28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[Ezee E]

Google says otherwise.
I think I've even met a MacGuff.

[Ezee E]

The best thing about Anatomy of a Murder is George C. Scott. He's the perfect counter-balance to Jimmy Stewart's "aw shucks" routine (this is a role Jimmy sleepwalks through). It is a film ahead of its time (it was the first time words like "panties" were uttered), and for a courtroom drama, it's definitely engaging through it's near 3 hour runtime. I just wish the ending was tied a bit tighter. After the verdict is reached, the film just sorta... ends.
I don't see how it should've ended otherwise. It's no 12 Angry Men, but its good for just staying in the courtroom.

[Ezee E]

Wow. Vacancy was actually a pretty tight, nice little thriller. Faltered a bit by being a bit too tidy in its resolution, due to some contrivances and head-scratching character decisions, but overall I liked it. Color me surprised.

Not so surprisingly, In the Shadow of the Moon was remarkable. Hearing the stories from the astronauts that lived it was something special. I think maybe because I didn't grow up in that time period that perhaps I've taken space travel for granted, but there was one image in the film that really struck me. It was a short clip of a guy doing maintenance to the thrusters of one of those 300 foot rockets. That really put things in perspective. Too often I seem to take technology for granted, and don't properly consider the amount of human effort and ingenuity that goes into creating some of the things around me. To see this one man tightening bolts on a rocket of that magnitude, one that would be responsible for carrying three men to the moon, it just kind of knocked me over. The film had a lot of wonderful images, and a fantastic score as well. Definitely recommended.

Agreed with every word here. Vacancy is by no means a great movie, but it was surprisingly good for a while. I checked it out on a whim last year, and was pleasantly surprised.

[Ezee E]

Netflix thinks I'll give Step Up 2 a five-star rating.

Awesome.

[Rowland]

Wow. Vacancy was actually a pretty tight, nice little thriller. Faltered a bit by being a bit too tidy in its resolution, due to some contrivances and head-scratching character decisions, but overall I liked it. Color me surprised.Yes. I was disappointed that this was lost in the shuffle last year, because I thought it was a fantastic example of unpretentious B-movie thrills, almost elegant in its way.

[Rowland]

I can understand how people who haven't read the book may get lost, but Prisoner of Azkaban makes plenty of sense within the grand scheme of its universe. I had already read the book when I saw the movie, so I'm in no position to judge it from that angle, but I thought it covered every beat necessary to follow the narrative.

Anyway, Prisoner of Azkaban > A Little Princess

[Ezee E]

I can understand how people who haven't read the book may get lost, but Prisoner of Azkaban makes plenty of sense within the grand scheme of its universe. I had already read the book when I saw the movie, so I'm in no position to judge it from that angle, but I thought it covered every beat necessary to follow the narrative.

Anyway, Prisoner of Azkaban > A Litle Princess
People think A Little Princess is better, then well, any Cuaron movie?

[Rowland]

People think A Little Princess is better, then well, any Cuaron movie?Probably. The critical community loved it, and it still has a reputation as one of the best kid's movies from the '90s.

[Wryan]

I don't see how it should've ended otherwise. It's no 12 Angry Men, but its good for just staying in the courtroom.

Isn't this the movie where Jimmy Stewart rails at the witness, suggesting he told the suspect to rape the girl and then "to rape her once for me too!"?

Yeah, if it is, this was either a terrible Stewart performance or an awfully written character. Shouldn't some agency be knocking on Stewart's character's door to de-bar him?

[Wryan]

Probably. The critical community loved it, and it still has a reputation as one of the best kid's movies from the '90s.

Cause it's incredible.

[Philosophe_rouge]

I love A Little Princess, second favourite Cuaron behind COM. NEver really liked his Harry Potter or Y Tu Mama Tambien though.

[Wryan]

I love A Little Princess, second favourite Cuaron behind COM. NEver really liked his Harry Potter or Y Tu Mama Tambien though.

ALP: ***1/2
YTMT: ***1/2
HPPOA: ***1/2

Haven't seen COM yet. I love me some Cuaron.

Oh wait... segment in Paris Je'taime: * (for the tracking shot)

[Rowland]

I had lots of little problems with A Little Princess that sorta snowballed and made me appreciate the movie less than I anticipated. Still, comparing it to most movies aimed at kids, I was probably being overly critical.

Speaking of Alfonso, I have his Great Expectations and Sólo con tu pareja saved on my DVR. I should get around to watching them.

[Grouchy]

Long time off the forums, I'm just gonna proceed to talk about some of the films I've seen:

The Hitcher was fantastic, a truly gritty thriller, like something written by Garth Ennis on his most brilliant moment. Hauer is barely in the movie judging by sheer screentime, yet his sneering presence is what carries the film. Truly a hidden gem well deserving of its cult status.

Vampiros Lesbos, on the other hand, is a hilariously shitty cult classic. I don't know who's the worst legendary director, Paul Naschy or Jesús Franco. Probably Franco. This movie looks like it's been edited by a monkey drunk on stale vodka. No shot matches the previous or the next one, and sometimes we get random images of drops of blood in a window or A DOG SWIMMING during sex or violence scenes. This isn't about leaving your brain at the door, it's about leaving absolutely all hope behind.

Shaft (the 1971 one) is a prime example of blaxploitation and that's what I expected when I rented it, but if its quality leaves some to be desired. Richard Roundtree is actually not much of an actor and his posturing became kinda irritating by the end, specially since he was outacted by almost every other character. That didn't happen to Sam L. Jackson. Still, cool and swanky. The theme song is totally fucking awesome.

I expected to be bored with Vatel, and for the first twenty minutes I sort of was, but it's a slow-building movie, and it builds the necessary mood for the subtleties of the story to sink in. It's not the bombastic, scored historical piece I was expecting - in fact, Joffé arranges it so that most of the dramatic events pass by understated under the social hypocrisy depicted. It's an admirable movie in many aspects, and it tells its simple but two-dimensional story skillfully.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Speaking of Alfonso, I have his Great Expectations and Sólo con tu pareja saved on my DVR. I should get around to watching them.

I remember quite liking this one. I haven't seen it since high school though, so another viewing may not hold up too well.

[Wryan]

I remember quite liking this one. I haven't seen it since high school though, so another viewing may not hold up too well.

I forgot about it too. Remember thinking it was good, but not too great.

[Grouchy]

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/HawleyGriffin/00vu9.jpg?t=1203199170

Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Tim Burton, 2007

I confess I've never seen or heard the classic Sondheim musical this movie is adapting, despite being a moderate Broadway fan. But above all other things that surprised me about the movie, and there were many of them, the music stands up. It's quite distinctive, not at all looking for easy harmony but instead sort of revelling in its own musical quirk. In fact, if there's something I'm taking away from this adaptation, is the desire to see the original play. I don't wanna make it sound like I have anything against Burton's work here, though. This is the most clearly Victorian of all his settings (more Dickensian and less fantasy than Sleepy Hollow) and he pulls it off admirably. He has always been a master of mood and elaborate locations, but some of the shots in this movie are awe-inspiring and I imagine many Goth girls creamed all over their white-and-black socks in theaters.

For the uninitiated like me, a brief plot description. Sweeney Todd is a Victorian era legend of a barber who slit his victim's throats and disposed of the bodies by giving them to a Miss Lovett for cake-making. The Broadway re-working of the story invents a backstory where Todd is the alias of one Benjamin Barker, wrongly convicted by Judge Turpin in order to get carnal knowledge of Barker's wife. When he returns to London from prison abroad, he finds his wife has killed herself and his young daughter is now the Judge's ward. Miss Lovett enters the story as a partner-in-crime on Todd's quest for throat-slicing revenge, and soon it becomes clear that she's in love with the barber. I understand that sounds fucking cheesy on paper.

I said I was surprised by this movie. The first shock was the level of emotional depth the characters carried. The movie is not a revenge story where we're supposed to root for the unconventional hero - it's in fact a study on the obsession and the degree of moral corruption Todd sinks into. He's the wronged one, yet he becomes as twisted as his enemies. That's a key point in understanding, for example, why Burton needs to show Todd's crimes in such gory detail. Despite the blatant stylization of the film, it's supposed to provoke and repulse the audience. The mischiefs of Todd's enemies are shown in a much more subtle manner, suggesting that Todd and Lovett are in fact fighting a whole society instead of a bad man or a group of villains.

And yes, I was also impressed and surprised by the level of carnage on screen. This is Burton's bloodiest movie so far without comparison. He has never been one for hardcore gore, in fact, even in a Hammer Horror send-up like Sleepy Hollow, but he took all the heavy weaponry out on this one. Knife wounds, burning alive, eating and maiming of corpses... This is a blood hound's wet dream. It all serves a purpose, though, and in fact, the characters in here exhibit a maturity and a depth that I don't think Burton has always achieved, with the exceptions being his best work (Ed Wood, Edward Scissorhands, and more arguably, Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), which comes to show that, despite not always being the wisest script-chooser, he's a director in constant growth.

What else can I say? There are a few instances of uneven pacing - the movie opens in overspeed, and then dwells in some scenes unnecessarily, but it's a damn musical, it's supposed to do that kinda thing. Depp and Bonham-Carter sing their goddamn asses off, and they were specially funny in an elaborate sequence where they're shown aging together that's sure gonna sell a lot of wacky clothes in Hot Topic. Timothy Spall was awesome to watch, and I was only left wishing Christopher Lee hadn't been cut off the movie. Overall, Sweeney Todd just comes to show Burton is far from dead. He's just bleeding a lot.

[ledfloyd]

Speaking of Alfonso, I have his Great Expectations and Sólo con tu pareja saved on my DVR. I should get around to watching them.
I really liked Solo Con Tu Pareja. AIDS has never been so funny.

[Duncan]

So Pudovkin's Chess Fever isn't quite Buster Keaton quality, but it's a fun little physical comedy about, um, chess. A young man is so taken with the game that he ignores his fiancee, they fight, etc. Chess boards start popping up everywhere, including on the protagonists socks that he eventually tosses into a river. So, not great, but it came on a disc with Dovzhenko's Earth and Pudovkin's The End of St. Petersburgh. Both of those are incredible.

[monolith94]

Yeah, pretty much just a fun little divertissement. Cute. The cats at the beginning were fun. You can't fling cats around like that these days.

[Qrazy]

I forgot about it too. Remember thinking it was good, but not too great.

It's crap.

[Wryan]

It's crap.

Haha. It's one of soori's (from the old RT board, and I think he still posts here too once in a while?) favorites I think.

[megladon8]

Transformers is a terribly written, sloppily put together and overly long piece of cinematic trash.

But damn do I find it fun.

[origami_mustache]

Transformers is a terribly written, sloppily put together and overly long piece of cinematic trash.


Transformers isn't cinema. It's a two and a half hour commercial.

[Yxklyx]

So Pudovkin's Chess Fever isn't quite Buster Keaton quality, but it's a fun little physical comedy about, um, chess. A young man is so taken with the game that he ignores his fiancee, they fight, etc. Chess boards start popping up everywhere, including on the protagonists socks that he eventually tosses into a river. So, not great, but it came on a disc with Dovzhenko's Earth and Pudovkin's The End of St. Petersburgh. Both of those are incredible.


I actually preferred Chess Fever.

And Sólo con tu pareja feels like Cuaron trying to emulate early Almodóvar but he doesn't take things as far. If you like this you should see Woman on the Verge of Nervous Breakdown and What Have I Done to Deserve This?

[origami_mustache]

So Pudovkin's Chess Fever isn't quite Buster Keaton quality, but it's a fun little physical comedy about, um, chess. A young man is so taken with the game that he ignores his fiancee, they fight, etc. Chess boards start popping up everywhere, including on the protagonists socks that he eventually tosses into a river. So, not great, but it came on a disc with Dovzhenko's Earth and Pudovkin's The End of St. Petersburgh. Both of those are incredible.

Yeah, that really is a pretty great little DVD, aside from the lack of extras and mediocre quality.


I actually preferred Chess Fever.



Preferred it to The End of St. Petersburg and Earth?

[number8]

I watched 10 Things I hate About You Today.

Heath Ledger and Joseph Gordon Levitt... in the same movie!

[Bosco B Thug]

The Hitcher was fantastic, a truly gritty thriller, like something written by Garth Ennis on his most brilliant moment. Hauer is barely in the movie judging by sheer screentime, yet his sneering presence is what carries the film. Truly a hidden gem well deserving of its cult status. I agree, awesome thriller, so tense and moody.


Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Tim Burton, 2007

I said I was surprised by this movie. The first shock was the level of emotional depth the characters carried. The movie is not a revenge story where we're supposed to root for the unconventional hero - it's in fact a study on the obsession and the degree of moral corruption Todd sinks into. He's the wronged one, yet he becomes as twisted as his enemies. That's a key point in understanding, for example, why Burton needs to show Todd's crimes in such gory detail. Despite the blatant stylization of the film, it's supposed to provoke and repulse the audience.

And yes, I was also impressed and surprised by the level of carnage on screen. This is Burton's bloodiest movie so far without comparison. He has never been one for hardcore gore, in fact, even in a Hammer Horror send-up like Sleepy Hollow, but he took all the heavy weaponry out on this one. Knife wounds, burning alive, eating and maiming of corpses... This is a blood hound's wet dream. It all serves a purpose, though, and in fact, the characters in here exhibit a maturity and a depth that I don't think Burton has always achieved. Excellent! I agree especially with these two excerpts. Whenever I think back on the film, I can't help but admire the conviction Burton seems to have in making the film as un-crowdpleasing as possible: the gore is matter-of-fact, the performances ruthlessly calibrated to "downtrodden" and "needy", the songs sublimated in a way such that what could've been theatrical show-stoppers become detailed evaluations of the characters.

[MacGuffin]

Gone Baby Gone was great. Even if I'm not sure if it handled the material as wisely as it could have (the somewhat Scorsese esque dialogue seemed out of place; there's really no room for witty dialogue in a movie like this), I was ultimately compelled by the movie from start to finish. Yes, it's not exactly visual storytelling at its finest, but for what it's worth, this is one of the most bold, daring, and disturbing mainstream Hollywood movies I have seen recently.

***1/2 out of five stars.

[Ezee E]

I watched 10 Things I hate About You Today.

Heath Ledger and Joseph Gordon Levitt... in the same movie!
Don't forget Alex Mack!

[Dead & Messed Up]

I watched 10 Things I hate About You Today.

Heath Ledger and Joseph Gordon Levitt... in the same movie!

In the same middling movie.

[Morris Schæffer]

The King of Kong was pretty exciting. Billy Mitchell is a superdouche. Still, it's no Wordplay.

As a fan of videogames and a huge fan of documentaries (One Day in September and Anne Frank Remembered were both astounding) I was dissapointed by Gordon's effort or perhaps the inherent triviality of the material. It's really not bad, but the sight of a grown man crying over a Donkey Kong high score was completely unmoving and rather silly. Yes, it isn't so much about high scores as it is about competition, but I was surprised with my subdued reaction to it all.

[Morris Schæffer]

Wow. Vacancy was actually a pretty tight, nice little thriller. Faltered a bit by being a bit too tidy in its resolution, due to some contrivances and head-scratching character decisions, but overall I liked it. Color me surprised.

Yep.


Not so surprisingly, In the Shadow of the Moon was remarkable. Hearing the stories from the astronauts that lived it was something special. I think maybe because I didn't grow up in that time period that perhaps I've taken space travel for granted, but there was one image in the film that really struck me. It was a short clip of a guy doing maintenance to the thrusters of one of those 300 foot rockets. That really put things in perspective. Too often I seem to take technology for granted, and don't properly consider the amount of human effort and ingenuity that goes into creating some of the things around me. To see this one man tightening bolts on a rocket of that magnitude, one that would be responsible for carrying three men to the moon, it just kind of knocked me over. The film had a lot of wonderful images, and a fantastic score as well. Definitely recommended.

I would commit a truly heinous act if I could watch this on the big screen. Alas, I'll have to wait for DVD.

[transmogrifier]

Cuaron - one of the most unaccountably overrated directors of recent times. What makes him such crack to the Match-Cut crowd? I just don't get it.

[Sycophant]

Film: Harold & Maude.

Verdict: Still wonderful.

Corollary: Even moreso than I remember.

[Grouchy]

The Dead Zone is an interesting movie, but sort of crude for '80s Cronenberg, reminiscent in style of early works like Shivers. Christopher Walken's incredibly awkward performance (and I man that in a good way) carries the movie, and Martin Sheen is incredible as an over-the-top senator candidate. Overall, it's some of David's more mainstream stuff, but still very enjoyable. Who the hell calls its main character "John Smith", anyway? Stephen King, I guess.

[Spinal]

It's really not bad, but the sight of a grown man crying over a Donkey Kong high score was completely unmoving and rather silly.

The fact that this kind of intensity can be generated over something as trivial as Donkey Kong is the very point of the movie. The film is about the desire to be the best at something, to be recognized as an exceptional individual amidst the billions of other people who share the planet with you. The film also demonstrates that different people will handle that desire in different ways. Some will be willing to fudge and intimidate so long as they end up at the top. Others believe that the task is not worth doing at all if you compromise your character along the way. The film is about much, much more than you are giving it credit for.

[ledfloyd]

The fact that this kind of intensity can be generated over something as trivial as Donkey Kong is the very point of the movie. The film is about the desire to be the best at something, to be recognized as an exceptional individual amidst the billions of other people who share the planet with you. The film also demonstrates that different people will handle that desire in different ways. Some will be willing to fudge and intimidate so long as they end up at the top. Others believe that the task is not worth doing at all if you compromise your character along the way. The film is about much, much more than you are giving it credit for.
my enjoyment of the film was lessened after looking on twin galaxies and reading some interviews. billy mitchell didn't have the record when steve wiebe started beating him. billy's record was broken in 2001. so when they sent someone to check his machine, it wasn't so billy could keep the record. cause this tim sczerby guy had it. who isn't in the film. this whole aspect of the film confuses me and makes me question the authenticity of how other things will portrayed. i really like the idea of obsession being caused by trivial things, and i love docs on that subject and niche cultures. stuff like wordplay, word wars, spellbound. king of kong isn't quite in that strata for me.

[Stay Puft]

Cuaron - one of the most unaccountably overrated directors of recent times. What makes him such crack to the Match-Cut crowd? I just don't get it.

You and me both. It is a mystery wrapped in an enigma.

[Rowland]

my enjoyment of the film was lessened after looking on twin galaxies and reading some interviews. billy mitchell didn't have the record when steve wiebe started beating him. billy's record was broken in 2001. so when they sent someone to check his machine, it wasn't so billy could keep the record. cause this tim sczerby guy had it. who isn't in the film. this whole aspect of the film confuses me and makes me question the authenticity of how other things will portrayed. i really like the idea of obsession being caused by trivial things, and i love docs on that subject and niche cultures. stuff like wordplay, word wars, spellbound. king of kong isn't quite in that strata for me.Yeah, the movie is entertaining and all, but I don't trust it one bit.

[Spinal]

Once again ... forest missed due to trees.

[ledfloyd]

Once again ... forest missed due to trees.
perhaps, but the whole construct of the movie was based around "billy vs. steve" when that wasn't the case.

[Rowland]

Once again ... forest missed due to trees.If I feel like I'm being blatantly manipulated, it's difficult not to feel a little distanced. But still, it's very entertaining.

[Spinal]

perhaps, but the whole construct of the movie was based around "billy vs. steve" when that wasn't the case.

The guy who was the referee compared their rivalry to the Yankees and Red Sox. Why did he do that if they weren't rivals? The basic fact that they were after the same prize stays the same even if some third person held the record for a brief moment in time. It's just not an important detail considering the larger story and I don't see why this should cause me to distrust the filmmakers any more than the skepticism I bring to any documentary.

[Sven]

"Facts should not get in the way of truth." I'm sure somebody wise said that. Maybe it was Herzog.

[D_Davis]

After the film was released, the guys over at EGM interviewed Walter Day (the ref) and asked him about the film and it's "truthfulness." Day said that he was surprised at how the film was edited and the position that the filmmakers took, but he understood their need to make a "hero" and a "villain" out of the two characters. However, he also said that with all the footage they had, they could have easily told a completely different story. (you can listen to the podcast at www.1up.com (http://www.1up.com)).

When it comes down to it, documentaries are not unbiased "truth," nor should they pretend to be. They are mostly filmed and edited with a known agenda, an idea of the story the filmmakers wish to convey, and with a subconscious agenda, humanities inability to divorce itself completely from the power of mythological archetypes and narratives.

I would not want to see a documentary that doesn't take a recognizable POV on the subject being filmed. I want to see the subject filtered through the lens of the filmmaker's eyes and mind. I would hope that a documentary filmmaker cares enough about his subject to have an interesting POV and a desire to share this with the audience. Leave unbiased "filmmaking" to the journalists and field reporters.

[Rowland]

"Facts should not get in the way of truth." I'm sure somebody wise said that. Maybe it was Herzog.You're thinking of Herzog's notion of the ecstatic truth. The "truth" isn't as important as the actuality of what you are presenting, so long as the audience believes it.

My only problem is when the truth is fudged to make something less interesting, by possibly removing dimensions that might have enriched the material further.

[Stay Puft]

I was writing up a long post re: King of Kong and documentaries, but never mind. Iosos and Davis covered it.

I'll just add that, although I haven't seen King of Kong yet, it sounds like the movie explicitly constructs good guy and bad guy roles, and in this way constructs performances like any movie. This, I think, is an inescapable reality. See Herzog, see in particular the way he traverses the phenomena of performance in Grizzly Man, etc. Some people on RT were calling the editing in King of Kong dishonest, but I don't think that, or anything Herzog does for example, is dishonest as much as it is inescapable. It constitutes a fundamental reality, even if the film in question (perhaps King of Kong qualifies) is not in any way self-reflexive.

[Wryan]

You and me both. It is a mystery wrapped in an enigma.

E. Nigma. Edward Nigma!

[Duncan]

You're thinking of Herzog's notion of the ecstatic truth. The "truth" isn't as important as the actuality of what you are presenting, so long as the audience believes it. I don't really think this is correct. Or maybe I'm misunderstanding what you're writing. The audience doesn't have to believe anything. His ecstatic truth applies to fictional films, as well as stuff like The Wild Blue Yonder or Lessons of Darkness. Obviously no one believes Kuwait is some alien land. What is important is an instinctual connection to the images and sounds

[MacGuffin]

Last Life in the Universe was very pleasant. I'm not sure I'm happy about the scenes of violence or the bathroom humor, and without those it would've been brilliant. Otherwise, it's hard to explain really. Bryant Frazer brings up the moody Asian genre, reminding me of Wong Kar-Wai, who also uses Christopher Doyle as a cinematographer. I'm not so much a fan of In the Mood for Love and 2041 as I am of Chungking Express, but I can see how they fall into that genre. Anyways, I don't know what the movie was trying to do, but it was tranquil, and visually poetic. Watching the interview with the director, he seems to know what he's doing.

[dreamdead]

Last Life in the Universe was very pleasant. I'm not sure I'm happy about the scenes of violence or the bathroom humor, and without those it would've been brilliant. Otherwise, it's hard to explain really. Bryant Frazer brings up the moody Asian genre, reminding me of Wong Kar-Wai, who also uses Christopher Doyle as a cinematographer. I'm not so much a fan of In the Mood for Love and 2041 as I am of Chungking Express, but I can see how they fall into that genre. Anyways, I don't know what the movie was trying to do, but it was tranquil, and visually poetic. Watching the interview with the director, he seems to know what he's doing.

This is cut-n-pasted from my top 50 list from the old site. Maybe it'll elucidate a few things, maybe not...

Few films on my list exist because of their collaborative nature, since most derive from a single auteur. Yet Thai director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s Last Life in the Universe (2003) is the exception, allowing four divergent creative voices to prefigure into the film’s construction. Beyond Pen-Ek, we have the dominant yet understated performance of Asano Tadanobu, the cinematographic artistry of Christopher Doyle, and the anarchic third-act presence of Takashi Miike. What is significant, though, is that these disparate influences embody the film’s mise en scène with minute exactness, weaving the age-old “opposites attract” genre together with a bittersweet rumination on life, symmetry, and chance.

Kenji (Asano Tadanobu) is a librarian who avoids any and all relationships and instead cleans everything around his apartment with mechanical precision. Noi (Sinitta Boonyasak) drifts through the day smoking pot and leaves behind a cluttered, emotional mess. When tragedy unites them, they enact an odd pairing as a combatant against their collective overwhelming sorrow. Yet this pairing is localized and given enough characteristics that classic clichés become imbued with something more profound.

This is a funny film, but the humor of the film is often dark, since Kenji wants to commit suicide, thinking that death rather than life “is bliss.” As a result, there are recurrent fantasy sequences where Kenji imagines his own death, and it is here that the film marks Kenji’s psychopathology. Yet his interest is piqued around Noi, even though he continues to reveal a pathological mindset, holding conversations with Noi even as he projects Noi’s dead sister, Nid, onto her body. This intersection between the two sisters creates a thematic element that doubles with Kenji’s own life, and Nid’s appearances become psychologically valuable to understanding Kenji’s inner-state.

It comes as no surprise that at the very core of Kenji’s need for cleanliness lies a need to cleanse his past. Though the narrative outwardly makes no mention of this fact, Kenji’s dragon tattoo on his back hints at a larger trauma where he was part of the yakuza, much like his murdered brother early in the film. Fascinatingly, this narratological renunciation gives a hint of Kenji’s paralysis. As such, his interest in the redemption found in Noi exists not just at the level of romantic interest, but at the more profound level of psychological recovery from his respective earlier paralyses.

The aspect of cleanliness, which of course has its debts to Shakespeare and Freud, comes to fruition in the film’s climax. While others might feel that Miike’s presence derails the film’s structure, I see his introduction into the narrative as explicitly bringing to the fore the past that has long been suppressed. Kenji can either relinquish the past and begin a new life or he can expose himself and commit inner-suicide. Pen-Ek handles the final decision with enough irony that we understand the tragic humor, yet the actions are always fully humane and in character. As a result, the ending overwhelms with its wistfulness, understanding as it does that hope is the last thing that Kenji can cling to. What’s important, though, is that he does choose hope.

[MacGuffin]

This is cut-n-pasted from my top 50 list from the old site. Maybe it'll elucidate a few things, maybe not...

I don't know, give me a while to gather my thoughts with this one. I just finished it a few minutes ago. I don't think there's much else I can say. It was a real genre bender this one, and I applaud it's ambitiousness. The director even uses the word pretentious while talking about it, so I'm glad I'm not completely unjustified in my confusion towards finding a legitimately articulated reaction towards the movie. I'm mostly perplexed by the main relationship between the two characters, and Pen-Ek says that as the film goes on he becomes more feminine and she becomes more masculine. I don't know though to be honest.

[Qrazy]

I'm not There was fantastic. Berardinelli really missed the boat on this one. 'A film without form, art without structure'? Jesus wept. Take notes Quentin. This is how to make a postmodern mash-up. Predicate it on meaning. Here cinematic, literary and musical references actually have significance. Persona, 8 1/2, The Godfather Part II/Serpico, Peckinpah, the list goes on. They're not throwaway, Warholian surface jabs and quotes. This is a film about dreams, art and identity. And if we never fully unravel the mystery of the man, that is not to say that nothing has been revealed. A life lived, just as consciousness, just as art, will always be more than the sum of it's parts.

---

Hawks and Sparrows (Pasolini) was very funny and engaging as well.

[MacGuffin]

Berardinelli really missed the boat on this one.

And you're suprised?

[MacGuffin]

Dreamdead: I've come to the conclusion that Last Life in the Universe is exactly what Slant Magazine called it, and that's a mood piece. No more. No less. I simply can't come up with anything else. That said, I liked it a lot.

[Morris Schæffer]

The fact that this kind of intensity can be generated over something as trivial as Donkey Kong is the very point of the movie. The film is about the desire to be the best at something, to be recognized as an exceptional individual amidst the billions of other people who share the planet with you. The film also demonstrates that different people will handle that desire in different ways. Some will be willing to fudge and intimidate so long as they end up at the top. Others believe that the task is not worth doing at all if you compromise your character along the way. The film is about much, much more than you are giving it credit for.

I don't necessarily disagree, and I haven't given it a lot of thought, but the material just left me unfulfilled. Still, I'm with you on the discussion you had with others regarding the veracity of it all.

[Qrazy]

And you're suprised?

Well not surprised, I don't follow the guy I was just perusing some of the negative reviews and his caption struck me as the most dunderheaded of the ones on the first page.

[Duncan]

I'm not There was fantastic. Berardinelli really missed the boat on this one. 'A film without form, art without structure'? Jesus wept. Take notes Quentin. This is how to make a postmodern mash-up. Predicate it on meaning. Here cinematic, literary and musical references actually have significance. Persona, 8 1/2, The Godfather Part II/Serpico, Peckinpah, the list goes on. They're not throwaway, Warholian surface jabs and quotes. This is a film about dreams, art and identity. And if we never fully unravel the mystery of the man, that is not to say that nothing has been revealed. A life lived, just as consciousness, just as art, will always be more than the sum of it's parts. Well said.

[MacGuffin]

Well not surprised, I don't follow the guy I was just perusing some of the negative reviews and his caption struck me as the most dunderheaded of the ones on the first page.

All his reviews are like that. If you want a total "miss the boat", read his Femme Fatale review.

[Qrazy]

All his reviews are like that. If you want a total "miss the boat", read his Femme Fatale review.

Will do... after I watch the film... which will be soon... so that I can read the review. :)

[Qrazy]

Well said.

Thanks, what's Grain of Sand (the film within the film) supposed to be a reference to? I have it on the tip of my memory but can't push it into the limelight.

[ledfloyd]

I can't wait to get I'm Not There on dvd so I can dissect it. I think the DVD should come with footnotes. :lol:

[Spinal]

I don't know why anyone would read Berardinelli on a consistent basis. His writing style is woefully inelegant.

[Boner M]

Weekend downer duo!

Clean, Shaven: Queasy, riveting subjective assault anchored by a terrifically unmannered and affecting central performance from the sorely underutilised Peter Greene. I loved the motif of radio static, and the decontextualised images from newspaper clippings, portraying the world as the subject see it, as a series of unintelligible and meaningless codes, and abstract shapes and figures. The detective subplot presents a major hurdle and the film risks feeling conventional in that respect, but Kerrigan manages to integrate it so that the film's very form feels schizophrenic and ill-at-ease with itself, thus avoiding a sense of neatness that a sustained direct subjectivity may have resulted in. The last 20 minutes are excellent, the father/daughter scenes more affecting than Kerrigan's subsequent Keane, and the final shot is heartbreaking.

The Seventh Continent: Haneke does his best Bresson for his debut feature, which is to say he does it pretty damn well. I admittedly didn't know that the film was based on a true story until the end titles, so I was almost ready to scoff during the last section and write the film off as a particularly hysterical case of borgeousie-chiding, but even without that foreknowledge, Haneke's rigor and precision is enthralling and his use of metaphor flawless. The repetition of the car wash scene at the beginning from a different perspective later on, showing the wife tearing up, is particularly effective at evoking how being in seemingly mundane, isolated spaces can often provoke intense self-reflection. And 80's pop hits have never sounded so soulless.

[Eleven]

If you haven't seen 100 Movies (http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1760481), it's pretty sweet.

[Rowland]

What would you all suggest as an ideal introduction to Peter Greenaway's work? Given what I've read, The Falls interests me the most, but I imagine it may not be the best point in his body of work to begin with.

[lovejuice]

a too-late valentine tip for guys. 27 dresses is actually quite good. the writing is above-averaged. the movie stays good nature as well as making its point. all subplots are tied quite nicely. and even though characters are by the book, actors/actresses invest enough into them.

heigl and marsden are charming. and i especially like all the fresh faces with their sitcomy, amaturish acting. also it's nice to see edward burns in something. really i just have been wondering what ever happend to the guy.

[Grouchy]

What would you all suggest as an ideal introduction to Peter Greenaway's work? Given what I've read, The Falls interests me the most, but I imagine it may not be the best point in his body of work to begin with.
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover. Right up your alley. If you live somewhere in Arkham Asylum, that is.

[MacGuffin]

What would you all suggest as an ideal introduction to Peter Greenaway's work? Given what I've read, The Falls interests me the most, but I imagine it may not be the best point in his body of work to begin with.

The Falls was interesting to me as well, but it seems like his most challenging, and I couldn't finish it (it was too challenging for me, without previous knowledge of Greenaway's structure and cinematic techniques). Now that I've seen The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover and Vertical Features Remake both, I feel it is about time to revisit it, except maybe after I watch The Draughtman's Contract and A Zed & Two Naughts. Obviously, I'm not completely knowledgeable when it comes to Greenaway, but I recommend The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover as an entry point, because it's energetic, interesting, and accessible. It felt like a Greenaway movie, regardless of the fact that I haven't seen many of his movies yet.

[Duncan]

Thanks, what's Grain of Sand (the film within the film) supposed to be a reference to? I have it on the tip of my memory but can't push it into the limelight.

This? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrRJV5vFXDI) I dunno.

[Wryan]

If you haven't seen 100 Movies (http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1760481), it's pretty sweet.

Haha. Nos. 11, 5, 2, and 1 are terrific. Nice vid.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I don't know why anyone would read Berardinelli on a consistent basis. His writing style is woefully inelegant.

Having talked to him once via e-mail, he's also something of a putz.

[megladon8]

Transformers

a review by Braden Adam


I always wondered if the whole childhood ritual of “Saturday Morning Cartoons” was something exclusive to America, because - having lived in Canada all my life - I don’t think I ever saw cartoons on Saturday morning television. This time was almost exclusively devoted to religious programming and soap operas, so more often than not I found myself playing video games. During the week, however, I watched four cartoons religiously - “Batman: The Animated Series”, “The Simpsons”, “Thundercats” and “Transformers”. (Well, I suppose if you count “Beast Wars” as a separate entity from “Transformers”, that makes it five). I had all the “Transformers” toys, from the fire truck Optimus Prime, to the Megatron toy that morphed into a desert eagle hand gun. I even had most of the knock-off toys, like “Morphing Machines” and “Robo-Men”. Hearing that Steven Spielberg not only loved “Transformers” but also wanted to make a movie, I was thrilled. Could this be his next directorial feature? No, unfortunately not. In the search for a director, Spielberg settled on Michael Bay - perhaps the only director alive who gets more hate on the web than Brett Ratner. And what was the final product? Well, let’s just say it’s more of a Michael Bay movie than a “Transformers” movie, and I suppose it’s up to the individual to decide whether that’s good or bad.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/megladon8/trans4.jpg

Yes, Transformers has all the trimmings associated with the director of such classics as Bad Boys and...Bad Boys II. It has bad dialogue, zero subtlety, a cheesy and overdone musical score, tons of light blooming, and slow motion camera work up the wazoo (even for mundane actions like stepping out of an airplane). And it’s way too long. Clocking in at nearly two and a half hours, it takes a premise and story more suited to a ninety minute animated feature and milks it for all it’s worth in an attempt to create the next enormously epic film franchise. The concept is inherently massive, with alien robotic beings bringing their war to Earth, but epic concepts do not always warrant epic lengths, and since both the characters and the story are no deeper than a puddle on the sidewalk (and I’m talking one really shallow puddle), it really feels like we could have easily seen all the movie had to offer in about an hour less time. Lord of the Rings this is not, but it so badly wants to be.

The dialogue sounds like it was written by a twelve year old boy with A.D.D., but I suppose the argument could be made that movie-goers looking for strong, witty dialogue should go see a John Sayles movie and leave the popcorn fluff alone. But just because a movie is made to be a blockbuster and nothing more doesn’t give it a free ticket to be mind-numbingly stupid. Lots of movies manage to be both blockbusters and smartly written - I’m thinking of the Bourne trilogy, which were great throwbacks to the gritty spy thrillers of the 1970s. So if someone tries to tell me that Transformers either didn’t need to be well written or couldn’t be due to its silly, over-the-top premise, I must retort by saying that, no, the writers were just lazy. Having a Spanish soldier character who is so stereotypical that he speaks Spanish unknowingly and talks about “being back home and eating alligators” seems like it was written using the “1980s’ Big Book of Clichés” And to add insult to injury, some of the most painful dialogue is uttered by some very respectable actors. John Turturro’s presence is especially puzzling, since he usually keeps a pretty low profile by appearing in indie flicks and films by the Coen brothers. I sure hope he didn’t turn down a role in No Country For Old Men for this.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/megladon8/trans3.jpg

But where the movie delivers (and expectedly so) is in the action. In typical Michael Bay fashion, the first half of the movie is devoted to the characters, while the entire second half is a giant continuous action sequence with several enormous set pieces. I’ve read complaints that the action in Transformers is hard to follow, but this is one complaint I can’t get on board with. Unless you are watching the movie on a cell phone in full screen with low resolution, I cannot understand how or why one would find it hard to discern what is taking place on the screen. There are plenty of slow motion shots of the Transformers blowing things up and swinging around buildings and bridges as if they weighed twenty pounds. It’s loud and fun, and when the action scenes are at their best there are definitely some cool (perhaps even memorable) moments.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/megladon8/trans1.jpg

It’s just not enough to justify sitting through more than an hour of painful exposition, though. Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox play a couple of high school students whose destinies are linked together by this intergalactic power struggle, and there are a couple of cute moments between them. One of these better moments takes place when the Autobots are introducing themselves to LaBeouf and Fox, and the “medic” bot says that LaBeouf’s “high pheromone levels suggest he wants to mate with the female [Fox]”. But for every funny moment, there are about ten attempts at humor which fall completely flat (such as the aforementioned Spanish soldier).

And while we’re on the top of racial stereotypes, what were they thinking when they wrote the character “Jazz”? This Autobat is like the “hip hop” bot - the Transformer with soul and attitude to spare. When he makes reference to both “bitches” and “kicking it” in the same sentence, I ended up having to bandage my chin because my jaw hit the floor so hard.

Michael Bay has been quoted saying that he admittedly makes “movies for thirteen year old boys”. But he really shot himself in the foot by targeting that audience with Transformers. Sure, kids still watch the shows and think they’re neat, but there was a much larger, built-in fan base already there and eagerly awaiting the big screen return of their favorite childhood heroes. And that audience is 20-30 somethings who grew up watching this franchise while it was at its biggest and freshest. It’s the equivalent of making an R-rated “Spongebob Squarepants” movie - it just doesn’t make any sense.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/megladon8/trans2.jpg

Then again, Transformers made an obscene amount of money - so much, in fact, that the budget is being nearly doubled for the sequel (due out next year). So maybe I’m just totally out of touch with what’s “cool” these days with the kids. And while everyone gears up and gets excited for Transformers 2, I’ll be eagerly awaiting the inevitable Thundercats movie, and hoping it isn’t given to Brett Ratner.

[dreamdead]

What would you all suggest as an ideal introduction to Peter Greenaway's work? Given what I've read, The Falls interests me the most, but I imagine it may not be the best point in his body of work to begin with.

I could see you appreciating either The Pillow Book or A Zed and Two Noughts, but The Draughtman's Contract is a great primer in my eyes. The Cook... is out of print and unavailable from Netflix so unless you find it from a local library I'd doubt your ability to find it...

[Grouchy]

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/HawleyGriffin/easternpromisesposter.jpg?t=12 03305494

Eastern Promises
David Cronenberg, 2007

Back on 2005, when A History of Violence came out, I was lukewarm on it. Despite having all the looks of a movie tailor-made for me, I found it contrived and meaningless. All I liked was the opening with the little girl getting shot and the "fornicating in the stairs" scene. The fast kills were fun, but soon became reiterative. Given my recent Cronenberg craze, I decided to rewatch that film and see what I'd missed, if anything. It turns out I still think History was crap, but I'm glad it happened, because it made Eastern Promises possible. And that's a movie tailor-made for my sensitivities if there ever was one.

The story concerns the Russian Mafia in London, a criminal group with a short filmography (but an upcoming GTA game) devoted to, and is written by the guy who brought us Dirty Pretty Things, also about inmigrants in Britain. Like any Dave movie, the opening scenes are cryptic, seemingly unconnected pieces of a puzzle - a guy's throat is slashed in a barbershop and a pregnant woman collapses in a pharmacy. The dead woman's baby is born, and a midwife played by Naomi Watts wants to locate any family the kid might have. Her only clue is a diary written in Russian, the language of her fathers, which leads her to a restaurant run by a sinister and smiling captain of the mob (Mueller-Stahl), and in turn to meet his alcoholic, latent queer son (Cassel) and the film's lead, the cold, cryptic-looking Nikolai, Mortensen's best performance so far, including the iconic Aragorn role.

Like the best mob movies, like Election (Johnny To's) or Goodfellas, the story's not as important as the description of the world it takes place in, its codes of conduct, and the characters that fill it with life. And, in that aspect, even if the script by necessity becomes too discursive at times (since most audiences are not even familiar with this kind of organized crime), it's totally fascinating. The Russian thugs are called vor v zakone (thief in law), and they're a tight community with family bonds and a hierarchical system worthy of a cult. Their life history is written on their bodies with tattooes which have symbolical meaning, showing if a person is a honorable thief, a drunk, a drug seller, a rapist or even if he cheats at cards. In one of the strangest, more hallucinatory sequences, Nikolai is initiated in a high-ranking tattoo, the stars on both knees, which mean he doesn't bow down to anyone.

We're soon inmersed in that world. The filmmaking in this movie stinks of professionalism. Everything -the camera angles, the editing, the music, the clothes- shows a great deal of work and research being done, even to an ignoramus like me. Particularly striking is the fact that the menace this characters show is based on attitude and demeanor. Nowhere is a gun flashed by anyone and, even if the movie feels particularly violent afterwards, the body count is low and most atrocities are suggested other than shown. Of course, there's actual violence on screen, and it's pervasive and painful. One thing that can be said about it, it's not glamourized.

Mortensen's performance through all of his strange predicaments in this movie is low-key and glorious, one for the books. He goes from a heartless bastard to something of a tragic hero, and at no time does he seem to be betraying his fundamental character. It's also a physically demanding role, which at one point includes fucking brutal naked fighting with a couple of hitmen armed with curved knives - one of the best and most memorable scenes in the movie. Mueller-Sthal also gives an impressive turn as a quiet, meek-looking restaurant owner who in fact is the biggest ganglord around. Cassel is predictably awesome in a psycho role. Only Watts is somewhat disappointing, since she's limited to damsel gasps and hysterical, scared jogging. In all fairness, her character is a tool for the plot to get up and running, and by far the least interesting part of the movie.

Perhaps because of all the daring choices Cronenberg makes, I was kind of disappointed that the climatic scene was a bit Hollywood-ish. Mind you, it's not something that would've irked me in any other movie, it's just that it seemed to lower its standards a bit. It has to do with a "last kiss" shared in overscored glory and the last-minute-to-the-rescue moment where time seems to stretch forever. There's a plot twist later on that seemed too convenient at the moment, and most people who saw the movie will guess what I'm talking about without the need for spoiler tags, but the more I think about it it seems to me that it was properly foreshadowed and makes sense once you stop to think about it. Perhaps Eastern Promises is a bit shoe-horned into being a thriller. It's more effective as a brutal, sharp culture drama.

[megladon8]

Great review, Grouchy.

I actually wanted to like Eastern Promises a lot more than I did, since I'm such a huge fan of Cronenberg. I just found Watts' character so incredibly stupid that it almost became unbelievable.

But I agree Mortensen was awesome.

[Duncan]

Grouchy, how come you don't post your reviews in individual threads? They're at least long enough to deserve a separate thread, and if there's already an existing thread then they'd be valuable for people who want to look back at a collection of response when they see the film. Just seems like they can get a bit lost in the FDT shuffle.

[Grouchy]

Great review, Grouchy.

I actually wanted to like Eastern Promises a lot more than I did, since I'm such a huge fan of Cronenberg. I just found Watts' character so incredibly stupid that it almost became unbelievable.

But I agree Mortensen was awesome.
I think she's not much of a character, just a goody-pants girl that provides the outsider perspective and the more humanistic point of view. Her uncle is a more fleshed out character. All we know about her is that she rides bikes, has a good big heart and lost a baby somewhere in the past. I wasn't irritated at her, though. Why were you?


Grouchy, how come you don't post your reviews in individual threads? They're at least long enough to deserve a separate thread, and if there's already an existing thread then they'd be valuable for people who want to look back at a collection of response when they see the film. Just seems like they can get a bit lost in the FDT shuffle.
That's what I used to make at the old MatchCut and on RT, had a thread called Grouchy goes to the movies. 'Tis true, the FTD is in constant movement and my reviews are sorta irrelevant to the current topic at times, so I might as well return to that. I will make the thread with my next review. Thanks.

[Yxklyx]

I did not like Bergman's Passion of Anna at all. The vast majority of the movie consists of characters retelling events from the past (Bergman goes to ludicrous lengths to achieve this - a suicide note being the pinnacle) and of what's left of the story there's just not much to grab onto. The movie actually interviews the actors in 4 short interludes - they expound on their character's motivations. It's like the movie wasn't doing its job. You really have to give Bergman a lot of slack to enjoy this one. The story is not interesting and the presentation is boring. I couldn't care less for any of the characters and the dated 60s color cinematography didn't help any. 2/10

[megladon8]

I think she's not much of a character, just a goody-pants girl that provides the outsider perspective and the more humanistic point of view. Her uncle is a more fleshed out character. All we know about her is that she rides bikes, has a good big heart and lost a baby somewhere in the past. I wasn't irritated at her, though. Why were you?


She was just so horribly stupid I couldn't stand her.

She did things that I think were supposed to be seen as "brave", but I just saw as being ridiclous and stupid. When she curses out the mafia men in front of their own home, calling them murderers and rapists, I wanted to reach out and give her a slap on the back of the head.

[Sven]

Here cinematic, literary and musical references actually have significance. Persona, 8 1/2, The Godfather Part II/Serpico, Peckinpah, the list goes on. They're not throwaway, Warholian surface jabs and quotes. This is a film about dreams, art and identity.

It's all well and good to say that the 8 1/2 sequence has meaning. But what is that meaning, exactly?

[MadMan]

"Facts should not get in the way of truth." I'm sure somebody wise said that. Maybe it was Herzog.That's a really cool quote, even if I don't understand it at the moment. I'm braindead from working five hours.


After the film was released, the guys over at EGM interviewed Walter Day (the ref) and asked him about the film and it's "truthfulness." Day said that he was surprised at how the film was edited and the position that the filmmakers took, but he understood their need to make a "hero" and a "villain" out of the two characters. However, he also said that with all the footage they had, they could have easily told a completely different story. (you can listen to the podcast at www.1up.com (http://www.1up.com)).

When it comes down to it, documentaries are not unbiased "truth," nor should they pretend to be. They are mostly filmed and edited with a known agenda, an idea of the story the filmmakers wish to convey, and with a subconscious agenda, humanities inability to divorce itself completely from the power of mythological archetypes and narratives.

I would not want to see a documentary that doesn't take a recognizable POV on the subject being filmed. I want to see the subject filtered through the lens of the filmmaker's eyes and mind. I would hope that a documentary filmmaker cares enough about his subject to have an interesting POV and a desire to share this with the audience. Leave unbiased "filmmaking" to the journalists and field reporters.You know, funny enough I agree with you about this. I think it sort of explains to myself why I like Michael Moore's films so much, even if they have a liberal bent and he sometimes twists the facts. Hell even Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room was somewhat slanted, although less so than Moore's work. I also mention it because its somewhat underrated in my view, as I've never read any discussion about it around here. I saw it last year and thought it was pretty damn good.

Okay after all this talk about it and the fact that at this point I'm now a Dylan fanboy I must see I'm Not There.

[Spinal]

The Cook... is out of print and unavailable from Netflix so unless you find it from a local library I'd doubt your ability to find it...

This is a crime.

[Bosco B Thug]

Watched The Lives of Others. Very good, mainly due to the film being consistently peppered with a cohering assortment of visual cues (many times evoking "surveillance"), musical cues, and an arresting rhythmic "sense" between visuals and editing, point-of-view and irony (the scenes with Christa are especially good and idiosyncratic for some/multiple reasons... her final moment is particularly well-handled, utilizing one of the film's oft-used visual cues - "head-on" shots of Christa, pun intended - to a devastating effect).

The film's a little long, though, and it lacks a forcefulness to it, whether regarding its politics or its very construction, I don't know. Utilizing and studying more some of its non-human/emotional visual motifs, though, would've been cool, the theater and the surveillance gadgets being what's in mind.

[Sycophant]

It's a pity that The Gods Must Be Crazy ends in pretty much a fizzle. Because there was some really well-played physical comedy in that picture, some interesting ideas, and a couple of great lead performances.

[Spinal]

The comedic value of Reefer Madness has been grossly exaggerated. Mostly, it was just boring.

[MacGuffin]

I wrote some thoughts on Zodiac.

[Dead & Messed Up]

The comedic value of Reefer Madness has been grossly exaggerated. Mostly, it was just boring.

:up:

It's kind of like Plan 9 From Outer Space, in that watching it doesn't nearly match the pleasure of talking about it afterward.

[lovejuice]

The comedic value of Reefer Madness has been grossly exaggerated. Mostly, it was just boring.

i thought you talked about the musical which was also pretty shitty.

[soitgoes...]

The comedic value of Reefer Madness has been grossly exaggerated. Mostly, it was just boring.
Yeah it's horrible. If I'd've known you were going to watch it, I'd've done my best to talk you out of it.

[MadMan]

The comedic value of Reefer Madness has been grossly exaggerated. Mostly, it was just boring.I think the only way to watch that film is while stoned or drunk. That's how I plan to view it.

[Velocipedist]

What would you all suggest as an ideal introduction to Peter Greenaway's work? Given what I've read, The Falls interests me the most, but I imagine it may not be the best point in his body of work to begin with.

The ideal introduction to Peter Greenaway is The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover. There's no other way around it.

[number8]

:up:

It's kind of like Plan 9 From Outer Space, in that watching it doesn't nearly match the pleasure of talking about it afterward.

Both films kind of require you to have friends to talk about it during.

[Rowland]

The ideal introduction to Peter Greenaway is The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover. There's no other way around it.This one isn't available to me, so I guess I'll have to go with Zed.

[Ezee E]

This one isn't available to me, so I guess I'll have to go with Zed.
I was able to rent Cook from Netflix a few years ago. I wonder if it just went out of print.

[Rowland]

After observing all of the high scores here, I was excited to watch The Driver, and frankly, I don't see what the big deal is. The single largest obstacle that prevents the movie from working as well as it should may be O'Neal, whose presence is hardly charismatic, and the chases aren't as impressive today as they may have been at the time. If the film's appeal lies in the approach to genre as being stripped down to its existential core or whatever, I've seen that done much better elsewhere. Bruce Dern is damn good though, Hill is admirably judicious and respectful of the viewer's intelligence in cutting out excess narrative fat with his writing/editing, and the self-destructive scene in the garage is irresistible. Still, as much as I hate to say it, I'd rather kick back and watch 48 Hrs. again if I had to choose between the two.

[lovejuice]

I’ve read complaints that the action in Transformers is hard to follow, but this is one complaint I can’t get on board with. Unless you are watching the movie on a cell phone in full screen with low resolution, I cannot understand how or why one would find it hard to discern what is taking place on the screen.


i think what they mean, and i agree, is that it is not hard to follow what is taking place on the screen but impossible to make head or tail what's happening as a sequence. i, for one, who is not too familiar with the original cartoon, can't tell which bot is which bot. there are five or six good bots vs five or six bad bots. what happen to all them during the city sequence? that one is fighting this one, and then the movie cuts to the other guy fighting the other guy without actually coming back to the original fight. and then there is flying bad guy, and he does something. and suddenly one of the good bots are destroyed. :frustrated:

so it's not a hard to follow as a single scene, but it's to put them all together.

besides i really hate the conclusion. how's the hell does the guy know putting the cube inside the bad bot will destroy it? i know, optimus prime mentions something earlier, but how does he know it works the same way with all the bots? perhaps it takes just that to activate the cube.

[megladon8]

i think what they mean, and i agree, is that it is not hard to follow what is taking place on the screen but impossible to make head or tail what's happening as a sequence. i, for one, who is not too familiar with the original cartoon, can't tell which bot is which bot. there are five or six good bots vs five or six bad bots. what happen to all them during the city sequence? that one is fighting this one, and then the movie cuts to the other guy fighting the other guy without actually coming back to the original fight. and then there is flying bad guy, and he does something. and suddenly one of the good bots are destroyed. :frustrated:

so it's not a hard to follow as a single scene, but it's to put them all together.

Eh, I never had any problem telling the bots apart. Though I don't know that knowing the original cartoons made it easier for me, since Optimus Prime and Bumblebee are really the only two bots in the movie that look a lot like their cartoon/toy counterparts.


besides i really hate the conclusion. how's the hell does the guy know putting the cube inside the bad bot will destroy it? i know, optimus prime mentions something earlier, but how does he know it works the same way with all the bots? perhaps it takes just that to activate the cube.

I thought it was made pretty clear that inserting the cube in one of the bot's chests would destroy them and the cube.

It's not just mentioned once - Optimus and Ratchet both make reference to it several times.

[eternity]

Someone suggested I drag this out over three years. Why not?

[Qrazy]

If you haven't seen 100 Movies (http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1760481), it's pretty sweet.

A list of all 100 somewhere?

[Sycophant]

I got really bored.
You realize you could've stretched this out over like three years or something, right? That's what I'm doing. :P

However! It's a good appendix to all your posts. Your number two absolutely floored me.

[Velocipedist]

However! It's a good appendix to all your posts. Your number two absolutely floored me.

#3 is where it's at!

[Qrazy]

It's all well and good to say that the 8 1/2 sequence has meaning. But what is that meaning, exactly?

A dual metaphor for the Blanchett character's state of isolation, alienation and feeling at the whim of her celebrity status at the expense of artistic expression as well as a reference to the enduring status and depth of meaning to be found in dreams.

[Velocipedist]

Just seen the Quays' In Absentia and I was thinking about how great the music is and behold... it's Karlheinz Stockhausen!

[Qrazy]

This? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrRJV5vFXDI) I dunno.

Right, but I'm fairly certain it's also a reference to a film out there somewhere... just as the calico poster was a reference to Serpico which tied in well with the Godfather Part II, you're not taking my kids away from me reprisal, later on.

[Qrazy]

Just seen the Quays' In Absentia and I was thinking about how great the music is and behold... it's Karlheinz Stockhausen!

Karlheinz Stockhausen! Wow! ...

Jigga who?

[MadMan]

:)
150. The Warriors (Hill, 1979)
149. L'apartement (Mimouni, 1996)
148. P.U.N.K.S. (McNamara, 1999)
147. Puddle Cruiser (Chandrasekhar, 1996)
146. MirrorMask (McKean, 2005)
145. American Psycho (Harron, 2000)
144. Starship Troopers (Verhoeven, 1997)
143. Across the Universe (Taymor, 2007)
142. The Descent (Marshall, 2006)
141. Stranger than Fiction (Forster, 2006)
140. Field of Dreams (Robinson, 1989)
139. Kingpin (Farrelly, 1996)
138. Heavyweights (Brill, 1995)
137. The TV Set (Kasdan, 2007)
136. The American President (Reiner, 1995)
135. Serenity (Whedon, 2006)
134. The Faculty (Rodriguez, 1998)
133. Wayne's World (Spheeris, 1992)
132. The Fountain (Aronofsky, 2006)
131. The Princess Bride (Reiner, 1987)
130. Robin Hood (Reitherman, 1973)
129. Harold and Maude (Ashby, 1971)
128. Dazed and Confused (Linklater, 1993)
127. All the Real Girls (Green, 2003)
126. Shaun of the Dead (Wright, 2004)
125. The Brady Bunch Movie (Thomas, 1995)
124. Platoon (Stone, 1986)
123. Silence of the Lambs (Demme, 1991)
122. Dark City (Proyas, 1998)
121. A Clockwork Orange (Kubrick, 1971)
120. This is Spinal Tap (Reiner, 1984)
119. In the Bedroom (Field, 2001)
118. Stander (Hughes, 2003)
117. L.A. Confidential (Hanson, 1997)
116. Anchorman (McKay, 2004)
115. The Truman Show (Weir, 1998)
114. The Incredibles (Bird, 2004)
113. Amadeus (Forman, 1984)
112. Little Children (Field, 2006)
111. Jerry Maguire (Crowe, 1996)
110. Catch Me If You Can (Spielberg, 2002)
109. Control (Corbijn, 2007)
108. Juno (Reitman, 2007)
107. Bloody Sunday (Greengrass, 2002)
106. Pulp Fiction (Tarantino, 1994)
105. Casablanca (Curtiz, 1942)
104. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Forman, 1975)
103. The 39 Steps (Hitchcock, 1935)
102. Undertow (Green, 2004)
101. Blue Velvet (Lynch, 1986)
100. Amelie (Juenet, 2001)
99. Thank You for Smoking (Reitman, 2006)
98. A History of Violence (Cronenberg, 2005)
97. Finding Forrester (Van Sant, 2000)
96. Hoosiers (Anspaugh, 1986)
95. High Fidelity (Frears, 2000)
94. Goldeneye (Campbell, 1995)
93. Munich (Spielberg, 2005)
92. Good Will Hunting (Van Sant, 1997)
91. Die Hard (McTiernan, 1988)
90. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Zemeckis, 1988)
89. Rushmore (Anderson, 1998)
88. Ikiru (Kurosawa, 1952)
87. Pleasantville (Ross, 1998)
86. Last Action Hero (McTiernan, 1993)
85. Dogma (Smith, 1999)
84. From Here to Eternity (Zinnerman, 1953)
83. Gerry (Van Sant, 2002)
82. Mysterious Skin (Araki, 2005)
81. The Prestige (Nolan, 2006)
80. Cloverfield (Reeves, 2008)
79. Heat (Mann, 1995)
78. Bottle Rocket (Anderson, 1996)
77. American Splendor (Berman and Pulcini, 2003)
76. Jaws (Spielberg, 1975)
75. Spaceballs (Brooks, 1987)
74. Collateral (Mann, 2004)
73. Se7en (Fincher, 1995)
72. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Gilliam, 1975)
71. The Royal Tenenbaums (Anderson, 2001)
70. Forrest Gump (Zemeckis, 1994)
69. On the Waterfront (Kazan, 1954)
68. Apocalypse Now (Coppola, 1979)
67. Donnie Darko (Kelly, 2001)
66. Citizen Kane (Welles, 1941)
65. The Godfather (Coppola, 1972)
64. Lawrence of Arabia (Lean, 1962)
63. The Sixth Sense (Shamalayn, 1999)
62. Lost Highway (Lynch, 1997)
61. Memento (Nolan, 2000)
60. Adaptation (Jonze, 2002)
59. Fantasia (Algar and Armstrong, 1940)
58. Blade Runner (Scott, 1982)
57. Psycho (Hitchcock, 1960)
56. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Spielberg, 1981)
55. The Graduate (Nichols, 1967)
54. Dirty Harry (Siegel, 1971)
53. Ghostbusters (Reitman, 1984)
52. Straw Dogs (Peckinpah, 1971)
51. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (Hughes, 1986)
50. Requiem for a Dream (Aronofsky, 2000)
49. Chasing Amy (Smith, 1997)
48. Back to the Future (Zemeckis, 1985)
47. Vertigo (Hitchcock, 1958)
46. Shattered Glass (Ray, 2003)
45. Swingers (Liman, 1996)
44. Batman (Burton, 1989)
43. Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
42. True Lies (Cameron, 1994)
41. The Hudsucker Proxy (Coen, 1994)
40. Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (Gondry, 2004)
39. American Beauty (Mendes, 1999)
38. Star Wars (Lucas, 1977)
37. Being John Malkovich (Jonze, 1999)
36. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Cameron, 1992)
35. Stalker (Tarkovsky, 1979)
34. The Big Sleep (Hawks, 1946)
33. Mean Girls (Waters, 2004)
32. Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Kubrick, 1964)
31. Office Space (Judge, 1999)
30. The Manchurian Candidate (Frankenheimer, 1962)
29. Rear Window (Hitchcock, 1954)
28. Clerks (Smith, 1994)
27. Alien (Scott, 1979)
26. Sunset Boulevard (Wilder, 1950)
25. The Big Lebowski (Coen, 1998)
24. Taxi Driver (Scorsese, 1976)
23. Trainspotting (Boyle, 1996)
22. Cinema Paradiso (Tornatore, 1988)
21. Fight Club (Fincher, 1999)
20. La Dolce Vita (Fellini, 1960)
19. Election (Payne, 1999)
18. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zizzou (Anderson, 2004)
17. Chinatown (Polanski, 1974)
16. Heathers (Lehmann, 1989)
15. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Capra, 1939)
14. JFK (Stone, 1991)
13. Ed Wood (Burton, 1994)
12. Elephant (Van Sant, 2003)
11. The Player (Altman, 1992)
10. The Maltese Falcon (Huston, 1941)
9. Alphaville (Godard, 1965)
8. Blow-Up (Antonioni, 1966)
7. M (Lang, 1931)
6. Almost Famous (Crowe, 2000)
5. Orange County (Kasdan, 2002)
4. Boogie Nights (PT Anderson, 1997)
3. F for Fake (Welles, 1974)
2. Brick (Johnson, 2006)
1. 8 1/2 (Fellini, 1963)

I got really bored.Dude that list calls for a thread! You should make it. And then throw in commentary and stuff if you feel like it. Anyways my thoughts on it that I posted on Icine still apply here of course :)

[Qrazy]

A list of all 100 somewhere?

Nevermind.

100. Night of the Living Dead
99. Laura
98. Dead Poet's Society
97. Bladerunner
96. The Lost Weekend
95. Ocean's 11
94. Star Wars
93. Midnight Run
92. It Came From Outer Space
91. The Right Stuff
90. The Fugitive
89. The French Connection
88. Back to the Future
87. Castaway
86. Quiz Show
85. Silence of the Lambs
84. Titanic
83. The Magnificent Seven
82. Rainman
81. Galaxy Quest
80. Harold and Maude
79. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
78. The Day The Earth Stood Still
77. The Apartment
76. The Great Escape
75. The Hustler
74. Ed Wood
73. The Jerk
72. Raiders of the Lost Ark
71. When Harry Met Sally...
70. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn
69. MASH
68. The Breakfast Club
67. The King and I
66. Gentleman's Agreement
65. The Princess Bride
64. Yellow Submarine
63. Network
62. Mr. Roberts
61. Singles
60. Gone With the Wind
59. The Awful Truth
58. Goldfinger
57. The Manchurian Candidate
56. It's a Wonderful Life
55. The Blues Brothers
54. The Remains of the Day
53. Midnight Express
52. Waking Ned Devine
51. Roman Holiday
50. Cool Hand Luke
49. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
48. The Adventures of Robin Hood
47. The Big Sleep
46. On the Waterfront
45. The Hudsucker Proxy
44. Dirty Harry
43. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
42. Finding Nemo
41. Ben Hur
40. Superman
39. The 39 Steps
38. Aliens
37. Men in Black
36. Clerks
35. Harvey
34. Marty
33. The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
32. All About Eve
31. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
30. The Wild Bunch
29. Young Frankenstein
28. The Bridge Over the River Kwai
27. The Usual Suspects
26. North by Northwest
25. Sunset Blvd.
24. Escape from NY
23. The Wizard of Oz
22. Casablanca
21. The Lion in Winter
20. Boogie Nights
19. The Shawshank Redemption
18. Almost Famous
17. The Maltese Falcon
16. The Natural
15. Being John Malkovich
14. The Professionals
13. Lawrence of Arabia
12. Ghostbusters
11. This is Spinal Tap
10. Citizen Kane
9. 12 Angry Men
8. Office Space
7. To Kill a Mockingbird
6. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
5. The Godfather
4. Fargo
3. L.A. Confidential
2. Once Upon a Time in the West
1. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

[MacGuffin]

The transfer on the new Pierrot le fou DVD looks fantastic. Here are the comparisons of previous transfers:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/Reviews/pierrot_le_fou.htm

It looks like I should watch this again, since the last time I saw it was on a VHS tape. I recommend it, either way.

[MadMan]

Nevermind.

100. Night of the Living Dead
99. Laura
98. Dead Poet's Society
97. Bladerunner
96. The Lost Weekend
95. Ocean's 11
94. Star Wars
93. Midnight Run
92. It Came From Outer Space
91. The Right Stuff
90. The Fugitive
89. The French Connection
88. Back to the Future
87. Castaway
86. Quiz Show
85. Silence of the Lambs
84. Titanic
83. The Magnificent Seven
82. Rainman
81. Galaxy Quest
80. Harold and Maude
79. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
78. The Day The Earth Stood Still
77. The Apartment
76. The Great Escape
75. The Hustler
74. Ed Wood
73. The Jerk
72. Raiders of the Lost Ark
71. When Harry Met Sally...
70. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn
69. MASH
68. The Breakfast Club
67. The King and I
66. Gentleman's Agreement
65. The Princess Bride
64. Yellow Submarine
63. Network
62. Mr. Roberts
61. Singles
60. Gone With the Wind
59. The Awful Truth
58. Goldfinger
57. The Manchurian Candidate
56. It's a Wonderful Life
55. The Blues Brothers
54. The Remains of the Day
53. Midnight Express
52. Waking Ned Devine
51. Roman Holiday
50. Cool Hand Luke
49. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
48. The Adventures of Robin Hood
47. The Big Sleep
46. On the Waterfront
45. The Hudsucker Proxy
44. Dirty Harry
43. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
42. Finding Nemo
41. Ben Hur
40. Superman
39. The 39 Steps
38. Aliens
37. Men in Black
36. Clerks
35. Harvey
34. Marty
33. The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
32. All About Eve
31. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
30. The Wild Bunch
29. Young Frankenstein
28. The Bridge Over the River Kwai
27. The Usual Suspects
26. North by Northwest
25. Sunset Blvd.
24. Escape from NY
23. The Wizard of Oz
22. Casablanca
21. The Lion in Winter
20. Boogie Nights
19. The Shawshank Redemption
18. Almost Famous
17. The Maltese Falcon
16. The Natural
15. Being John Malkovich
14. The Professionals
13. Lawrence of Arabia
12. Ghostbusters
11. This is Spinal Tap
10. Citizen Kane
9. 12 Angry Men
8. Office Space
7. To Kill a Mockingbird
6. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
5. The Godfather
4. Fargo
3. L.A. Confidential
2. Once Upon a Time in the West
1. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingHmm I've only seen 52 off that list. Some of their choices were interesting. I guess I'll have to watch the video.

[Qrazy]

Hmm I've only seen 52 off that list. Some of their choices were interesting. I guess I'll have to watch the video.

It's not what I think you're thinking (top 100 list).

[MadMan]

It's not what I think you're thinking (top 100 list).No I was refering to the fact that its from that video sporting the Top 100 quotes. I think. Although if that was a Top 100 list it would be pretty eccetric/interesting/different, to say the least (abeit somewhat wrong in my opinion :P). I think the real reason I've never made up a Top 100 list is because when I look at my Top 20 alone I feel that its boring. Maybe someday.

[Dead & Messed Up]

So Sky Captain was surprisingly fun. Nice retro-design and an entertaining plot. Good final moment too.

[Sycophant]

Never again.
O RLY?

[origami_mustache]

The comedic value of Reefer Madness has been grossly exaggerated. Mostly, it was just boring.

I dunno the piano scene alone was worth it for me.

[Sycophant]

Wow. Wild Strawberries really has me wondering why I've neglected Bergman for so long, because... Wow.

I may have expected it to be great. What I didn't it to be was so damned entertaining.

[Velocipedist]

Wow. Wild Strawberries really has me wondering why I've neglected Bergman for so long, because... Wow.

Well, it's first-tier Bergman. First-tier Bergman and second-tier Bergman are pretty much everything you need.

[Sycophant]

Well, it's first-tier Bergman. First-tier Bergman and second-tier Bergman are pretty much everything you need.
First-tier Bergman and second-tier Bergman are all I need? First-tier Bergman and second-tier Bergman are love?

[MadMan]

First-tier Bergman and second-tier Bergman are all I need? First-tier Bergman and second-tier Bergman are love?Apparently. I've only seen The Seventh Seal but it was bloody brilliant. Even if at times I didn't understand what was going on, and it took me a while to really get into the film. Oh and your avatar is awesome. Where is it from? Inquiring minds must know.

[Sycophant]

Oh and your avatar is awesome. Where is it from? Inquiring minds must know.
Excel Saga. It rules.

[Sycophant]

Oh, my god. The Weinstein's PTU cover is effing hilarious.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/510RQZUWeHL._SS500_.jpg

[MadMan]

Excel Saga. It rules.I may have to check it out.

Oh and that cover reminds me a lot of many of the DVD covers for the show CSI. I think its just the yellow strip across the cover though-that's where the similarities pretty much end.

[Stay Puft]

I've only seen The Virgin Spring, and it's quite good. I need to see more Bergman, too. (Actually, I've also seen The Serpent's Egg, but I'll pretend I didn't.)

Also, PTU is cool, but I already have a pretty good R1 DVD.

[Sycophant]

Also, PTU is cool, but I already have a pretty good R1 DVD.
Yeah, me too (a region 0 DVD, actually). However, mine didn't have the promised, uh... helicopter exploding a building or whatever.

[Qrazy]

Well, it's first-tier Bergman. First-tier Bergman and second-tier Bergman are pretty much everything you need.

Which films would you put in which categories?

[megladon8]

Five years ago I watched Near Dark with my uncle. He fell asleep and I thought it was pretty bad.

I watched it again last night, hoping that my opinion had changed (since so many others have).

But no...that movie is really lame.

From the cheesy-bad score by Tangerine Dream to the horrible acting and script, it's just bad. Then throw in quite possibly one of the worst endings I've seen in a long time and no...I refuse to get on board with the fans of this one.

The bar scene is alright, and Bill Paxton was good in a bad '80s cheese kind of way.

It's certainly not without a few good scenes and an overall good idea, but damn is it bad.

And Homer is one of the most horrible characters...EVER.

[D_Davis]

I like Near Dark, and I also like Tangerine Dream's score.

[megladon8]

I like Near Dark, and I also like Tangerine Dream's score.


Ugh...I got nothing against electronic scores. I mean, Vangelis' score for Blade Runner is one of the best scores ever.

But it really didn't fit with the South-West setting and feel for the movie, and the script and acting are just so atrocious.

I really wanted to love it, but I couldn't.

[baby doll]

Wow. Wild Strawberries really has me wondering why I've neglected Bergman for so long, because... Wow.

I may have expected it to be great. What I didn't it to be was so damned entertaining.Yeah, I saw this again just after he croaked, and it confirmed my sense that he had little if any talent as a storyteller. It's episodic and meandering, though thankfully less ponderous and dull than The Seventh Seal or his trilogy of faith. Then again, his sense of humor (as evidenced in this film and Smiles of a Summer Night but rarely again afterwards) is a tad on the frivilous side for me. Persona is starting to seem more and more like a fluke, a major film by a minor talent.

[Qrazy]

Yeah, I saw this again just after he croaked, and it confirmed my sense that he had little if any talent as a storyteller. It's episodic and meandering, though thankfully less ponderous and dull than The Seventh Seal or his trilogy of faith. Then again, his sense of humor (as evidenced in this film and Smiles of a Summer Night but rarely again afterwards) is a tad on the frivilous side for me. Persona is starting to seem more and more like a fluke, a major film by a minor talent.

Oh please, I'm hardly the guy's biggest fan, but you couldn't be more purely provoking here than if you shat all over Fear and Trembling and then firebombed Sweden back to the dark ages.

[lovejuice]

Yeah, I saw this again just after he croaked, and it confirmed my sense that he had little if any talent as a storyteller. It's episodic and meandering, though thankfully less ponderous and dull than The Seventh Seal or his trilogy of faith. Then again, his sense of humor (as evidenced in this film and Smiles of a Summer Night but rarely again afterwards) is a tad on the frivilous side for me. Persona is starting to seem more and more like a fluke, a major film by a minor talent.

you might want to start by telling us why you think persona is superior or even different from wild strawberries. i too much prefer the latter, but hardly see it as a fluke. it's totally a work of someone who directed WS, SS or hour of the wolf.

[soitgoes...]

Yeah, I saw this again just after he croaked, and it confirmed my sense that he had little if any talent as a storyteller. It's episodic and meandering, though thankfully less ponderous and dull than The Seventh Seal or his trilogy of faith. Then again, his sense of humor (as evidenced in this film and Smiles of a Summer Night but rarely again afterwards) is a tad on the frivilous side for me. Persona is starting to seem more and more like a fluke, a major film by a minor talent.
Jeez.

[Wryan]

Soori at his finest. :P

[Qrazy]

Soori at his finest. :P

He used to despise Tarkovsky with similar aplomb, but I think that's changed, not sure. *shrug*

[BirdsAteMyFace]

Sorry, Bujalski. Not much of a fan. Although, I don't believe my issues are with mumblecore per se.

[Duncan]

you might want to start by telling us why you think persona is superior or even different from wild strawberries. i too much prefer the latter, but hardly see it as a fluke. it's totally a work of someone who directed WS, SS or hour of the wolf.

Or at least pull a Rowland and just post the Rosenbaum article he's ripping off.

edit: not that Rowland rips off articles, just that he posts them.

[MadMan]

I forgot to mention this earlier but right now The Ox-Bow Incident(1943) is on right now. I'e been wanting to see that western for some time now. Groovy.

[Philosophe_rouge]

I forgot to mention this earlier but right now The Ox-Bow Incident(1943) is on right now. I'e been wanting to see that western for some time now. Groovy.
I actually watched this last night and was rather dissapointed. I thought the ideas were interesting, albeit somewhat simplistic and heavy handed... but the film failed to wow me. It was just flat and I felt as if there were unnecessary or badly developed aspects of the film. The performances are generally very good, I was surprised by Dana Andrews who'se rarely that emotive. He was quite good, although pushed his performance a little too far at moments. Quinn though, was delicious in a small part. Has such incredible presence.

[Boner M]

I actually watched this last night and was rather dissapointed. I thought the ideas were interesting, albeit somewhat simplistic and heavy handed... but the film failed to wow me. It was just flat and I felt as if there were unnecessary or badly developed aspects of the film. The performances are generally very good, I was surprised by Dana Andrews who'se rarely that emotive. He was quite good, although pushed his performance a little too far at moments. Quinn though, was delicious in a small part. Has such incredible presence.
Agreed, word-for-word. I gave it a reasonably high score in my sig at first cos it was fairly compelling throughout, and Fonda and Andrews are terrific, but as you said, it's so heavy-handed that its themes and message have little resonance.

[MadMan]

I actually watched this last night and was rather dissapointed. I thought the ideas were interesting, albeit somewhat simplistic and heavy handed... but the film failed to wow me. It was just flat and I felt as if there were unnecessary or badly developed aspects of the film. The performances are generally very good, I was surprised by Dana Andrews who'se rarely that emotive. He was quite good, although pushed his performance a little too far at moments. Quinn though, was delicious in a small part. Has such incredible presence.My thoughts somewhat equal yours in some ways but differ in others. I really liked this film despite having some sizable expectations for it. I personally think that Andrews performance was better than Fonda's in this, if only because Fonda really wasn't required to stretch his acting skills in the film. My short review:

So The Ox-Bow Incident(1943) was pretty damn good. I thought that while it was pretty simplistic in terms of style it was stark and well made. I liked how its ideas were both interesting and yet at the same time got their point across, all without any gunfights or shootouts or any actual violence. This movie was pretty different to me in that regard also, and I liked the final speach near the end as well (that came from the letter) despite it containing a bit of heavy handed morality. I thought that Quinn's small performance was a mixture of style and mostly emotion, where as Fonda played his usual "Good Man" role to a tee. While this film won't make my Top 10 Westerns List it will be mentioned in the honorable mentions, and its commentary on justice and the troubling mindlesss mob mentality is worthy of noting. 90

[origami_mustache]

Persona is starting to seem more and more like a fluke, a major film by a minor talent.

I don't believe in cinematic flukes. Each stage of the process is meticulously planned, choreographed, and made possible by the collaborative effort of a group of artists who strongly believe in and support the given project...greatness is never achieved accidentally.

[Duncan]

I don't remember who posted this article (http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2008/02/25/080225crat_atlarge_denby) by David Denby on the Coen Brothers, but it's very good and I thought I would post it again because I couldn't find it after a quick perusal of the site. David Denby is such a good writer. Don't always agree with him, but I always enjoy reading what he has to say. He sums up my thoughts on Joel and Ethan Coen very well.

[Qrazy]

I don't remember who posted this article (http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2008/02/25/080225crat_atlarge_denby) by David Denby on the Coen Brothers, but it's very good and I thought I would post it again because I couldn't find it after a quick perusal of the site. David Denby is such a good writer. Don't always agree with him, but I always enjoy reading what he has to say. He sums up my thoughts on Joel and Ethan Coen very well.

That was a pretty good read.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Bad Day at Black Rock was incredibly dissapointing. Not so much that I had high expectations for it, I really didn't, but I felt that the story, characters and setting were so fascinating... and yet the film is not. There are a few moments of brilliance, the fight in the bar, and the conversation between Robert Ryan and Spencer Tracy about Ryan being refused from the army. Even then, those scenes could have been far more powerful and visceral in the hands of another director. I can't help even thinking that Fred Zinnemann (of High Noon) would have at least had a stronger grasp on the political and social subtext that was among many interesting leads that was left unexplored. This is a film if any that warrants a remake by a good director. Still, I can't get over how consistently good Robert Ryan is as an actor. Too bad he so rarely had good films to back up his talent.

[number8]

Lame (http://www.justpressplay.net/viewarticle/jessica-alba-does-more-horror-remakes/): Jessica Alba photoshoot recreating classic horror movies.

[Philosophe_rouge]

My thoughts somewhat equal yours in some ways but differ in others. I really liked this film despite having some sizable expectations for it. I personally think that Andrews performance was better than Fonda's in this, if only because Fonda really wasn't required to stretch his acting skills in the film. My short review:

So The Ox-Bow Incident(1943) was pretty damn good. I thought that while it was pretty simplistic in terms of style it was stark and well made. I liked how its ideas were both interesting and yet at the same time got their point across, all without any gunfights or shootouts or any actual violence. This movie was pretty different to me in that regard also, and I liked the final speach near the end as well (that came from the letter) despite it containing a bit of heavy handed morality. I thought that Quinn's small performance was a mixture of style and mostly emotion, where as Fonda played his usual "Good Man" role to a tee. While this film won't make my Top 10 Westerns List it will be mentioned in the honorable mentions, and its commentary on justice and the troubling mindlesss mob mentality is worthy of noting. 90
I'm happy you liked it, and I wish I enjoyed it more. I could see myself going either way really depending on my mood.

[Rowland]

Dawn of the Dead (1978) 9How'd you like this compared to NotLD?

[Philosophe_rouge]

Lame (http://www.justpressplay.net/viewarticle/jessica-alba-does-more-horror-remakes/): Jessica Alba photoshoot recreating classic horror movies.
Those are incredibly bad...embarassing even.

[number8]

You know, I've never seen anyone use + and - with number ratings before. Well played, rouge.

[MadMan]

I'm happy you liked it, and I wish I enjoyed it more. I could see myself going either way really depending on my mood.Yeah I think it largely stems from the fact that I love westerns. Only a handful of westerns I've ever seen have gotten negative ratings from me, but then I usually try to see only the "best" of the bunch. I'm glad to see that you liked Dawn of the Dead(1978). After a second viewing last year during October I decided that I felt the film was truly great, and almost equal to NOTLD.


Lame (http://www.justpressplay.net/viewarticle/jessica-alba-does-more-horror-remakes/): Jessica Alba photoshoot recreating classic horror movies.Epic fail.

PS: I wonder if I may be the only person on this website that really likes Bad Day At Black Rock.

[Raiders]

Still, I can't get over how consistently good Robert Ryan is as an actor. Too bad he so rarely had good films to back up his talent.

You think? On Dangerous Ground, The Wild Bunch, The Set-Up, The Naked Spur, The Iceman Cometh, Day of the Outlaw, House of Bamboo...

He had some good films over the years. Most great actors have a lot of crap in between the great ones.

[Rowland]

Lame (http://www.justpressplay.net/viewarticle/jessica-alba-does-more-horror-remakes/): Jessica Alba photoshoot recreating classic horror movies.:lol:

She's as bad an actress when posing for photo shoots as she is in her movies.

[Wryan]

Lame (http://www.justpressplay.net/viewarticle/jessica-alba-does-more-horror-remakes/): Jessica Alba photoshoot recreating classic horror movies.

Thanks. I knew I needed a good cry right before going to bed. I knew I was missing something.

[Philosophe_rouge]

How'd you like this compared to NotLD?
I'd rate them both about the same, but I think Dawn was overall the much better film. I liked the more overt bleakness of Night, I don't know why, but films that offer no hope make me happy despite being a generally optimistic person. Dawn was visually far more dynamic, and generally ranks as one of the best looking horrors I've had the pleasure of seeing. I loved the character development, which having seen Night so recently feels like a more refined and really an extension of already present political and social idea. Having more than one character that was at least likeable made for a more pleasurable and engaging experience overall. The only problem I have is that for some reason the final sequences with the bikers felt a little off in terms of pacing. I liked the implications of the sequence, and it really moved the plot to it's finale... but something about it felt a little off. I don't know what.

[Philosophe_rouge]

You think? On Dangerous Ground, The Wild Bunch, The Set-Up, The Naked Spur, The Iceman Cometh, Day of the Outlaw, House of Bamboo...

He had some good films over the years. Most great actors have a lot of crap in between the great ones.
I haven't seen all of those, but yea, The Wild Bunch, Dangerous GRound and the Set-Up are top tier. Maybe it's just because two of the last films I've seen him in I didn't like (Caught and The Racket) and barely remember his part in the Wild Bunch... a slight exagerration on my part.


You know, I've never seen anyone use + and - with number ratings before. Well played, rouge.
I ripped it off of a poster over at Rottentomatoes, don't give me too much credit :P

[MadMan]

To me Dawn is almost as bleak as Night. I wrote a review for the latter that's short and sweet. As for the former, well I ended up with a three page essay that is full of spoilers and heavy on discussing most of the major aspects of the film. Heh. I wrote it for the Axis back in 2005 when we had this "Horror Movie Review" week going on. I commend all who actually bothered to even skim the damn thing.

[Boner M]

That Psycho/Alba pic... :lol:

[Spinal]

Jessica Alba is consistently lame.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Jessica Alba is consistently lame.

She's in desperate need of a photo shoot in The New Yorker.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Yeah I think it largely stems from the fact that I love westerns. Only a handful of westerns I've ever seen have gotten negative ratings from me, but then I usually try to see only the "best" of the bunch. I'm glad to see that you liked Dawn of the Dead(1978). After a second viewing last year during October I decided that I felt the film was truly great, and almost equal to NOTLD.

Epic fail.

PS: I wonder if I may be the only person on this website that really likes Bad Day At Black Rock.
I love westerns too, very few I'd rate badly... although on the other hand, very few I REALLY love. Too often I fall in love with the idea of the fictional west, and it's cinematic opportunities and dwell on what I see as failed opportunities. I'm generally very forgiving though :)

It's a great film, Romero is the "It" director of this month for me! I have Martin lined up for this week, should be interesting.

[Eleven]

Watched two Japanese documentaries the last two days: Kazuo Hara's (with development help from Shohei Imamura) The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On from '87 and this past year's White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Both brutal, painful even sometimes to watch; the former because it begins to take on the insistent, sometimes bullying self-righteousness of the lead character when it contains so little editorial interference, and the latter due simply to subject matter faced straight on.

Marches On amounts to a devastating, eminently watchable extended confrontation by Kenzo Okuzaki, an individualistic army officer during WWII turned political firebrand, against the political, military, and social status quo around him. He's always in the right, but once his brutish personal interrogation methods are revealed in earnest, against elderly former officers no less, Hara's insistent cinema verite filming takes on new dimensions. The film studies profs I watched it with labeled it an "obsessive" film, putting it alongside Taxi Driver and the works of Herzog in its ambivalent approach towards those at the fringes of society. Really, an amazing piece of reportage, though.

[megladon8]

Holy shit. Even in still photos, she can't act.

[MadMan]

I love westerns too, very few I'd rate badly... although on the other hand, very few I REALLY love. Too often I fall in love with the idea of the fictional west, and it's cinematic opportunities and dwell on what I see as failed opportunities. I'm generally very forgiving though :)

It's a great film, Romero is the "It" director of this month for me! I have Martin lined up for this week, should be interesting.Ah, I see. Cool. And yes I can be too forgiving on movies in general, not to mention westerns. There are a good many films I absolutely hate though.

Awesome sauce about Romero. I hope you like Martin as much as Raiders, myself, and a few others do. Its really a unique and interesting vampire film but there's more to it of course. Just like pretty much all of Romero's films.

[Qrazy]

Holy shit. Even in still photos, she can't act.

Or be attractive.

[Duncan]

Or be attractive.

Nah. She has a career for a reason.

[origami_mustache]

Holy shit. Even in still photos, she can't act.

haha...so true.


Or be attractive.

...haha this is probably more provoking than soori's/Rosenbaum's disdain for Bergman.

[MadMan]

Jessica Alba is hot despite her lack of acting ability. Dark Angel is probably the best thing she's ever done, although that show got old really fast.

[MacGuffin]

Even though I didn't like Les Choses secréts (I hated it, in fact), I think I'm going to give Les Anges exterminateurs a try this weekend.

[Eleven]

If she absolutely has to be in movies, her image should just be embedded in one of the lower corners of the screen, out of the way somewhere, so that she's physically present and can be stared at but can't get in the way of the plot, current action, or other actors, as she's wont to do despite herself.

[Spinal]

She's in desperate need of a photo shoot in The New Yorker.

Yes. This might be enough to sway my opinion.

OK, Jessica. Your move.

[MacGuffin]

Oh my... Those Alba pictures are indescribably bad. With each picture, she makes an expression that says nothing to me other than "I'm taking a dump right now... on this movie". What a thoroughly unattractive and bad actress.

[MadMan]

Yes. This might be enough to sway my opinion.

OK, Jessica. Your move.I heartily approve of this idea.

[Lucky]

Lust, Caution continues my mediocre reception to every movie Ang Lee has ever made. I believe this one is his most finely crafted, although I was still left with zero to little emotional resonance at the climax. I would have liked to see Kar Wai's version of the story.

[Wryan]

I don't find her attractive at all. You know that man show where they "decided" on all of the "important" "manly" debates? I always laughed when they asked who was hotter between Alba and Biel. Lord have mercy.

[Lucky]

Oh yeah, The Air I Breathe was as silly as all of you predicted it would be. To make matters worse, it was ultimately pointless, too. Aside from the cast who try their best, there's not much past the extreme melodrama. At 90 min it's an entertaining ride, though.

[Wryan]

BTW, those stuffed birds in the Birds shot are actually emoting better than she is.

[Qrazy]

Nah. She has a career for a reason.

And that reason is in her nether regions.

[Qrazy]

Even though I didn't like Les Choses secréts (I hated it, in fact), I think I'm going to give Les Anges exterminateurs a try this weekend.

It's a Spanish film. Christ. Why can't people just translate their titles.

[Qrazy]

I don't find her attractive at all. You know that man show where they "decided" on all of the "important" "manly" debates? I always laughed when they asked who was hotter between Alba and Biel. Lord have mercy.

There's something about a face which screams stupidity that I just can't get excited about.

[MacGuffin]

It's a Spanish film. Christ. Why can't people just translate their titles.

No, it's a French movie.

[Qrazy]

No, it's a French movie.

Ohh sorry man, thought you were talking about the Bunuel. But I still wish people would use the English titles, or the regional DVD title. Maybe you are doing that even, in which case *foot in mouth*.

[MacGuffin]

Ohh sorry man, thought you were talking about the Bunuel. But I still wish people would use the English titles, or the regional DVD title. Maybe you are doing that even, in which case *foot in mouth*.

Yeah, I was going to say, what if I'm French (I'm not)? Either way, I think there are aspects of French and Spanish language which make them, along with English, more universally recognizable as oppose to any of the Asian languages. That said, I feel compelled to use the original titles for French and Spanish flicks instead of the English translated titles, just as I would call Death Proof Death Proof, and not Boulevard de la mort (assuming I was, in fact, French, which again, I am not). That said, I'm also studying Spanish and have a great interest in learning as much French as possible, so there.

[Qrazy]

Yeah, I was going to say, what if I'm French (I'm not)? Either way, I think there are aspects of French and Spanish language which make them, along with English, more universally recognizable as oppose to any of the Asian languages. That said, I feel compelled to use the original titles for French and Spanish flicks instead of the English translated titles, just as I would call Death Proof Death Proof, and not Boulevard de la mort (assuming I was, in fact, French, which again, I am not). That said, I'm also studying Spanish and have a great interest in learning as much French as possible, so there.

If you were French and we were on a French forum I think it would be perfectly reasonable to call it Boulevard de la mort.

[Qrazy]

The Bird People in China was entertaining. Lady Snowblood was not very good.

[EvilShoe]

http://www.justpressplay.net/images/uploads/albaremake-rosemary.jpg
=
http://www.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,,5393890,00.jpghttp://www.hotbizz.com/images/upload/ahhhh.jpg

?

[Boner M]

Romance & Cigarettes is a mess. It's got loads of ideas, all of them bad, plus the musical sequences are flat, and the profane dialogue is tiresome when not spoken by Winslet, who is the film's only saving grace. Exuberance doesn't always equal fun.

Bug, on the other hand, is pretty awesome. I have to admit I wasn't giving much thought to it on an allegorical level, but the mix of the innate theatricality of the material combined with Friedkin's nervy direction, and two flat-out amazing (and brave) performances from Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon makes for a unique and incendiary experience. Excitingly unfashionable stuff.

[ledfloyd]

Bug scared the hell out of me. Whenever I got an itch or anything for the week after I saw it I started panicking.

[monolith94]

Yeah, I saw this again just after he croaked, and it confirmed my sense that he had little if any talent as a storyteller. It's episodic and meandering, though thankfully less ponderous and dull than The Seventh Seal or his trilogy of faith. Then again, his sense of humor (as evidenced in this film and Smiles of a Summer Night but rarely again afterwards) is a tad on the frivilous side for me. Persona is starting to seem more and more like a fluke, a major film by a minor talent.

In my opinion, there's nothing inherently wrong with episodic and meandering, provided they're done well. The two words are so vague in anycase that they can be applied to almost anything.

[Qrazy]

In my opinion, there's nothing inherently wrong with episodic and meandering, provided they're done well. The two words are so vague in anycase that they can be applied to almost anything.

Well I don't really agree about the vagueness but yeah there's nothing inherently wrong with it. Fellini does it exceptionally well.

[megladon8]

I watched most of Bava's Four Times That Night last night - four different recollections of the same sexual encounter, all played out for laughs.

I found the first story quite disturbing and almost offensive, as it tries to play off attempted rape and the beating of a woman for laughs.

I had a hard time finding anything else in the movie funny after that.

[Rowland]

Even though I didn't like Les Choses secréts (I hated it, in fact), I think I'm going to give Les Anges exterminateurs a try this weekend.Why the French titles? Anyway, if you didn't like Secret Things, I can't imagine how you'll like Exterminating Angels.

[Qrazy]

So who was that band playing/singing in the Richard Gere section of I'm not There in the town? Sounded very familiar.

[Kurosawa Fan]

So who was that band playing/singing in the Richard Gere section of I'm not There in the town? Sounded very familiar.

Goin' to Acapulco by Bob Dylan

[Qrazy]

Goin' to Acapulco by Bob Dylan

But who performed it.

[Kurosawa Fan]

But who performed it.

Jim James and Calexico

[Bosco B Thug]

Poor Jessica Alba. She is a bad actress. I watched some The Eye clips to try to convince myself to go see it and her lack of talent has a certain way of coming at you and smacking you in the face.

I watched most of Bava's Four Times That Night last night - four different recollections of the same sexual encounter, all played out for laughs.

I found the first story quite disturbing and almost offensive, as it tries to play off attempted rape and the beating of a woman for laughs.

I had a hard time finding anything else in the movie funny after that. Hmm, curious! Bava doing comedy, one might've figured there'd be something questionable about it!

[Qrazy]

Jim James and Calexico

Ah thanks, guess I don't know it after all.

[Philosophe_rouge]

One Hour with You (1932) was delightful. Lubitsch remakes his own film (The Marriage Circle) as a more consive musical that really betters the original in every way. The cast is stupendous, and I don't think a single joke falls flat. It's actually the most laugh out loud funny film I've seen in some time. 1932 was a good year for him!

[megladon8]

Hmm, curious! Bava doing comedy, one might've figured there'd be something questionable about it!


Yes, but I didn't expect attempts at making rape funny.

Especially when the girl is recalling to her mother how the man hit her, and ripped her dress trying to molest her, and the mother just giggles and says stuff like "oh, that's exciting!"

[Qrazy]

Far from Heaven was limp wristed, dull and forgettable. Really disappointing.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Far from Heaven was limp wristed, dull and forgettable. Really disappointing.

Wow. I agree. And here I thought I was the only one. Nice to have company.

[megladon8]

I don't remember much from Far From Heaven, other than the movie's striking beauty.

[Qrazy]

I don't remember much from Far From Heaven, other than the movie's striking beauty.

I didn't find it all that beautiful. The compositions seemed rather ordinary to me.

[Derek]

I didn't find it all that beautiful. The compositions seemed rather ordinary to me.

Just out of curiosity, what's your opinion of Sirk?

[Qrazy]

Just out of curiosity, what's your opinion of Sirk?

I've only seen Written on the Wind but I liked it. Haven't been able to get a hold of All that Heaven Allows yet.

[Sycophant]

Does anyone here like Tyler Perry? Or have seen his films?

I'm trying Why Did I Get Married? this weekend.

[Wryan]

All That Heaven Allows is great and Imitation of Life made me cry like a little manchild.

I liked Far From Heaven a ton.

[Derek]

I've only seen Written on the Wind but I liked it. Haven't been able to get a hold of All that Heaven Allows yet.

I only mentioned it because I though Far From Heaven was a clever homage and update to the Sirkian melodrama, keeping the same artificial sheen while also bring the more subtextual elements right to the surface. I haven't seen it since theaters, so I'll have to rewatch it to give it a more thorough defense.

EDIT: Also, try to get a hold of some of his b&w films which are in some ways superior to his color films - particularly All I Desire, There's Always Tomorrow and The Tarnished Angels.


Does anyone here like Tyler Perry?

:lol: You're kidding, right?


Or have seen his films?

I saw Madea's Family Reunion and it's remarkably hypocritical and misogynistic. My favorite part was when several men (and the camera) leered at woman's ass in booty shorts before they go on to explain how wrong it is for women to dress like that and tempt men. Well, either that or the part where Madea threatened to beat her grandchild for not doing his homework. There was also a part where a wife hit her husband in the face with a pot of boiling water, but unfortunately, I forget the details of that part. And yeah, this film is actually supposed to be projecting positive Christian values.


I'm trying Why Did I Get Married? this weekend.

I saw a few minutes of this since my roommate rented it and it's just as bad, villainizing the working woman as being responsible for destroying the family. As long as you're going into it for its laughably archaic values and condescending hypocrisy, you won't be disappointed.

[megladon8]

The fact that Tyler Perry's films have consistently done well at the box office is one of the ways I know we're all in the fast-lane to Armageddon.

[Ivan Drago]

Across the Universe (Taymor, 2007) ½
Britannia Hospital (Anderson, 1982) *
Jumper (Liman, 2007) No Stars

Wow, you've been on a bad streak of late.

[Derek]

Wow, you've been on a bad streak of late.

Well, Jumper at least had a bit of bad movie value with Sam Jackson and Britannia had the very occasional flash of madcap surrealism that made Oh Lucky Man! so brilliant, but yeah, it's been rough going the last few films. That should end tonight as I'm going for something I have a much higher chance of loving.

[Derek]

The fact that Tyler Perry's films have consistently done well at the box office is one of the ways I know we're all in the fast-lane to Armageddon.

Well, he's a smart businessman. I'll give him that much. There's a niche market who shares his world view and are willing to support everything he does and he churns them out with remarkable speed. Fortunately, it's a decidedly small portion of the overall population, but I agree it's frightening that it's enough to make his films that successful.

[Raiders]

Far from Heaven was limp wristed, dull and forgettable. Really disappointing.

There will be a day when you post a correct opinion. I'm still waiting... but it's bound to happen.

[megladon8]

Well, he's a smart businessman. I'll give him that much. There's a niche market who shares his world view and are willing to support everything he does and he churns them out with remarkable speed. Fortunately, it's a decidedly small portion of the overall population, but I agree it's frightening that it's enough to make his films that successful.


It's kind of sad that this niche market just blindly buys into everything he does, regardless of the fact that it's crap.

Seriously, we read a couple of his stage plays in my theatre class as examples of "poor theatre", and it's true. The stuff is awful.

[Derek]

It's kind of sad that this niche market just blindly buys into everything he does, regardless of the fact that it's crap.

Seriously, we read a couple of his stage plays in my theatre class as examples of "poor theatre", and it's true. The stuff is awful.

*shivers* Oh god, I'm sorry. I imagine the one thing worse than sitting through one of his movies is actually taking the time to parse through a script.

[lovejuice]

The fact that Tyler Perry's films have consistently done well at the box office is one of the ways I know we're all in the fast-lane to Armageddon.

just wonder are his films bad artistically or ethically? i know that his demographic are perhaps black versions of those who see Me & You, Us, Forever. yet somehow there seems to be enough pervert streak in him that prevent me from casting his films as "totally for religious nutjob." aside from that, the reviews seem to mention the good nature of his message.

still no, i don't think i'll see it myself.

[megladon8]

*shivers* Oh god, I'm sorry. I imagine the one thing worse than sitting through one of his movies is actually taking the time to parse through a script.


"Diary of a Mad Black Woman" was one of the worst pieces of writing I have ever read - novel, short story, script, comic book, anything.

I do not understand this whole idea of trying to eradicate racism by enforcing racial stereotypes. Like Nas' stupid album name/promotional shirt at the Grammy's, I cannot bring myself to respect someone when they consider meaningless "button-pushing" with no rhyme, reason or overall message to be "art".

[megladon8]

just wonder are his films bad artistically or ethically? i know that his demographic are perhaps black versions of those who see Me & You, Us, Forever. yet somehow there seems to be enough pervert streak in him that prevent me from casting his films as "totally for religious nutjob." aside from that, the reviews seem to mention the good nature of his message.

still no, i don't think i'll see it myself.


I haven't experienced the on-screen versions (and never intend to), but the plays we read had the finesse of Crash, but with a more tasteless approach.

[Qrazy]

There will be a day when you post a correct opinion. I'm still waiting... but it's bound to happen.

You do realize when I first started posting on match-cut you asked if you'd created me as an alias because our taste/thoughts were so similar at the time, right? Recollect yo.

Personally I think we have relatively similar taste, I just like fewer movies than you do.

[Raiders]

Personally I think we have relatively similar taste, I just like fewer movies than you do.

I'm a lover. What can I do?

[Philosophe_rouge]

I like Far From Heaven, but my appreciation for it has paled over the years... I really loved it when I saw it for the first time, I still agree with everything Derek has to say, but in my memory it lacks that punch that makes a film truly special. I adore Douglas Sirk though, Imitation of Life is one of the greatest films EVER.

[Qrazy]

I'm a lover. What can I do?

Couldn't you have your balls cut off?

[Rowland]

Couldn't you have your balls cut off?Isn't that a bit extreme? Can't he just have his vas deferens cut?

I love that word. Vas deferens. I think it was once the title of an Aphex Twin song.

[Qrazy]

Isn't that a bit extreme? Can't he just have his vas deferens cut?

Tsk tsk, the correct answer was:

It's not as simple as that Nigel.

[number8]

I forgot that I saw Across the Universe a week or so ago.

It sucked.

[Derek]

I forgot that I saw Across the Universe a week or so ago.

If only I can be so lucky.

[Watashi]

Hey guys, what's up?

Stalag 17 is the first Wilder film I would only declare as "good". Compared to other POW films like Army of Shadows and A Man Escaped, the prisoners here are on a vacation. Dare I say the film was too entertaining? Characters like Animal and Harry share the spotlight a bit much, and most of these characters are typecasted and never given a chewable role. Still, it's written sharply and never drags, but it's not as good as the previous Holden/Wilder collaboration.

Kramer vs. Kramer may not have deserved Best Picture over Apocalypse Now or All That Jazz, but it's great nonetheless. I actually liked how it didn't become a typical courtroom drama. It's like the white version of Pursuit of Happyness.

[Spinal]

Stalag 17 is the first Wilder film I would only declare as "good".

Definitely my least favorite Wilder. I would go so far as to call it "not good."

[MadMan]

Actually because of Shaq starting for the Suns for the first time ever tonight I didn't watch Stalag 17. However some good stuff will be on TCM this weekend so I'll watch those films instead.

[baby doll]

you might want to start by telling us why you think persona is superior or even different from wild strawberries. i too much prefer the latter, but hardly see it as a fluke. it's totally a work of someone who directed WS, SS or hour of the wolf.I don't think Persona is a huge departure, so much as it sidesteps Bergman's usual limitations: no ponderous monologues about God's silence (Bibi Andersson's monologue works so well precisely because it's so matter of fact), so it lacks much of the heaviness of Through a Glass, Darkly and Winter Light without resorting to kind of laboured frivilousness one finds in Smiles of a Summer Night and parts of Wild Strawberries--namely, the summer home flashback--and the story isn't episodic and rambling (by keeping the number of characters and locations to a minimum, Bergman does the opposite of what he does in Wild Strawberries, where he gets bogged down in all these flashbacks and dreams and supporting characters).

[Boner M]

You gotta watch Le Trou, Wats.

[baby doll]

In my opinion, there's nothing inherently wrong with episodic and meandering, provided they're done well. The two words are so vague in anycase that they can be applied to almost anything.Well, no the terms are not vague. If you look at, say, Black Book, that film is not meandering; it moves at a very quick pace. By way of contrast, Bergman is as clumsy as they come. There are good episodic films, but they usually have a lightness of touch, an easiness, that is completely alien to Bergman.

[Wryan]

Yeah some of the humor in Stalag 17 is sub-sitcom. There's still some good stuff in it though.

[megladon8]

I loved Stalag 17.

It's not my favorite Wilder - not like I'm well-versed in the man's work, anyways - but I thought it was great. William Holden deserved the Oscar.

[origami_mustache]

Yeah some of the humor in Stalag 17 is sub-sitcom. There's still some good stuff in it though.

Agreed, my biggest problems with it stem from the slapstick and broad humor of Animal and Harry.

[Wryan]

I loved Stalag 17.

It's not my favorite Wilder - not like I'm well-versed in the man's work, anyways - but I thought it was great. William Holden deserved the Oscar.

That made me wonder how many of his I've seen, too...turns out I had seen more than I thought I had.

Double Indemnity - ***
A Foreign Affair - ***
Sunset Blvd. - ****
Ace in the Hole - ***
Stalag 17 - **1/2
Sabrina - ***1/2
The Seven Year Itch - **1/2
The Spirit of St. Louis - **1/2
Love in the Afternoon^ - see below
Witness for the Prosecution - ***
Some Like It Hot - ****
The Apartment - ****
One, Two, Three - **1/2
Irma la Douce - * (seriously, this blows)

^I'm only sorta sure on whether I've seen it or not. Either it didn't make an impression at all, or I'm not remembering the right one. So, no rating.

[megladon8]

I've got The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes around here somewhere.

When I find it, I'll give it a whirl.

I've seen these Wilder films...

Double Indemnity - 9.5 (not a 10 because it's been a while)
Sunset Blvd. - 9
Stalag 17 - 9
The Seven Year Itch - 8.5

And I saw Some Like it Hot as a kid and hated it...but I was a kid. It's one I'd like to see again.

[Wryan]

And I saw Some Like it Hot as a kid and hated it...but I was a kid. It's one I'd like to see again.

You might have been weirded out by the transvestism. Now, though....who doesn't like a little drag? That's almost foolproof comedy right there.

[Sycophant]

And I saw Some Like it Hot as a kid and hated it...but I was a kid. It's one I'd like to see again.
Watch it again. Soon. No, now. Watch it now.

[Ezee E]

Kramer Vs. Kramer is pretty great until the last scene, where all that work is just easily fixed by a simple talk. Ugh.

[mindstream]

Stalag 17 is the first Wilder film I would only declare as "good". Compared to other POW films like Army of Shadows and A Man Escaped, the prisoners here are on a vacation. Dare I say the film was too entertaining? Characters like Animal and Harry share the spotlight a bit much, and most of these characters are typecasted and never given a chewable role. Still, it's written sharply and never drags, but it's not as good as the previous Holden/Wilder collaboration.

Stalag 17 was probably my third or fourth Wilder film. I remember seeing it after Sunset Blvd, Double Indemnity and Ace in the Hole. I honestly couldn't believe it was made by the same guy who did the latter films. It's a horrible waste of talent. :confused:

[Boner M]

Weekend:

Quiet City
First Name, Carmen
Phantom of the Paradise
Seven Men From Now
Margot at the Wedding
Joy Division

[soitgoes...]

Weekend:
Michael Clayton
In the Shadow of the Moon
Go, Go Second Time Virgin
The Darjeeling Limited
Mad Detective

[Kurosawa Fan]

Weekend:

Fido
Vengeance is Mine
Eastern Promises

[Raiders]

Phantom of the Paradise
Seven Men From Now

Huzzah!

After you see, and really like, the Boetticher film, make sure to check out the pinnacle of his craft, Ride Lonesome.

Weekend:

Vantage Point
Michael Clayton
Popeye (I can't keep iosos waiting forever...)

[Benny Profane]

Agree with all the lukewarm reactions to Stalag 17.

Weekend:

A Talk Cinema film (hopefully Chicago 10)
The Devil and Daniel Johnston
Moolaade

[Kurosawa Fan]

Agree with all the lukewarm reactions to Stalag 17.


How did I miss this conversation? This was one I saw very early on once I started to explore early cinema, and I was very disappointed. To be honest, I can't remember much about it anymore, but I do remember the humor falling totally flat and the film not being terribly compelling, especially considering the story. I'll have to page back through the thread and read the discussion.

[Raiders]

How did I miss this conversation?

You were probably too busy looking for a way to inject your negative opinion on The Apartment.

[Kurosawa Fan]

You were probably too busy looking for a way to inject your negative opinion on The Apartment.

:lol:

I'll put this out there right now. I vow to rewatch The Apartment before the year is over. I make no promises that my opinion will change, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did considering the circumstances during my first viewing.