As a frequent and steady contributor to The Large Ass Movie Blog, (The LAMB), I always try to get more people involved with the site.
Every Month, the site runs a poll based on the list of films submitted by LAMB members for the prestigious ability of being named as the Movie of the Month that will be discussed on the LAMBCAST podcast during that given month.
I decided that each month I will watch each of the films chosen and give my rankings of those films in order to decide which film I should vote for and in doing so, maybe help some of you also decide which film to vote for.
The voting is open until Sunday the 20 Jan, so make sure to get your vote in soon.
This month, there were 8 Contenders suggested (all by Richard of Kirkham: Movie A Day), so here they are:
- Being John Malkovich (1999)
- Clerks (1993)
- Death at a Funeral (2007)
- Diabolique (1955)
- The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
- The Quick and the Dead (1995)
- Slap Shot (1977)
- Tombstone (1993)
Here are my rankings along with brief thoughts on each film (click on the film title if you want to read my full review)
8. Being John Malkovich – Liked the way that the story tries to make puppeteering more tangible to the audience, but overall, I found the storyline to be quite boring and annoying. I have liked Malkovich when he plays a very eccentric and devious character moreso than when he plays in a straight drama and his performance just didn’t work for me here. Characters are quite unlikable. Funny that Charlie Sheen has a cameo here. Overall a good attempt at something bigger that just didn’t speak to me well enough.
7. The Man Who Would Be King -Very interesting story that shows how hubris and delusions of grandeur can make people do things in order to attain power. The cast is great with Connery and Caine perfectly chosen as the two lead roles and Plummer is also great as the narrator and author Kipling. The movie feels a bit too long and might have been even better had it been cut a bit because the middle sections drag on a bit too much. Liked the way that this film discusses the modern and primitive ways of looking at things in life and how that can easily affect people decisions.
6. Tombstone – Liked the way that they tell this story because it doesn’t culminate with the shootout at the OK Coral and instead continues the escapades and work of the characters for years more. Great all around cast helps make this film so interesting to watch. The story is told quite compellingly and we get a real picture of how wild the west really could get and if it wasn’t for courageous men fighting injustice, who knows what would have happened. The story drags a bit towards the end, but overall it’s a very interesting film to watch.
5. The Quick and the Dead – Great premise that works quite well especially when dealing with such a unique idea. The cast is superb and even though, some of the famous actors were lesser known at the time, it’s still fun to watch how things unfold. Love the way that they slowly tell us the history of some of the characters in order for us to get a much clearer picture as to why they have joined this kind of contest. They manage to take this idea to a higher level by adding some great twists and turns along the way that keep things interesting while also constantly raising the stakes and danger of it all.
4. Slap Shot – Hilarious hockey film that takes all of the stereotypical aspects of the sport and exaggerate them to a point where it’s so enjoyable watching everything transpire. The characters are all quite unique and they find a way to make each of them have a very different kind of personality that adds to the various aspects of the humor of this film. Newman is superb in the lead and is able to keep things quite funny throughout with his character’s great personality and ideas on how to make his team better.
3. Clerks – What a great movie mainly because of the superb dialogue written by Smith. The characters are a bit extreme, but they still feel realistic and have real problems that anyone can relate to. It’s a bit unfortunate that it was filmed in Black and White and looks like a student project, but on the other hand that helps make it feel even more realistic. The addition of the lost scene makes this film even better because it is soooo funny!
2. Diabolique – Excellent thriller that works exceptionally well because of the various twists and turns along the way. The three main characters are developed really well and we get a clear picture of the reasons as to why they act as they do. I’m usually not the biggest fan of foreign language films yet this one is superbly done. The plot is quite simple and subtle and it moves along at a great pace in order for us to feel the suspense of everything as it slowly unfolds. It reminded me of a Hitchcock thriller and after reading the trivia below, I now understand that he also thought it would be perfect for his filmography.
1. Death at a Funeral – Hilariously done film that really shows how things can easily get out of hand when family gets together. Great cast helps make this so much fun. I’m usually not the biggest fan of British humor, but this one was done so well that it really hit the mark so many times.
So who should I vote for? – Basically, this is a month with a strong list of films and I actually like most of them, so ranking them isn’t so easy, but a necessity. I debated between voting for Death at a Funeral or Diabolique since they are both great yet very different films, but ultimately, I went with the comedy over the thriller.
To vote, click here
Good luck to one and all!!!
MovieRob 