28 Film Discussion Threads Later [Archive] - Page 259

Qrazy

11-22-2013, 02:34 AM

Qrazy, what are your top 10 movies?

I don't have one per se but here's a link to a list (http://www.aprioriproductions.org/#!/favoritefilms/) with many of my favourites.

Just off the top of my head, giving some of my favourite filmmakers each a single film on the list.

La Dolce Vita
Andrei Rublev
Big Deal on Madonna Street
My Friend Ivan Lapshin
Harakiri
Paths of Glory
Chimes at Midnight
Dersu Uzala
City Lights
Werckmeister Harmonies

A list when I was younger probably would have included Brazil, Memento and Fellowship of the Ring. I also normally put Throne of Blood as my Kurosawa choice but a rewatch lowered it slightly in my esteem. It may have been the print though. Chimes could be replaced by Touch, Kane or Trial. Dolce Vita could be replaced by a few other Fellini's potentially. Paths of Glory could be replaced by 2001. I should probably include Chinatown and The Godfather Part II but they are predictable choices. On another day I might also include a Malick.

Izzy Black

11-22-2013, 03:32 AM

Thanks. I was just wondering. Andrei Rublev is in my top 10. Cool blog/website by the way. Didn't know about this.

Qrazy

11-22-2013, 04:24 AM

Thanks. I was just wondering. Andrei Rublev is in my top 10. Cool blog/website by the way. Didn't know about this.

Thanks, I should really update the blog section with revamped forum posts from years gone by... and/or new thoughts but they would all just be B-'s and aggressive negativity so what's the point of that. :lol:

Irish

11-22-2013, 06:10 AM

Albert Brooks 'Lost in America'... this film would have been better if the main characters had blown their brains out at the end.

D

Seriously?

Qrazy

11-22-2013, 06:49 AM

Seriously?

Yes? I didn't like it. The wife is such a poorly written character and the plotting is abysmal. I quite liked Real Life so I was expecting something of that caliber.

Irish

11-22-2013, 07:58 AM

Yes? I didn't like it. The wife is such a poorly written character and the plotting is abysmal. I quite liked Real Life so I was expecting something of that caliber.

Surprised as I've never heard anyone bad mouth it before. Been years since I've watched it, but from memory it's one of Brooks' better movies (at least, more cohesive & funnier than the stuff he did afterwards).

Russ

11-22-2013, 03:07 PM

Reposting my thoughts from The 100 Greatest Opening Credits thread about Hungarian director Gyorgy Palfi's film, Final Cut - Ladies and Gentlemen:

Basically, the director of Hukkle (György Pálfi), crafts a collage-ical love story from 15-seconds-or-less snippets from close to 500 classic films, featuring hundreds of actors in the role of two characters.

If you find this playing at a festival near you, do whatever it takes and see it. And prepare to be stunned. just try to wipe the grin off your face. This is literally a wet dream for hardcore cinephiles, especially those who love to play "spot the reference". This film is a master-class in editing, a clinic in marrying sight and sound.

Amazing film. Amazing credits.

http://vimeo.com/75268362

Izzy Black

11-22-2013, 07:18 PM

credit list please

Dukefrukem

11-22-2013, 07:29 PM

Really? Explain.

Heh, someone asked me about this in another thread too. It's the most brutal movie I've ever seen and inflicts the highest amount of uncomfortably possible in film. It's successful in it's intent and I admire that. To put this in perspective, I don't generally enjoy torture porn; the Hostels, the Saws, those movies are so abstract and silly it feels like I am watching a movie. But the unsensored/uncut version Serbian Film not only caught me by surprise, the ending was as close to satisfying as it could have possibly been given the events that played out.

Russ

11-22-2013, 07:32 PM

credit list please

The films, their directors, and the featured cast are listed on pages 7-22 of the film's press kit (http://www.finalcut-movie.com/pages/p/presskit).

dreamdead

11-23-2013, 12:43 PM

So a student was commenting on how he wanted to do a comparison of Faulkner's approach to language together with Malick's approach of visual language, and this set me thinking about what sort of authors do you imagine being the novelistic equivalent of certain filmmakers.

For instance, what authors spring to your mind as the equivalent of any of the following filmmakers:

David Lynch
Terrence Malick
Wes Anderson
P.T. Anderson
The Coen Brothers
Shane Carruth
Steven Soderbergh

Kurosawa Fan

11-23-2013, 01:49 PM

Lynch would be Burroughs, no? Wes Anderson has always sort of reminded me of Roald Dahl.

I'll have to think about this a bit more. I'm having a tough time not comparing the filmmaker to an adaptation they've done.

EDIT: Ha! To my point, I had completely forgotten about Anderson's The Fantastic Mr. Fox when I made this post. Just popped into my head. Really though, with that one I've felt that way since Tenenbaums.

Irish

11-23-2013, 02:04 PM

Lynch would be Burroughs, no? Wes Anderson has always sort of reminded me of Roald Dahl.

No ... and no. :D

Somebody like Cronenberg would be closer to Burroughs (even if he had never done Naked Lunch).

Wes Anderson cribs his style & sensibility from JD Salinger & John Irving, and it shows.

That's all I got. I'm not sure I understand the exercise. Filmmakers jump around genres (eg the Coens) and alter their style (eg Soderburgh) much more than novelists. I can't see a lot of strong 1:1 corollaries here.

(Maybe match Tarantino with Elmore Leonard or Tarantino with Hunter S Thompson? But again, the associations seem thin.)

Kurosawa Fan

11-23-2013, 02:45 PM

No ... and no. :D

Somebody like Cronenberg would be closer to Burroughs (even if he had never done Naked Lunch).

Wes Anderson cribs his style & sensibility from JD Salinger & John Irving, and it shows.

Yeah, Burroughs probably wasn't well thought out, but I think you're wrong about Anderson. I see a lot of Dahl in his character construction and behaviors, and the way he incorporates quirk.

Ezee E

11-23-2013, 02:58 PM

PTA seems to be on his way to a Steinbeck.

Irish

11-23-2013, 05:59 PM

Yeah, Burroughs probably wasn't well thought out,

but I think you're wrong about Anderson. I see a lot of Dahl in his character construction and behaviors, and the way he incorporates quirk.

Examples? Because I see none of that. Dahl has touches of broad humor in some of his stuff, but that's because he was writing for children.

The laconic, wry, throwaway humor Anderson employs is different. It's a helluva lot closer to Salinger and Irving, especially in works like Nine Stories, Hapworth 16, The World According to Garp, The Hotel New Hampshire, and A Prayer for Owen Meany.

That doesn't exist in Dahl's stuff because it's a form of humor that is far too subtle for children. Also, quite a few of Dahl's books were quite dark (eg: Danny the Champion of the World and James and the Giant Peach). Much darker & more serious than anything Anderson has ever produced.

PTA seems to be on his way to a Steinbeck.

I think you're confusing Upton Sinclair for John Steinbeck, because of There Will Be Blood (which is based on one of Sinclair's later novels and set, iirc, in California).

Beyond that, I don't see much of a connection. PTA likes big, broadly scoped movies. Steinbeck, from memory, only wrote two novels in his career that were over 300,000 words. PTA likes metaphors. Steinbeck really didn't. PTA tends to focus on a single male protagonist, where Steinbeck's most famous novels have multiple point of views.

What are you seeing there?

Watashi

11-23-2013, 06:27 PM

PTA is definitely Hemingway.

Kurosawa Fan

11-23-2013, 06:31 PM

Examples? Because I see none of that. Dahl has touches of broad humor in some of his stuff, but that's because he was writing for children.

Off the top of my head, Max in Rushmore is very much like Mr Hoppy in Esio Trot in the way he uses cunning to seduce the object of his affection. Royal Tenenbaum is akin to Mr Fox in his wry optimism to be the provider for his family. Sam from Moonrise Kingdom is very reminiscent of a young Dahl protagonist such as Danny or James. Without connecting her to a specific character, Social Services feels pulled right from the pages of a Dahl novel. And Owen Wilson often reminds me of a conniving Oswald Cornelius, with the exception being his character in The Life Aquatic.

Irish

11-23-2013, 06:38 PM

PTA is definitely Hemingway.

I would very much like to hear you make this argument.

Kurosawa Fan

11-23-2013, 06:40 PM

Watashi

11-23-2013, 06:43 PM

I would very much like to hear you make this argument.

Don't have time to make one. Just thought The Master was very Hemingway-esque.

Irish

11-23-2013, 07:07 PM

Off the top of my head, Max in Rushmore is very much like Mr Hoppy in Esio Trot in the way he uses cunning to seduce the object of his affection. Royal Tenenbaum is akin to Mr Fox in his wry optimism to be the provider for his family. Sam from Moonrise Kingdom is very reminiscent of a young Dahl protagonist such as Danny or James. Without connecting her to a specific character, Social Services feels pulled right from the pages of a Dahl novel. And Owen Wilson often reminds me of a conniving Oswald Cornelius, with the exception being his character in The Life Aquatic.

I think the big problem with your connection here is that it's based on very broad character traits. Eli Cash in Tennenbaums isn't so much "conniving" as he is needy (as is almost every character in that film). Max fails to seduce his teacher, and the attempt is more about competition than seduction. He isn't so much optimistic as obsessed, because his life is empty.

The bigger problem is that the themes don't match up.

Dahl was, essentially, working for an audience of one. Single protagists. Almost always male. Little to no external support. All of which were common tropes in children's books during his heyday.

Dahl's most common theme was that the individual can triumph against a hostile environment (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Fantastic Mr Fox)) or over their own fears (Danny, the Champion of the World) by themselves, through their own power. (Another common message in kid's books).

This is in stark contrast to Anderson, who builds every movie around a sense of family and community. Real, imagined, extended, or ersatz. If there's one common theme with Anderson, it's just the opposite to Dahl: That you need support to get where you want to go. Anderson's protagonists start out trying to go their own way. When they fail, they're embraced by some form of family. Their interior change is based on realizing that this is where their true happiness lies.

This is most evident in Anderson's own adaptation of Fox, which adds material and scenes that play to this very theme.

PS: Totally disagree about Anderson being "dark." If his films were any more lighthearted, they'd float away. (The closest he got to dark was Tennenbaums, and he never went close to that kind of thing again.)

Mr. Pink

11-23-2013, 09:42 PM

Also, Dahl didn't just write kids stuff. A lot of his work (mostly short stories), were adult-themed and essentially nothing like anything Anderson has ever done.

He's got a story where two guys agree to sleep with the other's wife without the wives knowing; one about a lady who gets her head stuck in a sculpture, and her husband decides to behead the wife instead of ruining the piece of art; the gambler story about lighting the zippo five times in a row or losing a finger; one where a lady kills her husband with a leg of lamb, and feeds it to the investigating policemen as they try to guess what the husband was hit with, etc.

I mean, I'm assuming he's at least somewhat of a fan of Dahl's stuff, but I think they are still pretty different.

Ezee E

11-23-2013, 10:44 PM

I feel like I see a lot of movies, but for 2013, I've seen 51 total.

How the hell did I do 100 back in my late teens?

dreamdead

11-25-2013, 08:26 PM

Oof. Final film for the faith and film course was to be chosen based on student recommendations. It came down between Doubt and Tyler Perry's Good Deeds. Due to the latter's access on instant view, we're doing Perry's film. In some respects it's completely innocuous--well meaning but limp since so many narrative aspects are guided by the formulaic realization that Wesley Deeds (Perry) is stuck in a life not of his own choosing. The random excessive moments--a love scene cutting to Alcatraz--make this kinda bizarre and fun, but doing a five minute denouement set to Richard Marx's "I'll be Right Here Waiting for You" might be the dictionary definition of trying too hard.

Am excited to hit up Doubt for myself over Thanksgiving break, though.

D_Davis

11-26-2013, 04:12 AM

For instance, what authors spring to your mind as the equivalent of any of the following filmmakers:

David Lynch
Terrence Malick
Wes Anderson
P.T. Anderson
The Coen Brothers
Shane Carruth
Steven Soderbergh

Lynch - Thomas Ligotti, Michael Cisco
Malick - Lord Dunsany
Coen Brothers - Joe R. Lansdale (this is a match made in heaven)
Steven Soderbergh - Steven King

MadMan

11-27-2013, 05:52 PM

I only hit over a 100 movies for the year thanks to a three month binge of horror films. I'm thinking next year I'll be watching more TV.

monolith94

11-27-2013, 11:33 PM

Did we ever have a thread for The World's End? I just saw it and was interested in what the reaction here was, but I'm too stupid to work this forum's search function... :derp:

Stay Puft

11-28-2013, 12:08 AM

Did we ever have a thread for The World's End? I just saw it and was interested in what the reaction here was, but I'm too stupid to work this forum's search function... :derp:

http://matchcut.artboiled.com/showthread.php?4854-The-World-s-End-(Edgar-Wright)

dreamdead

11-28-2013, 12:44 PM

The second hour of Zulawski's Possession is essentially one extended take of one-upsmanship atop another. Anna's subway freakout was genuinely unsettling, and the continued blurring of reality and horror that occurs thereafter was altogether viewing nirvana, since it could, and did, go anywhere. That closing, with the doubles and Bob in the bathtub and Helen's eyes--fascinating stuff. I'd love to read longer takes on this one, as it feels akin to the fever dream of Mulholland Dr., in quality and style both.

Qrazy

11-29-2013, 12:30 AM

The Paper Chase - The script for this is such trash. I watched it for Gordon Willis's involvement. His craft here is workman-like, not much else.

Dukefrukem

11-29-2013, 01:49 AM

So I decided to rewatch Stargate tonight, it's been a few years, and I found myself in this situation below. What is the circumstance that this format would show up on today's HDTVs? I clearly remember watching this on a regular DVD player and it filling out the aspect ratio fine. For some reason when I tried to watch it in my PS3 or PS4 it looked like this. I get that's its a really old DVD; I know this because only 60 minutes of the movie is on each side of the DVD, but it still says Letterbox on the box.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-kmEkT0T7nCw/UpfyUyo8pVI/AAAAAAAAcjY/3UsTBkleYhA/w966-h725-no/IMG_20131128_204752.jpg
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5IXUXEIcE_U/UpfyWHv7qTI/AAAAAAAAcjk/jzqc-KQsqmE/w966-h725-no/IMG_20131128_204756.jpg

edit: And I just checked Amazon to upgrade, I'm not sure this movie is even in print anymore...

Yxklyx

11-29-2013, 02:46 AM

Mysterious Dude

11-29-2013, 03:13 AM

it still says Letterbox on the box.
That's why you're getting the black bars. They're part of the show. Letterboxing assumes you have a square TV. You can probably zoom in with your TV's settings, though. I do it all the time.

Dukefrukem

11-29-2013, 03:35 AM

That's why you're getting the black bars. They're part of the show. Letterboxing assumes you have a square TV. You can probably zoom in with your TV's settings, though. I do it all the time.

Oh duh. I'm so out of it....

Boner M

11-30-2013, 02:45 PM

Yo Derek! Saw Last Chants for a Slow Dance with 1/5 on your 'boxd! 'Splain.

And Qrazy keep out of this.

Derek

12-01-2013, 10:07 PM

Yo Derek! Saw Last Chants for a Slow Dance with 1/5 on your 'boxd! 'Splain.

And Qrazy keep out of this.

Dunno. It's been a while, but I remember finding it pretty insufferable, irredeemable and not particularly astute as a character study. I'm still interested in seeing more from Jost, particularly Vermeers, which looked interesting from the scene I saw years ago.

MadMan

12-02-2013, 02:04 AM

Possession is great. I watched and enjoyed Stargate on Instant Viewing a couple months back.

Irish

12-02-2013, 02:51 AM

This is one of the most mind blowing things I've ever read. About Vermeer & camera obscuras.

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/11/vermeer-secret-tool-mirrors-lenses

Penn & Teller made a documentary about it. Sony will release early next year.

Grouchy

12-02-2013, 03:38 AM

Dead & Messed Up

12-02-2013, 03:44 AM

Just watched Ugetsu. First time watching it. First time watching any Mizoguchi. Twas good. Soft and careful, quiet and sad. There were a few moments where the film skirted the line between relaxed and listless (a shot here or there). Its parallel of two different selfish ambitions was also a bit odd, in that only one carried supernatural elements. This isn't a criticism or anything. Both are involving.

Ezee E

12-02-2013, 05:22 AM

Dukefrukem

12-02-2013, 11:05 AM

MadMan

12-04-2013, 11:47 PM

I watched two of my favorite 90s Sci-Fi films over the weekend. The Arrival and Stargate. Both of my copies on DVD were Letterbox, hence my posts above, so I was obligated to upgrade these to Blu-ray in my collection; They both appear to be out of print..Cool. I dig both films quite a bit, and they are really entertaining and well made.

Also I finally got to watch Seconds. Fantastic movie, one of Frankenheimer's best. I think I'll try and finish his filmography at some point.

Yxklyx

12-07-2013, 01:07 AM

Recent watches:

Possession (1981, Andrzej Zulawski) - Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill - all sorts of messed up. That screaming scene in the subway!

Hackers (1995, Iain Softley) - I actually liked this a lot -very entertaining with some good acting from the kids and random roller skating thrown in.

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970, Elio Petri) - Just released I think and Netflix has it. Excellent dark comedy that has aged well. Should be remade - have the Coens made any political films?

MadMan

12-08-2013, 08:05 AM

I consider Burn After Reading to be a political film.

Sven

12-09-2013, 01:56 AM

I don't feel like bumping the Argo thread, so I'll make mention here that I finally saw it. Can't believe it won best picture (well, yes I can because Slumdog Millionaire made anything possible). Just terrible. Manufactured, insensitive, inert. What I REALLY can't believe is that it won best editing. Switch gears, guy! Radio tower, where are you? Will the PA keep the mega-producer from entering his office before the phone stops ringing? Not a heartbeat skipped. All these important connections, tossed by the wayside. How does getting a fax from the President translate to all-of-a-sudden the booked flight comes up on the computer? I didn't even realize I was watching the climax until it was nearly over. And all those plodding, awkward music cues... Also, did EVERY line spoken in Farsi have to sound threatening? I try not to get too PC about things, but seriously, every Iranian in this film is a volatile, irrational zealot (except the housekeeper, which the film cheaply uses as a meaningless and thankfully ineffective tension builder). So, so many dumbnesses.

The good:
The storming of the embassy was a skillful set piece.
The mustaches were nicely 70s.

D_Davis

12-11-2013, 02:45 PM

Dredd was pretty good. What a great way to make a cool action SF film while also keeping the budget down. It's a very straightforward movie, with non-flashy action, and a no-nonsense approach to its execution. It doesn't bog itself down with needless exposition or poorly done human drama; it quickly sets up the players, the setting, and the scenario, and then plays out in perfect fashion. It feels like a kind of genre film that simply isn't made anymore.

MadMan

12-15-2013, 12:01 AM

Carnal Knowledge was rather brutal and unflinching. I watched it six pack in hand last night on TCM and I find it interesting how its arguably sexist against men and women. Both are portrayed negatively. Longer review to follow at some point.

Lucky

12-16-2013, 02:29 AM

I don't see a thread for it, but Philomena is a slightly forgettable film buoyed by two winning lead performances. Had the film focused on their characters and less on the narrative, I believe it would have been stronger.

Stay Puft

12-16-2013, 04:48 AM

Watashi

12-16-2013, 08:49 PM

Shia LaBeouf has directed a short film about online film critics. (http://www.shortoftheweek.com/2013/12/16/howardcantour-com/)

Qrazy

12-16-2013, 09:04 PM

Shia LaBeouf has directed a short film about online film critics. (http://www.shortoftheweek.com/2013/12/16/howardcantour-com/)

Vapid.

Irish

12-16-2013, 10:53 PM

Holy shit, The Beef plagiarized the entire thing from Daniel Clowes.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jordanzakarin/shia-labeouf-rip-off-daniel-clowes-howard-cantour

Qrazy

12-16-2013, 11:07 PM

Holy shit, The Beef plagiarized the entire thing from Daniel Clowes.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jordanzakarin/shia-labeouf-rip-off-daniel-clowes-howard-cantour

His version of understanding these critics is turning them into sexually ineffectual sad sacks.

Watashi

12-16-2013, 11:10 PM

Aren't we all sexually ineffectual sad sacks?

Watashi

12-16-2013, 11:11 PM

Haha. Wow. They took down the video and everything.

Shia is in some shit.

Stay Puft

12-17-2013, 12:17 AM

The secret TIFF volunteer appreciation holiday screening is tomorrow! My fingers are crossed for the Coen bros joint. (But they didn't even drop any hints this year so I really have nothing to go on. Probably didn't want to drop any because they made it ridiculously obvious last year.)

Stay Puft

12-17-2013, 12:59 AM

How many more examples until a clear pattern emerges?

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/02/shia-labeouf-plagiarized-esquire-tom-chiarella.html

Gotta love The Beef.

Ezee E

12-17-2013, 01:02 AM

Video is still up. Jim Gaffigan stars. Watching it now.

Ezee E

12-17-2013, 01:23 AM

And it sucks. What a waste of Jim Gaffigan.

Grouchy

12-17-2013, 02:40 AM

Whenever I read about stuff like this, I wonder how the people involved thought they could get away with it. Daniel Clowes might be an indie artist and all, but he's not a complete unknown. He's alive, he has plenty of fans and even in the unlikely scenario that he doesn't use the internet, they do.

Couldn't he just contact Clowes to do an adaptation of his work? Does he not understand how plagiarism works?

Ezee E

12-17-2013, 02:42 AM

But is Shia even trying to profit with this? I mean, it's a short.

EyesWideOpen

12-17-2013, 03:32 AM

But is Shia even trying to profit with this? I mean, it's a short.

He showed it at Cannes so I'm assuming he was trying to get something out if it. If not a profit then cred.

Dead & Messed Up

12-17-2013, 04:20 AM

Dial M for Murder

More like Dial Meh for Mehrder.

Kidding. Was really a whole mess of fun. Ray Milland was deliciously evil. The occasional 3D tricks were noticeable when they occurred, but not too distracting, and I'm at the point now where I see Hitch's shtick and am happy I still have new Hitchcock to see.

Grouchy

12-17-2013, 04:56 AM

But is Shia even trying to profit with this? I mean, it's a short.
Does it really matter? The entire opening monologue and dialogue are written by someone not given on-screen credit.

The only way he can defend himself is if he says he's reading Borges lately and this was like Pierre Menard's version of Quixote.

Irish

12-17-2013, 06:43 AM

Sleepy The Beef apologized. Sort of.

https://twitter.com/thecampaignbook/statuses/412835231788695552

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2013/12/shia-lebeouf-accused-of-plagiarizing-daniel-clowes/#more-173128

Fuck his respect. Beef needs to give Clowes money.

Ezee E

12-17-2013, 06:45 AM

Does it really matter? The entire opening monologue and dialogue are written by someone not given on-screen credit.

The only way he can defend himself is if he says he's reading Borges lately and this was like Pierre Menard's version of Quixote.

If he did it with only intent of sending to film festivals, and doesn't receive any money out of it, I don't really see it being an issue. And to be honest, it's a disservices for Clowes to have his name on it anyway.

There's no money to give out of this.

Irish

12-17-2013, 06:55 AM

:confused:

Don't you hope to be in the industry one day? It's flat out theft of Clowes' work. No question. Plagiarism. He's guilty. Lawsuit. Ka-Ching!

Contrary to what the Internet believes, things don't stop being copyrighted just because you use them in a non-commercial context.

Edit: the context is arguable, too, since this short played at Cannes & garnered a lot of critical attention. If The Beef plans to direct features, I have no doubt his agent is using it to negotiate a quote.

MadMan

12-17-2013, 06:57 AM

Derek

12-17-2013, 07:04 AM

:confused:

Don't you hope to be in the industry one day? It's flat out theft of Clowes' work. No question. Plagiarism. He's guilty. Lawsuit. Ka-Ching!

Contrary to what the Internet believes, things don't stop being copyrighted just because you use them in a non-commercial context.

I don't see what the big deal is. If he did it with only intent of sending to film festivals, and doesn't receive any money out of it, I don't really see it being an issue. And to be honest, it's a disservices for Clowes to have his name on it anyway.

Irish

12-17-2013, 07:58 AM

I don't see what the big deal is. If he did it with only intent of sending to film festivals, and doesn't receive any money out of it, I don't really see it being an issue. And to be honest, it's a disservices for Clowes to have his name on it anyway.

Uh, because it wasn't The Beef's property to appropriate? Because The Beef received praise that wasn't due him? Because The Beef lifted someone else's work and used it to further his own career goals? Because The Beef has the resources to license Clowes' stuff legitmately and just didn't? That's the big deal. Jesus.

I'm surprised that anyone with creative aspirations would be so blasé about this type of theft.

Winston*

12-17-2013, 08:15 AM

Uh, because it wasn't The Beef's property to appropriate? Because The Beef received praise that wasn't due him? Because The Beef lifted someone else's work and used it to further his own career goals? Because The Beef has the resources to license Clowes' stuff legitmately and just didn't? That's the big deal. Jesus.

I'm surprised that anyone with creative aspirations would be so blasé about this type of theft.

But is Shia even trying to profit with this? I mean, it's a short.

Derek

12-17-2013, 09:12 AM

Uh, because it wasn't The Beef's property to appropriate? Because The Beef received praise that wasn't due him? Because The Beef lifted someone else's work and used it to further his own career goals? Because The Beef has the resources to license Clowes' stuff legitmately and just didn't? That's the big deal. Jesus.

I'm surprised that anyone with creative aspirations would be so blasé about this type of theft.

:) Everything after my first sentence was copied directly from E's post. Thought the joke was clear; obviously I don't support plagiarism in any form and also find E's indifference bizarre.

Derek

12-17-2013, 09:12 AM

But is Shia even trying to profit with this? I mean, it's a short.

I'm surprised that anyone with creative aspirations would be so blasé about this type of theft.

Lucky

12-17-2013, 11:54 AM

This page blew my mind this morning. It was too early to make sense of what was going on.

Irish

12-17-2013, 03:10 PM

:) Everything after my first sentence was copied directly from E's post. Thought the joke was clear; obviously I don't support plagiarism in any form and also find E's indifference bizarre.

D'oh!

Shoulda read more carefully. Nicely done.

D_Davis

12-17-2013, 04:56 PM

Guys - he just sampled Clowes. He's like a deejay.

Dead & Messed Up

12-17-2013, 05:00 PM

New Rap Song Samples 'Billie Jean' In Its Entirety, Adds Nothing (http://www.theonion.com/articles/new-rap-song-samples-billie-jean-in-its-entirety-a,4389/)

Winston*

12-17-2013, 05:12 PM

Haha!

Shia LaBeouf plagiarizes Daniel Clowes comic for his film, responds with plagiarized apology (http://www.avclub.com/article/shia-labeouf-plagiarizes-daniel-clowes-comic-for-h-106565?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=Default:1:Default )

D_Davis

12-17-2013, 05:17 PM

He's just a young Tarantino, guys. He's from the sample-it generation.

Spinal

12-17-2013, 05:34 PM

Yes, it's true. Shia is literally Jesus.

Izzy Black

12-17-2013, 05:48 PM

He's such a douche. I mean, at least if you're going to plagiarize an apology, use a better source than a typo filled, grammatically incorrect quote from Yahoo Answers, lol. All around embarrassing.

D_Davis

12-17-2013, 05:53 PM

"HOW IS BABBY FORMED? HOW IS BABBY FORMED?"
--The Beef
---Michael Scott

Izzy Black

12-17-2013, 05:54 PM

ahah

Dukefrukem

12-18-2013, 01:03 PM

Worst Films of 2013 - I've never agreed more with a list than I do with this one.

http://observer.com/2013/12/rex-reed-the-worst-films-of-2013/

Raiders

12-18-2013, 01:17 PM

You've seen all of those?

In any case, it amazes me still that Rex Reed has persisted for so long without ever having to actually understand or like cinema.

Dukefrukem

12-18-2013, 01:24 PM

Everything but CHARLIE COUNTRYMAN and OLDBOY.

baby doll

12-18-2013, 01:58 PM

Reed is one of those reviewers you read (if you read him at all) for the entertainment value rather than his taste or insight. His complete lack of curiosity about anything beyond middlebrow prestige pictures makes him the ideal reviewer for aging residents of the Upper West Side who go to the movie hoping to get some Culture but don't want to be deeply challenged.

baby doll

12-18-2013, 02:06 PM

In any case, it amazes me still that Rex Reed has persisted for so long without ever having to actually understand or like cinema.His full review of To the Wonder is worth reading just because it betrays so many tacit biases. Basically his idea of a good movie is something like Argo, and anything more ambiguous or elliptical than that can only be a pretentious fiasco. It's like reading a review written by someone's Christian fundamentalist grandmother.

Dukefrukem

12-18-2013, 02:41 PM

I know it kills you guys to see a bad review of To the Wonder, but c'mon.

baby doll

12-18-2013, 02:50 PM

I know it kills you guys to see a bad review of To the Wonder, but c'mon.I'm not even the biggest fan of the movie, I just think that's a really lame review. It's not like he said, "I see what the film is trying to do but it didn't quite get there"; he's saying that for a movie to be worthwhile, it has to tell a story in a clear, straightforward manner, which is the height of philistinism.

Grouchy

12-18-2013, 03:20 PM

I'm not even the biggest fan of the movie, I just think that's a really lame review. It's not like he said, "I see what the film is trying to do but it didn't quite get there"; he's saying that for a movie to be worthwhile, it has to tell a story in a clear, straightforward manner, which is the height of philistinism.
Well, unless you're a genius, I believe you're better off telling a straight-forward story.

I've never seen any robust evidence that Malick is nowhere near being a genius, more to the contrary, although he certainly seems to think so. In my view, he never got as good as Badlands again.

Raiders

12-18-2013, 03:27 PM

I know it kills you guys to see a bad review of To the Wonder, but c'mon.

That is far from Reed's most egregious offense.

Izzy Black

12-18-2013, 03:30 PM

Badlands is Malick's weakest film and he's probably the closest thing to a living artistic genius we have in American cinema.

And more to the point, straightforward storytelling is cool and all, but if that's the only thing on the table, then that's just utterly boring. I'd have to side with baby doll that this is a particularly lame standard. The more variety of types of cinema the better.

Izzy Black

12-18-2013, 03:35 PM

"It is about … nothing.”

This is the type of hamfisted criticism you would see of Tarkovsky and Bergman films back in the 60s and 70s.

Are we still using this against established auteurs as a basis of dismissal in 2013?

It's so lazy, almost invariably false, and unhelpful.

In fact, even of the worst movies I've ever seen, rarely are they actually about nothing. They're usually about something, but it's something that the film fails to deliver on or its something that isn't especially important or interesting. A successful critique explains what this is, how it fails, or why it's otherwise not particularly compelling.

baby doll

12-18-2013, 03:40 PM

Well, unless you're a genius, I believe you're better off telling a straight-forward story.

I've never seen any robust evidence that Malick is nowhere near being a genius, more to the contrary, although he certainly seems to think so. In my view, he never got as good as Badlands again.I think it's less a matter of being a genius than knowing what is and isn't essential to the story being told. (Incidentally, even Badlands is pretty elliptical by Hollywood standards.)

Irish

12-18-2013, 03:43 PM

Gotta give Reed some credit: It takes serious balls to put Her on a "worst of" list. WTF?

Irish

12-18-2013, 03:46 PM

Badlands is Malick's weakest film and he's probably the closest thing to a living artistic genius we have in American cinema.

Jesus, no. Please. No. Let's just stop this foolishness right now.

And more to the point, straightforward storytelling is cool and all, but if that's the only thing on the table, then that's just utterly boring.

For the love of God, man!

Grouchy

12-18-2013, 03:48 PM

I think it's less a matter of being a genius than knowing what is and isn't essential to the story being told. (Incidentally, even Badlands is pretty elliptical by Hollywood standards.)
Which I agree with - Badlands is a great example of subtly subversive cinema.

I would never say Tarkovsky and Bergman made films about nothing - thematically, they're both as dense as it gets. Malick's last two films have beautiful images and some kind of pretension of depth, but I got nothing from them that lasted in my mind more than an hour.

baby doll

12-18-2013, 03:49 PM

Gotta give Reed some credit: It takes serious balls to put Her on a "worst of" list. WTF?He's been telling Jonze to get off his damn lawn for ages, so that doesn't surprise me.

Izzy Black

12-19-2013, 05:32 PM

Jesus, no. Please. No. Let's just stop this foolishness right now.

For the love of God, man!

Hmm, how to respond. Let's see. I think I'll just go with "no u"

Izzy Black

12-19-2013, 05:35 PM

I would never say Tarkovsky and Bergman made films about nothing - thematically, they're both as dense as it gets. Malick's last two films have beautiful images and some kind of pretension of depth, but I got nothing from them that lasted in my mind more than an hour.

You don't have to like Malick's new films. If they didn't work for you, that's fine, but to say these fims are "about nothing" is just lazy and, well, as far as it goes, flat out false. Maybe they didn't move you, or maybe you don't find them interesting, compelling, entertaining, enlightening, fascinating, compelling, or [insert adjective]. That's all fine and well. But that's a different question. If you want to have a conversation about value, that's a conversation worth having, but it's not the same conversation as to whether these films are functional on a thematic level. If you really think these films are "about nothing," then let's see an argument.

elixir

12-19-2013, 05:47 PM

it's almost 2014

Winston*

12-19-2013, 05:54 PM

"It is about … nothing.”

This is the type of hamfisted criticism you would see of Tarkovsky and Bergman films back in the 60s and 70s.

Or Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld television shows in the 90s.

elixir

12-19-2013, 05:56 PM

tbh i wish more films were about nothing

Winston*

12-19-2013, 06:05 PM

Worst of lists are generally pretty pathetic anyway. Either redundant reiterations of earlier critical groupthink or masturbatory exercises in iconoclastery.

Melville

12-19-2013, 06:23 PM

I just watched and didn't think much of To the Wonder, but to say it's about nothing is idiotic. It's manifestly about many things: romantic relationships, their connection to transcendence and the divine, their highs and lows, how they fall apart, how a person can be left defenceless in them and how a person can destroy them by refusing to be defenceless, refusing to give himself over to the other person and open himself up to her. Among other things.

Izzy Black

12-19-2013, 06:38 PM

tbh i wish more films were about nothing
This is so true. That's why the question of value thing is important. Rarely do I see a film about nothing. Even the WORST movies tend to be about something (often something lame!). But you're so right here, I wish there were more films about - literally - nothing. I actually find that quite interesting and would probably be kind of hard to pull off.

Izzy Black

12-19-2013, 06:39 PM

Grouchy

12-19-2013, 06:42 PM

I never said To the Wonder was about nothing.

Izzy Black

12-19-2013, 06:52 PM

I never said To the Wonder was about nothing.

It seemed like you were responding to me. You started with "I would never would say Bergman and Tarkovsky made films about nothing..." by illustrating their depth and density, but then seemed to position this point as a contrast to Malick's recent films. At minimum, it seemed like you were saying that if Malick's new films aren't about nothing, they're about close to nothing.

If that's not a fair reading of your post, OK, no problem. Ignore what I said, scratch it, delete it. Of course, it still applies to Rex, but you are absolved on all grounds.

Qrazy

12-19-2013, 07:00 PM

By the way Izzy, in regards to our conversation a while back, where/what's your top 10 list?

Izzy Black

12-19-2013, 07:06 PM

of all time?

Qrazy

12-19-2013, 07:13 PM

of all time?

Yes.

Izzy Black

12-19-2013, 07:22 PM

Here's 20 (the order is slightly arbitrary).

2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick, 1968)
L'avventura (Antonioni, 1960)
Andrei Rublev (Tarkovsky, 1966)
Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (Akerman, 1975)
The Cranes Are Flying (Kalatozov, 1957)
Sátántangó (Tarr, 1994)
Millenium Mambo (Hou, 2001)
Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux (Godard, 1962)
The Intruder (Denis, 2004)
Three Days (Bartas, 1991)
Woman in the Dunes (Teshigahara, 1964)
La passion de Jeanne d’Arc (Carl Dreyer, 1928)
Last Year at Marienbad (Resnais, 1961)
L'eclisse (Antonioni, 1962)
Days of Heaven (Malick, 1978)
The Red Shoes (Powell, 1948)
Aguirre: The Wrath of God (Herzog, 1972)
In The Mood for Love (Wong, 2001)
La Strada (Fellini, 1954)
La Belle noiseuse (Rivette, 1991)

Qrazy

12-19-2013, 07:32 PM

Nice, I don't really care for Rivette or Godard and not that keen on Millenium Mambo but I like/approve of all the rest. Haven't seen Three Days, Jeanne Dielman or The Intruder though.

Izzy Black

12-19-2013, 07:37 PM

Qrazy

12-19-2013, 07:50 PM

Godard and Rivette aren't among my ten favorite directors, for instance, but those two films are very special for me.

I adore Hou and I think MM is magical. Have you seen any other Denis, Bartas, or Akerman?

I've seen New from Home from Akerman which I found surprisingly very enjoyable given my usual lack of enthusiasm towards that brand of minimalism. From Denis I've seen Beau Travail and S'en fout la Mort. The latter I liked although I don't think it's great per se, the former had isolated moments but didn't do much for me as a whole. I've see no Bartas and no Hou other than MM.

Izzy Black

12-19-2013, 07:54 PM

I've seen New from Home from Akerman which I found surprisingly very enjoyable given my usual lack of enthusiasm towards that brand of minimalism. From Denis I've seen Beau Travail and S'en fout la Mort. The latter I liked although I don't think it's great per se, the former had isolated moments but didn't do much for me as a whole. I've see no Bartas and no Hou other than MM.

I get the feeling you'll be bored to tears by Jeanne Dielman, but I'd still like to hear your thoughts when you get the chance to see it. As for Denis, I highly recommend 35 Shots of Rum. I really think you'll like it, although I could be wrong.

Qrazy

12-19-2013, 07:55 PM

I get the feeling you'll be bored to tears by Jeanne Dielman, but I'd still like to hear your thoughts when you get the chance to see it. As for Denis, I highly recommend 35 Shots of Rum. I really think you'll like it, although I could be wrong.

I'll get on that, been mostly watching bad television lately. I could use a dive back into art cinema. Is Bartas great in general or just that film?

Melville

12-19-2013, 08:17 PM

I never said To the Wonder was about nothing.
My comment was in response to the Rex Reed quote. Terrible review.

Yes, yes, yes. Why didn't ya like TtW if you don't mind me asking? (If I remember correctly, you also didn't think much of Tree of Life?)
I was conflicted on Tree of Life because I felt like the vignettes were too contrived to fit the film's thematic scheme. I didn't feel that way about To the Wonder, which was much looser, but I started to agree with the usual criticisms from Malick bashers: short on characterization, poetic voiceovers getting ridiculous, overly repetitive imagery, too much twirling. I did really like the framing, even beyond the beauty and lyricism that always comes with Malick. The story's dynamic was developed very well by keeping Kurylenko in the frame, involved and open in the world, while Affleck tended to be pacing in the distance or hovering almost menacingly over or in front of the image, his head outside the frame or only partially in the frame, an expression of his power-through-closedness and distance—he's always at a remove from her and she can't get inside him. The story also picked up a lot for me toward the end, when shit gets real, but I was pretty mixed on it overall.

Here's 20 (the order is slightly arbitrary).
Nice list. I haven't seen Satantango or Three Days.

Izzy Black

12-19-2013, 08:36 PM

I'll get on that, been mostly watching bad television lately. I could use a dive back into art cinema. Is Bartas great in general or just that film?

I think Bartas is great in general, but I'm not sure he's quite your cup 'o tea. I'd recommend starting with Trys dienos, if you're interested, and then going from there if you like it. He's almost like a stripped down version of Tarr (if that's even possible). In some ways, his films can be very trying. There's rarely any dialogue in his films and virtually no story to speak of. There's also a lot of despair. In general, his approach is more associative than narrative driven. But I think there's a silent beauty and majesty to his films.

Izzy Black

12-19-2013, 08:39 PM

I was conflicted on Tree of Life because I felt like the vignettes were too contrived to fit the film's thematic scheme. I didn't feel that way about To the Wonder, which was much looser, but I started to agree with the usual criticisms from Malick bashers: short on characterization, poetic voiceovers getting ridiculous, overly repetitive imagery, too much twirling. I did really like the framing, even beyond the beauty and lyricism that always comes with Malick. The story's dynamic was developed very well by keeping Kurylenko in the frame, involved and open in the world, while Affleck tended to be pacing in the distance or hovering almost menacingly over or in front of the image, his head outside the frame or only partially in the frame, an expression of his power-through-closedness and distance—he's always at a remove from her and she can't get inside him. The story also picked up a lot for me toward the end, when shit gets real, but I was pretty mixed on it overall.

Yes, yes, yes! I agree with this totally. I also think the film is more about her than it is about him.

I actually think this is one of Malick's best and most purest films. I share your complaints about Tree of Life, incidentally. To the Wonder is arguably my second or third favorite Malick, believe it or not. Best director in America.

Nice list. I haven't seen Satantango or Three Days.

Thanks! Now it's your turn! :lol:

Melville

12-19-2013, 09:22 PM

Thanks! Now it's your turn! :lol:
Recently reworked top 50:

Edvard Munch (Watkins, 1974)
Solaris (Tarkovsky, 1972)
2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick, 1968)
Andrei Rublev (Tarkovsky, 1969)
Possession (Zulawski, 1981)
Ordet (Dreyer, 1955)
Vertigo (Hitchcock, 1958)
The Mirror (Tarkovsky, 1975)
Blue Velvet (Lynch, 1986)
The Son (Dardennes, 2002)
Persona (Bergman, 1966)
It’s a Wonderful Life (Capra, 1946)
Lawrence of Arabia (Lean, 1962)
Cries and Whispers (Bergman, 1972)
Lost Highway (Lynch, 1997)
Punch-Drunk Love (PT Anderson, 2002)
Ivan the Terrible Part II (Eisenstein, 1946)
Chinatown (Polanski, 1974)
In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-Wai, 2000)
The Aviator (Scorsese, 2004)
In a Lonely Place (Nicholas Ray, 1950)
Schindler’s List (Spielberg, 1993)
Taxi Driver (Scorsese, 1976)
Diary of a Country Priest (Bresson, 1954)
Mulholland Dr. (Lynch, 2001)
Unforgiven (Eastwood, 1992)
The Grey (Carnahan, 2011)
Woman in the Dunes (Teshigahara, 1964)
Touch of Evil (Welles, 1958)
In a Year of 13 Moons (Fassbinder, 1978)
Fanny and Alexander (Bergman, 1982)
The Big Lebowski (Coens, 1998)
Titicut Follies (Wiseman, 1967)
There Will Be Blood (PT Anderson, 2007)
Dead Ringers (Cronenberg, 1988)
Two Lovers (Grey, 2009)
The Devil (Zulawski, 1972)
Hour of the Wolf (Bergman, 1968)
Rushmore (Wes Anderson, 1998)
Blood of the Beasts (Franju, 1949)
Scorpio Rising (Anger, 1964)
Emak-Bakia (Man Ray, 1926)
A Woman under the Influence (Cassavetes, 1974)
Serene Velocity (Gehr, 1970)
The Third Man (Reed, 1949)
Days of Heaven (Malick, 1978)
The New World (Malick, 2005)
Tale of Tales (Norshteyn, 1979)
Buffalo ’66 (Gallo, 1998)
The Gospel According to St. Matthew (Pasolini, 1964)

There's a longer list in the link in my sig.

Izzy Black

12-19-2013, 11:24 PM

Recently reworked top 50:

Edvard Munch (Watkins, 1974)
Solaris (Tarkovsky, 1972)
2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick, 1968)
Andrei Rublev (Tarkovsky, 1969)
Possession (Zulawski, 1981)
Ordet (Dreyer, 1955)
Vertigo (Hitchcock, 1958)
The Mirror (Tarkovsky, 1975)
Blue Velvet (Lynch, 1986)
The Son (Dardennes, 2002)
Persona (Bergman, 1966)
It’s a Wonderful Life (Capra, 1946)
Lawrence of Arabia (Lean, 1962)
Cries and Whispers (Bergman, 1972)
Lost Highway (Lynch, 1997)
Punch-Drunk Love (PT Anderson, 2002)
Ivan the Terrible Part II (Eisenstein, 1946)
Chinatown (Polanski, 1974)
In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-Wai, 2000)
The Aviator (Scorsese, 2004)
In a Lonely Place (Nicholas Ray, 1950)
Schindler’s List (Spielberg, 1993)
Taxi Driver (Scorsese, 1976)
Diary of a Country Priest (Bresson, 1954)
Mulholland Dr. (Lynch, 2001)
Unforgiven (Eastwood, 1992)
The Grey (Carnahan, 2011)
Woman in the Dunes (Teshigahara, 1964)
Touch of Evil (Welles, 1958)
In a Year of 13 Moons (Fassbinder, 1978)
Fanny and Alexander (Bergman, 1982)
The Big Lebowski (Coens, 1998)
Titicut Follies (Wiseman, 1967)
There Will Be Blood (PT Anderson, 2007)
Dead Ringers (Cronenberg, 1988)
Two Lovers (Grey, 2009)
The Devil (Zulawski, 1972)
Hour of the Wolf (Bergman, 1968)
Rushmore (Wes Anderson, 1998)
Blood of the Beasts (Franju, 1949)
Scorpio Rising (Anger, 1964)
Emak-Bakia (Man Ray, 1926)
A Woman under the Influence (Cassavetes, 1974)
Serene Velocity (Gehr, 1970)
The Third Man (Reed, 1949)
Days of Heaven (Malick, 1978)
The New World (Malick, 2005)
Tale of Tales (Norshteyn, 1979)
Buffalo ’66 (Gallo, 1998)
The Gospel According to St. Matthew (Pasolini, 1964)

This is an excellent list. Several of these would find their way on my list if it were longer. I'd only gripe about the WA, but my distaste for Anderson is admittedly peculiar given how uniformly I agree with so many people who like him on most other things. Love that you have the Gray too. That's just great. He's starting to get more love over the years. I recently added Gray to my top 100, which I'm still revising. I hope to have a more representative top 100 up soon. I have not seen Tale of Tales or Serene Velocity, but from a quick Google search, they look very much like the kind of thing I would enjoy. What do you think?

Melville

12-19-2013, 11:34 PM

I have not seen Tale of Tales or Serene Velocity, but from a quick Google search, they look very much like the kind of thing I would enjoy. What do you think?
I'd be surprised if you didn't find Serene Velocity at least interesting. My review's here (http://melvillian.wordpress.com/2010/01/07/serene-velocity-ernie-gehr-1970/).

Tale of Tales is an incredibly beautiful metaphorical journey through suffering and the sublime. I'm sure you'd appreciate it. Have you seen Hedgehog in the Fog?

Yxklyx

12-19-2013, 11:40 PM

Nice, I don't really care for Rivette or Godard and not that keen on Millenium Mambo but I like/approve of all the rest. Haven't seen Three Days, Jeanne Dielman or The Intruder though.

Aw man, I love Jeanne Dielman - I'd have thought everyone here had already seen it. I was hesitant when I read the synopsis but I found it all very captivating and was glued for the entirety.

Izzy Black

12-19-2013, 11:46 PM

Aw man, I love Jeanne Dielman - I'd have thought everyone here had already seen it. I was hesitant when I read the synopsis but I found it all very captivating and was glued for the entirety.

Same, but I can easily imagine Qrazy loathing it.

Izzy Black

12-19-2013, 11:49 PM

I'd be surprised if you didn't find Serene Velocity at least interesting. My review's here (http://melvillian.wordpress.com/2010/01/07/serene-velocity-ernie-gehr-1970/).

Tale of Tales is an incredibly beautiful metaphorical journey through suffering and the sublime. I'm sure you'd appreciate it. Have you seen Hedgehog in the Fog?

Thanks. I'll check this out.

Haven't seen Hedgehog. I love Soviet animation, but I've not seen these films. They look amazing from the screencaps though.

Melville

12-20-2013, 12:01 AM

I love Soviet animation, but I've not seen these films. They look amazing from the screencaps though.
Yeah, those Soviets knew how to do it.

Ezee E

12-20-2013, 12:55 AM

But is Shia even trying to profit with this? I mean, it's a short.

Clowes: I sue you for plagiarism.
Shia: How much?
Clowes: Whatever you got out of this project.
Shia: I have a poster from Cannes and a trophy from the Cedar Rapids Film Festival.
Clowes: I'll keep the poster.

I should add that I think suing Shia will really be a bigger waste of money more then anything. I am against plagiarism certainly, there's just really nothing that Clowes is going to see from here.

If it were some random person instead of Shia, I bet this wouldn't have even been noticed.

Izzy Black

12-20-2013, 02:47 AM

Shaming Shia should be compensation enough.

Grouchy

12-20-2013, 04:35 AM

Clowes: I sue you for plagiarism.
Shia: How much?
Clowes: Whatever you got out of this project.
Shia: I have a poster from Cannes and a trophy from the Cedar Rapids Film Festival.
Clowes: I'll keep the poster.

I should add that I think suing Shia will really be a bigger waste of money more then anything. I am against plagiarism certainly, there's just really nothing that Clowes is going to see from here.

If it were some random person instead of Shia, I bet this wouldn't have even been noticed.
You're still missing the point here. This has nothing to do with possible lawsuits or money compensations at all. You're right that it's only on the news because Shia is famous, but that's also irrelevant.

It's, to say the least, frowned upon to try to pass off another man's writings as your own. If I were Clowes I'd be pissed off for reasons other than money.

Besides, I don't think you're right about the money. I've put money of my own in shorts that went to small festivals and didn't make any money. I imagine Cannes must be a whole different ballgame.

Qrazy

12-21-2013, 09:06 PM

As far as I know and I could be wrong he could be awarded up to $150,000 in damages for the infringement.

Sven

12-21-2013, 09:44 PM

Major schedenfreude around this whole Beef situation.

Qrazy

12-22-2013, 07:39 AM

Major schedenfreude around this whole Beef situation.

Ehh... schadenfreude really only carries it's negative connotation if the individual in question didn't bring the misfortune upon themselves. Beef keeps lying and stealing again and again (he's now cribbed three apologies!). He deserves what's coming to him.

Qrazy

12-22-2013, 07:40 AM

Thanks. I'll check this out.

Haven't seen Hedgehog. I love Soviet animation, but I've not seen these films. They look amazing from the screencaps though.

You should see all of Norstein's work also Petrov's if you haven't but I think you have.

Sven

12-22-2013, 02:37 PM

Ehh... schadenfreude really only carries it's negative connotation if the individual in question didn't bring the misfortune upon themselves. Beef keeps lying and stealing again and again (he's now cribbed three apologies!). He deserves what's coming to him.

Don't know where you get that connotation.

Qrazy

12-22-2013, 05:32 PM

Don't know where you get that connotation.

You don't know where I got what connotation? I assumed you were saying we here at match-cut or the general public is engaging in schadenfreude. Did I misread you? If so though, clearly enjoying the troubles of others is usually not a good quality to possess. Enjoying seeing someone who does wrong brought to justice for their immoral action casts that enjoyment in a different light. The connotation is implicit in the definition of the word.

Sven

12-22-2013, 05:53 PM

Qrazy

12-22-2013, 06:03 PM

All schedenfreude, generally a disagreeable trait, yes, means is delighting in the misfortune or misery of others. I'm enjoying watching the Beef flounder in his idiocy. That is all I meant. The "I am feeling" was implied in my original post, which I see now is unclear.

Ah got ya, I initially interpreted the remark as sticking up for him. Welcome to the Beef bashing club. We like to tenderize our meat before dining here. :)

Dukefrukem

12-22-2013, 07:07 PM

Pretty cool VFX reel. They should put more stuff like this on Blu-rays.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGA73iBDLMA

MadMan

12-22-2013, 10:03 PM

The Big Heat and Dog Day Afternoon was a great TCM crime double bill. One being well made film noir the other operating as a master class in how to make a bank robbery film.

Spun Lepton

12-26-2013, 06:22 PM

After looking at the screen caps for Krrish 3,a Bollywood superhero film, I must obtain a copy. It looks absolutely bonkers.

http://io9.com/the-most-awesome-moments-from-krrish-3-the-bollywood-s-1489603172

Qrazy

12-26-2013, 08:57 PM

Mister Roberts is such an awful, awful film. It's unfunny, mildly pro violence towards women and Cagney is astoundingly bad in it.

Yxklyx

12-28-2013, 02:00 AM

Haven't seen this one mentioned here before but I loved Polanski's Cul-De-Sac (1966). American coarse-voiced Lionel Stander and effeminate Donald Pleasence (in his best role) stuck together in a gloomy dark castle on Lindisfarne in the North Sea. The dark seaside cinematography was as good as it can be.

dreamdead

12-30-2013, 09:44 PM

Since it's disappearing from Netflix on the 5th, I finally got around to Shane Meadows's Dead Man's Shoes. Fairly typical narratively, but there's so many little idiosyncratic details and expansions that the film goes far beyond its gangster revenge label. Wonderful stuff. Love how deceptive the opening is once it's all considered together...

Grouchy

12-31-2013, 04:20 PM

Watched Robocop 2 last night for the first time in... almost 20 years, I guess. It's still a disgrace after the original, which I'd watched immediately before.

I realize I'm asking the oldest question of all time, but... has anyone read the Frank Miller script or the comic-book they made out of it? Was it a case of the re-writes fucking up the material or was this movie fucked all along?

MadMan

01-01-2014, 07:23 AM

Raiders

01-01-2014, 04:18 PM

Dukefrukem

01-05-2014, 08:44 PM

Question for MC:

What are you guys doing with your DVD/Blu-ray/CD cases? Do you have them stored in a sleeve? Or a booklet and throw away the cases? I need ideas and options.

MadMan

01-06-2014, 12:50 AM

I keep my DVDs in their cases. It presents a storage problem I will have to deal with it eventually.

Ezee E

01-06-2014, 12:58 AM

I keep my DVDs in their cases. It presents a storage problem I will have to deal with it eventually.

Probably the most annoying thing to move for me. I know furniture and beds are heavy, but these few boxes seem tedious each time. Don't know why. That's also why I got rid of all my books a while ago.

MadMan

01-06-2014, 01:15 AM

I have too many books CDs and movies. I might have to get rid of a lot of them if I ever move out of state.

Watashi

01-07-2014, 05:26 AM

It's been awhile. We need another Armond pile-up.

Oh Armond. (http://variety.com/2014/film/news/12-years-a-slave-director-steve-mcqueen-heckled-at-new-york-critics-circle-awards-1201032911/)

Ezee E

01-07-2014, 06:55 AM

It's been awhile. We need another Armond pile-up.

Oh Armond. (http://variety.com/2014/film/news/12-years-a-slave-director-steve-mcqueen-heckled-at-new-york-critics-circle-awards-1201032911/)

I figured he was fired.

baby doll

01-07-2014, 08:05 AM

To be fair, Steve McQueen is the son of former Village Voice critic Georgia Brown, so there's a whole history there.

baby doll

01-07-2014, 08:06 AM

Living in China, I have to keep all my DVDs hidden in my ass-hole so that the gooks don't get their hands on them.

Spun Lepton

01-07-2014, 04:51 PM

Spun Lepton

01-07-2014, 05:20 PM

I was reading White's profile on Wikipedia and came across this gem, which probably explains why he's such a troll.

White has been an outspoken opponent of online film criticism, which he associates with "amateurism, gossip [and] cliques" rather than the "education, expertise [and] experience" he attributes to professional film criticism. He has also stated his opinion that "there should be no film critics younger than 30" since they would lack the necessary scholarship and life experience.

MadMan

01-07-2014, 07:54 PM

Having recently bought George Washington on Criterion, I enjoyed White's essay on the film. It was well written, very articulated, and summed up why the film is great better than I probably ever could. However in a world where everyone can be a critic thanks to the Internet being an actual professional and not a troll doesn't get you anywhere apparently. Roger Ebert was lucky that he started out early and to built up his reputation before the Internet, except that doesn't count really if you think about it...

Izzy Black

01-07-2014, 09:15 PM

There are many successful professional film critics that aren't trolls.

Grouchy

01-07-2014, 11:08 PM

All I have to say is, it takes balls of steel or a complete ignorance of reality to heckle Robert De Niro. Not only you look like a fool, but he sounds to me like a man who'd rather kick your teeth in than take even the least amount of shit from you.

MadMan

01-08-2014, 04:26 AM

There are many successful professional film critics that aren't trolls.I know. That post was supposed to be condemning White instead of even remotely defending him.

Boner M

01-08-2014, 08:11 AM

I was reading White's profile on Wikipedia and came across this gem, which probably explains why he's such a troll.
I'm a film critic under 30 and even I agree that there should be no film critics under 30.

Spun Lepton

01-08-2014, 01:06 PM

Hey, everybody! Want to feel miserable? Well, The Road has you covered.

Dukefrukem

01-08-2014, 01:18 PM

Hey, everybody! Want to feel miserable? Well, The Road has you covered.

I just watched this a few weeks ago myself. I had the same reaction. Do you consider this the message of the movie? I try and rate films on how the movie want's to be perceived versus what I actually feel during the viewing. If both match, then I consider that a successful project. My question is, why I would want to feel this way during a movie? What's the point? Is there a message lost?

Spun Lepton

01-08-2014, 02:35 PM

I just watched this a few weeks ago myself. I had the same reaction. Do you consider this the message of the movie? I try and rate films on how the movie want's to be perceived versus what I actually feel during the viewing. If both match, then I consider that a successful project. My question is, why I would want to feel this way during a movie? What's the point? Is there a message lost?

Maybe that there is hope in an otherwise hopeless world? It's a tough call. The movie mirrored the book pretty damn well, with the exception of the Mother's added scenes. She had maybe a page's worth of time at the beginning of the book, and that was it.

The scene where the Dad made the Thief strip off his clothes was absolutely heartwrenching, even more-so than it was in the book. I can only attribute it to Williamson's performance. I felt horrible ... horrible ... for that man.

Ezee E

01-08-2014, 08:07 PM

The movie doesn't have the intense feeling as the book. It does nail everything else, but the visceral feel in that book is something I've only come across a few other times ever.

Dukefrukem

01-08-2014, 08:28 PM

Maybe that there is hope in an otherwise hopeless world? It's a tough call. The movie mirrored the book pretty damn well, with the exception of the Mother's added scenes. She had maybe a page's worth of time at the beginning of the book, and that was it.

The scene where the Dad made the Thief strip off his clothes was absolutely heartwrenching, even more-so than it was in the book. I can only attribute it to Williamson's performance. I felt horrible ... horrible ... for that man.

I think the worst thing for me while watching this movie was how many times the father put a gun to this son's head. And they never spoke about it ...

Dukefrukem

01-09-2014, 03:11 PM

It is so fucking frustrating when someone at work asks for a movie recommendation. You give them one. And they come back and say they stopped watching it after 30 minutes because it was so bad. Are we seriously fucking that impatient? Why even bother watching anything if you're going to half ass your hobby?

Spun Lepton

01-09-2014, 03:18 PM

What was recommended? Did they have specific requests?

Dukefrukem

01-09-2014, 03:21 PM

A "2013 Sci-fi Film". I provided: The Colony

http://matchcut.artboiled.com/showthread.php?5114-The-Colony-(Jeff-Renfroe)&highlight=Colony

Spun Lepton

01-09-2014, 05:09 PM

If you suggested I watch it and then compared it to Equilibrium, I would not have watched it. Did not like Equilibrium. Jus' sayin'.

Dukefrukem

01-09-2014, 06:05 PM

Well I didn't really compare it to Equilibrium, I just meant it was the best straight to DVD movie I've seen since as far back as I remember.

Mysterious Dude

01-09-2014, 10:57 PM

Based on the movie's imdb page, it seems your colleague isn't the only one who didn't like it.

Dukefrukem

01-09-2014, 11:41 PM

Based on the movie's imdb page, it seems your colleague isn't the only one who didn't like it.

Just to be clear, it's not that they didn't like it that bothered me. It's the idea they couldn't give it a chance and couldn't make it to the "twist".

Spun Lepton

01-10-2014, 08:05 PM

This just demonstrates that Pacific Rim should be the stock answer when recommending a film from 2013.

I'm seeking a sci-fi moving from 2013.
Pacific Rim.
How about a good monster movie?
Pacific Rim.
I'm seeking compelling character drama --
Pacific Rim!
What about quiet independent --
PACIFIC RIM!!
I'm looking for an avante-garde --
PACIFIC RIM!!!

D_Davis

01-13-2014, 03:23 PM

This past Saturday, my GF and I watched Road House and Tombstone. That was a great movie night.

Dukefrukem

01-14-2014, 08:14 PM

Fun to read

http://moviecode.tumblr.com/

Dukefrukem

01-15-2014, 11:59 AM

Harvey Weinstein was interviewed by Howard Stern this morning. Great interview. I love hearing about how some of the big movies get made and I had also never heard about the Robin Williams and Stellan Skarsgård blow job scene in Good Will Hunting before.

Izzy Black

01-15-2014, 05:43 PM

The Act of Killing one of the most affecting film experiences I've had. Incredible film.

Qrazy

01-15-2014, 05:45 PM

The Act of Killing one of the most affecting film experiences I've had. Incredible film.

See, I might not like many contemporary films but when I do they're pretty good. :)

Izzy Black

01-15-2014, 06:02 PM

Yeah spot on. I'm not sure what year I'm counting it for yet, but it's at the top of the list.

Winston*

01-15-2014, 07:10 PM

Yeah spot on. I'm not sure what year I'm counting it for yet, but it's at the top of the list.

I don't understand anyone who's seen it thinking otherwise. How are you going to rank something else about that?

Izzy Black

01-15-2014, 07:43 PM

Yeah, but it's crazy reading some of the reviews from the comment section on Netflix though. Doesn't seem to be going over too well with the casual moviegoer crowd.

Winston*

01-15-2014, 07:51 PM

I hope someone rented it thinking it was a new Steven Seagal movie.

Ezee E

01-15-2014, 11:33 PM

Dukefrukem

01-15-2014, 11:38 PM

Is that online somewhere? Weinstein rarely does interviews.

His show is pirated every day. Starts at 38:00 ... The Lord of the Rings section is fascinating.

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

Watashi

01-16-2014, 04:08 AM

I got 40 minutes into The Act of Killing and had to turn it off. It was making me sick to my stomach. First time I ever couldn't finish a film.

Izzy Black

01-16-2014, 04:11 AM

It's rough. I had to pause it a few times just to recover.

dreamdead

01-16-2014, 11:34 AM

Looked for a thread on Jem Cohen's Museum Hours but didn't see any. Regardless, this one's remarkably fluid and precise. The performances aren't necessarily exceptional--in that the script isn't the most fascinating aspect of the film--but they don't have to be. This film is all on Cohen, who engineers a placid and tacit understatement, localizing many of the non-fiction elements where we simply watch museum visitors respond to the works they see in front of them. Those moments have an unassuming grace made all the stronger when the out-of-left-field moments such as the nude by-standers enter. That kind of sequence could feel blunt and overbearing thematically, but Cohen works in a such a register that it never does. And that closing, which compares art and reality, has a strength to it that calls for comparisons to Sarah Polley's similar Stories to Tell. Quietly wonderful.

Dukefrukem

01-16-2014, 01:29 PM

Pretty awesome

http://flowingdata.com/famous-movie-quotes-as-charts/

D_Davis

01-17-2014, 04:04 AM

I highly recommend Deceptive Practice, a documentary on Ricky Jay and all of the magicians that influenced him. If you're into performance of any kind, and especially close-up magic and sleight of hand, this thing is just remarkable.

Qrazy

01-17-2014, 05:15 AM

Did Trans write the wiki page for The Piano Teacher?

"Erika Kohut (Isabelle Huppert) is a piano professor at a Vienna music conservatory. Although already in her forties, she still lives in an apartment with her domineering mother (Annie Girardot); her father is a long-standing resident in a psychiatric asylum.
This film is a classic fantasy thriller and a depiction of an individual who is either psycho neurotic and/or psycho psychotic with a deviant psychosexual upbringing. The film spins in many destructive directions from the intentional jealous maiming of Anna’s hand, one of Erika's students, to the near rape of Erika's mother by Erika's libido. The juxtaposition of Franz Schubert to Erika's mock suicide attempt is remarkably both poignant and daunting. The Piano Teacher is not intended for mature audiences but for only those with an unsustainable interest in individuals that lead hapless, hopeless and mutually destructive lives. But music lovers will have a respite from the gnarled plotline for intertwined in this sadness of muddled lives is the film’s display of virtuoso classical piano performances. These beautiful musical interludes suspend one to heights of pure joy before being slammed to the ground to intense irrational reality. One could cut out the beginning, the troubled middle and ending of this film and leave in just the music."

Irish

01-20-2014, 07:22 AM

For the love of God, baby doll: Please see Wolf of Wall Street and American Hustle ASAP. Thank you.

baby doll

01-20-2014, 08:01 AM

For the love of God, baby doll: Please see Wolf of Wall Street and American Hustle ASAP. Thank you.As I said in the Oscar thread, both are definitely on my radar, but it'll probably be a while before a watchable DVD of either hits the shelves in China and then still longer before I get around to watching them.

MadMan

01-21-2014, 05:27 AM

I have this odd feeling that baby doll will like Hustle more than Wolf. I loved Wall Street and will hopefully get to Hustle at some point.

Grouchy

01-22-2014, 02:26 PM

You guys read this (http://www.deadline.com/2014/01/quentin-tarantino-hateful-eight-leak-novel/) already?

baby doll

01-22-2014, 04:04 PM

You guys read this (http://www.deadline.com/2014/01/quentin-tarantino-hateful-eight-leak-novel/) already?Gratuitous Arrested Development quotation: "It's like [he] gets off on being withholding."

I'm not a Hollywood insider or anything, so I guess there could be legitimate reasons why having the script leak so early is a bad thing (though he doesn't really explain what those reasons are), but from where I'm sitting he comes off like a giant douche and a control freak. Plus, he didn't watermark the screenplay so it's really his own fault, no matter which actor leaked it to their agent. This guy's been making films for twenty years and he didn't know this would happen? What a douche.

Grouchy

01-22-2014, 04:24 PM

Gratuitous Arrested Development quotation: "It's like [he] gets off on being withholding."

I'm not a Hollywood insider or anything, so I guess there could be legitimate reasons why having the script leak so early is a bad thing (though he doesn't really explain what those reasons are), but from where I'm sitting he comes off like a giant douche and a control freak. Plus, he didn't watermark the screenplay so it's really his own fault, no matter which actor leaked it to their agent. This guy's been making films for twenty years and he didn't know this would happen? What a douche.
The legitimate reason why a leak is bad is self-explanatory - it's a leak. The script of your movie is out for everyone to read before they even watch it.

In a way it's an ego thing, of course. He could still direct the film and I'm sure many fans (like me) would choose not to read it in order to experience the movie. But if anyone is entitled to having a huge ego, it's Quentin Tarantino.

As for "knowing this would happen", maybe Tarantino just doesn't want to live a paranoid life. He wants to trust actors he wants to work with. Doesn't sound all that unreasonable to me.

Kurosawa Fan

01-22-2014, 04:25 PM

The legitimate reason why a leak is bad is self-explanatory - it's a leak. The script of your movie is out for everyone to read before they even watch it.

In a way it's an ego thing, of course. He could still direct the film and I'm sure many fans (like me) would choose not to read it in order to experience the movie. But if anyone is entitled to having a huge ego, it's Quentin Tarantino.

As for "knowing this would happen", maybe Tarantino just doesn't want to live a paranoid life. He wants to trust actors he wants to work with. Doesn't sound all that unreasonable to me.

Didn't it just leak to agents to show their clients? I mean, it's not online for fans to read, is it? Or did I miss that part?

Spun Lepton

01-22-2014, 04:29 PM

baby doll

01-22-2014, 04:32 PM

The legitimate reason why a leak is bad is self-explanatory - it's a leak. The script of your movie is out for everyone to read before they even watch it.

In a way it's an ego thing, of course. He could still direct the film and I'm sure many fans (like me) would choose not to read it in order to experience the movie. But if anyone is entitled to having a huge ego, it's Quentin Tarantino.

As for "knowing this would happen", maybe Tarantino just doesn't want to live a paranoid life. He wants to trust actors he wants to work with. Doesn't sound all that unreasonable to me.But to call of the whole thing off in order to punish the leakers and the internet still strikes me as a douche move.

Irish

01-22-2014, 04:39 PM

I heard that a first draft copy is online.

If it's a real first draft, I understand him becoming upset by the leak. First drafts are shit and having the script out there in a nascent form is embarrassing.

Calling deadline and complaining about it is over the top, though. It's a childish "take my toys and go home" attitude, and the only people he ends up hurting are his own fans.

Doesn't this guy have friends or a shrink he can complain to?

PS: Grouchy, doing good work doesn't entitle anyone to behave like a prima donna.

Bosco B Thug

01-22-2014, 06:45 PM

But to call of the whole thing off in order to punish the leakers and the internet still strikes me as a douche move.
I think he's mainly being douchish for being so outspoken about it. Which already is Tarantino's thing. Which isn't necessarily douchish, in that he's just gabby about all things. I mean, of course he has the right to decide not to make the movie... we wouldn't want him to make a movie he's not feeling anymore...

Though yeah, why exactly this attention discourages him about the project, he's not quite clear.

Then again, an underhanded cheer of victory... I did not want another western...

Grouchy

01-22-2014, 08:25 PM

I did not want another western...
Seriously? Just the casting of Roth and Dern is enough to make me giddy.

Izzy Black

01-22-2014, 09:21 PM

I don't think QT is punishing anyone or is complaining. I think for him he thinks the project has been genuinely spoiled, a year before he even got to start shooting it. I totally understand where he's coming from. I'd consider axing such a project as well.

Bosco B Thug

01-22-2014, 09:31 PM

Seriously? Just the casting of Roth and Dern is enough to make me giddy. Eh, I like Westerns well enough, but I don't love them, enough to see Tarantino waste energy on the atmosphere and gritty milieu twice. Then again, I'd rather have another Western than another crime/gangster film.

Rowland

01-22-2014, 09:55 PM

I want to see the QT horror movie he's talked about being interested in making over the years. Maybe this experience will put him in a sour enough mood to go for it.

Sven

01-22-2014, 10:18 PM

He should do a heist film. Cast Steve Guttenberg, Pauly Shore, and Maria Conchita Alonso. Bad guy played by Stacy Keach.

Bosco B Thug

01-22-2014, 10:30 PM

I want to see the QT horror movie he's talked about being interested in making over the years. Maybe this experience will put him in a sour enough mood to go for it. This is my implicit wish, but I try not to wish too much. I'm kind of happy with Death Proof being his one, subtly referential horror film.

Izzy Black

01-22-2014, 11:30 PM

I want to see Tarantino do a rom com

Qrazy

01-23-2014, 03:05 AM

He should do a space western.

Watashi

01-23-2014, 03:51 AM

He should do a heist film. Cast Steve Guttenberg, Pauly Shore, and Maria Conchita Alonso. Bad guy played by Stacy Keach.

The scary thing is that I know you're not joking.

Henry Gale

01-23-2014, 06:05 AM

Early scripts for Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds, and Django Unchained were all easily available online months before any filming took place, and Quentin even says in those quotes he's cool with his scripts leaking online and people reviewing and discussing them online.

I think he was really just more betrayed by the fact that he'd just given a first draft to so few people (some of whom might not have even been involved in the film) and it's already at a stage where people can already have an opinion towards the production, especially within the business. I'm not sure he could've hinted any stronger that he thinks it was Madsen and his people that let it out, though.

He'll finish it, he'll publish it, then move on, with the possibility of returning to it someday. It's such a hypothetical project at this point that I can't say I'm too heartbroken to hear it's gone, especially if he's jumping onto something else right away.

MadMan

01-23-2014, 09:25 PM

He should do a heist film. Cast Steve Guttenberg, Pauly Shore, and Maria Conchita Alonso. Bad guy played by Stacy Keach.I would see that movie.

Really though I would love to see QT make an actual horror film and not one that is a meta semi-horror film like Death Proof.

Irish

01-23-2014, 11:14 PM

If anyone is interested, Gawker published a link to a file drop containing Tarantino's script for The Hateful Eight. It's a 5mb PDF.

I had heard he wrote in an informal style (with plenty of spelling and punctuation errors to boot) but even still this is a real eye opener. There's an immediacy that you don't get out of shooting scripts.

Grouchy

01-24-2014, 12:12 AM

Thanks, I'm reading it right now... but wish I wasn't. I wish I was watching the movie currently in my head.

Irish

01-24-2014, 12:19 AM

Likewise.

There isn't much to that opening chapter, but goddamn if it isn't highly visual.

Dukefrukem

01-24-2014, 11:11 AM

You guys read this (http://www.deadline.com/2014/01/quentin-tarantino-hateful-eight-leak-novel/) already?

Wow. But I think the positive news out of this is when he said: " I’ve got 10 more where that came from."

Qrazy

01-24-2014, 09:53 PM

Of course he has 10 more where that came from because all his films are just amalgamations of his favorites.

Ezee E

01-24-2014, 10:15 PM

Barksy, meet Banksy.

:lol: at Jeffrey Wells for taking it seriously.

Winston*

01-24-2014, 10:47 PM

Barksy, meet Banksy.

:lol: at Jeffrey Wells for taking it seriously.
?

megladon8

01-25-2014, 01:33 AM

Between its 6.7 IMDb rating and apparent reputation as a lost cult classic, I was really hoping Cohen and Tate would at least deliver a serviceably stylish crime thriller.

I wasn't expecting it to be one of the worst movies I've seen in a long while.

Horrendous writing (I mean...some of the worst dialogue I've heard lately, just terrible), flavorless direction, and 2 out of the 3 leads are bad to the point of comedy.

Just awful. I was really disappointed.

ledfloyd

01-25-2014, 03:10 AM

Grouchy

01-25-2014, 07:53 PM

Read The Hateful Eight script tonight. It feels like a combination of Reservoir Dogs and the bar scene from Inglourious Basterds. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but the ending left me a bit cold.
Only satisfactory way it could have ended if you ask me.

It's a great script. I love that the entire film is basically one location.

Irish

01-26-2014, 06:51 AM

Cuaron wins DGA.

If Gravity wins Best Picture I will seriously nerdrage.

Dead & Messed Up

01-26-2014, 07:53 AM

Theory is that SAG best represents the Academy voters, since most of them are actors, so American Hustle, and no matter how much you nerdrage at Gravity taking it home, I will nerdrage four times as hard at American Hustle taking top honors.

Qrazy

01-26-2014, 07:54 AM

I will nerdrage if anything nominated wins because it's all garbage.

Dead & Messed Up

01-26-2014, 08:05 AM

I hope this means we're guaranteed quality Qrazy nerdrage come Oscartime.

baby doll

01-26-2014, 10:50 AM

Cuaron wins DGA.

If Gravity wins Best Picture I will seriously nerdrage.Sandra Bullock won't return my texts either.

Irish

01-26-2014, 11:50 AM

Fun facts!

If any of the actors nominated for American Hustle win, David O. Russell will be on the short list of "Directors with the Most Acting Awards," along with: Woody Allen (6), John Ford (5), Martin Scorsese (5), Clint Eastwood (5), Victor Fleming (4), and John Huston (4).

If he directs a film this year and is nominated again, he'll tie Frank Capra with 4 consecutive Best Director noms.

http://www.filmsite.org/bestdirs1.html

Irish

01-26-2014, 11:57 AM

Sandra Bullock won't return my texts either.

Iknorite? I totally have this great joke about Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit to tell her too.

MadMan

01-27-2014, 12:22 AM

Its all politics when it comes to the Oscars. You guys know that :p

baby doll

01-27-2014, 06:20 AM

Its all politics when it comes to the Oscars. You guys know that :pPolitics and sexual favors. Most of these retired contract players live in retirement communities where there's nothing to do all day but pop a viagra and get busy. (It hasn't been widely reported but Joan Fontaine died of syphilis after boning everyone in her rest home.) Harvey Weinstein only wins so many awards because he's a 24/7 cunnilingus machine, going down on old broads left and right from Labor Day to Oscar night (his brother Bob takes care of the fellas).

Dukefrukem

01-27-2014, 11:28 AM

I watched Underworld on HBO or STARZ last night, and wow, I don't remember it being this bad.

Spinal

01-27-2014, 04:19 PM

Pretty certain it's going to be 12 Years a Slave.

Irish

01-27-2014, 10:48 PM

Too violent & too much of a downer. Gravity has everything Oscar looks for: Easily digestible, understandable, plays across borders, and ends well.

In other news: Quentin Tarantino is suing Gawker and AnonFiles over the Hateful 8 script leak. :lol:

Ezee E

01-28-2014, 12:35 AM

Pretty certain it's going to be 12 Years a Slave.

Yep.

Watashi

01-28-2014, 02:04 AM

Too violent & too much of a downer.

The Departed and No Country For Old Men were very happy-go-lucky and easily digestible films.

Irish

01-28-2014, 02:28 AM

The Departed and No Country For Old Men were very happy-go-lucky and easily digestible films.

Yeah, those are always the examples that are brought up but look at their competition. Those movies both won in weak years.

Much as a I hate to admit it, Gravity has all the elements that reflects the 'best' of how AMPAS likes to regard itself: Big market, nice box office, played well internationally, theatrical draw, special effects, female heroine, inspirational story, 'happy' ending. It's not intentionally an Oscar bait movie, but it is the Oscar-baitiest of all the films that were nominated.

12 Years is a great film but on all those elements, it's Gravity's opposite. In such a strong year, I have trouble imagining that the Academy will award a film that is both depressing and violent and so insular to the United States.

Mysterious Dude

01-28-2014, 02:32 AM

The Academy has never given best picture to a science fiction film. They tend to like historical dramas more.

Irish

01-28-2014, 02:42 AM

The Academy has never given best picture to a science fiction film. They tend to like historical dramas more.

That's a fair point, but I trip over the classification of Gravity as science fiction. I mean, technically, sure (I guess). But that label also suggests an element of fantasy that the film doesn't contain.

Cuaron's win at the DGA and the split vote at the PGA suggests that Gravity is a front runner (along with 12 Years).

Anyway, after Return of the King and stuff like No Country, the field also feels wider on genre films.

Irish

01-28-2014, 03:10 AM

Huh. Only six science fiction films have been nominated for Best Pic, and half of those in the last five years: A Clockwork Orange (1971), Star Wars (1977), E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), District 9 (2009), Avatar (2009), and Inception (2010).

The genre bias thing is interesting: http://www.filmsite.org/bestpics2.html

Ezee E

01-28-2014, 03:15 AM

12 Years is one of those important films that just feels weird putting other movies above it. It seems akin to something like Schindler's List to me. Sure, you can put Cuaron over McQueen because of the ridiculous accomplishment that Cuaron did in Gravity, but putting that movie over a slave drama (possibly the best of its kind) just seems wrong.

I'm fine with either winning actually, and love that these great movies are being voted into Best Picture.

dreamdead

01-28-2014, 10:46 PM

Well, that was unexpected. Turned on Bogdanovich's Targets out of the blue and was just bedazzled. Tremendous filmmaking on a shoestring budget. Harrowing amounts of tension as the film keeps delaying Bobby's murder of his parents--which I expected two or three times before it occurs. Interesting commentary on the tragedies of exposure to war, the shift in filmmaking content and the end of an era, and the parallels of gun violence and film violence all feel remarkably fresh considering this is '68. This discussion (http://thedissolve.com/search/?q=targets) helped expand my reaction as well.

Somehow Bogdanovich's films have always slipped past me, but this seems like it should be rectified now.

Sven

01-28-2014, 10:54 PM

Bog's great, mostly. See Paper Moon if you have not. Easily his masterpiece.

Qrazy

01-28-2014, 11:11 PM

That's a fair point, but I trip over the classification of Gravity as science fiction. I mean, technically, sure (I guess). But that label also suggests an element of fantasy that the film doesn't contain.

Cuaron's win at the DGA and the split vote at the PGA suggests that Gravity is a front runner (along with 12 Years).

Anyway, after Return of the King and stuff like No Country, the field also feels wider on genre films.

I don't agree that science fiction necessarily suggests an element of fantasy but even if it were to Gravity would fit that definition in it's everything goes wrong absurdity.

I also predict 12 Years a Slave because white guilt is strong.

#2cents