28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[Sycophant]

You've seen his first two, iirc? I queried the Midnight Madness programmer regarding its absence from TIFF the other year, he said it was okay but a bit dull and disappointing compared to the first two. Of course, that's just one dude's opinion. I haven't watched my copy yet.

I have indeed, and I like and respect them both tremendously. Reading the blogs like Twitch and so forth, the main complaint seems to be that it's not INSANE (or, ahem, "random") like his first two. That's certainly true, as its involvement of the fantastic is minimal bordering on nonexistent. However, there are certainly characteristic throughlines from his previous work present--and I laughed a whole lot. I think if you can recall with fondness the slower domestic scenes in Dainipponijin that no one ever seems to talk about (and I think a basic understanding of jidaigeki, which I'm sure you have, can't hurt), you'll have no trouble with Saya-zamurai.

[Sycophant]

I mean, I'm sure you can make all kinds of arguments for the film not being up to par with his last two films, but from what I've read from the film's detractors online, the most visible complaint is the lack of Weird Japan (which doesn't particularly strike me as a fault).

[Stay Puft]

I think if you can recall with fondness the slower domestic scenes in Dainipponijin that no one ever seems to talk about

Yeah, those were my favorite parts of the film. (I was actually a bit indifferent to the monster stuff at first, at least until the bit with the two monsters who wanted to fornicate downtown, and of course the amazing ending.)

Gotta make some time to watch this soon.

[dreamdead]

Agree completely. I thought Koyaanisqatsi was a masterpiece until I saw Baraka.

I think that Baraka ends up being both more personal and more spiritual, whereas Koyaanisqatsi is focused more on the technological side. The former's scenes in the landfills of India and the Auschwitz and Khmer Rouge concentration sites were just devastating, and none of Reggio's intellect can compete with the silent indictment of societies that let such treatment occur. That said, Glass's soundtrack in Koyaanisqatsi is likewise a marvel, and something that Baraka only comes close to when it uses Dead Can Dance songs. While Reggio's film doesn't end up extending into as many fronts, it nonetheless was thought up of first and so Baraka couldn't count without Koyaanisqatsi

[Russ]

Make Mine Mink (Robert Asher, 1960) pro +

This is a positively delightful British comedy, comparable to some of the Ealing Studio efforts, or the Carry On series of films, with Terry-Thomas as a retired military officer who teams with some of his boarding house tenants (all female) to put on a Robin Hood-esque crime spree by stealing expensive furs to donate the proceeds to needy orphans and other charities. The wealth of material (based on Peter Coke's play) is realized by a wonderfully witty and wry screenplay and brought to hilarious life by Thomas and his cohorts, especially the marvelous Athene Seyler as Dame Beatrice Appleby along with the incomparable Hattie Jacques as a peculiarly masculine accomplice. While perhaps not great cinema, it is tremendously enjoyable and, while I can't think of many other films that I would want to watch multiple times, this would be one of the few. Catch it the next time it plays on TCM.

[EyesWideOpen]

Newly announced Criterion blu-rays:

The Ballad of Narayama (Keisuke Kinoshita)
The Kid with a Bike (Dardenne)
On the Waterfront
Chronicle of a Summer
Sansho the Baliff

[Grouchy]

So how many of you have seen Robert Downey Sr.'s "acid Western" Greaser's Palace? It makes El Topo look like a John Ford movie. I wish we still had the kind of executive producers these guys had in the 1970s.

[Rowland]

Licence to Kill is surprisingly badass, it definitely deserves a stronger reputation both as a Bond movie and just a really good '80s actioner. Director John Glen was a proficient craftsman by this final stage in his Bond tenure, it's a shame his career pretty much ended here.

[Irish]

But all the performances are so low rate. Dalton is a terribly stiff, uninteresting Bond. Davi is Davi, always one step away from dinner theater, another Michael Mann Miami Vice spinoff and DTV gangster movies.

The weirdest thing about that movie is spotting Benecio del Toro (?!) in the background.

[Rowland]

The weirdest thing about that movie is spotting Benecio del Toro (?!) in the background.

He's actually the most foregrounded of the henchmen, gets a pretty brutal death scene and everything.

[Irish]

He's actually the most foregrounded of the henchmen, gets a pretty brutal death scene and everything.

:P Row, I didn't mean that literally as a measure of distance.

[Rowland]

:P Row, I didn't mean that literally as a measure of distance.

I figured that by spotting him in the background, you meant that his appearance was a brief, blink-and-you'll-miss-it type deal, when he actually has a pretty juicy role, at least in terms of getting to do his bug-eyed lunatic stare routine.

Also, what can I say, I rather liked both Dalton and Davi.

[Irish]

Also, what can I say, I rather liked both Dalton and Davi.

That's cool. I'm interested in what parts of the movie really popped for you.

I like Davi in small doses. He works particularly well in lending weight to weaker properties (eg: Profiler), but I think he's far out of his depth as a Bond villain. (Part of that isn't his fault, since this was the 80s and he's playing the ubiquitous if generic "drug kingpin").

Dalton is just .. Ugh. He's probably much closer to Bond's real physicality than another of the actors who have played the part, but his on screen presence is just so stiff and humorless and wooden. He's dead weight on screen and brings the whole movie down.

I'm a bit biased though. I can't view any of the Bond movies as standalones; they're always part of a larger whole, and watching one always invites comparisons to all the others.

The Dalton Bond movies were a reaction to Moore's increasingly flakier performances, and the first time they really tried to recon the character back to his harsher, and more violent roots. That kinda sorta works in License to Kill but when it does, it's at the cost of real fun.

[Grouchy]

I disagree about Dalton, I think he was a solid Bond, certainly better than Moore.

Also, while Licence to Kill is famous for its grittiness, 007 going rogue, etc. I've come to accept that The Living Daylights is an all-around better movie.

[Scar]

I disagree about Dalton, I think he was a solid Bond, certainly better than Moore.

Also, while Licence to Kill is famous for its grittiness, 007 going rogue, etc. I've come to accept that The Living Daylights is an all-around better movie.

ritch:

[Winston*]

[Watashi]

Is that supposed to belong in Movies That Exist, because I pray hope not.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Wha...

[Ezee E]

I want a detailed review.

[Irish]

WTF? That's gotta be a joke. IMDb says the Sham-Wow guy is directing. :lol:

[Dead & Messed Up]

Variety reports:

Stars include Adrien Brody as "Flirty Harry," a tough, no-nonsense cop with a flair for fashion; Rob Schneider in a dual role as both a sleazy psychologist and a curmudgeonly porn critic alongside his counterpart Michelle Rodriguez; Lindsay Lohan living out her fantasy of taking revenge on the paparazzi who haunt her; and Ari Shaffir as "the Amazing Racist."

Susan Jackson said: "'Inappropriate Comedy' totally delivers to the 'Jackass' and 'Borat' audience. We are also delighted to be working with director Vince Offer, whose experience and following from his remarkable direct marketing successes will prove invaluable to the promotion of the film."

[youtube]UWRyj5cHIQA[/youtube]

[B-side]

You're gonna love my nuts.

[D_Davis]

The Upsetter - wow. What a great film. Lee Scratch Perry...quite a man, what an interesting life. Completely bonkers, unbelievably talented, paranoid, a little sad, and inspirational.

[Russ]

The Upsetter - wow. What a great film. Lee Scratch Perry...quite a man, what an interesting life. Completely bonkers, unbelievably talented, paranoid, a little sad, and inspirational.

Ooh, I wanna see this.

[D_Davis]

Ooh, I wanna see this.

I wish it had focused more on the music, and the production techniques, rather than Perry's life.

However, as a fan of dub and reggae, you're going to love it - tons of great video footage, including some absolutely bat-shit insane Perry rants and raves.