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
TheBoogieMan Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Nov '01	Date Posted: 8/22/06 3:24am Subject: RE: The Essentials (F/X; Fahrenheit 451; Fallen; Fallingwater; The False Mirror)
	F/X is a fun film, but it annoys me as it's really the only American film of worth that Bryan Brown did. He's a terrific actor who should be in more films, IMO.
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 8/22/06 1:11pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (F/X; Fahrenheit 451; Fallen; Fallingwater; The False Mirror)
	His career was ruined by the noxious "Cocktail". I hope he fired his agent.
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Rogue1-and-a-half Title: Manager: Amphitheatre Registered: Nov '00	Date Posted: 8/22/06 7:30pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (F/X; Fahrenheit 451; Fallen; Fallingwater; The False Mirror)
	Brown was very good in Gorillas in the Mist with Sigourney Weaver. Great movie, that. -----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: 8/22/06 8:28pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (F/X; Fahrenheit 451; Fallen; Fallingwater; The False Mirror)
	He's just started a weekly thriller series on Australian TV in the vein of "Alfred Hitchcock presents..." called "Two Twisted". Reviews have been poor, though.
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General Kenobi Title: Administrator Emeritus Registered: Dec '98	Date Posted: 8/23/06 12:44pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (F/X; Fahrenheit 451; Fallen; Fallingwater; The False Mirror)
	Fahrenheit 451 is an essential on the topic of censorship. Maybe this topic will be revisted with commercial coporations vying for control of the internet in addition to the other media.
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dp4m Registered: Nov '01	Date Posted: 8/23/06 1:31pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (F/X; Fahrenheit 451; Fallen; Fallingwater; The False Mirror)
	"Crazy Glue. 1,001 uses... now 1,002!" /shove -----signature----- "Looks like you're about to get pwned" - Eric Cartman "Awarding experience points for cleverly and creatively generating an enjoyable experience. How warped is that?" - Darths & Droids
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Rogue1-and-a-half Title: Manager: Amphitheatre Registered: Nov '00	Date Posted: 9/10/06 9:37pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (F/X; Fahrenheit 451; Fallen; Fallingwater; The False Mirror)
	Fanfare for the Common Man (1942) - Aaron Copland A somewhat lesser work by Copland, but one of his most famous. Short and simple, but undeniably stirring. Fantasia (1940) - Various Artists No, not the film, which has more bad ideas than good ones, but the soundtrack, which reads like a greatest hits parade. Stravinsky, Bach, Mussorgsky, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky . . . if the recordings are still a little rough, the passion is undeniable. A Farewell to Arms (1929) - Ernest Hemingway Deeply tragic, written in Hemingway's trademark sparse style, this tells a story told a thousand times of a man and a woman meeting in time of war and the brevity of love. It's hardly a philosophical novel on its face, but the themes are all there and it's a deeply, profoundly moving novel. The final scenes are heartwrenching and the hospital scenes are terrifying, literally painful and as bleak as modern literature ever is. A masterwork; not his finest novel by a stretch, but brilliant. A Farewell to Arms (1957) - Charles Vidor/John Huston Who would have guessed? The Rock Hudson film is better than the Gary Cooper version. Neither Cooper or Hudson are right, but this film has the benefit of great direction and the always interesting Jennifer Jones in the female lead. And if Hudson is bland, Vittoria Di Sica delivers the goods in his supporting role and the always fascinating Mercedes McCambridge steals every scene she's in. And the bland Hudson actually seems to work in the final scenes, the blandness standing in for emotional emptiness. Fargo (1996) - Joel Coen/Ethan Coen If you've seen the film, you get it. If you haven't, nothing I can say can make you grasp it. Carter Burwell's magnificent score, a real atmosphere of place, moody gray skies, William H. Macy catapulting himself up from character actor to highly sought after character actor, Frances McDormand absolutely knocking me out with the sheer simplicity and good will of her performance, the juxtaposition of darkness and goodness, the hilarious Steve Buscemi, the sickening violence, the chilling Peter Storemare, the infuriating Harve Presnell. See it. Now. Rare is the film this perfect. -----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: 9/10/06 10:01pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (Fanfare for the Common Man; Fantasia; Farewell to Arms; Fargo)
	Fanfare for the Common Man is ubiquitous. A great work. I'm afraid I haven't experienced the others, save Fantasia when I was too young to remember.
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 9/11/06 1:02pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (Fanfare for the Common Man; Fantasia; Farewell to Arms; Fargo)
	Haven't heard either of the music choices. Haven't seen the Gary Cooper "Farewell" but have no difficulty believing he's wrong for the part; but then so is Hudson--and Jones---who are both way too old. "Fargo" is sublime.
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Rogue1-and-a-half Title: Manager: Amphitheatre Registered: Nov '00	Date Posted: 9/15/06 7:01pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (Fanfare for the Common Man; Fantasia; Farewell to Arms; Fargo)
	The Far Side (1980 - 1994) - Gary Larsen Always twisted, sometimes literally horrifying, usually side splittingly funny. He's the man who kicked comics up a notch, took the medium and made it his own particular grotesque art form. How do you start naming your favorites? The westerns? ("Vegetarians were often shot with little or no provocation.") The desert islands? ("I swear, Bill, if you don't get the Mr. Ed theme out of your head, I'm going to kill you in your sleep.") The dog/postman ones? ("Now!") The purely nonsensical ones? ("Hey, that's Jed Harper's horse, but ain't that Grover Smith's chicken ridin' him?") The scientific ones? ("Yes, sir, everything's squared away. Squared away!") They assume the reader is intelligent and not afraid to be pushed a little. And Larsen ushered in another great era; after his retirement, his strips were, a career first, published in their entirity in a two volume set (that weighs about twenty-five pounds . . . I checked on the bathroom scale). Now that Calvin and Hobbes and Charlie Brown are following suit, we've got the comic strip right where we want. This is great literature and don't let any snobs tell you it's not. Fatal Attraction (1987) - Adrian Lyne Originally a more intelligent film with a much more ambiguous ending, the film has turned into an icon of horror. But it's still a fairly intelligent film; Douglas is always best when playing sleaze (rare exception: the American President) and Anne Archer is great. Close hams it up, but she's distinctly frightening; the wrist slicing scene is pure torture to watch. The Fate of the Animals (1913) - Franz Marc Marc is often forgotten, but he's a great abstract artist, always abstracting enough to be, well, abstract, but always keeping things at least vaguely recognizeable. And his color has probably never been better than here. Father of the Bride (1950) - Vincente Minelli Like the remake, it's flawed and a hair dated. But Tracy's performance is one for the ages, one that will ring true as long as there are fathers and daughters. The inlaws are brilliant and there's lots of funny stuff and some poignancy to be found. Tracy's voiceover at the wedding is a monologue par excellence. The Father's Song (1999) - Matt Redman Hailing from Australia, where he was discovered by Martin Smith, frontman for Delirious?, Redman has been mostly overlooked by the Christian music industry. Strange, or perhaps not, as he's deeply talented. Heart wrenching vocals and an ear for electronic tapestries highlight this album, his debut if I recall correctly. -----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: 9/15/06 7:04pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (Far Side, Fatal Attraction, Fate of the Animals, Father of the Bride, Father's S
	I love Far Side, but haven't read nearly enough. The others, I don't know.
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General Kenobi Title: Administrator Emeritus Registered: Dec '98	Date Posted: 9/15/06 7:14pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (Far Side, Fatal Attraction, Fate of the Animals, Father of the Bride, Father's S
	I make a lot of lists, and I made one of my favorite Far Sides. ...Agnes simply ate the flowers The fake McCoys The Pilsbury Doughboy meets Frank's Ashphalt & Concrete Paving Service Dumb bunny. Smart ass. Ha ha Biff! After we stop at the post office, I'm going to the vet's to get tutored! Before paper & scissors ...You can't shoot first and ask questions later Suddenly, a heated exchange took place between the king and the moat contractor Well, I've got good gnus and I've got bad gnus It's time we face reality, gentlemen - we're not exactly rocket scientists Those last two are up in my office, nice colors panels from one of the calendars. It's only fitting that the three greatest comic strips are being offered in massive bound collections. Now I've just gotta pony up and buy them, since the price tags are a bit long for the standard birthday and Christmas gifts. Too bad, they would make awesome gifts.
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DarthBoba Registered: Jun '00	Date Posted: 9/16/06 10:45am Subject: RE: The Essentials (Far Side, Fatal Attraction, Fate of the Animals, Father of the Bride, Father's S
	I've got the two-volume Far Side set. The little stories from his past are some of the funniest things I've ever heard. some of my favorite cartoons: "Now, let me get this straight..we hired you to watch the kids, and instead you cooked and ate them both?" "I don't know what you're insinuating, Gladys! Surely you know I'd only eat my own husband?" "Hey! Not this new stuff...Me want Jurassic Coke!" The life and times of Lulu, Mrs. O'leary's ill-fated cow -----signature----- Only a Prime can defeat Vader and his Emperor.
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 9/17/06 9:31am Subject: RE: The Essentials (Far Side, Fatal Attraction, Fate of the Animals, Father of the Bride, Father's S
	The Far Side (1980 - 1994) - Gary Larsen Well, I don't know about great literature, as many people could attest. Great sick comedy, yes. Larsen can see (and illustrate) the patent absurdity of most of everyday life. From Winikpedia: "Its surrealistic humor is often based on uncomfortable social situations, improbable events, an anthropomorphic view of the world, logical fallacies, impending bizarre disasters, or the search for meaning in life.... ....Other times he was a little more obvious, though some knowledge was assumed: for example, one strip contained a family of spiders driving a car down the street. The joke was that the car's bumper sticker, "Have a Nice Day", featured a smiley face with eight eyes.... ...Larson also occasionally drew cartoons commenting on celebrities or current events, although these are rare. An example is a corollary to the Crutchfield joke: "What really happened to D.B. Cooper", showing a wide-eyed parachutist, laden with extortion money and heading down into the heart of a Rottweiler farm; or a comic showing Madonna falling down on an emergency raft and puncturing the bottom with the cone-shaped bikini top that she wore in the 80s. Political-themed cartoons were also rare, though during the Gulf War he drew a comic of "Saddam Hussein's war room" with an entering pizza man asking "who ordered the "mother of all pizzas?"" Fatal Attraction (1987) - Adrian Lyne She is scary, yes, and that does redeem a good bit of it. The Fate of the Animals (1913) - Franz Marc It is rather beautiful Father of the Bride (1950) - Vincente Minelli Tracy is deeply funny, wry & convincing. The Father's Song (1999) - Matt Redman Haven't heard this.
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Rogue1-and-a-half Title: Manager: Amphitheatre Registered: Nov '00	Date Posted: 9/20/06 4:58pm Subject: RE: The Essentials (Far Side, Fatal Attraction, Fate of the Animals, Father of the Bride, Father's S
	Fear and Trembling (1843) - Soren Kierkegaard Philosopher most famous for his landmark coining of the phrase 'leap of faith,' he here uses the Biblical story of the sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham in order to slowly explore life's hardest questions: why do we suffer? does God care? of what use is faith? and why, after all, is self-sacrifice so necessary? A brilliant book; not particularly long, but dense and deep. The Feast of Herod (1423 - 7) - Donatello From a period that generally did not produce the most timeless of art, in my opinion, but a brilliant bit of work itself. The Fellowship of the Ring (1954) - J.R.R. Tolkien A book of unrelenting poetry and symbolism; truly transporting and the story is one for the ages. It seems on the one hand to be consistently new and yet could also be a translation from the ages past. A masterwork of literature. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) - John Hodges A genuinely funny teen film, featuring Matthew Broderick as the wink-at-camera narrator and Alan Ruck outstanding as his sad sack friend. Witty and high energy with the always outstanding Jeffrey Jones as the villainous principle and a hilarious bit by Charlie Sheen late in the game. The parade sequence is pure joy. A Few Good Men (1992) - Rob Reiner A passionate Tom Cruise, a cynical Kevin Bacon, a nebbish Kevin Pollack, a psychotic and pre-24 Kiefer Sutherland and, above all and beyond all, a brilliant, blistering angry and righteous Jack Nicholson. It is a courtroom drama of unending popular appeal, but it's smart and brilliant for all that. Always entertaining; subtle? Well, no, but this is Reiner. But brilliant Reiner. -----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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