Tropical Island Video Vault Draft - ROUND 20 - FINAL ROUND
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And to fully change tone...
Death Proof (2007) -- Have a feeling this one would be safe for a while, since its Grindhouse version was already taken, but I've long since said nertz to strategy. When I first saw Grindhouse, I wasn't terribly fond of this one. I thought it had some good bits, but the tone was wrong after the fast paced first film and all of the trailers. Tarantino's version of over-the-top is very different than Rodriguez's and, while I love Grindhouse as a whole, it makes for a very unbalanced second half. The extended version, however, released separately on DVD long before the double feature was released as a whole, has grown on me over the years. There are people who criticize the added bits for being examples of all of Tarantino's most self-indulgent eccentricities (read: foot fetish shots), and those critiques are accurate, but it also feels like a much more complete version. The pacing issues that bugged me in its short version are gone when the movie is allowed to breathe.
Death Proof (2007) -- Have a feeling this one would be safe for a while, since its Grindhouse version was already taken, but I've long since said nertz to strategy. When I first saw Grindhouse, I wasn't terribly fond of this one. I thought it had some good bits, but the tone was wrong after the fast paced first film and all of the trailers. Tarantino's version of over-the-top is very different than Rodriguez's and, while I love Grindhouse as a whole, it makes for a very unbalanced second half. The extended version, however, released separately on DVD long before the double feature was released as a whole, has grown on me over the years. There are people who criticize the added bits for being examples of all of Tarantino's most self-indulgent eccentricities (read: foot fetish shots), and those critiques are accurate, but it also feels like a much more complete version. The pacing issues that bugged me in its short version are gone when the movie is allowed to breathe.
Possibly my only pick that's a repeat from the last draft, but it's always stuck in my craw that I didn't get it when I had the chance, so...
Pitch Black (2000) -- Bittersweet movie, in a way. Back when it came out, thought I saw real promise in both Vin Diesel (as an action star, not an Oscar winner, to be clear) and the character of Richard B. Riddick, so it's difficult for me to watch anymore without being confronted with how laughably bad both have become in the years since. And yet, Pitch Black remains one of my faves. Legitimately interesting sci fi/horror world, good monsters, wonderfully cheesy dialog. And the unintentional comedy of a not-so-greatly CGI'd Claudia Black getting ripped in half is the cherry on top.
Pitch Black (2000) -- Bittersweet movie, in a way. Back when it came out, thought I saw real promise in both Vin Diesel (as an action star, not an Oscar winner, to be clear) and the character of Richard B. Riddick, so it's difficult for me to watch anymore without being confronted with how laughably bad both have become in the years since. And yet, Pitch Black remains one of my faves. Legitimately interesting sci fi/horror world, good monsters, wonderfully cheesy dialog. And the unintentional comedy of a not-so-greatly CGI'd Claudia Black getting ripped in half is the cherry on top.
Possibly my only pick that's a repeat from the last draft, but it's always stuck in my craw that I didn't get it when I had the chance, so...
Pitch Black (2000) -- Bittersweet movie, in a way. Back when it came out, thought I saw real promise in both Vin Diesel (as an action star, not an Oscar winner, to be clear) and the character of Richard B. Riddick, so it's difficult for me to watch anymore without being confronted with how laughably bad both have become in the years since. And yet, Pitch Black remains one of my faves. Legitimately interesting sci fi/horror world, good monsters, wonderfully cheesy dialog. And the unintentional comedy of a not-so-greatly CGI'd Claudia Black getting ripped in half is the cherry on top.
Pitch Black (2000) -- Bittersweet movie, in a way. Back when it came out, thought I saw real promise in both Vin Diesel (as an action star, not an Oscar winner, to be clear) and the character of Richard B. Riddick, so it's difficult for me to watch anymore without being confronted with how laughably bad both have become in the years since. And yet, Pitch Black remains one of my faves. Legitimately interesting sci fi/horror world, good monsters, wonderfully cheesy dialog. And the unintentional comedy of a not-so-greatly CGI'd Claudia Black getting ripped in half is the cherry on top.
I generally liked that one, in particular because of the attention to characterization, but I STILL want to know what all those creatures ate on that barren *** planet when they couldn't get humans.
But I think you're generally not supposed to ask questions like that. So, I don't.
Okay, so I am leaving good movies all over the board now, damn good movies, and I know at least a few won't be making it back to me, so I had to ask myself which movie would I really miss on my island. Which one would I be most likely to be lying around on the beach some night and go, "oh, I wish I could watch so and so", and be depressed that I never would be able to again:
Serenity (2005) PG-13
Just damn fun. In fact, heresy though it be, more fun for me than George Lucas's movies.
Serenity (2005) PG-13
Just damn fun. In fact, heresy though it be, more fun for me than George Lucas's movies.
Okay, so I am leaving good movies all over the board now, damn good movies, and I know at least a few won't be making it back to me, so I had to ask myself which movie would I really miss on my island. Which one would I be most likely to be lying around on the beach some night and go, "oh, I wish I could watch so and so", and be depressed that I never would be able to again:
Serenity (2005) PG-13
Just damn fun. In fact, heresy though it be, more fun for me than George Lucas's movies.
Serenity (2005) PG-13
Just damn fun. In fact, heresy though it be, more fun for me than George Lucas's movies.
Brazil - 1985
Think Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four" ... only if the draconian government was run by the Monty Python troupe.
Brazil manages to lampoon bureaucracy, paranoia, consumerism, even vanity and plastic surgery during its continual balancing act between black satire and silly, fantastical farce.
Throw in De Niro as a vigilante electrician repelling from rooftops to perform covert, unsanctioned repair jobs and this is just worth hours of entertainment.
Also some rather witty lines throughout, particulalry this one said by a guard to our hero just before he's about to be questioned/tortured:
"Don't fight it son. Confess quickly! If you hold out too long you could jeopardize your credit rating."
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For my next pick I select Lars and the Real Girl (2007, PG-13).
I wasn't sure about this movie when I first saw it - in fact I waited until it came out on the movie channels rather than going to see it in the theaters - but it did not disappoint. There are so very many ways this movie could have gone wrong - after all, it's about a man who has a delusional relationship with a life-size mail-order doll. But the script is perfect with no missteps despite the subject matter, the acting is impeccable, and in the end what the movie is really about is how the community comes together to help out a man they truly care about.
The official trailer makes the film out to be a bit more rom-com than it really is, so I grabbed a clip instead:
I wasn't sure about this movie when I first saw it - in fact I waited until it came out on the movie channels rather than going to see it in the theaters - but it did not disappoint. There are so very many ways this movie could have gone wrong - after all, it's about a man who has a delusional relationship with a life-size mail-order doll. But the script is perfect with no missteps despite the subject matter, the acting is impeccable, and in the end what the movie is really about is how the community comes together to help out a man they truly care about.
The official trailer makes the film out to be a bit more rom-com than it really is, so I grabbed a clip instead:
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For my next pick I select Lars and the Real Girl (2007, PG-13).
I wasn't sure about this movie when I first saw it - in fact I waited until it came out on the movie channels rather than going to see it in the theaters - but it did not disappoint. There are so very many ways this movie could have gone wrong - after all, it's about a man who has a delusional relationship with a life-size mail-order doll. But the script is perfect with no missteps despite the subject matter, the acting is impeccable, and in the end what the movie is really about is how the community comes together to help out a man they truly care about.
The official trailer makes the film out to be a bit more rom-com than it really is, so I grabbed a clip instead:
I wasn't sure about this movie when I first saw it - in fact I waited until it came out on the movie channels rather than going to see it in the theaters - but it did not disappoint. There are so very many ways this movie could have gone wrong - after all, it's about a man who has a delusional relationship with a life-size mail-order doll. But the script is perfect with no missteps despite the subject matter, the acting is impeccable, and in the end what the movie is really about is how the community comes together to help out a man they truly care about.
The official trailer makes the film out to be a bit more rom-com than it really is, so I grabbed a clip instead:
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"You're a smooth smoothie, you know? "
Fargo (1996)
And there goes another one of my top 5 favourite movies ever,now only one is still available.
Combines comedy, thriller and a good amount of violence perfectly; the camera work on the landscape is absolutely stunning and I'm a big fan of Steve Buscemi and William H. Macy, who both provide one of their very best performances.
Fargo (1996)
And there goes another one of my top 5 favourite movies ever,now only one is still available.
Combines comedy, thriller and a good amount of violence perfectly; the camera work on the landscape is absolutely stunning and I'm a big fan of Steve Buscemi and William H. Macy, who both provide one of their very best performances.
You're crazy, you got 3 Star Wars flicks but you're missing the best one
Honestly Jedi is the only one I really take issue with, since even when I was 8 I thought it was pretty much just Star Wars redux. I really liked Sith even though I have major issues with the first two films.
Honestly Jedi is the only one I really take issue with, since even when I was 8 I thought it was pretty much just Star Wars redux. I really liked Sith even though I have major issues with the first two films.
Okay, so I am leaving good movies all over the board now, damn good movies, and I know at least a few won't be making it back to me, so I had to ask myself which movie would I really miss on my island. Which one would I be most likely to be lying around on the beach some night and go, "oh, I wish I could watch so and so", and be depressed that I never would be able to again:
!
Serenity (2005) PG-13
Just damn fun. In fact, heresy though it be, more fun for me than George Lucas's movies.
!
Serenity (2005) PG-13
Just damn fun. In fact, heresy though it be, more fun for me than George Lucas's movies.
For my next pick I select Lars and the Real Girl (2007, PG-13).
I wasn't sure about this movie when I first saw it - in fact I waited until it came out on the movie channels rather than going to see it in the theaters - but it did not disappoint. There are so very many ways this movie could have gone wrong - after all, it's about a man who has a delusional relationship with a life-size mail-order doll. But the script is perfect with no missteps despite the subject matter, the acting is impeccable, and in the end what the movie is really about is how the community comes together to help out a man they truly care about.
The official trailer makes the film out to be a bit more rom-com than it really is, so I grabbed a clip instead:
I wasn't sure about this movie when I first saw it - in fact I waited until it came out on the movie channels rather than going to see it in the theaters - but it did not disappoint. There are so very many ways this movie could have gone wrong - after all, it's about a man who has a delusional relationship with a life-size mail-order doll. But the script is perfect with no missteps despite the subject matter, the acting is impeccable, and in the end what the movie is really about is how the community comes together to help out a man they truly care about.
The official trailer makes the film out to be a bit more rom-com than it really is, so I grabbed a clip instead:
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"You're a smooth smoothie, you know? "
Fargo (1996)
And there goes another one of my top 5 favourite movies ever,now only one is still available.
Combines comedy, thriller and a good amount of violence perfectly; the camera work on the landscape is absolutely stunning and I'm a big fan of Steve Buscemi and William H. Macy, who both provide one of their very best performances.
Fargo (1996)
And there goes another one of my top 5 favourite movies ever,now only one is still available.
Combines comedy, thriller and a good amount of violence perfectly; the camera work on the landscape is absolutely stunning and I'm a big fan of Steve Buscemi and William H. Macy, who both provide one of their very best performances.
I'm going to just agree to disagree on fantasy elements because I think Empire had them in abundance, honestly I'd even go so far as to put Star Wars 3rd behind Sith if I didn't give it bonus points for originating the whole universe and having visual effects that were light years beyond anything else at the time.
Okay, so I am leaving good movies all over the board now, damn good movies, and I know at least a few won't be making it back to me, so I had to ask myself which movie would I really miss on my island. Which one would I be most likely to be lying around on the beach some night and go, "oh, I wish I could watch so and so", and be depressed that I never would be able to again:
Serenity (2005) PG-13
Serenity (2005) PG-13
Brick as well as Dime Dropper are picking the one's I like. There are still a couple I prefer over most that have been chosen recently. Ones I watch over and over. It is not typical of me to watch a movie over and over so I think there are some serious movies left - not that the movies are serious .... ah, well, you know what I mean.
The first was perhaps the most important for a variety of reasons but not the best. It's too bad the last trilogy was never made but I suspect Lucas was burned out and with special effects becoming what they have been, story lines are taking 2nd seat to special effects. I think he had a great story in mind. I'm not ure I know what NoBonus means but if I do, I agree.