What a coincidence you're talking about Burt Reynolds, because I saw Smokey and the Bandit for the first time in the last few days. It's not the best movie ever, but it's great fun. Burt and Sally Field had great chemistry and the sheriff is a riot.


7/10

From Netflix you can maybe find all those Smokey and the Bandits, I saw those in last year for the first time, we watched every movie every weekend, Reynolds wasn't in the third film anymore 1983, never watched that.

Last night I saw The Longest Day, which was surprisingly good. And an interesting story behind it too since this movie saved Fox from its downfall. Cleopatra was shot that same year and was way over budget. The movie cost 40 million around that time which was amongst the most expensive productions then. The movie did well, but they didn't earn the money back. The Longest Day cost 10 million and received more than it's money back and thus saving Fox from its downfall. Also one of the most expensive black and white films until Schindler's List.

Totally agree. Longest Day is a classic.

I tend to think of Burt Reynolds most well-known film as being Smokey and the Bandit. As you say maybe not the best movie ever, but tremendous fun to watch and that tends to be why I watch films - for fun.

Things like Schindler's List may be technically brilliant films with good story lines and first class acting, but they don't fill me with any yen to see them. I like to watch movies for a bit of fun and escapism not to be hammered under by doom and gloom and killing - you get enough of that in the modern world as it is. Even things like the LOTR trilogy I never got beyond the first film. I went with the ex. To see the first one and it was such a visually dark, depressing movie that I was adamant that I would never see another one.

NB. I don't do Netflix, for one thing, I won't pay the subscription, and the other is a poor internet connection. If I want to see movies I buy DVD's second hand for a quid or two when I spot them in charity shops - far cheaper than a Netflix subscription and we've got quite a good movie collection.

Deliverance is a classic John Boorman film. Reynolds is strong in this one.

Well, I do watch movies to feel depressed. I'd prefer hardcore horror or drama over comedy. I rather have a heavyweight of a film like Schindler's List than a stupid comedy. Even though I practically have everything in my collection and I have about 730-740 dvds. I can enjoy Naked Gun or Hot Shots, but my favorite genre is WWII, action/adventure, horror, thriller, drama and then comedy.

You think The Fellowship of the Ring was dark and depressing? That was only the beginning. The Two Towers is darker. The Fellowship that was still fun and games. The Two Towers was grittier, and Return of the King was going all the way. The Fellowship indeed has a dark opening in that first battle with Sauron, but afterward, it's all light and fun and innocent. They're all a bit a naive in the beginning because they have no idea what they are getting themselves into.

I've seen Deliverance twice, and I didn't like it twice. Don't know why but I just don't like it.

And rightfully so! One of the best war movies ever made, amazing cast, and also terrific production values.

Well, the rape scene is meant to be disturbing, and it is, and it puts off many. But if you can get past that it's really a cinematographic masterpiece with not too many frames out of place. TVO(ntario) made a documentary on it, 20 years after and brought in Ned Beatty to reminisce. Beatty challenged the viewers and asked if they could tell which of the four actors was an experienced paddler. You can tell if you watch the detailed scenes carefully. Nevertheless, Beatty himself almost drowned in the making of it. Couldn't film a film like that today, too many restrictions.

Great article on the filming location:

http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/d/De...ml#.Vz3QdbmFONY



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"Machines are gonna fail. The system's gonna fail. And then—survival."

"They're raping the whole goddamned landscape."

I have no problem with seeing disturbing things like the rape scene but this is just one of those movies where I don't get the feel, you know. I like Wrong Turn, Texas Chainsaw, all the inbred stuff. The funny thing is, Deliverance was one of the first in it's kind of horror movie from the 70's. Couldn't pinpoint it, maybe it were the actors, maybe because like I said, it was the first attempt in doing something like that and it's always a little searching. Though I do like Texas Chainsaw the original. It's a gruesome poster but in the end what's the big deal? The movie is nearly bloodless. It can be lots of things. Maybe too much banjo music in it. An appropriate instrument for where it's set but as an instrument to create suspense music with it, not a good instrument. I remember (Reynolds?) falling of a mountain and than you here that *plengelengeleng* sound.

Sometimes there just is that one movie in the genre you like that just doesn't seem to work out. Like I said I like WWII movies but the ones Clint Eastwood made like Letters From Iwo Jima or Flags from our Fathers didn't seem to do it for me but I can like a lesser known movie. I think in this case Deliverance is one of them, even though a classic.

Eastwood is a great director but his vision is sometimes a little misguided IMO. Guess I'm a sucker for Spielberg's feel-good appeal. Eastwood shows you the reality & sometimes reality sucks to put it straight

I saw the dueling banjos as metaphoric for the conflict that lay ahead, the tempo/speed of the instruments, metaphoric of the river going from calm pools upon entry to the whitewater rapids that waited ahead. So 'played' an important part. It was Burt's 'best film he ever did" and the one that finally gave him "credibility" according to the following interview:

I wasn't talking about the duelling banjo scene, that was good but I meant that the banjo was used in the soundtrack itself during the movie. I don't know, it's an instrument you don't hear often used in suspenseful music mostly happy music. *Plengelengeleng!*

Well, it's perennially in film critics' top 100 list of all-time great movies, so the consensus is that it
works & works very well. And it's Reynolds at his best .... can't beat that.

I also might add that growing up as an adventurous youth in/near wild North America - run-ins with the local country folk are not uncommon. Nothing like what those boys ran into, but country folk often have significant properties that border crown land and, if/when not properly posted, then you often end up doing a little unintentional trespassing. So the scenario is well known and to avoid confrontations if/when possible with the local-yocals.

Of course, the country boys do their own policing of their lands and often with shotgun/rock salt, etc. in hand .... I could tell lots of stories. last year, I was taking some photos out in the country, and this biker type dude stops and asks what the hell I'm doing, and before I could answer, he answered for me - 'your casing my land for deer hunting, aren't you?' And then before I could answer that he said, 'if I see you around here again, there's going to be trouble.' WTF! I saw no posting of property and was taking photos from the roadside .... but country folk are a little different in that respect and can be more touchy-feely about space/property.

The Mask of Zorro. Very nice movie.

The Legend of Zorro. The other one was better.

They really messed up Legend of Zorro. And they took too long to make it. (7 years!)

There is currently a reboot in the process but i'm not liking what I've heard about it so far. Its apparently a futuristic retelling of Zorro.

Yeah, Zorro Reborn. I read something about that too. As I understood three movies were about to be set. One indeed Zorro in the future, than a darker grittier movie in style of Batman Begins involving a retelling and new background and a Zorro/Django Unchained crossover. But it's not very clear where they at now. According to IMDB there is a Zorro movie coming for sure called Z, but it's not clear if it's set in the future. What that concept was concerned it seemed to be in style of Mad Max. However I prefer Zorro on a black horse. But all that talk about Zorro in the future dates back 8 years. Here's an article on that set in the future Zorro from 2013. Funny actually there's already footage while the movie is in writing status. It's probably being rewritten or something. Apparently they've been trying for a very long time and now they're only at the writing stage? Mmm.

http://showbizcafe.com/exclusive-watch-nev...reboot-trailer/
Some indeed wonder why not continue where they left off and have Joaquin De La Vega take on the mask.

Legend of Zorro wasn't that bad but it could've been a lot better and I think it was because Anthony Hopkins wasn't in it (how could he after all?) and the script of the Mask of Zorro was just better as well.

When it comes to iconic characters such as Zorro, staying true to your source material is essential. It is what ultimately made the character known for. Changing that is a first class ticket to trouble. They should go back to the earlier films (1940's) and take notes of how to recreate this franchise.

I don't like the idea of Zorro in the future at all. It makes no sense for me. They should've made a better sequel to Legend of Zorro in the style of the first one. Don't change what works well

More sequels with Banderas en Zeta-Jones were planned but ultimately cancelled probably because Legend of Zorro was less successful. And indeed as I read on the review, the 7 years that passed affected their chemistry on screen.

Also the fact that they've been trying to make it since 2008 and still have nothing to show it for is indeed maybe reason to worry. Bringing characters out of their time of origins never work. Than they become some sort of antihero. Does not work.

I feel sorry for the Zorro franchise. It has always suffered on the big screen adaptions. Perhaps a Mexican director is whats needed. Hombre!

I only know the Martin Campbell movies and of course the tv-show from the 90's with Duncan Regehr.

Those old Zorro movies are legendary. The Mark of Zoro (1940) is a classic and what a choreographed sword fight between Ty & Basil .... No CGI in this one 100% pure, unadulterated acting/action. We used to watch these as kids on the Saturday Morning Movies .... and then act out the sword fight in the backfield with goldenrod/raspberry canes.

The Mark of Zorro (1940) is arguably the best Zorro movie ever made.

Wasn't that a remake of the 1920 movie?

Yup. It was. And it topped it!

Even the remakes were better back than. Now the remakes of the remakes of the originals sucks.

I agree.

In all honesty, every decade has its moments however lately, despite the Marvel / DC Superhero craze, there isn't much to remember the 2000-2010 era except for reboots or continuations.

People say the 50's for example and we say Ben Hur, Singin' in the Rain, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Forbidden Planet
People say the 60's for example and we say Dr. No, Psycho, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Lawrence of Arabia, West Side Story
People say the 70's for example and we say Star Wars, Jaws, Superman, The Godfather, Alien, Halloweeen, Rocky Horror
People say the 80's for example and we say Indiana Jones, Top Gun, Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, Beverly Hills Cop
People say the 90's for example and we say Pulp Fiction, Terminator 2, Forrest Gump, Schindler's List, Titanic, Jurassic Park
People say the 2000's, we say Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, Bourne Identity (Reboot), Batman Begins (Reboot), Avatar
People say the 2010's, we say Gravity, Jurassic World (Reboot), Jungle Book (Reboot), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Reboot), The Help, Ben Hur (Reboot)

Honestly, not so much on the memorable side of classics over the last two decades.

Though a sequel but one that really blew me away was Mad Max Fury Road. That was one that impacted me like Jurassic Park, Titanic, Gladiator and Lord of the Rings.

They're going to reboot Ben Hur? I didn't even like the original.