Jedi Council Forums - The Essentials: Hamlet/Hand of God/Happy Man/Hard Day's Night

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Author	Topic: The Essentials: Hamlet/Hand of God/Happy Man/Hard Day's Night
Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 6/4/06 12:06am Subject: RE: The Essentials (Dr. Zhivago; Document; Dog Day Afternoon; Doge's Palace; Dogma
	4 out of 5; I've seen "Donnie Brasco" which is distinguished by some terrific acting--Depp and Pacino both shine.
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Rogue1-and-a-half Title: Manager: Amphitheatre Registered: Nov '00	Date Posted: 6/4/06 8:44pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (Dolce Vita; Dona Nobis Pacem; Don Giovanni; Donnie Brasco; Door /Dragon's Throat
	The Doors (1967) - The Doors Try to pick a best moment from this album. The salacious cover of Back Door Man, the stomping Alabama Song, the rampaging Light My Fire . . . from where I stand it all falls to the opener and the closer, the absolutely balls to the walls Break On Through and the sprawling epic The End. From any perspective, this is one of the most amazing debuts of all time. Do the Right Thing (1982) - Various Artists Here's where I admit an embarrasment . . . still haven't seen this movie. But the soundtrack is a masterful collection. Public Enemy is on hand with their anthemic Fight the Power, Take 6 provides a fantastic plea against violence and, perhaps best of all, the album is crafted as a section of radio play, complete with station breaks. Double Indemnity (1944) - Billy Wilder A definitive noir film that saw both MacMurray and Stanwyck give their finest performances. MacMurray is sleazy if slightly sympathetic. Stanwyck is terrifying, the definitive femme fatale in many ways. Edward G. Robinson gives one of his finest performances as well as the hilarious and personable Keyes who delivers the films most shattering line (Closer than that, Walter). It's a brilliant film, draped in darkness and shadows, bolstered by a crackling script that manages to turn Cain's rather weak novel into a great story. Most tellingly, Cain's entirely idiotic ending is jettisoned in favor of the sheer poetry and beauty of MacMurray's devestated narration, speaking his soul into a dictaphone with his last breaths. Brilliance. A Double Life (1947) - George Cukor Ronald Colman, perhaps not the best choice for the role but solid, plays an actor who becomes obsessed with Othello and over the course of a long run playing the character (in, of course, blackface as tradition dictated) slowly loses his grasp on reality. Rozsa's score is a killer and while the gimmick seems a bit pulpy, Colman has no compunctions and Cukor's direction is a major player, with some truly brilliant pov shots where the music and the visuals both seem to go fuzzy. And the climax is brilliant by any standards. Double Take (1999) - Petra Faced with the dubious honor of a best of CD, Petra, never a band to follow the beaten path blindly, decided to instead rerecord their greatest hits. And at this point, what should have been an exercise in futility becomes a fascinating experiment. Judas' Kiss and Dance With the One Who Brung You both get an absolutely joyful country treatment (yes, Petra . . . and country) and Beyond Belief, perhaps their best song, gets slowed down and given a low key ballad treatment that is even better than the original recording. A great capper to a great set of songs. Availability: All readily available. -----signature----- Don't be a fool, don't be blind Heart of mine If you can't do the time, don't do the crime Heart of mine
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winter_chili Registered: Nov '02	Date Posted: 6/4/06 10:14pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (Doors; Do The Right Thing; Double Indemnity; Double Life; Double Take)
	Do the Right Thing is one of my favorite films of all time and an incredible piece. Double Indemnity is great, but not Wilders best. -----signature----- The Mighty Blueonic One of the Neverending and Excruciatingly Painful Padawanship A-H-B-Y ~~! !~~ it is the duty of a patriot to defend his country from its goverment
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 6/5/06 7:11am Subject: RE: The Essentials (Doors; Do The Right Thing; Double Indemnity; Double Life; Double Take)
	"Double Indemnity" is a great noir. I've seen "A Double Life", but a long time ago, and what I remember (which isn't much) is how annoying Shelly Winters is.
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Zombi_2_1979 Registered: Jul '05	Date Posted: 6/5/06 7:16am Subject: RE: The Essentials (Doors; Do The Right Thing; Double Indemnity; Double Life; Double Take)
	"Double Indemnity" is a great noir. Ditto. This month TCM is showing the DI twice, June 6 at 10 AM and June 22 at 6:30 PM Pacific Standard. Mark your calenders.
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Rogue1-and-a-half Title: Manager: Amphitheatre Registered: Nov '00	Date Posted: 6/5/06 8:30pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (Doors; Do The Right Thing; Double Indemnity; Double Life; Double Take)
	Doubting Thomas (1602) - Caravaggio Another brilliant Caravaggio. Shadows and light are brilliant as always and the eye popping effect he mastered somehow makes the image almost lean out of the canvas toward the viewer. Brilliant. Down with Love (2003) - Peyton Reed With both Ewan MacGregor and Renee Zellwegger at their best and least pretentious, this film chugs along a path that is as witty and clever as, well, as any of the Hudson/Day films that inspired it, by which I mean witty and clever enough to be very entertaining. Also on hand is the always brilliant David Hyde Pierce, playing to type yet again, as the Tony Randall to MacGregor's Hudson. With a swinging score, several great set pieces, and a hilariously long single shot that basically screams, 'screw you' to the audience, this is a film so audaciously brilliant it must be seen to be believed. Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995) - Mel Brooks Brooks is well past his best period here, but this film still offers some solid laughs even if it is far from consistent. Brooks was rarely consistent, but when he was, it was genius. This falls short of that designation, but still manages to work to a degree, mostly thanks to the fantastic Leslie Nielson as the title character. Dragonheart (1996) - Randy Edelman Whether you've seen the film (I haven't) or heard the soundtrack, you still know this music. Instantly picked up and used in dozens of trailers since it's original release this is Edelman's finest moment as a composer. The sweeping main theme is majestic, stirring, beautiful, chill bump inducing. A brilliant score from a usually lackluster composer. One of the finest scores ever. The Dream Team (1989) - Howard Zieff A doctor takes his therapy group out of the asylum to town for a ball game and is promptly witness to a murder. He's almost killed and his therapy group is left to fend for themselves. Maybe okay, until you realize the therapy group includes Christopher Lloyd as a patient who thinks he's a doctor, Michael Keaton as a sociopathic temper freak and Peter Boyle as a wacky patient who disrobes with the slightest prompting. What follows is a pretty hilarious film, sadly underrated. Near the end it tries to switch to thriller mode which doesn't work at all, but for most of it's running time, it's a very witty and funny movie. Availability: All readily available. The Caravaggio is in Potsdam, Germany, I think. -----signature----- Don't be a fool, don't be blind Heart of mine If you can't do the time, don't do the crime Heart of mine
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TheBoogieMan Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Nov '01	Date Posted: 6/5/06 8:32pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (Doors; Do The Right Thing; Double Indemnity; Double Life; Double Take)
	Bah, what is this? 0 out of 10.
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 6/5/06 8:58pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (Doors; Do The Right Thing; Double Indemnity; Double Life; Double Take)
	Doubting Thomas (1602) - Caravaggio Yes, it's a great picture. Down with Love (2003) - Peyton Reed This was a highly enjoyable movie until a stupid plot twist ruined it. Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995) - Mel Brooks It's certainly not up to "Young Frankenstein". Alas. Dragonheart (1996) - Randy Edelman Haven't seen this. The Dream Team (1989) - Howard Zieff Sudden idea: the best sequence in this film is set to Ray Charles' "Hit the Road, Jack", which means that we can include it on the 100 Best Movie Songs thread...
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Rogue1-and-a-half Title: Manager: Amphitheatre Registered: Nov '00	Date Posted: 6/6/06 8:33pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (Doubting Thomas; Down With Love; Dracula:Dead & Loving It;Dragonheart; Dream Tea
	Dr. No (1962) - Terence Young The first of the films and it's rather shocking how low key it is. Connery as Bond is little more than a rather brutal detective and it's in this stripped down mold that the film really succeeds. Certain icons are here, but it's in the simpler moments (a shockingly fast murder before the credits, Connery executing a traitor with out a blink, Ursula Andress striding out of the water) that the film reaches a level of poetry. Bond would rarely be this good ever again. Only a couple of times would it ever be better. Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) - Stanley Kubrick The rare example of a film that is funnier every time you watch it (it takes about three viewings before you really howl at lines like, "I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed!"). It's brilliantly directed, almost documentary style, certainly not comedy style. Sellers is brilliant in his triple role and George C. Scott and Sterling Hayden are both in top form as well. Scott, particularly, wins the big moments with his grandiose and fanatical character. At times hysterically funny; always iconic and memorable. Driving Miss Daisy (1989) - Bruce Beresford Featuring two great lead performances, from the always brilliant Freeman and the occasionally on the nose Tandy, this story of mutual friendship perfectly captures the rhthyms of real life and the humor and bitterness of growing old. Dan Ackroyd is surprisingly good in a small supporting role. Duck Soup (1933) - Leo McCarey If you force me, I will generally name this the best comedy of all time. It's simply beyond the pale; pick a best bit, if you can. The lemonade vendor, Groucho's governmental musical number, the final battle, the treason trial ("That's irrelevant") . . . and while anyone of these scenes would be the centerpiece in any other movie, here they all play second fiddle to the most sidesplitting few minutes of cinema: the riotious mirror scene which always convulses me, no matter how many times I watch it. The Marxes best beyond a doubt. Dumb and Dumber (1994) - Peter Farrelly/Bobby Farrelly Perhaps the most hilarious comedy of the nineties (only perhaps!), this film manages to take a paper thin premise and somehow find wells of hilarity. You may kick yourself later for laughing over the laxative scene, but at the time you're laughing so hard, you're crying. And, truth be told, you'll probably laugh again when you think of it a few days later. Packed to the gills with so many hilarious bits: 'His head fell off?', the duelling with canes . . . consider this: my mother is an ultra-conservative Sunday School teacher. I cajoled her into watching this film; she's watched it twice now and laughed until she cried both times. With the Farrelly's it's never really 'good clean fun,' but, oh, it is so very funny. Availability: All available on DVD. -----signature----- Don't be a fool, don't be blind Heart of mine If you can't do the time, don't do the crime Heart of mine
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TheBoogieMan Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Nov '01	Date Posted: 6/6/06 9:17pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (Dr. No; Dr. Strangelove; Driving Miss Daisy; Duck Soup; Dumb & Dumber)
	Rogue1-and-a-half posted: Dr. No (1962) - Terence Young Yes. I've said it before and I'll say it again - it isn't the type of film that you would expect to spawn 19 sequels, is it? Rogue1-and-a-half posted: Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) - Stanley Kubrick An absolute classic. "Women uh... women sense my power and they seek the life essence. I, uh... I do not avoid women, Mandrake. But I do deny them my essence".
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 6/6/06 9:19pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (Dr. No; Dr. Strangelove; Driving Miss Daisy; Duck Soup; Dumb & Dumber)
	Dr. No (1962) - Terence Young This film only reaches a level of poetry if the poetry in question is a limerick. It's kind of low key, yes, but entertaining. Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) - Stanley Kubrick It's brilliant, yes. But a typical Kubrick film. Not likable. Driving Miss Daisy (1989) - Bruce Beresford Haven't seen it. Duck Soup (1933) - Leo McCarey Groucho's verbal wit on overdrive. Splendid. Dumb and Dumber (1994) - Peter Farrelly/Bobby Farrelly I guess I should see this...ze list.
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Rogue1-and-a-half Title: Manager: Amphitheatre Registered: Nov '00	Date Posted: 6/7/06 8:36pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (Dr. No; Dr. Strangelove; Driving Miss Daisy; Duck Soup; Dumb & Dumber)
	Dummy (1994) - Portishead A tapestry of darkness, woven from minor key riffs, spy music and rattling percussion, pierced by the ethereal voice of Beth Gibbons, haunting and devastated. One of the finest debuts of all time; the staggering Sour Times is as dark as you can easily get and the brilliant Wandering Stars, with its gorgeous ride cymbal and lyrics from the book of Jude is a glimpse into the abyss. Dune Landscape (1911) - Piet Mondrian The artist known for lines and shapes turns his attention to the curves and colors of landscape and creates one of the greatest landscapes ever. Shimmering. Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash (1912) - Giacomo Balla One of Balla’s wittiest paintings, an effort to capture movement and sound, that manages to succeed about as well as any painting with those goals ever has. The movement is obvious and if you can’t hear the clinking chains and the clicking paws of the dog, get a hearing aid. Dynamism of a Soccer Player (1913) - Umberto Boccioni A painting of brilliant color and motion. Boccioni was always the best at capturing real motion and energy because of his abstractions and this painting is perhaps his best, filled with power and energy. The Eagle Has Landed (1975) - Jack Higgins The novel that rightfully catapulted Higgins to the top of the list for a brief period and while it isn’t his best (Cold Harbour takes that title), it is a stellar novel. As German commandoes parachute into a small English village in order to assassinate Winston Churchill when he passes through, everything comes clear. The village, the IRA agents operating therein, the London police agents, the German commandoes, the American battalion stationed there . . . the ending adds a whole new punch and with the brutal and sadistic Harvey Preston, Higgins created one of literature’s most enduring villains and one whose comeuppance is among the most poetic and beautiful passages of modern literature. Availability: Book and CD are both still in print. Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash and Dynamism of a Soccer Player are both at the MoMA in NY. Not sure where the Mondrian is. -----signature----- Don't be a fool, don't be blind Heart of mine If you can't do the time, don't do the crime Heart of mine
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TheBoogieMan Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Nov '01	Date Posted: 6/8/06 3:27am Subject: RE: The Essentials (Dummy; Dune Landscape; Dynamism Dog/Soccer; Eagle Has Landed)
	Rogue1-and-a-half posted: The Eagle Has Landed (1975) - Jack Higgins A great book, one of the most war thrillers. I'm hoping to see the film on your next installment. The main theme is very stirring, but I can't remember the rest of the score so I don't know if it will make it on to the list.
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somethingfamiliar Registered: Aug '03	Date Posted: 6/8/06 4:54am Subject: RE: The Essentials (Dummy; Dune Landscape; Dynamism Dog/Soccer; Eagle Has Landed)
	Rogue1-and-a-half posted: Dummy (1994) - Portishead The sex album! It seems to be a must-have for the aspiring seductress. -----signature----- I had all bases covered. I had the Hulkamaniacs watching DiBiase. I had Virgil in his place.
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 6/8/06 7:49pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (Dummy; Dune Landscape; Dynamism Dog/Soccer; Eagle Has Landed)
	I don't think "Dynamism of a Soccer Player" works at all. But "Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash" is hilarious and witty.
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