Vic Sage

My Top 10: Almost Famous Batman Begins Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Kill Bill I & II Lord of the Rings I, II, III Moulin Rouge Once Slumdog Millionaire Stranger than Fiction Unbreakable another 40 worth mentioning: 300 A History of Violence American Splendor Bad Santa Billy Elliot Bourne Ultimatum Chicago Children of Men Crash Curious Case of Benjamin Button Dark Knight Donnie Darko Fahrenheit 9/11 Ghost Dog Ghost World High Fidelity Ice Harvest In Bruges The Incredibles Invincible Juno Lars & the real girl Last Samurai Little Miss Sunshine The Matador Memento Michael Clayton Million Dollar Baby Mystic River No Country for Old Men Pan's Labrynth Shrek Sin City The Tao of Steve There Will Be Blood Wall-E The Watchmen Wonder Boys The Wrestler X-Men 2

Cazale was a well regarded theater actor in NY when he started his film career. That's where he met Meryl Streep, doing work at Joe Papp's Public Theater. He was engaged to Streep while making DEERHUNTER. the director, Cimino, and Streep kept the fact that Cazale was sick from the studio, who would have had major insurance problems if they'd known. Not to be insensitive, but i think his sickliness added to the character.

john cazale - * GODFATHER I & II, & DEER HUNTER won best picture Oscars, * CONVERSATION & DOG DAY AFTERNOON were nominated - died of bone cancer at age 43

30 Johan Santana 29 David Wright 28 Pedro Feliciano 27 Carlos Beltran 26 Luis Castillo 25 Francisco Rodriguez 24 Jeff Francoeur 23 Daniel Murphy 22 Brian Stokes 21 Angel Pagan 20 Gary Sheffield 19 Carlos Delgado 18 Fernando Tatis 17 Nelson Figueroa 16 Patrick Misch 15 Sean Green 14 Mike Pelfrey 13 Omir Santos 12 Fernando Nieve 11 John Maine 10 Bobby Parnell 9 Ken Takahashi 8 Elmer Dessens 7 Jose Reyes 6 Ryan Church 5 Alex Cora 4 Tim Redding 3 Cory Sullivan 2 Schneider 1 Oliver Perez

yes. It's alot tougher, less sentimental about childhood than you'd think. Fascinating movie, really. In its direct tapping into the subconscious nightmare of childhood, its like a family movie by David Lynch. Which has its plusses and minuses.

Drew Barrymore = parts of Gracie Allen + Carole Lombard + Jody Foster (but not always the best parts) i like her anyway. I always root for her and she makes me feel protective of her.

i agree it was intentional, i just thought the jarringly anachronistic choice outweighed the exploitation tone he was going for.

my 8 year old found it hilarious.

adequate family entertainment

to take the title. whoop de damn doo! I'd trade it for a meaningful game in Queens this weekend.

metirish wrote: What's with the intentional misspelling of both words? , smug fuck that Tarantino . it's not about smugness... although he certainly is. This is not exactly a remake but a film inspired by a 70s Italian B-movie correctly translated as "Inglorious Bastards", which itself was an attempt to cash in on the DIRTY DOZEN. So he seems to have wanted to evoke the original title while not emulating it... same as the film itself does. Also, thematically, the misspelling is evocative but not factually accurate, just as the film is, in its creation of an "alternate history" of WWII. Narratively, it's a phrase created by the Brad Pitt character (the similarly "misspelled" Aldo Raine, based on b-movie star Aldo Ray) who can be read as a nearly illiterate hillbilly, with the phrase carved on his rifle. The movie has a lot of hits, but some misses. I'll take KILL BILL (either 1 or 2), and PULP FICTION over this one. But, despite its flaws, its a spaghetti-western style WWII revenge fantasy with some brilliant touches, and i found it highly entertaining. Its intertwining, episodic parallel story threads works as a structure, but fails to allow the Basterds themselves to get developed as characters we should care about, especially Pitt, who is funny but 1-dimensional and cartoonish. Still, the opening sequence, with its Morricone music, shot compositions, themes and even the narrative itself, is a remake of the opening of ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST. If QT had been able to maintain that sensibility, it would've been amazing film. However, the subsequent sequences vary greatly in tone and style, so the whole thing feels more like a mishmash than a coherently articulated concept. other great performances: the Nazi colonel Landa is a fascinating, complex villain. and the escaped Jewish girl Shoshanna is a doomed beauty. But everybody else is pretty limited. Aside from the appropriate Morricone music, there is a major musical misstep in the use of the Moroder/Bowie song from CAT PEOPLE remake ("Putting Out fire") that is jarringly anachronistic. there are some other self-conscious cinematic devices i found particularly annoying as well: the pointless use of a Samuel Jackson voice-over to explain the flammability of Nitrate filmstock; the use of drawn-in arrows and captions to identify key nazis in crowd scenes; guest cameo performances, as if it were an episode of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. Another aspect of Tarantino's navel-gazing is his use of the movie-within-a- movie, and then another movie within THAT, and a charming old movie theater, and filmstock itself, as the vehicles by which final retribution is achieved. For a filmmaker, elevating film to such importance is a form of self-aggrandizement that is both revealing and irritating. Also limiting the film's appeal for me is its hypocrisy and/or cynicism. We watch Nazis watch a film about a hero sniper who kills 300 allied soldiers, and we are supposed to be appalled by their cheers and ecstacy as they revel in their hero's exploits. Of course, we have been watching our own "heroes" scalping nazis, shooting them, blowing them up, setting them on fire and bashing in their brains with baseball bats, so are we to take this as QT's indictment of our own voyeuristic bloodthirstiness? Nope. Unlike a film like Eastwood's UNFORGIVEN, our own behavior (and, therefore, Tarantino's) goes totally unjudged. We're just supposed to enjoy the revenge, no matter how much it aligns us with the Nazis. Of course, starting off a movie with "... Once upon a time" gives you extraordinary license, but it is not a license to be an arrogant, cruel cynic, even one with an affection for 70s pop culture.

ditto.

i couldn't find it, so i had to reconstruct it.

I looked for my JOHN HUGHES FILMOGRAPHY in the archives, but i think it went down with the last forum's collapse. so here it is (from my personal archives), with some annotations: ------------------------------- JOHN HUGHES: SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY This Chicago-area native became hugely successful as the primary auteur of teen angst comedies of the 80s and family comedies of the 90s. A child of the 60s, Hughes' films often have a theme running through them about the "haves" and the "have nots"... conflicts and romances between those on different sides of the tracks. sometimes its just upper-middle class suburban snobbery vs working class crassness. He finds humor and pathos in the romantic and class conflicts of his teen protagonists. There is also a distinct thread of "empowered youth defeating moronic adults" in most of his films. His films also deal with the dysfunctional family, and how they overcome their problems with love. Which was certainly at odds with his more youth-oriented films. Ultimately, in his career, the gooey sentimentality won out over the angst and he became a hack. He began as a staff writer for National Lampoon, seguing into screenwriting on the Lampoon's feature productions. Despite the success of his screenplays for VACATION and the subsequent MR. MOM, it was the overlooked NATE & HAYES, his unsuccessful attempt to recusitate the pirate genre, which was probably my favorite work of this period (ON EDIT: with apologies to Edgy) Writer: National Lampoon's Class Reunion (1982) - sucked National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) - ok, big hit Nate and Hayes (1983) - interesting flop (though critics and Edgy hated it) Mr. Mom (1983) - ok, big hit VACATION and MR. MOM gave him the leverage to direct. He then directed 8 films in the next 7 years. While the first 5 were good to excellent, the last 3 sucked, and he finally gave up directing for good (for OUR good, actually). Writer/director: Sixteen Candles (1984) - launches his directorial career and his own sub-genre... the "teen angst 80s comedy". Writer/director/producer: The Breakfast Club (1985) - The brat pack is born. Dated, but still worthwhile. And if you were of a certain age, this movie touched you. Weird Science (1985) - stupid, but almost amusing. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) - Hughes creates a teen icon that still persists. Bueller? Bueller? Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) - His best grown up comedy, John Candy breaks your heart. She's Having a Baby (1988) - young marrieds; not good Uncle Buck (1989) - Candy almost saves it, but not quite. Curly Sue (1991) - unredeemed treacle. During his directing period, he produced some of his screenplays while others held the directorial reins, thereby continuing his Lampoon films, and his "chicago-teen angst comedies with heart" movies. Apparently realizing it was easier to make money hiring other people to direct his scripts, he became an even more successful writer/producer, with crap like HOME ALONE. Again, his most interesting film of the period was a John Candy flop ONLY THE LONELY, which was a touching romantic comedy with John Candy (Hughes neither wrote nor directed it. He produced it, with Chris Columbus the writer/director). Writer/producer: National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985) - if you liked the other one, you'll like this one Pretty in Pink (1986) - another solid addition to the Hughes oevre Some Kind of Wonderful (1987) - as was this, but Mary Stuart Masterson is no Molly Ringwald (despite Edgy's bizarre fixation) The Great Outdoors (1988) - amusing Candy vehicle, but not great National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) - yet another vacation; he should've had his passport revoked at this point. Home Alone (1990) - HUGE movie, some entertainment value. Career Opportunities (1991) - bad, but Jennifer Connelly... Oh, yeah.... Only the Lonely (1991) (producer only) - a flop, but the best of this period, likely due to a lack of Hughes' direct involvement. After the failure of a good film like ONLY THE LONELY and the incredible success of crap like HOME ALONE, Hughes continued down the road of utter hack, ultimately becoming a Disney hitman, churning out one abomination after another. He even used the pseudonym of "Edmond Dantes" on some scripts, revealing (either consciously or unconsciously) the depths of his imprisonment within his own cynicism. Writer/producer: Dutch (1991) - crap Home Alone 2 (1992) - more crap Beethoven (1992) (writer only, as Edmond Dantes) - family crap Dennis the Menace (1993) - BIG crap Baby's Day Out (1994) - crappier crap Miracle on 34th Street (1994) - appallingly insulting crap 101 Dalmatians (1996) - Disneyfied crap Flubber (1997) - more Disneyfied crap Home Alone 3 (1997) - yikes! Crapalanche! Reach the Rock (1998) - interesting flop, coming full circle to end the "chicago teen angst comedies" he'd created* Just Visiting (2001) (writer only) - ohmygod. so craptastic Maid in Manhattan (2002) (story only, as Edmond Dantes) - kill him now. [on edit: i guess they finally did] Drillbit Taylor (2008) (story only, as Edmond Dantes) *REACH THE ROCK was a "dramedy" in his old "chicago-teen angst comedy" mode but an utter failure. He has not produced a film since, writing a few unsuccessful scripts, getting credit for the characters on BEETHOVENS 2-5, and collecting residuals. It is kind of sad to see this formerly interesting filmmaker, who wrote about class consciousness during the Reaganomic 80s, become a cynical hack with absolutely nothing to say for the past 15 years (on edit: 18 years). The "John Hughes" teen comedy sub-genre: Sixteen Candles (1984) The Breakfast Club (1985) Weird Science (1985) . Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) Pretty in Pink (1986) Some Kind of Wonderful (1987) She's Having a Baby (1988) . Career Opportunities (1991) Reach the Rock (1998) Top 10: National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) Mr. Mom (1983) Sixteen Candles (1984) The Breakfast Club (1985) Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) Pretty in Pink (1986) Some Kind of Wonderful (1987) Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) Home Alone (1990) Only the Lonely (1991)

a typically horrible Hollywoodian idea.

Coobs, I finally got rid of J.Damon, who i hated to have on my team, despite his productivity. So i understand your pain.

from the archives, my Michael Mann filmography: http://cranepoolforum.qwknetllc.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=4148

the plot makes almost no sense, but its focus on character and relationships, while providing just enough action and incident to maintain interest, was a welcome respite from standard characterless, plot-driven, smashup Hollywood summer pix.

surprise! Its me!

um, well if you see any closers on the wire, let me know. That a-hole autodraft gave me Joba and Wood as my only 2 closers. i hate autodraft.

is that the one with Michael Caine? Yeah, that's a great one. Speaking of Michael Caine, my absolute favorite story about arrogant Brits colonizing that region is THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING, with Caine and Sean Connery.

what, you have a problem with the 1929 silent version? and the 1977 tv movie, with Beau Bridges? Actually, after seeing the 39 version, i have little patience for any versions of this piece of British imperialist propaganda, although i undertand the 2002 version takes a more revisionist view of the story, which would be refreshing. If you want to go down this road, though, I'd recommend such superior entries as Errol Flynn in CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE, Cary Grant in GUNGA DIN and Charlton Heston in KHARTOUM.

I agree though, they are overused. I want to say Scorsese probably helped that become the vogue thing to do with the way he uses classic hits as the soundtracks to his films. but he didn't do that with AGE OF INNOCENCE, right? which is my point. The jarring anachronisms take you out of the story, and, even thematically, they're heavy-handed.

I've never partipated in a full-blown live auction rotisserie-type league before. It's a standard 5x5-Mixed league auction, with 12 teams (so far). Each team has a $100 budget to fill 21 slots (Cx2, 1b,2b,ss,3b,CI, MI, ofx5, Px8), with a taxi squad of up to 15 slots. Minimum bids are $0.25. Teams will be brought up randomly, then owners nominate players from that team for auction. I need to know good sources for esatablishing auction $$ values, and for good strategies in this format. THOUGHTS?

flawed but definitely worth seeing. Captures the spirit, themes, characterizations of the comic, without sacrificing much in the way of narrative. I actually preferred some of the narrative "fixes". But the cast, while spot on visually, were not uniformly great. Jackie Earl Haley was a perfectly psychotic yet sympathetic Rorshach; Denny made a great Comedian; Billy Crudup's vocal performance gives Dr. Manhattan the emotional distance required; and Patrick Wilson's Night Owl was a spot-on Clark Kent. But the women came off less well, as did the womanish Ozmandias. Some tech complaints: the makeup was grotesquely fake, from Nixon's nose, to Gugino's aging. And having to stare at Dr Manhattan's big blue CGIed weiner (especially in the front row of an IMAX theater) was a bit much. And the music cues were REALLY annoying. Why does everyone try to evoke 60s anti-war themes with the same 5 or 6 60s classics? It was so cliched and "on the nose", that it was laughable. Something symphonic, or electronic like the brief use of Glass's KOYANNISQATSI, would've been more appropriate. But that's more picking of nits than actual complaints of a significant nature. Overall, i thought it was as good as could be done to make the source material filmable.