28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[Skitch]

I have a review for Gummo....0/10.

[number8]

That's a rating, not a review.

[balmakboor]

I popped my Showgirls cherry last night. Now I need to figure out why it's considered a cult film by so many. I'm not really sure where Verhoeven thought he was going, but he definitely went there with total commitment. Because of that, I can't imagine how anyone could hate the movie. It's not "good" though either. I laughed out loud many times and I don't think I was supposed to. For some reason, I found the way Berkley munches hamburgers and fries to be great -- unintentional? -- comedy.

Eszterhas must really have a cynical view of Hollywood. (I haven't spent much time with his work, so maybe this is obvious.) It seemed to me that Nomi's progression from Midwestern girl with bad homelife to Los Angeles by way of some campy, creepy, sleezy imagining of Las Vegas is meant to be iconic and representative of the general corruption in the movie biz. Almost like he feels her lessons learned in Vegas are a necessary right of passage into movie stardom.

And yes, of course, the line asking her how it feels to not be "cum" on is priceless, mostly because it is delivered so matter-of-factly.

[balmakboor]

That's a rating, not a review.

That plus it's ridiculously wrong.

[Fezzik]

Not usually a fan of remakes, but...

Betty White pitched for "Oh God!" remake?

...that might be interesting.

[Fezzik]

Every month or so, the writing group here organizes an informal movie / television marathon. Once, we did just the entire run of Firefly, then we started watching stuff on a regular basis.

We've done a 'Cheesy 80s' movie marathon (Fright Night, and the discovery that Stephen Geoffreys became a hardcore gay porn actor afterwards, was the best memory of that day), an animated movie marathon, a "really bad movie" marathon (headlined by Josie and the Pussycats) and now I got asked to pick a theme and plan.

So we're doing classic films. Now, keep in mind MOST of the people in this group are 25 or younger. I'm over 10 years older than the rest of them, and I've seen a lot more movies than just about all of them. They asked me to pick movies, but had some criteria:

* A Hitchcock film
* A musical
* One with a "hall of fame" cast
* One Astaire - Rogers film

The last one is up to me.

This is what it looks like:

Hitchcock: Rear Window
Musical: Singin' in the Rain
HoF cast: The Philadelphia Story
Astaire/Rogers: Swing Time
My choice: Casablanca

Of those, the only ones set in stone are Casablanca and Swing Time (because I own them). There are room to change others. Any suggestions, or is that a solid line up for classic film neophytes?

Also, there might be a 6th film (the Hepburn-Bogart version of Sabrina) that someone else is bringing.

[MacGuffin]

You should try Laura and see what they think of Vincent Price.

[Mara]

I'd reconsider your musical choice. Singing in the Rain is good, but a little overrated. Even with a group of young people, chances are that someone has seen it before. Something like Cabaret may be better suited.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I'd reconsider your musical choice. Singing in the Rain is good, but a little overrated. Even with a group of young people, chances are that someone has seen it before. Something like Cabaret may be better suited.

I agree with this, though I'd go with All That Jazz.

[balmakboor]

The way "classic" is being used seems to be pushing things considerably pre-Fosse. My musical choice would be Meet Me in St. Louis although I think it crazy to consider Singin' in the Rain overrated.

[Ezee E]

Agreed with All That Jazz. I really hope that there's a Blu-Ray transfer of that (if not out already). It's sort of a precursor to what the musicals are like today, but outdoes them all with its frantic pace of editing and choreography. Probably my favorite musical, and a movie that keeps moving up my favorites list.

[Skitch]

that's a rating not a review.

You're right, my bad.

Gummo is an interesting film. Interesting in that it has not one single frame, sound, character, or moment of redeeming quality. I found not a single thing in that mess worth existing. It had no story to tell, not emotional expression to convey, and no purpose except perhaps attempting to shock or insult.

That plus it's ridiculously wrong.

Yes, my opinion is wrong.

[Raiders]

Singin' in the Rain has, in the span of four posts, gone from overrated to underrated. It is magnificent and I would not change it. I also don't think All That Jazz is that compatible with "classic films" which I got the impression was trying to be synonomous with "old" films. Also, Singin' in the Rain is very much about classic cinema and the way it was affected when sound was introduced.

[Qrazy]

Perhaps I'm wrong here but I think Mara means more so that because Singing in the Rain is so highly lauded it's very well seen. So perhaps something a bit more underseen would be worth checking out... you can't go wrong with The Young Girls of Rochefort.

[Bosco B Thug]

For some reason, I found the way Berkley munches hamburgers and fries to be great -- unintentional? -- comedy.

I mean, it's practically intentional. She chomps at the things and chews like you'd imagine a brassy and brazen spitfire would, and it's pretty clear Verhoeven wanted her spitfire pitched at 11 throughout.

[Fezzik]

Perhaps I'm wrong here but I think Mara means more so that because Singing in the Rain is so highly lauded it's very well seen. So perhaps something a bit more underseen would be worth checking out... you can't go wrong with The Young Girls of Rochefort.

Two answer two of the questions sorta posed here:

Of these under-25 people, only one of the 6 has seen Singin' in the Rain. You'd be surprised how many of the younger generation don't normally see movies that are older than a few years. Hell, I once had a person tell me he refuses to see black and white movies because, and I quote "they made movies back then to pass time, not to entertain. i want to be entertained."

That's right, people, apparently, older films were made to keep people from dying of boredom, and that was it!

Luckily, THAT guy isn't in my writing group.

As for the second question...when they say classic, they talked about it beforehand and decided that wanted stuff no later than 1960.

I guess we could do a "Modern Classics" marathon next

[Qrazy]

I mean, it's practically intentional. She chomps at the things and chews like you'd imagine a brassy and brazen spitfire would, and it's pretty clear Verhoeven wanted her spitfire pitched at 11 throughout.

Have you seen Soldier of Orange or Tukish Delight yet? Because like... do so.

[number8]

Actual conversation.

"I refuse to see any film in black & white. They're all boring."
"I thought you loved Sin City."
"That's not the same."
"How so?"
"That's a cool kind of black & white."

[Bosco B Thug]

Have you seen Soldier of Orange or Tukish Delight yet? Because like... do so.

Are you saying it'll give me some kind of Verhoeven perspective? I will, not particularly eager, but I see Verhoeven as a generally fun filmmaker.

But I just checked Netflix and they're both unavailable! I wouldn't have guessed.

[Qrazy]

Are you saying it'll give me some kind of Verhoeven perspective? I will, not particularly eager, but I see Verhoeven as a generally fun filmmaker.

But I just checked Netflix and they're both unavailable! I wouldn't have guessed.

Oh no, I just thought you liked Verhoeven a lot and those are his best imo.

[megladon8]

Actual conversation.

"I refuse to see any film in black & white. They're all boring."
"I thought you loved Sin City."
"That's not the same."
"How so?"
"That's a cool kind of black & white."

I hear and am in conversations like this all the time.

A guy I used to work with watched Citizen Kane after my recommendation, but couldn't get through more than an hour of it because "the acting was so terrible".

[baby doll]

Actual conversation.

"I refuse to see any film in black & white. They're all boring."
"I thought you loved Sin City."
"That's not the same."
"How so?"
"That's a cool kind of black & white."

I hate people. They're the worst.

[kopello]

So I'm about an hour into Zulawski's On the Silver Globe (my first I've ever seen from him), and I can't decide whether the film is just so amazing it completely goes over my head or it kind of sucks. I'll just go with it's ambitious but cheesy. Maybe it'll get better, I was really digging the first 10 minutes or so.

[[ETM]]

A guy I used to work with watched Citizen Kane after my recommendation, but couldn't get through more than an hour of it because "the acting was so terrible".

I'd love to know what he considers good acting.

[balmakboor]

Yes, my opinion is wrong.

Yep, that's what I said.