28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[Mara]

My friends in high school thought Empire Records was sooooo cooooool. They'd quote it all the time and wish they had lives like that.

I think most of them grew up to work in record stores. So.

[Pop Trash]

Good man.

Sadly, it was directed by Allan Moyle who did one of my all time fave teen movies: Pump Up the Volume. :|

[Mara]

Sadly, it was directed by Allan Moyle who did one of my all time fave teen movies: Pump Up the Volume. :|

This was another one that got a lot of adoration, when I was in middle school. It was considered very shocking. I rewatched it in college and it was kind of lame.

The only movie that was thought cool by the cool kids that I think holds up at all is Heathers.

[Raiders]

Good man.

It has to be the most ungodly annoying film I have ever seen. There isn't a single honest moment in the film. Such a phony, contrived piece of shit. I only made it to the end so I could legitimately rate it for the awful, awful thing that it is.

Plus, all their music sucks ass.

[StanleyK]

"I always used to encourage everyone I met to make art. I used to think that everyone should do it.

:long pause:

....I don't really do that so much anymore."

You know, it just struck that this is roughly the same sentiment as the ending monologue of Ratatouille, except Exit isn't nearly as smug.

[Qrazy]

Duck You Sucker aka A Fistful of Dynamite aka Once Upon a Time the Revolution is actually a kind of terrible movie. I'm a pretty big fan of Leone, but this was all of his worst tendencies exacerbated to an alarming degree. Heavy-handed proselytism, misogyny, scenes drawn out but this time lacking any tension. Where GBU and OUATITW use respectively thin characters and western conventions to gleefully skewer them, DYS seems to revel in them. Man, even Morricone's score was bad. The only good thing I can say is that Leone's direction is still just as good; cinematography, editing are all top notch, but at the service of an awful, shallow, dynamite-subtle, haphazard attempt at political satire.

No, it's awesome.

[soitgoes...]

No, it's awesome.It isn't bad or awesome. It's my least favorite Leone film, but still very watchable.

[StanleyK]

No, it's awesome.

I thought so too, when I was 13.

[Qrazy]

It isn't bad or awesome. It's my least favorite Leone film, but still very watchable.

No, it's awesome and the score is great.

[Qrazy]

I thought so too, when I was 13.

Well then watch it again in another few years and you'll realize it's Leone's most comic film. Shit is hilarious and not to be taken seriously.

[StanleyK]

Well then watch it again in another few years and you'll realize it's Leone's most comic film. Shit is hilarious and not to be taken seriously.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is also pretty comical, I also loved it when I was 13 and when I rewatched it recently it held up extremely well. Sorry but Duck You Sucker just plain sucks.

[Qrazy]

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is also pretty comical, I also loved it when I was 13 and when I rewatched it recently it held up extremely well. Sorry but Duck You Sucker just plain sucks.

In regards to your initial post... Leone has never been subtle nor is he here. I also don't see how this film is any more misogynistic than In the West or In America. Dynamite uses western conventions to skewer them more than any of his other films. He even skewers the french new wave with the Jean, Jean, Jean music and flashbacks to that love triangle. Couple that with the introduction of Coburn throwing dynamite haphazardly at the side of a mountain, a terrific bridge sequence, a wonderful monologue in the train, the early rumblings of pre-Svankmajer extreme close-ups on eating and a score which features music like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxGntzAjixA)... and you've got yourself a damn fine film.

[StanleyK]

Leone has never been subtle nor is he here.

Indeed. That tarnishes his other films more than it helps redeem this one.


I also don't see how this film is any more misogynistic than In the West or In America.

Again, this only means that these other films are also flawed. In any case, here a woman is raped and seemingly enjoys it, which strikes me as way worse than anything else.


Dynamite uses western conventions to skewer them more than any of his other films. He even skewers the french new wave with the Jean, Jean, Jean music and flashbacks to that love triangle.

I'll concede that I may not be giving Leone enough credit in regards to actually commenting on clichés rather than simply deploying them. I don't see the french new wave thing, but that's a movement I'm kind of deficient on (pretty sure the music goes Shawn or Sean).


Couple that with the introduction of Coburn throwing dynamite haphazardly at the side of a mountain, a terrific bridge sequence, a wonderful monologue in the train, the early rumblings of pre-Svankmajer extreme close-ups on eating and a score which features music like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxGntzAjixA)... and you've got yourself a damn fine film.

All either annoying or dull to me. Different strokes I guess.

[Qrazy]

Again, this only means that these other films are also flawed. In any case, here a woman is raped and seemingly enjoys it, which strikes me as way worse than anything else.

That occurs in America and West also.




I'll concede that I may not be giving Leone enough credit in regards to actually commenting on clichés rather than simply deploying them. I don't see the french new wave thing, but that's a movement I'm kind of deficient on (pretty sure the music goes Shawn or Sean).



It's Jean (French pronunciation of John).

[StanleyK]

That occurs in America and West also.

Jill was faking enjoying it so Frank wouldn't kill her. Carol was a masochist, and she actually suggested it to Noodles.


It's Jean (French pronunciation of John).

It makes more sense if it's Shawn/Sean, which is the Irish pronunciation of John and the name of John's flashback friend.

[D_Davis]

Circle of Iron

If the martial arts and choreography were better, Circle of Iron would be nearly a masterpiece. But as it stands, it is merely only better than any number of other Western-made martial arts films of its time.

I have to wonder if Moore had ever even seen a Shaw Brothers or Golden Harvest film before, because he demonstrates a complete lack of skill in capturing the essence of martial combat. The combatants move slowly and you can tell they are pulling their punches, as nothing feels powerful or dangerous, and they all lack the style and prowess of their true Hong Kong brethren.

However, the story, created by Bruce Lee, is interesting and creative. Like Lee's other unfinished would-have-been masterpiece, The Game of Death, Circle of Iron was written as a way to detail and demonstrate Lee's own philosophy. The story here is very surreal, almost El Topo like in its otherworldly, esoteric qualities.

And David Carradine is just awesome. His character here is clearly the basis for Bill, in Kill Bill, although he waxes even more philosophically here, espousing wisdom and justice with his bamboo flute as a weapon.

[Qrazy]

Jill was faking enjoying it so Frank wouldn't kill her. Carol was a masochist, and she actually suggested it to Noodles.



It makes more sense if it's Shawn/Sean, which is the Irish pronunciation of John and the name of John's flashback friend.

Okay fine, but I do think the song rides the crest of that John/Jean/Sean/Juan in order to take the piss out of Jules et Jim.

[Philosophe_rouge]

I watched Pump up the Volume today for the first time and think it's awesome.

[Derek]

Okay fine, but I do think the song rides the crest of that John/Jean/Sean/Juan in order to take the piss out of Jules et Jim.

Which is kind of a stupid idea in the first place not to mention culturally boorish and accidentally aimed more at the modern chanson that Truffaut used to get away from classically composed scores than the FNW itself. Like most of the rest of the film, it's proof that Leone was wise to avoid satire and comedy as a central focus in the rest of his films. Cuz this one is easily his worst.

[Mara]

I watched Pump up the Volume today for the first time and think it's awesome.

Maybe it's due for a rewatch. Saw it at 15, at 22... maybe by 31 it will come full circle.

TALK HARD.

[Mara]

But Heathers is great, yeah?

[Ivan Drago]

Hey Raiders, is A MOVIE in your signature the Bruce Conner film? Because I saw that at an experimental film screening a couple months ago and liked it a great deal. They also showed this film from Naomi Uman called Removed, which I loved. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEkMKdf_9Fs

[D_Davis]

I watched Pump up the Volume today for the first time and think it's awesome.

Two words:

Samantha Mathis.

[Qrazy]

Which is kind of a stupid idea in the first place not to mention culturally boorish and accidentally aimed more at the modern chanson that Truffaut used to get away from classically composed scores than the FNW itself. Like most of the rest of the film, it's proof that Leone was wise to avoid satire and comedy as a central focus in the rest of his films. Cuz this one is easily his worst.

Huh? The song is just part of the loving jab at the New Wave, not the end game. The silliness of the lyrical 'sean/jean/sean' song is an extension of the silliness of the love triangle presented in flashbacks in the film (note the absurd riding and laughing in the car as evidence). Then you have the political element of the film. All of which to me is saying... come on Jules et Jim, don't take life so seriously. Personally I love Jules et Jim but I find the transposition of that love triangle to this ridiculous setting fairly funny as well.

Whereas Godard's films were aggressively political Dynamite takes a guy who doesn't give a damn about much of anything and thrusts him into a political context wherein he becomes a hero of the revolution. In terms of boorishness, again, all of Leone's works are boorish.

[Qrazy]

But Heathers is great, yeah?

Nah, it's bad.

[Mara]

Nah, it's bad.

Nah, it's fun.

[Qrazy]

Nah, it's fun.

It may be fun for you but it's cinematically uninteresting and therefore bad for me.

[Philosophe_rouge]

But Heathers is great, yeah?

It IS great. I'm happy we're having this moment, girl to girl.

[B-side]

You're killing me lately, Qrazy. Those deadpan dismissals are gold.:D

[Boner M]

Pump up the Volume is infinitely better than Heathers. The former was in my top 50 of all time, though I probably just put it there cos I was tired of doing writeups of canonical classics.

Allan Moyle, though... yeesh. Empire Records is a good argument for the 90's to be erased from history. Couldn't make it through that Wes Bentley movie he did a few years ago. I've heard good things about Times Square and New Waterford Girl.

[Boner M]

Heathers is good though, I just tire of Slater's Jack Nicholson-isms.

Where's Yum-Yum?

[Boner M]

I didn't watch any movies this weekend. I hate movies.

[elixir]

Christian Slater in Heathers is one of the most annoying performances ever.

[B-side]

I hate movies.

They're the worst.

[B-side]

Instead of restoring Wizard of Oz or Gone with the Wind for the 13th time, I'd like to see some decent releases of lesser-known Ulmer films.

[Boner M]

Hey Brightside, have you heard of Alain Guiraudie? I haven't seen any of his films yet, but the descriptions of his stuff that I've read make him seem up your alley. I could quote someone comparing him to Bunuel and Ruiz (as many have done), but I thought this review of his debut No Rest For the Brave from an IMDb idiot was more of an appetiser:


It seems that Jean-Luc Godard still has a lot to answer for. Some 60 years after his Brainless got the Pseuds into such a lather young filmmakers are still finding that off-the-wall, outre, call it what you will remains as good a substitute for talent for them as it did for him. This time around one Alain Guiraudie has come up with a scenario in which a guy named Basile - or it COULD be Hector - gets it into his head that if he falls asleep he will never wake up and - I'm guessing here and your guess is as good as mine - in the throes of sleep deprivation appears to undergo the type of hallucinations he could just as easily acquire via substance abuse. Whether he did actually massacre an entire small village, have an affair with a 60 year-old man, fly a red plane abortively, etc is really academic because like Godard before him Guiraudie has either not learned or has chosen to deliberately ignore Rule #1. Entertain the audience. Academics will cream in their pants over this one because it's open to so many interpretations it'll keep them writing papers and lecturing for years. On the other hand the non-academic film-goer will take one look and say merde.

[B-side]

Never heard of him, but that review totally sold me.:lol:

[Ivan Drago]

And Heathers is awesome.

[Qrazy]

Pump up the Volume is infinitely better than Heathers. The former was in my top 50 of all time, though I probably just put it there cos I was tired of doing writeups of canonical classics.

Allan Moyle, though... yeesh. Empire Records is a good argument for the 90's to be erased from history. Couldn't make it through that Wes Bentley movie he did a few years ago. I've heard good things about Times Square and New Waterford Girl.

I'm sad to say I watched Charlie Varrick the other day and didn't really care for it. It was alright. Matthau is always fun to watch but I'm not big on Siegel's aesthetic from what I've seen (this, Escape from Alcatraz and Dirty Harry). I actually like his Invasion of the Body Snatchers the most still.

It's always interesting to me how some directors seem to do more interesting work in color while others do it in black and white. I don't know if this has something to do with that difference or when it came about in their careers or etc. For instance with Truffaut I think his black and white films are far and away his most interesting films aesthetically.

[Boner M]

I'm sad to say I watched Charlie Varrick the other day and loved it. I found it formally amazing and would rate it well over B-.
Great to hear!

[elixir]

For instance with Truffaut I think his black and white films are far and away his most interesting films aesthetically.

I agree for the most part, but have you seen Two English Girls? I think it's a very beautiful color film by Truffaut.

[Qrazy]

I agree for the most part, but have you seen Two English Girls? I think it's a very beautiful color film by Truffaut.

Nope, haven't seen that one.

[Qrazy]

Great to hear!

That car/plane ground chase went on for a long time.

On the other hand I just watched Straight Time and that was quite good albeit a little bit ridiculous towards the end.

[B-side]

I'll watch some Siegel here soon. Might be just what I need right now.

[Winston*]

Watched Le Donk & Scor-Zay-Zee. Super slight, but intentionally and charmingly so. Funny too.

"Calm down Bob the Builder..."

Should get around to checking out Meadows' This Is England '86 television show.

[baby doll]

Hey Brightside, have you heard of Alain Guiraudie? I haven't seen any of his films yet, but the descriptions of his stuff that I've read make him seem up your alley. I could quote someone comparing him to Bunuel and Ruiz (as many have done), but I thought this review of his debut No Rest For the Brave from an IMDb idiot was more of an appetiser:I own the DVD, and it's pretty amazing.

[KK2.0]

watched 'Moon' and 'The Crazies' remake last weekend. Great performance by Sam Rockwell in 'Moon' but the film didn't quite hold my attention, the plot tries hard to be mind-bending but it lacks the atmosphere and narrative skill of masters of the genre like Polanski, Cronenberg or Lynch, not a bad movie but without Sam it would be far more forgettable. 'The Crazies' remake is competent, has a bunch of nice tense moments but it also has a bunch of stupid plot contrivances and the director seems to ran out of ideas (it has at least two or three shots framed the exact same way, killing the surprise scares it tries to accomplish), is the original superior or not much?

[Sven]

Moon's narrative execution is impeccable. You crazy.

[Qrazy]

watched 'Moon' and 'The Crazies' remake last weekend. Great performance by Sam Rockwell in 'Moon' but the film didn't quite hold my attention, the plot tries hard to be mind-bending but it lacks the atmosphere and narrative skill of masters of the genre like Polanski, Cronenberg or Lynch, not a bad movie but without Sam it would be far more forgettable. 'The Crazies' remake is competent, has a bunch of nice tense moments but it also has a bunch of stupid plot contrivances and the director seems to ran out of ideas (it has at least two or three shots framed the exact same way, killing the surprise scares it tries to accomplish), is the original superior or not much?

I don't really feel that Moon is trying to be like Polanski, Cronenberg or Lynch nor would I consider any of them masters of the sci fi genre. It sounds like you wanted it to be more abstract and less narratively constrained which I suppose is fair enough.

[KK2.0]

It sounds like you wanted it to be more abstract and less narratively constrained which I suppose is fair enough.

yes, you're right. i'm a sucker for psychological thrillers and the first act insinuates something like that, but the direction it took afterwards lost me somehow.

[Spun Lepton]

'The Crazies' remake is competent, has a bunch of nice tense moments but it also has a bunch of stupid plot contrivances and the director seems to ran out of ideas (it has at least two or three shots framed the exact same way, killing the surprise scares it tries to accomplish), is the original superior or not much?

Remake is superior IMO.

[Derek]

The Heiress (William Wyler, 1949)

Sorta-spoliers ahead...

Like his earlier Dodsworth, Wyler's The Heiress is essentially an inversion of the traditional melodrama, however rather than placing the weight of suffering on the male protoganist, the blows, at least for the first 2/3 of the film, are taken by Catherine's emotionally distant yet socially adept father. Yet, it's not even the surprising displacement of emotional struggles from the typical recipient (the horribly dull and naive heiress herself) to the character who would traditionally function as a callous, overbearing tyrant, who cares more about his money and status being taken advantage than his daughter's happiness, that is even the film's most impressive trait. Rather, it is the way the film consistently sets truth itself up as the villain and mines tragedy from the inevitability of fate unfolding. After all, it is clear that Catherine herself is not much of a catch and that Morris is after little more than her money, so Dr. Sloper's moral dilemma (allowing his daughter to enter a loveless marriage or clue her into the fact Morris only wants her endowment) places him squarely between a rock and hard place. As central as the Catherine/Morris romance is to the film, it is really in this dilemma that the crux of the film's moral inquisition lies, the burden carried far more by Dr. Sloper than anyone else simply because he cannot turn away from the truth. The clashes between the doctor and his sister over how to ensure Catherine's future well-being are ultimately rendered moot as it becomes increasingly clear that Catherine's unalterable character will make her future misery a virtual certainty. It would be easy to cast Morris as the true villain as he is responsible for Catherine and her father's falling out, but Catherine's downfall is essentially caused by her realization of her own nature and its incompatibility with her social status. The film wisely gives Morris his own comeuppance not simply as revenge for his abandoning Catherine years earlier, but to further suggest that the catalyst for tragedy was ultimately set in motion long before Morris shows up. Through this inevitability, The Heiress becomes a fascinating melodrama in its own right, pitting each of the four main characters against one another in a moral grey area where good and bad intentions alike contribute to the eventual suffering of each one of them.

[MadMan]

Siegel is a director that I really like, although I've only seen the following from him:

1. Invasion of the Body Snatchers-100
2. The Shootist-96
3. Dirty Harry-95
4. Charley Varrick-83
5. Two Mules For Sister Sara-75

[elixir]

The War Game...The War Game is simply an incredible film. Because of the contrast provided by the matter-of-fact voice-over and documentary conceit, it is the most scathing and angriest anti-war--and anti-nuclear warfare in particular--statement I have seen. Images of violence and chaos from the aftershocks of a nuclear bomb on a small town are juxtaposed against officials' speaking out about the consequences that would occur...after hearing them talk, we often see burned arms and faces, blind kids, housewives turned thieves, and it's impossible not to bear witness to the absurdity of the interview footage. But though this won Best Documentary at the Oscars, it's actually a fiction film--that doesn't make it any less powerful though, because isn't that what cinema and all art can do? Reveal truth through fiction and lies. And indeed it does. But even so, it constantly reference the actual nuclear bombs deployed at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, so we are constantly reminded, that not only can this happen, but it actually has. The images are indelible and the message just as real, despite this being a fictional documentary...seriously, this film is something else. Wow.

[elixir]

Also, I watched three more Godards in the past day, out of which Band of Outsiders was easily the best. Totally exciting, reference-filled, funny and surprisingly emotional, with Anna Karina goodness. What's not to love? Made In U.S.A. was pretty good, but nothing I can get passionate about. And La Chinoise has got to be my least favorite of his so far...the characters weren't even characters, as they just spout out dialogue and cinematically, it wasn't that interesting compared to Godard's other works. Disappointing. Is Notre Musique, Tout Va Bien, or Every Man For Himself the best entry point into his post-60s work?

[Dead & Messed Up]

Moon's narrative execution is impeccable. You crazy.

Seriouslye. It's damn near perfect in terms of construction.

[baby doll]

And La Chinoise has got to be my least favorite of his so far...the characters weren't even characters, as they just spout out dialogue and cinematically, it wasn't that interesting compared to Godard's other works. Disappointing. Is Notre Musique, Tout Va Bien, or Every Man For Himself the best entry point into his post-60s work?Well, beginning around 1966, Godard's work becomes more journalistic in approach (the interview sequences in Masculin féminin and 2 ou 3 choses que je sais d'elle being the most obvious examples), and with La Chinoise in particular, the film sets out to document the sort of things French Maoists were saying in 1967 more than tell a story.

As for his post-'68 films, from his Maoist phase (1968-'72), I've just seen Sympathy for the Devil, Le Gai savoir and Tout va bien. The first of these is pretty awesome (long sequence shots of the Rolling Stones rehearsing interspersed with self-contained vignettes about the Black Panthers and other fun stuff); the second feels like the sort of movie the characters in La Chinoise would've made about themselves (it bored me the one time I saw it, but I'd be willing to see it again); and the last looks better to me on second viewing, but still seems fairly minor.

Godard's next phase ('75-'76) is like a critique of his Maoist phase-- particularly Ici et ailleurs, which deconstructs some footage Godard and Jean-Pierre Gorrin shot for a never-completed film about the Palestinians. It's a obviously a major work, only an hour long, and you can watch it on YouTube (if you happen to live in a country where YouTube isn't blocked by the government). I've only seen the first six episodes of France/tour/detour/deux/enfants, but what I've seen is terrific.

I haven't seen Sauve qui peut (la vie) (Godard's return to commercial filmmaking), but from the same period (1980-'93), I'm particularly fond of Passion, Détective (probably his most accessible feature from this era), Je vous salue, Marie, Soft and Hard (an hour-long video made for British TV with Anne-Marie Miéville, which is on YouTube), King Lear (easily the best movie that Molly Ringwald ever made), Allemagne Année 90 Neuf Zéro (also on YouTube), and Hélas pour moi.

As for his most recent phase (1995-present), Histoire(s) du cinéma is conceivably the best thing he's ever done, though it's hard to say definitively after only one viewing. I'm also particularly keen on Éloge de l'amour, Dans le noir du temps, Liberté et patrie, Notre musique, and Film socialisme.

[Derek]

I haven't seen Sauve qui peut (la vie) (Godard's return to commercial filmmaking), but from the same period (1980-'93), I'm particularly fond of Passion, Détective (probably his most accessible feature from this era), Je vous salue, Marie, Soft and Hard (an hour-long video made for British TV with Anne-Marie Miéville, which is on YouTube), King Lear (easily the best movie that Molly Ringwald ever made), Allemagne Année 90 Neuf Zéro (also on YouTube), and Hélas pour moi.

Have you not seen Nouvelle Vague? It's one of his best post-'68 films, along with Histoire(s) and In Praise of Love, and is quite funny as well.

[baby doll]

Have you not seen Nouvelle Vague? It's one of his best post-'68 films, along with Histoire(s) and In Praise of Love, and is quite funny as well.No, but I've been dying to for ages. I was tempted to download it from KG, but it's a rip of the Cahiers du cinéma edition which Jonathan Rosenbaum panned for its mono sound. Then again, I'd be watching it on my laptop, so I suppose it doesn't really matter.

[Derek]

No, but I've been dying to for ages. I was tempted to download it from KG, but it's a rip of the Cahiers du cinéma edition which Jonathan Rosenbaum panned for its mono sound. Then again, I'd be watching it on my laptop, so I suppose it doesn't really matter.

If that's the only way you can see it now, I'd still go for it rather than waiting who knows how long for a better release. It probably is one of Godard's most revolutionary (and beautiful) soundtracks, however, so J-Ro's complaint is completely legitimate.

[number8]

It has to be the most ungodly annoying film I have ever seen. There isn't a single honest moment in the film. Such a phony, contrived piece of shit. I only made it to the end so I could legitimately rate it for the awful, awful thing that it is.

Plus, all their music sucks ass.

Say no more, mon amour.

[megladon8]

Raiders, your rating for The Heiress makes me happy, as does your review.

I wish I could rep you multiple times for it.

[Bosco B Thug]

'The Crazies' remake is competent, has a bunch of nice tense moments but it also has a bunch of stupid plot contrivances and the director seems to ran out of ideas (it has at least two or three shots framed the exact same way, killing the surprise scares it tries to accomplish), is the original superior or not much? Romero's film is clumsy and awkward, but I'd call it superior just for aiming higher than the remake. I'm with you, I was not impressed with the remake.

[Spinal]

Watched Evil Dead II last night and was happy to find it lived up to all my memories of it. So much invention and wit in virtually every scene. Didn't realize that this was shot by Peter Deming. I love the fact that Evil Dead II and Mulholland Dr. were shot by the same guy. My favorite tiny detail might be the flowers wilting behind Bruce Campbell as the giant evil monster head bursts through the door at the end. It's amazing how much head trauma Ash endures in that movie. He must have had several concussions.

[Derek]

Raiders, your rating for The Heiress makes me happy, as does your review.

I wish I could rep you multiple times for it.

Agreed. Raiders is awesome.

[Raiders]

Raiders, your rating for The Heiress makes me happy, as does your review.

I wish I could rep you multiple times for it.

Thanks man! And may I also compliment you on your spot-on take on The Adventures of Robin Hood. Rep for you.

[megladon8]

I think you mean Derek... :)

[MadMan]

Empire Records (1995) Nega-stars:lol:

Last night I viewed Due Date, and despite some lapses in logic (which many comedies tend to have, anyways) and certain stretches of film where the movie wasn't funny at all, I still enjoyed it. The two leads have great chemistry together, and many of the jokes and bits were still hilarious. Not a bad way to kill a couple of hours, but not better than some of the other comedies that have come out in the past two years.

[D_Davis]

Watched Evil Dead II last night and was happy to find it lived up to all my memories of it. So much invention and wit in virtually every scene. Didn't realize that this was shot by Peter Deming. I love the fact that Evil Dead II and Mulholland Dr. were shot by the same guy. My favorite tiny detail might be the flowers wilting behind Bruce Campbell as the giant evil monster head bursts through the door at the end. It's amazing how much head trauma Ash endures in that movie. He must have had several concussions.

Such a great movie.

[Spun Lepton]

Watched Evil Dead II last night and was happy to find it lived up to all my memories of it. So much invention and wit in virtually every scene. Didn't realize that this was shot by Peter Deming. I love the fact that Evil Dead II and Mulholland Dr. were shot by the same guy. My favorite tiny detail might be the flowers wilting behind Bruce Campbell as the giant evil monster head bursts through the door at the end. It's amazing how much head trauma Ash endures in that movie. He must have had several concussions.

Mega-rep. One of my all-time favorites.

[Raiders]

I think you mean Derek... :)

I think you mean Derek... ;)

[soitgoes...]

I think you mean Derek... :):lol:

[D_Davis]

The Chemical Brothers score for Hanna > Daft Punk's score for Tron

[D_Davis]

I think you mean Derek... :)


I think you mean Derek... ;)


:lol:

Uh...I think you mean Derek...:D

Amidoingitright?

[Boner M]

Deep down, I think we all mean Derek.

[Scar]

So I'm watched LOTR: The Two Towers again, and is it wrong that every time I watch it, I start giggling when:

After the orcs set up the explosives at Helms Deep, the one orc with the torch starts running towards it. I can't help it, I start giggling. And then he jumps and detonates the explosives, I just find it oddly hilarious.

[soitgoes...]

I want to be with Derek...

Wait... what?

[D_Davis]

So I'm watched LOTR: The Two Towers again, and is it wrong that every time I watch it, I start giggling when:

After the orcs set up the explosives at Helms Deep, the one orc with the torch starts running towards it. I can't help it, I start giggling. And then he jumps and detonates the explosives, I just find it oddly hilarious.

I always laugh at that part. I thought it was supposed to be funny.

[megladon8]

Wow, I feel legally retarded.

[B-side]

Wow, I feel legally retarded.

As opposed to illegally?;)

[Sycophant]

Watched Sion Sono's 2009 film Be Sure to Share. Utterly piercing and affecting (not affected). Love, love, loved it. I had a rocky start with Sono's Suicide Club, but it's been smooth sailing since.

Thanks for the rec, soitgoes...!

[soitgoes...]

Watched Sion Sono's 2009 film Be Sure to Share. Utterly piercing and affecting (not affected). Love, love, loved it. I had a rocky start with Sono's Suicide Club, but it's been smooth sailing since.

Thanks for the rec, soitgoes...!:pritch:

Fuck yeah! It's about time someone else watched that one. It's Sono's best film. It's almost hard to imagine that it was made by the same guy who did Love Exposure. Hopefully this gets the ball rolling, and more of you people get around to watching it.

[Rowland]

I'm a big Sono fan as well, still haven't seen Love Exposure or Noriko's Dinner Table though, which I hear wonderful things about. I kinda can't wait to see Cold Fish, given its nasty reception.

[soitgoes...]

I kinda can't wait to see Cold Fish, given its nasty reception.I completely forgot about this film's existence.

[Yxklyx]

If you love Ozu, you'll love Still Walking by Hirokazu Koreeda. Wonderful film.

[baby doll]

If you love Ozu, you'll love Still Walking by Hirokazu Koreeda. Wonderful film.I love Ozu, but I was fairly bored by Still Walking.

[B-side]

I'm fairly bored by Ozu, but I enjoyed Still Walking.

[soitgoes...]

I love Ozu and Still Walking, but am fairly bored with both baby doll and Brightside.

[Qrazy]

I love Ozu and Still Walking, but am fairly bored with both baby doll and Brightside.

I found The Official Story to be pretty lame. Foreign oscar bait from yesteryear.

[MadMan]

So I'm watched LOTR: The Two Towers again, and is it wrong that every time I watch it, I start giggling when:

After the orcs set up the explosives at Helms Deep, the one orc with the torch starts running towards it. I can't help it, I start giggling. And then he jumps and detonates the explosives, I just find it oddly hilarious.Nope. When I was seeing it in theaters, I cracked jokes about it. He's really a suicide bomb carrying olympic runner!

Reminds me of how in ROTK, the battle sequence with the charge of the Rohin is almost perfect, but has one flaw: as the arrows are raining down, this orc looks up at the charging horsemen with this way too happy, gay looking smile that's beyond hilarious.

Aye, Evil Dead II is amazing. My favorite part is Ash having to battle and fight against his demonic hand. A great exercise in slapstick, ending with Ash going batshit crazy. Excellent.

[soitgoes...]

I found The Official Story to be pretty lame. Foreign oscar bait from yesteryear.The first half was good, but then i slipped into Made-for-TV melodrama. It might slip with time. Funny Dirty War is a much better film from that time period.

Good news. I just finished Time of the Gypsies finally! It's pretty great. Funny shit.

[Qrazy]

The first half was good, but then i slipped into Made-for-TV melodrama. It might slip with time. Funny Dirty War is a much better film from that time period.

Good news. I just finished Time of the Gypsies finally! It's pretty great. Funny shit.

Kusturica pwns my soul.

[Qrazy]

Been watching a lot of the lesser seen/spoken about (relatively speaking) Hitchcock, Billy Wilder and Ealing Comedies lately.

M for Murder (Hitchcock)
Torn Curtain (Hitchcock)
Stage Fright (Hitchcock)
The Front Page (Wilder)
Irma La Douce (Wilder)
Barnacle Bill (Frend)

[Sven]

The Front Page (Wilder)

I really love this version. Late-era Wilder is some of my favorite, actually.

[kuehnepips]

I just finished Time of the Gypsies finally! It's pretty great. Funny shit.

My all time fav. film! :pritch:

*passes bottle*

[B-side]

The Taking of Pelham 123 is not quite Deja Vu, but it's well worth its place in Scott's post-Spy Game hyper-aesthetic work. I say hyper because Scott's work after that point is deliriously formed. Call it ADD -- call it what you will, but it's nothing if not concurrent with the material and the motifs he's toyed with since the 90s. This particular film features a rather topical metaphorical nightmare scenario in which people are literally held hostage with no regard for their safety for the sole sake of financial profit. Computer screens and glistening metal surfaces create a very deliberate sense of alienness to the surroundings which is offset by the multicultural heart held within. Where Deja Vu had Denzel looking into the past to help prevent future tragedy, Taking of Pelham 123 has Denzel directly connected with potential tragedy happening now. In Scott's worlds of "ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances," Denzel is forced into the hero role. Surveillance and voyeurism in this context is portrayed by way of a teenager's web cam, which is then streamed live for the entire world to see, raking in any and all viewers as part of the collective whole experiencing this potential tragedy along with everyman Denzel. Scott delivers a hammerfisted blow to careless and greedy Wall Street execs with Ryder's arc, who tosses off blame for his murders and places it on the shoulders of the city as a whole, reflecting a shared responsibility for the financial crisis. With his last two films, Scott has employed a multi-planar aesthetic symbolizing various methods of viewing and distant and delayed, yet oddly intimate, interaction. As cliche and old-fashioned as it sounds, we are capable of wonderful things when we finally pull together toward the same goal, and the general safety of innocent people is, at the very least, the one thing we can all agree to work to protect.

[Spinal]

Yi Yi was almost too much to bear. Such a frank, comprehensive distillation of life's journey that it is almost painful. I am now a wreck.

[soitgoes...]

Yi Yi was almost too much to bear. Such a frank, comprehensive distillation of life's journey that it is almost painful. I am now a wreck.If you ever find a way, you have to see A Brighter Summer Day. It's probably even better than Yi yi, and one of the top two or three films to come out of Taiwan. Yang was a force, and it's a shame that only Yi yi has any sort of decent release.

[Qrazy]

I really love this version. Late-era Wilder is some of my favorite, actually.

Yeah it was good stuff. That Matthau/Lemmon pairing is always dynamite. Although I do prefer His Girl Friday to it, even though I prefer Wilder to Hawks more generally.

[B-side]

The Beekeeper (Angelopoulos 87) ***½

Excellent film. Glad you enjoyed it.

[soitgoes...]

Excellent film. Glad you enjoyed it.My number two favorite Angelopoulos film. Loneliness.

[Rowland]

An American Werewolf in London is surprising for not being the straight-up yuk-fest I was anticipating from a John Landis flick, instead playing relatively straight compared to the campy satire of Joe Dante's only marginally effective and largely inferior The Howling. It's shot and edited with some real vigor, the horror set pieces in particular being notably punchy, and the whole of it is infused with an affecting melancholy that enhances its understated playfulness. The werewolf effects are sometimes a letdown however, and the ending feels oddly tossed off, or perhaps unearned in its nihilistic sentimentality, though I'm not sure how else it could have ended.

[baby doll]

If you ever find a way, you have to see A Brighter Summer Day. It's probably even better than Yi yi, and one of the top two or three films to come out of Taiwan. Yang was a force, and it's a shame that only Yi yi has any sort of decent release.Taipei Story and The Terrorizers are also terrific, if not quite as good as Yi Yi.

[Derek]

I love Ozu and Still Walking, but am fairly bored with both baby doll and Brightside.

This is the most accurate of the Ozu/Still Walking statements.

As for meg mixing me up with Raiders, I did was writing in a Boston accent yesterday so the confusion is understandable.


The Taking of Pelham 123 is not quite Deja Vu

Jesus H. Christ, make the bad man stop.


Yi Yi was almost too much to bear. Such a frank, comprehensive distillation of life's journey that it is almost painful. I am now a wreck.

:pritch:

Such an amazing film. So glad you loved it.

[Raiders]

With the exception of Late Spring, Koreeda's Maborosi, After Life, Nobody Knows and Still Walking are all greater than any Ozu film I have seen.


As for meg mixing me up with Raiders, I did was writing in a Boston accent yesterday so the confusion is understandable.

Not really applicable any more. I never had much of one in any case, and over the last few years it has completely disintegrated.

[Derek]

Not really applicable any more. I never had much of one in any case, and over the last few years it has completely disintegrated.

'Twas a joke Raiders.

[D_Davis]

An American Werewolf in London is surprising for not being the straight-up yuk-fest I was anticipating from a John Landis flick, instead playing relatively straight compared to the campy satire of Joe Dante's only marginally effective and largely inferior The Howling. It's shot and edited with some real vigor, the horror set pieces in particular being notably punchy, and the whole of it is infused with an affecting melancholy that enhances its understated playfulness. The werewolf effects are sometimes a letdown however, and the ending feels oddly tossed off, or perhaps unearned in its nihilistic sentimentality, though I'm not sure how else it could have ended.

It's one of the most creatively constructed and orchestrated mainstream horror films ever made. The narrative structure is odd, the tone is bizarre, and it's just damn weird movie - and yet everything works. When people say "they don't make them like they used to" they're talking about films like this. The entire opening sequence with the main characters walking across the moors is fantastic; I love how the horror is a slow build.

[Raiders]

'Twas a joke Raiders.

Well I know, but I was clarifying the poor foundation for the already unfunny joke.

:twisted:

[Derek]

Well I know, but I was clarifying the poor foundation for the already unfunny joke.

:twisted:

To be fair, I heard you say "Raiders" in the past and I assure you that most people not from Boston do not pronounce it "Raaydahs". ;)

[Raiders]

To be fair, I heard you say "Raiders" in the past and I assure you that most people not from Boston do not pronounce it "Raaydahs". ;)

You've heard me speak before? That's creepy.

[Derek]

You've heard me speak before? That's creepy.

You posted a clip of you saying something short like 5 years ago on the old MC site. Sorry for bringing it up, but the important thing is you're no longer sensitive about it. :D

[Derek]

So...can we get back to planning Brightside's intervention to put a stop to this Tony Scott crush of his?

[Raiders]

You posted a clip of you saying something short like 5 years ago on the old MC site. Sorry for bringing it up, but the important thing is you're no longer sensitive about it. :D

Damn I have bad memory. It's likely I was comically exaggerating it anyway. Who knows.

Yes, I agree we should return to berating B-side's taste in film. Always a winner.

[elixir]

So, there are people who consider Deja Vu un-ironically good, and not the ridiculously (and ridiculous) bad movie that it is? Am I missing something here?

EDIT: I don't mean to come across as condescending. I'm just joking around. :) Well, not joking about it being bad. Because it is bad.

EDIT 2.0: Mostly, I just don't get this thing of liking Tony Scott...that I've seen many cinephiles get into...don't understand it at all. I suppose he has a more distinctive style than others.

[Raiders]

So, there are people who consider Deja Vu un-ironically good, and not the ridiculously (and ridiculous) bad movie that it is? Am I missing something here?

Well, yes actually. I'm not much of a Tony Scott fan, but I think it is probably his best film. Certainly among his more un-obnoxious efforts of the last decade. The silly tech angle is actually fairly charming and the sequence where Denzel essentially has a car chase with the past is terrific.

[baby doll]

I liked Tony Scott before liking Tony Scott was cool (i.e., circa-Domino).

[elixir]

I've actually seen less Tony Scott movies than I thought. Can't judge fully yet. So...never mind...for now. I've seen so many of them in bits and pieces. Can't say I'm rushing to see them in full though.

[Derek]

I liked Tony Scott before liking Tony Scott was cool (i.e., circa-Domino).

I thought it was around the time of Man on Fire, from a year earlier, that the Tony Scott affliction began to spread. I remember seeing it theaters, thinking it was an abysmal turd, coming across people nonsensically praising it for its formal invention and then being very, very angry.

[dreamdead]

A Town Called Panic was rather delightful--a French stop-motion animated film collecting all the miscellania of childhood toys and constructing a narrative around them. Horse never stops being funny, and the slight critique of Cowboy and Indian just messing up all of the town's lifestyle has a bitter undercurrent. It burns out a bit toward the end, but it's fascinating until then.

Azur and Asmar suffers from the same fate of the never-ending ending that A Town...does, and never quite as stimulating in its narrative, but the animation, a strange blend of 3D and primitive 2D styles, frequently secures a gorgeousness not often found in contemporary Western animation. A bit of a letdown after the former film, but good generally.

[megladon8]

A Town Called Panic is indeed wonderful. Glad you loved it, Raiders!!


:lol:

[Watashi]

I really hate writing film essays where I have to analyze a film scene by scene, shot by shot. Totally ruins the fun out of watching the film.

[Boner M]

I wanna see Man on Fire just for that growing-font-size-subtitles scene Derek mentioned a while back.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I really hate writing film essays where I have to analyze a film scene by scene, shot by shot. Totally ruins the fun out of watching the film.

I really enjoy doing so. I often notice subtleties I've never noticed before.

[Derek]

I wanna see Man on Fire just for that growing-font-size-subtitles scene Derek mentioned a while back.

Start watching at about 2:45:

8BB5c0QcQHQ


I really enjoy doing so. I often notice subtleties I've never noticed before.

Yeah, scene-by-scene anaylses are great and incredibly helpful, in some cases necessary, in examining a film's aesthetics. Plus, there are subtitleties that can slip by when you watch a film straight through.

[Watashi]

Yeah, scene-by-scene anaylses are great and incredibly helpful, in some cases necessary, in examining a film's aesthetics. Plus, there are subtitleties that can slip by when you watch a film straight through.
It may be helpful, but after watching the same movie 10 times in the span of the week, I have no desire to ever rewatch it for just pleasure viewing.

The film is The 400 Blows btw. I'm writing an essay on how Truffaut is attacking the system in regards to unfair punishment towards juvenile offenders.

[megladon8]

I can see both sides.

I could see it being very fun and interesting to do at your own leisure, to achieve a greater understanding of a film you love.


But having to do it for a class, and watching the film repeatedly ad nauseum not because you want to but because you have to, could be pretty trying.


It's like the old book report thing. I always found reading to be a total chore when I had to read for school. But in my spare time I just drank books up.

[Derek]

But having to do it for a class, and watching the film repeatedly ad nauseum not because you want to but because you have to, could be pretty trying.

I never had a film class where we didn't get to choose what film we wanted to write about, but I can understand finding it a chore to have to closely analyze a film you didn't choose. I guess I don't understand why anyone would take an academic film class if all they want out of it is fun.

[Derek]

It may be helpful, but after watching the same movie 10 times in the span of the week, I have no desire to ever rewatch it for just pleasure viewing.

I can see what you're saying here. Overexposure can make you tire of a film, but I don't really buy the "it kills the magic" argument, not that you were saying that. It's just a completely different way of viewing film.

[StanleyK]

Didn't enjoy Moon very much at all. I don't see anything particularly interesting or thought-provoking about its premise. The execution is bland; the art direction is generic and uninspired, the editing insipid, its constant cutting and insertion of close-ups insulting. Rockwell and Mansell were fine, not great, fine, and the movie is ultimately only watchable thanks to them.

In other news, I may have been a tad too harsh on Duck, You Sucker. For one thing, the Morricone score is most definitely not bad; that was a knee-jerk reaction and just plain untrue (it's actually really fun).

[Ivan Drago]

Start watching at about 2:45:

8BB5c0QcQHQ

Bah. Was hoping they would take up the entire screen at one point.

[Qrazy]

Wahhh Christopher Nolan can't hold a shot and he's always using shot reverse shot! Tony Scott. cut. cut. cut. cut. cut.

[Ezee E]

I don't know. It really depends on the moderator as far as a shot-by-shot analysis goes. Ebert used to do them in April every year, and I looked forward to it, no matter what the movie was. And in class, I had a few teachers that were great at it, and one that just made it a chore.

[elixir]

It may be helpful, but after watching the same movie 10 times in the span of the week, I have no desire to ever rewatch it for just pleasure viewing.

The film is The 400 Blows btw. I'm writing an essay on how Truffaut is attacking the system in regards to unfair punishment towards juvenile offenders.

In a year or two years, you might (probably?) will feel differently. I for one will never tire of that movie. And 10 times? Really?

I'm in my first film class, but we have to write a paper each week on assigned questions...so sometimes it takes a bit to get going on films I am not passionate about or questions I'm not particularly interested in, but ultimately I like it because it forces me to look at something I might not have, and also causes me to have focus in my analysis.

[Bosco B Thug]

An American Werewolf in London is surprising for not being the straight-up yuk-fest I was anticipating from a John Landis flick, instead playing relatively straight compared to the campy satire of Joe Dante's only marginally effective and largely inferior The Howling. It's shot and edited with some real vigor, the horror set pieces in particular being notably punchy, and the whole of it is infused with an affecting melancholy that enhances its understated playfulness. The werewolf effects are sometimes a letdown however, and the ending feels oddly tossed off, or perhaps unearned in its nihilistic sentimentality, though I'm not sure how else it could have ended. First viewing?? No wonder you went in with such way-off expectations. :) It is thankfully a surprisingly grim film, although it does feel a little lightweight (although it may be partly having seen it way too much, and since my adolescence). I remember Sven making a point to compare its subtext in its favor to Hostel, and I just wish it hit me as much.

First I think about the Dead Best Friend subplot - a bit over-praised - and get all critical, but then I think about the un/sentimental ending, the added attention given to the moors locals, and the surprisingly effective use of comedy relief cops and start thinking that that's an assured, confident film.

[Watashi]

We have to write an essay a week on the film we watch, then one huge essay every quarter (which I'm working on right now). We only get a limited amount of film to choose from, but I chose the Truffaut film because I'm familar with and its theme are pretty presently cleared.

My teacher is kind of a nutcase. He is OBSESSED with No Country for Old Men. He thinks its the greatest thing ever and will constantly reference it in every film we see.

[Ezee E]

I like that teacher. Most go the easy way and just reference Citizen Kane, the usuals, because there's so much info on it.

[Winston*]

I guess I don't understand why anyone would take an academic film class if all they want out of it is fun.

Yeah they should take one for the vast array of career opportunities it affords.

[Ivan Drago]

Yeah they should take one for the vast array of career opportunities it affords.

What career opportunities?

ZING!*


*BTW, I graduate in May with my Bachelor of Arts. My major, you ask? Cinema. :eek:

[Sycophant]

What career opportunities?

ZING!*


*BTW, I graduate in May with my Bachelor of Arts. My major, you ask? Cinema. :eek:

Oh, ho, ho! Good joke!

[Ivan Drago]

Oh, ho, ho! Good joke!

Ah, damn, now my head hurts from sarcasm overload.

In all seriousness though, I honestly thought Winston was joking. If that's not the case, I apologize. I'm in a cynical mood today.

[Spinal]

You can't zing when someone's already made the joke. Illegal zing, I say.

[Dead & Messed Up]

You can't zing when someone's already made the joke. Illegal zing, I say.

I'll allow the zing, but I warn you, Drago, this better be going somewhere.

[Spinal]

I'll allow the zing, but I warn you, Drago, this better be going somewhere.

May I request a sidebar, your honor?

[Derek]

Wahhh Christopher Nolan can't hold a shot and he's always using shot reverse shot! Tony Scott. cut. cut. cut. cut. cut.

Be careful. You'll make Brightside ANGRY!


Yeah they should take one for the vast array of career opportunities it affords.

Yeah, going to school for something that interests you is overrated.

[DavidSeven]

He is OBSESSED with No Country for Old Men. He thinks its the greatest thing ever and will constantly reference it in every film we see.

Should have dropped after the second or third reference.

[Winston*]

Yeah, going to school for something that interests you is overrated.

No meanness intended. I'm currently doing a useless arts degree.

[B-side]

Jesus H. Christ, make the bad man stop.

You can put me on ignore if you want.

[Derek]

No meanness intended. I'm currently doing a useless arts degree.

We just have two different definitions of "useless" in this context, but yeah, you probably won't have a lot of people knocking on your door with big bags of cash.


You can put me on ignore if you want.

My apologies. I was unaware it was possible to take my comment seriously.

[B-side]

My apologies. I was unaware it was possible to take my comment seriously.

Well, people have done nothing but bitch every time I've written about Tony Scott, so it's hard not to get a bit defensive.

[Pop Trash]

Tony Scott sucked, still sucks, and will continue to suck in the foreseeable and unforeseeable future.

[D_Davis]

Tony Scott movies I like:

True Romance
Enemy of the State
Man on Fire


Haven't seen anything post-Man on Fire

[B-side]

Tony Scott movies I like:

True Romance
Enemy of the State
Man on Fire


Haven't seen anything post-Man on Fire

Are those ranked, or just chronological? I mean, I know they're in chronological order, but do they happen to be ranked that way as well?

[baby doll]

I like True Romance, Beat the Devil, Domino, and Déja vù, but everything else I've seen (The Hunger, Top Gun, Enemy of the State, Man on Fire, Unstoppable) is mediocre hackwork or worse.

[B-side]

I like Domino

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/vlcsnap-2011-02-20-03h03m48s197.png

[DavidSeven]

Remember Tony Scott's The Fan? What a stupid ass movie.

[D_Davis]

Are those ranked, or just chronological? I mean, I know they're in chronological order, but do they happen to be ranked that way as well?

Not ranked.

I like Enemy of the State the most, and True Romance the least.

[Boner M]

Got a pile of screeners to watch this weekend, someone help me prioritise:

Valhalla Rising
The Big Night (Losey)
The Heiress
The Devil and Daniel Webster
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
Lemon Popsicle
Dead Hooker in a Trunk

German film fest screeners (anyone heard of the following?):

Bikini Revolution
Colours in the Dark
Goethe!
The Day I Was Not Born
The Day of the Cat
The Silence

[Qrazy]

The Devil and Daniel Webster is real good.

[B-side]

Not ranked.

I like Enemy of the State the most, and True Romance the least.

If that's the case, you may wanna give Crimson Tide and Spy Game a go.

[soitgoes...]

Got a pile of screeners to watch this weekend, someone help me prioritise:

[b]The Heiress
The Devil and Daniel Webster
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?These.

[soitgoes...]

My weekend:

Nine Queens (Bielinsky)
Limite (Peixoto)
A Time of Roses (Jarva)
A Matter of Dignity & A Girl in Back (Cacoyannis)
Identification Marks: None (Skolimowski)

[B-side]

My weekend:

Nine Queens (Bielinsky)
Limite (Peixoto)
A Time of Roses (Jarva)
A Matter of Dignity & A Girl in Back (Cacoyannis)
Identification Marks: None (Skolimowski)

I grabbed Limite right away when I checked it out after seeing Genie recommended it over on the other forum. Looks excellent. That Skolimowski is good.


The Party and the Guests (Nemec 66) ***
Father (Szabó 66) ***

Seen and enjoyed the top one. I think I have the bottom one bookmarked.

[soitgoes...]

I grabbed Limite right away when I checked it out after seeing Genie recommended it over on the other forum. Looks excellent. That Skolimowski is good.Skolimowski hasn't failed me yet. Well The Shout is a bit iffy, but I still fall positive on that one. Limite has been on my radar for awhile now. A 21 year old director who only ever made one film, and it's considered one of the master works of a nation? Yes please.


Seen and enjoyed the top one. I think I have the bottom one bookmarked.
Diamonds of the Night is the better Nemec film, but that might have more to do with Eastern European WWII being more appealing to me than satirical critiques of the Communist Party, if only by a little. Szabó is definitely on the rise with me after this and his wonderful short Variations on a Theme. I saw Sunshine forever ago. I need to give him more of a look.

[B-side]

Skolimowski hasn't failed me yet. Well The Shout is a bit iffy, but I still fall positive on that one. Limite has been on my radar for awhile now. A 21 year old director who only ever made one film, and it's considered one of the master works of a nation? Yes please.

So what you're saying is that I should check out The Shout immediately?:D


Diamonds of the Night is the better Nemec film, but that might have more to do with Eastern European WWII being more appealing to me than satirical critiques of the Communist Party, if only by a little. Szabó is definitely on the rise with me after this and his wonderful short Variations on a Theme. I saw Sunshine forever ago. I need to give him more of a look.

I have Diamonds of the Night. Only an hour long, too. For Szabó, if you glance up at my list, you'll see that I highly recommend Budapest Tales, even to you!

[Mara]

I watched Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in honor of Liz's passing, but I was underwhelmed. To me, drama needs to be more than two hours of everyone taking turns shouting. If you start off with emotional intensity and never let up, it's going to come off as one-note, even if everyone is acting up a storm. It had middle-of-the-road performances from both Taylor and Paul Newman-- I've seen better and worse from both of them.

As for the adaptation of it, I haven't read or seen the original play, but I'm curious now. The normal Tennessee Williams game of "spot the hidden homosexual" was easier than usual. I'm sure the original play also didn't have quite so pushy a catharsis, or as unrealistically happy of an ending.

Burl Ives was great, though.

[ledfloyd]

As for the adaptation of it, I haven't read or seen the original play, but I'm curious now. The normal Tennessee Williams game of "spot the hidden homosexual" was easier than usual. I'm sure the original play also didn't have quite so pushy a catharsis, or as unrealistically happy of an ending.
it kind of does. at least the ending is pretty much the same. i'm basing this on a community theater production of it i saw last summer.

[Philosophe_rouge]

The play is even more obvious then the film about homosexuality, if I remember. Since I only have vague recollections though, I can only say while watching the film, I was struck by by how the film's second half is largely different in tone and intention then the play. That being said, it might have had the same ending.

[Mara]

it kind of does. at least the ending is pretty much the same. i'm basing this on a community theater production of it i saw last summer.

I'm not finding much luck on the internet, so I'll have to pick up a copy of the play the next time I'm at the library.

[Mara]

The play is even more obvious then the film about homosexuality, if I remember.

I'm sure. I meant that the homosexual is usually only hidden in the film adaptations, because of when they were made. It almost works in A Streetcar Named Desire because the hidden homosexual wasn't an important character, but it completely derails Suddenly, Last Summer because the climactic scene is so shrouded in subtext that it becomes nigh incomprehensible.

[Fezzik]

I was home early from work yesterday with nothing to do, so I surfed my movie channels.

I stumbled across a movie called Bandslam. It's a 2008(?) teen drama starring Vanessa Hudgens (of High School Musical fame), Aly Michalka (of AJ & Aly) and a guy I'd never seen before named Gaelan Connell.

It centered around local bands and a tri-state band competition.

When it first came out, I remember the ads for it making it look like a terrible teen / tween musical drama (shocker, right?)

I don't know what possessed me to keep it on, but I decided to.

And color me surprised, but it wasn't bad.

It's nothing you'll remember in 20 years and most of the music was average at best, but I was surprised at the earnestness of so many scenes and the fact that the romantic relationship wasn't the central one. No, the central relationship was a strong friendship between Will & Charlotte (Connell and Michalka) and their dynamic.

There were some very surprising moments and some cool shout outs to musical history.

The writer/director, Todd Graff, apparently is a musical nut, which explains a bit about the film.

If I was voting as part of the 'database' for 2008, I would definitely choose 'yay.'

It really surprised me.

[Qrazy]

I watched Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in honor of Liz's passing, but I was underwhelmed. To me, drama needs to be more than two hours of everyone taking turns shouting. If you start off with emotional intensity and never let up, it's going to come off as one-note, even if everyone is acting up a storm. It had middle-of-the-road performances from both Taylor and Paul Newman-- I've seen better and worse from both of them.

As for the adaptation of it, I haven't read or seen the original play, but I'm curious now. The normal Tennessee Williams game of "spot the hidden homosexual" was easier than usual. I'm sure the original play also didn't have quite so pushy a catharsis, or as unrealistically happy of an ending.

Burl Ives was great, though.

Sweet Bird of Youth is a much better Richard Brooks and Paul Newman Tennessee Williams adaptation imo.

And yes the third act of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was substantially changed from the original and given a much more upbeat ending.

[Mara]

Sweet Bird of Youth is a much better Richard Brooks and Paul Newman Tennessee Williams adaptation imo.

Looks good. I'll add it to the queue, thanks.

[Qrazy]

Looks good. I'll add it to the queue, thanks.

I don't know if you're a big Williams fan in general or not. I quite like him and there are a number of strong adaptations out there but at the same time I find once you've seen a number of his works they all begin to bleed together and except for the best of them they're all so similar that they become substantially less powerful. For instance I recently watched Lumet's adaptation of Orpheus Descending (The Fugitive Kind) and it's so full of angst, misery and anger that it just becomes oppressive at a certain point. I was underwhelmed by that one.

[Yxklyx]

Regarding Williams, recently watched The Night of the Iguana and loved that one.

[Mara]

I'd say that I like Williams in general, but not all of his plays really resonate with me.

If I ever see a Williams film better than Baby Doll, I will be very much surprised. It is essentially perfect.

[Raiders]

I'd say that I like Williams in general, but not all of his plays really resonate with me.

If I ever see a Williams film better than Baby Doll, I will be very much surprised. It is essentially perfect.

Yeah, I don't think you will, though I do really love A Streetcar Named Desire. Kazan knew how to put Williams on the screen.

[Qrazy]

Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent was solid. It's all the more interesting in content given that it was made in 1940 based very roughly on a memoir published in 1935 and America didn't come into the second world war until 1941. The film is about a reporter who uncovers the plot of German spies in England leading up to the start of the European war. The manner in which the film treats one spy in particular is compelling. SOME SPOILERS. He's portrayed as a loving father and as someone fighting for his country just as the English are fighting for theirs. His methods may be villainous but he affirms his basic humanity through self-sacrifice by the film's conclusion. Contrast this with Lifeboat released in 1944 and it's clear how far Hitch's perception of the enemy had shifted. In that film the German reveals himself to be just the opposite of the character portrayed here. In Foreign Correspondent the individual is portrayed well then revealed to be a villain then redeems himself. In Lifeboat the German is first doubted (if memory serves), then trusted somewhat and then finally reveals himself to be utterly villainous.

And although I'm going to write less about this one, I Confess was actually a better Hitchcock film than Foreign Correspondent. Montgomery Clift plays a priest in Quebec who is under suspicion of murder. I've decided conclusively that for me at least, with a select few exceptions, Hitch's most interesting work was done with Robert Burks as his DP. This was their second collaboration after Strangers on a Train and although Strangers has the more compelling script and is therefore the better film, the degree of visual acuity is on the same plane.

[Mara]

A Streetcar Named Desire would be my #2 so far, mostly for Brando and Malden's performances. It was also one of my all-time best theater-going experiences a couple of years back.

[Raiders]

And although I'm going to write less about this one, I Confess was actually a better Hitchcock film than Foreign Correspondent. Montgomery Clift plays a priest in Quebec who is under suspicion of murder. I've decided conclusively that for me at least, with a select few exceptions, Hitch's most interesting work was done with Robert Burks as his DP. This was their second collaboration after Strangers on a Train and although Strangers has the more compelling script and is therefore the better film, the degree of visual acuity is on the same plane.

Glad you liked it. This is actually one of my favorite Hitchcock films, but it is generally ignored or dissed around here I believe.

[Qrazy]

I'd say that I like Williams in general, but not all of his plays really resonate with me.

If I ever see a Williams film better than Baby Doll, I will be very much surprised. It is essentially perfect.

Yeah, you won't. As Raiders mentioned Kazan did the two best adaptations. I think I've seen about seven Williams adaptations at this point.

I might check out 1955's The Rose Tattoo next though simply because I really like Burt Lancaster and I just noticed James Wong Howe (Sweet Smell of Success) DP'd it.

[Qrazy]

Glad you liked it. This is actually one of my favorite Hitchcock films, but it is generally ignored or dissed around here I believe.

Yeah I'd most likely place it as upper middle tier.

[Raiders]

Convinced my wife to do a double-header on Saturday of Jane Eyre and Certified Copy.

:pritch:

[Derek]

Glad you liked it. This is actually one of my favorite Hitchcock films, but it is generally ignored or dissed around here I believe.

I like it as well. Not as much as Foreign Correspondent, but it's solid middle-tier Hitchcock.

[Qrazy]

I like it as well. Not as much as Foreign Correspondent, but it's solid middle-tier Hitchcock.

What do you prefer about Foreign Correspondent? I Confess presents a much more interesting moral dilemma. Montgomery Clift > Joel McCrea. And there's none of that obnoxious propagandistic sentiment in this one. I suppose there's more humor in Correspondent, I'll give you that.

[Bosco B Thug]

Yeah, you won't. As Raiders mentioned Kazan did the two best adaptations. I think I've seen about seven Williams adaptations at this point.

I might check out 1955's The Rose Tattoo next though simply because I really like Burt Lancaster and I just noticed James Wong Howe (Sweet Smell of Success) DP'd it. And Boom! You must all see Boom!

[Qrazy]

And Boom! You must all see Boom!

I have. It's pretty bad. Although not without some redeeming qualities.

[ledfloyd]

qrazy is right, sweet bird of youth is vastly superior to cat on a hot tin roof.

and yeah, none of the williams adaptations top baby doll.

[megladon8]

Derek, make sure you let us know about that double-bill of Jane Eyre and Certified Copy!

[Qrazy]

Under Capricorn or Gaslight Two: Someone Shut Off That Fucking Gas Already

[Qrazy]

I am of the opinion that in this thread we should stop referring to movies as films, flicks, pictures and such and start calling them photoplays once more.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Yea, Baby Doll is the best of the best as far as Williams' goes. One of my favourite films.

I actually like Suddenly Last Summer, though yes it is sanitized and somewhat incomprehensible. I like the floating Elizabeth Taylor head for some reason. It's a strange image.

The Night of the Iguana is probably my second favourite, with Streetcar very close behind.

I haven't seen the Rose Tattoo yet, surprisingly since it might be my favourite of his plays. Eli Wallach played Lancster's role on stage, it's a shame he didn't reprise it. He is just so good.

[Bosco B Thug]

I have. It's pretty bad. Although not without some redeeming qualities. Well, the point is you've seen it.

I thought only a special two here had seen it (that is, me and Russ).

[Sycophant]

Okamoto Kihachi's Kill! is a fun and lively examination of samurai film conventions. Nakadai is excellent, as is Takahashi Etsushi. It's perhaps a little convoluted, but I think that's part of it.

I swear film has rarely looked better than it did in sixties jidaigeki.

[megladon8]

Okamoto Kihachi's Kill! is a fun and lively examination of samurai film conventions. Nakadai is excellent, as is Takahashi Etsushi. It's perhaps a little convoluted, but I think that's part of it.

I swear film has rarely looked better than it did in sixties jidaigeki.


Loved this one.

Have you seen The Sword of Doom?

[Sycophant]

Loved this one.

Have you seen The Sword of Doom?

Haven't yet, but I hope to soon. I have come to love Nakadai Tatsuya so much. This was my first Okamoto film, and his career looks so intriguing.

Just looking over his filmography, I see a ton of films I wanna see that have never been subtitled into English. Maybe when I'm in Japan for two weeks this summer, I'll see if I can find a couple copies of more obscure films on DVD and maybe set out on my first subtitle translation project. I really wanna see this 1985 Jazz Daimyo (about some freed slaves that wash up in Japan and introduce dixieland jazz (anachronistically) to a Tokugawa-era clan.

[megladon8]

The Sword of Doom is probably in my top 25 of all time.

It also hurts to watch, knowing that it was meant to be just the first film of a trilogy that never happened.

[D_Davis]

The Sword of Doom is probably in my top 25 of all time.

It also hurts to watch, knowing that it was meant to be just the first film of a trilogy that never happened.


Yeah, Sword of Doom is mega-awesome.

[Watashi]

Going to a test screening of the new Fright Night film with Colin Farrell and David Tennant. Never seen the original.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Going to a test screening of the new Fright Night film with Colin Farrell and David Tennant. Never seen the original.

The original is sexy, campy fun.

[Rowland]

I haven't seen the original in years, but I didn't like it much at the time.

[Boner M]

I haven't seen the original in years, but I didn't like it much at the time.
Me neither. Humor felt really strained.

[Henry Gale]

Going to a test screening of the new Fright Night film with Colin Farrell and David Tennant. Never seen the original.

Ooh, I'm actually strangely looking forward to this. If only because I like almost the whole cast and, of all people, it's directed by the guy that did Lars and the Real Girl. For whatever reason they've decided not to release a trailer yet, so I remain cautiously optimistic, even though I haven't seen all of the original either.

I await your thoughts.

[Rowland]

There is some fascinating stuff going on in My Dinner with Andre that would require a much longer analysis, but I do wish the conversation and its philosophical underpinnings weren't so lopsided in favor of Andre, who is too often prone to almost lecturing audience surrogate Wallace Shawn, especially since the film's most rewarding subtext concerns the nature of human interaction in and of itself as an art form capable of heightening one's perception in an otherwise deadening society. Andre's ramblings are as frequently ridiculous and naive as they are probing and inspiring, and because the first hour is given almost exclusively to him, Shawn's long-delayed counterpoint is the most charged and viscerally satisfying moment in the film, which I'm not sure was the intended goal or necessarily supports the aforementioned subtext. Points however for relaying so much meaning through the only seemingly innocuous final line, and for the suggestion that audiences beaten into submission by pandering discourse need to be removed from their comfort zones and treated like adults in order to be reached, a conviction that the film attempts to embody with moderate success.

[Mara]

Being sick and grumpy has prompted a rewatch of Arthur. Having Brand replace Dudley Moore is actually pretty apt, but I just can't see anyone, even Helen Mirren, try to fill John Gielgud's shoes.

However, I just can't get over how annoying the song about the moon and New York City is. Apparently, it took four people to write that song, and yet nobody noticed that the lyrics don't make any sense.

[elixir]

I feel like rating the films I've watched in my film class so far...I'm bored. (class is just intro to art of film)

The Last Laugh - 7
Rear Window (rpt) - 8-->9
Rashomon (rpt) - 8-->8
Blade Runner (rpt, but dir. instead of theatrical) - 5-->5
Jeanne Dielman - I have never felt stranger about how I feel about a movie before...but 5 (respect - 8)
The Thin Red Line - 7
Daisies - 7
Band of Outsiders - 9

Next Up: The Conversation...never seen it, very excited.

[Derek]

Next Up: The Conversation...never seen it, very excited.

You should be - one of the best evah. Is that for an undergrad class? If so, that's probably the best semester line-up of films I've seen (more for sheer variety with a couple risky picks than how I personally feel about them).

[StanleyK]

I liked 8 Women quite a bit, abuse of clichés notwithstanding. I'm not quite sold on the film's handling of themes such as incest, homophobia, female sexuality, or actually whether the film has anything to really offer beyond surface pleasure, but that it delivers in spades. Formally excellent, amazing performances (Huppert in particular stood out), and you just can't go wrong with 8 french women being bitches to each other and occasionally singing about love and fucking. Maybe a bit shallow, but a very fun time.

[elixir]

You should be - one of the best evah. Is that for an undergrad class? If so, that's probably the best semester line-up of films I've seen (more for sheer variety with a couple risky picks than how I personally feel about them).

Yup, undergrad.

[Raiders]

Next Up: The Conversation...never seen it, very excited.

Don't think I've ever said so before, but this is basically my favorite film ever.

[Ivan Drago]

Don't think I've ever said so before, but this is basically my favorite film ever.

I thought it was Persona?

[elixir]

Quick, someone decide for me: should I watch The Apartment or The Shining? I have no specific mood, so I don't care about comedy/horror, but I have picked down to these two...and can't decide. Haven't seen either. So, tell me.

[Kurosawa Fan]

The Apartment.

[Raiders]

I thought it was Persona?

That's one of them.


The Apartment.

Oh the times, how they do change.

[baby doll]

I'd go with The Shining if I had to chose one of those to watch again.

[B-side]

I'd go with The Shining if I had to chose one of those to watch again.

Same here. The Apartment isn't great.

[Sven]

The Apt.

[Ezee E]

Either way... you win.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Oh the times, how they do change.

Tweaked Dylan reference means I'm obligated to give you rep.

[Qrazy]

Same here. The Apartment isn't great.

Except that it is.

[ledfloyd]

Same here. The Apartment isn't great.
this is the opposite of true.

[transmogrifier]

Glad you liked it. This is actually one of my favorite Hitchcock films, but it is generally ignored or dissed around here I believe.

Pish, I saw it and liked it ages ago and that's all that counts. :)

[B-side]

Except that it is.

You must've saw an alternate cut or a remake or something, because the Billy Wilder one I watched wasn't great.

[Qrazy]

You must've saw an alternate cut or a remake or something, because the Billy Wilder one I watched wasn't great.

Yeah but you have been known to change your mind about films upon reevaluation whereas I never change my mind, therefore I'm right.

[elixir]

Yeah, as an initial reaction, I can't say I think it's a great film. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it though, because I did. Got the witty dialogue I've come to expect from Billy Wilder, and his sardonic sense of humor. I found Fran to be an infinitely more interesting character than the lead Baxter, and I really loved Shirley MacLaine here. I definitely liked it, but I just don't see it being all that memorable. Good last line though...Wilder's good at that.

[B-side]

Yeah, as an initial reaction, I can't say I think it's a great film. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it though, because I did. Got the witty dialogue I've come to expect from Billy Wilder, and his sardonic sense of humor. I found Fran to be an infinitely more interesting character than the lead Baxter, and I really loved Shirley MacLaine here. I definitely liked it, but I just don't see it being all that memorable. Good last line though...Wilder's good at that.

Pretty much. MacLaine was stunning in it. Just beyond adorable.

[baby doll]

My favorite Wilder-Lemon collaboration is easily Avanti!

[Qrazy]

My favorite Wilder-Lemon collaboration is easily Avanti!

I just watched that an hour ago and I find it to be easily their worst collaboration although still a decent film. Amongst other issues I found both of the lead characters in the film intensely grating which made it hard to care about their romance.

[soitgoes...]

Yeah, not a huge fan of Avanti! either, but The Apartment is the tits.

[baby doll]

I just watched that an hour ago and I find it to be easily their worst collaboration although still a decent film. Amongst other issues I found both of the lead characters in the film intensely grating which made it hard to care about their romance.They're supposed to be grating, particularly Lemon. In any case, Wilder's mise en scène is the shit.

[Qrazy]

They're supposed to be grating, particularly Lemon. In any case, Wilder's mise en scène is the shit.

If we're talking generally than yeah, Sunset Boulevard's use of space blows my socks off.

[Sven]

I left most of the director-specific classes I took with a lower opinion of the director's work than I had when going in, but the one exception to that is Wilder, of whose films I think only the highest.

That's a pretty clunky sentence.

[baby doll]

If we're talking generally than yeah, Sunset Boulevard's use of space blows my socks off.I was thinking specifically about the deep focus cinematography in Avanti!, which is closer to a '50s movie in its spacious group stagings and gradation of emphasis (the sequence where they go to identify the bodies in the morgue being a prime example).

[Qrazy]

I left most of the director-specific classes I took with a lower opinion of the director's work than I had when going in, but the one exception to that is Wilder, of whose films I think only the highest.

That's a pretty clunky sentence.

Which were some you had which left you with a lower opinion?

[Qrazy]

I was thinking specifically about the deep focus cinematography in Avanti!, which is closer to a '50s movie in its spacious group stagings and gradation of emphasis (the sequence where they go to identify the bodies in the morgue being a prime example).

Meh, I found the lensing in that particular photoplay serviceable but not much more. But yeah since it's Wilder he tends to like to provide a fairly wide sense of geography and stays away from an abuse of close ups.

[soitgoes...]

Watching Cacoyannis' A Girl in Black. There's a scene where a guy has a knife, and he charges at another guy. The other guy laughs. You know you are in trouble when you have a knife, go after an unarmed man and are met with laughter.

[Watashi]

I have never seen a less-than-amazing film from Billy Wilder.

Stalag 17 is probably his weakest.

[Qrazy]

I have never seen a less-than-amazing film from Billy Wilder.

Stalag 17 is probably his weakest.

I think I'd place Stalag in the middle tier. I prefer it to...

The Major and the Minor
Five Graves to Cairo
Irma la Douce
The Front Page
Avanti!
The Spirit of St. Louis
The Front Page


Avanti or Five Graves to Cairo would probably be my least favorites but yeah they're not bad, just mediocre.

[Spinal]

I am completely flipping my opinion on Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. I had previously considered this Lynch's weakest feature by a long shot. I now feel like I was perhaps too close to watching the TV series to truly judge it properly. Which is weird, because I do think you have to have seen the show to really grasp what's going on completely. However, years of distance have made me less tied to certain expectations I might have had.

It's truly an extraordinary film in many ways, although not a clear-cut masterpiece like some of his other work. But when it works, it is genuinely haunting. The use of sound and music is mesmerizing. The surreal sequences are bold and rewarding. And I appreciated the self-depricating humor in the opening prelude (the over-the-top use of clues from the dancing woman, the mysterious flashing light that is revealed to have an unexpected source).

My biggest remaining issue, and the thing that I think keeps the film from taking off completely is Sheryl Lee's performance. This is hard, because I genuinely like her. However, her Laura Palmer is never convincingly authentic in the way that, say, Laura Dern's characters are when she appears in Lynch films. Part of the issue is that she is clearly not a high schooler. She's in her mid-20s and reads about five years older still, simply because of the way she carries herself. This is forgivable, due to issues of practicality. However, a bigger problem is that Lee's performance often lacks specificity. She has a willingness to go for the big moment. She has the courage and lack of inhibition to take big chances. But the fear, the anger, the pain, the mania, it's all the same. It doesn't register moment by moment, because too often, it doesn't seem grounded to anything specific. It feels like Lee is about two gears short of pulling off the tour de force this could have been.

Still, it was a delight to rediscover the impact of this film and be taken on a visceral ride.

Old rating: **
New rating: ***1/2

One of the biggest swings I've ever done on a film.

[Eleven]

One, Two, Three, Wilderphiles?

[Raiders]

I have not seen a "bad" Wilder film, but I would say The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, Irma la Douce and The Lost Weekend were all somewhat disappointing films. I haven't seen any of his other more-oft maligned or marginalized efforts.

[baby doll]

One, Two, Three, Wilderphiles?My second favorite. Kiss Me, Stupid is also under-appreciated.

[Sven]

It's not that I ever thought Wilder had any particularly weak films (Irma La Douce and The Fortune Cookie are his weakest and I like those). He was even responsible for some of my favorites. But after the class I took, I began to really click with his approach, his aesthetics, his political aims and his sense of humor in general. I've seen it all, many of them multiple times, and I think none of it is bad.

Ranked!(-ish)

Some Like It Hot - ****
Fedora
One, Two, Three
Buddy Buddy
Kiss Me, Stupid
A Foreign Affair
Sabrina
Sunset Blvd.
Avanti!
Mauvaise graine
The Front Page
Stalag 17
Witness for the Prosecution - ***1/2
The Apartment
The Lost Weekend
The Emperor Waltz
The Seven Year Itch
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
Ace in the Hole
Double Indemnity
Five Graves to Cairo
The Major and the Minor - ***
Love in the Afternoon
The Spirit of St. Louis
The Fortune Cookie
Irma la Douce

[Sven]

One of the biggest swings I've ever done on a film.

People still furrow their brows at me when I tell them this is one of my favorite Lynch films.

[Raiders]

Fire Walk With Me is the only Lynch film I haven't seen (including his shorts and the godawful Dumbland). Not sure why. Maybe because I never saw the show or because as only a moderate fan the divisiveness kept me away.

Spinal's turnaround has me more interested though.

[Robby P]

:|

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes is one of my favorite Wilder movies.

[Boner M]

I used to hate Dumbland, but now I love it.

[transmogrifier]

One, Two, Three, Wilderphiles?

Awesome.

[Eleven]

Good, my opinion has been multiply validated. I keep reading that it had an iffy reception, perhaps for being a little too timely. Now its black comedy marriage of commerce and politics seems disturbingly prescient. Plus it's certainly one of the fastest post-screwball flicks I've ever seen.

[D_Davis]

I am completely flipping my opinion on Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. I had previously considered this Lynch's weakest feature by a long shot. I now feel like I was perhaps too close to watching the TV series to truly judge it properly. Which is weird, because I do think you have to have seen the show to really grasp what's going on completely. However, years of distance have made me less tied to certain expectations I might have had.

It's truly an extraordinary film in many ways, although not a clear-cut masterpiece like some of his other work. But when it works, it is genuinely haunting. The use of sound and music is mesmerizing. The surreal sequences are bold and rewarding. And I appreciated the self-depricating humor in the opening prelude (the over-the-top use of clues from the dancing woman, the mysterious flashing light that is revealed to have an unexpected source).

My biggest remaining issue, and the thing that I think keeps the film from taking off completely is Sheryl Lee's performance. This is hard, because I genuinely like her. However, her Laura Palmer is never convincingly authentic in the way that, say, Laura Dern's characters are when she appears in Lynch films. Part of the issue is that she is clearly not a high schooler. She's in her mid-20s and reads about five years older still, simply because of the way she carries herself. This is forgivable, due to issues of practicality. However, a bigger problem is that Lee's performance often lacks specificity. She has a willingness to go for the big moment. She has the courage and lack of inhibition to take big chances. But the fear, the anger, the pain, the mania, it's all the same. It doesn't register moment by moment, because too often, it doesn't seem grounded to anything specific. It feels like Lee is about two gears short of pulling off the tour de force this could have been.

Still, it was a delight to rediscover the impact of this film and be taken on a visceral ride.

Old rating: **
New rating: ***1/2

One of the biggest swings I've ever done on a film.

:pritch:

One of us!

It's one of his strongest films.

[Rowland]

I've avoided Fire Walk With Me because I haven't watched the second season of Twin Peaks, and only the full-length pilot of the first season has really stuck with me at all over the years. Would I get much from it?