28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[D_Davis]

If you've seen Taking of Pelham 123 and Unstoppable, the comparisons seem pretty clear to me. Granted, To's takes are longer, but still. Breaking News is a much closer companion to Tony's work, though.

I've never gotten a Tony Scott feeling from a Johnny To film. To's style is practical glacial compared to Scott's. To is almost a minimalist, and Scott is pretty extreme.

[Raiders]

I love this movie. It's a grad student's wet dream. The only thing (and it's a big thing) that comes close to throwing it over is the lead actress. She's awful in most movies, but that fake, awful sounding accent puts this "performance" in a class by itself.

Everything else? Top flight.

Paltrow? I don't know, maybe she has just been getting better, but I can name a whole handful of performances from her I quite love.

[Sven]

Uh, you're the one who was policing.

How is this:

He doesn't strike me as very assholish, B.Side. Mutilation seems harsh.
policing? And how is it that you don't see the irony in your policing of my thoroughly non-policing observation?

[Spinal]

No, he sounds like a fucking moron.

Yeah, he really doesn't demonstrate an ability to accept the film on it's own terms.

When you write something like this ...


Hollywood, can you please challenge his pretentiousness.

... I have no trouble with someone calling you an asshole.

[Derek]

How is this:

policing? And how is it that you don't see the irony in your policing of my thoroughly non-policing observation?

"Mutilation seems harsh,", ie you telling B-side to question his words so as to be more accepting or PC. It's akin to someone responding to "I hate that movie!" with "Really, hate? Isn't that a bit of a strong reaction to a movie?" It's annoying.

[Sven]

"Mutilation seems harsh,", ie you telling B-side to question his words so as to be more accepting or PC. It's akin to someone responding to "I hate that movie!" with "Really, hate? Isn't that a bit of a strong reaction to a movie?" It's annoying.

You're reading so much into it. I endorse the use of "mutilating" in this context, and am not demanding a word withdrawal. I'm saying that mutilating a moron blogger seems harsh given that his only crime of assholery is his endorsement of Hollywood and duncelike way of expressing his opinion. Relax, Jack. I aint no cop.

[Spinal]

It's a fair point. 'Ignore this asshole' might be better advice.

[Raiders]

It's a fair point. 'Ignore this asshole' might be better advice.

True, but Derek does have some good posts I would hate to miss.

[Spinal]

True, but Derek does have some good posts I would hate to miss.

:lol: True.

[Derek]

True, but Derek does have some good posts I would hate to miss.

Touché. :lol:

[MadMan]

I like Derek, despite that whole "I'm a Broncos" fan thing ;)

[Irish]

Paltrow? I don't know, maybe she has just been getting better, but I can name a whole handful of performances from her I quite love.

I've never thought she deserved all the accolades. She seems a perfectly generic starlet type, who has mostly gotten by on looks & pedigree.

In Shakespeare, though, that accent is atrocious. It takes me out of the picture every time.

[Watashi]

It seems Irish has a knack of forgetting major actor's names even though imdb is just a click away,

[MadMan]

It seems Irish has a knack of forgetting major actor's names even though imdb is just a click away,Nah he's just as lazy as I am :P

[B-side]

I feel like an adopted child caught between feuding parents. The columnist seems like a perfectly decent gentleman in that he pays his taxes and doesn't molest small children (yet), but he's still an asshole because he wrote a column that made me roll my eyes a few dozen times. That is my justification.

[soitgoes...]

I watched Outside Satan last night, and I really have no idea what to make of it. Beautiful? Undeniably, but I can't help but think that Dumont going even more minimalist is a direction I don't wish to see his career head towards. Then again I'm not entirely sure what Dumont is trying to say in this film. It's my least favorite film of his so far, still good, but not nearly on par with the others. That said, it took a few days for Hadewijch to grow on me, so maybe that's what this one needs.

[B-side]

I watched Outside Satan last night, and I really have no idea what to make of it. Beautiful? Undeniably, but I can't help but think that Dumont going even more minimalist is a direction I don't wish to see his career head towards. Then again I'm not entirely sure what Dumont is trying to say in this film. It's my least favorite film of his so far, still good, but not nearly on par with the others. That said, it took a few days for Hadewijch to grow on me, so maybe that's what this one needs.

The entire film is pretty clearly a thinly veiled condemnation of Obama's fascist agenda.

[soitgoes...]

The entire film is pretty clearly a thinly veiled condemnation of Obama's fascist agenda.Well yeah, of course it's got that going for it, but I mean, what's going on with the rest of the film? You know, the parts that have nothing to do do with Obama and his qrazy fascist policies.

[Qrazy]

Well yeah, of course it's got that going for it, but I mean, what's going on with the rest of the film? You know, the parts that have nothing to do do with Obama and his qrazy fascist policies.

Just trying to up my search count?

[Idioteque Stalker]

Somewhat grateful to a professor for showing Window Water Baby Moving in class today. Bold, honest, and beautiful, just as I assumed--but nevertheless I was absolutely fine with never watching it. Suffice to say, I didn't need my second coffee this morning.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Somewhat grateful to a professor for showing Window Water Baby Moving in class today. Bold, honest, and beautiful, just as I assumed--but nevertheless I was absolutely fine with never watching it. Suffice to say, I didn't need my second coffee this morning.

Nice.

Our professor didn't tell us what we were about to watch. Seeing the head crowning and the placenta spilling out was a bit much for me.

[Irish]

Am I getting bad search results or is there really no thread for Jason Reitman's Young Adult?

[Boner M]

Finally watched Total Recall last night... I guess you had to be there at the time. The best parts I'd already seen in gif/meme form.

[Qrazy]

Finally watched Total Recall last night... I guess you had to be there at the time. The best parts I'd already seen in gif/meme form.

American Verhoeven is pretty bad. Turkish Delight and Soldier of Orange for the win.

[Boner M]

American Verhoeven is pretty bad. Turkish Delight and Soldier of Orange for the win.
Haven't actually seen any of his Dutch stuff aside from the The 4th Man and Black Book which were both kinda eh. I love Showgirls, Starship Troopers and Robocop but I'm less keen when he's not being overtly satirical.

[Qrazy]

Haven't actually seen any of his Dutch stuff aside from the The 4th Man and Black Book which were both kinda eh. I love Showgirls, Starship Troopers and Robocop but I'm less keen when he's not being overtly satirical.

I agree The 4th Man is ehh but I haven't seen Black Book. Starship Troopers I enjoy and Robocop is okay but I'm not that fond of it ultimately. Showgirls I think is terrible haha.

But seriously, watch those first two, especially Soldier of Orange which I'd argue is his crowning achievement.

[Rowland]

Love Robocop, really like Starship Troopers, enjoy Basic Instinct, mixed on Black Book and Total Recall, need to revisit Showgirls and Hollow Man which both have their fans, need to watch his early stuff period.

[Qrazy]

Am I the only person on this site who's seen Soldier of Orange? I would guess soitgoes has also.

[Rowland]

Am I the only person on this site who's seen Soldier of Orange? I would guess soitgoes has also.I'm guessing Sven has.

[Derek]

Am I the only person on this site who's seen Soldier of Orange? I would guess soitgoes has also.

I have that and Turkish Delight at home. Need to make those a priority.

[Raiders]

Am I the only person on this site who's seen Soldier of Orange? I would guess soitgoes has also.

I have. Prefer Starship Troopers and Showgirls, but still a great movie.

[Boner M]

Prefer Starship Troopers and Showgirls, but still a great movie.
First-rate sentence.

[Qrazy]

I have. Prefer Starship Troopers and Showgirls, but still a great movie.

I can see a case being made for the former somewhat but the latter, really? :P

[Derek]

Man, I normally like Fernando F. Croce, but WTF is this?


By the time their rough-and-tumble fable The Kid with a Bike comes to its conclusion, the Belgian brothers have turned the screen into a veritable map of zigzagging activity in which the little red shirt zipping across the frame becomes a visual emblem as kinetic in its own way as the most vertiginous forms in Tony Scott's breathless technocratic canvases. The difference is that a restless stylist like Scott would have zeroed in on this red shirt mainly as an icon to be whipped around a larger design of color and movement, while the Dardennes, tough and ardent humanists with a fierce control of cinema, remain focused first and foremost on the character wearing it, and on the emotional turmoil besieging him.

At least I know why B-side loves him so.

[Boner M]

Apparently to be a real cineaste you have to compare everything to Tony Scott because after all he invented color and movement and technology.

[Winston*]

Going to start comparing every book I read to James Patterson.

[soitgoes...]

Am I the only person on this site who's seen Soldier of Orange? I would guess soitgoes has also.
I have! It's good, but somewhat disappointing. I am a fan of Total Recall and Starship Troopers though.

[Qrazy]

I have! It's good, but somewhat disappointing. I am a fan of Total Recall and Starship Troopers though.

What's disappointing about it? Did you see the extended cut?

[MadMan]

I love Total Recall, liked Robocop, enjoyed Starship Troopers. I'm pretty behind when it comes to my Verhoeven watching.

[soitgoes...]

What's disappointing about it? Did you see the extended cut?I did. It's disappointing because it didn't live up to my own preconceived estimation of what the film would be. I love WWII films, plus having read that it's supposed to be his best film, had me expecting gold. It's still good, but more silver level. Maybe it's because I saw the director's cut, but it felt slow at times. I really hate when I watch a film that has two versions and I'm left underwhelmed after I watch one of them.

[Ezee E]

I have Soldier of Orange downloaded from Karagarga.

I remember liking Black Book, but remember nothing of it outside of Van Houten's accessories and the poop stuff.

[Qrazy]

I did. It's disappointing because it didn't live up to my own preconceived estimation of what the film would be. I love WWII films, plus having read that it's supposed to be his best film, had me expecting gold. It's still good, but more silver level. Maybe it's because I saw the director's cut, but it felt slow at times. I really hate when I watch a film that has two versions and I'm left underwhelmed after I watch one of them.

Well I think it's far and away his best film, but that said I don't think it's one of the best films because I simply don't think he's all that great in general. But it's one of his only films that has real emotional nuance, formal alacrity and a tone that balances humor and drama without being overly cheesy.

[B-side]

At least I know why B-side loves him so.

Ha! Naturally, that review only increases my admiration for him.:pritch:

[Derek]

Ha! Naturally, that review only increases my admiration for him.

Well sure, you love asinine comparisons to Tony Scott! ;)


:pritch:

Those dancing smilies are reminiscent of Tony Scott's hyper-stylized color palette and sense of movement, splashes of yellow and a touch of blue signifying the vibrancy of mankind amidst its mad dance with an increasingly prominent and dangerous technocracy.

[Derek]

Apparently to be a real cineaste you have to compare everything to Tony Scott because after all he invented color and movement and technology.


Going to start comparing every book I read to James Patterson.

:lol:

[B-side]

Well sure, you love asinine comparisons to Tony Scott! ;)


Those dancing smilies are reminiscent of Tony Scott's hyper-stylized color palette and sense of movement, splashes of yellow and a touch of blue signifying the vibrancy of mankind amidst its mad dance with an increasingly prominent and dangerous technocracy.

:lol:

[Pop Trash]

I kinda love Showgirls, despite thinking it's objectively pretty bad (mostly from Elizabeth Berkley's godawful performance) if that makes sense...

Incidently, I met one of the Showgirls actors (not Kyle MacLachlan, someone else, don't really wanna say who) at a bar recently who told me Verhoeven and Berkley encouraged him to finger her for "extra verisimilitude" since that particular scene wasn't looking real enough. True story.

[Pop Trash]

This is gold. (http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/tom-kambouris/terrence-malick-intervention_b_1281579.html) Some asshole's "critical intervention" for Terrence Malick. He seems to respond to every comment, so I encourage anyone to mutilate his silly article.

Oh man. Fuck that guy. Strangely, I've met a lot of Christians that have trashed on Malick's films, esp. Tree of Life.

[Irish]

Incidently, I met one of the Showgirls actors (not Kyle MacLachlan, someone else, don't really wanna say who) at a bar recently who told me Verhoeven and Berkley encouraged him to finger her for "extra verisimilitude" since that particular scene wasn't looking real enough. True story.

Now there's an image I won't be able to get out of my head. Thanks for that. :/

Edit: Now tell us the part where you shook his hand. :P

[Sven]

Incidently, I met one of the Showgirls actors (not Kyle MacLachlan, someone else, don't really wanna say who) at a bar recently who told me Verhoeven and Berkley encouraged him to finger her for "extra verisimilitude" since that particular scene wasn't looking real enough. True story.

You know, there's only one scene in which she's fingered. So your concealment is kinda pointless.

Btw, yes, I've seen Soldier of Orange (I've seen every Verhoeven film, in fact). At the time, I was convinced that it was possibly the best WWII film I had seen. I haven't seen very many between then and now, so that impression may still be relevant.

[dreamdead]

As the resident Verhoeven completist with Sven (had full reviews of all of his works at the old site), I have fond memories of Soldier of Orange's quality as well. It's broad at times, but Verhoeven's strength was never really character but excess masterfully handled. Soldier of Orange delivers that in spades. I think that, Starship Troopers, and Showgirls are my favorites.

I remember liking Turkish Delight, but worry that that one is more tied to a country's national temperament and ennui than quality per se.

[D_Davis]

Strangely, I've met a lot of Christians that have trashed on Malick's films, esp. Tree of Life.

Huh. Crazy. My parents (both ex-ministers) love it, as do a lot of their more fundamental friends.

[Qrazy]

I remember liking Turkish Delight, but worry that that one is more tied to a country's national temperament and ennui than quality per se.

The reason it's quality is because of it's rare handling of violence in a Verhoeven film. The graphic quality of the violence is fully thematically justified by the end of the film, completely changing ones preconceptions of all that came before.

[MadMan]

Oh man. Fuck that guy. Strangely, I've met a lot of Christians that have trashed on Malick's films, esp. Tree of Life.I thought it was great, but then again I'm not a particularly strong Christian these days. That's also curious since God is at least implied as having some kind of hand in the film's events. At least that's what I saw.

[Milky Joe]

What did you guys (Verhoeven completists) think of Spetters? I found it pretty heartbreaking, especially considering the fate of the male lead.

[elixir]

No one has as consistently great endings as Maurice Pialat.

[Boner M]

No one has as consistently great endings as Maurice Pialat.
Indeed. Which one did ya just watch?

[elixir]

Police and We Won't Grow Old Together today. But I just watched a boatload of his stuff over the past few weeks. Love the guy. His shorts are kind of meh though, L'Amour Existe aside.

[Grouchy]

What did you guys (Verhoeven completists) think of Spetters? I found it pretty heartbreaking, especially considering the fate of the male lead.
I loved that movie.

[Fezzik]

I thought it was great, but then again I'm not a particularly strong Christian these days. That's also curious since God is at least implied as having some kind of hand in the film's events. At least that's what I saw.

I'm what you'd call a moderate Christian, but my parents are hardcore.

I've noticed that they don't like films that "imply" God. They feel its a copout. They want filmmakers to go all the way and be blatant about His role in everything.

I personally think its preposterous, but then again my parents never were for subtlety.

[Spinal]

I'm what you'd call a moderate Christian, but my parents are hardcore.

I've noticed that they don't like films that "imply" God. They feel its a copout. They want filmmakers to go all the way and be blatant about His role in everything.

So, like, Bruce Almighty?

[Rowland]

So, like, Bruce Almighty?I imagine stuff more like this:

http://striderdemme.files.wordpress.c om/2008/09/fireproof.jpg

[Fezzik]

I imagine stuff more like this:

http://striderdemme.files.wordpress.c om/2008/09/fireproof.jpg

A little of both. To be fair, I like Bruce Almighty as well. It's pretty damn funny at times.

[Sxottlan]

Elite Squad. Pretty good, but man is it depressing.

[D_Davis]

Elite Squad. Pretty good, but man is it depressing.


I need to watch both of them.

[eternity]

I'm what you'd call a moderate Christian, but my parents are hardcore.

I've noticed that they don't like films that "imply" God. They feel its a copout. They want filmmakers to go all the way and be blatant about His role in everything.

I personally think its preposterous, but then again my parents never were for subtlety.
Isn't one of the big things about Christianity having faith? Movies that "imply" God are tapping directly into the faith angle; movies that are blunt about it are removing one of if not the most compelling elements about religion.

[Fezzik]

Isn't one of the big things about Christianity having faith? Movies that "imply" God are tapping directly into the faith angle; movies that are blunt about it are removing one of if not the most compelling elements about religion.

Well yeah, but these are hardcore Christians you're talking about. If you're not praising God for every little thing in your life, you'd lost your way in their eyes.

I don't explain it. I just report it :)

[Kiusagi]

How does everyone here feel about Fincher's The Game? Regrettably, I've only seen it once and I'd probably give it either *** or ***½. The AV Club posted an interesting article (http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-game,70740/) on it. The author defends the controversial ending, saying it had a great effect on him and calls the film itself "emotionally devastating". I've never had a problem with the ending, but I also never thought it as being that powerful. I can't say I agree, but it's an interesting take. A re-watch is in order.

[MadMan]

Last I checked I gave The Game an 80 something, which means yeah it would get ***. Its been ages since I last saw the movie, but I vaguely recall the ending and actually not minding how the film concluded. Really The Game is lesser Fincher, but that's okay because its still entertaining anyways.

[Boner M]

3 Women is just beyond words. I'll never have a grasp on this film's language, and I never want to. Also, > Persona.

[Irish]

How does everyone here feel about Fincher's The Game? Regrettably, I've only seen it once and I'd probably give it either *** or ***½. The AV Club posted an interesting article (http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-game,70740/) on it. The author defends the controversial ending, saying it had a great effect on him and calls the film itself "emotionally devastating". I've never had a problem with the ending, but I also never thought it as being that powerful. I can't say I agree, but it's an interesting take. A re-watch is in order.

I've only seen it once, during its original theatrical run. I remember enjoying the hell out of it, but felt the ending was a cop out.

[Qrazy]

3 Women is just beyond words. I'll never have a grasp on this film's language, and I never want to. Also, > Persona.

I'm not even a big fan of Persona but no. Watch it again and you'll have a grasp on the film's language, it's not that complex. It's a fun film though.

B. MOINS.

[Pop Trash]

3 Women is just beyond words. I'll never have a grasp on this film's language, and I never want to. Also, > Persona.

They are both great but...no.

[Watashi]

3 Women is minor Altman. Persona is major Bergman.

[transmogrifier]

There's no such thing as a minor Altman. Just minor viewers.

;)

[Yxklyx]

I loved Monte Hellman's bleak and desolate Western The Shooting. One of a kind.

[dreamdead]

So Tommy Wiseau has to be a character, a piss-take of badness, right? I can't believe that his persona in interviews (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRw0cnxo2vs&context=C451bafaADvjVQa1PpcFNQ zDcAKcsJUE4JMPFpH4JfECaKfwC_H4 A=)isn't some method actor pretending to be so pretentious but without talent. Regardless, The Room lived up the awfulness. From sex scenes with whole sequences repeated twice, to plain godawfulness from acting to screenplay, this thing has to be sardonically done.

If it is, then it's an entertainingly avant garde piece of commercial filmmaking. If it is not, then I have an issue with how contemporary culture laughs at no-talent filmmakers.

[Raiders]

How does everyone here feel about Fincher's The Game? Regrettably, I've only seen it once and I'd probably give it either *** or ***½. The AV Club posted an interesting article (http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-game,70740/) on it. The author defends the controversial ending, saying it had a great effect on him and calls the film itself "emotionally devastating". I've never had a problem with the ending, but I also never thought it as being that powerful. I can't say I agree, but it's an interesting take. A re-watch is in order.

Love it. Before Zodiac it was my favorite Fincher film and is still second. I think it is beautifully mapped out and has a lot of interesting elements inherent with trickery and storytelling intertwined. The ending however is simply atrocious because it undermines the film's biggest emotional through-line, Douglas' fate being tied to his father's fateful decision. I understand what the author above is trying to say, but the presentation makes the ending such a coy trick that removes the catharsis of the film.

Still, it's so well made.

[Pop Trash]

I never understood why The Game's ending got slagged on, but everyone loves Fight Club's rather ridiculous third act rug puller.

[EyesWideOpen]

The Game is my favorite Fincher movie. I love it and the ending. The Game and A.I. are the two films whose endings get ridiculed that I had no problems with.

[D_Davis]

How does everyone here feel about Fincher's The Game? Regrettably, I've only seen it once and I'd probably give it either *** or ***½. The AV Club posted an interesting article (http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-game,70740/) on it. The author defends the controversial ending, saying it had a great effect on him and calls the film itself "emotionally devastating". I've never had a problem with the ending, but I also never thought it as being that powerful. I can't say I agree, but it's an interesting take. A re-watch is in order.

It's one of my favorite movies. I just re-watched it about a month ago. I love how committed it is to its premise, and the fantasy world in which it is set. It's also a very dark and somewhat creepy movie. It has a weird feel to it.

[Boner M]

Watch it again and you'll have a grasp on the film's language, it's not that complex. It's a fun film though.
Shaddup.

[Qrazy]

Shaddup.

lulz.

[transmogrifier]

I never understood why The Game's ending got slagged on, but everyone loves Fight Club's rather ridiculous third act rug puller.

The reveal at the end of Fight Club is the whole point of the movie.

[Boner M]

The last act of Fight Club is one item in a long list of stupid things that Fincher has been able to make somewhat palatable via his superlative craft.

[B-side]

I loved Monte Hellman's bleak and desolate Western The Shooting. One of a kind.

Was my number one viewing of 2010. Glad you enjoyed it.

[B-side]

Kinda hard to process Fincher's craft being referred to as superlative. Good? Yes. Superlative? Hardly.

[Boner M]

Kinda hard to process Fincher's craft being referred to as superlative. Good? Yes. Superlative? Hardly.
He's actually an obscure Lithuanian filmmaker OH SNAPZ

[B-side]

He's actually an obscure Lithuanian filmmaker OH SNAPZ

That changes everything!:lol:

[transmogrifier]

Kinda hard to process Fincher's craft being referred to as superlative. Good? Yes. Superlative? Hardly.

His films are among the most naturally cut together (if that's the right way to put it) of any major league director. He knows how to sequence and shooot a scene so that all the cuts, staging and movement seem of a piece with each other. That is superlative craft. Now, whether you think the narrative, thematic or atmospheric content of those sequences have any worth, well that's up to you to decide.

[B-side]

His films are among the most naturally cut together (if that's the right way to put it) of any major league director. He knows how to sequence and shooot a scene so that all the cuts, staging and movement seem of a piece with each other. That is superlative craft. Now, whether you think the narrative, thematic or atmospheric content of those sequences have any worth, well that's up to you to decide.

His direction is typically neo-classical, and not in an interestingly stylized way a la Tony Scott, but more noirish and middlebrow. He's not a bad director by any means, but I have a feeling he's being restricted a bit.

[transmogrifier]

Random movie nitpick of the day:

I love Jaws, but there is one sequence that has always bugged me and I wish it was either cut, replaced with something better, or rejigged. The two guys fishing off the pier with the wife's roast beef.

When the shark takes the bait, it is firmly established that the chain it is attached to is pretty long, given that we watch it uncoil (to add a few seconds of suspense). But when Bruce turns around to go after the fisherman in the water, there is no way the floating piece of the pier would turn slowly like that, and even worse, in the establishing shots showing the fisherman swimming and the floating piece of the pier behind him, it is obvious that Bruce would already be upon him, given the already established length of chain.

I can usually overlook plot holes in a film I enjoy, but I've never been able to give this scene a pass. I wish it didn't exist.

(PS I got to here from "Fincher cuts well" --> "Just like Spielberg" --> "But what about that dumb Jaws scene?")

[Qrazy]

Kinda hard to process Fincher's craft being referred to as superlative. Good? Herp. Superlative? Derp.

Fixed for clarity of intention.

[MadMan]

Fincher is a great director. Tony Scott, is well, Tony Scott....

trans I found the scene in Jaws that you posted about to be rather suspenseful, but I do agree that Brucey probably would have gotten to that guy before he reached land.

For me as much as I love Jaws, the only part I dislike/find really stupid is when that guy in the little boat goes to the kids "Hey you okay?" before Bruce knocks him into the water and then eats him. It comes across too funny/cheesy and almost spoils what ends up becoming a rather tense part of the film.

[Boner M]

I also love Jaws, but on the Jaws CD-rom game, how does one get out of the dungeon without using the wizard key?

[Qrazy]

Midnight Express - Hrm, there's a ton of stylistic missteps in this film. Freeze frame jump for joy at the end. Cheesy synth soundtrack (especially in chase sequences). The 'conjugal visit' scene (this is hilarious). In fact the more I think and read about it the worse this film is. I'm not surprised in the slightest that both of the murders that occur in the film did not happen in the original book/real life. Also apparently Hayes did not agree with the extremely anti-Turkish sentiment that courses through the film. Competently acted I suppose but kind of ultimately full of shit.

[Thirdmango]

I was like, I want to watch a movie, so I watched Revolver for the first time. I dug it quite a bit, loved the final elevator sequence. Afterwards I was as one might expect slightly confused so I searched for Revolver and came upon Sven's thread detailing it.

But then I continued to read Sven's thread and I was like, "You know I feel like another meaty movie." Remembering that I've had Mulholland Drive sitting on my desk for about a month I popped it in and just now watched that for the first time. The only Lynch I had previously watched was Twin Peaks up until the moment he left the show in the second season. I saw some similarities but probably the most telling moment of the film was the moments right after the first blue box portion where I sat there and let out a muted, "what the fuuuuuuck." Now I'm just sorta reeling, a bit bewildered. I know I have to watch it again but I don't want to do it immediately. Oddly to me but maybe not oddly to others it feels like a movie which may be better the second time. Did I like it? I think so. Probably. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I did. Still a bit bewildered.

[Grouchy]

The 'conjugal visit' scene (this is hilarious).
Huh, that's a pretty harsh scene. I never found it funny.

I think Midnight Express is a competently made movie that's full of shit.

[Winston*]

Any particularly bad subtitles people have seen in films? I watched this film The Last Stage, (the first fictional film made about The Holocaust) and when the camp commandment arrives the subtitles say he's "the king".

[Sycophant]

I bought a lot of DVDs from Hong Kong produced in the late nineties and early aughts. Translations on your standard HK disc are pretty good these days, but oh god, the things I've seen (and attempted to contextually interpret). I think a lot of exposure to these have warped my understanding of what works in standard English.

At least, thanks to Love on Delivery, I think the phrase "Take your advantage" is 100% legit.

So many excessive obscenities abound, as do instances of gendered pronoun confusion.

[D_Davis]

I bought a lot of DVDs from Hong Kong produced in the late nineties and early aughts. Translations on your standard HK disc are pretty good these days, but oh god, the things I've seen (and attempted to contextually interpret). I think a lot of exposure to these have warped my understanding of what works in standard English.

At least, thanks to Love on Delivery, I think the phrase "Take your advantage" is 100% legit.

So many excessive obscenities abound, as do instances of gendered pronoun confusion.

Yeah. Or how about those old burned in subtitles, with the big traditional Chinese on top, and the tiny English on the bottom? All in white, with now outline/drop-shadow...so you hoped the film you were watching didn't contain the White Lotus Cult, or you weren't reading anything. Or the "aspect ration," in other words the place where the burned in border was placed, constantly changed from scene to scene thus cutting off most of the subs.

However, gotta love the fact that having some/any subs at all was a law in HK. It made it much easier for all of us Foreigners to at least have a basic understanding of the plots. It also did a lot to expand the love of HK cinema.

[Boner M]

Anyone got the recent Jean-Pierre Gorin Eclipse set? Or seen the films via other means? Watched Routine Pleasures last night and basically loved it, though I'm biased as a both fan of Manny Farber and someone who was fascinated by model train sets as a child. In the film Gorin puts the work of both Farber (two of his oil paintings & his writings esp. the 'White Elephant vs. Termite Art' essay) and a tightly knit group of model train enthusiasts into a dialectic that investigates, among other things, the fascination of process and variation in fields of sameness. The ambivalent attitude towards the valorising of both Farber's beloved 'termite art' and the hobby that Gorin documents is best embodied when he admits being both 'joyed and scared' at finally deciphering some of the train enthusiast's jargon. One of the loveliest essay films I can think of.

[Qrazy]

Huh, that's a pretty harsh scene. I never found it funny.

I think Midnight Express is a competently made movie that's full of shit.

Not intentionally hilarious, but his inane babbling coupled with his attempt to suck on her breast through the glass makes it hilarious.

[dreamdead]

I find myself perplexed by so many of Julie Taymor's director decisions in The Tempest that I was left frequently wondering whether Titus is the inevitable mirage in her filmography. And even that one I'm now hesitant to return to and review for fear of realizing that it, like the Tempest, is a barely competent film featuring solid lead performances that are frequently upstaged by ludicrous, overblown musical cues and effects.

When Taymor stays out of the way, the film plugs away well enough, but too often she insists on clouding the narrative with supercilious excess. That epilogue over the credits kills one of Shakespeare's greatest finales. And Djimon Hounsou was oddly devoid of any empathy for me. Strange. Only Mirren really escapes this one unscathed.

[Qrazy]

I find myself perplexed by so many of Julie Taymor's director decisions in The Tempest that I was left frequently wondering whether Titus is the inevitable mirage in her filmography. And even that one I'm now hesitant to return to and review for fear of realizing that it, like the Tempest, is a barely competent film featuring solid lead performances that are frequently upstaged by ludicrous, overblown musical cues and effects.


You will definitely find this to be the case. The last act of that film is terrible. Bullet time candle stick murder for the fail. Final shot sucks too.

[MadMan]

Presto was merely solid, but the last half of that short saved it. Defiantly one of Pixar's weakest short films.

Which is weird considering that the feature film its attached to, Wall-E was truly great. I'm not sure if its better than Up or not despite both getting the same rating, however for now I consider them in a tie for the best Pixar film I've seen. All I have left now feature length film wise is Toy Story 3, which I eagerly look forward to, and both Cars films, which I'm dreading.

[Watashi]

Has there been a better romantic comedy in the past 25 years than Say Anything? I'm struggling to think of many.

[Pop Trash]

Has there been a better romantic comedy in the past 25 years than Say Anything? I'm struggling to think of many.

:pritch:

1989 is one of my favorite movie years in general. I think only '84 tops it for me in terms of 80s movie years.

[Boner M]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9kX6JWGYDRc/T0-jHH45gII/AAAAAAAAAzo/lABMsItKk1A/s1600/michael-bay-gif.gif

[Spinal]

Presto was merely solid, but the last half of that short saved it. Defiantly one of Pixar's weakest short films.


Madness.

[Grouchy]

Has there been a better romantic comedy in the past 25 years than Say Anything? I'm struggling to think of many.
If you count Punch-Drunk Love, then that.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Has there been a better romantic comedy in the past 25 years than Say Anything? I'm struggling to think of many.

Almost Famous.

[transmogrifier]

I found Say Anything deadly dull, if I remember correctly.

[Watashi]

Almost Famous.

It's a good thing I saw both on the big screen last night.

[Watashi]

I found Say Anything deadly dull, if I remember correctly.

You remembered wrong.

[B-side]

Defiantly one of Pixar's weakest short films.

It truly defies the odds.

[Irish]

Has there been a better romantic comedy in the past 25 years than Say Anything? I'm struggling to think of many.

Yes.

High Fidelity, Love Actually, About a Boy, Knocked Up, Sideways, Amelie ...

Say Anything's third act is utter garbage. The subplot with the father throws the entire tone of thr movie off.

Which is a shame because 2/3 of it is just fantastic.

[Derek]

It truly defies the odds.

What it really needed was more subtitlety.

[Pop Trash]

Say Anything's third act is utter garbage. The subplot with the father throws the entire tone of thr movie off.


The tone of YOUR FACE threw me off when I looked at it.

[Rowland]

Pulled an all-nighter yesterday finishing a paper on Tarantino's Death Proof, analyzed using the feminist/psychoanalytic concepts deployed by Laura Mulvey in her essay "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema." Anybody familiar with it? Anyway, I had a good time going into such depth with the film, I wrote about ten pages but could probably have tripled that if I'd so desired, such richness is there to be mined from it.

[Irish]

The tone of YOUR FACE threw me off when I looked at it.

:lol: I swear, I thought this was posted by Watashi at first.

[B-side]

What it really needed was more subtitlety.

He was gonna watch it, but then he didn't.

[Qrazy]

Yes.

High Fidelity, Love Actually, About a Boy, Knocked Up, Sideways, Amelie ...

Say Anything's third act is utter garbage. The subplot with the father throws the entire tone of thr movie off.

Which is a shame because 2/3 of it is just fantastic.

Actually it's the only thing that makes what would otherwise be an utterly slight film somewhat worth watching, but just barely.

[Watashi]

Actually it's the only thing that makes what would otherwise be an utterly slight film somewhat worth watching, but just barely.
Your face is utterly slight.

[Watashi]

Pulled an all-nighter yesterday finishing a paper on Tarantino's Death Proof, analyzed using the feminist/psychoanalytic concepts deployed by Laura Mulvey in her essay "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema." Anybody familiar with it? Anyway, I had a good time going into such depth with the film, I wrote about ten pages but could probably have tripled that if I'd so desired, such richness is there to be mined from it.
I'm unfamiliar with that theory, but I would like to read it.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Yes.

High Fidelity, Love Actually, About a Boy, Knocked Up, Sideways, Amelie ...

Say Anything's third act is utter garbage. The subplot with the father throws the entire tone of thr movie off.

Which is a shame because 2/3 of it is just fantastic.

Ewwwwww...

[Raiders]

Yes.

High Fidelity, Love Actually, About a Boy, Knocked Up, Sideways, Amelie ...

Say Anything's third act is utter garbage. The subplot with the father throws the entire tone of thr movie off.

Which is a shame because 2/3 of it is just fantastic.

There is no subplot with the father. It is every bit as much of the actual plot, and actual purpose to the film, as the romance between Cusack and Skye. And I love it for it.

Still, I would agree that Cusack himself made a superior film in High Fidelity, but they are nowhere near similar films.

[Boner M]

I like Love, Actually without making great claims for it, but the whole thing's basically garbage subplots.

[baby doll]

1989 is one of my favorite movie years in general. I think only '84 tops it for me in terms of 80s movie years.I'm partial to 1985 myself: After Hours, Détective, Je vous salue, Marie, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, Ran, Sans toi ni loi, Shoah, Shut the Fuck Up, Taipei Story, Tampopo, A Zed and Two Noughts.

[Sven]

Pulled an all-nighter yesterday finishing a paper on Tarantino's Death Proof, analyzed using the feminist/psychoanalytic concepts deployed by Laura Mulvey in her essay "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema." Anybody familiar with it? Anyway, I had a good time going into such depth with the film, I wrote about ten pages but could probably have tripled that if I'd so desired, such richness is there to be mined from it.

Classic film school. I did this exact same thing with Welles's Lady from Shanghai.

[Pop Trash]

Classic film school. I did this exact same thing with Welles's Lady from Shanghai.

I just wrote a couple of two pagers on No Country FOM and Taxi Driver.

[Idioteque Stalker]

I hear about that essay so much at school that I want to dismiss it out of sheer fatigue, but there's just way too much evidence in support of her theory.

[Ezee E]

Rewatched The Game based on the discussion a few pages back. Excellent, creepy, fun movie for its entire two hour length.

[Qrazy]

I hear about that essay so much at school that I want to dismiss it out of sheer fatigue, but there's just way too much evidence in support of her theory.

There only appears to be evidence for it because it's an unfalsifiable theory. Psychoanalysis is severely outdated psychology and is perhaps the single worst thing that has ever happened to analysis of art.

[Raiders]

There was quite a bit of criticism and alternate viewpoints to Mulvey's essay. Hence why she even wrote an afterthought essay to counter some of the criticism and even revise some of her own theories originally laid down.

I have personally never delved much into psychoanalytic theory so I don't have much of an opinion on it.

[Derek]

There only appears to be evidence for it because it's an unfalsifiable theory. Psychoanalysis is severely outdated psychology and is perhaps the single worst thing that has ever happened to analysis of art.

I would expect someone so inflicted by the male gaze to say this.

[Wryan]

Short film, commercial, for Cartier:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yaBNjTtCxd4

The shots of the giant golden rings rolling down the snowy hill are pretty stunning.

[Sven]

A slow-mo CG jewelry commercial, Wryan? Really?

[elixir]

Yeah, that was one of about 12 trailers/commercials/films before my last theater viewing and I found it pretty silly...

[Lucky]

I liked the crystal tree setpiece with the peacock and snake. The idea of a crystal forest would be a cool incorporation into a fantasy film.

[Qrazy]

I bet a lot of black people died to make that commercial possible.

[Qrazy]

I would expect someone so inflicted by the male gaze to say this.

Your Death in Venice rating is too high. :P

[Derek]

Your Death in Venice rating is too high. :P

I enjoyed its homosexual male gaze. ;)

I can understand the hate it gets, but having read the novella last year, I actually thought it was a fairly interesting adaptation. I mean, it's interminable and pretentious, but also occasionally stunning. It is a generous **.

[Irish]

There is no subplot with the father. It is every bit as much of the actual plot, and actual purpose to the film, as the romance between Cusack and Skye. And I love it for it.

Still, I would agree that Cusack himself made a superior film in High Fidelity, but they are nowhere near similar films.

That's an interesting interpretation, but I don't think it holds. The problem (to Qrazy's point) is that the bulk of the movie is about a slight romance betwen too teenagers. That is what the audience connects with. It's about the Gas N Sip, kickboxing the sport of the future, Peter Gabriel, songs about Joe and "I don't know, sir, I just want to hang with your daughter."

The crisis in the third act is precipitated by a character we don't know and don't care about and represents a fundamental shift in tone. The movie wants to have its cake and eat it too. It doesn't work, because the seriousness of the father's subplot is at odds with the casual, devil may care romance.

When people talk about this movie, they talk about John Cusak and Ione Skye. They don't talk about John Mahoney in jail. Wearing orange.

[Derek]

When people talk about this movie, they talk about John Cusak and Ione Skye. They don't talk about John Mahoney in jail. Wearing orange.

Funny how we're all talking about this movie and also talking about John Mahoney...

Personally I don't think it's nearly as big a shift in tone as you're making it out to be. It's not as if the first 2/3 of the film are weightless rom-com fluff. If anything, you could complain that the whole thing takes itself and teenage romance too seriously. You'd be wrong, but at least you'd make sense. :)

[Irish]

Funny how we're all talking about this movie and also talking about John Mahoney...

That's because we've got two guys on a small movie forum talking about how this subplot makes the movie.

In order for that interpretation to work, you'd have to view Say Anything as a family drama and not as a romantic comedy. But how many people do that?

It's not an exact science, but I'd be willing to bet if you asked anyone about this film -- your regular Joe or Jane moviegoer -- the first words out of their mouth are not going to be about John Mahoney.

[Qrazy]

I enjoyed its homosexual male gaze. ;)

I can understand the hate it gets, but having read the novella last year, I actually thought it was a fairly interesting adaptation. I mean, it's interminable and pretentious, but also occasionally stunning. It is a generous **.

The opening shot+Mahler is quality. I'd give it a star for that.

[Lucky]

I recently heard Say Anything referred to as "that old movie where the guy from Hot Tub Time Machine holds a boombox over his head..."

Boy, did that make me feel old.

[Qrazy]

The Sicilian - I wouldn't say this would be a great movie without Christopher Lambert, but it would sure be a hell of a lot better. God he's awful.

[Winston*]

The Sicilian - I wouldn't say this would be a great movie without Christopher Lambert, but it would sure be a hell of a lot better. God he's awful.

I wonder if he's a good actor in French, but has just never got a strong enough handle on English to act well while speaking it. He seemed pretty good in White Material.

[Qrazy]

I wonder if he's a good actor in French, but has just never got a strong enough handle on English to act well while speaking it. He seemed pretty good in White Material.

I'd like to see Besson's Subway. Apparently he's good in that.

[Derek]

The opening shot+Mahler is quality.

Yeah, I rewatched that opening shot as soon as the movie was over. Definitely the best thing about it.

[Winston*]

I'd like to see Besson's Subway. Apparently he's good in that.

It's bizarre the selection of roles that people have thought it was a good idea to cast a fair haired frenchman who can't do accents in: "Connor Macleod", "Salvatore Giuliano", Raiden...

[Derek]

That's because we've got two guys on a small movie forum talking about how this subplot makes the movie.

In order for that interpretation to work, you'd have to view Say Anything as a family drama and not as a romantic comedy. But how many people do that?

It's not an exact science, but I'd be willing to bet if you asked anyone about this film -- your regular Joe or Jane moviegoer -- the first words out of their mouth are not going to be about John Mahoney.

Pigeonhole much?

[Irish]

Pigeonhole much?

I don't understand.

[Derek]

I don't understand.

You're playing genre semantics and saying that Raiders interpretation can only work if most people agreed it was a different genre. You're pigeonholing what a film can do simply based on the genre it's placed in. Which is nonsense.

[Wryan]

A slow-mo CG jewelry commercial, Wryan? Really?

Why, was there voiceover or anything? I had the sound off. If nothing else, it's a wonder for being what it is while suggesting what's going on behind it, as Qrazy alluded to. And I meant what I said about the rings in the snow. :)

[Raiders]

It should be noted as well that the title of the film comes from Diane's relationship with her father, not Lloyd. Yes, it may ultimately be a romantic comedy, but it is also very much about her ultimate acceptance of the unknown future with Lloyd after the comfort of her open relationship with her father is ruined. It is a "subplot" and relationship every bit as central to the film as Lloyd and Diane.

[Irish]

You're playing genre semantics and saying that Raiders interpretation can only work if most people agreed it was a different genre. You're pigeonholing what a film can do simply based on the genre it's placed in. Which is nonsense.

The genre tags were shorthand. It comes down to what's on the screen, what's memorable, and what people connect with.

I'm saying that for Raider's interpretation to work, the dramatic elements would need to be stronger from minute one, and they'd be just as memorable as the romance and humor.

The fact that they're not -- that people generally don't walk away from this movie reflecting on the fate of John Mahoney or discussing that character with their friends -- is telling.

[Sven]

...while suggesting what's going on behind it, as Qrazy alluded to...

That lots of black people died to make it?

[Sven]

For the record, most conversations that I've had about Say Anything in person (ie, not with another dude on a small movie forum) have definitely focused on Mahoney as much as Cusack.

[Irish]

It should be noted as well that the title of the film comes from Diane's relationship with her father, not Lloyd. Yes, it may ultimately be a romantic comedy, but it is also very much about her ultimate acceptance of the unknown future with Lloyd after the comfort of her open relationship with her father is ruined. It is a "subplot" and relationship every bit as central to the film as Lloyd and Diane.

I like this too, but it'd make more sense if Diane was the lead and the movie was told from her perspective.

[Raiders]

I like this too, but it'd make more sense if Diane was the lead and the movie was told from her perspective.

Lloyd is the "hero" of the film, but I think you're shortchanging the number of moments with her and her father and their role in the overall film. It's pretty even.

[Irish]

Lloyd is the "hero" of the film, but I think you're shortchanging the number of moments with her and her father and their role in the overall film. It's pretty even.

It's a hundred minute film. I'd need to rewatch, but I doubt there's forty-five minutes of material with Mahoney and Skye.

[Raiders]

It's a hundred minute film. I'd need to rewatch, but I doubt there's forty-five minutes of material with Mahoney and Skye.

I meant Diane/father and Diane/Lloyd, not total film time. But whatever, this is getting more literal and nitpick-y than I intended. Screentime is not the only barometer for importance, but I imagine you know that already.

[Derek]

It's a hundred minute film. I'd need to rewatch, but I doubt there's forty-five minutes of material with Mahoney and Skye.

It's probably not 45, maybe 20-30 minutes. All I know is that it's Skye's relationship with Mahoney that makes it noticeably better than most other rom-com's and it never feels shoehorned in. I haven't watched it in a few years, but I always remember him being an integral part of the film, not a third act revelation.

[Derek]

La Chinoise (1967) ***½

In other news, any thoughts on this?

[MadMan]

My Week With Marilyn, despite not really telling me anything about the lovely Marilyn Monroe that I already knew, was still really good, near great even. Actors really are lonely people-how sad. Oh and Michelle Williams deserved to take home a magical little golden man instead of Meryl "Could Take a Shit and It Would Be Nominated" Streep.

American Pie (1999) is a really funny and enjoyable movie, one that I hadn't really seen in quite a while. The main characters kind of bring me back to my high school days, and I realized that this film is successful partly because the jokes are well set up, but also due to movie having a heart and soul as well.

[B-side]

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Miscellaneous/birdsorphansjournalbanner.png

Anarchic artful absurdity is the modus operandi of Birds, Orphans and Fools, my first feature film from Juraj Jakubisko. Birds swarm aimlessly in the environment of the orphans of WWII soldiers who believe true happiness can only be achieved through foolishness; a theory tested when love and jail time strain the bonds of the three orphans. Neither the camera nor the actors ever stop moving, lending the film a pretty infectious manic energy that sustains where elusive politicizing fails to hold. No doubt their foolishness is a reactionary philosophy in the wake of fascism, but I'm certain I've missed out on a lot of intricacy due to my cursory knowledge of the politics of Czechoslovakia. Playful homoeroticism and joyful nudity feel like riffs on the hippie movement of the US and the camera feels as unhinged as Parajanov's while filming Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, though this film is certainly not as good.

[Wryan]

That lots of black people died to make it?

That it's a lush but overblown short dedicated to the surface-level texture of luxuriating in overpriced rocks. I posted it more as a curio than anything, but I'm not going to deny that it has visual appeal in places. It has some Tarsem/Gilliam-like imagery, and I can enjoy it for that if nothing else. (Cartier has, publicly at least, denounced conflict diamonds.)

[Sven]

I posted it more as a curio than anything, but I'm not going to deny that it has visual appeal in places.

Yeah, I was just giving you a nip-twist for no real reason. Hope you didn't mind. :cool:

[Pop Trash]

It should be noted as well that the title of the film comes from Diane's relationship with her father, not Lloyd. Yes, it may ultimately be a romantic comedy, but it is also very much about her ultimate acceptance of the unknown future with Lloyd after the comfort of her open relationship with her father is ruined. It is a "subplot" and relationship every bit as central to the film as Lloyd and Diane.

Right. The film is ultimately about trust. The happy ending is earned because Diane loses trust with her father, who up until his lies to her, was an incredible man and role model to her. Lloyd never does anything to betray her trust, thus she goes back to him. If the father 'subplot' didn't exist, it's fair to say Diane would have listened exactly to her dad and break-up with Lloyd for good, thus an unhappy ending, and a different movie (more 'romantic tragedy' than 'romantic comedy' while we are talking about genre semantics).

[Wryan]

Yeah, I was just giving you a nip-twist for no real reason. Hope you didn't mind. :cool:

I almost wet my pants. Close call, that.

[Boner M]

I'd heard reports of the off-the-charts misogyny featured in Bertrand Blier's Les Valseuses, but paid no mind as I really wanted to see Patrick Dewaere in more stuff after being blown away by his hypnotically manic performance in Alain Corneau's Serie noire (one of the bleakest noirs ever). Alas, he (and the presence of co-lead Depardieu, Jeanne Moreau and a young Isabelle Huppert) can't distract from aforementioned off-the-charts misogyny, which can only be explained as a great big troll at the height of the feminist movement. But even that take doesn't make more palatable, e.g, the long sequence of Dewaere and Depardieu cornering a woman on a train and making her breast-feed them... doubly disturbing since the context is ostensibly a light-hearted sex farce. Makes Peckinpah look like Akerman.

[elixir]

I watched Ivan's Childhood, Quiet City, and Dance Party, USA tonight. Ivan's Childhood was good, but probably my least favorite Tark. Quiet City is a good Before Sunrise-esque birth of a relationship with a sorta ticking bomb thing going, though its adeptness in capturing relationship dynamics doesn't really quite shift to the larger world of twentysomethings. I mean, it's best when focusing on one-on-one convos versus larger crowds (that art gallery thing just went on too long, yo!). I kind of loved the heck out of Dance Party, USA though. Probs the best teen film I've seen since Paranoid Park. Oh yeah, Katz really knows hot to pick hot chicks, the girl in Quiet City is almost as hot as the sister in Cold Weather.

[Boner M]

L'Appolondie / House of Tolerance / House of Pleasures: Supreme cinema. But I paid $15 to watch it projected off what looked like a screener DVD. That's Australia's 'French Film Festival' for ya. Should really just finally move NYC.

[Grouchy]

I have these three film noir movies and I'll watch one tonight.

Brute Force
Fury
Kiss of Death

I've actually already seen Kiss of Death but I wouldn't mind watching it again.

First one to recommend me one decides!

[Derek]

Fury

One of Lang's best. Go!

[Qrazy]

I still need to see more Lang and I love him and I love noir so I think I will watch Fury this week.

[Boner M]

Fury might be my favorite Lang, I haven't seen M in a while but suspect I'd prefer the former. Not a big fan of Metropolis.

[Sven]

Picking a favorite Lang film is pointless.

[Boner M]

btw, I bought these from amazon.co.uk recently, yeehaw:

http://www.polishposter.com/images/3924.jpghttp://imagehost.vendio.com/a/35080012/aview/_B1_Rcqg_mk___KGrHqR__iIE_qvw8 QW3BMePurlhd____1.JPG

[B-side]

Fucking Polish movie posters are incredible.

[Derek]

Fury might be my favorite Lang, I haven't seen M in a while but suspect I'd prefer the former. Not a big fan of Metropolis.

I'd take Fury over M as well, though don't get me wrong, Lang's innovations with early sound in the latter are friggin' impressive. Love, love, love Metropolis, especially the new cut with the added Thin Man scenes, but Testament of Dr. Mabuse might just be his crowning achievement.

But I agree with Sven, it's kind of a moot point since they're all awesome.

[Qrazy]

Fury might be my favorite Lang, I haven't seen M in a while but suspect I'd prefer the former. Not a big fan of Metropolis.

Why?

[Boner M]

Just never clicked with me. Although I last saw it 10 years ago (around the same time as M which I vastly preferred), fuck I feel old now. :sad:

[Qrazy]

Just never clicked with me. Although I last saw it 10 years ago (around the same time as M which I vastly preferred), fuck I feel old now. :sad:

I hear that. Might want to give it a rewatch (the new version) though, I'd put it up there as probably a top five sci-fi.

[Winston*]

Just never clicked with me. Although I last saw it 10 years ago (around the same time as M which I vastly preferred), fuck I feel old now. :sad:
Shouldn't trust the opinions of films you came up with as a teenager. Teenagers are idiots.

[Boner M]

I was 67 years old then, Winston*.

[Grouchy]

One of Lang's best. Go!
I have to apologize. I posted that, went outside, smoked a joint and went directly to Brute Force. I'll watch Fury tomorrow.

I'm not all that sorry, though. Might be the best prison break movie I've ever seen. I know Dassin was well ahead of his time in many ways, but shit, the violence in the final third of the movie really surprised me. This is 1947 we are talking about.

Besides, on some days, I think Burt Lancaster is my all-time favorite actor. For a guy with that size and that face, he can play basically any character.

[Qrazy]

I have to apologize. I posted that, went outside, smoked a joint and went directly to Brute Force. I'll watch Fury tomorrow.

I'm not all that sorry, though. Might be the best prison break movie I've ever seen. I know Dassin was well ahead of his time in many ways, but shit, the violence in the final third of the movie really surprised me. This is 1947 we are talking about.

Besides, on some days, I think Burt Lancaster is my all-time favorite actor. For a guy with that size and that face, he can play basically any character.

Have you seen Le Trou? If not, watch it.

[Grouchy]

Have you seen Le Trou? If not, watch it.
Not even heard of it before. Looks very cool.

[Qrazy]

Not even heard of it before. Looks very cool.

I quite like Brute Force also but Le Trou is far and away the best prison break film I've seen. It's brutal.

[Derek]

I quite like Brute Force also but Le Trou is far and away the best prison break film I've seen. It's brutal.

Well, A Man Escaped. But Le Trou is fantastic as well.

[Qrazy]

Well, A Man Escaped. But Le Trou is fantastic as well.

Meh, I like it, probably second favorite Bresson but I find B often hard to take seriously. Au Hasard Balthazar is the only one that fully works for me.

[Raiders]

Meh, I like it, probably second favorite Bresson but I find B often hard to take seriously. Au Hasard Balthazar is the only one that fully works for me.

Very peculiar. You find him hard to take seriously, but find the movie about Jesus the Donkey preferable to the minimalist prison-break movie?

I mean, no judgment from me, both are in my top ten all time, just a strange preference considering you aren't generally a huge fan of his movies.

[Boner M]

just a strange preference considering you aren't generally a huge fan of his movies.
I read this w/o "his" and LOL'd hard.

EDIT: alright enough pickin' on Q for today.

[Fezzik]

They had cinema showings of Casablanca Wednesday night to celebrate its 70th anniversary. I live in Tallahassee. The closest theater showing it was in Gainesville, over two hours away.

Having never seen the film on the big screen, I went anyway.

I regret nothing.

[Qrazy]

Very peculiar. You find him hard to take seriously, but find the movie about Jesus the Donkey preferable to the minimalist prison-break movie?

I mean, no judgment from me, both are in my top ten all time, just a strange preference considering you aren't generally a huge fan of his movies.

I find individual sequences hard to take seriously. Like Mouchette rolling down the hill twice or getting slapped in the face by her father. In A Man Escaped for instance the opening sequence doesn't work for me. I think there was another scene in A Man where I just felt bored and not like the minimalism was serving any instrumental purpose. The film builds nicely though to a powerful conclusion.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Le Trou is such a brilliant, underseen film. Love that one. A Man Escaped is also fantastic.

[MadMan]

Tonight TCM is airing The Horror Express, one of my favorite cult films from the 70s, so I'll be tuning in simply because I can't help it. And then on Sunday TCM has Night and the City and Brute Force lined up, which is awesome. I'll have to DVR Closely Watched Trains, though, since it will be on at 3:30 am...

[Yxklyx]

Tonight TCM is airing The Horror Express, one of my favorite cult films from the 70s, so I'll be tuning in simply because I can't help it. And then on Sunday TCM has Night and the City and Brute Force lined up, which is awesome. I'll have to DVR Closely Watched Trains, though, since it will be on at 3:30 am...

Horror Express is surprisingly good. That's a good lineup - watching some obscure Hammer Horror: The Gorgon and Scream of Fear and Brain Damage later on.

[Stay Puft]

The Gorgon

That one is sorta lame, but it has my favorite dialogue exchange in horror movie history:

Peter Cushing: "I'm a man of science. I do not believe in ghosts or mythical creatures."
Some Other Guy: "That is the most unscientific thing I have ever heard. As a man of science, I choose to believe in anything that cannot be disproven."

[MadMan]

Horror Express is surprisingly good. That's a good lineup - watching some obscure Hammer Horror: The Gorgon and Scream of Fear and Brain Damage later on.I've only seen Horror Express (quite solid/good) and The Gorgon (decent, but a tad disappointing-I actually reviewed it last November or October in my blog, which can be found in my sig). I've never heard of Scream of Fear, but Brain Damage is a pretty famous 80s cult film, one that I would like to get my hands on at some point. Netflix needs to put more obscure horror movies on their Instant Viewing.

[Grouchy]

Fury was quite interesting. I think the studio interference is quite obvious, what with the upbeat ending that reflects poorly on the overall message of the movie. But still, this clash between the director's cynical vision and the requirements of Hollywood make it an even more interesting document of the era. Spencer Tracy is fantastic - the change in his demeanor after the burning of the prison is priceless acting.

Still, it's not my favorite Lang. I've only seen four of his movies and I would rank them:

1. Metropolis
2. M
3. The Big Heat
4. Fury

[Sven]

I've only seen four of his movies and I would rank them:

1. Metropolis, M, The Big Heat, Fury

Fixed.

[Grouchy]

Fixed.
Thanks, that's seriously a lot more accurate.

[Yxklyx]

I've only seen Horror Express (quite solid/good) and The Gorgon (decent, but a tad disappointing-I actually reviewed it last November or October in my blog, which can be found in my sig). I've never heard of Scream of Fear, but Brain Damage is a pretty famous 80s cult film, one that I would like to get my hands on at some point. Netflix needs to put more obscure horror movies on their Instant Viewing.

Hammer's Scream of Fear is a good Gothic Psychological Mystery similar to The Innocents from the same year. It's B&W and not shot in a studio like most Hammer films.

[Sycophant]

A search revealed that, sadly, no one has yet made this claim in the 5 years of this board's operation. To save our reputation and shore up our legitimacy, here it is:

Blackbeard's Ghost is a Great Comedy.

It is basically the best.

[Qrazy]

Winter's Bone - I didn't care for this at all. In equal parts tedious, far fetched and ridiculous imo. Dem rural folks is just a bunch of unedumacated, paranoid, drug pushing/drug taking fuck ups. No thanks, very simplistic analysis of an area with it's fair share of ludicrous sequences to boot (chainsaw scene? um no).

I actually grew up in the countryside and one of my neighbours (a few years after I'd left for college) was later found murdered in the woods where I used to play as a child, presumably for drug related activities. I used to play with him when we were kids and while not a bastion of intellectual fortitude I can assure you that even at the age of 10 he was a hell of a lot more complex than any characterization on display here.

I'll give it a few points for a couple quieter moments (like playing on hay bails and skinning a squirrel) but even these could have used a bit more visual/emotive expressivity. The overarching dilemma in the film though and what people know versus what they don't didn't work at all for me.

Word gets around and yet we don't know why you need to find your dad... nor can we say where he is until it's narratively convenient to do so... and then we'll use a contrived sequence to resolve the situation even though we're worried about you talking to the cops so we'll show you where the corpse is and implicate ourselves versus just alleviating the situation early on by providing the hands/corpse ourselves.

[Derek]

Yeah, that was weaksauce. John Hawkes was really the only good thing about it. Pretty shallow film otherwise.

[soitgoes...]

Cemetery in the Cliff (Rouch, 1951) 8

I like this okay, but with Rouch's films I feel like I'm obligated to like them at some level for his role in documentary film history. His later films seem to have more to them than being a straightforward anthropological film experiment.

[B-side]

I like this okay, but with Rouch's films I feel like I'm obligated to like them at some level for his role in documentary film history. His later films seem to have more to them than being a straightforward anthropological film experiment.

I've only seen this and The Human Pyramid now. Liked both, but Cemetery in the Cliff felt more immediate and alluring. Really dug Rouch's handheld camera work. I've got Jaguar on my hard drive.

[Fezzik]

I just found out that Edgar Wright is going to be in town on Friday and Saturday!

Saturday, he's doing a Q&A between showings of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.

:pritch:

[Ezee E]

Winter's Bone - I didn't care for this at all. In equal parts tedious, far fetched and ridiculous imo. Dem rural folks is just a bunch of unedumacated, paranoid, drug pushing/drug taking fuck ups. No thanks, very simplistic analysis of an area with it's fair share of ludicrous sequences to boot (chainsaw scene? um no).

I actually grew up in the countryside and one of my neighbours (a few years after I'd left for college) was later found murdered in the woods where I used to play as a child, presumably for drug related activities. I used to play with him when we were kids and while not a bastion of intellectual fortitude I can assure you that even at the age of 10 he was a hell of a lot more complex than any characterization on display here.

I'll give it a few points for a couple quieter moments (like playing on hay bails and skinning a squirrel) but even these could have used a bit more visual/emotive expressivity. The overarching dilemma in the film though and what people know versus what they don't didn't work at all for me.

Word gets around and yet we don't know why you need to find your dad... nor can we say where he is until it's narratively convenient to do so... and then we'll use a contrived sequence to resolve the situation even though we're worried about you talking to the cops so we'll show you where the corpse is and implicate ourselves versus just alleviating the situation early on by providing the hands/corpse ourselves.

It's just as convenient as any other film noir really. It's resonated well with me over time. Your criticisms are acceptable, it just didn't affect anything for me.

[MadMan]

Yeah I only looked at Winter's Bone as a film noir, and not really as a completely factual based look at the area it was set in. Most Hollywood movies, even the great ones, traffic in stereotypes anyways.

[Bosco B Thug]

Ha, Bunuel's The Diary of a Chambermaid is the Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans to Renoir's first version. An anarchic revision, pretty divergent, and in its humorist way, becomes almost a send-up of its forebear. But like Ferrara's 'Bad Lieutenant,' the stuffier version is the better version, due to the strength of Ferrara and Renoir as filmmakers.

[Derek]

Winter's Bone pretty much completely failed as a noir for me - not all that atmospheric or mysterious or suspenseful. It's funny how often people seem to throw that out as a defense to complaints about this film as if classifying it as a noir automatically makes it worthwhile. I'm not sure I'm comfortable calling it one myself, but if it is, it's certainly not a particularly interesting spin on the genre.

[Qrazy]

It's just as convenient as any other film noir really. It's resonated well with me over time. Your criticisms are acceptable, it just didn't affect anything for me.

Can't say I agree. Noir is one of my favorite genres. In the best noirs each stage of the 'detective's' journey is unique and engaging in it's own right. You meet interesting characters and learn something new which fits into the overall puzzle. Here you meet predominantly uninteresting secondary characters who don't have much of interest to say and just send the protagonist from point A to B to C. Any given secondary character doesn't provide much in the way of narrative or thematic value.

[Ezee E]

Can't say I agree. Noir is one of my favorite genres. In the best noirs each stage of the 'detective's' journey is unique and engaging in it's own right. You meet interesting characters and learn something new which fits into the overall puzzle. Here you meet predominantly uninteresting secondary characters who don't have much of interest to say and just send the protagonist from point A to B to C. Any given secondary character doesn't provide much in the way of narrative or thematic value.
Between Hawkes and Dickey, those are already two pretty fascinating characters to me.

[Irish]

Winter's Bone never struck me as noir. It doesn't look like it and it doesn't play like it.

And much as I'm loathe to ever admit he's right, Qrazy's criticisms are pretty spot on.

They had a great heroine and a great setting, but not a great story.

[Ezee E]

Well, that's certainly something different. Jees.

[Boner M]

If any of Rafi Pitts' features prior to The Hunter aren't already masterpieces (haven't seen 'em), I'm pretty certain he'll make one in the near future. A triumph of enveloping, gloomy mood and formal control (feels like a narrative James Benning film for much of its length)... too bad it sorta falls apart as a narrative in the last act. Nice use of Rhys Chatham's "Three Guitars", and a different Arvo Part piece for once.

[Boner M]

Well, that's certainly something different. Jees.
Would never have taken you for a fan of it. Good stuff.

[Ezee E]

Would never have taken you for a fan of it. Good stuff.
I'm trying to write something a little articulate on it, but it's tough. The movie is a rarity. Although I found some of the editing a little jarring (in a negative way), the performance by Adjani is one of a kind. It's incredibly frightening, poignant. On top of that, I had no idea where it was heading. I've avoided most of the thoughts written here, but knew it was one of the more talked about movies here. Glad I kept everything spoiler-free. My negative thoughts about the movie certainly didn't detract from the experience of it all still.

Watching this brings on the same feeling I had while watching a movie like Irreversible, Requiem for a Dream... Certainly will be sticking with me for some time.

[MadMan]

I haven't written a review/write up for Possession just yet because I'm not sure how to tackle the film. Its great, that's for sure, and its brutally honest. I can admire that in a movie. Discovering Sam Neil beyond Jurassic Park is fun-I'm also a huge fan of his performance in John Carpenter's rather underrated In The Mouth of Madness.

[Derek]

I'm trying to write something a little articulate on it, but it's tough. The movie is a rarity. Although I found some of the editing a little jarring (in a negative way), the performance by Adjani is one of a kind. It's incredibly frightening, poignant. On top of that, I had no idea where it was heading. I've avoided most of the thoughts written here, but knew it was one of the more talked about movies here. Glad I kept everything spoiler-free. My negative thoughts about the movie certainly didn't detract from the experience of it all still.

Watching this brings on the same feeling I had while watching a movie like Irreversible, Requiem for a Dream... Certainly will be sticking with me for some time.

Heh, just watched this yesterday. Definitely didn't like it as much as most, but it's definitely one of a kind. As freaky as The Devil and The Third Part of the Night are, this almost makes them look tame by comparison. Adjani is one of the best...and so gorgeous that the film could be seen as an allegory of what I'd put myself through just to be able to have sex with her on the kitchen floor.

EDIT: And reposting from the tattoo thread - none of y'all love Adjani or Possession as much as this guy:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0pp5VjBDwbg/TGtTJj3Ky4I/AAAAAAAAAmo/kxLhAd0iYtE/s1600/40458_145459572145212_10000043 5107884_306045_7666589_n.jpg

[Qrazy]

Between Hawkes and Dickey, those are already two pretty fascinating characters to me.

Hawkes character is okay. I find the misdirection of having him be a physically threatening dick at the beginning and then revising the character as the film goes along a bit problematic but Hawkes plays him well. But I mean like allll of the secondary characters. She meets a ton of other women going door to door and the head honcho guy, etc. Contrast this to something like Harper, Chinatown or Touch of Evil where all of the other characters move the plot and themes forward in interesting ways instead of just telling the lead to go to the next place along the journey.

[Ezee E]

With that, here's some spoilered thoughts:


There's some fascinating camerawork and blocking here. Whether it be the long, daring takes in the apartments, complete with one person in, the other person completely out of focus. The placement of items in the apartment seems very intended, making it even more claustrophobic... Not many directors have this sense of placement. Kubrick is one.

now, I'm sure there's been much discussion of the subway scene. And it's certainly deserving. Can one name five other scenes of pure actor commitment?

And this isn't even touching on Sam Neill, the breakdown of a marriage, and the octopus thing... And that other creature which may be one of the creepiest looking things I've ever seen.

[Boner M]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0pp5VjBDwbg/TGtTJj3Ky4I/AAAAAAAAAmo/kxLhAd0iYtE/s1600/40458_145459572145212_10000043 5107884_306045_7666589_n.jpg
Please tell me that's yours.

[Derek]

Please tell me that's yours.

No, I'm going with this one on my back, since including Sam Neill is like a 2-for-1:

http://www.ibiblio.org/samneill/pictures/possession/possession.jpg

[Winston*]

I couldn't stop laughing when I watched Possession.

[DavidSeven]

I remember almost nothing of Winter's Bone. A truly unremarkable film if there ever was one. I didn't hate it and was mostly engaged while watching it, but I didn't see anything there to get excited about. One of those films that seems comprised entirely of just "good enough" elements and yet fails to meet that standard in sum.

[Spinal]

Isabelle Adjani is pretty much the best ever. Camille Claudel doesn't get discussed much. Have people seen it?

EDIT: Streaming on Netflix until 4/1

[Boner M]

I liked Winter's Bone when I saw it (before its US release w/ only a D'Angelo rave to go by) though even I'll admit I can't remember much of it now. I think the fact that 2010 was such a weaksauce year for American cinema was probably what led to many critics overrating it.

[transmogrifier]

Winter's Bone pretty much completely failed as a noir for me - not all that atmospheric or mysterious or suspenseful. It's funny how often people seem to throw that out as a defense to complaints about this film as if classifying it as a noir automatically makes it worthwhile. I'm not sure I'm comfortable calling it one myself, but if it is, it's certainly not a particularly interesting spin on the genre.

I really liked Winter's Bone and didn't even realise that it was trying to be a noir in the first place.

[Morris Schæffer]

The Keep (1983)
Scott Glenn who ends up looking like a Terminator, bleeds like a Predator and gets to shag one of Jack Bauer's CTU bosses. Ian McKellen, who in a heroic standoff, gets to square off with a mythical creature, on various sites described as a golem. Gabriel Byrne as a vile Nazi officer, Jurgen Prochnow as a more benign example. Exploding skulls raiders of the lost ark-style (it even has Wolf Kahler from that movie!), a score by Tangerine Dream that is as foreboding as it is quintessentially 80's kitsch. And it's all directed by the great Michael Mann who at this point perhaps wasn't quite so great yet.

What a bizarre movie. Bad? No, but just all over the place with some pretty bad acting to be frank, but when it's atmospheric it's pretty cool although my copy was in horrendously poor health.

[Boner M]

Colossul: The Forbin Project is just as goofy as its title makes it out to be, and a lot of fun beside that. Obviously totally dated but even that invites contemplation about the hypothetical modern equivalen(s), and the lo-fi analog technology offer lots of formal sophistication regarding the myriad ways to frame a computer displaying text; alternately humorous, ominous and deadly. Only an awkwardly abrupt ending holds it back from sci-fi classic status.

[Irish]

Holy shit, Morris, could your avatar be more distracting? :lol:

[Morris Schæffer]

Holy shit, Morris, could your avatar be more distracting? :lol:

Hey man, blame the Japanese. ;)

[Irish]

Hey man, blame the Japanese. ;)

What? Dd you say something? Because I'm having a seizure overe here.

:P

[NickGlass]

I think Winter's Bone is fine, and never saw it as strickly adhering to a film noir structure, despite tickling me as a kind of quasi-hick version of Brick.

Have I not mentioned Possession here in the past month or two? It's the epitome of awesome.

[Rowland]

I think Winter's Bone is fine, and never saw it as strickly adhering to a film noir structure, despite tickling me as a kind of quasi-hick version of Brick.

Have I not mentioned Possession here in the past month or two? It's the epitome of awesome.Agreed on both sentiments. Also, Brick > Winter's Bone.

[Ezee E]

No doubt that Brick is the better movie.

What lOcation gets the film noir treatment next?

[Derek]

What lOcation gets the film noir treatment next?

With Goon, we'll have our hockey rink noir. The Hunter looks like a good Tasmanian wilderness noir. Where's The Avengers set?

[Derek]

I really liked Winter's Bone and didn't even realise that it was trying to be a noir in the first place.

I wouldn't have thought so either if so many people hadn't mentioned how great its noir elements were.

[transmogrifier]

Winter's Bone is so much better than Brick, which is really just an exercise in preciousness with no resonant after-effects. It is one of those movies that Match Cut just adores that I can only shake my head at.

[dreamdead]

Watched Breillat's The Sleeping Beauty and Fontaine's Coco Before Chanel in a double-bill of French female filmmakers at our university. The former is scattershot in its intrigue--occasionally the filmmaking prowess feels slight, but several of the scenes, from the White Queen's entrance to Anastasia's sexual explorations, from the skull bowling balls to the closing image of Anastasia's ripped pantyhose, work beautifully. I wish the whole thing held together a bit better, though.

Fontaine's film is standard issue biopic fare, exploring the fashion designer's life before she became famous. It's decent enough, but in the last five minutes (re: on the period of Chanel's life where she is a success), the filmmaking jumps up in terms of cinematic depth. While a lot of it merely concerns mirrors and mirroring, it has a tangible quality that makes me wish the rest had explored that kind of depth. Alexandre Desplat's music is phenomenal, however.

I'm presenting an introduction on Certified Copy tonight and then get to luxuriate in that film's world directly after, which is uber-exciting.

[MadMan]

I love Brick and all, but I think its only slightly better than Winter's Bone. Its easier to defend Brick as being a great movie, however. Better cast, sharp dialogue and script, some really great cinematography.

Also Morris I can't help but think "UM WUT?" in regard to this:


The Walking Dead (sea.2) - ••••

Especially when you have better movies and TV shows in your sig :P

Oh and Mystery Train was truly great, and really surprised me-I expected it merely to be very good at most. Right now its the best Jamusch film I've seen, which isn't from a particularly large group, but still. Mystery Train looked great on Criterion, btw. I would have loved to watch it on Blu Ray. Review is forthcoming-I just recently wrapped up covering the last couple of months worth from last year that I saw.

[Bosco B Thug]

.02 on Brick is I remember thinking it was surprisingly mature and full of gravitas for a rather precious movie.

But to better precious things: Spetters. Verhoeven. First ever dick measuring scene. Cinema.