MC Yearly Consensus - 1987

[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 thread is locked, 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. Raising Arizona
2. Prick Up Your Ears
3. The Brave Little Toaster
4. Evil Dead 2
5. Wings of Desire

6. Crazy Love
7. The Man Who Planted Trees
8. The Journey
9. The Princess Bride
10. Full Metal Jacket

[Eleven]

1. Wings of Desire
2. Raising Arizona
3. Evil Dead II
4. Full Metal Jacket
5. Withnail & I
-
6. Empire of the Sun
7. Near Dark
8. Housekeeping
9. A Taxing Woman
10. The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On

[Russ]

1. The Man Who Planted Trees
2. Raising Arizona
3. Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story
5. Planes, Trains and Automobiles
6. House of Games

[EyesWideOpen]

I've seen like 15-20 films from 1987 and while their are a few I like I don't feel comfortable putting any on my top 5.

[Melville]

1. The Man Who Planted Trees
2. Au revoir les enfants
3. Full Metal Jacket
4. Matewan
5. Robocop

[Watashi]

1. Raising Arizona
2. Robocop
3. The Brave Little Toaster
4. Matewan
5. Wings of Desire

[dreamdead]

1. Withnail and I
2. Matewan
3. Empire of the Sun
4. Wings of Desire
5. The Princess Bride

[soitgoes...]

1. The Man Who Planted Trees (Frédéric Back)
2. Empire of the Sun (Steven Spielberg)
3. Withnail and I (Bruce Robinson)
4. Pelle the Conqueror (Bille August)
5. Matewan (John Sayles)
-----------------------------------------------
6. Hope and Glory (John Boorman)
7. Babette's Feast (Gabriel Axel)
8. Radio Days (Woody Allen)
9. Raising Arizona (Joel Coen)
10. The Untouchables (Brian De Palma)

[monolith94]

1. The Man Who Planted Trees
2. Raising Arizona
3. Wings of Desire
4. Au revoir les enfants
5. Withnail and I

[Philosophe_rouge]

1. L'Homme qui plantait des arbres
2. Raising Arizona
3. Wings of Desire

[Qrazy]

1. Man Who Planted Trees
2. Wings of Desire
3. Empire of the Sun
4. Au revoir les enfants
5. Raising Arizona

HMs which haven't been mentioned yet: Project A, Part II, Blind Chance, Barfly, Spaceballs, Wall Street

[Lazlo]

1. Wall Street
2. Full Metal Jacket
3. Empire of the Sun
4. Raising Arizona
5. Good Morning, Vietnam

[Llopin]

'tis the year I was born. Besides that, I'm gonna tally it up (not because, though it's cool).

[Raiders]

1. The Man Who Planted Trees
2. Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story
3. Housekeeping
4. Empire of the Sun
5. Near Dark

[Watashi]

I almost wanted to put Adventures in Babysitting on mine, but I'll leave that one to Yum-Yum.

[Russ]

Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=62213051071394 0545).

I promise this is not a Rickroll, Bollroll, or any other kind of "roll".

Promise.

[Yxklyx]

1. Broadcast News (James L. Brooks)
2. The Man Who Planted Trees (Frédéric Back)
3. Some Kind of Wonderful (Howard Deutch)
4. Raising Arizona (Joel Coen & Ethan Coen)
5. Withnail & I (Bruce Robinson)

6. Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders)
7. Near Dark (Kathryn Bigelow)
8. Matewan (John Sayles)
9. Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (Todd Haynes)
10. Moonstruck (Norman Jewison)

[Yum-Yum]

I almost wanted to put Adventures in Babysitting on mine, but I'll leave that one to Yum-Yum.

Believe or not, I haven't seen Adventures in Babysitting. Probably because I'm not really into family-friendly movies that centre around the temporary care of children. But then again, I have seen The Baby-Sitters Club, Halloween, Uncle Buck, When a Stranger Calls, and Exotica. So, I obviously don't have a complete aversion to the practice.

[Weeping_Guitar]

1. Wings of Desire
2. Plains, Trains, and Automobiles
3. The Princess Bride
4. Full Metal Jacket
5. Au Revoir Les Enfants

[Stay Puft]

1. Full Metal Jacket
2. Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story
3. Evil Dead II

[Spinal]

Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=62213051071394 0545).

I promise this is not a Rickroll, Bollroll, or any other kind of "roll".

Promise.

OK, I didn't get it. The genius of this film is lost on me apparently.

[ledfloyd]

1. Raising Arizona
2. Radio Days
3. Withnail & I
4. Planes, Trains & Automobiles
5. The Untouchables

[Melville]

OK, I didn't get it. The genius of this film is lost on me apparently.
I'm with you. The central storytelling conceit struck me as facile, and outside of that conceit the style and story are trite movie-of-the-week melodrama.

[Boner M]

1. The Evil Dead 2
2. Withnail & I
3. Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story
4. Raising Arizona
5. Barfly

[Ezee E]

This turned out to be tougher than I thought:

1. Full Metal Jacket
2. Raising Arizona
3. Predator
4. Brave Little Toaster
5. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

[Ezee E]

Not one Predator? I'm surprised.

[Russ]

OK, I didn't get it. The genius of this film is lost on me apparently.
I'm with you. The central storytelling conceit struck me as facile, and outside of that conceit the style and story are trite movie-of-the-week melodrama.
Don't mistake that storytelling conceit for superficial soap opera gloss. Haynes brilliantly utilizes those plastic actors to indict an entire nations' obsession with perfection (and the pressure to achieve it). No wonder corporate entities like Mattel (manufacturer of the Barbie dolls) and A&M records (manufacturer of the Carpenters persona) sued to keep this out of circulation: I mean, what better way to criticize the universal pressure Karen felt from all sides (her brother, parents, the record company) than by having the drama played out by the same dolls that have themselves been criticized as having perpetuated a stereotypical notion of beauty on a society that has long been spoon-fed a mass-marketed perception of the ideal woman (via advertising, television, etc).

Not many films are able to realize and present their themes as an integral part of the stylistic tapestry (or mise-en-scene) as well as Superstar. IMO.

[Qrazy]

OK, I didn't get it. The genius of this film is lost on me apparently.

I'm with you too, although I'd say it's more mediocre than bad.

[Melville]

Don't mistake that storytelling conceit for superficial soap opera gloss. Haynes brilliantly utilizes those plastic actors to indict an entire nations' obsession with perfection (and the pressure to achieve it). No wonder corporate entities like Mattel (manufacturer of the Barbie dolls) and A&M records (manufacturer of the Carpenters persona) sued to keep this out of circulation: I mean, what better way to criticize the universal pressure Karen felt from all sides (her brother, parents, the record company) than by having the drama played out by the same dolls that have themselves been criticized as having perpetuated a stereotypical notion of beauty on a society that has long been spoon-fed a mass-marketed perception of the ideal woman (via advertising, television, etc).

Not many films are able to realize and present their themes as an integral part of the stylistic tapestry (or mise-en-scene) as well as Superstar. IMO.
The purpose of the Barbie dolls (and the melodrama) is clear, but I think that it's a somewhat shallow, ham-fisted technique and that the film relies entirely on it to add meaning to an otherwise jejune story. I think that themes and styles are inextricably linked in most great films, with the themes constructed by the style and the style given meaning by the themes; Superstar, rather than linking a rich theme and style, makes the link itself into its raison d'être.

[Qrazy]

jejune.

Agreed but please don't use this term.

[Melville]

Agreed but please don't use this term.
Is it associated with something unsavory?

[Qrazy]

Is it associated with something unsavory?

It's own jejuneness.

[Melville]

It's own jejuneness.
Have Pitchfork critics been using it or something?

[Boner M]

Just watched the Haynes; really good. Gonna let it settle before I decide to add it to my list. I definitely don't agree that the concept is all there is to it; the use of political archive footage to enhance Karen's self-delusions was especially effective, as were the assortment of blurry TV excerpts and bargain-basement horror film effects. My 2nd favorite Haynes film after Safe.

[Mysterious Dude]

1. The Man Who Planted Trees
2. Raising Arizona
3. Au Revoir Les Enfants
4. The Princess Bride
5. Near Dark

6. Radio Days
7. Full Metal Jacket
8. Wings of Desire
9. Neo-Tokyo
10. Wall Street

[Qrazy]

1. The Man Who Planted Trees
2. Raising Arizona
3. Au Revoir Les Enfants
4. The Princess Bride
5. Near Dark

6. Radio Days
7. Full Metal Jacket
8. Wings of Desire
9. Neo-Tokyo
10. Wall Street

After watching Memories and Heavy Metal I think I finally need to get on Neo-Tokyo... it is time.

[Melville]

the use of political archive footage to enhance Karen's self-delusions was especially effective, as were the assortment of blurry TV excerpts and bargain-basement horror film effects.
I think I have the same problem with this film as I do with I'm Not There: they're too transparent and self-aware in their techniques. Everything is hammered home, especially the hammering itself.

[Raiders]

The purpose of the Barbie dolls (and the melodrama) is clear, but I think that it's a somewhat shallow, ham-fisted technique and that the film relies entirely on it to add meaning to an otherwise jejune story. I think that themes and styles are inextricably linked in most great films, with the themes constructed by the style and the style given meaning by the themes; Superstar, rather than linking a rich theme and style, makes the link itself into its raison d'être.

I don't get it. Are you saying that many great films don't make the link between their style and their themes front and center? I guess we simply have a different definition of "great" films. This film pretty much sets up Haynes' entire career and his obsessions with celebrity, society's perspective/pressure on said celebrity, and society and societal angst in the suburban milieu in general (less here than in Safe and Far From Heaven). I think his oeuvre is just about as rich and awesome as there is. Few agree with me, so I'm not surprised people don't really care much for this film.

[Qrazy]

I think I have the same problem with this film as I do with I'm Not There: they're too transparent and self-aware in their techniques. Everything is hammered home, especially the hammering itself.

I don't really agree. I think Haynes is steadily improving as a filmmaker. He's still a little self-conscious about his technique (I can see where you're coming from) but he's becoming more nuanced in his use of the camera and developing a starting to develop a unique and potent cinematic cadence of his own.

[Raiders]

I don't really agree. I think Haynes is steadily improving as a filmmaker. He's still a little self-conscious about his technique (I can see where you're coming from) but he's becoming more nuanced in his use of the camera and developing a starting to develop a unique and potent cinematic cadence of his own.

I think he already accomplished all of this in Safe, which had a great formal rhythm as the suffocating horrors of the central character were constantly undercut by Haynes' camera's medium-range shots (which I have always felt made the final reflected close-up even more haunting). He posited the truth as something just out of sight (the shots of the haz-mat suited man roaming about in the distance), and something the characters ultimately scoff at in order to congratulate themselves in their own insular hell.

[Qrazy]

I think he already accomplished all of this in Safe, which had a great formal rhythm as the suffocating horrors of the central character were constantly undercut by Haynes' camera's medium-range shots (which I have always felt made the final reflected close-up even more haunting). He posited the truth as something just out of sight (the shots of the haz-mat suited man roaming about in the distance), and something the characters ultimately scoff at in order to congratulate themselves in their own insular hell.

I dunno, too many moments in the film just felt disposable to me. I thought it was a great premise with fairly strong execution but so many of the films moments just don't last... either because of tedious imagery or narratively. I find that I need tight, extremely precise semiotics to really fall in love with a film. There are so many minor characters, moments of dialogue, use of locale etc that didn't strike me as essential to the story being told. I really like it and it's a strong film but yeah this is why I don't think it's amazing.

[Melville]

I don't get it. Are you saying that many great films don't make the link between their style and their themes front and center?
I'm saying that they don't emphasize the link as a thing in itself. Their style and themes support each other (becoming in some cases essentially indistinguishable), but they do so in order to convey something. Superstar, in my opinion, doesn't have a whole lot to convey other than the relationship between its technique and its (nominal) subject.

However, I do really like Safe, and I agree with Qrazy that I'm Not There at least had an interesting style, even if I disliked its transparency and self-awareness.

[Grouchy]

1. Prince of Darkness
2. Hellraiser
3. Evil Dead II
4. Full Metal Jacket
5. Predator

Great year for Horror. Barely missed out - Robocop and The Last Emperor. I admit I still haven't seen Wings of Desire or Raising Arizona.

[Hugh_Grant]

Yum-Yum advised me to visit this thread to give Three O'Clock High some love.

1. Three O'Clock High
2. Withnail and I
3. Full Metal Jacket
4. Matewan
5. Maurice

[Boner M]

Edited my list for Superstar. Got rid of The Dante Quartet cos I don't feel comfortable with listing 5-min Brakhage films yet.

[MadMan]

Honestly I usually forget about 1987, seeing as 1988 has really great stuff and I focus on 1986 a lot because its my birth year.

1. Spaceballs
2. Predator
3. Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn
4. Radio Days
5. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Also I just remembered that this is the year that features one of the worst movies of all time: Jaws the Revenge.

[Spinal]

Top Songs of 1987:

1. "Walk Like An Egyptian", Bangles
2. "Alone", Heart
3. "Shake You Down", Gregory Abbott
4. "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)", Whitney Houston
5. "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now", Starship
6. "C'est La Vie", Robbie Nevil
7. "Here I Go Again", Whitesnake
8. "The Way It Is", Bruce Hornsby and the Range
9. "Shakedown", Bob Seger
10. "Livin' On A Prayer", Bon Jovi

source: musicoutfitters.com

[Spinal]

Time Man of the Year for 1987:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v696/joel_harmon/more/1101880104_400.jpg

Mikhail Gorbachev

[Spinal]

The following television programs debuted in 1987:

The Tracey Ullman Show
21 Jump Street
Matlock
Married ... With Children
Full House
thirtysomething
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Duck Tales
A Different World
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

* October 15, 1987 - Bob Barker, host of The Price Is Right, stops dyeing his hair brown and appears on-stage for the first time with white hair. He is given a minute-long standing ovation by the audience.

The #1 program in the Nielsen ratings for 1987:

The Cosby Show

[SirNewt]

1. Plains, Trains, and Automobiles
2.
3.
4. The Princess Bride
5. Predator

Need to see Les Enfants, Wings, and a few others.

[Yum-Yum]

1. Some Kind of Wonderful
2. Three O'Clock High
3. Withnail & I
4. My Demon Lover
5. Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II

[origami_mustache]

1. Wings of Desire
2. Au revoir les enfants
3. Full Metal Jacket
4. Raising Arizona
5. Robocop

[Kurosawa Fan]

1. Au Revoir Les Enfants
2. Matewan
3. Evil Dead II
4. The Princess Bride
5. Bad Taste

[Gizmo]

1. Full Metal Jacket
2. The Untouchables
3. Au Revoir les Enfantes
4. The Princess Bride
5. Spaceballs

[Benny Profane]

1. Raising Arizona
2. Three o clock High
3. Full Metal Jacket
4. The Princess Bride
5. Predator

[Grouchy]

1. Plains, Trains, and Automobiles
2.
3.
4. The Princess Bride
5. Predator

Need to see Les Enfants, Wings, and a few others.
Huh... How do you count this?

[Spinal]

Huh... How do you count this?

If he only wants to give 3 points to his second place film, that's perfectly fine.

[Grouchy]

If he only wants to give 3 points to his second place film, that's perfectly fine.
Ok.

[balmakboor]

1. Empire of the Sun
2. Au revoir les enfants
3. Full Metal Jacket
4. Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story
5. Robocop

[Bosco B Thug]

5. Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II Ooh. Do I need to see this?

[Yum-Yum]

Ooh. Do I need to see this?

It depends. Are you comfortable with female nudity, sentient rocking horses, late 80's fashion, and Michael Ironside? If so, then yeah, you might need to see this.

[koji]

1. Au Revoir Les Enfants (Louis Malle) 9
2. Withnail and I (Robinson) 8
3. Cobra Verde (Herzog) 8
4. Radio Days (Allen) 8
5. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (John Hughes) 8
****************************** ***********
6. Raising Arizona Coen Bros.) 8
7. The Untouchables (DePalma) 8
8. House of Games (Mamet) 8
9. Moonstruck (John McTiernan) 8
10. Full Metal Jacket (Kubrick) 8

[Qrazy]

2. Withnail and I (Robinson) 8
3. Cobra Verde (Herzog) 8


I was fairly lukewarm on Withnail, however I did find How to Get Ahead in Advertising to be absolutely hilarious.

Cobra Verde was a fairly big disappointment, but it has it's moments.

[BirdsAteMyFace]

1. The Man Who Planted Trees
2. Raising Arizona
3. Outrageous Fortune

[Bosco B Thug]

It depends. Are you comfortable with female nudity, sentient rocking horses, late 80's fashion, and Michael Ironside? If so, then yeah, you might need to see this. Ummm, respectively: Oh yeah, Hell yes, I can dig, and Ok just bring it i want it give it to me good.

Always nice to get a new cheesy slasher recommendation, I don't believe I've seen this one get distinguished from the rest before.

[MadMan]

Ooh. Do I need to see this?How many Prom nights did they make? :lol: I should actually see the first film sometime. And of course I'm going to skip the ridiculous looking remake.

PS: That title rhymes. Awesome.

[Llopin]

Last few hours for voting...

edit: my votes

1. Wings of Desire
2. Au Revoir les Enfants
2. The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On
4. Evil Dead 2
5. Hamlet Goes Business

[Bosco B Thug]

How many Prom nights did they make? :lol: I should actually see the first film sometime. And of course I'm going to skip the ridiculous looking remake.

PS: That title rhymes. Awesome. The first Prom Night's kinda weak, but give it a go if you're into becoming versed in slasher flicks. See Black Christmas first. :P And there are four Prom Nights, it seems, the 2nd followed by a 3rd and 4th, none whose titles are quite as catchy. :(

[Llopin]

OK, locked.

I'll try to get the results up by tomorrow afternoon at most late.

[Llopin]

#10 (tie)

http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Studio/3469/empire2.gif

Empire of the Sun
director: Steven Spielberg

Based on J. G. Ballard's autobiographical novel, tells the story of a boy, James Graham, whose privileged life is upturned by the Japanese invasion of Shanghai, December 8, 1941. Separated from his parents, he is eventually captured, and taken to Soo Chow confinement camp, next to a captured Chinese airfield. Amidst the sickness and food shortages in the camp, Jim attempts to reconstruct his former life, all the while bringing spirit and dignity to those around him

Christian Bale was picked for the role of Jim out of more than 4,000 auditions. Spielberg had seen Bale in the miniseries "Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna", and Amy Irving, who starred in it, personally recommended Bale to her husband. Spielberg had not thought much of Bale in “Anastasia”, but upon Bale auditioning, cast him for the role of Jim. The shot of Jim's parents tucking him in bed is directly lifted from the Norman Rockwell painting "Freedom from Fear". Jim's father even holds a newspaper like the father in the painting. The only main difference is that in the painting, there are two children in bed. Ballard played the part of a guest in the masquerade party scene, however all but a quick glimpse of him can be seen in the final cut.

"Ultimately, Empire of the Sun is one of the bleakest films that Spielberg has made about childhood (or more accurately, the transition from being a carefree child to a responsible adult), and as such is a key film in the growth and development of his career" - Martyn Bamber

[Llopin]

#10 (tie)

http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/041118/163031__planes_l.jpg

Planes, Trains and Automobiles
director: John Hughes

All that Neal Page wants to do is to get home for Thanksgiving. His flight has been cancelled due to bad weather, so he decides on other means of transport. As well as bad luck, Neal is blessed with the presence of Del Griffith, Shower Curtain Ring Salesman and all-around blabbermouth, who is never short of advice, conversation, bad jokes, or company. And when he decides that he is going the same direction as Neal....

Cast and crew traveled from the Midwest to the East Coast and back in search of snow for many scenes, which seemed to melt whenever they arrived. The shoot was hellish, and according to some who worked on it, Hughes's grumpy behavior (he was going through rough times) only made it worse. Hughes shot over 600,000 feet of film, almost twice the industry average. The rumored three-hour version of the film does indeed exist, although not in order - moreover it's a mess of footage that would take "months, maybe even years" according to Hughes to transform into an actual film. It is locked away in a Paramount vault, and according to Hughes, most of it has probably deteriorated by now.

"Planes, Trains and Automobiles showed that Hughes wasn't in fact some man-child searching for the reasons for his adulthood discontentment. Hughes is finally an adult and proved his ability as both a writer and director by showing a dramatic shift in themes and humour style" - Ryan Cracknell

[Llopin]

#8

http://alceria.net/rx/superstar.jpg

Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story
director: Todd Haynes

Karen Carpenter's battle with anorexia nervosa and the cultural influence of the Carpenters in the 70s.

This movie is a biography of Karen Carpenter with a slight twist - all of the parts are played out by Ken and Barbie style dolls. The film has been out of legal circulation since 1990, subject to a cease and desist order pertaining to unauthorized use of the Carpenters' music. This movie is illegal to sell, or distribute, and is out of circulation, although hundreds of bootleg copies have been sold. It was ranked #45 on Entertainment Weekly's "Top 50 Cult Films of All-Time"

"Haynes' innovative use of Barbie dolls to parallel society's skewed standards of beauty may provoke a chuckle during the initial introduction to the Carpenter family, but it slowly and subversively questions the values and means by which people define themselves" - Jason Buchanan

[Llopin]

#7

http://www.scene-stealers.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/evildead2pubstill.jpg

Evil Dead II
director: Sam Raimi

Ash - the sole survivor of the original 'Evil Dead' - returns with his girlfriend Linda to the remote cabin in the woods. He discovers a tape recorder that a professor had used to record incantations from the Necronomicon XMortis - the Book of the Dead. When he turns it on, the recording releases a dark, sinister force from the woods. It turns Linda into a zombie, her soul possessed by some hideous demon, and then tries to do the same to Ash. Other people come to help Ash, but one by one they are taken over by the Evil Dead force that also possesses Linda, the Professor, and the Professor's wife...and they try to make sure Ash is...Dead by Dawn!

Often considered to be a remake of The Evil Dead (1981), however this is not accurate. The rights to show scenes from the original could not be obtained to re-cap what happened, so they recreated the beginning to explain how Ash got to the cabin, a headless Linda, etc. The recap of the previous film includes a shot where the "evil force" runs through the cabin and rams into Ash. When this shot was filmed, Bruce Campbell suffered a broken jaw when Sam Raimi (who was operating the camera) crashed into him with a bicycle. Or so people were led to believe. This was a story concocted by Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell as a gag to see how many people would believe it actually happened.

One of the books on the can that traps Ash's possessed hand is "A Farewell to Arms". To further ensure that an R-rating would be attained, fluid spit out by the Possessed Henrietta was variously black and green instead of blood red. The scene were Ash fights the severed hand is taken from Scott Spiegel's short film "Attack of the Helping Hand" in which almost the same events occur, except it involves the Hamburger Helper hand trying to kill a lady.

"The film is a scream of consciousness, a goremonger's nightmare, and so what if it's an almost exact replica of its predecessor, one of the most successful (and, believe it or not, critically acclaimed) films in the horror-gore genre" - Richard Harrington

[Llopin]

#6

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2007/05/11/withnailandi460.jpg

Withnail & I
director: Bruce Robinson

London: The Sixties. Two down-on-their-luck actors (Withnail and Marwood) find solace in drink and other substances. Seeking respite from their uneventful lives they escape up north to Penrith to Withnail's uncle's stone cottage. Faced with no modern conveniences, a bunch of oddball locals, and a surprise visit from an amorous "Uncle Monty", their wits are tested, along with their friendship.

The name "Withnail" came from man called Jonathan Withnall that Bruce Robinson knew as a little boy. He was a local character who reversed his Aston Martin into a police car in a pub car park. Robinson said he's never been able to spell very well, and spelled his last name "Withnail" by mistake. The character of Withnail was based on Robinson's close friend, actor Vivian Mackerall who died of throat cancer in 1990. They met at The Central School of Speech and Drama in 1964. The pair lived with David Dundas, Michael Feast and others in a Victorian townhouse bought by Dundas's parents in Camden Town, London. In the scene where Withnail ostensibly downs a bottle of lighter fluid, the can, which in rehearsals had been full of water, was full of vinegar. Director Robinson used vinegar on the take to get a better facial reaction from Grant. The vomiting was scripted and faked.

"Withnail And I works as a comedy, but it's a comedy of desperation, and the ever-present specter of failure, overdose, and addiction haunting its leads lends it an aura of lyrical sadness" - Nathan Rabin

[Llopin]

#5

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/d/d3/350px-Wingsofdesire3.jpg

Wings of Desire
director: Wim Wenders

This Wim Wenders film centers around the story of two angels wandering in a mixture of post-war and modern Berlin. Invisible to humans, they nevertheless give their help and comfort to all the lonely and depressed souls they meet. Finally, after many centuries, one of the angels becomes unhappy with his immortal state and wishes to become human in order to experience the joys of everyday life. He meets a circus acrobat and finds in her the fufillment of all his mortal desires. He also discovers that he is not alone in making this cross over, and that a purely spiritual experience is not enough to satisfy anyone.

Filming the actual Berlin Wall was prohibited, so a replica of the wall twice had to be built close to the original. The first fake wall warped in the rain because the contractor cheated the producers and built it from wood. During the scene in the Berlin Library, Damiel leans over a young man who reads: "Ha'Aretz haita tohu-va-vohu". This is the second verse of the book of Genesis in Biblical Hebrew, and basically means "the land was in chaos". All of the black & white sequences were shot through a one-of-a-kind filter made from a stocking that belonged to cinematographer Henri Alekan's grandmother.

"For me, the film is like music or a landscape: It clears a space in my mind, and in that space I can consider questions. Some of them are asked in the film: "Why am I me and why not you? Why am I here and why not there? When did time begin and where does space end?" " - Roger Ebert

[Llopin]

#4

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Au revoir les enfants
director: Louis Malle

During WWII, in a Catholic boarding school in the French countryside, two boys become friends. One is a French boy, Julien Quintin, and the other is a Jewish boy, Jean Bonnet, who is being hidden from the Nazis by the friars who run the school. Louis Malle directed this film based on what actually happened when he was at a boarding school himself during the war. The film is based on an incident from Louis Malle's own youth.

"Louis Malle's autobiographical account of life in occupied France is a compelling, provocative, and heartfelt examination of personal and national identity. True to life, there is often a discrepancy between who we really are, and who we perceive ourselves to be. Thematically, Malle uses youthful role-playing in the school courtyard, exploring in the woods, and reading adventure books to illustrate the boys' search to define their own identities. The pervasive presence of German soldiers searching for dissidents, criminals, and Jews provide an uncomfortable sense that their identities are constantly in question. Cinematically, several scenes occur in dark or poorly lit environments, which reflect Jean's obscure past and Julien's naiveté. Who are we, and what do we stand for? The answer proves unsettling for the thoughtful Julien - the realization of his own ignorance and culpability. Perhaps the most poignant moment of the film is Malle's narrative epilogue. Despite the passage of time, the incident is clearly an unsettling memory that continues to haunt him. Au Revoir les enfants, an ominous line taken directly from the film, is an intensely personal and deeply affecting retrospective of innocence, and paradise, lost" - Strictly Film School

[Llopin]

#3

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Full Metal Jacket
director: Stanley Kubrick

A two-segment story that follows young men from the start of recruit training in the Marine Corps to the lethal cauldron known as Vietnam. The first segment follows Joker, Pyle and others as they progress through the hell of USMC boot-camp at the hands of the colorful, foul-mouthed Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. The second begins in Vietnam, near Hue, at the time of the Tet Offensive. Joker, along with Animal Mother, Rafterman and others, face threats such as ambush, booby traps, and Viet Cong snipers as they move through the city.

Former US Marine Corps Drill Instructor R. Lee Ermey was not originally hired to play Gunnery Sgt. Hartman but as a consultant for the Marine Corps boot camp portion of the film. He performed a demonstration on videotape in which he yelled obscene insults and abuse for 15 minutes without stopping, repeating himself or even flinching - despite being continuously pelted with tennis balls and oranges. Stanley Kubrick was so impressed that he cast Ermey as Gunnery Sgt. Hartmann. The videotape demonstration was not the only factor which got Ermey the role as the drill instructor. Ermey went to Kubrick and asked for the part, as the actors on the set were, in his opinion, not up to snuff. When Kubrick declined, Ermey barked an order for Kubrick to stand up when he was spoken to, and the director instinctively obeyed. That sealed the matter, and Ermey won the part as Hartmann.

"Kubrick works expressly on this level of the individual and unspecialized grunt to create a film that is less a defense or criticism of war than a strike at the mythologies of war-making. In its constant and irreversible violence, Full Metal Jacket, one of Kubrick's grittiest works, is also one of his most resonant" - Arthur Ryel-Lindsey

[Llopin]

#2

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L'homme qui plantait des arbres
director: Frédéric Back

The story of Elzeard Bouffier, who over 35 years quietly cultivated a magnificent forest in a desolate area of France. The tale is told by a young traveler who happens upon the old gentleman one day, and finds himself returning to rediscover the landscape several times over the following decades.

"As lovely as a painting of Renoir, Picasso, Monet, or Seurat brought to life, the breathtaking visual artistry of this short (30 minutes long) film is complemented beautifully by composer Normand Rogers’ shimmering score and Christopher Plummer’s sublime narration. A feast for the senses, and the spirit, The Man Who Planted Trees is a gift to be treasured many times over by adults and children alike" - Elaine Perrone

[Llopin]

#1

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Raising Arizona
director: Joel and Ethan Coen

Colourful and unconventional slapstick comedy. Ex-con Hi and ex-cop Ed meet, marry and long for a child in the wilds of Arizona. When Ed discovers she's barren the God-given solution is presented: to snatch a baby from a set of quins. Thus begins a series of kidnappings, capers and rum goings-on that revolve around the helpless yet universally-loveable child. Hi's convict friends, his boss, and even the Lone Biker Of The Apocalypse become involved in the ever-twisting plot in the quest to own the baby

The line, "Life is hard on the little things," used repeatedly in the film was originally spoken by Lillian Gish in The Night of the Hunter (1955) as she protects her children. In the accompanying scene an owl takes a young rabbit. The Coen brothers wrote Holly Hunter's character specifically for her. The lullaby that Ed sings to Nathan, Jr. is the song "Down in the Willow Garden", a folk song about a man sentenced to death after brutally murdering his fiancee. H.I. can be seen wearing a uniform with the name "Hudsucker Industries" written on it. This is also the name of the company in The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) also by the Coen brothers. The shot in which the camera moves in on the mother discovering that Nathan Jr. is gone is a direct homage to The Evil Dead (1981), a film on which Joel Coen was an editor.

"To their old fascination with Sunbelt pathology, to their side-winding Steadicam and pristine command of screen space, the Coens have added a robust humor, a plot that keeps outwitting expectations and a surprising dollop of sympathy for their forlorn kidnapers" - Richard Corliss

[Spinal]

Ermey went to Kubrick and asked for the part, as the actors on the set were, in his opinion, not up to snuff. When Kubrick declined, Ermey barked an order for Kubrick to stand up when he was spoken to, and the director instinctively obeyed. That sealed the matter, and Ermey won the part as Hartmann.


I'm going to try this at my next job interview.

[Spinal]

Final tally?

[Llopin]

Raising Arizona 62.5
The Man Who Planted Trees 49
Full Metal Jacket 45.3
Au revoir les enfants 42
Wings of Desire 39
Withnail & I 35
Evil Dead 2 28
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story 23
Empire of the Sun 22.5
Planes, Trains and Automobiles 22.5

HMs:

The Princess Bride 21
Matewan 19.5
Predator 15
Three O'Clock High 13

[dreamdead]

I'm kinda worrried that the Coens, despite their overall quality, are going to own these modern lists a little too much.

I need to get on Malle and Back...

[Spinal]

I'm kinda worrried that the Coens, despite their overall quality, are going to own these modern lists a little too much.


This is not the year to be concerned about that.

[Ezee E]

Pretty bland year. Some good stuff, but still.