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Movies that surprised you!


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23 hours ago, Tibarn said:

Glengarry Glen Ross 1992

 

Its such a good movie. It's purely actor driven and basically takes place in 1-2 sets. Who would've thought that a movie about real estate salesmen would be interesting. 

 

 

yes, it's a very fine movie

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Below are some of the films that I revisited, reminding me how good they still are:

 

Patriot Games (1992) - Among the best Jack Ryan films. I like Sean Bean's performance. 

 

Pulp Fiction (1994) - The score still shines. Tarantino should release a B&W version at it could give it a relatively more timeless feel to the film. 

 

Drive (2011) - A cool film. 

 

The Legend of Tarzan (2016) - This has almost everything that I want in a good time pass action-adventure film. Excellent action, nice locations, adequate score, a good bunch of actors, cool animals, etc.  A "sit back and enjoy the ride" type of film. 

 

 

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Soldier (1998) … The Bobby Deol film. I used to like it when it was released. Still watchable as a fun time pass action film. It has comic (but cruel) villains and some funny dialogues. The background score is good too. 
 

However, there is influence of Hollywood action films where you can tell which segments could have come from which films, but as a package it is put together in an acceptable fashion! A point of annoyance (as it can change the tone of the film) can be Rakhee related melodrama (which used to be common in the 90s films with Rakhee playing the mother).

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At times, I like to watch period martial arts films. Tried to watch John Woo's Last Hurrah for Chivalry (1979) but couldn't complete it as it was more of the same, seen before stuff that can appear crude at times (probably would have liked it as a teenager). 

 

Then came across King Hu's Raining in the Mountain (1979), released in the same year. The film is about intrigue at a mountain top monastery (intrigue, mountains, monastery, etc. are the keywords that can get me interested) so I gave it a shot. I did not expect to finish the film but, surprisingly, it kept me engaged. This is one of the better films relatively speaking in the genre esp. as it also deals with selecting a new abbot for the monastery and therefore the politics involved with it ... PS I have vague memories of Hu's A Touch of Zen (1971). I do recall being neutral about it, i.e. neither liking it nor disliking it, but, may try to revisit it in the future to see on which side the scale eventually turns!

 

 

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On 2/23/2023 at 2:05 PM, zen said:

At times, I like to watch period martial arts films. Tried to watch John Woo's Last Hurrah for Chivalry (1979) but couldn't complete it as it was more of the same, seen before stuff that can appear crude at times (probably would have liked it as a teenager). 

 

Then came across King Hu's Raining in the Mountain (1979), released in the same year. The film is about intrigue at a mountain top monastery (intrigue, mountains, monastery, etc. are the keywords that can get me interested) so I gave it a shot. I did not expect to finish the film but, surprisingly, it kept me engaged. This is one of the better films relatively speaking in the genre esp. as it also deals with selecting a new abbot for the monastery and therefore the politics involved with it ... PS I have vague memories of Hu's A Touch of Zen (1971). I do recall being neutral about it, i.e. neither liking it nor disliking it, but, may try to revisit it in the future to see on which side the scale eventually turns!

 

 

King Hu is a very solid director IMO

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The Castle of Purity (1973) … A Mexican film about control, isolation, and rat poison! … I did not know what to expect from it (did not even watch its trailer) but ended up being impressed by it! … The film holds your attention from the first scene.

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On 2/23/2023 at 6:01 AM, zen said:

Soldier (1998) … The Bobby Deol film. I used to like it when it was released. Still watchable as a fun time pass action film. It has comic (but cruel) villains and some funny dialogues. The background score is good too. 
 

However, there is influence of Hollywood action films where you can tell which segments could have come from which films, but as a package it is put together in an acceptable fashion! A point of annoyance (as it can change the tone of the film) can be Rakhee related melodrama (which used to be common in the 90s films with Rakhee playing the mother).

It was a terrible film even for the 90s.

 

While Bobby maybe the best dancer in the Deol household, his signature move is the shoulder shrug. Which he did only 2237282 times in this movie.

 

giphy.gif

Tera Rang Balle Balle - Soldier I Bobby Deol & Preity Zinta I Sonu Nigam &  Jaspinder Narula on Make a GIF

giphy.gif

Image

Ek Din Kahin Hum Do Mile (Video Song) | Aur Pyar Ho Gaya | Bobby Deol &  Aishwarya Rai on Make a GIF

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1 hour ago, Mariyam said:

It was a terrible film even for the 90s.

 

While Bobby maybe the best dancer in the Deol household, his signature move is the shoulder shrug. Which he did only 2237282 times in this movie.

 

giphy.gif

Tera Rang Balle Balle - Soldier I Bobby Deol & Preity Zinta I Sonu Nigam &  Jaspinder Narula on Make a GIF

giphy.gif

Image

Ek Din Kahin Hum Do Mile (Video Song) | Aur Pyar Ho Gaya | Bobby Deol &  Aishwarya Rai on Make a GIF

 

Bad memories :fear1:... Some folks used to call me Bobby Deol :wall: ...  (It used to be like whoever was the new actor or the actor that they liked, people probably called me that. Many old folks even associated me with old-timers like Feroz Khan, but he is among my favorites … When Sanjay Kapoor's Raja came out, some folks even called me Raja  :facepalm: 

 

 

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The Children's Hour (1961) starring Audrey Hepburn and Shirley Maclaine. 

 

I avoided this film because of its subject matter.  I am glad that I gave it a shot.  Oh boy, the last 1/3rd of the film is a powerful emotional journey that makes this one of the best films that I have seen. I must add that I had watery eyes at the end of the film. 

 

 

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On the fun side, revisited some of the old action films:

 

Black Rain (1989): Still a fun film. This one is more about the atmosphere created by Ridley Scott. The night scenes with neon lighting in Japan are nicely captured. One of the big hits of Michael Douglas. 

 

Hard Target (1993): Among Van Damme and Woo's best works! The 2nd half of the film remains breathtaking. Makes you reminiscent of the old-fashioned raw action sequences:

 

 

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Revisited Robert Langdon films after a long time. They still remain entertaining (dumb fun most of the time) and each film has its moments. 

 

The Da Vinci Code (2006): if watched as a thriller, has inconsistent pacing mainly due to delving into history/myths which viewers are used to by now. 

 

Angels and Demons (2009): the best film in the trilogy (so far) as it offers the best balance among various elements.

 

Inferno (2016): a less complex plot leads to a relatively fast-paced thriller but the ending in the book is probably better. 

 

I hope that Origin is made into a film as well. If done properly, it can be a fun ride as well! 

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On 6/7/2022 at 11:06 PM, bharathh said:

I loved Top Gun Maverick... Didn't go in thinking id like it as much as I did. Awesome action and a fun movie

Finally watched TG Maverick. Mixed the original story  with the sequel beautifully. Top notch action and he has aged very well with old romantic interest and older role model to young ones. Our khan heroes have old bodies  romancing young heroines dancing around Tenu menu rabda songs ugh!

 

I had gone with low expectations anyway and the movie was surprisingly good! 

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On 6/16/2023 at 9:05 PM, zen said:

The Children's Hour (1961) starring Audrey Hepburn and Shirley Maclaine. 

 

I avoided this film because of its subject matter.  I am glad that I gave it a shot.  Oh boy, the last 1/3rd of the film is a powerful emotional journey that makes this one of the best films that I have seen. I must add that I had watery eyes at the end of the film. 

 

 

one of my fav wyler films. beautifully directed, acted, and shot. only thing missing was kissing (note the rhyme) between mclaine and hepburn, but that would be way too impossible in the 1960s

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A couple of films that I recently got for different reasons: 

 

Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago - The Ultimate Director's Cut (1985/2023): As a kid, I used to like Rocky IV but now it can appear like a masala film on steroids. It has the 80s disco/MTV vibes too where some segments are attempted to be presented like a music video. Stallone was probably feeling that way too so after all these decades, he came up with this Director's Cut where he made significant changes to make the film "feel" relatively different. Many segments have been taken away and new footage inserted including at the beginning of the film. It also brings out a deeper connection with Apollo Creed and relatively more seriousness. I was surprised by how much I liked this version! 

 

The Peacemaker (1997): Another film that I used to like during my "growing up" days. This is an underrated or offbeat thriller so I wasn't sure how it would appear in 2020s. But it still works well. Clooney & Kidman are fun to watch. Kidman, at times, comes across as a Bond girl! Talking about offbeat or underrated thrillers, there is Cooney's The American (2010) too. 

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For reference, films covered by me on this thread: 

 

Pierrot le Fou (1965, French)

Yojimbo (1961, Japanese) 

Django (1966, Italian/English) 

STALKER (1979, Russian

The Quiet Man (1952)

Duel in the Sun (1946)

In the Mood for Love (2000, HK) 

Au Hasard Balthazar (1966, French)

Memories of Murder (2003, Korean)

La Jetee (1962, French)

Ryan’s Daughter (1970)

Written in the Wind (1956) 

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Fu Manchu series (1960s)

Bravados (1958)

Yesterday, Today, & Tomorrow (1963, Italian)

Marriage Italian Style (1964, Italian) 

I Confess (1953)

Marnie (1964)

The Blue Max (1966)

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

Miami Vice (2006) 

Leave Her to Heaven (1945)

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Singin in the Rain (1952)

Joker (2019)

Prof. Pyarelal (1981, Hindi) 

The Gunfighter (1950)

Destry Rides Again (1939)

The Vanishing (1988, French, Dutch)

The Dark Knight Rises (2012) 

The Dirty Dozen (1967)

The Secret in Their Eyes (2009, Argentine-Spanish)

Cliffhanger (1993)

Black Book (2006, Dutch)

Patriot Games (1992)

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Drive (2011)

The Legend of Tarzan (2016) 

Lamb (2021, Icelandic)

Soldier (1998, Hindi)

Raining in the Mountain (1979, HK/Taiwan)

Remains of the Day (1993)

The Castle of Purity (1973, Spanish)

The Children's Hour (1961) 

Black Rain (1989)

Hard Target (1993)

The Da Vinci Code (2006)

Angels and Demons (2009)

Inferno (2016)

Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago - The Ultimate Director's Cut (1985/2023)

The Peacemaker (1997)

 

 

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Slowly getting back to watching films selectively. Reconnected with the following: 

 

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) - Had good memories of this film (also for the song - "Everything I Do ..."). This one and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) are probably the two most solid Robin Hood films. The 1938 Robin Hood film is in my collection so added this one too. Got its extended version for 12 additional minutes. Happy to see the film's blockbuster qualities still intact. Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham remains memorable. This is another cool performance by him after his Hans Gruber act in Die Hard. One bummer was watching Kevin Costner take a bath. If the film needed a scene like that why not do that with Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio? 

 

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) - This has been upgraded to 4K DV so had to add it to my collection. It remains one of the best Batman films whether live-action or animated. 

 

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) -  When I first saw this film, I was more into Jackie Chan, John Woo, etc. type of HK martial arts films. At the time of its release, it did not click with me like it should have. It is a martial arts masterpiece with memorable cinematography and score. Oscar winner for best foreign film, cinematography, art direction, and score. Glad to add it to my collection as well:

 

 

 

 

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On 4/6/2023 at 10:30 AM, zen said:

 

Bad memories :fear1:... Some folks used to call me Bobby Deol :wall: ...  (It used to be like whoever was the new actor or the actor that they liked, people probably called me that. Many old folks even associated me with old-timers like Feroz Khan, but he is among my favorites … When Sanjay Kapoor's Raja came out, some folks even called me Raja  :facepalm: 

Dont tell me you were one of those who would print movie names above their motorcycle number plate

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