28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[Sycophant]

I honestly tried to watch it with as open a mind as I could, despite all the negative I'd heard. It is, in fact, the first Danny Boyle film I've disliked (and it's the fourth I've seen). I don't really have anything to add to what's been said before (I more or less agree with what Walter Chaw said in his review, maybe a little less vitriolic).

[Spinal]

I'm going to go see that crazy 70s Japanese horror movie, House, tonight. I'm very excited.

[Skitch]

I honestly tried to watch it with as open a mind as I could, despite all the negative I'd heard. It is, in fact, the first Danny Boyle film I've disliked (and it's the fourth I've seen). I don't really have anything to add to what's been said before (I more or less agree with what Walter Chaw said in his review, maybe a little less vitriolic).

Which ones did you like?

[D_Davis]

I'm going to go see that crazy 70s Japanese horror movie, House, tonight. I'm very excited.

It's awesome.

[Skitch]

Its interesting what bluray can do for a movie...Pandorum was better second time around.

[B-side]

Yes. I think this movie's brilliant. Will Rachel Weisz top that performance?

Doubtful. She was crazy sexy in it, too. Well, for most of it, anyway.:P

[Spinal]

House was glorious. Not without a few dead spots, but when it's working, it's transcendent. Such imagination. Such goofy fun.

[soitgoes...]

House was glorious. Not without a few dead spots, but when it's working, it's transcendent. Such imagination. Such goofy fun.Indeed. It does slow a couple times after the halfway point, but what a great film.

[soitgoes...]

I really want to check out Obayashi's version of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.

[Spinal]

Just read that House will eventually get a Criterion release. Outstanding. Can't wait to watch this again.

[MadMan]

All this talk about House just reminds me of the campy, hilarious and entertaining 1986 "House" that featured George Wedlt from Cheers and was a favorite of mine when I was in high school. I now want to see this Japanese 1970s House that you guys are talking about.

Oh and Raising Arizona was beyond hilarious. I'm not sure if I'd place it among their best, but its still great never the less. The crazed chase scene midway through the movie had me laughing so hard I was in tears, and the Lone Biker of the Apocalypse is one bigtime funny badass. Plus John Goodman is fantastic in this, along with Cage, Hunter, and everyone else involved. "Son, you've got a panty on your head" is among the humorous one-liners, and the ending is surprisingly touching and wonderful. Up next for the Coens is Miller's Crossing, which is also avaliable on Instant Viewing.

[Boner M]

House was glorious. Not without a few dead spots, but when it's working, it's transcendent. Such imagination. Such goofy fun.
Great to hear! I saw it last month via its recent Masters of Cinema edition (basically the UK Criterion)... the story behind its conception is quite fascinating; apparently Obayashi's 10-year-old daughter was the source of a lot of the film's visual ideas, and the film was produced out of sheer desperation for something new when the Japanese film industry was at an all-time commercial low, and became a box-office hit. From the DVD's accompanying booklet:


As the project developed, the vice-president of Toho studios, Isao Matsuoka, was greatly impressed by Obayashi's energy and creative independence. "But Mr. Obayashi," he said, "I don't understand the story at all. This is the first time I have seen such a meaningless script. But maybe it's a good thing that I don't understand. Please do not make it into something I can comprehend.

Also, I posted it earlier, but in case you missed it, here's Obayashi's commercial for Mandom (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8bqVL0VXrE) deodorant, with Charles Bronson.

[Boner M]

Hot damn, the reports of Dillinger is Dead's singularity are not exaggerated. I can't think of another film that so cannily encapsulates how I feel about the absurdity of life itself - and more specifically, the fascination that meaningless processes hold for the individual in the face of such absurdity. All this, while neglecting to portray a single emotion or character behaviour that is credible in any conventional sense.

Good job, Criterion. Hoping Make Way For Tomorrow is as satisfying a blind-buy...

[Sven]

Any ideas on the Criterion cartoon hint? It is a fox eating its own intestines with a bubble that says "This fall, a truly gutsy release."

[Mysterious Dude]

Any ideas on the Criterion cartoon hint? It is a fox eating its own intestines with a bubble that says "This fall, a truly gutsy release."

http://i10.createsend3.com/ei/r/F7/FE1/869/032210/wackyfoxeatingentrails1.jpg

The only thing that would genuinely surprise me would be that it's not Antichrist.

[MadMan]

Well it could also be Fantastic Mr. Fox.



But yeah, its Antichrist.

[Sven]

The only thing that would genuinely surprise me would be that it's not Antichrist.

Figured it might be, but I have not seen it yet.

[Sycophant]

That cartoon is horrifying.

[Derek]

Hot damn, the reports of Dillinger is Dead's singularity are not exaggerated. I can't think of another film that so cannily encapsulates how I feel about the absurdity of life itself - and more specifically, the fascination that meaningless processes hold for the individual in the face of such absurdity. All this, while neglecting to portray a single emotion or character behaviour that is credible in any conventional sense.

I was just reading about this last night and it sounded fascinating. To the top of the queue it goes.

The Criterion is definitely Antichrist, though I'm kind of hoping it's Fantastic Mr. Fox just to see how they'd justify the intestine-gobbling.

[Watashi]

Shouldn't Fantastic Mr. Fox be getting a Criterion release anyway since it's Wes? Doesn't he have a contract with them?

[Sven]

Shouldn't Fantastic Mr. Fox be getting a Criterion release anyway since it's Wes? Doesn't he have a contract with them?

Darjeeling does not have one.

[Watashi]

Darjeeling does not have one.
Weird. I thought it was released as a Criterion, but you're right.

[Rowland]

Ohh, can't wait to see the Antichrist cover. I may actually buy that one.

[Ezee E]

I just don't get the comment by the fox.

[Derek]

I just don't get the comment by the fox.

This fall (when it's being released), a gutsy release (play on words as the film was derided by a number of critics and the fox is eating its guts).

[Winston*]

Shouldn't these clues be more obtuse than just drawing something that's in the movie? Maybe Criterion is tricking us.

[Ezee E]

Shouldn't these clues be more obtuse than just drawing something that's in the movie? Maybe Criterion is tricking us.
Yeah. That's what I was hoping for, instead of the easiest clue ever. At least The Thin Red Line clue was pretty good.

[Grouchy]

Osmosis Jones is a pretty fun one-joke movie for the first half an hour. After that, it doesn't really sustain itself, but the concept remains very cool. I was not surprised to read that the live-action parts were made by entirely different people (actually, the Farrelys) than the in-body animated ones. The live-action parts, despite Bill Murray, are pretty idiotic, but the cartoon parts, which make most of the movie, are fairly clever. I mostly watched this because I was a fan of the "Ozzy & Drix" spin-off TV series.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_TMx3G59inl8/SdlQbR0HwiI/AAAAAAAAAO0/GcQMfIIUdc0/s400/maverick+cartas+mel+gibson.jpe g

I also watched Maverick, the 1994 Mel Gibson one. Great fun. Richard Donner is just the director for this type of film. Gibson is at his charming best here, perfectly channeling James Garner's classic Maverick performance while standing right next to him. And Jodie Foster is uniquely sexy and has great chemistry with him - which makes me anticipate The Beaver a lot more. I have great memories of the "Maverick" TV series (mostly the Roger Moore episodes) and this movie succeeds completely in making a big-budget version of the characters with the same feel and brand of comedy. It has the best cast ever reunited, including the many cameos.

[balmakboor]

Finally saw The Wayward Cloud this evening. Helluva lot of fun. Love the musical numbers, especially the one with the watermelon umbrellas. http://bit.ly/d0NPAf

[hey it's ethan]

Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story is pretty much a launching pad for all of Todd Haynes' über-subversiveness in the musician biopic arena. At first it feels pretty constricted by its format but some pretty interesting shit starts to kick in (intercutting Karen meeting the record company with Holocaust imagery) and you know that Haynes is on to something. Key events are glossed over with text but not necessarily because of the short running time, but more because of them just being pretty typical and obvious points for melodrama that would only stop the whole thing dead in its detachedly dramatic tracks.

[Qrazy]

Finally saw The Wayward Cloud this evening. Helluva lot of fun. Love the musical numbers, especially the one with the watermelon umbrellas. http://bit.ly/d0NPAf

Did you not finish it?

[soitgoes...]

Finally saw The Wayward Cloud this evening. Helluva lot of fun. Love the musical numbers, especially the one with the watermelon umbrellas. http://bit.ly/d0NPAfHow did I not know this was a musical (or at least contains musical numbers)? I'm gonna make it my next Tsai film. I'm not a big fan of traditional Hollywood musicals, but I love me some quirky or dark musical numbers.

[Skitch]

Shouldn't these clues be more obtuse than just drawing something that's in the movie? Maybe Criterion is tricking us.

That would be pretty sly...

[Boner M]

The Best of Youth (Giordana 03) **½
Interesting, I think you're the first person I've come across to be less than enamoured by this film. Thoughts?

[Boner M]

Weekend:

Kick-Ass
Make Way For Tomorrow
Paisan
Reversal of Fortune
One From the Heart
Last House on the Left (remake)
The Killing (rpt)

[balmakboor]

Did you not finish it?

Well, I wouldn't say every moment was a "helluva lot of fun" and the ending was pretty disturbing.

[Ezee E]

Weekend:
Memories of Murder
Blue Steel

[megladon8]

Wow, IMDb has quite the screw up on their front page.

They list Bill Condon as the director of Chicago.

Yikes.

[balmakboor]

Wow, IMDb has quite the screw up on their front page.

They list Bill Condon as the director of Chicago.

Yikes.

It's no big deal. They describe him as a writer-director and then list some of his credits. He did write the screenplay for Chicago.

[baby doll]

So I finally finished Farber on Film. That was a lot of words. Most of it's pretty boring (reviews of mediocre commercial films from the forties and fifties), but it starts to pick up somewhat once he discovers Fassbinder, Snow, and Straub.

[soitgoes...]

Interesting, I think you're the first person I've come across to be less than enamoured by this film. Thoughts?
It's as simple as pointing a finger at the film's length. I don't know if I should have watched it in two sittings, as it was intended, but during the second half I was getting bored. I like the idea of the film, and films of this sort. Broad sweeping looks into the lives of a family set against the happenings of a country's history. Visconti handled this better, twice, though his scale was smaller. Oh, and some of the worst old age makeup ever. Graying the hair and adding crows feet around the eyes does not make someone who is thirty look like they're 60. That's me just being picky though.

[Boner M]

Most of it's pretty boring (reviews of mediocre commercial films from the forties and fifties
I hope you're not referring to his writing on Hawks, Siegel, Walsh, "White Elephant vs. Termite Art", etc. And his ambivalent piece on Godard is the best I've ever come across regarding JLG.

[megladon8]

Ambivalence towards Godard?

Sounds like a man after my own heart.

[Derek]

Ambivalence towards Godard?

Sounds like a man after my own heart.

Have you seen anything other than Contempt?

[megladon8]

Have you seen anything other than Contempt?


Yes, A Woman is a Woman, Band of Outsiders and Breathless.

Breathless would be my favorite of the bunch, but still nothing to write home about. I'd give it a 6.5.

[Derek]

Yes, A Woman is a Woman, Band of Outsiders and Breathless.

Breathless would be my favorite of the bunch, but still nothing to write home about. I'd give it a 6.5.

Ok, I only asked because I could've sworn in the last Godard rate-a-thon, you only had a 4 for Contempt. At least you've given him a few shots. You've failed, but at least you tried.

[megladon8]

Ok, I only asked because I could've sworn in the last Godard rate-a-thon, you only had a 4 for Contempt. At least you've given him a few shots. You've failed, but at least you tried.


:lol:

Yeah, about a month and a half ago I went on another binge ordering Criterions from the local library.

Watched a bunch of Godard films to see if my opinion changed...which it didn't.

Also saw a couple more by Melville, two Kurosawa, a couple by Woody Allen (another director I'm not too crazy about).

[Qrazy]

Well, I wouldn't say every moment was a "helluva lot of fun" and the ending was pretty disturbing.

I was watching it a while back and my (now ex) girlfriend came in during the last five minutes and promptly burst into tears.

[Derek]

I was watching it a while back and my (now ex) girlfriend came in during the last five minutes and promptly burst into tears.

I read that without the "in" the first time and was equally confused and amused.

[balmakboor]

I was watching it a while back and my (now ex) girlfriend came in during the last five minutes and promptly burst into tears.

I once scared my roommate's girlfriend away because I was listening to Weasel's Ripped My Flesh.

[balmakboor]

I read that without the "in" the first time and was equally confused and amused.

:)

[Qrazy]

I read that without the "in" the first time and was equally confused and amused.

Ah yeah no, that would have been much more uncomfortable.

[B-side]

Woody Allen (another director I'm not too crazy about).

Can't really blame you for that. I've seen less than 10 of his films and I'm already getting tired of his love triangles.

[Pop Trash]

Can't really blame you for that. I've seen less than 10 of his films and I'm already getting tired of his love triangles.

Funny, I've been on a Woody kick lately. His stuff from the 70s and 80s is like comfort food for me.

[B-side]

Funny, I've been on a Woody kick lately. His stuff from the 70s and 80s is like comfort food for me.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm a fan, but even in the dramas of his I'm especially fond of, the sense of deja vu surrounding the love triangles is very palpable.

[MadMan]

Woody Allen's movies are more than just about the love triangle. At least that's what I've gotten out of viewing Annie Hall, Sleeper, Crimes and Misdemeanors and Radio Days.

[B-side]

Woody Allen's movies are more than just about the love triangle.

Well, yeah. If they weren't, then I wouldn't be very fond of his films.

[Ivan Drago]

While we're on the topic of Antichrist - the more I think about it, the more I like it. And to me, the freakiest part besides the genital mutilation was the part when Dafoe's character is looking through the diary in the attic, and as the diary gets closer to the end, the handwriting gets less and less legible.

It only lasted for a few seconds, but it was very effective I thought.

[BuffaloWilder]

Oh my god. Just got back. First night down - nine more to go. Amazing. Uncollected thoughts right now:

Had extended conversations with director Brooks Branch, whose film Multiple Sarcasms we attended with a Q&A, and Bill Paxton - ooh, Bill Paxton got his drunk breath all over me and rambled about Spring in Texas for a little while; it was just surreal.

During the after-party, some old drunk Jeweller guy came out of nowhere and started trying to hit on our photographer-lady, followed her around the crowd the whole time.

The filmmaker lounge was just bumpin' - but, I'm still terribly jittery and excited.

:pritch::pritch::pritch:

[soitgoes...]

Weekend choices could be any of the following:

Last Tango in Paris
The Wayward Cloud
Brutal Story at End of the Tokugawa Shogunate
The Affair
Jeanne Dielman
Loulou
Within Our Gates

[B-side]

I highly suggest anyone looking for a good western outside of the typical recommendations seek out Monte Hellman's 3 westerns. They are all very much worthwhile. Netflix has his first 2 on IW.

[baby doll]

I hope you're not referring to his writing on Hawks, Siegel, Walsh, "White Elephant vs. Termite Art", etc. And his ambivalent piece on Godard is the best I've ever come across regarding JLG.I meant more the shorter pieces he wrote between 1942 and '47, and most of his fifties stuff (excluding some of the longer pieces). Overall though, it seems to me that, given his background as a painter and an art critic, he was well tuned to the non-narrative aspects of movies, which may explain why he seems more comfortable writing about Akerman and Warhol than about commercial cinema. With regards to the Godard piece in particular, I guess it's a matter of taste; I think he does a good job of describing the textures of Godard's '60s films, but I would've liked more analysis (the last sentence in particular feels like him throwing up his hands in defeat). What can I say? I'm a Bordwell man.

[Ivan Drago]

Have to catch up since I've been busy editing a movie and working on an animation project:

- For the reasons above (plus 2 presentations and 2 papers), I haven't been watching as many movies as I'd like. Hell, I'd be getting out of class at 6pm only to be working on homework until 11, and by then I'm too tired to watch a movie. I'm planning on going all out in the summer though, as I'm staying in my campustown over the summer, and their library is full of movies.


I've seen only one film in the last two weeks and that was The Room. So sad.

YUUR TEARING ME APAHT, SPINAL!!!

[dreamdead]

After the first half-hour of The Hudsucker Proxy, which feels labored, the introduction of Leigh's reporter character to the narrative moves the interest and plot forward. And while she herself is basically a stand-in for the Hepburn motormouth, her ability to control situations feels fresh, and rejuvenates a narrative in need of a counter to Robbins' airy innocence. And everything about the time freeze is awesome. I don't know if the Coen Brothers achieve much beyond surface homages here, but the fun is infectious.

[Grouchy]

After the first half-hour of The Hudsucker Proxy, which feels labored, the introduction of Leigh's reporter character to the narrative moves the interest and plot forward. And while she herself is basically a stand-in for the Hepburn motormouth, her ability to control situations feels fresh, and rejuvenates a narrative in need of a counter to Robbins' airy innocence. And everything about the time freeze is awesome. I don't know if the Coen Brothers achieve much beyond surface homages here, but the fun is infectious.
The musical sequence where the hula hula starts selling is incredibly fun to watch. It was guest directed by Sam Raimi, I think. I love the movie.

[Pop Trash]

Derek, I'm sorry, but your Gattaca rating sucks balls.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Derek, I'm sorry, but your Gattaca rating sucks balls.

It's one of my favorite new views of the year.

[Spinal]

I'd rate it a little higher than Derek, but Gattaca is not that good. Great idea for a film. Great look for a film. But it's dramatically inert. Ethan Hawke in the lead certainly doesn't help.

[Watashi]

Gattaca has an amazing score.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I'd rate it a little higher than Derek, but Gattaca is not that good. Great idea for a film. Great look for a film. But it's dramatically inert. Ethan Hawke in the lead certainly doesn't help.

What was inert about it? Were the stakes insufficient for you, or was the drama poorly delivered? Is there another option I'm not thinking of?

I thought the tension was palpable, and I found Hawke's performance fine, if not exemplary. Given his character's need to avoid being found, a minimalist perf makes sense. Jude Law's certainly allowed a lot more to chew on.

[Derek]

I'd rate it a little higher than Derek, but Gattaca is not that good. Great idea for a film. Great look for a film. But it's dramatically inert. Ethan Hawke in the lead certainly doesn't help.

Totally agree. Dramatically inert not only because of the performances, but a poor script that never follows through with the promise of the premise. The voice-over is horrible and serves mostly to blatantly provide exposition and explanations rather than allow the inner workings of the world to come out naturally. Niccol needs a lesson from Davis on SF - show don't tell.


Gattaca has an amazing score.

On it's own, I'm sure it's good, but it's incredibly overbearing throughout the film.

[Spinal]

I will defer to Derek who has seen it more recently than I. But that sounds about right. Great premise, flat script, unengaging performances, major disappointment.

[number8]

I may have to miss a screening of Tetsuo: The Bulletman this Sunday. This will probably irritate me the next day.

[megladon8]

Put me in the "Gattaca is great" camp.

[balmakboor]

Oh be still all ye Gattaca detractors. It's one of the best sci-fi films I've ever seen.

[balmakboor]

This thing made me want to go on a Coen Bros. binge. And even watch a few that I haven't seen yet.

http://j.mp/b7t5Im

[Ezee E]

This thing made me want to go on a Coen Bros. binge. And even watch a few that I haven't seen yet.

http://j.mp/b7t5Im
Damn. I want to do stuff like that. I just don't know how to steal individual scenes from DVDs.

[Derek]

Oh be still all ye Gattaca detractors. It's one of the best sci-fi films I've ever seen.

The best thing I can say for Gattaca is that it's far better than the two piece of shit films Niccol made after it.

[Milky Joe]

I think I'm going to get drunk and watch Showgirls tonight. I just saw Verhoeven talking about Jesus the other night at Powell's, so it seems appropriate.

[EyesWideOpen]

The best thing I can say for Gattaca is that it's far better than the two piece of shit films Niccol made after it.

His next film is The Host an adaptation of the Stephanie Meyer novel. Weird.

[MadMan]

Well, yeah. If they weren't, then I wouldn't be very fond of his films.Fair enough. I like Sleeper the most so far-I even bothered to write a review of it and post it here.

Weekend:

Maybe some movies. Probably not :|

[BuffaloWilder]

Check out this video from Opening Night. (http://www.wfaa.com/news/entertainment/dallas-film-festival/Bill-Paxton-on-Dallas-International-Film-Festival-90334614.html)

See those three douches laughing it up on the stairs in the background, and flapping the steno-pad up and down?


That's me and my crew. I'm the guy waving the pad around. We were on the news. Whoa

[B-side]

Check out this video from Opening Night. (http://www.wfaa.com/news/entertainment/dallas-film-festival/Bill-Paxton-on-Dallas-International-Film-Festival-90334614.html)

See those three douches laughing it up on the stairs in the background, and flapping the steno-pad up and down?


That's me and my crew. I'm the guy waving the pad around. We were on the news. Whoa

Video won't work for me.

[soitgoes...]

I heard that Jackson's The Lovely Bones wasn't all that good, but I didn't expect to hate it. Awful, awful film.

Lindsey's fact finding mission at the end is the worst thing I saw from any film made last year. From remembering to shut the cabinet, happening upon Mr. Harvey's secret hiding place, making sure to flip through the book and digest every page, Mr. Harvey's super hearing, all the way to Lindsey's timidness (stupidness) at not sharing the information with her family (due to the unbelievable timing of her mom's return) is just stupid ridiculous. This movie deserves hate for that one scene alone, but in fact, there's plenty more wrong with the film.

[Bosco B Thug]

Joseph Losey's Boom doesn't have much of a reputation besides being bad, but I liked it a lot. It's overblown and messy at times, shows off Losey's bad habits, and is, like all his films, too fucking busy, but there shouldn't be anything inherently wrong in Losey embracing his camp sensibility as he is doing here if his work remains as strong and vivid as it is usually. Really interested in how others here would like it. I was also really responsive to Tennessee Williams' musings on death and existence, I really needed Bergmanism recently and I got it with this film.

[Sven]

Man, guys, Jerry Lewis's Three on a Couch is one weirdass movie.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Joseph Losey's Boom doesn't have much of a reputation besides being bad, but I liked it a lot. It's overblown and messy at times, shows off Losey's bad habits, and is, like all his films, too fucking busy, but there shouldn't be anything inherently wrong in Losey embracing his camp sensibility as he is doing here if his work remains as strong and vivid as it is usually. Really interested in how others here would like it. I was also really responsive to Tennessee Williams' musings on death and existence, I really needed Bergmanism recently and I got it with this film.

I've always wanted to see this, seems my style.

[Skitch]

I may have to miss a screening of Tetsuo: The Bulletman this Sunday. This will probably irritate me the next day.

:sad:


I've always defended Gattaca's greatness.

I hear The Lovely Bones is a blu ray show-off disc. Really?

[Raiders]

I also love Gattaca. I'm sure it has some dramatic issues, but it always felt to me like it was purposefully shrouding the plot in a haze, like a somber reflection on Hawke's part.

I'm also surprised that the awesome look, feel and ideas of the film didn't warrant a higher grade from Derek. I've not known him to demand much forward-moving drama from films before.

[balmakboor]

I also love Gattaca. I'm sure it has some dramatic issues, but it always felt to me like it was purposefully shrouding the plot in a haze, like a somber reflection on Hawke's part.

I'm also surprised that the awesome look, feel and ideas of the film didn't warrant a higher grade from Derek. I've not known him to demand much forward-moving drama from films before.

I guess I haven't seen it for a while, but I actually remember Gattaca being very dramatically successful. The scenes where he hides his heart problem while doing the exercise stress test was terrific.

[Qrazy]

I also love Gattaca. I'm sure it has some dramatic issues, but it always felt to me like it was purposefully shrouding the plot in a haze, like a somber reflection on Hawke's part.

I'm also surprised that the awesome look, feel and ideas of the film didn't warrant a higher grade from Derek. I've not known him to demand much forward-moving drama from films before.

I think his biggest problem with the film was that he didn't like the characters.

[hey it's ethan]

I've been meaning to finally check out Gattaca for awhile now, but my disdain for Niccol's utterly dreadful Lord of War kind of makes me hesitant.

[Skitch]

I've been meaning to finally check out Gattaca for awhile now, but my disdain for Niccol's utterly dreadful Lord of War kind of makes me hesitant.
He made that?! Well, Gattaca is great, man. Lord of War is blech.

[Qrazy]

Lord of War may have been a shallow, mediocre film, but at least it was somewhat stylistically interesting. S1m0ne is his weakest imo.

[balmakboor]

I haven't seen anything other than Gattaca by Niccol. But, if they are as bad as I've read, he's possibly the most uneven director of all time. Or, at least, he rivals F.F. Coppola for his great disparity between The Godfather and Jack.

[Skitch]

Watching Abel Ferrera's The Funeral. What a cast! So far so awesome. Thoughts?

[Milky Joe]

I think I'm going to get drunk and watch Showgirls tonight. I just saw Verhoeven talking about Jesus the other night at Powell's, so it seems appropriate.

Astonishing.

[balmakboor]

I think I'm going to get drunk and watch Showgirls tonight. I just saw Verhoeven talking about Jesus the other night at Powell's, so it seems appropriate.

I remember him talking about making a film about Jesus back around the time of Scorsese's Last Temptation. Is he back to that line of thinking again? I think his project at the time was called Jesus the Man or something like that.

[Milky Joe]

I remember him talking about making a film about Jesus back around the time of Scorsese's Last Temptation. Is he back to that line of thinking again? I think his project at the time was called Jesus the Man or something like that.

He just released a book. At the talk he was asked why he didn't make a movie and he basically said that the subject would not work as a film, that film is too "monolithic" to present such an ambiguous topic as the historical truth of Jesus. But then he also said that if someone gave him the budget, he would consider it.

[Bosco B Thug]

I've always wanted to see this, seems my style. I'd think so... Disclaimer: there was a point in the first thirty-minutes (after a really striking and classy opening credits) where I thought, "Oh boy, this is going to be another Losey disaster."


Side note, I'm completely uninitiated in the cults of Burton and Taylor - haven't seen any of their films, less their collabs. I think I've whetted my appetite for Burton-Taylor act-fests, maybe I'll finally see Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.

[EyesWideOpen]

Anyone have any recommendations for the best way to obtain/view Barking Dogs Never Bite by Joon-ho Bong.

[Derek]

I also love Gattaca. I'm sure it has some dramatic issues, but it always felt to me like it was purposefully shrouding the plot in a haze, like a somber reflection on Hawke's part.

I'm also surprised that the awesome look, feel and ideas of the film didn't warrant a higher grade from Derek. I've not known him to demand much forward-moving drama from films before.

I thought the plot was shrouded in a haze because the poor script never developed it. Are you guys are forgetting about things like the horrible reveal that the cop is actually his brother and they proceed to have yet another swim-off? I don't demand forward-moving drama from all films, just the ones that attempt to create it. This one failed and I wasn't particularly impressed with the film's look either.

Also, I don't like the film, but I don't hate it either so the uproar seems a bit overly dramatic.


Man, guys, Jerry Lewis's Three on a Couch is one weirdass movie.

It's pretty great, isn't it? That party sequence at the end is absolutely brilliant.


I think his biggest problem with the film was that he didn't like the characters.

My ratings aren't actually stars, but the number of beers I want to have with the protagonist.


I'd think so... Disclaimer: there was a point in the first thirty-minutes (after a really striking and classy opening credits) where I thought, "Oh boy, this is going to be another Losey disaster."

Before your Losey fest is over, be sure to check out Secret Ceremony.

[Derek]

Anyone have any recommendations for the best way to obtain/view Barking Dogs Never Bite by Joon-ho Bong.

Get an invitation to Karagarga from me and download it or buy a copy on Ebay (http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=m38&_nkw=barking+dogs+never+bite&_sacat=See-All-Categories).

[Bosco B Thug]

Before your Losey fest is over, be sure to check out Secret Ceremony. I'm seeing these in a film series at a theater, and it's ending this week with The Prowler. I missed The Big Night, The Boy With the Green Hair, Accident, These Are the Damned, and Mr. Klein, but luckily all those are available on DVD apart from the first title. Unfortunately, wouldn't know how to go about getting my hands on Secret Ceremony. Sounds great, though, apparently it's a Boom-like entry in his oeuvre.

[balmakboor]

He just released a book. At the talk he was asked why he didn't make a movie and he basically said that the subject would not work as a film, that film is too "monolithic" to present such an ambiguous topic as the historical truth of Jesus. But then he also said that if someone gave him the budget, he would consider it.

"Too monolithic?" "Ambiguous topic?" I think he's gone a bit loopy in the head.

[EyesWideOpen]

Get an invitation to Karagarga from me and download it or buy a copy on Ebay (http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=m38&_nkw=barking+dogs+never+bite&_sacat=See-All-Categories).

Thanks for reminding me about Karagarga! I couldn't remember the name and I signed up about a year ago.

[Milky Joe]

"Too monolithic?" "Ambiguous topic?" I think he's gone a bit loopy in the head.

Struck me as quite a sane position, actually. But this is the director of Showgirls we're talking about here.

[B-side]

Watching clips from Freddy Got Fingered is reminding me how amazing that movie is. Hilarious.

[Boner M]

Thoughts on Dillinger, B-Side?

EDIT: And Slow Moves? You seem to be watching all the Jost films that haven't previously been on my radar.

[B-side]

Thoughts on Dillinger, B-Side?

EDIT: And Slow Moves? You seem to be watching all the Jost films that haven't previously been on my radar.

Dillinger was bizarre, ritualistic and kinda fascinating. Like I said in the "Top 10" thread, I can't say the exposition in the beginning sat well with me, but it's nothing if not a unique experience.

Slow Moves is right up there with Last Chants as my favorite Jost so far. I'd venture to say Jost channels Antonioni a bit with the emphasis on structures and machinery. I like it more the more I think about it.

[Winston*]

Anyone seen In the Realms of the Unreal? Very good documentary. Glad they limited the focus to just his work and the people who knew him, I don't need a bunch of smug artsy types telling me how brilliant the guy was. Animated artworks and Dakota Fanning narration is surprisingly effective.

[Boner M]

I can't say the exposition in the beginning sat well with me
I also thought the opening monologue was overly didactic, but I think it ends up becoming essential to the film's trajectory; the exposition attempts to categorise/diagnose social malaise through words, while Piccoli's silent and increasingly bizarre 'adventures' (and in turn, Ferreri's experimentation with images that attempt to express the ineffable) in his house represent an attempt to move away from the tyranny of language via the spoken word, among other things.

[balmakboor]

Struck me as quite a sane position, actually. But this is the director of Showgirls we're talking about here.

Probably because I found Scorsese/Defoe's accomplishment extraordinary, I feel they proved once and for all that the character isn't "too monolithic."Of course, the character is still to rigid and fixed in stone in the minds of all who protested that interpretation.

I'm not sure what he meant by "ambiguity." There wasn't anything ambiguous about Last Temptation. It looks at the inevitable struggle within a character who is both fully human and fully divine, as Jesus supposedly was.

I just always assumed that Verhoeven either felt that Scorsese had already been there done that or that he didn't want to deal with the controversy at the time. Uh, scratch that. He loves controversy so it was most likely the first option.

[balmakboor]

Anyone seen In the Realms of the Unreal? Very good documentary. Glad they limited the focus to just his work and the people who knew him, I don't need a bunch of smug artsy types telling me how brilliant the guy was. Animated artworks and Dakota Fanning narration is surprisingly effective.

YES. It left me so badly wanting to read at least part of his novel. It reminded me of what I've read about Kafka, working as an office drone by day and writing by night.

[B-side]

I also thought the opening monologue was overly didactic, but I think it ends up becoming essential to the film's trajectory; the exposition attempts to categorise/diagnose social malaise through words, while Piccoli's silent and increasingly bizarre 'adventures' (and in turn, Ferreri's experimentation with images that attempt to express the ineffable) in his house represent an attempt to move away from the tyranny of language via the spoken word, among other things.

Yeah, that makes sense. Sort of a change of scenery from the lab to the home. Did you get the feeling like these "adventures" were rituals of sorts, or do you think the discovery of the gun set them off? I guess I still don't understand the significance of the gun other than as a catalyst. The poster hanging from his ceiling seemed to indicate a connection to America, but I'll be damned if I could connect any thematic dots. And the ending... such emphasis placed on the woman and I can't for the life of me figure out why. Man, I guess this film really just kinda soared over my head. If it weren't for the exposition in the beginning, I might not have even considered social malaise as a theme. There's certainly something there, some sort of disconnect. The discovery of the gun seemed to have rendered him a completely different person. I kept going back and forth on whether or not he had an established relationship with the maid or if the gun had made him bold enough to pursue her. Basically, I had a ton of different ideas, very few of them concrete. I suppose that enigmatic quality to the film was part of why I liked it so much. That and it went by surprisingly fast.:P

[Boner M]

Did you get the feeling like these "adventures" were rituals of sorts, or do you think the discovery of the gun set them off? I guess I still don't understand the significance of the gun other than as a catalyst. The poster hanging from his ceiling seemed to indicate a connection to America, but I'll be damned if I could connect any thematic dots.
Both, I think. My interpretation was that Piccoli was at the end of his tether, and that he was taking his private rituals to an end that was an attempt to upset the existing order that was stifling him. The gun ends up being stripped of its historical baggage ("Dillinger is dead", and so is his significance), and becomes an abstraction; nothing more than an object to be transfigured for his own amusement (or in this case, liberation). Similarly, the gun's traditionally a phallic symbol, although Piccoli ends up painting it in a polka dot pattern in an attempt to sort of feminise it before using it on his wife, thus turning it into a weapon against what he perceives as the vacuity of the woman in modern society (remember, the most shallow and superficial words in the film are uttered by the models on the cosmetic/beauty TV program he watches). Tellingly, I was reading in the DVD's insert booklet that Ferreri described himself as "50% feminist and 50% misogynist"... I think that schism is well documented in Piccoli's course of action that he takes.

[Grouchy]

So I watched Ajami (Israel, nominated for the Foreign Film Academy Award) and I ended up disliking it. It's too long, the characters, both Arab and Israeli, are card-board and predictable, and it's all a bit of a mess. It's mostly done with unprofessional actors playing themselves, and a few scenes have a raw intensity to them. Those moments are what makes the film worth watching. But for a realistic drama about relations in the Middle East, the film seems to focus too much on artificial "suspense" that doesn't really work and attempts to put violence in the forefront of almost every scene, so that I never really got the impression that these characters actually had lives when their safety wasn't threatened. Messing around with the chronology also made the movie more difficult to understand as a whole. People here said Gomorra was hard to follow? Wait until you've seen this one.

[Milky Joe]

Probably because I found Scorsese/Defoe's accomplishment extraordinary, I feel they proved once and for all that the character isn't "too monolithic."Of course, the character is still to rigid and fixed in stone in the minds of all who protested that interpretation.

I'm not sure what he meant by "ambiguity." There wasn't anything ambiguous about Last Temptation. It looks at the inevitable struggle within a character who is both fully human and fully divine, as Jesus supposedly was.

First of all it's the medium of film that is "too monolithic," as in there is no room in a film for multiple interpretations, no room for "well, maybe, we're/I'm not really sure," which is what is absolutely inevitable if you're making something to get at the real historical truth of Jesus, and not just telling the story that's told in the Bible. You're right, there wasn't anything ambiguous about Last Temptation, and I'm sure Verhoeven finds that to be rather problematic.

[Skitch]

Wow, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus was excellent. EXCELLENT.

[Qrazy]

First of all it's the medium of film that is "too monolithic," as in there is no room in a film for multiple interpretations, no room for "well, maybe, we're/I'm not really sure," which is what is absolutely inevitable if you're making something to get at the real historical truth of Jesus, and not just telling the story that's told in the Bible. You're right, there wasn't anything ambiguous about Last Temptation, and I'm sure Verhoeven finds that to be rather problematic.

I guess I see his point to a degree but ambiguous filmmaking leading to multiple interpretations is definitely possible.

[Milky Joe]

I guess I see his point to a degree but ambiguous filmmaking leading to multiple interpretations is definitely possible.

Probably not with the budget he would require/want, though. And definitely not in Hollywood.

[Melville]

Probably not with the budget he would require/want, though. And definitely not in Hollywood.
Peter Watkins should do it instead.

[balmakboor]

First of all it's the medium of film that is "too monolithic," as in there is no room in a film for multiple interpretations, no room for "well, maybe, we're/I'm not really sure," which is what is absolutely inevitable if you're making something to get at the real historical truth of Jesus, and not just telling the story that's told in the Bible. You're right, there wasn't anything ambiguous about Last Temptation, and I'm sure Verhoeven finds that to be rather problematic.

OK, you've totally lost me.

Film, as a medium, is filled with examples of openness to multiple interpretations, even within many "Hollywood" films. And I truly don't see how a film intending to be historically truthful about Jesus is exempt from being ambiguous in this sort of way.

I think that the clarity of intent -- lack of ambiguity -- of Last Temptation is one of its great strengths, not weaknesses as you suggest Verhoeven to feel.

[Sven]

The thing is: Verhoeven is very much interested in the Jesus of record. The Last Temptation is not very faithful in that regard.

[balmakboor]

Wow, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus was excellent. EXCELLENT.

I plan to watch it soon along with Brothers Grimm. I have a sneaking suspicion I will like them both at least as much as I liked Time Bandits and Baron M -- which is to say kinda sorta for the most part.

[Grouchy]

I plan to watch it soon along with Brothers Grimm. I have a sneaking suspicion I will like them both at least as much as I liked Time Bandits and Baron M -- which is to say kinda sorta for the most part.
For what it's worth, I think Grimm and Parnassus are light-years away in quality. By which I mean, the first is almost unwatchable on its shittiness, and the second is very very good.

[Boner M]

Jafar Panahi, probably my favorite Iranian filmmaker, has been imprisoned (http://ow.ly/1xbEC), with reports of his health deteriorating. Distressing news. I'm watching The Circle ASAP.

[B-side]

Both, I think. My interpretation was that Piccoli was at the end of his tether, and that he was taking his private rituals to an end that was an attempt to upset the existing order that was stifling him. The gun ends up being stripped of its historical baggage ("Dillinger is dead", and so is his significance), and becomes an abstraction; nothing more than an object to be transfigured for his own amusement (or in this case, liberation). Similarly, the gun's traditionally a phallic symbol, although Piccoli ends up painting it in a polka dot pattern in an attempt to sort of feminise it before using it on his wife, thus turning it into a weapon against what he perceives as the vacuity of the woman in modern society (remember, the most shallow and superficial words in the film are uttered by the models on the cosmetic/beauty TV program he watches). Tellingly, I was reading in the DVD's insert booklet that Ferreri described himself as "50% feminist and 50% misogynist"... I think that schism is well documented in Piccoli's course of action that he takes.

Interesting. I'll have to sit on this, but I like your interpretation.

[Qrazy]

Jafar Panahi, probably my favorite Iranian filmmaker, has been imprisoned (http://ow.ly/1xbEC), with reports of his health deteriorating. Distressing news. I'm watching The Circle ASAP.

That's terrible. He's great. Very sad to hear this.

[B-side]

Boner, I don't know if you're already aware of this, or aren't interested, but apparently Dillinger is Dead closely follows the theory of the one-dimensional man of then philosopher Herbert Marcuse. I know the theory title was mentioned in passing in the beginning, but I don't remember if Marcuse's name was mentioned at all. This is what Wiki has to say:


The work offers a wide-ranging critique of both contemporary capitalism and the Soviet model of communism, documenting the parallel rise of new forms of social repression (both public and personal) in both these societies as well as the decline of revolutionary potential in the West. He argued that "advanced industrial society" created false needs, which integrated individuals into the existing system of production and consumption via mass media, advertising, industrial management, and contemporary modes of thought.[1]

This results in a "one-dimensional" universe of thought and behaviour in which aptitude and ability for critical thought and oppositional behaviour wither away. Against this prevailing climate, Marcuse promotes the "great refusal" (described at length in the book) as the only adequate opposition to all-encompassing methods of control. Much of the book is a defense of "negative thinking" as a disrupting force against the prevailing positivism.

[Boner M]

Boner, I don't know if you're already aware of this, or aren't interested, but apparently Dillinger is Dead closely follows the theory of the one-dimensional man of then philosopher Herbert Marcuse. I know the theory title was mentioned in passing in the beginning, but I don't remember if Marcuse's name was mentioned at all. This is what Wiki has to say:
Thanks for that, I must've skipped it. I've read Ferreri talk about Kierkegaard in interviews, who I now want to look up on.

[B-side]

Thanks for that, I must've skipped it. I've read Ferreri talk about Kierkegaard in interviews, who I now want to look up on.

Cool. Yeah, I'll have to check up on Kierkegaard myself. I'm totally amateur when it comes to philosophy.:cool:

[Boner M]

Cool. Yeah, I'll have to check up on Kierkegaard myself. I'm totally amateur when it comes to philosophy.:cool:
Me too, although I noticed a few days ago that you created a thread on the Books forum and Melville offered a pretty awesome primer.

btw, Ferreri's La Grande Bouffe (his most well-known and notorious film) is pretty great too, probably the most savage cinematic excoriation of bourgeois values this side of Bunuel, if admittedly a little one-note. Constantly fun tho, especially if you're a fan of Mastroianni & Piccoli.

[kuehnepips]

I'm alive, just too fucking busy, work is killing me. Just when I thought of how to kill my boss I got this nice little movie to see: Luise-Michel (France 2008, de Kervern/Delépine), where Luise hires a hit man ... well, watch it yourself and laugh as much as I did.

[Winston*]

If I leave the Andrei Rublev DVD I have in its sleeve beside my TV for two weeks and then send it back, can I count myself as having seen it? I say yes.

[Qrazy]

If I leave the Andrei Rublev DVD I have in its sleeve beside my TV for two weeks and then send it back, can I count myself as having seen it? I say yes.

No. Fail.

[Spun Lepton]

If I leave the Andrei Rublev DVD I have in its sleeve beside my TV for two weeks and then send it back, can I count myself as having seen it? I say yes.

Totally. I watch a lot of movies in this manner.

[Skitch]

I am highly amused by the last few posts. Awesomesauce.

[balmakboor]

If I leave the Andrei Rublev DVD I have in its sleeve beside my TV for two weeks and then send it back, can I count myself as having seen it? I say yes.

Why would you want to do that? The movie's pretty damn great and you must've had some interest or it wouldn't be sitting beside your TV.

[Winston*]

Why would you want to do that? The movie's pretty damn great and you must've had some interest or it wouldn't be sitting beside your TV.

It's one of these things where you put it on your queue thinking "yeah I need to see that eventually" and then you keep bumping it back because as good as you're sure it is it is hard to work up the immediate enthusiasm to see a 3 and a half hour long Russian movie unless you're Qrazy but then one day your queue skips over a dozen movies finds the 3 and a half hour long Russian movie and says "Aha! Now I'm going to make you watch the 3 and a half hour long Russian movie you poseur" and then you're trapped in a web of your own pretension.

[transmogrifier]

I blind bought Andrei Rublev about 5 years ago.

I still haven't watched it.

Beat that!

[MadMan]

Winston, your problem is a tad similar to mine in that I've had Bad Company(1972) and El Topo since Feburary, and I haven't brought myself to watch either one. Its called being lazy/not in the mood to watch said movies, even though yes at the time viewing both seemed like such an awesome idea. So instead I'm going to finish watching The Road Warrior on Instant Viewing tonight instead.

[Boner M]

Winston, your problem is a tad similar to mine in that I've had Bad Company(1972) and El Topo since Feburary, and I haven't brought myself to watch either one. Its called being lazy/not in the mood to watch said movies, even though yes at the time viewing both seemed like such an awesome idea. So instead I'm going to finish watching The Road Warrior on Instant Viewing tonight instead.
This post = A Madman epic.

[MadMan]

I'm not sure how to respond to that. A boner giving me some kind of compliment wrapped in a joke? Mind blowing.

[Qrazy]

I'm not sure how to respond to that. A boner giving me some kind of compliment wrapped in a joke? Mind blowing.

Did you end up watching The Road Warrior? Oh nevermind, that was only like 20 minutes ago.

[Milky Joe]

I've had La Dolce Vita from Netflix since October. Unwatched.

[Qrazy]

WHY MUST YOU PEOPLE HURT ME SO

[Winston*]

Art sucks!

[Milky Joe]

I watched Jeanne Dielman the other day though and loved it, so you're assertion is incorrect (though that was mostly because I met Chantal Akerman in Paris a few weeks ago and felt obliged). Art is, in fact, lazy as shit (and as of late has much preferred reading).

[B-side]

Me too, although I noticed a few days ago that you created a thread on the Books forum and Melville offered a pretty awesome primer.

btw, Ferreri's La Grande Bouffe (his most well-known and notorious film) is pretty great too, probably the most savage cinematic excoriation of bourgeois values this side of Bunuel, if admittedly a little one-note. Constantly fun tho, especially if you're a fan of Mastroianni & Piccoli.

I have The Seed of Man from him on my computer from a while back. La Grande Bouffe sounds pretty neat, too.

As for the philosophy, yeah, Melville's good people. I still haven't left Nietzsche yet, heh. One of these days that post of his will come in handy.:P

[Spaceman Spiff]

I watched Jeanne Dielman the other day though and loved it, so you're assertion is incorrect (though that was mostly because I met Chantal Akerman in Paris a few weeks ago and felt obliged). Art is, in fact, lazy as shit (and as of late has much preferred reading).

This movie sounds scary to me. Also, I too have had this on my computer for 6 months and have yet to watch it. Hee.

[B-side]

This movie sounds scary to me. Also, I too have had this on my computer for 6 months and have yet to watch it. Hee.

Ha. Same here. Only about 5 months for me, though.:lol:

[Qrazy]

Ha. Same here. Only about 5 months for me, though.:lol:

Three years here.

[Milky Joe]

So no one wants to ask me how I met Chantal Akerman? Randomly? In a thrift store? On the one afternoon I had in Paris?

[Boner M]

So no one wants to ask me how I met Chantal Akerman? Randomly? In a thrift store? On the one afternoon I had in Paris?Well, we've heard it now.

[Watashi]

I need to see a movie.

[Rowland]

Rewatched Iron Man, still one of the better blockbuster entertainments from the last few years, looking forward to the sequel.

Rewatched Memento, still one of the best films from the last decade, looking forward to Nolan following it up with something near its equal. Which reminds me, I still need to see The Prestige.

[MadMan]

Did you end up watching The Road Warrior? Oh nevermind, that was only like 20 minutes ago.Yes. I finished it about 2 hours ago. Still gathering my thoughts, but it needless to say it was highly entertaining, a well crafted lower-budget action movie with some impressive chase scenes. Gibson's Max is clearly the type of low key anti-hero that showed up in westerns, very much like The Man With No Name, only even more burnt out, not to mention kind of having a death wish.
The villians greatly amused me-Lord Humegous acting as a derranged hockey mask wearing tyrant trying to screw people out of their fuel, plus Wez the mohawk lunatic, pissed off at Max throughout the entire movie. Since Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is avaliable also on Netflix Instant Viewing, I'll watch that one as well-its been years since I saw it on cable.

[Sven]

Kristen was emotionally destroyed by Rachel Getting Married the other night. Thanks a lot, Demme. Asshole.

[baby doll]

I've had India Song on my computer for ages, but I hate watching movies on my computer. Ditto La Maman et la putain and several Rivettes.

[Grouchy]

The most succesful French movie of all time is a piece of shit.

[baby doll]

The most succesful French movie of all time is a piece of shit.And that would be?

[Skitch]

Kristen was emotionally destroyed by Rachel Getting Married the other night. Thanks a lot, Demme. Asshole.

My lady friend had a similar reaction to Eyes Wide Shut.

[Grouchy]

And that would be?
Welcome to the Ch'tis

[balmakboor]

So, like what's the worst date movie ever -- other than Antichrist, I suppose?

I took my wife to Eraserhead over 20 years ago and she still gives me crap about it.

I thought Date Night was a pretty decent date movie btw.

[D_Davis]

Eraserhead....that's a good one.


While not technically a "date," the first time I ever hung out with one of my friends and his wife, I brought over Ichi the Killer on VCD. I don't think his wife ever liked me after that.

[Qrazy]

So, like what's the worst date movie ever -- other than Antichrist, I suppose?

I took my wife to Eraserhead over 20 years ago and she still gives me crap about it.

I thought Date Night was a pretty decent date movie btw.

Irreversible.

[EyesWideOpen]

Irreversible.

I watched Irreversible with my mom so I'm gonna say that was as equally as awkward.

[Watashi]

Pretty sure we had this topic of discussion before because I'll say Shortbus and Spinal will come in and tell us that he saw Shortbus on a date with his wife.

[megladon8]

Date Movie

[Ezee E]

Star '80

[soitgoes...]

Humanity & Paper Balloons (Yamanaka, 1937) ***½

Nice. Is this the first of his films you've seen? If so, check out his other two existing films. I don't think they're as good as Humanity & Paper Balloons, but all three are good. Also Shimizu is another Japanese director from this era who produced quality films, and he has the added bonus of a dozen or so films available on KG.

[balmakboor]

I think I remember some talk awhile back about Curse of the Golden Flower, most of it negative. I finally got around to watching it tonight -- my first two attempts were on Bluray and both discs froze at the same spot on my PS3 updated firmware and all. Anyway, the DVD played fine and I found it quite spectacular and gorgeous. I suppose some could complain about an overuse of CGI, but not me. I'd actually eat my hat (if I owned one) if the three Zhang Yimou martial arts pics didn't influence Peter Jackson's LotRs.

I'd rank the three thusly btw:

House of the Flying Daggers - A
Hero - A-
Curse of the Golden Flower - B+

I'm in the mood to see Red Cliff now. Any thoughts about full version versus American theatrical?

[Raiders]

You mean were influenced by LOTR? Jackson's films were all made before any of Zhang's films were released.

[balmakboor]

You mean were influenced by LOTR? Jackson's films were all made before any of Zhang's films were released.

Oh, maybe I should've looked that up. I thought Hero, etc. were older.

Anyone have a hat I can borrow?

[Grouchy]

Amazed by Buñuel's The Milky Way. It's a very literate movie that frequently features characters discussing heresies and aspects of the Catholic church's history, so if you're familiar with the subject (which I'm not), I imagine it's a lot more rewarding. But, nevertheless, it's a totally unique movie - it's unlike any other movie on religion I've ever seen or I'm likely to. And it has moments of vintage Buñuel humor, such as the priest who's also a mental patient and the laughing Jesus - an image that's as funny as it is poetic, and that I remember mentioned in his autobiography My Last Sigh. Loosely connected by the travels of a couple of tramps, this movie is a brilliant piece of subversive filmmaking.

It's my favorite Buñuel along with Los Olvidados, The Exterminating Angel and Un chien andalou. After I watched it and was coming home I rented two more of his films - Diary of a Chambermaid and That Obscure Object of Desire.

It feels so weird typing those titles in English.

[Pop Trash]

The Life Aquatic still doesn't do much for me. It's like a great idea for a movie searching for the movie itself. Supposedly Anderson and Baumbach wrote most of the treatment one day over wine at an Italian restaurant and it shows.

[BuffaloWilder]

My god, Winter's Bone was amazing. Possibly my favorite film of the festival so far.

[Briare]

The Life Aquatic still doesn't do much for me. It's like a great idea for a movie searching for the movie itself. Supposedly Anderson and Baumbach wrote most of the treatment one day over wine at an Italian restaurant and it shows.

The movie is in the characters, like any other Baumbach/Anderson film. Its Zissou finding his place in a world he fails to see as his home any longer but seeing as how it is the only one he knows he's hanging on for dear life. The scene in the sub at the end of the movie is one of the most powerful I can think off the top of my head, everything about it is absolutley perfect. How is anything in the film indicative of a rush job over drinks? It at least deserves more credit than Greenberg, from which that films draws on Aquatic deeply and not very successfully I might add.

[Derek]

It at least deserves more credit than Greenberg, from which that films draws on Aquatic deeply and not very successfully I might add.

I like both films quite a bit, but that's a pretty ridiculous statement. How does Greenberg, a film most dedicated to conveying the inner workings of anxiety/depression in a genuine asshole, draw deeply from Life Aquatic, a very melancholy, self-reflexive film about film-making and daddy issues? Other than the fact that Pop Trash saw and really liked the former and you wanted to take it down a peg, I see little reason for comparison.

[Briare]

I like both films quite a bit, but that's a pretty ridiculous statement. How does Greenberg, a film most dedicated to conveying the inner workings of anxiety/depression in a genuine asshole, draw deeply from Life Aquatic, a very melancholy, self-reflexive film about film-making and daddy issues? Other than the fact that Pop Trash saw and really liked the former and you wanted to take it down a peg, I see little reason for comparison.

some spoilers for Aquatic/Greenberg below


Greenberg and Zissou share more than a little in common. They're both largely insensitive to those around them, live in fantasy worlds that really no longer exist and some sort of event pushes them out the door on the road to self discovery, putting them in a world they previously felt comfortable and forcing them to re-evaluate the way they behave as they see the damage it does on other. Also, their central relationships are nearly identical. Zissou/Greenberg push and ridicule their supposed "best friend" [Ned/Ivan] to the point where they lose them, whereas their "love" [Eleanor/Florence] is lost and then returned. The party at the end of Greenberg is to Greenberg as the jaguar shark sub scene is to Steve Zissou this is it, this is the realization that life will go on and that maybe things might have to change.

While watching Greenberg I found it had many similarities to The Life Aquatic so my comment was not without prior thought, twas perhaps only a little tactless. I find Anderson and Baumbach both return to similar character traits each time, and Greenberg was the only example of a film by any of them where I wasn't thrilled with the results.

[Derek]

some spoilers for Aquatic/Greenberg below


Greenberg and Zissou share more than a little in common. They're both largely insensitive to those around them, live in fantasy worlds that really no longer exist and some sort of event pushes them out the door on the road to self discovery, putting them in a world they previously felt comfortable and forcing them to re-evaluate the way they behave as they see the damage it does on other. Also, their central relationships are nearly identical. Zissou/Greenberg push and ridicule their supposed "best friend" [Ned/Ivan] to the point where they lose them, whereas their "love" [Eleanor/Florence] is lost and then returned. The party at the end of Greenberg is to Greenberg as the jaguar shark sub scene is to Steve Zissou this is it, this is the realization that life will go on and that maybe things might have to change.

While watching Greenberg I found it had many similarities to The Life Aquatic so my comment was not without prior thought, twas perhaps only a little tactless. I find Anderson and Baumbach both return to similar character traits each time, and Greenberg was the only example of a film by any of them where I wasn't thrilled with the results.

Ok, in the general make-up of the central character, there are certainly similarities, but Zissou is clearly not going through the same type of anxiety/depression issues as Greenberg. His general insensitivity doesn't run nearly as deep as Greenberg's as he seems to be close with nearly everyone on his team (hence the uniforms) and was truly was saddened by the death of his best friend (who wasn't Ned since Ned showed up at the beginning of the film, but the guy eaten by the shark) to the point that he was dead set on killing the shark in revenge. I don't see Zissou living in a fantasy world as much as he is wholly consumed by the world surrounding his work and passion, something he shares with others, both personally with those on the boat with him and artistically with his films. Greenberg is wholly consumed with Greenberg, stuck inside of his own mind and how others actions and thought effect him. In this sense, he's much closer to Jeff Daniel's character in The Squid and the Whale.

But really, all of this is moot, since while the two characters have some commonalities, the films explore them in such vastly different ways that it seems clear to me the latter does not draw all that much from the former.

[Milky Joe]

(who wasn't Ned since Ned showed up at the beginning of the film, but the guy eaten by the shark)

ESTEBAN! ESTEBAN! ESTEBAN! ESTEBAN!

Git him out of ze fucking water!

ESTEBAN! ESTEBAN!

[Derek]

Nice. Is this the first of his films you've seen? If so, check out his other two existing films. I don't think they're as good as Humanity & Paper Balloons, but all three are good. Also Shimizu is another Japanese director from this era who produced quality films, and he has the added bonus of a dozen or so films available on KG.

Yeah, first I've seen. I'll be sure do pick up the other two and a few Shimizu's from KG. Any you'd recommend starting out with?

I think what impressed me most with Humanity... was how raw it was, particularly for the time it was made. Those two shots of Unno in the rain after his is finally rejected by the master who refuses to read his father's letter is absolutely devastating. The look on his face and the length of time the shot is held are just perfect, a depressing summation of the film's representation of ronin and the lower class's inability to move up the social ladder while still retaining the traditionally repressive social mores and decorum.

[Briare]

Ok, in the general make-up of the central character, there are certainly similarities, but Zissou is clearly not going through the same type of anxiety/depression issues as Greenberg. His general insensitivity doesn't run nearly as deep as Greenberg's as he seems to be close with nearly everyone on his team (hence the uniforms) and was truly was saddened by the death of his best friend (who wasn't Ned since Ned showed up at the beginning of the film, but the guy eaten by the shark) to the point that he was dead set on killing the shark in revenge. I don't see Zissou living in a fantasy world as much as he is wholly consumed by the world surrounding his work and passion, something he shares with others, both personally with those on the boat with him and artistically with his films. Greenberg is wholly consumed with Greenberg, stuck inside of his own mind and how others actions and thought effect him. In this sense, he's much closer to Jeff Daniel's character in The Squid and the Whale.

But really, all of this is moot, since while the two characters have some commonalities, the films explore them in such vastly different ways that it seems clear to me the latter does not draw all that much from the former.

Steve is living in a paranoid world where his glory days have past, his ship is falling apart, his crew may be starting to lose their moral and his films have stopped being successful. He trucks on anyway, using the death of his friend, which though no doubt affected him as a pivot for which to secure a "grand finale" to his career. He knows this will be his last adventure. He makes offhand remarks towards his crew as well as Ned, and though he may truly care about the people around him, he has a funny way of showing it. Cheating on his wife, the business about New and the reporter etc.

[B-side]

I'm probably going to subject myself to a musical tonight. An American in Paris. I do dig Gene. The things I do for people...

[B-side]

So I enjoyed An American in Paris. I've only seen this and Singin' in the Rain when it comes to Gene Kelly musicals, but the dude's limber, that's for sure. I don't think his co-stars get enough credit in these 2 films. Donald O'Connor is right up there with Gene in Singin' in the Rain. And Oscar Levant was no slouch in this one. Leslie Caron was a cutie, too. The highlight is definitely the final dance number. I just wish the central romance was a bit more compelling.

[Winston*]

In Ponyo, is Lisa Sosuke's birth mother? If yes, then it's pretty weird he calls her by her first name all the time, if no it's pretty weird that she breastfed him.

[balmakboor]

In Ponyo, is Lisa Sosuke's birth mother? If yes, then it's pretty weird he calls her by her first name all the time, if no it's pretty weird that she breastfed him.

Or is it a cultural thing? I can imagine boys calling their moms by their first names. I can't similarly imagine the opposite of girls addressing their dads that way.

There's also the weird scene -- to our eyes -- of the father and two small daughters getting naked in the bathtub together in Totoro.

[Raiders]

Surely if we can find in some random barn attic a copy of the 1913 film When Lincoln Paid, then Murnau's 4 Devils is out there SOMEWHERE. Right? Right?

[dreamdead]

Continuing my semi-John Ford marathon (in that I've watched more Ford films this year than any other), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is pretty remarkable. Even barring the obvious critique of Westerns as a genre reliant upon myths over truth, the film explores cogently the nature of lawlessness, corruption, and how easily society lets itself be run by those who use violence to exert control. As such, even education is not, by the end of the film, enough to substantiate authority. Instead, control is offered from the wings, in the shadows, and these ideas (in conjunction with the iconic actors in Wayne and Stewart) shepherd the film towards its ironic conclusion. Really wonderful stuff.

[Sven]

Instead, control is offered from the wings, in the shadows, and these ideas (in conjunction with the iconic actors in Wayne and Stewart) shepherd the film towards its ironic conclusion.

Hey, Lee Marvin helps with the theme-shepherding. Do not stiff Marvin. He is iconic too y'know.

[Grouchy]

So I saw That Obscure Object of Desire. Remarkable film, perhaps the most conventional I've ever seen from Buñuel despite the fact that two actresses casually play the same role. The origins of that gimmick were accidental, yet it's obvious that when re-shooting Buñuel strived to give meaning to it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen actresses that so completely represented opposite types of sexuality and attraction as Carole Bouquet and Angela Molina. The beginning of this film, by the way, is one of the funniest starting points for a flashback story that have ever been made, and anyone who has seen it knows what I'm talking about.

[baby doll]

The origins of that gimmick were accidental, yet it's obvious that when re-shooting Buñuel strived to give meaning to it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen actresses that so completely represented opposite types of sexuality and attraction as Carole Bouquet and Angela Molina."Strived" seems like an over-statement. For one thing, despite the character going hot-and-cold all the time, it's not like Buñuel had only one actress play hot (Spanish, tan, and kinda slutty looking) and the other play cold (French, pale, and uptight). Buñuel seems like too smart a guy to go in for such a simplistic interpretation.

As for it being his most conventional, I've found that nearly all of his films that I've seen are linear narratives, with only a few exceptions (Un chien andalou, L'Age d'or, La Voie lactée, Le Charme discret de la bourgeoisie, Le Fantôme de la liberté). Incidentally, even though he's usually branded as a surrealist, two of his best Mexican pictures, NazarÃ*n and The Young One, are basically straight realism.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Gents,

I just finished my last exam, about to roll a chair leg sized coner, then drink some wine and watch a movie.

What movie should I watch?

Give me something awesome though.

sincerely,

spaceman spiff

PS. I'll probably drink some more wine later and dick around with my super 8 camera and a few mates later tonight. Huzzah!

[D_Davis]

Gents,

I just finished my last exam, about to roll a chair leg sized coner, then drink some wine and watch a movie.

What movie should I watch?


The Wall, Wizards, and Fantasia all at the same time.

[Spaceman Spiff]

The Wall, Wizards, and Fantasia all at the same time.

Pfft, done that.

[soitgoes...]

Yeah, first I've seen. I'll be sure do pick up the other two and a few Shimizu's from KG. Any you'd recommend starting out with?
Go with either The Masseurs and a Woman or Mr. Thank You. The latter was my first of his films, and is very much different from what other Japanese directors of the time were making. It is pretty much a road film with very little in the way of plot.

[Skitch]

Well Spiff, I'm exhausted beyond belief, and watching The Rock for good, relaxing, thought purging. Also, scotch.

[Spun Lepton]

Street Trash

[kopello]

I'm kind of a noob at this so I have to ask, what's the best way to get my ratio up at KG? I have currently only downloaded like 2 films so it's not a big deal at the moment but I don't want to screw up in the future and get banned. Right now my ratio is at like 0.010 or something and it has a sad face next to it so I'm assuming that's not an amazing number to be at. Wings of Desire finished downloading early today and I've been letting it seed all morning and a lot of the afternoon and nothing is happening. If it matters I kind of have a slow internet connection.

plz h3lp a brotha out, kthnx.

[soitgoes...]

I'm kind of a noob at this so I have to ask, what's the best way to get my ratio up at KG? I have currently only downloaded like 2 films so it's not a big deal at the moment but I don't want to screw up in the future and get banned. Right now my ratio is at like 0.010 or something and it has a sad face next to it so I'm assuming that's not an amazing number to be at. Wings of Desire finished downloading early today and I've been letting it seed all morning and a lot of the afternoon and nothing is happening. If it matters I kind of have a slow internet connection.

plz h3lp a brotha out, kthnx.
I think the most important thing initially is to not necessarily download films you are dying to see, but instead download films that will help build a ratio buffer so eventually you can download anything without worry. Download stuff that has one seeder so that when someone else does come around and download it, you are guaranteed a larger share of the seeding. Eventually, no matter how random or obscure you think the film to be, someone will download it. Jumping on new stuff, especially if you have a slow connection, will not help. People with seedboxes will always get the lion's share of the seeding. Download MoM at the beginning of the month, and seed for the entirety of its month. The 50% bonus will almost always net a positive ratio. Don't download MoM after the first week, because most of the traffic has already occurred, and there will be too many seeders competing at that point. Don't delete torrents from your client until it achieves at least a 1.000 ratio. And above all else, keep your client up and running for as long and as often (always) as possible. You can't improve your ratio if you aren't seeding (obviously).

EDIT: Also be aware that sometimes it takes time for someone to download a film that you might have. It might take a day, a week or a few months. Be patient, especially starting out. There's so much to choose, but if you screw your ratio up right away you will have a harder time getting everything you want than if you're patient.

[kopello]

Alright I'll try to keep those things in mind, thanks for the tips.

[D_Davis]

So what's the word on Harry Brown?

[Spaceman Spiff]

I'm going to make it Trans-Europe Express.

Thanks Match-cut!

[Spun Lepton]

I'm going to make it Trans-Europe Express.

Thanks Match-cut!

Man, you are going to kick yourself so hard when you finally see it and realize how long you passed up seeing the masterpiece called Street Trash.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I just ate an $8 plate of pasta, so maybe another time.

[balmakboor]

I watched Harold & Maude tonight for the first time in at least 25 years. I used to love the fake suicides during the first 20 minutes and then tune out when I was closer to Harold's age. I loved every damn second tonight, possibly because I'm now pretty much half way between their ages and so many themes felt so much more relevant? I wonder what it will feel like when I'm 80.

[dreamdead]

So while the narrative of Swing Time is plenty rote, and the fact that Astaire would let himself be duped about the wedding time in the introduction is just annoying, but all the interactions once Ginger Rogers comes into play are just marvelous. She has the freshness and just plain sexiness to carry all of their sequences, and the final dance that the two of them share (when they think they're saying goodbye in "Never Gonna Dance"), the film is just breathtaking.

[Pop Trash]

A History of Violence is still choice, but that part when William Hurt tries to shoot Viggo multiple times from like ten feet away and keeps missing is uber retarded.

[Yxklyx]

György Pálfi's second feature film Taxidermia is very good. One of the most disgusting films I've seen - but also very beautiful. Reminded me a bit of Svankmajer and Brothers Quay.

[dreamdead]

Weekend promises to be busy. Hopefully I've got some good stuff lined up:

Nichols's Angels in America
Breillat's Romance
Breillat's The Last Mistress
Breillat's Anatomy of Hell
Schlesinger's The Day of the Locust

[balmakboor]

This is ridiculously good news.

http://www.criterion.com/boxsets/730-the-only-son-there-was-a-father-two-films-by-yasujiro-ozu

[Skitch]

Breillat's Anatomy of Hell


Ugh.

[balmakboor]

A History of Violence is still choice, but that part when William Hurt tries to shoot Viggo multiple times from like ten feet away and keeps missing is uber retarded.

I found it strange in a way that it made the top ten films of the 00s recently in 'Film Comment.' I just picked it up for $2.00 and will give it a second watch soon.

I watched Spider last night for the first time. Really well crafted as Cronenbergs always are, but it otherwise felt pretty inconsequential.

[Raiders]

This is ridiculously good news.

http://www.criterion.com/boxsets/730-the-only-son-there-was-a-father-two-films-by-yasujiro-ozu

Meh. More Naruse and less Ozu would be better. Mainly because the former is so underseen, and Criterion is well on their way to releasing every damn Ozu film.

[balmakboor]

Meh. More Naruse and less Ozu would be better. Mainly because the former is so underseen, and Criterion is well on their way to releasing every damn Ozu film.

More Naruse AND more Ozu would be best. I've been wanting to see The Only Son for years. And every damn Ozu film would be OK by me.

[Raiders]

In other news, The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus in Blu-ray rocks the casbah.

[balmakboor]

In other news, The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus in Blu-ray rocks the casbah.

Sure does. I just don't know if I can afford the upgrades even though I know they'll be glorious.

I will be upgrading to the Brakhage Blu-ray though.

[Stay Puft]

Alright I'll try to keep those things in mind, thanks for the tips.

Also:

Download all of the featured torrents. There's a new batch of them every two weeks. Even if you upload nothing, you get bonus upload credit equivalent to the amount you download. Excellent way for people with new accounts to get their ratio up.

[Pop Trash]

I found it strange in a way that it made the top ten films of the 00s recently in 'Film Comment.' I just picked it up for $2.00 and will give it a second watch soon.


It holds up really well on multiple viewings. Every action holds some kind of hidden meaning. I love how primal and Freudian it all is: have sex and don't die.

[Yxklyx]

In other news, The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus in Blu-ray rocks the casbah.

Ugh, not on Netflix yet. I've added a bunch of movies I normally wouldn't have added to my queue because of blu-ray.

Not planning on buying anything in blu-ray - renting is the way to go.

[soitgoes...]

Meh. More Naruse and less Ozu would be better. Mainly because the former is so underseen, and Criterion is well on their way to releasing every damn Ozu film.
But The Only Son is a great film, and it doesn't have Region 1 release. Less Ozu doesn't need to be the case in order for there to be more Naruse.

[Spinal]

Anatomy of Hell > A History of Violence

CONTRARIANISM!

[baby doll]

Anatomy of Hell > A History of Violence

CONTRARIANISM!Well, at least Breillat's film wasn't a near-total sell-out (followed by Eastern Promises, which was a total sell-out--the best film Stephen Frears never directed), and I'd much rather see it again than Cronenberg's.

[Raiders]

But The Only Son is a great film, and it doesn't have Region 1 release. Less Ozu doesn't need to be the case in order for there to be more Naruse.

So far the only Naruse I have seen (Floating Clouds) is way ahead of all Ozu films I have seen except for Late Spring. So, for my own taste, I would rather see them devote their Asian cinema efforts towards Naruse, and not Ozu (yes, I'm making a point by assuming an "one or the other" scenario).

[Spaceman Spiff]

Woah Raiders,

I also saw T-E-E (hee!). How'd you like it? I did enjoy the Marie-France Pisier.

[B-side]

Ugh.

It's a great film.

[Skitch]

It's a great film.

I blind bought it years ago. I remember it as a I Stand Alone, whiny, pointless film. I'll dig it out and give er another go.

[Spinal]

The list of characters from Anatomy of Hell:

The woman
The man
Blow-job lover 1
Blow-job lover 2
Man in bar
Boy with bird
Little girl playing doctor
Little boy playing doctor
Little boy playing doctor
Little boy playing doctor
Pharmacist 1
Pharmacist 2

The plot keywords (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0348529/keywords) are pretty entertaining as well.

[B-side]

I blind bought it years ago. I remember it as a I Stand Alone, whiny, pointless film. I'll dig it out and give er another go.

Whiny? Pointless?

:|

[B-side]

The list of characters from Anatomy of Hell:

The woman
The man
Blow-job lover 1
Blow-job lover 2
Man in bar
Boy with bird
Little girl playing doctor
Little boy playing doctor
Little boy playing doctor
Little boy playing doctor
Pharmacist 1
Pharmacist 2

The plot keywords (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0348529/keywords) are pretty entertaining as well.

If you're a Breillat fan, it shouldn't be too shocking. Granted, there is one scene that had me cringing a bit.

[Derek]

I found it strange in a way that it made the top ten films of the 00s recently in 'Film Comment.'

Why? It was the critical fave of '05.

[MadMan]

I still think that A History of Violence is a great movie. I'd even dare to place it above Videodrome. So far, the only other Cronenberg's I've viewed are Scanners and the Brood. The Fly will be watched sometime this year.

[B-side]

I still think that A History of Violence is a great movie. I'd even dare to place it above Videodrome.

Oh, MadMan. Only you... only you...

[MadMan]

Oh, MadMan. Only you... only you...Well we'll see if it remains that way after I finally buy and watch Videodrome again. But for now, I'm sticking with my opinion :P

[B-side]

Well we'll see if it remains that way after I finally buy and watch Videodrome again. But for now, I'm sticking with my opinion :P

You do that, you silly man.:P

[Derek]

Well, at least Breillat's film wasn't a near-total sell-out (followed by Eastern Promises, which was a total sell-out--the best film Stephen Frears never directed), and I'd much rather see it again than Cronenberg's.

:|

A History of Violence is perfectly in line with Cronenberg's fascination with psychic splitting and the functions of hyperreality. Spider explores the former very in-depth while Crash and Existenz explore the latter in broader, cultural contexts. A History of Violence manages to bring both together in perfect thematic unison with the psychic split evoking the burying of a violent, traumatic past beneath a false veneer of purity and wholesomeness which mirrors America's own false sense of moral superiority and perpetual blindness to past transgressions. Cronenberg makes the film achingly personal yet through iconic imagery (the coffee shop invaded by gangsters, the cheerleader sex scene attempting to capture a past innocence that never existed, the comically all-American sheriff) allows the film to take on powerful allegorical significance.

In other words, it not only not a sell-out at all, but a clear extension of themes the man's been exploring for years, something I thought an auteurist zombie like yourself was supposed to appreciate. But I'm sure the fact that it's based on a graphic novel and, I don't know, a lot of people like it, is enough for you to dismiss it as a "sell-out".

[Grouchy]

"Strived" seems like an over-statement. For one thing, despite the character going hot-and-cold all the time, it's not like Buñuel had only one actress play hot (Spanish, tan, and kinda slutty looking) and the other play cold (French, pale, and uptight). Buñuel seems like too smart a guy to go in for such a simplistic interpretation.
Yeah, "strived" is not the word. He did find two completely different women both in nationality and type of appeal, which made the film all the more kinky. By the way, this isn't confirmed anywhere else, but the IMDb page says that the actress that left the production over the sexuality is Maria Schneider. She made Last Tango in Paris three years earlier. Reminds me of Sarah Jessica Parker's character in State and Main.


As for it being his most conventional, I've found that nearly all of his films that I've seen are linear narratives, with only a few exceptions (Un chien andalou, L'Age d'or, La Voie lactée, Le Charme discret de la bourgeoisie, Le Fantôme de la liberté). Incidentally, even though he's usually branded as a surrealist, two of his best Mexican pictures, NazarÃ*n and The Young One, are basically straight realism.
You just mentioned five of his most famous movies, though. But while you're right and I stand corrected, even in realistic dramas like NazarÃ*n and Los Olvidados, there are surreal moments that defy the previous structure of the story - well, maybe not in NazarÃ*n, I don't remember it all that well. Buñuel did make all types of movies, even melodramas like Gran Casino and a very straight adaptation of Robinson Crusoe.

If you like his movies, allow me to repeat myself and recommend you seek out My Last Sigh. One of the most entertaining and moving books I've ever read. While reading it you touch a man and all that stuff.

[B-side]

:|

A History of Violence is perfectly in line with Cronenberg's fascination with psychic splitting and the functions of hyperreality. Spider explores the former very in-depth while Crash and Existenz explore the latter in broader, cultural contexts. A History of Violence manages to bring both together in perfect thematic unison with the psychic split evoking the burying of a violent, traumatic past beneath a false veneer of purity and wholesomeness which mirrors America's own false sense of moral superiority and perpetual blindness to past transgressions. Cronenberg makes the film achingly personal yet through iconic imagery (the coffee shop invaded by gangsters, the cheerleader sex scene attempting to capture a past innocence that never existed, the comically all-American sheriff) allows the film to take on powerful allegorical significance.

In other words, it not only not a sell-out at all, but a clear extension of themes the man's been exploring for years, something I thought an auteurist zombie like yourself was supposed to appreciate. But I'm sure the fact that it's based on a graphic novel and, I don't know, a lot of people like it, is enough for you to dismiss it as a "sell-out".

I said this in one of the music video competition threads and it got promptly buried, but I really do never cease to be impressed by the interpretations you people come up with for films. I thought I was bad in constantly looking for allegorical implications, symbolism, etc., but you guys are grade A analysts.:D

[Grouchy]

http://hagiblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/el_superbeasto.jpg

The Haunted World of El Superbeasto was obscenely good fun. Very pretty animation, in fact Watashi and company should seek it out to get a good fix of modern 2D work. It has a ratio of jokes so high I'm sure it's impossible to grasp them all in one viewing. The best moment was when they spoofed Carrie in a very obvious way and then the characters went on to make fun of the writers for doing such a stupid spoof. Groundbreaking. Even at 77 minutes, though, the movie is too fast and manic to sustain itself. I hope, if it finds a market, however small, it's succesful enough to become an animated series. I'd watch every episode.

[Grouchy]

Regardless of whether it continues his themes or not, I find A History of Violence one of the Dave's less impressive films - while still being good, of course. To say it's better than Videodrome is near blasphemy.

[Derek]

Regardless of whether it continues his themes or not, I find A History of Violence one of the Dave's less impressive films - while still being good, of course. To say it's better than Videodrome is near blasphemy.

But not exactly an uncommon opinion, which is why I find it odd that people are shocked. I mean, was it really a secret it's widely considered one of the decade's best films? I don't love it that much, but it's sure as hell a fascinating film and one I prefer, ever-so-slightly, to Videodrome.

[Grouchy]

One of the decade's best films?

Then the consensus likes it A LOT more than I do.

[B-side]

One of the decade's best films?

Then the consensus likes it A LOT more than I do.

Heh. Yup.

[Rowland]

The Haunted World of El Superbeasto was obscenely good fun. Very pretty animation, in fact Watashi and company should seek it out to get a good fix of modern 2D work. It has a ratio of jokes so high I'm sure it's impossible to grasp them all in one viewing. The best moment was when they spoofed Carrie in a very obvious way and then the characters went on to make fun of the writers for doing such a stupid spoof. Groundbreaking. Even at 77 minutes, though, the movie is too fast and manic to sustain itself. I hope, if it finds a market, however small, it's succesful enough to become an animated series. I'd watch every episode.Zombie packed his best material in the first twenty minutes or so, after which he recycles the same jokes to increasingly stale dividends. The self-aware wink-wink humor grew increasingly grating as well, which I thought hit its nadir with the Carrie song.

[transmogrifier]

Park is his family name, not Chan-Wook.

:)

[Rowland]

Park is his family name, not Chan-Wook.

:):lol:

Thank you. Not sure what I was thinking.

[soitgoes...]

So far the only Naruse I have seen (Floating Clouds) is way ahead of all Ozu films I have seen except for Late Spring. So, for my own taste, I would rather see them devote their Asian cinema efforts towards Naruse, and not Ozu (yes, I'm making a point by assuming an "one or the other" scenario).

To that I will say that KG is your answer. He has over 40 films on there all with English subs. The majority of them are with fan made subs, but they are all well done (the same two guys subbed the majority of those films). Even when/if Criterion gets around to releasing more Naruse (apparently an Eclipse set is going to happen eventually), I'm sure Region 1 will not see a quarter of those films ever released. The fact that a website like KG can make films like those from Naruse available to me, makes that website and torrenting invaluable.

[Sxottlan]

Criterions for July.

Looks like I'll be buying this again:

http://criterion_production.s3.amazon aws.com/release_images/2755/93_box_348x490.jpg