Movie Club Poll: What Should We Watch Next? ***LAST FANTAVERSE POLL EVER***

I threw this out in another thread but Giant came up if we wanted to get a little James Dean in here.

Nspan, what movie is your avatar from?

Also I see you brought up The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 a while back and since the remake is coming out this summer I think we should watch this in the movie club. I've never seen it but it's on my list to see, so count this as a 2nd.

the remake is coming out in about a month.. we probably can't squeeze it onto the calendar before then--but i definitely encourage everybody to rent the original.. it's a great movie..

not sure how similar Tony Scott's version will be--but you have a good idea.. we should make a thread called "Required Viewing" (or something of the sort) where we suggest movies to watch in anticipation of upcoming theatrical releases...

for example, we're gonna try and rewatch the X-Men movies before seeing Wolverine.. same for Wrath of Khan before Star Trek.. and the Terminator trilogy before T:S.... of course, the "Required Viewing" movies wouldn't always have to be so obvious.. maybe another screening of Reservoir Dogs would be complimentary to the new Pelham

I'd pair Speed with Pelham. Also, Crimson Tide would work with Pelham (same lead, same director, both set in a transport vehicle).

Meanwhile, I will nominate these films for future consideration:
Freaks (1932)
El Topo (1971)
The Conformist (1971)
Quintet (1979)
Southern Comfort (1981)
The Decline Of Western Civilization (1981, this can be seen on Google Video and YouTube)
Blood Simple (1985)
Walker (1987)
Apartment Zero (1988)
One False Move (1992)
Kalifornia (1993)
The Doom Generation (1995)
Cube (1998)
Ginger Snaps (2000)
Avalon (2001)
Kontroll (2003, a fantasy film that's different from 2007's Control)
Control (2007, a music biopic that's different from 2003's Kontroll)

I 2nd Freaks, Blood Simple, One False Move

Cube was great and Ginger Snaps was pretty good. On top of that, the sequels to Cube were great and Ginger Snaps 2 was pretty good (haven't seen 3 yet). I do want to see Decline...only saw parts of 2 so far, but I hear the first is way better...

after visiting the criterion site earlier, i noticed that not a SINGLE Coen Bros. movie has made their cut... what gives? i kinda just assumed Blood Simple would have gotten their treatment by now

Criterion should do The Coen Brothers and Sam Raimi's Crimewave. Not the best movie but an interesting one nonetheless.

Also still surprised The Darjeeling Limited's never gotten the Criterion treatment. The main reason being that Anderson's other films have gotten it.

I actually quite like Crimewave, but you have to be prepared for it. Bruce Campbell is brilliant in his scenes, and some of the slapstick reminded me very much of Looney Tunes or Roger Rabbit.

Buscemi wrote:Criterion should do The Coen Brothers and Sam Raimi's Crimewave. Not the best movie but an interesting one nonetheless.

Also still surprised The Darjeeling Limited's never gotten the Criterion treatment. The main reason being that Anderson's other films have gotten it.

i think they probably got a little flak for releasing Life Aquatic... i think the movie will age well, and the Criterion won't be considered such a huge blunder down the road.. but, at the time, it sure made those guys look like Wes Anderson's bitches

Life Aquatic is still the only Anderson movie I haven't been able to 'get' yet. Maybe with another viewing, but it just didn't really do it for me like his other movies have.

The Life Aquatic is one of my 100 favorite movies. That is also the only Criterion I have to date (because it was the cheapest and easiest to find).

Meanwhile, I'd say Armageddon getting the treatment was far worse. What's next, The Island?

What does to the Criterion provide movies with? Is it a better quality image, more extras?

silversurfer19 wrote:What does to the Criterion provide movies with? Is it a better quality image, more extras?

In a way, yes. They also provide releases to many films previously hard to find or only available in inferior editions. In other cases, Criterion will release a special edition release next to a studio bare bones release (such as The Rock, Rushmore, Armageddon and The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button) so always look for the Criterion name for maximum satisfaction.

nowadays, i think its more about the extras and the fancy packaging.. for a while, though, there was a CLEAR difference in the quality of the transfer in a lot of Criterion selections... in general, if you're looking for the "definitive" version of a movie, Criterion is a safe bet

So is its usually only the bare bones dvds that get the Criterion treatment? If so, I could ask for them to look at Edward Scissorhands, still one of the most paltry releases ever.

well, i think the idea was originally to provide definitive versions of only the BEST and most important movies............... though they sorta forgot about all that somewhere along the line

though, to be fair, they have released literally hundreds of amazing movies.. i suppose i shouldn't count them out on account of a few stinkers

here's their list, in order: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Criterion_Collection_DVD_releases


(The 400 Blows was their fifth DVD project.... they're up to 483 now)

Well, I'd still like a definitive version of Edward Scissorhands, whether its Criterion or just the studio finally making a decent version.

The Current Poll As It Stands:

Movie (Year) - # Votes - Rank on IMDB's Top 250

12 Angry Men (1957) - 4 Votes - #9
...
Casablanca (1942) - 1 Vote - #11
The Pianist (2002) - 1 Vote - #56
Downfall (2004) - 1 Vote - #80
Metropolis (1927) - 1 Vote - #81
Night of the Hunter (1955) - 1 Vote - #158
A Man for All Seasons (1966) - 1 Vote - Unranked
Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959) - 1 Vote - Unranked
...
On the Waterfront (1954) - 0 Votes - #101
The Seventh Seal (1957) - 0 Votes - #103


so.... we're indecisive bastards.. but indecisive bastards with good taste.. if 12 Angry Men gets the next vote, i'll probably just put it up on the calendar, drop the two with 0 votes, and runoff the rest

There. I voted for 12 Angry Men.

Me too!

Nspan, do we know what noms are coming up, I figured we'll probably go back to do two newer movies, but didn't know how many spots we needed to fill if any.

as it stands, i'll add up to four new nominations in the next poll.. depending on how this poll turns out, i suppose that number could be higher (if Plan 9 and Casablanca are still at 0 when we call this round)..

in other words, any movie with votes will move on.. any movie with no votes is dropped.. and i try to start fresh polls with 10 (seconded) nominations..


so if you got something in mind, throw it out there! i know there were some rumblings about Giant.. i've personally never seen Passion of the Christ.. some others that spring to mind are Bad Lieutenant, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, Stray Dog, Grand Illusion, Delicatessen, The Sword of Doom, La Dolce Vita, Grave of the Fireflies, Spirited Away, and You're Gonna Miss Me... (these aren't actual nominations, just some ideas to get the ball rollin' again)

if there any movies that got nominated and seconded but, for some reason, never made the polls--lemme know.. i haven't done this intentionally

I would 2nd Grand Illusion, La Dolce Vita, Delicatssen

August will be notable month for Movie Club, as it will have three entries.. for such an occasion, maybe something nontraditional will be appropriate for the third entry (aka the winner of NEXT poll)..

Plan 9 might actually fit the bill--assuming it garners a little interest by the next poll