love

Author Topic: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts  (Read 395924 times)

Bondo

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 23082
Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #380 on: June 14, 2010, 04:08:14 AM »
Thanks. I guess I just prefer my vampires teenaged, moody and sparkly.

'Noke

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 11799
Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #381 on: June 14, 2010, 07:44:06 AM »
I'm pretty sure the reason he's not posting more is that he's been camped out for Twilight: Eclipse since mid-April.

pixote

 :D
I actually consider a lot of movies to be life-changing! I take them to my heart and they melt into my personality.

Corndog

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 17025
  • Oo-da-lolly, Oo-da-lolly, golly what a day!
    • Corndog Chats
Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #382 on: June 15, 2010, 10:43:41 PM »
Preface: I must apologize for the text only verdict tonight, but due to my recent computer problems it must be this way. I promis that in the future I will make it much more pretty.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial v. Jimi Plays Monterey

The Alien: Let's be honest, Jimi Hendrix was an alien. The man had chops and an imagination like none other. He could go seemlessly from a psychodelic blues romp like "Purple Haze" straight into a melodic masterpiece like "The Wind Cries Mary". He could write, he could play, and he could certainly perform. So that brings us to his performance at the International Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. It was his first appearence back in America as he had gained notoreity in England by joining forces with the great Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell to form The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Experience was the perfect name for James Marshall Hendrix's band because that is what it must have been like to see him perform live. I will not make the fact that, in my opinion, Jimi Hendrix was the greatest guitar player that ever lived.

So that now brings us to the film by D.A. Pennebaker. At 49 minutes it is a short film and it mostly contains the concert performance of the Experience, but it does have a nifty opening sequence where we observe an artist making a wall rendering of Jimi which is cool. There are also a few segments about the history of Jimi before Monterey but in the end it is mostly hallow and does not cover everything that it should and easily could.

The performance itself is iconic. It is famous for a few reasons. For one, Pete Townshend of The Who had so much respect for Jimi he did not want to have to follow him in the show, but Jimi took this as Pete wanting to destroy his guitar on stage first. Eventually the feud was solved with a coin flip and Jimi went second. The Who did their thing, the usual theatrics, but once Jimi got on stage, it was a performance that will always be remembered. Some standout numbers would include a rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone”, which, in my opinion, improves on the original, as well as Jimi’s own song, “Hey Joe”. He also has two blistering covers of classic blues tunes “Killing Floor” and “Rock Me Baby”. Now what the concert is most famous for is his version of The Troggs “Wild Thing”. It was the last song of the night for Jimi and he proceeded to essentially &*%# the guitar against the amplifier as well as light the guitar on fire as a manner of sacrifice. Oh yea, and then he busted the guitar up too.

Needless to say the performance was amazing and unforgettable and as a Hendrix fan I thoroughly enjoyed myself. But what are its merits as a film. Well honestly it was not much more than a concert film and did not do much to make me think it was more than just what Jimi had to offer. Kudos to Pennebaker for capturing the performance, but he did not seem to add anything to it to make it noteworthy as far as film in concerned.

Shake! Otis at Monterey: This film also comes on the same disc, and for Redding fans I would say it is a must. It is a very brief performance, but Otis comes to pack a punch. Recommended for Redding and music fans alike.

The Other Alien: So E.T. is a film that I had also, amazing never seen. I had known about it and been told how great it was and I knew of the Reese’s Pieces and the flying across the moon. I had even heard about the atrocious CGI editing of the film, taking the guns out of the hands of the cops. Well that last one, honestly, I forgot about while watching the film, and I can say, it did not change a thing in terms of my reception of the picture looking back on it. So to all those who claim Spielberg robbed your childhood with those edits, grow up, it did not ruin it.

I loved this film, and had the privilege of watching it with my mom and dad when I was home over the past weekend. The film opens and we see E.T. in the forest, getting left behind and chased down by faceless mystery men. We do not know who these men are, why they are there, and why they are chasing the little alien, and we do not have to, it is not their story. So then E.T. winds up at Elliot’s (Henry Thomas) house and befriends the three young kids there. But soon the alien is found out and the chase is on to protect him from the evil adults who want to run tests on him.

So I loved pretty much everything here. Drew Barrymore is cuter than the cutest thing I have ever witnessed with these two eyes, as it E.T. for that matter. The film manages to be very funny while at the same time being very touching, which is marked by a great child performance by Henry Thomas. I soared with the two and my heart broke with the two. It seemed like just the thing that I was missing in my life: a little alien friend. I also came up with a theory that E.T. represented Elliot’s childhood, I do not know if that is a theory or not, but that is how I saw it. I told that to my brother and he just called my snooty, looking for meaning that is not there, because apparently he believes that Spielberg only makes films for entertainment and money, which he does, but come on, Schindler’s List did not mean anything? So anyway, yea, his childhood, that is what I think. I am curious to know if anyone sees what I am talking about or agrees/disagrees with me on that.

Verdict: These were two things I loves, however they were not two films I loved. One I saw as being much more significant as compared to the other. I would recommend both of them strongly, but for different reasons. So therefore I must say that E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial moves on from this match-up. Cherrio.

Oh, and pix, I’ll take another please and thank you 
"Time is the speed at which the past decays."

mañana

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 20862
  • Check your public library
Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #383 on: June 15, 2010, 11:36:30 PM »
I haven't seen Jimi Plays Monterey but I'm sure it's as good as you say. I fully approve of E.T. advancing. Nice that you had two good ones.

Also, nice job to Bondo and tiny.
There's no deceit in the cauliflower.

jbissell

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 10915
  • What's up, hot dog?
Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #384 on: June 16, 2010, 09:02:51 AM »
I haven't seen Jimi Plays Monterey but I'm sure it's as good as you say. I fully approve of E.T. advancing. Nice that you had two good ones.

Also, nice job to Bondo and tiny.

I'm not too upset about this one since Jimi probably didn't need to be in this bracket anyways and I do like ET.

ferris

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 10830
  • "Bravo Vincent....Bravo!"
Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #385 on: June 16, 2010, 10:52:24 AM »
I haven't seen Jimi Plays Monterey but I'm sure it's as good as you say. I fully approve of E.T. advancing. Nice that you had two good ones.

Also, nice job to Bondo and tiny.

Yeah nice write ups Corndog, Bondo and TH.  Not sure how I missed this verdicts until this morning.  Nice to see ET advance.  I'm not too sad about Last Crusade, and I've never heard ot he other films, so there you go
"And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs" - Exodus 8:2 KJV
(switchboard)

ses

  • Administrator
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 14979
    • Sarah's Kitchen Adventures
Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #386 on: June 17, 2010, 03:22:46 AM »


Yay, I love E.T.
"It's a fool who looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart"

http://sarahskitchenadventures.blogspot.com/

'Noke

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 11799
Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #387 on: June 17, 2010, 04:18:28 AM »
I think this is my cue to go see ET.
I actually consider a lot of movies to be life-changing! I take them to my heart and they melt into my personality.

Corndog

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 17025
  • Oo-da-lolly, Oo-da-lolly, golly what a day!
    • Corndog Chats
Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #388 on: June 17, 2010, 04:20:53 PM »
I think this is my cue to go see ET.

For real, I couldn't believe I had never seen it before.
"Time is the speed at which the past decays."

mañana

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 20862
  • Check your public library
Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #389 on: June 17, 2010, 04:21:46 PM »
I think this is my cue to go see ET.
Maybe you'll get it in round 2...so like 5 years from now.
There's no deceit in the cauliflower.

 

love