28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[Winston*]

Yeah, t've only seen one movie I really liked out of the 4 I've seen from this year. Film festival nxt month, tho. Should see some good ones then.

[transmogrifier]

Yeah, t've only seen one movie I really liked out of the 4 I've seen from this year. Film festival nxt month, tho. Should see some good ones then.

I'll be back in NZ in time to catch the last week, maybe. Maybe.

[Winston*]

I'll be back in NZ in time to catch the last week, maybe. Maybe.
Of the Hamilton one?

EDIT: I mean New Plymouth. Same thing.

[transmogrifier]

Of the Hamilton one?

The Auckland one. I thought I read somewhere it finishes July 27th or something like that.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I can't believe it's mid-June and the best new release I've seen this year is Cloverfield, which was entertaining, but c'mon...

I dunno...I really enjoyed The Fall and In Bruges. I suspect both of them will last as favorites of the year. And Iron Man was a sturdy comic book adaptation.

It hasn't been too bad.

[Rowland]

I dunno...I really enjoyed The Fall and In Bruges. I suspect both of them will last as favorites of the year. And Iron Man was a sturdy comic book adaptation.

It hasn't been too bad.Well I'll admit that I've missed a lot of stuff. I'll rent In Bruges, and The Fall opened around here today. As for Iron Man, a dispassionate "sturdy" pretty much sums it up.

[Raiders]

I can't believe it's mid-June and the best new release I've seen this year is Cloverfield, which was entertaining, but c'mon...

If going by imdb release dates, it's my favorite as well. Which is fine since I consider it a pretty damn good movie.

[Watashi]

There have been plenty of great movies so far this year.

Cloverfield is not one of them.

[Rowland]

There have been plenty of great movies so far this year.

Cloverfield is not one of them.I've only seen two of the movies on your top ten, so I can't really respond. Now that movies from earlier this year are beginning to be released on DVD, I can start catching up.

[Ezee E]

The firs half of this year has basically been like the first half of every year. One or two good-great movies, while the rest are mediocre to mostly bad.

[Ivan Drago]

:looks at new thread title:

What's wrong with you people?

[koji]

I didn't see this mentioned, but Ann Savage, la femme tres fatale in Detour(1945), has a significant part in Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg. Wow. Amazing that her only film worth noting was 63 years ago and she retired in 1953. I applaud Maddin for casted her.

[Yxklyx]

Criterion is releasing Brand Upon the Brain on DVD this summer.

http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=440

[Yxklyx]

What will I enjoy more? Pierrot Le Fou or House of Bamboo?

[origami_mustache]

Weeeeeeend I prefer the weeeeeeeekeeeeeend:

La Terra Trema
Il Grido

[Qrazy]

The firs half of this year has basically been like the first half of every year. One or two good-great movies, while the rest are mediocre to mostly bad.

Plus (m)any good films that have already been released at this time are likely also foreign so we can't see them or have small distribution so we won't see them till DVD.

[Qrazy]

Time to add Queen Christina to that list of Classic Hollywood flicks which are mildly competent but don't really do anything for me... Now Voyager... Petrified Forest... etc.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Time to add Queen Christina to that list of Classic Hollywood flicks which are mildly competent but don't really do anything for me... Now Voyager... Petrified Forest... etc.
I really like Queen Christina but am willing to agree with you on the other two. Now Voyager has moments and aspects I enjoy, mostly from Davis but it's so long and overdrawn. The Petrified Forest is incredibly average, but I like watching Bogart so I'd mildly recommend it for that.


Every once in a while you come accross a film that fails on so many levels that it trascends the trappings of being boring or uninteresting, become a uniquely entertaining and over the top thrill ride. The Happening is one of these movies. The film is so badly written, acted and directed that it's quite possibly the funniest film I've seen all year. It's just wow, probably the most fun I've had all year, I'm seeing it again Tuesday with friends. Whalberg especially is awe-inspiringly bad.

[Qrazy]

I really like Queen Christina but am willing to agree with you on the other two. Now Voyager has moments and aspects I enjoy, mostly from Davis but it's so long and overdrawn. The Petrified Forest is incredibly average, but I like watching Bogart so I'd mildly recommend it for that.


Every once in a while you come accross a film that fails on so many levels that it trascends the trappings of being boring or uninteresting, become a uniquely entertaining and over the top thrill ride. The Happening is one of these movies. The film is so badly written, acted and directed that it's quite possibly the funniest film I've seen all year. It's just wow, probably the most fun I've had all year, I'm seeing it again Tuesday with friends. Whalberg especially is awe-inspiringly bad.

Much preferred Love Me Tonight... I find it interesting that Mamoulian seems to have been replaced on a lot of his end career pictures... and often by Preminger.

Man don't say that... now there are going to be more people buying tickets for The Happening. Shyamalan needs to go out of business already and people need to stop seeing his movies.

[origami_mustache]

Try (2000)
15 minute short from Jonas Åkerlund...I didn't like it that much, but I figured it might be of interest.

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xj9x6kUJX98/default.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj9x6kUJX98)

[Winston*]

Jonas Åkerlund

I've only got hazy memories of Spun, but I'm pretty sure it might be one of the worst films I've ever seen. Would this be accurate?

[origami_mustache]

I've only got hazy memories of Spun, but I'm pretty sure it might be one of the worst films I've ever seen. Would this be accurate?

haha yep that's the guy

[Boner M]

Every once in a while you come accross a film that fails on so many levels that it trascends the trappings of being boring or uninteresting, become a uniquely entertaining and over the top thrill ride. The Happening is one of these movies. The film is so badly written, acted and directed that it's quite possibly the funniest film I've seen all year. It's just wow, probably the most fun I've had all year, I'm seeing it again Tuesday with friends. Whalberg especially is awe-inspiringly bad.
I kinda wish I'd seen it with friends; it would've been much more amusing that way. I think I also would've enjoyed it more if a less talented actress than Zooey Deschanel was in the lead; this film is a potential career-killer for her.

Still, "what kind of terrorists are these?" is already the immortal line of the year.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Much preferred Love Me Tonight... I find it interesting that Mamoulian seems to have been replaced on a lot of his end career pictures... and often by Preminger.

Man don't say that... now there are going to be more people buying tickets for The Happening. Shyamalan needs to go out of business already and people need to stop seeing his movies.
I prefer Love me Tonight as well, and Dr. Jekyll... still like Queen Christina a great deal. Yea, I noticed that too, maybe he was unpleasent to work with, or not fond of following orders. I don't know why it was always Preminger though.

I stand by it, although I haven't seen any of his films since the Sixth Sense... it could be a rehash of already tread badness, so if you're afraid of that probably best to avoid.


I kinda wish I'd seen it with friends; it would've been much more amusing that way. I think I also would've enjoyed it more if a less talented actress than Zooey Deschanel was in the lead; this film is a potential career-killer for her.

Still, "what kind of terrorists are these?" is already the immortal line of the year.

Yea, that's probably the most worrisome aspect, and she still managed to be respectable and enjoyably, unlike Marky Mark who seemed to have complete implode.

Yes, I couldn't stop laughing !

[Philosophe_rouge]

If I had seen the Happeniing thread, I would have put this junk in there. If peopel feel the need to move it, go ahead.

[MacGuffin]

The Brave One is indeed brave. It's also a triumph.

[Dead & Messed Up]

So Bakshi's Wizards was a disappointment on every conceivable level.

Most depressing is how it just seems like someone going through the motions. The fairy world isn't creative, and the villains are as uninspired as Orcs can be. The animation is ugly, and, when they can't afford that, the rotoscoping is uglier, and, when they can't afford that, storybook interludes bore with exposition.

It's an ugly, ungainly piece of work that gets more and more irritating as it progresses.

[Spinal]

Hey, At World's End was actually quite good!

It certainly helped that they ...

...brought back Geoffrey Rush. (Is this a spoiler? Not sure.)

Although it doesn't quite attain the whimsical heights of the first film, it is a drastic improvement over the second, bringing the franchise back from the dead, as it were. Lots and lots of funny stuff and a well-plotted resolution. So many times these sequels can feel so lazy. It seemed to me that a lot of thought went into this one and what paths the characters would take. A pleasant surprise, though I really hope they don't make another. The ending was just right.

[Watashi]

I probably won't be able to see The Happening until Tuesday, but one of my few film buff friends (who actually thinks Lady in the Water is Shyamalan's best film) dug it a lot. Can't wait to be the iosos on this one.

[transmogrifier]

I probably won't be able to see The Happening until Tuesday, but one of my few film buff friends (who actually thinks Lady in the Water is Shyamalan's best film) dug it a lot. Can't wait to be the iosos on this one.


I'll be shocked if you like it. It's a lazy, incredibly atmosphere-free film with a dumb premise and a horrible ending. A couple of isolated scenes of interest, but nothing else. Zooey Whatserface is terrible, worse than Wahlberg.

[transmogrifier]

Hey, At World's End was actually quite good!

It certainly helped that they ...

...brought back Geoffrey Rush. (Is this a spoiler? Not sure.)

Although it doesn't quite attain the whimsical heights of the first film, it is a drastic improvement over the second, bringing the franchise back from the dead, as it were. Lots and lots of funny stuff and a well-plotted resolution. So many times these sequels can feel so lazy. It seemed to me that a lot of thought went into this one and what paths the characters would take. A pleasant surprise, though I really hope they don't make another. The ending was just right.

I disagree with pretty much everything you write here.

[Boner M]

I'll be shocked if you like it. It's a lazy, incredibly atmosphere-free film with a dumb premise and a horrible ending. A couple of isolated scenes of interest, but nothing else. Zooey Whatserface is terrible, worse than Wahlberg.
Wow, that's pretty much what I said. :pritch:

My only guess is that Zooey was trying to be as bad she was, thus alerting us to MNS's shocking tin-ear for dialogue. Right, Zooey? ...Right? :confused:

[Winston*]

In the one scene when Courtney just invited him to her party and he's like i don't make plans......... and then he walks off and that one song comes on, does anyone else think he looks sooo hot when he walked away from them to that music?

[Sven]

The Brave One is indeed brave. It's also a triumph.

Hooray!


So Bakshi's Wizards was a disappointment on every conceivable level.

Most depressing is how it just seems like someone going through the motions. The fairy world isn't creative, and the villains are as uninspired as Orcs can be. The animation is ugly, and, when they can't afford that, the rotoscoping is uglier, and, when they can't afford that, storybook interludes bore with exposition.

It's an ugly, ungainly piece of work that gets more and more irritating as it progresses.

:sad:

http://matchcut.org/viewtopic.php?p=470950#470950

[Raiders]

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Verbinski, 2007) ***
Germany Year Zero (Rossellini, 1948) **1/2
The Conformist (Bertolucci, 1970) **1/2

Trying to make sense of this has only caused me great grief and discomfort.

[Ezee E]

I've only got hazy memories of Spun, but I'm pretty sure it might be one of the worst films I've ever seen. Would this be accurate?
He's been an incredibly music video director. I'll give him another chance.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I've only got hazy memories of Spun, but I'm pretty sure it might be one of the worst films I've ever seen. Would this be accurate?

Absolutely.

[Spinal]

Trying to make sense of this has only caused me great grief and discomfort.


Spirited rollicking pirate adventure. Poorly acted manipulative melodrama. Dramatically inert cinematography showcase.

[Spinal]

I disagree with pretty much everything you write here.

You want them to make a fourth film? :confused:

[Qrazy]

Thief of Bagdad (40's version) is another one of those films that suffers from an incessant and grating soundtrack... it just never lets up. This is actually the type of film that I wouldn't mind seeing remade (again) given all the poor blue screening and model work. The storyboarding had it's head in the right place (great all seeing eye sequences and some of the long shots) but the effects department doesn't quite pull it off... and I know it's the 40's but I mean Metropolis was able to do a better job decades earlier, so no free pass. The acting felt a bit stilted in many places and aesthetically the final product is just not on the same level as P&P's other great technicolor ventures. A unique, memorable and inventive film but not quite formally up to snuff.

[soitgoes...]

the final product is just not on the same level as P&P's other great technicolor ventures.
I'm pretty sure Pressburger had zero part in this, and also I always thought this to be more of a Korda film than anyone else. Is this correct?

[Qrazy]

I'm pretty sure Pressburger had zero part in this, and also I always thought this to be more of a Korda film than anyone else. Is this correct?

Ah k, didn't realize... damn 6 directors...

[transmogrifier]

You want them to make a fourth film? :confused:

Well, unlike Qrazy, I do have the option not to watch it.

[Dead & Messed Up]

:sad:

http://matchcut.org/viewtopic.php?p=470950#470950

A fair write-up, one that showcases some of the film's strengths - I was interested in the use of Nazi imagery, and I admire the attempt to create a fantasy film that bridges the gap of technology and magic. And Avatar's triumphant action raises some interesting questions (though Avatar thinks nothing of it, nor do the other characters).

But a lot of that was undone by the shoddy animation and refusal of the film to give some of those moral decisions/choices/concepts any room to breathe.

[Qrazy]

Well, unlike Qrazy, I do have the option not to watch it.

Don't you have any empathy? Do you want me to have to suffer through another one of these messes?

[transmogrifier]

Don't you have any empathy? Do you want me to have to suffer through another one of these messes?

No. Yes.

[Qrazy]

No. Yes.

Your soul is ugly.

[transmogrifier]

Your soul is ugly.

But it owns a Porsche and has a giant wang, so it does okay.

[Qrazy]

But it owns a Porsche and has a giant wang, so it does okay.

But it has self-esteem issues, over compensates by being loud and aggressive, distancing friends and family, will eventually be imprisoned for embezzlement and die alone and broken.

[transmogrifier]

But it has self-esteem issues, over compensates by being loud and aggressive, distancing friends and family, will eventually be imprisoned for embezzlement and die alone and broken.

But then they'll discover a stack of unpublished novellas breath-taking in their wry depiction of the human experience in its closet, and revaluate everything they knew about it.

[Sxottlan]

While it detracts quite a bit from the original source material, The Legend of the Black Scorpion is a visually decadent and at times entrancing film that really took me by surprise. I've always wanted to see a new take on Hamlet and this is an interesting one, even as it removes the familial relationship between the Hamlet and Gertrude to pursue a romantic relationship full-bore.

Real nice swordplay, even though it leaves you wanting more. I really couldn't get over the look of this film, the palace awash in black-painted wood which gave everything a strangely warm yet desolate and stark feel. It was gorgeous.

Even as the wuxia craze here in the states appears to be over (otherwise I'd almost think this could have gotten a big screen release), at least this provides a fitting and respectful death rattle.

[Yxklyx]

The Visitor was a pleasant little film. Same director as The Station Agent. Loved the performance by the lead. 8/10

[MacGuffin]

The Visitor was a pleasant little film. Same director as The Station Agent. Loved the performance by the lead. 8/10

1 for Pierrot le fou!? I know it's a difficult movie, but come on now.

[Yxklyx]

1 for Pierrot le fou!? I know it's a difficult movie, but come on now.

Yeah, essentially a walkout. Not one positive thing I can say about it.

[MacGuffin]

Yeah, essentially a walkout. Not one positive thing I can say about it.

Perhaps the very fact that Anna Karina is in it propels it above average, for me.

[megladon8]

Had a little double feature last night of the two Kolchak movies - THe Night Stalker (1972) and The Night Strangler (1973).

They were both quite good, but I liked the first best.

Darren McGavin is just perfect for the role, and it sounds like an abomination that the recent TV series reboot featured Stuart Townshend in the role.

I was actually creeped out a few times during the movies, and the second one especially had a fantastic, sarcastic wit to it.

I can't wait to start with the TV series.

[Raiders]

I found it continuously refreshing that Bridge to Terabithia managed to avoid a lot of the cutesy kid comedy or obnoxious trite fantasy. In fact, the fantasy element seems almost clearly not the filmmakers' primary concern as the sequences are rather drab and visually uninspired. The film's strength is in the real world, the scenes that the film uses to directly link to the raison d'etre for the fantasy elements (the slogan they create that they will not be crushed (or better yet, stepped on) is telling of the impetus for their ruling over this imaginary world). The children look to escape and to feed off their experiences to drive their imaginative world. Our hero Jess meets spunky Leslie, and she shows him the power of his imagination and feeds into his already strong artistic temperament. The film doesn't really manage to create believable families for these two children; both swinging a little too far to one side of the division. Jess' parents are all work and no play, number-crunchers who lack much spirit or imagination. Leslie's parents are the direct opposite, free-wheeling and very imaginative, more concerned with beauty and life than with money and work. But, it says something about my bias that I find the film's championing of the arts and imagination as necessities to childhood, and it stands even more powerful in light of today's society's dwindling care for the arts, somehow suggesting that copious amounts of math and social studies are the way to a complete person. It is our ability to create that makes us eternal, and the central tragedy that strikes practically left me in tears. It is because the film manages to create such a compelling link between the two kids and their use of imagination that the tragedy is so overwhelmingly sad because it affects not only this world, but the Terabithian world as well. Only the final act of recreation can bridge the gap between the horrors of this world and the relief we find in our art and our ability to create this. After all, when all else fails, we still have our imagination and in there, our friends and ideas live forever.

[Mysterious Dude]

Bridge to Terabithia may have had the most dishonest advertising I've ever seen for a movie.

Still, I had some problems with it. I didn't think the main actor was very well cast; I had a hard time buying him as uncool.

[Sycophant]

Very good thoughts, Raiders. I'm glad I saw that one. I found it was a more loving and honest attempt at portraying the world of children than most entertainments can manage. When I think about its problems, the main thing that comes to mind is the soundtrack that screamed "Disney was here!"

[megladon8]

I remember "Bridge to Terabithia" being one of the best books I read in elementary school.

I never bothered with the film because I didn't think it could ever live up to my memories.


Another book like that is "The Giver". Anyone here who is a fan of children's lit and hasn't read this one yet owes it to themselves to do so.

[Sycophant]

I'm happy to find out that Gabor Csupo is doing another live action film, this one an adaptation of an Elizabeth Goudge novel with Dakota Blue Richards. I have a feeling that family film needs him.

[Bosco B Thug]

Bridge of Terabithia was too sad for me. Watched it on a plane. Emotional vulnerability + jetlag = crankiness and irritability.


Had a little double feature last night of the two Kolchak movies - THe Night Stalker (1972) and The Night Strangler (1973).

They were both quite good, but I liked the first best.

Darren McGavin is just perfect for the role, and it sounds like an abomination that the recent TV series reboot featured Stuart Townshend in the role.

I was actually creeped out a few times during the movies, and the second one especially had a fantastic, sarcastic wit to it.

I can't wait to start with the TV series. I'd love to get into the series, too. I've seen bits and pieces of it on the CHILLER channel and it looks hell of fun. Darren McGavin seems too cool in it. Didn't know about these movies!

[Watashi]

Bridge to Terabithia was awful. Horrible Disney Channel fluff. I still can't believe people fell for its manipulative ending.

[Watashi]

Oh, and I love the book.

I just hate how they Hannah Montanaed it.

[Spinal]

Watched disc 1 of O Lucky Man! tonight. So awesome. Looking forward to watching the second part tomorrow.

[origami_mustache]

Watched disc 1 of O Lucky Man! tonight. So awesome. Looking forward to watching the second part tomorrow.

Yeah it's fantastic...what's the new avatar from?

[Winston*]

Inland Empire, no?

Doesn't really seem Spinaly enough. Here you go:
http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll39/colpot10/spinalav.gif

[Raiders]

Oh, and I love the book.

I just hate how they Hannah Montanaed it.

Hannah Montana? How do you expect me to take you seriously when you say stuff like this?

Or, in other words, exactly what about the movie was obnoxiously Disney-fied? I thought it was refreshingly sparse in that sort of stuff. I do find it amazing you complain they Disney-fied this, a children's book, while loving something truly mangled as they did with the Hunchback of Notre Dame... or Peter Pan... or The Little Mermaid... etc.

[Winston*]

Little Odessa was good. All gloomy inevitabilities but the attention to detail and believability of the character interactions manage to make it pretty affecting. Or something...man I feel silly trying to write this stuff these days.

[Sven]

Or, in other words, exactly what about the movie was obnoxiously Disney-fied? I thought it was refreshingly sparse in that sort of stuff. I do find it amazing you complain they Disney-fied this, a children's book, while loving something truly mangled as they did with the Hunchback of Notre Dame... or Peter Pan... or The Little Mermaid... etc.

I haven't seen Terebithia, but I think this is a very good point, particularly when directed at Wats.

[Sven]

Watched disc 1 of O Lucky Man! tonight. So awesome. Looking forward to watching the second part tomorrow.

The theater I'm interning at is going to be showing this soon and after seeing its rep with the Boneman, as well as seeing your praise here now (the selling word is "so" in conjunction with "awesome"), I'm very excited to see it.

[Yxklyx]

Had a little double feature last night of the two Kolchak movies - THe Night Stalker (1972) and The Night Strangler (1973).

They were both quite good, but I liked the first best.

Darren McGavin is just perfect for the role, and it sounds like an abomination that the recent TV series reboot featured Stuart Townshend in the role.

I was actually creeped out a few times during the movies, and the second one especially had a fantastic, sarcastic wit to it.

I can't wait to start with the TV series.

Oh, I thought the second was better. I mean the underneath of Seattle looked really really cool. The second had much better atmosphere.

[Yxklyx]

Ah k, didn't realize... damn 6 directors...

Yeah, it's hard to pull off a movie with 6 directors. I think they moved production from England to the US as well during the middle of shooting. A few good scenes here and there but overall a bit too bloated.

[EyesWideOpen]

I remember "Bridge to Terabithia" being one of the best books I read in elementary school.

I never bothered with the film because I didn't think it could ever live up to my memories.


Another book like that is "The Giver". Anyone here who is a fan of children's lit and hasn't read this one yet owes it to themselves to do so.

The Giver is great and their is a movie coming out based on that also.

[Boner M]

Little Odessa was good. All gloomy inevitabilities but the attention to detail and believability of the character interactions manage to make it pretty affecting. Or something...man I feel silly trying to write this stuff these days.
:lol: I'm always suspect when you make a completely sincere post... I instantly think it means you're suicidal. Which means I never think that.

And yeah, Little Odessa is good stuff. Need to check it out again, since I've only seen an edited TV version, nearly a decade ago. Looking forward to Gray's next film.

Watched The Woman Next Door tonight. Truffaut has always been a little too genteel for my tastes (with the exception of The 400 Blows), and that's true for this film; I'm not sure if the oddly frivolous tone in this film is supposed to be an ironic counterpoint to the story's dark twists, or if it's just a sign of incompetence. Still quite insightful and engrossing, and Fanny Ardant is luminescent.

[Watashi]

I haven't seen Terebithia, but I think this is a very good point, particularly when directed at Wats.

No it isn't. The three movies Raiders mentioned have fantastic production values and feature stellar voice work and direction. Yes, they botch the source material, but they still keep the same basic stories intact. Plus the only film that I really love out of those three is Hunchback.

Bridge to Terabithia looked like a made-for-TV movie. The aesthetics were washed out and it was just so plain to watch and listen to. Everything is too black and white and even the crucial faith aspect was kinda just tacked on on the end.

I would love to see someone like Gus Van Sant tackle this material.

[Watashi]

Plus the reviews are incredibly ridiculous.


The film received an overwhelmingly positive international reaction, earning an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Times gave it four stars, and said it was “truly a spectacle of epic film making." Chuck Siegel of the New York Times wrote “Bridge to Terabithia touches the spirit and heart of the spectator, and may very well go down as one of the greatest fantasy films of all time.” Ron Seaward of Entertainment Today wrote “Terabithia is a monumental cinematic achievement that’s technical and artistic grandeur deserves to be compared to such films as Gone with the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, Titanic, and Lord of the Rings.” Nancy Marlinton of US Today wrote “Bridge to Terabithia is the greatest cinematic achievement of the twenty-first century.” Aside from positive critical reviews, Katherine Patterson praised the film herself and said that it truly lived up to her expectations of the book.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I didn't care for Terabithia much either, but for different reasons than Wats. I agree that the young boy was miscast, as he didn't look or act socially awkward, but I also think that by making the kids older, it made their activities just seem a bit off. They were 3 years younger in the book, and I know for the sake of acting competence it was probably easier to go with older kids, but it didn't work as well in the movie. Also, the decision to change the strained relationship between father and son really hurt the impact of the end of the film. I do agree with Wats that the production felt a bit "made for TV", but I don't think it was particularly "Disney-fied".

[Spinal]

The theater I'm interning at is going to be showing this soon and after seeing its rep with the Boneman, as well as seeing your praise here now (the selling word is "so" in conjunction with "awesome"), I'm very excited to see it.

Yep, brilliant. Finished it this morning. So obviously a great film that I'm somewhat surprised at its relative obscurity. Probably the bitter pill that it asks the viewer to swallow has a lot to do with it.

[Raiders]

Yep, brilliant. Finished it this morning. So obviously a great film that I'm somewhat surprised at its relative obscurity. Probably the bitter pill that it asks the viewer to swallow has a lot to do with it.

Indeed. A re-watch would probably knock the film into my top 100. It has been a few years since I saw it.

[Sycophant]

I watched OLM probably about a year ago, and found it merely good. If it ever plays a cinema near me, I'll check it out again. I remember getting really irritated by the music cues and finding the whole affair a little off-puttingly smug (though I did love that ending). I should give it another shake, as I partially worry that I just wasn't in the mood for it, and can barely remember it now.

[balmakboor]

My weekend (just completed although I wish it was still happening):

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf - A (I'm not much of a fan of filmed plays in general, but this one is undeniably great.)

An Angel at My Table - A+ (Wow! Just Wow! I hadn't seen this since it was released and it is really great. Could easily become one of my favorite films period.)

The Living End - A- (This was even better than I remembered. Truly a seminal work in American Indie cinema.)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - A (My choice for a movie to watch with my kids on Father's Day -- for obvious reasons -- and still my favorite of the series. They thought it was kinda long though.)

All in all a great Father's Day weekend of viewing.

[Sycophant]

I only got around to one movie this weekend, Maborosi. It was lovely, and I can't really point to any fault in it. However, I probably liked it less than any other Kore-eda Hirokazu aside form Hana.

[Scar]

Ain't it cool news is reporting that Stan Winston died. I've held off on posting a thread until I get a better source.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/37106

:sad:

[Saya]

Ain't it cool news is reporting that Stan Winston died. I've held off on posting a thread until I get a better source.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/37106

:sad:

Holy shit, horrible news...

RIP Stan

[Rowland]

Maybe I'll turn on Pumpkinhead tonight.

[Spinal]

I watched OLM probably about a year ago, and found it merely good. If it ever plays a cinema near me, I'll check it out again. I remember getting really irritated by the music cues and finding the whole affair a little off-puttingly smug (though I did love that ending). I should give it another shake, as I partially worry that I just wasn't in the mood for it, and can barely remember it now.

The music breaks are right from the theatre tradition. They were often used in plays of social justice, with Brecht's work being the most obvious example, as well as some plays by Edward Bond and Caryl Churchhill. They provide some space to process the episode you have just seen and another avenue for the work's message to come across.

I don't know what could be considered 'smug' about it unless you are put off by a film attempting to mix politics and whimsy. Snark and ridicule are critical tools for the artist. You may as well call Aristophanes and Voltaire smug, but I don't know where it gets you.

It would be great fun to see on the big screen. I bet it would play really well to today's audiences. That science experiment scene ... oh man.

And is there anything better than Helen Mirren in her 20s? I think not.

[Winston*]

:lol: I'm always suspect when you make a completely sincere post... I instantly think it means you're suicidal. Which means I never think that.
I used to be able to post sincere.:sad:

[Morris Schæffer]

Ain't it cool news is reporting that Stan Winston died. I've held off on posting a thread until I get a better source.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/37106

:sad:

This fucking hurts. An FX legend! My brother is going to feel like shit when I tell him. :sad:

[Dead & Messed Up]

Ain't it cool news is reporting that Stan Winston died. I've held off on posting a thread until I get a better source.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/37106

:sad:

:cry:

One of the great names in practical effects, and, by all accounts, a helluva nice guy.

[MadMan]

Ain't it cool news is reporting that Stan Winston died. I've held off on posting a thread until I get a better source.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/37106

:sad:What? Damn. That's very sad news indeed. Easily one of the greatest FX men of all time. And I only just recently rewatched John Carpenter's The Thing, which he did FX work for, complete with the awesome commentary from John Carpenter and Kurt Russell.


You want them to make a fourth film? :confused:The 3rd film is so open ended that they will make a forth film. And knowing me I will go see despite my good senses telling me not to. Pirates rock man.


Trying to make sense of this has only caused me great grief and discomfort.
[/SIZE][/SIZE]:lol:


Hey, At World's End was actually quite good!

It certainly helped that they ...

...brought back Geoffrey Rush. (Is this a spoiler? Not sure.)

Although it doesn't quite attain the whimsical heights of the first film, it is a drastic improvement over the second, bringing the franchise back from the dead, as it were. Lots and lots of funny stuff and a well-plotted resolution. So many times these sequels can feel so lazy. It seemed to me that a lot of thought went into this one and what paths the characters would take. A pleasant surprise, though I really hope they don't make another. The ending was just right.I agree with your spoiler. I can't agree that the ending was just right, or that the film was a pleasant surprise, or that it was a drastic improvement over the rather fun and entertaining second film. Still I think if I was going by the **** scale I'd give it *** or **.5, so I guess I do agree with your rating.

[megladon8]

Mulberry St. was pretty "meh".

It began with beautiful photography, strong characters (including a likable, well-rounded protagonist), a great realistic look at NYC and the life of the "little people".

Then when the actual horror begins about 45 minutes in, it goes to hell.

It could have been something really special, but it just couldn't hold itself together.

[megladon8]

Teeth was yet another modern horror that suffers from "meh".

Not as bad as Mulberry St., because it's at least pretty consistent. But its attempts at humor rarely don't muster any laughs, and in the end I was left wondering "so what?"

I really don't get what the movie was trying to say, especially with the dichotomy between the "squares" that Dawn and Tobey were (teenagers so obsessed with sexual purity that even a kiss seems scandalous) and the other extreme, represented by Dawn's brother who will has a genital piercing and prefers anal sex.

But I thought Jess Weixler gave a brave performance as Dawn, whose transformation into a sexually experienced woman was done subtley and quite well.

[Raiders]

Luc Besson finally owns up to the pop spirituality his films have been peddling for years in his best film to-date, Angel-A. The film's initial structure seems derived from Capra, but I think Wenders is more correctly channeled here. It's all a little bit of Parisian sweet nothing, but by the end Besson has successfully made a sweet, tender film about two outsiders. The couple are a comic sight, her a tall, otherwordly beauty and him short, stubby and unkempt. The surrounding Paris is a sea of expressive monochrome sights, and the film's style accents the airy plot and central affection as well as displacing these two characters from their surroundings. Besson treats Paris like the dream it is for many lovers, yet here he places a down-on-his luck loner with a fallen angel just getting her bearings and slowly they walk, talk and take in the city as its hold grows over the film. Here is Besson the romantic, shunning his flights of violent fancy for a little tender walk through his dreams. Like Linklater's Before Sunrise, the city plays it part, but where Linklater sought attraction through the slow winding of the streets and the wearing down of the guard as the characters talked the night away, Besson is more into the magic of the surroundings and the faith that we all have someone there who will provide us with companionship, especially in the world's center of love. And in Besson's world, she's tall, blonde and gorgeous.

[Spinal]

Cool. I was initially interested in that one, then didn't hear much about it. This is incentive to check it out.

[Sycophant]

Cool. I was initially interested in that one, then didn't hear much about it. This is incentive to check it out.Likewise. Also a reminder that I need to finish watching Wings of Desire someyear.

[Raiders]

Well, I don't want to get anyone's hopes up by the Wenders name-check. It is very different. I just think that if comparing this film to some other "guardian angel" type film, the somewhat spiritual/pop faith thing Besson channels here is more Wenders than Capra.

It's a tricky film. Not much happens and there isn't much depth, but there's something just inherently intoxicating about a film that plays so well with locale and so plainly has a stubby crook and an Amazon angel walking and meet-cuting(sic) through a hazy, expressive black-and-white Paris.

[Spinal]

Oh, I've seen a Besson film before. I know there's not gonna be much depth. :)

It's gotta be better than City of Angels.

[Qrazy]

Let me just re-iterate my endorsement of Rebuild of Evangelion. If you like anime or Neon Gen at all you should see this film. The animation on display here blows the original series out of the water. It's the first of four planned films though so it ends on a cliffhanger, be forewarned.

[Rowland]

I didn't care for Angel-A. Insipid Dr. Phil-esque pop psychology/spirituality, blatant misogyny, a thoroughly unlikeable protagonist who doesn't do anything to earn his character arc, and a listless narrative that just sorta ambles about without really going anywhere. The climax works inexplicably well, and some of the comic interludes amuse, but otherwise the movie is a dud.

[Qrazy]

Really not sure how to feel about Murmur of the Heart. I kind of felt like it was building to something and never really got there. I mean it builds to something, something rather awkward (for those who've seen it you know what I mean) but I can't help but feel that the emotionally fragile side of the boy's psyche wasn't really well explored or his illness sufficiently dealt with. We certainly see the protag going around being an asshole for much of the film, taking out his frustrations on the world, and individual scenes certainly play out fairly proficiently, but it's all a bit too aimless when all is said and done (and not in a potent aimless 400 Blows kind of way). There's of course the cursory French New Wave (or post new wave) name dropping of films, art and thinkers (Barefoot Contessa, Camus, etc) but the references aren't explored in depth. Malle opts for passing references rather than any inter-textual interpolation. So ultimately the film is a mixed bag but I do find that overall Malle's style is growing on me and I'm interested in seeing Zazie, Lacombe, Black Moon, Les Amants and one or two others. I'm kind of docu'd out lately so I'll likely hold back on the Eclipse series for a while.

----

When Father was Away on Business - Also a mixed bag, there weren't any or many scenes that stood out as particularly memorable like the rest of Kusturica's work. The central metaphor of family politics contrasted with state politics is an interesting one but genuine inspiration was lacking. One thing I found particularly annoying was how one of the two sons in the family seemed to be absent for long stretches of time. The second son was a woefully underdeveloped character.

[Raiders]

Insipid Dr. Phil-esque pop psychology/spirituality

Kinda, but "insipid" can apply to most of Besson's films in my mind, and this one seemed more honest and naked, no pun intended.


blatant misogyny

Only if all movies featuring prostitutes is misogynistic as well. I mean, she's a freakin' guardian angel, how is that misogyny? The movie might be a little male-fantasy in that his angel is a towering blonde who is willing to screw to get him out of trouble, but there's no hostility towards her character.


a thoroughly unlikeable protagonist who doesn't do anything to earn his character arc

I liked him well enough and his "earning" seems beside the point. It is a divine intervention. That's like saying Sam Jackson's Jules didn't deserve his spiritual "awakening" and his [implied] clean exit from the mob either. You can't judge it on merit.


and a listless narrative that just sorta ambles about without really going anywhere.

It's a pretty random, scene-to-scene film that feels like a picaresque through Paris. I wouldn't call it listless.

[origami_mustache]

So ultimately the film is a mixed bag but I do find that overall Malle's style is growing on me and I'm interested in seeing Zazie, Lacombe, Black Moon, Les Amants and one or two others. I'm kind of docu'd out lately so I'll likely hold back on the Eclipse series for a while.


I had mixed feelings about this film as well, but liked it overall. I know what you mean though...it felt like it was building to something more, and then it's like "oh that is interesting... is that it?" Zazie and Black Moon are each completely different from anything else I've seen from Malle.

[MadMan]

Dead Man(1995) was a really cool, although quite strange and interesting experience, to say the least. I think the film demands a second viewing right away (if only to gather my thoughts further), but I'm pretty sure what I saw was a great western. And perhaps the first "spiritual" (in a certain sense) one I've ever viewed as well. This was also my entry point into the work of Jim Jarmusch also, and I'm inspired to see more.

[origami_mustache]

http://bp3.blogger.com/_uhibHJyfDKk/SFf3ymTc1hI/AAAAAAAABqI/2a9HD7l5tiw/s200/thepassengerpic.jpg

The Passenger has one of the best final shots I've ever seen, and I found Maria Schneider to be absolutely adorable. Technically some of the editing seemed a little odd at times, and there were some obvious mismatches in the sound editing occasionally, but still a well directed and enjoyable film.

[MadMan]

Also the current title for this thread is beyond terrible. I'm not even amused by its badness. It fails in the worst way possible. It almost makes me not want to post in this thread. If that's the intent here, then by God you folks are succeeding. :|

[Qrazy]

So the two Manchurian Candidate's and the two Dawn of the Dead's which do you prefer?

[Yxklyx]

So the two Manchurian Candidate's and the two Dawn of the Dead's which do you prefer?

Originals in both cases.

[Raiders]

So the two Manchurian Candidate's and the two Dawn of the Dead's which do you prefer?

I prefer Demme's and I prefer Romero's. Fan of all four, though.

[Qrazy]

Also the current title for this thread is beyond terrible. I'm not even amused by its badness. It fails in the worst way possible. It almost makes me not want to post in this thread. If that's the intent here, then by God you folks are succeeding. :|

This.

And.

Thank you.

Furthermore my heart sank into my stomach when I realized that Michael Williams (aka Omar Little - The Wire) was in Trapped in the Closet.

[Spinal]

Also the current title for this thread is beyond terrible. I'm not even amused by its badness. It fails in the worst way possible. It almost makes me not want to post in this thread. If that's the intent here, then by God you folks are succeeding. :|

Sense of humor?

[Ezee E]

Also the current title for this thread is beyond terrible. I'm not even amused by its badness. It fails in the worst way possible. It almost makes me not want to post in this thread. If that's the intent here, then by God you folks are succeeding. :|
Bummer. I haven't even seen the R. Kelly deal, but I think it's hilarious.

[Qrazy]

Sense of humor?

*Insert picture of black people pulling out guns.*

Hilarious.

If we must endure such awfulness I request a vote... at least make it an awful two party system.

In the Name of Cinema: A Film Discussion Tale

[origami_mustache]

The thread title was funny for the day or so it was relevant.

[Wryan]

Landsbury's performance in Manchurian is one of the all-time greats. I liked the remake decently, and Streep ate away at it with gusto, but there is too much power in the original to not love it.

Romero's, natch, but Snyder's is surprisingly ok.

[Qrazy]

Landsbury's performance in Manchurian is one of the all-time greats. I liked the remake decently, and Streep ate away at it with gusto, but there is too much power in the original to not love it.

Romero's, natch, but Snyder's is surprisingly ok.

Despite the retardedness of 300 I actually have hope for his future capacity as a filmmaker. I find visual talent is actually harder to develop than quality storytelling abilities. If he could reign in certain poor conceptual impulses and devote more attention to character, he could go places.

[origami_mustache]

http://rkellyscloset.com/closet/images/midget3kt.gif

[MadMan]

My post complaining about the thread title was a completely overblown, unfunny, and extreme joke. It did get the reactions I was indeed hoping for though.

Seriously while the thread title does kind of suck (and isn't very funny either) I could care less what the hell you guys call this thread. So long as the thread doesn't jump the shark (it might have at one point though. Heh).


So the two Manchurian Candidate's and the two Dawn of the Dead's which do you prefer?I prefer the original Candidate, although the remake is pretty damn good (and I own both on DVD). I love Romero's Dawn and I look forward to finally viewing the remake.

[Winston*]

lulz

[Qrazy]

That's more like it. I prefer the dead-pan approach.

[DavidSeven]

It almost makes me not want to post in this thread. If that's the intent here, then by God you folks are succeeding. :|

Damn it, Spinal.

...


:P

[origami_mustache]

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb202/mrbrightside_album/rkellyshocked.gif

:|

[Sycophant]

So, um, Ozu... and stuff.

[ledfloyd]

why so serious?

[Spinal]

why so serious?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v696/joel_harmon/displayimagephp.jpg

[Sycophant]

Let me just re-iterate my endorsement of Rebuild of Evangelion. If you like anime or Neon Gen at all you should see this film. The animation on display here blows the original series out of the water. It's the first of four planned films though so it ends on a cliffhanger, be forewarned.I saw a bootleg of this a while ago. Of course, I loved it, though it was kind of weird seeing scenes I was very familiar with altered and rearranged. I can't quite figure out how it stands as its own movie on a first viewing, but that's no insult.

I'm really hoping to see a better quality version of it sooner rather than later. I'm looking forward to the rest of the project. While I trust Hideaki Anno implicitly, I'm still a bit anxious about the changes the story is going to see. The first film was more or less a straight retelling of the first few episodes (but, yes, with better animation, production values, and probably an overall finer vision), but with Kaworu popping up earlier, a new female character to be introduced in Rebuild 2.0, and all the other rumblings of changes toward the story, things are going to be quite a bit different from here on out. I'm really curious to see how it all ends this time. If Anno finds a way to outdo End of Evangelion, then this will be one of the greatest movie ventures of our time.

[Spinal]

I'll change the thread title to whatever you guys want. There was a request to change it, but no real push to determine a new title.

[Sycophant]

I think Wats has been dying to determine the new FDT title for about a year now. I wonder what brilliant, clever idea it was that he had.

[Watashi]

I think Wats has been dying to determine the new FDT title for about a year now. I wonder what brilliant, clever idea it was that he had.
Yes. I'll have to think about it and PM Spinal.

[Winston*]

Yes. I'll have to think about it and PM Spinal.
Rule 1: No references to Brad Bird.
Rule 2: No references to semen.

[Russ]

Rule 1: No references to Brad Bird.
Rule 2: No references to semen.
Enforce that and you reduce his post count by 1/3.

:twisted:

[ledfloyd]

Enforce that and you reduce his post count by 1/3.

:twisted:
only 1/3?

[Spinal]

Don't blame me.

[Watashi]

I rule.

[Sven]

Dude, soooooo much rep.

[Watashi]

New Criterions:

http://www.criterion.com/content/images/full_boxshot/445_box_348x490.jpg

http://www.criterion.com/content/images/full_boxshot/444_box_348x490.jpg

http://www.criterion.com/content/images/full_boxshot/443_box_348x490.jpg

http://www.criterion.com/content/images/full_boxshot/2001200_box_348x490.jpg

[Spinal]

Cool covers. Definitely want to see La Ronde.

[monolith94]

I'd be happy with any name for this thread, just so long as we could find something and stick to it! It's the constant changing willy-nilly that can get to me.

[Ezee E]

love it.

[Spinal]

I'd be happy with any name for this thread, just so long as we could find something and stick to it! It's the constant changing willy-nilly that can get to me.

Willy-nilly? I take offense. All thread title changes are put through rigorous testing to ensure top quality. You would have these people believe that I just click a couple of times and write the first inane thing that comes into my head? Pshaw. Puh. Shaw.

[Winston*]

Please change your avatar Spinal. It adds way more of a tragic edge to your posts than I think the subject of thread title change warrants.

[Russ]

Puh. Shaw.

Pupshaw.

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/8316/giantpupui0.jpg

..and Pushpaw!

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/5470/pupsinscarylandvu5.jpg


Wheee...

Pupshaw and Pushpaw:


http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/6599/pandptq1.jpg

[Sven]

Please change your avatar Spinal. It adds way more of a tragic edge to your posts than I think the subject of thread title change warrants.

Gould's sarcastic bemusement hardly fits your posts.

Oh wait...

[Spinal]

Please change your avatar Spinal. It adds way more of a tragic edge to your posts than I think the subject of thread title change warrants.

Well, I'm hoping to be off the subject any day now.

[Spinal]

Wheee...

Pupshaw and Pushpaw:


Bizarro!

[Winston*]

Gould's sarcastic bemusement hardly fits your posts.

Oh wait...
Your avatar doesn't really add much of a Japanese edge to your posts, probably would more if you started posting in Japanese.

[DavidSeven]

Fame.

:|

[MacGuffin]

Your avatar doesn't really add much of a Japanese edge to your posts, probably would more if you started posting in Japanese.

間違って何か日本語、Winstonの掲示とか。

[Winston*]

間違って何か日本語、Winstonの掲示とか。

Not very well.

EDIT: So not very well that to be honest I'm not really sure what you are asking me. Is this correct Japanese?

[MacGuffin]

Not very well.

EDIT: So not very well that to be honest I'm not really sure what you are asking me. Is this correct Japanese?

According to Babelfish, it means something like: 'What's wrong with posting in Japanese, Winston?' ;)

[Qrazy]

Pupshaw.

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/8316/giantpupui0.jpg

..and Pushpaw!

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/5470/pupsinscarylandvu5.jpg


Wheee...

Pupshaw and Pushpaw:


http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/6599/pandptq1.jpg

I think I speak for most of us when I say... what the hell just happened?

[Winston*]

I think I speak for most of us when I say... what the hell just happened?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Woodring
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_%28comics%29

[origami_mustache]

I'd be happy with any name for this thread, just so long as we could find something and stick to it! It's the constant changing willy-nilly that can get to me.

I enjoy the variety.



La Terra trema (Luchino Visconti, 1948)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/it/thumb/6/6d/La_terra_trema_visconti.jpg/400px-La_terra_trema_visconti.jpg

Visconti's knack for rich compositions shine in this tragic Italian neorealist story of a family who stands up against the exploits of local wholesalers in their fishing community. The film is a standout of the genre at the time that was addressing the hopelessness of social reform. The narration leaves too much emotional distance in my opinion, but at the same time makes the film feel more like a documentary. At a running time of 2 and a half hours, things begin to feel repetitive at times and the low budget nature is hard to ignore with the poor sound recording and nonprofessional actors blowing the cover.

[Qrazy]

Maybe I'm wrong but something tells me Visconti isn't going to do all that much for me. However, I've only seen Death in Venice which I hated and White Nights which I enjoyed but did not love. Perhaps La Terra Trema, Rocco, Senso and The Damned will be more up my alley.

[origami_mustache]

Maybe I'm wrong but something tells me Visconti isn't going to do all that much for me. However, I've only seen Death in Venice which I hated and White Nights which I enjoyed but did not love. Perhaps La Terra Trema, Rocco, Senso and The Damned will be more up my alley.

Ossessione is my favorite of the three I've seen from him so far and The Leopard was nice to look at. I'm kind of curious to see what he did with Camus' The Stranger, but Visconti himself and The Camus family apparently didn't like the adaptation much.

[Qrazy]

Ah yeah I forgot about those two, well I guess I still have quite a few options left, seems likely I"ll be more enthused once I get through that half dozen or so.

[Qrazy]

So do you think the torrent sites, karagarga etc are going to be shut down and/or supply or be forced to supply our contact info/IPs when/if these new copyright bills get pushed through? Should we start using fake IPs, etc for safety?

[origami_mustache]

So do you think the torrent sites, karagarga etc are going to be shut down and/or supply or be forced to supply our contact info/IPs when/if these new copyright bills get pushed through? Should we start using fake IPs, etc for safety?

I suppose they will shut down. It seems like an awful lot of trouble to prosecute such a large number of offenders and much easier to cut off the supplier sort of like with drugs...and if I do get sent to jail for clicking a mouse and broadening my culture then this isn't the world I want to live in.

[Bosco B Thug]

SPOILERS for Inside



Holy crap Inside is a ridiculously gory film. I don't know if I can condone that much full-on splatter. The film is loaded with evocations of tumultuous contemporary French society and the maternal psyche (and those CGI baby shots! I rolled my eyes at first, but they became very effective), and there's a very powerful, unspoken story in there involving a petulant young pregnant woman, the kind who seems too willful and independent to be happy about overpopulating a stupidly violent world she gets her career kicks out of, having to brutally suffer in order to give birth to her [unwanted?] baby - but the problem is just that, it's unspoken. Then it's altogether made subliminal beneath loads of awful, gut-wrenching carnage. Man. I mean, a little restraint, people!

[ledfloyd]

So do you think the torrent sites, karagarga etc are going to be shut down and/or supply or be forced to supply our contact info/IPs when/if these new copyright bills get pushed through? Should we start using fake IPs, etc for safety?
were i in canada i certainly would. not worth taking a chance i'd say.

[Qrazy]

were i in canada i certainly would. not worth taking a chance i'd say.

Where are you?

I think the America bill is going to be or has been? pushed through even sooner.

[Derek]

I suppose they will shut down. It seems like an awful lot of trouble to prosecute such a large number of offenders and much easier to cut off the supplier sort of like with drugs...and if I do get sent to jail for clicking a mouse and broadening my culture then this isn't the world I want to live in.

More details please? Should I start dl'ing everything I want now before KG shuts down or just lay low? Also, how do I use a fake IP address?

[Raiders]

So do you think the torrent sites, karagarga etc are going to be shut down and/or supply or be forced to supply our contact info/IPs when/if these new copyright bills get pushed through? Should we start using fake IPs, etc for safety?

It would be nice if someone took all this money they spend litigating this nonsense and find a way to offer a pay site that offers a lot of obscure, non-US distributed films.

[Watashi]

No one likes my title?

[Sycophant]

No one likes my title?

Half the rep I gave to DavidSeven was for it.

[Ezee E]

No one likes my title?
Old news now.

[Spinal]

No one likes my title?

The DavidSeven part make me chuckle, but I'm not a fan of the original title in the first place.

[MadMan]

Rule 1: No references to Brad Bird.
Rule 2: No references to semen.Hah! Repped.


I think Wats has been dying to determine the new FDT title for about a year now. I wonder what brilliant, clever idea it was that he had.Knowing Wats, I doubt it was either brilliant or clever :P

PS: Although I was glad to be proven wrong.


Damn it, Spinal.

...


:P:lol: Now this title I approve of ;)

Of course it stems from the fact that I loved the movie and that I'm a fan of westerns in general, but still....and I don't mind the changing of the thread title every now and then. Makes things seem fresh. Keeps the staleness from spreading, although God knows the janitor quit after getting tired of cleaning up empty pizza boxes every week.

Time to view SLC Punk and find out if its any good or not. I'm going in with low expectations.

[Raiders]

I am Curious Yellow feels like the birth of something (of course, it was from Europe and not America, so it wasn't really giving birth to anything--but, such is the nature of hindsight). Its messy, ugly and fumbles about quite a bit. There is a liberation about it I admire (the structure almost feels like cinema documenting itself and its own purposeful free voice--in particular is a sequence involving the invention of a means of having sex in public--the film giving a nod to its own bomb under the nose of conservatives), but I don't care much about the politics and though the central character seems very determined, most of her interviews feel unconvincingly staged and the issues are far too disparate to really offer any clear image of a strong political statement. Thus, the film exists today largely for its uninhibited display of sex and the human form, but it seems clear that Sjoman is actually more concerned with his liberal politics, which of course bleed into the abundance of un-erotic sexual images. Thus, I was quite bored by the film and never engaged on a social, political or sexual level. I commend the film's freedom, and its clumsy, self-aware silliness, but watching it was a rather dull affair.

[Spinal]

Yeah, that's just about the most un-Raiders film I can think of. Not surprised by your reaction.

[Mysterious Dude]

I thought the interviews were pretty convincing, actually. Except the one with Martin Luther King.

[Raiders]

Yeah, that's just about the most un-Raiders film I can think of. Not surprised by your reaction.

Heh. Yeah, I went in expecting something of a mix between 60s Godard and Makavejev. Overall, I found it less fun and less politically savage, respectively. Still, I'm glad I saw it.

[Sycophant]

Time to view SLC Punk and find out if its any good or not. I'm going in with low expectations.
The most fun I had with it was spotting my office building in the background. In other words, it's not very good at all.

[megladon8]

SLC Punk was one of those movies that everyone in grade 12 who dedicated their lives to "fighting the man" thought was the second coming.

I never really had enough interest to check it out. I gained a disliking for Matthew Lillard when I stopped watching children's television.

[Qrazy]

Code Geass is like a cross between Death Note and Neon Genesis Evangelion. It's awesome.

[MadMan]

The most fun I had with it was spotting my office building in the background. In other words, it's not very good at all.Heh, ouch.


SLC Punk was one of those movies that everyone in grade 12 who dedicated their lives to "fighting the man" thought was the second coming.

I never really had enough interest to check it out. I gained a disliking for Matthew Lillard when I stopped watching children's television.I've never really bothered to "Fight the Man." Seriously why do people continue to think this? Rebelling is really just resisting growing up, getting a job, and actually contributing something of worth to society. I imagine (judging from the trailer) that I'll find the film funny, but not worth much value.

[megladon8]

I've never really bothered to "Fight the Man." Seriously why do people continue to think this? Rebelling is really just resisting growing up, getting a job, and actually contributing something of worth to society. I imagine (judging from the trailer) that I'll find the film funny, but not worth much value.

I think there are ways to "fight the man" beyond stealing to fight consumerism, vandalizing to fight law enforcement, etc.

These are just retroactive and, as you said, immature.

[Sycophant]

The man deserves a good fight now and then.

[origami_mustache]

Heh, ouch.

I've never really bothered to "Fight the Man." Seriously why do people continue to think this? Rebelling is really just resisting growing up, getting a job, and actually contributing something of worth to society. I imagine (judging from the trailer) that I'll find the film funny, but not worth much value.

It's been a long time since I have seen it, but I do recall liking it, although I wouldn't consider it great by any means. The message isn't as "punk rock" or "anti-establishment" as you would think...you might be pleasantly surprised.

[monolith94]

I really, really liked SLC Punk. Its depiction of mods was really funny, and I felt that its depiction of hallucinogenics was closer to reality than what most hollywood films give us. Not that I would know anything about that.

[balmakboor]

I finally got cable at my new house (the digital dvr suite -- oooh) and now I truly know what it's like to have 300 channels of shit and nothing to watch. The wife and kids are happy though which basically means I'm happy.

[origami_mustache]

I finally got cable at my new house (the digital dvr suite -- oooh) and now I truly know what it's like to have 300 channels of shit and nothing to watch. The wife and kids are happy though which basically means I'm happy.

hahaha you just sounded exactly like my dad...I love it...arbitrary rep.

[monolith94]

My own plan for when I have my own place is to have a tv only for dvds…

But I know it's going to be a long, hard struggle breaking the boob tube addiction. That shit is fierce.

[balmakboor]

hahaha you just sounded exactly like my dad...I love it...arbitrary rep.

Hopefully, he's not too much older than 46.

[Wryan]

My own plan for when I have my own place is to have a tv only for dvds…

But I know it's going to be a long, hard struggle breaking the boob tube addiction. That shit is fierce.

I dunno....not having it at all is a pretty easy way of breaking the addiction. Each day you grow more apathetic to having it. Other things take its place, either by choice or by force. My apartment doesn't have cable, but I do have a tv/dvd player and a library of dvds to fill my time, plus work and exercise.

[Ezee E]

I have satellite, but its basically just for my roommate who can't live without it. I'm basically wasting money away for his cause. I wouldn't want to see how miserable he would get if I were to cancel it.

I do watch Rockies games, but if it were to go away, I would just play the radio.

Other then that, it's just Netflix and my own DVDs.

Match Cut is my addiction.

[Rowland]

Yeah, I had to downgrade to basic cable and ditch the DVR due to exorbitant prices, and well... I don't really care, I just don't watch television anymore.

[Qrazy]

Match Cut is my addiction.

This.

But yeah with so many great films out there television is an unnecessary luxury/poison. If you want to watch a particular show just get the dvds later, better to watch it that way anyway (BSG, The Wire). For news you're better off reading the content either online or in printed form, televised news is a joke... and luckily I don't care much about professional sports which is the major draw for cable/satellite since you can't really get that content many other ways (online I guess, but poor quality).

[monolith94]

I have satellite, but its basically just for my roommate who can't live without it. I'm basically wasting money away for his cause. I wouldn't want to see how miserable he would get if I were to cancel it.

I do watch Rockies games, but if it were to go away, I would just play the radio.

Other then that, it's just Netflix and my own DVDs.

Match Cut is my addiction.
Oh yeah, I wouldn't want to miss Pats games too, but I guess there are sports bars for that. :D

[Raiders]

Dude, Rolf de Heer kicks ass.

[megladon8]

The Thief of Bagdad was a little disappointing.

It's beautiful visually, but it suffers from some serious problems:

-Two completely uncharismatic leads (Sabu and John Justin); the latter is actually pretty pathetic, and his constant longing for the princess got tiresome

-Jumpy storytelling - locations switch without warning or establishing change, and characters are shown in one place, then suddenly somewhere else without explanation

-The film is a little uneven, tonally, in its division between the romance of Ahmad and the princess, and the action/adventure elements


All in all it's a stunningly beautiful film, and it's fantastic entertainment...but I can't give it a super high grade, because it had some problems I just couldn't ignore.

[monolith94]

The dvd commentary by Coppola/Scorcese is kind of interesting, seeing as they both go absolutely gaga over the film.

[megladon8]

The dvd commentary by Coppola/Scorcese is kind of interesting, seeing as they both go absolutely gaga over the film.


I'd love to listen to it sometime.

Do they actually do the commentary together? Or are they recorded separately, then clipped together into the same track?

[Rowland]

The Chawster wrote an appreciative review for NBK (http://filmfreakcentral.net/dvdreviews/nbkbd.htm), citing it as possibly the quintessential American film of the '90s. Kudos also for referencing the awesome U-Turn in a positive light and rightfully dismissing the confounding Nixon as a "peculiar, airless" film.

[megladon8]

I loved U-Turn.

Probably my second favorite Oliver Stone film, behind JFK.

[monolith94]

I'd love to listen to it sometime.

Do they actually do the commentary together? Or are they recorded separately, then clipped together into the same track?
They're together. Didn't you rent the dvd? Also, any plans on checking out the earlier thief of bagdad?

[megladon8]

They're together. Didn't you rent the dvd? Also, any plans on checking out the earlier thief of bagdad?


No, I bought the DVD for Jen.

But I read earlier on here, someone said that Coppolla and Scorsese were separate, or that they were two separate tracks or something.

That's why I was a little confused when you said they were together.

Anyways, that just gives me even more reason to listen to it.

[Rowland]

I haven't listened to a Scorsese commentary, but Coppola is one of my favorite commentary personalities, I always listen when he records a track.

[Winston*]

Dude, Rolf de Heer kicks ass.

Hell yeah! Well, Alexandra's Project and The Old Man Who Read Love Stories aren't very good, but the two you've seen are awesome. Got his latest silent movie thing on my computer to watch.

[monolith94]

No, I bought the DVD for Jen.

But I read earlier on here, someone said that Coppolla and Scorsese were separate, or that they were two separate tracks or something.

That's why I was a little confused when you said they were together.

Anyways, that just gives me even more reason to listen to it.
When I was listening to it, at least, it sounded to me like they were together. As you can see from my signature, I was similarly let down by the 1940 Thief of Bagdad, but I would encourage you to check out Fairbanks' version from 1924 – it's one of my favorites of all time.

[Rowland]

I've only seen Rolf de Heer's Ten Canoes, which was a very entertaining, clever film.

[Qrazy]

The Chawster wrote an appreciative review for NBK (http://filmfreakcentral.net/dvdreviews/nbkbd.htm), citing it as possibly the quintessential American film of the '90s. Kudos also for referencing the awesome U-Turn in a positive light and rightfully dismissing the confounding Nixon as a "peculiar, airless" film.

Hmm I don't know about quintessential but it does have some stylistic elements that I found utterly transfixing (the doll falling over the bridge, black and white footage of meeting/talking in jail near the beginning of the film and coffee pot murder shot sequence, drug trip, edit between real and constructed footage) ... On the other hand, some of the flat imagery and dutch angle stuff I could do without. I quite enjoy these techniques in Fear and Loathing coupled, particularly when coupled with Gilliam's sense of humor, but with NBK it just gets too ugly, nauseating and insufferable. Granted at these moments the film likely wants to be ugly and nauseating and so I can see the stylistic purpose in relation to the content, but given that the film's content feels relatively facile, I could have used more of the compelling shots and fewer of the nauseating. Hmm kind of interesting to think about it as a precursor to Funny Games actually... I find that both films ultimately fail in relation to their content, and that both are fairly hypocritical, but they both employ some interesting formal techniques as well.

[Winston*]

I think U-Turn and Natural Born Killers are both stupid irritating movies.

[Raiders]

I've only seen Rolf de Heer's Ten Canoes, which was a very entertaining, clever film.

Everybody should see The Tracker. Amazing film. Among the best of the decade.

[Rowland]

Hmm kind of interesting to think about it as a precursor to Funny Games actually... I find that both films ultimately fail in relation to their content, and that both are fairly hypocritical, but they both employ some interesting formal techniques as well.Chaw addresses this in an interesting manner.

[Winston*]

Nobody Knows is an excellent movie btw.

[Rowland]

Nobody Knows is an excellent movie btw.Indeed it is. I was pleasantly surprised by how much progress it made in our last MC whatever-it-was-called tournament. That damn Asian Cult is right sometimes.

[Spinal]

I think U-Turn and Natural Born Killers are both stupid irritating movies.

I found U-Turn to be more benign than irritating, but yes indeedy to the other.

[DavidSeven]

The Chawster wrote an appreciative review for NBK (http://filmfreakcentral.net/dvdreviews/nbkbd.htm), citing it as possibly the quintessential American film of the '90s.

As if there weren't enough reasons to be embarrassed of being American.

[Qrazy]

Chaw addresses this in an interesting manner.

In what sense, the 'it's not a satire' sense?

Funnily, I find the review much like the film in a way. That is to say it's packed to the gills with clever turns of phrase (vis. the film's visual alacrity) but ultimately it leaves me feeling empty. A hollow experience.

[Stay Puft]

The first fifteen minutes or so of Jason Goes to Hell are almost kind of brilliant in the way they suggest Jason as trapped or enslaved to his franchise legacy and its genre, recreating cliche and convention to call him into being so as to destroy him once and for all. The opening credits extend this logic to its extreme, as Jason is dissected on a table, a sequence edited with musical cues to generate tension and suspense out of the complete absence of action or events (and a playful awareness that this is obviously the beginning of a movie in which a bunch of people will somehow die anyways). It's a shame it turns out to be nothing more than, well, just another installment in a tired franchise, complete with Mr. X sprouting nonsense and breaking a guy's fingers because what else is there to do after eight movies? The mythos is developed, there are some gory deaths, Jason goes to hell, and the entire experience seems justified on no other grounds than serving as advertisement for the impending Freddy vs. Jason, like the Incredible Hulk to Marvel's impending Avengers film, even though the promised showdown took an entire decade to materialize, forcing Jason to romp through outer space for reasons outside of common sense.

That's my random thought for the day.

[Qrazy]

Has anyone here made any significant headway into either Toro-San or the Zatoichi series?

[soitgoes...]

Has anyone here made any significant headway into either Toro-San or the Zatoichi series?
I've seen three of the Zatoichi series, and there isn't enough there for me to continue checking it out.

[Winston*]

Neat, film festival line up (http://www.nzff.co.nz/n5878,485,region=1.html)'s been released for next month. Won't create a thread this year, but I'll probably see a few of those.

[Russ]

Neat, film festival line up (http://www.nzff.co.nz/n5878,485,region=1.html)'s been released for next month. Won't create a thread this year, but I'll probably see a few of those.
Dear Zachary sounds interesting.

[Spinal]

Neat, film festival line up (http://www.nzff.co.nz/n5878,485,region=1.html)'s been released for next month. Won't create a thread this year, but I'll probably see a few of those.

California Dreamin' is good.

[Qrazy]

I've seen three of the Zatoichi series, and there isn't enough there for me to continue checking it out.

Hmm I quite enjoyed the two I've seen... Kitano's and The Chest of Gold although I recognize they're not particularly amazing by any stretch.

[Ezee E]

Neat, film festival line up (http://www.nzff.co.nz/n5878,485,region=1.html)'s been released for next month. Won't create a thread this year, but I'll probably see a few of those.
I'm all about Gomorrah

[koji]

I've had the Roku Netfix Player up and running for about a week, and I can say it's one of the top price/performance devices I've acquired. It hooks up easily to the TV; it includes composites, but I used an HDMI. It works by connecting to your modem (as a result, those with Apple computers can use it), so that's the other issue. My modem was in the other room, so I bought a wireless router, which I had wanted to get anyway, and that has worked well.

I'm a very satisfied customer, and will be happy answer questions if there's interest here.

[megladon8]

When I was listening to it, at least, it sounded to me like they were together. As you can see from my signature, I was similarly let down by the 1940 Thief of Bagdad, but I would encourage you to check out Fairbanks' version from 1924 – it's one of my favorites of all time.


OK awesome. I'll definitely check it out.

THe story fascinates me, and I've always loved the various incarnations - hell, even the Hallmark version of Arabian Nights with Jason Scott Lee and John Leguizamo was delightful to watch on TV.

[Qrazy]

24 Hour Party People wasn't particularly funny, nor particularly good.

[Spinal]

I don't remember anyone posting this cover yet. Hokey smokes!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v696/joel_harmon/vampyr.jpg

[Watashi]

If only the movie was as cool as that cover.

[Spinal]

If only the movie was as cool as that cover.

Ridiculous. The film is fantastic.

[megladon8]

Criterion finds images like that for their DVD covers...

And we have a Speed Racer banner.


:|

[MacGuffin]

Criterion finds images like that for their DVD covers...

And we have a Speed Racer banner.


:|

Just wanted to try this out:

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll265/staticshotcinema/7552220101_646140.jpg

[Sycophant]

Criterion finds images like that for their DVD covers...

And we have a Speed Racer banner.


:|Watch it. Then get back to me. Kthxbye.

[Watashi]

Speed Racer > Vampyr

[MacGuffin]

Speed Racer > Vampyr

I haven't seen either. ;)

[Raiders]

Speed Racer > Vampyr

Good grief.

[Sven]

Just wanted to try this out:

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll265/staticshotcinema/7552220101_646140.jpg

Unfortunately, as the film hasn't been released yet so nobody's been able to scan a larger sized image, it's too pixellated to be usable. With a little more definition, that would be an excellent banner. Props.

[Beau]

I liked Roberto Rossellini's Paisá. This I did not expect, due to my being underwhelmed by Rome: Open City. Both are supremely unpolished, but I think the former has more interesting characterizations, endowed with greater depth and humanity. For me, the latter remains an emotional work, yet still rather simplistic.

[dreamdead]

Indeed, the emotions you felt during Open City were largely those I felt during my viewing. There are few things as openly emotional as the shot of the pregnant woman being gunned down, and I think most of the film's power develops from the dialectic that's established between hope and fatalism, yet there still feels like something's missing from that film that just prevents it from being intellectually satisfying. I should get into more of the Italian filmmakers, though, as I'm largely bereft of any knowledge. Suggestions on good starting points...?

[Beau]

I simply think Open City deals with too many caricatures. We have the good guys, and then we have the bad guys. This duality is portrayed with no deal of subtlety, to the point of crudity. Alas, I can understand why this is the case, considering the fact that the war had just ended. We cannot really expect the measured, ambiguous, portrayal that Melville gave us decades later with Army of Shadows. Nevertheless, 'understanding' does not lead to enjoyment, or even enlightenment. And, besides, I think Paisá is just as emotional, and more thematically interesting to boot. It is a wide look at the social repercussions of the war, and the American advance through Italy. The storytelling is vast. We are getting the story of a country, not just of a family, or a group of people.

[balmakboor]

I actually didn't like Vampyr very much. But I chalked it up to the terrible previous DVD. I plan to check the Criterion out right away.

[Boner M]

Bad Boy Bubby (1993) 85
u r god

[Sven]

I recently sold my copy of Bad Boy Bubby (for a profit!).

I liked it quite a bit. It kind of blossomed in retrospect. While watching, I was equally elated as I was at a loss. Still, always engaging and very well written (and photographed with, like, what, 30 different DPs?).

[Boner M]

I recently sold my copy of Bad Boy Bubby (for a profit!).

I liked it quite a bit. It kind of blossomed in retrospect. While watching, I was equally elated as I was at a loss. Still, always engaging and very well written (and photographed with, like, what, 30 different DPs?).
u r good

[Derek]

I recently added Bad Boy Bubby to my Netflix queue. I hope to watch and like it some day.

[monolith94]

Man, Speed Racer and Vampyr are two great films, but for entirely different reasons.

[Beau]

Hey, Monolith - Nice score for L'Atalante. I think I might finally be warming up to it, after years of being unsure. Such a dreamlike piece. It wants to capture a specific set of emotions, and it achieves its aims.

[monolith94]

Yeah, the only issue I had with it was that the husband character was kind of a jerk, but hey, isn't that so like life?

[soitgoes...]

Hmm I quite enjoyed the two I've seen... Kitano's and The Chest of Gold although I recognize they're not particularly amazing by any stretch.
I disliked Kitano's version. I didn't count it, so I've actually seen 4 Zatoichi films. As for the rest of the films, there's just too much other stuff I'd rather see than a blind guy helping out person X in town Y.

[soitgoes...]

Vampyr is my least favorite Dreyer. Just sayin'...

[Dead & Messed Up]

Roger Ebert put me in the Answer Man this week. Mostly just to talk more about him loving The War Zone, but still pretty cool.


Q. Andrew Baron of Houston pointed out Tim Roth's "The War Zone" as a film where a teenager is allowed to suffer from acne. That's one. The other one I thought of was "Saved!" Toward the end of the film, Mandy Moore takes one to the chin. You even discuss it in your review.


James Van Fleet, Studio City, Calif.


A. Roth's "War Zone," in addition to its pimples, is one of the great films about a profoundly dysfunctional family. Censorship almost sank in it Great Britain.



http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=ANSWERMAN

[megladon8]

That's pretty sweet, DaMU!

Can't really comment any more, since I haven't seen the movies ;)

[origami_mustache]

Hopefully, he's not too much older than 46.

just turned 50


I liked Roberto Rossellini's Pais. This I did not expect, due to my being underwhelmed by Rome: Open City. Both are supremely unpolished, but I think the former has more interesting characterizations, endowed with greater depth and humanity. For me, the latter remains an emotional work, yet still rather simplistic.

Love all three of the neorealist trilogy films, but Paisá is my favorite and I recently saw that it was on The Village Voice's top 100 list which sort of surprised me...even more surpising, although I haven't seen it yet, was Rossellini's The Rise of Louis XIV was listed even higher.

[Spinal]

"... if you like 'art' you'll probably like this. If you like movies, you might not."

-- Netflix reviewer on Killer of Sheep

[Watashi]

"... if you like 'art' you'll probably like this. If you like movies, you might not."

-- Netflix reviewer on Killer of Sheep
That's some deep shit right there.

[berlin wallflower]

It's all a matter of personal opinion... I mean, what is art, anyway?