spence
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Posts posted by spence
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As many may already know, the genius: Alfred Hitchcock-(l899-l980) had his mental difficulties,mainly to due with his intense admiration for Grace Kelly-(l929-;l982) that she refused him & never returned to Hollywood, especially when he virtually nagged the then Princess to do 1964's "Marnie" (***) & given the fact-(by all accounts) what he put Tippi Hedren through.
Anyway, when the all-time fantastic 1958 Paramount release "Vertigo" was 1st released it was not a $B.O.$ hit,he actually blamed this on *Jimmy Stewart's rather premature aging-(their 4th & final effort together) & would later make no bones about the fact that 4 time star of his cinema as well Cary Grant-(l904-86) was his No. #1 overall ideal actor.
Always wondered how this made (James feel though, especially given Cary was a bit older & it took yrs for "Vertigo" to gain it's
reputation) -
Never had a problem separating "favourite" from "best".
As a follower of the Sight & Sound polls since I was a wee lad, I have been aware of the difference between my favourite movies and what were considered by consensus as the best films of all-time.
This was the Top Ten in Sight & Sound's 1972 poll:
1. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)
2. La Regle du Jeu (Jean Renoir, 1939)
3. Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925)
4. 8½ (Federico Fellini, 1963)
5. L'Avventura (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1960)
Persona (Ingmar Bergman, 1967)
7. The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Dreyer, 1928)
8. The General (Buster Keaton & Clyde Bruckman, 1926)
The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942)
10. Ugetsu Monogatari (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953)
When that list came out, I had only seen two of the films on the list: "Citizen Kane" and "The General". But by the end of the decade, I had managed to see all of the films listed, and while I could certainly appreciate that they were great films, historically important for cinematic and/or sociological reasons, most of the films rarely came up when making my own favourite films lists.
I realized early on that a great movie doesn't necessarily mean a movie that becomes beloved and that one desires to see over and over again. On the other hand, what you consider a favourite movie doesn't necessarily mean it is "great" in an objective sense...only that it's great according to your taste.
Many of my favourite movies..."Casablanca", "The Lady Eve", "Once Upon a Time in the West", "Meet Me in St. Louis", "North by Northwest", "Out of the Past", "The Awful Truth", "King Kong"...will never appear in Sight & Sound's Top Ten.
But then, as the rise of "Vertigo" since the 1980s has shown, even the greats get taken down a peg or two. The 2012 top ten bears little resemblance to the 1972 list. Who knows what the list will look like in 2032?
But I know my favourites will remain constant.
However, as you & most know the legendary S & S Survey simultaneously conducts not only the more recognized & well-known international critics poll,but also polls International filmmakers as well. For some reason the latter survey has always taken a back seat to the former more famous survey though. They still voted "Kane' as #1 in 2012 though
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PICKS!!!
(P.S. Of almost anyone on here though I most relish the list that our very own friends (LawrenceA & Jakeem) would give!? PLEASE CHIME-IN OUR BUDDIES, EVEN WITH JUSTA COUPLE OR SO???
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THANX! I've complained & even written about this ever since 1998's fi5rst massive "100yrs...100 Movies" & did you know that of all movie related sites this one is the sole one not to even bother inquiring it's fans-(the most knowledgable on film)
Poll???
I've told of this surprisingly great story before, but given "VERTIGO" is in the situation again. here goes again & this was a delight in what occurred at it's heavyweuight grande finale!!! (P.S. first some *Scorsese truivia. Ever since he was a filmmaker he would & without pause cite "The Searchers" as his #1 favorite film, but his major influence. However, right around the time of Sight and Sound's stunningly & surprisingly 2012 International survey-(where "Vertigo" was voted over the legendary "Kane" & this after 50yrs of the latter being voted on top) He was getting into his car with groceries & I think it was that awful show TMZ, they just asked him his favorite movie & he immediately said "VERTIGO!")
Anyhow, around 1985 I went to some small theatre in the Tampa Bay area here & it was a Saturday evening & only a $buck$ "Vertigo" was playing & it was jam packed with kid
s, teens,etc the stunning pt is that as soon as it ended, these kids gave the film a stand ovation! -
Anyone who can claim a "favorite" movie probably feels IT already IS the "best", so there'd be no comparisons TO make.
Me? Well, there's so many movies that I LIKE a lot but none that I can honestly say I like MORE than many of the others. Im not that arbitrary.
Sepiatone
THANX AGAIN SEPIATONE, for many it is one in the same?
But with me it's sooo extremely close between the first 2 *"Godfather-epics" & "Kane' However, I must admit the latter is probably thee single finest film yet produced
Part of that viewpoint is due to me-(as with the sadly already both gone Roger Ebert-(l942-2014) & Gene Siskel_(l946-l999) & the dynamic duo's ongoing battle-(especially in the mid `19890's, when the issue even came before congress) on B & W vs. Color cinema
Which finally came to much ado about nada
I'll always recall what Sid Caesar-(l922-2014) always claimed, that comedy especially was superior in B & W, because one is not paying attention to the colors & such & a perfecto example of this is not only look at his shows, but "Lucy" "The Honeymooners"-(MY A #1) & the all-time great comedies of "The Silver-Screen"
"Modern Times" "City Lights" "Dr. Strangelove" "Duck soup" "A Night at the 0pera"-(these 2 always had a fans battle as to which one was the Marx Bros. finest Groucho said "DS") "Bringing up Baby" "His Girl Friday" "The General" "Sullivan's Travels" "Never Give A Sucker an Even Break" & "It's a Gift" & lots more, including AFI's winner "Some Like It Hot" Of course I'd easily include *"Annie Hall" but it's of course in color. As for his 1979 masterpiece "Manhattan" it s more of a comedy-drama in mu humble opinion
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My favorite films :
The Treasure of The Sierra Madre
With Six You Get Eggroll
Breakfast At Tiffany's
The African Queen
The Graduate
The actual best movies :
Casablanca
Citizen Kane
The Godfather
Gone With The Wind
Rebel Without A Cause
THANX FOR YOUR INPUT! & you obviously understand the gest of exactly what I'm talking about too!
(P.S. Just for fun, maybe we could do performers next, huh. Something likely to be even more subjective0
(EXDAMPLE: My personal favorite director & actor now "alive" is *"The Woodman" Woody Allen-(l935-) though I don't try & fool myself & say he's the finest living actor today, that honor must go to the alledged recently retired *D. Day-Lewis, *Hopkins & *Duvall)
I say "alledged" because when it comes to most performers, they still have that acting bug
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One again in "THE WEE SMALL HOURS OF THE MORNING"-(my runner-up all-time favorite *Francis Albert number by the way)
These boards are packed with ASIAN SPAM & TRASH???
You'd think by now they would have enough safeguards to finally block this nonsense?
I writ
e on dozens of others & nobody has this going on though? -
Along with the recently retired *D. day-Lewis our finest living actor! I'd rank *Duvall & *Penn close behind
WHO KNOWDS WHO "MR. STEVENS" IS BY THE WAY?
GEE, WHAT A SURPRISE During summer cinema every new release-(especially w/lots of cgi) leads the weekend
I bet "Beguiled" isn't the type to do a lot of $business$ though
(P.S. WHAT IS THE TITLE OF THE OTHER CHRCHILL BIO AGAIN? The 1w/0ldman
That would be very interesting if both are vs. each other
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Irrational Man came out 2 years ago.
THANX LAWRENCE! However, somewhere cited that as the title of his upcoming release w/*Emma Stone & J. Phoenix?
It was titled-0(he often does this) "American Gods"
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On my home page itlisted a few films to watch for maybe come Oscar time?
"Get 0ut" & one I never heard of "A United Kingdpom"-(helmed by actor Armand assante)
Of course they left out the likes of "The Beguiled" "Churchill"-(both of them), "Irrational Man"-(*"the Woodman")
"Dunkirk' because apparently theyare fairly obvious & "Murder on the 0rient Express"-(on a personal note, it's utterly fantastic to see "Marvelous Michelle Pfeiffer" back)
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I thinkyoualready touched on it, but Cruise & some remaining company-(sans the late Tony Scott) are noe even gonna' film a sequel to "Top Gun?"
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In one of my oldest books "Film
Facts" it lists lots of filmmakers & critics candidates for all-time favs. I'll have to someday dig out *Orson's1 he greatly admired was "0ur Daily Bread" & I think "City Lights' is also in his top ten-(these polls were mostly taken around 1972/73)
& I added many to it's compilation since.
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In one of my oldest books "Film
Facts" it lists lots of filmmakers & critics candidates for all-time favs. I'll have to someday dig out *Orson's1 he greatly admired was "0ur Daily Bread" & I think "City Lights' is also in his top ten-(these polls were mostly taken around 1972/73)
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"Ambersons" is a brilliant, but butchered by RKO brass masterpiece! Peter Bogdanovich rates it even over "Kane" & one yr he had *Orson over for dinner & it was on tv & when they got to the snow-scene, he said *0rson just burst into tears, because that was among his final cuts on it. Though he himself always said the final clip of Major Amberson talking was his last take. They had him in South America shooting the docu "It All Came True"-(correct me if that's wrong please) A fine show (***) but according to him when he got back, apparently RKO even locked him out of the studio & *Robert Wise actually finished the picture, including an ending *Welles despised. He loathed happy endings & hated *Capra's flix
Finally & in only rtecent yrs is Leone's 1969 western getting it's long overdue due
1969 had a western flavor at the movies as well
This masterpiece, "The Wild Bunch" "True Grit" "Butch & Sundance..." & even somewhat *"MidnightCowboy"
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Never had a problem separating "favourite" from "best".
As a follower of the Sight & Sound polls since I was a wee lad, I have been aware of the difference between my favourite movies and what were considered by consensus as the best films of all-time.
This was the Top Ten in Sight & Sound's 1972 poll:
1. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)
2. La Regle du Jeu (Jean Renoir, 1939)
3. Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925)
4. 8½ (Federico Fellini, 1963)
5. L'Avventura (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1960)
Persona (Ingmar Bergman, 1967)
7. The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Dreyer, 1928)
8. The General (Buster Keaton & Clyde Bruckman, 1926)
The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942)
10. Ugetsu Monogatari (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953)
When that list came out, I had only seen two of the films on the list: "Citizen Kane" and "The General". But by the end of the decade, I had managed to see all of the films listed, and while I could certainly appreciate that they were great films, historically important for cinematic and/or sociological reasons, most of the films rarely came up when making my own favourite films lists.
I realized early on that a great movie doesn't necessarily mean a movie that becomes beloved and that one desires to see over and over again. On the other hand, what you consider a favourite movie doesn't necessarily mean it is "great" in an objective sense...only that it's great according to your taste.
Many of my favourite movies..."Casablanca", "The Lady Eve", "Once Upon a Time in the West", "Meet Me in St. Louis", "North by Northwest", "Out of the Past", "The Awful Truth", "King Kong"...will never appear in Sight & Sound's Top Ten.
But then, as the rise of "Vertigo" since the 1980s has shown, even the greats get taken down a peg or two. The 2012 top ten bears little resemblance to the 1972 list. Who knows what the list will look like in 2032?
But I know my favourites will remain constant.
"Ambersons" is a brilliant, but butchered by RKO brass masterpiece! Peter Bogdanovich rates it even over "Kane" & one yr he had *Orson over for dinner & it was on tv & when they got to the snow-scene, he said *0rson just burst into tears, because that was among his final cuts on it. Though he himself always said the final clip of Major Amberson talking was his last take. They had him in South America shooting the docu "It All Came True"-(correct me if that's wrong please) A fine show (***) but according to him when he got back, apparently RKO even locked him out of the studio & *Robert Wise actually finished the picture, including an ending *Welles despised. He loathed happy endings & hated *Capra's flix
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I don't believe in "best" when it comes to the arts. Obviously, we all have favorites but, that's something else.
I never care about the top movies. I only care about the ones I like or people I know recommend. Because I know their tastes.
AGREED!
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Never had a problem separating "favourite" from "best".
As a follower of the Sight & Sound polls since I was a wee lad, I have been aware of the difference between my favourite movies and what were considered by consensus as the best films of all-time.
This was the Top Ten in Sight & Sound's 1972 poll:
1. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)
2. La Regle du Jeu (Jean Renoir, 1939)
3. Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925)
4. 8½ (Federico Fellini, 1963)
5. L'Avventura (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1960)
Persona (Ingmar Bergman, 1967)
7. The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Dreyer, 1928)
8. The General (Buster Keaton & Clyde Bruckman, 1926)
The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942)
10. Ugetsu Monogatari (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953)
When that list came out, I had only seen two of the films on the list: "Citizen Kane" and "The General". But by the end of the decade, I had managed to see all of the films listed, and while I could certainly appreciate that they were great films, historically important for cinematic and/or sociological reasons, most of the films rarely came up when making my own favourite films lists.
I realized early on that a great movie doesn't necessarily mean a movie that becomes beloved and that one desires to see over and over again. On the other hand, what you consider a favourite movie doesn't necessarily mean it is "great" in an objective sense...only that it's great according to your taste.
Many of my favourite movies..."Casablanca", "The Lady Eve", "Once Upon a Time in the West", "Meet Me in St. Louis", "North by Northwest", "Out of the Past", "The Awful Truth", "King Kong"...will never appear in Sight & Sound's Top Ten.
But then, as the rise of "Vertigo" since the 1980s has shown, even the greats get taken down a peg or two. The 2012 top ten bears little resemblance to the 1972 list. Who knows what the list will look like in 2032?
But I know my favourites will remain constant.
THANX! I've complained & even written about this ever since 1998's fi5rst massive "100yrs...100 Movies" & did you know that of all movie related sites this one is the sole one not to even bother inquiring it's fans-(the most knowledgable on film)
Poll???
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The thing you may also wish to consider is....
Do YOU consider some movie to be the "best" based on YOUR own feelings? Or because somebody ELSE says it is?
Like, do you let that AFI poll dictate what you ALSO think is the "best" or not, feeling that THEY probably know BETTER, and so you feel you HAVE to go along with it? Or not?
As I mentioned ALL too often here, I have a friend who thinks(still) that the original TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE('74) is the "best" movie EVER made, so this "best" thing has a lot of wrinkles to iron out before given any serious consideration.
Sepiatone
NO, I go by my own views on things like this, music, tv, sports-(boxing) & all other mediums It's all subjective of course
THANKS FOR WRITING
(P.S. of course all are aware of AFI's huge 100yrs specials & surveys, but it's really overdue for Hollywood.com/ ew.com/imdb/com & a few others to conduct another huge poll of readers
Did you know even our local (then) newspaper "St. Petersburg Times" also conducted it's own readers favs?
Maybe just for fun i'll check the files & post them on here They are very different then the rest
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Just aboutforgot, but it's not really CINEMA'
"FORBES" OVERALL HIGHEST PD ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR>
1st Sean Combs (130 million)
2nd place Beyonc'e ($105m.)
3rd J.K. Rawlings ($95m.)
WHAT HAPPENED TO "THE HEAVYWEIGHTS?"
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Will attempt again-(though this possibly should be in Films of 2017) To post "Forbes" Annual Highest pd movie stars-(actors of course still get a lot more?)-(August 2017-August 2018)>
(JUST TOP 5 OUT OF 10)
1st place Will Smith (l968-) ($55.000m)-(I thought Dwayne Johnson would retain his spot myself?)
2. Johnny Depp (l963-)-(this was strange considering his 5th & said to be final "Pirates" franchise is not doing as expected with ticket goers,but action does better overseas) & will someone please check out a couple little known most must see wacko flix of his>"Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas"-(without peer his most off-the-wall) "Whats Eating Gilbert Grape" & a role he shoulda' earned a 4th nod for in "Black Mass")
3. Eddie Murphy (l96l-) WHY??? Can't recall his last $hit$)
4. Mike Myers (l965-)
5th place *Leonardo DiCaprio-(l974-)-(As they say "The World is His 0yster" Think he's already made (6) with *Scorsese & a trick trivia question: *De Niro & *Marty technically worked on (11) together-(8) were helmed
& THE HIGHEST PD LADIES/ACTRESSES THIS YEAR>
1st place by far *Jennifer Lawrence-(l990-)-(she's so neat & young & does art house fare & popcorn cinema simultaneously. Back in the late '80's Grene Siskel always insisted that Meg Ryan was "America's Sweetheart" when most then were voting for Julia, you be the judge. Anyway *Lawrence is it now vs. *Emma Stone-(l988-) ($52 million is *Jennifer's highest salary )
2. Scarlett Johansson ($35m.)
3rd Melissa McCarthy ($23m.)
4. OOPs, an Asian gal i';m not familiar with & can't pronounce her name either
One's missing this year:
Jennifer Aniston & Jennifer Lopez-(P.S. but the studios generaly go by how much their latest flix gross)
(P.S. when did Malcom Forbes die & his age?)
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Maybe it's a sign?
LawrenceA, pal, don't quite understand what you meant? "A SIGN?"
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spence: Honestly fella, who is going to take the time to even read some long-winded post that's:
a ) not that interesting to begin with (I know I don't care about the Top HOLLYWOOD MONETYMAKERS in 2017 or 2016 or 2015 or . . . blah blah blah).
b ) is chock full of spelling errors
c ) has plenty of grammatical errors as well
spence, have you thought about teaching a bird to peck out what you want to type? Maybe a chicken? They peck a lot. And they'd probably make fewer spelling mistakes.
NICE GUY, I had been online for 7hrs when I posted that item Anything positive to either contribute or say?
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You seem to be the only one surprised by this while it's obvious to everyone else.
TIKISOO, you were not a wee-bit taken back that given Smith's recent & not very $popular$ releases he unseated "The Rock?"
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Oldman's only Oscar nomination was for his performance as George Smiley in the 2011 screen version of John Le John le Carré's "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy." The Best Actor award that year went to France's Jean Dujardin for "The Artist."
But Jakeem, do you have info on both bio's?
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this was about a decade ago or so & I have a very persoinal family take on this **** well
My mother was at the time the shortest NYC Rockett-(cuirca 18962) at barekly 5'3. She got to work with the likes of *George Burns, Carol Channing, Arthur Godfrey& Ricky Nellson-(but the latter the girls disliked because they found him very off-putting & snobby0 as it later turned out, Nelson was painfully shy & would even go into the closet when his parents had nelson was just incredibally shy, so much so he considered his guitar his #1 companion & would take that into the closest with him all-the time
The NYC Rockett gals further thought him a snob when he'd even take his bodyguards into the bathroom with him!
At any rate, this wasn't pt of her regular Rockettes class, but in mid Manhattan in NYC at a famed dancer George Ballanchine's ballet class-(also around 19962-63) & working out right next to my mum all day was *Shirley MacLaine-(l934-) She was a good decade older & My mother showed some coolness by not inquiring Shirley about her films,etc she says she had the "Irma La Douce" hairstyle at the time
Anyway, they talk, grunted,etc a bit together especially on the ballet bar. What brings it & her to mind is I just watched that Larry King-(l933-) interview a few weeks ago & Larry put the question to her that us TCM-ITE'S always love to ponder "What Are Your Top 3-5 Favorite Fims?" & without missing a beat she immediately said *"Lawrence of Arabia" "Inherit the Wind" *"Terms of Endearment"-(NOTE: Years ago it went around that her fasv. role was in '58's "Some Came Running" apparently not, it's *"Terms" & she did add that it was fun to make, except for 1 cast member, being Debra Winger! & I recall the horror stories most had working with Winger. Maybe why we don't see her much anymore? But, she is the voice of "E.T."
reputation)
e on dozens of others & nobody has this going on though?
Films of 2017
in General Discussions
Posted
Per usual, I knew you or Jakeem would have the correct answers
Wonder why that suite listed "IM" as an up & coming *Woody release? & on that note, please send any & all info on "WONDER WHEEL?" I personally rank *Oscar victor Kate Winslet-(l975-) among our finest today.-(TRIVIA: Winona (l97l-) was telling Conan once, her idolization of *Winslet almost borders on a "Girl Crush" & man, will Wino
na ever be able to live down her instantly infamous facial expressions on the last SAG Awards??? 
& any new data on "The Darkest Hour" especially vs. "Churchill?" That would be quite bizarre if the 2 actors were pitted against each other for the Best Actor statuette? From all the original Hannibal Lechter? Remade lamely as "Red Dragon" (2002) ($93m.) (**) It's strange to think Michael Mann has only been up for BD once, for '99's terrific "The Insider" ($29m.) & this after such strong cinema as 1981's "Thief" (***1/2)-(reportedly James Caan's fav. pt), "Miami Vice"(tv 1984-89) & of course the theatrical release. "Last of the Mohicans" (l992) ($42m.) (almost 4 stars), "Collateral" (2004) ($105m.) (**1/2), "Heat" (l995) ($66m.) (***1/2)-(my candidate as his finest yet) & others.
BUT, PLEASE LET ME KNOW ON THOSE?
& THANK YOU