Highlights of the Board: Questions For Members New and Old

[Antares]

It's like those scenes in westerns when some cowboy from far away shows up in a saloon of a quiet frontier town, and everyone turns and looks who just walked in. I think we're more welcoming than that though

At least we haven't reached the point where we're looking at newbies like they're Hickey from The Iceman Cometh...yet. 

[Eric/E.T.]

Sweet, a new member! Welcome!

To celebrate, maybe I'll try to see Stillwater.

You stated that your favorite working director is Villeneuve. I am behind on posts, so sorry if I didn't see this, but have you seen Dune? I think it might be worth starting a spoiler thread on that. (Also, as you've probably noticed, the more in-depth and interactive discussions on individual films happen there, so we don't have to worry about blacking out major plot points and so forth.)

[Dave the Necrobumper]

MrAlfredKralik, if you are feeling like adventuring into one of the clubs we have on the forum. For several years we have been watching and reviewing films from another members top 100. It has been a great way to find other interesting and sometimes great films. This month is smirnoff's top 100 club. Here is smirnoff's post for the start of the month and if you click on the text "quote from..." you will jump to the correct thread. It would be great to have another member participate, although it is not a requirement for being on the forum ( ).

Remember remember your November club member,
With films for great ease to be sought,
Some are Japanese and star Brendan Gleeson,
While most have an astronaut.


I've brushed the dust off my top 100, made some (probably invisible) revisions, and slapped a "Limited time offer" sticker on it in true used-car saleman fashion. If that doesn't draw in the buyers nothing will!

Here's the list on Letterboxd.

[MrAlfredKralik]

Sweet, a new member! Welcome!

To celebrate, maybe I'll try to see Stillwater.

You stated that your favorite working director is Villeneuve. I am behind on posts, so sorry if I didn't see this, but have you seen Dune? I think it might be worth starting a spoiler thread on that. (Also, as you've probably noticed, the more in-depth and interactive discussions on individual films happen there, so we don't have to worry about blacking out major plot points and so forth.)

Can do!

[Eric/E.T.]

1. Who is your favorite movie director working today?
Three-way Tie - Sean Baker, Hirokazu Kore-eda and Bong Joon-ho

2. Who is the greatest movie director of All Time and what is the worst movie by them you've seen?
Impossible to say at this point. The past directors from whom I've seen 4+ films and think are on another level are Ozu, Bergman, Godard (maybe current, but I don't know?), and Erice (only three, but magnificent).
Ozu's "worst": A Hen in the Wind
Bergman's "worst": Wild Strawberries
Godard's "worst" (yes, 1SO, I know, so many to chose from): Histoires du Cinema (which I actually like)
Erice's "worst": El Sur, which I have on my most recent Top 100

3. Who is the greatest living movie Actor and Actress?
I will say that these are the greatest living Anglophonic actors of our time, since those are the ones that dominate my view of cinema. Keeping up on current world cinema is still not all that easy, even with all the streaming options, and keeping up with current actors in that scene is simply beyond me at this point.
That said:
Male: Adam Driver
Female: Lupita Nyong'o and Carey Mulligan
And I look forward to when these distinctions based on assigned sex at birth can fade away.

4. Who is the greatest movie Actor and Actress of all time?
A. How could anyone know? What a vast number of films one would have to see, and even then, there are so many films that haven't survived or that we don't have access to in America.
B. Only based on what I know, which is so little, I'll go with Setsuko Hara (based on my current Ozu marathon, her stage presence and the small variations in her demeanor to expose big truths is second to none) and James Stewart (I like Henry Fonda better, but think Stewart is probably more talented).

5. What is your favorite Overlooked Film?
Sin Nombre

6. What film in your Top 100 gives your list personal charm?
No One Knows About Persian Cats

7. What is your favorite TV Show of All Time?
A Recency Bias Special: Friday Night Lights

8. Would you rather own the Complete Box Set for Mad Men, Lost, Breaking Bad or Buffy the Vampire Slayer?
None

9. Which year of cinema was better, 1957 or 1974?
1957

10. Which is better Goodfellas or Magnolia?
Magnolia

11. Die Hard or Back to the Future?
Die Hard

12. Name one film you're ashamed to admit you still haven't watched.
Oh, so many, but I lost the shame a while ago, so that I could be led to the good ones. I don't know if I'll like it, but Come and See is one I've seen on a lot of "Best...of all Time" lists, probably my greatest shame at this point. I still haven't seen the original Halloween, either.

13. Name both your Man Crush and your Woman Crush.
Ryan Gosling and Mila Kunis (my cat is named after her)

14. For each category, list 1 Favorite and 1 you wish more of us would watch:
Musical - In the Heights ; No One Knows About Persian Cats
Horror Movie - Let the Right One In; Tigers Are Not Afraid
Film Noir - Drive; not sure
Documentary - Exit Through the Gift Shop; Heaven Adores You
Animated Film - WALL-E; Paprika
Western - Blazing Saddles; Meek's Cutoff (maybe not for this board, you've all seen it I think, but for the general population)
James Bond Film - Skyfall; not sure
Performance by an Actor - Denis Lavant, Beau Travail; LaKeith Stanfield, Sorry to Bother You (again, maybe not this board, but this was such a bananas good performance destined for under-recognition)
Performance by an Actress - Ruth Gordon, Harold and Maude; Ana Torrent, The Spirit of the Beehive and Emily Rios, Quinceanera (yay child performances!)

15. Give the following films a grade/rating (whatever scale you prefer):
The Dark Knight - D
Eraserhead - haven't seen
Inception - B+
Inglourious Basterds - A
A Serious Man - B
Skyfall - C+
Tree of Life - unsure, need to watch again
Watchmen - C+

16. Give the following directors a grade/rating (whatever scale you prefer):
Woody Allen - Incomplete/Haven't seen enough
Wes Anderson - A-
John Ford – D (mostly based on my beliefs)
Werner Herzog - C
Yasujirō Ozu - A
Steven Soderbergh - C
Steven Spielberg - C
Quentin Tarantino - B
Johnnie To - Haven't seen any
Lars von Trier - D+