metaphysician7887 Posted January 16, 2005 Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 Did Dr. Peikoff state such before his course EIGHT GREAT PLAYS or before? Even if after I can understand him. I'm not sure. He gave that opinion of Dead Poets Society in 1995, although I don't know when "Eight Great Plays" was recorded, since I do not own it (the date of the course doesn't seem to be listed on the Ayn Rand Bookstore website). --Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagny Posted January 20, 2005 Report Share Posted January 20, 2005 I would like to add the following movies to my list. The Aviator Phantom of the Opera Modern Times by Chaplin Modern Times is a silent movie with some sounds. It's great though....wonderful comedy.... you really see why Chaplin is a legend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allcoredout Posted February 9, 2005 Report Share Posted February 9, 2005 Why not add Rudy and Breaking away to Hoosiers? don't listen to me...i'm still at school at IU. I think that Boondock Saints is also a good movie. i'll post some thoughts on this later... boondock saints is amazing. no one has mentioned anything about back to the future, which i think is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Akston Posted February 10, 2005 Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 "Misery" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toolboxnj Posted February 10, 2005 Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 For classics, 12 Angry Men was awesome - I believe it's a Broadway play right now, but I'm afraid I won't have a chance to see it. Spotless Mind was the best movie I've seen in the last year, although I admit I do not watch too many movies. Of course, there's the LOTR series and Star Wars (of which I enjoyed the 2nd movie the most for some reason, Two Towers and Empire Strikes Back). American History X is intense drama and I generally like anything with Ed Norton (I haven't seen Fight Club, on purpose.. 24 hours was good as well). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
re-entity Posted February 16, 2005 Report Share Posted February 16, 2005 Some great and some surprising choices here. Not to mention some surprising omissions... The Thomas Crown Affair. My number 1. This just gets better and better each time. Other People's Money Pale rider Roman Holiday The African Queen The Caine Mutiny Shrek Antz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B. Royce Posted February 16, 2005 Report Share Posted February 16, 2005 Have you seen "Captain Blood"? It has a beautiful music score which is perfectly integrated with the action, shadows are used with great dramatic effect, and it has one the most beautiful death scene. Also, there are two brief shots of a man's eyes midst the noise and smoke of battle which are unforgettable. Basil Rathbone plays an excellent scurvy pirate and Errol Flynn is at his heroic best. The movie was made in 1926. A couple years later a movie was made with nearly the same cast, and with some of the exact same scenes which mocked the positive values of Captain Blood. I forget its title, but it got the rave reviews and the awards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Robinson Posted February 16, 2005 Report Share Posted February 16, 2005 Have you seen "Captain Blood"? It has a beautiful music score which is perfectly integrated with the action, shadows are used with great dramatic effect, and it has one the most beautiful death scene. Also, there are two brief shots of a man's eyes midst the noise and smoke of battle which are unforgettable. Basil Rathbone plays an excellent scurvy pirate and Errol Flynn is at his heroic best. The movie was made in 1926. A couple years later a movie was made with nearly the same cast, and with some of the exact same scenes which mocked the positive values of Captain Blood. I forget its title, but it got the rave reviews and the awards. Actually, the Flynn-Rathbone Captain Blood was made in 1935. The earlier, silent version of the same title was a 1924 vintage. I don't know of a movie after the Flynn-Rathbone version that had nearly the same cast and scenes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B. Royce Posted February 16, 2005 Report Share Posted February 16, 2005 Actually, the Flynn-Rathbone Captain Blood was made in 1935. The earlier, silent version of the same title was a 1924 vintage. I don't know of a movie after the Flynn-Rathbone version that had nearly the same cast and scenes. Yes, you're right about the date. The other movie was The Sea Hawk. The characters which were the same were his crew. The battle scenes were practically identical, if my memory serves me right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cole Posted February 19, 2005 Report Share Posted February 19, 2005 Braveheart. Here is a blog entry I maded called "My Favorite Things About the Movie 'Braveheart'": 1) An emphasis on the use of reason (“wit”) as opposed to mindless force. This was opposite of the commonly held beliefs among the other characters in the movie, who thought that the greatest man was the man who was the strongest. When William Wallace became a hero, rumors about him began to spread around to the other tribes in Scotland. The only way that the people could comprehend his great achievements was to attribute physical attributes of strength to him in the rumors (i.e.; he stood seven feet tall, he shot fireballs from his eyes, etc.) In reality, he was no stronger than the average man. What allowed him to accomplish such great feats was his intelligence. 2) A “give me liberty or give me death” attitude. William Wallace acknowledged that liberty is necessary for man’s survival as a man, and that it was worth fighting for. He also realized the importance of integrity to one’s beliefs, even when directly faced with the threat of murder for not recanting his beliefs. 3) The portrayal of warfare as it ought to be undertaken; each individual choosing to fight to protect his own rights, and not out of “duty” or “sacrifice” to some supposed “greater good.” 4) The acknowledgement of forceful taxation as theft. 5) William Wallace had a strong sense of life. He loved his wife passionately, as well as his country and its people. He acknowledged that “every man dies, not every man really lives,” and that reason and liberty are necessary for a man to really live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wrath Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 My top 10, mostly in order but not entirely: 1.) Dances with Wolves 2.) Goodfellas 3.) American Beauty 4.) Lord of the Rings (whole trilogy) 5.) The Matrix (only the first one...the other 2 sucked) 6.) Legends of the Fall 7.) Fiddler on the Roof 8.) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 9.) Silence of the Lambs 10.) Planet of the Apes (original) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A=A Posted February 22, 2005 Report Share Posted February 22, 2005 Movies I love: When Harry Met Sally Princess Bride War Games October Sky Plaza Suite Braveheart Patton John Hughes movies from 80's (Pretty in Pink, Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles) Romancing the Stone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted February 23, 2005 Report Share Posted February 23, 2005 Just a quick note to sat that I have tried to put all the movies recommended in this thread into the Wiki. So, if anyone sees a new recommendation and would like to add it there... please do. The list of movies in the Wiki (recommended by at least one person on an Objectivism forum), is huge: over 600. I wish there was a good way of rating/ranking them. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Robinson Posted February 23, 2005 Report Share Posted February 23, 2005 Style refers to how skillfully the movie was made (more recent movies tend to score higher than older movies). It takes into consideration: intellegent dialog, logical plot, technical skills, acting skills, etc... By those criteria, I'd say movies from Hollywood's golden age (mid-1930s to early 1950s) tower above modern fare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Robinson Posted February 23, 2005 Report Share Posted February 23, 2005 (edited) The dialog may have been better on average, but the either the acting skills or the directorial skills were worse (I can't tell which). I don't see the quality of plots being all that different then as now and the camera tricks/special effects are certainly better today. This is an interesting discussion, NT. I will acknowledge that performances of 50-70 years ago look markedly different than today's. To some degree this difference is a factor of the radical transformation in manners, deportment, and even posture that has taken place in the West since the end of WWII. I will further acknowledge that there was no shortage of stagey, unrealistic acting in the Golden Age. However, the dramatic flair one sees in Old Hollywood in many ways represented a desirable stylization and concretization of values. If heroes often seemed just a bit too larger-than-life, it was because their films depicted life not as it is, but as it ought to be. I will therefore argue that Old Hollywood on average comes far closer to achieving the Romantic vision than contemporary cinema. I do not disparage the revolution in realism that Stanislavsky, the Actors Studio, Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, et al brought to post-war films. Yet realism often pushed aside the vital focus on heroic values that underlined much of early-20th century movie performances. Where are the likes of Clark Gable, Ronald Colman, Spencer Tracy, and James Stewart today? As much as I love them, Pacino, DeNiro, Hanks and Nicholson don't fill their shoes. As for today's directors, there is simply no one with the skills of Capra, Hitchcock, Welles, Ford, or Wilder. The prevalence of camera tricks/special effects only emphasizes how seldom real human drama is brought to the screen. Edited February 23, 2005 by Tom Robinson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomL Posted March 13, 2005 Report Share Posted March 13, 2005 1. The Princess Bride A perfectly benevolent love tale, idealizing romance and justice. I identify greatly with the hero in this movie. 2. Chocolat Unless I've missed it, noone has mentioned this movie yet. The sense of life in this film is the best to come out of Hollywood in 50 years. 3. The Philadelphia Story Katie! Cary! Jimmy! And what a brilliant script and brilliant acting by the entire cast. I am overjoyed every single time I watch it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yes Posted March 13, 2005 Report Share Posted March 13, 2005 Greatest Movie You Have Ever Seen The 39 Steps Older movies hold a fascination for me. This was one of Hitchcock's first. The Search- Montgomery Clift (plays a soldier) finds a boy seemingly orphaned during WWII. But his mother is frantically searching. The acting and direction are fantastic. A must see! Howard Hawk's Red River is a great western. I find that most modern movies are so obsessed with naturalist values that they lose their entertainment value and come off depressing, without necessarily conveying a strong moral message. It's no wonder that I haven't frequented the movie houses lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cole Posted March 13, 2005 Report Share Posted March 13, 2005 Chocolat Unless I've missed it, noone has mentioned this movie yet. The sense of life in this film is the best to come out of Hollywood in 50 years. For some reason I was completely turned off to the main character and had a difficult time viewing her as filling the "hero" role. However, I can't pinpoint specifically which of her traits I dislike or whether the author intended these traits. I've only seen it once even though I own the DVD. Maybe it'll be different the second time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Roark Posted March 14, 2005 Report Share Posted March 14, 2005 I know that some of these have already been listed but here goes some of mine. Shawshank Redemption, If Stephen King would write more stories like this he would be one of my favorite authors. Good Will Hunting. 8 Mile, I have my reasons for this besides being an Eminem fan. Remember The Titans Rudy Fight Club Aladdin Gladiator Braveheart Chronicles Of Riddick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitty Hawk Posted March 15, 2005 Report Share Posted March 15, 2005 My favorite movie of all time has not been on ANYONE'S list yet; and for that, I scold you all and send you all to bed without dessert. For shame, forgetting the Greatest Movie of All Time (that I've seen at least, I admit that I haven't seen The Fountainhead or We The Living). APOLLO 13 (1995) Actually, there's an older movie thread, called Enjoyable Movies, in which the very first post mentions Apollo 13. And I think people tend to avoid listing movies that have already been mentioned earlier in the thread. Having said that, I certainly agree that Apollo 13 is a great movie. I recently watched another great old movie, which I don't think has been mentioned yet: Beau Geste, the version starring Gary Cooper. It's a story of the sense of honor (and the camaraderie) of three brothers, and their loyalty to those they love, and to what they believe is right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMERICONORMAN Posted March 15, 2005 Report Share Posted March 15, 2005 I know that some of these have already been listed but here goes some of mine. Shawshank Redemption, If Stephen King would write more stories like this he would be one of my favorite authors. Good Will Hunting. 8 Mile, I have my reasons for this besides being an Eminem fan. Remember The Titans Rudy Fight Club Aladdin Gladiator Braveheart Chronicles Of Riddick I agree with Shawshank, Good Will, 8 Mile, and Bravheart. Gladiator of course. Rudy, although when I read the back of the cover it looked interesting, for so many years I could not rent it. You see, when I was a kid I had "crush" on Sean Astin in The Goonies, and then to find him overweight later in life, was disappointing. Can you convince me, based on the story, to watch the movie? Americo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
booneshrugged Posted March 15, 2005 Report Share Posted March 15, 2005 Although not my all-time favorite (still thinking about that), one excellent movie to check out is "The Edge (1997)," starring Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin. Hopkins plays a self-made billionaire stranded in the Alaskan wilderness with a shallow, smarmy photographer (in other words, Alec Baldwin acting like himself). To survive, Hopkins integrates his vast storehouse of book knowledge with a will to triumph and ultimately defeats the elements and a nasty bear with a taste for blood. Baldwin — the very essence of a second-hander goes along for the ride, whines about Hopkins success and riches and generally gets in the way. Very well-acted and filmed. The last line may be a bit hard to understand but I won't give it away. It's a great example of how a man should use reason to integrate theoretical knowledge (abstracts) into life-saving, rational skills and actions (concretes). How's that for an Epistemolgical Movie Award? (The Eppies?) Other favorites: Chocolat, Shawshank..I'm interested in seeing some of the older movies mentioned so thanks for the recommendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramKatori Posted March 20, 2005 Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 Saw "The Truman Show" yesterday. Interesting "what if" scenario. Impossible but interesting. Someone listed it as a favorite in a previous post. I think more could be done with the idea. I don't know what could be done. I think a good author would have a way to do something with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
source Posted March 20, 2005 Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 (edited) I'd have to say that I enjoy the Harry Potter movies most. And I like books also. Of older movies, I liked Flash Gordon. I used to watch it as a kid a lot. Other movies I also find worth watching more than once: The Lord of the Rings (I liked part 3 the most) Star Trek: Generations and First Contact The Odyssey Pirates of the Carribean Pitch Black & Chronicles of Riddick The Matrix (Part 1 and maybe 2, but not 3) Tomb Raider (Part 1 only) Gattaca Artificial Intelligence: AI The Sixth Sense Unbreakable Of the movies mentioned here, I also enjoyed Chocolat, Braveheart, Gladiator and The Truman Show. 8 Mile I didn't even want to watch. I saw several scenes and that was enough to decide not to watch it. There were good 8 Mile parodies though . I'm getting high recommendations to see Blade Runner, but I can't find it in the video stores here. Edited to add The Truman Show. Edited March 20, 2005 by source Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pagan Posted March 23, 2005 Report Share Posted March 23, 2005 Blade Runner is my favourite of all time. It has such a moving ending and I love Vangelis' score. Open Your Eyes is also a very good movie. Great story and very creepy. Jacob's Ladder is probably the scariest movie I've ever seen, very good twist at the end and it relies more on making you think than trying to shock you. Chocolat is a very sweet movie, perfectly filmed and totaly gripping, Binoche gives a brilliant performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.