28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[B-side]

I live with Barty.

Oh. I didn't know this.


B-Side, your comments on Your Friends & Neighbours seem to be more positive than those of Bigger Than Life. Please amend this.

Hm. I wouldn't say the difference is a major one, if I do indeed prefer the former to the latter, which I feel I just may. It'd be like a tenth of a point if I rated films still.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Bigger Than Life is quite good. I've always loved James Mason, and this is probably the best performance of his I've seen. Also, the film kinda seemed to dip into a critique of republican social ideals. Then there's the jab at Lincoln at the end. Hm.

I'm not sure if Republican social ideals would be quite right, as the divide was not as significant during this era (though the red scare was on the downslide, it seems to be that a lot of "liberals" were afraid to speak out for fear of baseless condemnation... both parties seem to join together for the witch hunt with few dissenters), and in all and any of the reading I've done from newspapers from the mid 1950s, they wouldn't even use the term as far as I can tell... at least not as sparingly as we do today. I think the film is more broadly a criticism of prevailing social values that were crippling the apparent growth of the individual, through repression and oppression in pretty general terms. I think the fact that Mason's character represents at once a social ideal of powerful masculinity and an extremely destructive force is the film's strongest and most fascinating point. Formally, the film is impeccable.

[B-side]

I think the film is more broadly a criticism of prevailing social values that were crippling the apparent growth of the individual, through repression and oppression in pretty general terms. I think the fact that Mason's character represents at once a social ideal of powerful masculinity and an extremely destructive force is the film's strongest and most fascinating point. Formally, the film is impeccable.

Oh yeah, definitely. I wouldn't have used the republican label had it not been for the bit at the end targeting Lincoln specifically.

[Melville]

Oh yeah, definitely. I wouldn't have used the republican label had it not been for the bit at the end targeting Lincoln specifically.
I don't recall that bit. Remind me? Anyway, the movie rocks the house. My thoughts (http://melvillian.wordpress.com/2010/01/07/bigger-than-life-nicholas-ray-1956/), if you haven't read them.

[B-side]

I don't recall that bit. Remind me? Anyway, the movie rocks the house. My thoughts (http://melvillian.wordpress.com/2010/01/07/bigger-than-life-nicholas-ray-1956/), if you haven't read them.

At the very end, he said he'd been dreaming he was Lincoln: tall and ugly, etc., which I take it is in reference to his psychosis.

I had reads your thoughts last night, actually. They were a big part in why I had decided to download it, and watch it today.:)

[Melville]

At the very end, he said he'd been dreaming he was Lincoln: tall and ugly, etc., which I take it is in reference to his psychosis.

I had reads your thoughts last night, actually. They were a big part in why I had decided to download it, and watch it today.:)
Oh. Cool.

[Grouchy]

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story rocks. Hard.

[Ivan Drago]

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story rocks. Hard.

The most underrated/underseen comedy of the last decade in my opinion.

"The Siamese cat is a symbol of nobility in ancient Egypt!"
"Man, FUCK nobility!"
"FUCK ancient Egypt!"
".......FUCK....cats." :lol:

[Grouchy]

"You pay that chimp more than you pay us! I had to borrow from the chimp to get a mortgage on my house!"

I also love it when the dad is rolling the hay and singing to himself "the wrong kid died... the wrong kid died".

[Ivan Drago]

"You pay that chimp more than you pay us! I had to borrow from the chimp to get a mortgage on my house!"

I also love it when the dad is rolling the hay and singing to himself "the wrong kid died... the wrong kid died".

"It is illegal to married to two women at the same time!"
"What about...if you're famous?"

[trotchky]

Is Anchorman's pretend sexism real sexism? I saw it recently and I'm leaning towards "yes."

[Qrazy]

Is Anchorman's pretend sexism real sexism? I saw it recently and I'm leaning towards "yes."

Anchorman has a couple of decent one liners, but it has to be one of the worst directed films I have ever seen. Characters quite literally stand in one spot in flat lighting with terrible composition and state their lines. It's just so horribly staged and filmed.

[Derek]

Is Anchorman's pretend sexism real sexism? I saw it recently and I'm leaning towards "yes."

Ah, you find it troubling that the films revels in the absurdities of pure machismo while giving the female protagonist a level head and ambition? Or do you just think any jokes about misogyny are automatically misogynistic?

[Derek]

Anchorman has a couple of decent one liners, but it has to be one of the worst directed films I have ever seen. Characters quite literally stand in one spot in flat lighting with terrible composition and state their lines. It's just so horribly staged and filmed.

Way to address the issue at point.

[trotchky]

Ah, you find it troubling that the films revels in the absurdities of pure machismo while giving the female protagonist a level head and ambition? Or do you just think any jokes about misogyny are automatically misogynistic?

I think by reveling in pure machismo the film wants to put us firmly in the viewpoint of the male, and the female protagonist isn't a strong, level-headed character as much as she is an archetype of one.

[Derek]

Qrazy, thoughts on the staging or lighting in Tim & Eric's Awesome Show?

[Winston*]

Qrazy, thoughts on the staging or lighting in Tim & Eric's Awesome Show?

I liked the part when they slowly zoomed in on that thing for an extended length of time and had that weird sound effect in the background.

[Qrazy]

Way to address the issue at point.

Was I supposed to?

[Qrazy]

Qrazy, thoughts on the staging or lighting in Tim & Eric's Awesome Show?

I've only seen that one clip where they're playing that board game, but it was better than Anchorman. Still there's no reason for sketch shows or comedy films to have good awful filmmaking... Monty Python, Mitchell and Webb, Tampopo, My Friends, Pineapple Express, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis films, etc and so forth all use the medium either well or at least serviceably.

[baby doll]

Who really cares if Anchorman was sexist or not? Either way, it's painfully unfunny.

On a completely unrelated matter, I watched the final cut of Blade Runner last night and can't see any difference between this version and the early '90s "director's cut," except that it has a few more violent money shots.

[Derek]

I think by reveling in pure machismo the film wants to put us firmly in the viewpoint of the male, and the female protagonist isn't a strong, level-headed character as much as she is an archetype of one.

In the context of the film, she is strong and level-headed. Technically, they're all archetypes since the film is absurdist and not particularly interested in delving into its characters. And of course it puts us firmly in the viewpoint of the male, since the main character is a male, everyone in power is male and about 75-80% of the lines are given to males. Simply because the film takes the perspective of Burgandy's gang does not mean it expects us to think they're behavior is acceptable. It's funny because it's so blatantly unacceptable and their misogyny only serves to make them appear incredibly stupid, especially when paired against the relative normalcy of Applegate's character.

But trotchky, what I really want to know is what you thought of the framing in the scene where Ron Burgandy throws a burrito on Jack Black and Jack Black punts his dog off a bridge. Because for me, the plight of Burgandy's despair could have been heightened with a soft-focus close-up as his face right after the kick followed by a steadi-cam high-angle shot following him as he runs into the phone booth. Then a medium shot of the phone booth with sunlight reflecting off in various directions really could've driven the emotional poignancy of tragedy home.

[Derek]

Was I supposed to?

Only if you want your post to make sense or be relevant.

[Watashi]

I thought Talladega Nights had impressive direction and cinematography. I love the Ferrell/McKay collaborations. I can't wait for their next one this summer.

[hey it's ethan]

Step Brothers is actually a pretty visually interesting movie.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I enjoy the McKay/Ferrell collabs to varying degrees, but there was a five- or six-year stretch where I thought Anchorman was the best comedy of the decade. Now, I've come to my senses, and it's merely one of the best. Ron Burgundy is Ferrell's best idiot-man-child character ever, thanks to the precise look and feel and delivery of the persona.

On a visual level, I'm not sure they're exemplary in any way, but I think it would take much closer analysis to come to any solid conclusion. Regardless, the strength of McKay and Ferrell as a team is their method of interweaving extreme non-sequitur dialogue into larger-than-life personas. Burgundy's bizarrely ancient outbursts ("Great Odin's Raven!") are preposterous, but they somehow work for his character. Similarly, Ricky Bobby's confrontation that slides into a conversation about the merits of crepes is both insane in context while perfectly keeping with the people established.

Some of this skill obviously comes from the actors. It's odd how, toward the end of Stepbrothers, the two sons suddenly become a voice of reason to Richard Jenkins's desperate dream to be a dinosaur. I don't think this could work without those specific actors selling the gag.

[Qrazy]

Only if you want your post to make sense or be relevant.

So all of the posts in this thread correlate with one another?

[Qrazy]

But trotchky, what I really want to know is what you thought of the framing in the scene where Ron Burgandy throws a burrito on Jack Black and Jack Black punts his dog off a bridge. Because for me, the plight of Burgandy's despair could have been heightened with a soft-focus close-up as his face right after the kick followed by a steadi-cam high-angle shot following him as he runs into the phone booth. Then a medium shot of the phone booth with sunlight reflecting off in various directions really could've driven the emotional poignancy of tragedy home.

I think what you're missing here is that it's not mediocre. It's god awful bad. Billy Madison was shot better. Hell I've seen college humor shorts with more visual dynamism.

[Ezee E]

So all of the posts in this thread correlate with one another?
This has been making me laugh.

[balmakboor]

I got bored watching a bunch of representatives act like kindergarteners. So I instant watched Uwe Boll's Postal -- my first ever Boll.

Wow. That was deliriously bad in a mindboggling sort of way. If Boll didn't have indescribably bad taste, he wouldn't have any taste at all.

Some bizarre moralizing near the end -- trade in your guns for hugs. And the final shot of Bin Laden and G.W. Bush walking away together toward mushroom clouds was pretty fucking fantastic.

[D_Davis]

Went to Scarecrow today with Sven and rented that last few (post-Exiled) Johnnie To films. Just finished Vengeance - it was pretty cool. Not as good as Exiled, but then again what is? Still though, I love To's simplistic narratives; his films are stripped-down-to-the-bare-frame exercises in style and ambiance. And is there anyone more cool than Anthony Wong? I don't think so. That dude is just a bad ass.

Looking forward to watching Mad Detective and Sparrow this week.

[soitgoes...]

Went to Scarecrow today with Sven and rented that last few (post-Exiled) Johnnie To films. Just finished Vengeance - it was pretty cool. Not as good as Exiled, but then again what is? Still though, I love To's simplistic narratives; his films are stripped-down-to-the-bare-frame exercises in style and ambiance. And is there anyone more cool than Anthony Wong? I don't think so. That dude is just a bad ass.

Looking forward to watching Mad Detective and Sparrow this week.
It's like he peaked with Exiled, and then his next films slowly get worse. Mad Detective>Sparrow>Vengeance. I haven't seen Linger yet, and from what I've heard that's probably for the best.

[B-side]

Vengeance was OK. :/

Should I watch my first Jerry Lewis film tonight? I'm thinking so.

[dmk]

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story rocks. Hard.
Oh how it does. :pritch:

[Derek]

I think what you're missing here is that it's not mediocre. It's god awful bad. Billy Madison was shot better. Hell I've seen college humor shorts with more visual dynamism.

Except that it's not, or at least not nearly to the degree you're saying. I think what you're missing here is that if I asked someone's opinion of Anchorman and they went off about how terrible the lighting and blocking was, I'd slap them as hard as I could. In fact, if we ever meet in person, I promise I'll slap you for saying it, though I'll buy you a drink afterward.

[Derek]

Oh how it does. :pritch:

Am I really the only one who hates Dewey Cox? The love it gets on this site continues to baffle me.

[Boner M]

I'm not sure if the ending of Abigail's Party was supposed to be pitch-black comedy or botched melodrama, but the whole production works damn well as an excoriation of bourgeois complacency, however tired the theme may be. Never has a repeated "Yes, dear" been used to such devastatingly comic effect.

[Boner M]

Hot Rod >>> every McKay/Ferrell collab

[SirNewt]

http://www.thirdfactory.net/images/garance.jpg


Children of Paradise

For all its similarities to other period films Children of Paradise tells a rather post modern story. It's not a Dickens like tale of social injustice or even a film about crossing boundaries. It is a film about how sometimes things just don't work out. It's about our conceptions our expectations and the effect of time on these. It's about how all the things in our hearts, that we just know are meant to be, can fail to happen. It's about all the small things that build up and ruin the future. The film;s studio epic style is a veneer of period chic thinly coats a rougher underlying reality.

Into such a treacherous world we thrust our lively cast of characters who seem, at first, to be classic love story archetypes. But they quickly become knowable, mutable people. The studio sheen that brightens their faces does not touch their spirits. Their fortunes change for the better and the worse but this only slowly effects how they map their course. They forge on because they lack the superhuman power of foresight. The objectives for Baptist, Lemaitre, Lacenaire, and the aristocrat Montray are not things that can be earned but things that must be given. It's not society these men are up against but fate or luck or genetics. And only when it is too late do they embrace the power to change. It's not morality we've run against but fate. Fate has played a trick. And innocent, loving Garance must spring the trap built by ignorant pawns of fortune. Garance to save herself, elegantly flourishes the card of the count incurring obvious and visceral consequences. Cruel winds have swept her away and, her presence, which may have eventually softened the heart of Baptiste is no longer felt on the Boulevard du Crime. So ends the fist half.

But for all it's preparations the first half of the film alone does not imply the second. The first half closes, all the pieces are in place but they are not ready. The film ha left them one way and time will find them another way. Seven years pass and those fateful winds, which were at first cruel, will finally be revealed as monstrous. As the film closes Children of Paradise seems a story unfulfilled. It lacks a finite ending but this is where the polish tappers most thin. Because it is a story taking place in a theatre not a theatre story.

The film is perhaps one of kind. Studio epics are about forging or fulfilling great destiny but Children of Paradise might as well be taking place in an alternate universe.

-10-

[B-side]

Yeah, I remember loving Children of Paradise, in large part thanks to this guy:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WckQavBHSmw/RmjEljdERWI/AAAAAAAAAXc/nSfNztaOapE/s400/lesenfantsduparadis1.jpg

[D_Davis]

It's like he peaked with Exiled, and then his next films slowly get worse. Mad Detective>Sparrow>Vengeance. I haven't seen Linger yet, and from what I've heard that's probably for the best.

Well, if he peaked with Exiled, that is perfectly OK, because that film is brilliant. Any director should consider themselves lucky to have a film that good in their filmography.

[Watashi]

How come no one told me that Danny Huston plays Poseidon, Lord of the Sea, in Clash of the Titans?

[Boner M]

So much of Boy A is so good, esp. the evocative direction and acting, but dammit some of those coincidences are hard to ignore/forgive.
The only way to justify him meeting his gf on the pier at the end is that it was a hallucination, and even then it felt clumsily handled.
Fortunately it ends on a pitch-perfect note of ambiguity, but the occasionally creaky scripting softens the overall blow.

[lovejuice]

weird. i can't seem to find the thread on A Serious Man. a magnificent movie, though. while i can't claim to be their fan, i consider this to be their best effort.

[Qrazy]

Except that it's not, or at least not nearly to the degree you're saying. I think what you're missing here is that if I asked someone's opinion of Anchorman and they went off about how terrible the lighting and blocking was, I'd slap them as hard as I could. In fact, if we ever meet in person, I promise I'll slap you for saying it, though I'll buy you a drink afterward.

The effectiveness of the humor is undercut by the bland staging and the stilted line delivery between actors. Which is to say that while many of these actors have chemistry with one another the way their conversations are edited together damage the funny. However, aside from those few one liner non sequiturs, it is as Baby Doll mentions, not a funny film.

[Qrazy]

Am I really the only one who hates Dewey Cox? The love it gets on this site continues to baffle me.

No, you're not alone. Much like Anchorman it too is a piece of crap.

[Raiders]

weird. i can't seem to find the thread on A Serious Man. a magnificent movie, though. while i can't claim to be their fan, i consider this to be their best effort.

http://www.match-cut.org/showthread.php?t=2254

[Spinal]

One thing I've learned about Match Cut is that whenever you start a sentence "Am I the only one ...?", you are never the only one.

[Sycophant]

I thought Dewey Cox had some good gags, but was startlingly clumsy in some places. I wish it had been a bit formally tighter, because the straighter the delivery, the better that brand of comedy tends to work. I can't endorse the film wholeheartedly.

I would however claim Talladega Nights as one of the ten best comedies of the aughts and one of the best films about the Bush era. Anchorman is pretty great, too. Admittedly, Anchorman is a little ugly to look at, but I didn't find it particularly damaging to the movie and its purposes.

[D_Davis]

Am I really the only one who hates Dewey Cox? The love it gets on this site continues to baffle me.

I watched about 1/2 of it before turning it off. It seemed really mean spirited and just kind of ugly in the way it presented and treated the characters.

[Derek]

One thing I've learned about Match Cut is that whenever you start a sentence "Am I the only one ...?", you are never the only one.

I can think of 1 or 2 posters who could start off a sentence that way and actually be the only one.

True, but this is at least the third time that someone has posted that they saw and loved that film and several posters responded enthusiastically. Considering I found it a completely lazy and painfully lame comedy, aside from the musical numbers, I needed reassurance that MatchCut's sense of humor was not on the decline.

[soitgoes...]

Well, if he peaked with Exiled, that is perfectly OK, because that film is brilliant. Any director should consider themselves lucky to have a film that good in their filmography.It wasn't as much as disparage of To and Exiled (which I completely agree is brilliant), but his three subsequent films that decrease in quality to mediocre. I would have liked to see him make something at least approaching that greatness afterward. I can be greedy.

[Watashi]

I hate Walk Hard.

That's one thing we have in common, Derek. :)

[D_Davis]

It wasn't as much as disparage of To and Exiled (which I completely agree is brilliant), but his three subsequent films that decrease in quality to mediocre. I would have liked to see him make something at least approaching that greatness afterward. I can be greedy.

I figure that any director who makes as many movies as To (sometimes more than 2 a year) is bound to have some that are totally mediocre. He's always been a little hit-or-miss, but at least his misses are usually pretty to look at and somewhat interesting, and they almost always have a few good performances from the Milky Way gang of regulars.

[Spinal]

I can think of 1 or 2 posters who could start off a sentence that way and actually be the only one.


Maybe. Like for example, "Am I the only one who thinks that the Coens' best film of the decade is The Ladykillers?"

[Spun Lepton]

Am I the only one who thinks that the Coens' best film of the decade is The Ladykillers?

*punches Spinal*

[Qrazy]

It wasn't as much as disparage of To and Exiled (which I completely agree is brilliant), but his three subsequent films that decrease in quality to mediocre. I would have liked to see him make something at least approaching that greatness afterward. I can be greedy.

I feel that formally he's still in peak condition. He just needs to get the scripts to nail out of the park.

[D_Davis]

I feel that formally he's still in peak condition. He just needs to get the scripts to nail out of the park.

There are definitely more than a few gorgeous moments in Vengeance.

[Spinal]

*punches Spinal*

That opinion does not belong to me, but I have many others you may wish to punch me for.

[Rowland]

I thought To was in fine form with the underrated Mad Detective, but I haven't seen any of his subsequent releases.

[D_Davis]

I thought To was in fine form with the underrated Mad Detective, but I haven't seen any of his subsequent releases.

I'll be watching that this week. Really looking forward to it. It looks interesting.

[number8]

Haven't seen Vengeance yet, but I'll agree that he's been gradually decreasing in quality since Exiled. That's not a flak, though, because I still think Sparrow was pretty cool.

[Stay Puft]

Yeah, I enjoyed Mad Detective. Linger is the opposite of good, however.

I know Davis has mentioned it many times in the past, but I also admire these directors like To and Hark who seemingly just crank them out. It's great watching them flex their metaphoric filmmaking muscles with a rapid succession of films. Watching them change, evolve or refine various elements of their craft, picture to picture, even within the same year.

Obviously, you take the good with the bad in that approach. It can be interesting regardless of the final quality. I certainly don't regret watching Linger, bad as it was.

[Spun Lepton]

Aside from the final tanker truck action sequence at the end of The Road Warrior, I was pretty bored by it.

[Bosco B Thug]

I could've sworn I once read a stretch of posts on here where Walk Hard got pretty majorly wailed on by a solid string of aggressors.

Sooo I was kind of underwhelmed by this view of The Fly. It's dramatically compelling and full of convictions, but I don't know... never felt absolutely amazed. And the cheesier bits kinda got to me, negatively.

The Box had some extremely graceful directing work from Kelly, and it's lovingly offbeat. The chicken kernels of existential nuggets popped in there like candy just for me were often sweeping, if ultimately self-satisfying... although that water bubble gateway scene is just not good. I loved the odd sort of affection I felt for the two main characters, even as they're presented as totally normal, somewhat pathetic, button-pushing humans. Good performances.

[Spun Lepton]

Has John Cusack always been a douche or is this a new development for him?

[Raiders]

Has John Cusack always been a douche or is this a new development for him?

Is this about the dig at John Hughes films? 'Cuz really, it's not only somewhat true but rather nice to see someone realize slavish kindness to the dead does no service to the living.

[MadMan]

Walk Hard is the best spoof of biopics, ever. In fact its better than the two biopics its actually making fun of. That said, it drags a bit too much near the end-Anchorman is better. I also loved Talladaga Nights and Stepbrothers. That said, despite the fact I like Will Ferrell I refused to watch Land of the Lost.

[Winston*]

Walk Hard is the best spoof of biopics, ever.

hxPjYSay9g0

[Spun Lepton]

Is this about the dig at John Hughes films? 'Cuz really, it's not only somewhat true but rather nice to see someone realize slavish kindness to the dead does no service to the living.

It's the digs he's been taking at a lot of the stuff he did in the 80s. And the attitude he displays in recent interviews.

[Winston*]

http://www.google.co.nz/logos/kurosawa10-hp.jpg

Neat.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I actually quite liked Fritz the Cat. But then again, I love Crumb, the Fritz comics, Bakshi and hedonism, so maybe this isn't so weird.

[BuffaloWilder]

Aside from the final tanker truck action sequence at the end of The Road Warrior, I was pretty bored by it.

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/4977/another14.gif (http://img716.imageshack.us/i/another14.gif/)

[Derek]

http://img.waffleimages.com/ea07a2d8f7f9d8bbea2a95eb3cc980 45f5b6c705/Another14.gif

Fret not, young Wilder. This fail isn't even in the same stratosphere as Spun's.

[Grouchy]

Yeah, peaking with something like Exiled is actually pretty high praise for any filmmaker. But then again, you can never tell - after watching Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers, I thought the Coens were done with their great films, and look what happened afterwards.

[BuffaloWilder]

Fret not, young Wilder. This fail isn't even in the same stratosphere as Spun's.

I'll fix this, even if I have to go the long way around.

[B-side]

Days of Heaven. Blu-Ray rip. Tonight.

[Lucky]

*sigh* Another year, another Sarah Michelle Gellar direct-to-DVD release.

As it stands, Possession is a weak thriller that jumps shark during the third act. However, the DVD has an "alternate ending" which, at 30 minutes long, is essentially an alternate third act that appears to be the director's vision before Hollywood force-fit it through the standard thriller mold. It's quite an interesting display of what happens during a post-production studio meeting for a movie like this. I remember when this was in production (back in 2007, I believe) when they called the actors back for reshoots, and now I know it was to create the mess of the ending that exists in the current cut. I can see the board executives chiming in with comments like "More melodrama", "More violence", and "People want to see Buffy fight." And, thus, the new third act was born.

It's a shame. The director's vision is solid and, I can only assume, more faithful to its Korean original. This film isn't going to make any waves in either of its versions, but at least the intended version is a memorable Vertigo-esque love mystery about second chances. It's by no coincidence the film is set in San Francisco with a major scene set on the Golden Gate Bridge. It also sports some stunning cinematography at times. At a slim 85 min it's worth a look if you catch it on Netflix instant view someday.

[Grouchy]

So I guess I'll be Captain Obvious here and say that Wendy and Lucy is a very much great film. I'll get even more obvious and say that this is what independent cinema was always meant to be - shoe-string budgets at the service of great storytelling skills and challenging subjects. It makes minimalist, real-life solid dramas from the same year like Goodbye Solo and Lorna's Silence seem contrived by comparison because of its narrow focus and skill. And it makes something like Shutter Island (I know, unfair comparison, but I saw them back-to-back) seem totally artificial in its attempts at drama. Awards are too small a concept for Michelle Williams here.

[B-side]

So Days of Heaven was even better for me the 2nd time around. For some strange reason, I wasn't blown away the first time around, but I really loved it this time.

[Winston*]

Harvey's pretty hilarious. I thought I'd seen it before but I guess I hadn't. More movies should come down in support of mental illness and alcoholism.

Jimmy Stewart is clearly the greatest movie star of all time, right? (Right, well maybe Mifune).

[Ezee E]

Jimmy Stewart is clearly the greatest movie star of all time, right? (Right, well maybe Mifune).

Good topic idea. I'd throw in John Wayne. Or would being labeled to one genre take him out?

[Winston*]

Good topic idea. I'd throw in John Wayne. Or would being labeled to one genre take him out?

I think the movies one starred in are almost immaterial to judging greatest movie star. It's all about screen presence, which Wayne definitely had but not on Stewart levels IMO.

[NickGlass]

Jimmy Stewart is clearly the greatest movie star of all time, right?

He certainly isn't to me, but I do like Harvey a bunch.

Wilson: Hello, sweetheart. Well, well. Those for me?
Veta Louise Simmons: [Picking flowers] For you? I should say not. They're for my brother, Elwood. He's devoted to ranunculur.
Wilson: Sure. Well, wouldn't you like to come inside and pick some off the wallpaper.

[Sven]

I think the movies one starred in are almost immaterial to judging greatest movie star. It's all about screen presence, which Wayne definitely had but not on Stewart levels IMO.

Cagney

[Russ]

Cagney
Was thinking the same thing.

[Raiders]

If we're not sticking to men only, I would throw out Katharine Hepburn. I don't care who else is on screen, as soon as she enters, bam, she has my attention.

[Ezee E]

If we're not sticking to men only, I would throw out Katharine Hepburn. I don't care who else is on screen, as soon as she enters, bam, she has my attention.
I need to see more Katherine Hepburn movies, but Audrey Hepburn certainly seems to be the center of attention whenever I see her in a scene. Marilyn Monroe is similar.

I think Charlie Chaplin might be my pick overall. He's recognizable to just about everyone, even those who've never seen a movie of his.

[Sven]

If we're not sticking to men only, I would throw out Katharine Hepburn. I don't care who else is on screen, as soon as she enters, bam, she has my attention.

Just because she's weird looking.

[Raiders]

Just because she's weird looking.

That's Judy Garland.

[Sven]

That's Judy Garland.

Also true. Judy's voice is like honey though. The opposite is the case with Kate.

[Sven]

Went to Scarecrow today with Sven and rented the last few (post-Exiled) Johnnie To films. .

Yeah, the converted fire department is cool, but it is nowhere near the Mecca that Scarecrow is. Again: people can be right.

[Qrazy]

Yeah I think Katherine Hepburn is a pretty good actress and I like her in a lot of roles, but I don't like her on screen personality all that much ultimately. I'm going with Orson Welles.

[Pop Trash]

Yeah I think Katherine Hepburn is a pretty good actress and I like her in a lot of roles, but I don't like her on screen personality all that much ultimately. I'm going with Orson Welles.

I'm the same way. I understand why people would love her, but honestly I've always found her a bit grating. I'm going for Barbara Stanwyck if we are talking about acting and presence over looks.

[Morris Schæffer]

For some reason I thought I finally wanted to see the fire extinguisher scene from Irreversible. I shouldn't have. Fuck!

[Raiders]

Yeah I think Katherine Hepburn is a pretty good actress and I like her in a lot of roles, but I don't like her on screen personality all that much ultimately. I'm going with Orson Welles.


I'm the same way. I understand why people would love her, but honestly I've always found her a bit grating. I'm going for Barbara Stanwyck if we are talking about acting and presence over looks.

It's OK. I don't really mind being the only one that's right.

[Sven]

For actresses, I think Joan Fontaine is probably the best I've seen, acting-wise. I can never not pay attention to her. She's not really all that memorable, appearance-wise, though.

[Mara]

If we're not sticking to men only, I would throw out Katharine Hepburn. I don't care who else is on screen, as soon as she enters, bam, she has my attention.

I love her beyond all reason.

And I think Jimmy Stewart has one of the most likeable personas in the history of film. He's just adorable.

[Derek]

For actresses, I think Joan Fontaine is probably the best I've seen, acting-wise. I can never not pay attention to her.

I was just about to rep you and then, this:


She's not really all that memorable, appearance-wise, though.

Though I recognize the fact that she's not beautiful in the way many classic Hollywood actresses are, I can't take my eyes off her for both her acting and her looks. The latter, ever since I saw her in Born to be Bad. She was so sexy in that one.

[Sven]

I was just about to rep you and then, this:

Though I recognize the fact that she's not beautiful in the way many classic Hollywood actresses are, I can't take my eyes off her for both her acting and her looks. The latter, ever since I saw her in Born to be Bad. She was so sexy in that one.

Don't get me wrong. Please. She's dynamite to look at. But in the echelons of "Golden Age" Hollywood actresses, she's modestly made up by comparison. That's all I meant.

I'll rep you anyway.:P

[Raiders]

Speaking of Born to Be Bad, does Robert Ryan count as a movie star? 'Cuz that's a man with some presence. More unique than bold, but he was a fascinating actor.

[number8]

Toshiro Mifune.

[Watashi]

Craig T. Nelson

[Boner M]

Henry Fonda, ya bumz.

[Sven]

Henry Fonda, ya bumz.

I just saw him in The Swarm. So good. So good.

[soitgoes...]

I don't think they're the right answer, but I am surprised Bogart or Brando haven't been mentioned. That said, I'm torn between Fonda and Mifune.

[Raiders]

Pretty cool back-and-forth on Kurosawa's Ikiru over at The House Next Door:

http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/2010/03/ikiru-akira-kurosawa-1952/

[Derek]

Speaking of Born to Be Bad, does Robert Ryan count as a movie star? 'Cuz that's a man with some presence. More unique than bold, but he was a fascinating actor.

He really does have a fascinating presence. He might very well be my favorite actor even though he's not all that versatile. But like Bogey, he's damn good at what he does well.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Craig T. Nelson

Hahaha.

Henry Fonda is a great shout actually. Can't believe nobody has mentioned Brando or Monty C.

[Watashi]

Hahaha.


It wasn't a joke.

[Winston*]

For some reason I thought I finally wanted to see the fire extinguisher scene from Irreversible. I shouldn't have. Fuck!
You just wanted to see that scene? That's pretty weird, Morris.

[Derek]

It wasn't a joke.

Yes, it was.

[Spaceman Spiff]

It wasn't a joke.

I... thought it was. In fact, I thought it was a very good joke. Those 'hahaha's were sincere.

I dunno what this says about you.

[MadMan]

Harvey is a magical, wonderful, funny, and touching movie. Plus Jimmy Stewart is great in it, of course. I'd like to have a gigantic rabbit for a friend-except I don't think I'd name him Harvey :P

[Watashi]

Craig T. Nelson is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life

[Derek]

Craig T. Nelson is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life

http://theenvelope.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-11/33820885.jpg

[number8]

Craig T Nelson is an idiot.

[Boner M]

Orphan is a complete trashterpiece, completely idiotic material played with epic conviction across the board and a keen sense of nightmare logic. Farmiga is much better here than her Oscar-nominated Up in the Air turn. Gonna be keeping an eye on this Jaume Collet-Serra dude, whose sure hand also made House of Wax occasionally sublime.

[Derek]

Orphan is a complete trashterpiece, completely idiotic material played with epic conviction across the board and a keen sense of nightmare logic. Farmiga is much better here than her Oscar-nominated Up in the Air turn. Gonna be keeping an eye on this Jaume Collet-Serra dude, whose sure hand also made House of Wax occasionally sublime.

Heh, I've gotta say that Daniel Tosh's 10-minute spoilerific rant (http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=266456&title=spoiler-alert-orphan-extended) on this piqued my interest. It sounds wonderfully awful.

[Boner M]

It sounds wonderfully awful.
It's a mixture of that and legitimately wonderful.

EDIT: Half a star less wonderful than a canonised Mizoguchi masterpiece, it seems.

[balmakboor]

Yeah, The Box is pretty much full of goodness.

[Derek]

EDIT: Half a star less wonderful than a canonised Mizoguchi masterpiece, it seems.

Rowland has made his mark. :)

[Adam]

Greatest movie star ever is Warren Beatty, easy

[Rowland]

Rowland has made his mark. :)Speaking of which, I gave Orphan two stars, but I have to admit I remember it more fondly than many '09 movies I gave higher scores.

[Briare]

Minor Spoilers



Watched Creation and sadly everybody was right. Not even a truly excellent Bettany perf can elevate the film from the dredges of biotrash mediocrity where it will undoubtably be forgotten. For a movie that opens with a phrase coining Darwin's theory as the biggest idea in the history of thought the film is so narrow in scope and shallow in insight that you would think Darwin might've pulled all this out of his arse. The editor seems to have been drinking heavily on the job seeing as how the films pace is messed up beyond compare and the script isn't much better seeing as how it doesn't even really try to compare science and religion [when this seems to be the entire point of his struggle in the first place] and considering the attitude of Darwin's wife for much of his research period this is a curious move. The film instead opts for an apparition of Darwin's daughter appearing and scaring the living shit out of him as the catalyst to making things good with his wife Emma and to finish his book. This is all crammed into the last fifteen minutes of the film making the entire thing meaningless as this is really where all the drama is and thus there is no tension and there is little thought given to being smited for eternity. However, there is tons of shots of Darwin with a sad/confused look on his face playing with pigeons and feeling the heat of having to deal with his nutty bitch of a wife, all scowls and short, sweet and cutting tone of voice. The last shot is shamefully saccharine and yet even after all this its not completely unenjoyable. It just seems like it could've been more than just your run of the mill biography and seems like a sadly wasted opportunity.

[soitgoes...]

Kinski is awesome in The Most Important Thing: Love.

[B-side]

Kinski is awesome in The Most Important Thing: Love.

Yes, yes, yes. I used to sport an avatar of him in that movie on RT.

Actually, my current wordpress avatar is that very same picture.

[Henry Gale]

Orphan is a complete trashterpiece, completely idiotic material played with epic conviction across the board and a keen sense of nightmare logic. Farmiga is much better here than her Oscar-nominated Up in the Air turn. Gonna be keeping an eye on this Jaume Collet-Serra dude, whose sure hand also made House of Wax occasionally sublime.

Yup, I agree with all of this. It basically goes back and forth between being hilariously campy and finding ways of displaying genuine skill for thrills and character moments for much of its runtime. By the end it still goes completely over-the-top, but it manages to have both sides of its entertainment-value come out unscathed by one another.


Yeah, The Box is pretty much full of goodness.

Indeed it is. Basically has a lot of what Orphan has in terms of its potential silliness as it tries to out-do its genre the weirdest ways. The Box just has much more ridiculous ambitions and a quality narrative at its core.

[Qrazy]

Am I the only one who finds William Hurt's presence (particularly his voice) totally bland?

Which is not to say I haven't liked many of his performances.

[Sven]

Am I the only one who finds William Hurt's presence (particularly his voice) totally bland?

I hope so.

[Sycophant]

I'm not gonna dig up my original hate-post, but I can't let this lovefest go uninterrupted. Orphan was wretched fucking shit and I hated pretty much every second of it.

[D_Davis]

I like Hurt's quiet demeanor. He comes across as being very thoughtful.

[Qrazy]

So I'm watching Children of a Lesser God and tangentially I've decided that my first feature film will be about a guy creating and teaching at a school for Johnny Got His Gunners. That is to say deaf, dumb, blind, armless, legless, tasteless, smell-less children. The film will mostly consist of a lot of hard work and shouting followed by tearful and joyous breakthroughs. Roll damn it! You can do it! Roll!

[balmakboor]

This Evil Dead spoof is pretty fun. http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/watch-this-evil-dead-in-60-seconds-with-clay.php

[right_for_the_moment]

Turned off Franklyn after 20 minutes and put on What Just Happened. Watchable, but that's about it. De Niro was pretty good.

[Mara]

The film will mostly consist of a lot of hard work and shouting followed by tearful and joyous breakthroughs. Roll damn it! You can do it! Roll!

You're a jerk. I didn't laugh.









I may have laughed a little.

[soitgoes...]

I'm not gonna dig up my original hate-post, but I can't let this lovefest go uninterrupted. Orphan was wretched fucking shit and I hated pretty much every second of it.
Yes, this was the worst film I saw last year, and it baffles me that some people are liking it.

[Rowland]

Orphan is actually pretty popular amongst a wide margin of the online cinephile community I follow. This is one of the only places I've found it to be largely disliked, even hated. Granted, I didn't really care for it either, but it had its worthy qualities.

[Boner M]

Orphan is actually pretty popular amongst a wide margin of the online cinephile community I follow. This is one of the only places I've found it to be largely disliked, even hated.
The hatred the film's received here will ensure that we'll never truly be a part of the Online Cinephile Community (OCC). ;)

[Qrazy]

The hatred the film's received here will ensure that we'll never truly be a part of the Online Cinephile Community (OCC). ;)

They're a bunch of pricks anyway.

[Hugh_Grant]

At the Movies is no more. (http://www.thrfeed.com/2010/03/at-the-movies-cancelled-after-three-decades.html)

[Pop Trash]

At the Movies is no more. (http://www.thrfeed.com/2010/03/at-the-movies-cancelled-after-three-decades.html)

Nooooo! Just when it was getting good. The only thing I can say is that I hope Scott and Phillips continue the show in a web only version.

[Ezee E]

Brothers is pretty awful, mostly because of its miscasting of actors. Tobey Maguire should never be given this type of role again as he cannot shout worth a damn. His critical scenes aren't frightening nor sad. Gylenhaal simply wanders around, and Portman isn't given anything to work with. What the heck Sheridan?

There is one scene that is very well done, and that's the dinner table scene. Perhaps the original is good.

[Grouchy]

Yeah, Brothers looks ridiculously awful. I'm never watching that.

Iron Maiden: Flight 666 is a very good rock documentary. Mostly just concert footage and funny backstage interaction, but it really conveys the rush of adrenaline that only an Iron Maiden show - complete with 52-year-old Dickinson jumping like a madman - can provide. I was there when they played Buenos Aires and it was amazing. And the Ed Force One indeed is a thing of beauty.

[dreamdead]

NIU is hosting another French film weekend this year. The chosen films are Paris, je t'aime, The Beaches of Agnes, Eldorado, Ballerina, and Fears of the Dark. thefourthwall and I will be seeing Paris tonight and Beaches tomorrow. Any of the others worth seeing in the midst of a busy weekend?

[Grouchy]

Fear(s) of the Dark is worth watching.

[Skitch]

Fear(s) of the Dark is worth watching.

Once.

[Grouchy]

Once.
Very true.

[Grouchy]

Another thing that's very true (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dyGpCrFdX4)

[Skitch]

Another thing that's very true (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dyGpCrFdX4)

:lol:

You are my favorite person today.

[number8]

You know, Tim Burton actually gets pissy when people mistake Helena Bonham Carter as his wife.

[Spun Lepton]

Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie profiles two very sad men.

One is completely disconnected from reality, believing himself to be some kind of toothless Bigfoot Whisperer. There are a number of scenes where he wanders the woods, shouting gibberish that he "learned" from an "Indian spiritualist."

The other is a self-confessed "failure," who outright states that he hates himself and his life. The "failure" was the sadder of the two, a man who grew up a bully and a gangster (so he says), then just gave up on life later. He believes that he's doing something that will eventually elevate himself out of his loser status, but anybody with a head on their shoulders knows better. He's married, but his wife only ever appears on-screen in a photograph. Apparently she wanted nothing to do with the docu. This is a guy who could probably get a better grip on life if he'd just dump the toothless guy as a friend.

They both have tons of photographs and claim they all feature an image of Bigfoot. Of course, it's all implied, "See inside that bush there?" "See behind that tree?" They claim to see Bigfoot numerous times a day, but they have no evidence aside from anecdotes. As expected, you never actually see Bigfoot.

Sadly, the docu drags some, and it gets a little redundant after a while. There are only so many scenes of the toothless one shouting, "Ooooh rabba-frabba-gooney-goo! Momo! Momo!!" at the trees before it gets tiring. There are only so many "woe-is-me" scenes one can handle from the "failure."

There is a rather funny/sad chunk of time devoted to Toothless stabbing Failure in the back on some online radio program. That keeps it interesting for a little longer. Thankfully, though, at 1h17m, it doesn't overstay its welcome for long.

5/10

[Qrazy]

Dodsworth - Holy Shit I hate this woman.

[soitgoes...]

Dodsworth - Holy Shit I hate this woman.
You're just rolling through the movies the past couple of days. Trying to put pressure on me?

[Qrazy]

You're just rolling through the movies the past couple of days. Trying to put pressure on me?

Girlfriend's in Brazil for the week, just trying to catch up! :)

[Derek]

Dodsworth - Holy Shit I hate this woman.

Great film though.

[soitgoes...]

Great film though.It's true.

[soitgoes...]

Girlfriend's in Brazil for the week, just trying to catch up! :)I won't stand for that! Get out and enjoy spring! Is the sun even peaking over the horizon yet in Canada?

[Boner M]

Everyone, I want you to cite the films your are at least potentially viewing this weekend.

Greenberg
To Live and Die in L.A. (rpt)
Sound of the Mountain
A Single Man

[Derek]

Possibilities:

Hot Tub Time Machine
Strike
Martha

Probably only one of those or a random KG download that strikes my fancy.

[Watashi]

I'll be in Minnesota over the next week, so the only thing I'm definitely going to check out is How To Train Your Dragon.

[Russ]

Sound of the Mountain
I've been on a Naruse kick lately. The last two I've seen (A Wanderer's Notebook and Spring Awakens) were both excellent. I'm starting to wonder if he ever made a bad film.

To continue my Naruse run, my weekend possibilities include:

Anzukko (self-reflective Naruse)

plus

Monobloc
Possession

[balmakboor]

A local video store is going out of business and selling everything. I stopped in and picked up the following -- all for just under $30.00. And all shiny like new.

Milk (Bluray)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Bluray)
In the Mood for Love
Tekkonkinkreet
A History of Violence
Spider
Volver
Suspiria
Moon
The Limits of Control

I overheard someone wandering about the store saying, "All the good stuff is already gone. Just a bunch of crap left." Good thing I was drinking a beverage at the time, because I would've spit it all over him.

[Pop Trash]

My local theater brings me goodies:

Greenberg!
A Prophet!

and most importantly:
Hot Tub Time Machine!!!

[balmakboor]

My local theater brings me goodies:

Greenberg!
A Prophet!

and most importantly:
Hot Tub Time Machine!!!

Yeah, I'll be seeing Hot Tub Time Machine this weekend.

[Qrazy]

I won't stand for that! Get out and enjoy spring! Is the sun even peaking over the horizon yet in Canada?

I'm in Vermont for the week. But yeah it's still pretty chilly but more than anything everything's wet so there's not much to do. I'd like to kick a soccer ball around but not in this weather really.

[Winston*]

I was unaware until now that in (500) Days of Summer, Zooey Deschanel's character is actually named Summer. That is gross.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Mean Streets is probably my favourite Scorsese. I kinda want to see more of his stuff now.

[soitgoes...]

Weekend Possibilities:

The Sorrow and the Pity (tonight for sure)
Kandahar
Le Dernier combat
Deep End
Something Japanese (Itami, Yoshishige, Uchida etc.)

[Boner M]

Deep End
The Skolimowski one? One of my faves. In fact, even having only seen two others from him (the excellent Moonlighting and the flawed but very interesting The Shout), I'm prepared to call him one of my favorite directors. He has a nervy, energetic, paranoid style that really clicks with me - much like early Polanski. I hear his 60's stuff, esp. Walkover is his best.

[soitgoes...]

The Skolimowski one? One of my faves. In fact, even having only seen two others from him (the excellent Moonlighting and the flawed but very interesting The Shout), I'm prepared to call him one of my favorite directors. He has a nervy, energetic, paranoid style that really clicks with me - much like early Polanski. I hear his 60's stuff, esp. Walkover is his best.Yes, I just watched The Shout last week. It was strange, but it left me intrigued. I watched 4 of his early shorts, and a couple of them were great. I'm excited to see more of his stuff.

Only connected by country, but have you seen any Kawalerowicz? I will pimp the shit out of Night Train and Mother Joan of the Angels to anyone who will listen.

[Boner M]

Only connected by country, but have you seen any Kawalerowicz? I will pimp the shit out of Night Train and Mother Joan of the Angels to anyone who will listen.
Vaguely heard of he name before, but those films are on my radar now. Thx for the heads up.

[soitgoes...]

Vaguely heard of he name before, but those films are on my radar now. Thx for the heads up.I don't think he's really done much worthwhile outside of them, but whatever happened he at least had it figured out for those two.

[B-side]

Weekend Maybes:

Querelle (Fassbinder)
The Ladies Man (Lewis)
Life is a Dream (Ruiz)
The Belly of an Architect (Greenaway)

[Skitch]

I was unaware until now that in (500) Days of Summer, Zooey Deschanel's character is actually named Summer. That is gross.

Welcome to the party, pal! That flick did not get a passing grade from me. The best part was the opening text.

[dmk]

My love for Skolimowski is well known (see: avatar), and I’d say the 60’s was certainly his finest, most solid decade, everything from Rysopis to Le Depart (including the banned, Hands Up!) is at least excellent, and there’s at least one I wouldn’t hesitate using the ‘M’ word for. *cough*barrier*cough*.

I guess this seems like a good spot to rank his work, perhaps.


1. Deep End (1971) = Bariera (1966) = Moonlighting (1982)
2. Départ, Le (1967) = Rysopis (1964)
3. Walkower (1965) = The Shout (1978) = Hands Up! (1981)
4. King, Queen, Knave (1972) = Four Nights with Anna (2008) = The Adventures of Gerard (1970)

1-3 should be seen by all cinephiles, cinema of electricity and thought.

And, the rest, um... for completists, I think.

5. 30 Door Key (1991) = The Lightship (1986) = Success Is the Best Revenge (1984)
6. Torrents of Spring (1989)


He's very critical for most of his non-Polish work, and thinks most of his post-60's work is rather shit, with the exception of Deep End/Moonlighting/The Lightship/The Shout, and of course 4NwA. I'm not as critical, for I find most, if not all, of his films worth watching.


I don't think he's really done much worthwhile outside of them, but whatever happened he at least had it figured out for those two.
Yeah, I think you're right there, aside from those two, both excellent, I've also had a look at both Faraon and Austeria, both well made and epic stories, but rather dull, really.

[Boner M]

Thanks for the primer, dmk... I know that the UK's wonderful Second Run is releasing a few of his 60's films later this year (Hands Up! and Barrier have been announced).

[Winston*]

Welcome to the party, pal! That flick did not get a passing grade from me. The best part was the opening text.
I haven't seen the movie. And I won't now, that title revelation turned me off.

[Skitch]

Astro Boy was great fun, and hilarious.

[Raiders]

Weekend:

Trans-Europ-Express
Hellzapoppin
Little Odessa

[Spinal]

Astro Boy was great fun, and hilarious.

Yes!

[baby doll]

I doubt I'll have time to see all three, but I'm going to try to squeeze in:

Chloe (Atom Egoyan)
The Ghost Writer (Roman Polanski)
Greenberg (Noah Baumbach)

[Qrazy]

Great film though.

It was decent. You know what I watched just before it but preferred though? Marty.

[Grouchy]

So I saw Oliver Stone's Wall Street and shit, if ever a movie was made in the '80s, this is it. From the Talking Heads music to eating sushi with spaguetti to using giant mobile phones, this is like a giant catalogue of the decade. Mostly the movie is worth watching thanks to Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko. It's an epic, juicy role that he makes the most of. Everyone else, specially Charlie Sheen, sort of pales by comparison. The movie is actually good, but a little ridiculous and it stands too much in awe of its character/villain. I thought the ending, for example, where we see the actual anti-capitalist message Stone intends to convey, is not convincing enough, or at least not as convincing as the "greed is good" scene. It also has a very predictable rise-and-fall movie structure. All this doesn't mean that it wasn't very fun to watch.

[Morris Schæffer]

Hm. Turns out the Fellowship of the ring's video quality of the blu-ray is very dissapointing. according to blu-ray.com.

The other two movies up the quality, but a measly 3.5 for the complete package out of 5.

Unacceptable I guess.

[Raiders]

I'm waiting for the EE's anyway.

[Qrazy]

So I saw Oliver Stone's Wall Street and shit, if ever a movie was made in the '80s, this is it. From the Talking Heads music to eating sushi with spaguetti to using giant mobile phones, this is like a giant catalogue of the decade. Mostly the movie is worth watching thanks to Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko. It's an epic, juicy role that he makes the most of. Everyone else, specially Charlie Sheen, sort of pales by comparison. The movie is actually good, but a little ridiculous and it stands too much in awe of its character/villain. I thought the ending, for example, where we see the actual anti-capitalist message Stone intends to convey, is not convincing enough, or at least not as convincing as the "greed is good" scene. It also has a very predictable rise-and-fall movie structure. All this doesn't mean that it wasn't very fun to watch.

Martin Sheen has some great scenes in there.

[hey it's ethan]

My weekend;

The Holy Mountain
Hot Tub Time Machine
Rashomon

[Spun Lepton]

I have Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs from Netflix on Blu-ray. I hope there's a 3D option.

[Raiders]

Roger Ebert's Conversations With Atom Egoyan (http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/a-conversation-with-atom-egoya.html)

Awesome stuff.

[balmakboor]

I'm sick so I'll be watching a lot of movies this weekend. I watched The Limits of Control and Boys Don't Cry tonight.

I don't really know what to think about Limits yet. It's like a very austere and minimalist version of Ghost Dog.

I know what I think of Boys though. It's friggin terrific. That Kimberly Pierce didn't become a major director after that is tragic.

[B-side]

Weekend:

Trans-Europ-Express

First Robbe-Grillet? It's a lot of fun.

[Spaceman Spiff]

First Robbe-Grillet? It's a lot of fun.

Is that the one that makes little sense and has a bunch of naked girls? That's a pretty cool movie.

[BuffaloWilder]

Review of Woody Harrelson's new movie Defendor and that weird short film Red both in the pipeline for GCP. It's pimp, y'all.

[Qrazy]

I might watch Blonde Cobra tomorrow.

"A man fondles objects, looks at himself in the mirror, poses in different clothes, smiles and makes faces at the camera while his voice on the soundtrack speaks of his despair, makes impressionistic statements and little songs, quotes greta garbo and maria montez, tells the story of a lonely little boy and (in drag) tells the story of a woman (Madame Nescience) who dreams of herself as the mother superior of a convent of sexual perversion."

I fully expect to hate it with a passion.

[B-side]

Is that the one that makes little sense and has a bunch of naked girls? That's a pretty cool movie.

You mean Robbe-Grillet's entire filmography?

[soitgoes...]

I might watch Blonde Cobra tomorrow.

"A man fondles objects, looks at himself in the mirror, poses in different clothes, smiles and makes faces at the camera while his voice on the soundtrack speaks of his despair, makes impressionistic statements and little songs, quotes greta garbo and maria montez, tells the story of a lonely little boy and (in drag) tells the story of a woman (Madame Nescience) who dreams of herself as the mother superior of a convent of sexual perversion."

I fully expect to hate it with a passion.I figured to hate it too, but it was okay. I can definitely understand if people (you) hate it.

Kind of related, I saw Scorpio Rising last night, and it was wonderful. I would've expected to hate it too if I hadn't watched a few other of Anger's shorts prior to watching it. Not his best (Eaux d'artifice so far), but awesome nonetheless.

[Spaceman Spiff]

You mean Robbe-Grillet's entire filmography?

Is that his entire filmography? I've only seen Marienbad and T-E-E(hee).

[B-side]

Is that his entire filmography? I've only seen Marienbad and T-E-E(hee).

No, I meant that generalized description fits his entire body of work.:D

[bac0n]

I have Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs from Netflix on Blu-ray. I hope there's a 3D option.

I took my girl to see this film when it was in the theatres. We both loved it (tho for different reasons). Surprisingly emotionally effecting in parts.

[Boner M]

I might watch Blonde Cobra tomorrow.

"A man fondles objects, looks at himself in the mirror, poses in different clothes, smiles and makes faces at the camera while his voice on the soundtrack speaks of his despair, makes impressionistic statements and little songs, quotes greta garbo and maria montez, tells the story of a lonely little boy and (in drag) tells the story of a woman (Madame Nescience) who dreams of herself as the mother superior of a convent of sexual perversion."

I fully expect to hate it with a passion.
Sounds like a great date movie for you and Melville.

[Skitch]

Watching Anti Christ. What a conflicting movie. Some really good stuff, some stuff so horrific I have to look away. Too bad its covered in a coating of too thick artsy-fartsy for its own good.

[Raiders]

I figured to hate it too, but it was okay. I can definitely understand if people (you) hate it.

Kind of related, I saw Scorpio Rising last night, and it was wonderful. I would've expected to hate it too if I hadn't watched a few other of Anger's shorts prior to watching it. Not his best (Eaux d'artifice so far), but awesome nonetheless.

It's my favorite and I have seen most of them. Fireworks is probably my second favorite. Haven't seen one I didn't like yet. Puce Moment probably comes closest though. Still worth watching.

[Qrazy]

I figured to hate it too, but it was okay. I can definitely understand if people (you) hate it.

Kind of related, I saw Scorpio Rising last night, and it was wonderful. I would've expected to hate it too if I hadn't watched a few other of Anger's shorts prior to watching it. Not his best (Eaux d'artifice so far), but awesome nonetheless.

Well the quality of the copy/print I got also looks sub-awful so that's not going to help matters much.

[Spaceman Spiff]

No, I meant that generalized description fits his entire body of work.:D

That's what I meant too, just worded it weirdly.

[Skitch]

I haven't watched Mortal Kombat in years. For a Saturday afternoon, with a nice cocktail, this film is incredibly fun. Good times.

[Spinal]

Watching Anti Christ. ... Too bad its covered in a coating of too thick artsy-fartsy for its own good.

Which smilie would you like? The eyeroll, the blank stare, or the guy making the cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs gesture?

[Adam]

http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss47/adamstone20/98_1249_devil-smiley-01_thumb_l.gif

antichrist smiley

[number8]

I actually coined a term for Oscar-baiting Holocaust films the other day. I call it Nazi Vartzy.

[Spun Lepton]

Which smilie would you like? The eyeroll, the blank stare, or the guy making the cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs gesture?

Oh, please. I saw The Kingdom, all fifteen hours of it in all its artsy-fartsy glory. I can't believe Anti-Christ is all that different.

[Ezee E]

Hey all.

Not only does the Biloxi area have nothing close to an indie theater, it doesn't even have 3D theaters yet. You have to drive 45 mins to Mobile or New Orleans to see it.

No films for me this weekend. For other reasons though.

[StanleyK]

'Artsy-fartsy' is such a meaningless term as criticism, it infuriates me when people say that, or 'pretentious'. Are you saying films shouldn't be artful or ambitious?

[Grouchy]

So the Buenos Aires Film Festival has announced this year's movies... and it's actually a pretty poor selection compared to almost any other year. Plenty of new movies I was anticipating aren't there, and the most interesting part are the classics, some of which I'm almost certain they already showed last year.

My best guess is that, with 2010 being the 200-year celebrations of national independence, the budget that usually goes for this is being used for the celebrations. That would explain it. It's a shame, though, because last year was fucking massive.

Anyway, here's what I just picked:

Hadewijch (my first Bruno Dumont)
Black Dynamite
The Milky Way (Buñuel)
A Mulher de Todos (Everyone's Woman)
The White Ribbon
Performance (Roeg)

And here (http://www.bafici.gov.ar/home10/web/es/films/index.html)'s the full list in case someone wants to spend a moment looking at it and tell me if I overlooked something. I'll be grateful for it.

[NickGlass]

Speaking of festivals, and I'm sure most NYC cinephiles are already aware, the New Directors/New Films program recently began. As always, it's a clever, in-the-know collection of directorial debuts that have been traveling the festival circuit over the past year.

http://www.newdirectors.org/2010/

[Qrazy]

'Artsy-fartsy' is such a meaningless term as criticism, it infuriates me when people say that, or 'pretentious'. Are you saying films shouldn't be artful or ambitious?

Agreed that artsy-fartsy is a crap term. Pretentious isn't though. Some films are actually pretentious... that is to say they carry an over-exaggerated and unearned sense of self-importance.

[Spinal]

When you say a film is 'artsy-fartsy', you are saying little about the film but a lot about yourself.

[soitgoes...]

Well the quality of the copy/print I got also looks sub-awful so that's not going to help matters much.
I think that's the best one out there. For what it is, the print works fine.

[Bosco B Thug]

Hey, some films are just artsy-fartsy. Like Quantum of Solace, that was some artsy-fartsy bullshit. Yeah, Quantum of Solace and Antichrist, the artsiest fart takes of the 2008-2009 period.

Joseph Losey makes grueling films. No one creates drunken despair on the screen quite like him.

Anyone seen these? Eva is a masterful arthouse film filled to the absolute brim with epic cinema, perhaps to a fault... the film is overlong and stretched thin, but Losey is really pulling all the stops here. Jeanne Moreau is unaccountably seductive here, although she reaches equally staggering heights being Mephistophelian under Losey's cosmic eye. Time Without Pity is an anti-death penalty tract/suspense-mystery that's actually urgent and suspenseful, and Michael Redgrave gives a fantastically melodramatic performance. Not Losey in arthouse mode, but his work is excellent here, too.

[Derek]

When you say a film is 'artsy-fartsy', you are saying little about the film but a lot about yourself.

Precisely, though you realize by making this observation, you will now be labeled pretentious.

[Spinal]

Precisely, though you realize by making this observation, you will now be labeled pretentious.

I know. I'm not pretentious. I'm a blowhard. Get it right.

[Derek]

I know. I'm not pretentious. I'm a blowhard. Get it right.

Oh, I know that, but not everyone else does. ;)

[balmakboor]

Just re-watched Tekkonkinkreet and was duly blown away. My daughter watched it with me and insisted that I add it to her anime pile. She wants to show it to some friends.

Btw, she says it sucks that she's about the only student at her middle school who likes anime. Most of them don't even know what it is.

[Skitch]

'Artsy-fartsy' is such a meaningless term as criticism, it infuriates me when people say that, or 'pretentious'. Are you saying films shouldn't be artful or ambitious?

Tough titty, guy.

[StanleyK]

Agreed that artsy-fartsy is a crap term. Pretentious isn't though. Some films are actually pretentious... that is to say they carry an over-exaggerated and unearned sense of self-importance.

I think you're right; I myself called Southland Tales pretentious in this same thread. It just bothers me how liberally people use it when applying it to movies with simply an unconventional narrative or visual style.


Tough titty, guy.

I don't know what you mean by this.

[D_Davis]

Just re-watched Tekkonkinkreet and was duly blown away. My daughter watched it with me and insisted that I add it to her anime pile. She wants to show it to some friends.

Btw, she says it sucks that she's about the only student at her middle school who likes anime. Most of them don't even know what it is.

Such a great movie. I've been wanting to rewatch that and Mind Game recently.

I'm surprised there aren't more kids her age into anime. I always see what appear to be younger kids in the manga sections here in the stores.

[D_Davis]

Speaking of artsy-fartsy, I want to watch Inland Empire again, soon. I was recently thinking about how that movie makes me feel. It's weird. I think more about that movie in terms of how it makes me feel than I do about things in the film itself.

[Skitch]

I think you're right; I myself called Southland Tales pretentious in this same thread. It just bothers me how liberally people use it when applying it to movies with simply an unconventional narrative or visual style. I don't know what you mean by this.

Some movies are artsy-fartsy. Some are pretentious. Some are "popcorn". Some are "great summer check-your-brain fun". Some are directed by Michael Bay. I don't throw such general terms around casually. Using such conveys a certain feel of the film. I suppose I could have said "it has bits of shitty unconventional narrative", but I think my statement was understood.

I guess I'm saying if you don't like these terms, tough. Your just going to have to deal with it when discussing some films.

EDIT: And yes, you got me. I don't think any films should be artful or ambitious. I want dull, boring, everything. Man, you nailed me down perfect.

Just because its different doesn't mean its good.

[StanleyK]

Some movies are artsy-fartsy. Some are pretentious. Some are "popcorn". Some are "great summer check-your-brain fun". Some are directed by Michael Bay. I don't throw such general terms around casually. Using such conveys a certain feel of the film. I suppose I could have said "it has bits of shitty unconventional narrative", but I think my statement was understood.

I guess I'm saying if you don't like these terms, tough. Your just going to have to deal with it when discussing some films.

EDIT: And yes, you got me. I don't think any films should be artful or ambitious. I want dull, boring, everything. Man, you nailed me down perfect.

Just because its different doesn't mean its good.

I think all movies should be held to the same standards of basic quality, be they mainstream Hollywood blockbusters or obscure foreign films. I didn't mean to condescend to you and I'm sorry if I did, I just get irritated when I see the term 'artsy-fartsy'.

[balmakboor]

Such a great movie. I've been wanting to rewatch that and Mind Game recently.

I'm surprised there aren't more kids her age into anime. I always see what appear to be younger kids in the manga sections here in the stores.

When will Mind Game be out on DVD in R1? :frustrated:

I too see younger kids in the manga section at Barnes and Noble. My daughter says you have to be very careful to not appear nerdly at her school and anime (she's also working on becoming an animator) is definitely not "cool for school" she says. She has a boxset of Fruits Basket and loaned it to a friend. The friend brought it to school to return it, but was afraid to take it out of her backpack because someone might see it.

So, maybe there are a bunch of closet anime fans that she'll be able to connect with next year when she starts high school.

[dreamdead]

Varda's The beaches of Agnes is a wonderful documentary on the effects of memory on an artist, with Varda skillfully weaving family history through voiceover or, more interestingly, recreations with commentary on those recreations. Her career comes off looking positively fascinating (especially compared to the scant accessibility of her works in R1), and it really makes you feel as though you could watch her entire canon with an eye toward newfound appreciation. The mirrors are nicely meta, and her whole approach to the work reminds you of a lovely grandmother, patiently telling you her story before time takes her away. Gorgeous to view, and provoking to consider. Highly recommended stuff.

[Adam]

I watched Hitch's Suspicion for the first time this morning and I'd rank it in probably his top five or six or so. It gets a bad rap for the unfortunate situation with the ending, but up until that point it basically plays like a glorious Hitchcock greatest hits album, kinda the same deal as North By Northwest. And I mean the ending might be more ambiguous than it lets on, anyway. Either way, I liked it a lot, and the shot of Cary Grant walking upstairs with a glowing glass of milk is an instant all-time favorite for me, monkey face

[Raiders]

I also recently watched a Hitchcock for the first time, Foreign Correspondent. Not much to say. Great, great set-pieces and all around an engaging film. Not sure I found it very dramatically satisfying nor all that interesting in what I assume are its propaganda underpinnings. Still, very solid film.

[Spinal]

I guess I'm saying if you don't like these terms, tough. Your just going to have to deal with it when discussing some films.

But you weren't really 'disccusing' the film. You merely labelled it.

[Ivan Drago]

NIU is hosting another French film weekend this year.

What.


....why can't SIU do something like this? Oh yeah, because the state is poor and the university is in Podunkville, USA.

[Mara]

I watched Hitch's Suspicion for the first time this morning and I'd rank it in probably his top five or six or so. It gets a bad rap for the unfortunate situation with the ending, but up until that point it basically plays like a glorious Hitchcock greatest hits album, kinda the same deal as North By Northwest. And I mean the ending might be more ambiguous than it lets on, anyway. Either way, I liked it a lot, and the shot of Cary Grant walking upstairs with a glowing glass of milk is an instant all-time favorite for me, monkey face

I actually really disliked this one. Obviously, the ending was awful, but I didn't really see anything else in the film to excuse it.

[Mara]

I also recently watched a Hitchcock for the first time, Foreign Correspondent.

I'm sure I'm misreading this. You mean this is your first time watching THIS Hitchcock, right?

[Wryan]

I'm sure I'm misreading this. You mean this is your first time watching THIS Hitchcock, right?

"I, like the previous poster, also recently watched a Hitchcock for the first time, this particular Hitchcock being Foreign Correspondent."

is what I took away...

[Raiders]

I'm sure I'm misreading this. You mean this is your first time watching THIS Hitchcock, right?

Hm, yeah, guess that was somewhat poorly worded. As you suspected, I meant I saw that Hitchcock, Foreign Correspondent, for the first time.

[Mara]

"I, like the previous poster, also recently watched a Hitchcock for the first time, this particular Hitchcock being Foreign Correspondent."

Awesome. You're like the universal translator from Star Trek, except plausible.

[Mara]

Hm, yeah, guess that was somewhat poorly worded. As you suspected, I meant I saw that Hitchcock, Foreign Correspondent, for the first time.

It probably should have been obvious, and yet I started writing a post wondering why you would choose Foreign Correspondent for your first Hitchcock.

Please don't mind me. I'm having a moment, apparently.

[Skitch]

But you weren't really 'disccusing' the film. You merely labelled it.

C'mon guy, do you really consider Anti Christ to be rationally shot and directed? It reeks of film school and being different for the sake of being different. Frivolous shots abound.

I could be wrong, but do you really think Willem Dafoe having nuts rain on his head in slow motion is a critical part of the narrative?

I could say these things, or I could just sum it up by saying its a little artsy fartsy for its own good.

[balmakboor]

It seems to me that the "artsy-fartsy" stuff in Anitchrist is pretty much everything. If it wasn't for nuts falling in slow motion and what not, we wouldn't be left with much else. The plot could be summarized on a cocktail napkin.

The whole thing is some sort of art house tease. And I don't mean that necessarily as a criticism.

[Boner M]

being different for the sake of being different
I just heard a loud groan, all the way from Portland.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I just heard a loud groan, all the way from Portland.

The wind from those eye-rolls have just created a bizarre gust in Toronto.

[Grouchy]

Rewatched Full Metal Jacket. The stuff that comes out of R. Lee Ermey is so amazing. This time I felt a bit more how odd the structure of the film was, and I gained an even greater appreciation for the climatic sniper scene.

[balmakboor]

Rewatched Full Metal Jacket. The stuff that comes out of R. Lee Ermey is so amazing. This time I felt a bit more how odd the structure of the film was, and I gained an even greater appreciation for the climatic sniper scene.

Have you ever seen the interpretation of the sniper sequence where the guy considers it a commentary on the JFK assassination? Pretty cool idea and not without some interesting supporting evidence.

It's part 6 on the following page:
http://www.collativelearning.com/FMJ%20contents.html

[D_Davis]

Have you ever seen the interpretation of the sniper sequence where the guy considers it a commentary on the JFK assassination? Pretty cool idea and not without some interesting supporting evidence.

It's part 6 on the following page:
http://www.collativelearning.com/FMJ%20contents.html

I love Ager's commentary. His interpretation of 2001 is awesome.

[Qrazy]

Blonde Cobra - I feel like I just watched a home movie by Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs.

[Derek]

The wind from those eye-rolls have just created a bizarre gust in Toronto.

The slap to the forehead and hushed "Jesus H. Christ" from Los Angeles may actually bring some thunderstorms your way.

[Sven]

I'm pretty sure that the grumbles from the subsequent indigestion just registered at least a 4 on the Richter here in Seattle.

[Winston*]

So it's you guys that have been causing all these natural disasters recently. Stop it!