Match Cut Presents: Four Top Fifties

[Idioteque Stalker]

I was trying to figure out why I recognize the camo guy, and it hit me. He's the villain from Naked Gun 33 1/3. Never heard of Remo Williams though.

[Idioteque Stalker]

#47



Enchanted

Sure, the clever plot, pitch-perfect cast, memorable songs, and breathless pacing help Enchanted to be among Disney’s most entertaining movies. But when it comes down to it, there’s really just one reason it’s a favorite: Amy Adams. For the movie to work, we have to believe Giselle is a real Disney princess, even if it takes her a while to convince others—with her irresistible enthusiasm and sincerity—that dreams do, in fact, come true.

As Giselle injects a little magic into Manhattan’s Midtown, the film’s next and most clever trick is how it slowly but surely exposes her to harsh modern realities—learning about and experiencing anger for the first time, then despair when she is introduced to the concept of divorce—until she’s nearly cynical by the film’s end. To see a grown woman bear the full weight and horror of things we’ve slowly grown accustomed to as “facts of life” only reminds us of that bit of ourselves, no matter how dormant, that still believes life can be a fairy tale.

[Skitch]

I was trying to figure out why I recognize the camo guy, and it hit me. He's the villain from Naked Gun 33 1/3. Never heard of Remo Williams though.

Surely you've seen Tremors!

[transmogrifier]

47.



Movie: The Conformist (1970)
Director: Bernado Bertolucci
Commentary: My full Letterboxd review: “Ravishing in image, riveting in plot.’ That seems insufficient, for the purpose of this list, but I don’t have a lot of time to rewatch all of the films that I have only seen once years ago. So, for cases like these, I am going to pull an excerpt from a review of someone I follow on Letterboxd. This, from Callum Marsh: “Here fascism is the ultimate manifestation of conformity. This view — a quasi-satirical thesis of sorts — makes The Conformist a rather more trenchant and acerbic anti-fascist critique than the comparatively crude 1900. Those drawn in under the influence of fascism aren’t rendered as caricatures of cruelty. Indeed they needn’t be: Their weakness, in Bertolucci’s conception, speaks for itself.”
Key Quote: “"Anna, please, dear, calm down. Clerici is a fascist. I'm an anti-fascist. We both knew. And we decided to have supper together all the same."
Best Moment: It has to be the chase through the woods.



Director: Samuel Fuller
Films Seen: 11
Average: 69.18/100
Commentary: Fuller is one of those directors whose style is relatively perfunctory in terms of technical skills - certainly, a lot of his films make good use of editing, but in terms of mise-en-scene and camera movement, he tended towards blunt and simple - but whose thematic predilections provide the spark and spirit that drives cinema. He wasn’t shy in pointing out the hypocrisy of society and the mistreatment of marginalized groups.
Best Film: White Dog
“Worst” Film: Pickup on South Street. Again, it’s not a bad film - it is just the least of the Fuller films I have seen.
Key Quote: “If a story doesn't give you a hard-on in the first couple of scenes, throw it in the goddamned garbage.”



Musical Artist: The Velvet Underground
Commentary: I don’t generally have a lot of time for canonized bands from the 60s/70s - I’m tepid on The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and The Rolling Stones, for example - but I’m all on board for these arty weirdos who happened to appear at the right time and flame brightly for a brief period before - as many good bands do - collapsing in on itself.
Best Album: White Light/White Heat (1968). Their most abrasive album, but it’s hilarious.
Best Song: “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’” from Loaded (1970)

[Idioteque Stalker]

Surely you've seen Tremors!

I actually haven't. It looks squirmy and gross.

[Idioteque Stalker]

Eleven Sam Fuller films! Wow. Maybe I'll add one to the queue. The Naked Kiss?

As for your other two choices... too low.

[Pop Trash]

Man, I remember loving Remo Williams as a kid too. I noticed it's on Prime, so I may have to give it a whirl. Incidentally, as far as '80s movies I liked as a kid go, I rewatched the first two Karate Kid movies. First one actually aged better than I thought. I was expecting to cringe, but it's really well done. The second one is def more cheese but it's still entertaining.

Also, I saw the Breeders live about two years ago and they are still rad. The Deal sisters look pretty much the same. Aged well.

[Dukefrukem]

Man, I remember loving Remo Williams as a kid too. I noticed it's on Prime, so I may have to give it a whirl. Incidentally, as far as '80s movies I liked as a kid go, I rewatched the first two Karate Kid movies. First one actually aged better than I thought. I was expecting to cringe, but it's really well done. The second one is def more cheese but it's still entertaining.

Also, I saw the Breeders live about two years ago and they are still rad. The Deal sisters look pretty much the same. Aged well.

Isn't it weird how perspectives change, specifically in film? Things you remember as a kid are TOTALLY different when they are rewatched.

[Mal]

47. MY DINNER WITH ANDRE (1981)
“… that moment when Marlon Brando sent the Indian woman to accept the Oscar, and everything went haywire? Things just very rarely go haywire now. And if you're just operating by habit, then you're not really living. ”

I love when characters in a film can talk, share, and continue to talk and share ideas without the director judging them by cutting off the storytelling to change scenes and move on. My Dinner with Andre is centered around a long conversation over dinner between two characters - Wally and Andre - where they share their experiences and feelings on their lives.
Such a simple conceit for a film, yet one that feels rich and vibrant - thoughtful and sincere - no matter who I am as a viewer at the time, no matter what is going on in my life. The film has a dated, yet timeless look to itself. Its New York City in 1980. A seemingly chilly day (Wally’s nose looks a little red at the beginning) though not cold enough for Wally to wear gloves. He’s off to see Andre for dinner, admitting this is a reluctant meeting for him. Sharing his thoughts about pining for his girlfriend to be home to make him dinner instead, he reveals he hasn’t been the biggest fan of his dinner partner for that evening. They meet, the wine flows, the history between them, the history of history. Andre’s travels. Nothing is off the table, not even electric blankets. It’s all about life. Living. Experiences.
I know this may be a film for very few rather than many. Louis Malle’s introspective take on this conversation is filled with nuance though what each man brings to the discussion, as well as their ability to listen, be enthused or passionate. I admire this movie for its endless ability to be as tasty and satisfying as any good meal.

(streaming on Criterion Channel, HBO MAX, Kanopy)

[Skitch]

You know what childhood fav I was absolutely shocked kinda held up? Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend.

[Mal]

The Conformist is wonderful, really love that film.

[Idioteque Stalker]

Very curious about My Dinner with Andre. Such an audacious premise for a feature length film. Sounds like Malle was able to pull it off.

[baby doll]

Very curious about My Dinner with Andre. Such an audacious premise for a feature length film. Sounds like Malle was able to pull it off.

My Letterboxd review from a couple of months ago. It's consistently entertaining, but my favourite Malle film would either be Zazie dans le métro (it doesn't work as a comedy but it's definitely his weirdest and most stylistically adventurous film) or Lacombe Lucien. Le Souffle au coeur is probably essential viewing as well, if only because the entire careers of Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach would be inconceivable without its example. I still haven't seen the last half-hour of Pretty Baby because the disc skipped, but based on what I've seen, it has to be one of the saddest films ever made: The story of a bright, likeable teenager sleepwalking into a life of prostitution because she lives in a society that makes it impossible for her to imagine any other life for herself. (In many respects, it's a companion film to Lacombe Lucien.) From what I've seen, his worst is Damage; it certainly has the silliest sex scenes of any non-hardcore movie I can recall.

[StuSmallz]

My Letterboxd review from a couple of months ago.

Wait, "Sooriyakumaran"...? Didn't you use to post on RT a long time ago?

[[ETM]]

Of course. Like most of us here.

Sent from my Mi 9 Lite using Tapatalk

[Ezee E]

Wait, "Sooriyakumaran"...? Didn't you use to post on RT a long time ago?

Sooriyakumaran was one of the first people I remember interacting with.

[Dukefrukem]

Red Beard was burned into my memory.

[Morris Schæffer]

Red Beard was burned into my memory.

Haha, there have been some colorful characters there. Good some are now here.

[Skitch]

Red Beard was burned into my memory.

He and I almost met up to go to a convention once.

[baby doll]

Wait, "Sooriyakumaran"...? Didn't you use to post on RT a long time ago?

A very, very long time ago.

[StuSmallz]

Of course. Like most of us here.

Sent from my Mi 9 Lite using Tapatalk

Well, I knew most Matchcutters started out on RT (I posted there myself from '06 all the way to the bitter end in 2017, after all), I just had no idea that he was Soori specifically, so learning that is a pretty pleasant surprise.

He and I almost met up to go to a convention once.

That's cool; I've tried meeting a couple of fellow forumers over the years, but the first time I succeeded was actually earlier this year, when I met Quite-Gone Genie for lunch at a local BBQ joint.

A very, very long time ago.

Yeah; didn't you wear an avatar of Kiera Knightley in Domino there? And people kept mistakenly assuming you were a woman because of that?

[megladon8]

All of the members of the Axis I consider good friends, no matter how far away they are or the fact that I've only met one of them IRL.

They've been in my life for more than half of its runtime.

[Dukefrukem]

Duke's Top 50 Most Influential Movies Throughout Life
The movies I've seen from age 10-35 that have had ANY (small or large) impact on my personal viewpoint on life, lived by myself, or the perceived perspective of someone else's life.
#46



Rushmore (1998)

My introduction to Wes Anderson as a high school 14 year old. A friend of mine's brother had a very extensive DVD collection this year, which to everyone else on the planet, means they were super rich since DVD didn't break through into mainstream until several years later. This movie blew me away. I had never been exposed to movies like this before. Wes Anderson, Coen Brothers and to some extend Quentin Tarantino were all introduced to me by my friends' older brother. It was the first time I realized that "comedies" outside of American Pie could be funny. It changed the way I looked at comedy, from slapstick Hot Shots Part Deux , Ace Ventura and the Naked Gun... to black comedies like Fargo and Rushmore. Irony finally made sense! But it was this moment that made me seek out others like it. I'm grateful I was exposed to this so early in life.

[Idioteque Stalker]

Such a great movie. Possibly my favorite Bill Murray role as well. That screenshot really pops--maybe all Wes Anderson is like that.

[Skitch]

I need to check that one off the list. I've only seen bits and pieces.