Desert Island Draft: Movie Edition

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Phantasm - Don Coscarelli (1979)

 

Madness, death, psychadelia...all can be applied to Phantasm and its sequels. A wonderful blend of chaos and classic grindhouse horror, the overall theme of death that is perpetuated in each movie may not reach the levels of Fulci (whose detest for the human body and seemingly life in general has never been equaled) but is magnificent as far as American horror goes. The acting is lame (there would be better, marginally, in the sequels), but the performance of Angus Scrimm as "The Tall Man" is as iconic a horror figure as Chucky, Michael Myers, or Pinhead. Possibly even more so, considering how bastardized and butchered those three have become over the years by their respective distributors, whereas the Tall Man and the characters of Michael, Reggie, and Jody have been all the property of Coscarelli since day one. So shoot to kill, or don't shoot at all.

[Darthtiki 0]

Pick recinded...I needed to clear my PMs out.

[Jorge Gorgeous 0]

I dont think it's your turn, Darthtiki... I think it's Ravenbomb's turn....

[Ravenbomb 0]

Futurama: Bender's Big Score

Both movies encapsulated all the things I love about one of my two favorite cartoons, but I think this one is the better of the two.

[Craig Th 0]

I am picking for Jorge.

 

 

Dog Day Afternoon by Sidney Lumet

[The Mandarin 0]

The Exorcist

 

This has groundbreaking genre conventions and special effects, religious terror and Max von Sydow going for it. It's also a violent film from the 1970s so of course it places on my list.

[Darthtiki 0]

Almost Famous - Dir. Cameron Crowe 2000

[Craig Th 0]

 

Finding Nemo

 

Favorite Pixar movie of all time.

[Canadian Brandon 0]

The Simpsons Movie

The movie that I waited 10 years for. It may have not been perfect, but it made me laugh the whole way.

[Canadian Brandon 0]

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

My favorite Harry Potter movie to date. It's only the second HP movie that I have seen but I was hooked afterwards. I have seen all of them at least twice now.

[Craig Th 0]

 

Bad News Bears by Michael Ritchie

 

2nd best sports movie of all time, behind Friday Night Lights.

[Darthtiki 0]

Sideways - Dir. Alexander Payne 2004

 

Paul Giamatti owned in this movie.

[The Mandarin 0]

 

The Conversation

 

I probably telegraphed this selection a bit. Fantastic use of film sound and motif with an excellent plot and brilliant soundtrack. The scene with Caul in the confessional is, I think, among Coppola's best (although it doesn't impress as much if taken out of its context).

[Jebus 0]

Jorge's timed out...Ravenbomb's good to go.

[Ravenbomb 0]

Holiday

My favorite comedy from that era.

[godthedog 0]

i've never even heard of that movie.

 

write-ups on my absentee picks:

 

Lost Highway: so lynch releases this movie in '97 and it's generally hated or ignored, then he releases 'mulholland drive' four years later and it's the same damn movie and everybody loves it. this one pretty handily makes it into my top 4-5 movies of the 90s. partly for sentimental reasons (this was an eye-opening experience for me as a teenager who was just getting into being a movie buff, and was often seen with friends at about 2 in the morning, which is the best time to watch this, cause it's when everybody's completely comfortable with saying "WHOA WHAT THE FUCK???"). partly because it's legit filled with all sorts of wondrous and weird moments that just come together really really well. it uses a lot of cheesy film noir conventions, like greasy mobster and dangerous blonde moll and bad dialogue, but the pieces fit together in the way a memorably fucked-up dream does. the conventions don't really matter, cause it's more or less an extended mood piece. it works in the same way the "llorando" scene in 'mulholland drive' works, over and over: i'm completely riveted by all of it, and i have no idea why. there's all sorts of shit in here that is nonsensical in just the right way. it's got my favorite use of music in any movie ever (overexposed car headlight sex to "song to the siren"), and the way it's shot is hypnotic. i don't know how lynch does it, but he has a way of making shadows fall on the screen that are thick and opaque, like you could wade around in them or get lost in them.

 

The Iron Giant: most of the things i said about 'pinocchio' apply here, with the additional comment that i love brad bird's strange fascination with the fears & values of the 50s. a great kids' movie in the way that it makes me feel like a kid watching it. the "duck and cover" parody is awesome. i love brad bird period, and i'll watch anything he does. this might also make my top 4-5 movies of the 90s.

[Jingus 0]

Lost Highway: so lynch releases this movie in '97 and it's generally hated or ignored, then he releases 'mulholland drive' four years later and it's the same damn movie and everybody loves it. this one pretty handily makes it into my top 4-5 movies of the 90s. partly for sentimental reasons (this was an eye-opening experience for me as a teenager who was just getting into being a movie buff, and was often seen with friends at about 2 in the morning, which is the best time to watch this, cause it's when everybody's completely comfortable with saying "WHOA WHAT THE FUCK???"). partly because it's legit filled with all sorts of wondrous and weird moments that just come together really really well. it uses a lot of cheesy film noir conventions, like greasy mobster and dangerous blonde moll and bad dialogue, but the pieces fit together in the way a memorably fucked-up dream does. the conventions don't really matter, cause it's more or less an extended mood piece. it works in the same way the "llorando" scene in 'mulholland drive' works, over and over: i'm completely riveted by all of it, and i have no idea why. there's all sorts of shit in here that is nonsensical in just the right way. it's got my favorite use of music in any movie ever (overexposed car headlight sex to "song to the siren"), and the way it's shot is hypnotic. i don't know how lynch does it, but he has a way of making shadows fall on the screen that are thick and opaque, like you could wade around in them or get lost in them.

May I say that I pretty much fully agree with your entire analysis here, and may I say that you may suck my fat white cock for getting to this movie before me. I knew Mulholland Drive would get nabbed, but I thought I could let this one sit out til the late rounds.

[godthedog 0]

i seriously had no idea anyone else liked it that much. you could pick 'inland empire'...i haven't seen that one all the way through, but it looks like more of the same.

[Jingus 0]

Haven't seen Inland Empire yet. Want to, just haven't gotten around to it. Haven't found it online for free anywhere (aside from a French-dubbed version), and that's usually my preferred method of watching movies.

[godthedog 0]

corey's turn elapsed about 6 hours ago. p.g.o.a.t is up.

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH! 0]

 

Belle De Jour

 

I knew I wanted to take a Buñuel movie at some point but I could never decide which one since they're all so equally brilliant. I finally settled on taking the one with Catherine Deneuve lookin' super foxy in it.

[godthedog 0]

hey, that was my first bunuel. i rented it cause it had martin scorsese's name on the video box (he was sponsoring the restoration i think).

 

Singin' in the Rain

 

joyous. i can't not watch this movie when i see a piece of it on tv. simple plot that's not dressed up any more than it should be, really funny, and the musical numbers just look like fun. like the musical scene in 'pierrot le fou', only the participants can actually sing and dance. my favorite numbers are the simplest ones, "moses supposes" and "good morning good morning," because it's just gene kelly & company goofing off and having a great time. it holds up to repeated viewings really well, and i've warmed up to the extended "broadway melody" bit a lot.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Clerks II - Kevin Smith (2006)

 

Smith has been one of the more important independent filmmakers of the last 15 years, and since some of his other movies have already been taken, I figured I'd take the last one that he made. In some ways, Clerks II is better than the original. The acting is flat-out better (considering that by the time the movie was made the returning cast members from the first had learned how to act, and the bigger budget meant that Smith could get actual actors as well), the story is more focused, and some of the jokes are a whole lot better than just the redundant "I'm not even supposed to be here today" comments of the original (namely the jokes about LOTR, ass-to-mouth, "Porch Monkey," and besti...inter-species erotica). It can never top the original, or even Chasing Amy, but if any other Smith flick comes close? It's Clerks II.

[Jorge Gorgeous 0]

Hey guys, sorry I missed my pick... I've been busy outta my mind lately.

 

Schindler's List - 1993 - Spielberg

 

 

I've watched this movie once. When it was over I cried for two hours.

[Jingus 0]

Dammit, knew I shoulda grabbed that one earlier. Only movie to ever make me cry two separate times within the same film. I kinda subconciously meant to throw a Spielberg pick on there sometime, but all the obvious gimmes are already taken. I mean, I liked Jurassic Park and Duel and Close Encounters and all the others, but not Desert Island liked them.

[godthedog 0]

'e.t.' is still out there for the taking.

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH! 0]

And Hook!

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

 

Lethal Weapon, 1987

[Jebus 0]

Well, since it was mentioned...

 

 

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

 

The only movie I refuse to see with anybody else in the room due to me crying at the end. Not manly "Aw, look. He's crying. That's sweet." crying.

I'm talking "That's pathetic" crying like a little girl with a skinned knee.

 

I guess I'm just a sucker for flicks involving Alien or Robot love (that just sounds wrong): Wall-E, E.T., Iron Giant (damn you godthedog).

 

 

[godthedog 0]

you can still pick from such fine works as 'mac and me', 'short circuit', 'short circuit 2', and 'flight of the navigator'. the 80s were a really great time to be a robot and/or alien.