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Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 1:45 am
by The Narrator Returns
Hey, I gave up bitching for Lent.
Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 1:47 am
by Harmonov
zedz wrote:Joe Lugoff wrote:But that ten-year stretch is one of the greatest for any individual filmmaker in Hollywood history. What exactly is wrong with THE DEFIANT ONES, ON THE BEACH, INHERIT THE WIND, JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG, MAD WORLD, SHIP OF FOOLS and GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER?
Seven decent films in ten years (I'm taking your word for their quality) is hardly an amazing record for a studio director. I'm actually scratching my head trying to come up with a Hollywood director of any particular standing whose filmography doesn't include a ten-year stretch that easily matches (or in most cases completely trounces) that particular package of films.
You seriously think those seven films measures up to these?
- Bringing Up Baby, Only Angels Have Wings, His Girl Friday, Sergeant York, Ball of Fire, To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep.
- The Roaring Twenties, They Drive by Night, High Sierra, The Strawberry Blonde, Gentleman Jim, Objective, Burma!, Pursued.
- Shockproof, All I Desire, Magnificent Obsession, All That Heaven Allows, There's Always Tomorrow, Written on the Wind, The Tarnished Angels.
- Reign of Terror, Winchester 73, The Tall Target, The Naked Spur, The Man from Laramie, Men in War, Man of the West.
- Sunset Blvd., Ace in the Hole, Stalag 17, Sabrina, The Seven Year Itch, The Spirit of St Louis, Some Like It Hot.
- The Great McGinty, Christmas in July, The Lady Eve, Sullivan's Travels, The Palm Beach Story, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, Hail the Conquering Hero.
That last bundle was completed in
five years. Seriously, I've yet to come up with a major director who couldn't eclipse Kramer's run of "greatness." Even poor old Orson Welles, who didn't even last a decade as a Hollywood player, made five great films in that time. Five and a half, if you include the remnants of
It's All True.
What about John Hughes' run from 1983-1987?
-
Mr. Mom, Vacation, Nate & Hayes, Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, European Vacation, Weird Science, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller' Day Off, Some Kind of Wonderful and
Planes, Trains & Automobiles
8 pretty iconic 80s films...
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 1:57 am
by knives
Hughes didn't direct Pretty in Pink.
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 1:58 am
by Jeff
knives wrote:Hughes didn't direct Pretty in Pink.
Or Vacation, European Vacation, Mr. Mom, Nate and Hayes, or Some Kind of Wonderful. But still.
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:02 am
by knives
He did Curly Sue though. Where's that's Criterion?
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:09 am
by Harmonov
Jeff wrote:knives wrote:Hughes didn't direct Pretty in Pink.
Or Vacation, European Vacation, Mr. Mom, Nate and Hayes, or Some Kind of Wonderful. But still.
He either wrote or directed them. I was just listing his run, which I think is pretty damn good in such a short stretch.
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:15 am
by domino harvey
Def no mistake that the list ends before She's Having a Baby
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:18 am
by knives
I actually rather like Uncle Buck in all its B movie glory, but I suppose I could switch it out for Ferris Bueller's Day Off which I strongly dislike.
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:19 am
by domino harvey
John Candy flipping that giant pancake with a shovel is the kind of things a kid's dreams are built upon
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:25 am
by Moe Dickstein
domino harvey wrote:I'm only interested in Criterion's Persona Blu if they reinstate all those hilarious Phil SilverS scenes
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:28 am
by domino harvey
Moe Dickstein wrote:domino harvey wrote:I'm only interested in Criterion's Persona Blu if they reinstate all those hilarious Phil SilverS scenes
Correcting typos, always a popular posting technique
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:30 am
by hearthesilence
domino harvey wrote:I'm only interested in Criterion's Persona Blu if they reinstate all those hilarious Phil Silver scenes
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:33 am
by hearthesilence
F-ing hate John Hughes too, and that was well before I stumbled upon the racist shit in Sixteen Candles. If I had to put one of his films in the Criterion Collection, it would be Planes, Trains and Automobiles. At least it had Dede Allen as an editor, and it actually shows in some surprisingly good sequences.
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:43 am
by Moe Dickstein
I highly doubt that I'm attempting to be popular
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:43 am
by Murdoch
This thread is just one mad world away from
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:54 am
by The Narrator Returns
Moe Dickstein wrote:I highly doubt that I'm attempting to be popular
Yeah, you can say that again.
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:58 am
by Dylan
Honestly, the first thing that popped in my head when I saw that drawing was...
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 3:04 am
by flyonthewall2983
hearthesilence wrote:If I had to put one of his films in the Criterion Collection, it would be Planes, Trains and Automobiles. At least it had Dede Allen as an editor, and it actually shows in some surprisingly good sequences.
I've waxed nostalgic on this one a few times here. It would be great if CC would do this one and get the one hour of deleted scenes which apparently are lost forever now.
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 3:40 am
by criterion10
Little late to the discussion here, but what the hell...
Is It's a Mad (x4) World really that bad? I remember watching it when I was young with my family, probably around 7 or 8 years old, and I enjoyed it then. Granted, I'm 17 now, my tastes have obviously quite changed, and so I may have a different reaction to it.
I'm still not too happy that Criterion is releasing it though, only because it's already got a fine Blu-Ray release. There are countless other films out there that have never even made it to home video or been released in decent quality that I would rather see Criterion put their time and effort into than a film that already has a DVD, Blu-Ray, etc.
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 3:47 am
by knives
It's tolerable and if Kramer's name weren't attached the reaction would probably be more of a why then the genuine dislike it is now getting. To phrase it another way it probably isn't amongst the hundred worst films Criterion has released on the mainline, but Kramer is likely the worst director to have gotten a spine and I am including Norman Mailer in that.
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 3:51 am
by criterion10
I can't really comment on Kramer as a director. The only other one of his films that I've seen in full is Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, which I found to have aged very poorly. It was alright, I suppose, but not too good. I saw parts of Inherit the Wind on TV a few months ago when it aired on TCM. Seemed interesting, though never got to finish it.
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 4:01 am
by knives
Basically if it doesn't have Tracy in it it is villainously awful, with Tracy it is usually has him at least being okay. To give an idea if you dare an uncut version of his first movie is on youtube if you want to see it.
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 4:44 am
by justeleblanc
It is absurd how many people have strong opinions about Stanley Kramer. Why I'm almost tempted to start a fight about Gregory LaCava.
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 4:45 am
by knives
I like LaCava though. Even his animation work is nifty.
Re: Forthcoming: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 4:55 am
by jsteffe
Gregory wrote:So overrated.
Do you mean
Persona, or
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World?
It funny,
Persona used to be one of my favorite films of all time. Then a few years ago I saw the newly struck, uncensored 35mm print and found that the last half descended into almost laughable pretentiousness, though the cinematography was magnificent throughout. I would definitely watch it again on Blu, though I prefer other Bergman films these days.