What Film? Made You Fall In Love?

[bruce_pullen]

Originally Posted by gamma626

yeah that's my new opinion. I bought Zodiac yesterday so I'm being good!

Zodiac (2007) is worthy. Epic length, great cast, dialogue right out of the 70’s, references to Bullitt (1968) and Dirty Harry (1971), the film just felt right. The opening Paramount logo instantly brought me back. Along with the 70’s Warner Brothers shield, what memories those bring.

I remember when I first saw it. The screen went black. Sixties music filled the room. I was waiting for Charlie Manson, to come up behind me. That neighborhood tracking shot, on and on bisecting the street, pure Fincher, I was immediately taken. The young teen going up to a house; he's alone. The woman calling back to him; she wants something. The 50’s diner, the woman’s face, classic cars are everywhere. I was in the period, and there’s no going back.

Of the slew of modern movies, Zodiac made me smile. It brought back a glow in me. I hadn’t felt that: since first discovering those late 60’s/early 70’s gems. The 70’s detail was pitch-perfect. The dialogue dictated the pace. Characters were allowed to grow and change. And we the saw the new Robert Downey pre-Iron Man (2008) exorcise his demons in a real way.

Zodiac is a reminder of what films were. Deliberate, complicated, not easy to explain, Zodiac had depth. I feel some of Button’s acclaim comes from this. Guilt for ignoring it; Oscars work that way. Why Zodiac didn’t get nominated is beyond me?

The craft is amazing. Yes.. it was released in March. But Silence of the Lambs (1991) was out in January.

Anyway, this film resurrected so much. I couldn’t help but feel new again. One of the best of the decade, and a film that understands what was.

Did Zodiac leave that impression with you?

Note: I'm looking forward to see the Blu-Ray.

[bruce_pullen]

Originally Posted by Crim122

I have only seen On The Waterfront, and I just saw it this year because it was being shown in one of the local theaters

I loved it, it is such a great movie.

Read my above on Arabia. The film is pillar of cinema. I can't recommend it enough. Don't forget The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) as well. Same director. Equally classic.

Casablanca (1943), one of the true greats of the movies. More quotable lines than any other, Bogart, Berman, Rains, Heinreid, Greenstreet, Lorre, Conrad Veidt, Dooley Wilson,... one of the great casts.

The film is immortal. If you're willing to go with, and bring nothing modern with you. It is something that always makes me happy. And the more I see it, the greater its mystery grows. Only the greatest of films do this.

And Casablanca certainly qualifies.

Don’t forget the ending: many consider it, the most clever ever written. Conceived at the last minute, “Round up the usual suspects.”

Note: German Expressionistic touches throughout. Rick getting money out of the safe. A wall had to be removed and put back. So the shadows could be made, talk about craft. The planes at the air field (in the distance) were cardboard cut-outs. Using forced perspective, with midgets walking back and forth, in the distance, it looked real. Michael Curtiz knew the business.

[bruce_pullen]

Name the film that made you fall hard for movies? What about it made it special? Casablanca? Braveheart? What is it?

[Gamma_Winstead]

Originally Posted by bruce_pullen

Read my above on Arabia. The film is pillar of cinema. I can't recommend it enough. Don't forget The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) as well. Same director. Equally classic.

Casablanca (1943), one of the true greats of the movies. More quotable lines than any other, Bogart, Berman, Rains, Heinreid, Greenstreet, Lorre, Conrad Veidt, Dooley Wilson,... one of the great casts.

The film is immortal. If you're willing to go with, and bring nothing modern with you. It is something that always makes me happy. And the more I see it, the greater its mystery grows. Only the greatest of films do this.

And Casablanca certainly qualifies.

Don’t forget the ending: many consider it, the most clever ever written. Conceived at the last minute, “Round up the usual suspects.”

Note: German Expressionistic touches throughout. Rick getting money out of the safe. A wall had to be removed and put back. So the shadows could be made, talk about craft. The planes at the air field (in the distance) were cardboard cut-outs. Using forced perspective, with midgets walking back and forth, in the distance, it looked real. Michael Curtiz knew the business.

wow! I can't wait to see Casablanca now! I'll have to buy the Blu next week. Thanks Bruce! And to your comment on Zodiac... I hate to say it but

+1!

[Crim122]

I am watching Zodiac tomorrow night!

I am going to see if my Blockbuster has Casablanca

[Sussudio]

Originally Posted by Crim122

I am watching Zodiac tomorrow night!

I am going to see if my Blockbuster has Casablanca

HIYO me too. bonnie and clyde tonight, zodiac tomorrow

[bruce_pullen]

Originally Posted by gamma626

wow! I can't wait to see Casablanca now! I'll have to buy the Blu next week. Thanks Bruce! And to your comment on Zodiac... I hate to say it but

+1!

Well, I'm glad I grew you on you. I do know my movies. If nothing else.

No hard feelings Gamma.

Other suggestions:

Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt (1942)

William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).

Hitchcock's Notorious (1946)

Great forties classics, that modern audiences must see.

[kdn1221]

Originally Posted by Sussudio

"I'LL CUT YOUR HEART OUT WITH A SPOON!"

"And by the way, cancel X-Mas!"

The movie that caught my attention was the original "Superman - The Movie".

The promo stated: "You will believe a man can fly". After watching that at a theater, I bought the idea seeing one of my favority comic book characters coming to life. It was the first time that any movie was able to show a person moving about freely in the air under his own power.

The next one was "Superman II" where they took it further and show the aerial battle between Superman and the Phantom Zone criminals. That was innovative at that time (no green screen and CG).

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by bruce_pullen

Well, I'm glad I grew you on you. I do know my movies. If nothing else.

No hard feelings Gamma.

Other suggestions:

Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt (1942)

William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).

Hitchcock's Notorious (1946)

Great forties classics, that modern audiences must see.

ROPE!!!!!!!!!!!

[dmb70]

Originally Posted by bruce_pullen

That final fight is fantastic. The double knock-out. The slow-motion struggle to get up. The yellow and the black, what a combo. Rocky 2 is a personal fav. More slow, than the rest of the sequels. That's its charm I think. Burgess Meredith, Carl Weathers, the cast keeps it going.. until that fateful finale.

The Adrian illness bit moved me much. Rocky in the chapel, sitting motionless by her bed. Bill Conti's sad melody soothing you forward; Stallone sits silently, waiting. Rocky 2 took itself seriously.

Something most sequels tend not to do.

I to love this movie! While I still enjoy 3 some what Rocky's 4 & 5 to me are more like cartoons, where 1 & 2 & Rocky Balboa are dramas centered around boxing.

The scene where Rocky goes to try to talk Mickey into training him again & then again the scene in the chapel are amazing. Burgess Meridith takes those moments to another level.
The way he delivers the line "He wants to prove to the whole world that ya was nothin' but some kind of FREAK the first time out" still gets me "right here"

[bruce_pullen]

(I've added to this... There's more here than before.)

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)... ohhh... most definitely, agreed. I will never forget seeing it for the first time. Popping in the video tape(s), watching the prolonged opening, the overture, the Maurice Jarre score, I fell in love. His death on the bike… The sand, the camera, Lawrence’s fall from grace: an epic with so many mysteries. And David Lean let's them lay. Peter O'Toole, Anthony Quinn, Omar Sharif, Jack Hawkins, Alec Guiness, Anthony Quayle, Claude Rains, Jose Ferrer... what a cast. This was a crucial film, in my development. And anyone who hasn't seen it, I recommend you do.

The film took two-and-a-half-years to make (... that’s principal photography). Can you even imagine that now? The sand, the locations, O’Toole being an unknown; what a risk? Back then, he was like Radcliffe on Harry Potter. This guy was a gamble. You had all those guys around him, and yet, if Lawrence didn’t work. The whole film would fail.

Many will remember that classic transition. O’Toole is told. He’s going to Arabia. He lights a match. Lawrence is masochist. As the flame draws down the match, Lawrence holds on. He’s amused by it all. It’s all a game to him. The fire burns half-way down. A mid-waist shot shows Lawrence looking at it, quizzically. Cue a close-up, he blows out the flame. Cut to the sun. We’re in the desert. Many consider this: one of the great cuts in film history.

Another is the mirage. O’Toole is at a watering hole. With a guide.., they came to get some water. They are completely alone. Sand is everywhere. Sand and more sand; Lean uses a wide-shot that shows something in the distance. The sand and the sky blur: with a moving smudge smack dab in the middle. His guide starts to fidget. Lawrence keeps staring at the horizon. As the smudge keeps coming and coming, it stays centered in the frame. The guide keeps staring, knowing something: we don’t. He runs back to his steed, and is shot dead. Lawrence is helpless. A foreigner in a strange land, the blob comes closer and closer. We wait for him to be hit. There’s only silence. The blur reveals to be a man. Horse and face, come into view. It’s Omar Sharif. Another great scene, from a film classic.

Then there’s the train. Lawrence is walking on its top. There has been a victory. Peter’s robes jostle in the wind. The robes stretch like something from a myth. He walks across the train top. From compartment to compartment, he’s something more. The music plays. ..A shot is fired. Lawrence falls. People flock to him. ''Are you hit?" "Are you hit?" He is not. The myth continues to grow.

The film has many moments. Many memories for me; it’s a Greatest Hits wrapped up in a single film. If you haven’t seen it? Your in for a treat. A film for the ages.

It made me fall in love with movies.

Note: Lawrence of Arabia is Spielberg’s favorite script. He thinks it may be the best script ever written. The film is a personal favorite of Steve’s. In an era of disposable pictures, Lawrence stands as a beacon to what was. And it is considered the Gone with The Wind of the 60’s.

Even today, I’m still not sure what it means. It remains enigmatic and alluring, all at the same time.

Lean makes modern epics look smaller by comparison. [I agree Titanic (1997), Schindler’s List (1993), are exceptions]. I would also add Lord of the Rings (2001-2003), as well.

What about The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) or The High and the Mighty (1954)? Anatomy of a Murder (1959)?

Any older gems that set you back?

[bruce_pullen]

Rope (1948) is an interesting film. Maybe not perfect... but you must see to believe.

Hitch liked experiments. And this was a doozy. The film has no editing. Not the way: we know. It has ten takes. Just ten: Ranging from four-and-a-half to ten minutes (uninterrupted takes)… The cast had to practice. Over and over, time and time again, just to get it right. If there was a single gaff; just one, they had to do it over. …From scratch, from the very beginning; furniture had to move. Actors had to find their marks. The camera had to move with deft precision. Everything was very precise. And as I said, one mistake, and it was Aista La Vista Baby.

..And that’s not all.

Except for the opening, the film takes place in a single apartment. This is a soundstage. The room had elaborate lighting. A model skyscape rigged to go from light to dusk: had to coincide with everything else. Remember with real-time scenes, this added further risk.

The first take (inside) begins with murder; then continues for several minutes. This is how the whole film works. When you watch it, prepared to be amazed; this is something unique to film.

Did I say James Stewart was in it? Farley Granger, Cedric Hardwicke, John Dall, Constance Coller, the acting is great. Given the restriction, having to perform for minutes at a time; it’s amazing: the film turned out this well.

As with Hitch: the plot is murder. So sit back and enjoy, one of the greatest experiments ever attempted.

Is it as good as Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), or Psycho (1960).

No. But it’s worth the time. I guarantee it.

I remember the first time I saw it: old style titles, opening murder. Strangled by a rope, the friend is done in. Stuffed in an old chest, in the middle of the room, the guy is dead. I was stone silent. The killers kept talking. They’re having a get-together. They’re going to invite some friends. Huh…? The dead man’s girl and parents are invited. And that’s the beginning of this must-see film.

Be warned: much of this is talk. But if you follow the craft, and allow the story to take you; you will be shocked. Enjoy.

[bruce_pullen]

Name the film that made you fall hard for movies? What about it made it special? Casablanca? Braveheart? What is it?

[bruce_pullen]

Originally Posted by Pirate King

Lawrence of Arabia. I saw it in the theater when I was a kid and have been hooked since. Visually stunning.

More than that, arguably the greatest movie of the decade: Lawrence is the Gone with the Wind of the 60’s.

Though here are other contenders:

Psycho (1960)
The Apartment (1960)
The Magnificent Seven (1960)
West Side Story (1961)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
The Birds (1963)
The Great Escape (1964)
My Fair Lady (1964)
Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Stopped Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
The Sound of Music (1965)
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
In The Heat of the Night (1967)
The Graduate (1967)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
The Producers (1968)
The Wild Bunch (1969)

Of these BP winners: it is the biggest picture of the bunch.

Ask questions about any of these. Feel free guys.

[Gamma_Winstead]

Originally Posted by bruce_pullen

Well, I'm glad I grew you on you. I do know my movies. If nothing else.

No hard feelings Gamma.

Other suggestions:

Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt (1942)

William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).

Hitchcock's Notorious (1946)

Great forties classics, that modern audiences must see.

Ya know, I've never seen a Hitchcock film. Definetly adding these to my line up. And yep, no hard feelings!

[Sussudio]

Originally Posted by gamma626

Ya know, I've never seen a Hitchcock film. Definetly adding these to my line up. And yep, no hard feelings!

wow, you're in film school and you've never seen 1 hitchcock film, shame on you each one is a film school all in itself

[bruce_pullen]

You haven't lived to you've seen The Lady Vanishes (1938).

P.S. Did you guys read the above.

Arabia and Rope. Two more to check out.

[bruce_pullen]

Originally Posted by kdn1221

"And by the way, cancel X-Mas!"

The movie that caught my attention was the original "Superman - The Movie".

The promo stated: "You will believe a man can fly". After watching that at a theater, I bought the idea seeing one of my favority comic book characters coming to life. It was the first time that any movie was able to show a person moving about freely in the air under his own power.

The next one was "Superman II" where they took it further and show the aerial battle between Superman and the Phantom Zone criminals. That was innovative at that time (no green screen and CG).

Have you seen the Richard Donner cut of Superman II. Highly recommended. It's even better.

[Sussudio]

Originally Posted by bruce_pullen

Have you seen the Richard Donner cut of Superman II. Highly recommended. It's even better.

great great great movie. superman I and II rock. i have the posters to all the movies hanging in my room (yes, even 3 and 4 )

[bruce_pullen]

What was the flick that turned you to the dark side? Movie and movie? Your first BIG movie moment?