CFB51 College Football Fan Community
The Power Five => Big Ten => Topic started by: Mdot21 on August 19, 2021, 10:50:39 PM
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Just wanted to see what people around here were thinking. Thoughts?
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Fargo
Indiana Jones 1 and 3 are right there. Goodfellas and Old School (comedies age poorly) might round out a top 5. I'm sure I'm forgetting some that deserve to be in that group.
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(https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/images/og-generic_02031d2b.png?region=0%2C0%2C1200%2C1200)
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Godfather series, Hunt for Red October, Inherit the Wind, the early Bond movies,
Major League, Gettysburg, Saving Private Ryan, Star Wars 1st three, 2001 space odyssey,
Cool Hand Luke, John Wayne's Fort Apache - She Wore a Yellow Ribbon - Rio Grande,
Finding Forrester, Mutiny on the Bounty with Mel Gibson, Master and Commander
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+1 for Star Wars
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"Best movie ever" is so different than "favorite movie." I've seen some truly great movies that I don't want to re-watch and others that I enjoy dozens of times.
The Big Lebowski or the Princess Bride aren't going to win any 'greatest ever' awards, but I'll enjoy them over and over.
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Some of my favs:
Godfather
Jaws
Shawshank
It’s a wonderful Life
Titanic
Cool Hand Luke
Slum dog Millionaire
Pale Rider
Signs
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Jeez some Christmas movies alone would take 2 or 3
So many catagories/genres you could make a seperate list for all of them
Midnight Run - Raiders of the Lost Ark - Casablanca - Star Wars - Shawshank Redemption - Jaws - It’s a Wonderful Life - Hunt for Red October - Planes,Trains,Automobiles - Monty Python and the Holy Grail - Christmas Story(the narrations) - Red Rock West - Priest (1994 British film)
freakin' forgot Kelly's Heroes that prolly starts the list.The last two Red Rock West and Priest were those great flicks that fly under the radar and you wonder how they were glossed over.I had read Consumer Reports at the time when they had readers reviews of flicks and those two stuck out
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Casablanca
The Fugitive
Blues Brothers
Lives of Others
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I have to give a shout out to Superbad and Pulp Fiction I thought were great when they came out and my oldest daughter (15) also loves
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My favorite is The Outlaw Josey Wales. I think an interesting list is underappreciated movies that were really good and not well known, like A Good Year.
Some older movies like Casablanca, Twelve Angry Men, The Maltese Falcon, Africa Queen (a theme here), To Kill a Mockingbird, ... The Longest Day was pretty solid.
Cool Hand Luke would make my top list.
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Adding Good, Bad and the Ugly.
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not much of a movie guy
Big Lebowski, Blues Brothers, Caddy Shack - Comedies
Tombstone, Cool Hand Luke, Outlaw Josey Wales, Good, Bad and the Ugly - Westerns
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"Best movie ever" is so different than "favorite movie." I've seen some truly great movies that I don't want to re-watch and others that I enjoy dozens of times.
The Big Lebowski or the Princess Bride aren't going to win any 'greatest ever' awards, but I'll enjoy them over and over.
Agreed.
Whiplash a couple years ago was fantastic, and the ending scene was so tense. But I've never had any desire to rewatch. I've watched Naked Gun and Airplane more times than I can count. I can't say they are better movies.
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Godfather 2
Godfather 1
....
Everything else. Nothing comes close to that brilliance.
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Never cared that much for those GF flicks
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I liked 'em, excellent writing, direction, and acting.
In general I don't like mob shows or mob movies, so they'd never make my "Greatest" or "Favorite" list, but they were extremely well-made for their genre.
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I've watched Naked Gun and Airplane more times than I can count. I can't say they are better movies.
forgot about those.Did you ever see the Police Squad series all 6 oF them? Critics said the humor went over many heads I agree
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I liked 'em, excellent writing, direction, and acting.
In general I don't like mob shows or mob movies, so they'd never make my "Greatest" or "Favorite" list, but they were extremely well-made for their genre.
That's what I meant to say 😎
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That's what I meant to say 😎
It's okay if you say you didn't like them at all. Lots of folks don't like them at all. Opinions and whatnot... :)
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It's okay if you say you didn't like them at all. Lots of folks don't like them at all. Opinions and whatnot... :)
Opinions are like assholes... Everyone's got one, and most of them stink.
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I think Lawrence of Arabia and Amadeus are my top two films in the traditional definition of "best." However, I like to also factor in watchability / mass appeal for my personal definition of best, so I think my top five-ish are:
Star Wars IV
Pulp Fiction
The Godfather
Shawshank Redemption
Raiders of the Lost Ark
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How do you guys rank the Vacation movies, including the obscure ones?
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Mine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k26hmRbDQFw
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yup, was always one of mine
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Never cared that much for those GF flicks
(https://i.imgflip.com/3irdzj.jpg)
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Godfather 2
Godfather 1
....
Everything else. Nothing comes close to that brilliance.
I'm with you 100% on Part II . It's much better than the first one, and it is by far the greatest film ever made in my opinion, with the greatest acting performance ever put on screen in my opinion- by Al Pacino.
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There are a ton of movies that I really really enjoyed but I don’t know that I could say they were great movies.
Anything with Denzel Washington in it like training Day, man on fire, equalizer etc.
Pulp Fuction
Jeremiah Johnson
The Green Mile.
Goodfellas
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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p4NSa4riL_I
Best scene in that movie
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I liked 'em, excellent writing, direction, and acting.
In general I don't like mob shows or mob movies, so they'd never make my "Greatest" or "Favorite" list, but they were extremely well-made for their genre.
Excellent or well made for their genre is the understatement of the century. Awe inspiring, greatest direction and greatest acting performances ever captured on screen is more like it.
I don't like mob shows or mob movies either to be honest. Majority of them are cliche and downright terrible. And to be honest- while Goodfellas is certainly a good movie- I'm not the biggest fan of it nor do I think it's some groundbreaking masterpiece. It isn't.
The Godfather I & II aren't mob movies. They are works of cinematic art that just so happen to have their backdrop in that world. You can almost look at them as one movie- and they are really about the corruption of innocence, the downfall of man- and you watch on screen someone completely lose his soul and descend into pure darkness. It's Shakespearean, it's operatic, it's almost biblical. Michael always reminds me of that bible verse- "for what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, but lose his soul?" Michael literally gains an empire- becomes unfathomably wealthy, one of the most powerful men in the world- and he's sacrificed his soul in the process.
Michael starts off as an idealistic, moral person- a college student who drops out to enlist in the marines and fight in world war II. He's a war hero who has won a purple heart and he plans to get married to a good girl and go back to college. Michael wants nothing to do with his father's business- and he tells his girlfriend that he's not like his father- "that's my family Kay, that's not me". And through a course of events in the "family business" of which he's not a party to and involved in at all, his father and brothers' lives are put in danger. And in order to save his father's life he's faced with an impossible choice- do nothing and let his father die and potentially his brothers- or do something- which is murder the men who tried to murder his father. The first one shows us the beginning of his decline and the root cause of his downfall, and the second one just takes it to ten other levels and he goes to depths you wouldn't ever think possible.
And the way Pacino plays it's- so nuanced and low-key- it's unbelievable how good that performance is. You see the stress of running the empire, the sadness, the pain, the regret- you see him losing grip of himself- and it's all there in his face, his body language, the way he walks- his face looks weathered, his eyes look cold, dead and sad. His performance in II is unlike anything I have ever seen before or since. Pacino is literally astonishing in it. How he didn't win the academy award for best actor- baffling to me.
I'll stop because I could go on for literally hours talking about Part II. It's the greatest accomplishment in the history of film and greatest work of art ever captured on film. I've seen it hundreds of times, and could watch it every single time it's on- even if it's nearly 3 and a half hours long. If it's on- I have to watch- and it grabs me and holds me for nearly 3 and a half hours- end credits go and I think it's been 15 minutes. Only movie that long that I can watch on repeat like it's nothing- no matter how many times I've already seen it- and truly enjoy it and be captured by it.
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Eh, no. I'm comfortable with my statements about the Godfather movies. They were well-made movies in their genre.
If you love 'em you can marry 'em.
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Ya exactly like some one explaining an ugly painting that sells for millions - i'd walk right past it if hung in your average middle school hallway
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Mine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k26hmRbDQFw
Different flick but i loved it - the smell of napalm in the morning
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Different flick but i loved it - the smell of napalm in the morning
Good stuff right there
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forgot about those.Did you ever see the Police Squad series all 6 oF them? Critics said the humor went over many heads I agree
Definitely not all six of them. I'm not sure I knew there were six of them. I've seen the first couple
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Good stuff right there
"What the hell do you know about surfing, Major? You're from... New Jersey!"
"Charlie don't surf!"
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Godfather series, Hunt for Red October, Inherit the Wind, the early Bond movies,
Major League, Gettysburg, Saving Private Ryan, Star Wars 1st three, 2001 space odyssey,
Cool Hand Luke, John Wayne's Fort Apache - She Wore a Yellow Ribbon - Rio Grande,
Finding Forrester, Mutiny on the Bounty with Mel Gibson, Master and Commander
Good ones there, 320. Except that I have never seen any of the Godfather movies and have no desire to do so. My wife thinks I'm crazy.
I would add two Gregory Peck movies: Twelve O'Clock High and To Kill a Mockingbird. Plus Casablanca.
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Good ones there, 320. Except that I have never seen any of the Godfather movies and have no desire to do so. My wife thinks I'm crazy.
I would add two Gregory Peck movies: Twelve O'Clock High and To Kill a Mockingbird. Plus Casablanca.
Im a big John Wayne fan
dont feel bad about no interest in the GF series
Ive never seen nor have any interest in Titanic ...... I know how it comes out
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Im a big John Wayne fan
dont feel bad about no interest in the GF series
Ive never seen nor have any interest in Titanic ...... I know how it comes out
The "Cavalry Trilogy"--you listed them, Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and Rio Grande--are fantastic movies for their time. John Ford knew how to make a Western.
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The "Cavalry Trilogy"--you listed them, Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and Rio Grande--are fantastic movies for their time. John Ford knew how to make a Western.
yep and there were some great supporting actors in those movies which didnt hurt
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Best scene in that movie
Always liked this scene toward the end
https://youtu.be/95ND_fwX2fM
Replies are pretty good below in the comment section
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Ive never seen nor have any interest in Titanic ...... I know how it comes out
Yeah, still don't understand Titanic and how or why it became a phenomenon and the biggest movie EVAAAAR.
Honestly, I thought the movie sucked. And I was a Leo hater at the time when it came out. I was like- this movie sucks ass and what's the big deal about this guy. Then 4-5 years later he does Gangs of New York, Catch Me If You Can, The Aviator, & The Departed back to back to back to back- and I loved the guy. I'd say he's probably the best actor of his era- either him or Johnny Depp.
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Good ones there, 320. Except that I have never seen any of the Godfather movies and have no desire to do so. My wife thinks I'm crazy.
I agree with your wife. The first two are widely considered by oh- everyone to be two of the greatest films ever. Sidney Lumet said he's pissed at Francis Ford Coppola because when he thinks of the greatest American movies ever made, Coppola has two of the 3 best American movies ever made in GF 1&2. Steven Spielberg said something like the first godfather movie was the best film he's ever seen- and when he saw it for the first time it destroyed his confidence because he thought he'd never be able to make anything that good. People that really know movies- they almost worship those movies.
I would think someone would want to watch simply based on the cast alone. The direction and writing are top notch, but a lot if it is just the unbelievable cast. Marlon Brando is without question the greatest actor that has ever lived or will ever live. De Niro & Pacino probably round out the top 3. They all have huge roles in those movies. Then you have the supporting actors like Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, James Caan, and John Cazale. Movies just don't have casts like that anymore. It's an embarrassment of riches.
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never seen a movie use music to stir up emotion better than the GF movies either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBJb0ls9PM0
^ Michael literally says four words in that entire 4 minute scene, and it's fascinating. He conveys so much pain and menace with his body language, eyes, and face. When he hugs his brother Fredo at their mother's' funeral to "forgive him" - then looks up at one of his hitmen and gives him the most dead, evil, sinister stare and marks Fredo for death while that music is playing- it's riveting- gut-checking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-I4VIR5yGg
^ Or the very end where Michael is having a flashback- reminiscing on a better time, an easier time, a happier time when his family was together. Then it cuts to him sitting outside in deep thought, all alone- his father & mother are dead, both of his brothers are dead (one of which he's killed), he's lost his unborn son to an abortion- he feels betrayed by his wife over this and shuts his heart off to her completely-she's dead to him for all intents and purpose- and he's all alone and broken. There's nothing but pain and sadness all over his face- and there's no sound at all- camera just zooms into his eyes and the music just plays out. Never seen an ending like that. It's genius.
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Look at Kelly's Heroes,released before O'Connor/Savalas/Rickles/Sutherland/MacLoud even before Clint's Dirty Harry movies or careers took off.lot of good "B" actors in it also
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^ Or the very end where Michael is having a flashback- reminiscing on a better time, an easier time, a happier time when his family was together. Then it cuts to him sitting outside in deep thought, all alone- his father & mother are dead, both of his brothers are dead (one of which he's killed), he's lost his unborn son to an abortion- he feels betrayed by his wife over this and shuts his heart off to her completely-she's dead to him for all intents and purpose- and he's all alone and broken. There's nothing but pain and sadness all over his face- and there's no sound at all- camera just zooms into his eyes and the music just plays out. Never seen an ending like that. It's genius.
The Mechanic with Charles Bronson and Jan Michael Vincent BEST ENDING EVER......it's on YT
also I left off my list Death Hunt with Charles Bronson/Lee Marvin.Have to see it
Lee Marvin's had some good/great flix also
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I would add two Gregory Peck movies: Twelve O'Clock High and To Kill a Mockingbird. Plus Casablanca.
I saw a whole half hour of North by North West,have to watch it entirely - one line I caught was
https://youtu.be/lS33i-ju1yU?t=33
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The Mechanic with Charles Bronson and Jan Michael Vincent BEST ENDING EVER......it's on YT
terrible acting. hard pass. writing for that ending scene is genius though.
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I saw a whole half hour of North by North West,have to watch it entirely - one line I caught was
https://youtu.be/lS33i-ju1yU?t=33
In retrospect, I would add North by Northwest and To Catch a Thief to my list of favorites.
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never seen a movie use music to stir up emotion better than the GF movies either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBJb0ls9PM0
^ Michael literally says four words in that entire 4 minute scene, and it's fascinating. He conveys so much pain and menace with his body language, eyes, and face. When he hugs his brother Fredo at their mother's' funeral to "forgive him" - then looks up at one of his hitmen and gives him the most dead, evil, sinister stare and marks Fredo for death while that music is playing- it's riveting- gut-checking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-I4VIR5yGg
^ Or the very end where Michael is having a flashback- reminiscing on a better time, an easier time, a happier time when his family was together. Then it cuts to him sitting outside in deep thought, all alone- his father & mother are dead, both of his brothers are dead (one of which he's killed), he's lost his unborn son to an abortion- he feels betrayed by his wife over this and shuts his heart off to her completely-she's dead to him for all intents and purpose- and he's all alone and broken. There's nothing but pain and sadness all over his face- and there's no sound at all- camera just zooms into his eyes and the music just plays out. Never seen an ending like that. It's genius.
I appreciate your points, but I just can't get interested in seeing the movies, great actors in great portrayals notwithstanding.
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Not sure if it was mentioned but The Dark Knight is up on the list. I also think the MCU deserves a shout out. I'm not sure any particular movie is "great," but having two dozen movies all being related and culminating into a spectacle was a pretty slick trick.
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The Caine Mutiny and From Here to Eternity were pretty darn good.
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The Caine Mutiny and From Here to Eternity were pretty darn good.
it was the strawberries see
theyre all against me
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There are only two kinds of movies...
Godfather I and II...
...and shitholes.
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Old bitter,drunken Bwarb just a stirrin' up the pot
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Not sure if it was mentioned but The Dark Knight is up on the list. I also think the MCU deserves a shout out. I'm not sure any particular movie is "great," but having two dozen movies all being related and culminating into a spectacle was a pretty slick trick.
Agree on Dark Knight, that was a level above most movies in the genre.
And the MCU movies have just been a lot of fun to watch, along with my kids who love them, especially my 13yo daughter. And I think the combination of Infinity War and End Game could be called "great" cinema.
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I haven't taken the MCU plunge.
Way too many GD movies.
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I haven't taken the MCU plunge.
Way too many GD movies.
Yeah if I were trying to start from scratch I think it would be pretty daunting. I doubt I'd do it.
I was a bit of a comic book geek and I've always liked superhero movies, so I started from the beginning. I've also watched all of the various incarnations of Superman, Batman, Spiderman, and X-Men movies. Some of those are much better than others.
But then my kids got into the MCU stuff so now we make it a fun family movie night thing to watch them when they come out on video, and as they got older, we started taking them to the theater as well.
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Yeah if I were trying to start from scratch I think it would be pretty daunting. I doubt I'd do it.
I was a bit of a comic book geek and I've always liked superhero movies, so I started from the beginning. I've also watched all of the various incarnations of Superman, Batman, Spiderman, and X-Men movies. Some of those are much better than others.
But then my kids got into the MCU stuff so now we make it a fun family movie night thing to watch them when they come out on video, and as they got older, we started taking them to the theater as well.
Yeah, I think I had seen them all, I may have missed one or two, and definitely didn't watch them in order. But early in quarantine we did a full watch with kids, and it was fun, all of the Easter eggs and callbacks I never caught the first go round.
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Not sure if it was mentioned but The Dark Knight is up on the list. I also think the MCU deserves a shout out. I'm not sure any particular movie is "great," but having two dozen movies all being related and culminating into a spectacle was a pretty slick trick.
The Dark Knight is easily the best comic book movie ever. I think the only one that comes even near that territory is Logan. The original Superman with Marlon Brando, Christopher Reeves, and Gene Hackman was great too. Pretty much every other comic book movie though- one time watcher for me- really almost no need to see them again.
I think those MCU movies were really all carried on the back of Robert Downey Jr. He's an incredible actor. None of that works without him imo.
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Just watched Chinatown again. That one should be in any list of best movies.
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I think an interesting list would be "Best Movies You May Never Have Seen".
One of my favs is "Simple Twist of Fate", with Steve Martin.
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Just watched Chinatown again. That one should be in any list of best movies.
very good movie
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I think an interesting list would be "Best Movies You May Never Have Seen".
One of my favs is "Simple Twist of Fate", with Steve Martin.
I could make a very long list of most of the movies listed in this thread
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I saw a whole half hour of North by North West,have to watch it entirely - one line I caught was
https://youtu.be/lS33i-ju1yU?t=33
Carry Grant is one of my favorite actors of all time. One of the movies mentioned in that clip is Operation Petticoat. Great movie. Another of my favorite Grant movies, and of all time, is Father Goose. A hilarious comedy that is fun to watch and can be seen with children in the room.
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For me, as mentioned:
Father Goose
Godfather II, then I
Kelly's Heros
The Great Race - Actually a cheesy movie, but Jack Lemmon was hilarious in it
Speaking of Jack Lemmon along with previously mentioned Tony Curtis, Some Like it Hot
The Quiet Man - Excellent performance by Wayne and O'Hara
I'm sure that I'm missing several others, but these come to mind.
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I agree with your wife. The first two are widely considered by oh- everyone to be two of the greatest films ever. Sidney Lumet said he's pissed at Francis Ford Coppola because when he thinks of the greatest American movies ever made, Coppola has two of the 3 best American movies ever made in GF 1&2. Steven Spielberg said something like the first godfather movie was the best film he's ever seen- and when he saw it for the first time it destroyed his confidence because he thought he'd never be able to make anything that good. People that really know movies- they almost worship those movies.
I would think someone would want to watch simply based on the cast alone. The direction and writing are top notch, but a lot if it is just the unbelievable cast. Marlon Brando is without question the greatest actor that has ever lived or will ever live. De Niro & Pacino probably round out the top 3. They all have huge roles in those movies. Then you have the supporting actors like Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, James Caan, and John Cazale. Movies just don't have casts like that anymore. It's an embarrassment of riches.
I happen to agree that these were a couple of the best movies ever made.
But if you want to talk about star studded casts, then It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World takes the cake. Everyone that was someone in 1963 was in this movie.
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Just watched Chinatown again. That one should be in any list of best movies.
easily one of the best ever made, and one of Jack Nicholson's very best performances as well.
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Jack was awesome.
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I happen to agree that these were a couple of the best movies ever made.
But if you want to talk about star studded casts, then It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World takes the cake. Everyone that was someone in 1963 was in this movie.
I wasn't speaking to star power or notoriety- I was speaking merely to the talent of the actors.
Brando is the greatest actor with the most raw charisma and pure talent in the history of the movies. Brando changed everything- before him acting, well- kind of sucked. I can't even watch most old movies because the acting is so over the top and unrealistic, corny, cheesy, stupid, campy- uninteresting- and well downright awful. He literally changed movies in a way that nobody else before or since has. And I'd argue that a couple of guys who are in essence the spawn of Brando- and are also in the GF films- De Niro & Pacino- probably the #2 and #3 greatest actors ever. Robert Duvall is one of the great supporting actors in history. John Cazale only starred in 5 movies before dying tragically young- but all 5 of those movies were nominated for best picture and he was terrific in all of them. It was an embarrassment of talent riches.
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I wasn't speaking to star power or notoriety- I was speaking merely to the talent of the actors.
Brando is the greatest actor with the most raw charisma and pure talent in the history of the movies. Brando changed everything- before him acting, well- kind of sucked. I can't even watch most old movies because the acting is so over the top and unrealistic, corny, cheesy, stupid, campy- uninteresting- and well downright awful. He literally changed movies in a way that nobody else before or since has. And I'd argue that a couple of guys who are in essence the spawn of Brando- and are also in the GF films- De Niro & Pacino- probably the #2 and #3 greatest actors ever. Robert Duvall is one of the great supporting actors in history. John Cazale only starred in 5 movies before dying tragically young- but all 5 of those movies were nominated for best picture and he was terrific in all of them. It was an embarrassment of talent riches.
I wasn't arguing with you on that. I happen to mostly agree. Brando was incredible as were the rest of the cast.
I was just mentioning the number of stars in the other movie. It was like the director looked at who was being cast in movies and included them in some way or another. It's a fairly cheesy movie, but it is a lot of fun to watch.
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I happen to agree that these were a couple of the best movies ever made.
But if you want to talk about star studded casts, then It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World takes the cake. Everyone that was someone in 1963 was in this movie.
Loved that one!
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A a friend of mine once said, Marlon Brando was one of the most amazing actors to ever live, before he was swallowed by a larger and much less interesting actor...
But speaking of Brando, you have to include On The Waterfront. Masterful.
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easily one of the best ever made, and one of Jack Nicholson's very best performances as well.
I dunno - "You're not crazy Cheswick"
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A a friend of mine once said, Marlon Brando was one of the most amazing actors to ever live, before he was swallowed by a larger and much less interesting actor...
But speaking of Brando, you have to include On The Waterfront. Masterful.
Yup On the Waterfront was great.
That and Streetcar Named Desire are probably my two favorite Brando performances.
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Yup On the Waterfront was great.
That and Streetcar Named Desire are probably my two favorite Brando performances.
His Mutiny on the Bounty was pretty good
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is this coming out as a movie?
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Nubbz-- keep it to the In Other News thread ok? This one has enough controversy... :)
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Nubbz-- keep it to the In Other News thread ok? This one has enough controversy... :)
Dewd it was gabby's cameo I spliced,don't give a shit about the rest
OK Here
https://youtu.be/DNC3OciAF3w
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Thank you.
Now THAT is a great movie. Quite possibly the best movie ever. :)
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I didn't get a "harrumph" out of that guy! I didn't get a "harrumph" out of that guy!
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Give the governor a harrumph.
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https://youtu.be/cT9A58ff-jo?t=137
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You watch your ass
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https://youtu.be/cT9A58ff-jo?t=53
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A a friend of mine once said, Marlon Brando was one of the most amazing actors to ever live, before he was swallowed by a larger and much less interesting actor...
But speaking of Brando, you have to include On The Waterfront. Masterful.
That term genius gets thrown around way too much- but Brando was a genius.
Brando looked down on acting & had a low opinion of his own profession. And he despised fame/Hollywood- all that stuff. Brando just did not give a shit about any of it- and he let himself go and decided to just try to make as much money as possible while doing as little as possible- and never taking his work seriously like he did when he was young.
Not sure Brando even liked acting- he just happened to be genius at it.
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sidenote: it's impossibly hard to make a really good movie. I feel like this is mostly because the studios get in the way and ruin everything. the great movies/tv shows- are the ones where the creator/writers has complete control and freedom.
Example of a studio almost ruining a movie- if you've ever read/heard the stories about how the studio got in the way and tried to fight Francis Ford Coppola on everything- and how he had to jedi mind trick them into making the movie a period piece, casting Brando, casting Pacino, and keeping his job- it's fascinating stuff. All the odds were against Coppola and the deck was stacked against him. He only got the job after literally like 10 other big-time directors turned the movie down- and he was a young and upcoming director/screenwriter who they felt they could get on the cheap and whom they could dictate and boss around. Boy were they wrong. He had to threaten to quit in order for them to make it a period piece and true to the book- studio wanted to shoot it taking place in the 70's in St. Louis to save money- and not the 40's in New York City like the books. And even after they finally agreed to make it a period pace in New York- he nearly got fired every single day the first month of shooting.
Coppola wanted Olivier or Brando for the lead role, Olivier turned it down and the studio refused to even discuss Brando. Coppola got the studio to agree to at least let him screen test Brando. The studio agreed on the condition that if they cast Brando- he had to audition for the role, put up a bond for $1 million personally guaranteeing his behavior would not affect the movie and oh yeah- he had to do the movie for free. Coppola had to trick Brando into thinking they were doing character tests and not auditioning him- so he went to Brando's house with a camera crew and little props like cigars and italian cheeses & sausages- and they shot Brando transforming into Vito Corleone by putting make-up on his face to make himself look older, putting black shoe-polish in his hair and stuffing his cheeks with kleenex tissue. Once Coppola showed that footage of Brando as Don Corleone to the studio they caved and let him cast Brando.
Coppola wanted Pacino from the start and the studio wanted Robert Redford or Ryan O'Neill. Talk about literally ruining a movie if that casting choice is made. Studio said no to Pacino- and that you have to do screen tests. The studio spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on screen tests for Michael, only to have Coppola wind up casting who he wanted in the first place- Al Pacino. The studio was pressuring Coppola to replace Pacino so much the first few weeks of the film- that Coppola rearranged the entire shooting schedule to move up the scene where Michael kills Solozzo and the crooked cop just so he could have that on film to send the studio and get them off his back. That worked- after that the studio stopped begging him to fire Pacino. After the movie was done shooting they pressured him to cut the movie to 2 hours, not a minute over or they would take the editing out of his hands. His final cut was 2 hours and 50 minutes- when he told the studio that- they freaked and made him cut it down to 2 hours. So when he showed them a cut that was 2 hours exactly, studio flipped out and said they wanted to take the editing away from him. So Coppola put the 50 minutes back- studio saw it and they couldn't deny it was great- so they let him keep final cut.
Despite all those obstacles- film turned out to be freaking amazing and it's because Coppola stuck to his guns and it was his vision- and he didn't let the studio push him around. If he let's up on any of those sticking points- the movie is a disaster and not a masterpiece.
Moral of the story: the studios suck.
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Great story.
My personal favorites would include:
Casablanca
Josey Wales
Cool Hand Luke
Twelve Angry Men
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Maltese Falcon
Kelly's Heroes
Roadhouse (Say what you will, if I come across it on TV, I sit and watch)
Aliens
Predator
Das Boot
Schindler's List
To Catch a Thief
Shawshank Redemption
Driving Miss Daisy
Million Dollar Baby
Trading Places
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(https://ychef.files.bbci.co.uk/976x549/p07k32qj.jpg)
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That term genius gets thrown around way too much- but Brando was a genius.
Um no a genius is someone like Norman Einstein(Joe Thiesman) He talked like Dylan sings as if it's was too much trouble or they were dropping ludes - does he have your party pictures? 😁
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Great story.
My personal favorites would include:
Kelly's Heroes
good job,Moriarity
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It slipped my mind earlier, but The Sting probably makes my top 5.
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Studios aim for every movie to appeal to every schmuck with $8 in his pocket.
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I submit for your viewing pleasure
Dr Strangelove bomb run 1 and 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ID8E1i9duM8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExUh8ZhYevg&t=321s
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Oh yeah, great movie!
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Heat Vertigo
Inglourious Basterds Fanny & Alexander
The Talented Mr. Ripley The Night of the Hunter
Unforgiven The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Zodiac A Lonely Place
The Royal Tenenbaums Paths of Glory
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Heat Vertigo
Inglourious Basterds Fanny & Alexander
The Talented Mr. Ripley The Night of the Hunter
Unforgiven The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Zodiac A Lonely Place
The Royal Tenenbaums Paths of Glory
Some good ones. Loved Inglorious Bastards and Unforgiven.
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Some good ones. Loved Inglorious Bastards and Unforgiven.
I really love movies from 1939 to the present, I enjoy talking film.
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Studios aim for every movie to appeal to every schmuck with $8 in his pocket.
That's if you can even find a ticket for $8 anymore, seems like every theater charges like $15 a ticket these days.
When you try to make something that you think will appeal to everyone- often times you just wind up making something that is appealing to no one.
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Thanks for the great background on the making of the GF, MDot. I did not know about any of that. Makes the movie even MORE amazing than it is.
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Great story.
Yeah, even more to that story as well. Head of Paramount at the time- Robert Evans- even hated Nino Rota's scores and tried to get Coppola to change the music in the movie. Coppola threatened to quit so Evans dropped that issue. Evans also wanted Burt Reynolds to play Sonny, but Marlon Brando threatened to quit if Burt Reynolds was cast- as he thought Burt Reynolds was a second rate, horrible actor and didn't want to act with him.
After the first one came out and won all those awards and became the highest grossing film ever (at the time)- studio obviously desperately wanted to make a sequel. Coppola initially turned them down after having such a miserable time making the first- and he offered to produce a sequel for them on the condition that- wait for it....Martin Scorsese direct it. The studio turned that idea down and basically told Coppola whatever you want- we'll give it to you, please make it. Coppola demanded the studio would agree to make a script he had written- The Conversation- and let him produce and direct it, that he also be allowed to write the screenplay for their upcoming Great Gatsby movie, and that they help him produce and direct a production for the San Francisco Opera- all before production on GFII started- and oh yeah- that Robert Evans be barred completely from GFII and that Coppola could produce the movie himself and have creative control. They agreed to all his demands, hence the second one was made.
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unpopular opinions: Goodfellas is overrated. Obviously it's a good movie, but it's nowhere near the hype or acclaim- not even close. Oh and it's unofficial sequel Casino- is a pretty bad movie. And The Irishman- their final frontier- isn't just a bad movie- it sucks and the story is complete bs.
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Forgot two sleepers I liked:
Sling blade
The Book of Eli.
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Forgot two sleepers I liked:
Sling blade
The Book of Eli.
Super underrated movie. Denzel Washington is truly one of the greatest actors of his generation or any. And just a cool ass human being too.
I'd have loved to seen him in a movie with Pacino or De Niro in the 90s, before both of them got too old and just started taking pieces of shit for the checks.
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Some others I really like
Sideways
About Schmidt
The Wrestler
The Weatherman
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Forgot two sleepers I liked:
Sling blade
The Book of Eli.
Love Sling Blade. Also makes me wish Dwight Yoakam was in more stuff
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Some others I really like
Sideways
About Schmidt
The Wrestler
The Weatherman
GREAT movie. And really was Mickey Rourke's comeback. He was a big star and maybe the best of all the actors in his age/peer group and then he fell off the rails, decided to quit acting to become an amatuer boxer, got his face punched off and his brains bashed in- then had a ton of plastic surgery which disfigured his once leading man looks- then floated around in obscurity, had bit parts here in there- until he really just put an amazing performance in an great movie like The Wrestler. He should've won the academy award for that. Got jobbed if you ask me.
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Agree, that was an excellent movie and Mickey Rourke's performance was great.