28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[Sven]

No, Chipper Ship Captain and someone else did it to me for a good month or so whenever they had some rep power to spare on random posts.

Laaaaame.

[Grouchy]

If I were on the ten-point scale, I'd probably give it an eight myself. Die Nibelungen, Metropolis, Spies, M, and The Tiger of Eschnapur and The Indian Tomb are all definitely nines, and depending on my mood, whichever one is my personal favorite would get a ten (at the moment, I'm leaning towards Metropolis in all its kitsch glory--I can't wait for the three hour version!). Along with The Big Heat, I'd give eights to The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, Hangmen Also Die!, Rancho Notorious, and Moonfleet; and I'd give sevens to Destiny, Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler, You and Me, and Clash by Night. So yeah, he's easily one of the half-dozen or so greatest directors ever, but his films with Thea von Harbou are his best.
Just because you have an opinion, doesn't mean it's worth posting.

[Qrazy]

I was wondering if someone was going to ask about that...

Well, a 7/10 is "good" on my scale (like an equal to 3/4 stars on Ebert's scale) so I did like it, I was just mildly disappointed by it.

I agree.

[Raiders]

So, who actually reads Jonathan Rosenbaum? Seriously?

I do. Quite a lot. He's very good.

[Pop Trash]

I do. Quite a lot. He's very good.

I think he's a good writer sometimes, but too often, especially lately, he judges movies based on their perceived political value. It gets a little tiring.

[Grouchy]

I've just finished Prêt-Ã*-Porter, and I don't think Altman attacks or even properly lampoons the fashion industry so much as celebrates it. Same goes for The Player and Hollywood, although this isn't nearly as good as that other movie. I think Altman just enjoys playing with these huge ensemble casts and these snippets of comedy on the run, but I don't think there's any real harm or reflection intended in some of his movies - of course, others, like Buffalo Bill and the Indians, are definitively on the vicious side. This is mostly a parade of frivolity with some stories that work and others that feel attempted but not quite there. The best part for me was the Robbins/Roberts "romance" and I wish that was more at the center of some kind of plot. Mastroianni/Loren are there just for nostalgia value and cinephilia, although the Mastroianni solo scenes are funny. Kim Basinger has one very funny role as the ultimate vanilla reporter. I always thought she was a great actress but I had never seen her comedy. Other figures, like Lauren Bacall and Danny Aiello, barely have an opportunity to talk because the thing is so disjointed.

Regardless, amusing stuff.

[Stay Puft]

Rate: The Films of Jacques Rivette

I've seen:

Gang of Four / ***
Secret Defense / ***1/2

I was convinced I was going to hate him for some reason, but so far I've loved what I've seen (just those two because they were the first ones zip.ca had available to ship at the time). I'll probably watch Celine and Julie next since I have a copy.

[Qrazy]

It's one of the worst films I've ever seen; one of the only films I've seen I'd call despicable.

Haha I've heard you call about 15 films one of the worst films you've ever seen. Either I want to see your list of the worst films you've ever seen (how long is it??) to see if it stacks up, or you need to just start saying 'it's a terrible film'. :)

[baby doll]

Rate: The Films of Jacques RivetteLa Religieuse (1966) / **1/2
Céline et Julie vont en bateau (1974) / ****
La Bande des quatre (1988) / ****
La Belle noiseuse (1991) / ****
Jeanne la Pucelle (1994) / ****
Secret défense (1998) / ****
Va savoir (2001) / ***1/2
Histoire de Marie et Julien (2003) / ****
Ne touchez pas la hache (2007) / **1/2

[baby doll]

Just because you have an opinion, doesn't mean it's worth posting.As some one who says a lot of arguably neg-rep worthy things, I'm not sure what makes that one of them.

[Stay Puft]

I don't think I can take Scorsese anymore. The Departed joins Gangs of New York as unbearable, cannot-finish-watching-it garbage. I wanted to turn it off after twenty minutes, but tried to force myself through and ended up quitting after Martin Sheen's death scene. What a poor, clumsy scene.

I have not enjoyed anything Scorsese has done this decade. I'll probably skip Shutter Island at this point.

But I'll always have his earlier films, I guess!

[Sven]

As some one who says a lot of arguably neg-rep worthy things, I'm not sure what makes that one of them.

Yeah, I appreciated your quick appraisal of Lang (one of my favorites... I really dig your high marks for his Indian films--I love those beyond measure). Thanks. Grouchy's just being his ol' grouchy self.

[Sven]

I've just finished Prêt-Ã*-Porter, and I don't think Altman attacks or even properly lampoons the fashion industry so much as celebrates it.

I think the problem here is that so many people expect acerbic commentary from Altman when, in fact, his filmography is surprisingly light on absolute vitriol. Everything he attacks, he does so in a tempered measure, usually careful to separate humanity from its systems.

[Raiders]

There's a whole bunch of films by Lang I would rank pretty evenly at the top and actually, the one I always find myself feeling compelled to call "favorite" is Ministry of Fear. Maybe I just love me some Ray Milland but the film's subtle exploration of Milland's fractured psyche, particularly in the middle of a rather standard mystery structure, really had me glued to the screen.

[MadMan]

I don't think I can take Scorsese anymore. The Departed joins Gangs of New York as unbearable, cannot-finish-watching-it garbage. I wanted to turn it off after twenty minutes, but tried to force myself through and ended up quitting after Martin Sheen's death scene. What a poor, clumsy scene.

I have not enjoyed anything Scorsese has done this decade. I'll probably skip Shutter Island at this point.

But I'll always have his earlier films, I guess!I may be one of the few (if not the only one) who has GONY as their favorite Scorsese movie. I also thought The Departed was great, even though its not my #1 of 2006.

PS: Shutter Island looks good, but I'm worried that I've already guessed the twist. Not sure if it will be top tier Scorsese, either.

[Watashi]

Marty in the 00's >>>> Marty in the 90's

Anyone agree?

[eternity]

Marty in the 00's >>>> Marty in the 90's

Anyone agree?

Hell naw.

[Raiders]

Marty in the 00's >>>> Marty in the 90's

Anyone agree?

Absolutely.

[Ivan Drago]

[/B]

LOLZ. I like you Ivan Drago. Yous alright kid.

Uhhh....okay. :|


It's one of the worst films I've ever seen; one of the only films I've seen I'd call despicable.

I thought there were people here who loved the film as well?

[transmogrifier]

I thought there were people here who loved the film as well?

Spinal.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Marty in the 00's >>>> Marty in the 90's

Anyone agree?

Goodfellas = 1990. Therefore, no.

[Raiders]

Goodfellas = 1990. Therefore, no.

Luckily for you that's not part of the 1990s!

:P

[Dead & Messed Up]

Luckily for you that's not part of the 1990s!

:P

Why I oughta...

:lol:

[soitgoes...]

Recently I've been working on seeing as many Bergman films that I have at my disposal. With about 15 or so of his films left, I came to realize that outside some early silent films and some contemporary films my knowledge of Swedish films is limited. I decided I would branch out, and see what else is out there. That led me to Bo Widerberg's Raven's End. Widerberg had stated that Bergman's films tend to look vertically, towards God, when Sweden was desperate for a horizontal voice, someone who would look at the problems that affected the general populace. In his second feature length film, Widerberg has created something closer to what the British were churning out with their social realism movement, than what his countryman ever made, and to great success.

Raven's End is the story of a young man trying to break free of the social position handed to him by his parents. Set in Malmö in the late 30's Anders, played brilliantly by Thommy Berggren, is an aspiring writer. He wants to shout out to the world (Stockholm) the unseen problems that he and his neighbors live through every day. Absolute poverty with no help on the way is their problem and no one is listening. Anders's father, a supporter of the rising Nazi movement is a beaten man, who lives in his past (almost) glories while drinking his days away. His mother, worn, aged well past her years tries to hold everything and everyone together. She looks forward to the one day each year the family goes to the circus, because that is the only day they actually go anywhere. Widerberg does a wonderful job getting the most out of his actors. I look forward to seeing more from him.

[Qrazy]

Nice, now on my radar.

[Ezee E]

I'd probably agree that Scorsese's 00's are better than his 90's, despite Goodfellas being '90. But really, its like complaining when you come out of the sewer with two gold watches.

[soitgoes...]

I'm not sure which of those two decades of work I prefer. I still have a couple of his 90's films to see, but I hope we can all agree that 80's Scorsese trumps all. By a lot.

[Stay Puft]

Yeah, 80s Scorsese is the only reason I like him. Haven't explored his 70s work yet, and I've only seen Goodfellas and Bringing Out the Dead from the 90s, both of which are okay but not great (but a hell of a lot better than anything I've tried to force myself to watch from the 00s).

[Qrazy]

I think that I can agree that everyone here is wrong and that 70s Scorsese is easily the best. That is if 1980 is included (Taxi Driver, Mean Streets and Raging Bull).

[transmogrifier]

70s Scorsese rules all, seeing as Mean Streets, Taxi Driver and The Last Waltz are his three best films. He's been spinning his wheels since then.

[Ezee E]

I think that I can agree that everyone here is wrong and that 70s Scorsese is easily the best. That is if 1980 is included (Taxi Driver, Mean Streets and Raging Bull).
Alright DaMU.

[Rowland]

I love what Playtime is saying, and I love how it's said conceptually, but I'm not entirely sold on every facet of the final execution. Perhaps a screen bigger than my 32" television would help, or maybe my expectations were off, expecting more of a whimsical farce like M. Hulot's Holiday when this feels almost meditative for most of its running time, even during the increasingly farcical second half that in my mind justified the sometimes-faintly stultifying first half. Whatever the case, I need another viewing.

Rewatched The Texas Chain Saw Massacre as well, and it's still a masterpiece.

[soitgoes...]

I think that I can agree that everyone here is wrong and that 70s Scorsese is easily the best. That is if 1980 is included (Taxi Driver, Mean Streets and Raging Bull).
No. 1980 is part of the 80s. The duo of Taxi Driver and Mean Streets is great, but the quartet of LToC (which I know you don't like), Raging Bull, After Dark and The King of Comedy is better.

[Qrazy]

Alright DaMU.

Shouldn't it be alright Raiders?

I don't like this conversation.

[Qrazy]

No. 1980 is part of the 80s. The duo of Taxi Driver and Mean Streets is great, but the quartet of LToC (which I know you don't like), Raging Bull, After Dark and The King of Comedy is better.

LToC is awful. King of Comedy is lower tier. Raging Bull is his best film and After Hours is very good.

Raging Bull > Taxi Driver >> Mean Streets >>> After Hours >>> King of Comedy >>>>>>>>>>>>> Last Temptation of the Christ

[soitgoes...]

LToC is awful. King of Comedy is lower tier. Raging Bull is his best film and After Hours is very good.

Raging Bull > Taxi Driver >> Mean Streets >>> After Hours >>> King of Comedy >>>>>>>>>>>>> Last Temptation of the Christ
I know we'll never see eye to eye on him, but as one last parting shot, I offer: Boxcar Bertha is by far his worst film. That alone should temper his 70s awesomeness.

[Raiders]

Shouldn't it be alright Raiders?

I don't like this conversation.

I was making fun of my discussion with DaMU a couple months ago where he stated that, using the "historical decade," 2010 was actually part of the current decade. We were of course talking about the '00s, not the 201st decade, which would be 2000-2009.

Sorry my ribbing caused confusion.

[transmogrifier]

I know we'll never see eye to eye on him, but as one last parting shot, I offer: Boxcar Bertha is by far his worst film. That alone should temper his 70s awesomeness.

Allow me to postulate a hypothetical:

Two four-star films and two one-star films > four three-star films.

Discuss.

[Qrazy]

I know we'll never see eye to eye on him, but as one last parting shot, I offer: Boxcar Bertha is by far his worst film. That alone should temper his 70s awesomeness.

Truth.

[Qrazy]

Allow me to postulate a hypothetical:

Two four-star films and two one-star films > four three-star films.

Discuss.

I would argue yes.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I would argue yes.

I would concur.

[soitgoes...]

Allow me to postulate a hypothetical:

Two four-star films and two one-star films > four three-star films.

Discuss.
I think I tend to agree, but this doesn't work with me and my Scorsese ratings, as his only decade with 2 four-star films occurs in the 80's, and he only ever had one one-star film ever.

Still I'd be interested what others might say.

[transmogrifier]

I think I tend to agree, but this doesn't work with me and my Scorsese ratings, as his only decade with 2 four-star films occurs in the 80's, and he only ever had one one-star film ever.

Still I'd be interested what others might say.

I only meant to point out that if you agree with my hypothetical, then the mere presence of one terrible movie won't necessarily have any bearing on whether someone likes a particular decade or not, seeing as it could have several classics as well.

[Sven]

even during the increasingly farcical second half that in my mind justified the sometimes-faintly stultifying first half.

This is interesting because I feel that the first half is much better than the second. Different takes, both worthy, love the film, one of the greatest, but the first half, setting up the city rather than just the restaurant, I much prefer.

[Rowland]

This is interesting because I feel that the first half is much better than the second. Different takes, both worthy, love the film, one of the greatest, but the first half, setting up the city rather than just the restaurant, I much prefer.I suppose my appreciation for the second half over the first stemmed from my dawning realization during its increasingly anarchic antics that Tati was stressing the humanity inherent in our collective foibles and the transcendence of shared community. I felt this successfully contrasted with and commented upon the borderline-dystopian vision of the first half, thus justifying its more oppressive, emotionally detached formal rigor only partly assuaged by its faint strain of wry humor.

[Sven]

I suppose my appreciation for the second half over the first stemmed from my dawning realization during its increasingly anarchic antics that Tati was stressing the humanity inherent in our collective foibles and the transcendence of shared community. I felt this successfully contrasted with and commented upon the borderline-dystopian vision of the first half, thus justifying its more oppressive, emotionally detached formal rigor only partly assuaged by its faint strain of wry humor.

Yes. We are together in this nutshell. I suppose cerebral fascination with the formal accounts for my preference. But please don't misunderstand: I love both halves dearly.

[Rowland]

My favorite gag: Hulot leaves his army friend's apartment, the camera drifts over to the adjacent apartment of the man Hulot was trying to find earlier, who is about to walk his dog. We follow the man out of the apartment, believing this may finally be the moment where the two connect as he turns in Hulot's direction. He walks down the street, past the darkened doorway where we last saw Hulot, and out of the frame. Turns out, as the army friend returns to the exit and the lights switch back on, that Hulot had never left the building, being trapped by another door-opening gizmo he couldn't operate while standing in the dark nearly within reaching distance of the man. All of this achieved in a single graceful shot IIRC, and it's just wonderful.

[megladon8]

Murder By Death was OK. Some jokes fell flat.

I really find Truman Capote insufferable.

[StanleyK]

I've recently rewatched the first two Godfather movies (still as great as ever), and I'm going to see Part III soon; I hated it at first, but I have a feeling that could change. I was wondering, what's the consensus on it? Is it really bad, or does it just fall short of the perfection of the first two?

[Derek]

I was wondering, what's the consensus on it? Is it really bad, or does it just fall short of the perfection of the first two?

It's not awful, outside of Sofia's justly derided performance, but it bites of more than it can chew and is ultimately an unnecessary add-on to a nearly perfect story/character-arc.

[Winston*]

Vicky Christina Barcelona - What is good about this? It's got a bunch of pretty people wandering about a pretty location. Is that what's good about this?

[B-side]

I just realized I really wanna rewatch Playtime.

[Rowland]

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2... so yeah, that was irritating. For an ostensible black comedy, I think I laughed twice (Dennis Hopper going chainsaw-shopping was the funniest bit), while most of the movie's attempts at humor had me wincing, thanks in large part to some appallingly shrill pseudo-comedic performances, the worst courtesy of Bill Moseley. Also, most of the self-aware pomo comedy struck me as insipid when it wasn't merely ransacking the original to be refracted through the '80s zeitgeist for surreal satire, a potentially inspired idea that is carried out to few satisfying ends. Indeed, all the forced camp, insufferable overracting, cheesy synth noodlings on the soundtrack, watered-down rehashes from the original, lack of rooting interests, sloppy writing, and even drowsy pacing, make this 101 minute film feel about two hours long. All that said, cool carnivalesque sets and lighting (albeit reminiscent of Hooper's vastly superior Funhouse), gruesome Savini gore effects, a few marginally entertaining set pieces, one singularly effective jumpscare, a scene featuring a reanimated corpse that approaches pathos, and the picture's sheer devotion to its demented tone do a bit to mitigate the tedium, but not nearly enough. Some kudos for trying something so different from its forebear, instead of attempting to produce a carbon copy of the original or adapting it into the generic slasher mold, but this simply didn't work as comedy or horror.

[Raiders]

Wow. Move over Fellini, I'm pretty sure I just saw the greatest frustrated filmmaker film.

[Dead & Messed Up]

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2... so yeah, that was irritating. For an ostensible black comedy, I think I laughed twice (Dennis Hopper going chainsaw-shopping was the funniest bit), while most of the movie's attempts at humor had me wincing, thanks in large part to some appallingly shrill pseudo-comedic performances, the worst courtesy of Bill Moseley. Also, most of the self-aware pomo comedy struck me as insipid when it wasn't merely ransacking the original to be refracted through the '80s zeitgeist for surreal satire, a potentially inspired idea that is carried out to few satisfying ends. Indeed, all the forced camp, insufferable overracting, cheesy synth noodlings on the soundtrack, watered-down rehashes from the original, lack of rooting interests, sloppy writing, and even drowsy pacing, make this 101 minute film feel about two hours long. All that said, cool carnivalesque sets and lighting (albeit reminiscent of Hooper's vastly superior Funhouse), gruesome Savini gore effects, a few marginally entertaining set pieces, one singularly effective jumpscare, a scene featuring a reanimated corpse that approaches pathos, and the picture's sheer devotion to its demented tone do a bit to mitigate the tedium, but not nearly enough.

Yes, yes, a hundred times yes. Credit due for sticking to a "vision," although I found the vision insufferable.

[transmogrifier]

Wow. Move over Fellini, I'm pretty sure I just saw the greatest frustrated filmmaker film.

For a second there, I thought you were talking about Crimewave, the atrocious Raimi film from the same year, and I thought you had lost your mind.

[baby doll]

J'ai tué ma mère is pretty good for a movie by a nineteen-year-old.

[Rowland]

Yes, yes, a hundred times yes. Credit due for sticking to a "vision," although I found the vision insufferable.I edited something similar to the end of my post before I read this. Minor kudos... very minor, given the final product.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Saw Rec. Dug it. Posted my thoughts in the Sangre thread.

[BuffaloWilder]

I have come to a startling realization, Match-Cut.

The only thing worse than Armond White in general is Armond White when you find yourself agreeing with him, completely. It makes you feel all...dirty.

[Mysterious Dude]

I have finally seen a four-star movie from 1913. Suck on that, 1914!

[StanleyK]

It's not awful, outside of Sofia's justly derided performance, but it bites of more than it can chew and is ultimately an unnecessary add-on to a nearly perfect story/character-arc.

Her performance is one of the few things I do remember about the film- she was indeed awful, but the catalyst for its best scene.

[baby doll]

I have come to a startling realization, Match-Cut.

The only thing worse than Armond White in general is Armond White when you find yourself agreeing with him, completely. It makes you feel all...dirty.Agree or disagree, I just wish he made sense.

From his review of Tony Manero: "One of Raúl's victims mentions, 'Pinochet has blue eyes,' and the dictator's name not only pushes buttons for limousine liberals but also their contempt for lower classes (despite SNF [Saturday Night Fever] evoking the neorealist empathy of Fellini's Variety Lights)." What the hell does this even mean?

[MadMan]

I have finally seen a four-star movie from 1913. Suck on that, 1914!I've never seen any movies from either of those years. The fact that you relish silent cinema and post about it makes me want to see more, to a certain degree.

[baby doll]

I have finally seen a four-star movie from 1913. Suck on that, 1914!Louis Feuillade's Fantômas is a four-star movie from both 1913 and 1914. Suck on that!

[B-side]

That Most Important Thing: Love lined up for viewing here momentarily. If I watch another one after that, it'll be either My Friend Ivan Lapshin or Floating Clouds.

[soitgoes...]

If I watch another one after that, it'll be either My Friend Ivan Lapshin or Floating Clouds.

Well it should be Floating Clouds, but in terms of quality those two are a push.

[soitgoes...]

I only meant to point out that if you agree with my hypothetical, then the mere presence of one terrible movie won't necessarily have any bearing on whether someone likes a particular decade or not, seeing as it could have several classics as well.No, I agree. One (or so on) film shouldn't hold a bearing on a decade. It was more of a jab that the crappy film was in the decade I was "deriding" in our discussion. The Color of Money isn't crappy, but it is mediocre, and I never even considered its existence in regards to the 80s being superior. I haven't seen a few of his films from the 70s, so if a couple of those blow me away, then I might say that decade is superior regardless of Boxcar Bertha's presence.

[Ezee E]

For a second there, I thought you were talking about Crimewave, the atrocious Raimi film from the same year, and I thought you had lost your mind.
As did I. I know nothing about Crime Wave.

[Russ]

As did I. I know nothing about Crime Wave.

Raiders' 4 star rating for John Paizs' Crime Wave is on the money. Very difficult film to track down, but definitely worth it (along with Paizs' Springtime in Greenland). Here's a few thoughts I had after my first viewing:

It's almost impossible to categorize a John Paizs film, probably because of his gleeful willingness to gather as many genres and pop culture references as possible and throw them all into a blender, with the resulting concoction both tasty and addicting. Like fellow Winnipegian (sic) Guy Maddin, he seems to have carved out his own niche: a celebration of kitsch with a fevered desire to experiment along the way (and his instincts are almost always spot-on). Like Maddin, he seems to have dubbed all of his actors' voices in post-production which only enhances the wacky tone. Crime Wave is a low-budget affair intermittently driven by narration (frequently hilarious) and peppered with inspired musical choices. The faux-innocence at the heart of this film is mercilessly lampooned and downright subversive. A John Waters influence is apparent, but with less of a desire to shock and more of an effort to veer off into narrative tangents of an avant-goof nature. Maybe it's just me, but I definitely see an Anger influence as well, with the silent, brooding protagonist (Paisz) captured in provocative poses and closeups, and especially the way these scenes were lit and the camera angles used -- often in silence or w/musical accompaniement. I really can't say enough about it. Crime Wave is a flat-out CLASSIC.


There is one scene in this movie that will make you wonder if it didn't influence Lynch in Mulholland Drive's scene with the Cowboy.

EDIT: Interested parties: Looks like I've just come across a DVD containing both Crime Wave and Springtime in Greenland. As soon as I get it, I can help others out, just let me know.

[Boner M]

Fists in the Pocket had a stunning central performance and final scene, but I found it become tiresome and one-note in its aggressively anti-bourgeois sentiment. Funny that Bertollucci cites the British Free Cinema as being one of Bellochio's open influences, as I had a very similar reaction to The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner to FitP (though I prefer the latter slightly).

[megladon8]

JCVD was really good. It kind of floored me, actually.

Van Damme fans should see it. Van Damme non-fans must see it.

[Qrazy]

No, I agree. One (or so on) film shouldn't hold a bearing on a decade. It was more of a jab that the crappy film was in the decade I was "deriding" in our discussion. The Color of Money isn't crappy, but it is mediocre, and I never even considered its existence in regards to the 80s being superior. I haven't seen a few of his films from the 70s, so if a couple of those blow me away, then I might say that decade is superior regardless of Boxcar Bertha's presence.

Which haven't you seen?

[Qrazy]

Fists in the Pocket had a stunning central performance and final scene, but I found it become tiresome and one-note in its aggressively anti-bourgeois sentiment. Funny that Bertollucci cites the British Free Cinema as being one of Bellochio's open influences, as I had a very similar reaction to The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner to FitP (though I prefer the latter slightly).

Hrm that's too bad because I was looking forward to the former and I'm quite lukewarm on the latter.

[Sycophant]

I thought there were people here who loved the film as well?


Spinal.

And me.

[trotchky]

Guys, holy shit. Dazed and Confused. Holy shit, guys. This fucking thing is top 10 material, at least.

[Qrazy]

Guys, holy shit. Dazed and Confused. Holy shit, guys. This fucking thing is top 10 material, at least.

Your signature adjusted for inflation:

Dazed and Confused - very good
Wonder Boys - decent
The Purple Rose of Cairo - decent

[trotchky]

Your signature adjusted for inflation:

Dazed and Confused - very good
Wonder Boys - decent
The Purple Rose of Cairo - decent

This is actually my signature adjusted for your opinions.

[Qrazy]

This is actually my signature adjusted for your opinions.

Just a little box office joke, although yes those are also my opinions.

Dazed is damn good though. Top three Linklater. Favorite character?

[balmakboor]

Guys, holy shit. Dazed and Confused. Holy shit, guys. This fucking thing is top 10 material, at least.

Yes it is.

I read something once that I've never quite figured out. Robin Wood says in one of his books that he once wrote Linklater a fan letter and referred to Dazed and Confused as a great horror film. Linklater wrote him back congratulating him for being the first person who truly understood the film. I have ideas, but I've never quite figured out in what sense it is a horror film.

I know that Wood holds the American high school and college/university systems in very low esteem as being merely training grounds to churn out people who fit into society. And Dazed has the definite quality of showing us students and showing us with horror what kind of adults they're being molded to become.

Thoughts? Ideas?

[soitgoes...]

Which haven't you seen?
Last Waltz, Alice..., and New York, New York

[Qrazy]

Last Waltz, Alice..., and New York, New York

Hrm some people seem to have a soft spot for NY, NY but I'm not one of them. Alice is solid, not great. Haven't seen Last Waltz. Seems unlikely the 70s will jump too greatly in your esteem with those three.

[soitgoes...]

Hrm some people seem to have a soft spot for NY, NY but I'm not one of them. Alice is solid, not great. Haven't seen Last Waltz. Seems unlikely the 70s will jump too greatly in your esteem with those three.
Yeah, that's why I'm confident enough to make the claim the 80s are better. Two of those films would have to be great, with one in the newly, undefined by me super-great category.

[Skitch]

REC, The Unborn, Fanboys, The Dark Knight. All on deck.

[MacGuffin]

High Tension (Bergman 50) - 2.5

For a second there, I thought you were talking about Aja's movie.

[baby doll]

Guys, holy shit. Dazed and Confused. Holy shit, guys. This fucking thing is top 10 material, at least.At least? What's after that? Top nine material, I guess. Anyway, it's pretty good, but Linklater's attempts to recreate the period through decor, costumes, and music strike me as being only slightly more authentic than an episode of That '70s Show. I much prefer Slacker, Before Sunrise, Waking Life, Before Sunset, and A Scanner, Darkly.

[Mysterious Dude]

I have a hard time identifying with Dazed and Confused. Particularly during the scene where they're driving along, destroying mailboxes and cars, and having a great laugh of it all, and I'm thinking, am I supposed to like these people?

[The Mike]

First time I watched Dazed and Confused, I was being paid to sit in the theater with a large stick and "look mean" during a midnight show. Thus, I never really got into it.

<---------- method actor.

Also, it was the movie that convinced our manager to do no more midnight shows, so fuck that flick.

[B-side]

So I guess I'm one of the few who didn't love Dazed and Confused.

[Amnesiac]

I watched The Firm last night. Pretty good. My first Pollack film, actually.

Some pretty good performances, a fun ride, engaging story... but some parts were definitely weak, namely the resolution near the end and some of the superfluous side characters. Something was missing, on the whole... the mystery and intrigue of the first half didn't exactly pan out the way I would have liked, it got much more confusing and complicated, and not necessarily in a thoroughly enjoyable/effective way. I'm having a hard time making my mind up about this one, I guess. I really liked a lot of it, but it seemed to nonetheless fall short of something truly fantastic. The idea behind the film is definitely good but I don't know if I like the way it was utilized.

This movie seems like it set Cruise up nicely for his role in Eyes Wide Shut, too.

[transmogrifier]

So I guess I'm one of the few who didn't love Dazed and Confused.

Apart from the two people who posted immediately before you?

:)

[Winston*]

I watched The Firm last night. Pretty good. My first Pollack film, actually.
Next you should watch the Alan Clarke original.

[B-side]

Apart from the two people who posted immediately before you?

:)

Why I oughta...

[BuffaloWilder]

So, Paul W.S. Anderson - what can you say about the guy, other than 'well, he's really keeping the b-movie schlock tradition alive.' Him, and Uwe Boll - gee, they'd be more at home in the sixties and seventies.

[BuffaloWilder]

Oh, and it astounds me how many people don't seem to realize that the final chase scene in Beyond Thunderdome is a big, giant nod to the Buster Keaton and co., silent films that inspired the series, right down to the (slightly more dramatic) piano music.

[kuehnepips]

I saw my first Fred Astaire musical.

Man, he is such a fucking badass.

This is the funniest thing I've ever read on this forum.

[Qrazy]

At least? What's after that? Top nine material, I guess. Anyway, it's pretty good, but Linklater's attempts to recreate the period through decor, costumes, and music strike me as being only slightly more authentic than an episode of That '70s Show. I much prefer Slacker, Before Sunrise, Waking Life, Before Sunset, and A Scanner, Darkly.

Yes well, you would be wrong.

[Qrazy]

I watched The Firm last night. Pretty good. My first Pollack film, actually.

Some pretty good performances, a fun ride, engaging story... but some parts were definitely weak, namely the resolution near the end and some of the superfluous side characters. Something was missing, on the whole... the mystery and intrigue of the first half didn't exactly pan out the way I would have liked, it got much more confusing and complicated, and not necessarily in a thoroughly enjoyable/effective way. I'm having a hard time making my mind up about this one, I guess. I really liked a lot of it, but it seemed to nonetheless fall short of something truly fantastic. The idea behind the film is definitely good but I don't know if I like the way it was utilized.

This movie seems like it set Cruise up nicely for his role in Eyes Wide Shut, too.

They Shoot Horses Don't They is his only essential film... but my god it is essential.

[Ezee E]

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Match Cut MSTK3000!

[NickGlass]

Your signature adjusted for inflation:

Dazed and Confused - very good
Wonder Boys - decent
The Purple Rose of Cairo - decent

Well, granted, those three films are all superb. In fact, Dazed and Confused is my least favorite of the three; the fact that Wonder Boys and The Purple Rose of Cairo are two of my personal favorites doesn't help its case much, though.

[Qrazy]

Well, granted, those three films are all superb. In fact, Dazed and Confused is my least favorite of the three; the fact that Wonder Boys and The Purple Rose of Cairo are two of my personal favorites doesn't help its case much, though.

Hopefully Hanson will find a decent script to direct sometime soon. He's spinning his wheels imo.

[Amnesiac]

I forgot to mention, I watched the Bluray of Chungking Express this past Friday night. My first Wong Kar Wai (or is it Kar Wai Wong?) film.

It looked tremendously beautiful. It was my first Criterion Bluray and it certainly didn't disappoint.

The narrative structure was kind of surprising, what with a kind of stylish film noir/quirky romance genre being played out at first before making room for a more primary and eccentric love story. This transition wasn't frustrating, but I certainly didn't see it coming. It was more curious. The ambiguities of the first half remain kind of puzzling but perhaps it will seem clearer on an eventual re-watch. Or perhaps it won't. The details and exposition of that segment probably don't concern Kar Wai.

The use of music ranged from splendid to kind of grating. But not excessively so. I guess it occupied a strange middle ground between amusingly ingratiating and grating. But, the song that plays when Faye is redecorating Tony Leung's apartment was strangely moving. That part of the movie was just so exuberant and wonderful and sweet. There are many other moments in the film that reach a similarly sublime level. Leung and Faye Wong have amusing chemistry (or anti-chemistry) and this bolsters the film's charming and childish spirit.

The ending was a tad perplexing, though. But I suppose it goes along well with a film that deals with reticent, hesitant and shy lovers.

[D_Davis]

Watched Knowing and Dante 01 this weekend. Both were okay. Knowing was surprisingly good. Proyas makes decent genre pictures. I like him, I like religious SF, and I like thrillers, and so I kind of liked Knowing. The f/x shots were fantastic, there was an incredibly intense moment when a car is surrounded by some strange men, and the film takes a wild turn at the end. I can see some people being totally turned off by the film's final reveal, but I dug it.

Dante 01 was also kind of good. Reminded me of a French version of Kitamura's Alive although it lacked that film's ever-building tension (I was also reminded of Boogiepop Phantom and Cube in parts). Caro does quite a bit with not so much, and he utilizes his claustrophobic set to great effect. I've always liked Dominique Pinon, and while he's not given a lot to work with here it's still nice to see him. He has an expressive face, and I like his mannerisms.

All-in-all, two SF films worth watching.

[Skitch]

I've been anticipating Dante 01. Good to hear.

[trotchky]

At least? What's after that? Top nine material, I guess. Anyway, it's pretty good, but Linklater's attempts to recreate the period through decor, costumes, and music strike me as being only slightly more authentic than an episode of That '70s Show. I much prefer Slacker, Before Sunrise, Waking Life, Before Sunset, and A Scanner, Darkly.

Sweet.

By the way there's no comma in A Scanner Darkly's title.

[Rowland]

I rented my first two movies in nearly two months, a break I needed after growing tired of trying to catch up with '08. I was in the mood for some light stuff, so I went with Kung-Fu Panda, which I know has its proponents, and Max Payne, mainly just to see what Sven was talking about, and also because I've found many past video games adaptations to be unfairly shit upon.

[Grouchy]

I've recently rewatched the first two Godfather movies (still as great as ever), and I'm going to see Part III soon; I hated it at first, but I have a feeling that could change. I was wondering, what's the consensus on it? Is it really bad, or does it just fall short of the perfection of the first two?
Well, last month I bought the boxset so I rewatched the entire trilogy... and I found the third part even worse than I remembered. Not only the Sofia thing, but the fact that it's too wandering and shapeless a film. Part II, for example, is brilliant in how it carries over two or even three plots (Vito becoming Godfather, Michael and Fredo and the trial against the Corleone family) and never lets the tension and the interest fall in any of them. Instead the third movie can't even decide what it's about and so when it's dealing with the Vatican power struggle it becomes decidedly boring. Andy Garcia's character is also pretty bland and it's never clearly established what makes Michael like him so much other than the fact that he has no other male heir.

Part III would definitively have benefited from some Tom Hagen.

[Grouchy]

So, Paul W.S. Anderson - what can you say about the guy, other than 'well, he's really keeping the b-movie schlock tradition alive.' Him, and Uwe Boll - gee, they'd be more at home in the sixties and seventies.
Well I can say he's married to a real beauty:

http://imstars.aufeminin.com/stars/fan/milla-jovovich/milla-jovovich-20050918-72333.jpg

Imagine waking up to that every mornin'.

[baby doll]

Sweet.

By the way there's no comma in A Scanner Darkly's title.Whad'ya know, there isn't. And according to IMDb at least, there's no comma in Through a Glass Darkly either.

[Grouchy]

http://www.redicecreations.com/ul_img/1141JASON.jpg

So, Jason and the Argonauts is rocking good fun! I'd never seen one of Harryhausen's movies before and I was afraid that other than the celebrated special effects they would be pretty dated. I was wrong. This movie is great and very compelling also on a plot level, although the script takes some strange detours (Heracles being set up as a major character only to abandon the expedition a scene later) in order to be more faithful to the Greek story, I guess. Although I laughed at first when I saw Olympus (too much Monty Python) I gotta say this movie nails one thing about Greek mythology not many modern adaptations consider, and it's that the Gods always play human tragedy for their personal amusement and nothing else. Harryhausen's work is great. The skeletons are impressive stuff, and there's no beating that Talos gladiator and the merman. The Hydra is cool too, although I wonder why they didn't use the "cut one head, two grow on its place" thing during the flight. Maybe the growing part just didn't look convincing.

On the other side, Howl's Moving Castle was a bit of a disappointment. Don't get me wrong, movie is mostly great and features some genuine Miyazaki magic, but it's the only one of his movies that I've seen that I would say overstays its welcome. Too much magic alternatives appear that I didn't completely understand, and some scenes played for no real purpose - like Howl's depression fits. Near the climax, for example, stuff started to happen that I definitively just didn't get. Why did Sophie tore down the castle only to re-animate it? The humor is the best part of this, with the grandmother near the end and the wise-cracking fire. One thing the movie did was it made me want to read the source material to see if I got the grasp of the story a little better. Right now, I'd put this at the bottom of my Ghibli rankings. By the way, I watched it in the original Japanese, although some of the actors involved in the dubbing (Lauren Bacall, Michael Keaton) make it sound quite tasty.

[Rowland]

I've said it before, but I don't hate Paul W.S. Anderson as much as most do. He's certainly a more capable craftsman than Boll.

As far as his body of work goes, Event Horizon is derivative and meaningless but irresistably nasty and gorgeous, Mortal Kombat is primo mid-90's schlock, and Resident Evil bastardizes its namesake but remains slickly entertaining on its own terms, while Death Race only really has its cast and proclivity for violent carnage going for it, and AVP is pretty much pure junk from conceptualization to execution.

Even his few credits as Producer aren't bad, including John Fawcett's follow-up to Ginger Snaps, the sadly underseen The Dark (starring Maria Bello and Sean Bean), and the '00s equivalent to Mortal Kombat, Corey Yuen's delirious DOA: Dead or Alive. Even the Resident Evil sequels, which aren't exactly good by any means, have their guilty pleasures.

[The Mike]

I've said it before, but I don't hate Paul W.S. Anderson as much as most do. He's certainly a more capable craftsman than Boll.

As far as his body of work goes, Event Horizon is derivative and meaningless but irresistably nasty and gorgeous, Mortal Kombat is primo mid-90's schlock, and Resident Evil bastardizes its namesake but remains slickly entertaining on its own terms, while Death Race only really has its cast and proclivity for violent carnage going for it, and AVP is pretty much pure junk from conceptualization to execution.

Even his few credits as Producer aren't bad, including John Fawcett's follow-up to Ginger Snaps, the sadly underseen The Dark (starring Maria Bello and Sean Bean), and the '00s equivalent to Mortal Kombat, Corey Yuen's delirious DOA: Dead or Alive. Even the Resident Evil sequels, which aren't exactly good by any means, have their guilty pleasures.
I second this post, with a slight bit more praise for Death Race. :cool:

[Sycophant]

I think I'm going to watch After the Thin Man or Mr. 3000 tonight, pretty much entirely based on which one's shortest.

It has become relevant to mention that this option comes to me courtesy of Netflix's impressively diverse selection and impeccable service.

[Spun Lepton]

AVP is pretty much pure junk from conceptualization to execution.

AVP worked GREAT as a comic book, but there was better attention paid to the story. I'm still waiting on them to that, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Ivan Drago]

Discussion of Paul "The Man" Anderson? Where's bkb when you need him?

[Spinal]

Where's bkb when you need him?

The premise is impossible. Therefore, the question is unanswerable.

[Pop Trash]

I second this post, with a slight bit more praise for Death Race. :cool:

Nathan Lee liked that one. It was in his top ten of '08. Guess it was like his version of Sven diggin' Max Payne.

[dreamdead]

Anyone have suggestions for contemporary Japanese films that unconventionally consider the effects of the Hiroshima bombing? I'm not looking for things like Resnais' film, but rather films like Kurosawa's Pulse that approach the bombing allegorically, or contemplate its apocalyptic effects intelligently...

[Amnesiac]

I wish Criterion picked up the rights to the rest of Tarkovsky's films. Is there not even a DVD release of Nostalghia available anymore?

[MacGuffin]

I wish Criterion picked up the rights to the rest of Tarkovsky's films. Is there not even a DVD release of Nostalghia available anymore?

There seems to be a relatively inexpensive one out from Artificial Eye.

[Grouchy]

Anyone have suggestions for contemporary Japanese films that unconventionally consider the effects of the Hiroshima bombing? I'm not looking for things like Resnais' film, but rather films like Kurosawa's Pulse that approach the bombing allegorically, or contemplate its apocalyptic effects intelligently...
That seems to be a recurrent preoccupation of Miyazaki, or at least war and its casualties in a broad sense.

[Pop Trash]

Anyone have suggestions for contemporary Japanese films that unconventionally consider the effects of the Hiroshima bombing? I'm not looking for things like Resnais' film, but rather films like Kurosawa's Pulse that approach the bombing allegorically, or contemplate its apocalyptic effects intelligently...

There's Imamura's Black Rain, but that is directly about the fallout from the bombs. Sad, sad movie but very powerful.

[The Mike]

Nathan Lee liked that one. It was in his top ten of '08. Guess it was like his version of Sven diggin' Max Payne.I don't think it's all that good, but it's a watchable mix of the original and The Most Dangerous Game, with Statham doing Statham things and Ian McShane being the Ian McShane who can't swear as much as on HBO. Better than a lot of the big budget Terminator/Transformers stuff of late.

[BuffaloWilder]

I wish he'd get a competent editor, Paul W.S. Anderson. Particularly during Death Race, I couldn't tell who was where in what car getting shot by what, half the time.

Annoying, and needless.

[Rowland]

I wish he'd get a competent editor, Paul W.S. Anderson. Particularly during Death Race, I couldn't tell who was where in what car getting shot by what, half the time.

Annoying, and needless.Indeed, the editing was my chief complaint for Death Race, with all the races chopped up into nigh-incomprehensible shreds. It didn't help either that he shot the insides of the vehicles with the camera convulsing Bay-style and the exterior races with little sense for coherent choreography.

[BuffaloWilder]

Indeed, the editing was my chief complaint for Death Race, with all the races chopped up into nigh-incomprehensible shreds. It didn't help either that he shot the insides of the vehicles with the camera convulsing Bay-style and the exterior races with little sense for coherent choreography.

Yes. And, you know what really caps it off? His reason for that editing style:


MTV was revolutionary in the way that people assimilate information. It showed that people pick up on things very quickly. You don't need to have something on screen that long. I was watching [The Exorcist] which had what counted as flash frames back in the day, and you look at it now and it feels like it's on screen forever. It's up there for like 12 frames! It doesn't have the same impact it did at the time. I love those movies, and I wanted to capture the feel of those movies, but you can't make movies like that anymore. The way people watch films has changed.

[Rowland]

Watched Kung Fu Panda tonight. Not much depth (emotional or otherwise), some stale humor, a few wasted (and thus distracting) voice talents, and a "believe in yourself" message as hollow and pandering as it usually is, but judging the picture as pop filmmaking, it blooms with plush colors and thrills with coherently kinetic action sequences infused with witty detail. As most others have noted, the lack of pop cultural references and toilet humor (only one hit-in-the-groin joke!) helps, and the opening dream sequence is so gorgeous it makes one long for an entire film stylized in such a baroque manner. But again, it bears reiterating just how unfortunate it is that the picture abandons its more promising plot threads in favor of another dopey lecture on being the best you can be, without actually doing anything. In short, Mark Osborne spins relative gold out of crummy material, though it remains feeling a bit like a sell-out in light of his More short. That prison escape action sequence sure was the shit though.

[BuffaloWilder]

Dreamworks is the modern-day equivalent to A.I.P. Understand this, and all will become clear.

[Rowland]

I don't have any problem with the believe in yourself message. That's a solid thing to tell children and Kung Fu Panda is a movie for children.It's a matter of context. The picture frames the message within the parameters of a mature story involving the failure of Shifu as a father figure and his adopted son Tai Lung's meteoric rise and tragic downfall, a thread fleshed out just enough to approach pathos (I was almost moved when Shifu comes clean with his son during the climax), but the picture not only fails to follow it through, it pisses on it by rendering the panda "The One" by simply believing he can be, negating the maturity and potential thematic resonance that followed. He hardly even has to do anything, besides mentally adjust his weakness for food into an attribute, so that his cravings coupled with its resultant flab allows him to triumph by simply believing (a la The Secret) that he can, which is decidedly not a positive message. Nevertheless, the very fact that there is any thematic/emotional resonance behind the villain's existence period seems very nearly a triumph on the Dreamworks scale, so it's just a shame about the overriding message. But of course, Kung Fu Panda is merely a movie for children. http://www.match-cut.org/images/smilies/razz.gif

[BuffaloWilder]

It's a matter of context. The picture frames the message within the parameters of a mature story involving the failure of Shifu as a father figure and his adopted son Tai Lung's meteoric rise and tragic downfall, a thread fleshed out just enough to approach pathos (I was almost moved when Shifu comes clean with his son during the climax), but the picture not only fails to follow it through, it pisses on it by rendering the panda "The One" by simply believing he can be, negating the maturity and potential thematic resonance that followed. He hardly even has to do anything, besides mentally adjust his weakness for food into an attribute, so that his cravings coupled with its resultant flab allows him to triumph by simply believing (a la The Secret) that he can, which is decidedly not a positive message. Nevertheless, the very fact that there is any thematic/emotional resonance behind the villain's existence period seems very nearly a triumph on the Dreamworks scale, so it's just a shame about the overriding message. But of course, Kung Fu Panda is merely a movie for children. http://www.match-cut.org/images/smilies/razz.gif

I agree. However, being a children's film doesn't negate the need for effort - though, I assume you were just being facetious.

[Rowland]

In light of your George Miller discussion with iosos, I think I'll try a first viewing of Happy Feet sometime over the next few days, to see how it compares with Kung Fu Panda as well as the rest of his work I've seen.

[Watashi]

I loved Kung Fu Panda because I thought the fighting kicked ass.

[Ivan Drago]

I loved Kung Fu Panda because I thought the fighting kicked ass.

The same could be said for Straw Dogs...but let's not and say we did. :eek:

[Grouchy]

http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/mad-det-450.jpg

Mad Detective is a crazy movie. It's about Bun, this Hong Kong policeman who receives an early retirement the day he decides to cut off his own ear and present it to his boss as a present. It's gradually revealed that behind Bun's schizophrenia there's an unique talent to see people for what they really are. The graphical solution for this in the movie is very weird - we see, for example, a certain character as seven different characters, apparently representing the seven deadly sins. Another one is portrayed as a scared kid. The greatest achievement of this film is that the directors Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai manage to make the movie comprehensible without overly explaining the ability and constantly switching from the "real" world to Bun's perspective. Interesting as a character study. The crime the detective has to solve is sort of implausible (and reminiscent of Kurosawa's Stray Dog) and the ending not all that satisfactory, but Bun is such a great protagonist that he sticks with you after it's all over.

[Ezee E]

The same could be said for Straw Dogs...but let's not and say we did. :eek:
Still an amazing movie.

[Ivan Drago]

Still an amazing movie.

I just found that out after seeing it for the first time.

I'm tempted to call it one of the best-edited films as well.

[Grouchy]

By the way, I usually don't comment on re-watchs - but yesterday I was with some friends and we popped in Total Recall. Man, that is one of the best action/sci-fi movies ever made. It's goddamn perfect, from the special effects to Arnold to Sharon Stone kicking ass in gym clothes. There's a woman with three tits. An annoying robot cab driver. The score is excellent and rousing. The screenplay is smart and manages to be thought-provoking and still have Governator kicking ass every five minutes.

It's everything movie magic is supposed to be. Spielberg should have watched this one again before he tried his hand at the "Philip K. Dick via Hollywood" genre.

[Rowland]

Mad Detective is a crazy movie. It's about Bun, this Hong Kong policeman who receives an early retirement the day he decides to cut off his own ear and present it to his boss as a present. It's gradually revealed that behind Bun's schizophrenia there's an unique talent to see people for what they really are. The graphical solution for this in the movie is very weird - we see, for example, a certain character as seven different characters, apparently representing the seven deadly sins. Another one is portrayed as a scared kid. The greatest achievement of this film is that the directors Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai manage to make the movie comprehensible without overly explaining the ability and constantly switching from the "real" world to Bun's perspective. Interesting as a character study. The crime the detective has to solve is sort of implausible (and reminiscent of Kurosawa's Stray Dog) and the ending not all that satisfactory, but Bun is such a great protagonist that he sticks with you after it's all over.I really dug this. It doesn't reach the stratospheric heights of Exiled, but it's nonetheless a delightfully surreal dramedy achieved with daunting craftsmanship and dizzying narrative ellipses thoughtfully employed to reflect the mad detective's fractured consciousness.

[BuffaloWilder]

In light of your George Miller discussion with iosos, I think I'll try a first viewing of Happy Feet sometime over the next few days, to see how it compares with Kung Fu Panda as well as the rest of his work I've seen.

Good on you, there.

[Qrazy]

It's a matter of context. The picture frames the message within the parameters of a mature story involving the failure of Shifu as a father figure and his adopted son Tai Lung's meteoric rise and tragic downfall, a thread fleshed out just enough to approach pathos (I was almost moved when Shifu comes clean with his son during the climax), but the picture not only fails to follow it through, it pisses on it by rendering the panda "The One" by simply believing he can be, negating the maturity and potential thematic resonance that followed. He hardly even has to do anything, besides mentally adjust his weakness for food into an attribute, so that his cravings coupled with its resultant flab allows him to triumph by simply believing (a la The Secret) that he can, which is decidedly not a positive message. Nevertheless, the very fact that there is any thematic/emotional resonance behind the villain's existence period seems very nearly a triumph on the Dreamworks scale, so it's just a shame about the overriding message. But of course, Kung Fu Panda is merely a movie for children. http://www.match-cut.org/images/smilies/razz.gif

Just because his training session appeared in a montage doesn't mean it took three seconds. I think it was fairly clear that he worked very hard but that it was his passion and his belief in himself that allowed him to work so hard.

[Qrazy]

http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/mad-det-450.jpg

Mad Detective is a crazy movie. It's about Bun, this Hong Kong policeman who receives an early retirement the day he decides to cut off his own ear and present it to his boss as a present. It's gradually revealed that behind Bun's schizophrenia there's an unique talent to see people for what they really are. The graphical solution for this in the movie is very weird - we see, for example, a certain character as seven different characters, apparently representing the seven deadly sins. Another one is portrayed as a scared kid. The greatest achievement of this film is that the directors Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai manage to make the movie comprehensible without overly explaining the ability and constantly switching from the "real" world to Bun's perspective. Interesting as a character study. The crime the detective has to solve is sort of implausible (and reminiscent of Kurosawa's Stray Dog) and the ending not all that satisfactory, but Bun is such a great protagonist that he sticks with you after it's all over.

I found the ending quite satisfying. Great rendition of the usual house of mirrors sequence I thought.

[Rowland]

Just because his training session appeared in a montage doesn't mean it took three seconds. I think it was fairly clear that he worked very hard but that it was his passion and his belief in himself that allowed him to work so hard.Yeah, and Tai Lung practiced incessantly for many years, ditto the Furious Five, and they're all brushed away by what came across to me as an afternoon of training with the Panda, even going so far as to casually dismiss the emotional tensions present in the Tigress' desire for a father-figure as well as the Tai Lung's insane rage in the face of dismissal/humiliation. The film establishes these threads, only to dismiss them, while letting the Panda off the hook ever-so-easily. In a way, I almost felt more sympathy for Tai Lung's incredulous response to the blank parchment than Po as the latter glibly addressed him on how the ultimate power or whatever lied in yourself. It felt to me like lazy storytelling, and again, the Panda doesn't overcome his weaknesses, but merely learns to channel them in a positive manner. "It's okay, you overweight children, just imagine your goals in life as glazed doughnuts with creamy filling and everything will work out, because nothing motivates you like food, right?"

[Qrazy]

Yeah, and Tai Lung practiced incessantly for many years, ditto the Furious Five, and they're all brushed away by what came across to me as an afternoon of training with the Panda, even going so far as to casually dismiss the emotional tensions present in the Tigress' desire for a father-figure as well as the Tai Lung's insane rage in the face of dismissal/humiliation.

He trained for more than an afternoon. But yes the film does believe in the notion that some people have a greater innate capacity for certain things than others. This is a hotly debated topic in contemporary psychology.


The film establishes these threads, only to dismiss them, while letting the Panda off the hook ever-so-easily. In a way, I almost felt more sympathy for Tai Lung's incredulous response to the blank parchment than Po as the latter glibly addressed him on how the ultimate power or whatever lied in yourself. It felt to me like lazy storytelling, and again, the Panda doesn't overcome his weaknesses, but merely learns to channel them in a positive manner. "It's okay, you overweight children, just imagine your goals in life as glazed doughnuts with creamy filling and everything will work out, because nothing motivates you like food, right?"

As did I. I think it's fairly strong storytelling if we both cared about the frustrations and misfortunes of the antagonist. But I did not like the way in which his demise was dealt with... I mean did he die? Explode? What happened there?

Being able to resist temptation is actually a valuable predictor of future success in life. Note how he did not eat the dumpling after battling so fiercely for it? He wasn't going to become skinny in such a short time period and I don't think kids should be made to feel badly for being overweight. Someone can be overweight (or appear overweight) and still be healthy and fit... particularly if that person is a bear because that is their general shape. So while I find your faux quotation somewhat reductive I actually kind of agree with it. Except the goal isn't the glazed doughnut, that's the reward. The goal is to achieve something long term... such as becoming good at kung fu, practicing piano, doing well... and it's not even the reward that actually matters, it's resisting the temptation of the reward.

[Rowland]

Being able to resist temptation is actually a valuable predictor of future success in life. Note how he did not eat the dumpling after battling so fiercely for it? He wasn't going to become skinny in such a short time period and I don't think kids should be made to feel badly for being overweight. Someone can be overweight (or appear overweight) and still be healthy and fit... particularly if that person is a bear because that is their general shape. So while I find your faux quotation somewhat reductive I actually kind of agree with it. Except the goal isn't the glazed doughnut, that's the reward. The goal is to achieve something long term... such as becoming good at kung fu, practicing piano, doing well... and it's not even the reward that actually matters, it's resisting the temptation of the reward.Some fair points, especially regarding the point of temptation resistance as a predictor of success, which the film does establish and is corroborated by psychological studies, so I suppose my beef lies with how the various plot threads are integrated, which ones are stressed over others, and their inevitable fallout (or lack thereof). Your perspective has merit, but the very fact that the movie played like middlebrow-stroking egalitarianism for me suggests that something is amiss.

[Qrazy]

Some fair points, especially regarding the point of willpower as a predictor of success, which the film does establish and is corroborated by psychological studies, so I suppose my beef lies with how the various plot threads are integrated, which ones are stressed over others, and their inevitable fallout (or lack thereof). Your perspective has merit, but the very fact that the movie played like middlebrow-stroking egalitarianism for me suggests that something is amiss.

Fair enough, I certainly didn't love it. It was almost too slick for it's own good. It needed something... perhaps more world building? Replace a few of the flat jokes with some breathing room? Flesh out a few of the characters a little more in different directions? Not sure. I did quite like his dad. Funny little guy.

[Skitch]

Finally got Fanboys from netflix! ...and the disc is hopelessly cracked. AAAAGHHH!!!

[lovejuice]

just so you know, rowland, i have the same problem with kung fu panda as you do, except other aspects of the movie charm me so much i'm willing to forgive the shortcoming. also it's not uncommon for a wuxia novel that a total beginner in fact possesses some hidden potential/ability that once awaken can turn him into a sufficient kung fu master in so short a time. still can a sufficient fighter defeat a bad-assed? not really.

[Sycophant]

I really enjoyed Mr. 3000. Bernie Mac gave a really great performance that went a long way to selling it. Both he and Angela Bassett embrace their roles as middle-aged which gives the picture an edge of maturity. It's uplifting, but in all the right ways, never becoming pandering.

Basically, Armond White is pretty much right about this one, even if I wasn't quite as enthusiastic as he was (and he doesn't even spend half his review hating on hipsters or anything!).

[Rowland]

just so you know, rowland, i have the same problem with kung fu panda as you do, except other aspects of the movie charm me so much i'm willing to forgive the shortcoming. also it's not uncommon for a wuxia novel that a total beginner in fact possesses some hidden potential/ability that once awaken can turn him into a sufficient kung fu master in so short a time. still can a sufficient fighter defeat a bad-assed? not really.Indeed, Stephen Chow's brilliant Kung Fu Hustle employs a similar plot, only it doesn't play like it's self-consciously trafficking in an objectionable life lesson for children in the process.

[Qrazy]

A Real Young Girl - Visit film swap thread for thoughts.

Buffet Titanic - Formative Kusturica made for TV film. Not very good but not awful either. Sort of a lifeless and meandering exploration of a bar owner and photographer's life in relation to the holocaust... the photographer becomes the agent sent to kill the bar owner.

Pierrot le Fou - Very well put together but as consistently obnoxious as any of Godard's films. Have you read Balzac? Seen Pepe le Moko? No? Oh, such a shame. While I actually have read and seen both I have a few family members like this and they're incredibly annoying! It's greatest strength is it's humor but even that is kind of irritating at times, other times it works. Cinema. Cinema. FUCK YOU.

Tout Rien (Back) - Early Back (Man Who Planted Trees) short about the Garden of Eden. Beautifully rendered but not as impressive as his later efforts.

Hitokiri (Gosha) - I saw a really bad copy of this. Story of a samurai and a power struggle in the clan. Incredibly meandering but it has a few solid moments.

Three Outlaw Samurai - Pretty solid Samurai film, well worth seeing.

Tora-San 11 - More of the same from the series. Consistently enjoyable insanely redundant at this point.

Tora-San 10 - More of the same from the series. Consistently enjoyable insanely redundant at this point.

[MacGuffin]

Pierrot le Fou - Very well put together but as consistently obnoxious as any of Godard's films. Have you read Balzac? Seen Pepe le Moko? No? Oh, such a shame. While I actually have read and seen both I have a few family members like this and they're incredibly annoying! It's greatest strength is it's humor but even that is kind of irritating at times, other times it works. Cinema. Cinema. FUCK YOU.

It doesn't really matter if you haven't familiarized yourself with those people and things, but I guess I can see why someone would be annoyed, even if I'm not.

[Qrazy]

It doesn't really matter if you haven't familiarized yourself with those people and things, but I guess I can see why someone would be annoyed, even if I'm not.

Yeah those are also just singular examples of what I find to be Godard's overall attitude. I don't mean that they're crucial for understanding the film I just don't like his name dropping (amongst many, many other elements of his cinema)... I don't think the name dropping can be localized to Pierrot as a character because Godard employs it so frequently in all of his films. I have no problem with homages and references but I find that's a bit different than what he's doing.

[Sycophant]

Godard's films are hipsters.

[Spinal]

Pierrot le Fou Panda. Somebody make it happen.

[Qrazy]

Pierrot le Fou Panda. Somebody make it happen.

What like a picture or an actual movie?

[Spinal]

What like a picture or an actual movie?

I was thinking a top-secret military experiment, but whatever.

[Kurious Jorge v3.1]

Pierrot le Fou Panda. Somebody make it happen.

2 or 3 Things I Know About Wall-E
Masculin-Madagascar
Vivre sa Bolt
Pierrot le Kung Fou Panda

[Rowland]

My first viewing of Argento's Tenebre in several years reveals what I once considered a mid-upper tier effort as one of his very best. His use of color here, while obviously (and purposefully) not as ravishing as efforts like Suspiria and Inferno, is nevertheless ingenious and astonishingly controlled in its washed out shades of blue, brown, and blinding whites spiked with sudden bursts of deep red. Everything clicks here, from the knotty (and amusingly cheeky) self-reflexivity to the performances and even Goblin's score, which I once found overly campy, now sounds entirely suited to Argento's vision, making for an all-around remarkable picture.

Perhaps a revisit of Opera, my first in almost half a decade, is in order.

[lovejuice]

My first viewing of Argento's Tenebre in several years reveals what I once considered a mid-upper tier effort as one of his very best.
interesting. that's exactly how i too considered tenebre. except for the god-awesome blood fountaining from the amputated arm, i don't recall the movie has much going for.

i might revisit it.

[Spun Lepton]

My first viewing of Argento's Tenebre in several years reveals what I once considered a mid-upper tier effort as one of his very best.

Finally, I'm no longer alone in that opinion. Tenebre was my favorite Argento from the get-go. The story takes a couple ridiculous turns, but that's a part of the giallo formula.


Perhaps a revisit of Opera, my first in almost half a decade, is in order.

Probably my second-favorite Argento, actually. It's marred only by a "second ending" that is unnecessary and out of place with the rest of the movie. Aside from that, it's excellent.

[lovejuice]

Probably my second-favorite Argento, actually. It's marred only by a "second ending" that is unnecessary and out of place with the rest of the movie. Aside from that, it's excellent.
oh? i like the second ending, or at least what lead to it. the macabre homage to sound of music is very nice.

[Grouchy]

I found the ending quite satisfying. Great rendition of the usual house of mirrors sequence I thought.
Actually, I think visually, it's awesome. It's To after all.

I just don't like it story-wise. I don't think it provides any motivations for the villain. It's shock for shock's sake.

[Rowland]

Yeah, I love Opera's ending. It's ridiculous, but oddly fitting in that it completes the lead girl's destined descent into psychosis, and the sheer delirium of its execution proves most indelible. I recall having problems with the pacing of the picture's middle section, and feeling that the metal music detracted a great deal from its otherwise carefully calibrated tone (including one of Goblin's most ethereal Argento contributions).

[Qrazy]

Actually, I think visually, it's awesome. It's To after all.

I just don't like it story-wise. I don't think it provides any motivations for the villain. It's shock for shock's sake.

Hrm I don't remember it well enough to comment.

Didn't it end with his partner having to frame up the crime scene?

[Grouchy]

Hrm I don't remember it well enough to comment.

Didn't it end with his partner having to frame up the crime scene?
Yes, after he shoots Bun for some weird reason. Apparently, if I got it right, he was the one planting guns and distributing the police ones.

[Qrazy]

I feel like it made sense to me at the time but I saw it under the influence so I'd have to rewatch to be sure.

[Rowland]

The ending had an ambiguous detail or two that I had to work out in my head afterward, which detracted from the intended emotional impact, but I do recall it making sense. I don't remember it well enough either to really try explaining it.

[Grouchy]

I feel like it made sense to me at the time but I saw it under the influence so I'd have to rewatch to be sure.
If I'd watched it like that I probably would have understood even less. This baby sure demanded full attention.

[Ezee E]

Band of Incredibles

[soitgoes...]

Kind of an extension, possibly restriction would be a better word, of trans's postulation a while back.

Two filmmakers, both having made only 4 films. Filmmaker A's films in chronological order you would rate 4-stars, 4-stars, 1-star, 1-star with the one star films being at least interesting attempts, but utter failures. Filmmaker B's films are 3-stars across the board. Both have film number 5 being released on the same day, and you are going to see one of them. You know nothing of the films. Which do you see? Do you still go with the one who has made greatness, but seems to have lost it? Or do you go with the safer bet, and wait for feedback on the other?

[Duncan]

A.

[Derek]

A.

This.

[Ivan Drago]

Wall-End
Le Monsters, Inc.
A Bout de Shrek
Up, A Strange Adventure of Carl Frederickson

[Qrazy]

Go with the safer bet and wait for feedback on the new one. I quite like early Oliver Stone (not 4 star like but still) and after witnessing the crap that was Alexander I did not go back for more.

[baby doll]

Wall-End
Le Monsters, Inc.
A Bout de Shrek
Up, A Strange Adventure of Carl FredericksonDon't forget Histoire(s) du toys and My Bug's Life to Live.

[baby doll]

Go with the safer bet and wait for feedback on the new one. I quite like early Oliver Stone (not 4 star like but still) and after witnessing the crap that was Alexander I did not go back for more.Yeah, I haven't seen any of his films after U-Turn, but Mike D'Angelo's review of Any Given Sunday is pretty much the best thing he's ever done.

[Qrazy]

Yeah, I haven't seen any of his films after U-Turn, but Mike D'Angelo's review of Any Given Sunday is pretty much the best thing he's ever done.

I watched Any Given Sunday recently. I liked it with reservations. It was much more experimental than I had expected.

[baby doll]

I think a cinema that announces it's screening schedule in that manner would go broke pretty quickly.

Film festival line-up for Winston*!:

Moon (saw last night)
Still Walking
Flame and Citron
Departures
Mary and Max
The Secret of Kells
The First Day of the Rest of Your Life
The Limits of Control
Antichrist
The White Ribbon

Good choices, dude.Every festival looks great on writing (there was a time when I too thought that buying a ticket for Still Walking was a good idea), but likely it'll be a major letdown with only one or two memorable films.

Speaking of The White Ribbon, has anybody seen the new Cinema-Scope (the one devoted specifically to Cannes), in which editor Mark Peranson reveals that no one wanted to write about Haneke? This film won the Palme d'Or, but he couldn't find anybody willing to write an article on it.

[Winston*]

Every festival looks great on writing (there was a time when I too thought that buying a ticket for Still Walking was a good idea), but likely it'll be a major letdown with only one or two memorable films.



Thanks for the encouragement, baby doll!!

[baby doll]

Thanks for the encouragement, baby doll!!All I'm saying is, be realistic. You're never going to go to a festival and see one mind-blowing masterpiece after another. Of the films on your list, I've just seen Still Walking, which was a real turd. But let's say you dig it, because you're into small, unambitious, low-key family dramas. So you won't like something else. Maybe it'll be the Haneke or the Jarmusch or the Trier, or one of the films I haven't heard of.

[Sycophant]

My goodness, baby doll. You must really get off on just being a downer.

[Winston*]

I've been to film festivals before, I don't need your words of wisdom.

"I'm going to the circus!"

"It will probably smell like vomit and burned popcorn, be filled with dirty crying kids and it's very unlikely that a lion will eat anyone."

[Qrazy]

I've been to film festivals before, I don't need your words of wisdom.

"I'm going to the circus!"

"It will probably smell like vomit and burned popcorn, be filled with dirty crying kids and it's very unlikely that a lion will eat anyone."

Two things stick out for me here:

1) It will also smell like animal poop.
2) You wanted the lion to eat someone?

[Sycophant]

I really want to see The Secret of Kells. Do report, Winston*.

[Winston*]

2) You wanted the lion to eat someone?

Isn't that the reason to go to the circus? Lions eating Christians? Fun!

[Qrazy]

Wanda - Alright this post is going to piss at least two people off. This was much more Jon Jost than Cassavetes. I find with both Jost and Loden the dramatic beats are uniformly poor, the camerawork amateurish and the audio work absolutely terrible. Most of the supporting actors are awful (Wanda's boss, miscellaneous old people) but because of the cinematic style these characters also have that cinema verite 'real' awkwardness about them which alleviates some of the bad drama (sort of). Fortunately Wanda herself is well sketched and performed. Her simplicity/stupidity/laziness and real world weariness comes across effectively and carries the picture. Once Wanda and the man leave the bar and we really get to the meat of the film (their dynamic) the picture becomes more interesting. Ultimately it works fairly well as a character study of Wanda (precursor to Von Trier's abused women) and relatively decently as a portrait of lower class malaise but the filmmaking is so uniformly poor (and I'm viewing it in the context of other verite films) that I can't muster much enthusiasm for this one.

[Raiders]

Wanda - Alright this post is going to piss at least two people off. This was much more Jon Jost than Cassavetes. I find with both Jost and Loden the dramatic beats are uniformly poor, the camerawork amateurish and the audio work absolutely terrible. Most of the supporting actors are awful (Wanda's boss, miscellaneous old people) but because of the cinematic style these characters also have that cinema verite 'real' awkwardness about them which alleviates some of the bad drama (sort of). Fortunately Wanda herself is well sketched and performed. Her simplicity/stupidity/laziness and real world weariness comes across effectively and carries the picture. Once Wanda and the man leave the bar and we really get to the meat of the film (their dynamic) the picture becomes more interesting. Ultimately it works fairly well as a character study of Wanda (precursor to Von Trier's abused women) and relatively decently as a portrait of lower class malaise but the filmmaking is so uniformly poor (and I'm viewing it in the context of other verite films) that I can't muster much enthusiasm for this one.

I never really understand your frequent dislike of "camerawork" or "framing" or filmmaking in general. I think we must just have very different viewpoints on cinema.

[Qrazy]

I never really understand your frequent dislike of "camerawork" or "framing" or filmmaking in general. I think we must just have very different viewpoints on cinema.

True enough, I still want you to see The Defiant Ones though.

[MacGuffin]

Which is the better Japanese horror film: Kwaidan or Onibaba?

[Rowland]

Which is the better Japanese horror film: Kwaidan or Onibaba?Neither is quite as impressive as their reputations suggest, but both are very much worth seeking out and about equal in overall quality. Onibaba is probably the more consistent picture and thus objectively superior on its own minimalist terms, but Kwaidan is the more visually stimulating of the two.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Which is the better Japanese horror film: Kwaidan or Onibaba?

Kwaidan. Onibaba is visually striking for a while, but the repetitive story elements sink the later sections into beautiful tedium. Kwaidan has its own pacing issues, particularly in "Hoichi the Earless," but it's more versatile and expressionistic.

Regardless, both are exceedingly evocative and worth your time.

[Raiders]

I didn't care a whole lot for Kwaidan. I found it mostly dull and except for some imagery from "Hoichi" I remember almost nothing about it.

I have not seen Onibaba, but many people I trust really love it.

[Qrazy]

Neither is quite as impressive as their reputations suggest.

Disagree.


Both are very much worth seeking out and about equal in overall quality. Onibaba is probably the more consistent picture and thus objectively superior on its own minimalist terms, but Kwaidan is the more visually stimulating of the two.

Agree.

[Spun Lepton]

I couldn't get into Kwaidan.

[Boner M]

Wanda - C-
BALLS.


I didn't care a whole lot for Kwaidan. I found it mostly dull and except for some imagery from "Hoichi" I remember almost nothing about it.
Aye.

[Boner M]

Also, I found the camerawork in Wanda to be pretty effective and expressive of its main character's psyche, whether it's completely professional or not. The long, jerky pan of her walking across the industrial landscape being a prime example. I think some of the overdubbed dialogue is a bit unfortunate and distracting, but I can't find much else to object to on a technical level.

[Qrazy]

Also, I found the camerawork in Wanda to be pretty effective and expressive of its main character's psyche, whether it's completely professional or not. The long, jerky pan of her walking across the industrial landscape being a prime example. I think some of the overdubbed dialogue is a bit unfortunate and distracting, but I can't find much else to object to on a technical level.

Yeah I didn't like that pan. Other examples of techniques I didn't like (a ton of static shots which are fine when mise-en-scene and composition make up for it but I don't feel that they do here)... also a number of after thought zooms and pans (which occur haphazardly) and generally poor lighting (one example being Wanda in the bath tub and the guy laying down in the foreground... actually a reasonable composition but terribly lit).

[Boner M]

My Melbourne Film Festival lineup for next week:

JEANNE DIELMAN...
PIERROT LE FOU
IT CAME FROM KUCHAR
HOME
CHASER, THE
STILL WALKING
ON|OFF: MARK STEWART
I NEED THAT RECORD!
TREELESS MOUNTAIN
EXPLODING GIRL, THE
HENRI-GEORGES CLOUZOT
LIKE YOU KNOW IT ALL
LOVE EXPOSURE
FUNERAL PARADE OF ROSE
WE LIVE IN PUBLIC
BLUE FILM WOMAN
BEACHES OF AGNES, THE
DOGTOOTH
NUN, THE
WHITE RIBBON, THE
EROS PLUS MASSACRE
EVERYONE ELSE
ANTICHRIST

I'm expecting no masterpieces, no pleasure, no rewards, and that my laptop will be stolen from my hostel. Yay!

[balmakboor]

Wanda friggin blew me away. I just watched it last weekend actually.

[balmakboor]

My Melbourne Film Festival lineup for next week:

JEANNE DIELMAN...
PIERROT LE FOU

TREELESS MOUNTAIN

I'm expecting no masterpieces, no pleasure, no rewards, and that my laptop will be stolen from my hostel. Yay!

The first two are masterpieces, probably goes without saying. I loved Treeless Mountain. It's nothing to get too excited about, but still a lovely little movie about kids.

[Boner M]

Yeah I didn't like that pan. Other examples of techniques I didn't like (a ton of static shots which are fine when mise-en-scene and composition make up for it but I don't feel that they do here)... also a number of after thought zooms and pans (which occur haphazardly) and generally poor lighting (one example being Wanda in the bath tub and the guy laying down in the foreground... actually a reasonable composition but terribly lit).
I'm starting to wonder why you're a Cassavetes fan.

[Qrazy]

I'm starting to wonder why you're a Cassavetes fan.

Because the acting and drama in his films is consistently exceptional (completely unlike Wanda or Last Chants). His writing is impeccable and contrary to what many people seem to feel I think that Al Ruban is an excellent DP with a unique (intentionally rough) style all his own. Cassavetes and Ruban don't shoot glossy imagery but they do visually communicate and Cassavetes unique sense of rhythm shines through in the editing also.

[Boner M]

Because the acting and drama in his films is consistently exceptional (completely unlike Wanda or Last Chants). His writing is impeccable and contrary to what many people seem to feel I think that Al Ruban is an excellent DP with a unique (intentionally rough) style all his own. Cassavetes and Ruban don't shoot glossy imagery but they do visually communicate and Cassavetes unique sense of rhythm shines through in the editing also.
Fair enough. I think Wanda does do those things and there is a similar visual expressivity to Loden's (and Jost's, for that matter) style. I mean...

http://ferdyonfilms.com/wanda14%20edit.JPG

...c'mon.

[Rowland]

Yeah, the only Cassavetes picture I've seen is the remarkable Opening Night, which, contrary to prevailing attitudes, I found visually expressive in its unpolished ways.

[Boner M]

A curiosity-piqued search just revealed that I am responsible for 1/5 of the 257 posts containing the word 'Cassavetes' on this board.

[Winston*]

A curiosity-piqued search just revealed that I am responsible for 1/5 of the 257 posts containing the word 'Cassavetes' on this board.

Yeah, but how many of them are about Nick?

[balmakboor]

Yeah, but how many of them are about Nick?

Around here? I think you know the answer.

[Qrazy]

Fair enough. I think Wanda does do those things and there is a similar visual expressivity to Loden's (and Jost's, for that matter) style. I mean...

http://ferdyonfilms.com/wanda14%20edit.JPG

...c'mon.

Ehh I credit most of the success of that shot to Loden's weary expressivity rather than to the composition or lighting... also is that image cropped? I don't remember it. Did it take place at the bar with the larger group of people?

[Amnesiac]

Is the score from Contempt meant to be over the top or grating so as to satirize typical Hollywood conventions? Was that Godard's intention? Because I found it to be overwhelmingly elegiac and moving.

[Derek]

Yeah, the only Cassavetes picture I've seen is the remarkable Opening Night, which, contrary to prevailing attitudes, I found visually expressive in its unpolished ways.

My favorite of Cassavetes; that and Killing of a Chinese Bookie are both quite visually expressive. Then again, I thought Wanda was as well, but perhaps that's because I don't watch films from a technicians perspective.


My Melbourne Film Festival lineup for next week:

I'm expecting no masterpieces, no pleasure, no rewards, and that my laptop will be stolen from my hostel. Yay!

It will not live up to these expectations. If you start enjoying too many films, baby doll will fly down under to kick you in the balls and Qrazy will pay off the projectionists to tilt the projectors 1/2 degree so the framing is all thrown off.

[Qrazy]

My favorite of Cassavetes; that and Killing of a Chinese Bookie are both quite visually expressive. Then again, I thought Wanda was as well, but perhaps that's because I don't watch films from a technicians perspective.



It will not live up to these expectations. If you start enjoying too many films, baby doll will fly down under to kick you in the balls and Qrazy will pay off the projectionists to tilt the projectors 1/2 degree so the framing is all thrown off.

Mikey and Nicky thoughts?

[Qrazy]

So I had to watch a movie with some friends and they wouldn't watch my (I thought) crowd friendly possible choices... Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Death of a Salesman... so I had to choose from their two choices... Harold and Kumar 2 or Reign Over Me. I think I chose wrong.

[soitgoes...]

So I had to watch a movie with some friends and they wouldn't watch my (I thought) crowd friendly possible choices... Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Death of a Salesman... so I had to choose from their two choices... Harold and Kumar 2 or Reign Over Me. I think I chose wrong.
At least it breaks up the mediocrity of your last 4 films?

[Qrazy]

At least it breaks up the mediocrity of your last 4 films?

True that. Hopefully I'll finally have high speed internet next week so I can get some more of the films for the film swap. Actually I'm going to the rents house this weekend so I'll definitely be able to get some.

[Derek]

Mikey and Nicky thoughts?

This was a case where I couldn't help by find the Cassavetian acting styles over-indulgent and too often awkward and offbeat to an exaggerated extent rather a genuine attempt to bring a recognizable reality to the screen. I know it was going for dark comedy at times, but for every moment it captured something truthful, there was another that felt forced or staged, which became tiresome and left me outside of the drama.

[Rowland]

they wouldn't watch my (I thought) crowd friendly possible choices... Who Framed Roger RabbitThose bastards. I haven't watched the movie in... oh, probably near a decade, but I loved it while growing up.

[Qrazy]

Those bastards. I haven't watched the movie in... oh, probably near a decade, but I loved it while growing up.

I tend to enjoy most Zemeckis films at least to some degree. I should probably give Beowulf and The Polar Express a look.

[Qrazy]

This was a case where I couldn't help by find the Cassavetian acting styles over-indulgent and too often awkward and offbeat to an exaggerated extent rather a genuine attempt to bring a recognizable reality to the screen. I know it was going for dark comedy at times, but for every moment it captured something truthful, there was another that felt forced or staged, which became tiresome and left me outside of the drama.

I liked it more than you but you know what else took me out of the drama? Seeing crew members and boom shots all over the place. I think there were about 5 instances of this, yeesh.

[B-side]

Harold and Kumar 2 was awful. I didn't mind the first one, but the sequel was just... bad.

[trotchky]

Haven't seen the sequel, but the first one was rather shit. This song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vyfc10qDcR4) gets the point across (and is funnier) than that movie ever hoped to be.

[B-side]

Haven't seen the sequel, but the first one was rather shit. This song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vyfc10qDcR4) gets the point across (and is funnier) than that movie ever hoped to be.

It's pretty dumb, but it has its charm.

[Rowland]

I rather liked the original, thought it had a democratizing racial vision that proved slyly subversive.

[Qrazy]

I found the original to be adequate also, that's why I opted for the sequel over Reign Over Me.

[B-side]

Reign Over Me is nothing special, but Sandler is good in it.

[transmogrifier]

At least it breaks up the mediocrity of your last 4 films?

Yeah, he doesn't have much cause to complain seeing as he is having trouble choosing good films for himself to watch these days. :)

[Qrazy]

Yeah, he doesn't have much cause to complain seeing as he is having trouble choosing good films for himself to watch these days. :)

What?

[Spinal]

Damn you people seeing Antichrist. Seriously, damn you and your hip Southern Hemisphere film festivals.

[B-side]

I'm getting WR: Mysteries of the Organism right now. Looking forward to it.

[Boner M]

Damn you people seeing Antichrist. Seriously, damn you and your hip Southern Hemisphere film festivals.I guess I should feel guilty since I'm more excited about the experience of seeing it with an enormous audience rather than the film itself.

The White Ribbon, on the other hand... :D

[Qrazy]

I guess I should feel guilty since I'm more excited about the experience of seeing it with an enormous audience rather than the film itself.

The White Ribbon, on the other hand... :D

I dare you to bring a dildo and whip it out of your pants at climactic moments.

[transmogrifier]

What?

Your signature is riddled with Cs for movies I assume you chose for yourself to watch, and so I find it amusing that you take issue with the choice of movie made by another person, that is all. :)

[baby doll]

The first two are masterpieces, probably goes without saying. I loved Treeless Mountain. It's nothing to get too excited about, but still a lovely little movie about kids.I'll have to see it again, but I thought Treeless Mountain was a disappointment after In Between Days simply because it was too much like her last film: tight, handheld compositions, shallow depth of field, Korean girls without fathers.

[Qrazy]

Your signature is riddled with Cs for movies I assume you chose for yourself to watch, and so I find it amusing that you take issue with the choice of movie made by another person, that is all. :)

I find your amusement absurd for many reasons. Firstly how can I predict whether I"ll love a film or not. There are indicators but no sure fire ways. All of these films I hoped and expected to really like. Harold and Kumar 2 and Reign over Me I did not expect to like. You've never watched a stretch of mediocre films? Secondly there's a major difference for me between a C and a D. C films are worth seeing, D films are not.

Third, A Real Young Girl was part of the film swap. Buffet Titanic I watched because I'm finishing up Kusturica's filmography. Same with Forbidden City Cop in terms of Chow. Hitokiri was the weakest Gosha film I've seen yet. Finally, I'd heard Wanda compared favorably to Cassavetes and Pierrot le Fou is supposed to be one of Godard's best.

So if your friends made you watch Transformers 2 tomorrow you would not complain that it was a bad movie because your sig is 50 percent C movies?

[transmogrifier]

I find your amusement absurd for many reasons. Firstly how can I predict whether I"ll love a film or not. There are indicators but no sure fire ways. All of these films I hoped and expected to really like. Harold and Kumar 2 and Reign over Me I did not expect to like. You've never watched a stretch of mediocre films? Secondly there's a major difference for me between a C and a D. C films are worth seeing, D films are not.

Third, A Real Young Girl was part of the film swap. Buffet Titanic I watched because I'm finishing up Kusturica's filmography. Same with Forbidden City Cop in terms of Chow. Hitokiri was the weakest Gosha film I've seen yet. Finally, I'd heard Wanda compared favorably to Cassavetes and Pierrot le Fou is supposed to be one of Godard's best.

So if your friends made you watch Transformers 2 tomorrow you would not complain that it was a bad movie because your sig is 50 percent C movies?

Did no-one ever tell you that explaining the joke ruins it?

[B-side]

Did no-one ever tell you that explaining the joke ruins it?

I'm not convinced it was funny to begin with.

:D

[Qrazy]

Did no-one ever tell you that explaining the joke ruins it?

Is this non sequitur hour?

[soitgoes...]

Is this non sequitur hour?
Have you seen other Back films besides All Nothing and The Man Who Planted Trees? I thought Crac!, ¿Illusion?, and The Creation of Birds are all varying degrees of good.

[transmogrifier]

Have you seen other Back films besides All Nothing and The Man Who Planted Trees? I thought Crac!, ¿Illusion?, and The Creation of Birds are all varying degrees of good.

I've always thought Jon Lovitz was quite funny.

[Qrazy]

Have you seen other Back films besides All Nothing and The Man Who Planted Trees? I thought Crac!, ¿Illusion?, and The Creation of Birds are all varying degrees of good.

I downloaded his filmography but I haven't made my way all the way through it yet. I agree that Crac! is good, his second best that I've seen. I've also seen his first (Abracadabra) which wasn't that good and Taratata which was solid, I enjoyed it. My highest hopes are for The Mighty River (don't have an english narrator or subs though alas) but I"ll be watching Illusion and The Creation of Birds soon enough.

[soitgoes...]

I downloaded his filmography but I haven't made my way all the way through it yet. I agree that Crac! is good, his second best that I've seen. I've also seen his first (Abracadabra) which wasn't that good and Taratata which was solid, I enjoyed it. My highest hopes are for The Mighty River (don't have an english narrator or subs though alas) but I"ll be watching Illusion and The Creation of Birds soon enough.Yeah, I didn't watch The Mighty River, though from the snippets I have seen it looks beautiful. Inon or the Conquest of Fire was my least favorite.

[soitgoes...]

I've always thought Jon Lovitz was quite funny.Is there a reference you are referring to that I'm not catching? I hate to bungle two of your joke attempts on one page, but I haven't the foggiest idea what this could mean.

[transmogrifier]

Is there a reference you are referring to that I'm not catching? I hate to bungle two of your joke attempts on one page, but I haven't the foggiest idea what this could mean.

I wonder if The Lovely Bones is going to be good.

[B-side]

So Mysteries of the Organism is quite the trip. Unique and interesting, if nothing else. I liked it a lot. It's probably worth noting that I knew nothing about Reich going in.

[soitgoes...]

I wonder if The Lovely Bones is going to be good.Probably or probably not.

[Stay Puft]

Going back a bit as I missed the brief discussion, but concerning the ending of Mad Detective:

As I recall, he shoots Bun because he still doesn't completely trust him and thinks he's crazy. It's only after that that the "bad guy" shoots him and reveals his mistake. It ends with him changing the guns around because, like the bad guy, he finds himself in a predicament that could threaten his job/promotion, and like the bad guy, decides to try to cover it up and save his own ass.

[transmogrifier]

Probably or probably not.

I kind of agree partially with the main gist of this sentiment.

[soitgoes...]

I kind of agree partially with the main gist of this sentiment.
Usually I'm in agreement with myself, but not so much today. I feel Jackson will be able to transcend the words "probably" and "not," and create something that is.

[Skitch]

I'm getting WR: Mysteries of the Organism right now. Looking forward to it.

...stupid netflix...

[origami_mustache]

Which is the better Japanese horror film: Kwaidan or Onibaba?

Loved both...Kwaidan's imagery really stuck with me, but Onibaba is the better film in my opinion, although I wouldn't consider it as much as a horror film as the Kwaidan.

..sooo basically what everyone else said, except I seemed to like them more than most.

[balmakboor]

I'll have to see it again, but I thought Treeless Mountain was a disappointment after In Between Days simply because it was too much like her last film: tight, handheld compositions, shallow depth of field, Korean girls without fathers.

I haven't seen In Between Days yet.