RNL
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Post by RNL on May 3, 2006 18:12:26 GMT
I probably won't get to see it until the end of the year, at the very earliest, on DVD.
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Omar
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Post by Omar on May 3, 2006 20:34:46 GMT
Omar, Brick is starting at my local arthouse a week on Friday. I'll definitely be seeing it. Drop everything you are doing that day and see it. Bend over backwards to see it. I can't wait to hear what your thoughts on it are.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on May 5, 2006 10:44:39 GMT
Fata Morgana Mirage Werner Herzog 1969 West Germany 1st time; DVD A series of images filmed in and around the Sahara; narration tells the story of a planet's creation. The opening shots, of planes landing in the desert, each one becoming more and more blurred as the heat of the day increases, is telling as to how abstract, visually arresting this "science-fiction" film really is. As it goes on, the music and images interact profoundly; Herzog pays little attention to narrative cohesion, and instead tries to articulate deep emotions via new visual contexts.Herz aus Glas Heart of Glass Werner Herzog 1976 West Germany 1st time; DVD When a glass factory loses a worker, and with him the secret of ruby glass, a pre-industrialist village falls apart, watched by a foreseer of events. A strained, slow, absorbing piece for which most of the cast was hypnotized. It is an absurd, beautiful film full of memorable moments, such as when Herzog momentarily casts aside plot to document the glass factory workers at work, or when a drunkard dances with the corpse of his best friend, whom he inadvertantly killed the night before. The final moments are up there with Herzog's finest closures.I'd be interested to know if Béla Tarr has seen the latter. It reminded me very much of his films.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on May 5, 2006 21:15:12 GMT
Stroszek Werner Herzog 1977 West Germany 1st time; DVD Upon his release from jail, a Berlin crook moves to America with a woman and an old friend; once there, he fails to adapt to the new culture. At once funny, surreal and poignant, and very unpredictable; the characters here all seem to be running away from things, with no real aim to run towards, and the film is less a critique of American society than of the human condition in general--they all go where the money is.If my revisit of Kaspar Hauser proves worthwhile, the whole of that second Herzog boxset is three-star gems. Better, on the whole, than the Kinski boxset.
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RNL
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Post by RNL on May 5, 2006 22:24:07 GMT
How'd you like the dancing chicken?
I think that's the funniest thing I've ever seen.
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jake
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Post by jake on May 6, 2006 14:07:54 GMT
I should be posting more frequently in the next few months, so I'm going to use this thread to chronicle what I've been watching. Matewan (John Sayles, 1987) Sunshine State (John Sayles, 2003) Waking Life (Richard Linklater, 2001) L'intrus The Intruder (Claire Denis, 2004) Naked Lunch (David Cronenberg, 1991) Gongdong gyeongbi guyeok Joint Security Area (Chan-wook Park, 2000) The Constant Gardener (Fernando Meirelles, 2005) Ostre sledované vlaky Closely Observed Trains (Jirí Menzel, 1966) Saraband (Ingmar Bergman, 2003) Me and You and Everyone Else We Know (Miranda July, 2005) Cobra Verde (Werner Herzog, 1987) The Ice Storm (Ang Lee, 1997) E la nave va And The Ship Sails On (Federico Fellini, 1983) Bob Dylan: No Direction Home (Martin Scorsese, 2005) Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (Kenneth Brangagh, 1994) Kohayagawa-ke no aki The End of Summer (Yasujiro Ozu, 1961) The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges, 1941) Takhté siah Blackboards (Samira Makhmalbaf, 2000) Sauve qui peut (la vie) Slow Motion (Jean-Luc Godard, 1980) Limbo (John Sayles, 1999) Ararat (Atom Egoyan, 2002) Fellini’s Roma (Federico Fellini, 1972) (2nd)
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Capo
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Post by Capo on May 6, 2006 15:49:28 GMT
How'd you like the dancing chicken? I think that's the funniest thing I've ever seen. Stroszek Spoilers Stroszek SpoilersYes, very funny. Though when I was watching it, I had lost track of time, and had no idea that was the end until it faded out. I loved the sound of the gun. And the guy dressed as an Indian across the road.
Jake, welcome back!
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Post by Vercetti on May 7, 2006 16:35:15 GMT
Last night. Collateral - (Michael Mann;2004;USA) A nihilistic contract killer and dawdling taxi driver change forever over the course of one night.Seeing this for the nth time, I realize that while the ending could've been somewhat improved upon, that this has to be Mann's best film. I've been discussing with DVC how it was gettign better and better to me while he was going behind to me. In fact, weeks ago I lowered it to three recalling it's length, and soon I'll be revisiting it to solidify my decision, though I hope it'll be just as profound as my last viewing. This film however is Mann's most polished. It doesn't go on for too long at all and it manages to be perfectly developed from the characters to the story. Mann's entrancing direction revitalizes the Neo-Noir brings out Tom Cruise's best performance, oddly against type like Fonda's best role in Once Upon a Time in the West. Later today I'll revise my review on it so I can basically rant further on why I love this film so much. Everything is top notch, aside the slightly average cat/mouse decision, though Mann directs that very well as always.
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Post by Michael on May 7, 2006 16:50:56 GMT
Last night. Collateral - (Michael Mann;2004;USA) A nihilistic contract killer and dawdling taxi driver change forever over the course of one night.Seeing this for the nth time, I realize that while the ending could've been somewhat improved upon, that this has to be Mann's best film. I've been discussing with DVC how it was gettign better and better to me while he was going behind to me. In fact, weeks ago I lowered it to three recalling it's length, and soon I'll be revisiting it to solidify my decision, though I hope it'll be just as profound as my last viewing. This film however is Mann's most polished. It doesn't go on for too long at all and it manages to be perfectly developed from the characters to the story. Mann's entrancing direction revitalizes the Neo-Noir brings out Tom Cruise's best performance, oddly against type like Fonda's best role in Once Upon a Time in the West. Later today I'll revise my review on it so I can basically rant further on why I love this film so much. Everything is top notch, aside the slightly average cat/mouse decision, though Mann directs that very well as always. Awesome. I'm glad you changed it to 4 stars. It deserves it. I've watched this film on HBO 3 times in the past week, and I must say my opinion of it has changed heavily. I think it's Michael Mann's best film, and one of the best crime films in the past 15 years or so. It's a lot deeper than people think, and the ending, like in Mann's other films, is perfect. ***SPOILERS WARNING***I love how Mann makes it so Vincent leads Max to Annie. It makes it a story of how a mysterious killer enters a man's cab, and changes his whole life for the better, instead of just an average crime film, like I used to perceive it as. Annie isn't just a girl, but a symbol of Max's release from his old self.
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Omar
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Post by Omar on May 7, 2006 17:12:01 GMT
Mission: Impossible III(2006/J.J. Abrams) [First Viewing] Rogue secret agent Ethan Hunt is brought back on assignment when one of his fellow agents is kidnapped.There is a point where a movie becomes so ridiculous and so caught up in itself that you can't help but sit back and watch. This is one of those films. And thankfully, a great cast was assembled to make this fluff watchable. Kill Bill: Vol. 1(2003/Quentin Tarantino) [Nth Viewing] After being left for dead by her former employer, an ex-assassin goes on a killing spree of revenge.Speaking of fluff....at least Tarantino knows what he's doing, and is courteous to pay homage to the b-movie sub-genres that clearly inspire him in everything he does. There are moments when the dialogue feels too cocky, but for the most part, it's a fun and hilarious film, that can honestly boast one of the goriest and relentless fight sequences in recent years.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on May 8, 2006 20:15:59 GMT
Jeder für sich und Gott gegen alle Every Man For Himself and God Against All of Them/The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser Werner Herzog 1974 West Germany 2nd time; DVD In 1828 Nuremberg, a 16-year-old boy, with no previous interaction with the world, is found, his origins unknown. A rather mysterious story told in a simple, profound way; Bruno S., whom Herzog cast in the lead role after seeing many real-life parallels, offers an unflinchingly warm and often haunting presence as the "outcast" at the centre of things.La Soufrière - Warten auf eine unausweichliche Katastrophe Werner Herzog 1977 West Germany 2nd time; VHS On the island of Guadaloupe, a volcano shows signs of erupting. While the nearby population evacuates, Werner Herzog ascends the mountain in search of the man refusing to move. Fantastic, characteristic view of the director's fascination and search for his own reasoning behind confronting danger, as much obsessed with the absence of disaster as with the foreboding of it.Die Große Ekstase des Bildschnitzers Steiner The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner Werner Herzog 1973 West Germany 3rd time; VHS A carpenter whose true love in life is ski-flying sets world records and becomes a phenomenon. The said phenomenom is not least in the director's eyes, or even in Steiner's own psychology; a beautiful evocation of a man wanting to, like the director, push as many of his own boundaries as he can.
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Omar
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Post by Omar on May 9, 2006 2:21:14 GMT
First Blood(1982/Ted Kotcheff) [First Viewing] After being mistreated by cops, a depressed Vietnam veteran goes on the lam.Interesting and misunderstood film, often considered a mindless action film, is actually a character study mixed with an exploration of the affects of war. The use of Pacific northwest locations adds a distinct tone to the film, and the final monologue is the best acting ever done by Sylvester Stallone.
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Post by Vercetti on May 9, 2006 2:33:01 GMT
First Blood(1982/Ted Kotcheff) [First Viewing] After being mistreated by cops, a depressed Vietnam veteran goes on the lam.Interesting and misunderstood film, often considered a mindless action film, is actually a character study mixed with an exploration of the affects of war. The use of Pacific northwest locations adds a distinct tone to the film, and the final monologue is the best acting ever done by Sylvester Stallone. I fully agree, though I considering it a very good two star film rather then a three star one. I especially agree on the ending being Stallone's best acting. It would've been better with the original ending.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on May 9, 2006 10:32:50 GMT
Invincible Werner Herzog 2001 UK/Germany/Ireland/US 1st time; TV In 1930s Germany, a smalltown Jew with incredible strength is exploited in Berlin, and rises to fame, to the bewilderment of the Nazis. "Based on a true story", it tells us in big letters after the title pops up; nevertheless, it's presented like a tragic fairytale, full of wooden characters, stiff acting and, perhaps most unusually, drab images. Herzog's never been a director to make films with a predominant sense of realism, but this sinks early on into a contrived mess, whose most powerful shot, of thousands of crabs in a rock pool, is apparently stolen from his previous feature, Little Dieter Needs to Fly.[/i]
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Capo
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Post by Capo on May 9, 2006 20:41:51 GMT
Fitzcarraldo Werner Herzog 1981 Peru/West Germany 2nd time; DVD Against all odds, an ambitious Irishman attempts to haul a steamboat from one river to another over a hill, in order to establish an opera house deep in the Peruvian jungle. Surely one of Cinema's most physically exhausting accomplishments; it took three years to film, with a complete re-shoot when Herzog lost his two leads after 40% was filmed, though even as second choice, Kinski is as intense as ever. It looks, sounds and feels like one of the director's most polished films, and also ranks among his most accessible.Must have slept more than I thought I had first time round; it was like watching a whole new film.
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Post by Vercetti on May 12, 2006 23:05:17 GMT
The New World - (Terrence Malick;2005;USA) In the early 17th century, John Smith and Pocahontas begin a relationship that is tested by the rivalry between settlers and natives.I'm glad this surprised me. I was expecting something along the lines of a normal narrative with other great qualities but Malick's direction makes this film feel painfully poetic. Few films remind you how painful something can be when it becomes impossible to have. Farrell, Kilcher, and Bale are all great in their subtle ways. They bleed emotions that fall behind the curtain every now and then rather then in-your-face melodrama. In the wrong hands this could've felt like Titanic, but Malick and the actors make this romance beautiful and few films really kill you emotionally like this. The cinematography is amazing. Malick's choice to use natural light for most of the film really shows a beauty that feels real. In some parts I really felt the quote from The Sopranos Tony said about how real life has it's way of picking away at his positive beliefs towards life.
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Post by Vercetti on May 13, 2006 1:05:49 GMT
By the way, here are some other films I've watched over the last several weeks but didn't post due to laziness. If anyone wants any thoughts, just ask. Brokeback Mountain Lord of War Memoirs of a Geisha
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Omar
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Post by Omar on May 13, 2006 4:47:44 GMT
By the way, here are some other films I've watched over the last several weeks but didn't post due to laziness. If anyone wants any thoughts, just ask. Brokeback Mountain Lord of War Memoirs of a Geisha Can I hear your thoughts on "Brokeback Mountain" and "Lord of War"?
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Post by Vercetti on May 13, 2006 4:52:24 GMT
By the way, here are some other films I've watched over the last several weeks but didn't post due to laziness. If anyone wants any thoughts, just ask. Brokeback Mountain Lord of War Memoirs of a Geisha Can I hear your thoughts on "Brokeback Mountain" and "Lord of War"? A decent film at best, but grossly overrated. Sometimes it feels genuine, other times it's melodramatic. I think the gay factor gave it an infallible reason for Hollywood to make as big a deal as it did, like racism for Crash. The music and cinematography are the best features, along with Ledger's performance. Lord of War is also decent, but it took a now conventional approach to it's story. Considering a lot of it is based on truth, I found some things fascinating, but by the end of the film I didn't find myself caring about Yuri as much as I should've. The best thing about it is Antonio Pinto's beautiful music.
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Omar
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Post by Omar on May 13, 2006 5:02:59 GMT
To me, "Lord of War" felt too much like a rehash of "Goodfellas" and "Blow".
But the ending by far saved the film tremendously, making it semi-memorable.
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