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Author Topic: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts  (Read 395699 times)

Beavermoose

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #490 on: June 25, 2010, 02:15:24 PM »
Great reviews.  I've got to go see Once Upon a Time... - I'm long overdue. 

...in America is Leone's second best Once Upon a Time story  ;)

GothamCity151

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #491 on: June 25, 2010, 03:41:44 PM »
Blood Simple vs. The Times Of Harvey Milk


Blood Simple



The Coen Brothers have crafted a master thriller in Blood Simple. This is yet another film to enter into my top 100 films of all time from this 80s bracket. The central premise is not anything new. A bar owner (Dan Hedaya) hires a private investigator (M. Emmit Walsh) to kill his wife (Frances McDormand) and her lover (John Getz). However, what the Coen Brothers do with the premise is incredibly new and adds even more suspense into the mix. The film unfolds in such a unique way that you have no idea what is going to come next, even if you know all the thriller conventions that are used in countless others. Every performance here is solid, especially from M. Emmit Walsh, who relishes every second he is on screen. The Carter Burwell score is haunting and gets your heart pumping fast at all the right moments. Barry Sonnenfeld’s cinematography is not afraid of the dark or the intense sunlight of Texas. The Coens’ story here is able to allow things to get messy and confusing, yet everything seems to tie up together. The dialogue, as always from them, is fantastic and interesting to listen to. I absolutely loved this film, and second to The Big Lebowski, is my favorite Coen Brothers film.



The Times Of Harvey Milk



I think I come at this film at a disadvantage. I say this because I have already seen Gus Van Sant’s picture Milk. The reason I say that is because I believe that film does a better job a giving a well-rounded portrayal of Harvey Milk. This film is very vague and feels almost like a Wikipedia biography. All it does is go through the career point by point listing accomplishments. I mean the film does keep you engaged in some respect because Harvey Milk is an interesting figure. Another problem with the film is that its agenda is so one-sided that it beats you over the head with it. I mean I agree with the political statements being put forth, but I prefer my documentaries to be as objective as possible. The film portrays Milk as a saint from the word go and never, really, has a misstep. Emotionally, the film does its work with the footage of the candlelight march. Overall, I was very underwhelmed with this film. It feels too much like an hour-long History Channel piece, and not a great documentary, as it is hailed to be. I did not dislike the film, just disappointed.



Winner And Advancement To Next Round: Blood Simple

flieger

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #492 on: June 25, 2010, 04:13:36 PM »
Boo! Coens!  :(

pixote

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #493 on: June 25, 2010, 04:14:01 PM »
Tragic.  :'(

pixote
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smirnoff

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #494 on: June 25, 2010, 04:22:39 PM »
I remember hearing the criticism of No Country that it was technically solid but otherwise a hallow movie. This never really rang true for me, but then I saw Blood Simple and it's the first thing that came to mind. :-\ It sounds like you really connected with it though GC, so that's good. Always nice to hear when people find a new top 100 type film. Sounds like you made the right call. Good write-up.

pixote

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #495 on: June 25, 2010, 04:25:20 PM »
Blood Simple will face An American Werewolf in London in the next round.

pixote
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smirnoff

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #496 on: June 25, 2010, 04:28:05 PM »
Hmm, I was hoping Never Cry Wolf and An American Werewolf would face off. :(

pixote

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #497 on: June 25, 2010, 04:30:39 PM »
Hmm, I was hoping Never Cry Wolf and An American Werewolf would face off. :(

Never Cry Wolf might well face Back to the Future in round two.  And then either Blue Velvet, Little Mermaid, or Empire of the Sun in round three.

pixote
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Beavermoose

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #498 on: June 25, 2010, 04:33:49 PM »
My beef with Blood Simple was that I didn't get that the guy though that Frances McDormand had killed her husband and kept asking myself why he decided to dispose of the body instead of calling the cops.

smirnoff

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #499 on: June 25, 2010, 04:36:29 PM »
Hmm, I was hoping Never Cry Wolf and An American Werewolf would face off. :(

Never Cry Wolf might well face Back to the Future in round two.  And then either Blue Velvet, Little Mermaid, or Empire of the Sun in round three.

pixote
No problem. I'm extremely confident in what that movie has to offer.