28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[Watashi]

Benjamin Button's the only one I still have to watch. I've also like-to-loved all of his movies. I think he's tied with Joon-Ho Bong for my favorite current director.

Bong and Fincher are very identical filmmakers.

I'd like to see Fincher do his monster film this time.

[Rowland]

I'd like to see Fincher do his monster film this time.

Alien 3?

[baby doll]

I think he's tied with Joon-Ho Bong for my favorite current director.

Yeah, I liked The Social Network and everything, but more for the script and performances than anything Fincher was doing stylistically. I'd say he has a long way to go before I'd call him my favorite contemporary filmmaker (or even my favorite Hollywood studio director). For starters, he'd have to murder Chantal Akerman, Martin Arnold, Woody Allen, Wes Anderson, Roy Andersson, Theo Angelopoulos, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Olivier Assayas, Noah Baumbach, Bernardo Bertolucci, Albert Brooks, Leos Carax, the Coen brothers, Pedro Costa, David Cronenberg, the Dardenne brothers, Terence Davies, Claire Denis, Xavier Dolan, Bruno Dumont, Atom Egoyan, Vincent Gallo, Philippe Garrel, Jean-Luc Godard, James Gray, Peter Greenaway, Michael Haneke, Todd Haynes, Werner Herzog, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Miklós Jancsó, Jim Jarmusch, Jia Zhang-ke, Aki Kaurismäki, Abbas Kiaorstami, Lee Chang-dong, Spike Lee, Mike Leigh, Ken Loach, David Lynch, Guy Maddin, Terrence Malick, Lucrecia Martel, Errol Morris, Hayao Miyazaki, Gaspar Noé, Manoel de Oliveira, Jafar Panahi, Roman Polanski, Lynne Ramsay, Alain Resnais, Jacques Rivette, Quentin Tarantino, Béla Tarr, Tran Anh Hung, Tsai Ming-liang, Peter Tscherkassky, Lars von Trier, Agnès Varda, Paul Verhoeven, Andrzej Wajda, Peter Watkins, Wim Wenders, Wong Kar-wai--and those are just the names that come to mind without looking.

[B-side]

Angelopoulos love always pleases me. The man is a master.

[Dead & Messed Up]

...and those are just the names that come to mind without looking.

Am I supposed to be impressed?

Because I am.

But more for your mastery of letter-accents and what-have-you. Those keyboard shortcuts drive me nuts.

[baby doll]

One name I neglected to mention is Hal Hartley. Speaking of whom, here's a newish short from his website.

[B-side]

One name I neglected to mention is Hal Hartley. Speaking of whom, here's a newish short from his website.

I liked Trust a lot. This was due in part to the Adrienne Shelly factor. Recommendations for where to go next?

[Watashi]

Am I supposed to be impressed?

Because I am.

But more for your mastery of letter-accents and what-have-you. Those keyboard shortcuts drive me nuts.

Or the fact that they are all alphabetically in order.

[B-side]

Or the fact that they are all alphabetically in order.

They're not, though.

[baby doll]

I liked Trust a lot. This was due in part to the Adrienne Shelly factor. Recommendations for where to go next?

The Unbelievable Truth is a lot like Trust, and it too has Adrienne Shelly, to the point that Trust felt basically like a remake. I need to see Simple Men again, but it's one of David Bordwell's favorites for what it's worth. And Flirt, Henry Fool, and The Girl From Monday are all terrific.

[B-side]

The Unbelievable Truth is a lot like Trust, and it too has Adrienne Shelly, to the point that Trust felt basically like a remake. I need to see Simple Men again, but it's one of David Bordwell's favorites for what it's worth. And Flirt, Henry Fool, and The Girl From Monday are all terrific.

Hm. Seems like I'm alright to go pretty much anywhere from here. Thanks.

[baby doll]

They're not, though.

You're right. Martin Arnold should be after Woody Allen, Wes Anderson, and Roy Andersson, Theo Angelopoulos, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Also, Errol Morris should be after Hayao Miyazaki. And Trier should be before Tsai and Tscherkassky.

[B-side]

You're right. Martin Arnold should be after Woody Allen, Wes Anderson, and Roy Andersson, Theo Angelopoulos, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Also, Errol Morris should be after Hayao Miyazaki. And Trier should be before Tsai and Tscherkassky.

Clearly you've got some editing to do, sir.:P

[Dead & Messed Up]

But editing will ruin the casual attitude of his off-the-cuff post!

[soitgoes...]

You're right. Martin Arnold should be after Woody Allen, Wes Anderson, and Roy Andersson, Theo Angelopoulos, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Also, Errol Morris should be after Hayao Miyazaki. And Trier should be before Tsai and Tscherkassky.

That and the fact that Weerasethakul is Apichatpong's surname, and as such shouldn't be placed in the A's, but rather after Watkins and before Wenders.

All of this is moot because you totally left off Dennis Dugan.

[Sven]

The comic book style is very fitting for his pulpy style. I do hope they don't over-do it with covers like that, but if they're as good as most of the ones they have already, it'll be hard for me to complain.

There's not a lot similar about Clowes and Fuller. Don't know what you're smoking, but I guess I want some. Share?

[B-side]

All of this is moot because you totally left off Dennis Dugan.

That's what I was gonna say! Next thing you know, we'll be finishing each other's...

[soitgoes...]

That's what I was gonna say! Next thing you know, we'll be finishing each other's...

Sentences? It's sentences, right?

[soitgoes...]

Haha we had the exact same reaction. I too find the film fascinating but I can't stand the soundtrack.

Funny enough, Accattone! ran into the same problem among other things. I'm a fan of Bach, but the use of his music in Pasolini's film was also distracting. I think more so in the case because the music was mixed much too loud in relation to the rest of the sound.

[Boner M]

The Wind was pretty great. Crappy quality on the d/l I watched, but Sjostrom and Gish's respective mastery shines through; the latter such that intertitles seem particularly redundant in this case. As with He Who Gets Slapped, this has some of the most imaginative superimposition work I've seen in silent cinema. The studio-imposed happy ending is a bit of a drag, but it's at least abrupt enough to suggest its creator's dissatisfaction, and the final shot is great in any case.

[balmakboor]

Yeah, I liked The Social Network and everything, but more for the script and performances than anything Fincher was doing stylistically. I'd say he has a long way to go before I'd call him my favorite contemporary filmmaker (or even my favorite Hollywood studio director). For starters, he'd have to murder Chantal Akerman, Martin Arnold, Woody Allen, Wes Anderson, Roy Andersson, Theo Angelopoulos, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Olivier Assayas, Noah Baumbach, Bernardo Bertolucci, Albert Brooks, Leos Carax, the Coen brothers, Pedro Costa, David Cronenberg, the Dardenne brothers, Terence Davies, Claire Denis, Xavier Dolan, Bruno Dumont, Atom Egoyan, Vincent Gallo, Philippe Garrel, Jean-Luc Godard, James Gray, Peter Greenaway, Michael Haneke, Todd Haynes, Werner Herzog, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Miklós Jancsó, Jim Jarmusch, Jia Zhang-ke, Aki Kaurismäki, Abbas Kiaorstami, Lee Chang-dong, Spike Lee, Mike Leigh, Ken Loach, David Lynch, Guy Maddin, Terrence Malick, Lucrecia Martel, Errol Morris, Hayao Miyazaki, Gaspar Noé, Manoel de Oliveira, Jafar Panahi, Roman Polanski, Lynne Ramsay, Alain Resnais, Jacques Rivette, Quentin Tarantino, Béla Tarr, Tran Anh Hung, Tsai Ming-liang, Peter Tscherkassky, Lars von Trier, Agnès Varda, Paul Verhoeven, Andrzej Wajda, Peter Watkins, Wim Wenders, Wong Kar-wai--and those are just the names that come to mind without looking.

Nice list even if you forgot Todd Solondz, Gus Van Sant, and Harmony Korine. But at least you got Todd Haynes and Vincent Gallo in there. I like Fincher a lot. I especially like 'Benjamin Button,' something against the grain around here.

[soitgoes...]

The Wind was pretty great. Crappy quality on the d/l I watched, but Sjostrom and Gish's respective mastery shines through; the latter such that intertitles seem particularly redundant in this case. As with He Who Gets Slapped, this has some of the most imaginative superimposition work I've seen in silent cinema. The studio-imposed happy ending is a bit of a drag, but it's at least abrupt enough to suggest its creator's dissatisfaction, and the final shot is great in any case.

Cool, glad you liked it. Go with Phantom Carriage for more Sjöström superimposition fun.

[baby doll]

That and the fact that Weerasethakul is Apichatpong's surname, and as such shouldn't be placed in the A's, but rather after Watkins and before Wenders.

All of this is moot because you totally left off Dennis Dugan.

In a recent New York Times profile, the author refers to him as "Mr. Apichatpong."

[baby doll]

Nice list even if you forgot Todd Solondz, Gus Van Sant, and Harmony Korine. But at least you got Todd Haynes and Vincent Gallo in there. I like Fincher a lot. I especially like 'Benjamin Button,' something against the grain around here.

It's tough thinking of American and French directors off the top of my head, because there's less obviously a national American or French filmmaker, whereas when I think of Taiwan or Canada or Hungary, there are only a few names that come to mind. I also forgot Charles Burnett, Jane Campion, Abel Ferrara, Paul Schrader, Michael Snow, and André Téchiné among others.

[megladon8]

Harmony Korine? Really?