The Personal Recommendation Hall of Fame

The trick is not minding

03-20-20

Groundhog Day

Imagine living the same day over and over. Would you consider that hell? Or would that be an opportunity? Would you abuse that day, knowing you would be free from the consequences? These are questions Bill Murray asks himself throughout this film.
His first reaction is one of bewilderment. He doesn�t know what to quite make of the situation. Soon he turns to opportunity. He takes advantage of it. There are no consequences. He steals money.
That gives way to despair. He fears he is hell. Or a purgatory of sorts. Forced to relive his least favorite day over and over in a town he despises. He commits suicide. Often. He soon thinks of himself as a god. But when he fails to save a homeless man on consecutive days he realizes his hubris. That soon gives to self realization. He realizes how others view him, and worse, how he really sees himself. Eventually he betters himself, taking lessons in piano and ice sculpting. Finally he become a better person.
This film is a great comedy with some very dark moments, perfectly balanced. Murray has always been a favorite of mine, and although he has had better roles (Lost in Translation, Rushmore), he is effective in his predicament.
Very glad to have finally watched this. Well worth it.
I have no clue who nominated this but thank you. 😎

Captain Spaulding

Defending Champ

03-20-20

Originally Posted by Siddon

I can understand why someone would pick The Gunfighter(1950) for me, three of my last noms have been westerns and I've scored several high recently in these halls. The film is short and it's got a great single focus to it...it's basically the story of a Gunfighter who doesn't want to be a Gunfighter anymore. Also the best westerns are really the ones that try and tell a simple morality tale and once that's this movie.

Sadly the idea is good but as time goes by the film hasn't aged well. The movie very similar to Unforgiven but with Unforgiven you have a degree of realism. Gregory Peck is good but almost miscast this is the sort of film that you want a Robert Mitchum who you can buy as an old outlaw...not Atticus Fitch. Peck doesn't really have the menace to him that the role needs to have.

The strength of the film is in it's supporting cast, in a story like this when you visit with the townspeople you find all these little great performances and ideas which breaks from the familiarity of the work.

It's a shame that you didn't think more highly of it. I didn't put much time or thought into your nomination. I just saw that the Westerns list was by far your lowest percentage and chose one of my favorites from the list. The Gunfighter seemed a good fit for what you've said you like to see from the genre. I agree that Mitchum would've been a good fit for the role, as he naturally embodies grit and toughness more convincingly than Peck, but I also think that Peck brought a level of classiness and pathos to the role that likely surpassed what Mitchum would've done with the character. (I also think that Peck is simply a better actor than Mitchum.)

I was hoping you might love the film enough to consider it for your western ballot. I'll be disappointed if it doesn't make the countdown, although it's encouraging to see several other participants speak highly of it in here. My Movie Tab write-up for The Gunfighter when I first watched it a few years ago:

The Gunfighter
(Harry King, 1950)

Deaths in the west are decided by milliseconds. Nobody is faster with a gun than Jimmy Ringo. Every town he visits, every saloon he enters, someone is waiting to challenge him. His reputation is as inescapable as his shadow. His legend a curse. To beat him is to become a legend in your own right -- a lottery ticket stamped with a bullet, only the prize isn't money but notoriety. A loss, however, means an early grave. The Gunfighter is one of the best westerns I've ever seen, a potential new favorite, yet I knew nothing about it before sitting down to watch it. Why isn't this talked about in the same breath as High Noon and The Searchers and other iconic westerns of the decade? Gregory Peck is superb in the lead role. He possesses a rock star quality befitting of his character's mythological stature, yet the burden of his reputation is evident in the weariness of his eyes and shoulders. The coffins of his victims might as well be anchored around his neck. His life is constant provocation. Shoot or be shot. Kill or be killed. The movie's run-time feels like sand in an hourglass. In that sense, The Gunfighter reminds me very much of High Noon, only this film precedes and surpasses the Gary Cooper classic. Ringo stalls in a town hoping to see his wife and son while vengeance fast approaches. Behind every swinging saloon door awaits potential death. Maybe it's in the form of a cocky braggart eager to make a name for himself. Maybe it's in the form of an old man with a rifle seeking to avenge his son. The unrest swells. The tension rises. The Gunfighter is a nearly flawless film. The script is tight. The dialogue is excellent. The supporting cast give great performances -- Karl Malden and Millard Mitchell, in particular. The ending will punch you in the gut. This is one of the best films of the 50's, western or otherwise

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Letterboxd

Citizen Rules

Trouble with a capital "T"

03-20-20

Let me add my vote for The Gunfigher as a must see western, before we send our voting ballots to Holden for the Western Countdown.

My review of The Gunfighter It's one of the better reviews I've wrote

Captain Spaulding

Defending Champ

03-20-20

It doesn't take long to fall behind in here. I received The Sound of Music in the mail today. I'll watch it sometime this weekend and write a review for it. I'm pretty worried about that three-hour runtime.

For those of you who rely on your local library to rent a lot of these movies, perhaps you can still watch some of them through Kanopy if your library offers the service. The streaming service is completely free. You just sign in with your library card. TubiTV is also free and worth checking out. It's ad-supported but the commercials are usually brief, only playing at the beginning and then maybe halfway through the movie as well. I'm surprised TubiTV isn't more well known considering that their selection dwarfs Netflix and other streaming services. I love it because there's a ton of hard-to-find cult/exploitation films on there, but I'm sure there's also plenty of noms in here that can be found on there. I know for sure that several Herzogs are currently on there, including Fitzcarraldo and My Best Fiend.

I'll go back and comment on some of the other films people have been watching when I get a chance. Besides The Gunfighter, I've had one other nomination get watched and reviewed.

John-Connor

Registered User

03-20-20

Originally Posted by ahwell

And who gave me Shawshank hmmmm...

Originally Posted by ahwell

The Shawshank Redemption
My guess: Cricket

^^That guess up there was so hard, this movie is so well loved and well known that I basically had to randomly pick someone who I thought may have nominated this.

I tried soooo hard to dislike this movie. I wanted to have "unique and edgy taste," "go against the grain," bla bla whatever that means. All I knew is that I didn't want to love the #1 highest rated movie on IM*B.

But I did love it. Every minute, every damn second. A masterpiece like this deserves the recognition it gets as one of the greatest films ever made. Every part of it - Darabont's flawless direction and screenplay, Newman's sweeping score, Deakins's typically legendary cinemtography, and of course the utterly magnificent acting performances - all led to a timeless movie that has already become a classic.

I don't even know where to start. How about with the acting. Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman both give equally fantastic performances. Robbins playing a quiet, layed back, yet confident man, one whose choices change the lives of those around him. Then Freeman playing an equally wise character in his own right, a man who actually has done the crime he's convicted of, and the real main character. Both actors completely embody their respective character. So no complaints there; I was completely immersed in the people and places of Shawshank.

And then, the characters themselves. Andy Dufrane, a character who was sent to prison for a murder he didn't do, finds himself in the stony walls of Shawshank Prison. It's interesting thinking about his life before prison. Maybe he was successful, had a steady job, had friends. Was he happy? At least not with his wife, who was cheating on him. We never really learn about Andy's backstory (although I personally think this is a sequel to the Toy Story trilogy). The movie tells us "It doesn't matter."

And then we've got Red, a man who is up in the ranks as one of the most powerful prisoners at Shawshank. He's known to locate certain things from time to time. He has connections. His life inside the prison is one of contentedness. It's Red that is the main character of Shawshank Redemption; It is his redemption in the film, not Andy's. Throughout the story Red questions and learns what it is to live. He learns about hope and compassion, he experiences from Andy what it is like to stand up for what is right. "Get busy living, or get busy dying."

Speaking of that line, the screenplay also blew me away. What I expected would be a prison break dramatic script, instead turned into an endlessly quotable, FUNNY, screenplay that sets up characters and entertains easily while also juggling a hefty plot.

Does Deakins ever disappoint? Not in Shawshank. The shots of the outside of the prison are stunning, and no dialogue could introduce us so well to what exactly those prison walls do to people. That entire "escape explanation" scene was shot brilliantly, especially the final triumphant moment when Andy rips his shirt off and celebrates.

This must be one of the most satisfying and fulfilling movies I've ever seen. The final embrace at the end had me in tears, honest to God. It's so emotional, but it doesn't ply for tears, it's the honesty and beauty of the reunion, it's the beauty of the whole damn movie, that had me in tears.

I can't relate to being locked up in a prison for thirty years. But what I can relate to is the feeling of emptiness, the feeling that something - either internal or external - is stopping you from living.

This movie is inspiring me to get busy living.

Like I already said on lttrbx, this is probably one of my favorite ahwell reviews, I like the honesty and passion in the first paragraphs. Shawshank is currrently my 14th favorite movie of all time, so really glad you liked it! One of the many reasons why I chose this one for you was the scene where Andy plays "Sull'aria" from Mozart over the prison speakers.

neiba

The thing isolated becomes incomprehensible

03-20-20

Patton (1970)

What a fine piece of cinema!
This is the 3rd war film of my list, which means the Mofos know me well. I'm usually more inclined to movies who show the dark and ugly side of war instead of glorifying it, but if you are going to glorify it, you better do it like this.

It's impossible to talk about Patton without talking first about the mythical performance delivered by the great George C. Scott. I may not have seen every film he was in but this has to be the best performance of his entire career because I simply can't imagine how you can top that. Through out the whole 3 hours this takes, Scott's Patton radiates authority, threat, strength and arrogance, giving a new meaning to losing oneself into the role, in one of the best acting jobs of all time. It's like the man was born to play this.

As for the rest of the film, the supporting cast does a fine job, and the movie is incredibly well executed. The pacing is perfect, the cinematography is gorgeous and perfectly well adapted to the film and the dialogue extremely well written. I ended up the almost 3 hours this takes not wanting it to be over and that's saying something.

Now, I don't know who nominated this for me, but bullseye!

ahwell

Registered User

03-20-20

Originally Posted by John-Connor

Originally Posted by ahwell

And who gave me Shawshank hmmmm...

Originally Posted by ahwell

The Shawshank Redemption
My guess: Cricket

Thank you! And wonderful pick, as I also said on LB the Mozart opera is one of my favs and that scene blew me away. You were spot on with your pick!

cricket

https://www.movieforums.com/communit...29#post2074929

Registered User

03-20-20

Originally Posted by neiba

Watched it last night! Except for the fact that I don't consider 2019 a great year for movies, we agree on pretty much everything, I think

Lol it looks like CaptainT has to change your nom from Parasite to something else.

Blair Witch was a great movie experience for me. Saw it with my wife in a creepy cinema in some creepy town during a road trip.

I don't remember Things to Come well, but I know I liked it.

Saw Groundhog Day once; not a favorite but a very good movie.

Neiba, Patton was the first movie picked for you and I figured it would be a great choice.

27 movies watched so far, none of them picked by me.

edarsenal

Women will be your undoing, P�p�

03-20-20

It has been a while since my last viewing, but, yeah, absolutely LOVE Shawshank, utterly and entirely.

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edarsenal

Women will be your undoing, P�p�

03-20-20

Originally Posted by neiba

I think this was the very first movie I saw Scott in, as a kid and it's impossible NOT to think of it whenever I saw him in anything else. He WAS Patton. It was, and continues to be, astonishing.

neiba

The thing isolated becomes incomprehensible

03-20-20

Originally Posted by edarsenal

It has been a while since my last viewing, but, yeah, absolutely LOVE Shawshank, utterly and entirely.

Shawshank has been crushing high expectations since it came out. It's like it doesn't even care it's no 1 on IMDb for I don't how many years. So many people want to be special and hate it, never works! XD

Miss Vicky

MoFo's Resident Bitch

03-20-20

Drive (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2011)
Imdb

Date Watched: 03/20/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The Personal Recommendation Hall of Fame, I think it may have been nominated by Captain Spaulding
Rewatch: No.

I never had much desire to watch this movie. I'm not a fan of Ryan Gosling or anyone else involved in it. I think the only Refn film I'd seen prior to this was Bronson, which is great, but is carried by a mesmerizing performance from Tom Hardy (who I'm biased towards anyway). All the images I'd seen from it looked very slick and stylish, but never hinted to me at anything of substance and so I went into this with basically no expectations.

I won't go so far as to say that I loved it - I didn't love it - but this was a welcome surprise. Although there are obvious exceptions (see Gladiator and others) I tend to favor films with complicated characters that are neither completely good nor completely bad. I like stories of redemption. I like bad guys with a heart of gold and Refn and Gosling definitely deliver. I really enjoyed seeing him going from tenderly kissing a woman one moment to kicking a dude's head in the next. I liked his gentle interactions with the kid, Benicio.

But the one thing that I didn't like - the thing that kept me from loving it - was that I felt I didn't get enough of that tender side. It's a rare instance that I complain about a film being too short, but I really would've appreciated another scene or two of the driver and Irene or the driver and Benicio to better fortify the believability of his motivations.

It's a pretty small complaint though and its possible that its importance will fade if I revisit the film later on. Not a home run, but a very good and surprising selection. Thank you to whoever chose it.

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Hey Fredrick

Registered User

03-20-20

Originally Posted by Captain Spaulding

For those of you who rely on your local library to rent a lot of these movies, perhaps you can still watch some of them through Kanopy if your library offers the service. The streaming service is completely free. You just sign in with your library card. TubiTV is also free and worth checking out. It's ad-supported but the commercials are usually brief, only playing at the beginning and then maybe halfway through the movie as well. I'm surprised TubiTV isn't more well known considering that their selection dwarfs Netflix and other streaming services. I love it because there's a ton of hard-to-find cult/exploitation films on there, but I'm sure there's also plenty of noms in here that can be found on there. I know for sure that several Herzogs are currently on there, including Fitzcarraldo and My Best Fiend.

Tubi is my no. 2 streaming source behind Criterion Channel. Their selection of horror and just god awful fun movies is amazing (it was the first place I checked for Pink Flamingos) and they do have a nice selection of really good movies as well. The ads aren't bad at all. They're usually less than a minute and it seems Tubi tries to NOT put them right in the middle of a scene. Kanopy is my third option and has the best selection of good movies from all over the world but is limited 10 movies/shows a month. Not too good for binging tv but 10 movies a month is a-ok in my book. Netflix has been the last option for a couple of years now. I think they stink for movies.

One more thing. Having a hard time locating one of the movies I need to watch - Bigger Than Life. It's not on any of the streamers I use or available on dvd though Netflix. It's still early so I'm not terribly worried just putting it out there.

edarsenal

Women will be your undoing, P�p�

03-20-20

Night of the Hunter

Rachel Cooper: It's a hard world for little things.

I've gotten lucky to get several Must See! Classics on my nomination plate and this is one of the highest on my own list of such films I needed to see.
I've always loved Mitchum and he is completely ideal for the charismatic wolf in sheep's clothing. Many of his playful, cavalier mannerisms can be seen as a staple for villains in so many films now. I can't honestly say if there is such a villain before his portrayal that was allowed to be like that without coming off as creepy or more like a weasel or slime bag than with such silky confidence. There are some that come close, but not with such extravagance.
And this must be the only time I've seen Shelly Winters play such a reserved, docile character. I actually had to take a moment, in wonder, to see her outside of what I have been to used to for her.
And, of course, Lillian Gish as the woman who becomes a haven to the storm that the children are caught up in was an excellent guarding knight against the evil Reverend Powell. My favorite confrontation was when she stays up with the shotgun and he sat outside the window, singing. At one point, she joins in. There was a calm, subtle challenge going on that was very well done.

Also, Charles Laughton did an amazing job as Director and the cinematography was incredible here. The composition and lighting was top quality. It's said Laughton preferred using sound stages than going on site and he definitely put them to exceptional use.

To whomever nominated this; THANK YOU

Citizen Rules

Trouble with a capital "T"

03-20-20

Originally Posted by Hey Fredrick

...One more thing. Having a hard time locating one of the movies I need to watch - Bigger Than Life. It's not on any of the streamers I use or available on dvd though Netflix. It's still early so I'm not terribly worried just putting it out there.

No problem, check your PM

John-Connor

Registered User

03-20-20

As a whole I enjoyed The Driver '78 more, but Drive has one of my favorite opening sequences ever, the font, music, cinematography and lighting, Perfeto!

cricket

Registered User

03-20-20

Originally Posted by John-Connor

As a whole I enjoyed The Driver '78 more, but Drive has one of my favorite opening sequences ever, the font, music, cinematography and lighting, Perfeto!

Not sure which I like more but that's a hidden gem. I can't see how Drive isn't a remake there's so many similarities.

All positive results on this page, nice to see!

ahwell

Registered User

03-20-20

L.A. Confidential (1997)
My guess: Citizen Rules, I know he likes noir

A stunning, complex, polished neo-noir -- actually, screw it, this is straight up Billy Wilder/Otto Preminger noir from the 40s or 50s -- L.A. Confidential balances several protagonists and many different plot points yet maintains a razor sharp focus during its two hour run time.

Boy do those two hours fly by. The acting from everyone is stellar, especially our three leads - Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, and Guy Pearce. All phenomenal character performances, and boosted by Kim Basinger's Oscar-winning supporting actress performance.

The acting however - like most movies - is only the tip of the iceberg. The script itself clearly borrows from, well the book it was based on obviously, but also from a lot of different film sources. You can definitely hear that 40s/50s noir dark script style if you know what I'm talking about. But we also get the 90s Tarantino/Scorsese-esque touch of dark humor, twists in language as an idiom, and an overall sense of complete control of style.

And that's exactly what this movie feels like. Curtis Hanson - and indeed everyone who worked on this masterpiece - is gradually uncovering secrets for us, the stupid audience. One by one, he unfolds that neatly wrapped blanket and shocks us with twists and turns along the way. It's like watching a magician perform magic tricks - this movie is Hanson pulling a rabbit out of the hat, and then turning the rabbit into a rat.

Speaking of Curtis Hanson... well, I'd never heard of him either. Too bad he couldn't become a great director, but L.A. Confidential proves he certainly had the talent, especially when he was working with the right actors. I'm still looking forward to seeing other movies he directed even if this is by far the most famous/well regarded of them.

L.A. Confidential is a tribute to noir, but it also breaks free of the genre, which I won't claim to be an expert on in the first place. We get interesting comments on violence and corruption in the law, and indeed the corruption of the entire Los Angeles movie/crime community. It's sinister, dark, smirking. And it got nine Academy Award nominations (of course that was the year Titanic swept everything) and two wins.

Wasn't too sure about this movie when I started and indeed throughout the first thirty minutes or so. But I came out thrilled. This is a certified classic.

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cricket

Registered User

03-20-20

What you^^have to watch for this is just one great movie after another.

Wyldesyde19