Author Topic: 90s US Round 5: Hoop Dreams vs. Reservoir Dogs  (Read 40083 times)

smirnoff

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90s US Round 5: Hoop Dreams vs. Reservoir Dogs
« on: April 16, 2009, 07:02:38 PM »
Sooooooo.............

There's going to be something of a discussion tonight. Reservoir Dogs vs Hoop Dreams pt1. Who's the favourite?
« Last Edit: April 23, 2009, 01:18:59 AM by pixote »

FLYmeatwad

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1990s US Bracket, Round 5: Hoop Dreams vs. Reservoir Dogs
« Reply #1 on: April 16, 2009, 07:04:41 PM »
Since I have previously watched both of these films I can confidently say that I hope the favourite is not the 3+ hour mediocre documentary.

Sam the Cinema Snob

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1990s US Bracket, Round 5: Hoop Dreams vs. Reservoir Dogs
« Reply #2 on: April 16, 2009, 07:24:49 PM »
Sooooooo.............

There's going to be something of a discussion tonight. Reservoir Dogs vs Hoop Dreams pt1. Who's the favourite?
I think Hoop Dreams is. At least I want it to win so I can watch it.

Why is Reservoir Dogs still in at this point. Yea, it's great but I don't think it's got the chops to contend with the big boys.

FLYmeatwad

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1990s US Bracket, Round 5: Hoop Dreams vs. Reservoir Dogs
« Reply #3 on: April 16, 2009, 07:27:47 PM »
Sooooooo.............

There's going to be something of a discussion tonight. Reservoir Dogs vs Hoop Dreams pt1. Who's the favourite?
I think Hoop Dreams is. At least I want it to win so I can watch it.

Why is Reservoir Dogs still in at this point. Yea, it's great but I don't think it's got the chops to contend with the big boys.

Save yourself the time sam, you'll only leave disappointed.

Junior

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1990s US Bracket, Round 5: Hoop Dreams vs. Reservoir Dogs
« Reply #4 on: April 16, 2009, 07:30:07 PM »
We're gonna start the discussion with Reservoir Dogs tonight in about half an hour. In the meantime, I enjoyed all of the praise for Magnolia. Because it is awesome.
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smirnoff

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1990s US Bracket, Round 5: Hoop Dreams vs. Reservoir Dogs
« Reply #5 on: April 16, 2009, 08:34:09 PM »
I'm going to be happy with either Reservoir Dogs or Hoop Dreams. I love both movies, but this is another case where you really can't compare the two at all.

Or can we?! muahah

Junior

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1990s US Bracket, Round 5: Hoop Dreams vs. Reservoir Dogs
« Reply #6 on: April 16, 2009, 08:34:58 PM »

Ok, first things first. This is a cool movie. Like really cool. Like really really cool. Check it out:

COOL.

COOL.

SUPERCOOL.

COOL.

And then there is, well, this guy.

Not cool.

Yeah, definitely not cool.

But then there are so many cool things that happen and cool shots showing them.

This is a great scene. It's all shot from one perspective (the passenger seat) and the tension is fantastic. The first time I saw it I thought it was kinda goofy. On this, the second viewing, I still thought it was kinda goofy, but in the best possible way.

And this scene is fantastic, too. I love the static shot from this angle for the first half of the scene. It really builds the tension to an even higher level than it already was. Then, when it cuts to this tighter shot:
the tension is ratcheted even higher than ever before. This is truly one of the greatest scenes in recent cinematic history. It's so tightly worded and so well shot that it is ridiculously powerful.

Anyways, the mexican standoff that Tarantino loves is present here, too. Twice, even.
Awesome.

And the execution of this scene is freaking perfect. No wonder it has become one of the iconic scenes of the 90's.

And that last shot. Whew. AWESOME.

There were some things that didn't quite work, most glaringly this shot:
which is just kind of awkward. And Tarantino kind of sucks as an actor. Besides those two things I don't really have a bad thing to say about the film.
« Last Edit: April 16, 2009, 08:39:44 PM by Junior »
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pixote

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1990s US Bracket, Round 5: Hoop Dreams vs. Reservoir Dogs
« Reply #7 on: April 16, 2009, 08:36:53 PM »
Great  |  Near Great  |  Very Good  |  Good  |  Fair  |  Mixed  |  Middling  |  Bad

Junior

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1990s US Bracket, Round 5: Hoop Dreams vs. Reservoir Dogs
« Reply #8 on: April 16, 2009, 08:38:50 PM »
Good call.
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smirnoff

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1990s US Bracket, Round 5: Hoop Dreams vs. Reservoir Dogs
« Reply #9 on: April 16, 2009, 08:40:05 PM »
I like how Roujin put it in his review. Tarantino has never been that original. His whole schtick is taking what he likes from the past, combining it with something else and putting a pretty cool song on top of it. The guy isn't a revolutionary and neither is Reservoir Dogs a particularly innovative film. Another thing that bothered me when I revisited the film is how "cool" (whatever that means) it tried to be. Everything that is done in the film is done to enhance the "cool" effect. From the music choices to the pop culture gabfest of the opening scene.

This bothers me too, and I can't shake it. Whenever I see a "cool" part in a Tarantino movie, it's not the same as seeing a cool part in any other movie. I put "cool" in quotations because it's not actually cool. It lacks the unaware effortlessness of being cool. What's "cool" in Tarantino movies is actually just fun. This is a problem, because while Tarantino is busy getting his jollies, I'm stuck trying to reconcile what's just throwaway amusement, and the rest of the film!

Sigh. Maybe I'm just going about it all wrong. Maybe I never was supposed to do any more than enjoy a Tarantino film for the neverending string of cool, just like I was never supposed to actually care about the story in a porno. Watch it, have fun, that's it. There are times when I'm happy to have fun right along with his films, but there's a lot of time when I'm looking for more and it's not there. Reservoir Dogs was definitely one of those times.