With the 266th pick, Team MissTeeks selects, in the Drama category, A Time to Kill.
This is one of my favorite drama movies. It's based on the novel of the same name by John Grisham. For some reason I prefer the movie adaptions of John Grisham's novels more than the actual books themselves. This movie stars a fairly young Matthew McConaughey, before he became all about not wearing a shirt and starring in crappy romantic comedies with Kate Hudson. It also stars a very good Samuel L. Jackson and an underrated Sandra Bullock. It's a very racial charged movie and it's pretty much the reason I'm scared spit-less of Kiefer Sutherland. The final courtroom scene is really hard to watch but also the best scene in the movie, I cry everytime I watch it.
Closing Arguments (Spoilers) And probably NSFW. Sorry for the ad at the beginning of the clip, it was the only one I could find that hadn't been removed.
Quotes:
Jake Tyler Brigance: I am a liberal Row-Ark. What I am not is a card-carrying ACLU radical.
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Sheriff: [to prisoners] If I get any trouble outta you guys, I'm gonna integrate this jail.
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Jake Tyler Brigance: And until we can see each other as equals, justice is never going to be even-handed. It will remain nothing more than a reflection of our own prejudices
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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!
Did those youtube links work? They are just white spaces on my end for some reason.
__________________
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!
With pick 267 Team Clint Eastwood selects Magnolia (1999) in the Best Picture category*.
*winner at Berlin film festival
"Now that I've met you, would you object to never seeing me again?"
A grandoise, Altman-esque drama-epic that tells the story of several inextricably-linked characters; chance, destiny, dashed hopes and dreams, and redemption drive the intertwined storyline that binds them. As the follow-up to his highly-regarded Boogie Nights, director PT Anderson was granted free reign on this picture and his (sometimes excessive) ambition shows: this film occupies its own territory and is one of the standout movie experiences of my life. The performances from a deep, strong cast are fantastic and the filmmaking is masterful.
The acting: then relative-backgrounder John C. Reilly provides IMO the core to an ensemble of heavyhitters, including Philip Seymor Hoffman, William H. Macy, Julianne Moore, and a highly-praised showing from everyone's favorite scientologist, Tom Cruise. Marvellous turns from the top flight talent simply act as a marquee to a supporting cast that match the leads scene for scene - the relationship between a quiz show whiz kid and his pushy father is executed perfectly - neither actor instantly recognizable - and mirrored beautifully by the Macy character, himself once a quiz show wunderkind, now an emotionally crippled former star. Cruise effectively parodies his alpha-male celebrity status (at least, as it was in 1999), and is alternatingly hilarious as the creator of a misogynistic female seduction program and more dramatically competent than one might expect in some of his more dour scenes. As mentioned, though, it is Reilly who really anchors the film with a knockout performance as a love-starved straight-and-narrow cop who tries to make it work with a junkie. Anderson succeeds fully in drawing humor and heartache from his cast, and Reilly is superb in providing both.
The movie runs long, but at 3+ hours time flies thanks to Anderson's verve. He orchestrates the oft-jumping storylines perfectly, and I think the key to the seamless exposition is his use of music - the score dictates the mood of every sequence and so even the most disparate of scenes mesh together. Big time props go to singer Aimee Mann (Anderson's muse during the writing phase of this project - the quote I used at the top is both a line from one of her songs and dialogue in the movie), who provides a couple of original songs, one of which is used to score one of Anderson's braver choices: a full-cast singalong that occurs during the late-going. He employs an eclectic range of stylistic devices that wonderfully complement the story; a narrated prologue sets the tone for the film perfectly, and a dynamic, moving camera in many of the scenes - one in particular is a lengthy, unedited tracking shot that follows a character into and around a television studio. Depressing as it can be at times, the film always has an exuberant, endearing feeling to it.
The climax - involving frogs - is one of the more shattering and outrageous I have seen. The film does a magnificent job of building tension up to this point, making the climax an explosive experience on several levels. Again, the way Anderson is able to draw together various techniques and exploit them for the benefit of the story shows incredible skill. This is a great, great movie, and I agree with one of the movie-poster critic quotes that calls it "highly unmissable".
It's Just A Flesh Wound are pleased to finally get our sci-fi pick out of the way! In the 10th round, 268th overall, we select............
Minority Report (2002)
Yeah I know this movie stars everyone’s favourite scientologist, Tom Cruise, but we shouldn’t hold that against it. He is actually perfectly cast here.
The movie is based, loosely it must be said, on a short story by Philip K. Dick, of “Do Androids dream of Electric Sheep” fame which became the sci-fi classic, Blade runner..
I believe that Minority Report is a classic of the genre in it’s own right. I choose to disregard the flaws and impossibilities of the plot, as there are some very good ideas put forth here and it is incredibly entertaining.
Both good films though. I thought Minority Report was very underrated as far as cerebral sci-fi. It handles the complexities of prescience and predetermination very well.
Ohhh! Minority Report was on my shortlist - great action film and yeah, quite thoughtful as well - but I went with Magnolia as my Tom Cruise Pick. Too bad the dude has buggered up his image so badly, because he's been in some good movies and he's a decent actor... just a little mental in real life.
Ohhh! Minority Report was on my shortlist - great action film and yeah, quite thoughtful as well - but I went with Magnolia as my Tom Cruise Pick. Too bad the dude has buggered up his image so badly, because he's been in some good movies and he's a decent actor... just a little mental in real life.
Lots of actors like that out there. As long as they put out decent movies and don't hurt anyone, I won't hold it against them.
With the 269th pick in the CP Movie Draft, StrayBullet selects, Toy Story 2 starring the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. Toy Story 2 will fulfill the Animation category.
The toys go to Al's Toy Barn to try and save Woody - Great scene.
Last edited by StrayBullet; 09-22-2008 at 07:49 PM.
What makes this movie so good is the factual information that is incorporated into the film. All of the locales and most of the characters are real and the circumstances leading up to and the events of the Lincoln County War as shown in the film are largely accurate.
Emilio Estevez is great as the cocky and trigger happy William H. Bonney who leads a group of hired guns on a quest for revenge for the murder of their English employer at the hands of an Irish merchant. The English/Irish feud is a part of the story that most people don't know about and the movie really shows how much that dynamic played into what took place in Lincoln County, New Mexico. Keifer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Dermot Mulroney and the late great Jack Palance round out a great cast. This movie also includes one of the best shootout scenes ever.
Trailer
When you don't know which way to go, try peyote!
Shootout at the McSween's (apologize for the sound quality of the clip, but this is a classic scene)
__________________ 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
Last edited by Displaced Flames fan; 10-06-2008 at 01:10 PM.
Reason: Reflecting the undoing of changes due to round 13 pick...sorry!
I did not pick this movie because I'm an American and it was our greatest moment in amateur sport ever. I didn't pick this movie as a patriotic reminder of a small victory in the Cold War. I didn't even pick this movie because it is one of the best hockey movies ever made.
I picked this film because it focused on what got that team to accomplish the unthinkable, Herb Brooks. Brooks' coaching won that gold medal. He took a bunch of kids from rival schools in some instances, with very little time and turned them into a TEAM. I think it may be the greatest coaching job in sports history. He as THAT good. Kurt Russell was outstanding in the film and really became Brooks on screen. The hockey sequences are expertly shot and they endeavored to keep the movie shots as close to what really happened on the ice as possible. I went into this movie expecting nothing and came away loving it. Great movie.
There is a stunning lack of quality clips from this movie on youtube. These are the best I could do.
Trailer
Greatest bag skate ever
vs. Russia pre-game speech
__________________ 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 almost took that one. I love Kurt Russell! There's some great hockey sequences in that and there's some not bad looking young guys with some Boston accents...
ACK!!!!! YOUNG GUNS!!!!! That was my pick, DFF!!!! ...re-group.
Really? I kinda thought I might get ribbed a bit for picking that one! I'm glad someone else likes it as much as I do!
__________________ 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
