Match Cut Madness 3: Best of the 00s

[Skitch]

...you risk having The Incredibles lose if you don't watch Yi Yi

I know!! When does voting end? I totally have time to watch it tomorrow (friday).

[Idioteque Stalker]

When does voting end?

Six days. Rounds start out nice and long, and then get shorter as the tournament progresses.

[Skitch]

I'll watch YiYi tomorrow!

[transmogrifier]

I would love to see The Incredibles lose first round. Such an overrated film. Yi Yi is leagues better. Brad Bird peaked with The Iron Giant, which is superb.

[DFA1979]

It's ludicrously entertaining, but I've always found the elitist themes discomforting. If Yi Yi takes it out in the first round then somewhere Watashi will feel a disturbance in the force.

Yeah he might come back and post more creepy Mrs. Incredibles posts. I agree The Incredibles is overrated and I liked both movies.

[Ivan Drago]

I watched it last night while I was dead tired. It's an epic film that's never boring. Not as flashy overall as something like Magnolia (at times it is) but well worth the watch.

Holy fuck, you weren't kidding. I just finished it and was enthralled the whole time. I have to gather my thoughts for a Letterboxd review before I go any further, but that's one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen.

[StuSmallz]

That's not what I said in my original post, or at least not what I meant to say. I did say that films of the studio era were just ahead of the culture in their representation of gender roles, depicting women who were slightly more independent and modern than was socially acceptable for the period, but I didn't mean to imply that such films (and their latter day successors) were unambiguously progressive. Rather, part of their fascination lies in their ambivalence, which reflects broader ideological tensions within American society during this period. By the time Jackson made his trilogy, however, attitudes toward women had shifted considerably, so while his female characters are doubtlessly more active than their counterparts in Tolkien's novels, they are not transgressive women and the films' attitude toward them is unambiguously positive.

That attitude is a good thing, though; for one thing, the increasing role of women in the military was an ongoing process worldwide when the trilogy was being filmed/released (and still is even to this day, in fact), and for another, that process still remains somewhat controversial even today, so the trilogy's positive portrayal of its female characters in combat didn't just mindlessly reflect early 2000's society in their process of updating Tolkien's books, but were (and still are) ahead of the curve in that regard instead. Besides, Arwen was obviously the one most capable of saving Frodo in that stiuation, and they needed Eowyn to defeat the Witch King (plus, the movies were co-written by two female screenwriters), so why wouldn't the trilogy take a positive view of women in combat in those moments, and what sense does it make to essentially criticize them for being progressive in that regard?

[Paranoid Android]

Holy fuck, you weren't kidding. I just finished it and was enthralled the whole time. I have to gather my thoughts for a Letterboxd review before I go any further, but that's one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen.

Looks like I might have to watch this tomorrow. I watched Paprika this afternoon, can I now vote? Can I just add it by going:

The Dark Knight vs Paprika

I mean

The Dark Knight vs Paprika

fuck this is hard

The Dark Knight vs Paprika

or should I add it to my previous post?

[baby doll]

That attitude is a good thing, though; for one thing, the increasing role of women in the military was an ongoing process worldwide when the trilogy was being filmed/released (and still is even to this day, in fact), and for another, that process still remains somewhat controversial even today, so the trilogy's positive portrayal of its female characters in combat didn't just mindlessly reflect early 2000's society in their process of updating Tolkien's books, but were (and still are) ahead of the curve in that regard instead. Besides, Arwen was obviously the one most capable of saving Frodo in that stiuation, and they needed Eowyn to defeat the Witch King (plus, the movies were co-written by two female screenwriters), so why wouldn't the trilogy take a positive view of women in combat in those moments, and what sense does it make to essentially criticize them for being progressive in that regard?

Even if one finds the films' stance admirable politically (and I have little interest in getting into a feminist argument about whether admitting women to the military is genuinely feminist or whether it is an essentially cosmetic change that does not fundamentally dismantle existing power structures), from an artistic standpoint, rah rah female empowerment is pretty boring because it precludes any ideological tension. Hollywood melodramas from The Cheat to Basic Instinct are all about negotiating the absolute limit of what is socially acceptable, both sexually and racially, hence their emphasis on transgressive sexuality which is simultaneously a source of fascination and anxiety. The girl power feminism of Jackson's trilogy is both sexless and well within the bounds of what early 21st century audiences found acceptable.

[Dukefrukem]

I would love to see The Incredibles lose first round. Such an overrated film. Yi Yi is leagues better. Brad Bird peaked with The Iron Giant, which is superb.

YOu just think it's overrated because it hits too close to home with your Marvel hate.

[Idioteque Stalker]

I watched Paprika this afternoon, can I now vote? Can I just add it by going:

The Dark Knight vs Paprika

or should I add it to my previous post?

I count votes as they come in, so either making a new post like this or simply posting to notify you have edited your original votes is best.

I have to gather my thoughts for a Letterboxd review before I go any further, but that's one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen.

I see you have rated it a 7 out of 5, which is an outrage. It clearly deserves at least a 7.5 out of 5.

[Idioteque Stalker]

This Stu/BD discussion is good reading. Rep all around.

My two cents, apropos of nothing: Eowyn taking down the witch king is a big enough movie moment that I choose to surrender and not think about it too much, but lets be honest -- in LOTR "man" refers to a race, not a gender. If the writers were being 100% consistent with Tolkien's world-building, the scene would've played out like this:

Witch King: No man can kill me.
Eowyn, dramatically removing helmet: I am no man!
Witch King: Well, you know what I mean...

And then he turns her into a puddle of red goo.

[Skitch]

30 min into Yi Yi. 3 hours of this?? If this doesn't end with the boy going on crazy kill rampage...

[Ivan Drago]

I count votes as they come in, so either making a new post like this or simply posting to notify you have edited your original votes is best.




I see you have rated it a 7 out of 5, which is an outrage. It clearly deserves at least a 7.5 out of 5.

LOL.

BTW I edited my original votes to include the one for Yi Yi.

[transmogrifier]

YOu just think it's overrated because it hits too close to home with your Marvel hate.

You realize that this makes no sense as written, right?

[Dukefrukem]

You realize that this makes no sense as written, right?

Enlighten me.

[transmogrifier]

Enlighten me.

How can I? It doesn't make sense. And I didn't write it.

[Skitch]

quido I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to pass on making Yi Yi banners. If you would like to, the size is 2000x750.

This movie sucks. Unless something amazing happens in the last 37 hours of this endless nothing. Film so far is about nothing. People...who do every day things...with every day relationships...bored. Just because your art is different doesn't make it good. Its fine that some people relate to this, but for me, this is nothing. Not shot particularly interesting, zero writing, acting fine...now I'm looking at a dead naked dude because?...and still an hour 15 left, sweet christmas...whining and crying...

[Dukefrukem]

How can I? It doesn't make sense. And I didn't write it.

Well it was a joke so... you know? How you hate Marvel movies, which are Super Hero movies? And the Incredibles is a super hero movie?

[Ivan Drago]

My thoughts on Yi Yi are here: https://boxd.it/242k3F

[Skitch]

Im at the swimming pool...you have to be fucking kidding me...this movie is emotional exploitation. No offense, Ivan, I love you dearly, but my god this film can rot

[

Show Spoiler

Oh shit the kid didn't drown, fuck me. I sincerely hope this boy kills every one else in this movie

]

[Skitch]

I have watched every frame of Yi Yi. Not only is my vote is for The Incredibles, Yi Yi doesn't even deserve to be in this competition imo. I fully expected to come back here voting for Yi Yi (I put Paprika in as a replacement and voted against it round one DAMMIT). What the hell do you see in this film? You have to admit its shot like ass.

[quido8_5]

Holy fuck, you weren't kidding. I just finished it and was enthralled the whole time. I have to gather my thoughts for a Letterboxd review before I go any further, but that's one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen.

Yesss! I was smitten from the first time I watched and the other four were even better. I've spent over 12 hours if my life watching this movie and I can't wait to give it another three.

What the hell do you see in this film? You have to admit its shot like ass.

I think, to a certain extent, it's what you noted above. This is a film where people do everyday things with everyday relationships. What makes it extraordinary, in my mind, is the sweep and intimacy. I feel like I know these characters, as much as characters can be known, as well as the time and place in which they live. That's only one, relatively small reason, but one that immediately comes to mind. FWIW, I don't think it looks bad and rather think it's distinctive and matches the tone of the film.

[Gizmo]

Round 1
Bold is the vote, no bold means I haven't seen one:

No Country for Old Men vs. Moon
Brick vs. Requiem for a Dream
Pan’s Labyrinth vs. Dogtooth
Kill Bill Vol. 1 vs. Irreversible
The Royal Tenenbaums vs. 25th Hour
Almost Famous vs. Tropic Thunder
Spirited Away vs. The Descent
Punch-Drunk Love vs. O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind vs. Primer
Brokeback Mountain vs. Finding Nemo
Lost In Translation vs. I’m Not There
Shaun of the Dead vs. The Life Aquatic
Mulholland Drive vs. Donnie Darko
Spider-Man 2 vs. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Before Sunset vs. Adaptation
Fantastic Mr. Fox vs. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring

There Will Be Blood vs. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
The New World vs. Amelie
In the Mood for Love vs. Still Walking
Memento vs. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Zodiac vs. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Prestige vs. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Children of Men vs. Battle Royale
Ratatouille vs. In Bruges

The Dark Knight vs. Paprika
A Serious Man vs. Unbreakable
Wall-E vs. Kung Fu Hustle
The Departed vs. Y Tu Mama Tambien
Inglourious Basterds vs. A History of Violence
Minority Report vs. Oldboy
LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring vs. City of God
The Incredibles vs. Yi Yi

[baby doll]

This movie sucks. Unless something amazing happens in the last 37 hours of this endless nothing. Film so far is about nothing. People...who do every day things...with every day relationships...bored. Just because your art is different doesn't make it good. Its fine that some people relate to this, but for me, this is nothing. Not shot particularly interesting, zero writing, acting fine...now I'm looking at a dead naked dude because?...and still an hour 15 left, sweet christmas...whining and crying...

Some of the greatest artists who ever lived dedicated themselves to representing everyday people doing everyday things and everyday relationships (John Updike described his style as an attempt "to give the mundane its beautiful due"). Criticizing Yi Yi for being about ordinary people is about as useful a criticism as trashing The Incredibles for being about characters with super-powers. That is, it is a criticism based on subject matter rather than treatment. Moreover, I would quarrel with your characterization of the characters in Yang's film as "bored," as if their all problems could be solved by picking up a book or spending a day at the beach. Ultimately the film's real subject is the search for meaning in life: The Asian economic miracle of the 1970s and '80s has provided the characters with a standard of living comparable to that of the West but it hasn't given their lives meaning. (I don't believe it's ever mentioned in the dialogue, but it's clearly pertinent that the film was made in the immediate aftermath of the Asian Economic Crisis.) As for having "zero writing," that seems to me a rather astonishing claim given how Yang manages to juggle a huge cast of sharply defined characters without overwhelming the spectator; like Yang's earlier multi-protagonist films The Terrorizers and A Brighter Summer Day, the film has a novelistic density rare in cinema. And what's impressive about Yang's direction is how subtly he guides the spectator's attention through subtle changes in the blocking of his shots more than the editing, so that the spectator becomes sensitized just noticeable differences in the image. In other words, as Jonathan Rosenbaum once wrote of Kiarostami, Yang's style redefines what we think of as a filmic event and does so to show us more rather than less.