Saturday night me and Another Blogger were sitting around discussing fillums when we started in on Sophie Masson's list over at Troppo.
No matter mine or AB's likes or dislikes, we both largely agreed on one thing, at the bottom of the rankings, American Beauty and Amelie were pretentious nonsense. After that we drew roughly parallel opinions through to the excellence of Casablanca and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.
Now, I like cowboys, soldiers, gangsters, robots, monsters, aliens, etc. Westerns would be a particular favourite, but if I had to nail it down, I'd say I've always liked films where people don't work.
On the other hand, I'm not about to tell you what AB likes, but it's a fair bet she's not a rusted-on fan of my favourite genres. And we do have ONE singular point of difference, she loves musicals.
AB asked me what I thought constituted a good movie. I told her that as long as I enjoyed it, that was good enough for me.
Thinking on it further, I realised I had no idea about the making of films, the intricacies of plotting, scripting, camerawork, matte, montage or whatever, so I couldn't judge a film from an expert's perspective.
I'll avoid any film that's described as a "rewarding experience"
Bugger and fuck any film that ever earns the descriptor "gruelling".
And especially steer clear of anything that's supposed to "make me think", that's precisely why I DON'T want to watch a film.
As far as I'm concerned, a piccy could have been about pretty much anything but did I enjoy it? Would I tell my mates to see it?
With that in mind I sat down with a notepad and over the course of Saturday night listed any film that when I first saw it, I just enjoyed it.
That's thirty I liked, here are five I think are rubbish.
Being John Malkovich Bull Durham Dangerous Liaisons Lost in Translation The Crying Game |
I'll do the same for the next three days.
I like a few of those.
There are songs in the Court Jester.
Posted by: AB | 15 November 2004 at 13:38
Dirty Harry. What a top film.
Posted by: Adam 1.0 | 15 November 2004 at 14:42
What no "I am Curious Yellow" ?!
No, not the one about the loyal dog which dies in the end. I know you woulda liked that one.
"I am Curious Yellow", a cause celebre as well as a fillum. (Sadly I missed it, but did catch up with "Carry on Emmannuelle" a few years later.)
Posted by: Sedgwick | 15 November 2004 at 14:46
AB, there are songs in Quadrophenia, that doesn't make it a musical.
Adam, excellent bad guy in Andy Robinson. Great scene where Clint's standing on the bridge as the yellow bus goes by.
Sedge, speaking of yellow. I am curious. Que?
Posted by: Tony.T | 15 November 2004 at 16:00
In tribute (even before you posted - psychic?) I've been watching all the DH movies this weekend. Am right at the end of Sudden Impact now and just about to go into the Dead Pool. Dead Jim Carrey? That makes a film for me.
Posted by: Adam 1.0 | 15 November 2004 at 16:31
Sad you don't like "Bull Durham", Tony. It's nowhere near the best film ever made, but certainly not close to the worst either. But then I'm a sucker for baseball fillums: "Field of Dreams", "Eight Men Out", "The Natural", "Cobb" ... ah, bliss.
Posted by: John R | 15 November 2004 at 17:40
But what about soccer films? Ahhh ... ummm ... errr ... Escape to Victory? Sly Stone as a goalie.
Regarding the baseball fillums, stay tuned.
Posted by: Tony.T | 15 November 2004 at 17:53
By the way, Adam, Jim Carrey's not killed in anywhere near enough films for me. Sudden Impact and Dead Pool are pretty lame though. Sudden Impact has it's moments though.
Posted by: Tony.T | 15 November 2004 at 17:55
Tony, there have be NO good soccer films (OK, maybe "Gregory's Girl" ... I've not seen "Bend it like Beckham"), the worst being "Escape to Victory" closely followed by "When Saturday Comes" starring Sean Bean. (Mind you, I may be very biased here. Sean Bean is a Sheffield United supporter and as a Sheffield Wednesday fan myself, he is the sworn enemy. My wife thinks he has a great arse, whereas I think he just is one.)
Posted by: John R | 15 November 2004 at 18:01
Vinnie Jones starred in a remake of Burt Reynold's Longest Yard. It was pretty ordinary, but David Hemmings played the coniving warden. He looked sick and it's no surprise he recently "kicked off". Ahem.
Gregory's Girl was pretty good and Bend it Like Beckham was OK, but somewhere about half-way I started with the Fast-Forward action.
By the way, The Longest yard actually WAS called The Mean Machine when it was released here about 30 years ago. Ed Lauter was in it as well. Always loved Ed.
Posted by: Tony.T | 15 November 2004 at 18:13
Been watching Fox Classics on pay last week and it had a war movie each nite. Bit of a mixed bag but all generally regarded as ok flicks. I think there was Beach Red, Tobruk, Von Ryan's Express, Patton and The Longest Day. Enjoyed Patton and Von Ryan's Express the most, wasn't too keen on Tobruk however.
Posted by: Adsy | 15 November 2004 at 20:46
Sorry, 'Bend it like Beckham' happened to be some of the worst trite committed to celluloid in recent years. Stupid storyline, inane acting, boring subject matter and appalling storyline. Escape To Victory, while being a good idea, was rather spoiled by the hammy 'performances' of real footy players and the absurd casting of Sylvester Stallone as a goal minder in spite of his shortish stature. Very Forgettable.
I actually preferred the 'sequel' to 'Dirty Harry' where there was a gang of vigilante cops killing 'pimps'and 'drug dealers' with David Soul playing one of the cops !! His main boss on the inside was played by the mayor in the 'Jaws' fillums and was very convincing. The scene where a cop pulls over a pimpmobile and tells him "you made an illegal turning before the bridge" was brill.
Posted by: Brett Pee | 15 November 2004 at 20:47
You know, Adsy, I first saw Von Ryan's Express on the Sunday night before I started boarding school in February 1973.
Actually, not to wrapped in any of them, I suppose Patton was OK, but the rest were all a bit dodgy.
That's Magnum Force, Brett. Top fillum. The boss was Murray Hamilton whose done fine work in many films and was steller in his appalling sports-coat as the mayor of Amity. You know Murray Hamilton was a Trivial Pursuit question. "Who was the mayor in Jaws?"
Posted by: Tony.T | 15 November 2004 at 21:32
Dirty Harry was good, but I can't help thinking it would have been better as a musical.
Posted by: Frank O'Connor | 16 November 2004 at 02:24
Then it would have been called Dirty Harriette. Is Tim Rice still working? Don't here much from him these days.
Posted by: Tony.T | 16 November 2004 at 08:06
Tony,
it seems I am finding more and more to disagree with you about. (That sentence looks dodgy to me)
Von Ryan's Express is a cinematic masterpiece.
Or it was twenty five years ago when I saw it on telly.
Posted by: Dirk Thruster | 16 November 2004 at 22:15
I really liked American Beauty. The only recent "Hollywood movie" that I've liked that springs to mind.
Pretentious nonsense?
Are you referring to the wah-wah-my-parents-don't-love-me subplot, a la The Breakfast Club?
Otherwise, it was an extremely enjoyable, meandering yarn that was bundle of laffs, twists, shocks, and home truths, with a gut wrenchingly sad ending to boot.
Annette Bening grabbing Kevin Spacey's clothes and sniffing and cuddling them in hysterics. Awesome shit!
I beg you to reconsider.
Posted by: Big Ramifications | 16 November 2004 at 22:38
It must be dodgy, Dirk, I read it twice before I got to the brackets. And disagreement makes a blog zesty.
Begging noted, Big.
Posted by: Tony.T | 17 November 2004 at 08:03
You are frankly wrong about Being John Malkovich. I am an expert, I know these things. I continue to be perplexed by the popularity of Blade Runner.
However, you've not only heard of The Black Cat, you've said you like it, therefore you go up a few notches in my opinion, Mr T
Posted by: James Russell | 18 November 2004 at 20:04
I just didn't get BJM, but TBC rocks.
Posted by: Tony.T | 19 November 2004 at 15:19
"With that in mind I sat down with a notepad and over the course of Saturday night listed any film that when I first saw it, I just enjoyed it."
Using that criterion and that criterion only (ie. I was very young and impressionable when I saw a few of these flicks, so go easy), I would like to add:
Capricorn One
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
The Big Steal
Jagged Edge
Leaving Las Vegas
Top Secret
Class (1983 version)
Creepshow
The Shining
Full Metal Jacket
American Werewolf in London
It's a Wonderful Life
Six others will probably pop into my mind the moment I hit the Post button.
Posted by: Big Ramifications | 21 November 2004 at 01:02
Oh yeah, and Highlander.
People tell me that Highlander II is the:
Worst. Movie. Evah.
Never seen it myself.
Posted by: Big Ramifications | 21 November 2004 at 23:48
Capricorn One - Tick.
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean - Tick.
The Big Steal - Tick.
Jagged Edge - Not seen it.
Leaving Las Vegas - Cross. Bad fillum.
Top Secret - Tick.
Class - Cross. Awful.
Creepshow - OK.
The Shining - Has it's moments.
Full Metal Jacket - Cross. One of the ones I bagged. See Carry Out Serjeant.
American Werewolf in London - Tick.
It's a Wonderful Life - Tick.
Oh yeah, and Highlander - Tick.
Highlander II - Tick. Yes, it is appalling.
Posted by: Tony.T | 22 November 2004 at 09:12
Highlander! Yuck! Christopher Lambert gives a whole new meaning to the word "wooden". And Highlander II is even worse.
I didn't notice "Forrest Gump" in your lists, Tony. That has to be one of the best films of the 1990s ... it certainly is one of my favourites, both when I first saw it and yesterday when I saw it again for what must be the twentieth time.
Posted by: John R | 22 November 2004 at 12:08
Really enjoyed it when I saw it, John. Forgot about it when I was listing. I reckon it would fit into the category of "Films I liked when I saw them".
Posted by: Tony.T | 22 November 2004 at 17:15