This is one of my all-time favorite movies, and, I too, watch it every chance I get. One correction though; the movie is set in Paris, not NY & Chicago.

LOL I copied that from another forum post I made many years ago....not sure why I I said it was in NY and Chicago back then....

Okay, I've never heard of that one.

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OK, I'm back. I'll get caught up on writeups tomorrow before I make any more picks.

Round 6. Category: Thriller. Woman in the Dunes.

Round 7. Category: Crime. Pale Flower.

so where are we?

I'm old. Skateboarding was after my time, but I've always really loved watching skateboarders. I loved sports when I was a kid and made at least a feeble attempt to play all of them in high school, but I don't remember ever being as coordinated as these kids. It almost seems like magic.

This documentary chronicles a time in history when a sport was born, but it's also about the birth of an art form, and in many ways about the rise of an anarchist movement. If you haven't seen it, check it out.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Woman_in_the_Dunes

Perhaps NSFW:



I wish this draft had a category called Nothing Happens. Movie makers often get in trouble when they try to make a movie without a car chase, but sometimes they succeed, and succeed admirably. Some of my favorite films are Nothing Happenses. Dune Woman would be a great choice here.

I thought maybe IMDB would list Woman in the Dunes as a romance, but it has it down as a thriller, so I'm good with it. There's nothing thrilling about it. It was taken from a novel written by Sci-Fi author Kobo Abe, who certainly has literary credentials, but who I always think of as the Kilgore Trout of Japan.

High school English teaches would love this movie (and the book) because they could talk about its "real meaning" for hours, but in the end it's just a really cool story, and doesn't need to be "really about" anything.

Maybe thrilling, subtly horrific, to me romantic -- but in the end a really cool story that'll give the viewer something to think about.

Reasons why this is a cool flick:

1. It's about a hit man.* I love movies about hit men.

2. The hit man lives by a code and does his job. I love movies about men who live by a code and do their job. If Will Kane got a Fulbright to go to Japan for a year and live by a code and do his job, this movie might be about him.

3.
a) We are all poker players.

b) Since we are poker players, we are gamblers and are around gambling.

c) Since we are around gambling, we have met psycho-chick gamblers.

d) This movie contains the most strikingly accurate portrayal of a psycho-chick gambler I have ever seen. (Played by Mariko Kaga.)

4. Said psycho-chick gambler drive a Hino.

I play cards, what else is there:



Killing:




*Hit man played perfectly by Ryo Ikebe, who Shuffle may discuss in his Ozu thread when we get to Early Spring.

Woman of the Dunes is a sexy movie, none of which is revealed in any kind of plot summary. There's something about the sand and flesh, the happenstance of two strangers thrown together in extreme circumstances, and the oddness of the situation that create really erotic film. At least I have always thought so.

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I agree completely. I haven't seen it in years, but I remember thinking that there was no going back once he made her give him that bath.

Sorry I've not been more on top of this but it's unexpectedly busy in my life at the moment. I'd normally not postpone write ups and I'd be more on top of who's on the clock.

Thanks for keeping it running the last day without me.

Write ups incoming...

Round 5 - Western - Yellow Sky (1948)

IMDb Page


With only 3,545 ratings this is on the low side even for lesser known movies, but I'm sure all you movie nerds buffs will have heard of it.

Gregory Peck is a strong leading man but the thing I love most about this movie is the cinematography. There are such incredible shots that I would love to see this on the big screen to see them in all their glory.

Fun Fact: In an age where black face was totally acceptable this movie decided to do things a different way and hired Native American Chief Yowlachie to play the part of Colorado.

Round 6 - Comedy - The Castle (1997)

IMDb Page


This has only got 13,081 ratings with makes it lesser known for the purposes of this draft. I'm convinced that if it was American it would have more ratings but would also lose a lot of what makes it work and it's charm.

The voice over mechanic works really well at efficiently setting up jokes and delivering punch lines. This has got so many laughs in it. What everyone should do is buy the DVD and put it straight in the pool room.

Fun Fact: This stars a young Eric Bana at the start of his career. It's even before [REDACTED]

Apologies have been offline all day. My belated round 7 pick is in the fantasy category:

Scrooge (1970)



There have been what feels like a thousand film versions of A Christmas Carol, but this is probably the trippiest, and the one my sisters and I loved the most as kids.

It's a musical version of the familiar tale, and while Albert Finney is not much of a singer, the musical numbers are still a lot of fun. "I Like Life", sung with the Ghost of Christmas Present, was a particular favorite, as was the big production number "Thank You Very Much" (sung by the townspeople after Scrooge dies, during his visit with the Ghost of Christmas Future). There is also a genuinely sad ballad "You", sung by Scrooge when he revisits his young adulthood with the Ghost of Christmas Past, and watches himself destroy his only chance at love.

The main highlight is Finney himself. He mostly plays Scrooge as a half-mumbling, shuffling drunk... his performance is completely over the top, in the best possible way.

This is a very underappreciated relic of the early seventies and a must watch during the holidays.

Adventure!

THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING, John Huston, 1975.



They don't make 'em like this anymore. To me, it's the greatest adventure movie ever made. Sean Connery and Michael Caine go off into 18th century Asia to become kings. From the Rudyard Kipling story.

Hustom wanted to make this one for years, first with Bogart and Gable, then with Lancaster and Dougless, and finally with the two who made a perfect match.



I remember watching this in the theater when it first came out, and sitting through it again and again for a whole weekend. Yes, it's a favorite from my childhood, but it still holds up. It's as good as Gunga Din, The Four Feathers, or Raiders of the Lost Arc.

I especially love the last shot - A skull sitting on Kipling's desk wearing the crown. Awesome.



****

Drama - Fat City
Crime - White Mischief
Sci-Fi - Coherence
Romance - Truly, Madly, Deeply
Horror - The Addiction
Comedy - Victor Victoria
Adventure - The Man Who Would Be King

Dom, this is twice in a row that you've selected one of my all-time favorite movies. In fact, The Man Who Would Be King was my selection for favorite film of 1975 in the thread you created regarding favorite films from every year since we were born. I thought I might have selected Victor/Victoria as well, but that was beaten out by

Here's a link to that thread for others who may not recall it (or who may want to revisit it): https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/6...ghlight=planet

And here's a link to my specific choices: https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/s...6&postcount=20

Round 7

The Bridge (2006)

category: documentary 10127 IMDB ratings





This one is pretty depressing as it deals with suicide. Specifically suicide by Golden Gate Bridge. They set up cameras all around the Golden Gate Bridge for the full year of 2004. That filming captured 23 of the 24 people that jumped that year. It also includes many interviews with the families of the jumpers including the lone survivor. This movie has both beautiful views of SF and the bridge as well as the haunting images of the jumpers. I watched this once when it came out and it has stuck in my brain ever since.

so far:

Mister Roberts (drama)
Vibes (adventure)
The Bedford Incident (thriller)
The Flim Flam Man (crime)
Born Losers (action)
The Purple Rose of Cairo (fantasy)
The Bridge (documentary)

Life has its little surprises. You may be sitting next an extremely beautiful example of psycho gambler chick one day and suddenly discover that she knows Ozu flicks to an amazing depth. At that point, the gods will flick the rod tip back twelve inches, you will be hooked, and be in for an adventure as you flop around on the end of the line. Life has its little surprises.

aaronk56 has had longer than 4 hours within the draft window and so I'm going to go ahead and make my picks now. aaronk56 can catch up whenever is convenient for him

In the Sci-fi category I'll take Re-Animator.

http://m.imdb.com/title/tt0089885/

Round 7 - Drama - Calvary (2014)

IMDb Page


With 49,410 ratings this will soon officially move from lesser known to well known, but it's still a valid choice now and so I'm choosing it.

John Michael McDonagh is perhaps the worse known of the McDonagh brothers with Martin being well known for Three Billboards, In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths but he is an excellent film maker nonetheless.

This movie is everything. It's listed as a drama but there are very dark moments as well as thrilling, tense and funny moments. Combine that with a great script, acting from Brendan Gleeson and the rest of the cast and great cinematography and you've got a top notch movie.

Fun Fact: This is the 2nd time that John Michael McDonagh and Brendan Gleeson have paired up. Their first time was in The Guard in 2011 which is undraftably well known but you should still check it out if you haven't seen it.

Round 8 - Adventure - Gerry (2002)

IMDb Page


16,243 ratings makes it seem unappreciated and a rating of only 6.2 seems to add more evidence to that. I think it's great however.

Gus Van Sant directs a 2 hander with Matt Damon and Casey Affleck and it's just excellent. Excellent use of the location as a character when there's long moments of quiet and a great ramp up to what I believe to be a satisfying conclusion.

I've thought Casey Affleck was great long before he won any Oscars. I've loved Gerry, Out of the Furnace and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford since I saw them and thought he was an excellent actor. I even love things like Triple 9 and [REDACTED]

Fun Fact: Gus Van Sant, Matt Damon and Casey Affleck all previously worked together on Good Will Hunting.

I have enjoyed viewing thread and have added several movies to my cue based on it.

The first one I have watched is Transsiberian. Solid, pretty original for a train mystery story and not overly predictable.

Next up is either Pale Flower or Man Who Would be King

aaronk56 has been on the clock for a while so I will skip and pick shortly

Round 8

Where the Boys Are (1960)

category: romance 1943 IMDB ratings





I really thought this would have more IMDB ratings? Then again I have no clue what is or isn't really lesser known. I know this one very well because I watch it every couple of years.

This is one of the original "spring break" kind of movies. 4 girls head south to Ft Lauderdale escaping a northern snowstorm for spring break and hijinx ensues. Some very serious and some very humorous.

Very strong ensemble cast. I especially like Jim Hutton as TV Thompson. He kills it in this role but everyone in it is pretty good. This movie does a good balance of deadly serious drama coupled with great comedy, romance and music. Plus you just gotta love Connie Francis belting out the title song. I just love watching this movie.

so far:

Mister Roberts (drama)
Vibes (adventure)
The Bedford Incident (thriller)
The Flim Flam Man (crime)
Born Losers (action)
The Purple Rose of Cairo (fantasy)
The Bridge (documentary)
Where the Boys Are (romance)