28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[Qrazy]

Why Bollywood? Why do you exist? I don't get it.

Ah shit, I was planning to watch that one soon.

[soitgoes...]

Ah shit, I was planning to watch that one soon.
Enjoy! The fact that it's 3 hours long to boot only strengthens my hate of it. The songs are actually the only redeeming factor.

[Spinal]

Just because it exists doesn't mean you need to watch it.

[Spinal]

B: A donkey, to me, is completely uninteresting, but a human being is always interesting.
S: Do you like animals in general?
B: No, not very much.

:lol:

[Qrazy]

Just because it exists doesn't mean you need to watch it.

We're racing to complete the 1,001 movie list.

[Winston*]

I watched the fifth Harry Potter book. I thought it was quite good, very competently executed. Imelda Staunton is great. It's kind of dour though, there's very little wonder for a movie about magic, but I feel like this problem stems from the book. Will probably watch the sixth and seventh movie.

One thing about the execution of this movie. There's a giant in it that is completely CGI and looks terrible. Since when does a giant have to be completely computer generated? It's just a big person. C'mon effects people.

[Spinal]

We're racing to complete the 1,001 movie list.

Ahhhhhhh.

[Qrazy]

I watched the fifth Harry Potter book. I thought it was quite good, very competently executed. Imelda Staunton is great. It's kind of dour though, there's very little wonder for a movie about magic, but I feel like this problem stems from the book. Will probably watch the sixth and seventh movie.

One thing about the execution of this movie. There's a giant in it that is completely CGI and looks terrible. Since when does a giant have to be completely computer generated? It's just a big person. C'mon effects people.

Will you watch the eighth?

[Winston*]

Will you watch the eighth?

Nope, that's where I draw the line.

[number8]

How do you watch a book, anyway?

[Lucky]

Purple Rose of Cairo reminds me why Woody Allen is one of my favorites. Can't believe I've never seen this before. What an enjoyable meta fairy tale.

[MadMan]

I thankfully have one friend who enjoys and loves movies as much as I do, and he has good taste. Another friend often likes questionable movies, but he likes some of the similar genres that I do so its all good, and there's one buddy who loves Blade Runner even more than I do. As for his taste, its good enough. So I consider myself lucky, although I've run into plenty of people with awful taste, although hey its all opinion so hurray.

[Sycophant]

Oh my gosh, Wats. How long has that quote been in your sig? I feel so honored.

[Watashi]

Oh my gosh, Wats. How long has that quote been in your sig? I feel so honored.
Ever since I reread the Avengers thread a few days ago. I'm not even a big fan of Elf.

[Sycophant]

Every Tarkovsky film online for free (http://www.openculture.com/2010/07/tarkovksy.html).

Sry if repost. Kthx.

[soitgoes...]

Every Tarkovsky film online for free (http://www.openculture.com/2010/07/tarkovksy.html).

Sry if repost. Kthx.
Except for the first three and his short, but almost every film. Almost.

Still cool. Thanks.

[B-side]

I checked out Ivan's Childhood yesterday and it was blocky and blurry, so I suggest not wasting your time.

[MacGuffin]

I checked out Ivan's Childhood yesterday and it was blocky and blurry, so I suggest not wasting your time.

Ah, good call. I see you've stepped your game up! ;)

[B-side]

Ah, good call. I see you've stepped your game up! ;)

Hey, I would never advocate watching Tarkovsky on low-quality video. At least YouTube has a high-def option now.:D

[MacGuffin]

Hey, I would never advocate watching Tarkovsky on low-quality video. At least YouTube has a high-def option now.:D

Yeah, I've seen that on some videos and it's pretty cool. 720p runs fairly well on my computer, but my OS can't handle the 1080p.

[B-side]

Yeah, I've seen that on some videos and it's pretty cool. 720p runs fairly well on my computer, but my OS can't handle the 1080p.

I'm so happy with my Windows 7 and high-speed internet.:cool:

[soitgoes...]

Brightside, have you seen Deseret? It seems like it might be up your alley. Utah's landscape is shown in stills with voice over narration reading NY Times articles pertaining to Utah from the 1850's on. Gives a sort of historical overview of Utah by way of avant garde filmmaking. Interesting idea that is surprisingly engaging.

[B-side]

Brightside, have you seen Deseret? It seems like it might be up your alley. Utah's landscape is shown in stills with voice over narration reading NY Times articles pertaining to Utah from the 1850's on. Gives a sort of historical overview of Utah by way of avant garde filmmaking. Interesting idea that is surprisingly engaging.

I have not, but it does sound up my alley, however disgusting and hobo-ridden that alley may be. Bookmarked.

[Boner M]

Weekend:

Suicide Club
One Deadly Summer
Heartbeat Detector
Flowing (Naruse)
The Runaways
Ossos

[Rowland]

Suicide Club
Awesome, looking forward to your thoughts. I know reactions to it have been mixed (I recall Derek really disliking it), but I thought it was pretty great, and it was cool to see Theo give it a very positive score recently.

[B-side]

I rather liked Suicide Club.

By the by, I'm nabbing The Black Cat based partially on your enthusiasm for it, Rowland. I've been meaning to check out some Ulmer, so this seems as good a start as any.

[Rowland]

By the by, I'm nabbing The Black Cat based partially on your enthusiasm for it, Rowland. I've been meaning to check out some Ulmer, so this seems as good a start as any.Excellent, though I should warn you in advance that its pleasures aren't as immediate as those in the other exceptional Universal horror films of the era; you have to work a bit more to pick them up, but it's worth it.

If you're renting the DVD, be sure to check out the other movies on the disk, which include the amusing, if overly schlocky, The Raven, and especially the underrated Murders in the Rue Morgue.

[B-side]

Excellent, though I should warn you in advance that its pleasures aren't as immediate as those in the other exceptional Universal horror films of the era; you have to work a bit more to pick them up, but it's worth it.

If you're renting the DVD, be sure to check out the other movies on the disk, which include the amusing, if overly schlocky, The Raven, and especially the underrated Murders in the Rue Morgue.

I'm desperately lacking in the realm of classic horror earlier than, say, Psycho, so I've got Whale's Frankenstein and The Black Cat at the ready as a starting point.

[NickGlass]

Weekend:

The Runaways

I laughed more through this risible rocker costume party than The Wackness. Cherie's sister sounds exactly like Jan Brady.

"You promised I could go on tour! So what, I'm supposed to stay here? Again? Making tacos...!"

[Ezee E]

Awesome. Getting paid to go to the Telluride Film Festival this year. Housing and food is paid for too!

[soitgoes...]

Weekend:

Suicide ClubCool. Count me in with the "I thought this was pretty great" group.


Flowing (Naruse)
Good Naruse film, but I liked Sound of the Mountain more. They were my 2nd and 3rd films by him, so it has been awhile since I've seen them. Do you have the MoC box? If so, Repast is really good too.

[Sycophant]

Oh yeah. I saw Suicide Club like a week ago. It was kind of messy in ways that I thought detracted from its potential for greatness, but there was, I think, a very good core, and several great scenes. Still eager to check out more Sion Sono films (just got Love Exposure!).

[Stay Puft]

The Black Cat is awesome.

[Grouchy]

How do you watch a book, anyway?
http://www.themasterpiececards.com/Portals/40667/images//Copy%20of%20orion%20staring%20 at%20book%20tower.jpg

[Grouchy]

After Pink Flamingos (which I loved, don't get me wrong) and being flat-out disappointed by Cecil B. Demented and A Dirty Shame, I thought the only proper movie John Waters had done was Hairspray. But Pecker had me laughing for a long time. The story is simple and the filmmaking is basic, but Waters has done an inspired job of casting - Christina Ricci's character Shelley here is the best use of the actress I've seen in some time. It's a forgettable movie but filled with on-the-nose comedy that worked for me.

[baby doll]

Weekend:

The Day I Became a Woman (Marzieh Makhmalbaf, 2000)
Fists in the Pocket (Marco Bellocchio, 1965)
I Don't Want to Sleep Alone (Tsai Ming-liang, 2006)

I'm also planning to take another look at Mysterious Object at Noon.

[MacGuffin]

Weekend:

Comedy of Innocence (Ruiz, 2000)
Revanche (Spielmann, 2008)
The Moon in the Gutter (Beineix, 1983)

[MacGuffin]

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/4757/537bdbox348x490t.jpg

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/6821/539bdbox348x490.jpg

This is how cover art is done.

[Ezee E]

Great cover for The Magician. Been waiting for that to get a release.

[Spinal]

Two very good movies. Two excellent covers.

[number8]

Criterion, you know just how to woo me.

[Qrazy]

Dinner for Schmucks was disposable but pretty funny overall. Rudd is a bit bland here but Galifianakis, Jermaine Clement and Carrell carry the show. The central romance felt very forced but whatever.

[Winston*]

Rewatching Shakespeare in Love last night made me think how bad a serious Shakespeare biopic would be. It would be the worst, right?

[MacGuffin]

Rewatching Shakespeare in Love last night made me think how bad a serious Shakespeare biopic would be. It would be the worst, right?

That movie is god-awful.

[Winston*]

That movie is god-awful.

Nah, it's good.

[Derek]

Rewatching Shakespeare in Love last night made me think how bad a serious Shakespeare biopic would be. It would be the worst, right?

Depends on who's directing, but most options, I'd agree with you.

[Spinal]

A Peter Watkins Shakespeare biopic would be awesome. He's pretty old now though.

[Raiders]

Nah, it's good.

Yeah, it gets a bad rap from those miffed it won BP, but it's pretty darn solid. Better than the film everyone thought should win I would say.

[Winston*]

Yeah, it gets a bad rap from those miffed it won BP, but it's pretty darn solid. Better than the film everyone thought should win I would say.

Better than The Thin Red Line? Nah.

[Derek]

A Peter Watkins Shakespeare biopic would be awesome. He's pretty old now though.

I was thinking of him or Maurice Pialat, though I'm sure there are others who could pull off an outside-the-box biopic.

[transmogrifier]

Dinner for Schmucks was disposable but pretty funny overall. Rudd is a bit bland here but Galifianakis, Jermaine Clement and Carrell carry the show. The central romance felt very forced but whatever.

How big was Clement's role? He didn't feature at all in the trailer.

[Raiders]

Better than The Thin Red Line? Nah.

I didn't mean the film most here thought should win, but in that scary place called the real world.

[Qrazy]

How big was Clement's role? He didn't feature at all in the trailer.

Pretty big and he plays a great character. He's a modern artist/photographer who exhibits enormous pictures of himself in odd costumes (for instance evil looking fawn demon) in an effort to express his sexual magnetism.

Imdb seems fairly accurate on the issue in this case. He has probably the fourth or fifth most screentime after the three leads (Rudd, Carrell, Szostak).

[Derek]

I didn't mean the film most here thought should win, but in that scary place called the real world.

Are you saying that Shakespeare in Love is better than Saving Private Ryan? Painful framing device aside, it's a pretty amazing film.

[transmogrifier]

Pretty big and he plays a great character. He's a modern artist/photographer who exhibits enormous pictures of himself in odd costumes (for instance evil looking fawn demon) in an effort to express his sexual magnetism.

Imdb seems fairly accurate on the issue in this case. He has probably the fourth or fifth most screentime after the three leads (Rudd, Carrell, Szostak).

Good to hear. I think he's a pretty awesome screen presence and I'm glad he's going places in Hollywood.

[Qrazy]

Good to hear. I think he's a pretty awesome screen presence and I'm glad he's going places in Hollywood.

Agreed.

[Raiders]

Are you saying that Shakespeare in Love is better than Saving Private Ryan?

Yes.

[Derek]

Yes.

Ok, just wanted to clarify. I don't mind Shakespeare in Love.

[MacGuffin]

Ok, just wanted to clarify. I don't mind Shakespeare in Love.

Batman: too serious. why so serious?
Shakespeare in Love: not serious enough

[transmogrifier]

Batman: too serious. why so serious?
Shakespeare in Love: not serious enough

Why ever would you want Shakespeare in Love to be serious? I mean, really? Don't you have enough po-faced, deathly truthful biopics to choose from already? SiL may have its problems, but its approach to the subject is certainly not one of them.

[transmogrifier]

Painful framing device aside, it's a pretty amazing film.

Worst sequence Spielberg has ever produced, except for that mind-boggling sex scene in Munich.

[MacGuffin]

Why ever would you want Shakespeare in Love to be serious? I mean, really? Don't you have enough po-faced, deathly truthful biopics to choose from already? SiL may have its problems, but its approach to the subject is certainly not one of them.

Is Ben Affleck giving yet another cringe-worthy performance not a problem to you? Because that's a problem precisely because of the film's lack of seriousness and thematic maturity. Not to mention the fact that the movie takes the "approach" of applying the typical Hollywood romance genre conventions to overly theatrical, stagey baroque garbage that only Hollywood's money can buy.

[transmogrifier]

Is Ben Affleck giving yet another cringe-worthy performance not a problem to you? Because that's a problem precisely because of the film's lack of seriousness and thematic maturity. Not to mention the fact that the movie takes the "approach" of applying the typical Hollywood romance genre conventions to overly theatrical, stagey baroque garbage that only Hollywood's money can buy.

So, if the film was more serious, Affleck's performance wouldn't have been a problem? I don't get it. Especially because Affleck is perfectly used in that film in any case.

As for the rest of it, it reads like you threw a bunch of words in a blender.

[MacGuffin]

So, if the film was more serious, Affleck's performance wouldn't have been a problem? I don't get it. Especially because Affleck is perfectly used in that film in any case.

As for the rest of it, it reads like you threw a bunch of words in a blender.

Looking at his performance, it's hard to tell whether its a product of the movie's general awfulness or his general awfulness. (Gigli only works because Brest has an unmistakable style.)

[Raiders]

I like Ben Affleck.

[MacGuffin]

I like Ben Affleck.

What's he ever done for you?

[Spinal]

What's he ever done for you?

The aqueduct?

[Boner M]

So I basically don't know what to make of Suicide Club. Like Love Exposure, I'm in admiration of Sono's ability to follow his own nihilistic impulses and take it to extremes without a hint of self-consciousness, but there just wasn't enough of a thematic throughline or emotional centre here for all the craziness to work for me like it did in LE, and it all felt like low-rent K. Kurosawa. The suicide scenes themselves are pretty effective though, esp. the hospital and school building ones. Dunno... maybe it'll get better upon reflection, seems like that kind of film.

[transmogrifier]

I like Ben Affleck.

Yeah, he's perfectly serviceable. Seems like a strange choice for concentrated venom. He was great in Changing Lanes, for example.

[Derek]

He was great in Changing Lanes, for example.

He was, but he had a string of really shitty films before and after that simultaneous with his rise to fame, Bennifer, etc. I think people just got sick of always hearing about a guy who, in a 7-year span, starred in Reindeer Games, Bounce, Pearl Harbor, The Sum of All Fears, Daredevil, Gigli, Paycheck, Jersey Girl, Surviving Christmas, Clerks II and Smoking Aces and one good film, Changing Lanes. Serviceable actor, horrible choices in roles.

[transmogrifier]

He was, but he had a string of really shitty films before and after that simultaneous with his rise to fame, Bennifer, etc. I think people just got sick of always hearing about a guy who, in a 7-year span, starred in Reindeer Games, Bounce, Pearl Harbor, The Sum of All Fears, Daredevil, Gigli, Paycheck, Jersey Girl, Surviving Christmas, Clerks II and Smoking Aces and one good film, Changing Lanes. Serviceable actor, horrible choices in roles.

That's a bloody horrible list of films, it really is.

[Sven]

(Gigli only works because Brest has an unmistakable style.)

W. R. O. N. G. On at least two counts. Brest's style being unmistakable because... what? I mean, I like his movies, don't get me wrong, and I could say a bit about his technique. But I don't see how Meet Joe Black is unmistakably like Beverly Hills Cop is unmistakably like Going in Style is unmistakably like Gigli. Second: so much more than just directorial style sets Gigli apart.

[Mysterious Dude]

What's he ever done for you?
He was kinda funny the couple of times he was on The Daily Show.

[MadMan]

Ben Affleck directed Gone Baby Gone, which so far is my #1 of 2007. Plus Smoking Aces, Clerks II, and Daredevil are fairly enjoyable movies, although I can only defense Clerks II as actually being decent. Maybe he should just stay beyond the camera, but he comes across as a likable actor who's made some bad movie choices.

[Sxottlan]

Two very good movies. Two excellent covers.

And Paths of Glory and The Darjeeling Limited.

I think I'll have to try House.

[MadMan]

Also by next week I'll have spent a good deal of money on the 50% off Criterion Sale which happens every year. Luckily my friend and I also bought a Barnes and Nobles membership card.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I dug Affleck as Bartleby in Dogma, and I liked him in Changing Lanes, and he co-produced Feast. Also, he was the bomb in Phantoms.

But yeah, a lot of atrocious choices.

[B-side]

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/4757/537bdbox348x490t.jpg

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/6821/539bdbox348x490.jpg

This is how cover art is done.

Brilliant covers.

Oh, and count me among the Ben Affleck fans. He was really good in both Chasing Amy and Hollywoodland.

[Winston*]

Hmm, Illusionist was surprisingly different in tone to The Triplets of Belleville, it has touches of the earlier film's humour but overall it's pretty slight and really quite melancholy. I guess that's from the Tati influence. Prefer the Triplets' exuberance and musics, but this film's still quite good.

[dreamdead]

Asking Shakespeare in Love to be more serious is like asking Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead to be more respectful of Hamlet.

[Dukefrukem]

Never head of the Action on Film Festival

Beyond Black Mesa (http://beyondblackmesa.com)

hJPb1Xw0K_Q

[MacGuffin]

W. R. O. N. G. On at least two counts. Brest's style being unmistakable because... what? I mean, I like his movies, don't get me wrong, and I could say a bit about his technique. But I don't see how Meet Joe Black is unmistakably like Beverly Hills Cop is unmistakably like Going in Style is unmistakably like Gigli. Second: so much more than just directorial style sets Gigli apart.

I get the same giddy feeling I get from watching Gigli as I do from watching Beverly Hills Cop, albeit far less so.

[[ETM]]

Thoughts?

Go back a few pages.

[Sycophant]

I somehow missed that Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence is coming out from Criterion in September. I've been wanting to see that for ages. Should probably see some other Oshima before then if I can.

Pretty swell that Criterion is releasing House as a part of the actual Criterion Collection, I think.

Why hasn't Amazon put up House yet? I want to order it RIGHT NOW.

[Ivan Drago]

;273322']Go back a few pages.

Thanks.

I don't like the cover at all. The line kills it.

[D_Davis]

I somehow missed that Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence is coming out from Criterion in September. I've been wanting to see that for ages. Should probably see some other Oshima before then if I can.



One of my favorite soundtracks of all time. Ryuchi Sakamoto and David Sylvian for the win!

[D_Davis]

Watched Law Abiding Citizen last night. What a terrible film. Couldn't even bring myself to watch the last 10 minutes. Ugh. So many problems with it. Why the hell was a lawyer in charge of investigating and bringing to justice a domestic terrorist that destructive? Where the hell was the FBI, or the CIA, or something? The entire thing was just so contrived; the narrative never showed the thought process of the characters. Just terrible. I should've watched something else, or, even better, gone out with some friends to a bar.

[Ezee E]

Here's a shocker for 2010.

Brooklyn's Finest.

Antoine Fuqua manages to take a weak script filled with cliche cops, and make it into a tension-filled fight to live. The setpieces in this are probably the best that the year has to offer. Too bad the awful trailer detrayed most from seeing this.

[MacGuffin]

Here's a shocker for 2010.

Brooklyn's Finest.

Antoine Fuqua manages to take a weak script filled with cliche cops, and make it into a tension-filled fight to live. The setpieces in this are probably the best that the year has to offer. Too bad the awful trailer detrayed most from seeing this.

Straight-to-video?

[Ezee E]

Straight-to-video?
It came out the same week as Alice In Wonderland, so it pretty much was overshadowed by that.

Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke...

Funny, it got mixed reviews, most of them hating on the script as well.

Fuqua's got talent, but he keeps getting shitty scripts like this, King Arthur, and Shooter.

[Skitch]

Here's a shocker for 2010.

Brooklyn's Finest.

Antoine Fuqua manages to take a weak script filled with cliche cops, and make it into a tension-filled fight to live. The setpieces in this are probably the best that the year has to offer. Too bad the awful trailer detrayed most from seeing this.

I was pretty floored at how good it was as well.

[Ezee E]

I was pretty floored at how good it was as well.
What's very good about it upon reflection is how all the cops are really on a gray line. None of them are a good/bad cop.

But, I forgot one thing, what a dumb final shot. I hate freeze frames to end the movie. Much less the way they did it. Weird decision.

[Skitch]

What's very good about it upon reflection is how all the cops are really on a gray line. None of them are a good/bad cop.

But, I forgot one thing, what a dumb final shot. I hate freeze frames to end the movie. Much less the way they did it. Weird decision.

Definately. I loved how I didn't have any idea how it was all gonna play out, but I couldn't wait to see. I had to roll the ending around a day or so, but ultimately I approved.

[Ezee E]

Definately. I loved how I didn't have any idea how it was all gonna play out, but I couldn't wait to see. I had to roll the ending around a day or so, but ultimately I approved.
I'm trying to think of a better explanation for how all three connect in a bloody finale besides a simple coincidence. Haven't figured that out yet, but I still approve for how white-knuckled I was during it all.

[Mysterious Dude]

I watched Dario Argento's Opera last night. I was very impressed by the style and the movie had a lot of really great scenes, but I think it kind of fell apart in the end. I don't think Argento is a particularly gifted writer. I feel similarly about Suspiria and Deep Red. As soon as the villain is revealed in each film, the terror is lost and we're left with a pretty average story about a hero who's trying to defeat an evil villain who is totally evil. There's not much nuance in the villains. And in Opera, it was pretty obvious who the bad guy was from the beginning.

The individual scenes, however, are truly frightening.

[MacGuffin]

I don't think Argento is a particularly gifted writer.

For his movies, I don't think it really matters.

[transmogrifier]

Why is Jacob Aaron Estes only now getting to make a follow up to Mean Creek, when lesser talents seem to pick up films easily (like Jason Reitman)? A very good film from rather prosaic subject matter that benefits from making George skirt the line between annoying and vulnerable and a elliptic, sensitive directorial touch.

[Derek]

Why is Jacob Aaron Estes only now getting to make a follow up to Mean Creek, when lesser talents seem to pick up films easily (like Jason Reitman)? A very good film from rather prosaic subject matter that benefits from making George skirt the line between annoying and vulnerable and a elliptic, sensitive directorial touch.

Nepotism.

[Mysterious Dude]

For his movies, I don't think it really matters.
It could've made a very good movie great.

[MacGuffin]

It could've made a very good movie great.

For Opera, I think I probably agree (although I recall a few different problems). For Suspiria and Deep Red, problems are minimal, but the latter has some particular minor issues that both me a little.

[MadMan]

Here's a shocker for 2010.

Brooklyn's Finest.

Antoine Fuqua manages to take a weak script filled with cliche cops, and make it into a tension-filled fight to live. The setpieces in this are probably the best that the year has to offer. Too bad the awful trailer detrayed most from seeing this.Wow, really? Maybe I'll finally give it a shot, because yeah that trailer was indeed rather bad.

[MacGuffin]

Revanche was okay for a little while, but it started to drag themes through the dirt and really got on my nerves. Ultimately, it's more trouble than it's worth even if it does have some nice moments scattered around the mess. Between this and Antares, I'm not too impressed with Spielmann. Both movies feel very formative, but I liked Antares a little more. I'd be interested to see what the people who liked this more than me think of that one. Otherwise, yeah; by the end of Revanche, I was exhausted. Unlike Tsai Ming-lang, Bela Tarr or Michael Haneke who use a slow pace to maintain the fluidity and temperament of the overall work, Spielmann's camera feels completely watered down and generally uninterested.

[EyesWideOpen]

Finally we get an official release date:

http://www.criterion.com/films/27523-house

And it's on blu and dvd!

[Derek]

I'm starting to have a legitimate desire to see Charlie St. Cloud in a state of insobriety. Hopefully there will be some sort of 5-6 set of clips on YouTube b/c a film with a line like "Every evening, I play catch with my dead brother" leaves me wanting more.

[Skitch]

I'm trying to think of a better explanation for how all three connect in a bloody finale besides a simple coincidence. Haven't figured that out yet, but I still approve for how white-knuckled I was during it all.

I agree, I too was waiting for the big tie together. But in retrospect, I'm glad there wasn't much more than the random coincidental path crossings. I think we've come to expect the movie-esque, world-of-Crash storyline convergence, and after I thought about it, the more I liked the way this went.

The freeze shot ending is still horrid though. :) I HATE that...minor complaint, but one I completely agree with you on.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Couldn't find a thread for it, but I took my son and his friend to see Despicable Me last night. It had quite a few funny moments, but that's really all it had going for it. The story was really weak, with character motivations changing for no real reason at all. And the villains, outside of Gru, were boring and shallow. It was passable entertainment for an evening, but nothing I'd want to see again. Not sure why this is being lauded with praise.

[number8]

Curious: do you ever discuss that with your son? Like, what you find weak about films, etc?

[Kurosawa Fan]

Curious: do you ever discuss that with your son? Like, what you find weak about films, etc?

Not yet. I will when he gets a bit older, but right now he has such a good time just laughing along with a film and remembering the parts he found funny, I don't want to push that feeling away. He'll come to it naturally, same as I did, and then I'm hoping we can discuss this stuff together when we watch films.

[Ezee E]

Not yet. I will when he gets a bit older, but right now he has such a good time just laughing along with a film and remembering the parts he found funny, I don't want to push that feeling away. He'll come to it naturally, same as I did, and then I'm hoping we can discuss this stuff together when we watch films.
Strong work. We don't need a zachbraff fan in the works.

[Boner M]

Pretty sure KF's son will develop a rebellious streak and register here one day as Mizoguchi Fan.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Pretty sure KF's son will develop a rebellious streak and register here one day as Mizoguchi Fan.

He'd have to be Miyazaki fan. Either that or DannyHustonFan.

[Boner M]

He'd have to be Miyazaki fan. Either that or DannyHustonFan.
Puppies'n'Beatles Fan?

[Qrazy]

KF what would your son have to like for you to disown him?

Don't answer killing people.

[Kurosawa Fan]

KF what would your son have to like for you to disown him?

Don't answer killing people.

I'd seriously consider changing my locks and my last name if he was in love with Van Halen.

[Raiders]

I'm gonna save the account name SkipBaylessFan for him.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Or Foreigner. Or The Eagles. Basically if he has shit taste in music, I'll throw him out of the house. I don't have to watch movies with him, but when he's listening to music in the house, I don't have a choice but to hear it.

[Spinal]

Curious: do you ever discuss that with your son? Like, what you find weak about films, etc?

You didn't ask me, but my kid's about the same age. I find that it makes more sense right now to focus on the positive and making note when we see something really special. I was somewhat critical after Burton's Alice in Wonderland and he just kind of seemed bummed out. Eventually, I'm sure we'll have more 'critical' conversations, but right now I just let him experience films the way he experiences them. And talking about subjectivity in criticism, there's few things more subjective than being eight. When he says he didn't really like Where the Wilds Things Are, I don't agree, but I get it. And I try to get him to talk a little bit about the film and express his ideas.

[megladon8]

Or Foreigner. Or The Eagles. Basically if he has shit taste in music, I'll throw him out of the house. I don't have to watch movies with him, but when he's listening to music in the house, I don't have a choice but to hear it.


...I kind of like Foreigner.

[Grouchy]

...I kind of like Foreigner.
Me too. Hell, I kind of like Van Halen.

That's not music worth kicking someone outta the house for. Try Avril Lavigne or shit like that.

[BuffaloWilder]

Wow - Speed Racer is a great movie. Like, really great.

[balmakboor]

Or Foreigner. Or The Eagles. Basically if he has shit taste in music, I'll throw him out of the house. I don't have to watch movies with him, but when he's listening to music in the house, I don't have a choice but to hear it.

Hey, Foreigner is pretty decent and The Eagles are awesome. There's a period of my life when I was in my mid teens that was pretty much defined by The Eagles, Steely Dan, and Dire Straits.

[megladon8]

I love Steely Dan, and I enjoy a good chunk of Dire Straits' stuff. I also think Mark Knopfler has done some amazing stuff on his own.

But yeesh, I've just never been able to get into The Eagles.

[Mara]

It turns out I still really enjoy Logan's Run, with all its flaws. It is one film that sort of needs a decent remake to correct some of its silly extravagancies and poor special effects, so it's unfortunate that the remake has been in limbo and has so many grubby fingerprints on it. Bah.

[Spinal]

I hate The Eagles so much.

[Derek]

I hate The Eagles so much.

Same here. I hate the fucking Eagles, man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-vwPuiILBc).

[Skitch]

Bands like The Eagles and Van Halen are cool in my book, its bands like Def Leopard, AC/DC, and 80's hair bands that make me wanna stab something. But anyway....yeah, movies....

I snagged a copy of The Strangers on bluray for $5, I figure that's cheap enough to merit a second viewing. I can always sell it for at least that.

[MacGuffin]

I snagged a copy of The Strangers on bluray for $5, I figure that's cheap enough to merit a second viewing. I can always sell it for at least that.

Second viewing revealed to me just how inane the movie was in its ridiculously predictable by-the-numbers approach to atmospheric horror and also how needlessly cruel a movie it is.

[Ivan Drago]

Or Foreigner. Or The Eagles. Basically if he has shit taste in music, I'll throw him out of the house. I don't have to watch movies with him, but when he's listening to music in the house, I don't have a choice but to hear it.

What if he were to like Ohio State football? :twisted:

And can old director's consensuses still have late entries? I ask because I've wanted to add to the Robert Aldrich consensus but I know the consensus on him was done a long time ago.

[Scar]

I'm happy then that my praise persuaded you to give it a shot.

You can put me in this camp as well. Paris With Love was an awesome little piece of violence and humour.

[B-side]

Count me among those that don't mind The Eagles or Foreigner. "Hotel California" is a brilliant song.

[Skitch]

Second viewing revealed to me just how inane the movie was in its ridiculously predictable by-the-numbers approach to atmospheric horror and also how needlessly cruel a movie it is.

That was my take on first viewing as well. With this type of film I really really need vindication, and it sorely lacked. I'll give her another go, but I already have a buyer lined up. ;)


What if he were to like Ohio State football?

Then he's a GREAT kid! :)

[Spinal]

Even though I didn't really like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo all that much, I find myself wanting to see The Girl Who Played With Fire. I blame Noomi Rapace and her pursed lips.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Fuck the fucking Eagles. What the fuck is going on around here??? And Foreigner? Really? The band that put out "Hot Blooded" is getting respect?

Oh, and fuck the Buckeyes as well. I hate the Buckeyes so much, there's no way any child of mine could rebel like that. It's been ingrained for generations. It's an impossibility for a Beeckman to root for Ohio State.

[MacGuffin]

K-Fan, I'm seeing Bob Dylan live next month with John Cougar opening.

[Kurosawa Fan]

K-Fan, I'm seeing Bob Dylan live next month with John Cougar opening.

John Cougar is fucking terrible, but Dylan is amazing. I've seen him three times. Puts on a great show.

[Spinal]

K-Fan, I'm seeing Bob Dylan live next month with John Cougar opening.

Make sure to bring your glow sticks. (http://www.theonion.com/articles/rock-fans-outraged-as-bob-dylan-goes-electronica,17699/)

[MacGuffin]

John Cougar is fucking terrible, but Dylan is amazing. I've seen him three times. Puts on a great show.

Cougar isn't my thing, although I don't share your animosity toward him. He has a few songs that are alright for Southern arena rock, I guess. As for Dylan, all he has to do is be Dylan really. This will be my second encounter with classic rock musicians performing today with The Rolling Stones being my first encounter; that was awesome, and I'm expecting this to be too.

(Sorry for going terribly off-topic, I just remember you loved Bob Dylan and he's been really inspirational for my own acoustic guitar-honing skills.)

[B-side]

Fuck the fucking Eagles. What the fuck is going on around here??? And Foreigner? Really? The band that put out "Hot Blooded" is getting respect?

I wouldn't call Foreigner a particularly great band, but I get some enjoyment out of their music. The Eagles made "Hotel California", so it's hard for me to hate on them too much.

[MacGuffin]

Make sure to bring your glow sticks. (http://www.theonion.com/articles/rock-fans-outraged-as-bob-dylan-goes-electronica,17699/)

Brilliant.

[Skitch]

Fuck the fucking Eagles. What the fuck is going on around here??? And Foreigner? Really? The band that put out "Hot Blooded" is getting respect?

Oh, and fuck the Buckeyes as well. I hate the Buckeyes so much, there's no way any child of mine could rebel like that. It's been ingrained for generations. It's an impossibility for a Beeckman to root for Ohio State.

I'm a life-long Ohioan and Buckeye fan, but I understand, dude. I feel the same way about Michigan, the Cowgirls and the Steelers.

Yeah, Foreigner sucks.

I've decided Akira would better suite my mood than The Strangers this evening.

*sip*

[Kurosawa Fan]

Clipper, I just meant Cougar is garbage live. I saw him at halftime of a Lions/Colts Thanksgiving Day game, and he was just terrible. I don't really care for him anyway, but he was so limp. Maybe it was the circumstances, I don't know. Either way, he sucked.

[MacGuffin]

Clipper, I just meant Cougar is garbage live. I saw him at halftime of a Lions/Colts Thanksgiving Day game, and he was just terrible. I don't really care for him anyway, but he was so limp. Maybe it was the circumstances, I don't know. Either way, he sucked.

Yeah, a lot of these dudes are simply too old for this shit. I remember seeing the Beach Boys as a kid even though half of them were dead.

[Ezee E]

Even though I didn't really like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo all that much, I find myself wanting to see The Girl Who Played With Fire. I blame Noomi Rapace and her pursed lips.
Same here.

And "Hotel California" might be one of my most hated songs ever. The only one that beats it might be "Sweet Home Alabama."

[B-side]

And "Hotel California" might be one of my most hated songs ever.

Bah.

[balmakboor]

Dissing on Hotel California and Sweet Home Alabama. I feel like I've stepped into upsidedown world. Anyway, I've never seen Cougar live but I played his debut LP until it was totally worn out.

I saw Bob Dylan with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers as the warmup.

On a movie note: I was very pleased tonight that The Only Son lived up to all of my hopes and expectations and then some. I also gave I Was Born, but... another very fruitful look. It's one of my favorite movies dealing with childhood.

[transmogrifier]

And "Hotel California" might be one of my most hated songs ever. The only one that beats it might be "Sweet Home Alabama."

This sentence could come right out of the Hipster 101 field manual.

Sweet Home Alabama is awesome. Not as awesome as Tuesday's Gone or Free Bird, but awesome nonetheless. Hotel California is all right with me as well.

[EyesWideOpen]

Same here.

And "Hotel California" might be one of my most hated songs ever. The only one that beats it might be "Sweet Home Alabama."

Those two along with "Low Rider" are my holy trifecta of most hated songs.

[balmakboor]

Those two along with "Low Rider" are my holy trifecta of most hated songs.

Other than the crap that played over the credits of the last two James Cameron movies, I can't think of any songs that I hate -- certainly not "Low Rider."

[Ezee E]

Low Rider is pretty fun.

[Spinal]

And "Hotel California" might be one of my most hated songs ever.

Yes.

[B-side]

You guys are ridiculous. I hate each and every one of you. Except trans.

[transmogrifier]

You guys are ridiculous. I hate each and every one of you. Except trans.

I think balmakboor deserves some love as well.

[Spinal]

Looney Tunes: Back in Action reminded me that when Steve Martin misses, he can be really, really bad. Still, lots of laughs, even if the film is a poor man's Roger Rabbit. The Louvre sequence is extraordinary.

[B-side]

I think balmakboor deserves some love as well.

True, true. Sorry about that, balmak.:)

[soitgoes...]

The Eagles are all about Take It Easy. The rest can be dismissed. Sweet Home Alabama is fine. Low Rider is annoying. I have spoken!

[Winston*]

Four Lions is pretty amazing.

[Winston*]

Anyone seen Boy A? High quality film. Andrew Garfield is fantastic in this.

[dreamdead]

Jarman's The Tempest has a weird vibe in its punk aesthetic, favoring shadow and needless blue-monochromatic camerawork in exterior shots. But the giddiness of Miranda and her boytoy counter the oddity, as I really like the way that he uses innocence; and the "stormy weather" sequence is touching. Better than I'd hoped for.

Siegel's The Killers lacks the artistry of Siodmak's cinematography, but as I've seen argued, that just makes it all the more straightforward and akin to Hemingway's prose style. Even though it uses the structure of Siodmak's more than I liked, I found the effect of a killer trying to understand why a man wouldn't run for his life far more effective than an insurance man--it better captures post-WW2 alienation and ennui, and it allows for a more nihilistic ending, again echoing the moral of Hemingway's original, despite a far more discursive take on the short story. Likely better than Siodmak's version, all things considered.

Scherfig's An Education is endearing and gives one empathy for the values that women had to choose in the 1960s, but it's far too clean and streamlined of a vision to leave much impact. Whether it's the egregiousness of a random voiceover that too succinctly reveals a "meaning," or the affront to work that the final montage demonstrates, wherein Jenny studies for Oxford in the span of 10 seconds, the film obfuscates its own intellectual potential for the lusciousness of its cinematography and easy plotting.

[Boner M]

Four Lions is pretty amazing.
Some funny scenes ("because... she has a beard?") but overall it's pretty shapeless and eventually tiring. 'Amazing' seems like a stretch.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Hating "Hotel California" has nothing to do with hipster culture. I've hated that song since middle school, when I had no idea what a hipster was and Led Zeppelin was my favorite band. Hating "Hotel California" is just good common sense. I don't mind "Sweet Home Alabama", but it is played way too often. "Free Bird" and "Tuesday's Gone" are much better songs that don't get near that level of exposure.

[EvilShoe]

Four Lions is pretty amazing.
"Fuck mini Babybel!" = line of the year.

[Qrazy]

The Eagles are all about Take It Easy. The rest can be dismissed. Sweet Home Alabama is fine. Low Rider is annoying. I have spoken!

I was going to say that too actually. Take it Easy is good times. Sweet Home Alabama I don't like.

[Qrazy]

Hating "Hotel California" has nothing to do with hipster culture. I've hated that song since middle school, when I had no idea what a hipster was and Led Zeppelin was my favorite band. Hating "Hotel California" is just good common sense. I don't mind "Sweet Home Alabama", but it is played way too often. "Free Bird" and "Tuesday's Gone" are much better songs that don't get near that level of exposure.

Free Bird gets so much exposure.

[Sven]

Free Bird gets so much exposure.

I think the song has a massive reputation, but a 9+ minute long song doesn't get nearly as much radio play or movie time as the aforementioned songs.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I think the song has a massive reputation, but a 9+ minute long song doesn't get nearly as much radio play or movie time as the aforementioned songs.

Exactly.

[Qrazy]

Ah k, maybe not radio play, but certainly at venues.

[Adam]

Freebird gets played on classic rock stations all the time. Radio version's probably about four and a half minutes long

[Scar]

-4QnVoH8omw

[Sven]

...probably about four and a half minutes long

Then it's not really Freebird, is it?

[Scar]

Then it's not really Freebird, is it?

Hell no.

Just like the radio version of In-A-Gadda-Davida isn't really In-A-Gadda-Davida.

[Winston*]

Some funny scenes ("because... she has a beard?") but overall it's pretty shapeless and eventually tiring. 'Amazing' seems like a stretch.

Well, I thought it was very funny throughout and pretty amazing in the balance it strikes between making these characters completely ridiculous and humanising them. The climax is fantastic to me.

[balmakboor]

I'm almost sorry I even commented on the whole rock music debate because my comments about the quality of The Only Son got lost in the shuffle. Either that or I'm like the only one around here who's been anxiously awaiting that release.

On another note, I just saw Solitary Man and was quite disappointed.

[Grouchy]

I saw Bob Dylan live and it was really a disappointment. Just a bad concert, no energy on display and no love shown towards the (huge) audience.

AC/DC, on the other hand... This is the second time a match-cut poster says he hates them. What the fuck is up with that?

[Skitch]

AC/DC, on the other hand... This is the second time a match-cut poster says he hates them. What the fuck is up with that?

It was probably me the first time too. :)

Every AC/DC song ever: little guitar riff, then quarter time drums, then louder same riff, then scream something about booze, sex, or hell. Repeat. Overandoverandoverandover.

As far as Skynard goes, anybody that doesn't like The Ballad Of Curtis Lowe needs shin-kicked.

[megladon8]

Because AC/DC sucks and every song sounds the same?

I do hear they put on a fantastic live show, though. I just wouldn't be interested in going.

[Skitch]

the proposal - 5

I was about to seriously question you about this, but then I remembered the movie I was thinking of was The Proposition. :lol:

[Dead & Messed Up]

I was just on my first date with a girl, and she said that she didn't like what 3D did to cinematography and the frame. I'm in love.

[Scar]

Checked out one of those 3D TV's at Best Buy yesterday.

Fucking hated it.

[Qrazy]

I was just on my first date with a girl, and she said that she didn't like what 3D did to cinematography and the frame. I'm in love.

And did you respond by discussing Peter Greenaway and the tyranny of the frame?

[Ivan Drago]

A lot of my family and friends hate 3D and refuse to see anything in it. Even when I read criticisms of the latest 3D releases, a lot of them say that 3D is there just for a $3 surcharge and nothing more. If only this wasn't what the industry was coming to.

[Fezzik]

Saw both Black Dynamite and In the Loop tonight, practically back to back.

Quite a dichotomy, but I loved them both. Dynamite was ridiculous, but its parody was pitch perfect and it contains some singular lines of dialogue that are just uproariously bizarre, plus the scene where the gang uses convoluted circular reasoning to get from M&Ms to Little Richard had me in stitches. So much fun.

While I found In the Loop very well written and quite funny, I probably would have found it funnier if it didn't remind me of how I think that government often works. In that way, it just saddened me. Still, Peter Capaldi was pretty great here, and its always fun listening to Brits creatively curse at other people. So many great lines, with Jamie having my two favorites. The bit about Ice Man's parentage and the fact that the opera music was nothing but "government subsidized vowels" just had me rolling.

[MacGuffin]

Comedy of Innocence is haunting and hypnotic. It's absolutely unlike any movie I've ever seen due to its unique visual style (which I am not terribly fond of, but it tends to work here) and its very strange, surreal mode of telling a story that is beyond comprehension. Ruiz's camera glides across sets that look more like stages. The whole thing isn't surreal enough to ever be dreamlike, but Ruiz seems to communicate with some sort of logic that understandably puts him right there with Borges and Greenaway intellectually; Ruiz just communicates visually very differently than Greenaway, and logically, perhaps not too different from Borges. I'd say as far as tone goes, it's probably most comparable to Inland Empire and in fact there's one early scene that reminded me of the Zabriskie/Dern encounter in the aforementioned Lynch wonder.

Nonetheless, Comedy of Innocence is again completely original. I didn't enjoy it all the way through, and sometimes it's actually borderline painful in its opaqueness, but it's obviously the work of a very important filmmaker, albeit a filmmaker whose style is completely foreign to me. Sometimes reminding me of some PBS theater show or some strange made-for-TV relic that's of a high quality the likes of which have never been seen. Although don't take this as reactionary hype--the movie is overall, aesthetically, strictly tier three filmgoing as far as I'm concerned. It's just tier three filmgoing that I've never seen before, and I'd be interested in seeing another movie by Ruiz out of sheer curiosity, particularly if he has better ones than this.

[B-side]

I'm glad you liked it, Clipper. It's certainly an elusive creature, but I have fun being navigated through Ruiz's worlds.

[Grouchy]

You both have penises jammed deep inside your ears.

First of all, what you refer to as "little guitar riff" are, in reality, incredible, masterful guitar riffs by the brothers. Second, so they stick to what works for them. How is that a problem? So does Iron Maiden. "Their songs are all the same" is just untrue, though. And yes, they put on an incredible live show, but at the forefront is their amazing rock music. I just can't fathom how someone can be so wrong and hate on a classic like that.

Anyway, I watched Semi-Pro. Funny cast and good moments here and there, but give these people a fucking movie script. Completely forgettable. Loved Will Arnett's character.

[MadMan]

I like AC/DC and Foreigner, haters be damned. Hotel California is great, but I find the Eagles to be mediocre. Still yelling "I hate the fuckin' Eagles, man" is always great fun. Bob Dylan rules of course. I've never seen a concert, but that's largely because most of the bands I truly love no longer exist, like Pink Floyd, the Doors, the Beatles, and Led Zeppelin.

Back to movies, The Naked Prey was one cool flick, quite badass in fact. I'm sure that if Raiders hasn't seen it, he would like it, but I think he has for some reason-it just seems like his type of movie. Wilde does a very good job of creating and maintaining tension, and the film is a stripped down action movie that probably inspired countless latter action movies down the road. I like that the movie isn't romantic at all in the slightest, although I'm sure that its detractors harp on its high amount of political incorrectness. Hey man, my response is that the hostile natives were more interesting than the nameless whitey man character, and that those people should then have a problem with the endless westerns made in a similar vein. Otherwise, they're hypocrites.

[Winston*]

Just saw Once Upon a Time in the West on the big screen. Piss off, other movies.

[number8]

I can't wait for Malcolm Tucker as written by Alan Moore.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I saw Bob Dylan live and it was really a disappointment. Just a bad concert, no energy on display and no love shown towards the (huge) audience.

AC/DC, on the other hand... This is the second time a match-cut poster says he hates them. What the fuck is up with that?

Bob Dylan almost never talks to the audience. Just the way he is. You shouldn't have been expecting it.

As for AC/DC, yes their songs sound the same, but they bring such phenomenal energy that it doesn't matter. I dig the hell out of them. Well, I dig their old stuff. Their new stuff, from Ballbreaker on, is awful.

[number8]

I've seen Dylan twice. The first time was kind of disappointing. He never addressed the audience as usual, it was a theater so everyone's sitting, and he played songs, i think, mostly from Love and Theft. Just none of his energetic arrangements. He was on the keyboard the whole time and it was a bit jazzy and just... lifeless.

The second time was vastly different. It was a month after the release of Modern Times and it was in an auditorium and we were on the floor. Dylan was on guitar and put on a rock n' roll show and half of his set list were some of his most famous songs. It was honestly the best concert I've ever been to.

[MacGuffin]

I've seen Dylan twice. The first time was kind of disappointing. He never addressed the audience as usual, it was a theater so everyone's sitting, and he played songs, i think, mostly from Love and Theft. Just none of his energetic arrangements. He was on the keyboard the whole time and it was a bit jazzy and just... lifeless.

The second time was vastly different. It was a month after the release of Modern Times and it was in an auditorium and we were on the floor. Dylan was on guitar and put on a rock n' roll show and half of his set list were some of his most famous songs. It was honestly the best concert I've ever been to.

I'm hoping when I see him it's more like the second concert, and I'm thinking I have a good chance since I don't believe this concert is promoting a particular album.

[Qrazy]

You both have penises jammed deep inside your ears.

First of all, what you refer to as "little guitar riff" are, in reality, incredible, masterful guitar riffs by the brothers. Second, so they stick to what works for them. How is that a problem? So does Iron Maiden.

I don't understand why you're using another bad band to talk up the first band. :P

[Kurosawa Fan]

I've seen Dylan twice. The first time was kind of disappointing. He never addressed the audience as usual, it was a theater so everyone's sitting, and he played songs, i think, mostly from Love and Theft. Just none of his energetic arrangements. He was on the keyboard the whole time and it was a bit jazzy and just... lifeless.

The second time was vastly different. It was a month after the release of Modern Times and it was in an auditorium and we were on the floor. Dylan was on guitar and put on a rock n' roll show and half of his set list were some of his most famous songs. It was honestly the best concert I've ever been to.

Your second performance was like my first. I stood ten feet from him at Joe Louis Arena for 2 1/2 hours while he jammed to a set list of incredible song after incredible song. This was right after the release of Time Out of Mind. The last time I saw him on the Modern Times tour, the show was great (Foo Fighters opened for him doing an acoustic set), but it was at the Palace of Auburn Hills, and our seats sucked. Could barely see him. The middle show was Love and Theft, and it was... solid, but wasn't up to par with the other two.

[number8]

Man, I don't care much for AC/DC, but don't talk shit about Iron Maiden. :sad:

[number8]

Your second performance was like my first. I stood ten feet from him at Joe Louis Arena for 2 1/2 hours while he jammed to a set list of incredible song after incredible song. This was right after the release of Time Out of Mind. The last time I saw him on the Modern Times tour, the show was great (Foo Fighters opened for him doing an acoustic set), but it was at the Palace of Auburn Hills, and our seats sucked. Could barely see him. The middle show was Love and Theft, and it was... solid, but wasn't up to par with the other two.

Yeah, that second show, there was a time when he played was "Don't Think Twice, " "Desolation Row" and "Maggie's Farm" back to back, and I nearly cried.

[number8]

Good news, Canadians. Netflix just announced that they're expanding to Canada before the end of the year.

[Scar]

I don't listen to AC/DC and Maiden like I used to, but I still certainly enjoy their music.

[megladon8]

Tod Browning's Freaks was very good. Great, even. Much better than his Dracula, certainly.

Heart-breaking, too. One of the few instances where I felt studio interference actually improved the ending of the film. I really like what we got - much more than the other few endings that had been shot.

[baby doll]

Good news, Canadians. Netflix just announced that they're expanding to Canada before the end of the year.I'll never leave the house again!

[D_Davis]

Same here.

And "Hotel California" might be one of my most hated songs ever. The only one that beats it might be "Sweet Home Alabama."

At least "Sweet Home Alabama" has a nice groove. "Hotel California" is a terrible example of mediocre-at-best white-boy reggae. One of my most least favorite songs.

[Derek]

At least "Sweet Home Alabama" has a nice groove. "Hotel California" is a terrible example of mediocre-at-best white-boy reggae. One of my most least favorite songs.

Hipster!

Actually, I don't mind "Hotel California", but I despise The Eagles otherwise. Skynard is okay in my book as is Iron Maiden, but I hate Van Halen and AC/DC. I'm not sure how one can defend AC/DC for their energy and not extend that same courtesy to Van Halen. Both are equally energetic and shitty.

[BuffaloWilder]

Why are we talking about Leonard Skynard and AC/DC, oh my god

Annaud's The Lover is an ambitious softcore porn movie which more porn should try to emulate if the genre wants respect, there I said it.

Someone, talk about movies or at least music that isn't ear-gougingly terrible.

[megladon8]

Hipster!

Actually, I don't mind "Hotel California", but I despise The Eagles otherwise. Skynard is okay in my book as is Iron Maiden, but I hate Van Halen and AC/DC. I'm not sure how one can defend AC/DC for their energy and not extend that same courtesy to Van Halen. Both are equally energetic and shitty.


I actually loved Van Halen as a kid, and right into my junior high school years.

I never, ever "understood" AC/DC or Guns 'n' Roses, though.

Iron Maiden is a band that I didn't start liking until midway through high school. I still really like them. I think they're fun. But I lost a lot of respect for Bruce Dickinson when I read and heard various horror stories about his prima donna behaviour in concerts.

[Derek]

Annaud's The Lover is an ambitious softcore porn movie which more porn should try to emulate if the genre wants respect, there I said it.

Didn't we already have this conversation like 2 weeks ago?

[baby doll]

I actually loved Van Halen as a kid, and right into my junior high school years.

I never, ever "understood" AC/DC or Guns 'n' Roses, though.What's there to understand about GNR? They were awesome, period. And they made a video where a guy jumps into a wedding cake to get out of the rain, which apparently killed the bride so maybe that was a smart move (even if she caught pneumonia from the rain and then died, it could've been clearer).


Iron Maiden is a band that I didn't start liking until midway through high school. I still really like them. I think they're fun. But I lost a lot of respect for Bruce Dickinson when I read and heard various horror stories about his prima donna behaviour in concerts.How does being a prima donna make him less of a vocalist?

[megladon8]

How does being a prima donna make him less of a vocalist?


I didn't say it made him less of a vocalist, I said I lost respect for him.

[BuffaloWilder]

Didn't we already have this conversation like 2 weeks ago?

Did we? I'm writing a review for it, so that's where my mind is at, right now.

[Derek]

Did we? I'm writing a review for it, so that's where my mind is at, right now.

It came up in the In the Realm of the Senses/porn/art discussion.

[balmakboor]

The best concerts I've been to were:

J. Geils Band - Freeze Frame tour (front row seats on my college campus)

Elvis Costello - Imperial Bedroom tour

The Blasters - from around 1984 in a club that seated 200

The Police - Outlandos d'Amour tour (on my college campus in a 400 seat hall and, yes, their only hit so far was Roxanne)

Ry Cooder and David Lindley - Bumbershoot in Seattle


Strangest:

Neil Young - Trans tour

[Yxklyx]

Alain Delon doing his own stunts in L'eclisse. The car is doing 30-40 mph and he's right in front of it a fraction of a second before it passes him:

http://yxklyx.com/me/movies/images/Leclisse1.jpg

http://yxklyx.com/me/movies/images/Leclisse2.jpg

Doesn't look like a double to me.

[Grouchy]

I actually didn't expect Dylan to address the audience or anything, and he did play some of his classic songs. But I got the "lifeless" impression all right. Some of his new arrangements on classic songs were flat out boring, or at least so I thought. And he just played his set and left, no encore, no anything. It was as if he was completely oblivious to the fact that he was in a huge stadium filled with fans who had paid dear money to see him.

My best concerts ever - Iron Maiden, Manu Chao, AC/DC and Daft Punk. In that order.

[MacGuffin]

I'm very happy for Canadian film buffs. Finally, they get to witness what should be the universal cinema lover's bible.

[Bosco B Thug]

I thought White Dog was kind of meh, but The Naked Kiss I thought was great. It's like Showgirls of the 60s. Highly melodramatic, but only in order to create its own rhetorical skepticism and foster spectators' critical distance - which is then ultimately only a reward because the movie treats its story with genuine nuance and emotional/thematic logic.

[balmakboor]

Sad thing to admit, but true. I enjoyed The Last Airbender far more than Solitary Man.

[Winston*]

Hey people who clap at the end of film festival films, stop it.

[MacGuffin]

Hey people who try to find joy in their lives and be a part of something they'd like to believe is special, stop it.

[Winston*]

Hey people who try to find joy in their lives and be a part of something they'd like to believe is special, stop it.

Ugh.

[number8]

Hey people who clap at the end of film festival films, stop it.

Is there a difference between them and people who clap at the end of regular showings?

[Spinal]

Hey people who clap at the end of film festival films, stop it.

They're not as bad as people who clap in the middle of film festival films. Fight the real enemy.

[megladon8]

Ed Wood remains one of my favorites...no...actually it rises in esteem every time I see it.

I find it truly inspirational.

I think this would be in my top 10 of all time, if I were to make one now.

[Derek]

You're black.

Wait a minute...

[MacGuffin]

Wait a minute...

I don't get it.

[Grouchy]

A part of me agrees with CSC and says, fuck it, let people express themselves however it feels more natural.

However, I really don't do it. I mean, who am I applauding here? The projectionist? Unless the director or someone is in the room (which might happen in a film festival), it's really pretty fucking pointless.

[Derek]

I don't get it.

Pot/kettle. Many of your posts tend be pretty far on the negative end of the spectrum, so I find it ironic that you'd be telling someone else not to ruin people's fun.

[megladon8]

I've only been to a handful of concerts in my life. Live music just isn't really my thing.

I'd say the best concert I've ever been to would be a tie between Mark Knopfler, which I saw with my dad at the Ottawa National Arts Center and we sat front row, and Do Make Say Think which I saw with some friends back in like '06.

The first concert I ever went to was Our Lady Peace in 1999. A guy jumped backwards off the stage in hopes of crowd surfing but no one caught him and he broke his neck on impact. I was permanently disturbed from seeing that.

[MacGuffin]

A part of me agrees with CSC and says, fuck it, let people express themselves however it feels more natural.

However, I really don't do it. I mean, who am I applauding here? The projectionist? Unless the director or someone is in the room (which might happen in a film festival), it's really pretty fucking pointless.

The film festivals I've been too have actively in some way gauged audience approval.

[megladon8]

A part of me agrees with CSC and says, fuck it, let people express themselves however it feels more natural.

However, I really don't do it. I mean, who am I applauding here? The projectionist? Unless the director or someone is in the room (which might happen in a film festival), it's really pretty fucking pointless.


There was applause at the end of Inception when I saw it yesterday. I clapped, too.

I definitely think there are times when applause is inappropriate. But the end of a movie hardly seems like one of them.

I've been to movies that were so bad the audience applauded them for being over, and that was awesome.

[Sycophant]

Film festivals make more sense to applaud since there is not uncommonly someone involved in the production present.

Best clapping ever: the sole guy who clapped and cheered for the green WB logo at Matrix Revolutions. I've mentioned it before, but it's seriously one of my life's favorite moments.

[Grouchy]

The first concert I ever went to was Our Lady Peace in 1999. A guy jumped backwards off the stage in hopes of crowd surfing but no one caught him and he broke his neck on impact.
Hahahahah!

[megladon8]

Hahahahah!


I...don't see what's funny about that.

It's not like it has some hilarious irony similar to Harry Knowles' being run over by a cart full of Star Wars memorabilia. It's just a guy who got really, really badly hurt.

[Grouchy]

Well, it's a pretty stupid way to die.

I didn't laugh at your reaction, though. If I'd been there and seen that, I would be pretty disturbed too.

[megladon8]

Well, it's a pretty stupid way to die.

I didn't laugh at your reaction, though. If I'd been there and seen that, I would be pretty disturbed too.


He didn't die. He's paralyzed from the neck down.

[number8]

However, I really don't do it. I mean, who am I applauding here? The projectionist? Unless the director or someone is in the room (which might happen in a film festival), it's really pretty fucking pointless.

The film. Whoever said you can only clap for a sentient being?

[BuffaloWilder]

It's an unconsciously symbolic thing, going back to films as public dreams and 'the new church' and that train of thought. We applaud as a sign of appreciation, even if the filmmakers aren't there. Why this is so confusing or annoying to people, I don't understand.

[Grouchy]

The film. Whoever said you can only clap for a sentient being?
Point.

[Winston*]

Is there a difference between them and people who clap at the end of regular showings?

I don't have a problem with clapping when it feels organic, like when I saw Lord of the Rings films opening weeked, but every film I've been to at this festival has had people clapping at the end and it just feels self congratulatory to me. You shouldn't feel proud of yourself just for watching a movie.

[Dead & Messed Up]

My Neighbor Totoro charmed my pants off, and then I wondered what my roommate would say if he saw me watching animated Japanese girls pantsless, so I quickly put them back on.

Anyway, wow! Very fun, imaginative movie. I have now seen three Miyazaki films, and I look forward to the next one down the road.

[B-side]

Totoro is my least favorite Miyazaki movie so far. It has its charm, but I guess this is yet another one of those instances in which I'm in a tiny minority.

Would you mind sharing some thoughts on The Black Cat, Rowland?

[MadMan]

Skynard is still awesome, regardless of what their political views are nowadays. Plus hey Tuesday's Gone, Bring Me Back My Bullet, and Freebird among other songs are classics. But yeah Sweet Home Alabama is over played to death.

[Rowland]

Would you mind sharing some thoughts on The Black Cat, Rowland?
Sure, but first I'd like to read your thoughts. :P I enjoyed the screen caps you took, capturing some of the film's more trenchant images.

[Rowland]

My Neighbor Totoro charmed my pants off, and then I wondered what my roommate would say if he saw me watching animated Japanese girls pantsless, so I quickly put them back on.

Anyway, wow! Very fun, imaginative movie. I have now seen three Miyazaki films, and I look forward to the next one down the road.It's a lovely film, both in its artistry, its patience, and its humanity, but I felt it lost its way a bit in the final act; which, now that I think about it, is a criticism I can apply to every Miyazaki film I've seen, with varying degrees of overall detriment.

[B-side]

Sure, but first I'd like to read your thoughts. :P I enjoyed the screen caps you took, capturing some of the film's more trenchant images.

I'm sure your thoughts will prove more fruitful for the both of us.;)

I'm interested in what you make of the foundation of the house and its sordid past as I thought that was a significant part of the uneasiness of the film's atmosphere.

I thought it was amusing the way in which Ulmer played Lugosi's character for a villain at first, only to see him die a hero in the end.

From what I've read, one would likely gain more of an appreciation for the film in the context of Ulmer's other work which apparently deals in similar situations of fate and responsibility.

[transmogrifier]

It's a lovely film, both in its artistry, its patience, and its humanity, but I felt it lost its way a bit in the final act; which, now that I think about it, is a criticism I can apply to every Miyazaki film I've seen, with varying degrees of overall detriment.

Except for Spirited Away, which is all over awesome.

[Bosco B Thug]

A part of me agrees with CSC and says, fuck it, let people express themselves however it feels more natural.

However, I really don't do it. I mean, who am I applauding here? The projectionist? Unless the director or someone is in the room (which might happen in a film festival), it's really pretty fucking pointless. I've felt this. It's (well, for me, anyway) the dialectic between festival screenings with filmmaker/curator-in-attendance and those with them not in attendance, and festival attendees not bothering to figure out which one it frickin is, and clapping just because it's festival chic.

[Qrazy]

Except for Spirited Away, which is all over awesome.

Ehh I would also apply that criticism to Spirited Away, Howl's and Ponyo.

I wouldn't for Mononoke, Laputa or Nausicaa though.

[D_Davis]

Totoro is my least favorite Miyazaki movie so far. It has its charm, but I guess this is yet another one of those instances in which I'm in a tiny minority.


I don't care much for it either. It and and Kiki's are probably my least favorite Ghibli films. Totoro is charming, and the art is amazing, but I found the story dull; nothing really happens. I think it would've worked better as a short film, perhaps part of an anthology of films revolving around childhood. I also feel the same about Spirited Away. Actually, as three short films Spirited Away, Kiki's, and Totoro would make an amazing anthology.

I prefer Nausicaa, Laputa, Whispers of the Heart and Mononoke.

[Raiders]

OK, well, I'll stand up and say Totoro is likely my favorite Miyazaki film (that or Mononoke). It is among the most quietly simple and artful films I have ever seen.

[Skitch]

Totoro would be high up there on my Ghibli list. I really enjoyed it.

[Qrazy]

Speaking of Ghibli their new film The Borrower Arrietty (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rveY9dzoL4s) came out in Japan 3 days ago.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Wow, wide variety of opinions on Totoro. I was completely involved during the third act search for Mei, and I adored how the Cat-Bus helped, so I don't know that I agree about it losing something towards the end. It's slight in terms of story, but I didn't mind just hanging out with the family. Maybe I'm still riding on the high it gave me, but I thought it was as impressive as any family film I've seen.

I don't know how I'd be able to rank it against the other Miyazaki's I've seen (Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away), because they're each doing something very distinctive.

What'd be the next one I should check out?

[MacGuffin]

OK, well, I'll stand up and say Totoro is likely my favorite Miyazaki film (that or Mononoke). It is among the most quietly simple and artful films I have ever seen.

Agreed entirely, except for Mononoke because I haven't seen it. Replace it with Kiki's Delivery Service and I'm good.