What are your favorite ...?

[FlanagansDog]

I missed answering the previous question, so I'll get in a twofer here.

Actresses I think would kick ass in a prison break movie:

1) Gina Carano - Alright, not a great actress, but she definitely has the "kicking ass" part down. I just saw Haywire, and while I found the plot to be yawn-inducing, the action scenes were fantastic. I could watch her armbar/triangle dudes all day.

2) Uma Thurman - She can definitely kick ass (as seen in the Kill Bill movies). And I like her as an actress too. A good balance of both.

3) Dale Dickey - Not an action-star actress by any means, but I think she'd be perfect to play one of the other inmates. She's great at playing tough characters (loved her in Winter's Bone). I could totally see her as the chick who's been inside a long time and knows the prison inside-out. That kinda thing.

Favourite movie collaborations:

1) Clint Eastwood / Sergio Leone / Ennio Morricone - These three are responsible for some of the greatest westerns ever made. The combination of Eastwood's often imitated but never duplicated performances, Leone's signature visual style and Morricone's beautiful scores is hard to beat.

2) Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune - Won't pretend I've seen all their collaborations, but based on Yojimbo, The Seven Samurai, and Rashomon alone, I think these guys did pretty well for themselves. Guess they had something of a falling out later on, but I believe they mended fences at a friend's funeral (just a few years before they themselves both died ).

3) Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson (aka Dante and Randall from Clerks) - I don't enjoy Kevin Smith's stuff as much as I used to, but these guys essentially made his career. Anderson has brilliant comedic timing (especially for a non-actor), and O'Halloran is great at playing the morose sad-sack, but still being likeable.

[TonyBeard]

I think The Apartment is along the lines of Lost in America.  (Two of my favorite movies!) Both are dramas with some seriously funny moments.
This kind of debate only really matters if you owned a video store back in the day and you only had one copy of a film...
Where do you put it?  Does John Carpenter's The Thing go in Sci-Fi or Horror?  Is South Park The Movie a musical?  Do you put your one copy on Breakfast Club in the comedy section or the drama section?  I would put it in the drama section.

My guess is now, in the age of Net Flix and online databases, this type of single-genre pigeonholing isn't necessary anymore.
I'm sure there are still script writers tho, that when they pitch an idea, are asked to narrow it down to one genre for marketing, etc., but almost all pitches these days seems to end up as "This movie is "Big Movie A" meets "Big Movie B." As in The Hunger Games is Battle Royale meets Running Man.

The comedy/drama debate reminds me of Jack Nicholson at the Golden Globes a few years ago after winning a Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Picture for About Schmidt - "I'm a little surprised. I thought we made a comedy" 

Like Jason, The Apartment is one of my all-time favourites but I'd personally consider it a comedy with some dramatic moments rather than the other way round.  Of no great consequence really (most of the great films combine comedy/drama) and another good reason why the Oscars have never gone down the Globes route of attempting to split Picture/Actor awards by broad genre.

Quick Edit:  For the record The Apartment was nominated (& won for Picture, Actor & Actress) in the comedy section at the 1960 Golden Globes.

[Logan5]

Favourite movie collaborations:

1) Clint Eastwood / Sergio Leone / Ennio Morricone - These three are responsible for some of the greatest westerns ever made. The combination of Eastwood's often imitated but never duplicated performances, Leone's signature visual style and Morricone's beautiful scores is hard to beat.

2) Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune - Won't pretend I've seen all their collaborations, but based on Yojimbo, The Seven Samurai, and Rashomon alone, I think these guys did pretty well for themselves. Guess they had something of a falling out later on, but I believe they mended fences at a friend's funeral (just a few years before they themselves both died ).

3) Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson (aka Dante and Randall from Clerks) - I don't enjoy Kevin Smith's stuff as much as I used to, but these guys essentially made his career. Anderson has brilliant comedic timing (especially for a non-actor), and O'Halloran is great at playing the morose sad-sack, but still being likeable.

These are excellent choices!  I can't believe I forgot about the Spaghetti Westerns and my beloved Mifune & Kurosawa pics.

-J

[wordforge]

Sorry for my delay in posting but there are always things getting in my way.  But it looks like it allowed more time for other members to add to the post,  so hopefully nothing's lost but time.

My first two top collaborations (Scorcese/DeNiro and Spielberg/Williams) have already been mentioned so I figured I'd add to the list by naming my third through fifth choices.

Alfred Hitchcock/James Stewart: There was a slight toss up between Stewart and Cary Grant but ultimately I like combination of Rope,  Rear Window,  and Vertigo against the Hitchcock/Grant collaborations.

John Huston/Humphrey Bogart: Between The Maltese Falcon,  Treasure of the Sierra Madre,  and The African Queen,  they brought about the best movies of their respective careers.

Coen Bros. /Roger Deakins: Coen Bros. have always had a distinct visual style and Roger Deakins has helped them realize that style for most of their movies. And after the Coen Bros. scored an Academy Award win, Deakins still goes empty handed after nine nominations which is kind of a shame.

I'd also like to add David Fincher/Brad Pitt.  Even though they've only made three pictures together,  I think that Se7en and Fight Club are modern classics that will definitely stand the test of time.

[wordforge]

Sorry again for the delay, so I'll get right to this week's question. The Avengers is the big start to the summer season and is an adaptation of the Marvel comic. So this week I'm going to ask:

What book (comic book or otherwise) would you like to see adapted to the big screen?

Hoping for some interesting answers and maybe future book recommendations. 

[Logan5]

I'll stick with comic books for my first reply, since I'm a big comic geek.

Altho your question includes the words "big screen" and oddly enough,
I think some of my suggestions would thrive on AMC or Starz or HBO
as mini or limited series.

A perfect example of this is Gaiman's Sandman, a finite series of 75 comics
and some associated mini-series; it is by far my favorite comic series of all time.

While there have been rumors for years of a Sandman movie,
I just don't see how you can do the series justice in one 120 to 150 minute movie.
Of course, you could contend that the first film would introduce the character and the world
of the Dreaming (Sandman is aka Morpheus, King of Dreams), and maybe only cover
one story arc in the comics.
But I think the series as a whole could thrive on HBO if some visionary talent got behind it
and found a way to make it without it costing Big screen bucks.

Sandman's sister is Death, the last person you see before it all ends,
and while she had great moments in the main series, she is also the star
of two fantastic mini-series that I could see turned into a feature film.

Other projects rumored to be in the pipeline - Bendis's Powers - a great take on
buddy cop movies and shows like Homicide and The Shield.  The catch here is that the detectives are
investigating crimes involving Super Heroes, who exist naturally in this world.
Bendis's gift for Mamet-like dialogue would be great on the small or big screen.

The other two finite series (both now concluded) that I heartily recommend
that are supposedly making their way to the screen are
Y: The Last Man, a terrific sci-fi premise about the lone surviving man on Earth,
left here with all the women who must now fend for themselves and re-shape society
and
Preacher - a dark and violent look at modern day religion and one man's struggle to find God
that happens to include a vampire and other very odd characters along the way.
Irish writer Garth Ennis is a favorite and he's in top form on Preacher.

I can't complain about the slate of upcoming superhero films -
I like the looks of The Amazing Spider-Man and will give it a fair shot.
Of course, even more than The Avengers, I am keen to see The Dark Knight Rises,
and next year we get a new Superman movie that I think has a chance of being better than good.

If you want to read a fantastic Superman story, complete in one volume,
I highly recommend Superman: Red Son, which tells a What If story
about what might have happened if the ship carrying Superman to Earth had landed in
Russia instead of America.  Great story and great art!

-JCH

[FlanagansDog]

Eh... Kinda having a hard time with this one. Sadly I'm not really a big reader these days. And when I do, it tends to be fairly formulaic and forgettable stuff... The kind of thing you can read and enjoy in a weekend. My shelves are filled with the likes of Grisham, Palahniuk, Crichton, Clancy, Cussler et al. All of these guys have seen their stuff appear on the big screen in the past, with extremely mixed results.

My favourite current author is Stephen King, and the same pretty much goes for him. Plus, I don't know what he's written that I'd like to see that hasn't already been done. Lately all his books are hugely long, so they aren't ideal for the big screen anyway. I was thinking maybe a return to the Cat's Eye/Creepshow idea. He's got a lot of great short fiction, so maybe putting a few more of those into an anthology would be a possibility.

Aside from that, Nineteen Eighty-Four is still my favourite book of all time. I know it's been done before, but I'd love a new movie about it.

[wordforge]

Sorry, once again for another delay but having a busted computer and laptop, means my only internet access has been through my tablet. And I despise typing on a tablet. Anyways last week's question seemed to fail to reach a chord with the Warriors so I've decided to make next weeks question more simple and straight forward. But first I'll answer last week's question myself.

!. The Stars, My Destination by Alfred Bester
Hard sci-fi novel with a revenge plot featuring one of the most interesting anti-heroes in sci-fi. Imagine having to root for an character who does evil acts until the end when his character begins to slowly change into a salvageable person. The only weakness with story, in order to change it into a movie, is that the protagonist does attain the power of teleportation which shares a similar plot element with Jumper, so the movie might seem unoriginal if released now. Still it's a strong story with strong characters and strong plot which deserves to make it to the big screen.

2. The Dragonlance Chronicles by Margret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Dungeons and Dragons inspired fiction that was a best seller when it was first released about 30 years ago. This is high fantasy with larger than life characters, awe-inspiring magical feats and a world ending plot. Not as dark and gritty as the LOTR trilogy but as has a colorful look at the fantasy genre and themes and character developments just as grandiose as LOTR. Definitely a world that could be wondrously made alive by a live action feature.

3. Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross
Probably the hardest sell to turn into a movie, but imagine an older Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman having to face off a new generation of younger superheroes who know nothing of justice and honor. A civil war between one super powered generation against another unfolds while the normal populace watches and reacts in fear. It was a great mini-series and I could hope that it comes about before the eventual Civil War saga that could appear in the Avengers franchise.

[wordforge]

This week's question is based on the release of Dark Shadows:

What is your favorite comedy horror film?

My answers:

1. Beetlejuice(1988): Before Burton and Depp there was Burton and Keaton. Beetlejuice offers a wonderful look at the afterlife and the blase attitude it might engender with the modern world. A classic and possibly Michael Keaton's best role.

2. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein(1948)
Sure it's old and campy comedy but I still get a rise from Costello's reaction to meeting with Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Wolfman. A much better film than Van Helsing.

3. Jaws: The Revenge(1987)
I don't think it was meant of be a comedy but the ridiculous nature of the plot, the use of an obviously mechanical shark and the miscasting (or perfect casting of Michael Caine) makes this a guilty pleasure to which I laugh at over and over again.

[SilentTom]

Now THIS is my kind of category...

1. Little Shop of Horrors (1986): Probably my favorite film of all time. No joke. The cast is pitch perfect, the songs by future Disney songwriter geniuses Alan Menken & Howard Ashman will never leave your head and the Audrey II animatronic is (IMO) the height of practical effects/puppetry in any film. Just look at how perfect the lip sync is! You can't beat that!

2. Evil Dead 2: Sam Raimi's masterpiece. The gore, the slapstick, the ultimate unlucky hero that is Ash. It all combines into this meld of The Three Stooges and Hammer Horror that makes it the ultimate Halloween Party Movie... though Braindead is an honorable mention in that department.

3. An American Werewolf in London: Probably the first horror movie done by an old school horror fan. The way John Landis combines the pain of Lon Chaney's Wolfman with grounded characters that act like real human beings makes it a near tragedy in how it's done. Yet, in between the painful transformations and gory deaths, there's so many hilarious bits and pieces that manage to keep the whole affair lighter than the standard horror film.

[FlanagansDog]

I'm having a tough time coming up with movies for this genre. Most of the horror I watch is more serious in tone. So I might have to repeat myself a bit.

1) Army of Darkness - I love this movie to death (although weirdly I haven't seen the Evil Dead movies). So many quotable lines, and of course with Bruce Campbell delivering them it's hard to go wrong. I like that dude as a bit part actor, but I wish he'd get just a little bit more recognition. Either way, I hope he keeps acting for a long time.

2) Drag Me To Hell - Sticking with the Sam Raimi theme here. This one isn't as overtly comedic, but it still has some pretty hysterical moments. I even reviewed it when it came out, back before I would just podcast about stuff I see 'cause I'm too lazy to write. 

3) Zombieland - I liked this one a lot. Moreso even than Shaun Of The Dead, which I know a lot of people preferred. A great road movie, a really solid ensemble cast, and some great visual gags (the recurring "rules"). Looking forward to seeing director Ruben Fleischer's next movie, Gangster Squad (the trailer for which just came out).

[SilentTom]

I'll just bump this thing. Wordforge should continue this.

[wordforge]

Sorry for my absence but life's been kicking me in the nuts for awhile. As a result I've not being doing much in the sense of entertainment. Probably me and about eight other people are the only ones who haven't seen The Avengers in the U.S. 

Having missed the last couple of weeks on the site and with the release of Men In Black 3 two Fridays ago and the forthcoming release of Madagascar 3 and (the movie I'm most anticipating) Prometheus, I'm going for a twofer with this week's question.

What are your favorite sequels and prequels?

I think the sequel portion will be easier to answer than the prequel one will be as I'm having a hard time thinking of any prequels that were even worthy to be made. For now I'll give my top 3 sequels.

1. Star Trek II: the Wrath of Khan (1982): It' s the movie that turned me into a Star Trek fan and a sci-fi fan all in one. Plus it's still the best Star Trek film ever made and that was thirty years ago.

2. Spider-Man 2 (2004): The best superhero sequel ever made. (Sorry X2 or Superman II fans ). I remember having so much fun watching this film and even thinking how Sam Raimi must have had so much fun making this film as it was filled with so much of his style and direction.

3. Army of Darkness (1992): Sam Raimi strikes again. There may be others who think Evil Dead 2 is the better sequel (I looking at you, SilentTom) but Army of Darkness is just so much more over the top funny and so immediately quotable. Evil Dead 2 may be horror mixed with comedy and Army of Darkness is a comedy mixed with horror.  I prefer the latter.

Let me think for awhile about my prequel list and I'll post later this week.

[SilentTom]

I just think Evil Dead 2 is the funnier film. Ash vs his hand > Ash vs. his miniature clones.

For me;

1. The Dark Knight: I think it's blatantly obvious why this is here for why it's a great Batman film on its own, but I'll focus on why it's a better sequel. It takes everything that was set up in Batman Begins and fleshes it out brilliantly. The characters from before develop into more engaging premises, the themes of loss and sacrifice hit a critical point with the events of the plot and the new characters add to those themes while adding in newer views of themes of corruption and chaos.

2. The Empire Strikes Back: Very similar to the stuff I said about Dark Knight, but more focused on character. Luke's boyish optimism is dissolved by the film's end, with the tragic loss of Han and the shocking reveal of his origins. Yet, all the characters are also heavily affected by these events in some fashion and it's all shown in a way that doesn't take away from the core story about Luke.

3. Aliens: This one is even more noteworthy for the change in hands with directors. You can tell that James Cameron paid close attention to Ridley Scott's original film and wanted to pay tribute to it while advancing both the Ripley character and the universe itself. Ripley's maternal instinct and biased attitudes towards aspects like the corporation she worked for or androids while the Xenomorphs are fleshed out in terms of physiology and even abilities throughout the film.

[wordforge]

After looking at your picks SilentTom, I realized that Aliens probably would be in my top three (probably number #2), but I was thinking off the cuff and apparent had a different frame of mind when I made my choices. I like Empire... a lot but always felt it was sequel film that really couldn't stand on its own as it relies heavily on the backstory of Star Wars to have any impact.

And while I also like The Dark Knight I felt it was a half hour to long with an unnecessary subplot (the one about the guy who discovers Batman's secret identity) and the theme of corruptibility was much better handled in The Untouchables which (my bias) is one of my favorite films.