Posts by Nicole Nelson772

David Price5 said:The nineties really gave us the rise of Asian cinema, which I think is the most vital part...

Hehe... well, I suppose it depends on how you look at it. Most of those top-tier, critically acclaimed South Korean films were actually made around 2003 and 2004—think things like >, >, >, or >. Iranian films are just as incredible now as they were back in the nineties, I guess. As for Indian movies, they don't really grab my attention, so I probably can't be entirely objective there (it's the same deal with Japanese horror, with about 135 sequels and prequels floating around). Even the heavy hitters from Hong Kong, like >, >, or > and >, mostly came out after the turn of the millennium.

wiredcyclist said:If I had to pick a decade, it would definitely be the '90s. It just feels like they were making movies back then that we'll never see again. Everything seemed to hit its absolute peak in terms of art and entertainment during the '90s—not to mention the music actually sounded like something real. I see I'm not the only one who feels this way; for me, 1999 was really the pinnacle of the film industry, producing such incredible movies like The Matrix, American Beauty, and Sixth Sense. I guess I just miss those days. They were simply better in that regard.

I absolutely agree about 1999 being a legendary year for cinema—those years produced true masterpieces (for me, specifically because of Insider, Magnolia, and Sixth Sense). Though, I wouldn't say things have fallen apart entirely; maybe they've just changed... In fact, it seems to me that those three films from '99 actually feel closer to the style of the new millennium than the '90s.

To my mind, the '90s were primarily defined by these massive, sweeping epics. We're talking about movies like: Braveheart, Forrest Gump, Titanic, The Shawshank Redemption, Saving Private Ryan, The English Patient, and Schindler's List.... (with exceptions like Dead Man Walking, Fargo, Sling Blade, and Boys Don't Cry).

On the other hand, once we hit the 2000s, the approach became much more intimate. Filmmakers started digging deeper into specific themes, moving away from trying to deliver a grand life lesson and focusing instead on realistically portraying someone's life or a small slice of it. That’s why we get films like: To Kill a Mockingbird, Million Dollar Baby, Crash, 21 Grams, Brokeback Mountain, Vera Draco, Lilies Forever, The Wind That Shakes the Barley, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu.... (exceptions being stuff like LOTR or Gladiator...).

I think it's a logical shift in the industry. We moved into a new era where we don't get as many high-quality BIG movies, but in exchange, we get more precise, philosophical, and psychologically demanding, complex works... well, some people like that, and some don't... personally, I think both eras have their own charm, and since I started taking movies seriously after 2000, it's only natural that I'm quite fond of this newer period.

P.S. Regarding the music, man, we could argue about that forever... I don't really agree that the '90s were better than the last ten years. In the '90s, you had R.E.M. and U2, bands that carried over from the '80s, and not everything they put out was gold. Guns N' Roses had one great album, and then there were the Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, Skunk Anansie, and The Prodigy with that killer Fat of the Land... That's about all I can recall (I'm not counting the great bands that released their first good album right in 1999), whereas in the last decade, at least fifty great bands and singer-songwriters have emerged... I don't know, I guess it depends on taste, but I mostly remember the '90s for the onslaught of boy bands and singles like Coco Jumbo, Captain Jack, Barbie Girl, and Macarena.... it hasn't happened again. 😱

Ah, now I've gone on a bit too long... sorry. 😛

David Price5 said:Well, I guess that's why he's so famous—he's just got that directness. There aren't many films made quite like his, you know? Those kinds of feel-good movies that don't just rely on being pure comedies...

I mean, I totally get what you're saying. It's definitely not that the movie lacks its own unique style, but... I don't know, maybe it's just me, but it never really clicked for me. Dammit.

David Price5 said:Leon (1994)... I don't know, maybe it was just one of those years where picking a single favorite movie felt almost impossible. It was such a heavy hitter for cinema.

I guess I still lean toward The Shawshank Redemption, even if Leon is right up there with it... Personally, Pulp Fiction is just a great movie to watch when you're hanging out, though it doesn't hit me that deeply. And honestly, I never quite understood all the massive hype surrounding Forrest Gump... maybe I just don't enjoy it when a film tries to cram too much into one single piece of art. 🤷

Personally, I find myself leaning toward the cinematic years that align more closely with my own generation—though, of course, I have immense respect for those timeless masterpieces like "The Godfather," "above the coward's nest," and "rosemary baby"... so I suppose I’ll settle on 1999. My choice is driven primarily by "insider," "six," and "magnolia," though there’s also "hurricane," "boy never cries," "green mile," "Snow Falling on Cedars," "The Matrix," "Buena Vista Social Club," "angel dust," "Girl," and "Sweet and Lowdown," among others.

Some people might suggest adding: "Being John Malkovich," "Fight Club," "American Beauty," "The Straight Story," "The Talented Mr. Ripley," or "The Cider House Rules," but I guess those just don't hold quite as dear a place in my heart, each for its own particular reason. 🙂

bluerider63 said:Please, don't go around calling yourselves atheists. You still believe in *something*. I think the Church just labels anyone who doesn't follow their specific doctrine as an atheist, but honestly, that has nothing to do with actual spirituality.

That’s exactly my point! I never even claimed to be an atheist. It’s just that, alongside God (or whatever you want to call THAT THING), I also believe in the right to die with dignity, same-sex marriage, using protection, and actually teaching decent sex ed in our schools. But, well, I guess for some people, those things just don't fit together...

By the way, you're joining the film crew along with everyone else on this thread 😉 while Antik is busy at work, I'm basically recruiting people for his project 🤣 I just need to actually meet the guy first, haha...

David Davis40 said:Kudos to the concept, really. What Charlie is suggesting definitely has potential, but I suppose to actually pull something like this off—and have it come out looking legitimate rather than just a total joke, like those Malnar schemes—it’s going to require a massive amount of work, deep thought, and actual experience in both filmmaking and journalism.

The whole point of this film would be driven by the specific order of questions asked, leading right up to that big finale where the viewer is left wondering... well, you know. Maybe take a look at NG; they produce some incredibly interesting documentaries and somehow manage to build something profound out of absolutely nothing

I agree... and hey, maybe enough enthusiasm and hard work can partially make up for a lack of experience😉. One ought to stay positive!

Noah Smith53 said:haha, good luck trying to make it in a place like small-town Ohio... I mean, who is actually going to take you guys seriously there? ^^

hahaha... alright, fair point. 😁 but hey, if the people in those small towns are supposedly so advanced and sophisticated, then I guess it’s obviously meant to be a massive hub for all the next generation of brilliant filmmakers 😂
well, we aren't just aiming for local indie spots, then Berlin, then Cannes, or whatever else is on the list... let's be realistic here 😁

Noah Smith53 said:My apologies, rustywalker42. It seems you might actually be a bit older than I initially assumed. I guess I misjudged that. Maybe I was just mistaken. 😁
If I were to sit down and film a documentary—or maybe just a quick sketch, depending on how people want to label it—I wonder what they would even call it. I guess there isn't really a set rule for that sort of thing, maybe? It’s hard to say. 🙂Bias is such a tricky thing. I suppose it’s something that just has to be filtered through the people giving commentary during a documentary. What really shouldn't be biased—well, if you want any integrity—are things like the narrator, the specific questions being asked, how those questions are framed, or even who they are directed toward. It isn't exactly an impossible feat to pull off, but honestly? It ends up being incredibly tedious. But here is the thing... if you play it that safe, you aren't going to uncover anything new. You’ll just end up with a bunch of people regurgitating their own opinions, which we all already know and find pretty dull. So, I guess I’d recommend a completely different approach altogether. What if you took a more systematic route? You could select one person—let's call them the "unbiased" party—who is tasked with aggressively challenging both sides with spot-on questions. I mean, you'd have them go after the priests and the believers, but then immediately turn around and grill the atheists or even the folks who just sit there saying, "I don't know." That might actually get us somewhere. 😁 And that’s just how it ends. I mean, if they actually gave the audience the freedom to decide what it all meant for themselves... honestly, I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like that anywhere else. Maybe it was just me, but it felt truly unique.
Is this actually a good idea? I mean, I guess it might be. Maybe. I'm not entirely sure myself, to be honest. It seems... interesting? But then again, who knows. I suppose we'll just have to see how it plays out.

I mean, the idea itself is actually quite solid. I guess. But honestly? It feels like something that might be incredibly difficult to pull off, at least if you're aiming for a high level of execution. Maybe it's just me, but it seems complicated. Still, I suppose it’s worth a shot. One can always try. 😉 Listen to me, I guess... I’ve already stepped up and taken over the role of author. 🙄 My apologies, rustywalker42. 😛

isuse (or maybe I shouldn't even mention that name 😲), how many philosophers are on this forum!!!? antik, in just one single day you managed to become a fanatic, unserious, overambitious, blasphemous... bravo 🙏 I already mentioned before that I haven't watched that "controversial" documentary, so I don't really know what that guy's approach is—but, likewise, I know that people with those kinds of attitudes are often overly sensitive, and even hypocritical. On one hand, you have people elevating "Borat" or "Bruno" and stuff like that, fictional characters who, in my opinion, represent nothing more than basic, and frankly, low-brow mockery... I'll admit, there are some truly good jokes, but they are overshadowed by vulgar and mindless skits. On the other hand, we have this guy who apparently made some sort of half-joke about fanaticism, without any extreme caricature, or scenes like that hotel one in "Borat," which I think is the definition of cheap and senseless humor. And now, that guy couldn't possibly be semi-serious, no way!!
He has to be some boring hundred-year-old professor with scientifically grounded facts for a documentary to be considered good. Why does everything have to be so black and white? BTW, why would it be such a struggle here to find "ordinary" Americans who would talk about their beliefs, which maybe they hold onto a little too tightly? Are we some kind of primitive lunatics that you can't communicate with, like they often portray in Hollywood movies? So much for prejudices and underestimating 🙄

@ rustywalker42, how do you know that antik is an atheistic fanatic? For example, I am a believer... I might not be super devout, I have my own theory about all of it, but yes—I am a believer. I go to church (though, admittedly, only on holidays since I don't care for almost any form of formal ritual 😁), I pray sometimes, and I occasionally go to confession. And despite that, I still think this is a perfectly good idea—now, maybe antik is a believer in his own sense—so what exactly is your argument here? You're telling people they have a goal to mock someone, yet you don't actually know anything about them. That isn't right.

@ M. Stalker—I am also sensitive to that "pointing fingers" thing that happens so often in our society, so I get what you're trying to say. But again, we can't stay silent about everything and be so damn sterile. If we claim everything is finger-pointing, we'll end up paranoid, or we will (following your and rustywalker42's dismissive philosophy) become the very people doing the pointing. If that's how the world works, nobody would ever say anything concrete, do anything, or change anything... of course, this "nobody" is a bit of a caricature 😉

@ antik—go right ahead, you have my moral support (and maybe even practical support, since I'm from Savannah and I'm just finishing up my journalism degree, so I could actually conduct your interviews 😉). But, I doubt this documentary would succeed as pure mockery (unless you have some amazing comedian in mind), and the project itself would be higher quality if you didn't focus exclusively on that. Of course, a decent dose of healthy humor doesn't hurt at all, but the whole thing should, at least in my view, be based on serious issues. Look at "All is Lost," that is, to me, the perfect example of something like that.

P.S. guys, sorry for the long post 😬 and let's skip the arguing; let's join forces and film something!

James Garcia58 said:Fine then, what exactly is the main point here? I still haven't received an answer to that, and it was asked right at the start of the thread. I'm certainly not the only one asking.

Okay, my bad. I honestly thought the question was rhetorical 😛 so, I guess the whole idea is just to make us reflect on the kind of society we actually live in. Like, to show what values are being pushed around our neighborhoods and whether we even chose this or if it was basically forced upon us... I don't think the goal is always to hand someone a neat little answer. Sometimes, maybe, just posing the question is enough. Especially in a documentary... I mean, if we wanted a point based strictly on hard facts, we could just film a lecture on math, physics, or chemistry. But, I suspect the appeal—both for the audience and for those of us making it—would be pretty questionable.

Instead of just sitting here bickering, maybe we should all just pool our cash together and finally shoot one genuinely brilliant American film 😉 I actually have an idea—it’s pretty fleshed out in my head, 😁—but I’m thinking a feature film rather than a documentary. As for all that religious fanaticism stuff, you guys are more than welcome to come down to my neck of the woods to film it. I have a buddy who is a fairly well-known actor—well, within our local circles, anyway—and he could serve as our narrator. And when it comes to people to interview, ranging from the totally sane to the completely unhinged... I guess there would be plenty of material there. So, what's the first move? Feature or documentary? Alex Walker5, you're the one who started this whole thing, so you decide. Btw, I really hope you have some kind of camera 🤣

Noah Smith53 said:haha, Kenneth Williams60, that last post was absolutely killer 😁
but regarding what you said before... I guessKenneth, we aren't being lethargic, nor are we bitter—and the users here certainly aren't either 😁. I'm actually nearing the end of my second year studying mechanical engineering, and I've been in college for about three and a half years now. I'm doing everything typical young people do without any weird exceptions, though I do find time here and there for this forum—just this specific section, because I really love movies. And honestly, I would truly love to produce a documentary on this subject. I'm just waiting for some kind of fanatic (in a good way 😁) who can take over most of the organizational heavy lifting. I simply can't manage it myself because, well, I'm not really the type of person who enjoys getting buried under a mountain of responsibilities.

hehe, yeah, I know 😁 it's all fine. I didn't mean it personally at all... besides, I get it, because I often find myself shutting down someone else's idea even before they've fully laid it out 😛
I really believe we're all just movie lovers with normal social lives here, it's just that sometimes my damn tongue gets ahead of me. My apologies.

James Garcia58 said:Look, I just don't think you get it. That movie doesn't really have a point. I mean, if I were out there actually interviewing people, those folks wouldn't budge on their religious views no matter how hard you tried to shake them—well, maybe an exception would prove the rule, I guess. And the people who *would* actually like the film? They already agree with the message, so they’d just dig their heels in even more. It all just leads back to some mild form of fanaticism.

But wait, who ever said that I—meaning, Alex Walker5—was even trying to shake anyone's convictions?
And honestly, why would any of the people being interviewed feel the need to change their minds at all??
In my view, that movie definitely has a clear purpose. I mean, not everyone has to undergo a total worldview shift for a piece of art to be meaningful... also, I think you might be taking the word "fanaticism" a bit too heavily. But hey, that's just my take. 😉

James Garcia58 said:Well, if you go around tossing out every single-dimensional viewpoint just because they’re "wrong," I guess you're still just left standing there with your own single-dimensional view.

This is starting to feel like a bit of a deep philosophical debate, I suppose, but fine. 😁 I don't really get it—why would anyone even try to shut down a one-dimensional perspective, or why would they even have the capacity to do something like that? And besides that, if you perform this fatal "shutting down"—this uprooting, or whatever you want to call it—of one-dimensional stances, why on earth would one-dimensional stances be the only thing left? 🤷 If you break up the kind of "religious monopoly" the Catholic Church holds here in America, it doesn't mean you've automatically imposed a new monopoly on everyone; actually, it's quite the opposite.
And honestly, that rule applies to most things... obviously, I'm not suggesting any specific action here, I'm just talking about how things work in theory, I guess. 😛

Look, I’ll say this: I applaud anyone brave enough to try making something like this, whether people call it "small-time" or not. At least there's an intention to communicate, and I guess that's really the whole point of art. So, please, enlighten me, you forum experts—why else do we even make documentaries? Is it only for when we discover a new planet or finally make contact with aliens?? Come on, 🙄 even Michael Moore—who isn't exactly "trendy" right now, though this whole genre basically saw a revival because of him—constantly tackles obvious stuff, like Bush's stupidity and questionable decisions, terrible healthcare policies, the arms trade, blah blah blah. And honestly, good for him; you can never overdo that kind of thing. It would be better if we all just became these lethargic, bitter forum dwellers who sit around waiting to dismiss everything as "seen it before," "unoriginal," or "impossible."
As for calling the person who started this thread "unprofessional"—that's just hilarious to me. I mean, the entire American film industry is practically built on semi-professionalism.
If someone wants to make a movie that doesn't revolve around the American Civil War or the traumas stemming from it, I am fully behind them. It shouldn't matter if they're working with a single camera and a few thousand bucks or if they have the entire budget of PBS at their disposal.

briskhound2 said:You think so? A documentary about fanatics... well, let's put it that way. I mean, just look at the stuff we have here regarding this global phenomenon, those Malnar's nightmares, and all those characters who basically pay their way through life hoping Simonica and Anthony will solve their problems—just ask them about faith. You wouldn't just have enough footage for one film; you'd probably have material for two or three sequels.Religulous was pretty funny to me, but over here, it would just come off as pathetic.

I haven't seen the movie, but I get the point. I don't think a documentary like that necessarily has to be boring or weak here in America, and it doesn't even need to be trashy. I guess, if you want to be taken seriously—both in tone and quality—you really ought to find "ordinary" people. People who, because of their narrow-minded views and one-dimensional perspectives, set a "bad" example for their kids, their friends, and everyone else. Why does it always have to be caricatures like the ones from Malnar's "nightmare"?
There are plenty of "normal," actually quite successful people who lean toward the kind of fanaticism and intolerance that comes from that sort of upbringing. Just look at the movie "all be white in Barking"—those people are mostly racists, yet nobody really examines the actual mindset behind someone like Rojsov's, Vucin's, or Jaran's.
Btw, Alex Walker5—kudos on the idea. Don't give up. 👍If I had the experience and the money, I would definitely help 😁

I mean, 🙏
*Rosemary's Baby* just has one of the most intense atmospheres I've ever experienced. Maybe it's just me, but it's incredibly powerful.

Brandon Fox2 said:I think people should really reconsider this behavior. It honestly feels unnatural to me. If you look at most medical manuals, it’s often categorized as a deviation or a disorder. I just don't think it's right... maybe it's just unhealthy. And then having those types of characters portrayed as romantic leads? It's a bit much. They might as well just show one of those infamous scenes from that old adult film involving an animal... what was that one called...

Geez, calm down...you're making claims that even a mentally challenged farmer would be ashamed of.

on topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdblPsYM64M

definitely the most beautiful, most sincere, and most romantic cinematic kiss ever made 😍

1. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"
2. "The Godfather"
3. "Annie Hall"
4. "The Godfather : Part II"
5. "Patton"
6. "Midnight Cowboy"
7. "The Deer Hunter"
8. "Sting"
9. "Rocky"

I haven't actually sat down to watch "The French Connection" yet 😢

The competition is honestly pretty intense, I guess 🙏