I have already seen Badlands (love it); I guess another viewing along with True Romance can't hurt. I definitely can see some connection already based on the concepts of both films.
I saw a connection due to the score sounding very similar. That's the only reason though. There are numerous 90s "outlaw couple" road films that Tarantino had no involvement with. True Romance is such an awesome movie though if you haven't seen it. Badlands is great as well obviously.
I'm all for roasting unique or odd choices as favorite films, and QT has had his share, but I have to say this: the more films you watch, the more subjectivity creeps into your favorite/best film lists. It's only natural as you tend to zero in and spend more time on genres and film movements you love. In QT's case it's 70's genre films.
I don't think a thirty year old Tarantino puts the film on his top ten, but to me it kind of makes sense that a 50 year old Tarantino does.
But more to your point, Criterion should make him put his money where his mouth is and have him record a commentary for the Criterion release of Pretty Maids all in a Row.
I actually like "Pretty Maids All in a Row" and own the Warner Archive DVD of it. But it's the type of film IMO that would require being really high and/or drunk to enjoy it to the level that Tarantino seems to enjoy it. Just funny imagining a really coked out Tarantino freaking out about the movie.
I think that increased subjectivity is a by-product of seeing certain formulas too many times. Even a film was the first or the “best” of its kind, that formula has been worn thin by all the copy cats. So, one might feel inclined to say (and there’s probably a better example) that Layer Cake is a better crime film than The Godfather.
I don’t disagree with what you have said outside of the “zeroing in” part… I think that it is the uniqueness of certain films that gravitates us to them and not so much that we are dialing in to what we really like.
I don’t know if Forty Guns is an all-time classic, but I’ve seen Lord knows how many film noirs, so I feel inclined to say that I like it better than Pickup on South Street.
I'm probably in the same camp in regards to Fuller. Forty Guns is as good as anything else that he's done (that I've seen). Heck, I'm probably moreso in that camp as I don't care for some of his biggest critical successes like The Big Red One.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mja345
I actually like "Pretty Maids All in a Row" and own the Warner Archive DVD of it. But it's the type of film IMO that would require being really high and/or drunk to enjoy it to the level that Tarantino seems to enjoy it. Just funny imagining a really coked out Tarantino freaking out about the movie.
Oh I definitely understood the point. The dude has very idiosyncratic tastes. I mean, if one of us were to list a few of his best of the year lists, this thread would derail for another week.
Seeing as this IS the Criterion thread, you should watch True Romance in conjunction with Badlands. It seems to have served as the inspiration for True Romance and the Carl Orff piece "Gassenhauer" is used in both films.
Carl Orff's Gassenhauer doesn't actually appear in True Romance. It's an original composition called You're So Cool by Hans Zimmer, they do sound remarkably similar though!
Carl Orff's Gassenhauer doesn't actually appear in True Romance. It's an original composition called You're So Cool by Hans Zimmer, they do sound remarkably similar though!
Just ordered this...it is a blind buy although I do enjoy Westerns/Civil War!
Not being the biggest Tobie fan at the time, I was a little surprised at just how much I liked this. I wasn't exactly floored by it but it definitely drew me in almost from the start and (like some of Lee's other movies) it has the weird dual effect of feeling very slow and deliberative and of the time flying right by.
I'll be curious down the road to see how it holds up to a repeat viewing.
I'm not arguing the merits of color balancing a science fiction masterpiece like The Terminator; it's just there are so many things that are more pressing in my eyes. If it comes down to James Cameron devoting time to improving the pq of a film that already has a pretty darned good release, and two very popular, highly desired films that have never been released on blu-ray domestically, then I'm going to come down in the column of "release these, please" every time. Once all his catalog has been released, then, if he wants to go back, no problem. And, I would probably buy a re-visited Terminator. But there's two empty spots on my shelf where these two Cameron classics are long overdue for filling.
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Originally Posted by MassiveMovieBuff
Agreed. I'm one of the admirers of the remastered Terminator anyways.
Now, as for Sweet Smell of Success. A great movie that personifies film-noir at its most visceral, and gritty. Two pugilists, of sorts, brought to life through great performances by Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis. In the blue corner, you have the undisputed heavyweight champion, the established make-or-break columnist of The New York Globe, J.J. Hunsacker (Lancaster), a real titan of the print media with tens of millions of rabid readers across the country, and worldwide fame. In the red corner, you had the upstart, Sidney Falco, the smooth-talking "pretty boy" agent who would steal a lollipop from a baby to make a buck. Tony Curtis, with what is considered his breakthrough performance, breathes life into the incorrigible user with great verve.
Back in the late 50s, columnists were the de facto voices of the masses. Television was still a fledgling medium. Radio remained omnipresent, but print media's reach was truly global. And Hunsacker was a superstar of unparalleled proportions. With a few choice words on his typewriter, or a quick phone call, Hunsacker could make or break a career. If you lost favor with the columnist, you were essentially black listed; persona non grata. And the film's narrative sees Falco's career treading on the razor's edge. Cut off from mention in Hunsacker's column for a week, Falco can barely pay his bills. He is, for all intents and purposes, living or dying according to the columnist's whims. Tasked by Hunsacker with disrupting the relationship between the columnist's younger sister, Susan, and a jazz guitarist he feels is unworthy of his sibling, Falco serves as Hunsacker's glorified errand boy, of sorts. With a kiss of the ring, Falco sets about disrupting the relationship in order to secure Hunsacker's favor once again.
Sweet Smell of Success is not an easy film to sit through, per se. The dialogue is masterfully written. If this film is truly indicative of the Manhattan vernacular of 1957, send me back in time, please! The cinematography is dazzling, particularly the use of Manhattan as the backdrop. Much like Truffaut's use of Paris in Les quatre cents coups, director Alexander Mackendrick turns Manhattan's bustling streets into a living, breathing entity. The acting is top notch, and the story is compelling. All the individual elements of the film are extraordinarily well done. But watching the film's two principle characters spiral downward is both captivating and incredibly unnerving. By the movie's end, I felt like I needed to take another shower. Films will often have one antagonist who is reprehensible, completely devoid of any redeeming qualities. Seldom are there two such such despicable men in the spotlight at the same time. At first, it seems that there might be some hope for both men. Hunsacker, in particular, speaks of his love for Susan. But as the film progresses, it becomes clear that he seeks to control her life. It is not love, but a power play that guides his hand. Not yet twenty, Susan lives with her brother, and is seemingly beholden to him for everything she has. A new fur coat cloaks her throughout the film. She appears weak. When the heat is turned up in order to end the relationship, and ruin the career and reputation of Steve Dallas (the guitarist), the denouement surprises.
As I stated in my last post about Sweet Smell of Success, it really needs to be in every Criterion collection. It works equally well as a period piece, film-noir, and exceptional drama.
I'd be content with a digital restoration from the same master used for the existing Criterion DVD of Le Samouraļ.
That's what the current Filmstruck version appears to be, it looks fine, but it could improve a lot based on some other restorations of films of that time that we have gotten from Criterion or others.
Finally got my hands on The Man Who Fell To Earth Blu-ray. It is in the original cardboard style case. If anyone has the plastic replacement case with artwork and would sell it or would trade cases with me PM me! Thanks!
Not being the biggest Tobie fan at the time, I was a little surprised at just how much I liked this. I wasn't exactly floored by it but it definitely drew me in almost from the start and (like some of Lee's other movies) it has the weird dual effect of feeling very slow and deliberative and of the time flying right by.
I'll be curious down the road to see how it holds up to a repeat viewing.
I'll be watching this when it gets in & I'll report if it is my 'cup of tea'!
Carl Orff's Gassenhauer doesn't actually appear in True Romance. It's an original composition called You're So Cool by Hans Zimmer, they do sound remarkably similar though!
The Hans Zimmer version (I think) was featured recently in the teaser trailer for Deadpool 2.
I am getting into watching the old comedies from around the 40s and 50s like Arsenic and Old Lace (really needs a Criterion release), It Happened One Night, Sullivan's Travels, and although I haven't seen it yet, probably Palm Beach Story. I was hoping for suggestions on similar movies. Thanks.
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