28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[Spinal]

Don't Look Now (Roeg, 1973) ***
Sawdust And Tinsel (Bergman, 1953) ***1/2
Night Porter (Cavani, 1974) **1/2
The Pillow Book (Greenaway, 1997) ****

[D_Davis]

Silly. Dogma is a Kevin Smith film. No wonder you didn't like it.

:frustrated:

[Philosophe_rouge]

Don't Look Now (Roeg, 1973) 9
Night Porter (Cavani, 1974) 8.5
La Notti Bianche (Viconti, 1957) 9
Stardust Memories (Allen, 1980) 8

[B-side]

The Pillow Book (Greenaway, 1997) ****

I wasn't a big fan of Zed & Two Noughts. Does this bode well for me and Greenaway, you think?

[Spinal]

I wasn't a big fan of Zed & Two Noughts. Does this bode well for me and Greenaway, you think?

No.

[Derek]

Quai Des Orfevres (Clouzot, 1947) 8.5 (my favorite Clouzot)
Why Does Herr R. Run Amok? (Fassbinder, 1977) 8.0 (Fassbinder goes Dogme...if that appeals to you)
Small Change (Truffaut, 1976) 7.0 (not great, but it's a sweet film w/o being overly sentimental)
Sawdust And Tinsel (Bergman, 1953) 6.5 (one of Bergman's lesser films, but it has the creepiest clown in the history of film)
Stardust Memories (Allen, 1980) 6.0 (gorgeous to look at but I found it surprisingly empty)


*see above*

[Derek]

:frustrated:

You should watch some Peter Greenaway films next. I have a feeling you'll love him.

:twisted:

[Bosco B Thug]

Considering this thread is reserved for film discussion, and I'm in need of a push in terms of prioritizing, here are a bunch of films I want rated:

Don't Look Now (Roeg, 1973) - 9.0 I need to see more movies.

[B-side]

No.

Short. Blunt. To the point. I like you.:lol:

[B-side]

I need to see more movies.

To be fair, I haven't seen any of them, so you're one up on me.:)

[transmogrifier]

Don't Look Now (Roeg, 1973) :pritch:
The Bird People In China (Miike, 1998) :confused:
Stardust Memories (Allen, 1980) :cool:

[Boner M]

Don't Look Now - awesome
Mala Noche - ok
The Face Of Another - very good
Stardust Memories - very good

[Qrazy]

Don't Look Now (Roeg, 1973) - C+
La Notti Bianche (Viconti, 1957) - B
The Bird People In China (Miike, 1998) - B-
The Pillow Book (Greenaway, 1997) - C
Stardust Memories (Allen, 1980) - C
Quai Des Orfevres (Clouzot, 1947) - B+

[Ezee E]

Don't Look Now (Roeg, 1973) - Good stuff.
Stardust Memories (Allen, 1980) - Meh.
Quai Des Orfevres (Clouzot, 1947) - have it at home, waiting to be seen.

[Wryan]

There are a lot of "best part of WALL-E" moments, but for me the best part of WALL-E was...

When EVE tossed aside the plant (not because she didn't think it was "important" but because he was more important to her at that moment) and WALL-E craaaawls toward it to recover it and continue his "mission" (not because he realizes its importance but because it represents what's important to him).

Just goddamn killed me. 'Course, I well up at damage done to Johnny-5, too. But still...and yes, I know I used gender pronouns.

[Cherish]

Mala Noche (Van Sant, 1985) **
Night Porter (Cavani, 1974) **
The Bird People In China (Miike, 1998) ****
The Pillow Book (Greenaway, 1997) ** 1/2


Would someone who doesn't like The Bird People in China mind explaining a bit? (You, too, Qrazy, with a B-.) What didn't you like about it? I have a hard time seeing any faults in it, but I'd welcome some perspective...

[Qrazy]

Mala Noche (Van Sant, 1985) **
Night Porter (Cavani, 1974) **
The Bird People In China (Miike, 1998) ****
The Pillow Book (Greenaway, 1997) ** 1/2


Would someone who doesn't like The Bird People in China mind explaining a bit? (You, too, Qrazy, with a B-.) What didn't you like about it? I have a hard time seeing any faults in it, but I'd welcome some perspective...

Aside from Audition it's probably the best thing I've seen from Miike but I'm just not a fan of his work at all. I have no explicit complaints in this case, nothing that's particularly dragging down the film for me I just don't care much for his filmmaking (in terms of aesthetic, tone, etc).

[dreamdead]

Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle is far more enjoyable than I expected. I never got onto the wavelength of Shaolin Soccer so I didn't have high hopes for this one, but the way Chow developed a sense of deadpan comedy when he keeps trying to find someone to fight in the village was beautiful. Structurally it's more of the same, but its bag of cinematic tricks allows it to be never less than engrossing, and it's a film that brings new joy to the martial arts film vis-a-vis its wide-eyed appreciation of the genre.

King Hu's Come Drink with Me does ease some of my fears regarding sexism in the early Chinese martial arts epic that had been brought about from Have Sword Will Travel. Hu's film is shot with a frequent dizzingly grace, structured to disclose narrative secrets slowly and creatively, and held together by the charisma of its leads; this is fine, fine cinema. Between this and A Touch of Zen, Hu cements himself as a gifted choreographer of visual space, demonstrating remarkable cinematic acumen. Cheng Pei-pei is a marvel to behold in her command of the screen, and the film delights in positioning her strength as a virtue. Though A Touch of Zen conspires to be more thematically, this one resonates with me more, containing a treasure trove of deft imagery and artistry. Marvelous.

[megladon8]

I wasn't too keen on Come Drink With Me.

The humor didn't work for me, and I've seen far more impressive action from that period.

It did look nice, though.

[Wryan]

Love KFH, so much. When the woman is chasing after him Looney Tunes style and slams into the billboard...

[Mysterious Dude]

Don't Look Now ***
Small Change ***½
The Face Of Another ***½
Stardust Memories ***½
Quai Des Orfevres ***½

Actually, I should probably watch some of these again.

[Qrazy]

I think I'll watch Small Change next week I could use a small dose of Truffautian whimsy... I assume it's whimsical, it better be.

[Grouchy]

I've seen Dirty Harry, The Beguiled, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and The Killers. All are really good.
I've seen Body Snatchers, Dirty Harry, Escape from Alcatraz and now this one. I think I'm gonna make my next one either Charley Varrick or Coogan's Bluff.

I've seen Fellini's Nights of Cabiria, which is a film that's hard to put down in words. It's a beautiful character study and a sort of homage to the beauty and grace of Giulietta Masina, a bit less intelectual than Juliet of the Spirits. It's an episodic film obviously inspired by Fellini's own memories of rural life in Rimini and early encounters with women "on the life". Cabiria's adventures go from tragicomic (the one with the movie star) to eerie (the one with the caves, the procesion) and everything else in between. The circus show with the hypnotist is the most heartbreaking thing ever. Overall, I think Cabiria is a nicer balance between Fellini the neorrealist and Fellini the surreal imaginator than Il Bidone or La Strada. Obviously, I think this because I'm one of those who love his post Dolce Vita work the best. Great film. Great ending. Fellini is a unique guy.

[Raiders]

Reading that, I was about the go back and reference my lengthy review of Fellini's film in my top 100 thread over at the old site. Then I realized it's gone, and I forgot to save all those reviews...

:sad:

[Wryan]

Cabiria is probably my favorite Fellini film.

[Cherish]

Aside from Audition it's probably the best thing I've seen from Miike but I'm just not a fan of his work at all. I have no explicit complaints in this case, nothing that's particularly dragging down the film for me I just don't care much for his filmmaking (in terms of aesthetic, tone, etc).

I admit I haven't seen enough Miike to know for sure, but The Bird People in China seems completely different (in tone and aesthetic) from his other movies -- even unrecognizable. I haven't been able to find another Miike movie I really like (although Sukiyaki Western was quite fun).

[Spinal]

Reading that, I was about the go back and reference my lengthy review of Fellini's film in my top 100 thread over at the old site. Then I realized it's gone, and I forgot to save all those reviews...

:sad:

OK, that's it. We're starting over.

[Ezee E]

Admin Top 100 Redux? Perfect.

[Qrazy]

I admit I haven't seen enough Miike to know for sure, but The Bird People in China seems completely different (in tone and aesthetic) from his other movies -- even unrecognizable. I haven't been able to find another Miike movie I really like (although Sukiyaki Western was quite fun).

It certainly is different than his other stuff I just don't find it to be particularly outstanding either.

[Spinal]

Admin Top 100 Redux? Perfect.

We will begin as soon as krazed posts his first entry.

[Melville]

Don't Look Now (Roeg, 1973) - 8.5
Sawdust And Tinsel (Bergman, 1953) - 7.5
Stardust Memories (Allen, 1980) - 9.5

[dreamdead]

I wasn't too keen on Come Drink With Me.

The humor didn't work for me, and I've seen far more impressive action from that period.

It did look nice, though.

That's interesting since I didn't really notice too much humor in the film. Certainly, there's an air of blithe drunkenness with regard to Drunken Cat's character, but the film seems rather serious-minded to my eyes.

Similarly, I'm not as concerned with the action being impressive (admittedly, there is a tendency for Hu to edit so quickly that the early action scenes here have more of an aura than a visceral impact) so much as I'm concerned that the action possess value and impact for the characters. And in this respect, Hu orchestrates the camera to always heighten the danger and visible threat to Golden Swallow's life.

[Yxklyx]

I've seen Fellini's Nights of Cabiria, which is a film that's hard to put down in words. It's a beautiful character study and a sort of homage to the beauty and grace of Giulietta Masina, a bit less intelectual than Juliet of the Spirits. It's an episodic film obviously inspired by Fellini's own memories of rural life in Rimini and early encounters with women "on the life". Cabiria's adventures go from tragicomic (the one with the movie star) to eerie (the one with the caves, the procesion) and everything else in between. The circus show with the hypnotist is the most heartbreaking thing ever. Overall, I think Cabiria is a nicer balance between Fellini the neorrealist and Fellini the surreal imaginator than Il Bidone or La Strada. Obviously, I think this because I'm one of those who love his post Dolce Vita work the best. Great film. Great ending. Fellini is a unique guy.

Nights of Cabiria is even better than Planet Terror. Yes it is! It's definitely my favorite Fellini.

[Ivan Drago]

We will begin as soon as krazed posts his first entry.

So you guys won't be doing another one. :(

[Winston*]

Thanks for clarifying that, rockyrules.

[Ivan Drago]

Thanks for clarifying that, rockyrules.

That name doesn't exist anymore. But anyhow sorry for ruining the joke.

[Winston*]

That name doesn't exist anymore.
It exists in the hearts and souls of every Match Cutter, young and old.

[Ivan Drago]

It exists in the hearts and souls of every Match Cutter, young and old.

I must break you.

[MadMan]

We will begin as soon as krazed posts his first entry.:lol: I wonder what happened to the guy. He was good people.

Don Siegel from what I've seen rocks. I must see more of his movies. What I've viewed so far:

1. Invasion of the Body Snatchers(1956)-100
2. The Shootist(1976)-95
3. Dirty Harry(1971)-93
4. Charley Varrick(1973)-83
5. Two Mules For Sister Sarah-75

[Raiders]

Thanksgiving weekend:

The Beguiled
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
Sweetie
Four Christmases

... and tons of football.

[Watashi]

I have nothing planned for my weekend.

Right now I'm kinda drunk playing Family Feus on the SNES.

Awesome.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I have nothing planned for my weekend.

Right now I'm kinda drunk playing Family Feus on the SNES.

Awesome.

That would literally be the most boring video game ever created.

[MadMan]

Weekend:

*Lots of football
*Rambo III(1988)
*The rest of Tropic Thunder(2008)
*The Wizard of Oz(1925)
*Fanny and Alexander(1982)-Maybe. Why do they show foreign films so damn late? Plus its 3 and a half hours long.

[The Mike]

I totally ordered Charley Varrick and Hell is for Heroes based on this thread. I've been wanting to see more Siegel for a while now, considering how incredible the Dirty Harry, Escape from Alcatraz, The Beguiled trio was. Invasion of the Body Snatchers also rules.

My weekend plans include....
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
Rogue
True Lies
Oversexed Rugsuckers from Mars!
and possibly Vice Squad, finally.

As well as probably Australia and Transporter 3 in theater.

And maybe Igor with my mom. Don't hate. :lol:

[The Mike]

Why do they show foreign films so damn late? Plus its 3 and a half hours long.
You know that Baby Jesus invented recording devices like the VHS tape as far back as the 1980's, right? And some newfangled cultures even have things like DVD recorders and TiVo and shit.

Just sayin'. :twisted:

[MadMan]

You know that Baby Jesus invented recording devices like the VHS tape as far back as the 1980's, right? And some newfangled cultures even have things like DVD recorders and TiVo and shit.

Just sayin'. :twisted:Yes, but I don't have a VCR up here at college. And I can't afford Tvio or DVR. So I'm shit outta luck.

[The Mike]

Yes, but I don't have a VCR up here at college. And I can't afford Tvio or DVR. So I'm shit outta luck.

Well, at least we had a conversation in which the word shit was used multiple times. WOOT!

[origami_mustache]

Cabiria is probably my favorite Fellini film.

mine too

[Philosophe_rouge]

Weekend
Kings and Queen
Le Boucher
Nuit en Ville
The Witches
A Sunday in the Country

[MadMan]

Well, at least we had a conversation in which the word shit was used multiple times. WOOT!Good shit, man ;)

[Amnesiac]

There are so many movies I want from Amazon's Black Friday sale...

Dreyer box-set, Scenes From A Marriage, Six Moral Tales, Scorcese box-set, Samuel Fuller Eclipse Series set, James Dean box-set, Band of Brothers Bluray, and more.

[Boner M]

Weekend possibilities:

Stuck
Titicut Follies
Mickey One
Salon Kitty (film swap... finally)
La Sentinelle
Story of a Love Affair
Young Girls of Rochefort
Faust (Svankmajer)

...as well as whatever I didn't get 'round to last weekend.

[Boner M]

Siegel rated:

1. Charley Varrick
2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
3. The Beguiled
4. Escape From Alcatraz
5. Dirty Harry
6. Riot in Cell Block 11
7. The Big Steal
8. The Killers

Some are better than others, all are great fun.

[Qrazy]

I have nothing planned for my weekend.

Right now I'm kinda drunk playing Family Feus on the SNES.

Awesome.

See I don't know if this is supposed to say Family Feud or Family Fetus.

[origami_mustache]

Weekend:
Platform
Noriko's Dinner Table
Sad Vacation

[Ezee E]

Weekend:
Synecdoche, NY
Australia

Pink Floyd: The Wall
Homicide: Disc 2
Quai des Orfevres

[Qrazy]

Did a few re-watches in the past week. Chinatown held up excellently. LA Confidential was good but not as good as I'd remembered it. The coda at the end was superfluous and hurt the film. If Hanson had as much artistic integrity as Polanski he would have ended it with Pierce holding up his badge at the crime scene ala Chinatown or Heat endings. Badlands lessened slightly in my eyes as well. Sheen gives an amazing performance and the film has a lot going for it but I just found myself slightly less enthusiastic this time around. Spacek's voiceover and the copious nature montages work some of the time but not all the time.

Chinatown - A
LA Confidential - B+
Badlands - B+

[Qrazy]

So my sister hated Memento but loved Boondock Saints. Her criticism of Memento was that she felt she kept seeing the same scenes over and over... I feel sad inside.

[megladon8]

So my sister hated Memento but loved Boondock Saints. Her criticism of Memento was that she felt she kept seeing the same scenes over and over... I feel sad inside.


I like both movies.

[megladon8]

Sukiyaki Western Django was a clusterfuck.

A nice one to look at for sure, but a clusterfuck nonetheless.

[Wryan]

So my sister hated Memento but loved Boondock Saints. Her criticism of Memento was that she felt she kept seeing the same scenes over and over... I feel sad inside.

Men in white coats...?

[MadMan]

So my sister hated Memento but loved Boondock Saints. Her criticism of Memento was that she felt she kept seeing the same scenes over and over... I feel sad inside.That criticism doesn't make any sense. At all.

[Wryan]

Let the Right One In was fantastic. I put some thoughts in its thread. Great stuff.

[BirdsAteMyFace]

Film I watched with my mom on Thanksgiving: Secretary. Afterwards, a discussion ensued, in which she called it "thought-provoking." That's something positive, I'm guessing.

[megladon8]

Film I watched with my mom on Thanksgiving: Secretary. Afterwards, a discussion ensued, in which she called it "thought-provoking." That's something positive, I'm guessing.


This is something I could never watch with a parent.

[BirdsAteMyFace]

This is something I could never watch with a parent.We're planning on watching Crash ('96) together as well.

[Rowland]

Part I of my Speed Racer review, the rest to follow tomorrow:

Speed Racer (Wachowski Brothers, 2008) 62

What's the deal with the vitriolic critical consensus concerning this relatively ambitious, amiable family film? For all of its technical craft and formal daring, there are a number of sophisticated storytelling techniques employed here by the Wachowski Brothers that denote a greater respect for the intelligence of their collective audience than the film's harsher critics have argued. The foremost case to be made for this is the opening sequence, a veritable cornucopia of exposition that the Brothers spin into a meticulously orchestrated succession of imaginative wipes, time lapses, flash-back/forwards, match-cuts, and a technique I don't recall ever witnessing in a movie that recalls no less than the ghost challenges from a videogame time trial, appropriated here to viscerally express Speed Racer's internal conflict concerning the legacy of his older brother and how his performance is being accordingly judged by the commentators and audience. With all this, the Wachowskis communicate a great deal of information while piquing audience involvement and establishing empathy for Speed Racer's circumstances in a bravura manner. Seriously, this is one of the most immediately engrossing and promising openings I've seen to a movie all year.

Sadly, they don't manage to sustain this momentum, nor do they ever again attain this creative ingenuity, marking the opening exposition, remarkably enough, as the film's innovative peak. Nevertheless, there remain compelling moments in a similar vein to be discovered, including a monologue in which the (natch) corporate villain ominously relates to Speed Racer in detail how a future race will be rigged against him, all the while intercut by the Wachowskis with footage of this scenario as it occurs, serving not only to kill two birds with one stone in an already bloated film and to punch up a simple scene comprised of characters standing around talking, but as a suspense mechanism to keep the audience guessing as to whether we are witnessing his mere account of how the race could unfold, or the actual events as they are to transpire. We are then left hanging for a scene before we discover whether or not his foretelling was an accurate prediction, capping off what is a bold editing device for a film purported by its detractors to be aiming at the lowest common denominator.

[EyesWideOpen]

Sukiyaki Western Django was a clusterfuck.

A nice one to look at for sure, but a clusterfuck nonetheless.

I told you so. ;)

[Spun Lepton]

I finally caught Wall-E on Thanksgiving. I was teary-eyed for much of the final act.

9/10

[Amnesiac]

Magnolia was added to Ebert's Great Movies (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081127/REVIEWS08/811279997).

[Derek]

Quickies on some recent viewings...

The Edge of Heaven (Akin, 2008)

I owe it to Akin, whose Head-On I liked a great deal, to give this a more attentive viewing at some point, but while it often shines in individual moments, the overtly allegorical construction full of near-misses and a more blatant critique of Turkish-German relations and identity than its predecessor left me feeling that this was a regression in every will. Still quite good and Akin's a talent to keep your eye on, but for now, I'll have to side with the emotionally messy but acutely channeled rage of Head-On.

The Fall (Singh, 2008)

Balancing a shallow, ridiculous epic with the oh-so-harsh reality of the suicidal stunt man who's spinning the yarn only serves to make the film twice as stupid. The film's modus operandi is clearly to flaunt its cologne commercial visual flourishes and while there are moments that dazzle (in the same way strobe lights flashing off a disco ball), their placement inside a story so determined to be as grand and expansive as humanly possible just highlights the broadness and emptiness of the whole affair. Rare has a film so big felt so small.

Secret Sunshine (Lee, 2008)

I agree with Jeremy Heilman that the whole film rests on one scene, although I'm not entirely certain we're thinking of the same one. In fact, it's precisely Lee's ability to subtly punctuate his themes throughout the film that lends it such an offbeat sense of mystery, ultimately rendering a character study that, while appearing rather clear-cut on paper, becomes increasingly enigmatic precisely as the plot seemingly attempts to pidgeonhole her suffering. Sure, there are parts where I grew weary, but so long as you're able to make a few leaps of faith, the payoff is worth it. For all its wrenching melodrama, Secret Sunshine reveals itself as a deftly constructed, sly and witty film that often wonders off the linear path that its early tragic events deceptively lead us to expect it to follow.

I Served the King of England (Menzel, 2008)

It's not surprising to learn this was adapted from a novel by the same author of Closely Watched Trains given the similarities of the protagonists. The small posture and a sense of naivety balanced with a sense of duty and motivation (both professionally and sexually) are nearly identical, yet where Milos was mostly isolated from the horrors occurring in the world around him, Jan is both aware of and indifferent to them. Menzel's care to fully develop Jan in the hilarious, madcap first hour makes his culpability in the Czech's downfall all the more terrifying. The evil of the Nazis is fortunately taken as a given and when briefly focused on is played for laughs in mocking derision, so that even as the filmslowly broadens Menzel remains in total control of its tragicomic tone. Even as the film doesn't quite attain the breadth of scope it aims for, Menzel succeeds in creating a touching, humorous, cinematically invigorating character study where unbridled ambition is as destructive as any other force.

[Ivan Drago]

Magnolia was added to Ebert's Great Movies (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081127/REVIEWS08/811279997).

I love that man.

[Ezee E]

Magnolia was added to Ebert's Great Movies (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081127/REVIEWS08/811279997).
It's a great article too. I never really looked at that approach, and now that I think about it, you can apply that theme to all his films.

[Mysterious Dude]

I still think the frogs are stupid.

[Qrazy]

The Fall (Singh, 2008)

Balancing a shallow, ridiculous epic with the oh-so-harsh reality of the suicidal stunt man who's spinning the yarn only serves to make the film twice as stupid. The film's modus operandi is clearly to flaunt its cologne commercial visual flourishes and while there are moments that dazzle (in the same way strobe lights flashing off a disco ball), their placement inside a story so determined to be as grand and expansive as humanly possible just highlights the broadness and emptiness of the whole affair. Rare has a film so big felt so small.


Much harsher than I was but yeah all of the visual thievery the film engages in sort of exacerbates that sense of hollowness.

[monolith94]

Much harsher than I was but yeah all of the visual thievery the film engages in sort of exacerbates that sense of hollowness.

Tarsem is a prince of thieves.

[Yxklyx]

Magnolia was added to Ebert's Great Movies (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081127/REVIEWS08/811279997).

There's quite a few people here that don't like it all that much. Not me though.

[Boner M]

All About Lily Chou-Chou - Wish I liked this one more, but for all it's fine points, it suffers from the same problems of Paranoid Park for me; so intent on capturing the waywardness and hermeticism of adolescence that it feels vaporous and stylistically arbitrary. Most of the criticisms I've read seem to target the film's excess of narrative (however elusive), but in spite of frequently being confused with the surprising multitude of characters and plot strands, I liked Iwai's use of plot as mood, capturing teenage life as a blend of melodramatic hysterics and lackadaisical nothingness. Also, I can't help but feel that virtually any film made about the internet from over 5 years ago is somewhat dated; the subtext here never seems to go beyond "web = instant loneliness!", although I'm sure dreamdead will be able to counter that.

Mister Lonely - Nothing more to say that Sicinski (http://academichack.net/reviewsApril2008.htm#Lonely) and Nick Pinkerton (http://www.reverseshot.com/article/mister_lonely) haven't. There's definitely moments of poetry, but Korine's innate affectedness renders it all moot. Everything before Michael arrives at the commune works the best, then it turns into the kind of thing that sounds crazy and cool on paper but is stillborn on screen, that no amount of imaginative soundtrack curation or airy imagery can save from curio status.

[origami_mustache]

off to see MILK
:pritch:

[The Mike]

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? was a blast. Tony Randall was great, and Jayne Mansfield, who I was experiencing for the first time, has considerable assets. Reminded me a lot of Wilder's Seven Year Itch, but had enough charm to hold its own.

I also watched Gary Sherman's Vice Squad, which rocked. When you've got a psycho pimp named Ramrod that'll chuck a newspaper kid over a railing into the subway just to steal his truck, right after dumping an Asian hooker in trash, right after beating information out of her; all to track down the hooker that got him arrested and delayed his life by 20 minutes before he escaped....you've got one hell of a movie.

[Ezee E]

Has there been any discussion on Pink Floyd: The Wall? It's a movie well worth watching for some interesting visuals, even if I didn't care for the "story" that was going on.

The animation is especially awesome.

[B-side]

The Conformist and Ming-Liang's The River for the weekend.

[chrisnu]

Happy-Go-Lucky and either Synecdoche, New York or Milk for me.

Man, I missed going to the theater. Don't really know why I stopped.

[dreamdead]

All About Lily Chou-Chou - Wish I liked this one more, but for all it's fine points, it suffers from the same problems of Paranoid Park for me; so intent on capturing the waywardness and hermeticism of adolescence that it feels vaporous and stylistically arbitrary. Most of the criticisms I've read seem to target the film's excess of narrative (however elusive), but in spite of frequently being confused with the surprising multitude of characters and plot strands, I liked Iwai's use of plot as mood, capturing teenage life as a blend of melodramatic hysterics and lackadaisical nothingness. Also, I can't help but feel that virtually any film made about the internet from over 5 years ago is somewhat dated; the subtext here never seems to go beyond "web = instant loneliness!", although I'm sure dreamdead will be able to counter that.


No, you're likely right about the datedness. I need to revisit this one, but any film that's this concerned with imagery, color style, Debussy, and tentative healing through attraction (the last scene) is bound to get a good reaction from me. I remember little about Iwai's narrative here, as only individual shots remain with me. And those shots, while mildly iconic in the sense that I see those images (head down, zeroed into the IPod) around campus every day, might further confine this film to a certain time and space. The sense of alienated connection that the characters all find on Lily Chou-Chou's website is less important to me than the extended non sequitur where the kids roam around with the camera, or where the boys torment the girl while videotaping it. Those two narrative moments are all I remember from it, and that's likely because of Iwai's visual aesthetic that's established therein.

I feel bad that I've become the poster child on liking films about the internet and alienated youth. :|

[Bosco B Thug]

Greg McLean's Rogue is pretty good. McLean is a survival film director. He makes survivalist films. The film doesn't derive its tension from the crocodile, it derives it from the humans' decision-making and ultimate actions. He plays a delicate game of attenuation with peoples' survivalist tendencies and where that places them on the ladder of competence or incompetence, know-how and non-know-how, hero and non-hero. There were some good emotional threads in there - the choice of the first victim and the dilemma of his/her survived-by, Radha Mitchell's vacillating ability-inability and her awkward struggle with that (such as her shoe-horning an unflattering history with the douchey guy when he threatens saving all their butts), Michael Vartan's rise to his final image, etc.

McLean's directing just feels a little too generic here. The travelogue-ish style works at first, but its repeated to an awkward, repetitive degree. The film is mired by a general sense of underdevelopment and routineness. Not much in the way of criticisms, but yeah. The climax is pretty great, I see the Pan's Labyrinth-iness Rowland points out. There's a point in that climax where the depiction of the croc switches from horror film to demystifying National Geographic special that's very smart (in large part due to the choice of location).

[Dead & Messed Up]

Has there been any discussion on Pink Floyd: The Wall? It's a movie well worth watching for some interesting visuals, even if I didn't care for the "story" that was going on.

The animation is especially awesome.

I really enjoy it. It's definitely a step up from The Who's Tommy picture. More effective camera, better sense of structure, and, as you point out, the animation is fantastic.

For me, cinematic rock opera goes:

1) Jesus Christ Superstar
2) The Wall
3) Tommy

What others are there? Quadrophenia and Evita, I guess. Anything else?

[Ezee E]

I really enjoy it. It's definitely a step up from The Who's Tommy picture. More effective camera, better sense of structure, and, as you point out, the animation is fantastic.

For me, cinematic rock opera goes:

1) Jesus Christ Superstar
2) The Wall
3) Tommy

What others are there? Quadrophenia and Evita, I guess. Anything else?
Trapped in the Closet.

[The Mike]

Phantom of the Paradise?

[Grouchy]

Phantom of the Paradise?
I love that movie.

Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is as effective a farewell to the Old West as The Wild Bunch, only somewhat less epic and more political than Peckinpah's masterpiece. It's a fucking beautiful looking film that - like most of the Bloody Sam's westerns - really captures the tone of a ballad: not much might be happening in the way of plot, but the episodic scenes manage to convey the sense of time passing and nostalgia. Kristofferson and Coburn are awesome, there's a ridiculous ensemble of great character actors in bit parts, and the Dylan soundtrack is particularly powerful. It surprised me to read on the Wiki that "Knocking on Heaven's Door" was composed specially for this film. The Dylan character, though, is a fucking waste of screen, except for one scene where he's forced to read grocery labels for a really long time. He adds nothing to the film, and is just this quirky background character, almost an in-joke for most of the film. Whenever Kristofferson looks at him and laughs, I sort of see some bizarre meta shit going on in there, like he's wondering why the hell is Bob fucking Dylan standing there with a goofy hat. Regardless, this is a classic Peckinpah film, one that I'm going to revisit very soon together with Ballad of Cable Hogue, which I loved even more.

[Winston*]

I really enjoy it. It's definitely a step up from The Who's Tommy picture. More effective camera, better sense of structure, and, as you point out, the animation is fantastic.

For me, cinematic rock opera goes:

1) Jesus Christ Superstar
2) The Wall
3) Tommy

What others are there? Quadrophenia and Evita, I guess. Anything else?

Hedwig and the Angry Inch? I'm not exactly sure what defines a rock opera.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Rewatched The Sweet Hereafter (1997) last night, what an absolutely devastating film. The first half especially, weighs on me from the very first shot. I don't think I can think of a way to fault the film, it brings all cinematic elements to create a rich tapestry exploring grief, family and community. The stand-out scene for me, is Ian Holms' recounting the morning he almost lost his daughter, and how far he was willing to go to save her. It's deceptively simple, owing a huge amount to Holms' but also working with editing and music to create a full image in your mind. Somehow, even what isn't shown, my mind seems to piece together a full portrait of the event. It's beautiful.

[The Mike]

I love that movie.It really does rule all kinds of schools. :pritch:

[Qrazy]

A rewatch of Traffic made me realize that it's an incredibly tedious film.

[Boner M]

Stuck - I hate to sound like an old codger, but I resented how Gordon's schlockmeister instincts undermined and broadened the potential of his film's premise for incisive social commentary. Suvari's characterisation is believable for a while, but when she becomes so hellbent on getting her promotion that she's shocked that Rea would call for help, Gordon's deck-stacking becomes apparent and the film becomes much less complex and interesting. Furthermore, issues of race are left unexplored; it seems that Gordon is suggesting, through the interracial relationship between Suvari and her black boyfriend, that race is an easier divide to cross than class. But Gordon never really takes the idea further, with her unattractive wigger-ish persona and obsession with her economic position (coupled with the innate likeability of Rea as well as the dislikeability of Suvari both as screen presences), and Rea's character being little more than a hapless victim of bureaucracy only serving to emphasise where Gordon's sympathies lie. On that note, the cutting from Rea gorily squirming about amidst the broken windshield glass, to an elderly patient whinging about her toe being nicked by a clipper is facepalm-worthy. As a darkly comic B-thriller it's tight and enjoyable, but I can't help but think it's something of a missed opportunity.

[Qrazy]

Why did I hear absolutely nothing about Flushed Away. Was it any good?

[Kurosawa Fan]

Just noticed Happy-Go-Lucky is playing at one of our theaters. My wife and I are going to see it this afternoon.

[Amnesiac]

Just noticed Happy-Go-Lucky is playing at one of our theaters. My wife and I are going to see it this afternoon.

It's a great, great movie. I'd go so far as to say that Hawkins deserves an Oscar nom, it's a really admirable performance.

[Qrazy]

Going to watch a few of these in the not too distant future... rate/rank away.

Whirlwind (Inagaki)
White Mane (Lamorisse)
These are the Damned (Losey)
Silent Light (Reygadas)
Letters from a Dead Man (Lopushansky)
Flame and the Lemon (Madsen)
Time Regained (Ruiz)
Perfume: Story of a Murderer (Tykwer)
Michael the Brave (Nicolaescu)
City of Sadness (Hsiao-hsien Hou)
The Devils (Russell)
The Beekeeper (Angelopoulos)
The Promised Land (Wajda)
Sult (Carlsen)
A Real Young Girl (Breillat)
America, America (Kazan)

[Melville]

Going to watch a few of these in the not too distant future... rate/rank away.

Whirlwind (Inagaki)
White Mane (Lamorisse)
These are the Damned (Losey)
Silent Light (Reygadas)
Letters from a Dead Man (Lopushansky)
Flame and the Lemon (Madsen)
Time Regained (Ruiz)
Perfume: Story of a Murderer (Tykwer)
Michael the Brave (Nicolaescu)
City of Sadness (Hsiao-hsien Hou)
The Devils (Russell)
The Beekeeper (Angelopoulos)
The Promised Land (Wajda)
Sult (Carlsen)
A Real Young Girl (Breillat)
America, America (Kazan)

That's a whole lot of movies I've never heard of. The Devils is great, but it seems like it might be too pulpy for your liking. I've wanted to see Time Regained and City of Sadness for years. Are they even available on DVD?

[NickGlass]

Stuck - I hate to sound like an old codger, but I resented how Gordon's schlockmeister instincts undermined and broadened the potential of his film's premise for incisive social commentary....As a darkly comic B-thriller it's tight and enjoyable, but I can't help but think it's something of a missed opportunity.

Spot-on, although I thought the concept became a bit weary towards the end. I saw this in the summer and as praise rolled in around these parts, I didn't have the strength of memory or articulation to repute them, so, umm, thanks for posting.

[Qrazy]

That's a whole lot of movies I've never heard of. The Devils is great, but it seems like it might be too pulpy for your liking. I've wanted to see Time Regained and City of Sadness for years. Are they even available on DVD?

Dunno, I procured them through Karagarga. I'll get back to you on The Devils but you may be right, I certainly felt that way about Tommy. Still Fellini praised Russell and the film so I'm definitely going to give it a fair shake.

[Spinal]

Perfume: Story of a Murderer (Tykwer)
A Real Young Girl (Breillat)


These are both great. I don't see any chance that you'll like them though.

[Qrazy]

That's a whole lot of movies I've never heard of. The Devils is great, but it seems like it might be too pulpy for your liking. I've wanted to see Time Regained and City of Sadness for years. Are they even available on DVD?

Have you seen Losey's The Servant? If not I think you'd probably like it.

[Qrazy]

These are both great. I don't see any chance that you'll like them though.

Well although I think Blind Chance is superior I do like Run Lola Run and Heaven has it's moments. That's all I've seen from Tykwer. I found Fat Girl to be a mixed bag but ultimately I'm glad I saw it. My prediction is that I'll be mixed on A Real Young Girl but like Perfume, we'll see.

[Melville]

Have you seen Losey's The Servant? If not I think you'd probably like it.
Yeah, I loved it (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=29682&postcount=6024
).

[Qrazy]

Yeah, I loved it (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=29682&postcount=6024
).

Ok yeah I was pretty sure I had read that before but I couldn't remember for sure. Seeing that has prompted me to explore the rest of his stuff though. Checking out These are the Damned and then probably Monsieur Klein and The Go-Between.

[Pop Trash]

Stuck

Interesting review, even if I think you are being too harsh on it. What I liked about it, is that you could watch it as this entertaining, WTF?, type of movie in the same way one watches a horror movie (I don't think Gordon should be dismissed as a 'schlockmeister' since Re-Animator is a very good little horror movie, plus some of the schlocky elements in Stuck of close-ups of gore and such that other directors might have shied away from, elevate the film for me) I like that the social commentary is fused into the film (like Romero's best films) and never becomes sentimental or schematic like movies like Crash. I also like that it never really fits into one category. It's not really a horror movie. Nor is it an Oscar baity 'important' social drama. It's just its own thing.

[Ezee E]

Perfume might be the most underseen masterpiece this decade. Hardly anyone's seen it because of its ridiculous trailer.

Speaking of which, Twyker's new movie is the opening film of the Berlin Film Festival. Hmm

[Winston*]

I think Perfume kind of sucks. But I saw the movie like two weeks after readin the book, so that might have something to do with my opinion.

[Winston*]

I overheard this on this bus and I'm trying to figure out what movie series he was talking about.

"The first one was great, but then I saw the second one and it was crap and I wasn't going to see the third one but I'm glad I did, because that's the best movie I've ever seen"

Any ideas? Something tells me it's Saw.

[Qrazy]

That's a whole lot of movies I've never heard of. The Devils is great, but it seems like it might be too pulpy for your liking. I've wanted to see Time Regained and City of Sadness for years. Are they even available on DVD?

By the way Sult is an adaptation of Hamsun's The Hunger which I remember you being a fan of (I've only read Pan so far).

[Qrazy]

I overheard this on this bus and I'm trying to figure out what movie series he was talking about.

"The first one was great, but then I saw the second one and it was crap and I wasn't going to see the third one but I'm glad I did, because that's the best movie I've ever seen"

Any ideas? Something tells me it's Saw.

The terror deep inside of me is whispering High School Musical to my soul.

[Winston*]

Actually come to think of it, he was almost certainly talking about Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy.

[Melville]

By the way Sult is an adaptation of Hamsun's Hunger.
Now I must see it. Also, an imdb reviewer calls it "irrational, desperate and oppressive." I think you might have downloaded the best movie ever made.

[MadMan]

There's been a distinct lack of posting on this site lately. Step it up people, I have work to avoid.No :P

The Rambo series on the whole isn't the greatest. But the first one is a great film and one of the best "Vietnam" movies ever made, and the third one rocks. The second one isn't half bad, but it and the 4th one are more "guilty pleasures" than anything else.

Oh and Tropic Thunder actually warrants a decent write up, if only because it was hilarious. Not as good as Burn After Reading, but still clearly one of the better comedies released this year.

Although TCM is showing the 1925 version of The Wizard of Oz tonight I'd rather see the 1920s version of Alice in Wonderland that I've seen clips of on YouTube. That one looks kind of freaky.

[Qrazy]

Now I must see it. Also, an imdb reviewer calls it "irrational, desperate and oppressive." I think you might have downloaded the best movie ever made.

Haha yes I'm psyched for it... although I feel like perhaps I should read the book first. I've only read a couple of books after first seeing the film where my imagination wasn't colored by the actors and the imagery of the movie. Catch22 was one of those few although I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's because I read the book a few years after seeing the film.

[thefourthwall]

Why did I hear absolutely nothing about Flushed Away. Was it any good?

I thought it was pretty decent. Clever enough to hold an adult's attention and whimsical enough to fascinate children. I liked it much much better than Happy Feet, which was the other major animated film I saw from that year.


I overheard this on this bus and I'm trying to figure out what movie series he was talking about.

"The first one was great, but then I saw the second one and it was crap and I wasn't going to see the third one but I'm glad I did, because that's the best movie I've ever seen"

Any ideas? Something tells me it's Saw.

Maybe Transporter?

[thefourthwall]

Oh, and Perfume is pretty interesting as well, I saw it when I was in England (I think it came out there before the US) and had no clue what it was before I saw it other than the title and movie poster. At first, it had the period piece meets serial killer mash-up going quite nicely, but then it took a turn I was unprepared for. I think if I saw it again, I'd really be able to recommend it as awesome, but since the

mass orgy scene

was out of left field for me, I'm cautious about encouraging others.

[The Mike]

Maybe he's from the future and saw the third Chris Nolan Batman flick?

[Qrazy]

I thought it was pretty decent. Clever enough to hold an adult's attention and whimsical enough to fascinate children. I liked it much much better than Happy Feet, which was the other major animated film I saw from that year.



Maybe Transporter?

Well I quite like Aardman so I think I'll check it out.

[Beau]

Love in the Afternoon -- 85

Which? I really liked the one with her on the left. I haven't seen Rohmer's film.

[thefourthwall]

Which? I really liked the one with her on the left. I haven't seen Rohmer's film.

Rohmer's. I truthfully didn't realize that there was another one, but imdb tells me differently. So Wilder's is good?

[Beau]

Rohmer's. I truthfully didn't realize that there was another one, but imdb tells me differently. So Wilder's is good?

Depends on your taste. I tend to like those early comedies with Hepburn, like Roman Holiday and Sabrina. I do think Love in the Afternoon is better than both, though. It's, at least, better than the latter, which was also by Wilder. I like the performances and the comedy - it's got this witty flow to it I found endearing.

[thefourthwall]

Depends on your taste. I tend to like those early comedies with Hepburn, like Roman Holiday and Sabrina. I do think Love in the Afternoon is better than both, though. It's, at least, better than the latter, which was also by Wilder. I like the performances and the comedy - it's got this witty flow to it I found endearing.

Well, I enjoyed Sabrina well enough--so, I'll have to check this out!

[Spinal]

I think if I saw it again, I'd really be able to recommend it as awesome, but since the

mass orgy scene

was out of left field for me, I'm cautious about encouraging others.

Brilliant scene.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Just watched Pineapple Express again, and I'll be damned if I didn't love it just as much as the first time. Franco's stoner Saul is easily the best thing I've seen him do, and Danny McBride as Red is still hilarious. I think the movie pushes his luck by allowing Red to survive the drug war holocaust, but it's worth it to see the three protagonists enjoying a Denny's-style meal while discussing how crazy shit got.

That ending scene is perfect, by the way. How awesome to see the mains relating their exploits with shock and wonderment.

My new favorite line:

"Forget it, I'm gonna flex and bust out of this."

[Yxklyx]

A rewatch of Traffic made me realize that it's an incredibly tedious film.

ditto... but on the first watch, so not really a ditto.

[Sycophant]

Rewatched 5 Centimeters Per Second last night. Still heartbreakingly lovely.

[Boner M]

Mickey One - :frustrated::):eek::crazy:

[Watashi]

I finally saw Voices from a Distant Star.

Pretty devestating stuff.

[Watashi]

Poor Spinal. This is one awful DVD cover:

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/2562/cityofemberr1artworkpiczb6.jpg

[Spinal]

Yeesh. Why are they mentioning Journey to the Center of the Earth?

[Qrazy]

ditto... but on the first watch, so not really a ditto.

Well 8 years ago my critical faculties were not what they are now.

[Qrazy]

Mickey One - :frustrated::):eek::crazy:

Is that positive? I was thinking of seeing it.

[Boner M]

Is that positive? I was thinking of seeing it.
After much contemplation, yes. Mostly the film was just stratospherically weirder than I was expecting (ie, a slightly European-feeling gangster film), and it felt way too self-conscious in it's singularity, but the oneiric and hallucinatory power of many of its images and flights of fancy are undeniable. I checked it out 'cos I'd heard from many sources that it was the first '70's' film in its spirit; made with complete artistic control, and when I reflect back on it, it strikes me as a potent metaphor for it's own creation; with Beatty's titular character paranoid and on the run from the mob, for reasons that remain vague, just as most Hollywood product is made by a mafia-like committee, and creating something with 'no strings attached' is akin to the struggle that Beatty undergoes. If the terms 'Kafka-esque' or 'Fellini-esque' appeal to you unconditionally, then consider yourself sold.

[Qrazy]

After much comtemplation, yes. Mostly the film was just stratospherically weirder than I was expecting (ie, a slightly European-feeling gangster film), and it felt a way too self-conscious in it's singularity, but the oneiric and hallucinatory power of many of its images and flights of fancy are undeniable. I checked it out 'cos I'd heard from many sources that it was the first '70's' film in its spirit; made with complete artistic control, and when I reflect back on it, it strikes me as a potent metaphor for it's own creation; with Beatty's titular character paranoid and on the run from the mob, for reasons that remain vague, just as most Hollywood product is made by a mafia-like committee, and creating something with 'no strings attached' is akin to the struggle that Beatty undergoes. If the terms 'Kafka-esque' or 'Fellini-esque' appeal to unconditionally, then consider yourself sold.

I'm sold.

[Qrazy]

Has anyone seen any films by the king of Cambodia Norodom Sihanouk? Are they any good?

[Sven]

After much contemplation, yes. Mostly the film was just stratospherically weirder than I was expecting (ie, a slightly European-feeling gangster film), and it felt way too self-conscious in it's singularity, but the oneiric and hallucinatory power of many of its images and flights of fancy are undeniable. I checked it out 'cos I'd heard from many sources that it was the first '70's' film in its spirit; made with complete artistic control, and when I reflect back on it, it strikes me as a potent metaphor for it's own creation; with Beatty's titular character paranoid and on the run from the mob, for reasons that remain vague, just as most Hollywood product is made by a mafia-like committee, and creating something with 'no strings attached' is akin to the struggle that Beatty undergoes. If the terms 'Kafka-esque' or 'Fellini-esque' appeal to you unconditionally, then consider yourself sold.

Favorite scene: the bubble machine on the river front. Goddamn. Love this film. One of my favorites. Probably top 100 worthy.

[Wryan]

Has anyone seen any films by the king of Cambodia Norodom Sihanouk? Are they any good?

This is almost sig-worthy in its ridiculosity. Seriously, bud? :)

[Qrazy]

This is almost sig-worthy in its ridiculosity. Seriously, bud? :)

Is that a no you have not seen any films by the king of Cambodia Norodom Sihanouk?

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0797625/

[Qrazy]

An Amazon review of Norodom Sihanouk the king of Cambodia's 1994 film Peasants in Distress:

"Another fine example from a fine movie director who happens to be a King in real life. Perhaps Royals from other countries should stop what they are doing and film stories from their kingdoms so we all can enjoy them as I enjoyed this movie."

[Watashi]

Is that a no you have no seen any films by the king of Cambodia Norodom Sihanouk?

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0797625/
Consindering not one of his films has even 5 votes on imdb, I'm going to take a stab in the dark and say no.

[Qrazy]

Consindering not one of his films has even 5 votes on imdb, I'm going to take a stab in the dark and say no.

Well they're available on Karagarga, someone should get on that. If I had a better ratio I'd do it. Nevermind you can watch some of his stuff here...

http://www.norodomsihanouk.info/cinematographie/index.htm

[Wryan]

Is that a no you have not seen any films by the king of Cambodia Norodom Sihanouk?

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0797625/

That's a no, indeed.

But your comment just made me laugh. The same way as if someone walked up and asked, "Has anyone seen Iceland's first animated movie? It's from 1932 and it's about a princess named Tuk Tuk."

[Raiders]

That's a no, indeed.

But your comment just made me laugh. The same way as if someone walked up and asked, "Has anyone seen Iceland's first animated movie? It's from 1932 and it's about a princess named Tuk Tuk."

I'll have you know I just wasted four minutes of my life to figure out you made this movie up.

[Ezee E]

I'll have you know I just wasted four minutes of my life to figure out you made this movie up.
That deserves rep.

For Wryan.

[Derek]

That deserves rep.

For Wryan.

I dunno, I almost repped Raiders. An old Icelandic animated film about a princess named Tuk Tuk sounds pretty awesome if you ask me.

[MadMan]

I dunno, I almost repped Raiders. An old Icelandic animated film about a princess named Tuk Tuk sounds pretty awesome if you ask me.Maybe someone from this site should make it.

Also I'm laughing so hard right now people are giving me weird looks in the computer lab. This is why going online at home is a better idea.

Oh and I'm wondering if the fact that I gave up on a 1925 silent version of The Wizard of Oz just because I couldn't get into it 20 minutes in is a sign that I'm not really a film fanatic. And no its not because silent movies aren't my thing, as I've enjoyed a good many of them, most recently Chaplin's masterpiece The Gold Rush. Hmmm.

[Wryan]

Maybe someone from this site should make it.

Also I'm laughing so hard right now people are giving me weird looks in the computer lab. This is why going online at home is a better idea.

Oh and I'm wondering if the fact that I gave up on a 1925 silent version of The Wizard of Oz just because I couldn't get into it 20 minutes in is a sign that I'm not really a film fanatic. And no its not because silent movies aren't my thing, as I've enjoyed a good many of them, most recently Chaplin's masterpiece The Gold Rush. Hmmm.

If you can watch Niblo's Ben-Hur, you're fine. That's one bitchin' silent film. There are lots of great silents. You just gotta lash out and try em. :)

[Wryan]

I dunno, I almost repped Raiders. An old Icelandic animated film about a princess named Tuk Tuk sounds pretty awesome if you ask me.

The remake is coming next summer. Starring this photograph of Bjork:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/reverseshot/archives/bjork31806_wideweb__470x333,0. jpg

[Qrazy]

That's a no, indeed.

But your comment just made me laugh. The same way as if someone walked up and asked, "Has anyone seen Iceland's first animated movie? It's from 1932 and it's about a princess named Tuk Tuk."

It was designed for hilarity... although I was also genuinely curious.

[Qrazy]

Maybe someone from this site should make it.

Also I'm laughing so hard right now people are giving me weird looks in the computer lab. This is why going online at home is a better idea.

Oh and I'm wondering if the fact that I gave up on a 1925 silent version of The Wizard of Oz just because I couldn't get into it 20 minutes in is a sign that I'm not really a film fanatic. And no its not because silent movies aren't my thing, as I've enjoyed a good many of them, most recently Chaplin's masterpiece The Gold Rush. Hmmm.

It could also just mean it's just crap. I wouldn't know I haven't seen it. I've been too busy watching the films of the king of Cambodia.

[MadMan]

It could also just mean it's just crap. I wouldn't know I haven't seen it. I've been too busy watching the films of the king of Cambodia.That could be very much so. Also good luck on the whole viewing films made by the King of Cambodia. Your a credit to cinema addicts everywhere man :lol:


If you can watch Niblo's Ben-Hur, you're fine. That's one bitchin' silent film. There are lots of great silents. You just gotta lash out and try em. :)That one is actually on my radar. I'm going to try and see the 1959 remake sometime this month, although I may have to split it up since its 4 hours long.

[Yxklyx]

You need to see the remake on a very large TV or movie screen.

So which should I see this weekend:

Milk or Slumdog Millionaire?

[Grouchy]

McCabe and Mrs. Miller is a strange, alluring little film that manages to elevate a helluva lot higher than its basic story, showing a portrait of a lifestyle, an era and a way of living and thinking through the eyes of the small village where the plot unfolds. Altman is telling a tragic love story, but at the same time, his "realistic", meandering approach manages to tell a lot of different snippets of stories relating to every fully fleshed character. Of course, the acting in general is superb, but it was particularly uncanny how the two well known stars (Warren Beatty and Julie Christie) completely disappeared inside their roles. Incidentally, I finally recognized that amazing character actor from Walker who plays the gossip bartender - Rene Abujernois. The music by Leonard Cohen fits the tone of the film so well that it's miraculous that the scenes weren't thought with it in mind. I'm not very well versed in Altman, tell you the truth, having only seen M.A.S.H. and Gosford Park, but this movie floored me. I'd sort of avoided his stuff so far (even though I liked what I'd seen) because of his approach to deconstructing genre, which I considered sort of mechanical judging the book strictly by the cover, but I liked how it was executed here, particularly the final shoot-out. The part where Keith Carradine's character gets shot is also very affecting, and it's obvious that Altman pulled one on us by fattening up this very minor character so that we like him and grief over his untimely kill.

I also saw Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited. I think you can split people into those who like this one over Life Aquatic and those who feel the complete opposite. I'm part of the second group. Where that movie was irreverent and surprising, this one is predictable and tiring. Of course, there are still great laughs, beautiful use of widescreen and an excellent soundtrack selection, but I echo the feelings of the people who feel like Anderson is trapped inside his own gimmicks and style. I had the feeling, watching this, that I already knew the movie by heart even as it was starting. At least the short, Hotel Chevalier, is something a little different. The three lead characters only show their personalities through their limited and obvious dialogue. They all have the same deadpan reactions and monotonous way of speaking. I realize that's a style trademark, but I grew weary of it.

[EyesWideOpen]

I added McCabe & Mrs. Miller to my netflix queue a few days ago. I'm really looking forward to watching it.

[Qrazy]

For another great Altman genre deconstruction you should check out The Long Goodbye Grouchy.

[Beau]

Oh, Grouchy. I saw Juan Moreira. It was okay. I though it worked in segments, with certain sequences being particularly poetic, but on the whole, I felt those segments did not really gel together very well. I liked the intimacy of the constant close-ups, but there was a rather off-putting mishandling of narrative and visual rhythms, like the movie never really found a musical way to work with storytelling. Instead of a flowing melody, I felt there was an annoying fragmentation that did not work to the film's benefit.

[Ezee E]

Denerstein (http://denersteinunleashed.blogspot.c om/) -- I've been wondering what happened to the Rocky Mountain News critic. He got involved in a buyout, and now has his own site.

If none of you know who he is, you should read some of his work. He'd fit into Match Cut nicely.

[Ivan Drago]

Has anyone here heard of a movie called The Hole directed by Tsai Ming-Liang?

I saw it in my Film Analysis class today. I saw it having no idea what it was about, so during the first few scenes I was like "What the hell is this?" because it was so random (especially with the out of nowhere musical interludes), but the camerawork and mise-en-scene definitely kept me interested and I caught on as the movie progressed. I liked it a lot.

[origami_mustache]

Went to The Evening With Don Hertzfeldt screening and Q&A last night...the films shown were:

The Meaning of Life
Rejected (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSb-nV8l2QY)
Billy's Balloon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpc5vgi9zbM)
Everything Will Be OK
Intermission (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T0UQfKTcQw)
I'm So Proud of You, his newest film which is the sequel to Everything Will Be OK and Part 2 of a trilogy.

The new project is amazing and he seems to be getting trickier with his camera and more technical beyond the funny doodles. Everything.../I'm So Proud...are simultaneously hilarious, philosophical, epic, tragic, and depressing.

here is the trailer for Everything Will Be OK (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWUJw7Dq5uo)

[Robby P]

Fell asleep halfway through The Parallax View. Wasn't terribly impressed, obviously. Exactly how many American movies from the 70s featured paranoid protagonists investigating some sort of government conspiracy? The answer: a bunch.

[MadMan]

Fell asleep halfway through The Parallax View. Wasn't terribly impressed, obviously. Exactly how many American movies from the 70s featured paranoid protagonists investigating some sort of government conspiracy? The answer: a bunch.I liked it, but I felt that much of the movie was underdeveloped. There was a much better movie hidden in there somewhere, but I'm not sure what happened to it. I was entertained to say the least though. The 70s features much better thrillers than that one. Like The Day of the Jackal, Dirty Harry, The French Connection, and Marathon Man. Among others. Check those out instead as they're superior. Still Alan J. Pakula did give us another fine thriller/drama from the 70s in All the President's Men, and The Pelican Brief was a solid thriller as well, even though Julia Roberts really wasn't good in it. But then I don't think she's a good actress anyways. I'd like to see some of Pakula's other films though, as he seems to have an interesting body of work.

PS: I did forget about the very well made Three Days of the Condor, based on the novel Six Days of the Condor which is worth reading. And in some ways probably inspired Tom Clancy and others.

[Winston*]

Saw two vampire films with Ron Perlman in them; Cronos and Hellboy: Blood and Iron. Think I prefered the Hellboy one (much better than Sword of Storms), Cronos never really ended up feeling like an anything to me.

Who do you guys think Ron Perlman is going to end up playing in The Hobbit? Beorn? I'm guessing Beorn. Maybe Smaug.

[Boner M]

Wristcutters: A Love Story was marginally less annoying than its title. Tom Waits was fun. Shannyn Sossamon is devastatingly attractive as ever. Not particularly enjoyable or interesting, but talent was involved. Pretty typical Sundance 'calling card' film, I can imagine the director making lame Hollywood romcoms or crime films soon.

[megladon8]

The guy I work with spent the whole movie ranting and raving about this "amazing" movie he saw yesterday. It was "just, totally one of the best movies I have seen in ten years or more", and how it had absolutely everything that he loves about movies.

What was it?

Hell Ride.

[megladon8]

So...has anyone here seen Red yet?

[thefourthwall]

McCabe and Mrs. Miller is a strange, alluring little film that manages to elevate a helluva lot higher than its basic story, showing a portrait of a lifestyle, an era and a way of living and thinking through the eyes of a small village where the story happens. Altman is telling a tragic love story, but at the same time, his "realistic", meandering approach manages to tell a lot of different snippets of stories relating to every fully fleshed character. Of course, the acting in general is superb, but it was particularly uncanny how the two well known stars (Warren Beatty and Julie Christie) completely disappeared inside their roles. I also finally recognized that amazing character actor from Walker who plays the gossip bartender - Rene Abujernois. The music by Leonard Cohen fits the tone of the film so well that it's miraculous that the scenes weren't thought with it in mind. I'm not very well versed in Altman, tell you the truth, having only seen M.A.S.H. and Gosford Park, but this movie floored me. I'd sort of avoided his stuff so far (even though I liked what I'd seen) because of his approach to deconstructing genre, which I considered sort of mechanical judging the book strictly by the cover, but I liked how it was executed here, particularly the final shoot-out. The part where Keith Carradine's character gets shot is also very affecting, and it's obviously that Altman pulled one on us by fattening up this very minor character so that we like him and grief over his untimely kill.


I got to study this film with the guy who wrote the book on it (http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Altmans-McCabe-Mrs-Miller/dp/0700615512/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228232686&sr=8-3), literally. So, I may be biased but I think it's just about as perfect of a film as there is.

[origami_mustache]

I can’t believe Noriko’s Dinner Table was nearly 3 hours long. The story was so intricate and fascinating, that it seemed to breeze by, and nothing really struck me as excessive. Not a big fan of the soundtrack, or voice over in general, but with all the information to get across, I think it was necessary and worked fine here.

[dreamdead]

Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder has an air of austere beauty thanks to immaculate cinematography by John Toll, but the film works best in its metacritique of Hollywood stardom seen in the fake trailers that begin the film. The rest of the film, though playfully juvenile, cannot match that level of ribald insult to the film industry. And though Downey's a wonder here, the only other element that works well is Cruise's unhinged performance, even though it obviously only works when we knows it's him. In terms of good performances caught in average but not superlative films, this is a good example. It's too easy of a critique on hyper-masculinity in films elsewhere, and so the quality dissipates during those moments.

Rewatched James Cameron's The Terminator with thefourthwall. It was decidedly less magnificent than childhood proclaimed it to be, and the script reveals some typically on-the-nose writing by Cameron, but the film still is solid enough. The construction of Sarah's friends and family (especially Ginger) comes off as too one-note, but Arnold is still pleasantly imposing here. Which makes it that much more of a shame that the computer effects after the T800 is melted are so artificial. The film's tension loses something thereafter. At the end of the day, I think my favorite thing about this one is still the score.

[Grouchy]

Oh, Grouchy. I saw Juan Moreira. It was okay. I though it worked in segments, with certain sequences being particularly poetic, but on the whole, I felt those segments did not really gel together very well. I liked the intimacy of the constant close-ups, but there was a rather off-putting mishandling of narrative and visual rhythms, like the movie never really found a musical way to work with storytelling. Instead of a flowing melody, I felt there was an annoying fragmentation that did not work to the film's benefit.
I disagree, but only because I feel the movie is designed to be so episodic, like most gaucho literature. Otherwise, I think you're right - there's some sloppy editing and pacing. I love it, though. I love the unconventional way in which Favio shoots something as straight-forward as a provocation in a bar, with an overhead shot.

Have you seen other films by Favio? I've only seen the last one, Aniceto. Which is a ballet remake of an earlier film he did. I posted about it on this thread long time ago.

[Sycophant]

Anyone interested in the Rebuild of Evangelion project (I count Qrazy, myself, and... no one else?) will be disappointed to hear that the second film, You Can (Not) Advance has slipped out of 2008 and into "early Summer 2009," which probably means it's got another year before it hits theaters. Films 3 and 4 are meant to be released at the same time. Which means the project probably won't be finished till 2011 or 2013 or something. Bummer.

[Raiders]

I love the Evangelion series and the two films. I hadn't even heard of this before now.

[Qrazy]

Anyone interested in the Rebuild of Evangelion project (I count Qrazy, myself, and... no one else?) will be disappointed to hear that the second film, You Can (Not) Advance has slipped out of 2008 and into "early Summer 2009," which probably means it's got another year before it hits theaters. Films 3 and 4 are meant to be released at the same time. Which means the project probably won't be finished till 2011 or 2013 or something. Bummer.

If you haven't had a chance to see it yet you should download Happy Machine, Yuasa's segment from Genius Party. The rest of the film is passable but not really worth watching in full except for maybe the opening segment (titled Genius Party also)... and perhaps the segments Baby Blue (Watanabe - Cowboy Bebop) and Shanghai Dragon (Kawamori - Macross). These torrents are on mininova.

[Sycophant]

I love the Evangelion series and the two films. I hadn't even heard of this before now.

I've seen the first of the new films, You Are (Not) Alone, which for the most part plays very much like the first several episodes of the series. Many shots even are pretty much recreated for a larger screen. The animation is uniformly stunning. Hideaki Anno is the supervising director, while Kazuya Tsurumaki (FLCL) and someone named Masayuki are directing the films.

Anno has said there will be new characters and the plot will unfold in a different manner (and presumbly we'll have a "third" ending for the series), making the film ultimately more accessible. Anno still has it and I don't think the Rebuild project is some crude cash-in. I'm very excited to see where these go.

[Qrazy]

I love the Evangelion series and the two films. I hadn't even heard of this before now.

I personally prefer it to the earlier stuff. The animation is infinitely superior both technically and aesthetically and the story has been streamlined to perfection.

[Sycophant]

If you haven't had a chance to see it yet you should download Happy Machine, Yuasa's segment from Genius Party. The rest of the film is passable but not really worth watching in full except for maybe the opening segment (titled Genius Party also)... and perhaps the segments Baby Blue (Watanabe - Cowboy Bebop) and Shanghai Dragon (Kawamori - Macross). These torrents are on mininova.Thanks for the reminder. I keep forgetting this is out. I'll probably watch the whole thing because I'm kind of a whore for anthologies. But particularly I'm interested in Yuasa's segment (because he's got a great track record so far) and Watanabe's (because I'm wondering what the hell he's been doing since Samurai Champloo).

[Rowland]

The first half of my Speed Racer review reposted along with the remainder:

Speed Racer (Wachowski Brothers, 2008) 62

What's the deal with the vitriolic critical consensus concerning this relatively ambitious, amiable family film? For all of its technical craft and formal daring, there are a number of sophisticated storytelling techniques employed here by the Wachowski Brothers that denote a greater respect for the intelligence of their collective audience than the film's harsher critics have argued. The foremost case to be made for this is the opening sequence, a veritable cornucopia of exposition that the Brothers spin into a meticulously orchestrated succession of imaginative wipes, time lapses, flash-back/forwards, match-cuts, and a technique I don't recall ever witnessing in a movie that recalls no less than the ghost challenges from a videogame time trial, appropriated here to viscerally express Speed Racer's internal conflict concerning the legacy of his older brother and how his performance is being accordingly judged by the commentators and audience. With all this, the Wachowskis communicate a great deal of information while piquing audience involvement and establishing empathy for Speed Racer's circumstances in a bravura manner. Seriously, this is one of the most immediately engrossing and promising openings I've seen to a movie all year.

Sadly, they don't manage to sustain this momentum, nor do they ever again attain this creative ingenuity, marking the opening exposition, remarkably enough, as the film's innovative peak. Nevertheless, there remain compelling moments in a similar vein to be discovered, including a monologue in which the (natch) corporate villain ominously relates to Speed Racer in detail how a future race will be rigged against him, all the while intercut by the Wachowskis with footage of this scenario as it occurs, serving not only to kill two birds with one stone in an already bloated film and to punch up a simple scene comprised of characters standing around talking, but as a suspense mechanism to keep the audience guessing as to whether we are witnessing his mere account of how the race could unfold, or the actual events as they are to transpire. We are then left hanging for a scene before we discover whether or not his foretelling was an accurate prediction, capping off what is a bold editing device for a film purported by its detractors to be aiming at the lowest common denominator.

It has been commonly argued that both the film's narrative and its thematic bedrock reside too comfortably within the realm of "greedy corporations vs. family-orientated underdog" schtick, which is a fairly reasonable assessment, but what's most notable is how this shopworn scenario is afforded some flavor by the Wachowskis through emotional and aesthetic nuance. Granted, I'm not about to argue in favor of an exceptional emotional depth that is frankly not there, but I do feel it's worth noting how sincerely the movie's underlying longing for lost innocence is conveyed. Examples include the palpable emotional distress expressed by Speed and his father over the loss of the oldest son and its effect on their relationship, John Goodman's soulful performance, the goofy non sequiturs involving the youngest son and his pet monkey for comic relief as opposed to cynical pop culture references and bodily excretion humor, and the family's steadfastly pure desire to maintain artistic integrity in the face of corporate decadence. That last point in particular has been deemed hypocritical by many, but I can't help wondering if this was perhaps a misguided criticism, given how commercially unviable the Wachowski's vision proved to be. Furthermore, this championing of art over commerce is communicated through the borderline-abstract pop surrealism of the film's aesthetic, cumulating in an inspired allusion to the zoetrope during the concluding race that acts directly as a metaphor for cinema, positioning Speed as a surrogate for the Wachowskis and his struggle as analogous with their struggle to maintain artistic integrity in the Hollywood system.

I've written at length about what interested me most about this film, so I'll quickly plow through the rest. The action sequences are imaginatively wrought and coherently executed, a blessing in these Bourne times. Furthermore, they seem heavily inspired by the visual logic of video games, hinted at by a framed picture in the Racer home that appears to these eyes a reference to the classic NES game Rad Racer. That said, many of the action sequences lack tension because the Wachowskis haven't effectively built up to them, which proves particularly true during the disjointed middle act, rife with poorly developed character motivations and an excess of ancillary characters and sub-plots. These serve to bloat the film's overlong running time, in addition to all the escapades with the kid and his monkey that too often prove more grating than amusing. The candy-coated surrealism can sometimes be as exhausting at it is exhilarating, and it frequently appears downright garish in a most unpleasant fashion. Finally, the Racer X character is badly mishandled, as the movie contrives to keep us guessing his identity when any mentally functional viewer over the age of 5 shouldn't ever have a doubt. The Wachowskis should have focused instead on his justifications and an inner-conflict concerning the direction he has chosen to take.

[Qrazy]

Thanks for the reminder. I keep forgetting this is out. I'll probably watch the whole thing because I'm kind of a whore for anthologies. But particularly I'm interested in Yuasa's segment (because he's got a great track record so far) and Watanabe's (because I'm wondering what the hell he's been doing since Samurai Champloo).

It's a very different direction from Bebop and Champloo and not really at the same level as those works in my opinion but it's a decent high school/coming of age/reestablishing old connections type story.

[Grouchy]

I love the Evangelion series and the two films. I hadn't even heard of this before now.
Same here. It looks very cool.

[Ezee E]

Independent Spirit Award noms:

Best First Feature

“Afterschool”
Director: Antonio Campos
Producers: Sean Durkin, Josh Mond

“Medicine for Melancholy”
Director: Barry Jenkins
Producer: Justin Barber

“Sangre de Mi Sangre”
Director: Christopher Zalla
Producers: Per Melita, Benjamin Odell

“Sleep Dealer”
Director: Alex Rivera
Producer: Anthony Bregman

“Synecdoche, New York”
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Sidney Kimmel

John Cassavetes Award (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)

“In Search of a Midnight Kiss”
Writer/Director: Alex Holdridge
Producers: Seth Caplan and Scoot McNairy

“Prince of Broadway”
Director: Sean Baker
Writers: Sean Baker, Darren Dean
Producer: Darren Dean

“The Signal”
Writer/Directors: David Bruckner, Dan Bush, Jacob Gentry
Producers: Jacob Gentry and Alexander Motiagh

“Take Out”
Writer/Directors/Producers: Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou

“Turn the River”
Writer/Director: Chris Eigeman
Producer: Ami Armstrong

Best First Screenplay

Dustin Lance Black, “Milk”

Lance Hammer, “Ballast”

Courtney Hunt, “Frozen River”

Jonathan Levine, “The Wackness”

Jenny Lumet, “Rachel Getting Married”

Best Screenplay

Woody Allen, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Anna Fleck and Ryan Boden, “Sugar”

Charlie Kaufman, “Synecdoche, New York”

Howard A. Rodman, “Savage Grace”

Christopher Zalla, “Sangre de Mi Sangre”

Best Female Lead

Summer Bishil, “Towelhead”

Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”

Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”

Tarra Riggs, “Ballast”

Michelle Williams, “Wendy and Lucy”

Best Male Lead

Javier Bardem, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”

Sean Penn, “Milk”

Jeremy Renner, “The Hurt Locker”

Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”

Best Supporting Female

Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Rosemarie DeWitt, “Rachel Getting Married”

Rosie Perez, “The Take”

Misty Upham, “Frozen River”

Debra Winger, “Rachel Getting Married”

Best Supporting Male

James Franco, “Milk”

Anthony Mackie, “The Hurt Locker”

Charlie McDermott, “Frozen River”

JimMyron Ross, “Ballast”

Haaz Sleiman, “The Visitor”

Best Cinematography

Maryse Alberti, “The Wrestler”

Lol Crowley, “Ballast”

James Laxton, “Medicine for Melancholy”

Harris Savides, “Milk”

Michael Simmonds, “Chop Shop”

Best Documentary

“The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)”
Director: Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath

“Encounters at the End of the World”
Director: Werner Herzog

“Man on Wire”
Director: James Marsh

“The Order of Myths”
Director: Margaret Brown

“Up the Yangtze”
Director: Yang Chung

Best Foreign Film

“The Class” (France)
Director: Laurent Cantet

“Gomorrah” (Italy)
Director: Matteo Garrone

“Hunger” (UK/Ireland)
Director: Steve McQueen

“Secret of the Grain” (France)
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche

“Silent Light” (Mexico/France/Netherlands/Germany)
Director: Carlos Reygadas

Robert Altman Award (Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)

“Synecdoche, New York”
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Casting Director: Jeanne McCarthy
Ensemble Cast: Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Dianne Wiest, Michelle Williams

[Watashi]

Hey E, I think you should create a separate thread for all the lists, award nominations, etc like Boner did last year. I think the NBR list comes out this Thursday.

[Watashi]

Liked, but didn't love, Man on Wire. The film definitely has the feel of a Herzogian vehicle of a man who sees beauty in the brink of death. I'm a tad disappointed Marsh didn't go too far into Philippe's inner-psychosis of performing this artistry. It's thinly disguised as an elaborate heist film with a "follow your dreams" message thrown in the end, but for the actual real and faux documentation of the event, it does approach a breathtaking viewpoint. Did the film ever explain how these group of street performers got all this money to travel overseas multiple times?

I mainly liked it for the use of music. Gotta love Nyman.

[Boner M]

Liked, but didn't love, Man on Wire. The film definitely has the feel of a Herzogian vehicle of a man who sees beauty in the brink of death. I'm a tad disappointed Marsh didn't go too far into Philippe's inner-psychosis of performing this artistry. It's thinly disguised as an elaborate heist film with a "follow your dreams" message thrown in the end, but for the actual real and faux documentation of the event, it does approach a breathtaking viewpoint. Did the film ever explain how these group of street performers got all this money to travel overseas multiple times?

I mainly liked it for the use of music. Gotta love Nyman.
I kinda agree, though I ultimately liked the tension between the specifics of the heist process and the ineffableness of Petit's vision and story. It was a nice dynamic.

[Boner M]

Has anyone seen an old RKO flick called The Devil Thumbs a Ride? I caught half of it on TV late last night and was disappointed that I fell asleep, cos what I caught of it was a nifty, tight B-movie with a deliciously nasty Lawrence Tierney performance. Thankfully the station tends to repeat it's films regularly, so I'll catch the whole thing next time.

[Raiders]

I'm a tad disappointed Marsh didn't go too far into Philippe's inner-psychosis of performing this artistry.

What do you mean? The film gave all the explanation and reasoning there is for performing the stunt. He did it because it is there. I thought the filmmakers' wisely adopted Petit's own analysis that it is so "American" (read: useless) to analyze the 'why' behind the act rather than simply behold it as the breathtaking art it is and was and the timeless images and stories it provided (not to mention the unintentional but poignant resonance it now holds). Amazing film.

My review thread. (http://www.match-cut.org/showthread.php?t=1165)

[MadMan]

Has anyone seen an old RKO flick called The Devil Thumbs a Ride? I caught half of it on TV late last night and was disappointed that I fell asleep, cos what I caught of it was a nifty, tight B-movie with a deliciously nasty Lawrence Tierney performance. Thankfully the station tends to repeat it's films regularly, so I'll catch the whole thing next time.I've heard of it, if only because in QT's interview on the special features for Reservoir Dogs on the SE DVD he mentioned that it was that movie that made him decide that he had to cast Lawrence Tierney. I actually want to see it, if only because the whole thing intrigues me and Tierney seems like he was one bad mofo.

[Rowland]

Man on Wire never really stops to contemplate much of anything. It's a pleasant film, but not all that interesting, unless the cheap platitudes at the end (espoused by the very guy who dismissed the notion of analyzing his own actions) about living life like you're on a perpetual wire or whatever constitute depth. The heist segments struck me as fairly useless as well, though they were executed with a great deal of flair.

[Raiders]

Man on Wire never really stops to contemplate much of anything. It's a pleasant film, but not all that interesting, unless the cheap platitudes at the end (espoused by the very guy who dismissed the notion of analyzing his own actions) about living life like you're on a perpetual wire or whatever constitute depth. The heist segments struck me as fairly useless as well, though they were executed with a great deal of flair.

I think the very things you complain about are what make it so great. It's not the same dour, standard, reverent documentary we get about so many topics. And the feat and the man deserve something both whimsical and celebratory, and I think the film smartly realizes that we have enough built-in baggage without needlessly engaging in obvious parallels.

[megladon8]

The Rocketeer sure had a great poster.

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/4130/rocketeerlm7.jpg

[Ezee E]

Great poster indeed.

Haven't seen the movie in years, but I remember thinking highly of it.

[Mara]

Great poster indeed.

Haven't seen the movie in years, but I remember thinking highly of it.

All I can remember is that Jennifer Connelly looked amazing.




I'm a straight woman, and that's all I can remember.

Hm.

[Watashi]

Top 20 Celebrity Nude Scenes of 2008 (http://www.mrskin.com/Mr-Skin-Blog-Archive/Nude-Celeb-Lists/11621/Mr-Skins-Top-20-Celebrity-Nude-Scenes-of-2008-20081128)

1. Mischa Barton – Closing the Ring
2. Sophie Monk – Sex and Death 101
3. Heather Graham – Adrift in Manhattan
4. Asia Argento – The Last Mistress
5. Neve Campbell – I Really Hate My Job
6. Anna Faris – The House Bunny
7. Amy Smart – Mirrors
8. Mena Suvari – Stuck
9. Laura Ramsey – The Ruins
10. Angelina Jolie – Wanted
11. Penélope Cruz – Elegy
12. Jessica Morris – Role Models
13. Willa Ford – Impulse
14. Carly Pope – YPF
15. Jenna Jameson – Zombie Strippers
16. Jess Weixler – Teeth
17 Moran Atias – Mother of Tears
18. Vera Farmiga – Never Forever
19. Maria Bello – Downloading Nancy
20. Amy Adams – Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

[Mara]

Top 20 Celebrity Nude Scenes of 2008 (http://www.mrskin.com/Mr-Skin-Blog-Archive/Nude-Celeb-Lists/11621/Mr-Skins-Top-20-Celebrity-Nude-Scenes-of-2008-20081128)


So, this post made me curious, since Amy Adams doesn't actually get nude in that film, so I clicked on the link and discovered...

...that this web page has the most hilariously bad prose I've ever read.

Seriously. Some of the most strained sexual puns I've seen, anywhere.

[dreamdead]

Seriously. Some of the most strained sexual puns I've seen, anywhere.

Thank you. Whereas it might be hilariously bad in your eyes, it merely hurts my eyes. Truly painful to read.

[Mara]

Amy Adams doesn't actually get nude in that film

By the way, that's the only film I've seen on the list, so this is pure speculation, but I seriously doubt that Mischa Barton managed to be attractive in anything.

[dreamdead]

The first half of my Speed Racer review reposted along with the remainder:

Speed Racer (Wachowski Brothers, 2008) 62

What's the deal with the vitriolic critical consensus concerning this relatively ambitious, amiable family film? For all of its technical craft and formal daring, there are a number of sophisticated storytelling techniques employed here by the Wachowski Brothers that denote a greater respect for the intelligence of their collective audience than the film's harsher critics have argued.

Great thoughts throughout, though I find it a bit troubling that the two films that have received the most vehement discussion this year have been this and TDK. I'm holding out hope that something comes along soon that will provoke and engage the entirety of this forum while not falling prey to simplicity by story's end. I could see Leigh and Fincher's films being the stalwarts here, and maybe even Doubt, too.

[Wryan]

So, this post made me curious, since Amy Adams doesn't actually get nude in that film, so I clicked on the link and discovered...

...that this web page has the most hilariously bad prose I've ever read.

Seriously. Some of the most strained sexual puns I've seen, anywhere.

Bad puns? I'm there.

...

"Mischa’s nude scenes are luscious, lengthy and brightly lit, so they’re guaranteed to turn you into a Barton fink!"

/dies

[Winston*]

Great thoughts throughout, though I find it a bit troubling that the two films that have received the most vehement discussion this year have been this and TDK. I'm holding out hope that something comes along soon that will provoke and engage the entirety of this forum while not falling prey to simplicity by story's end. I could see Leigh and Fincher's films being the stalwarts here, and maybe even Doubt, too.

I predict Doubt will be disliked by the majority of Match Cutters. Posters around here don't seem to tend to like people shouting movies.

[Raiders]

I predict Doubt will be disliked by the majority of Match Cutters. Posters around here don't seem to tend to like people shouting movies.

I liked the stage play, and it didn't strike me as being a shout-fest, though there were certainly moments of histrionics.

[Wryan]

I predict Doubt will be disliked by the majority of Match Cutters. Posters around here don't seem to tend to like people shouting movies.

Is someone implying that there is something wrong with Glengarry Glen Ross?

[Spinal]

4. Asia Argento – The Last Mistress
8. Mena Suvari – Stuck


Indeed.

[Mysterious Dude]

I predict Doubt will be disliked by the majority of Match Cutters. Posters around here don't seem to tend to like people shouting movies.
They all seem to love Magnolia.

[Winston*]

They all seem to love Magnolia.

Good point. I'm thinking of setting up a stage adaptation of Magnolia, where it's just a dozen people running around in circles crying for three hours.

[megladon8]

Well, I've chosen my Christmas-time avatar.

[Ezee E]

Good point. I'm thinking of setting up a stage adaptation of Magnolia, where it's just a dozen people running around in circles crying for three hours.
With a five minute section of singing Aimee Mann. Don't forget that.

[Rowland]

Role Models (David Wain, 2008) 50

For the most part, I found this to be disappointing. There are praises to be sung here, including a tighter structure than your typical Apatow-related picture, a believable romantic interest whose role is limited (this doesn't qualify as a rom-com for dudes), a spirited turn by the always-amusing Jane Lynch, a sincere kind-heartedness in its concern for understanding its dysfunctional characters, and a surprising degree of respect for the role-playing medieval game through which the film mines most of its highlights. That said, there is a great deal to be acknowledged that doesn't work all that well, my chief complaint relating to the Stifler character and the foul-mouthed child to which he is assigned, neither of whom prove terribly funny or interesting in their character dynamics, so that their scenes comes across as deadweight compared to the Rudd/McLovin plot thread. Likewise, a disconnect exists between the material relating to the Big Brother program and the role-playing game, so that the comedic and dramatic potential in either scenario never feels fully developed. Little can be said from a cinematic standpoint, as Wain's directorial imprint proves to be a point-and-shoot non-entity. Most important of all, this movie simply isn't all that funny. I chuckled a few times, but I was left cold for the most part. If I catch this on cable, I'll tune in for Jane Lynch's scenes and the final role-playing battle, which is in of itself a delightfully charming sequence, ending the movie on enough of a high note so that I'm inspired to edge its score just barely into the positive end of the spectrum. My favorite moment? The evil King's chief henchman, upon being defeated by Rudd, stands up from his death pose and offers an enthusiastic "fun, isn't it? See you next year?"

[Boner M]

Snow Angels - Quite affecting, largely due to Green's skills as an actor's director. Still, the things that have become his schtick - lovers saying awkward things, scenes ending with some arbitary 'poetic' details, bizarre tonal shifts, 70's-ish zooms, a maudlin post-rock score - make his most recent foray into the mainstream more welcome.

[Ezee E]

Snow Angels - Quite affecting, largely due to Green's skills as an actor's director. Still, the things that have become his schtick - lovers saying awkward things, scenes ending with some arbitary 'poetic' details, bizarre tonal shifts, 70's-ish zooms, a maudlin post-rock score - make his most recent foray into the mainstream more welcome.
It's hard to say which movie of his is the best considering three of them are all nearly the same.

Nonetheless, this is still one of the best movies of the year.

[origami_mustache]

I'm finally going to tackle some Fassbinder...starting with the BDR trilogy tonight.

[Sven]

I'm finally going to tackle some Fassbinder...starting with the BDR trilogy tonight.

Lola and Veronica Voss are in my top five 'binder's. Be sure to see Fox and his Friends, Satan's Brew, and Whity (the other three).

[Amnesiac]

http://www.celtoslavica.de/chiaroscuro/films/picnic/picnic4.jpg

I watched Picnic at Hanging Rock for the first time tonight.

This was definitely one of the more eerie films I've ever seen. A group of upper-class female students are sent out to survey Hanging Rock by their austere principal. A simple enough premise that slowly detonates into something much more intriguing, mystifying, perplexing... all those good things.

What happened to the girls? The million-dollar question. But is Weir even concerned with that question? Does it matter? Is it the specifics, the hard answers as to what exactly took place... or is it more a gesture towards the perplexing mysteries still inherent in our world? Perhaps Weir is directing this towards those more pedantic and assured individuals who trust the world to be a colonized, thoroughly excavated and knowable thing.

Well, there is a strong suggestion throughout the film that nature contains myriad intricacies and mysteries. Weir seems very adamant about emphasizing the enigmatic mystique of nature. Ambiguous shot of ants, lizards and birds serve as puzzling pillow-shots that cement an unsettling and ambivalent ambience over Hanging Rock, and by extension, nature itself. The low-angle shot of the peak of the rock in conjunction with the film's buzzing soundtrack recalls the similarly off-putting monolith of 2001 fame. Weir's camera work encourages us to get swept up in the awe, the majesty and the unsettling wonder of these facets of nature.

...Yet, he offers no traditional closure. One character holds a book titled 'Rosebud' - perhaps a playful suggestion from Weir that no such 'answer key' will be distributed to the spectator in this film. An elderly gentlemen who maintains a green-house reveals to one character that some plants move. This notion of secret wonders lying dormant in the crevices of nature is continually emphasized by the film.

At times, the film seems very reverential of nature. Wary of treading too deep into dark and unknown caverns, hesitant to take more than a fleeting glance at the peculiarities of Hanging Rock. Weir is definitely determined to maintain the mystique of nature. He imbues his film with an overwhelming, and at times startling, sense of ambivalence. Thanks to Weir's decidedly teasing and cursory glance of Hanging Rock, he ends up doing a great job of emphasizing the intrigue of nature. And thereby compels us to investigate our own world with the same wonder and preoccupation... to take that second glance.

And then there is that intriguing plot-line involving the principal and Sarah. What did that rapid montage of the portraits hanging on the principal's wall imply? Was it suggesting the artificiality of the principal's austere deportment? Did she too 'suffer' from inappropriate feelings for another woman? She suggests that Sarah, whose admiration for Miranda is evident, seek institutional help for her so-called 'problem'. Yet, she curiously notes the 'rouge' on another young lady's face. She also indicates warm feelings for one of the teachers who goes missing on Hanging Rock. Similar to how there might be endless wonders and secrets lying within the depths of nature — if only we had the courage and the perception to inspect beyond its deceptively mundane surfaces — perhaps Weir is asking us to inspect past the surfaces of his characters. And past surfaces in general.

And that's what happens in this film isn't it? For all its stubborn mystery, hidden depths are unearthed. Characters are enlightened by the long-silent suffering of other students. Connections between disparate characters are revealed with little to no anticipation. Intricacies and fascinating truths run as an undercurrent to the more obviously perceptive surface realities. Weir also suggests that there are anomalies... characters whose perception might privilege them with a telling look past the surface, and into the wonder and possibility of nature. Miranda's clairvoyance - that is, the fact that she knew she was going to disappear - is very interesting. Beyond being quite baffling and unsettling, it seems to imply that that there are unmined opportunities and untapped mysteries lying dormant in the tangled web of nature. And that some of us might have the right eyes to see into that web, and perhaps also navigate it, and find those elusive wonders just waiting around the corner...

Just my cursory thoughts. Fascinating film.

[Watashi]

Loved The Brother from Another Planet so much. Sayles said more about black culture and classism without ever going Spike Lee on us.

Love the arcade game orgasm, the subway card trick, the Indiana boys, Sayles and Strathairn's goofy men in black, and of course Morton's Keatonesque performance.

[soitgoes...]

Loved The Brother from Another Planet so much. Sayles said more about black culture and classism without ever going Spike Lee on us.

Love the arcade game orgasm, the subway card trick, the Indiana boys, Sayles and Strathairn's goofy men in black, and of course Morton's Keatonesque performance.
Next up Men with Guns? Or did you see that one already?

[Watashi]

Next up Men with Guns? Or did you see that one already?
Not yet. No idea where I'll go next. I have pretty much his entire filmography in my hands via Netflix and various downloads.

[Watashi]

Weekend:

Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
Hunger
More John Sayles stuff

[B-side]

I'm finally going to tackle some Fassbinder...starting with the BDR trilogy tonight.

Nice. Veronika Voss is greatness. I wasn't a huge fan of Lola, but it wasn't bad. In A Year With 13 Moons is far and away the best Fassbinder I've seen thus far.

[soitgoes...]

Weekend possibilities:

The Makioka Sisters
Divorce, Italian Style
Happy-Go-Lucky

My folks are going to be coming to town for ten days starting this weekend, so maybe we'll see Australia.

[MadMan]

Weekend:

*The Pink Panther(1964)
*20,000 Leagues Under the Sea(1954)-Maybe
*The Right Stuff(1983)

[Qrazy]

I didn't like Veronika Voss much at all. Fox and his Friends, Ali, and in a In a Year with 13 Moons are my favorites. I've also seen Satan's Brew, Beware of a Holy Whore, and The Merchant of Four Seasons which all had there fair share of flaws and redeeming facets.

[Boner M]

Warrendale (King, 1967)
Welcome to LA (Rudolph, 1976)
Violence at Noon (Oshima, 1966)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Kazan, 1945)
Who'll Stop The Rain (Reisz, 1978)
Faust (Svankmajer, 1994)

[Boner M]

I don't get what people see in John Sayles. Lone Star and Limbo are fine films, but generally his films make me want to have a Russ Meyer marathon afterwards to wash the taste of dull worthiness out of my mouth. I demand MADNESS.

[Wryan]

They all seem to love Magnolia.

Cause it's awesome.

[Wryan]

And I love Picnic at Hanging Rock.

Watched Eastern Promises last night. I dug it. Seems like the kind of film that would reward another viewing or two, but not many more after that. Of the unavoidable Godfather twinges, the final shot seemed the best considering the circumstances. And I did not expect Viggo's twist at all. Nicely set up. Goddamn that eye gouge. Fucking hell. Awesome relationship between Kirill and Nikolai though. Lots of juiciness simmering underneath that one.

[Yxklyx]

After reading that review I think I'll be watching the Weir film again this weekend.

Other weekend films:

Cotton Comes to Harlem
Hell in the Pacific

[Ezee E]

John Sayles is alright. A better writer than a director, but I really want to see Men With Guns and City of Hope which aren't available on Netflix. My favorite of his is actually The Brother From Another Planet.

To see:
Stay
The Virgin Spring

Slumdog Millionaire
Australia
Synecdoche, NY
Milk

[Raiders]

Weekend:

Milk
A Christmas Tale
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
Il Grido

[Yxklyx]

To see:
Stay


Which one?

[Saya]

Interesting that the Bluray release of Planet Terror has the option of watching the movie without the dirt and scratches. I wonder if Death Proof will have that too.

Pics:

http://i38.tinypic.com/347v9fp.jpg

http://i35.tinypic.com/2q3671t.jpg

More here (http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews33/planet_terror.htm)

[Ezee E]

Which one?
The Marc Forster one.

[Qrazy]

I don't get what people see in John Sayles. Lone Star and Limbo are fine films, but generally his films make me want to have a Russ Meyer marathon afterwards to wash the taste of dull worthiness out of my mouth. I demand MADNESS.

I've only seen Matewan, but it didn't inspire me to check out anything else he's made.

[dreamdead]

Rohmer's Full Moon in Paris manages to be the worst of his films that I've seen since Boyfriends and Girlfriends. Though his "Comedies and Proverbs" obviously market themselves, as have all his films, in matters of the bourgeois heart, this one is so concerned with material malaise, contemptible action, and character psychopathology that the film never finds a character to situate as our moral center. And while these criticisms aren't mandating that all films have a moral center, Rohmer's other work, wherein there is a fully humane character, suggests a weakness here, whether it's culturally imposed with Rohmer judging the excess of '80s bourgeois culture or merely a lapse in scriptwriting. Either way, this is clearly second or third-tier work.

Here, our female lead Louise feels too confined by the upper-middle class lifestyle that she lives, so she dalliances around with lower culture even as she excuses and masks her flaws to her cohabitating partner, Remi. And though Rohmer imposes a certain moral vision when she realizes her imperfections and comes back to Remi seeking forgiveness, the fact that he's submitted to these same dalliances and is now leaving her feels too cold, too clinical, and at odds with Rohmer's usual humanism. As such, this film just doesn't have the resonance or strength to save its many flaws. Mediocre Rohmer, sadly. :sad:

[Spinal]

Man, Mongol was nominated for an Oscar? For a film about Genghis Khan, it's awfully tedious. The look of the film is good, but the screenplay is sooooo flat. Tedious interaction follows tedious interaction and is occasionally interrupted by a few minutes of hacking and slashing. Not much thematic drive, and although it doesn't get quite as ridiculous or homoerotic, not much in the way of sophistication to separate it from something like 300.

[Raiders]

Rohmer's Full Moon in Paris manages to be the worst of his films that I've seen since Boyfriends and Girlfriends.

Boyfriends and Girlfriends and "worst" shouldn't even be in the same sentence.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Loved The Brother from Another Planet so much. Sayles said more about black culture and classism without ever going Spike Lee on us.

Love the arcade game orgasm, the subway card trick, the Indiana boys, Sayles and Strathairn's goofy men in black, and of course Morton's Keatonesque performance.

Yes! A rep-tastic response to the flick!

Morton really does a fantastic job, and it's a shame that he didn't get more leading man roles afterward. Also, I love the weirdness of the men in black (frequently shot in reverse for added weirdness), and I love how the flick takes its time and appreciates building the environment of New York.

[dreamdead]

Boyfriends and Girlfriends and "worst" shouldn't even be in the same sentence.

Though I know that you're ambivalent about actors and individual performance, so long as it's serviceable, the work in that one felt embarrassingly amateurish. It wasn't great material but, save for the ironic visual cue of the lovers showing up in uniform colors of blue and green, nothing about that film resonates. Here in FMiP Rohmer has better actors, but the material builds to no real moral dilemma, just a half-hearted denouement.

If it makes you feel better, The Green Ray is still magnificent. :)

[Bosco B Thug]

Interesting that the Bluray release of Planet Terror has the option of watching the movie without the dirt and scratches. I wonder if Death Proof will have that too. Oh shit, really??? God I hope so, as much as I love Death Proof, those jump cuts, skips, scratches, and wear noises in the film annoy the hell out of me.

[Winston*]

Weekend
The Burmese Harp
Maybe something else

[Boner M]

Weekend
The Burmese Harp
Maybe something else
Was the first line announcing the fact, however easy to guess, that these are your weekend viewings, or due its unceremoniousness, is it inferring that Godard's Weekend is part of that lineup?

[Winston*]

Was the first line announcing the fact, however easy to guess, that these are your weekend viewings, or due its unceremoniousness, is it inferring that Godard's Weekend is part of that lineup?

The former. Not much interest in Weekend: The Movie.

[Spinal]

Not much interest in Weekend: The Movie.

That's all right. Hide away in your bourgeois complacency. The revolution will go on without you.

[Winston*]

Sweet. My bourgeois complacency is an awesome place to be. I have a Playstation 3 there.

[Spinal]

Sweet. My bourgeois complacency is an awesome place to be. I have a Playstation 3 there.

Dude. Can I come over?

[Winston*]

Dude. Can I come over?
Only if you bring brand-name snacks.

[Sycophant]

Only if you bring brand-name snacks.
[Packs up his Kroger-brand Kid-O chocolate sandwich cookies, tears welling up in his eyes, and departs, muttering something about a pig]

[Qrazy]

[Packs up his Kroger-brand Kid-O chocolate sandwich cookies, tears welling up in his eyes, and departs, muttering something about a pig]

Lactose intolerant little bitch.

[Sycophant]

Lactose intolerant little bitch.

I eat them with milk, you asshole!

EDIT:In case anyone thinks I'm being mean, rest assured that I really meant: I :):lol:t th:)m w;)th m;)lk, y:):cool: :lol:ssh:eek:l:)!)

[Qrazy]

I eat them with milk, you asshole!

I don't get the pig reference.

[Sycophant]

I don't get the pig reference.
I didn't get the lactose interolernace reference.

[Yxklyx]

Hell in the Pacific was OK. Neither ending was very compelling.