Great pick, I definitely would have picked it if were still around when I pick my sports movie. Also has a strong Alberta connection, being based on the novel by Edmonton-area author W.P. Kinsella. I love the magic-realist tone of the story.
I don't hate baseball, I dont love it. But I like baseball movies. I don't think that's the issue at all. And no, city boy born and raised.
To be fair, this wasn't per se a baseball movie the way Bull Durham or even Major League are....this is a movie where the baseball is coincidental to the larger story.
It's really just different strokes for different folks IMHO with FoD.....seems like you either love it or are turned off by the saccharine "golly gee" type of feel to it.
With the next pick for the B-List Celebs we are proud to select in the category of Black and White, Night of the Living Dead.
Chaos descends upon the world as the brains of the recently deceased become inexplicably reanimated, causing the dead to rise and feed on human flesh. Speculation rests on a radiation-covered NASA satellite returning from Venus, but it only remains a speculation. Anyone who dies during the crisis of causes unrelated to brain trauma will return as a flesh-eating zombie, including anyone who has been bitten by a zombie. The only way to destroy the zombies is to destroy the brain. As the catastrophe unfolds, a young woman visiting her father's grave takes refuge in a nearby farmhouse, where she is met by a man who protects her and barricades them inside. They both later discover people hiding in the basement, and they each attempt to cope with the situation. Their only hope rests on getting some gasoline from a nearby pump into a truck that is running on empty, but this requires braving the hordes of ravenous walking corpses outside. When they finally put their plans into action, panic and personal tensions only add to the terror as they try to survive.
TEAM Wishwedidaporndraft would like to select into the Documentary/non-fiction category, the winner of 11 Academy Awards(including Best Picture) and the highest grossing movie of all time, James Cameron's epic, TITANIC.
What can be said about film like this. Titanic was a massive achievement. Grossing more than 1.8 BILLION dollars worldwide. It set the mark for big budget movies by having a movie on a grand scale and also taking home 11 Academy Awards in almost every single category.
Everyone knows the story, so there's no point going into a long essay length synopsis of the movie. But at it's very root, TITANIC is truly a remarkable and tragic story and Cameron does a magnificent job with it.
Trailer:
Here's the top scenes from it put together for a nice montage:
Last edited by VANFLAMESFAN; 09-02-2008 at 12:03 PM.
TEAM Wishwedidaporndraft would like to select into the Documentary/non-fiction category, the winner of 11 Academy Awards(including Best Picture) and the highest grossing movie of all time, James Cameron's epic, TITANIC.
Well there you go......we just traded movies that don't make sense to the other cuz seriously Titanic was just not a movie I found had many redeeming qualities to it....save perhaps that the ship did sink.
But clearly a prime example of the category if nothing else VanFlames, kudos on the choice.
TEAM Wishwedidaporndraft would like to select into the Documentary/non-fiction category, the winner of 11 Academy Awards(including Best Picture) and the highest grossing movie of all time, James Cameron's epic, TITANIC.
\
Isn't this stretching the non-fiction category by quite a lot? I can understand United 93 and Apollo 13, as these movies are based not only around historic events and historic characters, but also strive as much as possible to give an accurate account of the events. But Titanic is, at it's core, a completely ficticious love story around two completely ficticious characters, set in a historic setting amongst a cast of largely fictional characters with a few accurate historical characters thrown in. If we allow this to pass as non-fiction, we'd have to allow any film in a historical setting to pass as non-fiction, regardless of how much of the story is fictional.
Isn't this stretching the non-fiction category by quite a lot? I can understand United 93 and Apollo 13, as these movies are based not only around historic events and historic characters, but also strive as much as possible to give an accurate account of the events. But Titanic is, at it's core, a completely ficticious love story around two completely ficticious characters, set in a historic setting amongst a cast of largely fictional characters with a few accurate historical characters thrown in. If we allow this to pass as non-fiction, we'd have to allow any film in a historical setting to pass as non-fiction, regardless of how much of the story is fictional.
Im inclined to agree with octothorp here
Titanic is a fictional story that takes place during a real event and makes mention of some real people. But largely, the main characters are fictional, the story is fictional, even the catalyst for the story (the necklace) is fictional
so if Titanic stands as non-fiction...
(and I say this all because I really dont expect anyone to select this flaming turd , and if you do, and I give your pick away, Im sorry)
then I could argue "Sudden Death" as non fiction; in that its a fictional story that occurs within a real surrounding (mellon arena), with real people (i.e Lucky Luc and Mike Lange) at a real event (SCF hockey game although, if i recall correctly its game 7 of the SCF pittsburgh vs chicago...completely fictional, as pittsburgh swept the series)
anywho im rambling now, and everything Ive typed is completely ridiculous which oddly enough is about how i feel about titanic being "non-fiction"
sorry VFF, but it had to be done
__________________
Thank you for not discussing the outside world
Isn't this stretching the non-fiction category by quite a lot? I can understand United 93 and Apollo 13, as these movies are based not only around historic events and historic characters, but also strive as much as possible to give an accurate account of the events. But Titanic is, at it's core, a completely ficticious love story around two completely ficticious characters, set in a historic setting amongst a cast of largely fictional characters with a few accurate historical characters thrown in. If we allow this to pass as non-fiction, we'd have to allow any film in a historical setting to pass as non-fiction, regardless of how much of the story is fictional.
There's no way Titanic should be allowed as documentary/non-fiction.
For my next pick, Team Hot Buttery Topping chooses, in the Musical category, my second film directed by Meat Head and third film directed by a 1970s sitcom star, Rob Reiner's comedy classic, and the film that launched a thousand mockumentary ships for Christopher Guest...This Is Spinal Tap!
This Is Spinal Tap was Rob Reiner's directorial debut and is a brilliantly funny look at the craziness of the Rock 'n' Roll world through a mock-rockumentary following the "once great" British rockers Spinal Tap on their American comeback tour. As outrageous as the whole movie seems, many real rockers have claimed to have experienced situations very similar to the events in the movie. Eddie Van Halen and Steven Tyler both failed to see the humour in the movie because it hit too close to home, and numerous rockers claim to have found themselves lost in the bowels of a venue, unable to find the stage.
Metallica's 1991 "Black Album" was also a tribute to the revised cover for "Smell the Glove" that is seen in the movie.
Theatrical trailer...
These go to eleven...
"As long as there's, you know, sex and drugs, I can do without the rock and roll."
__________________
Turn up the good, turn down the suck!
I'm at work right now, so I don't have time to do a full write-up...For my next pick, Team Hot Buttery Topping chooses, in the Musical category, my second film directed by Meat Head and third film directed by a 1970s sitcom star, Rob Reiner's comedy classic, and the film that launched a thousand mockumentary ships for Christopher Guest...This Is Spinal Tap!
If anyone is a member of the FAN960 fan club and hasnt seen or doesnt own a copy...
the FanClub will be giving away copies of the 59th pick overall: The Nightmare Before Christmas for 7,000 fan points. It'll be available on Sept 13 @ 12:01pm
__________________
Thank you for not discussing the outside world
Yeah, I love this one. I had it pegged for a later round but suspected it wouldn't still be around. So many great lines. How much more black could this be? The answer is none. None more black.
The MacGuffins are proud to select, with the 184st pick in the 7th round, for entry in the Thriller category:
No Country For Old Men
I always knew you had to be willing to die to even do this job. But, I don't want to push my chips forward and go out and meet something I don't understand. A man would have to put his soul at hazard. He'd have to say, "OK, I'll be part of this world."
IMO, this is the best film of the decade. I saw it 4 times in its first two weeks in the theatres, mainly because it kept calling me back, urging me to dismantle it and piece it back together. I found that it could be appreciated on so many levels, and that every time I saw it I could focus on something different and explore that area of the film. The more I put in the more I got out, and for that reason alone, this is one of my desert island picks. So few films approach viewers in this manner- for all the bloodshed and cat-and-mouse action there is so much subtext lurking there for active viewers that I simply cannot wait to see the film again every time I think about it.
With that said, I'm going to take a different approach to this writeup and simply list in point form things I liked about the film, or reasons why I think it's such a work of art. Maybe even some explanations and analysis also. Might be a little easier to digest that way, and I have a feeling it would be pages long otherwise. Some spoilers abound. Beware.
There is almost no music in the film. The lack of a score to accompany the action onscreen seems to heighten the tension in many scenes, and contributes to the lonely, alienating atmosphere throughout the film.
With no music, there is an extraordinary emphasis placed on the sound design, which is incredible. Consider the scene where Chigurh is tracking the briefcase to the motel where Moss is hiding out- the viewers are almost made hyper-aware of the beeping of the tracking device. A beeping that has never sounded so ominous.
The film is not about a psycho killer and his attempt to track down a fugitive. And it is not about that man on the run and his attempts to shed those in pursuit of him. Mistakenly, so many people dissatisfied with this film have focused their energy on those two characters, whose character arcs seem rather unfulfilled if that's the approach chosen. NCFOM is much more than that. Read on.
Chigurh represents an unstoppable evil; a force that cannot be restrained. Nothing, not even a compund fracture, will slow him down. Sheriff Bell, over the course of the film, realizes this, and decides that it's best for an old man to simply turn his back on that evil and let it run its course. Let the young whippersnappers try to tame it. Like his father's former colleague says to him: “What you got ain’t new. Can’t stop what’s coming. Ain’t all waiting on you. That’s vanity.”
In choosing to not show the (presumably) climactic scene where Moss is gunned down, the Coens further illustrate that Moss's fate is essentially meaningless to the story, and that the briefcase full of money is nothing more than a MacGuffin. They are not interested in the outcome of that storyline, but rather in the motivations of the characters and what that might represent.
All that said, the film is deliberately left somewhat open-ended and eager for personal interpretation. Like I said above, it rewards an active viewing experience, and there are no right or wrong "readings" of the film.
The cinematography sets a new standard IMO. Desolate, empty landscapes have never looked this beautiful. So many breathtaking shots- the lifeless boot under the shade tree, the dog chase in the canyon, the empty street at night during the shotgun blast sequence between Chigurh and Moss.
Even though the chase sequences and "tracking down the fugitives" aspect of the film aren't especially important in relation to the themes suggested, they are so well constructed and thrilling they are worthy of distinction.
Chigurh's very name (what kind of word is that? It's more of a "sound" or combination of letters), the manner in which he kills his victims (the cold efficiency of the cattle gun), his wacky haircut, accent, and dress, and his penchant for tossing coins all symbolize what his character stands for perectly- fate is unstoppable, unconventional, unpredictable. And that is exactly what he represents.
Sheriff Ed Tom is playing catch up the whole picture. Some have argues that if the movie is supposed to be best absorbed from his point of view, that he didn't have enough screen time and character development for that to have any resonance. I disagree. He's a step behind the entire way, and is given just enough screen time to show that. His lengthy scenes come towards the end of the picture when he's trying to make sense of it all and concludes that his time has passed.
While some will view that ending as nihilistic and depressing, one could argue that it's uplifting and full of self-realization. Evil and the destruction that comes along with it has always been around, so when Bell makes the decision to turn his back and wave the white flag, one presumes he will be able to turn his attnetion to his wife and ranch after a lifetime of servitude to society that went pretty much unnoticed. Perhaps he'll find happiness there.
Another way to interpret the ending is that Ed Tom, when explaining his dreams in the film's final scene, describes his father (who Ed Tom has outlived by 20 years, and is thus a "younger"man) marching on ahead in the cold and darkness to prepare a fire. That could symbolize that regardless of all the evil in the world, if you're not able to imagine forging ahead in the face of the bleak future and lighting a fire, what have you got? Even when you "wake up?"
What happened in the motel scene at the end where Ed Tom approaches the scene of the crime and Chigurh appears to be inside? Was Chigurh really in there? Was it all in Ed Tom's head? Did Chigurh escape into the shadows? Again, by not fully fleshing this out and forcing the viewer to determine what happened, the Coens have made a brave choice, and one that I applaud. It only reinforces Chigurh's presence as a "ghostly" figure, and one that cannot be restrained. That was, in many ways, Ed Tom's moment of clarity, his "coin toss" with Chigurh, and he's packing it in.
The Coens have a knack for startling images, and for presenting them in eye-popping ways. Consider the camera slowly panning over the scuff marks at the first movie scene, or the way a second truck appears at the top of the hillcrest while Moss is back investigating the carnage below. Or the deliberate manner in which Chigurh checks the soles of his shoes, or the beads of condensation on the milk bottle. All carefully manipulated pieces of filmmaking of the highest artistic merit.
Bardem's performance is legendary. Really not a lot else to say about it.
Whether you approach this film stylistically or symbolically doesn't matter. Both form and content are exceptional. It is, however, the intertwining of these factions that lifts the film to stratospheric heights- so few films achieve this that it's a privilege to find one that is enhanced when style and content are mixed together into something completely different, and not just meant to be appreciated separately.
The scene pictured below. Maybe my favorite movie scene of all time. The dialogue is pitch perfect, the performances just the same, and the tension is bursting at the seams. I love it!
Team Hot Buttery Topping chooses, in the Musical category, my second film directed by Meat Head and third film directed by a 1970s sitcom star, Rob Reiner's comedy classic, and the film that launched a thousand mockumentary ships for Christopher Guest...This Is Spinal Tap!
If someone had picked the Blues Brothers ahead of me this was my other musical choice. Awesome movie.
I will take No Country For Old Men in the thriller category. IMO the best film of the decade. Will add to this later when i can get back to a computer.
Oh man, my spreadsheet is taking a beating today. Field of Dreams, Spinal Tap, and now No Country! Ouch.
, and if you do, and I give your pick away, Im sorry)
