28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[Ezee E]

Is this just collective amnesia, or are we actively ignoring his performance in Sphere?

Seriously though, I recall him being quite solid in supporting roles for many mediocre movies, including Runaway Jury, Confidence, Wag the Dog, Sleepers... *shrug*

Kind of what I was aiming at. After Hook his choice of movies just seems to drop significantly. Although he was still the highlight of Confidence, an otherwise awful movie.

[Yxklyx]

Have you seen Schlondorff's Death of a Salesman? He devastates that role.

He's also quite good in Papillon although the film as a whole is a mixed bag.

Schlondorff and Hoffman - will have to see this one! Papillon is like a precursor to all those very long and slow films from the 80s.

[number8]

Tarantino's editor Sally Menke was found dead in a park this morning. :sad:

Makes the "Hi, Sally" feature on the Inglourious Basterds DVD really sad.

[Pop Trash]

Tarantino's editor Sally Menke was found dead in a park this morning. :sad:

Makes the "Hi, Sally" feature on the Inglourious Basterds DVD really sad.

Damn, that sucks. She was a great editor.

[Pop Trash]

In related news: it was seriously 113 degrees in LA yesterday? And it's almost October? What's that about global warming being a figment of our collective imagination?

[Spinal]

Tarantino's editor Sally Menke was found dead in a park this morning. :sad:

Makes the "Hi, Sally" feature on the Inglourious Basterds DVD really sad.

That's awful.

[Grouchy]

I haven't seen Death of a Salesman, Papillon or Lenny, unfortunately. He's good in Dick Tracy, but eh. Pacino is better.

That's fucked up news about Sally Menke. I hope it's found out to be a stupid accident, at the very least.

[Ezee E]

Sally Menke to Quentin Tarantino is almost like Thelma Schoonmaker to Martin Scorsese.

Sad news indeed.

[Skitch]

That sucks about Sally. :(

As for the global warming, three days ago it was 90 degrees and humid as hell. Today its freezing, much colder than average for this time of year. I'll take some of that global warming as soon as it can be delivered, please.

[megladon8]

Today I heard a hipster describe a film as being "totally banal and jejun"

[MadMan]

Tarantino's editor Sally Menke was found dead in a park this morning. :sad:

Makes the "Hi, Sally" feature on the Inglourious Basterds DVD really sad.That's really shitty, as she did great work. I liked that feature for her on IB-it was quite amusing. RIP.

Dustin Hoffman, from what I've seen, is a fine actor and maybe even a scholar. Okay I can't back that last part up, but I've liked most of his movies that I've actually viewed. The Graduate being chief among them. I should probably view Midnight Cowboy sometime.

PS: My favorite Dustin Hoffman performance (so far) is the one he did in Hero, as a complete and utter hilarious douchebag asshole that ends up doing the right thing. I liked that he was willing to portray such a character, and his final comments are hilarious. Really good, funny and sharp movie, too-one that doesn't get mentioned when people discuss films that focus on the media.

[NickGlass]

Today I heard a hipster describe a film as being "totally banal and jejun"

You mean "jejune"? Which film?

[D_Davis]

Anyone watch Crips and Bloods: Made in America? It's really good. I like Stacy Peralta's docs. He's got a good eye for capturing his subject. Anyhow, it's very interesting.

[Derek]

Tarantino's editor Sally Menke was found dead in a park this morning. :sad:

Makes the "Hi, Sally" feature on the Inglourious Basterds DVD really sad.

:cry:

RIP. One of the best editors working today.

[number8]

I've always loved the word jejune. There are certain words that I get excited about when people use verbally. That's one of them. The other is "malaise," which I seem to only use when I'm quoting Dr. Evil whilst drunk.

[Derek]

I've always loved the word jejune. There are certain words that I get excited about when people use verbally. That's one of them. The other is "malaise," which I seem to only use when I'm quoting Dr. Evil whilst drunk.

Same here, and coupled with "banal", it really rolls of the tongue. "Banal & Jejune"...a good title for a French kids tv show.

[Winston*]

I think its funny because of the chance that dude got the phrase 'banal and jejune' from a Nick Cave lyric.

[Watashi]

The Criterion blu-ray of The Thin Red Line is so beautiful and glorious.

[megladon8]

You mean "jejune"? Which film?


I don't know, I just overheard the descriptor and I think I heard them mention Nicolas Cage.

[B-side]

Rendezvous in Paris really hit the spot. Occupying Rohmer's characters' lives for a while proved serene and involving. Light, but not insubstantial. Dramatic, but not over the top. Wonderful stuff.

[Sxottlan]

Tarantino's editor Sally Menke was found dead in a park this morning. :sad:

I read this on the wire at work. What a horrible loss. :( Such incredible work with Tarantino. He and her family must be devastated.

Sleep well Sally.

This along with Satoshi Kon only serves to remind me that our film gods are only human and one day those names will stop appearing in the end credits.

[Sxottlan]

I was surprised to discover a rather funny wish-fulfillment adventure with Cera injecting enough caustic wit to please a lonely 65 year old man with 17 illegitimate Nicaraguan love children like myself.

Papa, why don't you write anymore?

[Ivan Drago]

The Criterion blu-ray of The Thin Red Line is so beautiful and glorious.

That'll be the first DVD I buy if/when I get a blu-ray player.

[Pop Trash]

Anyone watch Crips and Bloods: Made in America? It's really good. I like Stacy Peralta's docs. He's got a good eye for capturing his subject. Anyhow, it's very interesting.

I watched it, but I remember being disappointed by it. I think it had to do with Peralta focusing too much on "it's all whiteys fault" as far as why the gangs exist. Also, he skipped over much of the 80s and 90s which were very violent times for gangs. He also skipped over the Latino gangs vs. Black gangs which probably factor in just as much as Black gangs vs. rich white society.

[B-side]

Papa, why don't you write anymore?

Oh, son, you know how it is. The life of a farmer is hard work. And about those child support payments... they're lost in the mail. Clearly, the government doesn't want you to be able to afford to keep your electricity. I suppose grandma is going to have to buck up and go without her iron lung for a bit.

[Scar]

Tarantino's editor Sally Menke was found dead in a park this morning. :sad:

Makes the "Hi, Sally" feature on the Inglourious Basterds DVD really sad.

Best guess before the autopsy is hyperthermia. She was out on a hike on that brutally hot day.

[Yxklyx]

Arthur Penn (Bonnie and Clyde, Little Big Man) died.

[transmogrifier]

Jesus, Spielberg's 1941 might well be the worst film I have seen in about 5 years. I thought it might be one of those unjustly maligned ambitious movies that filmmakers make every now and then that are ripe for reappraisal. But no - if anything, it isn't maligned enough. What an unfunny, tone-deaf, loud, ugly, moronic piece of shit this movie is.

[MadMan]

Arthur Penn (Bonnie and Clyde, Little Big Man) died.I've seen only those two movies, but Bonnie and Clyde is a great film and Little Big Man is a good one, rather underrated in fact. RIP.

trans I watched the first 10-15 minutes of 1941 and turned it off because I could already tell there was a serious lack of funny. Even though I liked The Terminal Spielberg really needs to stay away from comedy.

[transmogrifier]

The opening 10-15 minutes is exactly like the rest of the film. It is stuck in the same hyperactive, unfunny screech for the entire 2 and a half hours.

[MadMan]

The opening 10-15 minutes is exactly like the rest of the film. It is stuck in the same hyperactive, unfunny screech for the entire 2 and a half hours.Glad I to see I ended up being right. I actually thought that the Jaws spoof at the beginning with the hot chick would actually be funny. It wasn't :|

[StanleyK]

Top 7 Worst Movies by Good Directors
1. 1941 (Spielberg) 9

Weren't you saying he was the most overrated director a while ago?

[MadMan]

trans what do you think is Hitchcock's worst movie? Right now for me its Dial M For Murder, although I keep hearing that Jamica Inn is terrible.

[Derek]

although I keep hearing that Jamica Inn is terrible.

I haven't seen it, but I know Svensos gave that one a 10, so I guess it has it's defenders. Then again, I think he gave a 10 to Topaz as well, which I'd say is his worst.

[megladon8]

When it comes to Hitchcock I seem to have unpopular tastes.

I would rank The Birds fairly low. Maybe not the worst, but it's down there.

North By Northwest, Rope and Psycho are my favorites.

[transmogrifier]

trans what do you think is Hitchcock's worst movie? Right now for me its Dial M For Murder, although I keep hearing that Jamica Inn is terrible.

I've only seen 9 of his, but so far it's Psycho.

[Yxklyx]

SOMEBODY better get Nurse Ratched.

[transmogrifier]

Weren't you saying he was the most overrated director a while ago?

I may have; though recently I've only mentioned Herzog and Kubrick.

Spielberg (like the Coens) is a good director, perfectly capable of making amazing films, but I don't think he (or they) are as blazingly brilliant and so many others do.

[transmogrifier]

Hitchcock:

Saboteur - 80
Lifeboat - 77
The Birds - 73
Rear Window - 71
I Confess - 71
Rope - 70
Strangers on a Train - 66
The Wrong Man - 60
Spellbound - 58
Psycho - 38

Been too long for Vertigo and North by Northwest to remember. Middling, as best I can recall. Both will be rewatched at some stage.

[Watashi]

Saboteur is fucking awful.

[megladon8]

Saboteur is fucking awful.


And Psycho is brilliant.

I don't think anyone has attempted to debate that trans is delusional :lol:

[Derek]

I would rank The Birds fairly low. Maybe not the worst, but it's down there.

Wow. I actually rewatched it again earlier this year and now think it's one of his best. The communal sense of dread and the inexplicable, ominous forces slowly working their way to the surface are so masterfully executed that the dated effects are a mere afterthought. Hitchcock has probably never so effectively used ambiguity and, even in the end, the source of evil is so amorphous, it's completely pervasive. I love the loose symbolism, the playfully perverse mother issues and that it led to some of Simon Pegg's finest work (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLToN2pjik8).

[Spinal]

Saboteur is fucking awful.

I wouldn't go that far, but it's certainly one of the most pedestrian Hitchcock efforts I've seen. It's not even the best Hitchcock film that starts with the letters S-A-B-O-T.

[Raiders]

The Truth About Charlie is a fantabulous film.

[megladon8]

Wow. I actually rewatched it again earlier this year and now think it's one of his best. The communal sense of dread and the inexplicable, ominous forces slowly working their way to the surface are so masterfully executed that the dated effects are a mere afterthought. Hitchcock has probably never so effectively used ambiguity and, even in the end, the source of evil is so amorphous, it's completely pervasive. I love the loose symbolism, the playfully perverse mother issues and that it led to some of Simon Pegg's finest work (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLToN2pjik8).


I just didn't find it tense, frightening, or even engaging. I thought it was probably Hitchcock's silliest film, and one of the very few cases where I found the very poor aging of the effects to be a huge detriment to the overall experience.

Atmosphere out the wazoo couldn't make the ridiculous looking bird attacks even remotely tense.

[Rowland]

I'll second "The Birds is one of his best" sentiments.

[transmogrifier]

Funnily enough, I just watched Dressed to Kill. So, so, so, so much better than Psycho, which it rips off shamelessly. Lurid and atmospheric, brilliant set-pieces, and a naked, nubile Nancy Allen. Yum.

[balmakboor]

Hitchcock:

Saboteur - 80
Lifeboat - 77
The Birds - 73
Rear Window - 71
I Confess - 71
Rope - 70
Strangers on a Train - 66
The Wrong Man - 60
Spellbound - 58
Psycho - 38

Been too long for Vertigo and North by Northwest to remember. Middling, as best I can recall. Both will be rewatched at some stage.

I don't know what to say about this post. I first thought that it was all upsidedown as a joke, but that doesn't make sense because then everything from Lifeboat down through The Wrong Man should be in the 20-30 range. Well, maybe not I Confess. I haven't seen that one for a while.

But then I have no explanation for calling Vertigo or North by Northwest middling. Both are clearly two of his best as well as two of the best films ever by anyone period.

I'd probably call Spellbound the least of his movies that I've seen -- even though I like it quite a bit. Haven't seen Torn Curtain, Topaz, or Jamaica Inn.

[transmogrifier]

I aim to please.

[balmakboor]

Funnily enough, I just watched Dressed to Kill. So, so, so, so much better than Psycho, which it rips off shamelessly. Lurid and atmospheric, brilliant set-pieces, and a naked, nubile Nancy Allen. Yum.

Well, I agree that Dressed to Kill (and Sisters for that matter) is very good. I'd put it on par with Psycho. But it doesn't rip off Psycho, shamelessly or otherwise. It uses basic shape of Psycho as a point of departure to become what amounts to a very intelligent response to Psycho.

Now Obsession. That's a film that comes much closer to ripoff, of Vertigo that is.

[baby doll]

But then I have no explanation for calling Vertigo or North by Northwest middling. Both are clearly two of his best as well as two of the best films ever by anyone period.Vertigo, yes. North by Northwest not so much. It's well made for what it is, but clearly Hitchcock was taking a bit of breather between Vertigo and Psycho, and considering that the former was such a flop at the time of its release, he probably he needed another sure thing box office hit in order to stay in the studio's good graces.

[balmakboor]

Vertigo, yes. North by Northwest not so much. It's well made for what it is, but clearly Hitchcock was taking a bit of breather between Vertigo and Psycho, and considering that the former was such a flop at the time of its release, he probably he needed another sure thing box office hit in order to stay in the studio's good graces.

Well, I agree that N by N has less gravity than the films surrounding it, but it's a great and bold entertainment. And after watching it something like 20 times, I still can't find anything to fault in it except for that darn kid with his fingers in his ears. (Oh why Hitch did you not use rear projection for that scene?)

[Bosco B Thug]

I'll second "The Birds is one of his best" sentiments. Profoundest movie evahhh.

[B-side]

I'll second "The Birds is one of his best" sentiments.

Yup.

On a less agreeable note...


The Suspended Vocation (Ruiz, 1978) *½

This saddens me. I rather liked it. I'll admit to being a bit biased in Ruiz's favor, though.

[Boner M]

Weekend and beyond:

California Split
Fury
Secret Sunshine
Close-Up
Goodbye, Dragon Inn

[B-side]

I'm not sure how likely it is that I'll get someone to check out the newest film in my sig, A Spring for the Thirsty -- if only due to its extremely limited availability -- but consider this me telling you to watch it. It's directed by the wonderful cinematographer behind Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, and is a wholly visual, unreal experience. I was so stunned by the aesthetic of the film that it was difficult for me to engage with whatever narrative was there. This is a good thing, btw. My current avatar is taken from the film. I posted a bunch of caps here (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=290417&postcount=81).

[soitgoes...]

Weekend and beyond:

California Split
Fury
Secret Sunshine
Close-Up
Goodbye, Dragon Inn
More than 15 stars, less than 20. Great group of films you have lined up.

[Skitch]

1941 deserves all its hate.

[Philosophe_rouge]

The Birds IS his best.

I think Family Plot is his worst, but I might owe it a rewatch.

[number8]

Vertigo, man. It's his masterpiece.

[Ezee E]

Blah blah blah.

I love these ones from him:
Psycho
Lifeboat
Rope
Notorious

Vertigo seems to be the consensual critic pick. I need to rewatch, but I don't care for the transfers that are available.

[baby doll]

My favorite Hitchcock films:

Rebecca (1940)
Suspicion (1941)
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Notorious (1946)
Rear Window (1954)
The Trouble With Harry (1955)
The Wrong Man (1957)
Vertigo (1958)
Psycho (1960)
The Birds (1963)
Marnie (1964)

[Bosco B Thug]

My favorite Hitchcock films:

Rebecca (1940)
Suspicion (1941)
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Notorious (1946)
Rear Window (1954)
The Trouble With Harry (1955)
The Wrong Man (1957)
Vertigo (1958)
Psycho (1960)
The Birds (1963)
Marnie (1964) The Trouble With Harry is another indelible film of my childhood that I only remember with fondness and awe-filled, admiring enjoyment. Now does that directly correspond to brilliance? I'm gonna go again with, yeah, to some extent, has to be a little.

[Grouchy]

Vertigo, of course, is the best movie ever made by a human being.

Topaz is Hitchcock's true worst film.

[MadMan]

I haven't seen it, but I know Svensos gave that one a 10, so I guess it has it's defenders. Then again, I think he gave a 10 to Topaz as well, which I'd say is his worst.I keep forgetting about Topez, which I'm sure I have seen some of. I think when I was younger I watched part of it on AMC or TCM late one night, and it put me to sleep.

My favorite Hitchcock movies:

*The Trouble With Harry
*North by Northwest
*Psycho
*Rear Window
*Shadow of a Doubt

I think his best is Rear Window, although somedays I feel that top spot flip flops betwen Rear Window and Vertigo. The worst movie I've viewed of his is Dial M For Murder, followed by Marnie. The Birds is really good, but I think its due for a rewatch-I haven't seen that movie in years.

[Boner M]

All this Trouble w/ Harry love is most elating. Tho I haven't seen it in 10 years; could just be the Shirley MacLaine Factor.

[Qrazy]

All this Trouble w/ Harry love is most elating. Tho I haven't seen it in 10 years; could just be the Shirley MacLaine Factor.

It's great because it's set in Vermont. Vermont FTW.

[B-side]

It's great because it's set in Vermont. Vermont FTW.

You especially should check out A Spring for the Thirsty.

[soitgoes...]

You especially should check out A Spring for the Thirsty.
Is it because it's set in Vermont?

[B-side]

Is it because it's set in Vermont?

Of course. Nah, it's just that Qrazy and I share a similar affection for the type of cinema the USSR tended to produce.

[Derek]

The Birds IS his best.

I think Family Plot is his worst, but I might owe it a rewatch.


Vertigo, man. It's his masterpiece.

I'd go with Rear Window, but I'm not gonna argue with those two choices.

I can see the tongue-in-cheekness of Family Plot rubbing someone the wrong way, but I thought it was fairly enjoyable though slight.

[Yxklyx]

I thought Stage Fright was surprisingly good for a Hitchcock seldom talked about.

P.S. Tony Curtis has died. :(

[D_Davis]

Sven and I are having a movie night tomorrow. Rock on. Haven't had one of those in a long time. Got the projector all set up, and we're all set to watch John Carpenter's Elvis, and Tsui Hark's The Blade. That's a perfect line-up for a Sven/D_Davis movie night.

[Boner M]

Sven and I are having a movie night tomorrow. Rock on. Haven't had one of those in a long time. Got the projector all set up, and we're all set to watch John Carpenter's Elvis, and Tsui Hark's The Blade. That's a perfect line-up for a Sven/D_Davis movie night.
Can I crash?

[D_Davis]

Can I crash?

Hell yeah.

[Mara]

I dislike The Birds quite a bit. Tippi Hendren can't act, the special effects are poor, and it doesn't have an ending.

Even so, it doesn't even touch my dislike for Marnie. What a piece of poo.

I tend to like Hitchcock best when he mixes romance in with the supsense: like Notorious, Spellbound, and Rebecca.

[soitgoes...]

Yeah Notorious, Strangers on a Train and Rear Window would be my favorite Hitch films, in that order. He made a number of mediocre/poor films early in his career, Murder! being the worst by far.

[Raiders]

I dislike Mara's opinion on Hitchcock. Preferring the awful Spellbound to The Birds and Marnie? Ew.

[Sxottlan]

I suppose grandma is going to have to buck up and go without her iron lung for a bit.

In the winter, we take her to the hill and use her as a sled!

[endingcredits]

Of course. Nah, it's just that Qrazy and I share a similar affection for the type of cinema the USSR tended to produce.

You should get a USSR thread going.

[Sxottlan]

I took a whole college course on Hitchcock.

But looking at his whole output, we really only hit on the regular highlights. The teacher didn't really go "outside the box" on any viewings. There's still lots of his that I haven't seen.

Of what I have seen, Vertigo is my favorite. It's the only one I have on DVD.

[B-side]

You should get a USSR thread going.

The whole "Movement of the Month" thing that went over like a lead balloon?:lol:

[transmogrifier]

Rio Bravo or El Dorado? Go.

[Mara]

I dislike Mara's opinion on Hitchcock. Preferring the awful Spellbound to The Birds and Marnie? Ew.

Part of it might be that every time Tippi Hendren tries to emote, I want to punch her in the teeth.

But part of it is that those two movies are ridiculous. Birds? Really? Go in a room and shut the door. You're fifty times bigger than them, for crying out loud.

And Marnie pisses me off so much. What should you do if you love a woman who hates you and has a pathological fear of men? Trick her into marrying you and then rape her... that will turn her right around! Let the healing begin!

And Spellbound is pretty awesome. The psychology of it is dated and the ending is a little facile, but I love the Dali dream sequence, and the one flash of color in the climactic scene left me breathless the first time I saw it.

[soitgoes...]

Rio Bravo or El Dorado? Go.Rio Bravo

[transmogrifier]

Rio Bravo

Truth 0 Lies 1

[Watashi]

After rewatching the movie and reflecting back, I still think the Criterion cover for The Thin Red Line is genius.

[endingcredits]

Rio Bravo.

[Derek]

Rio Bravo or El Dorado? Go.

Rio Bravo by a country mile. El Dorado's pretty solid though.

[Qrazy]

Rio Bravo or El Dorado? Go.

Rio Bravo - C
El Dorado - C-

[Qrazy]

But part of it is that those two movies are ridiculous. Birds? Really? Go in a room and shut the door. You're fifty times bigger than them, for crying out loud.

In terms of monster/killer animal movies birds makes more sense than most.

1) They can fly.
2) They have large numbers.

[Derek]

Rio Bravo - C
El Dorado - C-

That's awful.

[Philosophe_rouge]

In the Birds, there is not a single moment that humanity has the upper hand. The only reason why anyone ever survives is out of sheer luck, or in those moments when the birds just stop. The situation as presented in the film is relatively hopeless, and it's terrifying.

[Qrazy]

That's awful.

Well I wouldn't say the movies were awful, just not very good.

[Rowland]

This saddens me. I rather liked it. I'll admit to being a bit biased in Ruiz's favor, though.I was on the film's side for the first half hour or so, beginning with the clashing text scroll/narration (echoes of Hypothesis) cannily outlining the film's primary formal conceit (two unfinished productions of same material stitched together), through the first act wherein the narrative is abstruse but still somewhat coherent and intriguing, alleviated by alternately playful and ominous directorial flourishes, expressively composed tableaus, a remarkably dry sense of humor, and a scene involving the discussion of a fresco's aesthetic that seemingly articulates the thematic purpose behind Ruiz's modus operandi, culminating with the outright hilarious scene of priests hassling, attempting to blockade, and subsequently chasing a nun-driven van as it escapes a parish. But then the playfulness largely dissipates, the engagingly abstruse gives way to the frustratingly esoteric and with it my dawning indifference, the switching-back-and-forth conceit feels increasingly trivial, mannered, and unrealized in its potential, and the subtext is never developed in any coherent manner beyond said fresco scene, so that the film becomes airless, stiff, and seemingly over-dependent on extra-textual knowledge. The late developments of disillusionment and subsequent departure from the church over its corruptions and hypocrisies were appreciated, but they lacked the thematic resonance and transcendence achieved at the end of Hypothesis.

[Grouchy]

But part of it is that those two movies are ridiculous. Birds? Really? Go in a room and shut the door. You're fifty times bigger than them, for crying out loud.

And Marnie pisses me off so much. What should you do if you love a woman who hates you and has a pathological fear of men? Trick her into marrying you and then rape her... that will turn her right around! Let the healing begin!
Sorry, but it sounds like you didn't even see the movies and are just making up criticism based on the IMDb synopsis. I mean, the deadliness of the birds is pretty well established by their sudden attacks and large numbers, and the psychology of the characters in Marnie might be entirely beyond you based on what you just said.

Another vote for Rio Bravo, my favorite classic Western.

[Grouchy]

Two movies:

http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/uls/p4POHDOXT6tO491C02d2GLXRWNaJAZ 7ELuIqvJCf1lx4WI510gq71ILo5au2/oliverioyanadd4.jpg

El Lado Oscuro del Corazon [Dark Side of the Heart] is a classic of Argentine cinema. I'm kind of ashamed to say that I've personally met the director of this film, Eliseo Subiela, listened to him talk about movies, liked him a lot and then never watched any of the films he made. This 1992 entry is a magical realism romance centered on an unpublished poet who falls in love with a prostitute in Uruguay. Subiela employs plenty of poems from writers such as Benedetti (who appears as a German sailor) and Girondo to illustrate his narrative. The greatest strenght of his movie, though, is the amazing and tricky cinematography which makes every moment stunning to watch. Dario Grandinetti (whom most of you know from Talk to Her) can be irritating as the protagonist, but Sandra Ballesteros as the prostitute is beautiful and alluring - the film is at its best when it's about her charms. In short, this is a stunning film. It doesn't offer much in the way of plot, but it tries to work as a poem, so you can't hold that against it.

Pride and Glory is a cop drama which attempts a lot of things and falls short of most. It has a number of very good performances, specially John Voight's, but the dialogue is clichéd and it has an over-reliance on the word "fuck" that makes some scenes a bit unintentionally funny. It's not a terrible film, but it doesn't offer anything particularly good either. It's also a pity that they went for digital, hand-held camera work since the cinematography is not bad and some scenes were screaming out loud for a more classical, less stilted approach.

[Mara]

Sorry, but it sounds like you didn't even see the movies and are just making up criticism based on the IMDb synopsis. I mean, the deadliness of the birds is pretty well established by their sudden attacks and large numbers, and the psychology of the characters in Marnie might be entirely beyond you based on what you just said.

I'm not comfortable with you turning my criticism of two films into a personal attack on me. I'm not stupid or shallow just because I didn't like two films that you enjoyed.

Yes, I saw the films. It has been awhile, about thirteen years since I've seen The Birds and around ten since I've seen Marnie. I have never rewatched them because I didn't like them and I don't waste my time rewatching films I don't like.

I used to post in FDT all the time, and I really don't anymore because I have no patience for this kind of behavior. Everyone gets so testy and confrontational about the slightest difference in opinion.

[number8]

People who like The Birds are probably avian flu carriers anyway.

[Grouchy]

Well, yes, I know you saw the movies, I believe you. I'm just saying your criticism doesn't show it.

[Spinal]

Well, yes, I know you saw the movies, I believe you. I'm just saying your criticism doesn't show it.

She was making quick humorous knee-jerk responses. Not extended criticism.

Your choice was to respond with a completely unnecessary insult. But then, that's kind of your M.O., isn't it.

[D_Davis]

But part of it is that those two movies are ridiculous. Birds? Really? Go in a room and shut the door. You're fifty times bigger than them, for crying out loud.



But, the birds are just a MacGuffin. The real fear is what they represent, and how they mock us for our inability to fly and our lack of beaks. Each chirp and flap of a wing is yet another mock - the mock of a mocking bird mocking us for our mawkish ways.

Wild Beasts Attack! > The Birds

[D_Davis]

George Romero's The Birds: When There's No More Room in the Aviary, The Birds Will Fly the Skies

The birds are us, we're the birds. Small minded individuals, following the flock of the masses.

[Raiders]

To respond to Mara without attempting to insult her...

For Marnie, the two events you mention are not portrayed in light nor are they related to his ultimate desire to "cure" her; that all happens later. He really blackmails her to, yes I suppose keep her from being caught eventually and hurting herself, but also as a kind of "prize" for his sleuthery(sic.). His "raping" of her is also not an act he perceives as kind but simply a culmination of his own inability to deal with her man-hating, cold demeanor (it's so awful she even tries to kill herself afterward). He becomes lowly out of anger and only then afterwards when he begins to truly discover how deep-rooted her issues may be does he begin to play Freud to her Jane.

[B-side]

I was on the film's side for the first half hour or so, beginning with the clashing text scroll/narration (echoes of Hypothesis) cannily outlining the film's primary formal conceit (two unfinished productions of same material stitched together), through the first act wherein the narrative is abstruse but still somewhat coherent and intriguing, alleviated by alternately playful and ominous directorial flourishes, expressively composed tableaus, a remarkably dry sense of humor, and a scene involving the discussion of a fresco's aesthetic that seemingly articulates the thematic purpose behind Ruiz's modus operandi, culminating with the outright hilarious scene of priests hassling, attempting to blockade, and subsequently chasing a nun-driven van as it escapes a parish. But then the playfulness largely dissipates, the engagingly abstruse gives way to the frustratingly esoteric and with it my dawning indifference, the switching-back-and-forth conceit feels increasingly trivial, mannered, and unrealized in its potential, and the subtext is never developed in any coherent manner beyond said fresco scene, so that the film becomes airless, stiff, and seemingly over-dependent on extra-textual knowledge. The late developments of disillusionment and subsequent departure from the church over its corruptions and hypocrisies were appreciated, but they lacked the thematic resonance and transcendence achieved at the end of Hypothesis.

Well, you can't win 'em all, I suppose.;)

Esoteric is probably a good way to describe much of Ruiz's cinema. I can't say I've ever really been "in the know" per se, but I enjoy his playfulness and mise-en-scene. Admittedly, I do feel his films get a bit cold here and there, whether it's due to some of the stuff you complained about (the aforementioned esotericism) or just that they're steeped in too much history that I'm not privy to. I guess this is me saying that I understand your criticisms, even if I was somehow able to enjoy the film regardless. I'm glad you liked The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting so much, though.:)

[StanleyK]

Persona: the best film ever? Only a rewatch of 2001 can tell...

[Ezee E]

No thread on Easy-A? Well, it's definitely a movie that's elevated from what could have been an awful wreck, and that's all because of Emma Stone. I said it back when she was in The House Bunny that her comic timing was something to look for, and it works here, even with below-average material.

Tucci and Clarkson phone in some performances, but that's okay, they were dumb roles anyway.

[megladon8]

Tucci and Clarkson phone in some performances, but that's okay, they were dumb roles anyway.


Clearly the psychology of these characters is completely beyond you.

[MadMan]

Rio Bravo - C
El Dorado - C-This is just wrong.


Rio Bravo or El Dorado? Go.Rio Bravo, although I love both movies. John Wayne all the way.

Rio Bravo-95
El Dorado-77

I had no idea the FDT was a ruthless jungle of angry, violent attacks on people with sharp verbal usage, descending into a pit of madness and despair. I view this place as a happy field full of bunnies and cracked out rainbows.

[megladon8]

I loved Rio Bravo.

[MacGuffin]

Weekend:

The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi
Don't Go in the House
Female Trouble (rewatch)
Maybe some Instant Streaming stuff.

Maybe none of these at all.

[endingcredits]

This is just wrong.
I had no idea the FDT was a ruthless jungle of angry, violent attacks on people with sharp verbal usage, descending into a pit of madness and despair. I view this place as a happy field full of bunnies and cracked out rainbows.

You know this is the internet right?

[transmogrifier]

MacGruber - 49

Some funny jokes, but deep down it's very stupid, and I'm sick of the "hero who is actually incompetent" path that so many parodies tend to take. It's lazy and dull.

Step Brothers - 35

McKay and Ferrell walk a tightrope with their humor, and in Talledega Nights, they pulled it off, due to an uncomplicated premise, excellent supporting characters, and crucially, extended riffs that were funny. None of that is true here - the whole idea of the film never feels right (40 year olds who act like 13 year olds, okay, and...so what?), the other characters are absolutely colourless, and many of the riffs just die.

Rebecca - 65

Once the actual central mystery of the film is revealed, the rest of the film becomes a bit of a slog, though George Sanders is a hoot as a guy you just never want to stop punching in the face. The exquisite gothic depressiveness of the first two thirds is never less than interesting, but it deflates by the end.

El Dorado - 72

Never really scales the heights suggested by the first hour, where the plotting and characterization is consistently surprising and engaging (e.g. the affable nature of the nominal bad guy McCloud). Then it settles into being Rio Bravo Part 2, but that first hour means that this is a better second draft.

Laura - 75

Well-constructed old-school entertainment, a heady mix of narrative momentum, witty dialogue and fully committed performances. Nothing deep here, but a complete delight.

Where Eagles Dare - 77

Exquisite action set pieces married to a genuinely well-developed plot. Knows exactly when and how to parcel out key information, and it doesn't feel like 150 minutes at all. Great war drama.

[Boner M]

Goodbye, Dragon Inn - A little too much of a formal exercise to cut deep & the 'death of cinema' sentiment is sooo 2003, but I don't think Tsai is capable of an unimaginative composition, and this also features his most immersive sound design work.

Kramer vs. Kramer - Kinda lost my shit during the late-film reprise of the French toast scene, so a lower grade would be a little dishonest. Still, this is far too neat and riddled with false notes and cutesiness, although Hoffman is pretty great and Streep manages to effectively temper the script's extended revenge on women's lib.

A Letter to Elia - A fine hagiography, well-chosen clips, makes a great case for Kazan's 'European' qualities as a dramatist, Marty trying to speak slowly is weirdly touching, soft-pedals the HUAC issue a bit but conversely exists to rescue Kazan's rep in that area.

Catfish - An intriguing experience but not a great film. Nev seems way too smart to not think there was something off about his relationship from the get-go, and even if its for the exploitative purposes of 'a good story' the messages that he eventually arrives at (esp. the reveal of the title's significance) seem extremely muddled.

On the Bowery - Beautiful fiction/doco hybrid reminiscent of Killer of Sheep; shambling rhythms & multi-character focus gives a canny sense of the perspective of one of the skid-row drunks featured. Perfect ending.

Double Suicide - A great 'ambient' film; tuned out of the plot and just soaked in the gloriously stark mood. Great integration of theatrical tropes, very effective at highlighting the alienness of past rites.

Melody in Gray - Shinoda does Mizoguchi, w/ mixed results. As with Double Suicide it's always beautiful but dramatically remote, though it doesn't have the benefit of that film's bevy of formal ideas. Might've been my mood.

The following I slept through and/or arrived late and missed portions...

Pale Flower - Likely my favorite of the three Shinoda films I saw, paints a morally bankrupt world with full-tilt, gloriously nihilistic conviction; noirish b&w cinematography as godsmacking as ever.

Welfare and Hospital - With each film of his I see, Frederick Wiseman's reputation as one of the greatest American filmmakers becomes more and more apparent. Really wish I was more conscious & less hungover for both of these; caught most of the latter which is riveting from start to finish, and very much in the vein of Titicut Follies. But I especially regret not having a more conscious experience of Welfare, which seems more unique; its near-abandonment of traditional documentary objectivity in favour of the sheer phenomena of faces/voices in front of the camera, its almost theatrical parade of characters, all 'performing' to various degrees in an effort to make their voices heard.

Tokyo Twilight - Again, sleepiness set in for roughly the first 1/2 hour, rendering some of the plot and characters obscure for the remainder. But ala the Shinoda's, the mood of this thing is overwhelming as well as distinct from other Ozu's; plus there's a really neat use of a counterintuitively jaunty music score, present in many scenes as if to keep the dramaturgy at a remove, and then suddenly absent in certain scenes so that its power is cast into sharp relief. Needs a second viewing; could potentially be my favorite Ozu.

[MacGuffin]

Goodbye, Dragon Inn - A little too much of a formal exercise to cut deep & the 'death of cinema' sentiment is sooo 2003, but I don't think Tsai is capable of an unimaginative composition, and this also features his most immersive sound design work.

Pfft. Probably my favorite of the "drone cinema" type.

[Boner M]

Pfft. Probably my favorite of the "drone cinema" type.
Part of the problem might be that I'd already seen Tsai's contribution to To Each His Own Cinema, which as some critics have noted, accomplishes the same thing at roughly 2-3 minutes.

[MacGuffin]

Part of the problem might be that I'd already seen Tsai's contribution to To Each His Own Cinema, which as some critics have noted, accomplishes the same thing at roughly 2-3 minutes.

I know it's probably not a good idea to compare film and music, but again, for me it's a matter of the pacing being very important to the overall tone and a three-minute Goodbye Dragon Inn wouldn't work for me (although I'm sure the short probably works under slightly different parameters).

[MacGuffin]

But glad to see you liked it overall, if not on the same level as I did. I'm also happy to see that you enjoyed Pale Flower, which shitted out on me about when I tried watching it on Netflix Instant Watch about four or five months ago (I've since replaced the HDMI cord in question). I've been meaning to give it another try, but what I did see—about thirty or forty minutes—seemed awesome in capturing the classic Japanese gangster pop art style.

[Qrazy]

Pale Flower - Likely my favorite of the three Shinoda films I saw, paints a morally bankrupt world with full-tilt, gloriously nihilistic conviction; noirish b&w cinematography as godsmacking as ever.


Kudos on the Pale Flower love.

[B-side]

Certified Copy was pretty great. Unfortunately, I don't really have anything else to say at the moment, so this'll have to do.

[B-side]

Also...

http://i51.tinypic.com/solv91.jpg

Jesus, Binoche is gorgeous.

[Qrazy]

Certified Copy was pretty great. Unfortunately, I don't really have anything else to say at the moment, so this'll have to do.

Where did you see this? Were you watching an Uncertified Copy?

[B-side]

Were you watching an Uncertified Copy?

;)

[Winston*]

My mother saw Certified Copy and said it was boring and the characters were annoying. What do you say to that, Brightside?

[MacGuffin]

My mother saw Certified Copy and said it was boring and the characters were annoying. What do you say to that, Brightside?

Sounds like a common complaint of all Kiarostami detractors.

[B-side]

My mother saw Certified Copy and said it was boring and the characters were annoying. What do you say to that, Brightside?

Your mom sucks at movies.

[Stay Puft]

Giant lists of stuff we've watched lately, eh? Well, I do have Netflix now, so...

Wall Street - Actually the first Oliver Stone film I've seen. Decent story, moralistic but I like the ending. Charlie Sheen is not a terribly interesting lead outside of the stunt casting, his weakest scene being his meeting with his dad in the hospital (Martin Sheen is pretty good here, however). Aesthetically, it's amusingly 80s (love those credits) but not necessarily dated, just very functional visuals, tight and focused like a small screen movie (for some reason I was expecting something different, probably based on a misconception of Stone through conversations I've heard).

Crips and Bloods: Made in America - Yes, I watched it because a few people mentioned it in this thread. Decent documentary, I'd disagree with one of the comments I read about its scope, as I think it's smart for a 90 minute film documentary like this to not bite off more than it can properly chew (the rise of two LA gangs in the context of black oppression is a big enough scope as it is). The film still makes a lot of broad or obvious connections, amounting to a mostly superficial overview of events, interesting solely for specific historical video footage and images, and a series of engaging personal interviews in the second half.

Tell No One - A greatly entertaining and engaging French mystery thriller romance whatever. Lots of twists and turns at the end, mostly predictable and a bit perfunctory, don't care for how the end is handled overall, but an enjoyable ride nonethelss for most of its runtime. A good group of characters and performers drive the whole thing, Kristin Scott Thomas in particular is wonderful in her supporting role (and François Berléand is a police detective in every movie I've seen him in, I swear). Lots of great small moments, like the child playing with the color blocks while Alexandre finds out the police are after him and jumps out his office window. Good intensity generated in the ensuing (and surprising) chase sequence, and brilliantly contrasted by the accompanying score.

The Fog of War - Amazing documentary, also the first I've seen from Errol Morris (and Netflix has a few more, I think I know what I'm doing next week). McNamara is a smart and engaging figure, and I love how the film is structured as a series of lessons McNamara has learned from his life, culminating in a somewhat terrifying discussion on the nature of the film's title, and an epilogue in which McNamara chooses silence over speech. One of the last things McNamara says is that the problem is not that we are not rational; we are rational, but there is a limit to reason. The discussion reverberates with everything previously seen, particularly McNamara's role in WWII as he spent so much time collecting data, processing data, writing reports in the service of an abstract idea of warring efficiency seperate from any conceivable picture of the reality of actions and human behaviour on such an unfathomable scope. The idea is terrifying, I can think of no other word; the human mind operating rationally in the face of that which it is incapable of comprehending.

Okay, so only four films. Not exactly giant, but this is like a thousand fold increase of the rate at which I usually watch films these days.

[Rowland]

(for some reason I was expecting something different, probably based on a misconception of Stone through conversations I've heard).People tend to associate Stone with his experimental '90s phase, during which he employed all sorts of assaultive stylistic mannerisms that resulted in some really demented, strikingly free-associative films. Check out the opening sequence of Natural Born Killers as a more extreme example (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-UYCdKnYlY&feature=related).

[Milky Joe]

Ah, NBK. So beautifully psychotic, so gloriously fucked. Like those paintings where Burroughs just put a canvas next to a can of paint and then shot the can of paint with a shotgun. Oliver Stone, you are my hero.

[Winston*]

45 minutes into the Watchmen movie. Wow, this is terrible.

[Kurosawa Fan]

45 minutes into the Watchmen movie. Wow, this is terrible.

Yep.


I watched Mamet's House of Games yesterday. Very slick film, great atmosphere. Crouse seemed to struggle at times pulling off Mamet's dialogue, but that's really just about my only complaint. Ranks among Mamet's best work.

[number8]

Certified Copy was pretty great. Unfortunately, I don't really have anything else to say at the moment, so this'll have to do.

Yeah, I really liked it. Strangely sexy.

[Grouchy]

The new IMDb is a huge pain in the ass. Makes me not want to browse for anything in there.

[Sven]

Watched John Carpenter's Elvis with Daniel Davis last night. Neither of us looked at the running time before starting it, and it turns out it is 170 minutes long (I have seen the film before, but I did not remember how long it was). What was going to be a two movie night was occupied by but one. However, it is a strange, interesting one. I don't know how much the Danster liked it, but I find it a praiseworthy installment in the biopic canon, and ranks as one of Carpenter's more legitimate successes.

[soitgoes...]

People, please sign up for an account at IMDb and change your setting back to the old way. They've added an option to "Show previous title and name page design" just for everyone who doesn't like the new design. No more bitching about it! Yes the new design sucks, but in one minute you'll never have to deal with it again.

[Sven]

Yes the new design sucks, but in one minute you'll never have to deal with it again.

Signing up shouldn't have to be an option.

[Grouchy]

People, please sign up for an account at IMDb and change your setting back to the old way. They've added an option to "Show previous title and name page design" just for everyone who doesn't like the new design. No more bitching about it! Yes the new design sucks, but in one minute you'll never have to deal with it again.
Fantastic! Thanks.

[soitgoes...]

Signing up shouldn't have to be an option.Why? You can start up your own movie website and set it up however you like. In the meantime IMDb has one and they can do whatever they like with it. The fact that they allow me to revert the site back to the old look is pretty great in my eyes. Signing up takes a few moments of your life, and then absolutely zero future obligations. I don't see the big deal.

[MacGuffin]

Himatsuri (Yanagimachi 85) ***

See Who's Camus Anyway?

[soitgoes...]

See Who's Camus Anyway?I will in due time. :)

[dreamdead]

Stone's World Trade Center is a bit of melodrama that cannot keep from feeling inadequate at all times. The focus with this national story on two individuals trapped beneath the rubbles denies the kind of multiplicity and impact that would be captured if the filmmakers only felt brave enough to capture what transpires as people descend the stairs (or even if it had looked at what went on in the floors). Instead, we get a survivor's tale--which works occasionally, as some of the action between Pena and Cage has real humanity captured--and that kind of affirmative story can never capture the desolation and defeatedness that seemed to echo through the headlines that day. In terms of politics, Stone is damned either way. He doesn't really recreate the impact of the planes, as that could be seen as pornographic in its fetishization of national violence. But the dependence on news treatment of the Twin Towers leaves the film in the uncomfortable place of being unable to assert why its text should matter, if it dodges any real depiction. And the ending is beyond awful--a notion of togetherness that avoids politics for a cute smile.

All that, but it is still surprisingly watchful. Just doesn't ever go far enough to any interesting spots.

[number8]

I always forget that I've had an IMDB account for years.

[Winston*]

Yep.

I turned it off about an hour in. There was literally nothing I enjoyed about it.

Also, probably the worst use of popular music in a major film ever.

[number8]

Are you talking about Times They Are A-Changin' or Hallelujah?

[Winston*]

I was just talking in general: 99 Luftballoons, Sounds of Silence etc. But yeah the Dylan song was a low point.

Didn't get up to Hallelujah.

[transmogrifier]

But the times, they WERE a-changing! What's the problem?

[Watashi]

My opinion of Watchmen greatly improved after I saw the director's cut. I strongly prefer it to The Dark Knight.

[StanleyK]

I liked Up a whole lot more a second time. Even teared up at the silent montage, which I wasn't expecting. I notice that there's a sort of a trend this decade of films where men retreating into fantasy in some way because they can't deal with the death of their spouses (Solaris, The Fountain, Inception, Up, there may be more); kinda has me curious how one with a widow would go.

[StanleyK]

Ratings time!

Toy Story - ***½
A Bug's Life - **½
Toy Story 2 - ***
Monsters, Inc. - ***½
Finding Nemo - ****
The Incredibles - **
Cars - *
Ratatouille - **½
WALL·E - ****
Up - ****
Toy Story 3 - ***

With shorts:

Luxo Jr. (1986) - ***
Red's Dream (1987) - **
Tin Toy (1988) - **
Knick Knack (1989) - **½
Toy Story (1995) - ***½
Geri's Game (1997) - ****
A Bug's Life (1998) - **½
Toy Story 2 (1999) - ***
For the Birds (2000) - ****
Monsters, Inc. (2001) - ***½
Boundin' (2003) - **
Finding Nemo (2003) - ****
The Incredibles (2004) - **
One Man Band (2005) - *½
Cars (2006) - *
Lifted (2006) - ****
Ratatouille (2007) - **½
Presto (2008) - ****
WALL·E (2008) - ****
Partly Cloudy (2009) - *
Up (2009) - ****
Day & Night (2010) - ***
Toy Story 3 (2010) - ***

Pixar is kind of really overrated, but I do like them overall.

[MacGuffin]

Toy Story - ****
A Bug's Life - **½
Toy Story 2 - ***
Monsters, Inc. - ***
Finding Nemo - **½
The Incredibles - ½
Cars - **
Ratatouille - ***½
Wall-E - *½
Up - ***

[Watashi]

Never change Clipper.

[Winston*]

Fox Searchlight ranked

Stealing Beauty *1/2
She's the One
Looking for Richard ***
The Full Monty **1/2
The Ice Storm **1/2
Waking Ned Devine ***
A Midsummer Night's Dream **1/2
Boys Don't Cry ***1/2
Titus December ***1/2
Quills ***
Sexy Beast ***
Waking Life **1/2
The Good Girl ***
One Hour Photo ***
Bend It Like Beckham *1/2
The Good Thief ***1/2
The Dancer Upstairs ***1/2
28 Days Later **1/2
Garden State **
I ♥ Huckabees ***
Sideways ***1/2
Kinsey **
Melinda and Melinda **1/2
Thank You for Smoking **1/2
Little Miss Sunshine **
The Last King of Scotland **
Happy Feet ***1/2
The Namesake ***
28 Weeks Later *1/2
Once ****
Sunshine ***
The Darjeeling Limited ***
Juno December 5, 2007 **1/2
The Wrestler **1/2
Fantastic Mr. Fox ***

[transmogrifier]

Was it worth it, W*? Was it worth it?

[baby doll]

Monster's Inc. (2001) / ***
Finding Nemo (2004) / ***
Wall-E (2008) / ***
Up (2009) / ***

[Winston*]

Was it worth it, W*? Was it worth it?
I accidentally cut out

In America **1/2

making my previous post worthless.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Watched Three Colors: Blue this morning. Took a while to get into its groove, since anything resembling a traditional story doesn't take hold until the final third of the film. As an evocation of the protagonist's grief, though, the film's effective. Juliette Binoche's weakening stoicism gave me plenty of reason to keep watching.

http://badpacino.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/blue2.jpg

[soitgoes...]

Keeping the Binoche love today rolling, it looks like my Top 10 list for 2011 has an entry.

[Spinal]

I'll wait until two weeks from now when we rate Pixar films again.

[B-side]

People, please sign up for an account at IMDb and change your setting back to the old way. They've added an option to "Show previous title and name page design" just for everyone who doesn't like the new design. No more bitching about it! Yes the new design sucks, but in one minute you'll never have to deal with it again.

Yes! Thank you.


Certified Copy (Kiarostami 10) ***½

:)

[StanleyK]

I'll wait until two weeks from now when we rate Pixar films again.

Is that such a common occurrence around here?

[Skitch]

Definatley. Always seems to come up :)

Catching up on the last few pages...oh, Match-Cut. You are so deliciously schizophrenic.

[megladon8]

Keeping the Binoche love today rolling, it looks like my Top 10 list for 2011 has an entry.


Um...how? Wouldn't seeing a movie this year make it a 2010 release?

[MacGuffin]

Um...how? Wouldn't seeing a movie this year make it a 2010 release?

Probably because the movie won't be released in America until 2011?

[megladon8]

Probably because the movie won't be released in America until 2011?


But isn't it still a 2010 release?

I thought we just went by when the movie was released in theatres, regardless of where it came out first?

[MacGuffin]

But isn't it still a 2010 release?

I thought we just went by when the movie was released in theatres, regardless of where it came out first?

Dunno, but the movie has a March 2011 release date according to IMDb.

[transmogrifier]

The Lady Of Shanghai

Quietly bonkers, a noirish tale told with dark humor and some neat visual flourishes. Studio interference is obvious, and Welles' voiceover is intriguing in how it sort of floats in and out of the Irish accent his character is supposed to have. Not much to think about afterwards, but enjoyable none the less. I liked the "I don't want to die!" at the end, giving an unusually human desperation to the typical noir plot.

[Grouchy]

http://i38.tinypic.com/jg2pe9.jpg

Wow, Find Me Guilty is a great movie. This is the Sydney Lumet I know and love. A film that touches on comedy without ever losing its dramatic edge, it stars Vin Diesel in a hoodlum role that showcases all of his acting ability and versatility. It's a courtroom drama, with most of the (incredible) courtroom dialogue apparently based on the real transcripts. Jackie Dee is a fascinating character. He comes from a place of nobility and creates problems for everybody simply because of his tendency to tell the truth. A man who has already lost cannot be threatened. Some people might complain that the movie lacks drama because of its foregone conclusion, but I think it lives in the detail and the juicy scenes that show the variety of reactions Vin's character produces. This is my new favorite movie to recommend. I think it's way better than that Devil one with Ethan Hawke that got all the acclaim.

[megladon8]

I really like Vin Diesel.

[Sven]

Not much to think about afterwards, but enjoyable none the less.

This film is one of the most cited film texts in feminist film theory, so I'm pretty sure you just missed the brain food. I wrote a paper about this somewhere. Or maybe it was an essay final. Can't remember.

[soitgoes...]

But isn't it still a 2010 release?

I thought we just went by when the movie was released in theatres, regardless of where it came out first?
With our Top list of 20xx lists we've been using US release dates, at least when it comes to the year end tallying. Certified Copy, as MacGuffin mentioned, isn't released until March of next year, making it a 2011 film..

[soitgoes...]

Against my better judgment I'm gonna give John Woo another chance with Bullet in the Head.

[number8]

Against my better judgment I'm gonna give John Woo another chance with Bullet in the Head.

Better than Deer Hunter.

[soitgoes...]

Better than Deer Hunter.
So it's better than mediocre? Awesome. I'm looking forward to it now! :lol:

[B-side]

So it's better than mediocre? Awesome. I'm looking forward to it now! :lol:

Silly. The Deer Hunter is great.

[transmogrifier]

This film is one of the most cited film texts in feminist film theory, so I'm pretty sure you just missed the brain food. I wrote a paper about this somewhere. Or maybe it was an essay final. Can't remember.

We'll see. I don't buy it.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Silly. The Deer Hunter is great.

Eh. It has great things in it.

[Boner M]

I'm usually a defender of billowing long scenes that stretch way past their logical endpoint, but the wedding in The Deer Hunter makes my eyes glaze over.

[Derek]

The Other Guys (McKay, 2010) ***½

:eek:

Thoughts?

[DavidSeven]

Hate to return to the well on this one, especially after a round of Pixar ratings, but The Deer Hunter wedding scene is the most engrossing part of the film. The rest is a bit of a bore.

[Rowland]

Against my better judgment I'm gonna give John Woo another chance with Bullet in the Head.I love it. Given that it's only your second exposure to his pre-Hollywood work, it could go either way, but I'm gonna guess you won't like it. Hoping otherwise of course.

[soitgoes...]

Better than Deer Hunter.Good news! You were right! And not necessarily in a sarcastic way. The film is actually good.


I love it. Given that it's only your second exposure to his pre-Hollywood work, it could go either way, but I'm gonna guess you won't like it. Hoping otherwise of course.You weren't right, but that's okay too. It's probably the best thing I've seen of Woo. I wouldn't say that it was great, and to be honest Woo's direction was the biggest reason for the film not being great, but the story and script as well as the acting were all top notch. I might give A Better Tomorrow a look some day in the future.

[trotchky]

i have a question: are larry clark's films other than ken park as good as ken park (ie. basically a masterpiece)?

[Rowland]

I might give A Better Tomorrow a look some day in the future.In terms of direction, it's the least flamboyant film I've seen by Woo, emphasizing the operatic narrative and his actors' charismatic performances. You'll probably like it.

[trotchky]

i have a question: are larry clark's films other than ken park as good as ken park (ie. basically a masterpiece)?

wait i watched kids actually...i barely remember it...i don't know if i watched all of it but i think i did...definitely not as good as ken park

[Ezee E]

I don't understand how one could defend the wedding scene of The Deer Hunter and then call the rest of the movie boring. And I think the whole thing is a masterpiece.

[B-side]

i have a question: are larry clark's films other than ken park as good as ken park (ie. basically a masterpiece)?

Haven't seen Kids yet, but Wassup Rockers is terrible and Bully is pretty good. Ken Park is easily my favorite of the 3.

[number8]

Teenage Caveman is the best Larry Clark film.

[Grouchy]

I don't understand how one could defend the wedding scene of The Deer Hunter and then call the rest of the movie boring. And I think the whole thing is a masterpiece.
That comment really baffled me too.

El Hombre de al Lado [The Man Next Door] is an acceptable dark comedy with a gorgeous cinematography and a couple of story problems. It's shot in the only house the French architect Le Corbusier built in South America, which is located in La Plata. In the film, that house is home to a pretentious architect, his neurotic wife and his disconnected teenage daughter. The conflict is kick-started when a working class salesman moves in the adjacent house and begins carving in a window next to the architect's study. The movie has remarkable shots and visual ideas, and it creates a memorable odd couple, a pair of very well written characters with quirks and great dialogue together. But the story has nowhere to go, and although the film never loses its funny, it never really develops either. The ending is supposed to be shocking, but it's more confusing than anything else. Still, recommended.

[MadMan]

Piranha (Dante 78) **Bummer. I find it to be really campy, but also a funny and entertaining spoof of Jaws. And yes I do own the SE, which I bought at Half-Priced Books. The awful special effects and Kevin McCarthy's hammy performance are part of its charm.

[soitgoes...]

Bummer. I find it to be really campy, but also a funny and entertaining spoof of Jaws. And yes I do own the SE, which I bought at Half-Priced Books. The awful special effects and Kevin McCarthy's hammy performance are part of its charm.
I seem to always undervalue Joe Dante films. I never like them as much as others seem to, even though they're enjoyable enough for what they are. I figured Piranha would be awful, and I actually came away surprised that it's as good as it is. Spoof or not my biggest complaint of the film, something I just couldn't buy into was that the piranha are able to pull their victims into the water. The dad on the canoe who has his arm attacked is the best example of this. What the fuck? Just pull your arm out if it's getting bitten. I don't buy that a bunch of one pound fish can pull a person into the water. Whatever, like I said it's better than what I thought, but isn't something I'd label as good. Up soon: James Cameron's sequel!!!

[DavidSeven]

I don't understand how one could defend the wedding scene of The Deer Hunter and then call the rest of the movie boring. And I think the whole thing is a masterpiece.

OK, it was an overstatement. The Russian roulette scene is incredible. The De Niro/Streep scenes are strong. But those are only individual scenes. I like the film, but the roulette scene and the wedding are the only parts I consider "masterful" and the only ones where Cimino's direction feels alive. His direction for the rest of the film feels kind of rote and boring.

[Watashi]

I saw American History X last night because several of my so-call "friends" stated I must see it. Meh. Outside of Norton's performance, the film is really amateurish in its direction, handling symbolism, and the other performances. It's a pretty simplistic take on a serious topic, and I don't think it worked as a character study or a message film.

[soitgoes...]

It's a pretty simplistic take on a serious topic, and I don't think it worked as a character study or a message film.Well I don't know, I haven't beaten up a single person based on their race since I watched the film ten or so years ago. So I definitely got the message.

[soitgoes...]

Okay Mr. Godard, you got me! I'm not as smart as you. I have absolutely no idea what your new film is about. Maybe it's because I watched it with complete English subtitles instead of the Navajo English subtitles you wanted me to see the film with. You still have an eye for making things look beautiful though.

Granted I haven't seen a Godard film newer that Week End, so I'm probably out of touch with what it is to be a Godard film. Well when someone else watches this, please take the time to explain it to me. Or not. I'm not sure I really care.

[Spinal]

I saw American History X last night because several of my so-call "friends" stated I must see it. Meh. Outside of Norton's performance, the film is really amateurish in its direction, handling symbolism, and the other performances. It's a pretty simplistic take on a serious topic, and I don't think it worked as a character study or a message film.

Let me take the opportunity to wholeheartedly agree with you.

[DavidSeven]

Yeah, never understood the regard for that one in the general public. Palatable enough for pure narrative, but Norton's arc is pretty unbelievable (supposedly the actor's doing) and it's definitely lacking in the complexity that the topic begs for.

[baby doll]

Okay Mr. Godard, you got me! I'm not as smart as you. I have absolutely no idea what your new film is about. Maybe it's because I watched it with complete English subtitles instead of the Navajo English subtitles you wanted me to see the film with. You still have an eye for making things look beautiful though.

Granted I haven't seen a Godard film newer that Week End, so I'm probably out of touch with what it is to be a Godard film. Well when someone else watches this, please take the time to explain it to me. Or not. I'm not sure I really care.I'm torrenting as we speak. Can't wait!

[transmogrifier]

Does this thread load much slower than others on this site for anyone else, or is it just my crappy connection?

[Mysterious Dude]

I once attempted to watch one of Godard's post-Week End movies. Tout va bien. It was like an anti-movie.

Yes, the thread loads slowly for me, too.

[D_Davis]

Does this thread load much slower than others on this site for anyone else, or is it just my crappy connection?

Not just you. A lot of the site's been slow lately. Maybe it's time to lock the big epic threads? Archive some stuff?

[Watashi]

I say we just delete all of transmogrifier's posts from the database.

:P

:twisted:

[Ezee E]

American History X is powerful when it wants to be, typically when set in the present times. It's when it flashes back that I think its "message" is overdone, and Norton's change is quite boring to watch when its his younger brother that I want to see.

I will say that it definitely hasn't aged well with me over the years.

[megladon8]

I found the direction of American History X to be TV-movie-bad.

[DavidSeven]

Finally, the opportunity to say "your contributions are killing this site, literally" without being dramatic.

[Sven]

Yeah, never understood the regard for that one in the general public. Palatable enough for pure narrative, but Norton's arc is pretty unbelievable (supposedly the actor's doing) and it's definitely lacking in the complexity that the topic begs for.

You're contrarians. The lot of you.

[Spinal]

In the past few hours, I've been called a contrarian by Sven and a conspiracy theorist by Milky Joe. If I can just get Barty to call me an anarchist, then I'll win Match Cut Scavenger Hunt.

[Barty]

You have to earn your compliments Spinal. What do you think, I'm some sort of Communist?

[Sven]

I should state for the record that I totally don't like American History X. I imagine that is assumed anyway.

[transmogrifier]

The best part of American History X was when Edward Norton stopped being racist because some black guy was nice to him. That was awesome.

[Boner M]

I once attempted to watch one of Godard's post-Week End movies. Tout va bien. It was like an anti-movie.
Oh noes!

[transmogrifier]

I say we just delete all of transmogrifier's posts from the database.


I don't remember half of them, so no great loss. But I'm not even in the Top 20 for this thread:

Qrazy 4,115
megladon8 2,265
Spinal 1,917
Rowland 1,909
Sven 1,639
Ezee E 1,550
balmakboor 1,520
MacGuffin 1,430
Raiders 1,429
Sycophant 1,428
Boner M 1,261
Derek 1,252
MadMan 1,196
Watashi 1,150
Winston* 1,112
D_Davis 1,105
number8 1,067
Brightside 1,060
Grouchy 1,039
soitgoes... 1,000
baby doll 866
Philosophe_rouge 785
Dead & Messed Up 747
transmogrifier 735

[Boner M]

:eek:

Thoughts?
Lowww expectations based on the middling reaction here & the screamingly unfunny trailer; fortunately the film's gloriously discordant sense of humour - a result of McKay & co flailing within the parameters of the buddy-cop genre - make it hard to serve in trailer-ready nuggets. Eventually the riffing becomes so obsessive, threatening to overwhelm anything in the way of plot, character, subtext etc and straying so far from the point or any point relevant to the world we live in, that it becomes almost necessary to compensate with post-bailout charts and statistics over the credits; one of the most epic punchlines in recent memory. I guess I just have unlimited time for the indulgences of the McKay/Ferrell partnerships.

FFC's Ian Pugh (http://filmfreakcentral.net/screenreviews/otherguys.htm) pretty much nails it.

[number8]

American History X struck me as a movie Spike Lee didn't want to make because it's too on the nose.

[Ezee E]

The best part of American History X was when Edward Norton stopped being racist because some black guy was nice to him. That was awesome.
It's boring to fold towels man!

[Ezee E]

It's becoming quite the task for me to finish watching it, but Date Night is a pretty awful movie. Tina Fey and Steve Carrell rehash their TV characters in a boring "wrongly accused" story of cliches and silly events. I like how Common didn't even notice that they were whispering to each other about an escape when he was looking straight at them.

Do I bother finishing? I want to say that I like the two enough to where I will, but they are strangely annoying here so far.

[Dukefrukem]

I watched Burbs last night. Why didn't Rick Ducommun (Art) get more roles after that? He's brilliant.

[number8]

It's boring to fold towels man!

It was endearing how they shared a laugh over crazy women and their make-up sex. WE'RE ALL THE SAME.

[StanleyK]

Piranha Part 2: The Spawning (Cameron 81) **
Piranha (Dante 78) **

That's surprising; I mildly enjoyed the original, but thought the sequel was worthless outside of a few laughs.

[Sven]

Do I bother finishing?

I started Rush Hour 2 and Robocop 2 and couldn't make it past half an hour with each. They're sitting there on the instant queue, but I just don't think I can imagine willingly returning to them.

[Derek]

I started Rush Hour 2 and Robocop 2 and couldn't make it past half an hour with each. They're sitting there on the instant queue, but I just don't think I can imagine willingly returning to them.

Hey Sven, I found part of your problem right here:


I started Rush Hour 2

[Dukefrukem]

I started Rush Hour 2 and Robocop 2 and couldn't make it past half an hour with each. They're sitting there on the instant queue, but I just don't think I can imagine willingly returning to them.

Is the first Robocop available for streaming?

[Sven]

Is the first Robocop available for streaming?

I dunno. But after a few minutes of the sequel, I said "Eff this", I stood up with purpose, smashed off the xbox, fired up the Philips, and popped in my Criterion Robocop. It worked: I was satisfied.

[Sven]

Hey Sven, I found part of your problem right here:

I'm pretty amazed at how insulting the film is. And not from a racial point of view, although the litany of black/asian jokes ("jokes") is impressive. It's just an ugly ass plodding piece of shit with no timing. And it is only when in the presence of those that I get offended.

[soitgoes...]

That's surprising; I mildly enjoyed the original, but thought the sequel was worthless outside of a few laughs.The sequel was so over the top bad that it was able to accumulate stars. Flying grunion. Genius.

[Skitch]

I haven't seen a trailer that got me as excited for the movie as The Warrior's Way has in a looong time.

[B-side]

I get some enjoyment out of the Rush Hour films. Haven't seen the 3rd yet.

[Raiders]

I'm pretty amazed at how insulting the film is. And not from a racial point of view, although the litany of black/asian jokes ("jokes") is impressive. It's just an ugly ass plodding piece of shit with no timing. And it is only when in the presence of those that I get offended.

Well, that's typically where white people draw the line.

[Henry Gale]

So last week I watched the original Halloween for the first time since I was pretty young, and though it's obviously an extremely well-made and influential horror movie, I've been struggling to pinpoint why I didn't have a strong reaction to it.

Aside from his use of pretty much the same two (now pretty iconic) themes in his score, Carpenter has such a tight grip on the material as a director as to what makes the use of location and pacing so effective in a film like this. He gives each scene something very different, making them seem realistic or morbidly comedic, whether they be scenes of conversations over the phone or death scenes.

What I think the problem is for me, watching it mostly fresh eyes at this point in time (the year, the decade, the current state of horror), is that so many of the key things that the film is made up of have been endlessly copied and retreaded without any unique touches to them, often in far less effective films to support them. Usually the things that become cliché over time is due to the fact that at one time they were brand new and worked brilliantly enough to be done again. But when it comes to something like a horror movie, which relies so much on your reaction to the unexpected as a viewer (as much as laughs function in comedies), I hate to think that it's really gotten to a point for me that so much of what's done here has been done so closely and soullessly in the thirty-plus years since its release that it's retroactively made them less effective.

It still stands on its own as a quality film, maybe as the only one in the series, but I still wish it had a little bit more of an identity to its beyond the titular setting, Jamie Lee Curtis and The Shape itself. I know it may not have been made to be looked at so critically so long after the time of its production and release (especially considering its budget and general tone), but I mostly just admired it as I watched it instead of being completely engrossed by it, and sadly I don't find that as immediately entertaining.

[Milky Joe]

I'm listening to this podcast with Armond White about Inception.

This guy is awesome.

[balmakboor]

I'm listening to this podcast with Armond White about Inception.

This guy is awesome.

Link?

I really should see Inception some day.

[Milky Joe]

http://slashfilm.com/filmcast/?p=281

[megladon8]

I actually don't half mind Robocop 2.

It's much more of a straight-forward action movie than the first, but it's fun. I like it.

[baby doll]

I really should see Inception some day.It's no hurry.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I'm listening to this podcast with Armond White about Inception.

This guy is awesome.

Also, the Slashfilm guys suck at debate.

[baby doll]

I'm listening to this podcast with Armond White about Inception.

This guy is awesome.I thought it was funny that he couldn't name a single other film reviewer he liked, and it's perhaps telling that he acts as if film criticism in its entirety was mainstream journalists (people like himself and Ebert) and internet fanboys with no mention at all of academic film criticism whatsoever.

And while his points were mainly dead-on (reviewers shouldn't simply be shills for product, and they should be able to analyze a film, and talk about it from a political standpoint--the moral thing I'll have to think about, but it's at least a position worth thinking about), it doesn't change the fact that White is a terrible writer. Even his spelling and grammar are bad, so it's hard for me to believe that he takes his craft as seriously as he claims to.

[Milky Joe]

I don't think he's a bad writer at all, certainly not compared to, say, recent Roger Ebert reviews. I occasionally wonder who takes care of editing his stuff, though. Sometimes the typos seem almost wantonly unprofessional.

Also, I think he was being asked about mainstream film reviewers, not academic film criticism, which I gather those dimwits running the podcast barely even had a conception of. White often quotes other critics, so I doubt there's literally no one he finds worth reading.

[Sven]

"Free-for-all of enthusiasms rather than criticism." Yes.

[Sven]

Relating the proliferation of books in the 17th century... oh man. These guys make SO much less sense than they want to.

[Boner M]

Those /film dudes come across as complete peabrained fanboy assclowns on that podcast. They unintentionally managed to make Armond's presence in the cineverse more crucial.

[number8]

Sigh.

[Skitch]

Sigh.

Will you please start an official Armond White thread? Pretty please?

[number8]

Will you please start an official Armond White thread? Pretty please?

Even if there wasn't already one, why would I do that?

[megladon8]

I was watching Jaws last night.

It's an immaculately made movie.

[StanleyK]

Dog Star Man, at least the prelude, wasn't boring at all; in fact, I had lots of fun identifying what constituted the vague shapes, quick flashes and small details that Brakhage shows us ("That's a snow-filled landscape." "Hey, a woman's crotch!" "Solar eruption, cool." "Whoa, now they're merging into each other!"); fascinating way of seeing our perception of things. Yeah, it's a bit too long at 25 minutes, but now I'm excited for the other parts.

[transmogrifier]

I was watching Jaws last night.

It's an immaculately made movie.

The first hour or so is almost Altmanesque in it's introduction of the island and its inhabitants. Such a well-directed movie.

[megladon8]

The first hour or so is almost Altmanesque in it's introduction of the island and its inhabitants. Such a well-directed movie.


It's the first time I've watched it with a critical eye - in fact, it's the the first time I've actually sat down and watched it since I was about 12.

Spielberg's use of the camera is sublime. Even the simplest of movements and transitions is carried out with such fluid ease. And then there are some spectacularly inventive sequences, such as the part on the ferry where the Mayor tells Scheider he can't close the beach.

[D_Davis]

And then there are some spectacularly inventive sequences, such as the part on the ferry where the Mayor tells Scheider he can't close the beach.

Yes. One of my favorite sequences in cinema.

I love the first 1/2 of the film, but I almost always lose interest once the chase begins. I think it goes on for far too long.

[Scar]

I love the first 1/2 of the film, but I almost always lose interest once the chase begins. I think it goes on for far too long.

As one can imagine, I'm going to completely disagree with this statement.

[Qrazy]

Dog Star Man, at least the prelude, wasn't boring at all; in fact, I had lots of fun identifying what constituted the vague shapes, quick flashes and small details that Brakhage shows us ("That's a snow-filled landscape." "Hey, a woman's crotch!" "Solar eruption, cool." "Whoa, now they're merging into each other!"); fascinating way of seeing our perception of things. Yeah, it's a bit too long at 25 minutes, but now I'm excited for the other parts.

Haha. Classic.

[Yxklyx]

I was watching Jaws last night.

It's an immaculately made movie.

I love the shot where they're on the boat and the camera is looking up with Scheider in the frame and a shooting star streaks across the sky.