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Post by Vercetti on Aug 11, 2006 0:29:12 GMT
I'm surprised Capo. I actually disagree heavily, especially on the lousy visualist part. I thought they were amazing. Sometimes it's hard to believe Mann does it without CGI. There's one scene in particular, with Crockett and Tubbs on the roof of the club. Instead of a normal unfocused background with back and forth cuts to close-ups Mann makes the skyline layer the bottom of the screen. I can't explain it, it just looks amazing compared to most visuals I see. As for the villains, the drugs are sold through Skinheads, so I'm not surprised for a lot of baldness. The only real problem I had with the film is that it didn't have the character development his past films had. As for the title, I think it's merely referring to the Miami Vice Detectives depicted, not Miami 's Vice.
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Omar
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Post by Omar on Aug 11, 2006 3:48:05 GMT
Elena et les hommes Elena and Her Men(1956/Jean Renoir) [First Viewing] A princess starts a love triangle in pre-WWI Paris.Renoir said he always wanted to make a film with Ingrid Bergman, but it looks like he didn't plan anything from there. Aside from the beautiful cinematography, this is mainstream Renoir.
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Post by bobbyreed on Aug 11, 2006 4:09:47 GMT
There's one scene in particular, with Crockett and Tubbs on the roof of the club. Instead of a normal unfocused background with back and forth cuts to close-ups Mann makes the skyline layer the bottom of the screen. I can't explain it, it just looks amazing compared to most visuals I see. ?
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Post by Vercetti on Aug 11, 2006 6:25:59 GMT
Yeah, I know. I posted it in the review I've been delaying. Great image, though there are some better ones as well.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Aug 11, 2006 9:54:23 GMT
The only memorable image in the film to me was the backseat car POV when the undercover agents get killed in the early going. That was the only shot I remember bringing a smile to my face.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on Aug 11, 2006 15:35:26 GMT
Une femme est une femme A Woman is a Woman Jean-Luc Godard 1960 France 2nd time; DVD When her husband shows hesitance, a stiptease performer desperate for a baby turns to her neighbour… Endlessly playful, energetic film full of wit and charm; the soundtrack is constantly over-the-top, and fragmented so that it compliments the visual and spoken gags, such as when Belmondo says he's going to watch À bout de souffle on TV, or when someone asks Jeanne Moreau how Jules and Jim are (Truffaut's film was released a year later than this). It's a riot of intertextuality in homage to Hollywood's Musical, always preoccupied with the artifice of Cinema and the politics between the sexes.Alphaville, une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution Alphaville Jean-Luc Godard 1965 France 2nd time; DVD In the future, an intergalactic secret agent visits a city run by a computer machine in search of his predecessor. Superbly shot and in love with not only itself but with Cinema in general; there is a fine moment when our hero enters a glass lift and ascends to the floor above, with the camera following in one smooth motion in the adjoining lift. It requires rewatches to be appreciated as a commentary on memory, love and knowledge, but it must be admired for turning contemporary Paris into an unrecognisable, distopian future.
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Post by Vercetti on Aug 11, 2006 15:44:44 GMT
Is A Woman is a Woman a musical? I heard it was one with some quirky quality in the vein of some scenes in 8 1/2.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on Aug 11, 2006 15:49:36 GMT
It's as much a Musical as Breathless is a Gangster film; that is, more of a quickhand "spot-the-reference" homage than an actual genre film.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on Aug 11, 2006 19:32:42 GMT
Actually, Vercetti, I've found an appropriate clip from Une femme est une femme here.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Aug 12, 2006 1:56:11 GMT
Capo I love you multi-colored reviews. Little Miss Sunshine 2006/Dayton & Faris A nice little quirky family comedy, heart-warming at times, risque at others, a story that never drags supported by a great ensemble cast. Steve Carrell shows some dramatic chops, Alan Arkin came to my conscious for the first time as a great actor, and Paul Dano was almost as good here as he was in The King. Nothing too daring as far as shot composition here but Dayton and Faris manage to craft some nice still images. Overall though, any real poignancy was lost in the absurdity of the ending. Could have been better.
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Post by Vercetti on Aug 12, 2006 2:09:21 GMT
Actually, Vercetti, I've found an appropriate clip from Une femme est une femme here. That type of film is perverse on all levels....and I love it. I love the random silliness of that, especially the last part of "everything you can do."
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Post by Michael on Aug 12, 2006 3:07:47 GMT
One thing I've noticed about Godard's films is that they're very dialogue driven...in a good way of course. The black and white "brothers" eating the sandwiches and speaking for each other in Weekend is one of my favorite scenes in all of cinema, as is the diner scene towards the end of 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her.
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Post by Michael on Aug 12, 2006 6:16:59 GMT
The PianistAbsolutely mindblowing portrayal of a man clinging on to life, fueled by wonderful cinematography and stunning visuals. The further along the film moves, the less dialogue there is, until it becomes almost completely visual. Each murder, each beating, each near-death experience is presented with such intensity and realism, that this can become a rather uncomfortable, and at times unbearable, viewing.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on Aug 12, 2006 16:05:36 GMT
Le petit soldat The Little Soldier Jean-Luc Godard 1960 France 2nd time; DVD In the 1958 Algerian War, a secret agent becomes pawn for both Left and Right, and falls in love with a girl. Two scenes stand out here: the first in which our hero photographs Anna Karina's character whilst asking her frank questions, surely an influence on Soderbergh's sex, lies and videotape; the second comes at the end, with Bruno questioning almost everything, not least of all the purpose of speeches. Inbetween, Godard treats the whole thing like an internal monologue, a brooding character study, with almost no ambience on the soundtrack but an existential voice-over and haunting score. His most underrated film?Bande à part Band of Outsiders Jean-Luc Godard 1964 France 3rd time; DVD While caught up in a robbery plan, a young girl is torn between two boy friends. Like many of Godard's adventures, this could easily be called Masculin féminin. A cool, observant romp, beautifully shot, and showing a growing confidence in form: the voice-over, omniscient and spoken by the director himself, is witty and self-knowing, telling us when and when not parenthetic insight into these characters is needed. Recommended, and accessible.À bout de souffle Breathless Jean-Luc Godard 1959 France Nth time; DVD In Paris, an ultra-cool car thief kills a cop and seduces the girl he loves while running from the police. In many ways typical of a would-be master's debut; original and influential, but also very tame, and, in the context of work made hereafter, a rather jejune affair. It remains of much worth, however, due to the innovative cinematography - when Godard isn't cutting up conversations with random jump edits, Coutard's shoulder camera tracks its stars with casual flair, capturing Paris at night in loving black-and-white.
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Post by The Ghost of LLC on Aug 13, 2006 3:19:10 GMT
There's one scene in particular, with Crockett and Tubbs on the roof of the club. Instead of a normal unfocused background with back and forth cuts to close-ups Mann makes the skyline layer the bottom of the screen. I can't explain it, it just looks amazing compared to most visuals I see. ? As great of a shot of that is, I can't help but be reminded of the Bacardi and Cola commericals.
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Post by The Ghost of LLC on Aug 13, 2006 4:42:31 GMT
Manhattan (1979) Director: Woody Allen After his wife leaves him for a woman with intentions of publishing the downfall of their marriage, a writer finds himself at a sexual crossroads involving a 17 year old girl and a"pseudo-intellectual".Best of 1979, methinks. Deffinately not the achievement that Annie Hall was, but still an achievement none the less. Allen's humor is present, and makes his dialouge worth-while for me. The dark humor and comically depressing outlook compliments the story and excellent direction/performances. I love this mans neuroticism. Wedding Crashers (2005) Director: David Dobkin A best friend duo find their way into women's bedrooms by attending stranger's weddings under false names and backgrounds, but end up spending a weekend in an upscale family home when one falls in love, and the other is repulsed by love.I was actually dissapointed here. Just slightly. I was looking for a simple Saturday night kick, which I got... It was quite funny. Not as funny as I think it had been built up to be, but still very funny and entertaining. Yet, no substance, or enough to bring me back to it. Yeah, so, "shut your mouth when you talk to me." Meh... I still have three more films to proview. I'll do it later tonight, or tommorrow, when I'm not quite so tired or lazy.
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Post by Valenti on Aug 13, 2006 7:34:10 GMT
? As great of a shot of that is, I can't help but be reminded of the Bacardi and Cola commericals. Ahaha! I kept thinking that the entire time I was watching the movie.
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Omar
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Post by Omar on Aug 13, 2006 14:33:45 GMT
World Trade Center(2006/Oliver Stone) [First Viewing] Two Port Authority police officers find their day getting worse when a plane crashes into a New York skyscraper.I liked this film, but it hit too close to home for me to judge it with an open mind.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Aug 13, 2006 16:07:29 GMT
Did you find it over-sentimental? That's mostly what I've been reading.
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