28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[Qrazy]

How do you people feel about jump cares? Sometimes justified? Never justified? Always justified? Would you like to watch a movie consisting of 500 jump scares occurring at 20 second intervals?

[Qrazy]

Holy shit Capricorn One (1977) totally fell apart by the end. It started off somewhat promising and then just unravels from there, very disappointing.

[Grouchy]

Of the ones you haven't seen and don't plan on seeing, I'd only recommend Whatever Works and Everyone Says I Love You.

Jump scares can be good in my book. The ones in Alien and the The Descentl, for example. Almost every Horror movie has overused them so much it's hard to make one that works with modern audiences.

[Spinal]

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) ***1/2
Sweet and Lowdown (1999) ***
Mighty Aphrodite (1995) ***
Celebrity (1998) ***
Midnight in Paris (2011) **1/2
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001) **1/2
Everyone Says I Love You (1996) **
Scoop (2006) **

[Ezee E]

Jump scares aren't a bad thing if used properly. Thing is, they're easy to predict now and not used properly.

Best jump scare y'allz?

[MadMan]

How do you people feel about jump cares? Sometimes justified? Never justified? Always justified? Would you like to watch a movie consisting of 500 jump scares occurring at 20 second intervals?I could actually make up a list of horror movies with really good jump scares. Several come to mind right now, although I agree that they are overused these days.

My personal favorite is from Jaws: Hooper finding the head in the boat. Still creeps me out, and the first time I saw it that part scared the crap out of me.

[Kurosawa Fan]

He always does that with his soundtracks. Usually it's jazz music, though.

Right, but why pop music in this one? It was definitely to the detriment of the film. It made what could have been affecting, quiet moments come off as superficial and corny.

[Derek]

Book I'm Reading:
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark - William Shakespeare

Hey KF, Hamlet is a play not a book. Please change your signature accordingly to avoid mass confusion here on MatchCut.

[Winston*]

Hey KF, Hamlet is a play not a book. Please change your signature accordingly to avoid mass confusion here on MatchCut.

A play printed and bound is a book, Derek. Jesus Christ.:frustrated::frustrated ::frustrated:

[Kurosawa Fan]

Hey KF, Hamlet is a play not a book. Please change your signature accordingly to avoid mass confusion here on MatchCut.

The play is in a book. I didn't say it was in a novel. My description is correct. Please check the definition of "book" again to avoid mass confusion for yourself.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Jump scares aren't a bad thing if used properly. Thing is, they're easy to predict now and not used properly.

Best jump scare y'allz?

Hard to beat the classic from Wait Until Dark.

[MadMan]

:lol::pritch:

[Qrazy]

Upon a rewatch that shot that I thought was pretty cool in Inside Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCv3989nvog) is actually kind of lame.

[Winston*]

Upon a rewatch that shot that I thought was pretty cool in Inside Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCv3989nvog) is actually kind of lame.

The Snorricam shot? Spike Lee uses that in a few of his films.

[Qrazy]

The Snorricam shot? Spike Lee uses that in a few of his films.

Yeah, I mean I like Snorricam in general I just remember thinking that shot was pretty cool and had a bit of emotional inertia to it in context but now it just seems out of place to me.

[Rowland]

Ti West's latest, The Innkeepers, functions in part as a virtual meta-defense of the jump scare, and has a few fun ones scattered throughout.

[Qrazy]

Ezee is this you on icheckmovies?

eezee 16675 checks

Because if it is, holy shit.

[B-side]

It's Russian.

It's technically a USSR film, but it was made in the Georgian republic within.

[Qrazy]

It's technically a USSR film, but it was made in the Georgian republic within.

What do you mean? As in shot in? Many American films are shot in Canada... that doesn't mean they're Canadian.

Anyway, that aside, I'm sure many of the people on this site have seen a few Georgian films.

[B-side]

What do you mean? As in shot in? Many American films are shot in Canada... that doesn't mean they're Canadian.

Anyway, that aside, I'm sure many of the people on this site have seen a few Georgian films.

Whoops. Never mind. i was thinking of a different film. Chukhrai is Ukrainian and that film was shot in Moscow in Russian.

[Ezee E]

Ezee is this you on icheckmovies?

eezee 16675 checks

Because if it is, holy shit.
Not me.

But what's holy shit referencing?

[Qrazy]

Not me.

But what's holy shit referencing?

That guy has checked the most movies on the site. If he's being honest he's seen 16,000 films.

[Qrazy]

Whoops. Never mind. i was thinking of a different film. Chukhrai is Ukrainian and that film was shot in Moscow in Russian.

You were thinking of Father of a Soldier I guess?

[B-side]

You were thinking of Father of a Soldier I guess?

That's the one.

[Spinal]

The play is in a book. I didn't say it was in a novel. My description is correct. Please check the definition of "book" again to avoid mass confusion for yourself.

I'm just glad you clarified that it was Shakespeare's Hamlet you are reading. As opposed to Franz Kafka's.

[Morris Schæffer]

Holy shit Capricorn One (1977) totally fell apart by the end. It started off somewhat promising and then just unravels from there, very disappointing.

I forgot. Was it brolin and others hunted down by govt and then they eventually make it back to civilization?

I'll never forget Josh's dad easting a snake.:)

As for jump scares, The Thing 1951 and 1982 both have two great ones. I trust we all know which ones, but for sheer unpredictability, I'd say 1951 wins out.

[Qrazy]

I forgot. Was it brolin and others hunted down by govt and then they eventually make it back to civilization?

I'll never forget Josh's dad easting a snake.:)

As for jump scares, The Thing 1951 and 1982 both have two great ones. I trust we all know which ones, but for sheer unpredictability, I'd say 1951 wins out.

Yes, one makes it back and the way he makes it back strains credulity and then the final shot of him in slo-mo running towards his wife and son is one of the worst things ever.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I'm just glad you clarified that it was Shakespeare's Hamlet you are reading. As opposed to Franz Kafka's.

Now I'm glad I did as well. I wouldn't want Derek getting even more confused.

[MadMan]

The Guard was directed by the brother of the director who gave us the rather underrated and really good In Bruges. Where as that movie dealt with the criminal element, this one expands its reach to the police side of things, as it focuses on Don Cheadle's FBI agent (a delightful fish out of water performance), and Brandon Gleeson's local policeman (Gleeson gives his usual great acting job here). The film is surprisingly touching in certain parts, and is both funny and entertaining. I rather liked how the gangsters discuss philosophy, for example. Really good movie, and at some point I wonder if the two brothers will get together to make a movie.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I loved Broadway Danny Rose. Not only was it funny, but as a subtle examination of the theory that art is a reflection of life, it's quite brilliant at validating that theory by maintaining that art is an illusion, much in the way that life and relationships are illusory. This was Woody in top form.

[Raiders]

I've seen every Allen film I have a desire to see except for that one. I just never remember to make time for it.

[ledfloyd]

i really don't think woody made a bad film in the 80s. september is probably the closest thing to a complete miss, but i enjoy it. the next one would be a midsummer night's sex comedy, which still has enough memorable jokes and images to justify watching it.

[Spun Lepton]

Started watching Duck Soup last night, but only got as far as the first musical number -- about 5 minutes in -- before I turned it off. Rarely in the mood for musicals. Bleh.

[Milky Joe]

A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy is actually a really smart take on the play. Underrated by my estimation.

[Irish]

Started watching Duck Soup last night, but only got as far as the first musical number -- about 5 minutes in -- before I turned it off. Rarely in the mood for musicals. Bleh.
o.O

Interesting reaction!

Every Marx Bros picture has musical numbers, but I'm not sure I'd call them musicals. Not sure why. Maybe because the material is loosely based on vaudeville and touring that they did, and this form of comedy was expected by the audience.

[Russ]

Started watching Duck Soup last night, but only got as far as the first musical number -- about 5 minutes in -- before I turned it off. Rarely in the mood for musicals. Bleh.
You should watch Hellzapoppin'


R0BHxhUnokU

[Mara]

You should watch Hellzapoppin'


R0BHxhUnokU

I want to see the rest of it, now.

[MadMan]

Duck Soup is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. I believe I was laughing pretty hard 5-10 minutes in.

[Dead & Messed Up]

You should watch Hellzapoppin'


R0BHxhUnokU

I'll see your Hellzapoppin' and raise you Stormy Weather.

_8yGGtVKrD8

[Kurosawa Fan]

Little Caesar was awesome. Edward G. Robinson has incredible charisma. He's up there among my favorite actors, range be damned. He's just so freaking watchable, elevating whatever material he's given.

On another note, I hate when a movie I've been meaning to see for years ends up being great (although, the opposite wouldn't be ideal either, I suppose), because it makes me that much more ashamed for having waited so long.

[Morris Schæffer]

Yes, one makes it back and the way he makes it back strains credulity and then the final shot of him in slo-mo running towards his wife and son is one of the worst things ever.

Ha, yes remember that. I thought it was kinda neat it cut to black there. Nowadays that scene would have piled on some more gorgonzola.

[baby doll]

the rather underrated [...] In Bruges.Really, underrated? Every time I meet some one from England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, or Wales, they mention at some point how much they love this film.

[Melville]

You should watch Hellzapoppin'


R0BHxhUnokU
So awesome.

[Li Lili]

The Guard was directed by the brother of the director who gave us the rather underrated and really good In Bruges. Where as that movie dealt with the criminal element, this one expands its reach to the police side of things, as it focuses on Don Cheadle's FBI agent (a delightful fish out of water performance), and Brandon Gleeson's local policeman (Gleeson gives his usual great acting job here). The film is surprisingly touching in certain parts, and is both funny and entertaining. I rather liked how the gangsters discuss philosophy, for example. Really good movie, and at some point I wonder if the two brothers will get together to make a movie.

Yes, I posted something about it not even a week ago...
There are some funny moments, and unfortunately I saw the trailer before at the theatre, which shows one of the funniest parts. But true Gleeson and Cheadle were good. Didn't find that much touching though.

[Li Lili]

By the way, has anyone seen The Iron Lady yet ?
I plan to see it surely next week, but I've heard some mixed reviews about it, great performance but rather flawed...

[Ezee E]

Can someone find me a clip of violence occurring in Black Swan? Triple rep points. Or something... Thanks.

[Boner M]

By the way, has anyone seen The Iron Lady yet ?
I plan to see it surely next week, but I've heard some mixed reviews about it, great performance but rather flawed...
Don't, it's stultifying.

My review:
In theatres this Boxing Day is The Iron Lady, an uproarious parody of everything awful about Oscar-baiting biopics, starring an unrecognisable Amy Poehler as former UK prime-minister Margaret Thatcher. The film nails all the cliches with devastating accuracy: the flashback narrative set in motion by items of household ephemera, the awkward attempts at containing an entire, wayward life into a rigid three-act structure, the crassly manipulative music score, the garish overacting, the makeup department showboating… it’s all accounted for. There’re times when The Iron Lady could easily be mistaken for the real deal.

Which, sadly, it is. This vehicle for Meryl Streep’s impersonation prowess is so stiflingly unimaginative in its dutiful box-ticking, that one can only decide that the creative team (multiple parking meters?) behind it are taking the piss. Or after some kind of mimetic strategy; depicting the infamous leader of UK’s right-wing government with storytelling that’s similarly conservative to the point of loathsomeness. If one wanted to be generous, you could laud the film for being non-judgemental: but if it’s portrayal of Thatcher is balanced, it’s only a by-product of the stock-standard sentimentality that comes with this subgenre, mixed with the damning facts of Maggie T’s reign. Call it ambivalence via non-committal-ness.

The Iron Lady ultimately proves as stimulating as watching Thatcher’s Wikipedia page scroll up a cinema screen for two hours. Fleeting pleasures are limited to some punk rock tunes over the many newsreel montages, and the impressive-in-a-vacuous-way nature of Streep’s transformation. Otherwise, this exercise in Academy-voter pandering only proves, beyond all doubt, that the awards-season ‘arthouse’ releases can be as soulless and cynical as their Hollywood Blockbuster counterparts.

[MadMan]

Yes, I posted something about it not even a week ago...
There are some funny moments, and unfortunately I saw the trailer before at the theatre, which shows one of the funniest parts. But true Gleeson and Cheadle were good. Didn't find that much touching though.I thought that the scenes between Gleeson and his mum were emotional, and I liked the scene in the bar where Gleeson and Cheadle get piss drunk.


Really, underrated? Every time I meet some one from England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, or Wales, they mention at some point how much they love this film.I was referring to America, actually. I doubt the average person on the street over here has heard of the movie, and if they have its only because it stars Collin Farrell and "That dude who played Voldermort" (I know its Ralph Fines, but I doubt a lot of them do).

[transmogrifier]

I think a triple bill of J. Edgar, The Iron Lady and A Dangerous Method would probably turn me off movies for the rest of my life. I could possibly manage them one at a time spread out over 5 or 6 years.

[Winston*]

My Scottish parents are going to see The Iron Lady tonight. I've never been so disappointed in them.

[Grouchy]

http://www.cinencuentro.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/blackthorn2.jpg

Blackthorn - Classic Western returns. I'm glad I watched this despite the lukewarm reviews I'd found. Sam Shepard pretty much makes the film with his performance, and he's the only actor I could find believable as the real-life older Butch Cassidy - he's separated enough from movie star status. The script is nothing special or different, but it's well executed. God bless HD and beautiful landscapes.

Sucker Punch - Style over substance might be the understatement of the milennium. It's a movie that exists solely as an excuse for epic videogame cutscenes. I didn't expect much else, so I can't say I felt cheated. Can't even begin to imagine the boring as fuck debates on gender issues this movie must have generated.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Holy crap, Black Death was good. Seriously unsettling, with its ambivalence about right and wrong and the utility of religion. Some good performances too. Eddie Redmayne deserves particular mention for playing the monk's journey past naivete. The final fifteen minutes deserve some kind of award for successfully concluding the story, instead of offering some sort of cheesy action-climax. I sorta liked Severance, but this officially makes Christopher Smith a genre force to be reckoned with.

[Rowland]

Holy crap, Black Death was good. Seriously unsettling, with its ambivalence about right and wrong and the utility of religion. Some good performances too. Eddie Redmayne deserves particular mention for playing the monk's journey past naivete. The final fifteen minutes deserve some kind of award for successfully concluding the story, instead of offering some sort of cheesy action-climax. I sorta liked Severance, but this officially makes Christopher Smith a genre force to be reckoned with.Yes, it's one of last year's most unfairly dismissed genre movies. I think I'm the only yay in the 2011 release database thread, and it's a pretty strong yay at that.

[Rowland]

Blackthorn - Classic Western returns. I'm glad I watched this despite the lukewarm reviews I'd found. Sam Shepard pretty much makes the film with his performance, and he's the only actor I could find believable as the real-life older Butch Cassidy - he's separated enough from movie star status. The script is nothing special or different, but it's well executed. God bless HD and beautiful landscapes.I can't remember where, because I've read so many goddamn end-of-year-lists, but somebody mildly piqued my interest in this film by declaring it had last year's best chase sequence.

[Grouchy]

I can't remember where, because I've read so many goddamn end-of-year-lists, but somebody mildly piqued my interest in this film by declaring it had last year's best chase sequence.
That's pretty likely true.

[MadMan]

Kingdom of the Spiders (1977) is truly awful, but its a hilarious sort of terrible. If anything, it reminded me that the 1990 comedy/horror film Arachnophobia should probably be held in higher regard, as its an actually creepy killer spider movie. Still there's something to be said for viewing a really cheesy, cheaply made 70s style monster movie, so long as you don't pay for it and you watch it on cable like I did.

[transmogrifier]

The Thief of Bagdad (1940) - 46

Starts off amiably and with a spring in its step - the Technicolor backstory is interesting, and it's pretty funny at times, mostly intentionally. The hokiness of the whole thing befits a genial fish-out-of-water tale. But then we get caught back up to the present, the stakes increase, and we suddenly get thrown into the fantasy realm which expands the hokiness and makes it unpalatable.

The lightness of touch disappears and everything becomes a bit of a grind, the directors struggling to make the special effects come to life, and not really being able to join the different methods (models, superimposition etc) into a cohesive whole. Maybe a better clutch of set-pieces would have help gloss over the awkward effects, but they are pretty bog-standard, and the sword fights are look as if the actors were afraid to break a nail.

[D_Davis]

Holy crap, Black Death was good. Seriously unsettling, with its ambivalence about right and wrong and the utility of religion. Some good performances too. Eddie Redmayne deserves particular mention for playing the monk's journey past naivete. The final fifteen minutes deserve some kind of award for successfully concluding the story, instead of offering some sort of cheesy action-climax.

It was good. It and the Salomon Kane were both quite good.

Contagion was slick. Liked it. Good score.

[transmogrifier]

Has anyone here seen Death by Hanging (1968) by Nagisa Oshima? The premise sounds fantastic: a Korean sentenced to death in Japan survives the hanging and gets amnesia, so the guards have to reconstruct his life and crimes within the cell to help him remember and thus feel guilty enough to be executed again.

I just wonder whether the film follows through on this great idea.

[transmogrifier]

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) - 65

Weirdly fractured on a scene-by-scene basis, the story of a prisoner of war camp for the British run by the Japanese and how the arrival of an enigmatic stranger impacts on those stuck playing the roles circumstance or culture insists upon. There is a lot of great material here - the collapse of empires, duty vs. desire, individual responsibility within a dispassionate war machine - but the film never really coalesces around these themes, instead hammering these points almost at random from moment to moment.

But that's not to say it doesn't eventually get the job done, and the final epilogue is a remarkably emotional farewell to both the characters and the whole mess of warfare and the sticky issue of punishment and how much it is actually meant as retribution, and how much it is meant as a reflex to act as a sort of delineation between past and future regimes. A young (well, relatively) Takeshi Kitano makes the most of his chance to poke his head out of the comedy ghetto, and would go on to remarkable things himself.

[baby doll]

My Scottish parents are going to see The Iron Lady tonight. I've never been so disappointed in them.I predict this will turn into a cult classic where British leftists attend midnight screenings dressed as Thatcher and hollar nasty things at the screen.

[D_Davis]

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) - 65


One of my favorite scores of all time.

[Winston*]

My Scottish parents are going to see The Iron Lady tonight. I've never been so disappointed in them.

They didn't like it fyi.

[megladon8]

Saw the original Bad Lieutenant last night.

While I could surely see others finding the metaphor presented with the sports betting and Strawberry playing for the Dodgers discussions to be too on-the-nose, I thought it was brilliantly played out. By far the most interesting aspect of the film, actually.

I found the religious side and...

...his redemption at the end of the film...

...to be wholly unsatisfying and empty.

Keitel's wonderful, yes, and the film has a few affectingly shot scenes, but on the whole I found it a bit of an underwhelming experience.

[Russ]

Warning: a five-grade rating system (with +/- qualifiers) is in effect for the folowing entries:

New titles added in 2012:

Cha no aji / The Taste of Tea (Katsuhito Ishii, 2004) pro + A terrific slice-of-life film that’s hard to top. This is a film that is full of emotion, but with nary a show-stopping moment in sight. It’s all very laid-back and accessible, albeit on its own terms. Things like a little girl’s gigantic visual alter-ego is not only accepted as commonplace, it's just as easily vanquished (tho, very much in a relative sense). If you watch this film, look for a set-piece close to the end, that showcases a character’s propensity for documenting his perception of his familial relations vis-Ã*-vis flipbook drawings. It’s a magical scene, and the highlight of the film, and don’t be surprised if it invokes a tear or two.

Eldorado (Marcel L'Herbier, 1921) pro + This is my second L'Herbier film and I wasn't disappointed. Tho the narrative was, at times, hard to follow (needlessly so, it would seem), the film still resonated and, in the end, proved a powerful companion to the masterful Man of the Sea.

Coeur Fidèle / The Faithful Heart (Jean Epstein, 1923) pro + Almost immediately after entering my pro +, I suspected that I had underrated this film. This is a great film and Epstein was way ahead of his time as a filmmaker. There's a brilliant montage sequence at a carnival that is stunning in its originality and intoxicating in its execution. I really should go back and bump this to a full-fledged PRO, as, on retrospect, I think it's very deserving.

Zhi guo yuan / Romance of a Fruit Peddler (Shichuan Zhang, 1922) pro This is the oldest surviving print of a Chinese film (supposedly part of a comedy trilogy), and is, actually, pretty funny, in Sennett/Keaton sort-of way. A young fellow, the fruit peddler of question, needs to provide patients for the (doctor) father of his fiancée, in order to become married. As expected, hilarity ensues.

Cameo Kirby (John Ford, 1923) pro The first film where Ford didn't receive credit under a pseudonym; it's a tale of a Mississippi riverboat gambler and his adversaries, as he falls in love with the daughter of the man whose death he is accused of causing. John Kirby and his best friend and protector, Jack McDonald, are both very good, and Ford shows great early promise as a director of action scenes (especially in an early riverboat race sequence). However, the subtitles on my copy were only in Portuguese (which I only understand well enough to barely follow along) on this fairly dialogue-heavy film.

Anna-Liisa (Teuvo Puro, Jussi Snellman, 1922) pro + A surprisingly moving Finnish drama of a woman who comes to terms with the terrible secret she has had to keep, since her romance with local log-cutter Mikkos, which only comes to light with her forthcoming marriage to one of the respectable village locals.

Salom̬ (Carmelo Bene, 1972) con About the only thing keeping this "avant-garde" effort from all-caps are some of the visual compositions, which are admittedly striking on occasion, but really...70 minutes of shouting, screaming, and double-tracked dialogue Рin subtitled Italian?? Add that to the ridiculously pretentious religious symbolism (don't forget the vampires) and what you have is...a Salom̬ss.

When Strangers Marry / Betrayed (William Castle, 1944) pro – I liked this early noir prototype from William Castle. Kim Hunter makes for an appealing lead, and it's always interesting to see Robert Mitchum so early in his career. Tense and atmospheric, but is unable to make up for some rather large plot points at crucial times. Still, kudos to Castle for keeping us guessing for most of the run-time.

The Great Gabbo (James Cruze, Erich von Stroheim,1929) pro I would love to rate this one higher, almost completely due to von Stroheim's maniacal turn as an arrogant, egotistical performer (imagine that), and the prototypical standard-bearer for all the subsequent creepy ventriloquist dummy films to follow. Technically, its rough and frequently stodgy, but I'll admit: I'm a big fan. Some terrific bits are to be found, almost all featuring von Stroheim and "Otto". Apparently, the version I watched was excised of some of the musical numbers, although it (thankfully) retained the rather infamous spider web sequence. If you like the persona of von Stroheim even a little bit, this is a MUST see.

A Royal Scandal (Ernst Lubitsch, Otto Preminger, 1945) PRO Tears. Tears were streaming down my cheeks from laughing so fucking hard. My goodness, this movie is so incredibly hilarious. Now that I've seen Tallulah Bankhead do comedy so superbly, I can comfortably go to my resting place. Now, this is how you make a comedy about Russian monarch Catherine the Great and having to deal with trifles like disillusioned lovers and military revolutions! I love my comedies, and this is a definite top-ten entry for me. Do whatever it takes to track this jewel down. The hilarious dialogue and its rapid-fire delivery is spectacular, as is Bankhead and her co-star, the brilliant Charles Coburn. I'm not too concerned with the director's credit since the result turned out so wonderful. Absolutely fabulous.

[B-side]

Cameo Kirby (John Ford, 1923) pro The first film where Ford didn't receive credit under a pseudonym; it's a tale of a Mississippi riverboat gambler and his adversaries, as he falls in love with the daughter of the man whose death he is accused of causing. John Kirby and his best friend and protector, Jack McDonald, are both very good, and Ford shows great early promise as a director of action scenes (especially in an early riverboat race sequence). However, the subtitles on my copy were only in Portuguese (which I only understand well enough to barely follow along) on this fairly dialogue-heavy film.

I, surprisingly, haven't watched any of Ford's silent films yet. I certainly don't have a problem with silents, I just know that critics generally don't recognize Ford as Ford until the late 30s. Checking out the quality of the copy of this on KG, I'm shocked you bothered with it.

[Spinal]

and what you have is...a Salomèss.

:lol:

Shameful. At least you didn't say Salo-meh.

[Derek]

Has anyone here seen Death by Hanging (1968) by Nagisa Oshima? The premise sounds fantastic: a Korean sentenced to death in Japan survives the hanging and gets amnesia, so the guards have to reconstruct his life and crimes within the cell to help him remember and thus feel guilty enough to be executed again.

I just wonder whether the film follows through on this great idea.

It does and then some. Fantastic film (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=153705&postcount=5).

[transmogrifier]

Must get this somehow.

[B-side]

Must get this somehow.

I thought it was part of his Outlaw Sixties Eclipse set, but apparently not. I could privately upload it for you.

[transmogrifier]

That's okay - I'll wait until I'm in Korea when I don't have a data cap that is rapidly running out. Only a month to go. Cheers for the offer.

[B-side]

That's okay - I'll wait until I'm in Korea when I don't have a data cap that is rapidly running out. Only a month to go. Cheers for the offer.

Ah, I forgot you're a New Zealander. I'd be paying out my ass if I had a data cap.:P

[Boner M]

Ashamed that I've never seen an Oshima save for the first 10 mins of an unwatchable VHS transfer of Violence At Noon.

Death By Hanging sounds like a good place to start, that premise is amazeballs indeed.

[transmogrifier]

Morning Glory - 49

Sometimes an actor can drag a mediocre, MOR project up into the realm of moderate entertainment through sheer force of personality and commitment to the role. Consider William Devane in Rolling Thunder, for example, which could have been a Death Wish rip-off but became humanized and was given depth due to the sterling work from its lead.

And God knows Rachel McAdams does her best in this. She is so appealingly spazzy as the enthusiastic workaholic, limbs flailing, dimples working over time. She's a great physical comedian in the making, assuming someone bothers to give her funny jokes to dance to. McAdams is one of the most assured, effortlessly charismatic of the younger generation of starlets groomed to be the next Julia Roberts (compare, for example, to the vacuum that is Kristen Bell). But unfortunately the deck is stacked too much against her, and she ends up being crushed by the sheer weight of banality exhibited by both the script and the direction.

Montage, montage, something bad happens, montage, something that looks bad turns out good, something that looks good turns out bad, montage, sudden third act obstacle to be dismissed once everyone learns their lesson - scored, of course, to the worst radio station in the world. And as good as McAdams is, almost every other part is either miscast (Goldblum just cannot be sincerely angry - you always assume he's sarcastically screwing with you before he flashes that grin of his), mishandled (Keaton is totally wasted) or just a complete and utter vacant space (Patrick Wilson must not ever be considered as the romantic lead for any mainstream movie ever again - seriously, he drains the energy out of every scene he appears in here. He needs to be smarmy, psychotic, weaselly or nothing). And Ford is saddled with a sadly one-note caricature that exists only to keep the movie from being over in 30 minutes.

[Spinal]

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked has made over 111 million dollars. That's about 50 million more than Tintin. And it was released only five days earlier. I don't know what to make of this.

[Watashi]

Little kids like talking chipmunks more than Belgian journalists.

[B-side]

For those interested, Le Havre is now available to watch on Criterion's Hulu Plus page. And you can sign up for a week-long free trial, so no worries there.

[Rowland]

For those interested, Le Havre is now available to watch on Criterion's Hulu Plus page. And you can sign up for a week-long free trial, so no worries there.I'm very interested, thanks for the heads up.

[Dukefrukem]

2011 Competition List

Drive
Melancholia
Contagion
13 Assassins
Shame
The Descendants
The Iron Lady
Moneyball
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help
The Ides of March
War Horse
Hugo
The Skin I Live In
Albert Nobbs
We Need to Talk About Kevin
J. Edgar
50/50
Midnight in Paris
The Artist
Cars 2

More to Watch from 2011

Warrior
Quarantine 2: The Terminal
Blackthorn
Conan The Barbarian
Straw Dogs
Another Earth
Final Destination 5
Apollo 18
The Debt

[Li Lili]

Warning: a five-grade rating system (with +/- qualifiers) is in effect for the folowing entries:

New titles added in 2012:

Zhi guo yuan / Romance of a Fruit Peddler (Shichuan Zhang, 1922) pro This is the oldest surviving print of a Chinese film (supposedly part of a comedy trilogy), and is, actually, pretty funny, in Sennett/Keaton sort-of way. A young fellow, the fruit peddler of question, needs to provide patients for the (doctor) father of his fiancée, in order to become married. As expected, hilarity ensues.

I showed this a couple of years ago for a little screening.
I love silent Chinese films, some are very astonishing !

[Dead & Messed Up]

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked has made over 111 million dollars. That's about 50 million more than Tintin. And it was released only five days earlier. I don't know what to make of this.

TinTin's done gangbusters overseas, and the character's not terribly well-known stateside, and Alvin has a track record. I'm bummed, but I'm not surprised.

[Boner M]

Had to give Robert Kramer's Milestones a break and will continue watching it later (it's 200mins long), but already it feels like one for the pantheon - like a Peter Watkins remake of Nashville, with some of the same post-Watergate despair but none of the cynicism. Already surprised that Kramer isn't a better known name.

[B-side]

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Movie%20Caps%20Pt%202/vlcsnap-2012-01-10-06h08m54s22_525x225.jpg

Donen's Arabesque is, as Dictionary puts it, both an ornamental object featuring animals and figures in a fancifully combined pattern and a sinuous, spiraling, undulating, or serpentine line or linear motif. Positioning itself post-Hitchcock's major works and in the midst of the psychedelic '60s, it applies a lens of self-awareness and humor to the thriller genre whilst utilizing the terrific through the rabbit hole imagery psychedelia grants you. Tinged with parodic intent, the film skewers the image of the emancipated woman and genre cliches with aplomb, and makes light of the militaristic division of the Vietnam conflict era. That Peck and Loren seem to be having a ton of fun can only help matters. It's kind of a blast.

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Movie%20Caps%20Pt%202/vlcsnap-2012-01-10-06h38m34s163_525x225.jpg

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Movie%20Caps%20Pt%202/vlcsnap-2012-01-10-07h53m02s48_525x225.jpg

[MadMan]

That sounds exactly like the traditional four star rating system, and won't be the slightest bit confusing. C'mon Madman, you can do better.Well, I tried.


We could try the Madman 75-100 scale.I've actually given movies below 75. If you check Criticker you would discover that :P

And that's all I have to say about that.

Brightside I've actually heard of Arabesque-I think some cable channel showed it once, and I missed seeing it. Love the screencaps.

[Derek]

Well, I tried.

I've actually given movies below 75. If you check Criticker you would discover that :P

And that's all I have to say about that.

http://www.daddyfiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Sarcasm.jpg

[MadMan]

http://www.daddyfiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Sarcasm.jpgThere was no sarcasm in that post. I guess I might have to actually create and post a Top 20 Worst Movies I've Ever Seen List to convince people otherwise, apparently.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Pretty sure Derek was saying that he was being sarcastic with his post about you.

[Derek]

There was no sarcasm in that post.

I was aware that you have given films a score of less than 75, thus I knew when joking about your 75-100 scale that it was a lie. That is sarcasm.

[MadMan]

I was aware that you have given films a score of less than 75, thus I knew when joking about your 75-100 scale that it was a lie. That is sarcasm.I thought you were just being snarky, not being sarcastic. I think there is a slight difference. I could tell you were joking, at least, although I've never been particularly good at sensing sarcasm through teh Internets.

[Spun Lepton]

Armond White keeps it classy.

http://filmdrunk.uproxx.com/2012/01/armond-white-shouts-non-sequitirs-calls-hoberman-a-jackass

[TGM]

Armond White keeps it classy.

http://filmdrunk.uproxx.com/2012/01/armond-white-shouts-non-sequitirs-calls-hoberman-a-jackass

Someone had their thesaurus quite handy white writing that article...

[Derek]

Someone had their thesaurus quite handy white writing that article...

He was mocking Armond.

[TGM]

He was mocking Armond.

Ah, well alright then. I always hear about his reviews, but I don't actually ever read them.

[Sven]

The writer could've at least researched Armond's opinions of the mentioned/joked upon movies. Yelling "The Good Shepherd" could only be construed as a compliment, and Armond loathes the Pitt/Soderberg crew.

[Sven]

I guess yelling "The Good Shepherd" would be his way of saying "You're better than this!", which isn't so much a compliment.

[Ivan Drago]

Winnie the Pooh>Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Why do I think that this might actually be true?

[MadMan]

Why do I think that this might actually be true?It probably is. And even though White is insane, his brand of crazy is entertaining, provided you are not only the receiving end of said insanity.

[Spun Lepton]

It probably is. And even though White is insane, his brand of crazy is entertaining, provided you are not only the receiving end of said insanity.

He's not insane. He's a shrewd attention whore. He knows exactly what he's doing.

[MadMan]

He's not insane. He's a shrewd attention whore. He knows exactly what he's doing.While he's that too, at this point I think he's so gone into the whole attention whore thing that he's started to believe his own crazy bullshit.

Both parts of Harry Potter 7: The Deathly Hallows were really great, and I'm not really surprised that the series took so long to finally achieve greatness, since it took its sweet time getting there. Although the sixth movie was really, really good, and very close. I liked Part 2 more since it was far more epic and had a fantastic finish, but the first one was really emotional too. Eventually I will watch them together as one movie, just to see what its like-I know that the long run time and the money is why they split it up into two movies. And of course for the fans, but that's their reason not mine.

My Favorite Year (1982) is a wonderful, funny, and delightful movie that features another amazing performance from Peter O' Toole, who I wish I could have gone drinking with in his prime. This film at times plays as if its about Errol Flynn and not O' Toole, although the man himself sort of acts as if its about his career, too. I loved that this movie is both a love letter to past star glory, and how its about show business all at the same time, and the comedy elements are really strong-its also remarkable that the dramatic elements then are combined with the funny really well. I didn't expect to like this as much as I did, so it was a pleasant surprise.

[Rowland]

The writer could've at least researched Armond's opinions of the mentioned/joked upon movies. Yelling "The Good Shepherd" could only be construed as a compliment, and Armond loathes the Pitt/Soderberg crew.Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but I suspect you're thinking about The Good German, which was directed by Soderbergh, not the De Niro-directed The Good Shepherd, which Armond loved.

[baby doll]

So Ebert wasn't kidding: The Triumph of the Will is one seriously boring movie. March, march, talk, talk. For two hours. Jesus. Still, you gotta hand it to Hitler: That dude could salute--seemingly for hours on end. There had to be times when he was thinking, "Fuck, why did we have to choose this as our salute? Couldn't we have found something a little easier on the arms?"

[Mysterious Dude]

I thought Hitler's salute looked pretty weak most of the time in that movie. I mean, look at this:

http://www.thelocal.de/articleImages/29055.jpg

His hand is going backwards. What the fuck?

[Sven]

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but I suspect you're thinking about The Good German, which was directed by Soderbergh, not the De Niro-directed The Good Shepherd, which Armond loved.

You are reading that wrong. I know the difference. Why would Armond heckle DeNiro by shouting out a Soderberg film?

[Spinal]

Somehow, a copy of Sucker Punch made it to my home. I've got to fire my Netflix queue manager.

[dreamdead]

Somehow, a copy of Sucker Punch made it to my home. I've got to fire my Netflix queue manager.

I'm interested in your take, actually. It doesn't really work, but it's more interesting in its failures than most middling fare could ever hope to be. I think it could be quite successful as a film if the prologue was only left off the final cut... it'd allow the rest of the film to resonate like a geek-pulpy version of Mulholland Dr., instead of making the whole affair sterile and vacuous.

[MadMan]

Somehow, a copy of Sucker Punch made it to my home. I've got to fire my Netflix queue manager.Heh. I currently let a friend of mine also use my Netflix, and so I often find or notice movies or TV shows that pop up on my queue that I would never bother to watch in a million years. Maybe I'll check some of them out and be pleasantly surprised-others, not so much.

[Russ]

Who Killed Santa Claus? (Roger Chapatte, Christian-Jaque, 1941) pro +

With the first film produced in occupied France by the German-backed production company, Continental Films, L'assassinat du Père Noël's filmmakers had to deal with accusations of being enemy collaborators by their countrymen, while being careful not to produce material that would displease their financiers. In retrospect, it was a fine line to walk indeed, as shortly after the film's release, it's lead actor, Harry Baur (the famous Yiddish actor who played Santa Claus), was tortured to death by the Gestapo. The film turned out to be a winning combination of murder mystery, with a bit of romance and light comedy, set in an alpine village against huge snowdrifts and towering mountains. The film literally oozes atmosphere and charm, and the village inhabitants provide much colorful local flavor, but the one weak link lies in the somewhat shaky story involving theft, a murder, and the disappearance of the village's Santa Claus, which features a few too many red herrings for its own good. However, that's largely a minor quibble given the strength of the directors' effort, which features some stellar camerwork. And, if you look closely, it's not difficult to pick up on a mildly subversive filter through which many scenes could be interpreted as being tellingly patriotic in nature. All in all, a fascinating film.


http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff324/astrojester/killedsanta.jpg

[Morris Schæffer]

I just watched the 1955 War film The Dam Busters, a Peter Jackson-produced remake of which was announced a few years ago.

A fun movie, fairly accurate presumably, but I couldn't believe my ears when the dog of hero Guy Gibson, played by Richard Todd, was revealed as "Nigger."

I had to rewind a few times thinking "that can't be right." But it was.

I guess the N word just wasn't an issue back then.

[elixir]

Regular Lovers is fantastic. The riot sequences at the beginning are incredibly gorgeous, shot with such formal control (there's one especially great long take in it), and it only becomes more impressive in hindsight, as the next two hours lead themselves to disillusioned characters who seal themselves in hermetic environments, recognizing their failed idealism. Slowly, the two central characters emerge--though the film is always willing to spend time with more peripheral ones--and their doomed romance (which Garrel has already proved himself to be the master of to me) is quite heartbreaking. The film isn't without its more, uh, exuberant sequences, as the "This Time Tomorrow" scene was just so beautiful I could cry. Though not without some moments of humor, Garrel is certainly earnest and often emotionally forthright. This is something I like, but I suppose it will rub some people the wrong way. I do think it reveals itself to be a viewpoint that is quite tender yet not uncritical. Clotilde Hesme and Louis Garrel are very pretty people with fantastically emotive visages. Also, some of the most oddly effective fourth-wall breaking moments here. The whole thing had me mesmerized.

[Mara]

Other than Aguirre, the Wrath of God can you guys think of any other films that are shot inside rainforests? (Preferably good films?)

[Winston*]

Other than Aguirre, the Wrath of God can you guys think of any other films that are shot inside rainforests? (Preferably good films?)

Fitzcarraldo?

[Lucky]

Other than Aguirre, the Wrath of God can you guys think of any other films that are shot inside rainforests? (Preferably good films?)

I could be off here, but Tropical Malady could have been a rainforest. Some kind of jungle, at least.

[Sven]

Dunno 'bout "good" (watched it a lot when I was maybe five or six), but I remember some jungle shoots from Baby, the Secret of the Lost Legend. imdb is telling me that some of it was shot on the Ivory Coast.

[Spun Lepton]

Fitzcarraldo?

Seconded!

[Mara]

Seconded!

I actually own this in a Herzog collection someone gave me, and always meant to watch it. I'll definitely check it out!

[Russ]

I actually own this in a Herzog collection someone gave me, and always meant to watch it. I'll definitely check it out!
Equally as good is Les Blank's documentary, Burden of Dreams, where he captures all the the trials and tribulations (including clashes with native folks, unfriendly governments, putting people at risk while pulling that damn boat up the muddy side of a mountain, etc) that Herzog experienced while filming Fitzcarraldo in that region. There's an awesome Criterion release of it too.

[Raiders]

Sven, you disappoint me. John Boorman's The Emerald Forest.

[Sven]

Sven, you disappoint me. John Boorman's The Emerald Forest.

Well, I wasn't really thinking too hard. I just mentioned the first weird one that came to mind. But on the subject of Boorman and jungles, there's also The Tailor of Panama and Hell in the Pacific, both of which I found more satisfying than The Emerald Forest.

[Morris Schæffer]

The mission?

[soitgoes...]

Other than Aguirre, the Wrath of God can you guys think of any other films that are shot inside rainforests? (Preferably good films?)
Sayles' Men with Guns, which is still criminally underseen, even here. Those looking for a great film to watch, there you go!

[Raiders]

I Wish (Koreeda 11) **

That's two in a row, no? Goddam it.

[Spun Lepton]

Predator!!

[soitgoes...]

That's two in a row, no? Goddam it.
Air Doll is quite a bit better than this one. I Wish is just fluff with not much to say, and contains very little of interest. I really don't know why he chose to make it. I'm not the biggest Koreeda fan, but I can't even see the fanboys really taking much from it.

[Raiders]

Air Doll is quite a bit better than this one. I Wish is just fluff with not much to say, and contains very little of interest. I really don't know why he chose to make it. I'm not the biggest Koreeda fan, but I can't even see the fanboys really taking much from it.

Yeah, I'm a huge fan but the buzz on Air Doll had me cautious and admittedly, I just kind of forgot about it.

[Thirdmango]

anyone here seen the 1937 Chinese movie "Street Angel"? I'd like to hear some thoughts on it, I just watched it in my Chinese film class.

[soitgoes...]

Yeah, I'm a huge fan but the buzz on Air Doll had me cautious and admittedly, I just kind of forgot about it.
I think it's a worthwhile film. Definitely a step down from his best, Still Walking. The lead does a wonderful job, and at the very least the film shows imagination. I Wish does have me worried about the direction his career might be going.

[Ivan Drago]

Heh. I currently let a friend of mine also use my Netflix, and so I often find or notice movies or TV shows that pop up on my queue that I would never bother to watch in a million years. Maybe I'll check some of them out and be pleasantly surprised-others, not so much.

Yeah, I use my Mom's Netflix Instant account and there's 250+ movies that she's never heard of. So imagine my surprise and the awkwardness that ensues when I come home on break from college and she asks me things like "Kevin, what's The Human Centipede?" and "What's Dogtooth about?"

[Mara]

Thanks for the suggestions. Some of those look difficult to get, but I'm going to see what I can find. Thanks!

[MadMan]

Damn, how could I forget about The Wages of Fear (1953), which is a great movie set in the jungle? I knew there was at least one more famous jungle movie that had not been mentioned yet.

[Arthur Seaton]

At Play in the Fields of the Lord

Probably very hard to find, and frankly, probably not worth the effort. It's been over a decade since I saw it.

[Bosco B Thug]

Sven! Balmakboor! Come brothers!

Exorcist II is a mess, but what a fascinating, strangely moving one. The climactic thirty minutes is just a barrage of stunning developments, tonal shifts, stylistic cranking (providing a perfect example of great build-up, something I'm always longing for in my cineplex blockbusters but rarely get), and shockingly decisive resolutions (so clear due to Boorman & DP's confident visualizations) that finally hit home the point of the sometimes-incoherent stuff that came before it.

Zardoz exceeded my expectations in bonker-ness. Went totally off-the-rails in the latter half. What was going on? It's not mired in confusing horror genre trappings, though, just confusing philosophical rants and intellectual irony, which is why I'm very lenient towards it, but Exorcist II was a more thrilling, consistently compelling viewing experience.

I see some happy Boormaning this year for me.

[Sven]

Even so early, I doubt there will be a better post made in 2012.

[Sven]

I highly, highly recommend you get your paws on Leo the Last, one of his best and most underseen. I have an Italian import, but I'm sure someone must have a rip out there. Also, if you like free-spirited 60s jangle-pop Mod-Mania, Catch Us If You Can is infectious and beautiful.

[Watashi]

Popeye is a masterpiece.

[Sven]

Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate the pandering.

[B-side]

Sven is the only other man on this board who understands the importance of Neveldine and Taylor. Clearly a brilliant, prescient and handsome -- handsome should be emphasized -- individual.

[Boner M]

Man, was I wrong about Birth the first time around. The link between it and Last Year at Marienbad became more apparent this time; they're both ornately stylised, formalist films built around the very broad idea of persuasion, making explicit the relationship between Kidman and the young impostor child to the viewer and the images/story they're watching. We share Kidman's incredulity about the child's claims, but we're also seduced enough by the cinematic craft that we go along with it anyhow, just as she does. And the seductiveness is important; the film's pretty smart about it's theme of love/attraction transcending the body and upsetting the strictures of the upper-crust, but Glazer embodies it formally, particularly in his use of grainy, gauzy film texture to make the physical environs of this milieu look like they're ready to dissolve into tiny particles at any moment. Sadly the Anne Heche stuff and the ending voiceover kinda deflates it, and reminds me of why I resisted it on first viewing, but the fact that it's a film that's very blatantly about a spell-binding makes that easier to forgive.

[Derek]

Sven is the only other man on this board who understands the importance of Neveldine and Taylor. Clearly a brilliant, prescient and handsome -- handsome should be emphasized -- individual.

They are the Tony Scott for a new generation.

[Bosco B Thug]

*bats eyelashes at a general vicinity*


Man, was I wrong about Birth the first time around. The link between it and Last Year at Marienbad became more apparent this time; they're both ornately stylised, formalist films built around the very broad idea of persuasion, making explicit the relationship between Kidman and the young impostor child to the viewer and the images/story they're watching. We share Kidman's incredulity about the child's claims, but we're also seduced enough by the cinematic craft that we go along with it anyhow, just as she does. And the seductiveness is important; the film's pretty smart about it's theme of love/attraction transcending the body and upsetting the strictures of the upper-crust, but Glazer embodies it formally, particularly in his use of grainy, gauzy film texture to make the physical environs of this milieu look like they're ready to dissolve into tiny particles at any moment. Sadly the Anne Heche stuff and the ending voiceover kinda deflates it, and reminds me of why I resisted it on first viewing, but the fact that it's a film that's very blatantly about a spell-binding makes that easier to forgive. Eyelash bat to you too. Birth is great, and at least you can know someone out there loves the Anne Heche stuff (me). A perfect contrast to Kidman's character and the film as a whole.

It doesn't quite reach a height at the end, which is my foremost misgiving, though I don't think I have a problem with the content of the ending, per se, with the voice over, if that's what you're saying (though I hardly remember it). It's trajectory is also a little to clear (her further and further throwing herself at the boy).

[Boner M]

Had to give Robert Kramer's Milestones a break and will continue watching it later (it's 200mins long), but already it feels like one for the pantheon - like a Peter Watkins remake of Nashville, with some of the same post-Watergate despair but none of the cynicism. Already surprised that Kramer isn't a better known name.
Yeah, this was amazing. An unwiedly, panoramic, eulogy to lost ideals told in a style both verite and Brechtian at once. Now can't wait to delve into Ice and Route One/USA.

[MadMan]

Rewatching Love and Death (1975) from Woody Allen on TCM, I realized once more that its utterly hilarious. The comedy here stems both from Allen's sharp wit and comedic sense of pacing, but also the fact that he can do slapstick and physical humor just as well. I'm not sure what film from him I will tackle next, although I imagine it might be something he did in the 80s. I believe the last movie I saw from him was the wonderful Purple Rose of Cairo.

[B-side]

So The Headless Woman is really interesting.

[Stay Puft]

So The Headless Woman is really interesting.

It's super awesome.

A few of us posted some reactions at the top of this page if you're looking for a bit of discussion, however brief:
http://www.match-cut.org/showthread.php?t=14&page=2788

[Derek]

Super Mario 64 120 star Speedrun 1:47:10 (Siglemic '11) ****

Film of the year?

[EyesWideOpen]

Anyone have any knowledge on how one could stream the golden globes online?

Edit: Nevermind. Just bought a $30 digital antenna and I now get 30 channels including NBC.

[Mara]

Edit: Nevermind. Just bought a $30 digital antenna and I now get 30 channels including NBC.

Seriously? I bought a digital antenna and I get three and a half channels. When the weather is good.

[EyesWideOpen]

Seriously? I bought a digital antenna and I get three and a half channels. When the weather is good.

Yep. Just watched the Golden Globes and the HD looked better off the antenna then when I had Directv.

And to be fair 12 of those channels are either in Spanish or religious programming so those are of no use to me but they still come in crystal clear.

[Derek]

Seriously? I bought a digital antenna and I get three and a half channels. When the weather is good.

Is it an amplified HD antenna that plugs in? I get all the networks and a few other useful stations (PBS, etc) in near-perfect HD as well as a bunch of mostly garbage stations in SD. It's definitely worth the minor investment (~$30-35 (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3611256&filterName=Price&filterValue=%2410.00+-+%2449.99)) if you don't want to have cable, but still want the networks.

[Watashi]

Film of the year?

I've seen that too! For a speedrun, it's pretty damn amazing.

[Derek]

I've seen that too! For a speedrun, it's pretty damn amazing.

Btw, I saw Senna a couple days ago and loved it. The hagiographic finale didn't bother me either. ;)

[Thirdmango]

welp Match Cut, I'm finally taking the plunge that I know so many of you are excited about. The next movie coming in on my netflix cue is Mulholland Drive. It'll be my first time.

[B-side]

http://www.match-cut.org/showthread.php?t=14&page=2788

This leads me directly back to this page.

[Boner M]

This leads me directly back to this page.
How Headless Woman-esque!

[B-side]

How Headless Woman-esque!

I get it.

[B-side]

Anyone wanna buy the OOP Criterion of Notorious?

[B-side]

Anyone wanna buy the OOP Criterion of Notorious?

I should add that it's in immaculate shape.

[Stay Puft]

This leads me directly back to this page.

That's weird. It should take you to page 2788, as the link implies. Anyways, top of page 2788 of this thread, that's where I was trying to send you.

Edit: Oh, but I guess it wouldn't work if we don't have the forum set to display the same number of posts per page. Just realized that. Sorry! Post number 55741 then.

Starting here and the next few posts after:
http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=359885&postcount=55741

[Stay Puft]

I've seen that too! For a speedrun, it's pretty damn amazing.

Honestly the most exciting thing I've watched lately. The way he's playing that game at times is just... tears welling up in my eyes beautiful. And he makes some hilarious and frustrating mistakes. He sets the world record and he still could have shaved off some more time.

[transmogrifier]

welp Match Cut, I'm finally taking the plunge that I know so many of you are excited about. The next movie coming in on my netflix cue is Mulholland Drive. It'll be my first time.

Best movie of the 00s?

No.

But almost.

[B-side]

That's weird. It should take you to page 2788, as the link implies. Anyways, top of page 2788 of this thread, that's where I was trying to send you.

Edit: Oh, but I guess it wouldn't work if we don't have the forum set to display the same number of posts per page. Just realized that. Sorry! Post number 55741 then.

Starting here and the next few posts after:
http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=359885&postcount=55741

Interesting. Thanks.

[MadMan]

Best movie of the 00s?

No.

But almost.I agree, since its my #2 of the decade. My pick for now is Children of Men. I imagine yours is different, which is alright with me.

I remember the first time I got Netflix. It was 2009, and I had just got a job with the movie theater. I spent my days drinking, watching movies, and playing way too much Halo. Only of late have I really started using it as heavily as I did back then, but I pay less for the service now (not that less-about $2 difference).

Right now I use a converter box and a basic regular antenna in my room to get channels, although I also have a TV with a built in digital tuner. Only when I can't get certain channels do I then turn on the converter. Its not a bad set up, really, although at some point I've been thinking about buying a digital antenna at some point.

[Rowland]

Btw, I saw Senna a couple days ago and loved it. The hagiographic finale didn't bother me either. ;)I'm glad you loved it, since liking something but being underwhelmed enough for a mild yay is sometimes the most frustratingly banal position to be in, for me at least. It's still no Nostalgia for the Light though, I hope.

[Derek]

I'm glad you loved it, since liking something but being underwhelmed enough for a mild yay is sometimes the most frustratingly banal position to be in, for me at least. It's still no Nostalgia for the Light though, I hope.

No no, don't worry. Nostalgia for the Light is still the doc of the year for me. :) As you mentioned, Senna is a striking feat of archival editing and I think it showed more than enough footage of people questioning his driving tactics and risky moves to allow the ending to feel appropriately and respectfully mournful. Even knowing the ending, it still struck a pretty powerful chord as it really captured how much he meant to the sport and Brazil, without ever deifying him.

[Sven]

Honestly the most exciting thing I've watched lately. The way he's playing that game at times is just... tears welling up in my eyes beautiful. And he makes some hilarious and frustrating mistakes. He sets the world record and he still could have shaved off some more time.

I particularly enjoyed all of the bugs he exploits that I never knew about. Was this cobbled together from several runs? I have a hard time believing the constant pinpoint perfection.

[Stay Puft]

I particularly enjoyed all of the bugs he exploits that I never knew about. Was this cobbled together from several runs? I have a hard time believing the constant pinpoint perfection.

Nope, it was one continuous run. He was live streaming all of his attempts last month (I think they lasted three or four days?). On a previous run, he had just narrowly missed the world record because he tossed Bowser the wrong way during the final boss fight and didn't kill him in time.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I particularly enjoyed all of the bugs he exploits that I never knew about. Was this cobbled together from several runs? I have a hard time believing the constant pinpoint perfection.

I watched some of this last night, and this is right-on. There's the thing he does with the cannon on the water level, where he knows exactly where to fire Mario to make him skid along horizontally. It's really damned amazing.

[Spinal]

Best movie of the 00s?

No.

But almost.

Certainly the most well-loved by Match Cut as a whole.

[Spinal]

Proof (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=296184&postcount=181)

[Sven]

Nope, it was one continuous run. He was live streaming all of his attempts last month (I think they lasted three or four days?). On a previous run, he had just narrowly missed the world record because he tossed Bowser the wrong way during the final boss fight and didn't kill him in time.

Wow.

I love the 100 coin runs. His navigation of the clock level is like poetry.

[Thirdmango]

Wow.

I love the 100 coin runs. His navigation of the clock level is like poetry.

I think I'll watch this in fourths. Watched the first half hour today, very fun.

[Ezee E]

Surely he had to mess up at some point?

I mean, it is pretty crazy to watch for those of us who put in probably 50+ hours doing the same thing.

[Watashi]

No no, don't worry. Nostalgia for the Light is still the doc of the year for me. :) As you mentioned, Senna is a striking feat of archival editing and I think it showed more than enough footage of people questioning his driving tactics and risky moves to allow the ending to feel appropriately and respectfully mournful. Even knowing the ending, it still struck a pretty powerful chord as it really captured how much he meant to the sport and Brazil, without ever deifying him.
Rep for you!

My favorite moment is Senna struggling to lift the trophy after he won in Brazil. I was almost in tears at that scene.

[Watashi]

Surely he had to mess up at some point?

I mean, it is pretty crazy to watch for those of us who put in probably 50+ hours doing the same thing.
Well, he's a professional. He probably practices 100 hours a week leading up to his run.

I've seen some impressive runs on speeddemosarchive. One of my favorites is a blind-folded Mike Tyson Punch-Out run.

[Qrazy]

Streaming a music set here (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/dj-qrazy-late-night-jams) for those interested. Still learning the program so nothing too crazy with transitions tonight.

[Dukefrukem]

2011 Competition List

Drive
Melancholia
Contagion
13 Assassins
Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy
Delhi Belly
Meek's Cutoff
Shame
The Descendants
The Iron Lady
Moneyball
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help
The Ides of March
War Horse
Hugo
The Skin I Live In
Albert Nobbs
We Need to Talk About Kevin
J. Edgar
50/50
Midnight in Paris
The Artist
Cars 2

More to Watch from 2011

Warrior
Quarantine 2: The Terminal
Blackthorn
Conan The Barbarian
Straw Dogs
Another Earth
Final Destination 5
Apollo 18
The Debt
No Strings Attached
Friends with Benefits

[Dukefrukem]

http://blastr.com/assets_c/2012/01/ImageMcKellenFord011712-thumb-500x465-81227.jpg

[Morris Schæffer]

Just caught the biggest chunk of Taken again on TV. It's typical Besson eurotrash, but Neeson as a vicious, unrelenting angel of pain was a great find. I look forward to the sequel, to be directed by the only director who can transform into a robot, Olivier Megaton.

[Irish]

Best movie of the 00s?

No.

But almost.

*eyetwitch*

[Ivan Drago]

An interesting subject? Not sure
although Refn & Hardy, in a fearless
& fearsome perf, work overtime to
persuade you. Some standout scenes,
one featuring the Pet Shop Boys.
Think about that!

Wait, a song from the Pet Shop Boys, or were the Pet Shop Boys actually in the movie? I remember a song from them in the movie, but if it's the latter, I can't believe I missed it!

[Ezee E]

That'd be awesome if they had those shirts.

[D_Davis]

Best movie of the 00s?

No.

But almost.

I wouldn't argue against such an opinion.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I don't really like David Lynch, but I love Mulholland Drive. I think that's a fine choice for a favorite-of-the-decade. My instinct would be to pick Pulse, Memories of Murder, or Primer, with No Country nipping at their heels.

[Qrazy]

I've decided to black out Match-cut to show my support for the great big series of tubes.

http://freewallpaperspot.com/wallpapers/black-1.jpg

You're welcome.

[Rowland]

Just discovered that Dan Sallitt (http://sallitt.blogspot.com/), a critic whose tastes are as unabashedly idiosyncratic as his writing and acumen are formidable, has posted lengthy defenses for both of last year's Sleeping Beauties (Breillat (http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/the-art-of-indirection-catherine-breillats-the-sleeping-beauty)/Leigh (http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/in-defense-of-julia-leighs-sleeping-beauty)). Both made his top ten for 2011, and surprised me by being significantly more impressive than their reputations led me to anticipate.

[MadMan]

I've decided to black out Match-cut to show my support for the great big series of tubes.



You're welcome.I won't miss you :P

[Boner M]

Just discovered that Dan Sallitt (http://sallitt.blogspot.com/), a critic whose tastes are as unabashedly idiosyncratic as his writing and acumen are formidable, has posted lengthy defenses for both of last year's Sleeping Beauties (Breillat (http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/the-art-of-indirection-catherine-breillats-the-sleeping-beauty)/Leigh (http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/in-defense-of-julia-leighs-sleeping-beauty)). Both made his top ten for 2011, and surprised me by being significantly more impressive than their reputations led me to anticipate.
I ordered Sallitt's '98 directorial debut Honeymoon on a whim the other day. I've heard great things, but I'm wondering if they're mainly from critic friends.

[B-side]

Teorema (Pasolini, 1968) **½

This rating is wrong. I'll give you a few minutes to add another whole star before I just go ahead and shave a point off your cool points total.

[Boner M]

This rating is wrong. I'll give you a few minutes to add another whole star before I just go ahead and shave a point off your cool points total.
Kinda surprised by the high marks for it in the Pasolini thread. Mostly it never felt firmly rooted in either the naturalistic or the metaphysical and as such was sorta wishy-washy and blah. Good ending tho.

[B-side]

Kinda surprised by the high marks for it in the Pasolini thread. Mostly it never felt firmly rooted in either the naturalistic or the metaphysical and as such was sorta wishy-washy and blah. Good ending tho.

You knew this was coming, but here it is anyway:

You're sorta wishy-washy and blah.

[Qrazy]

Live Streaming (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/dj-qrazy-late-night-jams) another set.

[Morris Schæffer]

Wait, a song from the Pet Shop Boys, or were the Pet Shop Boys actually in the movie? I remember a song from them in the movie, but if it's the latter, I can't believe I missed it!

Song!! :)

[NickGlass]

I ordered Sallitt's '98 directorial debut Honeymoon on a whim the other day. I've heard great things, but I'm wondering if they're mainly from critic friends.

Mmmm, let me know how it is. Dan is such an intelligent and super nice guy, but I haven't seen anything he's filmed yet. Dan just shot another film recently in Brooklyn (starring my friend, Sky), The Unspeakable Act, which I'm looking forward to. I believe Jaime Christley posted a positive comment about it on Twitter, although I think he was involved in the film, as well. Can anyone be trusted with an impartial opinion?!

[Derek]

Mmmm, let me know how it is. Dan is such an intelligent and super nice guy, but I haven't seen anything he's filmed yet. Dan just shot another film recently in Brooklyn (starring my friend, Sky), The Unspeakable Act, which I'm looking forward to. I believe Jaime Christley posted a positive comment about it on Twitter, although I think he was involved in the film, as well. Can anyone be trusted with an impartial opinion?!

Does baaabsy have a blog or site now or is he off the online map?

[NickGlass]

Does baaabsy have a blog or site now or is he off the online map?

He's somewhat off the online map, but he was in Toronto this year (actually, due to his pass, I was able to secure a few hard-to-get tickets). Therefore, he had a blog for TIFF '11: http://baaabtiff.blogspot.com/

[StanleyK]

Easy A is a bad film. It's flawed right down to its premise; I may be out of touch, but American high school movies always ring completely false to me. So this girl supposedly has sex with people; would so many people really give a shit? But other than the fact that this follows the annoying trend for modern comedies to acknowledge their own artificiality and movie-ness (merely pointing out that something is stupid doesn't make it any less stupid), pretty much not a single joke is funny. I liked the scene where they pretend to have sex, and that's it, really. Emma Stone is charming, but the movie is dull and insincere and she alone can't salvage it.

[Irish]

So this girl supposedly has sex with people; would so many people really give a shit?

Google "slut shaming." Also, it's high school. Gossip & social status infect every interaction, every conversation.

I agree that Stone carries the movie. I liked it more than you did; it's just entertaining enough to justify the time. I wish they had done more with the Scarlet Letter stuff, and been subtler about it, in a Clueless or 10 Things I Hate About You kind of way.

[Irish]

George Lucas wants to retire from blockbusters & spend the rest of his life making smaller, personal "art house" films.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/magazine/george-lucas-red-tails.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

[transmogrifier]

He's been talking about doing that for about 25 years now. I say he's better to just be a producer on the odd project and enjoy his life and wealth.

[Pop Trash]

George Lucas wants to retire from blockbusters & spend the rest of his life making smaller, personal "art house" films.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/magazine/george-lucas-red-tails.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

He also likes the brown sugar apparently.

[Morris Schæffer]

He also likes the brown sugar apparently.

http://www.tonym302.com/uploads/MISC/Smiles/dayum.gif

[Rowland]

Where do you think he suddenly found the passion to fund and distribute Red Tails, a tribute to the Tuskegee airmen, entirely out of his own pocket?

[B-side]

Where do you think he suddenly found the passion to fund and distribute Red Tails, a tribute to the Tuskegee airmen, entirely out of his own pocket?

Apparently he's been working on it for quite some time; 20 years or more, I believe. He says it's the closest we'll get to a Star Wars Ep. VII.

[Rowland]

Apparently he's been working on it for quite some time; 20 years or more, I believe. He says it's the closest we'll get to a Star Wars Ep. VII.Stop ruining my joke. :P

[B-side]

Stop ruining my joke. :P

Haha, whoops.

[Dukefrukem]

quick vote

Which should I see tonight?

Contraband
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
The Descendants

[EyesWideOpen]

I've only seen The Descendants but it's really good.

[B-side]

quick vote

Which should I see tonight?

Contraband
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
The Descendants

The only one of those that's likely any good.

[TGM]

The only one of those that's likely any good.

Can't comment on The Descendants, but TGWTDT is easily the weakest of the other movies.

I'd go with Sherlock Holmes, personally. Had a helluva good time with that one!

[Dukefrukem]

3 different opinions. Someone break the tie.

I'm thinking of cutting TGWTDT out anyway because it's almost 3 fucking hours....

[Lucky]

3 different opinions. Someone break the tie.

I'm thinking of cutting TGWTDT out anyway because it's almost 3 fucking hours....

I know, I was put off by the runtime as well. It flies by, except for the epilogue. Paid off nicely, though.

[Kurosawa Fan]

quick vote

Which should I see tonight?

Contraband
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
The Descendants

I haven't seen any of them, but if it were me, I'd see The Descendants.

[Ezee E]

3 different opinions. Someone break the tie.

I'm thinking of cutting TGWTDT out anyway because it's almost 3 fucking hours....
I voted it in Best Editing for a reason. The movie is a breeze.

[Rowland]

I've only seen the Fincher and Payne films, but I feel pretty confident in recommending the former over the rest. If you're so weary about the running time though, the Payne is a safe bet if you're looking to have an opinion on what will undoubtedly be a leading contender for the Oscars, and while it left me pretty indifferent, most people seem to really dig it.

[Winston*]

I haven't seen any of them, but if it were me, I'd see The Descendants.

Yeah, that's the only one of the three I have any particular desire to see.

[D_Davis]

I'd stay home and not support the MPAA.

;)

[Dukefrukem]

Well looks like DD wins.

Just got word I'm flying to Oklahoma tomorrow morning. :| Leaving work now to get packed.

[Ezee E]

Yeah, that's the only one of the three I have any particular desire to see.
But there were four Winston, four.

[Winston*]

But there were four Winston, four.

As a result of his recent comments I refuse to acknowledge the existence of all Mark Walhberg films.

[megladon8]

While his later work has been pandering Oscar bait, James Mangold's Cop Land is a flawed but tightly written and well acted police drama.

While I wouldn't rank it among the all-time crime film greats, I thought it was a more than competent thriller, and Stallone proves again that he is a very good actor, and should be taken more seriously

I hate typing on a touch screen.

[StanleyK]

I wasn't really taken with Cold Water at first- despite Assayas' undeniably masterful form, I struggled to understand and be invested in the characters- but once it got to the party scene, something just clicked for me. It's a wonderful protracted mood piece; I totally felt zoned out with the partygoers, and it retroactively improved the main couple and their emotions. The ending is genius. Beautifully eloquent without saying a word, literally.

[Ivan Drago]

Song!! :)

I remember now. Thanks!

And Hunger was excellent. I'm even more excited to see Shame this weekend.

[Morris Schæffer]

Valhalla rising wasn't my cup of tea. I mean, it is unconventional sure, the Scottish landscapes have never looked so oppressive, constricting and Mikkelsen a pretty scary protagonist, but on the whole I had the feeling nothing of note happened. I get the whole minimalist approach, but ended up with a "big deal" as my overriding emotion. I should say that I've never been big on religion-related matters so perhaps that plays a part.

[Fezzik]

After finishing my "Top 8" thread, I decided that I needed to fix a glaring problem with my movie collection, and went to Amazon:

http://home.comcast.net/~kuelthador/covers.jpg

[MadMan]

Both excellent choices, Fezz.

The Descendants was funny, emotional, and surprisingly touching. George Clooney was great in the main role, however the entire cast was really quite good here, and the actresses who played his daughters felt very natural playing their characters. A couple scenes in particular really hit me hard a bit, and film wisely does not flinch away from dealing with guilt. Whoever played Sid was responsible for 90% of the movie's funniest moments, by the way, but this really was not a comedy. Having now seen this and About Schmidt, which I also liked a lot, Alexander Payne is one director I'm interested in seeing more from.

Ides of March features a great cast, has a sharp script, and is well directed. Yet, nothing new about politics is covered here, and it wasn't until the second act that I found myself really giving a damn about what remotely was going on. The first half is mediocre at best, the second half great enough to register this film as solid, however I really hope that Good Night and Good Luck, which is one of the two other movies directed by Clooney I have not seen is much better than this one. The other film I have seen made by Clooney being Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, which I liked a lot more than Ides of March. The more I think about this movie and even J. Edgar, the less I like either one.

[Yxklyx]

Valhalla rising wasn't my cup of tea. I mean, it is unconventional sure, the Scottish landscapes have never looked so oppressive, constricting and Mikkelsen a pretty scary protagonist, but on the whole I had the feeling nothing of note happened. I get the whole minimalist approach, but ended up with a "big deal" as my overriding emotion. I should say that I've never been big on religion-related matters so perhaps that plays a part.

Refn does take chances though I think. Doesn't always succeed but better to try for something new and fail then not to try at all.

[Spinal]

Miranda July Called Before Congress To Explain Exactly What Her Whole Thing Is (http://www.theonion.com/articles/miranda-july-called-before-congress-to-explain-exa,27104/)

[Morris Schæffer]

When I first read that article, I thought it reminded me of something The Onion might put on their site.

i didn't actually check the links address when I read it.

[KK2.0]

Finally watched Miike's 13 Assassins, so bad ass. I love how it takes it time building up and the pay-off was totally worth it, i even forgave that absurd little surprise at the end.

[Boner M]

Thing I learned today, from reading Gilles Jacobs' very entertaining Citizen Cannes: Maurice Pialat once called Jacques Rivette the 'worst European filmmaker' (in '91, when both had Van Gogh & La Belle Noiseuse, respectively, in comp).

[Grouchy]

Network - I know I was supposed to watch this a lot earlier, and frankly, I was very stupid not to. Great film, as emotionally resonant (the scene with William Holden and his wife is devastating stuff) as it is cynical and dark humored. It might take in a little too much, covering almost every hot topic of the mid-'70s. But it never loses power and that's of course due to Lumet being a superb actor's director. It also has a killer script, going off in crazy directions I could never have anticipated.

Restless - Disappointing film. It starts out tolerable enough, but then it becomes a gallery of goth emo moments and I just don't have the stomach for people like that, even as movie characters. It's not badly made, and Mia Whatever has a bright future as an actress. She's exceptionally good here. Regardless, it's a cheesy romance and a low point for Gus Van Sant.

Deep Throat - Now here's a movie that delivers exactly what it promises in the title. Although, frankly, Linda Lovelace is not that hot - and she looks wasted - the movie deserves its reputation simply because the premise is genius and probably the best porn plot device I've heard of.

[Chac Mool]

I saw "The Bridge on the River Kwai" for the second time today (first time was about 6-7 years ago), and on the big screen to boot.

It's a marvelously written, acted and directed film -- just as I remembered it -- but what struck me today was just how funny it is. There's constant mordant humour throughout (in Nicholson's stiff uper lip; in Shears' attempts to get out of going back into the jungle; in Warden's gung-ho enthusiasm) and the contrasts that Lean's direction emphasizes (between the dusty POW camp and the paradisaical nursery in Ceylon; between the masculine make-up of the POWs themselves and the lush sensuality of Warden's female bearers) add a touch of dry wit.

What also struck me today -- though less than the humour -- is how wonderful the film looks for a 1957 production (though this may have to do with the quality of the print itself, which was stellar) and how much realism and immersion the location shooting (the film was photographed in Ceylon) and physical sets and props bring. Making this film today would likely involve the use of computer-generated imagery -- and that's a real shame.

[Qrazy]

What also struck me today -- though less than the humour -- is how wonderful the film looks for a 1957 production (though this may have to do with the quality of the print itself, which was stellar) and how much realism and immersion the location shooting (the film was photographed in Ceylon) and physical sets and props bring. Making this film today would likely involve the use of computer-generated imagery -- and that's a real shame.

Yeah, all of Lean's color films are astoundingly beautiful (not to take anything away from the equally wonderful black and white work).

[B-side]

Devi is another of Ray's tender feminist works, portraying an India in which the women shoulder the emotional burden of domestic isolation and the caring of an entire family and the young men seek further education at all costs. And I don't mean feminist simply in that there exists a sympathetic female protagonist, as that often seems to pretty much be the barometer for what constitutes a feminist film. Ray's politics are much more intricate and nuanced. Doyamoyee is a young woman juggling various responsibilities in her home, the most taxing of which being the caring of her aging father, who dreams she is the reincarnation of his god during a period that covers a great majority of the film but is blended into the overall narrative in such a fashion that allows for the possibility that it's mostly within the story Doyamoyee tells her nephew. That the milieu remains unchanged and the characters are identical to the "reality" of the film makes that distinction between fabled allegory and tumultuous reality that much more difficult. Doyamoyee sits in front of worshiping peasants in a stunned and melancholy silence as these individuals hoist their hopes and dreams upon her ever-weakening shoulders. After a boy is miraculously cured in her presence, it becomes harder for her to believe she isn't the very goddess they've been identifying her as. Drawing her boyfriend away from his studies, his skepticism is the hardline impetus in which rationale makes its entrance into a world of myth and superstition. Around this and her new uncertainty, Ray breeds the moral substance of faith vs reason.

[Dukefrukem]

ALBERT NOOBS is another great movie that MC hates.

[elixir]

lol Noobs.

MEEK'S CUTOFF is another great movie Duke hates.

[MadMan]

SOME GREAT MOVIE is a movie that someone likes and someone hates :P

[Bosco B Thug]

ALBERT NOOBS is another great movie that MC hates. Well you wouldn't have known this if you had listened to us in the first place! :P

Albert Nobbs has my sympathy, though, I feel as if it is getting dismissed a bit too easily. The Slant reviewer, for instance, just didn't seem to get it at all, and Reverse Shot calling Mia Wasikowska's performance the worst supporting performance of 2011 is a shrug-worthy bit of overreaction.

[Dukefrukem]

Mia Wasikowska's the worst supporting performance of 2011 = hyperbole at it's finest.

Meek's Cutoff to my defense had the worst ending of all 2011 movies I've seen. I've never been so dissatisfied before. Great drama. Poor ending that ruined it for me.

[Rowland]

Wow, this (http://filmguide.sundance.org/film/120106/vhs) sounds like something else. A horror anthology titled V/H/S, which debuted at Sundance last night, its slate of directors including Ti West, Adam Wingard, Joe Swanberg, and a few other lesser knowns. Here's the synopsis:


When a group of petty criminals is hired by a mysterious party to retrieve a rare piece of found footage from a rundown house in the middle of nowhere, they soon realize that the job isn’t going to be as easy as they thought. In the living room, a lifeless body holds court before a hub of old television sets, surrounded by stacks upon stacks of VHS tapes. As they search for the right one, they are treated to a seemingly endless number of horrifying videos, each stranger than the last.

Mike D'Angelo is seeing it today.

[MadMan]

http://thisdistractedglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/brazil-1985-jonathan-pryce-pic-3.jpg

Well I just finished watching the Criterion copy of Brazil, which is Terry Gilliam's definitive final copy of the film, and I'm trying to figure out what I just watched. Yes I'm sure its a great movie, yet its painfully clear where the "Happier" version ends, followed later on by the ending Gilliam actually wanted. This leads to the last act suffering a bit from ROTK ending syndrome, but I don't think it truly affects the film's surreal and great last act.

Regardless, I find it greatly amusing that both this and Blade Runner, two of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made, had to have another version released for their directors to get their visions across. Although in the case of Ridley Scott, it was at least three or four versions, heh. I guess there is also a complete, longer version of Metropolis out, too, which just goes to show that even 1920s sci-fi movies can have DC's.

Also even though Gilliam admitted he was inspired by the classic novel 1984, most of this film seems rather different from that particular novel. I loved how he spoofs and mocks indifferent bureaucracy, having his hapless protagonist attempt to rebel against the system. One more thing: I agree with someone on IMDB.com that after the bombing at the shopping center midway through the movie, Sam starts dreaming. I almost think that most of the entire movie is a dream, even, or at least hm completely losing his grip on reality altogether. Which makes the ending more bittersweet than sad, tragic, and dark.

[B-side]

Wow, this (http://filmguide.sundance.org/film/120106/vhs) sounds like something else. A horror anthology titled V/H/S, which debuted at Sundance last night, its slate of directors including Ti West, Adam Wingard, Joe Swanberg, and a few other lesser knowns. Here's the synopsis:

Mike D'Angelo is seeing it today.

That sounds amazing.

[B-side]

I was gonna come in here and praise Flight of the Red Balloon, but IMDb user madmadrid posed a great argument against its quality:


I usually like French films but this is taking the arty farty thing to extremes.

Then aptly named user WeGetIt almost had me reconsider my praise with this pearl of wisdom:


ZZZZZzzzz... damn. This movie is wack.


The French have really fallen off since 60's Godard. Wack.


UPDATE:

acttually this film is pretty good if you watch it from the beggining and sober.

[soitgoes...]

Hey Australian folk! Any of you seen The Hunter yet? If so, is it worth checking out?

[Spinal]

IMDb users are hilarious.

[B-side]

IMDb users are hilarious.

I'm certain there are much worse comments about that film, but even the small amount of time I spent digging up those was enough to make me want to put my fist through my computer monitor.

[MadMan]

Once in a while, you might get something interesting or insightful, which is what I uncovered recently when looking at the discussion board for Brazil. That's about 1% of the board, though-the other 99% is crap. If you value your sanity, don't even bother reading the discussions about Attack The Block. Lots of racism to be found there, apparently.

[StanleyK]

Late August, Early September is Assayas' closest film to Summer Hours, a subdued and inquisitive study of a few characters where the drama unfolds not through big confrontations but by examining the way they interact with each other. It rewards attentive viewing- it's up to us to pick up on the way a character's voice breaks a little when talking about his ex-girlfriend and on what subtle moments like that mean. Amalric, who I'd never thought of as being more than an alright actor, is particularly compelling here. And of course, Assayas continues to be the best at picking soundtracks to accompany his confident direction.

[dreamdead]

Yeah, I watched Assayas's LAES expecting much of something like Irma Vep or demonlover, which were the only films of his I was familiar with at that point. Its understated nature threw me for a loop at the time, and though it's largely receded from memory now, I remember being taken aback by how thorough and almost Rohmerian it was with regard to its focus on character and personal trials. After Summer Hours came out, I felt like I had a much stronger understanding of his range and talents, and came to better appreciate LAES...

[Sycophant]

Just watched part 1 of John Woo's Red Cliff. It's basically everything I'd hoped it would be. Watching part 2 in a few days. Can't wait.

[Dukefrukem]

2011 Competition List

Drive
Melancholia
Contagion
13 Assassins
Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy
Delhi Belly
Meek's Cutoff
A Separation
Shame
The Descendants
The Iron Lady
Moneyball
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help
The Ides of March
War Horse
Hugo
The Skin I Live In
Albert Nobbs
We Need to Talk About Kevin
J. Edgar
50/50
Midnight in Paris
The Artist
Cars 2

More to Watch from 2011

Warrior
Quarantine 2: The Terminal
Blackthorn
Conan The Barbarian
Straw Dogs
Another Earth
Final Destination 5
Apollo 18
The Debt
No Strings Attached
Friends with Benefits[/QUOTE]