28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[balmakboor]

Come to think of it. Anger's book is almost the literary equivalent of his films about the milieu like Puce Moment and Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome. Each is certainly informing the other.

[soitgoes...]

It's just a reaction to how Anger portrays him in the book and, yes, the scandal is mostly what Anger wrote about. Of course, from what I've read, Anger's "research" for the book was something like creative clairvoyance.

It's still a lot of fun though and the book's filled with great period photos, some quite lurid.

It's a shame that the scandal that destroyed his career and life still hangs over him, at least for those who have heard of him (I guess peace comes with obscurity?). I'm pretty sure that Arbuckle was thrown under the bus by the media, especially Hearst, in order to sell a sensational story to the public.

[B-side]

To absolutely no one's surprise, I enjoyed Trash Humpers. I guess I'm just a sucker for Korine's sideshow attractions, and this one continues his longstanding fascination with society's jilted outcasts. All, or at least a great majority, of the film's more tender moments are restricted to singing and dancing, which I suppose is appropriate given its galvanizing and broad-reaching abilities. The references to, and destruction of, television(s), and the merciless beating of a blonde, blue-eyed doll, takes on a symbolic quality of the desire to cut down the idealistic media model. Korine discourages semiotic readings of his work, but such a thing seems inevitable here given the material. Amusingly, the title works as a play on Korine's obsession with characters most people have deemed unworthy of film or TV, let alone sympathy. It's probably too long, even at a mere 74 minutes, but I wouldn't say it ever gets boring so much as a bit repetitious and tiring, which I suppose could be considered virtually the same thing. I think I slightly prefer the succinct and more ethereal and upbeat Act Da Fool, but Trash Humpers is like a car crash; you just can't look away.

[Ezee E]

So.... Repulsion huh... How come I've never seen any posts about this?

[Qrazy]

So.... Repulsion huh... How come I've never seen any posts about this?

You don't visit the thread frequently enough?

[DavidSeven]

So.... Repulsion huh... How come I've never seen any posts about this?

Hm. Consensus may have shifted over the years, but I seem to remember this being the most highly regarded of Polanski's works around these parts. But there's a chance I might have completely imagined that.

[MacGuffin]

Hm. Consensus may have shifted over the years, but I seem to remember this being the most highly regarded of Polanski's works around these parts. But there's a chance I might have completely imagined that.

I don't quite like it as much as Chinatown or Rosemary's Baby, but it is great.

[DavidSeven]

I don't quite like it as much as Chinatown or Rosemary's Baby, but it is great.

My preference is also for Chinatown, but I like Repulsion well enough.

[B-side]

Did you ever post anything about Trash Humpers, MacG?

[MacGuffin]

Did you ever post anything about Trash Humpers, MacG?

Not much. It's very different (admirably so) from Gummo in that it seems to be more like fantasy imagery out of a dream and for the most part, the movie is effective even if it doesn't straddle too far off from the basic formula. It ultimately works well in a very disturbing, unsettling way. I agree that even at seventy-something minutes, it's still a bit overlong.

[B-side]

Not much. It's very different (admirably so) from Gummo in that it seems to be more like fantasy imagery out of a dream and for the most part, the movie is effective even if it doesn't straddle too far off from the basic formula. It ultimately works well in a very disturbing, unsettling way. I agree that even at seventy-something minutes, it's still a bit overlong.

An hour probably would've been just as effective. Interesting that both the moments of horror and tenderness seem equally as organic to them and their behavior, yet ever-so-slightly removed. There's probably something to be made of Korine's interest in streetlights-as-spotlights and the elderly masks combined with their obsessive manhandling of babies, but I couldn't say much about it. Neat motifs nonetheless.

[dmk]

Trash Humpers (Korine, 2009) ***
Tobacco Road (Ford, 1941) ***

That's like the perfect double feature (although I'm aware you didn't watch both in the one sitting).

[balmakboor]

My daughter is always Netflixing these anime series and demanding that I watch at least the first disc with her. They've mostly all started to seem to be the same to me and those first discs have become a chore.

But last night I actually got hooked into one and am looking forward to the whole series. It's called Big Windup! Oofuri. It's about a totally insecure baseball pitcher who has just switched schools and is trying to fulfill his dream of being an ace starter.

Its best quality is that it's very smart both about baseball and about sports in general. So much of it's told from the perspective of the team's catcher.

[Ezee E]

I don't quite like it as much as Chinatown or Rosemary's Baby, but it is great.

I guess there's plenty of talk of people telling their love of the movie, just no actual discussion of the movie itself, which there is plenty to talk about.

The last shot of the movie, while it was highly obvious about her past already, is still a perfect shot. Not just because of the photo, but also the look that that the man gives as he's carrying her out. At first, he's doing what he's suppose to do, but there's that slight hesitation, the quick glance, that means once he's out of eyesight, another nightmare is going to happen for the main character. Another "hand from the wall" if you will.

This is one that I'll definitely have to revisit again as I assume it only gets better on reviews.

[Skitch]

30 minutes into Ip Man. Hoooooolllleeeeeee shhhhhiiiiiiiiittttt.

[Ezee E]

One question about Repulsion: Why do you think she cut open the customer's cuticle? I saw it coming just because, but not sure why she did it, except that it was necessary for the movie.

[Bosco B Thug]

Munich is erudite and well-informed and exquisitely political and all, but Johnny Guitar - now that's an anti-prejudice, anti-violence/retaliation film. Such a lovely film.

Week/end: Empire of the Sun, Eyes Wide Shut

[B-side]

Trash Humpers (Korine, 2009) ***
Tobacco Road (Ford, 1941) ***

That's like the perfect double feature (although I'm aware you didn't watch both in the one sitting).

I definitely felt like Tobacco Road was like a Depression-era Korine film. I'm glad you got me to watch it.

[StanleyK]

I liked A Man Escaped, but I think I would've liked it a lot more without the voice-over. Do we really need to be told everything that's happening on-screen?

[endingcredits]

I liked A Man Escaped, but I think I would've liked it a lot more without the voice-over. Do we really need to be told everything that's happening on-screen?

I disagree. The monologue in Man Escaped, especially his thoughts on whether to kill Jost or take him, is essential to the film.

[Chac Mool]

So I finally caught the much-lauded "The Lives of Others". My initial reaction was mixed -- great admiration for the intelligent script, knockout acting and confident, quiet direction tempered by a surprising lack of tension or emotional involvement. But, getting up the next morning, I was surprised to find myself still thinking about the characters, their sad fates and the grim realities of living in the Eastern Bloc in those days. Now, four or five days removed from the viewing, I find the film has grown on me still, and I remember it with more emotion than I felt while watching it. I don't know if this delayed reaction is intended or not, the sign of a great movie or a failing (or if it says more about me than the movie) but in the end, the fact remains that this is a good movie indeed.

[endingcredits]

I watched L'eclisse (Antonioni, 1962) last night. It's form of modernism didn't really resonate with me. Instead, it came across as standoffish and was too emotionally bare to be engrossing. Twice I snoozed through the middle and had to rewind. There were bits of the film I enjoyed, e.g., the stock market scene, and the last five or so minutes were brilliant, but the whole of it was meh.

[Bosco B Thug]

I watched L'eclisse (Antonioni, 1962) last night. It's form of modernism didn't really resonate with me. Instead, it came across as standoffish and was too emotionally bare to be engrossing. Twice I snoozed through the middle and had to rewind. There were bits of the film I enjoyed, e.g., the stock market scene, and the last five or so minutes were brilliant, but the whole of it was meh.

I don't know how popular the opinion is, but I do think L'eclisse the distinct weakest of Antonioni's "trilogy." It seems the least engrossing of the three, yes. It's the vaguest plot-wise, whatever that criticism's worth.

[Skitch]

So after my rantings about the awfulness of Prince Of Persia, my buddy waited for dvd. Now all I'm hearing is how wrong I was and what a fun summer movie it was.

I hated it with a passion. What a piece of shit.

[Spinal]

So I finally caught the much-lauded "The Lives of Others". My initial reaction was mixed -- great admiration for the intelligent script, knockout acting and confident, quiet direction tempered by a surprising lack of tension or emotional involvement. But, getting up the next morning, I was surprised to find myself still thinking about the characters, their sad fates and the grim realities of living in the Eastern Bloc in those days. Now, four or five days removed from the viewing, I find the film has grown on me still, and I remember it with more emotion than I felt while watching it. I don't know if this delayed reaction is intended or not, the sign of a great movie or a failing (or if it says more about me than the movie) but in the end, the fact remains that this is a good movie indeed.

I'm not sure how a director could intend a delayed reaction. I think most of them want you to experience something significant in the moment. That said, I think there is definitely something utterly beautiful about the film's tragic elements and the central character's journey that lingers long after the film is over. Personally, I found it tense and emotional as I was watching it, but at least it worked on you eventually.