Movies that hold up vs. those that don't

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short ornery norwegian said:
I love the Right Stuff. One of the great movie scores.

And I just love Levon Helm's narration. "There was a demon that lived in the air...."
Levon was a really good actor - when he wasn't being one of the greatest drummers and singers of all time.

Speaking of movies that hold up, "The Last Waltz" is still one of the best concert films of all time, while also serving as a mini-documentary on The Band.
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RIP Fred Ward, portrayed Virgil "Gus" Grissom in The Right Stuff. He also had memorable roles in some Robert Altman movies including The Player. Both of those are unquestionably in my All Time Top 5.

variety.com

Fred Ward, Star of ‘The Right Stuff,’ ‘Tremors,’ Dies at 79

Fred Ward, who starred in films including "Henry and June," "Tremors," "The Right Stuff" and "The Player," has died. He was 79.
variety.com variety.com
 

coolhandgopher said:
Not sure where to put this, but for the legion of Dazed & Confused fans out there, check out Slater as Tark the Shark:
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I had my annual viewing of Dazed and Confused this weekend.

Who had the better HC/QB communication dynamic? Lee HS 1976 Conrad/Floyd or Vikings 2021 Zimmer/Cousins?

Tough call.
 



tikited said:
Finished American Beauty the other day. So good. I bet I last saw it in the early 2000's. Some great lines I had forgotten about.
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Fantastic film. I thought Anette Bening should have won the Oscar for that movie, one of her best performances. Got beat out by Hilary Swank (Boys Don't Cry), so it was understandable.
 


tikited said:
Mine was on June 9th. 20+ plus year streak on the last day of school.
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Watching this time, I would not call this a "plot hole" per se, but what happens to the Graduating Senior Class ('76) at Lee HS in Dazed and Confused?

Maybe they were not there on the last day. At my HS starting in the late 80s, the graduating seniors got out a week early. Also makes sense they were not part of the hazing of the Freshman except that jerk O'Bannion (Affleck) who flunked and was the only one represented in the whole movie. Feels like they would have run into one of their older football teammates at either the Emporium or the Moon Tower.

Maybe there was a chasm between the classes, but some of my best friends were and are from the classes above and behind mine. Perhaps the graduates had their "lock in" that night?

Too much time on my hands to ponder such things...
 
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I don't think I have put together a list of my top movies of the previous decade, but I would be hard pressed to leave out American Hustle from my Top 10 which was released back in 2013. I really liked it then and watching it over the weekend, I feel it holds up fantastically. Great dialog, humor, 70s costumes, soundtrack and a very intriguing plot.

For the current generation of actors, tough to come up with a better ensemble cast of Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence & Jeremy Renner. For Director David O Russell, interesting that Adams/Bale were in The Fighter & Cooper/Lawrence had done Silver Linings Playbook prior.

Looking back at the 2010s on the shortlist of Best Actresses is no doubt Amy Adams. Very consistently she attached herself to other quality movies and delivered fantastic performances, including:

The Fighter
The Master
Her
Arrival
Nocturnal Animals
Vice

I think she had the toughest role by far in the American Hustle, especially when the whole 'hustle' itself is revealed. Adams is just stunning. She lost out to Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine, which was also a fine performance from what I remember.

The film itself was nominated for 10 Oscars, but was shut out. Tough to do.
 

Ope3 said:
I don't think I have put together a list of my top movies of the previous decade, but I would be hard pressed to leave out American Hustle from my Top 10 which was released back in 2013. I really liked it then and watching it over the weekend, I feel it holds up fantastically. Great dialog, humor, 70s costumes, soundtrack and a very intriguing plot.

For the current generation of actors, tough to come up with a better ensemble cast of Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence & Jeremy Renner. For Director David O Russell, interesting that Adams/Bale were in The Fighter & Cooper/Lawrence had done Silver Linings Playbook prior.

Looking back at the 2010s on the shortlist of Best Actresses is no doubt Amy Adams. Very consistently she attached herself to other quality movies and delivered fantastic performances, including:

The Fighter
The Master
Her
Arrival
Nocturnal Animals
Vice

I think she had the toughest role by far in the American Hustle, especially when the whole 'hustle' itself is revealed. Adams is just stunning. She lost out to Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine, which was also a fine performance from what I remember.

The film itself was nominated for 10 Oscars, but was shut out. Tough to do.
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I loved American Hustle. And all of those actors I am a fan of. Christian Bale has proven to have such a wide skill set
 

JimmyJamesMD said:
I loved American Hustle. And all of those actors I am a fan of. Christian Bale has proven to have such a wide skill set
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I see that Bale and Deniro are teaming up with David O Rusell again for a movie called Amsterdam. It also includes Anya Taylor Joy and Margo Robbie.

A bit surprised David O Russell is still able to work on this level. He is a grade A asshole who admits he groped his own niece. He's such a dick that even super chill George Clooney punched him on the set of Three Kings.

And yes, Adams is excellent. I was just thinking I need to re-watch Arrival. Can't go wrong with her and Forrest Whitaker.
 



Frink said:
I see that Bale and Deniro are teaming up with David O Rusell again for a movie called Amsterdam. It also includes Anya Taylor Joy and Margo Robbie.

A bit surprised David O Russell is still able to work on this level. He is a grade A asshole who admits he groped his own niece. He's such a dick that even super chill George Clooney punched him on the set of Three Kings.

And yes, Adams is excellent. I was just thinking I need to re-watch Arrival. Can't go wrong with her and Forrest Whitaker.
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I continued my Amy Adams jam by watching The Master last night. It's more of a Joaquin Phoenix/Phillip Seymour Hoffman vehicle, but she was really good in a supporting role.

I still like it but it ranks lower on my PTA spectrum. Amazing ensemble.
 


Finished watching Jacobs Ladder last week. Been a long time. Still just as moving/disturbing as the first time. Tim Robbins is pretty great in it. Not sure if it is a horror, drama or combo platter, but I recommend it.
 

This is stating the obvious, but GoodFellas certainly holds up.

Generally I have not considered this in my Top 10, but that's probably a mistake on my part. Perhaps it's because for whatever reason I didn't see it originally in the theater, and I under valued it. I have enjoyed it on TV though, and I think it was certainly one of the first DVDs I ever purchased.

Last night I finally did see it in a theater and just thought it was captivating start to finish. Every scene.

It's especially poignant given Ray Liotta's passing. Lorraine Bracco, also just fantastic.
 



Ope3 said:
This is stating the obvious, but GoodFellas certainly holds up.

Generally I have not considered this in my Top 10, but that's probably a mistake on my part. Perhaps it's because for whatever reason I didn't see it originally in the theater, and I under valued it. I have enjoyed it on TV though, and I think it was certainly one of the first DVDs I ever purchased.

Last night I finally did see it in a theater and just thought it was captivating start to finish. Every scene.

It's especially poignant given Ray Liotta's passing. Lorraine Bracco, also just fantastic.
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just now saw news report - Paul Sorvino has died at the age of 83. Played Paulie Cicero in "Goodfellas." Also played a detective on 'Law & Order.' Father of Mira Sorvino.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
just now saw news report - Paul Sorvino has died at the age of 83. Played Paulie Cicero in "Goodfellas." Also played a detective on 'Law & Order.' Father of Mira Sorvino.
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I love the scene in jail when Paulie is using a razor to slice paper thin garlic with surgeon like precession.

RIP.
 



This Is Spinal Tap.

While maybe not quite as enjoyable as when I first saw this movie, I still think it holds up. It is now closing in on 40 years since it was originally released. At the time it was quite groundbreaking, in my opinion. Now the mockumentary has become quite commonplace (both movies and TV), but this was the mold.

It takes about 2-3 minutes for me to laugh out loud and there are more than a half dozen just classic scenes. Stonehenge gets me every time, the set up, the performance and the band-manager dust up at the end. Can I raise a practical question at this point? Are we gonna do "Stonehenge" tomorrow?

Not sure I ever realized, but the Stonehenge prop designer/"Polly Deutsch" was none other than Anjelica Huston.

HELLO CLEVELAND!!!
 

Been still plowing through my vhs tapes while exercising. Watched, The Usual Suspects and Bull Durham recently.

Usual Suspects: didn't wow me as much as I thought. Haven't seen it forever. Still a great movie and great acting, but I knew the ending. The twist is what made it. No twist when you know it's coming.

Bull Durham: still awesome! Was hoping me watching this would somehow spark the Twins into being competent. No such luck. My powers are not that strong. Costner is perfect in this movie. If you like baseball and haven't seen it....see it.
 

tikited said:
Been still plowing through my vhs tapes while exercising. Watched, The Usual Suspects and Bull Durham recently.

Usual Suspects: didn't wow me as much as I thought. Haven't seen it forever. Still a great movie and great acting, but I knew the ending. The twist is what made it. No twist when you know it's coming.

Bull Durham: still awesome! Was hoping me watching this would somehow spark the Twins into being competent. No such luck. My powers are not that strong. Costner is perfect in this movie. If you like baseball and haven't seen it....see it.
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Way better than the "Win one for the Gipper" speech to rally the squad:

Lollygagers!

 

tikited said:
Been still plowing through my vhs tapes while exercising. Watched, The Usual Suspects and Bull Durham recently.

Usual Suspects: didn't wow me as much as I thought. Haven't seen it forever. Still a great movie and great acting, but I knew the ending. The twist is what made it. No twist when you know it's coming.

Bull Durham: still awesome! Was hoping me watching this would somehow spark the Twins into being competent. No such luck. My powers are not that strong. Costner is perfect in this movie. If you like baseball and haven't seen it....see it.
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Your comment on Usual Suspects I agree with, and I put Seven right there with it.

I don't think I've ever sat as close to the edge of my seat as when Somerset said "John Doe has the upper hand." What a great ending. But now that I know the ending, who wants to sit through the gore of that movie?
 

was watching a You Tube documentary and was reminded of this fun fact:

two classic and influential sci-fi movies were released on the same day - June 25, 1982

Blade Runner and
John Carpenter's "The Thing"

on the same freakin' day.

both movies also had a very mixed initial reaction from the critics, but have since gone on to be considered as classics of their genres.

(PS - I am a bit of an outlier on Blade Runner. I actually like the version with the narration - because that is the way I originally saw the movie. Most purists feel the version without the narration is better. Of course, there are - I believe - 7 different versions/cuts of Blade Runner that have been released, so I guess it depends on which version you have seen or just prefer. the story behind the various versions is long and complicated. more info on Wikipedia if you're interested)
 

Just finished Basic Instinct. Besides Sharon Stone being nude for most of it, I don't think it held up all that well. I mean it was fine and all but... I did mention that Sharon was naked a lot didn't I?
 
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JimmyJamesMD said:
Your comment on Usual Suspects I agree with, and I put Seven right there with it.

I don't think I've ever sat as close to the edge of my seat as when Somerset said "John Doe has the upper hand." What a great ending. But now that I know the ending, who wants to sit through the gore of that movie?
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Seven is excellent.
 

tikited said:
Just finished Fatal Attraction. Besides Sharon Stone being nude for most of it, I don't think it held up all that well. I mean it was fine and all but... I did mention that Sharon was naked a lot didn't I?
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Damn. In my late teens, early 20's, I always had an inordinate number of friends either asking me if I'd watched Fatal Attraction or strongly suggesting I watch it.... I guess that had something to do with a few of the girls I was dating during that time? :unsure::unsure:
 

tikited said:
Just finished Fatal Attraction. Besides Sharon Stone being nude for most of it, I don't think it held up all that well. I mean it was fine and all but... I did mention that Sharon was naked a lot didn't I?
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You must mean Basic Instinct...
 


Jack Nicholson in the Passenger. Don’t google the ending…just let the story unfold.
 

I saw E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in a theater yesterday. I knew I liked it as a kid, and even when I saw it several years ago for what I think was the 20th Anniversary. Seeing it again after such a long time, it's even better than I recalled.

The restored 40th Anniversary cut looks fantastic. Like it was filmed yesterday.

Going back to the original Siskel & Ebert review, they nailed it. The movie works despite or because it's really a simple story as Siskel pointed out. Ebert astutely recognized that it would be revered for generations to come, just like the Wizard of Oz.


Interesting they just vote "YES" not "Thumbs Up!"
 

Ope3 said:
I saw E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in a theater yesterday. I knew I liked it as a kid, and even when I saw it several years ago for what I think was the 20th Anniversary. Seeing it again after such a long time, it's even better than I recalled.

The restored 40th Anniversary cut looks fantastic. Like it was filmed yesterday.

Going back to the original Siskel & Ebert review, they nailed it. The movie works despite or because it's really a simple story as Siskel pointed out. Ebert astutely recognized that it would be revered for generations to come, just like the Wizard of Oz.


Interesting they just vote "YES" not "Thumbs Up!"
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Do you think its age appropriate for an 8 or 10 year old? Its been a long time since ive seen it and remember there being a little bit of language, but nothing more than that.
 

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