LawrenceA

Langella was good, as were Michael Sheen and Rebecca Hall. Bill Nighy I enjoy in just about anything. I think my problem with the films was an over-familiarity with the subject matter. I actually have FROST/NIXON on DVD, so I'll rewatch it. I'll try VALKYRIE again as well.

AN AMERICAN CAROL is probably the most professional, polished film out of all my Larry's Choices. So why is it here? The content must be seen to be believed. Made by a group of disgruntled Fox News watchers, this movie set out to be the right-wing antidote to a perceived assault on traditional American values by the left-wing, anti-Jesus, anti-capitalist, anti-freedom Hollywood Elite. A charicatured version of Michael Moore is escorted Scrooge-style throughout time and moments of his life to illustrate why America is great, and faux-Moore should stop hating freedom and embrace the real America. Featuring several prominent Hollywood republicans like Jon Voight, Kelsey Grammer, James Woods, Kevin Sorbo, and Dennis Hopper, and such intellectual luminaries as Bill O'Reilly and Paris Hilton as themselves, this was a huge bomb on release, even after a relentless ad campaign on Fox News and right-wing radio. See it and laugh. Or cry.

Bogie, I haven't seen Mesrine. Are those the French gangster movies with Vincent Cassel? Milk, Vicky Christina Barcelona, and Burn After Reading would all be on my extended runner-up list. Valkyrie and Frost/Nixon didn't do much for me. I didn't dislike them, though. Like the ill-informed Academy, I saved The Hurt Locker for 2009. Which is good, because 2009 is terrible, in my opinion. The Dark Knight is much better than Batman Begins, which I loved. But it's not a flawless film, despite its internet accolades. Heath Ledger is terrific, and I don't fall into the camp that says he was praised just because he died. The Joker has always been my favorite character in comic books, and I was a comic book nerd in my childhood and early teen years, I continued to read them sporadically throughout the 70's, 80's and even into the early 90's, until they just got too expensive and gimmicky for my tastes. I say this because I know from reading them that all of the characters have many iterations over the years. Adam West and Cesar Romero embodied the Batman of the sanitized, Comics Code censorship era of the 1950's-1960's. Jack Nicholson's turn in 1989 was great, but different from Romero's, and Ledger's is different as well. I hesitate to call it the best, but it's close. Also, the film in general is more ambitious, streamlined (despite it's running time), and effective. Frozen River and Pontypool are both Canadian-friendly, with the former an unsentimental drama about cultural and economic hardships, with a great performance from Melissa Leo, while the latter is firmly Canadian, about a small-town radio station crew trying to deal with a very unique variation on the zombie outbreak genre. It's not a gorefest like most zombie films, and Stephen McHattie is wonderful as the jaded veteran DJ. Hunger is a tough film to like. It's from director Steve McQueen, and tells the tale of the prison hunger strike of Bobby Sand in 1981. The film has a loose narrative, and resembles Malick's films with their sense of sound and image poetry instead of traditional narrative. But in this film, those techniques are used for a much darker theme, so subsequently the film is a huge downer. Michael Fassbender is mesmerizing, and his dedication to the film, and his horrid weight-loss for the role, are unforgettable.

Chubby Johnson was in The Far Country with Ruth Roman.

Lance Rentzel played on the 1967 Dallas Cowboys team with Don Meredith.

Great call on Chaney in Gangster films, Tom. That would have been very interesting.

2008 - 342 films seen 1. The Dark Knight 2. Cloverfield 3. Let the Right One In 4. The Wrestler 5. Hunger 6. Changeling 7. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 8. Gran Torino 9. In Bruges 10. Slumdog Millionaire Runner-ups: Ashes of Time Redux, Frozen River, Doubt, Flame & Citron, and Pontypool. Uncle Bingo's Kartoon Korner: Wall-E & Kung Fu Panda Larry's Choice: An American Carol

Here are the 1001 Movies to See Before You Die entries for 2007: Atonement The Bourne Ultimatum The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Into the Wild La Vie En Rose No Country for Old Men Paranormal Activity Surfwise** There Will Be Blood

Yes, I was honestly surprised they didn't at least include the first film, since it kicked off such a cultural juggernaut. But I also recall that the Potter films were never critical darlings. The first two in particular got only fair reviews, and director Chris Columbus came in for some criticism as being too ploddingly faithful to the books. The third one, directed by Cuaron, got the best reviews of the series, along with Part 1 of the finale, but even they failed to make many best of year lists.

John Wayne also did an older ad for Camel cigarettes: finally, before I take up too much space, Lee Marvin puffs away:

One of the more famous ad campaigns featuring a classic star: In the waning years of his life, John Wayne did a series of commercials for a West coast banking firm:

Bogie, I was too tired to type out yours that I have not seen. They are: KATYN EL BANO DEL PAPA YOU, THE LIVING IN THE CITY OF SYLVIA Swithin, I liked ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD, too. TopBilled, I haven't seen NOELLE. You list a particularly frustrating movie for me, I AM LEGEND. I read the book more than once when I was young, and it's always been one of my favorites. It established a lot of the post-apocalyptic tropes that have become standard in film, tv, books, video games, etc. And yet, even after three tries, they still can't get it quite right. This version with Will Smith makes a valiant effort, with some terrific scenes of empty NYC, and an excellent performance by Smith. But for some reason, the scriptwriters keep changing the last third, and never hits with the impact of the book. Plus, the decision to make the infected into totally CGI-created characters, when it wasn't necessary (conventional make-up on actual actors would have been fine), was a real misstep. kingrat, I found THE DARJEELING LIMITED to be good, but my least favorite film from Wes Anderson thus far. THE GOLDEN COMPASS had possibilities, but again floundered with some tonal and pace issues, and it was another expensive lesson on why they should always make these first installments with a satisfying ending in case they flop. BREACH, for me, was a fine performance in a perfunctory film.

Lol...375 films seen, and Bogie still names 4 I haven't watched.

UNFRIENDED - (2/10) - Supernaturally annoying gimmick film is a true horror to endure. A group of teenage friends are stalked by an unknown force. Sound like a hundred other horrors? Well, this time the entire film is presented as if you're staring at the lead girl's computer screen. You get to watch her click through various windows, visit Facebook, Instagram, do Google searchs, play background music, and, for the majority of the film, hold a multi-person Skype videochat as they all scream and curse at each other. The film even throws in large amounts of screen-freezes and digital noise to "heighten" the experience. The film gets an extra point for sticking to its unique format, but it truly was one of the worst things I've watched in years.

2007 - 375 films seen (the most of any year) I felt this was the best single year of the 2000's. 1. No Country for Old Men 2. There Will Be Blood 3. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford 4. Zodiac 5. The Mist 6. Into the Wild 7. American Gangster 8. Gone Baby Gone 9. Grindhouse 10. Sunshine Runner-ups: Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Eastern Promises, Inside, In the Valley of Elah, and Once.* Uncle Bingo's Kartoon Korner: Beowulf & Persepolis Larry's Choice: BloodRayne 2: Deliverance - I watched this with a friend, and after it was over, he stated that it pulled off the remarkable feat of being both the worst vampire film he'd ever seen as well as the worst western he had ever seen. See it and judge for yourself! * Other films from this year that I would recommend, in no particular order, are Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Stardust, Superbad, Hot Fuzz, Atonement, The Bourne Ultimatum, Ratatouille, 28 Weeks Later, 3:10 to Yuma, Michael Clayton, REC, La Vie En Rose, The Visitor, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Lust Caution, Mongol, Cassandra's Dream, Eagle vs Shark, The Counterfeiters, A Mighty Heart, Frontier(s), 4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days

Here are the 1001 Movies to See Before You Die entries for 2006: Apocalypto Babel Borat Children of Men The Departed The Host The Last King of Scotland Little Miss Sunshine The Lives of Others Once Pan's Labyrinth The Prestige The Queen United 93 Volver

Haha! Awesome! Your thread, Kid!

I considered posting all 359 titles, but felt it may take up a bit of room.

TopBilled, I've not seen Outlaw Trail.

In what film would one encounter a Metaluna Mutant?

Bogie, I haven't heard of LONDON TO BRIGHTON. TELL NO ONE was one I had recorded. I was about one third through the film when the disc quit working. I've never been able to see the rest. I also haven't seen DAYS OF GLORY. Didn't you find some of the post-production work on CHILDREN OF MEN to be exceptionally well done?

2) At one time, he was the son-in-law of Cecil B. DeMille. Quinn was married to Katherine DeMille from 1937 to 1965.

PLANET OF THE APES?

Zed - Peter Greene in PULP FICTION

Lee Majors appeared in THE BALLAD OF ANDY CROCKER with Joey Heatherton.