Hacker Cinema
The Lion in Winter
1968 · Film · 134 min
Directed by Anthony Harvey
Christmas 1183, Angevin Empire: King Henry II plans to announce his successor to the throne. Jockeying for the crown, though, is complex. Henry has three sons and wants his boy Prince John to take over. Henry's wife, Queen Eleanor, believes their son Prince Richard should be king. As family and various schemers gather for the holiday, each tries to make the indecisive king choose their option.
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Curated list of favorite underrated movies:
#1 pick for HN Crowd: The Man From Earth // must see, especially if you like philosophical movies (don't recommend the sequel by the way)
Runner's Up:
Being There // absolute classic and must see for every person, at least once
Peaceful Warrior
The Lion In Winter // one of the best dramas ever made, and unbeatable cast with young Anthony Hopkins
Predestination // incredible drama about time travel paradoxes
The Interview // Hugo Weaving
Vitus // amazing story about a piano prodigy who fakes losing his talents to have a normal life
The Perverts Guide to Cinema // documentary, Slavoj Zizek's tour de force psychoanalysis of cinema as an art form; addressing the philosophical and psychological question of whether cinema (and other art forms) fulfil your desires, or rather teach/train you both to desire (and what you should desire), thus the sensationalistic and polemical invocation of it as "perverted"
Le Professionnel (French film, not to be confused with the one with Natalie Portman)
Revolver // Guy Ritchie's quote "It took me three years to write this film whereas Snatch took me three months". It is a masterwork metaphor about the ego, ego death, consciousness, meditation, spirituality, and the nature of reality. Recommend reading an interpretation of the film either before or after viewing to better appreciate what is happening in the story as it is most metaphorical.
Rest of the List: The Big Kahuna, Tao of Steve, Crazy Stupid Love, Megamind, Eyes Wide Shut, Dead Poet's Society, Before Sunset, Gambit, Five Minutes of Heaven, Temple Grandin, Croupier, The Good Guy, 3 Idiots, Limitless, Drive, Whiplash
I was just noting tempo in other art forms last night. I went to a theatrical performance of the play The Lion in Winter (the perfect Christmas story for anyone who has ever wanted to lock their families in a dungeon for the holiday, or gets sick of parents openly playing favorites with kids just to spite each other). I kept comparing it in my mind to the film version, starring Peter O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn. The film version just feels faster and snappier than the theatrical version did. Same dialog, same characters, same scenes, just faster. The movie was less funny and more dramatic than the play.
In the movie "The Lion in Winter" there is a fight scene that is quite similar to what you describe as accurate. It's actually quite disturbing, as it depicts the frightening amount of intimacy involved in wrestling someone to the ground, pinning them to the ground, and then struggling to stab them to death. Not exactly the glorious victorious violence depicted in most movies.