mrbasehart's Film Challenge! - COMPLETE

[mrbasehart]

I've actually seen Wonder Man.  I liked it. 

Wow, I haven't seen that movie in simply years. I love Danny Kaye.

There's movies where I don't like him, but then there's The Court Jester or Hans Christian Andersen, which are both pretty good.

[stansimpson]

There are two movies I'm trying to see and they're based solely on some of the greatest word of mouth you could imagine.

Bread & Chocolate

The Castle (an Australian movie)

I don't know much about either but they're supposed to be like the greatest movies people have never seen.  Have you seen them?  Can you track them down?

[mrbasehart]

There are two movies I'm trying to see and they're based solely on some of the greatest word of mouth you could imagine.

Bread & Chocolate

The Castle (an Australian movie)

I don't know much about either but they're supposed to be like the greatest movies people have never seen.  Have you seen them?  Can you track them down?

I didn't know much about them either till I looked them up.  As for tracking them down... if you're familiar with Bittorrent, then The Castle seems to be available.  Bread and Chocolate or Pane e cioccolata as it's known in its native language doesn't seem to be, though if you're desperate, I see it on Amazon for sale.  Perhaps Netflix has it?

[THE QUEEN!!!]

I've actually seen Wonder Man.  I liked it. 

Wow, I haven't seen that movie in simply years. I love Danny Kaye.

There's movies where I don't like him, but then there's The Court Jester or Hans Christian Andersen, which are both pretty good.

Those are two of my favorites of his. My other is White Christmas.

[mrbasehart]

I've actually seen Wonder Man.  I liked it. 

Wow, I haven't seen that movie in simply years. I love Danny Kaye.

There's movies where I don't like him, but then there's The Court Jester or Hans Christian Andersen, which are both pretty good.

Those are two of my favorites of his. My other is White Christmas.

Yeah, I guess for me is that while he's great in great movies, he can't elevate mediocre ones. 

[ScottotD]

There are two movies I'm trying to see and they're based solely on some of the greatest word of mouth you could imagine.

Bread & Chocolate

The Castle (an Australian movie)

I don't know much about either but they're supposed to be like the greatest movies people have never seen.  Have you seen them?  Can you track them down?

The Castle is pretty great, not sure how well it would translate outside Australia though. 

[THE QUEEN!!!]

I've actually seen Wonder Man.  I liked it. 

Wow, I haven't seen that movie in simply years. I love Danny Kaye.

There's movies where I don't like him, but then there's The Court Jester or Hans Christian Andersen, which are both pretty good.

Those are two of my favorites of his. My other is White Christmas.

Yeah, I guess for me is that while he's great in great movies, he can't elevate mediocre ones. 

That's too true. Very good way of putting it.

[stansimpson]

I've actually seen Wonder Man.  I liked it. 

Wow, I haven't seen that movie in simply years. I love Danny Kaye.

There's movies where I don't like him, but then there's The Court Jester or Hans Christian Andersen, which are both pretty good.

Those are two of my favorites of his. My other is White Christmas.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Merry Andrew (to a lesser extent) come to my mind as some of my favorites of his (along with everything else mentioned).

Oh, and I probably will be watching The Castle before the week is over.  Thanks.   

[mrbasehart]

Back on the trail:

The Longest Day is an epic (in terms of sheer breadth and running time) look at the allied invasion of France on D-Day, taking into account not only the British, American, and French forces, but also a look at the French civillians, the resistance, and the German high command.  Filling those roles is a cavalcade of stars, you got: Robert Mitchum, John Wayne, Sean Connery, Richard Burton, Robert Ryan, Henry Fonda, Roddy McDowell, Leslie Phillips, George Segal, and a whole bunch of blink and you'll miss them co-stars.  And that's pricely the movie's problem.  It's an admirably even handed movie, resisting the urge to brand the Germans as "the bad guys", but in its attempt to cram in the scope of the events of the day, it loses a personal connection for the audience, with so many people appearing and then dying, it's hard to care about someone who's been on screen for 10 seconds, even if they're a star.  This is also the debut of Connery's vocal talents, as is Irish accent is perfect.*


*Perfect if he were from Edinburgh.

[mrbasehart]

I could not think of a more different film than The Longest Day than Babette's Feast.  Though both somewhat broach the theme of self-sacrifice, the ways in which they present it are totally opposite: The Longest Day is big, brash and kinda loud, while Babette's Feast is small, understated and intensely personal.  The story's not complicated, but interconnected in such a way that a dry plot synopsis does the movie a disservice.  I'll give it a go though:  Ostensibly it's about a pair of elderly sisters who have sacrificed (or in some cases, denied) themselves marital love for the sake of others: first their father, a padre to the remote Swedish village they live in, and finally to the village's poor and needy.  When a French housekeeper seeks asylum with them, they happily agree and the housekeeper cooks them a traditional French meal.  That's basically it, but it has quite a few flashbacks to the sisters' youth, where they were courted by men and the impact that the unrequited romances had on the men and women involved.  It's really quite a lovely little film, with everything revealed at a graceful, elegant pace and I don't think there's one loud word in the entire movie.  Most of the cast is over 65, and gloriously cranky and eccentric, and the final 25 minutes featuring the titular feast are a challenge to anyone's appetites.  Now I'm starving!

[THE QUEEN!!!]

now you make me want to watch that film again. It's been a while.

[mrbasehart]

It's really a nice film.  Unlike Emperor of the North Pole, which by anyone's definition, isn't nice.  Lee Marvin stars as A No.1, the king of riding the rails in this 30s era adventure drama, where he takes on the meanest railway conductor (Ernest Borgnine), Shack, who relishes the violence he dishes out on anyone riding his train for free.  A No.1 also has to contend with an obnoxious newcomer, Cigarette (Keith Carradine), who's cheap bravado and lies see him try and take the title of "Emperor of the North Pole" from Marvin's character.  Taking place mostly on one train line where the three duke it out while on a trip, it's a tough film, with Marvin's poet-warrior lead the toughest of all.  It has some great little moments, like the introduction to A No.1's character and his plan to escape from a locked boxcar, or the final showdown between he and Shack with some brutal makeshift weaponry.  Carradine's character is an unlikeable punk, and it's hard to reconcile Marvin's character letting himself be beaten or teaching the kid and a couple of the comedy moments don't particularly work.  I can't call it fun, but I thought it was good.

[Tripe]

It's really a nice film.  Unlike Emperor of the North Pole, which by anyone's definition, isn't nice.  Lee Marvin stars as A No.1, the king of riding the rails in this 30s era adventure drama, where he takes on the meanest railway conductor (Ernest Borgnine), Shack, who relishes the violence he dishes out on anyone riding his train for free.  A No.1 also has to contend with an obnoxious newcomer, Cigarette (Keith Carradine), who's cheap bravado and lies see him try and take the title of "Emperor of the North Pole" from Marvin's character.  Taking place mostly on one train line where the three duke it out while on a trip, it's a tough film, with Marvin's poet-warrior lead the toughest of all.  It has some great little moments, like the introduction to A No.1's character and his plan to escape from a locked boxcar, or the final showdown between he and Shack with some brutal makeshift weaponry.  Carradine's character is an unlikeable punk, and it's hard to reconcile Marvin's character letting himself be beaten or teaching the kid and a couple of the comedy moments don't particularly work.  I can't call it fun, but I thought it was good.

Was that one of my suggestions? It's certainly one of my favourite films.

EDIT: Ah no it was Monty, we often like the same films it seems.

[mrbasehart]

I didn't mention the spectacular scenery, which is shameful of me.  And the one comedy scene that did work was the baptism scene.  Funny!

[mrbasehart]

I doubt I'll say this much:

Six-String Samurai is a rockabilly-post-apocalyptic-martial-arts movie, with definite shades of the Lone Wolf and Cub series.  Set in alternate universe where a nuclear war wiped out most civilisation and Elvis became king of Las Vegas, it's clearly a movie that doesn't take itself too seriously.  The protagonist is Buddy, who wields his guitar as expertly as the Samurai sword that's sheathed in it.  He's headed for a gig in Las Vegas that will presumably make him the new king (Elvis is dead), but in saving a young boy's life, finds himself a reluctant guardian to the silent youth.  As they make their way to Vegas, they meet a whole host of weird and wonderful characters, with most wanting them dead, especially a man called Top Hat, who seems to represent Heavy Metal, in opposition to Buddy's rock and roll.  There's a few good fight scenes and it has some imagination, but the unrepentant "coolness" of it all distanced me from the movie, especially when they try for the sincerity at the end, when it really hasn't earned it.