wlmowery

ohhh,... As for my 10 favorite: (hummm, this is not easy)

10. A few Good Men (as a lawyer I love the feel of this flick...)
9. The Firm (a decent screen translation of a decent book... actually, as a small town lawyer this one just makes me drool over a six figure salary... )
8. Monty Python: The Quest for the Holy Grail. ("run away, run away...."
Nuff said)
7. Goldfinger (THE BEST BOND, IMNSHO)
6. Highlander (I just love the terrific scene transitions in this movie. The editing was well done to make these scene morphs)
5. Raiders of the Lost Ark (this is the movie that got me into movies...)
4. Die Hard (this is the film that got me into action movies and in my opinion is still one of the best modern action films)
3. Star Wars: ANH (I can always be a little kid when this is on the screen)
2. Toy Story (I'm a geek for computer graphics which are sooo cool...)
1. Toy Story 2 (a sequel that lives up to, and exceeds its prequel).

Wayne

eXcentris

I agree with most of what was said above. Elitists will trash so-called popular films for their lack of 'artistic' values. But note
that 'populists' (the masses if you will) will trash so-called artsy films too. You need to find a middle ground and have an open mind. That however is much harder than it seems. Appreciation of artsy films takes time and effort and most people are not willing to make that 'investment'.
So oddly enough, people who are called snobs or elitists because they praise an artsy film are often more open-minded than the general public. So what do we call the masses that find artsy films slowwwwww and boring then?
Reverse-snobs?

ViGiLaNzA

Actually sfsdfd, 'capitol punishment'(or 'capitAl' as some people write it) refers to the legislation proposed by federal and state lawmakers that imposes the use of the death penalty for certain crimes. It has NOTHING to do with punishing capitols in D.C. nor does it refer to Bill Clinton in any way. Glad I could be of some help. Have a nice day.

sfsdfd

quote:<HR>Originally posted by ViGiLaNzA:
Actually sfsdfd, 'capitol punishment'(or 'capitAl' as some people write it)...<HR>

I don't need a lesson. I was involved in a few quite lengthy debates on capital punishment a while ago. See here and here.

By the way, no one correctly writes this as "capitol punishment," hence my comment. From webster.com:

quote:<HR>capitol: 1 a : a building in which a state legislative body meets b : a group of buildings in which the functions of state government are carried out
2 capitalized : the building in which the U.S. Congress meets at Washington

capital: 1 of a letter : of or conforming to the series A, B, C, etc. rather than a, b, c, etc.
2 a : punishable by death (a capital crime) b : involving execution (capital punishment) c : most serious (a capital error)<HR>

I felt the need to comment on your... er, "contribution," but I didn't want to take the bait of the flame war you apparently wish to start.

Glad I could be of some help. Have a nice day.

- David Stein


------------------
Ever notice that professional female pool players are incredibly hot, but professional female bowlers look like bulldogs?

Why is that?

[This message has been edited by sfsdfd (edited October 30, 2000).]

heimerSWT

quote:<HR>Originally posted by sfsdfd:
I felt the need to comment on your... er, "contribution," but I didn't want to take the bait of the flame war you apparently wish to start.

Glad I could be of some help. Have a nice day.

- David Stein<HR>

LMAO, David.



------------------
"All you read and wear or see and hear on TV is a product begging for your fatass dirty dollar."

ViGiLaNzA

By the way, no one correctly writes this as "capitol punishment," hence my comment.
From webster.com:

Webster's wrong.

foxdvd

quote:<HR>Originally posted by ViGiLaNzA:
By the way, no one correctly writes this as "capitol punishment," hence my comment.
From webster.com:

Webster's wrong.<HR>

puts ViGiLaNzA into the book of people to NEVER listen to in the future.


[This message has been edited by foxdvd (edited October 31, 2000).]

badger1997

quote:<HR>Originally posted by foxdvd:

puts ViGiLaNzA into the book of people to NEVER listen to in the future.


[This message has been edited by foxdvd (edited October 31, 2000).]<HR>

Damn, you mean he wasn't already?


------------------
"In order to find his equal, an Irishman is forced to talk to God."

Xytraguptorh

I know this has been brought up again and again, but I just couldn't keep my mouth shut: all of the qualities that made the original TBWP stand out from the humongous pile of crap out there are gone and replaced by typical corporate, non-creative sh*t, specifically catered to mainstream viewers. The unsettling, silent background has been replaced by a soundtrack containing the likes of pre-teen "fanboy" 'musicians' like Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, POD and others. The hand-held camera techniques are mostly gone, which should please the sheeplike herd of whiners on the internet, the cast of charactors include a run-of-the-mill "goth", something I find so f*cking abhorrent that I just can't express myself. Despite all of this, it looks like this movie will be nowhere near as successful as the original. Go figure.

As for the soundtrack, why did they have to taint it with mainstream garbage? There is some truly unsettling music out there: black metal bands from Poland and Japan, industrial/ambient stuff from Cold Meat Industries and others, I'm sure some of you here can think of many more. Anyway, any of those would be more suited to a horror soundtrack than the corporate drivel they threw at us in this film.

ViGiLaNzA

puts ViGiLaNzA into the book of people to NEVER listen to in the future.


People always get scared because I speak the truth.

BJ

quote:<HR>Originally posted by eXcentris:
I agree with most of what was said above. Elitists will trash so-called popular films for their lack of 'artistic' values. But note
that 'populists' (the masses if you will) will trash so-called artsy films too. You need to find a middle ground and have an open mind. That however is much harder than it seems. Appreciation of artsy films takes time and effort and most people are not willing to make that 'investment'.
So oddly enough, people who are called snobs or elitists because they praise an artsy film are often more open-minded than the general public. So what do we call the masses that find artsy films slowwwwww and boring then?
Reverse-snobs? <HR>

Hmmm...first you say elitists will trash pop films then you claim they are more open-minded because they praise artsy films? I fail to see your distinction between elitist and the general public.

Regarding the elitists in this forum: they have nothing of substance to say so they try to evoke attention in the only manner available to them: derogatory comments aimed at the film and the people who enjoyed the film. Here's a suggestion: ignore these "elitists" in your posts, they won't get the attention they want, and they'll go away.

Here's a controversial thought: there are no absolute standards for film appreciation and assessing merit. It's all subjective and situational. I know that threatens many of you film studies guru's and wanna-be's out there, but I guess that's something they don't want to teach you in your first day of class.

Hey, I noticed that HTF is cracking down big-time on the elitist fluff on their forums. Moderators, do you have any opinions as to whether this is a good thing?

wrath88

Since no one would take me up on helping me figure out what a "good" movie is, I decided to do a little research from Roger Ebert, who is obviously one of the most well-known and respected critics of all time (whether you agree with him or not).

As such, I came up with a little scorecard for my favorite movies (based on 4 star scale):
1. Dracula - 3 stars
2. Romeo + Juliet - 2 stars
3. Frankenstein - 2.5 stars
4. Titanic - 4 stars
5. Blair Witch Project - 4 stars
6. Patriot - 3 stars
7. Magnolia - 4 stars
8. Pulp Fiction - 4 stars
9. Usual Suspects - 1.5 stars (??)
10. Matrix - 3 stars

This brings my average to 3.1 stars, not too shabby. He liked Dracula mostly for it's visuals and mood, which is exactly why I like it. What he likes about Frankenstein is mostly Robert Deniro's performance of the monster, which is exactly why I like it. Given that The Usual Suspects is a pretty well respected film in this forum (where did that come from?) and that I have 4 films with 4 star ratings (which he does not readily hand out), I would say that maybe my critical mind isn't as bad as some have suggested (except for maybe Romeo + Juliet). Maybe you would like to take this same test with your 10 favorite movies?

By the way, I had to smile watching Ebert & Roeper this past week when Roeper actually gave Book of Shadows a thumbs up, and although he did not have a terrible amount of good things to say, he did think there were enough thrills and scares for him to recommend it (man, I wish I had a screen capture of Book of Shadows with a big ol' thumbs up by Roeper on it).

ViGiLaNzA

I had to smile when Roger Ebert praised The Haunting, Speed 2: Cruise Control, Congo, Anaconda, Spawn, and trashed Rushmore, Blue Velvet, Delicatessen, The Usual Suspects, Fight Club, and Erin Brockovich(because of Julia Robert's outfits.)

G. Noel Gross

Loved the original. Didn't expect much from the sequel, but was pleasantly surprised. Great twisty style and actual GORE and nekkidness. 3 of 5 stars.

------------------
MY DVD LIBRARY: A study in addiction
MY DVD TALK REVIEWS: Blood, Breasts and Beasts
FANGORIA CON: Weekend of Horrors

Laughing Gravy

Hey, Wrath, here's my top ten favorite films, calculated on the EbertOmeter with number of stars:

The Flintstones 2.5
Titan A.E. 3.5
Pokemon The First Movie 2.5
My Dog Skip 3.0
Babe: Pig in the City 4.0
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2.5
It Could Happen to You 3.5
Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame 4.0
Nutty Professor II: The Klumps 3.0
But I'm a Cheerleader! 3.0

That's an average of 3.15, so I guess I'm a better film critic than you, huh?

Frank Black

quote:<HR>Originally posted by ViGiLaNzA:
I had to smile when Roger Ebert praised The Haunting, Speed 2: Cruise Control, Congo, Anaconda, Spawn, and trashed Rushmore, Blue Velvet, Delicatessen, The Usual Suspects, Fight Club, and Erin Brockovich(because of Julia Robert's outfits.)<HR>

You smiled. I put him on my hit list.

eXcentris

quote:<HR>Originally posted by BJ:
Hmmm...first you say elitists will trash pop films then you claim they are more open-minded because they praise artsy films? I fail to see your distinction between elitist and the general public.

Easy, one likes art,the other likes entertainment. My point is be open-minded and try to appreciate both. However, it's easy to watch Armageddon and be entertained.
It's not so easy to watch the Three Colors Trilogy and appreciate it. Appreciation of art takes effort and most people are not willing to spend the time/energy it takes because they expect instant gratification.


Regarding the elitists in this forum: they have nothing of substance to say so they try to evoke attention in the only manner available to them: derogatory comments aimed at the film and the people who enjoyed the film. Here's a suggestion: ignore these "elitists" in your posts, they won't get the attention they want, and they'll go away.

Some long time members of this forum would argue that most so-called elitists who were offering an invaluable contribution to this forum have left because the "masses" were simply not interested in what they had to say. Personally, I would rather have an interesting discussion about a so-called obscure film than a debate on why this DVD cover art sucks.


Here's a controversial thought: there are no absolute standards for film appreciation and assessing merit. It's all subjective and situational. I know that threatens many of you film studies guru's and wanna-be's out there, but I guess that's something they don't want to teach you in your first day of class.

Taste has been reduced to personal likes and dislikes which is why people blindly accept ever diminishing standards in filmaking.
It's a shame.


Hey, I noticed that HTF is cracking down big-time on the elitist fluff on their forums. Moderators, do you have any opinions as to whether this is a good thing?<HR>

No.

Seantn

Good point, 'ol chap!

caiman

Wow. I give you the award for most ancient thread bump ever.

lordzeppelin

Yeah really...WTF? Maybe someone should bump my rant from 2 years ago...it was CLASSIC...and got me banned for a little...

The Bus

Most useless thread bump? What was the point of your reply?

Amadeus

Hey.My threadbumps are the most useless.

PixyJunket

What's with all these old threads being revived..?

I wonder where the Official Good Burger Thread circa 2000 is..

foxdvd

Is that still around? I would love to read that again.