28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[dreamdead]

Weekend:
Friday Night


It's wonderful that you've taken to Denis so quickly. :)

Weekend:

A Tale of Winter (Rohmer)
Pierrot Le Fou (Godard)
Woman on the Beach (Hong)
The rest of Buffy Season 4

[Kurosawa Fan]

Weekend:

Out of the Past

That's probably all I'll get to, as I have my brother's wedding this weekend. Just finished my speech last night.

[dreamdead]

Gurinder Chadha's Bollywood Bride and Prejudice takes a knife to the conventional versions of P&P, and largely maintains the air of delight and wonder beholden in Austen's story. At times Aishwarya Rai's Lalita comes off a bit too superior and over-the-top in her insults to William Darcy, which remove a bit of the dialectic that always felt there in Wright's adaptation, and some of the comic bits are performed too broadly, which limits the sense of drama as things devolve into caricature. Still, the fundamental appeal of the story is retained, and Chadha has a nice, clean and unobtrusive visual style that complements her shots. Enjoyable but still a bit too clean in its cultural shift.

[Yxklyx]

Weekend:

Hester Street
No End

[Rowland]

Walter Chaw's extremely positive Cloverfield review. http://filmfreakcentral.net/dvdreviews/cloverfield.htm

[Raiders]

Walter Chaw's extremely positive Cloverfield review. http://filmfreakcentral.net/dvdreviews/cloverfield.htm

Cool. I really liked the film myself, and suspect it will play very well on my TV.

[lovejuice]

Enjoyable but still a bit too clean in its cultural shift.

what do you mean "too clean"? from what i remember, i really liked the film. not only does it take the classic to different setting and period, but also different genre (musical). it's quite a feast.

[dreamdead]

what do you mean "too clean"? from what i remember, i really liked the film. not only does it take the classic to different setting and period, but also different genre (musical). it's quite a feast.

Largely that Bride and Prejudice feels one-dimensional at times, which is a by-product of Chadha leaning a bit too heavily on cartoonish caricatures or sidestepping the drama (Darcy's sister's pregnancy, for instance, which is never delved into after that) that should naturally result from the dialogue and actions. Formally, it is rather radical of a switch; narratively, though, it feels far simpler and reductivist.

[megladon8]

So, I ended up actually really, really enjoying Wendigo.

I'm definitely writing a full review for this one.

Like Rowland said, there are many layers to this film, and my review will definitely be an exercise in pulling these apart :)

[Rowland]

So, I ended up actually really, really enjoying Wendigo.

I'm definitely writing a full review for this one.

Like Rowland said, there are many layers to this film, and my review will definitely be an exercise in pulling these apart :)Wonderful meg, I'm happy you finished the movie and found your impression of it improved. I eagerly anticipate your thoughts. :)

[megladon8]

Wonderful meg, I'm happy you finished the movie and found your impression of it improved. I eagerly anticipate your thoughts. :)


I actually just restarted it, and watched the whole thing in one sitting.

I also watched a bit of the movie with Fessenden's commentary, as well as the video interview with him on the disc.

He's really encouraging to young filmmakers, which is cool.

[Rowland]

I actually just restarted it, and watched the whole thing in one sitting.

I also watched a bit of the movie with Fessenden's commentary, as well as the video interview with him on the disc.

He's really encouraging to young filmmakers, which is cool.If you're looking for other idiosyncratic off-the-beaten-path horror movies along these lines, I highly recommend Soft for Digging. It's really something else, there are only two lines of dialog spoken in the entire movie, so it plays out entirely through visual storytelling and amazing sound design. I bet you'd dig it.

[megladon8]

If you're looking for other idiosyncratic off-the-beaten-path horror movies along these lines, I highly recommend Soft for Digging. It's really something else, there are only two lines of dialog spoken in the entire movie, so it plays out entirely through visual storytelling and amazing sound design. I bet you'd dig it.


Hmmm...sounds interesting. I'm looking it up.

Like I did for Raiders, I'll strongly recommend the Irish film Isolation. I think you'd like it.

[soitgoes...]

Weekend:
You, the Living
Death of a Cyclist
Seven Beauties
24 Hour Party People

[Raiders]

For indie, overlooked horror films, I recommend Wind Chill. But, I know Rowland was rather disappointed in it.

[megladon8]

For indie, overlooked horror films, I recommend Wind Chill. But, I know Rowland was rather disappointed in it.


I haven't seen it, but the score by Clint Mansell is wonderful.

I guess that goes without saying.

[Winston*]

Weekend

Happy Go-Lucky
The Wages of Fear

[megladon8]

Wendigo

a review by Braden Adam

***HEAVY SPOILERS AHEAD***

It’s hard to explain the feeling of joy someone like myself derives from seeing genre cinema treated with respect. Over the past few years this has been happening more and more in the world of big-budget blockbusters, but I still find that the real “gold” is found in the smaller films. You know, like that one you’ve passed by a million times at the video store - it’s got a rating of 6-something on IMDb, it has good critical reviews and a nifty cover, but you just can’t muster up the courage to take a chance with it. Or maybe you needed to see Cloverfield just one more time, for the seventh time. This was me with Larry Fessenden’s Wendigo - a movie I had heard equally good and bad things about, and had been curious about for years, yet I never got around to watching it. Until last night. And I smacked myself on the head for not having seen it before.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/megladon8/wendigo3.jpg

Telling several different stories at once, this supernatural horror fable centres on a family of three who go to a cottage in snow-covered upstate New York and are simultaneously hunted by a psychotic hillbilly, and haunted by the Native American spirit known as the “wendigo”. This all happens amidst problems in the family structure - George, the father (played by Jake Weber) is having trouble connecting with his son and really being a part of the boy’s life, and Kim (played by Patricia Clarkson) sees this and is beginning to resent George for it. Their son, Miles (Erik Per Sullivan), is the only one who is truly aware of the supernatural occurrences around the cottage, which seem to be created (or exasperated) by his possession of a small wendigo figure he received from a mysterious Native man at a local corner store. As all of these conflicts converge, many different layers can be pealed back, in a film that has a lot to say about myths, human nature, and the way the world works.

Fessenden has said that many of his films (especially this one) deal with how myths and legends come to be. Their purpose is simple - to explain the unexplainable. To give comfort and a sense of familiarity to situations that are extraordinary, or too horrible to see truth in. Wendigo does this, with the young boy’s fantasies about the wendigo spirit being his own way of dealing with events which will eventually lead to the death of his father. In a very powerful final shot, Miles is seen clenching the wendigo idol so hard that his hand is bleeding - he has come to believe in this story (told to him by the aforementioned mysterious Native) so strongly that he has passed the point of being able to accept reality. But how much of it was imagined by Miles, and how much of it involved real, supernatural forces working on the side of nature?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/megladon8/wendigo1.jpg

In an ingenious twist, Fessenden leads us to believe that the wendigo is a creature of evil (or at least, of great destructive power). The story that the Native tells to young Miles makes the wendigo out to be an unforgiving monster, which devours everything it encounters and has immense power. But after George is shot by a (possibly) stray bullet while sledding with Miles, he is found on the doorstep of the cottage, and cannot remember how he got there. “It was like a wind carried me here” he says, reminding us of the Native’s story of how the wendigo would often manifest itself in the form of a strong wind. We then see the father from the point of view of the young boy, lying there on the ground helpless and hurt, with the wendigo beast towering over him. It is not a stance of hostility, though, but rather of comfort and shelter - the wendigo did its best to save the man’s life.

Here we see the carrying out of the film’s sense of justice - George was shot by the psycho hillbilly, Otis (played by John Speredakos), and since saving the man’s life was beyond the wendigo’s power, it uses its greater power of destruction to seek vengeance for this wrongdoing. This ties into the theme we are shown at the very beginning of the film, before any mention of the supernatural is made - that of man vs. man. That is, the “civilized” city man, versus the “uncivilized” country man. The very beginning incident of the family car hitting a buck, leading to a conflict between the family and the local hunters who wanted the buck’s antlers, could be a film unto itself. The city man, who has never had to fend for himself in the country, has presumably never shot a gun or done any hunting of any kind, feels threatened by the archetypal country man, whose simple existence is much “manlier” (plus, he’s got a big gun). This also deepens the film’s justice theme, as the country man has committed the greatest universal crime - murder - and the wendigo must even the playing field, regardless of the fact that the wrongdoer is the one who lives closest to the land.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/megladon8/wendigo2.jpg

Wendigo gives us a lot to think about, and it’s too bad that it does have some problems. Casting a child actor is risky - more often than not, they just aren’t good. And when one is found who is good, they become so overused that they are annoying regardless of their talent. Erik Per Sullivan just wasn’t convincing as the son, and many of the frightening moments (such as a late night when Miles is sitting in bed and imagines a little girl coming out of his closet) he looks as if he is on the verge of laughter. Similarly, some of the family dynamics are a little grating. While it can be seen in their one-on-one scenes together, the supposed tension between George and Miles is missing completely when the whole family is together, and their happy, playful nature is almost “Brady Bunch”-esque in its believability.

It’s certainly not perfect, but Wendigo provides genuine thought, and looks at both spiritual and physical planes of our existence on this Earth. As Fessenden also says in the interview on the DVD, with all of our scientific knowledge and incredible advances in technology, we still don’t really have any idea how our world works. We have theories based on facts, but facts change with time and scrupulous analysis. The idea that a force like the wendigo could be out there pursuing natural justice is an interesting one. Just the fact that this film has left me with this much to ponder makes it one of the more worthwhile viewing experiences I have had in the last while, and is a great addition to the “indie horror gems” shelf that I am constantly adding to.

[Qrazy]

Or maybe you needed to see Cloverfield just one more time, for the seventh time.

Ehh...

[Philosophe_rouge]

Weekend
Sex and the City Movie thing
The Hour of the Wolf
Traffic (Tati)
Some of The best of youth
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

[Ezee E]

Weekend:
The Strangers
The Fall

THe Conformist
Cassandra's Dream
Rambo IV

[Ezee E]

I just read Ebert's Sex and the City review, and it reminds me of what Ary's review would have been had he seen the movie.

Pretty funny.

[Spinal]

Yeah, Sex and the City is like nails on a chalkboard for me. It irritates me to no end.

[Derek]

Yeah, Sex and the City is like nails on a chalkboard for me. It irritates me to no end.

It's horrifying enough in small doses. I can't even imagine sitting through a 2 1/2 hour (wtf?) movie. The only good to come of it was a line in Family Guy: "So...it's a show about three hookers and their mom?"

[Philosophe_rouge]

I'm not a fan of the show myself, but I'm going with friends I haven't seen in ages. I'm thinking it can't be worse than Prince Caspian, Prom Night or Rambo... that's something I think.

[Qrazy]

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

Interesting, after becoming quite enamored with Stacey Keech I've been meaning to see this as well. Let me know how it plays.

[Ezee E]

I'm not a fan of the show myself, but I'm going with friends I haven't seen in ages. I'm thinking it can't be worse than Prince Caspian, Prom Night or Rambo... that's something I think.
Probably true.

Although, I'm watching Rambo tonight.

[MacGuffin]

I'm a big Denis fan, but I can't find much else to like in Friday Night aside from the opening shots and the score (so I may as well just loop the DVD main menu and call it even).

[Philosophe_rouge]

Interesting, after becoming quite enamored with Stacey Keech I've been meaning to see this as well. Let me know how it plays.
Will do, I picked it up on impulse because Arkin was in it. Looks decent enough.


Probably true.

Although, I'm watching Rambo tonight.
I hope you enjoy it more than I did. I thought it was incredibly dull except for one or two mildly amusing sequences.

[Rowland]

After the bloated, overly forced and cheesy antics of the new Indy, I need something brutally economical and no-nonsense, so I think I'll see The Strangers tomorrow night. D'Angelo's review (http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2008/may/29/strangers/) is very encouraging, I especially like this line: "Bertino, like John Carpenter before him, understands that while the occasional sudden shock can be effective, nothing on Earth is as creepy as a silent, motionless, impassive threat."

[Watashi]

Man, D'Angelo's rating scale is fucked up. On his site, The Strangers get's a 60 or a B- but that equilivants to ***1/2 on the star system.

[Raiders]

Shock Corridor (1963) ****

You're not getting rep for the rating alone.

[Winston*]

You're not getting rep for the rating alone.
Yes he is. I haven't seen the movie but I dig the red stars.

[Qrazy]

Masaaki Yuasa's new series (only half released) Kaiba is entirely different than Kemonozume but inventive, fascinating and unique in it's own right. I almost feel as if Yuasa is taking is taking a few singular styles from Mindgame and fleshing them out into their own universe and TV shows. This series most closely resembles the animation in Mindgame where Nishi fantasizes about himself as a super cool guy/superhero... again it's a raw style, very childish (although Yuasa can't resist the sexual content) in character and environment design, but such a design also possesses a certain simple beauty and wonderment about it's explorations. It reminds me slightly of Galaxy Express 999... a young hero traveling across the galaxy and exploring new and interesting worlds.

In Kaiba people's bodies and memories are interchangeable. Everyone (nearly) has a memory chip and can swap bodies as long as they're able to afford them. I'm five episodes in and already the lead character has swapped bodies multiple times. Yuasa once again demonstrates that slick story telling is no substitute for imaginative storytelling.

[Watashi]

You're not getting rep for the rating alone.

Heh. Yeah, I've been trying to fumble around with word's explaining how this film blew me away. I guess the real positive that this the first film I didn't have to pause, stop, or take a days break in between to finish in about a month. So I guess that has to count for something?

I think Fuller really outdid himself by making a exploitative B-movie that happens to say more about America's radicalism through very unique inmates than Forman's polished film did. All three witness gives fantastic performances/monologues that elevate their status above what the common man views as "insane". The allegory of it all is almost comedic of how true it rings by substituting the asylum as the "real world" and making the people of the outside "insane". Overall it's just a pretty awesome movie. The nymph scene was surreal and I had to rewatch it just to see it again.

I think the line "When sleeping, you can't tell an insane man from a sane man" sums it up very much.

[Raiders]

Heh. Yeah, I've been trying to fumble around with word's explaining how this film blew me away. I guess the real positive that this the first film I didn't have to pause, stop, or take a days break in between to finish in about a month. So I guess that has to count for something?

I think Fuller really outdid himself by making a exploitative B-movie that happens to say more about America's radicalism through very unique inmates. All three witness gives fantastic performances/monologues that elevate their status above what the common man views as "insane". The allegory of it all is almost comedic of how true it rings by substituting the asylum as the "real world" and making the people of the outside "insane". Overall it's just a pretty awesome movie. The nymph scene was surreal and I had to rewatch it just to see it again.

I think the line "When sleeping, you can't tell an insane man from a sane man" sums it up very much.

REP!

[Watashi]

Weekend:

I Shot Jesse James
Pick Up on South Street
The Steel Helmet

[Spinal]

I'm not a fan of the show myself, but I'm going with friends I haven't seen in ages. I'm thinking it can't be worse than Prince Caspian, Prom Night or Rambo... that's something I think.

I hope for your sake that you are right. It just happens to be my own personal idea of hell on earth.

[Raiders]

Weekend:

I Shot Jesse James
Pick Up on South Street
The Steel Helmet

Heh. Really? That's awesome.

[Spinal]

Out of town for the weekend. Going to Georgia. But I will probably watch The Conformist tonight. AKA Bertolucci's last shot with me.

[Qrazy]

I think the line "When sleeping, you can't tell an insane man from a sane man" sums it up very much.

The foam ringing the mouth is usually a pretty heavy indicator.

[soitgoes...]

Weekend:

I Shot Jesse James

Nice!

[Qrazy]

I hope for your sake that you are right. It just happens to be my own personal idea of hell on earth.

I have a friend... nice girl but... for every one episode of The Wire we'd watch, we'd have to watch an episode of Sex and the City after... her reasoning... she has to suffer through The Wire (she prefers Cold Case and the like) so we have to suffer through hers.

People who have been exposed to good things and still prefer the crap... make me sad.

[Watashi]

Heh. Really? That's awesome.
I told you I'm going to try to watch as much Fuller as I can before I move on to anything else (not counting theatrical releases).

[Raiders]

I told you I'm going to try to watch as much Fuller as I can before I move on to anything else (not counting theatrical releases).

Well, you've started with two of the best, so the majority may feel a slight disappointment. But, after 12 films I can say each of them is worth watching and I have loved all but one.

[Watashi]

Well, you've started with two of the best, so the majority may feel a slight disappointment. But, after 12 films I can say each of them is worth watching and I have loved all but one.
Have you purposely been avoiding his "bad" ones (like Shark!, his 50's war movies, and Street of No Return) or just have no time to view them all.

How would I "obtain" films like White Dog and Park Row?

[Qrazy]

Links to Kaiba and Kemonozume... but I recommend a download.

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

Kemonozume: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIA1RRohZuo

To people who missed my posts... these are the two new series from Yuasa (creator of Mindgame). Kemonozume has been completed (13 eps), Kaiba is still being released.

[soitgoes...]

Have you purposely been avoiding his "bad" ones (like Shark!, his 50's war movies, and Street of No Return) or just have no time to view them all.

How would I "obtain" films like White Dog and Park Row?
Park Row plays on TCM occasionally. Otherwise download?

[koji]

I was trying to attached a copy of the Noir Sentinel, a bimonthly email publication that's an interesting read for noir and old movie fans. The PDF file is too large to attach. Anyone wants me to send it, let me know.

[Raiders]

Have you purposely been avoiding his "bad" ones (like Shark!, his 50's war movies, and Street of No Return) or just have no time to view them all.

Well, kind of, but then again not really. I have just gone with what interested me the most (it just so happens they all seem to be his most praised films). I have read defenses from some people's opinions I trust on just about all his "lesser" films other than Shark. I will get to them eventually.


How would I "obtain" films like White Dog and Park Row?

Bootlegs, really.

[megladon8]

Don't mean to be pushy, but Rowland and Raiders, did you notice/read my Wendigo review?

Any thoughts? Was it terrible? :)

[megladon8]

Out of town for the weekend. Going to Georgia. But I will probably watch The Conformist tonight. AKA Bertolucci's last shot with me.


I had to buy this last fall for school, then we ended up skipping the unit based on it.

I still have it on my shelf, un-watched.

[Stay Puft]

Links to Kaiba and Kemonozume... but I recommend a download.

Thanks. I'll check these out.

[MadMan]

Um, the chainsaw swinging is one of the greatest images in all of cinema.Word. I was blown away by how creepy brilliant it really was.


Because I can't think of a single thing I enjoyed about it (except for the use of sound/visuals in the intro perhaps).

Things I disliked:

The acting
The compositions
The carnival of grotesqueries
The dialogue
Not being scared by it but only made nauseousFair enough. I had no problem with the acting or dialogue, considering that I don't really consider those as important in the true grand scheme of things. And besides bad acting and bad dialogue is sometimes par for the course in horror films. Doesn't take anyway from the overall greatness or awesome factor of many of them.

The rest of the things you mentioned are why the film is great. And it scared and creeped me out. I actually didn't expect this, as I thought it would be dated and that it was hyped up. The film lived up to the hype.

Weekend:

Watching Lost Season 4 season finale

Movie wise, probably nothing.

[ledfloyd]

it took me two viewings to figure out what was going on in F for Fake. i ended up really liking it but not quite as much as i was expecting to.

[Sven]

Criterion's supposed to have a White Dog out by the end of the year.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I watched Blade Runner tonight. I hadn't seen it since high school. I didn't like it much back then. Tonight I watched the "final cut". I feel about the same as back in high school. I liked it a bit more this time around, but I still feel that the atmosphere just isn't engrossing enough to make up for the slow, sprawling story. It feels like it's dragging along at a snail's pace for much of the film, and my interest was fading at times. There's a lack of... development I guess. Not much really takes place. I hate to break this word out, but the story is kind of... well... boring. It never capitalizes on such a great premise.

[Sven]

I watched Blade Runner tonight. I hadn't seen it since high school. I didn't like it much back then. Tonight I watched the "final cut". I feel about the same as back in high school. I liked it a bit more this time around, but I still feel that the atmosphere just isn't engrossing enough to make up for the slow, sprawling story. It feels like it's dragging along at a snail's pace for much of the film, and my interest was fading at times. There's a lack of... development I guess. Not much really takes place. I hate to break this word out, but the story is kind of... well... boring. It never capitalizes on such a great premise.

Seriously, I've watched that movie maybe four times now, each time thinking "Okay, THIS time I'll get it," which never ends up being the case. The movie makes for great stills, but little else.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Seriously, I've watched that movie maybe four times now, each time thinking "Okay, THIS time I'll get it," which never ends up being the case. The movie makes for great stills, but little else.

It is a gorgeous movie to look at, that's for sure.

[Winston*]

KF, I think you're in desperate need of an awesome movie. I prescribe that you make your next viewing something awesome.

[Boner M]

Only Angels Have Wings was both incredibly entertaining and a surprisingly affecting depiction of a tightly knit and insulated group of men and how they cope with grief, and the women who upset those coping mechanisms. Couldn't believe it ran for nearly 2 hours, moves by so breezily. I suppose the final scene is a major drawback, but the fact that it made me smile before I realised what a crock it is says something about Hawks' handling of it. Also, I love Jean Arthur's voice.

[Sven]

Glad you liked that one. One of my favorites. As a sidenote, whenever I think of Jean Arthur, I think of how poorly she's photographed in the movie Shane. I have to go out of my way to remember that she was once va-voom.

[trotchky]

Seriously, I've watched that movie maybe four times now, each time thinking "Okay, THIS time I'll get it," which never ends up being the case. The movie makes for great stills, but little else.

It took me five tries to finish it, but on the fifth I kind of loved it. I started watching the final cut recently and turned it off half-way through. :/

[soitgoes...]

How would I "obtain" films like White Dog and Park Row?
Both are on KG and I have an invite if you're interested.

[Winston*]

People upload the weirdest shit to KG. I just came across a movie called "Attack of the Cockface Killer".

[Philosophe_rouge]

Only Angels Have Wings was both incredibly entertaining and a surprisingly affecting depiction of a tightly knit and insulated group of men and how they cope with grief, and the women who upset those coping mechanisms. Couldn't believe it ran for nearly 2 hours, moves by so breezily. I suppose the final scene is a major drawback, but the fact that it made me smile before I realised what a crock it is says something about Hawks' handling of it. Also, I love Jean Arthur's voice.
One of my favourites, I really need to watch it again. Arthur is a dream, if yu haven't you should watch The More the Merrier.

[soitgoes...]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee171/soitgoes22/71rfztx-3.jpg

[Spinal]

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee171/soitgoes22/71rfztx-3.jpg

Does one really need to be warned that Attack of the Cockface Killer has adult content?

[Watashi]

KF, I think you're in desperate need of an awesome movie. I prescribe that you make your next viewing something awesome.
But he just watched Blade Runner.

[Winston*]

But he just watched Blade Runner.

KF does not seem to think that is an awesome movie. Do you not trust in KF? Do you not believe in your heart that his word be honest and true? Would you not follow him into the dark knowing full well that the shining light of Kurosawa Fan will guide you through the night?

[Qrazy]

I watched Blade Runner tonight. I hadn't seen it since high school. I didn't like it much back then. Tonight I watched the "final cut". I feel about the same as back in high school. I liked it a bit more this time around, but I still feel that the atmosphere just isn't engrossing enough to make up for the slow, sprawling story. It feels like it's dragging along at a snail's pace for much of the film, and my interest was fading at times. There's a lack of... development I guess. Not much really takes place. I hate to break this word out, but the story is kind of... well... boring. It never capitalizes on such a great premise.

I'm with you, would still like to see the final cut though, trailer made it look pretty damn good.

[Qrazy]

Only Angels Have Wings was both incredibly entertaining and a surprisingly affecting depiction of a tightly knit and insulated group of men and how they cope with grief, and the women who upset those coping mechanisms. Couldn't believe it ran for nearly 2 hours, moves by so breezily. I suppose the final scene is a major drawback, but the fact that it made me smile before I realised what a crock it is says something about Hawks' handling of it. Also, I love Jean Arthur's voice.

Yeah I find the fact that the way the woman acquiesces to the incredibly mal-adaptive way they handle grief to be fairly bizarre. It's called denial folks, it's pretty god damn unhealthy. Does Hawks overturn the way they 'handle' grief by the end of the film? I can't remember.

[Scar]

Man Bites Dog was a whole lotta 'meh' from me. I think I've got Diary of the Dead and Battlestar Gallactica Season 1 - Disc 2 showing up today/tomorrow.

[Qrazy]

Man Bites Dog was a whole lotta 'meh' from me. I think I've got Diary of the Dead and Battlestar Gallactica Season 1 - Disc 2 showing up today/tomorrow.

Yeah if one doesn't find the particular brand of black humor all that funny the 'sub-text' isn't much to fall back upon. Still, at least for the first two thirds I found it relatively funny.

[Winston*]

What was up with the way Clouzot decided to portray the sole female character in The Wages of Fear? Introducing her by having her crawl up to the protagonist and start licking his hand and all that...pretty weird.

Anyways, really good movie otherwise.

[Qrazy]

What was up with the way Clouzot decided to portray the sole female character in The Wages of Fear? Introducing her by having her crawl up to the protagonist and start licking his hand and all that...pretty weird.


She's the director's wife.

[Kurosawa Fan]

KF, I think you're in desperate need of an awesome movie. I prescribe that you make your next viewing something awesome.

I know. It's been a pretty sad streak lately. Any suggestions?

EDIT: Though I do have Out of the Past and Angels with Dirty Faces in my possession. At least one of those should do the trick.

[Qrazy]

I know. It's been a pretty sad streak lately. Any suggestions?

EDIT: Though I do have Out of the Past and Angels with Dirty Faces in my possession. At least one of those should do the trick.

Yeah, I predict you'll like both.

But since you are Kurosawa Fan... I take it you're most likely also a fan of the Japanese aesthetic in general... a tall order but what have you seen from Kobayashi, Suzuki, Inagaki, Mizoguchi, Shindo, Teshigahara, Imamura and friends? If I know what you have seen I can better recommend some films you'd most likely like which you haven't seen... or maybe it would be easier if you just said who out of these you've seen the least from.

In the meantime, some short animated goodness.

Atama Yama: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE0-IFw3ZeA
The Monk and the Fish: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y37cWnjdhdM
Father and Daughter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvmTsH4iHBo&feature=related
Quest:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gleQk-VQlCU
The Fly:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr8nPJV0-fo

[Boner M]

Does Hawks overturn the way they 'handle' grief by the end of the film? I can't remember.
Not explicitly, but it is implied; Arthur discovers Grant all teary-eyed in that one great scene at the end, undermining his stoic persona displayed previously, and in effect preventing her complete acquiescence. The Slant review nicely described how it corresponds with an earlier scene and in effect overturns their methods of handling grief:

Consider one early scene after Joe's death, where Geoff and Dutchy are in a room. The tall, imposing Geoff (in a wide-brimmed hat and leather jacket) paces and barks on the radio on the right side of the screen. A disheveled Dutchy is sitting down in the bottom left corner, very sad and guilty about "sending" young men to their deaths. An overhead lamp stretches out in an ellipse above Dutchy's body and mirrors Geoff's hat, creating a three-quarter, L-shaped compositional domination of Dutchy's figure. We're witnessing a spatial, pictorial, and psychological depiction of one energy (Geoff's sureness and stoicism) dominating another (Dutchy's doubt and grief).

Late in the film we see a startlingly similar composition with reversed meaning—not long after the death of his best friend, Geoff sits alone in his office at a table, grief-stricken, with a lamp overhead. Bonnie enters the office and stands to the right of Geoff, fulfilling the same three-quarter L-shape composition as in the Geoff-Dutchy scene. Bonnie is planning to say goodbye to Geoff despite her love for him, a calculated choice she makes in order to cut her (emotional) losses; it parallels the pilots' stoic responses to death. This time, however, Geoff is in Dutchy's earlier position—spatially, pictorially, and psychologically. Bonnie begins to speak, without much confidence, but her attempt at emotional repression fails once she sees that Geoff is crying. Her defenses begin to fall apart as we cut to a close-up of her face, and then to her movement to Geoff's level as the two, in medium close-up, hold one another. Geoff and Bonnie finally share a communal, open moment, and those dueling energies are for a moment reconciled.

[Raiders]

Only Angels Have Wings ... I suppose the final scene is a major drawback, but the fact that it made me smile before I realised what a crock it is says something about Hawks' handling of it.

Hm, could you maybe clarify? I realize you went into detail about Geoff's breakdown, but that to me is among the film's greatest moments. What about the end is a crock?

Nonetheless, glad for the positive rating. I don't need to tell you how much I love the film.

[Boner M]

Hm, could you maybe clarify? I realize you went into detail about Geoff's breakdown, but that to me is among the film's greatest moments. What about the end is a crock?
I'm talking about Geoff's very final gesture. It's a nice moment, but to me it goes against everything the film's exploring and seemed to be one of the compromises that Hawks had made for the studios. Maybe it's just the pessimist in me talking, but I think it would've been far more effective and compliant with Hawks' critique of the men had Geoff actually left Bonnie like she almost thought he intended to. Then again, I 'spose it's no biggie... that was just my initial gut reaction.

[Qrazy]

I'm talking about Geoff's very final gesture. It's a nice moment, but to me it goes against everything the film's exploring and seemed to be one of the compromises that Hawks had made for the studios. Maybe it's just the pessimist in me talking, but I think it would've been far more effective and compliant with Hawks' critique of the men had Geoff actually left Bonnie like she almost thought he intended to. Then again, I 'spose it's no biggie... that was just my initial gut reaction.

Ehh I disagree, I think it's a character change that had been building since the beginning of the film... contrasted with say the arbitrary end of Red River and it's important for him as a character to let himself get over his past loss. I think I would have found a tragic ending even less fulfilling in this case.

[Boner M]

Ehh I disagree, I think it's a character change that had been building since the beginning of the film... contrasted with say the arbitrary end of Red River and it's important for him as a character to let himself get over his past loss. I think I would have found a tragic ending even less fulfilling in this case.
Y'now, upon reflection I realise that it's my own biases preventing me from seeing how crucial the ending really was. Speaking of copouts...

[Raiders]

I'm talking about Geoff's very final gesture. It's a nice moment, but to me it goes against everything the film's exploring and seemed to be one of the compromises that Hawks had made for the studios. Maybe it's just the pessimist in me talking, but I think it would've been far more effective and compliant with Hawks' critique of the men had Geoff actually left Bonnie like she almost thought he intended to. Then again, I 'spose it's no biggie... that was just my initial gut reaction.

But, to me, it is the perfect resolution. You have the perfect encapsulation of the cinema of Hawks. It is a male-centric universe, cut off from society. I think the final images show a resolution to this macho-posturing. It posits both faces, one masculine and one feminine, at equal parts of the frame. It cuts from the shot before, dwarfing Geoff against Jean Arthur's figure. She comes down to him, and it both parallels and differs from the scene before as mentioned in the Slant article. If anything, Hawks condemns the false machismo and in the brilliant final shots displays that the caring and nurturing of Arthur's character, and the emotion of Grant's, as the foundation of society. It breaks not only through Grant's false stoicism but through the pervasive atmosphere that had isolated him and the other men.

[Grouchy]

The Counterfeiters really just left me cold. It has beautiful grainy cinematography and a cool tango soundtrack, and the lead actor is good. In fact, I don't really know why I disliked the movie - something about it being too intentionally dramatic at times and making its protagonist too likeable, some kind of rogue, charming thief instead of a more realistic counterfeiter. I could anticipate everything that was about to happen, too. Also the part of the plot that concerns the dollar forgeries is solved by a ridiculous deus ex machina.

[balmakboor]

Sometimes, I just don't listen to warnings. I watched Closer last night. What a piece of crap. How can that director and that cast make something that boring and stupid?

[Spinal]

Sometimes, I just don't listen to warnings. I watched Closer last night. What a piece of crap. How can that director and that cast make something that boring and stupid?

I think it's because the play from which it is adapted sucks. Never liked that one.

[balmakboor]

I think it's because the play from which it is adapted sucks. Never liked that one.

Maybe I should rephrase my question:

How could that director and that cast be so stupid as to get involved with a play that sucks so badly?

[Raiders]

Rumblefish - C+ (re-viewed)

Bah. Your initial reactions were correct.

As for Closer, I remember moderately enjoying the performances and the Damien Rice songs, but there was a definite smugness to it that I found very off-putting. For such a supposedly emotionally naked play, it all felt very contrived and petty.

[Spinal]

As for Closer, I remember moderately enjoying the performances and the Damien Rice songs, but there was a definite smugness to it that I found very off-putting. For such a supposedly emotionally naked play, it all felt very contrived and petty.

Haven't seen the film, but in regards to the play, I completely agree.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Yeah, I predict you'll like both.

But since you are Kurosawa Fan... I take it you're most likely also a fan of the Japanese aesthetic in general... a tall order but what have you seen from Kobayashi, Suzuki, Inagaki, Mizoguchi, Shindo, Teshigahara, Imamura and friends? If I know what you have seen I can better recommend some films you'd most likely like which you haven't seen... or maybe it would be easier if you just said who out of these you've seen the least from.


I've seen:

Kobayashi: Nothing

Suzuki: Tokyo Drifter (loved)

Inagaki: Chushingura (top 100), Samurai I, II, and III (loved III, liked the others)

Mizoguchi: Ugetsu (loved)

Shindo: Onibaba (top 100)

Teshigahara: Woman in the Dunes (loved)

Imamura: Vengeance is Mine (really liked)

[balmakboor]

Bah. Your initial reactions were correct.

As for Closer, I remember moderately enjoying the performances and the Damien Rice songs, but there was a definite smugness to it that I found very off-putting. For such a supposedly emotionally naked play, it all felt very contrived and petty.

I dunno. I just found myself laughing at the film's attempts at being an art film for teens. Like it was trying so hard to be an art film for teens that it forgot to simply be an art film for teens. Also, and quite unexpectedly, I found the Copeland score to be a bit annoying this time.

I've always had a crush on Diane Lane. She's exactly -- to the day -- three years younger than me and I was knocked out by her in Rumblefish back in the day. Now I've moved on and am instead knocked out by the 43-year-old version.

Rumblefish does look great and Matt Dillon was a great presence. I do find him far more naturally appealing in Tex and Over the Edge from the same time period though.

[balmakboor]

Jonathan Kaplan has said that he cast Matt Dillon in a minor role in Over the Edge to avoid being accused of trying to mold him into the next James Dean. I think Coppola -- being the crazy guy he is -- took this path with The Outsiders and Rumblefish and realized Kaplan's fears of coming up short.

[soitgoes...]

Kobayashi: Nothing

Harakiri stat!!

[Kurosawa Fan]

Harakiri stat!!

It's in my queue. I'll bump it up.

[soitgoes...]

It's in my queue. I'll bump it up.
And you shall be ever grateful.

[origami_mustache]

Harakiri stat!!

yeah, you are missing out...the seven films I've seen from him are all amaaaaaazing.

[Sycophant]

Weekend:
The Passion of Joan of Arc
Then She Found Me
Joshua
The Mist

[Ezee E]

Weekend:
The Passion of Joan of Arc



First time?
:eek:

[soitgoes...]

First time?
:eek:
Don't you wish you could have a first time again with certain films? Remember back in the day when you (not you in particular) were just getting into film, and you had the whole world of cinema laid out before you. Great times. So many choices.

[Ezee E]

Don't you wish you could have a first time again with certain films? Remember back in the day when you (not you in particular) were just getting into film, and you had the whole world of cinema laid out before you. Great times. So many choices.
The best was in my Film History class in which we saw it on a huge projector with surround sound. Each week we saw 2-3 classics for the first time ever. It was magnifique.

Now I have to search for hidden ones, and sometimes that means seeing a lot of stuff I don't like.

[Spinal]

I remember being in my mid-20s and my dad brought up Casablanca. I hadn't seen it all the way through and I got (rightfully) razzed. Embarrassed, I decided that I would watch every film on Ebert's Great Movies list, even the stuff I thought for sure I would dislike. I found lots of great movies that I never would have watched otherwise and even liked some of the Westerns, much to my surprise. I haven't kept up with the list since then, but it felt very rewarding at the time.

And that's how I ended up here. :|

[Sycophant]

First time?
:eek:Believe me, I know.

[Qrazy]

I've seen:

Kobayashi: Harakiri, Kwaidan, Human Condition Trilogy, Samurai Rebellion >
Inn of Evil

Suzuki: Gate of Flesh, Story of a Prostitute, Youth of the Beast, Tokyo Drifter, Branded to Kill (I have no idea how to order these, they're all worth seeing.)

Inagaki: You've seen what I've seen, but I hear Whirlwind is also great, perhaps his best... as well as Samurai Saga.

Mizoguchi: Ugetsu, Sansho the Bailiff, Life of Oharu, Street of Shame >> A Geisha

Shindo: Onibaba, Naked Island, Kuroneko

Teshigahara: Haven't seen, but Boner says Face of Another is about as good as Woman in the Dunes... and there's Pitfall.

Imamura: Insect Woman, The Pornographers, Ballad of Narayama

I'll start with my favorite films from each and list in descending order, I really think you'll like Kobayashi. I listed a few I haven't seen but that I think will be class, just to broaden the list... please forgive my assumptive-ness of the quality of those few.

A few others that I haven't seen that I also think will be good to excellent.

Story of the Late Crysanthemums, Princess Yang Kwei-fei, Portrait of Madame Yuki, Sisters of the Gion, Osaka Elegy (Mizoguchi)
Fighting Elegy, Pistol Opera and Zigeunerweisen (Suzuki)
The Eel (Imamura)
Gate of Hell (Kinugasa)
Twenty-Four Eyes (Kinoshita)

And I still have some other major blind spots Ichikawa, Hani, more Ozu, give Oshima another shot, more Naruse, Yamanaka, etc.

[MadMan]

I remember being in my mid-20s and my dad brought up Casablanca. I hadn't seen it all the way through and I got (rightfully) razzed. Embarrassed, I decided that I would watch every film on Ebert's Great Movies list, even the stuff I thought for sure I would dislike. I found lots of great movies that I never would have watched otherwise and even liked some of the Westerns, much to my surprise. I haven't kept up with the list since then, but it felt very rewarding at the time.

And that's how I ended up here. :|I ended up here because I pretty followed the FDT group around like a random wander looking for a piece of funky paradise. And I found it. I think.



I know. It's been a pretty sad streak lately. Any suggestions?

EDIT: Though I do have Out of the Past and Angels with Dirty Faces in my possession. At least one of those should do the trick.If you don't like Out of the Past then there is no hope for you :|



Man Bites Dog was a whole lotta 'meh' from me. I think I've got Diary of the Dead and Battlestar Gallactica Season 1 - Disc 2 showing up today/tomorrow.I want to hear your thoughts about Diary. I think you'll like it. I did, to my pleasant surprise.

The only cut of Blade Runner I've seen all the way through is the DC that was released on DVD back in the early 90s. I found that cut to be one of the best damn sci-fi films I've ever seen. The cut with the voice over narration and the happy ending is a lesser version in my mind. But it could also be that I really don't care for VO as a narrative device in film.

[Qrazy]

The only cut of Blade Runner I've seen all the way through is the DC that was released on DVD back in the early 90s. I found that cut to be one of the best damn sci-fi films I've ever seen. The cut with the voice over narration and the happy ending is a lesser version in my mind. But it could also be that I really don't care for VO as a narrative device in film.

I dunno it's pretty great when it's done correctly... Adaptation for instance... it's just easy to screw it up... and it's screwed up in Blade Runner theatrical.

[megladon8]

I got an e-mail from Larry Fessenden.

Really liked my review of "Wendigo", and wished me luck in my future filmmaking efforts.

That's pretty neat-o, I must say.

[Qrazy]

I got an e-mail from Larry Fessenden.

Really liked my review of "Wendigo", and wished me luck in my future filmmaking efforts.

That's pretty neat-o, I must say.

Where do you post your reviews?

[megladon8]

Where do you post your reviews?


Several places - my blog, Rotten Tomatoes journal, three different forums (including this one), and they are published over on GenreBusters.

However, I e-mailed him a copy, so I imagine that is the one he read.

[Qrazy]

Several places - my blog, Rotten Tomatoes journal, three different forums (including this one), and they are published over on GenreBusters.

However, I e-mailed him a copy, so I imagine that is the one he read.

Ahh, gotchya.

[ledfloyd]

hmm... i loved F for Fake but am not entirely sure about the ending.

after the segment with Oja he quotes picasso as saying "art is a lie that makes us realize the truth" or something to that effect. i understand he was lying. orson was, with the oja story. however, i'm not sure what the point of it was. it didn't seem to serve any purpose or add anything to the previous hour. it was just a funny little 'aha!' moment on par with the usual suspects and nothing more. am i missing something or just expecting too much? up until then i loved it. this just seemed like a pointless and distracting coda. hence the ***1/2 instead of ****

[Qrazy]

hmm... i loved F for Fake but am not entirely sure about the ending.

after the segment with Oja he quotes picasso as saying "art is a lie that makes us realize the truth" or something to that effect. i understand he was lying. orson was, with the oja story. however, i'm not sure what the point of it was. it didn't seem to serve any purpose or add anything to the previous hour. it was just a funny little 'aha!' moment on par with the usual suspects and nothing more. am i missing something or just expecting too much? up until then i loved it. this just seemed like a pointless and distracting coda. hence the ***1/2 instead of ****

Missing something I'd say... this is the central quote through which to view the rest of the film.

"Now this has been standing here for centuries. The premier work of man perhaps in the whole western world and it's without a signature. Chartres. A celebration to God’s glory and to the dignity of man. All that’s left, most artists seem to feel these days, is man. Naked, poor, forked radish. There aren’t any celebrations. Ours, the scientists keep telling us, is a universe which is disposable. You know it might be just this one anonymous glory of all things, this rich stone forest, this epic chant, this gaiety, this grand choiring shout of affirmation, which we choose when all our cities are dust; to stand intact, to mark where we have been, to testify to what we had it in us to accomplish. Our works in stone, in paint, in print are spared, some of them for a few decades, or a millennium or two, but everything must fall in war or wear away into the ultimate and universal ash: the triumphs and the frauds, the treasures and the fakes. A fact of life... we're going to die. 'Be of good heart,' cry the dead artists out of the living past. Our songs will all be silenced - but what of it? Go on singing. Maybe a man's name doesn't matter all that much."


Also...

"It's pretty but is it art? How is it valued? The value depends on opinion, opinion depends on the expert, a faker like Elmyr makes fool of the experts - so who's the expert? Who's the faker?".

---

He's saying there's as much value to be found in the fakes, the 'lies', as in the 'truth'. The end of the film is a flight of fancy, but it's also the most thematically/philosophically revealing part of the film. He's lying about the particulars, but the 'truth' of his overarching beliefs and theories about authorship and art remain valid.

[Rowland]

I'm trying a new rating system, just because.

* = <30
*½ = 30-39
** = 40-49
**½ = 50-59
*** = 60-69
***½ = 70-79
**** = 80+

[Watashi]

Another one bites the dust.

I hate the 1-100 scale sooooo much.

[Winston*]

My ratings system > Your ratings system

Yeah, I said it.

[Qrazy]

Another one bites the dust.

I hate the 1-100 scale sooooo much.

Yeah, particularly after years of school where anything less than a 60 is a fail... it just doesn't make sense anymore.

[Sven]

I totally just sold my used copy of Dragonheart for ten bucks. All I can say is: suckers!

[Boner M]

Wind Chill was pretty nifty. Have to echo the general consensus in that I found the first half more compelling than the idea-heavy second, but Blunt's acting and Mansell's score maintain interest throughout.

[Sycophant]

Joshua was quite something. I don't know how much more I have to add to that right now, other than it was something I quite liked and something that disturbed me in a way that I like movies to disturb me. It's not perfect, but it hits most of its notes right and plays with expectations quite well.

[Watashi]

You saw Joshua over Passion of Joan of Arc?

*slaps sycophant*

Bad sycophant! Bad!

[transmogrifier]

What's with this Joshua talk derailing a potential discussion about the suitability of various rating systems used in conjunction with the evaluation and analysis of movies and film?

[ledfloyd]

He's saying there's as much value to be found in the fakes, the 'lies', as in the 'truth'. The end of the film is a flight of fancy, but it's also the most thematically/philosophically revealing part of the film. He's lying about the particulars, but the 'truth' of his overarching beliefs and theories about authorship and art remain valid.
i love those two quotes. i was only questioning the end of the film. this paragraph puts it into perspective a bit, maybe i need to watch that segment again.

[Melville]

There Will Be Blood was even better the second time. I love the expansiveness of Plainview's moment of hope, right after he marks out the territory for his pipeline, leading up to his swim in the ocean, as the film is suddenly overwhelmed by lush panoramas and the mood of tense foreboding momentarily breaks. I should have put it higher in my top 100.


Um, the chainsaw swinging is one of the greatest images in all of cinema.
Stay off the crack, Boner.

[Qrazy]

There Will Be Blood was even better the second time. I love the expansiveness of Plainview's moment of hope, right after he marks out the territory for his pipeline, leading up to his swim in the ocean, as the film is suddenly overwhelmed by lush panoramas and the mood of tense foreboding momentarily breaks. I should have put it higher in my top 100.


Stay off the crack, Boner.

Why so little love for 39 Steps?

[Sycophant]

You saw Joshua over Passion of Joan of Arc?

*slaps sycophant*

Bad sycophant! Bad!
The Passion of Joan of Arc is unquestionably a Sunday afternoon film for me. I feel like I need to spiritually prepare myself for it and can't simply pop it into the DVD player after work, considering its rep.

*shrugs*

[Ezee E]

The Passion of Joan of Arc is unquestionably a Sunday afternoon film for me. I feel like I need to spiritually prepare myself for it and can't simply pop it into the DVD player after work, considering its rep.

*shrugs*
You have successfully redeemed yourself.

[Melville]

Why so little love for 39 Steps?
It didn't leave much of an impression. The plot seemed roughly sketched, barely cohering into a full movie, and I didn't care for the nonstop sequence of contrivances driving the narrative (e.g. the protagonist has to conceal something that's in the newspaper... so he leaves the newspaper face up on the kitchen table!).

[Qrazy]

It didn't leave much of an impression. The plot seemed roughly sketched, barely cohering into a full movie, and I didn't care for the nonstop sequence of contrivances driving the narrative (e.g. the protagonist has to conceal something that's in the newspaper... so he leaves the newspaper face up on the kitchen table!).

Ah, well Hitch is pretty rife with contrivance, but not lazily, for a purpose at least... tension production... I'd put it in his top 7 or so. Don't really agree with the plot being thinly sketched, seemed like every scene served a rather explicit purpose to me. The handcuff gag in particular is class. Don't really care enough about Hitch in general to give any kind of lengthy defense though. I watch his films for their unique brand of formal precision... that's about it (except for top tier... Vertigo, Rear Window, a few others).

[Sycophant]

On further reflection, I rather liked the way Joshua was constructed. And it was beautifully shot. It also has what may very well be one of my favorite uses of end-credits music I've run across. There were some elements (such as Josh's animal cruelty) that I could have done without, that I felt didn't really contributed anything to what the film was most interested and interesting in saying.

[Rowland]

On further reflection, I rather liked the way Joshua was constructed. And it was beautifully shot. It also has what may very well be one of my favorite uses of end-credits music I've run across. Yep, I dug Joshua a great deal myself, very creepy and artfully constructed. And yes, the ending and the following end-credits music had the hair on the back of my neck standing on edge. I downloaded the song, it's by Dave Matthews.

[Winston*]

Man, Happy Go-Lucky is like the anti-Naked. Liked it a lot. Sally Hawkins is so good in this.

[ledfloyd]

how'd you see it?

[Winston*]

how'd you see it?
I picked out a time, went to the movie theatre, paid for tickets and then sat down in front of a big screen.

[soitgoes...]

I picked out a time, went to the movie theatre, paid for tickets and then sat down in front of a big screen. Hmm... Interesting.

[ledfloyd]

I picked out a time, went to the movie theatre, paid for tickets and then sat down in front of a big screen.
i take it you live someone other than freedomland.

[Winston*]

i take it you live someone other than freedomland.

You'd be correct. Unless Freedomland is what you call New Zealand.

[Scar]

Diary of the Dead: A few nice gore effects, but a whole lotta meh. I really didn't care for it, and kept checking the display to see how much time was left.

And in regards to the last shot in TCM: Its a classic!

I will pick up There Will Be Blood on BluRay someday.

[Boner M]

You'd be correct. Unless Freedomland is what you call New Zealand.
Hmm, still isn't out 'til late June here. I was gonna see it at the fest next week, but traded my ticket for the new Dardenne film which was added to the schedule at the last minute. w00t.

[EyesWideOpen]

Joshua is one of those films that I just can't understand how anyone could like it. It's tied with Transformers as my least favorite films of 2007.

[Kurious Jorge v3.1]

Gate of Hell (Kinugasa)


This film is quite awful.

[soitgoes...]

This film is quite awful.I thought it more meh than awful. Still it's something I wouldn't recommend.

[Qrazy]

This film is quite awful.

Shitty, I'm downloading it as we speak... noooo Karagarga ratio... *weeps*

[Kurious Jorge v3.1]

Shitty, I'm downloading it as we speak... noooo Karagarga ratio... *weeps*

well, the cinematography is great at least. ;)

[Qrazy]

well, the cinematography is great at least. ;)

Well that's a plus... but it won the palme d'or and the academy award! I guess the Garden of the Finzi Continis won the academy award as well though... which all sucked except for the cinematography... sort of... Sigh.

[trotchky]

well, the cinematography is great at least. ;)

Doesn't that make it a great film, then?

[Qrazy]

Doesn't that make it a great film, then?

Well... no? It can still suck in every other department. Death in Venice has decent cinematography but it's an insufferable piece of shit.

[MacGuffin]

Well... no? It can still suck in every other department. Death in Venice has decent cinematography but it's an insufferable piece of shit.

He might be being facetious, as it's been a running joke between him and I and perhaps others to poke fun at how certain posters on Rotten Tomatoes always seem to acknowledge the cinematography for every movie, no matter how insignificant, simply because they can't think of any other criticisms that would make themselves sound the least bit intelligent. I could be wrong, however.

[Mysterious Dude]

I didn't think Gate of Hell even had particularly good cinematography.

[trotchky]

Well... no? It can still suck in every other department. Death in Venice has decent cinematography but it's an insufferable piece of shit.

I guess you're right.

[megladon8]

Shrooms was absolutely, positively godawful.

Steer clear, everyone.

[MacGuffin]

Shrooms was absolutely, positively godawful.

Steer clear, everyone.

... and my hopes were so high.

[Sycophant]

Someone point me to a Hollywood film where religious characters are portrayed in a truly positive light, but without actually veering into evangelical territory. I need a cleansing of the palate, methinks.

[transmogrifier]

Goddamn if Altman wasn't the greatest director who ever lived. Images is an impeccable example of cinematic craft, even if the nature of the subject means we are never really allowed too far into the actual story.

If you were forced to give up watching any movie ever again except for those of a single director, and you were only allowed to watch them in order of release (so no skipping duds and concentrating on the classics), which director would you choose? Because for me, it's Altman, hands down, no question. He is astounding.

[Watashi]

Someone point me to a Hollywood film where religious characters are portrayed in a truly positive light, but without actually veering into evangelical territory. I need a cleansing of the palate, methinks.

The Apostle, The Mission (Joffe), Dead Man Walking, Magnolia, The Night of the Hunter, and pretty much all of Capra's filmmography.

[Boner M]

If you were forced to give up watching any movie ever again except for those of a single director, and you were only allowed to watch them in order of release (so no skipping duds and concentrating on the classics), which director would you choose? Because for me, it's Altman, hands down, no question. He is astounding.
Hmm... I've only seen 6 of his films so far, but probably Fassbinder. Even if some of his films are weaker efforts (I can't say at this point), watching them all in chronological order would at least give a fascinating insight into his life and the progression of his art. And of course, there's so much to digest.

[Kurious Jorge v3.1]

For me....Fellini, because I've seen his entire filmography with my recent viewing of Casanova, and I wouldn't mind running thorugh it again (forever if need be).

[soitgoes...]

Ingmar Bergman. His films generally always fall in the good-to-great range. Him or Ron Howard. They're pretty much one and the same.

[dreamdead]

Man, Happy Go-Lucky is like the anti-Naked. Liked it a lot. Sally Hawkins is so good in this.

A friend who's visiting England noted to me that she saw this one the other day. My envy revealed itself a bit too much.

Meanwhile, for the question on following the works of one director... two years ago I'd have said Woody Allen, since his works resonated nicely with me. Now, however, I'm kind of over his cinema, save for a select few films, as there's a bit too limited of a palette in his writing (and not always as cinematic as I'd want for one director), so I'll say Godard. Even his failures are interesting, and I'd have incentive to get into his 80s-2000s work, something I've resisted for awhile now.

[ledfloyd]

that's a tough call man. i'd probably go with either woody allen or the coen brothers. their films seem to be the most rewatchable and the coens especially don't have many weak spots in their oeuvre.

kieslowski, leone, kubrick, welles, hitchcock, wilder and hawks are tempting. i haven't seen enough of godard.


in other news. you guys should all watch Cyber Seduction. this Lifetime Original movie about porn addiction is probably the best unintentional comedy of the decade. it's on youtube.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Shrooms was absolutely, positively godawful.

Steer clear, everyone.


I recorded this a while back, watched a bit of it, but then had to shut it off for one reason or another. I was never tempted to turn it back on. I deleted it long ago.

[Qrazy]

Someone point me to a Hollywood film where religious characters are portrayed in a truly positive light, but without actually veering into evangelical territory. I need a cleansing of the palate, methinks.

The Word, Passion of Joan of Arc, The Ninth Configuration erm... not Hollywood per se.

---

As for who I'd watch... Tarkovsky of course.

[Qrazy]

For me....Fellini, because I've seen his entire filmography with my recent viewing of Casanova, and I wouldn't mind running thorugh it again (forever if need be).

Were you able to see these?

# Boccaccio '70 (1962) (segment "Le tentazioni del dottor Antonio")
... aka Boccaccio '70 (USA)
... aka Boccace 70 (France)
# Amore in cittÃ*, L' (1953) (segment "Agenzia matrimoniale, Un'")
... aka Love in the City (USA)

How are they?

[Sven]

Altman is a totally good call, and is probably my choice, but for the sake of variation, I'll say John Boorman.

[Sven]

Actually, much as I love the Boorman, I think I'd choose Herzog instead, mostly because of his rate of output. It's a tough choice.

[Qrazy]

Actually, much as I love the Boorman, I think I'd choose Herzog instead, mostly because of his rate of output. It's a tough choice.

Yeah, gems like Zardoz certainly make it a toss up. ;)

[Sven]

Yeah, gems like Zardoz certainly make it a toss up. ;)

Zardoz is bad in the best way a movie can be.

[Kurosawa Fan]

It's a boring answer, but I'd go with the Coens. They're my favorite working directors and I'd want to go with a director who's still working so I can still experience new films along the way. Plus, they're versatile and they haven't made a bad film. I haven't seen The Ladykillers yet, so perhaps that's as bad as people say, but every director has at least one film you'd have to suffer through. Either way, they're my choice, bland as it may be.

[Qrazy]

Zardoz is bad in the best way a movie can be.

Yeah... I'd rather kill myself than watch it again.

[Sven]

Yeah... I'd rather kill myself than watch it again.

It's definitely his worst, and the only film of his that I would construe as possibly bad. Have you seen anything else he's done? He's pretty much the best.

[Boner M]

So I watched The Bellboy today and liked it quite a bit. Lewis' mugging style isn't exactly my cup of tea, but the film's high spirit at least kept me smiling, and there's quite a lot of self-reflexivity and auteurist-friendly shenanigans going on that makes it surprisingly intellectually engaging; the camera flashbulb changing the day sky to night, as well as the invisible symphony scene are particularly ingenious. Any other Lewis recommendations?

[Qrazy]

It's definitely his worst, and the only film of his that I would construe as possibly bad. Have you seen anything else he's done? He's pretty much the best.

I've seen (and would rank)...

# The Emerald Forest (1985) - C (needs a rewatch though, watched when I was like 7)
# Excalibur (1981) - C+
# Zardoz (1974) - D
# Deliverance (1972) - B
# Point Blank (1967) - B

Eventually I'll see Hell in the Pacific and Hope and Glory. What else in his filmography aside from these is worth checking out? I rarely hear about any of the others except maybe Tailor of Panama a few years back.

[Sven]

So I watched The Bellboy today and liked it quite a bit. Lewis' mugging style isn't exactly my cup of tea, but the film's high spirit at least kept me smiling, and there's quite a lot of self-reflexivity and auteurist-friendly shenanigans going on that makes it surprisingly intellectually engaging; the camera flashbulb changing the day sky to night, as well as the invisible symphony scene are particularly ingenious. Any other Lewis recommendations?

The Errand Boy (which has an even better invisible symphony scene) and The Family Jewels are my favorites. I also love The Patsy, Cinderfella, and, of course, The Nutty Professor. But really, I love all of them, so...

[Rowland]

Don't bother with Beyond Rangoon, it's little more than a patronizing white liberal guilt fantasy.

[Sven]

I've seen (and would rank)...

# The Emerald Forest (1985) - C (needs a rewatch though, watched when I was like 7)
# Excalibur (1981) - C+
# Zardoz (1974) - D
# Deliverance (1972) - B
# Point Blank (1967) - B

Eventually I'll see Hell in the Pacific and Hope and Glory. What else in his filmography aside from these is worth checking out? I rarely hear about any of the others except maybe Tailor of Panama a few years back.

In a rough order of preference, I'd go:

Excalibur - ****
Leo the Last - ****
Where the Heart Is - ****
Point Blank - ****
Exorcist II - ****
The General - ****
Hope and Glory - ****
Deliverance - ***1/2
Tailor of Panama - ***1/2
In My Country - ***1/2
Hell in the Pacific - ***
The Emerald Forest - ***
Zardoz - **

Can't wait to see his new one. Also, need to see Beyond Rangoon, despite Rowland's urges otherwise. Spinal likes that one quite a bit.

[Qrazy]

Hmmm... I was under the impression that the Exorcist II was supposed to be unbelievably awful.

[Ezee E]

Hmmm... I was under the impression that the Exorcist II was supposed to be unbelievably awful.
Just don't believe them.

[Qrazy]

Just don't believe them.

14 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, 3.4/10 out of 5000 votes on imdb... three neg recommendations from assorted friends in real life... and one four star rating from someone who's taste I often disagree with... I think I'll err on the side of caution.

But I'll check out Leo the Last and The General, those both sound interesting.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Where the Heart Is - ****


Boy, at first I thought this was the Ashley Judd, Natalie Portman movie. I was about to crown this the craziest iosos opinion ever.

[Sven]

14 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, 3.4/10 out of 5000 votes on imdb... three neg recommendations from assorted friends in real life... and one four star rating from someone who's taste I often disagree with... I think I'll err on the side of caution.

Yeah, if you didn't dig on Excalibur, I cannot see you diggin' on Exorcist II. A similar visual tendency, that of a certain mythic discombobulation, informs both. But Scorsese and Kael liked it, so I'm not alone at least.


But I'll check out Leo the Last and The General, those both sound interesting.

If anything, these are among the most exquisitely photographed films I've seen. Thankfully they're also, you know, real good.

[Sven]

This summer I'm taking a class on monster movies. My biggest motivation is that the professor very well could be the smartest man I've ever come across. I'm very much looking forward to it. Now the tentative film schedule is as follows:

1. Lost World and Creation footage
2. Frankenstein (1910) and Frankenstein (1931)
3. The Mummy
4. King Kong
5. Horror of Dracula
6. Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
7. Them!
8. Creature from the Black Lagoon
9. The Thing
10. Godzilla
11. American Werewolf in London or The Howling
12 Blacula
13. Alien
14. Cloverfield

[dreamdead]

14 films over a summer session (8 or 12 week semester?)? Yowza, that seems rather a lot unless they're grouped in thematics and thus several films correspond to each discourse / methodology. Certainly feels like an interesting set-up. Be interested in your response throughout the summer...

[Sven]

14 films over a summer session (8 or 12 week semester?)? Yowza, that seems rather a lot unless they're grouped in thematics and thus several films correspond to each discourse / methodology. Certainly feels like an interesting set-up. Be interested in your response throughout the summer...

It's a 7 week semester that meets thrice a week. I'm not sure what the method to his madness is (he's certainly kinda crazy, like most geniuses I know), but perhaps I'll start a thread or something. We'll see.

[Kurious Jorge v3.1]

Were you able to see these?

# Boccaccio '70 (1962) (segment "Le tentazioni del dottor Antonio")
... aka Boccaccio '70 (USA)
... aka Boccace 70 (France)
# Amore in cittÃ*, L' (1953) (segment "Agenzia matrimoniale, Un'")
... aka Love in the City (USA)


The Temptation of Dr. Antonio is great, highly recommended. Un Agenzia Matrimoniale is kind of bland.

[Spinal]

If you were forced to give up watching any movie ever again except for those of a single director, and you were only allowed to watch them in order of release (so no skipping duds and concentrating on the classics), which director would you choose?

Peter Greenaway

[Watashi]

Brad Bird, easily.

[Spinal]

Brad Bird, easily.

You'd choose someone with only 3 films?

[monolith94]

This summer I'm taking a class on monster movies. My biggest motivation is that the professor very well could be the smartest man I've ever come across. I'm very much looking forward to it. Now the tentative film schedule is as follows:

1. Lost World and Creation footage
2. Frankenstein (1910) and Frankenstein (1931)
3. The Mummy
4. King Kong
5. Horror of Dracula
6. Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
7. Them!
8. Creature from the Black Lagoon
9. The Thing
10. Godzilla
11. American Werewolf in London or The Howling
12 Blacula
13. Alien
14. Cloverfield
Ask him why he's leaving out der golem!

[monolith94]

Ask him why he's leaving out der golem!
Also, I saw my first enjoyable Altman film this weekend. Huzzah! Indecent Proposal was on last night - didn't see enough of it to give it a ranking, but it pretty much sucked, from what I could see.

[soitgoes...]

You'd choose someone with only 3 films?They aren't films, they're life experiences.;)

[Sven]

Ask him why he's leaving out der golem!

That was on his tentative tentative list. We may watch it on a Saturday.

[Watashi]

They aren't films, they're life experiences.;)
Damn straight.

[monolith94]

That was on his tentative tentative list. We may watch it on a Saturday.
If you see it, be sure to bring a big cup of coffee. The film is very slowly paced.

[Sycophant]

If you were forced to give up watching any movie ever again except for those of a single director, and you were only allowed to watch them in order of release (so no skipping duds and concentrating on the classics), which director would you choose? Because for me, it's Altman, hands down, no question. He is astounding.Woody Allen.

Shortlist: Woody Allen, Charles Chaplin, Takeshi Kitano, Akira Kurosawa, Preston Sturges

[Mysterious Dude]

If I were ever forced to watch movies by only one director, I would give up movies and read books instead.

[megladon8]

If I were ever forced to watch movies by only one director, I would give up movies and read books instead.


Me too.

I couldn't be that limited. I would go insane.

[Sycophant]

Me too.

I couldn't be that limited. I would go insane.Then what director would it be if you weren't allowed to take in any other media and were required to watch at least one of these films a week?

Yes, at gunpoint. With your family at gunpoint too.

[monolith94]

Yeah, that'd be pretty sad. Plays!

[megladon8]

Then what director would it be if you weren't allowed to take in any other media and were required to watch at least one of these films a week?

Yes, at gunpoint. With your family at gunpoint too.


Shoot my family so I can watch more movies :P

[Philosophe_rouge]

If you were forced to give up watching any movie ever again except for those of a single director, and you were only allowed to watch them in order of release (so no skipping duds and concentrating on the classics), which director would you choose? Because for me, it's Altman, hands down, no question. He is astounding.
I'll go with Ernst Lubitsch, although yes there are duds... Hawks close behind as a choice. It's really difficult.

[transmogrifier]

I love how literally some people take harmless hypothetical questions.

I'll put it another way: who's your favorite director? :|

[Winston*]

I'd like to know the exact hypothetical circumstances behind this hypothetical cinematic limitation. Am I locked in a room with nothing but a DVD of every Kurosawa film with no skip button on my remote? Or has a scientist device planted in my brain that is set to explode when I attempt to watch anything but a Hitchcock film in chronological order? Or is it just that some dude's going to come around to my house and punch my face when I endeavor to watch something other than a Gary Marshall movie?

[transmogrifier]

I'd like to know the exact hypothetical circumstances behind this hypothetical cinematic limitation. Am I locked in a room with nothing but a DVD of every Kurosawa film with no skip button on my remote? Or has a scientist device planted in my brain that is set to explode when I attempt to watch anything but a Hitchcock film in chronological order? Or is it just that some dude's going to come around to my house and punch my face when I endeavor to watch something other than a Gary Marshall movie?


Our monkey overlords decree it. Should we ignore their decree, they throw poop at us.

[Grouchy]

11. American Werewolf in London or The Howling
Here comes the part where I admit I haven't seen all of American Werewolf in London, only the key scenes on TV. But I just wanted to say The Howling is very very great, an intense and clever wolf movie.

If he decides to do an all-out werewolf class, they should watch those two and Dog Soldiers.

[Mysterious Dude]

So I was just looking at the 1952 Sight & Sound poll (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/7207/polls2.htm) of critics (the first of their decennial polls), and it's interesting to see what movies are still considered canon and what movies have almost completely fallen off the radar. Definitely, Battleship Potemkin and The Passion of Joan of Arc are still up there. But others, like Louisiana Story and The Childhood of Maxim Gorky are hardly remembered at all, let alone considered among the best films of all time. There are actually quite a few now-obscure Russian films on both this poll and a 1958 poll (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/7207/polls3.htm), and I wonder if there isn't some bias among the voters. I mean, I've seen The Childhood of Maxim Gorky, and it's alright, but I wouldn't canonize it.

Also, Chaplin seems a little overrepresented.

[origami_mustache]

Louisiana Story is still considered an important film, although perhaps not as widely recognized as the others. I recall watching it in my Nonfiction Film class.

[Mysterious Dude]

Louisiana Story is still considered an important film, although perhaps not as widely recognized as the others.It's not generally considered one of the five best movies ever made anymore.

[Watashi]

Pickup on South Street was pretty good, but I guess a bit of a letdown regarding it's reputation as Fuller's best. Thelma Ritter owns every scene she's in. Out of the triangular leads, the two Richards are great as both the thief and the rat, but the only blind spot is Jean Peters as the self-named eye-candy. She's suppose to the be the femme fatale, but her looks overtook her personality. She is pretty much a punching bag for the Richards to abuse, and the way she kept coming back for more questioned her logic to her loyalty (especially considering Fuller never characterized as child-like or juvenile). The directing is sublime though.

[Ezee E]

The MTV Movie Awards obviously doesn't take itself seriously, and it's usually fun to watch the short films. Luckily, MTV has an on-demand function on their website where you can just see what you want.

And Downey owns the award show. Best entrance ever.

His short with Stiller and Black was gold too.

[Qrazy]

I love how literally some people take harmless hypothetical questions.

I'll put it another way: who's your favorite director? :|

Haha yes, or seek to circumvent a question when they obviously know the range of answers expected of them.

How much change do you have?

Well I have seven coins in my pocket.

[Watashi]

The MTV Movie Awards obviously doesn't take itself seriously, and it's usually fun to watch the short films. Luckily, MTV has an on-demand function on their website where you can just see what you want.

And Downey owns the award show. Best entrance ever.

His short with Stiller and Black was gold too.
It was surpisingly funny. I don't know why I watched it.

Depp's acceptance speech was great though.

"You can ask anybody, I'm not a very funny person. I'm not even remotely funny."

[Winston*]

Found Fred MacMurray's character in Double Indemnity a bit ridiculous, kind of made it hard for me to get all that involved in it. Still, there's a lot of neat stuff in there and Edward G. Robinson is totally awesome and it's interesting for it's significance and all that.

[Bosco B Thug]

I'm sure The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is effective as a low budget slasher with bad acting and a fixation on the disgusting but I still detested the experience. :( Yeah, TCM is a hard film to defend because, as I said in another thread, you can't really say it is going for any sense of emotional or storytelling enlightenment, just to shock and suffocate. But it is quite an effective (arguably "intellectual") formal exercise and I just find Hooper's directing style too irresistable.


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

Meh, I don't really see it. Brilliant.

The way his camera is still then all of a sudden begins to move; the sweep across field grass; the way he frames the characters against vistas; the tricky use of foreground and background space to show the approach of the semitruck; the regular use of the deep focus shot; his careful use of all portions of the frame, with a keen sense of geometry in various great individual shots: that great one of Leatherface sawing the truck door as the two victims flee through the other door; the "In the truck bed" sequence of shots (Leatherface cut below by the truckbed door, high-angle of Sally).

As for subtext, I'll admit I'm not entirely convinced of the potency of its social commentary. It's there, but I never feel like its potential is fulfulled. Still, the presence is enough and are generously amplified by Hooper's demented camera-eye and sense of the milieu. The consistently droning radio announcer, the beautiful wheat field vista as they pick up the hitchhiker, the evocation of facets of life like the astrology craze, the 70s fuel crisis, traditionalism, family values, mechanization of labor, a wheel-chaired victim, etc. None of which I find the film fully tackles, but I appreciate milieu for milieu's sake.

The analysis I read on the film in a book sees it as taking a group of normal, relatively wholesome and unassuming, well-to-do kids with roots in a Texas grandpa and reveal to them an extreme of what they escaped and left behind: a demented cannibal family with roots in Texas, unable to climb the economic ladder to bourgeoisie comfort and instead finding sustenance in serial killing. Not entirely convincing, nor expressed very well in the film itself.

I wouldn't call the film "witty" regarding its subtext, but it is witty (probably still not the best word) visually. I like to compare the camera perspective as similar to Charles Burnett's in Killer of Sheep. The camera seems sentient, doing weird things as if its some omniscient, limitlessly flexible observer that's just really curious about the world it depicts. There's one shot where the camera is in a truck, then as someone approaches it, it backs out through the truck window. When the person is inside the truck, it pans back inside the car. Anyway, it's very playful. I find this very similar to the way the camera in 'Sheep' plays and roams with its images of children playing. It's alive and capricious, expressionistic and graceful. One's an unpleasant and exploitative flick, the other on the other hand wants to move you and teach you, but yeah. Great films.


If you feel like it, though, you should watch the sequel.

the increased budget allows Hooper to do some impressive crane shots That one is a great crane shot, isn't it? And I love how you think, "That's pretty cool. A little flashy and cliche, but I dig it" but then he decides to crane back in and the shot's all of a sudden surprising and idiosyncratic.


On further reflection, I rather liked the way Joshua was constructed. And it was beautifully shot. It also has what may very well be one of my favorite uses of end-credits music I've run across. There were some elements (such as Josh's animal cruelty) that I could have done without, that I felt didn't really contributed anything to what the film was most interested and interesting in saying. Glad you liked Joshua! It's really a brilliant rhetorical ploy of a film. I agree with you on the animals, though. Even the fascination with mummification rituals (which is rather normal for a 6th grader) kinda throws you off and isn't integrated into the film very well. And yeah, David Matthew's The Fly is great, fits the film perfectly.


Goddamn if Altman wasn't the greatest director who ever lived. Images is an impeccable example of cinematic craft, even if the nature of the subject means we are never really allowed too far into the actual story.

If you were forced to give up watching any movie ever again except for those of a single director, and you were only allowed to watch them in order of release (so no skipping duds and concentrating on the classics), which director would you choose? Because for me, it's Altman, hands down, no question. He is astounding. 100% agreed on Images as well as your answer to your hypothetical. Altman, 2) Hitchcock, 3) Hooper for me.

[origami_mustache]

It's not generally considered one of the five best movies ever made anymore.

and I don't think it should be...just seemed as if you were implying it has been forgotten...anyways it's probably for the best that the opinions of 63 critics from the 50s hasn't completely dominated the canon.

[Winston*]

Code 46 - Winterbottom tries Wong Kar Wai. Hmmm...I dunno.

[soitgoes...]

24 Hour Party People was pretty good. It would've probably been better had I had known more about the real life people and events depicted in the film. That being said there were some very funny moments. Most of which involved Steve Coogan. How come I didn't know about him before last week? The guy can be seriously hilarious.

[Qrazy]

So I was just looking at the 1952 Sight & Sound poll (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/7207/polls2.htm) of critics (the first of their decennial polls), and it's interesting to see what movies are still considered canon and what movies have almost completely fallen off the radar. Definitely, Battleship Potemkin and The Passion of Joan of Arc are still up there. But others, like Louisiana Story and The Childhood of Maxim Gorky are hardly remembered at all, let alone considered among the best films of all time. There are actually quite a few now-obscure Russian films on both this poll and a 1958 poll (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/7207/polls3.htm), and I wonder if there isn't some bias among the voters. I mean, I've seen The Childhood of Maxim Gorky, and it's alright, but I wouldn't canonize it.

Also, Chaplin seems a little overrepresented.

Looked through the lists and they certainly demonstrate both the strengths and weaknesses of consensus lists. One list had Clouzot's Manon on it while Diaboliques, Wages of Fear, Quai Des Orfevres, Le Corbeau etc were nowhere to be seen... in fact I'd say Manon is the weakest effort I've seen from him. I can't remember now but I also remember seeing a couple other director's where I felt one of their weaker efforts was representing them on the list.

[Winston*]

Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story -Yeah, I have no idea why this is supposed to be good.

3 films in a day. Ooo, I feel all Qrazy-y.

[Boner M]

Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story -Yeah, I have no idea why this is supposed to be good.
Maybe if you stopped blatantly trying to extract rep points from Spinal you'd find out! BURRRN.

[transmogrifier]

3 films in a day. Ooo, I feel all Qrazy-y.

Except you moderately liked one of them. Too generous.

[Winston*]

Maybe if you stopped blatantly trying to extract rep points from Spinal you'd find out! BURRRN.
I'd come back with some sort of "zinger" but I'm afraid your post has hit too close to home. I've been trying to disguise it for so long but the painful fact is that I have no film taste of my own. Near every time I've made a value judgement on a film it has been born out of my painstaking process of following Spinal around the internet, attempting to emulate the taste that he has cultivated himself organically over many years. In fact, I haven't even seen the vast majority of the films I've professed to. Sometimes I've thrown a curve ball, in an effort to throw people of the trail but the truth has been weighing increasingly heavy in the napsack of my soul. I needed acceptance and this was the only way I felt I could achieve it and I'm sorry to all of you for putting you through this charade. To make matters even worse, my real name's not even Winston.

[Qrazy]

Except you moderately liked one of them. Too generous.

I like(d) five out of the six films/series currently in my sig.

*slap*

[Qrazy]

I'd come back with some sort of "zinger" but I'm afraid your post has hit too close to home. I've been trying to disguise it for so long but the painful fact is that I have no film taste of my own. Near every time I've made a value judgement on a film it has been born out of my painstaking process of following Spinal around the internet, attempting to emulate the taste that he has cultivated himself organically over many years. In fact, I haven't even seen the vast majority of the films I've professed to. Sometimes I've thrown a curve ball, in an effort to throw people of the trail but the truth has been weighing increasingly heavy in the napsack of my soul. I needed acceptance and this was the only way I felt I could achieve it and I'm sorry to all of you for putting you through this charade. To make matters even worse, my real name's not even Winston.

Is there at least an asterisk in your real name?

[transmogrifier]

I like(d) five out of the six films/series currently in my sig.

*slap*

I'd appreciate it if you'd just sit back and let me pelt you with lazy generalizations that will eventually stick in the consciousness of Match Cut, turning you into a bitter, twisted version of your current self (well, more bitter and twisted, anyway).

[Winston*]

Is there at least an asterisk in your real name?
The asterix stands for failure.

[Boner M]

I'd come back with some sort of "zinger" but I'm afraid your post has hit too close to home. I've been trying to disguise it for so long but the painful fact is that I have no film taste of my own. Near every time I've made a value judgement on a film it has been born out of my painstaking process of following Spinal around the internet, attempting to emulate the taste that he has cultivated himself organically over many years. In fact, I haven't even seen the vast majority of the films I've professed to. Sometimes I've thrown a curve ball, in an effort to throw people of the trail but the truth has been weighing increasingly heavy in the napsack of my soul. I needed acceptance and this was the only way I felt I could achieve it and I'm sorry to all of you for putting you through this charade. To make matters even worse, my real name's not even Winston.
lol, loser.

[Qrazy]

I'd appreciate it if you'd just sit back and let me pelt you with lazy generalizations that will eventually stick in the consciousness of Match Cut, turning you into a bitter, twisted version of your current self (well, more bitter and twisted, anyway).

Reasonable.

[Qrazy]

lol, loser.

Your rating system seems to have jumped the shark...

[Raiders]

Meshes of the Afternoon (Deren, 1943) 100
The Hunted (Friedkin, 2003) 100
Southern Comfort (Hill, 1981) 100
Ascent (Shepitko, 1976) 100
Wild at Heart (Lynch, 1990) 0
"Sk8er Boi" (Lavigne, 2002) 1000
The Truth About Charlie (Demme, 2002) 99
The Company (Altman, 2003) 99
Apocalypto (Gibson, 2006) -infinity
White Dog (Fuller, 1982) 100

Nice. Trust me. We can take a Spinal/Winston* battle. After the defeat, he'll have to change his name to Winston**.

[Sycophant]

The Passion of Joan of Arc was beautiful. I'm not the least bit surprised about that, but nor am I the least bit disappointed.

[Qrazy]

The Passion of Joan of Arc was beautiful. I'm not the least bit surprised about that, but nor am I the least bit disappointed.

I'm always struck by how modern stylistically certain techniques Dreyer uses seem... like the swinging/tracking camera when weapons are being thrown down from the tower.

[balmakboor]

I'm pretty confident that -- after a second viewing -- I'll consider Diary of the Dead Romero's best zombie outing.

[Bosco B Thug]

I'm pretty confident that -- after a second viewing -- I'll consider Diary of the Dead Romero's best zombie outing.
Awesome. On the surface it seems like a cheesy, sloppy, and messy low-budget patchwork film (as many casual viewers I know seem to be assessing it as), but it's really rather complex and surreal and fascinating and unpredictable, huh?

[balmakboor]

Awesome. On the surface it seems like a cheesy, sloppy, and messy low-budget patchwork film (as many casual viewers I know seem to be assessing it as), but it's really rather complex and surreal and fascinating and unpredictable, huh?

I never use the word cheesy. I hate the word actually. Diary of the Dead is far from being sloppy or patchwork. It simultaneously captures a handheld, shot on the fly by a film student aesthetic while also being very precisely composed and edited. There is a scene in the woods where a girl is waiting for her boyfriend to turn before shooting him that is hauntingly gorgeous.

It is filled with dark humor and really great and original zombie kills. The last scene is a doozy. It is also filled with Romero's patented brand of social and political commentary -- as bluntly expressed and yet entirely relavent as always. Diary says pretty much the same things about the media that Redacted did only Diary says them quite a bit better (and I loved Redacted).

One thing that places Diary above other Romero zombie films is the acting. For the first time in the series, I'd say the performances are really good.

[Sycophant]

I'm always struck by how modern stylistically certain techniques Dreyer uses seem... like the swinging/tracking camera when weapons are being thrown down from the tower.
Indeed. The way it's edited, too. A couple times I chuckled to myself about these damn kids and their modern, ADD editing.

One thing I was very impressed with was the juxtaposition of very busy, almost cacophonous shots of crowds and judges and soldiers with meditative, still shots of Joan. It almost creates in one's mind a soundtrack.

And all throughout, I kind of mourned the long-ago death of this art form. Even movies that seek to emulate silence these days tend to heavily invoke score. I watched Joan absolutely silent, and I can't help but feel a score would be redundant.

[Spinal]

Maybe if you stopped blatantly trying to extract rep points from Spinal you'd find out! BURRRN.

I'm repping him anyway.

[Sycophant]

All this recent talk of Yuasa has me wondering if anyone else has checked out his 2001 half-hour short, Cat Soup. It's probably the most surreal thing he's done to date. It's a dialogue-less journey through the land of the dead to reclaim the soul of the protagonist cat's sister. There's some truly disarming and disconcerting imagery. It's also my least favorite of Yuasa's work, but it's certainly a welcome entry in what is increasingly becoming one of the most idiosyncratic directorial oeuvres today.

[Qrazy]

Indeed. The way it's edited, too. A couple times I chuckled to myself about these damn kids and their modern, ADD editing.

One thing I was very impressed with was the juxtaposition of very busy, almost cacophonous shots of crowds and judges and soldiers with meditative, still shots of Joan. It almost creates in one's mind a soundtrack.

And all throughout, I kind of mourned the long-ago death of this art form. Even movies that seek to emulate silence these days tend to heavily invoke score. I watched Joan absolutely silent, and I can't help but feel a score would be redundant.

Yeah, while I do love the marriage of sound/music and visuals (Kubrick amongst others) at times. I absolutely hate it when films use their score as a crutch... and it's always buzzing around as a baseline... American Gangster recently, pretty much the major thing that killed Dark City for me, etc.

[Qrazy]

All this recent talk of Yuasa has me wondering if anyone else has checked out his 2001 half-hour short, Cat Soup. It's probably the most surreal thing he's done to date. It's a dialogue-less journey through the land of the dead to reclaim the soul of the protagonist cat's sister. There's some truly disarming and disconcerting imagery. It's also my least favorite of Yuasa's work, but it's certainly a welcome entry in what is increasingly becoming one of the most idiosyncratic directorial oeuvres today.

Perhaps I'll have a cat evening one of these days... I need to check out Cat City, The Cat Returns and Cat Soup.

[Watashi]

Indeed. The way it's edited, too. A couple times I chuckled to myself about these damn kids and their modern, ADD editing.

One thing I was very impressed with was the juxtaposition of very busy, almost cacophonous shots of crowds and judges and soldiers with meditative, still shots of Joan. It almost creates in one's mind a soundtrack.

And all throughout, I kind of mourned the long-ago death of this art form. Even movies that seek to emulate silence these days tend to heavily invoke score. I watched Joan absolutely silent, and I can't help but feel a score would be redundant.

Dude... Voices of Lights elevates Joan's greatness to a higher level. I've tried watching it silent and it just isn't the same.

In fact, I don't think I could ever watch a movie completely silent. The score is one of the most important parts of a silent film (also one of the reasons that really made me love The General).

[Raiders]

Dude... Voices of Lights elevates Joan's greatness to a higher level. I've tried watching it silent and it just isn't the same.

I can say this is entirely false, but I do agree it is a marvelous accompaniment.

[Spinal]

Gotta agree with Watashi here. I question the suggestion that complete silence somehow leads to a purer experience. Weren't these films intended to be played with scores/sound effects anyway?

[Yxklyx]

Dude... Voices of Lights elevates Joan's greatness to a higher level. I've tried watching it silent and it just isn't the same.

In fact, I don't think I could ever watch a movie completely silent. The score is one of the most important parts of a silent film (also one of the reasons that really made me love The General).

Well yes, generally scores are an integral part of silent films - BUT Passion of Joan of Arc is an exception (from what I read it was not intended to have a score). Anyway, Voices of Light is excellent until the very end where the music follows the masses instead of Joan.

[Spinal]

Well yes, generally scores are an integral part of silent films - BUT Passion of Joan of Arc is an exception (from what I read it was not intended to have a score).

Yes, it appears you are right. Therefore, I would say that opting to watch it that way is perfectly valid to try to recapture the director's original vision.

[Watashi]

Yes, it appears you are right. Therefore, I would say that opting to watch it that way is perfectly valid to try to recapture the director's original vision.

:sad:

I had you on my side for 5 minutes at least.

[Raiders]

Right, I'm not making a general statement for all silent films, just Dreyer's which was originally intended to be shown with no accompaniment. I also was mainly disagreeing that Einhorn's score makes the film better.

[Spinal]

:sad:

I had you on my side for 5 minutes at least.

Well, I understand why others would want to watch it that way. Personally, I would not do so.

[Stay Puft]

All this recent talk of Yuasa has me wondering if anyone else has checked out his 2001 half-hour short, Cat Soup. It's probably the most surreal thing he's done to date. It's a dialogue-less journey through the land of the dead to reclaim the soul of the protagonist cat's sister. There's some truly disarming and disconcerting imagery. It's also my least favorite of Yuasa's work, but it's certainly a welcome entry in what is increasingly becoming one of the most idiosyncratic directorial oeuvres today.

Yup. Some of the imagery is... disarming and disconcerting, yes, I think that works. It freaked me out at spots. Enjoyable, though.

(He didn't direct it though, did he? I thought he didn't start directing until Mind Game.)

[Kurosawa Fan]

Voices of Light is wonderful. I can't say that it elevates the material, as I haven't watched it silently, but I can say that any time I try to watch it silently, I end up turning the score back on very early on because his score is so beautiful and fits the film so well.

[Sycophant]

Yup. Some of the imagery is... disarming and disconcerting, yes, I think that works. It freaked me out at spots. Enjoyable, though.

(He didn't direct it though, did he? I thought he didn't start directing until Mind Game.)Whoops, you're right. He co-wrote it, produced the animation, but it was directed by Tatsuo Sato. My bad. Still, it's good stuff and you can definitely tell that he brought and took away from the project.

[Grouchy]

That one is a great crane shot, isn't it? And I love how you think, "That's pretty cool. A little flashy and cliche, but I dig it" but then he decides to crane back in and the shot's all of a sudden surprising and idiosyncratic.
Hell yeah. Glad to find such a big Hooper fan. And you know, I'm willing to admit I blew that defense on the film's underlying subtext. It may have some, but, like you say, Hooper is much more interested in flat-out scaring and upsettling people than delivering a message for the times.

I had heard very good and very bad things about Woody Allen's Interiors and, now that I've seen it, I lean towards the good for most of it. The movie is definitively Bergmanesque, but instead of being an empty carbon copy like I was told, it apes Bergman's style to tell a story about Woody Allen's concerns and morals, not the silence of God or something. I find that a lot more acceptable. The performances are great, but not completely uniform. Geraldine Page and Mary Beth Hurt were completely awesome, but Diane Keaton, for example, while a cool actress and a hottie, I thought she needed room to breath and her anguish wasn't 100% believable - she's better suited for Allen's comedy/drama films. I hated the final shot, where the three sisters enter the frame and stop exactly at the spot that makes the composition look like something from Persona or Cries and Whispers - that was completely artificial and uncalled for. In fact, I think the film needed to stop at its high point with the tragic beach scene near the end.

The DVD menu was the strangest I've ever seen. It was professionally made, which made it all the more strange that it featured a picture of a steaming cup of coffee. Maybe I missed the symbology of coffee during the movie.