The Best Movies You've Never Seen

[ConspiRaider]

Recipe:

1 Six-pack Corona Extra Gold
1 Corona typewriter w/ correcting ribbon
2 15 oz. cans asparagus, drained
1 quart prune juice, strained
1 leg of lamb, sprained
2 cups slivered almonds
1 Almond Joy, dark chocolate
1 punch bowl, big

Combine Corona typewriter w/ correcting ribbon, slivered almonds and prune juice in 1-quart saucepan. Heat until messy. Using funnel, pour typewriter and prune juice slurry into punch bowl (big). Take sprained leg of lamb and punch down Corona keys until all are coated by almondine prune juice. Place in pre-heated oven for two and a half hours or until keys are golden purple. Drink six-pack and dine on Almond Joy during baking maneuver. Remove from oven and let stand. Garnish with asparagus, serve in margarita glasses.

 

[ConspiRaider]

It's DONE!!!1111one!!111

The Western is complete, registered with WGA and into the pipeline. Early readers of the script - they like it a lot. You do? Then give me some money! Or get outta Dodge City by sundown.

Next screenplay is in the crosshairs, coming into focus. Concept phase. Whoa. I will enjoy the living hell out of writing this one. I really can't believe this, that as a Yank I have to admit this, but: I'm going to have to do a whole buncha research on: BRITAIN!!!!!11!1one!! Holy friggin' Toledo, will I be able to stand it? I'll end up knowing more about Britain than the foreman working on the English Leather assembly line!! What iffn I start liking Britain moren' Yankland??? AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!

 

[Hokulele]

Congratulations! I am still expecting tickets to the premiere.

 

[ConspiRaider]

Congratulations! I am still expecting tickets to the premiere.

Thanks H -

I'm insisting to the Hollywood suits that the first premiere be held in:
North-HokuleleLand-on-Avon-Lady-From-Stratford.

That increases your chances of snaring a pair of tix... And of course I'll speak to the box office first, smooth things over, try to explain that your penchant for holding luaus on top of the city's water tower is just your way of working through figureskating issues as a child...

 

[Piscivore]

Grats, CR. You have my awe and admiration just for finishing it.

Any chance you'll let some of us read it?

 

[Hokulele]

Thanks H -

I'm insisting to the Hollywood suits that the first premiere be held in:
North-HokuleleLand-on-Avon-Lady-From-Stratford.

That increases your chances of snaring a pair of tix... And of course I'll speak to the box office first, smooth things over, try to explain that your penchant for holding luaus on top of the city's water tower is just your way of working through figureskating issues as a child...

I had almost managed to put figureskating to rest in the deepest, darkest dungeon of my psyche, and you had to go and bring it up again . . .

 

[ConspiRaider]

Grats, CR. You have my awe and admiration just for finishing it.

Any chance you'll let some of us read it?

Thanks much, Piscivore.

I have to be really very careful about letting this thing out, especially since it will be moving into "pitch" phase. There are certainly some folks on this forum I'd love to get it to for reading. It's copywritten, it's registered, so I'm somewhat protected. But ... we'll see...

 

[rinjy]

It has arrived...Tarantino's Sukiyaki Western Django!!

Hi Vanda. I'm internet stalking you <3

 

[Ysidro]

What franchise, previous literature, or Disney ride was The Lion King based on?

[\quote]

Well, since this thread got necroed I'll point out the answer is Hamlet.

 

[RobRoy]

I'm not an artist or writer, but I love movies. I love smart suspense/thrillers, unfortunately, there aren't many. I'd love to see an atypical western film. Cowboy-noir?

Western-noir has been done already:

Open Range
Unforgiven
Seraphim Falls
3:10 to Yuma (remake)

Well, since this thread got necroed I'll point out the answer is Hamlet.

Also Bambi.

 

[ConspiRaider]

Western-noir has been done already:

Open Range
Unforgiven
Seraphim Falls
3:10 to Yuma (remake)

Good choices.

But perhaps noir is becoming more murky as an identifiable genre. For example in Unforgiven, who is the femme fatale? I suppose it's the girl who got cut up, but she's atypical noir in that sense. The entire movie - and the violence and deaths - stems from her cutting. Yet she's an innocent. You get the sense she alone does not WANT the ensuing violence at all, that she can get over her face cutting somehow.

In any event my Western isn't noir. It's atypical, but not noir.

 

[gumboot]

Well, since this thread got necroed I'll point out the answer is Hamlet.

Really? The Lion King was intentionally written as an adaptation of Hamlet?

Did the writers read Hamlet before setting out on this adaptation?

 

[gumboot]

Good choices.

But perhaps noir is becoming more murky as an identifiable genre. For example in Unforgiven, who is the femme fatale? I suppose it's the girl who got cut up, but she's atypical noir in that sense. The entire movie - and the violence and deaths - stems from her cutting. Yet she's an innocent. You get the sense she alone does not WANT the ensuing violence at all, that she can get over her face cutting somehow.

In any event my Western isn't noir. It's atypical, but not noir.

I think a lot of people mistakenly cite films done in noir-style as belonging to the noir genre. The noir-style is fairly popular in all sorts of genres but actual noir genre hybrids are less common.

I don't know if you've seen it, but I thought Brick was an excellent example of a noir film that wasn't noir-style.

 

[RobRoy]

Good choices.

But perhaps noir is becoming more murky as an identifiable genre. For example in Unforgiven, who is the femme fatale? I suppose it's the girl who got cut up, but she's atypical noir in that sense. The entire movie - and the violence and deaths - stems from her cutting. Yet she's an innocent. You get the sense she alone does not WANT the ensuing violence at all, that she can get over her face cutting somehow.

Noir does not require a femme fatale. Irene in Dark Passage is certainly not. Neither is Laurel in In a Lonely Place. Bacall's character, Mrs. Rutledge, in The Big Sleep could be argued both ways. Obviously, I could go on, but the point is that while helpful in defining a film as noir, and certainly more often found than not, the femme fatale, just like a bleak ending, is not a necessary component.

On the other hand, the girl you're referencing in Unforgiven, Delilah (played by the lovely Anna Levine) it certainly not an innocent. She's a prostitute, which is a profession that often falls squarely in the realm of the femme fatale. Her name is certainly a Biblical reference to one of the first great femme fatales from the story of Samson and Delilah. Whether or not her motives are pure, the result from her actions, or lack of actions, certainly makes her a good candidate.

In addition, a case can easily be made for the entire group of prostitutes acting as a joint femme fatale, since it is in Delilah's name that they act, and vengence that they are seeking, using their money, and their bodies, to draw the men in who then prompt the ensuing dark action.

In any event my Western isn't noir. It's atypical, but not noir.

Well, I wasn't specifically addressing you, but rather Vanda. Still, it's good to hear your particular story is atypical. Those generally make the better movies.

I don't know if you've seen it, but I thought Brick was an excellent example of a noir film that wasn't noir-style.

Brick is one of my favorite neo-noir films. The premise seemed so silly, and yet I'd heard such good things about it that I had to give it a try, even though in my head I saw some kid in a trench and fedora, sidling up to someone's locker and putting the screws to them with a silly Bogey accent. I was so stunned by the film, possibly because of my low expectations going in. I still love the use of slang, and the rapid-fire dialogue, with character driven responses.

But while I agree with your overall point, I'd say that the movie could be argued to have been shot in noir-style. Despite being in color, which is not necessarily a noir requirement, it drew heavily from noir for much of its cinematography. For example, the focus on characters' shoes as a suspense element, to portray movement, to heighten tension is classic noir.

 

[ConspiRaider]

Noir does not require a femme fatale. Irene in Dark Passage is certainly not. Neither is Laurel in In a Lonely Place. Bacall's character, Mrs. Rutledge, in The Big Sleep could be argued both ways. Obviously, I could go on, but the point is that while helpful in defining a film as noir, and certainly more often found than not, the femme fatale, just like a bleak ending, is not a necessary component.

On the other hand, the girl you're referencing in Unforgiven, Delilah (played by the lovely Anna Levine) it certainly not an innocent. She's a prostitute, which is a profession that often falls squarely in the realm of the femme fatale. Her name is certainly a Biblical reference to one of the first great femme fatales from the story of Samson and Delilah. Whether or not her motives are pure, the result from her actions, or lack of actions, certainly makes her a good candidate.

In addition, a case can easily be made for the entire group of prostitutes acting as a joint femme fatale, since it is in Delilah's name that they act, and vengence that they are seeking, using their money, and their bodies, to draw the men in who then prompt the ensuing dark action.

Nope, I think you're stretching things a bit there on "noiring" the Western, Unforgiven, good sir RobRoy. In my opinion. I think you're overanalyzing the simple premise of that film. And also disagree: Noir has femme fatale. That is as much a part of the mix as horses and holsters are a part of a Western. And by femme fatale, we mean that the male victim doesn't see it coming - or does, but the power of femme attraction is simply too overwhelming. He throws his hat and his caution into the ring, and at least some of his principles out. Read James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice or Double Indemnity and you'll see what I mean. And the movie adaptations are pretty faithful. That's boilerplate film noir.

Unforgiven was really only about a man desperately trying to escape his past - the monstrosity he was back then. But his support system fails - mostly driven by the death of his savior wife - and he is inexorably drawn right back into his own nightmarish mindset. The one he thought he'd left behind forever. And the irony in that film is the circumstance: righting the dishonor done a woman. That is authentic. What seems so trivial to us now was pure matter of life and death during the post-Civil War Old West. I discovered that in my own research, and in fact my Western unfolds - the beginning, that is - in much the same way as Unforgiven. Something seemingly trivial starts the whole ball rolling...

 

[ConspiRaider]

I think a lot of people mistakenly cite films done in noir-style as belonging to the noir genre. The noir-style is fairly popular in all sorts of genres but actual noir genre hybrids are less common.

I don't know if you've seen it, but I thought Brick was an excellent example of a noir film that wasn't noir-style.

I haven't seen Brick, Gumboot, but I'll keep it in mind.

I'd like to write a good old-fashioned film noir and maybe that'll be the one after my current project (which is action adventure / sci-fi). Not only is Double Indemnity my favorite film noir, it's also one of my favorites of all time. Billy Wilder at his best. And the source material from James L. Cain's novelette? Excellent. Not really a whole lot of deviation between the book and the film.

 

[littlehulkster]

I'd like to see a WW2 movie but from the german perspective. Opposite of saving Privite Ryan it would follow a German unit instead. I'd use whatthey did in hunt for red october: for the first minute the characters speak German but then the actors go into speaking English; that way the audience bonds with the characters better. Interesting movie because it would never be done by the likes of spielberg.

Not very original but different for sure.

Downfall (aka Der Untergang) was sort of like that, only instead of following a German unit it followed Hitler and his entorage during the last days of the third reich.

Really good movie, and highly reccomended. The guy who plays Hitler does a phenominal job.

 

[ConspiRaider]

Downfall (aka Der Untergang) was sort of like that, only instead of following a German unit it followed Hitler and his entorage during the last days of the third reich.

Really good movie, and highly reccomended. The guy who plays Hitler does a phenominal job.

It's an older flick, but I liked The Bridge At Remagen for the same reasons. You got to see that conflict from both perspectives. The Battle Of The Bulge, with Henry Fonda and Robert Shaw and Telly Savalas was similar.

 

[bruto]

It's an older flick, but I liked The Bridge At Remagen for the same reasons. You got to see that conflict from both perspectives. The Battle Of The Bulge, with Henry Fonda and Robert Shaw and Telly Savalas was similar.

It's been a while since I saw it, but I seem to recall that All Quiet on the Western Front might meet the criteria. So might Das Boot, of course, if land conflict is not required.

 

[treble_head]

What franchise, previous literature, or Disney ride was The Lion King based on?

Sorry I missed this post. It was based on the Japanese Anime "Janguru Tatei" (Jungle Emperor) Oh that name is close, (known as "Kimba the White Lion") in America and Britain. Does the name Kimba sound familliar? I'm coming up with a name that starts with "S"...

It's actually one of the few anime series I like, and yeah, it would be madness to think that there aren't HUGE influences and even rip-offs involved. It goes down with Yojimbo/Fistfull of Dollars and King Lear/ Ran. Or even "Forbidden Fortress/Star Wars. None of those are bad films, but to deny the link would be folly.