28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[Kurosawa Fan]

My son's top five films:

1. Speed Racer
2. The Sandlot
3. Finding Nemo
4. Toy Story 2
5. Kung Fu Panda

Star Wars: A New Hope would land at #6.

[Spinal]

My son's top five films:

1. Speed Racer
2. The Sandlot
3. Finding Nemo
4. Toy Story 2
5. Kung Fu Panda

Star Wars: A New Hope would land at #6.

Not bad.

[Sycophant]

30 minutes into The Girlfriend Experience and it's putting me to sleep. I have no desire to finish it. Damn it, I need some Antichrist stat.

I like reading this post as if I didn't know those were film titles.

[Watashi]

KF's son >>>>>> Spinal's son

[Russ]

KF's son >>>>>> Spinal's son
Both >>>>>> Watashi

[Watashi]

Both >>>>>> Watashi
Agreed.

[baby doll]

I was really disappointed by a rewatch of this one. I'm a huge Kazan fan but the film felt truncated and I don't know, just unengaging. Not a bad film, but underwhelming for me.I dunno what to say to that (I found the story pretty engaging personally), other than, "Look at Kazan's stagings in 'Scope!" It's no Baby Doll, but pretty impressive all the same.

[Mysterious Dude]

My dad never asked me what my top five was. :sad:

[Grouchy]

I just don't find her face attractive. It's mostly the nose but also her eyebrows, complexion and bone structure. I'm guessing you're of the school of thought that finds Maggie Gyllenhaal attractive.
More or less. I do find her pretty, but not beautiful like Miss Rigg.

I saw Broken Embraces. Predictable Almodóvar, but a step up from Volver and the concept is actually pretty attractive. A meditation on filmmaking and memory, the movie takes a few detours which are a bit strange and meandering, but it all works out for a pretty emotional climax. Unfortunately, I'd somehow lost a little interest while getting there.

[Qrazy]

I dunno what to say to that (I found the story pretty engaging personally), other than, "Look at Kazan's stagings in 'Scope!" It's no Baby Doll, but pretty impressive all the same.

Mara had some more precise criticisms a while back (I think) which I agreed with, but I don't remember what they were now. Perhaps if she pops in here she could comment.

[Pop Trash]

Some thoughts on recent viewings...

Muholland Dr. (this is what? my fourth viewing now) makes a lot more sense when you think of it as Lynch working within the The Wizard of Oz template. The ending where (spoilers here but I assume most Cutters have seen it) Diane goes to the dinner party in the Hollywood Hills works in the same way that Oz's scene when Dorthy wakes up and says "and you were there, and you, and you." All of the characters are there but obviously in the "dream" section of the film Diane projects them in her own mystery/noir ways. I still maintain that it would be better as a series (as with most Lynch, the journey is a lot more interesting than the destination, which why I think the "Twin Peaks" series is still the best thing he has ever done), especially for HBO/Showtime where he could have juicy lesbian sex scenes, but I give Lynch credit for picking up the pieces and making a pretty cool self-contained film out of something that otherwise would have wound up in the dust-bin of cinematic history.

Sugar is a good film, even if it clings to a neo-neo-realism so much that it sometimes is a bit too good natured and dramatically weightless. There is nothing wrong with it perse, but for some reason (and I felt the same way about the previous Fleck/Boden joint Half Nelson) I liked but didn't quite love it.

Frantic is a fun 80s Euro-thriller, but coming from Polanski, it's pretty conventional and the ending is pretty lame. It does have two great Polanski sequences: the first is when Ford's wife disappears and the whole thing is shot from Ford's perspective, so you don't even see her disappear. The other is a rooftop sequence that is shot practically in real time where Ford loses his shoes and most of the contents of a suitcase containing the McGuffin the kidnappers are looking for. I also liked the decision to have Ford's square character snort coke in the beginning, to add to the sense that Ford's character is thinking through a manic, coked out sense of logic.

[Ezee E]

When I was seven, I know that Ghostbusters was definitely my #1. Not sure after that. Oliver & Company might be there. Sleeping Beauty.

[Pop Trash]

Hmmm I'm guessing my favorite movies when I was 7 were: Ghostbusters, Temple of Doom, Return of the Jedi, Pinocchio, and Labyrinth. Not too shabby.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Hmmm I'm guessing my favorite movies when I was 7 were: Ghostbusters, Temple of Doom, Return of the Jedi, Pinocchio, and Labyrinth. Not too shabby.

My list was awfully close to that. It would've been Ghostbusters, Dumbo, Roger Rabbit, Return of the Jedi, Temple of Doom, and Masters of the Universe.

For the record, that last one is still awesome, in its own terrible sort of way.

[BuffaloWilder]

SPACE JAM MOTHERFUCKERS

[Qrazy]

Which one? D_Davis has soon Oshii's Avalon and likes it. I have it but haven't watched it yet.

[[ETM]]

Which one? D_Davis has soon Oshii's Avalon and likes it. I have it but haven't watched it yet.

I also like it. Takes getting used to, but an interesting film.

I should have though of it as an answer to your question earlier, Amnesiac. It's a good example of the living-inside-computer-game concept.

[MadMan]

Claudine Auger is the hottest Bond chick ever.

[number8]

Avalon's pretty great.

[Ezee E]

Hmm... Did some thinking, and here are the tapes that I wore out or busted due to rewatching so much:

-Ghostbusters
-Cinderella
-Aliens
-Return of the Jedi
-The Princess Bride

My brother and I would play the film and then reenact the swordfights or the shooting in the crawlspace over and over again.

[Ezee E]

And both Avalons are great.

[B-side]

I watched about 10 minutes of Hollis Frampton's (nostalgia) before giving up because I couldn't understand the narration. The narration is essential to the film, otherwise I'd just go with it. Grr.

[B-side]

I'm not entirely convinced the studios made The Magnificent Ambersons less than stellar. What I saw wasn't particularly good anyway. Still, I'd give it another shot if that lost footage ever managed to be recovered.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Not bad.

Some of it was a bit surprising. The Incredibles has really fallen from grace. He used to watch it constantly when it first came out, but hasn't asked about it in a year or so. When I mentioned it, it got a "Nah". Also, I tried to push for Empire over A New Hope, but he wasn't biting. Apparently his youthful optimism is too strong for Empire right now. At least he didn't go Jedi. I also had to eliminate Batman: TAS and Justice League, both of which he put on his list, because they aren't movies.

[Derek]

I'm not entirely convinced the studios made The Magnificent Ambersons less than stellar.

I agree. Welles cut would almost certainly be superior but the studio cut is nothing less than stellar; a masterpiece I say.

[B-side]

I agree. Welles cut would almost certainly be superior but the studio cut is nothing less than stellar; a masterpiece I say.

:lol:

[Derek]

:lol:

But seriously, what were your problems with it? Its synthesis of theatrical, literary and cinematic traditions is invigorating. Perhaps the most Wellesian of Welles' films.

[B-side]

But seriously, what were your problems with it? Its synthesis of theatrical, literary and cinematic traditions is invigorating. Perhaps the most Wellesian of Welles' films.

I'm not even sure what you're saying here. All I got out of it was a less than compelling portrait of a rich family on the brink of the modern age. Little to nothing in the way of that virtuosity displayed in Citizen Kane.

[balmakboor]

W/E Viewings:

Whip It - Surprisingly entertaining feel good sort of movie. Nice seeing that Zoe Bell's charisma extends beyond Death Proof, Juliette Lewis makes a great roller derby girl/semi-villian (there really aren't any villians which is actually one of the picture's charms), and it was nice to see that Ellen Page can be even more appealing when not saddled with Diablo Cody dialog. Also, I had no idea that Daniel Stern was so old.

Gran Torino (rewatch) - Still looks terrific. Should've been more of an Oscar contender. Made my wife cry.

Jeanne Dielman (rewatch after 27 years) - Wow! I can't even say enough about how fascinated I am by this amazing masterpiece. I'll just say this for now: I had no idea that watching someone make a pot of coffee in real time could be so damn suspenseful.

[Dukefrukem]

Wow. Check out this bloody clip (http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/17588) from

Crazy...crazy... crazy well done...

[Derek]

I'm not even sure what you're saying here. All I got out of it was a less than compelling portrait of a rich family on the brink of the modern age. Little to nothing in the way of that virtuosity displayed in Citizen Kane.

The film is seamlessly and simultaneously theatrical, literary and cinematic in structure and style.

[ledfloyd]

magnificent ambersons is... well... magnificent. i don't see any decline between it and citizen kane. his direction is just as assured as it was there.

[Skitch]

Watched The Man In The Purple Hood...big thumbs up. Can't wait to watch the sequel tonight or tomorrow.

[Qrazy]

I'm not entirely convinced the studios made The Magnificent Ambersons less than stellar. What I saw wasn't particularly good anyway. Still, I'd give it another shot if that lost footage ever managed to be recovered.

a) The extra footage has been destroyed.
b) The film is very good already.
c) I agree with you that it's not on the same level as Kane. I prefer Chimes at Midnight, The Trial and Touch of Evil as well.

[StanleyK]

After The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover (masterpiece) and The Pillow Book (excrutiatingly boring), where should I go next with Greenaway? The only one I can watch on DVD is 8½ Women, is it worth it?

[dreamdead]

Woah, why did you feel that The Pillow Book was boring? I loved its playfulness with space and visual text being placed on the body, which is an intriguing take on issues of the body and technology, even if the main character is a little one-note. Nonetheless, the way that it both eroticizes the body and deconstructs that same sense by featuring so many heavyset naked men is a solid scientific move. It can seem cold, but I love the touch that Greenaway has on his work.

I would suggest The Draughtsman's Contract being the next choice.

[Qrazy]

After The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover (masterpiece) and The Pillow Book (excrutiatingly boring), where should I go next with Greenaway? The only one I can watch on DVD is 8½ Women, is it worth it?

I also found The Pillow Book to be crappy. You should watch either Draughtsman's Contract or A Zed and Two Naughts.

[Grouchy]

I watched two AMAZING movies this weekend.

http://filmfanatic.org/reviews/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/taking-pelham-matthau.jpg

The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three is something of a masterpiece. Incredibly tense film that takes a lot of advantage of its New York setting. I loved it when the kidnappers produce their machine guns and the whole wagon filled with New Yorkers starts to laugh. Every scene, no matter how small, and every character, no matter how secondary, have their own distinct personality and quirks. I can't imagine the remake improving on this in any way. Travolta couldn't hold a candle to Robert Shaw's cool ruthlessness, and Washington couldn't even begin to attempt the sarcasm of Walther Matthau. I imagine the new film being twice as loud, twice as long and twice as stupid. The last shot of this movie is beyond perfect.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IG7nagJCvAU/SOkHNO2P8pI/AAAAAAAAAms/GjCrG8BuKt8/s400/Cool-Hand-Luke.jpg

Cool Hand Luke was a surprise in that I expected a movie much more formally "correct" than what I got. I'd never heard of Stuart Rosenberg before, but he seems like a very experimental director who gets unconventional, daring performances out of his actors. At least on this movie, he also got a lot of help from cinematographer Conrad Hall (who made the chain gang scenes look as beautiful as in a Sergio Leone film) and the wonderful, folksy score of Lalo Schriffin which acts as a counterpoint to the sadness of the story. Of course, Paul Newman is the fucking man. O Brother Where Art Thou? did a pretty large homage to this movie - I don't remember a reference to another movie so blatant in any other Coen Brothers film. My one complain is that the ending was stretched too long with the montage of Paul Newman smiles and the torn photograph being a bit overkill. I would've prefered a quieter ending. Still a monumentally great film.

[Watashi]

I had a dream last night that 2012 was nominated for Best Picture.

I hope it comes true.

[Raiders]

Sort of off-topic, but oh well. This is directed to people who still write essays and papers:

When using the word "telos", do you have to italicize it? I swear I've seen instances of this in other academic work but I'm not quite sure that it's actually expected.

I imagine if it is italicized it is for the same emphasis that many film writers italicize such terms as "mise en scene," likely because it is the proper, untranslated term yet it is foreign to the language of the surrounding text.

Or something like that.

Oh, and I'm not criticizing, but for your own benefit there is a Writers thread in the Kitchen Sink forum.

[Qrazy]

Sort of off-topic, but oh well. This is directed to people who still write essays and papers:

When using the word "telos", do you have to italicize it? I swear I've seen instances of this in other academic work but I'm not quite sure that it's actually expected.

No, it doesn't have to be italicized.

[Qrazy]

The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three

Cool Hand Luke

Yeah, big fan of both of those as well. For Rosenberg I'd recommend you also check out The Drowning Pool. He directs Newman as a private eye. It's the sequel to Harper though, so might as well watch that one first. The Pope of Greenwich Village also features quality Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts performances. The film is pretty good with a number of memorable scenes, but it's not on the same level as Luke.

[Raiders]

I really enjoy the original Pelham 123 as well. For more Joseph Sargent, I strongly recommend Jaws: The Revenge.

[Qrazy]

I really enjoy the original Pelham 123 as well. For more Joseph Sargent, I strongly recommend Jaws: The Revenge.

White Lightning and MacArthur look interesting. Has anyone seen them/have any thoughts?

[Spinal]

After The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover (masterpiece) and The Pillow Book (excrutiatingly boring), where should I go next with Greenaway? The only one I can watch on DVD is 8½ Women, is it worth it?

If you like Greenaway, you should just commit to watching all of his films, because his body of work is extraordinary. Watch whatever you can get your hands on.

The Pillow Book is fantastic, in my opinion. 8 1/2 Women minor, but still exciting.

[Ivan Drago]

For more Joseph Sargent, I strongly recommend Jaws: The Revenge.

Haha, good one.

You were joking, right?

[dreamdead]

Hey Derek, any thoughts on the recent reviewing of Before Sunrise and Before Sunset? I think the latter film plays more naturalistically and conveys a greater sense of emotional conflict, both by character design but also by the passing of the years, but I'm curious what you found in your rewatching...

[B-side]

I liked The Pillow Book a lot.

[monolith94]

Pillow Book discussion? Interesting movie. I may have had certain complaints, but overall it was a positive experience, and it inspired a write-up which I was quite fond of...

http://www.everyonesacritic.net/movie_review.asp?ratingid=7023 39

[BuffaloWilder]

It seems like there's a divide in Australia, about the state of their film culture. The producers and filmmakers all seem to want it to develop and blossom into their own Hollywood situated right smack dab in the middle of Sydney, while the moviegoing patrons are driving to keep it a cottage industry, out of fear of loss of "national identity." What's up with that?

I mean, as far as Australians are concerned, there isn't much of a national film identity to preserve, really, because there's been no real industry to foster it's growth. This then devolves into a circular argument.

[B-side]

So A Walk Through H was pretty brilliant...

[Rowland]

Film Freak Central's latest Annual is available for purchase, including all their reviews from 2007 and 2008, in addition to 63 reviews exclusive to the book:

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters; Babylon A.D.; Batman: Gotham Knight; Bigger, Stronger, Faster; The Brothers Solomon; Burn After Reading; Cassandra's Dream; Changeling; Chicago 10; Dead Silence; Death Sentence; Disaster Movie; The Diving Bell and the Butterfly; Doomsday; End of the Line; Flanders; The Foot Fist Way; The Forbidden Kingdom; 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days; Fred Claus; Frontiers; Frost/Nixon; Hitman; Hot Rod; Igor; In the City of Sylvia; Inside; Last Chance Harvey; Let the Right One In; The Life Before Her Eyes; The Machine Girl; Man on Wire; Martyrs; Meet the Spartans; The Midnight Meat Train; The Mist; Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium; Music and Lyrics; My Kid Could Paint That; National Treasure: Book of Secrets; Never Back Down; Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist; Once; The Orphanage; Paranoid Park; Resident Evil: Extinction; Shoot 'Em Up; Shutter; Silent Light; Son of Rambow; Splinter; Starting Out in the Evening; Superhero Movie; Tell No One; Them; Tokyo Gore Police; Tropic Thunder; Twilight; Vicky Christina Barcelona; The Visitor; Waltz with Bashir; You Kill Me; and Young People Fucking!

http://static.lulu.com/items/volume_66/7713000/7713813/5/preview/320_7713813.jpg?7713813-1254753006

[B-side]

Raoul Ruiz fans, watch City of Pirates.

[Rowland]

The only Ruiz I've seen is the utterly bonkers Shattered Image, a prismatic mash-up of Hitchcockian tropes filtered through a feverish eurotrash sensibility. As a thriller taken at face value, it's a non-starter, but as an exercise in lurid style propelled almost entirely by dream logic, it's more arresting than most of the sort of direct-to-cable cheapies it superficially resembles.

Which reminds me, I've been meaning to catch up with more of his work.

[Boner M]

I watched my first Ruiz recently; a short called Dog's Dialogue that's supposedly one of his best. Didn't really transcend its influences for me, it's basically a Borges story by way of La Jetee, and not quite as stimulating as either. Would still like to see more of his, esp. Time Regained.

[B-side]

The only Ruiz I've seen is the utterly bonkers Shattered Image, a prismatic mash-up of Hitchcockian tropes filtered through a feverish eurotrash sensibility. As a thriller taken at face value, it's a non-starter, but as an exercise in lurid style propelled almost entirely by dream logic, it's more arresting than most of the sort of direct-to-cable cheapies it superficially resembles.

Which reminds me, I've been meaning to catch up with more of his work.

Man's an absolute workaholic with no budget. Well, he may have a budget these days, but his earlier work can scarcely hide their minuscule budgets. I've not seen the one you speak of, but I doubt you'll really escape that sort of "cheap" feeling with his older work. Still, City of Pirates is well worth watching. I'd say Time Regained remains my favorite of his films that I've seen, but all have been good or better.

[B-side]

I watched my first Ruiz recently; a short called Dog's Dialogue that's supposedly one of his best. Didn't really transcend it's influences for me, it's basically a Borges story by way of La Jetee, and not quite as stimulating as either. Would still like to see more of his, esp. Time Regained.

I had that downloaded but never ended up watching it before I got rid of it for room. Time Regained is terrific. Malkovich is brilliant in it.

[B-side]

I've got The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting lined up as my next Ruiz.

[Dukefrukem]

Seth Green pulls a Christian Bale...faaaaaake (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP8R0tNhkrA)

[Benny Profane]

Saw An Education over the weekend. This chick Carey Mulligan is gonna be a big star. She looks like pre-Tom Cruise Katie Holmes. The movie was pretty decent too.

[dreamdead]

I quite liked I Walked with a Zombie. Though the adaptation veers greatly from Jane Eyre by the end of the film, those hints of the same story's framework lend a nice sense of literary revisionism to the text, and the use of postcolonial history adds further support to the cause. Additionally, the use of the African as a creepy Other is carefully deconstructed by the film's use the zombie-wife as an Other herself, complicating White notions of interiority and psychology. In neither case do we see any emotion, and in both cases it's left more to the subjectivity of the camera lens than any pure racist take on voodoo or the colonialized African. Likewise, the film's treatment of voodoo culture, both in presenting it as controlled by the White mother but also transcendent of that power, lend credence to the African perspective. Love the interplay of the ocean as simultaneous surrender and escape from this life.

This is a film that could easily become a favorite as I think about it.

[Ezee E]

Saw An Education over the weekend. This chick Carey Mulligan is gonna be a big star. She looks like pre-Tom Cruise Katie Holmes. The movie was pretty decent too.
Yup. It's all up to the roles she decides now. She's in the sequel to Wall Street as the love interest to Shia LeBouf. Not sure if that's a good idea or not.

[StanleyK]

If you like Greenaway, you should just commit to watching all of his films, because his body of work is extraordinary. Watch whatever you can get your hands on.

The Pillow Book is fantastic, in my opinion. 8 1/2 Women minor, but still exciting.

Would you recommend The Draughtsman's Contract too? Would I miss too much by downloading it (only way I can get to it)? I know it'd be a shame to have watched TCTTHW&HL on a PC screen.

[Winston*]

Point Break was very silly but surprisingly enjoyable. Best bit is Garey Busey's maniacal enjoyment of Calvin and Hobbes.

[Pop Trash]

Saw An Education over the weekend. This chick Carey Mulligan is gonna be a big star.
This is the girl.

[Pop Trash]

Point Break was very silly but surprisingly enjoyable. Best bit is Garey Busey's maniacal enjoyment of Calvin and Hobbes.

I pretty much love it. Swayze, Keanu, Busey, The Chili Peppers even make a cameo. It also has, aside from Raising Arizona, possibly the greatest foot chase scene ever.

[Pop Trash]

Yup. It's all up to the roles she decides now. She's in the sequel to Wall Street as the love interest to Shia LeBouf. Not sure if that's a good idea or not.

Poo Poo.

[Bosco B Thug]

I quite liked I Walked with a Zombie. Though the adaptation veers greatly from Jane Eyre by the end of the film, those hints of the same story's framework lend a nice sense of literary revisionism to the text, and the use of postcolonial history adds further support to the cause. Additionally, the use of the African as a creepy Other is carefully deconstructed by the film's use the zombie-wife as an Other herself, complicating White notions of interiority and psychology. In neither case do we see any emotion, and in both cases it's left more to the subjectivity of the camera lens than any pure racist take on voodoo or the colonialized African. Likewise, the film's treatment of voodoo culture, both in presenting it as controlled by the White mother but also transcendent of that power, lend credence to the African perspective. Love the interplay of the ocean as simultaneous surrender and escape from this life. Sweet blurbage here. I'm glad I finally benefit from one of your dense capsular blocks (having seen and liked the film). :)

I've always loved IWWaZ and sensed it makes some wily and subtle comments, but I've never read a good detail-driven analysis (especially since review sites like Slant insist on reviewing it only within their review of the entire 9-film Lewton DVD set), so its great seeing in writing a precise perspective on Jessica (I've never thought much about the Jessica character's role in the film) and the racial subtext and the curve ball with Mrs. Rand and the homefort.

On my most recent re-watch, I did have some problems with the film. It doesn't seem to pinpoint its racial commentary, I feel. It starts off really well, with the suggested agency of the Sir Lancelot character and the Alma character, but the present black characters sort of fade away towards the end.

[[ETM]]

Roger Ebert is on Twitter. http://twitter.com/ebertchicago

It's a nice format for him, I enjoyed reading his thoughts in 140 characters or less.

[Watashi]

Jesus... Ebert has lost a lot of weight.

[[ETM]]

Jesus... Ebert has lost a lot of weight.

It's the day of his surgery, he took it himself in the mirror. He says so right there.

[Derek]

;209558']It's the day of his surgery, he took it himself in the mirror. He says so right there.

And this makes Watashi's statement incorrect because why?

[[ETM]]

And this makes Watashi's statement incorrect because why?

He had the surgery three years ago.

[Derek]

;209563']He had the surgery three years ago.

That does make a difference. Odd choice for a profile photo then.

[B-side]

Would you recommend The Draughtsman's Contract too? Would I miss too much by downloading it (only way I can get to it)? I know it'd be a shame to have watched TCTTHW&HL on a PC screen.

I'd definitely recommend The Draughtsman's Contract. I don't think you'd lose much of anything seeing it on a PC screen. It's not like it's 70mm or anything.

[[ETM]]

That does make a difference. Odd choice for a profile photo then.

He had a large chunk of his jaw removed because of cancer. He still can't speak and uses a computerized voice like Stephen Hawking.

[Raiders]

;209578']He had a large chunk of his jaw removed because of cancer. He still can't speak and uses a computerized voice like Stephen Hawking.

He never will speak again. I don't know when or where, but I remember him posting something regarding a potential doctor's visit to discuss options for attempting to repair his ability to speak at least to some degree and he declined stating he was done with medical procedures and was ready to move on and not put himself and his wife through any more.

[[ETM]]

Yeah, I read that. He had numerous complications afterwards and it's understandable that he chose not to pursue it further.

I had first hand knowledge of what recovery is like after that kind of surgery (a friend with salivary gland cancer,) and it's amazing that he was able to keep his spirit and keep working through it all.

[Dead & Messed Up]

;209585']Yeah, I read that. He had numerous complications afterwards and it's understandable that he chose not to pursue it further.

I had first hand knowledge of what recovery is like after that kind of surgery (a friend with salivary gland cancer,) and it's amazing that he was able to keep his spirit and keep working through it all.

His blog has become a huge part of his recuperation, it seems, since he's devoting a shitload of time and energy to it. As a bonus, his blog is vastly more interesting than his movie reviews as of late - he talks about politics, rice cookers, string theory...basically whatever's on his mind.

[number8]

That's generally what blogs are for.

[Grouchy]

http://auteurs_production.s3.amazonaw s.com/stills/23852/the_long_goodbye_1973_1.jpg

You know, even though I've become a fan of Altman as of late, I'd been consciously avoiding The Long Goodbye since I read about the "Rip Van Marlowe" concept the movie is based on years ago. As in, Philip Marlowe wakes up in the '70s, in an age that's left his kind behind. As a huge Raymond Chandler fan (there are times when The Long Goodbye is my favorite novel - whenever it's not Lolita) and an admirer of Philip Marlowe as a literary anti-hero, I just found the concept of a parody like that a little too insulting. It didn't help that the only Altman I'd seen was Gosford Park, which was a similar genre deconstruction in which the detective played by Stephen Fry was a total goofball.

After earning respect from Altman through his best movies like McCabe and Mrs. Miller and 3 Women, I decided this had to be watched. It turns out the genre deconstruction is there, but it's not altogether a parody even though it's written like a bunch of extended comedy scenes. If you look at the whole movie it's really a reivindication of the Marlowe character. Sure, he gets ridiculed, beaten up and confused almost constantly - but the gist of the story is that he's still a milestone of honesty and his one mistake in the movie is being a stand-up guy to a friend in trouble. Altman's adaptation has nothing to do with the novel or with film noir in general - the genre would remain dead until next year's Chinatown. But it really respects the Chandler creation for what it stood for.

With that out of the way, it's really a very good movie in every aspect. The waltzing camera works magnificently, giving the impression of a real journey both for the audience and the main character. I could be wrong, but I think it really only stops moving for the ending, which has a tremendous impact even if it had been spoiled for me. Gould is excellent, that goes without saying, and Hayden is magnificent as a sort of Hemingway gone wrong. I might not find it as deep as the two Altman movies I listed before as my favorites, though. I'd rank this next to The Player in that it's incredibly smart, but not too heartfelt despite its poetic images. The drowning scene is fucking amazing. The scene inmediately after that, a little too fixed for laughs for its own good - but that's also the movie's playful charm.

[Dead & Messed Up]

That's generally what blogs are for.

You're cute.

[Watashi]

LA people. I need someone to go with me to this. (http://www.asifa-hollywood.org/irongiant/)

[number8]

That reminds me. Can Max and I crash at your place on Friday the 16th?

[Watashi]

That reminds me. Can Max and I crash at your place on Friday the 16th?
Uh... it's technically not my place. Ask Barty.

[number8]

Hey Barty, can Max and I crash at your place on Friday the 16th?

[Ezee E]

Hey Barty, can Max and I crash at your place on Friday the 16th?
You need to post something that will raise the Barty alert.

[lovejuice]

You need to post something that will raise the Barty alert.
this should be fun. let make it a competition?

[[ETM]]

he talks about politics, rice cookers, string theory...basically whatever's on his mind.

His tweet on this was hilarious:

"A reader complained about my political blogs and said, 'Stick to writing movie reviews.' I advised him to stick to reading movie reviews."

[Derek]

FAIL

[Raiders]

Why would anyone want Barty to stop posting political thoughts?

Nobody said this.

[lovejuice]

Why would anyone want Barty to stop posting political thoughts? He's MatchCut's own Andy Kaufman.
i believe you confuse barty with ebert. [etm]'s post is about the latter.

[Derek]

i believe you confuse barty with ebert. [etm]'s post is about the latter.

I shouldn't post at 5:30am anymore.

[MadMan]

Point Break is one of my favorite action/thrillers. The cast is all kinds of awesome, the bank robbery scenes are cool because of the mask idea, and it works despite also being extremely cheesy. The Long Goodbye is a great film that I should probably rewatch sometime, as its been a couple of years since I last saw it. Good review, Grouchy.

[thefourthwall]

Would you recommend The Draughtsman's Contract too? Would I miss too much by downloading it (only way I can get to it)? I know it'd be a shame to have watched TCTTHW&HL on a PC screen.

I really loved The Draughtsman's Contract (moreso than A Zed and Two Naughts), and while I do think it would be a lesser experience watching it on a PC screen, I guess it's better than nothing--are you not from the US? do you not have netflix? I'm curious how it is that you can't rent it or get from any decent library.

[StanleyK]

All right, I'm downloading The Draughtsman's Contract right now.


I really loved The Draughtsman's Contract (moreso than A Zed and Two Naughts), and while I do think it would be a lesser experience watching it on a PC screen, I guess it's better than nothing--are you not from the US? do you not have netflix? I'm curious how it is that you can't rent it or get from any decent library.

I live in Brazil. It was probably never released in here to begin with, but I didn't know that libraries could carry DVDs- none that I know of do.

[thefourthwall]

Sweet blurbage here. I'm glad I finally benefit from one of your dense capsular blocks (having seen and liked the film). :)

I've always loved IWWaZ and sensed it makes some wily and subtle comments, but I've never read a good detail-driven analysis (especially since review sites like Slant insist on reviewing it only within their review of the entire 9-film Lewton DVD set), so its great seeing in writing a precise perspective on Jessica (I've never thought much about the Jessica character's role in the film) and the racial subtext and the curve ball with Mrs. Rand and the homefort.

On my most recent re-watch, I did have some problems with the film. It doesn't seem to pinpoint its racial commentary, I feel. It starts off really well, with the suggested agency of the Sir Lancelot character and the Alma character, but the present black characters sort of fade away towards the end.

About ten minutes into the film, I realized I'd seen this before and had been fairly meh about it. After rewatching then with dreamdead and thinking about it for the past couple of days, my enjoyment of the film is exponentially increasing, as the film reveals itself to have much more depth and complexity than at first blush.

While on some level the film gives agency to Mrs. Rand as being the source of the healing voodoo power, the final scenes of the film

that suggest that Mrs. Rand turned Jessica into a zombie and that the people at the home fort are responsible for Wesley's murder of Jessica and then Wesley's own death

seem to actually affirm the voodoo culture as having power. The fact that the slave ship's masthead is a courtyard fountain is a not so subtle critique of colonialism.

I'm curious about the Jane Eyre thing, which I do see--the film's narrative varies so greatly from the book and the fact that the film doesn't credit it makes me wonder if there's any evidence that this was an inspiration, or if it's just what people have read in the film. In some ways this makes Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea, amazing as it is, somewhat less innovative. This is clearly an issue that requires some research...as soon as my dissertation is done, I totally want to write an article about this film.

[thefourthwall]

I live in Brazil. It was probably never released in here to begin with, but I didn't know that libraries could carry DVDs- none that I know of do.

Ah, understood then.

[Dead & Messed Up]

LA people. I need someone to go with me to this. (http://www.asifa-hollywood.org/irongiant/)

I'd have to check with work about getting the night off or switching hours, but otherwise I'd be down. Is it bad that I haven't seen Iron Giant?

[Qrazy]

I'd have to check with work about getting the night off or switching hours, but otherwise I'd be down. Is it bad that I haven't seen Iron Giant?

It's not bad, but you should see it. It's good.

[lovejuice]

It's not bad, but you should see it. It's good.
indeed. i will be very surprised if there is anyone here dislike it. sven?

[number8]

What, do you quote people without looking at who it is?

[lovejuice]

What, do you quote people without looking at who it is?
:crazy::lol: seriously, what the hell am i thinking.

[Sven]

indeed. i will be very surprised if there is anyone here dislike it. sven?

Of course not, dum-dum.

[balmakboor]

I finally got around to The Descent. Really good horror picture. Reminded me of Deliverance. I'm not terribly claustrophobic, but I almost had to shut it off at one point. It reminded me of a time when I was a kid and I ventured into a storm drain pipe about four feet in diameter with nothing but candles. After a while, the candles were our only illumination. We even came across a dead snake at one point. It was all pretty exciting. When I think back now, I get freaked out big time. I imagine how frightened we would have been if the candles had gone out?

[Dead & Messed Up]

I finally got around to The Descent. Really good horror picture. Reminded me of Deliverance. I'm not terribly claustrophobic, but I almost had to shut it off at one point. It reminded me of a time when I was a kid and I ventured into a storm drain pipe about four feet in diameter with nothing but candles. After a while, the candles were our only illumination. We even came across a dead snake at one point. It was all pretty exciting. When I think back now, I get freaked out big time. I imagine how frightened we would have been if the candles had gone out?

Oh man, I think that film awakens claustrophobia for people in the same way Jaws awakens thalassophobia.

[Bosco B Thug]

While on some level the film gives agency to Mrs. Rand as being the source of the healing voodoo power, the final scenes of the film
that suggest that Mrs. Rand turned Jessica into a zombie and that the people at the home fort are responsible for Wesley's murder of Jessica and then Wesley's own death
seem to actually affirm the voodoo culture as having power. The fact that the slave ship's masthead is a courtyard fountain is a not so subtle critique of colonialism. Yep, this is all true. The film does attribute most privileged knowledge to the non-privileged black population. Still, can't help but feel the film should have "suck it to" the white characters just a teensy bit more with a conclusion, but I suppose that's a lot to ask from a 40s flick.


I'm curious about the Jane Eyre thing, which I do see--the film's narrative varies so greatly from the book and the fact that the film doesn't credit it makes me wonder if there's any evidence that this was an inspiration, or if it's just what people have read in the film. In some ways this makes Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea, amazing as it is, somewhat less innovative. This is clearly an issue that requires some research...as soon as my dissertation is done, I totally want to write an article about this film. I have zero familiarity with Jane Eyre, so I wouldn't be able to venture a guess myself, but IMDb Trivia is pretty confident he did have Bronte's novel in mind, and Lewton also apparently worked on a Jane Eyre film adaptation with David O. Selznik prior to going to RKO.

[B-side]

Because I'm awesome, I took a bunch of caps from The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting and am going to share them with you in all their glory:

http://i38.tinypic.com/iyd47m.jpg

http://i33.tinypic.com/23hav0h.jpg

http://i36.tinypic.com/98t6jo.jpg

http://i33.tinypic.com/986fjo.jpg

http://i36.tinypic.com/2s8h4lf.jpg

http://i35.tinypic.com/2w7ehld.jpg

http://i36.tinypic.com/ojjbb5.jpg

http://i37.tinypic.com/eurhh4.jpg

http://i33.tinypic.com/2akg12g.jpg

http://i34.tinypic.com/nxpbtz.jpg

http://i36.tinypic.com/2al06r.jpg

http://i38.tinypic.com/2vbpgyp.jpg

http://i34.tinypic.com/27yq4o1.jpg

http://i34.tinypic.com/2ebfndg.jpg

http://i34.tinypic.com/14732w.jpg

http://i36.tinypic.com/28hptvr.jpg

[Boner M]

^I'm glad I opted not to watch the crappy library-rented VHS of that film last week.

weekend:

Roeg triple: The Man Who Fell to Earth, Insignificance, Eureka
Vincere
A Matter of Life and Death
Che
Flirting

[B-side]

^I'm glad I opted not to watch the crappy library-rented VHS of that film last week.

Yeah, I can't imagine that being a great idea. There is a R1 DVD, though.


weekend:

Roeg triple: The Man Who Fell to Earth, Insignificance, Eureka
Vincere
A Matter of Life and Death

Interested in your thoughts on all of these.

[Grouchy]

Lumet's The Verdict is a solid courtroom drama - I guess. Unfortunately, that's pretty far from my favorite genre and so this might have seemed more conventional and forgettable for me than it really was. Paul Newman's performance is, once again, incrediby spot-on and subtler than usual since the nature of the film doesn't allow his character an individual catharsis scene, unlike his most famous characters. The fuckfest, eh, I mean, screenplay by David Mamet is quite solid except when it comes to Charlotte Rampling's character.

I really didn't think her betrayal was very well set up. It's a surprising twist, sure, but mostly because it comes out of nowhere and makes previous scenes between her and Newman confusing and something of a cheat.

For some reason I read James Spader instead of Jack Warden in the opening credits and I spent the movie looking for the guy from Boston Public. Oh, and the part of the "witch doctor" should really have been played by Ossie Davis.

[Grouchy]

Wow, there has only been one movie based on The Long Goodbye? Weird. And it's not even a straight adaptation.

More proof that Ebert is a lousy writer - in his Verdict review, he described Newman's character as "a drinking alcoholic".

[Raiders]

More proof that Ebert is a lousy writer - in his Verdict review, he described Newman's character as "a drinking alcoholic".

What's the problem with that?

Oh, and :rolleyes:

[Grouchy]

What's the problem with that?

Oh, and :rolleyes:
Well, nothing. Personally, I consider myself a smoking smoker.

And no, I will never give up.

[Raiders]

Well, nothing. Personally, I consider myself a smoking smoker.

I meant what is wrong with what Ebert said? You can be a non-drinking alcoholic, otherwise known as a "recovered alcoholic."

[Watashi]

I've read your reviews Grouchy.

Pretty sure Ebert is a better writer than you.

[Grouchy]

I meant what is wrong with what Ebert said? You can be a non-drinking alcoholic, otherwise known as a "recovered alcoholic."
Then you are technically no longer an alcoholic, right?


I've read your reviews Grouchy.

Pretty sure Ebert is a better writer than you.
Ok, sure, but I'm not a famous movie critic. I'm a schmuck on a message board.

I will never compromise. Not even in the face of Armaggedon.

[Adam]

They say that if you're an alcoholic, you're an alcoholic for life

Roger Ebert is an okay writer

[Kurosawa Fan]

Then you are technically no longer an alcoholic, right?



You are always an alcoholic, which is why you can never drink again.

[Pop Trash]

Roeg triple: The Man Who Fell to Earth, Insignificance, Eureka


I watched Bad Timing last night. It was pretty bad. Good thing it wasn't called Good Timing. That would be a misnomer.

Ba-Dum!

[Qrazy]

Then you are technically no longer an alcoholic, right?


Ok, sure, but I'm not a famous movie critic. I'm a schmuck on a message board.

I will never compromise. Not even in the face of Armaggedon.

Yeah that comment reminded me of when someone (I think trans?) told me I wasn't as good a writer as Pauline Kael. What does that have to do with anything at all? Because I'm not the greatest painter in the world I can't be critical of an artist? Because I'm not the greatest pianist in the world I can't critique a musician? Because I don't try very hard to write well on this message board does that mean I can't critique a critic?

[Qrazy]

I watched Bad Timing last night. It was pretty bad. Good thing it wasn't called Good Timing. That would be a misnomer.

Ba-Dum!

Agreed. Don't care for Roeg. I like Walkabout, that's about it.

[Pop Trash]

Agreed. Don't care for Roeg. I like Walkabout, that's about it.

Wow I actually totally agree with you for once (although I did find The Man Who Fell to Earth decent if overrated).

[balmakboor]

Yeah that comment reminded me of when someone (I think trans?) told me I wasn't as good a writer as Pauline Kael. What does that have to do with anything at all? Because I'm not the greatest painter in the world I can't be critical of an artist? Because I'm not the greatest pianist in the world I can't critique a musician? Because I don't try very hard to write well on this message board does that mean I can't critique a critic?

I've read a lot of Kael's stuff and one thing's for sure. Her being given the freedom to write as long of pieces as she desired wasn't necessarily a good thing. Most of her reviews would be much stronger if trimmed by 40-50%. I grumbled at first when the local paper told me I couldn't go over 600 words. I had been used to writing 1000-1200. But now, when I read my shorter and my longer pieces, the shorter ones are always better, more consise, less wordy while still essentially saying just as much.

I really like Canby's reviews for their craft and brevity. Ebert's reviews are very up and down. Some are great. Some seem phoned in on too tight of a deadline.

[balmakboor]

Agreed. Don't care for Roeg. I like Walkabout, that's about it.

I don't like Roeg much either. I haven't seen Walkabout so I should get on that. But out of his other stuff I only kind of liked Performance, Castaways, and The Witches. I sort of remember liking Insignificance and Track 29 as well.

[Qrazy]

I've read a lot of Kael's stuff and one thing's for sure. Her being given the freedom to write as long of pieces as she desired wasn't necessarily a good thing. Most of her reviews would be much stronger if trimmed by 40-50%. I grumbled at first when the local paper told me I couldn't go over 600 words. I had been used to writing 1000-1200. But now, when I read my shorter and my longer pieces, the shorter ones are always better, more consise, less wordy while still essentially saying just as much.

I really like Canby's reviews for their craft and brevity. Ebert's reviews are very up and down. Some are great. Some seem phoned in on too tight of a deadline.

Definitely, brevity forces clarity and forethought. Although I do also like a review that really takes a position and fleshes out some formal or thematic relationships... if a review spends three paragraphs summing up the plot and providing general back story and only one paragraph communicating anything conceptually interesting then it can be somewhat tedious. I agree with you on Ebert. I don't have much use for his taste (certainly we agree about most canonical films but less so for contemporary stuff), or most of his ideas, but his reviews can be fairly enjoyable on a purely rhetorical level.

[Qrazy]

I don't like Roeg much either. I haven't seen Walkabout so I should get on that. But out of his other stuff I only kind of liked Performance, Castaways, and The Witches. I sort of remember liking Insignificance and Track 29 as well.

Could be wrong but Walkabout strikes me as a film you'd like.

[balmakboor]

Could be wrong but Walkabout strikes me as a film you'd like.

I've always suspected that, but my general indifferance to Roeg and all of the other thousands of movies I want to watch have always guided me elsewhere.

[Raiders]

I love Don't Look Now and Walkabout and like The Man Who Fell to Earth and The Witches. I was indifferent to Bad Timing but it had some good in it. I really need to see Performance, though I have always been under the impression that's as much Cammell's film as it is Roeg's.

[Pop Trash]

I've always suspected that, but my general indifferance to Roeg and all of the other thousands of movies I want to watch have always guided me elsewhere.

I've seen Walkabout, The Man WFTE, and Bad Timing, and Walkabout was the best of the three IMO. It's similar to Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Proposition in its look at Australia's old "savage" world (usually involving Aboriginies) vs. the prim and proper "modern" Brits who moved there in the 19th and 20th centuries. Picnic is still my favorite of those three though.

[balmakboor]

I really need to see Performance, though I have always been under the impression that's as much Cammell's film as it is Roeg's.

It has a lot of Roeg in it, but it is also different. I haven't seen anything else by Cammell to be able to say it is his touch that lifts it above other Roeg pictures for me. I kind of suspect that though.

Of course, as you can tell from my favorite characters thread, I have a great interest in late '60s Mick Jagger, so that's also a big part of my liking Performance.

[MadMan]

I usually prefer to write shorter reviews. They are easier to create, and I'm often more satisfied with them anyways.

Weekend:

*Dog Soldiers
*Black Christmas
*The Brood
*Inferno

[Spun Lepton]

*Inferno

Heh. I'm really looking forward to your opinions on this one. Argento says it's his best, but it puts me to sleep.

[thefourthwall]

Because I'm awesome, I took a bunch of caps from The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting and am going to share them with you in all their glory:

Wow, I've never heard of the movie, but it looks amazing--is the film narrative any good? Netflix doesn't think I'll like it too well.

[Boner M]

I share the indifference to Bad Timing here - Theresa Russell gives one of my favorite performances ever in it, and Roeg's characteristically abstract editing is typically great, but Art Garfunkel sinks it like a stone - but otherwise I cannot abide by the meh-ing of Roeg. Don't Look Now, Performance and Walkabout are among the most imaginative and endlessly fascinating films of the 70's, and The Witches is easily the best Roald Dahl adaptation ever. The less said about Full Body Massage, the better.

[Spun Lepton]

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2009/10/every_time_you_torrent.jpg

[balmakboor]

Don't Look Now, Performance and Walkabout are among the most imaginative and endlessly fascinating films of the 70's, and The Witches is easily the best Roald Dahl adaptation ever.

It's encouraging that Performance and The Witches are two I singled out as his best and that I haven't yet seen Don't Look Now or Walkabout. Maybe I'll do a Roeg weekend soon.

[Ivan Drago]

I usually prefer to write shorter reviews. They are easier to create, and I'm often more satisfied with them anyways.

Yeah, same here. Honestly that's kinda what I'm thinking about doing for my commentaries. I'm a straightforward person so might as well keep everything to the point.


You are always an alcoholic, which is why you can never drink again.

Oh, crap.

Thanks, college.

[The Mike]

Oh, crap.

Thanks, college.There's a difference between a substance abuser and someone who's chemically dependent. I could get you a checklist, but I'd have to go in to work. And that's not happening.

[balmakboor]

There's a difference between a substance abuser and someone who's chemically dependent. I could get you a checklist, but I'd have to go in to work. And that's not happening.

Yeah, if stumbling around drunk through half your college life turned you into an alcoholic, I would've been doomed. Funny thing, once college ended, so did my desire to drink. Now I have about four drinks a year.

[B-side]

Wow, I've never heard of the movie, but it looks amazing--is the film narrative any good? Netflix doesn't think I'll like it too well.

It's hard to tell. The film consists almost entirely of on on-screen and off-screen narrator discussing a series of paintings and how they relate to each other. It goes into how we perceive art and all that good stuff, but mostly the on-screen narrator takes us through the paintings staged in real life and analyzes them. It's really quite neat. Unique, if nothing else.

As for the Roeg meh'ing, I gotta disagree. I love him. I also love Bad Timing. I haven't seen any of his lesser known works like The Witches and such yet, though.

[Ivan Drago]

There's a difference between a substance abuser and someone who's chemically dependent. I could get you a checklist, but I'd have to go in to work. And that's not happening.

Phew, so I could be worse. But after this weekend, I may get worse - not watching anything (if I do though it'll be 9 and Zombieland), but partying for homecoming weekend. Should be fun.

[Mysterious Dude]

I have noticed Ebert making some odd mistakes lately. In his review for Munyurangabo, for example:


“Munyurangabo” considers the genocide in Rwanda entirely through the lives of two boys who are 10 or 11 years old.

http://i.indiewire.com/images/uploads/i/2009muny.jpg

10 or 11? Really?

[Ezee E]

Y'guys. It just happens to be Roeg week next week. I have Walkabout ready to go.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I have a sudden, powerful urge to watch A Fish Called Wanda again.

"I'm, uh, Harvey. Manfred... jen... sen... den."

[Qrazy]

That's a good urge to have.

[The Mike]

That's a good urge to have.

Seconded.

[balmakboor]

I have noticed Ebert making some odd mistakes lately. In his review for Munyurangabo, for example:



http://i.indiewire.com/images/uploads/i/2009muny.jpg

10 or 11? Really?

Yeah, as a big fan of the movie, I noticed that as well.

[Pop Trash]

Seconded.

Thirded. One of the best comedies of the 80s.

[angrycinephile]

I think I've found the greatest scene in the history of cinema (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1WSPAvT7qE)

Seriously, that song is catchy.

[number8]

I think I've found the greatest scene in the history of cinema (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1WSPAvT7qE)

Seriously, that song is catchy.

"Stallone reportedly turned down Romancing the Stone and Beverly Hills Cop to make Rhinestone."

[balmakboor]

W/E

Cyclo
Dressed to Kill
Capitalism: A Love Story

[Rowland]

The first half of Julia had me thinking I was watching a masterpiece, but the second half is less alive, as the third act in particular grows increasingly rote and predictable. Nevertheless, it's still pretty awesome stuff as a whole, the first half being mid-80s territory scoring-wise, and I now feel as though I finally really understand the Swinton-love, as she's phenomenal here.

[Ezee E]

The first half of Julia had me thinking I was watching a masterpiece, but the second half is less alive, as the third act in particular grows increasingly rote and predictable. Nevertheless, it's still pretty awesome stuff as a whole, the first half being mid-80s territory scoring-wise, and I now feel as though I finally really understand the Swinton-love, as she's phenomenal here.
Agreed fully, except I like it a LOT less than you do in the end.

[dreamdead]

Rewatched Repo: The Genetic Opera while at a friend's house this evening. It still has a vibrant energy and, though some of the comic intertexts still feel a little cheesy and more like exposition that they couldn't afford rather than fully developed and thought out, those sections feel a teensy bit better than the first viewing. More impressive is the fact that more of the music gains a hook and memorable melody as it goes along, something that wasn't apparent beyond "Blood Market" initially. Just kinda a shame that the female lead is so one-note, as her dull character design prevents this from succeeding more.

Out of the Past is a solid entry in the film noir catalogue. While it kinda seems like its coasting on the conventions of the genre, possessing a double-crossing femme fatale, fatalistic hero, and sense of the unescapable past, the film has a certain care and regard for the minority figure (here the mute and deaf youth) that allows it to speak beyond its noir conventions. Immaculately photographed, it has an extra layer at the end if Robert Mitchum's fatalism is falsified when the good girl asks the mute and deaf youth if Mitchum ended to return to her. The assurance that he gives her at that point can be both a projection that she needs to move on with her life, or an affirmation that the fatalism that's so representative in these films snuffs out any chance at renewal and goodness. On one level I despise the intentionality of that indeterminacy, but it also adds depth and a quiet (lack of) resolation that I think befits the film's characters.

[dreamdead]

Yep, this is all true. The film does attribute most privileged knowledge to the non-privileged black population. Still, can't help but feel the film should have "suck it to" the white characters just a teensy bit more with a conclusion, but I suppose that's a lot to ask from a 40s flick.


I too hoped to see a bit more resolution about I Walked with a Zombie's final take on the zombified black man that followed Paul to the ocean, or at least some sense of acquiescence from the part of the ritualists after the murder so that we see visualized their complacency now that order has been restored. Certainly I find it fascinating how fully they are aware of the Hollands' past, inundating the locals with songs prophesying the destruction that the Hollands' have wrought upon themselves. Paul is a raging alcoholic, Wesley seems more concerned with romancing Betsy than caring for his wife, and the mother uses local superstition as a vehicle for manipulation, even if it's well-intentioned. None of them come off looking too good.

[thefourthwall]

"Stallone reportedly turned down Romancing the Stone and Beverly Hills Cop to make Rhinestone."

I'm glad he did--Michael Douglas killed in Romancing the Stone.

[thefourthwall]

Oh, and the scene in the bar, mostly patronized by black costumers in Out of the Past was much more genuine in regards to the characters being played as characters rather than stereotypes. Tourneur seems to be have made some fairly progressive choices in his films.

[Bosco B Thug]

Pure coincidence. Got my hands on Bad Timing this week, too, although I'm sure Pop Trash's viewing was a part in my actually sitting myself down to watch it.

Hmm... such a long, awkward movie... Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind's evil sibling... quite clumsy, quite stilted often... some of Roeg's theatrical directing tics are just plain gauche here (especially with the fragmented narrative) when the same are so elegant in Don't Look Now... but Roeg does great things, nevertheless, of course... it's wildly uneven, but it starts getting things mostly right in the last twenty minutes.

My main problem with it, is that it's too "about" what it's about, if that makes any sense. Like whenever the characters were screaming about meaningless fcking, or when Russell's character is rambling on about "I'm not an artist, philosopher, revolutionary, etc." all I could think is "Gee, way to indelicately expose the entire human condition during your one romantic tiff."

[Bosco B Thug]

I too hoped to see a bit more resolution about I Walked with a Zombie's final take on the zombified black man that followed Paul to the ocean, or at least some sense of acquiescence from the part of the ritualists after the murder so that we see visualized their complacency now that order has been restored. Certainly I find it fascinating how fully they are aware of the Hollands' past, inundating the locals with songs prophesying the destruction that the Hollands' have wrought upon themselves. Paul is a raging alcoholic, Wesley seems more concerned with romancing Betsy than caring for his wife, and the mother uses local superstition as a vehicle for manipulation, even if it's well-intentioned. None of them come off looking too good. Yeah, all those insinuations of the white characters are pretty much the best we get. I totally agree about Carrefour, the zombie sentinel man. I don't feel like I can do anything with him, really, in the film's thematics (on the other hand, I would've loved more Alma).

We totally could've done with actually getting the Betsy/Carrefour beach walk we see in the beginning. Dude, why didn't we get that? Oh no, it's pissing me off now! Oh well.

[MadMan]

Yeah, same here. Honestly that's kinda what I'm thinking about doing for my commentaries. I'm a straightforward person so might as well keep everything to the point.Being straightforward is rarely a bad thing.


Heh. I'm really looking forward to your opinions on this one. Argento says it's his best, but it puts me to sleep.I expect goodness on the level of Suspria. Maybe that's too much to ask.

Nothin' wrong with having a beer once in a while, or getting drunk every now and then. Its when you do it a million times a week that it gets to become something of a problem, I suppose.

PS: Today at 1:15 am CST (in only about 15 minutes) TCM is screening The Evil Dead II, which is all kinds of awesome. I've seen it multiple times and thus will probably not watch it, but I love that TCM is brazenly showing a movie like that uncut and commerical free. Oh and later on in the month they are showing Videodrome as well. Nice.

[Boner M]

quite clumsy, quite stilted often... some of Roeg's theatrical directing tics are just plain gauche here (especially with the fragmented narrative) when the same are so elegant in Don't Look Now... but Roeg does great things, nevertheless, of course... it's wildly uneven, but it starts getting things mostly right in the last twenty minutes.
Pretty much my thoughts on Insignificance, only it basically falls apart in the last 20 minutes. I confess I have no idea what Roeg was trying to get at with this one... the form is so incongruous to its content that its sheer awkwardness becomes mildly compelling in itself.

As ever, Theresa Russell is really hot.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Today at 1:15 am CST (in only about 15 minutes) TCM is screening The Evil Dead II, which is all kinds of awesome. I've seen it multiple times and thus will probably not watch it, but I love that TCM is brazenly showing a movie like that uncut and commerical free. Oh and later on in the month they are showing Videodrome as well. Nice.

They've been showing a lot of more recent films recently, which made me wary, but they've been showing the right recent movies, which tempers my concern.

[MadMan]

They've been showing a lot of more recent films recently, which made me wary, but they've been showing the right recent movies, which tempers my concern.True, but as you note they are showing movies that can be considered as classics, or at least worthy of being showcased. I'd say that Videodrome and Evil Dead II are both stamples of the horror genre, and this being October can be showcased.

[Spun Lepton]

I expect goodness on the level of Suspria. Maybe that's too much to ask.

It's nowhere near the level of Suspiria.

[EyesWideOpen]

Anybody interested Pinocchio blu-ray is on sale for $9.99 at bestbuy.com. They also have a deal if you buy Snow White blu-ray (24.99) and another disney blu-ray you get a $15 gift card. I did it today with Pinocchio and it works out to $10 for each movie.

[The Mike]

40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 minutes. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6wRkzCW5qI)

[Pop Trash]

Pure coincidence. Got my hands on Bad Timing this week, too, although I'm sure Pop Trash's viewing was a part in my actually sitting myself down to watch it.

Hmm... such a long, awkward movie... Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind's evil sibling... quite clumsy, quite stilted often... some of Roeg's theatrical directing tics are just plain gauche here (especially with the fragmented narrative) when the same are so elegant in Don't Look Now... but Roeg does great things, nevertheless, of course... it's wildly uneven, but it starts getting things mostly right in the last twenty minutes.

My main problem with it, is that it's too "about" what it's about, if that makes any sense. Like whenever the characters were screaming about meaningless fcking, or when Russell's character is rambling on about "I'm not an artist, philosopher, revolutionary, etc." all I could think is "Gee, way to indelicately expose the entire human condition during your one romantic tiff."

I just found myself not giving a crap about the characters. Both of them just seemed pretty unlikeable. And Art Garfunkel is so milquetoast that it's hard for me to believe him as someone who (spoiler) drives Russell's character to attempt suicide in a fit of passion. Also, the whole flashback on the relationship has been done better, namely in Harold Pinter's Betrayal, which I believe came out around the same time as Bad Timing, and the play might have been written a few years earlier.

SOME SPOILERS HERE:
Oh and I almost forgot: my main issue was with the whole Harvey Keitel character. What the hell was up with all that? Was he supposed to be Austrian? If so it was a pretty bad accent by him (and I normally love Keitel). But then his accent was also pretty bad in The Last Temptation of Christ, but that seems more forgivable because the Christ story is always told as a myth or legend, so it didn't bother me as much. Or am I missing something and he works for the US State department or something? But also his whole trajectory seemed very phony. If there was no evidence of foul play, would a cop really delve that deep into why someone tried to kill herself? I mean if that was his whole motivation. And would they really do a rape kit test on a suicide case? That just seemed so phony to me. I mean couldn't Garfunkel's character just say they had sex earlier that day or the day before or something? I mean she was going to survive anyways, so if there is a rape case to be had, then she needs to press charges. That whole thing just seemed like such a contrived way to tell the story in that backwards/fractured thing Roeg likes to do.

Then again, this screenplay was written by the same guy who wrote the early 90s craptacular Eve of Destruction, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised. The movie just felt like a (and I'm going to use the "p" word here) pretentious version of a Zalman King or Skinemax thing. But those don't bother me much because they don't try to be anything they are not.

[Boner M]

I just found myself not giving a crap about the characters.Fair enough.

Both of them just seemed pretty unlikeable.DEEEEEEEERRREEEEEEK KKK!!!

[Bosco B Thug]

I just found myself not giving a crap about the characters. Both of them just seemed pretty unlikeable. They are pretty unlikable. And this pretty plotless film is a good majority of the time just spending snippets of time with them, which have a frustrating way of pointing you in zero direction. Especially the first half where we're not sure there's even anything interesting going on in the first place.

Oh and I almost forgot: my main issue was with the whole Harvey Keitel character.

But also his whole trajectory seemed very phony. If there was no evidence of foul play, would a cop really delve that deep into why someone tried to kill herself? I mean if that was his whole motivation. And would they really do a rape kit test on a suicide case? That just seemed so phony to me. I mean couldn't Garfunkel's character just say they had sex earlier that day or the day before or something? I got the feeling the Keitel character was supposed to work on a level that wasn't really realistic. You're right that some of his scenes felt ridiculous.

On another note: that early scene between Milena and her first husband at the border, set to Canon in D Major in the background, is such an amazingly unsuccessful scene. Considering how protracted it is, I could practically see "This scene is NOT WORKING. Canon in D is too common a piece. You are playing it too carelessly. Why is this attractive girl flirting with this old guy? Why aren't they saying anything?? The music is still COMPLETELY FRUITLESS. PLEASE MOVE ON." scrolling across the bottom of the screen.

[Dead & Messed Up]

The copy of Battle Royale Netflix gave me must've been some sort of extended edition, because there seemed to be more flashbacks and epilogues than I remember. They diluted the flick's power significantly, which lies in its relentless, on-point examination of how quickly the children veer between sympathetic, pitiable, and horrifying. That edit of the film is damn near perfect.

Anyway, I don't remember this film being so operatic, but the overwrought emotion perfectly matches the fact that it's about young teenagers. I do remember Kiriyama being awesome, though, and he still is. In the way he carries himself and communicates strongly through style and posture, he reminds me of Heath Ledger's interpretation of the Joker.

I want to track down the original cut for NTSC, because it's such a fantastic flick.

[monolith94]

Dreamdead- out of the past is the kind of film that's grown on me. When I first watched, I thought it was an ok noir, but as the whole mood and pace of the film has settled into my subconscious, it's become more and more of an apex of the genre to me.

[Sven]

Hi all. Just checking in from my hiatus with the most fabulous news: Jerry Lewis's Which Way To the Front? is a bona fide masterpiece. I have never seen a film so baring, so funny, so strange. My mouth was agape the entire time, from both hysteria and awe at the purity of expression on display. Easily his best film.

[Raiders]

Jerry Lewis's Which Way To the Front? is ... Easily his best film.

Hm. Wow. I think it would be tough to beat the likes of The Patsy and The Ladies Man, but I'll certainly check this out now.

Have you seen Three on a Couch? I'm watching that one soon.

[dreamdead]

Dreamdead- out of the past is the kind of film that's grown on me. When I first watched, I thought it was an ok noir, but as the whole mood and pace of the film has settled into my subconscious, it's become more and more of an apex of the genre to me.

That's good to know. I find the deep-focus cinematography quite artful throughout, and Jeff Bailey's ability to manipulate his surroundings as he's being framed is a highlight of film noir that's more often concerned with dull fistfights. How do you read the ending? Is the mute Kid lying to the girl so that she can move on, or is Bailey's fatalism just more of a determining factor than the new life he'd tried to establish in the country?

[Grouchy]

The copy of Battle Royale Netflix gave me must've been some sort of extended edition, because there seemed to be more flashbacks and epilogues than I remember. They diluted the flick's power significantly, which lies in its relentless, on-point examination of how quickly the children veer between sympathetic, pitiable, and horrifying. That edit of the film is damn near perfect.

Anyway, I don't remember this film being so operatic, but the overwrought emotion perfectly matches the fact that it's about young teenagers. I do remember Kiriyama being awesome, though, and he still is. In the way he carries himself and communicates strongly through style and posture, he reminds me of Heath Ledger's interpretation of the Joker.

I want to track down the original cut for NTSC, because it's such a fantastic flick.
That's Battle Royale: Requiem and yes, it's an extended edition.

[ledfloyd]

humpday is much better than i was expecting it to be. a very strong third act.

[Watashi]

humpday is much better than i was expecting it to be. a very strong third act.
Since when did trotchky hack into your account?

[ledfloyd]

Since when did trotchky hack into your account?
if you're referring to my lack of caps, i've never capitalized. or at least very rarely.

[eternity]

if you're referring to my lack of caps, i've never capitalized. or at least very rarely.
You lie!

[Boner M]

Some recent viewings:

Eureka - Perhaps the quintessential Roeg film; begins with a character navigating an unfamiliar landscape, before morphing into a study of obsession, complete with lots of awkward cross-cutting and symbolic imagery, kinky sex, and a nearly disastrous third-act - nonetheless, it's a textbook example of how fascinating cinematic follies are far preferable to milquetoast mediocrities. Two scenes are flat-out stunners; Hackman's discovery of the gold, set alongside Wagner (PTA must've seen this film, the opening is an obvious precursor to There Will Be Blood's), and a brutal/surreal/baroque murder sequence late in the film.

Ministry of Fear - Bog-standard Hitchcockian espionage hijinks, entire film seems like an excuse for Lang to endow as many commonplace settings with incredible menace - a fantastic prologue where it's revealed that Ray Milland is released from a house that's later revealed to be an asylum sets the tone for the rest of the film. The plot isn't terribly involving, not least because of the horrendous performance by the actress who plays Milland's love interest, but Lang directs the hell out of the film; his variation on the routine bullet-though-door-followed-by-body-slumping-outside trope is almost too cool for words.

Georgia - I'm not usually one to bitch about Oscar snubs, but how in the hell did Jennifer Jason Leigh miss out on a nomination for her tour-de-force work here, despite her co-star Marie Winningham getting a supporting actress nod for a blandly passive/reactive role? Boggles the mind. Anyway, this is a fine actor's piece - much like Straight Time, the only other Grosbard film I've seen - sustained by the work of Leigh and a fine supporting cast (esp. ever-undervalued Max Perlich), and a corker of a final line that unobtrusively sums up the central theme of the film nicely.

Le vent d'est - The first of Godard's Dziga-Vertov group films that I've seen, and I'm not exactly keen on seeking out more based on this. Godard reinvented cinema best when he didn't have to declare it his attention (ie, didn't need a voiceover explaining his film's Raison d'être, FFS). Some of the historical re-enactments and Glauber Rocha's appearance redeem it; makes me wanna see Black God White Devil finally.

Your Friends & Neighbors - The eyeroll-worthy title should be warning enough that for his sophomore feature, LaBute believed the hype that he was modern cinema's Official Excavator of Deep-Buried Human Truths, simply because he can create characters who say and do mean things to each other. Horrid, glib, pretentious garbage; the kind of film where we know we're in an intellectual milieu because the characters talk about Shakespeare, have Godard posters behind them, and hang out at art galleries... the irony being that these learned folks are clueless when it come to basic human behaviour, geddit? *barf*

[Winston*]

I saw the majority of Zack and Miri make a Porno. Kevin Smith is the worst. His idea of comedy is people mentioning body parts and his idea of drama is people saying the same thing louder and louder until I leave the room.

[[ETM]]

people saying the same thing louder and louder until I leave the room.

Perhaps that is his intention?

[balmakboor]

I saw the majority of Zack and Miri make a Porno. Kevin Smith is the worst. His idea of comedy is people mentioning body parts and his idea of drama is people saying the same thing louder and louder until I leave the room.

He seems so completely clueless about the world of porn that it must be intentional. I can't imagine him being stupid enough to think that he is really offering an accurate depiction of porn film production, for instance. He and Judd Apatow strike me as really conservative filmmakers who get off on trying to make dirty movies.

[balmakboor]

I saw Capitalism: A Love Story today and it is very good. It made me laugh and cry and get scared and angry in all the intended places.

My Michael Moore rankings:

1. Sicko
2. Capitalism: A Love Story
3. Bowling for Columbine
4. Roger and Me
5. Fahrenheit 9/11
6. Slacker Uprising

[Ivan Drago]

I saw the majority of Zack and Miri make a Porno. Kevin Smith is the worst. His idea of comedy is people mentioning body parts and his idea of drama is people saying the same thing louder and louder until I leave the room.

Archie is NOT fucking Mr. Weatherbee!

[Dead & Messed Up]

He seems so completely clueless about the world of porn that it must be intentional. I can't imagine him being stupid enough to think that he is really offering an accurate depiction of porn film production, for instance. He and Judd Apatow strike me as really conservative filmmakers who get off on trying to make dirty movies.

This reminds me of that time in the RT forums when someone was complaining about center of mass placement in Donnie Darko.

[EyesWideOpen]

He seems so completely clueless about the world of porn that it must be intentional. I can't imagine him being stupid enough to think that he is really offering an accurate depiction of porn film production, for instance. He and Judd Apatow strike me as really conservative filmmakers who get off on trying to make dirty movies.

To be fair the plot of the movie is someone with no knowledge of making a porn movie makes a porn movie. So I doubt strongly he was trying to offer an accurate depiction of porn film production.

[Adam]

If Justin Long is the funniest thing in your movie, you have made a colossally unfunny movie

[B-side]

If Justin Long is the funniest thing in your movie, you have made a colossally unfunny movie

:lol:

[Dead & Messed Up]

After fifty minutes of Alphaville, I took it out of my DVD player and sealed it in its Netflix envelope.

I tried, but the film was so half-hearted. The noirish hero wasn't interesting, the handheld style wasn't appealing, the plot was warmed over Orwell, the score was irritatingly repetitive, and, even accounting for the emphasis on logic over emotion, everything was just so limp and devoid of passion.

I just couldn't get into this one.

[Boner M]

I tried, but the film was so half-hearted.
My problem too. Same deal with A Woman is a Woman. I prefer fiery Godard.

[B-side]

A Woman is a Woman is quite good. I wouldn't call it half-hearted at all. Admittedly, the feminist aspects hinted at toward the beginning don't flesh out too well, but it's still a lot of fun.

Oh, and there may or may not be a screener out for The White Ribbon. Just sayin'. Not that I advocate such madness.

[number8]

I read an interesting article by a porn director around the time the film came out. She pointed out the fact that Zack and Miri's movie probably wouldn't sell very well because it doesn't understand that porn is a niche industry. People don't really gravitate towards jack-of-all-trade porn. They've got specific movies for anal, gay, S&M, hardcore, softcore, etc. based on specific kinks. So it made no business sense for them to make a straight porn and randomly have a guy in leather get assbanged with a strap-on.

[B-side]

I'm pretty sure Angelopoulos simply isn't capable of making something I won't love.

[Winston*]

I feel like these two naff Hogan's Heroesy "comic relief" characters in Stalag 17 get more screentime than William Holden. This should not be the case.

[Skitch]

The Brothers Bloom was amusing.

[balmakboor]

To be fair the plot of the movie is someone with no knowledge of making a porn movie makes a porn movie. So I doubt strongly he was trying to offer an accurate depiction of porn film production.

That's a great comment. I don't think it quite addresses the problem I was trying to state though. No doubt the guy has no knowledge of making a porn film, but he also seems a guy who has never even seen one. And that may be the point also.

[lovejuice]

if you're referring to my lack of caps, i've never capitalized. or at least very rarely.
indeed, brother. capitalization is so random and pointless.

[Russ]

if you're referring to my lack of caps, i've never capitalized. or at least very rarely.
indeed, brother. capitalization is so random and pointless.

then why bother with punctuation isnt it just as random and pointless as capitalization

[Qrazy]

aslo letetr palcnmeet

[Dukefrukem]

So, the Prestige is a pretty good movie huh? jeeze

[Mara]

So, the Prestige is a pretty good movie huh? jeeze

It aged well for me. I liked it more the more I thought about it, and a it held up very well with a rewatch.

[lovejuice]

then why bother with punctuation isnt it just as random and pointless as capitalization
arguing logic in language is crazy talk. but with punctuation mark, there seem to be little point in capitalizing the first word of any sentence.

[ledfloyd]

then why bother with punctuation isnt it just as random and pointless as capitalization
without punctuation things become incoherent.

[Dukefrukem]

It aged well for me. I liked it more the more I thought about it, and a it held up very well with a rewatch.

It's another movie that I benefited from by not reading any reviews or synopsis. The ending really caught me by surprise.

[Ezee E]

The real interviews I read from female pornstars tend to be funnier than anything that Zack & Miri tried to do.

[Mara]

It's another movie that I benefited from by not reading any reviews or synopsis. The ending really caught me by surprise.

I actually think that harmed me a little bit with my first watch.

I wasn't expecting the introduction of actual magic into the plot, which had set itself up as a realistic film. On my first watch, it felt like a trick. After thinking about it, I decided it was a good trick-- a magic trick-- and I liked it.

[Raiders]

without punctuation things become incoherent.

i also happen to believe that failing to capitalize over multiple sentences in a paragraph make it difficult to follow. perhaps you do not but i find that it makes the flow of the paragraph rather terrible and i cannot as easily read or follow the thoughts. it all starts to run together as indistinguishable nonsense because let's face it periods are only so helpful. capitalization makes it much easier to see the demarcation between two different sentences and thoughts. i do not think people randomly came up with this idea.

...

Yes, in looking above that would absolutely frustrate me and I would give up before even the very end of that paragraph. Perhaps it is only because I have been raised on proper grammar, but honestly, it takes no more time to do and it does look and read much better.

[Mara]

When people don't capitalize, I completely lose cadence. It sounds in my head like a robot talking.

If people don't punctuate, I don't bother reading it at all. It's just nonsense.

[Dukefrukem]

I actually think that harmed me a little bit with my first watch.

I wasn't expecting the introduction of actual magic into the plot, which had set itself up as a realistic film. On my first watch, it felt like a trick. After thinking about it, I decided it was a good trick-- a magic trick-- and I liked it.



Ah so true. I wasn't expecting that also. When I saw the trap door during his first performance, I figured it was a trick like his rip off of the transporting man trick. It still added a great mystery to the overall story and it was def. another shocker for me. This might be Nolan's best film.

[balmakboor]

Any thoughts on Wristcutters: A Love Story?

[Ezee E]

When people don't capitalize, I completely lose cadence. It sounds in my head like a robot talking.

If people don't punctuate, I don't bother reading it at all. It's just nonsense.
Yep. When Mara talks though, I picture a talking giraffe, and become nervous.

[lovejuice]

i also happen to believe that failing to capitalize over multiple sentences in a paragraph make it difficult to follow. perhaps you do not but i find that it makes the flow of the paragraph rather terrible and i cannot as easily read or follow the thoughts. it all starts to run together as indistinguishable nonsense because let's face it periods are only so helpful. capitalization makes it much easier to see the demarcation between two different sentences and thoughts. i do not think people randomly came up with this idea.
hmmm....i actually think the problem with this above paragraph is a lack of comma not capitalization.

[Mara]

Yep. When Mara talks though, I picture a talking giraffe, and become nervous.

So, in other words, I win.

[Raiders]

hmmm....i actually think the problem with this above paragraph is a lack of comma not capitalization.

Like Mara said, there is no sense of cadence. All the words look the same.

[balmakboor]

I once came across a poster who would format every letter in a different color. Boy was that annoying. It must have taken forever too.

[Mara]

At RT (not here) there were posters that signed every post. Like you couldn't tell who was posting. They must have just loved their own name.

~Mara

[lovejuice]

I once came across a poster who would format every letter in a different color. Boy was that annoying. It must have taken forever too.
maybe he's Daniel Tammet?

in case, you don't get the reference, he's this guy with asperger who sees letters in colors.

[Dukefrukem]

At RT (not here) there were posters that signed every post. Like you couldn't tell who was posting. They must have just loved their own name.

~Mara

There's someone like that on every forum it seems.

[Ivan Drago]

There's someone like that on every forum it seems.

I know, right? And plus there's always at least one poster who ends with each post with a catchphrase.


Cheers.

[Mara]

I know, right? And plus there's always at least one poster who ends with each post with a catchphrase.


Cheers.

If I wanted to be annoying, I would introduce:

MARA OUT.

[lovejuice]

If I wanted to be annoying, I would introduce:

MARA OUT.
love it. :lol:

too bad "lovejuice OUT" doesn't quite ring the same note.

[Dead & Messed Up]

love it. :lol:

too bad "lovejuice OUT" doesn't quite ring the same note.

How about "you just got juiced"?

[Mara]

too bad "lovejuice OUT" doesn't quite ring the same note.

No.

As a matter of fact, it's slightly disturbing.

[Dukefrukem]

My catchphrase is gonna be, F@@K.

F@@K

[Ezee E]

Ezee E has unlimited options.

[Ezee E]

So, in other words, I win.
I think that could be an answer to the war on terror/drugs.

[balmakboor]

So I guess that means no thoughts on Wristcutters: A Love Story.

[EyesWideOpen]

So I guess that means no thoughts on Wristcutters: A Love Story.

My thought is that i've been meaning to see it.

[number8]

My thought is that it's okay. Great soundtrack and Tom Waits is amusing. Pretty forgettable overall.

[balmakboor]

Hmmm. The group we invited to pick a film for our next series chose either Wristcutters or Boys Don't Cry. I'm leaning I guess toward the latter even though it's older.

[Winston*]

Watch The Bothersome Man instead of Wristcutters. Similar premise but much better.

[Ivan Drago]

Rep goes to whoever guesses who I was referencing in my last post.

Cheers.

[Adam]

Over the past week or so, I've watched an awful lotta movies. Don't feel like tallying them all right now, but lemme just say Will Ferrel's Land of the Lost was pretty okay. I'm just as tired of the guy's movies/persona as everyone else is, but seriously, this one was just goofy fun and it didn't deserve the total panning it got. Also saw Kontroll for the first time this weekend. It's kind of mean spirited to a fault at times, but it's got a grimy, low-rent charm about it and the lead actor plays put-upon schlub like he was born to do it

[B-side]

Rep goes to whoever guesses who I was referencing in my last post.

Cheers.

Kuehncsvddvkisbblgsjpips?

[B-side]

My first Lubitsch experience was a pretty terrific one. Damn fine film. Lubitsch took a very funny, very clever shot at misogyny and religion. But to top it all off, it's pretty damn heartwarming, too.

[B-side]

3rd post in a row I'll use to run by an idea I have for a thread where I watch 15 classic films (from decades I'm sorely lacking in) and, perhaps, have folks predict my ratings for them. The latter part isn't necessary, but it might be fun as a way to include you folks in my adventure. I have the 15 films already picked out, they range from 1918 to 1950 with a film or more in each of those decades. Obviously, there would be write-ups, though considering I'm no expert at that, I couldn't guarantee quality/coherency/length.

[kuehnepips]

Rep goes to whoever guesses who I was referencing in my last post.

Cheers.

*passes bottle to Brightside*

[Qrazy]

3rd post in a row I'll use to run by an idea I have for a thread where I watch 15 classic films (from decades I'm sorely lacking in) and, perhaps, have folks predict my ratings for them. The latter part isn't necessary, but it might be fun as a way to include you folks in my adventure. I have the 15 films already picked out, they range from 1918 to 1950 with a film or more in each of those decades. Obviously, there would be write-ups, though considering I'm no expert at that, I couldn't guarantee quality/coherency/length.

Why don't you finish the film swap thread you already started first.

[Qrazy]

Probably going to see The Informant tonight. Also might watch The Burmese Harp over the next few days.

[Ivan Drago]

I'm gonna keep doing this until someone guesses right. Hell I wonder if he even remembers doing this.



Cheers.

[balmakboor]

Got [Rec] in the mail today. Considering what most people say about its quality compared to Diary of the Dead and considering that I'm a big fan of Diary of the Dead. This one should blow me away.

[Bosco B Thug]

Got [Rec] in the mail today. Considering what most people say about its quality compared to Diary of the Dead and considering that I'm a big fan of Diary of the Dead. This one should blow me away.
Naaaaaah. I'm gonna guess Diary of the Dead will still come out on top.

[Spun Lepton]

Got [Rec] in the mail today. Considering what most people say about its quality compared to Diary of the Dead and considering that I'm a big fan of Diary of the Dead. This one should blow me away.

I should be ashamed to say it, being a Romero fan and all, but I haven't seen Diary, yet. So, I can't compare. I can say, however, that [REC], while certainly not perfect, is very good.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Rec > Diary

...by a comfortable margin, I'd say.

[megladon8]

Jen and I went to the 3D double feature of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 today. It was a grand time - very fun movies.

I hadn't seen the original Toy Story in at least 8 years (probably closer to 10), and Toy Story 2 I only saw once when it first came to VHS, so this was practically a first viewing for me.

I enjoyed them both, though I definitely like the first one more. Also, they're near the bottom for me in terms of ranking the Pixar films. Though really, that doesn't say much at all - they're both great, funny, touching films.

Could have used less Randy Newman. Especially when that Sarah McLachlan song "When She Loved Me" eclipses everything he did.

Found the constant sci-fi homages in Toy Story 2 a little tiresome. That beginning sequence was enough...they didn't need to keep slathering them on through the rest of the movie.

[Raiders]

Though he is indeed hit-or-miss, Newman's "I Will Go Sailing No More" is among my favorite songs from any animated film.

[Winston*]

I saw Up last night. I think I'm alone in thinking the first act is of a higher quality than the following two.

Saw it in 3D. Wish I didn't. The extra dimension didn't really add anything, just made it harder to focus on things.

[megladon8]

I saw Up last night. I think I'm alone in thinking the first act is of a higher quality than the following two.


No, not at all.

Jen and I both agree.