28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[balmakboor]

Anyone else familiar with Guru Dutt? I watched his movie Pyaasa (he produced, directed, and starred) last night and quite enjoyed it. It is a rich mixture of comedy, melodrama, and musical as well as overt Christ allegory in its telling of a poet who is shunned and dirt poor until his apparent suicide turns him into a national literary hero.

It's made me want to see more movies from India. I've so far seen ridiculously few.

[number8]

Medicine for Melancholy is the best movie about San Francisco I've ever seen.

[balmakboor]

Yep, Goodbye Solo is a terrific movie.

[EyesWideOpen]

Man, I love Dumbo. Perfectly paced and I'd put the "Elephants on Parade" segment up against anything Disney's ever done.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Holy balls. Memories of Murder is as good as any film I've seen this year. Amazing, amazing, amazing, heartbreaking, amazing, smart, cruel, and amazing. Here's a procedural that equals David Fincher's very best work, and that means something, as Fincher's one of my favorite modern directors. Having seen this and The Host this year, is it too early to call Bong Joon-Ho a new favorite?

I'd say no.

Wow.

[Boner M]

We Won't Grow Old Together is another gem from Pialat, arguably my favorite filmmaker that no one else talks/cares about here. I could rave about his unemphatically impressionistic approach to narrative structure, his unique dissolution of the barriers between his actors & their characters, and how he chooses perfect final shots that throw the cumulative impact of the precedings into sharp relief, but all his virtues as a filmmaker sound so dry and theoretical on paper, so I'll just post an interview excerpt that sums up this film and his others quite well:

MP: One day I turned 45. But I felt 25.
I: So what did you do?
I made We Won't Grow Old Together.
For that reason alone?
No, for a bunch of other ones too.
For the same reasons that led you to make Love Exists and Naked Childhood?
Without a doubt. You're on to something. All those titles are cowards.

[B-side]

We Won't Grow Old Together is another gem from Pialat, arguably my favorite filmmaker that no one else talks/cares about here. I could rave about his unemphatically impressionistic approach to narrative structure, his unique dissolution of the barriers between his actors & their characters, and how he chooses perfect final shots that throw the cumulative impact of the precedings into sharp relief, but all his virtues as a filmmaker sound so dry and theoretical on paper, so I'll just post an interview excerpt that sums up this film and his others quite well:

I liked A nos amour, but not enough to get me excited about his work. No idea where to go next. I suppose I'll just grab something that looks interesting.

[Boner M]

I liked A nos amour, but not enough to get me excited about his work. No idea where to go next. I suppose I'll just grab something that looks interesting.
L'Enfance Nue. Also, L'Amour Existe is a great early essay-doco of his, albeit not really representative of his future work.

[B-side]

L'Enfance Nue. Also, L'Amour Existe is a great early essay-doco of his, albeit not really representative of his future work.

We Won't Grow Old Together actually sounds more appealing than Naked Childhood. The Mouth Agape as well. Hm. Yeah, I'll keep him on my radar now.

[Fezzik]

I've seen pieces of City Lights over the years but had never seen the entire film from start to finish until last night. I was floored. Amazing stuff.

Poignant, blazingly human and funnier than I expected.

It's my first Chaplin film. I need to see Modern Times, next, I think. Then The Great Dictator.

Any others in particular I should seek out?

[megladon8]

Holy balls. Memories of Murder is as good as any film I've seen this year. Amazing, amazing, amazing, heartbreaking, amazing, smart, cruel, and amazing. Here's a procedural that equals David Fincher's very best work, and that means something, as Fincher's one of my favorite modern directors. Having seen this and The Host this year, is it too early to call Bong Joon-Ho a new favorite?

I'd say no.

Wow.


AWESOME!

It's an incredible film. One of the most memorable viewings Jen and I have had together.

Haunting.

[Sycophant]

As someone who also considers Bong Joon-Ho a favorite among working directors, I can't encourage y'all enough to seek out Barking Dogs Never Bite.

[kuehnepips]

Any others in particular I should seek out?

The Kid
Gold Rush
Limelight
Yes, in that order.

[dreamdead]

Holy balls. Memories of Murder is as good as any film I've seen this year. Amazing, amazing, amazing, heartbreaking, amazing, smart, cruel, and amazing. Here's a procedural that equals David Fincher's very best work, and that means something, as Fincher's one of my favorite modern directors. Having seen this and The Host this year, is it too early to call Bong Joon-Ho a new favorite?

The sense of tension and unpredictability in terms of indicting a flesh-and-blood person for the rapes and murders is strong indeed in Memories of Murder. However, I find the ideas of exposing police bureaucracy and corruption (which Peppermint Candy likewise does immaculately, and it's a better film besides) far more interesting, as we see the excesses of greed and corruption allow Song Kang-ho's character to profit materially when in reality his character has clearly hindered the justice system. And so although he slowly tries to do well, his inefficiencies are glossed, which is an intriguing indictment of that culture.

I do like the backhanded attack on chauvinism since the female police officer is more responsible for leads that Song's character.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I've seen pieces of City Lights over the years but had never seen the entire film from start to finish until last night. I was floored. Amazing stuff.

Poignant, blazingly human and funnier than I expected.

It's my first Chaplin film. I need to see Modern Times, next, I think. Then The Great Dictator.

Any others in particular I should seek out?

The Circus is his funniest. Also don't miss The Gold Rush.

[Yxklyx]

.... Also don't miss The Gold Rush.


but not the one rereleased in the 40s with added sound!

[Kurosawa Fan]

but not the one rereleased in the 40s with added sound!

Yes. Absolutely yes.

[Wryan]

Good thing you started with City Lights, though. That one is pretty much his best, imo. I weep it's so beautiful.

It's not immensely popular with some, but I love The Great Dictator, the humor and the schmaltz.

[Beau]

L'Enfance Nue. Also, L'Amour Existe is a great early essay-doco of his, albeit not really representative of his future work.

These are good. Well, L'Enfance Nue is borderline masterpiece. L'Amour Existe not so much, although it's deeply felt. You have to start somewhere! Two of Pialat's 80's films occupy the top of my queue, so they'll be arriving when I return On the Silver Globe.

[Ezee E]

Some neat Czech films coming to the Denver Film Festival. Have to decide what I'll be seeing over the next few days or so. This is usually when I see a bunch of movies I'll never have the chance of seeing again.

[MadMan]

After a month of viewing horror movies, I plan on going back to exploring the work of several directors. This is why I rarely focus on just one genre, as it is kind of limiting.

[Grouchy]

I haven't seen any movie recently since I've been working on my own stuff, but recently I got DirectTV installed, so I've done some zapping and occassionally watched a large chunk of a movie.

That is how I know that We Own the Night is very good and that Enemy at the Gates is not, although I liked the scenes with Ed Harris and the starving kid.

[baby doll]

Medicine for Melancholy is the best movie about San Francisco I've ever seen.Vertigo?

[baby doll]

So, the other night I rewatched Star Wars for the first time since I was twelve, and it actually holds up pretty nicely. It's a page-turner; the sort of movie where an entire planet gets wiped out without any of the characters looking too sad about it because they've all already moved on to the next plot-point. (I only became bored during the climatic ariel dogfight, which seemed to go on forever.) Stylistically, there's nothing worth writing home about, but that's a bit like knocking Dan Brown because he doesn't write as well as Virginia Woolf. Overall, it's a breezy, entertaining romp.

[baby doll]

but not the one rereleased in the 40s with added sound!You know, I prefer that version. It's just a lot tighter.

[balmakboor]

Vertigo?

I'd add Zodiac as well. But then I'd wonder if any of them are "about" San Francisco.

[Boner M]

Some neat Czech films coming to the Denver Film Festival. Have to decide what I'll be seeing over the next few days or so. This is usually when I see a bunch of movies I'll never have the chance of seeing again.Czech new wave? Don't miss The Ear if it plays. Or Late August at the Hotel Ozone.

[Qrazy]

So, the other night I rewatched Star Wars for the first time since I was twelve, and it actually holds up pretty nicely. It's a page-turner; the sort of movie where an entire planet gets wiped out without any of the characters looking too sad about it because they've all already moved on to the next plot-point. (I only became bored during the climatic ariel dogfight, which seemed to go on forever.) Stylistically, there's nothing worth writing home about, but that's a bit like knocking Dan Brown because he doesn't write as well as Virginia Woolf. Overall, it's a breezy, entertaining romp.

Personally I knock Dan Brown because he's a shit writer, not because he doesn't write as well as Virginia Woolf.

[BuffaloWilder]

http://www.forumspile.com/Misc-OhSnap_Bear.jpg

[number8]

I'd add Zodiac as well. But then I'd wonder if any of them are "about" San Francisco.

Yeah, I don't think they are.

[Qrazy]

Yeah, I don't think they are.

Milk?

[number8]

Milk?

Is nowhere near as good as Medicine for Melancholy.

[Ezee E]

Czech new wave? Don't miss The Ear if it plays. Or Late August at the Hotel Ozone.
Not new wave. Just new.

[lovejuice]

for some reason, this is it will be shown in original english without dubbed deutsch unlike every fucking other goddamned movies. so this will be my first theatre experience in more than a month. Woohoo!

[[ETM]]

for some reason, this is it will be shown in original english without dubbed deutsch unlike every fucking other goddamned movies. so this will be my first theatre experience in more than a month. Woohoo!

I was under the impression that there are always a few theaters per city showing subbed movies? So I've been told in Germany, Austria, and my friend was even able to see Return of the King in Rome subbed.

[lovejuice]

;213979']I was under the impression that there are always a few theaters per city showing subbed movies? So I've been told in Germany, Austria, and my friend was even able to see Return of the King in Rome subbed.
there's one in hamburg, but its latest showing is the ever enchanting animation Oben! :frustrated:

according to the program, i have to wait until december to see julia & julia.

[Spinal]

Antichrist finally opens here this weekend, but I don't think I'll be able to see it until Sunday. I have Drag Me to Hell out from Netflix to tide me over.

[Skitch]

Just finished first viewing of Straw Dogs. Hell of a movie, man...hell of a movie.

[Mysterious Dude]

Even Dwarfs Started Small is one of the most obnoxious movies I've ever seen.

[Derek]

for some reason, this is it will be shown in original english without dubbed deutsch unlike every fucking other goddamned movies. so this will be my first theatre experience in more than a month. Woohoo!

I'm not really interested in This Is It, but I think I'd watch it the German dub just to hear a German dude impersonate MJ's voice. :)

[lovejuice]

so this is it is an enjoyable experience, as long as you keep your expectation straight. it's a concert film not a documentary, so don't expect much insight into anything except the process of rehearsal itself. quite similar to altman's the company.

[number8]

so this is it is an enjoyable experience, as long as you keep your expectation straight.

Hm.

[Boner M]

Weekend

Into the Shadows
Celia
Gaslight
A Matter of Life and Death
Flirting

[B-side]

Weekend

A Matter of Life and Death

This is good.

I need thoughts on Lancelot du Lac. Are you typically a big fan of Bresson's?

[Boner M]

I need thoughts on Lancelot du Lac. Are you typically a big fan of Bresson's?Bresson's probably one of my two or three favorite directors ever, so I was disappointed that this second viewing of Lancelot wasn't the revelation I'd hoped for - I'd seen it back in high school as an ill-advised entry point into his filmography, and I appreciated it as an admirably art-damaged take on the Arthurian legend and nothing more. It's probably the most fleetly paced of all his films, and the sheer strangeness that results from the disjunct between the story and Bresson's approach is always fascinating, but it doesn't pack the intended transcendental punch that most of his best films do. The jousting scene and the climax are among the best scenes he's filmed, though.

[B-side]

Bresson's probably one of my two or three favorite directors ever, so I was disappointed that this second viewing of Lancelot wasn't the revelation I'd hoped for - I'd seen it back in high school as an ill-advised entry point into his filmography, and I appreciated it as an admirably art-damaged take on the Arthurian legend and nothing more. It's probably the most fleetly paced of all his films, and the sheer strangeness that results from the disjunct between the story and Bresson's approach is always fascinating, but it doesn't pack the intended transcendental punch that most of his best films do. The jousting scene and the climax are among the best scenes he's filmed, though.

Interesting. I've been strangely attracted to it since I first heard of Bresson as it always seemed like a departure for him and I was curious just how exactly he'd tackle it. Honestly, I've never found Bresson to be quite worthy of the immense praise he gets, but I'm coming to appreciate his asceticism more as time passes.

[Fezzik]

I just got The Station Agent from Netflix. I'll be watching it this weekend. I've heard good things.

[Grouchy]

Even Dwarfs Started Small is one of the most obnoxious movies I've ever seen.
Heh, awesome film. It's strange that I've only seen it once.

[Bosco B Thug]

Cool: http://arbogastonfilm.blogspot.com/2009/10/monster-match-no-4.html

WEEKEND: Paranormal Activity (whoo!), Antichrist (yeah!), Dancer in the Dark, make time for re-watch of Holiday and The Philadelphia Story

[Dead & Messed Up]

http://ephemerist.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/gymkataposter.jpg

Gymkata promises to fuse the strengths of karate with the aerobatic skill of gymnastics, but it mostly retreats to boring action cliches, devoid of personality (even the unintentional type). The plot centers around a vague death game taking place in the fictional Parmistan, with its Mel Brooks lookalike leader, its countless anonymous ninjas, and the traitorous Zamir, an ethnically suggestive character played by the exotic Richard Norton. There's the occasional reward to be gleaned, as when hero John Cabot (charisma-free Olympian Kurt Thomas) comes upon a parallel bar in an alley and suddenly gains chalky hands when he swings. And it's hard to complain when a king announces, "My daughter has a unique background...she's Indonesian." But such moments are few and far between, and the amateurish production is better imagined than experienced.

D

[Spun Lepton]

http://ephemerist.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/gymkataposter.jpg

Gymkata promises to fuse the strengths of karate with the aerobatic skill of gymnastics, but it mostly retreats to boring action cliches, devoid of personality (even the unintentional type). The plot centers around a vague death game taking place in the fictional Parmistan, with its Mel Brooks lookalike leader, its countless anonymous ninjas, and the traitorous Zamir, an ethnically suggestive character played by the exotic Richard Norton. There's the occasional reward to be gleaned, as when hero John Cabot (charisma-free Olympian Kurt Thomas) comes upon a parallel bar in an alley and suddenly gains chalky hands when he swings. And it's hard to complain when a king announces, "My daughter has a unique background...she's Indonesian." But such moments are few and far between, and the amateurish production is better imagined than experienced.

D

I hope you watched the Mystery Science Theater version of this. I couldn't imagine sitting through it without the running commentary.

[balmakboor]

Hey, is The Vanishing any good? Thinking about what I'm going to watch Halloween night and this keeps coming to mind.

The original is amazing. The remake, not so much.

[Spun Lepton]

Hey, is The Vanishing any good? Thinking about what I'm going to watch Halloween night and this keeps coming to mind.

The American remake? Or Spoorloos? I haven't seen the remake, but Spoorloos is quite good.

[Winston*]

I don't see The Vanishing as being a very Halloweeny movie. You should watch something with ghosts.

It is a great movie though.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Yeah, it's classifiable as horror, but The Vanishing strikes me as non-optimal Halloween viewing. People should be watching awesomeness like Creepshow or Evil Dead II or Dead/Alive. Joyfully demented stuff.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I just read a comment about Ghostbusters II that's absolute genius:


Vigo's floating head appears inside the painting of himself and says, "On a mountain of skulls, in the castle of pain, I sat on a throne of blood! What was will be! What is will be no more! Now is the season of evil!"

My friends, that right there is how every goddamned metal album should start before a single note is even played.

[Boner M]

I just read a comment about Ghostbusters II that's absolute genius:
Underlined > Bolded titles. Wha' happened, DaMU?

[MadMan]

I just read a comment about Ghostbusters II that's absolute genius:Yes, yes it is.


I just got The Station Agent from Netflix. I'll be watching it this weekend. I've heard good things.Very good movie, one that I rather liked. The characters are really its strongest aspect, as the story is somewhat cliched. I think you will like it, but I don't really know your film tastes.


They Live (Carpenter, 1988) **Hater :P I love this movie more than I probably should. The same goes for Big Trouble in Little China.

Weekend:

*Horror movies (I don't feel like listing them) all. It will be a good finish to the month.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Underlined > Bolded titles. Wha' happened, DaMU?

Changed mah mind.

[Rowland]

Tonight, I hope to watch a Canadian indie horror called The Chair. I believe it's about a haunted chair. Maybe evil too. In any case, I've heard from a few sources that, in spite of its unflattering DVD cover (http://www.dreadcentral.com/img/reviews/chairb.jpg), the film itself is something of an undiscovered gem, and I'm in the mood to watch something for which I have few preconceptions or predispositions.

I'll also rewatch The Descent over the next few days, along with an annual viewing of Carpenter's Halloween and hopefully something my girlfriend may really dig. I'm leaning towards Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary, which will also be my first exposure to a full-length Maddin work, I'm embarrassed to admit.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I'm gonna try to give Uzumaki a spin tonight. Either that or a re-viewing of A Tale of Two Sisters (which didn't blow up my skirt the first time around).

[Rowland]

Either that or a re-viewing of A Tale of Two Sisters (which didn't blow up my skirt the first time around).It didn't really work for me either, despite individually effective moments and a striking formal design. IIRC, it had something to do with the overly twisty second half, during which layers of reality were seemingly being pulled back every few minutes, revealing one obfuscation after another until the movie seemed more interested in being an exercise in mystification than engaging the viewer on anything resembling fair terms. By the end, what some have deemed an emotionally satisfying conclusion struck me as annoying.

That said, it feels in retrospect like something I should have enjoyed more, and I hope to revisit it eventually, perhaps with a viewing of the American remake in tow.

[The Mike]

http://ephemerist.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/gymkataposter.jpg

Gymkata promises to fuse the strengths of karate with the aerobatic skill of gymnastics, but it mostly retreats to boring action cliches, devoid of personality (even the unintentional type). The plot centers around a vague death game taking place in the fictional Parmistan, with its Mel Brooks lookalike leader, its countless anonymous ninjas, and the traitorous Zamir, an ethnically suggestive character played by the exotic Richard Norton. There's the occasional reward to be gleaned, as when hero John Cabot (charisma-free Olympian Kurt Thomas) comes upon a parallel bar in an alley and suddenly gains chalky hands when he swings. And it's hard to complain when a king announces, "My daughter has a unique background...she's Indonesian." But such moments are few and far between, and the amateurish production is better imagined than experienced.

D

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/3871/gymkata.jpg:lol:

[The Mike]

Weekend:
First viewings:
Who Can Kill a Child?
Dead Alive
Let the Right One In (with good subtitles!)
Rewatches:
Happy Birthday to Me
Demons
Clownhouse
Halloween

And then maybe some non-horrors on Sunday.

[Spun Lepton]

I want to shake the hand of the person who thought up the name Parmistan.

[Grouchy]

Weekend:
First viewings:
Who Can Kill a Child?
Hurry up on this one, I want to hear thoughts!

And The Vanishing [Spoorloos] is a genuinely disturbing film. It's so psychological and it focuses so much on the drama of the situation that some might not feel it qualifies as Horror, but man, it's scary as all fuck. I have not seen the remake.

[jenniferofthejungle]

Weekend:
First viewings:
Who Can Kill a Child?
Dead Alive
Let the Right One In (with good subtitles!)
Rewatches:
Happy Birthday to Me
Demons
Clownhouse
Halloween

And then maybe some non-horrors on Sunday.

I want to see Who Can Kill a Child.

I've seen all of the others.

Mike, the motive for the "Insane Clown Posse" going on a rampage was so ridiculous I once made a funny blog post about it. It was just too retarded for words.

[Ivan Drago]

Dead Alive

This is the last movie on the syllabus for a class I'm taking right now on the comedy genre. I know, I'm confused too. Regardless I can't wait to see it.

[Spun Lepton]

This is the last movie on the syllabus for a class I'm taking right now on the comedy genre. I know, I'm confused too. Regardless I can't wait to see it.

It is a comedy, you know. A very funny one, too.

[Derek]

Bresson's probably one of my two or three favorite directors ever, so I was disappointed that this second viewing of Lancelot wasn't the revelation I'd hoped for - I'd seen it back in high school as an ill-advised entry point into his filmography, and I appreciated it as an admirably art-damaged take on the Arthurian legend and nothing more. It's probably the most fleetly paced of all his films, and the sheer strangeness that results from the disjunct between the story and Bresson's approach is always fascinating, but it doesn't pack the intended transcendental punch that most of his best films do. The jousting scene and the climax are among the best scenes he's filmed, though.

This one took me a good three or four times for me to really appreciate Bresson's approach here and the pure physicality of his style. I've seen it a good dozen times now (still not quite top tier Bresson for me, but magnificent nonetheless) since I wrote a chapter on it for my thesis. If you can get your hands on it, check out Kristin Thompson's essay "The Sheen of Armour, the Whinnies of Horses: Sparse Parametric Style in Lancelot du Lac" which is the best and most comprehensive approach to the film I've come across. If you can't find it online, buy Robert Bresson edited by James Quandt which is a treasure trove of awesomesauce for Bresson fans.

What I especially love about his late-period films is how often he breaks away from the austere style he's too often pidgeon-holed as having. I agree the finale is one of his greatest sequences and SO remarkably strange. The repetition of the riderless horse, the sound of the arrows hitting armor and trees, the only appearance of tableau vivant in his entire filmography. Wonderful, haunting, powerful stuff. That was the scene I showed in class where I said, "This is kind of a strange. It's a battle scene without a battle." :)

[Ivan Drago]

It is a comedy, you know. A very funny one, too.

In what way? The campy way, the satirical way or "let's make this so over-the-top bloody and violent it'll be impossible not to laugh" way?

[number8]

In the it-has-a-lot-of-hilarious-jokes way.

[Grouchy]

In the it-has-a-lot-of-hilarious-jokes way.
Yeah.

So I just saw Gallipoli. One hell of an anti-war movie, the best one I've seen in some time. This Peter Weir guy really has an eye for widescreen composition, and not a scene passes without a really beautiful landscape or warfare shot. Although the music is a bit too rooted on the '80s and sort of arbitrarily anachronistic, this is a movie with one hell of an emotional punch - I really stayed glued to the screen during the final ten minutes. Mel Gibson was quite an impressive actor at this point of his career, too. This is the same year he did Mad Max 2. Favorite scene - the desert walk.

[Qrazy]

Most def. That, The Year of Living Dangerously, The Truman Show and Picnic at Hanging Rock are my favorite Weir's.

[MadMan]

Weir is a director who I really should see more of. And Dead Alive is not only hilarious, but awesomely gory. Its title of the bloodiest movie I've ever seen has yet to be reliquished.

Also I think I have an idea of the lineup for Halloween night:

*Plan 9 From Outer Space-a friend of mine has not seen this. I told him its wonderfully awful, and it has a sort of bad movie, Z-grade charm.
*Hellraiser-Never seen this, as for some reason I've never felt like watching it.
*Children of the Corn-Wasn't this a Stephen King novel? Anyways, I can't wait.
*Creepshow-Finally I'll be watching this. Long overdue.
*Friday the 13th Part III in 3D-Sure this movie isn't very good, but I'll have beer by my side.

We'll see if the whole group of us watches all of these. I'm just hoping to get to the ones I haven't seen yet.

[Spun Lepton]

In what way? The campy way, the satirical way or "let's make this so over-the-top bloody and violent it'll be impossible not to laugh" way?

Splatstick. Comedic gore. And a wealth of other kinds of jokes, low-brow and high-brow.

[Qrazy]

I like in Meet the Feebles when they're driving in the bowels.

[bac0n]

I want to shake the hand of the person who thought up the name Parmistan.

Is that where they make parmesan cheese?

[number8]

Is that where they make parmesan cheese?

Exactly. Don't buy their lies. We're letting our troops die so CEOs can season their pastas.

[Ezee E]

Weekend:
Roman Holiday
Detective Story

Where the Wild Things Are

[Sxottlan]

A pop culture feed back loop (http://blogs.suntimes.com/scanners/2009/10/talking_heads_american_psycho. html#more).

That cover is actually pretty addictive.

[soitgoes...]

I cannot believe what a giant piece of turd Alexander Nevsky is. I also cannot believe the praise that this film has garnered. It has only two things going for it, and granted those two things are simply amazing. First, Eduard Tisse's camera work is perfect for what the film is trying so hard to be. Second, and for this reason alone the hour and 45 minute runtime breezed by, is Prokofiev's score. Some of the most beautiful music written for film. The film is at its heart Communist propaganda, with a very direct message aimed at Nazi Germany. This I could live with (I've seen and enjoyed more than my share of propaganda films in my day), but sadly Eisenstein mucked it up.

[B-side]

I cannot believe what a giant piece of turd Alexander Nevsky is. I also cannot believe the praise that this film has garnered. It has only two things going for it, and granted those two things are simply amazing. First, Eduard Tisse's camera work is perfect for what the film is trying so hard to be. Second, and for this reason alone the hour and 45 minute runtime breezed by, is Prokofiev's score. Some of the most beautiful music written for film. The film is at its heart Communist propaganda, with a very direct message aimed at Nazi Germany. This I could live with (I've seen and enjoyed more than my share of propaganda films in my day), but sadly Eisenstein mucked it up.

This is disheartening. I hope I disagree.

[soitgoes...]

This is disheartening. I hope I disagree.To be fair, Eisenstein rarely impresses me. I just don't quite get him or the love for him, and Alexander Nevsky just reinforces that.

[B-side]

To be fair, Eisenstein rarely impresses me. I just don't quite get him or the love for him, and Alexander Nevsky just reinforces that.

Ah. I'm a fan of his, but not a huge one. Still yet to see something of his I've adored.

[balmakboor]

Ah. I'm a fan of his, but not a huge one. Still yet to see something of his I've adored.

I don't think Eisenstein is someone you adore. He is more like someone you watch so you can check off the box by the phrase "Dialectical Montage, Seen That, Done That." And then move on.

[Duncan]

I adore Strike and both parts of Ivan the Terrible. Although I do agree that Alexander Nevsky is not very good.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Matt Soller Zeitz deconstructs and rebuilds the zombie genre (http://blogs.suntimes.com/scanners/2009/10/zombies_time_of_the_season_of. html#more).

I love web videos that really utilize movie footage properly in their analyses, and this one has some fantastic use of montage and juxtaposition. Does anybody know of other ones like this?

[Stay Puft]

FYI for anyone in the Toronto area: Cinematheque Ontario will be screening Hou's A City of Sadness throughout November.

[Morris Schæffer]

Just came back from a screening of Swedish vampire flick Let the Right One In. To call it a vampire flick is an injustice however for it gloriously transcends its genre trappings. When the nastiness arrived, though not overly gory, it took my breath away.

[Grouchy]

Just came back from a screening of Swedish vampire flick Let the Right One In. To call it a vampire flick is an injustice however for it gloriously transcends its genre trappings. When the nastiness arrived, though not overly gory, it took my breath away.
I feel the exact opposite. I think it should be proudly called a vampire film as proof of what genre cinema is capable of achieving dramatically.

[Benny Profane]

Speaking of genre cinema, this afternoon I watched Halloween and it was laughably stupid. If this is considered one of the top horror movies then it's no wonder the genre commands as little respect as it does. So incredibly weak.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Speaking of genre cinema, this afternoon I watched Halloween and it was laughably stupid. If this is considered one of the top horror movies then it's no wonder the genre commands as little respect as it does. So incredibly weak.

:crazy:

[Grouchy]

So I saw Boogie el Aceitoso [Oily Boogie, I guess], an animated adaptation of a classic Argentinian comic strip about a cynical, sadistic and chauvinistic NYC hitman. Personally, I didn't like the animation style, which combines 2D drawn like the comics with 3D computer graphics. It just felt rushed and cheap, I would've preferred an entirely 2D movie. The plot is ok, I guess, seeing as it's a page-lenght strip there is not a huge storyline you can get out of it, and I understand this is the best that could be done. But it also contributed to make the 90 minute movie a bit reiterative and boring. Some of the jokes were good and reminiscent of the dark humor of the strip, others were just cheap and obvious movie references that, as far as I can remember, weren't in the source material.

http://www.cinencuentro.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/the-brothers-bloom.jpg

I was much more pleased with The Brothers Bloom. It's an unusual caper movie in that it manages to accumulate a lot of plot twists while also being character-driven and emotional. The actors were all wonderful, too, although I thought the main villain (played by Maximilian Schell) was a little less threatening on his introduction scene than they were building him out to be. The script is the real winner, and I liked that some facts about the characters and their complicated relationship were kept subtle and hinted at.

For example, that Bloom had been abused by Diamond Dog as a child.
Movie's not perfect, though, and I felt that the events building up to the climax were a bit too drawn out and overstayed their welcome, although the final twist is awesome in that it has real dramatic relevance. Final shot is also quite beautiful. Overall, this is a step down from the brilliance of Brick, but good enough to make me anticipate anything Rian Johnsonn does with his career. This is the dysfunctional rich people movie Wes Anderson would pay shitloads of money to have the talent to make.

[Spun Lepton]

FART FART SHIT FART POOP SHIT FART FART FART COMING OUT OF MY FOOD HOLE.

That's more like it.

[Qrazy]

Speaking of genre cinema, this afternoon I watched Halloween and it was laughably stupid. If this is considered one of the top horror movies then it's no wonder the genre commands as little respect as it does. So incredibly weak.

Don't watch a lot of Carpenter I take it?

[The Mike]

:crazy:

That's what I was thinking too. I actually hovered around the Report Post button for a minute.

[Derek]

Just came back from a screening of Swedish vampire flick Let the Right One In. To call it a vampire flick is an injustice however for it gloriously transcends its genre trappings. When the nastiness arrived, though not overly gory, it took my breath away.

I would only award it three black obelisks as opposed to four red ones, but I agree it's a quite a good Swedish vampire flick.

[Derek]

Speaking of genre cinema, this afternoon I watched Halloween and it was laughably stupid. If this is considered one of the top horror movies then it's no wonder the genre commands as little respect as it does. So incredibly weak.

That's incredibly harsh, but I do think Carpenter's done much better. Like the dig against horror though.

[balmakboor]

Don't watch a lot of Carpenter I take it?

I like Halloween quite a bit, but I do think it is entirely possible to judge Halloween with or without having seen other Carpenter films.

[Qrazy]

I like Halloween quite a bit, but I do think it is entirely possible to judge Halloween with or without having seen other Carpenter films.

That's not really what I'm talking about. The remark 'laughably stupid' just seems like a response to Carpenter's general pulpy style more than anything else. If one were to feel Halloween to be laughably stupid I don't know how his other films would come across much better.

[balmakboor]

That's not really what I'm talking about. The remark 'laughably stupid' just seems like a response to Carpenter's general pulpy style more than anything else. If one were to feel Halloween to be laughably stupid I don't know how his other films would come across much better.

Yeah, I guess I was bothered by his general swipe at "genre cinema."

[Raiders]

I'd like an expansion on this "laughably stupid" idea.

[BuffaloWilder]

Benny Profane, you are banned from movies.

[Qrazy]

Yeah, I guess I was bothered by his general swipe at "genre cinema."

I mean to be clear I have no problem with someone not liking Halloween (although I enjoy it), I was just guessing that he hasn't watched a lot of other Carpenter films.

[B-side]

Halloween is pretty cool. Hardly a bastion of amazing filmmaking, though.

[balmakboor]

I mean to be clear I have no problem with someone not liking Halloween (although I enjoy it), I was just guessing that he hasn't watched a lot of other Carpenter films.

You just made it sound like his negative opinion of Halloween was due to his not seeing enough Carpenter.

[megladon8]

Clearly, Halloween > Benny Profane.

[B-side]

What happened to Melville? Did he die? He was good people.

[Ezee E]

It'd be funny if he was talking about Zombie's version.

[Qrazy]

You just made it sound like his negative opinion of Halloween was due to his not seeing enough Carpenter.

Ahh sorry that's not what I meant, poor phrasing on my part.

[Qrazy]

What happened to Melville? Did he die? He was good people.

Taking a break from MC to finish his PHD.

[B-side]

Taking a break from MC to finish his PHD.

Oh, nice. What's he studying? Do you know?

[B-side]

I'm nabbing Lancelot du Lac. Boner's got me riding his coattails. I'm already watching Last Chants for a Slow Dance tonight.:D

[number8]

Speaking of Halloween, how do you guys feel about Michael and Laurie being siblings? Carpenter has admitted that he was drunk when he wrote the reveal in the sequel and has regretted it since.

I brought this up because there's a series of Halloween comics that's pretty well-received, and the writer deliberately ignored all the sequels, including Halloween II, and decided to go back to Michael being a motiveless void.


"For me, remaining true to the source is the actual freedom. And by the source, I specifically mean the original film. There’s so much scope for decent material lying latent within that original film which was never utilized in the sequels. A lot of the mysterious and creepy elements of The Shape were forgotten for the films afterwards – you know, the bizarre and dark sense of humor (e.g. wearing a sheet over the head), the scaring of the characters just as much as the killing (look how The Shape stalks Laurie Strode and lets her see him to creep her out). Also, the fact that in the first film, The Shape is a complete absence of personality—a void—leaves the character much more open to interpretation and less restricted than in the sequels, where he became pretty much a family killer and nothing more.

The way I approach it, is to define The Shape by his actions, and by how he is perceived by others—it goes back to the blank slate of the original. All we know is that he’s a voyeur as much as a killer, a hunter that slowly stalks his prey, a prankster of sorts who really messes with the heads of his victims, occasionally sexual and perverse (see the difference between how he watches and pursues women to men) and a sadistic, evil bastard with no redeeming human qualities whatsoever."

[lovejuice]

Oh, nice. What's he studying? Do you know?
physics. i believe he's doing general relativity. i wonder the same thing about trans.

[Rowland]

Speaking of Halloween, how do you guys feel about Michael and Laurie being siblingsl? Carpenter has admitted that he was drunk when he wrote the reveal in the sequel and has regretted it since.
And with good cause. Halloween 2 (and the remainder of the series) is a fucking disgrace, so he is absolutely right to regret it. It retroactively renders the original movie less effective, and by a considerable degree at that.

Mind you, the original Halloween ranks amidst my top 20 of all-time.

[B-side]

Last Chants for a Slow Dance is a sort of time capsule. It's an oddly transfixing grimy home video documented by an intimate, yet unknown observer. Tom Blair is damn good in the lead. I could've done with less overbearing honky tonk music, but I suppose that's part of the overall rugged western aesthetic. The penultimate murder scene was very intense stuff. The confrontation between him and his wife bordered on silly at times, though largely due to her acting. Still, an overall very unique film, and I gotta thank Boner for making me prioritize it.

[Morris Schæffer]

DéjÃ* vu. Pithy, semi-iconoclastic dissent with no accompanying substance is expressed. This is followed by a brief absence, thereby allowing the accumulation of many dismayed and baffled replies.

It's just a silly Tony Scott flick you snob. ;)

[Skitch]

I'm gonna try to give Uzumaki a spin tonight. Either that or a re-viewing of A Tale of Two Sisters (which didn't blow up my skirt the first time around).

I love A Tale of Two Sisters...the score, the camerawork...I think it's brilliant.


And Dead Alive is not only hilarious, but awesomely gory. Its title of the bloodiest movie I've ever seen has yet to be reliquished.


Only thing I've seen that comes close was Tokyo Gore Police. Fun flick too.

[Benny Profane]

I'd like an expansion on this "laughably stupid" idea.

Well I can't see how it is in any way intelligent. Michael Myers has no dimension at all to him, there is basically no story or plot, there's nothing creative or inspired about this take on a serial killer. You see him hiding in the bushes or out the window, then a moment later he is gone. Then he comes back! This happens in almost every scene. If I was supposed to be scared or feel suspense, it never happened. I guess the music is good but I can't say a movie isn't stupid because it has good music.

[Benny Profane]

DéjÃ* vu. Pithy, semi-iconoclastic dissent with no accompanying substance is expressed. This is followed by a brief absence, thereby allowing the accumulation of many dismayed and baffled replies.


I was watching the World Series. When I posted it was during the rain delay. I really hope you understand, it means so much to me.

[Raiders]

Chris Marker's The Koumiko Mystery is a great little documentary that gives us a good precursor to Marker's Sans soleil in his fascination with the identity of "Japanese." The project started as Marker's document of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics but very quickly Marker locates Koumiko in the audience and strikes up a running conversation. The film fascinatingly delineates Japan's identity crisis following WWII leading up to the culmination of their sprint towards modernity in the 1964 Olympic games. Through discussion with Koumiko, as well as amusingly interspersing released reports giving statistics about Japan's different traits, Marker shows that being "Japanese" in the classical sense was no longer in vogue and that more European sensibilities had taken over. The film opens with "Everyman" and his identification of Japan through its feudal past. The film has interesting parallels as well, none moreso perhaps than a scene where Marker intercuts scenes of boxing with the neon lights and grand buildings of Tokyo, then later gives us a lengthy sequence of mock samurai combat that harks back to the boxong and, by extension, the neon lights attempting to hide the past.

Ultimately, as with the last scene with Koumiko explaining her lack of knowledge on the past recent atrocities in Japan's history, we get the sense that it is a collective attempt to bury the past and give the world a face they can accept (literally too as Koumiko herself is unhappy with her Japanese eyes and appearance--it is also worth noting Koumiko is fluent in French). There is an emptiness in her voice that I think Marker understands, and ultimately intuits a result of a culture moving away from itself as fast as possible.

[Spinal]

Antichrist day is finally here. Going this afternoon.

[Qrazy]

Antichrist day is finally here. Going this afternoon.

Watership Down (Rosen, 1978) ***1/2

Cheers.

[Spinal]

Watership Down A-

Nice. The only thing I can really compare it to is Animal Farm. I loved the opening sequence and the final scene with the 'black rabbit' especially. For some reason, the violence is all the more shocking because it's happening to animated rabbits.

[BuffaloWilder]

I prefer The Plague Dogs, myself. Only by just thiiiis much.

[Ezee E]

Antichrist day is finally here. Going this afternoon.
Next week for Denver. Only one week it's in town.

[Qrazy]

Nice. The only thing I can really compare it to is Animal Farm. I loved the opening sequence and the final scene with the 'black rabbit' especially. For some reason, the violence is all the more shocking because it's happening to animated rabbits.

Yeah the immediacy and matter of factness of the violence really hits home... I got chills when Fivel said, "Violet's gone".

[Qrazy]

I prefer The Plague Dogs, myself. Only by just thiiiis much.

It was really good as well but I found myself more involved with both the characters and narrative of WD.

[The Mike]

Condemning Halloween because Michael Myers lacks depth is like condemning Lord of the Rings because the ring lacks depth.

[Spun Lepton]

Well I can't see how it is in any way intelligent. Michael Myers has no dimension at all to him ---

http://www.cracked.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/facepalm.jpg

[Bosco B Thug]

Well I can't see how it is in any way intelligent. Michael Myers has no dimension at all to him, there is basically no story or plot, there's nothing creative or inspired about this take on a serial killer. You see him hiding in the bushes or out the window, then a moment later he is gone. Then he comes back! This happens in almost every scene. If I was supposed to be scared or feel suspense, it never happened. I guess the music is good but I can't say a movie isn't stupid because it has good music. It's smart filmmaking, through and through, though. You didn't find it uncommonly elegant and fluidic (on many fronts) for a, yes, sub-'intelligent' slasher film? It knowingly, strategically enmeshes its killer's seeming supernatural omnipresence with a striking physicality and hunter charisma, contextualizes it within the mental discontentedness of a good girl, then further enhances that with a modest look at the dynamic between her and her friends. There's probably some metatextual reading of the film in its belonging to the psychoanalytical/feminist-tinged slasher genre, but that would probably mean less to me than the fact it defines three different girls' personalities and approaches to dealing with things with consistent engagement. Then it very deliberately creates the sense of the killer as something that impinges on their lives, rather than the usual slasher film implication that the victims go out and ask for it.

I'm not a gigantic fan of Halloween myself, so previously I've probably been blowing out the resonances the film has with me more than they actually resonate, but I think it's solidly a good movie technically.

[Qrazy]

Despite there being quite a lot to enjoy about Lemonade Joe I can't say it every really won me over. I don't know what it was. Perhaps I found it too disjointed, the humor a little dated. I found there to be quite a few scenes that existed purely for the sake of formal experimentation and did little to move the plot (and/or characters/theme/etc) forward.

[Grouchy]

Speaking of Halloween, how do you guys feel about Michael and Laurie being siblings? Carpenter has admitted that he was drunk when he wrote the reveal in the sequel and has regretted it since.
I like that plot development and the whole of Halloween 2, but yeah, it's not too consistent with the first movie's intentions.

Benny, I think the movie just flew over your head.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I'm excited - coming up in my next batch of Netflix is The Thin Man, which I haven't seen before.

[Rowland]

Finally broke the pattern.

Toy Story holds up very well. I'm looking forward to rewatching the sequel now.

[megladon8]

I'm excited - coming up in my next batch of Netflix is The Thin Man, which I haven't seen before.


It and its superior sequel, After the Thin Man are freaking treasures of cinema. Wonderful movies.

I hope you enjoy it!!

[B-side]

*points at sig*

[Philosophe_rouge]

The Thin Man/After are wonderful, seriously, when you hate life, curling up on the couch with a big blanket some hot chocolate and Nick and Nora will make everything (at least temporarily) all right.

[baby doll]

The Thin Man/After are wonderful, seriously, when you hate life, curling up on the couch with a big blanket some hot chocolate and Nick and Nora will make everything (at least temporarily) all right.I know what I'm being for Halloween next year. Now I just have to find some one to be William Powell.

[Philosophe_rouge]

I know what I'm being for Halloween next year. Now I just have to find some one to be William Powell.

You also need an Asta!

[Grouchy]

Surrogates was kind of a blah movie. I bet the graphic novel is better. Even for a Bruce Willis flick, this one should have been less action-oriented. It was like everytime the sci-fi premise set things up for something interesting, it was resolved too quickly with a random set piece. There's nothing very wrong about it, though, except that it's so blah.

So, baby doll, you're a woman.

[Mara]

So, baby doll, you're a woman.

Or he gets really into the Halloween spirit.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Watership Down (Rosen, 1978) ***1/2

Cheers.

This movie really messed me up when I was 5.

That, and Heavy Metal. Oy. I couldn't stop crying in that WW2 segment.

[Spinal]

You watched Heavy Metal when you were 5?

[Stay Puft]

Surrogates was kind of a blah movie. I bet the graphic novel is better.

It is, although it's a great read primarily for the art, not so much the writing. Still, so much better than what they turn it into in the movie (it's barely recognizable).

[Mysterious Dude]

Heavy Metal messed me up when I was an adult.

[Spaceman Spiff]

You watched Heavy Metal when you were 5?

My mother has a sick sense of humor.

[Dead & Messed Up]

My mother has a sick sense of humor.

Or she was corrupted by the Loc Nar.

[Spun Lepton]

LOVED Heavy Metal when I was 14. Saw it again at 30 and wondered what in the hell I ever saw in it -- aside from animated boobs and gore.

[B-side]

What's everyone think of Jon Jost?

[Sven]

After finishing the strangely masterful novel Hyperion and watching the strangely solid Titan AE, I'm in the mood for more far, far, far distant future humanity tales. Any recommendations, film, book, otherwise?

[Morris Schæffer]

I feel the exact opposite. I think it should be proudly called a vampire film as proof of what genre cinema is capable of achieving dramatically.

A question about it. Do you feel that the ending in the swimming pool is ambiguous or that it happened as seen in the finale, severed limbs and all? It seems odd that for such a "realistic" movie, the girl would know exactly when she had to come to the rescue of Oskar. So what I'm asking is, did Oskar in fact die at the hands of those bullies? Terrifying scene btw.

[Rowland]

A question about it. Do you feel that the ending in the swimming pool is ambiguous or that it happened as seen in the finale, severed limbs and all? It seems odd that for such a "realistic" movie, the girl would know exactly when she had to come to the rescue of Oskar. So what I'm asking is, did Oskar in fact die at the hands of those bullies? Terrifying scene btw.I don't see much in the way of evidence or purpose for such a subjective reading of the climax. Besides, it would only dilute the tremendously powerful tragedy of the final scene.

[dreamdead]

What's everyone think of Jon Jost?

Only seen All the Vermeers in New York, which was fantastic in exploiting a pastiche style commenting on contemporary alienation in urban environments. I should see more of his work...

[Grouchy]

A question about it. Do you feel that the ending in the swimming pool is ambiguous or that it happened as seen in the finale, severed limbs and all? It seems odd that for such a "realistic" movie, the girl would know exactly when she had to come to the rescue of Oskar. So what I'm asking is, did Oskar in fact die at the hands of those bullies? Terrifying scene btw.
Pretty much what Rowland said. Although I've read interpretations like that and that's a very morbid idea, I think it're too forced - nothing in the way the scene is filmed makes it seem anymore like a dream than the rest of the movie. And it ruins the powerful effect of the final shot.

Then again, I also don't like that Eli is a boy and that seems to be the director's intentions all along.

[monolith94]

After finishing the strangely masterful novel Hyperion and watching the strangely solid Titan AE, I'm in the mood for more far, far, far distant future humanity tales. Any recommendations, film, book, otherwise?
Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun

[Dead & Messed Up]

After finishing the strangely masterful novel Hyperion and watching the strangely solid Titan AE, I'm in the mood for more far, far, far distant future humanity tales. Any recommendations, film, book, otherwise?

I'm listening to Dune on audio CD right now, and there's a little too much politickin', but it's otherwise an enjoyable space opera.

[Raiders]

Though the timeline ain't supposed to be very far in the future, Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch is about as good a sci-fi book as you're going to find.

[megladon8]

After finishing the strangely masterful novel Hyperion and watching the strangely solid Titan AE, I'm in the mood for more far, far, far distant future humanity tales. Any recommendations, film, book, otherwise?


Yes!

I love Titan A.E.. I thought it was a great sci-fi adventure film.

Try reading Larry Niven's "Ringworld". Or if you're in the mood for something more melancholic than adventurous, read J.G. Ballard's book of shorts, "Vermilion Sands".

[balmakboor]

What's everyone think of Jon Jost?

I know that Rick Schmidt is a big fan and vice versa.

http://www.lightvideo.com/films.aspx

I've seen two of Schmidt's films and they are pretty decent. I know I read the first edition of his Feature Filmmaking at Used Car Prices book several times back in the day. So did Kevin Smith before making Clerks.

[Morris Schæffer]

I don't see much in the way of evidence or purpose for such a subjective reading of the climax. Besides, it would only dilute the tremendously powerful tragedy of the final scene.

In additional to Eli's improbable rescue, I was caught off-guard by the young bully crying at the side of the pool, as if he hadn't even seen the carnage unfold. Surely he would have run away at seeing the vampire massacring his buddies. Indeed, his demeanor seemed to suggest nothing of the sort had happened and Oskar either died or his resolution is left in the air and the final train shot is wish fullfillment.

Rowland, what is the "powerful tragedy of the final scene?"

[Grouchy]

In additional to Eli's improbable rescue, I was caught off-guard by the young bully crying at the side of the pool, as if he hadn't even seen the carnage unfold. Surely he would have run away at seeing the vampire massacring his buddies. Indeed, his demeanor seemed to suggest nothing of the sort had happened and Oskar either died or his resolution is left in the air and the final train shot is wish fullfillment.
I took that to mean that the murders had been so swift and silent that the boy kept crying and didn't notice them.


Rowland, what is the "powerful tragedy of the final scene?"
I'm not Rowland, but I think he means that Oskar will become Eli's new caretaker.

[Morris Schæffer]

I'm not Rowland, but I think he means that Oskar will become Eli's new caretaker.

Hm. Perhaps, but I'm not quite seeing the powerful tragedy in that. On the other hand, I'm trying to imagine the things Oskar's gonna have to do for Eli. Yeah, maybe I do see it.

[Rowland]

In additional to Eli's improbable rescue, I was caught off-guard by the young bully crying at the side of the pool, as if he hadn't even seen the carnage unfold. Surely he would have run away at seeing the vampire massacring his buddies. Indeed, his demeanor seemed to suggest nothing of the sort had happened and Oskar either died or his resolution is left in the air and the final train shot is wish fullfillment.

Rowland, what is the "powerful tragedy of the final scene?"I just assumed the young bully you cite was in shock, which I imagine to be a natural response to the sort of out-of-nowhere carnage he just witnessed, especially considering how quickly we're led to believe it all occurred. The point is that we are to assess the human toll of such violent retribution, so that Eli's actions aren't unconditionally endorsed.

As for the tragedy of the ending, my interpretation of the film as a denunciation of juvenile love as heedlessly sentimental and easily prone to manipulation if the "love" isn't equally reciprocated or predicated upon the same terms, in conjunction with the film's portrayal of the relationship between Eli and her former caretaker as being tinged with regret, sadness, and the inevitability of mortality, renders the surface tenderness of the final scene as remarkably thorny. There is no bright future for this coupling, their happiness inevitably fleeting and beyond any possiblity of consummation. The film considers the ramifications of love between a human and vampire with so much more wisdom and grace than the adolescent likes of Twilight that it's ridiculous.

[Boner M]

Damn. Bertollucci's La Luna was shaping up to be one of the best films I've ever seen, then it takes a turn for the silly and tedious in the last 1/3. Still highly recommended for a first hour of nonstop cinematic intoxication.

[Watashi]

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin are hosting the Oscars.

For people who care and stuff.

[MadMan]

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin are hosting the Oscars.

For people who care and stuff.Not sure about Martin, as I recall him being hit and miss. But Baldwin is a good choice. Maybe they'll work well together, provided they are allowed to actually do something. Putting Hugh Jackman up there last year and limiting him defeated the purpose of having someone that talented host the damn thing in the first place. The fact that they effectively neutured Chris Rock that one year was also lame.

[Ezee E]

Hopefully they just allow Martin and Baldwin to do whatever. And I beg for more skits, crowd interaction, and movie bits. Enough with the awful musical stuff.

[megladon8]

Alec Baldwin is co-hosting TCM Essentials with Robert Osborne right now.

It's wonderful.

I love TCM.

[MadMan]

Alec Baldwin is co-hosting TCM Essentials with Robert Osborne right now.

It's wonderful.

I love TCM.Yes, yes it truly is. TCM is God's gift to movie lovers.

Also I really enjoyed Romero's The Crazies. My short thoughts:

Fairly solid, and created inbetween his "Dead" movies, this is a satire/sci-fi film but not a horror movie. Although some aspects only losely work, overall the movie not only manages to roughly tackle Vietnam, but feature some inspired, well made moments. This is also probably the most action packed movie Romero ever made, or at least out of the ones I've seen. Which really isn't a bad thing. The characters are quite sketchy, but with Romero its all about the big picture, anyways.

Considering that the planned remake is indeed a horror film, and one that wisely builds and expands upon Romero's ideas, I can't wait to see it. I have a feeling that much like John Carpenter's The Thing it will be an awesome remake of an already good movie. Right now I've seen 7 movies from Romero, with an average of 89/100, so the fanboyism is still intact.

[Winston*]

Is Patton Oswalt famous enough yet that he could host the Oscars? Because there'd be none better.

[Derek]

Is Patton Oswalt famous enough yet that he could host the Oscars? Because there'd be none better.

Probably not, but evenso, Hollywood's response to Jon Stewart doesn't bode well for any jaded comedians to host in the near future. It would, however, be an inspired choice.

[number8]

I don't understand that stupid reaction to Stewart. He was a brilliant host.

[Derek]

I don't understand that stupid reaction to Stewart. He was a brilliant host.

I agree. The reaction only further reveals how far much of Hollywood has their heads up their own collective ass.

[Boner M]

Not even the uniformly poor reviews could prepare me for how agonisingly, stupefyingly, SURREALLY dull Amelia is. My eyes were Krispy Kremes by the film's climax.

[balmakboor]

I picked up Lynch's Dune at Wal-Mart yesterday in the $5.00 bin and gave it my first look in something like 15 years and damn if it isn't the most visually striking and intoxicating bad movie I've ever seen. I'm not sure which direction I lean on this one. Every moment of characters standing around spouting awkward expositional passages from the novel seems to be followed by two or three moments of things that are almost indescribably beautiful in a total weird sort of way. And every scene with the Harkonnens is so over the top bizarre that the film becomes oddly essential in spite of itself. That cat with a mouse harnessed to its side is just totally warped.

[thefourthwall]

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin are hosting the Oscars.

For people who care and stuff.

Hmm...I would have liked Tina Fey and Martin. I think Baldwin is excellent, but Fey and Martin's intro is my most vivid memory from last year's show. "DON'T fall in love with me."

[BuffaloWilder]

So, just to toot my own horn a bit, what does everyone think of the Best of the Decade Project, so far?

[Philosophe_rouge]

Watched Strike (1925) today in class. I still have a difficult time with Soviet montage, but I liked this one a bit better than Potemkin. They're all nice and dandy from a theoritical level, but I don't find them particularly interesting emotionally. This one is a step up though, especially in the first half as it introduces villainous characters associated with animals. Though it is still deadly serious, I think this one has a playfullness that Potemkin laughed. The use of animals, really baroque characters, and 'little people' makes for an almost surreal effect. I also enjoyed the score that was used, very industrial.

[Skitch]

Anyone else here seen Bugmaster? That's the American title, I think it was also called Mushi-shi. Interesting and at times beautiful.

[lovejuice]

Anyone else here seen Bugmaster? That's the American title, I think it was also called Mushi-shi. Interesting and at times beautiful.
i remember qrazy said a lot of good words about it in the anime tread.

[Grouchy]

So yesterday before bedtime I decided to rewatch...

http://misiglo.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/humo-3-chinatown-filmposters-it.jpg

Still the fourth best film ever made.

[ledfloyd]

So yesterday before bedtime I decided to rewatch...

http://www.impawards.com/1974/posters/chinatown.jpg

Still the fourth best film ever made.
yeah, red x is a classic.

[Grouchy]

yeah, red x is a classic.
Heh. Fixed.

[Qrazy]

i remember qrazy said a lot of good words about it in the anime tread.

Well there's the series and a live action film adaptation. I quite like the series but I haven't seen the film yet. I know D_Davis is a fan.

[MadMan]

So yesterday before bedtime I decided to rewatch...

http://misiglo.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/humo-3-chinatown-filmposters-it.jpg

Still the fourth best film ever made.Top 25-40, sure, but 4th best ever? Nah. I agree that it is utterly fantastic, though.

[Skitch]

Well there's the series and a live action film adaptation. I quite like the series but I haven't seen the film yet. I know D_Davis is a fan.

That's good. I don't want to be only one on this.

[Sycophant]

Top 25-40, sure, but 4th best ever? Nah. I agree that it is utterly fantastic, though.

This is a vital distinction to make!

[Mysterious Dude]

Chinatown is the 11th best movie of all time. I know this for a fact (http://www.match-cut.org/showthread.php?t=1373).

[Qrazy]

This is a vital distinction to make!

You seem to be all about the sarcastic exclamation point lately... and I have to say, I am also enjoying it.

[Sycophant]

Thanks for noticing, Qrazy! Hope you continue to enjoy!

Meanwhile, I've watched several movies recently, while on a lovely vacation in Georgia to visit this girl I like a lot:

Dark Tales of Japan. A strange, super low-budget video compilation of work from various J-horror directors. Takashi Shimizu was the only name I recognized, and his segment was pretty classy. The quality was all over the place, but I mostly had fun.

The Fearless Vampire Killers. It was insane. I kinda loved it. So many wonderful little nuances to performances and delightfully goofy non-diegetic choices.

The Devil's Backbone. I liked it a lot! Made me feel bad for not knowing near enough Spanish history.

[Qrazy]

Thanks for noticing, Qrazy! Hope you continue to enjoy!

Why did you say this sarcastically? :(

[Sycophant]

Why did you say this sarcastically? :(

Not all of my exclamation points are sarcastic! ;)

[Qrazy]

Not all of my exclamation points are sarcastic! ;)

Ahhh, excellent.

[Spun Lepton]

I've never seen Chinatown. :eek:

[Rowland]

Richard Franklin's Roadgames, considered a minor cult classic by some, struck me as second-rate Hitchcock pastiche, only with the eccentric dial turned up and most in the way of coherent substance or suspense sapped out. Stacy Keach, despite playing the sort of poetry-quoting existentialist truck driver who only seems to exist in the movies, gives a likable performance, and Franklin clearly has a strong grasp of cinematic language, so most of his film is evocative to watch as visual storytelling, but to what end? He doesn't seem entirely sure what he is trying to impart here, the suspense diffuses early on as most of his set pieces are predictable and padded by excessive comic interludes or tonally off-kilter moments that seem to suggest he has something to say about Australia, but I'm not sure what. The highlight is a sequence late in the movie suggesting through delightful formal means that our protagonist may be losing it, but nothing more is done with this development while the climax proves surprisingly (and almost purposefully) dull. As film-brat larks go, this admittedly has a distinctive sensibility, but its effect borders on feckless, so a big meh here, sorry cult reputation.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I've never seen Chinatown. :eek:

Hey, at least you made time for Rise of the Lycans.

[number8]

I've never seen Chinatown. :eek:

Hello! You are worthless!

[MadMan]

This is a vital distinction to make!I rate this sarcastic post about a 4 or a 5. Come on man, you can try harder. Go the extra mile.

Weekend:

*The Girl Who Knew Too Much
*Black Sabbath
*Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia
*The Darjeeling Limited (finally going to watch this)

Plus a revisiting of the Wallace and Gromit shorts-I have only two left.

[Spun Lepton]

Hey, at least you made time for Rise of the Lycans.

That wasn't my decision. It was forced upon me.

I have, however, watched Zombie Holocaust twice. :D

[Spun Lepton]

Hello! You are worthless!

Your mom disagrees.

/zing
//kinda
///I'll put it to the top of my queue

[balmakboor]

W/E
My promised Asian horror mini-marathon:
The Eye
Dark Water
Premonition

[Sycophant]

I rate this sarcastic post about a 4 or a 5. Come on man, you can try harder. Go the extra mile.

Cranky post:
You are the last poster who gets to tell people to go the extra mile.

[Sycophant]

Weekend:

A Serious Man (rewatch)
V for Vendetta (rewatch)
Music & Lyrics
Le Cercle Rouge
Inglourious Basterds (rewatch)
The Men Who Stare at Goats

I will probably only watch 2 of these!

Bastards at the Film Society only had Thirst for a week, and I'm missing its last showing tonight.

[MadMan]

Cranky post:
You are the last poster who gets to tell people to go the extra mile.So then who's the first? Do tell, man. Do tell.

[Derek]

So then who's the first? Do tell, man. Do tell.

Israfel.

[baby doll]

Weekend:

Bright Star (Jane Campion)
An Education (Lone Scherfig)
A Serious Man (Ethan and Joel Coen)

I'd also like to see Amreeka, Capitalism: A Love Story, The Men Who Stare at Goats, and Where the Wild Things Are, but I'm leaving Montreal on Saturday, so I might not even have time to see all of my top three choices.

[Mysterious Dude]

Amreeka sucks. One cliche after another.

[baby doll]

Amreeka sucks. One cliche after another.So it sounds like I chose right in putting it in the "maybe" pile.

[MadMan]

Finally a Bava film that I can truly praise as being very good/almost great. Blood and Black Lace has Bava's usual excellent sense of style, great pacing and tension, and is as much a mystery film as it also an entry in the Giallo style of Italian horror. Considering that the killer wears a mask and bears a habbit of killing his victims in rather brutal fashion, to say this inspired the 80slasher films is an understatement. Only this is better than all of them, which isn't surprising considering Bava was not confined by a studio's desire for a sequel and he wasn't locked into any particular slasher series, which certainly helped. After four movies this is the best of the ones I've seen, although my favorite Bava is still Planet of the Vampires.

[Grouchy]

Man, I love Stuart Gordon. Stuck is a movie that takes a simple and gory premise out of the headlines and really stretches it to the end of its possibilities. Mena Suvari and Stephen Rea are both amazing in it, as were all the juicy secondary characters. The film is bleak, but next to Gordon's previous movie Edmond it seems almost harmless, as this one at least has a Hollywood ending of sorts - it's the only thing anyone could conceivably hold against it, but if it stuck closer to what happened on the real case, well, it couldn't possibly be a thriller. Overall, I loved the experience. Intense, painful, funny - everything I could possibly hope for.

[Boner M]

w/e

Be Here To Love Me: Townes Van Zandt
The Best Years of Our Lives
The Hustler
Safe Conduct
the rest of the Ozon shorts on the disc I rented
something from last week's roundup that I didn't get 'round to
something housemate-friendly
porn

[Adam]

Man, I love Stuart Gordon. Stuck is a movie that takes a simple and gory premise out of the headlines and really stretches it to the end of its possibilities. Mena Suvari and Stephen Rea are both amazing in it, as were all the juicy secondary characters. The film is bleak, but next to Gordon's previous movie Edmond it seems almost harmless, as this one at least has a Hollywood ending of sorts - it's the only thing anyone could conceivably hold against it, but if it stuck closer to what happened on the real case, well, it couldn't possibly be a thriller. Overall, I loved the experience. Intense, painful, funny - everything I could possibly hope for.

Yes! Stuck was great, but I agree that it sorta falls apart at the very end. Seems like all the fun was in watching the situation get so hilariously out of hand that however it ended was bound to be disappointing. Still, more than anything, I just remember how surprisingly pitch-perfect Mena Suvari was. I need to watch that ruckus again

[Ivan Drago]

Still, more than anything, I just remember how surprisingly pitch-perfect Mena Suvari was. I need to watch that ruckus again

'Mena Suvari' and 'pitch-perfect' in the same sentence?

:crazy:

[Grouchy]

'Mena Suvari' and 'pitch-perfect' in the same sentence?

:crazy:
Well, have you seen the movie?

[Ivan Drago]

Well, have you seen the movie?

....no. :puts foot in mouth:

Just never thought I'd ever read that. That means I should check this out.

[Boner M]

Yeah, Suvari's pretty great in Stuck. She's good at playing unlikeable.

[Derek]

You somehow managed to temper the assured arrogance of a cinephile furthering his claim to eclectic tastes with... unfettered, base, pedestrian lust. The digression here is striking and apparent. Can the mind handle such dissonance?

Have you decided to stop posting opinions about films and simply comment incessantly about other people's posting styles and the psychological ramifications of their harmless posts? I'm not such a fan of the Amnesiac as Match-Cut Moral Arbiter, so here's hoping this is a passing fad...

[B-side]

Have you decided to stop posting opinions about films and simply comment incessantly about other people's posting styles and the psychological ramifications of their harmless posts? I'm not such a fan of the Amnesiac as Match-Cut Moral Arbiter, so here's hoping this is a passing fad...

I do feel like I've witnessed a huge transition in Amnesiac's posting style. I recall an ever-curious guy who asked questions and participated in lengthy discussions on film. All I've read lately is Amnesiac criticizing someone or something and utilizing his Thesaurus more frequently.:P

[number8]

I believe NASA has developed the official Moron Test. Basically, if you don't like Suvari's performance in Stuck, the NASA device will blink "Moron" and point at you with a mechanical finger.

[Boner M]

I love you too, Amnesiac.

[B-side]

#1) I haven't used a thesaurus in any of my recent postings. I'm not even sure that I ever felt the need to use one while posting here. Are people so intimidated by eclectic word choice that they always have to take recourse to that banal 'oh, dude's using a thesaurus!' consolation? Come on.

Tonal confusion.:D

I was merely poking fun at both your extensive vocabulary and my likely unwarranted surprise while reading it.:P

[B-side]

I have changed my user title as a somber reminder of the stigma I must earnestly try to undo.

Haha. You're good people, Amnesiac.

[Morris Schæffer]

I just assumed the young bully you cite was in shock, which I imagine to be a natural response to the sort of out-of-nowhere carnage he just witnessed, especially considering how quickly we're led to believe it all occurred. The point is that we are to assess the human toll of such violent retribution, so that Eli's actions aren't unconditionally endorsed.

As for the tragedy of the ending, my interpretation of the film as a denunciation of juvenile love as heedlessly sentimental and easily prone to manipulation if the "love" isn't equally reciprocated or predicated upon the same terms, in conjunction with the film's portrayal of the relationship between Eli and her former caretaker as being tinged with regret, sadness, and the inevitability of mortality, renders the surface tenderness of the final scene as remarkably thorny. There is no bright future for this coupling, their happiness inevitably fleeting and beyond any possiblity of consummation. The film considers the ramifications of love between a human and vampire with so much more wisdom and grace than the adolescent likes of Twilight that it's ridiculous.

Nicely put! Thanks you.

[Skitch]

Polanski's Repulsion sitting on top of my tele...

[B-side]

Hm.

[Spinal]

....no. :puts foot in mouth:

Just never thought I'd ever read that. That means I should check this out.

Your skepticism is warranted. She's rarely been any good in anything else I've seen. But she's great in Stuck.

[Bosco B Thug]

Re: CHINATOWN

Still the fourth best film ever made. I could believe that. It's one of those "practically perfect" films in my book.

Weekend: Paranormal Activity and Antichrist goddamnit.
Also, Branded to Kill.

[megladon8]

Chinatown is totally "meh".

[number8]

When did they change the meaning of the word meh to flawless?

[megladon8]

The Ninth Gate > Chinatown

Yeah, I went there.

[Skitch]

The Ninth Gate > Chinatown

Yeah, I went there.

While I think those two are too different to compare directly, I appreciate any love of The Ninth Gate. Great flick.

[megladon8]

While I think those two are too different to compare directly, I appreciate any love of The Ninth Gate. Great flick.


They're both Polanski films, that's basically my comparison right there.

Chinatown is actually at the bottom of my Polanski ratings.

I place Repulsion, The Pianist and The Ninth Gate all above it.

[Derek]

It must suck to dislike great things.

[Dead & Messed Up]

It must suck to dislike great things.

Zing!

[megladon8]

It must suck to dislike great things.


Har-dee-har.

Iron Man > Chinatown.

In yo face.

[Derek]

Har-dee-har.

Iron Man > Chinatown.

In yo face.

Yup, your preference for mediocre cinema is being thrown right in my face. I get it meg, I get it! ;)

[megladon8]

Yup, your preference for mediocre cinema is being thrown right in my face. I get it meg, I get it! ;)


Clearly you don't realize that my preference in fact lies with terrible cinema.

*holds Ernest box set close to chest*

[megladon8]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51-CvhZdncL._SS500_.jpg

[Spinal]

Chynna Phillips > Chinatown

[Adam]

Out of nowhere, this cafe I was at tonight screened Humpday. Everyone I went with seemed pleasantly surprised by how much we all wound up digging it. Kind of a hard sell if you just hear the broad strokes of the plot going in, but I mean I think the whole idea was sorted out pretty well. It doesn't hurt that the three principle actors all have such a solid handle on how to do this kind of thing and, hilariously, some of the funniest scenes actually play like this weird, naturalistic, Everybody Loves Raymond-ish prototypical sitcom, even though the characters are mostly talking about man-on-man butt fucking. And despite how funny/charming the movie is, (I smiled the whole way through) it also totally catches you off guard at times with some of its character moments and just general perceptiveness about the nature of human relationships

[ledfloyd]

Out of nowhere, this cafe I was at tonight screened Humpday. Everyone I went with seemed pleasantly surprised by how much we all wound up digging it. Kind of a hard sell if you just hear the broad strokes of the plot going in, but I mean I think the whole idea was sorted out pretty well. It doesn't hurt that the three principle actors all have such a solid handle on how to do this kind of thing and, hilariously, some of the funniest scenes actually play like this weird, naturalistic, Everybody Loves Raymond-ish prototypical sitcom, even though the characters are mostly talking about man-on-man butt fucking. And despite how funny/charming the movie is, (I smiled the whole way through) it also totally catches you off guard at times with some of its character moments and just general perceptiveness about the nature of human relationships
yes, i wasn't expecting to like it nearly as much as i did. the third act is handled perfectly. one of the better surprises of the year.

[Ezee E]

Will Ferrell's one man play about Bush was pretty funny. I'll say it's funnier now than it initially was because we haven't seen the Bush jokes for a while. It basically takes eight years and sums it all up in just under two hours.

I should see more plays.

[dreamdead]

Rewatched Miller's Crossing. Still a delight of verbal execution and now-iconic cinematography.

[Qrazy]

What are some hard to find quality Asian films (perhaps not even many torrents)? I'm going to Chinatown tomorrow and there's a huge selection of films (primarily Chinese). I went today but didn't have much time to look around. I grabbed Stephen Chow's All for the Winner since I recently watched God of Gamblers. I think I'm going to try to find Come Drink With Me as well. Any other suggestions?

[soitgoes...]

What are some hard to find quality Asian films (perhaps not even many torrents)? I'm going to Chinatown tomorrow and there's a huge selection of films (primarily Chinese). I went today but didn't have much time to look around. I grabbed Stephen Chow's All for the Winner since I recently watched God of Gamblers. I think I'm going to try to find Come Drink With Me as well. Any other suggestions?
Early Yang? In Our Time, Taipei Story or The Terrorizer?

[Qrazy]

Early Yang? In Our Time, Taipei Story or The Terrorizer?

I'll check for it.

[Dukefrukem]

well... I finally did it...