28 Film Discussion Threads Later [Archive] - Page 241

Sycophant

06-01-2012, 12:42 AM

I actually watched both Terminator and T2 for the first time ever yesterday. I liked them both a lot.

Terminator is a pretty neat action film that borrows as much from the horror genre as anything else. It's wisely small and personal. Having recently rewatched A Better Tomorrow, I couldn't help but see some shared vocabulary between the two films (I also can't help but disagree with Qrazy's dismissal of "the general aesthetic of the 80s"--I like the way things looked).

T2 is overstuffed and wacky as hell, but I thought its tone landed. Pretty expertly put together. There are like four giant set pieces bleeding into each other near the film's finale, and I'm not sure every single one of those were necessary.

Speaking of Cameron, I also saw Titanic 3D not too long ago. It was better than I expected it to be (better than my memory of seeing it on VHS in 1998, anyway). It feels overlong and thin near the end, a bit like T2, but I was pretty impressed.

transmogrifier

06-01-2012, 01:01 AM

Speaking of Cameron, I also saw Titanic 3D not too long ago. It was better than I expected it to be (better than my memory of seeing it on VHS in 1998, anyway). It feels overlong and thin near the end, a bit like T2, but I was pretty impressed.

What did you think of the 3D? As I said on another thread, I found it distancing and that it actually made everything just a little bit more artificial. It was so annoying (and I really like the film) that it lead me to avoid The Avengers in 3D, and I can't see myself seeing anything else in 3D, except maybe The Hobbit because of the technological advance its offering. But it took seeing an old favourite dressed up in 3D to really understand that its a cinematic device without a point, really.

Anyway, Aliens is Cameron's best film by like a million miles, and anyone who can give it a C is off in cuckooland. And yes, True Lies is his worst.

EyesWideOpen

06-01-2012, 01:11 AM

Here's my thoughts on the film for anyone who doesn't read the Bargain thread:

The stuff with Newt, Ripley or the Queen is good. Everything involving the marines which is the majority of the film is terrible. The acting and dialogue between them is so laughably bad especially Paxton who gives a Razzie caliber performance. Another annoyance is the use of the alien's acid blood. Cameron seems to forgot about it unless he wants to use it as a plot device.

I should also mention I watched the special edition (the one Cameron prefers) which added in a bunch of marine stuff.

transmogrifier

06-01-2012, 01:15 AM

http://gifs.gifbin.com/092009/1253886001_office-no.gif

Sycophant

06-01-2012, 01:28 AM

What did you think of the 3D? As I said on another thread, I found it distancing and that it actually made everything just a little bit more artificial. It was so annoying (and I really like the film) that it lead me to avoid The Avengers in 3D, and I can't see myself seeing anything else in 3D, except maybe The Hobbit because of the technological advance its offering. But it took seeing an old favourite dressed up in 3D to really understand that its a cinematic device without a point, really.

The early scenes, set in Ireland, had this weird thing going where the city's background existed on one or two flat planes. It was weird, but I thought it'd be interesting as an aesthetic choice were it done really intentionally in another film. It doesn't do much for Titanic, though, especially once we're out on the water.

The thing is that 3D doesn't add anything. The worst thing about it is when a foreground object comes up or a crossfade happens and my brain rebels against the clear violations of space it's being asked to accept. The best thing I can say about it is that after a while you just forget that it's even there. But then it draws attention to itself again, and it's awful and you wonder why you would ever want something you hope you just stop noticing.

I'll be avoiding all 3D post-production conversions in the future. They cost more, dim the colors, and are generally best viewed with one eye shut.

DavidSeven

06-01-2012, 02:35 AM

The popular action 80's films that everyone seems to love for me have held up the worst of any other decade. I mean most of these films I liked when I was a kid but I'm not a nostalgic person so watching them as an adult they have no attachment for me and none of them to I consider to be great films.

It's not really an action film, but I watched E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial a few week ago. I probably saw it as a kid, but had no recollection of the movie before the recent viewing. It's serviceable on a storytelling-level, but boy, Spielberg directed the fuck out of that movie. It really puts a lot of the craftsmanship in his more current output to shame. Held up really well without the nostalgia factor.

Watashi

06-01-2012, 02:40 AM

It's not really an action film, but I watched E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial a few week ago. I probably saw it as a kid, but had no recollection of the movie before the recent viewing. It's serviceable on a storytelling-level, but boy, Spielberg directed the fuck out of that movie. It really puts a lot of the craftsmanship in his more current output to shame. Held up really well without the nostalgia factor.
Yeah, a rewatch of ET was really rewarding to me as well. The entire scene in the quarantined house is fucking beautifully directed.

MadMan

06-01-2012, 03:05 AM

It's far from great, but it's taut, well-directed little film. Go with Topaz, Jamaica Inn or Under Capricorn for the bad Hitchcock's, though even those aren't awful.Topaz is way too damn long for me to consider, although I'll probably see it at some point. Bear in mind I still gave Dial M For Murder a 50/100, so it just means I found some merit in it. Jamaica Inn is the one I keep hearing the worst about, so maybe it will benefit from some really low expectations. I actually only recently heard about Under Capricorn recently, so I know very little about that one.

What's funny is that most of the 80s movies that people recall fondly and love a lot because they saw them as kids are ones that I've seen in my teens or in my 20s. So I don't have that problem, and anyways bias clouds any viewing of any movie which is why I've always found the "Well of course you loved *insert movie here* as a kid, so you are not critiquing it properly" to be a really silly slap at someone who challenges you for not liking one of their favorite movies.

Okay when even trans thinks Aliens is great. Whoa. I do agree with trans (it must be that time of the month :P) that True Lies is Cameron's worst film (although I will admit I haven't seen Titanic or The Abyss yet, but I doubt either one is worse than True Lies). I'll admit that I like True Lies more than I should, but really its lazy film making on Cameron's part. The bad guys are weak/awful, and even by mid 1990s standards having Muslims as the villains is kind of weak sauce and maybe even a bit racist. Still the main cast and some of the good action set pieces make for the weaker aspects, so I think ***/**** or ** 1/2 is a good enough rating.

EyesWideOpen

06-01-2012, 03:23 AM

It's not really an action film, but I watched E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial a few week ago. I probably saw it as a kid, but had no recollection of the movie before the recent viewing. It's serviceable on a storytelling-level, but boy, Spielberg directed the fuck out of that movie. It really puts a lot of the craftsmanship in his more current output to shame. Held up really well without the nostalgia factor.

Yeah, ET is great. The Neverending Story is another one that holds up really well.

Irish

06-01-2012, 03:46 AM

Pop Trash

06-01-2012, 04:32 AM

Yeah, ET is great. The Neverending Story is another one that holds up really well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcSfucJZ0w8

Boner M

06-01-2012, 04:35 AM

I'm always amazed by how genuinely otherworldy NES feels, esp. in comparison to Petersen's other films. It's like a Zulawski-directed kids movie or something.

Pop Trash

06-01-2012, 04:38 AM

I'm always amazed by how genuinely otherworldy NES feels. It's like a Zulawski-directed kids movie or something.

I agree. I remember having a discussion about that with a fellow cinephile friend about why the hell that had such a hold on my (our since he liked it a lot too) psyche as kids when other kids were all into The Goonies or something. I think we agreed the "German-ness" came through or something.

Spinal

06-01-2012, 05:17 AM

Watashi

06-01-2012, 05:36 AM

Hey guys, I'm thinking about starting a new weekly director consensus (though it probably won't be an actual consensus).

However instead of listing a director's top 5 films, you'll be listing your top 5 favorite scenes from their filmography. It should be fun. We could have a new director every week.

Anyone interested?

Pop Trash

06-01-2012, 05:42 AM

The NeverEnding Story is the best live-action family film of all-time. Ok, ok, it came out when I was eleven. But, still, it's really, really good. And anyway, you don't see me propping up The Last Starfighter and Cloak and Dagger, do ya?

True. Incidentally I rented The Last Starfighter a few years back, which I remembered LOVING when I was 7 or so, and found it pretty bad. Almost unwatchable.

soitgoes...

06-01-2012, 05:43 AM

Pop Trash

06-01-2012, 05:43 AM

Anyone interested?

Yes.

Watashi

06-01-2012, 05:54 AM

I think everyone here is interested in an excuse to make lists.
True. Without random lists, Match Cut would be a wasteland.

Dillard

06-01-2012, 05:58 AM

Starting back in on my favorite tv series: twin peaks. The pilot is remarkable.

Ezee E

06-01-2012, 06:00 AM

Sounds like a good idea to me. May not get much of results, but hopefully people will post scenes/shots/etc

Watashi

06-01-2012, 06:02 AM

Sounds like a good idea to me. May not get much of results, but hopefully people will post scenes/shots/etc
Well, the criteria for directors will be that they need to be accessible enough and have a large filmmography (at least 5 minimum films).

I think I'll start the first tonight.

Spinal

06-01-2012, 06:03 AM

Brad Bird week. Coming up.

Spinal

06-01-2012, 06:05 AM

(at least 5 minimum films).

Hmmm. Maybe not.

Derek

06-01-2012, 06:05 AM

Brad Bird week. Coming up.

INELIGIBLE! He's only directed 4 features.

MadMan

06-01-2012, 07:50 AM

Dial M for Murder is my favorite Hitchcock. It was a stage play, iirc, and I love how the thing takes place mostly in one room. I think it's fun (and somewhat ridiculous) that it was originally a 3D movie. But mostly, I just love that this intelligent, elaborate plot revolves around simple details.Well it could benefit from a rewatch. I'm too busy trying to view films I haven't already previously seen before currently, though.

How you view Aliens partially depends, I think, on what version you've seen and when. There was an extended cut floating around for awhile that featured extra scenes with the colonists (interesting but not essential) and big backstory on Ripley's daughter (which really helped underline the theme of motherhood running throughout the movie).I think I saw the extended cut, or at least the version that had extra scenes with the colonists. I don't believe that it really matters too much which version you watch in this case.

Cameron was better when he was working with Gale Anne Hurd. If you look at his filmography, it's pretty easy to spot when they broke up. (True Lies has an ugly, misogynistic bitterness about it that's absent from all his other work). Cameron got a lot of credit for so-called "strong female characters," but I think that was almost all Hurd. After their divorce, he pretty much abandoned that character and chose increasingly simpler storylines and movies that had their genesis in technology rather than stories or character.Well that's interesting, and certainly explains something like Avatar. Although in that movie's defense it actually had a strong female lead. Yet it was such a thinly developed character. Hmmm...

I agree with Madman about Escape from LA, but a couple of subsequent viewings softened me on the movie a bit. It's not a great chapter in the life of Snake Plissken, but I do enjoy the outré humor and the attempt to go a little broader with the material.The humor is one of the film's few saving graces. I imagine that Carpenter and Russell never made a third installment because they either figured that two were good enough, or the sharp decline of Carpenter's career canceled any thoughts of a final chapter.

Spaceman Spiff

06-01-2012, 08:38 AM

I'd actually rather do another film consensus. I'm sure a lot of us have seen more films since the last directors' consensus, or possibly reevaluated/reassessed films we've already seen. Top 5 scene lists will be too hard for the true greats, or those that have made a ton of films.

B-side

06-01-2012, 10:13 AM

Hey guys, I wrote a review for Paul W.S. Anderson's Death Race. (http://reeltimepodcast.org/2012/06/01/review-death-race-paul-w-s-anderson-2008/)

You should, like, read it and stuff.

Irish

06-01-2012, 11:05 AM

Nice.

(I'm stealing the phrase "trash auteur" for future use, btw).

EyesWideOpen

06-01-2012, 01:10 PM

My memory is terrible for specific scenes especially if I haven't seen the movie recently so I can't take part but it should be a interesting thread to look at.

Watashi

06-01-2012, 04:27 PM

B-side

06-01-2012, 07:55 PM

Nice.

(I'm stealing the phrase "trash auteur" for future use, btw).

As long as I get an asterisk.

Ivan Drago

06-01-2012, 10:06 PM

The arthouse theater near me started a two-week long retrospective of Hayo Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli today.

I plan to see Spirited Away again, and My Neighbor Totoro and Whisper of the Heart for the first time. Might see The Ocean Waves, too, if I have enough money.

Derek

06-01-2012, 10:52 PM

As long as I get an asterisk.

Pretty sure the phrase was around before your days. :)

B-side

06-01-2012, 11:33 PM

Pretty sure the phrase was around before your days. :)

Can't even let me have this, can you?:frustrated:

Derek

06-01-2012, 11:46 PM

Can't even let me have this, can you?:frustrated:

:lol:

Make up something that doesn't exist then! I know it was used quite often re: John Waters, but I imagine it'd apply to Mr. Original Death Race, Paul Bartel too.

Winston*

06-02-2012, 12:35 AM

Make up something that doesn't exist then!

"Garbage filmmaker"

elixir

06-02-2012, 02:55 AM

Falkenberg Farewell (Jesper Ganslandt, 2006) [4.5]
So disappointing. This should be right up my alley: slacker adolescents doing a lot of nothing in a lazy summer, moody poetic voiceovers, attempts at lyricism, and so on...but it all feels endlessly amateurish. From the screenshots on KG, I though this might be visually pretty awesome, but its care for beauty is shown to be few and far between, as most of it consists of banal cinematography only minimally better than your friend's random youtube video. Additionally, those lame title cards and awkwardly integrated character introductions towards the beginning of the film kill any momentum. Actually, the soundtrack is very cool, but it feels unearned: it cues you to feel the melancholy which has no matching component on-screen. The only part of this that works really well for me are the delving into memories through playing with other video formats (this is something I almost always like--in Paranoid Park, Glue, Gummo...are there any others?) and some of the more montage-driven stuff.

There's a Big Event that occurs about an hour or so until the film, which comes somewhat out of nowhere, but I'd be willing to forgive it were it handled properly. But instead its milk for unnatural melodramatics and is a lame and contrived attempt to contextualize the concerns and struggles of the central characters, attempting to earn profundity and regret that it barely even hinted at before. It's somehow simultaneously unassuming and also overreaches its hand.

You know, I never did note my viewing of George Washington really, but that film puts this one to absolute shame. It also is a seemingly plotless film at first, and yet when a Plot Point rears it head, that event does not become the sole preoccupation of the film or lend it false dramatic impetus (to be certain, it's important, it's just not the only thing of import). And that is a film, though perhaps "flawed," which, to me, truly does capture lyricism in a small town, its imagery consistently impressive. I thought it was pretty great, yeah.

Pop Trash

06-02-2012, 03:29 AM

You know, I never did note my viewing of George Washington really, but that film puts this one to absolute shame. It also is a seemingly plotless film at first, and yet when a Plot Point rears it head, that event does not become the sole preoccupation of the film or lend it false dramatic impetus (to be certain, it's important, it's just not the only thing of import). And that is a film, though perhaps "flawed," which, to me, truly does capture lyricism in a small town, its imagery consistently impressive. I thought it was pretty great, yeah.

Great movie, but I'm still not sure where Green's head is lately.

MadMan

06-02-2012, 07:09 AM

I loved George Washington. That's one movie if it the Criterion print of it isn't OOP I might buy when the 50% off BN sale starts next month.

Hey Ivan I finally watched Space Mutiny (with MSTK commentary, of course). Woof is that movie godawful, but man was the commentary hilarious. Even the non-movie commentary material that they always do before and after the movie screening was pretty funny. I saw it thanks to YouTube, and hey Overdrawn at the Memory Bank is also there, too. Wahoo.

Dillard

06-02-2012, 03:56 PM

Qrazy

06-02-2012, 04:29 PM

Just watched Fellini's Juliet of the Spirits. Instantly my favorite Fellini over 8 1/2 and La Strada, though I haven't seen much of Fellini's later work (70s onward). What I love about Juliet is Fellini's use of horror imagery as Juliet's oneiric journey reaches a fever pitch of voices and repressed memories.

It's damn good. If horror content is what you want to see from Fellini give Toby Dammit (his short about an hour long on Spirits of the Dead) a watch. Satyricon also has a bit of horrific content. Amarcord doesn't but it's well worth a watch.

Dillard

06-02-2012, 05:09 PM

Yeah, reading this article (http://www.offscreen.com/index.php/pages/essays/fellinian_horror/), I was surprised that Fellini had anything to do with horror and have now watched Juliet and Toby Dammit. Totaro makes a convincing argument for the cross-pollination of ideas between Fellini and
Bava. Thanks for the Satyricon recommendation.

Pop Trash

06-02-2012, 05:59 PM

Juliet of the Spirits left me confused, but I should give it another chance someday. I think I couldn't figure out who was who in relation to Juliet.

Ivan Drago

06-02-2012, 07:21 PM

Hey Ivan I finally watched Space Mutiny (with MSTK commentary, of course). Woof is that movie godawful, but man was the commentary hilarious. Even the non-movie commentary material that they always do before and after the movie screening was pretty funny. I saw it thanks to YouTube, and hey Overdrawn at the Memory Bank is also there, too. Wahoo.

Glad you enjoyed it! I can never decide which of those two episodes is my favorite MST3K episode ever. How can I choose between the recurring anteater slams or the references to Sherry's birthday card? Or these classic lines:

"Electrons don't dance, Fingal. They don't make love."
"They're Lutherans."

"My father and his father before him---"
"---also taped wool to their faces."

Dillard

06-02-2012, 07:33 PM

Juliet of the Spirits left me confused, but I should give it another chance someday. I think I couldn't figure out who was who in relation to Juliet.

Yeah it can be confusing. And is perhaps meant to be. The actress who plays Juliet's neighbor Suzy (Sandra Milo) also voices the ghost Iris who whispers to Juliet throughout as well as the circus lady Juliet's grandfather runs off with.

Grouchy

06-02-2012, 07:42 PM

June in the "Who Is Ramona Reyes?" Film Club.

MIIKE ES LA CULTURA: Ciclo de Cine de Ponjas que Sangran

MIIKE IS THE CULTURE: A Retrospective of Bleeding Japs

Monday 4th - Tetsuo: The Iron Man
Monday 11th - Strange Circus
Monday 18th - Audition
Monday 25th - Battle Royale

Pop Trash

06-02-2012, 08:41 PM

Yeah it can be confusing. And is perhaps meant to be. The actress who plays Juliet's neighbor Suzy (Sandra Milo) also voices the ghost Iris who whispers to Juliet throughout as well as the circus lady Juliet's grandfather runs off with.

Right. And I seem to remember a scene where she visits a medium and I couldn't tell if they were supposed to be ghosts or just weird ass Italian people.

EyesWideOpen

06-02-2012, 10:10 PM

Grouchy

06-02-2012, 10:59 PM

Three of those movies are incredible. The other should at least be viewed once.
I'm intrigued.

B-side

06-03-2012, 06:54 AM

Run for Cover is very much in the vein of Rebel Without a Cause and Bigger Than Life in terms of Ray's oeuvre. Tumultuous father-son dynamic, rebellious and sexually ambiguous young men seeking the approval of a parental figure, etc. Underrated.

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Movie%20Caps%20Pt%202/vlcsnap-2012-06-03-01h27m25s215_850x478.png

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Movie%20Caps%20Pt%202/vlcsnap-2012-06-03-01h35m34s242_850x478.png

MadMan

06-03-2012, 06:32 PM

Brightside have you seen On Dangerous Ground from Ray? I viewed it when it aired on TCM and thought it was pretty good, with an excellent performance from Robert Ryan-review can be found here: http://madman731.blogspot.com/2011/11/troubles-lying-underneath-surface.html
Bigger Than Life is at my local library-I'll have to rent it sometime. I've also seen The Lusty Men (one more review whoring: http://madman731.blogspot.com/2012/02/its-that-damned-old-rodeo.html) (thanks to TCM, again during the one month when they aired Ray's films) which has Robert Mitchum being his usual great self, too. Plus In A Lonely Place, which sports quite possibly Bogart's best performance as well-Ray was really fantastic at eliciting quality acting from his performers, in addition to his films being really well shot.

Glad you enjoyed it! I can never decide which of those two episodes is my favorite MST3K episode ever. How can I choose between the recurring anteater slams or the references to Sherry's birthday card? Or these classic lines:

"Electrons don't dance, Fingal. They don't make love."
"They're Lutherans."

"My father and his father before him---"
"---also taped wool to their faces."I love the Lutheran joke. Also now I know where Aram Fingal on Icine/RT got his username from. Hurray. I'll try and watch Memory Bank tonight. Also I remember when you had the Space Mutiny avatar. I laughed so hard at the line "And then the hero bravely roasted the helpless cripple."

Raiders

06-03-2012, 06:59 PM

Yeah, there's no good reason I haven't yet seen Run for Cover yet. One of the few of his I have left. I recently saw it praised by another Ray fan, so this is added incentive.

Derek

06-03-2012, 07:12 PM

Yeah, there's no good reason I haven't yet seen Run for Cover yet. One of the few of his I have left. I recently saw it praised by another Ray fan, so this is added incentive.

Ditto. I'll check this out ASAP. Didn't even realize that Cagney was in it!

B-side, if you're looking for more undervalued/underseen Ray, check out Born to Be Bad, Party Girl and Hot Blood.

megladon8

06-03-2012, 09:44 PM

Speaking of Ray, Johnny Guitar is finally getting a proper DVD/BR release on August 7th.

B-side

06-03-2012, 10:38 PM

I've seen Rebel Without a Cause, Bigger Than Life, Johnny Guitar and Run for Cover from Ray. I have On Dangerous Ground. Kinda wanna rewatch Bigger Than Life in HD before anything.

Derek

06-03-2012, 11:47 PM

I've seen Rebel Without a Cause, Bigger Than Life, Johnny Guitar and Run for Cover from Ray. I have On Dangerous Ground. Kinda wanna rewatch Bigger Than Life in HD before anything.

Oh man, you have a lot of greatness ahead of you.

My Nick Ray list b/c I can't resist (the last is the only one I'm not too hot on):

1) Bitter Victory
2) In a Lonely Place
3) On Dangerous Ground
4) Bigger Than Life
5) Johnny Guitar
6) Born to be Bad
7) Rebel Without a Cause
8) Party Girl
9) The Lusty Men
10) Hot Blood
11) The Savage Innocents
12) They Live By Night
13) Lightning Over Water

Boner M

06-04-2012, 12:29 AM

Your TLbN ranking is worrying.

Derek

06-04-2012, 12:45 AM

Your TLbN ranking is worrying.

Worry not, young Boner. I gave it *** and like it a good deal. It suffers only in comparison to the rest of Ray's output and 10-12 are essentially interchangeable.

Ivan Drago

06-04-2012, 01:53 AM

It's damn good. If horror content is what you want to see from Fellini give Toby Dammit (his short about an hour long on Spirits of the Dead) a watch. Satyricon also has a bit of horrific content. Amarcord doesn't but it's well worth a watch.

Hey Qrazy, check your PMs.

Boner M

06-04-2012, 02:35 AM

Worry not, young Boner. I gave it *** and like it a good deal. It suffers only in comparison to the rest of Ray's output and 10-12 are essentially interchangeable.
I'm just grateful to know there are 4 Rays I've yet to see that are better than it in your eyes (h/s Hot Blood, Party Girl, Born to be Bad and Bitter Victory, though I own the latter two on DVD).

FWIW, my ra(y)nkings:

1. Bigger Than Life
2. In a Lonely Place
3. They Live By Night
4. On Dangerous Ground
5. Johnny Guitar
6. The Savage Innocents
7. Rebel Without a Cause
8. The Lusty Men (needs a repeat)

All are good, though.

Derek

06-04-2012, 04:09 AM

I'm just grateful to know there are 4 Rays I've yet to see that are better than it in your eyes (h/s Hot Blood, Party Girl, Born to be Bad and Bitter Victory, though I own the latter two on DVD).

Bitter Victory is one of his most thematically complex films and the second half in particular pushes into astounding moments of visual abstraction that lend a powerful counterpoint to Burton's cowardice and desperation. Born to Be Bad is as close to a guilty pleasure as I have for Ray. I mean, I do think it's a genuinely great film, but so much of its pleasures lie in Joan Fontaine and Robert Ryan's powerhouse performances, so YMMV depending on how much you like them.

Hot Blood is among his pulpiest; not a great story, but features some of his most impressive use of color.

http://www.jonathanrosenbaum.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/hot-blood.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TzhOmsBKss8/TmaBuTYLNxI/AAAAAAAAEOc/_CX_bthZpGE/s1600/HB14.jpg

And Party Girl has Cyd Charisse in one of my favorite (and perhaps the sexiest) dance numbers evah.

Raiders

06-04-2012, 12:01 PM

I'll play...

1. In a Lonely Place
2. Johnny Guitar
3. Bigger Than Life
4. On Dangerous Ground
5. Rebel Without a Cause
6. Bitter Victory
7. They Live by Night
8. The Lusty Men
9. Party Girl
10. Wind Across the Everglades
11. The Savage Innocents
12. King of Kings
13. Born to Be Bad
14. 55 Days at Peking
15. The Flying Leathernecks

Only the last two are less than interesting/worth watching.

Dukefrukem

06-04-2012, 12:07 PM

2nd viewing of Super 8 was not kind. I can't believe this was in my top 10 for 2011.

Grouchy

06-04-2012, 07:26 PM

2nd viewing of Super 8 was not kind. I can't believe this was in my top 10 for 2011.
If someone described the premise of the film to me, it sounds like something I should love. But the way it's made, the predictability of almost everything that happens, the stupid way in which they solve the plot... It's not a good movie.

Dukefrukem

06-05-2012, 12:24 AM

If someone described the premise of the film to me, it sounds like something I should love. But the way it's made, the predictability of almost everything that happens, the stupid way in which they solve the plot... It's not a good movie.

Yes. I don't know why I enjoyed it so much the first time around. I think the kids did extraordinarily well.

Grouchy

06-05-2012, 07:24 PM

Three of those movies are incredible. The other should at least be viewed once.
I'm even more intrigued now that we changed Tetsuo for The Happiness of the Katakuris. Even though I was rooting for Tsukamoto, I gotta admit I was wrong. Tetsuo is good, don't get me wrong, but it's an exhausting movie and it lasts only an hour - too short to stand alone. The crowd just went crazy with Katakuris - at one point I left the bar to buy cigarettes and I could hear the people laughing like maniacs from the street.

EyesWideOpen

06-06-2012, 03:04 AM

I'm even more intrigued now that we changed Tetsuo for The Happiness of the Katakuris. Even though I was rooting for Tsukamoto, I gotta admit I was wrong. Tetsuo is good, don't get me wrong, but it's an exhausting movie and it lasts only an hour - too short to stand alone. The crowd just went crazy with Katakuris - at one point I left the bar to buy cigarettes and I could hear the people laughing like maniacs from the street.

Tetsuo was the one "that should be viewed once" and Katakuris is also incredible so great choice!

B-side

06-06-2012, 09:50 AM

Bigger Than Life improved a bit on a second viewing. The "sameness" toward the beginning; the identical yellow cabs lined up and the similar-looking cab operators lined up evenly on each side of the desk -- revealed itself, as well as Ed's sexual confidence post-medication. He remarks upon the female teacher's appearance with conviction and has little shame gawking at women in front of his wife at the upper crust clothing store.

This may have been discussed, but what does everyone make of the ending? I think I asked about this last time I watched it, but maybe some new ideas have cropped up. Wikipedia tells me cortisone was first identified not long before this film was released, and the man who did so was granted the 1950 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine and two others as well for the discovery of adrenal cortex hormones, their structures, and their functions. Was there a special distrust of medicine in that era? I understand it's largely allegorical, but some historical context might help. He refers to walking with Abraham Lincoln of all people during his dream. Clearly this is partially because of Lincoln's notorious height, but is this a broader jab at something else? Something quintessentially American? Conservatism? He wakes up and comes off as belligerent and combative, but as soon as he remembers via the connection he makes psychologically between Abraham Lincoln and Abraham from the Bible, he becomes apologetic and loving. And the wife becomes aggressive for the first time in the movie in the waiting room near the end. I'm thinking some of Ed's aggression rubbed off on her, perhaps? There's no doubt she's a devoted wife, but am I alone in thinking this aggression was a bit uncharacteristic?

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Movie%20Caps%20Pt%202/vlcsnap-2012-06-06-04h50m35s140_850x333.png

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Movie%20Caps%20Pt%202/vlcsnap-2012-06-06-05h11m43s7_850x333.png

Melville

06-06-2012, 10:27 AM

Wikipedia tells me cortisone was first identified not long before this film was released, and the man who did so was granted the 1950 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine and two others as well for the discovery of adrenal cortex hormones, their structures, and their functions. Was there a special distrust of medicine in that era?
I'm not sure, but the movie shows the seams and darkness in the post-war glory era of America, when technology could do everything and everyone could succeed. So it makes sense to have the failure of medical science as the vessel for the allegory. Regarding cortisone, the wonder drug, in particular, see http://match-cut.org/showthread.php?p=379248#post37 9248

He refers to walking with Abraham Lincoln of all people during his dream. Clearly this is partially because of Lincoln's notorious height, but is this a broader jab at something else? Something quintessentially American? Conservatism?
Lincoln was physically bigger than life, but also metaphorically, as a part of American iconography. He's an icon of a 'great man', and the dream ties that image into the critique of the post-war American dream with its facade of universal triumph. I doubt it's a jab at anything more specific. And as you said, it also serves as a segue into the memory of Abraham.

Melville

06-06-2012, 12:28 PM

Also,

1. In a Lonely Place
2. Bigger Than Life
3. On Dangerous Ground
4. They Live by Night
5. Rebel Without a Cause
6. Johnny Guitar

I like all of them. Love the top 2.

Spaceman Spiff

06-06-2012, 02:48 PM

Guess I'll have to end the Ray-fest. Something about classical hollywood cinema is just not that interesting an era for me in general. I'm not big on melodrama, I guess. Greatly prefer the formal experimentation and focus on atmosphere of Europe in the 60s and the more "adult"/twisted/bizarre themes and plots of 70s American cinema (and beyond).

I do really like In a Lonely Place though, and I quite like Mason in Bigger than Life, along with the reveal of his homicidal intent towards his kid, and of course that scene with the monstrous use of shadows, but it all feels a little few and far between with the greatness piled at the end as Mason's character keeps deteriorating. I didn't see the ending as particularly subversive or even all that profound. Just struck me as 50s tackyness where "we can't have this end on too much of a creepy downer, so he had better come to his senses and end this with a big hug", but why? There was plenty of interesting genre subversion beforehand! Don't give me a Leave it to Beaver 'aw shucks' finale.

EDIT: Before I receive a pile of hate, I should add that I've only seen those two + Rebel Without a Cause, so... he can still win me over.

Mysterious Dude

06-06-2012, 03:22 PM

I don't think there's much to the Lincoln reference other than the name Abraham and the writers basking in their own cleverness.

I still wish they hadn't used the cortisone angle. It makes the movie seem like science fiction. I'd have liked it better if the dad was just crazy. Travis Bickle didn't need any miracle drug.

Melville

06-06-2012, 03:37 PM

I didn't see the ending as particularly subversive or even all that profound. Just struck me as 50s tackyness where "we can't have this end on too much of a creepy downer, so he had better come to his senses and end this with a big hug", but why? There was plenty of interesting genre subversion beforehand! Don't give me a Leave it to Beaver 'aw shucks' finale.
I mostly agree about the ending, though it didn't detract from the movie much for me.

I still wish they hadn't used the cortisone angle. It makes the movie seem like science fiction. I'd have liked it better if the dad was just crazy. Travis Bickle didn't need any miracle drug.
But if it wasn't a wonder drug, it wouldn't work so well as a critique of the particular attitudes of the time. Not sure why you take such issue with the cortisone angle when psychosis is a known side-effect. It even has a name, "steroid-induced psychosis" or "corticosteroid-induced psychosis"; my girlfriend knew somebody who suffered from it. The movie obviously exaggerates things for dramatic effect, but it's not an outrageous stretch.

Bosco B Thug

06-06-2012, 06:23 PM

I didn't see the ending as particularly subversive or even all that profound. Just struck me as 50s tackyness where "we can't have this end on too much of a creepy downer, so he had better come to his senses and end this with a big hug", but why? There was plenty of interesting genre subversion beforehand! Don't give me a Leave it to Beaver 'aw shucks' finale. So I have a certain divergent opinion about the ending. I thought a happy ending was absolutely necessary, for my personal satisfaction. Otherwise I would've felt that the film had condemned its shifty intellectual for being a shifty intellectual. He needed to overcome the American drug and show that it was truly the drug that caused his awfulness, not the fact that he's always been somewhat of an insecure and stifled thinking man.

Boner M

06-06-2012, 09:56 PM

I'm not big on melodrama, I guess. Greatly prefer the formal experimentation and focus on atmosphere of Europe in the 60s and the more "adult"/twisted/bizarre themes and plots of 70s American cinema (and beyond).
Well this is awfully reductive.

B-side

06-07-2012, 12:51 AM

I'm not sure, but the movie shows the seams and darkness in the post-war glory era of America, when technology could do everything and everyone could succeed. So it makes sense to have the failure of medical science as the vessel for the allegory. Regarding cortisone, the wonder drug, in particular, see http://match-cut.org/showthread.php?p=379248#post37 9248

I didn't notice any reference to technology, but there's certainly an American sense of universal success there that republicans often tout as the true American dream. That whole "we want everyone to be rich" mentality that helps insure everyone feels insecure with their income and social status.

Lincoln was physically bigger than life, but also metaphorically, as a part of American iconography. He's an icon of a 'great man', and the dream ties that image into the critique of the post-war American dream with its facade of universal triumph. I doubt it's a jab at anything more specific. And as you said, it also serves as a segue into the memory of Abraham.

This makes sense.

So I have a certain divergent opinion about the ending. I thought a happy ending was absolutely necessary, for my personal satisfaction. Otherwise I would've felt that the film had condemned its shifty intellectual for being a shifty intellectual. He needed to overcome the American drug and show that it was truly the drug that caused his awfulness, not the fact that he's always been somewhat of an insecure and stifled thinking man.

That seems simplistic. The drug isn't the only issue. The drug exaggerated deep-seated quirks he had long before he took it. He was well on his way to a dramatic turn, it was only a matter of time. His obsession with his glorified school triumph on the football team, openly referring to his family, himself and their friends as dull, what was likely going to lead to an affair with the female teacher, etc. He was deeply dissatisfied with his middle class existence. The drug only injected the courage in him to break free of typical ethical restraint.

Bosco B Thug

06-07-2012, 01:43 AM

That seems simplistic. The drug isn't the only issue. The drug exaggerated deep-seated quirks he had long before he took it. He was well on his way to a dramatic turn, it was only a matter of time. His obsession with his glorified school triumph on the football team, openly referring to his family, himself and their friends as dull, what was likely going to lead to an affair with the female teacher, etc. He was deeply dissatisfied with his middle class existence. The drug only injected the courage in him to break free of typical ethical restraint. Of course you're totally right. I was admitting freely that he was very much a "shifty intellectual" and "stifled thinking man." My main point was that I wouldn't have found it kosher to have him succumb to the drug, otherwise there'd be something of an anti-intellectual smear to the film that I'd butt against.

B-side

06-07-2012, 05:16 AM

Of course you're totally right. I was admitting freely that he was very much a "shifty intellectual" and "stifled thinking man." My main point was that I wouldn't have found it kosher to have him succumb to the drug, otherwise there'd be something of an anti-intellectual smear to the film that I'd butt against.

Interesting. I may have been inclined to respond similarly had it ended that way. In saying that, it does kinda put the happy ending in better light.

Spaceman Spiff

06-07-2012, 08:49 AM

Well this is awfully reductive.

Let me rephrase then:

I don't care at all for melodrama and the various subgenres and substyles that have emanated therefrom, which include its non-American variants and those that did pop up from the 70s and onwards.

As far as American movies from the 50s, I'm way more a film noir kind of guy + the occasional Hitchcock. So I do like a number of films from this era, I just can't stand the Douglas Sirk/Griffith/Minelli stuff.

transmogrifier

06-07-2012, 09:11 AM

Well this is awfully reductive.

Seems like an opinion to me. Don't see how it is reductive at all. Surely there are plenty of sub-genres you don't care for. No harm in saying so.

Hi, I'm transmogrifier, and I dislike life-spanning biopics.

MadMan

06-07-2012, 09:53 AM

This thread reminds me that for some reason I only watched half of Bigger Than Life when I rented it from the library, and that I have not viewed the rest of the film. I think this is due to having read the lengthy but satisfying Criterion based write up that sort of unfortunately revealed the ending to me. Sometimes the Criterion essays cover the films without unveiling spoilers, other times they are best read after viewing the film. I know that now, sadly. Still I intend to finish the movie at some point, especially since it has Walter Mathau in a fine dramatic role, plus of course the late great James Mason as the main character. What I viewed was a fantastic damning of 50s America, completely blasting the blase view of the father as knowing everything and knowing what's best-Ray clearly took aim at the ideal that the father figure in American society had all the answers when that was clearly not the case in most of Ray's movies. This really brings me to Disney and Pixar, where the father figure is either absent or dies in the film, which clearly brings up the daddy issues many people have. Even more interesting is how I'm fascinated by such problems when I've had a strong father figure throughout my life, one who has helped me out and always been there for me.

PS: The 50s has more to offer than just Hitchcock or Kurosawa. Its a decade that when it comes to cinema I need to explore more. Cinema during this period was deeply affected by the horribly Red Scare and the Blacklisting effects of that time, in addition to directors trying to break through the ridiculous Cinema Code that prevented them from truly depicting certain actions found in real life through the camera. Its interesting how America censorship limited cinema just as much as the Russian commies limited Russian and other countries under their reign's cinema just as much, imo.

Izzy Black

06-07-2012, 07:03 PM

Criterion also spoils Vivre sa Vie ending. They should come packaged with a big gawdy red sticker that says SPOILER ALERT!!!

Ezee E

06-07-2012, 08:08 PM

We were talking about movies being a gimmick and working/not working.

One that doesn't work at all is Montgomery's Lady in the Lake (1947). It's a POV film, but doesn't particularly do anything interesting with it, and becomes a victim to the gimmick. Quite boring.

Boner M

06-08-2012, 01:41 AM

Seems like an opinion to me. Don't see how it is reductive at all. Surely there are plenty of sub-genres you don't care for. No harm in saying so.
I was referring to Spiff implying that melodrama & formal experimentation/'focus on atmosphere' are somehow mutually exclusive. Not an opinion.

transmogrifier

06-08-2012, 02:02 AM

I was referring to Spiff implying that melodrama & formal experimentation/'focus on atmosphere' are somehow mutually exclusive. Not an opinion.

Not saying he didn't mean that, but I didn't read it that way.

"Greatly prefer the formal experimentation and focus on atmosphere of Europe in the 60s" does not necessarily mean that American melodrama did not do these. It's just he prefers the European version or commitment or whatever. That's how I read it, hence my response. Could be wrong, though.

Derek

06-08-2012, 04:20 AM

Did a writeup on the Bresson retrospective (http://www.tinymixtapes.com/features/robert-bresson-paring-down-to-the-essential), for the half-dozen or so people who may be interested. :)

Boner M

06-08-2012, 04:21 AM

Over to you, Spiff!

Boner M

06-08-2012, 04:24 AM

Did a writeup on the Bresson retrospective (http://www.tinymixtapes.com/features/robert-bresson-paring-down-to-the-essential), for the half-dozen or so people who may be interested. :)
Ya gotta pander to the TMT crowd.

ie "Beloved by Bradford Cox, Julia Holter and Gucci Mane..."

elixir

06-08-2012, 04:29 AM

I just watched my last Bresson film tonight as it happens. Four Nights of a Dreamer. It rocked. I'm still annoyed the retrospective that went on around me had to happen right at exam time. :/

Boner M

06-08-2012, 04:31 AM

I just watched my last Bresson film tonight as it happens. Four Nights of a Dreamer. It rocked. I'm still annoyed the retrospective that went on around me had to happen right at exam time. :/
Still got that, Les Dames... and Un Femme Douce to go (and some of his early films, but they don't really count). He's the bees knees.

Derek

06-08-2012, 04:31 AM

Ya gotta pander to the TMT crowd.

ie "Beloved by Bradford Cox, Julia Holter and Gucci Mane..."

:lol:

Good advice, and maybe "was a constant source of inspiration for Oneohtrix Point Never". Gotta learn to play to my readers.

Derek

06-08-2012, 04:36 AM

Still got that, Les Dames... and Un Femme Douce to go (and some of his early films, but they don't really count). He's the bees knees.

Wait, which early films? Before Les Dames, he only made Les Anges du Peche (aka Angels of Sin) and, oddly enough, an impossible to find comedy short. But yeah, Angels is definitely his least essential.

I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on Une Femme Douce. It's his most underrate IMO, though perhaps I put too much value on nude Dominique Sanda.

elixir

06-08-2012, 04:37 AM

His short is on black crow. It's weird. The quality of the print is horrible, of course.

Spaceman Spiff

06-08-2012, 12:21 PM

I was referring to Spiff implying that melodrama & formal experimentation/'focus on atmosphere' are somehow mutually exclusive. Not an opinion.

I didn't mean that.

It's just that I'm not a fan of the overtly mawkish style which proliferated in American cinema and started winding down when directors discovered they could get away with rougher things in the late 60s.

That and something about 50s haircuts and submissive apron-sporting women just bug me in general. I would have hated growing up there and then unless I had drunk the "America is great" kool-aid with everyone else.

Raiders

06-08-2012, 12:34 PM

I just watched my last Bresson film tonight as it happens. Four Nights of a Dreamer. It rocked. I'm still annoyed the retrospective that went on around me had to happen right at exam time. :/

Yeah, I watched this recently too. Really wish I had time to write stuff like I want to. It was so unexpectedly... rapturous, to use a word I didn't think to associate with Bresson.

soitgoes...

06-08-2012, 07:31 PM

The Eel (Imamura, 1997) **
The Insect Woman (Imamura, 1963) ***½
Pigs & Battleships (Imamura, 1961) ***½

Pretty spot on. The Eel was a major disappointment given all the accolades. What all have you seen of the man?

Derek

06-08-2012, 10:45 PM

Pretty spot on. The Eel was a major disappointment given all the accolades. What all have you seen of the man?

Ballad of Narayama, which I love, along with Black Rain and Vengeance is Mine, which I like a good deal. I don't think I'd have a problem putting him on the second tier of great Japanese directors at this point. Any others of his I should prioritize?

soitgoes...

06-08-2012, 10:59 PM

Ballad of Narayama, which I love, along with Black Rain and Vengeance is Mine, which I like a good deal. I don't think I'd have a problem putting him on the second tier of great Japanese directors at this point. Any others of his I should prioritize?

I would definitely label him a second tier director. Intentions of Murder is my favorite of his. Also Profound Desires of the Gods might be his most interesting film.

Derek

06-08-2012, 11:02 PM

I would definitely label him a second tier director. Intentions of Murder is my favorite of his. Also Profound Desires of the Gods might be his most interesting film.

Cool, Intentions... was going to be my next from him since it's in the Criterion Pigs, Pimps & Prostitutes box set.

Derek

06-09-2012, 12:02 AM

And quick thoughts on a few recent viewings...

The Insect Woman (Shohei Imamura, 1963)

Imamura's depictions of widespread amorality, cruelty, perversion and greed always seem to portray these vices as so commonplace and deeply engrained in their society that they're almost not shocking. Yet it's precisely this aspect of his films that makes them so unsettling. The incestual relationship between Tome and her father that is seemingly mutual and right out in the open, the family's shameless attempts to pawn off children for money, Tome's later attempts to take advantage of her prostitutes in the same way her madame took advantage of her as well as her repeatedly allowing an older suitor to virtually own her while he financially supported her enterprise are all presented as mundane aspects of everyday living, accepted evils in the face of abject poverty that has long since dehumanized its subjects. Imamura beautifully ties all of these together in this powerful condemnation of Japanese society, its debasement so ordinary and cyclical that characters not only repeat their same mistakes, but in sheer desperation force these mistakes onto the next generation.

Skidoo (Otto Preminger, 1968)

More than lives up to its reputation as an absolute disaster. Nonetheless, it's somehow compulsively watchable not just to see the after-effects of Preminger's famous LSD trip, but too seed the remarkably bizarre pairing of 60s psychedelia with the likes of Jackie Gleason, Carole Channing, Mickey Rooney and Groucho Marx. The film itself is a horribly dated, meandering mess yet the bizarre joys of seeing Jackie Gleason tripping on acid in prison, Groucho playing a character named God and Channing showing up in 19th Century naval hat and jacket to lead the final number "Skidoo" after inexplicably saving the day make this curioso worth a gander, especially if you assumed it was impossible for Preminger to make a truly awful film.

A Page of Madness (Teinosuke Kinugasa, 1926)

One of the finest and most revolutionary silent films I've seen, A Page of Madness seemingly defies the limitations of early cinema, employing quickly roving shots and repeated whip-pans that feel decades ahead of their time. Yet, the experimental techniques Kinugasa uses all serve to enhance this extended fever dream of a man desperately trying to rescue his wife from an insane asylum. Using no intertitles, Kinugasa uses dance numbers, sudden and drastic temporal shifts, dream sequences and superimpositions to create a balletic , visually expressive descent into insanity. The whip-pans and jarring edits create a successfully disorienting effect with each avant-garde technique used to heighten the delirium and the increasing desperation of the husband to save his mad wife in a house of madness. Both horrifying and envigorating, A Page of Madness is one of the most powerful evocations of insanity I've ever seen, using its remarkable opening sequences as a source of momentum that carries its frenzied pace through its brisk 58 minutes, all while retaining a genuine sense of pathos towards its protagonist's hopeless and fruitless battle.

Russ

06-09-2012, 12:12 AM

A Page of Madness (Teinosuke Kinugasa, 1926)

One of the finest and most revolutionary silent films I've seen, A Page of Madness seemingly defies the limitations of early cinema, employing quickly roving shots and repeated whip-pans that feel decades ahead of their time. Yet, the experimental techniques Kinugasa uses all serve to enhance this extended fever dream of a man desperately trying to rescue his wife from an insane asylum. Using no intertitles, Kinugasa uses dance numbers, sudden and drastic temporal shifts, dream sequences and superimpositions to create a balletic , visually expressive descent into insanity. The whip-pans and jarring edits create a successfully disorienting effect with each avant-garde technique used to heighten the delirium and the increasing desperation of the husband to save his mad wife in a house of madness. Both horrifying and envigorating, A Page of Madness is one of the most powerful evocations of insanity I've ever seen, using its remarkable opening sequences as a source of momentum that carries its frenzied pace through its brisk 58 minutes, all while retaining a genuine sense of pathos towards its protagonist's hopeless and fruitless battle.

I could not agree more. I felt like I was watching a film from another planet.

Derek

06-09-2012, 12:16 AM

I could not agree more. I felt like I was watching a film from another planet.

It really is like nothing else I've seen. I know next to nothing about Kinugasa, but hopefully this isn't the only film of his to survive. And btw, I'd been meaning to watch this for a while, but it was your write-up a few weeks ago that made me prioritize it so thanks for that!

EyesWideOpen

06-09-2012, 12:31 AM

How come no one ever told me Alien 3 was the best Alien movie?

Winston*

06-09-2012, 12:37 AM

How come no one ever told me Alien 3 was the best Alien movie?

I think transmogrifier feels that way. He is a lunatic.

Derek

06-09-2012, 12:37 AM

How come no one ever told me Alien 3 was the best Alien movie?

Most of the people who believe that are under 24/7 psychiatric observation and are likely not allowed to contact anyone in the outside world.

Scar

06-09-2012, 12:54 AM

How come no one ever told me Alien 3 was the best Alien movie?

I wouldn't go that far, but I certainly enjoy it.

Which version did you see? Dog or Cow?

transmogrifier

06-09-2012, 01:16 AM

I think transmogrifier feels that way. He is a lunatic.

Not disagreeing with the second sentence, but I like the first two better. Alien 3 is still very, very, very good though.

Let me just check:

Alien 82
Aliens 93
Alien 3 79
Alien Resurrection 41

EyesWideOpen

06-09-2012, 01:48 AM

I wouldn't go that far, but I certainly enjoy it.

Which version did you see? Dog or Cow?

Cow. I've been watching through them on dvd and watching the special edition versions.

I've seen the first two before many years ago but I had never seen 3 and I still haven't watched 4.

Scar

06-09-2012, 01:51 AM

Cow. I've been watching through them on dvd and watching the special edition versions.

I've seen the first two before many years ago but I had never seen 3 and I still haven't watched 4.

Nice. I definitely like the assembly cut of #3. I do recall renting the original cut many times when I was younger on something called a VHS.

EyesWideOpen

06-09-2012, 01:57 AM

The characters in the prison are far more interesting and well written then anyone in Aliens especially the Charles Dutton and Charles Dance characters. Weaver puts in her best performance of the series also.

Pop Trash

06-09-2012, 02:38 AM

Alien 3 is probably underrated. I haven't seen it since it came out, but I remember thinking the ending was a pretty ballsy (uh...ovariesy?) move for a big budget studio movie. But if you think of what Fincher did later with the studio movies Seven and Fight Club and how those ended, it makes sense. I also remember it being technically accomplished and being kinda grimey which also makes sense in the Fincher world.

soitgoes...

06-09-2012, 04:48 AM

Pop Trash

06-09-2012, 04:56 AM

It really is like nothing else I've seen. I know next to nothing about Kinugasa, but hopefully this isn't the only film of his to survive. And btw, I'd been meaning to watch this for a while, but it was your write-up a few weeks ago that made me prioritize it so thanks for that!

I saw this in a film class many years ago on an old 16mm print in a half awake daze, but I remembered it being pretty cool. I then plum forgot about it until years after I read a Guy Maddin write up in Film Comment about it. I was like "ohhh yeah that movie."

Derek

06-09-2012, 05:05 AM

I saw this in a film class many years ago on an old 16mm print in a half awake daze, but I remembered it being pretty cool. I then plum forgot about it until years after I read a Guy Maddin write up in Film Comment about it. I was like "ohhh yeah that movie."

Yeah, it's pretty out there. Not surprised at all to hear Maddin's a fan.

I'm actually glad I waited until now to watch it. The original copy I dl'ed about a year ago was pretty terrible, but a new high quality transfer was just recently added to Karagarga. I don't know if the score was a more recent addition as well, but it was also fantastic.

soitgoes...

06-09-2012, 05:18 AM

I don't know if the score was a more recent addition as well, but it was also fantastic.Pretty sure the version I saw was completely silent, and yes, it was a pretty dreadful transfer. I'll have to check out this better version. Still it was a great experience. I still say that from the mid-20s until studios abandoned silent films, more experimentation worldwide, in what would have been regarded as mainstream cinema, was going on than any other time period.

Derek

06-09-2012, 05:27 AM

Pretty sure the version I saw was completely silent, and yes, it was a pretty dreadful transfer. I'll have to check out this better version. Still it was a great experience.

It's a lot better than the one that was up before. It's not perfect, but certainly decent DVD quality whereas the previous one looked like a bootleg.

I still say that from the mid-20s until studios abandoned silent films, more experimentation worldwide, in what would have been regarded as mainstream cinema, was going on than any other time period.

I completely agree, although there was also quite a bit of experimentation in the early sound era but far more subtle and conventional by today's standards.

soitgoes...

06-09-2012, 05:40 AM

I completely agree, although there was also quite a bit of experimentation in the early sound era but far more subtle and conventional by today's standards.
The Russians were the masters of early sound experimentation. That ten year window, where silent films were peaking in form and then directors pretty much having to relearn their craft with new technical restrictions as well as the obvious new opportunity of using sound, is my favorite period. Lots of techniques used back then have been completely lost or neglected since, which is a shame. In the utterly fascinating Brownlow documentary series Hollywood, Brownlow interviews silent film stars and crew, and they go on about how sound destroyed such an amazing art form. While I do love both, it is easy to see how silent films are a very much different form of art than talkies, and there is some truth to what they were saying.

Boner M

06-09-2012, 07:00 AM

The Spider's Stratagem is brilliant. On a purely formal basis, this is one of the 10 best films I've ever seen. As an overall piece of art, it's remarkable. My God, why is this film so criminally neglected? Not even a DVD release to speak of.
THIS THIS THIS

Saw a gorgeous print today, and I'm pretty sure it's my new favorite Bertolucci. A few lulls in places, but that's countered by at least a dozen scenes where all I could think about was 'this is why cinema exists'. The final shot, yowza.

B-side

06-09-2012, 07:59 AM

THIS THIS THIS

Saw a gorgeous print today, and I'm pretty sure it's my new favorite Bertolucci. A few lulls in places, but that's countered by at least a dozen scenes where all I could think about was 'this is why cinema exists'. The final shot, yowza.

Oh, cool. Glad you enjoyed it so much. I still have incredibly fond feelings toward it even after all these months.

MadMan

06-09-2012, 09:18 AM

I thought that Alien 3 was merely decent, but I still liked it. Alien is brilliant and Aliens is pretty great, on the whole.

So I finally viewed my copy of The Killer Inside Me. Most of the film was actually really good, with Casey Affleck turning in an excellent performance as a cold blooded killer-its a bit creepy how well he sold the role. However, I didn't care for the ending at all, and it does sort of hurt the film a bit. I can see this being viewed more than once considering the film noir elements (which I'm a big fan of) plus just how bleak most of the movie is, which was one of the best things about it.

Ivan Drago

06-09-2012, 05:48 PM

In a theater about to see My Neighbor Totoro and Whisper of the Heart for the first time. Can't wait!

Spinal

06-09-2012, 09:59 PM

In a theater about to see My Neighbor Totoro and Whisper of the Heart for the first time. Can't wait!

Great double feature.

Spinal

06-09-2012, 10:08 PM

Been watching a lot of Bill Murray movies with my son. We watched the two Ghostbusters movies, as well as Little Shop of Horrors.

Last night, we watched Groundhog Day and I was reminded how one particular sequence elevates the movie in my mind.

It's this ...

7NjNOAncIlI

... particularly those last few moments.

It gives the movie just the right amount of poignancy to balance out some of the comic flippancy elsewhere. Not sure if it's an all-time great film, but it's fun to break out every once in a while.

Pop Trash

06-09-2012, 10:20 PM

My appreciation for Groundhog Day has only gone up over the years. Its temporal trickiness predates Pulp Fiction, Memento, and Eternal Sunshine. It also does it all in a relaxed, romantic comedy atmosphere that's never flashy and totally sticks its landing by never over explaining (or even really explaining at all) the "why?" of the concept. So great.

transmogrifier

06-09-2012, 10:43 PM

Groundhog Day is superb, and proof that even the least talented of directors can still produce a beauty if all other circumstances line up perfectly.

Ivan Drago

06-09-2012, 10:46 PM

Great double feature.

It sure was. Studio Ghibli has to be ran by a God.

Then again God already works there, and his name is Hayao Miyazaki.

Ezee E

06-10-2012, 04:20 AM

Groundhog Day is one of my favorites. I can watch it at any time, in any mood.

And cow version of Alien 3? Wha?

Idioteque Stalker

06-10-2012, 05:20 AM

Seeing Sunrise tomorrow on the big screen with live organ accompaniment. I expect the pig to be epic.

MadMan

06-10-2012, 12:14 PM

Last year when Encore aired 24 Hours of Groundhog's Day I recognized just how great that movie really is. Its probably up there when it comes to 90s comedies imo, and it also features one of Murray's best performances.

My favorite part is when he goes joyriding with the two drunks, followed by what happens when he realizes that he can't die, and that whatever he does won't matter since when he wakes up the day just starts all over ago. Well that entire scene and when he kidnaps the groundhog, which is just utterly hilarious. "Don't drive angry."

EyesWideOpen

06-10-2012, 05:06 PM

I'm slowly watching through my blu-ray collection in order since I keep getting movies and then never watching them (or rewatching them if the case may be). I'm going through all the one's I haven't watched ever or that I haven't watched since buying on blu-ray.

MadMan

06-10-2012, 05:52 PM

When I finally make the switch to blu-ray I'll probably only buy favorite movies/movies that crack my best movies of all time list. Although there are just some films that the blu ray transfer doesn't improve at all in terms of visuals, like many comedies or some dramas. A film like Apocalypse Now should be seen in blu ray (and I have viewed it in that format) where as say, Blazing Saddles, doesn't really benefit as much.

Spinal

06-10-2012, 08:15 PM

Another thing about Groundhog Day is that it's really not all that funny. And yet it works anyway.

Rowland

06-10-2012, 08:31 PM

In addition to watching Gareth Evans' amazing The Raid: Redemption last night, I preceded it with something of a palate cleanser with a Steven Seagal direct-to-video release I was inspired to watch thanks to a hilarious review in Vern's compulsively readable trash cinema opus, Seagology. The film was predictably terrible, and yet exceedingly watchable for its almost surreal gonzo ineptitude. Just watch this, and keep in mind that Seagal is playing a Yale University archeology professor, out looking for clues to solve some stupid, incomprehensible mystery to avenge his murdered wife, naturally:

QTU9avrxGmI

Irish

06-10-2012, 09:10 PM

Another thing about Groundhog Day is that it's really not all that funny.

Are you sure about that?*

xkW_ZkMtmlQ

What distinguishes it from most other adult comedies is that it's got multiple subplots & actually something to say. It's also particularly well formed (the third act is as strong as the first).

The only thing that mars it is the unfortunate presence of Andie McDowell in a leading role.

* Still can't believe that Tobolowsky is in this movie for under 5 minutes.

Pop Trash

06-10-2012, 09:44 PM

The only thing that mars it is the unfortunate presence of Andie McDowell in a leading role.

Ouch. I knew someone would bring this up, but I disagree. Then again my opinion is completely biased since I have a giant crush on early 90s McDowell.

Spinal

06-10-2012, 11:14 PM

Yeah, McDowell's a pretty bad actress. She's worse in Short Cuts though.

Chac Mool

06-11-2012, 01:56 AM

A few recent viewings. Comments welcome.

GEORGE WASHINGTON (DAVID GORDON GREEN, 2000)
Ode to rust: the coming of age movie as poetry. The melancholy pace, sensual photography, near-constant music combine with the decaying southern town setting to create a remarkable mood and a distinct feeling of a place not so much in time but forgotten by it. The writing behind this mood is rather more hit and miss: the elusive, drifting nature of the plot actually works rather well, but the recurring voice-overs and a few of the plot twists feel a little too willfully obtuse. Still, the film is given a genuine emotional undercurrent by a cadre of largely non-professional actors, and grows in retrospect. [***]

NETWORK (SIDNEY LUMET, 1976)
Surprising in many ways: in how scathingly it attacks the patina of network television (and, to a large extend, its devoted audiences) to expose the hollowness beneath; in how modern the film feels, with its self-referential, almost meta- dialogue, which would seem at home in a Charlie Kaufman or Aaron Sorkin screenplay; and in how well its scenes, characters and themes translate to some of today’s societal issues (it’s not too much of a leap to replace newsmen with bankers). The actors all standout -- although Dunaway is particularly delicious as the ultimate career woman -- and the work behind the camera is unobtrusive but outstanding. [***½]

EDIT: the "I'm mad as hell..." line is naturally the most famous, but a couple of other turns of phrase stayed with me; in particular, Max's last monologue to Diana, culminating in "You're television incarnate." is particularly awesome.

PIRANHA 3DD (JOHN GULARGER, 2012)
They managed to make a movie about tits, piranhas and waterslides boring. [½, for the tits]

PROMETHEUS (RIDLEY SCOTT, 2012)
A film whose subjective worth will likely depend on one’s willingness to overlook a script whose details are, at best, clunky (and whose holes are occasionally massive) in favor of an ambitious thematic and storytelling scope, a truly spectacular production led by one of the best visual directors in the world and a few potentially iconic moments. Poor writing elevated by great filmmaking, or a great film brought down by poor writing? I’m not sure, but movies of this magnitude don’t come by too often, and that counts for something. [***]

Bosco B Thug

06-11-2012, 06:49 AM

Flight of the Red Balloon: Now I don't know what I want. Halfway through 'Flight' I began to long for Millennium Mambo's grim narrative direction. Less consequential, but more engaging.

The Weeping Meadow & La belle noiseuse: Eh. Long.

Les Bonnes Femmes: I shall get along with Chabrol.

transmogrifier

06-11-2012, 09:36 AM

.....(RIDLEY SCOTT, 2012)
......one of the best visual directors in the world....

I will never understand why so many otherwise rational people believe this.

NickGlass

06-11-2012, 02:01 PM

Been watching a lot of Bill Murray movies with my son. We watched the two Ghostbusters movies, as well as Little Shop of Horrors.

His cameo in Horrors is fun. A 35mm print of LSOH just screened in Brooklyn, with Frank Oz in attendance, and I was so charmed. It has such impressive puppetry and irresistibly dorky moxie--it also helps that I have never seen a stage version to compare it to.

Spinal

06-11-2012, 03:57 PM

Last night's Bill Murray entry was Scrooged. I can only assume that people who like this have not seen it since they were 14.

Pop Trash

06-11-2012, 05:51 PM

I will never understand why so many otherwise rational people believe this.

He is probably in the higher echelon of bigger budget directors visually speaking. Somewhere below Spielberg and Jackson, mostly below Cameron, definitely above Star Wars prequel era Lucas and all Michael Bay.

Izzy Black

06-11-2012, 06:05 PM

Flight of the Red Balloon: Now I don't know what I want. Halfway through 'Flight' I began to long for Millennium Mambo's grim narrative direction. Less consequential, but more engaging.
Well Mambo is the better film. Flight is very elliptical.

The Weeping Meadow & La belle noiseuse: Eh. Long.

Ugh, that's it?! Nothing else to say? :(

Izzy Black

06-11-2012, 06:07 PM

He is probably in the higher echelon of bigger budget directors visually speaking. Somewhere below Spielberg and Jackson, mostly above Cameron, definitely above Star Wars prequel era Lucas and all Michael Bay.

Well that's a pretty significant qualification from "one of the best visual directors in the world." Personally I'd put him above Bay and that's just about it.

Pop Trash

06-11-2012, 06:34 PM

Well that's a pretty significant qualification from "one of the best visual directors in the world." Personally I'd put him above Bay and that's just about it.

I meant to say "mostly below Cameron." Edited. From a visual standpoint I think I like Prometheus better than Avatar. Maybe.

Bosco B Thug

06-11-2012, 06:55 PM

Well Mambo is the better film. Flight is very elliptical. It all really depended on that last scene to bring it all together. Otherwise the film was directionless.

Ugh, that's it?! Nothing else to say? :( Heh, I started feeling bad about this in the wee hours of the night. Should've said more. I wanted all my feelings to be contained in the "Eh," and the "Long" to be an added addendum, not that I was "eh"-ing them because they were long.

Pairing them together was apt, though - I found them both over-dramatic and barely engaging. La belle noiseuse's views of "the painter artist" I found slightly annoying.

elixir

06-11-2012, 07:13 PM

But does life always have direction!!!!!!

elixir

06-11-2012, 07:14 PM

watch DUELLE, it's so much fun and barely over two hours and it's amazingness, I need to see Noroit or Nor'west or whatever it is and more Rivettes in general, he's the man

elixir

06-11-2012, 07:21 PM

also, to bring up a fun topic, switch back to number ratings, i can't read these

Bosco B Thug

06-11-2012, 07:48 PM

But does life always have direction!!!!!! Well, if communicating directionlessness, it should be moribund and unrelenting like Millennium Mambo. 'Flight' was pure slice-of-life, and Hou's too lax to make it cohere. The last scene was a marvelous [miraculous] successful tie-up, though. And Binoche's distilled comments to her son about adulthood were good. But that's two scenes out of a whole film.

watch DUELLE, it's so much fun and barely over two hours and it's amazingness, I need to see Noroit or Nor'west or whatever it is and more Rivettes in general, he's the man Duelle's the one I want to see, as it's influenced by The Seventh Victim. Not on Netflix, alas.

also, to bring up a fun topic, switch back to number ratings, i can't read these As in, I'm too enigmatic with letter grades and you can only "read me" on the 10 scale? The code's an eyesore? You're slightly drunk and tiny minus signs are hard when you're tipsy?

elixir

06-11-2012, 08:21 PM

flight of the red balloon is the best movie ever, so i'll have none of this nonsense!

So, Flight of the Red Balloon is a film that finds many intersecting concerns already up in the air -- the start of a new job; a tentative new relationship between a boy and his new nanny; a harried mother whose overscheduled mania is a passive-aggressive form of selfishness in response to a life she feels affords her little control; the ins and outs of a puppet show; a pending eviction; the relationship between a boy and his older half-sister, someone he wants more permanently in his life; an absent father; reflections in shop windows; pinball versus PlayStation; being "in" one's life versus reflecting upon it as an artist. None of these threads is "resolved," and there's no reason why they should be. Instead, Hou allows this gentle cacophony to swirl in a series of in-transit, mid-story passages, placed against one another at oblique angles. The result is the rare narrative film that truly operates like a long-form poem.
http://academichack.net/reviewsApril2008.htm#Flight [also read point 1 too, I wasn't sure which to quote, both work as a response.]
The entire film is miraculous, dammit! And I certainly don't think Hou's formal control and Mark Lee Ping Bin's cinematography is lax..

As in, I'm too enigmatic with letter grades and you can only "read me" on the 10 scale? The code's an eyesore? You're slightly drunk and tiny minus signs are hard when you're tipsy?
Um, I just hate the letter grade scale, I never know what B means for people. or C. How is B a 6? (Don't answer all this unless you really want to.) I think school fucked up this scale for life, but maybe that's just me.

DavidSeven

06-11-2012, 08:42 PM

I've never used the letter grade system, but I assume it breaks down as follows for most people who use it for film rating:

A: 10
A-: 9
B+: 8
B: 7
B-: 6
C+: 5
C: 4
C-: 3
D+: 2
F: 1

B- --> A (6-10) = Fresh
F --> C+ (1-5) = Rotten

And now I await the inevitable argument that, in U.S. high school, a D+ starts at approximately 60/100.

Bosco B Thug

06-11-2012, 09:01 PM

The entire film is miraculous, dammit! And I certainly don't think Hou's formal control and Mark Lee Ping Bin's cinematography is lax.. I do. This is when we start throwing bar stools around.

Um, I just hate the letter grade scale, I never know what B means for people. or C. How is B a 6? (Don't answer all this unless you really want to.) I think school fucked up this scale for life, but maybe that's just me. Yes, all must know my process: I think, "C is 5," meaning "Average," and then everything becomes pretty clear.

And now I await the inevitable argument that, in U.S. high school, a D+ starts at approximately 60/100. I also used to hate the letter grade system because of this, but I forgot about this fact surprisingly easily over the past few years.

Qrazy

06-11-2012, 09:33 PM

There is a specific thread reserved for this brand of mind numbing discussion.

transmogrifier

06-11-2012, 10:07 PM

Letters as grades are dumb. That is all.

Scar

06-12-2012, 12:12 AM

Last night's Bill Murray entry was Scrooged. I can only assume that people who like this have not seen it since they were 14.

Aww, man. Rewatched it last Christmas and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Chac Mool

06-12-2012, 12:40 AM

Well that's a pretty significant qualification from "one of the best visual directors in the world." Personally I'd put him above Bay and that's just about it.

I'll stand by my original qualification. He is a remarkable visual stylist in shot composition, lighting (in fact, particularly lighting) and in using production design, art direction and costume design to their fullest, and this in both movies that are traditionally spectacular (the sci fiers, the histlrical epics) and in those that aren't (Hannibal, Matchstick Men). It may be pop stylism for sure, but that doesn't make it any less appealing.

I'd certainly rate him above Spielberg and Jackson, whose visual style is accomplished but a little more cliched, and Cameron, who is technically very proficient but struck me as more of a professional rather than particularly inspired

Rowland

06-12-2012, 02:34 AM

Letters as grades are dumb. That is all.Numbers are pretty dumb as well. One person's 60 is another person's 70 is another person's 80 etc.

Rowland

06-12-2012, 02:35 AM

Yes, all must know my process: I think, "C is 5," meaning "Average," and then everything becomes pretty clear.Same here, though for me being average is a take it or leave it sort of mild nay.

Mysterious Dude

06-12-2012, 03:31 AM

Ivan Drago

06-12-2012, 04:06 AM

28 Film Discussion Threads Later. . .

. . .we're still arguing about the perfect rating scale.

Qrazy

06-12-2012, 04:07 AM

Numbers and letters both suck equally. STARRZ 4-EVAR!!!

Letters
Bosco B Thug
EyesWideOpen
Qrazy
Rowland

Numbers
dreamdead
Dukefrukem
Ivan Drago
megladon8
origami_mustache
Pop Trash
Skitch
transmogrifier

Stars
baby doll
Boner M
Derek
Ezee E
Isaac
Kurosawa Fan
Raiders
soitgoes...
Spinal
StanleyK

Too good for ratings
B-side

Single word descriptions are probably the best because then there's no confusion as to meaning however you do lose the benefit of brevity.

Excellent
Good
Average
Weak
Terrible

Winston*

06-12-2012, 04:22 AM

Hey guys, got a serious movie question:

Which is the better film: Blast from the Past starring Brendan Fraser, or Bedazzled starring Brendan Fraser?

Ezee E

06-12-2012, 04:24 AM

Hey guys, got a serious movie question:

Which is the better film: Blast from the Past starring Brendan Fraser, or Bedazzled starring Brendan Fraser?
I actually liked Blast From the Past.....

Winston*

06-12-2012, 04:26 AM

I actually liked Blast From the Past.....

Blast from the Past: 1
Bedazzled: 0

Thank you for participating in my research. Will let you know of the results.

Kurosawa Fan

06-12-2012, 04:27 AM

Blast from the Past: 1
Bedazzled: 0

Thank you for participating in my research. Will let you know of the results.

Shit, this really is serious. I'll have to rewatch both of them and get back to you.

Derek

06-12-2012, 04:28 AM

Hey guys, got a serious movie question:

Which is the better film: Blast from the Past starring Brendan Fraser, or Bedazzled starring Brendan Fraser?

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fwhToi7gk7s/S9O_27AEbvI/AAAAAAAAALc/KGB6LLDNyx8/s1600/fraserclap.gif

Irish

06-12-2012, 04:31 AM

I have the urge to rate Winston's posts for content and comedic value, but I'm unsure what scale to use. Little help?

Derek

06-12-2012, 04:33 AM

I have the urge to rate Winston's posts for content and comedic value, but I'm unsure what scale to use. Little help?

The clap scale: Normal adult human clap or Brendan Fraser clap fail.

Ezee E

06-12-2012, 04:55 AM

Rewatching some of Natural Born Killers and that whole Dangerfield section is very annoying.

MadMan

06-12-2012, 06:15 AM

Rewatching some of Natural Born Killers and that whole Dangerfield section is very annoying.I disagree, and I think that section is important to the film, to a certain extent. Plus his over the top performance is merely Stone's way of mocking the traditional father figure. In this case, instead of being a good parent Dangerfield's character is responsible for two already fucked up individuals turning to murder and mayhem.

Last night's Bill Murray entry was Scrooged. I can only assume that people who like this have not seen it since they were 14.I like Scrooged, and I viewed it around 18-19 years old, I think. I found it to be pretty funny and enjoyable, with a nice message at the end. As far as X-Mas movies and Scrooge retellings goes, it at least tries to do something new with the story.

And yes Ridley Scott is a great visual director. In fact its one of his main strengths.

The only thing that mars it is the unfortunate presence of Andie McDowell in a leading role.Yep, but luckily the movie is awesome enough to overcome that handicap.

PS: I'm all about numbers these days. I used to like star ratings, though. Maybe I'll change it to rating movies based on coconuts. Prometheus deserves three and a half coconuts out of four! But then of course there's the problem of determining how many coconuts you should rate out of, and how to present half a coconut in your sig. Its all very annoying...

Pop Trash

06-12-2012, 06:48 AM

TEAM ANDIE MACDOWELL!

[so alone]

Sven

06-12-2012, 07:01 AM

Hey guys, got a serious movie question:

Which is the better film: Blast from the Past starring Brendan Fraser, or Bedazzled starring Brendan Fraser?

...and I actually liked Bedazzled.

Winston*

06-12-2012, 07:07 AM

...and I actually liked Bedazzled.

Blast from the Past: 1
Bedazzled: 1

Qrazy

06-12-2012, 07:10 AM

TEAM ANDIE MACDOWELL!

[so alone]

I wouldn't say she's a good actress per se but I enjoy her presence in a film.

Sven

06-12-2012, 07:26 AM

I think there's room for Ms. MacDowell. She's not nearly as bad as everyone says she is. She's got a mildly grating baseline Southern quality about her, but she communicates well. Her trademark pointedness is intertwined with emotive talent, and usually a bit of wry winking.

+1 for Team MacDowell

transmogrifier

06-12-2012, 08:30 AM

Hey guys, got a serious movie question:

Which is the better film: Blast from the Past starring Brendan Fraser, or Bedazzled starring Brendan Fraser?

According to my ratings, there is a 7 point difference between the two.

MadMan

06-12-2012, 08:30 AM

TEAM ANDIE MACDOWELL!

[so alone]She's cute, but that's about it.

Grouchy

06-12-2012, 03:32 PM

A funny thing happened yesterday in Ramona Reyes. We played Strange Circus and, halfway through the film, I went to get a drink and found a girl doing the same. I knew her since people who come to Ramona are more or less always the same, so I chatted a little with her about the film and suddenly I realized she was starting to cry. It turns out the child abuse part of the film hit a little too close to home for her. I felt like a real jerk despite the girl assuring me it was ok, and it didn't help that I was disguised as a fucking geisha.

But the girl returned to the screening room and, when it was over, approached me to assure me that it was OK, and she actually thanked me for the film, saying it was very honest, non-exploitative and overall that she had enjoyed the experience.

I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but it was an important moment for me. We show these films and we make a big party environment around them, but the truth is that film is an emotional experience that hits everyone a different way.

Irish

06-12-2012, 03:46 PM

I felt like a real jerk despite the girl assuring me it was ok, and it didn't help that I was disguised as a fucking geisha.

Wait ... what?

Grouchy

06-12-2012, 03:58 PM

Wait ... what?
Difficult to explain. We try to make bonus features to showcase the theme of the month, so, this month being Japanese movies, we found this girl who had recently done Japanese make-up for a play and who had the costumes and everything. But she had only done geishas and Ramona Reyes is three guys and a girl. It seemed like a problem until we decided we'd all be geishas regardless of sex, even with the beards and all. It looked more freaky than gay, to tell the truth. We served green tea.

Next week (Audition) is home-made sushi and for the last week (Battle Royale) I'm writing a short comedy play (6 minutes) telling the story of the 47 Ronin.

Irish

06-12-2012, 04:04 PM

Difficult to explain. We try to make bonus features to showcase the theme of the month, so, this month being Japanese movies, we found this girl who had recently done Japanese make-up for a play and who had the costumes and everything. But she had only done geishas and Ramona Reyes is three guys and a girl. It seemed like a problem until we decided we'd all be geishas regardless of sex, even with the beards and all. It looked more freaky than gay, to tell the truth. We served green tea.

Next week (Audition) is home-made sushi and for the last week (Battle Royale) I'm writing a short comedy play (6 minutes) telling the story of the 47 Ronin.

Fantastic! That sounds like fun, a little bit of William Castle in a casual moviegoing experience.

(Also, please tell me you took pictures & they will soon show up in the photo-thread).

Grouchy

06-12-2012, 04:09 PM

Fantastic! That sounds like fun, a little bit of William Castle in a casual moviegoing experience.

(Also, please tell me you took pictures & they will soon show up in the photo-thread).
Hahah, yes, as soon as I get them I'll post them.

If any of you guys want to Facebook Ramona Reyes, you're welcome to. Most of you are a bit far from Buenos Aires to come to the movies but we welcome your moral support.

Dead & Messed Up

06-12-2012, 06:15 PM

Just watched Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid for the first time. Mostly really liked it, but some of those montages were a little odd. Especially the mid-train detour into the trio enjoying NYC and Sundance getting married. Funnily enough, none of the three mention anything about that detour throughout the rest of movie, which reminds me of the apropos-of-nothing psychedelia in Charly. The first half, with Butch and Sundance evading the team, impressed me the most, as it felt relentless without feeling like a shapeless series of events. Redford's little nod after shouting "I can't swim!" made me laugh out loud.

B+

soitgoes...

06-12-2012, 09:14 PM

gt2KlkBUgXA

Qrazy

06-12-2012, 10:09 PM

You people sure have a hard on for French people dancing.

soitgoes...

06-12-2012, 10:19 PM

You people sure have a hard on for French people dancing.

What do you mean by "you people?"

Russ

06-12-2012, 10:29 PM

What do you mean by "you people?"
http://match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=420376&postcount=59905

Qrazy

06-12-2012, 10:30 PM

What do you mean by "you people?"

You, Derek, Boner, some others. Whoever posted that clip the other day from I think a Claire Denis (US Go Home?) film of that guy dancing in his room.

Also people who are enamoured with Karina dancing in Vivre Sa Vie or Denis Lavant dancing again at the end of Beau Travail.

soitgoes...

06-12-2012, 10:38 PM

You, Derek, Boner, some others. Whoever posted that clip the other day from I think a Claire Denis (US Go Home?) film of that guy dancing in his room.

Also people who are enamoured with Karina dancing in Vivre Sa Vie or Denis Lavant dancing again at the end of Beau Travail.

QnjF64F6JPo

Qrazy

06-12-2012, 10:52 PM

Well sure, that one I like. :P

elixir

06-13-2012, 01:41 AM

You people sure have a hard on for French people dancing.
<3 i ain't ashamed

Boner M

06-13-2012, 02:33 AM

Derek

06-13-2012, 03:01 AM

Did a French person's dancing do serious damage at your last house party?

Qrazy's just angry that he can only get it up for Alexei German and John Huston films.

Boner M

06-13-2012, 03:11 AM

It was inevitable.

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/816/frenchppl.png

Spinal

06-13-2012, 03:35 AM

KqBhSl9uco0

Izzy Black

06-13-2012, 03:50 AM

It was inevitable.

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/816/frenchppl.png

LoL

Bosco B Thug

06-13-2012, 04:07 AM

I'm with Qrazy, French culture is annoying.

B-side

06-13-2012, 04:22 AM

Kiarostami's The Report is a bit more traditionally dramatic than one might expect of him, and isn't as spare as his best work, but it's still really good. There's a scene in the second half of the film featuring some domestic strife that culminates in a disturbing scene of violence which Kiarostami films from about 10 feet away from a door cracked at about a 45 degree angle, only showing the male abuser as he wails away at his wife.

Dead & Messed Up

06-13-2012, 05:25 AM

I love what I've seen of French culture, namely "Les Jeunes de Paris."

fyAoeRLILIQ

Bosco B Thug

06-13-2012, 06:00 AM

I love what I've seen of French culture, namely "Les Jeunes de Paris." Ha, I was gonna post one of those.

Anyway, we all know what the superior pop is:

http://cdn2.mixrmedia.com/wp-uploads/ningin/blog/2011/06/kpop3.jpg

MadMan

06-13-2012, 08:46 AM

I like French film noir/gangster films and Amalie.

EvilShoe

06-13-2012, 08:50 AM

What about French stuff that makes dancing impossible? Would that be acceptable?

xZDDDFNHApI

soitgoes...

06-13-2012, 09:42 AM

I didn't realize till now that Kaneto Shindô died a couple of weeks ago.

B-side

06-13-2012, 09:58 AM

The Festival Paris Cinema is screening 15 Ruiz films as part of a retrospective, including (presumably) restored prints and/or exceedingly rare showings of:

Chilean Rhapsody (2002)
Days in the Country (2004)
Three Sad Tigers (1968)
The Blind Owl (1990)
Treasure Island (1985)

All films without proper releases or decent prints. If you plan on being in the area and hate art, then by all means, miss it.

soitgoes...

06-13-2012, 10:11 AM

I hate art! But alas, I won't be in Paris to miss it.

Wait a minute... I will miss it just by not being in Paris! Oh Brightside, you tried to trick me!

Stay Puft

06-13-2012, 01:05 PM

I didn't realize till now that Kaneto Shindô died a couple of weeks ago.

I just found that out, too. The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre is screening his last film tomorrow, which I had planned on going to see, though work just dropped another night shift on me so I'm not sure if I can make it now.

Qrazy

06-13-2012, 02:34 PM

Did a French person's dancing do serious damage at your last house party?

Yeah, Denis Lavant cartwheeled into a corner and shattered a vase. The idiot was so enraptured with 'expressing himself' he forgot to register the needs and presence of anything external to his insular existence.

Sven

06-14-2012, 05:35 AM

Dudes, Netflix Instant, Amazing Stories, Season 2, The Family Dog.

Dudes!

EyesWideOpen

06-14-2012, 05:39 AM

Bruno did not hold up as well on a second viewing.

Watashi

06-14-2012, 05:44 AM

Dudes, Netflix Instant, Amazing Stories, Season 2, The Family Dog.

Dudes!
It's fucking amazing.

B-side

06-14-2012, 05:49 AM

Bruno did not hold up as well on a second viewing.

It didn't hold up well for me on a first viewing.

Boner M

06-14-2012, 06:28 AM

I watched Truffaut's The Wild Child the other night, first non film festival viewing in a few weeks. Weird movie, in its total quizzical distance to its story, and choosing to end at what would be the end of the first act in a more conventional film. I can kind of see what the approach is getting at - putting Truffaut's character under a microscope and rendering both him and the titular child as phenomena, with 'civilised' coming across as an arbitrary designation.

In fact, I'm starting to think that Truffaut was a far stranger filmmaker than many gave him credit for, and that it was his 'qualite de cinema' phase (ie in tandem w/ Godard post-67) that might've been his riskiest and most formally bold.

elixir

06-14-2012, 06:41 AM

I think you've got the wrong name there, guy. :P

Boner M

06-14-2012, 06:47 AM

I think you've got the wrong name there, guy. :P
Copy+paste cover blown.

MadMan

06-14-2012, 07:08 AM

Bruno did not hold up as well on a second viewing.I'm too lazy to go and change my rating on Criticker, but the more I think about Bruno, the less I like it. I call this the "Narnia Effect" in honor of the first Narnia movie to describe a movie that I see once, and then after thinking about the film I slowly start to realize I like it less and less, so much so that a second viewing really isn't even necessary.

B-side

06-14-2012, 09:36 AM

I wrote a blog entry some time ago comparing Johnnie To's Breaking News to Tony Scott's Unstoppable; their incorporation of media being so essential to the thematic and aesthetic content of each film and their breathless paces and modern sheen making them a bit more similar, at least for the sake of the blog entry. Further experiences with To confirm thematic preoccupations similar to what Scott has been addressing since Crimson Tide -- or, really, Spy Game, since its framework is so firmly entrenched in a modern world of computers and surveillance equipment. Romancing in Thin Air brings a new level of self-reflexivity and recursive aggrandizing of the sheer monumental force of media e.g. cinema. Where Breaking News can be seen as a thinly veiled critique of media saturation and the new aggressively opportunistic news cycle, Romancing in Thin Air is something else entirely; something much more optimistic about the nature of "recorded reality".

Situated somewhere between The Grey and 50 First Dates, this particular To is my first taste of his romantic work. Though it can hardly be said to be a completely smooth ride, it approaches sublimity in its waning half. To carries his swooping camera through elevated heights in Shangri-la, his trademark stylistic fluidity carrying some otherwise clunky aspects. A shamed movie star shows up at a mountain lodge where a closet fan, Sue, helps nurse him back to health with the help of her overly enthusiastic younger friends. Even the doctor that's called to help administer treatment can't stop herself from hopping in bed with the ailing man to snap a quick and silly picture. Scenes like this recall Tony Scott's own attempt to tackle the fan-celebrity disconnect in The Fan, an underrated work. Sue, echoing Drew Barrymore's family in 50 First Dates, insures the lodge remains just as her long-missing husband left it, even going so far as to keep three of the piano keys broken despite it being fixed for other reasons. Her unceasing devotion is matched by the disgraced actor's for a previous actress love.

Throughout the first half, as To tiptoes around the mystery surrounding Sue's absent husband, the film struggles to keep its head above water, but as the similarities between Sue's real life lover and cinematic one emerge, this new dynamic injects a fresh bit of intrigue that ends up the catalyst for a remarkable series of scenes recalling Sue's husband's struggle for survival in the winter wilderness and the subsequent re-staging of this impassioned couple's strife for the screen by the actor whose on-screen heroics ended up being no match for the very real devotion of a shy man to the love of his life. "Does the ending have to be so sad?", she asks. The actor responds, "It's a true story..." But in the film's most unabashedly rousing and romantic segment, Sue goes to the theater to watch the actor's film adaptation of her real life story where she, engulfed in emotion, heads for the exit just as she assumes the film is ending with her husband's demise -- true to life -- only to hear the music continue in the background and reveal a miraculous fictional ending that gives her the happy ending she so desperately wanted.

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Movie%20Caps%20Pt%202/vlcsnap-2012-06-14-04h12m13s230_550x234.jpg

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Movie%20Caps%20Pt%202/vlcsnap-2012-06-14-04h42m42s90_550x234.jpg

Irish

06-14-2012, 09:50 AM

Great read, B. Got a link to that old blog post?

B-side

06-14-2012, 10:02 AM

Great read, B. Got a link to that old blog post?

I don't, actually, but I may have posted it in full on here at some point.

B-side

06-14-2012, 10:10 AM

I don't, actually, but I may have posted it in full on here at some point.

I guess I didn't. I think I deleted my old personal blog out of shame, so that piece may very well be gone for good.:sad:

B-side

06-14-2012, 10:11 AM

I guess I didn't. I think I deleted my old personal blog out of shame, so that piece may very well be gone for good.:sad:

I take that back, it's right here (http://cinematicinsecurity.wordpress. com/2011/09/25/new-media-reality-in-breaking-news-to-2004-and-unstoppable-scott-2010/), Irish.

Irish

06-14-2012, 10:17 AM

I take that back, it's right here (http://cinematicinsecurity.wordpress. com/2011/09/25/new-media-reality-in-breaking-news-to-2004-and-unstoppable-scott-2010/), Irish.

Woot! Thanks, B.

Irish

06-14-2012, 10:27 AM

I guess I didn't. I think I deleted my old personal blog out of shame, so that piece may very well be gone for good.:sad:

Also, don't ever do this again. :)

B-side

06-14-2012, 10:29 AM

Also, don't ever do this again. :)

I had one some time ago that's now lost in the ether of the internet, but I may keep this one around, if only for reference's sake. Perhaps to see how far I come if I ever become any good at this writing thing.:lol:

#seriouslynotfishingforcomplim ents

Irish

06-14-2012, 11:12 AM

I had one some time ago that's now lost in the ether of the internet, but I may keep this one around, if only for reference's sake. Perhaps to see how far I come if I ever become any good at this writing thing.:lol:

#seriouslynotfishingforcomplim ents

Haha, well since you're not fishing ... :P

B-side

06-14-2012, 11:15 AM

I'm just naturally self-deprecating! Qrazy gives me shit constantly for fishing for compliments. I mean, I'm way insecure, so of course I crave acceptance like a crack fiend, but come on... I am capable of not subtly fishing for compliments, even if I choose not to go down that route very often. :P

EyesWideOpen

06-14-2012, 12:13 PM

I'm too lazy to go and change my rating on Criticker, but the more I think about Bruno, the less I like it. I call this the "Narnia Effect" in honor of the first Narnia movie to describe a movie that I see once, and then after thinking about the film I slowly start to realize I like it less and less, so much so that a second viewing really isn't even necessary.

It has a lot to do with how obnoxious Bruno is as a character. Borat while being clueless was a likable character and Bruno is not.

Sven

06-14-2012, 02:46 PM

Qrazy gives me shit constantly for fishing for compliments.

He gives everyone shit for everything. Do what I do and pay less attention to him.

Sven

06-14-2012, 02:47 PM

It's fucking amazing.

Yeah, I watched it religiously as a child. It was incredible watching it again and re-remembering every single line and moment.

Qrazy

06-14-2012, 05:15 PM

He gives everyone shit for everything. Do what I do and pay less attention to him.

Don't tread on my freedom.

Boner M

06-15-2012, 01:22 AM

Jesus, Holy Motors couldn't be more match-cut-porn if it tried.

Stay Puft

06-15-2012, 01:44 AM

The Warped Forest (Ishii, 2011) **

Shunichiro Miki directed this, btw.

B-side

06-15-2012, 02:13 AM

He gives everyone shit for everything. Do what I do and pay less attention to him.

Well, he is kinda right in this case, though. My insecurity can be pretty obnoxious.

soitgoes...

06-15-2012, 04:53 AM

Well, he is kinda right in this case, though. My insecurity can be pretty obnoxious.
I think it makes you adorable.

B-side

06-15-2012, 06:50 AM

I think it makes you adorable.

:pritch:

B-side

06-15-2012, 07:05 AM

Speaking of adorable, Top Gun is quickly becoming a favorite. My fondness for it grew after my first viewing upon reflection, and this rewatch confirms its greatness. The male ego is given heart and matched by a strong and confident female. This rewatch also confirms what I suspected the first time around; that the homoeroticism is far from unintentional. It's meant to convey a similar devotion between male friends as well as their lovers. Calling their relationships "bromances" strikes me as kinda silly and reduces an approach to love ahead of its time to some sort of ironic gag. I don't think the joke was lost on Scott or the screenwriters, so when pilots talk of being "hard" at the prospect of competition, or when Iceman snaps his mouth shut toward Maverick in the gym, Scott's tongue in firmly in cheek and the inclination is toward a simultaneous embracing of masculine identity as well as prodding it for its comedic value. The remarkable aerial battles and machismo in the academy make it feel distinctly male, but the romancing is so far on the other end that the two extremes balance in some sort of brilliant symbiosis. And I've hardly seen much better photography in an action film. The magic hour photography pits silver jets against metallic hued oceans and skies. That prime time photography really only lends the film an even grander sense of scope and romanticism.

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Movie%20Caps%20Pt%202/vlcsnap-2012-06-15-01h57m20s186_800x335.png

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz70/SalvadorDali_2010/Movie%20Caps%20Pt%202/vlcsnap-2012-06-15-02h22m21s74_800x335.png