28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[megladon8]

I will crush you, Braden.


http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/2282/zimscreamoptimized.jpg


CURSE YOU!!!!!

[Sven]

Isn't it pretty much a parody of the '50s BeAtnik crowd? Like in "The Simpsons" when Moe turns his Bar into a hipster hang-out, and Homer is bewildered by a conversation between two men about who is the better director, Kurosawa or Bergman.

Of course we'd saY that's pretty acceptable, but the way Homer feels towarDs thOse peopLe is the way peopLe like us would feel towards these "artistes".

I thought it was Kurosawa and Herzog. That joke angered me.

Edit: thx Derek. :)

[Derek]

I thought it was Kurosawa and Herzog.

Day late and a dollar short my friend.


That joke angered me.

Me too, but mostly because it was a poor choice of directors for the joke.

[Spun Lepton]

Seeing that image of Zim sparked some nostalgic feelings for the little megalomaniac. Think I may have to break out my DVDs and watch some episodes tonight.

Maybe I'll watch the episode where Zim goes around the school, stealing internal organs from all the kids, and stuffing them inside himself so the school nurse thinks he's human.

"More organs means more human."

[Kurosawa Fan]

Goodbye Solo is the best film I've seen this year, and I feel confident enough to say right now that I'm fairly sure nothing will supplant it. It was amazing. The story develops so organically, and for such a quiet film it was intensely emotional. I'm just stunned right now.

Also saw Sin Nombre today, and it was a good film, but the two stories didn't work as well together as I would have hoped. Not enough attention was paid to Sayra, so that the film lacked the dramatic impetus it was going for.

[Winston*]

What is your avatar from KF?

[megladon8]

Goodbye Solo does sound great, KF. I'll have to check it out when it comes to DVD.

[Watashi]

I can't believe a new Ang Lee movie comes out next week yet I have absolutely no interest in seeing it.

[Kurosawa Fan]

What is your avatar from KF?

It's a picture I found online. It's supposed to be Ira Glass in the jungle.

[Ezee E]

Have you seen Bahrani's other movies K-Fan? Chop Shop is pretty good.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Have you seen Bahrani's other movies K-Fan? Chop Shop is pretty good.

EDIT: I lied. I've seen Man Push Cart, which was very good, but not nearly as good as Goodbye Solo.

[Ezee E]

Check out Chop Shop, it's on instant watch I believe.

Goodbye Solo comes out on DVD next week. I'll definitely see it.

[Stay Puft]

I can't believe a new Ang Lee movie comes out next week yet I have absolutely no interest in seeing it.

I know, this is weird. I didn't even realize it was coming out so soon, actually. I just don't care at all.

Bonus Bahrani rate/rank Match Cut shenanigans:

Goodbye Solo ***1/2
Chop Shop ***
Man Push Cart **1/2

[Stay Puft]

Also, final list of films for TIFF is now available:
http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/filmlist/default.aspx

Recently announced films to complete the list include Dogtooth (awesome, now I can see it) and, more predictably, the rest of the Cannes award slate (Haneke, Trier, etc.).

So, uh, recommend some stuff to see.

[Stay Puft]

Okay, assuming my computer will not crash again...

As a continuation of last post, I'm thinking of making a thread about TIFF as a kind of festival coverage thing for Match Cut (which is also why I want film recommendations). I'm aiming to be at the festival for the entire ten day run, and I've already confirmed accommodations for at least seven days. Shouldn't have any trouble getting myself there for all ten.

This is due to various circumstances, I won't get into them, but needless to say, I'm pretty excited about realizing I have the opportunity to attend the festival in full. I thought making a thread for coverage would be a great writing project for me as well (I need to get back into the swing of things a bit). No idea if I could actually see the damn thing through (I want reviews, at least substantial capsules, for everything I see) or how soon before fatigue sets in (etc.), but I thought it would be fun to try.

I'll have to think about it some more.

[balmakboor]

I can't believe a new Ang Lee movie comes out next week yet I have absolutely no interest in seeing it.

Oh, I'm still interested. I'm always up for anything '60s or Woodstock related. I am very disappointed though that its reception has been so poor.

[Bosco B Thug]

Well we may not have plumbed the depths, but we've scratched the surface. Heh, yeah I didn't really have any problem with your first statement. I'd claim that I have, too, fo sho.


I'm not sure I follow. What do you mean by "concept picture" and how does its being one constitute a problem? I'm having problems figuring out my problems with the film, too, so bear with me. It's a concept picture in that it's three separate stories tied together merely by its lofty high-concept theme (to put it simplistically without deepening it as the article you posted does: "pulp fiction") and the jumping chronology/recurrence of characters (which strikes me as somewhat gimmicky, even with how maturely Tarantino executes it).

I don't know how that necessarily constitutes a problem, but I don't feel Pulp Fiction really goes anywhere. With its structure, for one. Can't seem to figure out anything further right now.

[B-side]

Unrelated to film, but I found it to be a great quote:

"I cannot understand why human beings should be so little individualized. Why they should behave with such great collective uniformity. I do not understand why, when I ask for grilled lobster in a restaurant, I'm never served a cooked telephone."

-- Salvador Dali

[B-side]

Well, chalk up another Keaton win. Sherlock Jr. was a blast. In addition to another adorable romance, and the typical Keaton shenanigans, we get a bit of a dive into the fantastical and a film that speaks of the transcendent abilities of the medium.

[EyesWideOpen]

I just watched Death Proof (just bought the blu-ray) for the fifth time and it might be my favorite Tarantino film.

[ledfloyd]

Goodbye Solo is the best film I've seen this year, and I feel confident enough to say right now that I'm fairly sure nothing will supplant it. It was amazing. The story develops so organically, and for such a quiet film it was intensely emotional. I'm just stunned right now.
i felt the same way when it ended and it's gotten even better for me in the days since. i'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on Chop Shop when you get around to seeing it.


Bonus Bahrani rate/rank Match Cut shenanigans:

Goodbye Solo ***1/2
Chop Shop ***
Man Push Cart **1/2
Man Push Cart ***
Chop Shop ***1/2
Goodbye Solo ****

he has become one of my favorite filmmakers. i can't find a better descriptor for his films than "human." and to me that is a high compliment.

[dreamdead]

Carnival of Souls... what an odd duck this film turns out to be. It masters the art of a silent presence lurking in the most mundane of corners, with Herk Harvey's "The Man" character generating genuine creepiness. However, the Mary Henry character feels too much of a non-entity that her existential crisis lacks the pathos that I yearned for. To be sure, I doubt this film has become a cult classic due to its narrative, as that most assuredly feels like the weakest element. Instead, it's some of the auditory touches, such as the muted soundtrack during select scenes, and the true artistry of the carnival location, where a sense of latent threat resides. It doesn't quite resonate, but it's interesting enough, I suppose. I'd love to see defenses of it that examine the elements of character rather than sound and visual design...

[Qrazy]

Quintet - More like Shitet.

[Sven]

Quintet - More like Shitet.

"Shitet"? You didn't even try, did you? "Quintet, more like Quit-it"... that's wittier.

It's my second least favorite Altman film, one of the only two I would call "bad" (the other being The Gingerbread Man), but "shit" is a bit hard, no? It's heady, it's got great photography, and that climax is pretty awesome.

[Qrazy]

"Shitet"? You didn't even try, did you? "Quintet, more like Quit-it"... that's wittier.

It's my second least favorite Altman film, one of the only two I would call "bad" (the other being The Gingerbread Man), but "shit" is a bit hard, no? It's heady, it's got great photography, and that climax is pretty awesome.

Nah, Shitet is wittier. In fact it's so hilarious, insightful and self-aware that in the past nine minutes thirty novels have been written praising and analyzing my post.

---

Anyway the Shitet bit was more of a joke/expression of my frustration with the film than a description. If I truly felt it was complete shit I would have given it an F. So yeah I agree that it has things going for it although I don't think the climax is interesting at all really nor that the photography is good. I like that it was set in a new ice age, I kind of like the idea of the dogs, the game itself, certain elements of the aesthetic, etc. What I did not like was primarily the script which is horribly structured, paced, put together, etc. The plot of the film is awful. It could have been good given the premise but it just moves along from one uninteresting plot point to the next, wasting an excellent cast who clearly have no idea how to breathe life into these hollow characters. Meanwhile Altman's zooming and panning around a lame set to pictures on the walls of people suffering. Everything almost everything about the film feels cursory and lazy.

[Sven]

So yeah I agree that it has things going for it although I don't think the climax is interesting at all really nor that the photography is good.

Really? The climax is the first point in the film where it drops its lofty pretenses and goes straight for the visceral in the form of a McCabe&Miller-esque showdown. And the photography... don't make me post screen-caps, beeyotch. It's fabulous.

[Qrazy]

Really? The climax is the first point in the film where it drops its lofty pretenses and goes straight for the visceral in the form of a McCabe&Miller-esque showdown. And the photography... don't make me post screen-caps, beeyotch. It's fabulous.

SPOILERS

The photography is poor. The entire film is shot with blurring around the lens to achieve other worldly icey effect. It's lazy. I also find I can usually get on board with Altman's tracking/zooms but they're fairly monotonous, pointless and ugly here.

What's visceral? Two guys crawling around a snow drift until one falls in the snow and stabs himself? The deaths in this game are some of the least tense, most uninteresting demises I've seen in a long time.

[Sven]

Perhaps not visceral, but I remember being very excited and into the movement and geography of that snow bank they're scrambling around in.

I've ended way too many sentences recently with prepositions. It has been bothering me.

[Bosco B Thug]

I just watched Death Proof (just bought the blu-ray) for the fifth time and it might be my favorite Tarantino film. Right on. :)


Carnival of Souls... what an odd duck this film turns out to be. It masters the art of a silent presence lurking in the most mundane of corners, with Herk Harvey's "The Man" character generating genuine creepiness. However, the Mary Henry character feels too much of a non-entity that her existential crisis lacks the pathos that I yearned for. To be sure, I doubt this film has become a cult classic due to its narrative, as that most assuredly feels like the weakest element. Instead, it's some of the auditory touches, such as the muted soundtrack during select scenes, and the true artistry of the carnival location, where a sense of latent threat resides. It doesn't quite resonate, but it's interesting enough, I suppose. I'd love to see defenses of it that examine the elements of character rather than sound and visual design... I remember being rather impressed by the dialogue when I revisited it recently... I thought Mary's vacillations with the neighbor character were especially well drawn.

[number8]

You borrowed this directly from 8's defense of the film, right?

I should point out that "teenagers killing each other" is not the reason why Battle Royale is my favorite movie of all time. That's kind of insulting, dude.

I wrote this (http://www.filthysize.com/work/essays/read.php?w=3) back in high school. It's pretty incoherent, and I hope to update it one day, but I think it shows that I love the film on a much deeper level.

[Sycophant]

I should point out that "teenagers killing each other" is not the reason why Battle Royale is my favorite movie of all time. That's kind of insulting, dude.

Sorry. My disinclination to include smilies in my post again works against me. I totally know the reason you like Battle Royale isn't because teenagers killing each other is so terribly appealing. I like the movie, too. I've only seen it twice, more than five years ago, but I'm pretty much on your side on this one.

If there's one thing that's most annoying about baby doll's dismissal of others' opinions, it's that he assumes the reason people like a movie is for the exact reasons he found it unrewarding. I was attempting to skewer that.

[number8]

Oh.


...

PULLL THE STRINGS!!

[Qrazy]

I thought Battle Royale was relatively decent also. Battle Royale 2 was quite bad though.

[megladon8]

Battle Royale is OK. I just don't get why there are these pockets of RAMPANT lovers out there. When I watch it I really see nothing that wonderful to harp on. The filmmaking itself is super bland, most of the acting is mediocre, the action poorly staged.

I just don't get it.

[number8]

It's dead-on satire at its finest. No other movie depicts teenage angst and trepidation better than it. It's also phenomenal in its study of the complexity of the teacher-student relationship in Japan (it applies everywhere, but especially striking for Japan). If it's not one of the greatest movies ever made, it's still easily the best teen movie ever made.

Oh, and it's also powerfully moving at times. I mean, powerfully.

[number8]

Guess what movie is about to get another plaaay....

[BuffaloWilder]

G.I. Joe?

[balmakboor]

I just watched Death Proof (just bought the blu-ray) for the fifth time and it might be my favorite Tarantino film.

I agree.

My Tarantino ranking at the moment (IB will hopefully improve with a second viewing):

1. Death Proof
2. Kill Bill
3. Jackie Brown
4. Pulp Fiction
5. Reservoir Dogs
6. Inglourious Basterds

The final scene of Death Proof is more fun than all of IB put together.

[EyesWideOpen]

That's pretty much exactly how my rankings would go except I haven't seen Basterds yet (I'm going tomorrow).

[balmakboor]

That's pretty much exactly how my rankings would go except I haven't seen Basterds yet (I'm going tomorrow).

Good luck with that. Hopefully, I'm just stewing for the moment in the juices of unfulfilled expectations and initial disappointment.

[MadMan]

My current QT rankings (he's one of my all time favorite directors):

1. Pulp Fiction
2. Kill Bill Vol. 2
3. Jackie Brown
4. Reservoir Dogs
5. Death Proof
6. Kill Bill

Funny enough, even the friends of mine who aren't deeply into movies don't mind that that I'm a huge film buff. Maybe its because I share some of their tastes, and because even if they aren't willing to watch a movie just cause its in a foreign language they still really enjoy movies. I do have one buddy who shares my love of film, but I'm not sure if I've encountered someone offline who has almost exact taste like mine. My family doesn't really think about much about it, and actually asks me for recommendations sometimes. Well at least my first sister does.

[baby doll]

What the hell?

1. Pulp Fiction (1994)
2. Jackie Brown (1997)
3. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
4. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
5. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
6. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
7. Boulevard de la mort (2006)

Basically, he was a lot cooler in the 90s.

[BuffaloWilder]

It's not a French film. It's called Death Proof. That is all.

[The Mike]

1. Jackie Brown
2. Reservoir Dogs
3. Kill Bill Vol. 1
4. Pulp Fiction
5. Kill Bill Vol. 2
6. Death Proof

If I had to rank Kill Bill together, I'd put it in last place.

But, I like all 6 a lot.

[Dead & Messed Up]

If there's a ranking going on, I want in.

1. Jackie Brown
1. Pulp Fiction
3. Inglourious Basterds
4. Reservoir Dogs
5. Kill Bill Vol. 1
6. Death Proof
7. Kill Bill Vol. 2

[trotchky]

Le Boulevard de mort (2006)

lol

my revised rankings:

1. Le commando des bâtards
2. Fiction pulpeuse
3. Kill Bill
4. Au revoir Dogs
5. Jackie Brown
6. Boulevard de la mort

[chrisnu]

1. Pulp Fiction
2. Jackie Brown
3. Kill Bill Vol. 2
4. Reservoir Dogs
5. Death Proof
6. Kill Bill Vol. 1

Seeing Basterds tomorrow.

[Winston*]

How do you spell Inglourious Basterds in French?

[BuffaloWilder]

That's it, really.

By the way, what is "Rep Power?"

[baby doll]

lol

6. Boulevard de la mortWhat's really embarrassing is using the French title at the risk (certainty) of ridicule, and then getting it wrong. I suck.

[baby doll]

It's not a French film. It's called Death Proof. That is all.I think Tarantino would approve. He's not all hung-up on being an American. The smartest thing he ever said was in that Barbara Walters interview where he said he made films for the whole planet, not just the US.

[balmakboor]

7. Boulevard de la mort (2006)

Wait. Is that Death Proof? I thought he made some short film for BMW or something that I missed.

[Mara]

By the way, what is "Rep Power?"

It is a cruel, cruel mistress.

[Boner M]

Cafe Lumiere - Between this and Flight of the Red Balloon, I feel safe in saying that I prefer Hou when he's not being overtly elliptical with his narratives (ala Goodbye South Goodbye and Millennium Mambo), but rather working with innately low-key stories that don't need any kind of fancy narrative strategies. Much like Red Balloon, this is an overt homage; this time on the occasion of Ozu's 100th birthday, and here Hou recalls Ozu's trademark dramatic accumulation of relatively non-dramatic scenes, and takes it to an extreme - that is to say, the film consists of a series of static scenes that build into something emotionally compelling by the kind of alchemical power that can only come from a cinematic poet. At heart, the film is really more of the same everyone's-detached-from-their-own-experiences, modern-life-is-alienating, we're-all-different-trains-travelling-on-separate-paths kinda thing that clogs festival programs everywhere, but it's Hou's command of the plastics of the medium that make you feel as if these themes are being dealt with for the first time ever.

Road Games - Ridiculous if undeniably entertaining Hitchcock/Duel mashup that confirms Richard Franklin as Hitch's ultimate fanboy - his sheer unbridled love for that brand of jokey, playing-you-like-a-piano suspense makes De Palma look like a dry academic by comparison. Even so, this is a surprisingly talky film with rather off-kilter rhythms and grace notes, and the Tarantino seal of approval that appears on the DVD case actually means something this time; Franklin shares the same loyalty to genre even, as he subverts its norms. Admittedly, the 'Rear Window in a moving vehicle' premise, however novel, can only be taken so far before incredulity sets it, but fortunately the film has Stacy Keach as its lead, who lends an un-actory gravitas to his role and does a fine job at distracting from the hokier and more contrived elements of the script. An awesomely sustained chase climax, an hysterical 'gotcha' final scene, firmly adheres to Hawks' three-good-scenes-no-bad-ones' rule... great stuff for a Friday night with a pizza & case of beer.

[baby doll]

Wait. Is that Death Proof? I thought he made some short film for BMW or something that I missed.Yeah, that's the title they gave Death Proof when the longer version premiered at Cannes.

[Skitch]

BR = Great!

BR2 = Terrible crap.

[baby doll]

BR = Great!

BR2 = Terrible crap.CCR = Awesome!

[Pop Trash]

1. Pulp Fiction
2. Reservoir Dogs
3. Jackie Brown
4. Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair
5. Inglourious Basterds
6. Death Proof

They are all pretty high except Death Proof which would get about a 7/10 from me. Also, I hate to say it, but I kinda agree with Baby Doll. I do think he is so attached to the 90s and my feelings are so attached to how I felt watching Res Dogs and PF back in 1994 when I was in HS, that I don't think he will ever make a movie that will surpass those for me. That said, most of his subsequent movies would make my top ten of those respective years.

[balmakboor]

It had been a long time since I saw it so I was holding off on ranking it among my favorites until I saw it again this weekend. I now know where The Long Goodbye ranks in my top ten.

[Melville]

1. Pulp Fiction - 8
2. Kill Bill Vol. 1 - 6
3. Reservoir Dogs - 5.5
4. Kill Bill Vol. 2 - 3
5. Death Proof - 2

I guess I should see Jackie Brown, which seems to be the Tarantino film that non-fans like.

[baby doll]

I guess I should see Jackie Brown, which seems to be the Tarantino film that non-fans like.Yeah, it's the one with characters.

In response to Pop Trash's comments, I don't prefer his 90s work only because I'm nostalgic for the good old days, but because his films were more satisfying then--a point I tried to make in my blog post on Inglourious Basterds. What's more satisfying: a long sequence that ends with some one changing their life (like the final sequence of Pulp Fiction, which sidesteps a violent pay-off) or a long sequence that ends with a quick shoot-out, like the cellar sequence in Inglourious Basterds?

[Sycophant]

What's more satisfying: a long sequence that ends with some one changing their life ... or a long sequence that ends with a quick shoot-out ... ?

I haven't read your blog post, but this question should not be able to be answered.

[The Mike]

Yeah, it's the one with characters.So incredibly true. :lol:

[balmakboor]

Yeah, it's the one with characters.

In response to Pop Trash's comments, I don't prefer his 90s work only because I'm nostalgic for the good old days, but because his films were more satisfying then--a point I tried to make in my blog post on Inglourious Basterds. What's more satisfying: a long sequence that ends with some one changing their life (like the final sequence of Pulp Fiction, which sidesteps a violent pay-off) or a long sequence that ends with a quick shoot-out, like the cellar sequence in Inglourious Basterds?

I don't think one can answer this in any absolute sort of way, but I did find the sequence in PF enormously satisfying and the sequence in IB to be something of a cheat.

[balmakboor]

1. Pulp Fiction - 8
2. Kill Bill Vol. 1 - 6
3. Reservoir Dogs - 5.5
4. Kill Bill Vol. 2 - 3
5. Death Proof - 2

I guess I should see Jackie Brown, which seems to be the Tarantino film that non-fans like.

Fans like it as well. He is perhaps my favorite American director right now and it is my second favorite.

[number8]

So incredibly true. :lol:

I don't get it. Bill and The Bride are both just as well-rounded as any character in JB.

[Qrazy]

1. Pulp Fiction - 8
2. Kill Bill Vol. 1 - 6
3. Reservoir Dogs - 5.5
4. Kill Bill Vol. 2 - 3
5. Death Proof - 2

I guess I should see Jackie Brown, which seems to be the Tarantino film that non-fans like.

I predict it will be your number two and you will give it a 7.

[ledfloyd]

Jackie Brown - 10
Kill Bill - 9
Pulp Fiction - 8
Inglorious Bastards - 7.5
Reservoir Dogs - 7
Death Proof - 6

[Derek]

Allow me to edit:


What's more satisfying: a long sequence that ends with some one changing their life (like the final sequence of Pulp Fiction, which sidesteps a violent pay-off) or a long sequence that ends with a quick shoot-out, like the three-way shoot-out in Reservoir Dogs?

Of course, there are plenty of great and awful examples of both so it's a pointless rhetorical question.

[megladon8]

I have to say that, yes, that's quite a ridiculous question.

[baby doll]

Allow me to edit:

Of course, there are plenty of great and awful examples of both so it's a pointless rhetorical question.Just to clarify, when I said I preferred his 90s work, I was mainly referring to Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, and not so much Reservoir Dogs.

[baby doll]

I don't get it. Bill and The Bride are both just as well-rounded as any character in JB.I think you're confusing borderline schizophrenic with being well-rounded. Bill is essentially the same character as Stuntman Mike, alternating between soft-spoken gentility and brutal outbursts of violence without much in between.

[megladon8]

Re-watched Taxi Driver last night and had forgotten how incredible a movie that is.

While Travis is without question a troubled, disturbed character with seriously twisted racial views, I maintain that his intentions were honorable.

[Mara]

How do you spell Inglourious Basterds in French?

Honey? It doesn't even spell anything in English.

[Boner M]

1. Reservoir Dogs
2. Inglourious Basterds
3. Jackie Brown
4. Pulp Fiction
5. Death Proof
6. Kill Bill

I find it hard to be objective about Pulp Fiction since it's both a major formative thing, yet I always find its more iconic scenes strangely cringeworthy on more recent viewings. Hmm.

[megladon8]

I think I might watch Unbreakable tonight.

[Winston*]

I think I might watch Unbreakable tonight.

I think I'll watch the second half of Day of the Locust. I don't know how it ends but I have a feeling Karen Black is going to make it.

[megladon8]

Never seen that one.

I love Donald Sutherland, but I find Karen Black kind of annoying.

[Winston*]

Donald Sutherland plays a character called Homer Simpson.

[megladon8]

Donald Sutherland plays a character called Homer Simpson.


Coincidence? Or is the animated character somehow referencing this movie?

[Rowland]

1. Reservoir DogsNice to see some more strong appreciation for this one, which now strikes me as rather undeserving of the status as a minor effort that it has developed, and which I too once held it to.

[Winston*]

Coincidence? Or is the animated character somehow referencing this movie?

Pretty sure it's a coincidence. The character seems more Flanders than Homer.

[Melville]

1. Reservoir Dogs
2. Inglourious Basterds
3. Jackie Brown
4. Pulp Fiction
5. Death Proof
6. Kill Bill

I find it hard to be objective about Pulp Fiction since it's both a major formative thing, yet I always find its more iconic scenes strangely cringeworthy on more recent viewings. Hmm.
I was actually a lot more impressed by it on my second viewing (which was admittedly a few years ago) than I was when it first came out. Didn't you give Death Proof an 8.5? I didn't realize you were such a QT fan.


Pretty sure it's a coincidence. The character seems more Flanders than Homer.
Wikipedia tells me that Groening named his character after his father and the Day of the Locust character, though his character was not similar to either of them.

[Boner M]

Didn't you give Death Proof an 8.5? I didn't realize you were such a QT fan.
I did on second viewing, maybe I was overrating it for the shock of what a revelation it was; so it'd be something like a 7/7.5 now.

I wouldn't normally consider myself a QT fan per se, probably cos of his 'fact of life' status in the world of cinema... but yeah, I guess I like/really like most of his films when I think of it.

[Winston*]

Wikipedia tells me that Groening named his character after his father and the Day of the Locust character, though his character was not similar to either of them.

IMDB tells me it's a coincidence. Who do we trust Melville? Who do we trust?

[Melville]

IMDB tells me it's a coincidence. Who do we trust Melville? Who do we trust?
Does IMDb provide references? 'Cause Wikipedia references several interviews with Groening, as well as a book. I don't know if the references actually contain the information they're purported to...but I figure even made-up references must be worth something.

[MadMan]

Considering that the lowest score I've given a QT film is an 83 (that would be Kill Bill Vol. 1), I'm a big fan of his. Pulp Fiction to me his is masterpiece, and I don't think he'll ever top it. Have to see how Inglorious turns out, as I hopefully will see it soon. To me QT is much like Orson Welles in that he made his one amazing movie, and then spent the rest of his career not being able to top it. Although granted Welles is the better filmmaker, and did make some movies that were equally great when measured up against Citizen Kane.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Are we rating Tarantino movies now?

1. Pulp Fiction
2. Inglourious Basterds
3. Reservoir Dogs
4. Jackie Brown
5. Kill Bill
6. Death Proof

I also agree that he was cooler back in the 90s. I'll have to muller on a bit over Basterds though. Maybe see it again in a few months to see how good it actually was.

[Spaceman Spiff]

And on that note, has anyone here seen any pinku eiga movies (old timey japanese porn)?

I saw Go, go Second Time Virgin by Wakamatsu (which included that number one hit single - "No Seeing You Again", natch) the other day and while it wasn't great fap material, it had a certain sort of weird charm (it ended up treading into pretty unfamiliar territory for porn, let's say). I'm not sure if my appreciation of it had anything to do with my sexual deviancy, but I got a decent kick out of the flick.

[BuffaloWilder]

So, with Bahrani's Goodbye Solo, was the implication near the end that

William was Solo's father?

[number8]

Second Time Virgin is fun, but I dunno, a lot of them are pretty indistinguishable. It really is just fetish porn with a very small amount of cult trash thrown in.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Second Time Virgin is fun, but I dunno, a lot of them are pretty indistinguishable. It really is just fetish porn with a very small amount of cult trash thrown in.

I didn't see the kid being a murderer coming. I sorta liked that.

[Grouchy]

The only one I saw is also Second Time Virgin, which was pretty fun stuff.

[Qrazy]

Donald Sutherland plays a character called Homer Simpson.

I liked Day of the Locust and Schlesinger in general. Don't you think Lynch was inspired by the film for Mulholland Drive?

[Winston*]

I liked Day of the Locust and Schlesinger in general. Don't you think Lynch was inspired by the film for Mulholland Drive?

Sure, there've been quite a few Lynchy bits so far (drinking with the mexican dude, well-dressed studio people sitting about watching porn, alcoholic door to door salesman etc. ) and the apartment complex is very similar to the one in MD. This is a good film, looking forward to watching the rest.

[Philosophe_rouge]

The electrifying final number of The Gang's All Here nearly saves th rest of the film. It's classic Berkeley abstraction, using geometric shapes, multiple sets and a variety of practical effects/camera tricks to create something indepedent of the stage musical. Perhaps the summation of all of Berkeley's efforts as a choreographer/filmmaker come during the sequence; using mirrors, the dancers and their costumes become nothing more than an abstraction of moving colours and shapes... it reminds me of something that Normal McLaren would do, not something I'd expect from a very by the books musical. The rest of the film though is never as interesting or exciting as this particular sequence, though most of the musical sequences do have exciting flourishes, but they only hint at the true potential and skill that Berkeley demonstrated in his 1930s efforts. I didn't find the cast or story very interesting at all, they didn't even have enough charm to make me want to endure the non-musical sequences... though, there is something strangely captivating about Carmen Miranda... strange, but captivating.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Watched Blazing Saddles. I've never been a fan of Mel Brooks, and I remain confused as to his stature (this is #6 on AFI's comedy list). Perhaps the respect for this film comes from how revolutionary it was at the time. As it is, though, way too many of the jokes are laborious, obvious, and weak with their zingers. The hit-to-miss ratio is awfully low, with the occasional inspiration (Bart putting a gun to his own head) outweighed by all the other broad jokes. It's not a total waste, however, as Cleavon Little gives a strong, genial performance, and the fourth-wall-breakery at the end offers the picture a final gasp of manic energy.

Also, the following line is good:

"Alright, we'll give land to the niggers and the chinks, but we do not want the Irish!"

[Rowland]

Speaking of all the Tarantino talk as of late, I rewatched From Dusk Till Dawn, and it's still fun as hell. Ranking scripts he wrote but didn't direct:

Natural Born Killers (yeah I know Stone wrote half the movie) > From Dusk Till Dawn > True Romance

[Sven]

Speaking of all the Tarantino talk as of late, I rewatched From Dusk Till Dawn, and it's still fun as hell. Ranking scripts he wrote but didn't direct:

Natural Born Killers (yeah I know Stone wrote half the movie) > From Dusk Till Dawn > True Romance

Ditto and ditto!

Seriously, I thought I was gonna be all snooty about the film watching it again, but it sure won me over. From the first scene on, really. I love this guy:

http://www.filmdope.com/Gallery/ActorsH/7642.gif

He's so good!

[Dead & Messed Up]

Oh yeah - watched Big Trouble in Little China again yesterday. Thing's still as awesome as the first time I watched. For some reason, I absolutely lost it at this exchange:

"I'd help you but--"
"--I know. There's something wrong with your face."

I had to pause the DVD, I was laughing so hard.

[Milky Joe]

Man John Hawkes has had one hell of a career.

[Rowland]

Oh yeah - watched Big Trouble in Little China again yesterday. Thing's still as awesome as the first time I watched. For some reason, I absolutely lost it at this exchange:

"I'd help you but--"
"--I know. There's something wrong with your face."

I had to pause the DVD, I was laughing so hard.Indeed! (http://indeedlopan.ytmnd.com/)

[Rowland]

From the first scene on, really. That first scene is one of the best sequences Rodriguez has ever filmed. A brilliant opening.

[chrisnu]

Man John Hawkes has had one hell of a career.
I will always think of him as "that dude from 'Milagro' (the X-Files episode)".

[Winston*]

:eek: at the second half of Day of the Locust.

Can we get the old :eek: back?

[number8]

Was invited to a 9/11 Film Festival. I was moderately interested until I realized it was organized by the 9/11 Truth movement and that all the films are documentaries about government lies and the engineering of 9/11.

Pass.

[B-side]

Score another one for Rohmer.

[Qrazy]

Sure, there've been quite a few Lynchy bits so far (drinking with the mexican dude, well-dressed studio people sitting about watching porn, alcoholic door to door salesman etc. ) and the apartment complex is very similar to the one in MD. This is a good film, looking forward to watching the rest.

SPOILERS

Yeah and also the whole setting, major elements of the content, and certain parts of the aesthetic itself (the initial complex shot reminds me of Blue Velvet along with the sprinklers as well). Also lingering on details like the rose in the wall, brings to mind the ear in Blue Velvet and the cube/lamp/etc in Mulholland Drive.

Also the dive off the deep end at the end although Lynch keeps the film in the nightmare while Schlesinger returns the film to 'reality' a bit more... which is more similar to the end of Blue Velvet.

[StanleyK]

1. Pulp Fiction
2. Reservoir Dogs
3. Kill Bill: Vol. 1
4. Jackie Brown
5. Kill Bill: Vol. 2

Motherfuckers didn't release Grindhouse over here. Is it worth it watching Death Proof and Planet Terror separately on DVD or will I miss on the experience?

[Bosco B Thug]

1. Pulp Fiction
2. Reservoir Dogs
3. Kill Bill: Vol. 1
4. Jackie Brown
5. Kill Bill: Vol. 2

Motherfuckers didn't release Grindhouse over here. Is it worth it watching Death Proof and Planet Terror separately on DVD or will I miss on the experience? If you can't see Grindhouse in a movie theater, I don't see much point in having to see the films that way, really. Well, of course I think that, since I think of Death Proof so highly.

I guess before it becomes passé:

1. Death Proof - 9.5
2. Inglourious Basterds - 8.5
3. Pulp Fiction - 8
4. Kill Bill Vol. 1 - 7

[Sycophant]

I revisited Reservoir Dogs over the weekend and discovered I just haven't been giving the picture enough credit. It may still be my least favorite QT picture, but that's not as much a dig as it was a week ago.

[megladon8]

Unbreakable is still M. Night Shyamalan's best, and permanently in my top 10 of all time.

It's brilliant, beautiful...just an incredible movie.

[Winston*]

Day of the Locust

Hard to avoid the Altman comparisons too also, that studio sequence is totally something out of an Altman film. Also that ending is kind of Nashville by way of Hell.

[ledfloyd]

hurt locker was fantastic.

[Spinal]

Continued from discussion in Inglourious Basterds thread ...

Another aggravating thing regarding watching movies with families ...

My wife: Hey, we're going to watch a movie. Come watch it with us.
Me: What are you watching?
My wife: The Hoax.
Me: *grumble*
My wife: I know, but my dad picked it out. He just wants to spend some time with us.
Me: All right.

*15 minutes later*

My wife: *zzzzzzzzzzzzzz*
Me: :|

[Rowland]

Unbreakable is still M. Night Shyamalan's best, and permanently in my top 10 of all time.

It's brilliant, beautiful...just an incredible movie.I haven't watched Unbreakable in many a year, but it has always remained in my mind the only great film by Shyamalan. How he went from that to Lady in the Water and The Happening is beyond me. Hell, I even liked The Village, but those two are awful, awful movies.

[Rowland]

An insightful liveblogging of A.I. (http://alsolikelife.com/shooting/2009/08/best-of-the-decade-derby-a-i-liveblog-with-keith-uhlich-and-michael-joshua-rowin/) by THND's Keith Uhlich, Reverse Shot's Michael Joshua Rowin, and Shooting Down Pictures' Kevin B. Lee. It's a really fascinating read, makes me want to dig up my DVD and give the film another go.

[Spinal]

9/11 'Truth' stuff has been escorted off the premises. Please go to Contemporary Moral Issues for further sniping.

[Yxklyx]

Is it worth it watching Death Proof and Planet Terror separately on DVD or will I miss on the experience?

Planet Terror is a cinematic masterpiece that requires no other film alongside it.

[megladon8]

Planet Terror is a cinematic masterpiece that requires no other film alongside it.


:eek:

[The Mike]

Planet Terror is a cinematic masterpiece that requires no other film alongside it.

Close enough to truth, I'll buy it. :)

[Derek]

Let's try this: Robert Rodriguez never has and never will make anything resembling a cinematic masterpiece.

And am I really the only one who found Unbreakable a silly, silly film? I should give it another look as I haven't seen it since soon after it came out, but I didn't like it at all.

[balmakboor]

An insightful liveblogging of A.I. (http://alsolikelife.com/shooting/2009/08/best-of-the-decade-derby-a-i-liveblog-with-keith-uhlich-and-michael-joshua-rowin/) by THND's Keith Uhlich, Reverse Shot's Michael Joshua Rowin, and Shooting Down Pictures' Kevin B. Lee. It's a really fascinating read, makes me want to dig up my DVD and give the film another go.

Thanks. When I get a moment, I'll read through this. When the movie first came out, I found a discussion board devoted just to this movie and spent a full year on it. Made about 3000 A.I. related posts.

[Spinal]

Let's try this: Robert Rodriguez never has and never will make anything resembling a cinematic masterpiece.

I like Planet Terror a lot and yet I will still agree with this.

He will, however, make a lot more money than me during his lifetime.

[number8]

Let's try this: Robert Rodriguez never has and never will make anything resembling a cinematic masterpiece.

And am I really the only one who found Unbreakable a silly, silly film? I should give it another look as I haven't seen it since soon after it came out, but I didn't like it at all.

No lie: I was clicking the rep button for your first sentence, then I read your second and closed the pop up.

[Mal]

No lie: I was clicking the rep button for your first sentence, then I read your second and closed the pop up.

If you won't rep him, I will.

[megladon8]

And am I really the only one who found Unbreakable a silly, silly film? I should give it another look as I haven't seen it since soon after it came out, but I didn't like it at all.


You're a silly, silly film.

[Spaceman Spiff]

An insightful liveblogging of A.I. (http://alsolikelife.com/shooting/2009/08/best-of-the-decade-derby-a-i-liveblog-with-keith-uhlich-and-michael-joshua-rowin/) by THND's Keith Uhlich, Reverse Shot's Michael Joshua Rowin, and Shooting Down Pictures' Kevin B. Lee. It's a really fascinating read, makes me want to dig up my DVD and give the film another go.

AI is a seriously amazing movie. One of the very, very best. Someday, we will all think this.

[Sycophant]

The HND liveblogging of Looney Tunes: Back In Action finally got me to bump it to the top of my queue. Hope to watch it this week. (Apologies to Sven.)

[Raiders]

The HND liveblogging of Looney Tunes: Back In Action finally got me to bump it to the top of my queue. Hope to watch it this week. (Apologies to Sven.)

Ooh, I should take a look at this myself. It's a very underrated film (as are most of Dante's films).

[BuffaloWilder]

That last fifteen minutes of A.I. is just terrible. Terrible terrible terrible.

[Derek]

You're a silly, silly film.

Found it here at work so I'll give it another go this week rather than putting it off.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I also found Unbreakable to be balls.

[megladon8]

I also found Unbreakable to be balls.


You're balls.

[Winston*]

Pretty sure the only time I've seen Unbreakable was with my host family on a Japanese exchange. Odd viewing conditions for that film I think.

[Spaceman Spiff]

You're balls.

Bollocks to that.

[Winston*]

Pretty sure the only time I've seen Unbreakable was with my host family on a Japanese exchange. Odd viewing conditions for that film I think.

You're a host family on a Japanese exchange.

[number8]

Pretty sure the only time I've seen Unbreakable was with my host family on a Japanese exchange. Odd viewing conditions for that film I think.

Was it a Japanese version starring Japanese Bruce Willis (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LNoQKHlCHs)?

[Milky Joe]

That last fifteen minutes of A.I. is just terrible. Terrible terrible terrible.

No, no, no. No.

[Sven]

I like AI. I dislike Unbreakable.

[BuffaloWilder]

No, no, no. No.

It really is, though.

[number8]

It really is, though.

Except it's not.

[Milky Joe]

If you're argument is that it's bad as in poorly directed or made or written or whatever, fine. I disagree, but fine. But if you think it's bad because "it should have ended underwater," you're just wrong.

[Sven]

I'm with people who say it is not. "It" being the end of AI, "not" describing the badness of the ending. Meaning that I like the ending.

[BuffaloWilder]

But if you think it's bad because "it should have ended underwater," you're just wrong.

How so?

[Milky Joe]

The film is a retelling of Pinocchio. Would you also have Pinocchio end with Pinocchio stuck inside the whale?

[BuffaloWilder]

The film is a retelling of Pinocchio. Would you also have Pinocchio end with Pinocchio stuck inside the whale?

You're asking the wrong person. Of course I would.

But, is that the only reason it works?

[Sven]

Ending it underwater would've been too cynical and left too many things unresolved (without point). It was a striking image and seemed dramatically conclusive for the moment, but ultimately would've made the film completely open and with little discernible point. MJ gets rep.

[Dead & Messed Up]

The film is a retelling of Pinocchio. Would you also have Pinocchio end with Pinocchio stuck inside the whale?

The difference is that I accepted Pinoke's humanity but rejected David's.

[BuffaloWilder]

Ending it underwater would've been too cynical and left too many things unresolved (without point). It was a striking image and seemed dramatically conclusive for the moment, but ultimately would've made the film completely open and with little discernible point. MJ gets rep.

What would it have left unresolved?

[Milky Joe]

The difference is that I accepted Pinoke's humanity but rejected David's.

Well, of course you do, the film itself doesn't make a case for it either way, really. The subtext of the final scene is remarkably bleak when you realize what's going on, that it's more than what its narrator (who is one of the quote-unquote aliens anyway) would have us believe. The ending is cynical without having to end underwater.

And finally, I broke 160! Thanks Svensos. :)

[Rowland]

I don't think the ending is supposed to highlight David's humanity, but rather the artificiality of it, as we watch him go through the motions with the same voyeuristic intent as the highly evolved cyborgs, desperately trying to glean meaning from a scenario entirely staged like their very own cinema.

[Sven]

What would it have left unresolved?

Well, David's quest, primarily, and all its implications. So he sees the Blue Fairy and freezes forever. What does that mean? Eternal, unfulfilled longing for life is not what the movie is about.

[BuffaloWilder]

Well, David's quest, primarily, and all its implications.

...like?



So he sees the Blue Fairy and freezes forever. What does that mean? Eternal, unfulfilled longing for life is not what the movie is about.

Actually, disillusionment seems to be very much what the story is about.

[The Mike]

Doesn't this site come with spoiler tags that can be used in situations like, for example, the discussion of the ending of a film?

[Sven]

It's been too long for me to speak about it confidently, BW. Sorry to cop out like that, but I'd hate to sound like I don't know what I'm talking about. (No comments from the peanut gallery, please.) But even if you do feel that disillusionment is the crux of AI's being (which I very much disagree with), ending it at the Blue Fairy would still be unsatisfying, I would think. Because there would still be no conclusiveness to his disillusionment. The film doesn't fall on the side of David's humanity. It's very much a piece about his artificiality, and as such, ending it underwater would simply suggest an eventual shutdown without any kind of illusion or reality or anything. The disillusion would conclude with the audience, not the character. And that's not the style in which 'berg operates.

Again, though... I may watch it again soon, because I've been wanting to for a while.

[Milky Joe]

I think there should be a "group watch" of AI, wherein everybody that wants to will watch it by a certain time and then we can all get together and bitch about the ending being too sentimental. It will be like turning the clocks back to 2002. Who doesn't want that.

[BuffaloWilder]

It's been too long for me to speak about it confidently, BW. Sorry to cop out like that, but I'd hate to sound like I don't know what I'm talking about. (No comments from the peanut gallery, please.) But even if you do feel that disillusionment is the crux of AI's being (which I very much disagree with), ending it at the Blue Fairy would still be unsatisfying, I would think. Because there would still be no conclusiveness to his disillusionment. The film doesn't fall on the side of David's humanity. It's very much a piece about his artificiality, and as such, ending it underwater would simply suggest an eventual shutdown without any kind of illusion or reality or anything. The disillusion would conclude with the audience, not the character. And that's not the style in which 'berg operates.

Again, though... I may watch it again soon, because I've been wanting to for a while.


That's no problem. I mean, my issue isn't with the film receiving an ostensibly positive resolution, or even the introduction of the alien-robots. The thing is, that ending doesn't really seem to add anything to what had come before - I do agree that ending it at David in the water would feel just like an uneventful petering out, however.

[Mysterious Dude]

So he sees the Blue Fairy and freezes forever. What does that mean?
It means that what he wants is unattainable. In the same sense, Antonio really wants his stolen bicycle back, but he's not going to get it.

I actually don't find the ending itself to be a problem; I just hate the way it's filmed. It should seem a lot more creepy than it is. Kubrick's original treatment was slightly different from the realized film:


At the story's conclusion, the robots that have inherited the Earth use David's memories to reconstruct, in virtual form, the apartment where he had lived with his parents. Because his memories are subjective, the mother is much more vividly realized than the father, and his stepsister's room is not there at all; it is just a hole in the wall.

(link (http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/faq/index2.html))

I have read -- though I can't find it now -- that David's "father" is supposed to appear in the end with no face. I think that would have helped a lot in making the ending seem less like something out of a Disney film. I feel like Spielberg didn't really understand it.

[BuffaloWilder]

I think there should be a "group watch" of AI, wherein everybody that wants to will watch it by a certain time and then we can all get together and bitch about the ending being too sentimental. It will be like turning the clocks back to 2002. Who doesn't want that.

I like this idea a lot, actually. Something a lot like the HND article that spawned this whole spiel o' mine would be pretty interesting.

[BuffaloWilder]

It means that what he wants is unattainable. In the same sense, Antonio really wants his stolen bicycle back, but he's not going to get it.

Thank you. The same thought had been rolling around in the back of my head this whole time - it just never reached the tip of my fingers.

Rep'd.


I actually don't find the ending itself to be a problem; I just hate the way it's filmed. It should seem a lot more creepy than it is.

And, this too.

Kubrick's original treatment was slightly different from the realized film:


I feel like Spielberg didn't really understand it.

He made a lot out of the ending belonging to Kubrick, but Kubrick's idea was really only the written word. It was Spielberg who had to make it flesh, and it just don't sit right, 'dere.

[Milky Joe]

I like this idea a lot, actually. Something a lot like the HND article that spawned this whole spiel o' mine would be pretty interesting.

So do I, despite my tongue-in-cheek-ness before.

[Boner M]

The Mother and the Whore - Geez, what a note to end a film on. Completely different to what I was expecting overall, which was more along the lines of Rohmer, rather than something so emotionally brutal. Drifted off during a few of the conversations, but that's to be expected from a 3.5 hour talkfest. Post new-wave French cinema > French new-wave.

[MadMan]

Unbreakable is still M. Night Shyamalan's best, and permanently in my top 10 of all time.

It's brilliant, beautiful...just an incredible movie.Exactly. Still one of the best comic book movies of the decade, and easily Top 20 of the 2000s as far as I'm concerned. Thanks to Netflix Instant Viewing I revisited it last month, as my friend and I are big fans of it. Maybe if M. Night starts letting others write scripts for his movies he could maybe make another really good movie again. And yes it is his best film, although The Sixth Sense is rather close. I'm also still one of the strongest proponents of Signs, even though I agree that its last act contains many problems and weak moments. The Village was decent, although funny enough the twist in that one actually served the story and wasn't a cheap ploy. The ending however, was kind of stupid now that I think about it.

I still haven't seen A.I. I'm just never in the mood to watch it, even though I'm a fan of Spielberg. Which reminds me that I own Minority Report and it has yet to be viewed.

[B-side]

A.I. is good. Very good.

[Bosco B Thug]

Well, David's quest, primarily, and all its implications. So he sees the Blue Fairy and freezes forever. What does that mean? Eternal, unfulfilled longing for life is not what the movie is about. I agree with this. The ending is the culmination of all of David's existential fears. Every human being is dead and gone. So the humanity he's willing himself to find is extinct and all that can fulfill it for him is another simulacra. The extended ending comes to more of a conclusion and decision about humankind, which is important.

I don't think very much of A.I., but it's often ambitious and very moving.

[Pop Trash]

I don't think very much of A.I., but it's often ambitious and very moving.

The two halves of this compound sentence don't add up.

[Bosco B Thug]

The two halves of this compound sentence don't add up. The story entails a lot of what makes the film moving. It's just such a sad story and the ending is such a definitive statement on the mortality of humanity. But I don't find the treatment of the story very impressive. I don't really care for Spielberg.

[Watashi]

The story entails a lot of what makes the film moving. It's just such a sad story and the ending is such a definitive statement on the mortality of humanity. But I don't find the treatment of the story very impressive. I don't really care for Spielberg.
That's odd because the treatment is all Kubrick.

[B-side]

That's odd because the treatment is all Kubrick.

Word is the only thing Spielberg contributed was the flesh fair sequence.

[Bosco B Thug]

I use nice-sounding terms haphazardly. When I said "treatment of the story," I didn't actually mean treatment of the story, meaning the story. I meant Spielberg's directing, which I never find too interesting.

He deserves a re-evaluation, though. I do need to see his dramas, though, and I have a feeling I'll like 'Close Encounters' from bits and pieces I've seen.

[Grouchy]

So I saw this movie Felon. It's reasonably good, but I feel that's only because of the great duo of central performances (Stephen Dorff and Val Kilmer) and the raw violence of the fighting scenes. It's funny that the movie starts as a testimonial drama but on the latter half it becomes a fighting thriller as we cling on to the protagonist making it alive through his prison term. Ultimately, this is manipulative exploitation, but a well done piece of it. Sam Shepard adds a lot of gravitas to a character that's written a little bit like a puzzle which never gets solved. In the hands of another actor all that subplot would have been ridiculous, which is something that Felon is always on the verge of becoming.

After that, Australia was a fucking chore to get through. I think I appreciated the kitsch in previous Baz Luhrmann movies because the material, be it Shakespeare by way of glam or the Moulin Rouge by way of Hollywood musicals, seemed to ask for it. But here we're supposed to take seriously a lot of things (romance, fighting over land, surrogate families) while the movie is openly just a TV commercial or an elaborate joke on other movies. Gone With the Wind, Red River and Once Upon a Time in the West are constantly referenced with the subtlety of a sledgehammer in the head. Nicole Kidman, while still giving a very solid performance in the middle of all the circus act, sometimes looked weared down or too lifeless, like the excessive CGI (a problem in the whole movie, SPECIALLY during that cattle scene) had fucked away with her natural beauty. If any of you guys had been avoiding this so far for one or other reason like me, keep up the good work.

[megladon8]

Terry Gilliam wants to work for Pixar, and also wants to adapt a Philip K. Dick book. (http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/08/24/terry-gilliam-wants-to-work-for-pixar-plus-an-exclusive-video-interview-with-the-man-himself/)

How awesome would it be for Gilliam to adapt PKD as a Pixar animated movie?

[Skitch]

A.I. is an excellent flick. It score seems to grow everytime I watch it. Haley has some righteously disturbing scenes, particularly the ones dealing with abandonment.

Put me in the Unbreakable-is-the-best-thing-M's-made camp.

[NickGlass]

The Mother and the Whore - Geez, what a note to end a film on. Completely different to what I was expecting overall, which was more along the lines of Rohmer, rather than something so emotionally brutal. Drifted off during a few of the conversations, but that's to be expected from a 3.5 hour talkfest. Post new-wave French cinema > French new-wave.

I find it difficult to respond since my eyes are rapidly glazing over due to jealousy, but I'll try my best:

HOW THE FUCK CAN I ATTAIN THIS MOVIE?

[Ezee E]

Speaking of watching as a group. It is possible for those with X-Box Live. You can start a party and everyone can watch the same film together, even if you don't have Netflix I believe. I think that'd be pretty cool. Someone can transcribe all the comments going on.

[EyesWideOpen]

Speaking of watching as a group. It is possible for those with X-Box Live. You can start a party and everyone can watch the same film together, even if you don't have Netflix I believe. I think that'd be pretty cool. Someone can transcribe all the comments going on.

Everyone who wants to be in the party has to have netflix.

[Derek]

HOW THE FUCK CAN I ATTAIN THIS MOVIE?

Karagarga

Also, signature fail.

[Sycophant]

I suspect more people here have Netflix than Xbox 360s.

[Dukefrukem]

What ever happened to Bill Paxton?

[Spinal]

What ever happened to Bill Paxton?

*checks IMDb*

He's on the show Big Love.

That was easily solved.

[Dukefrukem]

*checks IMDb*

He's on the show Big Love.

That was easily solved.

What the hell is Big Love? I saw that too but... where's he been?

[Sycophant]

He's been on the three-year running television show Big Love.

[Spinal]

What the hell is Big Love? I saw that too but... where's he been?

*checks Wikipedia*

"Big Love is an American television drama on HBO about a fictional fundamentalist Mormon family in Utah who practice polygamy."

I'm going to charge you for the next one. ;)

[number8]

I have to admit, I'm kind of surprised there's somebody who hasn't heard of Big Love around here.

[Dukefrukem]

I have to admit, I'm kind of surprised there's somebody who hasn't heard of Big Love around here.

The only thing I use my TV for is Sportscenter.

Edit: That's for LIVE TV. Any show I invest time in, I watch on my computer.

[Yxklyx]

I have to admit, I'm kind of surprised there's somebody who hasn't heard of Big Love around here.

I've got a large wide-screen tv set - but with no digital tv tuner - so no tv.

[number8]

The only thing I use my TV for is Sportscenter.

Edit: That's for LIVE TV. Any show I invest time in, I watch on my computer.

Well, I didn't say "watch," I said "heard of." You have, presumably, heard of other HBO shows. Big Love is not known on the level of Sopranos or Sex & the City, but it is one of their big long-running ones, so I just kind of assumed it's one of those shows everybody knows and not bother watching (at least around these parts).

[Dukefrukem]

Well, I didn't say "watch," I said "heard of." You have, presumably, heard of other HBO shows. Big Love is not known on the level of Sopranos or Sex & the City, but it is one of their big long-running ones, so I just kind of assumed it's one of those shows everybody knows and not bother watching (at least around these parts).

Gotcha. And no never heard of it until today. Maybe i'll watch the pilot.

[Spinal]

I'm more surprised that anyone would miss Bill Paxton.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I'm more surprised that anyone would miss Bill Paxton.

This.

[Dukefrukem]

I liked him.

[Raiders]

I liked Paxton in Near Dark. He may have been good in A Simple Plan, but Billy Bob's performance stands out more in my mind.

I remember the Paxton vs. Pullman poll. It was amusing.

[Skitch]

I'm more surprised that anyone would miss Bill Paxton.

How could one not?! He's fifty percent of the group of actors that have been killed by Aliens, Predators, and Terminators.

[Spinal]

How could one not?! He's fifty percent of the group of actors that have been killed by Aliens, Predators, and Terminators.

Makes you wonder how he survived that twister.

[Spun Lepton]

How could one not?! He's fifty percent of the group of actors that have been killed by Aliens, Predators, and Terminators.

He was also turned into a big pile of poo. How can that not shine on somebody's resume?

[Spun Lepton]

Makes you wonder how he survived that twister.

He held on, real tight.

[Winston*]

Big Love is a very boring show, does anyone here actually watch it?

[Sycophant]

I remember the Paxton vs. Pullman poll. It was amusing.

That sounds fun. I know where I'd come down.

[Milky Joe]

Big Love is a very boring show, does anyone here actually watch it?

I loved the first two seasons but haven't gotten around to the third. Is there going to be a fourth?

[balmakboor]

Terry Gilliam wants to work for Pixar, and also wants to adapt a Philip K. Dick book. (http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/08/24/terry-gilliam-wants-to-work-for-pixar-plus-an-exclusive-video-interview-with-the-man-himself/)

How awesome would it be for Gilliam to adapt PKD as a Pixar animated movie?

I agree with one of the people who commented on the post that Gilliam would be better matched with Studio Ghibli.

[The Mike]

Terry Gilliam wants to work for Pixar, and also wants to adapt a Philip K. Dick book. (http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/08/24/terry-gilliam-wants-to-work-for-pixar-plus-an-exclusive-video-interview-with-the-man-himself/)

How awesome would it be for Gilliam to adapt PKD as a Pixar animated movie?

Probably not as good as Linklater adapting PKD as a non Pixar animated movie.

[number8]

Apparently, Arnie keeps his Conan sword in his governor office:

http://twitpic.com/f92jm

[Dead & Messed Up]

Apparently, Arnie keeps his Conan sword in his governor office:

http://twitpic.com/f92jm

Praying to Crom won't fix the budget.

[megladon8]

Holy Flame of the Martial World is getting an official DVD release next week. (http://www.amazon.com/Holy-Flame-Martial-World-BROTHERS/dp/B001UJUH26/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1251248446&sr=1-1)

It's Image Entertainment with their awesome "Sword Masters" series, where they directly transfer the awesome Celestial import release into a readily available R1 DVD.

Awesome news. I've been wanting to see this one for a while.

Cover art...

http://img.amazon.ca/images/I/51BlaSdk6pL._SS500_.jpg

[BuffaloWilder]

If I wanted to be really ambitious, I'd say we should do this more often, and publish it in a blog of some form or another, if only so that we could point and laugh at Film of the Month Club and say - "look FMC, Match-Cut has it's own blog. Ha ha ha."

On the Match-Cut A.I. roundtable. Thoughts?

[Sycophant]

Personally, I like that Match Cut doesn't have a front page or a blog. That we exist as a forum and only a forum. If anyone wants to know what Match Cut thinks about stuff, they can pop in and view one of our threads.

I still like the idea of a wiki, but that's slightly different, as it'd really be for internal use.

Not really interested in laughing at FMC or whoever.

[Milky Joe]

I'm more in line with the idea of a regular group-watch of some film everyone agrees on than I am a blog or whatever.

[Sycophant]

I'm all for group re-/watching events. But no blog.

[BuffaloWilder]

I was thinking more of a blog just particularly for these rewatches, and any aptly written thoughts anybody might put down - hmmm.

Unrelated to the above, there's a lot of interesting mini-essays and analyses and all that good stuff all over the forum. Somebody should save these somewhere, I think.

[megladon8]

I'm not too big on the blog idea, either.

I just always feel that there's not much of a point in doing things like that - putting a lot of time and effort into it - when there's nothing totally wacky and different from anything else out there.

Yes, we all have written some wonderful, in-depth analyses of films, genres, directors, actors, etc. But to be bluntly honest, for every one of us writing this stuff, there are a thousand other people out there doing the exact same thing.

I think the forum will suffice at this point in time. If we do, at some point, think of something totally out there and worthy of the attention and dedication of creating a blog that won't just die in a month, then I'm all for it.

But if we just want to keep writing about movies, this is as fine a place as any.

[Sycophant]

Yes, we all have written some wonderful, in-depth analyses of films, genres, directors, actors, etc.
Speak for yourself, you bastard.

[megladon8]

Speak for yourself, you bastard.


Uh...what??

:confused:

[Sycophant]

Uh...what??

:confused:

If you can point out to me any wonderful or in-depth analysis related to film that I've posted on this forum, it's obvious someone's hijacked my password.

You bastard.

[megladon8]

If you can point out to me any wonderful or in-depth analysis related to film that I've posted on this forum, it's obvious someone's hijacked my password.

You bastard.



You're smarter than me.

So shut up.

[Raiders]

I'm smarter than both of you.

[Sycophant]

Hi, Raiders.

[BuffaloWilder]

Yes, but I'm Irish.

Therefore, I'm smarter than all three of you, and I have an amazing and natural hair-color.

[megladon8]

Yes, but I'm Irish.

Therefore, I'm smarter than all three of you, and I have an amazing and natural hair-color.


I'm Irish too, you drunken mick bastard.

[BuffaloWilder]

Yes, but you're also bald. So I win.

Ha ha ha.

[megladon8]

Yes, but you're also bald. So I win.

Ha ha ha.


No, an Irishman who makes beer for a living is always the winner.

[BuffaloWilder]

Pfft. In Ireland, maybe.


this is America dude learn the rules

[Ezee E]

The only thing I'd suggest is the chat room.

[Derek]

Considering I pretty much hated Unbreakable, a second viewing proved worthwhile. I still find parts to be a bit silly and pretentious, but the pacing, which I originally found plodding, is perhaps its greatest asset allowing M. Knight's twist to unfurl methodically and build up some gravitas rather than resorting to the "gotcha" tactic. I imagine if I were even remotely interested in comics, I would enjoy this more, but at least for now I can see where it's fans are coming from.

Might go ahead and finally give Signs a look this week.

[transmogrifier]

Might go ahead and finally give Signs a look this week.

Good luck. That's the film where his leaden direction of actors, his insistence that they all speak in hushed whispers, and the po-faced serious take on hoary genre convention starts to become pretty unintentionally hilarious.

[Derek]

Good luck. That's the film where his leaden direction of actors, his insistence that they all speak in hushed whispers, and the po-faced serious take on hoary genre convention starts to become pretty unintentionally hilarious.

As much as I did like him, I usually find his films interesting and unusual even when it's through mostly negative characteristics. That said, if I never see Lady in the Water or The Happening again, it will be too soon.

[Watashi]

Signs is pretty awesome.

[transmogrifier]

Signs is pretty awesome.

For those of you on an eternal quest for absolute truth....it is the opposite of this.

[Winston*]

Signs is okay. I think some of the alien bits are done very well, but the overall narrative's a bit crap.

[Watashi]

Absolute truth is overrated anyway.

[megladon8]

I thought Signs was very good.

[baby doll]

I saw Signs when it came out. Watchable if a bit Jesusy for my tastes. It's not very memorable, but as far as Mel Gibson movies go, it's passable. Better than The Passion of the Christ, but nowhere near the ecstatic heights of that scene in Lethal Weapon 2 with the bomb on the toilet.

[transmogrifier]

I saw Signs when it came out. Watchable if a bit Jesusy for my tastes. It's not very memorable, but as far as Mel Gibson movies go, it's passable. Better than The Passion of the Christ, but nowhere near the ecstatic heights of that scene in Lethal Weapon 2 with the bomb on the toilet.

baby doll, you get a bad rap. I like this post.

[baby doll]

baby doll, you get a bad rap. I like this post.Thank you.

[megladon8]

I'm thinking about re-thinking my stance on my favorite movie of all time.

I don't have one at the moment. Frankly I feel - myself - silly to have a favorite movie of "all time" since I'm only 22. I probably haven't even seen 1/4 of the movies I'll see in my lifetime. My horizons are being widened on a weekly basis, exploring different filmmakers, different subgenres, different cultures expressed on film.

But I've been watching a few of my consistent favorites lately and have noticed that, well, I appreciate them just as much as when I was 14, or 15, or 17, or whenever it was that I labelled them favorites. In many cases, I like them even more than then.

So yeah, I'm feeling like re-watching somewhere between 30 and 50 of my "favorite" movies, re-analyzing them, and figuring out what may very well actually be my favorite movie at this point in my life.

[baby doll]

I'm thinking about re-thinking my stance on my favorite movie of all time.

I don't have one at the moment. Frankly I feel - myself - silly to have a favorite movie of "all time" since I'm only 22. I probably haven't even seen 1/4 of the movies I'll see in my lifetime. My horizons are being widened on a weekly basis, exploring different filmmakers, different subgenres, different cultures expressed on film.

But I've been watching a few of my consistent favorites lately and have noticed that, well, I appreciate them just as much as when I was 14, or 15, or 17, or whenever it was that I labelled them favorites. In many cases, I like them even more than then.

So yeah, I'm feeling like re-watching somewhere between 30 and 50 of my "favorite" movies, re-analyzing them, and figuring out what may very well actually be my favorite movie at this point in my life.Yeah, I'm twenty-four and I feel like it's pretty much a wrap for me too. I still love Aerosmith, Wayne's World, and peak "The Simpsons" (1992-96) to an alarming degree, and I imagine I'd feel the same way about Michael Crichton's Sphere if I reread it today.

[number8]

Chiming in, I'd rather keep this place a forum. No chatrooms, no blog, no nothing.

[Spinal]

I'm gonna go watch some Popeye now and you can't stop me.

[Sven]

I'm gonna go watch some Popeye now and you can't stop me.

I've got a bad feeling about this.

Hey, if you don't like it, just remember who it was that was on about Mission to Mars, eh?

[Rowland]

The first half of Jackie Brown [low-80's] >> The second half of Jackie Brown [upper-60's] = 75 as final grade

Tarantino drops the ball a bit by focusing too much on the double-crossing machinations and their aftermath, enough so that the budding relationship between Jackie Brown and Max Cherry almost recedes into the background. Still, it's never less than comfortably engaging in its relaxed manner, when it isn't being perceptively and tenderly humanistic, and its peaks rival Tarantino's best.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Signs has one of the most crushing U-turns into suck I've ever seen.

[Watashi]

Signs has one of the most crushing U-turns into suck I've ever seen.
The last 15 minutes is the best stuff Shyamalan has ever done. Evidence. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HRWrBD2Quk)

In other words, you're a crushing U-turn into suck.

[Rowland]

Signs was the first strong evidence of Shyamalan's laaame sense of forced humor. There's a great deal of artistry there, particularly in the formal/technical aspects, but the script is balls.

[Dead & Messed Up]

The last 15 minutes is the best stuff Shyamalan has ever done. Evidence. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HRWrBD2Quk)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/pwned1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/pwned2.jpg

[Spinal]

I've got a bad feeling about this.


Nah, it was pretty great. A thing of beauty really. The first hour especially is pretty spectacular in which we discover the characters and the town and what the film will be. So much fantastic physical comedy. So many great throwaway lines.

My favorite: "What kind of name is Olive Oyl? Sounds like a lubricant."

I'm less crazy about the second half in which we get a few dead spots and in which it seems that Altman reluctantly has to get the actual plot going. Also, it feels like maybe there's two or three too many songs. I love, love, love the dreamy minimalism of "He Needs Me". "I Yam What I Yam" and "He's Large" are also humorous, melodic and delightfully peculiar. By the time we get to the song for Popeye's pappy, the shtick seems a little familiar and repetitious.

Still, plenty to love. Great ensemble. Great adaptation of the comic's conventions. I'm on the bandwagon.

New rating: ***1/2

[Spun Lepton]

Signs has one of the most crushing U-turns into suck I've ever seen.

I'm going to have to agree with this.

[B-side]

Take Aim at the Police Van was pretty awesome. After I didn't care much for Tattooed Life, my expectations weren't terribly high for this. In retrospect, that's probably a good thing. Very cool stuff. I like Suzuki's dynamic camera work.

Some screengrabs:

http://i27.tinypic.com/2cqzp08.jpg

http://i26.tinypic.com/wvz5fm.jpg

http://i30.tinypic.com/2vi049i.jpg

http://i30.tinypic.com/5y7ls4.jpg

http://i25.tinypic.com/fy3j0h.jpg

http://i26.tinypic.com/ayn9c0.jpg

[Mara]

Signs is really good stuff, and I was scared as hell when I saw it in the theaters. Not so much on DVD. I didn't mind the ending in the least, and the only real weakness was M. Night's cameo, 'cause he can't act.

I think I shall rewatch Popeye, too. I have fond, fuzzy sort of memories.

[Dukefrukem]

Signs is pretty awesome.

YES!!!!!

It's one of my top 20 horror movies of all time. The tension is great! And you go through most of the movie tense just based off dialog. It's wonderful. The opening scene is also pretty great.

[balmakboor]

I'm gonna go watch some Popeye now and you can't stop me.

I like Popeye a lot. Its sense of time and place and character is as richly imagined as much more acclaimed Altman movies like McCabe & Mrs Miller. And the song score really works for me. I'll catch myself humming a number of the tunes for a day after.

I understand that it was re-cut by the studio or something -- the details of which I've never known -- and the plot does have a few rough edges and loose threads, especially toward the end.