Wine Spectator Online Wine Spectator Forums Travel and Entertainment If you had the opportunity to introduce a film to a young adult,
Wine Spectator Forums Travel and Entertainment If you had the opportunity to introduce a film to a young adult,|
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Associate Editor WineSpectator.com |
I'll play:
Cool Hand Luke is an all-time favorite of mine. Paul Newman in general tends to be. A teenage sports fan would love Slapshot too. I don't think anyone has yet mentioned The Sting, with both Newman and Robert Redford, which is outstanding. And speaking of Redford, how about The Natural! A must-see for any adolescent with an interest in sports. (I just had an argument with a colleague over The Natural vs. Field of Dreams - he said The Natural was a ridiculous film; I asked what's not ridiculous about playing baseball with ghosts in a cornfield?!) Three Days of the Condor is another one that's not to be missed. And since I've mentioned Newman and Redford, rounding out my three favorite actors of that era, people tend to sleep on Papillon, starring Steve McQueen, but that is a great, great book and film. Dustin Hoffman is also good in that. Most of my comedy favorites have already been mentioned - Animal House, Caddyshack - but for more recent flicks, Anchorman and Wedding Crashers are both gems. In fact, I generally celebrate the entire catalog (to borrow a line from Office Space, another favorite) of both Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn. Hmm, this post is getting long. I'll stop now... RT Edit: And yes, A Christmas Story! Even if Ted Turner insists on beating us all over the head with it. |
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Steve McQueen - the king of cool  and he was all that. Loved so many of his movies including Papillon and still have to watch it when it is on. Dustin Hoffman was good in it too - even though he has been intolerably annoying for me the last 15 years or so. I never thought such a great actor would turn into a 2nd version of Jackie Mason  I'll also include Al Pacino in that annoying after 50 catagory. Jack Nicholson is damm near there too. I guess dying young like Steve Mac has it's thespian advantages. You never get old, silly or become overacting caricatures of yourself. |
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Wow, attacking a forum posting for spelling errors. Funding--I believe you'll discover it's among the highest in the nation. |
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It was some time ago and I don't want to try to recall all of my reasons. But, the main one was it's point that everyone was bad except Hispanics. Remember that ridiculous scene at the end where the woman realizes that everyone is worthless but her good, humble maid? |
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The Sting: Fantastic! Three Days of the Condor: Brilliant! The Natural: Field of Dreams pales in comparison...IMO. "It's easy to grin, when your ship comes in, and you've got the stockmarket beat, but the man worth-while, is the man who can smile, when his shorts are too tight in the seat." -Judge Smails |
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Hunter- Unfortunately, Hoffman, Pacino, and Nicholson gaves us their best work long ago. I find the same to be true with MOST directors. Their best work is during the first 10-15 years of their careers, and then it slowly deteriorates. "It's easy to grin, when your ship comes in, and you've got the stockmarket beat, but the man worth-while, is the man who can smile, when his shorts are too tight in the seat." -Judge Smails |
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Yeah I know. It's not even the "best work" point for me. Charleton Heston did his best work before he was 50 as most actors did, but he didn't annoy the hell out of me when he was older. Jack Lemmon too. John Wayne. Those guys knew how to play down a little - stay within the role or act their age maybe?  Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino are completely unwatchable for me now. Every scene is overdone and for "them" or at least that is how it comes off. |
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You'd better look at Alfred Hitchcock. By your rule you'd be eliminating: The Birds, Psycho, North by Northwest, Vertigo, Rear Window, Dial M for Murder, Strangers on a Train, Notorious, Lifeboat, Shadow of a Doubt, Saboteur & Suspicion. How about Ingmar Bergman: Fanny & Alexander, Cries and Whispers, Persona, The Silence, Winter Light, Through a Glass Darkly, The Virgin Spring. Also note that his greatest movie, The Seventh Seal was made in his 12th year. Orson Welles: The unbelievably great--Touch of Evil. Every John Ford movie that we think of as great--The Searchers, the Cavalry Trilogy, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, etc. etc. etc. Stanley Kubrick: A Clockwork Orange: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (I'm cheating a bit here it was made 13 years after his directorial start). Also some would include The Shining (a film I loath). Martin Scorcese: You're going to have to eliminate his greatest film Goodfellas. I could do this all day but my fingers are getting tired. |
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Rather than individual movies, I'd suggest the entire body of work for some modern directors.
Stanley Kubrick Martin Scorsese David Lynch Coen Brothers To a lesser extent: Clint Eastwood Milos Forman Ridley Scott Oliver Stone Quentin Tarantino -------------------- "One may dislike carrots, spinach, beetroot, or the skin on hot milk. But not wine. It is like hating the air that one breathes, since each is equally indispensable." Marcel Ayme` |
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Crash wasn't my cup of tea either. Sort of a primer on racial politics for sheltered people. I found it to be an R-rated ABC Afterschool Special (remember those?). Ok, I'd better stop the soapboxing before I get into trouble. Off to the Italian Offline in Chicago!!! -IB Ban Trolls. |
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Mr. Cab- This is a fun subject to discuss - as I have digressed from the original subject matter. Again, I believe that the work of MOST notable directors is at its best in the first 10-15 years of their careers. After that, it is hit and miss, at best. Goodfellas is one of my favorite movies of all time. However, whether it is Scorcese's best work is subjective. They are many people that would say Taxi Driver or Raging Bull are superior. I have not chronicled the works of John Ford, Hitchcock, Wells, etc. However, Kubrick's best work was certainly earlier in his career. Don't forget the disasterous Eyes Wide Shut. UGHH! Spielberg gave us Jaws, Close Encounters, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and E.T. early in his career. He also had Schindler's List and Jurassic Park in the early 90s. However, unless I am mistaken, the late 80s, most of the 90s, and this decade have not provided much quality material from him, IMO. "It's easy to grin, when your ship comes in, and you've got the stockmarket beat, but the man worth-while, is the man who can smile, when his shorts are too tight in the seat." -Judge Smails |
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Something starring Steven Seagal.
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I was just trying to list specific movies that were outside of the 10-15 year mark. I was trying to remember Clint Eastwood when I was making the list though I think his last great film was Unforgiven. I don't think that Oliver Stone or Ridley Scott have ever made a great film. |
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The recent reissue of Blade Runner would be a good start. Great film.
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Check your facts. You are quite mistaken.... Funny that you didn't address the rest of the response. Hurts a bit when you are wrong or mistaken, eh?!?!?!!? Romeo and Juliet are together in eternity.... |
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The thing that started all this was your ridiculous comment that a movie wasn't as good as the book. You can rephrase it any way you want but that's esentially the idiotic thought you expressed. BTW, the NEA's own website says that CA public teachers are the 2nd highest paid in the nation. Even adjusting for CA's high cost of living that's pretty well up there. You're right about the education spending (see it's not hard to admit when your wrong--you should try it). However, according to the census bureau stats CA is slightly below the national average per pupil but above about 25 states, the majority of which beat CA in education rankings. What do you want? Sheesh. Now go ahead and have the last word--you'll feel better. This message has been edited. Last edited by: Mr Cabernet, |
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Sorry to hijack this thread, but you wrote, "I could get into all the reasons why CA is in the lower part of the nation statistically (funding, testing of all students - including special education student and English Language Learners, illegal immigration, the lack of properly credentialed teachers, etc.) but it probably wouldn't matter to you...." All we hear, over and over, is about the funding. The teachers aren't out there on the street corners with signs talking about illegal immigration (though they should, it's CA's major problem IMHO) or any of the other issues you threw out there and said I didn't address. They may discuss them quietly and occasionally, but all we're hearing about these days, and usually over the years, is funding and teacher's salaries. So what are you talking about when you say, "Funny that you didn't address the rest of the response. Hurts a bit when you are wrong or mistaken, eh?!?!?!!?" You're a teacher? What do you teach wood or metal shop? Now take your last word. |
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movie wasn't as good as a film? Be careful when posting drunk..... Romeo and Juliet are together in eternity.... |
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Where have I mentioned teacher salaries? Nowhere. I spoke of funding. If you do enough research, you will find that the state of California ranks in the bottom five states for per pupil funding. Please don't let facts get in the way of your misguided argument.... Romeo and Juliet are together in eternity.... |
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I do agree with you about illegal immigration. But you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. They aren't discussed quietly, and they are continually addressed with lawmakers. Again, if you want to posit your opinion as fact, you should probably be more informed.... Romeo and Juliet are together in eternity.... |
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Maybe if you had more perceptive or analytical abilities, you could discern that having students compare a novel to a movie probably wouldn't occur during shop class.... Romeo and Juliet are together in eternity.... |
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