FIVE FAVORITE MOVIES by howdyrockerbaby1

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

FIVE FAVORITE MOVIES

POSTED BY: HOWDYROCKERBABY1
UPDATED: Thursday, May 27, 2004 16:05
SHORT URL:
VIEWED: 11228
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Sunday, May 23, 2004 7:32 PM

Hey, i thought it would be cool if we listed our top five favorite movies and then tried to find as many ways they are similar to Firefly as we can.

Mine (in no order)

The Lord of the Rings: (all three) they count as one because they are a trilogy.
similarities: Firefly was cancelled, and J.R.R.Tolkien was kicked out of the catholic church...that counts as a similaty right?

The Princess Bride:
similarities: Mal and the crew are like space pirates and Wesley was the Dread Pirate Roberts.
Wesley promises to always come for Buttercup, like Simon promises to always come for River.

10 Things I Hate About You: (hey, i'm a teenage girl, what can i say?)
similarities: based on the Shakespearian play The Taming of the Shrew and Joss loves Shakespeare.
The first impression of Patrick is that he's a total ass, which is a lot of peoples first impression of Mal.

The Breakfast Club:
similaties: misfits of their school vs. misfits of the universe

Edward Scissorhands:
similaties: Edward was out of place in the world of his love's, just like Mal was out of place in Inara's world

EDIT:after thought and observation i have desided to replace 10 things i hate about you with Moulin Rouge...because i'm an idiot and forgot to put it in and it was late last night when i started this post.

there we go. now you try

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
MAL: This is my scrap of nowhere. You go on and find your own.
SAFFRON: You can't just leave me here, on this
lifeless piece of crap moon...
MAL: Sure I can.
SAFFRON: I'll die.
MAL: Well, as a courtesy, you might start
getting busy on that, cause all this chatter ain't doin' me any kindness.

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Sunday, May 23, 2004 7:45 PM

EBONEZER

Good god, we are quite the crazy obsesed fans arn't we. Ok, these are in no particular order:

Indiana Jones (all three)
Similarities: Ummmmm. Guns. And there's a horse or two in both. And a tank!

Signs
Similarites: Spaceships

Finding Nemo (i know, little kid movie, but its fun!)
Similarities: There is a dentist in Finding Nemo, and the cast of firefly has teeth. Alrighty then, moving right along.

A Knights Tale
Similarities: Alan Tyrdic (Wash) not sure how to spell his last name

Timeline (just finsished watching it so its on my mind. Terrible acting, but you can overlook it because the thing is kind of fun)
Similarities: Ummmm, theres, um, this, uh. Explosions! Things blow up in Timeline, something blows up in OuG (OuG right?)

I wouldn't say that these were my FAVORITE favorite movies (ok, Indiana Jones is and signs is up there, but the others, not so much) just the first ones I could think of.

-----------------------------------

Four out of five dentists reccomend calling Ebo a girl.

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Sunday, May 23, 2004 8:19 PM

SERGEANTX

Fun thread! OK.....

Joe vs. the Volcano
similarities It's about a guy who's basically lost his faith and struggles to discover what's worth living for. It's also filled with odd dialogue that sounds more like Shakespeare than 'Friends'.

Lawrence of Arabia
similarities An insightful character study of a complex and tortured man.

Ghost World
similarities The story of a girl who sees the world differently than her peers.
http://bigempire.com/filthy/ghostworld.html

Little Big Man
similarities A western(?) about a man torn between life in the wild frontier and the burdens of civilization, finding his place in neither. Very funny and very sad.

The Sraight Story
similarities A wonderful movie that moves at its own pace. Not to only was it a G-rated Disney movie directed by David Lynch (yes, the David Lynch) but the original edit of 'Serenity' employed the music from this movie for about half its soundtrack.
http://bigempire.com/filthy/straightstory.html

SergeantX

"Dream a little dream or you can live a little dream. I'd rather live it, cause dreamers always chase but never get it." Aesop Rock

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Sunday, May 23, 2004 8:25 PM

SEVENPERCENT

Let's see, it's hard for me to think of my favorites, because I'm one of those guys who has to categorize everything (fav. comedies have to be separate from dramas, etc.) - But if I had to pick five of my all-time favorites-

Comedy- Snatch- One of the funniest movies of all time- Jason Statham as the good-guy crook that gets in way over his head is fantastic in a Firefly sorta way-

Drama- Fight Club- The guy who wrote the original book, Chuck Palahniuk, is one of my favorite writers (check out his latest, Diary, for a creepifying thriller)- Helena Bonham Carter is vaguely River-esque in her nuttiness, not to mention the ultimate split personality, Tyler Durden (Pitt, Norton)

Sci-Fi- Dark City/Matrix- Before the Matrix, Dark City was the ultimate 'what's real, who is in control' Sci-fi thriller- If you've never seen this movie, you should, and soon- It is probably one of the best movies ever made; it's very reminiscent of the way some of the best Twilight Zones used to be- The Strangers, who perform mind control/personality experiments on the residents of the Dark City are everything the Blue Hands wish they could be- But the Matrix is so great (the first one) it's hard to choose between them-

Classic- Casablanca- Bogey. Bergman. Mal. Inara. Do I need to say any more?

Action- Reservoir Dogs- Great crime movie, and the movie that paved the way for Pulp Fiction- Bunch of criminals, one undercover cop, watch them all stab each other in the back to get to him- And after seeing this film, will you ever think the same way about Steeler's Wheel again? ('stuck in the middle with you')

Honorable mention- Breakfast at Tiffany's (sigh- Audrey Hepburn), O Brother Where Art Thou, Alien, Pulp Fiction, The Usual Suspects (best. crime movie.ever.), Mulan (I'm a sucker for that one)

------------------------------------------
He looked bigger when I couldn't see him.

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Sunday, May 23, 2004 8:57 PM

QUICKSAND

You're all crazy. And it does NOT count as one movie just because it's a trilogy. Because "The Matrix" was awesome and "Return of the Jedi" was a piece of gossal. And you know it.

Fight Club
It's weird comparing movies to a TV show, but I don't have 5 TV shows I like. 'Fight Club' doesn't have a LOT in common with Firefly, other than the fact that it's about people trying to find their place in this world/universe. And both are really well-told stories, that exist in more than one medium. Oh, and flying is a recurring theme in both.

The Princess Bride
Duh.

Heat
This remains one of the best movies I have ever seen, and I never get tired of it. It is epic in scale and emotion, in a way that 'Lord of the Rings' couldn't be, because you KNOW you're watching CGI, and this movie is all real locations, no special effects, not a single sound stage. The characters are real people, each with their own obsessions, each with that which drives them. They're not all perfect, but they move forward, ever forward, the best way they know how. That, to me, makes each of them (and the story) just as real as anything in 'Firefly.'

Miller's Crossing
This movie came out in, what, 1990? Does that make me old? Man,

you. This movie had it all-- stylized dialogue, fast-paced banter, tight plotting and some real gut-wrenching emotion and relationships thrown in there. You know that quote on this site from Joss about, what, make it serious, scary, and then for God's sake, tell a joke? This movie is that, but with less jokes. But it's sneaky, and Joss is sneaky.

Reservoir Dogs
It's very difficult to write a story with so many characters and keep them all separate, in dialogue and in tendencies. 'Firefly' pulls this off, as does 'Reservoir Dogs.' Each character here you can see reflected in the Firefly males... Mal is Mr. White, Simon is Mr. Orange. Jayne I think would be Mr. Pink... if Jayne were 5'8" and a weakling. These are men without the Heart of Serenity, without the women who make them what they are-- Kaylee, Inara, and Zoe. And sure, River too.

___\_o_/___
--------------- (Qs)

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Monday, May 24, 2004 2:29 AM

STICKS

Terminator 2...probaly one of the best if not the best sequel ever.(they had to taint it with the dire T3 rise of the machines)

Fight club...hollywood hated this movie on its release,but in my opion its a modern day classic.

Lilo & stitch ...the most un-disney film ever,brilliant and extremely funny.

Glory....an all star cast morgan freeman,denzel washington etc, a brilliant historical drama with some of the best battle scenes ever filmed.

Halloween...suspence over gore,in what has to be a horror classic. which paved the way for both jason and freddy.

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Monday, May 24, 2004 3:34 AM

CALHOUN

AlIENS -

Similarities - Sci Fi in the future.

The Aliens are soo scary and the marines with their hi-tech weaponry are awesome (Luv the sound of those pulse rifles)

STAR WARS -

Similarities - Sci Fi

Any Sci Fi buff would have to rate Star Wars right up there.

DUNE -

Similarities - Sci Fi

A lot of people didnt like this movie I think it has to do with if you had read the books before seeing the movie.

SHANGHAI NOON -

Similarities - Westerny

I love Jacki Chan and Owen Wilson

MATRIX 1&2 -

Similarities - Sci Fi

Groundbreaking special effects some of the best action scenes ever.

----------------------------------------------

I struggled to remember my favourites movies so I may be back to ammend the list.

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Monday, May 24, 2004 4:03 AM

EST120

Ummm.... in no particular order:

1. The Fifth Element - science fiction, so I guess that makes it similar to Firefly

2. Pirates of the Carribean - Similar to Firefly because the main character (Jack Sparrow) is so in love with his ship and he will do anything for it, just like Mal. All he wants to do is sail.

3. Grosse Pointe Blank - maybe since the main character is kind of a dark personality, kind of like Mal.

4. Pitch Black - another sci fi.

5. Sliding Doors - I am not a woman, but we all have our quirks, right? This movie is not at all related to Firefly.

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Monday, May 24, 2004 4:25 AM

BIKISDAD

Having to think this early in the morning... "Doctor, my brain hurts!" (Monty Python - never mind).

1. Chariots of Fire - My fav movie of all time. It has nothing to do with sci-fi, but the title sounds like it could. The main characters are British and so is Badger, so they must be related...?

2. Moulin Rouge - OK, before you go start calling me a "girly-man" for liking a musical, please note that both Joss and Tim have said that they LOVE this movie. So do I. Now call us all "girly-men". I dare ya.

3. Braveheart - A little (OK, a lot of) death and destruction (just to prove my manhood) - downtrodden Scots outnumbered by the English. They fight back anyway. Browncoats vs. the Alliance!!!!!!

4. Casablanca - Same similarity as mentioned above. Plus, it's a movie that I can watch over and over again, just like Firefly...

5. Tombstone - one of the best westerns ever made. Moral ambiguity and pragmatism as a result of living a tough life on the frontier (or, the Rim, in Firefly speak).

"That'll put marzipan on your pie plate, bingo!"

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Monday, May 24, 2004 4:33 AM

STICKS

tut tut compareing the english with the alliance.

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Monday, May 24, 2004 4:39 AM

BIKISDAD

If the shoe fits...

EDIT: Besides, I have two positive English references above - Monty Python and Chariots of Fire. OK?

"That'll put marzipan on your pie plate, bingo!"

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Monday, May 24, 2004 11:46 AM

MISGUIDED BY VOICES

Okay, my top five films at this moment in time (ask me in 5 minutes, when a different tune is playing and it will change) -

1. Heat - covered above.

2. Almost Famous - Edges out Jerry Maguire as my Cameron Crowe choice. Kate Hudson plays the seductive innocent so well that I defy anyone not to fall for her for the duration of the movie. Very Kaylee.

3. Mr Smith Goes to Washington - the little guy against the corrupt suits, the refusal to lay down and die while there's a breath left in your body.

4. Spiderman - Sam Raimi and co. put my childhood on screen in this one. Its not perfect, but it gets the feel of Spiderman bang on - with great power comes great responsibility. Making the difficult choice even when it hurts - okay, its a fake out, but River's speech in OiS reminds me of this, and is heartbreaking every time.

5. Chasing Amy - best movie about a relationship that can't happen I've seen, and proof that Affleck can act.

"I threw up on your bed"

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Monday, May 24, 2004 12:31 PM

DEBBIEBUK1

Well gosh you've all got my favourites:

Casablanca - doomed love story (Mal & Inara, there's a bit of a class thing in Casablanca too I think)

Terminator 2 - fierce maternal love and how your family are not necessarily those related by blood (the Serenity family)

Pulp fiction - the way Tarantino manages to make all the different stories fit together and even though there are lots of characters you still care about them all, the Firefly writers/ Whedonverse writers are excellent at this.

Matrix - great techy stuff and special effects. Also the few against the strong evil organisation.

O Brother where art thou - great use of classic story elements (I love the guy at the crossroads) and music.

Just had an Alan Tudyk evening as I bought A Knight's tale and 28 days today, have only watched the first which I've seen a few times before (it was on all the planes the year I went to Aus so saw it semiconscious). Good lord the hair and the accent! But great entertainment in a unaffected simple sort of way, bet the critics hated it!

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Monday, May 24, 2004 1:31 PM

MAUGWAI

Ok, I gotta say, SergeantX, Joe Versus the Volcano? Really? The brain cloud and the orange soda conspiracy? Whatever floats your boat, I suppose...

1) The Matrix trilogy - I could analyze the storyline for days without stopping

2) Romeo and Juliet - the newer one is just brilliantly done to bring Shakespeare into modern consciousness

3) Big Fish - a story about story telling, done well, it makes me cry with happiness

4) The Emperor's New Groove - "Yay, I'm a llama again! Oh, wait..."

5) X Men United - In the theater, I actually forgot I was watching a movie until some guy's phone vibrated beside me.

"Dear diary, today I was pompous and my sister

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Monday, May 24, 2004 3:07 PM

EBONEZER

Quote:
Originally posted by maugwai:

3) Big Fish - a story about story telling, done well, it makes me cry with happiness

Oh my god, i love to hate that movie. First off, let me say, i don't cry. Not for movies, not for almost anything else. The first time i saw Big Fish i was on a date and i HAD to cry all through the last part. I tried to be all cool and, "Oh man, i got, um, popcorn in my eye. I'm fine, really." Didn't really work.

The second time i saw the movie i was expecting it, and preparing for it the whole movie, but it still got me.

That is easily one of the greatest movies ever. But I hate it.

-----------------------------------

Four out of five dentists reccomend calling Ebo a girl.

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Monday, May 24, 2004 4:48 PM

RAPTOR

A knights tale. THAT's why alan looked familiar to me whilee watching the FF box set. (i had seen the show on its original run and had seen the movie after but never made the connection)

anyway,

a few of my favs,

Godzilla (98),
similarites.....uh, (cough) moving on...

Tenchi Muyo: In Love,
similarities, not much here either. though there is that family but not by blood thing mentioned earlier (except the whole point of the movie is protecting Tenchi's mom)

Dark city
great movie. the only similarity i can think of may not even apply at all. the final battle in DC is based directly on a anime movie called akira. FF on the other hand, when the previews first aired a number of people at one of the anime forums i go to were saying FF was a rip off of another show called Outlaw Star (ofcourse having not seen the show at this point they were basing this opinion SOLEY on the fact they both have a girl in a box in cryogeneic suspension (and in the same fetal position)). (heh, though i guess i have them to thank for my interest in FF cause it was those annoying threads that made me check out the show in the first place. so, yay for trolls ^_^)

The Lost world: Jurassic Park,
similarites, hmmm... evil corperation maybe?

The Lion King,
shakespearian, very much so.

honorable mentions.

Signs and unbreakable (M. Night is a god), Metropolis (2001-2), dogma, A.I. (only the third time i actually cried with a movie/tv show. the first two being bengi the hunted when i was little and cowboy bebop), The Storm riders, Dragonheart.

Meh, i like too many movies

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Monday, May 24, 2004 4:48 PM

RAPTOR

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Monday, May 24, 2004 5:16 PM

JADEHAND

Well, many of my favourites have already been mentioned here, and I have too many movies that I really enjoy to narrow to 5. Attempting:

1) The Usual Suspects. Similarities: The main characters aren't exactly on the right side of the law : ) but you love 'em anyway and rejoice when they get one over on 'the man'. and great story telling.

2) Fight Club. Similarities: see above and throw in some *cough* mild insanites.

3) Gross Pointe Blank. see above. (starting to sense a theme)*Moral Flexability*

4) Sixth Sense. Not too much in common with Firefly, but shares great story telling and twists that make the set up for the twist worth watching the movie again for.

5) Seven. see above

Wow I would have thought Star Wars (4-6) would have made it. *shrugs*

Sticking to theme, honourable mentions go to: The Game, Conspiracy Theory, Mystery Men (it's just Hi-Larious), X-men (both), The Crow (1st one only), and American History X.
Almost forgot: Evil Dead III: Army of Darkness, 12 Monkeys, Fifth Element, Fallen, Contact

Visit WWW.Marillion.Com for a better way to live

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Monday, May 24, 2004 5:54 PM

ORANGERFUL

You would pick favorites among your children!!!

okay, that's always my first response when someone asks me a top 5 kinda question.

I'm a child of the 80s, so I'm a Lucas/Spielberg worshipper all the way. That being said, my top 5 in no particular order, and their relation to Firefly-

Star Wars (Original aka GOOD trilogy) - taught me that scoundrels are always the hottest men in the 'verse and girls that hold their own rock.

Indiana Jones movies - adventure with a sense of humor

LOTR, probably leaning towards Two Towers as most watched - lots of action and plot twists and one character that babbles things that appear nonsensical at the time, but prove important later.

gosh this is much harder than I thought!

Zoolander is my current fave comedy, poking fun at the modeling industry, same way Joss & Co. like to poke fun at most things

Memento & Fight Club - 2 messed up movies that suck you in with characters that are more than meet the eye.

Honorable Mention -
Dark City, one of the best modern sci-fi films.
Kill Bill 1&2, since they were meant to be one movie, amazing mix of action and storytelling!
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - okay, I like non-linear, very "OiS" kinda stories. Wish my brain could write that way.

K, done now.

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Monday, May 24, 2004 6:32 PM

CAGEYBEE

ooo, movies. i love movies. i'm accidentally forgoing the comparason thing, ok? ok

1. memento- my mind is still bending

2. ocean's 11- its so much fun.

3. la confidential- i may be a closet guy pearce-aholic (see #1), though if anyone mentions the time machine remake, i will vehmently deny any association with that actor.

4. amelie- it never fails to make me smile.

5. finding nemo- its so grand and so small, at the same time

honorable mentions- indiana jones series, the lion king, pulp fiction, fargo, kill bill 1&2, 21 grams, and signs.

me

~Mal- "how drunk was i last night?"
~Jayne- "i don't know. i passed out."

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Monday, May 24, 2004 6:45 PM

SUCCATASH

1. Cannibal the Musical
A desperate group tries to survive as they sing their way across the Rocky Mountains. Also, some flesh eating.

2. Brain Candy - Hard to think of a similarity with Firefly. Oh I know - Canada and Nathon Fillion!

3. Empire Strikes Back
I love Star Wars, even the new movies. I'm eager for Birth of an Empire and I'd welcome Star Wars live-action TV series.

4. Big Trouble in Little China
More similar to the Buffy/Angel verse than Firefly. I wonder if anyone who made this movie ended up working with Joss.

5. The Muppet Movie
I'm not kidding, this is a great movie. Loads of similarities to Firefly.

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Tuesday, May 25, 2004 12:33 AM

FRED1988

Only five? Oy. In random order

Lawrence of Arabia... similarities... has good-looking leading men?

Monty Python and the Holy Grail... has a group on a quest?

Two Mules for Sister Sara... has a lady of questionable repute and it takes place in hot, dusty locales?

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon... has Chinese?

Fantasia... has images and music that together are greater than the sum of their parts?

Others... Where Eagles Dare; Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns; Bladerunner; The Maltese Falcon; Buckaroo Banzai; X-Men; The Lion in Winter; Chicago

Unique, but Vague

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Tuesday, May 25, 2004 5:16 AM

CYBERSNARK

I agree with 'Tash about the Muppet Movie. Everything I need to know about life, I learned from the Muppets.

My random Top 5 Of The Moment:

DragonHeart: One of my two "realistic dragon" movies that I use as a basis of my own storytelling. Similarities to Firefly: Sir Bowen is a knight whose loyalty to the Code keeps him fighting a battle that ended long ago --just like Mal and the Browncoat/Alliance war. Also, Book and Draco would have the most fascinating conversations.

Spirited Away: Hayao Miyazaki is a god. Also, the other "realistic dragon" movie, for Haku's shape-shifting. Chihiru/Sen is like an inversion of River; a normal, innocent girl trapped in this surreal wonderland.

The Matrix Trilogy: A tiny rebellion of Lucids, fighting a war against an overwhelming foe that, it turns out, has been manipulating their every move all along. Smith ends up as the "hero" of the story, who changes his & Neo's destiny. Also, remember River's little comment to Mal in OoG:

Quote:
"Am I dreaming?"
"We all are."

River isn't insane. She's a Lucid.

Star Wars: Having immersed myself in the EU since the early 90s (Heir to the Empire was one of the first SW books I read), my perspective of the whole phenomenon is kinda unusual. There's a surprising amount of moral ambiguity there (the Empire is not Absolute Evil, nor is the Rebellion/Republic unassailably good). I'm half hoping that, when/if the Unification War does restart, and Mal tears down the Alliance, that the Independent Systems will end up having the same problems as the Alliance, just with a new name.

Galaxy Quest: The greatest Star Trek movie ever. Ridiculous tongue-in-cheek humour, tied to an actual serious plot (this is where a lot of parodies go wrong). Plus, as for "Trekkie" behaviour, it's just so damned accurate.

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Tuesday, May 25, 2004 6:06 AM

ARAWAEN

Mine don't have a lot of similarities, maybe outside of strong character development.

1. Brazil
2. Cyrano de Bergerac
3. Limbo
4. Fight Club
5. Rashamon

Quote:
Originally posted by howdyrockerbaby1:

J.R.R.Tolkien was kicked out of the catholic church...

I have got to ask where you got this from. I have read quite a bit about Tolkien and this is news to me.

Arawaen

Um, I'm lost. Uh, I'm Angry. And I'm Armed.

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Tuesday, May 25, 2004 6:07 AM

MILORADELL

Hmmmmmmmm - ok, here goes

Serenity - annnticccipationnnnn!

Amelie - love it, love it, love it!

Grosse Point Blank - sigh....AWESOME MOVIE!

LoTR (all 3) - they're so pretty!

Escape from LA - I adore this movie! I even like it more than the first one, believe it or not! The end ROCKS!!

(edit)
I forgot Ghost Dog! I saw this movie years ago, and I'm still thinking about it...

So many, many more....

****
“By definition, a government has no conscience. Sometimes it has a policy, but nothing more.“ Albert Camus

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Tuesday, May 25, 2004 6:15 AM

MRSMACK

1. Star Wars
2. Two Towers Extended Version
3. The Three Musketeers starring Gene Kelly
4. Against All Flags starring Errol Flynn
5. I don't buy Kisses Anymore. A small indy film starring Nia Peebles and Jason Alexander.

I'm a movie buff so I love a lot of Movies. Five just isn't enough.

6. Twister
7. Notting Hill
8. CasaBlanca
9. Psycho
10. Tombstone

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Tuesday, May 25, 2004 11:54 AM

MISGUIDED BY VOICES

Quote:
Originally posted by Succatash:

Brain Candy - Hard to think of a similarity with Firefly. Oh I know - Canada and Nathon Fillion!

If its the Kids in the Hall Movie, you're forgetting the pepperpot angle with Mal and his bonnet....

"I threw up on your bed"

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Tuesday, May 25, 2004 1:07 PM

FILMGODDESS

Five favorite movies. How does one narrow them down to five. Oh well here goes.

1) Empire Strikes Back is obviously the best Star Wars film and maybe the best Sci-fi film of all time. The story arch is this film is brilliant. It defies all elements of a typical story arch. The big battle scene is at the beginning instead of the end. It does not end happily. Which in the world of Hollywood is a big no no. We lose one of the main characters, Han (true only for a time) But it does follow the Greek way of story telling with the addition of Darth Vader as Luke's father.

2) Return of the King. If I were to have to choose one film from the LOTR trilogy it would have to be ROTK. Every moment is given weight by what needs to accomplished. Theres a reason for everything in this film. Not to mention the emotion this film has. As my screenwriting professor says every scene must have emotion or you will lose the audience.

3) American Beauty. There as never been a movie as honest as this film. When most movies talk about the "American way" they neglect to mention the bad things. Like divorce, murder, death, etc... American Beauty hits these right on the head and never apologizes for it. Brilliant!

4) The Godfather. This movie while most think it's about the mob, really it's about Family and what we would do to keep it intact. Michael ends up the don of the family even though he and his father never wanted him to be a part of the business. We do things all the time for others that we don't want. Michael makes the ultimate sacrifice for his father. He gives up his future and becomes the don.

5) Fight Club. This film totally caught me by surprise which is a hard thing to do. I'm not saying I'm the film-know-all, but I've seen alot of movies and I can usually tell you what's coming next. Not to mention the dialog in this film is fantastic. "F**k Martha Stewart."

*some honorable metions are...

Clue, Snatch, Sixth Sense, The General (A Buster Keaton film), Chasing Amy, The 1st and last Indiana Jones, X2, and the list goes on and on...

Told you I could narrow them down to 5.

"You can't take the sky from me."

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Tuesday, May 25, 2004 2:24 PM

RAPTOR

Quote:
Originally posted by filmgoddess:
Five favorite movies. How does one narrow them down to five. Oh well here goes.

1) Empire Strikes Back is obviously the best Star Wars film and maybe the best Sci-fi film of all time. The story arch is this film is brilliant. It defies all elements of a typical story arch. The big battle scene is at the beginning instead of the end. It does not end happily. Which in the world of Hollywood is a big no no.

i don't know. from my perspective it seems that all hollywood can do now is make movies with not so happy endings and the critics are eating it up.

even big ones like X2 and spiderman.

i mean look at some of the movies that critics have been going on and on about for years, moulin rouge, unbreakable and the sixth sence, crouching tiger hidden dragon, titanic, fargo, just to name a few. most (including many i'm forgetting) feature one or more of the main characters dying at the end and/or a not so happy ending.

actually, in my mind the twist/sad/mind **** endings are the cliche and the actual happy endings where everything is all wrapped up and the good guys win with no regrets are scarce.

maybe its just the movies/tv shows i've been watching @_@

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Tuesday, May 25, 2004 2:24 PM

RAPTOR

Quote:
Originally posted by filmgoddess:
Five favorite movies. How does one narrow them down to five. Oh well here goes.

1) Empire Strikes Back is obviously the best Star Wars film and maybe the best Sci-fi film of all time. The story arch is this film is brilliant. It defies all elements of a typical story arch. The big battle scene is at the beginning instead of the end. It does not end happily. Which in the world of Hollywood is a big no no.

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Tuesday, May 25, 2004 4:11 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

Ok, I'll play....

Completely in no particular order:

Fellowship of the Ring(sorry, I count them as 3 seperate movies)
Similarity: A band of 9 set out on a impossible adventure against all odds. Hey, 9 in both, imagine that!

Jurassic Park
Similarity: Easy. Mad scientist go tampering w/ natures wonders and ....oh dear, what did they create! ( Dinosaurs = River ) Ok, it's a stretch.
Rear Window
Similarity: A cross section of society becomes intertwined in each others lives, despite keeping big secrets from the outside world.

Caddyshack
Similarity: Danny Noonan is a caddy at 'Bushwood' Country Club. There's the episode of Firefly titled...'Bushwhacked' Damn close enough in my book. Ok, both have a priest? Happy?

Patton
Similarity: Gen. Patton- fought in a great war,and won. Mal and Zoe - fought in a great war, and lost. But they DID all fight in a war. ( And both wore those same cool WW2 US helments)

" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "

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Tuesday, May 25, 2004 7:05 PM

SANMI

well i am a very big movie person sooooo

willow

moulin rouge

hook

girl with pearl earring

a knights tale

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Tuesday, May 25, 2004 7:07 PM

SANMI

oh and LADYHAWLK

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Tuesday, May 25, 2004 11:13 PM

WHEDONESQUE

In my mind, 'favorite movie' can mean many different things. I have seen tons of great movies over the years, but the ones that have affected me long-term or that I return to over and over include...

Amelie
Strictly Ballroom
American Beauty
Dead Man Walking
Fletch

Okay, there is no way I can stop at five!

Romeo and Juliet (with Leo and Claire)
Chicago
Memento
Groundhog Day
Moulin Rouge
Dead Poet Society
Schindler's List
The Emperor's New Groove
The Breakfast Club

Oh God, somebody stop me!

You know, I really hate these lists. I'm gonna spend the next week thinking of films I should have listed also/instead of. (gosh, Whed', noone MADE you reply to this thread) Despite that, I want to thank 'baby for starting it. I have already added another 8 movies to my netflix rental queue based on your recommendations. Thanks, all.

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Wednesday, May 26, 2004 4:04 AM

BIKISDAD

I'd like to second Whedonesque's "Thanks". You have all brought to my mind movies that I would either like to rent or buy the dvd. You Firefly fans have good taste. Of course, that kind of just goes with being a Firefly fan...

"That'll put marzipan on your pie plate, bingo!"

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Wednesday, May 26, 2004 4:42 AM

BENDIS

My favorites in no particular order are:

Conan the Barbarian

Blackhawk Down

Spaceballs

Blade Runner

Big Trouble in Little China

----------
"We're not gonna die. We can't die, Bendis.
You know why? Because we are so very pretty. We are just too pretty for God to let us die. Huh? Look at that chiseled jaw."

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Wednesday, May 26, 2004 9:26 AM

SPLIBERTARIAN

Ok, top five in no particular order:

Babe - I adore Farmer Hoggett's quiet confidence and ultimate triumph when everyone else thinks he's lost it. We rented this movie in college as a joke, and, well, now I've listed it in my top five. Similarities to Firefly: Umm...no aliens.

Office Space - Cubicle humor dead on. Ron Livingston examining his life, then taking control (or, losing it). Similarities to Firefly: Funny, funny, funny.

Pink Floyd: The Wall - Movie poetry, not prose. Good music and a tortured soul. Similarities to Firefly: Vera.

The Sound of Music - Well, I'm a sucker for a musical, but it's about love and song opening a man up to his family again after loss. I always choke up when Captain von Trapp sings Edelwiess at the concert and his voice chokes off. Maria joins in, and soon the entire audience is singing of their love for Austria in defiance of the Nazis in the front row. Similarities to Firefly: Losing home to a totalitarian regime.

Gladiator - "The General who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an empire." Russell Crowe. Need I say more? Similarities to Firefly: Fighting for your life.

Seconds go to:
Lawrence of Arabia
Brazil
O' Brother Where Art Thou
The Princess Bride
Fight Club

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Wednesday, May 26, 2004 12:05 PM

IAMJACKSUSERNAME

Well, I'm all right. - Mal

5? Have yall seen the deleted scene in High fidelity? Okay, I promise not to edit this post later :).

1 Fight club My all time favorite film, but I'm not allowed to talk about it.

2 Gandhi The scene with Martin Sheen not being able to look, *shivers*. While I disagree with Gandhi's religous views, I don't think I know of a better human being. Not much related to Firefly I can think of.

3 Reservoir dogs My favorite until I saw Fight club. Like Firefly, has a bunch of bad people, some of whom have a strange sense of honor. While I don't like Jayne, I really like Mr. Blonde.

4 Memento I can't remember if there's some Firefly similarities.

5 Gattaca An underrated SF film, which I think is better than 2001 and Close encouters of the 3rd kind. Firefly has some SF touches.

I'm a movie junkie, so gotta mention others seen above I really liked: Fellowship of the ring, The princess bride, Dark city, The matrix, T2, Glory, The fifth element, Grosse Pointe Blank, Braveheart, Mr Smith goes to Washington, Chasing Amy, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, American history X, 12 monkeys, Contact, Aliens, LA confidential, Dead poets society, and Groundhog day.

Someone mentioned Moulin rouge!, which is the only film I've ever rated below 3/10 on imdb.

Hey, I've got my imdb voting page open, so some English language films I didn't see mentioned: City Hall, Dances with wolves, The big blue, Francesco, Good Will Hunting, The Hurricane, Modern times, Regarding Henry, The shawshank redemption, Snow falling on cedars, The Terminator.
--
I am Jack's username
FTL in Firefly? < http://jack.p5.org.uk/ftl-firefly.en.html>
Support our serial killers.

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Wednesday, May 26, 2004 2:46 PM

SHADOWVESSEL

You know, it's times like these you realize you watch entirely too much TV. I've got a huge DVD collection and an even larger "List of..." with my future DVD's. Here goes, though. I'm surprised I haven't seen a couple of these on the list.

Aliens: The Special Edition
Simularities: It's got that gritty, real feel to it, you know?

X2
Simularities: Ensemble cast and also resembles The Empire Strikes Back. Not to mention Joss' involvement with X-men now.

Highlander(The original, not the crappy rest of the franchise)
Simularities: ...uh...there was a drunken sword duel in which Conner was stabbed numerously, just like Mal.

Mallrats
Simularities: Kevin Smith is one of the coolest dialogue writers there is and this one wasn't as popular as the rest of his work. Kind of like Joss and Firefly.

Out Cold
Simularities: These guys were hi-larious when it came down to their drinking, just like Mal and Jayne.

I could probably name off another twenty flicks easy, but since my posts keep doubling, I won't.

(Gorramn Double Post)

"I'll be in my bunk."

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Wednesday, May 26, 2004 2:46 PM

SHADOWVESSEL

"I'll be in my bunk."

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Wednesday, May 26, 2004 9:27 PM

SANMI

just a few more

FAR AND AWAY(one of the greatest romance of all time)

spaceballs

moll flanders

titan A.E(joss whedon)

peter pan (2003)

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Thursday, May 27, 2004 7:53 AM

BADGERSHAT

Quote:
Originally posted by SevenPercent:

Sci-Fi- Dark City/Matrix- Before the Matrix, Dark City was the ultimate 'what's real, who is in control' Sci-fi thriller- If you've never seen this movie, you should, and soon- It is probably one of the best movies ever made; it's very reminiscent of the way some of the best Twilight Zones used to be- The Strangers, who perform mind control/personality experiments on the residents of the Dark City are everything the Blue Hands wish they could be- But the Matrix is so great (the first one) it's hard to choose between them-

Dude, I really thought for a while that I was the only person on Earth-That-Is who totally loved Dark City!

And as for the "Who's in control" movie genre--I'll go back even further, to the dreaded Mouse, and list... "Tron"

--Jefé The Hat

***************************
"I like smackin 'em"--Jayne

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Thursday, May 27, 2004 10:16 AM

NUR

drum roll please......(in no particular order)

Princess Bride Jayne and Fezzik are very similar, and Badger IS Vizzini.

Captain Blood (starring Erol Flynn) A man, his love for his ship and crew, and romantic tension that both will deny...hmmm

Finding Nemo Simon as Marlin searching for River as Nemo.

...and because they're just soo damn great but you really have to strech for a Firefly reference:

The Last of the Mohicans(starring Daniel Day Lewis) Horses and guns and fighting the establishment just wanting to live your life and two siblings one protective, one a delicate little girl and a very uptight man that has to learn to get along when out in the wild (black)and a Book-esque figure in Chingatchkook and maybe its a little more like Firefly that I'd origionally thought...interesting

Dirty Pretty ThingsBoth have a very multicultural cast (yeah, this one is weak but my righteous anger that Fox cancelled Firefly is VERY similar to my anger that Sofia Coppola's little translation movie beat the genius of Dirty Pretty Things in the Oscars)

********

WOO! Other Dark City fans! I'd never imagined that it was so popular but I'm glad that it is. Similar to Firefly in the evil scientists messing with people's head and their very own Alliance populated completely by Shinzon of Remus clones.

http://www.thecherryorchard.net

Those who restrain desire, do so because thiers is weak enough to be restrained.
-William Blake

O my Lord! bestow wisdom on me, and join me with the righteous.
-Qur'an 26:83

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Thursday, May 27, 2004 12:57 PM

BUDGIE

1. Bladerunner...Dark oppressive future with overtones of hope and individuality. Besides there is no better SCI FI movie in all time its so far ahead of its time it still hasnt dated any.

2. Akira...Again a dark future where character is more important that technology. Also major link to Psi phenomena.

3. Dune...Struggling to stay hidden from the Harkonnens & the Empire is like hiding from the Alliance. But the film is mediocre compared to the TV series, which is again mediocre compared to the books.If you ever want to read an Epic read all 12 books.

4. Gattaca..Again the battle for individuality vs the state.

5. Star Wars...For the Empire similiarity to the Alliance, but mainly for the humourous stuff.

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Thursday, May 27, 2004 12:57 PM

LENNIER

I've never liked to 'rate' my favourite movies, so instead I'll give my 'art' list; and indeed on the deepest level of my soul and intellect these are truly my favourites. They're the ones that will 'stay'.

In NO particular order, and with MANY other films that could stand side-by-side with this list:

Best films of all time:
2001: A Space Odyssey (or Barry Lyndon or EWS)
similarity: a different way of looking at the future, with a certain amount of irony ...also ideas about how the past translates into the future
Three Colours: Blue/White/Red
similarity: awesome cinematography/shot-contstruction. also the realism.
High and Low (or Ikiru) (by Kurosawa)
similarity: um... this is hard! um, it's really good, just like Firefly? actually, the contrast between high and low styles of filmaking, and styles of storytelling, and also high and low parts of society, the elite and the criminal.
Andrei Rublev (or Mirror) (by Tarkovsky)
similarity: a sense of realism and giving lots of time to 'small' moments, and an exploration of the meaning of physical space ...of course, joss didn't get to explore it nearly as far as he would have liked to, and I doubt he would ever have taken it to this extreme. Rublev also happens to be about what history means to us, and explores that thought abstractly, as firefly does.
Citizen Kane
similarity: um... "what defines a man"? never mind... *g*
(Ghost in the Shell)
(Lost Highway or Fire Walk With Me)

In the last 5 years:
The Nature of Nicholas
Heaven
Yi Yi
The Straight Story similarity: travelling onwards for its own sake ...except he actually has a destination!
Waking Life
("The Body") similarity: joss!!
(Atanarjuat) this one has an interesting clash of a deeply 'historical' story with a modern filmaking docu-look and storytelling style.
(Memento)

In the last year:
Dolls (Kitano Takeshi)
Spider (Cronenberg)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
21 Grams
Kill Bill self aware humour *g*
(Girl with a Pearl Earing)

And just for fun, ok, here are a few of my favourite 'entertainment' films (though some of these are also fairly heavy works of art): Aliens, The Matrix, The Blair Witch Project, Chicago, Minority Report, Princess Mononoke, Empire Strikes Back, Attack of the Clones, X2, Amelie, Run Lola Run, Crouching Tiger.

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Thursday, May 27, 2004 2:13 PM

Ooh, it's hard. It's hard, it's hard, it's hard.

Hard.

Okay, in no particular order:

How about Back To The Future? Fantastic film in which the science plays second fiddle to the story (much like Firefly). Plus, it links to Part 3 which has horses and revolvers and Marty McFly in a ridiculously gaudy cowboy costume...lol...

Right. Well, gotta have The Matrix (interesting, because it's third third installment is on my Top Five Worst Films, whilst BttF 3 was almost in this list...). But The Matrix was just so influential and fun, with dialogue that stopped and made you think just a little bit. But it's not as clever as everyone makes out.

Um. It's too hard. Star Wars, I guess, because it's such a fun film. It'd have to be A New Hope; Empire is cool, but is too dark (yes, I know that's what's cool, but ANH seems purer, somehow), and Jedi got a bit crappy with all those fuzzie-wuzzies. But the space fight/lightsaber fight was cool. But no, A New Hope. That's the third one.

Ooh, Lion King. My favourite, favourite, favourite Disney film. When Mufasa dies! Sadness. I'm a nasty, cynical old Brit, but that moment truly moves me. Ooh, weepy. The rest of it is funny and cool and just amazing to watch.

Ooh, can I count Winnie the Pooh as a film? No? But they were meant to be a film, you can get it as one big-oh alright.

Lord of the Rings? If it was going to be an LotR film, it'd be Fellowship; I just love it more than the others. I don't know why. Maybe because it has Boromir in it, who's the best of the nine fellowship characters. Or maybe it's that there's only one story, really; the others are more fragmented. I don't know, but it's beautiful and cool and I love it.

I guess that's five. The similarities? Oh, yeah, forgot about them. Well, The Matrix has guns, Star Wars has space ships, Lion King has...um...I'll get back to you on that one. Fellowship has the nine characters, that's been mentioned. All pretty tenuous but, well, Firefly doesn't seem to be similar to anything, really. Which is why I love it, I guess.

I just know I'm going to hit the 'post' button and think of seventy more films that should be in my top five...

JK

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Thursday, May 27, 2004 2:39 PM

VELOXI

Hi there, guys. :) I'm a new fan, but wanted to throw my favorite five movies into the mix. :) In no particular order:

Office Space
Horatio Hornblower (The Entire Series)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Airplane!
Glory

Thanks. :)

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Thursday, May 27, 2004 3:21 PM

SHADOWVESSEL

Yes, back again because I feel there are some that haven't made the list that deserve to.

Also a big Dark City fan who's turned a few people on to it. You hook 'em with, "It's the pre-Matrix/Anime/Crow amalgam." Which brings me to my first movie not on the list:

The Crow
Simularities: The spirits of vengeance and gunplay are high here. That's all I can think of.

The Prophecy
Simularities: "Men" of great power chasing a young girl.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Simularities: Eh, not much here either, I'm afraid. These movies are mainly here because they rock. Hey, that's what they've got in common with Firefly!

Leon: The Professional
Simularities: Hard nosed killer taking in young girl and helping her.

Independence Day
Simularities: This one's kind of the anti-Firefly, being how the coming together was a good thing. But it was epic, ensembled, and kick-ass sci-fi action. Can't remember now if this one was already on the list or not. Oh well.

So there you have it.

(Gorramn Double Post)

"I'll be in my bunk."

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Thursday, May 27, 2004 3:21 PM

SHADOWVESSEL

"I'll be in my bunk."

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Thursday, May 27, 2004 4:05 PM

GRACEOM

1. Last of the Mohicans - lots of action and high romance

2. The African Queen - action, offbeat romance

3. Blade Runner - action, romance

4. GATTACA - the whole (a human being) is greater than the sum of its parts (DNA). Also has some action and romance

5. The Piano - not so much action, romance

Common threads among these films and shared with "Firefly"? Um...action *and* romance, but also stuff to think about. Great music. Characters who don't fit in with societal expectations. And great performers to make it all come alive.

Grace

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