TDOS Cabin by the Lake Movie Draft - DRAFT COMPLETED

[HndsmCelt]

In the third round Hndsmcelt selects "Guardians of the Galaxy." (2014)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2015381/


As a long-time film buff, I could play this game forever with any genera or any decade, but to be honest I hve not been quite the voracious consumer of film over the past decade, so I was glad to one of my favorite movies of the last decade still on the board. Sure, this is an entertainment movie with high budget special effects, not a work of art, but what a fun ride!
One the advantages of using graphic novels AKA comics as source material for a movie is that the book is already a storyboard for the movie. Until CGI made it possible many of the characters that worked on paper just looked bad on film but thanks to modern computer graphics Groot and Rocket come to life.
Visually stunning and well-cast, this fast pace adventure captures the eye and the ear, thanks to a driving rock sound track that brings knowing smiles to the face of older viewers and introduces younger viewers to some of the best rock classics of the 70’s. This creates a timeless adventure that instantly appeals to audiences of all ages.

 

[Double-K]

It's inevitable for a young aspiring filmmaker like myself to not make a Nolan pick. But this film goes much deeper for another reason.

The Dark Knight (2008)


I've been a nerd my whole life and comic books, especially Batman, has always been the main staple of my collection. If any of you are familiar with comic books in general, you'd know that a lot of the stories are very adult theme-driven and full of mature content.

Thus you can imagine my happiness when the master director Christopher Nolan created his Batman trilogy, especially in my humble opinion, the best superhero movie ever made to this day. (Marvel's family-friendly fun and campiness has a different spot in my heart but that's another story for another time)

This is a serious attempt with legitimate Hollywood big-budget combined with Chris Nolan's realistic and modern complexity approach to the lore of being a superhero, being Batman. Yes, the SFX are extraordinary, but Nolan's direction and the actor's serious and grounded approach never let it upstage the narrative and the result is a deeply moral and ethical crime noir drama masterpiece that rivals the best of the genre. Nolan has freed the characters to be a canvas for a broader scope of human emotion. It touches on deep fears, traumas, fantasies, and hopes, it is the most fruitful Batman legend for exploration.

It simply redefines the cinematic superhero genre.

(Edit: My sincere apology for accidentally naming another film in my post. Totally wasn't thinking...)

 

[King-Da-Yah]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

(In Hal voice) “What movie are you selecting...Padrino?”

In the third round Hndsmcelt selects "Guardians of the Galaxy." (2014)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2015381/

View attachment 7765
Write up to come

Noooooooooooooooooooo. My favorite movie!

 

[hrdboild]

With the 26th pick in the 2018 TDOS Cabin by the Lake Movie Draft, I select...

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968):

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Dir. of Photography: Geoffrey Unsworth
Writer(s): Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke
Cast: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, Douglas Rain
Genre(s): Science fiction
Runtime: 2 hours, 29 minutes

IMDb Entry: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/?ref_=nv_sr_2

It’s Father’s Day, and I’m headed out to celebrate with my dad, so I won’t have time for my write-up until tomorrow. But this is another big one for me.

PM sent to @Sluggah.

Now that's what I call a movie poster! I think it's giving me a contact high.

 

[hrdboild]

Monty Python and Raiders are direct hits. I was considering Raiders for this pick. Things are getting ugly.

As such, I want to take one of my favorite movies of all time lest it slip away in the next round:

Aliens (1986)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090605/

A James Cameron-directed masterpiece of sci-fi action/suspense, this has been a go-to movie of mine since I bought it on VHS MANY moons ago. And not the theatrical version, mind you, but the Special Edition with an extra 17 minutes (IIRC, it was a bootleg of the laserdisc with the extra footage - no VHS had the extra footage at the time). The added scenes with the sentry guns alone is worth the Special Edition.

I have typically enjoyed movies with strong female leads - but women that are not trying to be men, but just trying to be the best versions of themselves. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver at her finest) shows her maternal instinct for Newt, the little girl they find on the alien planet, both in tenderly caring for her right after they find her and also in defending her from the aliens as the movie pushes towards the climactic final battle with the Alien queen. The first movie (Alien) was slow to build, with much more of a horror/suspense vibe - a masterpiece in it's own right. That's not really my thing though, and the reason I think that by far this is the best of the series. I like action more than horror, and this film delivers. With a tagline of "This Time it's War" - you know this one is right up my alley.

After escaping from her encounter in Alien (sorry, spoiler alert), she volunteers to return with a crew of space marines to wipe out the Alien infestation on a planet being terraformed by humans for colonization. The cast is great, with Weaver leading the way and Michael Biehn, Paul Riser, Lance Henriksen, and personal favorite Bill Paxton ("Game over, man, game over!") rounding out the most well known names. As can be expected, things don't go as expected and with some corporate backstabbing mucking things up along the way, it's up to Ellen to save Newt and get back home. If you haven't seen this one, do so. Now.

From wiki:

It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including a Best Actress nomination for Sigourney Weaver, winning both Sound Effects Editing and Visual Effects. It won eight Saturn Awards (Best Science Fiction Film, Best Actress for Weaver, Best Supporting Actor for Paxton, Best Supporting Actress for Goldstein, and Best Direction and Best Writing for Cameron), and a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. Empire magazine voted it the 'Greatest Film Sequel Of All Time'.

The film holds a 98% "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 65 reviews, and an average rating of 9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "While Alien was a marvel of slow-building, atmospheric tension, Aliens packs a much more visceral punch, and features a typically strong performance from Sigourney Weaver." It also holds a score of 86 out of 100 based on 10 critics on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim". Aliens was also featured in Empire Magazine's 500 Greatest films of All Time poll at #30 in 2008, in Empire's 301 Greatest Films of All Time poll at #19 in 2014 and in Empire's recent 100 Greatest films of All Time poll at #15.

View attachment 7761 View attachment 7762 View attachment 7763

James Cameron at his best! That showdown between Ripley and the Alien Queen is the stuff of legend!

 

[hrdboild]

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - 2004

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0304141/

View attachment 7764

I knew I had to have a Harry Potter film and this is the one that I think best defines the whole series. An inflated Marge shooting around the room, the emergence of Sirius Black and the terrifying image of Dementors, along with a "new" Dumbledore are just a few of the highlights of this film. All these and so much more make this my favorite one of the series. This film gets a lot darker, with more indication of the evil that is to come.

With Alfonso Cuaron taking the helm as director, this film brought a depth to the characters that was somewhat missing before. Many of the nuances in the book were brought to the screen - an admirable task considering how each book in succession got longer and more detailed. I started to feel at home in Harry's world, as well as getting a better feel about who Harry, Ron and Hermione really are and what they might become.

I've probably watched this film a dozen times and I'll be watching it over and over again in my cabin. I'll even make sure to have a supply of butterbeer on hand when I do.

I'm not really a Harry Potter fan but this one was good. Alfonso Cuaron is a master filmmaker.

 

[Turgenev]

Pina. 2011.



https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1440266/

spring, summer, autumn, Winter.

Msg sent.

 

[R2D2]

Solid pick

I select: The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Solid pick!
It was on my list and I am surprised to see it snatched so early. But I shouldn't be...

 

[R2D2]

The Dark Knight (2008)

Great pick.
There is currently an extraordinary hype around superheros/CGI films, but the one film worthy of these early stages is - in my opinion - The Dark Knight.

 

[Padrino]

Nicely done Padrino. This is another film I really expected to go in the first round. I can't wait to read your right up and by the way I don't expect to see any more sci-fi's! This was double-dipping

Ha, it's my island!

The films on my list are all in conversation with one another, and I simply cannot guarantee that there won't be further sci-fi selections from me.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

The films on my list are all in conversation with one another, and I simply cannot guarantee that there won't be further sci-fi selections from me.

Ah...our first draft smokescreen, I think!

 

[King-Da-Yah]

With the 6th pick of the third round:

The Sandlot - 1993

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108037/



Write up coming...I apologize for holding up the draft started a new job today and was in training the whole time. My two eldest sons kind of made this pic for me this morning on the drive to school could not let anyone else snatch it up!

My rationale behind this pick: Truly one of my all-time favorite movies, and firmly in my top 5 of sports movies. I actually think it captures baseball and the magic involved with the sport better than any other film. Baseball is life for a little boy (or girl!) early on in life. I think we all have a little of Benny the Jet in us (or a little of ANY of the other characters in the film!)

The mood in a room full of kids, who are watching this movie, fresh off of a championship victory in little league, is amazing. I manage my oldest son’s team, and the party we had after winning the big one (for the second straight year mind you!) wrapped up with this film. Just a fun, hilarious, adorable and never-takes-itself-too seriously movie...my entire family is in love with it...

My youngest son may or may not be nicknamed after a character...Benny the Jet!

 

[VF21]

No need to apologize! We've got a 24 hour clock because some people (gasp!) actually have lives outside of this board. (Well, at least that's a rumor I've heard.)

Good luck with the new job.

 

[hrdboild]

With the 6th pick of the third round:

The Sandlot - 1993

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108037/

View attachment 7782

Write up coming...I apologize for holding up the draft started a new job today and was in training the whole time. My two eldest sons kind of made this pic for me this morning on the drive to school could not let anyone else snatch it up!

Great pick! I don't know if you saw this, but they just had a cast reunion at Dodger stadium this weekend.

 

[hrdboild]

With the 7th pick of the third round (39th overall)…

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) --
Peter Jackson / Fantasy Adventure

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120737/​

___How do I even begin to sum up "The Lord of the Rings"? JRR Tolkien’s masterpiece of modern literature was a massive un-filmable book for 40 years or so before Peter Jackson, a little known filmmaker from New Zealand with several mostly low-budget horror movies to his credit, had the vision and the willpower to see it through. Filming for over a year in New Zealand, Jackson shot all three movies concurrently in what has to be the greatest test of a director’s endurance since Francis Ford Coppola entered the Philippine jungle in 1976 to shoot Apocalypse Now. The first film in the trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, remains my favorite and seeing this movie for the first time in the theater in 2001, I could actually feel the world changing. The special effects were astounding, especially when you consider that this was a special effects house, Weta Workshop, that a year earlier was producing shots for the Xena and Hercules TV shows. Now they were producing shots that rivaled (or even exceeded) the work done at Industrial Light and Magic. I was a film student at the time, in my first year of college, and it was obvious to me then that this film had set the bar that other filmmakers would be chasing for the next 20 years.

___Okay so the technical achievement is immense – the first movie since Star Wars in 1977 to meaningfully push the state of the art forward not just by inches but by leaps and bounds. But that’s not what I love about watching this movie. Returning to the world of Middle Earth is like reuniting with old friends-- The unfailingly optimistic Hobbit Frodo Baggins who’s been given the greatest burden in history with the fate of the free world resting on his ability to carry a magic ring right into the heart of the enemy’s territory and destroy it, an entire army standing in his way; The mischievous grey-bearded wizard Gandalf, unforgettably portrayed by Sir Ian McKellen; The mysterious ranger Strider, who turns out to be the son of Kings and a mighty warrior; The lithe and graceful elf Legolas; the fun-loving dwarf Gimli; and of course Sean Bean who has the good sense to fulfill his destiny and die dramatically before the end! Peter Jackson's vision for Hobbiton is appropriately tranquil and idylic and grounds the series right at the beginning with a joy and innocence which will help to pull us through the darker passages to come.

___The story and characters Tolkien crafted, borne out of his experiences as an infantryman in the trenches of World War I, are timeless not just because they’ve been folded into our collective consciousness. They are timeless because they illustrate so vividly why we fight to protect all that is good and beautiful in the world. Written between 1937 and 1949 at a time when the world was again embroiled in a global conflict, with Tolkien mailing pages to his son who served overseas in the RAF, every ounce of the loss inflicted in these two global catastrophes is felt on the page. It is the story of the 20th century. And watching this with fresh eyes in 2001, just a few short months after the events of September 11th re-calibrated my appreciation for my place in the world and what kind of mark I was looking to make, I can’t overstate how powerfully the themes of camaraderie and personal accountability hit home. In a quiet moment in the middle of the film Frodo speaks for all of us (at times) when he says “I wish none of this had happened” and Gandalf, channeling the late author himself, comforts Frodo with the words: “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” The words still reach out of the screen and grab hold of me even now but in 2001 they meant everything. So thank you JRR Tolkein and thank you Peter Jackson.

Musical choice: Howard Shore -- Lord of the Rings Main Theme

[whitechocolate is now on the clock]

 

[hrdboild]

Sorry VF21, after all that I forgot the imdb link didn't I?

 

[VF21]

Sorry VF21, after all that I forgot the imdb link didn't I?

No problem.

 

[Telemachus]

Sorry VF21, after all that I forgot the imdb link didn't I?

I think you covered it better than they did.

 

[hrdboild]

I think you covered it better than they did.

Aww, thanks.

 

[Sluggah]

Clearly I’m in the minority here, but I just have to say, the premise of this thread...being stuck at a cabin in the woods with no internet sounds like my personal hell. Fun fact.

 

[whitechocolate]

Solaris (1971), Andrei Tarkovsky​

​

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069293/​

Solaris is my favorite science fiction movie, so in order to do this magnificent film justice I had to rewatch it and think about it for a while. In fact, I believe inspiring contemplation is this movie's greatest strength. An atmosphere of desolation creates a pensive mood, while deliberate use of time allows the viewer to reflect on both the movie and inwardly. The plot is captivating, but its primary function is to serve as a vehicle for a meditation on man and his relationship with knowledge. Knowledge in the scientific sense, and more importantly, knowledge as it is used in the Book of Genesis. The movie asks why we suffer and answers the question by exploring how we deal with love, fear, uncertainty, understanding, memory, and regret. Coming to a conclusion on what the answer is proves tricky and potentially has numerous interpretations. The film may even hint that perhaps that's how it's supposed to be.

The movie is thought provoking, beautiful, unsettling, and compelling. It also has one of my favorite endings of all time. If you enjoy science fiction or movies about human nature, I highly recommend Solaris.

 

[R2D2]

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, 1964, Stanley Kubrick



https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/

"Dr. Strangelove" is a movie packed with great comic performances, phenomenal acting and witty dialog (e.g. "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is a war room!"). "Dr. Strangelove's" humor is generated by a basic comic principle: People trying to be funny are never as funny as people trying to be serious and failing. Kubrick - one of the greatest and most influential directors - is exhibiting his brilliance, shooting the film on four principal locations (an office, the perimeter of an Air Force base, the "War Room," and the interior of a B-52 bomber).

Out of rudimentary physical props and a brilliant screenplay (based on a novel by Peter George), Kubrick made what is considered one of the best political satire of all times, a film that pulled the rug out from under the Cold War by arguing that if a "nuclear deterrent" destroys all life on Earth, it is hard to say exactly what it has deterred.

Without giving too much away, the film begins with Gen. Ripper fondling a phallic cigar while launching an unauthorized nuclear strike against Russia. He has become convinced that the commies are poisoning "the purity and essence of our natural fluids" by adding fluoride to the water supply. The only man standing between Ripper and nuclear holocaust is a British liaison, Group Captain Mandrake, who listens with disbelief to Rippers' rantings. Meanwhile, Ripper's coded message goes out to airborne B-52s to launch an attack against Russia. A horrified President Muffley convenes his advisers in the War Room and is informed by Turgidson, bit by bit, of the enormity of the situation:

The bombers are on the way, they cannot be recalled, Gen. Ripper cannot be reached, and so on…

 

[Capt. Factorial]

For my third selection in the draft I select:

The Artist (2011), Michel Hazanavicius
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1655442/

Once the "talkies" actually took over, there haven't been all that many silent films made. For the most part, I agree with cinema going in this direction. I find that interspersed title cards take a lot of the spontaneity out of a film, but storytelling is difficult without dialogue - leaving silent films generally a bit stilted and melodramatic for my taste. But, when 84 years after "You ain't heard nothin' yet" a director takes the bold step of going back to the silent era, and critics begin heaping praise, it's probably something worth checking out. And sure enough, Michel Hazanavicius did a wonderful job of telling his story visually (and what cinematography!)

The plot of the film folds quite neatly into the conceit. Of course it's a love story - between a silent film star whose career is fading and a young actress on the rise - but their fortunes serve as a microcosm for the changing of the guard between the old silent films and the new soundscape in the process of rendering them obsolete.

And let's face it, in a day when so many folks can't be bothered to put their phone down for the whole time it takes to watch a film, The Artist forces your hand. You can't look away and divide your attention, listening to the story while looking through social media - the story demands exclusive rights to your eyes for the full 100 minutes, and it rewards you for that time.

 

[Padrino]

Solaris (1971), Andrei Tarkovsky

View attachment 7790

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069293/

Solaris is my favorite science fiction movie, so in order to do this magnificent film justice I had to rewatch it and think about it for a while. In fact, I believe inspiring contemplation is this movie's greatest strength. An atmosphere of desolation creates a pensive mood, while deliberate use of time allows the viewer to reflect on both the movie and inwardly. The plot is captivating, but its primary function is to serve as a vehicle for a meditation on man and his relationship with knowledge. Knowledge in the scientific sense, and more importantly, knowledge as it is used in the Book of Genesis. The movie asks why we suffer and answers the question by exploring how we deal with love, fear, uncertainty, understanding, memory, and regret. Coming to a conclusion on what the answer is proves tricky and potentially has numerous interpretations. The film may even hint that perhaps that's how it's supposed to be.

The movie is thought provoking, beautiful, unsettling, and compelling. It also has one of my favorite endings of all time. If you enjoy science fiction or movies about human nature, I highly recommend Solaris.

Fantastic pick. It was a little further down my list, but it was absolutely on there. As a sidenote, Tarkovsky's version is superior to Soderbergh's, but goddammit if Cliff Martinez's score for Soderbergh's version isn't one of the best sci-fi scores of all time.

 

[Padrino]

With the 43rd pick in the TDOS Cabin by the Lake Movie Draft, I select...

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977):

Director: Steven Spielberg
Dir. of Photography: Vilmos Zsigmond
Writer(s): Steven Spielberg
Score: John Williams
Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban
Genre(s): Science fiction, drama, conspiracy thriller
Runtime: 2 hours, 18 minutes

IMDb Entry: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075860/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Steven Spielberg is a master at crafting films that capture a childlike sense of wonder. That same wonder often gets beaten out of us in adulthood, by formal education, by the professional world, by marriage, by disappointment. Nearly every one of Spielberg's classic films grapple with both the fantastical and the traumatic. Close Encounters of the Third Kind may be the most sterling example of this dichotomy in his entire filmography.

Close Encounters picks up 2001: A Space Odyssey's torch in looking up at the stars and imagining what greater purpose lies for man beyond them. It is a film about first contact, but it is also a film about the dissolution of a marriage. It's about isolation and domestic unrest. It's about mental degradation and personal validation. It's also a film with tremendously staged action, yet not a single punch is thrown, not a single gun is fired, not a single character is killed. It is a film about people and their problems, and about those transcendent moments that manage to make our problems feel so terribly small by comparison. It also contains one of the most spectacular finales to ever grace a film screen, and that finale alone is worth the price of admission.

NOTE: If you've never seen Close Encounters of the Third Kind before, I would recommend tracking down the 1998 version, which contains everything from the original 1977 cut of the film, as well as everything from the 1980 "Special Edition," while excising a very unnecessary scene that was appended to the film's ending for the "Special Edition"s release.

PM sent to @Sluggah.

 

[hrdboild]

Wow this really ground to a halt didn't it? It's almost like there's something Kings related that's taking up people's attention right now...

I was lucky enough to see Close Encounters last summer on the big screen for its 40 year anniversary re-release. Yes it does feel a little old fashioned now compared to the movie George Lucas released earlier that same year -- more languidly paced with an actual character arc. Richard Dreyfus injects so much energy though as a big kid who never really grew up and that climax! More than anything else this is quintessential Spielberg for me. The adults think they're running things but only those with the heart of a child can really see the truth hidden in pain sight. Spielberg has made better films but I don't think any of them are quite as optimistic as this one. I like to think of Roy Neary as Spielberg himself-- building model trains and dioramas in his living room, playing with his food, playing the part of the monster chasing his kids down the halls and then inexplicably using all of his crazy hopes and dreams to lift off out of this Earth and explore the stars.

 

[VF21]

Sluggah has until tomorrow morning. It happens sometimes.

 

[hrdboild]

I've got a prediction for Sluggah's next pick. I'm not going to tell you what it is, but I'll tell you later if I guessed right or not. Scouts honor.

 

[VF21]

TIP: If you haven't done so already, go to your account preferences and opt to receive emails when you get a "conversation." This will ensure you being notified when it's your turn...I hope.

 

[Sluggah]

Sorry. Work is hell right now. Just wrapping up.

If I’m stuck at this dreaded cabin during the holidays, I’m going to need the world’s greatest Christmas movie to watch. Which, coincidentally also happens to be the world’s best pure action movie, so who cares what time of year it is...

Die Hard (1988)



Write up to come. Link to come, etc. PM sent.