, etc. This movie, however, centers around Fraser, a Jewish kid recruited for his quarterbacking skills who hides his religion and is then exposed. The storyline is rather predictable but is pretty compelling nonetheless. 

In one of the earliest roles for Matt Damon, he is the villain and steals every scene he's in. The rest of the cast is fine: its probably Fraser's best performance, though that's not saying a whole lot. This film is on my list basically because I like 50s period pieces and also, of course, the whole Jewish thing.

Up next: We accept the reality of the world with which we're presented. It's as simple as that.

 
7. The Velvet Underground- The Velvet Underground & Nico

One would be hard-pressed to name a rock album whose influence has been as broad and pervasive as The Velvet Underground & Nico. While it reportedly took over a decade for the album's sales to crack six figures, glam, punk, new wave, goth, noise, and nearly every other left-of-center rock movement owes an audible debt to this set. While The Velvet Underground had as distinctive a sound as any band, what's most surprising about this album is its diversity. Here, the Velvets dipped their toes into dreamy pop ("Sunday Morning"), tough garage rock ("Waiting for the Man"), stripped-down R&B ("There She Goes Again"), and understated love songs ("I'll Be Your Mirror") when they weren't busy creating sounds without pop precedent. Lou Reed's lyrical exploration of drugs and kinky sex (then risky stuff in film and literature, let alone "teen music") always received the most press attention, but the music Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker played was as radical as the words they accompanied. The bracing discord of "European Son," the troubling beauty of "All Tomorrow's Parties," and the expressive dynamics of "Heroin" all remain as compelling as the day they were recorded. While the significance of Nico's contributions have been debated over the years, she meshes with the band's outlook in that she hardly sounds like a typical rock vocalist, and if Andy Warhol's presence as producer was primarily a matter of signing the checks, his notoriety allowed The Velvet Underground to record their material without compromise, which would have been impossible under most other circumstances. Few rock albums are as important as The Velvet Underground & Nico, and fewer still have lost so little of their power to surprise and intrigue more than 40 years after first hitting the racks.

Favorite song: Venus In Furs

My quick thoughts: If any of you New York- based guys wants to be proud of a musician, be proud of Lou Reed, of Syracuse University. One of the things that always amazes me about this album is that it came out in 1967, during the "Summer of Love". While other rockers were singing about love and flowers in her hair, Lou Reed was singling about scoring heroin and waiting for his pusher, as he felt "so sick and dirty, more dead than alive." Nico's vocals are unique. But despite all of that, what makes this album so great are the pop melodies.
Just had this going through my head and decided to search. Beginning to See The Light and European Son are roiling my brain tonight. 

 
"Beginning To See the Light" is from their third album, The Velvet Underground, not The Velvet Underground & Nico. 

Actually, while that first album is more influential, the third album is more melodic- one lush melody after another. I probably listen to it even more. 

 
91. Invincible (2006)

Directed by: Ericson Core

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear

Invincible is the NFL version of Rudy, and like Rudy, it's sheer fantasy: the real Vince Papale had been playing semi-pro football for years, and received a special invitation to try out for the Eagles. But just as in the earlier film, the fantasy is better than real life, and this is a pretty engrossing feel good story that is also reminiscent of Rocky (particularly because of the locale.)

Both Wahlberg and Kinnear are fine; the movie doesn't call for outstanding acting and everybody does OK. I was a little annoyed by the constant disparaging remarks about my Bruins, whom **** Vermiel led to the Rose Bowl- lines like "Hey ****, this ain't UCLA!" But other than that, very entertaining movie. Special props to the use of  Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold" for the climatic kickoff scene against the Giants.

Up next: No sir. You're never going to forget this happened, because I'm going to stay here. And every time you see me, you'll remember that it happened. You used me for football. I'll use you to get into Harvard.
Good lord

 
89. The Truman Show (1998)

Directed by: Peter Weir

Starring: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Ed Harris

Lots of flaws in the premise of this film, still it's so chalk full of interesting ideas that it makes up for all of them. The documentary style is great in that the viewer doesn't know what's going on until halfway through the film. We just know that something is wrong with Truman's life. The remainder of the film, once the secret is revealed, is highly suspenseful, as we both want Truman to figure out what's going on and escape, while at the same marveling at the ridiculous but fascinating effort to keep Truman safe in his world.

Prior to this movie, Jim Carrey had only had very silly roles as a sort of updated Jerry Lewis, but here he showed some acting chops that would continue in a few subsequent movies. All of the acting in this film is excellent, especially Ed Harris. Obviously the writers of this film came pretty close to envisioning the reality TV that would take over the airwaves in the 21st century. It's scary how prescient they were.

Up next: Hell, coach, I love needles!

 
89. The Truman Show (1998)

Directed by: Peter Weir

Starring: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Ed Harris

Lots of flaws in the premise of this film, still it's so chalk full of interesting ideas that it makes up for all of them. The documentary style is great in that the viewer doesn't know what's going on until halfway through the film. We just know that something is wrong with Truman's life. The remainder of the film, once the secret is revealed, is highly suspenseful, as we both want Truman to figure out what's going on and escape, while at the same marveling at the ridiculous but fascinating effort to keep Truman safe in his world.

Prior to this movie, Jim Carrey had only had very silly roles as a sort of updated Jerry Lewis, but here he showed some acting chops that would continue in a few subsequent movies. All of the acting in this film is excellent, especially Ed Harris. Obviously the writers of this film came pretty close to envisioning the reality TV that would take over the airwaves in the 21st century. It's scary how prescient they were.

Up next: Hell, coach, I love needles!
Read the script maybe a year before it was released.  Remember the script was one of the better ones I'd ever seen.  Movie execution trailed by a wide margin.  Thought it was a good movie, not great.  Excellent script.  

 
Read the script maybe a year before it was released.  Remember the script was one of the better ones I'd ever seen.  Movie execution trailed by a wide margin.  Thought it was a good movie, not great.  Excellent script.  
Where do you find the scripts to read? I've thought about reading the script for certain movies but haven't ever gotten around to it. Are they easy to find online?

 
Where do you find the scripts to read? I've thought about reading the script for certain movies but haven't ever gotten around to it. Are they easy to find online?
Used to work in the biz and had friends who were studio execs and would feed me stuff they thought I'd like. 

Read Boogie Nights before it was made too...  That movie lived up. 

 
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88. North Dallas Forty (1979)

Directed by Ted Kotcheff

Starring: Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, G.D. Spradlin, Charles Durning, Dabney Coleman, Bo Svenson

This is widely considered one of the greatest sports movies of all time, and its well deserving of the accolades, even if by today's standards it may seem a little dated. Nolte is terrific as the aging, cynical receiver Phil Elliot (loosely based on the writer of the novel, Peter Gent) who, according to the head coach (superbly played by G.D. Spradlin in probably his best role) doesn't take the game seriously enough. Mac Davis if anything is even more cynical than Nolte, but he is also more careful not to show it. The film explores the relationship between professional sports and corporate America, and the questions it raises are still relevant even today (if not more so.)

The movie is also very, very funny. I especially have to give a shout out to Bo Svenson, who is another one of those actors who manages to steal every scene they're in. Playing the idiot offensive tackle Jo Bob, the viewer doesn't know whether to be amused or horrified by antics, and ends up being both. The only downside to this movie are the love interest scenes- they're dull and not believable, and you suffer through them wanting to get back to the action of the locker room, practice field, and game. Great movie.

Up next: In Vegas, everybody's gotta watch everybody else. Since the players are looking to beat the casino, the dealers are watching the players. The box men are watching the dealers. The floor men are watching the box men. The pit bosses are watching the floor men. The shift bosses are watching the pit bosses. The casino manager is watching the shift bosses. I'm watching the casino manager. And the eye-in-the-sky is watching us all.

 
88. North Dallas Forty (1979)

Directed by Ted Kotcheff

Starring: Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, G.D. Spradlin, Charles Durning, Dabney Coleman, Bo Svenson

This is widely considered one of the greatest sports movies of all time, and its well deserving of the accolades, even if by today's standards it may seem a little dated. Nolte is terrific as the aging, cynical receiver Phil Elliot (loosely based on the writer of the novel, Peter Gent) who, according to the head coach (superbly played by G.D. Spradlin in probably his best role) doesn't take the game seriously enough. Mac Davis if anything is even more cynical than Nolte, but he is also more careful not to show it. The film explores the relationship between professional sports and corporate America, and the questions it raises are still relevant even today (if not more so.)

The movie is also very, very funny. I especially have to give a shout out to Bo Svenson, who is another one of those actors who manages to steal every scene they're in. Playing the idiot offensive tackle Jo Bob, the viewer doesn't know whether to be amused or horrified by antics, and ends up being both. The only downside to this movie are the love interest scenes- they're dull and not believable, and you suffer through them wanting to get back to the action of the locker room, practice field, and game. Great movie.

Up next: In Vegas, everybody's gotta watch everybody else. Since the players are looking to beat the casino, the dealers are watching the players. The box men are watching the dealers. The floor men are watching the box men. The pit bosses are watching the floor men. The shift bosses are watching the pit bosses. The casino manager is watching the shift bosses. I'm watching the casino manager. And the eye-in-the-sky is watching us all.
:thumbup:  B.A. thought I didn't take the game seriously. I took the game extremely seriously - I just didn't practice very hard. One of the issues raised in the movie still lives on today, as you mentioned, on whether pro football is a game or a business. Also, the powers to be will selectively decide who can break the rules and who can not. Some great music.  Still trying to design my ranch.

 
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88. North Dallas Forty (1979)

Directed by Ted Kotcheff

Starring: Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, G.D. Spradlin, Charles Durning, Dabney Coleman, Bo Svenson
Coach Johnson: [shouting] Five minutes! Five minutes!

O. W. Shaddock: How long, coach?

Coach Johnson: Five mi... #### you!

 
87. Casino (1995)

Directed by Martin Scorcese

Starring: Robert DeNiro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci

Casino is somewhat of an extension of Goodfellas: though it's not nearly as good a film, it offers many of the same stylistic features. Mob related, voice overs from different characters (though unlike the first film, it's interesting that the main female character, Stone, gets no voice overs), rock and roll soundtrack which somehow makes the violent scenes even more interesting.

DeNiro is fine though this not one of his more memorable roles as he basically serves as a bystander. Pesci plays essentially the same role as in Goodfellas (though he perhaps more assured and less insecure here, but his temper is about the same. But the star of the movie is Stone, who in clearly her best role ever is the pathetic, scheming cold wife who can't escape her sleazy boyfriend (expertly played by James Woods).

If you're looking for a history of Las Vegas, you won't get it here, but there are some nice explanations here of how things work, for instance the mesmerizing scene with the cheating gamblers. Scorcese is very good at this sort of thing.

Next up: Are you crying? Are you crying? ARE YOU CRYING? There's no crying! THERE'S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL!

 
Good call on North Dallas Forty!

Casino has a great first half, but heads downhill in the 2nd half as Stone (Ginger) gets wackier and wackier.

 
86. A League of Their Own (1992)

Directed by: Penny Marshall

Starring: Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, Madonna, Lori Petty

A fictionalized version of the girls' All-American baseball league during World War II. A funny and sweet movie, with some very good ensemble performances (including Jon Lovitz and Rosie O' Donnell.) This is basically a feel good movie of an old fashioned, Hollywood type. 

I admit to being overly sentimental and I cry during certain films: this is one of them. The closing sequence, in which the girls (now elderly ladies) are admitted into the Hall of Fame, never fails to tear me up. So does the scene in which Lori Petty finally gets the hit. The soundtrack is great (though I can't stand Madonna's closing song- one of her worst, IMO.)

Up next: I don't care about what anything was DESIGNED to do, I care about what it CAN do.


 

 

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