Baumer's 50 most important films of all time (JFK 3, Earthlings 2.....FREE YOUR MIND! THE MATRIX NUMBER 1)

[Fancyarcher]

Really nice conversation you guys have going here. I always like it when people talk about and appreciate movies from the 30's and 40's, after all some of my favorite films were made then.

BTW it's a good list overall Baumer, only film I disagree with TCM 2003, but I can understand why you have it on this list, opinions and all.

Edited June 1, 2016 by Daniel Dylan Davis

[RascarCapat]

Just now, JohnnyGossamer said:

Kind of hijacked Baumer's thread here. Sorry, man.

He deserves it for all this non sense talk about old days actors

[JohnnyGossamer]

1 minute ago, TalismanRing said:

 

 

Poor rich Mr Bullock

 

All you need to start an asylum is an empty room and the right kind of people.

 

 

Dude kills me in that flick.

 

Alexander Bullock: I've just been going over last month's bills, and I find that you people have confused me with the Treasury Department.
Cornelia Bullock: Oh, don't start that again, Dad.
Alexander Bullock: I don't mind giving the government 60% of what I make. But I can't do it when my family spends 50%!
Irene: Well, why should the government get more money than your own family?

[Daxtreme]

Keep it up Baumer, loving this!

 

[IronJimbo]

3 hours ago, Jake Gittes said:

You could make an argument for Streetcar as the best-acted movie ever.

 

Marlon Brando is a beast.

Although that women seems odd as hell, were people actually like that ever? Seems less like she is acting reality but more like she is acting how the hollywood early 1900's women should be.

[Plain Old Tele]

9 minutes ago, IronJimbo said:

 

Marlon Brando is a beast.

Although that women seems odd as hell, were people actually like that ever? Seems less like she is acting reality but more like she is acting how the hollywood early 1900's women should be.

 

Well, first off, it's mid-century, hardly "early 1900s". I don't have the exact quote handy, but Kazan talked about how with this story he wasn't necessarily concerned with purely "realistic" acting; he wanted something heightened and stylized. Plus, of course, Blanche has lost most of her sanity and spends most of the time living in her own private fantasy of being a Southern belle.

[Jake Gittes]

Everyone justifiably raves about Brando but Leigh's performance is every bit as good. Her more old-fashioned acting style is perfect for the character just as Brando's modern style is for Stanley. 

[JohnnyGossamer]

3 minutes ago, Jake Gittes said:

Everyone justifiably raves about Brando but Leigh's performance is every bit as good. Her more old-fashioned acting style is perfect for the character just as Brando's modern style is for Stanley. 

Malden's my favorite in the movie.

[TalismanRing]

32 minutes ago, Telemachos said:

 

Well, first off, it's mid-century, hardly "early 1900s". I don't have the exact quote handy, but Kazan talked about how with this story he wasn't necessarily concerned with purely "realistic" acting; he wanted something heightened and stylized. Plus, of course, Blanche has lost most of her sanity and spends most of the time living in her own private fantasy of being a Southern belle.

Rightfully so.  It's a Tennessee Williams play.  It's Southern Gothic literature. 

 

Vivien Leigh = "that woman"

 

Her role is by far the more complex and it's a brilliantly layered performance. 

[baumer]

This will continue in about 90 minutes. I will be home from work soon.

[Fancyarcher]

1 hour ago, Jake Gittes said:

Everyone justifiably raves about Brando but Leigh's performance is every bit as good. Her more old-fashioned acting style is perfect for the character just as Brando's modern style is for Stanley. 

 

Well she didn't win the Oscar for nothing.

[Lordmandeep]

I think the confusion over actors in old films give akward performances is seen as odd as we are seeing people behave 60 70 80 years ago.

 

I think like Mr.Smith Goes to Washington and films of that time has a lot of wise cracking one liners which is not how people act today.

 

However when in the end Jimmy Stewart says these are lies that emotion is so genuine  and it stays with you and why such films remain known for so many decades.

[75Live]

1 hour ago, Baumer said:

This will continue in about 90 minutes. I will be home from work soon.

 

sounds good.  I will do more likes when my quota resets  

[baumer]

Number 43

Free Willy (1993)

THE FIRST OF A FEW ANIMAL-CENTRIC FILMS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO ME

Michael Madsen, Michael Ironside, Jason James Richter

Directed by Simon Wincer

"Nobody steals a whale"

 

 

 

Box office:  77.7 million domestic, 153.7 WW

Quick synopsis: A young boy tries to fee a captive Orca from a water park.

Imdb Summary:  Fishermen separate a young orca whale (Willy) from his parents and he ends up in a fish bowl at a marina. Meanwhile, a street kid runs afoul of the law and gets caught vandalising the marina, but his social worker gets him off the hook (so to speak) provided he cleans up his mess at the marina. While there, he befriends the whale and teaches him tricks, something the trainer hasn't been able to do. But when Willy is a dud in front of the audience, the marina owner plans some bad things, and the boy and his friends must try to (*** MAJOR SPOILERS ***) free Willy.

Why it's important:  This isn't an important film to the masses, but it should be, so we'll just skip ahead to why it's important to me.

Why it's important to me:  Animal rights are a huge issue with me.  It's part of what defines me.  As some of you may know I wrote a book called Terrified and Defenseless.  It's about a vigilante who does to humans what they do to animals.  He punishes them for the cruelty towards those who cannot speak.  I am personally disgusted with how we treat animals and there will be a few films on this list that are very important to me.  This is the first of those films.  Free Willy is way ahead of it's time.  Just a couple of years ago, the documentary Blackfish came out and it indicted the entire water park industry for being the  blood sucking, draconian motherfuckers that they are.  This is an industry that supports the slaughter of dolphins and whales and then it steals the younger calves and sells them to the water parks.  These places not only destroy families, but then they imprison the whales and make them live in what would be a bathtub to them.  They make them perform tricks for their survival.  It's a horrible life and there's nothing natural about it.  These whales miss their families and they are cramped and treated like prisoners.  Free Will, a film that came out 23 years ago, like a film like Gorillas in the Mist, exposes the industry and people for what they are.  It's an incredibly moving film and one that imo should be shown to all families before they decide to slap down their $50.00 to go to water parks.  

[Plain Old Tele]

Huh, I would've thought either GORILLAS IN THE MIST or THE COVE are better choices -- unless they're going to show up as well.

[TalismanRing]

9 minutes ago, Telemachos said:

Huh, I would've thought either GORILLAS IN THE MIST or THE COVE are better choices -- unless they're going to show up as well.

 

In terms of quality definitely.  Though in terms of impact I'd probably choose Born Free from 1966.

 

 

[MrPink]

14 minutes ago, Telemachos said:

Huh, I would've thought either GORILLAS IN THE MIST or THE COVE are better choices -- unless they're going to show up as well.

 

It's the Michael Jackson factor.

[Ethan Hunt]

[Plain Old Tele]

2 minutes ago, TalismanRing said:

 

In terms of quality definitely.  Though in terms of impact I'd probably choose Born Free from 1966.

 

Great minds think alike, I was idly just thinking that might be the earliest example.

[baumer]

Number 42

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Roy Atwell, Stuart Buchanen

Directed by William Cottrell and David Hand and others

 

 

Box Office:  185 million

Quick Synopsis: One of the all time classic Walt Disney films

Imdb summary:  The first, and by far most memorable full-length animated feature from the Disney Studios, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" may have been superseded technically by many of the films that followed it. But its simple story of a charming little princess saved from the evil deeds of her wicked stepmother, the queen, by a group of seven adorable dwarfs made history when it was first released in December, 1937 and has since become an incomparable screen classic.

Why it's important:  With its enduring popularity, the historical importance of Snow White has gotten lost along the way. The first ever feature-length cartoon has always been popular with people of all ages - never losing its significance as the years have passed and technology has improved. There were many reservations before Snow White was released - not even Walt Disney's wife believed it would succeed. Huge box-office takings, seven Oscar's and an incredible legacy later and it's safe to say she was pretty wrong.  Snow White was a pioneering film for the animated medium, being overwhelmingly entertaining and joyous. The unbelievable success of the film meant Disney could follow it up with more feature-length animated films, which he did with Pinocchio. The film, like so many of Disney's is enchanting, heart-warming and engrossing. Snow White's importance goes slightly underrated because it looks as if it were made yesterday and its greatness is so universally accepted.

Why it's important to me:  Animation has never been quite my tempo, at least as an adult.  But when I was younger and my parents introduced me to the wonderful world of Walt Disney, these films were magic to me.  Snow White was one of the first films I remember seeing as a human being.  My love affair with R rated action films didn't start until I was about 10 and my love of horror not for another 2 years after.  Watching Snow White was something me and my family did often.  It wasn't easy to get these films on VHS when we were kids but eventually my parents did get the collection for us.  There was something special about the dwarfs and the wicked queen and poor Snow White.  Animation, imo, was so much better when I was young.  I don't connect for some reason with a lot of the stories today told by Dreamworks and Pixar but Disney always resonated with me.  This is one of the all time classics.