m4st4 wrote:My recent purchase:

The Exorcist (sorry m4st4, took out the image so this won't become a huge post, OK?)

Is this the best horror film ever made? The case could be made for many b&w classics, or entries from the 60s-80s, but I truly believe it is. Friedkin's masterpiece makes you care for Regan (incredible performance by young Linda Blair), supported by actors like Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow and Jason Miller. It is not just a horror film, it's a film about faith and forces that work beyond our knowledge and attack close to our homes, therefore creating fear that is much more powerfull than (just) gore and violence. It resonates because we don't know what's really in the dark. It works because we're clueless and frightened of life, and possibility of life after death (or complete silence), much like father Karras.

Loved your post and I agree with everything (except the bolded part - I think that's debatable).

Anyway...

ArmandFancypants wrote:

m4st4 wrote:

Cop 223 wrote:I think Friedkin's masterpiece is probably Sorcerer (though to be honest, I've only watched a handful from him). The French Connection, The Excorcist and Sorcerer make up a pretty neat trio of awesome though.

I've never seen Sorcerer. It is now a complete must for me, thank you.

Haven't seen Sorcerer but he's made some amazing films. Even The Boys in the Band is pretty fascinating.

But then he can turn out some utter crap as well like Rules of Engagement and The Hunted. And Bug, I hated that.

Although his filmography is very uneven, I am and will always be a Friedkin fan. Like Francis Coppola, some of his films became classics, and others went straight to the garbage can (Hey, Armand, if you thought Rules of Engagement, The Hunted and Bug were bad, try The Guardian (that's a royal piece of shit). Among his filmography, Sorcerer is very much worth watching, but at the risk of sounding redundant, Friedkin's Sorcerer had a very good source material (1953's The Wages of Fear which was already the second adaptation of the 1950's novel). It's like a good Hollywood version of a very good story. Roy Scheider delivers, and like most of the American 70's cinema...
So, yeah, take a look. It's very much worthy.

To end this post, Friedkin's masterpieces aside, I'm a big fan of one of his lesser films which I consider a little 80's cinema, cop-thriller gem: To Live and Die in L.A. OK, it's full of flaws but it's also very cool.

Hey Dado! Always nice to see you here buddy.

Agreed on the debatable part... In my book it could be, or at least in the top ten. I should probably make a list sometime in the future.

m4st4 wrote:So that's it... Avatar and Titanic?

But I see a pattern. People who were born in the 80s tend to appreciate all of his filmography, while those who were born after Titanic seem to live in this bubble of ignorance that sees Cameron through this mass-hysteria that has nothing to do with actual movies since they all work on pretty similar emotional levels (check the video).

I decided to give up on him on NolanFans since it's too much for me to comment on each and every ignorant reply and it's true that he (Cameron) is in the open for two decades now since he made two biggest grossing movies of all time and nothing else in the meantime so it's practically a firing range, just shoot the fucker down with limited knowledge and appreciation.

And in 2017 the cycle will begin anew.

Titanic and Avatar are the two biggest examples of Cameron showing his "soft side". Prior to that his work was mostly concept action with smalls bits of melodrama peppered through-out to give the story emotional resonance.

If you want to have a dialogue, do it. Don't hide behind calling everyone ignorant and refusing to actually say anything of substance. This isn't the playground; you're not being bullied. Someone not liking Cameron as much as you has nothing to do with you.

Crazy Eight wrote:

m4st4 wrote:So that's it... Avatar and Titanic?

But I see a pattern. People who were born in the 80s tend to appreciate all of his filmography, while those who were born after Titanic seem to live in this bubble of ignorance that sees Cameron through this mass-hysteria that has nothing to do with actual movies since they all work on pretty similar emotional levels (check the video).

I decided to give up on him on NolanFans since it's too much for me to comment on each and every ignorant reply and it's true that he (Cameron) is in the open for two decades now since he made two biggest grossing movies of all time and nothing else in the meantime so it's practically a firing range, just shoot the fucker down with limited knowledge and appreciation.

And in 2017 the cycle will begin anew.

Titanic and Avatar are the two biggest examples of Cameron showing his "soft side". Prior to that his work was mostly concept action with smalls bits of melodrama peppered through-out to give the story emotional resonance.

If you want to have a dialogue, do it. Don't hide behind calling everyone ignorant and refusing to actually say anything of substance. This isn't the playground; you're not being bullied. Someone not liking Cameron as much as you has nothing to do with you.

One title for you:



*substance comment is a bullshit comment since I tend to actually talk about things around here

I liked The Abyss when I was watching it... I feel like the last act petered off. Two of Cameron's films really push the right buttons with me, and those are The Terminator and Titanic. I admire how well made the rest of them are but they don't mean much. I mean, I was born 8 years before Titanic came out but there's this marvelous thing called home video which has allowed me to see all of his films. I don't have the childhood nostalgia for those features though and maybe not being born in the 80s gives me a more objective view of those films. Who knows?

@Dado - I love The Wages of Fear so Sorcerer has been on my radar for ages, it just wasn't easy to get your hands on in Australia for a long time. I hope to get around to it very soon. And I'll be watching The Guardian soon too.

ArmandFancypants wrote:I liked The Abyss when I was watching it... I feel like the last act petered off. Two of Cameron's films really push the right buttons with me, and those are The Terminator and Titanic. I admire how well made the rest of them are but they don't mean much. I mean, I was born 8 years before Titanic came out but there's this marvelous thing called home video which has allowed me to see all of his films. I don't have the childhood nostalgia for those features though and maybe not being born in the 80s gives me a more objective view of those films. Who knows?

What a neat little play with words.

I specifically chose the word mostly because of The Abyss, m4.

Terminator 2 is a masterpiece. The brilliant structure begins with the characters, becomes a morality play, and finishes as one of the most heart pounding action movies ever.


-Vader

Yeah none of his films has worked on the emotional level for me more than T2. Titanic is magnificent for the most part but it would be a lie if I say that I cared a lot for Jack and Rose. Frankly the film could have done with a more interesting couple.£

Vader182 wrote:Terminator 2 is a masterpiece. The brilliant structure begins with the characters, becomes a morality play, and finishes as one of the most heart pounding action movies ever.


-Vader

Never was I more disappointed in NolanFans than yesterday. I won't even mention the name of James Cameron here until something more substantial on Avatars comes out.