Omar
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Post by Omar on Apr 24, 2006 0:11:15 GMT
The Godfather(1972/Francis Ford Coppola) [Nth Viewing] The youngest son of an aging mobster inherits the family business in post-WWII New York.I've seen this film so many times, probably more than any other film, that it's hard for me to say anything about it anymore. The period detail really stood out for me this time, but just like before, everything was flawless. The ending with the baptism/massacre never gets old. The Godfather: Part II(1974/Francis Ford Coppola) [Nth Viewing] A young Vito Corleone establishes the family business in 1920's New York, while his son Michael slowly destroys it in late 1950's Nevada.A better film than the first chapter, mainly because it covers more ground, and because Coppola's narrative perfectly captures the rise and fall of cinema's most memorable family. The Robert De Niro portion of the film is full of such life and vision, while the Al Pacino portion of the film is full of gloom and hostility. Nearly every major actor in the film deserved an Oscar, and Coppola won a well deserved Oscar for directing one of the best epics in cinematic history. The final flashback plus the image of Michael sitting alone is one of the most haunting endings to a film.
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Omar
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Post by Omar on Apr 26, 2006 2:59:05 GMT
C'est arrivé près de chez vous It Took Place Close To Your Home (1992/Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde) [First Viewing] A group of documentary filmmakers follow around a serial killer.Similiar to "American Psycho", in the aspect that it takes an extremely dislikable monster of a lead character, and makes him enjoyable and even funny. An ingenius idea, extremely well delivered by the filmmakers and lead actor. Also, the film serves as an interesting precursor to reality television and films like "The Blair Witch Project". Junebug(2005/Phil Morrison) [First Viewing] An independent art dealer goes to research a southern artist, while at the same time meets her inlaws.Like "Winter Solstice", this is a quiet film that explores the lives of a family that is distant from each other. Though Morrison's film is more lively, and filled with some very funny moments. Amy Adams is terrific, and gives one of the best female performances in recent years. The style is very Jarmuschian, and the depiction of southern culture is dead-on. An excellent little film that shows how much you can do with so little.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on Apr 26, 2006 16:54:40 GMT
Junebug's coming near me soon. I may check it out. Unknown White Male Rupert Murray 2005 UK 1st time; big screen In 2003, Englishman Doug Bruce, living in Coney Island, suffered from an extremely rare form of amnesia, losing all memory and knowledge of his friends and family before that point. A film made by Bruce's friend, with whom he has had to reconnect from scratch since. This has come under extreme attack and its authenticity has been brought into question by many scathingly curious critics; as an exploration of memory and what we all comprise, however, it may be the victim of unnecessary questions.Karol Lir King Lear Grigori Kozintsev 1970 USSR 1st time; big screen A Russian version of Shakespeare's play, well-translated by Boris Pasternak. Excellently-acted, visually memorable, and fascinating to watch; Shakespeare's prose remains intact, and the final act is riveting, but as a whole it is difficult to sit through.
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Post by Vercetti on Apr 26, 2006 20:17:34 GMT
Pink Floyd The Wall - (Alan Parker;1982;UK) Pink Floyd's "The Wall" put to film with some changes.The film version still manages to be great, though the album is the masterpiece. The most fascinating parts are the animations, especially for "Goodbye Blue Sky" and "The Trial." I am pissed however that "Hey You" was cut from the film. Otherwise it still proves to be a great representation of the album's themes of isolation and depression. The odd, often surreal direction fits the music perfectly. The character of Pink is modeled after Waters with some bits of Barrett's persona attached to it. I think the best part musically was "Comfortably Numb."
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Omar
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Post by Omar on Apr 26, 2006 20:40:39 GMT
Unknown White Male Rupert Murray 2005 UK 1st time; big screen In 2003, Englishman Doug Bruce, living in Coney Island, suffered from an extremely rare form of amnesia, losing all memory and knowledge of his friends and family before that point. A film made by Bruce's friend, with whom he has had to reconnect from scratch since. This has come under extreme attack and its authenticity has been brought into question by many scathingly curious critics; as an exploration of memory and what we all comprise, however, it may be the victim of unnecessary questions. This was shown at the film festival I attended last year. It sounded really interesting, then I forgot about it, and when it opened nationwide a couple of months ago, I was surprised at all the criticism for it's honesty. I'd still like to see it.
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Omar
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Post by Omar on Apr 30, 2006 23:30:23 GMT
Fun With Dick and Jane(2005/Dean Parisot) [First Viewing] After his company falls apart, a hard working man turns to desperate measures in order to save his family's financial status.The biggest surprise in the whole film is that Jim Carrey isn't the funniest one in the movie, it's character-actor Richard Jenkins, playing an alcoholic C.F.O. His brief moments steal the film. Other than Jenkins and some interesting jabs at current affairs in the states, there isn't much here to admire. Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii(1972/Adrian Maben) [First Viewing] A mixture of Pink Floyd songs accompanied with random images, and an in-studio interview secession.The camera-work in some of the musical numbers is amazing, but don't put this on expecting a concert film. The interviews with the band make up the best parts of the film, and of course, the music is excellent. Some of the computer generated images put in for the director's cut really hurt the film.
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RNL
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Post by RNL on May 1, 2006 17:56:08 GMT
APRIL 50 films, 36 first viewings, 1 on the big screen. Naked Lunch David Cronenberg 1991, Canada / UK / Japan[/color] 3rd viewing; DVD[/size] Naked Making Lunch Chris Rodley 1991, USA[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Nattvardsgästerna Winter Light Ingmar Bergman 1962, Sweden[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Made in U.S.A. Jean-Luc Godard 1966, France[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Tystnaden The Silence Ingmar Bergman 1963, Sweden[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Visions of Europe Fatih Akin / Barbara Albert / Sharunas Bartas / Andy Bausch / Christoffer Boe / Francesca Comencini / Stijn Coninx / Tony Gatlif / Sasa Gedeon / Christos Georgiou / Constantine Giannaris / Peter Greenaway / Miguel Hermoso / Arvo Iho / Aki Kaurismäki / Damjan Kozole / Laila Pakalnina / Kenneth Scicluna / Martin Sulík / Malgorzata Szumowska / Béla Tarr / Jan Troell / Theo van Gogh / Teresa Villaverde / Aisling Walsh 2004, Austria / Belgium / Cyprus / Czech Republic / Denmark / Estonia / Finland / France / Germany / Greece / Hungary / Ireland / Italy / Latvia / Lithuania / Luxembourg / Malta / Netherlands / Poland / Portugal / Slovakia / Slovenia / Spain / Sweden / UK[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Mr. Arkadin Orson Welles 1954, France / Spain / Switzerland[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Cul-de-sac Roman Polanski 1965, UK[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Alice in Wonderland Cecil M. Hepworth / Percy Stow 1903, UK[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] The Hearts of Age William Vance / Orson Welles 1934, USA[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] M. Butterfly David Cronenberg 1993, USA[/color] 2nd viewing; download[/size] The Godfather, Part II Francis Ford Coppola 1974, USA[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Crash David Cronenberg 1996, Canada / USA[/color] 3rd viewing; DVD[/size] eXistenZ David Cronenberg 1998, Canada / UK / France[/color] 3rd viewing; DVD[/size] Camera David Cronenberg 2000, Canada[/color] 3rd viewing; DVD[/size] Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet Kaige Chen / Víctor Erice / Werner Herzog / Jim Jarmusch / Aki Kaurismäki / Spike Lee / Wim Wenders 2002, Spain / UK / Germany / Finland / China / Netherlands[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Ten Minutes Older: The Cello Bernardo Bertolucci / Claire Denis / Mike Figgis / Jean-Luc Godard / Jirí Menzel / Michael Radford / Volker Schlöndorff / István Szabó 2002, UK / Germany / France[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Spider David Cronenberg 2002, Canada / UK[/color] 3rd viewing; DVD[/size] A History of Violence David Cronenberg 2005, USA[/color] 2nd viewing; DVD[/size] Luci del varietà Variety Lights Alberto Lattuada / Federico Fellini 1950, Italy[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] The Abyss James Cameron 1989, USA[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Lo sceicco bianco The White Sheik Federico Fellini 1952, Italy[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Stroszek Werner Herzog 1976, West Germany[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Match Point Woody Allen 2004, UK / USA / Luxembourg[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] The Descent Neil Marshall 2005, UK[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Back to the Future, Part II Robert Zemeckis 1989, USA[/color] Nth viewing; DVD[/size] Poltergeist Tobe Hooper 1982, USA[/color] 1st viewing; TV[/size] Creature Comforts Nick Park 1989, UK[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Lettre à Freddy Buache Letter to Freddy Buache Jean-Luc Godard 1981, France[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Carne The Edge Gaspar Noé 1991, France[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Innocence Lucile Hadzihalilovic 2004, Belgium / France / UK[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Back to the Future, Part III Robert Zemeckis 1990, USA[/color] Nth viewing; DVD[/size] Batalla en el cielo Battle in Heaven Carlos Reygadas 2004, Mexico / Belgium / France / Germany[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Musashino fujin The Lady of Musashino Kenji Mizoguchi 1951, Japan[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Russkiy kovcheg Russian Ark Aleksandr Sokurov 2002, Russia / Germany[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] A Grand Day Out with Wallace and Gromit Nick Park 1989, UK[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Wallace & Gromit in The Wrong Trousers Nick Park 1993, UK[/color] 2nd viewing; download[/size] Wallace & Gromit in A Close Shave Nick Park 1995, UK[/color] 2nd viewing; download[/size] Femme Fatale Brian De Palma 2001, France[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Cliffhanger Renny Harlin 1993, Italy / France / USA[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Land of the Dead George A. Romero 2005, Canada / France / USA[/color] 2nd viewing; DVD[/size] King Kong John Guillermin 1976, USA[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Repo Man Alex Cox 1983, USA[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Bad Taste Peter Jackson 1987, New Zealand[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Slither James Gunn 2005, USA[/color] 1st viewing; big screen[/size] Scarface Brian De Palma 1983, USA[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Mission to Mars Brian De Palma 2000, USA[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Snake Eyes Brian De Palma 1998, USA[/color] 2nd viewing; DVD[/size] Are We Still Married? (Stille Nacht II) Stephen Quay / Timothy Quay 1991, UK[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Blow Out Brian De Palma 1981, USA[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size]
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Capo
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Post by Capo on May 1, 2006 18:38:59 GMT
I'd really like to hear your thoughts on Match Point, The Godfather Part II, Bad Taste, Scarface. I'm glad your revisit of A History of Violence proved rewarding.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on May 1, 2006 18:53:33 GMT
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Post by Michael on May 1, 2006 19:14:04 GMT
0 stars for Godfather 2? I'd like to hear your thoughts, wetdog.
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Omar
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Post by Omar on May 1, 2006 19:47:15 GMT
Wetdog, that's quite a list of films.
Would you mind sharing your thoughts on "Cul-de-Sac" and "Repo Man"?
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Post by Michael on May 1, 2006 19:52:28 GMT
Quite a lot of films you have to explain there wetdog. You up for the challenge?
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RNL
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Post by RNL on May 1, 2006 21:02:43 GMT
Yeah, I'll get to them as soon as I have some time. I've given Godfather 2 a lot of thought, I never felt so guilty for disliking a film.
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Omar
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Post by Omar on May 2, 2006 0:00:31 GMT
Pennies from Heaven(1981/Herbert Ross) [First Viewing] During the depression, a music sheet salesman escapes from the hardships of life through song and dance.One of the most bizarre films I've seen in a long time. If Jim Jarmusch ever made a musical, I would imagine it would look something like this. The musical numbers are amazingly reproduced to look like those of the Golden Age of Hollywood. In fact, the look and feel of the film might be the best thing about it. Though after all is said and done, it's themes of self expression and multiple personalities feel too underdeveloped. Still, there aren't many films quite like it.
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jrod
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Post by jrod on May 2, 2006 0:43:14 GMT
The General (1927/Keaton) Its bullshit that Chaplin got City Lights, Modern Times, and the Gold Rush are all on the AFI 100 list and The General is not. I enjoyed this more then all three of them by quite a bit. My first Keaton movie, and it certainly will not be my last Shorts on the disc The Playhouse Cops
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jrod
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Post by jrod on May 2, 2006 3:05:41 GMT
Jarhead (2005/Mendes) Apperently Im one of the many Americans that Sam Mendes says "doesnt get" his movie. Cinematography and music are great however
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RNL
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Post by RNL on May 2, 2006 17:25:42 GMT
I forgot I also rewatched Land of the Dead. I'm pretty sure it was between Cliffhanger and King Kong.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on May 2, 2006 20:51:52 GMT
Funny Games Michael Haneke 1997 Austria 1st time; DVD A bourgeois family is held hostage and tortured at their holiday home by two young males with no motive. It is telling that by the end of this film, we are immune, even bored with, the disturbing violence depicted onscreen; the torturers are constantly aware of their role in the film, making direct reference to audience expectations and what they should be doing. At the end of the day, it's the director pulling all the strings, and we are completely helpless, puppets in his hand.Auch Zwerge haben klein angefangen Even Dwarfs Started Small Werner Herzog 1968 West Germany 1st time; DVD A colony of dwarfs rebels against its leader. A humorous, original film with powerful images and a descent into chaos which makes it seem like it may have been best suited to a short. One of Herzog's most absorbing films, and a clear inspiration for Korine's Gummo.
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Omar
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Post by Omar on May 2, 2006 22:18:10 GMT
Festival(1967/Murray Lerner) [First Viewing] An account of the Newport Folk Festival from 1963-1966.Quite possibly the best documentary made about music, and is the only one to really get behind the question of why some people choose to express themselves through the art of music. It also serves as an important document to a generation, showing the birth of the 60's American counterculture. The performances, and especially the interviews with the young audience members, are excellent throughout.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on May 3, 2006 17:59:01 GMT
Omar, Brick is starting at my local arthouse a week on Friday. I'll definitely be seeing it. Oh, and Wet Dog, so is The Piano Tuner for Earthquakes. Two days it's showing for.
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