tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post4785617473589844580..comments2024-01-11T05:02:32.321-05:00Comments on Goodfella's Movie Blog: 1997: L.A. Confidential (Curtis Hanson)Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07134196370913749544noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-75374201003179124422012-12-22T04:16:41.204-05:002012-12-22T04:16:41.204-05:00Jackie Brown was absolutely the best film of that ...Jackie Brown was absolutely the best film of that year, but close behind and still watchable at any time -- Gattaca, As Good As It Gets,and Good Will Hunting. Gattaca goes so far beyond being a "Sci Fi" film in the way that Blade Runner or 2001 does, or how Red River or The Searchers go beyond being "Westerns". People complained about Jackie Brown because it wasn't Pulp Fiction. It wasn't as flashy as Pulp Fiction, and to be fair, Tarrantino had already widened our shores with Dogs and Pulp Fiction, so we were ready for Jackie Brown..... I think JB has a lot more heart and soul than PF, and I probably watch JB 3 times for every 1 time I watch PF. Call me crazy....<br /><br />A film that everyone seems to overlook from that year is City of Industry with Harvey Keitel, a tough-as-nails caper-gone-bad film that deeply explores the meaning of revenge and redemption..... It's a lot grittier and more enthralling than LA Confidential as a sample of latter-day noir, in my opinion. For years I considered LA Confidential as a very precious, slick "faux noir", trying so hard and so consciously to be like a real film noir. Another film that explores the same era and just kicks LA Confidential's butt is Mulholland Falls as far as being consumed with its story and not with trying to be cool... As the years have gone by, I like LA Confidential more, and I don't carp at it so much. It's an enjoyable movie with a sprawling story and a great cast. I love the anecdote about "Rollo Tamassi" and the need to get the guys who deserve to be gotten....<br />Boogie Nights is a great film, but I always feel its length -- no pun intended. Harvey Canter Tarzana CAAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-2024674318543034022009-11-05T08:57:05.594-05:002009-11-05T08:57:05.594-05:00A very good year.My list:As good as it gets,L.A co...A very good year.My list:As good as it gets,L.A confidential,Jackie Brown,Character,The sweet hereafter,The full monty,Boogie nights,Lost highway,Valkanizater(GR)and the Ice storm.crispyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03708122787415346961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-28397195849382624602009-11-04T12:42:23.982-05:002009-11-04T12:42:23.982-05:00Kundun is the only Scorsese film that I haven'...Kundun is the only Scorsese film that I haven't seen... don't know why that is, actually, but for it's another that seems to continually slip through the cracks in my viewing.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07134196370913749544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-48632485969368571132009-11-04T12:32:01.168-05:002009-11-04T12:32:01.168-05:00Just saw Kundun. A few false notes here and there....Just saw Kundun. A few false notes here and there. But Scorsese carries it through single-handedly, against the wishes of the actors, the script and Philip Glass.Just Another Film Buffhttp://theseventhart.infonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-81397738514917457122009-11-03T00:41:30.005-05:002009-11-03T00:41:30.005-05:00Dave, I don't want to go overboard in praise o...Dave, I don't want to go overboard in praise of Master and Commander, but at least it was the first time I could stand Crowe on screen. And let me join John, though not quite as strongly, in recommending Sweet Hereafter. Ian Holm arguably deserved the Oscar for that film.Samuel Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00934870299522899944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-17935931307866189492009-11-02T20:19:53.637-05:002009-11-02T20:19:53.637-05:00John - Like I said, I haven't seen The Sweet H...John - Like I said, I haven't seen The Sweet Hereafter, but you give it a ringing endorsement here... just so many movies to get to, so little time.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07134196370913749544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-28657905114344011332009-11-02T20:18:24.411-05:002009-11-02T20:18:24.411-05:00MovieMan - As I said, depending on the day, I'...MovieMan - As I said, depending on the day, I'm just as likely to choose Lost Highway as my favorite for the year. It will definitely be in my Top 10 in my 90s list at WitD.<br /><br />Samuel - I actually have always been underwhelmed by Master and Commander... funny that we have the opposite reactions of the two Crowe movies.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07134196370913749544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-19495741217689108892009-11-02T12:09:10.155-05:002009-11-02T12:09:10.155-05:00Dave, 1997 is a tough year. There are a lot of fil...Dave, 1997 is a tough year. There are a lot of films I like but it's hard to put one ahead of the rest; nothing particularly towers over the field. I confess to resisting L.A. Confidential from the beginning because it seemed at the time like the latest attempt to force Russell Crowe on an unwilling public. I resisted him for quite a while -- until Master and Commander, in fact, -- but the film is good if still overrated in my view.<br /><br />Let's do this, then:<br /><br />1. Jackie Brown -- I put this on top mainly to remind people of the road ultimately not taken by Quentin Tarantino and what he's capable of doing as a director of actors like Pam Grier and Robert Forster.<br />2. Boogie Nights<br />3. Hana-bi (Takeshi Kitano)<br />4. Lost Highway<br />5. The Butcher Boy (Neil Jordan)<br />6. The Sweet Hereafter<br />7. Princess Mononoke<br />8. Amistad<br />9. L.A. Confidential<br />10.The Apostle<br /><br />We're clearly in the period when the Iranians are taking the initiative in global cinema, but I'm working my way backwards in my appreciation of their work, so you'll see more of them turn up on my lists for subsequent years.Samuel Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00934870299522899944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-676962633639145842009-11-02T10:04:52.843-05:002009-11-02T10:04:52.843-05:00As you are a major noir and crime film afficianado...As you are a major noir and crime film afficianado, I should not be surprised by this choice. I liked it but, and perhaps it was the aftereffects of the hype, saw it as a good movie rather than a great one - not really in the same class as the classic noirs or Chinatown. But I haven't seen it for a while.<br /><br />My own pick would be Lost Highway, and I'm glad you admired it enough to give it runner-up status. Happy you mentioned Donnie Brasco too.Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-80754946970128592732009-11-02T09:10:30.602-05:002009-11-02T09:10:30.602-05:00Dave – “L.A. Confidential” is certainly one of the...Dave – “L.A. Confidential” is certainly one of the premier neo-noirs and your piece does the film justice. <br />In selecting a #1 film for the year it came down to this great film and “The Sweet Hereafter”, a tragic and bitterly sad movie yet so excellently told. <br /><br /><br /># 1 The Sweet Hereafter<br /><br /><br />Best of the rest<br /><br />L.A. Confidential<br />Good Will Hunting<br />Wings of the Dove<br />Mrs Brown<br />Donnie Brasco<br />Eve’s Bayou<br />As Good as it Gets<br />Deconstructing Harry<br />Boogie Nights<br />KundunJohnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01808503055317962289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-5342841852153207872009-11-02T08:09:56.523-05:002009-11-02T08:09:56.523-05:00One film I somehow forgot to add, but I have gone ...One film I somehow forgot to add, but I have gone to include, is Mike van Diem's KARAKTER... a great Dutch film that looks amazing.<br /><br />Just another film buff - You'll like this one, I guarantee... maybe not as much as I do, but it's one that's hard to completely dislike.<br /><br />Judy - CROUPIER is one that has been stuck in my Netflix queue for some time. Hopefully I'll get to it eventually.<br /><br />Sam - GATTACA I struggle with. I'm not a huge science fiction fan in general, which means I'm asking questions like: if the society is so advanced and obsessed with genetics, why can't they just fix the guy's legs? Things like that pop up for me throughout the film. Plus, I continue to have problems with anything Ethan Hawke is in... I suppose I'm in the minority on that opinion, but it is what it is.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07134196370913749544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-66596689728139781902009-11-02T08:04:23.282-05:002009-11-02T08:04:23.282-05:00Dave, you have made a masterful selection here, as...Dave, you have made a masterful selection here, as L.A. CONFIDENTIAL is surely one of teh greatets films of its kind, and one I have ceaselessly promoted since my first viewing of it. You rightly note the many elements that converge here: the storytelling, the "look" and the performances. Excellent lists there from Judy and Just Another Film Buff! My own #1 film is actual my top film of teh entire decade, while my #2 is inmy Top 4 ofr the decade. But Hanson's film, which you give a superlative review to here is certainly a masterpiece of American cinema.<br /><br /><br />My Own #1 Film of 1997:<br /><br /><br />Gattaca (Niccol; USA)<br /><br /><br />Runners-Up:<br /><br />The Sweet Hereafter (Egoyan; Canada)<br />A Taste of Cherry (Kiarostami; Iran)<br />L.A. Confidential (Hanson; USA)<br />Boogie Nights (Anderson; USA)<br />The Ice Storm (Lee; USA)<br />Mother and Son (Sokurov; Russia)<br />The Cure (Kobayashi; Japan)<br />The Apple (Makhmalbaf; Iran)<br />Wings of the Dove (Softley; UK)<br />Mrs. Brown (Madden; UK)<br />The Apostle (Duvall; USA)<br />Croupier (Hodges; UK)<br />The Kingdom (Von Trier; Denmark)<br />Good Will Hunting (Van Sant; USA)<br />Lost Highway (Lynch; USA)<br />Princess Mononoke (Miyazaki; Japan)<br />Amistad (Spielberg; USA)<br />Children of Heaven (Majidi; Iran)<br />Live Flesh (Almodovar; Spain)<br />The King of Masks (Tiaming; China)<br />Open Your Eyes (Amenobar; Spain)<br />In the Company of Men (La Bute; USA)<br />Men With Guns (Sayles; USA)<br />Funny Games (Haneke; Germany)<br />Deconstructing Harry (Allen; USA)<br />The Mirror (Panahi; USA)Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-26962752211867280272009-11-02T05:34:03.826-05:002009-11-02T05:34:03.826-05:00Hope you are starting to feel better from your sin...Hope you are starting to feel better from your sinus infection, Dave - sounds nasty. You've managed a great review nonetheless, and this time I've actually seen the movie! It's one I admire a lot and I agree with you that it proves the noir style can still work in brilliant colour. I like your description of Los Angeles in this movie as looking "both alluring and treacherous" - a description which would also work for some of the characters.<br /><br />My personal favourite from 1997, though, is a British latter-day noir, Croupier (Hodges), which has to be one of Clive Owen's best performances. I just love the heavy use of voiceover in this, and the dark moody colours.<br /> <br />I also like:<br />Mrs Brown (Madden)<br />As Good As It Gets (Brooks)<br />Deconstructing Harry (Allen)<br />Donnie Brasco (Newell)<br />The Wings of the Dove (Softley) <br /><br />JudyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-28121360340939118772009-11-02T01:40:32.858-05:002009-11-02T01:40:32.858-05:00Aha, I got at least one right. I got a chance to w...Aha, I got at least one right. I got a chance to watch LA Confidential only in parts. Will have to catch up with the whole movie one day.<br /><br />There are some films in 1997 that fall flat for me too - Happy Together and Live Flesh being two of them<br /><br />My Favorites:<br /><br />As Good As It Gets (Brooks)<br />Titanic (Cameron)<br />Deconstructing Harry (Allen)<br />Seven Years In Tibet (Annaud)<br />Amistad (Spielberg)<br />Face/Off (Woo)<br />Contact (Zemeckis)<br />The King Of Masks (Tianming)<br />Life Is Beautiful (Benigni)<br />Little Dieter Needs to Fly (Herzog)<br />The Mirror (Panahi)<br />Children Of Heaven (Majidi)<br />Mother And Son (Sokurov)<br />Level Five (Marker)<br />A Taste of Cherry (Kiarostami)just another film buffhttp://theseventhart.infonoreply@blogger.com