Tropical Island Video Vault Draft - ROUND 20 - FINAL ROUND
- Thread starter Jespher
- Start date
With my nineteenth and penultimate selection I choose Titus (1999 - R).
With only two movies left to select, I'm going to fall back once again on my stunning visuals theme, and jump on Julie Taymor's Titus - a chronologically ambiguous version of Shakespeare's bloodiest play, Titus Andronicus. This film has eye-candy galore and a fantastic mix of modern and ancient architecture/costumes/props - elements straight out of ancient Rome are mixed seamlessly with elements of fascist Italy to create a heck of a spectacle. Add on to that Anthony Hopkins, Colm Feore, Jessica Lange and just about the greatest vengeance plot in all of Shakespeare and I can watch this film over and over.
Trailer (with bonus subtitles in some Eastern European language) under the spoiler...
With only two movies left to select, I'm going to fall back once again on my stunning visuals theme, and jump on Julie Taymor's Titus - a chronologically ambiguous version of Shakespeare's bloodiest play, Titus Andronicus. This film has eye-candy galore and a fantastic mix of modern and ancient architecture/costumes/props - elements straight out of ancient Rome are mixed seamlessly with elements of fascist Italy to create a heck of a spectacle. Add on to that Anthony Hopkins, Colm Feore, Jessica Lange and just about the greatest vengeance plot in all of Shakespeare and I can watch this film over and over.
Trailer (with bonus subtitles in some Eastern European language) under the spoiler...
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While it was quirky and expensive, it had a lot of momentum and had spend a ton of cash on promoting it before the strike. The day before the strike this was one of the most anticipated and talked about shows on TV... after the strike, no more promotions, the buzz was over... the strike just really burned this show; it's demise wasn't 100% the strike's fault, sure, but the strike kept this show from becoming a huge sensation, which could have kept this show going for years.
OK, so there are several movies I think are worth picking up that haven't been yet. And I am waffling on which to choose. Think I will go with another off my last list (3rd such pick, I think):
TRUE LIES
A fun, fun movie starring Arnie, Tom Arnold, Jamie Lee Curtis, Bill Paxton, and Tina Carrere. Directed by James Cameron.
As with just about any Cameron flick, lots of explosions, shooting, fight scenes, etc. But this one also has a pretty high comedy quotient and is lots of fun. Tom Arnold and Arnie play well off each other and Bill Paxton is hilarious as the used car dealer.
From imdb.com:
pm sent
TRUE LIES
A fun, fun movie starring Arnie, Tom Arnold, Jamie Lee Curtis, Bill Paxton, and Tina Carrere. Directed by James Cameron.
As with just about any Cameron flick, lots of explosions, shooting, fight scenes, etc. But this one also has a pretty high comedy quotient and is lots of fun. Tom Arnold and Arnie play well off each other and Bill Paxton is hilarious as the used car dealer.
From imdb.com:
pm sent
Attachments
I just don't think it ever got the ratings even when it was fresh. It opened huge and then had a very steady drop off its entire run, losing half its viewers in the 9 episodes before the strike halted the first season. That said, the big networks need to readjust their numbers because long gone are the days when there were 3/4 networks putting out the only quality shows and it sucks losing shows with great potential because the network gives a show 3 weeks. Thank heavens TNT picked up Southland which has consistently been one of the best shows on TV the past 3 years.
Das Boot - 1981
Although its name has become synonymous with a glass boot with beer in it (Thanks again Broken Lizard), this is easily one of the more tense, gripping and chilling examples of the modern war epic genre.
Taken from the autobiographical novel of a German war photographer, I suspect this is as close to the realism of war as we'll ever get - illustrating the maddening, spirit-crushing lulls of repetitious drilling and waiting peppered with sudden moments of intense terror and life-or-death decisions.
All with the majority of the movie taking place within the claustrophobic confines of a U-boat:
... And, Action!
This isn't an action-packed 'splosion movie with clear heroes and villains. The pacing is rather deliberate and for a lot of the movie, the scenes are vaguely uncomfortable - as if you're trapped down in the mechanical coffin at the bottom of the ocean with them. And when they do get to the blowin' up things part of their job, well, they're German sailors under the rule of the Nazis ... so you don't necessarily feel good about it.
However you do get to know each of the characters - strengths, faults, occasional cliches and all. And by the end you are certainly rooting fervently for them to survive.
The sub life seems pretty miserable, but really no worse than many other certain death assignments that were given to low ranking servicemen. Oh hey look there's a guy with a machine gun in that bunker over there, if we send a few hundred of you at him he's likely to miss one of ya, or at least run out of bullets or jam up after the second or third wave!
And following the classic anti-war film with something equally weighty:
One Fine Day (1996) PG
The draft seems to have swung back over to picking up remaining classics and whatnot and I have been watching certain movies slip and slip, but I am sticking with my guiding star of rewatchability and from the beginning always intended to scoop up a romance to help round things out. And this one has the added kick of nostalgia for me -- filmed in NY a few years before I arrived in the City, 2/3 of the movie is filmed within a couple of blocks of my first office in Rockefeller Center. They in fact run right by the front of my building half a dozen times, have a scene set inside the building right across the plaza etc. The locales, clothes, weather...its all very much pre-9/11 New York as I first found it when I arrived, which adds a cozy "I'm home" kick to the proceedings for me.
The film itself has an old hollywood feel to its take on the romcom genre, avoiding the worst afflictions of that breed by not overreaching. The leads are working professionals and single parents just trying to survive a single day in the City without child care. Pfeiffer is still at the height of her beauty and has an acid tongue, and Clooney is at his Clooneyiest in one of his first movie roles (which is to say ridiculously charismatic). Aside from Pfeiffer's little brat desperately needing to be thrown headfirst into the Hudson, most of the worst cliches are avoided, and the characters can bicker and juggle and only need to reach the point by the end of the movie (which is to say the end of the hectic day) where they like each other enough that maybe they would like to go out, rather than having to meet cute, fall in love within a week, have some ridiculous misunderstanding, and proclaim their undying love in a baseball stadium full of 50,000 people or whatever.
P.S. this was also the first time I had seen Amanda Peet, who looked stunning in a small role.
One Fine Day (1996) PG
The draft seems to have swung back over to picking up remaining classics and whatnot and I have been watching certain movies slip and slip, but I am sticking with my guiding star of rewatchability and from the beginning always intended to scoop up a romance to help round things out. And this one has the added kick of nostalgia for me -- filmed in NY a few years before I arrived in the City, 2/3 of the movie is filmed within a couple of blocks of my first office in Rockefeller Center. They in fact run right by the front of my building half a dozen times, have a scene set inside the building right across the plaza etc. The locales, clothes, weather...its all very much pre-9/11 New York as I first found it when I arrived, which adds a cozy "I'm home" kick to the proceedings for me.
The film itself has an old hollywood feel to its take on the romcom genre, avoiding the worst afflictions of that breed by not overreaching. The leads are working professionals and single parents just trying to survive a single day in the City without child care. Pfeiffer is still at the height of her beauty and has an acid tongue, and Clooney is at his Clooneyiest in one of his first movie roles (which is to say ridiculously charismatic). Aside from Pfeiffer's little brat desperately needing to be thrown headfirst into the Hudson, most of the worst cliches are avoided, and the characters can bicker and juggle and only need to reach the point by the end of the movie (which is to say the end of the hectic day) where they like each other enough that maybe they would like to go out, rather than having to meet cute, fall in love within a week, have some ridiculous misunderstanding, and proclaim their undying love in a baseball stadium full of 50,000 people or whatever.
P.S. this was also the first time I had seen Amanda Peet, who looked stunning in a small role.
Networks don't get it. They've ruined the idea of a pilot run, especially for any kind of serialized drama or sci-fi mystery show, because too many shows get dropped after an introductory run. I don't want to dig in to a new show when I don't know if it's going to stay on, if I'm ever going to get answers, etc. One example of this was Journeyman. It was a niche show, quirky, might not have lasted anyways, and it followed Heroes on NBC (which totally sucked after the strike). I watched it just to see if it would work for me, and then the hook got me, and 13 episodes later, it was gone. So now, I won't watch a serialized drama, especially anything sci-fi, unless it's been picked up for a full season.
Fox got it right with Fringe, because while it's turned into a serialized drama, it wasn't quite that way at first. Each episode was a standalone story, independent of what came before it. Two hour premiere, full resolution, and the first season was awesome.
Networks should guarantee a full season for a show like that, and I bet the ratings would do better to begin with.
Fox got it right with Fringe, because while it's turned into a serialized drama, it wasn't quite that way at first. Each episode was a standalone story, independent of what came before it. Two hour premiere, full resolution, and the first season was awesome.
Networks should guarantee a full season for a show like that, and I bet the ratings would do better to begin with.
I have a list of a few things I want to accomplish for my island in my last 2 picks. 2 of the things on that list? A comedy and a George Clooney film (who happens to be one of my favorite actors.)
Ocean's 11 was gone so I went with my next favorite Clooney movie..(which is the second straight Clooney taken - thanks Brick
)
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Ocean's 11 was gone so I went with my next favorite Clooney movie..(which is the second straight Clooney taken - thanks Brick
)
Fantastic Mr. Fox
It's completely by accident, because I've had this pick planned for a while, but looks like I'm keeping the Clooney streak going...
Three Kings (1999) -- I've always been a big fan of this one. Clooney and Marky Mark handle both the comedy and drama well here, Spike Jonez is hilarious in a supporting role, and David O. Russel's writing and direction are super sharp. Also makes for a good double feature with Jarhead if I want to have a snarky war movie theme night on my island.
Three Kings (1999) -- I've always been a big fan of this one. Clooney and Marky Mark handle both the comedy and drama well here, Spike Jonez is hilarious in a supporting role, and David O. Russel's writing and direction are super sharp. Also makes for a good double feature with Jarhead if I want to have a snarky war movie theme night on my island.
I need a Christmas movie... so I will take:
Gremlins (1984)
Tell me Furbies didn't creep you out... that had something to do with this movie... love the overly cuteness contrasted by the pure evil... this movie is violent and funny... great flick!
And here is a NSFW(Language) review in case you want the feel scoop
Gremlins (1984)
Tell me Furbies didn't creep you out... that had something to do with this movie... love the overly cuteness contrasted by the pure evil... this movie is violent and funny... great flick!
And here is a NSFW(Language) review in case you want the feel scoop
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For my final selection I will take an all-time great film: huge influence on modern culture and engrained as part of my life (and likely yours)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
I am not really sure what I can say about this film that hasn't been said already... this is the sort of fantasy film that other fantasy films strive to be; when in Oz, the audience really feels like they are in Oz... that is the basis of all fantasy films... love this movie; the siging is great (no fakey-signers here; Judy Garland sings like an angel), the characters are classic... this is just an absolute epic film.
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
I am not really sure what I can say about this film that hasn't been said already... this is the sort of fantasy film that other fantasy films strive to be; when in Oz, the audience really feels like they are in Oz... that is the basis of all fantasy films... love this movie; the siging is great (no fakey-signers here; Judy Garland sings like an angel), the characters are classic... this is just an absolute epic film.
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Last pick. And without even considering movies that were taken last time (by me or anyone else), I've still got 20+ movies in contention. Tons of ways I could go with this one, but I think I'll stick with fun and under-appreciated.
Go (1999) -- This was Doug Liman's followup to the doubly selected Swingers, and put him on the map for me as a director to keep an eye on. As it turns out, he has gone on to be rather unceremoniously hit or miss, but I still think this stands out as a great little comedy. As with many of the movies that filled out the back half of the 1990s, this one has many of the characteristics that were labeled "Tarantino-esque": big ensemble cast, snappy dialog, convoluted plot with intersecting storylines, non-linear narrative, several different points of view, etc. However, unlike many of the Pulp Fiction wannabes, none of it is annoying here.
Go (1999) -- This was Doug Liman's followup to the doubly selected Swingers, and put him on the map for me as a director to keep an eye on. As it turns out, he has gone on to be rather unceremoniously hit or miss, but I still think this stands out as a great little comedy. As with many of the movies that filled out the back half of the 1990s, this one has many of the characteristics that were labeled "Tarantino-esque": big ensemble cast, snappy dialog, convoluted plot with intersecting storylines, non-linear narrative, several different points of view, etc. However, unlike many of the Pulp Fiction wannabes, none of it is annoying here.
Whew...A lot of action in the draft today. I seriously considered The Wizard of Oz, briefly considered True Lies, and have never seen Das Boot, Three Kings or One Fine Day. Go is really a great underrated film, nice pick GGG!
The board is up to date, and we're rounding the home stretch so please start thinking about rankings.
The board is up to date, and we're rounding the home stretch so please start thinking about rankings
.
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Last pick...It beats out about 3 other movies for the final spot on my island. Never watched a Planet of the Apes until this one just a few weeks ago. Loved it. Glad to have it.
Rise of the Planet of Apes
Rise of the Planet of Apes
It's completely by accident, because I've had this pick planned for a while, but looks like I'm keeping the Clooney streak going...
Three Kings (1999) -- I've always been a big fan of this one. Clooney and Marky Mark handle both the comedy and drama well here, Spike Jonez is hilarious in a supporting role, and David O. Russel's writing and direction are super sharp. Also makes for a good double feature with Jarhead if I want to have a snarky war movie theme night on my island.
Three Kings (1999) -- I've always been a big fan of this one. Clooney and Marky Mark handle both the comedy and drama well here, Spike Jonez is hilarious in a supporting role, and David O. Russel's writing and direction are super sharp. Also makes for a good double feature with Jarhead if I want to have a snarky war movie theme night on my island.
Dead Calm (1989) R
I have had my eye on this one for a long time now in this draft. Not even sure why. Have always liked it and seen it multiple times, but its not as if I own it. But somehow it just felt right for inclusion on a remote island for eternity. Something about the simple stripped down tension it builds, the lonely beautiful should-be-peaceful setting out in the middle of the ocean (it was filmed at the Great Barrier Reef). There are only three characters, and they get very strong distinct performances from all of them. This was the movie that launched both a very young Nicole Kidman and Billy Zane (which turned out to be a bit of a mistake), and steady as always Sam Neill is along to play Sam Neill. Kidman's character is smart and resourceful, Zane plays a great nut long before he became a joke. There is no place to run, and no help to be had, so the characters have to really fight for their survival without contrivances...EXCEPT for my one problem with the film: Note to Nicole: KILL HIM. Bullet to the brain pan. Dump the body in the drink. Movie over. But I guess where is the fun to that. Anyway its a damn good thriller, good pacing, nonstop tension. They take their small cast and limited setting and turn it into a claustrophobic advantage rather than a limitation.
As an aside, in a classic case of studio stupidity, American DVDs of this film have a dumb 5 minute anticlimatic ending tagged on that was supposedly mandated by the studio. It doesn't ruin the movie, but its completely unnecessary after the rush the movie closes with and completely Hollywood in its dumb patness. Apparently Region 2 DVDs of the movie leave off the scene, so if there are two of them in the box, I'll probably try to snag the fluffless one.
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Now for my coup de grace. Started with a legendary Samurai movie and wrapping things up with an excellent modern one.
"I will accomplish your wish ... with magnificence."
13 Assassins - 2010
Directed by the mad man who created the only movie I'm afraid of (and by that I mean I'm physically incapable of watching it again: kiri kiri kiri). Counter-intuitively, as soon as I heard he was crafting a film in one of my favorite genres, I knew I needed to see it.
A remake of a 60s movie of the same name telling the story of 13 samurai on a suicide mission to assassinate the sadistic, blood-lusting brother of the Shogun.
The first 2/3rds of the film are spent with a slow paced and fairly intimate introduction and something of a chess match between the assassins' leader and the Lord's lead guard as the two try to predict the others' movements and react accordingly, jockeying for the upper-hand in the inevitable conflict to come.
And then ... the inevitable DOES come. The last 40 minutes devolve into pure and total carnage. Think an Art House Samurai version of 300. Blur of swords and spears, arrows raining down, exploding buildings, spiked gates slamming shut, charging bulls on fire (no joke).
Complete pandemonium ... with magnificence.
*Note for Jespher: It's "Jūsannin no Shikaku" in Japanese in case you really wanted to put that in parentheses
"I will accomplish your wish ... with magnificence."
Directed by the mad man who created the only movie I'm afraid of (and by that I mean I'm physically incapable of watching it again: kiri kiri kiri). Counter-intuitively, as soon as I heard he was crafting a film in one of my favorite genres, I knew I needed to see it.
A remake of a 60s movie of the same name telling the story of 13 samurai on a suicide mission to assassinate the sadistic, blood-lusting brother of the Shogun.
The first 2/3rds of the film are spent with a slow paced and fairly intimate introduction and something of a chess match between the assassins' leader and the Lord's lead guard as the two try to predict the others' movements and react accordingly, jockeying for the upper-hand in the inevitable conflict to come.
And then ... the inevitable DOES come. The last 40 minutes devolve into pure and total carnage. Think an Art House Samurai version of 300. Blur of swords and spears, arrows raining down, exploding buildings, spiked gates slamming shut, charging bulls on fire (no joke).
Complete pandemonium ... with magnificence.
*Note for Jespher: It's "Jūsannin no Shikaku" in Japanese in case you really wanted to put that in parentheses
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