28 Film Discussion Threads Later [Archive] - Page 42

D_Davis

03-27-2008, 02:39 AM

Describing a film like this is almost like pleading with me to skip it.

It's not a passing of judgment or a statement of quality, just an observation a professional made utilizing the work of Campbell coupled with his years of script reading and story supervision.

Noticing patterns and common pacing does not lessen the artistic merit of something. Campbell notice common themes in mythology, and Vogler has noticed that often times these themes tend to break down and mean certain things regarding the crafting of a screenplay.

Sven

03-27-2008, 02:55 AM

Whoa! Derek! Schrader's prequel! Thoughts!

Derek

03-27-2008, 03:06 AM

Whoa! Derek! Schrader's prequel! Thoughts!

http://www.slantmagazine.com/images/dvd/critic.jpg

It's plodding, motonous, heavy-handed and ineffective in its portrayal of spiritual crisis, full of clunky narrative transitions and downright laughable during its Sci-Fi Channel quality special effects which are present more and more often as the film moves on. It's a shame b/c I was hoping they ended up shelving the better version, but I'd be surprised if Harlin's is worse than this. I'll see for myself soon enough.

Sven

03-27-2008, 03:07 AM

Mysterious Dude

03-27-2008, 03:11 AM

I like the 30-year-old Jean-Luc Godard a lot more than the 36-year-old Jean-Luc Godard. Is that weird?

Derek

03-27-2008, 03:37 AM

Very interesting indeed. I can't wait to hear your take on Harlin's.

Have you seen both? What are your thoughts on either of them?

I like the 30-year-old Jean-Luc Godard a lot more than the 36-year-old Jean-Luc Godard. Is that weird?

No, most people do. He's much easier to digest before Week End than after, which is to say nothing about the quality of the films.

Rowland

03-27-2008, 03:39 AM

Yeah, I've seen bits and pieces of Schrader's Dominion on HBO, and what I caught was frankly embarrassing. I can't blame the studio for demanding a new movie.

Derek

03-27-2008, 03:41 AM

Yeah, I've seen bits and pieces of Schrader's Dominion on HBO, and what I caught was frankly embarrassing. I can't blame the studio for demanding a new movie.

It's still quite amazing that they waited until after the film was finished to pull the plug. :)

Qrazy

03-27-2008, 04:54 AM

Oh man, this shit cracked me up.

In relation to anime series Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann:

"Takami Akai, the producer of the series and a co-founder of Gainax, announced that he would resign his position effective episode five, which aired on April 29, 2007, over comments that he made regarding posts on the Japanese Internet forum 2channel. Akai and another Gainax employee, Keiko Mimori, made disparaging remarks about comments criticizing the animation style of the fourth episode of Gurren Lagann, which was completely directed by guest and friend Osamu Kobayashi. With regard to reading the fan criticisms, Akai stated that it was "like putting [his] face next to an anus and breathing deeply." Fans later became aware of his comments, and he announced his departure from the company he helped to found.[8]"

Stay Puft

03-27-2008, 07:04 AM

origami_mustache

03-27-2008, 09:29 AM

Kwaidan (Masaki Kobayashi, 1964)

http://www.mjewing.co.uk/mewsings/pix/kwaidan_eyes.jpg

Kobayashi directs an anthology of four Japanese folk tales/ghost stories that predate the J-horror phenomenon, but share many of it's elements including psychological tension and an infatuation with the spirit world. Apparently at the time it was made Kwaidan was the most expensive film in the history of Japanese cinema. The lavish production is truly beautiful to look at, although I think the color photography and expressionistic sets both compliment and hinder the film in certain respects. The look lends a surreal supernatural fairy-tale feel, but on the other hand there is an obvious artificiality that takes me out of it at times, especially during exterior sequences. The cinematography and sound design are the two most impressive aspects of the film in my opinion. The music really sets the mood throughout, and the sound effects not only enhance the creepiness, but also correlate with the pacing and rhythmic editing. Several instances employ an interesting technique where the diegetic sounds such as the screams of the characters and other foley are muted as eerie echoing sounds are put in place, representing the presence of the spirit. "Hoichi The Earless" serves as the centerpiece and most elaborate with a duration almost double that of the other three. The opening montage juxtaposes images of paintings of a sea battle with reenactments of it taking place. This sequence in particular reminded me of what graphic novel adapatations like 300 are trying to do now.

Boner M

03-27-2008, 12:11 PM

Holy moley, you guys weren't kidding about Samurai Cop. Probably even more consistently enjoyable than Troll 2, which is great/awful but can be enjoyed equally in youtube montage form. The set pieces I'd already seen were perfectly hilarious/terrible (bacon grease torture, horny nurse, the car chases, etc) but there's so so many subtle ineptitudes that just push it over the edge. Like the abundance of softcore nudity and sex scenes AND the presence of a post-coital L-shaped sheets scene. Or Frank laughing maniacally after meeting his opponents at a restaurant. Or Frank's joke about climbing under a gate while his partner climbs over - because he's an undercover cop - despite them both being undercover.

Seriously, this is like the so-bad-it's-good inverse of what distinguishes much European art cinema. Like Tati, every frame is loaded with information and layers, only here it's because there's a filmmaking ineptitude everywhere you move your eye. Like Bergman, the faces of the actors become amphitheaters, only with hilariously stilted gestures and woodenness. Like Godard, the line between actors and characters becomes increasingly blurred, but only because the script just can't contain living, breathing human beings - Frank's aforementioned bout of inexplicable maniacal laughter can only be read as a gesture of defiance from actor Mark Frazer against his stifling token black guy role.

God, this film is a thing of beauty.

D_Davis

03-27-2008, 12:48 PM

Green Snake is one of the most gorgeous films I have ever seen. Some of the sequences in this film are jaw-dropping, and just expertly directed. What's good is so good I can't even hold the missteps against it. I mean, I don't know what was going on with that fire dragon. That just looked bad. But who cares? I can roll with it. It's wonderful on the whole.

The magic crane was awesome.

The opening few moments of Green Snake are probably my favorite moments Tsui's ever shot.

The Magic Crane is also pretty cool. One of the lesser known wuxia pians of the 1990s. This is another one of those Tsui-produced films that people wonder about; just how much did he direct?

D_Davis

03-27-2008, 12:50 PM

I watched The Ninth Configuration last night. After reading the book a few weeks ago (it is now one of my favorite books I've ever read) I really wanted to see the film again. While watching it, I realized that I remembered less about it than I thought I did. The only things that were familiar to me were some of the establishing shots.

Needless to say, this film will be going on my top 100. It is so brilliant, so entertaining, and so wonderfully made I just can't believe it.

I just wish that Blatty would direct more movies.

Raiders

03-27-2008, 01:04 PM

D_Davis

03-27-2008, 01:53 PM

Rep!

It's weird. I remember seeing the film a long time ago and liking it. At least liking it enough to pick up the book a while ago. I read the book in about 2 days, and totally fell in love with it (my review is here: http://match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=46053&postcount=317). I think it's one of the all time great SF novels. It tackles more themes, better, in its short length than many novels do in 10 times the amount of pages.

After reading the book, I just had to see the film again, and then, while watching it, I realized that I remembered almost nothing about it. However, I did quickly realize that the film is really one of the better adaptations I've seen. It included all of my favorite moments and lines of dialog from the book, but it was not just a collection of "best of" scenes - it works as a film first and foremost.

I can't believe that Blatty has only directed 2 films. Both of them are made with the maturity and skill of a much more seasoned and experiences director. Where did he get his cinematic eye from? The film is just bursting with one incredibly well shot moment after another, and even though the DVD is just barely passable in terms of video quality, the film is a marvel to behold.

It's simply a superb film made by a director and author who I would love to see more from.

EvilShoe

03-27-2008, 01:57 PM

It's a shame The Ninth Configuration has been forgotten. The Ectothermal Puppy (poster from RT) once sent it to me, for some kind of Secret Santa thing. Terrific movie, and one I wouldn't have seen otherwise.

Stacy Keach deserved a better career. Besides this, he was also very convincing in Fat City.

D_Davis

03-27-2008, 02:10 PM

Stacy Keach deserved a better career. Besides this, he was also very convincing in Fat City.

He's so intense in TNC. He played Kane differently than I read him in the book. I read him more laid back, more at peace with himself, where as Keach played him like a tightly wound spring. I think both interpretations work, and Keach presented this reading with conviction. The film does, perhaps, play up the mystery surrounding Kane's character a little too much; there just a tad too many what's-really-going-on-? moments, but in context to the filmed version I think they do work.

I was glad to see (or hear, I guess) that Blatty kept in a lot of the Christian apologetics. It's almost as if Kane had recently read Lewis's Mere Christianity. The film works as a great parable of Christ-like love and sacrifice while at the same time it works as a masterful thriller.

I need to read more from and about Blatty.

Benny Profane

03-27-2008, 02:11 PM

The Pup! Wherefore art thou, the Pup!

D_Davis

03-27-2008, 02:21 PM

The Pup! Wherefore art thou, the Pup!

:lol:

Is this your dog?
Does he look like my zebra?

Et tu, White Fang?

"I tried to walk through the wall. I took a running start, and I failed - horribly!"

Cutshaw is such an awesome character. The dynamic between him and Kane is incredibly well portrayed in the film. My favorite parts of the book are the discussions Kane and Cutshaw have about Christ and religion, and they do a good job of maintaining the essence of these in the film.

Man, I really want to read the book again.

Benny Profane

03-27-2008, 02:43 PM

The Pup is a first ballot hall of famer for movie forums.

Quien no conoce "The Pup" no conoce el interneto.

MadMan

03-27-2008, 04:00 PM

I don't even know if the Pup posts on RT anymore. But seriously if he entered BOTP he'd probably win the whole damn thing. He's that awesome. If some of the recent RT newbies have never gotten a chance to read some of his threads they should use the crappy search engine to do so. It would be a shame if they never saw his brilliance. Especially in action.

Philosophe_rouge

03-27-2008, 04:18 PM

Raiders

03-27-2008, 04:30 PM

Hard to believe it has been three years since I posted at RT. Don't miss it one bit.

origami_mustache

03-27-2008, 04:35 PM

The Connection (Shirley Clarke, 1962)

http://hcl.harvard.edu/hfa/images/films/2006spring/connection.jpg

The Connection is a low budget indie documentary satire. It is based on a play of the same name which is a little too apparent at times seeing as it all takes place in a studio apartment and the characters take turns delivering long winded monologues. The film is about a documentary filmmaker attempting to capture a week in the lives of a group of junkies, most of which happen to also be jazz musicians and contribute to a great soundtrack. Jazz artist Jackie McLean who plays the sax in the film, battled an addiction to heroin himself. Clarke distinguishes her film from the play, making it free flowing and naturalistic through stylistic techniques including intentionally sloppy camera work, jump cuts, and improvised dialogue, showcasing the potential of the medium. The film appears to be in the form of cinema verite style even though it is carefully scripted and captures the bebop counter culture much in the same way and perhaps better than Cassavettes's Shadows. The Connection takes a fairly objective stance on the subject, neither condoning nor glamorizing drug use. The film also comments on the nature of the filmmaking business as the documenter at first tries to force his own version of reality, paying Leach to keep the junkies high for a week, and insisting that they act naturally, yet directing them to philosophize or act as he'd seen them on previous occasions. The question is raised whether or not the filmmaker wants to document the activities for social commentary or just turn it into a freak show. Eventually the filmmaker partakes in the drug-use, taking his first hit or heroin, and subsequently succumbs to the drug as we gather from the opening title card. This film won the Critic's Prize at Cannes and was also banned for it's edgy subject matter and harsh depiction of drug use. I'd recommend this as well as Clarke's The Cool World to anyone interested in jazz films or the neorealist type films of the American underground.

Sycophant

03-27-2008, 04:55 PM

Weekend
Late Spring

And then I might watch some DVDs I've got lying around that I've had for a while, like Another Woman, Dororo, The Last Temptation of Christ or Steamboat Bill, Jr.. There's also a documentary opening locally called Happy Valley that deals with drug addiction in Utah Valley.

But really, I'll probably just hole up and watch a shitload of Sopranos.

Raiders

03-27-2008, 04:58 PM

Weekend:

Paranoid Park
Snow Angels
Happiness of the Katakuris
Davidson's trip to the Final Four

origami_mustache

03-27-2008, 04:59 PM

Weekend:
Samurai Rebellion
Spook Who Sat By the Door
Sukiyaki Western Django
possibly Funny Games

Spinal

03-27-2008, 05:02 PM

Weekend:

The Darjeeling Limited

D_Davis

03-27-2008, 05:10 PM

Weekend:

For All Mankind
Shanghai Blues

Speaking of Tsui....where's the thread?

Duncan

03-27-2008, 05:14 PM

Weekend:

Contempt
Alexandra

Watashi

03-27-2008, 05:46 PM

Weekend:

Paranoid Park (hopefully I'll get to it soon)
Green Snake
Trainspotting

Nothing in the theaters really interest me. Run, Fat Boy, Run looks lame despite the presence of teh Pegg. 21 and Stop-Loss could be decent depending on reviews.

Russ

03-27-2008, 05:53 PM

For All Mankind
Awesome.

Melville

03-27-2008, 05:57 PM

Weekend:

Steamboat Bill Jr.
The Shop Around the Corner
The Awful Truth

D_Davis

03-27-2008, 06:00 PM

Awesome.

Yeah - I can't wait.

I've been listening to the album non-stop for the last month or so.

MadMan

03-27-2008, 06:33 PM

Hard to believe it has been three years since I posted at RT. Don't miss it one bit.I wish I could break it off that easy.

He still pops up like once a month, usually in the photo album.Awesome.

Weekend:

Spider Baby(1964)
It Came From Beneath the Sea(1955)
The Blood On Satan's Claw(1970)
The Brotherhood of Satan(1971)

All TCM viewings. The last two should be interesting to say the least, and the first one will continue my quest to see more of Jack Hill's work.

And of course the NCAA Tourney.

Sven

03-27-2008, 06:55 PM

Weekend:

The Darjeeling Limited

I was wondering just yesterday, actually, whether you'd seen this yet. I'm very much hoping your reaction will be positive.

Stay Puft

03-27-2008, 06:56 PM

The Magic Crane is also pretty cool. One of the lesser known wuxia pians of the 1990s. This is another one of those Tsui-produced films that people wonder about; just how much did he direct?

Oh. That was unforseen. I was talking about the magic crane in Green Snake. :lol:

Sven

03-27-2008, 06:59 PM

Have you seen both? What are your thoughts on either of them?

I've had them both on my List for a while, but have never mustered up the gall to watch either. I have that nifty box set and resolved to have an Exorcist marathon, but that proved too taxing. There's only so much gothic Christianity I can take in a sitting.

I do adore the second film, though. I know everyone thinks that's crazy, but in all honesty, I think balls-out wacky nonsensical fantasy is probably the best way to tackle religion.

D_Davis

03-27-2008, 07:11 PM

Oh. That was unforseen. I was talking about the magic crane in Green Snake. :lol:

Ah! :lol:

Well, the magic crane in the Magic Crane is also awesome. And the film stars little Tony Leung.

Yxklyx

03-27-2008, 07:25 PM

Has anyone seen:

The Year My Parents Went on Vacation

Might see that this weekend.

Other weekend viewings:

The Music Room
A.T.M.: Â¡Â¡A Toda MÃ¡quina!!

Stay Puft

03-27-2008, 07:27 PM

Well, the magic crane in the Magic Crane is also awesome. And the film stars little Tony Leung.

Just looked this film up and it certainly looks awesome. I'll try to grab it and watch it soon.

If a miscommunication has led to my discovery of a new and awesome movie, we should surely be celebrating miscommunications more often.

D_Davis

03-27-2008, 07:34 PM

Just looked this film up and it certainly looks awesome. I'll try to grab it and watch it soon.

If a miscommunication has led to my discovery of a new and awesome movie, we should surely be celebrating miscommunications more often.

I agree!

I was actually surprised that you mentioned the film; it is one that far too few people have seen or even heard of. I think the only DVD of it is a mainland disc with burnt in subs.

Bosco B Thug

03-27-2008, 08:47 PM

It's plodding, motonous, heavy-handed and ineffective in its portrayal of spiritual crisis, full of clunky narrative transitions and downright laughable during its Sci-Fi Channel quality special effects which are present more and more often as the film moves on. It's a shame b/c I was hoping they ended up shelving the better version, but I'd be surprised if Harlin's is worse than this. I'll see for myself soon enough. Yeah, I remember thinking the Schrader version was really really bland. I also think I would say Harlin's version (which I saw first) is more effective just because it's exactly what you'd expect from a "ratcheting up" of the Schrader version: it follows through with the story's ample opportunities for bloody war, hyena attacks, a Linda Blair rip-off, and fetus-ploitation. I think the ending builds to more affecting thematic climax, too, so it's altogether just a more rousing film, even if that's because of the fact it's essentially a gratuitous and maudlin re-working.

Can't go into much detail, though, they both kind of faded from memory now.

I watched The Ninth Configuration last night. After reading the book a few weeks ago (it is now one of my favorite books I've ever read) I really wanted to see the film again. While watching it, I realized that I remembered less about it than I thought I did. The only things that were familiar to me were some of the establishing shots.

Needless to say, this film will be going on my top 100. It is so brilliant, so entertaining, and so wonderfully made I just can't believe it.

I just wish that Blatty would direct more movies. Can't wait to watch this one, it's pretty much sitting at my fingertips. Perhaps this weekend...

WEEKEND: North By Northwest, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, perhaps Funny Games, hopefully Into the Wild, maybe The Ninth Configuration

Boner M

03-27-2008, 09:44 PM

w'end:

Daisy Kenyon
Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things
Woman in the Dunes
Leave Her to Heaven (rpt, in theatre!)

Yxklyx

03-27-2008, 09:58 PM

Samurai Cop (Shervan, 1989) *rating system explodes*

queued

number8

03-27-2008, 10:59 PM

My Blueberry Nights is sublime.

Watashi

03-28-2008, 12:27 AM

My Blueberry Nights is sublime.
Really?

I've heard it's god-awful by almost everyone.

EvilShoe

03-28-2008, 12:39 AM

Really?

I've heard it's god-awful by almost everyone.
Yeah, it sucks.
Strathairn almost saves his subplot though.

number8

03-28-2008, 12:41 AM

Really?

I've heard it's god-awful by almost everyone.

So have I.

Apparently almost everyone have gone mad.

Qrazy

03-28-2008, 12:54 AM

So have I.

Apparently almost everyone have gone mad.

How would you rate it in relation to the other Wong Kar Wai you've seen?

number8

03-28-2008, 01:24 AM

How would you rate it in relation to the other Wong Kar Wai you've seen?

That's a loaded question.

Put it this way. I think Happy Together is his best film. As Tears Go By and Ashes of Time are his weakest, followed by Days of Being Wild. Everything else rank about the same inbetween, My Blueberry Nights included.

Qrazy

03-28-2008, 01:35 AM

That's a loaded question.

Put it this way. I think Happy Together is his best film. As Tears Go By and Ashes of Time are his weakest, followed by Days of Being Wild. Everything else rank about the same inbetween, My Blueberry Nights included.

Nice, I pretty much agree with that, I'll have to check out My Blueberry Nights right away then.

Although I'd put In the Mood for Love right below Happy Together, then Fallen Angels, Chungking Express and 2046.

Sycophant

03-28-2008, 01:35 AM

That's a loaded question.

Put it this way. I think Happy Together is his best film. As Tears Go By and Ashes of Time are his weakest, followed by Days of Being Wild. Everything else rank about the same inbetween, My Blueberry Nights included.That you like this gives me ever so little hope for this movie, finally, at last. I bought and wear that WKW shirt you sell with pride.

Kurosawa Fan

03-28-2008, 01:44 AM

Samurai Cop (Shervan, 1989) *rating system explodes*
Awesome! I demand you go to my B-Movie thread and post specific thoughts.

number8

03-28-2008, 01:47 AM

That you like this gives me ever so little hope for this movie, finally, at last. I bought and wear that WKW shirt you sell with pride.

Thank you. I used your money to solicit a blowjob from a hooker who looked like Faye Wong. He was good.

Duncan

03-28-2008, 01:49 AM

I bought and wear that WKW shirt you sell with pride. I do too. Chalk up another bj.

Sycophant

03-28-2008, 01:53 AM

Good to know the money went to good use. When I wear the Miike one, I'm inevitably asked "Who's Mike?"

Rowland

03-28-2008, 01:57 AM

Where are these shirts sold?

Watashi

03-28-2008, 01:58 AM

Where are these shirts sold?
www.filthysize.com

Ary should make more. There really isn't a design out there I want to buy (maybe a Brad Bird one, perhaps?).

Rowland

03-28-2008, 02:04 AM

www.filthysize.com

Ary should make more. There really isn't a design out there I want to buy (maybe a Brad Bird one, perhaps?).Yeah, I don't see anything I'd wear, but it's still cool that he does that.

Ary, do you design and make the shirts yourself?

number8

03-28-2008, 03:02 AM

Nah. Spreadshirt makes the shirts. I just upload 'em.

I have some more designs, but I can't upload because they have this rule that I can only upload more designs after a certain amount are sold.

Shame, because I made a "BASTARD FROM A BASKET" t-shirt months ago before the whole There Will Be Blood thing became chic.

D_Davis

03-28-2008, 03:41 AM

I just watched most of The Ninth Configuration again.

I'm pretty sure this film is now going in my top 10.

The only thing that could keep out of the top 10 is the very last moment. I think it undermines the true message of the film, or at least it makes Blatty's intentions all too clear.

Still though, this is one fantastic work of cinema here. I wish there were more films like this, films that treated religion and Christianity with genuine sincerity, and asked questions not simply to provoke anger or belittle, but rather to inspire open discourse and curiosity. At the core of this film is a very powerful Christ parable, but it does not come off as preachy, derogatory, or pandering. And all the while, the film is engrossing, funny, and really entertaining.

This film is just amazing.

Rowland

03-28-2008, 05:17 AM

Yep, sorry haters. I watched Margot at the Wedding again tonight, only to confirm it as one of 2007's funniest movies, and in spite of (because of?) how rotten much of it is, it's also one of the most inexplicably endearing, which makes it all the more curious and difficult to pin down. So many interesting movies were lost in the shuffle last year...

Derek

03-28-2008, 05:20 AM

EyesWideOpen

03-28-2008, 07:23 AM

Good to know the money went to good use. When I wear the Miike one, I'm inevitably asked "Who's Mike?"

I have the shirt also and get that question almost every time I wear it. I also have an Ichi the Killer shirt with Kakihara's face on the front and I had someone ask me once if he was an Ultimate Fighter.

Watashi

03-28-2008, 07:32 AM

It's a good'un. Just missed my top 20, but I could see liking it even more after rewatching it.

:crazy:

I'd rather have a triple feature of 300, Smokin' Aces, and Transformers over rewatching Baumbach's film.

Watashi

03-28-2008, 08:26 AM

Whoever did the subtitles for Green Snake should be beaten with bamboo and then fed to the Red Dragon. I'm about half way through and it's damn near irritating to have white subs on white backgrounds.

Boner M

03-28-2008, 11:19 AM

Awesome! I demand you go to my B-Movie thread and post specific thoughts.
I posted a mini-review a few pages ago. I'll copy + paste for the thread, though.

origami_mustache

03-28-2008, 11:22 AM

Samurai Rebellion was incredible. After recently watching 5 of Kobayashi's films, he's quickly become one of my favorite directors. The formal elements in all of the films I've seen are virtually flawless and I think he has an amazing knack for the use of dolly shots and cinematic rhythm. I'll be watching Harakiri next.

EvilShoe

03-28-2008, 11:32 AM

I should add that I enjoyed every WKW-film I had seen, until My Blueberry Nights.
I have not seen As Tears Go By & Happy Together, and would consider Chungking Express & 2046 to be my favorites with Ashes of Time being in front of MBN.

D_Davis

03-28-2008, 01:03 PM

Wow...so Tsui Hark's and Ching Siu Tung's The Raid is better than I remember it. Tons of fun. There is one particular scene that drags on for far too long, offering up nothing but some silly comedy, but over all the film is a madcap adventure not unlike a Lupin III cartoon in tone and execution.

Recommended.

It's based on a comic book and it features some nice comic book transitions.

Qrazy

03-28-2008, 02:03 PM

Yxklyx

03-28-2008, 02:08 PM

Yeah, it's pretty great, but you've saved the best for last. Harakiri is astounding.

Yeah, that's the best one. An 11 on origami_mustache's scale.

Qrazy

03-28-2008, 02:35 PM

Yeah, that's the best one. An 11 on origami_mustache's scale.

On another note, I didn't much like Velvet Goldmine. Although it's haphazardness plays to the drug addled nature of it's protagonists, it was too messy and the central story too over done for me to care all that much. I did just see and quite liked Safe though, it too kind of had that been there done that feeling I got from both Velvet Goldmine (rise and fall of the rock star) and Far from Heaven (malaise in suburbia, dissolution of the faux family unit, interracial taboos)... at least it tackled the alienation through an interesting and unique lens, that of generalizable illness. Similarly to the other two, the craftsmanship seemed competent yet uninspired, but with Safe the film was buoyed by it's unique premise. Still, I can't help but feel there's a potential masterpiece to be made with a similar premise, I felt Haynes only touched upon themes he could have really sunk his teeth into if he'd freed himself from direct narrative constraints.

D_Davis

03-28-2008, 02:54 PM

I reread the final part of The Ninth Configuration last night, just to see how it compares with the film. I have to say, the books approach is better. It's more subtle and sticks closer to the theme of the narrative. The final few minutes of the film are really the only parts that deviate at all from the book, and I don't really understand why Blatty chose to end the film this way. I need to listen to the commentary to see if he talks about this.

The final moments with Cutshaw in the book are incredible, and his closing lines of dialog are quite powerful. Without really spoiling anything: (this will only be relevant to those who have seen the film, but I'll tag it anyhow).

the book ends with Cutshaw being asked what it is like on the moon. He responds by saying "It depends on who's with you." With this, we know that he has faced his fears, and we know that he either found God through Kane's actions, or he has found true peace within himself.

Whether or not God exists is not the point of the story. The point of the story is how belief in righteous things and faith in humanity and our ability to love can brings us healing. This healing may come from the goodness that is God, or it may just come from us and our humanity.

The film's ending is a little to pat, a little to "ah ha!" but up until this very final moment it is flawless. I also think that Kane's letter to Cutshaw is better in the book, but this is just a minor quibble.

I think the reason why I respond to this story so much is because it really reminds me a lot of the kind of thing Theodore Sturgeon would have written. It deals with the same themes in a similar fashion. You could really draw some interesting comparisons between this and Sturgeon's Godbody.

Sorry to have so much book talk in the film thread, but, oh well....

Raiders

03-28-2008, 04:54 PM

On another note, I didn't much like Velvet Goldmine. Although it's haphazardness plays to the drug addled nature of it's protagonists, it was too messy and the central story too over done for me to care all that much. I did just see and quite liked Safe though, it too kind of had that been there done that feeling I got from both Velvet Goldmine (rise and fall of the rock star) and Far from Heaven (malaise in suburbia, dissolution of the faux family unit, interracial taboos)... at least it tackled the alienation through an interesting and unique lens, that of generalizable illness. Similarly to the other two, the craftsmanship seemed competent yet uninspired, but with Safe the film was buoyed by it's unique premise. Still, I can't help but feel there's a potential masterpiece to be made with a similar premise, I felt Haynes only touched upon themes he could have really sunk his teeth into if he'd freed himself from direct narrative constraints.

What themes could the film have expounded upon?

Spinal

03-28-2008, 05:02 PM

I was wondering just yesterday, actually, whether you'd seen this yet. I'm very much hoping your reaction will be positive.

I watched Hotel Chevalier last night and I'm having a hard time accepting it as a standalone film. Seemed more like a teaser for the feature, which, of course, was how it was used. Hooray for Portman's butt, I guess, but this seemed kind of pointless. Maybe it will make more sense after I've seen the longer film.

Rowland

03-28-2008, 05:03 PM

I watched Hotel Chevalier last night and I'm having a hard time accepting it as a standalone film. Seemed more like a teaser for the feature, which, of course, was how it was used. Hooray for Portman's butt, I guess, but this seemed kind of pointless. Maybe it will make more sense after I've seen the longer film.I said the same thing after seeing the short and the main feature together in the theater. Watching the short on its own doesn't make sense, so I don't understand why it was sold as such.

number8

03-28-2008, 05:14 PM

balmakboor

03-28-2008, 05:25 PM

Spinal

03-28-2008, 05:31 PM

I wrote a "review" of it when they released it on iTunes (before Darjeeling came out), basically saying the same thing you did Spinal, and noting somewhat in jest that the only good part of it is that you get to see Portman's ass.

Some chick left me a comment calling me disgusting and a reprehensible journalist, but also further explained to me that the short is a depiction of lost love and that it perfectly captures the awkwardness of trying to rekindle that kind of romantic relationship.

So there you go.

I don't think it's earnest enough to be what "some chick" suggests it is. The dialogue is too calculated. That whole business about how she'll feel bad in the morning and he says, "I'm OK with that." Actually, everything about it is too calculated. It works better as a showcase for Portman's posterior. I think your journalistic instincts were right.

I mean, if you said that the only thing good about Boys Don't Cry was that you saw Hillary Swank naked, then maybe you would be disgusting and reprehensible. But I don't think that's an outrageous thing to say based on what Anderson offers us here.

Whatever. Still looking forward to watching the actual film this weekend.

D_Davis

03-28-2008, 05:37 PM

I watched A Touch of Zen last night and loved it. So I was already at hkflix looking up The Blade and starting poking around for other King Hu films and noticed that Dragon Dynasty is putting out Come Drink With Me soon. It made me pretty happy. I've heard a lot of good about things about it. Is Dragon Inn a key King Hu film? What else should I see by this guy?

Almost all of his films are great.

I highly recommend Dragon Inn, Come Drink With Me, A Touch of Zen, The Valiant One's, and Painted Skin.

I have not seen a few of his, including Raining in the Mountain, which is supposed to be good.

balmakboor

03-28-2008, 05:46 PM

Almost all of his films are great.

I highly recommend Dragon Inn, Come Drink With Me, A Touch of Zen, The Valiant One's, and Painted Skin.

I have not seen a few of his, including Raining in the Mountain, which is supposed to be good.

I was on the Dragon Dynasty website and The Protector looked interesting which took me to Netflix where I read some user comments to the effect that it is a butchered version of the film thanks to Weinstein. Weinstein was then pretty much accused of single-handedly destroying Hong Kong cinema for future generations. Any truth to this? I'm very happy with my 36th Chamber dvd from the company.

number8

03-28-2008, 05:48 PM

Yes, the Weinsteins (and formerly Miramax) has been notorious as the great Asian cinema butcherer for a looong time.

I think one of the most severe case I remember was how they changed the backstory of Iron Monkey by dubbing the dialogue with a new script they just wrote.

D_Davis

03-28-2008, 05:54 PM

I was on the Dragon Dynasty website and The Protector looked interesting which took me to Netflix where I read some user comments to the effect that it is a butchered version of the film thanks to Weinstein. Weinstein was then pretty much accused of single-handedly destroying Hong Kong cinema for future generations. Any truth to this? I'm very happy with my 36th Chamber dvd from the company.

Lot's of truth. They Redub, rescore, edit, and change the titles to almost all of the HK films they release. They make a mockery out of HK cinema, and treat it without an ounce of respect.

Recently, The Banquest was retitled as Legend of the Red Scorpion or something.

balmakboor

03-28-2008, 06:02 PM

Lot's of truth. They Redub, rescore, edit, and change the titles to almost all of the HK films they release. They make a mockery out of HK cinema, and treat it without an ounce of respect.

Recently, The Banquest was retitled as Legend of the Red Scorpion or something.

Is there a good "watch dog" website that catalogs these things? I'd rather not waste time on a film if it isn't even what I think I'm getting. I'd rather search around for a bootleg of The Banquet or The Protector or something.

D_Davis

03-28-2008, 06:13 PM

So far, their Shaw Brothers releases have been excellent - no changes at all as far as I am aware.

It's the non-Shaw stuff you have to watch out for.

Sven

03-28-2008, 06:54 PM

Whatever. Still looking forward to watching the actual film this weekend.

I loathed Hotel Chevalier, but I begrudgingly accepted its essence in Darjeeling (which is a surprising amount, actually). Then I rewatched it and wasn't so put off, but I still cringe at that last walk in slow-mo. Blah.

Dead & Messed Up

03-28-2008, 07:17 PM

30 Days of Night wasn't much fun. I appreciated the effort by David Slade to keep things quiet, but it seems that even he can't fight against the seeming "necessity" of including sudden actions underlined with orchestra stings, as well as murky action scenes where bad camerawork and editing distract rather than enhance our understanding.

baby doll

03-28-2008, 08:16 PM

I watched Hotel Chevalier last night and I'm having a hard time accepting it as a standalone film. Seemed more like a teaser for the feature, which, of course, was how it was used. Hooray for Portman's butt, I guess, but this seemed kind of pointless. Maybe it will make more sense after I've seen the longer film.I seem to be alone in finding it a perfectly nuanced short film (there's so much weight and subtext to each line of dialogue), but as for Portman's butt: I didn't mind her skinny ass so much when I watched Hotel Chevalier on my computer, but seeing it on 35mm, I was shocked by how much rib you can see. Not sexy.

Qrazy

03-28-2008, 09:04 PM

I seem to be alone in finding it a perfectly nuanced short film (there's so much weight and subtext to each line of dialogue), but as for Portman's butt: I didn't mind her skinny ass so much when I watched Hotel Chevalier on my computer, but seeing it on 35mm, I was shocked by how much rib you can see. Not sexy.

There is a lot of subtext, but I found it to be in a very 'Oooh look at all this subtext' kind of way, rather than a resonant, The Hills like White Elephants kind of way.

Spinal

03-28-2008, 10:06 PM

There is a lot of subtext, but I found it to be in a very 'Oooh look at all this subtext' kind of way ...

I agree with this.

I also noticed Portman's ribs and was slightly concerned.

Derek

03-28-2008, 10:31 PM

Weekend:

The Man from London
Into the Wild (or 1-2 of about 20 other films I have waiting)

Bosco B Thug

03-28-2008, 10:34 PM

North By Northwest has a somewhat ho-hum story and it's a bit overlong and plodding (the film takes off when Eva Marie Saint comes in), but the script is witty, the cinematography always striking, and Hitchcock's technical ingenuity and juicy dramatic detail are still unparalleled. Also I dig the "tour through America" milieu/undercurrent that I'm sure can be read into even if I can't formulate it myself - I certainly feel compelled now to read scholarly articles about the film and its finer subtextual strokes, which shows the film succeeds. The absurdity and political grays of the Cold War run through the film, and I particularly liked how "Melanie Daniels in The Birds"-like is the Eva Marie Saint character... and even the Cary Grant character is. The film is very much like The Birds in how it's takes "blank, rather material characters" in media res in their essentialist lives and thrusts them into fantastical events that comment on their existence.

origami_mustache

03-28-2008, 10:48 PM

I like the Ho-Hum expression. I've seen 6 Hitchcock films and I'm no hurry to see any more soon.

baby doll

03-28-2008, 10:48 PM

I like the Ho-Hum expression. I've seen 6 Hitchcock films and I'm no hurry to see any more soon.See better Hitchcock films.

Also, there's no way Osaka Elegy is superior to Sisters of the Gion.

origami_mustache

03-28-2008, 10:52 PM

Yeah, that's the best one. An 11 on origami_mustache's scale.

Ha I probably should expand the scale eh? Although a ten from me doesn't denote a flawless film, as I don't think they exist. I could nitpick something that disagreed with my tastes in pretty much everything I watch. I usually base it on the overall impression and also weigh in historical relevance which I probably find more important than most people do.

See better Hitchcock films.

Also, there's no way Osaka Elegy is superior to Sisters of the Gion.

I thought Sisters of Gion was more restrained aesthetically, although more overt in it's indictment of patriarchal society which resulted in it being pretty talky.

MadMan

03-29-2008, 04:18 AM

I like the Ho-Hum expression. I've seen 6 Hitchcock films and I'm no hurry to see any more soon.Huh. Which ones have you seen? I've seen 11 of his movies and all of them ranged from really good to great. Although I have yet to dive into 70s or 30s Hitchcock and I'm still far from seeing all of his 40s, 50s and 60s work also although I've mostly seen his 50s and 60s films. I have a strong feeling that his peak is in the 1950s.

Bosco B Thug

03-29-2008, 04:31 AM

I like the Ho-Hum expression. I've seen 6 Hitchcock films and I'm no hurry to see any more soon. I think Vertigo and Rear Window might have a good chance, their story's are less "ho-hum"... although one can very likely call their stories "ho-hum." Or "hogwash" in regards to Vertigo... Hmm...

Philosophe_rouge

03-29-2008, 04:34 AM

I love Hitchcock, but am afraid to plunge into his remaining filmography for some reason.

MadMan

03-29-2008, 04:35 AM

I love Hitchcock, but am afraid to plunge into his remaining filmography for some reason.I fear some of his later 60s films and his 70s films, as those are the ones that often get bashed around here. I actually have very little interest in seeing his 30s movies although I guess The Lady Vanishes and The 39 Steps are apparently a must.

Qrazy

03-29-2008, 04:52 AM

I fear some of his later 60s films and his 70s films, as those are the ones that often get bashed around here. I actually have very little interest in seeing his 30s movies although I guess The Lady Vanishes and The 39 Steps are apparently a must.

Lady Vanishes is good and 39 steps is one of his best and therefore one of the greatest ever, so don't be afraid of it, the original Man Who Knew too Much is middling but still very competent as well. I need to finish up The Wrong Man and The Trouble with Harry and then delve into his minor works.

Qrazy

03-29-2008, 04:52 AM

Bosco B Thug

03-29-2008, 04:59 AM

Yeah, this post makes zero sense.
Whoops, don't get me wrong, I love Vertigo and Rear Window, absolutely. I just realized that I can very much imagine someone calling the premise of both as "ho-hum" in their roots as rather convoluted and/or intricate thriller stories with crackerjack mystery plots, or "hogwash" due to the often cited logical holes in Vertigo. In retrospect, I don't know why I thought this little notion was worth mentioning, haha.

Qrazy

03-29-2008, 05:10 AM

Whoops, don't get me wrong, I love Vertigo and Rear Window, absolutely. I just realized that I can very much imagine someone calling the premise of both as "ho-hum" in their roots as rather convoluted and/or intricate thriller stories with crackerjack mystery plots, or "hogwash" due to the often cited logical holes in Vertigo. In retrospect, I don't know why I thought this little notion was worth mentioning, haha.

Ah I see, you were saying they were less ho-hum. I initially thought you were saying they weren't ho-hum, but then decided they were ho-hum and hogwash.

number8

03-29-2008, 05:15 AM

I just realized Tim Roth and Ed Harris were not in My Blueberry Nights.

Anyone heard anything about them being cut out or something?

Spinal

03-29-2008, 06:04 AM

If this site has taught me anything, it's that one man's ho-hum is another man's hogwash.

EyesWideOpen

03-29-2008, 06:14 AM

I just realized Tim Roth and Ed Harris were not in My Blueberry Nights.

Anyone heard anything about them being cut out or something?

Their not listed on imdb as being in the movie either.

Watashi

03-29-2008, 06:55 AM

I was bored this evening and decided to pull a Derek and watch 21. Man, this film is really, really stupid. I mean, really stupid. It's like Good Will Hunting meets Rounders for pre-schoolers.

Qrazy

03-29-2008, 07:01 AM

soitgoes...

03-29-2008, 07:42 AM

Huh. Which ones have you seen? I've seen 11 of his movies and all of them ranged from really good to great. Although I have yet to dive into 70s or 30s Hitchcock and I'm still far from seeing all of his 40s, 50s and 60s work also although I've mostly seen his 50s and 60s films. I have a strong feeling that his peak is in the 1950s.
Yeah, I've seen 30 of his films and I'd have to say that there's only a few I'd consider meh or less. He has an amazingly deep filmography. There's still a bunch that I want to see.

Qrazy

03-29-2008, 09:52 AM

Has anyone seen Spielberg's Amazing Stories and is it any good? I noticed he directed a couple as did Joe Dante and some others.

Barty

03-29-2008, 10:06 AM

Has anyone seen Spielberg's Amazing Stories and is it any good? I noticed he directed a couple as did Joe Dante and some others.

It has some really fun episodes. The one I enjoyed the most, and Wats will say the same as well, was "The Main Attraction", interestingly enough written by Brad Bird.

D_Davis

03-29-2008, 01:53 PM

Has anyone seen Spielberg's Amazing Stories and is it any good? I noticed he directed a couple as did Joe Dante and some others.

I think I've seen every episode. I remember really liking it, although I haven't seen it since it was on TV.

dreamdead

03-29-2008, 02:06 PM

weekend:

If...
Offside
Lady Chatterley (at some point)

Yxklyx

03-29-2008, 03:21 PM

dreamdead

03-29-2008, 03:44 PM

It interests me that as DSNT readied the Battle of the 00's, Brick didn't make it onto the final list. After it was in the collective consciousness of movie forums for a few years, it seems to have faded from memory. And since I habitually arrive at trends a bit late, any hyperbole that the film once received is negated by how ephemeral this film's appeal is. Without regurgitating too much of the initial complaints/criticisms, I can only say that the noirish elements feel transplanted from one hard-boiled milieu to another, so that this switch becomes the only subtext. And that isn't enough to sustain the film's arc, even if there is a visceral joy in watching Levitt get punched repeatedly. It's beautifully shot, but all the characters still feel like stock caricatures of film noir, which limits any interiority and thus any empathy. Maybe my response would have been different in '05, but now it feels far too slight to have any lasting appeal.

Meanwhile, Cassavetes' Faces finishes the Criteron box set, and I think that The Killing of a Chinese Bookie or Opening Night will remain my favorites of his. The second hour to this film is fantastic, and the girl's night out with the older gentleman is strong structurally in its approach to how the different genders perceive the night out, but that first hour feels like I've seen it in too many latter films, which dilutes its impact (through no fault of its own, of course). That said, the camerawork and dialogue is typically wonderful; I just don't think this will be the Cassavetes film that will resonate with me throughout the year.

Sven

03-29-2008, 03:56 PM

It has some really fun episodes. The one I enjoyed the most, and Wats will say the same as well, was "The Main Attraction", interestingly enough written by Brad Bird.

What about The Family Dog in Season 2? That was actually DIRECTED by Bird.

It's a pretty good show. Like The Twilight Zone but more, umm.... how you say, bright. Optimistic. They're nice stories. I like it, although I admit I'm a sucker for short fiction. To date, I think the greatest television show to ever air (that's right, ever) is Tales from the Crypt. I realize that it's not perfect, but its charms are so vast that everything else is left in its wake.

monolith94

03-29-2008, 03:56 PM

I prefer Young and Innocent - that's his best 30s film.
seconded!

Sven

03-29-2008, 04:00 PM

Lady Vanishes is good and 39 steps is one of his best and therefore one of the greatest ever, so don't be afraid of it, the original Man Who Knew too Much is middling but still very competent as well. I need to finish up The Wrong Man and The Trouble with Harry and then delve into his minor works.

Close. The original Man Who Knew Too Much is one of his very best.

I've seen every Hitchcock film but maybe five and I profess a stronger attraction to his British stuff. They may, as a whole, not be as delirious or wild, but they're all way more exciting and way more expressive. Sabotage is still, hands down, his tensest, as well as probably his most consequential.

Qrazy

03-29-2008, 06:54 PM

Sabotage is still, hands down, his tensest, as well as probably his most consequential.

To sabotaging stuff?

monolith94

03-29-2008, 07:20 PM

Good god Kidnapping Caucasian Style was offensive and stupid. Made me want to punch a donkey. Please tell me how something like this gets ranked fourth on imdb's top 50 comedy films.

For those interested:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_GeTxEDsGg
I don't know, this appears to have its charms. I like the lines:

"and then, upon the ruins of the church..."
"oh, was I responsible for that too?"
"oh no, that was in the fourteenth century"

Qrazy

03-29-2008, 07:30 PM

I don't know, this appears to have its charms. I like the lines:

"and then, upon the ruins of the church..."
"oh, was I responsible for that too?"
"oh no, that was in the fourteenth century"

Yeah, it was light and breezy, but also very mediocre and stupid, so my vehemence was more a reaction to it's high ranking than anything. I'd probably give it a C/C-

monolith94

03-29-2008, 08:54 PM

To be fair, I've only made it through the first two parts, and don't really feel to compelled to continue much further. I suppose I'll finish it if only out of historical curiousity.

MacGuffin

03-29-2008, 09:01 PM

I watched Mystic River last night and all that I can really say is that I don't think it has nearly the amount of humanity it was going for (the ending has an unnecessary lack of closure, emotionally or otherwise), instead it succeeds in being a decent mystery movie. No more and no less. Still, I'm glad that the bad guy wasn't who I thought they were. That would've sucked.

Watashi

03-29-2008, 09:07 PM

Martin Scorsese has a MySpace page. (http://www.myspace.com/martinscorsese)

Watashi

03-29-2008, 09:10 PM

Tom Hank's page is pretty amusing as well.

Sven

03-29-2008, 09:12 PM

Martin Scorsese has a MySpace page. (http://www.myspace.com/martinscorsese)

That video was awesome. "We want the effect, but we cannot burn Mick Jagger."

MadMan

03-29-2008, 09:26 PM

Thanks everyone for the thoughts on Hitchcock's other films. My library does have some of his 30s movies so maybe this summer I'll give 'em a shot.

Perhaps I'll have to see the film again, but I loved the hell out of Brick and I thought it was a great film. I did write a review for it last year, but never got around to posting it although it was more like one big messy essay that noted more so the film's noir influences as well as my thoughts on the film. eternity is not crazy for thinking its one of the best movies of 2005.

MacGuffin

03-29-2008, 09:37 PM

Perhaps I'll have to see the film again, but I loved the hell out of Brick and I thought it was a great film.

I saw it twice and really liked it.

origami_mustache

03-29-2008, 10:19 PM

I think Vertigo and Rear Window might have a good chance, their story's are less "ho-hum"... although one can very likely call their stories "ho-hum." Or "hogwash" in regards to Vertigo... Hmm...

I haven't seen either of these and they are most likely the next I will watch from him. I don't mean to say I dislike Hitchcock, there are just so many other directors I find more fascinating that I'd rather explore further. I liked Rebecca and Psycho quite a bit, but it's been a long time since I saw them. I also liked North By Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much and Blackmail, but wasn't enthralled with them and I really dislike The Birds.

Rowland

03-29-2008, 10:32 PM

Check out The 39 Steps. I adore that movie.

Qrazy

03-29-2008, 10:39 PM

Tom Hank's page is pretty amusing as well.

Why did Tom choose such a stupid, arbitrary picture for his account? This has always baffled me.

Qrazy

03-29-2008, 10:47 PM

I haven't seen either of these and they are most likely the next I will watch from him. I don't mean to say I dislike Hitchcock, there are just so many other directors I find more fascinating that I'd rather explore further. I liked Rebecca and Psycho quite a bit, but it's been a long time since I saw them. I also liked North By Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much and Blackmail, but wasn't enthralled with them and I really dislike The Birds.

I agree, his aesthetic while incredibly precise just doesn't blow me away like some filmmakers can, nor have I ever come away from one of his films struck by it's depth of feeling or thought. Don't get me wrong, he's a very intelligent and exquisite filmmaker, and there's lots to admire and unravel in his work, but for me he's a master craftsman more so than he's a brilliant artist.

However, the films you mentioned are all fairly middle tier works in my book. Rebecca in particular does nothing for me.

Strangers on a Train, Vertigo, Rear Window, and 39 Steps are his best in my opinion.

Rope is very good as well.

Philosophe_rouge

03-29-2008, 10:49 PM

I have to add to the love of the 39 Steps, my second favourite Hitch. A joy of joys! Notorious is my favourite of his though..mmm.

Rowland

03-29-2008, 11:01 PM

I have to add to the love of the 39 Steps, my second favourite Hitch. A joy of joys! Notorious is my favourite of his though..mmm.It is! The movie has gotten more appreciation since the Criterion release, but it's still undervalued.

Qrazy

03-29-2008, 11:06 PM

I have to add to the love of the 39 Steps, my second favourite Hitch. A joy of joys! Notorious is my favourite of his though..mmm.

Meh, Notorious lacks the aesthetic structure I need in my films to find them great, but it's probably time for a rewatch since it was one of my first Hitch's.

Sven

03-29-2008, 11:27 PM

Spinal, I saw that rating for One to Another (2006) in your sig and, knowing nothing about it, thought that Tom Arnold and Roseanne Barr made a new movie together and I was like :eek:

Spinal

03-29-2008, 11:34 PM

Spinal, I saw that rating for One to Another (2006) in your sig and, knowing nothing about it, thought that Tom Arnold and Roseanne Barr made a new movie together and I was like :eek:

And that I watched it. :lol:

Nah, it's a reasonably engaging French film about a tight group of friends - one girl and four boys - who also have had a web of sexual encounters between them. The girl's brother turns up missing and then it turns into this sort of murder mystery/L'Avventura lite/Gus van Santy/Catherine Breillat-y thing. Probably not something for people to rush out and find, but I watched it on the Netflix instant viewing deal and liked it all right.

Sven

03-29-2008, 11:36 PM

And that I watched it. :lol:

And that you gave it three stars! :eek:

Rowland

03-29-2008, 11:36 PM

I watched it on the Netflix instant viewing deal and liked it all right.Grrrr. I need to update my PC, so I can use this function.

MadMan

03-30-2008, 01:07 AM

Martin Scorsese has a MySpace page. (http://www.myspace.com/martinscorsese)Bookmarked. That's a really cool page. It almost makes me regret deleting my MySpace page. But not enough to make me create a new one.

Marley

03-30-2008, 01:11 AM

I haven't really been this enthralled by a movie in a long time. Albert Brooks' Lost in America was a delight from beginning to end with plenty of laughs and satirical jabs at corporate 80's America. It still maintains relevance today, perhaps even moreso when it was released. Brooks' witty humor and sharp writing flow with ease allow the comedy to unfold naturally in little bursts. Wonderful little film.

Philosophe_rouge

03-30-2008, 02:47 AM

Meh, Notorious lacks the aesthetic structure I need in my films to find them great, but it's probably time for a rewatch since it was one of my first Hitch's.
I don't entirely know what you mean by aesthetic structure, but I do encourage a rewatch.

Philosophe_rouge

03-30-2008, 02:49 AM

MacGuffin

03-30-2008, 02:55 AM

I watched the Big Lebowski tonight with my sister, it was enjoyable but failed to really hit a home run. The dream sequences and the cast are especially good, but there is just something I can't really define that's missing o make it truly greatness.

Watch it again and you'll thank me. I think I probably felt the exact same way that you did upon first watching it, but after two more later viewings, it's one of my favorite movies. There's a likeability in there lingering at the surface you can only seem to reach on repeat viewings.

Philosophe_rouge

03-30-2008, 03:03 AM

Watch it again and you'll thank me. I think I probably felt the exact same way that you did upon first watching it, but after two more later viewings, it's one of my favorite movies. There's a likeability in there lingering at the surface you can only seem to reach on repeat viewings.
I own it, so I'll have many opportunities.

DSNT

03-30-2008, 03:06 AM

Yeah, I had a similar take to The Big Lebowski after my first viewing, and was utterly charmed when I saw it again years later. It's definitely a film that improves with time.

Rowland

03-30-2008, 03:25 AM

I saw Married Life with the ladyfriend tonight. The narrative structure is messy, the third act grows a bit tiresome as redundancy sets in, and I'm not sure if the movie really amounts to anything terribly interesting, but boy, is it great to see such a well-shot movie. Sachs has a gripping grasp of cinematic language, he orchestrates humor with precise timing and wit, and the performances by the actors he directed are all spot-on, wringing more pathos out of the material than it may have otherwise justified. I should watch Forty Shades of Blue.

monolith94

03-30-2008, 03:35 AM

Saw two films tonight. In the Valley of Elah was surprisingly better than awful, while still inessential, and Dirty Dancing was fun enough to be worth the time spent.

Sycophant

03-30-2008, 04:15 AM

Yeah, I had a similar take to The Big Lebowski after my first viewing, and was utterly charmed when I saw it again years later. It's definitely a film that improves with time.

Nearly everybody says this, myself included (though my initial take in on it was probably a little more positive). It's now one of my favorites.

Yxklyx

03-30-2008, 04:19 AM

origami_mustache

03-30-2008, 04:20 AM

Yxklyx

03-30-2008, 04:34 AM

A.T.M.: Â¡Â¡A toda mÃ¡quina!! (1951, Ismael RodrÃ*guez)

Kinda translates to T.T.M. To the Max! Mr. Rodriguez was a pretty popular Mexican director in the 40s and 50s. He actually released 4 movies in 1951. This one's a comedy/musical. The script is actually quite good and the two main leads play off each other pretty well. Fast paced and with some very cute women. Some hilarious scenes with the American tourists as well. DVD video and sound quality are pretty poor but it's worth the watch.

Philosophe_rouge

03-30-2008, 05:40 AM

Arabesque was light entertainment that well... wasn't entirely entertaining all the time. It feels like a very weak rehash of Charade. Honestly, I don't see the point. They're the same film almost entirely with a weaker cast, and more visual gimmicks. The most dissapointing Donen film I've seen to date. Uhh, well except Funny Face which I didn't realise he directed.

Bosco B Thug

03-30-2008, 07:33 AM

I don't entirely know what you mean by aesthetic structure, but I do encourage a rewatch. I'm interested in what "aesthetic structure" entails too, if it's not too much trouble. :)

So I finally watched The Shawshank Redemption... ehhh, it's a fair piece of work, confidently and competently made, but it doesn't really say anything... It's hardly even about anything. Criminals and prisons, sure, but barely, and motions toward indicting the institutional status quo are thin. This film is likely a prime example of the criticism of "too story-driven." The film just kind of plods along with the same neutral pace for its 2hr+ running time, and Robbins' character is kind of very boring.

Qrazy

03-30-2008, 09:01 AM

I'm interested in what "aesthetic structure" entails too, if it's not too much trouble. :)

So I finally watched The Shawshank Redemption... ehhh, it's a fair piece of work, confidently and competently made, but it doesn't really say anything... It's hardly even about anything. Criminals and prisons, sure, but barely, and motions toward indicting the institutional status quo are thin. This film is likely a prime example of the criticism of "too story-driven." The film just kind of plods along with the same neutral pace for its 2hr+ running time, and Robbins' character is kind of very boring.

I'm not sure how to explain it. It's something which is intuitively apparent to me when I watch a film or view a painting or sculpture, or even listen to a sonata. I suppose the best way I could define it is as temporal/spatial symmetry. Just as every shot composition has it's own unique sense of balance, trajectory and symmetry, and some compositions are more aesthetically pleasing than others, the film itself, in the dynamism between it's various shots and the juxtaposition of compositions with other compositions, possesses it's own super-ordinate aesthetic, it's own symmetry and balance. This formal element is tied to and reflects the subject matter/content of the film, but it also exists on it's own. Sometimes I feel a film possesses this balance in abundance but fails on another level (maybe narrative misstep, thematic incongruity, poor acting/character development, etc). Notorious is good, but it lacks the degree of balance, aesthetic symmetry/structure that for me Hitch's greatest films possess (Vertigo, Strangers, 39 Steps). Notorious I find is closer to something like Shadow of a Doubt in the degree of it's formal excellence, than to those others.

Qrazy

03-30-2008, 09:07 AM

I'm taking it upon myself to start pimping Kin Dza Dza to the forum. It's certainly the best cyber punk film I've ever seen and it's also just a superb sci-fi, hilarious, socially relevant, unique world building... highly recommended. At first glance it may feel a bit low budget, but the strength of the script and the camera-work more than make up for that and are able to establish a unique and potent sci-fi universe without relying on flashy effects or an unnecessarily epic scale. Sometimes the logic of the proceedings gets a little crazy but hey, that's the theater of the absurd for ya. :)

http://www.tv-links.cc/movie/kin-dza-dza.htm

Boner M

03-30-2008, 09:22 AM

Anyone seen Ganja and Hess? I decided to go to the revival theater at the last minute and this is what they are showing. It's classified as a Blaxploitation horror film, but described as more of an African American art film. Apparently the producers hacked it up badly, but this is supposed to be the original uncut and only director approved print.
I saw the hacked up version on a shoddy, ready-to-burn print last year. Very interesting stuff despite those conditions, with an amazingly dreamlike atmosphere throughout. Almost as much a reaction to blaxploitation as Killer of Sheep. Would very much like to see the longer cut.

Qrazy

03-30-2008, 09:27 AM

origami_mustache

03-30-2008, 10:47 AM

I saw the hacked up version on a shoddy, ready-to-burn print last year. Very interesting stuff despite those conditions, with an amazingly dreamlike atmosphere throughout. Almost as much a reaction to blaxploitation as Killer of Sheep. Would very much like to see the longer cut.

Yeah, I could totally see this playing with Killer of Sheep as a double bill.

Ganja & Hess (Bill Gunn, 1973)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b78/wanderingmoon/movies/gangah.jpg

also recut and rereleased as:
Vampires of Harlem
Double Possession
Blood Couple
Black Vampire
Blackout: The Moment of Terror
Black Evil

Honestly I don't know what to do about this film. I'd never seen heard of it before and had no preconceived notions as I just decided to attend a Cinefamily screening on "Holyfuckingshit" themed Saturday at the last minute. The film was introduced as an odd mixture of blaxploitation, horror, and African American art cinema about a archaeologist who is stabbed by an ancient knife and becomes addicted to blood. After his assistant commits suicide, the man falls in love and marries Ganja, the assistant's wife. I admire the dedication to and ambition of the work. It's obvious this isn't an ordinary exploitation piece, but rather serves more as allegory with it's fractured narrative, and themes of spirituality, sexuality, identity, class, and race. That being said, the film is often meandering and certainly flawed, with a lot of unintentional hilarity, unprompted monologues and philosophizing as well as heavy handed religious imagery randomly inserted. It's not all bad, and it's not at all brilliant despite receiving an alleged standing ovation at Cannes before the film was even over. The soundtrack is great and for better or worse the imagery in the film is unforgettable and it certainly left an impression. I can't say I'd recommend it unless you're into this sort of thing, but I'm kind of glad I stumbled across it as I had a lot of fun with this and never would have sought it out on my own...really there is only one word that can sum it up...Holyfuckingshit.

Spinal

03-30-2008, 05:51 PM

So I finally watched The Shawshank Redemption... ehhh, it's a fair piece of work, confidently and competently made, but it doesn't really say anything... It's hardly even about anything.

Get busy living or get busy dying. I'd say it's about a lot actually.

Spinal

03-30-2008, 05:53 PM

Any of these worth seeing?

# Valmont (1989)
# Ragtime (1981)
... aka Love and Glory (Philippines: English title)
# Taking Off (1971)
# I Miss Sonia Henie (1971)
... aka Nedostaje mi Sonja Henie (Yugoslavia: Serbian title)

I like Valmont a lot. It had the misfortune of being released shortly after Dangerous Liaisons, but it's a very good film in its own right.

Sven

03-30-2008, 05:54 PM

Excellent rating of Zhivago, Spinal.

Russ

03-30-2008, 06:03 PM

Any of these worth seeing?

# Ragtime (1981)
I liked it quite a bit, even with the tone-shift in the final act. Great score, cinematography, and some really good performances. And Cagney is his usual awesome self, tho he's not given much to do.

Spinal

03-30-2008, 06:12 PM

Excellent rating of Zhivago, Spinal.

Yeah, I enjoy the big David Lean event film. I guess I can see where critics would find trouble with the narrative thrust, but I really enjoyed the perspective it took on history, viewing it through the lens of a problematic love story. Rod Steiger was excellent and Maurice Jarre pretty much owns the film naturally.

Bosco B Thug

03-30-2008, 07:17 PM

Yeah, I could totally see this playing with Killer of Sheep as a double bill.

[CENTER]Ganja & Hess (Bill Gunn, 1973)
It's obvious this isn't an ordinary exploitation piece, but rather serves more as allegory with it's fractured narrative, and themes of spirituality, sexuality, identity, class, and race. That being said, the film is often meandering and certainly flawed, with a lot of unintentional hilarity, unprompted monologues and philosophizing as well as heavy handed religious imagery randomly inserted. It's not all bad, and it's not at all brilliant despite receiving an alleged standing ovation at Cannes before the film was even over. The soundtrack is great and for better or worse the imagery in the film is unforgettable and it certainly left an impression. I can't say I'd recommend it unless you're into this sort of thing, but I'm kind of glad I stumbled across it as I had a lot of fun with this and never would have sought it out on my own...really there is only one word that can sum it up...Holyfuckingshit. Cool, never heard of this before and I'm very interested. I like the idea of cross-genre double bills, too.

Get busy living or get busy dying. I'd say it's about a lot actually. I don't know... I haven't read Stephen King's story, but all the waxing poetic (and the colorful vulgarity) is very Kingish, and while it's evocative at times (I would say not to any great degree, though), I felt Darabont's film is just reciting and enacting them without really thinking about them.

Perhaps I'd have liked it better if it was a horror film - the prison is a haunted one and ghosts serve as an allegorical device for the prisoner's existential cage. Yeah, then I'd have liked it. :P

But Darabont's directing was pretty but bland and monotonous. He mixes it up much better with The Mist.

Spinal

03-30-2008, 07:20 PM

I don't know... I haven't read Stephen King's story, but all the waxing poetic (and the colorful vulgarity) is very Kingish, and while it's evocative at times (I would say not to any great degree, though), I felt Darabont's film is just reciting and enacting them without really thinking about them.

How does a film 'think' about its own themes? What do you mean by this?

Bosco B Thug

03-30-2008, 07:42 PM

I'm not sure how to explain it. It's something which is intuitively apparent to me when I watch a film or view a painting or sculpture, or even listen to a sonata. I suppose the best way I could define it is as temporal/spatial symmetry. Just as every shot composition has it's own unique sense of balance, trajectory and symmetry, and some compositions are more aesthetically pleasing than others, the film itself, in the dynamism between it's various shots and the juxtaposition of compositions with other compositions, possesses it's own super-ordinate aesthetic, it's own symmetry and balance. This formal element is tied to and reflects the subject matter/content of the film, but it also exists on it's own. Sometimes I feel a film possesses this balance in abundance but fails on another level (maybe narrative misstep, thematic incongruity, poor acting/character development, etc). Notorious is good, but it lacks the degree of balance, aesthetic symmetry/structure that for me Hitch's greatest films possess (Vertigo, Strangers, 39 Steps). Notorious I find is closer to something like Shadow of a Doubt in the degree of it's formal excellence, than to those others. Cool, thanks. I figured it was one of those more diaphanous elements that are really hard to get another to understand. I dig it. That is, the feeling of those elements - I can totally get behind that feeling of sensing a "dynamism between shots" and "reflection of subject matter" and etcetera in great films.

But where it gets frustrating is that I'd say Notorious has that (or a) "super-ordinate" element that elevates it to great. I'm looking forward to watching '39 Steps' and 'Strangers,' too, for I fully expect that "Hitchcock element" to be there. I'm a pretty big fanboy now, I'd like to claim (though I've got to start re-visiting his British or plain earlier stuff); re-visiting Notorious and Vertigo and North By Northwest in the past three months now has me expecting a lot from his films.

I knew I would like Notorious during one of Grant and Bergman's mopey romantic tiffs early in the film. Bergman is giving a gratuitously affected and self-decrying speech and points out that their dinner is getting cold and the camera cuts to a shot of the table outside, the table cloth flapping in the wind. See, now, I don't know what the hell I'm talking about or why I thought that shot was so good. Maybe I was reacting to another shot and I'm just associating it with the dinner table shot for some reason... But I do remember thinking "This is good filmmaking" around that time. Anyone who loves the film, any thoughts on that moment or am I being a crackpot? :lol:

Bosco B Thug

03-30-2008, 07:52 PM

How does a film 'think' about its own themes? What do you mean by this? Good question. I just think the film doesn't illustrate very genuinely its subject matter, and this problem originates from the ingratiating one-dimensionality of characters, the sentimentality of the film, Darabont's purely serviceable directing, etc. - all of which can be lumped together as the film "not thinking" about the material. Even if the material is supposed to be uplifting and sentimental, Darabont doesn't do much to put meat onto the film - I'd say the performances do the most in making the film engaging.

Qrazy

03-30-2008, 08:29 PM

I knew I would like Notorious during one of Grant and Bergman's mopey romantic tiffs early in the film. Bergman is giving a gratuitously affected and self-decrying speech and points out that their dinner is getting cold and the camera cuts to a shot of the table outside, the table cloth flapping in the wind. See, now, I don't know what the hell I'm talking about or why I thought that shot was so good. Maybe I was reacting to another shot and I'm just associating it with the dinner table shot for some reason... But I do remember thinking "This is good filmmaking" around that time. Anyone who loves the film, any thoughts on that moment or am I being a crackpot? :lol:

Yeah, it has it's moments, but I find for every interesting moment (that walk down the stairwell) there's an equally uninspired one (the completely visually uninteresting car scene).

Qrazy

03-30-2008, 08:30 PM

Michelle Pfeiffer and Uma Thurman are ridiculously attractive in Dangerous Liaisons. The film was meh. Well, meh in execution, fairly insufferable in terms of content. I can't stand films which revel in the cruelty of their protags.

dreamdead

03-30-2008, 08:46 PM

Offside might be a tad bit too simple of a morality tale, but I'll be damned if it's not effective. It's not like director Jafar Panahi is being vague in his criticism of gender discrimination as girls try to see the World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Bahrain. Yet Panahi captures a plea for equality so universal that it transcends the simplicity of his approach. As the girls ride in the bus listening to the last minutes of the game there's a euphoria about the excursion, and Panahi knows how to frame the scene so that it comes organically, and so that we feel as though we've participated in the girl's transgression. Inherently, then, we question the ideology of the political system that would frame such injustice.

Not sure if the film will linger, but it's quietly incindiary in the moments after viewing it.

Yxklyx

03-30-2008, 10:03 PM

The Counterfeiters was a bit dull. I felt I had seen most of this all before. It ends well though. 6/10

Qrazy

03-30-2008, 10:09 PM

So what are everyone's favorite anachronistic performances by telephone poles in the cinema? The amazing role pole transformation I just witnessed in the opening five minutes of The Decameron I think may have finally usurped the number one spot from the finale of High Noon.

Spinal

03-30-2008, 10:46 PM

Qrazy

03-31-2008, 12:01 AM

Well, then there's no reason to see Valmont. It's the same story.

Erg, yeah after this and seeing Cruel Intentions as a kid I'm definitely done with this story.

Philosophe_rouge

03-31-2008, 12:13 AM

Shoot the Piano Player (1960) was entirely underwhelming for me, I enjoyed it more in the second half but overall had a difficult time investing any interest in what was going on. This has happened a lot lately, so I can't tell if it's just me or the film's I've been choosing. It has some wonderful moments though, I especially liked the bumbling bad guys who supplied much of the film's laughs. Visually too, it was very nice looking.

Grouchy

03-31-2008, 01:02 AM

Verhoeven's The 4th Man is like the Dutch version of his US hit Basic Instinct, spiced up with religious imagery and a very liberal, vicious look at gender and sex relations. RenÃ©e Soutendijk, who plays the blonde femme fatale, is not even close to being as hot as Sharon Stone, but the movie itself is better in a lot of other ways - surreal dream sequences, a completely unlikeable and yet interesting protagonist, and an opening where nothing is what it seems on first sight. Completely heavy-handed, don't expect any subtleties from it, but a compelling story with amazing, gross-out visuals and special effects worthy of Cronenberg's crew, that you should expect.

Also saw a classic Horror film by Karl Freund, Mad Love, which according to IMDb wrecked the man's career as a director as a result of censorship and critical banning, but did wonders for Peter Lorre's, who would play dangerous lunatics in a lot of other films and was fresh off his success in M here. His performance is truly the best reason to see this movie - in bald make-up and mad scientist clothes, he is hopelessly in love with a circus artist and helps save her husband's hands, which he needs for his piano playing. Lorre's character starts out with good intentions, but goes progressively insane as a result of the girl's rejection of him. Mad Love has everything - headless people, a parrot, a wax figure, murderous hands... it also has an overcomplicated story and some hard-to-believe plot twists. Lorre and Colin Clive are the only actors worth a damn, and though the stillness of the other performances is partly a result of the times, sometimes it's just crap acting. It's a good reminder of how good Karl Freund was, both as cinematographer and as director, and so is The Mummy if Karloff is more your cup of tea.

origami_mustache

03-31-2008, 01:10 AM

Also saw a classic Horror film by Karl Freund, Mad Love, which according to IMDb wrecked the man's career as a director as a result of censorship and critical banning, but did wonders for Peter Lorre's, who would play dangerous lunatics in a lot of other films and was fresh off his success in M here. His performance is truly the best reason to see this movie - in bald make-up and mad scientist clothes, he is hopelessly in love with a circus artist and helps save her husband's hands, which he needs for his piano playing. Lorre's character starts out with good intentions, but goes progressively insane as a result of the girl's rejection of him. Mad Love has everything - headless people, a parrot, a wax figure, murderous hands... it also has an overcomplicated story and some hard-to-believe plot twists. Lorre and Colin Clive are the only actors worth a damn, and though the stillness of the other performances is partly a result of the times, sometimes it's just crap acting. It's a good reminder of how good Karl Freund was, both as cinematographer and as director, and so is The Mummy if Karloff is more your cup of tea.

My response to Mad Love was pretty much spot on with yours. I always love watching Peter Lorre and find him to be one of the most fascinating actors from the era. The story was a little too far fetched and the supporting acting was very poor, but as you said the mise en scene, lighting and camera movements are impressive.

megladon8

03-31-2008, 01:12 AM

Wow...what a mess that Fierce Creatures was...

Philosophe_rouge

03-31-2008, 01:25 AM

Wow...what a mess that Fierce Creatures was...
It really was :cry:

Stay Puft

03-31-2008, 03:37 AM

I started renting these short cinema journal DVDs from Quickband Entertainment. I finished Short #1: Invention earlier this week and Short #2: Dreams is on the way.

Best short film in the first collection: Mr. Resistor. A delirious and delightful stop-motion animation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9T3Bv6uQxQ

You can watch it at that link. It's a lot of fun.

Apparently the next collection, Short #2: Dreams, has the sequel, Bride of Mr. Resistor, which does not appear to be on YouTube. Can't wait to see it.

Duncan

03-31-2008, 11:50 AM

How awesome is Jack Palance in Contempt?

Qrazy

03-31-2008, 02:38 PM

How awesome is Jack Palance in Contempt?

Just one notch below Fritz Lang.

MadMan

03-31-2008, 04:49 PM

Spider Baby clearly influenced films such as the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Rob Zombie's first two films. The flick is decently creepy in many ways, although it does drag a bit and the budget limits are pretty evident. Still I was fairly entertained, and I really am looking forward to viewing even more of Jack Hill's films. I give this a fairly solid 75, and I have to say that the daughters in this film were fairly freaky and deranged in a The Shining twin girls sort of way.

On the other hand though It Came From Beneath the Sea was disappointing by monster movie standards. The octopus didn't even really look all that great or cool in a cheesy way, and the love triangle between the three leads was painfully weak. I have to say this was pretty damn lame for the most part, although the creature's attack on San Francisco was the main highlight. 41

Due to the lateness of both showings I only caught the first satan flick, The Blood On Satan's Claw(1970). I was surprised to discover that the description for it doesn't even do the film justice. Although this is not a great film by an means there was some really interesting themes raise and even slightly discussed, although the film could have done a better job of exploring them. The atmosphere is extremely thick and very creepy, and the film really dives into the concept of cults while also noting how authoritarian in nature 17th century America truly was. In the end the satanic child devil worshipers aren't really defeated by God so much as a judge going to the extremes and using logic and reason to combat a rather strange and twisted enemy. In the hands of a better director this film could have become a classic, but instead its a notable cult film that does some things really well while retaining too much camp and cheese. 73

I got roughly 35 minutes into The Brotherhood of Satan and then I fell asleep. But what I saw was pretty cheesy and not really all that interesting.

I actually had to add "Satan's Claw" and "Beneath the Sea" to the Criticker site. I'm still waiting to see if they actually add either. I think I'll post these in the B-movie thread on this site also.

lovejuice

03-31-2008, 05:13 PM

balmakboor

03-31-2008, 05:17 PM

How awesome is Jack Palance in Contempt?

Not nearly as awesome as Bardot.

monolith94

03-31-2008, 05:27 PM

How awesome is Jack Palance in Contempt?
not very?

Sycophant

03-31-2008, 05:31 PM

How awesome is Jack Palance in Contempt?More than the film itself?

Spinal

03-31-2008, 05:34 PM

How awesome is Jack Palance in Contempt?

More awesome than Jack Palance in City Slickers.

This game is fun!

MadMan

03-31-2008, 05:35 PM

Contempt is actually being shown on TCM in April. I plan on seeing it, along with the rest of the following:

1. Marnie(1964, Alfred Hitchcock), suspense
2. Sunrise(1927, F.W. Murnau), drama
3. Contempt(1963, Jean-Luc Godard
4. King Kong(1933, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack), adventure
5. Major Dundee(1965, Sam Peckinpah), western
6. Berlin Express(1948, Jacques Tourneur), suspense
7. Attack of the Crab Monsters(1957, Roger Corman), horror
8. Clash of the Titans(1981, Desmond Davis), adventure
9. Role Model: Gene Wilder(2008), documentary
10. The Producers(1968, Mel Brooks), comedy
11. The General(1927, Buster Keaton and Clyde Bruckman), comedy
12. The Stepford Wives(1975, Bryan Forbes), horror
13. Suburbia(1984, Penelope Spheeris), drama
14. The Misfits(1961, John Huston), drama
15. Harvey(1950, Henry Koster)
16. The Lady Vanishes(1938, Alfred Hitchcock), suspense

Kong and Producers are second viewings. I have a feeling I will only get to half of these though.

Raiders

03-31-2008, 05:42 PM

Not nearly as awesome as Bardot.

Yes, but Bardot's subsequent career as an evil bitch bigot negates much of her awesomeness.

EDIT: I'm continually surprised no activist group has latched onto this like they do the drug commercials:

http://archive.salon.com/ent/feature/2004/09/28/bardot/cover.jpg

This is you

http://www.rozaneh-group.com/archive/86/past-now/Bardot2.jpg

This is you on RACISM

Spinal

03-31-2008, 05:52 PM

But she loves animals!

Raiders

03-31-2008, 06:00 PM

But she loves animals!

What about gay animals?

Spinal

03-31-2008, 06:08 PM

What about gay animals?

Tough call. Are they Muslim?

Mysterious Dude

03-31-2008, 06:31 PM

Contempt is actually being shown on TCM in April. I plan on seeing it, along with the rest of the following:
They're also showing Abel Gance's J'accuse! and La Roue on I think the last Sunday of the month. Me are so excited!

Spinal

03-31-2008, 06:39 PM

8. Clash of the Titans(1981, Desmond Davis), adventure

I saw this, then wondered to myself when they are going to get around to remaking it. Sure enough, it has already begun (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800320/).

Duncan

03-31-2008, 07:59 PM

I'm sorry, the correct answer was echidna. Echidna awesome.

MacGuffin

03-31-2008, 08:51 PM

Jules Dassin has died today. (http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h0RHcKt0wVS8uCVzHMu2Vk3H PwZg)

Spinal

03-31-2008, 08:55 PM

Jules Dassin has died today. (http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h0RHcKt0wVS8uCVzHMu2Vk3H PwZg)

96 years old!

Eleven

03-31-2008, 08:56 PM

I may rewatch Night and the City in double memoriam.

MacGuffin

03-31-2008, 08:57 PM

I may rewatch Night and the City in memoriam.

That's the only one I've seen by him, and I didn't really like it. But admittedly, he's got style! I should probably try to get around to Rififi eventually.

origami_mustache

03-31-2008, 09:09 PM

Jules Dassin has died today. (http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h0RHcKt0wVS8uCVzHMu2Vk3H PwZg)

:(

Wasn't a big fan of Never On Sunday, but enjoyed Naked City enough...was planning on watching some of his other work soon.

dreamdead

03-31-2008, 09:35 PM

The Awful Truth (McCarey) - 5.5

Why do you insist on making me cry? Explain thyself? I found the sensesofcinema page on McCarey so valuable for explicating areas of study, if it's any consolation.

number8

03-31-2008, 10:03 PM

megladon8

03-31-2008, 10:32 PM

I may rewatch Night and the City in double memoriam.

Good! It's a masterpiece.

Melville

03-31-2008, 11:07 PM

Why do you insist on making me cry?
Because I take delight in others' misery? Seriously, I mostly just didn't care for the editingâ€”it felt stilted, with too many reaction shots (especially for the pets) interrupting the flow. And the comedy didn't really work for me, with the exception of the scene where Grant and the music teacher were together in Dunne's bedroom, which was hilarious.

However, The Shop Around the Corner was pure class.

MadMan

04-01-2008, 12:21 AM

Christopher Orr wrote a dead-on review (http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=ee49a324-1054-4a7e-b269-4753c6de1994) about 21.

The catch: he hadn't seen the film when he wrote it. He reviewed the trailer.Wow. That's great.

Jules Dassin has died today. (http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h0RHcKt0wVS8uCVzHMu2Vk3H PwZg)I really want to see some of his films. I suppose I should get crackin'.

I saw this, then wondered to myself when they are going to get around to remaking it. Sure enough, it has already begun (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800320/).:| Clayanimation is cooler than CGI.

They're also showing Abel Gance's J'accuse! and La Roue on I think the last Sunday of the month. Me are so excited!I'm debating whether or not to check those out. I think I will, if only because its about time I saw enough silent cinema to actually start posting in the silent thread here on this site. I saw The Kid and Shoulder Arms a while back and forgot to post thoughts on them.

number8

04-01-2008, 12:32 AM

Well fuck me. Leatherheads and Shine a Light screenings at the same time.

Help me decide?

megladon8

04-01-2008, 12:37 AM

I'm not a fan of the Stones, so the choice would be pretty easy for me.

number8

04-01-2008, 12:40 AM

I'm a fan of Scorsese, the Stones and IMAX in general.

I have a man-crush on George Clooney and I think the film will be funny.

Philosophe_rouge

04-01-2008, 12:42 AM

Well fuck me. Leatherheads and Shine a Light screenings at the same time.

Help me decide?
Leatherheads

megladon8

04-01-2008, 12:44 AM

I'm a fan of Scorsese, the Stones and IMAX in general.

I have a man-crush on George Clooney and I think the film will be funny.

Hmm...then it really is a dill of a pickle.

I dunno. Maybe do the old "cover your eyes and point at one" method?

MadMan

04-01-2008, 12:57 AM

Well fuck me. Leatherheads and Shine a Light screenings at the same time.

Help me decide?I want to see both. But I would see Shine a Light over Leatherheads.

origami_mustache

04-01-2008, 01:11 AM

Well fuck me. Leatherheads and Shine a Light screenings at the same time.

Help me decide?

neither?

Sven

04-01-2008, 01:52 AM

What happened to Doclop? He was a good guy.

Philosophe_rouge

04-01-2008, 02:41 AM

Watched a Hawks film I didn't even know existed until earlier this week, The Road to Glory (1936). It's a WW1 drama starring Fredric March, Warner Baxter and Lionel Barrymore. Rather episodic, the film documents trench warfare juxtaposed with an interesting, if not somewhat trite love triangle. The film falters compared to Only Angels Have Wings, but is still a relatively strong film, handling themes of love, gender roles, masculinity and valour with enormous skill. There are a few truly exceptional scenes amidst many "average" ones (an average Hawks is pretty damn good though). Baxter really strives in this film, and I regret that I'm generally inclined to ignore his presence. It is however Gregory Ratoff, one of my favourite character actors, who really steals the show in this one. Certainly worth watching if you're a Hawks fan, it's an interesting little film, but I don't think there is anything here that will necessarily blow anyone away.

Grouchy

04-01-2008, 03:14 AM

Well fuck me. Leatherheads and Shine a Light screenings at the same time.

Help me decide?
Shine a Light without a shadow of a flicker.

I mean, I wanna see Leatherheads too, but come on. "Scorsese" and "rock documentary" are words that are always meant to go together.

origami_mustache

04-01-2008, 06:12 AM

The Spook Who Sat by the Door (Ivan Dixon, 1973)

http://bp1.blogger.com/_O-JFawu5Btc/Rak9OmlAo4I/AAAAAAAAABA/S0BE5r1ApNM/s320/kal745.jpg

synopsis: Appropriately named Dan Freeman becomes the first African American CIA operative. After putting up with rigorous training as well as passing numerous physical and academic tests on top of the racism and discrimination, he is relegated to a remedial desk job in order to showcase the employee integration. He leaves the CIA to begin leading a double life as a social worker in Chicago by day and the leader of an underground militant guerrilla group known as The Black Freedom Fighters. Things escalate when I cop shoots a junky in the ghetto and riots break out. The national guard occupies the ghetto and the Black Freedom Fighters declare war.

It's a miracle this film ever was able to be produced, as it must have been frightening for white America at the time of it's release. The trailer included on the DVD presented the film almost as if it were horror movie. I anticipated the film to have a rough low budget look to it, but I was actually impressed with how professional it comes across. I found out afterwards the film was edited by Spielberg's editor, Michael Kahn and Herbie Hancock did the soundtrack. This is an extremely revolutionary film based on the book by activist Sam Greenlee and it assumes an "us vs. them" mentality with "whitey" as the enemy, but quickly evolves into more of a "with or against" philosophy after they find themselves combating other African Americans. The recourse they take is a bit drastic, but the film presents everything in a fairly plausible fashion. The film's message is powerful as the fictionalized and perhaps allegorical scenario serves to represent alternatives to passive reactions. The aim is to promote a collective more aggressive and more organized form of retaliation in order to encourage change and obtain freedom.

dreamdead

04-01-2008, 01:38 PM

Apparently I missed the memo regarding If....'s blurring of reality and surrealism, as I took all of the various dreamscapes of the resurrected dead at face value. That said, I think the super-literal approach during the viewing actually helped my appreciation of the audacity behind the work; the themes of revolution and critique of school administrations were timely, and the connections to all of the uprisings in '68 just lend the film greater resonance. I'm a bit confused if the random black and white sequences had any symbolic value, but otherwise a worthwhile watch.

I'll give it some time, then check out O Lucky Man!

dreamdead

04-01-2008, 01:52 PM

Shaving Ryan's Privates (George, 2002) ***1/2
Dick Ho: Asian Male Porn Star (Lei, 2006) ***
Edward Penishands 2 (Norman, 1991) ***
Deep in Angel's Ass (Bone, 1997) cheeky!
Titty Titty Bang Bang (Sterling, 1992) ***1/2
Breast Fever 2 (Alexandre, 2005) **1/2
Pumping Irene (Williams, 1986) ***
Gangbang Sluts (Blake, 1994) ***

I really am curious what all this research is building toward...

Qrazy

04-01-2008, 02:17 PM

I really am curious what all this research is building toward...

Orgasm?

D_Davis

04-01-2008, 03:32 PM

I watched The Ninth Configuration last night, again, this time with the commentary by Mark Kermode and Blatty. It's a good commentary. Blatty seems a little reluctant to dive too deep into his own feelings about certain sequences, but with Kermode being a huge fan he keeps pushing him along.

I still greatly prefer the book's ending, which is also a deleted ending. Blatty has cut the film in excess of a dozen different ways, and he says that he still wants to add about 20 minutes to it. Blatty feels very strongly about the ending he chose, but I just can't help bu feel that it undermines Kane's character just a bit too much.

Oh well, the film is still a masterpiece.

If you haven't seen it, watch it, any way you can. It is simply one of the greatest films ever made. The directing is impeccable, the acting is out of this world, the dialog is gripping, and it is just teeming with great humor, atmosphere, and passion.

I am home sick today, and I think I am going to watch it again and read the book again. I've never been this into one thing. I feel as though I could read the book and watch the film on a daily basis and find new things to love each and every time.

I am totally obsessed.

Raiders

04-01-2008, 03:41 PM

Hm, I need to listen to the commentary it seems.

MadMan

04-01-2008, 06:04 PM

What happened to Doclop? He was a good guy.I thought he posted here under another name. Perhaps not. I do recall him posting on the previous MatchCut site though.

Davis your current obsession with The Ninth Configuration has me pushing it to the top of my "To See" list. Just like Wats' extreme pimping of Pleasantville I want to see what the hell all the fuss is about. Well that and the fact that after reading the description of it in one of the 1980s consensus threads it sounds right up my alley.

D_Davis

04-01-2008, 06:30 PM

Davis your current obsession with The Ninth Configuration has me pushing it to the top of my "To See" list.

Sweet.

I think it's one of those "why haven't I seen this yet?" movies. Or, perhaps more sadly, "why haven't I ever heard anyone talk about this?" movies.

It's interesting how the success of The Exorcist actually hurt this film. For a decade before the Exorcist, Blatty was known as a great comedy writer, with both films and books. He then wrote a horror script, won an Oscar, and that moment completely erased everything that had happened before The Exorcist.

Suddenly, he was a horror author, and nothing else. No one wanted anything from him except for another Exorcist.

2/3 of TNC is laugh-out-loud comedy, full of some of the funniest lines and sight gags you'll ever see. No one knew what to do with this film. Blatty said that some of the radio and TV spots for it made it sound like a gut-wrenching horror film.

No one knew what to do with the film because all of the studios had pigeonholed Blatty as a maker of horror films, which was absolutely ridiculous. I mean come one, he also wrote A Shot in the Dark, so why wasn't he pegged as a writer of comedy?

megladon8

04-01-2008, 07:46 PM

I'm really interested in seeing this early-90's western/horror starring Robert John Burke, called Dust Devil.

D_Davis

04-01-2008, 07:56 PM

I'm really interested in seeing this early-90's western/horror starring Robert John Burke, called Dust Devil.

I've heard it's terrible, but I still kind of want to see it as well.

balmakboor

04-01-2008, 08:03 PM

I read something somewhere saying Dust Devil was great. It may have been Fangoria which kinda negates the recommendation.

D_Davis

04-01-2008, 08:08 PM

I read something somewhere saying Dust Devil was great. It may have been Fangoria which kinda negates the recommendation.

Ain't this the sad truth?

A Fangoria rec almost always spells disaster.

Derek

04-01-2008, 10:07 PM

Quick notes on recent viewings:

I laughed almost as much during Bela Tarr's new film than I did during the new Simon Pegg film. That was unexpected, WTF indeed. Then again, Tarr has "Imdb is shit!" on his resume, which is funnier than anything Schwimmer has been involved with.

Into the Wild is a structural and stylistic mess, but fascinating in its exploration of various facets of McCandless's personality. While there are times when Penn does seem to be idolizing him or oversimplifying the correlation between his relationship with parents and his desire to escape, that is more than made up for by the bittersweet, almost elegiac tone that it takes on as Chris continually rejects the need for human relationships and gets further into his wrong-minded search for truth and an ideal that only in the end he realizes doesn't exist. Great stuff and I was surprised how much the film resonated with me.

megladon8

04-01-2008, 11:54 PM

Ain't this the sad truth?

A Fangoria rec almost always spells disaster.

I learned this the hard way when I blind-bought Automaton Transfusion.

Bosco B Thug

04-01-2008, 11:58 PM

I really am curious what all this research is building toward... I'm curious too. That's a lot of porn. So curious, I IMDb'ed them. Shaving Ryan's Privates is parodic and Titty Titty Bang Bang has a female director, so that probably is an aspect of their distinguishment. But are they as cheeky as Deep in Angel's Ass?

MadMan

04-02-2008, 12:09 AM

I'm curious too. That's a lot of porn. So curious, I IMDb'ed them. Shaving Ryan's Privates is parodic and Titty Titty Bang Bang has a female director, so that probably is an aspect of their distinguishment. But are they as cheeky as Deep in Angel's Ass?It could also be that at this point Spinal has seen so much cinema that he's now diving into porn for something truly new. Or him and his wife are using for um....yeah I'm not going there.

Anyways tonight TCM is screening 60s Hitchcock films. The Birds is on right now, followed by Marnie, Psycho and Topez. Out of those I've seen "Birds" once and Psycho twice.

Grouchy

04-02-2008, 02:43 AM

Buenos Aires Film Festival this month, and I'm looking at the films I'm going to see. Lots of great ones, including retrospectives on pinku director Wakamatsu and Powell & Pressburger. But my question is:

Mister Lonely. Harmony Korine. The facts I've found so far make it look intriguing. Any of ye wankers seen it? What's it like?

balmakboor

04-02-2008, 03:33 AM

Sweet.

I think it's one of those "why haven't I seen this yet?" movies. Or, perhaps more sadly, "why haven't I ever heard anyone talk about this?" movies.

It's interesting how the success of The Exorcist actually hurt this film. For a decade before the Exorcist, Blatty was known as a great comedy writer, with both films and books. He then wrote a horror script, won an Oscar, and that moment completely erased everything that had happened before The Exorcist.

Suddenly, he was a horror author, and nothing else. No one wanted anything from him except for another Exorcist.

2/3 of TNC is laugh-out-loud comedy, full of some of the funniest lines and sight gags you'll ever see. No one knew what to do with this film. Blatty said that some of the radio and TV spots for it made it sound like a gut-wrenching horror film.

No one knew what to do with the film because all of the studios had pigeonholed Blatty as a maker of horror films, which was absolutely ridiculous. I mean come one, he also wrote A Shot in the Dark, so why wasn't he pegged as a writer of comedy?

I've wanted to see this for a long time -- every since a guy named Ectothermal Puppy at RT spent many posts talking it up. I think your description has finally pushed me over the edge. First up though is Knock Off which got pushed over the edge about a day ago by a poster in the Tsui Hark thread.

Stay Puft

04-02-2008, 04:34 AM

First up though is Knock Off which got pushed over the edge about a day ago by a poster in the Tsui Hark thread.

That will not end well.

Has anybody seen Guy Maddin's The Eye Like a Strange Balloon Mounts Toward Infinity? I've never seen a Guy Maddin film until now, and damn, it was pretty cool. Only about five minutes long, but packed with vibrant and memorable imagery. I was impressed, to say the least.

megladon8

04-02-2008, 04:52 AM

A Touch of Zen - A

This is encouraging.

It's currently $12 on Amazon.ca. I think I might get it.

Qrazy

04-02-2008, 04:52 AM

That will not end well.

Has anybody seen Guy Maddin's The Eye Like a Strange Balloon Mounts Toward Infinity? I've never seen a Guy Maddin film until now, and damn, it was pretty cool. Only about five minutes long, but packed with vibrant and memorable imagery. I was impressed, to say the least.

Yeah, it was alright. I agree the imagery is powerful at times but the film also feels too rushed and staccato to me. With his best works I find Maddin's quick edit style works marvelously well (Heart of the World, Cowards Bend the Knee) to build a sense of momentum and unique energy... but other times like in this case I find the images just trip over themselves and therefore the individual moments of the film lack expansiveness and suffocate an otherwise fascinating universe.

D_Davis

04-02-2008, 05:13 AM

This is encouraging.

It's currently $12 on Amazon.ca. I think I might get it.

What, it being on my top 100 isn't?

;)

I just watched The Exorcist III. This is a very good movie. I still feel that I am justified for liking it more than the first film.

I can't wait to read Legion, and The Exorcist, and then study them, along with TNC, all together.

For the first time I think I really understand what Blatty was going for with the third installment, byond it being an effective horror film.

The very presence of evil signifies the existence of good. For if their was no good, then how could we possibly perceive anything as evil? However, even when faced with the undeniable proof of the existence of great, supernatural evil, Lt. Kinderman still chooses not to believe in God, and in goodness. He tells Legion that he only believes in it - the evil, the scum, the infidelity, the vileness of humanity. He chooses to deny the existence of good, of God, because he cannot see past the evil. In this film, Blatty uses the existence of evil to show that there must be a God, but ultimately the choice of what to believe is up to us, it's up to how we interpret the "evidence."

This ties into what Kane says to Cutsahw in The Ninth Configuration. During one of their many conversations, Kane asks Cutshaw why he uses the evil in the world as the proof against God, when he could just as easily use the goodness in the world as proof for God. When things go bad, unbelievers often ask, "where's your God now?" But when things go good, why don't they say "Ah, here God is working"? However, Cutshaw can't see this - he needs proof, personal proof of altruistic goodness. And when he finally gets it, he chooses to believe in the goodness, and in God.

These two films work really well together, and I might actually say that The Exorcist is the odd film out. I am not sure. I need to see it again to really see how it fits within this trilogy.