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R. Dittmar
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
420 Posts |
 Posted - 09/06/2005 : 10:04:38 PM
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Another perennial Jabootu topic and I'll again answer as I always have - Darkman.
It's the best "comic book" movie ever made with a very disturbing undercurrent to the hero's "powers" that no other genre outing has attempted. It boasts great performances by Liam Neeson and Frances McDormand before they became far more famous for other roles, and features some fantastic pre-CGI action sequences.
I love this movie so much that I've always thought that the Spiderman films are so much wasted celluloid. Sam Raimi already made the perfect superhero movie with Darkman so there is no need for his subsequent imitations. |
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Prankster
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Canada
727 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2005 : 12:26:11 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by packratshow
quote:
Originally posted by Prankster
...The Thief and the Cobbler (I'll bet most of you haven't even heard of that one.)
I love parts of that movie. It's another cheap movie i gambled on and won. Quite a history on that one and truly a lost opportunity.
Yeah, the version that eventually got released on DVD was heavily butchered. I actually have a copy of the overseas version, which drops the unbelievably obnoxious voiceover by Johnathan Winters and the terrible songs, and includes a couple of other bits that were edited out (like a sequence where a mob tries to cut off the thief's hands).
To anyone who's wondering, TTATC is an animated film that was directed by Richard Williams, head of animation on "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and a legend in the industry, but which was taken away from him over financial issues before completion. The film that was eventually released (in North America) was finished with really awful Korean animation, as well as pasted-in songs and dubbed over celebrity voices. In spite of this, the parts that were finished and made it into the film proper are truly spectacular. It's worth finding, if possible in the overseas version (known, I believe, as "The Princess and the Cobbler")
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Check out my online comics at [URL]http://www.phantasmictales.com[/URL]! |
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Prankster
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Canada
727 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2005 : 01:22:08 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Culfy
I also think that Empire is slightly overrated - the much proclaimed 'darkness' to the film is very much overhyped; after all is anyone ever in doubt that the goodies will survive? That Han will do the right thing despite arguing with Leia? That Lando Calarissan will come over to the right side?
Actually...yes?
See, the thing about Empire is that it comes right after Star Wars, or A New Hope, or whatever you want to call it. ANH is a tremendously fun, totally superficial movie with no depth at all. Watching it for the first time, you'd be totally unprepared for the sudden shift in tone and actual moral ambiguity injected into the next film. It only works because there's been a movie's worth of zippy, childish material before it, so they're able to yank the rug out from under your expectations, but it does work.
And things might not have worked out so well in ROTJ, either--there was a lot of talk of killing Luke for a while, and most people know Lando was supposed to die...
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Check out my online comics at [URL]http://www.phantasmictales.com[/URL]! |
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Neville
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Spain
1590 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2005 : 02:01:25 AM
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| True, Darkman is very underrated, but calling it the perfect superhero film is a bit too much. I could have done without the manequin in the run-over scene, but it is true the acting is very good, and the ultra-kinetic camerawork by Raimi is nothing short of fantastic. I absolutely love the background FX when Darkman loses his control, for instance. |
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Marlowe
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
445 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2005 : 5:56:10 PM
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Another vote for Return to Oz. It's not for everyone- I imagine some people would be put off by the general air of creepiness in what is ostensibly a kid's film- but man, if you dig it, you dig it. I pestered my parents for months to rent the VHS when I was a kid, and one of my first DVD purchases was the original Anchor Bay release. Awesome flick.
I also love Joe vs. the Volcano; the only Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan flicks I don't feel embarassed for enjoying. And Meg Ryan doesn't ruin it!
EDIT: Oh yeah, Zero Effect is great too.
http://www.badmovieplanet.com/duckspeaks |
Edited by - Marlowe on 09/07/2005 5:56:36 PM |
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Evil Matt
Diocesan Ecclesiarch of the Sacred Order of Jabootu
USA
51 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2005 : 10:04:00 PM
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R.O.T.O.R.
The scene where R.O.T.O.R. fights the three rednecks in the truck stop never fails to make the hair on the back of my neck stand up from the sheer, electric excitement of it all.
On a more serious note, I caught "The Taking of Pelham 123" on TV the other night and was blown away by how awesome it was. Robert Shaw plays a great villain, and Walter Matthau is just as good as the only guy that really gives a damn about saving the lives of the hostages on the train. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it.
Of course, that's a recommendation from a guy who thought "R.O.T.O.R." was the greatest crazed killer robot cop movie ever, so take it with a grain of salt.
Everything's funnier with monkeys. |
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andy80
Diocesan Ecclesiarch of the Sacred Order of Jabootu
81 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2005 : 11:50:23 PM
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The Fly 2
They used to show this on one of the "classic" movie stations quite a bit, if you ever see it on it should definitely be checked out. There's some nice gore, good character development, and even the love story between Eric Stoltz and Daphne Zuniga is pretty well done.
But the thing that really sets this movie apart is the fact that there is a "Old Yeller" moment between Stoltz and a mutant dog that is actually effective. |
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Hinda
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Israel
229 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2005 : 05:38:49 AM
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| A whole lot of Humphrey Bogart's work is very undershown, as I've mentioned before on this site: KEY LARGO; THE ENFORCER; DEALINE - U.S.A.; PASSAGE TO MARSEILLE; CONFLICT; DARK PASSAGE; THE TWO MRS. CARROLLS; KID GALAHAD. |
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Neville
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Spain
1590 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2005 : 09:54:26 AM
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| Passage to Marseilleis a personal favourite, after watching it several times when I was a kid. If you haven't seen it, you could try Dead Reckoning as well. Noirs can't get much more atmospheric than this one. |
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KurtVon
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
387 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2005 : 11:51:05 AM
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Looker It's not exactly a classic, but they came up with an interesting concept and put it to very good use. It seems like screenwriters have trouble being as consistent with their plot mechanics as this manages to do.
Oh, and I'll second Runaway too, expecially since it is one of the very few films I know of that centers on A.I. and doesn't make me cringe.
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BradH812
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
1294 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2005 : 8:05:33 PM
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| I'd say that Tron deserved better than it got when it first came out. Okay, the story wasn't great, but it was the first movie to really use a lot of CGI (not just showing off for a minute or two), and that alone makes it a milestone... for better or worse. |
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R. Dittmar
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
420 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2005 : 8:27:15 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by andy80
The Fly 2
They used to show this on one of the "classic" movie stations quite a bit, if you ever see it on it should definitely be checked out. There's some nice gore, good character development, and even the love story between Eric Stoltz and Daphne Zuniga is pretty well done.
But the thing that really sets this movie apart is the fact that there is a "Old Yeller" moment between Stoltz and a mutant dog that is actually effective.
a80,
Its a bit of a stretch to call it the most under-rated, but I agree that its a darn good sequel to a very good movie and that its well worth checking out. It really is more of a gorehound's movie than the Goldblum original, though. The "vomit drop" gag of the original is a hundred times more ghastly here and the "human head encounters elevator" is not for the faint-hearted.
Spoiler's Ahead!!!
You're right about the "Old Yeller" bit being one of the most cringe-worthy parts of the movie, and its part of what made this movie linger in my mind. When the horrendous abuse inflicted on the hero's pet dog is in turn inflicted on the villain at the movie's end, there's no feeling of catharsis whatsoever. The movie manages to imply a punishment so severe that its hard to feel that even history's worst villains would deserve such a comeuppance. |
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Prankster
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Canada
727 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2005 : 9:30:22 PM
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I can't side with you on Fly 2. Actually I reviewed it over at the BMMB:
[url]http://badmoviezone.com/cgi-bin/ib3/ikonboard.cgi?s=8e364ace3b151f2c0a18c6868f688c10;act=ST;f=5;t=919;hl=fly[/url]
Perhaps it's because I watched it right after rewatching Cronenberg's brilliant original, but generally I find it to be an altogether inferior sequel with a handful of good ideas but which makes no sense. It can't decide if Martin is the hero or the monster. And a lot of the bad guys' actions, especially at the climax, make no sense. And they change the rules from the first movie, too.
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Check out my online comics at [URL]http://www.phantasmictales.com[/URL]! |
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cschack
Preeminent Apostolic Prelate of the Discipleship of Jabootu
Norway
124 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2005 : 06:32:40 AM
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Angel Heart and Jacob's Ladder are two of mine...from what I remember, both got middling-to-poor reviews when they came out, but for all their flaws, I love both.
"Imagination without skill gives us modern art."
- Tom Stoppard |
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R. Dittmar
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
420 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2005 : 8:42:45 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by cschack
Angel Heart and Jacob's Ladder are two of mine...from what I remember, both got middling-to-poor reviews when they came out, but for all their flaws, I love both.
CS,
Mega-dittos on both your choices! I love both of those as well.
I'm a particularly big fan of Angel Heart because it works on so many levels. It works great as a straight detective story. It works well as supernatural thriller. And it represents Mickey Rourke's most gainful employment. His vaguely sleazy persona is perfect for the part. The thing that may have handicapped it a great deal is its tendency to veer into outright smut. There are some unrated versions that feature such a surfeit of Rourke's a(# that they are currently used in interrogating prisoners at Guantonamo. That said, it merits repeat viewings. Once you know how the story ends, you come to appreciate all the extensive foreshadowing. If you love the movie, do yourself a favor and check out the book it was based on as well:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0312957955/qid=1126575341/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/103-8796410-6267055?v=glance&s=books
As for Jacob's Ladder, I love that one as well but it doesn't hold up quite as well to repeat viewings. Once you know the punchline you realize that not much of the preceeding plot is all that important. It shares that flaw with another cult fave, The Usual Suspects, even though in my mind its far superior. |
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