View Full Version : 28 Film Discussion Threads Later
Sycophant
08-03-2010, 03:51 AM
Copy it.
Then paste it.
Derek
08-03-2010, 03:51 AM
How do you all get that sleek half symbol? Tell me your secret.
Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V
MacGuffin
08-03-2010, 03:52 AM
Makes sense.
Spinal
08-03-2010, 03:53 AM
A Serious Man isn't a comedy, but it's hilarious.
Dead & Messed Up
08-03-2010, 03:55 AM
I think Fargo might be one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.
"I'm not gonna sit here and debate you, Jerry."
"Okay."
"...I'm not gonna sit here and debate."
Derek
08-03-2010, 03:57 AM
A Serious Man isn't a comedy, but it's hilarious.
I'm with you there. I don't understand most of the typical complaints against the Coens - their comedies aren't "hilarious", their films are shallow, they hate/feel superior to their characters... Well, I kinda get the last one, but I think it's a really stupid complaint. So they feel superior to fictional characters who they come up with and place in a fictional world of their own creation. Ok...you got me.
Qrazy
08-03-2010, 03:59 AM
A Serious Man has an annoying ending. Is that the kind of thing which passes for depth these days?
Derek
08-03-2010, 03:59 AM
I don't think anyone's debating the fact that all of the Coen's film have funny moments. Comedic moments/comic relief does not make a film a comedy.
Qrazy
08-03-2010, 04:01 AM
I'm with you there. I don't understand most of the typical complaints against the Coens - their comedies aren't "hilarious", their films are shallow, they hate/feel superior to their characters... Well, I kinda get the last one, but I think it's a really stupid complaint. So they feel superior to fictional characters who they come up with and place in a fictional world of their own creation. Ok...you got me.
It's an outlook on life. They're yucksters. They're clever, intelligent even, and certainly formally adept. But they don't really seem to give a shit about anything as far as I can tell. I guess what I"m trying to say is... they're hipster nihilists.
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:6Jq6rqLOFwPm-M:http://images.nymag.com/images/2/daily/2009/08/20090814_armondwhite090223_250 x375.jpg&t=1
Derek
08-03-2010, 04:03 AM
A Serious Man has an annoying ending. Is that the kind of thing which passes for depth these days?
A Serious Man's ending > Inception's ending
Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
It'll get you hiiiiigh.
EDIT: Ok, that last post more than made up for the wrongness which preceded it. :lol:
Qrazy
08-03-2010, 04:06 AM
A Serious Man's ending > Inception's ending
Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
It'll get you hiiiiigh.
Inception's ending was the perfect way to end that particular puzzle film. A Serious Man's ending was about as meaningful as having your leading antagonist get into a car accident and th... hey wait a sec... :)
Qrazy
08-03-2010, 04:08 AM
I don't think anyone's debating the fact that all of the Coen's film have funny moments. Comedic moments/comic relief does not make a film a comedy.
Derek is correct.
Spinal
08-03-2010, 04:53 AM
I let my son use the Netflix Instant Watch feature and now I have a bunch of 5-star ratings for various Scooby-Doo movies.
Derek
08-03-2010, 04:54 AM
I let my son use the Netflix Instant Watch feature and now I have a bunch of 5-star ratings for various Scooby-Doo movies.
Using your son as a cover for getting stoned late at night? For shame, Spinal.
EDIT: Not that it doesn't have some relevant social commentary (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtlalyUlHbA). :lol:
Dead & Messed Up
08-03-2010, 05:16 AM
Spinal, I respect your two-star rating for Them! I watched it in full a number of months ago, and I was strangely underwhelmed, despite the somewhat tense initial scenes.
B-side
08-03-2010, 05:43 AM
Yay, I might be writing for The House Next Door.
Congrats, man.
But they don't really seem to give a shit about anything as far as I can tell. I guess what I"m trying to say is... they're hipster nihilists.
See, it's anti-Armond jokes like these that demonstrate how little people understand from where Armond is coming. He loves the Coens and argues against accusations of Coen nihilism all the time.
But I'm not about to get into this. Just thought I'd say.
BuffaloWilder
08-03-2010, 06:12 AM
They just don't understand me, fools.
http://www.headlinerwatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/armond-white.jpg
B-side
08-03-2010, 06:14 AM
Yeah, he's just a misunderstood genius. History will be kind to his brilliant musings.
B-side
08-03-2010, 06:20 AM
Sigh. Oh well.
I'm just being silly.
Armond is still an idiot, though.
Derek
08-03-2010, 06:20 AM
Yeah, he's just a misunderstood genius. History will be kind to his brilliant musings.
His proclamations of Yogi Bear 3D's tender humanism and thoughtful pro-environmentalism that puts more po-faced Hollywood films to shame will not go unnoticed!
transmogrifier
08-03-2010, 06:45 AM
With exception of A Serious Man, I'm not a fan of the Coen comedies... I am mostly indifferent to their body of work outside No Country and A Serious Man though.
Blood Simple and Miller's Crossing are awesome.
A Simple Man and Fargo are quite good.
The rest range from good to meh.
transmogrifier
08-03-2010, 06:50 AM
There's a lot of classic Coen comedic moments in there. I mean, it's not Raising Arizona, but it has the laughs.
There's no way NCFOM is a comedy, and I don't get why you want to claim that "All Coen movies are comedies" and then cram circles into a square hole of your own making.
eternity
08-03-2010, 08:12 AM
There's no way NCFOM is a comedy, and I don't get why you want to claim that "All Coen movies are comedies" and then cram circles into a square hole of your own making.
NCFOM is a very funny movie. I can't think of any Coen film that doesn't make me laugh to a significant degree, except for maybe The Ladykillers.
Dukefrukem
08-03-2010, 11:25 AM
How are the Ice Age films so popular? I watched Meltdown last night.... it's so slow, joke-less and predictable....
Ice Age: The Meltdown is #46 for all time world wide gross and the newest one, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is #15... I'll prob watch that one tonight.
I let my son use the Netflix Instant Watch feature and now I have a bunch of 5-star ratings for various Scooby-Doo movies.
I let my sister use my Netflix Instant Watch feature and she doesn't rate movies, but then I have an entire line of films I might like based on my interest in "The L Word."
:|
Dukefrukem
08-03-2010, 12:05 PM
I let my son use the Netflix Instant Watch feature and now I have a bunch of 5-star ratings for various Scooby-Doo movies.
Curious, are there profiles setup with Netflix where you can see what other people rated?
Dukefrukem
08-03-2010, 12:12 PM
It might sound like a pretty vague cliche, but I've always thought that we like violent horror films because they remind us that we're alive - because they're visceral, often both visually and emotionally. Gets the adrenaline pumping, gets the juices flowing. I don't think there's any inherent attraction to the violence by itself, though.
I think you're exactly right here too. There are a lot of people who cannot be immersed in horror films because they see them as too unrealistic, but if you let yourself go, it's the sweaty palms, the feeling of holding your breathe in quiet scenes, gripping a pillow or easy chair arm and then the sense of relief! It absolutely is an adrenaline rush and it's addicting.
On the other hand, I do think there's an attraction to violence that people like to see. Of course I don't have any evidence of this, but I bet there's some study out there that relates the two. On the lines of 'survival of the fittest' or 'Lord of the Flies-esk'
Fezzik
08-03-2010, 12:41 PM
I might be the only person on this board who really doesn't like horror films.
I've seen maybe four or five I remember and I've only seen two in theaters.
I haven't seen any of the classic 80s slashers flicks, any of the Scream films or their ripoffs, and most of the non-slasher/non-gory horror stuff just creeps me out to no end (I refuse to watch Paranormal Activity, for example, because my imagination runs away with me and I won't be able to sleep for two weeks).
Being scared doesn't give me a rush, it just unnerves me to a point where I'm not having fun.
I'm weird that way.
I can't explain it, unfortunately. Horror's just never been my thing.
I might be the only person on this board who really doesn't like horror films.
I don't. Generally I don't find them frightening, just disgusting. Even "psychological" horror is usually just dull.
And, Duke, they used to have it so that you could easily see what your friends rated films on Netflix, but they removed the feature. Which is really annoying, because I used to use it to decide whether or not to add something.
Dukefrukem
08-03-2010, 01:03 PM
l.
And, Duke, they used to have it so that you could easily see what your friends rated films on Netflix, but they removed the feature. Which is really annoying, because I used to use it to decide whether or not to add something.
Oh that would be amazing. Why'd they remove it?? It would be so much easier and convenient to look at the members on this board and that would decide my next viewing.
Dukefrukem
08-03-2010, 01:04 PM
Being scared doesn't give me a rush, it just unnerves me to a point where I'm not having fun.
I'm weird that way.
I can't explain it, unfortunately. Horror's just never been my thing.
I have a good friend like this. He refuses to go to horror movies with me. Nothing weird about it. It's just not your bag baby.
number8
08-03-2010, 01:10 PM
You guys, you can create separate logins under the same account. With parental control to boot.
Skitch
08-03-2010, 02:25 PM
And, Duke, they used to have it so that you could easily see what your friends rated films on Netflix, but they removed the feature. Which is really annoying, because I used to use it to decide whether or not to add something.
Recently? Because I just used that feature about a week ago.
Random: just heard a rumor an Eva Mendes sex tape is supposed to hit the web today. I've never seen a celeb sex tape, but that is almost tempting.
Sycophant
08-03-2010, 02:49 PM
Of course I don't have any evidence of this, but I bet there's some study out there that relates the two. On the lines of 'survival of the fittest' or 'Lord of the Flies-esk'
Man, I bet so.
Sycophant
08-03-2010, 02:49 PM
The things I like about the horror movies I do like (which is a very small set of horror movies) are very rarely the physical violence.
Killed_by_Smalls
08-03-2010, 03:54 PM
Oh that would be amazing. Why'd they remove it?? It would be so much easier and convenient to look at the members on this board and that would decide my next viewing.
It's still there. They just removed it from the top menu. You have to go to the bottom of the page, where it's listed under "Community".
Raiders
08-03-2010, 04:10 PM
It's still there. They just removed it from the top menu. You have to go to the bottom of the page, where it's listed under "Community".
Yeah, but the real shame is they have removed it from the individual film pages so when you click on one you can't immediately see what your friends thought of it.
number8
08-03-2010, 04:11 PM
Was gonna post this in the horror thread, but probably better here.
Without a conscious decision and only realized through a series of retroactive examinations, I've concluded that the movies I cherish most are the ones that make me sad, upset or angry. It might explain my continuing waning interest in comedies, cult movies and trashy horror, all of which I used to convince myself I adore. Either I've been fighting my original pretentious nature or I'm subconsciously preparing myself for an easily explainable mass murder.
This is exactly why I love horror movies so much. I made a post about this a few months ago... in a particular thread. I don't think it either of those; I just think those emotions are more commonly shared among people, which is why we want to see revenge in movies, why we want to feel fear and why we want continue to support disaster movies. We are violent by nature.
Going back to this because I don't think I'm understanding your response. I was actually saying that horror movies these days are too often aiming for "fun" or "awesome" (just look at Piranha 3D), which puts it on the same level as comedies for me. I think of a movie more highly when it upsets me, depresses me, or makes me sad and contemplative, rather than movies that cheer me or pump me up.
What's that got to do with men being violent in nature?
Qrazy
08-03-2010, 04:26 PM
See, it's anti-Armond jokes like these that demonstrate how little people understand from where Armond is coming. He loves the Coens and argues against accusations of Coen nihilism all the time.
But I'm not about to get into this. Just thought I'd say.
To be hones though I already knew Armond loves the Coens. I was merely using his image to make a joke about the Coens. I personally don't think they care about very much. Which is not to say they never care about any of their characters, they certainly do at times, but all of their films still leave me with a hollow sensation and a sense of 'is that it?'.
number8
08-03-2010, 04:31 PM
Actually, I got into a pretty bad shouting match with my wife once over this thing, not too long ago. We had friends over and we all decided to watch a movie and she insisted on her usual suggestions (The Room, Tropic Thunder, Team America, MST3K, etc) and all those movies just weren't exciting me anymore. I mean, come on. So I objected and she asked me why because the others want to see them and for some reason I just lost it. My hatred for comedies just blew up then and I irrationally freaked out, screaming that I don't know why every time people are over or we have a party, we have to put on some fucking funny movie and why I can't ever watch something we haven't seen a billion times like Quest for Fire or Black Orpheus, which I've had sitting on my Netflix.
Anyway, I lost.
number8
08-03-2010, 04:38 PM
Although, bahahaha, I remember when I had an advanced screener copy of Dear Zachary (I'd already seen it) and whipped it out during a Friday night gathering and told everyone it's a cool true crime kinda thing actually I might've even told them it's a nice father and son story.
Boy, did they hate me afterwards.
Qrazy
08-03-2010, 04:44 PM
Actually, I got into a pretty bad shouting match with my wife once over this thing, not too long ago. We had friends over and we all decided to watch a movie and she insisted on her usual suggestions (The Room, Tropic Thunder, Team America, MST3K, etc) and all those movies just weren't exciting me anymore. I mean, come on. So I objected and she asked me why because the others want to see them and for some reason I just lost it. My hatred for comedies just blew up then and I irrationally freaked out, screaming that I don't know why every time people are over or we have a party, we have to put on some fucking funny movie and why I can't ever watch something we haven't seen a billion times like Quest for Fire or Black Orpheus, which I've had sitting on my Netflix.
Anyway, I lost.
To be fair I've been down that road too (where I've forced the more serious foreign film) and the comedies always play better with guests. So putting on the comedy is really for the benefit of the overall atmosphere. That being said you need to ween her off 'so bad it's good' comedies which are often just plain tedious and annoying to watch (The Room, MST3K) and then up her game on comedies in general because Tropic Thunder and Team America aren't exactly top tier. Watch some comedies, dramedies or light action films that you may not have seen yet. Maybe some Stephen Chow, Johnny To, Juzo Itami, Tati, Bunuel, Kusturica, Monicelli, Wilder, Ealing comedies, Screwball, Woody Allen, etc.
Ezee E
08-03-2010, 04:50 PM
Although, bahahaha, I remember when I had an advanced screener copy of Dear Zachary (I'd already seen it) and whipped it out during a Friday night gathering and told everyone it's a cool true crime kinda thing actually I might've even told them it's a nice father and son story.
Boy, did they hate me afterwards.
Still one of the most devastating movies I can think of. I don't blame them.
The Box has a great first half, awful second half. I have yet to read a good defense of that second half as well.
No Country has plenty of comedic moments, mostly for relief, and they work perfectly in the context of the movie. To call it a comedy would be like calling Dear Zachary a comedy though.
number8
08-03-2010, 04:51 PM
Still one of the most devastating movies I can think of. I don't blame them.
Couch full of sobbing people, all looking at me with contempt. Ahhh.
Hey 8, have you ever seen Eating Raoul?
number8
08-03-2010, 05:36 PM
Hey 8, have you ever seen Eating Raoul?
Wikipedia, turning Nos into Maybe I shoulds.
number8
08-03-2010, 05:40 PM
To be fair I've been down that road too (where I've forced the more serious foreign film) and the comedies always play better with guests. So putting on the comedy is really for the benefit of the overall atmosphere. That being said you need to ween her off 'so bad it's good' comedies which are often just plain tedious and annoying to watch (The Room, MST3K) and then up her game on comedies in general because Tropic Thunder and Team America aren't exactly top tier. Watch some comedies, dramedies or light action films that you may not have seen yet. Maybe some Stephen Chow, Johnny To, Juzo Itami, Tati, Bunuel, Kusturica, Monicelli, Wilder, Ealing comedies, Screwball, Woody Allen, etc.
Her movie appreciation is not a problem. I didn't mean to imply that that's all she watches. It's this placating idea of entertaining guests with only silly, time-tested comedies to maintain a lively vibe.
I think the difference is that she and my friends, and I guess most people, when they see a heavy movie, it kills their enthusiasm a little bit. Whereas I, I get so excited by how riveting the movie is that I get invigorated to further par-tay.
Dukefrukem
08-03-2010, 05:52 PM
Going back to this because I don't think I'm understanding your response. I was actually saying that horror movies these days are too often aiming for "fun" or "awesome" (just look at Piranha 3D), which puts it on the same level as comedies for me. I think of a movie more highly when it upsets me, depresses me, or makes me sad and contemplative, rather than movies that cheer me or pump me up.
What's that got to do with men being violent in nature?
I was relating to your post by saying I feel the same thing about fear. I can see why you would feel that way, and I definitely enjoy movies more when there's an emotional attachment, but I think for me, horror does this on a more consistent basis. Fear for some reason is a more relatable emotion. My suggestion about men being violent by nature; I feel like THATs the reason why people would prefer these seeing these movies. Why else would they be made? Why do we all prefer to see disaster movies? Why do we want to be scared? Or depressed?
And Yeh, there's no way I would ever approach Piranha 3D as a horror movie.
Dukefrukem
08-03-2010, 05:54 PM
To be fair I've been down that road too (where I've forced the more serious foreign film) and the comedies always play better with guests. So putting on the comedy is really for the benefit of the overall atmosphere. That being said you need to ween her off 'so bad it's good' comedies which are often just plain tedious and annoying to watch (The Room, MST3K) and then up her game on comedies in general because Tropic Thunder and Team America aren't exactly top tier. Watch some comedies, dramedies or light action films that you may not have seen yet. Maybe some Stephen Chow, Johnny To, Juzo Itami, Tati, Bunuel, Kusturica, Monicelli, Wilder, Ealing comedies, Screwball, Woody Allen, etc.
Do you guys prefer watching movies in groups of people? I hate watching in groups. You always have the people who think they're actually in MST3K.... Can't stand that.
Qrazy
08-03-2010, 05:58 PM
Her movie appreciation is not a problem. I didn't mean to imply that that's all she watches. It's this placating idea of entertaining guests with only silly, time-tested comedies to maintain a lively vibe.
Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that I thought that's all she watches either, I'm sure she has quality taste, I just meant the choices she makes (based on your examples), for group purposes.
I think the difference is that she and my friends, and I guess most people, when they see a heavy movie, it kills their enthusiasm a little bit. Whereas I, I get so excited by how riveting the movie is that I get invigorated to further par-tay.
Right but as much as I wish it were the case, the average person will never share our same appreciation for cinema.
Spinal
08-03-2010, 06:01 PM
Quest for Fire would be a great party movie. It's funnier than Team America, that's for sure.
Qrazy
08-03-2010, 06:04 PM
Do you guys prefer watching movies in groups of people? I hate watching in groups. You always have the people who think they're actually in MST3K.... Can't stand that.
I agree with you, but it varies. For instance anything remotely experimental or foreign/obscure I haven't seen before I'd prefer to watch alone. However there are lots of films I've seen and loved that I then want to share that experience with others (significant other, close friend, parents, etc). And I just like watching lots of movies in general, so in the case of group film there are lots of films which I probably wouldn't watch on my own (most contemporary American comedies) but which I sometimes enjoy with a crowd. But yeah I'd never watch say for instance the new Aleksei German film for the first time with anyone except maybe a hardcore film buff.
number8
08-03-2010, 06:15 PM
Right but as much as I wish it were the case, the average person will never share our same appreciation for cinema.
But, see, they do. I hang with artists, musicians and designers, mostly. Hell, a bunch of my friends are my writing partners and film students. Individually, they might appreciate those movies. But somehow people are just attuned to wanting light movies when they're in groups, unless it's something specifically planned movie night: "Baraka just came out on Blu-ray and I have it, wanna bring a case of beers and come over?" (this actually happened).
Watashi
08-03-2010, 06:20 PM
I want to hang out with a group of friends while we get high and watch a Greenaway marathon.
Ezee E
08-03-2010, 06:20 PM
Couch full of sobbing people, all looking at me with contempt. Ahhh.
Makes the guy that ate three of the eight steaks look like an angel.
Ezee E
08-03-2010, 06:22 PM
Makes the guy that ate three of the eight steaks look like an angel.
And outside of any theater runs, I can't think of the last time a group got together and watched a movie. If we're at someone's house, we usually turn on the X-Box and use Last.FM
kuehnepips
08-03-2010, 07:25 PM
It's funnier than Team America, that's for sure.
Every movie is funnier than that. Even Don't Look Now.
Fezzik
08-03-2010, 08:34 PM
Do you guys prefer watching movies in groups of people? I hate watching in groups. You always have the people who think they're actually in MST3K.... Can't stand that.
It depends on the movie, really.
This weekend, the funny comments were flying during Death Note and Om Shanti Om and it actually improved the experience.
During Cinema Paradiso, though, someone felt the need to comment on the fact that there's no way Salvatore could love Elena yet because they hadn't known each other long enough. that's fine. But every time they were on the screen together, they brought it up again. It became a well-spaced out rant. Luckily, it didnt seem to spoil the experience for anyone else.
number8
08-03-2010, 08:40 PM
I hate people who try to make funny comments while watching MST3K.
Spaceman Spiff
08-03-2010, 08:42 PM
I hate people who try to make funny comments while watching MST3K.
Yeah! People are the worst.
number8
08-03-2010, 08:47 PM
I can't wait until Rifftrax does an Inception track. I'm gonna hold a screening party where people sit in 3 rows. First row makes fun of the Rifftrax comments, second row makes fun of the first row's comments, and third row makes fun of the second row's comments.
I'll play Mal and make fun of each row randomly.
Fezzik
08-03-2010, 08:49 PM
I can't wait until Rifftrax does an Inception track. I'm gonna hold a screening party where people sit in 3 rows. First row makes fun of the Rifftrax comments, second row makes fun of the first row's comments, and third row makes fun of the second row's comments.
I'll play Mal and make fun of each row randomly.
You'll need a 4th row for anyone who makes a joke that bombs so horribly that they "die."
Call the 4th row "Limbo."
number8
08-03-2010, 08:51 PM
Yes! And they'll have to listen to an entire Xzibit song to ride a kick back to their row.
Fezzik
08-03-2010, 08:51 PM
Yes! And they'll have to listen to an entire Xzibit song to ride a kick back to their row.
:pritch:
That's perfect.
number8
08-03-2010, 08:52 PM
Also, my Mal will have the body of Marion Cotillard and the face of Nathan Fillion.
Fezzik
08-03-2010, 08:54 PM
Also, my Mal will have the body of Marion Cotillard and the face of Nathan Fillion.
Wearing an exquisite off-the-shoulder brown coat?
number8
08-03-2010, 08:56 PM
Wearing an exquisite off-the-shoulder brown coat?
And speaking in a combined Canadian-Southern-French accent, but cursing in mangled Chinese.
baby doll
08-03-2010, 09:01 PM
And speaking in a combined Canadian-Southern-French accent, but cursing in mangled Chinese.Southern Quebecois? I haven't been up that far north, but I don't think the accent is significantly different from Montreal-Quebec City.
Qrazy
08-03-2010, 10:08 PM
But, see, they do. I hang with artists, musicians and designers, mostly. Hell, a bunch of my friends are my writing partners and film students. Individually, they might appreciate those movies. But somehow people are just attuned to wanting light movies when they're in groups, unless it's something specifically planned movie night: "Baraka just came out on Blu-ray and I have it, wanna bring a case of beers and come over?" (this actually happened).
Well in that case you barely have a problem, stop screaming at your wife about stupid shit. :D
megladon8
08-04-2010, 01:22 AM
Dead Man's Shoes is fantastic.
That is all.
xmjNLAU7zLQ
Ezee E
08-04-2010, 01:33 AM
The Telluride Film Festival isn't even a month away, and a publicist from Fox is trying to contact me regarding my upcoming articles for awardsdaily.
Coooool.
Raiders
08-04-2010, 01:34 AM
Dead Man's Shoes is fantastic.
Yeah, it is.
Paddy Considine slowly walks through the peaceful England countryside, determined and mournful. Yet, director Shane Meadows doesn't immediately set-up the flare that all is not well, and instead the images are accompanied by a pleasantly ambiguous folk song. There are shades of a war hero retuning home in the opening composition. Walking alongside Considine's Richard is his brother Anthony. But, the music stops and the screen displays an intertitle of "Day One," and the film begins to dissolve its pleasant beginnings.
Shane Meadows seems influenced, at least in part, by the revenge trappings of John Boorman's Point Blank in that Considine is neither good, bad or even in-between. As he tells one of his victims, he is neither the devil nor Jesus. Rather, he is death, personified as Ingmar Bergman would in The Seventh Seal. Where there Death gave his "victims" time as he played out their consequences in a game of chess and was ambivalent to their causes and sufferings, here Considine shows no such mercy. He is back to enact revenge against the men who tortured his brother in his absence. There is a sense he exists in a reality not quite in this dimension, his monotone candor and his emotionless demeanor carried forth by a force unseen and a tragedy that is eternally linked to the present.
Meadows enacts the past in the present throughout the film in a series of gritty, suffocating flashbacks. The real treat here is that he does not confine these scenes merely to one character, but displays how the events against Considine's brother have impacted each of them. When faced with the idea of being destroyed, the men stand nervous and weeping as Meadows conflicts them with images of their vile actions from before. The centerpiece of the film may be the drug-induced trip that Considine enacts on three of the characters. Meadows films it with a gritty horror and sadness. He confronts each character with the visions of their past actions and has those former images of themselves cannibalize their current selves. Considine watches with a disconnected ambivalence, and his sad eyes reflect the terrible acts he commits. By using drugs, he turns their own sins against them, just as Meadows does by using their past horrors as painful gut-punches.
Considine's vengeance is fueled by these images and as they extend to other characters his power over them only grows, Meadows beating them down with his flashbacks and empowering Considine through us, the viewer, as we yearn for his retribution. However, as the final confrontation occurs, Meadows twists our perception of Considine's character and turns our own simmering bloodlust against us. This is not just revenge, but rather Considine's searching and longing for a peaceful redemption and a place to let go of his horrors. His final statement shows us the nature of his killings, the "beasts" he sent himself to destroy, and the vicious cycle that had led their evil back to him. He is angry at himself, both for his failure to complete his murderous mission but also because he can no longer continue as a beast of vengeance. The climax of the final scene is an odd bit of irony by Meadows, charging the one truly non-evil character from the past with an act of bloody violence. Perhaps this is merely the passing from Considine to the other man, the final murderous act needing to be committed so there can be time for peace, grieving and redemption.
The story itself is simple and brief, but Meadows (as well as Considine as co-writer) flesh out the film in wonderful ways. The villains here are cruel and selfish, but they aren't the epitome of evil we expect. When faced with the idea of killing, they all sit terrified and unsure. When Considine attacks, they scurry. There is a depth of humanity and moral ambiguity that most revenge films nowadays seem to forget. There are no clearly drawn lines of what is evil and what is just, and no character walks away unbloodied. The film also displays an initial reluctance in Considine that is all too human. His first act of revenge is not with an axe, but with a can of spray paint. He starts by proving to himself he can get back at them. Then he proves to himself he can kill them.
Meadows' style for this film creates an odd tonal dichotomy. His images of the land and countryside evoke a peaceful, restful small town in the green hills of England. His constant use of folk songs contrasts the brutality of the events. Yet, it is too simple to read these as irony. There's a mournfulness to the songs, and in the end they come not to reflect the filmmakers' use of contrast but the soulful interacts between two brothers and the hope that one day the killings will stop and peace can return to their minds. Such are the interactions between the two brothers, which upon the revelation of their metaphysical nature, are remorseful and sad. When Considine shouts at film's end how his brother was an embarrassment, we believe him. He is a man conflicted with guilt for his relationship to his brother and driven by a sense of responsibility for the past events.
Considine's performance in this film is a vital link to its success. He is a returning soldier, a man who knows precisely how to kill and how to intimidate. But, he takes no joy in his killings, he has no sarcasm to deflect his own brutality. He is eternally sad and remorseful, but angry and vengeful. Considine's performance seems to inhabit the term "powder-keg," and the ultimate image I am left with is a sad, regretful man burdened by a responsibility to the brother he couldn't help. And that is perhaps the film's strongest, lingering image.
Ezee E
08-04-2010, 01:36 AM
I should give that movie another shot. I thought This Is England was fantastic.
megladon8
08-04-2010, 01:42 AM
That's a great review, Raiders. Reading it now, I remembered reading it back when you first saw the movie :)
megladon8
08-04-2010, 01:43 AM
I should give that movie another shot. I thought This Is England was fantastic.
Dead Man's Shoes is a brutal, hard film to watch. But it's not the violence that makes it so.
Derek
08-04-2010, 01:56 AM
That's a great review, Raiders. Reading it now, I remembered reading it back when you first saw the movie :)
Yeah, back in the days when Raiders wrote full reviews... :sad:
Philosophe_rouge
08-04-2010, 02:10 AM
Southern Quebecois? I haven't been up that far north, but I don't think the accent is significantly different from Montreal-Quebec City.
Ever met someone from Lac St. Jean?
baby doll
08-04-2010, 02:27 AM
Ever met someone from Lac St. Jean?I have not (although I know some one who was an English teacher in Alma). The furthest north I've ventured in Quebec was Trois-Pistoles.
B-side
08-04-2010, 02:32 AM
Yeah! People are the worst.
http://www.dailycomedy.com/images/jokes/b/seinfeld.jpg
Philosophe_rouge
08-04-2010, 02:46 AM
I have not (although I know some one who was an English teacher in Alma). The furthest north I've ventured in Quebec was Trois-Pistoles.
Whatever language they speak, it's indecipherable.
baby doll
08-04-2010, 02:48 AM
Whatever language they speak, it's indecipherable.I find Quebecois French pretty difficult in general. On my first trip to Paris, I kept having this weird feeling like I spoke a lot of French; some one would ask me, "Où est le metro?" and I would be able to point and say, "La!" But then I went to Montreal for the jazz festival, and couldn't even order a sandwich.
Grouchy
08-04-2010, 04:43 AM
Seen two French thrillers of very different quality.
Le Couperet (I see the English title is The Ax) was a lot different than I expected. Costa-Gavras has basically made an almost pure comedy in the mold of your typical serial killer story, and so at first I was taken aback by the bluntness of the script, the out there quality of the stylistic choices and the silliness of some of the stuff that happened. But as the vibe of the movie caught on with me I enjoyed it quite a bit, specially the ending.
A Girl Cut in Two was bad. Whatever social critique Chabrol does nowadays, I don't understand it. I guess you could say the whole interest of directing this movie (from a filmmaker's perspective) relies in a specific sex act that becomes very important to the plot and that is left out by the editing so that it's uncertain for the audience whether it happened or it's a fabrication. But there's not enough in that gimmick to sustain the effort of watching through the endless chattering and some of the most far-fetched characters I've ever seen.
Watashi
08-04-2010, 06:25 AM
Sven, this is why I love you. (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/showthread.php?t=380706)
Yeah, I'm really bored tonight.
Sven, this is why I love you. (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/showthread.php?t=380706)
FYI, I liked Lord of the Rings.
Oof. Ouch. Sometimes I think it's a pretty bad idea to submit my thoughts to databases that will be around for pretty much ever.
I would guess that I'm still as naive about online communication.
B-side
08-04-2010, 06:33 AM
Sven, this is why I love you. (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=278288&postcount=44717)
Watashi
08-04-2010, 06:34 AM
I liked how you kept mispelling my name even after people were posting the correct spelling in the thread.
Watashi
08-04-2010, 06:35 AM
Sven, this is why I love you. (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=278288&postcount=44717)
Hey, I loved Sven first, bucko.
B-side
08-04-2010, 06:35 AM
Hey, I loved Sven first, bucko.
I'm the forum slut, Ram-bro. It's time to make my move.
I'm the forum slut, Ram-bro. It's time to make my move.
This + new av = I'm all yours
B-side
08-04-2010, 06:41 AM
This + new av = I'm all yours
Have you ever been with a man? I can be gentle.
BuffaloWilder
08-04-2010, 06:44 AM
That Inception thread reminded me - what with all the sub-standard schlock they've become known for producing recently, why hasn't someone with some kinda moxxy over at Disney said something like, "hey. Life And Times of Scrooge McDuck won a lot of awards, and everyone seems to like it. Why don't we make that into a movie" yet?
Because, damn.
B-side
08-04-2010, 07:05 AM
Have you ever been with a man? I can be gentle.
It appears I've scared him off. Maybe he wasn't ready for sex?
Spinal
08-04-2010, 07:22 AM
I liked how you kept mispelling my name even after people were posting the correct spelling in the thread.
That was my favorite part too.
Rowland
08-04-2010, 07:53 AM
Hey Brightside, I rented The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting, partly with your Ruiz love in mind. So I'd better love it, or ELSE.
transmogrifier
08-04-2010, 07:53 AM
Heh, I just now posted on RT for the first time in 3 years, 4 months.
Derek
08-04-2010, 08:09 AM
Heh, I just now posted on RT for the first time in 3 years, 4 months.
Call your sponsor, trans. If he or she isn't available, I can talk you through this...
B-side
08-04-2010, 08:19 AM
Hey Brightside, I rented The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting, partly with your Ruiz love in mind. So I'd better love it, or ELSE.
Oooh. I'm nervous.
B-side
08-04-2010, 08:23 AM
Heh, I just now posted on RT for the first time in 3 years, 4 months.
What's your username over there?
I still visit there regularly, but I don't post nearly as often as I used to.
transmogrifier
08-04-2010, 08:30 AM
What's your username over there?
I still visit there regularly, but I don't post nearly as often as I used to.
billypilgrimnz
transmogrifier
08-04-2010, 08:31 AM
Call your sponsor, trans. If he or she isn't available, I can talk you through this...
It was just this one time. I can stop whenever I want. It was for old time's sake...
B-side
08-04-2010, 08:32 AM
billypilgrimnz
For some reason, I had to know what post needed to be made after all this time.:D
transmogrifier
08-04-2010, 08:35 AM
For some reason, I had to know what post needed to be made after all this time.:D
I followed the link Wats posted and saw I had actually contributed to that thread, so....
My comeback posts consist of two blank-faced statements of fact.
Sxottlan
08-04-2010, 08:44 AM
I watched the first half hour of Boondock Saints 2 and it's just unbearably bad. Over the top and yet not remotely entertaining.
Moving on.
I liked how you kept mispelling my name even after people were posting the correct spelling in the thread.
That was my favorite part too.
I wouldn't think this would be the kind of thing you would remember, but the absence of the "h" was a discussed thing. I was learning Japanese at the time and the romaji alphabet we used simplified the oft-used "shi" to "si".
It wasn't ignorance, but rather something we had previously discussed, and something of an inside joke, though the "joke" part is certainly debatable.
Derek, mad props for your Natural rating. A bona fide grueling experience if ever I had one.
Also, just showed Alfie to the missus. I love it when a film holds up. I love it most when revisits to a film expose depths not previously observed. Know what I mean?
Winston*
08-04-2010, 09:23 AM
I wouldn't think this would be the kind of thing you would remember, but the absence of the "h" was a discussed thing. I was learning Japanese at the time and the romaji alphabet we used simplified the oft-used "shi" to "si".
Sounds like it complicated it to me.
Sounds like it complicated it to me.
It only gets complicated when people give themselves lame message board names.
Raiders
08-04-2010, 12:31 PM
Yeah, back in the days when Raiders wrote full reviews... :sad:
Too true. I myself have been missing writing more in-depth stuff.
number8
08-04-2010, 12:42 PM
Sven, this is why I love you. (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/showthread.php?t=380706)
Yeah, I'm really bored tonight.
Man, KF was a dick.
....was?
Mysterious Dude
08-04-2010, 01:03 PM
Man, KF was a dick.
....was?
Not as much of a dick as I was!
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/showthread.php?p=5627825#post5 627825
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/showthread.php?p=5632813#post5 632813
1. An astonishing number of MCers posted in that thread.
2. I do not miss Rotten Tomatoes. Is it possible that it's gotten uglier?
3. ZBF was just about the most annoying poster ever. Now that I've said that, he's probably posting here under a different username. Right?
Boner M
08-04-2010, 01:44 PM
zachbraff fan's most recent match-cut incarnation was TheManWithNoName, I think.
New sig from that old thread, btw.
Ezee E
08-04-2010, 01:46 PM
RaidersoftheFoundArk. Bahaha.
It appears I had already left for Axis Archives/Icine at that point.
RaidersoftheFoundArk. Bahaha.
Spinal Pap.
zachbraff fan's most recent match-cut incarnation was TheManWithNoName, I think.
...lemon is him, I guess. Browsing his posts he sounds less annoying. He must be sixteen, seventeen now?
Boner M
08-04-2010, 01:51 PM
Bone Machine!
Oh wait, my MC name's the one with a lame pun.
number8
08-04-2010, 01:53 PM
I don't really remember my RT name.
I've never changed my username. Anywhere. Maybe I should.
Mysterious Dude
08-04-2010, 03:19 PM
Damn! Raiders hasn't posted at RT since 2005, and he still has more posts than me!
D_Davis
08-04-2010, 05:20 PM
Yesterday, whilst sick, I watched 2012, Capitalism: A Love Story, and District 9.
2012 > Capitalism > District 9
2012 was a ton of stupid fun. That first big disaster/chase sequence is awesome. Totally fake, totally stupid, and totally fun. The film gets more and more ridiculous as it goes, but I genuinely had a good time watching it.
Capitalism:ALS was pretty good, although I think it focused too much on the Real Estate side of things. With a little more on this, Moore could have, and probably should have, made a film about the Real Estate bubble.
District 9 had a great first half, but the action sequences felt too long and protracted. It reminded me of a lot of older, great anime like MD Geist, or Maddox 01: Full Metal Panic. However, those films were only 45 minutes long. District 9 feels like a 45 minute long movie stretched out to feature-length time.
baby doll
08-04-2010, 05:28 PM
My RT user name was sooriyakumaran, but I think most of you already figured that out.
D_Davis
08-04-2010, 05:31 PM
My RT name was D_Davis. Mainly posted in the White Horse Tavern.
baby doll
08-04-2010, 05:36 PM
I was also baaab, filmsRpriceless, and Alex Weitzman.
Spinal
08-04-2010, 05:49 PM
I just discovered that I don't even know how to sign into my old RT account.
Ivan Drago
08-04-2010, 05:54 PM
I was rockyrules on RT but it's been Ivan Drago since last year.
I just discovered that I don't even know how to sign into my old RT account.
Apparently, I still do.
Whee.
Spinal
08-04-2010, 06:08 PM
Apparently, I still do.
Whee.
I think I came out ahead in this one.
Skitch
08-04-2010, 06:15 PM
Since the last RT transformation, my comebacks to the site only last about a day. It just seemed that one day there was a thousand newbs and most of the cool people bailed. Not much reason to stay, there's already an IMDB for that kind of movie conversation.
I was a regular of the WHYSL thread. Maybe I should check in.
I think I came out ahead in this one.
I wasn't gonna do it but then you made me all curious and...
...holy cats, the devil in the elevator is YOU!
Spinal
08-04-2010, 06:20 PM
I wasn't gonna do it but then you made me all curious and...
...holy cats, the devil in the elevator is YOU!
Spoiler tags!
:twisted:
I just discovered that I don't even know how to sign into my old RT account.
Same with me. I was gonna log on and being purging my old posts from history. Can't now. frownyface
Kurosawa Fan
08-04-2010, 06:56 PM
Man, KF was a dick.
....was?
I pull no punches, assface.
Rowland
08-04-2010, 08:16 PM
Armond on Step Up 3D: "Isn’t really as good as the underrated 1980s diptych, Breakin’ and the superb Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogalo..."
MadMan
08-04-2010, 08:30 PM
I dropped the _731 from my name for most of the sites I post at. Probably a good thing, I guess.
And sadly I still post at RT, but yeah most of the awesome people have left. The site has witnessed more mass exoduses than any other message board I can think of. Except for OT-that bunch will still be posting there when they finally close the whole thing down.
Qrazy
08-04-2010, 08:33 PM
Armond on Step Up 3D: "Isn’t really as good as the underrated 1980s diptych, Breakin’ and the superb Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogalo..."
What a dipshyht.
Fezzik
08-04-2010, 08:47 PM
I have a username on RT, but its been so long since I posted there I don't remember what it is.
I tried to get involved there, but most of the time the threads quickly devolved into a lot of angry spouting containing lots of capital letters and exclamation points on one side and pretentiousness on the other that was so over-the-top, you could almost hear the posters sniffing the air as they typed.
I like this place much better.
Spaceman Spiff
08-04-2010, 09:22 PM
What a dipshyht.
You are aware that he's just genuinely taking the piss, right? I think Armond is pretty funny actually, if you don't take him seriously (which you shouldn't).
Qrazy
08-04-2010, 09:40 PM
You are aware that he's just genuinely taking the piss, right? I think Armond is pretty funny actually, if you don't take him seriously (which you shouldn't).
I was referring specifically to his use of the term diptych in that sentence, but no I can't say I agree that he's very funny in general unless you think trolling is funny.
balmakboor
08-04-2010, 09:47 PM
Criterion announced today -- apparently -- that they are about to add Head (the Monkees film) to the collection. Should I be excited?
Yeah, I remember my RT days as altgodkub. Haven't been back there in years.
D_Davis
08-04-2010, 09:51 PM
Yeah, I remember my RT days as altgodkub. Haven't been back there in years.
You always have such memorable usernames.
;)
Qrazy
08-04-2010, 09:58 PM
Criterion announced today -- apparently -- that they are about to add Head (the Monkees film) to the collection. Should I be excited?
Not really, it's kind of mediocre.
megladon8
08-05-2010, 12:03 AM
Can someone give me some input on something I noticed in Dead Man's Shoes which just may be a large plot hole?
When Richard first returns home there's that scene where he and Anthony are sitting in a little diner/pool hall type place. This is where the very first confrontation occurs between Richard and one of Anthony's tormentors.
My problem is this - Anthony tells Richard "that's one of them there" when the guy walks in. Presumably, Richard wouldn't have known this guy was "one of them" if Anthony hadn't pointed him out.
But, it turns out at the end Anthony is dead and so his presence in the diner was just a figment of Richard's imagination.
So, is Richard supposed to actually have some kind of ability to communicate with his dead brother? How did he know this guy was one of the culprits?
Raiders
08-05-2010, 12:27 AM
Can someone give me some input on something I noticed in Dead Man's Shoes which just may be a large plot hole?
When Richard first returns home there's that scene where he and Anthony are sitting in a little diner/pool hall type place. This is where the very first confrontation occurs between Richard and one of Anthony's tormentors.
My problem is this - Anthony tells Richard "that's one of them there" when the guy walks in. Presumably, Richard wouldn't have known this guy was "one of them" if Anthony hadn't pointed him out.
But, it turns out at the end Anthony is dead and so his presence in the diner was just a figment of Richard's imagination.
So, is Richard supposed to actually have some kind of ability to communicate with his dead brother? How did he know this guy was one of the culprits?
It's been four years for me unfortunately, but...
I thought he already knew who the guys were. He seemed to know all about them and where they lived, even the last guy who was removed from the rest. I imagine Anthony's pointing him out was more, upon reflection, an internal confirmation for Richard to let it begin.
megladon8
08-05-2010, 12:32 AM
It's been four years for me unfortunately, but...
I thought he already knew who the guys were. He seemed to know all about them and where they lived, even the last guy who was removed from the rest. I imagine Anthony's pointing him out was more, upon reflection, an internal confirmation for Richard to let it begin.
OK this makes sense, I hadn't thought of it in that way.
I was just a little confused when that scene occurred, knowing the end of the film. Felt like a possible lapse in logic there.
Dead & Messed Up
08-05-2010, 12:36 AM
I think it's pretty awesome to use "diptych" in conjunction with Breakin' and Breakin' 2.
Watashi
08-05-2010, 12:43 AM
I have no idea what 'diptych' even means.
Sycophant
08-05-2010, 12:46 AM
http://www.whatnotstudios.com/shit/totorosonata3.jpg
http://www.whatnotstudios.com/shit/totorosonata1.jpg
Dukefrukem
08-05-2010, 12:54 AM
Yesterday, whilst sick, I watched 2012, Capitalism: A Love Story, and District 9.
2012 > Capitalism > District 9
:crazy:
Dukefrukem
08-05-2010, 12:55 AM
Sven, this is why I love you. (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/showthread.php?t=380706)
Yeah, I'm really bored tonight.
The best part about that thread is the last 12 posts. Barty made me LOL.
Also, is Sven in that thread? What's his name on RT?
Grouchy
08-05-2010, 02:44 AM
I have no idea what 'diptych' even means.
Well, it doesn't mean what Armond thinks it means. At all.
BuffaloWilder
08-05-2010, 04:57 AM
Pauline Kael was the Armond White of her day. Think about that for a minute.
B-side
08-05-2010, 04:58 AM
I don't think Grouchy's avatar has been properly praised of recent, or perhaps ever, so consider this me doing so.
Derek
08-05-2010, 05:07 AM
Pauline Kael was the Armond White of her day. Think about that for a minute.
Well yeah, White is a total Kaelite, but even at her worst, she would still defend a decent amount of actually good films and her defenses usually contained at least an ounce or two or well-reasoned thought. As far as the ability to come off like a pompous ass, it's hard to say who's the master.
Philosophe_rouge
08-05-2010, 05:13 AM
i also think that kael was actually really funny. white has his moments, but i don't think he was quite as clever or charmingly insulting.
eternity
08-05-2010, 06:42 AM
Is it acceptable to count Internal Semiotics as a film? What do you think, Brightside?
B-side
08-05-2010, 06:43 AM
Is it acceptable to count Internal Semiotics as a film? What do you think, Brightside?
More of a performance piece, I'd wager.
eternity
08-05-2010, 06:45 AM
More of a performance piece, I'd wager.
The supporting cast in the third act is the highlight, I'd wager.
B-side
08-05-2010, 06:46 AM
The supporting cast in the third act is the highlight, I'd wager.
I was digging the vaginal fluids dripping on the spaghetti-o's.
I'd wager.
Winston*
08-05-2010, 07:53 AM
Of course I'm a big Julia Stiles fan, why would you ask?
Well, it doesn't mean what Armond thinks it means. At all.
Can a film and its sequel not be considered side by side?
Armond's approach to Ken Russell this week is excellent.
kuehnepips
08-05-2010, 10:23 AM
I was a regular of the WHYSL thread. Maybe I should check in.
Don't. They locked the WHYSL-thread and no one started a new one since you and I left. I wonder if radioman will ever show up here.
This thread is confusing me today.
Armond's approach to Ken Russell this week is excellent.
Ken Russell makes my skin itch.
B-side
08-05-2010, 12:34 PM
I love slow tracking shots, and even slower zooms.
Skitch
08-05-2010, 01:40 PM
The Road was frustrating. Top notch filmmaking in every aspect but one: writing. Almost no story. I understand its supposed to be a series of moments of a father and son after the apocalypse, but I didn't even feel like their relationship had an arc. They also set up interesting ideas and went nowhere with them.
Random questions...
What was the deal with the people with no thumbs? Why was the foster family following them? What are the odds that five trees will all fall centrally on one point? What is the possibility you could kill someone with a flare gun?
dreamdead
08-05-2010, 01:51 PM
So can someone explain some larger significance to the Dutch film Grimm? For being absurdist it's too conventional, never achieving the grandiose wonder of Jodorowsky, and too oddball to work as a straight drama. There's something exciting about seeing the initial Hansel and Gretal narrative played out in a contemporary adult setting, but after that arc is done it devolves without reasoning into Bluebeard and archetypal western, without ever substantiating why such moves should be made. And the icky incestuous hints about the siblings, while essentially unsurprising, feel as though they receive no treatment or analysis. It's got some clever moments, most especially when the brother "hijacks" the drunkard's car, but it never ties together in any way...
MacGuffin
08-05-2010, 07:20 PM
To Catch a Thief is definitely minor Hitchcock. It's never really exciting in that Hitchcock way and neither the thriller nor the romantic aspects of the movie fully flourish. Neat moments throughout and it was cool seeing Cannes, but it is ultimately too bland.
Spinal
08-05-2010, 07:22 PM
To Catch a Thief is definitely minor Hitchcock. It's never really exciting in that Hitchcock way and neither the thriller nor the romantic aspects of the movie fully flourish. Neat moments throughout and it was cool seeing Cannes, but it is ultimately too bland.
Sort of. But I found more to like (http://filmepidemic.blogspot.com/search?q=to+catch+a+thief) than you did.
MacGuffin
08-05-2010, 07:29 PM
Sort of. But I found more to like (http://filmepidemic.blogspot.com/search?q=to+catch+a+thief) than you did.
I think I wanted to like it more than I actually did. I went in knowing a lot of people aren't too fond of it and really wanted to declare it an unsung masterpiece, but I ended up checking the clock more than I would have liked.
I'll read your review in full, but I already agree with you after the first two sentences. The one thing that I liked about the movie in its entirety was the sense of style.
Dead & Messed Up
08-05-2010, 07:34 PM
Can a film and its sequel not be considered side by side?
Exactly. "Diptych" can mean "two parts that complement each other and form a whole."
MacGuffin
08-05-2010, 07:36 PM
I was thinking about pre-code stuff as well during the fireworks scene. Definitely the movie's key scene for me, but there were a few other cool ones.
MacGuffin
08-05-2010, 08:35 PM
Apparently, Terry Gilliam is directing the Arcade Fire in New York tonight for a live webcast. (http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/and-now-for-someone-completely-indifferent-terry-gilliam-on-directing-arcade-fire/?src=mv)
StanleyK
08-05-2010, 08:51 PM
I just want to say that the Coen brothers have written many flawed but three-dimensional characters in some seemingly, but not at all so, pessimistic films.
Anyway, The Killing is a fantastic thriller, with a delightful turn towards absurdity towards the end. Perfect crime scenarios are great for a juvenile thrill, but as the ominous final shot reminds us, there's consequences to everything ("the bigger the risk, the higher the reward", paraphrasing Clay- but also the harshest the punishment), and no amount of planning can account for a stupid dog running across the airstrip.
Oh, and My Neighbor Totoro is just about perfect. It may the best animated film I've seen.
RoadtoPerdition
08-06-2010, 12:30 AM
Oh, and My Neighbor Totoro is just about perfect. It may the best animated film I've seen.
I can't really elaborate on this due to the fact that it's been awhile since I've seen My Neighbor Totoro, but I found it to be Miyazaki's worst. I know, I know, most people love it, but I really didn't care for it at all.
EDIT: Worst out of what I've actually seen of his (Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, and Princess Mononoke).
Derek
08-06-2010, 01:11 AM
The Road was frustrating. Top notch filmmaking in every aspect but one: writing. Almost no story.
They really missed a golden opportunity to bring back the magical negro.
Skitch
08-06-2010, 01:39 AM
They really missed a golden opportunity to bring back the magical negro.
While I appreciate at least one response to my post, whaaaaaa?
Winston*
08-06-2010, 01:44 AM
Have you read the book, Skitch?
Sycophant
08-06-2010, 01:46 AM
How much more story should it have had? 50%? 100%? 500%?
baby doll
08-06-2010, 01:50 AM
Weekend:
The Only Son (Yasujiro Ozu, 1936)
Le Deuxième souffle (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1966)
Les Bons débarras (Francis Mankiewicz, 1980)
Momma's Man (Azel Jacobs, 2008)
Tetro (Francis Ford Coppola, 2009)
Winter's Bone (Debra Granik, 2010)
Derek
08-06-2010, 01:51 AM
While I appreciate at least one response to my post, whaaaaaa?
I'm joking. I think it's silly to say that the film was not top-notch because it didn't have much of a story or relationship arc, so I jokingly suggested a lame Hollywood cliche that could've provided it. I'm not the biggest fan of the film, but I did admire its simplicity and willingness to focus mostly on the reality of struggling to survive in a nearly impossible situation. Additional "story" or "arc" to conform to whatever Robert McKee-ish generic Hollywood formula that would have made it more palatable to wider audiences would only have taken away from the sense of tragedy and realism the film managed to capture.
Skitch
08-06-2010, 02:27 AM
Have you read the book, Skitch?
No. The movie did make me want to read the book, though. Seemed like the kind of story that would work better in novel form.
How much more story should it have had? 50%? 100%? 500%?
I thought you and I were done, guy. No? We starting up again?
I'm joking. I think it's silly to say that the film was not top-notch because it didn't have much of a story or relationship arc, so I jokingly suggested a lame Hollywood cliche that could've provided it. I'm not the biggest fan of the film, but I did admire its simplicity and willingness to focus mostly on the reality of struggling to survive in a nearly impossible situation. Additional "story" or "arc" to conform to whatever Robert McKee-ish generic Hollywood formula that would have made it more palatable to wider audiences would only have taken away from the sense of tragedy and realism the film managed to capture.
I definately did not say it was top notch because it didn't have much story. I said it was top notch except it had no story. I'm not looking for Book of Eli 2 here, but I feel if they're going to make a point to point out certain things, I.e., the people with no thumbs, then maybe they could throw the audience a bone on what the signifigance of that would be.
As far as additional arc, I was looking for at least a progression in the relationship between the boy and the father, yet I didn't feel there was. The kid was helpless at the beginning, the father tried to teach him to be strong, and he walked off with the first stranger thet opened a hand. Odd. Wouldn't he be more guarded? Nah, he trusts the first guy he comes across. So he's the same as he was at the beginning?
It just seems odd to me.
Boner M
08-06-2010, 03:15 AM
Weekend viewings (ONLY THING THIS FORUM'S GOOD FOR)
Ossos
Heartbeat Detector
Leslie, My Name is Evil
I Killed My Mother
The Ghost Writer
Derek
08-06-2010, 03:34 AM
I definately did not say it was top notch because it didn't have much story. I said it was top notch except it had no story.
Top notch filmmaking in every aspect but one: writing. Almost no story.
Where's the "except" in the latter statement? It sounds like you're saying that the writing was not top-notch precisely because there's almost no story. I'm not sure how else that statement can be read.
As far as additional arc, I was looking for at least a progression in the relationship between the boy and the father, yet I didn't feel there was. The kid was helpless at the beginning, the father tried to teach him to be strong, and he walked off with the first stranger thet opened a hand. Odd. Wouldn't he be more guarded? Nah, he trusts the first guy he comes across. So he's the same as he was at the beginning?
It just seems odd to me.
I don't subscribe to the idea that a protagonist must change. Sure, he could learn life lessons or learn to be a better father or the film could be about rising above an impossible situation and go the old inspirational route, but all of those seem rote given that the world is fucked. All they can do is have a somewhat attainable goal of getting south and not dying.
MacGuffin
08-06-2010, 03:59 AM
Weekend possibilities:
The Celebration (Vinterberg)
Daisy Kenyon (Preminger)
Frontier of Dawn (Garrel) or The Naked Spur (Anthony Mann)
B-side
08-06-2010, 04:02 AM
The Celebration is great. Frontier of Dawn is nothing special. Garrel interests me, though.
MacGuffin
08-06-2010, 04:07 AM
The Celebration is great. Frontier of Dawn is nothing special. Garrel interests me, though.
I should probably just rewatch Regular Lovers - I admittedly didn't understand how epic that movie was until like, weeks later with thorough contemplation. When you add Lubtchansky camerawork, some great young actors, some great sets, a sense of wonder and a classic Kinks song set against a current of protesting... well, that's epic.
Garrel is pretty skillful at combining all of these together, but I just want to see the movie again to be sure. I was gonna first try Frontier of Dawn because I really enjoyed Laura Smet in The Bridesmaid and it always looked kind of intriguing to me.
B-side
08-06-2010, 04:12 AM
I should probably just rewatch Regular Lovers - I admittedly didn't understand how epic that movie was until like, weeks later with thorough contemplation. When you add Lubtchansky camerawork, some great young actors, some great sets, a sense of wonder and a classic Kinks song set against a current of protesting... well, that's epic.
Garrel is pretty skillful at combining all of these together, but I just want to see the movie again to be sure. I was gonna first try Frontier of Dawn because I really enjoyed Laura Smet in The Bridesmaid and it always looked kind of intriguing to me.
It's the only one of his I've seen so far, unfortunately. It's not bad or anything, and you may very well love it for all I know, I just wasn't exactly thrilled with it.
MacGuffin
08-06-2010, 04:15 AM
It's the only one of his I've seen so far, unfortunately. It's not bad or anything, and you may very well love it for all I know, I just wasn't exactly thrilled with it.
Oh, I don't doubt it's one of his weaker movies, but it's really hard to tell with Garrel based on what I've read about him. Apparently his earlier works are basically trancelike.
Spinal
08-06-2010, 04:54 AM
I wish Bolt didn't have Travolta as the lead voice over. Because it's actually a pretty good movie for what it is.
Boner M
08-06-2010, 05:04 AM
Garrel's great. Regular Lovers, I Can No Longer Hear the Guitar & Emergency Kisses are all excellent & highly distinctive from anything else in French cinema. It's as if he's taken the incidental effects and aesthetics of Warhol's cinema and used them for poetic purposes.
His new one has Monica Bellucci too, niiiice.
B-side
08-06-2010, 05:16 AM
Garrel's great. Regular Lovers, I Can No Longer Hear the Guitar & Emergency Kisses are all excellent & highly distinctive from anything else in French cinema. It's as if he's taken the incidental effects and aesthetics of Warhol's cinema and used them for poetic purposes.
His new one has Monica Bellucci too, niiiice.
I have these:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063529/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064593/
Soon.
Rowland
08-06-2010, 05:27 AM
I didn't get Regular Lovers. The only thing I remember all that vividly from it is that lovely extended shot with the riot police early in the movie.
MacGuffin
08-06-2010, 05:28 AM
I have these:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063529/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064593/
Soon.
I think those are generally considered his best films.
B-side
08-06-2010, 05:31 AM
I think those are generally considered his best films.
Are they? I just kinda randomly picked them.
soitgoes...
08-06-2010, 05:37 AM
The Inner Scar is the only Garrel I've seen, and it is pretty amazing. I'm not sure what the fuck happens, but for whatever reason it all works. And if I know anything at all, it is this: Brightside you will LOVE this film. It was made for you. Seriously.
B-side
08-06-2010, 05:56 AM
The Inner Scar is the only Garrel I've seen, and it is pretty amazing. I'm not sure what the fuck happens, but for whatever reason it all works. And if I know anything at all, it is this: Brightside you will LOVE this film. It was made for you. Seriously.
Yeah, I saw that a while back, but the lack of subs has been a deterrent. Description says the dialogue is minimal, though, so maybe it'd be worth giving it a shot.
MacGuffin
08-06-2010, 05:59 AM
Yeah, I saw that a while back, but the lack of subs has been a deterrent. Description says the dialogue is minimal, though, so maybe it'd be worth giving it a shot.
Director doesn't want people to use subs for that one.
B-side
08-06-2010, 06:00 AM
Director doesn't want people to use subs for that one.
Are you... being serious?
soitgoes...
08-06-2010, 06:01 AM
Are you... being serious?
True story.
MacGuffin
08-06-2010, 06:01 AM
Are you... being serious?
Yeah, but he's not the only director like that. Straub and Huillet also feel similarly toward subtitles.
B-side
08-06-2010, 06:04 AM
True story.
Yeah, but he's not the only director like that. Straub and Huillet also feel similarly toward subtitles.
Alrighty-then.
B-side
08-06-2010, 06:09 AM
BTW, I've seen nothing from Straub and/or Huillet. What of theirs is necessary viewing?
MacGuffin
08-06-2010, 06:14 AM
BTW, I've seen nothing from Straub and/or Huillet. What of theirs is necessary viewing?
Not sure, but I think most might tell you to watch Class Relations. The movie about Bach's wife is on Netflix though, so I may check that out soon.
Watashi
08-06-2010, 06:52 AM
I wish Bolt didn't have Travolta as the lead voice over. Because it's actually a pretty good movie for what it is.
It has the same plot as Toy Story. :|
Sxottlan
08-06-2010, 09:27 AM
So I'm taking the plunge with Blu-Ray. I got a player for Christmas and just today bought my first discs. However, I don't have an HD TV, so I feel like I'm spending extra money for essentially the same movie.
Although what's up with these feature-length documentaries that play alongside the films? I saw it tonight on Clash of the Titans and it puts all these vignettes together with the actual movie in a tiny tiny screen that's constantly moving around. Very obnoxious. Who would want to watch a movie this way? I can't seem to find any plain audio commentary to listen to over the film in a full frame.
I suppose that it really doesn't matter. I don't care for extras anymore. I think the last ones I watched were for LOTR.
Is everyone else upgrading to Blu-Ray? I guess what I'm asking is does anyone else think it's really worth it?
Skitch
08-06-2010, 10:33 AM
Where's the "except" in the latter statement? It sounds like you're saying that the writing was not top-notch precisely because there's almost no story. I'm not sure how else that statement can be read.
But.. Everything was good but the writing. I see how I could have been misunderstood though. I was more reffering to the aspects of art design, acting, score, lighting...etc.
I don't subscribe to the idea that a protagonist must change. Sure, he could learn life lessons or learn to be a better father or the film could be about rising above an impossible situation and go the old inspirational route, but all of those seem rote given that the world is fucked. All they can do is have a somewhat attainable goal of getting south and not dying.
Fair enough. Personally I just could have used a little more.
B-side
08-06-2010, 12:30 PM
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done:
http://i34.tinypic.com/vdjpli.jpg
Why is the whole world staring at me?/10
Dukefrukem
08-06-2010, 12:58 PM
Is everyone else upgrading to Blu-Ray? I guess what I'm asking is does anyone else think it's really worth it?
I'm so happy with it. The difference from SD to 1080p is amazing. Buy the Dark Knight of Blu-ray asap.
Raiders
08-06-2010, 01:33 PM
I wish Bolt didn't have Travolta as the lead voice over. Because it's actually a pretty good movie for what it is.
Travolta was good enough. I agree about the film. I was unexpectedly laughing throughout most of it. There's a cut when they're in the back of the animal control van to Bolt trying to use his laser-eyes that had me rolling.
Dukefrukem
08-06-2010, 01:47 PM
So the new Blu-ray release (http://www.amazon.com/Evil-Dead-Blu-ray-Bruce-Campbell/dp/B003IY48PS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1281102495&sr=8-1) of Evil Dead has NEW commentary by Bruce Campbell. And it's only $17... WANT!
Sycophant
08-06-2010, 02:44 PM
Is everyone else upgrading to Blu-Ray? I guess what I'm asking is does anyone else think it's really worth it?
Prediction: you will buy at least a 720p TV within a year. I lasted like 2 months between buying my PS3 and getting an HD set. It was hard to see the difference with an SDTV. But now that I've got an HDTV, I can see the different, and it's pretty nifty.
That said, since I've got just a 26" TV at 720p, a really well-mastered DVD on a decent player and TV that offer good upscaling looks about as good (to my eyes) as any 1080p Blu-ray.
Spinal
08-06-2010, 05:14 PM
I've owned a PS3 for several months now and haven't used the Blu-Ray player once. I guess it just doesn't interest me that much.
Kurosawa Fan
08-06-2010, 05:20 PM
I've owned a PS3 for several months now and haven't used the Blu-Ray player once. I guess it just doesn't interest me that much.
Yeah, it doesn't matter much to me either. I do like the trend of my kids new Blu-Ray DVDs having a copy of both types though. That's a handy perk.
MacGuffin
08-06-2010, 05:20 PM
I've owned a PS3 for several months now and haven't used the Blu-Ray player once. I guess it just doesn't interest me that much.
Do you have Netflix?
Spinal
08-06-2010, 05:27 PM
Do you have Netflix?
I do.
MacGuffin
08-06-2010, 05:32 PM
I do.
I was gonna say you should check out instant streaming, but you probably already have. The quality on certain high definition videos (The Red Balloon) I've found is just as good as some Blu-ray discs and could give you an idea of that quality, but the movies are streamed rather than played all at once, so of course it's not the same thing.
Spinal
08-06-2010, 05:34 PM
I was gonna say you should check out instant streaming, but you probably already have. The quality on certain high definition videos (The Red Balloon) I've found is just as good as some Blu-ray discs and could give you an idea of that quality, but the movies are streamed rather than played all at once, so of course it's not the same thing.
Love the instant watch feature. I like not having to worry about DVD skips.
MacGuffin
08-06-2010, 05:37 PM
Love the instant watch feature. I like not having to worry about DVD skips.
I've found for many standard definition videos, I have to watch them downstairs on the Blu-ray player. For whatever reason, I have bad luck and my PS3 does this annoying thing where SD vids blink black screens multiple times while I'm watching.
Watashi
08-06-2010, 05:45 PM
I'll put off watching a movie if it comes out on Blu-Ray a few months down the road.
Once watching a Blu-Ray film on a 50" Plasma TV, there is no going back.
D_Davis
08-06-2010, 08:01 PM
I still think movies look best on my projector. It's only 1080i, but there is something about the image actually being projected on a big screen that just makes the movies feel more like movies, or more cinematic, or something. I haven't been very impressed with Blu-ray so far. Everything looks far too clean and sterile for my tastes. I like some grain and imperfections in my images. This is especially true on 240Hz televisions. I really can't stand the way movies look on those. They look...fake...like some kind of cheaply produced soap opera or something.
I don't know...
D_Davis
08-06-2010, 08:04 PM
So the new Blu-ray release (http://www.amazon.com/Evil-Dead-Blu-ray-Bruce-Campbell/dp/B003IY48PS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1281102495&sr=8-1) of Evil Dead has NEW commentary by Bruce Campbell. And it's only $17... WANT!
I'll wait for the 17th version they put out in a couple of years. I'm also excited for the Evil Dead 2: Ultimate Limited Edition Boomstick Bootleg F'ed in the A Masterclass Superclass Edition coming out after the 57th version of ED2 later this year. Should be awesome.
Sycophant
08-06-2010, 08:06 PM
Yeah, I saw some of those super-high refresh rate TVs for the first time at Costco a while back. They were playing Avatar's live action scenes and it looked just so off and terrible, and that had nothing to do with the movie. Looked so tacky.
D_Davis
08-06-2010, 08:08 PM
Yeah, I saw some of those super-high refresh rate TVs for the first time at Costco a while back. They were playing Avatar's live action scenes and it looked just so off and terrible, and that had nothing to do with the movie. Looked so tacky.
Yeah, it's terrible.
Watashi
08-06-2010, 08:21 PM
You know you can turn that feature off. The only thing it's good for is sports.
I love how most regular consumers can't tell the difference. Hell, there are people out there who complain that Blu-Ray movies won't play in their DVD players.
Qrazy
08-06-2010, 09:50 PM
I still think movies look best on my projector. It's only 1080i, but there is something about the image actually being projected on a big screen that just makes the movies feel more like movies, or more cinematic, or something. I haven't been very impressed with Blu-ray so far. Everything looks far too clean and sterile for my tastes. I like some grain and imperfections in my images. This is especially true on 240Hz televisions. I really can't stand the way movies look on those. They look...fake...like some kind of cheaply produced soap opera or something.
I don't know...
Agreed. Projector owners ftw.
megladon8
08-07-2010, 12:13 AM
Can anyone give me some recommendations of good films starring Robert Mitchum?
Having recently re-watched Out of the Past and Night of the Hunter I'm really wanting to see more. I really like him in these two.
MacGuffin
08-07-2010, 12:22 AM
Angel Face
Wryan
08-07-2010, 12:24 AM
Can anyone give me some recommendations of good films starring Robert Mitchum?
Having recently re-watched Out of the Past and Night of the Hunter I'm really wanting to see more. I really like him in these two.
Cape Fear, '62
The Enemy Below
He also played Marlowe a few times.
Winston*
08-07-2010, 12:29 AM
Cape Fear, '62
The Enemy Below
He also played Marlowe a few times.
I saw him as Marlowe in the Farewell My Lovely from the 70s and thought he was miscast
megladon8
08-07-2010, 12:40 AM
Angel Face
I definitely must check this one out.
Stay Puft
08-07-2010, 12:46 AM
His Kind of Woman.
Vincent Price does a lot of scene stealing, though, and eventually hijacks the entire film.
Derek
08-07-2010, 12:46 AM
I definitely must check this one out.
The Lusty Men and Track of the Cat are both worth a look. The former is typically solid Nick Ray and the latter has a fascinating use of color. Plus, both are westerns, which if I remember correctly, you generally enjoy and Mitchum's great in both.
megladon8
08-07-2010, 12:51 AM
The Lusty Men and Track of the Cat are both worth a look. The former is typically solid Nick Ray and the latter has a fascinating use of color. Plus, both are westerns, which if I remember correctly, you generally enjoy and Mitchum's great in both.
Yep, westerns are wonderful!!
Speaking of which I re-watched The Proposition the other night. It's still wonderful, a great, great film, but I don't love it the way I used to. I used to give it a 10/10 no questions asked. Now it's probably an 8.5
Raiders
08-07-2010, 02:33 AM
Mitchum is fantastic in Raoul Walsh's awesome noir-western Pursued. Highly recommended.
MacGuffin
08-07-2010, 04:32 AM
For those who are baffled by the appearance here of one who goes by "Jaime Christley", I googled him and found a blog he does called Unexamined Essentials (http://www.unexaminedessentials.com/) and it's practically indispensable as an online movie reference guide. He also has a more written review style blog out there called Out, Damned Spot! (http://outdamnedspot.blogspot.com/)
Derek
08-07-2010, 04:54 AM
For those who are baffled by the appearance here of one who goes by "Jaime Christley", I googled him and found a blog he does called Unexamined Essentials (http://www.unexaminedessentials.com/) and it's practically indispensable as an online movie reference guide. He also has a more written review style blog out there called Out, Damned Spot! (http://outdamnedspot.blogspot.com/)
Yeah, it's a wonderful resource as is his favorite films list.
eternity
08-07-2010, 05:23 AM
I really don't know what to think about The Kids Are All Right. It's so mediocre that it makes me want to hate it, frustratingly mediocre, but then it's still...alright.
baby doll
08-07-2010, 07:10 AM
I really don't know what to think about The Kids Are All Right. It's so mediocre that it makes me want to hate it, frustratingly mediocre, but then it's still...alright.I'd already forgotten it until you brought it up again.
Qrazy
08-07-2010, 07:54 AM
Mitchum Recommendations:
The Last Tycoon (1976) .... Pat Brady
The Yakuza (1974) .... Harry Kilmer
Cape Fear (1962) .... Max Cady
The Night of the Hunter (1955) .... Harry Powell
Angel Face (1952) .... Frank Jessup
Out of the Past (1947) .... Jeff Bailey
B-side
08-07-2010, 07:56 AM
Mitchum Recommendations:
Out of the Past (1947) .... Jeff Bailey
Having recently re-watched Out of the Past...
;)
Qrazy
08-07-2010, 08:00 AM
;)
Yes I know, I just cut through imdb and conglomerated a list that way, it was easier.
Qrazy
08-07-2010, 08:01 AM
Also I'm drunk so... meh. You know what though, we should probably finish the film swap thread.
B-side
08-07-2010, 08:01 AM
Also I'm drunk so... meh. You know what though, we should probably finish the film swap thread.
You should.
soitgoes...
08-07-2010, 08:05 AM
Also I'm drunk so... meh. You know what though, we should probably finish the film swap thread.Yeah, and you should watch some films off the list. I'm gonna bury you if you don't get on that.
Qrazy
08-07-2010, 08:06 AM
Yeah, and you should watch some films off the list. I'm gonna bury you if you don't get on that.
Meh, there's a little thing I like to call working to make a living so I don't stave to death.
Qrazy
08-07-2010, 08:06 AM
You should.
Your mother should.
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