Boz
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Post by Boz on Oct 2, 2006 18:17:44 GMT
I feel like it's important to capture your thoughts and feelings as quickly after the film as possible. Further thought and retrospection is an essential part of forming a complete opinion on a film, but these factors I think are secondary and complimentary only to initial impressions.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on Oct 2, 2006 18:45:43 GMT
If I have something to say, I say it. And I always have something to say.
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Post by Michael on Oct 2, 2006 19:23:11 GMT
If I have something to say, I say it. And I always have something to say. That's my problem. I don't always have something to say about a film after I watch it. It usually takes me a while to articulate my thoughts.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Oct 3, 2006 0:02:32 GMT
And so begins October. Irréversible Irreversible Gaspar Noé 2002 France 4th time; DVD Top 5 When his girlfriend is raped at a party, a teacher and his friend hunt down the rapist at a gay nightclub. What begins as a brutally, disturbingly violent film turns out to be a calmly, gently uplifting one - but for the fact the narrative order is reversed (or is it?). Noé films in long-takes, with a swirling camera constantly, and frustratingly, always moving; the pivotal moment is the rape scene, for which the camera finally settles on one axis, and shows us the shocking incident with an unflinching gaze, the one time we'd prefer to move elsewhere. The use of sound is fantastic. Irreversible (2002/Noé)While it may not really please a viewer searching for a resounding moral or emotional message, anyone who considers themselves a partaker of the art of filmmaking or a fan of its technicalities will be amazed. Capo mentioned the swirling camera work, which during the viewing process had boggled my mind, although some of this bewilderment was cleared up by imdb trivia. The use of color, the use of sound, the 15 minute takes (which I had concluded were digitally edited together in post-production, but masterfully so), the acting, etc. This is most definitely a film that induces superlative-laden gushing in any reviewer. Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic. Capo, do you recommend any other Noé films specifically? And what other films are in your top 5? I was blown away by this one.
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RNL
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Post by RNL on Oct 3, 2006 0:15:36 GMT
Noé's only other feature, I Stand Alone, is almost as good as Irréversible, but quite different.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Oct 3, 2006 0:17:43 GMT
Definitely have to check that out.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on Oct 3, 2006 0:22:37 GMT
And I haven't seen I Stand Alone. Wet Dog, did you catch Destricted? And if so, is it another example of collaboration projects not working?
My top five, for now, consists of the following films, in alphabetical order:
Éloge de l'amour In Praise of Love Jean-Luc Godard; 2000 Eraserhead David Lynch; 1976 Irréversible Irreversible Gaspar Noé; 2002 Taxi Driver Martin Scorsese; 1975 Week End Jean-Luc Godard; 1967
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RNL
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Post by RNL on Oct 3, 2006 0:39:46 GMT
No, I missed Destricted. It's already out on DVD, though.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on Oct 3, 2006 15:20:40 GMT
Letter from an Unknown Woman Max Ophüls 1948 US 1st time; big screen Vienna, 1900: a young girl falls in love with a musician, and, years later, writes to him informing that they had a son together. Outstandingly clever melodrama which predates both the woman's pictures of Sirk and also the self-reflexivity of Godard: here we have a woman who invests her entire life to a man who, in the end, does not recognise her from an earlier encounter, and the narrative as a result is destined for doom and tears. Recurring motifs throughout: the sense of complexity in the female protagonist, seen throughout behind some sort of veil or transparent layer; the score being mostly diegetic, with bands or solo pianists playing the actual music in the background of a scene; and the best visual gag of the film, which shatters all sense of illusion, a train ride which turns out to be a fairground ride, with the passing scenery going by only because somebody is pedalling the reel along.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Oct 3, 2006 17:22:03 GMT
Forest of Bliss (1986/Gardner)A fantastic if not unconventional documentary. There is no narration, no explanation, just images and sounds. Gardner and his crew traveled to India and filmed life within one coastal town drowning in abject poverty. We as viewers know so little of this culture, but there are a few constants that become obvious; water, fire, flowers, and death. Our only real indication of what Gardner's message might be is a solitary quote in the beginning of the film commenting on the omnipresence of death. Gardner films with two cameras, and unlike most other documentaries (to the best of my knowledge), he experiments with cross-cutting audio from one scene while showing images from another, effectively relaying interesting parallels and contradictions to the viewers. It is a bleak and desperate film, filled with indications of the cultural obsession with religion and death, and by providing no real explanation on anything, Gardner really imerses us in the mysteriousness of it all. Highly recommended.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Oct 3, 2006 22:42:38 GMT
Contempt (1963/Godard)My 2nd Godard. Great colorful imagery, simple yet compelling story, and dialogue which stood out even through the subtitles. The only real aggravating thing here was Godard's seemingly arbitrary use of the theme music, constantly cutting it in and out at random points throughout several different scenes with different tones. It just seemed sloppy. Contempt is drastically different in style from Breathless, and although both are generally about the complexity of relationships, they present varying final conclusions. Looking at both films simply for their aesthetic value alone shows how much Godard evolved as a filmmaker in just under 4 years. There's a certain sense of mystery here that was absent in the straightforwardness of Breathless. Godard seems to revel in the fact that we as viewers aren't aware of what exactly the occurrence is that is the driving force of the film. Another thing I noticed is the incredible similarity to Fellini's 8 1/2, made that same year. Both films are about frustrated members of the filmmaking world, hounded by the demands of pompous industry insiders and moody love interests. The only real difference is that 8 1/2 serves as a single person biography, while Contempt focuses more on the pivotal relationship of the film, rather than it's characters. And although both are satirical in tone, I guess you could say 8 1/2 is much more of a comedy.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on Oct 3, 2006 23:16:33 GMT
The only real aggravating thing here was Godard's seemingly arbitrary use of the theme music, constantly cutting it in and out at random points throughout several different scenes with different tones. It just seemed sloppy. Sloppy? Perhaps. But since it is a deliberate nod to the artificiality of Cinema, "ineffective" is probably a better word. Though I would argue against that. Scorsese said in his Scorsese on Scorsese interviews that Eight and a Half and Peeping Tom, between them, showed him everything there was to be seen about Cinema. I'd say Contempt was mine.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on Oct 3, 2006 23:31:26 GMT
Don't Look Now Nicolas Roeg 1973 UK Nth time; DVD In Venice, an American architect and his wife, who lost their daughter in a drowning accident, encounter two psychic sisters who claim to to have seen the dead child. Arresting, fascinating, and never resolved. It's filmed in claustrophobic handheld, but edited with such teasing flexibility that reveals its characters in a sort of time-loop: "Isn't that where you - ?" Julie Christie asks her husband Donald Sutherland as they pass the scene of a murder, but he cuts her off; and later in the film, he thinks he sees his wife on a boat hearse; two pivotal moments which find resonance at the finale. Themes of alienation, death, grief and remorse find the perfect mise-en-scene in the maze of Venice alleyways and canals. It really must be seen to be appreciated.
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Post by Michael on Oct 3, 2006 23:54:01 GMT
I remember the final 5-6 minutes of Don't Look Now giving me chills. I should watch it again. Amazing film.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Oct 4, 2006 2:43:45 GMT
I think I'm planning on having my viewing schedule dictated by other's proviews for a while. Anytime someone gives a good review to something that looks interesting to me, I'm going to watch it myself within the next couple days. Should make for good discussion. Plan on a Don't Look Now review soon.
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RNL
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Post by RNL on Oct 4, 2006 23:02:21 GMT
SEPTEMBER 42 films. 36 first viewings. 6 on the big screen. The Wicker Man Neil LaBute 2006, Germany / USA[/color] 1st viewing; big screen[/size] Tideland Terry Gilliam 2005, Canada / UK[/color] 1st viewing; big screen[/size] The Fisher King Terry Gilliam 1991, USA[/color] 1st viewing; TV[/size] The Keep Michael Mann 1983, USA[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Right at Your Door Chris Gorak 2005, USA[/color] 1st viewing; big screen[/size] Odilon Redon, or The Eye, Like a Strange Balloon, Mounts Towards Infinity Guy Maddin 1995, Canada[/color] 2nd viewing; download[/size] The Heart of the World Guy Maddin 2000, Canada[/color] 2nd viewing; download[/size] A Trip to the Orphanage Guy Maddin 2004, Canada[/color] 2nd viewing; download[/size] Hospital Fragment Guy Maddin 1999, Canada[/color] 2nd viewing; download[/size] Showgirls Paul Verhoeven 1995, France / USA[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] 71 Fragmente einer Chronologie des Zufalls 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance Michael Haneke 1994, Austria / Germany[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Fanny och Alexander Fanny and Alexander Ingmar Bergman 1982, Sweden / France / West Germany[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] The Lost Spider Pit Sequence Peter Jackson 2005, New Zealand[/color] 1st viewing; YouTube[/size] Bande à part Band of Outsiders Jean-Luc Godard 1964, France[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Sôseiji Gemini Shinya Tsukamoto 1999, Japan[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Zandra Rhodes Peter Greenaway 1979, UK[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Hubert Bals Handshake Peter Greenaway 1989, UK[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Act of God Peter Greenaway 1980, UK[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] The Coastline Peter Greenaway 1983, UK / Canada[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Der Siebente Kontinent The Seventh Continent Michael Haneke 1989, Austria[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Panelkapcsolat The Prefab People Béla Tarr 1981, Hungary[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] The Black Dahlia Brian De Palma 2006, Germany / USA[/color] 1st viewing; big screen[/size] Little Miss Sunshine Jonathan Dayton / Valerie Faris 2005, USA[/color] 1st viewing; big screen[/size] The Raven Lew Landers 1935, USA[/color] 1st viewing; TV[/size] Safe Todd Haynes 1995, USA[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Tanin no kao The Face of Another Hiroshi Teshigahara 1966, Japan[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] The Black Cat Edgar G. Ulmer 1934, USA[/color] 1st viewing; TV[/size] Amarcord Federico Fellini 1973, Italy / France[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Phantasm II Don Coscarelli 1988, USA[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Powaqqatsi Godfrey Reggio 1988, USA[/color] 1st viewing; DVD[/size] Children of Men Alfonso Cuarón 2006, UK / USA[/color] 1st viewing; big screen[/size] Far from Heaven Todd Haynes 2002, France / USA[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story Todd Haynes 1987, USA[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] My Dad Is 100 Years Old Guy Maddin 2005, Canada[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] 25-e - pervyi den 25th October, the First Day Yuriy Norshteyn / Arkadiy Tyurin 1968, Soviet Union[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Secha pri Kerzhentse The Battle of Kerzhenets Ivan Ivanov-Vano / Yuriy Norshteyn 1971, Soviet Union[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Otoshiana Pitfall Hiroshi Teshigahara 1962, Japan[/color] 1st viewing; download[/size] Shoot to Kill Roger Spottiswoode 1987, USA[/color] Nth viewing; DVD[/size] The Body Snatcher Robert Wise 1944, USA[/color] 1st viewing; TV[/size] Vertigo Alfred Hitchcock 1958, USA[/color] 2nd viewing; DVD[/size] Wedding Crashers David Dobkin 2005, USA[/color] 1st viewing; TV[/size] The Adventures of Baron Munchausen Terry Gilliam 1988, UK[/color] 1st viewing; TV[/size]
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Oct 4, 2006 23:32:39 GMT
Wetdog, do you give further explanation upon request? If so, I'm interested in your thoughts on Safe, Fanny and Alexander, and Amarcord. Permanenet Record (1988/Silver)An effective look at teen suicide and its after-effects. Suprisingly respectable direction, especially coming from a woman, and one with as little expierience as Silver. Keanu Reeves retains his Bill and Ted surfer accent, but he keeps it from crossing into laughable, and displays some early acting chops. The outdated music is the only real negative, but overall, enjoyable.
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Omar
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Post by Omar on Oct 5, 2006 0:41:38 GMT
Wetdog, could I hear your thoughts on "The Black Dahlia", "Little Miss Sunshine", "Children of Men", and "Wedding Crashers"?
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Post by Valenti on Oct 5, 2006 1:11:02 GMT
Is Children of Men already out?
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