tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post573247624358333487..comments2024-02-16T18:07:05.844-05:00Comments on ZONE: The Greatest Films of All Time: Intro and 1-20cowboyangelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13452987299073540171noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-24275342933917202082008-12-01T19:16:00.000-05:002008-12-01T19:16:00.000-05:00I've been tracking lists since 2005 here:http://ww...I've been tracking lists since 2005 here:<BR/><BR/>http://www.matthewhunt.com/blog/labels/film_lists.html<BR/><BR/>and my personal lists (30 and 500) are here:<BR/><BR/>http://www.matthewhunt.com/blog/2008/11/essential-films-video.html<BR/><BR/>Mat.Matthew Hunthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04144885857395203898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-23823197739043691562008-12-01T15:33:00.000-05:002008-12-01T15:33:00.000-05:00Mat,Thanks for dropping by. Both your blog and we...Mat,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for dropping by. Both your blog and website are interesting. I couldn't find your own Top 30, however. Do you have a link?<BR/><BR/>I like several of your list sources. If I decide to revise this series, I may try to include some of them.cowboyangelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13452987299073540171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-3262510224394983592008-11-30T21:56:00.000-05:002008-11-30T21:56:00.000-05:00A fascinating list, and I was especially intereste...A fascinating list, and I was especially interested in your methodology. I've put some of the more recent lists online, and compiled my own top-30.<BR/><BR/>Mat.Matthew Hunthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04144885857395203898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-35073355379204067232008-07-21T12:02:00.000-04:002008-07-21T12:02:00.000-04:00Fine, just watch WALL-E 400,000 times and never se...Fine, just watch WALL-E 400,000 times and never see another movie. Good luck explaining that to my stepson.Liamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17265036866243982434noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-64016761715333506242008-07-21T11:27:00.000-04:002008-07-21T11:27:00.000-04:00So is Batman reduced to the Bat Bicycle or somethi...So is Batman reduced to the Bat Bicycle or something? The Bat Segway? The Bat Subway? Is this some kind of liberal global warming agenda being snuck into the movie to corrupt our youth?<BR/><BR/>What about The Bat Horse? Now, I <I>would</I> go see a movie in which Batman fought the bad guys on horseback. With a six-gun. In the desert. Though, obviously, that black Batsuit would get pretty damn hot. He could move to Carlsbad Caverns, where bats actually live. He could fight immigrants and Mormon polygamists. Slowly go crazy out in the desert from the heat and wearing his stupid bat suit in 100+ degreee weather. Kind of a Howard Hughes figure - Bruce Wayne drinking his own urine and building a bomb shelter out near Los Alamos. Oh, then you've got all the nuclear thing going. Chinese spies. Native American shamen. He could live on the res for a while and go to the sweats. <BR/><BR/>I see a whole new series here. I'm tired of all that urban Batman stuff anyway. Oh, the Joker and urban decay. Yawn.<BR/><BR/>WALL-E IS on the big screen, and there IS action,and it's definitely summer out here, so what's your point?cowboyangelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13452987299073540171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-38777833455382213512008-07-21T08:38:00.000-04:002008-07-21T08:38:00.000-04:00The batmobile gets destroyed actually.You want to ...The batmobile gets destroyed actually.<BR/><BR/>You want to see a movie you've already seen instead of seeing an action movie on the big screen in the middle of summer? Do whatever you want. You're weird.Liamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17265036866243982434noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-3622441998460591022008-07-20T22:46:00.000-04:002008-07-20T22:46:00.000-04:00Yes, the New Yorker mentioned the dorky Batman voi...Yes, the New Yorker mentioned the dorky Batman voice. Thrills. Do they still have that damn BatHummer?<BR/><BR/>I guess we have to decide whether or not to see it on a big screen. We're thinking of going to see WALL-E again.cowboyangelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13452987299073540171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-5356089983602287612008-07-20T21:37:00.000-04:002008-07-20T21:37:00.000-04:00I liked Batman Begins more than you did, but still...I liked Batman Begins more than you did, but still, The Dark Night was better. I think it actually crosses into some interesting themes. Once again, Heath Ledger's Joker is very interesting. Christopher Nolan is trying to get past the adolescent level -- whether or not he succeeds I'll leave up to you.<BR/><BR/>I think it's worth it at least for Heath Ledger.<BR/><BR/>The New Yorker panned No Country for Old Men, too.<BR/><BR/>There is the problem with the dorky Batman voice, though.Liamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17265036866243982434noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-89548836937960621242008-07-20T17:52:00.000-04:002008-07-20T17:52:00.000-04:00Thanks for the report. I was wondering about it. ...Thanks for the report. I was wondering about it. The New Yorker dissed it, the Times raved on and on, and a college girl serving coffee, who had seen one of the 3 am showings said it was too long and overly hyped -up, so I didn't know where to turn. I wasn't as impressed with Batman Begins as others, so I haven't been rushing out to see this. Plus, I still think all these comic books movies are a conspiracy to keep Americans at the emotional and intellectual level of adolescents, so we don't think much about what's going on and just buy, buy, buy. But that's another post.cowboyangelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13452987299073540171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-30904593240180745622008-07-19T22:42:00.000-04:002008-07-19T22:42:00.000-04:00We just saw The Dark Knight. It was very good, and...We just saw The Dark Knight. It was very good, and Heath Ledger was incredible. I think between No Country and TDK I have this week seen two great movie villains, two great movie treatments of evil.Liamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17265036866243982434noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-76424475071083384572008-07-19T16:37:00.000-04:002008-07-19T16:37:00.000-04:00Thanks, poet lady, for that poetic interpretation ...Thanks, poet lady, for that poetic interpretation of my meaningless and time-wasting obsession/pre-occupation with lists. You put up with an awful lot. <BR/><BR/>Thanks for appreciating me for the freak I am.<BR/><BR/>Yeah, the Swimming with Sharks experience was priceless. The audience must have thought we were on drugs or something. I was almost on the floor.cowboyangelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13452987299073540171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-1147025224931935092008-07-19T16:34:00.000-04:002008-07-19T16:34:00.000-04:00Garpu,It's true I haven't seen Caddyshack in many ...Garpu,<BR/><BR/>It's true I haven't seen Caddyshack in many years. Now that I'm older and wiser (as I so graciously displayed on your blog - cough), perhaps, I'll finally grasp it's more profound significance. The Baby Ruth, the gopher, Bill Murray. I can sense now it's all leading me to a powerful place.<BR/><BR/>But it's true, I should watch it again. See how it holds up after . . . oh my God . . . almost 30 years. Man, I 'm getting old.cowboyangelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13452987299073540171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-10634442775344870542008-07-19T16:28:00.000-04:002008-07-19T16:28:00.000-04:00A very interesting foray into a fascinating world....A very interesting foray into a fascinating world. Cultural Study/film criticism and not a small amount of poetic curiosity helped you create a provocative probe into cinema and all the cultural associations and histories it represents. I really enjoyed this, honey. I felt like you took a ladle and scooped it into some magical, pewter waters and I like what you fished out. Yeah, what's up with Lady Eve? And American/Anglo cinema can be insular--it is so nice to be reminded of that and shown some other world perspectives. I would agree that comedy has a harder time translating to other cultures. I'll never forget the time William and I watched "Swimming with Sharks" in a cinema in Madrid (a true black comedy with Keven Spacey)and you could have heard a pin drop, while we were laughing away. I'll need to come back to this post again to absorb it even more fully.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-46888449654918712012008-07-19T14:55:00.000-04:002008-07-19T14:55:00.000-04:00Hey no worries. Vent away. And i think you defin...Hey no worries. Vent away. And i think you definitely need to see Caddyshack.Garpuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09460312942820868366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-40812285762030031122008-07-19T10:57:00.000-04:002008-07-19T10:57:00.000-04:00Yeah. Clockwork Orange would actually be another ...Yeah. Clockwork Orange would actually be another film that I don't think needs to be seen more than once. Though I'm not sure how "great" it is.<BR/><BR/>No Country for Old Men, though very violent at times (especially the opening sequence), is very different from Clockwork Orange.<BR/><BR/>The story behind Valley of Elah is very disturbing, but I thought they handled it well. It's a well-done film and only at the end do you really feel the gravity of what's transpired. And afterwards. But I think it captures well the insanity of the Iraq war - what it may be doing to us day by day in a subtle way. We don't like to think much about the consequences of our actions in regards to what we've done and are doing in Iraq. And I fear those consequences - spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, however you want to describe it - go deeper and are more profound than most people realize.cowboyangelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13452987299073540171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-14246083131396185812008-07-18T22:39:00.000-04:002008-07-18T22:39:00.000-04:00I thought about writing about the movie with Tommy...I thought about writing about the movie with Tommy Lee Jones and the Iraq war, and I looked up the real guy on whom the story was based - that <I>was</I> chilling.<BR/><BR/>I posted something about A Clockwork Orange, but ended up deleting it - that guy was very disturbing too.crystalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05681674503952991492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-24377074217650208272008-07-18T17:59:00.000-04:002008-07-18T17:59:00.000-04:00Liam, yes, I think Anton Chigurh will go down as o...Liam, yes, I think Anton Chigurh will go down as one of the all-time great villains. If you see him as Death, and the whole film as a meditation on death, I think the ending makes more sense - may have more of a resolved ending.<BR/><BR/>And, no, Crystal, if you don't like amoral bad guys, I suppose I wouldn't recommend No Country. But the bad guys in the Valley of Elah are just as amoral, and, frighteningly, based on real people. Anton Chigurh (Bardem), while exceedingly amoral, is amoral in the sense that death is amoral. It kills everyone: children, good people, bad people. He was so over the top that I found him easier to deal with emotionally. Actually, "over the top" isn't a good description. What makes him so chilling is that Bardem's not playing it over the top. BHe does a great piece of acting in a demanding role. Compared with cartoon villains like Hannibal Lecter or the Joker, who are "hot," he's a "cold" figure.<BR/><BR/>They're both very good movies and very disturbing movies. But No Country at least has black humor.cowboyangelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13452987299073540171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-41705783508670769032008-07-18T15:57:00.000-04:002008-07-18T15:57:00.000-04:00I feel so out of it because I haven't seen many mo...I feel so out of it because I haven't seen many movies lately but my sister saw and told me about Valley of Elah and No Country for Old Men, and they both sounded very good, though I'd probably like the first one better than the second. I'm really disturbed by movies with bad guys who are so amoral .... I mena, I understand bad guys who are passionately "evil" but bad guys who are just sort of dead inside are too creepy for me.<BR/><BR/>Ditto about Galazy Quest :)crystalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05681674503952991492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-1115206835944999352008-07-18T13:38:00.000-04:002008-07-18T13:38:00.000-04:00She didn't like the ending -- how unresolved every...She didn't like the ending -- how unresolved everything was. I thought it was magnificent. I also think Bardem's character will go down as one of the great villains, friendo.Liamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17265036866243982434noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-48269961477656337422008-07-18T00:13:00.000-04:002008-07-18T00:13:00.000-04:00Two pistols up on No Country for Old Men. I thoug...Two pistols up on No Country for Old Men. I thought Tommy Lee Jones was great. In fact, he had a rocking year, doing a wonderful job in Valley of Elah as well. Did she think it was too violent? Boring? Did she like Fargo?<BR/><BR/>I've always been afraid to see Salo.<BR/><BR/>But I agree with you about Galaxy Quest. Thanks, btw, for telling me about it. <BR/><BR/>One of our infinitely re-watchables is Quick Change, which we just re-watched last night. That may be my favorite Bill Murray performance. And I still think it's one of the best films ever about New York. Don't know why we seem to love it so much and others not so much. After last night, I decided it was going to be another Bringing Up Baby. Not respected for a long time and now a classic.cowboyangelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13452987299073540171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-2370218881404319222008-07-17T23:42:00.000-04:002008-07-17T23:42:00.000-04:00Good point on repeatability. Passolini's "Salo" wa...Good point on repeatability. Passolini's "Salo" was probably one of the most interesting and intense films I've ever seen, but I have no desire to see it again. I was in a bad mood for a week after seeing it.<BR/><BR/>On the other hand, I could watch "Galaxy Quest" or "Friday After Next" over and over again for all eternity.<BR/><BR/>IPAO and I watched "No Country for Old Men" tonight. She hated it, I thought it was amazing. What does our Texan think of it?Liamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17265036866243982434noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-64729008940225651152008-07-17T23:30:00.000-04:002008-07-17T23:30:00.000-04:00Crystal,I probably already told you that I visited...Crystal,<BR/><BR/>I probably already told you that I visited Robert E. Howard's home in Texas, right? He grew up right near where my mother lives. And killed himself there, too.<BR/><BR/>Cash prize, yes. I might go as high as the price of a ticket to see a movie.cowboyangelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13452987299073540171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-76189393762278855242008-07-17T18:49:00.000-04:002008-07-17T18:49:00.000-04:00Liam,Thanks for participating in my annoying guess...Liam,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for participating in my annoying guessing game. Tune in later for the results. <BR/><BR/>As far as the beer - we do need to do this soon. The next NCAA tournament creeps upon us every day. I'm in the city on the 30th. And am willing to make weekend arrangements for a trip to Grassroots. Tell me a good time.cowboyangelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13452987299073540171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-36417633445208324672008-07-17T18:47:00.000-04:002008-07-17T18:47:00.000-04:00I feel really tired lately, brain foggy, so that's...I feel really tired lately, brain foggy, so that's probably how I missed the part where you gave a cash prize .... please elaborate!<BR/><BR/>I liked Conan the Barbarian, but I'm a fan and read all the books and collected the comics.<BR/><BR/>I saw something today at America's blog on Roman Polanski .... maybe I'll post something about his movies tonight.crystalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05681674503952991492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-50096515393650884882008-07-17T18:45:00.000-04:002008-07-17T18:45:00.000-04:00Cabin Boy, Caddyshack, Conan . . . Yeah, sorry eve...Cabin Boy, Caddyshack, Conan . . . Yeah, sorry everyone. I want to apologize profusely on behalf of the hundreds of asshole film directors, critics, archivists, etc. who were involved in creating those 30 lists. They really dropped the ball, I know. And we haven't even mentioned Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.<BR/><BR/><I>Question: Should a film be re-watchable to be considered great? Or is the power of a once-only viewing enough (and perhaps essential) to cement a film's place in the pantheon?</I><BR/><BR/>Excellent question. I'm thinking of <I>Requiem for a Dream</I>. I don't really feel the need or desire to watch it again, but I would consider putting it on a list of greatest films. It's certainly a film that had some of the greatest impact ever upon me when I saw it. But I'm not sure I can think of many more. Maybe one or two. What titles did you have in mind? Top Gun?<BR/><BR/>It's tough, because one of the joys of the video/DVD revolution is being able to see good films multiple times. And it fascinates me to see which ones hold up after seeing them so many times. Plus, you can really study the craft.<BR/><BR/>But I think I understand what you're asking. And isn't life like that? We never get to re-experience our greatest moments. Though, I suppose we could re-watch them. But I know which moments are the greatest. I don't have to relive them. Though I wouldn't mind sometimes.<BR/><BR/>Makes me think also of films that have been lost. The story of Dreyer's Jeanne d'Arc is pretty amazing. The master was destroyed in a fire and the original version lost for decades. Dreyer tried to put it back together using outtakes and so forth, but he died. Then, suddenly, in the 1980s, they found an original version in the janitor's closet of an insane asylum in Oslo. But people still considered it a great film - partly on memory ? - for many years.cowboyangelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13452987299073540171noreply@blogger.com