The Gold Standard
I love movies and if I could see a film every week I would. Unfortunately the number of films being released that I want to see has been in steady decline year on year. As I get older I find myself becoming an ever harsher critic of the movie industry. From time to time though a film impresses me enough to reach what I have dubbed my ‘Gold Standard’. This simply means that I thought it good enough (for various reasons) to later purchase on DVD for further viewing. I mentioned this standard recently on Sadie’s craft Blog and she requested that I list some of the films that have met my exacting standards. So here’s a taste of the films I have enjoyed over the last few years. I expect that some will surprise you – maybe.
300
A Very Long Engagement
Children of Men
Dejavu
Donnie Darko
Hero
Hidalgo
House of Flying Daggers
I, Robot
Kingdom of Heaven
Man on Fire
National Treasure
Over the Hedge
Pride and Prejudice
Serenity
Seven Swords
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Incredibles
The Island
The Motorcycle Diaries
The Prestige
Troy
Underworld
V for Vendetta
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Wererabbit
About Me
- CyberKitten
- I have a burning need to know stuff and I love asking awkward questions.
8 comments:
OK, \I haven't seen a fair few of those - but:
Children of Men - i thought was predictable, not well thought out and not even any good as a morality tale. I didn't get what the hoo ha was about at all. can't say the acting even did that much for me.
I robot - Hated it on principle because WHY claim a film is based on a book if you are then going to ignore every aspect of that book? It did not have the plot, characters, concept, time frame or worldview of Asimov's story>:-( Apart from that, i disagreed with it's fundemental morality, thought the acting was poor and the plot thin. With a different name, and a bit more effort it could have merely been a run-of the-mill film imo.
Troy - oh come on! Other than Brad in a mini skirt (mmmm) there was (again) unecessary "artistic licence" with the original storyline, stunningly bad historical accuracy and a removal of some fairly central concepts. It's Ok as Sunday afternoon entertainment, but Gold standard?!
I'll give you Donnie Darko, House of flying daggers and V for vendetta though:-)
Now, how about I chose the DVD's for the next movie night;-)?
You are *so* critical JM... [rotflmao].
I loved the way Children of Men was filmed and the overall feel of the movie. That would have been enough to get it to Gold. What pushed it over the top was The Battle of Bexhill.
I was definitely prepared to hate I, Robot after growing up on the books. But despite everything wrong with the film [lots] I still liked it a lot.... and I do have a soft spot for Wil Smith.
What sold me on Troy was indeed Brad Pit who I thought was outstanding as Achillies. Loved every minute he was on screen. Over and above that it wasn't a bad movie. Not in the same ballpark as 300 of course... but not bad over all - despite what rca may say later [she hated it!].
...and this is *my* Gold standard - which is not the same as your Gold standard. We obviously look for different things in movies [grin].
JM said: Now, how about I chose the DVD's for the next movie night;-)?
What 3 movies would you pick?
Great list. Like you, I find myself disenchanted with Hollywood, anyway, as I get older. I loved some of the blockbusters of my youth--Star Wars, say--but I have less and less patience for action movies. I need story.
Many of your list I haven't seen. I've been interested in 300 for a while; maybe that'll be next.
wunelle said: Great list.
Thanks. I'm working on a similar thing to do with the significant albums in the last 30 years of my life.
wunelle said: I've been interested in 300 for a while; maybe that'll be next.
Oh, I can HIGHLY recommend 300. As long as you don't take it too seriously!
I've been meaning to re-start my regular Favourite Movies postings.... Maybe I'll do that soon [muses].
I haven't seen a number of those listed, but I have seen a few. My partner is a movie fiend and goes every chance she gets. I know she's seen a fair number of the films on your list. I haven't been to the movies in awhile. I think the last one I saw was Bourne Ultimatum. Just popping in real quick during lunch, so I'd better get back to work now. Ta-ta!
I already knew a lot of our tastes were similar, so I was not surprised to find a lot of agreement with your list. And not just the critically acclaimed ones (Children of Men, Darko, Pride and Prejudice, Bourne, Motorcycle Diaries, V, Serenity) but also the popcorn ones (I, Robot, National Treasure). Like you, I really like Will Smith. I think he's been extremely smart with his choices of films and he seems to have a soft-spot for sci-fi, which I appreciate. JM, I understand your respect for Asimov's original and I am a huge Asimov fan. I was weaned on Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein and Herbert. But I don't try to compare the movie to the book. The movie's it's own thing and is very entertaining.
Concerning National Treasure, I find this odd to say, but I liked it more than the DaVinci Code (the movie). Obviously they are treading the same ground. I'm sure that National Treasure was rushed to the screen after Dan Brown's book so as to appeal to the same types of people. But it's just a lot more entertaining than DaVinci because it's funnier and doesn't take itself quite so seriously. I've seen previews for the sequel and it looks pretty good also.
dbackdad said: I was weaned on Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein and Herbert.
Ditto - except my introduction to SF was 1984... It doesn't get much darker than that!
dbackdad said: Like you, I really like Will Smith. I think he's been extremely smart with his choices of films and he seems to have a soft-spot for sci-fi, which I appreciate.
Looking forward to seeing him in 'I am Legend'.
dbackdad said: Concerning National Treasure, I find this odd to say, but I liked it more than the DaVinci Code (the movie).
NT is *miles* better than Da Vinci! Its basically a breatless fun ride. *Total* popcorn film and SO much fun. Like you said it doesn't take itself seriously at all which is why its so entertaining.
My husband and I just saw 3:10 to Yuma today and it was a great movie and I highly recommend it. There isn't much out there that interests me at the moment, and I was hesitant about going to see a remake, but this was an excellent flick. Russell Crowe and Christian Bale were excellent.
Post a Comment