best sayles film
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — John Sayles
ATM111287 — 21 years ago(September 15, 2004 02:43 PM)
I was wondering what most of you thought was his best film . My personal favorite is city of hope. I haven't seen all of them so i want to know what y'all think
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twarnock — 21 years ago(September 17, 2004 08:55 AM)
I was terribly frustrated with "LIMBO". To me it was a total waste of my time. It was filmed in Juneau Alaska - I had some relatives in town from Juneau so I purchased the DVD and invited them over for dinner and a movie. Well the damn show was so bad I was embarassed and they were pissed that such trash was filmed in their city!!!
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lllama — 21 years ago(December 11, 2004 09:38 PM)
I think you misunderstood the point. It was a little difficult to watch the movie as it "progressed" nowhere, but "Limbo" was the whole point. You and your friends were watching the movie for action and a clear, black & white resolution. However, the movie was all about grey. The resolution was in the realization of limbo at the end. Sayles gave you the right to decide the ending for yourself, if you needed further resolution.
I also found it a bit frustrating to watch, but when I finally reached the end, I 5b4found myself admiring Sayles. Frustrated? Yes, I wasat first. But after a moment the light dawned and I went "wow."
The movie was art, and if art is not what you're looking for, well, you'd be disappointed. -
britwrit — 21 years ago(January 01, 2005 08:54 AM)
Baby It's You. That was his one movie that really connected with me (and, of course, the one that hasn't come out on DVD yet). He's a great writer/director but sometimes it seems like he's trying to illuminate some socio-economic thesis rather than just tell a gripping story.
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fakegreg — 21 years ago(February 11, 2005 12:13 PM)
My favorite is Lonestar. The way the story slowly unfolds and the way disperate characters meander through the story and come together in unexpected ways shows what a master storyteller Sayles is. He takes what could be totally dry, abstract concepts like multiculturalism in modern Texas and makes them deeply personal.
I also really like the way scenes in the present blur into flashbacks and then come back into the present. Could be gimmicky or showy but here it really serves the story.
Amazing performances in this one - Joe Morton, Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Pena. And Kris Kristoferson has never been better than he was here. -
ejr-4 — 20 years ago(April 17, 2005 05:58 PM)
Lone Star Not only my favorite Sayles film but one of my favorite films, period. Fakegreg said it. The way the story and character histories slowly unfold is terrific. Repeated viewings show off its brilliance even more because once you know the story and charb68acter motives, earlier scenes resonate so much more deeply. A very richly written and textured movie. BTW, watching Sunshine State, another Sayles favorite, I was amazed how much Edie Falco's character talked and acted like Chris Cooper in Lone Star. Watch the scene in which she's talking to her parents on the rear deck of their house. You can't miss the resemblance!
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Ellemeno — 20 years ago(October 06, 2005 11:25 PM)
Lone Star.
I agree with all the positive words here. Excellent performances from the actors with even the smallest parts.
And Edie Falco = Chris Cooper! Yes! But he took better care of himself and had more acceptance of his life.
To dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free
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dg-7 — 20 years ago(August 18, 2005 07:53 AM)
- City of Hope - brilliant, exciting film about different characters in a small town. Devastating.
- LoneStar - great american film. I was in a video store and the clerk told me he thought this film was boring. God. I told this idiot that LoneStar's considered to be one of the great american films of the 1990s
- Passion Fish - hard to not make this number one. Two great female characters.
- Men With Guns - this is a film that grows more powerful the more the story unfolds until the viewer becomes shaken.
- Brother from Another Planet - like Slacker, this fil5b4m takes you on a wild ride. Last thirty minutes is just a wild trip.
- Lianna - great performance by Linda Griffiths. Probably the most underrated of Sayles' films.
- Matewan - what a great-looking film. Fascinating story.
- Limbo - a great film - if you don't think so, you must have movies. The ending is exactly how it should be. I think it's pretty obvious what the ending is suggesting.
- Return of the Secaucus Seven - began the modern independent film movement - a fascinating time capsule
- Sunshine State - not one of my favorite Sayles' films, but an interesting character study.
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jamesbourke59 — 20 years ago(October 11, 2005 07:35 AM)
Two camps of thought here.
John Sayles as a writer, His best movies writtten would have to be:
1] Alligator
2] Piranha
3] The Brother From Another Planet
4] Wild Thing
5] The Howling
6] Eight Men Out
As a director, best movie by far, in terms of content and watchability has to be 'Eight Men Out'
james -
genericimdbid — 20 years ago(January 08, 2006 03:48 PM)
List is of Sayles films I have seen.
- Men With Guns- Very powerful film. True to it's content right down to the casting of actual Indians as characters.
- Matewan- I love the way that this was shot with dark colors and very grainey. It sets the mood.
- Limbo- This film always gets panned, but I don't know why. The characters get developed where I feel like I know them. Perfect ending as well.
- Eight Men Out- For some reason this never really gets mentioned with Sayles' best work. I guess because it was so main stream. If it wasn't so popular, it would be considered one of his best by most people.
- Lone Star- You can really get lost in this film- in a good way.
- Return of the Secaucus 7- Destroys the Big Chill
- City of Hope- Very gritty and true to subject matter.
- Passion Fish- I'm I guy. but I still thought the bond between the two women was very sweet.
- Sunshine State- For some reason I could not get into this film.
- Brother From Another Planet- Too many people give this film too much credit. I love Sayles, but this is not a very good movie. The meaning of the movie is a little bit of a stretch with the content.
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chunba — 20 years ago(January 29, 2006 12:28 AM)
- Passion Fish is one of my all time favorite movies. Such a great sense of locale, interesting characters, and great performances by Mary McDonnell and Alfre Woodard. People who are into plot-driven movies will think I'm crazy, but I didn't want it to end.
- Limbo
- Lone Star
- Matewan
- Men with Guns
- Lianna
- City of Hope
- Casa de los Babies
- Sunshine State
*plus, special mention goes to The Lady In Red (which he wrote) - a great guilty pleasure!
When is he coming out with something new?
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kmn5774 — 20 years ago(February 01, 2006 03:42 PM)
Apparently, "The Carlisle School" is still 'in development' according to Walden Media's(Producers) website: http://www.walden.com/web/teach/carlisle
It was supposed to have started shooting last fall, in Pennsylvania, but I guess the massive success of The Chronicles of Narnia have delayed some schedules.
I hope it starts shooting soon.
Sounds like an interesting story about Jim Thorpe's early days. -
tgladek — 20 years ago(February 14, 2006 08:41 PM)
- Lone Star - My favorite movie. Period. The ending really made me sit back and THINK. I really examined a lot of my beliefs and opinions about fate, destiny, and how we define "truth"
- Men With Guns - This story breaks my heart. I loved that he didn't use English sub-titles.
- Eight Men Out - I'd never heard this story before
- Sneakers - He was so witty and charming with the "World Peace" line
- Limbo - Subtle
- Return of the Secaucus - Wow! So much better than The Big Chill
- City of Hope- Had to watch it a couple of times to really get into it
- Brother From Another Planet - Just for fun
I admire his loyalty to the actors who worked with him on multiple projects, and theirs to him. I think the continuity of those relationships makes his films more nuanced and subtle. They already know each other, know how they work so they don't have to work through all that "getting to know you" nonsense with every film.
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Anasazie — 20 years ago(February 20, 2006 09:26 PM)
On occassion he's been one of the best A-merican film-makers of the last 20 years, although the majority of his conceptions aren't completely successful.
- Men with Guns (1997)
8/10 - Sunshine State (2002)
8/10 - Lone Star (1996)
7.5/10 - The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
7/10 - Matewan (1987)
6/10 - Honeydripper (2007)
6/10 - Passion Fish (1992)
6/10 - City of Hope (1991)
6/10 - Limbo (1999)
5/10 - Silver City (2004)
5/10 - Eight Men Out (1988)
5/10 - Casa de2000 los babys (2003)
4/10
I haven't been very impressed with the most recent ones, a shame because he was a on a good run.
"You must have chaos within you to give birth to a shining star"
- Men with Guns (1997)