What's new

Directors More Director's Checklist Series - Volume #201: John Sayles (1 Viewer)

Brook K

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2000
Messages
9,467
Picking up where Jim left off, I'm not sure how long I'll go with this. Depends on how much work it ends up being editing the IMBD lists.

Rank 'em, rate 'em, review 'em, whatever:

Volume #201 - John Sayles

Silver City (2004)
Casa de los babys (2003)
Sunshine State (2002)
Limbo (1999)
Men with Guns (1997)
Lone Star (1996)
The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
Passion Fish (1992)
City of Hope (1991)
"Shannon's Deal" (1990) TV Series
Eight Men Out (1988)
Matewan (1987)
The Brother from Another Planet (1984)
Baby It's You (1983)
Lianna (1983)
Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980)
 

Brook K

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2000
Messages
9,467
He was indie, when indie wasn't cool. Sayles is a big personal favorite. I love his writing style and ability to create rich, memorable characters. He's one of the only American filmmakers willing to make films critiquing class and sociological issues and their historical underpinings. Unfortunately he seems to be in a bit of a slump lately.

*1. Limbo - A (a great film from a great year. Rare is the American film that has the deep and complex characterizations seen here)
*2. The Secret of Roan Inish - A (A wonderful, heartwarming fairy tale story with beautiful locations)
*3. Lone Star - A (Sayles' breakthrough film about a murder mystery in a racially conflicted Texas town)
*4. Sunshine State - A- (Often funny, but scathing look at the corporatization of small town America)
5. Men With Guns - A-
6. Passion Fish - A-
(Sayles takes a tired concept and creates a fine romantic film with a trio of outstanding performances)
*7. Eight Men Out - B+ (An excellent period recreation and a pretty good baseball film, I have to take points off for Sayles slant of siding with the players who deserved their punishment)
8. Matewan - B (one I need to rewatch)
9. The Brother From Another Planet - B (excellent premise, but the film gets sidetracked and doesn't go as far as it should have.
10. Honeydripper - B
11. Casa de los Babys - B-
(some nice character moments but a clunker politically and socially)
12. Silver City - C+ (some occasional humor but an all around disappointment that feels like Sayles rushed to get something out about the election)

Own: 5

Lianna and Secaucus 7 are out on DVD but I haven't gotten around to renting them. I've heard great things about City of Hope but it remains unreleased. Baby It's You occasionally shows up on Lifetime but isn't on DVD and I don't want to watch it in a non-OAR, possibly edited form with commercials.
 

Bill McA

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2000
Messages
5,969
Ratings from :star: to :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:


Honeydripper (2007)
Silver City (2004) :star: :star: :star:
Casa de los babys (2003) :star: :star:
Sunshine State (2002) :star: :star: :star: (Own the DVD)
Limbo (1999) :star: :star: :star: :star:
Men with Guns (1997) :star: :star: :star:
Lone Star (1996) :star: :star: :star:
The Secret of Roan Inish (1994) :star: :star: :star:
Passion Fish (1992) :star: :star:
City of Hope (1991) :star: :star: :star:
Eight Men Out (1988) :star: :star: :star:
Matewan (1987) :star: :star: :star: :star:
The Brother from Another Planet (1984) :star: :star:
Baby It's You (1983) :star: :star: :star: :star: (Own the DVD)
Lianna (1983) :star: :star:
Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980) :star: :star:

Seen 15
Own 2

John Sayles is the 10th director in this series that I've seen/met in person. The first time I met him was at an invitational-only premiere screening of Limbo which I watched the film with Sayles sitting right next to me.
He wears this really strong soapy-smelling cologne, I could barely breathe! :frowning:

It was funny watching his reaction to the audibly upset audience reaction to Limbo's ending...he just kinda leaned forward and scratched his chin a bit. :D


:rolleyes
 

Brook K

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2000
Messages
9,467
George, I thought you were a hippie rabble-rouser who would fit in well with Sayles' populist leanings? :D

Kidding aside, I think you might like The Secret Of Roan Inish. It really is a good-hearted family film with a very positive view of children. Something of a grittier version of those 60's live action Disney movies, only better and without the terrifying Stepford kids. My children enjoyed it and they usually get antsy during talkier movies.

:emoji_thumbsup: Fun story Bill, did you talk to Sayles at all?
 

DavidBC

Second Unit
Joined
Mar 4, 2005
Messages
401
Sunshine State (2002) - B
Limbo (1999) - A (quite simply one of the most extraordinary movies I've ever seen)
 

george kaplan

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2001
Messages
13,063
Those kind of statements certainly make him come across as the type of director I wouldn't like, which is all I was expressing when I so upset Bill. :)
 

george kaplan

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2001
Messages
13,063
I double-checked my to rent list and Lone Star is on there, so that's at least one Sayles film I'll eventually see (though there are 775 other films on that list at the moment).
 

Bill McA

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2000
Messages
5,969
Oh, I wasn't upset George. :)

I was just admiring your open-mindedness and your willingness to experience new cinematic pleasures, a trait that is very common amongst film lovers...which you once claimed to be? :D


Brook, I never said more than a few words to Sayles...he looked waaay too serious and unapproachable for chit-chat.
He seemed to be this quiet but overly macho, man's man type of guy, about 6 feet tall and built like a lumberjack with a shirt open to the waist (remember this was in Canada!)...plus, I was having difficulty breathing! ;)
 

Jim_K

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2000
Messages
10,087
Ratings out of :star: :star: :star: :star:


[SIZE= 14px]JOHN SAYLES (1950 - )[/SIZE]

Amigo (2010)

Honeydripper (2007) :star: :star: 1/2
Silver City (2004) :star: :star:
Casa de los babys (2003)
Sunshine State (2002) :star: :star: 1/2
Limbo (1999) :star: :star: :star:
Men with Guns (1997) :star: :star: :star:
Lone Star (1996)
:star: :star: :star:
The Secret of Roan Inish (1994) :star: :star: :star:
Passion Fish (1992) :star: :star: :star:

City of Hope (1991) :star: :star: :star:
Eight Men Out (1988) :star: :star: :star:
Matewan (1987) :star: :star: :star: 1/2
The Brother from Another Planet (1984) :star: :star: 1/2
Baby It's You (1983) :star: :star:
Lianna (1983)
Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980) :star: :star: 1/2

 

SteveGon

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2000
Messages
12,250
Real Name
Steve Gonzales
Seen 'em all except the tv series and COH; need to revisit ROTS7 - maybe today or tomorrow...
 

george kaplan

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2001
Messages
13,063
:confused: I am open-minded. The fact that I have no interest in seeing his films, doesn't mean that I'm not going to, or that I won't give them a fair shake. Of course, like everyone here, there are films that don't sound good to me a priori. But that doesn't mean I'm not open-minded or willing to experience new films. Saying that Sayles doesn't sound good to me ahead of time means I'm not a film lover?

I have a film. It's a four hour home movie of my son. Do you have any interest in seeing it Bill? If not, I guess you're not open-minded, and not a film lover. :)
 

Brook K

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2000
Messages
9,467
George watched Ratcatcher recently. That wasn't something I expected to show up on his "viewed" list. He's been slowly watching the Criterion films. He doesn't like, even hates, a good deal of them, but at least he's watching and giving them a chance. :emoji_thumbsup:
 

george kaplan

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2001
Messages
13,063
Thanks Brook. Yeah, the Criterion list is one I'm going through. I have to admit that my primary motivation is to discover any I like so I can buy them before the go out of print, but it's also a good list to supplement things like S&S. My current Criterion film at bat (#12 in my rental queue) is High & Low which I'm actually looking forward to.
 

Bill McA

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2000
Messages
5,969


Sorry Brook, but if George's trip through the Criterion catalogue means that we're going to be subjected to more illustrious Rex Reed-style 'critiques' such as "You know you've seen waaaaay too many horrible films, when a film as wretched as this pile of dung is nowhere near the worst film you've seen.", well I just can't share your enthusiasm for George's quest for enlightenment (aka looking for discs before they go OOP)

:)
 

george kaplan

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2001
Messages
13,063
Bill,

Despite what you think, having expectations about films one hasn't seen is perfectly normal. Being open-minded doesn't mean having no preconceptions, it means not being beholden to those preconceptions.

You seem mostly upset by the fact that I post such strongly worded negative review about films you like, after I have seen them. So much so, that you seem to think my posts about them are worthless.

There is a much easier and more effective solution to that, than constantly posting negative rhetoric about me. Simply add me to your ignore list.

Then you won't have to listen to my so-called 'twisted logic'. :rolleyes
 

Bill McA

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2000
Messages
5,969


Wrong again George!
It doesn't matter whether we agree or not, it's the nature and wording of your 'critiques' which consist of nothing but lame, bait-fuelled comparisons to other films, bodily excretions and the like.

Yawn....
 

george kaplan

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2001
Messages
13,063
Since they consist of nothing but that, then you will have nothing to lose by putting me on your ignore list, and quite a bit to lose by not putting me on it, because I have no intention of stopping my practice of telling it like it is about these films, no matter how much you complain.
 

Bill McA

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2000
Messages
5,969
So George, do you often watch films that you have no interest in seeing??? :rolleyes:

Semantics and backpeddling...


I'm sorry George, but if you believe that pooh-pooh and ca-ca talk constitutes "strongly worded" you are sorely mistaken.
It's infantile and a very boring read!

My 8-year old niece can do a better movie review than that. :)

As for putting you on Ignore, I won't do it!

It's not my style to simply ignore things that annoy, irritate or puzzle...I'd rather have those things in my face everyday so that I may continue to contemplate them.

The Ignore List is for children. ;)
 

george kaplan

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2001
Messages
13,063
Yes, of course.

And I must say Bill, if you never, ever, do anything that you have no interest in doing, then I can only assume you're not married, and don't have a girlfriend. :)
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,815
Messages
5,123,832
Members
144,184
Latest member
H-508
Recent bookmarks
0
Top