Author Topic: Forgotten pleasures of the multiplex  (Read 7760 times)

MP

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Forgotten pleasures of the multiplex
« on: May 31, 2011, 05:10:31 PM »
...and other mainstream marvels.

The June 2011 issue of Sight & Sound has as its cover feature 75 "unloved, unlauded" films from the past 30 years that "were either commercially or critically buried". It's typically unavailable on S&S's site, so I'll just list the films put forward by its regular bunch of contributors.

I find lists like these far more interesting than 'canonical' surveys; as I prepare to subscribe to a DVD rental service, some of these curiosities intrigue me more now than they already did - the ones I've already seen (Butterfly Effect, Alien 3) especially. If you don't read the magazine/haven't access to it and would like to know what is said on a particular film, let me know.
  •    A.I. Artificial Intelligence (US, 2001)   
  •    Alien 3 (US, 1992)   
  •    All the Marbles (US, 1981)   
  •    The Arrival (Us, 1996)   
  •    Avalon (Japan, 2000)   
  •    Boogie Boy (US, 1997)   
  •    Bound (US, 1996)   
  •    The Bounty (UK/US, 1984)   
  •    The Box (US, 2009)   
  •    Breakdown (US, 1997)   
  •    The Butterfly Effect (US, 2003)   
  •    Une chambre en ville (France, 1982)   
  •    Contact (US, 1997)   
  •    Contact High (Austria, 2009)   
  •    The Craft (US, 1996)   
  •    Deep Cover (US, 1992)   
  •    De l'autre côté du lit (France, 2008)   
  •    The Devil Wears Prada (US, 2006)   
  •    The Entity (US, 1981)   
  •    L'Eté meutrier (France, 1983)   
  •    Excalibur (US, 1981)   
  •    The Falcon and the Snowman (US, 1985)   
  •    Femme Fatale (France, 2002)   
  •    Final Destination 3 (US, 2006)   
  •    Footloose (US, 1984)   
  •    Galaxy Quest (US, 1999)   
  •    The Godfather Part III (US, 1990)   
  •    Grégoire Moulin contre l'humanité (France, 2001)   
  •    Hangin' with the Homeboys (US, 1991)   
  •    Henry V (UK, 1989)   
  •    Hudson Hawk (US, 1991)   
  •    Hustle & Flow (US, 2005)   
  •    The Icicle Thief (Italy, 1989)   
  •    Impulse (US, 1984)   
  •    Isn't She Great (US, 2000)   
  •    Jennifer's Body (US, 2009)   
  •    Joan Lui - Ma un giorno nel paese arrivo io di lunedi (Italy, 1985)   
  •    Keeping Mum (UK/US, 2005)   
  •    The King (US/UK, 2005)   
  •    Knowing (US, 2009)   
  •    The Last Starfighter (US, 1984)   
  •    The Love Guru (US, 2008)   
  •    The Man in the Moon (US, 1991)   
  •    Menace II Society (US, 1993)   
  •    Midnight Run (US, 1988)   
  •    O.C. and Stiggs (US, 1985)   
  •    One True Thing (US, 1998)   
  •    Palmetto (US/Germany, 1998)   
  •    A Perfect Getaway (US, 2009)   
  •    Pineapple Express (2008)   
  •    The Razor's Edge (US, 1984)   
  •    Return to Oz (US, 1985)   
  •    Ronin (US, 1998)   
  •    The Runaways (US, 2010)   
  •    Session 9 (US, 2001)   
  •    Seven Minutes in Heaven (US, 1985)   
  •    The Signal (US, 2007)   
  •    Spartan (US, 2003)   
  •    Static (US, 1985)   
  •    Streets of Fire (US, 1984)   
  •    The Sure Thing (US, 1985)   
  •    The Switch (US, 2010)   
  •    That Thing You Do! (US, 1996)   
  •    Throw Momma from the Train (US, 1987)   
  •    Tin Cup (US, 1996)   
  •    Tombstone (US, 1993)   
  •    Trespass (US, 1992)   
  •    Two Idiots in Hollywood (US, 1988)   
  •    Unlawful Entry (US, 1992)   
  •    Victor Victoria (UK, 1982)   
  •    The Village (US, 2004)   
  •    The Wisdom of Crocodiles (UK, 1998)   
  •    Women of the Night (US, 1999)   
  •    Working Girl (US, 1988)   
  •    Year One (US, 2009)   

Which of these films would you say were rightly 'overlooked' at the time? Which ones merit a re-watch? Would you add any to the list?

Jared

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Re: Forgotten pleasures of the multiplex
« Reply #1 on: May 31, 2011, 05:18:01 PM »
Ive seen these ones:
 
what does it say on GF III?

 A.I. Artificial Intelligence (US, 2001)   
   Alien 3 (US, 1992)   
   Contact (US, 1997)   
   The Devil Wears Prada (US, 2006)   
   Femme Fatale (France, 2002)   
   Galaxy Quest (US, 1999)   
   The Godfather Part III (US, 1990)   
   Knowing (US, 2009)   
   The Man in the Moon (US, 1991)   
   Midnight Run (US, 1988)   
   Pineapple Express (2008)   
   Return to Oz (US, 1985)   
   Ronin (US, 1998)   
   That Thing You Do! (US, 1996)   
   Tin Cup (US, 1996)   
   Tombstone (US, 1993)   
   Victor Victoria (UK, 1982)   
   Year One (US, 2009)   

MartinTeller

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Re: Forgotten pleasures of the multiplex
« Reply #2 on: May 31, 2011, 05:23:54 PM »
My Criticker scores:

91   Midnight Run (US, 1988)   
78   Menace II Society (US, 1993)   
77   Galaxy Quest (US, 1999)   
75   The Sure Thing (US, 1985)   
75   Excalibur (US, 1981)   
74   A.I. Artificial Intelligence (US, 2001)   
73   Hustle & Flow (US, 2005)   
73   Alien 3 (US, 1992)   
72   Ronin (US, 1998)   
72   The Village (US, 2004)   
71   Pineapple Express (2008)   
68   That Thing You Do! (US, 1996)   
62   The Falcon and the Snowman (US, 1985)   
58   The Godfather Part III (US, 1990)   
55   Session 9 (US, 2001)   
48   Impulse (US, 1984)   
47   Working Girl (US, 1988)   
45   Contact (US, 1997)   
45   Footloose (US, 1984)   
32   Unlawful Entry (US, 1992)   
16   Throw Momma from the Train (US, 1987)   


Except for Throw Momma, they're all at least watchable.  Footloose probably doesn't deserve such a low score, and I barely remember anything about Contact.  Working Girl would be a pretty good movie with almost any other lead actress. 

tinyholidays

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Re: Forgotten pleasures of the multiplex
« Reply #3 on: May 31, 2011, 05:25:55 PM »
Seeing The Love Guru on that list made me laugh.

I remember liking these at the time:

  •    Contact (US, 1997)   
  •    The Devil Wears Prada (US, 2006)   
  •    Galaxy Quest (US, 1999)   
  •    The Last Starfighter (US, 1984)   
  •    Pineapple Express (2008)   
  •    Tin Cup (US, 1996)   
  •    The Village (US, 2004)   
  •    Working Girl (US, 1988)   

There's a few of those I haven't seen in over ten years, so I'm not sure how much I'd trust wee me.

MP

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Re: Forgotten pleasures of the multiplex
« Reply #4 on: May 31, 2011, 05:57:56 PM »
what does it say on GF III?
Armond White of the New York Post writes (vague spoilers within):

It is a great injustice that critics deny The Godfather Part III any of the effusive acclaim given [the other two] - this mistake overlooks the great power of III as Coppola complicated and fulfilled his project. Coppola elevated the gangster movie by importing art-movie strategies into the time-folding structure of II, then in III he added self-referential details and casting that certifies the autobiographical ethnic immigrant legacy. The object of III was to personalise a Hollywood genre that had become the folly of superficial movie-brat appreciation. Michael becomes American cinema's greatest character since Scarlett O'Hara by embodying the 20th-century dilemma of upholding American identity wihle being conscious of the country's contradictory, sometimes immoral acts; his punishment and long-delayed confession reunites the Godfather saga with a Catholic sense of sin and provides the series (and Al Pacino's stages-of-man performance) with well-proportioned unity. Despite a flawed sequences and performances (though no Sofia Coppola's cosseted Mary, an uncannily contemporary product of the depravity Don Vito began) violence is shown to exact its cost. The narrative thrust of the first two films require this - they are incomplete without it. Part III matters because Michael, the corrupted American scion, finally repents. Unfortunately, repentance - the emotion that gave Greek tragedy its power - is what The Sopranos era has eliminated.



I've only seen 9 on the list, none of which were particularly recent viewings: A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Alien 3, Breakdown, The Butterfly Effect, The Craft, The Godfather Part III, Midnight Run, Ronin, Session 9. Its inclusion makes me want to see Alien 3 again; good to see Midnight Run and Session 9 making the cut (I wasn't aware the former was underappreciated).

I've always championed the third Godfather film anyway, so its presence is welcome.

Bondo

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Re: Forgotten pleasures of the multiplex
« Reply #5 on: May 31, 2011, 06:09:35 PM »
Truly Great
  •    A.I. Artificial Intelligence (US, 2001)   
  •    Contact (US, 1997)   
  •    Galaxy Quest (US, 1999)   
(One of my favorite comedies)
  •    The Godfather Part III (US, 1990)   
(I maintain this is the best of the Godfather films)
  •    Hustle & Flow (US, 2005)   
  •    Keeping Mum (UK/US, 2005)   
(This was right around my top ten that year)
  •    Tin Cup (US, 1996)   
(Watched this so much in the latter half of the 90s)
  •    Tombstone (US, 1993)   
  •    The Village (US, 2004)   
Good
  •    The Butterfly Effect (US, 2003)   
  •    Midnight Run (US, 1988)   
  •    Spartan (US, 2003)   
Meh
  •    Alien 3 (US, 1992)   
  •    Bound (US, 1996)   
  •    The Craft (US, 1996)   
  •    De l'autre côté du lit (France, 2008)   
  •    The Devil Wears Prada (US, 2006)   
  •    Final Destination 3 (US, 2006)   
  •    Return to Oz (US, 1985)   
(I just remember it being kind of curious but not necessarily god)
  •    Ronin (US, 1998)   
  •    The Runaways (US, 2010)   
  •    Working Girl (US, 1988)   
Terrible
  •    The Box (US, 2009)   
  •    Jennifer's Body (US, 2009)   
  •    Knowing (US, 2009)   
  •    Pineapple Express (2008)   
  •    Session 9 (US, 2001)   
  •    Year One (US, 2009)   

MP

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Re: Forgotten pleasures of the multiplex
« Reply #6 on: May 31, 2011, 06:17:04 PM »
Ha, for a second there I thought you'd simultaneously called TGF III the best of the trilogy and one of your favourite comedies.

Bondo

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Re: Forgotten pleasures of the multiplex
« Reply #7 on: May 31, 2011, 06:26:06 PM »
I apparently don't play well with formatting. :)

Jared

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Re: Forgotten pleasures of the multiplex
« Reply #8 on: May 31, 2011, 06:32:23 PM »
Sofia Coppola provides quite a bit of comedy in my opinion.

1SO

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Re: Forgotten pleasures of the multiplex
« Reply #9 on: May 31, 2011, 06:37:52 PM »
That's a very personalized list. I'd like to know more about what the criteria was because there are successful films, art house releases. What constitutes a "forgotten pleasure" because quite a few of these the general pubic and/or critical community believe they deserve to be forgotten. And quite a few never got a multiplex release.

For example. If Avalon is in there, where's Shotgun Stories?

 

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