Movie Thread: The Dissection Room

[Garrett Gilchrist]

Serious question: Why aren't Paul Dini, Bruce Timm and so on in charge of DC/Warners' live-action superhero films?

Marvel's in-house live-action films have been praised for creating a consistent universe with characters that feel accurate to the comics, and often have an appeal all their own.

The various producers of DC/Warners' animated superhero series achieved all that and much more. You could bring Brad Bird on as well.

DC/Warners really needs to stop "reinventing" their characters with every film and establish a coherent, comic-accurate universe. It's too late now, though. They've dug their heels in with Man of Steel and that's the Superman we've got for the next batch of films.

[Garrett Gilchrist]

1915 version of Alice in Wonderland, in glorious 240p.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... _GGZxaymD0

[JustinHoskie]

For the first time in over ten years, and for the first time in my adult life, I sat down and watched Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie. And it did not disappoint. Like Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, it's just a fun movie that doesn't need to exist, but I'm so glad it does. And I'm shocked at how much I remembered. I pretty much watched the movie on a loop when I was little, and every single frame brought up a memory. In comparison, every single Disney movie I watched on a loop as a kid, I have no real memory of or a vague recollection of a scene. (I watched The Aristocats alot as a kid, but literally the only thing I remember is the mouse eating the cracker.) The only thing that didn't hold up to my memory was the computer effects, all of which look awful and don't look "realistic" (as described in the vintage featurette) at all. Yet, somehow, seemed 100% appropriate.

The only thing that I found annoying is that, even though the DVD packaging and menus refers to it as "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie," as well as the trailer and featurette, the on-screen title during the film is the shortened "Power Rangers: The Movie." It's a change that doesn't make any sense to me (kids won't know or care about the title), and it's something I hope they correct on the inevitable Blu-Ray.

Also, I'm not sure if I was just reading into something that wasn't there, but David Yost (Billy Cranston / The Blue Ranger) seemed like he did not want to be there....

[Garrett Gilchrist]

Films are getting bigger and bigger. Every frame has to be a major special effect in 3D. Too much is never enough. They have to be these huge, hulking beasts that conquer all competition and cost more than a country. There's surprisingly little room for what previous decades would have called filmmaking. A few prestige films at the end of the year, a few small "indies." There's something desperate about it, trying to deliver something on the big screen that outdoes home video, when home video has gotten nearly as good as the big screen. The difference between even the first Lord of the Rings film and the second Hobbit should be enough for us to take pause and wonder, where is all this excess and overstimulation leading us?

[Garrett Gilchrist]

Jesse Mills writes:

I know this is not your 'best-of', just a recommendation list, but I find it sort of crazy that you include a movie that's in theaters right NOW (Frozen), when I feel like re-watching & revisiting a film over time- to dissuade the wisps of excitement and hype- is almost totally necessary for critical analysis. I can't count the amount of times I've left the theater whooping, only to re-watch something months later and ask "what the hell was I thinking?"

Also- not to be a nebbish dick- but since you're the cat who heroically restored The Thief and the Cobbler, I'm amazed that you would include so much...how do I put this... mall/multiplex animation, like The Lion King, and no Miyazaki, no Last Unicorn or Rankin/Bass Hobbit...or even the Rescuers (It's true that I'm biased towards late 70's and early 80's animation, and against the suburban soccer Mom cutesyness of most CGI, just in full disclosure.) Not trying to be an asshole, just genuinely surprised at your picks here. Cheers.

Hi Jesse. I'm not the sort who rewatches films. I tend to watch them and stick to my original analysis. Actually, these days I don't watch a ton of films. I consider myself much more of a television guy, and my list of television recommendations would be full of cult/obscure/unusual choices that would baffle most readers. Other people are like that about feature films. I've gotten to the point where I feel that most movies are all the same.

But this is intended as a general recommendation list for someone who hasn't watched very many films at all. I don't have the benefit of excluding "mall" sort of films. In fact, that's largely the point of this list. I want to make this fun for the viewer, who for some reason hasn't watched the movies most of us grew up with. I don't have the luxury of leaving out "Jurassic Park" or "T2" or so on. These wouldn't be on my actual list of favorites but it's strange if someone hasn't seen them, and they're going to have a good time with that.

In high school there were a handful of films that I held very close to my heart, such as Terry Gilliam's Brazil. And for the most part I've put them on here somewhere. But for the most part, think of this as a list of "I'm surprised if you haven't seen …"

I find as well that it's dangerous championing "obscure" animation. When you go outside of Disney, at least in feature films, production values tend to be pretty poor. In the 70s it was mostly Ralph Bakshi. In the 80s it was the often strangely disappointing films of Don Bluth - I really admire his style as an animator, but the films themselves weren't blockbusters. In the 90s we suffer a lot of Quest For Camelots to get one Prince of Egypt. In the CGI days we suffer a lot of Bee Movies to get one How To Train Your Dragon.

I am hugely inspired by the shortform and commercial work of independent animators, and always have been. I'd certainly include Richard's work in that, as well as his peers of the time like Tony White and Oscar Grillo.

As an animation enthusiast, of COURSE the xeroxed films of the 60s and 70s should be in there, and should be studied like mad. But would you really argue that they're of more interest to the casual viewer of today than "The Lion King?" The Lion King sold a lot more tickets, and it's a favorite Disney film of mine. The list is long already and hardly all-encompassing.

I like the Rankin-Bass Hobbit, but it's hardly as famous as The Lion King either. I've never seen The Last Unicorn (though I've been asked to draw something based on it). I'm not big on Miyazaki either. I've seen Princess Mononoke. He's probably the most respected and praised animator working today, and I respect his artistry and imagination. He hardly needs me to praise or recommend him. I dislike Japanese animation in general - the low frame rates and various cliches about the way characters' faces are drawn, and stories are constructed. Even Miyazaki falls into these traps to an extent, though I recognize I'm missing out by not getting into his work and worlds.


Jesse Mills asks:

Have you ever thought of restoring the film print of the Plague Dogs that's out there?? I've heard that the one that's floating around on torrent sites is from the director's own collection, and includes the stuff they cut out on later video releases. I really wish someone would rescue that print. That film doesn't deserve to be as obscure as it is.

I haven't seen Plague Dogs but it sounds like a very worthwhile project. I wonder if the rights could be gotten, and we could do it through Steve Stanchfield's Thunderbean label. I've been trying to do that with the Raggedy Ann film.

If you've been following my work at orangecow.org/board, I've got a huge backlog of Muppet stuff I intend to finish restoring, as well as other Dick Williams material. It's been difficult since I've spent 2014 so far in a state of financial panic. If you want to support my restoration efforts you could always become a $5 patron --

http://www.patreon.com/GarrettGilchrist

[Shamanic Shaymin]

I've seen 61 movies out of your entire list. And there's others that I've been queuing for a long time, such as Eternal Sunshine, Brazil and Blazing Saddles. I'll have to skip out on Requiem for a Dream, though. It's got too many of my personal triggers and squicks. Sarah Goldfarb's story is so uncannily close to what's happened to my mom that it makes me uncomfortable. That said, I've seen Black Swan, also directed by Aronofsky, which I've really enjoyed.

http://badassdigest.com/2012/02/05/requ ... am-part-1/

This is one of the most terrifying songs I have ever heard on film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmQhuicAnP4

[Oliver Judd]

Been watching Head an awful lot recently. What an interesting movie when you know the context... practically a cinematic suicide, and pretty shocking in parts.

Of course, this is my favourite bit:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PNfnNBDatY

[Garrett Gilchrist]

That is ... not my favorite bit.

I like the movie, though. Actually better than what the Beatles were doing at the time. Shame the public weren't ready to go along with the Monkees on that sort of journey.

Here's the SOTCAA section about Head, including an analysis of the shooting script which is still a work in progress:
http://sotcaa.org/head/

[Oliver Judd]

Perhaps I'm just a sucker for Nilsson. Very nice find!

[Garrett Gilchrist]

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xprqpa ... shortfilms

The original raw footage from Evil Dead 2 is believed to be lost. And that's a crime.

On the old laserdisc, which was originally issued in a blood-red color, there is 28 minutes worth of behind the scenes footage, or "Behind the Screams." This was shot on a home movie camera at the time. Some footage from the same source was used in the documentary on the DVD, but the laserdisc's feature doesn't seem to have made it to any other release.

What you realize very quickly watching this material is that many of the actual special effects tended to get cut out of the film, for reasons unknown. Anything impressive they were doing. All sorts of bloody, gory, imaginative stuff. Possibly cut for being too graphic.

The behind the scenes material, especially on the laserdisc, is almost entirely dedicated to impressive practical effects that do not appear in the film as edited. Which makes the viewer really want to see the original footage, as edited. But as far as we know, it no longer exists.

A partial workprint has leaked but it cuts off before we get into any part of the film that was cut down. it's very similar to the final film in most ways.

We never see a half-headless Ed jump up and fight with Ash. We never see ... well, just click the link above.

Here's the original raw home movie footage as found on Youtube (albeit in less than amazing quality:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCpsL-djCYA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBEz6GA1IA8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmVLCjFuDYY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_93oI1UQ94
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9RZa6SbPSU