Back to the Future is the Greatest Film Ever - Discuss

[Dorm Ant]

Which True Grit? The original or the recent remake?

Oh, the original. The remake was more than watchable, but the original was a delight. The girl in it was a role model, when I was growing up. (Although I've ended up more like the laconic, drunken marshal who falls off his horse.)

 

[Ancora Imparo]

Ooh, I forgot that one! It's so clever how it makes you like someone who throws a dog in the bin

Yes! I thought the way the character arcs unfolded was a delight to watch. And instructive.

 

[JohnBertel]

For me, North By Northwest

Have to admit that some of the scenes do go on for quite a long time. And, unfortunately, it also shows that Hitchcock preferred to work in a studio rather than on location.

But...

A simple story premise: a random person is mistaken for the fictive agent invented by an intelligence agency

A great arch: For 3/4 of the story, the main character wants to return to his pleasant bachelor life. Then, when all problems are solved and he is free to go back, he instead chooses to risk his life for the woman he has fallen in love with.

A good structure: for 1/4 of the story we share the main character's confusion. Then we, but not him, is told the backstory, so we go from "What's going on?" to "What will happen to Cary Grant?"

Concentrated Plot: Doesn't spend time on details like how does a microfilm end up in a statue at an auction? And what is actually on this microfilm? Who cares? Instead, it concentrates on the main character — there is only one scene without Cary Grant.

 

[Rachel Caldecott]

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane was great, although probably not one of my all-time favorites. It is in my mind because I'm watching the series, Feud, about Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. (Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange play the divas).
There have been some great movies recently, like Chadwick Boseman's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, for example. Such a loss to the world. He was a remarkable actor.

 

[Jonny]

Film I loved as kid was Captains Courageous from 1937. And before anyone starts - my Dad told me about it and got me to watch it. I have always loved it since and always bawled my eyes out at the end. Bit light on FX and car chases though.

Spencer Tracy and Freddie Bartholomew starred in an adaptation of a Kipling book.

 

[Andy D]

Some WONDERFUL films mentioned: Shawshank, Blade Runner, When Harry Met Sally, Star Wars (the originals, with Empire still possibly the best), Indiana Jones (Raiders and Crusade for me - and yes, Harrison is a beautiful, beautiful man), Ferris Bueller, Ghostbusters, True Grit (actually prefer the Coens version, great book too), North by Northwest… I’d add Rear Window as my favourite Hitchcock, Jaws, Close Encounters, Gross Point Blank, Die Hard, Airplane! there are almost too many to name - but why not keep trying?

However, there can only ever be one that’s truly GREATEST…

 

[Emily]

Keep it lit, @Andy D

 

[Hannah F]

Ah, Airplane. Don't think I've ever laughed so much in my life! Another great funny is The Man with Two Brains.

 

[Dorm Ant]

A couple of questions:

1. If Marty's brother and sister disappear from the photo before he, himself, starts fading away (which reverses when his parents kiss on the dance floor), does that mean that the two of them vanish from the 1985 timeline, while having no clue why, and then return? No comment is ever made on this.

2. If the DeLorien need to hit 88 mph before the flux capacitor activates the time jump, how come Doc is able to do a simple U-turn in the street outside Marty's house and then disappear, while not even going at 30 mph?

 

[Emily]

A couple of questions:

1. If Marty's brother and sister disappear from the photo before he, himself, starts fading away (which reverses when his parents kiss on the dance floor), does that mean that the two of them vanish from the 1985 timeline, while having no clue why, and then return? No comment is ever made on this.

2. If the DeLorien need to hit 88 mph before the flux capacitor activates the time jump, how come Doc is able to do a simple U-turn in the street outside Marty's house and then disappear, while not even going at 30 mph?

It's simply quantum physics + chaos theory + fractals which are driven by recursion and are images of dynamic systems, all bound together in a superb screenplay.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

While I can understand the obsession with BTTF, I'm afraid Princess Bride takes my vote. As Grandpa says, "Are you kidding? Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles!"

@Andy D: I'll try and stay awake ...

But, in all seriousness, Boy is right up there for me. One of those films you watch and think, "What the hell was that?" and you're still thinking about it months later. Taika Waititi has the most amazing skill to capture raw and painful truths in a way that makes you laugh while your heart breaks. Jojo Rabbit (and Hunt for the Wilderpeople) did the same thing, of course, but Boy spoke to me in the same way Ray Bradbury's books do because it evoked a childhood I identify with.

 

[Andy D]

Thanks Robinne, I've never seen Boy! I loved Hunt for the Wilderpeople and What We Do in the Shadows, and Thor: Ragnarok is great too. Princess Bride is, of course, a classic (but still not, y'know...)