Author Topic: 1SO Rebuilds His Top 100 of All Time  (Read 235237 times)

1SO

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Re: 1SO Rebuilds His Top 100 of All Time
« Reply #160 on: October 03, 2010, 12:54:13 AM »
I liked it.  It's my favorite film so far by Powell/Pressburger.  It has an intelligent and nuanced but cold first half followed by a breathtaking piece of cinema and capped off by an emotional though simplified back half.  I could see rewatching it some day, but I don't want to own it.

Cold first half... You are strange. And wrong. And strange. The first half was so funny and awesome and funny. Argh. You are the worst, 1SO. The worst!
It's like you're trying to pick a fight, but I'm just so happy you're following along.  Besides, how can I be the worst when Sam is still around.  :D

FroHam X

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Re: 1SO Rebuilds His Top 100 of All Time
« Reply #161 on: October 03, 2010, 01:01:42 AM »
I liked it.  It's my favorite film so far by Powell/Pressburger.  It has an intelligent and nuanced but cold first half followed by a breathtaking piece of cinema and capped off by an emotional though simplified back half.  I could see rewatching it some day, but I don't want to own it.

Cold first half... You are strange. And wrong. And strange. The first half was so funny and awesome and funny. Argh. You are the worst, 1SO. The worst!
It's like you're trying to pick a fight, but I'm just so happy you're following along.  Besides, how can I be the worst when Sam is still around.  :D

It's hard not to pick a fight when you are so wrong so much of the time. How in the heck did we do all those episodes and find ourselves agree on almost all of them? How?
"We didn't clean the hamster's cage, the hamster's cage cleaned us!"

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1SO

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Re: 1SO Rebuilds His Top 100 of All Time - A Man For All Seasons
« Reply #162 on: October 04, 2010, 03:07:56 PM »
Marathon Update



A Man For All Seasons

"William Roper: So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!
Sir Thomas More: Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?
William Roper: Yes, I'd cut down every law in England to do that!
Sir Thomas More: Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then?


This will not be a review as I was mostly disinterested throughout the film.  I can't say why exactly I couldn't maintain focus for any length of time.  The acting is excellent, especially Robert Shaw who is 180 degrees from his work in Jaws and just as entertaining.  Paul Scofield is just right in the lead role and it was neat seeing John Hurt at such a young age.  There were a few nice scenes and bits of dialogue, but there also seemed to be an unnecessary amount of boat rowing and Orson Wells was out of place both as an actor and as a physical presence.  He looked something like the fat vampire from Blade.


This is one of my Top 5 Least Favorite Films to win Best Picture.

Next Up:
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Best Years of Our Lives
F*cking Amal
Harlan County U.S.A.

MartinTeller

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Re: 1SO Rebuilds His Top 100 of All Time
« Reply #163 on: October 04, 2010, 03:14:37 PM »
I sat through the whole thing, and IMO you're not missing much.

oneaprilday

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Re: 1SO Rebuilds His Top 100 of All Time
« Reply #164 on: October 04, 2010, 03:47:29 PM »
Not surprised, I guess, 1SO, but  :-\ :'(  :(

Bondo

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Re: 1SO Rebuilds His Top 100 of All Time
« Reply #165 on: October 04, 2010, 04:37:56 PM »
Apparently I saw this at some point as I have it rated on Netflix and checked on iCheckMovies but I couldn't tell you the first thing about it and I have it rated poorly.

1SO

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Re: 1SO Rebuilds His Top 100 of All Time
« Reply #166 on: October 04, 2010, 11:49:56 PM »
Quote
When called on to choose his favorite film, the potty-mouthed director of rude little movies like CLERKS and DOGMA chooses the story of Saint Thomas More. Well, there are reasons.
A great article with Kevin Smith speaking about A Man For All Seasons here:
http://www.viewaskew.com/press/watchingmovies/

Quote
This movie is like porn for somebody who loves language.
I wanted to add this quote from Tim and the link to my thread because it really is a great article, and quite long.  All day I've been trying to imagine the mindset back in 1966, the wave of hype that made A Man For All Seasons the front runner for Best Picture and 5 other Oscars.  I just couldn't see it.  But thanks to this article, I get it a bit more.  Smith even uses the same quote that I use as an example of good dialogue.  It's the first thorough analysis I've read that I can understand and accept, even if I don't agree.

oldkid

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Re: 1SO Rebuilds His Top 100 of All Time
« Reply #167 on: October 05, 2010, 12:23:52 AM »
I love A Man For All Seasons.

I love that it is all about dialogue, as is Doubt, another great movie in this genre. 

I love that its hero is a saint who dies for standing up for principle.

I love that it is firmly based in history.

I love the acting, especially Paul Scofield.

I do wish it had a more balanced view of More, writer of Utopia and one who condemned many to death for his principles.  But its historical lapses I can ignore because of the presentation of a wonderful, powerful character.

Glorious, simply glorious.
"It's not art unless it has the potential to be a disaster." Bansky

oneaprilday

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Re: 1SO Rebuilds His Top 100 of All Time
« Reply #168 on: October 05, 2010, 12:30:41 AM »
I love A Man For All Seasons.

I love that it is all about dialogue, as is Doubt, another great movie in this genre. 

I love that its hero is a saint who dies for standing up for principle.

I love that it is firmly based in history.

I love the acting, especially Paul Scofield.

I do wish it had a more balanced view of More, writer of Utopia and one who condemned many to death for his principles.  But its historical lapses I can ignore because of the presentation of a wonderful, powerful character.

Glorious, simply glorious.
Yay!!! And yes, yes, yes to all of the above.

(With the teeny exception of putting Doubt in the same category of greatness. :) I just watched Doubt and wasn't as impressed with it as I hoped I'd be. Do you have a link to your review, steve - did you review it? I want to understand more why you (and sam?) like it so much.)

sdedalus

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Re: 1SO Rebuilds His Top 100 of All Time
« Reply #169 on: October 05, 2010, 02:23:17 AM »
The Lion in Winter >>> A Man For All Seasons.
The End of Cinema

Seattle Screen Scene

"He was some kind of a man. What does it matter what you say about people?"