[Hutnicks]

  I might very well change it to a 10. For me to give a perfect score, the movie has to belong with the other perfect score movies. I'm not sure Lawrence is there for me personally but it is truly a great film. Easy Riders, while it may not be "better" than LoA, had huge effect on me and my perception of films. It's one of those movies where, even after it being over a year since I saw it, I'll just be sitting around and randomly start reliving the movie again. I've done the same with LoA since I've seen it but that was only a few days ago. We'll see how I feel in a year or so... I'd probably say LoA is the best film I've seen since I saw Easy Riders.
 
Any other cinematic epics you'd recommend off-hand? Lawrence, I think, would have to be my standard as well now that I've seen it. I can't think of anything that comes close in terms of sheer "epicness" 

Those are called flashbacks
 
Epic has gotten a bad name over the years and really can mean sprawling, over long and downright boring.
LoA is the epic in the good sense. The English Patient is epic in the bad sense.
 
The Good The Bad and The Ugly is truly epic (it's not by chance Tarantino regards it as the best directed film of all time) as is Gone With The Wind .
There was a point in time where a 3 hour movie was done because you just could not tell the story properly in  a shorter time, NOT because the director is a poor storyteller with too much budget and access to CGI.
 
The Human Condition is probably the ultimate in epic storytelling and so much so that most westerners will never get through it.
Tarkovsky's original version of Solaris would qualify. I don't know if there are any copies of it left.
2001: A Space Odyssey works as well.
Patton would be, but the technical flaws make it unpalatable in this day and age.
 
But LoA will stand the test of time as top notch and well in the lead in the category. It is an example of a director getting everything right at the right place and time. Their is no fat in that film anywhere and the score and cinematography have never been equaled. It had a profound effect on Spielberg at a young age and later when he was in charge of the restoration project he committed what I consider to be the biggest crime against film ever.
When people say you will never see a film like LoA again, they are absolutely right.

 

[mutabor]

First on the Moon ( 2004) 9/10
 
Outstanding debut of a Russian director Alexey Fedorchenko. 
 

 In spring 1938 in the mountains in the north of Chile a fiery UFO, later named "Chilean Sphere ", fell down. The investigation of this episode, made by a film crew, has led to a sensational discovery. It appeared that before the Second World War (in the thirties) in the USSR a secret space program had been developed. The Soviet scientists and military authorities managed to launch the first spacecraft 23 years prior to Jury Gagarin's flight! "The First on the Moon" tells about everyday life, heroic deeds and tragedy of the first group of the Soviet cosmonauts. It is the first Russian film shot in a very rare genre 'mockumentary' or 'documentary fiction'.

 

 

"Alternative History" at its best...

Author: smccallister from Seattle, WA - USA
16 June 2006
"Mockumentary" doesn't do this film justice. Apparently the director's label is "documentary fantasy", but "alternative history" works for me. There's some humor here, but it's not a comedy. After all, taking the premise that Stalin had a secret space program in the 30's to its logical conclusion doesn't exactly point to it being a Laff Riot... What you DO have is a fascinating "historical" documentary tracing this secret rocket program of the late 1930's and following the cosmonaut's lives before, during, and after. Much of what would be seen as "fictional recreations" in most documentaries is explained and presented as NKVD surveillance video -- a great conceit. The film includes recreations of newsreels, training films, and also "contemporary" interviews that support a fascinating story. I saw this at the 2006 Seattle International Film Festival, where it sold out both showings. See it if you can!

 

 
Interestingly that after such an ambitious film on cosmic program Fedorchenko shot a very unusual but thematically very different film Silent Souls ( 2010) which Tarantino applauded at Venice festival.
 

  Alexei Fedorchenko’s latest work (its Russian title is Ovsyanki – Buntings) received a 12 minute standing ovation from the audience at the first showing as part of competition at the 67^th Venice Film Festival. Quentin Tarantino, the festival’s head of jury, was among those who jumped off their seats at the end of the screening. The showings of Silent Souls attracting crowds and the critical response is positive, making it a serious contender for the Best Film prize.

Silent Souls is a road-movie telling a story of the factory chief who takes his friend and two buntings he bought on a trip to give his deceased wife a made-up Finno-Urgic tribe ritual burial, telling the story of their relationship on the way through flashbacks.

 

 
Hopefully this year Fedorchenko will make an impact with his best film to date ( according to reviews) Angels of Revolution ( 2015). The trailer looks great.
 
 

 

[Chris J]

Those are called flashbacks

Epic has gotten a bad name over the years and really can mean sprawling, over long and downright boring.
LoA is the epic in the good sense. The English Patient is epic in the bad sense.

The Good The Bad and The Ugly is truly epic (it's not by chance Tarantino regards it as the best directed film of all time) as is Gone With The Wind .
There was a point in time where a 3 hour movie was done because you just could not tell the story properly in  a shorter time, NOT because the director is a poor storyteller with too much budget and access to CGI.

The Human Condition is probably the ultimate in epic storytelling and so much so that most westerners will never get through it.
Tarkovsky's original version of Solaris would qualify. I don't know if there are any copies of it left.
2001: A Space Odyssey works as well.
Patton would be, but the technical flaws make it unpalatable in this day and age.

But LoA will stand the test of time as top notch and well in the lead in the category. It is an example of a director getting everything right at the right place and time. Their is no fat in that film anywhere and the score and cinematography have never been equaled. It had a profound effect on Spielberg at a young age and later when he was in charge of the restoration project he committed what I consider to be the biggest crime against film ever.
When people say you will never see a film like LoA again, they are absolutely right.

Not too sure what Leone was thinking when he made "Once Upon A Time In The West"?
That movie gives "epic" a bad name! LOL

+1 for "The Good The Bad And The Ugly".

 

[Hutnicks]

Not too sure what Leone was thinking when he made "Once Upon A Time In The West"?
That movie gives "epic" a bad name! LOL

+1 for "The Good The Bad And The Ugly".

I try to forget about Once Upon A Time In The West. It's a prime example of a filmaker trying to one up himself and failing miserably.

 

[2015071]

Penguins of Madagascar: 8/10
 
The Best Madagascar movie and emm... hilarious. Nothing really special... Everyone will have a great time.

 

[Sattelight]

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

  Those are called flashbacks
 
Epic has gotten a bad name over the years and really can mean sprawling, over long and downright boring.
LoA is the epic in the good sense. The English Patient is epic in the bad sense.
 
The Good The Bad and The Ugly is truly epic (it's not by chance Tarantino regards it as the best directed film of all time) as is Gone With The Wind .
There was a point in time where a 3 hour movie was done because you just could not tell the story properly in  a shorter time, NOT because the director is a poor storyteller with too much budget and access to CGI.
 
The Human Condition is probably the ultimate in epic storytelling and so much so that most westerners will never get through it.
Tarkovsky's original version of Solaris would qualify. I don't know if there are any copies of it left.
2001: A Space Odyssey works as well.
Patton would be, but the technical flaws make it unpalatable in this day and age.
 
But LoA will stand the test of time as top notch and well in the lead in the category. It is an example of a director getting everything right at the right place and time. Their is no fat in that film anywhere and the score and cinematography have never been equaled. It had a profound effect on Spielberg at a young age and later when he was in charge of the restoration project he committed what I consider to be the biggest crime against film ever.
When people say you will never see a film like LoA again, they are absolutely right.

 

Thanks for the recs, I'll try to check those out. A few them have been on my "need to see" list for a while now.
 
The Fly 1958 (8/10): Just a fun movie. Great if you want to turn off the brain and be entertained

 

[Chris J]

I try to forget about Once Upon A Time In The West. It's a prime example of a filmaker trying to one up himself and failing miserably.

At least "Once Upon A Time In America" was a decent movie.
Not great, but good.

 

[Hutnicks]

At least "Once Upon A Time In America" was a decent movie.
Not great, but good.

That it was. I guess he learned a thing or two from "West"
 
"America" could oxymoronically be considered a minor epic. Like Reds or, eek, Heavens Gate. I think where a lot of directors go south on these projects is in not seeing them as better suited to a cable mini series. Lynch's "Dune" was an abomination and not entirely the studios fault either. The SciFy miniseries was an excellent rendition though. Ego I'm afraid, keeps us from seeing some of these in the formats they deserve as the smaller medium does not generate as much overHype.

 

[Chris J]

That it was. I guess he learned a thing or two from "West"

"America" could oxymoronically be considered a minor epic. Like Reds or, eek, Heavens Gate. I think where a lot of directors go south on these projects is in not seeing them as better suited to a cable mini series. Lynch's "Dune" was an abomination and not entirely the studios fault either. The SciFy miniseries was an excellent rendition though. Ego I'm afraid, keeps us from seeing some of these in the formats they deserve as the smaller medium does not generate as much overHype.

"Heaven's Gate":
Best forgotten.

"Apocalypse Now"
That's what I call epic!
A very surreal movie, somewhat disjointed, but then so is the book "Huckleberry Finn".
IMHO, one of Marlon Brando's finest perfromances.

 

[Hutnicks]

"Heaven's Gate":
Best forgotten.

"Apocalypse Now"
That's what I call epic!
A very surreal movie, somewhat disjointed, but then so is the book "Huckleberry Finn".
IMHO, one of Marlon Brando's finest perfromances.

Even so. Apocalypse Now when left in the directors hands became a sprawling mess of overused imagery and cliche's. Redux should have been left on the cutting room floor.

 

[tdockweiler]

The Raid: Redemption - 5/10
 
Most interesting thing about this movie is that huge list of Doctors and Paramedics on the end credits.
 
This has the worst sound mix i've ever heard. Dialogue is mostly inaudible. Everything else is too loud if you actually want to hear the dialogue.
 
Watched the subtitled version..
 
Fight scenes are nothing special and just too ridiculous to me.

 

[2015071]

Saving Private Ryan 2.0 aka Fury: 7/10
 
  It's interesting to see Hollywood made American soldiers evil. But then at the same time some main characters are terribly unlikable. Other than that, it's a movie about a squad with a glorious leader and a coward getting strength in the battlefield and got killed while defend a point inside a war zone except the weak guy, meanwhile showing the brutality of war and blah blah blah. 
 
Selma: 9.5/10
 
  It has emotion, accuracy, humane, and thoughtful speeches from Martin Luther King. It is educational not only in history, but in how to be a good leader. Really love it.
 
  BTW, OPRAH IS IN THIS MOVIE, What?

 

[Chris J]

Even so. Apocalypse Now when left in the directors hands became a sprawling mess of overused imagery and cliche's. Redux should have been left on the cutting room floor.

Apocalypse Now: excellent

Apocalypse Now Redux: way too much of a good thing

 

[Hutnicks]

Mordecai    -5/10   THE cure for insomnia, and proof positive J Depp has lost his mind. Depp in the lead attempting to impersonate Terry Thomas and coming off more as Barnabus Collins with a more effete accent. Gwyneth Paltrow who, having lived in England for years should be able to conjure up a convincing accent, but does not. Paul Bettany looking hopelessly lost and simply missing a sandwich board reading "Will act in anything for food" Jeff Goldblum looking as decrepit as Liam Neeson.
 
 The Surprise here is Ewan MacGregor  putting in his worst appearance ever in a film that comes off like the village idiot attemtping to school one on quantum theory. A very suitable watch for those recovering from a frontal lobotomy, which I suspect was what afflicted the writers and director. Easily on par with Battlefield Earth for worst film to ever get financed.

 

[Eddyfcknp]

Interstellar - 7/10.  just wasn't happy with the ending.