28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[Qrazy]

D'oh, I mean The Hill. Get those titles confused. Wanna see 'em both equally.

Do so.

[Qrazy]

I've never heard that one before. I did hear the one about the televised moon landing being a fake shoot directed by Kubrick for the U.S. government as a way to win the Cold War.

Qrazy, watch The Hill inmediately. The Fugitive Kind is good too, but it's mostly Brando's show.

So yeah... 3 years later. Good rec. Haha.

[Qrazy]

# Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) - Solid work.
# New York Stories (1989) (segment "Oedipus Wrecks") - Poor work.
# Another Woman (1988) - Mediocre work.
# The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) - Solid work.
# The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981) - Average work.
# Black Moon (1975) (director of photography) - Solid work.

He did good work on Conrad Rooks adaptation of Siddhartha also.

[B-side]

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

Nicely shot in crisp black and white, The Priest and the Girl concerns the arrival of a priest in a very conservative town to bless another priest on his death bed. The dying priest's constituent hustles the blessing along in fear of what happens moments after the new priest's arrival: the confession that sets the narrative in motion, information that shocks the film into focus not 10 minutes in. It turns out both of them have been having sex with an orphaned girl left with one of them during harder times. During the burial procedure, a drunk and erratic man espouses the all too conservative nature of the village, declaring that they've simply resigned themselves to God's will and refuse to be proactive. As it happens, this man, who holds the town's supply of medication, also slept with the girl, who after her father figure insists they marry to cover up the scandal, confesses to the new priest that she doesn't see herself belonging to any of them, but that she's rather infatuated with him. The grip of love on the new priest drives his existential crisis and continued denial of his feelings for her, especially being that she "belongs" to another. She's tainted herself with premarital intercourse, and her sexual identity confounds his spiritual ideal. Torn between being the town's much needed mediator and pursuing his love interest, the priest breaks down and finally gives into the throes of passion, much to the scorn of the witch-hunting villagers. Bergman-esque in its exploration of faith and conviction, though it does lack the introspective resonance of a Bergman, it retains its own quiet power. A good, if not great, film.


http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Movie%20Caps%20Pt%202/vlcsnap-2012-04-14-03h33m01s47_500x298.jpg

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Movie%20Caps%20Pt%202/vlcsnap-2012-04-14-03h43m11s10_500x298.jpg

[MadMan]

Had Freedom Writers foisted upon me. Not a good movie. I mean, just read the IMDB synopsis:



Yup. It appears I'm the only person that watched it on this site. Nobody's missing out on anything.I was forced to watch it in some class I took back in college. Your ** rating is correct.

[B-side]

Wyler's Dead End is a wholly solid crime drama. Shot by the masterful Gregg Toland, beautiful crane shots bookend the film, the opening few lowering you into a world in which the rich hover over the poor below, celebrating their wealth while the impoverished fight and envy those above. Wyler affords neither side the benefit of all of his sympathy. The wealthy refuse to be poor at all costs and the poor will do whatever necessary to cease being poor. "Baby Face" Martin wanders about, watching over the gang activity of the young ones, offering advice and smiling when they commit crimes. The kids play gangster games, trying hard to grow up into the world "Baby Face" already exists in. He's rich, and he's murdered people. The kids talk tough, fight and commit petty theft. The dead end street stage is terrific, and as the populous pours in and out of the street, the set feels very lived in and animated. The film's highlights are generally its more intimate moments; watching "Baby Face" face one disappointment after another after returning to his childhood home are the best moments in the film. They're tender and highly effective dramatic pieces.


http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Movie%20Caps%20Pt%202/vlcsnap-2012-04-16-05h48m17s43_400x289.jpg

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Movie%20Caps%20Pt%202/vlcsnap-2012-04-16-05h50m19s238_400x289.jpg

[StanleyK]

I was forced to watch it in some class I took back in college. Your ** rating is correct.

Hah, same deal with me. I guess it's one of those movies that gives teachers a hard-on, like Dead Poets Society.

[MadMan]

Hah, same deal with me. I guess it's one of those movies that gives teachers a hard-on, like Dead Poets Society.I've never seen Dead Poet's Society. I'm guessing that I would not like it at all, but since Peter Weir directed it I figured I might as well give it a chance.

[Morris Schæffer]

Well, I love Dead Poets Society. A wonderful cast of young talent, but Robin Williams is amazing too.

[Qrazy]

Joshua Logan's Picnic was sort of interesting but also sort of crap. It vacillates between emotional honesty in relation to the relationships at the film's core (between two sisters, between two old friends and between an older man and woman) and total dramatic contrivance. A lot of scenes are painfully melodramatic and simply don't play well. I fault weak dialogue for some of this but the acting and direction is also part of the problem.

The oddly creepy Neewalloh ceremony in the middle of the film was by far the best part. James Wong Howe (cinematographer) finally had a chance to shine there. I watched this one mostly for him although tangentially for Logan after thoroughly enjoying Paint Your Wagon. I have Body and Soul up next from Howe.

[B-side]

LeRoy's Two Seconds is fire-breathing drama. A conflagration of the 1930s working man's fears. It's clear that Edward G. Robinson was one of the greatest actors to ever grace the screen. Riveting, intense stuff.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Well, I love Dead Poets Society. A wonderful cast of young talent, but Robin Williams is amazing too.

I think it's contrived melodramatic hogwash with an embarrassing central performance and no actual ideas beyond a vague notion of day-siezery that never manifests into anything meaningful. But Robin Williams does those impressions he does, so it's all good.

[Grouchy]

The greatest satisfaction Ramona Reyes (my movie club) has given me so far - the crowd after the end of Sunset Boulevard, speechless and dumbfounded, unable to talk about anything other than the film they'd just seen.

[Morris Schæffer]

I think it's contrived melodramatic hogwash with an embarrassing central performance and no actual ideas beyond a vague notion of day-siezery that never manifests into anything meaningful. But Robin Williams does those impressions he does, so it's all good.

I think it makes its idea very clear, nothing vague about it. And it's one well worth taking into consideration as it is one that is easily forgotten.

[Russ]

Nuit Noire (Olivier Smolders, 2005) PRO

Has anyone else seen this? It's an instant favorite for me, tho I can see how it's obliqueness might be a turnoff to some.

If you truly want to see the future David Lynch, it's Olivier Smolders. Never, ever has a film about African colonial guilt and insects been so captivating. It's Eraserhead meets Microcosmos by way of Heart of Darkness. Absolutely stunning. Hyperbole aside, it's this decade's surreal masterpiece.

:cool:

[MadMan]

Well I just watched Funny Games (1997). I think this is the first movie in a long time that inspired numerous reactions. Really I'm not even sure if I liked the movie or not, and I'm attempting to gather some thoughts. I will say that I am probably not in either extreme camp (loved it, hated it) but I fall somewhere in the middle, probably.

There are some issues, though.

The family was bland, and the two creeps were really dull. Maybe that was the point, but if Haneke is looking for extreme reactions he should have really made his characters far more interesting.

Furthermore, having the villains break the third wall wasn't clever, it was really annoying. I didn't care what they had to say-in fact every time they spoke to the audience my response was "I'd give a damn about your opinion if you were not so annoying." Maybe that was the point, too, but I really think it hurt the film.

BTW, this film could have been far more disturbing. Haneke can say that he didn't have go further due to it being a commentary on media violence and the like, but then why have the kid being killed? Or the dad being tortured?

Really though this movie is largely a slasher/bad things happen to people in a cabin on the lake or the woods type movie. The part where Paul chases after the kid was rather masterfully done-quite suspense, really-and the ending was rather chilling. The heavy metal music just made me laugh.

Oh and the remote control scene....look, I get what Haneke was trying to do. That doesn't mean I approve or find it to be anything other than a limp deus ex machina. Someone on IMDB.com's message board for Funny Games made a good point that the remote control scene is really all in Anna's head, that she just imagines that she kills one of them. Still I don't care-it was a terrible scene, and it really hurts the film.

Perhaps I'm more disturbed by the fact that I didn't care if the family lived or not. From the moment that Peter aka Fatty showed up, I guessed that the family was going to die. Sure having the two creeps "win" sends Haneke's point home, yet I would have been fine with Anna killing one of them, thus achieving an empty victory when Paul dumps her in the lake after shooting her husband.

Something tells me I'll prefer the remake more. After all, it features American actors, even though it is apparently a shot for shot remake. I imagine that Haneke made it so that some hack director wouldn't go and make a crappy remake that would piss all over his ideas. Fair enough. That said, I'm actually interested in watching his other movies. He clearly has style, interesting things to say, and hey most of Match-cut likes his movies so he must be doing something right.

However people I must admit that Scream (1996) really did this whole horror movie commentary on violence in the media meta thing a little better. It may be not as smart as Funny Games, sure, yet I feel it has just as much to say about the subject.

[Ivan Drago]

Just got back from seeing Battle Royale. That's gonna stick with me for a while.

[Grouchy]

What the fuck is this?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1230552/

[B-side]

What the fuck is this?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1230552/

A supplement on the Inland Empire DVD. Says it follows it. Maybe deleted scenes or something?

[Yxklyx]

A supplement on the Inland Empire DVD. Says it follows it. Maybe deleted scenes or something?

I have it. Will try to watch it this weekend and report back. :eek:

[Russ]

Nuit Noire (Olivier Smolders, 2005) PRO

Has anyone else seen this? It's an instant favorite for me, tho I can see how it's obliqueness might be a turnoff to some.

If you truly want to see the future David Lynch, it's Olivier Smolders. Never, ever has a film about African colonial guilt and insects been so captivating. It's Eraserhead meets Microcosmos by way of Heart of Darkness. Absolutely stunning. Hyperbole aside, it's this decade's surreal masterpiece.

:cool:

Before this falls into the annals of FDT's back pages, I want to re-emphasize my giddy enthusiasm of this discovery. Rather than try to clumsily put into words my feelings, I want to encourage interested parties (and there are definitely certain people on this site -- and you know who you are -- who really need to see this film) to check out the following review, which nails everything I felt about Black Night and conveys the film's essence brilliantly. I agree with every word of it.

http://www.cinelogue.com/reviews/nuit-noire

Anyone who appreciates amazing surreal imagery and impeccable sound design (again, think Lynch) should make this film a priority.

If you're still not convinced, here's the NSFW trailer:

zRgfUnFnndQ

[soitgoes...]

Started to watch it last night, and I had a difficult time with the obvious digital look of the movie. I really wish I could go back to a time when everything was shot on magnificent film stock. I'll try and give it another go today maybe.

[Russ]

I'll try and give it another go today maybe.
I hope you do. Seriously, I don't think you'll regret it.

[MadMan]

Just got back from seeing Battle Royale. That's gonna stick with me for a while.Your rating for it is the same as mine. I think I watched it last year, or two years ago thanks to Netflix, and I dug the film. Although I'm not a really big fan of how Battle Royale ended, the rest of the movie is engaging and interesting.

[B-side]

Osaka Elegy (Mizoguchi, 1936) ***½

Nice. The other 3 in the box set are even better, so enjoy.

[Boner M]

Nice. The other 3 in the box set are even better, so enjoy.
Yeah, I have a feeling that I might downgrade my rating after watching the other three, but I thought this one was really moving, esp. the final 10 minutes. Maybe it does lack the trademark ghostly, elegant roving camera that came to characterise his subsequent films, but it's a more fleet film in its critique of society's mercilessness, with the brisk inevitability of its subject's downfall coming across forcefully. Mizoguchi's mastery particularly surfaces in the use of grid-like compositions and vertical lines for an appropriately stifling mise-en-scene - even his establishing shots of cityscapes make them look diminutive and anonymous, and the sky look like it's weighing down on the world.

[B-side]

Yeah, I have a feeling that I might downgrade my rating after watching the other three, but I thought this one was really moving, esp. the final 10 minutes. Maybe it does lack the trademark ghostly, elegant roving camera that came to characterise his subsequent films, but it's a more fleet film in its critique of society's mercilessness, with the brisk inevitability of its subject's downfall coming across forcefully. Mizoguchi's mastery particularly surfaces in the use of grid-like compositions and vertical lines for an appropriately stifling mise-en-scene - even his establishing shots of cityscapes make them look diminutive and anonymous, and the sky look like it's weighing down on the world.

Sisters of the Gion is littered with gorgeous tracking shots. As is Story of the Last Chrysanthemum. Utamaro a bit less so, but it's hardly worse off for it. Mizoguchi definitely settled down with the camera a bit late in his career, which is probably why I prefer his earlier work.

[Morris Schæffer]

Well, the blu-ray for a trip to the moon looks astonishing

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/A-Trip-to-the-Moon-Blu-ray/36593/#Review

[Gizmo]

Finally managed to watch the whole The Thin Red Line. So long. I just cannot get into Malick's movies, no matter how well put together they are, there's not not enough narrative/action to hold my interest. There were some good scenes in this, but overall I was mostly bored and fighting to keep interest.

[Pop Trash]

Has there ever been a movie that is so awesome in yet so ridiculous as Zabriskie Point?

[Izzy Black]

Before this falls into the annals of FDT's back pages, I want to re-emphasize my giddy enthusiasm of this discovery. Rather than try to clumsily put into words my feelings, I want to encourage interested parties (and there are definitely certain people on this site -- and you know who you are -- who really need to see this film) to check out the following review, which nails everything I felt about Black Night and conveys the film's essence brilliantly. I agree with every word of it.

http://www.cinelogue.com/reviews/nuit-noire

Anyone who appreciates amazing surreal imagery and impeccable sound design (again, think Lynch) should make this film a priority.

If you're still not convinced, here's the NSFW trailer:

zRgfUnFnndQ

Looks like David Lynch and Franz Kafka's aborted love child.

[Izzy Black]

Has there ever been a movie that is so awesome in yet so ridiculous as Zabriskie Point?

No there hasn't. It owns the space of simultaneous awesomeness and ridiculousness like no other.

[B-side]

I managed to rather enjoy Love Me Tonight despite finding Maurice Chevalier a pretty off-putting presence. Oddly, I found him more palatable when he was being somber or low-key.

[Grouchy]

Nobody warned me that Bottle Rocket was so much better than the rest of Anderson's films.

[Raiders]

Nobody warned me that Bottle Rocket was so much better than the rest of Anderson's films.

That's because nobody else thinks that.

[Sven]

That's because nobody else thinks that.

Cheeky. But in all seriousness, I know several IRL folk who cite it so.

[Derek]

Cheeky. But in all seriousness, I know several IRL folk who cite it so.

Much better? You know several silly people IRL if that's the case.

[Derek]

I managed to rather enjoy Love Me Tonight despite finding Maurice Chevalier a pretty off-putting presence. Oddly, I found him more palatable when he was being somber or low-key.

Well yeah, he's basically the prototype for most French accent mockeries, so it makes sense you'd prefer him in his more toned down moments. He can be off-putting at times, but his innate smarminess usually fits in well with his characters. You should check him out in Lubitsch's quality The Smiling Lieutenant and The Merry Widow.

[Sven]

You know several silly people IRL if that's the case.

This has been the case since I can remember.

[Spinal]

Bottle Rocket is my favorite.

[Raiders]

Bottle Rocket is my favorite.

Huh, I didn't know you were IRL friends with Sven.

[Watashi]

Every Wes Anderson movie is my favorite.

[Dead & Messed Up]

It's my favorite.

[Qrazy]

His best is obviously the short film Bottle Rocket which was then later remade into the piece of Hollywood sell out filth similarly titled 'Bottle Rocket'. Anyone who doesn't realize this is just a hipster nihilist posocateur (combination of poseur and provocateur).

[Ezee E]

I like his short with Schwartzman and Portman the most.

[Sycophant]

There have definitely been days (usually right after watching it) where I feel compelled to saying Bottle Rocket is Anderson's best film, but I usually settle on the Royal Tenenbaums given enough time. At any rate, it's excellent, and about as good as anything he's done.

[B-side]

Well yeah, he's basically the prototype for most French accent mockeries, so it makes sense you'd prefer him in his more toned down moments. He can be off-putting at times, but his innate smarminess usually fits in well with his characters. You should check him out in Lubitsch's quality The Smiling Lieutenant and The Merry Widow.

I've seen and enjoyed The Merry Widow. Need to see more Lubitsch in general.

[Grouchy]

To expand a little on my opinion, I find the contrast between the quirky, dreamy attitude of the protagonists of Bottle Rocket and the real world they inhabit more compelling than the 100% weirdness worlds Anderson presented us with later.

Not to make a general statement on anything, just saying that something like The Darjeeling Limited didn't involve me so much as this one.

[Spinal]

Huh, I didn't know you were IRL friends with Sven.

Well, he is the only one of you I've actually met.

[Derek]

To expand a little on my opinion, I find the contrast between the quirky, dreamy attitude of the protagonists of Bottle Rocket and the real world they inhabit more compelling than the 100% weirdness worlds Anderson presented us with later.

Not to make a general statement on anything, just saying that something like The Darjeeling Limited didn't involve me so much as this one.

Aside from Rushmore's Max, I'd say Dignan is Anderson's most compelling character.

[Pop Trash]

Aside from Rushmore's Max, I'd say Dignan is Anderson's most compelling character.

Margot Tenenbaum? C'MON!

[Derek]

Margot Tenenbaum? C'MON!

Close third. :)

[dreamdead]

Turkish Delight (Verhoeven, 1973) **


Yeah, I'm afraid a rewatch will not be kind to this film, whenever I get around to it. I remember it being well shot and acted, but I'm quite hesitant to believe it'll resonate as a mature film anymore. I remember appreciating the depths of sexuality, but the limited growth of Hauer's character would more likely be irksome now.

[slqrick]

Where's the money, Lebowski?

[B-side]

The Masseurs and a Woman is wonderful. Such warmth. I hope Shimizu has more films of this quality.

[soitgoes...]

The Masseurs and a Woman is wonderful. Such warmth. I hope Shimizu has more films of this quality.
He does.

[B-side]

He does.

I had a feeling, if anyone was gonna respond, it'd be you.:P

I'm getting Ornamental Hairpin right now.

[B-side]

Queen of Diamonds is yet another elusive stasis drama from Nina Menkes. She again uses her sister, Tinka, as her vessel for which she paints a portrait of alienation tinged with morality. Being that her camera is largely static, each frame feels carefully composed, and often when the point of interest leaves the frame, her camera will linger for several seconds afterward. She uses some of the best framing of any currently working American filmmaker. This one might be favorite of hers so far.


http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Movie%20Caps%20Pt%202/vlcsnap-2012-04-21-04h39m49s244_400x297.jpg

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Movie%20Caps%20Pt%202/vlcsnap-2012-04-21-05h03m49s53_400x297.jpg

[soitgoes...]

I had a feeling, if anyone was gonna respond, it'd be you.:P

I'm getting Ornamental Hairpin right now.

That, Mr. Thank You, Japanese Girls at the Harbor and Children in the Wind are all quality. Shimizu was on par with his contemporaries - Mizoguchi, Naruse, and Ozu. Quality stuff.

[B-side]

That, Mr. Thank You, Japanese Girls at the Harbor and Children in the Wind are all quality. Shimizu was on par with his contemporaries - Mizoguchi, Naruse, and Ozu. Quality stuff.

If my first experience with him is any indication, I'm inclined to agree. Seems Mizoguchi didn't have the monopoly on nice tracking shots.

[Boner M]

Pola X: Best I can describe this film is a straightforward romantic tale from an off-kilter parallel universe, which is a mixed blessing. Carax's film language becomes more and more irrational as its characters' passions become increasingly outsized, although perhaps lacking familiarity with Melville's Pierre meant that it didn't hit me as viscerally as Carax's prior three films did. Still, some unforgettable imagery (river of blood!) and can imagine it'll haunt me for a while.

[Sycophant]

Agreeing with soitgoes... wholeheartedly about Shimizu. He's become one of my favorite filmmakers.

[Pop Trash]

I've come to realize a lot of people IRL don't like There Will Be Blood.

[Sven]

I've come to realize a lot of people IRL don't like There Will Be Blood.

Sometimes IRL people have their shit together.

[Pop Trash]

Sometimes IRL people have their shit together.

You didn't like it either?

[Rowland]

I've come to realize a lot of people IRL don't like There Will Be Blood.I haven't met many people who've seen it, but the same year's No Country For Old Men has the same track record for me. Almost everyone I've talked to has found it boring or pointless or whatever.

[Pop Trash]

I haven't met many people who've seen it, but the same year's No Country For Old Men has the same track record for me. Almost everyone I've talked to has found it boring or pointless or whatever.

There's a screenwriter/writer acquaintance of mine who was dissing TWBB on twitter today. He's a (mostly) intelligent guy but tends to view films/fiction writing way too logically. He was calling it "pointlessly violent" which is strange since Plainview only kills two people in that, which by Shakespeare/average Hollywood action movie standards is really low. Then again he's Christian so maybe he doesn't like the (literal) preacher bashing.

Incidentally, I was reading the screenplay to that the other day, and the dialogue in TWBB is so interesting to me. If you just read it separate from the film/performances, it's so unlike most film dialogue. I'm not sure what else to compare it to. Mamet maybe?

[Russ]

AgustÃ* Villaronga's 1987 film, In a Glass Cage, certainly deserves recognition, although you'd probably be hard-pressed to find many unqualified recommendations, due to the extremely disturbing material. Much closer to art-house thriller than to standard horror genre fare (although unspeakable horror certainly permeates the film), IaGC takes an unflinching look at horrific atrocities, and their effect on impressionable survivors, and in this case, on the curious relationship between a monstrous Nazi-in-exile and his mysterious caregiver. Villaronga's feature debut is as intelligent as it is bold, and the stylish direction is much more assured than you'd expect from a first-time helmer. This is some bleak, rather sick territory being explored, but very worthwhile for the adventurous viewer. pro

[Dukefrukem]

It's only April, but this has been a tremendous year for cinema already.

[Spinal]

I have never seen The New World. Netflix sent me the extended version and I'm thinking, hey, why not. Good idea or bad idea?

[Izzy Black]

Pola X: Best I can describe this film is a straightforward romantic tale from an off-kilter parallel universe, which is a mixed blessing. Carax's film language becomes more and more irrational as its characters' passions become increasingly outsized, although perhaps lacking familiarity with Melville's Pierre meant that it didn't hit me as viscerally as Carax's prior three films did. Still, some unforgettable imagery (river of blood!) and can imagine it'll haunt me for a while.

What do you mean his language becomes more irrational?

[B-side]

Nina Menkes defriended me on Facebook after I told her I pirated her work.

[Boner M]

What do you mean his language becomes more irrational?
The opening portion at the Normandy chateau is very classically directed (at least for a Carax film), but when his half-sister appears the entire film becomes more formally unbalanced; the camera glides and swoops operatically, there's a band scoring scenes diegetically, the acting and dramaturgy become less naturalistic (eg, the episode kid's left to yell 'you stink' to passer-bys on the street), there're seemingly unmotivated dream sequences etc etc.

[Boner M]

Nina Menkes defriended me on Facebook after I told her I pirated her work.
Hahaha

[B-side]

Hahaha

I'm sad now. I initially told her I didn't wanna say how I watched them, then she asked why not, and I told her because I didn't wanna tell a decidedly not rich filmmaker that I saw her work for free. She replied, "hmmmm" and defriended me. I'm such a colossal fuck-up. I told her I'd totally buy Dissolution, her latest, on DVD if it existed. I guess that didn't persuade her.

[Boner M]

I'm sad now. I initially told her I didn't wanna say how I watched them, then she asked why not, and I told her because I didn't wanna tell a decidedly not rich filmmaker that I saw her work for free. She replied, "hmmmm" and defriended me. I'm such a colossal fuck-up. I told her I'd totally buy Dissolution, her latest, on DVD if it existed. I guess that didn't persuade her.
I wouldn't worry too much. Friending filmmakers on FB out of fandom should just be for shits and giggles.

[B-side]

I wouldn't worry too much. Friending filmmakers on FB out of fandom should just be for shits and giggles.

Yeah, oh well. I planned on watching The Great Sadness of Zohara tonight, but I might not just to spite her. That'll show her.

[Derek]

I have never seen The New World. Netflix sent me the extended version and I'm thinking, hey, why not. Good idea or bad idea?

Hmm, I actually haven't seen the 171 min cut yet, but I prefer the 150 to the 135 as it's a bit more lyrical and abstract. Most rabid fans tend to prefer the longest cut, but I imagine it will make whatever your reaction would have been to the theatrical cut more extreme. I say go for it.

[B-side]

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

A cryptic, pseudo-musical, The Gold Diggers is intriguing, if a bit of a slog. Centered around the always perplexing topic of the inner workings of the economy and the reminiscences of a woman named Ruby, it's a bizarre mash-up of fairy tale and Welles' take on The Trial. A black woman inquires about the nature of her work of moving numbers and is run around the bureaucracy and eventually led to a man sitting atop an oversized student desk reciting rhetorical philosophical banter. She's then pursued by anonymous henchmen in suits. A theatrical production of a dramatized version of Ruby's childhood, including a silent, mime-like clone of Ruby herself, plays as the crowd jeers the show. I'm still unsure if I actually grasped anything here as opposed to passively taking it all in since I found it difficult to latch onto anything. If nothing else, it's unique, and that's something.


http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Movie%20Caps%20Pt%202/vlcsnap-2012-04-21-23h40m27s77_450x256.jpg

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Movie%20Caps%20Pt%202/vlcsnap-2012-04-22-00h46m38s113_450x256.jpg

[Ezee E]

Curious what the differences are in the cuts anyway. I liked the theatrical plenty.

[Irish]

I have never seen The New World. Netflix sent me the extended version and I'm thinking, hey, why not. Good idea or bad idea?

The theatrical version is overlong and self indulgent, and the movie really is pure shit.

Looks nice, though.

[B-side]

Oh, Irish.

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/mfw/65.jpg

[Irish]

Nina Menkes defriended me on Facebook after I told her I pirated her work.

Why would you do this? I mean, why would you pirate the stuff of some indie dev whose work you really liked, why would you tell them about it sort of "to their face", why are you surprised at the reaction, and why would you admit to criminal activity under an account that uses your real name?

[B-side]

Why would you do this? I mean, why would you pirate the stuff of some indie dev whose work you really liked, why would you tell them about it sort of "to their face", why are you surprised at the reaction, and why would you admit to criminal activity under an account that uses your real name?

The answer to all these questions and more, coming up, after the break.

[B-side]

Why would you do this? I mean, why would you pirate the stuff of some indie dev whose work you really liked, why would you tell them about it sort of "to their face", why are you surprised at the reaction, and why would you admit to criminal activity under an account that uses your real name?

I didn't specifically tell her I pirated her work. Just that I saw it for free, which could mean a number of different things. I don't have an income, so seeing movies like hers is not exactly an easy activity unless I'm willing to acquire them through less than legal means. She insisted I tell her, so I did. I'm surprised that she would get indignant over one asshole living in Michigan not paying to see a few of her films as opposed to simply being happy that I'm a fan.

[DavidSeven]

Decided to re-watch both Casablanca and Citizen Kane today. A consensus G.O.A.T. double-feature of sorts. Because ...why not?

What is there to really say?

Casablanca is amazingly straight-forward with a mostly functional, non-distracting mis-en-scene. But it's really a great story. An all-time great third act. And the finale delivers enough of a visual flourish to totally compensate for the workmanlike quality of the rest of the film's aesthetic. Still affecting, even when you know everything Bogie's going to end up doing. Maybe more so.

Citizen fucking Kane ...I believe this was my third time watching it. I'm determined to make sure the fourth is on a big fucking theater screen somewhere. Still immaculate. Of course you could spend hours analyzing every damn shot of this movie, and of course the screenplay is so wonderfully complex yet beautifully structured. This time, however, my attention gravitated to how perfect the casting was for the film. Maybe it was the contrast to Casablanca that made it especially stand out this time. The performances in Casablanca are certainly great and work for the film, but they also feel as though they are product of those times. There's a theatricality to them that I'm sure most are forgiving of (though this applies more to Bergman and the supporting cast than it does to Bogart). It's part of the charm, and I don't point it out as a knock against the film. In Citizen Kane, however, there's just something timelessly good about even the film's most minor performances. The mother. The child-Kane. The librarian. Kane's butler. Both of Kane's ex-wives. Of course Welles and Cotton. I could go on, but I'd just be reading off IMDB verbatim. Everyone is just so damn good, even by today's measure of "good" acting. Was it not enough for this film to demolish all others in aesthetic, to be flawlessly structured, and to be a pioneer in the use of sound in cinema? It just had to be one of the most timelessly well-acted movies, too? Damn it, Orson. You magnificent, genius, bastard.

Was a good day.

[Derek]

Curious what the differences are in the cuts anyway. I liked the theatrical plenty.

Here's the most comprehensive write-up (http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/2006/05/charting-the-new-world/) I've seen of the differences between the 135 and 150min versions. I only saw the 150-minute cut since I happened to be in NYC when it opened, but they pulled it within 1 or 2 weeks and released the shorter cut everywhere else. I can only imagine the 171-minute cut has similar changes, but not sure.

[Derek]

The theatrical version is overlong and self indulgent, and the movie really is pure shit.

Probably the most effective quote I could use for getting MatchCutters who haven't seen it to check it out! ;)

[Irish]

In Citizen Kane, however, there's just something timelessly good about even the film's most minor performances. The mother. The child-Kane. The librarian. Kane's butler. Both of Kane's ex-wives. Of course Welles and Cotton.

Agreed. IIRC, almost everyone in Kane was a Mercury player out of New York and all these guys had been working together for years. That probably went a long way towards the effectiveness of the performances.

I've probably seen Casablanca a dozen times, and I'm still noticing things about it that I missed previously.

[Irish]

Probably the most effective quote I could use for getting MatchCutters who haven't seen it to check it out! ;)

Malick is one of those drink-the-Kool-aid directors. If someone has a hard on for his other stuff, they'll eat up New World (mostly because he's the kind of guy of thematically repeats himself ad nauseum). But I think if Spinal had gulped the Kool Aid, he wouldn't have posted his question. He'd just watch the movie.

I'm not one of Malick's fans, but I'd still take something like Thin Red Line over this, mostly because Colin Farrell is really weak in the "lead" and Malick belabors his points here, which were done more smoothly and to better effect in Red Line.

Respond to this post if Terry ever manages to refrain from shooting the goddamn wind moving through the trees. ;)

[elixir]

Malick is one of those drink-the-Kool-aid directors. If someone has a hard on for his other stuff, they'll eat up New World (mostly because he's the kind of guy of thematically repeats himself ad nauseum).

It's called an auteur, dude.

[Irish]

It's called an auteur, dude.

No. It's a form of creative bankruptcy, because he doesn't mix it up enough and raise any other questions. Woody Allen, Quentin Tarantino, and Oliver Stone have been guilty of this too, at different points in their careers.

It's one thing to be obsessed with one area or a series of different questions -- guys like Hitchcock and Philip K Dick fall into that kind of category.

But The Birds plays different than North by Northwest or 39 Steps, just as Man in the High Castle reads differently than The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch.

Same area, different kinds of focus. I've found Malick to be sticking to the same area with the same focus for faaaaaaar too long.

[elixir]

Oh dear lord, I'm not getting into this. Also, self-indulgence is one of the worst criticisms ever.

[Winston*]

Are Terrence Malick''s films really that thematically identical? He runs across Man's relationship to God and nature a lot, but that's hardly the only thing his films are about.

[elixir]

Haha, I don't think they are (they're certainly similar, but not identical), but this discussion [with Irish] won't go anywhere.

[Qrazy]

Of course you could spend hours analyzing every damn shot of this movie.

I did this in high school actually for an independent study haha. I went through shot for shot and kept a journal in regards to the lighting, composition, etc and how all this related to the content of the film. Let me tell you there's a hell of a lot of shots in that opening montage of Kane's life.

[Watashi]

It's called an auteur, dude.
Don't let Irish scare you away.

Post moar.

[Qrazy]

Malick is one of those drink-the-Kool-aid directors. If someone has a hard on for his other stuff, they'll eat up New World (mostly because he's the kind of guy of thematically repeats himself ad nauseum).

Nah, The New World is the only one of his films I'm not super huge on. I still like it quite a bit though.

[Boner M]

Oh dear lord, I'm not getting into this. Also, self-indulgence is one of the worst criticisms ever.
Word, esp. to the second sentence. Specify why you hate said indulgences or GTFO.

[Boner M]

Random query: How many of y'all binge on unwatched DVD special features from your collections when undecided on what to watch?

[Izzy Black]

Malick is one of those drink-the-Kool-aid directors. If someone has a hard on for his other stuff, they'll eat up New World (mostly because he's the kind of guy of thematically repeats himself ad nauseum). But I think if Spinal had gulped the Kool Aid, he wouldn't have posted his question. He'd just watch the movie.

I'm not one of Malick's fans, but I'd still take something like Thin Red Line over this, mostly because Colin Farrell is really weak in the "lead" and Malick belabors his points here, which were done more smoothly and to better effect in Red Line.

Respond to this post if Terry ever manages to refrain from shooting the goddamn wind moving through the trees. ;)

I think you are conflating Malick's naturalism with the total thematic ends of his films. Make no mistake: The Thin Red Line is a film about the internal effects of war. His naturalism ties into this theme and is the theoretical and aesthetic apparatus by which he explores this theme, but the film is not asking the very same questions as Badlands or Days of Heaven. What Malick brings to his films better amounts to a kind of sensibility or an attitude rather than a loaded body of conclusions about the subject matter and content.

Malick's naturalism, for instance, doesn't unearth The New World of its more direct meanings and implications. It grounds them. It's for this fact that the film is more, and not less, about the Western man's insatiatiable quixotic ambitions of possessing foreign lands and "new worlds," even when at the expense of his own self-destruction. This is a film that attempts to reconcile man's ego, his expectations, and the limits of his will with the unassailable scope and complexity of the world. As he does in his other films, Malick approaches this theme with delicacy, earnestness, and calm, without judgment and undue scorn or outrage (unlike Herzog). He doesn't criticize man's idealistic project of enlightenment and quest for colonization so much as he at once admires its limitless passion and pities its unwitting niavety.

This is not a man who makes the same movie over and over. The charge really belongs elsewhere.

[Boner M]

5 films over 40 years and I'm sick of Malick's shit. I sat through Tree of Life recently and thought 'I liked this better when it was called Badlands'. :frustrated:

[Melville]

Malick definitely has recurring thematic preoccupations. His movies focus pretty heavily on meditations on the loss of an Edenic state. But they take different approaches to that and cover obviously different stories and characters. War in The Thin Red Line is not the same as colonialism in The New World, nor are their treatments of the loss of Eden precisely the same: Witt's paradise is something beyond the ugliness of the world, something pure that decays under reality's touch; Pocahontas's is something prior and within, an existential trace underlying experience and civilization. And each covers other subjects, such as, in the one case, interpersonal dynamics of ambition and brotherhood as they manifest in the situations of war, and in the other, love and the evolution of both society and being-in-the-world.

[Melville]

Pola X: Best I can describe this film is a straightforward romantic tale from an off-kilter parallel universe, which is a mixed blessing. Carax's film language becomes more and more irrational as its characters' passions become increasingly outsized, although perhaps lacking familiarity with Melville's Pierre meant that it didn't hit me as viscerally as Carax's prior three films did. Still, some unforgettable imagery (river of blood!) and can imagine it'll haunt me for a while.
Pierre is one of my favorite books, but I, too, preferred Carax's other movies. The stuff you mentioned about the changing tone of the movie is far more interesting and strange in the book. I don't remember—does a giant rock turn into a titan in the movie?

[Boner M]

Pierre is one of my favorite books, but I, too, preferred Carax's other movies. The stuff you mentioned about the changing tone of the movie is far more interesting and strange in the book. I don't remember—does a giant rock turn into a titan in the movie?A giant rock formation features in the film, but no titan transformation.

[Melville]

A giant rock formation features in the film, but no titan transformation.
No wonder I was disappointed.

[Melville]

I've been watching some Tourneur horror movies lately.

Night of the Demon—pretty good, but the treatment of the overarching science-versus-mysticism theme was hokey. I'm not a fan of man-of-science-rants-about-the-foolishness-of-supernatural-beliefs-only-to-realise-they're-all-too-horrifyingly-true stories.

Cat People—I am a fan of obsessive-attachment-and-jealousy stories, as well as person-dragged-into-his/her-loved-one's-incommunicable-madness stories. And I liked the magical feeling of the whole thing; the tone of the magical events and the glittering magic of the city reminded me of Portrait of Jennie and, to a lesser extent, The Devil and Daniel Webster.

I Walked with a Zombie—great for the most part, an appealing mix of Jane Eyre, tropical madness, and voodoo drumbeats. Highlights were the calypso song, creating a sense of historied doom hovering over the characters, and especially the voodoo dance scene, which was awesome. After that voodoo scene, though, the whole thing kind of peters out, with no real climax and everything ending tidily without real drama.

[Izzy Black]

Malick definitely has recurring thematic preoccupations. His movies focus pretty heavily on meditations on the loss of an Edenic state. But they take different approaches to that and cover obviously different stories and characters. War in The Thin Red Line is not the same as colonialism in The New World, nor are their treatments of the loss of Eden precisely the same: Witt's paradise is something beyond the ugliness of the world, something pure that decays under reality's touch; Pocahontas's is something prior and within, an existential trace underlying experience and civilization. And each covers other subjects, such as, in the one case, interpersonal dynamics of ambition and brotherhood as they manifest in the situations of war, and in the other, love and the evolution of both society and being-in-the-world.

I wasn't denying that Malick has recurring themes, no unifying understanding or ideas. He quite clearly does. The given isn't the issue. The question is whether these films have themes to call their own, whether they are distinguishable from the other in terms of less general, less shared ideas. The standard interpretation of Malick and the fall of Eden is in not inconsistent with my remarks. My intention was to stress how particular themes can come apart, if at all, from his more general concerns or sensibility.

[Melville]

I wasn't denying that Malick has recurring themes, no unifying understanding or ideas. He quite clearly does. The given isn't the issue. The question is whether these films have themes to call their own, whether they are distinguishable from the other in terms of less general, less shared ideas. The standard interpretation of Malick and the fall of Eden is in not inconsistent with my remarks. My intention was to stress how particular themes can come apart, if at all, from his more general concerns or sensibility.
I was responding to Irish and the general discussion, not to your post specifically. I agree with most of what you said, especially the first paragraph.

EDIT: Also, on a tangentially related point, I'm nearly finished Paradise Lost, and my conclusion is that Malick pwns Milton.

[Izzy Black]

I was responding to Irish and the general discussion, not to your post specifically. I agree with most of what you said, especially the first paragraph.

EDIT: Also, on a tangentially related point, I'm nearly finished Paradise Lost, and my conclusion is that Malick pwns Milton.

Ah, my mistake. Hasty response. And yes, indeed, Malick pwns Milton, but Malick pwns most.

[Spinal]

Also, self-indulgence is one of the worst criticisms ever.

Exactly. Fellini is self-indulgent. So is Baz Luhrmann. It doesn't really tell me anything about the quality of the work.

[Russ]

Almodovar, Tarantino, Haneke, etc, plus any number of smaller filmmakers.

When I read "self-indulgent" (which I've even used in criticism -- doh!), my ears perk up. I take it as a sign of interesting things to come, not the opposite. Of course, that's not to say that the work always bears fruit, just that the phrase shouldn't automatically be classified as negative, or dismissive.

Self-indulgence shouldn't be discouraged. I don't want to be a part of a cinematic landscape where David Lynch doesn't indulge himself.

Where's the fun in that?

[Izzy Black]

The charge of self-indulgence is the kind of criticism that journalists and movie reviewers typically empoy. For the most part it actually works, because they're working with a particular frame of reference and certain background assumptions the every day moviegoer shares or doesn't have much trouble recognizing. The charge basically suggests (something like) the director indulges too much in his own style and/or artistic hang ups, thus deviating too far from the central story, plot, theme, or premise.

Unfortunately, all traditional standards of film analysis breakdown for us snobby cinephiles who don't carry any hard line rules or assumptions about the priorty of storytelling (or anything really for that matter!)

[Russ]

Actually, I think the last time I used the phrase, "self-indulgent", as a negative connotation was in a capsule review of Kiarostami's Copie conforme -- and I almost immediately regretted the choice of words (although I may have actually used the word "pretentious" as well :))

But it does raise questions; to Israfel's point -- separating the criticism from the subjective analysis -- it does make me look back at how I give certain films a pass on the self-indulgent charge (Inland Empire) and not others (Certified Copy), due to my personal preferences and (hence, possibly) certain skewed proclivities.

I ain't perfect.

[Qrazy]

To me self-indulgence suggests over indulgence in aesthetic and thematic preoccupations to the point that it harms the flow of the film. I see nothing wrong with it in criticism although as with any such criticism of course one must provide examples to substantiate the claim.

For example, Peter Jackson sure was self-indulgent with that pole vaulting native scene in King Kong. It added nothing to the film and was utterly ridiculous. It felt like a needless throw away effects shot, the notion of a cool idea to someone that was actually a terrible idea.

[DavidSeven]

The term may say little about the qualitative aspects of a given film, but it certainly speaks to that particular viewer's response to it, namely that the film has failed to engage the viewer with its creator's preoccupations. It's shorthand. I'd probably cringe if I sought it in a professional review, but it's fine for one sentence cut downs -- a FDT staple.

[Pop Trash]

I use it when talented directors fall back on their tropes too much and veer towards self-parody territory.

Such as:
Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic
PT Anderson's Magnolia
Tarantino's Death Proof (which I still liked for the most part)
Baumbach's Margot at the Wedding
David Lynch's Wild at Heart
To name a few examples.

I didn't hate any of these (well maybe Wild at Heart), but it felt like the directors were spinning their wheels and not getting out of their comfort zone enough. Or in the case of Magnolia: reading their own "he's a genius" fawning press and making something overcooked and overlong.

[Boner M]

I prefer the term 'dibby-dabbly'.

"Heavens, Jemima! That Brad Pitt show sure was a lot of dibby-dabbliness!"

[Watashi]

I don't really care if directors are in love with themselves or their tropes. As long as they keeping making the good shit, I'll still be happy.

[megladon8]

Okay, so like, I don't get how Universal Soldier: Regeneration was as good as it was.

It was actually really good. Perhaps I'm giving it a little too much credit because I expected so very little. But man oh man, I might even hazard to say it was better than the first movie.

A few clunky scenes and some pacing problems aside, it was a pretty decent action flick.

Surprisingly competent filmmaking, with some very impressive action scenes and stunts.

Really, if anyone is looking for a good action film, it's worth a rental.

[B-side]

I'm not a fan of man-of-science-rants-about-the-foolishness-of-supernatural-beliefs-only-to-realise-they're-all-too-horrifyingly-true stories.

Ah, same.

[elixir]

Don't let Irish scare you away.

Post moar.
Haha, I actually seem to post all my film thoughts on two other sites and don't transfer them here. I'm sure you guys are really sorry to miss out on my all too eloquent insights. So, I'll talk briefly about some films I've seen in the past week. Feel free to ask my to expand.

Reprise - Alternatively irritating and awesome. I frequently found its stylistic mannerisms distracting and twee, such as in the opening sequence or when Erik remembers when he was mean to someone (Erik's part of the story in general I found less compelling). Though there are some perhaps interesting things being done with the possibilities of narrative, I suppose, but still anyway you interpret that ending it strikes me as obnoxious. Wow, this is making it seem like I was really down on it, so let me describe the awesome. The two sequences I keep returning to are when Phillip and Kari meet in the cafe and then later their trip to Paris. The former is so concerned with tactile touches and renders the event so dreamily and with such longing that I begun to find myself emotionally affected by the film for the first time, but the latter was especially great, as it presents a case of temporal dislocation, in which expressed frustration and disappointment congeals with feelings of unrequited love and yearning to really turn into something magnificent. If the whole film had been shot and edited like that, it'd be like the greatest thing ever...Trier's 2002 short Procter is very disposable, and I suppose I should write about his 2011 film--along with the other 2012 US releases I've watched recently--in their own threads so I'll hold off on that for now...

Also, I watched all of Bruno Dumont's films this past week. Interesting guy. A little bit of a fucker at times. I mostly like him a lot though. He has one of the best eyes for faces. La Vie de Jesus is one of the most assured debuts I've seen, a riveting exploration of bored youth, racial tension, and adolescent insecurities, in which violence is truly examined rather than there for mere shocks (as he is accused of sometimes), and it feels more obviously humanistic than some of his other works. L'Humanite is even better though, a commanding vision that is as inscrutable (to my feeble mind) as it is compelling. Its firm lack of categorization and subversion of policeman tropes (without being about that) leads to a number of suggestive events, culminating in an ending I'm still not sure what to make of, though I have some ideas (granted, which I may have read from elsewhere :P). Twentynine Palms is an awful, awful film. Flandres is better than its reputation implies, its articulation of the inability--and perhaps necessity--to share personal traumas in order to move on is enough to overcome its war film cliches. Hadewijch is my favorite Dumont so far, a tremendously moving work on faith with his most overt Bresson reference (more like quotation) to date. Hors Satan is baffling and so damn beautiful.

[B-side]

I didn't specifically tell her I pirated her work. Just that I saw it for free, which could mean a number of different things. I don't have an income, so seeing movies like hers is not exactly an easy activity unless I'm willing to acquire them through less than legal means. She insisted I tell her, so I did. I'm surprised that she would get indignant over one asshole living in Michigan not paying to see a few of her films as opposed to simply being happy that I'm a fan.

An update: Turns out she never friended me to begin with. Rather, she friended me today and told me how to purchase a copy of Dissolution. $50 + $5 for shipping. And she wonders why I would pirate her work.

[Qrazy]

http://blogs.westword.com/showandtell/03%20cool%20story%20bro.jpg

[Boner M]

In other Facebook filmmaker news, Monte Hellman is encouraging his thousands of friends to give Road to Nowhere a '10' on IMDB.

[Rowland]

In other Facebook filmmaker news, Monte Hellman is encouraging his thousands of friends to give Road to Nowhere a '10' on IMDB.I'd probably give it a 3 or 4. Sorry Monte.

[Stay Puft]

Though there are some perhaps interesting things being done with the possibilities of narrative, I suppose, but still anyway you interpret that ending it strikes me as obnoxious.

Hmmm, why obnoxious? I admit that's a curious reaction to me. I didn't find anything about the film to be twee.

I'm not sure how many other ways there are to interpret the ending than crushing disillusionment.

Quite interested to get your reaction to Oslo, August 31st (I already put some brief reactions in its thread).

[elixir]

Hmmm, why obnoxious? I admit that's a curious reaction to me. I didn't find anything about the film to be twee.

I'm not sure how many other ways there are to interpret the ending than crushing disillusionment.

Quite interested to get your reaction to Oslo, August 31st (I already put some brief reactions in its thread).

Hey, I really liked it actually. I suppose I focused on the negatives too much. As for twee, idk, I just found digressions like the opening one and various others in the first hour to just be a tad irritating and not revealing, whereas something like when Phillip imagines pushing his friend in the water and it triggers all these memories and pained desires and its just great...as are the two other passages i singled out.
As for the end, obnoxious was an overstatement, but it sort of just fizzled out and,my subjective biases wanted more headon tackling of the subjects especially the tragic romance. Though you are right that it does do that in a certain way so i suppose it is just vague dissatisfaction...the ending, the fiction begins when it starts saying would i guess but im not sure...

Ill write in that that thread but i liked oslo even more and i certainly think trier is someone to watch.

[Stay Puft]

Hey, I really liked it actually.

Oh, I know! Your original post is fair, I just wanted clarification on why you found the ending obnoxious, so thanks for the reply.


As for the end, obnoxious was an overstatement, but it sort of just fizzled out and,my subjective biases wanted more headon tackling of the subjects especially the tragic romance. Though you are right that it does do that in a certain way so i suppose it is just vague dissatisfaction...the ending, the fiction begins when it starts saying would i guess but im not sure...

Yeah, the whole "happy" ending is a fiction, or a projection, going back to the beginning of the film, when Phillip and Erik are talking about their plans for the future, how they want to be successful writers, blah, blah, blah... they have this whole narrative for their own lives, and the tragedy of the film is in the disconnect between the stories they want to write (the images they have of themselves) and the stories they end up writing (their lived experiences).


Ill write in that that thread but i liked oslo even more and i certainly think trier is someone to watch.

Oh, cool. I look forward to some impressions from someone who has seen it more recently (I tried to write something but my memory sucks too much for more than a single rambling paragraph).

[B-side]

http://blogs.westword.com/showandtell/03%20cool%20story%20bro.jpg

It's the most exciting thing that's happened in my life in many a moon.:sad:

[MadMan]

I use it when talented directors fall back on their tropes too much and veer towards self-parody territory.

Such as:
Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic
PT Anderson's Magnolia
Tarantino's Death Proof (which I still liked for the most part)
Baumbach's Margot at the Wedding
David Lynch's Wild at Heart
To name a few examples.

I didn't hate any of these (well maybe Wild at Heart), but it felt like the directors were spinning their wheels and not getting out of their comfort zone enough. Or in the case of Magnolia: reading their own "he's a genius" fawning press and making something overcooked and overlong.Out of the ones I've seen on this list, I find The Life Aquatic and Wild At Heart to both be truly great movies. I liked Death Proof well enough, sure, but I don't think that it was self parody so much as QT making it really quickly, complete with the whole "I could direct a movie while in bed" mentality.


Well, the blu-ray for a trip to the moon looks astonishing

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/A-Trip-to-the-Moon-Blu-ray/36593/#ReviewWhoa. That's a must buy/watch.


Nobody warned me that Bottle Rocket was so much better than the rest of Anderson's films.Its better than The Darjeeling Limited/Hotel Chavalier and Fantastic Mr. Fox, but that's about it.

[Melville]

Ah, same.
Thoughts on Tourneur/Lewton films generally? I'm not sure if there are more I should see.

[B-side]

Thoughts on Tourneur/Lewton films generally? I'm not sure if there are more I should see.

I've enjoyed the two I've seen -- I Walked with a Zombie and Cat People -- but I wasn't in love with them. Granted, I'm not big on horror in general, so it was likely inevitable that I wouldn't find them tremendously fruitful experiences. I hear The Leopard Man and The Seventh Victim are good.

[Melville]

I've enjoyed the two I've seen -- I Walked with a Zombie and Cat People -- but I wasn't in love with them. Granted, I'm not big on horror in general, so it was likely inevitable that I wouldn't find them tremendously fruitful experiences. I hear The Leopard Man and The Seventh Victim are good.
Hm. Seventh Victim sounds good. I'll check that one out.

[Rowland]

The Curse of the Cat People, its goofy name notwithstanding, is viewed by many, myself included on some days, as the best of Lewton's bunch, and it barely resembles a horror film.

[Rowland]

Okay, so like, I don't get how Universal Soldier: Regeneration was as good as it was.It's one of the best action films of the last few years, which is an amazing feat given its roots and pedigree. I hope its director John Hyams, son of super-hack Peter Hyams, has a productive career ahead of him. Since this film, he's made Dragon Eyes, which I believe may have actually just recently been released (trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJQGPmpp7oQ&feature=player_embedded)), and he has yet another Universal Soldier sequel scheduled to be released later this year.

[Morris Schæffer]

It's one of the best action films of the last few years, which is an amazing feat given its roots and pedigree. I hope its director John Hyams, son of super-hack Peter Hyams, has a productive career ahead of him. Since this film, he's made Dragon Eyes, which I believe may have actually just recently been released (trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJQGPmpp7oQ&feature=player_embedded)), and he has yet another Universal Soldier sequel scheduled to be released later this year.

Or not given that my granny could have made a sequel superior to part two. ;). But yeah fun movie although part of the charm was sort of The Expendables factor in that aging action stars should never die.

[B-side]

High Noon kinda confuses me. I went in thinking it was going to be an allegorical critique of McCarthyism -- this idea formed mostly around the fact that John Wayne hated it and called it the most un-American movie ever made -- but I didn't come out thinking that. It was probably a dumb idea to go in thinking that. Rather, the film seems to me to be a pretty blunt endorsement of the sort of bullheaded, misguided politics of the Red Scare. Kane is made to be the lone brave man in town. The only person willing to take on the murderers. Everybody else is too afraid or indifferent. Granted, the situation is complicated just a bit by his wife's pacifism and the recruitment scenes in the bar and church, but that wasn't enough to truly gray the black and white ethics at play. Zinnemann was German, so you might think he'd have a slightly different take on this, and it was produced by Stanley Kramer, who was supposedly liberal. Obviously, to be a fan of westerns, one has to be able to tolerate macho politics, and I can appreciate a narrative endorsing bravery, but the political atmosphere surrounding this one is making me reel a bit. Typically, I don't allow speculative politics to dictate my opinion of a movie much, if at all, so this is a tough situation.

[Irish]

Well on the bright side (ha!), we got Rio Bravo out of it, so that turned out to be a good deal.

[Thirdmango]

Life Aquatic is my personal favorite Anderson.

[Mr. McGibblets]

High Noon kinda confuses me. I went in thinking it was going to be an allegorical critique of McCarthyism -- this idea formed mostly around the fact that John Wayne hated it and called it the most un-American movie ever made -- but I didn't come out thinking that. It was probably a dumb idea to go in thinking that. Rather, the film seems to me to be a pretty blunt endorsement of the sort of bullheaded, misguided politics of the Red Scare. Kane is made to be the lone brave man in town. The only person willing to take on the murderers. Everybody else is too afraid or indifferent. Granted, the situation is complicated just a bit by his wife's pacifism and the recruitment scenes in the bar and church, but that wasn't enough to truly gray the black and white ethics at play. Zinnemann was German, so you might think he'd have a slightly different take on this, and it was produced by Stanley Kramer, who was supposedly liberal. Obviously, to be a fan of westerns, one has to be able to tolerate macho politics, and I can appreciate a narrative endorsing bravery, but the political atmosphere surrounding this one is making me reel a bit. Typically, I don't allow speculative politics to dictate my opinion of a movie much, if at all, so this is a tough situation.

The bad guys in the film are supposed to represent McCarthyism, not communism. The people in the film are afraid to stand up to them, as people in America were afraid to stand up against it. They're willing to leave the victims of McCarthy to deal with it by themselves.

[Rowland]

But yeah fun movie although part of the charm was sort of The Expendables factor in that aging action stars should never die.And unlike The Expendables, it really mines that subtext in a relatively rich manner, by DTV standards for sure.

[Yxklyx]

The Curse of the Cat People, its goofy name notwithstanding, is viewed by many, myself included on some days, as the best of Lewton's bunch, and it barely resembles a horror film.

I much prefer the last three Val Lewton's over the earlier films.

The Body Snatcher
Isle of the Dead
Bedlam

[MadMan]

The only Val Lewton produced movies I haven't seen yet are Curse of the Cat People, Ghost Ship and Bedlam. I have TCM to thank for that. Also the TCM documentary on Val Lewton was really quite good and very interesting.

As much as I like discussing politics, I've viewed High Noon twice and really have not even been interested by why it was made, or what the movie's symbolism is. I just find it to be an expertly made, truly great western with film performances from its talented cast.

[Ivan Drago]

Possession (1981) - ****

I'm really thinking about seeing this when it comes to my arthouse theater near me soon as a repertory film. However, I saw the trailer for it before Battle Royale, and my friends who saw it with me chuckled over how cheesy it looked. Is this not the case?

[Qrazy]

The bad guys in the film are supposed to represent McCarthyism, not communism. The people in the film are afraid to stand up to them, as people in America were afraid to stand up against it. They're willing to leave the victims of McCarthy to deal with it by themselves.

Indeed.

[Melville]

I'm really thinking about seeing this when it comes to my arthouse theater near me soon as a repertory film. However, I saw the trailer for it before Battle Royale, and my friends who saw it with me chuckled over how cheesy it looked. Is this not the case?
It's amazing. In my top 10 (see my av). It's so unhinged and portentous that you might find it cheesy, but it seems like something you'd like.

EDIT: also, it seems like something you could enjoy for its ridiculousness even if you didn't think it was great.

[Dead & Messed Up]

The Curse of the Cat People, its goofy name notwithstanding, is viewed by many, myself included on some days, as the best of Lewton's bunch, and it barely resembles a horror film.

I prefer the straightforward success of Cat People to Curse, although the latter is still excellent in my eyes.

Honestly, I love The Leopard Man the most right now.

[D_Davis]

I hope you do. Seriously, I don't think you'll regret it.

Yeah. It's pretty much a whole other movie.

[Qrazy]

Hm. Seventh Victim sounds good. I'll check that one out.

Yeah I think it's my favorite of all those.

[Sven]

Seventh Victim is my favorite.

[Yxklyx]

What the fuck is this?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1230552/

More Things That Happened - David Lynch - 76m

This isn't much more than weird/creepy dialogues and improvised monologues. It held my interest for about the first 50 minutes but then Laura Dern goes into this improvised monologue with the silent listener from Inland Empire that goes on and on and on with nothing really interesting to say - followed by a very long scene of four lowly hookers doing nothing much on the street.

[Pop Trash]

I'm really thinking about seeing this when it comes to my arthouse theater near me soon as a repertory film. However, I saw the trailer for it before Battle Royale, and my friends who saw it with me chuckled over how cheesy it looked. Is this not the case?

Lots of people were laughing at my screening, but some of it may have been uncomfortable nervous laughter. There's a karate chopping metrosexual German guy in the movie who is hilarious though.

[Pop Trash]

Also, you're clearly a fan of outre cult movies, so Possession would be right up your alley Ivan.

[Izzy Black]

I prefer Neil LaBute's version with Gwenyth Paltrow.

[Rowland]

I much prefer the last three Val Lewton's over the earlier films.

The Body Snatcher
Isle of the Dead
BedlamYou know, while I still haven't seen the latter two, The Body Snatcher really surprised me given its subordinate reputation within the Lewton body of work. It definitely deserves more attention, ditto The Ghost Ship.
I prefer the straightforward success of Cat People to Curse, although the latter is still excellent in my eyes.

Honestly, I love The Leopard Man the most right now.Cat People was my first exposure to Lewton many years ago, been meaning to revisit it. While I recall liking it a great deal, it doesn't rank as a personal favorite. I probably prefer The Leopard Man over it as well, but that's one I believe is more likely to really resonate with passionate horror fans.

[B-side]

The bad guys in the film are supposed to represent McCarthyism, not communism. The people in the film are afraid to stand up to them, as people in America were afraid to stand up against it. They're willing to leave the victims of McCarthy to deal with it by themselves.

Hm. You may be onto something. Apparently Gary Cooper was an avowed anti-communist, so Zinnemann may have slipped this one past him.

[Spun Lepton]

Watched The Muppets last weekend. I'm probably going to pick up the Blu-Ray. Best Muppets movie since the original. Loved it. 8/10

[Morris Schæffer]

http://img2-3.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/060815/12207__marine_l.jpg

The Marine was a pretty bonkers action flick with an amusing villainous turn by Robert Patrick and some funny nods to T2 and Deliverance. The action direction was competent enough, but Cena, besides being literally indestructible, was dullllllllllllll. [•½]

http://www.dvdactive.com/images/reviews/screenshot/2003/1/eight2_copy0.jpg

Eight Legged Freaks was allright. Kinda funny how, the bigger the spiders got, the less creepy this entire endeavor became. Sure, it's meant to be cheesy as well, but the balance was off. FX ranged from good to decent, some of the acting was pretty bad, which is I suppose the point, but overall a solid homage populated with characters I just couldn't bring myself to care about except for the mathematical certainty that Kari Wuhrer is hot! [•½]

[Derek]

I believe you're looking for the Masochism Thread, Morris.

[MadMan]

Hm. You may be onto something. Apparently Gary Cooper was an avowed anti-communist, so Zinnemann may have slipped this one past him.Nah from my understanding Cooper did the movie even though he knew what the subject matter was really about. Which is cool of him. A halfway decent actor shouldn't let politics impact what roles they choose imo.

The Body Snatcher is really good, and features an excellent Karloff performance. I liked Isle of the Dead, but I want to revisit that one along with The Seventh Victim (not really a fan) and The Leopard Man for the third time (just because its good, plus I now view it as possibly the earliest slasher film).

Possession was a film I found both great and somewhat disturbing. Plus, it has Sam Neil so that's an added bonus.

Oh and I really liked Eight Legged Freaks. Its a nice love letter to the old school 50s monster movies, and works best when viewed as such. The comedy may be a bit hit and miss, but the when the jokes landed I laughed quite a bit.

[Boner M]

A friend alerted me to this IMDb user list (http://www.imdb.com/list/nSXBgJYyRtc/). Well worth puzzling over.

[B-side]

A friend alerted me to this IMDb user list (http://www.imdb.com/list/nSXBgJYyRtc/). Well worth puzzling over.

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/mfw/computershock.gif

[Morris Schæffer]

I believe you're looking for the Masochism Thread, Morris.

There's more crazyness coming up with the double bill of Piranha 2: The Spawning and Skyline.

But relax, these movies were acquired by other means. How do I mean that? Well, other means.

[Raiders]

Hm. You may be onto something. Apparently Gary Cooper was an avowed anti-communist, so Zinnemann may have slipped this one past him.

I say stick to your initial guns. The film is hardly convincing as any kind of anti-McCarthy sentiment. I doubt so many anti-Communist people would have confused and applauded the film (I find it funny the USSR despised the film as well). I have never seen why this is a film held in such high regard. So much of the film rests on Cooper's shoulders, and he is monotonous and boring, just content to merely walk around with a pained expression on his face.

I will stick up for the film against Howard Hawks' bizarre complaint (and the reason he made Rio Bravo) that Cooper failed to be a traditional western hero, which is precisely the point. Hawks could run circles around Zinnemann so his film winds up being the better one, but it seems so strange for the man who made one of Hollywood's (and cinema's) greatest statements against hard-edged masculinity in Only Angels Have Wings would suddenly view a western with a nervous sheriff seeking help as bad cinema.

[B-side]

I say stick to your initial guns. The film is hardly convincing as any kind of anti-McCarthy sentiment. I doubt so many anti-Communist people would have confused and applauded the film (I find it funny the USSR despised the film as well). I have never seen why this is a film held in such high regard. So much of the film rests on Cooper's shoulders, and he is monotonous and boring, just content to merely walk around with a pained expression on his face.

I will stick up for the film against Howard Hawks' bizarre complaint (and the reason he made Rio Bravo) that Cooper failed to be a traditional western hero, which is precisely the point. Hawks could run circles around Zinnemann so his film winds up being the better one, but it seems so strange for the man who made one of Hollywood's (and cinema's) greatest statements against hard-edged masculinity in Only Angels Have Wings would suddenly view a western with a nervous sheriff seeking help as bad cinema.

I'm a big Cooper fan, and I really dug him in this. Even outside of its politics, it's a tight, tense experience. I can see both readings, really. Perhaps it's better that way.

[Qrazy]

Either way, does it really matter what the exact political subtext is? It's a film about everyone you know bailing on you in a time of need which is very true to life in my opinion.

Rio Bravo is an obnoxious film.

[Irish]

Either way, does it really matter what the exact political subtext is? It's a film about everyone you know bailing on you in a time of need which is very true to life in my opinion.

Rio Bravo is an obnoxious film.

There's probably a good movie to be made with that script, but High Noon wasn't it, mostly for he reasons Raiders notes.

Not sure what you could find obnoxious about Rio Bravo. Maybe the slightly forced romance or Ricky Martin's presence but .. Other than that?

[Melville]

Everybody was right: Seventh Victim was probably my favorite of the Tourneur/Lewton movies I've watched. Very quiet and melancholy. I like the strain of Romanticism running through these movies. And Tom Conway rocks the dark and smug style.

[Kurosawa Fan]

A friend alerted me to this IMDb user list (http://www.imdb.com/list/nSXBgJYyRtc/). Well worth puzzling over.

Maybe I'm just exhausted from studying for finals, but this made me laugh really hard. I don't ever want an explanation. The mystery is pure gold.

[Rowland]

Everybody was right: Seventh Victim was probably my favorite of the Tourneur/Lewton movies I've watched. Very quiet and melancholy. I like the strain of Romanticism running through these movies. And Tom Conway rocks the dark and smug style.The Seventh Victim is actually directed by Mark Robson, who also directed the underestimated Ghost Ship and the last two Lewton productions, Bedlam and Isle of the Dead, neither of which I've yet seen. The only Tourneur-directed Lewton you haven't seen is The Leopard Man, which is a wonderful film, but also the closest to resembling a modern horror film. It's actually fascinating as a sort of proto-giallo/slasher flick, albeit just about the classiest one ever made.

Speaking of The Seventh Victim, I wonder if Lynch was inspired by the scene in which the detective disappears down the dark hallway for his similar scene featuring Bill Pullman in Lost Highway.

[Boner M]

Jacques Rivette reportedly screened The Seventh Victim to his cast and crew before making Duelle. I haven't seen that particular Rivette, but it's not surprising that he'd love TSV given its mood and thematic preoccupations (hermetic societies, cities as labyrinths).

[Melville]

The Seventh Victim is actually directed by Mark Robson, who also directed the underestimated Ghost Ship and the last two Lewton productions, Bedlam and Isle of the Dead, neither of which I've yet seen.
Well, that explains the mysterious "(Mark Robson)" following the title in the file name. It might also explain the less dramatic lighting, though that might've just been me not paying attention. I'll check out The Leopard Man.

[EyesWideOpen]

The whole scene in If.... with Malcolm McDowell and Christine Noonan in the diner is really something amazing.

[Rowland]

Hmm, I didn't expect to like Carnage and Shame more than Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. This last month or so that I've spent catching up with the remaining 2011 releases I was really excited for has proved underwhelming, nothing has been anywhere near breaking the list I finalized for our award stuff. Oh well, there are still a few more I'm firmly intent on seeing, after which I think I'll move on for now.

[Pop Trash]

Hmm, I didn't expect to like Carnage and Shame more than Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. This last month or so that I've spent catching up with the remaining 2011 releases I was really excited for has proved underwhelming, nothing has been anywhere near breaking the list I finalized for our award stuff. Oh well, there are still a few more I'm firmly intent on seeing, after which I think I'll move on for now.

This reminds me that I rented A Dangerous Method, kept it for a few days, and never could get up the enthusiasm to watch it. Weird since I'm a pretty huge Cronenberg fan.

[Rowland]

This reminds me that I rented A Dangerous Method, kept it for a few days, and never could get up the enthusiasm to watch it. Weird since I'm a pretty huge Cronenberg fan.I'm sure some around here, and certainly many critics, would disagree, but I found it to be a distinctly minor effort by Cronenberg standards. Isn't Scanners widely considered to be one of his weakest? I'd watch that again over A Dangerous Method almost any day. It was perfectly fine mind you, and far more illustrative of his thematic preoccupations than I anticipated, but in the end it left me pretty indifferent.

[MadMan]

I prefer High Noon over Rio Bravo, actually (irrelevant since both are great movies). Which reminds me that I need to bump my westerns thread again-I believe I last left it on #10.

God help me I enjoyed Immortals (2011) a lot. I can agree with what some of DaMU said although my rating is a bit higher (no surprise there) and I actually would view a sequel if they ever made one. Also this movie just makes me a bit depressed that we are getting Wraith of the Titans this year, a film that looks as joyless and soulless as its predecessor.

Heh I've seen Piranha 2: The Spawning. It is indeed godawful in a rather hilarious way, and poor James Cameron was brought in to try and fix the picture. Not even he could do it.

[B-side]

When Kenji Mizoguchi and Satyajit Ray dolly, they make magic.

[Morris Schæffer]

45 minutes into 2010's Skyline, and I'm surprised it's pretty non-awful. Perhaps it's going to derail spectacularly in the final stretch, but so far it's got my attention...somewhat.

[Russ]

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff324/astrojester/The-Sound-of-Insects-Reco-001.jpg

The Sound of Insects: Record of a Mummy (Peter Liechti, 2009) pro +

A description of Swiss filmmaker Liechti's adaptation of Masahiko Shimada's novel (based on true events) would seem like a hard sell: the film is a collection of images, over which an unseen narrator chronicles the final sixty-plus days of the protaganist's life, as recorded in a diary, from the time he first decides to build an encampment in a remote forest to begin a quest to commit suicide by starvation. Although the film won the 2009 European Film Awards for best documentary, many critics questioned that praise, saying that the film provided no context, and hence the viewer learned nothing about the subject (who he was, why he wanted to die, etc).

That is all true. We don't really learn anything. The film is comprised of the reading of journal entries, sometmes wistful, sometimes philosophical, sometimes matter-of-fact (Day 32: "Today I had a bowel movement"), but nearly always compelling as the viewer gains insight into the mind of a man who has resigned himself to (and is at peace with) his decision.

Sound and visuals are crucial in portraying the man's painfully slow journey towards death. The constant sounds of insects and the images of remote woodlands eventually give way to increasingly hallucinogenic imaginings of abstractions and visions of possible past memories, along with mininmalist ambient electronics that waver between comfort and creepiness. And it's all grounded by the man's gradual acclimation to the inevitable.

You may come away learning nothing, but that's ok. It's not really a film that teaches. It's a film that shares. If you are on its wavelength (and that's probably a big if), you will come away enriched. That's all I got.

[Dukefrukem]

Love these;

http://blastr.com/uploads/star-wars-info-08.jpg
http://blastr.com/uploads/star-wars-info-02.jpg
http://blastr.com/uploads/star-wars-info-01.jpg
http://blastr.com/uploads/star-wars-info-03.jpg

[Qrazy]

There's probably a good movie to be made with that script, but High Noon wasn't it, mostly for he reasons Raiders notes.

Not sure what you could find obnoxious about Rio Bravo. Maybe the slightly forced romance or Ricky Martin's presence but .. Other than that?

Raiders only complaint above (aside from the political subtext which I pushed aside as only of tangential significance) is that Cooper's performance is not interesting. I don't agree. High Noon is a very well constructed film and I think setting it in real time for much of it's run time really works in it's favor. You feel the passage of time ticking by and it's significance.

---

Rio Bravo... the song, the buddy/buddy friendship, the general attitude of the film. I find it's insistence that I buy into it's charms obnoxious in and of itself. Overall I'm not much of a fan of Hawks. I like a couple of his films but I am often underwhelmed by the overall attitude of his films. I won't even say it's the dramatic direction exactly because they're well acted but I am not enthusiastic about his aesthetic (beyond the visual, the way he looks at the world). His Girl Friday, Bringing Up Baby and Red River (minus the shit ending) are probably my favorites from him. I also like The Big Sleep, Man's Favorite Sport and Only Angels Have Wings. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Big Sky, Scarface and Sergeant York I find extremely problematic.

[B-side]

Raiders only complaint above (aside from the political subtext which I pushed aside as only of tangential significance) is that Cooper's performance is not interesting. I don't agree. High Noon is a very well constructed film and I think setting it in real time for much of it's run time really works in it's favor. You feel the passage of time ticking by and it's significance.

Agreed, which is why, even if it was a product of silly McCarthyist paranoia, it's still a good film. Even a great one, possibly.

[Irish]

Rio Bravo... the song, the buddy/buddy friendship, the general attitude of the film. I find it's insistence that I buy into it's charms obnoxious in and of itself. Overall I'm not much of a fan of Hawks. I like a couple of his films but I am often underwhelmed by the overall attitude of his films. I won't even say it's the dramatic direction exactly because they're well acted but I am not enthusiastic about his aesthetic (beyond the visual, the way he looks at the world). His Girl Friday, Bringing Up Baby and Red River (minus the shit ending) are probably my favorites from him. I also like The Big Sleep, Man's Favorite Sport and Only Angels Have Wings. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Big Sky, Scarface and Sergeant York I find extremely problematic.

If you're bored & inclined, expand more on the bolded part. (Doesn't every movie require a certain amount of buy-in?). As it stands, it sounds like you just hate Dean Martin. :P

Agreed on your list. But I think that's enough. I mean, most people would give their right arm to make a half dozen movies as good as the ones you named here.

[B-side]

Diary of a Country Priest might be my new favorite Bresson. Kierkegaardian faith vis-Ã*-vis existential crisis and illness. The sequence involving the countess and the priest is brilliant.

[Wryan]

Not sure why, but I acquired Transformers 3 and watched it last night. It's a shame Michael Bay sucks in so many other ways, because sometimes he can really put a starkly beautiful shot or moment together. And his action scenes can be pretty bold and fun. The visuals and effects and action are so crisp and eye-popping, you can practically see Bay furiously beating off while he yells at his editors to speed up the dialogue scenes. Movie was funnier than I thought it would be, though.

[Raiders]

Brightside: "acquire" Kirsanoff's Rapt (The Kidnapping) immediately. One of the best films ever made, I'm already convinced. Can't imagine you not loving this one. Heck, everyone should see it, but you sprung to mind first.

[Russ]

Brightside: "acquire" Kirsanoff's Rapt (The Kidnapping) immediately. One of the best films ever made, I'm already convinced. Can't imagine you not loving this one. Heck, everyone should see it, but you sprung to mind first.
I'm not Brightside, but I am currently "acquiring" it. Sounds fascinating.

[StanleyK]

I finally got off my ass and watched Claire Denis' L'Intrus. Someone on this site told me it wasn't any less accessible than her more well-known work; well, they were wrong. The only honest assessment I can give is 'I don't get it'. At least it's not boring like Friday Night (plenty of wacky things happen here; hearts get cut out, people are dragged through the snow by horses, there's trips to exotic lands, colorful christenings of ships- I didn't understand the significance of any of it, but there's quite a bit of variety), but where I feel that with Beau Travail and Trouble Every Day she strikes a perfect balance between elliptical, fascinating storytelling and giving the audience enough to work with, here she tipped too heavily towards the first, to the point where it isn't even that fascinating, just mostly confusing. Maybe it's a film that can improve with a later viewing after I've read about and know what happens at least on a surface level; as it is, it continued the trend with Denis where I only like every other film I watch from her. I guess this means the next one I see should be pretty good.

[Scar]

Okay, so like, I don't get how Universal Soldier: Regeneration was as good as it was.


I was very surprised with this one today. Overall, I quite enjoyed it, and The Pit Bull was impressive. Of course, being an MMA vet makes his fights scenes all that much better.

The one part that didn't sit well with me was when:

JC mows through a ton of people in the open area. Felt kind of, lame. I did thoroughly enjoy once he got in to the building, though.

EDIT: Also, it needed more Dolph.

[B-side]

Brightside: "acquire" Kirsanoff's Rapt (The Kidnapping) immediately. One of the best films ever made, I'm already convinced. Can't imagine you not loving this one. Heck, everyone should see it, but you sprung to mind first.

I actually have that on my hard drive already. I might try and give it a watch tonight. I'm glad you thought of me. If only you thought of me half as often as I think of you... while I'm alone... in my bed... and my hands are wandering down my torso... I'll stop.

[Derek]

Raiders/Russ/B-side - You all seen Kirsanoff's Menilemontant? If not, do so post haste. Best axe murder in cinema history this side of L'Argent.

I'm all over Rapt - sounds great.

[B-side]

Raiders/Russ/B-side - You all seen Kirsanoff's Menilemontant? If not, do so post haste. Best axe murder in cinema history this side of L'Argent.

I watched it a while ago under less than ideal circumstances, so I need to rewatch it.

Speaking of L'Argent, I've been wanting to rewatch that. Was my favorite Bresson when I watched it, then I watched The Devil, Probably, which then became my favorite, then I watched Mouchette, which was then my favorite until I watched Diary of a Country Priest.:P

[soitgoes...]

Raiders/Russ/B-side - You all seen Kirsanoff's Menilemontant? If not, do so post haste. Best axe murder in cinema history this side of L'Argent.

I'm all over Rapt - sounds great.

I know Raiders has seen it as well. One of the best silent films.

[Ezee E]

Rewatched Do The Right Thing... I'm impressed that it remains completely relevant to today, despite the pop culture differences and changes in fashion (man, it was bad).

[Russ]

Brightside: "acquire" Kirsanoff's Rapt (The Kidnapping) immediately. One of the best films ever made, I'm already convinced. Can't imagine you not loving this one. Heck, everyone should see it, but you sprung to mind first.
Raiders, I gotta hand it to you. I'm in 100% agreement with you on this. Absolutely breathtaking. I've never seen anything quite like it, certainly not of its era. The second half is riveting stuff: I wanted to rewatch it almost immediately. Astonishing use of non-diegetic sound used for wind, lightning, bells -- the thunderstorm sequence after the festival was brilliant. And when you add the masterful direction and cinematography, this really is an unforgettable film that needs to be rewatched, absorbed, studied and dissected.

In other words, this is a major discovery that has my highest praise. Now, I got to get my hands on Menilemontant.

[Yxklyx]

Raiders, I gotta hand it to you. I'm in 100% agreement with you on this. Absolutely breathtaking. I've never seen anything quite like it, certainly not of its era. The second half is riveting stuff: I wanted to rewatch it almost immediately. Astonishing use of non-diegetic sound used for wind, lightning, bells -- the thunderstorm sequence after the festival was brilliant. And when you add the masterful direction and cinematography, this really is an unforgettable film that needs to be rewatched, absorbed, studied and dissected.

In other words, this is a major discovery that has my highest praise. Now, I got to get my hands on Menilemontant.

That one's easy to find - where did you find Rapt at?

[Raiders]

If between work, family and 2am feedings I can find time I really want to write something in-depth on the experience of watching Kirsanoff's film. Suffice to say though, that even if I have seen a mere fraction of a fraction of cinema there is to see, I really had begun to feel like I had sampled what it had to offer. After Deren, Anger, Conner, Man Ray, Kirsanoff himself, modern guys like Arnold and Tscherkassky, not to mention every non avant-garde filmmaker who paved cinema streets, I didn't really expect to find something that felt "new." Yet, Kirsanoff's film felt like a discovery, like something that even 80 years later was unique unto itself and gave me an appreciation for cinema techniques and possibilities I hadn't seen before. Such a phenomenal achievement.

[Russ]

That one's easy to find - where did you find Rapt at?


HE GOT IT FROM A DVD HE BOUGHT WITH CURRENCY


(check yr pms for rs links)

[StanleyK]

(s) Her Sister's Rival (Bauer, 1916) **½

Aw... What'd you dislike about it?

[Yxklyx]

HE GOT IT FROM A DVD HE BOUGHT WITH CURRENCY

Aren't these early 30s films in the public domain? That's why I was so open about it.

[Russ]

Aren't these early 30s films in the public domain? That's why I was so open about it.
Yeah, that's what I imagine. I just trotted out bs's stock retort for yucks.

[B-side]

Yeah, that's what I imagine. I just trotted out bs's stock retort for yucks.

:lol:

You guys are inflating my expectations beyond reason. I will be blaming both of you if I'm not blown away.

[Grouchy]

Today I saw in the Filmoteca a very rare Browning/Chaney collaboration, West of Zanzibar. In this silent flick, Chaney is a magician whose wife is cheating on him. When he discovers it he falls off a railing and is crippled. Fifteen years later he lives in Africa, wins the admiration of a voodoo tribe, is nicknamed "Dead-Legs", and plans his elaborate revenge on the man who ruined his life, who's now an ivory merchant.

Film is atmospheric and constantly entertaining. The over the top nature of the character's plight and his revenge which I will not reveal here make it so melodramatic that I would not even call it a Horror film, despite the director and actor. There's an abrupt shift in the story when we're quickly introduced to the magician's new life in Africa, and I was kind of lost about the plot to be quite honest. This makes sense since Wikipedia tells me Browning filmed scenes that are now missing from the existing film.

A personal aside. The fact that I live in a city where I can watch a 16mm copy of this with live music (strings and drums) for a ridiculous price in international currency has confirmed an attitude that I've been having for some time, which is that - aside from the movies I might consider for my film club (www.quienesramonareyes.com.ar ) - I'll try to skip entirely on home viewings from now on. Not an easy time for downloading anything right now with Megaupload closing and stuff, and I haven't watched a DVD in months. I like the theater experience too much and I have more than enough with new releases (still haven't seen The Avengers) and alternative avenues like this one.

[Qrazy]

Obviously anyone who gives a shit about film on Match-cut is going to watch that film now. Just as anyone who gives a shit should have watched the collected works of Aleksei German and Alexander Mackendrick by now.

[MadMan]

Obviously anyone who gives a shit about film on Match-cut is going to watch that film now. Just as anyone who gives a shit should have watched the collected works of Aleksei German and Alexander Mackendrick by now.http://theuniblog.evilspacerobot.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/2ic1nqf.gif

[B-side]

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

Famously neutral Switzerland is the setting of the political allegory The Kidnapping. During a routine day in the mountainous greens, a man's dog pursues another man's goat. The dog's owner calls for him to return, but the dog refuses and continues to chase the goat. While the dog's owner searches for the dog, the goat's owner picks up a rock and hurls it at the dog, killing it. This is the impetus for the titular kidnapping. While confronting the man who threw the rock, asking if he'd seen his dog, a beautiful blonde woman approaches the home and runs to her lover's arms, coincidentally the man who threw the rock. Eyeing both an opportunity for revenge and a wife, he kidnaps her and brings her to his village on the other side of the mountain. The denizens of this new village don't take kindly to her; fearing her foreignness and maintaining distance. A peg-legged man walks into town selling goods in the guise of a traveling salesman, and while in the kidnapper's house, delivers her a letter that informs her of the village's intent to get her back, thus setting into motion the plot that sees her using her charms to win the kidnapper's favor and that of a town madman who can't speak but rather babbles and gestures. In one scene, she can be witnessed removing the crucifix from the wall she's kept in and replacing it with a mirror given to her by her kidnapper. Switzerland was an important base of espionage for both the Axis and Allied powers in WWII, and the town madman is no doubt representative of the type of individual whose discontent was easily fed by the Germans, manipulating them into joining their forces. During an earlier scene of deception by the kidnapped woman, the madman accidentally sets fire to some hay on the ground after carelessly tossing a cigarette. Instead of putting it out with the water nearby, he throws more hay on the fire and dances maniacally, a foreshadowing of later, far more tragic events.

The rural milieu, for which I clearly have a soft spot for, offers a glimmer of middle ground between the two opposing sides and perhaps more broadly, an indifferent observer to the human chaos within its enclosure. Clouds slide and engulf mountaintops and animals roam freely. The sun peeks out behind the clouds and around the man-made architecture. Kirsanoff's, born in Estonia, beginnings were in the French avant-garde movement. He'd been known for his work in experimental cinema, working in the same era and region as Man Ray, Hans Richter, Marcel Duchamp, etc., so it's easy to see where his predilection for formal experimentation and highly visual storytelling came from. Like Switzerland, Kirsanoff doesn't explicitly lean in one direction, instead allowing his film to be the battleground while he plucks the strings above and lets loose his unique form and expressionistic visual and aural concoction. The latter best represented in a scene in which, after a typically jarring transition between scenes seemingly meant for sound and others not, Kirsanoff's film anticipates conflict by rendering all sound non-digetic, discordant and akin to a record scratching backward. The editing cuts quickly and the shadows are juxtaposed with white hot light. The Kidnapping is something special in the realm of 1930s cinema, something likely ahead of its time, which might explain why it was so heavily cut. A full 19 minutes, according to IMDb.


http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Movie%20Caps%20Pt%202/vlcsnap-2012-04-29-05h15m58s204_400x300.jpg

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[Raiders]

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Miscellaneous/thekidnappingjournalbanner.png The Kidnapping is something special in the realm of 1930s cinema, something likely ahead of its time, which might explain why it was so heavily cut. A full 19 minutes, according to IMDb.


I see that IMDb mentions some French cut of 102 minutes, but I can't actually find anything online about it being cut down from its original length. Did you find something?

[B-side]

I see that IMDb mentions some French cut of 102 minutes, but I can't actually find anything online about it being cut down from its original length. Did you find something?

Nothing specific, but it stands to reason since he was vacillating between commercial and personal fare at the time that something of his would get edited for better public reception.

[Qrazy]

Nothing specific, but it stands to reason since he was vacillating between commercial and personal fare at the time that something of his would get edited for better public reception.

Okay Fox News.

[Russ]

Nice review, Brightside. I really loved the film because it's so thematically rich. Apart from the political allegory you mention, there's also the pervasive air of sexual tension and gender politics that gives another dimension to some of the more obvious conflicts. I found it interesting how Elsi, initially equated as mere property that served to replace the loss of a dog, is anything but powerless. Her disruptive and corrupting influence over the other villagers (at the festival) and especially her exploitation of the "innocent" (the village idiot) with sexual overtures rather succinctly showed who wielded the real power. What does it say that Firmin's mother and fiance are quickly relegated to situational afterthoughts? The symbolism's great too -- especially the insect montage, featuring a rather overt flower pollination scene (as the villagers prepare for Sunday's pilgrimage). I'm also interested in the portrayal of the two peoples -- seems as if one is more rigid and traditional while the other might be more enlightened and carnal (and possibly non-spiritual). The way the story takes a slightly sinister (almost O'Henry-ish) turn, it seems as if it almost belonged in one of the old Afred Hitchcock Hour's shows that specialized in people getting their just desserts.

[Russ]

Btw, one thing I've come to learn over the last year or two -- French cinema of the 20's and 30's is simply the best. Over that span I've discovered the likes of Feyder, Ophuls, Grémillon, L'Herbier, Duvivier -- and Brightside/Raiders/Derek - have you seen Duvivier's silent (and his sound remake) film versions of Poil de Carotte -- aka The Red Head (yes, as in red-headed step-child)? If not, I recommend you do so. Both are terrific (I slightly prefer the sound version) and well worth seeking out.

[Grouchy]

The film I was talking about was remade a few years later as a talkie starring Walter Huston in the Chaney role, Kongo.

Maybe Mara, reigning queen of the Pre-Codes, has seen it.

[Russ]

The film I was talking about was remade a few years later as a talkie starring Walter Huston in the Chaney role, Kongo.

Maybe Mara, reigning queen of the Pre-Codes, has seen it.
I really enjoyed West of Zanzibar, which is the best, I think, of the Browning/Chaney collaborations. Certainly one of Chaney's finest roles. While I haven't yet seen Kongo, I understand that it's even more lurid than WoZ (which means I need to see it).

[dreamdead]

Watched Murnau's Tabu. It doesn't have the cinematographic artistry of Sunrise, but I thought its treatment of the Other was interesting. Certainly there's a kind of Malick-like innocence (and interrogation thereof) of the native population. I like the ending, which is appropriately melancholy, but the almost naturalistic cinematography at the ending, which maintains its distance from our protagonist, mutes some of its overall power. I wish I liked this one just a bit more...

[soitgoes...]

Btw, one thing I've come to learn over the last year or two -- French cinema of the 20's and 30's is simply the best. Over that span I've discovered the likes of Feyder, Ophuls, Grémillon, L'Herbier, Duvivier -- and Brightside/Raiders/Derek - have you seen Duvivier's silent (and his sound remake) film versions of Poil de Carotte -- aka The Red Head (yes, as in red-headed step-child)? If not, I recommend you do so. Both are terrific (I slightly prefer the sound version) and well worth seeking out.
Check out Au bonheur des dames, La bandera, Little Lise, and Carnival in Flanders if you haven't yet. Also Raymond Bernard, the Fanny trilogy films, Germaine Dulac, Epstein and after Jean Renoir perhaps the best early French film director, Abel Gance.

I started watching Rapt last night, and some of the imagery looks very similar to Gance's La roue.

[Spinal]

I wish I liked this one just a bit more...

I wish you did too. (http://filmepidemic.blogspot.com/search?q=tabu)

[soitgoes...]

I started watching Rapt last night, and some of the imagery looks very similar to Gance's La roue.So I just finished this, and it is indeed pretty great. The ending montage is top notch cinema. The film blends French Impressionism with the mountain films the Germans were playing with at the time. The use of non-diegetic sound can be found in Soviet cinema from the same era. I love this time period for film, as there's so much experimentation going on.

[Russ]

So I just finished this, and it is indeed pretty great.

All glory to Raiders.


http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lni6hnG9vq1qaga8g.gif

[dreamdead]

I wish you did too. (http://filmepidemic.blogspot.com/search?q=tabu)

I love that the ending to Tabu is as bleak as it is, as there didn't seem to be any other logical path for the narrative to go, especially in the wake of tampered endings like The Last Laugh. And I like the Lorca connection, which is something that I can see. That said, I miss some of the (likely overt) artistry that was so prevalent in Sunrise. It comes off much more naturalistic and unaffected in every facet, from acting to shot selection to camera movement, which is certainly the intention. I found the portrayal of the girl, Reri, much more interesting than Matahi, as she exhibited far more agency than women typically exhibit in films from this period. Though she caves to Hitu, the Old Warrior, she alone has knowledge, and she goes out of her way to protect Matahi (though he gets himself into the ocean despite her at the end).

Again, I like it and respect what it does, as the grade below reflects. That said, I like my Murnau more dreamlike and ethereal (what with Sunrise being in my top 5), which this film is adamantly not. I'm hoping to do Faust this year as well, so maybe that'll float my boat more.

[B-side]

Nice review, Brightside. I really loved the film because it's so thematically rich. Apart from the political allegory you mention, there's also the pervasive air of sexual tension and gender politics that gives another dimension to some of the more obvious conflicts. I found it interesting how Elsi, initially equated as mere property that served to replace the loss of a dog, is anything but powerless. Her disruptive and corrupting influence over the other villagers (at the festival) and especially her exploitation of the "innocent" (the village idiot) with sexual overtures rather succinctly showed who wielded the real power. What does it say that Firmin's mother and fiance are quickly relegated to situational afterthoughts? The symbolism's great too -- especially the insect montage, featuring a rather overt flower pollination scene (as the villagers prepare for Sunday's pilgrimage). I'm also interested in the portrayal of the two peoples -- seems as if one is more rigid and traditional while the other might be more enlightened and carnal (and possibly non-spiritual). The way the story takes a slightly sinister (almost O'Henry-ish) turn, it seems as if it almost belonged in one of the old Afred Hitchcock Hour's shows that specialized in people getting their just desserts.

Is the village idiot really innocent, though? I feel like the scene I mentioned of him burning the hay and not putting it out earlier were kind of indicative of a buried distaste, perhaps even that he was simply playing the fool? I also don't feel like the woman was especially heinous. The villagers were xenophobic toward her, even when she was being genuinely friendly (see: the scene where she goes to help the old woman with her bucket of water). She kind of went back and forth between compliant victim and empowered manipulator. And I think that grey area is important.

[Derek]

Aw... What'd you dislike about it?

I liked it, but it was less experimental and feverishly passionate than his best works. It was well-executed melodrama and the ending is terrific (par for the course), but much of it felt somewhat restrained, which doesn't play to Bauer's strengths.


Is the village idiot really innocent, though? I feel like the scene I mentioned of him burning the hay and not putting it out earlier were kind of indicative of a buried distaste, perhaps even that he was simply playing the fool? I also don't feel like the woman was especially heinous. The villagers were xenophobic toward her, even when she was being genuinely friendly (see: the scene where she goes to help the old woman with her bucket of water). She kind of went back and forth between compliant victim and empowered manipulator. And I think that grey area is important.

First off, all hail Hypno-Raiders, this was pretty great, etc. I don't think he was simply playing the fool, but you're right that there are hints at the darker side of the fool, which plays into the film's many dualities (secular/religious, sensual/ascetic, violence/tenderness) that seemingly get muddled once Elsi is kidnapped and taken to the other side of the mountain. The film really nails it on every level - the emotional/interpersonal dynamics are fantastic, the allegorical/symbolic elements thoughtful and complex and visually, it takes advantage of the gorgeous landscape, its almost Edenic beauty transformed into something almost supernaturally vindictive once a breach of passage is made...this thing really takes off once the thunderstorm hits. The last 30 minutes are a beauty to behold.

[B-side]

... this thing really takes off once the thunderstorm hits. The last 30 minutes are a beauty to behold.

Oh yeah.

[Sven]

Derek, your RoboCop rating has invalidated anything you have ever or will ever post.

[Irish]

Yeh, seriously, 2 stars? What gives?

[Derek]

Derek, your RoboCop rating has invalidated anything you have ever or will ever post.

Tonally, it's an absolute mess. The cartoonish violence and poor FX feel like they belong in a different film than all the corporate sequences. Fortunately the satire has its heart in the right place and it mostly hits the target when going after police/military privatization and fascist corporate politics, but it's pretty poorly paced and put together. Not a bad film, but not particularly good either. Definitely a disappointment since I keep expecting Verhoeven to deliver one really good film, but oh well, I still have The Fourth Man and Total Recall to get to eventually.

[Pop Trash]

Derek just lost all cred with me.

[Sven]

Pshah. Verhoeven's delivered at least ten really good movies, dweeb. :cool:

I think you'll like The Fourth Man, actually. It's got the same twisted tone as the best stuff from De Palma and Fassbinder.

[Spinal]

When's Verhoeven going to make that Jesus movie?

[B-side]

My jimmies remain unrustled by your score, Derek, if that's any consolation.

[soitgoes...]

I'm more surprised that Derek hasn't seen Total Recall or Robocop before now.

[Derek]

Pshah. Verhoeven's delivered at least ten really good movies, dweeb. :cool:

Yeah, but who can trust someone who likes Hollow Man? ;) Actually, there's plenty to like about Soldier of Orange and Black Book. I just don't think either are great.


I think you'll like The Fourth Man, actually. It's got the same twisted tone as the best stuff from De Palma and Fassbinder.

It sounds promising and the premise seems like it would play to Verhoeven's strengths.

[Derek]

I'm more surprised that Derek hasn't seen Total Recall or Robocop before now.

Yeah, I know. And I didn't see Predator (which is awesome) until a year or two ago. I'm not sure how I missed these growing up.

[Boner M]

Alright, Rapt in the next few days then.

[Rowland]

Predator (which is awesome)Here I am pulling an all-nighter to finish my last film theory paper for the semester (total hackwork in which I apply André Bazin's concepts of the long take and composition in depth to the night sequences from Paranormal Activity), and now I desperately want to make myself a strong mixed drink and kick back to my umpteenth viewing of Predator. Fuck.

[MadMan]

Predator is probably one of the 10 movies I would bring with me to a desert island. Although that question is kind of stupid: you are assuming that a desert island is going to have a movie projector or a DVD player, electricity, a movie screen and or TV.

Anyways I finally saw American Gangster (2007) and I would have ranked it pretty highly in the consensus for Ridley Scott. Even though Scott is at times not a particularly strong director visually, he typical tackles interesting material and he was smart enough to cast Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington here, so kudos I suppose. Ridley directing a gangster movie still surprises me a bit, though, although I suppose he did make Black Rain (1989) which featured Japanese gangsters, so there is that. For the record, Black Rain is probably a Ridley Scott movie Brightside would enjoy, if he hasn't seen it already.

[B-side]

A Wolf Teeth Necklace is Ruiz, Tarkovsky (specifically The Mirror) and a little bit of Sokurov with a dash of Lithuanian spice. The natural elements and wartime reminiscences of Tarkovsky, the exaggerated perspectives, absurdity and evocation of childhood of Ruiz and a few stray large birds and winding rural paths that recall Sokurov's Stone and Mother and Son. Puipa absorbs their influences and crafts something pretty spectacular, and among the most visually stunning films I've seen in a long time. The final shot tracks backward over some 100+ feet of terrain as people dance in and out of frame around burning fires, and when it stops tracking backward it pauses to witness a kiss, then floats in the air to watch the fireworks.


http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Movie%20Caps%20Pt%202/vlcsnap-2012-04-30-04h05m11s230_450x277.jpg

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[B-side]

For the record, Black Rain is probably a Ridley Scott movie Brightside would enjoy, if he hasn't seen it already.

You think so?

[StanleyK]

My Week with Marilyn is a pretty terrible movie. It only ever deviates from its hyperbolic aggrandizement of Monroe to occasionally deliver the mind-blowing insight that- hold on to your hats here- famous actors are people too! Between the completely uninteresting handling of subject matter and the almost aggressively mediocre direction you have a pretty damn terrible movie indeed.

[MadMan]

You think so?Maybe, but I bet I'm wrong. Still give it a shot. I like it a lot, and its kinetic action sequences in some ways remind me a little of Ridley's brother Tony. Plus it has Michael Douglas being badass, and the film actually has some really good cinematography.

I liked My Week with Marilyn, and found it to be a delightful and enjoyable movie even though I agree that the overall story and plot were really paper thin. This could all be due to having low expectations going in, though. Michelle Williams did a fantastic job in the role, and if the Academy was going to give the Oscar to someone playing a dead famous person it should have been her instead. I'm never going to watch the Iron Lady, so I'll just continue to insist I'm right :P

[Qrazy]

Predator is probably one of the 10 movies I would bring with me to a desert island. Although that question is kind of stupid: you are assuming that a desert island is going to have a movie projector or a DVD player, electricity, a movie screen and or TV.

Anyways I finally saw American Gangster (2007) and I would have ranked it pretty highly in the consensus for Ridley Scott. Even though Scott is at times not a particularly strong director visually, he typical tackles interesting material and he was smart enough to cast Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington here, so kudos I suppose. Ridley directing a gangster movie still surprises me a bit, though, although I suppose he did make Black Rain (1989) which featured Japanese gangsters, so there is that. For the record, Black Rain is probably a Ridley Scott movie Brightside would enjoy, if he hasn't seen it already.

What? Scott is primarily known for his visuals. When his films fail it's the overarching tone/drama/concept that is usually at fault. American Gangster was a good looking film it was just boring as hell.

[Qrazy]

You think so?

No, it's bad.

[MadMan]

What? Scott is primarily known for his visuals. When his films fail it's the overarching tone/drama/concept that is usually at fault. American Gangster was a good looking film it was just boring as hell.I find his talent as a storyteller far stronger, really. And American Gangster wasn't boring at all-and yes I viewed the DC.

As far as 80s action movies go, Black Rain is a good, solid flick. I'm just more curious about what Brightside will think since he loves many of the films of Ridley's brother, Tony.

[Derek]

Finally watched the 172-minute cut of The New World and this probably is the definitive cut. It's certainly not going to win over the unconverted, but for those who already appreciate it, it's worth the watch since it feels like a very different film. It is more sprawling, epic and ambitious, yet the added time allows for noticeably stronger characterizations and further clarity and depth in the relationship between Smith and Pocahontas as well as the natives and Brits. But while it is less elliptical than the shorter cuts, the additional scenes don't serve merely to connect the dots. The clearer sense of progression, geography and psychology actually helps to crystallize many of the themes and emotions that Malick explores, making it more accessible, or perhaps approachable, while losing none of its almost mythical romanticism. The added time with Smith and Pocahontas & her tribe strengthens their bond, giving the natives a more fleshed out, multi-dimensional presence, while the few extra scenes in the British camp do wonders to clarify both their desperations and motivations, making for a richer contrast to the natives than the shorter cuts and delving more into the conflicting thoughts and emotions of both sides as their cultures clash. The beefing up of the first half also allows the film to more properly divide itself, the triptych structure allowing for a more natural transition of metaphysical musings from Smith in the first act, Pocahontas in the second and Rolfe in the third as each discover something new yet vastly different about human nature. The final montage is untouched, though as the brief reuniting of Smith and Pocahontas just before it has an added layer of bittersweet tragedy, it is ultimately even more powerful than before. Pretty remarkable stuff overall.

[B-side]

Is it just me or is the site moving as slow as molasses right now?

[Kurosawa Fan]

Yes, it most certainly is.

[Pop Trash]

Finally watched the 172-minute cut of The New World and this probably is the definitive cut.

Is that the current North American Blu Ray cut? If not how did you see it? I'm a big TNW fan.

[Spinal]

Thanks for your thoughts, Derek. Just watched it recently as well. Having never seen it before, I had no idea what was new and what wasn't. I particularly liked how Malick shifts the meaning of the title (and the perspective of the film) with the final act.

[Derek]

Is that the current North American Blu Ray cut? If not how did you see it? I'm a big TNW fan.

It was released on regular DVD a couple years...I just finally got around to watching it. I hope it's out on Bluray. If you're a fan, you definitely have to check it out, though I wouldn't be surprised if some people prefer the theatrical cut.


Thanks for your thoughts, Derek. Just watched it recently as well. Having never seen it before, I had no idea what was new and what wasn't. I particularly liked how Malick shifts the meaning of the title (and the perspective of the film) with the final act.

Yeah, that whole transition is masterfully handled. I also think Kilcher never gets enough credit - it's a wonderful, incredibly physical performance and while she's obviously a big part of selling the first act, the way she handles her scenes as Rebecca are perhaps even more impressive. I mean, when she bows to Smith at the end there, it's absolutely heartbreaking, but also somewhat hopeful in the sense that she has come to terms with her new identity while still retaining her true sense of self.

EDIT: Also, thrilled you liked it as much as you did. Even with Malick fans, this one's tough to predict how they'll react.