Capo
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Post by Capo on Jun 28, 2006 13:02:55 GMT
Taxi Driver Martin Scorsese 1975 US Nth time; DVD A New York cabbie, tired of the filth of the streets, decides to clean them through his own violent means. Scorsese captures urban loneliness with convincing vigour; the fixed shots from the cab driving through New York at night have a cumulative repulsiveness about them, and Schrader's episodic script builds up to an unsettling climax of such raw energy and powerful violence that it will most likely linger in the mind for days after, not least due to the intensity with which De Niro portrays a man desperate to find himself some justice and purpose, whatever the consequences.The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance John Ford 1962 US 1st time; TV A senator from Washington returns to the West to mourn the death of an old friend. Possibly Ford's finest film, serving in turns brutality and laughs, with a dressing of bitter nostalgia for good measure; photographed in stark black and white, the clash between the Old West and the New has never been as fascinating, with Wayne playing the tough, lawless enigma and Stewart the lawful idealist, both with fantastic conviction.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on Jun 29, 2006 12:32:22 GMT
The Spiral Staircase Robert Siodmak 1945 US 1st time; TV New England, turn of the century - a mute servant in a mansion is suspected to be the next victim of a serial killer whose victims are all in some way afflicted. Superlative, atmospheric horror, full of recurring motifs, the best being the opening: a group of people watch a silent film while a voyeuristic murder takes place upstairs; throughout thereafter, the next victim is a silent mute in a house full of mirrors. Set entirely in one night and one setting, it doesn't really have anywhere to go; but the title is key, and only becomes significant in the final ten minutes or so - everything else is merely padding.Stagecoach John Ford 1939 US 1st time; TV A stagecoach with a prostitute, a pregnant woman, an outlaw, a gambler, a bank manager, a doctor and a reverand must travel through Monument Valley, with the imminent threat of Apaches. One of those now famous classics which hurtle along without a moment to spare; it happens to be a number of things: a credible romance (the scenes with Wayne and Trevor are electric), a fully realised character ensemble, a sharp social commentary, a suspenseful action film and a biting comedy. Andy Devine steals the show as the bumbling stagecoach driver.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on Jun 29, 2006 14:53:38 GMT
I'd like us all to get back into watching films passionately. I am finished school now, and will be back to my film-watching basis of two-a-day, at least. I'd like to get back to the peak I was at during Christmas time. And I seem to remember that we were all on a roll back then, too; hell, even Wet Dog was posting Proviews for all the films he was watching. And end-of-the-month list is always good, and I look forward to seeing what you've seen over the past month, but this thread should be about discussing films as we're watching them.
The new layout to the boards allows new threads to be made for individual films without having to have a review start things off, so feel free to start discussion threads for films, should you feel the need.
Anyway, expect more activity from me in the coming weeks.
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Omar
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Post by Omar on Jun 29, 2006 15:45:01 GMT
Mick, glad to see you are back into viewing films on a regular basis. I feel the same way, but I'm unable to at the moment, because I'm leaving tomorrow on vacation, and won't get back until July 8th, and also I still have to finish "Boomtown" first season from Netflix. After that comes "The Singing Detective". Click(2006/Frank Coraci) ZERO[First Viewing] A workaholic family man obtains a universal remote that helps him control his life, at first...An Adam Sandler that wants to have potty humor and a serious tone? Sorry Mr. Sandler, but you can't do both. Superman Returns(2006/Bryan Singer) [First Viewing] Superman returns after searching for his home planet, and finds that things have changed.I was pleasantly surprised by this film. It's biggest flaw is it's over-length, running just a little more than 2 1/2 hours. The action takes second to the romance between Superman and Lois Lane; the latter having moved on and who now has a family. There are some interesting revelations, leaving lots of room for a sequel. And Kevin Spacey is at his fiery best as the villain, Lex Luthor.
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Post by Michael on Jun 29, 2006 16:04:39 GMT
I'm short on money now, as are my parents, so movie-watching has taken a back seat until my father gets his liquor license and we start making money again. Sorry to disappoint, Capo.
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RNL
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Post by RNL on Jun 29, 2006 20:30:45 GMT
I watched X-Men III on May 28th, then nothing whatsoever until June 18th, due to exams, but I'm making headway again.
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Post by Michael on Jun 30, 2006 2:02:25 GMT
Fight ClubToo lazy to write a proview now...tomorrow.
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Omar
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Post by Omar on Jun 30, 2006 2:19:52 GMT
The Lost City(2005/Andy Garcia) [First Viewing] A nightclub owner in Havana in 1958 must deal with the threat of the impending revolution.A good film that could have been (and should have been) a masterpiece. Considering the passion behind the film, it's hard to believe how uneven it is, which is mostly to blame for the two greatest actors in the film, Bill Murray and Dustin Hoffman. Murray is one of my favorite people in the world, but his role here is wasted. And Hoffman is just distracting.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on Jun 30, 2006 14:02:24 GMT
Fort Apache John Ford 1948 US 1st time; TV A stubborn lieutenant-colonel arrives at Fort Apache with high hopes for military conduct and fame. A film all about conflict: that between the cavaliers and the Native Americans is dealt with exposively at the climax, in one of Ford's most dramatic setpieces; but there are also personal battles, such as the exciting clash between Wayne and Fonda throughout the film. But this is Fonda's film, it must be said, and his portrayal of a self-destructive, obsessive colonel trying to juggle between duty and ambition is fascinating to watch.Heathers Michael Lehmann 1988 US 1st time; VHS A high school girl becomes fed up with her friend and decides to play a trick on her; when it turns out to have deadly consequences, things get worse… The American high school as a metaphor for society itself, as Christian Slater points out towards the end; a clever subversion of teen flick conventions, highly original and with a macabre humour reminiscent of Ealing's The Ladykillers. The ending seems strangely tame.12 Angry Men Sidney Lumet 1957 US 1st time; TV A juror with doubts about a trial tires to convince the other eleven of a Not Guilty verdict. A kind of objectification of onscreen subjectivity, and a terrifically handled script relying entirely on dialogue to crank up the suspense. But this is not just a teleplay; the first, introductory shot of the twelve jurors seems to go on forever, thoroughly establishing them in what is to be an overwhelmingly claustrophobic setting throughout. Tellingly, as they become increasingly irritable as the film progresses, the camera gets closer and closer, the sweat more and more visible.Bread and Roses Ken Loach 2000 UK / France / Germany / Italy / Spain / Switzerland 1st time; TV Mexicans in LA working as janitors form a union to fight for economic justice. Loach takes an explicit stab at corporate America here, and the exploitation of immigrant workers, with subtler attacks on Hollywood itself, in a rather amusing scene in which the workers hijack a party with famous actors in attendance. It manages to be a captivating, persuasive film without getting too preachy--the one time it does, the emotional revelation is powerful indeed; it is a bit muddled in its scene-to-scene juxtaposition between political and personal, but sensibly doesn't try to mix both at once.I have become, in my recent rejuvination of filmwatching, very sensitive to greatness. Positive criticism is the way forward...
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Omar
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Post by Omar on Jun 30, 2006 23:26:27 GMT
Glad you liked "12 Angry Men". The first viewing I had of that film just simply blew me away. Completely flawless and a hard-hitting film. I've never seen "Heathers". In fact, I didn't even know what it was about. All I had heard of it was that Christian Slater was supposed to have given a great performance.
I had the opportunity to watch Disney's "8 Below" on the plane today. Opportunity missed.
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RNL
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Post by RNL on Jul 1, 2006 3:05:56 GMT
JUNE 24 films. All first viewings. Caché Hidden Michael Haneke 2004, France / Austria / Germany / Italy[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Genesis Nacho Cerdà 1998, Spain[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] The Bonfire of the Vanities Brian De Palma 1990, USA[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] The Fury Brian De Palma 1977, USA[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] La ardilla roja The Red Squirrel Julio Medem 1993, Spain[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Simpan Judgement Chan-wook Park 1999, South Korea[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] The Seafarers Stanley Kubrick 1953, USA[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Futsu saizu no kaijin The Phantom of Regular Size Shinya Tsukamoto 1986, Japan[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Boy and Bicycle Ridley Scott 1962, UK[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Code inconnu Code Unknown Michael Haneke 1999, France / Germany / Romania[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Heaven Tom Tykwer 2001, Germany / Italy / USA / France / UK[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] S1m0ne Andrew Niccol 2001, USA[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Sexy Beast Jonathan Glazer 1999, UK / Spain[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Gattaca Andrew Niccol 1997, USA[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Hwal The Bow Ki-duk Kim 2005, South Korea[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Sisters Brian De Palma 1972, USA[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Wise Guys Brian De Palma 1985, USA[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Chinjeolhan geumjassi Sympathy for Lady Vengeance Chan-wook Park 2005, South Korea[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] The Killing Stanley Kubrick 1955, USA[/color] 1st viewing; TV / download[/size] Funny Games Michael Haneke 1996, Austria[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Phantom of the Paradise Brian De Palma 1974, USA[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Paths of Glory Stanley Kubrick 1957, USA[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] La pianiste The Piano Teacher Michael Haneke 2000, France / Austria[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size]
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Post by Michael on Jul 1, 2006 3:35:47 GMT
Glad you liked The Piano Teacher, wetdog. Requiem for a Dream Creative editing, amazing performances, and chilling music manage to save a film which contains an otherwise uninteresting, and what I believe to be a somewhat overused subject matter. The film seemed to drag on a bit towards the middle, but the final 20 minutes were absolutely astonishing.
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jake
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Post by jake on Jul 1, 2006 13:28:49 GMT
La pianiste The Piano Teacher Michael Haneke 2000, France / Austria [/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size]
[/quote] What was it that impressed you about this so much? I thought you hated these chamber drama type films.
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RNL
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Post by RNL on Jul 1, 2006 15:05:01 GMT
No, not necessarily. What generally bugs me is the "let's document some theatre, cinematic form be damned" attitude. Haneke clearly pays close attention to the structure of his films, so he's in my good books. Huppert was amazing, and the subject matter was perverse and brutal, which I like.
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Omar
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Post by Omar on Jul 1, 2006 16:04:21 GMT
Wetdog, could I hear your thoughts on "The Bonfire of the Vanities", "The Fury", "Sisters", "The Killing", and "Paths of Glory"?
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Capo
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Post by Capo on Jul 1, 2006 20:12:46 GMT
I'm not surprised by your rating of Sexy Beast. I need to rewatch it, but I think it's really good.
I'm surprised you didn't like Funny Games just as much as Caché. Both are masterpieces, me thinks.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on Jul 2, 2006 0:54:04 GMT
And so begins July...
Enough Michael Apted 2002 US 1st time; DVD After the man of her dreams turns into a wife-beating maniac, a woman goes on the run with their child, learns self-defence, and eventually gets her own back. It sounds silly, and it is.
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Post by Michael on Jul 4, 2006 3:01:19 GMT
Boogie Nights ZERO
I came into this film with high expectations, and came out of it confused as to why it is held in such high regard.
I approach Magnolia with caution.
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Omar
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Post by Omar on Jul 4, 2006 3:56:25 GMT
Well....what didn't you like about it?
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