2020 Shelter in Place Alphabet Movie Draft - BONUS ROUNDS
- Thread starter Jack Jack
- Start date
With my twelfth pick in the Shelter in Place Alphabet Movie Draft, I will make use of the letter Z to select:
Zodiac (2007):
Director: David Fincher
Dir. of Photography: Harris Savides
Writer(s): James Vanderbilt, Robert Graysmith (based on the novel by)
Score: David Shire
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox
Genre(s): Crime, drama, mystery
Runtime: 2 hours, 37 minutes
IMDb Entry: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443706/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
Hey, friends. Sorry for the delay. Life, and all that. For the first time, I'll have to postpone my write-up. But I wanted to select a great film for the unheralded letter z.
edit: David Fincher’s Zodiac, based on the true-to-life story of the Zodiac Killer, is a perfect example of how to create genuinely thrilling suspense without the use of cheap tricks or twists. It is a masterclass in sharp writing, objective camera movement, and precise editing, as well as the craftsmanship of an incredibly talented cast.
Thematically speaking, Zodiac is a mesmerizing, in-depth study of obsession and its potential consequences. Although the focus is placed on neither the murderer nor the psychological motivation behind his crimes, he never ceases to represent the gravity that pulls on each of the characters in the film. The Zodiac Killer is a phantasm that always remains just slightly out of reach, eating away at the protagonists' sanity and constantly bringing into question their own sense of safety and stability in a world gone mad.
The painstaking obsession at the center of the film's concerns has a way of mirroring Fincher's own meticulous process in creating the perfect thriller. Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. were less than complimentary of Fincher's penchant for demanding take after take after take of a particular scene until he got precisely what he wanted from his cast. Mark Ruffalo was more understanding: “The way I see it is, you enter into someone else’s world as an actor. You can put your expectations aside and have an experience that’s new and pushes and changes you, or hold on to what you think it should be and have a stubborn, immovable journey that’s filled with disappointment and anger.”
Perhaps that disappointment and anger informed the nature of the characters played by all three, who, just as in real life, were unable to apprehend the perpetrator of the heinous murders they were investigating.
Zodiac (2007):
Director: David Fincher
Dir. of Photography: Harris Savides
Writer(s): James Vanderbilt, Robert Graysmith (based on the novel by)
Score: David Shire
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox
Genre(s): Crime, drama, mystery
Runtime: 2 hours, 37 minutes
IMDb Entry: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443706/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
Hey, friends. Sorry for the delay. Life, and all that. For the first time, I'll have to postpone my write-up. But I wanted to select a great film for the unheralded letter z.
edit: David Fincher’s Zodiac, based on the true-to-life story of the Zodiac Killer, is a perfect example of how to create genuinely thrilling suspense without the use of cheap tricks or twists. It is a masterclass in sharp writing, objective camera movement, and precise editing, as well as the craftsmanship of an incredibly talented cast.
Thematically speaking, Zodiac is a mesmerizing, in-depth study of obsession and its potential consequences. Although the focus is placed on neither the murderer nor the psychological motivation behind his crimes, he never ceases to represent the gravity that pulls on each of the characters in the film. The Zodiac Killer is a phantasm that always remains just slightly out of reach, eating away at the protagonists' sanity and constantly bringing into question their own sense of safety and stability in a world gone mad.
The painstaking obsession at the center of the film's concerns has a way of mirroring Fincher's own meticulous process in creating the perfect thriller. Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. were less than complimentary of Fincher's penchant for demanding take after take after take of a particular scene until he got precisely what he wanted from his cast. Mark Ruffalo was more understanding: “The way I see it is, you enter into someone else’s world as an actor. You can put your expectations aside and have an experience that’s new and pushes and changes you, or hold on to what you think it should be and have a stubborn, immovable journey that’s filled with disappointment and anger.”
Perhaps that disappointment and anger informed the nature of the characters played by all three, who, just as in real life, were unable to apprehend the perpetrator of the heinous murders they were investigating.
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Han Solo: [stepping on board the Millennium Falcon] Chewie... we're home.
"S" is for:
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2488496/
I knew I wanted some Star Wars with me. Yes, I know the story is very derivative of Episode IV. You know what? I don't care. With Episode IV off the board with the second selection, there were a couple of other SW movies worth taking. Some may argue (and they may be right) that they are "better" movies than this one. But the reason I chose this one is this: after decades of inferior SW (prequel) flicks, this is the first one that brought that feeling, energy, and fun of the original SW movies back to the theater. It obviously brought back all the favorite stars from the original series. Oh, yeah, and John Williams was back doing the movie score. For those reasons and more I'm glad to claim it for my list.
From wikipedia:
The movie was a theatrical juggernaut, setting all kinds of sales and box office records. (Some of the following has been simplified for easier reading.)
OK, so it made Disney a LOT of money.
Han Solo: What was your job when you were based here?
Finn: Sanitation.
Han Solo: Sanitation? Then how do you know how to disable the shields?
Finn: I don't. I'm just here to get Rey.
Han Solo: People are counting on us. The galaxy is counting on us.
Finn: Solo, we'll figure it out. We'll use the Force.
Han Solo: That's not how the Force works!
Rey: [Concentrating harder] You will remove these restraints and leave this cell with the door open.
FN-1824: I will remove these restraints and leave this cell with the door open.
[he follows the compulsion and as he is about to leave the cell...]
Rey: And you'll drop your weapon.
FN-1824: And I'll drop my weapon.
Han Solo: Okay. How do we blow it up? There's always a way to do that.
Leia: Hope is not lost today... it is found.
"S" is for:
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2488496/
I knew I wanted some Star Wars with me. Yes, I know the story is very derivative of Episode IV. You know what? I don't care. With Episode IV off the board with the second selection, there were a couple of other SW movies worth taking. Some may argue (and they may be right) that they are "better" movies than this one. But the reason I chose this one is this: after decades of inferior SW (prequel) flicks, this is the first one that brought that feeling, energy, and fun of the original SW movies back to the theater. It obviously brought back all the favorite stars from the original series. Oh, yeah, and John Williams was back doing the movie score. For those reasons and more I'm glad to claim it for my list.
From wikipedia:
The movie was a theatrical juggernaut, setting all kinds of sales and box office records. (Some of the following has been simplified for easier reading.)
OK, so it made Disney a LOT of money.
Han Solo: What was your job when you were based here?
Finn: Sanitation.
Han Solo: Sanitation? Then how do you know how to disable the shields?
Finn: I don't. I'm just here to get Rey.
Han Solo: People are counting on us. The galaxy is counting on us.
Finn: Solo, we'll figure it out. We'll use the Force.
Han Solo: That's not how the Force works!
Rey: [Concentrating harder] You will remove these restraints and leave this cell with the door open.
FN-1824: I will remove these restraints and leave this cell with the door open.
[he follows the compulsion and as he is about to leave the cell...]
Rey: And you'll drop your weapon.
FN-1824: And I'll drop my weapon.
Han Solo: Okay. How do we blow it up? There's always a way to do that.
Leia: Hope is not lost today... it is found.
100% with you on that one. Speaking for myself, the remainder of the (canon) series was disappointing, and even more so because I thought Episode VII set up the opportunity to close out the Skywalker Saga in grand style. And yes, "derivative" (of a film I picked, though if I recall correctly you have done the same in the past) is completely correct. But let me just say that I have never been so excited for a sequel as I was after I walked out of Episode VII. And re-watching it still gives me that excitement.
R - RED - 2010
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1245526/
In all honesty, I had a totally different movie in the queue for my next pick. Last night though, I got a chance to watch this film again...and was reminded how much I enjoy it every single time I watch it.
There's so much to enjoy. Aside from Bruce Willis' character, there's John Malkovich, Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman (among others).
The film is well crafted and fast paced. You don't have to think a lot to enjoy it; you just sit back, fasten your seat belt and enjoy the ride.
From Imdb:
Frank (Bruce Willis) is retired, bored, and lonely living off of his government pension in a nondescript suburb in an equally nondescript house. The only joy in Frank's life is his calls to the government pension processing center when he gets to talk to his case worker, Sarah (Mary-Louis Parker). Sarah is as bored and lonely as Frank and marks her conversations with the unknown Frank and her spy novels as the only things fun in her life. When something in Frank's past forces him back into his old line of work and puts an unwitting Sarah in the middle of the intrigue, Frank and Sarah begin a journey into his past and the people with whom he used to work. Like Frank they are all "R.E.D." - Retired Extremely Dangerous.
Just a few quotes:
Businesswoman: That's right, old man!
Marvin Boggs (Malkovich): Old man?
Frank Moses: No respect.
Marvin Boggs: Can I kill her now?
Frank Moses: [while grappling with Cooper] Kordesky trained you?
William Cooper: Yeah.
Frank Moses: I trained Kordesky.
[dislocates Cooper's shoulder]
Marvin Boggs: I never thought I'd say this again. *I am getting the pig*!
Sarah Ross: [talking quietly about Marvin] Wow. This guy's insane.
Frank Moses: Well, he thought he was the subject of a secret government mind control project.
Marvin Boggs: [in another room, checking files] This'll take a minute.
Sarah Ross: Sure.
Frank Moses: As it turns out... he really was being given daily doses of LSD for 11 years.
Sarah Ross: Well, in that case, he looks great.
Frank Moses: Fantastic.
Sarah Ross: Yeah...
Victoria (Mirren): You know, I was in love with an agent once.
Sarah Ross: What happened?
Victoria: Well, I was with MI6. And the relationship wasn't... sanctioned. So when it came to light, my loyalty was questioned. And I was ordered to kill him. It was a test.
Sarah Ross: What did you do?
Victoria: I put three bullets in his chest.
Frank Moses: [Marvin has just shot a bad guy] Feel better now?
Marvin Boggs: Yeah. Wanna get pancakes?
Ivan Simanov: Still... I owe you... for killing Igor.
Frank Moses: Igor the Butcher.
Ivan Simanov: He was a great asset.
Frank Moses: He was a pig.
Ivan Simanov: He was my cousin.
Frank Moses: I'm sorry.
Ivan Simanov: [raises his glass] To Igor.
[clinks glasses with Frank]
Ivan Simanov: The Butcher.
Frank Moses: [raises his own] He's not dead.
[Ivan chokes on his vodka]
Frank Moses: I flipped him.
Ivan Simanov: ...No.
Frank Moses: He owns a string of 7-11s in Orange County.
Ivan Simanov: What?
Frank Moses: He weighs 500 pounds.
[They laugh hysterically]
Sarah Ross: Get back. Go away. Stay away from me! Is that my bag?
Frank Moses: Yeah.
Sarah Ross: You-You packed it?
Frank Moses: Yes.
Sarah Ross: [looks around] D-d-did you vacuum?
Frank Moses: A little yeah, it was messy.
Marvin Boggs: I remember the Secret Service being tougher.
Victoria: Me, too.
Marvin Boggs: Why are you trying to kill me?
Frank Moses: I'm not trying to kill you!
Marvin Boggs: Oh, yeah. You are.
Frank Moses: Why would I be trying to kill you?
Marvin Boggs: Because the last time we met, I tried to kill you.
Frank Moses: That was a long time ago.
Marvin Boggs: Some people hold on to things like that.
Frank Moses: [to Marvin] Pig! Open the pig!
[Marvin unzips the pig and Frank pulls out a grenade launcher]
R - Remember the Titans (2000)
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0210945/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
Feel good sports movie based on actual events..yes please. Denzel Washington is fantastic as usual. I’ve seen this film more than 20 times and it still gives me the feels.
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0210945/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
Feel good sports movie based on actual events..yes please. Denzel Washington is fantastic as usual. I’ve seen this film more than 20 times and it still gives me the feels.
W = The War (1994) - PG-13
A simple film bursting with life that brings me to tears with each viewing.
The title not only refers to the Vietnam War, which has an appropriate albeit very limited place in the film, but it also refers to the literal war that the children continuously wage with one another and the figurative war that rages within each of them...for identity and purpose.
Kevin Costner gives a wonderful performance in a supporting role, but Elijah Wood and especially Lexi Randall steal the show as the leads. They play brother and sister, picking up the pieces in a family torn apart.
Link #1
Link #2
Link #3
Quotes:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111667/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_10
A simple film bursting with life that brings me to tears with each viewing.
The title not only refers to the Vietnam War, which has an appropriate albeit very limited place in the film, but it also refers to the literal war that the children continuously wage with one another and the figurative war that rages within each of them...for identity and purpose.
Kevin Costner gives a wonderful performance in a supporting role, but Elijah Wood and especially Lexi Randall steal the show as the leads. They play brother and sister, picking up the pieces in a family torn apart.
Link #1
Link #2
Link #3
Quotes:
Lidia: My name's Lidia Simmons, and I'm 12 years old, and these here are my memoirs. I can't really tell ya much about me, nor my life, without first telling ya 'bout my brother Stu. All spring Stu's being kinda quiet. Perhaps it was because a couple months earlier our father gone out looking for work and never returned. It wasn't the first time dad went away. Ever since he'd come back from Vietnam things haven't been just right. Mom held two jobs just to make ends meet. And we were still dirt poor, like everybody else in Juliet Mississippi. But this June morning in 1970 was different. All the flowers were in bloom, and along with the color, and sweet smell of summer, our father had come home."
Steven: I can't tell you never to fight, Stu. But if you want to know what I think, I think the only thing that keeps people truly safe and happy is love. I think that's where men get their courage. That's where countries get their strength. That's where God grants us our miracles. And in the absence of love, Stuart, there is nothing, nothing in this world worth fighting for.
Stu: I hope you know they're the kids who just beat me up.
Stephen: I know who they are son.
Stu: Then why'd you give them Ma and Lidia's cotton candy?
Stephen: Because they look like that they hadn't been given anything in a long time.
Lois: Are you telling me Stephen bought us a house?
Realtor: Yes, ma'am.
Stu: Lipstick and rouge, Ma.
Lois: Don't I know!
Lidia: So I guess these memoirs are about us.
Lidia: War is like a big machine that no one really knows how to run and when it gets out of control it ends up destroying the things you thought you were fighting for, and a lot of other things you kinda forgot you had.
Steven: I can't tell you never to fight, Stu. But if you want to know what I think, I think the only thing that keeps people truly safe and happy is love. I think that's where men get their courage. That's where countries get their strength. That's where God grants us our miracles. And in the absence of love, Stuart, there is nothing, nothing in this world worth fighting for.
Stu: I hope you know they're the kids who just beat me up.
Stephen: I know who they are son.
Stu: Then why'd you give them Ma and Lidia's cotton candy?
Stephen: Because they look like that they hadn't been given anything in a long time.
Lois: Are you telling me Stephen bought us a house?
Realtor: Yes, ma'am.
Stu: Lipstick and rouge, Ma.
Lois: Don't I know!
Lidia: So I guess these memoirs are about us.
Lidia: War is like a big machine that no one really knows how to run and when it gets out of control it ends up destroying the things you thought you were fighting for, and a lot of other things you kinda forgot you had.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111667/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_10
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L is for The last of the Dogmen: I've always been fascinated with the Indian culture, and the mythology surrounding many of the tribes. One has to wonder what is mythological, and what is true. This is one of those little movies that explores one of those stories. The movie was directed by Tab Murphy and stars Tom Berenger as bounty hunter and tracker, Lewis Gates, along with Barbara Hershey as professor Lillian Sloan, an archaeologist whose speciality is Indian artifacts and culture. The cast also includes Kurtwood Smith as sheriff Deegan.
The movie was recieved well critically, but didn't do particularly well at the box office. It's a movie that I've enjoyed watching multiple times over the years. While there are HD versions of the full movie, I couldn't find a HD trailer for the film. I reluctantly passed over an academy award winner in favor of this film.
Distraught but skillful bounty hunter Lewis Gates, accompanied by his horse and faithful companion Zip, an Australian cattle dog, tracks three armed escaped convicts into Montana's Oxbow Quadrangle, at the persistence of his unforgiving father-in-law, who blames Gates for his daughter's tragic death. Gates sees the convicts but hears shots. Investigating the scene, all Gates finds is a bloody scrap of cloth, "enough blood to paint the sheriff's office," a bloody shotgun shell, and an old-fashioned Indian arrow.
Gates takes the arrow to archaeologist Lillian Sloan, who identifies it as a replica of the arrows used by Cheyenne Dog Soldiers. Gates doesn't think it's a replica and, after some library research, develops a long list of people who have disappeared into the Oxbow. He also finds a story of a "wild child" captured in the woods in the early 20th century. Now, he's convinced that the fugitives were killed by a tribe of Dog Soldiers, a hardy band of Native Americans who somehow escaped the 1864 Sand Creek massacre and survived for 128 years, secluded in the Montana Wilderness, killing anyone who threatened to find and expose them.
Gates convinces Sloan to join him in a search for the band. The two enter the Oxbow and begin to search. They survive many mishaps and bond throughout their journey, eventually venturing deeper into the wilderness than Gates has ever gone before.
The movie was recieved well critically, but didn't do particularly well at the box office. It's a movie that I've enjoyed watching multiple times over the years. While there are HD versions of the full movie, I couldn't find a HD trailer for the film. I reluctantly passed over an academy award winner in favor of this film.
Distraught but skillful bounty hunter Lewis Gates, accompanied by his horse and faithful companion Zip, an Australian cattle dog, tracks three armed escaped convicts into Montana's Oxbow Quadrangle, at the persistence of his unforgiving father-in-law, who blames Gates for his daughter's tragic death. Gates sees the convicts but hears shots. Investigating the scene, all Gates finds is a bloody scrap of cloth, "enough blood to paint the sheriff's office," a bloody shotgun shell, and an old-fashioned Indian arrow.
Gates takes the arrow to archaeologist Lillian Sloan, who identifies it as a replica of the arrows used by Cheyenne Dog Soldiers. Gates doesn't think it's a replica and, after some library research, develops a long list of people who have disappeared into the Oxbow. He also finds a story of a "wild child" captured in the woods in the early 20th century. Now, he's convinced that the fugitives were killed by a tribe of Dog Soldiers, a hardy band of Native Americans who somehow escaped the 1864 Sand Creek massacre and survived for 128 years, secluded in the Montana Wilderness, killing anyone who threatened to find and expose them.
Gates convinces Sloan to join him in a search for the band. The two enter the Oxbow and begin to search. They survive many mishaps and bond throughout their journey, eventually venturing deeper into the wilderness than Gates has ever gone before.
I'd argue that Lethal Weapon is actually more of a Christmas movie than Die Hard is. It's a film that's very much about [found] family, about bringing a lost soul back into the fold of humanity. And like any great Christmas song, there's an element of sadness to it, of age giving way to nostalgia, of longing and hope as the new year approaches. Riggs doesn't even realize how desperate he is for family and genuine emotional support until the Murtaugh's accept him and welcome him into their life, flaws and all. By the film's end, Riggs recognizes his need, and recognizes that he's needed. He ultimately rejects the path of suicide. I'll go to bat every day of the week for Lethal Weapon as a Christmas movie.
edit: Shane Black, on why so many of his scripts are set at Christmas time:
Shane Black clearly views his scripts as an extension of the magic of the holiday, an opportunity to linger in both retrospection and introspection, which are hallmarks of the Christmas season. Die Hard is a movie set at Christmas. Lethal Weapon is a Christmas movie.
edit: Shane Black, on why so many of his scripts are set at Christmas time:
Shane Black clearly views his scripts as an extension of the magic of the holiday, an opportunity to linger in both retrospection and introspection, which are hallmarks of the Christmas season. Die Hard is a movie set at Christmas. Lethal Weapon is a Christmas movie.
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Looks like KainLear has timed out. I don't feel too bad as he has already picked this letter anyway...
To fill my “D” column in the alphabetical movie draft I select:
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Slim Pickens
Trailer
I suppose the timing on this pick can act as a decent tribute to Vera Lynn, the singer whose work was used for the unforgettable outro to Kubrick's darkest of dark comedies, who passed away just two days ago at the ripe old age of 103(!!!). In Dr. Strangelove, Kubrick tackles the absurdity of Mutually Assured Destruction as a mad base commander (his bodily fluids sapped by a Communist fluoride plot) launches an unauthorized nuclear strike against the Soviet Union - who have themselves constructed an automatically-triggered Doomsday device they have kind of neglected to mention. The action plays out in three arenas: with the base commander, bunkered down to avoid giving up the abort code only he knows; on the one U.S. nuke-carrying plane whose communications are damaged, and thus miss the abort code; and in the dark and spacious war room (no fighting in there!) where the American leaders try to forestall doom. It's a wickedly hilarious movie, and even more so because none of it is played for laughs, and of course a reminder of the knife edge between a balance of power and total destruction.
We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when, but I know we'll meet again some sunny day...
To fill my “D” column in the alphabetical movie draft I select:
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Slim Pickens
Trailer
I suppose the timing on this pick can act as a decent tribute to Vera Lynn, the singer whose work was used for the unforgettable outro to Kubrick's darkest of dark comedies, who passed away just two days ago at the ripe old age of 103(!!!). In Dr. Strangelove, Kubrick tackles the absurdity of Mutually Assured Destruction as a mad base commander (his bodily fluids sapped by a Communist fluoride plot) launches an unauthorized nuclear strike against the Soviet Union - who have themselves constructed an automatically-triggered Doomsday device they have kind of neglected to mention. The action plays out in three arenas: with the base commander, bunkered down to avoid giving up the abort code only he knows; on the one U.S. nuke-carrying plane whose communications are damaged, and thus miss the abort code; and in the dark and spacious war room (no fighting in there!) where the American leaders try to forestall doom. It's a wickedly hilarious movie, and even more so because none of it is played for laughs, and of course a reminder of the knife edge between a balance of power and total destruction.
We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when, but I know we'll meet again some sunny day...
L = The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Extended Edition (2001)
Peter Jackson did a masterful job bringing the enormous, vibrant world of J.R.R. Tolkein to life in this first film. The landscape of New Zealand is beautifully filmed, the cast works well together, and the mystery and magic pulls me in with each viewing.
Link #1
Link #2
Link #3
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120737/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
Peter Jackson did a masterful job bringing the enormous, vibrant world of J.R.R. Tolkein to life in this first film. The landscape of New Zealand is beautifully filmed, the cast works well together, and the mystery and magic pulls me in with each viewing.
Link #1
Link #2
Link #3
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120737/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
Looks like KainLear has timed out. I don't feel too bad as he has already picked this letter anyway...
To fill my “D” column in the alphabetical movie draft I select:
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Slim Pickens
Trailer
I suppose the timing on this pick can act as a decent tribute to Vera Lynn, the singer whose work was used for the unforgettable outro to Kubrick's darkest of dark comedies, who passed away just two days ago at the ripe old age of 103(!!!). In Dr. Strangelove, Kubrick tackles the absurdity of Mutually Assured Destruction as a mad base commander (his bodily fluids sapped by a Communist fluoride plot) launches an unauthorized nuclear strike against the Soviet Union - who have themselves constructed an automatically-triggered Doomsday device they have kind of neglected to mention. The action plays out in three arenas: with the base commander, bunkered down to avoid giving up the abort code only he knows; on the one U.S. nuke-carrying plane whose communications are damaged, and thus miss the abort code; and in the dark and spacious war room (no fighting in there!) where the American leaders try to forestall doom. It's a wickedly hilarious movie, and even more so because none of it is played for laughs, and of course a reminder of the knife edge between a balance of power and total destruction.
We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when, but I know we'll meet again some sunny day...
To fill my “D” column in the alphabetical movie draft I select:
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Slim Pickens
Trailer
I suppose the timing on this pick can act as a decent tribute to Vera Lynn, the singer whose work was used for the unforgettable outro to Kubrick's darkest of dark comedies, who passed away just two days ago at the ripe old age of 103(!!!). In Dr. Strangelove, Kubrick tackles the absurdity of Mutually Assured Destruction as a mad base commander (his bodily fluids sapped by a Communist fluoride plot) launches an unauthorized nuclear strike against the Soviet Union - who have themselves constructed an automatically-triggered Doomsday device they have kind of neglected to mention. The action plays out in three arenas: with the base commander, bunkered down to avoid giving up the abort code only he knows; on the one U.S. nuke-carrying plane whose communications are damaged, and thus miss the abort code; and in the dark and spacious war room (no fighting in there!) where the American leaders try to forestall doom. It's a wickedly hilarious movie, and even more so because none of it is played for laughs, and of course a reminder of the knife edge between a balance of power and total destruction.
We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when, but I know we'll meet again some sunny day...
I once snatched a DVD of my next pick out of a grocery store $5 bargain bin otherwise filled with direct-to-video Olsen Twin vehicles and horror movies with a whole lot of Roman numerals after the title.
I did so then, much as I’m doing now, simply because I couldn’t stand to see a worthy Best Picture winner banished to the bargain bin.
U is for ...
Unforgiven (1992)
If not for the alphabet gimmick, I doubt I would otherwise get this one. But that shouldn’t take away from its quality as Eastwood creates a powerful subversion of the genre that made him famous.
Eastwood and Freeman complain about the uncomfortable realties of living an outlaw’s life on the range. A journalist keeps trying to make common criminals and killers into romanticized heroes, until their true colors inevitably bleed out. A young Billy the Kid type eager for action and glory, swears off the life after suffering through the truth of his first actual murder.
The cinematography is impressively beautiful and classic Western with wide open landscape and intimate character-building one-shots around the campfire or table lantern. Especially ironic as the story it tells is even more impressive as a deconstruction of the legendary Western mythos.
I did so then, much as I’m doing now, simply because I couldn’t stand to see a worthy Best Picture winner banished to the bargain bin.
U is for ...
Unforgiven (1992)
If not for the alphabet gimmick, I doubt I would otherwise get this one. But that shouldn’t take away from its quality as Eastwood creates a powerful subversion of the genre that made him famous.
Eastwood and Freeman complain about the uncomfortable realties of living an outlaw’s life on the range. A journalist keeps trying to make common criminals and killers into romanticized heroes, until their true colors inevitably bleed out. A young Billy the Kid type eager for action and glory, swears off the life after suffering through the truth of his first actual murder.
The cinematography is impressively beautiful and classic Western with wide open landscape and intimate character-building one-shots around the campfire or table lantern. Especially ironic as the story it tells is even more impressive as a deconstruction of the legendary Western mythos.
Attachments
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Looks like KainLear has timed out. I don't feel too bad as he has already picked this letter anyway...
To fill my “D” column in the alphabetical movie draft I select:
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Slim Pickens
Trailer
I suppose the timing on this pick can act as a decent tribute to Vera Lynn, the singer whose work was used for the unforgettable outro to Kubrick's darkest of dark comedies, who passed away just two days ago at the ripe old age of 103(!!!). In Dr. Strangelove, Kubrick tackles the absurdity of Mutually Assured Destruction as a mad base commander (his bodily fluids sapped by a Communist fluoride plot) launches an unauthorized nuclear strike against the Soviet Union - who have themselves constructed an automatically-triggered Doomsday device they have kind of neglected to mention. The action plays out in three arenas: with the base commander, bunkered down to avoid giving up the abort code only he knows; on the one U.S. nuke-carrying plane whose communications are damaged, and thus miss the abort code; and in the dark and spacious war room (no fighting in there!) where the American leaders try to forestall doom. It's a wickedly hilarious movie, and even more so because none of it is played for laughs, and of course a reminder of the knife edge between a balance of power and total destruction.
We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when, but I know we'll meet again some sunny day...
To fill my “D” column in the alphabetical movie draft I select:
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Slim Pickens
Trailer
I suppose the timing on this pick can act as a decent tribute to Vera Lynn, the singer whose work was used for the unforgettable outro to Kubrick's darkest of dark comedies, who passed away just two days ago at the ripe old age of 103(!!!). In Dr. Strangelove, Kubrick tackles the absurdity of Mutually Assured Destruction as a mad base commander (his bodily fluids sapped by a Communist fluoride plot) launches an unauthorized nuclear strike against the Soviet Union - who have themselves constructed an automatically-triggered Doomsday device they have kind of neglected to mention. The action plays out in three arenas: with the base commander, bunkered down to avoid giving up the abort code only he knows; on the one U.S. nuke-carrying plane whose communications are damaged, and thus miss the abort code; and in the dark and spacious war room (no fighting in there!) where the American leaders try to forestall doom. It's a wickedly hilarious movie, and even more so because none of it is played for laughs, and of course a reminder of the knife edge between a balance of power and total destruction.
We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when, but I know we'll meet again some sunny day...
Looks like KainLear has timed out. I don't feel too bad as he has already picked this letter anyway...
To fill my “D” column in the alphabetical movie draft I select:
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Slim Pickens
Trailer
I suppose the timing on this pick can act as a decent tribute to Vera Lynn, the singer whose work was used for the unforgettable outro to Kubrick's darkest of dark comedies, who passed away just two days ago at the ripe old age of 103(!!!). In Dr. Strangelove, Kubrick tackles the absurdity of Mutually Assured Destruction as a mad base commander (his bodily fluids sapped by a Communist fluoride plot) launches an unauthorized nuclear strike against the Soviet Union - who have themselves constructed an automatically-triggered Doomsday device they have kind of neglected to mention. The action plays out in three arenas: with the base commander, bunkered down to avoid giving up the abort code only he knows; on the one U.S. nuke-carrying plane whose communications are damaged, and thus miss the abort code; and in the dark and spacious war room (no fighting in there!) where the American leaders try to forestall doom. It's a wickedly hilarious movie, and even more so because none of it is played for laughs, and of course a reminder of the knife edge between a balance of power and total destruction.
We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when, but I know we'll meet again some sunny day...
To fill my “D” column in the alphabetical movie draft I select:
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Slim Pickens
Trailer
I suppose the timing on this pick can act as a decent tribute to Vera Lynn, the singer whose work was used for the unforgettable outro to Kubrick's darkest of dark comedies, who passed away just two days ago at the ripe old age of 103(!!!). In Dr. Strangelove, Kubrick tackles the absurdity of Mutually Assured Destruction as a mad base commander (his bodily fluids sapped by a Communist fluoride plot) launches an unauthorized nuclear strike against the Soviet Union - who have themselves constructed an automatically-triggered Doomsday device they have kind of neglected to mention. The action plays out in three arenas: with the base commander, bunkered down to avoid giving up the abort code only he knows; on the one U.S. nuke-carrying plane whose communications are damaged, and thus miss the abort code; and in the dark and spacious war room (no fighting in there!) where the American leaders try to forestall doom. It's a wickedly hilarious movie, and even more so because none of it is played for laughs, and of course a reminder of the knife edge between a balance of power and total destruction.
We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when, but I know we'll meet again some sunny day...
With my thirteenth pick in the Shelter in Place Alphabet Movie Draft, I will make use of the letter O to select:
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968):
Director: Sergio Leone
Dir. of Photography: Tonino Delli Colli
Writer(s): Sergio Donati, Sergio Leone
Score: Ennio Morricone
Cast: Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards
Genre: Western
Runtime: 2 hours, 45 minutes
IMDb Entry: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064116/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_6
Goodness, I need this draft to slow down! Ha. Less than a week between picks is a bit rough on me right now. Write-up will be on the way sometime soon. Suffice it to say that my draft is currently lacking a western, so here is one of the most iconic of Sergio Leone's works.
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968):
Director: Sergio Leone
Dir. of Photography: Tonino Delli Colli
Writer(s): Sergio Donati, Sergio Leone
Score: Ennio Morricone
Cast: Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards
Genre: Western
Runtime: 2 hours, 45 minutes
IMDb Entry: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064116/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_6
Goodness, I need this draft to slow down! Ha. Less than a week between picks is a bit rough on me right now. Write-up will be on the way sometime soon. Suffice it to say that my draft is currently lacking a western, so here is one of the most iconic of Sergio Leone's works.
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Logan: Nature made me a freak. Man made me a weapon. And God made it last too long.
"L" is for:
Logan (2017)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3315342/
Possibly the high point of this mutant movie universe, Logan is, to a certain extent, the "Dark Knight" of the X-Men series but almost feels more like an old western than a modern superhero movie at times. It is gritty, violent, and heavy. It is rated "R" for good reason - both for the language and violence that permeate the film. But it is also surprisingly touching and emotional, focusing both on Logan's and Professor X's declining health and their duty to protect young Laura.
The cast consists of Hugh Jackman reprising his role as Wolverine, along with Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Dafne Keen, Eriq La Salle, Elise Neal, and Elizabeth Rodriguez.
From wikipedia:
Very well put. Oh, yeah. And for those that like the old black and white flicks:
Caliban: [shows Logan an adamantium bullet] Found this in your pocket. Adamantium. If you are planning to blow your brains out, could you wait till you're out on the high seas? I just mopped these floors.Logan (2017)
Charles Xavier: You know, Logan... this is what life looks like. A home, people who love each other. Safe place. You should take a moment and feel it.
Charles Xavier: You know, Logan. This was, without a doubt, the most perfect night I've had in a very long time... and I don't deserve it, do I?
[cries]
Charles Xavier: I did something. Something unspeakable. I've remembered what happened in Westchester. This is not the first time I've hurt people. Until today, I didn't know. You wouldn't tell me. So we just kept on running away from it. I think I finally understand you.
Charles Xavier: [sees the Munsons in trouble] They need our help.
Logan: Someone will come along!
Charles Xavier: Someone HAS come along.
Logan: Bad **** happens to people I care about.
"L" is for:
Logan (2017)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3315342/
Possibly the high point of this mutant movie universe, Logan is, to a certain extent, the "Dark Knight" of the X-Men series but almost feels more like an old western than a modern superhero movie at times. It is gritty, violent, and heavy. It is rated "R" for good reason - both for the language and violence that permeate the film. But it is also surprisingly touching and emotional, focusing both on Logan's and Professor X's declining health and their duty to protect young Laura.
The cast consists of Hugh Jackman reprising his role as Wolverine, along with Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Dafne Keen, Eriq La Salle, Elise Neal, and Elizabeth Rodriguez.
From wikipedia:
Very well put. Oh, yeah. And for those that like the old black and white flicks:
Caliban: [shows Logan an adamantium bullet] Found this in your pocket. Adamantium. If you are planning to blow your brains out, could you wait till you're out on the high seas? I just mopped these floors.Logan (2017)
Charles Xavier: You know, Logan... this is what life looks like. A home, people who love each other. Safe place. You should take a moment and feel it.
Charles Xavier: You know, Logan. This was, without a doubt, the most perfect night I've had in a very long time... and I don't deserve it, do I?
[cries]
Charles Xavier: I did something. Something unspeakable. I've remembered what happened in Westchester. This is not the first time I've hurt people. Until today, I didn't know. You wouldn't tell me. So we just kept on running away from it. I think I finally understand you.
Charles Xavier: [sees the Munsons in trouble] They need our help.
Logan: Someone will come along!
Charles Xavier: Someone HAS come along.
Logan: Bad **** happens to people I care about.
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I am an idiot, went camping with my buddies on a whim and totally forgot about not having internet access all weekend...
For my make-up pick, with the letter "R"...
Rear Window (1954)
Director:
Alfred Hitchcock
Writers:
John Michael Hayes (screenplay), Cornell Woolrich (based on the short story by)
Stars:
James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey
Surveillance classic from the master. Who but Hitchcock could squeeze so much tension from an incapacitated James Stewart stuck in his apartment with only a telephoto lens and Grace Kelly to keep him company? As a murder mystery seems to appear out of nowhere from the everyday routines of the neighbors he spies on, Stewart's paranoia and frustration build to a nervous climax.
For my make-up pick, with the letter "R"...
Rear Window (1954)
Director:
Alfred Hitchcock
Writers:
John Michael Hayes (screenplay), Cornell Woolrich (based on the short story by)
Stars:
James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey
Surveillance classic from the master. Who but Hitchcock could squeeze so much tension from an incapacitated James Stewart stuck in his apartment with only a telephoto lens and Grace Kelly to keep him company? As a murder mystery seems to appear out of nowhere from the everyday routines of the neighbors he spies on, Stewart's paranoia and frustration build to a nervous climax.
L - The Longest Day - 1962
The story of D-Day (June 6 1944)
From Wikipedia:
Shot in a docudrama style (with subtitles identifying the different participants), the film opens in the days leading up to D-Day, concentrating on events on both sides of the English channel. The Allies wait for a break in the poor weather while anticipating the reaction of the Axis forces defending northern France. As Supreme Commander of SHAEF, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower makes the decision to go after reviewing the initial bad weather reports and the reports about the divisions within the German High Command as to where an invasion might happen and what should be their response.
Multiple scenes document the early hours of June 6: Allied airborne troops being sent in to take key locations inland, away from the beaches, and the French resistance reaction to the news that the invasion has started. Also chronicled are important events surrounding D-Day: British troops' glider missions to secure Pegasus Bridge, the counterattacks launched by American paratroopers scattered around Sainte-Mère-Église, the infiltration and sabotage work conducted by the French resistance and SOE agents, and the response by the Wehrmacht to the invasion. Also shown is the uncertainty of German commanders regarding whether this is a feint in preparation for Allied crossings at the Strait of Dover (see Operation Fortitude), where the senior German staff had always assumed that the invasion would begin.
Set-piece scenes include the parachute drop into Sainte-Mère-Église, the advance inshore from the Normandy beaches, the U.S. Ranger Assault Group's assault on the Pointe du Hoc, the attack on Ouistreham by Free French Forces, and the strafing of the beaches by two lone Luftwaffe pilots. The film concludes with a montage showing various Allied units consolidating their beachheads before they advance inland by crossing France to eventually reach Germany.
[to his generals, observing the English Channel]
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel: Just look at it, gentlemen. How calm... how peaceful it is. A strip of water between England and the continent... between the Allies and us. But beyond that peaceful horizon... a monster waits. A coiled spring of men, ships, and planes... straining to be released against us. But, gentlemen, not a single Allied soldier shall reach the shore. Whenever and wherever this invasion may come, gentlemen... I shall destroy the enemy there, at the water's edge. Believe me, gentlemen, the first 24 hours of the invasion will be decisive. For the Allies as well as the Germans, it will be the longest day... The longest day.
This film should be shown in every history class.