Topic: Reverse Alphabet Marathon - Discussion Thread

[RossRoy]

Flight 93 had an impact on me, must admit to shedding a few tears when they were phoning their families from the plane saying goodbye 

United 93 I saw afterwards, and just didn't touch me in the same way

I did the exact opposite. I saw United, then Flight. And obvious they took a different point to focus on. United 93 focuses on the events in the plane. Other than the control bases, there's not much you see going on other than on the plane itself, while Flight 93 took a more personal, emotional approach. At times, I felt like the filmmakers working on Flight were trying to manipulate, while United just showed you the "facts".

They are both good though.

[Achim]

 

I thought I was doing good. Until I was just about to enter today's watch into my list (Masters of Horror: Right to Die) just to find out I already had done E And that in a Marathon where I am already running short on time! Well, that'll teach me to go my memory and not consult my list beforehand...

[RossRoy]

Well, that'll teach me to go my memory and not consult my list beforehand...

That's why I preselected the movies, pulled them out of the shelves and/or unwatched pile, piled them neatly next to the computer and remove whatever I watch as I watch it. No way to make a mistake like that

[Najemikon]

I did that in the last marathon and watched Oldboy when I'd already cleared "O"... I'm more careful now and so far I'm doing ridiculously well. 12 down after a double bill tonight. A double bill on a school night! 

I watched The Hitcher first. I saw it years ago and didn't really like it as I remember. But then the remake came out recently, got a severe kicking, and lots of critics referred to the original and how brilliant it was. I thought I'd give it a go. They're right, I loved it. I obviously had no taste when I was 12! Rutger Hauer is marvellous and his John Ryder must be one of the greatest screen killers. Obviously it has it's silly points (pistol versus helicopter and wins?) but they're part of the fun and more than balanced out by the creepy cinematography. I love those long shots of the roads; very effective. It's a simple premise which had no right to sustain credibility after 20 minutes (like Jeepers Creepers failed to do), but it holds together really well.

Next, I watched the original Frankenstein. I saw Dracula the other night, but found it quite weak. I think Christopher Lee is a much better Dracula than Bela. To say the films were both made in 1931, Frankenstein is far more advanced. Some of the direction is ambitious and superb (tracking shots especially), plus Boris Karloff elicits such emotion for the monster (another part done by Lee, but  never liked him so much). I think it was quite brave for Universal to allow such muddy morals. I know they're in the book and are really the point of the story, but still, I wish studios were so open now. I doubt they would film show him tossing the girl into the lake with quite so much directness and downright glee.

All that said, I can't watch Frankenstein without thinking of my favourite comedy moment. Peter Boyle as the monster being befriended by Gene Hackman's blind man in Young Frankenstein. The image of him looking at his thumb on fire will live with me forever! 

[RossRoy]

Just finished watching "Elles Étaient Cinq". 

It's... It's a tough movie. Very emotionally charged. The story is built around a very difficult subject: 5 girls, having a perfect day planning a party in a country house. 2 of them hitch a ride to get supplies, and the unthinkable happens: Both are violated, 1 killed, the other stabbed multiple times... And the story builds from there.

The director plays the psychological side, which makes the story so effective. Jacynthe Lague in the main role is brilliant, as is the supporting cast.

It's a very good movie.

[richierich]

$hopping - if you don't own it - keep it that way 
Very disappointing movie, Jude Law and Sadie Frost do not fit well as rough tough joyriders, swearing is constant and laughable despite their efforts to conceal their 'proper accents'. They should have spent some time learning what life is really like in the London gutter, and might have come across more convincing. And Sean Bean with a mullet - classic.


Cheered myself up later with SICKO, the new Michael Moore film, and realised how much better off we are health servicewise in the UK compared to our friends in America, I sympathise with you guys after viewing this.

[Najemikon]

Cheered myself up later with SICKO, the new Michael Moore film, and realised how much better off we are health servicewise in the UK compared to our friends in America, I sympathise with you guys after viewing this.

Really? I haven't seen Sicko, but my families experience of the NHS is horrendous. We've now been caught out twice by the postcode lottery, an unforgivable state of affairs when you consider the size of the UK. And that's just the tip of the iceberg that most people know about. From what I have seen in documentaries, the only really decent services are in Europe. America and UK just share the same joke when it all balances out.

[Najemikon]

I managed another double-bill tonight. This is really unusual for me! Gave Ferris Bueller another spin. Possibly my favourite comedy, and at least the most watchable. I loved Superbad and the American Pies, but they don't have anywhere near the sophistication of that earlier film.

I also watched The Good Die Young. A decent, solid British thriller and a great example of Noir; really downbeat. It concerns three very decent men united in financial difficulty and a fourth, a known liar and suspected of worse, also desperate for cash (though self-inflicted). He persuades the other three to attempt a robbery. The overall story plays like a morality play, and like a play you may find it too convenient and broad. However, this approach is probably by design because I couldn't help feeling and enjoying the idea that Laurence Harvey's scoundrel was almost like the devil, tempting the good men into hell. Certainly he's well dressed and smoothly spoken.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it. Don't let me put you off and let me reiterate that it is a simple, strong robbery story. Don't laugh, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear it was an inspiration for Heat! The story concentrates on the emotional motives of the men, following their paths separately. This slow burn approach is Heat's style. It pays little if no attention to the mechanics of the robbery, but when it does happen very late in the movie, the staging is very similar to the famous heist, not only with it being a sudden burst of violence in an otherwise psychological story. The robbers are surprised by police and forced into a shootout where they are pinned down by officers at both ends of a long street. There's a lull before the finale in an... airport! Also one character makes the mistake of ignoring an easy escape route to finish some other business. Albeit in much greater detail and consequences, this is the mistake De Niro's thief makes. Too spooky! Fans of Heat should hunt this film down. Much as I adore the later film, it intrigues me that the format that I thought was so original, may have older roots after all.

[RossRoy]

Just finished watching Corpse Bride.

Wow! Awesome! Of course I have a tendency to love anything stop motion. Just the sheer amount of work involved, moving each of these individual puppets, it's just amazing. But above all that, the story is well told, the musical numbers are great. They even manage to sell very emotional scenes (the piano scene between Victor and Victoria) where there's very little said, and the whole scene is told with subtle non-verbal stuff. Add to all that the unique visual style of Tim Burton, and you've got a winner!

[lyonsden5]

Watched The Three Stooges. It was a made for TV movie about the life of the 3 stooges that I caught on one of the HD Movie channels I get. It was a very interesting look at the career of the stooges and how the hollywood studios used to use their "employees".

I don't think it's available on DVD (at least I couldn't find it) but if you get the chance to see it I would recommend it, even if you're not a stooges fan.

[Tom]

Half-time and still 2/3 of the month left to watch
I think I will manage at least another three movies this weekend. I love those marathons 
Instead of eternally browsing through my collection for a movie to watch, I have a preselection which makes it so much easier to choose a movie and actually watch one 

[RossRoy]

Instead of eternally browsing through my collection for a movie to watch, I have a preselection which makes it so much easier to choose a movie and actually watch one 

Yeah, these two marathons are doing a very good job at getting me to reduce my unwatched pile! Choosing from 27-28 movies is much easier than choosing from 500+

[Najemikon]

I prefer spontaneous decision making verified by a mood filtered runtime vs. freetime algorithm, with a non-watched bias. 

Which led me to todays American Ninja (for 'J', sort of!). I first saw this years and years ago as a teenager who thought Ninja's were cool. Ninja's are cool, but the film is dreadful and a handful of childhood memories have been irrevocably shattered. Luckily it falls into the so-bad-it's-awesome category. I got it in a boxset with American Ninja 2 and 3. I suspect the third film at least will fall into the so-bad-it's-just-plain-crap category.

Michael Dudikoff is so wooden, I feel like I have splinters in my eyes.

[Kathy]

I've been so busy organizing my DVDs to sell I haven't had time to watch any! I've got over 825 I'm getting rid of and I'm only up to Terminator 2 (I keep them alphabetized). I should be finished in a couple of hours and then I'll get back to the marathon!

[richierich]

I've surprised myself and screaming through my marathon, have been decorating the lounge and main bedroom and managed to watch several whilst doing this  .
Decorating quality and the time it's taking has suffered of course, but it's been better than listening to the radio each day