benthams_head

Member since 5/23/2007, last signed in awhile ago.

"good movies are all the same; every awful movie is awful in its own way."

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Interested in:Avant-garde / Experimental, Comedy, Comedy Drama, Culture & Society, Drama, Film, TV & Radio, Historical Film, Language & Literature, Music, Spirituality & Philosophy

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The Hottie & the Nottie

Re:The Worst of 2008
By benthams_head in Worst Movie Ever
"To paraphrase Tolstoy, good movies are all the same; every awful movie is awful in its own way. With that in mind, I created a few new categories by which to judge the worst films and performances of 2008: Worst vocal performance, musical: Pierce Brosnan, 'Momma Mia' Worst attempt at capturing the cultural zeitgest:(tie)- 'Swing Vote'- 'Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay' Worst verb conjugation: 'How She Move' Most pointless use of a definite article: 'You Don't Mess With The Zohan' Worst Jim Carrey movie in which his character learns a valuable lesson through temporary loss of his oratorial faculties: 'Yes Man' Worst update on 'Rashomon': 'Vantage Point' Worst use of botox in a lead or supporting role (aka, "The Meg Ryan"): (three-way tie)- Nicole Kidman, 'Australia'- Sylvester Stallone, 'Rambo'- The cast of 'Sex & the City' Worst performance on a "Hot Topic" t-shirt: Robert Pattinson, 'Twilight' Most feeble attempt to emerge from the shadow of pop starlet (ex)wife ... " [More]

Re:Disaster Most Likely to End ...
By benthams_head in DOOMSDAY
"I'll cheat a bit here and throw out the forthcoming movie adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road". I've only read the book, obviously, but it had me reaching for an extra dose of Wellbutrin every 50 pages or so. I expect the film to be every bit as bleak and realistic under John Hillcoat's direction. It may even beat out "Mall Cop" as the most depressing film of 2009. " [More]

Re:DVD Box Set Giveaway
By benthams_head in Filmgaming
"1. Rachel Getting Married I'm just thrilled that Ross and Rachel finally get to tie the knot. And on the big screen, no less! I gotta say I just love that Jennifer Aniston. She is such a trooper. I still can't believe Brad ran off with that other one. You know, what's-her-name...Jon Voight's daughter. Of course, he was in that "Midnight Cowboy", and THAT thing was pure filth. 2. Synecdoche, New York Sigh-neck-do- what? 3. Milk You know your cousin Andrea is gay. So is that nice looking Italian man she brought to the wedding. Aunt Barbara kept bragging the whole time about how he was quite a catch. Well, let me tell ya! 4. Reprise Again with the subtitles? You know I can't read that fast. 5. The Wrestler That reminds me. All of those little pink wrestling dolls you used to play with need to come out of my basement. Seriously, or they're going to the Goodwill. I have a hard enough time with your father and that beer making set he hasn't used in 20 years. [quote user="SkyPilot"] ... " [More]

Run Lola Run

Re:Depressing holidays, dysfunc ...
By benthams_head in Top 5
"[quote user="Risselada"] [quote user="leeroy711"] [quote user="SkyPilot"] UPDATE 11/14: 10 Most Accessible Foreign Films A lot of you picked films that showed up on Chris's list. Plus, leeroy711 gets quoted! And by the way, I think benthams_head makes a really strong case for July 4 in Brokeback Mountain. [/quote] That gateway drug thing actually makes a lot more sense the more I think about it. I realized that when I try to get my other friends into foreign movies, I almost always loan them my copy of Amelie or Run Lola Run..................... as Ice T said: "I'm your pusher." [/quote] Heh yeah, and I wouldn't be surprised if one of those two movies is usually shown the first week of any basic level foreign film class at any randomly chosen US University. It get's people eased into reading subtitles. [/quote] Don't forget about "Life is Beautiful" or "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"! They were two of the few "fo-lang" joints that had sustainable runs in the multiplex circuit. ... " [More]

Re:Recast ROMEO AND JULIET (1996)
By benthams_head in Filmgaming
"Juliet Loves Romeo (The late-70s all-star comedy version) One of my most loved movie gimmicks from the late-70s/early-80s was the all star cast tie-in. Anyone who remembers that era may recall seeing a poster; usually with an overly-busy cartoon drawing and block pictures of various celebrities around the periphery, advertising one of these filmic gems. The celebrities involved ran the gamut from faded stars of yesteryear (Orson Welles, George Burns) to musicians (Elvis Costello, Meat Loaf) to comedians (Steve Martin, Rodney Dangerfield) to sports stars (Tommy LaSorda). There was also a whole lot of Tony Randall. Granted, most of these celebrities usually appeared on-screen for no more than 2-minutes, but spotting them was supposed to be “part of the fun.”. It was also intended to distract you from the usually moribund task of actually sitting through the movie. So, let’s rewind about 17 years, send Baz Luhrman and his transluscent butterfly wings packing, throw N ... " [More]

Re:Depressing holidays, dysfunc ...
By benthams_head in Top 5
"Depressing Holiday films: Metropolitan Christmas A comedy of manners about the late-80s debutante ball circuit would hardly seem to qualify as bleak material, but one scene, in particular, has always stuck in my memory. The film largely takes place in the penthouses and ballrooms of upper Manhattan. At one point, though, the bookish and out-of-place Audrey is seen simply walking the city streets amid the bustling Christmas tide. We sense in her a kind of sorrow. She’s trapped in a world of sniveling upper-crust brats, and yet she desperately wants to find a connection in the world from which she’s been cloistered. This is why she falls for the faux-proletarian Charley and why she ventures out alone in search of everyday experience. Whit Stillman (the director) never puts a heavy point on this. He simply lays out the scene for us to experience. Brilliant stuff. Brokeback Mountain Fourth of July Enis stares pensively at a small town fireworks display with his back t ... " [More]

Re:Recast ONE FLEW OVER THE CUC ...
By benthams_head in Filmgaming
"Woody Harrelson ... R.P. McMurphyPatricia Clarkson ... Nurse Mildred RatchetBob Balaban ... Dale Harding Paul Giamatti ... Charley CheswickJeremy Davies ... Billy BibbitWill Oldham ... TaberDylan Baker ... Jim SefeltPeter Storemare ... FredricksonFred Ward ... Chief Bromden This is an admittedly lame replacement, though I don't know how anyone replaces Will Sampson in this role. An alternative would be to use that CNN topogram technology to splice in his perfomance from the original.Roberto Benigni ... Martini Worth the price of admission just to see him NOT talk for an entire film.Ron Rifkin ... Dr. John SpiveyAhmir "?uestlove" Thompson from the Roots ... Turkle the Janitor " [More]

Back to the Future

Re:Top 5 films from your childhood
By benthams_head in Top 5
"1. Back to the Future - Anyone who has seen "Son of Rambow" knows the impact that a movie character can have on an impressionable youth (especially one with an over-active imagination). For a brief period in 1985-86, I WAS Marty McFly. I actually had designs on riding my skateboard to school every day by tailgating cars. Then (in typical 1980s fashion) there was a story about some kid who died trying the same thing. Back to the Future (1985)). 2. Rocky IV - This one embodied every cliche about bad 80s cinema: synth-driven montage scenes, cold war paranoia, Reagan-era hyper-patriotism, and a bizarre obsession with the titilating possibilities of robotic technology. I ate up every morsel of it. Heck, I probably had every line of dialogue memorized for awhile.Rocky IV (1985) 3. Down and Out in Beverly Hills/Ruthless People- For awhile there in the mid-80s, I couldn't get enough of the Bette Midler screwball comedies. My best friend's mom is befuddled to this day that I grew up to be ... " [More]

Re:Recast HIGH FIDELITY (2000) ...
By benthams_head in Filmgaming
"I'm not brave enough to recast "High Fidelity". I don't dance that close to the sun. Instead, I'll offer up two of my own top 5 lists. The first, you might say, is in honor of Louis, the cool customer....Top 5 "Hey, you know what this film really needs? A black guy!" characters (The Winston memorial list): 5. James Smith (Glen Plummer) - Showgirls 4. Ron Clifford (Sean Patrick Thomas) - Cruel Intentions 3. Hollywood Montrose (Meschach Taylor) - Mannequin 2. Solomon (Ernie Hudson) - The Hand That Rocks The Cradle 1. Petty Officer Doris Miller (Cuba Gooding) - Pearl Harbor And, tangentially related to the first, I present.... Top 5 Least Convincing Gay Performances (The Kevin Kline Lifetime Achievement List) 5. Mike Myers, 54 4. Joshua Jackson, Cruel Intentions 3. Robin Williams, The Birdcage 2. Cuba Gooding/Greg Kinnear (tie) - As Good As It Gets 1. Tom Selleck, In & Out " [More]

Re:Top 5 Everybody Seems To Lov ...
By benthams_head in Top 5
"[quote user="SkyPilot"] [quote user="benthams_head"] I don't generally take issue with the thematic concern of "good vs. evil" in the movies, but it's blown way out of proportion in "Braveheart". [/quote] Benthams_head, Not sure I understand you, Do you mean Braveheart is too concerned with the battle between good and evil? [/quote] among other things, yes. " [More]

Re:Top 5 Everybody Seems To Lov ...
By benthams_head in Top 5
"[quote user="Risselada"] [quote user="SkyPilot"] [quote user="Risselada"] What does this word mean?? I couldn't find a definition anywhere. [/quote] Just a little typo; "Manichean" should give you some results. [/quote] Huh, a new word for me! Thank you! [/quote] Thanks for catching the typo. "Manichean" is a religious philosophy that seeks to characterize different facets of humanity as essentially good or essentially evil. Some have even argued that the "Bush Doctrine" is a Manichean philosophy. I don't generally take issue with the thematic concern of "good vs. evil" in the movies, but it's blown way out of proportion in "Braveheart". " [More]

Re:Top 5 Everybody Seems To Lov ...
By benthams_head in Top 5
"1. Casablanca - To be fair, I'm don't hate this film. I'm just very lukewarm on it. I can name at least two performances from Bogart, Bergman, and Lorre that I prefer over what they delivered here. 2. Rio Bravo/The Searchers - I don't get it. I don't get the appeal of John Wayne. Never have. And, believe me, my inner- cinephilic voice tells me this is an outrage. His style of acting just grates on me. 3. Braveheart - There are not enough words in the english language to describe my hatred of this film., but here are a few -- overblown, overacted, histrionic, cliched, homophobic, cacophonous, dystopic, arrogant, boorish, sloppy, blugeoning, Manachean, stupid, stupid, stupid. 4. Moulin Rouge- take a bunch of FM-Lite pop songs, set them to really campy music, and then have them sung by Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. Sounds like a winning formula......for me to poop on. 5. The Aviator- really just a stand-in for every Leo DiCraprio film I've seen (exception: "The Departed"). This one ... " [More]