|
Post by Mike Sullivan on Feb 22, 2006 16:26:34 GMT
Glad you loved it. I love the taxi cab scene, as well as the scene near the end where Terry and Edie find that person in the alley. Normally a lot of music from the golden years of Hollywood seem to have a generic flow, but the music in that film really touched me. Generic. Perhaps. Max Steiner, as great a composer as he was, never was that resilient. Sure, he had high moments with, "King Kong" which is a diverse and masterful score. He scores great with, "Gone with the Wind" as well, but never deviates much from his heavey use of strings during a session. he is a great, but never really wanted to blase a different trail. Herrmann uses strings too, but Herrmann is more diverse, willing to use elements of jazz like his socre for, "Taxi Driver" and he knows how to make strings sound fresh. Look at "Vertigo" and it's pulsating score that is reminesent of Wagner. Then look at another hevey string score like "Psycho" which has a tense edge to it all, or "North by Northwest" with is a fandango score. Franz Waxman, Victor Young and others shines until the next era of composers strating with Elmer Bernstein would come on and blow up modern conceptions of scoring with scores for films like, "The Man with the Golden Arm". I'm going off on a different tanget here but I love discussing film music. For the record, the score for "On the Waterfront" was written by Leonard Bernstein. He is no relationship to Elmer Bernstein. Leonard was a conductor for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and also composed several masterful orchesral pieces. He also wrote musicals such as, "West Side Story", "On the town" and is a god of musical theater. His score for, "On the Waterfront" is the only original socre he did for a film.
|
|
Capo
Administrator
Posts: 7,847
|
Post by Capo on Feb 22, 2006 20:28:53 GMT
Napoleon Dynamite Jared Hess 2004 US 1st time; DVD A geek who lives with his grandma and his older, chatroom-addict brother, begins a campaign to make his new best friend Pedro student president. Absurd, eccentric, obviously acquired sense of humour here, working much like a Wes Anderson film, in that it takes a little time to establish itself as something you've probably not experienced before, and then, once it gets rolling, proves to be something quite brilliant. Timing, originality and that climactic dance scene rank up there with the best.What are others' thoughts on it?
|
|
jrod
Ghost writer
Posts: 970
|
Post by jrod on Feb 22, 2006 20:34:59 GMT
I hate it
Completely impossible to watch after living on a college campus for a semester before viewing. Heard every joke a dozen times before watching it, and that really made it suck.
Maybe if Id seen it on opening day...
|
|
|
Post by Vercetti on Feb 22, 2006 20:44:01 GMT
Capo, I've heard a lot of people imitating that movie at school. The oddest thing is though, that when asked, they say they dislike the movie, but enjoy the retardedesque humor, which is a type of humor I often enjoy. I've tried to borrow it on several occasions but with no luck. I'll probably wait to see it on TV, considering I'm not going to waste time downloading it ahead of other films.
|
|
Omar
Global Moderator
Professione: reporter
Posts: 2,770
|
Post by Omar on Feb 22, 2006 21:05:23 GMT
I first saw in July 2004 in New Orleans while I was on vacation. I read a good review for it in the Wall Street Journal the week before, comparing it to Wes Anderson.
I loved it. It was original, funny, charming, etc. Then I came home from vacation, and a very good friend of mine asked me if I knew anything about a "Napolean movie" or something. I told him how much I enjoyed it, and several months later, every person I knew saw it and quoted it like the bible. After that, the film losts a lot of it's charm.
Maybe on a viewing long in the future it can recapture some of the original magic.
One thing that stays with me though, is Uncle Rico, and his girlfriend broke up with him because he, "...was livin' too much in '82". ;D He stole the film for me.
|
|
Capo
Administrator
Posts: 7,847
|
Post by Capo on Feb 22, 2006 21:08:39 GMT
I haven't burst out into laughter for a while as much as I did when we first see Napoleon's portrait of his would-be prom date. I'm lucky in that I watched the film without having been corrupted by endless quoting, which seems to be the in-thing in American high schools. Luckily, folks at my school won't have even heard of it.
|
|
RNL
Global Moderator
Posts: 6,624
|
Post by RNL on Feb 22, 2006 22:44:06 GMT
I loved Napoleon Dynamite.
Yes, the whole pop cult bandwagon 'Vote for Pedro' tee-shirt drivel is irritating. I just stay away from that and it fades out. I had similar problems with Donnie Darko when Jake Gyllenhaal became 'omghawt!!1eleven'. Just ignore it.
|
|
jrod
Ghost writer
Posts: 970
|
Post by jrod on Feb 22, 2006 23:42:13 GMT
Donnie Darko got attention around high school and college, but not too much. It was just one of those movies that was cool to most people (I actually hated it). It was talked about a lot, like Fight Club or Snatch or American History X or the Boondock Saints, but at least I hadnt seen the movie before I watched it, as it was with Napolean Dynamite or Van Wilder.
It just happens with comedies. Im so glad I saw Wedding Crashers and 40 Year Old Virgin on opening day, before the charm of them was spoiled by friends and classmates.
|
|
|
Post by Michael on Feb 22, 2006 23:44:18 GMT
What are others' thoughts on it? I thought it was hilarious.
|
|
|
Post by Vercetti on Feb 23, 2006 1:00:33 GMT
Bob le flambeur Bob the Gambler - (Jean-Pierre Melville;1955;France) A gambler ex-con plans to pull off a big casino heist.Some have said this was the beginning of French New Wave, before Godard or any of the others. To this day it proves to be a fascinating film. It's not Melville's strongest work but another great example of Independent cinema. Roger Duchesne has a very smooth approach to his character. We don't know what to make of him in the early parts of the film, but soon love him, especially when he helps the young girl early on. Melville's direction isn't as solid as his other films. There was one scene in a car while a man wrote plans down with excellent music that was cut off too abruptly, killing the mood for instance. Otherwise this is a great film that shows Melville's early talent to create a cool atmosphere with simplicity.
|
|
Omar
Global Moderator
Professione: reporter
Posts: 2,770
|
Post by Omar on Feb 23, 2006 15:43:59 GMT
Mystic River(2003/Clint Eastwood) [Second Viewing] Three childhood friends are reunited after one of their children is found murdered.As a police procedural film, it works well. But as a film exploring loyalty in a community and the weight of emotional scars, it's a masterpiece. Thanks to Eastwood's dark direction, and the perfect performances from everyone in the cast, the seedy lower-middle class blue collar world of Boston is wonderfully represented, with atmosphere that is just as raw as the acting. A film full of revelation and tragedy, and very depressing.
|
|
|
Post by Vercetti on Feb 24, 2006 1:27:54 GMT
Stranger Than Paradise - (Jim Jarmusch;1984;USA/West Germany) A New York hipster is visited by his Hungarian cousin. She moves in with her aunt in Cleveland, and soon joins him again for a trip to Miami.The more I see, the more I feel Jim Jarmusch is probably the closest thing America has to John Cassavetes today. Like Cassavetes, Jarmusch is able to take relatively simple scenes that feel more like reality rather then a script, and make it immensely interesting to watch. That simplicity was evident in Coffee and Cigarettes. Here however, he gives us a portrait of disenchanted youth that ends with a wonderful feeling of poetic irony. Like Mean Streets was to Scorsese, this is a prime example of Jarmusch's style. The camera never moves save for one or two scenes, and each scene ends with a fade to black, feeling almost like a play.
|
|
Omar
Global Moderator
Professione: reporter
Posts: 2,770
|
Post by Omar on Feb 24, 2006 4:38:01 GMT
King Kong(1933/Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack) [First Viewing] A film director takes his crew to an uncharted island where they encounter a giant ape.It didn't help that I had only seen Jackson's version before watching this, and I missed the attention to detail and the subtle humor that Jackson's remake provided. But the original managed to be very good on it's own right, and unlike the once landmark special effects, Fay Wray's beauty is absolutely timeless. The Constant Gardener(2005/Fernando Meirelles) [First Viewing] After his wife is murdered, a British diplomat goes undercover to solve the crime.The film works remarkably well as a romance and as a political thriller. The two lead performances are probably the best of the year, and Meirelles' in-your-face direction makes for a very taut film, both from a technical aspect, as well as a political film.
|
|
|
Post by Mike Sullivan on Feb 24, 2006 16:35:20 GMT
King Kong(1933/Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack) [First Viewing] A film director takes his crew to an uncharted island where they encounter a giant ape.It didn't help that I had only seen Jackson's version before watching this, and I missed the attention to detail and the subtle humor that Jackson's remake provided. But the original managed to be very good on it's own right, and unlike the once landmark special effects, Fay Wray's beauty is absolutely timeless. The Constant Gardener(2005/Fernando Meirelles) [First Viewing] After his wife is murdered, a British diplomat goes undercover to solve the crime.The film works remarkably well as a romance and as a political thriller. The two lead performances are probably the best of the year, and Meirelles' in-your-face direction makes for a very taut film, both from a technical aspect, as well as a political film. Truth be told, despite the age of the film, "King Kong" 's effects stand up marvelously well. I prefer it to the CGI work being done today. Maybe I'm crazy... As for, "The Constant Gardener". I'm very glad you've seen it. It might get my vote for best film last year.
|
|
Omar
Global Moderator
Professione: reporter
Posts: 2,770
|
Post by Omar on Feb 24, 2006 20:17:59 GMT
Truth be told, despite the age of the film, "King Kong" 's effects stand up marvelously well. I prefer it to the CGI work being done today. Maybe I'm crazy... No, in fact, I probably do too. But it was the whole epic sweep of Jackson's film that I missed. But, it's hard to judge films that are landmarks because of their special effects.
|
|
|
Post by Vercetti on Feb 24, 2006 22:03:49 GMT
So far, today, but hopefully not all. Gerry - (Gus Van Sant;2002;USA/Argentina/Jordan) Two men named Gerry get lost at a hiking site and eventually become completely lost in a desert.A painful film to watch. While the beginning seems normal in it's spirits it soon becomes very isolating. The cinematography may be the best of it's kind since Lawrence of Arabia. It's depiction of physical and mental degradation is very effecting, and depicted wonderfully by Matt Damon and Casey Affleck. Of course, what makes this film the masterwork it is, is Van Sant's direction. Like his other two Death Trilogy films he brings an effective use of the camera, whether it be a simple shot that never moves, especially the distant shots that really give you a sense of loneliness, or my favorite moment in the film, when the camera rotates around the main characters with the very emotional piano score in the background. The best film of 2002. Grumpy Old Men - (Donald Petrie;1993;USA) Two old men spark a rivalry when a woman moves into the neighborhood.One of those charming comedies that you can watch over and over through the years. It's not a great film, but still a good comedy. Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret, and Burgess Meredith really make this a decent, fun comedy.
|
|
Capo
Administrator
Posts: 7,847
|
Post by Capo on Feb 24, 2006 22:17:14 GMT
Glad you loved Gerry, Vercetti (which is 2001, by the way; forgive the pedant in me). Interesting that you pick up on the Lawrence of Arabia similarity, since I thought exactly the same when I watched the latter (I saw Gerry first), especially the scene where Sharif comes into focus from long-shot.
I have two favourite shots in Gerry. Firstly, the side-on tracking shot of the two characters just walking, with the camera never leaving their faces. In direct homage to Béla Tarr's Werckmeister Harmonies. Secondly, the "zombie" walk across the desert at dawn, with the light slowly coming up. The sounds, the monotony, the fascination and confidence of Van Sant, to hold it for as long as possible. I've said before, incidentally in relation to Tarr's films, that once a shot establishes itself as lasting longer than normal ("normal" being just as long as it has to be without me realising I'm watching a long take), I could watch it go on and on. It's almost as if I want it to break some kind of unedited shot length record, and that, when it ends, I feel kind of disappointed.
I also love the shots of the sky, and there's a one that, at one point, shows a cloud just wither away into nothing, a fair reflection, I think, of the characters themselves. I also love the rock-marooned scene; how the camera just stays static long enough for absurdity to creep in, and for you to actually question what you're looking at -- the two actors almost become part of the rock, as if it's a microscopic close-up in a wildlife documentary, and we're watching two insects go about their business on a rockface.
To go even further on, I love the opening too, that tracking shot of the car. Endless, and a fair implication of what's to come, really. Having seen it once, I remember that, when I was watching, I wasn't too sure about the scene where the two try to re-think through the directions they took, and the camera tracks very fast to various direction signs. It seemed out of place at first, very stylised. When I look back at it though, it gives a real sense of (growing) panic.
|
|
|
Post by Vercetti on Feb 24, 2006 22:24:02 GMT
It's interesting too how you feel that deja vu in his films. For instance, the first campfire scene is the same exact mise en scene as the opening campfire scene in Last Days. Same with the clouds as well, which immediately reminded me of Elephant. The side by side face tracking shot also gave me a feeling of deja vu, but I don't know why.
I think the most isolating moment aside the rotating camera scene is when they walk in the desert with the sand so white it looks like snow. It just seems so vast, that I myself felt isolated just watching it. During that scene after Affleck talks about the hike and the climax happens, I love that shot of the mountains with the fast forward footage of the shadows of clouds flowing through the view.
As for the date, Gerry was released from January 2002-2003 in various countries, so I consider that 2002 for now, unless you know something I don't.
|
|
Capo
Administrator
Posts: 7,847
|
Post by Capo on Feb 24, 2006 22:38:00 GMT
Ah, I was going by production completion date, not release date, since, as you rightfully point out, that's inconsistent enough to be more than one option sometimes (2002/2003?). Since Gerry is loaned out to someone, I may well watch Elephant tonight.
|
|
|
Post by Vercetti on Feb 25, 2006 2:36:01 GMT
The Dead Pool - (Buddy Van Horn;1988;USA) Insp. Harry Callahan investigates the murders of local celebrities.A rehash of the old Dirty Harry formula. Aside from having a humorous parody of the Bullitt chase scene it's only fun for diehard Eastwood fans. The climax is the most absurd event in the series. Ocean's Eleven - (Steven Soderbergh;2001;USA) An ex-con plans to rob three casinos at the same time.Unlike the sequel, this turns out to be a good film. It works a nice blend of charm and interesting aspects of the heist. The cast is very good and the direction is also good, unlike the tacky sequel. Nothing amazing in the long run but still a good film that can be watched again and again.
|
|