Favourite film?

[AndyRM]

I've seen 'Bad Taste' too. And I'll raise you; have you seen 'The Valley'? Nah, don't worry. I'm showing off.

I was at college with Jackson and a group of us made Super 8 films together. 'The Valley' was one of them and was in competition in the NZ equivalent of Blue Peter. We didn't win but got a commendation for (surprise surprise) the special effects. Other films were WW2, James Bond, Ray Harryhausen or zombie inspired. Yes, negatives were scratched (or pierced) to get gun fire.

It was all just school kids larking around for me but he obviously went on to greater things than I! Seriously though, his commitment to it was obvious.

That's very cool, I'm a bit jealous!

I have seen The Valley, mostly because I love stop-motion animation.

 

[Dayvo]

The Big Lebowski
Withnail and I
Bad Boy Bubby

difficult to pick two.

 

[jefmcg]

People forget just how good The Graduate was/is. I

One thing about the acting: Ann Bancroft was only 6 years older than Hoffman, but they carried off their roles perfectly, it seems such a gulf of years between them.

 

[yello]

I have seen The Valley, mostly because I love stop-motion animation.

I read somewhere that some or all of it had been included on a compilation DVD or some such, but I must be honest, I never thought I'd know of anyone who had ever seen it!

Given it was stop-motion that drew you to it, I'm assuming it was the cyclops being javelined bit you saw. Though there were other bits; a pterodactyl carting one of us off for instance.

 

[AndyRM]

I read somewhere that some or all of it had been included on a compilation DVD or some such, but I must be honest, I never thought I'd know of anyone who had ever seen it!

Given it was stop-motion that drew you to it, I'm assuming it was the cyclops being javelined bit you saw. Though there were other bits; a pterodactyl carting one of us off for instance.

Most of it (I think) is shown in the "Good Taste Made Bad" documentary. It was Tim Burton who got me hooked on stop-motion, Jackson's efforts were excellent, but neither will ever beat Harryhausen.

He was a teenager when he made The Valley, no?

 

[yello]

He was a teenager when he made The Valley, no?

Yes. He's a few months older than me but around 16 at the time I guess. Jackson loved Harryhausen. I would guess it was Harryhausen that first inspired him but Willis O'Brien also.

So you've probably seen me on the silver screen! I must get myself a copy of that documentary, I've not seen it and it'd give my wife a laugh!

 

[AndyRM]

Yes. He's a few months older than me but around 16 at the time I guess. Jackson loved Harryhausen. I would guess it was Harryhausen that first inspired him but Willis O'Brien also.

So you've probably seen me on the silver screen! I must get myself a copy of that documentary, I've not seen it and it'd give my wife a laugh!

O'Brien, I always forget about him for some reason. Proper legend!

Good luck getting your hands on a copy - it was a random accident that I discovered it, not sure it's ever been given a DVD release which is a bit surprising given Jackson's popularity these days. I think a lot of folks would be very surprised by his pre-LoTR films.

 

[yello]

'Heavenly Creatures' is, I think, his best. Though I suspect his partner Fran Walsh had more of a hand in that!

I've downloaded a copy of the Bad Taste documentary from the internet archives site. I have a feeling I've seen it before but still looking forward to watching it.

 

[Mrs M]

True Grit and Mrs Doubtfire

 

[AndyRM]

'Heavenly Creatures' is, I think, his best. Though I suspect his partner Fran Walsh had more of a hand in that!

I've downloaded a copy of the Bad Taste documentary from the internet archives site. I have a feeling I've seen it before but still looking forward to watching it.

Heavenly Creatures is an incredible film, it properly blew me away the first time I saw it. Sinister, creative, beautifully written. I'd probably rank that as my favourite too, with Meet the Feebles running a very close second.

Enjoy the documentary!

 

[Booyaa]

Christiane F.
Show Me Love
Buffalo 66

So many movies though that I have loved for very different reasons.

 

[cyberknight]

Build my gallows's High
To Have and Have Not
The Shootist
The Searchers
Cyrano de Bergerac
Lawrence of Arabia
Bladerunner
Pulp Fiction
The dark Knight
Breakfast at Tiffanys
Some came running
Casablanca
The day the Earth Stood Still ( the original one )

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Duel
Kung Fu Panda

 

[gbb]

I needed to scan the above to remind myself..
Duel, definitely.
Hell Drivers.
Time Bandits...one of the few films where ive watched it several times over and still laugh.
And just the other night, Lucy...fabulous.
300.

 

[anothersam]

Can't do two but I can do multiples of two. In no particular order:

Life is Sweet (OK that's up near the top)
Dr Strangelove (I was wrong, those are my two picks)
Breaking Away
Breaking the Waves
Spinal Tap
Magnolia
Winter's Bone
The Vanishing because scariest movie ever. The original of course.
there must be more, these are only the first I remembered…
Das Boot! Someone has listed it and reminded me. Can no longer do top 2, it must be top 3.
also One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, another reminder from someone downthread.

Runners up and honourable mentions, some because they caught a mood perfectly, others for pure entertainment value, others just because:

Revolutionary Road
Little Children
Lawless Heart
True Grit (Coen Bros. remake)
The Last Seduction
Leon
Munich
The 5th Element
Shawshank Redemption
The Crying Game
Truly Madly Deeply (speaking of crying - the tissue budget for Juliet Stevenson must've been almost as much as the BBC spent on candles for Wolf Hall)
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
No Country For Old Men
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Jaws
Raging Bull
Citizenfour
Brokeback Mountain, mostly because the final scene gets me every time