Cinema's greatest classics
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ajay124
Well-Known Member
Reading the Brighlights review set off a whole chain off memories.
Bright Lights Film Journal :: A Dog Day's Night in Brooklyn
Memories of Al Pacino....Dog Day Afternoon.
My first Pacino.The film I remember him for.
Mid 70's to Mid 80's were the times I used to trip out on Hollywood films.
Some I really liked:
Bullitt
Get Carter
The French Connection
The Taking Of Pelham 123
The Great Escape
Where Eagles Dare
Shaft
Straw Dogs
The Graduate
The Great Santini
The Great Gatsby
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
A Streetcar Named Desire
Dr.Zhivago
On The Waterfront
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Chinatown
Rosemary's Baby
Exorcist
Psycho
Rear Window
Vertigo
Bonnie & Clyde
The Wild Bunch
The Godfather1&2
The Deer Hunter
The China Syndrome
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Taxi Driver
Raging Bull
Goodfellas
Badlands
A Soldiers Story
Missisipi Burning
In The Heat Of The Night
Amadeus
The French Lieutenant's Woman
Picnic At Hanging Rock
Last Tango In Paris
The Sheltering Sky
Many,many more but these are the one that immediately come to mind.
The post is already quite long,and I have to cook dinner for 6 guests expected at 8 pm
I used to be a fan of Robert Duvall and found his performance in The Great Santini and as the consigliere in The Godfather very good.
Also De Niro in Taxi Driver/Raging Bull and Hoffman in Straw Dogs/The Graduate.Steve McQueen and Gene Hackman were always good!
Brando in On The Waterfront/Streetcar Named Desire/Last Tango In Paris was my favorite.
Marlon Brando's face in this scene.For me one of the defining scenes of Hollywood.Lament of every wannabe
I could have been a contender.I could have been somebody
YouTube - "On the Waterfront" Most Famous Scene
Bright Lights Film Journal :: A Dog Day's Night in Brooklyn
Memories of Al Pacino....Dog Day Afternoon.
My first Pacino.The film I remember him for.
Mid 70's to Mid 80's were the times I used to trip out on Hollywood films.
Some I really liked:
Bullitt
Get Carter
The French Connection
The Taking Of Pelham 123
The Great Escape
Where Eagles Dare
Shaft
Straw Dogs
The Graduate
The Great Santini
The Great Gatsby
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
A Streetcar Named Desire
Dr.Zhivago
On The Waterfront
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Chinatown
Rosemary's Baby
Exorcist
Psycho
Rear Window
Vertigo
Bonnie & Clyde
The Wild Bunch
The Godfather1&2
The Deer Hunter
The China Syndrome
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Taxi Driver
Raging Bull
Goodfellas
Badlands
A Soldiers Story
Missisipi Burning
In The Heat Of The Night
Amadeus
The French Lieutenant's Woman
Picnic At Hanging Rock
Last Tango In Paris
The Sheltering Sky
Many,many more but these are the one that immediately come to mind.
The post is already quite long,and I have to cook dinner for 6 guests expected at 8 pm
I used to be a fan of Robert Duvall and found his performance in The Great Santini and as the consigliere in The Godfather very good.
Also De Niro in Taxi Driver/Raging Bull and Hoffman in Straw Dogs/The Graduate.Steve McQueen and Gene Hackman were always good!
Brando in On The Waterfront/Streetcar Named Desire/Last Tango In Paris was my favorite.
Marlon Brando's face in this scene.For me one of the defining scenes of Hollywood.Lament of every wannabe
I could have been a contender.I could have been somebody
YouTube - "On the Waterfront" Most Famous Scene
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ajay124
Well-Known Member
"The goal for all art,unless of course it is aimed at the 'consumer',like a saleable commodity is to explain to the artist himself and to those around him what man lives for, what is the meaning of his existence.To explain to people the reason for their appearance on this planet;or if not to explain,at least to pose the question"
"Perhaps the meaning of all human activity lies in artistic consciousness,in the pointless and selfless creative act?Perhaps our capacity to create is evidence that we ourselves were created in the image and likeness of God?"
Andrei Tarkovsky
YouTube - Ivan's Childhood - Ivan's Sister
YouTube - Tarkovsky - scene from mirror
YouTube - Stalker - Tarkovsky railroad sequence
YouTube - Tarkovsky, Nostalghia (1983)
"Perhaps the meaning of all human activity lies in artistic consciousness,in the pointless and selfless creative act?Perhaps our capacity to create is evidence that we ourselves were created in the image and likeness of God?"
Andrei Tarkovsky
YouTube - Ivan's Childhood - Ivan's Sister
YouTube - Tarkovsky - scene from mirror
YouTube - Stalker - Tarkovsky railroad sequence
YouTube - Tarkovsky, Nostalghia (1983)
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ajay124
Well-Known Member
Aristotle,Copernicus or Galileo?Who among the three should be called the father of the ''round'' world?
It is no longer 'heresy' but common knowledge that the world is round.And in a 'round' world it is quite likely that we traverse a circular path and return to our 'beginnings'.As I have these days.
In the company off my (almost) 5 year old daughter I am rediscovering the pleasures of my favorite author as a child,Enid Blyton.My daughter Andy is already familiar with the stories of the Famous Five from her (3-4 hours of daily) You Tube watching.
Recently,I accompanied her for her first film in a movie hall,Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows.I've read all the Harry Potters and seen all the movies,but my interest began dwindling after 'The Prisoner Of Azkaban',briefly reigniting for my favorite book/film 'The Half Blood Prince'.Personally,I found 'Deathly Hallows' a drag as the three main protagonists have outgrown the 'magic kingdom of childhood' and the charm of momentarily forgetting our boring adult world and travelling back in time can no longer be sustained by the three 'teenage' wizards.
Back to my daughter.I was quite prepared for having to make a premature exit from the movie hall because of her restlessness or rowdyism.But she sat through the entire film crunching pop corns and sipping her Coke like a real pro.Another inhabitant of the Hollywood Dream was born that day!
Today afternoon I will be accompanying her for a 2D version of 'Narnia:Voyage Of The Dawn Treader' and she is terribly excited.
It is no longer 'heresy' but common knowledge that the world is round.And in a 'round' world it is quite likely that we traverse a circular path and return to our 'beginnings'.As I have these days.
In the company off my (almost) 5 year old daughter I am rediscovering the pleasures of my favorite author as a child,Enid Blyton.My daughter Andy is already familiar with the stories of the Famous Five from her (3-4 hours of daily) You Tube watching.
Recently,I accompanied her for her first film in a movie hall,Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows.I've read all the Harry Potters and seen all the movies,but my interest began dwindling after 'The Prisoner Of Azkaban',briefly reigniting for my favorite book/film 'The Half Blood Prince'.Personally,I found 'Deathly Hallows' a drag as the three main protagonists have outgrown the 'magic kingdom of childhood' and the charm of momentarily forgetting our boring adult world and travelling back in time can no longer be sustained by the three 'teenage' wizards.
Back to my daughter.I was quite prepared for having to make a premature exit from the movie hall because of her restlessness or rowdyism.But she sat through the entire film crunching pop corns and sipping her Coke like a real pro.Another inhabitant of the Hollywood Dream was born that day!
Today afternoon I will be accompanying her for a 2D version of 'Narnia:Voyage Of The Dawn Treader' and she is terribly excited.
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ajay124
Well-Known Member
Aguirre,The Wrath Of God
Werner Herzog
Shot almost entirely in the Amazonian rain forest,this is another film with remarkable visuals of nature.
A band of Spanish soldiers,chop through thick rainforest and sail the treacherous waters of the Amazon,in search of the mythical city of El Dorado.
Klaus Kinski is intense,enigmatic and unforgettable as Aguirre.Inflamed by his lust for gold he is willing to sacrifice everything in his mad pursuit.
Perhaps all of us have our El Dorado's which we secretly keep pursuing all our lives....
A Hi Fi El Dorado anyone?
Klaus Kinski on Aguirre
Werner Herzog on Aguirre
YouTube - Aguirre, the Wrath of God - 1972 - Trailer, Werner Herzog
*I saw the film many years back and vaguely remember that it was in German with English subtitles.Apparently there is an English language version too.
Werner Herzog
Shot almost entirely in the Amazonian rain forest,this is another film with remarkable visuals of nature.
A band of Spanish soldiers,chop through thick rainforest and sail the treacherous waters of the Amazon,in search of the mythical city of El Dorado.
Klaus Kinski is intense,enigmatic and unforgettable as Aguirre.Inflamed by his lust for gold he is willing to sacrifice everything in his mad pursuit.
Perhaps all of us have our El Dorado's which we secretly keep pursuing all our lives....
A Hi Fi El Dorado anyone?
Klaus Kinski on Aguirre
Werner Herzog on Aguirre
YouTube - Aguirre, the Wrath of God - 1972 - Trailer, Werner Herzog
*I saw the film many years back and vaguely remember that it was in German with English subtitles.Apparently there is an English language version too.
sivasarjun
Active Member
Aguirre.was pleasantly surprised to see a dvd in the dvd rental shop in our small town.Herzog was sitting beside a ninja .
This was frequently shown in the village film festivals along with Potemkin,Bicycle thieves,pather panchali etc.
This was frequently shown in the village film festivals along with Potemkin,Bicycle thieves,pather panchali etc.
ajay124
Well-Known Member
Blow Up
Michelangelo Antonioni
I'm sure everyone is familiar with the sequence where Naseerudin Shah and Ravi Baswani 'accidentally' film a murder in a park.And the riveting sequence where they develop the roll,the blow up's becoming bigger and bigger....
Unlike a lot of Bollywood films Kundan Shah was not simply 'lifting' and copying a foreign film.Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro is much more than that.It is possibly the best film to come out off mainstream Indian cinema.And apart from the murder in the park and the 'blow up' sequence it has very little to do with Antonioni's film.As homage and acknowledgement the park in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro is named 'Antonioni Park'.
Blow Up is the quintessential 60's film.Not only as pathbreaking cinema,but also as a document of 60's chic.I have rewatched the film several times merely to enjoy the London of the 60's.
A glamorous photographer who gets bored with glamour and starts filming 'reality'.But 'reality' is a tricky animal.Difficult to catch on film,even when the blow up's become bigger and bigger.Like the two protagonist's in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro,he discovers that the 'reality' he filmed in the park-the body-has disappeared next morning.
'Reality' can be a bit like the parcel in 'passing the parcel'.As the parcel is passed around and stripped off it's layers (meanings) we may discover nothingness inside
Like the guitar in the scene from the film,'reality' can be broken,shorn off all it's 'meaning' and discarded...
YouTube - Blow-up - Antonioni (Yardbirds Scene)
Michelangelo Antonioni
I'm sure everyone is familiar with the sequence where Naseerudin Shah and Ravi Baswani 'accidentally' film a murder in a park.And the riveting sequence where they develop the roll,the blow up's becoming bigger and bigger....
Unlike a lot of Bollywood films Kundan Shah was not simply 'lifting' and copying a foreign film.Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro is much more than that.It is possibly the best film to come out off mainstream Indian cinema.And apart from the murder in the park and the 'blow up' sequence it has very little to do with Antonioni's film.As homage and acknowledgement the park in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro is named 'Antonioni Park'.
Blow Up is the quintessential 60's film.Not only as pathbreaking cinema,but also as a document of 60's chic.I have rewatched the film several times merely to enjoy the London of the 60's.
A glamorous photographer who gets bored with glamour and starts filming 'reality'.But 'reality' is a tricky animal.Difficult to catch on film,even when the blow up's become bigger and bigger.Like the two protagonist's in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro,he discovers that the 'reality' he filmed in the park-the body-has disappeared next morning.
'Reality' can be a bit like the parcel in 'passing the parcel'.As the parcel is passed around and stripped off it's layers (meanings) we may discover nothingness inside
Like the guitar in the scene from the film,'reality' can be broken,shorn off all it's 'meaning' and discarded...
YouTube - Blow-up - Antonioni (Yardbirds Scene)
ajay124
Well-Known Member
Roshomon
Akira Kurosawa
What is truth? asked Jesting Pilate and would not stay for an answer.
Kurosawa's famous film asks the same question and even stays back to try and give some answers to this eternal question.
Roshomon is the film which introduced Kurosawa to the world.It is also the film which influenced me to gradually move away from mainstream cinema in order to explore films from around the world with an open mind.
Can't understand....just can't understand....There was never anything as terrible as this....
The opening sequence under a rain soaked gate is a like a masterclass in cinema,gradually drawing the viewer into a mysterious forest,where a rape and a murder have occurred.One by one the four protagonists narrate 'their' version of the 'truth' of what actually transpired.But with every narration 'truth' keeps shifting and changing shape....
Many great films of the 50's seem to 'scent' or have a premonition of a new reality being born,in a world slowly crawling out of the horror of the Second World War,the Holocaust and the Atom Bomb.All the old certainties and beliefs in the 'humanity' of human beings shattered.A terrified,terrifying new world where every human being and nation would henceforth live under the threat of nuclear extinction.
Roshomon,Tokyo Story,L'Eclipse,La Dolce Vita,Hiroshima Mon Amour,Night And Day,Ivan's Childhood,Diary Of A Country Priest,Viridiana are some of the great films that explore this new reality in different ways....
YouTube - Rashomon Part 1
Akira Kurosawa
What is truth? asked Jesting Pilate and would not stay for an answer.
Kurosawa's famous film asks the same question and even stays back to try and give some answers to this eternal question.
Roshomon is the film which introduced Kurosawa to the world.It is also the film which influenced me to gradually move away from mainstream cinema in order to explore films from around the world with an open mind.
Can't understand....just can't understand....There was never anything as terrible as this....
The opening sequence under a rain soaked gate is a like a masterclass in cinema,gradually drawing the viewer into a mysterious forest,where a rape and a murder have occurred.One by one the four protagonists narrate 'their' version of the 'truth' of what actually transpired.But with every narration 'truth' keeps shifting and changing shape....
Many great films of the 50's seem to 'scent' or have a premonition of a new reality being born,in a world slowly crawling out of the horror of the Second World War,the Holocaust and the Atom Bomb.All the old certainties and beliefs in the 'humanity' of human beings shattered.A terrified,terrifying new world where every human being and nation would henceforth live under the threat of nuclear extinction.
Roshomon,Tokyo Story,L'Eclipse,La Dolce Vita,Hiroshima Mon Amour,Night And Day,Ivan's Childhood,Diary Of A Country Priest,Viridiana are some of the great films that explore this new reality in different ways....
YouTube - Rashomon Part 1
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ive seen almost 15 films of Kurosawa Roshomon i liked the best. but i think he is hyped by hollywood, kurosawa films are like "i am watching a hollywood film" made in foreign language with a low budget. but visuals which kurosawa's film has makes u feel "i have never seen this before"
shaiju_o_thomas
Well-Known Member
We usually run Love Actually. Some over-the-top and silly but definitely a feel-gooder. Insanely funny, romantic and childish at times. And it has "All I want for Christmas is you..."
The Polar Express is a good watch too.
Happy, joyful and love-filled Christmas.
The Polar Express is a good watch too.
Happy, joyful and love-filled Christmas.
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sivasarjun
Active Member
Bought and read Akutagawa shortstories.Kurasawa combined two of his stories into Rashamon.
cheers
cheers
ajay124
Well-Known Member
@sivasarjun
If you are fond of Japanese fiction you could also check out Yukio Mishima's Sea Of Fertility tetralogy....Spring Snow,Runaway Horses,The Temple Of Dawn,The Decay Of Angels.Wonderful experience to just forget everything and become immersed in these classics from Japan.
If you are fond of Japanese fiction you could also check out Yukio Mishima's Sea Of Fertility tetralogy....Spring Snow,Runaway Horses,The Temple Of Dawn,The Decay Of Angels.Wonderful experience to just forget everything and become immersed in these classics from Japan.
watched disneys latest tron today on the christmas day in cinema with friends and my first reaction was "i want my money back i paid extra for 3D glasses and why the hell movie is not 3D!" but as the movie finally start with the tron game mode aaah the revolutionary screen depth appears! m a fan of 3D (only in cinemas) :yahoo: now i wont talk about the story or what happens or how its written because i believe movie is not about the story; its a typical hollywood narrative formula movie. what i loved was the action because its very different from those boring hollywoods fast cars, falling helicopter, bombastic fireworks and yea those stupid cheap technology like mission impossible bummers. it has that DIGITAL ACTION i dont have any other word to describe it. in this movie every action scene has a reason, so well designed and crafted the set design was one of the best of 2010 movies with those impressive black levels i have ever seen in any other movie! m a fan of dark scenes and this movie had what i wanted. the background scoring was also impressive, now i will be watching this movie again only for sound mixing because we got the 3rd seat from front which was sad all because of that Mumbai's never ending irritating traffic so we were very close to front speakers and subwoffer hence the surround speakers weren't audible which ruined the whole experience. its a very engaging movie which should be experienced for its breathtaking action! loved it
ajay124
Well-Known Member
A beautiful feel good golden oldie to sign off the old year and ring in the new year
YouTube - On Golden Pond (1981)
YouTube - On Golden Pond (1981)
A beautiful feel good golden oldie to sign off the old year and ring in the new year
i second that ajay124 and finally u posted a film which is in the reach of HFV members
and they will also enjoy it. i found a connection between me and the movie. highly recommended!sivasarjun
Active Member
Watched tarkovskys diploma film the steamroller and the violin.Fascinating to see such an early work from the master.
Also Sokurov documentary about Tarkovsky The Moscow elegy.very good.it has a few visuals of Tarkovsky shooting Sacrifice.
Also Sokurov documentary about Tarkovsky The Moscow elegy.very good.it has a few visuals of Tarkovsky shooting Sacrifice.
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sivasarjun
Active Member
Also saw a few Kim Ki Duk films.Highly overrated.Very very stylish no doubt. but unfortunately thats it.
The bow,Summer.............,Both are ok.Stunning visuals.I can understand why people like it.
The bow,Summer.............,Both are ok.Stunning visuals.I can understand why people like it.
Rockfella
Active Member
"Every Shahrukh, Aamir, Amitabh, De Niro, Pacino, Clooney film is a tired rehash of the same old formulas" : well said... i thought i was weird when i watched The Physco 1960) 4 times in one day last year. There are some great movies which are overshadowed by the more commercial movies. I am drafting a list of movies that i have enjoyed more than the Dark Knights/James bond and the likes. These include thrillers/comedies/stand-up comedians/war/parodies/whatever.
My list:
best mind "blasting" thriller/horror i've watched:
Psycho
Psycho (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vertigo
Vertigo (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rear Window
Rear Window - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Strangers on a Train
Strangers on a Train (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
^^ These movies are like the "blue prints" of the movies that watch these days.... holl/bolly/tolly wherever..... must watch these..
My list:
best mind "blasting" thriller/horror i've watched:
Psycho
Psycho (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vertigo
Vertigo (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rear Window
Rear Window - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Strangers on a Train
Strangers on a Train (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
^^ These movies are like the "blue prints" of the movies that watch these days.... holl/bolly/tolly wherever..... must watch these..
For excellent sound that won't break the bank, the 5 Star Award Winning Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 Bookshelf Speakers is the one to consider!
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