Author Topic: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts  (Read 395706 times)

Bondo

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #310 on: May 13, 2010, 09:11:39 PM »
Garlic Is As Good As Ten Mothers (Les Blank, 1980)

I’m a foodie. I like cooking and Italian is my specialty (because there is no value in specializing in Norwegian) so I am rather familiar with garlic. As such, I think I was rather a receptive audience for this documentary and enjoyed it more than I would have without this background. I say this because it isn’t a particularly good documentary.

At 50 minutes it is short, but the informational content is even slighter. There is about 5 minutes of this film that addresses facts about garlic and the role of garlic in culture. It talks about potential health benefits, ties to Dracula legend, and other such places where garlic pops up, but always in the vaguest terms. The other 45 minutes are spent watching people cook using garlic. Sometimes this is mouthwatering and sometimes, as a near vegetarian, it is rather disgusting.

Now, we could certainly get into a debate about the proper role of a documentary. I came of age in the modern documentary revolution, where documentaries are heavy-handed narratives that use glitzy editing and effects to really package the material. This being a film from 1980, it comes from an older brand of documentary that is much more inclined to just set a camera down and press record. I have to admit a strong preference for the modern style. I would have liked to get more information density out of this. Rather than vague comments about where and how it is grown and in what varieties, be a bit more comprehensive. Talk to me about the various ways and methods for converting it from the base plant to food. Give me more perspective on its alleged health benefits; include more footage of attractive, nude French women getting olive oil rub-downs. Whatever it is, this film just needs a bit more. If you can find it and are a foodie, it isn’t bad, but on the whole, people aren’t missing much by this film’s inaccessibility.

IMDB link



IMDB link
Working Girl (Mike Nichols, 1988)

Feminism! When I saw the title I was pretty sure this film was about a prostitute. I like films about prostitutes. But apparently by working they meant a proper 9-5 job. This film does seem to be a celebration of a certain feminist idea (I’m going with second wave). It is about a woman who is not going to be degraded by where society has placed her and lives down to its expectations of her capabilities. It is a world where she can be both sexy and smart. It is a world where all the men are cads, though perhaps we can forgive a guy who looks like Harrison Ford.

Of course, it is a film that also features cat-fighting. I’m not sure I’d say it glamorizes women acting like men as the path to success (well, how they perceive men to be), but it certainly plays upon that notion. That said, the film has some charming moments. It is passable.

Again, I’m not thrilled about this pairing and would probably be just as happy with a double elimination. Despite my natural thematic preference for Garlic, Working Girl does what it is better, and being more available for those in the next round doesn’t hurt. There seemed to be some dispute about whether I could reclaim this pairing so count it or not, but I thought I'd go ahead and submit the verdict.

Verdict: Working Girl moves on
« Last Edit: May 13, 2010, 09:13:10 PM by Bondo »

smirnoff

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #311 on: May 15, 2010, 08:58:23 AM »
I'd never heard of either of these films before but Working Girl looks/sounds better so I'm glad it's moving on.

roujin

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #312 on: May 15, 2010, 09:48:51 AM »
Garlic sounds better to me  :-\

mañana

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #313 on: May 15, 2010, 12:19:02 PM »
Nice job, Bondo. I've never heard of Garlic and have never seen more than a few minutes of WG but it didn't seem very good. Hopefully you'll like something from your next match-up.
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Bondo

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #314 on: May 18, 2010, 04:18:07 PM »
Let’s Get Lost (Bruce Weber, 1988)

Oh dear God. Somehow they made a 120 minute, largely unstructured documentary wherein the image rarely matches directly to the topic. Rather, interviews are played to images of jazz music sets or driving down the highway or whatever else. This is a setting that would demand a spectacularly fascinating topic to work. Personally, some jazz trumpeter’s life is not one that qualifies. I would talk about how this style of documentary is old and inferior, but the film it reminds me of most is Of Time And The City, last year’s Filmspot nominated doc about Liverpool…that I hated. So I guess it is more inferior than old. I neither appreciate the style nor the material. I guess this is the 16 seed to Top Gun’s 1 seed.

Ok, that probably isn’t entirely fair to Let’s Get Lost. It does eventually get around to a bit more coherence. I think the problem is ultimately the topic more than the style. Nothing about Chet Baker seems all that interesting to me that I’d desire to spend time (especially a long two hours) on his life story. Five iPhones out of five is all I’m saying.

IMDB link



IMDB link
Top Gun (Tony Scott, 1986)

I’ve got a theory that you can judge the quality of a film by the quality of its spoof. Thus, because Hot Shots > Mafia, Top Gun > Godfather. Similarly, Star Wars > Top Gun because Spaceballs > Hot Shots. That a film could so closely structure itself off Top Gun in parody, and be effective is a testament to the cultural significance of Top Gun.

Sure, the romance, though handled with good chemistry, seems a little off-tone and Maverick gets on your nerves in the first half with his wild behaviors that not only go beyond standard protocols in the name of amazing results, but just petty disobedience. But on the other hand you get a classic soundtrack (top 5 all time?), you get incredible aerial stunts…we’re talking real jets with real pilots at the helm. No CGI here. You also get moments of surprising emotional heft.

Top Gun may not deliver any transcendent depth of meaning, but in the spirit of the blockbuster it is, it is an indisputable blast to watch, as it was again in what is probably my fourth or fifth complete viewing. I’m afraid it was always a long shot for Let’s Get Lost.

Verdict: Top Gun in a landslide

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #315 on: May 18, 2010, 04:23:51 PM »
Yuck. Top Gun is horrible.

pixote

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #316 on: May 18, 2010, 04:25:47 PM »
I liked Let's Get Lost a lot more than you (thought I reviewed it, guess not — Grade: B), but Top Gun is the greatest film of all time, so okay.

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Bill Thompson

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #317 on: May 18, 2010, 04:26:06 PM »
Yuck. Top Gun is horrible.

If you can't get behind it's cheesy goodness then something might be wrong with you Sam.

mañana

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #318 on: May 18, 2010, 04:26:40 PM »
That's too bad about Let’s Get Lost, I've heard good things about it. I've always been curious about it because when I was a kid I had a friend and his mom had that poster hanging in their living room and it always fascinated me.

Re: Top Gun, but what about the volleyball scene?  :)
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Bondo

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #319 on: May 18, 2010, 04:31:42 PM »
Yeah, sam, I listened to your podcast  :P

I get the macho complaint about summer blockbusters generally, but I think it fits here. The military environment is one prone to competitive and macho vibes.

Re: Top Gun, but what about the volleyball scene?  :)

I like oiled up, shirtless men as much as the next guy but I'm not sure how relevant it is.