May 4, 2016 On The Waterfront On The Waterfront is a strong character film, with much film-historical relevance and classicism, which explains its current reputation and social reverence. In an almost reverse nature, I was noting not references in the film, but original scenes of which I have seen future pop-culture references, such as the line "I coulda been a contender," as well as the final montage walking scene which has undoubtedly drawn aesthetic similarities in countless films after it. Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint give career best performances, and their chemistry is palpable in each and every scene. Brando presents his charismatic self with great subtlety, from the slight accent he uses, delivery of speech, brief bowing of the head, uncertain sighs. A troubled history which is not displayed yet looms in his background becomes undeniable in Brando's performance, which brings forth all the complex psychological traits Terry Malloy, an orphaned 'bum' who's advantage has been taken since as far as he can remember. This makes clear his supposed loyalty to Johnny and his brother Charlie, in spite of the negative impact these two figures have made and continue to make on his life. It also makes clear how the impact of a good woman and a good priest can turn his life around, primarily because their influence allows him to feel secure and confident: in short, proud. The love of a kind woman helps strip the fear and self-deprecation he has become used to, and the influence of the priest plays an edifying role in reinstating the moral compass Terry presumably once carried before Johnny stripped away his innocence. Kazan directs the film amicably, but in no way should On The Waterfront be celebrated for particularly masterful direction or cinematography. It fits within classic Hollywood, and Kazan performs his role as studio director exactly right, which is to say that the film could perhaps be seen as an archetype of the techniques and formulas of classic Hollywood--and could even be studied in this right--but that the film has little of an authorial sensibility, and does not much feel like the creative consequence of a personal viewpoint. For this reason, there are some generic qualities to the film, which are seen in its editing, story arcs, and mise-en-scene. Shot in high contrast black-and-white, On The Waterfront follows relatively formulaic shooting patterns: establishing shot, shot-reverse-shot dialogue, close up on emotional moment. Besides the final montage, there is little cinematographic spontaneity or uniqueness. It's a film style we've seen a 100 times before; the difference here is that On The Waterfront serves as prototypical rather than stereotypical. 88/100 - Excellent. (4.5)
May 7, 2016 25 unseen/unremembered films from @JohnnyIgaloo list. Might use this as a menu, since all these films are western-world 'must-sees'. You guys pick the next film, first film mentioned & seconded becomes film of the week. There are some embarrassing holes here. @Twan @Woody @Vahn @Rowjay Stan @Old_Parr @Charlie @captain awesome @Howie @Dew @Kon @King V @Devil White @Radeem 8. Schindler’s List Steven Spielberg 1993 9. Gone With the Wind Victor Fleming 1939 11. Chinatown Roman Polanski 1974 14. Jaws Steven Spielberg 1975 20. Blade Runner Ridley Scott 1982 23. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Steven Spielberg 1982 25. Saving Private Ryan Steven Spielberg 1998 28. Raiders of the Lost Ark Steven Spielberg 1981 31. To k--- A Mockingbird Robert Mulligan 1962 38. The Best Years of Our Lives William Wyler 1946 40. The Bridge on the River Kwai David Lean 1957 43. The Sound of Music Robert Wise 1965 47. Amadeus Miloš Forman 1984 48. Doctor Zhivago David Lean 1965 49. West Side Story Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise 1961 51. Ben-Hur William Wyler 1959 56. The Hurt Locker Kathryn Bigelow 2008 62. The Sting George Roy Hill 1973 67. Gandhi Richard Attenborough 1982 71. The Grapes of Wrath John Ford 1940 72. All the President’s Men Alan J. Pakula 1976 73. Barry Lyndon Stanley Kubrick 1975 75. Once Upon a Time in America Sergio Leone 1984 78. Network Sidney Lumet 1976 80. Once Upon a Time in the West Sergio Leone 1968
May 7, 2016 Hey, I forgot this was a thing. How about Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time In the West? Tarantino has kind of spurred (lololol) westerns back into the mainstream and The Magnificent Seven remake looks like they're trying to turn the genre into capeshit. Kind of topical I guess.
May 7, 2016 YES! You guys should watch Once Upon a Time in the West or In America. Both top 10 films for me. I've seen most of those films, but i'd be interested in Blade Runner, never seen that one
May 7, 2016 I've never seen Blade Runner, 2001: A Space Odyssey, North By Northwest, Vertigo, Casablanca, Ben-Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, Gone with the Wind, Seven Samurai, 12 Angry Men, Godfather: Part II, Persona, Wild Strawberries, The Sound of Music, any major Tarkovsky, any Lynch outside of Eraserhead, any Kazan, any Ford, any Capra, any Tarr, any Rohmer, any Godard, any Truffaut etc. etc. etc. I did, however, rewatch Spy Kids 3D last week.
May 9, 2016 Film This Week: Once Upon a Time in the West (Leone, 1968) Epic story of a mysterious stranger with a harmonica who joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064116/ @Twan @Woody @Vahn @Rowjay Stan @Old_Parr @Charlie @captain awesome @Howie @Dew @Kon @King V @Devil White @Radeem
May 13, 2016 Falling behind on this due to late shifts and 3 hour runtime I wont stay up for.... But where are reviews from those who have seen it? What am i in for??
May 13, 2016 It's been some years since I've last seen it, but I fall in-line with consensus...It's an easy masterpiece and the Leone that I rate the highest. It's been even longer since I've seen Once Upon a Time in America, which is desperately in need of a rewatch.
May 14, 2016 Top Leone, eh? good to know. I think it will be hard to top the Good Bad and Ugly for me, but we will see!
May 14, 2016 it's up there. It's been awhile since I've seen it as well. I think it comes down to preference.
May 15, 2016 I Wrote this a few months ago http://letterboxd.com/jesusv12/film/once-upon-a-time-in-the-west/ This is the Ultimate proof of how you can create art with anything; Once Upon a Time In The West is a magnificent film that rewards patience in a way you cannot imagine. Sergio Leone arrives full in force and wants you to admire every dimension of the film as the camera moves slowly showing you landscapes while accompanied, off course, with Morricone’s amazing soundtrack, the cinematography is once again amazing, you could pick any frame of the movie and make a painting out of it. This time with Charles Bronson, the movie presents the man with no name Clint Eastwood made famous, sure I would’ve loved to see Clint Eastwood as Harmonica but Bronson was so good with his sad smile and revenge seeking look that it didn’t make me miss Eastwood. Another thing to point out is that finally we are allowed to see a bit of the background of the man with no name, a very mysterious character, what is he looking for? This time it’s not the money, it’s all about revenge, forget about Chan-Wook’s vengeance trilogy, this is what you’re looking for! Leone’s first film of his unrelated ‘Once upon a time…’ trilogy presents us two stories, revenge and greed, both a natural feeling in humans, these stories develop slowly until we see how they confront themselves in the godly constructed duel which is where all our mysteries are solved, we finally see who is that shadow coming us in those flashbacks shown during the whole movie. Once Upon a Time In The West is a simple story turned epic and we should make responsible the carefully constructed pace for that, many people believe the length ruined it, no, it actually made it more epic, note how in the first scene of the movie most all of Leone’s trademarks as a director are present, in only 8 minutes. If you ask me to pick only one film as Leone’s masterpiece, for the reasons I’ve mentioned and many more that I can’t mention because otherwise I’ll end up writing a book, Once Upon a Time in The west is answer I’ll give you.
May 15, 2016 Wow, I find OUATITW not so good, but also I dont like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, I prefer For a couple of Dollars more from him. I'm afraid I don't speak English good enough to expain why, It's a pain. I think main character is 10 Times worse than Eastwood (he is not very tall and has a strange face, Clint is a total badass and should be everywhere). The scene where we find out why the character is trying to k--- the bad guys, pretty pathetic imo, yelling in slow motion, I think it would be 10 Times better if the main characer explained to the bad guy (I dont remember their names, Ive seen it like a year ago) why is he trying to k--- him. And there was more, but i Forgot, and I dont feel like rewatching tbh. I remember giving it a 6/10
May 19, 2016 Leone's meticulous cinematography, iconic photography, and brilliant sound design distinguish Once Upon a Time in the West not only as a masterpiece but as one of the most important western-genre gems of the 20th century. While some, including myself, might feel more fondly towards the somewhat more personable and culturally respected Good, Bad, and Ugly, the production of Once Upon a Time in the West is inarguably more sophisticated. To some degree this is due to panavision, technicolor, and a significantly raised budget, but there is also a noticeable development of Leone's craft, to the point where one could rightly argue that the 'man with no name' trilogy was a workout—practice for the magnum opus to come. In visually immersive yet highly textural 70mm, Leone is able to use wide-screen space to his advantage, and he does so masterfully. The opening medley wherein three of Frank's (Henry Fonda) men await to meet with Harmonica/the man with no name (Charles Bronson) displays a unique visual and aural mastery unfamiliar outside of Leone's ouevre. It is almost operatic and exceptionally detailed. There is almost no dialogue; instead, the camera glides around the location, giving a sense of the space and its openings without ever resorting to an establishing shot. It cuts between the three characters to further establish space, but dynamically shifts from images of their figures in open spaces to their figures in close up. All the while, the sound effects render atmosphere, as it does throughout the film, providing an organic sense of the inhabited space and the characters' experience thereof. From the rhythmic squeal of the windmill to drops of water to the train's engine, these accentuated sounds engage the viewer's attention and summon a great deal of tension for what is to come. Yet, in addition to a meticulous soundtrack of aptly dubbed effects, Leone's cinematography is perhaps even more remarkable. Using 70mm, he is able to show a great deal of foreground and background activity, and by using a slowly mobile camera he is able to shift from sophisticated long shots into iconic close-ups. For example, when Harmonica is seen in the saloon, the camera tracks towards his profile which becomes a perfect silhouette amongst a blue sky; when Frank is first seen, the scene begins with a long shot of the young boy he is about to k---, but the camera slowly cranes from behind Frank, turns to his side thus obscuring the boy, and then closes in on his face. Both of these shots are highly powerful and truly cinematographic moments. These powerful moments are made ever more impacting due to Ennio Morricone's creative score which is used characteristically to enhance the emotional expressiveness of the images. But the soundtrack does not simply add on to the visual spectacle, it is an inextricable part of the experience. These impressive audio-visual moments make it difficult for one to listen to the music without imagining its associated image, and wherein it is difficult for one to see the image without hearing its associated score. This is the sign of a great soundtrack, when the music is not merely in the background or abstractly connected to the film but integral to the moment and experience of the film. The use of motifs/themes throughout the film add that much more since music provides a strongly resonant quality to one's experience of film. Shifting from Harmonica's theme to the riding theme to Frank's theme to the Widow's theme helps the film build through repetition and variation thus by the end offering an expansive, intricate, and most importantly personally resonant experience for the viewer. On the downside, by far the greatest problem of the film is its absolutely terrible voice dubbing which is difficult to ignore and makes certain conversations appear awkward and certain dialogues appear disconnected. It is the one major failure of this otherwise brilliant film. 95/100 - Amazing.
May 21, 2016 Ok, this week I'm picking a major blockbuster film I'm sure many if not all of you have seen but which I cannot for the life of me remember at all. I feel like I saw it as a kid but I'm not even sure... This week's film: Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975) When a gigantic great white shark begins to menace the small island community of Amity, a police chief, a marine scientist and a grizzled fisherman set out to stop it. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073195/
May 22, 2016 I also boringly fall into the consensus for this one. One of Spielberg's best, if not his very best (close for me between this, Jurassic Park, and Close Encounters of a Third Kind). It shows how good a filmmaker he was at producing suspense and tension before he had the special effects and budgets he generally employs so well.
May 23, 2016 revisited Jaws, been a while, last time i saw it i was in like elementary school or someshit. fun watch. entertaining as h---, super adventurous & tense af. I like the cast & the characters they played, which were all unique & interesting in their own ways. Also like the now-iconic music & the effects, the latter being insanely impressive due to the fact that the effects are scarily realistic & true to life, all before the age of CGI. The effects still hold up today. This had to have been some standout s--- for its time. everything just...worked, i don't have any gripes at all. The movie is perfection. GOAT tier. 10/10
