TDOS Cabin by the Lake Movie Draft - DRAFT COMPLETED

[Capt. Factorial]

However the other movie I almost took last round is strangely still here.

Ghostbusters - 1984

Oh, it wasn't going to last much longer. Nice pick!

 

[Padrino]

Ocean's Eleven was one of the two movies I debated taking with my last pick. Nearly 20 years after first seeing it in theaters, I find it to be an infinitely rewatchable 2 hours of straight zen. It's an old-school Hollywood style of cool with wildly witty dialogue, a chill jazzy score, and smooth, flashy Soderbergh cinematography.

Have a pair of back-ups that combined recreate the experience in the congregate, but still a tough loss for my cabin.

However the other movie I almost took last round is strangely still here.

Ghostbusters - 1984

View attachment 7988

I have to confess, I don't have as deep of a personal history with this 80s comedy classic. I remember it being an out-and-out phenomenon of kid culture in the 80s with cartoons, toy lines, Halloween costumes, and that incessantly catchy theme song played at roller rinks and birthday parties.

But my own childhood pop culture touchstone was far and away Back to the Future. Ghostbusters was relegated to a movie I had seen, enjoyed, and that was it.

It's an incredible testament to Ghostbusters both that I came to appreciate its structure and creativity more as an adult and that 30 years after its release, it still has such an impact on American pop culture. And as vilified as the Hollywood system is for originality and creativity, Ghostbusters is an example of t actually working for the better.

Let's admit to start: the premise for the movie, especially Aykroyd's original concept, borders somewhere between the imaganitive and the insane. Aykroyd's first version as a vehicle for the late John Belushi, would have involved inter-dimensional/time traveling "ghost janitors" and cost $200 million in 1980s dollars to film.

Belushi's death necessitated a reworking, Ramis and Murray were brought in, the script was dialed back to be more cost-effective/less insane, Winston's part was scaled down to give Venkman/Murray more screen time, and voila, a cohesive original and palaptable sci-fi comedy for the ages was born.

Ultimatley Ghostbusters is a high concept, brilliantly paced, three act comedy that has all the makings of a cult classic B-movie that turned into a mainstream blockbuster for the ages because of the incredible talent and Hollywood backing behind it.

Plus, it's an awesome ride everytime, 3 decades later.

Even if Ecto 1 isn't a Delorean.

I hate to say this, but the necessity of reworking the script as a result of Belushi's death, and the casting of Bill Murray as Peter Venkman, no doubt improved the original concept. Aykroyd is an enthusiast for the paranormal in real life, and this movie works so perfectly because Aykroyd and Harold Ramis play the straight men, and Bill Murray acts as the sardonic audience stand-in of sorts who comments on the ridiculousness of it all. That high wire act would likely not have been as effectively pulled off with Belushi in the role.

 

[Padrino]

For the record, this is the movie I predicted Sluggah was going to pick way back in the third round. I'm surprised it lasted this long. I probably should have taken it myself, I just forgot it was still available. That great score by John Williams also adds so much to the majesty of the images. Where modern iterations would throw $200 million worth of effects at us, here we just get a shot of a helicopter flying through a canyon set to music. We haven't even seen anything yet and it's already fantastic! Maybe it's just nostalgia but I miss the simplicity of these 90s blockbusters where a two hour movie only had about 10-15 minutes of effects shots but every one of them landed because the build-up was so measured and carefully planned-out.

Case in point ... in the first half hour this movie has to explain to us how scientists can clone dinosaurs by extracting DNA from fossilized mosquitoes, how a fail-safe is in place should the dinosaurs ever escape the island, how John Hammond's idea of a dinosaur amusement park is in trouble because one of the workers was killed and thus he needs a reputable expert or two to sign off on it, how the elaborate security systems work so that we understand the geography of the place when it starts to break down, and even some great character details like Alan Grant's distaste for children and Tim's need for a father figure -- this is a ton of exposition! And still the movie just breezes by effortlessly. And none of this requires visual effects. The T-Rex is teased repeatedly without being shown so that by the time she (cause all of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park are females remember ) finally bursts through the fence over an hour into the movie we're already primed for something big to happen. That's effective use of effects! Great stuff!

Oh also this is interesting.. I only read this today but do you know they made the ripples in the water cups with resonating frequencies? Check this out, someone even made a video about it:

It really is a marvel of restraint. During his prime, Spielberg had a serious gift for keeping the audience engaged despite minimal effects work actually making it to the screen. When I think of Jurassic Park these days, I hardly even conjure up images of the dinosaurs (though it's worth noting that both the animatronic and CG dinos have managed to age remarkably well). Mostly I think about how fantastic every one of those characters are in the context of the film. It's a fairly minimal cast, all things considered. There's only about a dozen actors who get extended screen time. But they have such tremendous chemistry, and Spielberg just makes the whole thing sing. It never hurts, of course, to have John Williams on hand to lend gravitas to the proceedings. I miss those big, bold scores that reached for the rafters and delivered memorable leitmotifs that are recalled by the audience as palpably and powerfully as the visual presentation of the film.

 

[Sluggah]

Ocean's Eleven was one of the two movies I debated taking with my last pick. Nearly 20 years after first seeing it in theaters, I find it to be an infinitely rewatchable 2 hours of straight zen. It's an old-school Hollywood style of cool with wildly witty dialogue, a chill jazzy score, and smooth, flashy Soderbergh cinematography.

Have a pair of back-ups that combined recreate the experience in the congregate, but still a tough loss for my cabin.

However the other movie I almost took last round is strangely still here.

Ghostbusters - 1984



I have to confess, I don't have as deep of a personal history with this 80s comedy classic. I remember it being an out-and-out phenomenon of kid culture in the 80s with cartoons, toy lines, Halloween costumes, and that incessantly catchy theme song played at roller rinks and birthday parties.

But my own childhood pop culture touchstone was far and away Back to the Future. Ghostbusters was relegated to a movie I had seen, enjoyed, and that was it.

It's an incredible testament to Ghostbusters both that I came to appreciate its structure and creativity more as an adult and that 30 years after its release, it still has such an impact on American pop culture. And as vilified as the Hollywood system is for crushing originality and creativity, Ghostbusters is an example of it actually working for the better.

Let's admit to start: the premise for the movie, especially Aykroyd's original concept, borders somewhere between the imaganitive and the insane. Aykroyd's first version as a vehicle for the late John Belushi, would have involved inter-dimensional/time traveling "ghost janitors" and cost $200 million in 1980s dollars to film.

Belushi's death necessitated a reworking, Ramis and Murray were brought in, the script was dialed back to be more cost-effective/less insane, Winston's part was scaled down to give Venkman/Murray more screen time, and voila, a cohesive original and palaptable sci-fi comedy for the ages was born.

Ultimatley Ghostbusters is a high concept, brilliantly paced, three act comedy that has all the makings of a cult classic B-movie that turned into a mainstream blockbuster for the ages because of the incredible talent and Hollywood backing behind it.

Plus, it's an awesome ride everytime, 3 decades later.

Even if Ecto 1 isn't a Delorean.

Damn. This one hurts.

 

[foxfire]

With my 6th pick, I select:

Home Alone (1990)



I have a Halloween movie, this one works for Christmas. I love the build up as Kevin gets ready to defend his home turf.

IMDB Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099785/?ref_=nv_sr_1

 

[rosa u podne]

Because it is already 6th round and nobody picked a movie directed by Forman, as a joker pick I select:

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975).

The story is set in the world of a mental hospital, a place of rebellion exhibited by a wise-guy anti-hero against the Establishment, institutional authority and status-quo attitudes (personified by the patients' supervisory nurse).

I don't think I have to present this movie, it is classic, well known movie.



https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073486/?ref_=nmbio_mbio

PM sent to Warhawk.

 

[VF21]

Because it is already 6th round and nobody picked a movie directed by Forman, as a joker pick I select:

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975).

The story is set in the world of a mental hospital, a place of rebellion exhibited by a wise-guy anti-hero against the Establishment, institutional authority and status-quo attitudes (personified by the patients' supervisory nurse).

I don't think I have to present this movie, it is classic, well known movie.

View attachment 7990

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073486/?ref_=nmbio_mbio

PM sent to Warhawk.

I really thought this would be safe. Nice pick.

 

[VF21]

COMMISSIONER NOTE: Wow. The first half of this draft has been very interesting, enlightening, frustrating and fun. I'm looking forward to seeing how the second half goes. Just a reminder. Make sure you have the decade requirement covered. This goes for the JOKER PICK also.

 

[Warhawk]

Sorry for the delay folks. Spent the day on a train from Anchorage to Denali with very limited WiFi. Finally landed the hotel and the WiFi stinks here too.

And the sun isn’t setting until after midnight!

Anyways, on to the pick!

Kelly’s Heroes - 1970

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065938/



WW II movie with an all star cast led by Clint Eastwood. One of the movies dad and I used to watch together every once in a while.

The movie stars:

• Clint Eastwood as Private Kelly
• Telly Savalas as Master Sergeant "Big Joe"
• Don Rickles as Staff Sergeant "Crapgame"
• Carroll O'Connor as Major General Colt
• Donald Sutherland as Sergeant "Oddball" (tank commander)

The cast really makes the movie go, especially Sutherland and Eastwood. In brief, it is about a military unit in WW2 that is tired of getting the brunt of the action in the European front. They decide instead to go AWOL and rob a bank behind enemy lines.

Oddball: We see our role as essentially defensive in nature. While our armies are advancing so fast and everyone's knocking themselves out to be heroes, we are holding ourselves in reserve in case the Krauts mount a counteroffensive which threatens Paris... or maybe even New York. Then we can move in and stop them. But for 1.6 million dollars, we could become heroes for three days.

Oddball: Hi, man.
Big Joe: What are you doing?
Oddball: I'm drinking wine and eating cheese, and catching some rays, you know.
Big Joe: What's happening?
Oddball: Well, the tank's broke and they're trying to fix it.
Big Joe: Well, then, why the hell aren't you up there helping them?
Oddball: [chuckles] I only ride 'em, I don't know what makes 'em work.
Big Joe: Christ!
Oddball: Definitely an antisocial type. Woof, woof, woof! That's my other dog imitation.

Oddball: This engine's been modified by our mechanical genius here, Moriarty. Right?
Moriarty: Whatever you say, babe.
[giggles]
Oddball: These engines are the fastest in any tanks in the European Theater of Operations, forwards or backwards. You see, man, we like to feel we can get out of trouble, quicker than we got into it.
Kelly: [looking skeptical] Got any other secret weapons?
Oddball: Well, yeah, man, you see, like, all the tanks we come up against are bigger and better than ours, so all we can hope to do is, like, scare 'em away, y'know. This gun is an ordinary 76mm but we add this piece of pipe onto it, and the Krauts think, like, maybe it's a 90mm. We got our own ammunition, it's filled with paint. When we fire it, it makes... pretty pictures. Scares the hell outta people! We have a loudspeaker here, and when we go into battle we play music, very loud. It kind of... calms us down.

Oddball: Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?
Moriarty: Crap!

Oddball: [looking at aerial pics of the a remaining bridge] Beautiful.
Moriarty: Suppose the bridge ain't there?
Oddball: [groans] Don't hit me with them negative waves so early in the morning. Think the bridge will be there and it will be there. It's a mother, beautiful bridge, and it's gonna be there. Ok?
Oddball: [Later: Oddball is looking through binoculars at the bridge] Still up!
Oddball: [planes fly and bomb the bridge] ... No it ain't. See what sending out them negative waves did, Moriarty?
Moriarty: That ain't my fault, Oddball, I've done nothing but have good thoughts about that damn bridge ever since we left!

Kelly: Well Oddball, what do you think?
Oddball: It's a wasted trip baby. Nobody said nothing about locking horns with no Tigers.
Big Joe: Hey look, you just keep them Tigers busy and we'll take care of the rest.
Oddball: The only way I got to keep them Tigers busy is to LET THEM SHOOT HOLES IN ME!
Crapgame: Hey, Oddball, this is your hour of glory. And you're chickening out!
Oddball: To a New Yorker like you, a hero is some type of weird sandwich, not some nut who takes on three Tigers.
Kelly: Nobody's asking you to be a hero.
Oddball: No? Then YOU sit up in that turret baby.
Kelly: No, because you're gonna be up there, baby, and I'll be right outside showing you which way to go.
Oddball: Yeah?
Kelly: Yeah.
Oddball: Crazy... I mean like, so many positive waves... maybe we can't lose, you're on!

[confronting the Tiger tank commander]
Big Joe: Look, Mac, you and us? We're just soldiers, right? We don't even know what this war's all about. All we do is we fight and we die and for what? We don't get anything out of it. In about a half an hour the whole American army's gonna be comin' down that road. Why don't you do yourself a great, big fat favor, huh? And get the hell outta here?
German tank commander :I have orders. This bank isn't to fall into the hands of the American army.
Kelly: Sergeant, this bank's not gonna fall into the hands of the American army. It's gonna fall in our hands. You see, we're just a private enterprise operation.
German tank commander: You... the American army!
Oddball: No, baby, we ain't.

 

[VF21]

With my 7th pick:

Django Unchained - 2012



https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1853728/

I am one of those rare movie lovers who is not a big fan of Quentin Tarantino. (I know ... GASP!) For some reason, however, this film resonates with me and I figured I'd better grab it now because I only have a very few potential picks from this decade.

Django (Jamie Foxx) is a slave. He is bought by a bounty hunter who wants him to help find some men. In return, the bounty hunter offers to help Django find the wife who was separated from him when they were sold by their previous owner.

Tarantino wrote this script with several actors specifically in mind for various characters - and it works extremely well. Samuel L. Jackson, Leonardo diCaprio and Christoper Waltz were among those who are rumored to have been tagged from the beginning and they're excellent choices. Tarantino originally had Will Smith in mind for the title role, but Smith turned it down. I personally think Jamie Foxx was the perfect actor for the role.

Sardonic, mocking, introspective, violent - all words that can be used to describe this film. I'm not exactly sure why it struck such a nerve with me the first time I saw it but it might have been lines like these:

Stephen: I count six shots, n*****.

Django: [pulls out a second revolver] I count two guns, n*****.

Tarantino got a lot of Hollywood's familiar faces to play minor roles. Part of the fun of watching is seeing how many of them you not only recognize but can actually name.

Bits of trivia?
*Jamie Foxx actually rode his own horse in the film.
*After an accident in training, where Christoph Waltz was thrown off his horse and broke his pelvis, Jamie Foxx gave him a gift to make him feel better about riding a horse: a saddle with a seat belt.

When I get tired of comedy and light fare, Django Unchainted will be there to make me think.

 

[hrdboild]

Sorry for the delay folks. Spent the day on a train from Anchorage to Denali with very limited WiFi. Finally landed the hotel and the WiFi stinks here too.

And the sun isn’t setting until after midnight!

Anyways, on to the pick!

Kelly’s Heroes - 1970
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065938/

View attachment 7991

WW II movie with an all star cast led by Clint Eastwood. One of the movies dad and I used to watch together every once in a while.

Write up later.

VF, can you do the cleanup honors please (link, etc)? Thanks!

Denali? Are you up there climbing mountains Warhawk?

 

[Warhawk]

Denali? Are you up there climbing mountains Warhawk?

No mountain climbing. Any more than a hill and it would probably kill me. But enjoying the trip! Never been to Alaska before and just soaking it all in!

 

[Lowenherz!]

With my 7th pick:

Django Unchained - 2012

View attachment 7992

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1853728/

I am one of those rare movie lovers who is not a big fan of Quentin Tarantino. (I know ... GASP!) For some reason, however, this film resonates with me and I figured I'd better grab it now because I only have a very few potential picks from this decade.

Django (Jamie Foxx) is a slave. He is bought by a bounty hunter who wants him to help find some men. In return, the bounty hunter offers to help Django find the wife who was separated from him when they were sold by their previous owner.

Tarantino wrote this script with several actors specifically in mind for various characters - and it works extremely well. Samuel L. Jackson, Leonardo diCaprio and Christoper Waltz were among those who are rumored to have been tagged from the beginning and they're excellent choices. Tarantino originally had Will Smith in mind for the title role, but Smith turned it down. I personally think Jamie Foxx was the perfect actor for the role.

Sardonic, mocking, introspective, violent - all words that can be used to describe this film. I'm not exactly sure why it struck such a nerve with me the first time I saw it but it might have been lines like these:

Stephen: I count six shots, n*****.

Django: [pulls out a second revolver] I count two guns, n*****.

Tarantino got a lot of Hollywood's familiar faces to play minor roles. Part of the fun of watching is seeing how many of them you not only recognize but can actually name.

Bits of trivia?
*Jamie Foxx actually rode his own horse in the film.
*After an accident in training, where Christoph Waltz was thrown off his horse and broke his pelvis, Jamie Foxx gave him a gift to make him feel better about riding a horse: a saddle with a seat belt.

When I get tired of comedy and light fare, Django Unchainted will be there to make me think.

Quite a U-Turn from Harry Potter and Pirates.

Is Django another movie for the grandkids to fall asleep to?

 

[Padrino]

COMMISSIONER NOTE: Wow. The first half of this draft has been very interesting, enlightening, frustrating and fun. I'm looking forward to seeing how the second half goes. Just a reminder. Make sure you have the decade requirement covered. This goes for the JOKER PICK also.

It’s been SUCH an interesting draft. Very personal, in a lot of ways, which has been a delight to witness. I was expecting a significantly more populist bent to the various selections, and I’m kind of stunned that a great many of the more obvious picks are still on the board. If my list weren’t so carefully curated, I’d be inclined to snag a bunch of low-hanging fruit.

 

[Padrino]

With my 7th pick:

Django Unchained - 2012

View attachment 7992

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1853728/

I am one of those rare movie lovers who is not a big fan of Quentin Tarantino. (I know ... GASP!) For some reason, however, this film resonates with me and I figured I'd better grab it now because I only have a very few potential picks from this decade.

Django (Jamie Foxx) is a slave. He is bought by a bounty hunter who wants him to help find some men. In return, the bounty hunter offers to help Django find the wife who was separated from him when they were sold by their previous owner.

Tarantino wrote this script with several actors specifically in mind for various characters - and it works extremely well. Samuel L. Jackson, Leonardo diCaprio and Christoper Waltz were among those who are rumored to have been tagged from the beginning and they're excellent choices. Tarantino originally had Will Smith in mind for the title role, but Smith turned it down. I personally think Jamie Foxx was the perfect actor for the role.

Sardonic, mocking, introspective, violent - all words that can be used to describe this film. I'm not exactly sure why it struck such a nerve with me the first time I saw it but it might have been lines like these:

Stephen: I count six shots, n*****.

Django: [pulls out a second revolver] I count two guns, n*****.

Tarantino got a lot of Hollywood's familiar faces to play minor roles. Part of the fun of watching is seeing how many of them you not only recognize but can actually name.

Bits of trivia?
*Jamie Foxx actually rode his own horse in the film.
*After an accident in training, where Christoph Waltz was thrown off his horse and broke his pelvis, Jamie Foxx gave him a gift to make him feel better about riding a horse: a saddle with a seat belt.

When I get tired of comedy and light fare, Django Unchainted will be there to make me think.

I don’t think this is the best of Tarantino’s films, but its still fantastic, despite its unevenness, and it definitely represents the perfect marriage of director and actor. Christoph Waltz was born to recite Tarantino’s dialogue. Their two-film partnership yielded two of my absolute favorite on-screen characters of the last decade. I only wish that there was further collaboration upcoming between them! Waltz hasn’t yet been cast in Tarantino’s next film, but I keep hoping it will happen.

 

[HndsmCelt]

Up until this point I have been playing a bit of defense by selecting the better known and more popular films from my list before someone else grabbed them. Most of the films left are smaller more personal films. For my 7th pick I select Lasse Hallastrom’s Chocolat (2000).




Search Results

This is my wife’s favorite film and one of mine as well. I love food. I love films that explore the primal sensual pleasure of sumptuous foods.
This is more whimsical than many other films in this genre. The story for Chocoalat is inspired by at Central American legend regarding the origins of chocolate that is woven to the story of the film’s main charter Vianne, played by the incomparable Juliet Binoche, who literally travels with the wind from town to town opening up cholate shops with her young daughter. The film is set in a small provincial French town as she sets up shop just before Lent. Through Vienne and her mystical chocolate, we see deep into the personal lives of the citizens of the town. The Mayor (Alfred Molina) his proper secretary (Carrie Anne Moss) and her mother (Judi Dench) are all touched and aided by Vienne despite the efforts of the Mayor to destroy her business. The wife of the town drunk (Lena Olin)(Peter Stromire) is emboldened through the love/chocolate of Vienne. Finely Vienne meets her match in the Irish Traveler Roux (Johnny Depp) with whom she finds a kindred spirit.




This film is gorgeous, well-acted and a true joy to watch. No it is not thought provoking or deeply moving. It does not fill the soul like more robust works, however it is a treat, a wonderful, delicious sweet movie that leaves the viewer delighted at its beauty, it’s poetry, and it’s deep rich cultural mélange combining elements like chili powder and chocolate that you might not have imagined would go oh so well together.

 

[Double-K]

This was originally the spot I planned to put something else, but one of you already went ahead and picked it. Which actually turns out to be for the better. I never really did care about other people picking my films, as long as they are picked, I'm happy that someone else enjoys it enough, and that more people are going to see it because of that.

I'll skip the part where I started romanticising the whole idea of recommending movies in a public forum, and move right along to my next pick...

Cinema Paradiso (1988)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095765/


Now you see, this is why I skipped ahead from my story of romanticising the idea of sharing your favorite films in the public.

You see, I was looking at my draft board and going through the list of films I put down in a rush back when I made my first pick. As I did before every pick I made, I glanced past the name "Cinema Paradiso" and thought, I'd love to end of draft with this film. But now I feel that I'm just simply thinking too much. "You only get happy endings from where you stop your story."

I might not have been completely honest above when I said I don't really care about someone else picking the films on my list. Because this film defines me and what I do so much that I'd have to write an essay-length of a response if someone else would have picked it. I've wanted to tell stories as a kid. Hell, I used to hate my brother so much when we were playing our action figures because he wouldn't go with my narrative. It had been a long journey for me to come back to where I started. This film is the reason why I decided to go against the advice of my family and pursue a career in filmmaking.

Anyway, before I drag this whole description of a film too far away from its intention. I just wanna say, if you have not heard of or seen this film, I'd recommend you to do so. It is an Italian drama film (I know most Americans hate to read subtitles) about a film director's childhood years, it also tells the story of the return to his native Sicilian village for the funeral of his old friend Alfredo, the projectionist at the local "Cinema Paradiso". And if you pay close attention to the credit, you'll see that the magnificent film score composer Ennio Morricone worked on it with his son, Andrea. To me, that just seems so appropriately done.

It was also the winner of the 1989 Academy award's best foreign film.






If you didn't care for any one of the films I picked so far, please make sure that you check this one out. (I'd also recommend to not bother with the director's cut, I rather enjoy the original cut that is much focus on the emotion string. It's just simply a cleaner cut.)

 

[Turgenev]

Grizzly Man. 2005.



https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427312/

Just like any other love story. Man projects desire. Makes himself vulnerable. Gets devoured. Nature.

I guess that's fairly unsympathetic. This is a strange film. It's both sad and baffling. Like watching medical case notes. Despite access to Timothy Treadwell's context and pain, he was a threat to himself and others and it is a shame he was able to do so much damage. Why place it on my list? I like how Werner Herzog constructed the story I guess.

msg sent.

 

[King-Da-Yah]

With Round 7 Pick 6:

The Godfather Part II: 1974

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0071562/?ref_=m_ttmi_tt



In keeping with my theme of picking awesome sequels, this was a no-brainer. Easily my favorite Godfather film. I loved learning about Vito’s rise to power, and the way the film transitons from past to Michael Corleone’s era was amazing. I have a sudden urge to watch this film now...you gotta love how this draft makes you want to re-watch some of your favorite films. I have to say I am pretty ecstatic I have secured Empire, Winter Soldier and Godfather Part Deuce.

 

[hrdboild]

With the 7th pick of the se7enth round (103rd overall)...

SE7EN (1995) -- David Fincher / Crime Thriller

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114369/
​

___I really can't help myself, I've got the 7th pick of the seventh round and in this spot I have to draft the only movie bold enough to put 7 in its title in both written and numerical form. Not just a gimmick pick, I find myself returning to this mid-90s gem of a detective story over and over again for its potent blend of schlocky crime novel pulp, exquisite Darius Khondji lensed imagery, and dare I say it Blade Runner-esque rain drenched inner city gloom. The first American director on my list, noted Blade Runner enthusiast David Fincher (he even hired BR's cinematographer Jordan Cronenweth to shoot his first movie) is a master technician and sprinkled throughout a relatively routine B-movie formula are countless signature touches which elevate the material for me into A-list stuff. Fincher would achieve absolute cinematic perfection only a few years later with Fight Club but that movie is already taken so I'm digging deeper into the excellent Fincher catalog and SE7EN is a close runner-up for me.

___This may sound morbid, but each time I see this movie it speaks right to the heart of my relationship with the world. Yes my soul may be world weary, smog-blackened and scrawled with graffiti but deep at the heart of it, like Morgan Freeman's delightfully morose Detective Somerset, I'm just trying to find little scraps of meaning in a chaotic world and hold out long enough to pass those scraps on to the next generation. In the great tradition of Film Noir, good and evil are just starting points for a conversation about the far more powerful binary opposition of life and death. What does it mean to be alive? What is our responsibility to the other living things we share this planet with? You might fairly ask why I would willingly infect this beautiful mountain cabin with a sobering reminder of the urban megalopolis at its most severe? This is after all a dark, dark movie both literally and figuratively. Indeed it may seem counter-intuitive at first but bear with me, dear reader, for I plan to maintain my good health in the only manner I know how -- with rest, relaxation, and lots of exorcise. And what better way to exorcise the Nietzschian monsters of my own personal abyss than to gaze knowingly at all they entail and invite them to gaze back into themselves?

Musical choice: Howard Shore -- Portrait of John Doe

[whitechocolate is on the clock - PM has been sent]

 

[King-Da-Yah]

With the 7th pick of the se7enth round (103rd overall)...

SE7EN (1995) -- David Fincher / Crime Thriller

View attachment 8010
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114369/
​

___I really can't help myself, I've got the 7th pick of the seventh round and in this spot I have to draft the only movie bold enough to put 7 in its title in both written and numerical form. Not just a gimmick pick, I find myself returning to this mid-90s gem of a detective story over and over again for its potent blend of schlocky crime novel pulp, exquisite Darius Khondji lensed imagery, and dare I say it Blade Runner-esque rain drenched inner city gloom. The first American director on my list, noted Blade Runner enthusiast David Fincher (he even hired BR's cinematographer Jordan Cronenweth to shoot his first movie) is a master technician and sprinkled throughout a relatively routine B-movie formula are countless signature touches which elevate the material for me into A-list stuff. Fincher would achieve absolute cinematic perfection only a few years later with Fight Club but that movie is already taken so I'm digging deeper into the excellent Fincher catalog and SE7EN is a close runner-up for me.

___This may sound morbid, but each time I see this movie it speaks right to the heart of my relationship with the world. Yes my soul may be world weary, smog-blackened and scrawled with graffiti but deep at the heart of it, like Morgan Freeman's delightfully morose Detective Somerset, I'm just trying to find little scraps of meaning in a chaotic world and hold out long enough to pass those scraps on to the next generation. In the great tradition of Film Noir, good and evil are just starting points for a conversation about the far more powerful binary opposition of life and death. What does it mean to be alive? What is our responsibility to the other living things we share this planet with? You might fairly ask why I would willingly infect this beautiful mountain cabin with a sobering reminder of the urban megalopolis at its most severe? This is after all a dark, dark movie both literally and figuratively. Indeed it may seem counter-intuitive at first but bear with me, dear reader, for I plan to maintain my good health in the only manner I know how -- with rest, relaxation, and lots of exorcise. And what better way to exorcise the Nietzschian monsters of my own personal abyss than to gaze knowingly at all they entail and invite them to gaze back into themselves?

Musical choice: Howard Shore -- Portrait of John Doe

View attachment 8011View attachment 8012View attachment 8013View attachment 8014

[whitechocolate is on the clock - PM has been sent]

Noice!!!

 

[whitechocolate]

Rashomon (1950), Akira Kurosawa​

​

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042876/?ref_=nv_sr_1​

Much like The Rules of the Game, Rashomon is also largely about the lies we tell each other and ourselves. In the case of Rashomon, the motives behind this deceit are to appear honorable in the eyes of others and oneself. Masterful use of plot device tells this tale in both a complex and elegant fashion. The viewer gets to see how people with different personalities and from different positions view honor. When each individual's lies and takes on honor are considered together, insight into the society they belong to is given. The movie is filled with memorable little touches that give the film a rich texture. The movie grows more and more fascinating as more is revealed about the characters and events that take place.

 

[Lowenherz!]

Rashomon (1950), Akira Kurosawa

View attachment 8016

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042876/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Much like The Rules of the Game, Rashomon is also largely about the lies we tell each other and ourselves. In the case of Rashomon, the motives behind this deceit are to appear honorable in the eyes of others and oneself. Masterful use of plot device tells this tale in both a complex and elegant fashion. The viewer gets to see how people with different personalities and from different positions view honor. When each individual's lies and takes on honor are considered together, insight into the society they belong to is given. The movie is filled with memorable little touches that give the film a rich texture. The movie grows more and more fascinating as more is revealed about the characters and events that take place.

First Kurosawa film I ever saw. Immediately became a fan. Great pick.

 

[R2D2]

Trainspotting (1996), Danny Boyle



https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117951/

Trainspotting: shooting up heroin or the like. Called so because a session will leave a dark linear mark (known as a "track") at the site of the affected vein. Hard-core users will tend to have multiple sites of injection and will locate, or "spot" an optimum vein - one with minimal "tracks" and discomfort or infection. A hit can be analogous to the impact of a locomotive or train.

Trainspotting tells a story about Scottish underworld life. Smart, unconscious, funny or just sickly Mark Renton shows to be a true hero of our time. Trainspotting is the story about Mark and his so-called friends, a bunch of liars, losers, junkies, psychos and thieves. The film charts the hilarious, but yet quite serious development of their friendship as they proceed, seemingly inevitably, towards self destruction. But the film’s treatment of addiction contains no direct censures or endorsements, its morality all but nonexistent for a realistic representation. This is not to suggest Trainspotting is “realistic” per se, just that its perspective is not a judgmental one.

Undoubtedly, one of the best British films of all times.

 

[HndsmCelt]

Rashomon (1950), Akira Kurosawa

View attachment 8016

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042876/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Much like The Rules of the Game, Rashomon is also largely about the lies we tell each other and ourselves. In the case of Rashomon, the motives behind this deceit are to appear honorable in the eyes of others and oneself. Masterful use of plot device tells this tale in both a complex and elegant fashion. The viewer gets to see how people with different personalities and from different positions view honor. When each individual's lies and takes on honor are considered together, insight into the society they belong to is given. The movie is filled with memorable little touches that give the film a rich texture. The movie grows more and more fascinating as more is revealed about the characters and events that take place.

Nicely done! This is one of my top three favorite Samurai films out of Japan!

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), John Hughes

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091042/

Although a few already-taken movies can vie for the title, I don't think there is any movie left available that I more associate with my teenage years than Ferris Bueller. Ferris did what we all dreamed of having the stones to do - skipped school for a day, "borrowed" his best friend's dad's Ferrari, pilfered his girlfriend out of class, and took the whole group on a one-day adventure to the big city (in this case, Chicago), all the while staying one step ahead of his Javertian principal. The cast is practically perfect, not just Broderick, but also Mia Sara, Alan Ruck, Jeffrey Jones, but also the picture-perfect school secretary played by Edie McClurg and cameos by Ben Stein and Charlie Sheen. It's not high art, but it's 105 minutes of fun, and it always brings me back to those carefree days.

 

[VF21]

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), John Hughes

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091042/

Although a few already-taken movies can vie for the title, I don't think there is any movie left available that I more associate with my teenage years than Ferris Bueller. Ferris did what we all dreamed of having the stones to do - skipped school for a day, "borrowed" his best friend's dad's Ferrari, pilfered his girlfriend out of class, and took the whole group on a one-day adventure to the big city (in this case, Chicago), all the while staying one step ahead of his Javertian principal. The cast is practically perfect, not just Broderick, but also Mia Sara, Alan Ruck, Jeffrey Jones, but also the picture-perfect school secretary played by Edie McClurg and cameos by Ben Stein and Charlie Sheen. It's not high art, but it's 105 minutes of fun, and it always brings me back to those carefree days.

I almost picked this one but opted for The Breakfast Club instead. I actually won a Ferrari phone based on the movie in a call-in contest (I don't remember which radio station).

 

[Padrino]

With the 107th pick in the TDOS Cabin by the Lake draft, I select...

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015):

Director: George Miller
Dir. of Photography: John Seale
Writer(s): George Miller, Brendan McCarthy
Score: Junkie XL
Cast: Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne
Genre(s): Science fiction, action, adventure
Runtime: 2 hours

IMDb Entry: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392190/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Kinetic. It's the best word I can think of to describe this film. For all intents and purposes, the entirety of Mad Max: Fury Road is one extended chase sequence. It's a hyperactive science fiction thrill ride through the deserts of a post-apocalyptic landscape unlike any seen on screen--including those in prior Mad Max films. It is the perfection of George Miller's craft, and in my opinion, it represents the peak of contemporary action staging. The film was shot with practical ends in mind. There are very few digital effects shots in Fury Road, and when they appear, they exist only to augment the mayhem that was actually captured by the cameras. It's a masterclass of stuntwork, and the highest of bars to reach for any film that hopes to ground its story in the physical, tangible world.

Mad Max: Fury Road is also yet another film on my list with a troubled production history. Prior to its eventual release, it had been in development hell since the late-90's. The film was set to shoot in 2001, but was postponed because of the September 11 attacks that same year. According to Miller, "The American dollar collapsed against the Australian dollar, and our budget ballooned." Subsequent attempts to get the film made were set back due to issues of budget and location (rainfall and the blooming of wildflowers scuttled filming at least twice), as well as the necessary re-casting of the role originally played by Mel Gibson after Gibson's very public collapse in 2006. By 2009, Miller had reworked the script and principle photography was set to commence in 2011. Further announcements followed regarding the casting of Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron in the lead roles, but the aforementioned wildflowers forced the production to scout a new location before filming could commence. The film eventually shot in 2012, completing production in December, but required re-shoots in late 2013.

The film finally hit theaters in early summer of 2015, and banked more than double its production budget at the box office, despite being an R-rated feature of seemingly limited appeal. George Miller was 70 years old when he was finally able to get Mad Max: Fury Road to the screen, and his staging of its action is so inventive and full of wit that it becomes foolhardy to imagine that dabbling in the genre is a young man's game. There might not be another action film that communicates without words so elegantly and maniacally at the same time.

PM sent to @Sluggah.

 

[Sluggah]

With the 107th pick in the TDOS Cabin by the Lake draft, I select...

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015):

Director: George Miller
Dir. of Photography: John Seale
Writer(s): George Miller, Brendan McCarthy
Score: Junkie XL
Cast: Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne
Genre(s): Science fiction, action, adventure
Runtime: 2 hours

IMDb Entry: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392190/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Kinetic. It's the best word I can think of to describe this film. For all intents and purposes, the entirety of Mad Max: Fury Road is one extended chase sequence. It's a hyperactive science fiction thrill ride through the deserts of a post-apocalyptic landscape unlike any seen on screen--including those in prior Mad Max films. It is the perfection of George Miller's craft, and in my opinion, it represents the peak of contemporary action staging. The film was shot with practical ends in mind. There are very few digital effects shots in Fury Road, and when they appear, they exist only to augment the mayhem that was actually captured by the cameras. It's a masterclass of stuntwork, and the highest of bars to reach for any film that hopes to ground its story in the physical, tangible world.

Mad Max: Fury Road is also yet another film on my list with a troubled production history. Prior to its eventual release, it had been in development hell since the late-90's. The film was set to shoot in 2001, but was postponed because of the September 11 attacks that same year. According to Miller, "The American dollar collapsed against the Australian dollar, and our budget ballooned." Subsequent attempts to get the film made were set back due to issues of budget and location (rainfall and the blooming of wildflowers scuttled filming at least twice), as well as the necessary re-casting of the role originally played by Mel Gibson after Gibson's very public collapse in 2006. By 2009, Miller had reworked the script and principle photography was set to commence in 2011. Further announcements followed regarding the casting of Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron in the lead roles, but the aforementioned wildflowers forced the production to scout a new location before filming could commence. The film eventually shot in 2012, completing production in December, but required re-shoots in late 2013.

The film finally hit theaters in early summer of 2015, and banked more than double its production budget at the box office, despite being an R-rated feature of seemingly limited appeal. George Miller was 70 years old when he was finally able to get Mad Max: Fury Road to the screen, and his staging of its action is so inventive and full of wit that it becomes foolhardy to imagine that dabbling in the genre is a young man's game. There might not be another action film that communicates without words so elegantly and maniacally at the same time.



PM sent to @Sluggah.

Back to back steals. Ouch.

 

[hrdboild]

With the 107th pick in the TDOS Cabin by the Lake draft, I select...

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015):

Director: George Miller
Dir. of Photography: John Seale
Writer(s): George Miller, Brendan McCarthy
Score: Junkie XL
Cast: Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne
Genre(s): Science fiction, action, adventure
Runtime: 2 hours

IMDb Entry: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392190/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Kinetic. It's the best word I can think of to describe this film. For all intents and purposes, the entirety of Mad Max: Fury Road is one extended chase sequence. It's a hyperactive science fiction thrill ride through the deserts of a post-apocalyptic landscape unlike any seen on screen--including those in prior Mad Max films. It is the perfection of George Miller's craft, and in my opinion, it represents the peak of contemporary action staging. The film was shot with practical ends in mind. There are very few digital effects shots in Fury Road, and when they appear, they exist only to augment the mayhem that was actually captured by the cameras. It's a masterclass of stuntwork, and the highest of bars to reach for any film that hopes to ground its story in the physical, tangible world.

Mad Max: Fury Road is also yet another film on my list with a troubled production history. Prior to its eventual release, it had been in development hell since the late-90's. The film was set to shoot in 2001, but was postponed because of the September 11 attacks that same year. According to Miller, "The American dollar collapsed against the Australian dollar, and our budget ballooned." Subsequent attempts to get the film made were set back due to issues of budget and location (rainfall and the blooming of wildflowers scuttled filming at least twice), as well as the necessary re-casting of the role originally played by Mel Gibson after Gibson's very public collapse in 2006. By 2009, Miller had reworked the script and principle photography was set to commence in 2011. Further announcements followed regarding the casting of Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron in the lead roles, but the aforementioned wildflowers forced the production to scout a new location before filming could commence. The film eventually shot in 2012, completing production in December, but required re-shoots in late 2013.

The film finally hit theaters in early summer of 2015, and banked more than double its production budget at the box office, despite being an R-rated feature of seemingly limited appeal. George Miller was 70 years old when he was finally able to get Mad Max: Fury Road to the screen, and his staging of its action is so inventive and full of wit that it becomes foolhardy to imagine that dabbling in the genre is a young man's game. There might not be another action film that communicates without words so elegantly and maniacally at the same time.

PM sent to @Sluggah.

I had this on my list further down as an alternate. While I enjoyed it immensely in the theater and subsequently bought the Blu Ray, it's a a bit one note for me to return to very often. Granted that is a heck of a note!

George Miller is one crazy mad genius! Every visit to this twisted fictional future Australia of his is a blast. And Tom Hardy does an excellent job here stepping into Mel Gibson's iconic role and making it his own. I'd like to see another one of these that gives Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron a little more to do.