tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post5744423386693549164..comments2024-03-05T21:05:36.848-05:00Comments on CommentaramaFilms: The Great (film) Debates vol. 92AndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-63444621591182275892013-09-16T19:31:42.958-04:002013-09-16T19:31:42.958-04:00Rustbelt: I once saw an interview with Henry Hill...Rustbelt: I once saw an interview with Henry Hill about Tommy and he praised Pesci's performance, but noted that the real Tommy was "meaner." Yikes! Now that's scary.PikeBishophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05761380937971970762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-10877409437336950772013-09-16T19:27:52.492-04:002013-09-16T19:27:52.492-04:00KRS: Loved Bostwick in that "Washington mini...KRS: Loved Bostwick in that "Washington miniseries, and you also have to give props to Patty Duke, who played Martha. In real life Martha was probably 5 feet in heels and she was the shortest actress to ever play the first First Lady. And her tugging him down to her level to talk or kiss him was probably very accurate.PikeBishophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05761380937971970762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-77930311484747455242013-09-16T18:53:00.973-04:002013-09-16T18:53:00.973-04:00Late to the party, but what the heck...
To throw ...Late to the party, but what the heck...<br /><br />To throw my two cents into the 'Wyatt Earp'/'Tombstone' debate, I'll say the former film gives a better depiction, but is way too long for film purposes; the latter is just a cartoonish actioner set in the Wild West that is actually quite fun. What really sets them apart for me is Doc Holliday. Dennis Quaid was great in the former, delivering his lines as a world-weary, grizzled, loyal, and bad-to-the-bone tough guy you definitely want on your side. Val Kilmer was...well, a cartoon character. (I'll call him the Daffy Duck of westerns.) BTW, tuberculosis is called 'consumption' because it wastes you away in addition to making you cough. Kilmer looks like he has the flu. Can we at least get the diseases right?<br /><br />And on an ode to the wiseguys...<br /><br />'Goodfellas' for its depiction of the mob, but mostly for the depiction of Joe Pesci as Tommy DeSimone. According to the late Henry Hill (the only mobster whose real name was used in the film), Pesci may not have looked like him (DeSimone was a foot-and-a-half taller and built like a linebacker), but he got the wiseguy's mannerisms and psychotic personality down perfectly. So much for noble gangsters.<br /><br />Also, 'The Untouchables.' No, not for DeNiro. According to historians, Kevin Costner comes the closest to the real-life Elliott Ness. Ness himself was more of a frontier sheriff than a Treasury Agent. (A far cry from Robert Stack's desk-bound boss in the 50's TV show.) Costner captures that attitude perfectly. As for DeNiro, well...except for the fat suit, he really doesn't look like Capone. Plus, Scarface knew when to show his trademark temper and when not to. (His mentor, Frankie Yale, made sure of that.) DeNiro comes off as another cartoon. The only thing missing from his study is the Acme Catalog.<br /><br />Future viewing: I haven't seen the 1996 HBO film 'Gotti' yet, but I've heard that Armand Assante is excellent as the 'Teflon Don.' I'll have to let you guys when I think after I finally see it.Rustbelthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12190297078043033514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-87928689358806173742013-09-16T13:03:22.420-04:002013-09-16T13:03:22.420-04:00My favorite is for reasons of irony. Warren Beatty...My favorite is for reasons of irony. Warren Beatty set out to make a love letter to American Communist John Reed with the film <i>Reds</i>, but to me the film paints a portrait of a foolish idealist.<br /><br />For pure entertainment, I enjoy <i>Good Morning, Vietnam</i> despite Robin Williams' almost, but not entirely inaccurate portrayal of Adrian Cronauer.<br /><br />As to the inspiring, it's hard to top <i>Temple Grandin</i>. It must be highly accurate because Grandin references the movie in almost all of her talks now as a means of relating her experiences. tryanmaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09881154741574720094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-3325990936687958012013-09-16T12:00:33.752-04:002013-09-16T12:00:33.752-04:00Since miniseries are included, I'll nominate t...Since miniseries are included, I'll nominate two from the 1980s based off the book by James Thomas Flexner, entitled, "George Washington, The Indespensible Man." The series are, (1) "George Washington" and (2) "George Washington: Forging of a Nation."<br />Barry Bostwick provides the most engaging portrayal of Washington I have ever seen. Sponsored solely by GM, the two series are terrific in every critical area (tho' I do remember seeing a water fountain in the background of one seen - it was the '80s, yo!). Most importantly, you understand exactly why Washington's men were so incredibly loyal and also why he is indeed the "Indispensible Man." After seeing the series, I read the book and for the first time ever, came to understand that, "the Father of Our Country" was not just a compliment, but a statement of fact. So much of who we are, or believe ourselves to be, flow directly from this man's character. Awesome.<br /><br />Btw, regarding Patton, I read somewhere (though I cannot provide the reference - oldtimer's disease) that, of all the WWII generals, Patton gave up the fewest casualties per mile gained.<br /><br />Not bad, for "Old Blood and Guts."<br /><br />P.S. I have never seen these miniseries on DVD. Shame!KRSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-4800619813953044882013-09-16T11:25:19.309-04:002013-09-16T11:25:19.309-04:00Nice choices folks. :)Nice choices folks. :)AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-6018268179072009942013-09-16T09:41:19.799-04:002013-09-16T09:41:19.799-04:00Ditto on "From The Earth To The Moon". I...Ditto on "From The Earth To The Moon". I love that each episode starts with an intro from Tom Hanks walking through a series of separate carved stones, and as he ends his narration, all the stones come together as a single sculpture when viewed at the correct perspective. (And Rita Wilson, already gorgeous, never looked better than she did in her black-and-white scenes.) (OK, I take that back, she looked magnificent in<i> Auto Focus</i> in her see-through nightie.)<br /><br /><i>The King's Speech</i> was good enough to flip my opinion of The Family from apathy to semi-royalist. Still a loyal American and devoted Republican (in every sense of the word), but the Windsors went from a living tourist attraction to actual human beings with Colin Firth's bravura performance.Dave Olsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-17637440562508249752013-09-16T08:19:45.935-04:002013-09-16T08:19:45.935-04:00A couple more... The Passion of the Christ
since ...A couple more... The Passion of the Christ<br /><br />since w are going HBO here... From the Earth to the Moon about the 1960s space program is fantastic.Floyd R. Turbohttp://www.threedonia.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-3774939385424419602013-09-16T05:57:21.011-04:002013-09-16T05:57:21.011-04:00This is a hard one... Going over peoples picks......This is a hard one... Going over peoples picks...<br /><br />John Adams was great, but it has the benifit of being a mini series, if we go that way I'd pick Band Of Brothers over it as the story of Dick Winters.<br /><br />I really liked Patton, it is a story about a really great, flawed complex character done really well. Outlaw I also thought of To Hell And Back.<br /><br />T-Rav, Wyatt Earp is a better movie about his life than Tombstone which is more of an action / western movie based around one part of his life. Saying that I'd pick Tombstone over Wyatt Earp to watch anytime, I enjoyed it a lot <br />more but after finishing Wyatt Earp I felt like I knew more about the man.<br /><br />If I was going musical figures I'd pick La Bamba over the Doors, time and place when I saw it and I was never that big of a fan of the Doors.<br /><br />I thought about picking some old War movies but they are more about the event than a specific person so I thought I'd go outside the box and pick Once Upon A Time in China staring Jet Li as Chinese folk hero Wong Fe-hung, one of my favourtie martial arts movies.<br /><br />Scott.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-29519235445406797462013-09-16T04:44:23.225-04:002013-09-16T04:44:23.225-04:00Patton would be at the top of my list, but since e...<i>Patton</i> would be at the top of my list, but since everyone else has made the case for what a brilliant film it is, I will just add my number two film: <i>Braveheart</i>. Without a doubt (in my opinion anyways) Mel Gibson's finest hour.shawnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-84494598738762012752013-09-15T23:03:44.394-04:002013-09-15T23:03:44.394-04:00I'll second the aforementioned Patton and John...I'll second the aforementioned <i>Patton</i> and <i>John Adams</i>. not much to be said that has not been said.<br /><br />Here are some other:<br /><i>Downfall</i>, about Hitler's last 10 days, remains one of the best movies I have ever seen. Bruno Ganz portrays a man who is insane yet magnetic enough that people continue to follow him in delusion.<br />Trailer: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp1RXmM1-60" rel="nofollow">LINK</a><br /><br /><i>Gathering Storm</i>. Albert Finney gives a performance so good that it has nearly ruined other movies that depict Churchill (even in supporting rols) because I nearly always end up going "Its not Albert Finney". The movie, depicting Churchill in the 1930s when his political career was in the pits and he was trying to warn Britain about Hitler's Germany. <br /><br /><i>Lincoln</i>. So-so story but Daniel Day-Lewis knocks it out of the park with his performance. Tommy Lee Jones is also a lot of fun to watch as Thaddeus Stevens.<br /><br />There are more.<br />Kithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01453591141757808708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-16955549445165388342013-09-15T18:21:52.341-04:002013-09-15T18:21:52.341-04:00Jed, that's awesome. :-)
Have to agree, Band ...Jed, that's awesome. :-)<br /><br />Have to agree, <i>Band of Brothers</i> is pretty darn good.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-40212800942129913122013-09-15T18:18:07.900-04:002013-09-15T18:18:07.900-04:00Dave, I've always felt honored that Winter'...Dave, I've always felt honored that Winter's autographed my DVD case. My sister-in-law was his nurse at the hospital in Lebanon, Pa.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-86514419713539054312013-09-15T17:40:00.834-04:002013-09-15T17:40:00.834-04:00Well if John Adams is up for consideration, then I...Well if <i>John Adams</i> is up for consideration, then I have to stand up and scream <i>Band of Brothers</i>. The first two hours could have been made into a movie all of its own, and it would have been 100x better than <i>Saving Private Ryan</i>. The scene in the church with the choir (episode 7) makes me weep every time. I would have followed Major Dick Winters into hell.<br /><br /><i>Amadeus</i> is a strong runner-up, although it has so many inaccuracies and contains so much hero-worship it's almost a fantasy.<br />Dave Olsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-32732251542550816212013-09-15T16:11:48.841-04:002013-09-15T16:11:48.841-04:00Obviously, "Patton" would be my first ch...Obviously, "Patton" would be my first choice. And, although not about a prominent historical figure, "Glory" is an awesome film - from beginning to end.<br /><br />Also have to have to say, "Sergeant York" has been a favorite of mine, since my dad introduced me to the film when I was a kid.Kenn Christensonhttp://kennfilms.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-29437322510463100582013-09-15T13:49:19.499-04:002013-09-15T13:49:19.499-04:00Kristina - Young Mr. Lincoln was a thorougly enjoy...Kristina - Young Mr. Lincoln was a thorougly enjoyable film about an iconic figure!Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-9182607767025695962013-09-15T13:45:43.229-04:002013-09-15T13:45:43.229-04:00I love Patton, Man for All Seasons, Tombstone. to ...I love Patton, Man for All Seasons, Tombstone. to add one more beyond the metoobies: Young Mr. Lincoln with Henry FondaKristinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11659951781597698530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-68911789262077016692013-09-15T12:41:45.964-04:002013-09-15T12:41:45.964-04:00 .... and remember, Andrew has a barely supressed ... .... and remember, Andrew has a barely supressed inner-hatred of Cosner (l.o.l.)Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-36359037152622545962013-09-15T12:41:40.138-04:002013-09-15T12:41:40.138-04:00T-Rav I don't base my like or dislike of a per...T-Rav I don't base my like or dislike of a person on their movie reviews. :)<br /><br />Andrew, the views of Patton vary depending on which bio you read of him. He was a "character" of that there is no doubt. The units he lead had remarkable combat records so the proof is in the pudding as they say. There's an awesome new book out called "The Guns at Last Light" which paints a pretty balanced picture of him. By the way it's about the war in Europe from D Day until VE day so it's not totally about him.Outlaw13https://www.blogger.com/profile/17232117096525959967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-26835924118602499362013-09-15T12:27:58.335-04:002013-09-15T12:27:58.335-04:00Hmmm....guess I'm off Outlaw's Christmas c...Hmmm....guess I'm off Outlaw's Christmas card list, then. ;-)<br /><br />Scott, you should see it, even if you don't end up liking it. At the very least, you can evaluate Dennis Quaid vs. Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday. <br /><br />I don't know, maybe I just like it better than <i>Tombstone</i> because I saw it first. <br /><br />T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-81129508460202278312013-09-15T11:24:19.620-04:002013-09-15T11:24:19.620-04:00Bev, I remember movies being a dollar, but not low...Bev, I remember movies being a dollar, but not lower than that. Then they went to two something and three something and the dollar theaters appeared.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-34213327668688924202013-09-15T11:23:14.542-04:002013-09-15T11:23:14.542-04:00I'm going to be in and out today as I'm tr...I'm going to be in and out today as I'm traveling. I enjoyed <i>Patton</i>, though it feels a little slow to me. I also read his biography which kind of makes him out as a nut.<br /><br />I'm with Outlaw on <i>Wyatt Earp</i>, it just doesn't work for me. I do love <i>Tombstone</i> though.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-79793558143571569212013-09-15T11:05:16.192-04:002013-09-15T11:05:16.192-04:00Rav - You and I are the only two :)Rav - You and I are the only two :)Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-74083656273107454972013-09-15T10:58:01.783-04:002013-09-15T10:58:01.783-04:00I see I'm not the only John Adams fan around h...I see I'm not the only <i>John Adams</i> fan around here. :-) I've added the book to my Amazon wishlist - it's definitely something I'd like to read one day, but I have to finish Edmund Morris' TR trilogy first.<br /><br />Too bad HBO couldn't bring in the same group of filmmakers and actors to do miniseries on the rest of the Founding Fathers - it could be a yearly thing!<br /><br />I've never seen <i>The Doors</i> or the Will Rogers movie...<br /><br />...and as I mentioned above, <i>Patton</i> is probably a movie I should see again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-75141699670476856562013-09-15T10:57:10.862-04:002013-09-15T10:57:10.862-04:00"Patton" was and is an awesome film. Th..."Patton" was and is an awesome film. The subject of the film as Floyd points out was a very complicated person. He was a great tactician, and a visionary of sorts but like all people not without flaws. My father a WWII vet loved that movie and watched it whenever it came on TV.<br /><br />As a companion piece I would recommend "To Hell and Back" the movie covering the WWII career of Audie Murphy, starring himself. If anything the movie understated his accomplishments.<br /><br />I would rather poke my eyes out with a sharp stick than watch "Wyatt Earp" again...way too long. "Tombstone" is one of the best westerns evah.Outlaw13https://www.blogger.com/profile/17232117096525959967noreply@blogger.com