28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[balmakboor]

I got my daughter hooked on a new anime series called Fruits Basket. I thought it was pretty good as well. We sat down to watch the first episode or two and ended up watching the first six.

We also re-watched The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and found it even better on a second go around.

[Raiders]

Johnny Guitar - ... this is visually flat compared to Ray's best films and lacking in a solid thematic through-line

Every single word above is wrong.

[Mysterious Dude]

I like Johnny Guitar, but I think the visuals are terrible. I mean, look at this:

http://houseofmirthandmovies.files.wo rdpress.com/2008/08/a-nicholas-ray-johnny-guitar-dvd-review-05_rc2_gb_055_52.jpg

The sun is setting behind them, and yet they are brightly lit from the front. How does that work? It's one of the things I hate most about classic Hollywood cinematography.

[Qrazy]

I also find Johnny Guitar to be weak (I still enjoyed it) but I'm not that impressed by Ray in general.

[Rowland]

Bumped my Trouble Every Day rating up half a star. I still recall it being a largely frustrating viewing, but several days later I can't deny that many of its more indelible images (Gallo and his wife lying in bed, the hotel maid washing her feet in the sink, etc.) and the sheer idiosyncracy of its vision have left more of a positive lasting impression than I anticipated.

[Raiders]

he sun is setting behind them, and yet they are brightly lit from the front. How does that work?

Because it's a movie.

I rather love the garishness of a lot of its color. Bold palette for a bold film so to speak.

[megladon8]

I haven't seen Johnny Guitar, but I quite like that image.

[Mysterious Dude]

Because it's a movie.
An ugly movie. OH, SNAP!!!

Johnny Guitar is one of the few movies where I find the strengths of the screenplay and the performances overcome (what I consider to be) its substantial visual shortcomings.


I haven't seen Johnny Guitar, but I quite like that image.
Sometimes, I think you exist just to contradict me. You are my evil twin.

[Philosophe_rouge]

I like the look of Johnny Guitar, and the film itself. I think it's very "mannered", but kinda charming in it's garishness. I prefer other Ray films in both appearance and whatever other reasons I like movies.

[baby doll]

All of Fassbinders early features -- say Love Is Colder through Whity -- are good films -- even the much maligned Rio Das Mortes. But it's hard to think of them as fully realized works. It's more like in a span of less than two years he whipped out ten quick sketches, trying out ideas that he would revisit over the next few years in his major works.Katzelmacher?

Just for ha-has, my top twelve Fassbinders:

1. The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979)
2. The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972)
3. In a Year of 13 Moons (1978)
4. Katzelmacher (1969)
5. The Third Generation (1979)
6. The Merchant of Four Seasons (1972)
7. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
8. Veronika Voss (1982)
9. Querelle (1982)
10. Fox and His Friends (1975)
11. Beware of a Holy Whore (1971)
12. Lola (1981)

And I still haven't seen Berlin Alexanderplatz, Despair, Jailbait, Lili Marleen, Martha, or World on a Wire among others.

[Ezee E]

Anyone see the 70's movie Scarecrow with Gene Hackman and Al Pacino wandering around? Very 70's. Pretty good.

[soitgoes...]

I think that most will agree that the documentary film category has definitely been strong this past decade. For the sake of list making (and to find overlooked films), I'm curious what others think are the best examples thus far. My list will continue to evolve mostly because I'm sure a number of great docs from this year are still out there to be seen (The Cove, The Beaches of Agnes, Anvil!, Soundtrack for a Revolution all interest me greatly), plus a number from previous years that have been overlooked by me thus far. Anyways, my top 20 of the decade:

1. The Agronomist
2. When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts
3. In the Shadow of the Moon
4. The Gleaners and I
5. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
6. Bus 174
7. The King of Kong
8. Jimmy Carter Man from Plains
9. The Fog of War
10. Into Great Silence
11. Food, Inc.
12. Man on Wire
13. Burma VJ
14. An Inconvenient Truth
15. My Kid Could Paint That
16. Jesus Camp
17. At the Death House Door
18. Nanking
19. Control Room
20. The Rape of Europa

If Planet Earth is counted amongst these, then everything can be shifted down one place.

[Adam]

Rewatched The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada a few days ago and I'm thinking I seriously underrated it the first time through. It's a good riff on the sorta anti-western, but it's also got a sentimental streak that somehow isnt even a little lame. Tommy Lee Jones should do more stuff like this

I tried The Limits of Control again, too, but I basically feel the same way about that one as I did before. I know they say everything's in "the journey" but it's still ultimately a frustratingly unrewarding film because Jarmusch's grand point is so silly. Some of the stops along the way do work in and of themselves I guess but, you know what, this was a boring movie and I don't wanna think about it anymore. At least it was nice to look at

Oh, and Casablanca was on TCM last night. Still great, but jeez-o-man can somebody get around to making a Grim Fandango movie already

[megladon8]

Behold...The Room (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCj8sPCWfUw)!!

[EyesWideOpen]

Behold...The Room (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCj8sPCWfUw)!!

It's been out for over a year now on dvd and has a pretty big cult following here in the US. They have midnight showings at theaters like Rocky Horror Picture Show.

My wife got me it on dvd last christmas.

[Milky Joe]

Behold...The Room (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCj8sPCWfUw)!!

Oh HI denny.

[Bosco B Thug]

Trouble Every Day (Denis, 2002) ** Have you seen other Denis films?

Trouble Every Day fares better with me in regards to Denis' languid-to-the-point-of-stagnant camerawork and staging. It might be because it has a relatively "plotted" narrative that moves along at some relative pace and with a variety of characters and tones it plays with (which includes the self-conscious, didactic stuff, which you didn't like, but I liked; the bits with the maid, which you mention, are stand-out); less the case in her other films.

Oh, I really liked TED, btw. Too low!

[number8]

It's been out for over a year now on dvd and has a pretty big cult following here in the US.

It's actually been on DVD for over 4 years.

I'm so fucking sick of that movie. I introduced it to my old roommate and he immediately bought the DVD, then tried to get me to watch it 3 times in a week. Then he tried to drag me to a midnight screening. And from then on he started dropping Tommy Wiseau's name into random conversations.

I like to quote the movie, too, but Jesus fucking Christ.

[Qrazy]

Anyone see the 70's movie Scarecrow with Gene Hackman and Al Pacino wandering around? Very 70's. Pretty good.

Yes, I like it quite a bit. Check out Shatzberg's Panic in Needle Park if you haven't seen it yet. Powerhouse Pacino.

[Ivan Drago]

Behold...The Room (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCj8sPCWfUw)!!

It's FINALLY on Netflix. I'll try to get to it the next time I'm home.

:throws spoon:

[number8]

Random thought: I've always liked how in KILL BILL VOL 2, The Bride speaks to Pai Mei in a combination of two languages. The way Uma switches back and forth between English and Cantonese words in the same sentence is really impressive and believable as an English speaker not fluent in a second language.

[B-side]

All of Fassbinders early features -- say Love Is Colder through Whity -- are good films -- even the much maligned Rio Das Mortes. But it's hard to think of them as fully realized works. It's more like in a span of less than two years he whipped out ten quick sketches, trying out ideas that he would revisit over the next few years in his major works.

There are three films from that early group that I do think are fully realized and pretty great: Why Does Herr R. Run Amok? (one of my top five or so Fassbinders), Beware of a Holy Whore, and Whity.

Yeah, definitely. I loved Whity, actually. Word is the remake of Gods of the Plague is better, anyway.

[Qrazy]

Random thought: I've always liked how in KILL BILL VOL 2, The Bride speaks to Pai Mei in a combination of two languages. The way Uma switches back and forth between English and Cantonese words in the same sentence is really impressive and believable as an English speaker not fluent in a second language.

Personally I find it more affected than believable.

[Derek]

Personally I find it more affected than believable.

Over the years, I've noticed several bilingual friends throwing in English phrases and sentences when talking on the phone in their native language. It seems to be fairly common.

[Mysterious Dude]

I think it's interesting how often we've seen subtitles in American movies these days, with Apocalypto, Letters from Iwo Jima, Inglourious Basterds, and others. I wonder what started this trend. I don't think they could've gotten away with it in the 90's.

[Grouchy]

I think it's interesting how often we've seen subtitles in American movies these days, with Apocalypto, Letters from Iwo Jima, Inglourious Basterds, and others. I wonder what started this trend. I don't think they could've gotten away with it in the 90's.
I think it's a great trend. One of the positive aspects of globalization, I guess. It used to piss me off, even as a kid, when Hollywood movies set outside the U.S. had people speaking in English.

And yeah, Scarecrow is a good movie.

[Grouchy]

So I saw The Golden Compass with no previous knowledge of the world of His Dark Materials and, I have to say, that is one inept movie. It doesn't set up any of its characters, it has awkward editing, it fails at introducing us to a new world, it has unconvincing CGI and scenes that seem to exist for no purpose. The whole concept of every character having to walk around with a talking animal is admittedly pretty difficult to do cinematically, but Weitz is such a clumsy director he seems to purposefully bring attention to how ridiculous it is. One of its few saving graces is the cast, which is uniformly good, including the little kids. Why was exactly Christopher Lee hired? He only speaks one line in the final cut. The Wikipedia article did a better job of sparking my interest on Pullman's books.

I also saw Satanás, a Colombian movie which is based around a famous '80s massacre (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campo_El%C3%ADas_Delgado) that happened in a Bogotá restaurant. I'd heard about the case when I was there, and feared almost any possible explanation the movie might offer for the guy snapping and starting killing people. It turns out the movie (based on a novel by the same name) adds some unnecessary tangential stories, most of which are simply not very good and have little to do with the massacre other than showing lives in crisis. This has almost every cliché in recent Latin American movies. It has wonderful cinematography, good acting and is pretty well directed, but it simply becomes too exaggerated, it's gruesome to the point of stupidity and pretty predictable too - it offers almost zero insight into the mind of a would-be killer. Also, most of the time the composition of the shots and the action are too staged.

[Philosophe_rouge]

I was reading about Weitz and Twilight, and he mentioned how the studio tore apart The Golden Compass, and it's a shadow of the vision he had and the cut he put together.

[number8]

Over the years, I've noticed several bilingual friends throwing in English phrases and sentences when talking on the phone in their native language. It seems to be fairly common.

It's how I speak to my family and Indonesian friends.

It's actually very common in Asian countries. At least the two I've lived in (Hong Kong and Indonesia). And of course, Singapore's main language is Singlish.

[Grouchy]

I was reading about Weitz and Twilight, and he mentioned how the studio tore apart The Golden Compass, and it's a shadow of the vision he had and the cut he put together.
I read that too and it's pretty evident in the film, but in this particular case I think the director is also responsible. I mean, Peter Jackson worked with the same studio and an even larger budget for the Rings trilogy, and it appears he got some more respect for his views.

[Boner M]

Fata Morgana was a disappointment; some indelible images to be sure, but the voiceover seemed to concretize the meaning of what we're seeing rather than letting us find it ourselves, as Herzog is best at doing. The use of Leonard Cohen seems inspired at first, until another two of his songs are used within one shot, and then it just feels lazy. 'Static truth', more like it.

Wish the entire movie was just that couple playing klezmer music.

[B-side]

Visitor Q was fun. It was my first Miike. I'm not sure Miike had the formal capabilities to make this film great, but the film's world of stylistic flourishes and comical extremes has its charms. It straddled some awkward lines between black humor and unnerving commentary, but it never really sold either. The commentary is there, but the characters are too blatant. They tend to come off as being constructs of the film rather than organic people, which I suppose could be intentional considering the constant use of video cameras and the appearances of the boom mic. I'll probably watch Audition next from Miike.

[Raiders]

Fata Morgana was a disappointment; some indelible images to be sure, but the voiceover seemed to concretize the meaning of what we're seeing rather than letting us find it ourselves, as Herzog is best at doing. The use of Leonard Cohen seems inspired at first, until another two of his songs are used within one shot, and then it just feels lazy. 'Static truth', more like it.

I just don't know you anymore.

[Qrazy]

Over the years, I've noticed several bilingual friends throwing in English phrases and sentences when talking on the phone in their native language. It seems to be fairly common.

That's not what I mean. I find his use of it in the film an affectation (primarily in the manner of the writing, less so in Uma's performance I guess), not communicated in a manner to reinforce believability. Tarantino draws direct attention to what he's doing with language there robbing the scene of naturalness for me at least. However, I do feel it was his intention to do this. He frequently draws attention to the artificiality of his work which is perfectly reasonable and serves a purpose, even if I feel he does it a bit bluntly at times. Still, as a result the scene doesn't play as believable to me. The language play comes across as an affectation, in this context. But yes, certainly mixing languages is common place in real life.

[Qrazy]

Fata Morgana was a disappointment; some indelible images to be sure, but the voiceover seemed to concretize the meaning of what we're seeing rather than letting us find it ourselves, as Herzog is best at doing. The use of Leonard Cohen seems inspired at first, until another two of his songs are used within one shot, and then it just feels lazy. 'Static truth', more like it.

Wish the entire movie was just that couple playing klezmer music.

I agree with all of your recent ratings of Johnny, Casque and Fata.

[Ezee E]

A load of Criterions have just been added to Instant Watch, and a ton more are on the way. This is awesome.

[Melville]

Fata Morgana was a disappointment; some indelible images to be sure, but the voiceover seemed to concretize the meaning of what we're seeing rather than letting us find it ourselves, as Herzog is best at doing. The use of Leonard Cohen seems inspired at first, until another two of his songs are used within one shot, and then it just feels lazy. 'Static truth', more like it.
I totally disagree with this. Fata Morgana strikes me as easily the most ambiguous Herzog film I've seen. The voiceover seemed more mysterious than concrete, complementing the mystery of the images, sometimes reinforcing them, sometimes ironically counterpointing them. Plus, the voiceovers contained some wonderful imagery: the descriptions of paradise were profoundly odd, what with the birds flying into open mouths and so forth. The whole thing was mesmerizing. And the Leonard Cohen songs were magic.


Wish the entire movie was just that couple playing klezmer music.
But I kind of agree with this.

[Derek]

A load of Criterions have just been added to Instant Watch, and a ton more are on the way. This is awesome.

Awesome. Is there a way to search just for Criterion titles?

[megladon8]

I don't understand how Kevin Smith has been able to establish such a solid career in Hollywood movie-making when he has such a big mouth.

I think he can be quite funny and at times clever, but it's not rare that he completely blasts people he's worked with.

Usually that kind of stuff just doesn't stand.

[Winston*]

I don't understand how Kevin Smith has been able to establish such a solid career in Hollywood movie-making when he has such a lack of discernable talent.

[megladon8]

I don't understand how Kevin Smith has been able to establish such a solid career in Hollywood movie-making when he has such a lack of discernable talent.


He has absolutely no skill with a camera or actor-direction.

But I think he's had a few moments of brilliance in his writing - mostly in Chasing Amy.

[Spinal]

I don't think Kevin Smith is very talented as a writer either. He's probably the next rung above Diablo Cody, but that's about it.

[Raiders]

I don't understand how Kevin Smith has been able to establish such a solid career in Hollywood movie-making when he has such a lack of discernable talent.

I was only about 11-12 when Clerks made some noise back in '94/'95, but I distinctly remember the resonance it had on a lot of the older teens in my neighborhood. It was very different from what most of them had seen and though I think in hindsight the film is as idiotic as the rest of his films, I think it developed him an immediate audience whom his brand of vulger comedy appeals.

He reminds me of Wooderson's quote from Dazed and Confused. He keeps getting older, but his films and his fans stay the same age. I think most people outgrow his brand of cinema rather quickly, but there is no denying the appeal it has to a particular age group.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I don't think Kevin Smith is very talented as a writer either. He's probably the next rung above Diablo Cody, but that's about it.


I was only about 11-12 when Clerks made some noise back in '94/'95, but I distinctly remember the resonance it had on a lot of the older teens in my neighborhood. It was very different from what most of them had seen and though I think in hindsight the film is as idiotic as the rest of his films, I think it developed him an immediate audience whom his brand of vulger comedy appeals.

He reminds me of Wooderson's quote from Dazed and Confused. He keeps getting older, but his films and his fans stay the same age. I think most people outgrow his brand of cinema rather quickly, but there is no denying the appeal it has to a particular age group.

These posts are so, so true. You guys win.

[Benny Profane]

He has absolutely no skill with a camera or actor-direction.

But I think he's had a few moments of brilliance in his writing - mostly in Chasing Amy.

Nah.

[Winston*]

These posts are so, so true. You guys win.
Why can't I ever win, KF? Why can't I?

[Killed_by_Smalls]

Awesome. Is there a way to search just for Criterion titles?

Not that I can see unfortunately. However, this is indeed very cool. So far I've found the following:

La jetée
Eyes Without a Face
Branded to Kill
Ballad of a Soldier
A Nos Amours
Burden of Dreams
The Spirit of the Beehive
Beauty and the Beast
The Most Dangerous Game
Amarcord
Mon Oncle
Peeping Tom

[Kurosawa Fan]

Why can't I ever win, KF? Why can't I?

We've discussed this before. You're from New Zealand. Didn't you see Flight of the Conchords?

[Ezee E]

Awesome. Is there a way to search just for Criterion titles?
No, but Streamingsoon.com has a lot of the recent ones that were added, and the ones that are about to be added.

[baby doll]

Clerks is Mumblecore avant la lettre: a writerly (talky, formally inept) low-budget feature with a DIY aesthetic (ass-ugly) starring the director's twentysomething friends (all terrible actors), which nonetheless betrays the filmmaker's desire to make a conventional romantic comedy about white heterosexuals (Chasing Amy, Funny Ha Ha).

[megladon8]

I was only about 11-12 when Clerks made some noise back in '94/'95, but I distinctly remember the resonance it had on a lot of the older teens in my neighborhood. It was very different from what most of them had seen and though I think in hindsight the film is as idiotic as the rest of his films, I think it developed him an immediate audience whom his brand of vulger comedy appeals.

He reminds me of Wooderson's quote from Dazed and Confused. He keeps getting older, but his films and his fans stay the same age. I think most people outgrow his brand of cinema rather quickly, but there is no denying the appeal it has to a particular age group.


I think I can agree with this.

[Grouchy]

That's not what I mean. I find his use of it in the film an affectation (primarily in the manner of the writing, less so in Uma's performance I guess), not communicated in a manner to reinforce believability. Tarantino draws direct attention to what he's doing with language there robbing the scene of naturalness for me at least. However, I do feel it was his intention to do this. He frequently draws attention to the artificiality of his work which is perfectly reasonable and serves a purpose, even if I feel he does it a bit bluntly at times. Still, as a result the scene doesn't play as believable to me. The language play comes across as an affectation, in this context. But yes, certainly mixing languages is common place in real life.
Come on now, that's just contradiction. If mixing languages is common place in real-life, then why the hell is it affected to have a scene that shows it happening?

[number8]

I listened to a podcast interview with Bobcat Goldwaithe, and he was talking about how he can keep making movies even though none of them are ever popular or even marketable. Basically, he makes his living doing stand-up, so when he makes a movie, he does it just to satisfy his own itch, so he doesn't care if the movies never turn a profit. All he really has to do is keep the budget low enough that the movie will eventually break even even in the most limited of releases.

Kevin Smith is kind of the same, only with bigger numbers. The Weinsteins know that he has his core fanbase that will always keep his movies marginally profitable—and especially later on the home video market. He just has to break even.

What's smart about Kevin Smith is that he took a page from the George Lucas playbook and kept the licensing rights. I'm pretty sure his primary source of income is Jay & Silent Bob merchandises.

[megladon8]

But I still find it amazing that he's somehow crossed the boundary of "slamming other movie stars/directors/writers is bad" and turned it into part of what makes him so popular.

I don't think there are many other people in Hollywood who could get away with saying "Bruce Willis is a fucking dick" into a microphone at a huge wrap party.

[Sven]

I don't think there are many other people in Hollywood who could get away with saying "Bruce Willis is a fucking dick" into a microphone at a huge wrap party.

I do not know this story, but it is likely that such a thing was probably said in jest. Particularly given the title of the film they just wrapped. Also given the involved parties' mutual histories of self-deprecating humor.

[Qrazy]

Come on now, that's just contradiction. If mixing languages is common place in real-life, then why the hell is it affected to have a scene that shows it happening?

Pretty sure I just explained that in my above post. The scene is consciously drawing attention to the language mixing. There's nothing about the scene or the cadence of the speech that feels natural to me (if natural is what we mean by believable). Everything about it reeks of staging and artificiality. I can almost feel Tarantino's strained decision behind each word spoken... this one will be in English, this one in Japanese or Cantonese. His use of the language mixing is affected, not the act of language mixing itself.

[megladon8]

I do not know this story, but it is likely that such a thing was probably said in jest. Particularly given the title of the film they just wrapped. Also given the involved parties' mutual histories of self-deprecating humor.


He also described Willis as being "very intimidating" and "undirectable".

[Boner M]

I totally disagree with this. Fata Morgana strikes me as easily the most ambiguous Herzog film I've seen. The voiceover seemed more mysterious than concrete, complementing the mystery of the images, sometimes reinforcing them, sometimes ironically counterpointing them. Plus, the voiceovers contained some wonderful imagery: the descriptions of paradise were profoundly odd, what with the birds flying into open mouths and so forth. The whole thing was mesmerizing. And the Leonard Cohen songs were magic.
I guess I could've done without the voiceover altogether, it made the whole film feel like an amateurish sketch for Lessons of Darkness. At the risk of completely transforming into Qrazy, I thought some of the jerky camerawork detracted from the otherworld-y quality of a lot of the images. I thought the opening jump cuts of planes landing was a potent method of creating a sense of abstraction of the familiar through repetition, and I wish the film continued on that note, sans narration. As for the Leonard Cohen songs, I thought the first use of "That's No Way to Say Goodbye" was fantastic, but cramming two into the same shot later on was overkill, and undermined the magic of when it's first used.

Good to see you posting again, anyway.


I just don't know you anymore.
Last House on the Left is better than The Virgin Spring, James Gray rules, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is gimmicky middlebrow fluff. Better?

[Boner M]

Gates of Heaven (Cimino, 1980) *
Deliberate?

[soitgoes...]

Deliberate?
I get those two confused as well. :lol:

[soitgoes...]

I do assume he meant Heaven's Gate. I don't necessarily agree with the one star (I'd give it two), but I also can see why it does get hated on. It really is a mess of a film. An absolutely beautiful mess. A restrained Michael Cimino could've made it a masterpiece. It's too bad such a person never existed.

[Skitch]

As much as I love Kevin Smith, I really hate it when he comes into discussion among the critic elite, i.e., the internet. He was important to those at a time and place. You were either in that time and space and love him, or you don't. Either is fine and understandable, its just...I don't know...oretty black and white to me.

[Derek]

Deliberate?

No, a total boner on my part.


I do assume he meant Heaven's Gate. I don't necessarily agree with the one star (I'd give it two), but I also can see why it does get hated on. It really is a mess of a film. An absolutely beautiful mess. A restrained Michael Cimino could've made it a masterpiece. It's too bad such a person never existed.

Beautiful in terms of specific images, certainly, but a plodding, meandering mess. Oddly enough, it seemed like it could've benefitted both from being cut down to ~2 hours or extended into miniseries length. As is, it's remarkably frustrating in its tendency to linger on certain sequences meant only to capture the feel of the times without the benefit of sufficient context or depth given to the characters or their interactions. For the most part, it's bloated and weightless.

EDIT: Also, it needed more synth music.

[Derek]

As much as I love Kevin Smith, I really hate it when he comes into discussion among the critic elite, i.e., the internet. He was important to those at a time and place. You were either in that time and space and love him, or you don't. Either is fine and understandable, its just...I don't know...oretty black and white to me.

Disco was important in a time and place, but that shouldn't prevent us from saying most of it was crap.

[Skitch]

Disco was important in a time and place, but that shouldn't prevent us from saying most of it was crap.

Very true, but doesn't change my point. I wonder what you appreciate that some youmger generation will come under you trying to tell you how much it sucks?

Just for clarification, my only point was that you like it, or you don't.

[Derek]

Very true, but doesn't change my point. I wonder what you appreciate that some youmger generation will come under you trying to tell you how much it sucks?

The people telling you Kevin Smith sucks are from the younger generation? I thought it was mostly people who were in their teens when Clerks, etc. all came out who now can look back and realize he was never that good of a writer.


Just for clarification, my only point was that you like it, or you don't.

Or you think he's just okay or you kinda dislike him.

[Boner M]

Don't sully disco's name with Kevin Smith.

[ledfloyd]

http://vortex.org/~alatar/images/death-before-disco.png

[Qrazy]

Last House on the Left is better than The Virgin Spring.

No.


James Gray rules.

Haven't seen any of his films yet.


The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is gimmicky middlebrow fluff. Better?

Yes.

[BuffaloWilder]

Disco was important in a time and place, but that shouldn't prevent us from saying most of it was crap.

why is there no neg-rep, why

As for Kevin Smith - the guy has an eye, and he knows what he's doing, about a third of the time. And, it seems like for every good movie he makes, he makes two others that are just terrible - but, to say the guy is without any sort of talent whatsoever is a little silly, guys.

[Qrazy]

What do you mean when you say Kevin Smith has an eye? To me that means he can compose an interesting shot... but he can't... so I don't know what you mean.

[MadMan]

The Friends of Eddie Coyle was quite good, although Bulliet is much better, although not by a whole lot. Much like the equally good The Hit, both movies exist as gangster/crime films that in some ways bend beyond their respective genres, mediating upon the criminal mind. They're also quite entertaining, although Coyle is more hard boiled while The Hit is quite flashy.

[Boner M]

The Hit was 'flashy'?

[The Mike]

Bruce Willis >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Kevin Smith.

I used to tolerate Kevin Smith. No more. No one disses McClane.

But Mallrats still rules.

[Derek]

why is there no neg-rep, why

We'd just be hurting each other in the long-run. I prefer the :frustrated: and :crazy:, or at least I think them when I read many of your posts. ;)

[Derek]

Haven't seen any of his films yet.

Check out Two Lovers. I like it a lot more than the other two of his I've seen.

[BuffaloWilder]

There are actually a few interesting shots in Dogma, especially with the last scene, as well as in Clerks - although, with his stuff, I don't really think composition is the point. I was more referring to the specific over-arching goal of his less silly stuff, the Clerkses and the Chasing Amy's, maybe the Mallrats, even.

[BuffaloWilder]

We'd just be hurting each other in the long-run. I prefer the :frustrated: and :crazy:, or at least I think them when I read many of your posts. ;)

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/jsbstash_2079_32554818

...well played, Derek. Well played.

[Grouchy]

Pretty sure I just explained that in my above post. The scene is consciously drawing attention to the language mixing. There's nothing about the scene or the cadence of the speech that feels natural to me (if natural is what we mean by believable). Everything about it reeks of staging and artificiality. I can almost feel Tarantino's strained decision behind each word spoken... this one will be in English, this one in Japanese or Cantonese. His use of the language mixing is affected, not the act of language mixing itself.
Sounds to me like you're just looking for something bad to say about it.

Anyway, I saw Lars and the Real Girl and, although at first I thought it was the type of movie I was born to hate, it does a number of things right. It was awesome for example how, even though it's the perfect set-up for a number of comedy punchlines, the director doesn't use any of them, and this makes the movie better in the long run, because there's no room for the situation becoming exhausted: all the humor stems naturally from how absurd it is. It also has a couple of really effective emotional moments, such as when Lars is dancing in the party of when the Emily Mortimer character yells at him. So, good movie. I despise its celebration of church-going Americana, though.

Oh, I also saw Men in Black again. Man, that movie is badass. Peak of Smith and Sonnenfeld's careers, and basically Hollywood blockbuster done right.

[Qrazy]

Sounds to me like you're just looking for something bad to say about it.


Ah I guess you didn't actually read my first post then because I said there's nothing wrong with the artificiality, only that I feel it to be artificial. If you feel the scene to be 'believable', then fine.

[Grouchy]

Ah I guess you didn't actually read my first post then because I said there's nothing wrong with the artificiality, only that I feel it to be artificial. If you feel the scene to be 'believable', then fine.
Opinions are like assholes - everybody has one.

[Qrazy]

Opinions are like assholes - everybody has one.

But some are shittier than others.

[Melville]

I guess I could've done without the voiceover altogether, it made the whole film feel like an amateurish sketch for Lessons of Darkness. At the risk of completely transforming into Qrazy, I thought some of the jerky camerawork detracted from the otherworld-y quality of a lot of the images. I thought the opening jump cuts of planes landing was a potent method of creating a sense of abstraction of the familiar through repetition, and I wish the film continued on that note, sans narration. As for the Leonard Cohen songs, I thought the first use of "That's No Way to Say Goodbye" was fantastic, but cramming two into the same shot later on was overkill, and undermined the magic of when it's first used.
I'll admit that it had a bit of a sketchy feel to it, a feeling of disparate elements tossed together, and the somewhat amateurish camerawork occasionally dispelled the otherworldly air of things by reminding me of the presence of the filmmakers. But I think the narration really worked well in parallel with the images. You could almost ignore the words and treat the narration as mood-setting music, or you could almost ignore the specific images and treat them as a background for the words, or you could skip between the two: they seemed to be distanced from one another, yet intertwining and commenting on one another, adding to the mystery of each. And the high points of the film (the goggled guy with the lizards, the pimp and madame playing music in their little alcove-stage) were so much higher than almost any other film's highs.

I'll write some more about it when I get back to that Other People's Favorite Movies thread.


Good to see you posting again, anyway.
Thanks. I don't mean to sound egregiously sentimental or anything, but that means a lot to me right now.


Last House on the Left is better than The Virgin Spring, James Gray rules, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is gimmicky middlebrow fluff. Better?
Guess I should see Last House on the Left.

[balmakboor]

I saw Five Long Takes Dedicated to Yasujiro Ozu the other day. I guess each of its five long takes of a sea shore is somewhat beautiful in its own right, but never before have I been so struck by the feeling that a filmmaker was pulling a gag on his audience. I could almost hear him chuckling "I'm the great Abbas Kiarostami and I can get away with anything." I mean any fool could hire a decent cinematographer and set up these five shots. But only a world renown "master" could get it shown anywhere.

The last shot was the best and there was some suspense going on during the first shot. Will that second bit of driftwood join the other in the surf or will it remain stranded on the sand? And are the second and fourth shots saying that people are essentially like ducks and vice versa?

And why would long takes be dedicated to Ozu anyway? He wasn't a long take director. Not even close.

[megladon8]

Opinions are like assholes - everybody has one.


What about people who need colostomy bags?

In that case, they have assholes, but can't use them.

[MadMan]

The Hit was 'flashy'?Okay, not so much flashy as really more style over subsistance. But the style was fantastic, and really well executed.

Both that and The Friends of Eddie Coyle were good blind buys on Criterion. The crime genre in general seems to really interest me, and I'm not even sure why.

[Winston*]

The last shot was the best and there was some suspense going on during the first shot. Will that second bit of driftwood join the other in the surf or will it remain stranded on the sand?


This is really funny to me.

[Derek]

This is really funny to me.

I want to watch that film with Spinal.

[Boner M]

I've tried to write something on Martyrs at least several times since seeing it last night, but man, if ever there was a film that defies any kind of judgement of it's quality, this is it. Will try again later, but I'm kinda leaning toward 'gonzo masterpiece' at the moment...

[The Mike]

Oh, I also saw Men in Black again. Man, that movie is badass. Peak of Smith and Sonnenfeld's careers, and basically Hollywood blockbuster done right.
True.

Wait, not true. Addams Family rules. But close to true.

[Grouchy]

True.

Wait, not true. Addams Family rules. But close to true.
I think the sequel is better.

[Grouchy]

(500) Days of Summer did nothing for me. The most clever part is that they took advantage of a common misinterpretation of The Graduate's ending to portray the main character's inmaturity. But, other than that, it's clichéd storytelling with a lame twist and occassionally embarassing to watch. Good comedic moments mixed with standard romantic comedy speech-making nonsense. Gordon-Levitt is very good, though - he's above this material if you ask me.

[Bosco B Thug]

I've tried to write something on Martyrs at least several times since seeing it last night, but man, if ever there was a film that defies any kind of judgement of it's quality, this is it. Will try again later, but I'm kinda leaning toward 'gonzo masterpiece' at the moment... Hmm, I don't know if my definition of "gonzo" has much place describing Martyrs. I thought it asked us to take most of it dead seriously. But I can entertain the thought. It's certainly somewhat over-the-top. I'd be very interested in further thoughts... not to mention a rating. C'mooon! A cop-out is what you're doing. ;)

[Boner M]

Hmm, I don't know if my definition of "gonzo" has much place describing Martyrs. I thought it asked us to take most of it dead seriously.
That's precisely why it's so nuts, though. I can't say that I took the thing as seriously as it's makers evidently did, but I admire its ballsiness in attempting to depict that level of screen violence and atrocity and then asking us to get past our kneejerk reactions (ie, allegations of 'torture porn' or that it becomes exactly what it sets out to admonish, etc), and - much like the torture process depicted in the film - to work stage by stage until we've reached a state of contemplative awe at the suffering on display. So, OK, if that is the film's raison d'etre then maybe that's not really enough to make it a 'masterpiece', and certainly for much of the film I was wondering 'do I really need to be watching this?'. But unlike, say, Funny Games (another beyond-qualification film, I guess), I like that Laughier respects his audience enough to trust that our cine-bloodlust might come from a deeper place than just excessive uncritical media consumption (no matter how stupid the finale's bid for spiritual heft might be).

Also, it's pretty much first-rate in just about every technical area, and the two young actresses are superb.

[Rowland]

I love Martyrs. Like, love love. What that says about me... :lol:

Anyway, I'll be writing a year-end piece for it soon.

[Rowland]

the two young actresses are superb.Same goes for whoever played Lucie's "demon" and the woman with the head apparatus. Nightmarishly effective performances.

[megladon8]

Rowland, you have had me drooling to see Martyrs for a while now, but it seems the unrated DVD is only available in the USA.

[Spinal]

What a delightful surprise. Astro Boy was fantastic. Genuinely exciting, genuinely funny, genuinely moving. Multilayered thematics. Not obviously formulaic. Not quite to the level of something like The Iron Giant or The Brave Little Toaster, but not too far behind.

A real shame that this flopped at the box office.

[Watashi]

What a delightful surprise. Astro Boy was fantastic. Genuinely exciting, genuinely funny, genuinely moving. Multilayered thematics. Not obviously formulaic. Not quite to the level of something like The Iron Giant or The Brave Little Toaster, but not too far behind.

A real shame that this flopped at the box office.
I've been interesting to see it mainly because a lot of negative critics label it as liberal propaganda and an analogy for Obama.

[Sven]

What a delightful surprise. Astro Boy was fantastic. Genuinely exciting, genuinely funny, genuinely moving. Multilayered thematics. Not obviously formulaic. Not quite to the level of something like The Iron Giant or The Brave Little Toaster, but not too far behind.

A real shame that this flopped at the box office.

You are usually trustworthy re: children's films, so I will now consider seeing this.

[Watashi]

You are usually trustworthy re: children's films, so I will now consider seeing this.
Pfft.

I'm right here you know.

[EyesWideOpen]

What a delightful surprise. Astro Boy was fantastic. Genuinely exciting, genuinely funny, genuinely moving. Multilayered thematics. Not obviously formulaic. Not quite to the level of something like The Iron Giant or The Brave Little Toaster, but not too far behind.

A real shame that this flopped at the box office.

Because of you I watched City of Ember. Never again.

I was kind of interested in seeing Astro Boy though.

[Sven]

Pfft.

I'm right here you know.

Oops, sorry. Didn't see you.

...and, uh, the dude with the Ratatouille avatar... don't trust that guy.

[Spinal]

I've been interesting to see it mainly because a lot of negative critics label it as liberal propaganda and an analogy for Obama.

I can't even comprehend that perspective. I didn't read this as an allegorical film. Its pleasures are pretty straightforward.

[Winston*]

Because of you I watched City of Ember. Never again.

I was kind of interested in seeing Astro Boy though.

Because of Spinal, I also saw City of Ember. I quite liked it.

[The Mike]

I rewatched Tango & Cash for the umpteenth time tonight, and my scientific study seems to show that Cash is awesomer than Tango by a score of 31-30.

The deciding factors are clearly the proximity to '80s Teri Hatcher and his ballsiness regarding the prison escape.

[Boner M]

Man, Cold Souls is a wash. A mildly clever comic premise, completely undermined by sluggish pacing and an unnecessarily lugubrious tone, with the pointless gimmick of Paul Giamatti (at his hammy worst) playing himself, only serving as a distraction from the emptiness of the film. 'Charlie Kaufman-esque' is quickly becoming a term synonymous with 'stay the hell away'.

Weekend:

Quince Tree of the Sun (Erice)
Madame De... (Ophuls) - 35mm print, theater viewing!!!
Hélas pour moi (Godard)
Monsieur Hire (Leconte)
plus a repeat of The Lady From Shangai and/or Miller's Crossing

[Skitch]

I rewatched Tango & Cash for the umpteenth time tonight, and my scientific study seems to show that Cash is awesomer than Tango by a score of 31-30.

The deciding factors are clearly the proximity to '80s Teri Hatcher and his ballsiness regarding the prison escape.

This is a great post. I approve.

[megladon8]

Watched two bad movies.

Family Guy's "Blue Harvest" was utterly abysmal. I chuckled once, and I think it was something they didn't even intend to be funny.


"Family Guy" is freaking terrible.

I also saw Red Planet for the first time since it came out, and wow, what crap. Terrible special effects and even worse "science" - seriously, how could they get away with releasing those fire effects to theatres, especially when this is post-Matrix/T2/a million other movies that show special effects have advanced way past this crap.

[Sycophant]

Oops, sorry. Didn't see you.

...and, uh, the dude with the Ratatouille avatar... don't trust that guy.

Happy 5,000th post!

[Ezee E]

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is pretty amazing. I didn't think Schraeder had this type of movie in him, and I like most of his movies.

[dreamdead]

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is pretty amazing. I didn't think Schraeder had this type of movie in him, and I like most of his movies.

Only seen this and Auto Focus, but the artistry here makes me quite curious to explore his other 80's work. The technical magnificence here, not to mention the ability for the film to build to its well-known crescendo and remain so constantly surprising made this one of the most memorable first viewings for me.

[Ezee E]

Only seen this and Auto Focus, but the artistry here makes me quite curious to explore his other 80's work. The technical magnificence here, not to mention the ability for the film to build to its well-known crescendo and remain so constantly surprising made this one of the most memorable first viewings for me.
Although I prefer Blue Collar more, comparing Mishima to his other works seems like it's coming from a completely different director. There is much more thought put into the photography and blocking in this movie compared to the others. Add that to what could also be Philip Glass' best score, and an extremely fresh take to the biopic, and you got a masterful movie.

[Qrazy]

Quince Tree of the Sun (Erice)

I hope you like this one.

[Qrazy]

American Gigolo looks good. I think I shall watch it soon.

[MadMan]

I rewatched Tango & Cash for the umpteenth time tonight, and my scientific study seems to show that Cash is awesomer than Tango by a score of 31-30.

The deciding factors are clearly the proximity to '80s Teri Hatcher and his ballsiness regarding the prison escape.I never really bothered to identify which one was cooler. Highly enjoyable guilty pleasure, though.

Weekend:

*Infernal Affairs
*In a Lonely Place
*Repulsion

[balmakboor]

My niece in Seattle just posted a short film she made on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRKKWSqAo-4

I liked it. I'm kind of biased though.

She posted it because having a movie on youtube is apparently a requirement now for USC Film School where she's applying.

She's the girl walking by on the sidewalk at the end, btw.

[balmakboor]

W/E

Yes Man
Funny People
Blood+ disc 1

I let my daughters control my Netflix queue this week. Maybe never again. :)

[Grouchy]

http://febriblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/crimewave_-_ola_de_crimenes_ola_de_risas_ por_alcor1.jpg

So, Crimewave is pretty incredible. I understand it's disjointed, but it keeps its zany, cartoony tone until the end and I don't think most people dissing it as a failure realize how incredibly difficult it is to make a movie look like this and keep such a fast rythm. Loved Campbell (I think he was much more suited for his role than for the protagonist like Raimi initially wanted), the distinctly Coen dialogue and the chase that's like a combination of the Three Stooges with the piano scene from Un Chien Andalou. About the only bad things I can say about it are purely technical, but in fact those handicaps also make the movie more endearing in a film workshop kinda way. Awe-inspiring beginnings for Raimi.

For what it's worth, I watched the cut that's titled The XYZ Murders, although IMDb doesn't mention any major differences.

[Scar]

Fifteen minutes of G.I. Joe was more than enough to shut it off.

So we're watching Transformers 2 again.....

[megladon8]

Fifteen minutes of G.I. Joe was more than enough to shut it off.

So we're watching Transformers 2 again.....


Does not compute.

[Scar]

Does not compute.

Then this will really fry your cpu:

The editing in G.I. Joe is ass, but Transformers 2 is fun.

[Spun Lepton]

I just realized that last year around this time, I was creaming my jeans over Watchmen. It does not seem like that long ago.

[Fezzik]

So, I watched Galaxy Quest for the first time tonight.

I was pleasantly surprised. Funny, exciting, and somehow both respectful and irreverent.

I liked it quite a bit!

[Grouchy]

Huh, Max Payne was cheesy and kind of bad, but I couldn't avoid liking some parts of it a lot. The way they made the Norse mythology references of the game into one of the main themes was kind of cool, what with the CGI Valkyrs and shit. Also, I always find Mark Whalberg very watchable even though he has done some of the worst performances of the decade in shit like Planet of the Apes or The Happening. When he's good, as in Three Kings, he's very good and he's not so bad here.

So, file this under bad movies that I enjoyed.

[Rowland]

The Exorcist (Friedkin, 1973) ***½

Primarily remembered in the popular culture for its possessed child scenes, this is really a film about the struggle to preserve faith against the inexorable tide of entropy through which society, and by extension the universe, is governed, as embodied by the crisis of faith Father Karras suffers through; Regan's demonic child represents the inability of faith to definitively regulate our innate nature, in the form of a puberty metaphor. Fascinatingly, this is complicated through the suggestion that the cold, terrifying sterility of science and its technological advances offer no more spiritual guidance, represented here by the scenes of Regan being tested through remarkably unsettling means by increasingly baffled doctors. In the end, contrary to what I'd been led to believe, the film doesn't confirm religiosity (just consider Father Merrin's fate, himself likened to a dusty relic staring time in the face during the foreboding prologue), but rather it suggests that self-awareness and sacrifice are our only tenable beacons of light in this short, slippery existence. Handsomely mounted, tensely constructed, thematically dense, and soberly performed by its ensemble; if the investigation subplot had been excised, Fathers Karras and Merrin had been given a bit more screen time at Regan's expense, and the shufflings in the attic (a Jungian metaphor for repressed female sexuality) had paid off with more than a jump scare, I'd probably consider this a masterpiece.

[Rowland]

So, I watched Galaxy Quest for the first time tonight.A solid, good-natured comedy, but a bit overrated by some in my estimation.

[Mara]

So, I watched Galaxy Quest for the first time tonight.

I was pleasantly surprised. Funny, exciting, and somehow both respectful and irreverent.

I liked it quite a bit!

Fun, and rewatchable.

[megladon8]

Rowland, have you seen Exorcist III?

It's a great sequel, and a great film in its own right.

[Grouchy]

You guys wanna check out this short film I starred in? It was made four years ago, my first year in film school, but the director only finished editing it now.

I really don't like how she edited it, but whatever, at least it's finally complete. Someday I'll have to upload my own shorts.

http://www.vimeo.com/7981561

[BuffaloWilder]

Speaking of, Grouchy's first post for The Filmist is up, for anyone interested. It's a variation on his review of Sid & Nancy, posted a while back.

Yes.

[Pop Trash]

The Bridges of Madison County is so close to being a great movie, but sadly Clint throws too many flaws in there: the terrible choice of having flash forwards to the grown children reading the memoirs (and the actor who plays the adult son is quite cringe inducing), an unnecessary and trite voice over, and a flash forward complete with old age makeup to an aged Francesca. But damn those scenes between Clint and Meryl are wonderful. Meryl in particular is so so good in this. I just wish Clint simplified it down to just the main story and stripped it of the unnecessary things.

[megladon8]

I'm pretty sure the track "Like a Dog Chasing Cars" from The Dark Knight's score may be one of the best pieces of movie music this decade.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I'm pretty sure the track "Like a Dog Chasing Cars" from The Dark Knight's score may be one of the best pieces of movie music this decade.

Sometimes, when I'm doing a run late at night and I'm on the (empty) freeway, I blast this. It makes you feel like God.

[megladon8]

Sometimes, when I'm doing a run late at night and I'm on the (empty) freeway, I blast this. It makes you feel like God.


Wait...

You mean...

You aren't God?

But all those times you told me you were...

[Melville]

What are Zulawski's best movies? I've only seen Possession, which I thought was pretty close to the best thing ever.

[Qrazy]

What are Zulawski's best movies? I've only seen Possession, which I thought was pretty close to the best thing ever.

I've only seen On the Silver Globe and The Most Important Thing: Love. The former was visually and atmospherically fantastic, but narratively and thematically messy. Characters frequently spout long, meandering monologues which border on pretension. Still, in many ways it's a wonder. The Most Important Thing: Love was much more compact but there was still something about it which kept me from embracing it fully. For starters I found the protagonist quite bland. I've also heard good things about The Third Part of the Night and My Nights are More Beautiful than Your Days.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Wait...

You mean...

You aren't God?

But all those times you told me you were...

Hey, I heard that when someone asks if you're a God, you say yes.

Not my fault.

[Melville]

but there was still something about it which kept me from embracing it fully.
I don't think you'd embrace Possession either—too gonzo for your tastes.

For those who have seen Possession, what other movies are similar (expressive, symbolic, perhaps horrifying looks into breakdowns and extremes of human emotion)? The only comparisons I've seen are to Antichrist and Cronenberg's The Brood, neither of which I've seen; are they similar? Another film I'd put in the same category as Possession is Eraserhead, so recommendations of movies similar to that would be appreciated as well.

[Qrazy]

I don't think you'd embrace Possession either—too gonzo for your tastes.

For those who have seen Possession, what other movies are similar (expressive, symbolic, perhaps horrifying looks into breakdowns and extremes of human emotion)? The only comparisons I've seen are to Antichrist and Cronenberg's The Brood, neither of which I've seen; are they similar? Another film I'd put in the same category as Possession is Eraserhead, so recommendations of movies similar to that would be appreciated as well.

Well I fully embrace Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Eraserhead, Tampopo, Mind Game, El Topo, Underground and to a slightly lesser extent Naked Lunch and Even Dwarves Started Small, so I don't think gonzoness is really a problem for me if I feel the film is good.

Even Dwarves Started Small has something of an Eraserhead vibe to it. I don't like The Brood much because I find the acting and compositions to be fairly mediocre, but the concept is suitably scary.

You should check out Fellini's Toby Dammit. It's not quite what you're looking for but I think it's in the same ball park. Also Juliet of the Spirits and Time of the Gypsies. They all have a manic energy about them in places. Cassavetes Husbands may also work.

Aleksei German's Khrustalyov, My Car! also has much in the way of emotional extremes. The same goes for Verhoeven's Turkish Delight.

None of these recs are really surrealistic 'horror' films though which may be more what you're looking for given the mention of The Brood and Eraserhead.

Have you seen Polanski's The Tenant or Repulsion? Any Jodorowsky, Lynch or Cronenberg you have left to see are probably a safe bet... maybe some Svankmajer, Tsukamoto and Brothers Quay as well... and maybe Von Trier, Haneke or some Bergman's you haven't gotten around to yet.

[Melville]

Well I fully embrace Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Eraserhead, Tampopo, Mind Game, El Topo, Underground and to a slightly lesser extent Naked Lunch and Even Dwarves Started Small, so I don't think gonzoness is really a problem for me if I feel the film is good.
I haven't seen Tampopo, Mind Game, or Even Dwarves Started Small, but the others definitely aren't as gonzo as Possession, which has acting pitched to the highest extremes of absurdity, an inexplicable shift into some kind of spy story toward its end, haphazardly grandiose/pretentious speeches, and a central image of a woman making love to her bloody, tentacled, miscarried child (which she identifies in a rambling speech as an embodiment of Faith). It's an extremely strange mixture of elements that I can imagine you saying aren't really developed or combined into a compelling whole, or something like that. But you should see it. There's certainly a lot to admire about it even if you don't fully embrace it.


Even Dwarves Started Small has something of an Eraserhead vibe to it.
Yeah, I should watch that just because it's Herzog.


You should check out Fellini's Toby Dammit. It's not quite what you're looking for but I think it's in the same ball park. Also Juliet of the Spirits and Time of the Gypsies. They all have a manic energy about them in places. Cassavetes Husbands may also work.

Aleksei German's Khrustalyov, My Car! also has much in the way of emotional extremes. The same goes for Verhoeven's Turkish Delight.

None of these recs are really surrealistic 'horror' films though which may be more what you're looking for given the mention of The Brood and Eraserhead.

Have you seen Polanski's The Tenant or Repulsion? Any Jodorowsky, Lynch or Cronenberg you have left to see are also probably a safe bet.
I've seen all of Lynch's films, and I think all but The Brood of Cronenberg's films; I hated the two Jodorowksy films I've seen. The Tenant, Repulsion, and Juliet of the Spirits don't really have the feeling of what I'm looking for, but they are all great. I'll look into your other recommendations.

[BuffaloWilder]

Square(s).

[Qrazy]

I haven't seen Tampopo, Mind Game, or Even Dwarves Started Small, but the others definitely aren't as gonzo as Possession, which has acting pitched to the highest extremes of absurdity, an inexplicable shift into some kind of spy story toward its end, haphazardly grandiose/pretentious speeches, and a central image of a woman making love to her bloody, tentacled, miscarried child (which she identifies in a rambling speech as an embodiment of Faith). It's an extremely strange mixture of elements that I can imagine you saying aren't really developed or combined into a compelling whole, or something like that. But you should see it. There's certainly a lot to admire about it even if you don't fully embrace it.


Haha, well in that case you may be right. I've had it for a while, I'll try to see it once finals are done. But if you don't mind the bolded element than definitely get on On the Silver Globe. You'll most likely love it. It has a lot going for it. And yeah I can't really think of any films like that which I've seen except maybe some Miike films which I would not recommend.

[Melville]

Haha, well in that case you may be right. I've had it for a while, I'll try to see it once finals are done. But if you don't mind the bolded element than definitely get on On the Silver Globe.
Will do. The haphazardly grandiose/pretentious speeches reminded me a lot of the rampant, deeply odd philosophizing speeches of Melville's novels, especially Pierre. In the same way as in his writing, the speeches don't come off as simple theme-spouting; it's more like they point to deeper, odder, ineffable things. And they're spoken and filmed with such bewildering intensity that they don't even really come off as speeches. In fact, the whole movie reminded me of Melville, with the enigmatic mixture of elements and the probing of strange depths.


EDIT: which Miike films are you thinking of? I've seen Audition, which I thought was great, Visitor Q, which I thought was all right, and Ichi the Killer, which I thought was pretty weak.

[Qrazy]

Will do. The haphazardly grandiose/pretentious speeches reminded me a lot of the rampant, deeply odd philosophizing speeches of Melville's novels, especially Pierre. In the same way as in his writing, the speeches don't come off as simple theme-spouting; it's more like they point to deeper, odder, ineffable things. And they're spoken and filmed with such bewildering intensity that they don't even really come off as speeches. In fact, the whole movie reminded me of Melville, with the enigmatic mixture of elements and the probing of strange depths.


EDIT: which Miike films are you thinking of? I've seen Audition, which I thought was great, Visitor Q, which I thought was all right, and Ichi the Killer, which I thought was pretty weak.

Yeah I really liked Audition as well. I was thinking of Dead or Alive which has some truly disgusting moments with animal pornography and a pool of feces and which goes completely off the deep end by the end of the film (so similar to your description of Possession in terms of the bizarre sex and the meandering, crazy plot, but definitely lacking the philosophical rants). Happiness of the Katakuris also has a lot of craziness, not a fan of it or DoA.

The Bird People in China is relatively good but aside from a moment or two, not really all that zany. The only other I've seen is Sukiyaki Western Django which I found to be mediocre.

[Melville]

Yeah I really liked Audition as well. I was thinking of Dead or Alive
I just read the plot synopsis in Wikipedia. It sounds pretty awesome, although I can imagine it ending up as just awkwardly, randomly self-aware and perverse.

[Qrazy]

I just read the plot synopsis in Wikipedia. It sounds pretty awesome, although I can imagine it ending up as just awkwardly, randomly self-aware and perverse.

The end is hilarious but the film as a whole is an ugly mess imo.

[Winston*]

I don't think you'd embrace Possession either—too gonzo for your tastes.

For those who have seen Possession, what other movies are similar (expressive, symbolic, perhaps horrifying looks into breakdowns and extremes of human emotion)? The only comparisons I've seen are to Antichrist and Cronenberg's The Brood, neither of which I've seen; are they similar?
Antichrist and Possession are similar now you mention it

[MadMan]

Will Ferrell's Broadway special where he plays Bush for the last time is the best damn thing he's ever done. Utterly hilarious, if a bit over the top at times, I like that he did it live and without any serious reservations. Holding back nothing, going fullly into character without hesitation.
Besides, there are some amazing monologues he delivers, with the one in my sig being the key favorite. Considering that his track record is a mixed bag (and that I didn't even bother to see his latest movie), knowing that he's still capable of bringing the funny is a welcome reminder that he has talent. The problem may be that Ferrell has already given us his greatest comedic creation.

[Ezee E]

Will Ferrell's Broadway special where he plays Bush for the last time is the best damn thing he's ever done. Utterly hilarious, if a bit over the top at times, I like that he did it live and without any serious reservations. Holding back nothing, going fullly into character without hesitation.
Besides, there are some amazing monologues he delivers, with the one in my sig being the key favorite. Considering that his track record is a mixed bag (and that I didn't even bother to see his latest movie), knowing that he's still capable of bringing the funny is a welcome reminder that he has talent. The problem may be that Ferrell has already given us his greatest comedic creation.
Nice. Glad someone else watched it. I liked it a ton too.

[Dukefrukem]

Just watched Deliverence for the first time... Great thriller. The rape scene wasn't as bad as everyone has made it out to be.

[Philosophe_rouge]

The Brood has thematic similiarties to Possession and is a very good film, but in terms of tone is so far off what Possession achieves. As far as Zulawski, I still think Possession is his best I've seen, but I still think The Devil and My Nights are More Beautiful... are grand

[Melville]

The Brood has thematic similiarties to Possession and is a very good film, but in terms of tone is so far off what Possession achieves. As far as Zulawski, I still think Possession is his best I've seen, but I still think The Devil and My Nights are More Beautiful... are grand
The synopsis of The Devil sounds great. I think I'll check that one out next. Also, those are some solid top 10s you've got.

[Philosophe_rouge]

The synopsis of The Devil sounds great. I think I'll check that one out next. Also, those are some solid top 10s you've got.
Thanks! Many of them have been woefully out of date, I haven't updated in over a month.

[Derek]

The synopsis of The Devil sounds great. I think I'll check that one out next.

I liked it a good deal as did Spinal. It's out there.

[Watashi]

Derek, how are you seeing all these early screenings? (Invictus, Sherlock)

[Derek]

Derek, how are you seeing all these early screenings? (Invictus, Sherlock)

Screeners.

[megladon8]

More than that, why did Derek bother going to see Ninja Assassin?

Was there even a minute chance that he'd like it?

[Derek]

More than that, why did Derek bother going to see Ninja Assassin?

Was there even a minute chance that he'd like it?

Saw it with friends.

[BuffaloWilder]

Allison Anders' Gas Food Lodging is a good movie, don't get me wrong, but these characters cry and bitch and whine more than any person I've ever met - it's like every other scene, with that. And, the ending feels a little - I don't know - trite, I guess?

[megladon8]

Saw it with friends.


That sucks. My friends don't really go to movies much anymore, but when they do and they want to bring me along, I pretty much say I'm not going if they're going to see the latest Michael Bay flick or Adam Sandler comedy or whatever. Or Ninja Assassin.

Dick move? Maybe. But I'm not wasting $12 to watch something terrible, especially when 95% of them time they end up hating it, too. I'd rather stay home, or just go spend that $12 at the pub on a couple of pints.

[Derek]

That sucks. My friends don't really go to movies much anymore, but when they do and they want to bring me along, I pretty much say I'm not going if they're going to see the latest Michael Bay flick or Adam Sandler comedy or whatever. Or Ninja Assassin.

Dick move? Maybe. But I'm not wasting $12 to watch something terrible, especially when 95% of them time they end up hating it, too. I'd rather stay home, or just go spend that $12 at the pub on a couple of pints.

It gives me leverage to get them to go see movies I want to see later on and it's not like they always go see absolute shit.

[megladon8]

It gives me leverage to get them to go see movies I want to see later on and it's not like they always go see absolute shit.


My friends wouldn't watch the movies I want to watch if I paid for their tickets.

I could see Transformers and Ninja Assassin-type movies with them 15 times, and they wouldn't go see the latest Coen brothers movie or even an accessible foreign film with me if their lives depended on it.

Not that I'd really want them to, anyways. The last time we saw a "good" movie together was No Country For Old Men, and I had to listen to one of them yawning and saying "ugh, when will it end?" under their breath the whole time.

So, again, I'd rather stay home.

[StanleyK]

I've just watched Steven Soderbergh's Solaris for the third time. Still one of the best films from this decade.

Also, has anyone seen anything by Dino Risi? I've seen The Easy Life, his original Scent of a Woman, and today In the Name of the Italian People. I figure, if there's anywhere on the internet where someone's seen one of his films, it's gotta be Match-Cut.

[megladon8]

I've just watched Steven Soderbergh's Solaris for the third time. Still one of the best films from this decade.


I wish I could give you 1000 rep points.

[number8]

I do find it kind of amazing, meg, that all your friends are like that.

[Grouchy]

Also, has anyone seen anything by Dino Risi? I've seen The Easy Life, his original Scent of a Woman, and today In the Name of the Italian People. I figure, if there's anywhere on the internet where someone's seen one of his films, it's gotta be Match-Cut.
Il Sorpasso is a classic.

[Grouchy]

So, Son of Rambow is a good little movie, although a bit oddly paced. The British have a sensitivity and sense of humor about childhood that Americans for some reason almost never have, so this story hits all the right notes without ever becoming sappy. I did think it was weird how the director used heightened reality and cartoonish situations but later expected us to be afraid for the safety of the kids, even though more dangerous stuff had already happened in jest.

Also saw Elegy. Not much to say here. Good-looking movie, a little too slow for my tastes. Always nice to see Dennis Hopper and Debbie Harry.

[Milky Joe]

The Girlfriend Experience is the best movie of the year.

[number8]

The Girlfriend Experience is the best movie of the year.

Of 2008?

I liked it a lot too.

[Milky Joe]

Both.

[megladon8]

I do find it kind of amazing, meg, that all your friends are like that.


The group of friends that would ever go to movies are, yes. This is about 4 people.

Surprisingly most of my other friends don't watch movies at all. They're more into gaming.

[megladon8]

Both.


Wait...what?

[Milky Joe]

It's the best movie of both years. That I've seen, anyway.

[ledfloyd]

nielsen people just called and interviewed me. they asked if i would be seeing invictus 'definitely, probably, may or may not, probably not, definitely not.' i said 'probably' cause i'll likely end up seeing it on dvd. they said 'you said you aren't definitely going to see invictus, can you please tell us why?' then they fed me a bunch of answers. 'i don't like sports movies, it looks too depressing, i don't like films with foreign accents, i don't like films about politics, i don't like films about race relations, it looks more serious than fun, it looks too much like a foreign film, there are other things i'd rather see, it looks too serious, it looks boring, i don't understand the title'

i can't believe how loaded most of those are. i went with 'there are other things i'd rather see' because it was the only one that didn't make me look like an asshole.

[number8]

"Morgan Freeman is a pedophile and I refuse to support his movies."

[ledfloyd]

"Morgan Freeman is a pedophile and I refuse to support his movies."
dammit, i'm upset i didn't think of that.

[Yxklyx]

The Girlfriend Experience is the best movie of the year.

I liked it a lot as well.

[Derek]

it looks too much like a foreign film

I like that this is an answer choice.

[Dukefrukem]

So I guess I should have watched No Country for Old Men sooner.

[balmakboor]

Saw The Blind Side over the weekend. Why, you might ask? Well, I had a choice of that or New Moon.

Anyway, it's probably the worst biopic I've ever seen. I've seldom seen a movie so lacking in any sort of dramatic tension or suspense. Plus it's a ridiculously racist excercise in white guilt.

Yuck! What I don't understand is how so many people in the audience were laughing and crying and gobbling it all up.

[Rowland]

Watchmen (Snyder, 2009) **

Almost works, thanks to a vivid opening, a climax that improves upon the source, a few strong performances, and a certain visual fluidity (when Snyder isn't indulging in his stop-go editing nonsense), but his approach here is wrong, rendering an ironic text doubly so by seemingly failing to grasp the full breadth of the comic's self-reflexive nature, lending the episodic, flashback-heavy mid-section in particular a number of tonal miscalculations, essentially sinking the ship in the process. What should inspire dread and reflection merely induces the occasional smirk at how silly and airless most of this material is when distilled through Snyder's all-surface vision. There are some really loaded thematic intimations at play here (many comparable to Nolan's far-superior The Dark Knight), but they feel largely facile when they should be incisive. As pop-art entertainment goes, I had a solid time when I wasn't periodically checking the clock, but its philosophy is muddled and its ambitions frustratingly unrealized.

[Sven]

a climax that improves upon the source

Sometimes I disagree with you, but never more so than here. Really? Big blue flash of light > giant alien octopus?

[Dukefrukem]

I might be the only person alive who enjoys his stop-go editing nonsense.

[number8]

Funny I was just ranting about Watchmen on twitter yesterday. Essentially, I think Snyder picked the wrong material for what he wanted to convey.

[Rowland]

Goodbye Solo (Bahrani, 2009) ***

Imbued with a tangibly respectful sensibility and directed with a keen eye, this starts strong by playing its potentially maudlin subject matter in a markedly subdued manner, before nearly derailing in the middle act as the narrative takes several clunky swerves into more overtly formulaic material that exposes the grinding structural machinations underlying the convincing texture of the piece. Bahrani surprises however by detouring around most of the anticipated beats in the final act and lending the climax unexpected resonance by playing his emotional trump card with relative restraint, suggesting ours a nation in which the oft-neglected old deserve their dignity (cloaked euthanasia support?) and that generational/cultural gaps shouldn't deter the striking of common ground in sustaining human bonds that shape our collective dreams. So, nothing terribly enlightening, but it strikes a minor chord within its parameters, and the execution is superior as these things go, trusting that some words are better left unsaid.

[Rowland]

Sometimes I disagree with you, but never more so than here. Really? Big blue flash of light > giant alien octopus?I felt it added dimension and resonance to Dr. Manhattan's thematic role. The original ending may have been more amusing, I'll give you that.

[Sven]

I felt it added dimension and resonance to Dr. Manhattan's thematic role. The original ending may have been more amusing, I'll give you that.

Well, I was not amused by the book's ending. I was confused and then, after much conversation and deliberation, impressed. I remember number8 has made many intelligent comments about the different endings and what they mean in regards to Dr. Manhattan. I would recommend looking over the Watchmen thread for those. Because I don't think I'm up for using another post to discuss this film, which I find very uninteresting.

[Watashi]

Heh. I almost agree with Rowland's Watchmen review word for word, but I still find the film to completely engaging and still better than any of the big event films released so far. It seems that from interviews and what-not, that Snyder wasn't even trying to go for subtext and edited and adapted the source because it looked "really cool".

[Sycophant]

Blasphemous cinephile experience:

Watched W.C. Fields's The Bank Dick on Friday and was bored out of my skull. The film didn't engage me in the slightest, and made me smile maybe once or twice. This is a masterpiece of screen comedy? It did practically nothing fo rme. The Fields persona was pretty hard for me to enjoy and seemed to pale in comparison to some of the parodies I've seen of the same in vintage cartoons. That it was made the same year as Sturges's The Great McGinty seems kinda crazy to me.

Then I popped in my newly-acquired DVD of Jody Hill's Observe and Report to watch a few scenes. I really like that movie.

[baby doll]

It's the best movie of both years. That I've seen, anyway.It's okay, but (like most of Soderbergh's movies) it's pretty half baked. The whole subplot about the boyfriend going to Las Vegas doesn't go anywhere very interesting (he gets there... and he has a nice time in a fancy hotel!). Why do Sodbergh's movies always sound more interesting on paper than they are to watch? A four-hour bio-pic of Che Guevara... Why, that sounds awesome! A couple months later: Yeah, that was pretty good, but it's no The Battle of Algiers. And I can barely even remember Bubble, Full Frontal, The Limey, Traffic, and Solaris--to say nothing of less ambitious, more star-driven efforts like Out of Sight and Erin Brokovich (I haven't seen any of the Ocean's films, and you can't make me). My favorites are still his most conventional, sex, lies & videotape and King of the Hill, because he seems more engaged by his content (or at the very least, I was).

[Spun Lepton]

Caught J.J. Abrams' Star Trek last weekend and enjoyed it quite a bit more than I expected. I rather admire the way they used the old series to reboot and skew the timeline for the new, giving them complete freedom to rewrite history. I also had to pause the movie after the red shirt's death, so I could catch my breath from laughing. 8/10

[megladon8]

Glad you liked it, Spun.

For sheer quick-witted entertainment value, I'm not sure I saw a better movie this year.

The effects were top-notch, the action exciting, the characters interesting and likable.

It was great fun.

[Grouchy]

I rewatched Batman (1989) for the first time in years the other night. It hasn't aged too well. What I find most uncomfortable in comparison with the Nolan version is that Keaton's Batman is pretty much a nulity during the action scenes. He stands still and awkward like he has trouble moving inside the suit, is barely able to throw a punch and does all his ass-kicking through silly rope tricks. He also uses lethal force pretty often. Other than that, the movie is campy but generally amusing - although after seeing Ledger's Joker, what I see in this movie is only Jack Nicholson being Jack Nicholson.

Batman Returns is infinitely better from what I remember.

[balmakboor]

It's okay, but (like most of Soderbergh's movies) it's pretty half baked. The whole subplot about the boyfriend going to Las Vegas doesn't go anywhere very interesting (he gets there... and he has a nice time in a fancy hotel!). Why do Sodbergh's movies always sound more interesting on paper than they are to watch? A four-hour bio-pic of Che Guevara... Why, that sounds awesome! A couple months later: Yeah, that was pretty good, but it's no The Battle of Algiers. And I can barely even remember Bubble, Full Frontal, The Limey, Traffic, and Solaris--to say nothing of less ambitious, more star-driven efforts like Out of Sight and Erin Brokovich (I haven't seen any of the Ocean's films, and you can't make me). My favorites are still his most conventional, sex, lies & videotape and King of the Hill, because he seems more engaged by his content (or at the very least, I was).

God, I agree with almost every word of this. I haven't seen Che yet, so I can't agree with that, yet. And I really liked Erin Brokovich and have pretty decent recollection of it.

I actually think Soderbergh is a bit of an Ed Wood. Not as inept, but far more passionate than talented.

[Qrazy]

I'm not a big fan either, but Schizopolis is a very funny film.

[Adam]

Che, especially the first part, is very engaging

Schizopolis is hilarious

The Underneath, The Limey & Out of Sight are all three a blast and a half

[megladon8]

Batman is one of the few instances where the editing stuck out like a sore thumb to me.

Jee-bus that movie had terrible editing.

[Grouchy]

Batman is one of the few instances where the editing stuck out like a sore thumb to me.

Jee-bus that movie had terrible editing.
True. Again, it was specially notable during the action scenes.

I love The Limey. Helluva movie.

[BuffaloWilder]

Che is a masterpiece.

[origami_mustache]

Whatever Works is a complete piece of crap.

[Skitch]

Blasphemous cinephile experience:

Watched W.C. Fields's The Bank Dick on Friday and was bored out of my skull. The film didn't engage me in the slightest, and made me smile maybe once or twice. This is a masterpiece of screen comedy? It did practically nothing fo rme. The Fields persona was pretty hard for me to enjoy and seemed to pale in comparison to some of the parodies I've seen of the same in vintage cartoons. That it was made the same year as Sturges's The Great McGinty seems kinda crazy to me.

Then I popped in my newly-acquired DVD of Jody Hill's Observe and Report to watch a few scenes. I really like that movie.
I think you and I are having a moment. I watched Gomorrah today, which should have been awesome, but it was not at all, and it wouldn't fucking end. And now I'm watching Observe and Report for the first time. So far its great.

[Melville]

Whatever Works is a complete piece of crap.
wtf

[Benny Profane]

Whatever Works is a complete piece of crap.

Agreed.

[Melville]

Agreed.
Why? Its core message was simplistic and somewhat awkwardly developed, but I thought the whole thing was charming, and damn funny too. Larry David was a great curmudgeon, and Evan Rachel Wood's imitations of his caustic philosophy were hilarious.

[Watashi]

Whatever Works is a complete piece of crap.

Indeed.

It's like a Woody Allen parody movie done by those guys who do those ____ Movie movies.

Okay, maybe not that bad, but close.

[Benny Profane]

Why? Its core message was simplistic and somewhat awkwardly developed, but I thought the whole thing was charming, and damn funny too. Larry David was a great curmudgeon, and Evan Rachel Wood's imitations of his caustic philosophy were hilarious.

Disagree about it being charming, funny, and Wood's performance. I found it overly affected, annoying, and obvious.

[trotchky]

Precious is a film that wants its audience to feel good about themselves for having watched a film. It's garbage.

[trotchky]

Whatever Works is no Annie Hall but compared to shit like Anything Else it's a goddamn masterpiece.

[MadMan]

Sometimes I disagree with you, but never more so than here. Really? Big blue flash of light > giant alien octopus?Exactly. Plus, the movie actually made me like the overall ending even more than I did previously. Still, I don't understand why people are critizing the movie for supposedly not realizing the graphic novel's "essence/nature/*insert descriptive word here." When you transfer something from a different medium to a another medium, something will probably get lost in the translation, and things will be different. So what. The same thing has happened with the Harry Potter and LOTRs movies, and I didn't mind at all.
But hey I'm a huge fan of the Snyder adaption of Watchmen, and I'm not sure anyone else could have done much more of a better job. I'd say that for the most part he tried to stick to the source material-I fear that someone else would have attempted to make it their own, and changed too many things.


Nice. Glad someone else watched it. I liked it a ton too.Ferrell should do more specials on Broadway, although I don't know who else he could play.

[Boner M]

a film that wants its audience to feel good about themselves for having watched a film.
Hmm.

[Melville]

Disagree about it being charming, funny, and Wood's performance. I found it overly affected, annoying, and obvious.
I actually agree that it's overly affected and obvious, but I really dig Allen's humor, even the kind of slight and overly cute version of it that he's been using lately.


Whatever Works is no Annie Hall but compared to shit like Anything Else it's a goddamn masterpiece.
Yeah, I think his last few movies, starting with Match Point (and excepting Cassandra's Dream, which I haven't seen), have been a huge improvement over the stuff he was doing in the preceding ten or so years.

[Milky Joe]

It's okay, but (like most of Soderbergh's movies) it's pretty half baked. The whole subplot about the boyfriend going to Las Vegas doesn't go anywhere very interesting (he gets there... and he has a nice time in a fancy hotel!). Why do Sodbergh's movies always sound more interesting on paper than they are to watch? A four-hour bio-pic of Che Guevara... Why, that sounds awesome! A couple months later: Yeah, that was pretty good, but it's no The Battle of Algiers. And I can barely even remember Bubble, Full Frontal, The Limey, Traffic, and Solaris--to say nothing of less ambitious, more star-driven efforts like Out of Sight and Erin Brokovich (I haven't seen any of the Ocean's films, and you can't make me). My favorites are still his most conventional, sex, lies & videotape and King of the Hill, because he seems more engaged by his content (or at the very least, I was).

The only thing that is half-baked here is your analysis. But this is true of almost every reaction to the film I've read, so don't feel too bad.

[Winston*]

Yeah, I think his last few movies, starting with Match Point (and excepting Cassandra's Dream, which I haven't seen), have been a huge improvement over the stuff he was doing in the preceding ten or so years.
Sweet and Lowdown is miles better than Match Point and Vicky Christina Barcelona IMO.

[Melville]

Sweet and Lowdown is miles better than Match Point and Vicky Christina Barcelona IMO.
Haven't seen that one. I'm thinking mostly of stuff like Curse of the Jade Scorpion and Anything Else, where Allen seemed to have lost all his comedic timing even when his writing was sharp. Deconstructing Harry is also amongst my least favorite of his more serious movies.

[ledfloyd]

Anything Else is so much better than Whatever Works.

[soitgoes...]

Deconstructing Harry is also amongst my least favorite of his more serious movies.
Now you're as wrong as the Whatever Works haters.

[Sycophant]

Woody Allen's last 15 years of films, ranked:

Deconstructing Harry (1997) (this is my second favorite Allen film, after Purple Rose of Cairo)
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
Match Point (2005)
Whatever Works (2009)
Cassandra's Dream (2007)
Everyone Says I Love You (1996)
Melinda and Melinda (2004)
Mighty Aphrodite (1995)
Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)
Anything Else (2003)
Scoop (2006)
Small Time Crooks (2000)

Haven't seen:
Celebrity (1998)
Sweet and Lowdown (1999)
Hollywood Ending (2002)

I honestly don't think this period is as bad as everyone says it is. Certainly not the 1980s, and the only two that really are that great (in my estimation) are VCB and DH. But his lesser films in this period are generally still pretty good.

[Watashi]

Deconstructing Harry is probably the worst Allen film that I've seen.

[ledfloyd]

Woody Allen's last 15 years of films, ranked:

Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Anything Else
Bullets Over Broadway
Sweet and Lowdown
Everyone Says I Love You
Match Point
Deconstructing Harry
Small Time Crooks
Whatever Works
Scoop
Mighty Aphrodite
Celebrity
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion
Hollywood Ending
Melinda and Melinda
Cassandra's Dream

[ledfloyd]

and for the record, i DO think this period is as bad as everyone says it is. the last 5 films on the list are almost unwatchable.

[soitgoes...]

and for the record, i DO think this period is as bad as everyone says it is. the last 5 films on the list are almost unwatchable.

As far as arbitrary 15 year periods go, it is his weakest, but he's still made some really great films. In my eyes present day Woody's problem is that the middle arbitrary 15 year period is so consistently great. I mean home boy was churning out the quality the way only a handful of directors have ever done.

[Derek]

Woody Allen's last 15 years of films, ranked:

Deconstructing Harry (1997) (this is my second favorite Allen film, after Purple Rose of Cairo)

I don't like it that much, but I don't understand the hate it gets around these parts. You have to check out Sweet and Lowdown. I'd say it's his last great film.

[ledfloyd]

As far as arbitrary 15 year periods go, it is his weakest, but he's still made some really great films. In my eyes present day Woody's problem is that the middle arbitrary 15 year period is so consistently great. I mean home boy was churning out the quality the way only a handful of directors have ever done.
true. 1975-1989 i don't think he made a single 'bad' film.

[Melville]

Now you're as wrong as the Whatever Works haters.
I like the general idea of Deconstructing Harry, but the execution is awful. Everything about it feels so stilted, particularly the scene with the devil.

But I realize now that I actually haven't seen many of his films from the last 15 years.

Match Point - 8.5
Vicky Cristina Barcelona - 8
Scoop - 7.5
Whatever Works - 7
Deconstructing Harry - 4
Anything Else - 3.5
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - 2.5


For comparison:

Manhattan - 10
Stardust Memories - 9.5
Hannah and Her Sisters - 9
Love and Death - 9
Crimes and Misdemeanors - 8
Bullets over Broadway - 8
Husbands and Wives - 8
Broadway Danny Rose - 8
Annie Hall - 7.5
The Purple Rose of Cairo - 6.5
Sleeper - 5
Bananas - 4
Take the Money and Run - 4
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex - 4

So I think his last five years are much stronger than his early years. But as you said, his middle years were just so damned good, they make his most recent years look bad by comparison.

[Spinal]

Top 5 Allen:
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Very good:
Deconstructing Harry
Bullets Over Broadway
Sweet and Lowdown

OK:
Mighty Aphrodite
The Curse of the Jade Scorpione
Celebrity

Not Good:
Everyone Says I Love You
Scoop

Haven't seen:
Match Point
Whatever Works
Cassandra's Dream
Melinda and Melinda
Anything Else
Small Time Crooks
Hollywood Ending

[trotchky]

Hmm.

I'm assuming this means I wasn't clear enough, so I'll try again: the movie gratifies its audience (and lulls them into complacency) by letting them know they are watching something "raw," "honest," and/or "important" without wanting to challenge them.

[Qrazy]

I found Match Point to be fairly awful.

[Winston*]

Crank 2 is really unpleasant and not very funny.

EDIT: Finished it. Hated it. Will not be watching Crank 3.

[lovejuice]

Anything Else is so much better than Whatever Works.
agree. Anything Else might not be as entertaining, but Whatever Works seems a tad bit simplistic from a master of cinematic nihilism like Allen.

and yes to whoever thinks Deconstructing Harry the second best of Allen's.

[B-side]

Watched 3 movies of varying greatness while we had no cable, internet or phone:

Statues Also Die is easily one of the best documentaries I've seen. It traces Black history back to its roots and examines its output of untarnished and uncommercialized art, what it said of its era and its effect on modern art, then follows that history up to now, casting a very sympathetic and profound eye on the history and ongoing struggle of these people.

The Steamroller and the Violin is a new entry in my top 20. Completely baffled as to why it's so rarely mentioned. Tarkovsky's desire for the companionship and structure he lacked during childhood due to the absence of his father find themselves manifested in wonderfully poignant, visually exceptional and utterly transfixing ways.

First Name: Carmen is among the best I've seen from Godard in matters of the visual and aural. Coutard's photography is gorgeous, and it breathes. The narrative is scattershot and a bit trying, but once I got settled in with it, I was loving the ride.

[Eleven]

The Steamroller and the Violin is a new entry in my top 20. Completely baffled as to why it's so rarely mentioned. Tarkovsky's desire for the companionship and structure he lacked during childhood due to the absence of his father find themselves manifested in wonderfully poignant, visually exceptional and utterly transfixing ways.

Definitely among my foremost favorite Tarkovskies (http://film-at-11.blogspot.com/2006/06/steamroller-and-violin-andrei.html). Amazing to think it's only his diploma film.

[megladon8]

Sometimes I think Robert De Niro tries to look as unhappy and uninterested as possible whenever at awards shows, premieres, or even on set.

[Melville]

The Steamroller and the Violin is a new entry in my top 20. Completely baffled as to why it's so rarely mentioned. Tarkovsky's desire for the companionship and structure he lacked during childhood due to the absence of his father find themselves manifested in wonderfully poignant, visually exceptional and utterly transfixing ways.
Sounds like I need to see that post-haste.

[B-side]

Definitely among my foremost favorite Tarkovskies (http://film-at-11.blogspot.com/2006/06/steamroller-and-violin-andrei.html). Amazing to think it's only his diploma film.

Absolutely. His visual capabilities were in full force, too. I really did not want it to end. Surprised how emotionally invested I was in their relationship.

[B-side]

Sounds like I need to see that post-haste.

Definitely. And at a meager 45 mins, it's not exactly something you need to set aside a lot of time for. How do you rank your Tark's?

[NickGlass]

Oh, Woody Allen ranking time! I'm just noticing that my modern Woody Allen views are moderately unconventional--at least in regards to Everyone Says I Love You (which I consider one of Woody's funniest and delightful) and Celebrity (it's choppy and mean, but I dug it's tone of desperation). His biggest problem in recent years has been his completely lack of subtlety--he still occasionally captures nuances, but his last 20 films are all fairly obvious.

Top notch:
Everyone Says I Love You

Show some spark/charm/insight:
Sweet and Lowdown
Deconstructing Harry
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Celebrity
Small Time Crooks

Go down easy:
Bullets over Broadway
Mighty Aphrodite
Cassandra's Dream

Quite bad (all on the same level):
Hollywood Ending
Match Point
Melinda and Melinda
Scoop
Whatever Works

Unbearable:
Anything Else
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion

[Melville]

Definitely. And at a meager 45 mins, it's not exactly something you need to set aside a lot of time for. How do you rank your Tark's?
Andrei Rublev - 10
Solaris - 10
The Mirror - 10
The Sacrifice - 8.5
Nostalghia - 8.5
Stalker - 6
Ivan's Childhood - 6

[Pop Trash]

I'll play:

Very Good:
Deconstructing Harry
Sweet and Lowdown
Match Point

Good:
Bullets Over Broadway
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

OK:
Mighty Aphrodite
Celebrity

Not Good:
Everyone Says I Love You

Haven't Seen:
Small Time Crooks
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion
Hollywood Ending
Anything Else
Melinda and Melinda
Scoop
Cassandra's Dream
Whatever Works

So really most of what he has put out over the last decade I haven't seen nor do I have much desire to see.

[B-side]

Andrei Rublev - 10
Solaris - 10
The Mirror - 10
The Sacrifice - 8.5
Nostalghia - 8.5
Stalker - 6
Ivan's Childhood - 6

Interesting that you find Stalker to be a lesser work of his. I do as well. Can't really predict what you'll think of Steamroller, but I hope you like it.

[lovejuice]

Oh, Woody Allen ranking time! I'm just noticing that my modern Woody Allen views are moderately unconventional--at least in regards to Everyone Says I Love You (which I consider one of Woody's funniest and delightful)
point me to the heretic who dislikes that movie!

Allenic!
Deconstructing Harry
Match Point
Bullets Over Broadway
Everyone Says I Love You
Mighty Aphrodite

Fun
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion
Anything Else
Scoop
Whatever Works

Not so good
Hollywood Ending
Melinda and Melinda

[balmakboor]

Annie Hall - 7.5
Sleeper - 5
Bananas - 4
Take the Money and Run - 4
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex - 4

Maybe it's because I'm quite a bit older than most of you, but I find so much wrong in these ratings that I don't know where to begin.

[Pop Trash]

Maybe it's because I'm quite a bit older than most of you, but I find so much wrong in these ratings that I don't know where to begin.

Word.

[NickGlass]

point me to the heretic who dislikes that movie!

Well, just on this page both Spinal and Pop Trash have it near the bottom, listed as "Not good." That makes me sad.


Fun
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion
Anything Else
Scoop
Whatever Works

But what's up with this, silly? I'm afraid to ask what else you define as fun.

[Ivan Drago]

But what's up with this, silly? I'm afraid to ask what else you define as fun.

If he says Braindead/Dead Alive, I'd welcome him with open arms. I saw it for the first time ever in my comedy class and OMFG dood it wuz teh AWSUM!!!1

[Adam]

Cassandra's Dream is really jaw-droppingly bland

[Qrazy]

Stalker - 6
Ivan's Childhood - 6

What the fuck?

[megladon8]

So a rewatch of John Woo's Hard Boiled has me feeling torn.

On one hand, the action scenes are still absolutely freaking sublime. Beautifully choreographed, inventive camerawork - composed perfectly in just about every way. They make me want to give the movie a 10.

But then...there's everything else. The cliché plot, horrible cheesy melodrama, utterly ridiculous plot developments and John Woo's signature "show the dichotomy of something innocent and something violent" is full force and ham-fisted here - a baby's face splattered with the blood of its protector? Really?

I think I have to settle on a rating of about 7.

P.S. - worst musical score ever.

[Qrazy]

True.

[megladon8]

True.


It's so, so hard to be so critical of everything else in the film, because the action scenes are just so, so damn good.

If Woo could get some solid, interesting character work and dialogue built into his films, he could very well rival Michael Mann and Johnnie To in the realm of modern crime films.