IMDB Top 250 films

[yovargas]

Why a D for Gandhi? (And props for spelling it right! )

That one runs into another very common problem I've noticed amongst the movies on this list - it is way, way too long. In just that last post there are 3 movies at around the 3 hours mark. It's like people mistake "really long" for "really grand" or something? Anyway, Gandhi was IMO a decent if ordinary movie stretched out at least an hour longer than needed to make its point (ie. Gandhi was a super good dude).

Any film that contains a scene like this can't be a D. Those 3 minutes alone elevate the entire movie to at least a B.

True story - I was considering rating it a D- until that final sequence. Those final scenes elevated it to a D for me.

The movie is breathtakingly gorgeous. But pretty images aside, I find it sooooooooooo dull. I'd honestly say it is (to me!) the most flat out boring movie off the list so far. It just feels like noooooothing happens until Rutger Hauer truly shows up for the finale. It occurred to me afterward that if the movie had been about Rutger Hauer's character, that movie could've been great cuz he was the only memorable person in the whole darn thing.

What was with Mockingbird? I don't believe that it falls into any of the categories you've criticised so far .

The movie is famous for the great and noble Finch but the actual movie spends the majority of its time focused on those stupid, annoying little kids and frankly I spent most of the movie wanting to smack those little brats mouth's shut. (That's probably not very PC to say. )

[Inanna]

I think the nuances & history displayed in Gandhi were outstanding and did more than make the point that he was a super good dude.

[Impenitent]

Any film that contains a scene like this can't be a D. Those 3 minutes alone elevate the entire movie to at least a B.

I just really love that clip, so I thought it was worth repeating.

And also the dystopian San Francisco street scenes, with the billboards in the sky.

Forrest Gump

I've not seen it, and though many have urged to do so, I just...can't bring myself to. I don't know why. I've seen the trailers, and various clips, and they always put me off rather than softening me to it.

[Inanna]

Really Impish? I think you would really like that movie.

[yovargas]

Been a bit since I posted. Did ya miss me?

The latest crop:

On the Waterfront A
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington A-
The General B
The Killing B
Dial M for Murder B-
Sunrise B-
The Bourne Ultimatum B-
The Bridge on the River Kwai B-
The Wizard of Oz B-
The Great Escape C
The Lives of Others C
Singin' in the Rain C-
Reservoir Dogs D-
Rosemary's Baby F
Casino F-


3 general observations:

- I've been giving out a lot of "fairly enjoyable but nothing special" B- grades. Makes me feel like I need one more slot between B, B-, and C+.
- On the Waterfront solidified my opinion Marlon Brando as the greatest actor of all-time. That man was a genius.
- I hated Casino so much I needed to invent a grade below F. Thus the F-. (Unsurprisingly, it goes to yet another Rise and Fall of the Asshole story. )

[Lalaith]

I guess I'll give that a skip then.

[Primula Baggins]

<cries a little bit inside because yov doesn't like Singin' in the Rain>

[yovargas]

If it makes you feel any better, I really like the scene Singin' in the Rain....
(Some of the WTF pseudo-dream sequence is cool too.)

[Primula Baggins]

I've always liked the movie a lot—it was my dad's favorite film, so we always watched it as a family every time it showed up on TV. Then my kids' high school did the musical, and my son was understudy for the Donald O'Connor role (the goofy sidekick) and ended up taking over just before opening night because the kid who was cast sprained his ankle badly in one of the dance numbers (you probably know which one). And my daughter was in the chorus. And it was the best musical they ever did. Bigger crowds every night, and closing night sold out.

It's just such a happy memory that seeing the movie makes me want to happy-cry. You are permitted not to share my associations!

[Jude]

Did the guy in your class do that bit where he runs up a wall and then does a back-flip? That move always astounded me.

[Primula Baggins]

No, that was not done—I'm sure for valid safety reasons. But my son did fling himself around rather violently, including flying into the air in various poses from behind a couch. He actually launched himself, I am not sure how. He's one of those strong, wiry people.

It got a big round of applause. That and the actual rain on the stage.

[yovargas]

Overall, a pretty weak batch of films this time around but I'm at least happy to report that Indiana Jones is still a really darn fun movie.


Raiders of the Lost Ark A-
The Green Mile B+
Strangers on a Train B-
Ben-Hur C+
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly C+
The Seventh Seal C+
The Third Man C+
The Thing C
Gran Torino D+
Le Samouraï D+
The Night of the Hunter D+

[Frelga]

Overall, a pretty weak batch of films this time around but I'm at least happy to report that Indiana Jones is still a really darn fun movie.
]

I can't see the Raiders in the same way again ever since a Big Bang character pointed out that Indy is completely superfluous to the plot. Without him, the Nazis would still have taken the Ark on the submarine, opened it, and died.

[yovargas]

Hah! In fact, without him, the Nazis would've been dead a lot sooner. A fair point!

[Primula Baggins]

Which "The Thing" movie was it, yov?

[yovargas]

The 1982 one with Kurt Russell. I dunno. The premise and concept were very compelling but ultimately the execution fell flat for me. To me it felt like a version of Alien (which is I think is amazing) made by a lesser talent.

[Primula Baggins]

I didn't like it, either (when I last saw it, which was in the theater on opening night in L.A.). It was one of the first films to use special effects for horror, and I thought it was exhausting. The next weekend we saw a sneak preview of E.T., and the contrast made The Thing seem even worse.

The 1950s black and white version manages to be seriously scary even though the monster, when it finally appears, is rather silly-looking. I'd say it's a much better film.

[yovargas]

Didn't know there was a 50s version.
*googles*
Ah, it's called "The Thing from Another World". Interesting.
It's the kind of thing that I think would actually be ripe for a remake. The ones where the concept is great but the delivery isn't.

[Smaug's voice]

I'm not sure if it's there in the list, but "Grave of the Fireflies" definitely should be.
It's heart-breaking, poignant, sweet yet harrowing.

It's difficult how I felt about it after watching it. I'll leave Roger Ebert's review instead which does a far better job at explaining it's greatness.

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great ... flies-1988

[yovargas]

It is on the list. It's one I'm quite looking forward to but unfortunately, at least last I checked, Netflix doesn't have the DVD available. I'm sure I'll find a way to get to it at some point, though.