Black Cat Bone

Platoon is good but it's not very subtle. Which is fine but there are better war movies.

Blazing Saddles is a new pick for me. The lass and I watched it not long after Bowie died and we laughed all the way though. Proper cheered us up it did.

Platoon is a nostalgic favourite for me. It certainly lacks subtlety (it's an Oliver Stone film!) but it's got a lot of powerful scenes and Dafoe and Berenger are fantastic.

I haven't seen Boyhood (too fucking long), Naked, or Days of Heaven, but the first batch of films seem remarkably good quality. Not sure if I haven't underrated Lost in Translation, it's a bloody lovely film. I love Platoon, too, there may be better films about war, but there aren't many better action films, and Dafoe is awesome in it.

Darkness_Fish wrote:I haven't seen Boyhood (too fucking long)

You hardly notice. It's astonishing. See it!

Yep, agree about Platoon - what it lacks in subtlety it more than makes up for with tremendous performances and the interplay between Berenger and Dafoe in particular.

I liked Naked but it's so grim and the Landlord fella (?) was some kind of crude Thatcherite type. A bit cartoonish.

I like it too but it's hard work. Thewlis is a bit tiring - if you're not behind that character then there are going to be moments where you fuck off for a cuppa

I love Naked to bits, even without necessarily being behind any of the characters. It was in the shortlist for my submissions.

Platoon I also really like. I used to consider Oliver Stone my favorite director as a teenager, largely for this film, JFK, Nixon and (yes) Alexander. I still think all these are mighty fine films even if I don't necessarily rate him that highly anymore - JFK is still my favorite of the lot most likely.

New batch is up! Next update will probably be on monday.

Cool, I got three picks in already.

algroth wrote:Am looking forward to The Beguiled though.

Not me. Can't imagine it won't be over-egged.

But I LOVE the original. I'll bet I'm the only person who included it on their list!

Davey the Fat Boy wrote:

algroth wrote:Am looking forward to The Beguiled though.

Not me. Can't imagine it won't be over-egged.

But I LOVE the original. I'll bet I'm the only person who included it on their list!

I thought the trailer looked good and I quite like the cast, but yeah, there's a chance it will be. It's cautious interest, I guess. Won't say anything about who else (if any) voted for the original though!

algroth wrote:It is to this day the only Sofia Coppola I like, and I think it's great. Am looking forward to The Beguiled though.

I thought the Virgin Suicides is her most realised film, and not just because Kirsten Dunst is utterly beautiful in it. It really captures the oddly narcotic pacing of the novel and the way it spills over into utter reverie and adoration for the girls, while remaining enigmatic at its core. Anyway, thanks for doing this algroth, some interesting choices so far.

KATANGA MY FRIEND! wrote:

Darkness_Fish wrote:I haven't seen Boyhood (too fucking long)

You hardly notice. It's astonishing. See it!

Yeah, it feels like half the length, largely because Linklater lets the cast settle into a kind of conversational rhythm from the outset, and while there's lots of drama, none of it feels forced. And it's fascinating in the way it shifts its focus from the Mason Jr character to his sister to his parents, according to which needs more focus at a given time. It's such a warm-hearted, human film. Linklater likes people, and the way people talk. I think he's one of the unsung heroes of American cinema.

algroth wrote:I love Naked to bits, even without necessarily being behind any of the characters. It was in the shortlist for my submissions.

Platoon I also really like. I used to consider Oliver Stone my favorite director as a teenager, largely for this film, JFK, Nixon and (yes) Alexander. I still think all these are mighty fine films even if I don't necessarily rate him that highly anymore - JFK is still my favorite of the lot most likely.

Naked is one of those astonishing 80s films. I had quite forgotten about it. Thewlis is incredible in the long rant he goes on to a room full of druggies about all that they have been given by the modern world is one of those movie moments that sticks in the memory.

Obviously not enough for me to have voted for it, but when I saw it in the list I was really pleased and made a note to watch it again.

It was made in 1993

The Hustler (1961)
Voters: WG Kaspar (5), Darkness_Fish (7), The Write Profile (3)
Position in 2011 poll: #93 (up 10)
Excellent film. Glad to see it here.

A Hard Day's Night (1964)
Voters: pcqgod (5), fange (5), Snarfyguy (5)
Position in 2011 poll: New!
Well whatever.

Dirty Harry (1971)
Voters: Copehead (6), Jumper K (4), Ranking Ted (5)
Position in 2011 poll: New!
I rate a lot of Eastwood films above it (Trilogia del dollaro, Unforgiven, Pale Rider, The Outlaw Josey Wales, High Plains Drifter, Two Mules for Sister Sara) and I rate a lot of cop films above it (Serpico, the Departed, French Connection, Chinatown, Fargo, No Country for Old Men, L.A. Confidential,..) so I certainly wouldn't have voted for it myself. But I guess I can understand the appeal of Dirty Harry to British men. It has it's place in cinematic history, in Eastwood's career, and as a cop movie, etc. and it's a well made, tense, thriller. I do find Harry Callahan to be a memorable and distinctive character for Eastwood. But personally, I don't LIKE the movie. It's never going to be a favorite of mine, although I've seen it a half dozen times.

In a Lonely Place (1950)
Voters: Davey the Fat Boy (5), WG Kaspar (5), Ranking Ted (5)
Position in 2011 poll: #64 (down 19)
Probably Bogart's best performance. Last time we did this, despite my love of Bogart and films from that era I'd not seen it. I watched it a few years back at a revival house in LA. The director, Nicholas Ray, screws with our heads as we watch the thing, so somehow to my surprise I found myself questioning and thinking "c'mon it's Bogart, he's gotta be the good guy right?" Bogart's embodiment of Dix Steele as a character is great and Dix is perfectly suited for Bogart, he's a very smooth, but also very angry man, a powder keg with PTSD from his time in the service, an abusive person -- thus a very unlikely hero -- but it's Bogart, so of course, the audience believes in him, and waits for that hollywood happy ending while his gal, caught up in the action firsthand and in immediate proximity to his powderkeg of anger management issues has to struggle with her faith in him, Did he? Didn't he? It's a really good flick but not my favorite Bogart movie. Still I'm glad it made the list again.

The Wild Bunch (1969)
Voters: Davey the Fat Boy (5), WG Kaspar (5), Ranking Ted (5)
Position in 2011 poll: #74 (down 9)
A classic. But I prefer Salad Days.



The Exorcist (1973)
Voters: driftin (1), Goat Boy (5), Darkness_Fish (9)
Position in 2011 poll: New!
Aaaah.

Les quatre cents coups [The 400 Blows] (1959)
Voters: never/ever (6), martha (5), PENK (4)
Position in 2011 poll: #15 (down 68)
An excellent film that should be way closer to the top.

Oh, we're going to get fucking Spinal Tap in the top bastard ten again, aren't we?

I'm quite surprised Days Of Heaven is so low placed, it's so incredibly bewitching and mesmerising.

I knew Davey was a Malick fan with votes also from driftin (1) and joels344 with a whopping (8).

Samoan wrote:I'm quite surprised Days Of Heaven is so low placed, it's so incredibly bewitching and mesmerising.

I knew Davey was a Malick fan with votes also from driftin (1) and joels344 with a whopping (8).

It actually missed the list altogether last time, but I would agree. It's my favorite from Malick so far.