28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[Yxklyx]

Yes! One of the best biopics out there, and one of my favorite films. I'm not sure Day-Lewis has topped this performance in my opinion, and Postlethwaite was his equal every step of the way. It's a shame Sheridan was never able to achieve that quality of film making again.

I love this one too but I'm not sure it can be considered a biopic since SO MUCH of it is fabricated.

[Winston*]

Got 15 free tickets to use at the film festival at the end of the month, on top of the 15 films I'm seeing as an usher.

Here's the lineup if people want to give me recommendations.

http://www.nziff.co.nz/wellington

[Qrazy]

Watching Hombre now. Paul Newman is my hero. He don't give a shit in this movie.

That for me is one of those films where the first act is so-so, the second act is very good and the final act is phenomenal. There are a lot of great one liners in that one.

[dreamdead]

So Jean-Claude Brisseau's Exterminating Angels could have been more fascinating if so much of it didn't feel autobiographical in its forgiveness of a man searching for women's divine sexual revelation. The fact that it does neutralizes some of the misogyny and renders the whole affair overly honorific. That's a shame since the film occasionally levels an auto-critique at Brisseau, but it's never sustained enough to resonate. Interesting concept, but this one isn't able to counteract the rather real sense of predatory (if misguided, at its most positive term) misogyny.

Lars and the Real Girl is alternately winsome and asinine. In some ways it contemporarizes Harvey, but the feel of the town is so Capra-esque in aiding Lars' recovery that it feels like a cheat to proclaim that the world depicted is nowhere close to authentic. That said, that sense of a cheat remains, undercutting scenes like the bowling alley that legitimately have a grace to them. And while it's well-acted throughout, the script feels too simple and consciously symbolic--without depth or adding nuance into the piece. Meh to this one as well, though I could see how it'd work as that Harvey vehicle for today for some.

[Derek]

So Jean-Claude Brisseau's Exterminating Angels could have been more fascinating if so much of it didn't feel autobiographical in its forgiveness of a man searching for women's divine sexual revelation. The fact that it does neutralizes some of the misogyny and renders the whole affair overly honorific. That's a shame since the film occasionally levels an auto-critique at Brisseau, but it's never sustained enough to resonate. Interesting concept, but this one isn't able to counteract the rather real sense of predatory (if misguided, at its most positive term) misogyny.

Have you already seen Secret Things? I loved that film, but I too found this meta-critique of it to be lacking despite the hawt lesbian sex.

EDIT: And for French erotic meta-critiques, Breillat's Sex is Comedy is definitely better.

[Irish]

In some ways it contemporarizes Harvey, but the feel of the town is so Capra-esque in aiding Lars' recovery that it feels like a cheat to proclaim that the world depicted is nowhere close to authentic. That said, that sense of a cheat remains, undercutting scenes like the bowling alley that legitimately have a grace to them. And while it's well-acted throughout, the script feels too simple and consciously symbolic--without depth or adding nuance into the piece. Meh to this one as well, though I could see how it'd work as that Harvey vehicle for today for some.

Yep. This was my exact problem with it. Well said.

I found the premise absurd & interesting and went in ready to love this movie but ... Good God. Even at the simplest level the character actions feel false.

[dreamdead]

Have you already seen Secret Things? I loved that film, but I too found this meta-critique of it to be lacking despite the hawt lesbian sex.

EDIT: And for French erotic meta-critiques, Breillat's Sex is Comedy is definitely better.

I think I glanced at Secret Things once, but wasn't in the mood for it. I'll consider it if and when it comes back to InstantView. With this one, it just seemed incredulous that the director wouldn't realize how the women would sublimate him into their respective fantasies. For as learned as he's made to be, that shit is psychoanalysis 101 and thus bad screenplay writing.

[MadMan]

That for me is one of those films where the first act is so-so, the second act is very good and the final act is phenomenal. There are a lot of great one liners in that one.Yeah I noticed how the first act is just all build up, slowly crafting the race and social implications that end up exploding later on. Then the rest of the movie continues to vastly improve, until you finally have that epic showdown of an ending. I realized midway through the movie how surprisingly great the entire film really is, and its earned a spot on my Top 20 Westerns list.

Earlier last night while still a tad intoxicated I viewed My Name Is Nobody. Its not the greatest western ever made, but its still really good and presents meta commentary while also being a mediation upon hero worship and the mythology of the old west gunslinger. I'm tempted to do a Spun, only cover westerns on Netflix Instant Viewing instead of horror movies.

[EyesWideOpen]

Criterion blu-rays releases for October:

I Married a Witch
Eyes Without a Face
The Uninvited
La Notte
John Cassavetes: Five Films Set (Shadows, Faces, A Women Under the Influence, Opening Night, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie)

[Ezee E]

I hope he doesn't get mad at me for this...

And y'all can call me out for words I repeatedly use as well, but here it goes...

Since May 2012...


The re-mastered music in "Halo: Anniversary" is jaw-dropping.


Everything I saw there was pretty much jaw-dropping.


The action was jaw-dropping, the humor incredibly well-timed and executed by every actor involved.


Jaw-dropping stuff.


Yeah, that first sequence with the plane was jaw-dropping. Loved it to death.


Superman is still the pinnacle of superhero cinema. Just incredible. That whole opening on Krypton is still jaw-dropping, with the almost 2001: ASO feel of the flight through space, to the super simple yet effective effect of the highly reflective material used to give the Kryptonians' outfits an otherworldly glow.


Glimpses of clarity were jaw-dropping. The quality of the SFX were second-to-none. I don't see why it all had to be so terribly muddled.

http://www.calvin.edu/academic/economics/faculty/bios/HaneyDocs/attach/58978255/jaw_dropping_butch.jpg

[Derek]

I hope he doesn't get mad at me for this...

Who's "he"? Someone from Ain't It Cool?

Still not as good as Peter Travers with "sizzle":


"Leave it to David Cronenberg to make the cerebral sizzle."


Reaction on the Web ranges from "It sizzles" to "It sucks" or "It's just OK."


What sizzles? Start with Hugh Jackman as Logan.


This is one summer movie with real sizzle.


McConaughey, 26, is dynamite in a performance of smarts, sexiness, scrappy humor and unmistakable star sizzle.


Savor their technique and the sizzling performances of...


They put the sizzle back into screen romance.


The emotional heat hits sizzle when Doug falls for Claire


His latest, Shutter Island, sizzles with so much nerve-frying suspense that it's hot to the touch.


Thanks to Harrelson and Moverman, it sizzles and stings.


Nicole Kidman sizzles in sexy southern noir The Paperboy.


Too bad that writer-director Guy Ritchie only partially realizes the sizzling potential.


The suspense crackles, the acting sizzles and the script, by promising first-timer Russell Gewirtz, keeps tossing surprises like grenades.


If you’re looking for a crime story that sizzles with action, sex and the visceral jolt of life on the edge, Miami Vice is the one.


Lady Chatterley is a sizzler in every sense of the word.

[Spinal]

Lady Chatterley is a sizzler in every sense of the word.

Does this mean that Lady Chatterley is a casual dining chain restaurant with mediocre steaks?

[Winston*]

I love the cerebral sizzle!

[Ezee E]

He is one of our very own!

[Derek]

Does this mean that Lady Chatterley is a casual dining chain restaurant with mediocre steaks?

Pascal Ferran knows DH Lawrence is all about the senses and what smell is more pungent and pervasive than the inside of a Sizzler, what with all the 50-somethings in rascal scooters and a taco bar featuring 3-day old ground beef.


I love the cerebral sizzle!

This is your brain. This is your brain on Peter Travers.


He is one of our very own!

Oh haha, although TMJ is a serious condition and not something to be taken lightly.

[Ezee E]

http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/1/9/8/9/ar123186672998914.JPG

[MadMan]

Originally Posted by Travers plagiarizing MadMan
Reaction on the Web ranges from "It sizzles" to "It sucks" or "It's just OK."Hilarious. I should clearly sue the bastard. You can all thank me later when I've caused him to be fired from his job.

[Dukefrukem]

That's totally Meg from Ezee's post.

[D_Davis]

Pretty sure I say amazing and brilliant all the time.

I just happen to really like amazing and brilliant things. What can I say? I have amazing and brilliant taste.

[Qrazy]

It's balls achingly incredible.

[Mysterious Dude]

I wrote something recently and when I was reading it over, I realized that I began every paragraph with a completely superfluous "now" (i.e. "Now, what do we really mean when we say..."). I also have a tendency to start sentences with "so" for no reason. I am not a good writer.

[Dukefrukem]

I'm a worse writer. Don't worry.

[Irish]

I wrote something recently and when I was reading it over, I realized that I began every paragraph with a completely superfluous "now" (i.e. "Now, what do we really mean when we say..."). I also have a tendency to start sentences with "so" for no reason. I am not a good writer.

The fact that you realize this puts you a step ahead of 90% of the people out there.


I'm a worse writer.

I've read your blog. Don't lie.

[Russ]

Can anyone identify the actor in my avatar?

I had to look it up. Very surprising. I want to see the film, kind of.

[Irish]

I thought it looked like that guy from "Holy Motors." You know, that guy with the erect penis that Spinal can't stop talking about.

[Russ]

I've seen Holy Motors, loved it, but that ain't him.

Dude's deceased.

[Russ]

He was in of one of my all-time-favorite horror films.

[Mysterious Dude]

Donald Pleasence in Wake in Fright

I spent that whole movie waiting for the movie to actually start.

[Russ]

Donald Pleasence in Wake in Fright

I spent that whole movie waiting for the movie to actually start.

DING, DING, DING!!

What didn't you like about it? Apart from the 'roo abuse (I haven't seen it). Really, I've heard it's a very good film.

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff324/astrojester/donaldp_zps6be552fb.jpg

[Izzy Black]

I wrote something recently and when I was reading it over, I realized that I began every paragraph with a completely superfluous "now" (i.e. "Now, what do we really mean when we say..."). I also have a tendency to start sentences with "so" for no reason. I am not a good writer.

i do that too :(

[Mysterious Dude]

The animal abuse didn't bother me that much. My problem was the overall lack of drama or conflict. It has a promising start, but very early in the film, the main character basically hits rock bottom and never rises again. He spends most of the movie drinking and wasting time. I felt like the designated driver at a house full of drunk people.

[Sycophant]

And here I'd been thinking it was Jermaine Clement from Men in Black III.

[Qrazy]

I wrote something recently and when I was reading it over, I realized that I began every paragraph with a completely superfluous "now" (i.e. "Now, what do we really mean when we say..."). I also have a tendency to start sentences with "so" for no reason. I am not a good writer.

Yeah, I suck too so don't worry.

[Qrazy]

Just unintentionally rewatched House of Games. It was so forgettable the first time that I'd forgotten I'd seen it. It's still crap.

[Spinal]

You know, that guy with the erect penis that Spinal can't stop talking about.

To be fair, that could be a lot of people.

[MadMan]

I saw and liked Juno last night. I should feel dirty but I thought it was funny and entertaining. Still don't get what the fuss is all about though. Maybe people really hate the term "Homeslice?" Up next to watch in the category of "Modern Films Causing People To Go To High Extremes" is Crash (2005) but I really don't want to watch that movie. It looks boring.

[baby doll]

I saw and liked Juno last night. I should feel dirty but I thought it was funny and entertaining. Still don't get what the fuss is all about though. Maybe people really hate the term "Homeslice?"I saw this in Toronto (one of the most multicultural cities in the world) with an audience made up almost entirely of white people who laughed hysterically at the Asian girl mispronouncing "All babies want to be bored," and who applauded with delight when Allison Janney told the brown ultrasound chick to go back to her own country. I'm just glad they don't have "Stand Your Ground" laws in Canada or else my brown-ish would be seriously dead by now.

[Irish]

Just unintentionally rewatched House of Games. It was so forgettable the first time that I'd forgotten I'd seen it. It's still crap.

I've seen the movie twice for the exact same reasons. In fact, thinking about it now ... It's a blank. Joe Montegna, right?

Had the same experience with Sidney Lumet's "Q&A," with Nick Nolte and Timothy Hutton. I've rented that piece of junk three times already.

[Sven]

Had the same experience with Sidney Lumet's "Q&A," with Nick Nolte and Timothy Hutton. I've rented that piece of junk three times already.

Oh, psh. Movie is terrific. One of the best $5 Wal-Mart bin movies, that's for sure.

[Beau]

New Buster Keaton footage found in Argentina. The world talks about it, Argentina doesn't. Hilarious. Anyways: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog ... blacksmith

Keep in mind, this Fernando MartÃ*n Peña is the same dude responsible for the restored Metropolis. Man is highly awesome.

[Irish]

One of the best $5 Wal-Mart bin movies, that's for sure.

Not sure I'd exctly call that a ringing endorsement, Sven

[Beau]

I wrote something recently and when I was reading it over, I realized that I began every paragraph with a completely superfluous "now" (i.e. "Now, what do we really mean when we say..."). I also have a tendency to start sentences with "so" for no reason. I am not a good writer.

You don't judge your writing based on the first draft. If you caught the excess "nows" and "sos," that means you're a good enough writer to edit your own shit. Even fucking Vladimir Nabokov made some hilarious spelling mistakes in his draft for The Original of Laura. He would have probably edited them out later, but, you know, he died.

[Grouchy]

New Buster Keaton footage found in Argentina. The world talks about it, Argentina doesn't. Hilarious. Anyways: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog ... blacksmith

Keep in mind, this Fernando MartÃ*n Peña is the same dude responsible for the restored Metropolis. Man is highly awesome.
Seriously. Every article I've seen is about it is in English. Argentinian press doesn't give a fuck.

I follow Peña on Facebook (I'm sure you do too) and he discovered this Keaton footage about a month ago. He said international film historians did not believe him at first, which is way it took them so long to actually check it out.

[Sven]

Not sure I'd exctly call that a ringing endorsement, Sven

Other films from this bin: Total Recall, Natural Born Killers, All of Me, Phone Booth, Trespass, Bulworth, Rocky, Raising Arizona, and One Night at McCool's.

No finer weekend of cinema anywhere.

[transmogrifier]

Other films from this bin: Total Recall, Natural Born Killers, All of Me, Phone Booth, Trespass, Bulworth, Rocky, Raising Arizona, and One Night at McCool's.

No finer weekend of cinema anywhere.

Yes, No, Yes, No, Yes, Yes, No, No, No

[Winston*]

Yes, No, Yes, No, Yes, Yes, No, No, No

Raising Arizona? WTF?

[transmogrifier]

Raising Arizona? WTF?

Never been a fan.

[Irish]

Other films from this bin: Total Recall, Natural Born Killers, All of Me, Phone Booth, Trespass, Bulworth, Rocky, Raising Arizona, and One Night at McCool's.

No finer weekend of cinema anywhere.

:lol: Fair enough.

[MadMan]

I saw this in Toronto (one of the most multicultural cities in the world) with an audience made up almost entirely of white people who laughed hysterically at the Asian girl mispronouncing "All babies want to be bored," and who applauded with delight when Allison Janney told the brown ultrasound chick to go back to her own country. I'm just glad they don't have "Stand Your Ground" laws in Canada or else my brown-ish would be seriously dead by now.I laughed at the Asian girl because she represents those silly people who stand in front of abortion clinics all of the time. I hate those people-in fact they were one of the reasons I became pro-choice.

I did laugh when Allison Janney told off the ultrasound woman, but after thinking about that scene I realized what they were going for and that it really didn't work. Look we get it: woman made stupid comment, shouldn't have said it, doesn't mean you completely go off on said woman who probably works what looked to me like a crappy job with decent pay. Sure she makes more I bet than most people, but that doesn't mean its fun or enjoyable to do that kind of work.

I'm not even sure about my overall rating for Juno. The comedy elements were strong, the dramatic parts were a mixed bag.

[Qrazy]

Watched La Dolce Vita on a 35mm print on the big screen tonight. Four viewings later and it's still an incredible film.

[Irish]

Watched La Dolce Vita on a 35mm print on the big screen tonight. Four viewings later and it's still an incredible film.

Oh my god you fucking bastard. I am beyond jealous.

[B-side]

If it's possible to capture the very essence of as film in a single screenshot, this is my attempt at doing so with Taste of Cherry:

http://i.imgur.com/MQWMsxr.png

[Sven]

First Pusher film watched. Like a mallet to core. Unspools with similar hypnotic gestures to Crimson Gold, one of my favorites, but punctuated with those tremendous, expressive bursts of violence, motion, and music that are distinctly Refnic. Can't wait to watch the other two.

[Grouchy]

I have the choice of watching right now one of these three films:

The Man With the Iron Fists
Lesson of the Evil
Passion

Anyone wants to choose one for me?

[Dukefrukem]

I know which one NOT to watch... The Man With the Iron Fists.

[Sven]

First Pusher film watched. Like a mallet to core. Unspools with similar hypnotic gestures to Crimson Gold, one of my favorites, but punctuated with those tremendous, expressive bursts of violence, motion, and music that are distinctly Refnic. Can't wait to watch the other two.

Pusher II viewed. More confident direction, including well-executed sentiment and a clear, edifying character arc. That said, I love the nuts and bolts of the first film better, this one in a shakier place between sensational story and study. Mikkelsen acts the hell out of it, no doubt.

[Rowland]

The third Pusher is commonly cited as the best. I'll get around to watching those soon, maybe in anticipation for Only God Forgives.

[Boner M]

The third Pusher is commonly cited as the best. I'll get around to watching those soon, maybe in anticipation for Only God Forgives.
I like it the most (Zlatko Buric, holy shit), but I always thought the 2nd was the consensus favorite.

[Rowland]

I like it the most (Zlatko Buric, holy shit), but I always thought the 2nd was the consensus favorite.You may be right, not sure why I had that impression.

[Irish]

Woody Allen talks about casting Andrew Dice Clay and Louis CK in "Blue Jasmine" ... And casually mentions he's toying with the idea of getting back into stand-up himself:

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/17/woody-allen-standup-guy/

[Qrazy]

First Pusher film watched. Like a mallet to core. Unspools with similar hypnotic gestures to Crimson Gold, one of my favorites, but punctuated with those tremendous, expressive bursts of violence, motion, and music that are distinctly Refnic. Can't wait to watch the other two.

I thought Crimson Gold was terrible and I like Panahi. The Pusher trilogy is solid though. It's hard to pick a favorite. I think they all accomplish different things admirably.

[Derek]

Watched La Dolce Vita on a 35mm print on the big screen tonight. Four viewings later and it's still an incredible film.

O rly? I watched L'Avventura on Monday, Solaris Friday and The Sacrifice and Mirror last night all on 35mm. It's been a good film week for me. :) La Dolce Vita is pretty great, but happens to be sandwiched between Fellini's two best films.

[Izzy Black]

damn

[Derek]

damn

Andrei Rublev and a newly restored print of Nostalghia next weekend. I'm especially excited for the former since I've only seen it once, 10 years ago, and it was my first Tarkovsky experience. It'll be interesting seeing it again now that I'm much more familiar with his work. But Mirror was a revelation. That film gets better every time I see it and now I'd say it's cemented as one of my all-time favorites.

[Izzy Black]

I wish you liked L'Avventura more

[Derek]

I wish you liked L'Avventura more

It's still a masterpiece and I would never argue with anyone who puts it in their top 10, but I think I now prefer L'Eclisse even though the former is certainly the more important and influential film. I'd actually like to rewatch that and La Notte again soon. I haven't seen the latter in forever.

[Boner M]

Cinematheque double feature of Andrei Rublev and Stalker when I was 16 was life-changing.

[Boner M]

It's still a masterpiece and I would never argue with anyone who puts it in their top 10, but I think I now prefer L'Eclisse even though the former is certainly the more important and influential film. I'd actually like to rewatch that and La Notte again soon. I haven't seen the latter in forever.
I wish you liked Only the Young more

[Ezee E]

Cinematheque double feature of Andrei Rublev and Stalker when I was 16 was life-changing.

That's a long day.

[Derek]

Cinematheque double feature of Andrei Rublev and Stalker when I was 16 was life-changing.

I can only imagine. I'm a little bummed that they left Stalker out of this retrospective.

Sorry about Only the Young. It's beautifully shot, but I didn't think it amounted to all that much aside from the typical teen angst re: friendship, relationships, moving away, etc. I can understand loving it if you were emotionally engaged, which I was to a point. I thought the youth group handing out free tacos at the skate park was a great scene. I actually wish they integrated that aspect more throughout the whole film.

[Derek]

That's a long day.

Tarkovsky's not for the weak Ezee!

[Qrazy]

O rly? I watched L'Avventura on Monday, Solaris Friday and The Sacrifice and Mirror last night all on 35mm. It's been a good film week for me. :) La Dolce Vita is pretty great, but happens to be sandwiched between Fellini's two best films.

Sounds like a good viewing week but no, Dolce Vita is his best closely followed by Nights of Cabiria. 8 1/2 is a distant third because I can't give a shit in regards to films about filmmaking. His is the best of those though.

[Qrazy]

Andrei Rublev and a newly restored print of Nostalghia next weekend. I'm especially excited for the former since I've only seen it once, 10 years ago, and it was my first Tarkovsky experience. It'll be interesting seeing it again now that I'm much more familiar with his work. But Mirror was a revelation. That film gets better every time I see it and now I'd say it's cemented as one of my all-time favorites.

Rublev is from a technical perspective imo the best film ever made.

[ThePlashyBubbler]

For anyone who hasn't had a chance to see this year's excellent doc, Only the Young, it's streaming for free until August 14th (http://truefalse.org/news/only-the-young-online-from-p-o-v-until-august-14/).

[Grouchy]

I can't give a shit in regards to films about filmmaking.
I'm the complete opposite of this statement, which is why 8 1/2 is in my Top Ten, I guess.

[Yxklyx]

Sounds like a good viewing week but no, Dolce Vita is his best closely followed by Nights of Cabiria. 8 1/2 is a distant third because I can't give a shit in regards to films about filmmaking. His is the best of those though.

I not a huge fan of La Dolce Vita - I even prefer La Strada while Nights of Cabiria and 8 1/2 are my faves. I just don't find his plight, if you will, that compelling. The film also seems to be contradictory and a bit unfocused with its ideas - more like a neo-realist film attempting to say something. While that's fine I prefer Antonioni's take on existential themes. But I'd love to talk about the movie - since I recently rewatched it.

[Sven]

First Pusher film watched. Like a mallet to core. Unspools with similar hypnotic gestures to Crimson Gold, one of my favorites, but punctuated with those tremendous, expressive bursts of violence, motion, and music that are distinctly Refnic. Can't wait to watch the other two.

Pusher II viewed. More confident direction, including well-executed sentiment and a clear, edifying character arc. That said, I love the nuts and bolts of the first film better, this one in a shakier place between sensational story and study. Mikkelsen acts the hell out of it, no doubt.

Pusher III down. It was the most aimless, I thought. Where the first two develop their characters through increasingly hellish scenarios, this film sits still, a lump, a mundane observation of a gangster on a frustrating day. To that end, it's effective, featuring the best central performance of the three films. The latter half's casual ghastliness almost secures a purpose, showcasing the difficulty of the death of old habits, particularly after accidentally snorting a line of Polish speed. But there's no dramatic hook, no narrative motion. A static demonstration of a nasty man who can't say no to drugs. It worked, but was unnecessary.

First one is the stand-out best, I think.

[Qrazy]

I not a huge fan of La Dolce Vita - I even prefer La Strada while Nights of Cabiria and 8 1/2 are my faves. I just don't find his plight, if you will, that compelling. The film also seems to be contradictory and a bit unfocused with its ideas - more like a neo-realist film attempting to say something. While that's fine I prefer Antonioni's take on existential themes. But I'd love to talk about the movie - since I recently rewatched it.

I don't find it contradictory in the slightest nor do I find it unfocused. Every shot in the film matters. If you're making a film about the lure of hedonism than it only makes sense to show all sides of it. You show the humor, the physical and sexual temptation and the character flaws that bring someone along that path. But you then temper that with the achingly hollow reality that such a life creates. I like L'avventura well enough but I also find it a bit too self serious.

8 1/2 and Dolce Vita are on another level formally compared to Strada and Cabiria.

[Izzy Black]

I not a huge fan of La Dolce Vita - I even prefer La Strada while Nights of Cabiria and 8 1/2 are my faves. I just don't find his plight, if you will, that compelling. The film also seems to be contradictory and a bit unfocused with its ideas - more like a neo-realist film attempting to say something. While that's fine I prefer Antonioni's take on existential themes. But I'd love to talk about the movie - since I recently rewatched it.

I agree completely. La Strada is his best film. Fellini in existential mode is an utter bore. As a modernist, I find his shots hollow and his ideas thin. I prefer his more awkward, quirkier stuff. Like I think Casanova is a great film. He's much better when he's not trying to fit in with the European vanguard and he's having fun.

[Qrazy]

I agree completely. La Strada is his best film. Fellini in existential mode is an utter bore. As a modernist, I find his shots hollow and his ideas thin. I prefer his more awkward, quirkier stuff. Like I think Casanova is a great film. He's much better when he's not trying to fit in with the European vanguard and he's having fun.

Casanova is probably the only film he's made that I dislike. Well, Voice of the Moon isn't very good either.

Also, his mise en scene and scene construction is transcendent in Dolce Vita.

[Yxklyx]

I don't find it contradictory in the slightest nor do I find it unfocused. Every shot in the film matters. If you're making a film about the lure of hedonism than it only makes sense to show all sides of it. You show the humor, the physical and sexual temptation and the character flaws that bring someone along that path. But you then temper that with the achingly hollow reality that such a life creates. I like L'avventura well enough but I also find it a bit too self serious.

8 1/2 and Dolce Vita are on another level formally compared to Strada and Cabiria.

I guess I must be a hedonist then because I didn't find his life as hollow as the film tried to make it out to be (the paparazzi's were definitely hollow but he wasn't one of them and we never really get to _see_ him "work"). Was he supposed to marry his girlfriend who can't stop stuffing his face with food? That's the main scene I found to be contradictory. If he was supposed to renounce his lifestyle and settle down and marry - well that avenue was not portrayed in a very good light. The film doesn't show him much of an alternative other than a long lost one in the form of the young innocent girl who waves at him in the end - and the end of that possible path from the past is unclear. His struggle as I see it is mainly an internal one - he tries to reach out to his dad and it seems that he would like to marry the other woman. He is definitely lacking something but I don't think his lifestyle is causing that. If he were a different person he could be enjoying the life as portrayed in the film. So, assuming that his struggle is internal then I think the film doesn't do a good enough job exploring that part of him and dwells too much on the external forces - and that's why the movie doesn't click for me though the film is definitely a feast for the eyes.

[Raiders]

I always wonder where the love is for Il bidone. It is top three Fellini for me and every bit as transcendent, emotional and moving as either film that surrounds it (La strada and Cabiria) and together they make a powerful trilogy. Over time, these three films have come to mean so much more to me from Fellini than his more existential and baroque period that followed.

[Qrazy]

I guess I must be a hedonist then because I didn't find his life as hollow as the film tried to make it out to be (the paparazzi's were definitely hollow but he wasn't one of them and we never really get to _see_ him "work"). Was he supposed to marry his girlfriend who can't stop stuffing his face with food? That's the main scene I found to be contradictory. If he was supposed to renounce his lifestyle and settle down and marry - well that avenue was not portrayed in a very good light. The film doesn't show him much of an alternative other than a long lost one in the form of the young innocent girl who waves at him in the end - and the end of that possible path from the past is unclear. His struggle as I see it is mainly an internal one - he tries to reach out to his dad and it seems that he would like to marry the other woman. He is definitely lacking something but I don't think his lifestyle is causing that. If he were a different person he could be enjoying the life as portrayed in the film. So, assuming that his struggle is internal then I think the film doesn't do a good enough job exploring that part of him and dwells too much on the external forces - and that's why the movie doesn't click for me though the film is definitely a feast for the eyes.

He chooses the path of least resistance. That's the tragedy of the whole film. There may have been paths he could have taken but he is at the mercy of his own whims (sexual impulse, general laziness, alcoholism). Instead of becoming the novelist/artist he wished to he actually moves down the ladder from fluff journalist to straight up PR man. You have to recall that his girlfriend stuffs his face with food and acts the way she does because the film begins in media res. We don't see the beginning of their relationship but we know they used to be genuinely in love. Now even from the start point of the film he is a dishonest philanderer (asking for girls numbers from a helicopter, pursuing Maddalena). His girlfriend acts the way she does because he is unfaithful to her. Although perhaps you are right that she is not the girl for him which is why the film presents us with Maddalena. Unfortunately Maddalena is the female version of him, also succumbing to her own sexual desires in favor of any real human connection (they communicate from a distance through the walls). His lack of a real connection with anyone (his father, Steiner) is what leads him down the path to cruelty and unhappiness. And to be sure this film is not just about this character. It's also about Fellini's own philandering and more generally it's about a sickness of the modern age and perhaps of every age (summed up by the paparazzi who callously do their job even when faced with the harsh reality of a grieving widow).

The young girl is representative of his own lost youth and innocence, not necessarily emblematic of a path he should have taken. It's more a reminder of what his life once was and how disconnected from that reality he's now become. At the end of the film as they dance through the forest, Fellini is referencing the beginning of Dante's Inferno.

"Midway upon the journey of our life, I found myself within a forest dark, For the straight foreward pathway had been lost."

He has become thoroughly lost following Steiner's demise. He's a broken man now with a pervasive sense of guilt for his ethical misconduct (indicted by the eye of the dead fish). He's a broken man who stands at the gates of his own spiritual hell.

[Qrazy]

I always wonder where the love is for Il bidone. It is top three Fellini for me and every bit as transcendent, emotional and moving as either film that surrounds it (La strada and Cabiria) and together they make a powerful trilogy. Over time, these three films have come to mean so much more to me from Fellini than his more existential and baroque period that followed.

I found it extremely forgettable.

[D_Davis]

How are the Ghibli Blu-Rays? I rented Nausicaa. Good remastering and transfer? Are the English dubs new?

[Boner M]

I always wonder where the love is for Il bidone. It is top three Fellini for me and every bit as transcendent, emotional and moving as either film that surrounds it (La strada and Cabiria) and together they make a powerful trilogy. Over time, these three films have come to mean so much more to me from Fellini than his more existential and baroque period that followed.
Yep, that's one of my favorites of his. I kinda think of it as occupying the same place in his filmography that Il Grido does in Antonioni's for the reasons you state.

[dreamdead]

So House is indeed manic and madly brilliant in its filmmaking. That first forty minutes might have been the most consistently enjoyable and improbable exploration of film technique I've seen. It's unfortunate, then, that Obayashi's film decreases some of the energy in its second half. It's still wall-to-wall crazy in its narrative, but some of the stylistics move to the background more. Few things were better than the road sign of clear skies offset by the different color backdrop when the camera pulled out. One I could easily see busting out again to watch with unsuspecting friends.

Bonjour Tristesse is Preminger trying to capture the frank sexuality of Francoise Sagan's novel. Seberg has the right look, but too patently reveals regret on forcing out her new mother, whereas the book more fully captures the dimensionality and hesitation inherent to such machinations. Far more staid than the novel, and worse, far more boring.

[Raiders]

You are so totally dead to me. Just... no. I can't even look at your post right now. There's so much elegance and Preminger's camera captures the action with such precision, and then there's the playing with colors and the shifting of allegience from the originally "carefree" Cecile to the brat Cecile and the way the film uses its own form to imbue the ambiguity of just where freedom stops, where necessary discpline starts, and where the real ruthlessness lies. It's gorgeous filmmaking, and "boring" just makes me cringe.

[B-side]

Speaking of people being dead to me...

Raiders.

[dreamdead]

You are so totally dead to me. Just... no. I can't even look at your post right now. There's so much elegance and Preminger's camera captures the action with such precision, and then there's the playing with colors and the shifting of allegience from the originally "carefree" Cecile to the brat Cecile and the way the film uses its own form to imbue the ambiguity of just where freedom stops, where necessary discpline starts, and where the real ruthlessness lies. It's gorgeous filmmaking, and "boring" just makes me cringe.

I think part of my issue is that the whole b&w to color and back again feels the most obvious of film technique--I will grant that it was likely more novel back in 58.

I found the film to capture a unique element of Parisian life and morality when it stayed on location and didn't go in for back-projection--largely though, I found the portrayal of Raymond more one-note than I remember from the summer read-through of the novel. I do like how Preminger details Cecile's shifts, especially when he stays away from voice-over, and the last twenty or so minutes have an energy that I found absent from the opening, largely because the changes in morality are achieved through physical hesitation and glances. Something about the story, though (perhaps over-familiarity of the novel), diluted in this version. The physicality and modernity of cars, which Sagan is interested in, feels less covered here too. The film seems less invested in modernity as a whole. Sorry for the letdown, Raiders.

[Qrazy]

I think part of my issue is that the whole b&w to color and back again feels the most obvious of film technique--I will grant that it was likely more novel back in 58.


Huh? You must hate Wong Kar Wai, Oliver Stone, Tarkovsky, Aleksei German, etc and so forth. Black and white is interesting and color is also interesting, why not employ both when the content suits it.

[MadMan]

Speaking of people being dead to me...

Raiders.Everyone on this board is dead to me.

http://weknowgifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/everyone-gif.gif

[dreamdead]

Huh? You must hate Wong Kar Wai, Oliver Stone, Tarkovsky, Aleksei German, etc and so forth. Black and white is interesting and color is also interesting, why not employ both when the content suits it.

When the switch feels perfunctory then it never becomes interesting. That's the key, I guess. Preminger could have achieved his intended symbolic effect through monochromatic colors or something else that was less sledgehammer of an assault on the "meaning" of the discoloration of Cecile's life.

Those filmmakers you list diverge from such strict and categorical use of the technique, so there's more vitality in how they utilize it. I've just started Powell and Pressburger's A Matter of Life and Death, for instance, and even that engages in more interesting uses of the technique. It's all a matter of how thoroughly one feels the filmmaker engages with the technique--with Preminger it felt more artificial and less natural--likely because it followed Seberg's voice-over and just seemed too heavy-handed of emotional disaffection.

[D_Davis]

I was disappointed in the Nausicaa Blu-Ray. The transfer doesn't look much (any? - it's been awhile since I've watched the DVD, and I've never seen any of the official Disney DVDs) better than the DVD from my bootleg Ghibli Boxset (transfers from Japanese LDs), and the menu itself looks like something some guy threw together making a DVD of old family videos. It might actually look worse, because I don't think it remastered at all, and with the higher resolution you can see more of the specs and blemishes in the print. And if it was remastered, they left in a lot of the artifacts and blemishes, or, more likely, those things are just more visible now.

I feel about the same for some of the Shaw Brothers remasters from Celestial/IVL. A lot of these old Kung Fu movies actually look better on VHS, because when remastered on DVD the image is too clear, allowing a viewer to see the wires and skyboxes and the artificial nature of the sets that were hidden with lower-res transfers.

Just as with audio, sometimes "HD" and hi-res isn't automatically better.

[Rowland]

I was disappointed in the Nausicaa Blu-Ray. The transfer doesn't look much (any? - it's been awhile since I've watched the DVD, and I've never seen any of the official Disney DVDs) better than the DVD from my bootleg Ghibli Boxset (transfers from Japanese LDs), and the menu itself looks like something some guy threw together making a DVD of old family videos. It might actually look worse, because I don't think it remastered at all, and with the higher resolution you can see more of the specs and blemishes in the print. And if it was remastered, they left in a lot of the artifacts and blemishes, or, more likely, those things are just more visible now.

I feel about the same for some of the Shaw Brothers remasters from Celestial/IVL. A lot of these old Kung Fu movies actually look better on VHS, because when remastered on DVD the image is too clear, allowing a viewer to see the wires and skyboxes and the artificial nature of the sets that were hidden with lower-res transfers.

Just as with audio, sometimes "HD" and hi-res isn't automatically better.From what I've read, any minor issues are inherent to the source (i.e. there's no digital compression or what have you), which hasn't been fully remastered, but has at least been presented with complete unblemished integrity. I think the differences are apparent in these comparison shots (http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare9/nausica.htm), especially in the more detailed images, though I recognize that these things sometimes look different in motion.

[D_Davis]

The colors are definitely more vibrant on the Blu-ray, but I think I actually prefer the older LD transfer. Maybe to me it looks better with softer lines, a little more muted.

This is only the 2nd Blu-ray I've ever watched, so maybe my expectations are out of whack.

Of course I've always had good viewing experiences with Nausicaa - the first time I saw it was on Japanese LD and the second time was a theatrical print. So my memories of it are that it has always looked great.

[D_Davis]

A bet a newer film like Mononoke, a film that has more digital qualities at the source, looks better. I'll have to rent that next.

[Lucky]

Did I miss the Top Ten/Worst Consensus of 2012 somewhere? Or has it not been posted yet?

[Ezee E]

Did I miss the Top Ten/Worst Consensus of 2012 somewhere? Or has it not been posted yet?

Oh shoot. I completely forgot because of my move. I'll get on that.

[EyesWideOpen]

A bet a newer film like Mononoke, a film that has more digital qualities at the source, looks better. I'll have to rent that next.

It's not on blu-ray yet. It never even got a dvd re-release special edition like all the other Miyazaki films. Just the early Miramax dvd.

[Qrazy]

When the switch feels perfunctory then it never becomes interesting. That's the key, I guess. Preminger could have achieved his intended symbolic effect through monochromatic colors or something else that was less sledgehammer of an assault on the "meaning" of the discoloration of Cecile's life.

Those filmmakers you list diverge from such strict and categorical use of the technique, so there's more vitality in how they utilize it. I've just started Powell and Pressburger's A Matter of Life and Death, for instance, and even that engages in more interesting uses of the technique. It's all a matter of how thoroughly one feels the filmmaker engages with the technique--with Preminger it felt more artificial and less natural--likely because it followed Seberg's voice-over and just seemed too heavy-handed of emotional disaffection.

Fair enough, I haven't seen that film and was just speaking generally about your initial remark. That seems like a valid justification.

[dreamdead]

P&P's A Matter of Life and Death retained the excellence of their tradition. Deeply studied, philosophically concerned, and nakedly emotional. The film's treatment of the diversity of citizenship was where my interest largely resided, as I found their willingness to engage the travesties of British imperialism fascinating, especially in the immediate post-war context. Further, the ability to include Asian Americans as part of American citizenship was intriguing, although the hesitancy to situate African Americans as citizens was a slight letdown. They're shown as a part of Heaven's body of people, but the focus on Irish, Asian, Italian, and other minorities over any declaration of black citizenship was sad. That said, the film went further than I expected in chronicling the range of America.

[Winston*]

The problem with film festivals is that I get in the mindset that if I don't see a movie now, I never will. This leads me into sitting in a theater watching a documentary about the Khmer Rouge* half an hour after I wake up in the morning. In the future, I'm going to try and have morning coffee before ruminating over man's inhumanity to man.

*The Missing Picture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Missing_Picture_%28film%29 )

[Dead & Messed Up]

P&P's A Matter of Life and Death retained the excellence of their tradition. Deeply studied, philosophically concerned, and nakedly emotional. The film's treatment of the diversity of citizenship was where my interest largely resided, as I found their willingness to engage the travesties of British imperialism fascinating, especially in the immediate post-war context. Further, the ability to include Asian Americans as part of American citizenship was intriguing, although the hesitancy to situate African Americans as citizens was a slight letdown. They're shown as a part of Heaven's body of people, but the focus on Irish, Asian, Italian, and other minorities over any declaration of black citizenship was sad. That said, the film went further than I expected in chronicling the range of America.

I love this movie so hard. But you're right about the failure to include black people.

[Derek]

Those are weird expectations to have for a British film made in 1946. I'm not saying it's not it isn't worth mentioning, but there comes a point where historical context has to come into play.

[Qrazy]

Those are weird expectations to have for a British film made in 1946. I'm not saying it's not it isn't worth mentioning, but there comes a point where historical context has to come into play.

MOAR BLACK PEOPLE DEREK

[Izzy Black]

Those are weird expectations to have for a British film made in 1946. I'm not saying it's not it isn't worth mentioning, but there comes a point where historical context has to come into play.

Time and time again appealing to historical context masks a lie about collective guilt. I think those considerations only go so far, and I think dreamdead has taken those considerations to just the right degree. That's why it's just unfortunate blacks aren't included rather than an outrage.

[Ezee E]

The problem with film festivals is that I get in the mindset that if I don't see a movie now, I never will. This leads me into sitting in a theater watching a documentary about the Khmer Rouge* half an hour after I wake up in the morning. In the future, I'm going to try and have morning coffee before ruminating over man's inhumanity to man.

*The Missing Picture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Missing_Picture_%28film%29 )

But in most cases, I think that ends up being correct.

[Qrazy]

I can't wait until 2040 when everyone's a vegan and we're all shitting all over every film from decades past where someone eats a ham sandwich.

[Derek]

MOAR BLACK PEOPLE DEREK

Pssh, you don't even like Spike Lee. Why don't you care about black people?


Time and time again appealing to historical context masks a lie about collective guilt. I think those considerations only go so far, and I think dreamdead has taken those considerations to just the right degree. That's why it's just unfortunate blacks aren't included rather than an outrage.

I agree completely about striking just the right balance and don't mean to suggest that racism, sexism and other prejudices should be swept under the rug, but I actually think that ignoring historical context more often does the masking of a collective guilt and that judging films made in previous eras through the moral lens of our own does them a disservice. It makes it more difficult not only to actually judge its effectiveness and value as a work of art, but effectively ignores the social and political atmosphere the films were made in. I just think it more often occurs as an unconscious pat-on-the-back for our own moral superiority than through an honest attempt to understand a film and the time and society within which it was made.

[Qrazy]

Pssh, you don't even like Spike Lee. Why don't you care about black people?



THEY CALL ME MR TIBBS!

[Derek]

But in most cases, I think that ends up being correct.

Except for people who are alert an hour after they wake up.

Which would not be me; just find it weird that you like to determine when people should and should not watch a film.

[Derek]

THEY CALL ME MR TIBBS!

I DON'T WANT YOUR LIFE!

Wait, what are we doing?

[Qrazy]

I DON'T WANT YOUR LIFE!

Wait, what are we doing?

Rep me for my vegan post, you know it will come to pass.

[Derek]

Rep me for my vegan post, you know it will come to pass.

And they'll probably watch movies an hour after they wake up! What a mad world it will be.

[Qrazy]

Well yeah, without all that red meat clogging up their arteries they ought to be spry and alert the moment they pop open those peepers.

[Ezee E]

Except for people who are alert an hour after they wake up.

Which would not be me; just find it weird that you like to determine when people should and should not watch a film.
When did I say that?

I mean that most people won't watch a film festival movie that they never will end up seeing it.

[Derek]

When did I say that?

I mean that most people won't watch a film festival movie that they never will end up seeing it.

Oh haha, I thought you were responding to the second part of Winston*'s post.

[Winston*]

I am glad I saw the film btw. Reminded me most strongly of Art Spiegelman's Maus rather than other films. Personal family narrative of atrocity / issues of memory/ abstracted representation.

[B-side]

I agree completely about striking just the right balance and don't mean to suggest that racism, sexism and other prejudices should be swept under the rug, but I actually think that ignoring historical context more often does the masking of a collective guilt and that judging films made in previous eras through the moral lens of our own does them a disservice. It makes it more difficult not only to actually judge its effectiveness and value as a work of art, but effectively ignores the social and political atmosphere the films were made in. I just think it more often occurs as an unconscious pat-on-the-back for our own moral superiority than through an honest attempt to understand a film and the time and society within which it was made.

I've been saying this for months on end and being called an asshole for it.

[B-side]

Comanche Station can position itself nicely alongside Johnny Guitar as an early feminist western. Though the protagonist is not a woman, there is a serious engagement in the narrative on the topic of women as some sort of commodity. And though the male protagonist, for a good portion of the film, appears to be wholly selfless in his efforts to save and protect this woman he retrieved from the Comanche Indians, he's eventually revealed to have an ulterior motive, one that has driven him for a decade or more to seek out white women kidnapped by Indians. His wife was kidnapped by them, and while everyone else had assumed the obvious after a certain period of time, he's taken it upon himself to continue rescuing these women with the ever-fading hope that one of them will turn out to be his wife. After running into an old friend he testified against for murdering innocent Indians, he and the woman become aware that the woman's husband has issued a reward for her return, dead or alive, simply so he could know either way. The old friend uses this as a means of placing doubt as to Cody's (the male protagonist) intentions. He speaks of it being a difficult choice between her and the $5,000 reward, and while relaying an anecdote about a similar situation in which the captured woman and the man who rescued her ended up together, Cody punches him for insinuating he's doing the same. The woman says he didn't need to do that for her sake, and he replies, "I didn't." Previous to this scene, the old friend had made hay of her husband issuing a reward instead of him going to retrieve her himself. The husband seems to have essentially put a numeric value on her freedom, further pushing the premise that Cody and the woman will end up together due to her husband's cowardice. As the viewer, this interpretation would seem to necessitate precisely the kind of mindset the old friend is using as leverage for himself to get the reward. After all, in the old west, men are only as good as their shooting skill and unfettered "might is right" attitude. Of course the women don't often buy into this, though the love interest almost always ends up falling for the just and brave hero regardless. Cody makes only one gesture of romantic solidarity with the woman, after she speaks of knowing Cody's situation with his wife. He says this is the only time in ten years he's been able to forget about her. When she's returned to her husband, he's revealed to be blind, and the two to have a young boy. Cody looks taken aback, but assures her he never thought the husband lacked a good reason for not coming after her himself. A surprisingly tender and humanistic moment that feels like it'll resonate for a while. And, as usual, though Cody has served a greater purpose, he is once again left to ride alone into the distance. In Boetticher's films, you're never quite sure if this is for the better or not. In Decision at Sundown, I'd argue it's definitely for the better. Here? It's hard to say.

[Winston*]

I've been saying this for months on end and being called an asshole for it.

Probably because you were being an asshole about it.

[B-side]

Probably because you were being an asshole about it.

Probably.

[B-side]

Watching Tranquility in the Presence of Others, straight away it's obvious this film would have never seen the light of day in modern Iran. Not two minutes into the film, a housewife's cleavage is clearly visible. After she goes to her room, she undresses completely and we see her nude reflection. Sex abounds, and women are scarcely seen wearing headscarves. Only late in the film, while in mourning, does the wife wear a chador. So it's obvious the Iran of 1973 is a far cry from the one we know now, 40 years later. Ironic that the film addresses a sort of urban decay and madness associated with growth and modernity, since seeing it in a modern lens you can't help but be taken aback by how frank and "normal" it is. It remains very much the product of an Islamic nation, as a young man suggests the increasingly mad father of the young woman he's dating take up Sufism, a very ascetic form of Islam formed less than a century after its origin that is rather popular with those who have retired. The symbolic aspect of the various Islamic dressing is something I can't readily comment on, so how significant, if at all, it is that the young, unmarried women don none of the traditional garb, or that the wife only wears a chador during and after a funeral service is unclear to me. But even as liberal as this film would make Iran out to be, the copy I watched was censored a bit, so it didn't come out completely unscathed. It's still a far cry from the rural and uber-traditional films you see coming from Iran of recent. I'm not holding out hopes that this will receive any restoration or wider release anytime soon, if the original film even still exists. The photography is excellent; blending a classical Hollywood striving for deep focus staging and an arthouse flair for an oddly-framed image. It is a bit of an oddball film with its melodramatic leanings and more post-modern aesthetic. I suppose this befits a film about transition and the melding of generations past, present and future.


http://i.imgur.com/GeOHKlZ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/TWd1jaw.jpg

[dreamdead]

Those are weird expectations to have for a British film made in 1946. I'm not saying it's not it isn't worth mentioning, but there comes a point where historical context has to come into play.

Certainly, and I should note that I didn't grade the film down on that basis. The fact that Powell and Pressburger included as much diversity as they did is itself commendable. Rather, it's my being impressed that they complicated both concepts of "English" and "American" identity and the extent of their challenges there leading to a small bit of postmodern melancholy that they didn't challenge the system of equality even more. Otherwise, I found the film remarkably vital and rather contemporary.

Merchant and Ivory's A Room with a View is another way into the question of coverage. The film is more ribaldly sexual than any of the others of theirs that I've seen (Maurice is a blind spot, it should be noted), and that energy imbues the film with a strong grasp of what Bonham Carter's character is missing in her engagement to Day-Lewis. I could accept that the bath sequence is perhaps an addition, or at least an extension, of Ivory's, but it secures the film a fulsome quality. Beyond finally recognizing where Dream Theater grabbed a sample for this song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwd12UfTpw8), A Room with a View excels in depicting the coming of age of female adulthood, where individual choice and not conformity is revealed. Really enjoyed this one.

[MadMan]

I can't wait until 2040 when everyone's a vegan and we're all shitting all over every film from decades past where someone eats a ham sandwich.That sounds like a nightmarish future where I'm the last man to enjoy steak. The horror....the horror....

Oh and the latest MI movie was the best one in the series. I think I enjoy those films more than I probably should, and I do like that each entry is different than the other ones in the series. Funny that Brad Bird's ends up being the best even though he's not really an action movie director-although I guess The Incredibles was an animated action movie so that's not entirely true I suppose.

[Ivan Drago]

O rly? I watched L'Avventura on Monday, Solaris Friday and The Sacrifice and Mirror last night all on 35mm. It's been a good film week for me. :) La Dolce Vita is pretty great, but happens to be sandwiched between Fellini's two best films.

Woah, a theater near me is having an Antonioni retrospective this month, too! I plan to see L'Avventura for the first time this weekend.

[Sven]

Showed the wife Gigli last night. She turns to me and says "Patrick, I don't think I thought it was a good movie."

I frown.

She says "But it's a lot better than its reputation. Solid two-and-a-half stars."

I smile. I'll take it.

[Mysterious Dude]

Gigli... I almost forgot that movie existed.

[Sven]

Gigli... I almost forgot that movie existed.

Never forget.

[MadMan]

Its been 10 years since Gigli came out. God we are all getting old.

Watching The Foreigner (1978) right now since its on my DVR. I love the shots of the NYC skyline and some of the film almost feels like a Michael Mann movie, yet the audio quality is absolute shit and the film quality is granny. Grindhouse yo. Grindhouse.

[baby doll]

Showed the wife Gigli last night. She turns to me and says "Patrick, I don't think I thought it was a good movie."

I frown.

She says "But it's a lot better than its reputation. Solid two-and-a-half stars."

I smile. I'll take it.Who are you married to, the ghost of Roger Ebert?

[Izzy Black]

New 35 mm print of L'avventura is just gorgeous. Best film ever.

[Winston*]

Look this racist US DVD cover.

http://www.mamamia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/the-sapphires-american-version.jpg

Original poster

http://www.mamamia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/the-sapphires-australian-version.jpg

[Watashi]

I'm more offended by the horrible photoshopping.

[Rowland]

I think it has more to do with the marketing latching onto the only second-string celebrity in the bunch. Every commercial for the film emphasized how much I'd be wowed by Chris O'Dowd.

[Shine, Pickaw!]

I have a conceivably (but not rightly so) fetishistic interest right now, I'd like to know if anyone of you can satisfy it.

Does anyone here know of any films which (principally) concern personal moments of death, or trace through a conscious awareness of one's demise through a polyphony of experiences?

Let me know if I should take this weird post elsewhere .((to another thread)).

[Spinal]

All That Jazz?

[Shine, Pickaw!]

All That Jazz?

mmm.. This seems to be more the story of a life and its indignant endpoint, whereas I am thinking more like just the endpoint.

Maybe something more in the direction of The Passing, if my memory serves me well.

[Shine, Pickaw!]

I'm just gonna scour Bill Viola, see what turns up.

Thanks for trying, spinal.

[B-side]

I think it has more to do with the marketing latching onto the only second-string celebrity in the bunch. Every commercial for the film emphasized how much I'd be wowed by Chris O'Dowd.

Yeah. The selective outrage machine sputters along.

[Winston*]

I think it has more to do with the marketing latching onto the only second-string celebrity in the bunch. Every commercial for the film emphasized how much I'd be wowed by Chris O'Dowd.

Was more focussed on the race obscuring blue background filter / desaturation.


Yeah. The selective outrage machine sputters along.

Another insightful B-Side post. Always glad to have your input.

[MadMan]

I'm more offended by the horrible photoshopping.This. Both posters are just godawful.

[B-side]

Another insightful B-Side post. Always glad to have your input.

I'm even more glad to have people like you around to rustle up baseless controversy. Where would we be if we weren't perpetually indignant about something arbitrary?

[MadMan]

Wait is Winston* actually being serious this time? I expect tons of jokes, sarcasm, and sly humor from the man. Not serious musings about racism or whatever.

[Yxklyx]

I have a conceivably (but not rightly so) fetishistic interest right now, I'd like to know if anyone of you can satisfy it.

Does anyone here know of any films which (principally) concern personal moments of death, or trace through a conscious awareness of one's demise through a polyphony of experiences?

Let me know if I should take this weird post elsewhere .((to another thread)).

Enter the Void

[Stay Puft]

Zerkalo?

[dreamdead]

Despite the fact that Yang's Yi Yi explores a whole family and not just one personal reflection on death and its attendant (in)dignities, I could see that working.

I do second Tarkovsky's Mirror, though. And is The Death of Mr. Lazarescu workable?

[Spinal]

The Passion of the Christ

[Kurosawa Fan]

I have a conceivably (but not rightly so) fetishistic interest right now, I'd like to know if anyone of you can satisfy it.

Does anyone here know of any films which (principally) concern personal moments of death, or trace through a conscious awareness of one's demise through a polyphony of experiences?

Let me know if I should take this weird post elsewhere .((to another thread)).

It's Such a Beautiful Day?

[Dukefrukem]

I have a conceivably (but not rightly so) fetishistic interest right now, I'd like to know if anyone of you can satisfy it.

Does anyone here know of any films which (principally) concern personal moments of death, or trace through a conscious awareness of one's demise through a polyphony of experiences?

Let me know if I should take this weird post elsewhere .((to another thread)).

Final Destination :-D

[Grouchy]

Enter the Void
I was going to say that.

A Matter of Life and Death

[Yxklyx]

I was going to say that.

A Matter of Life and Death

for that matter, It's a Wonderful Life

[Raiders]

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

[Idioteque Stalker]

Waking Life might count.

[Russ]

Vera (Francisco Athié, 2003)

Kinda new-agey crossing over of a Mexican cave miner (after the cave collapses) into the afterlife with a blue-skinned alien as his guide.

A few spoken words of Mayan, that's it for dialogue. Trippy, probably not unlike astral projection.

[Sven]

A film professor I had posited that Donnie Darko was that kind of movie. Dunno if I agree... I'd have to watch it again. But that means I'd have to watch it again.

[D_Davis]

I have a conceivably (but not rightly so) fetishistic interest right now, I'd like to know if anyone of you can satisfy it.

Does anyone here know of any films which (principally) concern personal moments of death, or trace through a conscious awareness of one's demise through a polyphony of experiences?

Let me know if I should take this weird post elsewhere .((to another thread)).

Mind Game - Dir. Masaaki Yuasa

[Russ]

Mind Game - Dir. Masaaki Yuasa
Ooh, probably the definitive answer to your question.

[Shine, Pickaw!]

Ah ha-ha! I am enjoying all the varying answers.

I have seen Enter the Void, which seems more like a metaphysical alternate reality upon which the viewer/main character probes upon. Like passing through an institution, of some sort.

I'm going to look into The Mirror, since that seems to be a stylistic counterpart to what I'm after. And Tarkovsky is so wonderful.

It's Such a Beautiful Day is... maybe not bad! I think I'm looking for something more experiential, if we are talking about the Hertzfeldt.

Final Destination... uh.

I am familiar with Mind Game. Eating popcorn while tripping, and bonkers otheraffairs. Although it is really the one scene in the bar which is similar. I enjoyed the intro a lot, and bits here and there like the escape scene from the Whale.


An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Whoa! This seems like a great example, thank you.

I'd like the only narrative customisms (my word, pyon) to be entrenched in a fearful portraiture of one's end beyond ends, and then the explorature of one's final thoughtful imaginings as they MIGHT crusade entrancingly from scene to scene, with the fatality of "end" punctuating here and there, until ULTIMATE finality stomps in.

I appreciate all the responses, I think I'll end up watching Tarkovsky and the poor confederate. I'll let you guys know how that goes :).

[Shine, Pickaw!]

Ah, wait Raiders, is it the silent Charles Vidor flick you are recommending, or the french film?

[Ezee E]

Shine, Pickaw! is a Match Cut poster that we've been looking for...

[Shine, Pickaw!]

Shine, Pickaw! is a Match Cut poster that we've been looking for...
Colorful Blood!

I wish I could say that I'd be around frequently, but that would probably be a lie. Still, I'll be around from time to time.

[MadMan]

Well stick around. We can always use new posters. Or posters that seem new to us heh.

[Raiders]

Ah, wait Raiders, is it the silent Charles Vidor flick you are recommending, or the french film?

The Frenchie.

[Sycophant]

Several of the segments in Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould contribute to a running thread (one of, if not the, most dominant thematic/narrative thread) that resembles what you're looking for, Shine, Pickaw!

[Sycophant]

A film professor I had posited that Donnie Darko was that kind of movie. Dunno if I agree... I'd have to watch it again. But that means I'd have to watch it again.

It seems to me that it's a fair assessment of what the film's narrative was directed to.

[D_Davis]

I could watch Donnie Darko again and probably like it still, if not for that one stupid Kevinsmithesque scene with the discussion on the Smurfs.

[Derek]

Has anyone (and by anyone, I mean Russ or Yumyum) seen the 1970 cult comedy, The Phynx? I'm going to see it next weekend with a friend who's wanted to see it for years (and b/c it's being introduced by Patton Oswalt) but it sounds as spectacularly awful as I've heard from the description alone:

"An athlete, a campus militant, a black model, and an American Indian are picked by a computer (shaped like a woman) to form a rock group called the Phynx and go on tour in Albania where American show biz people have been kidnapped by Communists."

[Russ]

Derek, it sounds perfectly dreadful. I'm all in.

Actually, you've managed to stump the band with that one. But holy jeebus, look at that list of supporting cameos.

http://i1.ifrm.com/2898/7/emo/speechless.gif

[Watashi]

Russ and Yum-Yum really need their own TV show/web show.

I'd watch it.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I could watch Donnie Darko again and probably like it still, if not for that one stupid Kevinsmithesque scene with the discussion on the Smurfs.

Maybe that's one of those seemingly superfluous scenes that ends up being a sort of thematic keystone for the entire affair, like the Mike Yanagita scene from Fargo.

Then again, I remember it being out of place too.

Nevermind, forget what I said.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I'd like the only narrative customisms (my word, pyon) to be entrenched in a fearful portraiture of one's end beyond ends, and then the explorature of one's final thoughtful imaginings as they MIGHT crusade entrancingly from scene to scene, with the fatality of "end" punctuating here and there, until ULTIMATE finality stomps in.



Based on this description, I'd most definitely give It's Such a Beautiful Day a spin.

[dreamdead]

David Chase's Not Fade Away has a great idea locked up inside it somewhere. It's simultaneously too wandering and too tied to its story-of-an-artist narrative. Some of the movements through music and film history feel too blunt (Antonioni in particular), but elements here also feel very impactful. Sometimes this is located in Gandolfini's arc, which has a carefully crafted surprise at the dinner table, and sometimes this is in the sudden football fake sequence. More importantly, it's in the shift from voiceover narration to the closing, which is audacious and beautiful, if equally blunt. These moments of blowing up expectations are what I'd hoped for, and when they occur it's a marvel. When it's caught up in more traditional dealings with the musician-as-artist, it's a bit more pedestrian.

Can anyone get a good avatar-sized image of Evelyn dancing in the streets during the ending? This one is a bit weak, but it's all I could find.

[Winston*]

Seen 22 movies at the cinema in the last two weeks. Will probably be up to 30 by Sunday. I'm tired.

[MadMan]

The Foreigner

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lfbc1pPOdf1qejmzlo1_500 .gif

Hey look its Deborah Harry. Cool.

The Foreigner (1978) is an underground movie, at times punk driven even, and I watched it thanks to well....TCM's Underground theater that airs on Saturday's now. The copy was grainy, the audio scratchy, and yet I couldn't stop watching despite not really knowing what the plot exactly was. The main character, a French agent named Max, is stationed in New York City but he has little information about his mission or why he's there. I loved the opening credits, set to a rather cool sounding score: Max in the cab, looking quietly out the window as the taxi drives on through a tunnel into the New York City streets.

I was reminded of Michael Mann and Taxi Driver, however really this film is more Repo Man (1984) in terms of being about the punk scene and punks in general. Max wanders aimlessly through New York, getting in and out of trouble; there is a rather shocking scene where he is stabbed and assaulted by some toughs in a random dive which features...a punk band. Having Harry pop up in a back alley smoking is an amusing moment, as this film was made just as Blondie was beginning to achieve stardom, but it also speaks to this movie's odd moments.

However later on it appears this is as much about racial intolerance and fear of "The Other" as it is a spy thriller movie. Max proves unable to save others, and by the middle to later part of the film he is chased by the very tough youths that gave him trouble earlier. Desperate to gain further meaning and understanding, he achieves neither and chases it in strong drink and strange women. I love how the film ends, with a stark viewing of the Statue of Liberty. Apparently in this film the immigrant is not received warmly, but is rather cast out and abused, beaten and in the end, destroyed.

Sure this is a really low budget film and the acting is not the greatest, but I was captivated throughout and I really would like to see this again. Unfortunately I had to delete it from my parents' DVR (I no longer live there but I still use it heh) and according to an online search this is sadly not a better copy of this film. Too bad, as it should be seen by more and it reminded me of another equally underrated cult classic, the 1962 film Blast of Silence, which I own on Criterion.

[dreamdead]

Rewatched Syndromes and a Century yesterday. The ability to luxuriate in its languid pace was wonderful. Still bewildered at how anything other than the (clothed) erection could generate an irate ratings review from Thailand, but I thought the focus on the monks in the first half, and the subsequent divergence away from spiritual life in the city sequences, were quite powerful. The emphasis on architectural spirituality rather than living spirituality was interesting.

This did make me confident, though, that Tropical Malady and Uncle Boonmee... are his best films.

[wigwam]

Eric Rohmer is like the inverse of any of your classic rock legendary groups in that he was only good during the 80s.

[Derek]

Eric Rohmer is like the inverse of any of your classic rock legendary groups in that he was only good during the 80s.

I'm guessing you weren't very good at math, were you?

[dreamdead]

Generally I'm a fan of people loving Rohmer, but what the what? Barring the beginning of the Four Seasons set, there's nothing that Rohmer's done that exceeds the Six Moral Tales.

[elixir]

I don't agree with wigs (obviously), but I prefer his other stuff I've seen to the Moral Tales (still have to see Love in the Afternoon).

[dreamdead]

I neglected to consider The Green Ray with the earlier statement. That one can do battle with the best of Rohmer's 60s work.

[Raiders]

Generally I'm a fan of people loving Rohmer, but what the what? Barring the beginning of the Four Seasons set, there's nothing that Rohmer's done that exceeds the Six Moral Tales.

Perceval and The Marquis of O... are better than any of the Moral Tales films. They are also from the 70s as well.

[baby doll]

My favorite Rohmer film is the aforementioned Perceval le Gallois, but his strongest period overall was clearly the last decade of his career from Conte d'automne (1998) to Les Amours d'Astrée et de Céladon (2007) when he started mixing it up again. (Triple Agent in particular is bottomlessly fascinating.) I haven't seen Le Rayon vert, which I've heard is a bit of a departure from his usual routine, but his other films from the period give the impression of a filmmaker making the same damn movie again and again.

[baby doll]

I think we all know what's coming next:

1. Perceval le Gallois (1978)
2. Triple Agent (2004)
3. Le Genou de Claire (1970)
4. L'Anglaise et le duc (2001)
5. Les Amours d'Astrée et de Céladon (2007)
6. La Boulangère de Monceau (1963)
7. Conte d'automne (1998)
8. L'Amour, l'après midi (1972)
9. Ma nuit chez Maud (1969)
10. La Femme de l'aviateur (1981)

[elixir]

My favorite Rohmer film is the aforementioned Perceval le Gallois, but his strongest period overall was clearly the last decade of his career from Conte d'automne (1998) to Les Amours d'Astrée et de Céladon (2007) when he started mixing it up again. (Triple Agent in particular is bottomlessly fascinating.) I haven't seen Le Rayon vert, which I've heard is a bit of a departure from his usual routine, but his other films from the period give the impression of a filmmaker making the same damn movie again and again.
Perceval is probably more of a departure. I mean, if you like movies, you should like Le rayon vert. But then again, if you go in thinking he makes the same film again and again, a criticism which never ceases to be boring (and usually wrong no matter who it's aimed at), then maybe you won't. But you should! Because it's great. My second favorite behind The Aviator's Wife. I still have a lot to see; I'm on a Rohmer kick now, so some of those shall be viewed shortly! :D

[Winston*]

Seen 22 movies at the cinema in the last two weeks. Will probably be up to 30 by Sunday. I'm tired.

Only Lovers Left Alive
Ilo Ilo
Omar
You're Next
Prince Avalanche
A Hijacking
Like Father Like Son
Leviathan
The Missing Picture
The Past
Upstream Colour
The Act of Killing
Stranger By the Lake
A Field in England
The Selfish Giant
Ginger and Rosa
Blackfish;
North by Northwest
Behind the Candelabra
The Weight of Elephants
In the House
It Boy;
The Spectacular Now
Soul in the Sea
Twenty Feet from Stardom
The Summit
Ernest & Celestine;
Much Ado About Nothing
The Crowd with live orchestra / new score;
Museum Hours


A lot of them wouldn't have been my choice, but whatever I didn't pay to see them.

[Derek]

A lot of them wouldn't have been my choice, but whatever I didn't pay to see them.

I'm assuming that list is chronological not by preference, right? What'd you think of Museum Hours? I've read a couple raves about it and the preview makes it look pretty fascinating.

[Winston*]

I'm assuming that list is chronological not by preference, right?

There is no order. I do not think You're Next is a better film than The Act of Killing.


I'm assuming that list is chronological not by preference, right? What'd you think of Museum Hours? I've read a couple raves about it and the preview makes it look pretty fascinating.

Found it pretty boring and repetitive to be honest. I had just watched two other films and had been out till 3am the night before though. Maybe I might have been more receptive otherwise.

[Derek]

There is no order. I do not think You're Next is a better film than The Act of Killing.

I find that hard to believe.


Found it pretty boring and repetitive to be honest. I had just watched two other films and had been out till 3am the night before though. Maybe I might have been more receptive otherwise.

Fair enough. I'd rather go in with my expectations in check. I'll still try to see it when it plays here later this month.

[Winston*]

The score for The Crowd was by a Kiwi composer and was really great. If Criterion releases the film they should license it.

[Winston*]

Fair enough. I'd rather go in with my expectations in check. I'll still try to see it when it plays here later this month.
There's a 15 minute lecture on the painter Brugel in the middle of the film that's pretty interesting.

[Boner M]

Wasn't a big fan of Museum Hours either. Felt like I was watching a manual of how to watch the film I was watching. And not in an interesting way.

How'd you like the Jarmusch & Stranger by the Lake?

[Winston*]

Wasn't a big fan of Museum Hours either. Felt like I was watching a manual of how to watch the film I was watching. And not in an interesting way.

It was pretty annoying when they hammer home the point at the end. Yeah, I got that.




How'd you like the Jarmusch & Stranger by the Lake?

Really liked both. Thematic similarities between the two come to think of it. More penises in Stranger by the Lake.

[MadMan]

I would love to see A Field in England based on the trailer for it I recently watched.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Little battle with sleep lately. Tonight I wasted my time watching Trouble With the Curve. What a steaming pile that was. One of the worst films in recent memory. Not an exaggeration. Poorly acted (including Adams, though the writing was so putrid it likely couldn't be helped), poorly written, poorly plotted, corny and cliched as all fuck, and a complete waste of time on all levels. It's like the anti-Moneyball (the book and the ideology, not necessarily the film, though that probably still applies). Old grizzled vets are superior to computers and Sabermetrics. Just staggeringly inept in all regards. One of the rare times in my life when I can honestly say I would have rather been sleeping than watching that film.

[Boner M]

It's pretty bad, but it's also so movie-that-exists-y that it had a certain charm for me.

[dreamdead]

Digging into Powell and Pressburger's films further reveals that they're not all magnificent like The Red Shoes, but I like how they maintain a stable cast of character actors. The 49th Parallel isn't a classic, but as WW2-propaganda, it's interesting enough. There's a few nakedly ironic bits about Hitler being crazy to let a baker leave his profession, which are weak, but the actual baker storyline was rather powerful. It has nuance about upbringing, ideology, and the ability to change--and never feels strident. That said, the ending is a little weaker, lacking the nuance that the film elsewhere teases.

[Spinal]

Marina Abramovic's Top 10 list (http://www.indiewire.com/article/marina-abramovics-top-10-films) is basically what you would expect:

1. Color of Pomegranates (1968), Sergei Parajanov
2. Last Year at Marienbad (1961), Alain Resnais
3. Underground (1995), director - Emir Kusturica
4. Teorama (1968), director - Pier Paolo Pasolini
5. L’avventura (1960), director - Michelangelo Antonioni
6. 8 1/2 (1963), director - Federico Fellini
7. Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975), director - Pier Paolo Pasolini
8. Melancholia (2011), director - Lars von Trier
9. The Silence (1963), director - Ingmar Bergman
10. Blue Velvet (1986), director - David Lynch

[Ezee E]

Marina Abramovic's Top 10 list (http://www.indiewire.com/article/marina-abramovics-top-10-films) is basically what you would expect:

1. Color of Pomegranates (1968), Sergei Parajanov
2. Last Year at Marienbad (1961), Alain Resnais
3. Underground (1995), director - Emir Kusturica
4. Teorama (1968), director - Pier Paolo Pasolini
5. L’avventura (1960), director - Michelangelo Antonioni
6. 8 1/2 (1963), director - Federico Fellini
7. Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975), director - Pier Paolo Pasolini
8. Melancholia (2011), director - Lars von Trier
9. The Silence (1963), director - Ingmar Bergman
10. Blue Velvet (1986), director - David Lynch

So, how about we contribute to her kickstarter, and have her screen one of those for us, and discuss afterward???

[MadMan]

I didn't know where else to post this, so I went with this thread:

http://www.letoilemagazine.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Carol-Reeds-The-Third-Man-e1341453068236.jpg

Even though the famous Carol Reed directed The Third Man, this film since it stars Orson Welles and his fellow actor collaborator Joseph Cotton has the look and feel of a Welles film. After all this 1949 classic is film noir, made in black and white, and has scenes that have the Welles touch. Especially the amazing ferris wheel monologue, my favorite part of the film and one that so many people (myself included) have quoted over the years.

The Third Man is film noir at its finest, perfectly shot and expertly directed, with a finale that I'm so glad was not changed to fit boring Hollywood happy ending conventions. In fact that last act is glorious, a fine example of why the film noir genre is one of my all time favorite sub-genres in film history. After all, life is not like the upbeat movies that you often seen shown on TV. The good guy does not always win, the bad may go unpunished, and love fails in painful fashion.

Holly Martins is a writer of westerns, and he has come to Vienna to find out what has happened to Harry Lime, an old friend of his. Harry was indeed a scoundrel, but he was Holly's pal and Holly suspects murder and deceit. This leads of course to Holly becoming mixed up in events and matters he does not understand, and only too late does he realize the cold hard truth about Harry, life, and the nasty aftermath of World War II. Being awakened to the fact that Harry cares about no one is bad enough, but the authorities trying to convince you to betray an old mate is far worse.

Especially when there is a woman involved: Anna, the lovely girlfriend of Harry's. This inspires an odd love triangle where one man cares for her yet does not receive that care in return, and she cares for a man who does not truly care about anyone, even though she may be his only weakness. Major Calloway attempts to show Holly the evils of Harry, and even then its only through extreme methods that Holly caves and agrees to help him.

Why do I love this movie so much? Perhaps its the famous zither score, which infuses the film with a charm and grace that unfortunately the lesser film noirs possess. Maybe its the amazing acting, as the great cast elevate some of the lesser material and make the movie even more special than it already is. I do know for certain that The Third Man is a magical film, an exercise in near perfection, and I don't know of too many films quite like it. Nor do I think we shall ever see a movie such as The Third Man again, and maybe that's a good thing: brilliance should only come a few times so that it can be properly appreciated.

[Morris Schæffer]

Been meaning to watch Apocalypse Now later tonight. Should I go with the original cut or the 316-minute Redux version? I know about the plantation scene which supposedly never ends, but what's the consensus here?

[Dukefrukem]

Strangers on a Train (1951)- Fantastic suspense but a little bit loopy on the story line. Kinda of laughable if it were that easy to set someone up for murder.

[Ezee E]

Go with the original cut.

[Yxklyx]

Regarding The Third Man, Reed's Odd Man Out came out the previous year and Robert Krasker was the DP for that too - and if you compare the look I think you can attribute both to him. Both are beautiful films.

[Qrazy]

Regarding The Third Man, Reed's Odd Man Out came out the previous year and Robert Krasker was the DP for that too - and if you compare the look I think you can attribute both to him. Both are beautiful films.

I think The Fallen Idol is Reed's best. Well I mean technically The Third Man is more accomplished but I find the pacing in the first two thirds drags it down a bit. I also quite like A Kid for Two Farthings.

[Morris Schæffer]

Go with the original cut.

i think i will.

[MadMan]

I love both versions of Apocalypse Now, but the original cut is the best.




Strangers on a Train (1951)- Fantastic suspense but a little bit loopy on the story line. Kinda of laughable if it were that easy to set someone up for murder. Maybe now but back then? I donno. I just find the movie to be excellent.

I want to see more Carol Reed. I have The Fallen Idol on my Netflix queue.

Oh and I wrote that Third Man review while intoxicated last night, although I've been in a heavy writing mood lately. I can thank my blog for that.

[Yxklyx]

I think Odd Man Out is his best. A James Mason disintegrating odyssey in a "Third Man"esque Belfast that borders on the absurd.

Recently watched a couple of Larry Clark films (Kids & Bully) and loved them both.

[Bosco B Thug]

So how far off am I from consensus on this? Joe Dante's Explorers is solid throughout, but it would be nothing without that crazy alien encounter. Very good drawing of the three boys and their differences by the more-prosaic rest of the film, though. But overall, Dante's the best.

[Dead & Messed Up]

So how far off am I from consensus on this? Joe Dante's Explorers is solid throughout, but it would be nothing without that crazy alien encounter. Very good drawing of the three boys and their differences by the more-prosaic rest of the film, though. But overall, Dante's the best.

Honestly... I hated those aliens. I hated them so much. I liked the kids being kids, and I was even willing to go along with their discovery and cobbled-together junkcraft, but once they hit that spaceship, my frustration grew at a geometric rate.

[EyesWideOpen]

Some crazy Criterion (http://www.criterion.com/library/expanded_view?f=1&s=release_date) stuff in november:

25 film Zatoichi blu-ray boxset!

http://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/product_images/1647-99179e44c01d4318de1256db1c8600 f5/Film_679_ZatoichiSet_original. jpg

Cover by Ron Wimberly. Additional illustrations by Greg Ruth, Paul Pope, Scott Morse, Samuel Hiti, Josh Cochran, Evan Bryce, Ricardo Venâncio, Robert Goodin, Yuko Shimizu, Jorge Coelho, Vera Brosgol, Matt Kindt, Connor Willumsen, Patrick Leger, Jim Rugg, Jhomar Soriano, Angie Wang, Ming Doyle, Caitlin Kuhwald, Benjamin Marra, Bill Sienkiewicz, Andrew MacLean, Polly Guo, Barnaby Ward, Victor Kerlow.

[Qrazy]

I think Odd Man Out is his best. A James Mason disintegrating odyssey in a "Third Man"esque Belfast that borders on the absurd.

Recently watched a couple of Larry Clark films (Kids & Bully) and loved them both.

Narratively it's fun but personally I don't find it as well shot as The Third Man or The Fallen Idol.

[Bosco B Thug]

Honestly... I hated those aliens. I hated them so much. I liked the kids being kids, and I was even willing to go along with their discovery and cobbled-together junkcraft, but once they hit that spaceship, my frustration grew at a geometric rate. Yeah, this isn't an uncommon opinion... It's why I'm fishing for Match-Cut Alternative Consensus. :) I don't love the aliens. Yes, a Contact/Mission to Mars-like ending seems more deserved. But the whole sequence with the projected images is brilliant. Little Ethan Hawke's disappointed reaction faces are pure poetry .

[B-side]

Marina Abramovic's Top 10 list (http://www.indiewire.com/article/marina-abramovics-top-10-films) is basically what you would expect:

1. Color of Pomegranates (1968), Sergei Parajanov
4. Teorama (1968), director - Pier Paolo Pasolini

Awesome.

[Dukefrukem]

Some crazy Criterion (http://www.criterion.com/library/expanded_view?f=1&s=release_date) stuff in november:

25 film Zatoichi blu-ray boxset!

http://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/product_images/1647-99179e44c01d4318de1256db1c8600 f5/Film_679_ZatoichiSet_original. jpg

Cover by Ron Wimberly. Additional illustrations by Greg Ruth, Paul Pope, Scott Morse, Samuel Hiti, Josh Cochran, Evan Bryce, Ricardo Venâncio, Robert Goodin, Yuko Shimizu, Jorge Coelho, Vera Brosgol, Matt Kindt, Connor Willumsen, Patrick Leger, Jim Rugg, Jhomar Soriano, Angie Wang, Ming Doyle, Caitlin Kuhwald, Benjamin Marra, Bill Sienkiewicz, Andrew MacLean, Polly Guo, Barnaby Ward, Victor Kerlow.

how much? $300??

[Raiders]

So how far off am I from consensus on this? Joe Dante's Explorers is solid throughout, but it would be nothing without that crazy alien encounter. Very good drawing of the three boys and their differences by the more-prosaic rest of the film, though. But overall, Dante's the best.

You're speaking my language. I know Sven would agree as well.

[EyesWideOpen]

how much? $300??

MSRP is $225 and Criterion is taking preorders for $180 which is probably the price amazon will have it at. It doesn't come out till november though which is the exact time the Barnes & Noble half off sale takes place so at that time you should be able to get it for a little over $100.

[Izzy Black]

Marina Abramovic's Top 10 list (http://www.indiewire.com/article/marina-abramovics-top-10-films) is basically what you would expect:

1. Color of Pomegranates (1968), Sergei Parajanov
2. Last Year at Marienbad (1961), Alain Resnais
3. Underground (1995), director - Emir Kusturica
4. Teorama (1968), director - Pier Paolo Pasolini
5. L’avventura (1960), director - Michelangelo Antonioni
6. 8 1/2 (1963), director - Federico Fellini
7. Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975), director - Pier Paolo Pasolini
8. Melancholia (2011), director - Lars von Trier
9. The Silence (1963), director - Ingmar Bergman
10. Blue Velvet (1986), director - David Lynch

Great list.

[B-side]

She could have listed Dennis Dugan's entire filmography, but had the Antonioni at the top and Izzy'd still love it. ;)

[Izzy Black]

:sad:

[B-side]

:sad:

L'Avventura (Antonioni, 1960): recommended

Well, I'll be. :D

[Izzy Black]

Wong Kar Wai's The Grandmaster is one of his best films. And one of the best cinematic misdirections I've seen since the master himself.

[B-side]

Wong Kar Wai's The Grandmaster is one of his best films. And one of the best cinematic misdirections I've seen since the master himself.

Intriguing.

[B-side]

Raiders has me on ignore. I mean, I totally just made that joke.

[EyesWideOpen]

As of today:

Match Cut's Top Ten Highest Rated Films of 2013 (10 minimum ratings)

1. No - 100%
2. Behind the Candelabra - 100%
3. Before Midnight - 96.3%
4. Mud - 91.67%
5. Like Someone in Love - 90.91%
6. The Place Beyond the Pines - 87.50%
7. Much Ado About Nothing - 85.71%
8. This is the End - 85.19%
9. Frances Ha - 85%
10. Side Effects - 83.33

Match Cut's Lowest Ten Rated Films of 2013 (10 minimum ratings)

1. A Good Day to Die Hard - 6.67%
2. Gangster Squad - 20%
3. Only God Forgives - 28.57%
4. Oz The Great and Powerful - 33.33%
5. The Great Gatsby - 37.5%
6. G.I. Joe: Retaliation - 45.45%
7. Man of Steel - 51.72%
8. The Last Stand - 52.94%
9 (tie). Trance - 54.55%
9 (tie). Pain & Gain - 54.55%

[dreamdead]

Looking forward to No and the TPBtP, so the consensus update is cool. Thanks, EWO.

Kramer's The Wild One feels like the epitome of a film important for its cultural impact rather than its success as a film. Rebel motorcyclists cause havoc and then learn a moral lesson, even as the town's own prejudices are revealed. It's overbearing in performances, and often trite in its script. When Johnny is needed to stand for something, it's only false profundities, and the dependence on square/rebel language does the film no favors. Toward the end Kramer relies on close-ups to convey meaning, and those instances feel more natural and lived-in than almost any element of the script, as the girl is just too underdeveloped.

One can see why Scorpio Rising concentrates on the aesthetic so much, since the aesthetic is richly suggestive. But the free-form nature of Kenneth Anger's film privileges the iconic imagery of Kramer and forgoes the empty rhetoric that this film channels. Interesting to see Brando play the role, but nothing really exciting here.

[Ezee E]

Trance and Pain & Gain are in my top five of the year, heh.

[Qrazy]

As of today:

Match Cut's Top Ten Highest Rated Films of 2013 (10 minimum ratings)

1. No - 100%
2. Behind the Candelabra - 100%
3. Before Midnight - 96.3%
4. Mud - 91.67%
5. Like Someone in Love - 90.91%
6. The Place Beyond the Pines - 87.50%
7. Much Ado About Nothing - 85.71%
8. This is the End - 85.19%
9. Frances Ha - 85%
10. Side Effects - 83.33


Was my vote able to bump Side Effects off in favor of something else?

[dreamdead]

Really need to get around to Samsara. It's one of my biggest regrets from '12.

Campion's In the Cut was really fascinating. Not sure why I put it off for so long. Wonderfully adult in its approach to messy sexuality, with characters who are utterly trying to understand themselves, moving fluidly between relationships and identities (Ruffalo especially seems like one giant mash-up of detective profession and sexual obsession). And solid (seemingly?) legitimate location shooting. NYCity actually feels like a character here, and not another city existing as a stand-in for it. The film's messiness keeps it from perhaps framing one idea cleanly, but the skill of the cast and production make this stand out from other thriller fare.

[EyesWideOpen]

Was my vote able to bump Side Effects off in favor of something else?

The next movie is Iron Man 3 so no I will not allow it.

[Qrazy]

The next movie is Iron Man 3 so no I will not allow it.

Oof, damned if you do, damned if you don't.

[baby doll]

Fuck Yeah Udo Kier (http://fuckyeahudokier.tumblr.com/).

[MadMan]

Fuck Yeah Udo Kier (http://fuckyeahudokier.tumblr.com/).Following.

[Lucky]

E, are you trying to build anticipation for MC's best/worst of 2012 list or what?

[Ezee E]

E, are you trying to build anticipation for MC's best/worst of 2012 list or what?

Damnit. I hunkered down and I tallied this.

[Grouchy]

E, are you trying to build anticipation for MC's best/worst of 2012 list or what?
Does this exist anywhere?

[dreamdead]

A rewatch of The Emperor's New Groove confirmed that its lunacy remains captivating. More abrasive than most Disney films about amounting to more than its moral, more fun in sidestepping narrative logic than most, and Gronk remains a delight. It's clear that the film had multiple and competing visions, but this one captures the troubled energy of its narrative well.

[Grouchy]

http://www.impawards.com/1975/posters/yakuza_ver2.jpg

The Yakuza (Sydney Pollack, 1974) is a film I was really looking forward to see, and frankly... it wasn't that good. Mitchum is excellent, of course, and within his range he's incapable of a bad performance, but, surprisingly, it's Pollack who shines the most at directing the action sequences instead of famous writers Paul Schrader and Robert Towne, who, quite frankly, did a bore of a screenplay. I didn't have my stopwatch near but I swear every single character spends five minutes delivering painfully obvious exposition or otherwise reminiscing about "Japan". I realize there is an overarching theme at work here but several scenes like this stop the narrative dead on its tracks. In a way it reminded me of the picture I had in my head while reading You Only Live Twice (the original Ian Fleming novel) which is also a bit like this - a character piece about a Western hero blending in the Japanese world of honor. Anyway, this film's main claim to fame besides the pedigree involved is that it features an Asian actor in a prominent lead role, unusually before the '70s and arguably after that. I read that it was originally intended to be directed by Robert Aldrich, now that might have been something.

[dreamdead]

Fell into a rewatch of Hoop Dreams yesterday. That was magnificent, and far more nuanced and class-conscious than my brain remembers from 1996. The level of critique leveled at the predatory institutions on these kids, in addition to the kids themselves who wade through the classes thinking that their game will save them, are powerful. Oddly, I found myself appreciating the filmmakers' editing juxtapositions the most--Arthur's mom finishes a nursing school and attends the graduation despite little fanfare, while the next shot details a high school basketball court filled to the brim with cheering fans. Interesting appraisal of what's valued.

[MadMan]

Hoop Dreams is fantastic. Its run time was at first a bit daunting to me, but once I started viewing it I was completely hooked and finished the whole thing in one viewing.

[Bosco B Thug]

If King of New York is middle-tier Ferrara, then that bodes well for his other films. A bit of a gimmicky gangster pic, but Ferrara's directing is lush.

[Ezee E]

I'm watching JFK. I'm convinced this is the best edited movie ever, and gets back into my top ten of all time.

[B-side]

If King of New York is middle-tier Ferrara, then that bodes well for his other films. A bit of a gimmicky gangster pic, but Ferrara's directing is lush.

I'd call it lower-tier Ferrara, and I still enjoy it.

[Qrazy]

I'm watching JFK. I'm convinced this is the best edited movie ever, and gets back into my top ten of all time.

Agreed, the editing in that film is ridic.uluous.

[Bosco B Thug]

I'd call it lower-tier Ferrara, and I still enjoy it. See? No way.

I failed to mention it, but I thought it was essentially close-to-great.

[B-side]

See? No way.

I failed to mention it, but I thought it was essentially close-to-great.

I am in a minority, though, so take my word with an extra helping of salt. Not merely a grain, but more like a tablespoon.:P

[Rowland]

Ferrara's Ms. 45 is pretty fucking great. I watched King of New York for a film studies class several years ago, back before I was familiar with Ferrara, but I recall liking it. Bad Lieutenant is a good movie that I wish I loved (I might prefer the Herzog edition), 4:44 is deeply flawed but undervalued all the same, and his Body Snatchers is alright, if not anywhere near the same league as Philip Kaufman's masterpiece.

[B-side]

I'd place Ms. 45, The Driller Killer, Mary, Body Snatchers and The Addiction all well above King of New York.

[Bosco B Thug]

I am in a minority, though, so take my word with an extra helping of salt. Not merely a grain, but more like a tablespoon.:P All I'm seeing is these very reserved pro stances from the internet, when it seems like such a "Distillation of the filmmaker's sensibilities" film and, having just seen De Palma's Body Double, I expected similar sorts of disproportionate praise for an obscured curiosity. So come on, own your place in the majority! :)


Ferrara's Ms. 45 is pretty fucking great. I watched King of New York for a film studies class several years ago, back before I was familiar with Ferrara, but I recall liking it. Bad Lieutenant is a good movie that I wish I loved (I might prefer the Herzog edition), 4:44 is deeply flawed but undervalued all the same, and his Body Snatchers is alright, if not anywhere near the same league as Philip Kaufman's masterpiece. Seen Ms. 45 and remember being into it, but that was way before my tastes refined. Bad Lieutenant I really liked and I can sense is a more advanced film than King of New York.

I'm most interested in his late-period (most alienating?) work. He's making rounds with his Strauss-Kahn flick and I'm reading his very recent interviews, and he's clearly a crazy MF.