Official Film Snobs Club, We have better taste than you. Options

[BadCraziness]

There was so much more to 1) There Will be Blood than the milkshake scene, and 2) the milkshake scene than the milkshake.

My God that scene just clinched a whole movie full of intensity and ferocity, illuminated an already obvious insanity in Plainview's character.

I wasn't even thinking about him talking about a milkshake, I was shaking from head to toe in sheer amazement.

I know. You don't need to get all defensive about it.

In it's entirety There Will Be Blood is absolutely amazing, but IMO the milkshake scene is practically the greatest accomplishment in American cinema in the last decade or so. I mean I watched it like.... 8954894589 times over and over again on youtube lol.

And I only called it the milkshake scene because I thought you'd all know instantly what I was talking about.

Touchy.

[*paperplane*]

Film snobs club.

And thanks for the list, Nate. I am at least familiar with most of them.

[Joanne]

You'll probably hate/reject most of my favourites, but what the hell. I've got nothing to lose.

So here are some of the movies I really enjoyed based on cinematography and overall storyline (in no particular order).

1. Beauty and the Beast (Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise ; 1991)
2. The Lion King (Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff ; 1994)
3. I Am Sam (Jessie Nelson ; 2001)
4. V for Vendetta (James McTeigue ; 2006)
5. Life is Beautiful (La Vita è bella) (Roberto Benigni ; 1998)
6. What's Eating Gilbert Grape (Lasse Hallström ; 1993)
7. The Truman Show (Peter Weir ; 1998)
8. Amelie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet ; 2001)
9. Scent of a Woman (Martin Brest ; 1992)
10. Thirteen (Catherine Hardwicke ; 2003)
11. Fight Club (David Fincher ; 1999)
12. Infernal Affairs (Mou Gaan Dou) (Wai-keung Lau, Siu Fai Mak ; 2004)
13. Juno (Jason Reitman ; 2007)
14. Crash (Paul Haggis ; 2004)
15. Edward Scissorhands (Tim Burton ; 1990)
16. Big Fish (Tim Burton ; 2003)
17. Catch Me If You Can (Steven Spielberg ; 2002)
18. Hot Fuzz (Edgar Wright ; 2007)
19. My Sassy Girl (Yeopgijeogin Geunyeo) (Jae-young Kwak ; 2001)
20. Zoolander (Ben Stiller ; 2001) ------> just because it's so freaking brilliant

[ThunderEvermore]

I know. You don't need to get all defensive about it.

In it's entirety There Will Be Blood is absolutely amazing, but IMO the milkshake scene is practically the greatest accomplishment in American cinema in the last decade or so. I mean I watched it like.... 8954894589 times over and over again on youtube lol.

And I only called it the milkshake scene because I thought you'd all know instantly what I was talking about.

Touchy.

Haha I wasn't meaning to be touchy so much as enamored with the movie.

And when you referred to it as the milkshake scene I assumed it was mocking, haha. Apologies.

[NoSex]

And thanks for the list, Nate. I am at least familiar with most of them.

Word. You shouldn't definitely throw some thoughts and feelings our way (everyone else who is already a member can vote on applications: just reminding everyone), it'll help us evaluate your application. So far, you definitely have one of the better lists, I just really can't send you a "yes" without torturing you through some horror... or at least, I couldn't without a clean conscience.

Here we go:

None of this really moves me (albeit Annie Hall). It's not a wholly awful list, but it's certainly not good. The inclusion of Casablanca, The Godfather, and A Clockwork Orange still irritate me. A lot of the AFI Top 100 are represented here in perfect ho-hum-ness.

Pans Labyrinth was useless (aside from some super cool special effects and makeup). Waking Life is idiotically inferior to Linklater's Slacker. Everything is Illuminated blew my a-hole (nothing like Tim Burton meets Schindler's List meets "indie" hype to piss me off). And, I still feel like an a-hole for having never seen Harold and Maude... but, somehow, I seem to be caring less and less.

You'll probably hate/reject most of my favourites, but what the hell. I've got nothing to lose.

Way too many "auto-no's." Crash (2004), Thirteen, Big Fish, Zoolander, Juno, and V for Vendetta are all some of the worst films I have ever, regrettably, seen. Further, the lack of horror, or... f**k, anything good at all...

When the best films in your list were made by Disney you know you have a problem.

[Joanne]

Way too many "auto-no's." Crash (2004), Thirteen, Big Fish, Zoolander, Juno, and V for Vendetta are all some of the worst films I have ever, regrettably, seen. Further, the lack of horror, or... f**k, anything good at all...

When the best films in your list were made by Disney you know you have a problem.

Haha, fair enough. To each their own, right?
And considering how I've only ever watched two 'horror' movies in my life (Jeepers Creepers and The Shining, which I fell asleep to)....

I just read your profile, and I must say... I'm quite surprised you have The OC in your list of TV shows. But Heroes and Veronica Mars? Niiiiice.

[NoSex]

Blue Velvet: If you haven't seen it yet, you really truly must. Blue Velvet changed my life when I first saw it. It, how does that beautiful trailer put it...? "Opened" my "eyes to a world" I had "never seen before." Yeah, amazing movie and a great place to start broadening your horizon and exploring new tastes.

Even if you don't like the movie after watching it (p.s. it can take multiple viewings), it can still be a very worthwhile experience. Critically examine the film... find out exactly what you liked and didn't... etc. etc.

PEP TLAK FOVER.

And considering how I've only ever watched two 'horror' movies in my life (Jeepers Creepers and The Shining, which I fell asleep to)....

Nerves kind of sensitive? I know a ton of people that can't really take the supposed "intensity" of it all. If you need something to train on, I highly suggest Clive Barker's Hellraiser (that's how I learned when I was like eight, through parted fingers and big blankets).

I just read your profile, and I must say... I'm quite surprised you have The OC in your list of TV shows. But Heroes and Veronica Mars? Niiiiice.

I was starting to lose my pitying admiration for The O.C., but then I was watching some last night, and I was pretty into it. So, I'm still good... but, to be honest, I'm surprise myself. Ahh ha.

P.S. Veronica Mars is like the best f**king thing ever. I'm so pissed off Rob Thomas wasn't permitted to take it as far as he had wanted.

[Joanne]

^ Haha, nah it's nothing about my sensitivity. I've only watched those two movies because I'm a MAJOR scaredy-cat. I had nightmares for a month after The Shining, even though I fell asleep/closed my eyes at all the scary parts hahahaha.

Did you watch the season premiere that didn't get aired on TV? THAT WOULD'VE BEEN A KICK ASS SEASON!!!!

[*paperplane*]

Half the premier got deleted from youtube, like, the day before I tried to watch I miss Veronica Mars.

[ThunderEvermore]

Love love love the OC. I just finished watching my first season DVDs over again and I forgot how much I love it.

Veronica Mars, not so much. I don't know what it was about it. It just didnt shine for me. It was good enough for me to buy two seasons though, haha.

[freeridefight]

Some of my current favorites:

Patch Adams
V for Vendetta
Somethings Gotta Give
A Lot Like Love
Into the Blue

[BadCraziness]

You remind me of that Count Pococurante guy from that Voltaire story and I am amused.

But seriously, how can you not completely adore Manhattan? I love it more than Annie Hall, I think. It saved me from living the rest of my life as a cynic.

And the Aronofsky! How does that not move you? After watching Requiem for a Dream, my film school friend exclaimed "it's like being punched in the cock with emotion!" And he's sooo completely right. That should've been the tagline.

There was indie hype about Everything is Illuminated? I just watched it because I dig the Jonathan Safran Foer novel.

Not complaining or anything, I'm just wondering is all.




Oh and like it or not, the world needs Disney movies.
Well, at least the old ones. Who gives a f**k about 3-D talking clownfish? Not me.

[ersatz]

Jonathan Safran Foer is a brilliant author, and it is a perfectly good reason to watch the movie.

[NoSex]

You remind me of that Count Pococurante guy from that Voltaire story

I'm poor.

But seriously, how can you not completely adore Manhattan? I love it more than Annie Hall, I think. It saved me from living the rest of my life as a cynic.

I'm a cynic.

And the Aronofsky! How does that not move you?

I tend to enjoy films that I grow to love, not movies that appeal most immediately in the spectacle. This is not to say that I dislike Requiem for a Dream (or that I find it exploitative, or that exploitation is bad). I simply feel that Aronofsky's film is too much of a song and a poem I've heard before... done with more precision and more power. It moves you when you see it, but its message lacks depth. The experience, though immediately affecting and visceral, is actually quite shallow; it's a clever trick, surely.

The long and short: I like it, but not really on a top anything list.

Not complaining or anything, I'm just wondering is all.

You can complain all you want - I f**king encourage it.

Questions: Why don't you like horror films?
Why don't you like Donnie Darko?
Give me five movies you use to like and now hate (and tell me why).
OR
Five best documentaries.

Jonathan Safran Foer is a brilliant author, and it is a perfectly good reason to watch the movie.

Not, although, a perfectly good reason to watch, like, and then add to a top 20 list... the movie.

[ersatz]

That was meant to explain why there was indie hype in the first place; indie kids like reading and stuff, and that book was a very popular best-seller, and so a lot of indie kids would have read it, and so a lot of indie kids would be excited for the movie.

You shouldn't hold that part of it against BadCraziness.

[BadCraziness]

I'm a cynic.

So I've gathered.


I think Requiem for a Dream had a more lasting effect on me because I made myself read the book before I saw the movie. The message is a lot clearer and gets more attention in the book. With the whole death of the American Dream thing, it's a lot like Gatsby with junkies. Which is a recipe for WIN, imo.


btw ersatz have you Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close?
That book is my one true love~*
Well second to Franny & Zooey.

[ersatz]

Yes, agreed, and yes to Franny and Zooey. Although...I'm feeling very partial to Catch-22 lately. It was just so well-written, and hilarious, really.

Nice book tastes. :D But this is the movies thread! :O

Umm...movies...I want Wes Anderson to adopt me!

[NoSex]

The message is a lot clearer and gets more attention in the book.

I wish every movie had an instruction manual.

[BadCraziness]

I wish every movie had an instruction manual.

It's not an instruction manual - it's the same thing only lasting longer, like with most novels with film adaptations. Themes are almost always more overstated/prevalent in literature than anywhere else because from what I've gathered movies tend to be a lot more plot-driven and instantaneous.

Either way, you wouldn't need an instruction manual - the title pretty much gives everything away.

Nice book tastes. :D But this is the movies thread! :O

RIGHT um. Is there an official book snobs club anywhere? haha
Because if not we could totally make one and feel superior~*
Copyright violations aside.


BTW if you liked Catch-22 I think you'd like A Confederacy of Dunces, if you haven't read it already. Both are pretty much the most hilarious things ever written.

[NoSex]

It's not an instruction manual - it's the same thing only lasting longer, like with most novels with film adaptations. Themes are almost always more overstated/prevalent in literature than anywhere else because from what I've gathered movies tend to be a lot more plot-driven and instantaneous.

I don't think you understood my comment: I was saying that your refutation of Requiem for a Dream's shallowness was insufficient because it proposed supplementary materials in order to absolve its own deficiencies.

[superstitious]

I'm poor.
I'm a cynic.
I'm a total prick.

Questions: Why don't you like horror films?
Why don't you like Donnie Darko?
Give me five movies you use to like and now hate (and tell me why).

1 - I love horror films. I love the gore, I love the acting, I love the music. Note that this is a typical sentiment of horror films, not how I feel about all horror films. Like Keanu Reeves, they are just misunderstood. Actually, scratch that last statement. For the life of me I cannot understand why I defend that guy ("but he serves a purpose!")

2 - I do like Donnie Darko, but in moderation.

Movies I used to like but now hate:

Edward Scissorhands
I went through a Johnny Depp haze. He's one of the first actors that made me want to masturbate (sans scissors of course). The reason why I now dislike it is because I've been exposed to more and better. I think it's perfectly acceptable to go through phases when you like directors like Tim Burton, but at one point you grow out of it. Winona Ryder's acting is horrific and I still have nightmares about her hair. The story was so-so, a little too much dramedy for me and the ending was far more predictable than it was to me, when I liked the film.

Gone with the Wind
Yes, I know, it's a classic. Sue me. It's entirely too long and the protagonist doesn't have one likable quality, other than being attractive. I got sucked into "it's a classic" and felt obligated to enjoy the film. I'm not entirely sure that I ever did. I have a hard time with over the top acting (unless it's a horror film) and this film doesn't go a second without it. I'll admit that the film did make some strides in cinematic history, but that doesn't mean that it's a good movie.

The Matrix
Oh yes, I loved The Matrix. I loved Neo. I wanted a I love Neo t-shirt and a keychain with a button that when depressed, would say "whoa." I think I was high. No actually, there are entertaining moments in the film and I'd slaughter anyone who got in the way between me and Trinity's wardrobe but beyond that, it's shallow. Perhaps it's supposed to be shallow. I could forgive that, even appreciate that. However, since the Wachowski brothers insisted on something beyond a bubblegum movie, I find myself ticking while watching the movie because it's an insulting movie to me.

Valentine
It's a horror movie. It stars David Boreanaz. I have no other excuse. I can't get through the first scene now though. I think it's guilt. Not much more to say on that, my apologies.

Pillow Talk
The quintessential date movie. I got sucked into Rock Hudson (oh my god he died of aids!) and Doris Day. Doris Day. I'd like to bash her head in with a rock. I shouldn't have to sit through a movie and want to scream "shut the f**k up" the entire time, yet she has that exact effect on me. When I was younger, it was cute. I'm older and she's the anti Christ.

Yeah, not the best examples of reasoning, but it's been a long day.

[NoSex]

I'm poor.
I'm a cynic.
I'm a total prick.

You can add "proud" to that list.

P.S. I love how you answer nearly all the challenges, Rebecca. They are actually intended for specific applicants (for evaluative purposes). Whether you noticed that or not, it's still great that you answer them - makes this place better.

[superstitious]

For you -

I'm poor.
I'm a cynic.
I'm a total prick.
and proud.

And I do what I can in these busy times. Besides, I love self mockery.

[BadCraziness]

I don't think you understood my comment: I was saying that your refutation of Requiem for a Dream's shallowness was insufficient because it proposed supplementary materials in order to absolve its own deficiencies.

Ohhhhh.
I wasn't trying to refute or argue anything - I can see how the movie can be considered shallow. If I wanted to argue otherwise I would have stuck with the movie.

I was simply saying that the story in its entirety (and in novel form) isn't shallow at all.


Do I come off as ridiculously argumentative or something?

[NoSex]

Do I come off as ridiculously argumentative or something?

Ahh ha! No, I'm just a "total prick."

If you're still interested in membership, I suggest you meet your challenges.
Otherwise, I can't rightly give you a "yes" at this stage.