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Author Topic: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts  (Read 395864 times)

ses

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #710 on: July 06, 2010, 09:38:28 PM »
TinyHolidays, I got 404'd on my nicely quoted and formatted reply to your Bull Durham review, so i'm going to make it short and sweet the second time around:  Great Review...Glad you liked it so much!

Thanks, ferris! Glad you and Corndog aren't disappointed in me!

Add me to the list.  I love Bull Durham, great review!
"It's a fool who looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart"

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jbissell

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #711 on: July 07, 2010, 09:08:50 AM »
Correct choice.

I haven't seen either of them, but that sure seems like the right choice to me too.

It has 2x the IMDB rating that Ishtar has. Admittedly Ishtar made one critics best movies list but when we start having films with 3.7 ratings at imdb I'm wondering whether we actually included every 80s US movie :D


Well, I'd like to think that a big part of the brackets is straying from the norm, including films that the majority think are terrible but a few think are good for whatever reason. It gets pretty boring discussing the same set number of widely accepted great films after all.

Yeah, I totally get this and have discovered some smaller ones in the other bracket. Like I said, more a case of bad luck here I think.

Yeah, there are plenty of films in the bracket that I'm interested it seeing, they just haven't come my way. Of course, if I hadn't taken an entire year on my first verdict...

Which reminds me - I need to finish my Oliver verdict.

jbissell

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #712 on: July 08, 2010, 02:01:21 AM »
Oliver & Company (George Scribner, 1988) vs. Forest Of Bliss (Robert Gardner, 1986)


Oliver & Company

This is one of the few Disney films I didn't own on VHS growing up and watching it as an adult I can see why. Good god is this dull. The most redeeming part is the Happy Meal toys that were pretty adorable. It's unfortunate because the film actually gets quite dark at times, but the rest of it is just so boring it's not even worth it (and it's only 74 min!). There's a few songs, none of them particularly memorable, and they all feel like absolute relics. Perhaps this film is the reason I've always hated Billy Joel. He also voices the "cool" dog, Dodger, and really brings nothing to the table. The rest of the voicework varies in quality, mostly a lot of 80s types like little Joey Lawrence or career low appearances from the likes of Bette Midler, Robert Loggia, and Dom DeLuise. We also get the lazy Hispanic caricature chihuahua, voiced by Cheech. The animation is equally dull. This has to be towards the very bottom of Disney animated films, a fact made even more apparent by the classics that followed it only a few years later.



Forest Of Bliss

Not a whole lot to write about this one. Gardner just follows a day in Benares, India. No voiceover, no soundtrack, no acknowledgment of the camera at all, what you see is what you get. Wild dogs fighting for food, people at work, religious rituals, eating, it's all here. The primary focus seems to be on death - plenty of bodies being wrapped, dumped in the water, etc. I never found myself bored, but I did often wish that the image quality was better. Colors that should absolutely pop don't, but that's to be expected from a dub (they look much better shrunken down). There were times when I wouldn't have minded some context, specifically during a lot of the rituals, but that would have been an entirely different film. Oh, and that first dog is a million times better than anything in Oliver & Company.



Verdict
I imagine Forest Of Bliss won't make it out of the second round, but there is no way in hell I could let Oliver & Company advance.

Oliver & Company 3/10
Forest Of Bliss 6.5/10

Bill Thompson

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #713 on: July 08, 2010, 08:17:35 AM »
Yeah J, I didn't like O&C at all when I watched it recently for my animated marathon, it's just not good.

pixote

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #714 on: July 08, 2010, 03:06:11 PM »
Both Midnight Run and Forest of Bliss will be in trouble in the second round against unstoppable force Rob Reiner.  (They're facing The Princness Bride and When Harry Met Sally, respectively.)

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michael x

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #715 on: July 09, 2010, 02:19:11 AM »
Missing (1982)
IMDb: 7.7 (5,880 votes)

   


Missing is a slow-burn political thriller about the coup in Chile. The film oddly provides little in context or broader scope. While cities and political affiliations are mentioned, "Chile", "Allende", "Pinochet" are noticeably absent. A short primer: in 1973, US semi-secretly provided aid and support for right-wing military figures to overthrow the (elected) Marxist president, Salvador Allende. You've probably heard the name Pinochet. He led the junta and assumed presidency for close to two decades, cracking down on opposition through human rights violations. It's a dark moment in US foreign policy history.

The story told in the film is smaller in scope, following U.S. citizen and independent journalist Charles Horman's case. Horman disappears three days into the coup, and his wife (Sissy Spacek) fears the worst, since he was left-wing, idealistic, and a bit loud-mouthed. Jack Lemmon, in a fantastic performance, plays Horman's father stuck in all the red tape. He slowly comes to the realization that the U.S. officials in Chile are intentionally obstructing him in his search. I'll be honest - the film starts off very slowly. I was feeling like I was watching the international version of a prestige picture - quality acting, but just formulaic and uninspired. Yet, the film builds to a great climax and becomes more and more agonizing to watch, especially for an American. The last 40 minutes or so are a real firecracker. Full recommendation for those into political thrillers and/or Jack Lemmon. The soundtrack is very synth-heavy, but it's probably one of the better soundtracks of that kind.


The Big Chill (1983)
IMDb: 7.0 (13,549 votes)

   

The premise here is that a bunch of counter-cultural friends who came of age in the '60s are all grown up. They gather for a funeral of a friend and catch up. They chill out. Funerals can be like that - it's a time when friends or families all travel to the same place, and awkward fellowship ensues. Unfortunately, the tone rang false to me. The awkward edge during reunions of this sort was missing from the film. It was like the writers tried to write in little times during the film when it was "awkward time", but it never worked. Glenn Close was fantastic in Dangerous Liaisons, yet she had nothing interesting to work with in this film. In fact, the actor who stood out was Jeff Goldblum, as the awkward, un-suave guy.

I think The Big Chill may resonate for Baby Boomers who can fill in the character holes with their own life experiences. The characters have had rather archetypal trajectories prior to the events in the film, perhaps to tap into the audience's experiences in that way. Unfortunately, that leaves younger people (like myself) out in the cold, and the film seems to have no interest in explicating the Baby Boomer experience for outsiders. If the movie is going to be about chilling out, I'd like to gain authentic insights into the characters. And there's no excuse for resorting to "classic song + montage of everyone doing stuff" three times in the first 40 minutes alone.


Verdict: Missing is the better crafted film with superior performances, so it moves on.

ferris

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #716 on: July 09, 2010, 09:06:42 AM »
The Big Chill
... And there's no excuse for resorting to "classic song + montage of everyone doing stuff" three times in the first 40 minutes alone.


I've never seen either film, but I'm thinking the Big Chill should lose based on this alone!
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GothamCity151

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #717 on: July 09, 2010, 12:36:42 PM »
Raising Arizona vs. Heaven’s Gate


Raising Arizona



Everything about this film clicks together perfectly. The acting, the writing, the music, the pacing, and the directing make this a completely over the top ball to watch. I laugh at a rate of about 3-4 laughs every 5 minutes (which is a pretty astounding rate). I can not believe the brilliant casting of Nicolas Cage in the lead role. He is perfect in his performance, but if I were making the film, he would not be anyone I would have thought of for the part, and I am glad the Coens did. Holly Hunter is also terrific as Cage's ex-cop wife. And, of course, you have wonderful supporting turns from Coen regulars Frances McDormand and John Goodman. The plot, of course, is completely ridiculous, and it is so much fun. The legendary diaper robbery and subsequent chase are some of the most enjoyable minutes of comedy you will find on screen. I am a big supporter of the Coen Brothers and like everything they do (aside from Intolerable Cruelty and No Country) and they have crafted another great film here. Time to buy it on DVD for me.



Heaven’s Gate



What’s the point of beating a dead horse?



Winner And Advancement To Next Round: Raising Arizona

pixote

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #718 on: July 09, 2010, 12:38:19 PM »
Heaven's Gate  (Michael Cimino, 1980)
Almost as good as Kevin's Gate!
Grade: B+
Unlike me, you'll have to elaborate.

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ferris

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Re: 1980s US Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #719 on: July 09, 2010, 12:50:02 PM »
Hey Gotham...I loved your Raising Arizona review.  Reading it makes me want to watch it again this afternoon :)

Any chance I could talk you into giving us a few sentences on Heaven's Gate? Quick plot synopsis and a quick thought on why you didn't like it?

thanks!


(BTW: following your reviews throughout this thread - I'm getting to the point now where I need to sync up my Netflix queue with your Top 100)
"And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs" - Exodus 8:2 KJV
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