It's a good movie that has been unfairly slated because it won the Best Picture Oscar when EVERYBODY expected Ryan to win. I really enjoyed the movie. It was intelligent and very funny at times. Dame Judi Dench has a fantastic turn as Queen Elizabeth. Good pickup sadora.
Thanks. I really enjoyed the comic element this movie had.
With the next pick the B-List Celebs are happy to select as Wildcard #2 Beverly Hills Cop.
This is by far my favorite Eddie Murphy movie, and his character of Axel Foley is just amazing. This movie
Detroit cop Axel Foley is delighted when he receives a surprise visit from his best friend Mikey Tandino, who lives in California. Not long after Mikey arrives in Detroit, Mikey is killed, right in front of Axel, by a man named Zack. Axel follows Zack to Beverly Hills, California, where Beverly Hills police department Lieutenant Andrew Bogomil assigns Detective Billy Rosewood and Rosewood's partner, Sergeant John Taggart, to keep an eye on Axel. Axel visits his friend Jenny Summers, who works in an art gallery. With Jenny's help, Axel discovers that Zack works for Jenny's boss, Victor Maitland, the man who owns the art gallery. Maitland is a drug kingpin who is using the gallery as a front, and Maitland had Zack kill Mikey after Maitland accused Mikey of stealing some of Maitland's bonds. With the help of Jenny, Billy, and Taggart, Axel does what he can to make sure Maitland and Zack won't kill any more people.
Trailer
Sylvester Stallone was originally intended to play Axel Foley. After his departure due to differences in scope (he wanted more action than the producers would budget for) the role was re-written for Murphy. Stallone went on to use his version of the film as the basis for his movie Cobra. According to Eddie Murphy on Inside the Actor's Studio, Stallone also envisioned a "harder edged" screenplay. The character of Jenny Summers was originally a Stallone love interest, but was rendered only an "old friend" to Murphy's Foley. Mikey was originally supposed to be Stallone's brother.
Great pick Superflyer. Eddie Murphy was 23 years old when this film was released. How many 23 year old comedians can deliver this?
He's done some great stuff since (and before) but I think this will probably go down as his most popular film.
__________________ I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love." - John Steinbeck
I believe Bowfinger and Norbit have something to say about that Dis...
Bowfinger? Bowfinger was outstanding! Pluto Nash...sure. Norbit...sure. Bowfinger? Man.....that's unexpected.
I was thinking of Life too. Hilarious. I'm also one of the 5 people in the world who liked Harlem Nights.
__________________ I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love." - John Steinbeck
Team Snoogans is happy to select in the Awards category...Shakespeare in Love.
Nice pick. I was hoping it would last one more round because it was my first wild card.
It's a brilliant satire. I may be one of the only people who agreed with the Academy giving it the Best Picture Oscar over Saving Private Ryan (even though it's on my team).
__________________
Turn up the good, turn down the suck!
That's What She Said is proud to call to the podium our 16th selection from the Drama category, Finding Neverland.
This is a movie with a rather simple storyline, based loosely on the real-life story of J.M. Barrie & his inspiration for writing Peter Pan as the result of his relationship with Sylvia Llewelyn-Davies and her sons. As written by Sid Unrau in his review of the film on IMDB.com, "Some movies entertain; some teach; some open up new worlds. This movie opened up new worlds. With each passing scene, carefully woven from the previous ones, it was like crossing yet another threshold into another world....each layer adding not to complexity (the story is rather simple), but to the depth. Depp and the others (esp. the young actor who played Peter) easily lead the audience....into the paths of authenticity, healing, love, friendship and the triumph of inner strength."
The story is emotional without being maudlin & sweet without being saccharine - the young boys, esp Freddy Highmore are fabulous in their roles and Kate Winslet is simply luminous as Sylvia. She is almost treated as a Madonna-type character by Barrie because while there is no doubt of his love for her, there is little if any sexual overtone in the relationship. I would recommend this film to pretty much anyone as it isn't just a chick flick as it may appear. It's a heartwarming film for the family and can be watched by all as there is something in it for everybody.
Great pick! I am embarrassed to admit this one didn't even cross my mind. I really liked it.
That Spoiler clip, I thought it was so well done and lovely.
That part of the movie was sneaky because while it was sad to that point, when they get to the house etc I bawled because it was so lovely and even her mother could see it then.
Truly Finding Neverland was just a real gem of a movie and I couldn't believe it hadn't been taken earlier but I was certainly happy it hadn't been!
Oh man, did I ever cry like a baby at the end of Finding Neverland. The scene on the bench with Depp and Highmore is just heartbreaking.
__________________
The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true. Go Flames Go!
I keep hearing about how great 'Finding Neverland' is... Could this be the push factor for me?
Well Stray I hope it is - you can come back and report your findings.....lol.
Honestly, it was a really good movie, maybe a bit slow in places but overall the story and the excellent acting more than made up for any pacing issues.
As our 16th round pick, team Selfmade Heroes picks Mies vailla menneisyyttä (The Man Without A Past) (2002) in the Foreign Category.
A film by Aki Kaurismäki, one of my all-time favourite filmmakers. (I was originally going to save this pick for later since I'm pretty confident no-one else would've picked it, but I sort of run out of picks for now.)
Opening sequence, displaying the general premise of the film
(With Spanish subtitles)
This scene displays "M" getting a grip on his new life. The movie is placed in a sort of an out-of-time fantasy of "old Finland", and there's a lot of old music playing throughout the film.
(With English subtitles)
Once again, I'll quote someone from IMDB (Max_Cinefilo89 from Italy):
The Man Without a Past, the second installment in Aki Kaurismäki's "losers" trilogy (the first being 1996's Drifting Clouds), is, to date, the only Finnish film to have received a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nomination, and deservedly so. It's a wonderful, heartbreaking opus, and arguably Kaurismäki's finest movie.
At the story's center we find a nameless man (Markku Peltola), who arrives in Helsinki for unknown reasons. That same night, he's brutally assaulted by a group of punks. This incident makes him look dead, although we immediately learn he is alive, if completely amnesiac. With no idea of who he is or what he's supposed to do, he starts looking for a home and an employment. He manages to rent a "house" in the city outskirts (don't miss Sakari Kuosmanen as the landlord) and befriends Irma (Kati Outinen), a social worker who tries to help M (in lack of a better name, and given "X" is quite overused) as much as possible. It is this friendship, which slowly evolves into something deeper, that truly motivates the protagonist in his pursuit of a better life.
The Man Without a Past strikes us because, unlike other films involving amnesia, it makes us hope M won't recover his memory: what he experiences throughout the movie, the people he meets, that's what really matters. It's a little bit like a road movie (they never end with the characters reaching their destination), only this time the voyage involves the mind and the spirit. It's a similar voyage the director asks the audience to join, as he artfully explores human life and its chances of improvement.
Moving and reminiscent of Italian neorealism (De Sica, Rossellini, Visconti), The Man Without a Past is a flawless reflection on how happiness is to be found anywhere, no matter the circumstances.
Sorry for the long delay. Just don't like seeing my name next to the thread there. OK, time to make two quick picks, will update later.
Team Lucky the Donkey selects:
Spike Lee's terribly underrated He Got Game in the Sports category. Denzel is great in this one as an overbearing uber-coach of a dad (not to mention being in jail). Ray Allen does an amazing job for being a professional athlete who'd never acted. Love it.
We will also take Newsies in the Musical category. I know a young Christian Bale is in this, so that's probably good. And it didn't make me want to claw my eyes out immediately when I thought about it, which is a requirement for a musical. I just asked a girl I work with to peruse the draft board and find a musical that wasnt listed that was good. Sorry, I don't know jack about them.
As our 16th round pick, team Selfmade Heroes picks Mies vailla menneisyyttä (The Man Without A Past) (2002) in the Foreign Category.
Sounds like a must-see Itse! I will have to check it out and let you know what I think. Maybe it was the mention of De Sica's Bicycle Thieves in that review you quoted that sole me.
