CHUD.com Community › Forums › THE MAIN SEWER › Movie Miscellany › The films of Danny Boyle...
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

The films of Danny Boyle...

Poll Results: Favorite Boyle theatrical film?

 
  • 0% (0)
    Shallow Grave
  • 9% (2)
    A Life Less Ordinary
  • 4% (1)
    The Beach
  • 28% (6)
    28 Days Later...
  • 0% (0)
    Millions
  • 19% (4)
    Sunshine
  • 14% (3)
    Slumdog Millionaire
  • 23% (5)
    127 Hours
21 Total Votes  
post #1 of 19
4/4/11 at 5:18am
Thread Starter 

You may notice a GLARING omission on my poll. I'm simply not including Trainspotting because I feel it's pretty-much regarded as his best/fan-favorite film(it's mine as well), and I feel the results would be more interesting if we went for second favorite.

 

 

I won't say the man can do no wrong(A Life Less Ordinary is a mess), but he's quickly becoming one of my favorites. He's also on a pretty fantastic run right now, and five for five in my book. I wasn't expecting much of anything from 127 Hours, Millions or Slumdog, and ended up loving all three.

 

He's made some flawed films, for sure. Sunshine's notorious third act(I've warmed to it, other than the "Pennbakker effect"), the Beach(I'm one of it's few defenders, it seems. Never read the book though), 28 Days Later when the military pops into the picture(which works for me just fine), etc. But Boyle overcomes these things with a wonderful sense of energy and pacing, a great variety in subject matter, some wonderfully inventive camerawork, (usually)solid scripts, and great work from his actors. Oh, and his music choices are usually pretty fantastic.

 

How are his made for TV movies? Anyone seen them? I don't know the story behind it but I figured he was in "director jail"(unfairly) after the one-two punch of A Life Less Ordinary and the Beach.

 

Try to spoilertext some 127 Hours stuff. Despite it being based on a somewhat well-known true story, I'm sure a lot of people have yet to see it(you should!).

Reply
post #2 of 19
4/4/11 at 5:23am

I voted 28 days later... Apart from the fact that it was instrumental in bringing back Zombies, it was Boyle's first crack at a horror flick and he nailed it. It was also the first time I really started understanding the potential of shooting digital.

 

A shame you didn't add Trainspotting - I still would have voted 28 Days. In fact, I'm sure the results would've surprised us.

 

Great poll though, even though he's won an Oscar, Boyle remains a criminally underrated director. I can't think of many people who have taken on so many different genres successfully.

Reply
post #3 of 19
4/4/11 at 5:40am
Thread Starter 

Yeah I was tempted to throw Trainspotting back into the mix after I posted initially, but kind of glad I didn't. There's now an option for multiple choice, but I have no idea how well it works.

Reply
post #4 of 19
4/4/11 at 5:42am

As a genre fan I couldn't not vote for 28 Days Later. Even if I think that Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours are objectively just as good, 28 Days Later is the sentimental favorite. Of course were it not for the epic ball dropping in Sunshine it would have been far ahead of anything Boyle ever made. Even Trainspotting.

Reply
post #5 of 19
4/4/11 at 5:57am

127 HOURS for me. It's the first film of his that I've outright loved.

Reply
post #6 of 19
4/4/11 at 7:03am

Really liked Slumdog Millionaire, but LOVED LOVED LOVED 127 Hours.

Reply
post #7 of 19
4/4/11 at 7:56am

On a side note, saw Boyle's stage production of Frankenstein broadcast in the theatre last week, with Johnny Lee Miller as the poor constructed fellow and Benedict Cumberbatch as the Doctor...Pretty amazing stuff.  They alternate the roles with each performance. Try to check it out if it's in your neck of the woods.

 

http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/52955/venues-amp-booking/uk-venues.html

Reply
post #8 of 19
4/4/11 at 8:59am

A Life Less Ordinary. Is it a mess? Yeah, sure, but it feels like a mess only Boyle could make. An effusively positive, recklessly creative, but ultimately good-natured gonzo love story. I love McGregor and Diaz together, in fact, though I've not come to dislike Diaz as much as some other people have, this was back when I considered her a welcome presence in a film. Lindo and Hunter (especially Hunter) are great as well.

 

Edit: I love Slumdog Millionaire, but ALLO is something I'd watch more frequently and I have a stupid, puppy dog love for it, though SM is ultimately the better constructed film. I don't too much care for 28 Days Later and have not seen 127 Hours just yet.

Reply
post #9 of 19
4/4/11 at 9:01am
Thread Starter 

 

     Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew Merriweather View Post

127 HOURS for me. It's the first film of his that I've outright loved.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by DJ Dylan View Post

Really liked Slumdog Millionaire, but LOVED LOVED LOVED 127 Hours.

Yeah I can't get it out of my head. Great movie. I am seriously kicking myself for not watching it in theaters, due in part to subject matter that didn't interest me, and not caring for Franco's acting(other than comedy stuff). He's totally great in it.

 

I still have no idea what to vote for, which is sad considering I was going to post this thread last week.
 

 

 

Reply
post #10 of 19
4/4/11 at 9:36am

I'm in a strange place with 127 Hours.  It's not that I think rewatchability is a key component of a great feel, but in this case I'm kind of using it to make my decision.  I was powerfully moved by the end of the film, but I had very little desire to see it again.

 

Because of that, Slumdog got the slight boost.

 

Sunshine would probably win if not for that zany, frustrating third act.

 

What I've always loved about most of Boyle's films, even when they're frustrating, is that they just scream LIFE from every pore.

 

Reply
post #11 of 19
4/6/11 at 1:05pm

My vote goes to Sunshine, regardless of whether or not Trainspotting is an option.  The first two acts are marvelous and, despite my initial disappointment, I've sorta warmed to problematic third act on subsequent rewatches.  Maybe 'warmed' isn't the right word... 'accepted' perhaps?  Throughout the movie, Boyle seems really interested in exploring science and religion as the Icarus II approaches the origin of all known life, but its hard to really get into the nitty gritty of 'science vs religion' when the entire crew is firmly rooted on the science side of things.  Boyle has mentioned in interviews that Pinbacker represents fundamentalism; that makes sense and I understand his desire to include a physical manifestation of that ideology, but by the time Pinbacker actually shows up, theres really nothing left to debate and the slasher-style execution is such a mess.  I still love the movie though.

 

Also the score is incredible.


Edited by fuzzy dunlop - 4/6/11 at 4:20pm
Reply
post #12 of 19
4/6/11 at 2:46pm
Thread Starter 

Yeah, as much as I absolutely love 28 Days Later and 127 Hours I had to go with Sunshine as well. Millions(one of the best kids' movies of the 2000's, really!), Slumdog, and Shallow Grave(been a LONG time since I've seen this one, so I may be wrong) are all pretty amazing, but the sci-fi geek in me just loves Sunshine too damn much. If they had nailed the 3rd act, it probably would be in my top 10 for the decade. He didn't, and it's probably still in my top 20-whatever. Good call on the score, fuzzy. They've had some great collaborations. Bates' score for 28 Weeks Later is better than the 28 Days Later one in my opinion, but yeah both are great.

 

I'm really curious who voted A Life Less Ordinary and what their reasons are. I don't flat-out hate the movie, hell I own it, but it's such a mess. It just feels so disjointed, most of the things that seem like they should be funny fall flat, and they never really nailed a tone I felt.

Reply
post #13 of 19
4/6/11 at 6:10pm

Sunshine will effectively destroy any child's dream of becoming an astronaut. That third act becomes less and less of a problem for me upon subsequent viewings. For some reason though, Slumdog doesn't work for me on multiple viewings, though my first time seeing it was amazing. I think because part of the joy of watching it was trying to guess how each of the answers were a part of his life. Once I knew that the second time through...

 

 

Reply
post #14 of 19
4/6/11 at 8:21pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nexus-7 View PostGood call on the score, fuzzy. They've had some great collaborations. Bates' score for 28 Weeks Later is better than the 28 Days Later one in my opinion, but yeah both are great. 

 

Boyle has such a great ear for music in general.  I remember being blown away by the Andy Williams \ Happy Heart finale in Shallow Grave when I first saw it.  It was such a cynical ending to begin with, but coupled with that song, its downright nasty.  Really great stuff.

Reply
post #15 of 19
4/6/11 at 10:02pm
Thread Starter 

I agree about his ear for music. Really great. The only time I've felt he was "off" with that was, once again, A Life Less Ordinary. That whole movie is off.

 

I totally wrote Bates for some reason, I guess I had Tyler Bates on the brain with all the Zack Snyder stuff I've been reading lately. Meant John Murphy. Oddly enough I recall Bates score for Doomsday sounds just a little too similar to Murphy's 28 Weeks stuff at times(which may have been intentional).

Reply
post #16 of 19
4/6/11 at 10:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexus-7 View Post

I agree about his ear for music. Really great. The only time I've felt he was "off" with that was, once again, A Life Less Ordinary. That whole movie is off.


Except the song of the same name by Ash (aka The Irish Weezer) right? That thing is a perfect shot of fuzz pop.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmirN3Ze5J0

 

Reply
post #17 of 19
4/6/11 at 11:39pm
Thread Starter 

Can't remember the song.

I'll revisit the movie again in the next few days for sure and see how it works in context.

 

I do like the musical number in that movie though. Not sure if it's Cameron Diaz' actual singing voice but she still almost manages to ruin it. The only thing I really have to say positive about that movie at the moment is that it's shot really well.

Reply
post #18 of 19
4/7/11 at 8:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexus-7 View Post

 

I'm really curious who voted A Life Less Ordinary and what their reasons are. I don't flat-out hate the movie, hell I own it, but it's such a mess. It just feels so disjointed, most of the things that seem like they should be funny fall flat, and they never really nailed a tone I felt.


Assuming you don't have me on ignore for some reason, you shouldn't be curious at all.
 

 

Reply
post #19 of 19
4/7/11 at 8:09am
Thread Starter 

My mistake, my reading comprehension skills are obviously terrible. I didn't realize you were referring to it as the one you voted for. I'm going to give it another watch, maybe tomorrow if I'm still ill. It's been a while, so my take on it may be different now.

 

And yeah, my ignore list is blissfully empty at the moment.

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Movie Miscellany
CHUD.com Community › Forums › THE MAIN SEWER › Movie Miscellany › The films of Danny Boyle...