2020 Shelter in Place Alphabet Movie Draft - BONUS ROUNDS

[Jespher]

I'm jumping on the western train. Time to paint the town red!

Mordecai: All right, everybody grab a brush and start in!
Mayor Jason Hobart: You mean you want the whole place painted?
The Stranger: Everything.
Preacher: You can't possibly mean the church, too?
The Stranger: I mean *especially* the church.

H = High Plains Drifter (1973) - R

The second movie under Clint Eastwood's direction borrows hard from the masterful western style of his mentor, Sergio Leone. This dark western follows a stranger as he arrives in a mining town beset by outlaws. He gains notoriety by defeating a group of the ruffians, and progressively the characters of the town are revealed to have a complicated underbelly.

By the early 70s, actor Clint Eastwood's career had gone from being a mere extra to a well-known Hollywood star. Thanks to the success of Sergio Leone's immortal Westerns, Eastwood was noticed and soon he began to work in very good projects, with great results. Despite being a respected actor, nobody could have imagined that his talent as director was even superior to his acting skills, and after a fairly good debut in 1971 (the thriller "REDACTED"), he crafted his first masterpiece in 1973 as a tribute to his own artistic mentors: the haunting western "High Plains Drifter".

"High Plains Drifter" is the story of a small mining town named "Lago" which is constantly troubled by outlaws and gunfighters. One day a stranger (Clint Eastwood) comes to town, and manages to kill three of those outlaws, gaining instant recognition and the offer of having whatever he wants from the town if he gets rid of the rest of the gang. He accepts but the town doesn't know that the mysterious stranger has a secret that will change their lives for ever.

The figure of the stranger comes to town to alter the fragile equilibrium of their existence, and soon the town's own demons return to haunt them. Eastwood's character is not exactly the hero we know, but a morally ambiguous cruel man that doesn't hesitate to use and abuse the townspeople and that clearly has an agenda of his own. Written by Ernest Tidyman, this is a dark tale that explores the ambiguous morality of people and the concepts of justice and revenge.

Eastwood's second directorial effort is a powerful movie that brilliantly combines the elements of Western with those of suspense and thriller. Due to his solid career in Westerns, Eastwood knows the genre's characteristics and pushes them forward to create something more, a movie beyond its genre. With brilliant camera-work, he goes from dream sequences out of a nightmare to day sequences in Leone's Spaghetti Western style. This is definitely a tribute to his mentors (In fact, he included a small reference to his directors in a cemetery scene).

The acting is remarkably good, with Eastwood himself leading the cast with great skill and his powerful presence. His character is a lot more complex than his "REDACTED" and it could be said that he mixes in one character the characteristics of the three outlaws of "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly". The underrated Billy Curtis is great as Mordecai, probably the only one in town who knows (and understands) the stranger's secret. The rest of the cast is very good and even those in small roles (such as William O'Connell as the barber) give performances of high quality. Apparently Eastwood's talent with people was there from the beginning.

Tidyman's story is very well-constructed, and can be seen from diverse points of view. Every character in town is well-defined no matter how long their screen-time is, and Eastwood makes the most of it. It's hard to find a flaw in this movie and I really can't praise it enough. It is a story that once that grabs you never lets you go.

"High Plains Drifter" is a must-see, not only for Western fans, it is a powerful story that is more than what it seems. Great camera-work, haunting images, terrific script, superb acting, all pieces fit to create Clint Eastwood's first masterpiece. This dark western sets the path of Eastwood's career as a director and one can see why is he one of the best directors alive.

Quotes:

Spoiler

The Stranger: Somebody left the door open and the wrong dogs came home.

The Stranger: Beer... and a bottle.
Lutie Naylor: Ain't much good, but it's all there is. [brings drinks]. You want anything else?
The Stranger: Just a peaceful hour to drink it in.

The Stranger: You're going to look pretty silly with that knife sticking out of your ass.

Billy Borders: Flea-bitten range bums don't usually stop in Lago. Life here's a little too quick for them. Maybe you think you're fast enough to keep up with us, huh?
The Stranger: [suddenly grabbing his bottle of whiskey, startling everyone] A lot faster than you'll ever live to be.

Sheriff Dan Shaw: Well, I been needin' to talk with you; now's as good a time as any.
The Stranger: What about?
Sheriff Dan Shaw: Billy Borders.
The Stranger: Don't know the man.
Sheriff Dan Shaw: Well, you missed your chance — you shot him yesterday.

Preacher: See here, you can't turn all these people out into the night. It is inhuman, brother. Inhuman!
The Stranger: I'm not your brother.
Preacher: We are all brothers in the eyes of God.
The Stranger: All these people, are they your sisters and brothers?
Preacher: They most certainly are.
The Stranger: Then you won't mind if they come over and stay at your place, will ya?

Sarah Belding: Be careful. You're a man who makes people afraid, and that's dangerous.
The Stranger: Well, it's what people know about themselves inside that makes 'em afraid.

The Stranger: I'd love to oblige you. But a man's got to get his rest sometime.
Sarah Belding: Oblige me?
The Stranger: But I tell you what, if you'd come back in about half hour, I'll see what I can do, all right?

Warden: Bridges, you Carlin boys, don't forget your tickets back to my little hotel
[throws their guns and gun belts on the ground]
Warden: Don't worry, they ain't loaded.
Stacey Bridges, Outlaw: What about our horses? We rode in here on three good animals.
Warden: What do you think you been eatin' the last six months.
[goes back in and closes the door]
Cole Carlin, Outlaw: Damn him! I didn't think I was eatin' my own horse! He's lying. That slop he fed us wasn't our horses. He stole 'em and sold 'em, that's what he done!
Stacey Bridges, Outlaw: Shut up!
[smiles]
Stacey Bridges, Outlaw: When we get to Lago, you can have the mayor's horse, fried or barbecued.

The Stranger: I'd like rifles and ammunition for everyone in the regiment.
Gunsmith: What regiment?
The Stranger: The city of Lago volunteer force
Gunsmith: Never heard of it
The Stranger: Well you should have because your in it.

Mordacai: What did you say your name was again?
The Stranger: I didn't.
Mordecai: No. I guess you didn't at that, did you?

Mayor Jason Hobart: I don't know if we shouldn't mark the grave somehow, Dan?
Sheriff Dan Shaw: I don't see any need. It ain't likely anybody is gonna cry over them anyhow.

The Stranger: The only problem you've got Sheriff is a short supply of guts.

Link #1
Link #2
Link #3

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068699/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

 

[Sluggah]

What did you do, wake up this morning and say, "Today, I'm going to ruin a man's life"?

R is for Romancing the Stone



Since Raiders was taken...I’ll take a Raiders adjacent adventure flick.

Internet blurb: Romancing the Stone reaches back to the classic Saturday morning serials of old with an action-filled adventure enlivened by the sparkling chemistry between its well-matched leads.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

OK, Bajaden is out of commission for at least a few days and has asked me to post his picks for him.

To fill his "R" column in the alphabetical movie draft, Bajaden selects:

Rush (2013)

Directed by Ron Howard

Starring Daniel Brühl, Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Wilde

Trailer

Baja calls this "a true story about Grand Prix racing" and if he wants to update a blurb when he gets a chance I'll happily paste it in here.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

@KainLear is still timed out from his last pick. I've sent a PM, but am ready to make my own pick whenever Jack gives me the green light.

 

[KainLear]

For my #18,

Seven Samurai (1954)

Director:
Akira Kurosawa
Writers:
Akira Kurosawa (screenplay), Shinobu Hashimoto (screenplay), Hideo Oguni...(screenplay)
Stars:
Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima

Write up follows...

 

[KainLear]

And for my #19, I'm not sure if it should belong to the letter "V" or "W", but I haven't picked one for either so I'll leave it to you guys to decide.

The Witch (2015)

Director:
Robert Eggers
Writer:
Robert Eggers
Stars:
Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie

Writing to follow...

 

[Capt. Factorial]

For my #18,

Seven Samurai (1954)

I love Kurosawa getting some play late!

 

[Capt. Factorial]

And for my #19, I'm not sure if it should belong to the letter "V" or "W", but I haven't picked one for either so I'll leave it to you guys to decide.

The Witch (2015)

IMDB has it titled "The Witch" - I think the whole "The VVitch" was just a stylistic thing for promos - perhaps they used that in the credits? Anyway, it would appear to be a "W" by the rules.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

To fill my "T" column in the alphabetical movie draft, I select:

True Grit (1969)

Directed by Henry Hathaway

Starring John Wayne, Kim Darby, Glen Campbell

Trailer

I know I'm pretty late jumping on the Western bandwagon, as it seems everybody wants to pick at least one, but I'm glad that one of my favorites is still available. To be honest, when I was growing up my stepdad was pretty big into Westerns and I just couldn't stand to watch them. It has only been in the last five years or so that I've begun to appreciate the genre more, and I'm still relatively selective - it's easy to make a formulaic Western and I really prefer to have some sort of unique hook.

True Grit has just that, as it's the story of an incredibly spunky and resourceful teenage girl who hires the baddest, meanest (and drunkest) one-eyed Marshal around to hunt down the man who killed her father. This is all fine and good aside from their primary disagreement - she intends to come along and be the one who brings her father's killer to justice. Glen Campbell has been criticized for his performance in the film, and I can't say I blame the folks who do so, but I think the other performances are great, and John Wayne won his only Oscar for this film.

Watch out for the chicken and dumplings. They'll hurt your eyes...They'll hurt your eyes lookin' for the chicken!

 

[Jack Jack]

R = Raising Arizona (1987)

There are really few directors that are as consistent as the Coen brothers. Their strange sense of humour just works in every movie they make, and it's extremely fun and addictive. With that said, it's difficult to decide which of their movies is the best, but this one is a worthy contender. It's incredibly outrageous, wild and crazy, but at the same time it's close and heart-warming. It has a very surreal look, yet the emotional scenes still look very genuine, which is quite an achievement. The characters are also vintage Coen, they're all offbeat and weird, but that just raises more sympathy for them. It also helps that they all express themselves through some razor-sharp dialogues. I could barely make out the lines because I was too busy laughing at the previous lines, you wonder where these keep coming from. This movie just isn't like anything I've ever seen. It's astoundingly funny in all its weirdness.

Link #1
Link #2
Link #3

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093822/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

 

[Löwenherz]

I've had my final pick planned since the beginning of the draft, assuming it doesn't get swiped between now and my next pick, so this is the last selection in which I've really been forced to make a choice.

Have about a dozen different titles of my few remaining letters floating around the on deck circle, but deciding to go with a rather subversive sci-fi movie that to my knowledge, has never been picked before.

D is for ...



District 9 (2009)

Within the first 10 minutes, this quirky little joint venture between the US, New Zealand, and most importantly SOUTH AFRICA, has subverted your expectations of the 'space aliens come to earth' trope at least twice.

Are these superior beings here in the name of peace, or hostile invaders set to conquer and destroy humanity? Is this gonna be E.T. or Aliens? Close Encounters or Independence Day?

The answer is: none of the above. The aliens are starving, sick refugees using their advanced space ship as little more than a super sophisticated life raft to escape a dying planet.

And what government is the first to greet them? The United States? Great Britain? Maybe Russia or China?

Nope. It’s 1980s South Africa during apartheid. And in a turn a little too realistic for my comfort, these advanced life forms from another world, are promptly sequestered into their own slum within Johannesburg, deemed an economic burden and health menace, and bestowed their own set of racial stereotypes and ethnic slurs for the next 30 years.

Welcome to Earth, prawns.

What follows from that premise is a not so subtle riff on the former apartheid government, and the outward hatred and cruelty that accompanies systemic racism, which linger even long after said systemic racism supposedly has ended.

But with alien spaceships and gruesome transmogrification and battle mech suits.

There are also some added clever elements for flavor such as a brief mockumentary piece that grounds the fantastical story in realism, or the uniquely South African plot point of a weapons lord wanting to eat a man’s mutated arm because he believes it will give him alien powers.

When I first saw District 9 years ago, I was honestly a bit dismissive, thinking the overt allegory for racism lacked subtlety and was a little over-the-top. That was until I had the chance to visit JoBurg, and we went by the million person township that looks exactly like it does in District 9.

It was about that time I decided District 9 might be the most sadly realistic example of sci-fi I’ve ever seen.

 

[Warhawk]

Sorry, taking a break from work and thought I'd update one or two of my movie selections.

Buddy: The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.

"E" is for:

Elf (2003)



https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319343/

I don't know if there is anyone who hasn't seen this movie, but it is a Christmas standard around our house.

Directed by Jon Favreau (likely best known for his acting and directing work in the MCU), this is a great little comedy that perfectly captures Will Farrell's talents, along with those of James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Daniel Tay, Bob Newhart Ed Asner, and Peter Dinklage.

Leon the Snowman: Why the long face, Buddy?
Buddy: It seems I'm not an elf.
Leon the Snowman: Of course you're not an elf. You're six-foot-three and had a beard since you were fifteen.

Gimbel's Santa: Now what can I get you for Christmas?
Buddy: Don't tell him what you want, he's a liar.
Gimbel's Santa: Let the kid talk.
Buddy: You disgust me! How can you live with yourself?
Gimbel's Santa: Just cool it, Zippy.
Buddy: You sit on a throne of lies.
Gimbel's Santa: Look, I'm not kiddin'.
Buddy: You're a fake.
Gimbel's Santa: I'm a fake?
Buddy: Yes!
Gimbel's Santa: How'd you like to be dead, huh? Ho, ho, just kidding.
Buddy: You stink.
Gimbel's Santa: I think you're gonna have a good Christmas, all right.
Buddy: You smell like beef and cheese, you don't smell like Santa.

Buddy: We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup.

Buddy: [as he is hit by a snowball] SON of a NUTcracker!

Buddy: [phone rings, Buddy picks it up] Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?

Buddy: You did it! Congratulations! "World's Best Cup of Coffee." Great job, everybody. It's great to meet you.

Eugene: [brainstorming for a new book] What about this: a tribe of asparagus children, but they're self-conscious about the way their pee smells.

Buddy: [thinking Miles is an elf] Did you have to borrow a reindeer to get down here?
Miles Finch: Hey, jackweed, I get more action in a week than you've had in your entire life. I've got houses in L.A., Paris and Vail. In each one, a 70 inch plasma screen. So I suggest you wipe that stupid smile off your face before I come over there and SMACK it off! You feeling strong, my friend? Call me elf one more time.
Buddy: [after a pause] He's an angry elf.

 

[Warhawk]

Professor Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm: There we were, an unready father for an unwanted child. The boys gave him a name that very night; in retrospect, not the most fortunate, but nevertheless a name we all came to use. We called him, Hellboy.

"H" is for:

Hellboy (2004)



https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167190/

From wikipedia:

Hellboy is a 2004 American supernatural-superhero film written and directed by Guillermo del Toro from a story by Del Toro and Peter Briggs. Ron Perlman stars as Hellboy, alongside Selma Blair, Jeffrey Tambor, Karel Roden, Rupert Evans, and John Hurt in supporting roles. In the film, a demonic beast-turned superhero known as Hellboy secretly works to keep the world safe from paranormal threats with his team, the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense.

This has been one of those little guilty pleasure-type films, and Ron Perlman is excellent here. He seems to relish this role and it suits him well. I was bummed they tried a reboot not long ago with another actor instead of bringing him back for another sequel.

Hellboy was nominated for four Saturn Awards in 2005, including Best Fantasy Film, Best Special Edition DVD Release, and Best Make-Up, which it won. The film was also nominated for a Visual Effects Society Award in the category of "Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character in a Live Action Motion Picture." In 2007, Rotten Tomatoes declared Hellboy to be the 13th best-reviewed comic book film adaptation, out of 94 total. In 2008, Empire magazine ranked Hellboy 11th in their list of "The 20 Greatest Comic Book Movies".

John Myers: My uncle used to say that we like people for their qualities but we love them for their defects.

Professor Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm: In the absence of light, darkness prevails. There are things that go bump in the night, Agent Myers. Make no mistake about that. And we are the ones who bump back.

Abe Sapien: [while stitching up Hellboy's forearm] How long did he touch you?
Hellboy: I don't know? About 5 seconds?
Abe Sapien: [pulls three eggs out of his forearm] Touched you five seconds, laid three eggs.
Hellboy: Didn't even buy me a drink.

Hellboy: Look, Sammy, I'm not a very good shot...
[holds up his huge revolver]
Hellboy: ...but the Samaritan here uses really big bullets.

John Myers: Did you ever lose track of him?
Hellboy: Well let's see - there was that moment, when I had the train on top of my head...

Hellboy: [while Sammael is eating] What you having? Six library guards, raw, plus belts and boots. Man, you're gonna need some heavy fiber to move that out.

John Myers: "What makes a man a man?" a friend of mine once wondered. Is it his origins? The way he comes to life? I don't think so. It's the choices he makes. Not how he starts things, but how he decides to end them.

 

[Warhawk]

Looks like Padrino timed out. I messaged him a couple hours ago and no response. So, on to my pick and he can post one when he has time.

Joe: When a man with .45 meets a man with a rifle, you said, the man with a pistol's a dead man. Let's see if that's true. Go ahead, load up and shoot.

"K" is for:

Koya no yojimbo (Japanese - A Fistful of Dollars) (1964) - I'm dipping into the international language title loophole for this one.



https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058461/

This is the first western I remember watching - like most westerns when I was young, it was with my dad. He loved these Sergio Leone "spaghetti westerns" with Ennio Morricone music playing in the background and Clint Eastwood taking care of business on the screen. These movies hold a special place in my heart, and with everyone picking the westerns all of a sudden I wanted to get the one that kickstarted the genre. The co-stars are Gian Maria Volonté, Marianne Koch, Wolfgang Lukschy, Sieghardt Rupp, José Calvo, Antonio Prieto, and Joseph Egger. This movie, and the two sequels, launched Eastwood into being a movie star.

From wikipedia:

A Fistful of Dollars became the first film to exhibit Leone's famously distinctive style of visual direction. This was influenced by both John Ford's cinematic landscaping and the Japanese method of direction perfected by Akira Kurosawa. Leone wanted an operatic feel to his western, and so there are many examples of extreme close-ups on the faces of different characters, functioning like arias in a traditional opera. The rhythm, emotion, and communication within scenes can be attributed to Leone's meticulous framing of his close-ups.

The release of the film was delayed in the United States, because distributors feared being sued by Kurosawa. As a result, it was not shown in American cinemas until January 1967.

The film was effectively an unofficial and unlicensed remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1961 film Yojimbo (written by Kurosawa and Ryūzō Kikushima), lifting traditional themes and character tropes usually typified within a Jidaigeki film. Kurosawa insisted that Leone had made "a fine movie, but it was my movie."

Leone ... claims a thematic debt, for both Fistful and Yojimbo, to Carlo Goldoni's (redacted)—the basic premise of the protagonist playing two camps against each other. Leone asserted that this rooted the origination of Fistful/Yojimbo in European, and specifically Italian, culture. The (redacted) plot can also be seen in Hammett's detective novel Red Harvest. The Continental Op hero of the novel is, significantly, a man without a name. Leone himself believed that Red Harvest had influenced Yojimbo: "Kurosawa's Yojimbo was inspired by an American novel of the serie-noire so I was really taking the story back home again."

A Fistful of Dollars has achieved a 98% approval rating out of 48 critical reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "With Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo as his template, Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars helped define a new era for the Western and usher in its most iconic star, Clint Eastwood." It was also placed 8th on the site's 'Top 100 Westerns'.

The 67th Cannes Film Festival, held in 2014, celebrated the "50th anniversary of the birth of the Spaghetti Western... by showing A Fistful of Dollars". Quentin Tarantino, prior to hosting the event, in a press-release described the film as "the greatest achievement in the history of Cinema".

Joe: You see, I understand you men were just playin' around, but the mule, he just doesn't get it. Course, if you were to all apologize...
[Men Laugh]
Joe: I don't think it's nice, you laughin'. You see, my mule don't like people laughing. He gets the crazy idea you're laughin' at him. Now if you apologize, like I know you're going to, I might convince him that you really didn't mean it.

Joe: Crazy bellringer was right, there's money to be made in a place like this.

Joe: You shoot to kill, you better hit the heart. Your own words, Ramon.
[Ramon fires off two shots, but The Man With No Name stands right back up]
Joe: The heart, Ramon. Don't forget the heart. Aim for the heart, or you'll never stop me.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

"K" is for:

Koya no yojimbo (Japanese - A Fistful of Dollars) (1964) - I'm dipping into the international language title loophole for this one.

"Loophole" sounds right. This appears to follow the letter of the rule, but I thought the intention of the rule was to allow the selection of the Japanese title of a Japanese film, not the Japanese title of an Italian film.

 

[Warhawk]

"Loophole" sounds right. This appears to follow the letter of the rule, but I thought the intention of the rule was to allow the selection of the Japanese title of a Japanese film, not the Japanese title of an Italian film.

Ah, I hadn't thought of that restriction/intent. I guess we need a ruling, as I couldn't use the Italian name due to my previous letter selections. I'll be happy to select something else if that is indeed the intent of that rule.

 

[Löwenherz]

"Loophole" sounds right. This appears to follow the letter of the rule, but I thought the intention of the rule was to allow the selection of the Japanese title of a Japanese film, not the Japanese title of an Italian film.

I’m honestly surprised it took this long before someone tried to exploit the loophole.

I don’t really care either way, but what I do find interesting is the Japanese title, which apparently translates to “Wasteland Bodyguard” would seem purely nonsensical if awesome.

EXCEPT “Wasteland” (kōya) was Japanese shorthand for an American western, and “Bodyguard” (yōjimbo) is directly calling out that A Fistful of Dollars is a remake (or rip-off, depending on your point of view) of Kurosawa’s Yojimbo.

It’s as if they’re saying: “Oh, you liked Yojimbo? Well here are some Italians doing that exact movie, but with a white cowboy in the American west.”

PS: for what it’s worth, I do really enjoy A Fistful of Dollars. Solid, fun, and important Western. But had never seen the Japanese title before.

 

[VF21]

Ah, I hadn't thought of that restriction/intent. I guess we need a ruling, as I couldn't use the Italian name due to my previous letter selections. I'll be happy to select something else if that is indeed the intent of that rule.

My two cents? I agree with the Captain on what the intent of that provision of the rules was meant to be. I think, in all fairness, a different pick would be preferable but it's up to @Jack Jack to make the final ruling.

 

[VF21]

I’m honestly surprised it took this long before someone tried to exploit the loophole.

I don’t really care either way, but what I do find interesting is the Japanese title, which apparently translates to “Wasteland Bodyguard” would seem purely nonsensical if awesome.

EXCEPT “Wasteland” (kōya) was Japanese shorthand for an American western, and “Bodyguard” (yōjimbo) is directly calling out that A Fist Full of Dollars is a remake (or rip-off, depending on your point of view) of Kurosawa’s Yojimbo.

It’s as if they’re saying: “Oh, you liked Yojimbo? Well here are some Italians doing that exact movie, but with a white cowboy in the American west.”

PS: for what it’s worth, I do really enjoy A Fist Full of Dollars. Solid, fun, and important Western. But had never seen the Japanese title before.

Thank you for that. I knew Fistful was a ripoff of Yojimbo, but never knew the story behind the Japanese title.

 

[VF21]

T - The Thing from another world - 1951

Complete credited cast

Margaret Sheridan...Nikki Nicholson

Kenneth Tobey...Capt. Patrick Hendry

Robert Cornthwaite...Dr. Arthur Carrington

Douglas Spencer...Ned Scott

James Young...Lt. Eddie Dykes

Dewey Martin...Crew Chief Bob
Robert Nichols...Lt. Ken Erickson / Lt. Ken (Mac) MacPherson
William Self...Cpl. Barnes

Eduard Franz...Dr. Stern
Sally Creighton...Mrs. Chapman

James Arness...'The Thing'

Long before the movie The Thing (chosen by Padrino) was released, there was another Thing, one that scared me for years after seeing it for the first time as a young child.

The Thing 1951 version has been listed as one of the scariest movies ever made and I can attest to still getting goosebumps when I think of certain scenes. Although obviously dated, the black-and-white film directed by Christian Nyby (and Howard Hawks) is still a true gem.

Padrino did an eloquent job of describing his version of the film, so I won't go into a lot of detail here. I will state, however, that if you can find a copy of this one, it's worth your time to watch it and marvel at how much suspense Nyby was able to build with a small budget and a cast whose main name was unrecognizable in the makeup of the monster (James Arness).

I grew up in a home with a long hallway from the living room to the back of the house where my bedroom was located. After seeing this film, it was weeks before I would take that walk alone...all because of this film.

Quotes:
Ned "Scotty" Scott: All right, fellas, here's your story: North Pole, November Third, Ned Scott reporting. One of the world's greatest battles was fought and won today by the human race. Here at the top of the world a handful of American soldiers and civilians met the first invasion from another planet. A man by the name of Noah once saved our world with an ark of wood. Here at the North Pole, a few men performed a similar service with an arc of electricity. The flying saucer which landed here and its pilot have been destroyed, but not without causalities among our own meager forces. I would like to bring to the microphone some of the men responsible for our success... but as Senior Air force officer Captain Hendry is attending to demands over and above the call of duty... Doctor Carrington, the leader of the scientific expedition, is recovering from wounds received in the battle.
Eddie: [Softly] Good for you, Scotty.
Ned "Scotty" Scott: And now before giving you the details of the battle, I bring you a warning: Everyone of you listening to my voice, tell the world, tell this to everybody wherever they are. Watch the skies. Everywhere. Keep looking. Keep watching the skies.

Dr. Arthur Carrington: There are no enemies in science, only phenomena to be studied.

Ned "Scotty" Scott: Dr. Carrington, you're a man who won the Nobel Prize. You've received every kind of international kudos a scientist can attain. If you were for sale I could get a million bucks for you from any foreign government. I'm not, therefore, gonna stick my neck out and say you're stuffed absolutely clean full of wild blueberry muffins, but I promise my readers are gonna think so.

Dr. Arthur Carrington: No pleasure, no pain... no emotion, no heart. Our superior in every way.

...

Dr. Arthur Carrington: I'm your friend! I have no weapons! I'm your friend! You're wiser than I! You must understand what I'm trying to tell you! Don't go farther! They'll kill you! They think you'll harm us! But I want to know you, to help you! Believe that! You're wiser than anything on earth! Use that intelligence! Look and know what I'm telling you! I'm not your enemy! I'm a scientist who's trying...!

Note: While looking for the trailer, I discovered the whole film can be found on YouTube.

Spoiler: Some scenes from the film including the one that scared the crap out of a young VF21

 

[Löwenherz]

Thank you for that. I knew Fistful was a ripoff of Yojimbo, but never knew the story behind the Japanese title.

And now I just finished @Warhawk’s attached trailer which ends with the narrator confidently calling A Fistful of Dollars “The first motion picture of its kind”

 

[Löwenherz]

View attachment 10011

T - The Thing from another world - 1951

Complete credited cast

Margaret Sheridan...Nikki Nicholson

Kenneth Tobey...Capt. Patrick Hendry

Robert Cornthwaite...Dr. Arthur Carrington

Douglas Spencer...Ned Scott

James Young...Lt. Eddie Dykes

Dewey Martin...Crew Chief Bob
Robert Nichols...Lt. Ken Erickson / Lt. Ken (Mac) MacPherson
William Self...Cpl. Barnes

Eduard Franz...Dr. Stern
Sally Creighton...Mrs. Chapman

James Arness...'The Thing'

Long before the movie The Thing (chosen by Padrino) was released, there was another Thing, one that scared me for years after seeing it for the first time as a young child.

The Thing 1951 version has been listed as one of the scariest movies ever made and I can attest to still getting goosebumps when I think of certain scenes. Although obviously dated, the black-and-white film directed by Christian Nyby (and Howard Hawks) is still a true gem.

Padrino did an eloquent job of describing his version of the film, so I won't go into a lot of detail here. I will state, however, that if you can find a copy of this one, it's worth your time to watch it and marvel at how much suspense Nyby was able to build with a small budget and a cast whose main name was unrecognizable in the makeup of the monster (James Arness).

I grew up in a home with a long hallway from the living room to the back of the house where my bedroom was located. After seeing this film, it was weeks before I would take that walk alone...all because of this film.

Quotes:
Ned "Scotty" Scott: All right, fellas, here's your story: North Pole, November Third, Ned Scott reporting. One of the world's greatest battles was fought and won today by the human race. Here at the top of the world a handful of American soldiers and civilians met the first invasion from another planet. A man by the name of Noah once saved our world with an ark of wood. Here at the North Pole, a few men performed a similar service with an arc of electricity. The flying saucer which landed here and its pilot have been destroyed, but not without causalities among our own meager forces. I would like to bring to the microphone some of the men responsible for our success... but as Senior Air force officer Captain Hendry is attending to demands over and above the call of duty... Doctor Carrington, the leader of the scientific expedition, is recovering from wounds received in the battle.
Eddie: [Softly] Good for you, Scotty.
Ned "Scotty" Scott: And now before giving you the details of the battle, I bring you a warning: Everyone of you listening to my voice, tell the world, tell this to everybody wherever they are. Watch the skies. Everywhere. Keep looking. Keep watching the skies.

Dr. Arthur Carrington: There are no enemies in science, only phenomena to be studied.

Ned "Scotty" Scott: Dr. Carrington, you're a man who won the Nobel Prize. You've received every kind of international kudos a scientist can attain. If you were for sale I could get a million bucks for you from any foreign government. I'm not, therefore, gonna stick my neck out and say you're stuffed absolutely clean full of wild blueberry muffins, but I promise my readers are gonna think so.

Dr. Arthur Carrington: No pleasure, no pain... no emotion, no heart. Our superior in every way.

...

Dr. Arthur Carrington: I'm your friend! I have no weapons! I'm your friend! You're wiser than I! You must understand what I'm trying to tell you! Don't go farther! They'll kill you! They think you'll harm us! But I want to know you, to help you! Believe that! You're wiser than anything on earth! Use that intelligence! Look and know what I'm telling you! I'm not your enemy! I'm a scientist who's trying...!

Note: While looking for the trailer, I discovered the whole film can be found on YouTube.

Spoiler: Some scenes from the film including the one that scared the crap out of a young VF21

Ooh, speaking of originals.

Thanks for the YouTube tip.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

You know, now that I notice it, there was no need for me to ever redact my previous post, in the first place. Under the rules of this draft, I'm not spoiling it, because nobody can draft it, anyway. In fact, the last person who could have hypothetically been "spoiled" picked a movie starting with this letter, three picks before the pick was made that was relevant to my post.

Therefore, for anyone who cares, I have un-redacted post #441.

 

[Löwenherz]

You know, now that I notice it, there was no need for me to ever redact my previous post, in the first place. Under the rules of this draft, I'm not spoiling it, because nobody can draft it, anyway. In fact, the last person who could have hypothetically been "spoiled" picked a movie starting with this letter, three picks before the pick was made that was relevant to my post.

Therefore, for anyone who cares, I have un-redacted post #441.

I figured that was the movie in the redacted space. That part wasn’t the mystery for me.

I’d wondered, as a famously non-movie guy outside mostly Kung Fu flicks, what got you to go to Shakespeare in Love of all films on opening weekend, and what was so disastrous about it that two decades went by before you trusted a new release again?

I should note, my wife refused to watch more than five minutes of Shakespeare in Love because she hates the characters’ syntax.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

I’d wondered, as a famously non-movie guy outside mostly Kung Fu flicks, what got you to go to Shakespeare in Love of all films on opening weekend...

I was still married, at the time. It was date night with my wife.

... and what was so disastrous about it that two decades went by before you trusted a new release again?

About Shakespeare in Love? Nothing. I was still on active duty, and it wasn't necessarily convenient for me to see movies on opening weekend.

No, what happened was that two movies came out in the first half of 1999, that annoyed me so much, they basically killed my love of movies, dead. As there are still at least two participants in this draft who have not selected movies beginning with the respective letters, that's all I can say, for the moment.

 

[Warhawk]

My two cents? I agree with the Captain on what the intent of that provision of the rules was meant to be. I think, in all fairness, a different pick would be preferable but it's up to @Jack Jack to make the final ruling.

And that is fine, if that's the way he wants to go. I just never thought of the rule from the point of view of a "foreign" film. The wording just says for a film with a different international title and doesn't mention "foreign" or nation of origin at all. Hence the reason I never even thought of that specific and narrow interpretation of the rule.

For films that have different international titles, either version may be chosen, however, additional titles are off the board.

 

[Warhawk]

View attachment 10011

T - The Thing from another world - 1951

Another film where I like the original better than the remake.

 

[Jack Jack]

And that is fine, if that's the way he wants to go. I just never thought of the rule from the point of view of a "foreign" film. The wording just says for a film with a different international title and doesn't mention "foreign" or nation of origin at all. Hence the reason I never even thought of that specific and narrow interpretation of the rule.

I have a statement and a question:

1) Technically you are following the rules, but you called out two other picks as close to or crossing loophole lines, and then chose to do it yourself...

2) Do you choose this film dubbed in Japanese with English subtitles?

 

[Löwenherz]

Question:

Do you choose this film dubbed in Japanese with English subtitles?

Dude, perfect.

 

[Warhawk]

I have a statement and a question:

1) Technically you are following the rules, but you called out two other picks as close to or crossing loophole lines, and then chose to do it yourself...

2) Do you choose this film dubbed in Japanese with English subtitles?

1) Well, the other two films were never released in theaters, so there is no "loophole" there. They clearly didn't meet the intent of the rule. I didn't see the rule I was invoking as involving "foreign" movies at all, it just says "international titles".

• For films that have different international titles, either version may be chosen, however, additional titles are off the board.
• All movies must have been released in theaters. No made-for-TV, no Netflix, no Amazon, etc. Too many of those films just aren't available for everyone to view and it's hard to expect people to vote for a bunch of obscure films no one (except you) has seen. You cannot pick a trilogy as one selection. Each movie is stand-alone. In addition, you cannot pick a "director's cut" or other version of a movie if someone else has already selected a different version. You can pick a remake, however. NO PORN.

2) I don't really care one way or the other on language and subtitles. I watch most movies and TV at home with English subtitles anyways due to partial hearing loss.

Again, looking at the rule from a "foreign" film point of view I can totally see that interpretation/intent as valid and am perfectly happy choosing another film if that is the ruling by you. I just didn't see that when I read the rule. No bad feelings at all - totally cool either way. Just let me know! It's all good.