2020 Shelter in Place Alphabet Movie Draft - BONUS ROUNDS

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Having read almost all of Anne Rice's books, I have to go with Interview with a Vampire. This is a dark movie with a different look at the inter-workings of the life of a vampire. And while there is horror in the movie, this is not a horror movie. Tom Cruise is excellent as the vampire Lestat, and Brad Pitt plays the tormented vampire Louis. A very young Kirsten Dunst is brilliant as the aging woman in the body of a child. She was nominated for best actress by the Golden Globe awards.

Along the way we we're introduced to Antonio Banderas as the vampire Armand, and a very creepy Stephen Rea as the vampire Santiago. The entire movie is done in series of flash backs during an interview held by a reporter, Daniel Molloy played by Christian Slater, with Louis (Pitt). Having read the book prior to the release of the movie, I was somewhat apprehensive, but I felt the movie did the book justice as compared to other adaptions. The movie was directed by Neil Jordan and did receive two academy award nominations. One for art direction and one for musical score. This isn't a movie for everyone, but if your in for a trip to the dark side, travel carefully!

 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
Having read almost all of Anne Rice's books, I have to go with Interview with a Vampire. This is a dark movie with a different look at the inter-workings of the life of a vampire. And while there is horror in the movie, this is not a horror movie. Tom Cruise is excellent as the vampire Lestat, and Brad Pitt plays the tormented vampire Louis. A very young Kirsten Dunst is brilliant as the aging woman in the body of a child. She was nominated for best actress by the Golden Globe awards.

Along the way we we're introduced to Antonio Banderas as the vampire Armand, and a very creepy Stephen Rea as the vampire Santiago. The entire movie is done in series of flash backs during an interview held by a reporter, Daniel Molloy played by Christian Slater, with Louis (Pitt). Having read the book prior to the release of the movie, I was somewhat apprehensive, but I felt the movie did the book justice as compared to other adaptions. The movie was directed by Neil Jordan and did receive two academy award nominations. One for art direction and one for musical score. This isn't a movie for everyone, but if your in for a trip to the dark side, travel carefully!

Well darn. I honestly thought this one would be safe a while longer.

Nice pick. :)
 
This one stings...even though it’ll be awhile till I get to N, I was foolishly holding out hope. Appreciate your Deakins shout out though. Just listened to a podcast on the Ringer network where they argued over Deakins’ top ten works. Dude is epic.
He is. I've seen damn near everything he's shot. And I suspect No Country for Old Men won't be my last pick with Deakins at DoP. ;)

I also think the Ringer's approach to their Top Ten Deakins list was deeply flawed, and they spent far too little time discussing what actually makes Deakins such a master of light and lens.

If you haven't already, you should tune in to the brand new "Team Deakins" podcast. In it, Roger and his wife/collaborator James Ellis Deakins discuss the art of cinematography, the film industry, etc. It's excellent, and I'd actually recommend it to anybody in this thread who is interested in learning more about the how and why of filmmaking.
 
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He is. I've seen damn near everything he's shot. And I suspect No Country for Old Men won't be my last pick with Deakins at DoP. ;)

I also think the Ringer's approach to their Top Ten Deakins list was deeply flawed, and they spent far too little time discussing what actually makes Deakins such a master of light and lens.

If you haven't already, you should tune in to the brand new "Team Deakins" podcast. In it, Roger and his wife/collaborator James Ellis Deakins discuss the art of cinematography, the film industry, etc. It's excellent, and I'd actually recommend it to anybody in this thread who is interested in learning more about the how and why of filmmaking.
Wow, very cool. Was unaware. Thanks for the recommendation.
 

Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
To fill my “B” column in the alphabetical movie draft, I select:



Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

Directed by Stephen Herek

Starring Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin

Trailer

Who has two thumbs and follows up a pick like Ikiru with Bill and Ted? This guy. Like Ghostbusters, this movie was a staple of my high school years (though the tape probably didn't get quite the same wear and tear). I had let this one slide for two decades (though not really deliberately) until seeing it again about 6 years ago, and I'm surprised how well the sophomoric humor holds up. One of the things I like about this film is that it's a time travel film that basically kicks you in the shins and says, "Look, this isn't really a time travel film. It's just a premise to allow us to get Napoleon on a waterslide and to get Genghis Khan an aluminum bat and a skateboard so he can trash the mall." Where characters in other time travel films obsess over changing the timeline, the high-school flunkies here simply roll with it, finding a neatly-hidden and very necessary set of keys that they can just go back in time and plant later.

This film produced some memorable catchphrases - most notably the utopian founding political doctrines of "Be Excellent To Each Other" and "Party On, Dudes" - without seeming to try, organically, which is probably the trick. The attempt, in a sequel, to force feed another catchphrase went over like a lead balloon. There's a charm here, in a movie that just revels in being its own goofy story that just can't be recreated when you TRY to repackage it for sale again. I'm not exactly hopeful for installation #3, which is really happening and sounds as if it's in the can. But I'll probably give it a shot.

Strange things are afoot at the Circle-K!
 
I just finished my Bear advancement for cub scouts, and am bridging over for Webelos. I like the first scene of this movie, as a young Indiana Jones knows more than his whole Boy Scout Troop :). I heard that working with River Phoenix on REDACTED is what led Harrison Ford to choose him to play a young Indy. After falling into the snake car, it's no wonder he is afraid of snakes!

I = Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)



Sean Connery is really a fun addition to the franchise. I like the father and son banter, and homage to James Bond's younger adventures.

Link #1
Link #2
Link #3

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097576/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
 
Somewhat of a criminology / criminal justice companion piece here.

While Rashomon deals with the elusiveness of truth, my next film explores the process we currently have in place to discover what is true.

And if that sends an uncomfortable chill down your spine, congratulations, you're still human.

# is for ...

(This might be the most appropriate film ever to be designated on a roster with a pound sign.)

(Yes. A pound sign.)



12 Angry Men (1957)

A powerful story built on a simple premise: 12 jurors decide the fate of a murder suspect. Every vital aspect of the plot and narrative is revealed in real-time, in two settings (deliberation room and adjoining bathroom), and mostly through dialogue. No violence, no flashbacks, no ticking clock. Just pure discussion and debate.

And man does this thing get tense. It's procedural crime drama, expose on sociology, and a psychology experiment wrapped in one, using the same technique Spike Lee would later adopt in Do The Right Thing to slowly crank up the heat, effectively boiling down each character into their most raw true selves and psyches.

At the center of it all is Henry Fonda as Juror #8, the lone dissenter in an otherwise immediate and unanimous guilty verdict. He becomes something of a white knight of justice, championing the tenet of 'reasonable doubt' all while facing the scorn, disgust, and character assassinations of the others who mostly just want to get out of the stuffy room and sweltering heat, back to their regular lives.

It's a glimpse into how a noble principle - an impartial jury of peers deciding the fate of those on trail - plays out in reality. When 12 people who don't know each other, don't necessarily care about justice, and have their own selfish motivations and prejudices, are tasked with deciding truth.

The good news is this one ends with a note of hope that the system can work, but comes packed with a chilling dose of fridge horror*. While we assume the right verdict was reached, the audience doesn't KNOW beyond all doubt any more than the jurors do.

Worse yet, what about all the countless trials that don't have Henry Fonda on the jury?

One slightly unrelated note: I love Criterion Collection for their cover art alone. Equal sized portraits of each jury member in order of their designated juror number, painted in the colors of a heatwave, with Fonda's Juror #8 in the center below the title, with a yellow background for yes surrounded by 11 red no's. Perfect. Criterion's art department is brilliant.



*Fridge Horror: When a plot point initially seen as neutral or even happy becomes terrifying under deeper examination after the fact.
 
With my tenth pick in the Shelter in Place Alphabet Movie Draft, I will make use of the letter I to select:

In Bruges (2008):



Director(s): Martin McDonagh
Dir. of Photography: Eigil Bryld
Writer: Martin McDonagh
Score: Carter Burwell
Cast: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph, Fiennes, Clémence Poésy, Ciarán Hinds
Genre(s): Crime, comedy, drama
Runtime: 1 hour, 47 minutes

IMDb Entry: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780536/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

Irish director Martin McDonagh's debut film is an absolute classic of its decade, an unheralded masterpiece that lovingly and cheekily refreshes the hitman genre.

Set in the picturesque Belgian town of Bruges, it features a heart-rending and imaginatively-written story about two hitmen forced to lay low after the younger of them commits a particularly egregious error on a job. The idyllic setting, with all its quaint and medieval charm, sits at a stark contrast with the embittering darkness that lies at the film's center. But it is an absolute credit to McDonagh that this is not a film that luxuriates in despair. Rather, In Bruges possesses an almost fable-like quality in its pursuit of hope, for an opportunity for redemption when the human soul seems so unworthy of its own salvation. Seldom does a viewer happen upon a directorial debut this brilliant. And this beautiful. In Bruges was gorgeously shot by renowned Danish cinematographer Eigil Bryld. His lens graces across Bruges with such painterly verve, and it really underscores the ugly nature of the characters being depicted on screen that their fate should land them in a place that seems so untouched by the evil deeds of men.

As disgraced hitman Ray, Colin Farrell has never been better, never been this tortured and vulnerable. The viewer does not expect to sympathize with his character once it is revealed what he has done to earn banishment to Bruges, yet Farrell imbues Ray with such pathos that it's impossible to look away or to feel disgust. And the writing is so strong to recognize how guilt can reduce us to our most elementally human state. Ray does not attempt to explain away his sins, to rationalize them or justify them. He acknowledges them, and acknowledges his depression, and the resultant flirtation with suicide, as a thing deserved. And Farrell's partnership with the wry and empathetic Brendan Gleeson, who plays the elder hitman Ken, is representative of the best odd couple energy this side of Riggs-and-Murtaugh. Their exceptional performances and palpable chemistry are only overshadowed when Ralph Fiennes appears on-screen to steal every scene he's in with foul-mouthed vigor.

It's worth mentioning that In Bruges is riotously funny! The script was labored over to achieve its comedy of the absurd, its laughter in the face of tragedy, and unlike with most films, McDonagh ultimately did not alter a word of that script during rehearsals. On his process, McDonagh notes, "With In Bruges, we had three weeks of rehearsal at the start, which was pretty much just [Brendan Gleeson,] Colin Farrell and me in a room in Bruges, just analyzing the script, talking and reading it through and acting out little scenes, talking about the histories of the characters: how they met, were they related. [It was] a pretty intense amount of work which meant by the first day of shooting there weren't any questions we needed to ask of each other, we just went ahead and filmed everything that we'd learnt."

The intimacy of those rehearsals is reflected in the film that appears on screen, where character is prized about all else, where dialogue is given the space to reveal the characters to the audience, and for the characters to reveal themselves to each other. And it must be said that In Bruges features some of the most firecracker dialogue this side of Quentin Tarantino. It is an eminently quotable movie, the kind of small, delightful film that you're desperate to share with a few important people in your life and then endlessly recite back to each other in the oddest and most unexpected of moments. The dialogue becomes a part of your life, to the point where you might forget for a brief moment the source material because of how natural the words feel in your mouth, a testament to an assured hand in McDonagh and capable actors who convince the audience to feel for their plight.

As Ray says, "At least in prison and at least in death, you know, I wouldn't be in f***ing Bruges. But then, like a flash, it came to me. And I realized, f*** man, maybe that's what hell is: the entire rest of eternity spent in f***ing Bruges."













 
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With my tenth pick in the Shelter in Place Alphabet Movie Draft, I will make use of the letter I to select:

In Bruges (2008):



Director(s): Martin McDonagh
Dir. of Photography: Eigil Bryld
Writer: Martin McDonagh
Score: Carter Burwell
Cast: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph, Fiennes, Clémence Poésy, Ciarán Hinds
Genre(s): Crime, comedy, drama
Runtime: 1 hour, 47 minutes

IMDb Entry: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780536/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

Irish director Martin McDonagh's debut film is an absolute classic of its decade, an unheralded masterpiece that lovingly and cheekily refreshes the hitman genre.

Set in the picturesque Belgian town of Bruges, it features a heart-rending and imaginatively-written story about two hitmen forced to lay low after the younger of them commits a particularly egregious error on a job. The idyllic setting, with all its quaint and medieval charm, sits at a stark contrast with the embittering darkness that lies at the film's center. But it is an absolute credit to McDonagh that this is not a film that luxuriates in despair. Rather, In Bruges possesses an almost fable-like quality in its pursuit of hope, for an opportunity for redemption when the human soul seems so unworthy of its own salvation. Seldom does a viewer happen upon a directorial debut this brilliant. And this beautiful. In Bruges was gorgeously shot by renowned Danish cinematographer Eigil Bryld. His lens graces across Bruges with such painterly verve, and it really underscores the ugly nature of the characters being depicted on screen that their fate should land them in a place that seems so untouched by the evil deeds of men.

As disgraced hitman Ray, Colin Farrell has never been better, never been this tortured and vulnerable. The viewer does not expect to sympathize with his character once it is revealed what he has done to earn banishment to Bruges, yet Farrell imbues Ray with such pathos that it's impossible to look away or to feel disgust. And the writing is so strong to recognize how guilt can reduce us to our most elementally human state. Ray does not attempt to explain away his sins, to rationalize them or justify them. He acknowledges them, and acknowledges his depression, and the resultant flirtation with suicide, as a thing deserved. And Farrell's partnership with the wry and empathetic Brendan Gleeson, who plays the elder hitman Ken, is representative of the best odd couple energy this side of Riggs-and-Murtaugh. Their exceptional performances and palpable chemistry are only overshadowed when Ralph Fiennes appears on-screen to steal every scene he's in with foul-mouthed vigor.

It's worth mentioning that In Bruges is riotously funny! The script was labored over to achieve its comedy of the absurd, its laughter in the face of tragedy, and unlike with most films, McDonagh ultimately did not alter a word of that script during rehearsals. On his process, McDonagh notes, "With In Bruges, we had three weeks of rehearsal at the start, which was pretty much just [Brendan Gleeson,] Colin Farrell and me in a room in Bruges, just analyzing the script, talking and reading it through and acting out little scenes, talking about the histories of the characters: how they met, were they related. [It was] a pretty intense amount of work which meant by the first day of shooting there weren't any questions we needed to ask of each other, we just went ahead and filmed everything that we'd learnt."

The intimacy of those rehearsals is reflected in the film that appears on screen, where character is prized about all else, where dialogue is given the space to reveal the characters to the audience, and for the characters to reveal themselves to each other. And it must be said that In Bruges features some of the most firecracker dialogue this side of Quentin Tarantino. It is an eminently quotable movie, the kind of small, delightful film that you're desperate to share with a few important people in your life and then endlessly recite back to each other in the oddest and most unexpected of moments. The dialogue becomes a part of your life, to the point where you might forget for a brief moment the source material because of how natural the words feel in your mouth, a testament to an assured hand in McDonagh and capable actors who convince the audience to feel for their plight.

As Ray says, "At least in prison and at least in death, you know, I wouldn't be in f***ing Bruges. But then, like a flash, it came to me. And I realized, f*** man, maybe that's what hell is: the entire rest of eternity spent in f***ing Bruges."













Yeah, deeper on my back bench of options, but certainly scratching around at the periphery. One of those films I truly admire, but don’t necessarily reach for on movie night.

It’s in phenomenal company with The Godfather, Chinatown, and Vertigo in that regard.
 
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Warhawk

The cake is a lie.
Staff member
Sapper Morton: You newer models are happy scraping the ****... because you've never seen a miracle.

"B" is for:

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Blade_Runner_2049_poster.png

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856101/

My dad and I used to watch the original and I was hesitant but hopeful that the sequel would be a decent flick as well. It was, and more. My writeup isn't going to be anything like Padrino's in the last draft as I lack the writing talent and specific point of view he wields regarding filmmaking. :) Similar to the original, BR2049 takes a couple viewings to sink in more and more.

Like the original, this movie builds off a highly detailed world where the older model Replicants (constructed humans) are outlawed and hunted down by Blade Runners ("cops" trained to retire these units). The story isn't necessarily original, but the execution is breathtaking. Like the original, it is deliberately paced, superbly acted, with beautiful artistry and vision. Where the original was mostly dark with neon highlights, 2049 brings beautiful swaths of color and vision while largely retaining the same "feel" as the original. It is a visual masterpiece in it's own right with an equally good score (Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch). In certain ways I like it more than the original, as I thought some of the characters in the original were too cartoony or offbeat to be in that serious of a film.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve and keeping Ridley Scott on as an executive producer, it features:
From wikipedia:

The film was praised by critics for its performances, direction, cinematography, musical score, production design, visual effects, and faithfulness to the original film, and was considered by many critics to be among the best films of 2017.

Blade Runner 2049 received five nominations at the 90th Academy Awards, winning Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects. It also received eight nominations at the 71st British Academy Film Awards, including Best Director, and won Best Cinematography and Best Special Visual Effects.
'K': I've never retired something that was born before.
Lieutenant Joshi: What's the difference?
'K': To be born is to have a soul, I guess.
Lieutenant Joshi: Are you telling me no?
'K': I wasn't aware there was an option, madame.
Lieutenant Joshi: Attaboy.

Joi: Mere data makes a man. A and C and T and G. The alphabet of you. All from four symbols. I am only two: 1 and 0.
'K': Half as much but twice as elegant, sweetheart.

Rick Deckard: I had your job once. I was good at it.
'K': Things were simpler then.
Rick Deckard: Why you makin' it complicated?
'K': Why don't you just answer the question?
Rick Deckard: What question?
'K': I didn't figure you as one for bull****. What's her name?
Rick Deckard: Rachael. Her name was Rachael.

Freysa: That baby meant we are more than just slaves. If a baby can come from one of us, we are our own masters.
Mariette: "More human than humans."
Freysa: A revolution is coming.


Lieutenant Joshi: The World is built in a wall that separates kind. Tell either side there's no wall, you've bought a war. Or a slaughter.
 
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Sapper Morton: You newer models are happy scraping the ****... because you've never seen a miracle.

"B" is for:

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

View attachment 9939

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856101/

My dad and I used to watch the original and I was hesitant but hopeful that the sequel would be a decent flick as well. It was, and more. My writeup isn't going to be anything like Padrino's in the last draft as I lack the writing talent and specific point of view he wields regarding filmmaking. :) Similar to the original, it takes a couple viewings to sink in more and more.

Like the original, this movie builds off a highly detailed world where the older model Replicants (constructed humans) are outlawed and hunted down by Blade Runners ("cops" trained to retire these units). The story isn't necessarily original, but the execution is breathtaking. Like the original, it is deliberately paced, superbly acted, with beautiful artistry and vision. Where the original was mostly dark with neon highlights, 2049 brings beautiful swaths of color and vision while largely retaining the same "feel" as the original. It is a visual masterpiece in it's own right with an equally good score (Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch). In certain ways I like it more than the original, as I thought some of the characters in the original were too cartoony or offbeat to be in that serious of a film.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve and keeping Ridley Scott on as an executive producer, it features:
From wikipedia:



'K': I've never retired something that was born before.
Lieutenant Joshi: What's the difference?
'K': To be born is to have a soul, I guess.
Lieutenant Joshi: Are you telling me no?
'K': I wasn't aware there was an option, madame.
Lieutenant Joshi: Attaboy.

Joi: Mere data makes a man. A and C and T and G. The alphabet of you. All from four symbols. I am only two: 1 and 0.
'K': Half as much but twice as elegant, sweetheart.

Rick Deckard: I had your job once. I was good at it.
'K': Things were simpler then.
Rick Deckard: Why you makin' it complicated?
'K': Why don't you just answer the question?
Rick Deckard: What question?
'K': I didn't figure you as one for bull****. What's her name?
Rick Deckard: Rachael. Her name was Rachael.

Freysa: That baby meant we are more than just slaves. If a baby can come from one of us, we are our own masters.
Mariette: "More human than humans."
Freysa: A revolution is coming.


Lieutenant Joshi: The World is built in a wall that separates kind. Tell either side there's no wall, you've bought a war. Or a slaughter.
Thrilled to see BR2049 selected. As I've expounded upon elsewhere, this film is tremendously important to me. Despite the fact that it's a sequel, it's also very much a singular work by a visionary director. I could go on and on, but this is your pick. Well done.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
BEING THERE - 1979


From imdb:

Simple-minded gardener Chance (Peter Sellers) has spent all his life in the Washington D.C. home of an old man. When the man dies, Chance is put out on the street with no knowledge of the world except what he has learned from television. After a run-in with a limousine, he ends up a guest of Eve (Shirley MacLaine) and her husband Ben (Melvyn Douglas), an influential but sickly businessman. Now called Chauncey Gardner, Chance becomes friend and confidante to Ben, and an unlikely political insider. Written by Scott Renshaw <as.idc@forsythe.stanford.edu>
It's hard to believe this film was made over 40 years ago. Peter Sellers earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance, the last film he did that would be released before his death in July 1980. (The actual last film was released in August 1980.)

Sellers was a comedic genius...and so much more. In this film, he gave an incredible performance from beginning to end. If you haven't seen it, no explanation can do it justice. If you have seen it, this should push you towards watching it again.

Sellers got everything right in this flick, partially due to the skillful direction of Hal Ashby. Ashby was a bit of a maverick by Hollywood standards. His body of work includes a couple of great films before it seems to tumble off a cliff into mediocrity. In accordance with draft rules, I cannot mention the other films of his I consider to be more than worthy of consideration but they are out there.

Peter Sellers may be remembered more for another character he created, but Chauncey Gardner is the one I think of first when I hear his name. His portrayal of this very simple man by an actor who left us all too soon is another one of Hollywood's often overlooked gems.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
Thrilled to see BR2049 selected. As I've expounded upon elsewhere, this film is tremendously important to me. Despite the fact that it's a sequel, it's also very much a singular work by a visionary director. I could go on and on, but this is your pick. Well done.
I thought of you immediately when I saw Ron's pick. :)
 

Warhawk

The cake is a lie.
Staff member
Thrilled to see BR2049 selected. As I've expounded upon elsewhere, this film is tremendously important to me. Despite the fact that it's a sequel, it's also very much a singular work by a visionary director. I could go on and on, but this is your pick. Well done.
It was kind of funny. I wasn't sure if I wanted to take BR2049 this round or not but then I started watching it on my iPad while I was waiting for new tires on my wife's car this afternoon and didn't want to let it slip any more. :) I might lose out on something else but this film is worth the selection.
 
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Thrilled to see BR2049 selected. As I've expounded upon elsewhere, this film is tremendously important to me. Despite the fact that it's a sequel, it's also very much a singular work by a visionary director. I could go on and on, but this is your pick. Well done.
I’d already hit my “B” quota. Otherwise it would have been gone much earlier.
 

Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
I’d already hit my “B” quota. Otherwise it would have been gone much earlier.
I'd already hit my Denis Villeneuve quota, or same same. I just watched this last weekend with my sister, who hadn't seen it (my 4th/5th time) and loved it as always. At the risk of being heretical, I think I like this movie more than Blade Runner. The original does some of the hard lifting of creating the universe, and credit has to be given there, but I find the storyline in 2049 a bit more satisfying (and quite a bit more straightforward - Blade Runner is perhaps a bit *too* subtle about its main theme).

At any rate, on top of it being a great movie I gotta say that the scene where Joi and Mariette synch up is a damn masterpiece. That is all.
 
At any rate, on top of it being a great movie I gotta say that the scene where Joi and Mariette synch up is a damn masterpiece. That is all.
Indeed. Just an absolutely stunning visual moment in a film full of stunning visual moments. I adore how much 2049 relies on the strength of its images to craft its story. Dialogue certainly plays its part, but the visual storytelling is just phenomenal. Like its predecessor, Blade Runner 2049 is pure cinema.
 
With you and Padrino both taking "B" movies early, I figured this might drop a bit. But I also didn't know if others might sweep in later to get it towards the end of the draft.
I'm just pleased as punch that there are other fans of Blade Runner 2049 at KF.com, and that it would be under threat of selection at all in the first half of this draft. For a film of its size, scope, and budget, it was massively underseen. I still don't know how Denis Villeneuve and co. managed to wrangle $150 million from financiers, considering that 2049 was a sequel to a box office failure from thirty years ago that Ridley Scott had essentially constructed with duct tape because of its limited budget for a film of its unlimited ambition.

Blade Runner is a remarkable achievement of art direction and production design, but much of its ingenuity resulted from the need to "cover up" the ramshackle nature of its assemblage. I mean, it was shot on a studio backlot! When you watch the cast of Friends walking down the street, at no point do you think to yourself, "This was obviously shot on location in Manhattan." It just looks like a cheaply fabricated studio street.

So Ridley Scott knew that his primary tools had to be night, rain, smoke, and backlighting. With those elements in his toolkit, and a production design that essentially retrofitted the set so that each building's "guts" appeared to be on the outside, Ridley Scott was able to mask the deficiencies of his set and make his future Los Angeles come alive. He made it feel real.

These were choices born out of necessity because Scott couldn't shoot on location, nor did he have the benefit of CGI, which was only in its infancy at the time (and very expensive). Blade Runner 2049 didn't have these disadvantages, but that doesn't change the fact that it is such an esoteric film. It's plainly not for everybody, and contemporary Hollywood productions with budgets of $150 million are always made for everybody.

It remains a minor miracle that 2049 got financed at all and that it was so creatively successful, if not commercially so. For that, Denis Villeneuve is a hero of mine. And it must be said that every bit of 2049's budget is up there on the screen. It is one of the most sumptuous movies I have ever seen. And it is, without question, my favorite film this side of the millennium.
 
O = Office Space (1999) - R



Adding another comedy to the COVID Cave. This is a go to from my college days. From Mike Judge of Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill Fame.

Link #1
Link #2
Link #3

Quotes:
Female Temp: Michael...Bolton?
Michael Bolton: Yeah, that's me.
Female Temp: Wow! Is that your real name?
Michael Bolton: Yeah.
Female Temp: So are you related to that singer guy?
Michael Bolton: No. It's just a coincidence.
Female Temp: [visibly disappointed] Oh.
Samir Nagheenanajar: No-one in this country can ever pronounce my name right. It..it's not that hard. Na-ghee-na-na-jar...Nagheenanajar.
Michael Bolton: Well, at least your name isn't Michael Bolton.
Samir Nagheenanajar: You know, there is nothing wrong with that name.
Michael Bolton: No, there was nothing wrong with it, until I was about 12 years old and that no talent ass-clown became famous and started winning Grammys.
Samir Nagheenanajar: Why don't you just go by Mike instead of Michael.
Michael Bolton: No way, why should I change? He's the one who sucks.

Bob Porter: Looks like you've been missing a lot of work lately.
Peter Gibbons: Well, I wouldn't exactly say I've been missing it, Bob.

Milton: I believe you have my stapler.

Samir Nagheenanajar: I'm not going to do anything illegal.
Peter Gibbons: Illegal? Samir, this is America!

Milton: I could set the building on fire.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0151804/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
 
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We’re like you, but human.

J is for JoJo Rabbit

97610707-DF8C-4D52-AD95-CB3EF117011B.jpeg

An impressive blend of funny, sweet, and tragic.

Internet blurb: Playful, funny and relevant to the world we live in today, Jojo Rabbit condemns violence with a gaze that dances with adolescent imagination taking hold over itself.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
J was another tough one for me, being torn between three different movies, but with this movie being a walk down a musical memory lane for me, I had to go with it. I'm referring to Jersey Boys, the real life story of the group The Four Seasons. While most of their music is somewhat dated, it's also memorable, with songs like Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry, Walk Like a Man, My Eye's Adored You, Can't Take My Eye's Off of You, and many more. But there's more to the story than their music.

"In Belleville, New Jersey in 1951, Tommy DeVito performs together with his brother Nicky, and their friend Nick Massi, as The Variety Trio. He meets 16-year-old Frankie Castelluccio, a barber's son, already well known in the neighborhood for his singing voice. Frankie has the admiration of Genovese Family mobster Angelo "Gyp" DeCarlo, (Christopher Walken) who takes a personal interest in him.

One night, the group attempts a robbery of a safe, resulting in the police later arresting them. In court, Frankie is let off with a warning, but Tommy is sentenced to six months in prison. After his release, Tommy reunites with the group, and adds Frankie as lead singer. Frankie changes his professional name to Frankie Vally, and then Frankie Valli. At a performance, Frankie is entranced by a woman named Mary Delgado. He takes her to dinner, and they are soon married.

The group, now called "The Four Lovers", is in need of a songwriter after Nicky leaves. Tommy's friend, Joe Pesci, (yeah, that Joe Pesci) tells him about a talented singer-songwriter, Bob Gaudio, and invites him to hear the group perform. Gaudio is impressed with Valli's vocals, and agrees to join.

The band, having recorded several demos, attempts to attract interest, but has little success. One day, in New York City, producer Bob Crewe signs them to a contract. However, they quickly realize that it only allows them to perform back-up vocals for other acts. Crewe says that the group does not have a distinctive image or sound yet. Inspired by a bowling alley sign, the band is renamed "The Four Seasons," and they sing a new song Gaudio has written, "Sherry", to Crewe, who agrees to record it."

The movie, derived from a broadway musical, was produced and directed by Clint Eastwood. Both Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio were executive producers and likely advisors on the movie. In a rare move, Eastwood decided to go to go with the original broadway cast, and took some flak because of it, and many thought it hurt its future box office returns. The movie was critically well received, and did make a small profit at the box office. To me, I think it's one of Eastwood's better movies, plus, I'll watch any movie that has Christopher Walken in it.

 

Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
We’re like you, but human.

J is for JoJo Rabbit
I definitely need to see this. Directed by Waititi, who did the already-selected What We Do In The Shadows and an absolute unrecognized gem I can't select. I never got into Flight of the Conchords, but Waititi has proven his mettle. This is 100% on my list.
 

Warhawk

The cake is a lie.
Staff member
I definitely need to see this. Directed by Waititi, who did the already-selected What We Do In The Shadows and an absolute unrecognized gem I can't select. I never got into Flight of the Conchords, but Waititi has proven his mettle. This is 100% on my list.
Same here. Heard good things. Need to check out Jersey Boys, too.

I've been looking up those available to record on Dish Network and setting timers. :) Unfortunately, a lot of them are rentals only. I have plenty to watch already without renting stuff right now....
 
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