It truly warms my heart to see Umberto D. mentioned; it remains one of my absolute favorite films of all time. If I had to pick from the Fellini catalog, I’d go with La Strada and Amarcord, simply because they feel a bit more accessible than, say, 8 1/2.
On the flip side, it would be utterly absurd to halt a game constantly just to scrutinize every minor foul; it’s simply impractical. Even if coaches were granted only two challenges per match, we wouldn't actually solve anything. If two questionable calls happen in the first twenty minutes and a coach burns through both challenges, the rest of the game is once again left entirely to the whims of a referee who can call whatever he likes without interference.
We shouldn't be reacting when a ref is doing a decent job—or even a slightly suspicious one—but rather only when there's a blatant, obvious blunder. Currently, it feels like the officials just stick together like a pack of stubborn mules, refusing to overturn a call out of pure ego or perhaps a bias toward a specific team. Or, heaven forbid, it's something more nefarious. There wouldn't be any chaos or shouting matches with the official if things worked differently; a bystander (or a few spectators, if you will) could watch a replay and immediately validate a perfectly legal goal that the ref tossed out for reasons known only to himself. Humans—referees included—can lie or miss things, but the technology doesn't. Essentially, we would only be correcting those catastrophic errors that directly dictate the final score. I don't believe this would waste much time, considering we spend so much time watching slow-motion replays anyway. I am aware this idea has been floated before and subsequently abandoned, but the mere fact that it was proposed suggests it is a viable possibility.
If you had the power to rewrite the rules of soccer, what would you change?
I’ve been indulging in some hypothetical thinking lately, such as reducing the squads from 11 players down to 10. Excluding goalkeepers, that would mean 18 players on the pitch instead of 20, creating much more room to maneuver—a concept once championed by the legendary Brazilian star Socrates.
Alternatively, rather than relying on a single match delegate, we could implement a three-person review committee. They could analyze disputed plays on monitors and overturn a referee's call if they spotted an error, similar to how tennis works. This would prevent a single bad call from dictating the entire outcome of a game.
We might also consider a rule limiting teams to a maximum of three foreign players. It feels somewhat disheartening when many top clubs across the major leagues have almost no domestic talent left on their rosters.
So far, the only significant changes I've seen are the away goals rule, stoppage time, and the fact that jersey numbers aren't restricted to 1 through 11 anymore.
These are just a few musings of mine, and I am quite curious to hear your thoughts on these or any other ideas you might have.
There are quite a few worth mentioning, though I’d have to single out The Elephant Man (1980) The film hits all the right notes, especially on the technical side—the cinematography, the editing, that stunning black-and-white look, even the makeup... truly brilliant.👍
David Price5 said:Jaro, do you have any idea what kind of misery we're putting ourselves through having to choose by year like this? :-)
Good grief, I know.🙄 It’s a difficult decision, certainly, but there is a certain charm in debating the greatest film ever made, or simply identifying the absolute peak of every single genre... It serves as a lovely way to revisit some truly memorable years, too.👍
Please select a single year and list the films that make it your definitive choice for the best year in cinema history. If there are any other factors that influence your decision, feel free to share them. In my estimation, 1972 stands alone due to (among others): Godfather Deliverance Deliverance Last Tango in Paris, France Aguirre, the Wrath of God Cabaret Moulin Rouge Solaris...and so on.
Milos Forman—I can't recall the last time he delivered a truly great film, one that even remotely approaches the caliber of *Easy Rider* or *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest*.
A few titles come to mind at the moment: Taxi Driver, Se7en, Last Tango in Paris, The Tenant, and Midnight Express... plus quite a collection of European cinema, though I won't list them all here.
Generally, I have a penchant for dark, stylized atmospheres and unusual settings or weather conditions. I find that such elements can significantly bolster a film's overall quality and sense of realism.
While I’m generally not a fan of remakes, I’m hoping this version is handled with more care than the original. That one suffered quite a bit from forced "humorous" moments and some truly grating music—not to mention the acting felt pretty wooden overall.
For me, History of the World: Part I remains the absolute peak. I’ll never forget that moment where Oedipus and Aristotle turn to Plato just to say, "Look at Oedipus, he really messed up."😂
In my opinion, The Godfather Part II actually surpassed the original. As for the third installment, it falls far short of the first two and feels entirely unnecessary.
Personally, I’m not one for remakes, especially when the original stands on its own. If you've got actual legends in the cast, there’s really no reason to touch it. That said, exceptions exist; occasionally, an old classic might actually benefit from a modern touch. We could dive into specific titles later, but consider this: can a modern version of Spartak starring Goran Visnjic ever truly compete with the original Spartak? Or a new take on Samson and Delilah compared to the first... it's almost laughable.
rustywalker42 As follows: It doesn't surprise me one bit; in major American cities, taxi rates are standard knowledge, so you can pretty much estimate a ride to be around... $3.25 For an entire section of the city, they've turned the currency into a caricature. This isn't Washington, D.C.
If we follow that logic, I suppose there’s little point in watching movies at all.🤷
Those are just cinematic clichés; there's really no need to take them so seriously. Even when a guy is firing his pistol like crazy, he never seems to run out of ammo.👍