28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[soitgoes...]

Red Beard is great, but so are Ran, Dersu Uzala and Dodesukaden. Also Kagemusha is just a cut below those. I agree with you guys insofar as I don't think Ran is his best film, but it's still excellent. I mean you have to give some credit to his color work, it's just so lush and precise.I might be not stretching the word great enough for some of Kurosawa's works. He has such a strong body of work, that even his second tier films (Ran, Dersu Uzala and now Madadayo) are very good.

After watching Madadayo, I have to agree with Raiders that it is his best of his late period works. It's a film that constantly teeters on the edge of being too sentimental. It does hit overly sentimental on occasion, but that almost can be forgiven due to the fact that the film seems to be very much a personal exercise of an artist nearing his own death. I'm glad he made and ended his career with this film. I'm also glad that I left this film for last.

[Rowland]

Has anyone seen Kurosawa's The Lower Depths? It has to be one of the most relentlessly oppressive movies I've ever seen, and I mean that as a compliment.

[Ezee E]

Yeah, Criterion titles should really only be bought during deepdiscount's 20% off sale.

[Grouchy]

Plenty of movies seen.

http://www.affichescinema.com/insc_a/american_graffiti.jpg

American Graffiti was a real surprise. I expected a good film and not a great one. In fact, what's great about this is that it reveals talents about George Lucas I didn't know existed and that have been the subject of jokes forever. If I were to judge only by this film, he's an excellent writer and a master director of actors. This film is tainted by nostalgia for the '60s in small town America, but not really the whitewashing kind, since Lucas makes an effort to show the limitations of thought and knowledge his generation was living under. I've never seen a final title card so blunt and depressing as the one that ends this, detailing some of the fates that overcame this generation. This is one I'd like to revisit often because of its upbeat rythm, brilliant comedy and strong characters. It's a minor classic and I'm surprised it doesn't get more rep around here. It wasn't even mentioned in the 1973 Yearly Consensus, although admittedly, that's a mindblowing year.

On the other end of the quality spectrum, The Cotton Club is almost the worst I've ever seen from Coppola, except I harbor an even deeper pit of hatred for The Rainmaker. But really, this is an epic waste of time and money. I guess if you read about the production of the film you can excuse Coppola because he wasn't really interested in doing it and he was in fact trying to salvage an overbudgeted Robert Evans ego trip. But he's probably still to blame, among other things, for the huge miscasting of Richard Gere in the lead role. I could see every love scene in this movie working with Gere replaced by a real man with screen presence. The movie doesn't even have a lot to please aesthetically. Even the dance numbers become boring by sheer repetition. The script has no drive, no purpose, terrible dialogue, no redeeming characters who rise above the cliché. And the climax is completely stupid.

Finally I watched Buñuel's Tristana. It's - once again - an excellent film about love, obsession, money and old age, not necessarily in that order of relevance. The ending is kind of abrupt even for Buñuel standards, and I didn't like the montage he added to it which seemed to me to kinda spell out the point of the film or, at least, the entire character arc. Deneuve is amazing in this, alluring to the extreme even in her crippled state, and it was nice to see Franco Nero in a film like this even if he's not the greatest actor. One step closer to completing the Buñuel filmography, and still plenty to go on.

[B-side]

I'll probably get destroyed for this, but I've yet to be blown away by Buñuel. The best film I've seen from him is Un chien andalou. I found El to be outright mediocre at best.

[Derek]

Yeah, Criterion titles should really only be bought during deepdiscount's 20% off sale.

Or at DVDPlanet where they're always 35% off...

[soitgoes...]

I'll probably get destroyed for this, but I've yet to be blown away by Buñuel. The best film I've seen from him is Un chien andalou. I found El to be outright mediocre at best.
This doesn't surprise me in the least. :P

[B-side]

This doesn't surprise me in the least. :P

Yeah, yeah, yeah.:rolleyes:

:P

He sure seems like he'd be my type of guy, being so interested in sexuality, surrealism and religion.

[soitgoes...]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.:rolleyes:

:P

He sure seems like he'd be my type of guy, being so interested in sexuality, surrealism and religion.
Which films have you seen?

[B-side]

Which films have you seen?

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, L'age d'or, Simon of the Desert, The Exterminating Angel, El, Belle de Jour and Un chien andalou. Liked all to varying degrees except El.

[soitgoes...]

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, L'age d'or, Simon of the Desert, The Exterminating Angel, El, Belle de Jour and Un chien andalou. Liked all to varying degrees except El.
Los Olvidados or Viridiana should be next. I think you'd like the latter more than the former though.

[B-side]

Los Olvidados or Viridiana should be next. I think you'd like the latter more than the former though.

I'll keep that in mind. Thanks.:)

[Raiders]

Not sure I can help. My three favorite Bunuels are The Exterminating Angel, El and L'Age d'or, probably in that order. I also love Viridiana, Los Olvidados and Las hurdes (Land Without Bread). Then I like the rest I have seen to varying degrees. Belle de jour and Tristana are the only two I have seen that I didn't much like, though both have their strengths.

[Boner M]

Watch The Phantom of Liberty and That Obscure Object of Desire, B-side. Both are brilliant, and the former, in particular, is one of the funniest films ever made.

[Qrazy]

Has anyone seen Kurosawa's The Lower Depths? It has to be one of the most relentlessly oppressive movies I've ever seen, and I mean that as a compliment.

Yes, I"m a big fan. I'm constantly astounded at the mediocre to poor reception I see it receive. I love the beginning and ending of the film particularly.

[Qrazy]

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, L'age d'or, Simon of the Desert, The Exterminating Angel, El, Belle de Jour and Un chien andalou. Liked all to varying degrees except El.

To echo some others... Viridiana, That Obscure Object of Desire, The Phantom of Liberty and The Milky Way are your best bets.

[balmakboor]

Plenty of movies seen.

http://www.affichescinema.com/insc_a/american_graffiti.jpg

American Graffiti was a real surprise. I expected a good film and not a great one. In fact, what's great about this is that it reveals talents about George Lucas I didn't know existed and that have been the subject of jokes forever. If I were to judge only by this film, he's an excellent writer and a master director of actors. This film is tainted by nostalgia for the '60s in small town America, but not really the whitewashing kind, since Lucas makes an effort to show the limitations of thought and knowledge his generation was living under. I've never seen a final title card so blunt and depressing as the one that ends this, detailing some of the fates that overcame this generation. This is one I'd like to revisit often because of its upbeat rythm, brilliant comedy and strong characters. It's a minor classic and I'm surprised it doesn't get more rep around here. It wasn't even mentioned in the 1973 Yearly Consensus, although admittedly, that's a mindblowing year.

On the other end of the quality spectrum, The Cotton Club is almost the worst I've ever seen from Coppola, except I harbor an even deeper pit of hatred for The Rainmaker. But really, this is an epic waste of time and money. I guess if you read about the production of the film you can excuse Coppola because he wasn't really interested in doing it and he was in fact trying to salvage an overbudgeted Robert Evans ego trip. But he's probably still to blame, among other things, for the huge miscasting of Richard Gere in the lead role. I could see every love scene in this movie working with Gere replaced by a real man with screen presence. The movie doesn't even have a lot to please aesthetically. Even the dance numbers become boring by sheer repetition. The script has no drive, no purpose, terrible dialogue, no redeeming characters who rise above the cliché. And the climax is completely stupid.

Finally I watched Buñuel's Tristana. It's - once again - an excellent film about love, obsession, money and old age, not necessarily in that order of relevance. The ending is kind of abrupt even for Buñuel standards, and I didn't like the montage he added to it which seemed to me to kinda spell out the point of the film or, at least, the entire character arc. Deneuve is amazing in this, alluring to the extreme even in her crippled state, and it was nice to see Franco Nero in a film like this even if he's not the greatest actor. One step closer to completing the Buñuel filmography, and still plenty to go on.

Yeah, as you now know there's very good reason for The Cotton Club not being seen or discussed much any more. And there's no good reason at all for American Graffiti to suffer the same fate.

[Rowland]

Yes, I"m a big fan. I'm constantly astounded at the mediocre to poor reception I see it receive. I love the beginning and ending of the film particularly.Yeah, I think it may be the least fashionable of all his Criterion releases. Stray Dog is another of his more underestimated efforts, a versatile procedural that effortlessly blends social realism, poignant moralism, and dynamic noir tropes, anchored by Shimura and Mifune's restrained performances. Rarely does anyone consider it more than a lower/mid-tier effort, but I beg to differ.

[Raiders]

I didn't care much for Renoir's 1936 version which felt often at odds with itself, not only in the literal--Russian characters in a French setting--but in Renoir's more humanist tendancies and his reliance of Gabin and Jouvet which, maybe somewhat unfairly, don't really delve into what I love most about the Gorky play (which I admittedly didn't read until after watching Renoir's film).

I have heard Kurosawa is more faithful, so I really ought to watch it.

EDIT: Oh, and I really quite enjoyed The Cotton Club. Certainly an exquisite looking film.

[Qrazy]

Yeah, I think it may be the least fashionable of all his Criterion releases. Stray Dog is another of his more underestimated efforts, a versatile procedural that effortlessly blends social realism, poignant moralism, and dynamic noir tropes, anchored by Shimura and Mifune's restrained performances. Rarely does anyone consider it more than a lower/mid-tier effort, but I beg to differ.

Well I would put Stray Dog as a mid-tier effort but yeah I think I probably prefer Stray Dog to The Bad Sleep Well. The only Kurosawa I've seen so far that I've disliked though was his adaptation of The Idiot. I felt that completely missed the mark. But I still have yet to see his earliest and presumably weakest work (pre-Drunken Angel).

[Qrazy]

I didn't care much for Renoir's 1936 version which felt often at odds with itself, not only in the literal--Russian characters in a French setting--but in Renoir's more humanist tendancies and his reliance of Gabin and Jouvet which, maybe somewhat unfairly, don't really delve into what I love most about the Gorky play (which I admittedly didn't read until after watching Renoir's film).

I have heard Kurosawa is more faithful, so I really ought to watch it.

EDIT: Oh, and I really quite enjoyed The Cotton Club. Certainly an exquisite looking film.

I didn't like Renoir's version either, the relationship between the tone and the content felt off.

[Rowland]

Well I would put Stray Dog as a mid-tier effort but yeah I think I probably prefer Stray Dog to The Bad Sleep Well. The only Kurosawa I've seen so far that I've disliked though was his adaptation of The Idiot. I felt that completely missed the mark. But I still have yet to see his earliest and presumably weakest work (pre-Drunken Angel).I haven't read much about his earlier work, though surprisingly enough, online critic Theo (http://leonardo.spidernet.net/Artus/2386/) had this to say about Sanshiro Sugata: "Saw this mainly for historical reasons - Kurosawa's debut, etc - but it's surprisingly gripping and assured, and clearly made in his own familiar style with grand, sweeping camera moves, visual trickery (even a touch of slo-mo), dynamic action scenes and a fight climax set against howling wind and scudding clouds that must've been a bitch to get right." Shit, he actually rates it higher than The Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress, and Yojimbo.

Slant's Ed Gonzalez apparently liked No Regrets for Our Youth a lot as well, ranking it on his 1946 list over Siodmak's The Killers and Welles' The Stranger.

[Raiders]

No Regrets for Our Youth is quality indeed. The best Mizoguchi film he didn't make.

[Qrazy]

I haven't read much about his earlier work, though surprisingly enough, online critic Theo (http://leonardo.spidernet.net/Artus/2386/) had this to say about Sanshiro Sugata: "Saw this mainly for historical reasons - Kurosawa's debut, etc - but it's surprisingly gripping and assured, and clearly made in his own familiar style with grand, sweeping camera moves, visual trickery (even a touch of slo-mo), dynamic action scenes and a fight climax set against howling wind and scudding clouds that must've been a bitch to get right." Shit, he actually rates it higher than The Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress, and Yojimbo.

Slant's Ed Gonzalez apparently liked No Regrets for Our Youth a lot as well, ranking it on his 1946 list over Siodmak's The Killers and Welles' The Stranger.

Nice, well maybe I'll get on it sooner than later in that case.

[Sven]

I love Renoir's version. I put it on my top 100 a couple of years or so ago. Don't know if it would be on there today. Kurosawa's version is completely different and definitely comparable in quality, if not surpassing it.

[Skitch]

Wow, Zombieland was quite fun.

[soitgoes...]

Renoir's and Kurosawa's films are about equal in my eyes. Neither is great, but both have varying qualities that land them in the good range. Kurosawa's film makes great use of basically one set, which as Rowland stated, really lends to the oppressive nature of the film. The main weakness was Mifune. For an ensemble film, he was too big of a presence, he detracted from the other characters. This isn't really his fault, but more of the fault of Kurosawa casting him in that role. With a lesser known actor the film might have been great.

For Kurosawa's early pre-Drunken Angel work, No Regrets is far and away his best effort. I thinks it's selling him short saying that its the best Mizoguchi film Mizoguchi never made, especially since I don't know if I've ever seen Kenji tackle a contemporary film (The Lady of Musashino maybe?). The only parallel I see is that it is one of the few Kurosawa films to have a female in the lead, but the film is still covered with his humanistic touches.

Also, while Sanshiro Sugata might be passable, its sequel is the absolute worst film he made, and if it weren't for Robert Altman I might be able to say one of the worst films by a director of such high standing.

[Qrazy]

Also, while Sanshiro Sugata might be passable, its sequel is the absolute worst film he made, and if it weren't for Robert Altman I might be able to say one of the worst films by a director of such high standing.

What are you thinking of? Quintet?

[B-side]

Anyone here see Hopper's follow-up to Easy Rider, The Last Movie? I'm acquiring it right now. It looks/sounds pretty neat.

[baby doll]

Anyone here see Hopper's follow-up to Easy Rider, The Last Movie? I'm acquiring it right now. It looks/sounds pretty neat.By "acquiring," you mean torrenting, right? Anyway, I'd love to see it myself; J. Hoberman called it the most aesthetically radical Hollywood film of its era, or something to that effect.

[B-side]

By "acquiring," you mean torrenting, right? Anyway, I'd love to see it myself; J. Hoberman called it the most aesthetically radical Hollywood film of its era, or something to that effect.

Yeah, I'm a filthy pirate.:P

I'm looking forward to it. I remember enjoying Easy Rider.

[balmakboor]

Anyone here see Hopper's follow-up to Easy Rider, The Last Movie? I'm acquiring it right now. It looks/sounds pretty neat.

I saw it at the Seattle Film Festival with Hopper in attendance. I found it insufferably boring at the time, but that was about 20 years ago and my tolerance for the insufferably boring has grown considerably since then.

[B-side]

I saw it at the Seattle Film Festival with Hopper in attendance. I found it insufferably boring at the time, but that was about 20 years ago and my tolerance for the insufferably boring has grown considerably since then.

Heh, right. What happened to the top 10 in your sig? I enjoyed looking at that, being such a nice top 10 and all.:D

[dreamdead]

There's not much drama to Rohmer's last film The Romance of Astrea and Celadon, but it's a quiet calming and tranquil work. It lacks the painterly palette of The Marquis of O, but there is nonetheless a grace and spryness to the takes, with the camera often sprawling as characters and ideas are exchanged. The ease in which Astrea falls for Celadon (in female disguise) and suffers no real social castigation is interesting, as is the delicacy of the suffering Léonide, who must wallow silently as she reunites the two lovers. I wish that Rohmer had dedicated himself just a tad more to the plight of her character, as the rhapsody of the two lovers doesn't find the more bittersweet counterpoint that Rohmer usually bestows to his characters. Nonetheless, it's a worthy send-off for Rohmer's ideas and style, containing a gentleness that lingers long after the film is over.

I kinda want to rewatch the Moral Tales and the Four Seasons again now.

[B-side]

Have you seen Perceval le Gallois, dreamdead?

[balmakboor]

Heh, right. What happened to the top 10 in your sig? I enjoyed looking at that, being such a nice top 10 and all.:D

My top 10 is still on my blog. It's been so much in flux lately that I thought I'd give it a rest for a bit. Who knows? When I bring it back it may be like radically different.

Meanwhile, you can read my fantabulous reviews of the current Hollywood crap.

[B-side]

My top 10 is still on my blog. It's been so much in flux lately that I thought I'd give it a rest for a bit. Who knows? When I bring it back it may be like radically different.

As long as Barry Lyndon isn't gone when it comes back, I'll be a happy camper.


Meanwhile, you can read my fantabulous reviews of the current Hollywood crap.

Ha! I'd planned on it.

[megladon8]

Received Vincenzo Natali's Cypher in the mail today.

Anyone seen it? Thoughts?

[Rowland]

Received Vincenzo Natali's Cypher in the mail today.

Anyone seen it? Thoughts?I liked it.

[Pop Trash]

Anyone here see Hopper's follow-up to Easy Rider, The Last Movie? I'm acquiring it right now. It looks/sounds pretty neat.

I saw it on VHS about 5 years ago out of curiosity. It's...different? I'm not sure how successful it is and it seems edited in a completely arbitrary fashion that I'm going to blame on Hopper's copious drug use at the time. I could see you diggin' it though Brightside. It screams Brightside to me.

[B-side]

I saw it on VHS about 5 years ago out of curiosity. It's...different? I'm not sure how successful it is and it seems edited in a completely arbitrary fashion that I'm going to blame on Hopper's copious drug use at the time. I could see you diggin' it though Brightside. It screams Brightside to me.

Yeah, I read that there were a ton of issues with the editing, and that even my buddy Jodorowsky was brought it at one point to help edit it.

It screams Brightside, eh? Is it a fan of The Killers?

/lamejoke

[dreamdead]

Have you seen Perceval le Gallois, dreamdead?

No, Netflix took it off the queue as it's apparently out of print right now, or some other such nonsense. With it being singled out as much as it was in most of the elegies for him, I expect I'll try to request a library copy of it next semester.

[B-side]

No, Netflix took it off the queue as it's apparently out of print right now, or some other such nonsense. With it being singled out as much as it was in most of the elegies for him, I expect I'll try to request a library copy of it next semester.

I just nabbed it myself, finally. It's always caught my eye, so I was curious what a Rohmer aficionado thought of it.

[Raiders]

Perceval is a masterpiece. Second only to The Green Ray for me.

[soitgoes...]

What are you thinking of? Quintet?
Prêt-Ã*-Porter

[B-side]

Rumble Fish was great. So strange seeing Rourke so young and without the gravelly voice. He was definitely the best part. Dillon was cool and all, but Rourke is where it's at. There was such gravitas in his speech. I was hanging onto every word. Technically, the film is top notch, from all the tracking shots and the theatrical injection of smoke to the soundtrack by Stewart Copeland. The film as a whole was so playful, even to the point of undermining the machismo. In a good way, of course. It's not without its share of light moments either. And there was a nice rhythm to a lot of the dialogue. And the fight scene near the beginning was gold.

[Boner M]

Robert Mulligan's The Nickel Ride is one of the zillions of gems of downcast paranoid 70's cinema that have slipped through the cracks over the years; with just over 60 votes on the IMDb I'm suddenly giddy over the notion that there's enough films of its kind to last me a lifetime. Jason Miller (best known as Father Karras in The Exorcist) is exceptional in the lead, his clenched features and overall gauntness perfect for the film's dank, brooding atmosphere (every interior looks like the back section of an antique store).

Methinks Raiders & Sven would like this one a lot.

[Raiders]

I'll check it out. Mulligan's 1991 The Man in the Moon is a damn good film almost nobody else I know has seen.

[Boner M]

I'll check it out. Mulligan's 1991 The Man in the Moon is a damn good film almost nobody else I know has seen.
The one with Reese Witherspoon? I saw that on TV ages ago and remember liking it. Should revisit.

[D_Davis]

Last night I watched Mind Game again. It's now officially my favorite film. There is absolutely nothing else like it. It's a celebration of art, music, love, sadness, humanity, and creativity that touches the very core of my being. It leaves me feeling high and euphoric, and it has the most sensual and beautiful sex scene I've ever seen. I still don't fully understand all of the nuances of the narrative, or what its cyclical nature really means, and I don't know if I ever will, nor do I really care. Life itself is a mind game - it fucks with you completely - and this film captures this sentiment better than any other I've seen.

[kuehnepips]

Received Vincenzo Natali's Cypher in the mail today.

Anyone seen it? Thoughts?

It is not boring.

[megladon8]

Last night I watched Mind Game again. It's now officially my favorite film. There is absolutely nothing else like it. It's a celebration of art, music, love, sadness, humanity, and creativity that touches the very core of my being. It leaves me feeling high and euphoric, and it has the most sensual and beautiful sex scene I've ever seen. I still don't fully understand all of the nuances of the narrative, or what its cyclical nature really means, and I don't know if I ever will, nor do I really care. Life itself is a mind game - it fucks with you completely - and this film captures this sentiment better than any other I've seen.


I wish this would be released on DVD. All I have is a burn I made of a torrent. The subs suck, and the picture freaks out every once in a while.

[D_Davis]

I wish this would be released on DVD. All I have is a burn I made of a torrent. The subs suck, and the picture freaks out every once in a while.

That it's never been officially released on DVD outside of Japan should be considered a crime against art.

[balmakboor]

That it's never been officially released on DVD outside of Japan should be considered a crime against art.

Hah, I just put in a suggestion at Criterion. Expect an announcement shortly.

[Sycophant]

Last night I watched Mind Game again. It's now officially my favorite film. There is absolutely nothing else like it. It's a celebration of art, music, love, sadness, humanity, and creativity that touches the very core of my being. It leaves me feeling high and euphoric, and it has the most sensual and beautiful sex scene I've ever seen. I still don't fully understand all of the nuances of the narrative, or what its cyclical nature really means, and I don't know if I ever will, nor do I really care. Life itself is a mind game - it fucks with you completely - and this film captures this sentiment better than any other I've seen.

Couldn't agree more. I have it as my #2 behind The Royal Tenenbaums, but at that level, the distinction is almost nonexistent. It's pretty much my favorite movie. I'm pretty evangelical with it, distributing DVDs to anyone I think might actually watch it. I've been thinking that it's about time for me to rewatch it as well. It is truly glorious.

[Qrazy]

Last night I watched Mind Game again. It's now officially my favorite film. There is absolutely nothing else like it. It's a celebration of art, music, love, sadness, humanity, and creativity that touches the very core of my being. It leaves me feeling high and euphoric, and it has the most sensual and beautiful sex scene I've ever seen. I still don't fully understand all of the nuances of the narrative, or what its cyclical nature really means, and I don't know if I ever will, nor do I really care. Life itself is a mind game - it fucks with you completely - and this film captures this sentiment better than any other I've seen.

Have you started checking out Yuasa's television shows yet?

[Russ]

I'm on a self-imposed Mind Game hiatus for now, seeing as how I've watched the thing at least a dozen times (probably more). So, er.., obviously I agree.

I want to campaign for the eventual blu-ray. Now that would be something.

[Ezee E]

Couldn't agree more. I have it as my #2 behind The Royal Tenenbaums, but at that level, the distinction is almost nonexistent. It's pretty much my favorite movie. I'm pretty evangelical with it, distributing DVDs to anyone I think might actually watch it. I've been thinking that it's about time for me to rewatch it as well. It is truly glorious.
Send one this way!

[Sycophant]

Send one this way!

If you PM me your address, you got it.

[D_Davis]

Have you started checking out Yuasa's television shows yet?

I have not, yet.

[Qrazy]

I have not, yet.

Do eet.

[D_Davis]

Couldn't agree more. I have it as my #2 behind The Royal Tenenbaums, but at that level, the distinction is almost nonexistent. It's pretty much my favorite movie. I'm pretty evangelical with it, distributing DVDs to anyone I think might actually watch it. I've been thinking that it's about time for me to rewatch it as well. It is truly glorious.

I love showing people this film, although the attempted rape sequence is really intense. I'm having some people over next Saturday to watch it, and I had forgotten how brutal that scene is. Some of these people are women, and I'm wondering if they'll be able to get through it and enjoy the rest of the film.

[Russ]

Speaking of Mind Game rewatches, D, have you picked up on many of the "clues" (ala LOST), that help to establish some of the characters' relationships?

In the montage sequences, look for the purchase of the the key chain, which is later shown in the car's ignition after Nishi steals it. Also, the photographs of Myon's father, the comic book case, the "fag watch" and the dog's tag. The watch was the yakuza guy's mothers', who we see receives it as a gift from the yakuza guy's father who takes the wrong comic book case (the one filled with comic books instead of drugs) and eventually ends up in the belly of the whale. These all tie events together and/or show up later. Haven't figured out the significance of the video tapes yet. But the main revelation is that of the yakuza guy with spiky hair being:

1. The son of the old guy in the whale
2. The victim of infidelity (his wife goes off with Myon's father)

That makes his reconciliation with his wife at the end all the more poignant.

[D_Davis]

Just picked up on some of those last night. :)

I think I'm missing something though, hopefully it's not too obvious....

When they are about to leave the whale at the end, Myon tells the hermit that it is his turn to tell Nishi something, after she reconciles with her sister. Is the hermit also Nishi's father? He gets interupted before he's able to tell Nishi anything.

Pretty sure this has something to do with the comic case, and Nishi wanting to be a manga artist.

[Sycophant]

Agree with Qrazy re: Yuasa's TV series. Both Kemonozume and Kaiba have moments in them that positively sing and Yuasa's voice is present in both. They're great, if somewhat flawed. His new series (streaming on Hulu concurrently with its Japanese airing) The Tatami Galaxy is pretty wonderful so far.

[D_Davis]

The video tapes are baffling. There must be something in the titles, that I can't read because I don't read Japanese.

However, the presence of Chikan Express always makes me laugh.

[Russ]

Just picked up on some of those last night. :)

I think I'm missing something though, hopefully it's not too obvious....

When they are about to leave the whale at the end, Myon tells the hermit that it is his turn to tell Nishi something, after she reconciles with her sister. Is the hermit also Nishi's father? He gets interupted before he's able to tell Nishi anything.

Pretty sure this has something to do with the comic case, and Nishi wanting to be a manga artist.


The hermit is not Nishi's father. The hermit is a former Yakuza. Nishi's parents are shown during the montage sequence (when they are moving into their new home). The hermit is the guy who goes to the church and sees the depcitions of heaven and hell, and picks out the watch to buy for his wife (which eventually goes to his son, the spikey-haired Yakuza guy). The comic book case is actually a "Time Boy" comic case, which, after the shootout in the restaurant, the Yakuza guy reminisces, "If only I could turn back time like in those comics - a reference to what Time Boy does when he stops the bad guys" or something to that effect (so he could change the course of events between he and his wife). Plus, remember the Yakuza guy was in his thirties (Nishi was probably in his early 20's) and was more age appropriate to be the hermit's son.

I'm not really sure what the hermit would be saying to Nishi, unless it has something to do with their earlier altercation (having to do with how long the hermit had been in the whale) and the callous remark that Nishi had made. Either that, or maybe that he considers Nishi a surrogate son, having not seen his real son for 30 years.

[Sycophant]

It's been a year or more since I've watched MG, I think, so my recollection of even what you're talking about might be a bit off. I could be wrong.

I have some memory that it was suggested that the old hermit was sexually attracted to Nishi and was considering telling him so.

[Russ]

It's been a year or more since I've watched MG, I think, so my recollection of even what you're talking about might be a bit off. I could be wrong.

I have some memory that it was suggested that the old hermit was sexually attracted to Nishi and was considering telling him so.
Ha ha. Yes, I even remember thinking the same thing too, but it just seems so unconnected to anything else shown outside the whale. I just chalked it up as one of those wacky Japanese cultural oddities.

[D_Davis]

It's been a year or more since I've watched MG, I think, so my recollection of even what you're talking about might be a bit off. I could be wrong.

I have some memory that it was suggested that the old hermit was sexually attracted to Nishi and was considering telling him so.

Interesting. That thought actually crossed my mind as well, although I can't point to any single piece of evidence.

[DavidSeven]

Remember when we were listing films that fit the mold of Eyes Wide Shut and After Hours? I just thought of the perfect (and probably the best) example:

The Trial (Welles).

In fact, I'm thinking "Kafkian" is a great descriptor for this subgenre.

[Rowland]

Which makes me think of another kinda-sorta example: The Death of Mr. Lazarescu.

[DavidSeven]

Which makes me think of another kinda-sorta example: The Death of Mr. Lazarescu.

This actually makes sense in an odd sort of way. It also depresses me.

[Qrazy]

Remember when we were listing films that fit the mold of Eyes Wide Shut and After Hours? I just thought of the perfect (and probably the best) example:

The Trial (Welles).

In fact, I'm thinking "Kafkian" is a great descriptor for this subgenre.

Hrm I thought we were doing more... one crazy night or day films... if we're doing Kafkaesque I can throw out a bunch more excellent recs.

[DavidSeven]

Hrm I thought we were doing more... one crazy night or day films... if we're doing Kafkaesque I can throw out a bunch more excellent recs.

Well, I didn't really mean to suggest that something like The Metamorphosis (you know, generally surreal) would really fit. But the guy did seem to trademark the whole nightmarish journey (where things become more absurd and make progressively less sense as the trip wears on) thing in some of his work. And that whole "am I going crazy or is the rest of the world nuts" vibe that these films seem to have. I guess The Trial isn't technically limited to one day, but it feels like it could be.

[Rowland]

I just thought of the Crank movies and Running Scared.

[Raiders]

Running Scared.

Yeah, definitely.

[DavidSeven]

Bastards. From 4/24/10:


Meg's post reminded me of Running Scared (Paul Walker version). Haven't seen it, but I think the previews gave it the vibe of this class of films. Anyone confirm?

[DavidSeven]

Hm, I'm not sure that it does. I read it last summer but, as far as I recall, Josef K.'s trials and tribulations actually occur over an extended period of time. Days, weeks, months? It is the passage of time that adds a great deal to the accumulating, disheartening stress and the seemingly interminable anxiety of the whole ordeal, actually. In other words, it is a story that has to take place over the course of far more than twenty-four hours. His repeated and futile meetings with his attorney, for instance, is something that could not have worked in a single day. The same could be said for the various other characters he met with.

The mood and some of the events may be consonant with Eyes Wide Shut, but the temporal element is not.

Well, I was mostly pointing to Welles's adaptation, not the original source material. At least in regards to the "it's not one day, but it could be" comment. The film version relies a lot less the passage of time and more on stringing together these absurd events and encounters that are obviously truncated versions of what's in the novel. Have you seen the film?

Also, it should be noted that it's been several years since I saw it myself, so my memory of it is a bit hazy.

[Winston*]

Doesn't Crank take place all in the day time?

[Sven]

I just thought of the Crank movies and Running Scared.

This is exactly my thought process about 70% of the day.

[dreamdead]

In an effort to mix up the films thefourthwall and I watch, we hit up Tanaka's Watcher in the Attic, a Japanese film detailing voyeurism and rampant sexuality. Unfortunately, the lead female's fetish for clowns goes a long way toward destroying any erotic potential. Thus, despite the highly eroticized coverage, the film feels a lot like empty titillation for about forty minutes before ramping up the body count, closing with an admittedly interesting historical context that I'd forgotten about. Nonetheless, the characters too often feel like insatiable ciphers who can get off at any moment. It's quite slight, and only the intriguing coda saves the film from being devoid of purpose.

[Derek]

Gunga Din (Stevens, 1939)

As Qrazy mentioned, this film is blatantly racist, presenting the only Indian culture on display as a cult of barbaric heathens and shamelessly using the comic relief of Gunga Din himself. Din is essentially a dunce whose one redeeming quality is his obeisance and complete submission to British authority and culture. The film is, if nothing else, a complete justification of imperialism with the subjugation of inferior cultures a necessity for eventual peace. What a crock.

Zulu (Endfield, 1964)

Soothing my anger towards Gunga Din's pro-imperialist stance, Zulu focuses on the Zulu massacre of British forces in 1879. Though it is told from the British perspective, the film is respectful of historical context, capturing several mesmerizing Zulu chants and dances as well as the Brits simultaneous awe and disgust with these foreign rituals. By tightening its scope to the battle itself and a few days prior, Zulu has a heightened intensity and immediacy, focusing on the intricacies of tactical warfare from the differences between the two inexperienced men in command and the various defensive preparations to the seemingly endless swarm of Zulu warriors upon the fort. Endfield uses the British red coats to his advantage, creating a number of compelling images of their clashing against the landscape and is repeated long, slow pans create a defined geographic space which helps give a sense of spatial realism that is especially important for a war film set in such a confined setting. And, of course, Caine is great even in this his first role.

[MadMan]

Upon a second viewing, Walter Hill's Director's Cut of The Warriors is even better a year later. Envisioned and showcased as a gritty drama, neo-western, and even containing elements of The Odyssey and samurai movies, its still one of the most badass movies I've ever watched. Despite being set in some dystopian future, the movie best embodies what was truly cool and fantastic about 1970s film making, and represents the end of the decade quite well.
Much more can be said about the tribual elements that each of the gangs embody, as well as the fact that Hill constantly goes for the macho element every time. I should dig up my actual longer review of this movie and edit much of it, seeing as I think I've observed a few new things and my rating has gone up a handful of points. If I ever decide to cover my Favorite Movies of the 70s, I'm sure this one will be featured.

[soitgoes...]

My biggest knock against Seijun Suzuki is that his films tend to be incoherent, style trumps all. That style is undeniably great, but man, his films just seem like set piece followed by set piece with no rhyme or reason why they are there. Gate of Flesh gets it right. Oh the film isn't saying anything great, but it doesn't get lost saying what it needs to say. And boy that style! Suzuki and art designer Takeo Kimura nailed it. With a limited budget, Kimura's sets shun realism and take on a world of their own. Suzuki dresses his leads, a team of prostitutes, in bright colored dresses that they wear throughout the film. I'm not sure Suzuki could've made a film that could compete with Kurosawa, Ozu or Naruse, only because he was never given a script from his studio worth a damn. Props need to be given though for creating something so original with such a bare bone script.

[B-side]

All the Suzuki films I've seen have been better than Ozu's Good Morning by a long shot. And better than Naruse's Floating Clouds.:eek:

:P

[soitgoes...]

Gunga Din (Stevens, 1939)

As Qrazy mentioned, this film is blatantly racist, presenting the only Indian culture on display as a cult of barbaric heathens and shamelessly using the comic relief of Gunga Din himself. Din is essentially a dunce whose one redeeming quality is his obeisance and complete submission to British authority and culture. The film is, if nothing else, a complete justification of imperialism with the subjugation of inferior cultures a necessity for eventual peace. What a crock.

Have you seen Red Dust? Another racist 30's film where the native culture is pushed to the side. It is better than Gunga Din despite the racism found in both.

[Boner M]

weakened

Soul Kitchen
Sweet Movie
Clouds of May (Ceylan)
Bound For Glory (Ashby)
The Penalty (1920)

[soitgoes...]

Weekend:

Shindô (Tree Without Leaves, Edo Porn, Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director and/or Kuroneko)
Suzuki (Pistol Opera, Zigeunerweisen and/or Story of a Prostitute)
Bringing Out the Dead

[B-side]

So, yeah, Naked is still damn good the 2nd time around. Picked up on some potentially important stuff this time around, little tidbits that gave me a better understanding of Johnny's trajectory. It's really quite the tragic existential odyssey. It kinda fits into the whole "one night of craziness" thing we were discussing a while back. Of course, it doesn't play out over one night, but I digress. Brutally funny film, too.

[balmakboor]

weakened

Soul Kitchen
Sweet Movie
Clouds of May (Ceylan)
Bound For Glory (Ashby)
The Penalty (1920)

Is that a comment about your general lack of interest in your selections?

[Raiders]

All the Suzuki films I've seen have been better than Ozu's Good Morning by a long shot.

This is true of me as well.


And better than Naruse's Floating Clouds.

This is not.

[balmakboor]

I haven't seen a Suzuki film yet that I loved. I've seen 15 Ozu films that I've loved. And I've been constantly surprised by this. Suzuki films sound on paper like something I'd love, but they never quite live up.

[Ezee E]

Damn. My Secrets & Lies DVD from Netflix had a huge crack in it.

Weekend:
North Face
Shop On Main Street
The Seventh Continent

[Qrazy]

Well, I didn't really mean to suggest that something like The Metamorphosis (you know, generally surreal) would really fit. But the guy did seem to trademark the whole nightmarish journey (where things become more absurd and make progressively less sense as the trip wears on) thing in some of his work. And that whole "am I going crazy or is the rest of the world nuts" vibe that these films seem to have. I guess The Trial isn't technically limited to one day, but it feels like it could be.

Fair, well in that vein I'd also recommend Aleksei German's Khrustalyov, My Car! for Kafkaesque films.

[Qrazy]

Weekend:

Shindô (Tree Without Leaves, Edo Porn, Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director and/or Kuroneko)
Suzuki (Pistol Opera, Zigeunerweisen and/or Story of a Prostitute)
Bringing Out the Dead

Kudos on getting on board the Shindo wagon. He's awesome. I've been meaning to see Tree Without Leaves for a while. And also kudos for the Marty and Gate of Flesh scores.

[balmakboor]

W/E

Tekkonkinkreet (3rd time)
Drugstore Cowboy (3rd or 4th time)
Popeye (3rd or 4th time)
Prime Cut (1st time) - pretty excited about this actually

Something in the theater, possibly Babies.

[Ivan Drago]

Any ideas to the Criterion newsletter hint?

http://i4.createsend1.com/ei/r/9C/FDA/A00/034745/wacky50th.jpg

[Raiders]

50th Anniversary Blu-Ray for Godard's Breathless

[soitgoes...]

All the Suzuki films I've seen have been better than Ozu's Good Morning by a long shot. And better than Naruse's Floating Clouds.:eek:

:P

Yeah, I'll ignore the Naruse sentence, and just say that Good Morning is one of my least favorite Ozu films, so I kind of agree with you. Suzuki films, with the exception of Fighting Elegy, are all at least good. It wasn't until now that I could say that he had made something great. That being said, Ozu still has a half a dozen films or so that I consider better than Gate of Flesh.

[MadMan]

Weekend:

*La Strada
*House of the Devil

And probably something else from the stack of DVDs I have either bought or received over the past couple of months.

[B-side]

Yeah, I'll ignore the Naruse sentence,

:D


and just say that Good Morning is one of my least favorite Ozu films, so I kind of agree with you. Suzuki films, with the exception of Fighting Elegy, are all at least good. It wasn't until now that I could say that he had made something great. That being said, Ozu still has a half a dozen films or so that I consider better than Gate of Flesh.

If you were to recommend an Ozu film for someone who generally doesn't care for Ozu, what would it be?

[Raiders]

If you were to recommend an Ozu film for someone who generally doesn't care for Ozu, what would it be?

If you haven't seen it already, definitely Late Spring. Of the six I have seen, it is the only one I love.

[B-side]

If you haven't seen it already, definitely Late Spring. Of the six I have seen, it is the only one I love.

I've only seen Tokyo Story (which was OK) and Good Morning (which I hated). I'll look into that one. Thanks.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Roger Corman's Little Shop of Horrors is about as good as A Bucket of Blood, of which I was very fond. Little Shop follows the same basic rubric, its puppet kinda sucks, the camerawork is sitcom-y, and the acting is pretty cheeseball, but these all seem like the wrong complaints to make, since it's a Roger Corman picture. Truth be told, it's damn funny, and that's all it needs to be.

[Qrazy]

:D



If you were to recommend an Ozu film for someone who generally doesn't care for Ozu, what would it be?

I already recommended Floating Weeds to you, shithead.

[B-side]

I already recommended Floating Weeds to you, shithead.

That was ages ago. I don't remember these things! In fact, I actively avoid remembering our conversations.

:D

[Qrazy]

That was ages ago. I don't remember these things! In fact, I actively avoid remembering our conversations.

:D

Finish the film swap before I blow up the entire world.

[Derek]

I already recommended Floating Weeds to you, shithead.

I second Late Spring.

Don't much care for Floating Weeds and I think Late Spring is a better litmus test of whether or not Ozu's your bag.[/i]

[Raiders]

Roger Corman's Little Shop of Horrors is about as good as A Bucket of Blood, of which I was very fond. Little Shop follows the same basic rubric, its puppet kinda sucks, the camerawork is sitcom-y, and the acting is pretty cheeseball, but these all seem like the wrong complaints to make, since it's a Roger Corman picture. Truth be told, it's damn funny, and that's all it needs to be.

Hm, I don't remember LSOH that fondly, and I do love both Corman and Bucket of Blood. Maybe I ought to re-watch it.

[B-side]

Finish the film swap before I blow up the entire world.

It's not even my turn!

soitgoes still needs to post his Partner write-up.

[Qrazy]

I second Late Spring.

Don't much care for Floating Weeds and I think Late Spring is a better litmus test of whether or not Ozu's your bag.[/i]

Well I don't like Late Spring and I do like Ozu so no.

[Derek]

Well I don't like Late Spring and I do like Ozu so no.

The question was what would you recommend someone who's not fond of Ozu. I'm not overly fond of Ozu (I like him, but not nearly as much as Mizoguchi or Naruse), yet I love Late Spring. Win.

[B-side]

Well, that's 2 against 1, Qrazy.

[MadMan]

Roger Corman's Little Shop of Horrors is about as good as A Bucket of Blood, of which I was very fond. Little Shop follows the same basic rubric, its puppet kinda sucks, the camerawork is sitcom-y, and the acting is pretty cheeseball, but these all seem like the wrong complaints to make, since it's a Roger Corman picture. Truth be told, it's damn funny, and that's all it needs to be.I think that Little Shop of Horrors is better than A Bucket of Blood, although both are very similar and comparable. Horrors is funnier, but Blood seems to nail the dark style of comedy better. Despite being a big fan of him as a director, it seems that Corman produced some movies that were better than some of his own output, or at least more entertaining-such as Death Race 2000 and Piranha.

[soitgoes...]

:D



If you were to recommend an Ozu film for someone who generally doesn't care for Ozu, what would it be?
Late Spring is one of his best films, but I'm gonna say An Inn in Tokyo for a film a little different than his norm.

[B-side]

Late Spring is one of his best films, but I'm gonna say An Inn in Tokyo for a film a little different than his norm.

Alright. I'll look into both of them and decide which sounds more appealing.

[Qrazy]

The question was what would you recommend someone who's not fond of Ozu. I'm not overly fond of Ozu (I like him, but not nearly as much as Mizoguchi or Naruse), yet I love Late Spring. Win.

Yes and I would recommend such a person Floating Weeds. I also don't love him either, I just like him. And I also prefer Mizoguchi. But I still don't care for Late Spring. DOUBLE WIN.

[Qrazy]

Alright. I'll look into both of them and decide which sounds more appealing.

You'll kick yourself when you hate both and only like Floating Weeds.

[Raiders]

Damn I wish I still had my essay on Late Spring from the old site. I have no energy to go into why I love it and why it is head and shoulders above the other Ozu's I have seen.

[Sven]

Damn I wish I still had my essay on Late Spring from the old site. I have no energy to go into why I love it and why it is head and shoulders above the other Ozu's I have seen.

It's much more fun to read second grade level discussion of a film's quality.

[balmakboor]

I don't understand how someone could hate Good Morning. It's the film that made me fall in love with Ozu.

[Grouchy]

People, I've seen Hopper's The Last Movie and I'm sorry to say it's almost unwatchable. Brightside, I think it's worth getting through it the once, but you might keep your expectations low.

[Qrazy]

I don't understand how someone could hate Good Morning. It's the film that made me fall in love with Ozu.

I like it a lot also. Cheers.

[balmakboor]

People, I've seen Hopper's The Last Movie and I'm sorry to say it's almost unwatchable.

Yeah, that was the general consensus of the festival goers when I saw it.

[B-side]

People, I've seen Hopper's The Last Movie and I'm sorry to say it's almost unwatchable. Brightside, I think it's worth getting through it the once, but you might keep your expectations low.

Aw. Well, I'll be sure to temper my expectations.

[Raiders]

Level Five (Marker, 1997)

Thinking of making this my next Marker. Thoughts?

[B-side]

Thinking of making this my next Marker. Thoughts?

It was my first feature length Marker, and I still haven't seen La jetée or Sans soleil for some reason, but I really liked it.

[baby doll]

Speaking of Good Morning, I came across it on French TV a few months ago, and the colours looked a lot better than they do on the Criterion DVD.

[B-side]

New Criterions for August:

Crumb (Zwigoff, 1994) [Also on Blu-Ray]
Louie Bluie (Zwigoff, 1985)
Black Orpheus (Camus, 1959) [Also on Blu-Ray]
L'enfance Nue (Pialat, 1968)
Underworld (Sternberg, 1927)
The Last Command (Sternberg, 1928)
The Docks of New York (Sternberg, 1928)
The First Films of Akira Kurosawa Eclipse series: Sanshiro Sugata (1943), The Most Beautiful (1944), Sanshiro Sugata Pt. 2 (1945), The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail (1945)

[baby doll]

New Criterions for August:

Underworld (Sternberg, 1927)
The Last Command (Sternberg, 1928)
The Docks of New York (Sternberg, 1928)Sweet. I've seen the last of these projected on 16mm, and it's pretty sweet; kinda like poetic realism avant le lettre. I can't wait to see the others.

[Ivan Drago]

New Criterions for August:

Crumb (Zwigoff, 1994) [Also on Blu-Ray]

Sweet!

[B-side]

I've only seen Dishonored from Sternberg, which I rather enjoyed. Do his films often contain such wonderful use of shadows?

[Raiders]

I've only seen Dishonored from Sternberg, which I rather enjoyed. Do his films often contain such wonderful use of shadows?

Yeah, he was a very expressive filmmaker in general and his light/dark contrasts are often striking. The Scarlet Empress and The Blue Angel are mandatory viewings.

[balmakboor]

No matter how many movies you see, there's always great stuff still waiting just around the corner. I finally watched Prime Cut tonight. Great gangster picture. My favorite Michael Ritchie so far.

[Raiders]

No matter how many movies you see, there's always great stuff still waiting just around the corner. I finally watched Prime Cut tonight. Great gangster picture. My favorite Michael Ritchie so far.

Yes! It's fantastic. I think I still slightly prefer Smile, but there's no question Ritchie was awesome in the 70s.

[B-side]

Yeah, he was a very expressive filmmaker in general and his light/dark contrasts are often striking. The Scarlet Empress and The Blue Angel are mandatory viewings.

I'll be sure to check out one of those next.
-----
I'm about to watch Gene Kelly's Invitation to the Dance. Anyone here seen it? It's an hour and a half of Gene Kelly directed and choreographed dance sequences.

[Boner M]

New Criterions for August:
L'enfance Nue (Pialat, 1968)
Already own the amazing MoC disc, but the rest of y'all are in for a treat.

[balmakboor]

Yes! It's fantastic. I think I still slightly prefer Smile, but there's no question Ritchie was awesome in the 70s.

I like the sound of this. Smile is next up for me followed by Semi Tough.

[Winston*]

Why would you buy Crumb on Blu-Ray?

[Derek]

Why would you buy Crumb on Blu-Ray?

Depression is more vivid in hi-def.

[Winston*]

Has anyone seen Rize btw? It is awesome.

[Derek]

Has anyone seen Rize btw? It is awesome.

Yup. I liked it a lot as well.

[balmakboor]

Why would you buy Crumb on Blu-Ray?

Considering Criterion BRs are the same price as their DVDs, why not?

[B-side]

Invitation to the Dance was far better than I expected. Kelly somehow manages to simultaneously parody, pay homage to and utilize Hollywood convention to wonderful effect. By paring these stories down to the absolute bare essentials of mime and dance, he somehow makes them significantly more enjoyable. There's absolutely no dialogue, and it's all the better for it. It's immensely creative, witty, energetic and joyous.

[Pop Trash]

Anyone care to discuss Makavejev's Sweet Movie? Their interpretation, etc.?

[balmakboor]

Anyone care to discuss Makavejev's Sweet Movie? Their interpretation, etc.?

It's been way too long for me to attempt such a thing. Interesting film though.

On another note, I picked up Popeye at Target for $5.00 yesterday and just gave it a watch. And it may well be my favorite Altman now. The relatively plotless first third is the best, but it all works. That set seriously rivals Tativille for imaginative detail and the performances are consistently a hoot.

My favorite aspect though is the music. Every song has worked its way into my subconscious over about five viewings in all of its tuneless glory. And "He Needs Me" has become downright iconic -- big thanks to Punch Drunk Love.

[balmakboor]

I saw this on Twitter just now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNMi8fXi5Os

The Parallax View is now on my required viewing list. This montage has such a Santiago Alvarez feel to it. Love it.

[Mal]

Anyone care to discuss Makavejev's Sweet Movie? Their interpretation, etc.?

I didn't care for it. I attempted interpretation but it just wasn't happening- I blame college.

[Sven]

The Parallax View is now on my required viewing list. This montage has such a Santiago Alvarez feel to it. Love it.

It's an okay film. Well shot and entertainingly told, but its implications are a bit tired.

[Sven]

And it may well be my favorite Altman now.

My goodness. See, people? All it takes is a little conviction.

[Pop Trash]

I didn't care for it. I attempted interpretation but it just wasn't happening- I blame college.

Here's my take:

My feeling is that 'Miss World' and the kids that aboard the boat filled with sugar are both the same thing: they represent the uncorrupted world, virginal, innocent, and naive. Miss World is corrupted by both full on capitalism and full on anarchy and neither one gives her the pleasure she is looking for. The blonde communist on the boat seduces the kids and the sailor with both sex and sugar, but then winds up killing them. Representing
the sexiness of communism but the reality is that it is totalitarian, violent, and, well, just pretty shitty. The final shot is of the kids in body bags, who we thought were dead, rising up and being reborn. This represents the new world reborn devoid of pure capitalism, communism, and anarchy. Makavejev is saying "I don't know what kind of structure humanity should live under, but it probably doesn't reside in the 'isms' currently presented to us."

[Mal]

Here's my take:

My feeling is that 'Miss World' and the kids that aboard the boat filled with sugar are both the same thing: they represent the uncorrupted world, virginal, innocent, and naive. Miss World is corrupted by both full on capitalism and full on anarchy and neither one gives her the pleasure she is looking for. The blonde communist on the boat seduces the kids and the sailor with both sex and sugar, but then winds up killing them. Representing
the sexiness of communism but the reality is that it is totalitarian, violent, and, well, just pretty shitty. The final shot is of the kids in body bags, who we thought were dead, rising up and being reborn. This represents the new world reborn devoid of pure capitalism, communism, and anarchy. Makavejev is saying "I don't know what kind of structure humanity should live under, but it probably doesn't reside in the 'isms' currently presented to us."

Not bad.

[eternity]

Has anyone seen Rize btw? It is awesome.

Hell yes.

[B-side]

Sweet Movie is great. The scenes with the Vienna Aktionists are wild.

[baby doll]

On another note, I picked up Popeye at Target for $5.00 yesterday and just gave it a watch. And it may well be my favorite Altman now.I'd place it sixth, behind McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Gosford Park, The Long Goodbye, California Split, and 3 Women, and ahead of A Prairie Home Companion.

[Raiders]

Finished completely updating and slightly revamping my blog containing every film I've seen by year, ranked and color-coded. Link is in my sig ("Films by Year").

[B-side]

For funsies, and because it looks purdy, here are a bunch of caps from Invitation to the Dance:

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/vlcsnap-2010-05-15-22h41m01s228.png

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/vlcsnap-2010-05-15-22h41m58s10.png

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/vlcsnap-2010-05-15-22h42m16s214.png

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/vlcsnap-2010-05-15-22h42m26s54.png

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/vlcsnap-2010-05-15-22h43m01s145.png

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/vlcsnap-2010-05-15-22h43m35s219.png

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/vlcsnap-2010-05-15-22h43m52s138.png

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/vlcsnap-2010-05-15-22h44m51s221.png

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/vlcsnap-2010-05-15-22h45m01s62.png

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/vlcsnap-2010-05-15-22h45m17s219.png

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/vlcsnap-2010-05-15-22h45m47s8.png

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/vlcsnap-2010-05-15-22h45m31s99.png

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/vlcsnap-2010-05-15-22h46m13s15.png

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/vlcsnap-2010-05-15-22h46m33s220.png

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/vlcsnap-2010-05-15-22h46m47s68.png

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/vlcsnap-2010-05-15-22h47m07s43.png

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/vlcsnap-2010-05-15-22h48m28s84.png

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[Boner M]

Didn't like Sweet Movie that much. These kind of symbolism orgies tend to be hit-or-miss for me, and in this case I just wasn't interested enough in the surface to dig deeper. [/stock art film criticism]

Dillinger is Dead, on the other hand...

[transmogrifier]

The Brothers Bloom.

Eh.

[balmakboor]

Didn't like Sweet Movie that much.

Dillinger is Dead, on the other hand...

Do continue...

[Boner M]

Do continue...
Wrote some thoughts on this (http://match-cut.org/showthread.php?t=14&highlight=phallic&page=1374) page.

[balmakboor]

Wrote some thoughts on this (http://match-cut.org/showthread.php?t=14&highlight=phallic&page=1374) page.

Oh yeah, I remember that page. Thanks.

[BuffaloWilder]

"I didn't come here to see you. I came here to see my son... my real son. The
one inside of you. You're nothing but a superficial shell, a husk of flimsy consciousness ready to be torn off at a moments notice. ... Oh, stop your bawling, you weak little speck of human trash."

Man, what a great movie. And, then I saw Leterrier's pseudo-sequel/remake, and I became unbearably depressed.

[megladon8]

"I didn't come here to see you. I came here to see my son... my real son. The
one inside of you. You're nothing but a superficial shell, a husk of flimsy consciousness ready to be torn off at a moments notice. ... Oh, stop your bawling, you weak little speck of human trash."

Man, what a great movie. And, then I saw Leterrier's pseudo-sequel/remake, and I became unbearably depressed.


While I agree Lee's original is vastly superior, I still enjoyed Leterrier's sequel a lot.

I felt it had elements that the first one could have benefited from.

[Yxklyx]

I like the sound of this. Smile is next up for me followed by Semi Tough.

Smile is excellent!

[Winston*]

Saw Adoration. It was quite good but it really could of used a teary eyed Bruce Greenwood devastated by the loss of his child. Also, I don't think Atom Egoyan understands how the internet works.

[number8]

Also, I don't think Atom Egoyan understands how the internet works.

What makes you say that? His modified iChat?

[Grouchy]

Bunch of movies seen.

First the DTV DC Universe movies Green Lantern: First Flight and Wonder Woman. The first one is ok. It's literally Training Day in space, and considering the Green Lantern concept is basically space cop with a magic ring, it works. The respect and prominence given to Kilowog is great - my favorite Lantern. But I think they missed the mark by not really developing any of the characters - for an origin story to see the finer points of Hal Jordan's personality left out was a bit disappointing. Like the movie was too eager to get to the action scenes. Wonder Woman, on the other hand, is incredible, and my favorite of these new DC animation films. Just a wonderful interpretation of the character with plenty of humor and an adult treatment of gender issues, which isn't to say that the movie isn't for kids, just that it has a script with many levels of content. The epic ending battle was epic.

Then I also saw War, the Statham/Li one. Terrible film. Made me wonder what would D_Davis think of it. None of the shots last more than half a second and this one's definitively "brickwalled". I hope The One is somewhat better because this pairing of action stars really deserved an actual film. The worst part is that it's an idiotic, constantly explosive action film and yet it's never any fun. It's like the filmmakers ditched any kind of comedy or self-awareness for a bunch of scenes that are exactly the same until a ridiculous twist appears to take it all away.

http://www.scene-stealers.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/the_visitor_filmstill3.jpg

Finally, I loved The Visitor. Just a serious film all around, with a strong message, a subtle central performance by Richard Jenkins and a plot that unfolds exactly the way it should and yet is never boring as a result. Part of the reason I liked it so much is because movies about intelligent people are so rare. Just watching the trailer I thought I'd seen this film and I knew what the character arc would be like, but I was wrong. Jenkins plays an aging, lonely scholar perfectly because he's a good enough actor to know such a character would have a hard time expressing his inner feelings and keeps his barrier up for most of the movie while still making you understand his inner thinking. There's a sort of spartan poetry to some of the shots in this movie which is great. Now I really want to see The Station Agent.

[baby doll]

Has anybody read Tokyo Vice? I guess this is a spoiler for people who haven't, but according to the book, Juzo Itami was rubbed out by the yakuza. I had read that he had killed himself but never looked into it, so this came as a bit of a shock to me.

[megladon8]

Has anyone seen the indie film The Scientist yet?

I've been eagerly awaiting some kind of release for quite a while. I just went to the official site (http://thescientistmovie.com/) and they're selling it on DVD for $10.

I ordered a copy. Should be here in a couple of weeks.

[Winston*]

What makes you say that? His modified iChat?

Maybe I'm the one who doesn't know how the internet works.

[Spinal]

Werner Herzog's Where's Waldo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvWh6PMi9Ek)

It would be funnier if the guy's accent was better, but mildly amusing nonetheless.

[Qrazy]

I hope The One is somewhat better because this pairing of action stars really deserved an actual film.

It's one of the worst films I've ever seen.

[Sven]

I quite liked War. To quote you, Grouchy: "So far you haven't said one thing that convinces me you got a reason to dislike it."

[D_Davis]

Werner Herzog's Where's Waldo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvWh6PMi9Ek)

It would be funnier if the guy's accent was better, but mildly amusing nonetheless.

"At the sea, I hunt until I am almost mad..."

:D

[megladon8]

The One was fucking amazing when I saw it for the first time.

I've since gotten past the age of 13, and realized it's utterly terrible.

Carla Gugino is hot, though.

[Derek]

I quite liked War. To quote you, Grouchy: "So far you haven't said one thing that convinces me you got a reason to dislike it."

"this one's definitively "brickwalled"", "idiotic", "never any fun" and "a bunch of scenes that are exactly the same until a ridiculous twist appears to take it all away." don't count as reasons? Or did your man-crush on Statham blind your eyes to them. :)

Not that it matters. My chances of ever watching this movie are just slightly less than my chance of actually liking it.

[megladon8]

[The Complete] Metropolis (Lang, 1927) ****


What is the difference in this release, Derek?

I own (an admittedly cheap, bargain-bin version of) Metropolis on DVD. Loved it from the first viewing.

I've seen so many re-releases both on DVD and in theatre, but I never really knew if there was actual added/upgraded content in the film, or if it was just semi-regular to celebrate the movie for its being so groundbreaking.

[MadMan]

Even when I saw The One when it came out (I was in high school at the time), I knew it wasn't a good movie. But Jet Li's line at the end of the movie is still badass, and there were some good fight scenes. Lost in the film's stupid, messy plot and the bad script was a decent action movie. Oh well.

[Derek]

What is the difference in this release, Derek?

I own (an admittedly cheap, bargain-bin version of) Metropolis on DVD. Loved it from the first viewing.

I've seen so many re-releases both on DVD and in theatre, but I never really knew if there was actual added/upgraded content in the film, or if it was just semi-regular to celebrate the movie for its being so groundbreaking.

They discovered almost all of the missing footage back in 2008 (something like 125 shots and several complete sequences), so this cut is ~25 minutes longer than any seen before. Most importantly, all of those missing scenes with the Thin Man are in there. Unfortunately, the footage was pretty badly damaged so even restored, it looks very rough, but it's still amazing to see.

[D_Davis]

Then I also saw War, the Statham/Li one. Terrible film. Made me wonder what would D_Davis think of it. None of the shots last more than half a second and this one's definitively "brickwalled". I hope The One is somewhat better because this pairing of action stars really deserved an actual film. The worst part is that it's an idiotic, constantly explosive action film and yet it's never any fun. It's like the filmmakers ditched any kind of comedy or self-awareness for a bunch of scenes that are exactly the same until a ridiculous twist appears to take it all away.


Never saw it. I saw The One, and thought it was pretty lame. Funny how it's so hard to make a good film with Statham and Li, two action stars I really like.

[number8]

The only part I liked about The One is when they are scrolling through photos of the many versions of Jet Li in different dimensions.

[Henry Gale]

I saw War recently too. It seemed like the sort of thing that would have been harmless fun, but it really wasn't at all. The end twist seems like it's the only reason for it to exist, and in a better movie it could have been really effective. I can honestly say that I didn't see it coming, but that's probably because it adds so many layers to the story for each character's motives that it's too much too late to really have it matter.

All of it just feels really awkward in how it's paced and plotted. The very last scenes feel like there was some sort of last-minute change from the studio and what they went with for the ending was made up of pick-up shots or otherwise unused stuff.

When you have Jet Li in action scenes and for the first hour all he does is look at things sternly and use guns and explosives to pick random henchmen off... you know something is wrong. The basic idea of the story is pretty cool too (especially when that twist comes into play), but it's just not well made whatsoever.

There's a scene where Devon Aoki demands a salad as she holds her security at gunpoint that's just so unbelievably stupid. Maybe watch it for that.

[Spun Lepton]

If I used the word "turd-tastic" to describe The One, would that be too harsh?

[Skitch]

Finally got to see The Hurt Locker, its been number one on my list since its release, and I've only now got it from Netfrix. Way overrated. Good film, but shouldn't have even been nominated for Best Pic. To think this won over the far more original Inglorious Basterds, District 9, hell, even Avatar was better made, and I didn't think it deserved a Best Pic nom either. The biggest crime of all is that this won, and Moon (imo, THE Best Pic) wasn't even nominated.

Oh well. Nothing new that I'm disagreeing with the Academy.

[balmakboor]

The biggest crime of all is that this won, and Moon (imo, THE Best Pic) wasn't even nominated.

Word.

[Qrazy]

"Outstanding film director Aleksei German turns 70 today, on 20 June 2008. His last work, a screen version of the The Strugatsky brothers novel Hard to be a God has been edited but not yet post-synchronized."

Where is this fucking film!! FUUUUUUuuuuuuuuu

[Raiders]

Oof. Backlash.

The Hurt Locker > Moon

[Qrazy]

Something else for Best Picture > Moon > The Hurt Locker

[Dead & Messed Up]

"Something else" could be either Inglourious Basterds or A Serious Man. Those were easily the two best films I saw from last year, and I honestly thought the Academy would give them a little more respect.

[Spinal]

I like Moon a lot, but it is totally not an Academy Award type of film.

[balmakboor]

I like Moon a lot, but it is totally not an Academy Award type of film.

That's true. But, honestly, hardly any of the ten nominees were Academy Award type films. Basterds? No way. Precious? Avatar?? District 9???

I don't think Hurt Locker felt much like an Academy Award type film either.

Why not Moon instead of District 9?

[Qrazy]

I like Moon a lot, but it is totally not an Academy Award type of film.

True, 2001: A Space Odyssey wasn't even nominated for best picture.

[Qrazy]

That's true. But, honestly, hardly any of the ten nominees were Academy Award type films. Basterds? No way. Precious? Avatar?? District 9???

I don't think Hurt Locker felt much like an Academy Award type film either.

Why not Moon instead of District 9?

District 9 is more of a crowd pleaser, and I'm assuming it also made more money.

[Spinal]

That's true. But, honestly, hardly any of the ten nominees were Academy Award type films. Basterds? No way. Precious? Avatar?? District 9???

I don't think Hurt Locker felt much like an Academy Award type film either.

Why not Moon instead of District 9?

Precious, Avatar and Hurt Locker definitely fit the Academy Award mold. Issue films. Epic films. War films. Basterds is kind of an oddball, but it is a war film and there is a track record there with Tarantino. District 9 I can only assume was the 10th film in and benefitted from the expanded field.

Why District 9 over Moon? The former made over $100 million dollars. The latter made $5 million. More people saw it.

[Spinal]

True, 2001: A Space Odyssey wasn't even nominated for best picture.

An excellent point. District 9 is loud, visceral and aggressive. Moon, like Kubrick's film, is quiet and cerebral.

[baby doll]

An "Academy Award type film" is one with a multi-million dollar Oscar campaign behind it. Case in point: Hayao Miyazaki won an Oscar for Spirited Away, but this year, with Disney putting all its resources behind the black princess movie, Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea didn't even get a nomination.

[balmakboor]

Precious, Avatar and Hurt Locker definitely fit the Academy Award mold. Issue films. Epic films. War films. Basterds is kind of an oddball, but it is a war film and there is a track record there with Tarantino. District 9 I can only assume was the 10th film in and benefitted from the expanded field.

Why District 9 over Moon? The former made over $100 million dollars. The latter made $5 million. More people saw it.

My first thought after writing "Academy Award type film" was to wonder what that even means. I guess I pictured stuff like Out of Africa, but, sure, a pretty wide variety of films can apply.

I found Precious odd because I found it not so much an issue film as an intentionally and creatively tasteless wallow in its character's existence that would sit comfortably on a double bill with Female Trouble.

Avatar is science fiction/fantasy, but how quickly I forgot about LotRs.

Hurt Locker seems unusually experimental and abstract for a war film. It's like Platoon in how it immerses us in the chaos and confusion of its war, but without that film's big, gratifyingly religious/mythological moments.

I suppose greater name awareness is why District 9 got the nod over Moon for the "toss in a random scifi to round out the pack and make the nerds happy" slot. I don't think box office gross makes that much difference to the Academy though. Several of the films like A Serious Man and An Education didn't make much more (I don't think) and Hurt Locker wasn't exactly a blockbuster.

[number8]

baby doll is absolutely correct.

Although, really, I expected Basterds to win because it's kind of a Holocaust film. And you know how they do with Oscars...

[Skitch]

baby doll is absolutely correct.

Although, really, I expected Basterds to win...

I agree as well. I expected IB to win too, and I wouldve been fine with that.

I am being overly harsh on Hurt Locker, but I feel Best Pic should be eyed carefully. I also (while I quite enjoyed) didn't feel District 9 or Avatar belonged in the category. But I do think they were better films than HL, and I wouldve rather seen them win.

[baby doll]

baby doll is absolutely correct.That's a new one for this forum.

[balmakboor]

I like The Hurt Locker, but the one thing that bothered me was it suffered quite a bit on a second viewing, not a good quality for a movie that aspires to classic status. Inglourious Basterds has grown immensely with each of my three re-viewings. So has A Serious Man.

Ahem, so has Moon.

[Rowland]

I'll be the odd man out by saying Moon and The Hurt Locker are about equal in quality, both very good but hardly the equals of Inglourious Basterds, A Serious Man, or Antichrist.

*pot stirred*

[number8]

I'll be the odd man out by saying Moon and The Hurt Locker are about equal in quality, both very good but hardly the equals of Inglourious Basterds, A Serious Man, or Antichrist.

*pot stirred*

No, I think this sounds about right.

[Spinal]

Yeah, I agree with every word. But, I mean, I wouldn't raise a fuss about Antichrist not getting Academy Award attention because that would never happen. Anyway, I'm sure Sandra Bullock was MUCH more deserving than Charlotte Gainsbourg. :|

[Philosophe_rouge]

Bright Star

[Rowland]

Ahh Bright Star, there's one I can be the odd man out on. Didn't like it.

[Bosco B Thug]

Inglourious Basterds is the only great film I saw in 2009. Wait, and Two Lovers.


Maniac (Lustig, 1980) ***½ Oh shit!!

[Spun Lepton]

Maniac (Lustig, 1980) ***½

I seriously worry about you sometimes, Rowland.

[Raiders]

I seriously worry about you sometimes, Rowland.

So do I, but in this case his rating is just about right.

[Russ]

So do I, but in this case his rating is just about right.
I seriously worry about you sometimes, Raiders.

[Spun Lepton]

So do I, but in this case his rating is just about right.

http://listverse.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/invasion23.jpg

[megladon8]

Inglourious Basterds was a good movie but too flawed to ever make a favorites list.

Collectively the movie's various segments could have been trimmed enough to take a good 15 or 20 minutes off the overall runtime. Some of the dialogue is orgasm-inducingly brilliant, while other segments of dialogue feel more like Death Proof in that Tarantino is just jerking himself off onto the page.

Brad Pitt wasn't too great, either. Shoddy accent, and a few instances of questionable delivery.

Eli Roth should never act. At least Tarantino spared us from seeing his wonderful thespian skills in this one.


Admittedly I haven't seen near enough from 2009 yet, but the best I've seen so far would include:

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Two Lovers
Moon

[Bosco B Thug]

Damn, now I need to go and re-watch Maniac.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Inglourious Basterds is Tarantino's best film.

[megladon8]

I still think he has yet to top Pulp Fiction.

Inglourious Basterds would probably be second down from that, for me.

I didn't like the Kill Bill movies, and have never been a big fan of Reservoir Dogs.

Jackie Brown is all right.

[Spun Lepton]

I quite like Jackie Brown.

[Rowland]

I still love most of Tarantino's movies, but discussing them or even just reading about them has grown kinda tired. My eyes tend to glaze over and I scroll past most of it. *shrug*

[Rowland]

Damn, now I need to go and re-watch Maniac.It's an acquired taste for sure.

[Skitch]

Its sure to be a wildly unpopular opinion, but I think Pulp Fiction is Tarantino's worst film. I've never understood why its scatter-brainedness is considered genius.

Not saying its bad, just that it'd be at the bottom of my Tarantino list. Even below his writing credits of True Romance and From Dusk Till Dawn.

[megladon8]

Its sure to be a wildly unpopular opinion, but I think Pulp Fiction is Tarantino's worst film. I've never understood why its scatter-brainedness is considered genius.

I think number8 also thinks Pulp Fiction is Tarantino's worst, so you're not alone.

[Spun Lepton]

Pulp Fiction is worse than Death Proof? I CAN HAZ NOT COMPREHEND.

[Spinal]

Death Proof is Tarantino's worst and it's not even close.

[Skitch]

I think number8 also thinks Pulp Fiction is Tarantino's worst, so you're not alone.

Really?! I kinda figured he'd be the first to jump me on this one.

I gotta say though, after reading your above post, it really makes me consider the devisiveness of Tarantino's filmography. I love Kill Bill above anything, but I'm an uber old school kung fu dork. It really makes me question the validity of homage vs ripoff, in that he's a little too good at imitating/acknowledging the styles of the films he loves.

I'll have to give it a think.

[Skitch]

Pulp Fiction is worse than Death Proof? I CAN HAZ NOT COMPREHEND.

Now you know how I've felt about unbridled Pulp Fiction is greatest movie ever!!!1!! love for the past 16 years.

[Ezee E]

Death Proof is Tarantino's worst and it's not even close.
Yes, and I still think its good.

[Russ]

Death Proof is Tarantino's worst and it's not even close.
QFT

[Rowland]

I know it isn't popular in most cinephile circles, but I still really dig Natural Born Killers, which is admittedly only comprised of maybe half of Tarantino's original screenplay.

[Spun Lepton]

I know it isn't popular in most cinephile circles, but I still really dig Natural Born Killers, which is admittedly only comprised of maybe half of Tarantino's original screenplay.

Fucking Oliver Stone self-congratulatory wankfest.

[MadMan]

QT ranked/rated (out of pure laziness, just because):

1. Pulp Fiction-100
2. Inglourious Basterds-95
3. Kill Bill Vol. 2-95
4. Jackie Brown-93
5. Reservoir Dogs-90
6. Death Proof-85
7. Kill Bill Vol. 1-84

The end. And no I'm not including the movies he merely wrote. As for the Oscars, they're irrelevent at this point, and yet I join others in talking about them, and I can't stop watching the ceremony every year. Go figure.

[Grouchy]

http://www.asalallenaonline.com.ar/images/stories/caranchofinal.jpg

People, I saw Carancho today. It's the latest film from Argentine director / auteur Pablo Trapero, but the name probably means little to you guys because I see only one of his six films (Lion's Den) was ever released anywhere in the US. Anyway, what I wanted to say is that after the huge popularity of The Secret in their Eyes (a movie I thought had superb writing and craftmanship but little respect for itself in that it tried to wrap it all too nicely) it'll be nice if a film such as this benefits and get seen more.

Why? It's the complete opposite of Campanella's movie. It's gritty, uncompromising, follows its tragic characters to their natural destination and it demands constant thinking from the audience. It's not that I despise classic, lean cinema techniques, on the contrary, but the comparison between Campanella and Trapero, each making a film in the thriller genre, is downright brutal. The soccer set piece in Campanella's film is an elaborate CGI tracking shot that calls attention to itself because it's so spectacular. Instead, the action in Carancho is shot on a street level on a way that seems casual and unscripted, but anyone who knows something about film editing can tell you it must've been a fucking chore to get done. The violence in Campanella's film is constantly implied and suggested with taste. The violence in Carancho is frequent, painful and brutal. The protagonists in Campanella's film are lovable. In Carancho they're desperate creatures in a cruel, suffocating world but you root for them all the same because they're a little better and less powerful than the antagonists.

A "carancho", by the way, is a type of carrion-eating bird. The term is also applied to low-brow lawyers who lurk around accidents trying to get the victims to sign with them and keep most of the insurance money. The movie exists in a terrible world and it depicts it quite well - there is not a second that doesn't ring true. Trapero has evolved a lot as a storyteller and the editing of this film is pitch-perfect - there's rarely a scene that doesn't add to the mood or informs us more about the characters. It's also been a while since I've seen a film that's genuinely tough to watch. But it earns the right to aim for the shock (which it does constantly, specially near the ending) with an intelligent story and it deserves a wider audience.

[Skitch]

3. Kill Bill Vol. 1-95
7. Kill Bill Vol. 1-84

Ah! Fix or I'll never know!

[Skitch]

Fucking Oliver Stone self-congratulatory wankfest.

Don't even get me started on that guy.

[Raiders]

It's an acquired taste for sure.

I guess, but I'm pretty surprised most horror fans don't love it, or at least more than they apparently do. It's an extremely dedicated film. Spinell's performance is pure intensity and Savini's work is as good as ever. It's got more than a few giallo and De Palma underpinnings, which maybe makes it more digestible for me than many others. Sure it's all a little half-baked and occasionally clumsy, but it's also a nasty film for sure and it presents its central character with a lot more class (if that's the right word) and focus than many films would give.

[number8]

Tarantino has topped Pulp Fiction soooo many times.

[MadMan]

Tarantino has topped Pulp Fiction soooo many times.Nope. But he'll keep trying, and for that I'm glad.


Ah! Fix or I'll never know!Oh, sorry. Heh. Done.

[Derek]

it isn't popular in most cinephile circles, but

This should be the title of your autobiography. ;)

[Winston*]

Japanese poster for W..
http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2010/05/10/w-japanese-poster.jpg

[baby doll]

Weekend:

Exit Through the Gift Shop (Banksy)
Leslie, My Name Is Evil (Reginald Harkema)
The Red Shoes (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger) [35mm, bitches!]
The Secret in Their Eyes (Juan José Campanella)
The Trotsky (Jacob Tierney)

[Bosco B Thug]

Found the Wise Blood adaptation quite disappointing. Screenplay was too on-the-nose. Felt rigid and plodding. How linearly it treated the conflicting emotions and ideologies on display. Had the phrase "So what?" pop in my head a number of times. So what this guy is denying his Christian upbringing? Why is he doing this again? Oh wait, forget I asked or we'll get another pretty useless flashback.

Maybe partly another victim of having read the book first because even the committed, unfiltered performance felt like they were missing something about the material.

[Rowland]

I guess, but I'm pretty surprised most horror fans don't love it, or at least more than they apparently do. It's an extremely dedicated film. Spinell's performance is pure intensity and Savini's work is as good as ever. It's got more than a few giallo and De Palma underpinnings, which maybe makes it more digestible for me than many others. Sure it's all a little half-baked and occasionally clumsy, but it's also a nasty film for sure and it presents its central character with a lot more class (if that's the right word) and focus than many films would give.

I'm almost positive I would love Uncle Sam.I felt compelled to view it a second time tonight, and I'm even more convinced of its excellence. I'll share extended thoughts in the next day or two, including why I suspect it's so underestimated.

[Boner M]

The Red Shoes (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger) [35mm, bitches!]
2 weeks ago, bitch!

My weekend consists of what I didn't watch from last weekend.

[Winston*]

Movies I might get to.

The Naked Kiss
Cure
Fat Girl

Will watch some more of Ken Burn's The Civil War also.

[origami_mustache]

Weekend:
The Traveling Players (Theodoros Angelopoulos)
Ashes (Andrzej Wajda)
A Tale of the Wind (Joris Ivens)
Ten Skies (James Benning)

[Sven]

I watched both Nacho Libre and Gentlemen Broncos, the latter being one of the best movies of recent years that I've seen, the former being surprisingly solid as well. I'd be curious to try Napoleon Dynamite again, though it is clear that Hess is only getting better. Both films are very creative.

[soitgoes...]

Weekend:

Watch the Suzuki films from last weekend (Story of a Prostitute, Zigeunerweisen, Pistol Opera)
She Was Like a Wild Chrysanthemum (Kinoshita)
The Ball at the Anjo House (Yoshimura)
Man of Marble (Wajda)

[balmakboor]

Recent watches:

Drugstore Cowboy - I can't believe I hadn't seen this since opening night in the theater. I liked it at the time. I liked it even more now. Strange to think that I didn't even know who Gus Van Sant, Kelly Lynch, Heather Graham, James LeGros, Grace Zabriskie, Max Perlich, or William S. Burroughs were when I first saw it. Too bad Lynch hasn't done more with her career. She's really good here.

The Parallax View - This lived up to my hopes. A very interestingly shot paranoia thriller -- Gordon Willis does great work with shadows and makes great expressive use of a long lens. (It seems all he brought with him was a telephoto.) And that test montage is even better than the similar scene in A Clockwork Orange. Sven had said that the film's conspiracy theory implications were tired or something to that effect and I think he has something there. This element seems hyper-tame and overly familiar in this age of Alex Jones and his ilk. And Kubrick had already touched upon such things in more oblique and clever ways during the '60s. But I still got caught up in Warren Beatty's battle against dark, sinister, cabal-like forces. And that airplane sequence is very well done.

[Skitch]

Thumbs up for Broken Lizard's Slammin Salmon.

[number8]

I watched both Nacho Libre and Gentlemen Broncos, the latter being one of the best movies of recent years that I've seen, the former being surprisingly solid as well. I'd be curious to try Napoleon Dynamite again, though it is clear that Hess is only getting better. Both films are very creative.

Why is this not surprising.