28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[Yxklyx]

Oh, I re-watched Punch Drunk Love the other night. Still not sold. Perhaps I never will be. This is a cross I must bare.

I will help ease your burden.

[megladon8]

While I have yet to see the sequels (and will do so soon) Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl remains great fun.

Heavily flawed, but for a big-budget popcorn flick it certainly derlivers.

[soitgoes...]

We were supposed to be arguing about the film not agreeing about it and arguing about your egregious use of culinary vocabulary. Get the fuck out of my face, soitgoes.
Aw, does the baby need his diaper changed?

[Qrazy]

I'll one up you here and say we should not only argue about a movie neither of us have seen but also one that one that does not in fact exist.

...and I say The Sabresword of Klimdar is Froznikov's masterpiece!

Um no, that movie fucking sucked.

[Spinal]

I have The Sabresword of Klimdar out from Netflix. Should I watch it?

[Sven]

I have The Sabresword of Klimdar out from Netflix. Should I watch it?

Only if you promise not to take it too seriously like you always do.

[Sxottlan]

As much as I have loved ComingSoon.net for the last several years (and pretty much dumped Dark Horizons at the same time when they revamped their site to be less user friendly), I really wish there was a way to shut off their new talkback section.

It's always the first website I visit when I get online, but dredging through the talkback to get to the news of the day is a chore anymore. Such assinine and childish whining.

[Bosco B Thug]

I finally watched Lars and the Real Girl last night. Apparently there were no teenagers in the town. They would've had a field day making fun of Lars. The town's overwhelming support was the films biggest weakness. Still good performances abound, and it was a fairly enjoyable viewing experience. Yeah, the movie's pretty solid... The screenplay especially is surprisingly good. Gosling's very good, somehow diffusing all the "cutesiness" the character could have had. Gillespie's directing is just serviceable. The screenplay develops impressively nuanced psychology for Lars and assorted supporting characters like Clarkson's and Schneider's. Still, I wish the movie had a larger commentary and wasn't so safe - I know, specious lip service talk there.

Not too far in, I had a stretch where I thought the movie would be about critically exposing Lars as a misanthrope - he is pretending to be delusional, just to stir ire in a town of people who annoy and aggravate him (and then his plan, at first a gratifyingly amusing provocation of various attitudes, would backfire as he realizes he's got big problems too). The seeds of this are still kind of in the movie, though. Lars is a very good character. There are lots of moments where we see just how much of a square Lars is, like the great moment where he's berated for yelling at Bianca and that one moment where he aggravates the issue of Patricia Clarkson's childlessness; and then lots of scenes where we see the purity of his principles - not cheating on Bianca, proving himself more open and forthcoming about issues than his brother, etc.

[Watashi]

Why isn't High School a must-see criteria for all high school students?

A stunning, disturbing film. This will definitely make my top films list if I ever redo it.

Also, I wish I had a teacher like the English poetry teacher. Hawt.

[Spinal]

Why isn't High School a must-see criteria for all high school students?

A stunning, disturbing film. This will definitely make my top films list if I ever redo it.

Also, I wish I had a teacher like the English poetry teacher. Hawt.

One of the best endings ever. Haunting.

There will be rep.

[Spinal]

Oh, and I'm 42 minutes into The Sabresword of Klimdar and I'm just not feeling it. Should I finish it?

[Dead & Messed Up]

While I have yet to see the sequels (and will do so soon) Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl remains great fun.

Heavily flawed, but for a big-budget popcorn flick it certainly derlivers.

I'd agree with this.

I never did get why soppy, boring Will Turner was the romantic interest/hero, though.

[Qrazy]

Favorite line from Transformers.

"Come on man, this is way too smart for Iranian scientists."

[megladon8]

The Machine Girl

a review by Braden Adam


A lot of the charm in the “grindhouse” films of the 1970s came from how earnest a lot of them were, even with their sleazy subject matter and often shocking content. It wasn’t just the script, but the technical quality of the filmmaking - Super 8 cameras and bad special effects added to that whole aura, giving these films their personality. This is an area where Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez really missed the mark with Grindhouse. Despite their best efforts to make the film look grainy and worn, the script sound ham-fisted and the effects look sub par, it all felt so intentional and precise that it became artificial. It still looked and felt like a big-budget studio feature. If they had really wanted to capture the authentic feel of ‘70s exploitation films, they should have employed the same tools and constraints as those maverick filmmakers of 30 years ago. In this way, The Machine Girl is more successful in recreating this era of shock cinema. It uses its low budget and borderline bad taste to its advantage, creating a cartoonish revenge saga with some of the most ridiculous gore since Riki-Oh.

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/3444/machinegirl01cg9.jpg

A woman vomitting out her intestines into a bowl of soup. A man forced to eat sushi topped with his own severed fingers. And, of course, the titular Japanese school girl with a machine gun for an arm. These are just a few of the “simpler” sights to be seen in The Machine Girl, a movie so outrageous that the only thing genuinely shocking about it is how funny it can be. Like Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive, humor is found through a mixture of slapstick and extreme gore. And while some scenes contain torture and mutilation, the 10-foot blood sprays accompanied by the occasional puff of air from the wound remind us that this is fake blood spraying from a hose, not an artery. If a “Looney Tunes” episode contained gore, that’s the tone you could expect here. Nothing is serious, and even the over-the-top attempts at emotional content are funny because of how aware the film is of its own ridiculousness.

Like Versus, another gonzo gorefest from Japan, The Machine Girl doesn’t have anything to offer other than its supreme level of entertainment. The story is not much deeper than the title suggests - a young girl avenges the death of her brother (and the loss of her own arm) at the hands of the yakuza, by having a machine gun built that fits perfectly on her stump. Insanity ensues. She fights the aforementioned yakuza, as well as a trio of ninjas dressed in red jogging suits, throwing hundreds of ninja-stars every time they leap, flip, or move in any way. She encounters the yakuza’s mistress, who is armed with a “drill bra” - no further explanation is warranted, you have to see the movie to believe some of the stuff that happens here. Suffice to say, it’s never boring. Even when it falls into lulls of attempted emotion and dramatic tension, it’s all done so tongue-in-cheek that its “so bad it’s good” badge is worn with pride.

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/3400/92330438tq2.jpg

It’s not without its problems, though. While the make-up effects used to create the gore are hardly what one would call “realistic”, they have a tangibility not found in CGI. So during the few instances when CGI is employed - and it is truly awful - it really brings the experience to a halt. Also, the humor tends to go a little overboard at times. Perhaps it’s just personal taste, but a visual gag where “bad guys” are torn to pieces by machine gun fire is leagues away from making jokes about rape and necrophilia. Maybe this could be a little message about our times, and how violent content is so readily accepted while anything sexual is frowned upon, but it seems unlikely that that is the case, given the context of these jokes.

http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/1188/machinegirlmb05wv5.jpg

It would be interesting to find out what Tarantino thinks of The Machine Girl, because it is such a different take on a modern-day grindhouse experience. Instead of the constant winks at the audience which Tarantino and Rodriguez gave us, The Machine Girl tries to provide us with a more authentic experience without the “wink wink, nudge nudge”. It actually feels a lot more like the trailers between the two films in Grindhouse - which also captured not only the look but the feel of this era of cinema much better than the films they appeared between - and if you’ve been eagerly waiting for Machete to come to theatres, The Machine Girl may hold you off for a while.

[origami_mustache]

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/3444/machinegirl01cg9.jpg



sexy

[Melville]

I watched a couple good movies on the plane ride back from France. Maddin's My Winnipeg definitely struck me as his most accessible film, focusing as it does on childhood memories and nostalgic portraits of shared cultural emblems. The idea of re-staging childhood memories seemed underplayed, and the narration occasionally seemed too much like a Kids in the Hall parody, but overall the whole thing worked like gangbusters. Maddin's silent-era style, with its foggy images and sudden closeups, worked well with the material to create a mythic vision of Winnipeg that hazily interplays with the narrator's personal history.

And Charade was a lot of irreverently nonsensical fun.

[Raiders]

And Charade was a lot of irreverently nonsensical fun.

Demme's remake is much better. Natch.

[D_Davis]

Nice review Meg.

I've had this one on my "to watch" list for far too long. Need to get around to it.

Did you ever see Meatball Machine?

[Raiders]

Does anyone else have the nonsensical impulse to not place new films on a top 100 list or something similar? I feel confident that, after a Watashi-like number of viewings, WALL•E has earned a place in the top 100, possibly as high as top 50. But, I am having trouble reconciling.

I'm sure this is something trans will scoff at (lists are arbitrary, etc.), but I'm rather bored and am sitting here frustrated that though I know it makes no sense (I had no trouble putting Shepitko's Ascent way up there after one viewing), I have not yet placed the film in its rightful spot.

[Ezee E]

Does anyone else have the nonsensical impulse to not place new films on a top 100 list or something similar? I feel confident that, after a Watashi-like number of viewings, WALL•E has earned a place in the top 100, possibly as high as top 50. But, I am having trouble reconciling.

I'm sure this is something trans will scoff at (lists are arbitrary, etc.), but I'm rather bored and am sitting here frustrated that though I know it makes no sense (I had no trouble putting Shepitko's Ascent way up there after one viewing), I have not yet placed the film in its rightful spot.
It might be jumping the gun, but after viewings on DVD, I still have no problem with Children of Men, There Will Be Blood, and No Country For Old Men being on my favorites list.

[Wryan]

Demme's remake is much better. Natch.

The Truth About Charlie? I didn't see it, but I ADORE Charade almost beyond measure. Besides, didn't Charlie get slammed?

[Raiders]

The Truth About Charlie? I didn't see it, but I ADORE Charade almost beyond measure. Besides, didn't Charlie get slammed?

Well, I don't adore Charade, but it's pretty fun. And yes, Demme's film did get slammed. But, uh... so what?

[Wryan]

Well, I don't adore Charade, but it's pretty fun. And yes, Demme's film did get slammed. But, uh... so what?

Given that Charade is pretty well-regarded, and given that Charlie got critically panned for the most part, I figured "Natch" was a wee uneven.

[Raiders]

Given that Charade is pretty well-regarded, and given that Charlie got critically panned for the most part, I figured "Natch" was a wee uneven.

I was referring to "natch" for myself. I am the resident Demme nut.

[Wryan]

Ah I see. I didn't have such intimate knowledge of you.

Until now.

[Mysterious Dude]

Does anyone else have the nonsensical impulse to not place new films on a top 100 list or something similar? I feel confident that, after a Watashi-like number of viewings, WALL•E has earned a place in the top 100, possibly as high as top 50. But, I am having trouble reconciling.

I'm sure this is something trans will scoff at (lists are arbitrary, etc.), but I'm rather bored and am sitting here frustrated that though I know it makes no sense (I had no trouble putting Shepitko's Ascent way up there after one viewing), I have not yet placed the film in its rightful spot.
I have a little rule not to add any films from the current year or the previous year to my top 100. I do it to avoid being influenced by peer pressure, or something.

[Spinal]

I recently added Once to my top 100 after a second viewing. Seemed silly not to.

[Ivan Drago]

What's High School about? I ask because IMDB doesn't have a plot synopsis of it.



http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/1188/machinegirlmb05wv5.jpg

:eek:

HO. LEE. CRAP.

[MadMan]

Demme's remake is much better. Natch.I have yet to see Demme's remake, but I suspect it isn't better than the original classic.

And Machine Girl sounds like crazy awesomeness. I have a goal to see more Grindhouse oriented films.

[Russ]

As D. Davis mentioned in another thread, if you think The Machine Girl looks wicked, go check out that 5 minute trailer for Tokyo Gore Police.


Insane!
That's what I'm talkin' about.

[megladon8]

Nice review Meg.

I've had this one on my "to watch" list for far too long. Need to get around to it.

Did you ever see Meatball Machine?



No, I didn't, but the trailers/clips on YouTube look pretty bad...not in the same was as The Machine Girl, though, more like "this looks like crap".

I remember you thought it was pretty mediocre, after wanting to see it for quite a while.

[Yxklyx]

Electra Glide in Blue was excellent, The director's only film.

[D_Davis]

Electra Glide in Blue was excellent, The director's only film.

Crazy! I was just about to post my review for this amazing film.

http://www.genrebusters.com/images/electra1.jpg

The desert can be a harsh environment. It possesses mysterious powers. Men go there to escape from themselves; they go there to find themselves. Men go there to escape from the world; they go there to begin again. The desert is a place of death, a place of rebirth, a place of spiritual discovery, and a place of extreme loneliness. The Arizona desert is the backdrop for Electra Glide in Blue, and it shapes the film's narrative, drives its characters' motives, and its presence looms heavily in the sweaty and dusty atmosphere.

Electra Glide in Blue is, on one hand, an example of the counter-culture cinema popular in the 1970s, but, on the other hand, it is also the antithesis of films such as Easy Rider and Vanishing Point. The film stars Robert Blake as "Big" John Wintergreen, a Vietnam vet who has returned to America and found success within its changing culture. He is an honest, hard-working man full of integrity. He did not lose his soul in the shit, nor did he turn to drugs or crime for escape. He is not a victim. He is a responsible, law abiding citizen who wants to make a difference in his own small way. He is also a cop; a good, clean cop surrounded by incompetence.

http://www.genrebusters.com/images/electra2.jpg

The law gives Wintergreen purpose, it keeps entropy away, and because of his personality he is able to shirk the negative aspects of the badge's power. In many ways, he is a throwback, an anachronism. He has no place in this cynical world. He possesses innocence, a kind of chivalric naivety. He is a white knight whose armor is rusting away under the oppression of society. He is a true blue hero of the wild west, one that simply cannot survive untarnished in this new, post-modern world.

Wintergreen desires to be more than just a highway patrolman. Out on the desolate desert highways, there isn't a lot of action. He wants more responsibility, he wants to be someone. He has genuine ambition and drive. He wants to trade in his standard issued bike - the Electra Glide - and his uniform for four wheels, a suit, and a Stetson. He wants to be a bona fide detective, on the beat, solving real crime. After a local desert rat, an old mountain man, is found murdered, Wintergreen gets his chance. However, he soon comes face to face with more problems, corruption, and apathy than he can stand.

http://www.genrebusters.com/images/electra3.jpg

While reading anecdotes about this film, I was shocked to find that it was accused by many in the industry of promoting fascism (and thusly booed at Cannes where it premiered) because it didn't blindly sing the praises of the anti-establishment, the hippie-movement. I find this kind of extreme liberal rhetoric to be hypocritical and insulting. Because it features an honest, hard working policeman - a man doing his job well, a man with integrity, a man not willing to take hand outs, a man guiding his own life - as the central POV character, the film was criticized; it offers an alternative view in an already alternative genre.

If anything, the film should have been commended for presenting its themes in a non-derogatory, non-judgmental manner. It does not preach; it simply exists to explore an interesting character caught in a world of corruption, drugs, loneliness, murder, and apathy. Wintergreen stands up to "the man," he fights against the malaise of the system and the corruption of the law. However, he does so in a righteous way; he does so while still working within the confines of the very law he swore to uphold. Ultimately his compassionate ways get the best of him, and he is finally betrayed on the open road.

http://www.genrebusters.com/images/electra4.jpg

The film has since gone on to enjoy a healthy following, as people are now more open to its message. And rightly so. Frankly, Electra Glide in Blue is one of the best films I've ever seen. It will most definitely be taking a spot on my revised top 100, and I look forward to watching it many, many more times. I often find myself daydreaming about key sequences, the beautiful cinematography, the amazing characterizations, and the dreamy atmosphere. It is a film to cherish, one that lasts and has stood the tests of time.

[chrisnu]

As D. Davis mentioned in another thread, if you think The Machine Girl looks wicked, go check out that 5 minute trailer for Tokyo Gore Police.


That's what I'm talkin' about.
W.T.F.

[Rowland]

The last shot in Electra Glide is one of my all-time favs. Very good movie.

[D_Davis]

The last shot in Electra Glide is one of my all-time favs. Very good movie.

It's haunting. It stuck in my mind for days, if not weeks after I saw it.

Really good movie.

[megladon8]

Man, I can't wait to see that Tokyo Gore Police.

If this is the route Tokyo Shock is taking as a production company, I'm all for it.

[D_Davis]

No, I didn't, but the trailers/clips on YouTube look pretty bad...not in the same was as The Machine Girl, though, more like "this looks like crap".

I remember you thought it was pretty mediocre, after wanting to see it for quite a while.

It's okay - definitely worth watching if you like this sort of thing. I just don't want to hype it all up after the awesome trailer and my initial excitement. It's a solid little flick - nothing more.

[D_Davis]

Man, I can't wait to see that Tokyo Gore Police.

If this is the route Tokyo Shock is taking as a production company, I'm all for it.

Tokyo Shock is just the US distributor of these films. I don't think (could be wrong) they have anything to do with the production.

[megladon8]

Tokyo Shock is just the US distributor of these films. I don't think (could be wrong) they have anything to do with the production.


The Machine Girl has "A Tokyo Shock original" written on it.

[Pop Trash]

The last shot in Electra Glide is one of my all-time favs. Very good movie.
I want to see this. Have you guys seen Two-Lane Blacktop? That's another good 70s road movie.

[D_Davis]

The Machine Girl has "A Tokyo Shock original" written on it.

Maybe they are doing some cross production now with the Japanese companies whose films they distribute in the west. Historically, Tokyo Shock has simply been a US Distributor. It's an imprint of Media Blasters.

Edit:

Looks like John Sirabella, of Media Blasters, helped with some original funding for the film.

Very cool.

[Rowland]

It's haunting. It stuck in my mind for days, if not weeks after I saw it.I actually turned on TCM just as the movie was ending and immediately bumped it up to the top of my queue on the strength of that last shot alone, and that was without any context.

[Grouchy]

Maybe they are doing some cross production now with the Japanese companies whose films they distribute in the west. Historically, Tokyo Shock has simply been a US Distributor. It's an imprint of Media Blasters.

Edit:

Looks like John Sirabella, of Media Blasters, helped with some original funding for the film.

Very cool.
All this would explain the Western (English) titles in Machine Girl. It feels like an extreme movie made-for-export.

Watched it some hours ago. Will post review.

[D_Davis]

I actually turned on TCM just as the movie was ending and immediately bumped it up to the top of my queue on the strength of that last shot alone, and that was without any context.

That's awesome.

The director and the cinematographer butted heads a bit about the look of the film. The director wanted it filmed more like a western, which is why they use shots of Monument Valley even though the film is set in Arizona. The DP wanted a more claustrophobic look. I read that they split the difference, and did what the director wanted on the exterior shots, and did what the DP wanted on the interiors.

I caught it about a month ago on On Demand. I had heard of the film, and I was sick at home, saw it on the menu, and decided to check it out.

As soon as it was over I bought the DVD.

I've watched it twice since then.

[MacGuffin]

I wouldn't call The Gold Rush a masterpiece, but then again I didn't realize until about 30 minutes in after I had checked that the reissued version that I was watching was significantly different from the original. I like it enough, but it's no City Lights. Which Charlies Chaplin movie do you suggest that I see next? Or maybe you could point me in the direction of a Buster Keaton movie I should see first?

[origami_mustache]

I wouldn't call The Gold Rush a masterpiece, but then again I didn't realize until about 30 minutes in after I had checked that the reissued version that I was watching was significantly different from the original. I like it enough, but it's no City Lights. Which Charlies Chaplin movie do you suggest that I see next? Or maybe you could point me in the direction of a Buster Keaton movie I should see first?

The Kid (1921) - 9.5
The Gold Rush (1925) - 9.5
The Circus (1928) - 8.5
City Lights (1931) - 10
Modern Times (1936) - 9.5
The Great Dictator (1940) - 9
Monsieur Verdoux (1947) - 10

[Melville]

I wouldn't call The Gold Rush a masterpiece, but then again I didn't realize until about 30 minutes in after I had checked that the reissued version that I was watching was significantly different from the original. I like it enough, but it's no City Lights. Which Charlies Chaplin movie do you suggest that I see next? Or maybe you could point me in the direction of a Buster Keaton movie I should see first?

From best to worst:

City Lights - Chaplinism at its pinnacle
The Circus - the funniest of his films that I've seen
Monsieur Verdoux - sardonic, breezy, and suffocatingly tense all at once. Quite different from his other films
The Gold Rush - made amazing by the heartbreaking dream sequence
Modern Times - probably makes the best use of the Tramp as iconography
The Great Dictator - hilarious satire up until the trite, disconnected speech at the end
The Kid - funny and charming, but not particularly memorable
Limelight - sentimental and preachy even by Chaplin's standards

[Ezee E]

Watched this Canadian movie on a whim the other day, Wilburville Road, or something. Ellen Page was in it, wearing a red jacket again.

Some other guy thought about committing suicide many a times, but did it in the dumbest ways possible, for audience humor.

So I just went to bed after 15 minutes of it.

[Boner M]

Watched this Canadian movie on a whim the other day, Wilburville Road, or something. Ellen Page was in it, wearing a red jacket again.

Some other guy thought about committing suicide many a times, but did it in the dumbest ways possible, for audience humor.

So I just went to bed after 15 minutes of it.
Touch and Go, maybe? My cousin's husband directed it, and I'm staying at his house right now. What are the odds.

EDIT: n/m, it isn't.

[Yxklyx]

I wouldn't call The Gold Rush a masterpiece, but then again I didn't realize until about 30 minutes in after I had checked that the reissued version that I was watching was significantly different from the original. I like it enough, but it's no City Lights. Which Charlies Chaplin movie do you suggest that I see next? Or maybe you could point me in the direction of a Buster Keaton movie I should see first?

You watched the abomination with the voice-over narration released in the 40s? I got that one sent to me - I turned the sound off, couldn't bear it otherwise.

[Rowland]

So yeah, The Signal kinda sucks. I had high hopes for it too... oh well.

[Qrazy]

Prosperos Books was a frustrating experience. Greenaway employs the editing aesthetic that he would later reuse in The Pillow Book... many frame within a frame inserts cuts and dissolves. I quite dislike this aesthetic and the editing of the film in general. It's really too bad to because the other individual elements of the film mostly border on terrific... the art design, Nyman's score, some of the staging... if Greenaway hadn't gone for the postmodern jumble for his construction, but just kept the other postmodern elements of the film's design I would have been much more enthusiastic. As the film stands now there's an almost constant sensory overflow such that otherwise powerful shots and moments are muddied with inserts, text overlays, etc. Greenaway has always had a potent sense of composition and lighting and it becomes frustrating when these elements are occluded by other visuals. In many shots Nyman's score feels like we're building to something but then Greenaway undercuts any tonal fulfillment/catharsis with an overlay or scene change. Aside from the sensory overload there's also somewhat of a content overload, much of the book information while interesting feels entirely extraneous. I liked the idea behind the film of reaffirming and extrapolating Prospero's scholarly nature by fixating upon the source of his knowledge, the books. He is the artist, the creator, a stand in for Shakespeare and Greenaway and as such the power of the quill is given full force, but the execution of this idea is too muddled and as such loses it's potency. Sometimes less is more.

Pitch Black was OK. I could have used fewer POV shots from the monsters and a bit more world building ecosystem/geography-wise. I didn't hate it but I'm not particularly enthusiastic about it either.

[Watashi]

Transformers - B-
Galaxy Quest - C+

*twitches*

[Winston*]

*twitches*

Srsly.

Watched Paper Moon last night. Really good.

[Qrazy]

*twitches*

You enjoy sentiment more than I.

[MadMan]

So today while rewatching Apocalypse Now: Redux I noticed that in the USO scene the part where the Playboy bunnies are flown away reminded me in a strange way of the famous chopper shot taken when the US left Vietnam in 1973. Perhaps Coppola was using that part of the film to refer to that particular moment in time in a very subtitle manner, or maybe I'm reading too much into what is really an unimportant event in a really spectacular masterpiece. I'm not really sure.

[Sven]

Watched Paper Moon last night. Really good.

"I gotta turn corners, don't I?"

One of the best.

[Qrazy]

Yeah I'm a fan of Paper Moon as well. For everyone who hasn't seen Bogdanovich's Targets, check it out. It's not as good as Last Picture Show or Paper Moon but I prefer it to What's Up Doc. It's about a serial killing sniper.

Fun tidbit:

"Bogdanovich got the chance to make Targets because Boris Karloff owed studio head Roger Corman three days' work. Corman told Bogdanovich he could make any film he liked provided he used Karloff and stayed under budget. In addition, Bogdanovich had to use clips from the Victorian-era thriller The Terror in the movie. The clips from The Terror feature Jack Nicholson and Boris Karloff. Bogdanovich has said that Samuel Fuller provided generous help on the screenplay and refused to accept either a fee or a screen credit, so Bogdanovich named his own character Sammy Michaels (Fuller's middle name was Michael) in tribute."

[Winston*]

"I gotta turn corners, don't I?"

One of the best.Really loved those two performances.

Only other Bogdanovich I've seen is Cat's Meow which is about as much of a snooze as Bogdanovich himself.

[Qrazy]

Really loved those two performances.

Only other Bogdanovich I've seen is Cat's Meow which is about as much of a snooze as Bogdanovich himself.

He turns in a reasonable performance in Targets. Also you really need to see Last Picture Show.

[Sven]

I thought you didn't like sentiment, Q. Last Picture Show is about as sentimental as they get. :)

Really beautifully filmed (one of the prettiest pictures that I can recall, actually), and Leachman is incomparable, but I couldn't get into it.

[Qrazy]

I thought you didn't like sentiment, Q. Last Picture Show is about as sentimental as they get. :)

Really beautifully filmed (one of the prettiest pictures that I can recall, actually), and Leachman is incomparable, but I couldn't get into it.

Oh I like sentiment, just not as much as Wats.

[Sven]

Oh I like sentiment, just not as much as Wats.

I know, I was teasin'. I don't think anyone here, save maybe Barty, does.

[Winston*]

What's sentiment got to do with liking Galaxy Quest btw? I like it 'cos it's funny.

[Ezee E]

You enjoy sentiment more than I.
But in this case, Wats likes the better movie.

[Qrazy]

So how did everyone else feel about Transformers?

I was genuinely surprised how much I enjoyed it. I hate most Bay films as much as the next film guy but this struck me as exactly the kind of film he needs to be making. It allows him to showcase his strong points (action, slick visuals) without having to dwell on his weak points (drama, integrity). This guy obviously can't and shouldn't make historical epics or drama heavy pictures, but this film is exactly what it needs to be (plot/action-wise... they're car transforming robots here), has a decent sense of humor and actually treats the robots with a decent amount of respect (voice-acting, character design, CGI rendering). As with all of Bay's films it's too slick for it's own good and so many of the more potentially emotionally potent moments are somewhat lacking, but they're not god awful either. When the protag first sees his car transform there's a sense of Spielbergian awe lingering somewhere in the background... this awe is never fully realized or executed as well as Spielberg, early-Lucas, early-Zemeckis, etc but it's a beginning. Bay is moving in the right direction.

[Qrazy]

What's sentiment got to do with liking Galaxy Quest btw? I like it 'cos it's funny.

The whole Trek-fan club... it's all real... believe in your abilities although you're just an actor basic storyline.

[Sven]

Besides your comments about awe (of which I found the film unfortunately devoid in), your response is almost a carbon-copy of mine. Basically, it's Bay's most honest picture to date, because as you say, it eschews everything he has tended to do poorly, and focuses on his strengths. Now, I'm not saying that he even films action very well. He cuts it up too damn much. He never creates a strong sense of geography. But I didn't hate it... I thought it was kind of charming. Still wouldn't rush to recommend it to anyone, really.

[Qrazy]

But in this case, Wats likes the better movie.

Maybe, but they both have their own strengths and weaknesses. The script is better in the case of Galaxy Quest as is the drama but Transformers is much more visually proficient and ultimately I enjoyed the action spectacle in Transformers more than I enjoyed the humor in Galaxy Quest... which were the two elements from each film that I hoped/expected each would deliver on.

My scoring system (and I would guess most scoring systems) operates within a standard of deviation such that any score could probably go up or down a point... B to B- or B+. So I'd grade the two roughly equivalent although on my first viewing I ever so slightly had more fun with Transformers.

[Qrazy]

Besides your comments about awe (of which I found the film unfortunately devoid in), your response is almost a carbon-copy of mine. Basically, it's Bay's most honest picture to date, because as you say, it eschews everything he has tended to do poorly, and focuses on his strengths. Now, I'm not saying that he even films action very well. He cuts it up too damn much. He never creates a strong sense of geography. But I didn't hate it... I thought it was kind of charming. Still wouldn't rush to recommend it to anyone, really.

It may also be a case of my expectations were so low going in.

[Winston*]

I watched like 90 minutes of the Transformers movie and then I was like "what the fuck am I doing with my life?" so I turned it off. Then I turned it on later and fastforwarded through the rest of it just to see the Mountain Dew robot, which was really my main reason for renting it in the first place.

[transmogrifier]

I watched like 90 minutes of the Transformers movie and then I was like "what the fuck am I doing with my life?" so I turned it off. Then I turned it on later and fastforwarded through the rest of it just to see the Mountain Dew robot, which was really my main reason for renting it in the first place.


I think I fell asleep in the theatre and missed that part.

[Winston*]

I think I fell asleep in the theatre and missed that part.

The Mountain Dew robot you have in your mind when you here the phrase "Mountain Dew robot" is probably more impressive than the Mountain Dew robot that appears in the movie. Mountain Dew robot.

[D_Davis]

http://www.whois.com/Whois-hot/poll/9-Animated_Characters/Solid%20Snake.jpg

"Mountain Dew robot?"

[Winston*]

http://www.whois.com/Whois-hot/poll/9-Animated_Characters/Solid%20Snake.jpg

"Mountain Dew robot?"
http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/4896/mountaindewrobotjx4.gif

[transmogrifier]

The Mountain Dew robot you have in your mind when you here the phrase "Mountain Dew robot" is probably more impressive than the Mountain Dew robot that appears in the movie. Mountain Dew robot.


This is undoubtedly true.

[origami_mustache]

So how did everyone else feel about Transformers?



these were my reactions...

Transformers (Michael Bay, 2007)
Rating: 1.1
Transformers is either the worst film I've voluntarily watched in the past couple years or a 2 and a half hour car commercial with a pathetic sense of humor, and arsenal of clichés and even racial stereotypes. Semantics aside, it's almost as if Michael Bay is intentionally trying to outdo himself with a worse big budget blockbuster film each time he makes one, while still managing to make a killing at the box office. I can't deny the CGI and sound design was impressive, but it was overwrought with cheesiness and predictability to the point of South Park-like parody. It was further hindered by the constant attempts at unfunny humor. The most painful scene I can think of is when the 40ft robots are "sneaking" around Shia LaBeouf's parent's home; causing earthquakes and talking to him without ever getting noticed. The lazy writing is perhaps the most disgraceful part of all. My jaw was left agape as Optimus Prime explained how their vastly superior alien race learned English via the internet, and located Labeof and his grandfather's glasses through Ebay. In the hands of a more capable filmmaker, this film might have been salvagable. It's a pretty remarkable accomplishment to ruin a film that consists of giant transforming robot aliens dueling it out, but Michael Bay does just that. His over inclusion of the human aspect is highly detrimental, especially considering the robots are more believable than the humans as characters who are actually more like caricatures.

[Qrazy]

these were my reactions...

Transformers (Michael Bay, 2007)
Rating: 1.1
Transformers is either the worst film I've voluntarily watched in the past couple years or a 2 and a half hour car commercial with a pathetic sense of humor, and arsenal of clichés and even racial stereotypes. Semantics aside, it's almost as if Michael Bay is intentionally trying to outdo himself with a worse big budget blockbuster film each time he makes one, while still managing to make a killing at the box office. I can't deny the CGI and sound design was impressive, but it was overwrought with cheesiness and predictability to the point of South Park-like parody. It was further hindered by the constant attempts at unfunny humor. The most painful scene I can think of is when the 40ft robots are "sneaking" around Shia LaBeouf's parent's home; causing earthquakes and talking to him without ever getting noticed. The lazy writing is perhaps the most disgraceful part of all. My jaw was left agape as Optimus Prime explained how their vastly superior alien race learned English via the internet, and located Labeof and his grandfather's glasses through Ebay. In the hands of a more capable filmmaker, this film might have been salvagable. It's a pretty remarkable accomplishment to ruin a film that consists of giant transforming robot aliens dueling it out, but Michael Bay does just that. His over inclusion of the human aspect is highly detrimental, especially considering the robots are more believable than the humans as characters who are actually more like caricatures.

It's just a movie.


[/jokes]

[Ezee E]

Has anyone seen Black Robe?

[origami_mustache]

It's just a movie.


[/jokes]

maybe a sarcasm/joke tag should be implemented haha

[Rowland]

Transformers was obnoxious, visually incoherent during most of its action sequences, and nearly sleep-inducing by the third act. I'd say it's probably my least favorite Bay movie. Yes, I'd rather watch Bad Boys II again.

[D_Davis]

Yes, I'd rather watch Bad Boys II again.

That's because it's awesome.

[D_Davis]

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/4896/mountaindewrobotjx4.gif

Nice.

[Rowland]

That's because it's awesome.At least it feels honest and upfront about its misanthropy, so it's a purer evocation of the Bay sensibility, maybe the purest. And the action is better.

[Melville]

What's sentiment got to do with liking Galaxy Quest btw? I like it 'cos it's funny.
I thought it was nearly at a Chris Rock's Down to Earth level of non-funniness.


Prosperos Books was a frustrating experience.
Man, I hated that movie, partly for the reasons you gave. I virtually never feel compelled to call something pretentious, but I can't help it in this case. The whole thing had such a pompous tone, like it was going out of its way to present itself as something artistic and important, without really having much of interest to say (though others would obviously disagree). But I can't remember it very well, so I can't provide any concrete criticisms. Spinal is welcome to inform me of the film's merits.

[Winston*]

That's because it's awesome.


. I actually like all of Bay's films except for Bad Boys 2. I've never actaully been able to make it through that one.

?

[Winston*]

I thought it was nearly at a Chris Rock's Down to Earth level of non-funniness.
Nothing is near that level. 'Cept maybe Clerks II.

Did you know that Louis CK co-wrote the screenplay to Down to Earth with Chris Rock? He's funny. Chris Rock's funny. Do you think they canceled each other out?

[Melville]

Nothing is near that level. 'Cept maybe Clerks II.

Did you know that Louis CK co-wrote the screenplay to Down to Earth with Chris Rock? He's funny. Chris Rock's funny. Do you think they canceled each other out?
I don't know who Louis CK is, but it sounds plausible.

[Boner M]

Louis CK also directed Pootie Tang. Has anyone seen that? I've heard it's amazing.

[Qrazy]

I thought it was nearly at a Chris Rock's Down to Earth level of non-funniness.


Man, I hated that movie, partly for the reasons you gave. I virtually never feel compelled to call something pretentious, but I can't help it in this case. The whole thing had such a pompous tone, like it was going out of its way to present itself as something artistic and important, without really having much of interest to say (though others would obviously disagree). But I can't remember it very well, so I can't provide any concrete criticisms. Spinal is welcome to inform me of the film's merits.

Yeah I may have rated it too high. I re-watched a little after I posted about it and realized that even without the editing I hated I may not have enjoyed the film as much as I thought/hope... there's a lot of characters/extras who just kind of stand around looking forlorn or moving in one particular way or another... they operate solely as symbols for the director and seem to have no background or life outside of the film. This is another element I dislike about the majority of Greenaway's work. He's a stalwart symbolist. I much prefer erm... metaphor-ists.

[MadMan]

Galaxy Quest is hilarious, even if the last act gets too serious and doesn't contain enough funny. Bad Boys II sucks, even though the action sequences are entertaining enough. But not enough for me to keep watching, and honestly I really wasn't that impressed with them either.

[Qrazy]

Yeah I hated Bad Boys II. I only disliked Bad Boys I.

[Spinal]

Man, I hated that movie, partly for the reasons you gave. I virtually never feel compelled to call something pretentious, but I can't help it in this case. The whole thing had such a pompous tone, like it was going out of its way to present itself as something artistic and important, without really having much of interest to say (though others would obviously disagree). But I can't remember it very well, so I can't provide any concrete criticisms. Spinal is welcome to inform me of the film's merits.

I like it when films try to be artistic and important. Especially when they succeed. I'm never sure why this film requires so much defense. Its brilliance is self-evident to me. But here you go. (http://matchcut.org/viewtopic.php?t=7971&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=1830) Halfway down the page.

[MadMan]

Yeah I hated Bad Boys II. I only disliked Bad Boys I.I actually liked the first Bad Boys, but largely as a "guilty" pleasure. The second film largely felt like a rehash of the first flick also.

[origami_mustache]

good write up on why Transformers missed it's chance to be a landmark film:

http://www.filmlinc.com/fcm/jf08/transformers.htm

on a semi related note the new Film Comment cover is awesome:

http://filmlinc.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/FC_Cover_JA08.jpg

[Mysterious Dude]

I will never see Transformers.

[MadMan]

I will never see Transformers.The only exception I'll make is if someone pays for the rental, or if I'm at someone's house and that's all they want to watch. That's it. I'm not giving that hack any more of my money, and I'll try to not give him any more of my time either.

[Qrazy]

The only exception I'll make is if someone pays for the rental, or if I'm at someone's house and that's all they want to watch. That's it. I'm not giving that hack any more of my money, and I'll try to not give him any more of my time either.

I watched it online. I think you could like it. As I said I was pleasantly surprised having hated most of what he's done.

Alright that's the last I'll say. It makes me uncomfortable to be defending a Michael Bay movie.

[Bosco B Thug]

Yep, Wanted is pretty terrible. A surprising amount of bad filmmaking in there. It was less insufferable than Transformers, though.

[MadMan]

I watched it online. I think you could like it. As I said I was pleasantly surprised having hated most of what he's done.

Alright that's the last I'll say. It makes me uncomfortable to be defending a Michael Bay movie.Well yeah that's another way I could view it. But I don't even want to waste my bandwidth on the film.

And who knows? Maybe I'd end up liking it. Besides I think that Brett Ratner is far worse than Michael Bay.

[number8]

Man, Poultrygeist is fucking nuts.

[number8]

Louis CK also directed Pootie Tang. Has anyone seen that? I've heard it's amazing.

Me. It has an epic cunnilingus scene.

[Qrazy]

Man, Poultrygeist is fucking nuts.

So did you actually give an 8.5 to Transformers or was that just an example/comparison thing?

[number8]

So did you actually give an 8.5 to Transformers or was that just an example/comparison thing?

I did, and I saw it 3 times in theaters.

[Qrazy]

I did, and I saw it 3 times in theaters.

*is glad to have someone in his corner*

[Sycophant]

I promised myself a while back that I would see Transformers, if for no other reason than I owe Michael Bay another shake (still have only seen Pearl Harbor, which I'm pretty sure ate part of my soul that I haven't regenerated). I've looked at this as nothing but a burden. However, iosos, number8, and Qrazy have actually given me some kind of hope that maybe I'll like it (or at least be able to approach it more fairly) after all.

[MadMan]

The Andromeda Strain - B-Is that a grade for the new one or the original? I'm interested in seeing both versions.

[Qrazy]

I promised myself a while back that I would see Transformers, if for no other reason than I owe Michael Bay another shake (still have only seen Pearl Harbor, which I'm pretty sure ate part of my soul that I haven't regenerated). I've looked at this as nothing but a burden. However, iosos, number8, and Qrazy have actually given me some kind of hope that maybe I'll like it (or at least be able to approach it more fairly) after all.

A safer bet is The Rock... but yeah... see Transformers... just blame number8 instead of me if you don't like it.

[MadMan]

I'm a huge fan of The Rock. The only other film of Bay's that could make me break my pledge never to see any more of his work would actually be The Island, which sort of interests me if only because it appears to be some sort of an attempt by Bay to make a halfway intelligent film.

[Ezee E]

Michael Bay consensus week is going to rule.

::guitar rocking out guy::

[number8]

...only because it appears to be some sort of an attempt by Bay to make a halfway intelligent film.

This is never a good thing.

[Qrazy]

Is that a grade for the new one or the original? I'm interested in seeing both versions.

Original... it's fairly standard and enjoyable 70's (ish) sci-fi... Logan's Run, Omega Man, Soylent Green, Planet of the Apes (some of these are better than others but they all fall into the 70's sci-fi tone/aesthetic imo).

[Rowland]

The Island was mediocre, but watchable for the most part. And again, better than Transformers.

[Qrazy]

This is never a good thing.

Yeah he pretty much failed at the intelligence part of that venture... but there's a couple of acceptable set pieces/shots sprinkled throughout the silliness.

[Ezee E]

Emerson has some cool articles:

One about blood in film. (http://blogs.suntimes.com/scanners/2008/07/the_color_of_blood_a_study_in. html)

[MadMan]

Original... it's fairly standard and enjoyable 70's (ish) sci-fi... Logan's Run, Omega Man, Soylent Green, Planet of the Apes (some of these are better than others but they all fall into the 70's sci-fi tone/aesthetic imo).Ah, cool. I have an interest in seeing more 70s sci-fi, as I highly enjoyed The Omega Man and Soylent Green and I thought that the second and third Planet of the Apes movies were decent. I've actually never seen the first "Planet" or the last one, and I still haven't viewed Logan's Run either.


This is never a good thing.:lol: I see, I see....

[Qrazy]

If you enjoyed those first two I predict you will like Planet of the Apes and Logan's Run even more.

[MacGuffin]

Wow, La Jetée sure was amazing.

[SirNewt]

Just caught Little Miss Sunshine. At first I had visions of Wes Anderson intermittently injecting barbiturates and then zoloft into my bloodstream but it turned out to be a much more even keeled and all around fun movie. Perhaps it was the lack of Beatles or any whiny voiced singing.

[origami_mustache]

Perhaps it was the lack of Beatles or any whiny voiced singing.

Kinks...Beatles...Sufjan Stevens...it's all pretty similar.

[Ezee E]

Weekend:
Stop-Loss
The Tracey Fragments
Cube

Hancock

[Boner M]

W/E (and beyond)

I Can't Sleep
Cockfighter
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
Night and the City
Cure
Claire's Knee

[Scar]

Watched Waiting For Guffman last night.

While not nearly as entertaining as Best in Show, I certainly did laugh quite a few times at the absurdity of the whole production. How everyone could try so hard, and believe in what they do, and it's nothing more then a steaming pile of crap, yet the town loves it, too.

[Scar]

Weekend:

I've had Fracture sitting at home for awhile. I'll probably end up playing GTAIV for quite a bit. Probably was the car, too. Maybe make '7-hour leg of lamb'.

[Melville]

Yeah I may have rated it too high. I re-watched a little after I posted about it and realized that even without the editing I hated I may not have enjoyed the film as much as I thought/hope... there's a lot of characters/extras who just kind of stand around looking forlorn or moving in one particular way or another... they operate solely as symbols for the director and seem to have no background or life outside of the film. This is another element I dislike about the majority of Greenaway's work. He's a stalwart symbolist. I much prefer erm... metaphor-ists.
Good call. I think that is what I dislike about Greenaway's work: everything calls attention to itself as a symbol. And I generally dislike symbolism, which seems to be used frequently to simply toss out ideas without saying anything concrete or affecting. I guess I'm pretty obsessively literal.

I much prefer metonymians.


I like it when films try to be artistic and important. Especially when they succeed. I'm never sure why this film requires so much defense. Its brilliance is self-evident to me. But here you go. (http://matchcut.org/viewtopic.php?t=7971&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=1830) Halfway down the page.
I like it when films try to be artistic and important, but not when films seem to tout their own attempt.

Based on your review, you seem to like the film mostly for its meta-commentary on Shakespeare. I'm not particularly interested in Shakespeare, nor do I know enough about him (especially having never read The Tempest) to really appreciate the meta-commentary, so that might be why the film seems like empty posturing to me.

[Spinal]

Based on your review, you seem to like the film mostly for its meta-commentary on Shakespeare. I'm not particularly interested in Shakespeare, nor do I know enough about him (especially having never read The Tempest) to really appreciate the meta-commentary, so that might be why the film seems like empty posturing to me.

That would explain why you think the film has nothing to say. Yes, you probably do need to be familiar with The Tempest to understand how Greenaway is playing around with the magician character of Prospero and creating a situation where he is simultaneously isolated and surrounded by mystical visions of his own creation. But that is a reasonable expectation, I think. Please do not call it empty. It is precisely the opposite of that, a film that is full of creativity and intelligence. It is also not posturing. Greenaway understands his subject matter completely, so well that he can open up new dimensions within the text and bring them to life before our eyes.

[Melville]

Please do not call it empty.
Well, I did throw in that "seems like". ;)

I'm sure I would still dislike Prospero's Books even if I had read The Tempest, but I'm also sure that I would better appreciate why somebody might like it.

However, based on what I've seen from Greenaway, and from the interviews I've read and heard with him, I think I'll always perceive his films as posturing. Not because he's not knowledgeable, which he definitely is, but because he presents his application of that knowledge with much more self-importance than depth (in my opinion). Although I love A Zed & Two Noughts, I still think it's a somewhat (not to say completely) superficial examination of its themes, even if it's very clever and formally dazzling.

[SirNewt]

W/E (and beyond)


Night and the City


good choice, It's probably Dassin's second best.

[Philosophe_rouge]

WEEKEND!
Aliens

[Ezee E]

WEEKEND!
Aliens
#2 movie evah!!!!

Enjoy.

[Spinal]

Stop-Loss for me also this weekend.

[Qrazy]

I like it when films try to be artistic and important, but not when films seem to tout their own attempt.

Based on your review, you seem to like the film mostly for its meta-commentary on Shakespeare. I'm not particularly interested in Shakespeare, nor do I know enough about him (especially having never read The Tempest) to really appreciate the meta-commentary, so that might be why the film seems like empty posturing to me.

His commentary and permutation of the story did interest me but still overall I found it to be a visual and auditory assault and a mess. I quite wanted to like it but ultimately the postmodern approach was too disjointed for me to be able to.

[Russ]

Weekend:

CarnivÃ*le marathon.

[Qrazy]

Well, I did throw in that "seems like". ;)

I'm sure I would still dislike Prospero's Books even if I had read The Tempest, but I'm also sure that I would better appreciate why somebody might like it.

However, based on what I've seen from Greenaway, and from the interviews I've read and heard with him, I think I'll always perceive his films as posturing. Not because he's not knowledgeable, which he definitely is, but because he presents his application of that knowledge with much more self-importance than depth (in my opinion). Although I love A Zed & Two Noughts, I still think it's a somewhat (not to say completely) superficial examination of its themes, even if it's very clever and formally dazzling.

This is how I feel about both Greenaway and Godard. They seem clever and intelligent but not wise. Wisdom to me carries with it an element of humility and an artistic examination which carries beyond the symbolic and referential.

[Spinal]

His commentary and permutation of the story did interest me but still overall I found it to be a visual and auditory assault and a mess. I quite wanted to like it but ultimately the postmodern approach was too disjointed for me to be able to.

'Mess' is not an accurate word to describe any Greenaway film. He's utterly precise. If something is there, it is because he wants it to be.

[Spinal]

This is how I feel about both Greenaway and Godard. They seem clever and intelligent but not wise. Wisdom to me carries with it an element of humility and an artistic examination which carries beyond the symbolic and referential.

Never understood what humility has to do with artistry.

[D_Davis]

So did anyone see Stuart Gordon's latest one, Stuck?

Man, it is really good. I saw it a few weeks ago.

It's a very taught and nasty little horror-drama, focusing on the nastiness of humanity.

[Rowland]

So did anyone see Stuart Gordon's latest one, Stuck?

Man, it is really good. I saw it a few weeks ago.

It's a very taught and nasty little horror-drama, focusing on the nastiness of humanity.I can't wait, so it's a shame it isn't being released on DVD until October.

[Winston*]

So did anyone see Stuart Gordon's latest one, Stuck?

Man, it is really good. I saw it a few weeks ago.

It's a very taught and nasty little horror-drama, focusing on the nastiness of humanity.

I'd like to see that, I think. Love the Rea. Did you see the last film he did before this one with the Macy, though? T'was awful.

[D_Davis]

I can't wait, so it's a shame it isn't being released on DVD until October.

October? Why so long? That's crazy.


I'd like to see that, I think. Love the Rea. Did you see the last film he did before this one with the Macy, though? T'was awful.

I did not see the Macy one, but I saw the previous one, King of Ants, and it was pretty good if a little messy.

Stuck is like a perfected version of what he was trying to accomplish with that film.

I like this new phase Gordon is in now. It's similar to the change Cronenberg made with History of Violence.

I think Gordon has entered a new phase with a new found maturity and a singular vision - he's honed his craft quite well. I can really see him gaining some more mainstream success if he keeps making these tightly focused little thrillers. Stuck is a very small film. It doesn't say or do a lot, but it is pretty great at what it does do.

[number8]

I liked Stuck a lot too. Got a review somewhere. On by iPhone now so too lazy to look for it.

[Qrazy]

'Mess' is not an accurate word to describe any Greenaway film. He's utterly precise. If something is there, it is because he wants it to be.

It's an aesthetic mess with the amount of information smashed together both visually and audio-wise. And sometimes too much extraneous content (of passing interest but not extreme relevance... some of the books... many of the extras) itself makes for messy storytelling. As I said in my earlier comments, sometimes less is more.

[Qrazy]

Never understood what humility has to do with artistry.

A lack of judgment of others (characters, situations), avoid tonal condescension and pretense, realize the depth of one's own ignorance in forming final conclusions on philosophical dilemmas.

[Rowland]

So I just finished reading Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island, which is the source material for Scorsese's next movie, and not only does it feel nothing like anything he has directed before, it's not very good either. My expectations have been significantly diminished.

[Spinal]

A lack of judgment of others (characters, situations), avoid tonal condescension and pretense, realize the depth of one's own ignorance in forming final conclusions on philosophical dilemmas.

Admirable qualities for a friar perhaps, but not an artist.

EDIT: I should say "not necessarily". Some can make those qualities work for them. Countless others have no need for them.

[Spinal]

sometimes less is more.

Perhaps, but not in this case when the aim is to create a visual interpretation of Prospero's vast knowledge and mystical abilities.

[Rowland]

So has anyone here seen The Signal besides myself? The more I think about it, the less I like it. One of the worst releases I've seen this year, just a major disappointment.

[origami_mustache]

Weekend:

I Vitelloni
The Damned

[Qrazy]

Perhaps, but not in this case when the aim is to create a visual interpretation of Prospero's vast knowledge and mystical abilities.

Even then there are much less assaulting ways of presenting the information to convey such depth. First off you don't need to throw everything at the audience to convey vast knowledge, the performance and set design do that well enough on their own. Secondly if the director felt the need to convey the vast knowledge directly I still would have aesthetically preferred a couple instances of Brakhage-esque Dog Star Man overlays versus inserts, rapid cuts, etc. On an editorial level I find it to be a very ugly and inept piece of cinema. It does not convey information to the viewer it flips through and throws it at the viewer.

[Qrazy]

Admirable qualities for a friar perhaps, but not an artist.

EDIT: I should say "not necessarily". Some can make those qualities work for them. Countless others have no need for them.

Yeah and in my opinion it's usually fairly apparent those who don't have it, it comes through in their work and makes it less valuable and interesting to me. They tend to view themselves above others and often even view others as objects in their mental fabrications rather than as ends in themselves.

Also I can't see how you wouldn't find the following... "A lack of judgment of others (characters, situations), avoid tonal condescension and pretense, realize the depth of one's own ignorance in forming final conclusions on philosophical dilemmas." ... valuable in relation to creation and expression. I want art that shows and explores, not tells and dictates.

[monolith94]

I'm gonna have to disagree with Qrazy on this one. While I had some problem's with Prospero's Books (review here: http://www.everyonesacritic.net/movie_review.asp?ratingid=3309 41) I by no means ever felt "assaulted" by the visuals, and in fact found them generally quite pretty, if a little OTT. I suppose you could say that my problems with the film rested more on the mise-en-scène than with the cinematography or editing.

[number8]

So has anyone here seen The Signal besides myself? The more I think about it, the less I like it. One of the worst releases I've seen this year, just a major disappointment.

Loved it, although I think they said all they could say in the first segment.

[D_Davis]

Loved it, although I think they said all they could say in the first segment.

I want to see it. I've heard pretty good things about it.

[Rowland]

Loved it, although I think they said all they could say in the first segment.Wow, loved it? Overly self-conscious, bad acting, lame humor, rampant sadism, ugly cinematography, and borderline incoherence as clashing tones and themes make for an increasingly frustrating viewing. The first half-hour had promise, and I liked the idea of individual perception being the fuel for the murderous rampage (which the filmmakers didn't do much with), but otherwise, I found the movie generally unpleasant and poorly executed. Only the first director had much in the way of visual flair too, and even then the three segments were difficult to distinguish from an aesthetic perspective, which I didn't find a terribly interesting or satisfying approach.

[Melville]

I'm gonna have to disagree with Qrazy on this one. While I had some problem's with Prospero's Books (review here: http://www.everyonesacritic.net/movie_review.asp?ratingid=3309 41) I by no means ever felt "assaulted" by the visuals, and in fact found them generally quite pretty, if a little OTT. I suppose you could say that my problems with the film rested more on the mise-en-scène than with the cinematography or editing.
I tend to agree with Qrazy that the visuals were almost oppressively busy, overly ornate and filled with irrelevancies that constantly drew attention to themselves. But now that I think about it, my biggest problem with the film was that it never gave a sense of Prospero as a person. Reducing all the other characters and scenes to lifeless symbols seems like a reasonable enough move, given that the movie is about Prospero's/Shakespeare's construction of the story; but even Prospero seems like a prop, and Shakespeare's words appear almost as a background drone. All the ornate visuals never added up to a meaningful picture of the author(s) for me.

Also, I couldn't stand that peeing kid.

[D_Davis]

Overly self-conscious, bad acting, lame humor, rampant sadism, ugly cinematography, and borderline incoherence as clashing tones and themes make for an increasingly frustrating viewing.

That sounds awesome!

[number8]

Only the first director had much in the way of visual flair too, and even then the three segments were difficult to distinguish from an aesthetic perspective, which I didn't find a terribly interesting or satisfying approach.

I don't really have much to say about your impression other than I felt the opposite, but I want to correct this. When I interviewed the three guys, they told me that they didn't really divide the workload at all. All three wrote, directed and edited all three segments together.

[Winston*]

Glory was suprisingly good, considering the Edward Zwick factor, crap overbearing score aside.

[origami_mustache]

Hellboy II - 8

number8, what did you rate the first Hellboy? I will be watching it this week.

[Yxklyx]

Glory was suprisingly good, considering the Edward Zwick factor, crap overbearing score aside.

Aw man that score pretty much ruined it for me.

[Qrazy]

Legends of the Fall, worth seeing?

I've seen Last Samurai - Terrible and Blood Diamond - Awful but since I hate myself I figure I should also see his earlier stuff.

[Spinal]

Legends of the Fall, worth seeing?


No.

[Rowland]

I don't really have much to say about your impression other than I felt the opposite, but I want to correct this. When I interviewed the three guys, they told me that they didn't really divide the workload at all. All three wrote, directed and edited all three segments together.Really? Because I've read that each worked on their own segment, and that the first guy drastically re-edited his third at the last minute, forcing the last guy to rewrite his screenplay, which may be why so little happens in the last act and it's so anticlimactic.

[Sven]

So did anyone see Stuart Gordon's latest one, Stuck?

Man, it is really good. I saw it a few weeks ago.

It's a very taught and nasty little horror-drama, focusing on the nastiness of humanity.

My thoughts are near the bottom of this page (http://match-cut.org/showthread.php?t=14&highlight=Gordon&page=361). Liked it a whole lot.

[Watashi]

Seriously, Match Cut has no idea what a good score is.

Glory has one of the best scores period.

[Winston*]

Seriously, Match Cut has no idea what a good score is.

Glory has one of the best scores period.
All that angelic choir shit? Srsly?

My rule of thumb in appreciating film scores is that it is only possible to do so if the artist composing the score has previously been involved with an album reviewed on pitchforkmedia.com. All those other composers can piss right off.

[Watashi]

All that angelic choir shit? Srsly?

Yes. I listen to it all the time. It's beautiful.

I don't think me or Barty has ever agreed with MC on what a good score is. And trust me, you don't want to get Barty started on scores.

[Watashi]

If you think this is a bad score, then you are nuts or Winston. (http://youtube.com/watch?v=AV9rHAd2H9M)

[MacGuffin]

If you think this is a bad score, then you are nuts or Winston. (http://youtube.com/watch?v=AV9rHAd2H9M)

Of course, you can never really be sure a score is good unless it is accompanying the movie. A mere audio file won't suffice.

[Watashi]

Of course, you can never really be sure a score is good unless it is accompanying the movie. A mere audio file won't suffice.
Yes you can. A piece of music is a piece of music. It can be a good score if it stands alone as well.

[MacGuffin]

Yes you can. A piece of music is a piece of music. It can be a good score if it stands alone as well.

So if the most out of place, yet amazing piece of music was paired up with a movie, would that make it a good score? No, it would be distracting, and people would criticize the score for being bad.

[Watashi]

So if the most out of place, yet amazing piece of music was paired up with a movie, would that make it a good score? No, it would be distracting, and people would criticize the score for being bad.

Yes, it would still be a good score. The Happening has an amazing score that doesn't work really well in the movie, but the actual music is great. Just because a score may be overbearing and distracting is most likely the director's fault, not the composer.

I don't think Glory's score is overbearing or distracting at all.

[MacGuffin]

Yes, it would still be a good score. The Happening has an amazing score that doesn't work really well in the movie, but the actual music is great. Just because a score may be overbearing and distracting is most likely the director's fault, not the composer.

I don't think Glory's score is overbearing or distracting at all.

So you're saying that if the music sounds overbearing, it's the director's fault when the composer is the one who made it overbearing and ultimately a bad score?

[Winston*]

Yes you can. A piece of music is a piece of music. It can be a good score if it stands alone as well.
I don't care if the music stands alone. I'm not going to listen to the soundtrack outside the movie because it's not a kind of music which interests me. I'm talking about the score in the context of the movie and when angels are singing on the soundtrack in order to redundantly emphasise how horrific the carnage on display in the film is, I think I'm in the right to find this needlessly manipulative and distracting. So there. *thumbs nose*

EDIT: I still love you tho, Watashi, btw. Never forget that.

[Watashi]

All music is manipulative. That is the whole point of a composer's job. Sad music will play over sad scenes, bombastic music will play over battles scenes, etc. It's been the same sicne day one of filmmaking. Hell, I want to feel manipulated, then I'll know the composer has succeeded. The last thing I want is for a score I quickly forget after the movie is over because it didn't properly accompany the film at all.

[megladon8]

I've always thought a score was meant to accent, not create the mood.

[MacGuffin]

I've always thought a score was meant to accent, not create the mood.

Indeed. This isn't about the music after all, it's about the images.

[number8]

It just occurred to me that composers get paid for every time their music is played on TV, right?

Man, Zimmer and Howard must be raking it in with all the Dark Knight tie-in commercials. They all use the same four notes over and over.

[Qrazy]

Indeed. This isn't about the music after all, it's about the images.

It's about the synthesis of the two.

[MacGuffin]

It's about the synthesis of the two.

In some certain situations, but the roots of cinema have nothing to do with music. I've grown to appreciate music in movies when it's done well.

[Qrazy]

In some certain situations, but the roots of cinema have nothing to do with music. I've grown to appreciate music in movies when it's done well.

I agree with your earlier point that a score needs to complement the scene it's scoring. It can be appraised and valued as a piece of music in and of itself but as a score if it doesn't fit the scene it isn't a successful score.

I disagree with your root of cinema comment for a variety of reasons. First because where something comes from does not have any bearing on what it ought to be (Hume is/ought)... the assumption of ought in this case being that we should prize the visuals more heavily on the total tonal audio-visual experience. Secondly I take it for granted that any discussion of music in film is in relation to films with music in which case I maintain that the synthesis is of utmost importance, not the visuals over the audio. Finally most of early cinema had accompanying music, people did not often sit in crowded theaters in stony silence.

[MacGuffin]

I agree with your earlier point that a score needs to complement the scene it's scoring. It can be appraised and valued as a piece of music in and of itself but as a score if it doesn't fit the scene it isn't a successful score.

I disagree with your root of cinema comment for a variety of reasons. First because where something comes from does not have any bearing on what it ought to be (Hume is/ought)... the assumption of ought in this case being that we should prize the visuals more heavily on the total tonal audio-visual experience. Secondly I take it for granted that any discussion of music in film is in relation to films with music in which case I maintain that the synthesis is of utmost importance, not the visuals over the audio. Finally most of early cinema had accompanying music, people did not often sit in crowded theaters in stony silence.

I've just always looked at cinema as an art of moving images. I'm fine with music however.

[Qrazy]

The Last Starfighter was pretty fun. I mean yeah the space sfx are hopelessly dated and just generally awful for the most part, but the make-up and other effects are pretty solid and the story is told with a light and often humorous touch. It's a lot like Tron in the early videogame come to life kind of way and I have to say I preferred it to Tron. The 'earth world' scenes deliver much more satisfactorily and despite a few dramatic missteps I just generally cared about the characters somewhat more. It's also a lot like Galaxy Quest with it's 'intergalactic space travel is real, believe in yourself' style storyline... or Galaxy Quest is a lot like it rather. Plus you have to love those choice line deliveries such as...

Alex Rogan: Centauri! I thought you were dead.
Centauri: Me, die? And miss all the excitement? Ha-ha, no.

Or who can forget the classic:

Kodan Officer: She won't answer the helm! We're locked into the moon's gravitational pull. What do we do?
[sound of Lord Kril's eyepiece swinging over left eye]
Lord Kril: We die.

[SirNewt]

It's not so simple as defining a place the score should fill and having it fill that place every time.

Think of Metropolis. The score is certainly overbearing but never distracting. But can anyone really think of that film without hearing the crescendo of the Metropolis theme? Or think of Contempt. The continual droning of that films score certainly doesn't fit certain segments (and it's used in all of them, trust me) but it sums up the entire films concluding emotion. Again I cannot separate that film from it's score.

[Morris Schæffer]

Yeah, I remember The Last Starfighter. I recall enjoying it. I'd lump it together with the likes of Tron, The Black Hole and The Final Countdown as enjoyable, memorable little sci-fi movies living in the shadow of the great ones.

[Boner M]

Cockfighter was a little bit of a disappointment after Two-Lane Blacktop, but still very good. I think it could've been a little more languid to aid the whole existential theme, like 2-LB, instead of being slightly goofy and jaunty, even though that's where a lot of the film's charm comes from. Oates is in top form, perhaps my favorite performance from him... the scene where he greets his girlfriend's mom while staying true to his vow of silence is just a note-perfect moment of purely physical acting.

[transmogrifier]

The only good scores are:

Mulholland Drive
Lost Highway
The Last of the Mohicans

Seriously, orchestral music accompanying a movie is seriously the most extraneous, redundant technique still in use, and I for one would love to see it dinosaured.

[Sven]

The Last of the Mohicans

Seriously, orchestral music accompanying a movie is seriously the most extraneous, redundant technique still in use, and I for one would love to see it dinosaured.

I don't understand your opposition to scores and your description of LotM as 'a good score'. Because if your issue is bombast, LotM is totally guilty. If your issue is emotional cuing, LotM certainly has that.

I do trust you are being facetious when you say "only", because there's lots of films with great scores that aren't orchestral. I think of Ravenous as the obvious example.

[monolith94]

To say that music has nothing to do with the roots of cinema is historically ignorant. In the first movie houses, there was almost always piano accompaniment, and in the big movie palaces there were often orchestras or fancy organs.

[transmogrifier]

I don't understand your opposition to scores and your description of LotM as 'a good score'. Because if your issue is bombast, LotM is totally guilty. If your issue is emotional cuing, LotM certainly has that.

I do trust you are being facetious when you say "only", because there's lots of films with great scores that aren't orchestral. I think of Ravenous as the obvious example.

Eh, I hated Ravenous, so I have no idea what the score for that sounds like, because it is all expunged from the memory.

Anyway, regarding scores, The Last of the Mohicans is a good bit of music that happens to be attached to an excellent movie, but I'm sure the movie would have been just as impressive without it.

People often say that the mark of a good score is that you don't know it's there. People also say that about referees in football. And pretty much sums it up to me. A bad ref will ruin a game, of course, but you could have the best ref in the world, but if they are reffing a bunch of no-mark players with minimal talent, than the game is going to be crap regardless.

Unfortunately my analogy falls apart when we start contemplating no refs, but hell if that's gonna stop me hitting "Submit Reply" in 3, 2, 1......

[D_Davis]

Ravenous has one of the best, and most creative scores I've heard in a horror film.

[Sven]

Ravenous has one of the best, and most creative scores I've heard in a horror film.

Did you see my post a little while back that linked to my Stuck thoughts?

[transmogrifier]

Ravenous has one of the best, and most creative scores I've heard in a horror film.


As I said, I can't remember it.

[DavidSeven]

People often say that the mark of a good score is that you don't know it's there.

I don't think anyone actually says this.

[Spinal]

I think The Pink Panther has a good score. I definitely know it's there. Ditto with Jaws, Lawrence of Arabia, Psycho, etc ...

[Spinal]

A heads-up for people with Comcast On-Demand:

IFC in Theaters has The Last Mistress and My Winnipeg available. Also, my favorite film of the year so far, California Dreamin' is available on IFC FestivalDirect.

[D_Davis]

Did you see my post a little while back that linked to my Stuck thoughts?

I did not. Link?

[Bosco B Thug]

Seriously, orchestral music accompanying a movie is seriously the most extraneous, redundant technique still in use, and I for one would love to see it dinosaured. Ooh, ooh, ooh. I haven't put too much thought into the current debate, and I think I disagree with you on a basic level, but I am compelled to leave this quick, hasty, but thoroughly convinced, remark:

Aaand this is why The Birds is the most pure and brilliant film ever made, in the unadulterated integrity of the strength of its emotional resonance and power.

[Sven]

I did not. Link?

http://match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=79477&postcount=15916

[Winston*]

I think Ravenous has a great film score that as an album I don't find listenable.

[SirNewt]

To say that music has nothing to do with the roots of cinema is historically ignorant. In the first movie houses, there was almost always piano accompaniment, and in the big movie palaces there were often orchestras or fancy organs.

Didn't early films sets often have a musician to set the mood for the actors?


I don't think anyone actually says this.

I've heard this before.

[DavidSeven]

I've heard this before.

Find me an example. I've searched Google. Nothing. I don't believe you.

[Philosophe_rouge]

I've heard the quote too, I think it was from an episode of Columbo.

[number8]

I don't think anyone actually says this.

I do.

[number8]

I do.

And I had a teacher who HATED HATED HATED John Williams for this exact reason.

[Duncan]

Watched Cassavetes Faces last night. A lot of laughing. My thoughts are confused. A lot of singing, too. But not much music. It felt genuinely independent, which I admire. Can't say I felt much, though. Faces, I suppose, are inherently impressionistic, but I found The Killing of a Chinese Bookie with its languorous camera and sad colours much more impressionistic. Can't say I thought much either. I think I was out of sync with much of the film. Mostly awkwardly uncomfortable. But I liked it.

[Derek]

Watched Cassavetes Faces last night. A lot of laughing. My thoughts are confused. A lot of singing, too. But not much music. It felt genuinely independent, which I admire. Can't say I felt much, though. Faces, I suppose, are inherently impressionistic, but I found The Killing of a Chinese Bookie with its languorous camera and sad colours much more impressionistic. Can't say I thought much either. I think I was out of sync with much of the film. Mostly awkwardly uncomfortable. But I liked it.

I'm with you. I liked it the second time through, but it's a film I admire more than I consider it great. Ray Carney's essay on it is more fascinating than the film itself.

I too have heard people say that a good score is one that you don't notice and I don't really care who believes me.

[Qrazy]

Faces imo, is the best thing Cassavetes ever did.

[Derek]

Faces imo, is the best thing Cassavetes ever did.

You should see Opening Night, or see it again.

[Qrazy]

You should see Opening Night, or see it again.

I have, doesn't match up. I like it more than A Woman Under the Influence though.

[Boner M]

Faces is my second least favorite J-Cass, after Shadows. I still like it, mainly because the second half is dynamite, but man, all that laughing... :frustrated:

Anyway, I just finished Hail the Conquering Hero, which was a little one-note in it's satire of patriotism gone awry, but at the same time executed with such dizzying (and appropriate) farcicality that I found it impossible to resist. Kinda glad that Sturges doesn't indulge in his usual slapstick digressions, which work well when they're stretched to the point of absurdity (ala The Lady Eve), but can also feel like pandering at other times. Eddie Bracken is great as the wimp.

[Qrazy]

Faces is my second least favorite J-Cass, after Shadows. I still like it, mainly because the second half is dynamite, but man, all that laughing... :frustrated:

That's precisely why it's good. It's true to life.

If you do any kind of heavy drinking there's going to be a lot of laughter involved.

[Qrazy]

Play it Again Sam made me remember how little patience I have for Allen's riffing his own sensibilities onto other older better films and filmmakers styles... even if he's not directing (Stardust Memories, Interiors, PIAS). The completionist in my makes me want to watch Shadows and Fog but I have a feeling I'll leave it fairly underwhelmed.

[Ezee E]

Watching The Tracey Fragments. Um... Ten minutes into it, and it's annoying the hell out of me. Time to move on.

Over-the-top student effort that only got notice because Ellen Page is in it.

[balmakboor]

My two cents: While I love pretty much everything I've seen by John Cassavetes (A Child Is Waiting was clearly a wrong turn), I find myself popping Chinese Bookie (long version) and Opening Night back in for another play by far the most often.

[Rowland]

So I was hoping to be a dissenting voice amidst the increasingly common reaction around here as to Diary of the Dead being a disappointment, but yeah... not good.

[Winston*]

Hancock wasn't very good. Actually it was pretty bad. Eddie Marsan was the villain of sorts though.That was kind of neat, even if he was only in it for a few scenes.

[Qrazy]

I haven't seen a positive Hancock review yet. Why do people keep seeing it (rhetorical)?

[Rowland]

“It used to be us against us, now it’s us against them. Except they… are us.”

WTF?

[Philosophe_rouge]

I had high expectations for Johnny Guitar, and I think they were exceeded. The character's relationships were far more complex than I had anticipated, and the strong sense of visuals extended far beyond the use of colour and interesting set pieces. I was completely taken in by the film, and was often left surprised or enchanted by the turn of events. It kinda made me feel like a kid again, absolutely charmed by the mastery of the storytelling and design. Easily my favourite Ray.

[Mysterious Dude]

I haven't seen a positive Hancock review yet. Why do people keep seeing it (rhetorical)?
I asked the same thing about The Happening.

My theory is that it's for the sake of having a shared experience with other people.

[Rowland]

I asked the same thing about The Happening.

My theory is that it's for the sake of having a shared experience with other people.I like discovering movies I enjoy that many others don't, feels like I'm championing a cause.

[Winston*]

I just went to Hancock because people asked me if I wanted to come and I wasn't doing much of anything. I didn't realise it was so poorly received since I don't spend my time reading Hancock reviews.

[origami_mustache]

I haven't seen a positive Hancock review yet. Why do people keep seeing it (rhetorical)?

I didn't want to see it, but my friends were in town and did. I do like Will Smith, however I'd like to see him do something a little less blockbuster...and he's going to have to do a little better than Pursuit of Happiness . :rolleyes:

[megladon8]

The Signal (David Bruckner & Dan Bush & Jacob Gentry, 2007) 36


That's damn disheartening.

I was really looking forward to seeing this one.

[Qrazy]

I didn't want to see it, but my friends were in town and did. I do like Will Smith, however I'd like to see him do something a little less blockbuster...and he's going to have to do a little better than Pursuit of Happiness . :rolleyes:

Well hate to break it to you but based on his career I don't see him ever doing anything of that nature. It's going to either be blockbuster or oscarbait.

[origami_mustache]

Well hate to break it to you but based on his career I don't see him ever doing anything of that nature. It's going to either be blockbuster or oscarbait.

I know I know...I think if he ever took time off to do something worthwhile, Hollywood would go out of business.

[MacGuffin]

In Bruges was something different. Outrageous, dark, hilarious, and quite stylish, it's an interesting movie about the effects of a dark occupation on a seemingly beautiful town (one of my main gripes with the movie was the main characters' constantly calling it 'hell', but I'm willing to look past this as merely a personality trait). Anyways, when it's funny it's hilarious, and I'm hard to please in this department, and when it's serious, it's really pretty powerful. One of the better comedies of the decade so far (however you may defy that genre term ;)).

[SirNewt]

Find me an example. I've searched Google. Nothing. I don't believe you.

Well, it's not anything worth citing the Encyclopedia Britanica over.

Just one time a friend said to me when speaking of 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly' that he found it odd that the score was so obvious and yet that it didn't interfere with the film. He said that he thought, usually, a good score wasn't really noticeable, that it faded into the background and operated without you realizing it. He also mentioned the score of Star Wars and how well he thought it worked despite it's blaring nature. He isn't really all that into film and isn't one to hypothesize on film himself so I got the impression that he lifted it from a featurette or something where a critic was discussing scores.

[Bosco B Thug]

So I was hoping to be a dissenting voice amidst the increasingly common reaction around here as to Diary of the Dead being a disappointment, but yeah... not good. But not bad, right?


“It used to be us against us, now it’s us against them. Except they… are us.”

WTF? Yeah... ummm, overcooked, yes, but... it's a rumination that isn't nonsensical; it's worth its weight in implied grandstanding; and it has a tricky double-caking of irony in that its a play on and literalization of the "Us Against Them" faux pas, yet begins by stating the "aware" liberal rhetoric ("... us against us...") as the way it "used" to be, before the "us against them" and also the zombie literalization came into the picture... and now it's conceding to an "us against them"...

... Er. Well, I thought it was good (the movie, not the line).


I had high expectations for Johnny Guitar, and I think they were exceeded. The character's relationships were far more complex than I had anticipated, and the strong sense of visuals extended far beyond the use of colour and interesting set pieces. I was completely taken in by the film, and was often left surprised or enchanted by the turn of events. It kinda made me feel like a kid again, absolutely charmed by the mastery of the storytelling and design. Easily my favourite Ray. It's a neat movie, huh? I remember finishing it and thinking I've never seen a movie of such "high drama" as this one.

[Rowland]

But not bad, right?Pretty close. My score is as high as it is mainly because of the charming low-budget ingenuity it exudes and a certain manic energy in the amount of ground it covers from a sheer setpiece standpoint. It's just a shame that the subtext is so noxiously foregrounded, even considering the argument that Romero may intend a certain degree of irony, given that the entire film is presented as the product of a shitty film school student. And the acting... *gag*

[SirNewt]

(Added: More directors to the Director Lists blog)



Hey, I don't care. Where are my Criterion reviews. I've been reading: you haven't been posting.

[MacGuffin]

Hey, I don't care. Where are my Criterion reviews. I've been reading: you haven't been posting.

Okay, okay. I suppose I should review Play Time since I got that and Contempt on vacation at Scarecrow Video (oh Seattle, how I miss you). But I've already seen both. I did, however, just put a shitload of stuff on hold at the library. So keep your eyes open. I may write some stuff about Hitchcock's Notorious, one of his better movies, but I may need to see it again first; I'm not so sure. Thanks for the reading.

[origami_mustache]

Okay, okay. I suppose I should review Play Time since I got that and Contempt on vacation at Scarecrow Video (oh Seattle, how I miss you). But I've already seen both. I did, however, just put a shitload of stuff on hold at the library. So keep your eyes open. I may write some stuff about Hitchcock's Notorious, one of his better movies, but I may need to see it again first; I'm not so sure. Thanks for the reading.

They showed that ridiculous Contempt trailer at the Nuart the last couple times I went...great film...better trailer?...so hilarious and the song is great.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT7P7ijpAPY

[MacGuffin]

They showed that ridiculous Contempt trailer at the Nuart the last couple times I went...great film...better trailer?...so hilarious and the song is great.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT7P7ijpAPY

Haha, that's outstanding! Man, such an amazing movie. His best, in my opinion. However, if someone asked which Godard to see first, I'd tell them Band of Outsiders. That one, along with Fellini's 8½ really opened my eyes to cinema a few years ago. Anyways, Contempt is a masterpiece, and kudos to Godard for giving in to the studio's need for extended nude sequences with Bardot and at the same time delivering hilarious criticism on working with the studios. She looks awesome in the wig. The whole movie rules. I'm looking forward to watch it again. And again. And so on and so on.

[Duncan]

That's precisely why it's good. It's true to life.

If you do any kind of heavy drinking there's going to be a lot of laughter involved.

That laughter did not seem true to life at all. I thought it was obviously exaggerated intentionally. I'm not sure as to the purpose.

[Qrazy]

That laughter did not seem true to life at all. I thought it was obviously exaggerated intentionally. I'm not sure as to the purpose.

Clearly you do not hang out much with drunkards and psychotics.

[Duncan]

Anyway, I just finished Hail the Conquering Hero, which was a little one-note in it's satire of patriotism gone awry, but at the same time executed with such dizzying (and appropriate) farcicality that I found it impossible to resist. Kinda glad that Sturges doesn't indulge in his usual slapstick digressions, which work well when they're stretched to the point of absurdity (ala The Lady Eve), but can also feel like pandering at other times. Eddie Bracken is great as the wimp. TVO? Both were on tonight. Sturges double feature. I watched The Lady Eve. Pretty good. Henry Fonda always seems so actor-ly to me.

Also saw Dave Chappelle's Block Party tonight. Again, pretty good. Liked most of the interviews with random people. I like pretty much everyone who performed, so that's a plus. Surprisingly, I thought Chappelle was the weak link. He just, like, wasn't very funny.

[origami_mustache]

I liked Faces a lot...the laughing seemed natural to me...and even if it comes across as artificial I think it still works because people often force laughter in awkward situations.

[Duncan]

Clearly you do not hang out much with drunkards and psychotics.

Well, I don't know about psychotics...but a great deal of the laughter in Faces was used to conceal tension or aggression. When I'm drunk with my friends and people are laughing with comparable frequency and intensity it's usually because of complete lack of tension.

[SirNewt]

Haha, that's outstanding! Man, such an amazing movie. His best, in my opinion. However, if someone asked which Godard to see first, I'd tell them Band of Outsiders. That one, along with Fellini's 8½ really opened my eyes to cinema a few years ago. Anyways, Contempt is a masterpiece, and kudos to Godard for giving in to the studio's need for extended nude sequences with Bardot and at the same time delivering hilarious criticism on working with the studios. She looks awesome in the wig. The whole movie rules. I'm looking forward to watch it again. And again. And so on and so on.

Yes, Contempt is my favorite Godard so far. The bankrupt studio head creaks me up to no end. I too would recommend 'Band' as a starting point with Godard. I watched 'Breathless' first and it didn't do much for me. It still doesn't do much for me actually.

I love the scene where they're watching the dailies and Ulyses is just floundering and splashing about like a real person swimming as he tries to mount that rock. It sums up the entire movie for me. I think, however, an epic using those seventiesish large flat pains of colour would be kind of cool.

EDIT: at least to look at for a while.

[SirNewt]

Well, I don't know about psychotics...but a great deal of the laughter in Faces was used to conceal tension or aggression. When I'm drunk with my friends and people are laughing with comparable frequency and intensity it's usually because of complete lack of tension.

Yeah, I've been around several occurrences of people having psychotic breaks from reality and there was never much laughing. Of course, every person manifests different behavior during a lapse with a few common ticks between similar mental illnesses.

[Barty]

"What good is music if you don't hear it?!"

-Max Steiner

[balmakboor]

I didn't want to see it, but my friends were in town and did. I do like Will Smith, however I'd like to see him do something a little less blockbuster...and he's going to have to do a little better than Pursuit of Happiness . :rolleyes:

I've heard he's very good in Six Degrees of Separation. I don't know if that's true though.

[Boner M]

TVO? Both were on tonight. Sturges double feature. I watched The Lady Eve. Pretty good. Henry Fonda always seems so actor-ly to me.
Yeah, TVO. I'm in a nice little secluded farmhouse in Cape Breton at the moment. This is the 'chillout' part of my trip, I guess.

Fonda's one of my favorite actors, actually. Have you seen The Wrong Man? He's like a Bresson model in that one. Really fascinating performance.

[Qrazy]

Bugsy Malone - Pretty meh. The kids performances just aren't strong enough across the board to elevate the film, but there are a few quality roles. The concept is OK I suppose although not all that compelling. It would have been nice if the film had gotten a bit more meta and explored why it had kids portraying gangsters in the first place.

[Qrazy]

Yeah, I've been around several occurrences of people having psychotic breaks from reality and there was never much laughing. Of course, every person manifests different behavior during a lapse with a few common ticks between similar mental illnesses.

Not that kind of psychosis, I mean the strained laughter of an alcoholic masking their unhappiness.

[Qrazy]

Name some films where you expected one particularly memorable scene amidst fluff but were pleasantly surprised when you discovered that the overall film was stronger than you originally anticipated.

I felt this way about...

Saturday Night Fever
Bullitt

[megladon8]

Name some films where you expected one particularly memorable scene amidst fluff but were pleasantly surprised when you discovered that the overall film was stronger than you originally anticipated.

I felt this way about...

Saturday Night Fever
Bullitt



Honestly, I didn't expect much from Casablanca or Citizen Kane. I thought they would both be examples of classics that are overpraised.

But no, they're both wonderful movies.

And I actually liked The Getaway more than Bullitt, but a re-watch is in order for both.