Movies to be trapped on a desert island with... (Part III)
...along with a playing device, of course. Movies that I've experienced can be watched over and over and still enjoyed, though you have seen it all and, sometimes, practically have it memorized.
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- DirectorGuy HamiltonStarsFred WardJoel GreyWilford BrimleyAn officially "dead" cop is trained to become an extraordinary unique assassin in service of the US President.This movie is a nice mix of goofy fun with an action-secret agent film. It succeeds because it never takes itself too seriously, yet manages to never get really out of control. Excellent performances by Fred Ward and a pre-Voyager Kate Mulgrew, along with an outright amazing performance by Joel Grey, that, had it been in a more serious movie, would have gotten Oscar attention.
- DirectorGiacomo BattiatoStarsZeudi Araya CristaldiBarbara De RossiRick EdwardsBradamante, a woman wearing an invincible suit of armor, is travelling the countryside at the time of the Crusades. After ending up in the middle of a web of romantic and cultural tangles, she finds herself in love with a Moor prince, while one of the Christian knights has fallen in love with a Moor princess. Others, however, are against the cross-cultural romance, and Bradamante's love is soon forced into a duel to the death. Will she ever be with her true love?A relatively low-budget medieval sword and sorcery epic, this one rises well above its budget to make an entertaining, if basic tale of Moors-vs-Euros towards the end of the Moorish occupation of Europe.
- DirectorAnthony AsquithLeslie HowardStarsLeslie HowardWendy HillerWilfrid LawsonA phonetics and diction expert makes a bet that he can teach a cockney flower girl to speak proper English and pass as a lady in high society.G.B. Shaw's classic tale was the basis for My Fair Lady. One has to take it in perspective (styles and expectations have changed since it was made), but it is far, far better than MFL, in almost every way. Shaw himself wrote the screenplay, and oversaw the production to make sure it reflected his view of the play. The acting and casting is first rate, far better than that of MFL -- Audrey Hepburn is far, far too beautiful a woman to be cast as Eliza Doolittle (it is impossible for her to hide the fact that she was an incredibly beautiful woman, while Wendy Hiller manages a far more believable transformation). Rex Harrison clearly did not understand Higgins at all, playing him as a cold fish rather than a very passionate man who has directed all his passion into the study of language, all the more readily to transfer it to Eliza. Even the lesser characters from Freddy to Mr. Doolittle are far better cast and played. Finally, Shaw is arguably the second greatest English language playwright behind Shakespeare, and you cannot destroy his play's cadence, pacing -- its rhythm -- by grafting songs onto it and come up with something that isn't execreble.
- DirectorChris NoonanStarsJames CromwellMagda SzubanskiChristine CavanaughGentle farmer Arthur Hoggett wins a piglet Babe at a county fair. Narrowly escaping his fate as Christmas dinner, Babe bonds with motherly border collie Fly and discovers that he too can herd sheep. But will the other animals accept him?Babe is an amazingly charming tale, one of those ones aimed at children but still remarkably entertaining for adults, with excellent voice characterizations and good acting by the less significant human actors. It tells the tale of a misfit pig trying to find her own unique and unusual niche in society, in this case, the farm she is raised on.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsHenry FondaLee J. CobbMartin BalsamThe jury in a New York City murder trial is frustrated by a single member whose skeptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict.The jury is out in a murder case. 12 men are sequestered to decide the verdict... is the defendant a murderer or is there a reasonable doubt? It all comes down to one man vs. eleven, on a hot, muggy summer night in a small room.
- DirectorDoug LimanStarsFranka PotenteMatt DamonChris CooperA man is picked up by a fishing boat, bullet-riddled and suffering from amnesia, before racing to elude assassins and attempting to regain his memory.This is probably one of the better "black ops" related movies ever made. Matt Damon is undoubtedly one of the better actors capable of also carrying an action picture there is.
- DirectorBrad BirdStarsCraig T. NelsonSamuel L. JacksonHolly HunterWhile trying to lead a quiet suburban life, a family of undercover superheroes are forced into action to save the world.This movie is TOTALLY WICKED!!! :-D
This film is a perfect melange of film archetypes mixed into a family-friendly, and kid-friendly, animated film. It borrows style elements from so many different films, from family-interest pictures, comic-book movies, secret agent pictures, and so forth, while still being fresh and fun and not derivative that it's possibly one of the best movies of all time. - DirectorRichard MooreStarsDavid CarradineJeff CooperChristopher LeeA young martial artist embarks on an adventure, encountering other martial artists in battle until one day he meets an aging blind man who will show him the true meaning of martial arts and life.This movie is based on the kind of martial arts movie which Bruce Lee wanted to make. Written by Bruce Lee, James Coburn, and Stirling Silliphant, the original idea for the production was to star Lee and Coburn in the two main roles. The idea was to actually get into the philosophical elements of martial arts, rather than concentrating on the "chop-socky" element of it. The result is a *cerebral* martial arts picture, with a mixture of zen philosophy and actual combat. The actual combat will be more tame than many modern martial arts films, of course, but there is still enough of it to be entertaining and enjoyable while encouraging one to think about things instead of simply enjoying the fights. I suppose there is a measure of irony in casting Carradine in Lee's role (one reason Lee left Hollywood to go back to Hong Kong was purportedly his disgust with Carradine, a non-Chinese, beating him out for the prime role in Kung Fu), but he acquits himself well enough. Sprinkle in a number of other talented actors in various small parts (Christopher Lee, Eli Wallach, Roddy McDowall, etc.) and the result is an entertaining and thought-provoking martial arts film.
- DirectorMel BrooksStarsCleavon LittleGene WilderSlim PickensIn order to ruin a western town, a corrupt politician appoints a black Sheriff, who promptly becomes his most formidable adversary.One of the greatest western spoofs of all time, this movie ranks up there with The Princess Bride and Monty Python and the Holy Grail for its "quotability quotient". While the ending kind of dissolves into an absurdist mishmash, the process of getting to that point is movie magic.
- DirectorKevin SmithStarsBrian O'HalloranJeff AndersonMarilyn GhigliottiA day in the lives of two convenience clerks named Dante and Randal as they annoy customers, discuss movies, and play hockey on the store roof.The movie that boosted a half-dozen careers, first director Kevin Smith's and thence indirectly to Matt Damon, Jason Lee, Shannen Doherty, Jason Mewes, and Ben Affleck, this tiny-budget indie film is about a day in the life of a poor, downtrodden convenience store clerk forced to come into work on his day off. Filled with witty absurdities and snide dialogue, the movie stands the test of time and re-watchability.