28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[Grouchy]

I watched eXistenZ today.

Interesting. Jude Law was kind of irritating, though. His performance reminded me of Mark Whalberg's from The Happening...in the sense that it left me wondering whether or not it was full of intentional camp (or stiltedness) or if that was just a by-product of an inefficient performance. I'm thinking the former, in this case. Didn't really enjoy either of the two leads, but I'm not entirely convinced that their off-putting performances went against the point of the film. What with the whole idea of virtual reality superseding actual reality, and people become alienated and disassociated with real behavior, etc.

The scenario in the film is a bit extreme (obviously). But, still, there is a pretty easy to recognize (yet valuable) message found in the ambivalence the film expresses towards technology and its concomitant threats of desensitization.

I haven't seen Videodrome since last Halloween, but from what I recall, this would probably be a good companion piece. Cronenberg even throws in a direct reference (or two) to the film.
Having seen Videodrome shortly before, I couldn't help but see this one as an unofficial remake based around videogames. The gun motif is the main culprit.

I think Cronenberg is a solid actors director, but his movies often demand a stretch of the imagination that not everyone, good actor or not, is capable of.

EDIT: Rewatched Magnolia. Still great.

[Amnesiac]

Having seen Videodrome shortly before, I couldn't help but see this one as an unofficial remake based around videogames. The gun motif is the main culprit.

Yeah, there are similar ideas involving this bizarre amalgamation of technology and the anatomy of man. This results in these freakishly organic weapons. I suppose this could point towards the dissolution of the mind and body of the average human being, as resulting from the threat of the alluring, intoxicating and all together alienating advent of technology. Maybe...

There's also the "Death to Videdrome - long live the new flesh!" and "Death to eXistenZ! Death to the demoness Allegra Geller!" parallel.



EDIT: Rewatched Magnolia. Still great.

Yeah, one of my favorites.

[Wryan]

EDIT: Rewatched Magnolia. Still great.

Hell yes it is. My dvd of it is lost somewhere. I need to rebuy it, which is perfectly fine with me. It also has one of the best-made trailers of the last decade, imo.

[Ezee E]

I never realized until recently that Ricky Jay was the narrator at the beginning.

He needs to do that more.

[Wryan]

I never realized until recently that Ricky Jay was the narrator at the beginning.

He needs to do that more.

Ricky Jay is multi-awesomely-faceted.

[Ivan Drago]

Magnolia is a masterpiece. My favorite film of all time.

[MadMan]

Who knew that post #20,000 would go to a creepy picture of Jeff Goldblum.

Damn you chrisnu. *shakes fist*That's Match-Cut for yah, I guess :lol:

Goldblum on Law Order? I may actually tune in every once and a while, just to see how that works out.

Also I'm surprised it took so long to reach 20k in this thread.

[Derek]

Mean Girls (Mark Waters, 2004)

This is one in a long line of films that tackles the viciousness of the high school milieu, yet one of the few that infers the problem lying within the institution itself rather than a few bad eggs who must, and usually can, be reformed. Lohan's purity and wide-eyed optimism is almost instantly corrupted upon her injection into the school, yet the blame can never be squarely laid on the "plastics". They are perhaps the most extreme example of the dangers of conformity, but the film eventually gets across the point that part of the high school experience, which by now is fully engrained in the system, is the sacrifice of individuality in favor of "finding your place". While most other films would spend their time villainizing the "plastics" while propping up another clique like the nerds or art crowd, Mean Girls focuses on the cruelty and bitterness that is a by-product of the constant push-pull, "one of us, one of us" mentality that is perpetuated by the administration, teachers and students. Aside from degree of pressure exerted, Cady's teacher pushing her to be a Mathlete isn't all that different than the "plastics" bringing her into the fold. And that's a pretty bold thing to proclaim in a mainstream film. That it's also pretty funny is icing on the cake.

The Band's Visit (Eran Kolirin, 2008)

Sidestepping the trappings of the coy, simplistic reflection on Israeli/Palestinian relations it at first threatened to become, Kolirin instead delivers a thoughtful, emotionally engaging yet never melodramatic tale of loneliness and miscommunication. Underscored by its carefully composed shots and a mostly deadpan delivery that perfectly reflect its themes, The Band's Visit tackles foreign relations on a universal level by remaining acutely focused on the slightest of details in the relationships that develop between the Arab police band members and the various Israelis that take them in for the night. Anchored by a powerful and humane performance by Ronit Elkabetz as the uncompromising yet damaged Dina and her burgeoning relationship with the uptight, repressed Tewfiq, it expresses with great subtlety the struggles to communicate and the constant wavering between being open and having secret asides in their own respective languages in the face of the innate desire to forge a connection despite these barriers. The unloading of their backstories is done in a way that feels natural and while their connection is left as fleeting and ultimately incomplete, the way Kolirin leaves it at the end adds even more potency to their scenes together in retrospect. The peripheral stories don't quite measure up to this one (although the roller disco scene registers an emotional punch despite bordering on cutesy preciousness) and occasionally drag the film down, but Kolirin sets such a strong tone that even the flatter dramatic moments carry a weight greater than they probably should, even if the anticipation for a return to the Dina/Tewfiq storyline looms overhead.

[balmakboor]

Mean Girls (Mark Waters, 2004)

This is one in a long line of films that tackles the viciousness of the high school milieu, yet one of the few that infers the problem lying within the institution itself rather than a few bad eggs who must, and usually can, be reformed. Lohan's purity and wide-eyed optimism is almost instantly corrupted upon her injection into the school, yet the blame can never be squarely laid on the "plastics". They are perhaps the most extreme example of the dangers of conformity, but the film eventually gets across the point that part of the high school experience, which by now is fully engrained in the system, is the sacrifice of individuality in favor of "finding your place". While most other films would spend their time villainizing the "plastics" while propping up another clique like the nerds or art crowd, Mean Girls focuses on the cruelty and bitterness that is a by-product of the constant push-pull, "one of us, one of us" mentality that is perpetuated by the administration, teachers and students. Aside from degree of pressure exerted, Cady's teacher pushing her to be a Mathlete isn't all that different than the "plastics" bringing her into the fold. And that's a pretty bold thing to proclaim in a mainstream film. That it's also pretty funny is icing on the cake.


You're one tough grader. After reading your Mean Girls comments, I expected a much higher score than a 63.

[Winston*]

You're one tough grader. After reading your Mean Girls comments, I expected a much higher score than a 63.

I find on Match Cut it's best just to ignore everyone's film ratings always.

[Derek]

You're one tough grader. After reading your Mean Girls comments, I expected a much higher score than a 63.

*Smacks forehead*

Jeremy Heilman scale for reference:

50-59 = ***
60-74 = ***1/2
75+ = ****

Pretty much every site I read/check that uses an approximation of that scale (from Heilman to D'Angelo to Theo Panayides to baaab) as does Rowland and Raiders (to a lesser extent) here. 50+ good, 49- bad. I like using a majority of whatever scale I'm on rather than giving everything a 70+ since everyone knows 70 is a C-. And I like bell curves...what can I say? :)

*ducks from airborne carnage of Sven's exploding head*

[The Mike]

I just secured my tickets for the Nov. 14 screening of My Name is Bruce with Bruce Campbell attending in person.

Huzzah.

I'll give you two kidneys, my mother, and a case of brewskis for 'em.

[Beau]

*Smacks forehead*

Jeremy Heilman scale for reference:

50-59 = ***
60-74 = ***1/2
75+ = ****

Pretty much every site I read/check that uses an approximation of that scale (from Heilman to D'Angelo to Theo Panayides to baaab) as does Rowland and Raiders (to a lesser extent) here. 50+ good, 49- bad. I like using a majority of whatever scale I'm on rather than giving everything a 70+ since everyone knows 70 is a C-. And I like bell curves...what can I say? :)

*ducks from airborne carnage of Sven's exploding head*

This has opened my mind to new and exciting ways of using numbers. Not that I actually like number ratings, but at least this makes me realize that people here are not necessarily insane.

[Watashi]

Yeah, I don't use Derek's scale.

**** for everything 75 and up is too insane for me.

Why have the scale for *** smaller than the scale for ***1/2?

[Beau]

Yeah, I don't use Derek's scale.

**** for everything 75 and up is too insane for me.

I can see the appeal, though. It gives you twenty-five slots to create layers of greatness. All films above seventy-five are super, but not quite to the same extent. Yeah.

[Ezee E]

I dug Mean Girls as well Derek. It surprised me.

[Watashi]

I like Mean Girls too. 2004 was pretty decent with the high school crowd with that film and Saved! (was I the only one who liked that film?).

[Ezee E]

I like Mean Girls too. 2004 was pretty decent with the high school crowd with that film and Saved! (was I the only one who liked that film?).
Saved was simply okay, but I can't say I remember much except to be "realistic" they had acne on some of the kids.

[Boner M]

Thoughts on L'Enfance Nue, Beau? Thrilled that you loved it!

[thefourthwall]

I like Mean Girls too. 2004 was pretty decent with the high school crowd with that film and Saved! (was I the only one who liked that film?).

I really enjoyed Saved! and found it's commentary on Christian culture to be fairly insightful and not too mean-spirited.

[Beau]

Thoughts on L'Enfance Nue, Beau? Thrilled that you loved it!

It was my first experience with Maurice Pialat. I got it on a whim because it seemed interesting. I had no idea what to expect. The first couple of scenes convinced me that I was in for something special - there was an 'observational' tendency to the aesthetic, a drive to just capture people in the process of living. Pialat has a real eye for expressions, mannerism, and little moments of humanity. That scene where the grandmother sings with our protagonist is lovely beyond words. It's a style of cinema that I'm enjoying more and more nowadays - something that no doubt stems from my love for Jean Renoir. His staging is more 'theatrical,' perhaps, than Pialat's, but there is a shared passion for capturing people at their most expressive and evocative, a fascination with little ticks and peculiarities. Characters are created through their movements.

Of course, the difference is that in a Renoir film there is more of a 'dance,' as characters (accompanied by a very agile camera) move around the set. Here, in L'Enfance Nue, the idea is a tad different: to achieve a near documentary-like naturalism. People appear to actually exist inside of Pialat's film. Technically "pointless" scenes scroll by just so we can get a sense for lifestyle and ambiance. Nevertheless, like Renoir, Pialat - at least in this film - is not judgmental. He is not making indictments. A character might seem unsavory, but he or she is not damned, nor deprived of his or her own potential worth. Our protagonist remains a mystery. I liked that. He is not explained. He seems loving. He is capable of tenderness. He does not even act like a rebel in the typical sense. At home he is often perfectly nice. We come to doubt that he can do anything violent. And then, of course, he does something completely out of left field - drops a cat, throws a knife, attacks an automobile. It's sudden and shocking.

I wondered why this is. How can this kid both love and be a devil? How can he pull a little prank on grandmother when he evidently likes her so much? I think it's because he does not really understand the concept of 'cause and effect.' He knows nothing of repercussions. Every time his actions get him in trouble with those around him, he is taken to a new place, with new acquaintances. He never has to spend too much time with people who suffer as a result of what he does. Or, to put it better, he does spend some time with them, but when the repercussions of his actions reach a fever pitch, he is spirited away elsewhere. I think this is central to his character. We all think of awful things from time to time. I often catch myself wondering, during a family dinner, what would happen if I were to reach across the table and choke the guests. Yes, it's horrible and I don't do it. I know that if I were to do it, the repercussions would not only be annoying, they would also be destructive to my life and to the lives of others. So I am blessed with the capacity for restraint. The problem with the protagonist of this film is that he is not so blessed. It is as if, every time he has a violent idea, he asks himself, "Why not?" And the only answer he can muster is, "There is no reason not to."

[Spinal]

I like Mean Girls too. 2004 was pretty decent with the high school crowd with that film and Saved! (was I the only one who liked that film?).

I'm a big fan of both of those films.

[Derek]

I dug Mean Girls as well Derek. It surprised me.


I like Mean Girls too. 2004 was pretty decent with the high school crowd with that film and Saved! (was I the only one who liked that film?).

Awesome. It was on my radar for a while after hearing some good things about it. My expectations still weren't too high, so I was pleasantly surprised at just how good it was.

Can't say I have much interest in Saved! although I have heard a few good things. I dunno, taking on Christian youth culture seems too much like shooting fish in a barrel. Now, if it were somehow tied into a critique of middle class suburbia, then count me in...I hate those fuckers! :)

[balmakboor]

Count me in as another Mean Girls fan -- with one caveat. My younger daughter -- when she was 10 -- fell victim to the popular girls at school when they decided to re-enact behavior from the movie. I don't blame the movie of course, just those damn real life mean girls.

I should check out Saved some day.

[balmakboor]

By the way, I watched Salo a second time today before sealing up the red envelope. I really love this movie. I laughed. I was fascinated. I was astonished by Pasolini's visual talents and bravery and good taste and, above all, intelligence. The structure of the film is dazzling.

I actually feel now that I am smart enough to put forth a decent interpretation. I'm too tired at the moment, but certainly in the days to come. It really reminds me of Eyes Wide Shut, a lot. The film seems to me like a gay, Marxist late Kubrick movie.

[balmakboor]

Weekend:

Paranoid Park
Stuck

Two high school swim meets

[Ivan Drago]

Joel Schumacher made up for Batman and Robin with The Phantom of the Opera.

Now he needs to redeem himself for Falling Down.

[Ezee E]

Joel Schumacher made up for Batman and Robin with The Phantom of the Opera.

Now he needs to redeem himself for Falling Down.
Schumacher's too far away to achieve redemption.

[balmakboor]

Joel Schumacher made up for Batman and Robin with The Phantom of the Opera.

Now he needs to redeem himself for Falling Down.

While I'm not much of a fan of anything Schumacher has done, I do consider Falling Down one of his best. That said, I've never seen Batman and Robin, but I have a funny feeling I might like it, if only because I prefer the campy original tv series to the recent Nolan movies.

[Derek]

By the way, I watched Salo a second time today before sealing up the red envelope. I really love this movie. I laughed. I was fascinated. I was astonished by Pasolini's visual talents and bravery and good taste and, above all, intelligence. The structure of the film is dazzling.

I actually feel now that I am smart enough to put forth a decent interpretation. I'm too tired at the moment, but certainly in the days to come. It really reminds me of Eyes Wide Shut, a lot. The film seems to me like a gay, Marxist late Kubrick movie.

Excellent! I feel so alone, at least at MatchCut, in my love for this film. It's so often dismissed as mere scatological nonsense interested only in shock value, but it's an incredibly deep film as well as Pasolini's most visually accomplished. I can't wait to read your interpretation.


Joel Schumacher made up for Batman and Robin with The Phantom of the Opera.

Now he needs to redeem himself for Falling Down.

How about Joel Schumacher just stops making movies? Problem solved.

[MadMan]

The Tripper(2007) was at times disturbing, other times quite funny. But the satire really kind of fell flat, and it should have been more sharper and smarter. Although I guess I shouldn't have expected such a thing from a movie featuring a slasher running around wearing a Ronald Reagan mask, killing hippies. I'll admit I found that aspect somewhat original, even though the execution was mostly standard. Also the whole thing with the dogs was the funniest aspect about the entire film. Plus, I could see this being in a good double bill with Severance. The best two kills were David Arquette getting his neck snapped by the Ronnie killer as he ran past, which made my jaw drop, and Paul Rubbens getting chain sawed in half as he shouted "Fuck you!" in defiance.

Thomas Jane and Paul Rubbens were really funny in this movie btw. I liked the gag with Jane running like crazy from the dogs, and he had some of the best lines. Although the whole "Hippies either don't realize that they're hypocrites, or that they value trees and fuzzy animals than human life" was already covered by "South Park" in a much funny way however.

[The Mike]

I've never understood all the hate for Schumacher. I get that Batman and Robin was totally horrible, I really do, but the guy's made nearly as many very good movies as he has very bad movies. Looking at his filmography post Batman & Robin, every other movie is quite good.

For the record, that's an 8MM/Tigerland/Phone Booth/The Phantom of the Opera quartet over Flawless/Bad Company/Veronica Guerin/The Number 23.

[Derek]

Paul Rubbens

:|

Cheap masturbation joke, Madman. You're better than that.

[Pop Trash]

I've never understood all the hate for Schumacher. I get that Batman and Robin was totally horrible, I really do, but the guy's made nearly as many very good movies as he has very bad movies. Looking at his filmography post Batman & Robin, every other movie is quite good.

For the record, that's an 8MM/Tigerland/Phone Booth/The Phantom of the Opera quartet over Flawless/Bad Company/Veronica Guerin/The Number 23.
Lost Boys is rad. And Flatliners is a guilty pleasure. I remember liking Falling Down but I'd have to see it again. I get the feeling it's misunderstood.

[MadMan]

:|

Cheap masturbation joke, Madman. You're better than that.What? That wasn't my intention. I must have spelled his name wrong. I often misspell names, and I'm often too lazy to correct them.

[Raiders]

Tigerland/Phone Booth/The Phantom of the Opera

I would be of the opinion that none of these are good movies. The last isn't really his fault, I actually kind of enjoyed his sweeping camera movements, but it's a musical too far gone to be fixed by some decent cinematic gestures.

[Derek]

What? That wasn't my intention. I must have spelled his name wrong. I often misspell names, and I'm often too lazy to correct them.

Transference of guilt, bud. My way of making my own cheap Paul Reubens masturbation joke. :)

FYI for the youngsters: He was arrested for masturbating in a theater back when PeeWee was big.

[MadMan]

Transference of guilt, bud. My way of making my own cheap Paul Reubens masturbation joke. :)

FYI for the youngsters: He was arrested for masturbating in a theater back when PeeWee was big.Oh, I see. Heh, okay.

Also I knew about the thing that you spoilered. Also if I'm not mistaken didn't he get busted for child pornography a while back? I could have sworn he did.

[Rowland]

I'm a huge fan of Phone Booth. The rest ranges from watchable to execrable.

[Ezee E]

The poll on IMDB today was pretty good.

"Worst Lines of Dialog"
The winner was, "Hold me, like you did at the lake in Naboo."

My pick was Halle Barry's line about what lightning does to frogs upon contact. Jees.

Check it out (http://www.imdb.com/poll/)

[Spinal]

The poll on IMDB today was pretty good.

"Worst Lines of Dialog"
The winner was, "Hold me, like you did at the lake in Naboo."

My pick was Halle Barry's line about what lightning does to frogs upon contact. Jees.

Check it out (http://www.imdb.com/poll/)

I picked the one from As Good As it Gets. Man, I hate that movie.

[Derek]

I went with Sin City mostly because the awfulness of its dialogue often goes overlooked. Glad to see it's holding its own at 6th place.

[Mysterious Dude]

I still think the "toad" line is pretty funny. I honestly don't understand everyone's problem with it.

[Winston*]

The toad bit's a Whedony line that would work fine coming out of a Buffy person doing that Buffy thing they do, not so much a Hally Berry doing her Hally Berry thing.

[soitgoes...]

Weekend possibilities:

The Edge of Heaven
Secret Sunshine
Design for Living
W.
The Tracker
Silent Light

[MadMan]

Weekend:

*The Stepford Wives(1975)
*Wicked, Wicked(1973)
*The Hunchback of Notre Dame(1923)
*Eyes Without a Face(1960)

[soitgoes...]

Weekend:
*Eyes Without a Face(1960)
If you're watching the DVD, be sure and catch the superior Blood of the Beasts short film.

[MadMan]

If you're watching the DVD, be sure and catch the superior Blood of the Beasts short film.I'm watching on TCM. I'll keep that in mind should I ever get my hands on the DVD, though.

[origami_mustache]

Weekend:
Eyes Without a Face
Carnival of Souls
Yokai Monsters: Vol. 1: Spook Warfare

I'll check out the short film too, thanks.

[Boner M]

A few of these:

The Furies
Zardoz
Au Revoir, Les Enfants
Esther Khan
Bright Future
The Reckless Moment
Ascent

[Ezee E]

For me:
W
Body of Lies

Bigger, Stronger, Faster
Standard Operating Procedures
You Can Count On Me

[Raiders]

The Tracker

Awesome.

Weekend:

W.
Into Great Silence
Lots of football

[balmakboor]

I'm a huge fan of Phone Booth.

I wonder how much of the credit belongs to Larry Cohen.

[dreamdead]

Hopefully some combination of the following relatively soonish:

Bigger than Life
Drifters
Ordet
Mikey and Nicky

[Wryan]

The toad bit's a Whedony line that would work fine coming out of a Buffy person doing that Buffy thing they do, not so much a Hally Berry doing her Hally Berry thing.

Halle Berry has a thing?

[The Mike]

Weekend Hopes:

Body of Lies
Appaloosa
It Came From Beneath the Sea
Vice Squad
King Boxer

[Wryan]

Absolutely seeing W. this weekend, maybe tomorrah.

[Duncan]

I'll probably see Passchendale and maybe W. or Blindness.

[Stay Puft]

I'll probably try to catch a couple John Woo movies this weekend for the director's consensus.

And if I'm feeling particularly bored or feisty, maybe I'll catch Max Payne on cheap night.

[Grouchy]

http://i18.tinypic.com/8b8viix.jpg

Having only seen Salome: the Last Dance previously, I thought it would've been hard for me to become a fan of Ken Russell. He seemed to me like one of those quasi-revisionistic fucks who think it's clever to wonder endlessly about the sex life of Bach or something. The Devils made me change my mind. It's a film about the Loudun possessions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudun_possessions) in which a political enemy of the Cardenal Richelieu was falsely accused, tried and executed for witchcraft by the church. I can't believe this material doesn't get adapted more often, since it has everything - horny distorted nuns, torture, and levels of corruption so disgusting that only the French could endorse it. The film could qualify as exploitation for some of you, but it's far too well-done to be dismissed like that. Oliver Reed as the accused Father Grandier gives the performance of his life, proving that he can play much more than just rowdy drunks. Vanessa Redgrave as the twisted and neurotic Mother Superior Jeanne is as over-the-top as you're likely to see her.

For the first half of The Devils, I was a bit annoyed by the modern values and lines of dialogue that Russell inserted on the Middle Age environment. But by the end, I accepted that it was a conscious choice and that not only it affected the attitudes of the characters, but it blended into the art direction and musical choices as well. While some elements look appropriately Medieval, some are clearly analogues of '70s culture - the exorcist who looks like John Lennon, for example. And the architecture and costumes created are the best part, subtly inserting anachronistic elements that seem to magically fit in with History. This, however, also causes the soundtrack to be a little too fucking dated. Regardless, this is a frantic, almost surreal History piece that deserves to be seen and mentioned a lot more.

[Derek]

The Curse of the Cat People (Robert Wise and Gunther von Fritsch, 1944) - 2.5

What. The. Fuck?

[origami_mustache]

What. The. Fuck?

The snowy forest scenes were gorgeous, but other than that I was completely disinterested and the acting was unbearable. The direction is pretty dull, the film lacks the subtlety that the original had and the script has line after line of corny on the nose dialogue.

[Rowland]

I wonder how much of the credit belongs to Larry Cohen.A fair degree, but I also give credit to Schumacher's lively direction and a range of sturdy performances directly in tune with the tone of the material, particularly by Farrell, who is flat-out terrific.

[Ivan Drago]

The poll on IMDB today was pretty good.

"Worst Lines of Dialog"
The winner was, "Hold me, like you did at the lake in Naboo."

My pick was Halle Barry's line about what lightning does to frogs upon contact. Jees.

Check it out (http://www.imdb.com/poll/)

What were the options? They went to a different poll now.

[Raiders]

The snowy forest scenes were gorgeous, but other than that I was completely disinterested and the acting was unbearable. The direction is pretty dull, the film lacks the subtlety that the original had and the script has line after line of corny on the nose dialogue.

I cannot relate to this at all. Especially in the idea that this film is less subtle than the original. I would say it is more so, and an entirely different beast than its predecessor. I consider it among the most unique films I have seen, a sequel to a dreamy horror film that actually goes in a complete opposite direction and becomes a very touching drama about the difficulties to navigate the lonely reality amidst the imagination and the film smartly plays off of Oliver's distrust of anything not 100% "real."

The acting also struck me as on par with the original.

[origami_mustache]

I cannot relate to this at all. Especially in the idea that this film is less subtle than the original. I would say it is more so, and an entirely different beast than its predecessor. I consider it among the most unique films I have seen, a sequel to a dreamy horror film that actually goes in a complete opposite direction and becomes a very touching drama about the difficulties to navigate the lonely reality amidst the imagination and the film smartly plays off of Oliver's distrust of anything not 100% "real."

The whole premise is very tired and telegraphed from the beginning. Yawwwwn...
I really hate Alice's character too...she should have been mauled in the first one so the child was never conceived and the sequel was never made. I agree the acting was just as bad in the original, but it was a much more interesting film overall to me at least.

[Raiders]

The whole premise is very tired and telegraphed from the beginning. Yawwwwn...

The film isn't a mystery. It isn't trying to keep its premise a secret. I'm also not sure how "tired" this premise is in 1944 and as a sequel to a Lewton/RKO horror film.

[origami_mustache]

The film isn't a mystery. It isn't trying to keep its premise a secret. I'm also not sure how "tired" this premise is in 1944 and as a sequel to a Lewton/RKO horror film.

Not implying it's a mystery, but I filled in the blanks after the first ten minutes. I like movies that keep me engaged and I'm not going to concede extra merit just because it's a sequel that changes genre.

[Raiders]

I like movies that keep me engaged and I'm not going to concede extra merit just because it's a sequel that changes genre.

That really isn't what I'm saying. What I am trying to say is that the film takes the horrors of the first film, the remnants of its terror (particularly on Oliver) and uses them to inform this film without simply carrying over the same tone and content, only beefier (like most sequels attempt to do). It's a more psychological film that is far more about healing and coping. I think of it as the Reeds' not-so-sweet hereafter, where their daughter is now linking them to past horrors via her shockingly genial communication with Simon. It is a film that is not afraid to throw out there a bunch of psychological babble (admittedly the weakest link of the film) and I applaud its openness, especially with the distinct quirks of childhood which don't feel like clichéd leftovers (many of which were supposedly taken from Lewton's own youth). I also like the dichotomy of Oliver's disconnect from his daughter. She is haunted by the loneliness of the real world and looks to avoid it while he is fearful of the fantasy world and looks to keep everything centered strictly on reality.

[Derek]

Not implying it's a mystery, but I filled in the blanks after the first ten minutes. I like movies that keep me engaged and I'm not going to concede extra merit just because it's a sequel that changes genre.

And being engaged requires that it keep you guessing? Are you able to enjoy any fantasies or fables where you know good will prevail?

Raiders point about it changing genres was in response to your comment that its premise is "tired", which I also found odd considering I can't think of any films like it from before 1944. For me, it's still one of the great films about a child's imagination and Simone Simon is awesome. Either way, thanks for the thoughts. I know it's not a film for everyone, but I never imagined it'd inspire such vitriol.

[balmakboor]

A fair degree, but I also give credit to Schumacher's lively direction and a range of sturdy performances directly in tune with the tone of the material, particularly by Farrell, who is flat-out terrific.

I'll have to give it a look. It is one of a handful of Schumachers I haven't seen. Wasn't it written originally for Hitchcock or something?

[balmakboor]

I'll have to give it a look. It is one of a handful of Schumachers I haven't seen. Wasn't it written originally for Hitchcock or something?

Nevermind. I found this on imdb:

Screenwriter Larry Cohen originally pitched the concept of a film that takes place entirely within a phone booth to Alfred Hitchcock in the 1960s. Hitchcock liked the idea, but he and Cohen were unable to figure out a plot reason for keeping the film confined to a booth. Once the idea of a sniper came to Cohen in the late 1990s, he was able to write the script in under a month.

[origami_mustache]

And being engaged requires that it keep you guessing? Are you able to enjoy any fantasies or fables where you know good will prevail?

Raiders point about it changing genres was in response to your comment that its premise is "tired", which I also found odd considering I can't think of any films like it from before 1944. For me, it's still one of the great films about a child's imagination and Simone Simon is awesome. Either way, thanks for the thoughts. I know it's not a film for everyone, but I never imagined it'd inspire such vitriol.

I don't need mystery, but I do hope for films to bring something to the table that I wouldn't think of and I don't mean in such a broad since as knowing the outcome of good vs. evil. A small scene that goes in a different direction is all I ask for. I hate to use the word, but this film just flat out booored me and I can't overlook the B-movie vibe it has. In 1944 a child looking to their imagination to fill the void of loneliness wasn't some sort of revolutionary concept....if not in many prior films, it had existed in literature like The Velveteen Rabbit or Winnie the Pooh.

[Raiders]

In 1944 a child looking to their imagination to fill the void of loneliness wasn't some sort of revolutionary concept....if not in many prior films, it had existed in literature like The Velveteen Rabbit or Winnie the Pooh.

With as much literature and theatre as there was prior to even the invention of cinema, it seems ridiculous to act as though there were even then many true original ideas. I'm sure with broad ideas as you present, I could find similar stuff from before it premiered in cinema.

[Wryan]

Nevermind. I found this on imdb:

Screenwriter Larry Cohen originally pitched the concept of a film that takes place entirely within a phone booth to Alfred Hitchcock in the 1960s. Hitchcock liked the idea, but he and Cohen were unable to figure out a plot reason for keeping the film confined to a booth. Once the idea of a sniper came to Cohen in the late 1990s, he was able to write the script in under a month.

Just hearing Hitchcock talk about, and say the word, snipers makes me giggle like I imagine he giggled.

[Qrazy]

Just hearing Hitchcock talk about, and say the word, snipers makes me giggle like I imagine he giggled.

Well based upon the previous story my general impression was that he most likely did not say or giggle about the word snipers because he was seemingly quite dead when Cohen finally thought of it.

[Grouchy]

Just hearing Hitchcock talk about, and say the word, snipers makes me giggle like I imagine he giggled.
I was thinking the same thing. Hitchcock slightly frowning and going "I beg your pardon? A sniper?".

[Melville]

The Devils made me change my mind. It's a film about the Loudun possessions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudun_possessions) in which a political enemy of the Cardenal Richelieu was falsely accused, tried and executed for witchcraft by the church.
A great, lurid injection of 60s-era anti-hero-worship, authority-bashing, and free love into history. The whole thing is on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EBqIBn5NXw&feature=related

[Wryan]

Well based upon the previous story my general impression was that he most likely did not say or giggle about the word snipers because he was seemingly quite dead when Cohen finally thought of it.

Psh. My imagination is strong enough to create worlds.

[Watashi]

Weekend:

W.
The Age of Innocence
Cape Fear
New York, New York

And probably Max Payne for the lulz.

[Raiders]

If you see Watashi's post, you will notice that for poor Spinal, I have activated a replacement variable for the word "l-u-l-z" (minus the dashes).

Please find another word.

[Watashi]

:|

[Wryan]

Are lolz, lols, lawls, lawlz and lollerz still available?

EDIT: Bitch-ass they are!

[Watashi]

Sleuth

A wonderful turnout from Laurence Olivier. As great as Caine was, Olivier is the real standout performance and his giddy arrested development acts of fun and games speaks out for a man who no longer cares about what he is worth, but as long as someone finds himself as funny as he does. Mankiewicz starts early in translating the stage to film by showing off tricky hedge mazes and elaborate dolls giving off clues to the audience at every advantage. The film's 3 act magic trick works well in the film's hefty running time (but expected due to the source material), but the Inspector Doppler act runs a bit overdone and the trick is seen way ahead before the actual film catches up to it. Still, Michael Caine in a clown suit? Awesome.

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters

Okay, so when producers Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas appeared on screen, I said "okay, maybe it's not THAT obscure", but for traditionalized biopic standards, it's quite the complex piece of work. A good comparison would be Todd Haynes' own clustered retelling of Bob Dylan's life in stylized fragments. In schrader's film, the film took off in the movies-within-a-movie adaptation of Mishima's works. While obviously there to reflect on Mishima's own life, they simply work as a short film in itself. The three small adaptations boils over into the destined fate of Mishima whose old-school political and moral judgments were muffled in the present times but still clanged to his beliefs even if his death came at a worthless effort.

Bottle Rocket

Wes Anderson's debut shows off his skills as an early auteur with his picture-perfect framing and organized, but damaged characters. Maybe I'm finally realizing how much of a static filmmaker Wes is, but Bottle Rocket didn't interest me beyond his few flutters of tenderness between a nutso crook and a housekeeper. It has the stepping stones in further developing Anderson's stronger skills found in his later works (Life Aquatic is a culmination of all these). I have a feeling if I saw the film in its original intention, I would react more strongly. It's has merits for a good film, but Anderson hasn't mastered his quirk just yet.

[Ezee E]

testing testing lulz testing

EDIT: awesome.

[Spinal]

If you see Watashi's post, you will notice that for poor Spinal, I have activated a replacement variable for the word "l-u-l-z" (minus the dashes).

Please find another word.

Repped to the extreme.

[Watashi]

:frustrated:

[Ezee E]

I'll just have to go to lolz

[Qrazy]

I dunno I feel that lolosaurus is where it's at.

[Boner M]

L U L Z (http://match-cut.org/showthread.php?p=102391)

[Bosco B Thug]

I don't need mystery, but I do hope for films to bring something to the table that I wouldn't think of and I don't mean in such a broad since as knowing the outcome of good vs. evil. A small scene that goes in a different direction is all I ask for. I hate to use the word, but this film just flat out booored me and I can't overlook the B-movie vibe it has. In 1944 a child looking to their imagination to fill the void of loneliness wasn't some sort of revolutionary concept....if not in many prior films, it had existed in literature like The Velveteen Rabbit or Winnie the Pooh. I can understand why someone wouldn't like 'Curse'... I mean, plot-wise, it is kinda blah, nothing really happens, and its point of conflict with the old woman and her daughter is just really vague in an off-the-wall sort of way. I don't find it boring and frustrating, but I can see how the movie would be boring and frustrating.

That said, I find the film magical, touching, ethereal etc, with its Mary Poppins-like story... and beautiful to look at, right?... and I love that Christmas scene.

Weekend will hopefully consist of a big juicy W..

[MadMan]

[edited for Spinal's sanity]

Dude, that is awesome. Censorship has never been this cool :lol:

PS: Silly Wats :P

[Rowland]

Stuart Gordon's Stuck fucking rocked. Thoughts to come.

[megladon8]

Your #1 movie of the year is only a 77?

[SirNewt]

What's this movie about an interview with Richard Nixon?

[Ezee E]

What's this movie about an interview with Richard Nixon?
Frost/Nixon.

[MadMan]

Frost/Nixon.Judging from the trailer I saw for it when I went to view Burn After Reading, I think it looks pretty great.

[Rowland]

Your #1 movie of the year is only a 77?:frustrated:

[MacGuffin]

:frustrated:

Just to help everyone out so there are no more questions, would it be safe to assume your ratings basically are something like this?:


Stuck (Stuart Gordon, 2008) 8
Mindhunters (Renny Harlin, 2005) 6
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Nicholas Stoller, 2008) 4
Rogue (Greg McLean, 2008) 7
Head of State (Chris Rock, 2003) 2
Redbelt (David Mamet, 2008) 8

I don't mean to start another conversation about ratings, it is just that the 100 point scale seems to cause more confusion than clarity.

[balmakboor]

Stuart Gordon's Stuck fucking rocked. Thoughts to come.

That's what I've heard from several places. I can't wait. I'll be seeing it this weekend.

[balmakboor]

Just to help everyone out so there are no more questions, would it be safe to assume your ratings basically are something like this?:

I don't mean to start another conversation about ratings, it is just that the 100 point scale seems to cause more confusion than clarity.

Personally, I generally feel compelled to give at least a 9 out of 10 to something I feel "fucking rocked." But that's just me. For the reviews I write for the local paper, I'm content with thumb up, thumb sideways, thumb down.

[megladon8]

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is still okay, not great, coulda been much better.

[MadMan]

I love the 100 point scale because I can slap some rating on a film. It helps in terms of trying to differ the levels of good for each film, but really the 10 scale is the best overall. Simply because its wide enough for rating purposes, but not too large as to become irrelevant.

[Ezee E]

Personally, I generally feel compelled to give at least a 9 out of 10 to something I feel "fucking rocked." But that's just me. For the reviews I write for the local paper, I'm content with thumb up, thumb sideways, thumb down.
Review anything with a thumbs up yet?

[SirNewt]

I love the 100 point scale because I can slap some rating on a film. It helps in terms of trying to differ the levels of good for each film, but really the 10 scale is the best overall. Simply because its wide enough for rating purposes, but not too large as to become irrelevant.

Yeah, I use the 10 rating scale just because otherwise I think about it too much. The whole thing is asinine fun anyway, not something I need to waste time thinking hard about.

[Boner M]

Interesting discussion, guys!

NOT!

[Ezee E]

Interesting discussion, guys!

NOT!
Eh. What about the discussion of this topic on page 668, 583, 388, 218, 122, 88, and 5?

[The Mike]

I prefer to rate movies based on whatever I feel like rating them as, and usually without any method, scale, or even actual rating.

It's AWESOME! :pritch:

[Derek]

Interesting discussion, guys!

NOT!

Ignoring the previous 257 ratings that would have given me a clear indication of how you use your scale if I had paid even a modicum of attention, I see you didn't like Burn After Reading or Repast because you gave them scores I would be unhappy to receive in high school. What did you hate so much about them and why don't you like movies?

[Boner M]

Ignoring the previous 257 ratings that would have given me a clear indication of how you use your scale if I had paid even a modicum of attention, I see you didn't like Burn After Reading or Repast because you gave them scores I would be unhappy to receive in high school. What did you hate so much about them and why don't you like movies?
*SIGH*

1-10: Fuck you, cinema
11-20: Pretty good
21-30: Excellent
31-40: Transcendent masterpiece
41-50: Screen gave me a handjob
51-90: Made my skin glow
91-100: Ninety One through to One Hundred

Hope that clears things up.

[Winston*]

Riff-Raff kind of lost me in the last twenty minutes, goes a little too over. Good until though, schlubby working class British people movies are the best movies.

[balmakboor]

Review anything with a thumbs up yet?

Actually, no. The stupid paper hasn't figured out graphics to use yet. But, yes, my ratings would've been:

Tropic Thunder - U
Brideshead Revisited - S
Vicky Cristina Barcelona - D
Now, Voyager - U
Burn After Reading - S
Igor - D
Miracle at St Anna - S
Appaloosa - D
Nick and Norah - U

Legend: U=Up, S=Sideways, D=Down

So, only three out of nine were up and one of those was a 1940s classic. Next up is W.

[balmakboor]

By the way, when I said "next up is W.," hopefully it was a pun although it wasn't intended.

[Mysterious Dude]

Been using stars since 1998. Not gonna change.

[Wryan]

Been using stars since 1998. Not gonna change.

Ever given one movie four black stars and another four red stars?

Have you!?

[Yxklyx]

God Told Me To (1976, Larry Cohen)
Wow, where has this one been hiding all this time? Never heard of this director before either. Very intelligent and very well written story about ... all sorts of things - don't want to give anything away. It felt a lot like a great X-Files episode. I'm sure the creator of that series was influenced by this film. 8/10 or 74/100.

[balmakboor]

God Told Me To (1976, Larry Cohen)
Wow, where has this one been hiding all this time? Never heard of this director before either. Very intelligent and very well written story about ... all sorts of things - don't want to give anything away. It felt a lot like a great X-Files episode. I'm sure the creator of that series was influenced by this film. 8/10 or 74/100.

Welcome to the Larry Cohen fan club. I haven't seen a bad film yet by the guy. I've seen:

It's Alive I/II/III
Bone (my favorite)
Black Caesar
Hell Up in Harlem
God Told Me To
Q
The Stuff

If I were to characterize his work, I'd say the films are very intelligent and socially conscious while being quickly and occasionally sloppily made. This quickness and urgency though works to the films advantage -- more times than not -- by giving them a spontaneous and very much alive texture. The films are exceptionally well cast and acted. And Cohen has so much to say that he has a tendency -- like Spike Lee -- to overstuff his films with ideas, ideas that occasionally don't play with each other. Still, I prefer his films having too much to say over so many films that have nothing to say.

Robin Wood is a huge fan. He interviewed him at one point and asked him if his low budgets negatively affect his work. Cohen started to describe the sort of film he'd like to make, given a sizable budget. He then stopped himself with a smile and start to describe the five or six films he'd like to make with that sizable budget.

[Yxklyx]

Welcome to the Larry Cohen fan club. I..

Yeah, I queued up Q and Bone immediately after watching this one.

[Yxklyx]

Weekend:

Venus in Furs
Mr. Vampire
Inferno
The Lair of the White Worm (?)

[MadMan]

Aye, Larry Cohen does rock. I want to see more from the man, because what I have viewed has been either rock solid or quite good.

Right now JFK is on Bravo. I don't want to go to class today. I'd rather stay in and watch one of the best films of the 90s.

[Sycophant]

This weekend, the only thing I'm sure I'm going to watch is W.

[SirNewt]

Interesting discussion, guys!

NOT!

Totally got me.

[Cult]

Rewatched Kwaidan last night. I think I appreciated In a Cup of Tea a little more this time around. Might be better than Black Hair. The ending image is fantastic.

Also started Heavenly Creatures, but fell asleep.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Rewatched Kwaidan last night. I think I appreciated In a Cup of Tea a little more this time around. Might be better than Black Hair. The ending image is fantastic.

My favorite was "The Woman in the Snow." Lovely, lovely little episode.

[Ezee E]

The pictures of American soldiers with prisoners in Abu-Gharib are disturbing, disgusting, and humilating to the US.

Errol Morris' latest delves into these pictures. What is the context of them? Why are they giving thumbs up? Are they just following orders?

Beyond that, the idea of humilation versus torture. Criminal acts on photos versus not being photographed. Young soldiers forced into situations that they cannot handle. All these are tackled in this documentary, that sets up for many discussions later.

It's both fascinating and hard to watch at the same time. The idea that these soldiers are simply following orders in some cases makes it even tougher. When these SOPs get confused with boredom... it starts to reveal a dark side of human nature that cannot be explained. Knowing that someone threw these people under the bus, while telling them to do this at the same time, is even more unsettling.

Errol Morris takes interviews, photos, and mixes it with some fascinating shots of what the interviews are describing. It's some of the best cinematography for the year (done by Robert Richardson). The music by Elfman works perfectly with the film, being mysterious, but with a dark tone to it all.

I found the stories by Davis the most interesting, as he was never photographed in Abu-Gharib. His anger at how his head from college being cropped into the accused soldiers at Abu-Gharib could lead to a whole other documentary entirely. He appears to be a true soldier, following orders even if he disagrees. He never succumbs to the stupid acts that some of the soldiers do in the photographs, but in the end, he's in the same position.

[Sven]

S.O.P. is seriously the worst movie I've seen in a long, long time. That it came from Morris is particularly disheartening. Exploiting, sensationalist garbage.

[soitgoes...]

S.O.P. is seriously the worst movie I've seen in a long, long time. That it came from Morris is particularly disheartening. Exploiting, sensationalist garbage.That's disheartening.

I wonder where Morris falls amongst the great documentary filmmakers. I've only seen 2 of his films,. I do know that he is well-regarded, but is he in the same league as the great documentarians of yesteryear (Rouch, Wiseman, Ophüls, the Maysleses, etc.)?

[MacGuffin]

Glad to see that you liked Tropical Malady.

[soitgoes...]

Glad to see that you liked Tropical Malady.
I am too. Honestly I was wary about seeing it, and through the first half I was still somewhat skeptical of it. But that second half... :eek: That's what makes the film special.

[MacGuffin]

I am too. Honestly I was wary about seeing it, and through the first half I was still somewhat skeptical of it. But that second half... :eek: That's what makes the film special.

It's definitely hypnotic.

[Ezee E]

S.O.P. is seriously the worst movie I've seen in a long, long time. That it came from Morris is particularly disheartening. Exploiting, sensationalist garbage.
I knew someone here called it garbage a long while back.

We seem to have complete opposite feelings on this one, so I'll at least ask you what you thought of those extreme closeups that Morris shot for the film.

[megladon8]

Mark Wahlberg needs to chill the fuck out...


Wahlberg Threatens To 'Crack' Comedian's Nose

17 October 2008 12:11 PM, PDT

Reformed thug Mark Wahlberg has threatened to 'crack' comedian Andy Samberg's nose after the funnyman poked fun at him in a skit on American comedy show Saturday Night Live.

The Happening actor, a one-time juvenile delinquent, admits he was far from impressed with Samberg's comedy in a farmyard segment, where he pretended to be hard-man Wahlberg.

And he made his feelings known on late-night chat show Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday when he was reminded of the clip.

Wahlberg said, "When I see that kid, I'm gonna crack that big f**king nose of his."

But the actor made sure Kimmel knew he was partly joking when he used Samberg's Wahlberg catchphrase, adding, "And then I'm gonna tell him, 'Say hi to your mother for me.'"

But Samberg still needs to be worried; Wahlberg said, "I think I'm gonna get on a plane tomorrow, I'm gonna go to New York... wherever the f**k they shoot that show. He probably doesn't have a dressing room so I have to find him in the cafeteria, and I'm gonna slap him in the big nose.

"Tune in, I guaran-f**king-tee you... And then instead of me forgiving him, I'll ask him to forgive me. Right?"

[Sven]

We seem to have complete opposite feelings on this one, so I'll at least ask you what you thought of those extreme closeups that Morris shot for the film.

The ones that are part of the re-enactments? If so, hated 'em. Yes, Richardson's cinematography was all crazy lit and expressive-like, but ideologically they were troublingly sensationalist. The re-occurring image of a still puddle disturbed by a stomping boot is a pretty good representation of the dunderheadedness of it all.

[Amnesiac]

The January Criterion releases have been announced (not sure if this has been mentioned around here already):


http://criterion.com/content/images/full_boxshot/20005_box_348x490.jpg

http://criterion.com/content/images/full_boxshot/457_box_348x490.jpg

http://criterion.com/content/images/full_boxshot/456_box_348x490.jpg

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/imgcache/35293.imgcache
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/imgcache/35294.imgcache
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/imgcache/35295.imgcache
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/imgcache/35296.imgcache

[Ezee E]

I thought the Wahlberg skit was better than the Palin segment that particular week.

[Ezee E]

The ones that are part of the re-enactments? If so, hated 'em. Yes, Richardson's cinematography was all crazy lit and expressive-like, but ideologically they were troublingly sensationalist. The re-occurring image of a still puddle disturbed by a stomping boot is a pretty good representation of the dunderheadedness of it all.
Bah. Well, one loved it. One hated it.

Who's next?

[SirNewt]

Rossellinin on Pascal! That is awesome!

Eclipse is the best.

EDIT: or dare I say, tops!

[Derek]

Sweet! I highly recommend The Age of Medici to anyone shying away because of its 4+ hour running time. Probably has the most brilliantly expressive use of zooms I've seen, outside of Altman of course. Louis XIV is also pretty good, so I can't wait to check out the other two. I hated Magnificent Obsession when I first saw it, which is odd since I love Sirk otherwise. Perfect opportunity to give it another go.

[Raiders]

S.O.P. is seriously the worst movie I've seen in a long, long time. That it came from Morris is particularly disheartening. Exploiting, sensationalist garbage.

I'm not as hyperbolic, but yeah I didn't care for it very much either.

[Watashi]

I keep reading S.O.P as Snakes on a Plane.

[Ezee E]

The thing is, I didn't find it very sensationalist. For the most part it was just interviewing with photos and the occassional detailed shot that I think would stick out in the person's head. It didn't take a side. It didn't let the soldiers off the hook. It was just them telling their story, showing that there is a little more to the photo then we think.

Of course it's exploiting the story, that's part of the point from the soldiers.

[Arthur Seaton]

I'm looking forward to the Criterion release of El Norte.

[SirNewt]

No word on the Blu-rays they'll be releasing in January?

[Ivan Drago]

After rewatching both the Grindhouse movies, I like Planet Terror a little more than Death Proof. I do still love both movies, but one thing really bugged me about Death Proof: The first half of the film looks like it's from the 70s, yet in the second half when the 2nd group of girls is introduced, the picture is clearer, no jump cuts like the first half, etc. Did anyone else notice that?

[Spinal]

I do still love both movies, but one thing really bugged me about Death Proof: The first half of the film looks like it's from the 70s, yet in the second half when the 2nd group of girls is introduced, the picture is clearer, no jump cuts like the first half, etc. Did anyone else notice that?

That's intentional. He's doing that to indicate that the new group of girls belong to a different era.

[bac0n]

Rewatched Kwaidan last night. I think I appreciated In a Cup of Tea a little more this time around. Might be better than Black Hair. The ending image is fantastic.

I need to re-watch this. I found the cinematography to be wonderful.

[origami_mustache]

list your favorite Halloween movies

in no order:

Kwaidan
Young Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Psycho
Rosemary's Baby
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Night of the Living Dead
Freaks
Nosferatu, Herzog's Nosferatu, Dracula, Vampyr
Eyes Without a Face

still plan on watching Carnival of Souls, Tenebre, and possibly some Bava films.

[Amnesiac]

No word on the Blu-rays they'll be releasing in January?

El Norte will be a Blu-ray release.


After rewatching both the Grindhouse movies, I like Planet Terror a little more than Death Proof. I do still love both movies, but one thing really bugged me about Death Proof: The first half of the film looks like it's from the 70s, yet in the second half when the 2nd group of girls is introduced, the picture is clearer, no jump cuts like the first half, etc. Did anyone else notice that?

I noticed this.

A aesthetic representation of the increasing presence of female agency in the second half of the film? :P

[MadMan]

Favorite Halloween movies? I'm saving that for a future thread. That I probably will never make. And if I do make it, I'll probably never finish it. But someday...;)

[Ezee E]

Favorite Halloween movies? I'm saving that for a future thread. That I probably will never make. And if I do make it, I'll probably never finish it. But someday...;)
At least you posted it to let us know.

[MadMan]

At least you posted it to let us know.Well I aim to please.

[Amnesiac]

I need some advice. I'm thinking about blind-buying all three of the new Max Ophüls Criterions. I've never seen an Ophüls film. I've been thinking about changing that with these new releases, especially since one of my favorite directors (PTA) is giving an introduction to The Earrings of Madame De... and strongly recommending all three films. There is also the fact of all that other positive feedback I've read. Thought I'd also inquire here and see what people thought - should I get all three?

EDIT: I'm also going to be making my first Tarkovsky purchases (shouldn't have neglected his work for this long) but I'm worried about Criterion suddenly pushing out Blu-ray editions of something like Solyaris in the near-future.

[soitgoes...]

I need some advice. I'm thinking about blind-buying all three of the new Max Ophüls Criterions. I've never seen an Ophüls film. I've been thinking about changing that with these new releases, especially since one of my favorite directors (PTA) is giving an introduction to The Earrings of Madame De... and strongly recommending all three films. Thee is also the fact of all that other positive feedback I've read. Thought I'd also inquire here and see what people thought - should I get all three?
All three are very good to great. Madame de...>La Ronde>Le Plaisir.

[Duncan]

I need some advice. I'm thinking about blind-buying all three of the new Max Ophüls Criterions. I've never seen an Ophüls film. I've been thinking about changing that with these new releases, especially since one of my favorite directors (PTA) is giving an introduction to The Earrings of Madame De... and strongly recommending all three films. There is also the fact of all that other positive feedback I've read. Thought I'd also inquire here and see what people thought - should I get all three?

EDIT: I'm also going to be making my first Tarkovsky purchases (shouldn't have neglected his work for this long) but I'm worried about Criterion suddenly pushing out Blu-ray editions of something like Solyaris in the near-future.

Can't comment on Ophuls, but with Tarkovsky I'd actually start somewhere other than Solyaris. I think it's one of his weaker films. Andrei Rublev is where I'd go first.

[dreamdead]

Like Duncan, I would suggest that you don't make Solarys your first Tarkovsky. However, I would also replace his suggestion for something a little more narrative friendly than Andrei Rublev; both Stalker and The Sacrifice convey the same explorations of time, philosophy, and religion that are such a part of the other films already mentioned, but they are conventionally constructed. And it needs to be understood that that's not meant to slight or otherwise undermine their superlative strengths, either. Andrei Rublev, to me, is so experimental in its frequent abandonment of the central character that it needs to be worked up to, and not used as the introductory film.

That's my thoughts at least.

[Amnesiac]

What about Ivan's Childhood as my entry-point into Tarkovsky?

[Boner M]

Zardoz - Yeah, it's insane, and without a raucous audience to appreciate the camp value, it's also semi-torturous. An intriguing wordless stretch near the opening and some fun production design aside, it's altogether a potent reminder that 'imaginative' and 'boring' are often synonymous, and somehow the fact that it was made in the anything-goes early 70's detracts from the fun.

The Reckless Moment - What's initially striking about Ophuls' mise-en-scene is how powerfully it represents Joan Bennett's matriarch having her hands full, to a suffocating degree. Long tracking shots featuring kids and housemaids and parents buzzing around like flies establish this mood in the opening domestic scenes, so that a drawn-out scene of her disposing of a body on a desolate beach has the feeling of a welcome moment of solace - at least for the audience. Similarly, a scene between her and James Mason's blackmailer discussing business on an isolated car-ferry in the middle of a river has a becalming effect after the scenes on land, where there's seemingly no cover and no space for reflection or collection. When Mason shows his true hand later on and becomes a more sympathetic figure, this spatial play seems entirely fitting; it intimates love between them by suggesting that they are closer in their respective situations than what first appears, something confirmed by in the tragic final scenes. A final scene of phenomenal misdirect is the capper in this beautiful orchestra of ironies.

[Philosophe_rouge]

I've been recommending The Reckless Moment for ages, and even if you didn't take my rec, I'm THRILLED someone has seen it. I think it might be my avourite Ophuls

[Boner M]

I've been recommending The Reckless Moment for ages, and even if you didn't take my rec, I'm THRILLED someone has seen it. I think it might be my avourite Ophuls
I've had it on my giant pile of DVDs on my desk for a while; only didn't get around to it since I liked-but-didn't-love Letter From an Unknown Woman. This one has convinced me of Ophuls' genius, and now I'll get around to Madame De... very soon.

[Ezee E]

http://www.awardsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/scratch_off1.jpg

[Melville]

What about Ivan's Childhood as my entry-point into Tarkovsky?
I thought it was his weakest film. And it's definitely not indicative of his style. Solyaris rocks, it's relatively short, and its philosophical concerns are more transparent than in some of his other stuff, so I think it's a fine pick. It was the first film of his that I loved. Most people seem to prefer Stalker though, and it has the same advantage of clearly introducing Tarkovsky's philosophical concerns, so that might be a better choice. Nostalghia and The Sacrifice work best as capstones, I think. I'd say start with Solyaris or Stalker, then move onto Andrei Rublev or The Mirror, and sample everything else whenever convenient.

[Philosophe_rouge]

I've had it on my giant pile of DVDs on my desk for a while; only didn't get around to it since I liked-but-didn't-love Letter From an Unknown Woman. This one has convinced me of Ophuls' genius, and now I'll get around to Madame De... very soon.
I actually feel the same way aout Letter from an Unknown Woman, not a fan of it in the least. From what I've seen of his work, only Caught was worse... though worth watching for Robert Ryan.

[dreamdead]

, only Caught was worse... though worth watching for Robert Ryan.

My uber-crush on Barbara Bel Geddes will force me to seek out a copy of this film at some point. I've read somewhere that Hitchcock liked the connections that would exist between her role here and her role in Vertigo, and she makes Vertigo somehow even sexier with her presence.

[soitgoes...]

Strange. Of his 4 American releases, I liked The Reckless Moment the least, with only Letter from an Unknown Woman being comparable to his later French trio. I do plan on re-watching all of them again soon, as Ophüls has become one of my faves.

[SirNewt]

I need some advice. I'm thinking about blind-buying all three of the new Max Ophüls Criterions. I've never seen an Ophüls film. I've been thinking about changing that with these new releases, especially since one of my favorite directors (PTA) is giving an introduction to The Earrings of Madame De... and strongly recommending all three films. There is also the fact of all that other positive feedback I've read. Thought I'd also inquire here and see what people thought - should I get all three?

EDIT: I'm also going to be making my first Tarkovsky purchases (shouldn't have neglected his work for this long) but I'm worried about Criterion suddenly pushing out Blu-ray editions of something like Solyaris in the near-future.

So is "Solyaris" your potential purchase?

I've been suffering similar anxiety for quite awhile. "Andrei Rublev" is in my top ten but the horrid ol' Criterion disk isn't even anamorphic. I was waiting before since they re-introduced a few of their non-anamorphic disks such as "Yojimbo". And now of course there's always a chance for Blu.

EDIT:

NOTE TO SELF: Read the forum before posting.

[Philosophe_rouge]

My uber-crush on Barbara Bel Geddes will force me to seek out a copy of this film at some point. I've read somewhere that Hitchcock liked the connections that would exist between her role here and her role in Vertigo, and she makes Vertigo somehow even sexier with her presence.
I didn't like Barbara Bel Geddes much in the film, but it's really the script that drags the film down. The ending especially I find infuriating.


Strange. Of his 4 American releases, I liked The Reckless Moment the least, with only Letter from an Unknown Woman being comparable to his later French trio. I do plan on re-watching all of them again soon, as Ophüls has become one of my faves.
My dislike with Letter is because of Joan Fontaine. She is one of those actors who really just annoys me, perhaps I should give it another go though, since just last night I caught Rebecca on TV and found myself enjoying her performance for the first time. Her performance ties into the script, and she's just so fragile and clingy that I can't help being annoyed. Something about her actions and reactions just rub me the wrong way.

[Sven]

My dislike with Letter is because of Joan Fontaine. She is one of those actors who really just annoys me

!!!

Have you not seen Suspicion? I think her performance in that is probably my favorite female performance of all time (despite the fact that it's one of Hitch's worse).

[balmakboor]

I thought Stuck was a very entertaining, well-made, and efficient little movie. It reminded me of Misery in a way. It didn't quite have the ending I was expecting and the one it provided seemed a bit too clean and genre tidy, but that's a minor quibble.

[Sven]

I thought Stuck was a very entertaining, well-made, and efficient little movie. It reminded me of Misery in a way. It didn't quite have the ending I was expecting and the one it provided seemed a bit too clean and genre tidy, but that's a minor quibble.

I think its ending was magnificent. Yes it provides the expected thrills that somewhat act counter to the rest of the film's subversiveness, but when you see the scenario on a political level, the climax reads ebulliently. The oppressed are given opportunity, the bourgeois gets their comeuppance, the towers of capital homogeneity crumble under the weight of the movement towards a true democratic system. I also like the way it subtly works in the issue of immigration.

That the film is so politically driven and still devastating on a literal level makes it just about perfect.

[Amnesiac]

Thanks for the advice on Ophüls and Tarkovsky. I went ahead and ordered the three Ophüls Criterions and also got Ivan's Childhood and Solyaris...I would have got Stalker but it would have necessitated me ordering from another site that doesn't offer free shipping so I had to postpone that one for now.

[Philosophe_rouge]

!!!

Have you not seen Suspicion? I think her performance in that is probably my favorite female performance of all time (despite the fact that it's one of Hitch's worse).
I turned it off more than once :( I'll eventually get around to seeing it though. I think it's tainted by the fact the first time I tried to watch it the film was colourized. All the pastel colours haunt my memory.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I'm almost done with Stephen King movies. All I have left of his ouevre: The Running Man and The Lawnmower Man. And I'm probably going to skip the latter, since it's not even based on King's short story.

[Sven]

I'm almost done with Stephen King movies. All I have left of his ouevre: The Running Man and The Lawnmower Man. And I'm probably going to skip the latter, since it's not even based on King's short story.

It has about as much in common with the story as The Running Man does with its story. Seriously. Both use very, very, very basic ideas from the book as a springboard for their own tales.

[D_Davis]

Stuck is way awesome, glad some more people are seeing it. A totally effective, small, and concise film.

[Grouchy]

The Hills Have Eyes is a worthy companion piece for Texas Chainsaw Massacre, once again about a family of inbred hicks who torture foreign folks from the East. Although Craven can't possibly reach the obsessive heights of the Hooper movie, he does a good job with mood and character interactions. It's also a relief that the victims in this movie are not completely stupid and fight for their lives with plenty of grit and intelligence - of course, they also go into panic at the right times. Every human reaction is portrayed in a very realistic way. I'm not sure what the hell they put in the sequel, though, after the destructive ending to this one. As I said before, it's not TCM, but it's one of those Horror films that simply aren't made so good anymore, showcasing a Craven that was beginning to discover his style.

[Duncan]

A Taste of Cherry - A slow burn, evocative and informative. It's weird how large a cross-section of Iran this covers. Immigrants, day-labourers, mandatory military service, the educated struggling for health care - it covers all of them without ever really calling attention the fact that it is. Not sure I really understand the point of the self-reflexive ending. Anyone have some ideas there?

Strange Cargo - Boring 40's era gender politics combined with boring, conservative aesthetics. A largely worthless star-vehicle.

[Qrazy]

A Taste of Cherry - A slow burn, evocative and informative. It's weird how large a cross-section of Iran this covers. Immigrants, day-labourers, mandatory military service, the educated struggling for health care - it covers all of them without ever really calling attention the fact that it is. Not sure I really understand the point of the self-reflexive ending. Anyone have some ideas there?


I think I got the point but it still seemed wholly unnecessary to me... just showing springtime was enough... my interpretation... a new day will dawn... creating art gives meaning to life... spending time with friends (crew) and forming connections makes life worth living... also sort of bridging that gap between fiction and reality (as Iranian new wave loves to do) and drawing on documented 'reality' as a means of reinforcing the transience of life etc and so forth.

[SirNewt]

I'm almost done with Stephen King movies. All I have left of his ouevre: The Running Man and The Lawnmower Man. And I'm probably going to skip the latter, since it's not even based on King's short story.

It's hard to explain just how epic "The Running Man" is among my circle of childhood friends.

[Melville]

A Taste of Cherry - A slow burn, evocative and informative. It's weird how large a cross-section of Iran this covers. Immigrants, day-labourers, mandatory military service, the educated struggling for health care - it covers all of them without ever really calling attention the fact that it is. Not sure I really understand the point of the self-reflexive ending. Anyone have some ideas there?
My thoughts on the film, including the ending:
http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=86064&postcount=17151

[MadMan]

Ah yes, The Running Man. Gloriously cheesy, quite funny in some parts, and overall entertaining even if most (actually, all of) the film's themes are undeveloped and not explored further. Still I guess the film must be noted for calling the whole human game show craze that would happen starting with Survivor in the 21st century. I guess it deserves some points for that. Oh and for having Arnuld, naturally.

[Rowland]

the towers of capital homogeneity crumble under the weight of the movement towards a true democratic system.Could you elaborate on what you're trying to express here? Otherwise, I agree with your thoughts. I was surprised by how political it was without playing in a preachy manner. Bryant Frazer (http://http://www.deep-focus.com/dfweblog/2008/05/stuck_2007_1.html) nails it by describing the movie as "slapstick social realism" and "the horror movie that our recessionary times deserve."

[megladon8]

Did anyone here see this year's Red?

It comes to DVD in two weeks. I'm really excited to see it - I love Brian Cox.

[Dead & Messed Up]

The Hills Have Eyes is a worthy companion piece for Texas Chainsaw Massacre, once again about a family of inbred hicks who torture foreign folks from the East. Although Craven can't possibly reach the obsessive heights of the Hooper movie, he does a good job with mood and character interactions. It's also a relief that the victims in this movie are not completely stupid and fight for their lives with plenty of grit and intelligence - of course, they also go into panic at the right times. Every human reaction is portrayed in a very realistic way. I'm not sure what the hell they put in the sequel, though, after the destructive ending to this one. As I said before, it's not TCM, but it's one of those Horror films that simply aren't made so good anymore, showcasing a Craven that was beginning to discover his style.

I didn't get much out of this one, although I acknowledge it as a stepping stone between Craven's disappointing Last House on the Left and his wonderful A Nightmare on Elm Street.

[Raiders]

I didn't get much out of this one, although I acknowledge it as a stepping stone between Craven's wonderful Last House on the Left and his mediocre A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Indeed.

[MadMan]

Raiders I agree with you on Last House on the Left. But A Nightmare on Elm Street is anything but mediocre. In fact I'm pretty sure I gave both films the same score: an 85. Although I give the slight edge to "Nightmare" if only because of England's awesome performance as Freddy.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Indeed.

Last House is wonderful? Wow. Is it painful being so wrong, or have you grown accustomed to it?

:P

[Bosco B Thug]

Cat People's dialogue is dynamite. Upon this re-watch, I was actually kind of underwhelmed by Tourneur's directing (still great, though, it's just the 'Re-visiting with too-high expectations' effect), but the dialogue really never lets up. Really political and sociological, and its play with psychoanalytics is really "with-the-times." The only thing that (still) bugs me is that I just can't fathom Oliver being that patient with Irena, half a year past their wedding. Thankfully the screenplay comes to the rescue, giving Oliver a moment to express to Alice (who - it was very interesting - came off as utterly shameless to all watching, including moreso to me, this time around!) his irrepressable attraction to Irena's "foreignness" despite their considerable lack of intimacy.

[Boner M]

Esther Kahn - Exhausting, willfully inaccessible, but constantly interesting. Develops the feel of an acting masterclass in parts, before turning on its head and suggesting that there are no facile 'lessons' to be learned when it comes to presenting raw emotional truth. The film seems to be crafted to accomodate Summer Phoenix's limitations, in effect suggesting that there's no such thing as 'good' or 'bad' acting. Ian Holm's awesome, as ever. Might need to see this again, but I liked it a lot all round.

[MacGuffin]

The Haunting: Bad, bad, bad. Hardly scary, chilling, or atmospheric and whenever it does go in that direction, Wise decides to not be wise, haha, and throw out some lame, obnoxious voiceover. Plus, the house is hardly developed at all aside from some exposition at the beginning which is mostly there to tell us what happened in the house rather than why it is so scary now, so it poses no threat emotionally. Boring.

The Man Who Knew Too Much: I haven't seen the original, but this is a good Hitchcock movie, but one of his lesser works from what I have seen. Some of Hitchcock's themes were there from the start: wrong man, buses; also his color palette especially towards the beginning is really a sight to see. After they leave Morocco it becomes slightly less interesting and Doris Day is annoying. But the first 45 minutes and last 15 or so make it worth the price of admission. Fun.

Black Christmas: Don't know why I hadn't seen this earlier, but it probably has to do with how Friday the 13th affected my views of the slasher genre, which really I have yet to explore, but probably will now. I guess either the giallo genre prepared me for this or I just really kinda wanted to see it. Anyways, there are some pretty chilling moments here. It's strange too, the movie isn't really even about the sorority house, and yet, it is more developed than the house in The Haunting. We wonder why nobody goes into the attic; we become familiar with the rooms and the layout of the house: even during the first scene where the guy is hidden in the closet, it is pretty frightening. I guess what I am trying to say is Clark makes great use of space and when the almost final scene in the basement comes about, we venture into unseen territory. Great.

[Dead & Messed Up]

The Vanishing: Bad, bad, bad. Hardly scary, chilling, or atmospheric and whenever it does go in that direction, Wise decides to not be wise, hahaha, and throw out some lame, obnoxious voiceover. Plus, the house is hardly developed at all aside from some exposition at the beginning which is mostly there to tell us what happened in the house rather than why it is so scary now, so it poses no threat emotionally. Boring.

This would be a great time for one of those "fail" pictures the kids love these days.

[Boner M]

The Vanishing: Bad, bad, bad. Hardly scary, chilling, or atmospheric and whenever it does go in that direction, Wise decides to not be wise, hahaha, and throw out some lame, obnoxious voiceover. Plus, the house is hardly developed at all aside from some exposition at the beginning which is mostly there to tell us what happened in the house rather than why it is so scary now, so it poses no threat emotionally. Boring.
The Haunting, right?

EDIT: What DaMU said.

[MacGuffin]

Okay. Care to explain why you liked it?

[Boner M]

Okay. Care to explain why you liked it?
To be honest, I haven't seen it in 8 years, but my impression was the opposite of yours. Besides, getting the title wrong and making a pun on Wise's name counts as an epic fail.

[MacGuffin]

To be honest, I haven't seen it in 8 years, but my impression was the opposite of yours. Besides, getting the title wrong and making a pun on Wise's name counts as an epic fail.

So the king of "Boner" puns is telling me that because I got the title wrong and what I said is the opposite of how he feels about a movie he saw eight years ago, my opinion is an epic fail. Right.

[Philosophe_rouge]

The voice-over in The Haunting is integral. It's about madness, not a haunted house. I'm never entirely convinced the house is haunted, but that it's perhaps a powerful manifestation of Eleanor's mind and emotional state. Even what we "see" can really be an unexplained connection to her, as even within the film they acknowledge that poltergeists are often associated with people like Nell, though often children/teens (though, her emotional and psychological state of mind are hardly that of an adult). Though you could argue the voice-over was badly used, I think it was rather necessary to establishing the paranoia and naivity of Nell.

[megladon8]

The Haunting is my favorite horror film of all time. So yeah, mega-fail.


From Russia With Love still gets better every time. And I still think the Grant/Bond showdown on the train is one of my favorite scenes ever.

I wish more Bond films took this espionage route, rather than the outlandish action route.

[MadMan]

To me the whole opening sequence of The Haunting was the best part. And I liked the voice over. The film itself is pretty well made, even though I feel that it left me a bit cold. Still, it stands a good chance of cracking my Top 20 horror list.

From Russia With Love is the best Bond film ever made. I too wish there were more made like it, and I agree meg that the Bond/Grant fight is super wicked cool.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Okay. Care to explain why you liked it?

From a horror thread I did for RT seven months ago


Eleanor Vance (Julie Harris) has never had a lover. She never got the chance. Her entire life, she has been under the domineering stare of an invalid mother. Like Norman Bates, she suffers from both her love and hatred of a woman who leans on her too much. Eleanor feels both guilt and relief, then, when her mother passes away after banging on the wall for her daughter, the caretaker.

Freed from the shackles of codependency, Eleanor looks every bit an adolescent. Eyes wide, experiencing the world for the first time, she struggles to escape her family, of whom she is something of a prisoner. She longs to be free, with the ability to pursue her own notions of maturity. Her own car. Her own place to live, with two little lions for bookends on a mantel. Someone who will love her.

She receives a letter from a Dr. Markway, who has informed her that he wishes her to be part of an experiment regarding an eerie old mansion: Hill House, bastion of dead businessman Hugh Crane, home to a host of murders. Its hallways lurk with the damp atmosphere of long-gone tenants, and within its walls, whoever walks there, walks alone.

Each character she meets relates to her on a personal level. Luke (Russ Tamblyn) is an amicable, kind boy, if a bit too abrasive. His skepticism of Hill House’s psychical possibilities push against Eleanor’s willingness to have an encounter. Even then, he does not deny the house’s lethality. When he plays around on a large metal staircase, it creaks, bends, and nearly snaps off the wall. He’s a playful character, but too much of the same adolescent mind as Eleanor.

Theo (Claire Bloom), a psychic with interests in her own sex, provides a stronger connection. The two come close during one of the story’s most frightening moments, as Eleanor and Theo listen to someone - something - walking through the hallways, pounding on the door, and trying to twist the doorknob. What would have trouble opening a door, except something that struggles to be corporeal? Although their relationship gains depth, it also divides, as Eleanor realizes that Theo doesn’t love the house and paints it as a threat to Eleanor.

Her rejection of Theo leaves Eleanor with Dr. Markway (Richard Johnson), who seems the perfect mate. He is wise and older, a mature figure for her to emulate and follow. He is handsome, with a buried sexual attractiveness. He comforts Theo with explicable reasons for the ghostly occurrences.

However, there is one final figure, one which dominates the picture and eventually chooses Eleanor. That figure is the house itself. A battery of charged psychic energy, or maybe a simple home which houses the voices of the damned, the house desires Eleanor to join in its quiet nightmare. When the four investigate a disturbance, a message on the wall, etched with something like chalk, reads: “Help Eleanor come home.”

At the end of the picture, Eleanor has no one left except the house, and that is who she chooses. It has been her strength. It has made deep connections with her. The house reached for her above all the others. It must have. It had to. Poor Eleanor needs something, anything, please God something, to take her away from the depression she feels. She needs to find a moment of love in a world so full of misery and death. She hoped to escape mortality when she fled her mother’s house. Fate brought her into Hill House.

It is her ballet with the statue of Hugh Crane that is the defining moment of The Haunting. Eleanor introduces herself, curtsies, and then dances around the statue. She finds something appealing about the house, something savage yet attractive, a dark shadow that fills her heart with terror, but even then, it fills her heart with something, and she eventually surrenders herself to the wonder, the awe, the black majesty of Hill House.

At their very best, the dark tales we share say something about the eternal struggle between life and death. Every person must make their peace with oblivion, and horror stories can help by allowing us recitals for that final jump. All of life is a dance with death, and every day is a miracle, and, at the end, we find ourselves face to face with the abyss. The dance is over, the day is done, the kiss of death the ultimate embrace. Journeys end in lover’s meeting.

The review may seem a little pompous, but it came at the end of a horror movie countdown.

[MacGuffin]

From a horror thread I did for RT seven months ago



The review may seem a little pompous, but it came at the end of a horror movie countdown.

I appreciate the response a lot. I can't say it changed my mind, but it contains the sign of a good writer. If it means anything at all, I did see The Pit and the Pendulum about a week ago and it is a masterpiece.

[D_Davis]

The sound design alone in The Haunting elevates the film to near masterpiece status.

[monolith94]

The Haunting is super-spooky. Just the combination of cinematography and art-design makes the film work for me. Plus, a pretty good story.

[Derek]

Cannibal: The Musical! (Trey Parker, 1996) / *

Terrible film, hilarious commentary track.

[MadMan]

I liked Cannibal: The Musical!. I thought it was funny, although the movie loses a lot of steam towards the end.

Right now I'm viewing The Hunchback of Notre Dame(1923). I'm getting a strong depressing vibe from this movie. Good stuff so far though.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I appreciate the response a lot. I can't say it changed my mind, but it contains the sign of a good writer. If it means anything at all, I did see The Pit and the Pendulum about a week ago and it is a masterpiece.

Which version?

[Bosco B Thug]

I appreciate the response a lot. I can't say it changed my mind, but it contains the sign of a good writer. If it means anything at all, I did see The Pit and the Pendulum about a week ago and it is a masterpiece. Whoa, really? I was rather underwhelmed by it on a recent viewing... Thoughts?

Haha, but I love The Haunting, so I don't know about our tastes overlapping much when it comes to classic horror.

The Haunting I like so much because I think it is very juicy, very perceptive drama at its core. I think it creates a wonderfully loose and spicy dynamic between its characters and Wise juggles their subtle jealousies, concerns, and anxieties with detail and dramatic aplomb worthy of Hawks. The scene where they read Hugh Crain's bedtime stories to his daughter is a tantalizing scene that I mention because I think it is a good, condensed point at which the film plays at each characters personalities, sensitivities, and insensitivities, not to mention addressing the film's most perverse and subversive talking points, which I think is exactly what develops the house as an evil entity. I mean, when you think about the backstory of the house, it's pretty much just insecure people suffocating themselves with grimey inhumanity, not Satanists or bloody murders.

Plus, it's scary. I agree the voice-over can be obnoxious and the character can be grating, but as Philosophe_Rouge said, it can be seen to greatly help the film as much as hinder it.

[megladon8]

I still find The Haunting's ability to scare without ever showing anything is admirable.

I still find it very creepy (absolutely terrifying as a child), and the effect of the door bulging and throbbing was great.

A really classy horror film, beautifully filmed and acted. Just one of the all-time greats.

[Sven]

Could you elaborate on what you're trying to express here? Otherwise, I agree with your thoughts. I was surprised by how political it was without playing in a preachy manner. Bryant Frazer (http://http://www.deep-focus.com/dfweblog/2008/05/stuck_2007_1.html) nails it by describing the movie as "slapstick social realism" and "the horror movie that our recessionary times deserve."

I don't think I could adequately approach a proper clarification right now because I'm pretty drunk, but what I was saying was basically a summation of my previous points: that of the "little man" gaining opportunity and the bourgeois getting it in the ass. The true democracy that I spoke of is the government of the people, the homogeneity being the dichotomous (and specious) black-white cultural model our country is fixated on, specifically in terms of economic health. The black = lower class, white = middle class. This film subverts that by making Suvari's character racially confused (appropriating black culture, including a boyfriend... the true story it's based on, I believe, happened with a black woman behind the wheel). I couldn't get much more detailed than that, having not seen it more than once and it was a bit ago (but I think I went into detail about it earlier, so you could try using the search function). But I will say that the interrelation of poverty, race, and the film's fixation on careerism and employment (and like I said, immigration), I think it's at least safe to say that next time I will be watching it through more scrupulously political goggles.

[Boner M]

So the king of "Boner" puns is telling me that because I got the title wrong and what I said is the opposite of how he feels about a movie he saw eight years ago, my opinion is an epic fail. Right.
I'm just named Boner; Wats is the reigning king of boner puns.

Anyway, I saw a program of avant-garde animation tonight. Kinda boring overall, but I'm glad I stuck around for Frank Film. What an extraordinary work of art; surprised it managed to win an Academy award. One of my new favorite short films.

[Ezee E]

Terrible film, hilarious commentary track.
I'm sure the commentary is better than the film.

Unfortunately I saw it on the Watch Now feature, and don't plan on giving it a try.

[balmakboor]

Saw Paranoid Park last night and loved it. Reminded me of Elephant quite a bit.

Maybe it has to do with the movies I've been watching lately. The last four I've watched have been Salo, Stuck, W., and Paranoid Park. But I had my most vivid dream in years this morning. Nuke missiles had been launched -- from North Dakota we could see them pass overhead -- and they were targeted for Atlanta, Dallas, and Phoenix. I kept asking "Why Phoenix instead of Los Angeles?," but nobody would answer me. Nobody seemed concerned at all. All they wanted to do was keep on shopping.

[MacGuffin]

Which version?

The one with Vincent Price, of course.

[Ezee E]

Saw Paranoid Park last night and loved it. Reminded me of Elephant quite a bit.

Maybe it has to do with the movies I've been watching lately. The last four I've watched have been Salo, Stuck, W., and Paranoid Park. But I had my most vivid dream in years this morning. Nuke missiles had been launched -- from North Dakota we could see them pass overhead -- and they were targeted for Atlanta, Dallas, and Phoenix. I kept asking "Why Phoenix instead of Los Angeles?," but nobody would answer me. Nobody seemed concerned at all. All they wanted to do was keep on shopping.
Were you in Russia?

[balmakboor]

Were you in Russia?

No, in North Dakota. But the damn things seemed to be coming from Russia. You'd think I'd just watched Dr. Strangelove or something.

[Sven]

I kept asking "Why Phoenix instead of Los Angeles?," but nobody would answer me. Nobody seemed concerned at all. All they wanted to do was keep on shopping.

Perhaps your Gus van Sant experience had your subconscious fixing on River Phoenix?

[Rowland]

I don't think I could adequately approach a proper clarification right now because I'm pretty drunk, but what I was saying was basically a summation of my previous points: that of the "little man" gaining opportunity and the bourgeois getting it in the ass. The true democracy that I spoke of is the government of the people, the homogeneity being the dichotomous (and specious) black-white cultural model our country is fixated on, specifically in terms of economic health. The black = lower class, white = middle class. This film subverts that by making Suvari's character racially confused (appropriating black culture, including a boyfriend... the true story it's based on, I believe, happened with a black woman behind the wheel). I couldn't get much more detailed than that, having not seen it more than once and it was a bit ago (but I think I went into detail about it earlier, so you could try using the search function). But I will say that the interrelation of poverty, race, and the film's fixation on careerism and employment (and like I said, immigration), I think it's at least safe to say that next time I will be watching it through more scrupulously political goggles.
I'm on board with your general interpretative analysis (I'm amazed by how many critics dismissed any attempt to interpret the movie through a sociopolitical prism), but I do question how the bourgeouis getting it in the ass figures in.

[Sven]

I'm on board with your general interpretative analysis (I'm amazed by how many critics dismissed any attempt to interpret the movie through a sociopolitical prism), but I do question how the bourgeouis getting it in the ass figures in.

Because it's the bourgeois that continually prevents (or at least, acts as an obstacle) class evolution because it's predicated on the strength of the status quo. All Rea needed was a human being to step outside of the bureaucracy and really connect with him (he gets that with the homeless man, but not with the job people), but the system is so caught up with itself that it didn't happen. To me, the entire film is that struggle, with the bourgeois, because of its criminal apathy, eventually getting its just desserts. Score one for the marginalized.

Yeah, I was very disappointed with the overall critical response to the movie, even if it was positive. Sure it is a great thriller, but it's so clearly political that to me it's like reviewing Shortbus without addressing nudity.

[Rowland]

Because it's the bourgeois that continually prevents (or at least, acts as an obstacle) class evolution because it's predicated on the strength of the status quo. All Rea needed was a human being to step outside of the bureaucracy and really connect with him (he gets that with the homeless man, but not with the job people), but the system is so caught up with itself that it didn't happen. To me, the entire film is that struggle, with the bourgeois, because of its criminal apathy, eventually getting its just desserts. Score one for the marginalized.I guess I don't see Suvari and her boyfriend as representing the bourgeois, so I don't feel that class ever gets its just desserts, even if Gordon does side with the most oppressed at the end. Suvari acts as she does throughout the movie in her desperation to transition up to the bourgeois class, maybe.

[Sven]

I guess I don't see Suvari and her boyfriend as representing the boureois, so I don't feel that class ever gets its just desserts, even if Gordon does side with the most oppressed at the end. Suvari acts as she does throughout the movie in her desperation to transition up to the bourgeouis class, maybe.

Yeah, she's a product of it, not necessarily OF it, but I feel she embodies that mobility that the middle class is offering her but denying him. Ultimately, I think the attack is on complacent adherence to the status quo which is the foundation of that class more than the class itself. Although I'd really need to see it again to be sure of what I'm talking about. Still, love that you appreciate the political reading.

[Sven]

What I mean to say is that she's a product of it, not necessarily representative of it.

[balmakboor]

I guess I expected Stuck to end like this:

The Suvari character would kill the Rea character, permanently severing her ties with the working class. She would gain the needed strength from this ordeal to stand up to the head lady at the hospital and gain the promotion, securing her place in the upper class. The whole climbing the ladder by stepping on the little guy thing.

The ending offered reverses this. It punishes the Suvari character for trying to climb the ladder at the expense of the Rea character.

I guess both of these notions hold their interest for me, but the former is more cynical.

[chrisnu]

Anyone interested in (or have seen) Happy-Go-Lucky, the latest from Mike Leigh? I'm thinking about seeing it this week.

[Sven]

I guess I expected Stuck to end like this:

The Suvari character would kill the Rea character, permanently severing her ties with the working class. She would gain the needed strength from this ordeal to stand up to the head lady at the hospital and gain the promotion, securing her place in the upper class. The whole climbing the ladder by stepping on the little guy thing.

The ending offered reverses this. It punishes the Suvari character for trying to climb the ladder at the expense of the Rea character.

I guess both of these notions hold their interest for me, but the former is more cynical.

Interesting, although I think that the promotion would've more securely placed her in the middle class, not the upper. Anyway, your ending is much more cynical, which is why I probably would've rejected it. I like that the film took a more optimistic stand, because it signifies progress. Cynicism is fine but I think a bit over-relied upon. Art that takes the initiative to encourage is much rarer and, thereby, much more special.

[Raiders]

Hm, this is interesting discussion for a film I hadn't really considered seeing. I didn't like Gordon's last film, Edmond, but I'll have to make sure to see Stuck.

[Rowland]

Yeah, she's a product of it, not necessarily OF it, but I feel she embodies that mobility that the middle class is offering her but denying him. Ultimately, I think the attack is on complacent adherence to the status quo which is the foundation of that class more than the class itself. Gotcha. She even projects the sort of guilt-deflecting transference that is so prevalent in the middle class's self-pitying disdain for the lower class.

[Sven]

Gotcha. She even projects the sort of guilt-deflecting transference that is so prevalent in the middle class's self-pitying disdain for the lower class.

Yeah, bingo.

[D_Davis]

Hm, this is interesting discussion for a film I hadn't really considered seeing. I didn't like Gordon's last film, Edmond, but I'll have to make sure to see Stuck.

Stuck is awesome.

I'm not sure I see all this stuff being discussed, but as a small little thriller, you couldn't ask for a better film.

[Ezee E]

Anyone interested in (or have seen) Happy-Go-Lucky, the latest from Mike Leigh? I'm thinking about seeing it this week.
The title says it all regarding the result of the film.

Check it out and enjoy. The British Driving Instructor is the true star of the film.

[Ezee E]

Raiders went to the star system now. Good move.

[Dead & Messed Up]

The one with Vincent Price, of course.

Ah. I thought that one was alright, but it's not my favorite Corman-Poe adaptation. I'd rank them thusly:

The Masque of the Red Death
The Fall of the House of Usher
The Pit and the Pendulum
The Haunted Palace
The Tomb of Ligeia

As for adaptations of "Pendulum," I much prefer Jan Svankmajer's version.

Part 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rnOwWxNUXo&feature=related)
Part 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnMjaXqbXVI&feature=related)

[Raiders]

Raiders went to the star system now. Good move.

I just got tired of thinking up arbitrary numbers.

[Boner M]

I just got tired of thinking up arbitrary numbers.
Don't you DARE talk about the /100-scale like that. :frustrated:

[Spinal]

In your face, 100-scale users!

[Watashi]

Hmmm, now I might have to change back.

[Watashi]

My rating scale > All

[D_Davis]

I am going to start scaling my ratings based on how long a movie is. If it isn't long it will have a better chance at getting a bad score. For my money, a $20+ DVD should contain at least 10 hours worth of material. If not, it will automatically be bumped down to a C. Each two hours less than 10 I will take off an additional half grade.

[Sven]

My rating scale > All

Given out too much rep already.

[balmakboor]

Gotcha. She even projects the sort of guilt-deflecting transference that is so prevalent in the middle class's self-pitying disdain for the lower class.

This is all getting too smart for me head now. It does seem though that, if we're talking class, she is the one who's "stuck" in the middle.

[Sven]

This is all getting too smart for me head now. It does seem though that, if we're talking class, she is the one who's "stuck" in the middle.

Of course. We addressed that as her being a product of the status quo. The way the film concludes with her is tragic and unfortunate. She's not a villain, she's just complacent and desperate to bolster the middle class.

[MadMan]

My rating scale > AllSo where do I fit in? :P

The Hunchback of Notre Dame was a tad on the depressing side (save for the last act), and there was some basic form of class warfare involved. Lon Chaney really was fantastic in this, in terms of not only acting skill but also how his makeup for the Hunchback really was. He gave the film a creature that was ugly and repulsive, yet also inspiring pitty and a feeling of despair. I thought some of the subplots were a bit unnecessary, and the villain really was quite lame, but I still throughly enjoyed this film. Eventually I will get to Phantom of the Opera this week, as its avaliable online.

Really I'm still mulling over Eyes Without a Face. There was something really there, but I'm not sure how to properly think about the film. Other than yes it did live up to expectations, and that I'm not surprised it was hard to market at the time. Even today some people cannot believe that its possible for a horror film to be more than the standard cliched gene flick.

[Derek]

So where do I fit in? :P

When a film starts out promising but eventually reveals itself as too lazy to fulfill that promise, it is given the "MadMan" rating. ;)

[MadMan]

When a film starts out promising but eventually reveals itself as too lazy to fulfill that promise, it is given the "MadMan" rating. ;)Spot on. Touche my good man :lol:

[Ezee E]

My rating scale > All
So... what was Casino's rating in your scale? :)

[Scar]

Ah, good 'ol Pumpkinhead. There will always be a special dark corner of my heart for this nice little tale of vengenace....

[megladon8]

I've still never seen Pumpkinhead, though I always thought the monster was really cool.

*hides*

[The Mike]

I've still never seen Pumpkinhead, though I always thought the monster was really cool.

*hides*

It totally belongs next to Predator atop the 80's Mountain of Monster Coolness. Totally.

[megladon8]

It totally belongs next to Predator atop the 80's Mountain of Monster Coolness. Totally.


But in a nostalgic, "I grew up with this movie" type of way?

Or in a "seeing it for the first time today, it still rocks" kind of way?

[The Mike]

But in a nostalgic, "I grew up with this movie" type of way?

Or in a "seeing it for the first time today, it still rocks" kind of way?
Oh, I just mean the monster.

I'm actually not sure I'd even say the movie's good. The first half-hour is excrutiating, and there's no boobs. Every "actor" outside Henriksen sucks, and there's a lot that shows why Winston rarely directed again.

And yet, the monster frickin' rules enough to make it enjoyable in a bad-Godzilla-flick way.

[Grouchy]

Pumpkinhead is great. I, for one, would like to see Winston direct again.

And speaking of him, I loved his work in The Monster Squad. It's an '80s children movie, not really a Horror film, yet the monsters (obviously based on Universal's line-up - Dracula, Frankenstein's creature, Wolfman, The Mummy and Monster from the Black Lagoon) are a nice cross between cartoonish and scary. Sometimes the film fails because of its plot need to have the kids defeat a huge beast seemingly without any effort. But that's kind of the point: the feature is a window into an innocent world filled with plot conveniences and simple dramatic acts. The '80s in a nutshell. Musical montages, too. The more fun part of it concerns the dialogue between the kids. They never come off as annoying with their limited understanding of the adult world, and that's quite an achievement in Hollywood. Well, maybe the leader of the outfit is a bit of a jerk. The rest of them is cool and the gang.

[balmakboor]

Watched Paranoid Park again tonight. I honestly think it's Van Sant's best work since Drugstore Cowboy. And that's saying a lot. I like or love everything he's done. I even think Even Cowgirls and Psycho are better than their reputations. There is something just so moving and honest about these teens played by real teens. The wordless breakup scene set to the music of Nino Rota is simply gorgeous. I think it's the best "teen" film since Over the Edge.

[The Mike]

Yeah, I revisited Monster Squad this weekend, and remembered how much I love it quickly. I never realized it was co-written by Shane Black until this time, but you can definitely hear it. :lol:

Fred Dekker was great too. I wish and wish and wish Night of the Creeps could hit DVD.