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Boz
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Post by Boz on Oct 12, 2006 17:19:28 GMT
Lapis (Whitney/1966)Momentum (Belson/1969)While I'm so glad to have finally moved into the avant garde section of my film course, I was not blown away by these first two selections. Yes, they both effectively dive headfirst into the idea of cinematic purism we've been discussing; producing something that can only be created on film, and yes, they are both visually and mentally stimulating despite the near-complete lack of any explanation, but I feel as though personally, I will most likely have trouble ever considering avant garde films independently from my preconceptions derived from the ending to 2001, along with various Windows screensavers and Media Player displays. Original for their era, but perhaps cheapened by the passage of time.
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Marty
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Post by Marty on Oct 12, 2006 17:27:54 GMT
Team America World Police Very funny and worth watching for the representations of the "Film Actors Guild" alone. Matt Damon is classic.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Oct 12, 2006 23:39:52 GMT
La Dolce Vita (1960/Fellini)Great black and white cinematography, great performance by Mastroianni, some interesting ideas tossed around by Fellini. Despite the many notable positive aspects here, the overwhelming redundancy and sprawling length of the film are stifling. The last 15 minutes were great, showing some similarities to 8 1/2, but it was too little too late here. And why is it that if you listen to the dialogue and watch the actor's move, they never sync up? Mildly annoying. Still very interested in seeing more Fellini though.
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Post by Vercetti on Oct 12, 2006 23:59:41 GMT
It's called dubbing. A lot of old films are like that.
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RNL
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Post by RNL on Oct 13, 2006 0:00:28 GMT
All Fellini's movies are dubbed. He often didn't even write the dialogue until after he'd shot the film, having his actors emphatically recite the alphabet or whatever instead.
I'm sorry I haven't elaborated on those ratings yet, I actually wrote quite a long response that I lost when my server logged me out.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Oct 13, 2006 0:16:19 GMT
Was wondering about those. Take your time. A Trip to the Moon (1902/Melies)Really liked the set construction, as well as the primitive special effects. Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (1895/Lumiere)Glad I finally thought to look this up online. Anyone know of other classic shorts I might find on youtube?
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Jenson71
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Post by Jenson71 on Oct 13, 2006 5:18:23 GMT
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Oct 13, 2006 18:47:13 GMT
Wild at Heart (1990/Lynch)Decent. Could've used more Willem Dafoe.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Oct 13, 2006 21:33:58 GMT
The King of Comedy (1983/Scorsese)Very enjoyable. Well made film with consistent undertones of humor and peculiarity. Scorsese and DeNiro craft yet another dynamic character study. Really enjoyed the little news montage at the end, very un-Scorsese, but very good. It's Not Just You, Murray! (1964/Scorsese)
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jrod
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Post by jrod on Oct 14, 2006 3:42:32 GMT
The Departed Not Scorseses best, not even one of his ten best. Usually when I watch a Scorsese movie about gangsters (Goodfellas or Casino mainly), it is not so much the story that is great, its the way Marty grasps the entire enviorment around him. This movie was more just an action movie with cops and robbers. No one in a great cast except Mark Wahlberg really shines either. Decent, but its wayyyyy overrated just bc people are excited hes dealing with the mob again. Its not his best movie since Goodfellas as the reviews say, its his best movie since the Aviator Dr No The most slow paced Bond movie Ive seen, but still pretty damn good. Sean Connery brings so much to this character. From Russia With Love All you could ask for in a Bond really. I havent seen many, but thisll be tough to beat. Goldfinger is next In the Mood For Love Watched this because it was #2 on TSPDT's 21st century list. I dont rank it that high, but it was pretty good. A short movie packed with a lot of emotion
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Capo
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Post by Capo on Oct 14, 2006 4:53:27 GMT
HostelEli Roth 2005 US 1st time; big screen Three tourists are encouraged to find a hostel in Bratislava renowned for easily sexed-up women; but they happen across a nightmarish place for torture, whereby backpackers are cut-up and killed for money. Interesting, and mediocre. The opening segment is ridiculous, full of risible dialogue and entrenched in hideously two-dimensional situations. The locations and characters are entirely flat, lacking in character and life - which makes their brutal deaths a mere plot mechanism. Of vague interest, especially early on, however, is the way in which these ignorant Westerners are set up, a kind of play on the American Pie stereotype.Dead Man's Shoes Shane Meadows 2004 UK Nth time; DVD A soldier returns to his rural home town in order to avenge the bullying of his younger, retarded brother. A strong sense of location, evoked in static shots of urban Northern England, and fine naturalistic performances, drive a film whose gaping holes in plot become more and more evident, once the power of Paddy Considine's ferocious performance has faded.
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Post by Valenti on Oct 14, 2006 7:37:41 GMT
The Departed A bit too long with some unnecessary twists, but still a very good well acted film.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Oct 15, 2006 0:39:21 GMT
Don't Look Now (1973/Roeg)Some interesting cross-cutting techniques and a fantastic ending can't quite save an otherwise frustratingly mediocre film.
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Post by Valenti on Oct 15, 2006 1:17:04 GMT
God, the ending of that movie kept me awake for days. It disturbed me greatly for no apparent reason.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Oct 15, 2006 5:27:58 GMT
The Departed (2006/Scorsese)2nd viewings are always more satisfying. Really enjoyed Nicholson and Baldwin's performances, Scorsese's humor shined through more, and his directing techniques are the best we've seen in years. Yes, it's a bit long, but there are no long sections that drag, and the ending more than makes up for it. A masterful film for my favorite director, perhaps his 5th or 6th best. And he's one of the few directors where that's actually saying something. See it, see it, see it, if you have not. After how long I'd been waiting for this film, it is just so satisfying.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Oct 15, 2006 21:49:47 GMT
The New Guy (2002/Decter)Decent comedy. Eddie Griffin's the man, and the O'Connell Brother's cameo was great. The Last American Virgin (1982/Davidson)Nice little 80's high school flick, with an awkward moment here and there due to some exaggerated sexual antics, but overall, good. Although the suprisingly sad ending kinda comes out of left field. Some Kind of Wonderful (1987/Deutch)It may have been directed by Howard Deutch, but you can tell good old John Hughes is a major force here (he wrote and produced). It was interesting to see Eric Stoltz in one of the only other films I've seen him in aside from Pulp Fiction, as he plays a drastically different character here. Compared to all the other teenage-aimed films that we've watched in my class, this one just rings so much truer, whether it be dialogue or the situations or the emotions, you can just tell there's a master of the genre behind the wheel. Hughes and Deutch also teamed up for 1986's Pretty in Pink, so I'll have to check that out sometime soon.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on Oct 16, 2006 14:54:50 GMT
And [Scorsese's] one of the few directors where that's actually saying something. As opposed to what?
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Marty
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Post by Marty on Oct 16, 2006 15:08:43 GMT
High Noon (Fred Zinneman 1952) nth viewing this time on restored DVD region 1 with remastered picture and soundA retiring town marshall is left to defend a town of apathetic citizens against a gang of revenge seeking killersFrom the second one sees a sillhouted Lee Van Cleef against a deliberately washed out western skyscape to the strains of Tex Ritter to the end image of Gary Cooper's Will Kane ride out of town in disdain, this is not just one of the finest of westerns but one of the classic pieces of American cinema. Filmed in an almost documentary sensibility (and cut to perfection in close to real time) by Zinneman and his cameraman Floyd Crosby, the allegorical nature of Carl Foreman's script is given extra clout. (you can probably tell I rate this film easily in the top ten films of all time)
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Oct 16, 2006 18:00:29 GMT
And [Scorsese's] one of the few directors where that's actually saying something. As opposed to what? Saying nothing. Saying that Austin Powers in Goldmember is Jay Roach's 5th or 6th best movie is saying next to nothing, considering its supposed superiors aren't even that good.
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