The mind truly boggles at the possibility of John Carpenter's Top Gun.
Also speaking of trivia, I love this 100% purloined beauty from imdb:
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Tony Scott was hired to direct on the strength of a commercial he had done for Swedish automaker Saab in the early 1980s, where a Saab 900 turbo is shown racing a Saab 37 Viggen fighter jet.
Mateo Sanboval wrote: ↑Sun Apr 11, 2021 8:17 pm That's a great commercial, Bez. Thanks for digging it up. An 88 Saab 900 was my first car. Fun to drive.It is a great car.
During filming, director Tony Scott wanted to shoot aircraft landing and taking off, back-lit by the sun. During one particular filming sequence, the ship's commanding officer changed the ship's course, thus changing the light. When Scott asked if they could continue on their previous course and speed, he was informed by the commander that it cost US$25,000 (equivalent to $59,000 today) to turn the ship, and to continue on course. Scott wrote the carrier's captain a US$25,000 check so that the ship could be turned and he could continue shooting for another five minutes.
Bezulsqy wrote: ↑Wed Apr 14, 2021 7:49 am @inksbI will say that if, 35 years after it's release and a looooong way now from The Eighties, a not-so-young lad from the Netherlands was pumping his fist? Then Top Gun works.
I understand your point of view regarding Top Gun. I am not a big fan of Cruise because of Cruise, but he has been in a lot of terrific movies. His grin always bugs me but for some reason at some point (and his motorcycle sequences...) but it never leaves a bad taste.
I am also wondering if there is a difference in being from Europe or the US in how a movie like Top Gun comes across. High school in Belgium is very different than from what I have seen in US movies.
The position of the army/navy is also very different here.
I really enjoyed my Top Gun viewing. I had the 4K version with atmos playing loud and that really got me sucked in the dogfighting action. The cheesy testosterone locker room bits didn't bother me at all because it felt more like something that belongs to the eighties than that it was a cliché. The whole romantic bit did annoy me a bit because she wanted to be so careful that nobody knew and before you know it they are all having lunch in a diner and singing tunes.
The Hunger was fantastic and mesmerizing and dreamy and sexy. Loved it a lot. But during Top Gun I was almost fist pumping during a lot of scenes. It felt more exciting than The Hunger. Because of that I am placing it above The Hunger although as @ScoJo said, the movies are so dramatically different from each other.
ScoJo wrote: ↑Wed Apr 14, 2021 9:05 amHear, fucking hear.Bezulsqy wrote: ↑Wed Apr 14, 2021 7:49 am @inksbI will say that if, 35 years after it's release and a looooong way now from The Eighties, a not-so-young lad from the Netherlands was pumping his fist? Then Top Gun works.
I understand your point of view regarding Top Gun. I am not a big fan of Cruise because of Cruise, but he has been in a lot of terrific movies. His grin always bugs me but for some reason at some point (and his motorcycle sequences...) but it never leaves a bad taste.
I am also wondering if there is a difference in being from Europe or the US in how a movie like Top Gun comes across. High school in Belgium is very different than from what I have seen in US movies.
The position of the army/navy is also very different here.
I really enjoyed my Top Gun viewing. I had the 4K version with atmos playing loud and that really got me sucked in the dogfighting action. The cheesy testosterone locker room bits didn't bother me at all because it felt more like something that belongs to the eighties than that it was a cliché. The whole romantic bit did annoy me a bit because she wanted to be so careful that nobody knew and before you know it they are all having lunch in a diner and singing tunes.
The Hunger was fantastic and mesmerizing and dreamy and sexy. Loved it a lot. But during Top Gun I was almost fist pumping during a lot of scenes. It felt more exciting than The Hunger. Because of that I am placing it above The Hunger although as @ScoJo said, the movies are so dramatically different from each other.
ScoJo wrote: ↑Wed Apr 14, 2021 9:05 am I will say that if, 35 years after it's release and a looooong way now from The Eighties, a not-so-young lad from the Netherlands was pumping his fist? Then Top Gun works.I agree, and I think this is great. The film had a huge impact on pop culture. I have no shame in admitting that when I was the young lad back in the 80's, Top Gun was *thee* shit and those dogfighting scenes had me pumping my fist in the air. I also spent some hard-earned coin to hang a large fighter jet poster on my bedroom wall with dreams of being an Air Force pilot one day. When we finally got a Nintendo for Christmas on year, the first game I scored was Top Gun. Those fighter pilot dreams were dashed early in my teenage years when my vision went to shit and computers, skateboarding, and girls became more interesting, but I still have fond memories from that period of my life when anything seemed possible.
ScoJo wrote: ↑Wed Apr 14, 2021 6:20 am One thing that's still crazy, as far as the TS filmmaker journey, is the jump from Hunger to TG in just a couple of years. It's just one of the most blatant hard-rudder course corrects of any director's career in my view. Can't think of anyone else who consciously swerved so dramatically away from slow-burn art house to screaming populism in one move.David Gordon Green has got to be up there. Art house indie > Stoner comedies > Back to the indies but with bigger stars > Heritage horror revivals
zuko wrote: ↑Wed Apr 14, 2021 7:29 pmGreat pull! 100%ScoJo wrote: ↑Wed Apr 14, 2021 6:20 am One thing that's still crazy, as far as the TS filmmaker journey, is the jump from Hunger to TG in just a couple of years. It's just one of the most blatant hard-rudder course corrects of any director's career in my view. Can't think of anyone else who consciously swerved so dramatically away from slow-burn art house to screaming populism in one move.David Gordon Green has got to be up there. Art house indie > Stoner comedies > Back to the indies but with bigger stars > Heritage horror revivals
Hatter313 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 14, 2021 8:40 pm there's definitely a recent trend of indie directors getting critical accolades and the being given big budget projects..unfortunately not always to great success. look at Wingard, Treverrow, etc. BUT the tonal shift from The Hunger to Top Gun is bound to give you whiplash. these aren't even movies that look like they made for the same audience, let alone by the same person, but he's adept at both and interestingly the latter is where he sort of settled. there's range...and then there's the self assurance to play in any sandbox you want.The few times when TS dipped back into slow burn arty-ness and indulged those urges (mostly with Revenge) was again when he came unstuck with the movie not finding it's audience on release - yet going on to become a cult flick.
zuko wrote: ↑Wed Apr 14, 2021 7:29 pmThe one notation I'd add here is that DGG has largely been working with the same group of people since college so the journey has been a collective one, though no less stunningly diverse than Brother Zuko made it out to be.ScoJo wrote: ↑Wed Apr 14, 2021 6:20 am One thing that's still crazy, as far as the TS filmmaker journey, is the jump from Hunger to TG in just a couple of years. It's just one of the most blatant hard-rudder course corrects of any director's career in my view. Can't think of anyone else who consciously swerved so dramatically away from slow-burn art house to screaming populism in one move.David Gordon Green has got to be up there. Art house indie > Stoner comedies > Back to the indies but with bigger stars > Heritage horror revivals
Mateo Sanboval wrote: ↑Thu Apr 15, 2021 2:06 amFor sure, good point. So I guess with more chefs at the table there's bound to be more flavours going on.zuko wrote: ↑Wed Apr 14, 2021 7:29 pmThe one notation I'd add here is that DGG has largely been working with the same group of people since college so the journey has been a collective oneScoJo wrote: ↑Wed Apr 14, 2021 6:20 am One thing that's still crazy, as far as the TS filmmaker journey, is the jump from Hunger to TG in just a couple of years. It's just one of the most blatant hard-rudder course corrects of any director's career in my view. Can't think of anyone else who consciously swerved so dramatically away from slow-burn art house to screaming populism in one move.David Gordon Green has got to be up there. Art house indie > Stoner comedies > Back to the indies but with bigger stars > Heritage horror revivals