IMDB Top 250 films

[yovargas]

Welcome back, Smaug's voice! (even though your grade for The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly brings dishonor upon you )

It brings honor upon me cuz I haaaaated that movie when I saw it years ago. I have to rewatch it as part of my project but I recently watched it's "spiritual prequel" For a Few Dollars More and I haaaaated that one too.


I have no doubt that there is indeed good Indian films but the films that weirdly have made it into the 250 aren't there because they're good. I get the sense that they're maybe just movies with Indian superstars that Indians flood with votes. (I unknowingly happened to watch one of these semi-recently and it was laughably, abysmally terrible.)

[Beutlin]

It brings honor upon me cuz I haaaaated that movie when I saw it years ago.

If (or should I say when) I become king, you will pay for these words of foolishness.

That said, my favorite Leone film is by far "Once upon a Time in the West".

[yovargas]

Or maybe that was the one I saw. I forget. Eh, they're all the same as far as I can tell....

There are 5 Leone films on the list so I have to watch them all which I am very much not looking forward to.

[Smaug's voice]

Hiya!

Yeah, I'd suggest the Apu Trilogy by director Satyajit Ray;
http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/rev ... ?FID=13526

Ray was influenced by "Bicycle thieves" and Kurosawa films, so chances are if you like them you'll it.

As for Good, bad and Ugly; 5 isn't a terrible score. It just means I felt the movie was quite ordinary and have no interest in seeing it again.
And Raiders of the lost Ark is just plain overrated

[yovargas]

Looking at his film Pather Panchali, it has a 8.3 rating on IMDB which is is a great score, possibly putting it in the top 100 - except that to get on the list you need a minimum of 25K votes and it only has 11K. So it looks like it might be a great movie that hardly anyone has seen. I just looked to see if I could add it to my Netflix DVD queue but they don't have it which I've literally never had happen before!

[yovargas]

My movie watching project soldiers on. Here are the movies from the list I've watched since my last post here.


All About Eve A+
Jurassic Park A
Double Indemnity A-
The Apartment B
It Happened One Night B-
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels B-
Gone with the Wind C+
High Noon C+
Sin City C+
Annie Hall D+
Ip Man D+
City Lights D
Taxi Driver NA

[yovargas]

My project continues - here are the movies I've watched since the last posting. A good batch this time, with three As and no D/F movies. I'm mad at myself for having gone this long without watching Princess Mononoke. It's easily the best non-LOTR fantasy movie I've ever seen. It gets my highest recommendation!


Apocalypse Now A+
Princess Mononoke A+
Sunset Blvd. A
Psycho B+
Rocky B
Schindler's List B
Pirates of the Caribbean B
Se7en C+
Scarface C
Léon: The Professional C-

[Impenitent]

You're demonstrating a stoicism above and beyond the ordinary person (not surprising, you are above and beyond the ordinary person ).

Just thought I'd jump up and down with enthusiasm about All About Eve - what a great movie! (Also Sunset Boulevard - Gloria Swanson was magnificent in that).

What does the NA rating on Taxi Driver mean? I didn't like that film, and would not willingly watch it again.

[yovargas]

You're demonstrating a stoicism above and beyond the ordinary person

Not sure what you mean by that?

(not surprising, you are above and beyond the ordinary person ).

Just thought I'd jump up and down with enthusiasm about All About Eve - what a great movie! (Also Sunset Boulevard - Gloria Swanson was magnificent in that).

Both are definite favorites! IMO, Betty Davis' performance in Eve is All-Time Best Actress. So crazy good!

What does the NA rating on Taxi Driver mean? I didn't like that film, and would not willingly watch it again.

It means I was so deeply disturbed by it that I do not want to think about it for one moment more than I had to and thus would not rate it. I would also not willingly watch it again.

[Impenitent]

You're demonstrating a stoicism above and beyond the ordinary person

Not sure what you mean by that?

I meant that your determination to watch all 250 movies, even though you know you will dislike several (or many) takes stoicism.

[yovargas]

Ah yes, I indeed stand firm in the face of great adversity.

[Dave_LF]

I agree about Mononoke, by the way. I am not usually an anime fan and was reluctant to watch it for that reason, but eventually it happened anyway. It was a while ago and I don't remember it too well, but I do remember that I really enjoyed it.

[JewelSong]

A "D" for "City Lights?" Heresy. Easily my favorite Chaplin film.


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[yovargas]

I really really really super duper mega do not get the Chaplin love. It utterly baffles me. The humor is sooooooo dated and predictable and lame. I totally don't understand the idea that people in the 21st century still find him bumbling around the height of comedy in the 21st century.

[Túrin Turambar]

It's obvious that Yov's tastes differ from mine - I didn't get into Apocalypse Now but I think that High Noon, Seven Samurai and Schindler's List are all great films. That said, I'm not sure if there's any common pattern.

[yovargas]

Schindler's List is one I was conflicted on rating as I think the first half or so is an absolute masterpiece but I think Spielberg badly bungles the 2nd half with Schindler's transition to "hero" feeling awkward and unnatural and some of the final scenes getting unbearably mawkish. Very frustrating since what was great was really, really great.

High Noon I might've liked more if the climactic shootout had been more satisfying. Everything in that movie is about how terrifying and evil and dangerous this dreaded villain is but when he shows up he's just another guy. It left me going *shrug* So what was all the fuss about? *shrug*

[Primula Baggins]

The fuss was about whether the sheriff was really giving up violence because his Quaker wife asked him to.

[yovargas]

Was that ever in question? I recall it being clear right from the get go that he'd resort to violence if necessary. And of course, even if true, that doesn't answer why it's such a big fuss to everyone else who bails on him.

[Túrin Turambar]

The obvious issue with putting your hero into a one-versus-four fight is that the villain is going to look a bit small if he can't beat him with three others helping him. That said, I liked the fact that the shootout had an understated and realistic feel - I actually felt like the Marshall was in danger. I find that I can't buy into many elaborate or notionally-spectacular action scenes.

[yovargas]

The project continues. 14 imdb movies watched since my last posting, in order by my rating:


Pan's Labyrinth A
Good Will Hunting A-
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest A-
Amélie B+
No Country for Old Men B+
Fargo B
Rashomon B
Rebecca B-
The Godfather B-
Paris, Texas C
Platoon C
The Godfather: Part II C-
Goodfellas D
Once Upon a Time in America D-

Two observations:

1) Godfather I & II, Godfather, Scarface, Once Upon a Time in America - people seem to really, really like gangster sagas.

2) I really, really do not like gangster sagas.

Without exception, I find all of the "gangsters" totally boring and uninvolving. I don't care if they live or die, succeed or fail or anything else. That's not true, actually - usually I want them all to shoot each other already so I don't have to watch them be tedious assholes anymore. (You can add Sopranos to this list, too).

It doesn't help that each of these films follows the same basic structure - guy becomes successful and powerful by being an asshole, but in the end he is sad, boo hoo. Citizen Kane and Raging Bull are two more mega-beloved classics also follow that same trajectory and, unsurprisingly, I think both of those movies suck too. I'm calling it The Rise and Fall of the Asshole trope and apparently film lovers can't get enough of it but good lord am I sick of it already. As I said elsewhere in a mini-review of Scarface, "All these classic movies about tough guy machismo bullshit, I find it all so tiresome. I'm sorry but your manly quest for power or whatever is dumb and boring and I don't care."