Since we are all fans of cinema of all kinds, this is a thread I think we all need to keep continually posting to. This is a space to recommend any film you feel some may have missed or just need to see, as well as a space to ask about that film you always see in the movie store but are skeptical of renting for fear it might be a waste of time. I have a couple to start out with:
Recommend:
The Crossing Guard with Jack Nicholson, David Morse and Anjelica Huston. Sean Penn wrote and directed this film and got deep heart-felt performances out of all involved. Definately worth a watch.

Brave Little Toaster. If you enjoy animation at all, you need to watch this movie. Of course the kids will love it, but adults will enjoy it as well. It is, in many ways, above and beyond your usual animation.

Question: Has anyone seen Murder of Crows with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Tom Berenger? Always see it and have always been curious about it.

Please enjoy the topic and help me keep it up.

I'm going to leave this up, but Jackie, did you see the "Recommend a little-seen, underappreciated film" thread? That might cover the first part ("Recommendations"). The "Questions" half is a different can of worms, so I'm guessing we can handle both threads. What does anyone else think?

I've seen both recommendations, and second that for "Brave Little Toaster". The only thing I know about "A Murder of Crows" is that it was direct-to-video and that comes from this.

I posted to the "Recommend a little-seen..." thread Mark, but this is not intended for only "little seen" films. This is just film recommendations in general. Example: You would think most "film fans" would have seen American Werewolf in London, but I bet there is a lot of people that love movies that haven't seen it. Anyway, thanks for the second on Brave Little Toaster. The title is deceiving and people dismiss it as a childish "kiddie" movie, but it is anything but.

Well, Jackie, if I didn't believe you concerning "Werewolf in London", I wouldn't be trying to shove it down everyone's throat! Make sure that you and jakal understand that we appreciate everything that you and he have contributed to these forums. Go ahead, and keep going farther south (Music and off-topic.) We need new blood, and you guys seem to have just slurped up some of the best of the same.

Ahh, the Brave Little Toaster *relives childhood*

Anyway, I reccomend Ocean's Eleven to anyone who like witty humor. I can watch it over and over and over, and it's still fun to watch. Key word is fun, which is different from perfect, or Oscar worthy.

I also want to know about Donnie Darko. I see the name pop up all the time, and know absolutely nothing about it.

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Originally posted by CompmanJX3:

Anyway, I recommend _Ocean's Eleven_ to anyone who likes witty humor. I can watch it over and over and over, and it's still fun to watch. Key word is fun, which is different from perfect, or Oscar worthy.

I also want to know about Donnie Darko.

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First off, you talking about the remake? Even my father-in-law. who's about to turn 70, says the new "Ocean's Eleven" is better, but if you haven't seen the old one, I recommend that one too.

"Donnie Darko" seems to be one of those films which generates a lot of heat around here. I certainly didn't think it was great, and I have no intention of seeing the expanded version until it hits DVD, but it did seem WAY more interesting than the average crapfest. I am gettin' up there, so maybe Alzy answered for me. Sorry if this doesn't explain if you should watch it, but it's as clear as I can get around here!

I have seen both. I like the new one more though; more of my type of humor, and more mordern.

Well Compman, if you like something different...something strange, almost a twilight zone meets david lynch sort of feel, than you would enjoy Donnie Darko. I very much enjoyed the film because it was different, and really stood out in a crowd of blockbusters and crowd-pleasers. If you are a "film buff", I would recommend seeing this film, if nothing else but for its originality and to see the start of what could very well be one of hollywoods most original new directors.

OK, just saw 3 films this weekend:

People I Know (DVD) According to the DVD box, some critics are calling this one of Pacino's best performances. I'm not sure what film they watched, but being a big Pacino fan myself, I can't see how it was this one. The only thing different about Pacino's performance was his southern accent, which to me sounded pretty silly. The plot was virtually incoherent and the rest of the cast was merely speaking lines. I felt nothing for them. I can't recommend this film.

The Bourne Supremacy I am a fan of the first film and very much enjoyed the second installment of the trilogy. Not only did this film feature some well done performances from all cast members, it also housed one of the best car chases I have ever seen on film. I know this is a pretty bold statement considering all the great ones like French Connection, Ronin, The Rock (The Blues Brothers are in a different class of car chase) etc. I highly recommend this film to anyone who enjoyed the first film and who is looking for a fun ride.

The Defiant Ones (1958) Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis deliver amazing performances in the Stanley Kramer classic about two escape cons, one black, one white, chained together while on the run. The exchanges between Curtis and Poitier are a thrill to watch and their developing relationship is played out to perfection by two of our great screen icons. If you are a fan of great classic drama, check out this film. Highly recommended!

Anyone else have some recent film or video views they can recommend or not?

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Originally posted by JackietheBlade:

Anyone else have some recent film or video views they can recommend or not?

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I just saw Garden State over the weekend, and it was fantastic! It's a small movie, a la "Lost in Translation", but it's definitely worth seeing.

Ok, since no one else seems to be watching ANY movies anymore, I guess I'll have to keep this thread up. I just saw Open Water last weekend and am still not sure what to think. Did it get to me? Yes. Things kept happening but you know it's going to turn out ok...it has to. It was a true story. And then the ending came and I couldn't believe it. I would recommend this film to anyone who wants to feel emotions I'm sure you haven't felt in a long time, especially not at a movie.
I KNOW you guys have been watching movies. That is what this thread is for. When you see a movie in the theaters, tell us about it to recommend it, or to try to save us money and time. Or movies you just rented, let us know. I value your opinions more than I value those of the people that give us the metascores, so please, keep us informed about the good and the bad.

I am going to recommend Alien vs Predator. And I don't care what you think. I paid sixFifty knowing full well that it was an abysmal premise that would be far less than what it could be.

Yes, it was far less than what it could have been...but you get to see aliens and predators fight, which sounds soooo fanboy...but it's still worth sixFifty. If you throw out logic and forgive ALOT...I dunno--I found myself enjoying it. Better than Predator 2, better than resurrection, and in my opinion, better than alien 3. BRING ON THE FINCHER LOVERS!!!

Are you joking? Alien 3 (despite the poor computer graphics) was a very cool flick. I think Fincher did a good job, even if it was something that he didn't want to do at first. He gave the series a very gothic feel to it. But you are right about P2 and A4

I wasn't really sure where to put this, but I probably owe Jackie one, although I'm not sure that when I'm done, he'll want to accept it. I just watched "Dogville" on DVD, and it has been discussed here on "Best of 2004." Since I'm currently ambivalent about my feelings for the film, but chomping at the bit to discuss it, it's going here.

First off, I believe I've seen most of Lars von Trier's films, except "The Idiots" and "Kingdom 2." But I have seen "The Element of Crime", "Zentropa" ("Europa" in Europe), "Breaking the Waves", "The Kingdom" and "Dancer in the Dark." It's obvious to me that he is obsessed with spirituality, and especially Christianity, so he seems to try to make most of his films Christian allegories.

This film fits comfortably into that scenario, although it only REALLY becomes apparent in the last 15 minutes (more about that later.) I would first like to discuss the conceit that the film is shot on only one set. Although this may be considered audacious, it has been used ever since long before the Pulitzer-Prize-winning "Our Town." That film was presented on one set, and that set was much more spare than the stripped-down, yet elaborate set of "Dogville." I had no problem whatsoever with the "artificialty" of the presentation since I've seen several filmed stage plays down through the years, including many produced by The American Film Theatre in the 1970s. (Olivier's version of "Hamlet" also comes to mind.) In fact, John Hurt's narration is highly-reminescent of the Stage Manager in "Our Town", except for the fact that we never SEE Hurt.

Nicole Kidman, perhaps more-beautiful-than-ever, portrays "Grace", who seems to be on the run from a gangster (James Caan.) [The cast is crammed with big/significant names right down the line.] She "stumbles" onto the remote mountain town of "Dogville" where people are just ordinary folk, which means "only human" or "snakes in the grass", depending on your perspective. She also falls in reciprocated-love with the young Tom Edison, Jr., who seems to be the most-enlightened member of the community.

Von Trier wears his European mantle on his sleeve in that he thinks that an accumulation of "details", no matter how obvious and repetitive they are, will make the film more-artistic in the LONG run. This film runs about three hours and is supposed to be the first in a trilogy. I will admit that I never found it boring, but at three hours, it's pushing the Eugene O' Neill territory of "Long Day's Journey into Night" and "The Iceman Cometh", both of which I believe are wiser about the human condition.

However, the true audaciousness of this film basically lies in the final "act/scene" where some things are revealed which the previous two-and-one-half hours barely alluded to. We are going into the Spoiler Cloak now: After Grace has been rejected and abused by all the good folk (aka humankind) of "Dogville", the gangster returns to town to get her. The gangster turns out to be her father, a fire-and-brimstone Yahweh, who doesn't really mind telling his daughter Jesus, I mean Grace, that her compassion for the worthless mass of humanity is totally unfounded. In fact, the "Father" is upset with his offspring because she called him "arrogant" even though she was "arrogant" enough to believe that she could save the worthless scum of humanity (just plain folks.) At the end, the Son, I mean Daughter, agrees with her Father that Dogville should be wiped from the face of the Earth, a la Sodom and Gomorrah, even though we are supposedly in Depression-era United States. That is the true originality of the film, but whether it's worth sitting through everything else (remember, not boring, but painful) is debatable. Perhaps Vol. 2&3 will make it clearer.

So, in conclusion, anyone who's serious about film, European film, spirituality, Christianity, good acting or theatrical staging should check out "Dogville." You may believe it's a masterpiece or the most-pretentious piece of claptrap you've ever witnessed. Personally, I believe the litmus test is "Breaking the Waves." If that film moved you, you'll probably be impressed by this. If "Breaking the Waves" left you cold, you should perhaps proceed with extreme caution. I honestly can't tell you which way my thumb is, since it's a very mixed bag, but I'm glad I watched it, especially the last 15 minutes.

Wow, this came out today and "The Passion of the Christ" is next week. Hold on to your hats!

Thanks Mark, I appreciate the post. Dogville has been added to the Netflix queue and moved up to the number 2 spot because my interest is definately piqued now. The other half of this thread was questions, and I have one for you and anyone else who may have seen it.
Bad Lieutenant
I also added this film to the list to see because I have always been intrigued by it. I was reading the member reviews on netflix and it sounds like a very intense film that left almost everyone who reviewed it affected in some way. What did you think? I've always loved Harvey Keitel, and this sounds like a top notch performance. Opinions? Ideas?

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Originally posted by JackietheBlade:
_Bad Lieutenant_
Opinions? Ideas?

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Boy, Jackie, first "Dogville" and then "Bad Lieutenant." Those are two major shocks to the system right there. My thumb is definitely down for "Bad Lieutenant"; however, it may be worth watching since it has Harvey Keitel's most-extreme, intense performance, if such a thing is possible. That's probably recommendation enough for most people around here.

I've enjoyed director Abel Ferrara's more- straightforward action flicks, but this was obviously trying to be more "important" and just didn't have the script to pull it off. My brother, who was the local paper's film reviewer when this film came out, put it at #2 of the year in his Top Ten. (He knew that I didn't like it.) I asked him about it recently, and he said that he saw it again and decided he was wrong, and that it wasn't really very good, but the "idea" and Keitel just sucked him in the first time. Oh well, lots of movies don't even have ideas or Keitel.

I agree with you here Mark, definately a thumbs down despite Harvey Keitel's performance. He always just seems to be playing himself at different volume levels to me, and here the volume is cranked up to 11, but the band sucks! The movie just tried to hard to be, well...hard!

Ok...my recent view (again, I seem to be the only person watching movies around here) is Dogville
I was caught completely off guard with this film. It was an amazing transformation as far as viewing goes. If you've seen the movie, you know what I mean when I say I thought they were kidding with the set. That aspect alone was making me bored with the movie and I was getting a little restless. Then, as the film progressed, I realized that, because of the minimalist nature of the set, I found myself engrossed evermore deeper into the characters and their lives. Great performances by all involved. Those that have seen Dogville, what did you think?

I've already talked about "Dogville." I've watched, in the last week, "Patton", "The Best Years of Our Lives", "One-Eyed Jacks", "The Last Detail", "Manhattan Murder Mystery", and "Cabaret", all of which I recommend to any film lover. I also finally watched "Anger Management", which I think must be the worst-directed film which Jack Nicholson has been in for about 30 years, and then there's Gus Van Sant's pretentiously-unwatchable "Gerry", a career nadir ( pretty pictures though, for a few minutes), although I know at least one member here who loves it. Anyone want to discuss any of those or take a punch at me over my opinions, you know where to find me.

Sorry Mark. I, like you, was chomping at the bit to discuss Dogville and had completely forgot you had already posted about it. I am still not sure how to feel about Gerry. I'm sure there is something to be said for the "art" of the whole thing, but I also found it very hard to want to keep watching. It was some of the most beautiful cinematography I have seen in a long time, but I'm not sure that it made up for the movie. Van Sant definately knows how to pick original material, and Matt Damon and Casey Affleck know how to write it (all 3 pages of it, including title page and end credits). Did you see Elephant? Another Van Sant film I'm still not sure if I want to love or hate.

Questions: Mark, Jimmy Stewart is my favorite actor and I am trying to see all of his films, but of course it's taking a while since he made so many. Besides the well known greats, what are some of his lesser known films that you would recommend? You mentioned "Firecreek" in our movie game. How was that? What about his films before '46 (I have seen "Mr. Smith") and after '62? There are a few in the middle there that I have wondered about too like "Bend of the River", "The Naked Spur", "The Far Country" and "The Man Who Knew Too Much". I know that's kind of a lot, but a guy's gotta know where to start. Thanks.

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