tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post8526624229062674453..comments2024-03-27T23:53:59.771-04:00Comments on SleuthSayers: Take This Movie, Please.Leigh Lundinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-90451134582068079712017-07-03T17:09:24.626-04:002017-07-03T17:09:24.626-04:00Eve, after this how can I not seek out Kevin Smith...Eve, after this how can I not seek out Kevin Smith films?<br /><br />Yes, we must have the same character flaws.Leigh Lundinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-5989630150969353492017-07-03T09:55:37.651-04:002017-07-03T09:55:37.651-04:00Leigh, yep, that was Kevin Smith. And maybe he wa...Leigh, yep, that was Kevin Smith. And maybe he was. But I think "Clerks" and "Dogma" are both wonderful. (And the late great Alan Rickman signed on to do "Dogma" because he loved Kevin Smith's "Chasing Amy" so much.) To me, "Clerks" is a classic, even with so-so acting skills (it's Smith's first film), because no other movie has ever captured so accurately the reality of working in a dead-end job in a bad neighborhood. Plus it's really funny. I even enjoyed "Clerks 2" and "Zach and Miri Make a Porno". But then, there's a flaw in my character. Eve Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03015761600962360110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-36104147554043064382017-07-02T22:19:58.891-04:002017-07-02T22:19:58.891-04:00Bonnie, I think you’ll enjoy 50 First Dates.
Bonn...Bonnie, I think you’ll enjoy 50 First Dates.<br /><br />Bonnie and ABA, the Adam Sandler movie that seemed to turn the corner into serious work was Spanglish, where Sandler played a sensitive and thoughtful family man in touch with his daughter and the servants. You might enjoy it. ABA, thanks for the warning advice re: Mr. & Mrs. Smith.<br /><br />Eve, I also thought The Life of Pi was over-rated. I rarely care for unannounced dream (or hallucinogenic) sequences. They usually make me feel the writers and director abused my trust.<br /><br />Tombstone was excellent, wasn’t it! I not only enjoyed it, I felt like I learned something. I’m ashamed to say I haven’t seen a single Kevin Smith film and he came to my attention with his airline dispute. Didn’t one of the airlines declare him too fat to fly and later denied it?<br /><br />John, I’d be interested in your take on The Book of Henry.<br />Leigh Lundinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-59513155846969828882017-07-02T19:10:26.305-04:002017-07-02T19:10:26.305-04:00Jeff, that sounds like a trip. What scintillating ...Jeff, that sounds like a trip. What scintillating dialogue!<br /><br />Fran, of those you name, I’ve seen only The Sound and the Fury. I wanted to see Weekend at Bernie’s, but never made it. I like your suggestions.<br /><br />Your mention of actors that don’t shine for me reminded me of The Prince of Tides. Nolte seems to be one of those “Call his agent if you need a thug” actor, so Prince of Tides pleasantly surprised me.Leigh Lundinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-75613346252853424432017-07-02T15:28:01.436-04:002017-07-02T15:28:01.436-04:00Bonnie, if you liked The Wedding Singer, I promise...Bonnie, if you liked <i>The Wedding Singer</i>, I promise you'll like <i>50 First Dates</i>; and Eve, I absolutely LOVED <i>Bubba Ho-Tep</i>.<br /><br />Leigh, I have not seen <i>The Book of Henry</i>. But I will.<br /><br />Thanks again for this great post.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-33305613975296017422017-07-02T15:00:51.131-04:002017-07-02T15:00:51.131-04:00Dead Again was, literally, frighteningly good. So...Dead Again was, literally, frighteningly good. So was Amour, which should also scare the crap out of everyone. <br /><br />Movies I thought were way over-rated: Mr & Mrs Smith; I didn't think "The Artist" would have been even nominated back in the days of real silent movies; The Life of Pi; and, as I've said before, I don't watch anything with Hannibal Lecter as the hero. <br /><br />Guilty pleasures? Bubba Bo-Tep; Harold & Maude; Tombstone (Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday - perfect, perfect, perfect); The Darjeeling Express; most Kevin Smith films ( I like the combination of raunch and good hearts)... <br /><br />Thanks for the post, Leigh!<br />Eve Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03015761600962360110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-88359967616861992182017-07-02T13:45:12.988-04:002017-07-02T13:45:12.988-04:00Don’t think I’ll watch Walter Mitty or Great Gatsb...Don’t think I’ll watch Walter Mitty or Great Gatsby as I am happy with the originals.<br /><br />Leery of Adam Sandler, but thought 50 First Dates was gentle, warm and funny.<br /><br />I enjoy films with historical settings, but Troy, nah.<br /><br />Mr & Mrs Smith is what we call a <i>skop,skiet en donner</i>. The literal translation means kick-shoot-thunder and describes melodramatic action adventures.<br /><br />The remainder I shall save for a time when they seem a better alternative to boredom.<br />A Broad Abroadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-67207720409127295642017-07-02T13:32:16.790-04:002017-07-02T13:32:16.790-04:00Enjoyed your post, Leigh. I haven't seen Fifty...Enjoyed your post, Leigh. I haven't seen Fifty First Dates, but I'll admit to watching and enjoying another warm-hearted Adam Sandler movie, The Wedding Singer--not the sort of thing you'd want to watch fifty times (unless you could forget it each time and start fresh), but it's sweet and funny. John, I'm glad you mentioned Dead Again. So often, whodunits don't translate well to film, but this one certainly does. In some ways, I think it may be the best whodunit movie I've ever seen.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17673578800047888317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-73416051243650362282017-07-02T13:08:09.939-04:002017-07-02T13:08:09.939-04:00When it comes to movies, I bow to John, Paul, and ...When it comes to movies, I bow to John, Paul, and Leigh because I'm very unsophisticated about them. As a teenager, my favorite movie was "Raintree County" with Elizabeth Taylor. I cut school one day and went downtown to the movies. Loved it and went back several times before it went off. At that time I was also into old films and a favorite was "The Sound and the Fury" with Joanne Woodward and Yul Brynner when he still had hair. Tennessee Williams was a favorite and I went to see any film or stage production of his work. But, as I thought about your blog this AM, Leigh, I asked myself, "What is my favorite movie of all time?" Most of your readers have probably never heard of it because it's "Sibling Rivalry." It's as close to a chick flick as I ever liked, but the reviewers said this wasn't chick flick. It stars Kirstie Alley (not a favorite of mine) but also has Carrie Fisher as her sister in law and Sam Elliott as her brother in law, with whom she has an affair that ends when he dies in bed in the hotel. Funniest scene of all time to me was Kirstie poking vitamin pills down dead Sam Elliott's throat with a pencil hoping the death would look like suicide. Okay, I've confessed enough. If I keep on, I'll confess that "Weekend at Bernie's" made me laugh, too, and as Melodie can attest, some of us just love to laugh.<br />Fran Rizerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08655783035179620991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-73488957640250685982017-07-02T12:56:17.093-04:002017-07-02T12:56:17.093-04:00Anybody here see "A Night In Heaven?" To...Anybody here see "A Night In Heaven?" Total guilty pleasure from the early '80's! (Reportedly star Leslie Ann Warren didn't list it on her credits!) I have since seen far worse movies! (Sample dialogue: "Hey, what about my clothes?" "I hear you're better without 'em!") Jeff Bakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00316081079528920123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-51842257737736335762017-07-02T11:12:59.900-04:002017-07-02T11:12:59.900-04:00John, I like all on your best-of list. I can’t loo...John, I like all on your best-of list. I can’t look it up to be sure, but I think I’ve seen Dead Again, probably on 2am television, likewise with Blood Simple. Split doesn’t sound familiar, but if my internet ever starts working, I’ll check it out. Hey, thanks, John!<br />Leigh Lundinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-37422103278399163792017-07-02T11:10:40.833-04:002017-07-02T11:10:40.833-04:00☛ Kindly bear with me, readers. Starting at midnig...☛ Kindly bear with me, readers. Starting at midnight, I’ve been experiencing extended internet outages making it difficult to reply. My ISP keeps changing their name, but they don’t change their habits.Leigh Lundinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-48092265467678465152017-07-02T10:42:44.004-04:002017-07-02T10:42:44.004-04:00Melodie, I haven’t seen either of those movies and...Melodie, I haven’t seen either of those movies and yeah, they sound worthwhile. I’ve seen a few British films of that sort. Friends who had a cable channel made a kitschy movie where the terrible special effects (which included a spaceship on a stick) were visible to the audience. In either that one or another, fake plywood scenery fell down revealing a couple obliviously making out literally behind the scenes.<br /><br />Thanks, O’Neil. What these colleagues don’t know, they know where to find. That’s very handy.<br /><br />Paul, I don’t think I’ve seen an IMdb higher than 8.8 or so. I’ve wondered if it’s possible they average all reviews, including those with no rating– some reviews include no rating whatsoever. If so, that implies they’re including zeroes in their averages.<br /><br />I’ve not seen Lucas’s director’s cut release (2005?) that included freshly shot footage and new CGI. THX-1138 provides the prototype of the Star Wars stormtroopers and it’s possible those cattle prod rods might have given inspiration for the light swords.<br />Leigh Lundinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-44142337604241437142017-07-02T10:09:49.763-04:002017-07-02T10:09:49.763-04:00That's high praise, Leigh (and O'Neil)--to...That's high praise, Leigh (and O'Neil)--too high for me, but Paul deserves it. Like him, I can't figure out why viewers like certain movies and can't figure out why they don't like others. He and I have swapped a lot of emails about this kind of thing, and I find that (amazingly) we're in agreement most of the time.<br /><br />I've seen all ten of the so-called "rotten" movies in the list you mentioned, and sure enough, I thought some were rotten, but a few of them (including <i>Walter Mitty</i> and <i>50 First Dates</i>) I liked.<br /><br />Some of my all-time favorites are still <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i>, <i>Casablanca</i>, <i>Once Upon a Time in the West</i>, <i>Goldfinger</i>, <i>Aliens</i>, <i>The Big Country</i>, and <i>Double Indemnity</i>, and a few good ones I've seen over the past few weeks are <i>Split</i>, <i>Hidden Figures</i>, <i>La La Land</i>, and an old one called <i>Dead Again</i>. And I have many, many guilty-pleasure movies--way too many to name here. Some of those NObody would like but me. But if there's anyone out there who's never seen an early Coen Brothers movie called <i>Blood Simple</i> . . . you should.<br /><br />Anyhow, great column!! Glad to hear there's someone else who likes all this stuff.<br /><br />John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-64565701992816399132017-07-02T08:52:30.375-04:002017-07-02T08:52:30.375-04:00My giant shadow makes me loom larger than I am, Le...My giant shadow makes me loom larger than I am, Leigh ;-) . <br /><br />I don’t often agree with the critics and often on something like IMDB I think the fanboys skew the results of the score. At least that’s what I’ve heard. Movies that I think are great sometimes get mediocre ratings and movies that I think are awful get high ratings.<br /><br />For example, on IMDB, Chinatown, which imo is a close to perfect, if not perfect, movie, gets an 8.2 out 10 rating. Which seems low to me for a film that’s so great in so many ways. Casablanca, my personal favorite movie, gets 8.5, Citizen Kane, which many people consider to be the greatest American movie, gets 8.4. And Double Indemnity, my favorite film noir and another close to perfect movie imo, gets 8.3. <br /><br />So more than films receiving high ratings that mystify me are movies that receive good but not nearly as good as I think they should be ratings such as those above. Though there are plenty that get high ratings that do mystify me too.<br /><br />One guilty pleasure movie that I like a lot that doesn’t seem to get a lot of respect is Can’t Buy Me Love from the 1980s, with Patrick Dempsey. I really like this movie and don’t understand why the critics don’t. Oh well.<br /><br />You mention THX 1138. When I was at SC cinema grad school in the olden days that movie loomed large in legend as Lucas was a grad and the movie was based on a short he did there or something like that. I don’t remember much about it except the general plot and the stark images.<br /><br />--And thanks, O'Neil, for shoring up my rep :-)Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-38614016793221687912017-07-02T08:41:04.146-04:002017-07-02T08:41:04.146-04:00Yes, John Floyd and Paul Marks are the ones to go ...Yes, John Floyd and Paul Marks are the ones to go to. Good article.O'Neil De Nouxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03142721824657611738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-11162718074574134382017-07-02T08:39:20.376-04:002017-07-02T08:39:20.376-04:00The most hilarious (and now a cult classic) Wild W...The most hilarious (and now a cult classic) Wild Women of Wongo, including hand to hand combat with the rubber alligator, heads our "how could they have made this??" list. Definitely see if it you can. With spirits.<br />One of the funniest movies I have seen is a British black comedy, The Wrong Box, which doesn't get near enough praise and is virtually unknown to younger folk. It's brilliant.<br />I'm madly copying down titles from your post, Leigh! Thanks!Melodie Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07870938103759179132noreply@blogger.com