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Post by Parchandri on Apr 30, 2015 12:43:40 GMT -5
Hey, guys. Each week a write a weekly movie recommendation for my website. It can encompass a wide range of films from contemporary action flicks to timeless classics from the golden age of cinema, and, of course, everything in between.
I thought it would be fun to post them here to spur people who may not have seen some of these films to see them. My hope is to spark conversation about these films, whether you agree or disagree with them deserving recognition.
So, without further ado, I start with this week's recommendation, Yojimbo.
Thanks for reading, and I look forward to your response or feedback.
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Post by JC Motors on Apr 30, 2015 18:53:16 GMT -5
Check out The Molly Maguires
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2015 19:23:33 GMT -5
Yojimbo is one of my favourite, if not my favourite Kurosawa film...Mifune was such a classic and enigmatic actor...
Great idea Parch...looking forward to more...
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Post by Robert69 on Apr 30, 2015 19:53:14 GMT -5
There is nothing Kurosawa you can go wrong with. Every single one of his movies (some ARE better than others, sure) -- are a crash course in filmmaking.
My entire process, and at least 60% of what I thought I knew about making a movie, changed after watching his works.
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Post by TurboEddie on May 1, 2015 18:56:37 GMT -5
Great movie. Perhaps the best photographed of all of Kurosawa's films.
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Post by Tim of thee on May 1, 2015 22:15:35 GMT -5
great idea! I'm thrilled you're doing this
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2015 0:50:48 GMT -5
You still doing these Parch?
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Post by Parchandri on May 10, 2015 6:37:17 GMT -5
You still doing these Parch? Yes, sir. I had a busy week with finals and one of life's unexpected curveballs, but it will be up later tonight.
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2015 7:14:40 GMT -5
You still doing these Parch? Yes, sir. I had a busy week with finals and one of life's unexpected curveballs, but it will be up later tonight. Good man. Thank you.
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Post by Parchandri on May 10, 2015 23:00:31 GMT -5
Sorry for the delay. L.A. Confidential needs no introduction. I’m not even sure it needs a recommendation. However, I recently re-watched Curtis Hanson’s star-crammed neo-noir pastiche, and it reminded me of all the whys and wherefores that make this one of the best films of the ‘90s. So, perhaps, we’ll call this a watch-it-again recommendation. The film’s stage is sordid 1950s Los Angeles, where three detectives investigate a series of murders in which two-man teams are knocking off henchmen of a recently imprisoned mobster, Mickey Cohen (Paul Guilfoyle). Interesting, though, are the three detectives and each one’s subjective idea of justice: Officer Bud White (Russel Crowe) serves the law through brawn and brutality; Sergeant Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey), who moonlights as the technical advisor for police drama Badge of Honor, exploits his badge for wealth and fame; and Sergeant Ed Exley (Guy Pearce) with an aloof, do-it-by-the books demeanor will step on every toe in L.A. if it means living up to his father’s legacy, even while knowingly estranging himself from all his LAPD colleagues. The film handles its characters with an indifferent panache that never suggests who to root for or against, and it’s in this notion that the movie excels. We know every character is in some way dirty, deceptive, or immoral, but we keep watching because intriguing is the psychology of each character and the role he or she plays in a seemingly convoluted plot. This protagonist-antagonist ambiguity lingers because the three star detectives conduct their police work with a self-serving temperament, such as Vincennes providing leads for a kickback to tabloid publisher Sid Hudgens (Danny DeVito) on juicy celebrity arrests. With a carefully riveted script, a hypnotic ‘50s L.A. backdrop, and stellar performances, especially Kim Basinger’s Oscar winning showing, L.A. Confidential is a work of art and one of the last truly great nods to classic noir.
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2015 23:38:05 GMT -5
LA Confidential is one hell of a movie....love it and will watch this weekend!!
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2015 8:01:39 GMT -5
That's 2 for 2 Parch - well done to you Sir! ...and yes, two Aussies in this sterling film was affirmation for me; having followed Crowe and Pearce's careers for some time here in Australia it was so gratifying to see them in a compelling and masterful homage to noir that still holds up today...stellar cast, beautifully shot and thoroughly engaging...
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Post by Parchandri on May 11, 2015 8:44:47 GMT -5
That's 2 for 2 Parch - well done to you Sir! ...and yes, two Aussies in this sterling film was affirmation for me; having followed Crowe and Pearce's careers for some time here in Australia it was so gratifying to see them in a compelling and masterful homage to noir that still holds up today...stellar cast, beautifully shot and thoroughly engaging... That's a bingo! I think what most impressed me was how L.A. Confidential's ambitious script was handled and managed by everyone on board. The script was composed of countless small, necessary working parts, so there was a dangling monkey wrench at every turn. But you can tell meticulous attention was paid to every facet of filmmaking. Just brilliant in every way.
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Post by Parchandri on May 15, 2015 19:51:56 GMT -5
John Carpenter is perhaps best known for the perennial Halloween, the atmospheric The Thing, and the dystopic Escape from New York. All of these films, as well as the bulk of Carpenter’s work, share a grave, hopeless air. Big Trouble in Little China, however, exists as one of few lighthearted anomalies in the horror-action auteur’s filmography. With the original screenplay setting the stage for a period Western, screenwriter W.D. Richter hopped in a DeLorean and gunned it to 88 mph until he had a modernized—by 80s standards—re-envisioning of the action romp we see today. The re-penned script saw Jack Burton (Kurt Russell), the film’s cynical yet daft hero, driving into town in a later-to-be-stolen semi-truck instead of riding in on a later-to-be-stolen horse. Soon after Jack’s arrival, he and his friend Wang Chi (Dennis Dun) go to the airport to pick up Wang’s fiancé, Miao Yin (Suzee Pai). At the airport, a group of ninja thugs, clad in characteristic 80s fashion, kidnap Miao, which signifies the beginning of Jack and company’s pursuit for the sacrificial green-eyed girl. The entire film plays out like so many cheesy action flicks of a decade marked by words such as gnarly, bogus, and tubular. What’s great about Big Trouble in Little China, however, is the film’s self-awareness. “All I know is this ‘Lo Pan’ character comes out of thin air in the middle of a goddamn alley while his buddies are flying around on wires cutting everybody to shreds, and he just stands there waiting for me to drive my truck straight through him, with light coming out of his mouth!” Burton says after his first encounter with the film’s supernatural martial artists. The movie knows it’s ridiculous, and in the ultimate meta-effort, the film throws in elemental magic, outlandish creatures, and mythic Chinese gods. But the film brilliantly skirts the precipice of being an outright spoof and is instead a timeless love letter to the 1980s. You can tell Kurt Russell had a lot fun with the part of Jack Burton, and in return we get a hysterical but often overlooked performance. And fun is the keyword here. This flick is a joy, a diversion to boredom. And for my Seinfeld enthusiasts, is it possible to watch James Hong, who plays the antagonist, Lo Pan, in Big Trouble in Little China, in anything without thinking of “Seinfeld! Four!”? I think not.
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Post by Deleted on May 16, 2015 2:44:14 GMT -5
John Carpenter is perhaps best known for the perennial Halloween, the atmospheric The Thing, and the dystopic Escape from New York. All of these films, as well as the bulk of Carpenter’s work, share a grave, hopeless air. Big Trouble in Little China, however, exists as one of few lighthearted anomalies in the horror-action auteur’s filmography. With the original screenplay setting the stage for a period Western, screenwriter W.D. Richter hopped in a DeLorean and gunned it to 88 mph until he had a modernized—by 80s standards—re-envisioning of the action romp we see today. The re-penned script saw Jack Burton (Kurt Russell), the film’s cynical yet daft hero, driving into town in a later-to-be-stolen semi-truck instead of riding in on a later-to-be-stolen horse. Soon after Jack’s arrival, he and his friend Wang Chi (Dennis Dun) go to the airport to pick up Wang’s fiancé, Miao Yin (Suzee Pai). At the airport, a group of ninja thugs, clad in characteristic 80s fashion, kidnap Miao, which signifies the beginning of Jack and company’s pursuit for the sacrificial green-eyed girl. The entire film plays out like so many cheesy action flicks of a decade marked by words such as gnarly, bogus, and tubular. What’s great about Big Trouble in Little China, however, is the film’s self-awareness. “All I know is this ‘Lo Pan’ character comes out of thin air in the middle of a goddamn alley while his buddies are flying around on wires cutting everybody to shreds, and he just stands there waiting for me to drive my truck straight through him, with light coming out of his mouth!” Burton says after his first encounter with the film’s supernatural martial artists. The movie knows it’s ridiculous, and in the ultimate meta-effort, the film throws in elemental magic, outlandish creatures, and mythic Chinese gods. But the film brilliantly skirts the precipice of being an outright spoof and is instead a timeless love letter to the 1980s. You can tell Kurt Russell had a lot fun with the part of Jack Burton, and in return we get a hysterical but often overlooked performance. And fun is the keyword here. This flick is a joy, a diversion to boredom. And for my Seinfeld enthusiasts, is it possible to watch James Hong, who plays the antagonist, Lo Pan, in Big Trouble in Little China, in anything without thinking of “Seinfeld! Four!”? I think not. Ah brilliant Parch!! Another perennial fave of mine. Russells everyman persona of Jack Burton works SO well here its incredible. sadly it would be Carpenters last good movie.....but what a run he had. Assault on Precinct 13 Halloween The Fog Escape From New York The Thing Big Trouble In Little China. awesome.
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Post by Deleted on May 16, 2015 7:06:41 GMT -5
Great stuff again Parch...! Can't really add much more to what my good mate JokerFC has put...just a fun movie, plain and simple...
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Post by Parchandri on May 21, 2015 22:00:11 GMT -5
Thanks for reading, Chris and Joker. Here's this week's recommendation hot off the presses. The Killing is a heist film, a fraction of an overworked genre. But like all of Kubrick’s films, it’s uniquely Kubrickian. This 1956 noir-crime flick is considered Kubrick’s first mature film. At just 28 years old, the precocious Stanley Kubrick exhibited the filmmaking prowess of a grizzled Hollywood auteur. The film follows seasoned criminal Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden) as he plans and executes one final score. His plan is to rob $2,000,000 from the money-counting room at a racetrack. To do so, he must enlist the help of several individuals: a crooked cop (Ted de Corsia), a professional wrestler (Kola Kwariani), a rifle marksman (Timothy Carey), and two racetrack employees (Elisha Cook Jr. and Joe Sawyer). All these pieces are necessary to an elaborate plan, but each piece introduces new risks The plan is executed with relative success, but the subsequent events are what prove to be most trying. The film post-heist reminds us that no matter how well thought a plan is, the dreaded human element can never be prepared for. It seems that Kubrick from the beginning and continuing throughout his career had a knack for reminding us that we’re all, in fact, human. Throughout the film there are flickers of what would become hallmarks of the notoriously hard-nosed, meticulous director we understand him to have been. In fact, in an interview in 1992, actress Marie Windsor, who played Sherry Peatty in The Killing, recalled Kubrick having every shot planned, sketched, and scattered across his office. “I guess that’s why we made it in twenty-one days, with very few takes,” she said. And that’s how Kubrick was: a visionary virtuoso who, like a skilled chess player—which I understand he was—knew the precise moves that would bring about so many cinematic masterpieces.
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2015 8:43:38 GMT -5
You're welcome, Parch...I must admit, I'm not that familiar with this one, despite my admiration for Kubrick...I did once see a band called 'The Killing', however...on topic though, it sounds like a film I should probably see...premise sounds intriguing...good one Parch!
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Post by Parchandri on May 31, 2015 0:09:23 GMT -5
Based on a novel written by Charles Willeford of the same title, Miami Blues tells the story of Fred Frenger (Alec Baldwin), a sociopathic ex-con recently released from prison, and his ensuing crime spree. The movie begins with Frenger traveling to Miami to begin anew or, we can assume, to restart his pre-imprisonment lifestyle. After arriving at Miami’s airport, Frenger unintentionally murders a Hare Krishna by breaking his finger—the poor chap dies from shock. Frenger later checks into a hotel where he meets Susie Waggoner (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a thick-witted, naive prostitute with a heavy southern accent. As a peculiar relationship develops between Fred and Susie, the investigation of the Hare Krishna killing leads Sergeant Hoke Moseley, who simultaneously displays a polarizing doggedness and indifference in his police work, to the odd couple’s abode. As the three enjoy pork and beers, Moseley mentions the murder he’s investigating and asks Frenger to stop by the police station for a lineup. Frenger, being the practical criminal he is, breaks into Moseley’s apartment and steals his badge and gun, oh, and his dentures. Equipped with police appurtenances, Frenger ups his crime ante as he flashes his shield and firearm to take advantage of their correlative authority Miami Blues is an aberrant film in that the majority of screen time is dispensed to the villain while the hero is cast to a supporting role. The more popular Falling Down operates in the same fashion. But this construction manages to capture a noticeable anti-establishment, non-conformist zeitgeist that may have been lost otherwise. Underscoring this notion is Fred and Susie’s relationship which embodies a push-pull conflict of the socially shaped idea of normalcy. Susie desires the American platitudes of a house with a white picket fence, kids, and an oven perpetually set to 350 degrees. Frenger desires anything but routineness. He has a certain Charles Bukowski air to him as he scoffs at the idea of the nine-to-five existence. And while these may sound like heavy thematic elements, they're shrouded by a fun and relaxed air that is flush with dark comedy.
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2015 6:00:05 GMT -5
Nice thread! I do Media Studies, just finished my first assessment for this term got a grade C Love reading these! Last film I saw was yesterday, I re-watched Scream 2
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