General Movie Thread

[Martin]

My list-obsessed friends and I are compiling a top 100 for the 80s right now, so I'm trying to fill in some embarrassing gaps from that decade, since most of my 80s screening log consists of movies starring Chevy Chase, movies starring Eddie Murphy, and movies starring Chevy Chase and Eddie Murphy (National Lampoon's Harlem Vacation).

Today I took an unfortunate detour, however, as I watched the low-budget, immediately boring and stupidly confusing Shrooms, a horror film about a bunch of American teenagers who go to Ireland to trip on shrooms in the countryside. Cue Deliverance-style inbreeds, in-group bickering, strange noises in the woods, Blair Witch-esque urban legends, and an assault of scenes where we're supposed to go "whoa, is this real or is this a trip?" (yes it is, the shaky handcam and the ugly after effects give it away).

[ian]

and movies starring Chevy Chase and Eddie Murphy (National Lampoon's Harlem Vacation).

swing and a miss

[Martin]

That's too bad, I clearly worked all weekend on that joke.

[iAmBaronVonTito]

i watched penelope this weekend and i dont understand the concept of using england as a location but have all the characters speak with american accents (including the guy(s) who are actuaklly from the u.k.!).

[buffcoat]

It's getting a little bitchy in here.

[fletcher munson]

i watched penelope this weekend and i dont understand the concept of using england as a location but have all the characters speak with american accents (including the guy(s) who are actuaklly from the u.k.!).

Try "Happy-Go-Lucky".  England location and british accents.

[nec13]

I had forgotten just how great Glengarry Glen Ross was until I watched it last night (for the first time in about five years). It's a confluence of superb acting and masterful writing by David Mamet. The highlight of the film for me is the conversation between Moss and Aaronow at the restaurant.

[Chris L]

Just watched Robert Aldrich's Emperor of the North (Pole) and if the premise alone doesn't prompt a rental there's probably no hope for you.   Lee Marvin plays "A-No. 1" the king of the hobos during the Great Depression and most likely an American hero to a young Dick Whitman.  He's determined to do the impossible and hop the train of the sadistic Shack (Ernest Borgnine), who likes nothing more than to kill hobos with a hammer... or chain... or other trainhold objects, rather than give them a free ride.  Keith Carradine tags along as Marvin's unwanted sidekick, following a first meeting where Marvin whacks him with a live chicken (sorry, masterofsparks).  The final Marvin/Borgnine brawl is immortal.  Probably soon to be remade with the guy from Twilight and a Jonas Brother to be named later

[betheboy]

I had forgotten just how great Glengarry Glen Ross was until I watched it last night (for the first time in about five years). It's a confluence of superb acting and masterful writing by David Mamet. The highlight of the film for me is the conversation between Moss and Aaronow at the restaurant.

For me, the desperation of Jack Lemon as Shelly Levine will always be the best part of that movie.

[betheboy]

Just watched Robert Aldrich's Emperor of the North (Pole) and if the premise alone doesn't prompt a rental there's probably no hope for you.   Lee Marvin plays "A-No. 1" the king of the hobos during the Great Depression and most likely an American hero to a young Dick Whitman.  He's determined to do the impossible and hop the train of the sadistic Shack (Ernest Borgnine), who likes nothing more than to kill hobos with a hammer... or chain... or other trainhold objects, rather than give them a free ride.  Keith Carradine tags along as Marvin's unwanted sidekick, following a first meeting where Marvin whacks him with a live chicken (sorry, masterofsparks).  The final Marvin/Borgnine brawl is immortal.  Probably soon to be remade with the guy from Twilight and a Jonas Brother to be named later

That descriptions sounds so good I fear that watching it executed can only disappoint me. I hope that's not the case.

[Christina]

I had forgotten just how great Glengarry Glen Ross was until I watched it last night (for the first time in about five years). It's a confluence of superb acting and masterful writing by David Mamet. The highlight of the film for me is the conversation between Moss and Aaronow at the restaurant.

This movie has trucknuts, don't it?

[dave from knoxville]

Maybe they just found that severed head as they were filming in the woods, and said "Hey, it's dead already, let's use this."

Probably not. I encourage those of you with this particular dislike to avoid the film "What Just Happened."

I just watched the MST3K version of Boggy Creek 2 last night, and it has a couple scenes of a live deer swimming and then they show its decapitated head floating in the water, and some moron in an apesuit dragging its headless body around.

 It pissed me off. I mean, killing an animal for a movie is pretty crappy anyway, but for such a shitty movie and for all of two stupid scenes, that's even worse.

[Chris L]

Just watched Robert Aldrich's Emperor of the North (Pole) and if the premise alone doesn't prompt a rental there's probably no hope for you.   Lee Marvin plays "A-No. 1" the king of the hobos during the Great Depression and most likely an American hero to a young Dick Whitman.  He's determined to do the impossible and hop the train of the sadistic Shack (Ernest Borgnine), who likes nothing more than to kill hobos with a hammer... or chain... or other trainhold objects, rather than give them a free ride.  Keith Carradine tags along as Marvin's unwanted sidekick, following a first meeting where Marvin whacks him with a live chicken (sorry, masterofsparks).  The final Marvin/Borgnine brawl is immortal.  Probably soon to be remade with the guy from Twilight and a Jonas Brother to be named later

That descriptions sounds so good I fear that watching it executed can only disappoint me. I hope that's not the case.

Except for some harmless schlockiness it pretty much delivers, especially the very rough and mean fight at the end.  I think Sam Peckinpah wrote the original script but took his name off the film when he didn't like the final result.  It's not the most in-depth portrait of the depression and you could see how it could've been as surreal as something like Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, but oh well.  It's entertaining, it's got Lee Marvin as a hobo and the testosterone is at Murder Ape-levels.

[Trotskie]

Just watched Robert Aldrich's Emperor of the North (Pole) and if the premise alone doesn't prompt a rental there's probably no hope for you.   Lee Marvin plays "A-No. 1" the king of the hobos during the Great Depression and most likely an American hero to a young Dick Whitman.  He's determined to do the impossible and hop the train of the sadistic Shack (Ernest Borgnine), who likes nothing more than to kill hobos with a hammer... or chain... or other trainhold objects, rather than give them a free ride.  Keith Carradine tags along as Marvin's unwanted sidekick, following a first meeting where Marvin whacks him with a live chicken (sorry, masterofsparks).  The final Marvin/Borgnine brawl is immortal.  Probably soon to be remade with the guy from Twilight and a Jonas Brother to be named later

That descriptions sounds so good I fear that watching it executed can only disappoint me. I hope that's not the case.

My exact thought.

[Martin]

Just watched Robert Aldrich's Emperor of the North (Pole) and if the premise alone doesn't prompt a rental there's probably no hope for you.   Lee Marvin plays "A-No. 1" the king of the hobos during the Great Depression and most likely an American hero to a young Dick Whitman.  He's determined to do the impossible and hop the train of the sadistic Shack (Ernest Borgnine), who likes nothing more than to kill hobos with a hammer... or chain... or other trainhold objects, rather than give them a free ride.  Keith Carradine tags along as Marvin's unwanted sidekick, following a first meeting where Marvin whacks him with a live chicken (sorry, masterofsparks).  The final Marvin/Borgnine brawl is immortal.  Probably soon to be remade with the guy from Twilight and a Jonas Brother to be named later

That descriptions sounds so good I fear that watching it executed can only disappoint me. I hope that's not the case.

Except for some harmless schlockiness it pretty much delivers, especially the very rough and mean fight at the end.  I think Sam Peckinpah wrote the original script but took his name off the film when he didn't like the final result.  It's not the most in-depth portrait of the depression and you could see how it could've been as surreal as something like Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, but oh well.  It's entertaining, it's got Lee Marvin as a hobo and the testosterone is at Murder Ape-levels.

Thanks for recommending this, Chris - I'm always up for some Aldrich madness. When he's good he's GOOD (Kiss Me Deadly), and when he's not he's almost as interesting (The Big Knife). Here's a portrait of Aldrich my pal Max (he of our movie poster fame) did a while ago (click for bigger):