Author Topic: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts  (Read 395783 times)

maņana

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #300 on: February 13, 2010, 12:28:25 PM »
Nice job, Bill. In Reds, what did you think of the witness interviews?
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Bill Thompson

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #301 on: February 13, 2010, 01:28:09 PM »
Nice job, Bill. In Reds, what did you think of the witness interviews?

I liked them at first, but they did become a bit repetitive as the movie progressed. They didn't detract from the film in any way, if anything they added a bit of a realistic touch, being real and all that sounds redundant, but I do wish the later ones hasn't repeated the same information as the initial ones.

ferris

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #302 on: February 18, 2010, 12:10:35 AM »
Reds sounds like an interesting slice of history. I'm not dying to see it, but am curious. Good write up.

Agree.

Thanks for helping to get the 80's Brackets rolling again!
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smirnoff

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #303 on: March 02, 2010, 03:41:34 PM »
Talk Radio (Oliver Stone, 1988)

Barry Champlain is a talk radio host who doesn't mince words. He'll berate you, tease you or ignore you completely. Whether you're a big fan or you hate his guts he'll treat you with the same abrasive honesty that made him popular in the first place. He's the kind of host who always wins arguments because he can talk louder and longer. If all else fails he disconnects you. Much of his audience seems to despise him, and yet they continue to listen to his show or even call in.

Eric Bogosian, who I'd never heard of before, brings a ton of intensity to the role. I immediately found myself wondering "who is this guy and when can I see more of him?". Great character, great performance. He talks a mile a minute so you have no choice but to pay close attention. Also, his scenes in the studio just seem to go on forever, but in a good way.

I thoroughly enjoyed Talk radio. Champlain isn't the kid of character you'll fall in love with, but it's interesting to learn what it is to be the man behind the mike, and the toll it can take. A fascinating story. The only movie about radio I like more is Private Parts. One of the great comedies of the 90's.

IMDB link



IMDB link
The Secret of NIMH (Don Bluth, 1982)

It was back in August of 09 that I watched NIMH for the first time. I liked it as a technical achievement, but as a piece of entertainment I needed more. Not much has changed since then. The magic of the film doesn't have the same hold on me as it would if I were young. And to some degree this is true for all classic Disney and Disney-like films. When I saw Aladdin as a kid I don't think I even blinked. That's how rapt I was. There's no way it would have that same power over me today. There was a time when I wasn't sure I'd feel that way about an animated film ever again. Eventually, though, I discovered Miyazaki (and anime in general).

Anyways, I don't have much else to say about NIMH except that if you're going to watch it, watch it with your kids. Channel their enthusiasm. I'm sure they'll love it.


Verdict: Talk Radio moves on

ferris

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #304 on: March 02, 2010, 03:49:37 PM »
yea!!! love seeing another 80's bracket verdict.  These two films are pretty close for me, but I think you got it right by just a hair.
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1SO

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #305 on: March 02, 2010, 04:04:56 PM »
Talk Radio is one of my absolute favorite movies of all time.  (Currently #26)  I love that you discovered it.  I hope others will follow.

smirnoff

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #306 on: March 02, 2010, 04:15:54 PM »
I think it could do very well in this bracket.

Bondo

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #307 on: May 02, 2010, 10:53:19 PM »
The Terminator (James Cameron, 1984)

Back before McG was driving the franchise into the ground, The Terminator was a cultural touchstone. My experience when I was young was of watching Terminator 2 first and preferring it to The Terminator when I eventually caught up with it. And watching The Terminator again a decade or some such later, it still rather pales in comparison. T2 has a lot of really memorable action set pieces that The Terminator lacks, though you also realize how many T2 scenes are rather uncreative adaptations of scenes from the first one.

The Terminator seems a rather sparse movie. It has long bits with rather little dialogue and sticks to a fairly simple plot arc of the Terminator chasing and Sarah Connor and Reese evading. There are only a few points where it tries to break this simple progression of set pieces to actually deal with the philosophical aspects. Whereas T2 is ambitious, The Terminator seems to be just an action film. It is capable but unspectacular aside from its cultural impact.

I do want to comment on one final thing. The effects here are really dated. There are various points where The Terminator fails to seem like Arnold as they either have a dummy or heavy makeup that does not look authentic. There are other points where the movement involved has a jerkiness reminiscent of Harryhausen. In this way The Terminator hasn't aged all that well.

IMDB link



IMDB link
The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese, 1982)

When I first heard about this film I thought it odd that Robert DeNiro would be playing a stand-up comic. Fockers aside, he hasn't really been considered a comedic actor. Then I dove further into the premise. His character starts out seeming a bit pathetic but quickly the character segues into crazy, a bit reminiscent of Travis Bickle as he keeps upping the ante to get the host of a late-night show to let him do his routine. This starts to sound very much like a Scorsese/DeNiro film. Sad to say, it did not change my opinion that I like Scorsese best without DeNiro. I think when the character shifts from pathetic to delusional, it makes it less interesting. I much preferred my time with Sandra Bernhard to that with DeNiro.

While I was watching this I kind of pictured a modern remake where instead of a terrible comic kidnapping Jerry Lewis' Johnny Carson type character to get on his show, it would be a terrible singer kidnapping Simon Cowell to get on American Idol. Only American Idol's celebration of the terrible in its opening weeks would render that plot utterly unnecessary. This made me very sad about the current state of entertainment.

Frankly, if I had the power, I'd move for a double elimination here and use it to save something else (like the above Secret of NIHM). While I do actually enjoy The Terminator, I still find it ultimately unnecessary to this bracket. But I didn't quite enjoy The King of Comedy so given that The Terminator wins due to soft competition.

Verdict: The Terminator moves on

jbissell

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #308 on: May 03, 2010, 12:35:34 AM »
I was afraid of this. I'm sure I won't be the only one pushing for KoC's resurrection, though it's been a few years since I've seen it.

oneaprilday

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #309 on: May 03, 2010, 11:00:35 PM »
I was afraid of this. I'm sure I won't be the only one pushing for KoC's resurrection, though it's been a few years since I've seen it.
I saw it for the first time pretty recently - it's fantastic. I didn't expect to like it, and I was taken completely by surprise. I hope it's resurrected.

KoC >>>>>>>>>> Funny People