28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[balmakboor]

Maybe it's an omen. Netflix skipped over Knock Off and is sending me Once Upon a Time in China instead.

[Qrazy]

Films with dot, dot, dot in the title... (ex: If... I was born but... Madame de...) for some reason this kind of annoys me, anyone else or is it just me?

[number8]

What about Waiting...?

[number8]

Wong Kar Wai is calling me in 30 minutes!

/nervous wreck

[Sycophant]

Wong Kar Wai is calling me in 30 minutes!

/nervous wreckHave you decided what music you're going to have playing when he calls, to giggle and say "I'm sorry, let me turn this down" when he calls, while he is quietly impressed with your uniquely tasteful selection of mid-morning listening?

[number8]

Have you decided what music you're going to have playing when he calls, to giggle and say "I'm sorry, let me turn this down" when he calls, while he is quietly impressed with your uniquely tasteful selection of mid-morning listening?

No! That would be adding pressure. What if I have a music on he does not like?

I can play the In the Mood for Love soundtrack, but then it would be so tacky. :sad:

[megladon8]

It would be even better to actually have In the Mood for Love on in the background.

"Oh, sorry, I was just watching my favorite movie."

[Sycophant]

True. That would be about as tacky as wearing a band's T-shirt to their concert apparently is. Unless you have a rare underground live recording of "California Dreamin'," you're probably best doing this without musical aide.

Good luck on the interview. Don't let your slobber mess up the sound on your phone's mouthpiece. Ask him what his inner monologues are like.

[number8]

Ask him what his inner monologues are like.

Ha! Maybe I will.

[EvilShoe]

Ha! Maybe I will.
Ask him if the rumours are true about him not having eyes.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Listen to porn. Loudly. That'll shift the pressure.

[Russ]

Films with dot, dot, dot in the title... (ex: If... I was born but... Madame de...) for some reason this kind of annoys me, anyone else or is it just me?
Not that you would have checked it out anyway, but you'll want to avoid ...tick...tick...tick...

[Lucky]

True. That would be about as tacky as wearing a band's T-shirt to their concert apparently is.

I'm not really an avid concert goer, but is that really considered tacky?

[EvilShoe]

I'm not really an avid concert goer, but is that really considered tacky?
Personally what I find tacky are the people who buy a T-shirt of a band at a concert, before they start to play.

[Sycophant]

I'm not really an avid concert goer, but is that really considered tacky?A friend once told me it is, which kind of struck me as odd, though I guess I can kind of see it. I'm not exactly an avid concert-goer myself.

[Qrazy]

A friend once told me it is, which kind of struck me as odd, though I guess I can kind of see it. I'm not exactly an avid concert-goer myself.

Except if you're a hot chick it's no longer tacky.

---

Dreyer's Vampyr... wtf?

[number8]

A friend once told me it is, which kind of struck me as odd, though I guess I can kind of see it. I'm not exactly an avid concert-goer myself.

I don't understand why, either, but yeah, I've always known that it's generally considered to be very tacky -- it's always said that you shouldn't be "that guy" -- so I've never done it myself.

[MadMan]

Except if you're a hot chick it's no longer tacky.

---

Dreyer's Vampyr... wtf?Damn good movie, although it was hard to understand what was going on at times since the print I watched was extremely old (it was on a local cable channel) and much of the movie was in German with few subtitles. Still I understood what was going on. I loved the use of light and shadows, and how there was actually book written about how to deal with a vampire. The last act is full of strangeness however.

That's another film which I scribbled down a review for in one of my notebooks, and then I forgot to post online. I think I'll take care of my 2007 back load before I start hunting for reviews in old notebooks that I used for college and high school....

...and funny enough I still have on my computer reviews I wrote for my high school newspaper. I'm afraid to even look at those.

PS: Good luck with the interview number8. Go in there stone cold. Ice cold. Or drunk. Whichever one works.

[number8]

So interview went pretty okay. Rough start with me getting caught off-guard and my recorder acting up. I forgot a couple of questions because it was moving along so fast since I kept jumping to questions relating to what he's mentioning in the answers.

I was listening to the tape and I was embarrassingly shrillier than usual. I think I came across as a fanboy.

Interviewing people you don't admire is so much easier.

[Sycophant]

Interviewing people you don't admire is so much easier.I've noticed this even among the best, most seasoned reviewers. For my money, there's no one who conducts better interviews than Terry Gross, even when she knows and respects the interviewee's work. However, occasionally you can tell, she's a fan fan of her guest. When she interviewed Colin Meloy, I thought she was just going to start cooing.

Be sure to let us know when the interview goes up anywhere.

[lovejuice]

So interview went pretty okay. Rough start with me getting caught off-guard and my recorder acting up. I forgot a couple of questions because it was moving along so fast since I kept jumping to questions relating to what he's mentioning in the answers.

I was listening to the tape and I was embarrassingly shrillier than usual. I think I came across as a fanboy.

Interviewing people you don't admire is so much easier.

how's wkw's english?

[Qrazy]

Damn good movie, although it was hard to understand what was going on at times since the print I watched was extremely old (it was on a local cable channel) and much of the movie was in German with few subtitles. Still I understood what was going on.


Yeah, I watched it online and had the same problem. The print was terrible.

[Stay Puft]

Btw, Stay Puft. I just noticed you were the poster who pushed me over the edge. Why do you say I won't like it?

Precedent.

I mean, I hope you get a kick out of it. But at the same time there's something absurd, even unsettling, about being "that guy who convinced somebody to watch Knock Off, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Rob Schneider." Regardless of what I think, we must acknowledge there is not much sanity to be had here.


Maybe it's an omen. Netflix skipped over Knock Off and is sending me Once Upon a Time in China instead.

Great movie. I hope you enjoy it. :)

[Raiders]

A Prairie Home Companion was enjoyable enough, and I suppose it works very nicely as a finale to Altman's career (you almost get the sense that he took this project knowing it would be his last), but I still think I would have preferred he go out on the heights of The Company. That film successfully weaved Altman's perspective on cinema into a narrative and subject matter that beautifully complimented and commented on its creator and in its dance scenes gorgeously recreated the sublime moments when that craft comes together. Here though, it feels all a little routine and disjointed. One thing I love about Altman is his ability to take all characters and fold them into the narrative and mise-en-scene, making all feel consequential. In this film, I never felt he achieved this level of cohesion, in particular in the malformed and uninteresting axe-man played by Tommy Lee Jones, and Kevin Kline's peripheral Guy Noir, spouting story but not character. I admire the way the film connects the transient nature of the radio--we switch it on for only a short time, change stations, turn it off, etc.--to the many personalities and lives that live inside the radio, so to speak. But, ultimately, the very structure here robs the film of much involvement and despite the attempts to bringing in Virginia Madsen's angel of death, not much here seems of consequence. The only real emotion I felt was in the knowledge that we would never see a new film from Altman again.

[megladon8]

Nice write-up on A Prairie Home Companion, Raiders.

I felt much the same way that you did.

I was actually really surprised by Lindsay Lohan's performance - she was quite good in her role, and if she got her personal life cleaned up enough so that I don't grind my teeth and crack my knuckles every time i hear her name, I probably wouldn't mind seeing more films with her.

Since I saw the film while I was in the middle of the Radio Broadcasting program - and hosted a movie show where I reviewed the film on the air - I think I connected to it more deeply than I would have if I'd seen it before then (or possibly even now).

It's a fun little ensemble piece, and quite entertaining, but not much more.

[Qrazy]

Any of these worth watching?

Rabid
Ravenous
Tremors
The Terror
Scent of a Woman
Sleepless in Seattle
Sleepy Hollow

And what was the concencus on Quiet City again?

[Watashi]

Any of these worth watching?

Rabid
Ravenous
Tremors
The Terror
Scent of a Woman
Sleepless in Seattle
Sleepy Hollow

And what was the concencus on Quiet City again?
All of them are horrible. Some of the worst films ever.

Srsly, just watch them and find out on your own.

[Spinal]

Ravenous - definitely
Scent of a Woman - no
Sleepy Hollow - not really

[Sycophant]

I've only seen two of those. Sleepless in Seattle I pretty much loathe. Quiet City I pretty much love, and there were some others who felt the same way (notably dreamdead and some others I can't remember to my embarrassment). Others, like Clipper Ship Captain, hated it. And someone out there pretty much just liked it.

THERE IS NO DEFINITIVE CONSENSUS.

[Raiders]

Ravenous - yes
Tremors - meh
Scent of a Woman - meh
Sleepless in Seattle - no
Sleepy Hollow - yes

[Qrazy]

Sleepy Hollow - yes

Yeah, I just saw and quite enjoyed Sweeney Todd so I think I'll give precedence to this one.

[D_Davis]

Rabid - maybe
Ravenous - heck to the yes x 2.5 + definitely
Tremors - maybe
The Terror - no
Scent of a Woman - never seen it
Sleepless in Seattle - never seen it
Sleepy Hollow - maybe

[Russ]

Ravenous - heck to the yes x 2.5 + definitely
Pretty much agree

[lovejuice]

Tremors
Scent of a Woman

- these two are my favorite when i was young.

Sleepless in Seattle

- never like it, and i consider myself a chick flick connoisseur.

Sleepy Hollow

- quite burton's fun. see for yourself.

[Sycophant]

Ebert is on his way back (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080401/PEOPLE/994190446), folks!

[Rowland]

Finally, Spielberg's War of the Worlds has gotten a sequel! Directed by and starring C. Thomas Howell! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOSAGF1UOz4&eurl=http://www.cinematical.com/)

[Qrazy]

Finally, Spielberg's War of the Worlds has gotten a sequel! Directed by and starring C. Thomas Howell! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOSAGF1UOz4&eurl=http://www.cinematical.com/)

April Fools Joke too?

[Rowland]

April Fools Joke too?I'm afraid not.
(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1183733/)

[Qrazy]

King of Kong - lollin @ deez nerdzors, nice mullet Billosaurus.

[Bosco B Thug]

Any of these worth watching?

Rabid
Ravenous
Tremors
The Terror
Scent of a Woman
Sleepless in Seattle
Sleepy Hollow

And what was the concencus on Quiet City again? Tremors is fun and Sleepy Hollow is supreme fun, but I don't think there's too much of substance in either of them, formally or thematically. Sleepy Hollow has a good mean streak, though, and Burton's always at least a competent and deft director, even if not always an inspirational one.

I pontificate because I recently watched maybe 15 minutes of Beetle Juice on some channel on TV and it reminded me just how wonderful I find that movie, and that while I find Sleepy Hollow endlessly enjoyable, it's not "great," and Beetle Juice has that something that makes it great, imo; some happy resonance between Burton's directing and the material. Sleepy Hollow is definitely the lesser material creatively, and I think it shows in the lesser artistic clarity of Burton's directing.


Yeah, I just saw and quite enjoyed Sweeney Todd so I think I'll give precedence to this one. Whew, glad you liked it.


Finally, Spielberg's War of the Worlds has gotten a sequel! Directed by and starring C. Thomas Howell! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOSAGF1UOz4&eurl=http://www.cinematical.com/) Do these movies make any money? Well, good for C. Thomas Howell, anyway, keeping busy. CGI doesn't look too bad...

[lovejuice]

A Prairie Home Companion was enjoyable enough, and I suppose it works very nicely as a finale to Altman's career (you almost get the sense that he took this project knowing it would be his last), but I still think I would have preferred he go out on the heights of The Company.

i won't call COMPANY the height of his career, but yes, i too prefer it to PRAIRIE. i always think PRAIRIE is too "light hearted" to be a good bye project of a great director, but when you are that old and that successful, life perhaps is more light hearted than anyone think.

[Sven]

Rabid - meh
Ravenous - what Davis said...
Tremors - mos' def'
Scent of a Woman - I liked it for what it was, which wasn't much... it's terribly cloying
Sleepless in Seattle - probably not
Sleepy Hollow - one of my very favorite Burton's--glad you liked Todd

[Rowland]

Ravenous and Tremors, definitely. Sleep Hollow is insanely gorgeous, with some really inspired, memorable imagery and one amazing setpiece that ranks with Burton's best, but as a whole, the movie feels sorta flat, which isn't aided any by Andrew Kevin Walker's mediocre screenplay. Still, it was moderately enjoyable as a whole.

[Sven]

Andrew Kevin Walker's mediocre screenplay.

Perhaps my thinking that it's the best thing he's ever written speaks more for my opinion of his writing in general than it does to the movie. But I think it's a pretty sweet screenplay, actually. It's narrative, at least, is very fun and very intricate.

[Yxklyx]

Rabid is good - I'm surprised so few have seen it.

[Russ]

Rabid is good - I'm surprised so few have seen it.
I've seen it (liked it too), but didn't figure it to be Qrazy's cup of tea.

[Rowland]

Perhaps my thinking that it's the best thing he's ever written speaks more for my opinion of his writing in general than it does to the movie. But I think it's a pretty sweet screenplay, actually. It's narrative, at least, is very fun and very intricate.I'm not sure if I can even articulate why it left me somewhat indifferent, at least without seeing it again, as it has been several years. I can only resort to the plebian "he didn't make me care." :confused:

[megladon8]

This love for Ravenous makes me giddy.

Seriously, it's an underrated masterpiece. A brilliant piece of filmmaking, and knowing that others feel the same way makes me happy.

It's one that has been cast to the back of video stores, and unjustly so.

[lovejuice]

Perhaps my thinking that it's the best thing he's ever written speaks more for my opinion of his writing in general than it does to the movie. But I think it's a pretty sweet screenplay, actually. It's narrative, at least, is very fun and very intricate.

i'm not familiar with the guy's work, so i can comment on his repertoire. but story-wise, sleep hollow is too scooby doo for my taste. esp the revelation at the end where the villain gleefully explains all the subtleties.

[D_Davis]

Ravenous should have been on my top 100, and it will be making the cut after my first revision.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Rewatched Holiday (1938) tonight, and while a little more stilted visually then I remembered, in terms of characterization and presentation of ideas it's still incredibly appealing to me. It's celebration of non-comformity and self-discovery is wonderful, especially in light of most other comedies of it's type that seem to disregard money and finances entirely, as only the very rich are afforded the luxury of being an eccentric. This film is far more "human" than many of it's comedy contemporaries (except maybe It Happened One Night and The Awful Truth)... this isn't necessarily a critisism of the era, I ADORE screwballs/30s comedies. As good as Grant and Hepburn are, it's always Lew Ayres who strikes me. His acting in All Quiet on the Western Front is often considered to be the weakest aspect of the film (Even though I really like the film, I don't think he's the worst part), he really was a great actor and I think this performance is a testament to that. In essence he represents the repressed artist, who is utterly crushed by societal and financial pressures. He's dry, pathetic and entirely endearing.

I also watched this with my little sister, I'm trying to turn her onto Cary Grant, and she's really having fun so far. She preferred Bringing up Baby though. Next I'm showing her The Awful Truth.

[megladon8]

Holiday is one of my absolute faves.

Of all the films in the Cary Grant DVD set, it's the one I've watched the most. I may even say it's my favorite movie of his.

[monolith94]

Philosophe Rouge, I say this with all sorts of kindness and good wishes. When you use "while" and "however" consecutively in the sentence as you do, it crafts a grammatical double-negative which detracts from your quite lovely thoughts on the film.

I nitpick because I care.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Philosophe Rouge, I say this with all sorts of kindness and good wishes. When you use "while" and "however" consecutively in the sentence as you do, it crafts a grammatical double-negative which detracts from your quite lovely thoughts on the film.

I nitpick because I care.
THanks, it happens when I don't re-read my work. Sometimes I use though 3 times a sentence even when I'm trying to stop saying it entirely. I am always looking to imppprove. :pritch:

[Philosophe_rouge]

Holiday is one of my absolute faves.

Of all the films in the Cary Grant DVD set, it's the one I've watched the most. I may even say it's my favorite movie of his.
THis one? http://www.amazon.com/Grant-Holiday-Angels-Wings-Friday/dp/B000CEV3L4/ref=pd_bxgy_d_text_b/103-0485556-3822260

I want it ! It's only my third favourite though behind Only Angels Have Wngs and the Awful Truth. Still, I like it a lot better than Friday and Talk of the Town.

[monolith94]

I don't know how many people know this, but I'm in a M.Ed program to be a high school English teacher. So grammar and conventions are topics on my mind a bit more frequently than they used to be. Probably the most influential book I've ever read on the topic was John Simon's "Paradigms Lost". He's also a film critic, if one of inconsistent quality.

His essay "Why Reed Can't Write" is in that book, and it is awesome (it's about Rex Reed).

[balmakboor]

I found myself in the mood to rewatch Forbidden Games tonight. I always thought it was a good movie, but it really moved me (to tears actually) tonight. Sometimes movies you think you know really well can still surprise you.

[SirNewt]

Rewatched Holiday (1938) tonight, and while a little more stilted visually then I remembered, in terms of characterization and presentation of ideas it's still incredibly appealing to me. It's celebration of non-comformity and self-discovery is wonderful, especially in light of most other comedies of it's type that seem to disregard money and finances entirely, as only the very rich are afforded the luxury of being an eccentric. This film is far more "human" than many of it's comedy contemporaries (except maybe It Happened One Night and The Awful Truth)... this isn't necessarily a critisism of the era, I ADORE screwballs/30s comedies. As good as Grant and Hepburn are, it's always Lew Ayres who strikes me. His acting in All Quiet on the Western Front is often considered to be the weakest aspect of the film (Even though I really like the film, I don't think he's the worst part), he really was a great actor and I think this performance is a testament to that. In essence he represents the repressed artist, who is utterly crushed by societal and financial pressures. He's dry, pathetic and entirely endearing.

I also watched this with my little sister, I'm trying to turn her onto Cary Grant, and she's really having fun so far. She preferred Bringing up Baby though. Next I'm showing her The Awful Truth.

You may have seen them, but I highly recommend both, 'My Man Godfrey' and 'You Can't Take it with You'.

[Philosophe_rouge]

You may have seen them, but I highly recommend both, 'My Man Godfrey' and 'You Can't Take it with You'.
I've seen My Man Godfrey, and while it does acknowledge the depression and money, I do find that it's somewhat problematic in it's social critisism. I do really enjoy it though, and it's been several years since I've seen it. Maybe 4 now actually? wow... I haven't seen You Can't Take it With You though, thanks for that :)

[baby doll]

From now till at the asbolute very latest Tuesday:

Los Muertos (Lisandro Alonso)
Summer Palace (Lou Ye)
Vietnam: In the Year of the Pig (Emile de Antonio)

[megladon8]

THis one? http://www.amazon.com/Grant-Holiday-Angels-Wings-Friday/dp/B000CEV3L4/ref=pd_bxgy_d_text_b/103-0485556-3822260

I want it ! It's only my third favourite though behind Only Angels Have Wngs and the Awful Truth. Still, I like it a lot better than Friday and Talk of the Town.


Yep! That's the one!

I, too, like it a lot better than His Girl Friday - great movie, but overrated.

It's great meeting people who love Holiday as much as me :)

[Raiders]

Uh, wow. James Gray's We Own the Night has got to be one of the most evocatively shot films to come out of Hollywood in some time. Nothing that stands out (except a couple key sequences), but it is subtly a masterclass in elegant cinematography.

[dreamdead]

After the Dario Argento consensus at the old site, I'd made a note to return to his work, and so I've finally viewed Suspiria. It's a wonder of color and architectural design, but what's most captivating is how baldly suspenseful the whole affair is, specifically with regard to Sarah's (the best friend's) sequence. Really, the celebrated opening cannot hold a candle to the dread that Argento elicits from her flight and subsequent demise. It's just a master class in building layer of music and image together until we are empathetic about every step of her survival. It's why her death is the focal point of the film for me. The last sequence with Susan and the witch is solid, but it actually pales in my mind next to the Sarah sequences.

Wonderful design to all of the technical details; only wish would be for a slightly more central and specific lead character, but otherwise solid.

[dreamdead]

Snow Angels (2007) 62


How depressing. Since you're probably Green's biggest supporter, I will finally give in and lower my expectations for this film. I mourn the possibility that Green's best work is already behind him.

[Raiders]

How depressing. Since you're probably Green's biggest supporter, I will finally give in and lower my expectations for this film. I mourn the possibility that Green's best work is already behind him.

I found it a bit bizarre. Tonally, I was just never much convinced. Green has always mixed comedy and drama, but here he goes from buffoonish to horror without skipping a beat. That may sound like a compliment, but seeing it in action is very disjointed and just kinda strange. For a film that should leave you devastated, I was just left sort of befuddled.

[Spinal]

This interview (http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/Content?oid=735149&category=22133) with Green is surprising and revealing, I think.


When I go back and watch my other films, a lot of it just feels so mannered and intentionally poetic, and sometimes pretentious and overly stylized. They were written very stream of consciousness, almost in a disposable way—where you can take out any scene and you don't need it. There is very little in those movies that's essential to telling the story, because there's really not that much of a story. With Snow Angels, I really did try to take some kind of technical consideration as to how the story was constructed. [laughs] Which is something that I usually ignore.

[Raiders]

Hm, so it seems his gifts that come naturally he has tried to eliminate and over-complicate the filmmaking process? Shame. It definitely shows. His strengths lie in his observant style that has each moment perhaps feel inconsequential but where the whole mosaic has a great levity. By getting rid of that, he has become generic. He has become victim to the belief that all films should tell traditional narratives.

[Spinal]

I should have added that I don't necessarily think he is right is his self-assessment. I just was taken aback by his comments and surprised by the direction he wants to pursue.

[Raiders]

I should have added that I don't necessarily think he is right is his self-assessment. I just was taken aback by his comments and surprised by the direction he wants to pursue.

It might explain why he wanted to do the Apatow film.

[Qrazy]

I've seen it (liked it too), but didn't figure it to be Qrazy's cup of tea.

Yeah probably not, I've found most early Cronenberg (pre-Videodrome) to be fairly weak. I tend to enjoy the concept and ideas behind his films much more than the execution. With both Scanners and The Brood, the acting is so god awful I find it very difficult to remain interested.

[Qrazy]

Happiness of the Katakuris - I need to stop watching Miike films. They almost always make me want to vomit and this is not something I look for in cinema, my gag reflex is fine thank you.

[MadMan]

After the Dario Argento consensus at the old site, I'd made a note to return to his work, and so I've finally viewed Suspiria. It's a wonder of color and architectural design, but what's most captivating is how baldly suspenseful the whole affair is, specifically with regard to Sarah's (the best friend's) sequence. Really, the celebrated opening cannot hold a candle to the dread that Argento elicits from her flight and subsequent demise. It's just a master class in building layer of music and image together until we are empathetic about every step of her survival. It's why her death is the focal point of the film for me. The last sequence with Susan and the witch is solid, but it actually pales in my mind next to the Sarah sequences.

Wonderful design to all of the technical details; only wish would be for a slightly more central and specific lead character, but otherwise solid.I agree with everything here. The last act is easily the weakest, although the part where Sarah's zombie corpse emerges was pretty damn freaky. What I love most about the film is how its really a fantastic nightmare existing outside the realm of reality. So far its the most beautiful horror movie I've ever seen, although I have yet to view the rest of Argento's work and a good may Italian giallo's as well.

[lovejuice]

but what's most captivating is how baldly suspenseful the whole affair is, specifically with regard to Sarah's (the best friend's) sequence.

in the dvd that sequence is aptly named "kiss of steel." masterfully directed. notice the use of sound (not just music): the clicking of the knife blade on the door lock.


the last sequence with Susan and the witch is solid, but it actually pales in my mind next to the Sarah sequences.


i actually like the climax since it successfully convey the ultimate feeling of dread.

the girl is trapped in a no-exit corridor and where does the only door lead her to? yep, the belly of the beast. again the use of the breathing sound is sublime. the moment we think the situation can't be worse, she knocks down that damn peacock and create such a racket to wake any slumbering witch.

[Boner M]

Uh, wow. James Gray's We Own the Night has got to be one of the most evocatively shot films to come out of Hollywood in some time. Nothing that stands out (except a couple key sequences), but it is subtly a masterclass in elegant cinematography.
Awesome, glad you liked it. I figured you'd respond favorably to Gray's sensibility, which is very Nicholas Ray-ish to me. He has another film called Two Lovers out this year, with Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow, and I'm unusually excited for it.

[Bosco B Thug]

Watched The 400 Blows. I was only mildly impressed by the film at first, but by the end it won me over due to Truffaut nailing its most important moments: the moments between Antoine and his parents (i.e. the slap, the weird moments when the mother is trying to be caring), the moments of Antoine at his most vacated (i.e. everything at the detention center, esp. the psychologist scene), and the inspired last scene.

[Boner M]

Weekend viewings (or rather, viewings until next announcement)

The Letter
Daisy Kenyon
Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things
Halloween (2007)
Lars and the Real Girl

[Raiders]

Awesome, glad you liked it. I figured you'd respond favorably to Gray's sensibility, which is very Nicholas Ray-ish to me.

That's an interesting comparison. It almost kind of seemed like Howard Hawks by way of Nick Ray, if we're using classic cinema as a reference point. The film very much stresses the bond, or conflict, between its male characters. Eva Mendes is slowly pushed away as the film becomes more and more centered on the machismo of Phoenix's arc.

That car chase almost sent shivers down my back. So gorgeous and visceral.

[dreamdead]

I rather like this Guy Maddin fellow. Cowards Bend the Knee combines everything I've dreamed of seeing in a revisionary silent film (I think Tuvalu is the only other film I've seen that's attempted such suggestive material), as it foregrounds the fetish kinkiness that is implicit in the silent films I most treasure and links those tendencies to a narrative that embraces violent kinks alongside those of the more sexual nature. It's delightfully transgressive in its systematic deconstruction of genre and stylistic elements. Naturally, any story that features a protagonist murdering mothers and avenging fathers will have some Freudian logic, and what's fascinating about this film is how much narrative and visual design it packs into its compact length. Love the film's final embrace of allegory in the last act. Undeniably awesome, this one.

[Raiders]

Weekend:

Body of War
Last Year at Marienbad (on the big screen)
Leatherheads

[Melville]

Weekend:

Only Angels Have Wings
Scarface (Hawks)
whatever else strikes my fancy

[monolith94]

Weekend:

Last Year at Marienbad[/I] (on the big screen)


!!!

Where???

[Eleven]

The New Yorker has some cool photos (http://www.newyorker.com/online/2008/04/07/slideshow_080407_godard?viewal l=true#showHeader) of Truffaut and Godard from a new book by Raymond Cauchetier called, funnily enough, Photos de Cinéma. I especially like the shot of Truffaut, Leaud, and Henri Langlois.

[Duncan]

!!!

Where???

I saw it a couple weeks ago in New York. Quite a stunning print.

[Raiders]

!!!

Where???

At the AFI Silver in D.C. I believe this new 35mm print is making its rounds around the country

[Spinal]

Weekend:

In a Year with 13 Moons
Beowulf

Boarding Gate is opening here too. I'd like to see that at some point.

[Rowland]

No idea... my viewing habits have been shattered as of late. Hopefully I'll at least get around to Southland Tales.

[Stay Puft]

Weekend:

Gang of Four
Hellraiser


Boarding Gate is opening here too. I'd like to see that at some point.

I'm jealous.

[MadMan]

Weekend:

The Bourne Ultimatum(2007)
13 Ghosts(1960)
Sunrise(1927)
Contempt(1963)

[Yxklyx]

They've been filming Public Enemies in my neighborhood. They had a couple of old cars from the 30s and a fake brick road.

[Yxklyx]

Weekend:

Winter Sleepers
Moonstruck
Nosotros Los Pobres

[Rowland]

13 Ghosts(1960)
This sucks hard. I prefer the remake.

[Sycophant]

I'll get to Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? and Sukiyaki Western Django this weekend, but otherwise, I'm not really watching many movies till I finish The Sopranos.

[Watashi]

I will probably see only Leatherheads this weekend.

[monolith94]

At the AFI Silver in D.C. I believe this new 35mm print is making its rounds around the country
I think I missed its Boston turn. :(

[MadMan]

This sucks hard. I prefer the remake.If William Castle wasn't attached I wouldn't even be giving it a chance.

[megladon8]

This sucks hard. I prefer the remake.


Me too.

The remake's actually pretty good.

[Rowland]

Me too.

The remake's actually pretty good.I wouldn't go that far, but I keep it on if it's ever on cable or whatever.

[Grouchy]

Wow. 4 HOURS WAITING IN LINE FOR ANTICIPATED TICKETS TO THE BUENOS AIRES FILM FESTIVAL. Results: a lot of movies to see and too little time. At least I'm there for Bela Tarr's The Man from London, a new Roy Andersson movie (and a retrospective of his old ones which will give me a chance to see Songs from the Second Floor), Redacted, I'm not there, Shine a Light, Persepolis, Paranoid Park, Before the Devil knows you're dead, Encounters at the end of the world, and a Powell & Pressburger retrospective, among many others I'm forgetting. Oh, and the Harmony Korine I asked you guys about.

The Grouchy returns to the movies thread is gonna be a pretty busy spot for me from now on. I'm not sure I'll keep up with the pace.

[origami_mustache]

Weekend:
Winter Sleepers


I didn't like this one much at all.

[Raiders]

If William Castle wasn't attached I wouldn't even be giving it a chance.

I'm never seeing it because he is attached. I've seen three of his films and couldn't stand any of them. I actually prefer Malone's update of House on Haunted Hill.

[D_Davis]

I actually prefer Malone's update of House on Haunted Hill.

The House on Haunted Hill remake is really, really good - up until the last 15 minutes. But damn, the first stuff in the house when they are exploring is really well done and quite scary.

[Qrazy]

The House on Haunted Hill remake is really, really good - up until the last 15 minutes. But damn, the first stuff in the house when they are exploring is really well done and quite scary.

D, just saw Ninth Configuration. It was fairly quality, I liked it. That jet pack moment was some weird and hilarious shit. Also I agree with you about the ending (last minute of the film) feeling too pat... and does every 70's film have to end with a mother fucking freeze frame? Holy Christ, I watched this one right after Three Days of the Condor and I swear to God, bring back the fades to black.

[Rowland]

The House on Haunted Hill remake is really, really good - up until the last 15 minutes. But damn, the first stuff in the house when they are exploring is really well done and quite scary.I'd say the first act has a lot of juice, after which it grows increasingly tedious and uninspired, enough so that I'm just a little more negative than positive on it as a whole. But yes, the beginning is entertaining.

[D_Davis]

D, just saw Ninth Configuration. It was fairly quality, I liked it. That jet pack moment was some weird and hilarious shit. Also I agree with you about the ending (last minute of the film) feeling too pat... and does every 70's film have to end with a mother fucking freeze frame? Holy Christ, I watched this one right after Three Days of the Condor and I swear to God, bring back the fades to black.

The book's ending is much better, far more powerful, and does a better job at illustrating the theme of faith.

That last minute of the film is just too pat. I am showing this to a group of friends this weekend and I am tempted to just cut it off after Cutshaw leaves the castle and heads back to the car.

The jet pack moment is brilliant. The execution of that scene is incredible. It's all one long take with no close ups, and the amount of stuff going on is just awesome. I don't know how the actors kept a straight face for this one.

Glad you liked it.

I am fairly obsessed with it, I just can't seem to get enough of the film.

[baby doll]

Predictably, I was less than blown away by Away From Her.

[Sven]

I haven't seen the original of Thirteen Ghosts, but I'm having a really hard time understanding how anybody could prefer the remake to anything.

[koji]

Here's an excerpt from a NYT book review (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/02/books/02grimes.html?ref=books), which I found interesting:

Another, the seemingly normal Julie Meyer, lives in an eternal present imposed by a catastrophic car accident that killed her daughter, whom she cannot remember.

“When she attempts to read, the words vanish from the front of the paragraph; when she watches a movie, every scene is the opening scene,” Mr. Mason writes.

Although her procedural memory is fine — she can perform mechanical tasks like cooking or making a telephone call — Ms. Meyer has to be reintroduced to her husband every time he visits the hospital. Like the main character in the film “Memento,” she keeps notes to guide her through the day and studies, with ferocious intensity, facial expressions and behavior to separate friends from strangers. She fakes her way through life.

In addition to be a worthwhile read, that book, which I have not read, may present ideas for movies, for those who may be interested.

[Melville]

Hey Boner, thoughts on Woman in the Dunes?

Also, which top 1000 list is the list of choice around here? They Shoot Pictures, Don't They; 1001 Movies to See Before You Die; or Rosenbaum's?

[Qrazy]

Hey Boner, thoughts on Woman in the Dunes?

Also, which top 1000 list is the list of choice around here? They Shoot Pictures, Don't They; 1001 Movies to See Before You Die; or Rosenbaum's?

There's also the NYT list, I hope it's 1001 movies to see cause I've made a significant dent in that one while I think I"m only about halfers on the other two.

[Eleven]

Also, which top 1000 list is the list of choice around here? They Shoot Pictures, Don't They; 1001 Movies to See Before You Die; or Rosenbaum's?

Rosenbaum's is obviously the most unique and idiosyncratic, so I'm more bound to find outré recommendations. His top 100 of the 1000 is included in the They Shoot Pictures list, which is for me the definitive if homogenized one.

[Melville]

There's also the NYT list, I hope it's 1001 movies to see cause I've made a significant dent in that one while I think I"m only about halfers on the other two.
I've seen about half from the They Shoot Pictures and 1001 Movies to See lists, but I've never even heard of most of the movies on Rosenbaum's list.


Rosenbaum's is obviously the most unique and idiosyncratic, so I'm more bound to find outré recommendations. His top 100 of the 1000 is included in the They Shoot Pictures list, which is for me the definitive if homogenized one.
Rosenbaum's seems like it could be a treasure trove of obscure recommendations, but I don't think his taste really jives with my own. It seems like They Shoot Pictures manages to have a lot of obscure films (like Qrazy's beloved Ivan Lapshin) even after averaging over so many lists.

[MadMan]

I'm never seeing it because he is attached. I've seen three of his films and couldn't stand any of them. I actually prefer Malone's update of House on Haunted Hill.The original House on Haunted Hill and The Tingler are pretty solid films, with the latter being the best of the two. The remake of HOHH is decent, and would have measured up to the original had the last half of the movie not descended into too much silliness. I think that Rush had fun with the Vincent Price role and that many scenes in the remake were damn eeire.

That said, I think that Castle was a better promoter and producer than he was a director and film maker.

[Yxklyx]

So I watched another Mexican oldie by the same director. Nosotros los Pobres (1948, Ismael Rodriguez). Apparently one of the most popular films in Mexico's history. I really didn't care much for it. A melodrama that reminded me of modern soap operas. The comedy I saw earlier by the same director was much better.

[Boner M]

Hey Boner, thoughts on Woman in the Dunes?
I'm still letting it process. I remember you saying that there's a possibility that I wouldn't like it because of it's overt symbolism, and I have to admit that I mainly absorbed its moods and textures and made a conscious effort to let any allegory go unnoticed. But I liked that Teshigahara allows you to interpret it on that level. The high contrast b&w cinematography, the tactile imagery, and the endless contrast between disparate textures, invites one to view the film as a series of dichotomies; rationality and passion, theory and intuition, freedom and entrapment, etc. I thought the portrayal of the collapse of these binaries was fascinating, and the more I felt caught in a gray area the more engrossed I was. The use of the superimposed missing persons notice at the end was an haunting way of tying Niki's fate back to his musings about so much of our existence being defined by certificates, the irony being that it's only when Niki's officially deemed to be 'disappeared' back in civilisation that he's finally found a sense of purpose in his life.

Oh, and the score was extremely reminiscent of There Will be Blood's.

[Philosophe_rouge]

While I enjoyed the shorts that were created within the Five Obstructions, the Trier factor had me fuming. That guy man, I'd rather be trapped in a small room with Tarantino... I don't think I'll ever "get" his films or his ideology. I should probably give some other Dogme 95 films a chance though, since it's unfair to lump an entire movement together when I only have experience of one of them. Still... UGH.

[Melville]

the irony being that it's only when Niki's officially deemed to be 'disappeared' back in civilisation that he's finally found a sense of purpose in his life.
Hm... I'll have to see it again. I don't remember him ever finding a sense of purpose in life. Admittedly I read the whole thing in Heideggerian terms, but I thought Niki was ground down into meaningless routine (though perhaps no more meaningless than his life in the city), and that his retreat from the sea was indicative of his fear of his absolute, existential freedom. Although that absolute freedom can certainly be interpreted as absolute nothingness, and the seemingly meaningless routine can be interpreted as the only thing truly meaningful (i.e. it's made meaningful by agreement that it's meaningful, or it's made meaningful simply by doing it), so I can see where you're coming from.

[Boner M]

Although that absolute freedom can certainly be interpreted as absolute nothingness, and the seemingly meaningless routine can be interpreted as the only thing truly meaningful (i.e. it's made meaningful by agreement that it's meaningful, or it's made meaningful simply by doing it), so I can see where you're coming from.
Yeah, that's how I read the ending. I haven't read Sartre or Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus, so my reading may be rather skewed. I did, however, get the impression that the ending represented a sort of victory for him because he no longer wanted to escape but rather was content on developing his 'pump' idea down in the pit, which represented a break from the theory-based studies that were weighing him down originally. Doesn't his hallucination scene near the beginning (where his voicover explains how are established by superficial things like certificates, etc) imply that his desert entemology trek was largely a opportunity for relief from his marital problems, and that his career wasn't giving him any satisfaction? I suppose 'sense of purpose' is a bit of stretch, but he definitely seems better off in his situation at the end.

[Ivan Drago]

This sucks hard. I prefer the remake.

You're kidding right? The remake sucks too.

[Boner M]

You're kidding right? The remake sucks too.
I think he means that the remake sucks less.

[Grouchy]

Memorias del Subdesarrollo [Memories of Underdevelopment] is an amazing '60s Cuban film about the country during the post-Revolution. It's subjectively told, with the protagonist being an alienated intellectual that sees his wife and parents leave the island and chooses to stay. The filmmaker criticizes many lines of thought, from those fleeing Cuba to those convinced that the Revolution will send it forward as a country. It's very thoughtful and opens debate instead of hammering down an opinion, which is why it's a great political film. It's also New Wave-ish in nature, combining documentary footage with fiction and text, basically trying to translate on the screen the inner world and thoughts of the protagonist. Very recommended.

[dreamdead]

I'm conflicted with my response to Carol Reed's The Fallen Idol. On the one hand, it's thoroughly cinematic in its framing, with tinges of the off-kilter and distorted lensing that was featured so prominently in The Third Man, and the film flows quite organically after the "murder," as the plot machinations at the end unfold without actual ties to characters' reveals but are framed instead as pure deduction that is independent of any of the main characters' actions. In that way, it's slightly subversive in the story of a mystery wherein only the filmic spectator knows the "objective" truth about the murder. That aspect is strongly woven into the narrative, and Reed dangles the possibility of the wrong man going to jail with equal resonance to some of Hitchcock's best suspense films. Even the affair has maturity in its handling.

On the other hand, the boy in this film (also the "lead," naturally) might just be the most obnoxious character I'm watched/listened to in the past year. The coda after solving the murder might be the most I've wanted to watch a kid get backhanded, raped by dolphins, and shat on by pigeons.

I think the good wins out, though.

[Philosophe_rouge]

I think the Fallen Idol works, but I do agree with your critisism. It's easily Reed's weakest of his major 3 40s works. Looks stunning at the very least.

[Derek]

I haven't seen the original of Thirteen Ghosts, but I'm having a really hard time understanding how anybody could prefer the remake to anything.

QFMFT!

[Rowland]

I haven't seen the original of Thirteen Ghosts, but I'm having a really hard time understanding how anybody could prefer the remake to anything.It's got neat set design, the ghost makeup is entertaining, it has some successful humor, some nastiness, and its over in the blink of an eye. It's not a good movie by any means, but those elements render it more watchable than Castle's sleep-inducing crap.

[megladon8]

It's got neat set design, the ghost makeup is entertaining, it has some successful humor, some nastiness, and its over in the blink of an eye. It's not a good movie by any means, but those elements render it more watchable than Castle's sleep-inducing crap.


Yes, exactly.

It's fun, entertaining crap.

[megladon8]

So it's not the distubing content of Faces of Death that makes it unwatchable.

It's the terrible filmmaking, ham-handed narration, and overall crap that it is.

[Duncan]

Memorias del Subdesarrollo [Memories of Underdevelopment] is an amazing '60s Cuban film about the country during the post-Revolution. It's subjectively told, with the protagonist being an alienated intellectual that sees his wife and parents leave the island and chooses to stay. The filmmaker criticizes many lines of thought, from those fleeing Cuba to those convinced that the Revolution will send it forward as a country. It's very thoughtful and opens debate instead of hammering down an opinion, which is why it's a great political film. It's also New Wave-ish in nature, combining documentary footage with fiction and text, basically trying to translate on the screen the inner world and thoughts of the protagonist. Very recommended.
Yeah, this is a great one.

[balmakboor]

Machine Girl

Ami (Minase Yashiro, in her film debut) is a tough but otherwise average high school girl, trying to lead a normal life. Her world comes crashing down when her brother and his friend are killed by ruthless bullies. As Ami tracks down the ringleader, she is surprised to discover the bullies' association with a sinister ninja yakuza family. When she goes after her revenge, she soon finds herself in over her head and minus her left arm. Barely surviving, Ami escapes and seeks out shelter from two kindly garage mechanics. They take pity on her, fitting her with a high-powered machine gun where her arm used to be. She then teams up with the chainsaw-wielding mother (Asami) of her brother's slain friend and together they unleash an unholy, non-stop, over-the-top kill fest against the equally creative machinery (drill bra, flying guillotine) of their relentless ninja enemies.

Cool.

[dreamdead]

So Machine Girl is a real film, then, eh? I had wondered if it wasn't just a brilliant concoction of internet marketing. The trailer gets me laughing whenever I think about it, so how'd you locate a copy?

[balmakboor]

So Machine Girl is a real film, then, eh? I had wondered if it wasn't just a brilliant concoction of internet marketing. The trailer gets me laughing whenever I think about it, so how'd you locate a copy?

I copied that from a page on hkflix.com. It is listed as coming in June.

[D_Davis]

So Machine Girl is a real film, then, eh? I had wondered if it wasn't just a brilliant concoction of internet marketing. The trailer gets me laughing whenever I think about it, so how'd you locate a copy?

I think some of the same people that made Meatball Machine worked on this as well.

That's a pretty cool film as well.

It's like GWAR meets Shinkai.

[Spinal]

So it's not the distubing content of Faces of Death that makes it unwatchable.

It's the terrible filmmaking, ham-handed narration, and overall crap that it is.

Just out of curiosity, what were you hoping for from this viewing experience?

[megladon8]

Just out of curiosity, what were you hoping for from this viewing experience?


Nothing, really. I noticed it was available on Google Video and put it on out of sheer curiosity.

The narration was so ham-handededly hilarious and the terribly hoaky footage which was said to be "real" was so unintentionally funny that I left it on.

Seriously, this movie is really funny at times. There are lines by the narrator that left me scratching my head, wondering how anyone could have written this and thought it was serious.

And that ending...oh man, that ending was priceless.

[Qrazy]

Versus - Insufferable dog shit.

[MadMan]

Versus - Insufferable dog shit.Are you referring to the 2000 action flick with the zombies that can shoot guns and the super badass main character who's really a super samurai? Because I like that movie a lot, even if the ending was really silly.

[Qrazy]

Yeah, that's how I read the ending. I haven't read Sartre or Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus, so my reading may be rather skewed. I did, however, get the impression that the ending represented a sort of victory for him because he no longer wanted to escape but rather was content on developing his 'pump' idea down in the pit, which represented a break from the theory-based studies that were weighing him down originally. Doesn't his hallucination scene near the beginning (where his voicover explains how are established by superficial things like certificates, etc) imply that his desert entemology trek was largely a opportunity for relief from his marital problems, and that his career wasn't giving him any satisfaction? I suppose 'sense of purpose' is a bit of stretch, but he definitely seems better off in his situation at the end.

I don't really agree that he was happier at the end. I saw the ending as an absolute instance of Stockholm syndrome more than acceptance of or enjoyment in his fate.

[Qrazy]

Are you referring to the 2000 action flick with the zombies that can shoot guns and the super badass main character who's really a super samurai? Because I like that movie a lot, even if the ending was really silly.

That's the one. To each there own, but I couldn't stand it.

[Spinal]

Versus - Insufferable dog shit.

I checked this out from the library, watched about 10 minutes and decided it wasn't for me.

[D_Davis]

Beowulf was really dull.

I really don't like that animation technique either.

What's the point? Just make it live action if photo-realism is the goal.

[Spinal]

Nothing, really. I noticed it was available on Google Video and put it on out of sheer curiosity.

Ah, ok. At least you didn't pay for it.

Have you ever seen Mondo Cane? I can't really recommend it as I didn't care for it, but it might be something that would interest you. I think it was the film that sort of started the whole trend of collections of shocking footage edited together with sensationalistic narration. It was included in the book 1001 Films to See Before You Die, which is why I watched it. It has some pretty nasty scenes of animal violence though, I will warn you.

[Watashi]

Beowulf was really dull.

I really don't like that animation technique either.

What's the point? Just make it live action if photo-realism is the goal.
Because it would cost as twice as much?

I hate people who say stuff like this. It's the same technique used in Final Fantasy and Monster House and I think it's fine. In fact, I would support more movies to use this style of filmmaking because it's much much more creatively open and economically free.

I can't wait for how Burton incorporates mo-cap into his new film.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Because it would cost as twice as much?

I hate people who say stuff like this. It's the same technique used in Final Fantasy and Monster House and I think it's fine. In fact, I would support more movies to use this style of filmmaking because it's much much more creatively open and economically free.

I can't wait for how Burton incorporates mo-cap into his new film.

:confused:

God forbid someone has a different opinion than you.

[Watashi]

:confused:

God forbid someone has a different opinion than you.
What?

I wasn't criticizing his opinion on the film, but the whole "why didn't they just make it live-action instead" quote, which was clearly not the filmmaker's intent and I don't see why we should even ask that question.

[Kurosawa Fan]

What?

You don't think you're being a bit harsh? You hate people who don't like that type of animation, or who wish they'd just film real actors instead? I don't know, it just seemed like a ridiculous thing to get upset about.

[D_Davis]

Because it would cost as twice as much?


Or they could not make it at all and save a whole bunch of time and money!

[Watashi]

Or they could not make it at all and save a whole bunch of time and money!
Yes, let's stop experimenting with new technology and just make every film the way Hollywood intends us to.

I'm not upset, but I just don't like how people are close-minded about this fairly large step in technology that more and more directors are starting to embrace. Beowulf was obviously an experimental film and wasn't going to be the end all of all live-action movies.

[D_Davis]

Besides, the production budget was $150 million on Beowulf, that's a lot of money. The only scenes that took advantage of the animation medium were the action sequences, so it could have easily been done live action with CGI for the key action parts - like most big-budget action films. During the non action moments, there was absolutely no reason for it to be animated. All it did was make the body language look stilted and the settings unconvincing. And the faces of the actors looked like robots - really bad.

[D_Davis]

Yes, let's stop experimenting with new technology and just make every film the way Hollywood intends us to.


Was this not a Hollywood film?

We're not talking some indie breakthrough here.

[Raiders]

I don't mind to motion-capture technology, but that doesn't excuse it being stiff and ugly, which in the cases I have seen it, I would say it has been. I don't think we should dismiss it and just make the films live-action, but I think there is something to be said for maybe doing much testing and improving before dropping it on a major film like Beowulf. Just because it is an ever-improving technology doesn't mean it was necessary to use in the film, nor that anyone should excuse the film's perceived ugliness.

[Watashi]

Was this not a Hollywood film?

We're not talking some indie breakthrough here.
Sure, it was a Hollywood film, but do you think studios were comfortable giving Zemeckis 150 million clams to make this film that people were going to confused with and possibly misguided?

Again, why not make it all mocap? I didn't think the animation looked creepy, so obviously that's not the director's main worries. Zemeckis has had a history of doing this; tinkering with new technology and groundbreaking special effects (just look at his 80's films). Hell, even Castaway was an experimental Hollywood film because who would want to see Tom Hanks by himself talking to a volleyball for 2 hours?

With every new step in technology, there will be it's share of dissenters. Beowulf is not a great film, but I applaud it's execution even if it failed to make a dent in the box office as expected. Neil Gaiman has already proclaimed that this is the technology he wants to use to make a Sandman movie because it would be damn near unfilmmable with live-action. A movie can not be nonstop action for this to work, there will be times where it settles down and has people just talk and move the film forward.

[Watashi]

Again, look at something like Final Fantasy: TSW. The animation was pretty groundbreaking for that time and allowed Zemeckis much more breathing room to step ahead and make this technology his primary goal for the future. Monster House and Polar Express were his first attempts and while the latter DID look creepy, the former was much more succesful because it didn't have to capture a photo-realistic recreation, even though the exact same technology was being used.

[number8]

Uh guys.

Ever thought of it as simple as they wanted to make a cartoon?

"Why don't they just make it live action?" Because they didn't want to. They wanted a certain look.

I mean, rotoscoping isn't exactly necessary, but it creates a specific visual look. Same goes with motion capture.

[Rowland]

Again, look at something like Final Fantasy: TSW. The animation was pretty groundbreaking for that time and allowed Zemeckis much more breathing room to step ahead and make this technology his primary goal for the future. Monster House and Polar Express were his first attempts and while the latter DID look creepy, the former was much more succesful because it didn't have to capture a photo-realistic recreation, even though the exact same technology was being used.Was TSW mocap? I could have sworn that one was animated entirely from scratch, which is why it took so long to animate and cost so damn much.

[Spinal]

I think the coolest thing about it is that actors can play characters that they don't resemble in the slightest. I'm guessing that Ray Winstone doesn't look as good as Beowulf with his shirt off.

[Watashi]

Was TSW mocap? I could have sworn that one was animated entirely from scratch, which is why it took so long to animate and cost so damn much.

No, it was mocapped.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVQ9MPjk5dI&feature=related

[D_Davis]

Beyond it looking ugly, the film stunk in other areas as well. But because I was never thoroughly engaged by any of the action, drama, or *chuckle* romance, I focused on how ugly I found the whole thing to be. It was just a boring, ugly, mess of a movie.

OMG!

I don't like Beowulf!

[Watashi]

OMG!

I don't like Beowulf!

And that's fine.

I don't like I Am Legend either.

[D_Davis]

I don't like I Am Legend either.

I hate people who say stuff like this!

[Qrazy]

What?

I wasn't criticizing his opinion on the film, but the whole "why didn't they just make it live-action instead" quote, which was clearly not the filmmaker's intent and I don't see why we should even ask that question.

There is a reason why, two words: Uncanny valley.

[D_Davis]

There is a reason why, two words: Uncanny valley.

Three words: looks like ass.

[Qrazy]

Uh guys.

Ever thought of it as simple as they wanted to make a cartoon?

"Why don't they just make it live action?" Because they didn't want to. They wanted a certain look.

I mean, rotoscoping isn't exactly necessary, but it creates a specific visual look. Same goes with motion capture.

I think that's the complaint though, they don't carry it stylistically far enough. I love the cut scenes in final fantasy games because they both look beautiful and they render a completely unique universe. Photorealism is boring and unnecessary (imo) when it just renders an actual environment. It's interesting when it renders something creative and unique... i.e. A Myst, Riven universe.

[Qrazy]

Three words: looks like ass.

The second why.

[Rowland]

I'd like to see the uber-mocap technology applied to a movie with art direction like, say, the videogame Beyond Good and Evil. That'd be sexy.

[Qrazy]

I'd like to see the uber-mocap technology applied to a movie with art direction like, say, the videogame Beyond Good and Evil. That'd be sexy.

Or a Dr. Cagliari-esque film.

[Sven]

Monster House is pretty great. See that if you haven't.

[D_Davis]

I have nothing against mo-capping, so long as it looks good.

Monster House is a good example.

It's also a better film than Beowulf in every way possible.

[lovejuice]

motion-capping actually allows beowulf to be made at all. i can't see it happened in live action. story-wise beowulf is essentially a one-man-show which is pretty rare for a huge budget live action -- since the studio wants to make it more epic, so they provide audiences more recognizable faces. not to mention its mythological atmosphere which will definitely shatter if what we see are real human and setting.

but yes, i do agree, they are quite ugly.

[megladon8]

Ah, ok. At least you didn't pay for it.

Have you ever seen Mondo Cane? I can't really recommend it as I didn't care for it, but it might be something that would interest you. I think it was the film that sort of started the whole trend of collections of shocking footage edited together with sensationalistic narration. It was included in the book 1001 Films to See Before You Die, which is why I watched it. It has some pretty nasty scenes of animal violence though, I will warn you.


Sorry for the late reply.

No, I have not seen that one.

I think what made Faces of Death "OK to watch" for me (and actually quite hilarious) was how incredibly fake most of it was.

Of course, some of the animal stuff near the beginning was real - but also some of the animal stuff was so obviously fake.

And aside from a few of the shots in the morgue, pretty much none of the stuff involving humans was real.

I doubt I would ever seek out anything like this again. And I didn't really even seek it out this time - I found a link to it, and was mesmerized by how hilariously awful it was.

[Boner M]

The only Mondo-style film I've seen is This is America 2, which was an absolute riot. Stories about stuff like the rat infestation in New York, sitting alongside a feature on carwashes where topless women wash cars with their massive breasts... hysterical stuff.

[Melville]

Despite a somewhat contrived and awkward plot, Only Angels Have Wings was pretty great. The atmosphere of being at the edge of the world (both physically and mentally), the varied compositions (especially the early, really dense ones) and diegetic music, and the character interactions were all wonderful. And after recently watching this, The Awful Truth, and Suspicion, I'm beginning to really like Cary Grant. He seems to pull off comedy and drama equally well.

[Sven]

Despite a somewhat contrived and awkward plot, Only Angels Have Wings was pretty great. The atmosphere of being at the edge of the world (both physically and mentally), the varied compositions (especially the early, really dense ones) and diegetic music, and the character interactions were all wonderful. And after recently watching this, The Awful Truth, and Suspicion, I'm beginning to really like Cary Grant. He seems to pull off comedy and drama equally well.

Great movie. Consider a few more rep points, good sir.

[Melville]

Great movie. Consider a few more rep points, good sir.
After some consideration, I've opted to take them.

[Sven]

After some consideration, I've opted to take them.

This movie also has my favorite Thomas Mitchell performance.

[Melville]

This movie also has my favorite Thomas Mitchell performance.
I'll admit that I didn't know who Thomas Mitchell was until just now. After glancing over his list of performances, I'd say my favorite would probably be a toss-up between this and It's a Wonderful Life.

[Melville]

I forgot to mention the best part of Only Angels Have Wings: Thomas Mitchell, in a very heartfelt moment, saying, "I'd hate to pull a boner in front of you, Carter." I never would have found that funny before joining Match-Cut.

[Yxklyx]

Winter Sleepers : I didn't like this one much at all.

A good example of a movie in search of a story.

[Yxklyx]

I forgot to mention the best part of Only Angels Have Wings: Thomas Mitchell, in a very heartfelt moment, saying, "I'd hate to pull a boner in front of you, Carter." I never would have found that funny before joining Match-Cut.

...but they're risking their lives for THE MAIL! :frustrated:

[megladon8]

Despite a somewhat contrived and awkward plot, Only Angels Have Wings was pretty great. The atmosphere of being at the edge of the world (both physically and mentally), the varied compositions (especially the early, really dense ones) and diegetic music, and the character interactions were all wonderful. And after recently watching this, The Awful Truth, and Suspicion, I'm beginning to really like Cary Grant. He seems to pull off comedy and drama equally well.


He's one of my very favorites.

Check out Holiday.

Also, Bringing Up Baby and The Philadelphia Story are two great ones - though I know they're not thought of too highly 'round these parts.

[Melville]

...but they're risking their lives for THE MAIL! :frustrated:
Those crazy flyboys.


He's one of my very favorites.

Check out Holiday.

Also, Bringing Up Baby and The Philadelphia Story are two great ones - though I know they're not thought of too highly 'round these parts.
I thought Bringing Up Baby was damn funny, though I didn't care too much for The Philadelphia Story (I think we actually discussed that one at some point). Holiday is at my library, so I'll pick it up next time I'm there.

[megladon8]

I thought Bringing Up Baby was damn funny, though I didn't care too much for The Philadelphia Story (I think we actually discussed that one at some point). Holiday is at my library, so I'll pick it up next time I'm there.


Bringing Up Baby is one I'd like my little sister to see. She'd adore Baby :) Though I'm not sure she'd be "down" with watching a black and white movie...

Hope you like Holiday! Philosophe Rouge and I were talking about its awesomeness a few days ago. It's a New Years Movie, if there ever was one.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Despite a somewhat contrived and awkward plot, Only Angels Have Wings was pretty great. The atmosphere of being at the edge of the world (both physically and mentally), the varied compositions (especially the early, really dense ones) and diegetic music, and the character interactions were all wonderful. And after recently watching this, The Awful Truth, and Suspicion, I'm beginning to really like Cary Grant. He seems to pull off comedy and drama equally well.
I really love this film, maybe my second/third favourite Hawks. I owe it a rewatch though, it'll be my pleasure :)

[dreamdead]

I don't have much leeway to chat, since I couldn't finish it, but Bringing Up Baby, for whatever its subversive take on gender politics, just flat out alienated me. Though I appreciate screwball, this one felt too hermetic; Hepburn lacked any tangible relationship to reality, so I just shut down any empathy in the viewing experience. I'd like to try it again and see if I missed some switch in intention, but the first attempt was remarkably flaccid.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I don't have much leeway to chat, since I couldn't finish it, but Bringing Up Baby, for whatever its subversive take on gender politics, just flat out alienated me. Though I appreciate screwball, this one felt too hermetic; Hepburn lacked any tangible relationship to reality, so I just shut down any empathy in the viewing experience. I'd like to try it again and see if I missed some switch in intention, but the first attempt was remarkably flaccid.

Sweet. I hate this movie. My reaction was similar, and I also didn't finish it. Though I don't particularly appreciate screwball, so that would explain a lot, I think.

[Philosophe_rouge]

I love screwball, but I'm not a huge fan of Baby. Still I enjoy it, but if I were pushed to make a list it MIGHT just break the top 20. Far from top 10. I wonder if I've seen 20? I think I have. Meh.

[number8]

Speaking of screwball, who saw Leatherheads?

[number8]

Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu's anti-meth ads. (http://www.justpressplay.net/viewarticle/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritus-anti-meth-ads/)

[Philosophe_rouge]

Speaking of screwball, who saw Leatherheads?
I was going to see it today, but I decided to eat instead :frustrated: I'll probably check it out tomorrow though. I'm so excited!

[Melville]

I don't have much leeway to chat, since I couldn't finish it, but Bringing Up Baby, for whatever its subversive take on gender politics, just flat out alienated me. Though I appreciate screwball, this one felt too hermetic.
I thought that was part of its charm. Working from Wikipedia's list of thirty famous screwball comedies, here's how I'd rate those that I've seen:

His Girl Friday - 9
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town - 8 (though it doesn't seem like a screwball comedy to me)
The Lady Eve - 8
Bringing Up Baby - 7.5


The Philadelphia Story - 6.5
My Man Godfrey - 6.5
It Happened One Night - 6
The Awful Truth - 6






Arsenic and Old Lace - 2

[Philosophe_rouge]

Yea, I don't seen Deeds as a screwball either... a few I'm iffy on, especially the Lubitsch inclusions. Still, I think for the most part there is enough justification to fit them in there.

· It Happened One Night (1934) 9 (need to rewatch)
· Twentieth Century (1934) 9
· Libeled Lady (1936) 8.5
· Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) 7
· My Man Godfrey (1936) 8.5 (need to rewatch)
· The Awful Truth (1937) 10
· Nothing Sacred (1937) 9
· Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938) 7
· Bringing Up Baby (1938) 7
· Holiday (1938) 9
· Midnight (1939) 8
· His Girl Friday (1940) 8
· The Philadelphia Story (1940) 8 (need to rewatch)
· That Uncertain Feeling (1941) 7.5
· Ball of Fire (1941) 8
· The Lady Eve (1941) 8 (need to rewatch)
· Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941) 6
· The Palm Beach Story (1942) 9
· To Be or Not to Be (1942) 10
· Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) 6
A really great screwball not included is The More the Merrier, so wonderful!

[megladon8]

To Be or Not To Be is one I just didn't like very much when I saw it a couple of years ago.

Perhaps a rewatch is in order...

[Melville]

Wow. You sure do like your screwball. I should mention that I haven't seen It Happened One Night or Bringing Up Baby in at least six years.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Wow. You sure do like your screwball. I should mention that I haven't seen It Happened One Night or Bringing Up Baby in at least six years.
I haven't seen It Happened in One Night in maybe five years. Most those I've marked to rewatch it's been at least four years, and I saw them right around when I really fell for film. A noob of sorts. I do love screwballs though, one of my favourite "genres". I adore comedy of nearly all sorts though. .

[Watashi]

Speaking of screwball, who saw Leatherheads?

I saw it. Mehtherheads is more like it.

And I'm one of those rare Zellweger fans. It has a lot in common with The Good German. It gets the look, style, and dialogue of a 40's film, but not the soul or the essence.

[Spinal]

I don't have much leeway to chat, since I couldn't finish it, but Bringing Up Baby, for whatever its subversive take on gender politics, just flat out alienated me. Though I appreciate screwball, this one felt too hermetic; Hepburn lacked any tangible relationship to reality, so I just shut down any empathy in the viewing experience. I'd like to try it again and see if I missed some switch in intention, but the first attempt was remarkably flaccid.

What the hell? Another hater? :confused:

[Spinal]

Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu's anti-meth ads. (http://www.justpressplay.net/viewarticle/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritus-anti-meth-ads/)

Those are great! I've decided not to do meth.

[Raiders]

I don't have much leeway to chat, since I couldn't finish it, but Bringing Up Baby, for whatever its subversive take on gender politics, just flat out alienated me. Though I appreciate screwball, this one felt too hermetic; Hepburn lacked any tangible relationship to reality, so I just shut down any empathy in the viewing experience. I'd like to try it again and see if I missed some switch in intention, but the first attempt was remarkably flaccid.

Positively unbelievable. Have you all drank the kool-aid?

[number8]

That Thing You Do is a fantastic movie.

[DrewG]

Possible watches tomorrow:

Diabolique
Body Double
The Mist

Who wants to pick me one?

[Melville]

Possible watches tomorrow:

Diabolique
Body Double
The Mist

Who wants to pick me one?
Diabolique has one of the tensest scenes I've ever seen, so I'd go with that one.

[DrewG]

Diabolique has one of the tensest scenes I've ever seen, so I'd go with that one.

I really just need to start seeing some Clouzot in general...I'm sorely in need of seeing both this and The Wages of Fear sadly.

[Melville]

I really just need to start seeing some Clouzot in general...I'm sorely in need of seeing both this and The Wages of Fear sadly.
Diabolique >>>> The Wages of Fear

[Philosophe_rouge]

Diabolique >>>> The Wages of Fear
Agreed wholeheartidly

[Derek]

Diabolique >>>> The Wages of Fear

Agreed, although Quai des Orfevres > Diabolique by just a hair.

[DrewG]

Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu's anti-meth ads. (http://www.justpressplay.net/viewarticle/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritus-anti-meth-ads/)

Well...those ruined my day.

[EvilShoe]

Those are great! I've decided not to do meth.
If I was doing meth, I'd switch to something simply because I would not want to be associated with those ads.

[chrisnu]

Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu's anti-meth ads. (http://www.justpressplay.net/viewarticle/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritus-anti-meth-ads/)
I remember seeing these a while ago. They're pretty horrific. Not as horrific as those Canadian PSAs about commercial accidents, though.

[Spinal]

Not as horrific as those Canadian PSAs about commercial accidents, though.There are no accidents! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN2gpRcFKAQ)

[EvilShoe]

There are no accidents! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN2gpRcFKAQ)
:lol:.
It reminds me of StaplerFahrer Klaus, only unintentionally funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8AXxviwOUw

[Russ]

Possible watches tomorrow:

Diabolique
Body Double
The Mist

Who wants to pick me one?
Body Double, most definitely. (* Hasn't seen the other two.. *)

It's enjoyable on so many levels. Maybe my favorite De Palma.

[Sven]

Body Double. it's among my favorite De Palma's.

Diabolique is cool, but if you're going to go with a Clouzot, go with Wages of Fear or Le Corbeau.

The Mist is fun, but ultimately inessential.

[Sven]

More like 'meh'th, Inarritu. You're a hack. Go away.

[Spinal]

More like 'meh'th, Inarritu. You're a hack. Go away.

Neg repped!

In my mind.

[Sven]

Neg repped!

In my mind.

Repped!

For reals.

Just to show you spite.

[Spinal]

Repped!

For reals.

Just to show you spite.

A moral conundrum ... curse you!

[MadMan]

:lol: to you two.

Right now I'm revisiting The Magnificant Seven. I've only seen 4 of John Sturge's films and I have to say that I was entertained even by the bad ones. He's a pretty macho, male oriented director so I imagine I'll like most of his films. From what I recall "Seven" was fairly well made, even if it pales in comparrison with the movie it was a remake of, The Seven Samurai.

[Philosophe_rouge]

:lol: to you two.

Right now I'm revisiting The Magnificant Seven. I've only seen 4 of John Sturge's films and I have to say that I was entertained even by the bad ones. He's a pretty macho, male oriented director so I imagine I'll like most of his films. From what I recall "Seven" was fairly well made, even if it pales in comparrison with the movie it was a remake of, The Seven Samurai.
Not a huge fan of the Magnificent Seven, never found it particularly involving. It's one of my least favourite westerns, although Eli Wallach is memorable. Then again, I've never been able to finish Seven Samurai and I've tried many times.

[Derek]

Body Double, most definitely. (* Hasn't seen the other two.. *)

It's enjoyable on so many levels. Maybe my favorite De Palma.

I love Diabolique, but I have to give Body Double the slight edge. It's such a strange, wonderful film and definitely my favorite from De Palma.

[Grouchy]

Val Lewton's Isle of the Dead has an amazing atmosphere. It's the equivalent of the "strange" type of tale as classified by Todorov, like Fall of the House of Usher, because there aren't really supernatural events, just a suggestive, opressive ambience that causes people to believe in them and unchains tragedy. Impressive performance by Karloff and the usual shadowy lighting of Lewton films. The last ten minutes are not only unbereably tense, but actually pretty scary at moments, through the imaginative use of editing and sounds. For a movie over half a century old, I think that's an achievement.

[MadMan]

Val Lewton's Isle of the Dead has an amazing atmosphere. It's the equivalent of the "strange" type of tale as classified by Todorov, like Fall of the House of Usher, because there aren't really supernatural events, just a suggestive, opressive ambience that causes people to believe in them and unchains tragedy. Impressive performance by Karloff and the usual shadowy lighting of Lewton films. The last ten minutes are not only unbereably tense, but actually pretty scary at moments, through the imaginative use of editing and sounds. For a movie over half a century old, I think that's an achievement.Great to see someone else who liked this as much as I did. I got to view it thanks to TCM screening a bunch of Val Lewton's films at the beginning of the year. I'm too lazy to dig up my thoughts on the film but I have I agree exactly your short review. I dig how its really all about death, and how people deal with the fact that every day may be their last. I'm slowly becoming a fan of Karloff, although I haven't seen his Frankenstein films yet.


Not a huge fan of the Magnificent Seven, never found it particularly involving. It's one of my least favourite westerns, although Eli Wallach is memorable. Then again, I've never been able to finish Seven Samurai and I've tried many times.Honestly I don't know many fans of The Magnificant Seven, but I'm somewhat surprised that you weren't able to finish The Seven Samurai. I think its one of the best films I've ever seen, although granted I have much of Kurosawa's filmography left to view.

[megladon8]

Val Lewton's Isle of the Dead has an amazing atmosphere. It's the equivalent of the "strange" type of tale as classified by Todorov, like Fall of the House of Usher, because there aren't really supernatural events, just a suggestive, opressive ambience that causes people to believe in them and unchains tragedy. Impressive performance by Karloff and the usual shadowy lighting of Lewton films. The last ten minutes are not only unbereably tense, but actually pretty scary at moments, through the imaginative use of editing and sounds. For a movie over half a century old, I think that's an achievement.


I LOVE the Val Lewton films.

Have you seen The Body Snatcher? That's one of my favorites.

[MacGuffin]

I love Body Double. I haven't seen Diabolique, but this has reminded me too. I wonder which is the better "classic" European horror movie: that or Eyes Without a Face. The latter is on my Netflix queue right now.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Val Lewton's Isle of the Dead has an amazing atmosphere. It's the equivalent of the "strange" type of tale as classified by Todorov, like Fall of the House of Usher, because there aren't really supernatural events, just a suggestive, opressive ambience that causes people to believe in them and unchains tragedy. Impressive performance by Karloff and the usual shadowy lighting of Lewton films. The last ten minutes are not only unbereably tense, but actually pretty scary at moments, through the imaginative use of editing and sounds. For a movie over half a century old, I think that's an achievement.
I really like this film, and it's one of my favourite Lewton efforts. It is extremely tense, and never feels restricted or stagy despite the limits of the location. Karloff is brilliance. I second the recommendation of the Body Snatcher if you haven't seen it already.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Great to see someone else who liked this as much as I did. I got to view it thanks to TCM screening a bunch of Val Lewton's films at the beginning of the year. I'm too lazy to dig up my thoughts on the film but I have I agree exactly your short review. I dig how its really all about death, and how people deal with the fact that every day may be their last. I'm slowly becoming a fan of Karloff, although I haven't seen his Frankenstein films yet.

Honestly I don't know many fans of The Magnificant Seven, but I'm somewhat surprised that you weren't able to finish The Seven Samurai. I think its one of the best films I've ever seen, although granted I have much of Kurosawa's filmography left to view.
For whatever reason I seem to have a very short patience for Kurosawa, mind you I've only seen 3 of his films, plus over half of Samurai and a bit of Drunken Angel.

[Sven]

Oh, and Derek, it's interesting to see your negligibly higher rating for Harlin's installation. Care to briefly compare the two? This is a phenomenon (the two-director-alternate-film thing) that I find quite fascinating and, seeing as how I have them both in my possession, find it puzzling that I have yet to see them for myself. However, I've read at great length about both.

[trotchky]

Turns out The Flight of the Red Balloon is pretty slick. It directly references the original film, and one character appears to be making a remake of it, which adds an interesting meta aspect to the movie; meanwhile contrasts are drawn between good ol' fashioned idealism and often complex, frequently confusing modernity, exploring ideas of the ethereal quality of time; also every character is so goddamn nice, which is...interesting, to say the least.

[MadMan]

For whatever reason I seem to have a very short patience for Kurosawa, mind you I've only seen 3 of his films, plus over half of Samurai and a bit of Drunken Angel.Huh. I've seen from Kurosawa The Seven Samurai, Yojimbo and The Hidden Fortress. All of those get really high ratings from me.

[megladon8]

I used to be a Kurosawa nay-sayer, but I came to my senses and realized he was ridiculously amazing.

Ran is my favorite.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Huh. I've seen from Kurosawa The Seven Samurai, Yojimbo and The Hidden Fortress. All of those get really high ratings from me.
I haven't seen much (obviously) and am not close minded enough to avoid any more of his films, Throne of Blood looks like something I would really enjoy. So far though, Ran and Rashomon have left me unimpressed. I actually enjoy Rhapsody in August, but not all that much.

[megladon8]

I loved Throne of Blood and Ran, despite my aversion to Shakespeare.

[Derek]

aversion to Shakespeare.

Does not compute.

[megladon8]

Does not compute.


I cannot for the life of me understand the language. It just doesn't make sense to me.

Also, had it shoved down my throat all through high school and I developed a resentment towards the material.

Honestly, if you had to read "Hamlet" three times in one school year, wouldn't you be a little peeved?

[ledfloyd]

Honestly, if you had to read "Hamlet" three times in one school year, wouldn't you be a little peeved?

That would be a great school year. Hamlet is brilliant.

[Derek]

Oh, and Derek, it's interesting to see your negligibly higher rating for Harlin's installation. Care to briefly compare the two? This is a phenomenon (the two-director-alternate-film thing) that I find quite fascinating and, seeing as how I have them both in my possession, find it puzzling that I have yet to see them for myself. However, I've read at great length about both.

It's a fascinating situation, but a shame that the scripts are absolute messes and the story is so completely banal. I prefer Harlin's version because it at least injects some energy into it, even if it's only through senseless gore and snazzy but empty stylizations. Schrader's is an absolute slog and had almost no sense of pacing; something that, if I had to compliment the refilming, I'd say Harlin got right.

[MacGuffin]

My thoughts on Sunset Boulevard:


Spoilers

Walking around the streets of Hollywood, you can see its old artifacts, and maybe even experience feelings of its past. Everything has changed into a wasteland for the consumers. Movie studios in Hollywood have evolved into less artful, less challenging producers of movies that simply don't provide the sense of atmosphere that the movies of the past did. Even in the case of a film like The Maltese Falcon, the atmosphere was immense and scattered throughout the unfocused, but nonetheless watchable failure. These movies of the past had that significant Hollywood style, and always looked ahead to the future, no matter what may have held them back.

In the case of Sunset Boulevard, Billy Wilder has created a time capsule of the past. A classic that is far beyond its time, and a movie which captures that same feeling you get walking around downtown Hollywood.

Joe Gillis, the struggling screenwriter represents the evolution of the motion picture. Norma Desmond, the silent movie star stuck in the past, holds him captive inside her old fashioned Hollywood mansion and asks him to help edit her horrendous script. She represents the roots of cinema and the movies. Desmond is frighteningly devoted to movies, or rather, to the fame that she got out of them. She wants the enjoyment of knowing her movies are appreciated, rather than serving as throwaway pictures at mall, which is what seems to be the situation nowadays. Gillis just wants to make a decent script and maybe earn a few dollars to afford the necessities of life, but when people at the studio suggest that there needs to be more dialogue, he understands movies are evolving and people no longer want the styles of "classic" cinema.

The outcome of the movie represents how movies came to be today. The only real problem comes with the hypothetical symbolic roles of the two leads, which both would be switched around by today's standards. Gillis' death in the pool represents the death of a more mainstream cinema, which of course, today these motion pictures are the core of what is released every Friday in America. Desmond represents the cinema that is devoted to being artful and devoted to art. She murders Gillis, and like that, murders mainstream cinema.

But perhaps Wilder's false symbolic characterizations are a part of what makes the movie so brilliant, and so historical. The movie evokes a time where cinema was an art. Even though less thoughtful movies were beginning to be produced, there was still a great need for atmospheric cinema or cinema that could appeal to the senses. Sunset Boulevard is truly a classic because it does all this, and in doing so, it represents what Hollywood movies used to be. While the mainstream side of the streets of Hollywood is taking over what little is left of the artifacts of its past, we'll always have Sunset Boulevard to remind us of what once was.

http://staticshotcinema.blogspot.com

[Spinal]

I had a class in undergrad that was solely on Hamlet. It was fantastic to be able to spend that much time poring over the details of one work.

[Spinal]

Oh, and Smiley Face was really funny in places. Anna Faris had a very difficult task, her character being ultra-stoned throughout the whole film, and I thought she was quite good playing a comedic lead. If the film had any sort of meaningful trajectory at all, I would not hesitate to rate it higher. But as it is, I thought it was well worth watching, even as someone who is generally not a big fan of stoner humor.

[Stay Puft]

Also, had it shoved down my throat all through high school and I developed a resentment towards the material.

I can understand this. The veneration of Shakespeare is frustrating. Some of my friends were completely turned off - even did poorly in English subjects - because of the attitude of various teachers, reinforced (as you point out) on an institutional level.


I had a class in undergrad that was solely on Hamlet. It was fantastic to be able to spend that much time poring over the details of one work.

I would love something like this. My two drama classes this semester had six and seven plays, respectively. Which isn't too bad. My professor for the first one said she had considered doubling the number in the past, having one play a week. Yeah, it's nice to be exposed to a wide range of work, but when you have all of two classes to talk about a play (which still happened even though we only read six plays) you don't get to say much. In the case of my latter class we even bumped a play off the list because we didn't have time. That sucks.

[Melville]

My thoughts on Sunset Boulevard
That seems like much too strong an interpretation of the film. I don't think Hollywood films are any less artful or thoughtful today than they were prior to 1950.

[DrewG]

Oh, and Smiley Face was really funny in places. Anna Faris had a very difficult task, her character being ultra-stoned throughout the whole film, and I thought she was quite good playing a comedic lead. If the film had any sort of meaningful trajectory at all, I would not hesitate to rate it higher. But as it is, I thought it was well worth watching, even as someone who is generally not a big fan of stoner humor.

To be very honest I watched that film home from college with two friends. A friend of ours had just died and we were going to my house after we went to the wake. We rented this movie and did some of what Jane did in the film and then watched it. It's a movie that's very...I don't know. Even the opening shot of the swinging "Z" with that odd voiceover and the slow zoom out...it's so confusing Araki goes from Mysterious Skin to this, two COMPLETE opposite movies. The spontaneity and up and down nature of the film (scenes like when she has the bad talent agent meeting) to the part where she won't say her name to the cop made me happy. I can't really explain it. I just found it to be an interesting comedy in the way it's built up and then ends.

[MacGuffin]

That seems like much too strong an interpretation of the film. I don't think Hollywood films are any less artful or thoughtful today than they were prior to 1950.

I just think they have greater, more thoughtful atmospheres than modern movies do.

[Melville]

I just think they have greater, more thoughtful atmospheres than modern movies do.
Care to expand on that? Are you sure it isn't just that you watch the cream of the crop from early Hollywood, while you can't help being aware of all the crap today?

[MacGuffin]

Care to expand on that? Are you sure it isn't just that you watch the cream of the crop from early Hollywood, while you can't help being aware of all the crap today?

That's a possibility, but while there will never be any more Sunset Boulevards because that time period has come and gone, directors continue making crap today.

[Melville]

That's a possibility, but while there will never be any more Sunset Boulevards because that time period has come and gone, directors continue making crap today.
Well, it's pretty hard for a modern movie to reflect on the passing era of early film in the same way that Sunset Boulevard could, but lots of directors make films today that will be remembered as brilliant reflections of their time for other reasons.

[MacGuffin]

Well, it's pretty hard for a modern movie to reflect on the passing era of early film in the same way that Sunset Boulevard could, but lots of directors make films today that will be remembered as brilliant reflections of their time for other reasons.

I'm not trying to dismiss modern movies as a whole, so much as I am emphasizing how Sunset Boulevard captures the aura of a generation. I'm fairly certain it was around the time that it came out the studios became increasingly more concerned about income and less about movie quality, but I could be wrong in that regard. Nonetheless, I think you more or less understand what I'm trying to say in how I comprehended Wilder's characterizations.

[MadMan]

The Magnificant Seven is truly a man's man's movie. There's hardly a female present in the entire film, and all of the stars are male actors-most of them being rather macho in nature, and having played macho roles in the past. Where as the original film The Seven Samurai focused on war and de-glamorizing armed combat, this film instead is all about the gunmen's way of life and how its really a harsh, pointless and violent existance. This is best examplifield, however crudly and poorly, through one of the gunman who has nightmares and seems rather shell shocked.
Anyways the action in this film is pretty fast and furious when it happens. The gunmen naturally train and whip the villagers into shape to fight the bandits led by method actor Eli Wallach in a fairly cliche performance. Verusus Steve McQueen and Yul Bryanner no less, with others like Charles Bronson and even James Corban thrown in for good measure. I simply enjoyed this picture, even if some of the more subtitle themes aren't really fleshed out and this movie is way too simplistic, even for a western. 82

I must say the film's rating went up after a second viewing, as it had been years since I last saw it. After checking Criticker I discovered I had actually seen 4 of Sturges' films, two of which received ratings below 70 and one that I thought highly of, Bad Day at Black Rock. I think I want to visit more of his movies, even though I've found him to be something of a mixed bag so far.

[Yxklyx]

One thing I loved about Isle of the Dead was that you can't categorize it - you never know which way the movie is headed or what genre it belongs to. Karloff has had many great performances. Corridors of Blood is another excellent movie he's in - and it also has Christopher Lee!

[Qrazy]

Some brief thoughts on the discussions:

1. Shakespeare and Kurosawa are both masters, absolutely incredible.
2. Sturges does nothing for me, very underwhelmed by both Magnificent Seven and Bad Day at Black Rock.
3. Body Double is incredibly stupid, but I guess the synthy music during the strip sequence somehow makes it bearable.
4. Wages of Fear (turn off the film after the delivery) > Diaboliques > Quai des Orfevres > Mystery of Picasso > Le Corbeau > La Verite > Manon

[Qrazy]

Well, it's pretty hard for a modern movie to reflect on the passing era of early film in the same way that Sunset Boulevard could, but lots of directors make films today that will be remembered as brilliant reflections of their time for other reasons.

I wonder how real the shift to 3D will become, it seems to be picking up steam, there's a niche out there for a film to anticipate the cinematic ramifications of such a moment.

[DrewG]

The Mist is blowing my mind right now. Woah..

[Watashi]

So much that you had to stop it and tell us?