MC Yearly Consensus - 1992

[Spinal]

Submit your five favorite films from this year and in a week I will give you a top ten. IMDb dates will be used.

The point system is as follows

1st Place-5 points
2nd Place-4 points
3rd Place-3.5 points
4th Place-3 points
5th Place-2.5 points

There will be no restrictions on short films. A minimum of three films must be listed. You may edit your post freely up until the time that the voting is closed, which will be in about a week. I will give at least 24 hours warning before tallying votes.

You may begin now.

IMDB Power Search (http://www.imdb.com/list)

[Spinal]

1. Orlando
2. Bob Roberts
3. Reservoir Dogs
4. The Player
5. Husbands and Wives

Very Honorable Mention: Rowan Atkinson Live

6. The Story of Qiu Ju
7. Army of Darkness
8. Unforgiven
9. Brother's Keeper
10. The Crying Game

[Yxklyx]

1. Careful (Guy Maddin)
2. Hard-Boiled (John Woo)
3. Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood)
4. Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino)
5. The Dark Side of the Heart (Eliseo Subiela)

6. Glengarry Glen Ross (James Foley)
7. The Crying Game (Neil Jordan)
8. Gas, Food Lodging (Allison Anders)
9. Simple Men (Hal Hartley)
10. The Player (Robert Altman)

[Teh Sausage]

01. Lessons of Darkness
02. Husbands and Wives
03. Glengarry Glen Ross
04. Army of Darkness
05. Reservoir Dogs

[dreamdead]

1. A Tale of Winter
2. Husbands and Wives
3. Orlando
4. Porco Rosso
5. Unforgiven

[Raiders]

1. A Heart in Winter (Sautet)
2. Husbands and Wives (Allen)
3. A Tale of Winter (Rohmer)
4. Bad Lieutenant (Ferrara)
5. Gas Food Lodging (Anders)

------------------------------------

6. Damage (Malle)
7. The Player (Altman)
8. Dead Alive (Jackson)
9. Unforgiven (Eastwood)
10. Passion Fish (Sayles)

[Robby P]

1. Malcolm X
2. The Player
3. Lessons of Darkness
4. The Last of the Mohicans
5. Dead Alive

[Russ]

1. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
2. Careful
3. JÃ*dlo
4. Baraka
5. The Boys of St. Vincent

[Watashi]

1. Porco Rosso
2. Bad Lieutenant
3. Glengarry Glen Ross
4. The Player
5. Malcolm X

----

6. The Last of the Mohicans
7. Unforgiven
8. Bob Roberts
9. Reservoir Dogs
10. Husbands and Wives

[Ezee E]

I really want to get a hold of Chaplin.

Anyway:

1)The Player
2)Malcolm X
3)Unforgiven
4)Reservoir Dogs
5)Bad Lieutenant

6)Glengarry Glen Ross
7)Wayne's World
8)Visions of Light
9)Last of the Mohicans
10)Alien 3

[Pop Trash]

1. Reservoir Dogs
2. Unforgiven
3. The Last of the Mohicans
4. Wayne's World
5. Singles

6. Army of Darkness
7. Bad Lieutenant
8. The Crying Game
9. Malcolm X
10. El Mariachi

[Watashi]

I really want to get a hold of Chaplin.


It sucks.

[Spinal]

It sucks.

Eh? :confused:

[Watashi]

Eh? :confused:
Outside of Downey Jr.'s performance, it's standard biopic fluff.

[ledfloyd]

1. Husbands and Wives
2. The Player
3. Wayne's World
4. White Men Can't Jump
5. Singles

[Philosophe_rouge]

1. Unforgiven
2. Strictly Ballroom
3. Lessons of Darkness
4. The Player
5. Reservoir Dogs

[Duncan]

1. Baraka
2. Lessons of Darkness
3. Porco Rosso
4. Unforgiven
5. The Player

[Melville]

1. Unforgiven
2. Orlando
3. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
4. Baraka
5. Husbands and Wives

HM: Bad Lieutenant, Glengarry Glen Ross, Sneakers

[Raiders]

I think I'm definitely going to make it a point to see Fire Walk With Me this week.

[Spinal]

Outside of Downey Jr.'s performance, it's standard biopic fluff.

Even if Downey's performance was the only redeeming quality, it would still be worth seeing.

[Kurious Jorge v3.1]

1. Careful
2. Lessons of Darkness
3. The Player
4. Glengarry Glen Ross
5. Bad Lieutenant

[Boner M]

1. The Long Day Closes
2. Lessons of Darkness
3. Husbands and Wives
4. Reservoir Dogs
5. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

Need to see: Porco Rosso

Need to re-see: The Player, A Heart in Winter

[Russ]

Need to see:
Just curious, Boner, have you seen Maddin's Careful? Its two-strip Technicolor rendering is splendiferous.

[Boner M]

Just curious, Boner, have you seen Maddin's Careful? Its two-strip Technicolor rendering is splendiferous.
Nah, haven't and isn't available. I like Maddin though he isn't a favorite.

[baby doll]

1. Basic Instinct (Paul Verhoeven)
2. Malcom X (Spike Lee)
3. Léolo (Jean-Claude Lauzon)
4. Bitter Moon (Roman Polanski)
5. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (David Lynch)

Runners-up: Rock Hudson's Home Movies (Mark Rappaport); Wayne's World (Penelope Spheeris).

[Spinal]

I think I'm definitely going to make it a point to see Fire Walk With Me this week.

It would shock me if you liked this, but I look forward to hearing your response.

[Russ]

It would shock me if you liked this, but I look forward to hearing your response.
It seems to get high marks in the unlikeliest of places. I'm guessing a http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif for Raiders.

[Derek]

It seems to get high marks in the unlikeliest of places. I'm guessing a http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif for Raiders.

Yup, Raiders has good taste so I'm thinking he'll like this one.

[Derek]

Gonna try to get to The Long Day Closes in time.

1. The Player (Robert Altman)
2. Malcolm X (Spike Lee)
3. Last of the Mohicans (Michael Mann)
4. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (David Lynch)
5. Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood)
******************************
6. Damage (Louis Malle)
7. Lessons of Darkness (Werner Herzog)
8. Benny's Video (Michael Haneke)
9. Dead Alive (Peter Jackson)
10. The Long Day Closes (Terence Davies)

HMs: Shadows and Fog (Woody Allen)
The Crying Game (Neil Jordan)
The Muppet Christmas Carol (Brian Henson)
Crimson Pig (Hayao Miyazaki)
Husbands and Wives (Woody Allen)
Batman Returns (Tim Burton)

[Watashi]

Oh Shit, The Muppet Christmas Carol came out that year?

*contemplates editing list*

[Derek]

Oh Shit, The Muppet Christmas Carol came out that year?

*contemplates editing list*

Hells yeah. Rep for anyone who can find the clip or a picture of Beaker flipping off Scrooge.

[Watashi]

Found it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvZPm3lqaPs

Totally awesome.

[Derek]

Found it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvZPm3lqaPs

Totally awesome.

Best muppet moment ever.

[Spinal]

Found it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvZPm3lqaPs

Totally awesome.

Ugh. Not funny. Not appropriate for a Muppets film.

[Yxklyx]

Yup, Raiders has good taste so I'm thinking he'll like this one.

Nah, he won't like it. I barely do and am a big fan of the series.

[Russ]

Nah, he won't like it. I barely do and am a big fan of the series.
I felt the same after my first viewing, shortly after the series ended. Getting past the shock of the tonal shift is the biggest thing (ie, abandoning major characters, zero humorous asides, etc.). What I did love was that invisible aura of dread; the distinctly Lynchian sense of disorientation that, in this case, so successfully plays off the expectations of the series. FWWM dares you to even think about all the nasty stuff that was previously only hinted at in the innocuous confines of its network television incarnation.

That, and it was, famously, Lynch's masterful "FUCK YOU" to ABC. As if we needed another reason to love it.

[Sven]

Umm... he's very clearly holding up his index finger.

[Derek]

Umm... he's very clearly holding up his index finger.

I would argue that 1) no, you're blind, 2) even if he is, the meaning behind the gesture is the same and changes nothing.

[Sven]

I would argue that 1) no, you're blind, 2) even if he is, the meaning behind the gesture is the same and changes nothing.

You can see his thumb curling into his palm. The shape of his hand at that point does not suggest the rounded fist of a bird-finger hand but rather the index-raised "Just a moment" gesture. This is obviously not a crude gesture, but rather a forceful and empowering gesture, and with Beaker's three syllables suggests something along the lines of "we'll be back", not "fuck yourself".

[Ezee E]

You can see his thumb curling into his palm. The shape of his hand at that point does not suggest the rounded fist of a bird-finger hand but rather the index-raised "Just a moment" gesture. This is obviously not a crude gesture, but rather a forceful and empowering gesture, and with Beaker's three syllables suggests something along the lines of "we'll be back", not "fuck yourself".
You must be a lawyer for the film.

[Spinal]

You can see his thumb curling into his palm. The shape of his hand at that point does not suggest the rounded fist of a bird-finger hand but rather the index-raised "Just a moment" gesture. This is obviously not a crude gesture, but rather a forceful and empowering gesture, and with Beaker's three syllables suggests something along the lines of "we'll be back", not "fuck yourself".

It does sound like he is saying "we'll be back." I think the bigger question for me is why anyone would find Beeker making an obscene gesture to be a reasonable and humorous action within the Muppets universe. It would be like Bugs Bunny telling Elmer Fudd to suck his dick. It isn't a stylistic match, even if the juvenile shock value elicits some titters.

[Ezee E]

It does sound like he is saying "we'll be back." I think the bigger question for me is why anyone would find Beeker making an obscene gesture to be a reasonable and humorous action within the Muppets universe. It would be like Bugs Bunny telling Elmer Fudd to suck his dick. It isn't a stylistic match, even if the juvenile shock value elicits some titters.
Bugs Bunny saying, "Suck my dick," would bring plenty of lulz.

[Mysterious Dude]

1. Baraka
2. The Crying Game
3. Husbands and Wives
4. The Boys of St. Vincent
5. Bob Roberts

[Derek]

The shape of his hand at that point does not suggest the rounded fist of a bird-finger hand.

It did to me when I saw it over 10 years ago and it still does no matter how many times I watch that clip. Obviously it did to Wats, Spinal and the guy who posted the clip, but I have no interest in arguing the position of his fingers since there's no possibility of you changing your mind. And because it's silly that this is being argued in the first place.

[Spinal]

Bugs Bunny saying, "Suck my dick," would bring plenty of lulz.

You are not grasping my point.

[Sven]

It did to me when I saw it over 10 years ago and it still does no matter how many times I watch that clip. Obviously it did to Wats, Spinal and the guy who posted the clip, but I have no interest in arguing the position of his fingers since there's no possibility of you changing your mind. And because it's silly that this is being argued in the first place.

It's not a matter of changing one's mind, it's a matter of observing factual phenomenon. It's times like this I wish the film were better than it was to justify my owning it so I could capture a higher quality clip of it and adjust it so that the lines were clear (rep for anyone who does it!). You find it silly, but I find it completely moronic that one would think that Beaker is ACTUALLY flipping off Caine, rather than making a pointing gesture vaguely resembling a bird.

Perhaps my vehemence in the matter is an issue of my intolerance towards the cheapification of Henson & co.

[Derek]

You are not grasping my point.

That's because your point was muddled since you wondered why someone would find the action humorous while admitting it might elicit some titters. Unless I'm misunderstanding your use of the word titters, there's a bit of conflict there. It's beaker flipping the bird. It's not high comedy, but it's pretty damn funny. I'm not sure I find the need to explain it any further than that.

[Spinal]

Screw it. Done with the computer for the night.

[Derek]

It's not a matter of changing one's mind, it's a matter of observing factual phenomenon. It's times like this I wish the film were better than it was to justify my owning it so I could capture a higher quality clip of it and adjust it so that the lines were clear (rep for anyone who does it!). You find it silly, but I find it completely moronic that one would think that Beaker is ACTUALLY flipping off Caine, rather than making a pointing gesture vaguely resembling a bird.

Perhaps my vehemence in the matter is an issue of my intolerance towards the cheapification of Henson & co.

Please feel free to do that. I'm not an amateur puppeteer nor am I overly familiar with or invested in the muppet universe, so I can only see what I see and respond to it naturally. I've never heard anyone mention that part since I saw it long ago, yet it's one of the few moments of the film I remember clearly to the point that the camera angle and beaker's gesture/sounds are exactly as I imagined. Also, it's status as HM is based on memories of enjoying it greatly and more than any other muppet film, not just that moment.

[Ezee E]

Screw it. Done with the computer for the night.
I understand your point that it's inappropriate for a children's movie and has no reason to be there. However, it's incredibly brief, and works as an easter egg, similar to the boner in The Little Mermaid, and various other gestures in the Disney films. Nobody notices them, but when we find out about them, it's usually funny, and does nothing to the demographic that it's intended for.

[Derek]

Screw it. Done with the computer for the night.

Sorry, I didn't mean to jump at you, but I'm not exactly fond of being insulted by two people for my interpretation/response to that moment. Perhaps I still find it funny because I'm remembering the burst of juvenile teenage laughter in the room when I first saw it. It's one of those odd moments that has stuck with me clearly after many years, no idea why.

[Sven]

Well, until I finally do that, please rewatch the clip and look at the way in which Beaker's hands twist. For a bird to be flipped, he would not turn his hand the way he does, but rather catapult it upwards as its back is already facing Caine. Watch it and think about the way a real human hand would move in the instance of flipping a bird at Caine from that vantage. You will see it is not even remotely likely.

[Sven]

Sorry, I didn't mean to jump at you, but I'm not exactly fond of being insulted by two people for my interpretation/response to that moment. Perhaps I still find it funny because I'm remembering the burst of juvenile teenage laughter in the room when I first saw it. It's one of those odd moments that has stuck with me clearly after many years, no idea why.

I didn't mean to insult you, particularly not for your response. Interpretation, maybe I did mean to be a bit insulting to the extent that I still don't see how one could reasonably think that a puppeteer actually flipped the bird and the filmmakers kept it in. Perhaps "unreasonable" would've been better than "moronic". Apologies.

[Derek]

Well, until I finally do that, please rewatch the clip and look at the way in which Beaker's hands twist. For a bird to be flipped, he would not turn his hand the way he does, but rather catapult it upwards as its back is already facing Caine. Watch it and think about the way a real human hand would move in the instance of flipping a bird at Caine from that vantage. You will see it is not even remotely likely.

I've rewatched it a dozen times and I still see the same thing no matter how hard I try.


I didn't mean to insult you, particularly not for your response. Interpretation, maybe I did mean to be a bit insulting to the extent that I still don't see how one could reasonably think that a puppeteer actually flipped the bird and the filmmakers kept it in. Perhaps "unreasonable" would've been better than "moronic". Apologies.

No apologies necessary. I was just explaining why I snapped at Spinal since I came off a bit harsh. As for my thinking what a puppeteer would or wouldn't do, is there some sort of puppeteer code I'm unaware of? I haven't seen Meet the Feebles, but that and Team America gave me the impression that they are willing be far more crude than a quick middle finger that most people likely overlook.

[Watashi]

This thread has turned into awesome.

[Sven]

The difference here is that both of those films are purely affronting experiences, so a bird would not be out of place. Here, though, we have a troupe with a solid respectable reputation within the children's entertainment world. I doubt it is out of the realm of possibility that such shenanigans would happen during rehearsals or even takes they were not expecting to use. There is no puppeteer code (I was unspecific before in an attempt to express that a puppeteer's actual hand had to form the bird instead of manipulating a false hand), but there is most definitely a Muppet code, in spirit. And Beaker flipping someone off is not only not a part of that, but actively presses against it.

This is all so obvious to me that I can't believe it's gone this far. Also, the humor of my lecturing about Muppet morality to a dude with a dancing Elmo avatar is just now hitting me.

Love that quote by Duncan, by the way. Maybe my favorite thing he's ever said.

[Watashi]

Love that quote by Duncan, by the way. Maybe my favorite thing he's ever said.

What's it from?

[Sven]

What's it from?

People suggesting that "there's no way they could make a Batman movie after The Dark Knight".

[soitgoes...]

1. Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood)
2. The Player (Robert Altman)
3. Benny's Video (Michael Haneke)
4. Baraka (Ron Fricke)
5. Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino)
-------------------------------------------------
6. Husbands and Wives (Woody Allen)
7. The Story of Qiu Ju (Zhang Yimou)
8. Malcolm X (Spike Lee)
9. Glengarry Glen Ross (James Foley)
10. The Last of the Mohicans (Michael Mann)
11. Porco Rosso (Hayao Miyazaki)
12. Aladdin (Ron Clements, John Musker)
13. A Few Good Men (Rob Reiner)

[Boner M]

More need to see The Long Day Closes; Terence Davies' masterpiece. Even better than Distant Voices... and The House of Mirth.

[Russ]

The Boys of St. Vincent
Oops, forgot about this one. Added.

[Spinal]

Sorry, I didn't mean to jump at you, but I'm not exactly fond of being insulted by two people for my interpretation/response to that moment. Perhaps I still find it funny because I'm remembering the burst of juvenile teenage laughter in the room when I first saw it. It's one of those odd moments that has stuck with me clearly after many years, no idea why.

No need to apologize. I just realized that I was arguing over minutiae in a Muppet film over the computer on a Friday night and had check myself before I wrecked myself.

[Sven]

check myself before I wrecked myself.

Alas, I crashed.

[Spinal]

Alas, I crashed.

I need to get more Zen about this stuff. Beeker and his gestures, whatever his intent, have no bearing on my life. The river flows. The cloud drifts. Om.

[Derek]

I need to get more Zen about this stuff. Beeker and his gestures, whatever his intent, have no bearing on my life. The river flows. The cloud drifts. Om.

"To a mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders."

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/muppet/images/thumb/e/ed/Fozzie_Season_1.JPG/300px-Fozzie_Season_1.JPG

[transmogrifier]

So basically it's the old "intention" vs "interpretation" debate, as manifested in the vulgar actions of muppets? I *heart* MatchCut.

[Sven]

So basically it's the old "intention" vs "interpretation" debate, as manifested in the vulgar actions of muppets? I *heart* MatchCut.

I think it's been more cut-and-dry than that. Is Beaker flipping the bird or not? The answer is no. The interpretation is yes. Intention was only brought up to consider reason.

[transmogrifier]

I think it's been more cut-and-dry than that. Is Beaker flipping the bird or not? The answer is no. The interpretation is yes. Intention was only brought up to consider reason.

I don't know - perhaps the film-makers staged it in a way that an otherwise inoffensive gesture looked offensive in the brief time a first-time viewer (without the ability to re-watch a YouTube clip over and over) would have glimpsed it. Who knows?

[Sven]

Who knows?

The index finger motion is a motion common to Beaker.

Argh. That's it. I'm done. This is retarded.

[transmogrifier]

The index finger motion is a motion common to Beaker.

Argh. That's it. I'm done. This is retarded.

*whispery voice*

This is....Match Cut.

[Ezee E]

The index finger motion is a motion common to Beaker.

Argh. That's it. I'm done. This is retarded.
Read Spinal's post this morning, and relax.

Maybe Match Cut needs more of a peaceful zen theme.

[Derek]

Read Spinal's post this morning, and relax.

Maybe Match Cut needs more of a peaceful zen theme.

A MatchCut without arguments about pointless minutiae is a MatchCut I want no part of.

[Ezee E]

A MatchCut without arguments about pointless minutiae is a MatchCut I want no part of.
touche.

[origami_mustache]

1. Benny's Video
2. The Player
3. Careful
4. Untitled (For Marilyn)
5. Rebels of the Neon Gold

HM: Reservoir Dogs, Unforgiven, Wayne's World, Bebe's Kids

[Grouchy]

1. Hard Boiled
2. Braindead
3. The Crying Game
4. Unforgiven
5. Army of Darkness

6. Reservoir Dogs
7. Bitter Moon
8. Bad Lieutenant
9. Batman Returns
10. Basic Instinct

[monolith94]

1. Batman Returns
2. El Mariachi
3. Bitter Moon
4. Orlando
5. Hard Boiled

[MadMan]

Whew, I almost missed this one.

1. Reservoir Dogs
2. Unforgiven
3. Army of Darkness
4. Sneakers
5. Wayne's World
===================
6. Last of the Mohicans
7. El Mariachi
8. Hard Boiled
9. A River Runs Through It
10. Basic Instinct

[Yum-Yum]

1. Orlando
2. Hard-Boiled
3. Candyman
4. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
5. Gas, Food Lodging

[Bosco B Thug]

1. Orlando
2. Hard-Boiled
3. Candyman
4. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
5. Gas, Food Lodging Gasp, Candyman! Not even a Honorable Mention before Yum-Yum? :(

[Grouchy]

Edited my post.

[Raiders]

Gasp, Candyman! Not even a Honorable Mention before Yum-Yum? :(

I wanted to, but it fell in the 11-15 range. I think a re-watch may help.

Similar to 1988 when Rose's wonderful Paperhouse received nothing except from me.

[Pop Trash]

I wanted to, but it fell in the 11-15 range. I think a re-watch may help.

Similar to 1988 when Rose's wonderful Paperhouse received nothing except from me.
Paperhouse! Now that is an underseen film.

[Stay Puft]

1. Lessons of Darkness
2. Rebels of the Neon God
3. Porco Rosso
4. El Mariachi
5. Hard-Boiled

[Lazlo]

1. Unforgiven
2. Aladdin
3. Malcolm X
4. The Last of the Mohicans
5. Hard Boiled

[Kurosawa Fan]

1. The Player
2. Glengarry Glen Ross
3. Reservoir Dogs
4. Sneakers
5. Terminator 2: Judgment Day

[soitgoes...]

One more day. For realz.

[soitgoes...]

This is closed. Tallying and posting of results will happen shortly.

[soitgoes...]

Hey Spinal can you check your PM's?

[Spinal]

Hey Spinal can you check your PM's?

Thinking.

[soitgoes...]

#9 (Tie)

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee171/soitgoes22/bscap0001wz6-1.jpg

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

Director: David Lynch

Country: France/USA

A young FBI agent disappears while investigating a murder miles from Twin Peaks that may be related to the future murder of Laura Palmer; the last week of the life of Laura Palmer is chronicled.

Robert Engels claims the script that he and Lynch wrote is much longer than the version that Lynch actually filmed. He claims there is enough story for a sequel. Indeed, as with many other Lynch films, about five hours of footage was shot. Many of the scenes that ended up on the cutting room floor involved characters who appeared in the television series but not in the movie. These scenes include - Sheriff Harry Truman singing to girlfriend Josie Packard - Johnny Horne's birthday party - Bobby Briggs' parents reading from the Bible - Doc Hayward performing magic tricks - a fight scene between FBI Agent Chester Desmond and Sheriff Cable.

"Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me is arguably David Lynch's most literal-minded creation. It's also his most scatterbrained work—as well it should be considering that this undervalued, hallucinogenic gem should be approached as a collection of suffocated battle cries before Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) enters rapturously (and iconicaly) into the realm of the dead. The film's deliberately color-coded dream world evokes a purgatory consumed by the sadness of blues and the terrifying allure of reds. The film serves as a haunting preamble to Palmer's infamous demise, a backward-closure of sorts for fans of Lynch's cult television series." - Ed Gonzalez

[soitgoes...]

#9 (Tie)

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee171/soitgoes22/Plate12-1.jpg

Baraka

Director: Ron Fricke

Country: USA

Without words, cameras show us the world, with an emphasis not on "where," but on "what's there." It begins with morning, natural landscapes and people at prayer: volcanoes, water falls, veldts, and forests; several hundred monks do a monkey chant. Indigenous peoples apply body paint; whole villages dance. The film moves to destruction of nature via logging, blasting, and strip mining. Images of poverty, rapid urban life, and factories give way to war, concentration camps, and mass graves. Ancient ruins come into view, and then a sacred river where pilgrims bathe and funeral pyres burn. Prayer and nature return. A monk rings a huge bell; stars wheel across the sky.

Baraka is an ancient Sufi word, which can be translated "as a blessing, or the breath, or the essence of life from which the evolutionary process unfolds." Was filmed by a three person crew over a period of 14 months in 24 countries across 6 continents.

"In this world of wonders there are still places that have not been smoothed over with the shallow surfaces of Western commercialism. The amazing thing is not how widely the McCulture has spread, but how many corners it has missed. It is claimed that the great age of travel is dead - that there are no longer amazing, exotic, beautiful and fearsome places for the traveler to discover. A movie like Baraka gives hope." - Roger Ebert

[soitgoes...]

#7 (Tie)

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee171/soitgoes22/hard_boiled.jpg

Hard-Boiled

Director: John Woo

Country: Hong Kong

Tequila is a hard-boiled cop who loses his partner in a shoot-out with gun smugglers. In order to bring them down, Tequila must team up with an undercover cop named Tony, who goes undercover as a hired gun with a Hong Kong triad, which is run by a vicious boss named Johnny Wong.

John Woo had previously been criticized for glamorizing gangsters in his films, so he decided to make this film glamorizing the police. The teahouse where the first sequence was filmed was demolished five days after Woo was done. During filming, the neighbors called the police every night to complain about the gunfire, but the cops were fans of Woo, so they allowed him to complete shooting every night.

"What distinguishes Hard Boiled from other Woo films is the symbiosis between movement and morality. The film's audacious second half takes place almost entirely within the confines of a hospital, where Johnny Wong's gang offs much of the patient population. The body count is ridiculously high. Gratuitous, yes, but an honest projection of male power and social relations. There's a moral "quality" to the bloodshed that you won't find in your average Hollywood action film." - Ed Gonzalez

[soitgoes...]

#7 (Tie)

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee171/soitgoes22/o_114SwintonZane-1.jpg

Orlando

Director: Sally Potter

Country: UK

Young nobleman Orlando is commanded by Queen Elizabeth I to stay forever young. Miraculously, he does just that. The film follows him as he moves through several centuries of British history, experiencing a variety of lives and relationships along the way, and even changing sex.

As Orlando progresses throughout the years, during each new incarnation actress Tilda Swinton's eye color changes.

"The character of Orlando, as played by Swinton, is oft times awkward. There are even times when the personality of the actor and the personality of the character seem to struggle against each other. However, this does not produce the sort of muddled effect that one might expect. On the contrary, it is a delightful example of acting that is presentational rather than representational. As Orlando, Swinton does not live in the film’s universe so much as she searches for ways to convey the ideas and themes of her director and writer." - Spinal

[soitgoes...]

#6

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Malcolm X

Director: Spike Lee

Country: USA

The biopic of the controversial and influential Black Nationalist leader.

The first non-documentary production that was given permission to film in Mecca. Spike Lee removed any mention of Louis Farrakhan from Malcolm X after receiving specific, direct threats from him. Spike Lee urged kids to cut school to see his movie, believing that "X" provides just as much (or more) education.

"Still, with Malcolm X, Lee doesn't so much inject his sensibilities into the lifeline of his subject, but rather comes to see how his place as a film director can be integrated within the social movement of X's message. It's probably worth noting that Lee cast himself in major roles in nearly every one of his feature films prior to Malcolm X, but after playing Shorty to Denzel Washington's Malcolm, he's been almost invisible, playing (with the exception of Girl 6) mostly bit parts or, more often, not appearing on screen at all." - Eric Henderson

[soitgoes...]

#4 (Tie)

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Lessons of Darkness

Director: Werner Herzog

Country: France/UK/Germany

This film shows the disaster of the Kuwaiti oil fields in flames. In contrast to the common documentary film there are no comments and few interviews. What must have been the hell itself is presented to the viewer in such beautiful sights and beautiful music that one has to be fascinated by it.

Director Werner Herzog cheerfully admitted that the quote at the end of the film, allegedly by Pascal, was completely made up and falsely attributed to give it more weight. Director Werner Herzog says he prefers to think of this as a science fiction film, not a documentary.

"In a film that is mostly voiceless, relying instead on interspersed written titles ("Satan's National Park," "After the Battle") and appropriate musical cues -- from Verdi's Requiem to Wagner's "Gotterdammerung" -- Mr. Herzog includes scenes of this boy and another, different mother. They have both been left speechless by the effects of the war. Their condition underscores Mr. Herzog's role as that rare, intuitive documentary film maker who bears witness to the mysterious, capturing phenomena much too strangely insinuating for the usual forms of description." - Janet Maslin

[soitgoes...]

#4 (Tie)

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Husbands and Wives

Director: Woody Allen

Country: USA

When Jack and Sally announce that they're splitting up, this comes as a shock to their best friends Gabe and Judy. Maybe mostly because they also are drifting apart and are now being made aware of it. So while Jack and Sally try to go on and meet new people, the marriage of Gabe and Judy gets more and more strained, and they begin to find themselves being attracted to other people.

Hoping to piggyback on the scandal surrounding Woody Allen's break-up with Mia Farrow, TriStar opened the film on 865 screens, the largest amount ever given over to a Woody Allen picture. They were rewarded with an opening weekend of $3.52 million, the biggest ever for an Allen film.

"Husbands and Wives -- the entire Allen canon, for that matter -- represents a kind of personal cinema for which there is no precedent in modern American movies. Even our best directors are herd animals. Mr. Allen is a rogue: he travels alone. This species is not unknown in Europe." - Vincent Canby

[Derek]

Nice work on getting Fire Walk With Me in the top 10, MatchCut. Well done!

[soitgoes...]

#3

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Reservoir Dogs

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Country: USA

The tale of a group of thugs who are hired to rob a diamond store. But the plan starts to fall apart when the alarm is tripped and the cops show up within moments. Of the group of men, all of whom are identified by colors, only four survive with one being seriously wounded. It is suspected that there is a police informant in the group, but no one is sure who it is.

Quentin Tarantino wanted James Woods to play a role in the film, and made him five different cash offers. Woods' agent refused the offers without ever mentioning it to Woods as the sums offered were well below what Woods would usually receive. When Tarantino and Woods later met for the first time, Woods learned of the offer and was annoyed enough to get a new agent. Tarantino avoided telling Woods which role he was offered "because the actor who played the role was magnificent anyway". It is widely accepted that the role that Tarantino was referring to was Mr. Orange.

"Tarantino's camera has instinct: during the fabled "ear" sequence, a set-piece that may become the '90s equivalent of Taxi Driver's "You talkin' to me?" monologue (if it hasn't already), my favourite part is not the brilliant pan-away when Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) goes to work on a hog-tied cop with a straight razor, but the fact that thereafter we follow Mr. Blonde out to his car as he retrieves a can of gasoline, the song he was bopping to inside ("Stuck in the Middle with You") adopting a hyper-diegetic quality as it goes softer and louder according to ours and Mr. Blonde's proximity to the building. That's the impulsive side of Tarantino that will endure long after his pop-culture references become as meaningless as Eddie Haskell's hip jabberwocky on "Leave it to Beaver" and his spontaneous violence loses its shock value." - Bill Chambers

[soitgoes...]

#1 (Tie)

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The Player

Director: Robert Altman

Country: USA

A studio script screener gets on the bad side of a writer by not accepting his script. The writer is sending him threatening postcards. The screener tries to identify the writer in order to pay him off so he'll be left alone, and then in a case of mistaken identity gone awry, he accidentally gives the writer solid ammunition for blackmail. This plot is written on a backdrop of sleazy Hollywood deals and several subplots involving the politics of the industry.

The opening tracking shot (8 minutes) includes people talking about famous long tracking shots in other movies. The scene was rehearsed for a day, shot for half a day. Fifteen takes were done, five were printed, and the third one was used in the film. The entire sequence was unscripted, and all the dialogue is improvised.

"The Player is a smart movie, and a funny one. It is also absolutely of its time. After the savings and loan scandals, after Michael Milkin, after junk bonds and stolen pension funds, here is a movie that uses Hollywood as a metaphor for the avarice of the 1980s. It is the movie "The Bonfire of the Vanities" wanted to be. There was a full page photo of Robert Altman in one of the newsweeklies, looking sideways at the camera, grinning like someone who has waited a long time, and finally gotten in the last word." - Roger Ebert

[soitgoes...]

#1 (Tie)

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Unforgiven

Director: Clint Eastwood

Country: USA

The town of Big Whisky is full of normal people trying to lead quiet lives. Cowboys try to make a living. Sheriff 'Little Bill' tries to build a house and keep a heavy-handed order. The town whores just try to get by. Then a couple of cowboys cut up a whore. Unsatisfied with Bill's justice, the prostitutes put a bounty on the cowboys. The bounty attracts a young gun billing himself as 'The Schofield Kid', and aging killer William Munny.

Only the third western to ever win the Best Picture Oscar. The other two being Dances with Wolves (1990) and Cimarron (1931). Saul Rubinek asks Clint Eastwood how he chose the order in which to shoot six deputies. Eastwood replies that he "got lucky." This is a sly reference to Eastwood's earlier film The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), in which Chief Dan George asks Eastwood how he chose the order in which to shoot four Union soldiers, and Eastwood responds with a lengthy explanation about their various holsters and the looks in their eyes.

"Unforgiven exults in the hard-riding romanticism of classic Westerns, but it takes revisionist stock too. It dismounts at places usually left in the dust -- the oppressed lot of women, the loneliness of untended children, adult illiteracy and the horrible last moments of the dying. Never did deaths count so much in a gun-slinging drama; never did shooting a man come so hard." - Desson Howe

[soitgoes...]

T1. Unforgiven - 46
T1. The Player - 46
3. Reservoir Dogs - 33.5
T4. Husbands and Wives - 29
T4. Lessons of Darkness - 29
6. Malcolm X - 23
T7. Orlando - 20.5
T7. Hard-Boiled - 20.5
T9. Baraka - 19
T9. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me - 19

Close: Careful - 17.5 and Porco Rosso - 15

And there you have the ugliest results yet.

[baby doll]

The Player was lame. It made me miss Altman's more formally adventurous 70s works. I guess, considering this was his "comeback" film, that's not so surprising. In his best films, like The Long Goodbye and California Split, the over-lapping dialogue, near-constant camera movement and improvised acting allow for a broader range of viewer reactions (in short, the films don't dictate to us how to feel), but here Altman and his screenwriter, Michael Tolkin, seem to regard viewers as children who need to be told exactly what to think at any given moment. It's a heavy-handed, dull, obvious movie that's designed to make us feel very wise about the inner-workings of Hollywood by confirming everything we already suspect.

I haven't seen Unforgiven, but come on, it's Clint Eastwood. Nor I have I seen Hard Boiled.

I liked Reservoir Dogs a good deal when I was in the ninth grade, and that's about the level it's at. As a stylist, Tarantino has always been very good at getting the desired reaction from viewers, but he seems to have an extremely limited view of both cinema and the world. Death Proof is a very well made film about stupid, boring people, but Tarantino doesn't seem to realize this. Getting back to Reservoir Dogs, take away the style and it's all a lot of macho posturing.

I haven't seen Husbands and Wives in almost six years, so I won't comment on it. It's also been a while since I saw Lessons of Darkness, but perhaps it seems longer than it's been since it's so forgettable. After a few minutes, it's all more of the same. Pretty but forgettable. Ditto Baraka.

I voted for Malcom X and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

Orlando was lame. I loved Potter's Yes and I underrated The Man Who Cried so I'll have to give this and The Tango Lesson another look, but on first viewing it struck me as a nominally more adventurous Brit lit adaptation than most Masterpiece Theatre productions, but it's hardly in the same class as a Greenaway or a Jarman or a Leigh. Incidentally, it was Lady Diana's favorite film.

[Izzy Black]

The Player is indeed pretty dull. What a let down.

[transmogrifier]

No The Last of the Mohicans means this list is null and void.

[Pop Trash]

The Player was lame. It made me miss Altman's more formally adventurous 70s works. I guess, considering this was his "comeback" film, that's not so surprising. In his best films, like The Long Goodbye and California Split, the over-lapping dialogue, near-constant camera movement and improvised acting allow for a broader range of viewer reactions (in short, the films don't dictate to us how to feel), but here Altman and his screenwriter, Michael Tolkin, seem to regard viewers as children who need to be told exactly what to think at any given moment. It's a heavy-handed, dull, obvious movie that's designed to make us feel very wise about the inner-workings of Hollywood by confirming everything we already suspect.

I haven't seen Unforgiven, but come on, it's Clint Eastwood. Nor I have I seen Hard Boiled.

I liked Reservoir Dogs a good deal when I was in the ninth grade, and that's about the level it's at. As a stylist, Tarantino has always been very good at getting the desired reaction from viewers, but he seems to have an extremely limited view of both cinema and the world. Death Proof is a very well made film about stupid, boring people, but Tarantino doesn't seem to realize this. Getting back to Reservoir Dogs, take away the style and it's all a lot of macho posturing.

I haven't seen Husbands and Wives in almost six years, so I won't comment on it. It's also been a while since I saw Lessons of Darkness, but perhaps it seems longer than it's been since it's so forgettable. After a few minutes, it's all more of the same. Pretty but forgettable. Ditto Baraka.

I voted for Malcom X and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

Orlando was lame. I loved Potter's Yes and I underrated The Man Who Cried so I'll have to give this and The Tango Lesson another look, but on first viewing it struck me as a nominally more adventurous Brit lit adaptation than most Masterpiece Theatre productions, but it's hardly in the same class as a Greenaway or a Jarman or a Leigh. Incidentally, it was Lady Diana's favorite film.

You sure whine a lot for someone who voted Basic Instinct for #1. I mean it's a guilty pleasure but, come on, it's fucking Basic Instinct.

[Grouchy]

You sure whine a lot for someone who voted Basic Instinct for #1. I mean it's a guilty pleasure but, come on, it's fucking Basic Instinct.
Hey, it's also a good film.

[soitgoes...]

I haven't seen Unforgiven, but come on, it's Clint Eastwood. And?

[Derek]

And?

The French love Clint, so he's assuming it's great.

[baby doll]

And?He strikes me as the most heavy-handed Hollywood filmmaker still going apart from maybe Spielberg. (The difference being that Spielberg is good at it.) Million Dollar Baby is probably the worst of his films I've seen in this regard. To name only the most obvious example from the film, the comic relief character would make John Ford blush.

[Spinal]

About one more day to break the first-place tie for this one using the poll above. The winner will have its picture featured on the consensus blog and the other film will be moved down to 2nd place.

[Pop Trash]

He strikes me as the most heavy-handed Hollywood filmmaker still going apart from maybe Spielberg. (The difference being that Spielberg is good at it.) Million Dollar Baby is probably the worst of his films I've seen in this regard. To name only the most obvious example from the film, the comic relief character would make John Ford blush.
You mean the retarded guy? Yeah that was pretty bad. It's been awhile but I believe Unforgiven is better than Million Dollar Baby.

[Grouchy]

I don't like Million Dollar Baby either, but I wonder how many Clint Eastwood films has baby doll actually seen to make that completely incorrect judgement.

"Heavy-handed" is near the last adjective I'd use to label the Clint as a filmmaker. If anything, I appreciate how he gives his stories and characters the room to breathe.

[baby doll]

I don't like Million Dollar Baby either, but I wonder how many Clint Eastwood films has baby doll actually seen to make that completely incorrect judgement.

"Heavy-handed" is near the last adjective I'd use to label the Clint as a filmmaker. If anything, I appreciate how he gives his stories and characters the room to breathe.I've seen all of his films from True Crime (1999) through Letters From Iwo Jima (2006) with the exeption of Blood Work (2002).

As far as giving the stories and characters room to breathe, even Mystic River (which I liked) refuses any kind of subtlty or nuance from Sean Penn's Oscar-baiting method bluster ("That's my DDDDAAAUUUGGGHHHTTTEEERRR!!!") to gratuitously identifying one of the phedophiles as Catholic. Eastwood spells it out for the viewer so we don't have to think.

[Watashi]

I've seen all of his films from True Crime (1999) through Letters From Iwo Jima (2006) with the exeption of Blood Work (2002).

As far as giving the stories and characters room to breathe, even Mystic River (which I liked) refuses any kind of subtlty or nuance from Sean Penn's Oscar-baiting method bluster ("That's my DDDDAAAUUUGGGHHHTTTEEERRR!!!") to gratuitously identifying one of the phedophiles as Catholic. Eastwood spells it out for the viewer so we don't have to think.
That's like saying you don't like Scorsese if you just started watching his films with Bringing Out the Dead.

[Grouchy]

That's like saying you don't like Scorsese if you just started watching his films with Bringing Out the Dead.
Pretty much.

I don't think Eastwood had to work very hard to keep this guy from thinking.

[baby doll]

That's like saying you don't like Scorsese if you just started watching his films with Bringing Out the Dead.Apart from Unforgiven, his most highly regarded pictures are Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby and Letters From Iwo Jima. Although they have their admirers, Bird, White Hunter, Black Heart and even A Perfect World (which I saw when it came out) aren't nearly as well known.

[Pop Trash]

Apart from Unforgiven, his most highly regarded pictures are Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby and Letters From Iwo Jima. Although they have their admirers, Bird, White Hunter, Black Heart and even A Perfect World (which I saw when it came out) aren't nearly as well known.
His earlier Westerns like The Outlaw Josey Wales and High Planes Drifter are pretty well regarded. And Play Misty For Me has its fans.

[soitgoes...]

Apart from Unforgiven, his most highly regarded pictures are Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby and Letters From Iwo Jima. Although they have their admirers, Bird, White Hunter, Black Heart and even A Perfect World (which I saw when it came out) aren't nearly as well known.Yeah, I would echo Pop Trash's statement that the two early westerns are among his best regarded works. I think that you might like High Plains Drifter, but honestly I'm pretty certain that it wouldn't be your cup of tea. I would be interested to hear your thoughts if you ever saw it, but I definitely wouldn't be shocked if your opinion of the film was negative. I do believe though, that early career Eastwood is quite different from late career Eastwood, which shouldn't be that surprising as most directors evolve (or devolve) as they age.

[Pop Trash]

I'll probably get crap for this but I really like The Bridges of Madison County as well. Streep and Eastwood have great chemistry and the ending always gets me.

[soitgoes...]

I'll probably get crap for this but I really like The Bridges of Madison County as well. Streep and Eastwood have great chemistry and the ending always gets me.Yeah, I can't back you on that one.

[Grouchy]

Apart from Unforgiven, his most highly regarded pictures are Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby and Letters From Iwo Jima. Although they have their admirers, Bird, White Hunter, Black Heart and even A Perfect World (which I saw when it came out) aren't nearly as well known.
Play Misty for Me
High Plains Drifter
The Outlaw Josey Wales
Bronco Billy
Sudden Impact
Pale Rider

All highly regarded motion pictures.

[baby doll]

Play Misty for Me
High Plains Drifter
The Outlaw Josey Wales
Bronco Billy
Sudden Impact
Pale Rider

All highly regarded motion pictures.Maybe (I've personally read less about them than White Hunter, Black Heart which doesn't seem to be very well known), although he didn't get Oscar respectable until the early 90s with Unforgiven and Bridges of Madison County. In any event, six films over nearly a decade is fairly significant and in none of those works, which range from a geezer comedy to a war film shot in Japanese, I've yet to see any evidence of subtlty.

[Melville]

Maybe (I've personally read less about them than White Hunter, Black Heart which doesn't seem to be very well known), although he didn't get Oscar respectable until the early 90s with Unforgiven and Bridges of Madison County. In any event, six films over nearly a decade is fairly significant and in none of those works, which range from a geezer comedy to a war film shot in Japanese, I've yet to see any evidence of subtlty.
I agree that Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, and Letters from Iwo Jima are all ham-fisted and not terribly interesting. And I thought that High Plains Drifter was laughable. But Unforgiven is one of my favorite movies.

[Raiders]

And I thought that High Plains Drifter was laughable. But Unforgiven is one of my favorite movies.

High Plains Drifter > Unforgiven

Weirdo.

[Melville]

High Plains Drifter > Unforgiven
Crazy talk.

[soitgoes...]

Crazy talk.Perhaps, but it's correct all the same.

[Winston*]

Unforgiven is super great and ">" The Player and High Plains Drifter IMHO FYI (dig all three but).

[Melville]

Unforgiven is super great and ">" The Player and High Plains Drifter IMHO FYI (dig all three but).
I don't know what irony ever did without you.

[Winston*]

I don't know what irony ever did without you.

That post was sincere.

[Melville]

That post was sincere.
Sincerity is fine, but it's the > in quotation marks, the double acronym, and the discombobulated sentence structure that makes it great.

[Grouchy]

Maybe (I've personally read less about them than White Hunter, Black Heart which doesn't seem to be very well known), although he didn't get Oscar respectable until the early 90s with Unforgiven and Bridges of Madison County. In any event, six films over nearly a decade is fairly significant and in none of those works, which range from a geezer comedy to a war film shot in Japanese, I've yet to see any evidence of subtlty.
Personal insults aside, I recommend you watch Eastwood's four big westerns (High Plains Drifter, Outlaw Josey Wales, Pale Rider and Unforgiven) in sequence. They're a fascinating progressive deconstruction of his loner gunman character, from a supernatural God of Justice, to a desperate human trying to vindicate himself, to a ghost of things past to a cynic portrait of a man consumed by violence. It's really interesting how all four movies are basically the same story of a man setting things straight, only that they're told from radically different perspectives.

[Ezee E]

That's like saying you don't like Scorsese if you just started watching his films with Bringing Out the Dead.
You say that like it's a bad thing.