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Post by jashley on Apr 5, 2005 17:49:32 GMT -5
Hoy Hoy All,
Finally saw a movie last night worth recommending. It's called "Missing" it has Tommy Lee Jones, again I will at least give any movie he is in a try, and Cate Blanchett. Both are terrific in this movie. It is a western with the daughter abducted theme. It does have some interesting twists on this time warn plot. Not a perfect movie but definately worth checking out. Ron Howard directs and it is interesting to me that Ron can do such a great job on some movies; "Splash", "Cocoon", "Night Shift", "Apollo 13", "A Beautiful Mind", I didn't even hate "Far and Away", and suck on others "Backdraft" comes instantly to mind, how can you make DeNiro bad? He managed.
It's amzing it took so long for "Easy Rider" to come up on this tread. Great Stuff. My seventy eight yr old step father even loves this movie. May still be Jack's best, but it is hard to pick against "Cukoo's Nest" or the lesser known "Five Easy Pieces". Speaking of "Easy Rider" has anyone checked out "Ulee's Gold", Peter Fonda gives an absolutely stunning performance in this movie. I know between "Easy Rider" and "Ulee's Gold" he pretty much always sucked but damn this is a good movie. Let me know what you think.
Peace j
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Post by chadgumbo on Apr 5, 2005 23:37:32 GMT -5
Ron Howard is a pretty fine director and producer isn't he? Jashley says he didn't hate Far and Away, which is my sentiments toward another Ron Howard film, Willow. Not one of the greats, but a fun movie nonetheless. "Apollo 13" and "A Beautiful Mind" are two of his very best. He also worked with Tom Hanks on the HBO project, From the Earth to the Moon. This is HBO's mini-series of NASA in 1960's, presented not unlike the WWII mini-series"Band of Brothers". Ron was also involved as producer in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and it's been amazing in recent years how the Dr. Seuss books have been brought to life (although I'm not sure Mr. Geisel would have been completely pleased with a couple of the adult-directed humor lines/situations in "Cat in the Hat"). And just as "Apollo 13" was a tremendous historical presentation brought to the big screen in story form, so too was Ron Howard's production of The Alamo. Our little Opie grew up to be one of Hollywood's heavy-weights in the areas of producing and directing. One last comment regarding Ron Howard. One of my favorite films of all-time (I find it hard to believe I didn't include it in my top ten) was American Grafitti, a movie I could watch over and over again. Ron Howard has hair and Richard Dreyfuss has hair that isn't gray ;D A truly great movie. I've seen "Easy Rider" on AMC quite a bit recently. It is a classic film, but my favorite performance for Jack Nicholson IMHO goes to As Good As It Gets. But anything Jack does is worth having a look at. And yeah Jashley, I've seen "Ulee's Gold" and I agree... Peter Fonda was great in that film. - chadgumbo
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Post by chadgumbo on Apr 8, 2005 22:18:13 GMT -5
It's a Friday night and I haven't seen anything on the big screen since "Meet the Fockers" the day after Christmas. Those DVDs are just too convenient. So I made a date with my wife tonight and headed to the "Chateau Theater" to see a movie the way they're meant to be seen (with $17- worth of ticket stubs and $13.50 worth of popcorn and diet soda in your hands ). And I thought gasoline was getting out of hand Anyway, throw "Arthur," "Dolores Claiborne," a hint of "The Brady Bunch," and finally for good measure toss in a helping of "The Sixth Sense" and what do you have? "The Upside of Anger." The message of the movie is that through trauma, and the resulting anger that arises from it, you can emerge on the other side of the anger as a better person than you were before. I suppose that can be the case. But my experience with this film was that it only confirmed my conviction that anger is just so much wasted energy. It's like going to work and instead of turning your car off, just leaving it run all day, and then wondering why you haven't any fuel left to accomplish the things you need to do at the end of your workday. It leaves you feeling drained and empty inside. The movie keeps your interest throughout its roughly 2 hour run time, but its not something I would consider a must see. After so looking forward to seeing a movie on the big screen, I found myself wishing I had waited for the DVD - chadgumbo
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Post by chadgumbo on Apr 16, 2005 12:42:19 GMT -5
Several months ago I went to a theater and saw Collateral, and came away thinking I had seen a thoroughly enjoyable action thriller that wasn't too far over the top like so many of that genre are. The precision and speed of Tom Cruise's shooting makes it a little over the top, but not to the point of being wholly unbelievable. I watched it again on DVD the other night, and this time around something occurred to me. Cruise and an unwilling Foxx have been on their tour of destruction for several hours, and now were down to the last person on the hit-list - the lawyer. Foxx intentionally wrecks the car in an attempt to thwart Cruise, but Cruise is for the most part uninjured, and as the cops sirens are whining Cruise makes his escape on foot. Here comes the part I'm having trouble with... When Foxx realizes that Cruise's next victim is Foxx's lawyer lady-friend (Jada Pinkett Smith), and they've just so happened to wreck the car in the vicinity of her workplace, Foxx quickly subdues the officer who wants to arrest him and takes his gun. Now he looks at his watch. It's 4:55 AM! My question is Why would Tom Cruise's character assume that the lawyer would be working at this hour of the night? Even in a John Grisham novel the central character gets four or five hours of sleep between his/her sixteen hour workdays. And why would Cruise also assume that this would be the only lawyer working in a multi-level building that is obviously home to many dozens, perhaps a hundred or more, lawyers? Wouldn't Cruise's first place to go hunting for this person be her home or hotel room? Chalk it up to Hollywoodism I suppose. Still, it's a pretty good flick. This time around I also paid closer attention to the music in this particular film. Good stuff. May have to pick up that soundtrack. - chadgumbo
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Post by Mike on May 5, 2005 22:57:18 GMT -5
"Second Hand Lions" is a good movie.
Still can't beat "Silverado" for a good ole shoot-em-up and the good guys win western.
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Post by chadgumbo on Jun 21, 2005 22:41:10 GMT -5
"Second Hand Lions" is a good movie. Still can't beat "Silverado" for a good ole shoot-em-up and the good guys win western. Correction - Second Hand Lions is a great movie! And Silverado is a terrific western, (even if it is just a little over the top). I was watching AFI's top 100 movie quotes tonight on CBS. A lot of quotes were no surprise, however not one single quote from either Mel Gibson or Harrison Ford was a bit of a shocker. Can we honestly say that nothing Han Solo or Indiana Jones had to say over a total of 6 films was memorable enough for the AFI top 100? Certainly Mel Gibson (as William Wallace) crying for FREEDOM just before he loses his head sticks in my mind. Apparently AFI thought a little boy calling the name SHANE was more memorable (it was somewhere around the 45 to 50 mark in the show). Also noticeably absent is Russell Crow. Gladiator is one of the all-time great films (for my money) and not a single quote came from that film either. Tom Hanks scored three lines in the top 100. "Houston, we have a problem" from Apollo 13, "There's no crying in baseball!" from A League of Their Own, and, of course, from Forrest Gump "Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get." And while Star Wars scored once at number 8 with "May the force be with you", I was a little surprised that "Luke, I am your father" didn't show up in the list of quotes. Who doesn't remember that line? I was also hoping Marty Feldman delivering the line "walk this way" from Young Frankenstein would be seen somewhere in this list (after all, that line was the inspiration for an Aerosmith song), but no such luck there either. In fact, nothing specifically from Young Frankenstein. It shared a line from "Frankenstein", the line being "It lives!" I had a little bet going with my son. I was thinking "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse" would come in at number one. It was number two. Number one was Clark Gable telling Vivian Leigh "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." Most quotes from any one movie was 6 quotes from Casablanca. Enough rambling - Goosfraba all - chadgumbo
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Post by Mike on Jun 24, 2005 19:25:20 GMT -5
I didn't see it but surely Clint Eastwood saying "go ahead...make my day" had to have made the list.
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Post by featphoto on Jun 24, 2005 20:49:04 GMT -5
I didn't see it but surely Clint Eastwood saying "go ahead...make my day" had to have made the list. I don't remember that it did ... however, the line "you gotta ask yourself, do I feel lucky? Well do ya, punk?" did.
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Post by chadgumbo on Jun 25, 2005 16:19:52 GMT -5
Not much time just now, but yes, both "go ahead, make my day" and "do I feel lucky" made the list..
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Post by Rollin' Mark on Nov 13, 2005 11:09:39 GMT -5
Thought I would revive this thread (no postings since July??) A movie that pops up on various movie channels from time to time is "Smoke". First time I watched it I was floored! Stellar performances by Harvey Keitel and William Hurt I can't believe how many great films there are out there that hardly anyone ever hears about. Directed by Wayne Wang. In the closing sequence they play Tom Waits' "You're innocent when you dream" and if you don't get misty eyed during that, then you must be dead. www.imdb.com/title/tt0114478/Hope this jump starts this thread again, I really enjoy it.
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Post by Scott Hays on Nov 13, 2005 13:49:20 GMT -5
Since you are starting the thread up, again ... let me give it a small tweak and ask a question that might turn it in a slightly different direction (if only for a while). I have these two granddaughters -- one is seven and the other is five. They like all the typical new kid-type animation things, to which they have easy access via the theaters, tivo and mega premium channel access supplied by their parents. We are looking to broaden their horizon a bit, and show them really good movies appropriate for youngsters beyond the definitely good (Shrek, Madagasar, etc.) and the not so sublime (most cranked out Disney and Barbie). Now, these girls aren't your typical youngsters. Niether is ready yet for "reality", violence, shock or fear. The youngest one had troubles with the squirrels in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", for example.
However, we watch the movies with them and talk them through any questions they have and any worries that pop up. They will watch a good movie multiple times, especially once everything has been explained and they have worked their way through the troubling parts. So far, we have showed them the following movies. Each had some moments of trouble for both of them, but as you will see, the "troubles" are easily overcome. These movies might serve as a reference point for any recommendations you could make. We have shown them:
March of the Penguins (in theaters, of course) Princess Bride ET Babe
There is a short list already waiting for them. But if anyone out there has other ideas, I just signed up for NetFlix and can get just about anything.
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Post by smclean150 on Nov 13, 2005 14:06:35 GMT -5
Hello Scott,
Please indulge me on my maiden Little Feat Forum post.
I have a daughter 7 years young and a son 9 years; I will list for you some of their favorite movies. My wife and I have mixed in some older titles as well that the kids really enjoy(ed). We also like to watch with the kids and help them through the 'bumpy' parts;
Elf Return/Revenge of the Pink Panther (Peter Sellers) Wizard of Oz (original 1939) Willy Wonka (original) Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (great fun) Star Wars (first 3) Toy Story Monsters Inc.
Perhaps this will give you some ideas or steer your thought towards some of those older 'sleepers'.
Hoy Hoy!
Cheers,
Scott McLean
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Post by Scott Hays on Nov 14, 2005 9:08:37 GMT -5
Hey, Scott .... Welcome!
Thanks for the tips. I will take you up on some of them (Star Wars, one of the girls' daddy's favorites, is already in their arsenal).
As an aside, let me just say it's good to see another who doesn't abandon their children to the television baby-sitter. Interaction with the material is what matters most, and talking about what is going on (not just the bumpy parts, but everything that leads to questions) is important. It models for kids (1) how to process visual and auditory input that usually is done privately and internally, (2) how to turn a bascially passive activity into something much more active, and (3) that learning is an active process and that you, the parent, value learning.
Hope to see you on this forum more frequently. Everyone is pretty cool
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Post by smclean150 on Nov 14, 2005 16:16:50 GMT -5
Scott,
Yeah, my wife and I are pretty good about the movie thing, unless of course it is the 3rd or 4th time they've watched it. I can only take any given movie 2X at the most.
There was a time when my wife brought home 'Bruce Almighty' for everyone to watch - needless to say, I (and my wife!!!) were mortified when Jim Carrey dropped an f-bomb during the scene at Niagara Falls. I am much more careful (so is my wife) about what we show after that little 'faux pas'. I have taken the opportunity ever since to needle my wife about that one....
Thanks for the welcome. Looking forward to rubbing elbows with fellow Feat fans...
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Post by jashley on Nov 26, 2005 5:06:50 GMT -5
Scott,
I would have to recommend "To Kill a Mockingbird" for youngsters. It is a film that can be viewed on many levels and will teach them different things as they view it at different points in their life, what fun to watch the changes as they grow. As I said it was probably the first serious movie in my life and I still love to watch Mr. Peck and Scout.
Peace j
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