Forced Viewing

[Der Übermensch]

Ok, so let's give this a try...
I think everyone is familiar with the basic concept here, ja?

5 Days Grace period on a dibs (that should be along enough to procure and watch... can increase to a week if people feel so...).

I think that two to three recommendations are a good idea, esspecially if one put up a relativly obscure movies, as not everyone is going to have a quality rental place around. Give basic info as well... director, year, genre, nationality perhaps...

So here it goes...

Le Samouraï (1967) - Dir. Jean Pierre Melville - French - Crime Thriller

The Third Man (1949) - Dir. Carol Reed - British - Mystery/Film Noir

The Thin Man (1934) - Dir. W.S. van Dyke - American - Comedy

[Meatplow]

dibs

[Kage]

Great idea! I hope this works out.

[Der Übermensch]

Hmm.... although Illmatic doesn't seem to understand how this works, maybe he is inadvertantly on to something. Given the longer between times with movies as opposed to music, maybe having two go at once isn't a bad idea?

[DanD]

The Guns of Navarone (1961, J. Lee Thompson) - WWII drama
High Plains Drifter (1973, Clint Eastwood) - western

thats not how it works

you must watch and review one of the films that TS posted before you can recommend films to someone else

[Illmatic]

whoops yeah I've never done a forced listening so I didn't know how it worked.

[Meatplow]

It'll take a bit of time to settle in, i'm sure. I really like this idea, i'm open to finding new movies.

Currently getting The Thin Man, should take a couple of days,.

[planewreck]

I don't know how this works.

Enlighten me.

[Kage]

The threadstarter recommended three different films. Someone can call "dibs" on his recommendations and watch any one of the three. The person who got the dibs must then write a review on the movie he chose to watch (out of the three recs), and then recommend three or so different movies for another person to call dibs on.

And repeat, etc.

[planewreck]

Oh I'm in.

[Meatplow]

Here goes....

The Thin Man

http://www.filmbuffonline.com/images/Thin%20Man%201.jpg

Release Date - 1934
Director - W.S. Van Dyke
Starring - William Powell, Myrna Loy

I wasn't sure what to expect with this, not being very schooled in 30s detective film noir (which was what i expected it to be) but it turned out to more of a comedy. The story is based around a lush ex-detective, Nick Charles (William Powell) and his wife, Nora (Myrna Loy). This description perhaps fits the film best -

The Thin Man was the first of six comic detective films starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, a hard-drinking and flirtatious married couple who banter wittily as they solve crimes with ease.

This pretty much sums it up. The story is a generic whodunnit with an absent-minded old man going missing and being blamed for a series of murders, and while it's pleasing enough to follow it would be otherwise bland without the two lead characters. Nick is a smooth, lush alcoholic man with a deductive mind and charming wit, while his wife Nora is a tough broad with a sly sense of humour who is often at odds with her husband. Together they have a great chemistry, and caught up in the middle of the crime case interacting with each other and different characters they provide a good laugh which brings a lot to the story. The acting is stylish and top-notch from these two, however some of the characters (with one in particular i'll mention) aren't so great but are still amusing for their cliche lack of realism. We have a inquisitive bookwork who constantly offers advice about the killers motives as he is well studied in the subject, who is constantly seen walking around wearing spectacles with a massive tome under his arm speaking in a very intellectual way. Purely intentional i am sure, given the comedic nature of the film but i still find it hilarious. Direction wise the film isn't nothing amazing, with some generic 30s video editing and some strange ideas (the metaphorical "net" of police looking for the killer going over the country represented by an actual net being pulled over a map, this made me giggle). It serves the story as well as it can.

The Thin Man has certainly aged but it's still a classic, i will be chasing up on the other films in time. I thoroughly enjoyed this.

8/10

La Pianiste (The Piano Teacher)

Release Date: 2002,
Director: Michael Haneke
Genre: Drama

Vampyros Lesbos

Release Date: 1971
Director: Jesus Franco
Genre: Psychadelic, Exploitation

Lean On Me

Release Date: 1989
Director: John G. Avildsen
Genre: Drama

[Gnarmageddon]

I would do this but I have no way to get the movies you guys recommend. : \

I should get NetFlix or something.

[niobium]

when i get my karagarga invites, everyone will have a very fun time

i wish i was more interested in film to participate in this thread

[Kage]

I would do this but I have no way to get the movies you guys recommend. : \

I should get NetFlix or something.
You could download them.

[Meatplow]

http://www.badongo.com/

Upload sites like this could be handy for sharing as well, providing people have a decent connection and the movie file is under 1 gb.

[Kage]

Btw, great job Meatplow on setting down the precedent for great reviews and stuff.

[Meatplow]

thanks dude, didn't want it to be a one paragraph summary saying "that wuz cool" after holding the thread up for a week :)

[Gnarmageddon]

You could download them.
Eh, yeah. Takes too long and I'm lazy.

[Kage]

If no one takes dibs on this soon, I'm going to.

[Tillius]

I remember starting Vampyros Lesbos awhile back. It just couldn't hold my interest.

[Meatplow]

There is something about the visual effect and the soundtrack to that movie which really gets me feeling disturbed, a kind of dark melancholy. Particularly the opening sequences, just thinking about it brings that feeling up.

La Pianiste (The Piano Teacher)

Release Date: 2002,
Director: Michael Haneke
Genre: Drama

Vampyros Lesbos

Release Date: 1971
Director: Jesus Franco
Genre: Psychadelic, Exploitation

Lean On Me

Release Date: 1989
Director: John G. Avildsen
Genre: Drama

[Tillius]

I know what you're talking about, because I felt that way too.

But still, I just couldn't enjoy it for some reason.

[Kurrpt]

the vampire p0rn sounds interesting

[Meatplow]

bumpp

[planewreck]

fine, dibs.

[Der Übermensch]

Jeez... you make it sound like a chore...

[planewreck]

jeez you make it seem like who the **** cares

[Hedgedive]

I was gonna call dibs but I don't think I could get ahold of the first 2 and I've seen Lean On Me.

[Meatplow]

okay it's been a week or so, whats the status planewreq?

[Meatplow]

La Pianiste (The Piano Teacher)

Release Date: 2002,
Director: Michael Haneke

Genre: Drama

Vampyros Lesbos

Release Date: 1971
Director: Jesus Franco
Genre: Psychadelic, Exploitation

Lean On Me

Release Date: 1989
Director: John G. Avildsen
Genre: Drama

Looks like this is up for dibs again if anyone wants to keep this ball rolling. I'll also toss in some easier to find movies as well to see if we can save this (hint: they are all well seeded on isohunt ;)) -

Ninja Scroll (also know as Jûbei ninpûchô)

Release Date: 1993
Directors: Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Kevin Seymour
Genre: Anime

Killing Zoe

Release Date: 1994
Director: Roger Avary
Genre: Crime Drama/Action

Reefer Madness (aka Tell Your Children)

Release Date: 1936
Director:Louis J. Gasnier
Genre: Crime/Drama (Unintentional Comedy)

Serial Mom

Release Date: 1994
Director: John Waters
Genre: Black Comedy

[Der Übermensch]

Well, since no one else is, I'll dibs it... I was hoping more people would get in on this though... I'm fearful this is going to fail :(

[incubliss]

it's not like a song tho. you have to download it, which can take upto a week. then you have to watch it and review it. those two together could take about 6 hours. with a song, you can listen over and over to see if you like it or not, what appeals to you etc, with the film it's hard to do the same

saying that, i'll dibs on Killing Zoe if you don't want to. i'll try and download it tonight

[Kage]

Damn it, i want to watch Killing Zoe

[Meatplow]

I think it could work, but instead of three movies we should suggest several with at least a couple that aren't obscure.

As for the taking time to find the movie, watch it and review it i don't mind that, i enjoy watching film and reflecting on it anyway. @ Kage i'm surprised you haven't seen it yet.

[Der Übermensch]

it's not like a song tho. you have to download it, which can take upto a week. then you have to watch it and review it. those two together could take about 6 hours. with a song, you can listen over and over to see if you like it or not, what appeals to you etc, with the film it's hard to do the same

saying that, i'll dibs on Killing Zoe if you don't want to. i'll try and download it tonight
A week? I can dl a movie in a few hours...

You're welcome to the dibs though, I don't want to feel like I'm propping this up... We need more variety to get this rolling.

I think it could work, but instead of three movies we should suggest several with at least a couple that aren't obscure.

Exactly, as I said at the start 'I think that two to three recommendations are a good idea, esspecially if one put up a relativly obscure movies'.
At least one movie should be available at the local blockbuster...

[incubliss]

1. i don't have very fast internet
2. there isn't a blockbuster for at least 200 miles
3. i still haven't got the film after almost a week. the seeding is terrible

someone else can dibs if they want, i'm out

[Meatplow]

damn

[GreyHam]

ive seen ninja scroll....although i wasnt paying much attention to it, and in general it would be a very negative review...

im well up for this though, certainly sounds interesting...just the movies seem pretty obscure/not the kind of thing im likely to enjoy atm

[Kage]

Alright, I'm calling dibs on this, and I'll damn well do it.

Expect it within the next couple days.

[AlienEater]

Reefer Madness is hilarious

[Kage]

That's not the one I'm going to watch.

[Kage]

Killing Zoe

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/5/53/250px-KillingZoe.jpg

Directed by Roger Avary
Released 1994

THERE WILL PROBABLY BE SPOILERS HEREIN

To say the least, it was entertaining. The hour and a half flew by, so that's a plus. But it was definitely more as well. Seemed to me to be a basic heist-gone-horribly-wrong film with some nice twists and subtexts, but its triumphs lie more in its execution than its premise, because the movie succeeds in being very tense and visceral.

Anyway, as a basic plot summary, we have main character Zed, an American and an expert safe-cracker who flies in to France to help long-time best friend Eric with a shoddily-planned bank robbery. Eric and his gang of druggie goons have no worries as they parade along the Paris underground snorting and shooting and smoking anything they can get their hands on. Their "plan" for this bank robbery is little more than having acquired maps of the safe layout and acquiring plenty of firearms. Zed is a little more level-headed and tries to instigate a more solid plan, but he is shrugged off and told not to worry.

Here's where things get interesting, though. Upon arriving in France, an entrepreneurial cab driver offers Zed some "services" in which he indulges. When the call girl shows up at Zed's hotel room, the two establish a connection and take a liking to one another. While conversing, the call girl (Zoe) mentions that she has a "boring" day job. It just so happens that her boring day job is at the same bank he will later be robbing. This leads to some interesting and thematically important situations later in the movie.

The main thing that drew me in was the characterization. I identified strongly with Zed, and feel like if I was ever in the same situations as he was, I would respond in a similar manner, like the wonderfully bizarre drug scenes, where reality fades in and out and Zed is a reluctant participant. He clearly understands that these goons cant' be trusted, so he's not eager to lose control over himself. Their drug binges become a source of fright rather than enjoyment.

The other thing is the moral ambiguity of Zed's character. What are his motives for helping Eric, whom he has known for a long time but hasn't seen for 11 years? Eric is clearly a drug addict and is never forthcoming about the plan or his own activities for the past 11 years. Here's Zed, who sleeps around with call girls and prostitutes, doesn't mind partaking in a little coke and accepts drugs that he can't even identify, yet he seems to do all this with a dirty conscious whispering at him. We feel like he knows he's in danger, and we know there's that part of him that wants to set off the alarms, call the whole thing off and go back to America. Why can't he do it? Is he desperate, or does he value loyalty over anything else? Will his loyalty to Eric backfire or pay off?

To over-analyze things a bit--I think there's a strong statement here about dichotomy in society, but also where those lines are blurred. Zed is more of a thinking man--he would never attempt a heist without a solid plan, without hiring people he knows he can trust and who care about more than sticking a needle into their veins. While participating in the drug use, Zed tries his best to keep a level head on his shoulders. But throughout, Zed's greed (or maybe something more?) keeps him from turning his back on them completely, and is seduced into the fringe. This is where the two groups merge, where the line is blurred, the place where differences are erased. Interestingly, the final line in the movie is that of the, Zoe, who tells Zed, "I'll show you the real Paris." This same line about the "real Paris" had already been said by Eric, who told Zed the same thing in reference to his deadbeat world of drugs and underground clubs.


Whoops, I'll edit in some recommendations.


The Element of Crime

Release Date: 1984
Director: Lars von Trier
Genre: Thriller, crime, surreal drama

Stalker

Release Date: 1979
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
Genre: Drama, fantasy, mystery. Idk

Interiors

Release Date: 1978
Director: Woody Allen
Genre: Drama

I'm a Cyborg But That's Ok

Release Date: 2006
Director: Chanwook Park
Genre: Comedy, drama

[Bartender]

Dibs.

[Bartender]

The Element of Crime

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/df/Element_of_crime_poster.jpg

Lars von Trier
1984

Before I start properly, I should say that I did like this film. That said;

Has got to be the wettest film I've ever seen. Water abounds. The presence of water itself might not be all that remarkable - films about the navy, for example, tend to have a lot of it - but here you get the sense that the water is important in a way that it isn't in other films. It's omnipresent; things float on it, are covered by it, drown in it, are thrown in it, walk through it, and it drips and seeps and pools and smears mud about the place for just about every minute of the hour and a half or so on there is here. I suppose that the omnipresence of water - that it is everywhere it shouldn't be, as well as all the places it should - is a theme. The only problem is that this theme seems to rather batter you about the head, a complaint which I think I could generalise to the film as a whole.

Ostensibly, it's a film about the investigation of a series of murders. An expatriate detective, Fisher, returns to Europe from his exile(?) in Cairo to visit his old teacher (picking up a murder investigation while there), Osmond, a man who wrote a book which gives the film its title, The Element of Crime. The Element of Crime details a method for investigation, which involves finding out as much as you can about the criminal you are tracking, including seemingly irrelevant things, and 'immersing' yourself in the criminal's life and mind, attempting to adopt their viewpoints and so on. This is completely at odds with conventional policework, and after some failures it seems that Osmond is somewhat in disgrace for having come up with it. Fisher wants to exonerate his old mentor, and so determines to use his method, and not more conventional means, to try and catch the killer.

The thing is, the plot isn't really important at all. It's paper thin. Most of the film's energy seems to be given over to near-constant sepia tones, double-exposures, low-voiced delivery of short lines, images of decay and ruin in this Europe, and of course the ineffable water. At first it feels like noir, but it's quickly apparent that that's not what it's going for. It's disjointed, nearly incomprehensible; it's all about the visuals and the sounds, not the story. This is a little bit of a shame, as I tend to go much more for story, but it's not automatically a write-off, as there are other things to appreciate.

Unfortunately I found the cinematography to be irritatingly irregular too. There were just far too many shots where I couldn't see what was going on - not that something was shot from an unusual angle or anything, just that it was too dark to see what was happening. I'd assume that this isn't accidental, but still. The sound as well seemed like it was trying to annoy me, being too quiet and then too loud in very quick succession and for no discernible reason. Again, maybe it's intentional (to emphasise the 'dreamlike' state of affairs), but for me all it did was grate.

What I've said so far hasn't been very positive, but I don't want to just leave it at that, because despite the concentration on sound and vision instead of story and character, and the things which irked perhaps only me, there were some fantastic aspects of it. The standard colour, which the vast majority of the film was shot in (the aforementioned light sepia tone) was actually remarkably enjoyable to look at, and the occasional sharp contrast with a bright, clean colour - usually blue or green, I think, and usually an electric lamp - always looked particularly good. There was quite a high incidence of great visuals around as well, often involving the ubiquitous water (the horse hanging upside down in a pool at the beginning, and Fisher floating on a detached door across the flooded floor of the archive, for example), or smoke, and occasionally just a really pleasing shot, for example when Fisher, viewed from above through mesh, punches a pipe and causes the mesh to shake. Also, despite the disjointed nature of the narrative and my dislike of the counterintuitively neat ending, I really liked the relationship between Fisher and Kim.

So, I liked it. And also I didn't like it. Given what I knew (vaguely) von Trier to be like, and what kind of film it is, The Element of Crime would've had to have been something really spectacular for me to enjoy it more than I did. As it is, while I didn't love it, I'm surely looking forward to seeing more in the future.


The War Zone
1999
Tim Roth
Drama

Severance
2006
Christopher Smith
Horror/comedy

Withnail and I
1986
Bruce Robinson
Comedy

Brazil
1985
Terry Gilliam
?

[Tillius]

Dibs.

[Tillius]

The War Zone

http://www.lovefilm.com/lovefilm/images/products/2/1922-large.jpg

Directed by Tim Roth
Released in 1999


This is the story of a family of four living in the countryside. There is Tom, the fifteen-year-old son, who spends most of his time with his seventeen-year-old sister Jessie. They live with their parents, who are expecting another child.

When their mother goes into labor, they leave for the hospital but are quickly involved in a major car accident, resulting in the baby's birth taking place on the side of the road. Everybody is okay, the baby is healthy, and all seems fine.

One day, however, Tom returns home to see something that makes him suspect that there is something wrong going on within the family, and later on his suspicions are confirmed when he decides to follow his father and sister. Everything spirals downward afterwards.

All in all, this film was highly enjoyable. From the moment the credits come on and you hear the waves and the brilliant score, you know that you are in for something great. Tim Roth does a superb job of pulling you into the story and making you feel for the characters.

This turns into a very depressing movie, and it is not recommended to those who hate movies that display hard truths of reality. Other than that, I recommend it to anybody.


The Life of David Gale
2003
Alan Parker
Drama

Buffalo '66
1998
Vincent Gallo
Independent/Drama

The City of Lost Children
1995
Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro
Foreign

Closer
2004
Mike Nichols
Drama

[Meatplow]

dibs

Is that Tim Roth as in actor guy?

[Kage]

Great review of The Element of Crime, Bartender. You had some great insight into it--I seem to have enjoyed it more than you, but I also found myself agreeing with a lot of what you said, both positive and negative. I love the movie because it plunged me into a really unique world, and at the same time was fascinating and frustrating. I also really like the plot, even if it wasn't as strong as it should have been, I think the whole idea of fusing the mentality of the killer with the cop is really great.

On another note, you recommended the War Zone to me a while ago and I still haven't seen it. I'm going to watch that even though I missed dibs on it.

[Tillius]

Watch it, man.

It's great.

[Incognito]

Man I've been eyeballing this thread, but never get to call dibs :(

[Der Übermensch]

Thats good though, if its hard to get the dibs, it means it's healthy :)

[Aficionado]

For people who want to stream movies rather than downloading, go on www.tvlinks.com.

[Kage]

Perhaps you mean http://tv-links.co.uk/ ?

That doesn't really have a comprehensive database. It's pretty hit or miss.

[DanD]

90% of the stuff on there doesn't work

or is terrible quality

or has japanese subtitles

[Kage]

True, though I've had more luck with the TV shows than the movies.

Btw, Meatplow I hope you're working on this >.<

[Tillius]

I watched Knocked Up and 28 Weeks Later on that site and the quality wasn't that bad.

[Meatplow]

Buffalo '66

http://www.lazydork.com/movies/buffalo66.jpg

I have never heard of Vincent Gallo before watching Bufallo '66, so considering he directed, starred in and composed much of the music for the film I don't think i could of got a better introduction.

This is a 1998 independent film starring Gallo as Billy Brown, one of the most unappealing protagonists i have ever seen in a film. He is self-conscious, borderline schizophrenic, introverted, emotionally immature and violent, fresh out of prison at the beginning he demonstrates these qualities solidly throughout the film. The first section involves him needing to go to the toilet and unable to find a place to bleed the lizard dry, after a heated phone call home he ultimately kidnaps dance student Layla (Ricci) to take home to his parents and pretend to be his wife to impress them. The film takes many swings to the left of where you think it is going to go as you watch it, as the movie unfolds character development and plot in Buffalo '66 takes some very strange corners at times with the genre of being something of a mix between a depressing drama and a black comedy. The cinematography is shot with a moody dreamlike approach, the streets of Buffalo, New York accentuated nicely with some tasteful on scene arrangements. The direction is carefully timed and shifts into a surrealist/hyperrealistic vibe a la David Lynch or Harmony Korine in certain scenes where music is highlighted, which is an approach i find appealing if a little unoriginal. The main problem is this film seems to lack any focus, as a whole it seems to have little point. These mentioned surrealist moments i enjoyed are few and far between and as immersive as they are they stick out sorely in between the rest of the film which is primarily Billy Brown complaining about life with Layla following him around like a lost dog. The editing effects are really crappy, we have alternative scene boxes popping up in the middle of the screen constantly and zooming out which i find cheap looking and distracting. The story seems insincere and at times plain silly, with the characters being very difficult for me to have much empathy for in an unrealistic context.

This film seemed to have good intentions, but at times it feels pretentious and forced. I did enjoy it despite this but i really didn't feel it unfortunately. :(

Movies

La Pianiste (The Piano Teacher)

Release Date: 2002,
Director: Michael Haneke
Genre: Drama

Vampyros Lesbos

Release Date: 1971
Director: Jesus Franco
Genre: Psychadelic, Exploitation

Lean On Me

Release Date: 1989
Director: John G. Avildsen
Genre: Drama

Ninja Scroll (also know as Jûbei ninpûchô)

Release Date: 1993
Directors: Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Kevin Seymour
Genre: Anime

Reefer Madness (aka Tell Your Children)

Release Date: 1936
Director:Louis J. Gasnier
Genre: Crime/Drama (Unintentional Comedy)

Serial Mom

Release Date: 1994
Director: John Waters
Genre: Black Comedy

The Count of Monte Christo

Release Date: 2002
Director: Kevin Reynolds
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama

Lone Wolf & Cub - Sword of Vengeance

Release Date: 1972
Director: Kenji Misumi
Genre: Action/Spaghetti Western Style Samurai
Series Context: Part 1 of the Lone Wolf & Cub/Baby Cart Series

[Meatplow]

bump

[Bartender]

Dibs.

[Bartender]

Ninja Scroll

http://www.filmsy.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/NinjaScroll1.jpg

Yoshiaki Kawajiri
1993

Apologies in advance. Have been vaguely wanting to see this for a couple of years now, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to do so now.

Based on my previous, fairly limited experience of Japanese films (especially, I think, animated ones), this was a lot more straightforward and simple than I was expecting. I mean, there were a lot of fantastic elements to it - demons and reincarnation and so on - but in terms of the storyline itself and the way it was presented I was fairly surprised that almost all of it made sense straight away. This isn't a bad thing; I like things that make sense. The impression I got, at least, was that it wanted to do nothing more than tell a good story, which is something I can definitely go with.

Luckily then, the story, as well as being straightforward, is pretty good. Details may well spoil it, so in brief, it follows a skilled swordsman (with a good conscience) named Jubei, as he gets mixed up in the plans of a group of eight non-human/superhuman "devils of Kimon" (one of whom is an old enemy of his) and an indeterminate number of their maleficent human allies, who basically kill an awful lot of people and then attempt to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate. Jubei picks up a couple of companions along the way (including a lady), and more or less works his way through the seven lesser bad guys until he meets the one they all call lord - his old enemy.

So, original it may not be, but I really quite enjoyed it. Each of the eight has some distinctive traits and abilities that Jubei has to contend with - one is immensely strong and seemingly plated in stone, for example, while another can melt into and out of shadows, and so on - and just watching the fights play out was great fun. There is a small element of mystery to the plot, but for the most part it seemed to be about just being good to look at, or amusing or exciting to watch. The only problem with this approach is that there isn't much to 'take away' from the film once it's over except the sense that you just watched a good film, but that's alright, I think. So long as it isn't every film.

Major complaint would probably be the voice acting. For the most part it was pretty good, but there were some - the old monk who employs/helps Jubei, in particular - who just seemed to be without a sense of timing. Almost every line he said ran straight into his next, with pauses for breath anywhere but between sentences, which just got really tiring and annoying to try and pay attention to. I kept missing the beginnings and ends of his sentences.

My only other complaint would be that it's left me without anything else to say in this review. Whatever else is going on in the story - the relationships between Jubei and his companions, for example - the focus of the film is always the next fight between Jubei and a devil. Makes for a great film to watch, but a poor review, as without describing the devils and their fights, there isn't much to say.

Definitely enjoyed it, nonetheless.

Severance
2006
Christopher Smith

Withnail and I
1986
Bruce Robinson

The War Zone
1999
Tim Roth

Howl's Moving Castle
2004
Hayao Miyazaki

The Assassination Bureau
1968
Basil Dearden

Made in Britain
1982
Alan Clarke

I had some other ideas over the last few days, but have entirely forgotten what they are.

EDIT: remembered a couple and edited them in.

[Tillius]

Dibs.

[A Dead Modernist]

Bump

I checked all the way up to the 4th page and still couldn't find this.

[Tillius]

I'm out of town for the next week, so if somebody else wants to call dibs, feel free.

[Meatplow]

dibs

[Meatplow]

Howl's Moving Castle

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/cinema/images/howls_moving_castle_gal.jpg

Wow.

First thing that struck me watching this was the animation. It is nothing short of superb, this film features some of the most beautiful artwork in motion i have ever seen. Going on eye candy factor alone this film scores an instant 10/10 for visuals but what really compliments this though is the true meat of the film, the imaginative design which has gone into every small factor of it. The storyline, the characters, the cinematography, the music and just about everything is magnificently thought out. All together this has to be one of the most magical films i've ever had the pleasure of watching, throughout the entire 2 hours i was captivated.

The basic story is a young girl, Sophie, who after being rescued by the wizard Howl is transformed into an old woman by a vengeful witch who is his jilted lover. After turning old, Sophie exiles herself from the town she is in and heads into the wastelands where she meets an animated scarecrow which leads her to Howl. Howl lives in a strange looking, riff raff of a seemingly biological castle complete with mechanical legs along with a couple of odd companions, a cute looking but snappy mouthed fire demon who requires a constant wood supply to keep him continuously burning and alive, and a young boy who is the wizards apprentice. Sophie becomes their cleaning lady, and from there she starts to unravel some of the more mysterious aspects of the bizarre castle which seems to transcend space and time along with learning about the nature of it's inhabitants and the complex Howl. From there we have the start of what to me, is a very simple storyline with a fairy tale like simplicity to it.

Watching it on screen is magic, as the story progresses the beautiful cinematography and design of everything (particular the chaotic moving castle itself) holds it up amazingly. I was awestruck at the beauty of the hand-drawn animation, it is majestic. All up I was highly immersed in this film, it ticked all my boxes and gave to me everything that makes a magical cinema experience.

10/10

Movies

La Pianiste (The Piano Teacher)

Release Date: 2002,
Director: Michael Haneke
Genre: Drama

Vampyros Lesbos

Release Date: 1971
Director: Jesus Franco
Genre: Psychadelic, Exploitation

Lean On Me

Release Date: 1989
Director: John G. Avildsen
Genre: Drama

Bad Boy Bubby

Release Date: 1993
Director: Rolf de Heer
Genre: Drama/Black Comedy

Reefer Madness (aka Tell Your Children)

Release Date: 1936
Director:Louis J. Gasnier
Genre: Crime/Drama (Unintentional Comedy)

Serial Mom

Release Date: 1994
Director: John Waters
Genre: Black Comedy

The Count of Monte Christo

Release Date: 2002
Director: Kevin Reynolds
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama

Lone Wolf & Cub - Sword of Vengeance

Release Date: 1972
Director: Kenji Misumi
Genre: Action/Spaghetti Western Style Samurai
Series Context: Part 1 of the Lone Wolf & Cub/Baby Cart Series

[Tillius]

Damn you and Vampyros Lesbos.

If nobody's called dibs by the time I get back to Texas, I might.

[Meatplow]

bump

[AlienEater]

I'm tempted to dibs. The only thing is, I can't be bothered to do a big write-up.

Also I've seen at least 5 of those

so yeah, this post is entirely pointless

[Meatplow]

bump

[Der Übermensch]

I want to dibs, but now that I'm back at school, I dont have a good rental place, and by downloading capabilities are signifigantly curtailed :(

[Kage]

^^^Same with me. However, I am thinking about signing up for a Netflix account, and if I do I will take dibs on it.

[Meatplow]

No worries, that sounds like a good idea. I've been meaning to hook up with an online rental site for a while myself.

[Meatplow]

rebump

[Kage]

Okay, I really think I'm going to get a Netflix account within the next few days, so I'll be good to go this week...hopefully.

[Tillius]

I've just gotta remember to aquire my new address so I can start getting movies from Netflix again.

[Kage]

So many movies I want to see in and out of this thread. I really took for granted having access to any movie I wanted for free back home. :( I've been in withdrawal here.

[A Dead Modernist]

I would call dibs on it, but I already have 3 Malick movies coming this week. So if nobody calls dibs by next week I will.

[Meatplow]

bumpers

[Tillius]

So will nobody be calling dibs?

[Luc214]

Is there a standard length/content requirement for the reviews?

[Meatplow]

Just write about what you got out of it, essentially. Don't have to go overboard.

[Tillius]

Yeah.

I mean, try to give a lengthier review than an average review from the Last Movie/Film thread, but it doesn't have to be excessivley long.

[Meatplow]

Here, for all the lazy folk.

The Piano Teacher - http://www.torrentz.com/4435dd784d5e5d095c31d071a1a35f044b6466a9
Vampyros Lesbos - http://www.cinemageddon.org/details.php?id=830 (requires sign up)
Lean On Me - http://isohunt.com/torrents/lean+on+me?ihp=1&iht=-1&ihs1=4&iho1=d (2nd From Bottom)
Bad Boy Bubby - http://www.cinemageddon.org/details.php?id=3620
Reefer Madness (AKA Tell Your Children) - http://www.archive.org/download/reefer_madness1938/reefer_madness1938_256kb.mp4 (note - Movie is Public Domain, Legal Download)
Serial Mom - http://thepiratebay.org/tor/3607674/Serial_mom
Count of Monte Christo - http://www.mininova.org/tor/688637
Lone Wolf & Cub - Sword of Vengeance - http://www.torrentz.com/9ffebf5c020a05d2b33454d865603249ca185545

[oracrest]

dibs.

[Der Übermensch]

The guy across the hall from me hass Reefer MAdness... next time you have the options, I'm dibbsing!

[oracrest]

Lone Wolf and Cub - Sword of Vengeance

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f4/Lonewolf1.jpg

Now, this is a movie that I had been intending to rent for quite a long time. I had heard it mentioned on more than one occasion, by friends whos tastes I would hold in high regard. So with that, a definite thanks to Meatplow for recommending it and giving me a good opportunity to finally go out and rent it.

The version that I downloaded originally did not have any subtitles at all. It was the original japanese version. I watched this for about half an hour. I actually enjoyed it quite a great deal not understanding the dialogue, and only having the observation of the emotional presentation and cinematography to observe the story through. It set up the rest of the film to be seen with a more observational eye.

I did, however, decide to stop a little ways in and go and rent the subtitled version. As "pure" of an experience it would have been to watch without them, I thought the amount of context and understanding lost would have been detrimental.

but anyways, my thoughts:

from the very beginning, one thing was very clear. This film has some beautiful cinematography. I originally intended to see it with an understanding eye, and accept this as a film made 35 years ago, and forgive any perceived limitations of the time in which it was made, be they style, or technical limitations. It didn't take long before I saw composition of the camera was just a straight-up artistically approached aspect of the film. Even by today's standards. The use of compositional angles and emphasis on foreground/background elements within a shot was very impressive. The sound was also very well done. Many of the katana fighting scenes were completely devoid of sound except for the vocals, and slashing swoops of the sword. To a lazy eye it would seem like a lack of sound technology during the 70's that created this, but upon keener observation, it is clear the lack of "realistic" audio was intentional to keep the mind and feeling of the scene isolated to the action happening, and convey the intensity and in the moment the combatants must have been, drowning out all outside influences, and focusing wholly on the task at hand. And it did so successfully.

The story focuses on the official executor of the shogun, Itto, who is set up by a rival clan/family because they wish to have one of their members become the new official executioner, a position of esteem and respect of the day. They steal into his house at night, murder his wife and servants, and plant evidence in his shrine of disrespect and ill intention towards the shogun. This proves to be too much evidence against him, and he is ordered by the shogun to perform seppukku (honorable suicide). When this order is recieved, he disobeys the orders of the shogun, and confronts his accusers with the knowledge that he understands that their actions are dishonest and that they too are working for the shadow clan of the rival family.

There is a pivotal scene after his wife and house are murdered where he confronts his newborn son with an ultimatum;
Itto must commit himself to bringing justice upon those who have killed his wife and dishonored his name. Telling this to his son, he stabs his sword into the floor, and places a ball next to it, going on to explain that should the child pick the sword, he will live with the father in a life of constant challenge and turmoil along his path to vengeance, but should he choose the ball, he will be sent to rest forever with his mother. The baby is too young to understand, but the father feels that the blood running through his sond veins will understand, and choose for him. The child chooses the sword, and the story of the Lone Wolf and Cub begins....

There are many scenes of conflict, and superb stylized sword fighting. It is not hard too see that this was one of, if not the film that went on to inspire many stylized elements within later japanese films, and anime. But like most pioneers of a style in any form of art, It is done with taste, and an artists touch, and feels far less cheap than many of it's subsequent imitators.

The dynamic of character is very interesting to watch as well. Many of the typical eastern and buddhist philosophies of honor and respect are present in in the characters in varying degrees. The strongest of which are within the films main character, Itto. A master swordsman, and a man that carries a legitimately earned family honor, He is often confronted with far less admirable characters. Ones that submit themselves to pride, vanity, dishonesty, and failure-driven insecurities. It is ironic that it is a prostitute within the story arc that recognizes the honest and admirable traits within the ronin.

I don't know too much about Japanese history, but I do know that it was rife with political intrigue, and feudal warfare. The overall premise was a very provocative story set within this setting; A high positioned executioner, cast down and forced to abandon all the honor and social standing that his family had received up till then. The cinematography alone was worth watching, but there is an interesting story there too, populated with interesting characters.

Definitely a very enjoyable film that was no doubt of huge artistic influence for movies afterwards. When I watch it again, I will watch it without subtitles, now that I understand what is going on story-wise. The composition of shots seems very inspired by the original manga. At least the degree of visual stimulation and artistry given to a sequential artform like manga is very present in the film version too.

10/10!

awesome recommendation!!

MOVIES:

Adaptation

Release Date: 2002
Director: Spike Jonze
Writer: Charlie Kaufman
Genre: Drama, Experimental


Whiteboyz

Release Date: 1999
Director: Marc Levin
Writer: Danny Hoch
Genre: Comedy/Drama


Tideland

Release Date: 2005
Director: Terry Gilliam
Genre: I honestly don't know...


Koyaanisqatsi

Release Date: 1983
Director: Godfrey Riggio
Genre: experimental


SLC PUNK

Release Date: 1998
Director: James Merendino
Genre: Drama/ Comedy


Jacob's Ladder

Release Date: 1990
Director: Adrian Lyne
Genre: Surreal/ Horror

[Meatplow]

Glad you enjoyed it oracrest. :) Make sure you check out the rest of the series, it's an astonishing feat but as good as the first film is the next few movies could be seen to top it in many ways.

[oracrest]

awesome, thanks! Seeing as how it sort of leaves you hanging at the end, I'm planning on finishing up the rest of the story. Now these were planned from the start to have a set number of volumes, and weren't just being made because the last one was successful right?

[Tillius]

Dibs.

I've been needing to see a particular movie from that list and now is my chance.

Also, great review.

They have the whole Lone Wolf and Cub set up at the Borders I live next to. I'm thinking of buying it because I've never heard anything bad.

[Meatplow]

Seeing as how it sort of leaves you hanging at the end, I'm planning on finishing up the rest of the story. Now these were planned from the start to have a set number of volumes, and weren't just being made because the last one was successful right?

Not so certain about that, nonetheless the entire series is said to be faithful to the manga and are great films in their own right. Tillius, I back up the suggestion to watch it i'm sure you will enjoy it. :)

[oracrest]

bump. and should we open this up again for new dibs?

[Tillius]

No.
I'm still doing it, just waiting for it to come in from Netflix.

[oracrest]

alright, I thought it might have slipped your mind... :thumb:

[Meatplow]

gotta be patient with this mofo, give it at least a week once someone takes dibs

[Tillius]

I would've already watched and reviewed it by now but my Netflix movies that I sent back got mixed up in the mail or some **** so it's taking a bit longer than usual for Netflix to receive them.
Once they do though, the movie will be here like a day later so I'll get on it ASAP.

[Meatplow]

get the movie yet tillius?

[Tillius]

No.
I get my paycheck on Friday though and I'm thinking of just buying it on good faith that it'll be a good movie. Or if you could provide a link that I could watch it at?
No torrents though.

[Meatplow]

bump

[Tillius]

See my other post.

I'm really sorry this is taking so long. Something seriously ****ed up in the mail and Netflix still hasn't received the movies I sent even though I sent them like 3 weeks ago.
Like I said though, I've got money so I think I'm just gonna purchase the movie on good faith, unless somebody will provide me with a link where I can watch it.

[Meatplow]

Thats cool, sorry 'bout that I wasn't certain if you were talking to me or Oracrest since he's in charge of the movies he has posted.

I'm unaware of any online streaming movie sites that would have those movies on them.

[oracrest]

bumpty dumpty

[Tillius]

Somebody else can take it if they want. Netflix still hasn't received my last ****ing movies so I can't really say when they will.

I get my paycheck on Friday, so if nobody's done it by then I will just go buy the movie.

[Meatplow]

its been about a month, sounds like theres something seriously screwy there mitch. i'd be contacting them

MOVIES

Adaptation

Release Date: 2002
Director: Spike Jonze
Writer: Charlie Kaufman
Genre: Drama, Experimental


Whiteboyz

Release Date: 1999
Director: Marc Levin
Writer: Danny Hoch
Genre: Comedy/Drama


Tideland

Release Date: 2005
Director: Terry Gilliam
Genre: I honestly don't know...


Koyaanisqatsi

Release Date: 1983
Director: Godfrey Riggio
Genre: experimental


SLC PUNK

Release Date: 1998
Director: James Merendino
Genre: Drama/ Comedy


Jacob's Ladder

Release Date: 1990
Director: Adrian Lyne
Genre: Surreal/ Horror
oracrest is offline Add to oracrest's Reputation Reply With Quote

if nobody takes dibs I will in about a week

[Akira]

I'm going to suggest someone take SLC Punk! Wonderful movie.

[Incognito]

Goddamnit, I've always wanted to call dibs and I own SLC punk, but it's just it's crunch time with exams for me.

Not done until the 14th.

If you guys don't mind waiting a while I can do SLC punk, or if someone else really wants it they can have it.

[Tillius]

If nobody's taken it by Friday I will have purchased the movie and will go on and do it.

[Kage]

I'll be participating in this again during the latter half of December and all through January because I will actually have good access to movies again during that time.

[AlienEater]

I might participate sometime. but not now

[Tillius]

Okay, I just bought the movie today and am fixing to watch it so I'm re-dibbing.

[Tillius]

Jacob's Ladder

http://www.impawards.com/1990/posters/jacobs_ladder.jpg

Jacob's Ladder is a disturbing look into the story of a man named Jacob Singer, a vietnam veteran. Back at home, he seems to be having good life with his girlfriend, but nothing is really as it appears.

Jacob is not only haunted by the memories of the gruesome war that we all know Vietnam was, but he is also tormented by the loss of his son in a terrible accident. The memories play back and forth throughout the entire film, giving us lengthy flashbacks to show us the way he dealt with his previous family and the impact the loss had on him. We are also taken back to some scenes dealing with the war directly.

All in all this movie does a great job being entertaining. It is not a pleasant movie to watch, but it is still something that can be viewed multiple times to further understand it. I'm not saying it's a hard movie to follow, because it isn't, but it's still something that can probably be enjoyed better with a second viewing now that you're further clued into everything that's going on. It does a good job making you wonder as well. For example, we are told pretty early in the film that Jacob Singer is dead, yet we spend the whole film wondering if he really is. Other films have tried this but do not execute it nearly as well as this one.

Tim Robbins gives a wonderful performance, as he usually does. Probably one of his better roles alongside The Shawshank Redemption. The other actors do their parts great as well, but Tim Robbins is the one who truly delivers.

The thing I liked most in this movie is how they, while maybe not so blatantly, play on paranoia. Is he really seeing these demons and living through these things that we see happening, or is this something that's in his head? Once again, this has been tried in other movies but they don't seem to pull it off as well as this one.

All in all I found it to be a great film that I have put off for far too long. Like I said, while it's not the most disturbing film I've ever seen, it is definitely not something to watch if you're looking to feel good afterwards. I don't really consider it to be a horror film(though I have heard it referred to as such many times), but there are definitely many horror aspects to it. If it would be considered a horror film, it's probably one of the better ones I've seen.

5/5

So, recommended films:

Don't Die Without Telling Me Where You're Going(No te mueras sin decirme adónde vas)

Release Date: 1995
Director: Eliseo Subiela
Genre: Foreign/Drama

Children of Paradise(Enfants du paradis, Les)

Release Date: 1945
Director: Marcel Carné
Genre: Foreign/Drama

Broken Blossoms

Release Date: 1919
Director: D.W. Griffith
Genre: Drama/Silent

Before Sunrise

Release Date: 1995
Director: Richard Linklater
Genre: Drama/Romance

[AlienEater]

"foreign" doesn't really count as a genre

[Meatplow]

dibs :)

I watched jacobs ladder for the second time the other night, absolutely brilliant use of tension. I love the its influence over the Silent Hill games, which gets particularly noticable towards the end.

[Tillius]

"foreign" doesn't really count as a genre

I don't think so either, but I see it used as one a lot so I figured I'd just put it in there just in case.

I love the its influence over the Silent Hill games, which gets particularly noticable towards the end.

Definitely.

[Aficionado]

Koyaanisqatsi

awesome, so incredible. I can only imagine what it would be like whilst being high.

[Meatplow]

Koyaanisqatsi is amazing.

Broken Blossoms aka The Yellow Man and the Girl

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2c/BB_Gish.jpg

Director - D.W Griffith
Year - 1919

This is probably the oldest film I ever seen, and.. it shows. Equipment and production values were extremely poor back in the early days of cinema, and give the amount of time in between when this was officially released and today the original print is very faded. Still, even if visually it can only hold up as best as it can due to its circumstances something I find very interesting is how with so little a coherent and engaging story can be created.

This is largely the story of a young girl who is terrorised by a bullying father in London, a renowned boxer. Unable to manage his frustrations and temperament due to his career and fondness of drink, he takes it out on his daughter who he constantly abuses for irrational reasons. On the other side is a Chinese man who desires to spread the word of Buddha to the western world, he moves to London to find it a dirty, corrupt soul crushing place with no support for his ideals. The young girl eventually winds up with the Chinese man after a beating from her father with a whip, who shows her love and tends to her which are alien comforts to her. Not so poetic justice ensues.

There is no dialogue, this is a silent film with an orchestral soundtrack which strengthens mood in key moments. Panels of dialogue appear here and there in between scenes, along with quotes and narrative that tell us where the story is at. It is an extremely simple notion, but it gets the point across enough for the story to flow coherently. In terms of direction, it does what it can but there is little notable about the cinematography especially when there is so much blur, grain and choppy framerates to contend with.

Despite its flaws and its simplicity, it is still an emotionally charged film. The mere premise of this Chinese man who is rejected by society showing kindness to a young girl who receives it from nobody else is charming. Nothing elaborate needs to be forced here, the simplicity of its production proves less can enough when dealing with a story like this (although a modern retelling could serve it well all the same).

3/5

La Pianiste (The Piano Teacher)

Release Date: 2002
Director: Michael Haneke
Genre: Drama

Vampyros Lesbos

Release Date: 1971
Director: Jesus Franco
Genre: Psychadelic, Exploitation

Misery

Release Date: 1990
Director: Rob Reiner
Genre: Thriller

Bad Boy Bubby

Release Date: 1993
Director: Rolf de Heer
Genre: Drama/Black Comedy

Reefer Madness (aka Tell Your Children)

Release Date: 1936
Director:Louis J. Gasnier
Genre: Crime/Drama (Unintentional Comedy)

Pink Flamingos

Release Date: 1972
Director: John Waters
Genre: Black Comedy

Labyrinth

Release Date: 1986
Director: Jim Henson
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Dolemite

Release Date: 1975
Director: D'Urville Martin
Genre: Blaxploitation/Action

[Incognito]

Ok, I have exams this week, so if no one has called dibs by the 15th, then I call dibs.

[suspect]

Dibs on Dolemite... download just finished. I'll have a review up either tonight or early tomorrow.

[oracrest]

If you guys enjoyed Jacob's Ladder, you would probably like this short story, which was most likely a strong influence for the movie...

http://fiction.eserver.org/short/occurrence_at_owl_creek.html

[suspect]

Dolemite

http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2007/03/19/dolemite-remake.jpg

Release Date: 1975
Director: D'Urville Martin
Genre: Blaxploitation/Action

First off, Blaxploitation has to be the most awesome genre in existence.

The story is about Dolemite, a bad mothatrucka who's been sitting in jail for the last two years due to being framed by some corrupt honky policemen. But things aren't good on the street, as drugs and guns run rampant, so the warden decides to let Dolemite out on the condition that he brings down the resident crime lord Willie Green.

We follow Dolemite as he kicks ***, sleeps with women and does freestyle poetry to gain back his nightclub and stop Willie Green.

The movie is filled with plot holes, bad acting, ridiculous dialogues and laughable fighting scenes, but luckily the movie is so bad that it's actually good! It's like a James Bond movie, only placed in Harlem and filled with badly concealed anti-caucasian messages. I seriously could not stop laughing throughout the whole film.

Some notable quotes include: "That's mighty black of you, reverend.", "That rat soup eatin', insecure, honky mutha ****a!" and my favourite; "Man, move over and let me pass 'fore they have be to pullin' these Hush Puppies out your motha****in' ***! "

As an action movie, Dolemite gets 2/10, but as an unintentional comedy I'll give it 8/10. I can't wait to watch it high.

Movie Picks:

Bondock Saints

Release year: 1999
Director: Troy Duffy
Genre: Action/Drama/Crime

Cité des enfants perdus, La (The City of Lost Children)

Release year: 1995
Director: Marc Caro
Genre: Surrealism/Bizarre/Psychedelic

The Prestige

Release year: 2006
Director: Christopher Nolan
Genre: Drama/Thriller

Super Troopers

Release year: 2002
Director: Jay Chandrasekhar
Genre: Comedy

Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind

Release year: 2004
Director: Michael Gondry
Genre: Drama/Romance

Ying xiong (Hero)

Release year: 2002
Director: Yimou Zhang
Genre: Action/Martial Arts

[Meatplow]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reaAQqW45O8 :lol:

This scene and the one at the start are my favourites

"Theres nothing in my trunk, man!".
"You're under arrest."
"YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO TAKE ME!"

*bad fighting*

[Incognito]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reaAQqW45O8 :lol:

This scene and the one at the start are my favourites

"Theres nothing in my trunk, man!".
"You're under arrest."
"YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO TAKE ME!"

*bad fighting*

Ha, I love how the saw the boom mic like 3-4 times.

Again, if no one calls this by saturday I'll call dibs. :angry:

[Meatplow]

There's a scene where the boom mic is visible on screen for a near 2 minutes, I can't remember it though. In the club, I think.

[suspect]

I loved the scene in the club which basically is just Dolemite rambling for 5 minutes, while the crowd goes wild.

[Meatplow]

I'll steal dibs over the next couple of days if nobody else does.

[Tillius]

Hmmm....

I got everything worked out with Netflix so I may be calling dibs soon. Depends though.

[Kage]

Just a few more days and I'll steal dibs from all you cocksuckers.

[Incognito]

**** fine, I'm calling dibs right now, I'll try to have it up by Sunday.

[Incognito]

The Boondock Saints

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/69/Movie_poster_the_boondock_saints.jpg



This movie, to me at least, is the new college right of passage. I can't remember how many times I've heard "What?! You haven't seen the Boondock Saints?!" among my post-secondary brethren.

So, with those lines we go on our right of passage.

The film introduces us to the Irish MacManus brothers (Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus) and their friend Rocco, who is a package runner for the Italian mob. The brothers end up in a scuffle with some Russian mobsters who try to close down a pub and eventual kill them in self-defence. When the bodies are found Paul Smecker (played by Willem Dafoe), an FBI agent for mobs is called in to work on the case.

The brothers turn themselves in and aren't charged because they killed in self-defence. Later that night they are touched by God who more or less gives them permission to rid the world of wicked men. They learn of a meeting between the highest ranking Russian mobsters and decide to take them out. During their scheme they discover Rocco has been sent by the Italian mob to kill the Russians to prove himself. It turns out that Rocco was back-stabbed by the Italian mob and was never expected to survive his mission. He arrives after the brothers have done their deed and in fury decides to join their crusade and help them pick targets from his extensive knowledge of the Italian mob. The media dubs them the "saints"

The Italian mob, not knowing of the brothers fears Rocco has done all this on his own and call in a "monster" called the duke. Meanwhile Smecker investigates the crime scenes and finds himself torn over whether or not he accepts this vigilante justice.

The theme of whether or not killing only the wicked for justice is wonderfully played throughout the film, the scene during the credits where a news team takes to the streets and asks people their opinion on the saints captures the debate perfectly.

The Celtic parts of the soundtrack are wonderful, but there are moments in the film where the background music really just sounds thrown in there just to have sound.

The parts are played wonderfully (with Dafoe stealing the spotlight as expected). You will find yourself drawn into the brothers and their cause and at the same time laugh as they bicker at each other, as brothers do. David Della Rocco brilliantly plays his character of um...uh...David Della Rocco and becomes the klutz you can't help but love. There are also small parts played by Billy Connolly and Ron Jeremy are more than welcome.

Some scenes are superbly filmed. Dafoe's character will narrate what has happened in certain scenes and the director (Troy Duffy) takes the omnipotence to a new level by placing the narrator directly into the scene he's narrating.

The film is filled with comic relief and has dialog that feels like brief moments from a Tarantino film, which is a good thing. There is a scene involving a cat, an uncomfortable joke and a dialog about a rope that are impossible to not get a chuckle out of.

All in all, this is a good movie that doesn't give answers, but sparks your opinions.

I could watch this movie multiple times 8/10.

Recommended:

Gwoemul (AKA The Host)

Release Date: 2006
Directed by: Joon-ho Bong
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Horror

Per un pugno di dollari (AKA A Fistful of Dollars)

Release Date: 1966
Directed by: Sergio Leone
Genre: Western

Dark City

Release Date: 1998
Directed by: Alex Proyas
Genre: Mystery / Sci-Fi / Thriller

Zatôichi (AKA The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi)

Release Date: 2003
Directed by: Takeshi Kitano
Genre: Samurai / Drama / Comedy

Bubba Ho-Tep

Release date: 2002
Directed by: Don Coscarelli
Genre: Comedy / Horror

[Der Übermensch]

Dibs.
My dad actually sent me the host a few weeks ago, and I haven't gotten around to watching it (I taught him how to rip DVD's, I think he was showing he had learned well).
I'll try to have this done tonight or tomorrow.

[Meatplow]

I really wouldn't want to start Zatoichi, theres like 26 films in the series! Thats more then James Bond.

[Der Übermensch]

The Host
2006 - Directed by Bong Joon-ho

http://filmmakermagazine.com/loadandplay/uploaded_images/host_1-727490.jpg

I've had this sitting around for awhile, and never got around to watching it. Mainly because I really don't like horror films.

That being said, this gave me a perfect excuse to drag it out, and it fared much better than I expected, garnering from me a 7/10 :chug:

For starters, a brief summary. A US Military lab in Korea dumps a lot of chemicals into a river, and a few years later a mutant beat pops out and decides it needs lunch.
Caught up in the chaos is Park Gang-du, who is something of an idiot, and his family. Although he makes a effort to fight the beast, his daughter, Hyun-seo, is taken by it. The plot now splits between Hyun-seo being trapped in the beasts lair, and Gang-du's travails with his family, as they attempt to find her, a problem compounded by the fact they are wanted person's due to his direct exposure to a supposed virus that te beast is host too.

The film has a very strange composition. At times it is almost laughably funny (although I was watching it sub-titled, I imagine it would have been more so if dubbed), and at other times a bit chilling. Although I personally wouldn't have called any part of it outright scary, my roommate jumped a few times, he's skittish about these movies, so maybe he's a better indication.
SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT

The beast itself was pretty cool. There were some parts where I thought the rendering was pretty bad, near the end when it was on fire especially, but the fact that our first encounter with it was in broad daylight, on a nice, sunny day in a park I found to be quite original. Most movies I feel would have introduced it as living in the dark, and showing it trouncing some poor lost soul who took a wrong turn in the sewer.

MORE SPOLIERS

My biggest issue with the movie was characterization. Particularly Gang-du and Hyun-seo. Gang-du is a oaf, and I found it impossible to sympathize with him for most of the movie. He never really seems to do right. The one who is easiest to sympathize with, and you you do the entire film is Hyun-seo, and after everything she goes through, she ends up dying. Maybe it was for the best, but I just think its out of whack.

On a side note, I watched Deliverance last night, and there is a weird correlation between the two in relation to Archery. Both have an archer character who at the beginning hesitates at a crucial shot, and then near the end redeems themselves by making it.





But anyways, as I said, I can give it a 7/10 for good, kind of cheesy, monster movie fun. If you take it seriously though I don't think it would garner more than a 5/10, so don't go in expecting fine art.


The Picks:

Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) - Luchino Visconti - 1963 - Italian Historical Drama : Stars Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon AND Claudia Cardinale, three of my favorite actors. A true masterpiece of Italian cinema. Passing knowledge if Italian Reunification helps enjoyment, but isn't required. (And DON'T get the American Cut. Get the original)

Le Samouraï - Jean-Pierre Melville - 1967 - French Crime Thriller : Again stars Alain Delon, who plays a expert hitman attempting to evade capture after doing a job. Highlight of French New Wave Cinema.

Barry Lyndon - Stanley Kubrick - 1975 - Anglo-American Period Drama : Ryan O'Neal stars as the title character in this story about the life and travels of morally ambiguous Irishman during mid 1700's Europe.

Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma - Piers Pasolini - 1975 - Italian Drama : Fair warning, this film is NOT for the faint of heart. It is part one of Pasolini's Circle of Death, and a adaption of the Marquis de Sade's 120 Days of Sodom.

Heaven's Gate - Michael Cimino - 1980 - American Westen : Infamous as the film that bankrupted United Artists, this expansive Epic also happens to be on of the best western films of all time.


Well, there you all go. Pick your poison :wave:

[Meatplow]

dibs

[AlienEater]

damn I would have dibsbed that

I want to watch Le Samourai

[Akira]

Bubba Ho-Tep is so fantastic.

[Der Übermensch]

It's not like you can't watch it anyways :p

[AlienEater]

haha true

[Meatplow]

I have Salo, going to watch it now. Expect it to be up sometime later today.

[Meatplow]

Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma AKA 120 Days of Sodom

http://cinemabox.net/images/filmz/salo.jpg

Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini
Release Date: January 1976 (Italy)

Bleakest movie ever?

It's possible. Little I have seen before this movie has given me quite a sense of dread for the fate of its characters (Eraserhead, The Piano Teacher, Taxi Driver, and indeed, Schindlers List are a few films I can name off the top of my head that can arouse such feelings in me) and from this stems a sense of dread for the fate of the entire human race because of its own destructive nature. This film is so universal in its message its quite shocking, even in todays age of explicit animal pornography and graphically violent films there is little i've seen that is so primatively brutal and humbling as Salo. The movie is based on the novel 120 Days Of Sodom by the 19th century French grandaddy of sadism, the Marquis de Sade. The main plot centers around four wealthy men who kidnap and imprison a group of mostly teenage boys and girls and imprison them in a mansion, sexually abusing them in thousands of despicable ways with no end in sight. Pasolini's adaption is more or less the same but set in WWII Italy occupied by the fascist nazi regime.

Just reading the outline of the story seems to cry exploitation and shock on its own, all throughout one has to be cautious not to be overcome by the strong themes here. There are an apparent two levels to this films direction. There is Salo the artistic cinema masterpiece, then there is Salo the borderline exploitation film. The former is very evident, Pasolini is indeed an excellent director. Everything looks astonishing, and there is much subtlety to transition between scenes, how everything is carefully designed to look tasteful in its own context and how the soundtrack interplays with the visuals to create something almost majestic at times. Then there is the latter, which unfornately overrides any artistic merit for some.

There is extremely graphic sex and violence depicted here, mostly in the form of power control, gore and forced coprophilia (consuming ****). The premise of the movie is the dehuminisation of these children and young adults for the carnal pleasure of these older gents, with the help of a group of old prostitutes who tell tales of debauched fetishism to "get everyone in the mood" along with a group of armed guards who make escape nearly impossible. If it sounds like a rape fantasy film, well some believe it is and criticised it as pure exploitation. Banned in many countries around the world, for many years it has been very hard to get and according to wikipedia it is one of the most sought after DVD collectors items in the world (no I did not hire this from the video store <_<). However, many have defended it on grounds it is keeping true to the Marquis de Sade novel (which apparently the film could never show the full extent of), that it is an honest depiction of the horrors of the Nazi regime and that there is simply too much allegory, social comment and artistic direction to dismiss as worthless trash.

This film is affecting, from the start I was engrossed by the beautiful jazz theme and as it progressed Salo was tense, riveting and coldly bleak all at once. My sense of engagement did not budge one bit, I did not "enjoy" this film in a traditional sense but it was captivating. There is so much about this film to discuss, i've only hit the tip of the iceberg after a single viewing and I don't want to ruin it for anyone else who hasn't seen it so I will leave it at that. I am hesistant to give it a 10/10, as there are so many strong provocative elements to the story that almost anyone could get away with that it almost seems cheap to award it so. For what it is though, it is a very well directed and thought provoking movie.

9/10

Movies

La Pianiste (The Piano Teacher)

Release Date: 2002
Director: Michael Haneke
Genre: Drama

Vampyros Lesbos

Release Date: 1971
Director: Jesus Franco
Genre: Psychadelic, Exploitation

Focus

Release Date: 2002
Director: Neal Slavin
Genre: Drama

Bad Boy Bubby

Release Date: 1993
Director: Rolf de Heer
Genre: Drama/Black Comedy

Reefer Madness (aka Tell Your Children)

Release Date: 1936
Director:Louis J. Gasnier
Genre: Crime/Drama (Unintentional Comedy)

Pink Flamingos

Release Date: 1972
Director: John Waters
Genre: Black Comedy

Labyrinth

Release Date: 1986
Director: Jim Henson
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Mudhoney

Release Date: 1965
Director: Russ Meyer
Genre: Drama

[Der Übermensch]

Wow! You chose Salo!? You have guts :p

[Meatplow]

I'm reasonably difficult to offend, this had to be one of the most stomach churning movies i've ever seen though.

[Der Übermensch]

During the first **** scene I almost felt like puking... By the banquet I was ok though (comparatively).

[Meatplow]

Well... at least it wasn't real. I've been desensitized by scat porn to that type of thing, the banquet was something else though.

Movies

La Pianiste (The Piano Teacher)

Release Date: 2002
Director: Michael Haneke
Genre: Drama

Vampyros Lesbos

Release Date: 1971
Director: Jesus Franco
Genre: Psychadelic, Exploitation

Focus

Release Date: 2002
Director: Neal Slavin
Genre: Drama

Bad Boy Bubby

Release Date: 1993
Director: Rolf de Heer
Genre: Drama/Black Comedy

Reefer Madness (aka Tell Your Children)

Release Date: 1936
Director:Louis J. Gasnier
Genre: Crime/Drama (Unintentional Comedy)

Pink Flamingos

Release Date: 1972
Director: John Waters
Genre: Black Comedy

Labyrinth

Release Date: 1986
Director: Jim Henson
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Mudhoney

Release Date: 1965
Director: Russ Meyer
Genre: Drama

[Akira]

That Salo movie sounds, err, special.

[Der Übermensch]

Thats one way of putting it...

Anyone taking the dibs?
I would feel wrong going back to back...

[Tillius]

Salo sounds quite intresting. I'm gonna have to check it out sometime.

Dibs.

[Meatplow]

Awesome, do.

I'm lovin' this thread atm to be honest.

[Knifeboy]

I've had Reefer Madness lying around for some time. And would have loved to dib it.. But I'm so bad at actually sitting down and watching movies these days

[br3ad_man]

Salo is one of those films I can't ever imagine myself watching. But then again I've said that about a lot of films.

I wish I'd discovered this thread earlier, I'm really kEEn to participate.

[Tillius]

I'll have it done within the next couple days. I walked out on my job last night so I have to go on a job hunt today...so I'll likely watch the movie tomorrow.

[Tillius]

DVD player's ****ed.

Cancel my dibs. Again. ****.

[br3ad_man]

dibsies for me in that case

[Meatplow]

bump

[Tillius]

Hmm....


Should somebody else call dibs?

[Meatplow]

i'd give it a day or two just in case he needs to respond that he needs more time and he is still working on it.

edit - 2 weeks is a fair length until dibs can be stolen I think, considering it has been christmas/new years around the time it was taken

[Der Übermensch]

Well, I'm taking the dibs if its still up when I get back top school.
Guy across the hall has Reefer Madness, so I can borrow that from him.

[Meatplow]

bump

[Der Übermensch]

ok. I'm taking it.

[Der Übermensch]

I've been really busy this week... sorry... I can do it this weekend hopefully, but if someone wants to jump me, and can get it done before then, please feel free to.

[Against Miik!]

Didn't we already have like 3 Salo convo's? Maybe that was in the "last movie/flim..." thread. Maybe. Anyways you won't be able to find the movie anywhere besides Amazon maybe. I got a copy off of torrents. Then I threw up.

[Meatplow]

yer it was all spurred on by my review of it in here. :)

[Meatplow]

Movies

La Pianiste (The Piano Teacher)

Release Date: 2002
Director: Michael Haneke
Genre: Drama

Neco z Alenky - Alice

Release Date: 1988
Director: Jan Svankmajer
Genre: Surrealist

Super Mario Brothers

Release Date: 1993
Director: Annabel Jankel & Rocky Morton
Genre: Comedy

Bad Boy Bubby

Release Date: 1993
Director: Rolf de Heer
Genre: Drama/Black Comedy

Reefer Madness (aka Tell Your Children)

Release Date: 1936
Director:Louis J. Gasnier
Genre: Crime/Drama (Unintentional Comedy)

Desperate Living

Release Date: 1977
Director: John Waters
Genre: Black Comedy

Labyrinth

Release Date: 1986
Director: Jim Henson
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Mysterious Skin

Release Date: 2004
Director: Gregg Araki
Genre: Drama

bump x 10 i mixed the list up a bit too

[Meatplow]

re-bump

[A Dead Modernist]

Bump. I'll call dibs for Neco z Alenky - Alice, especially since my dads been bugging me about watching it.

[Tillius]

Neco z Alenky is awesome. Jan Svankmajer does great work. I'm actually about to go watch Lunacy by him.

[AlienEater]

yeah his films are pretty cool

[Meatplow]

bump

[Cardboard Urinal]

ill call dibs if no one has them. ive been meaning to watch labrynth for ages. ill watch it anyway tbh

[A Dead Modernist]

you can call dibs. my netflix "instantly viewing" thing is not working anymore so i cant watch Alice :(

[Meatplow]

one more bump

then im'a let this thread die

[stevensonmat2]

wtach Body Double

[Der Übermensch]

dibs

[stevensonmat2]

you're in for a treat my friend

[JamminJimmy]

Oo Sounds fun.

[Der Übermensch]

Ok... my apologies for taking so long. I guess this kind of prefaces my review, but I really couldn't get into this, so stopped it, and then finished it later, and got sidetracked and yada yada...

Anyways, without further ado...
Reefer Madness
Plagiarized wiki-Summary:
Mae Coleman and Jack Perry, her lover, sell marijuana. Mae prefers to sell weed to customers her own age, whereas Jack sells the plant to young teenagers. Ralph Wiley, a former college student turned fellow dealer, and Blanche help Jack sell cannabis to young students. Young students Bill Harper and Jimmy Lane are invited to Mae and Jack's apartment by Blanche and Ralph. Jimmy takes Bill to the party. There, Jack runs out of reefer. Jimmy, who has a car, drives him to pick up some more. Arriving at Jack's boss' "headquarters," he gets out and Jimmy asks him for a cigarette. Jack gives him a joint. Later, when Jack comes back down and gets into the car, Jimmy drives off dangerously, along the way running over a pedestrian with his car. The pedestrian later dies of his injuries. Jack agrees to keep Jimmy's name out of the case.

Bill begins an affair with Blanche. Mary, Jimmy's sister and Bill's girlfriend, goes to Mae's apartment looking for Jimmy, and accepts a joint from Ralph, thinking it to be a normal cigarette. When she refuses Ralph's advances, he tries to rape her. Bill comes out of the bedroom after having sex with Blanche, and hallucinates that Mary strips for Ralph. He attacks Ralph, and as the two are fighting, Jack tries to break it up by hitting Bill with the butt of his gun. The gun goes off, and Mary is killed. Jack puts the gun in the hand of an unconscious Bill, and wakes him up. Bill sees the gun in his hand, and is led to believe that he has killed Mary. Bill is sent to prison. The group of dealers lie low for a while in Blanche's apartment while Bill's trial takes place. Ralph, losing his sanity, wants to tell the police who is actually responsible for the death of Mary. The film attributes Ralph's insanity to marijuana use.
Seeking advice from his boss, Jack is told to shoot Ralph so he keeps his mouth shut. Meanwhile, at the apartment, Blanche offers to play some piano music for Ralph to keep his mind off things. They are both very high, and Ralph tells her to play faster. She increases her playing speed to a downright cartoon-like speed in one of the film's most famous and over-the-top sequences. Jack shows up and Ralph immediately senses that Jack wants to kill him, so he kills Jack by beating him to death. The police arrest Ralph, Mae, and Blanche. Mae talks, and the criminal gang is rounded up. Blanche explains that Bill was innocent, and he is released. Blanche is then held as a material witness for the case against Ralph, but rather than testify against him, Blanche jumps out a window and falls to her death, and Ralph is put in an asylum for the criminally insane "for the rest of his natural life."

Review:
This film was originally made as one of those warning pseudo-documentaries for children, and I believe funded by the government. It came out in 1936... just when weed was being made illegal, and the propaganda angle shows to say the least.
I realize that the whole reason this movie still exists is because its not to be taken seriously, and is now considered a "comedy" because its so blatantly stupid, but I just didn't find it funny. If anything, it was just boring. The only hilarity I got from it was when I recalled the scene in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas when Duke is at the DEA convention watching the drug propaganda movie and thinking of the parallel.
Over all though, this was more overrated then playing Dark Side of the Moon over the Wizard of Oz was made out to be, and that was a huge let down :(
2/10

The Picks
Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) - Luchino Visconti - 1963 - Italian Historical Drama : Stars Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon AND Claudia Cardinale, three of my favorite actors. A true masterpiece of Italian cinema. Passing knowledge if Italian Reunification helps enjoyment, but isn't required. (And DON'T get the American Cut. Get the original)

Le Samouraï - Jean-Pierre Melville - 1967 - French Crime Thriller : Again stars Alain Delon, who plays a expert hitman attempting to evade capture after doing a job. Highlight of French New Wave Cinema.

Barry Lyndon - Stanley Kubrick - 1975 - Anglo-American Period Drama : Ryan O'Neal stars as the title character in this story about the life and travels of morally ambiguous Irishman during mid 1700's Europe.

Heaven's Gate - Michael Cimino - 1980 - American Western : Infamous as the film that bankrupted United Artists, this expansive Epic also happens to be on of the best western films of all time.

Die Faelscher The Counterfeiters - Stefan Ruzowitzky - 2007 - Austrian Drama : The winner of best foreign film at the last Oscars, it tells the story of a group of concentration camp prisoners whose unique talents were put to use by the SS to try and destroy the Allies economies.

[Meatplow]

I have to digress i've never even watched Reefer Madness in full before :p

I had it on the list because its public domain and easy to get a hold of with a google search. I would probably agree with your review from what I seen as most of it looked like filler but yeah cool.

Lets see how many months exist in between dibs on this one lol? :smoke:

[Der Übermensch]

Well, I'll just keep bumping it until then :p

[Der Übermensch]

Bump... and I might let this die....

Reminder:
The Picks
Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) - Luchino Visconti - 1963 - Italian Historical Drama : Stars Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon AND Claudia Cardinale, three of my favorite actors. A true masterpiece of Italian cinema. Passing knowledge if Italian Reunification helps enjoyment, but isn't required. (And DON'T get the American Cut. Get the original)

Le Samouraï - Jean-Pierre Melville - 1967 - French Crime Thriller : Again stars Alain Delon, who plays a expert hitman attempting to evade capture after doing a job. Highlight of French New Wave Cinema.

Barry Lyndon - Stanley Kubrick - 1975 - Anglo-American Period Drama : Ryan O'Neal stars as the title character in this story about the life and travels of morally ambiguous Irishman during mid 1700's Europe.

Heaven's Gate - Michael Cimino - 1980 - American Western : Infamous as the film that bankrupted United Artists, this expansive Epic also happens to be on of the best western films of all time.

Die Faelscher The Counterfeiters - Stefan Ruzowitzky - 2007 - Austrian Drama : The winner of best foreign film at the last Oscars, it tells the story of a group of concentration camp prisoners whose unique talents were put to use by the SS to try and destroy the Allies economies.

[Tillius]

Dibs.

[Der Übermensch]

bump? U still on this tillius?

[Tillius]

Oh ****.
I'll try, I've just become busy.
Somebody else can call dibs if they'd like but if not then I'll watch it as soon as possible.

[Kage]

Dibs.

[Der Übermensch]

yay! u rock kage!

[Meatplow]

stealing dibs and major bump thread revival

[Kage]

the thing is I've watched two of hte movies I've dibbed, I just haven't written anything about them yet

[honourosis]

awesome, i can do this now.

[Meatplow]

well i'll steal dibs regardless, if you manage to write something up in the meantime just disregard it and post

[honourosis]

bump

[Meatplow]

To breath some life into this otherwise dead thread -

Il Gattopardo AKA The Leopard

http://i37.tinypic.com/24g7r0p.jpg

Thoughts, well it was a kind of long, epic period piece and for the most part I have a hard time enjoying these sort of films but I tried to let it slide a little. I'll just steal the plot from imdb as there is no point repeating it -

In the 1860s, a dying aristocracy struggles to maintain itself against a harsh Sicilian landscape. The film traces with a slow and deliberate rhythm the waning of the noble home of Fabrizio Corbero, Prince of Salina (the Leopard) and the corresponding rise to eminence of the enormously wealthy ex-peasant Don Calogero Sedara. The prince himself refuses to take active steps to halt the decline of his personal fortunes or to help build a new Sicily but his nephew Tancredi, Prince of Falconeri swims with the tide and assures his own position by marrying Don Calogero's beautiful daughter Angelica. The climatic scene is the sumptuous forty-minute ball, where Tancredi introduces Angelica to society.

The scope of this film is rather astonishing,. history buffs are sure to get off on the battles and majestic landscapes, the cinematography is superb and everything is rich with detail. The soundtrack is composed near entirely of classical music which adds a suitably emotional mood to the proceedings, and as a whole it looks and sounds great.

The acting is superb, Burt Lancaster plays a good role as "The Leopard" and the other characters most certainly do not go to waste. If there is anything I can personally flaw, it is that these type of "epic" films tend to distance me from the characters, otherwise the story is excellent, there are a number of notable scenes in here and overall it is the type of film that a lot of the cinema elite would rate very highly. Unfortunately, it is very lengthy and I have difficulty concentrating on even a standard feature length film recently so i'll put this down to a personal flaw though.

9/10

Films

Coonskin (1975)
Director: Ralph Bakshi
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071361/
Genre: Animation

All the Vermeers in New York (1990)
Director: Jon Jost
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099014/
Genre: Arthouse

Beetlejuice (1988)
Director: Tim Burton
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094721/
Genre: Comedy

Grass (1999)
Director: Ron Mann
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0214730/
Genre: d0cumentary

Badlands (1973)
Director: Terrence Malick
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069762/
Genre: Drama

The Enigma of Kasper Hauser (1974)
Director: Werner Herzog
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071691/
Genre: Drama

The Count Of Monte Cristo (2002)
Director: Kevin Reynolds
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245844/
Genre: Adventure

Don't Deliver Us From Evil (1971)
Director: Joël Séria
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066040/
Genre: Horror

Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds (1989)
Director: Alex Proyas
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098373/
Genre: Arthouse

[Tillius]

If I can find the time to just sit down and watch a movie or two then I might call dibs on this.

[honourosis]

Dibs.

[Der Übermensch]

Horray!!!!!

Meatplow = my hero!

[The Transporter]

House 2: The Second Story

[Meatplow]

Horray!!!!!

Meatplow = my hero!

*insert obnoxious "i wuv u" gag" :p

[honourosis]

First of all, I just want to start out by saying that I have a hard time putting my thoughts properly onto paper... I'm a bit scatter-brained and I'm sure it will come through in this review but so it goes...

The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser
http://www.princeton.edu/~ufo/ufoplusposter.jpg

Coming into this movie, I was somewhat familiar with Werner Herzogs approach to film making, having watched 4 or 5 of his films before, and it's safe to say this film carries on that style which makes him stand out from so many other filmmakers.

Synopsis-
The Engima of Kaspar Hauser tells the story of Kaspar Hauser (played by Bruno S.), a 17 year old who has lived his entire life chained up in a small cell, with only a toy horse to entertain himself. Having only had human contact with one person, Kaspar is set free and left in a town with only a days worth of knowledge on writing, walking, and speech. There Kaspar begins his new life as the towns most interesting character.

Random thoughts -
Much Like Stroszek, The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser is Herzog's unique way of telling a sincere story about a character with no identity within the society they're placed in. One of the things that intrigued me the most about the film is it's brushing off of traditional narrative structure, where as other biographical films strive to dramatize the story with outlandish plots and big climactic endings in order to entertain the viewer, Herzog sticks to his guns and develops Kaspar Haucer through individual scenes rather than with the story as a whole. Another thing I really enjoyed were the snippets of grainy film that appeared throughout the film showing wonderful landscape shots which gave an eerie feeling to an already dreamlike atmosphere.
While lacking much metaphorical factors The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser takes the approach of inducing the viewer with more of a literal and straight forward type of storytelling. The film capitalizes itself with sincere and poetic moments, that beautifully establishes character development in a non-traditional way (like when Kaspar holds a baby for the first time/Kaspar feels physical pain for the first time and tears run down his face), that can put off a viewer who is not accustomed to this style of film making and easily write it off as "random scenes sewed together with no resolution". But those willing to sit through The Enigma of Kaspar Haucer with a willingness to understand it quickly find one of the most honest films. And even though this film is lush and gorgeous, it does come with its flaws, mostly with its awkward pacing in certain sections, which feels sped up at times when placed along with the rest of the film which is more slowly paced. To add to that, some scenes just didn't do it for me and felt more filler than anything.

9/10

ugh i'm horrible at reviewing but hopefully my thoughts came through clearly. excuse spelling errors and grammar please.

Ponette http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117359/
release date: 1996
director: Jacques Doillon
genre: drama

Volver http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0441909/
release date: 2006
director: Pedro Almodóvar
genre: comedy, drama, crime

Day For Night http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070460/
release date: 1973
director: François Truffaut
genre: comedy

Keane http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0420291/
release date: 2004
director: Lodge Kerrigan
genre: drama

Walkabout http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067959/
release date: 1971
director: Nicolas Roeg
genre: adventure/drama

Au hasard Balthazar http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060138/
release date: 1966
director: Robert Bresson
genre: drama

[Tillius]

Dibs.
I'll finish up my current Netflix queue tomorrow and get this to the top.
Probably won't get around to watching it until next week though because I'm holding auditions this weekend.

On a side note, I have, surprisingly enough, never seen a Werner Herzog film. I might have to get introduced here soon.

[honourosis]

Bump. Added some more movies to the list.

[Tillius]

Still got this.
Sorry it's taking longer than I thought. I got sidetracked with casting and such. I'll get around to it this weekend.

[honourosis]

Bump.

:o

[Tillius]

Oh ****. I have the movie I'll watch it tomorrow.

[Tillius]

http://www.impawards.com/2005/posters/keane.jpg

William Keane's daughter was abducted in a bus terminal weeks or months ago. William is on a desperate search for her but to no avail, and he begins to lose his mind quickly. He numbs the pain through use of drugs, alcohol, and random women. Through his problems he meets a woman, Lynn, and her daughter Kira.

I really enjoyed watching this film. It is very slow paced, but it didn't affect this movie negatively as it can with some but actually seemed to work in its favor. I also really liked the lack of score. There is not a single moment of score in this and it gives it a much more realistic, upsetting feel to it.

Something I really liked in the film, though it isn't really emphasize on it, is the relationship between William and Lynn. The movie would have you focus more on the relationship between William and Kira, but the former was really well done. Both of them seem damaged in some way and are able to connect easily, and while it seems like a romantic relationship might form between the two of them, it never really explores beyond it because it really isn't needed in this film.

The relationship between William and Kira is upsetting as you see William desperately trying to fill this void left in him by the kidnapping of his daughter. There is a particular scene in which they go ice skating that I felt was moving because you see the look of happiness on his face as he spends time with this little girl and talking to her as if she was his own daughter.

The acting in this couldn't have been better. Damian Lewis is by himself for about 75% of this movie and does an excellent job carrying it. The story itself also makes you question certain things, mainly whether or not William ever had a daughter to begin with or if he is just a crazy, lonely person.

All in all I'm glad I finally decided to watch this because it was something I was looking for at the time, something so simple but so well done.

4/5


No Te Mueras sin Decirme Adónde Vas
(Don't Die Without Telling Me Where You're Going)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113992/

Director: Eliseo Subiela
Genre: Drama


Paranoid Park
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0842929/

Director: Gus Van Sant
Genre: Drama

Modern Times
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027977/

Director: Charlie Chaplin
Genre: Comedy

Dracula: Pages From a Virgin's Diary
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0293113/

Director: Guy Maddin
Genre: Horror

11:14
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0331811/

Director: Greg Marcks
Genre: Drama

Lunacy
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407236/

Director: Jan Svankmajer
Genre: Horror

[thedeadwalk!]

Dibs.

[thedeadwalk!]

http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/ifc_films/paranoid_park/paranoidpark_galleryposter2.jpg

Synopsis:

A teenage skateboarder's life begins to fray after he is involved in the accidental death of a security guard.

Forced Critique (totally bending my arm here):

So, this is my introduction to the written and directed by world of Gus Van Sant and, as my brief encounters with Gerry and Elephant led me to believe, I did not enjoy it so much.

Most notably about the picture is the music. From the opening credits, a 60s style theme medley, the sound often dominates what is seen, even bending the flow of time to its will. This got annoying. Rather than accenting the narrative, mood music accompanied by slow-motion sequences were frequent and stole power from the one or two moments where the technique is warranted. All of it felt as if it is trying to draw some kind of importance out of the subject, or accomplish something else. Whatever it was, it wasn't for me.

Common among movies with majority young casts is the problem of acting. Bad acting can easily be explained as fitting the teen role, but, here, it just looked bad. Too often it seems, movies with young actors go overboard with expressions and mannerisms, but there is certainly none of that here. Much like they were reading Shakespeare in English, lines are spoken in monotone with almost no comprehension of what is being said; the script, as it is, words without context. In this way, however, I liked the reading of Alex's letter. The rest of the spoken words I could do without.

The best thing going for the movie is its narrative. Alex's retelling gives the movie suspense and tension throughout and even makes the lackluster events compelling. Though I'm usually not a fan of narration, as I would rather be shown something than told it in a movie, the painful dialogue swiftly had me reconsider this point.

Overall, the movie's a mix of too much (slow-mo mood music) and not enough (meaningful acting) with a story that's just right. For a movie so acutely focused on transitions and capturing, painfully slowly, its characters' "being," nothing much changes over the course of the story and that's a shame. Alex's family isn't fully explored and, I don't know about you, but that slow shot Jared leering at him while driving raised my eyebrow. It's not that I don't like being left wondering, but wondering because something's not explained is not good filmmaking. Or, maybe I missed something.

6.5/10 (Not too bad a score for all my whining)

P.S. I couldn't stop staring at Jennifer's eyes when she's talking to Alex in the hallway, about fifteen minutes in. They're like cat's eyes or something. :eek:

P.P.S. The security guard was a lot more sad than it had any right to. I think the guy's face really prevents anyone from laughing. That's a rough moment.

Watch or I'ma Tell:

Happiness - Todd Solondz - 1998 - Dramedy
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0147612/

Angel-A - Luc Besson - 2005 - Romance
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0473753/

They Shoot Horses, Don't They? - Sydney Pollack - 1969 - Drama
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065088/

Wang-ui namja aka The King and the Clown - Lee Jun-ik - 2005 - Drama
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0492835/

Kung fu aka Kung Fu Hustle - Stephen Chow - 2004 - Comedy
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373074/

[JonG]

http://www.theync.com/media.php?name=6826-shocking-man-is-murdered

have to watch it all

[Tillius]

You got that out fast. Nice. Shame though, I really enjoyed Paranoid Park but though I don't find as much fault with it as you, I do have to agree with you about the acting. Sometimes the monotone dialogue is justified but sometimes it really is poor.

[thedeadwalk!]

You got that out fast.
I currently have an unfortunate amount of time on my hands.

[Meatplow]

dibs

[Tillius]

Yay Meatplow!

[Meatplow]

\m/eatplo\w/

i'll get this done before long

[Tillius]

\m/eatplo\w/



I think you should request a name change.

[Meatplow]

it very well could happen :)

[honourosis]

im glad this is thread is up and moving again

[thedeadwalk!]

There are two selections in my picks I hope he doesn't choose. But, which ones? I won't tell!

[Meatplow]

Well I hope Kung Fu Hustle wasn't one of them. :)

Kung Fu Hustle

http://i36.tinypic.com/1zgxlde.jpg

Pretty much defines the over the top martial arts action movie, some cracking choreography and slick CGI powers a lot of cartoonish, hilarious fighting. The plot is quite engaging, as a slum full of poor-but-can-kick-your-*** Asian people have constant run-ins with a local crime gang after a young loser in life and his fat buddy tries to gain their respect and join their ranks. There is an outlandish humour throughout as, the film an obvious parody of martial arts action films and by the end the story feels satisfyingly complete. The film looks superb, the cinematography vibrant and bursting with life which is something the Asian industry seems to have a way of doing the west can't quite embrace.

If there are any complaints, the CGI might look a tacky at times and the supremely unrealistic and exaggerated road-runner and coyote style action in the film might kill it for some people. The latter would seem the appeal to me, however.

9/10

Films

Coonskin (1975)
Director: Ralph Bakshi
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071361/
Genre: Animation

All the Vermeers in New York (1990)
Director: Jon Jost
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099014/
Genre: Arthouse

Beetlejuice (1988)
Director: Tim Burton
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094721/
Genre: Comedy

Grass (1999)
Director: Ron Mann
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0214730/
Genre: d0cumentary

Badlands (1973)
Director: Terrence Malick
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069762/
Genre: Drama

Sexmisja AKA Sexmission
Director: Juliusz Machulski
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088083/
Genre: Sci-Fi

The Count Of Monte Cristo (2002)
Director: Kevin Reynolds
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245844/
Genre: Adventure

Don't Deliver Us From Evil (1971)
Director: Joël Séria
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066040/
Genre: Horror

Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds (1989)
Director: Alex Proyas
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098373/
Genre: Arthouse

[honourosis]

Dibs.

[Tillius]

I would have dibbed since I already have All the Vermeers in New York at the top of my queue from when you recommended it to me but damn you honourosis.

[Meatplow]

I suggest you watch it anyway, i'd like to know your thoughts on it as well :)

[Tillius]

I plan on it. Like I said, it's at the top of my queue. I just have to watch Fitzcarraldo first, which I've been putting off for some reason, but then I'll send my current movies back and that's what's coming. :)

[thedeadwalk!]

Well I hope Kung Fu Hustle wasn't one of them. :)
Sadly, it was. But I liked your review and am glad you enjoyed it and its humor.

I'll just have to dibs another one and relist my choices.

[honourosis]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5132GF9FPCL._SL500.jpg

Set in New York City, All the Vermeers in New York focuses around a french actress named Anna and a stock broker named Gordon "relationship" or lack there of. From when they first meet at a Vermeer gallery, it's obvious Anna isn't as invested in the relationship as Gordon is, to the point of leading him on. But it's difficult to sympathize with someone of Gordon's nature who comes off as businessman who tries to impress and push on to Anna that he is an "artize" at heart and doesn't actually enjoy his job. It feels acted and played out, as a way to win over Anna, who usually seems uncomfortable and unmoved when around Gordon. But Anna isn't an angel herself, who goes out of her way to ask Gordon to lend her $3000 for rent, which he is more than willing to pay. It's as if they are both willing to deny their failure as a couple, whether intentionally or not, in order to find their common goal, happiness. I'm not sure if it was Jon Jost's intention to make a movie about incompatible relationships and the characters that play within in it or not. But either way I enjoyed it, even if it didn't feel on point most of the time.

Cinematography and editing is what I found most interesting about the film. As simple as the story is in itself, visually the film handles itself well. Like the Vermeer paintings, the camera moves in a very elegant way, as if the story was the canvas and the camera was the brush, covering every small detail with every brush of a stroke.The camera, who almost looks like it's dancing along with the score at times, also serves as a third person who observes every character and their surroundings with fine detail. Even the film itself seems influenced by the jazz and classical score, with very improvisational dialogue and loose pacing filling the film, but never refrains from returning to the main melody of the film.

All in all, I think I enjoyed this more when I looked back on it than when I was actually watching it. The Vermeer Gallery scene is beautiful, as is the one where the camera navigates itself through the pillars in the lobby. I'll definitively seek out more Jon Jost.

6.5-7/10



Batalla en el cielo (Battle in Heaven)/Carlos Reygadas/2005
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387055/
drama, romance

Silent Light/Carlos Reygadas/2007
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0841925/
drama, romance

Diable probablement, Le (The Devil, Probably)/Robert Bresson/1977
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075938/
drama

Lakposhtha parvaz mikonand (Turtles Can Fly)/Bahman Ghobadi/2004
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424227/
drama

Weekend/Jean-Luc Godard/1967
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062480/
drama

[thedeadwalk!]

I'll take dibs; see how it goes.

[thedeadwalk!]

http://www.lifesurfing.org/pics/films/Turtles_Can_Fly.jpg

Plot:

In a Kurdish refugee camp on the Iraq-Turkey border, on the eve of the US invasion of Iraq, thirteen-year-old Satellite is known for his installation of dishes and antennae for local villages. He is the dynamic leader of the children, organizing the dangerous but necessary sweeping and clearing of old minefields.

He falls for an orphan named Agrin, traveling with her disabled brother, Hengov, who also has clairvoyant abilities. The siblings care for a toddler, whose connection to the pair reveals harsh truths.

Review:

A joint venture between Iraq and Iran, this is the first movie made in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein. On top of this, all the child actors, who are amazing, are refugees themselves.

Surrounded by left behind remnants of past wars, the story begins with the villagers setting up antennas so they can learn when the next one will begin. The movie has a great "slice of life" quality to it with no real plot but character development that begins after one boy falls for a girl. It just so happens this simple little tale takes place in a refugee camp to children who clear minefields left behind by enemies no longer at war. Though the setting can be quite alienating to those unfamiliar with it, and cannot fathom the children's ability to not only live but thrive in such an environment, can also be comforted by the "normalcy" of their relationships. Quite conventional are the aspects of the protective brother, loyal sidekick, and maverick leader, that the rest of the details can be seen as a wonderful take on an old tale.

The story itself is very touching, and filled with great characters. Satellite, the leader of the children, is manipulative in his dealings but is doing everyone a service desperately needed, made evident later in the film. Hengov, the clairvoyant, is already the scarred victim of a forgotten mine but toils to care for a child who is yet another reminder of further victimization. His sister, Agrin, is of the opposite perspective, stuck in her past and following her brother, whose selflessness is slowly eating her away. The rest of the children, though not fleshed out, are readily apparent to have similar stories, if not as harsh, that have pushed them into the dangerous lives they live with such casualness.

So, yeah...I'm going to leave you with some pics of the child taken care of by the siblings 'cause he's just goody some times:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/thedeadwalk/TurtlesCanFly-01020964.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/thedeadwalk/TurtlesCanFly-0102556.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/thedeadwalk/TurtlesCanFly-01025523.jpg

8.5/10

Mach schnell!:

Angel-A - 2005
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0473753/

They Shoot Horses, Don't They? - 1969
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065088/

Wang-ui namja aka The King and the Clown - 2005
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0492835/

Special - 2006
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0479162/

Heavenly Creatures - 1994
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110005/

[Tillius]

Dibs.

[Luc214]

okay I'm going to try my hand at this, dibs

EDIT: ****

[Tillius]

Wanna steal?
I've done this a few times and you haven't so you can have your chance if you'd like.

[Luc214]

sure

[Tillius]

Oh yeah man. Thanks Tillius. I'd love to.

Oh no problem man I'm just nice like that I figured you deserved a turn don't mention it.

[Luc214]

Point taken :p

[Meatplow]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5132GF9FPCL._SL500.jpg

Set in New York City, All the Vermeers in New York focuses around a french actress named Anna and a stock broker named Gordon "relationship" or lack there of. From when they first meet at a Vermeer gallery, it's obvious Anna isn't as invested in the relationship as Gordon is, to the point of leading him on. But it's difficult to sympathize with someone of Gordon's nature who comes off as businessman who tries to impress and push on to Anna that he is an "artize" at heart and doesn't actually enjoy his job. It feels acted and played out, as a way to win over Anna, who usually seems uncomfortable and unmoved when around Gordon. But Anna isn't an angel herself, who goes out of her way to ask Gordon to lend her $3000 for rent, which he is more than willing to pay. It's as if they are both willing to deny their failure as a couple, whether intentionally or not, in order to find their common goal, happiness. I'm not sure if it was Jon Jost's intention to make a movie about incompatible relationships and the characters that play within in it or not. But either way I enjoyed it, even if it didn't feel on point most of the time.

Cinematography and editing is what I found most interesting about the film. As simple as the story is in itself, visually the film handles itself well. Like the Vermeer paintings, the camera moves in a very elegant way, as if the story was the canvas and the camera was the brush, covering every small detail with every brush of a stroke.The camera, who almost looks like it's dancing along with the score at times, also serves as a third person who observes every character and their surroundings with fine detail. Even the film itself seems influenced by the jazz and classical score, with very improvisational dialogue and loose pacing filling the film, but never refrains from returning to the main melody of the film.

All in all, I think I enjoyed this more when I looked back on it than when I was actually watching it. The Vermeer Gallery scene is beautiful, as is the one where the camera navigates itself through the pillars in the lobby. I'll definitively seek out more Jon Jost.

6.5-7/10

I feel pretty much the same. I really like the audio cues, and the cinematography as somehow it shows a beauty in the most trite of activities. Last Chants for A Slow Dance is the only other Jost i've seen, I found it a difficult watch in comparison to Vermeers though.

[Tillius]

I'm sending my movies back to Netflix on Monday so I should get All the Vermeers in New York by Wednesday. :)

[Meatplow]

i'm surprised netflix would have his movies, he doesn't seem to make them commercially available

http://www.jon-jost.com/intro.html

[Luc214]

Netflix has a lot of obscure stuff actually.

[honourosis]

I've gotten so used to the convenience of KG, that I just let my dad pick all the movies from NetFlix now. But yeah it does have a surprisingly great selection.

[Tillius]

i'm surprised netflix would have his movies, he doesn't seem to make them commercially available

http://www.jon-jost.com/intro.html

Netflix has quite a list.

[Luc214]

Wang-ui namja

The King and The Clown

http://vitamovie.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/the_king_and_the_clown_movie_poster.jpg

Plot

Set in the early 16th century during the reign of King Yeonsan, two street clowns, Jang-sang (Kam Woo-seong) and Gong-gil (Lee Jun Ki), are part of an entertainer troupe. One night Jang-sang, tired of their manager selling Gong-gil’s body to nobility, kills the manager in defense and he and Gong-gil flee to Seoul, where they form a new group of street performers.
In Seoul, Jang-sang and his new group perform a skit mocking the king and his new concubine, Nok-su Jang. After they are arrested for treason, Jang-sang makes a deal with Cheo-seon, one of the king's servants, to either make the king laugh with their skit or to be killed.

Review

I haven’t seen many Korean films, in fact I think the only one I’ve seen that I know of is Oldboy, and that’s set in a modern time period. Generally when I think of Asian films set around the 16th century time period I think of the more popular “wire-fu” films such as House of Flying Daggers and Hero. The King and the Clown is not a martial arts film, rather it tells a less fantastical story, and one that is absolutely charming. It hooked me right from the beginning and eventually surprised me with its complexity. This was a film that starts out simply and becomes surprisingly deep by the end.

There are many subtleties going on, for example the nature of Jang-sang and Gong-gil’s relationship. While it never appears on the surface to be anything more than a close friendship, Jang-sang is extremely protective of Gong-gil and hates their old manager for selling Gong-gil’s body. Later in the film Jang-sang also seems jealous as the king takes an interest in Gong-gil and calls him to his chamber often. The fact that the nature of their relationship is only hinted at and indeed, may not be what we in America would tend to think at all is one of the subtle elements of this film that I greatly enjoyed.

And then there are the not-so-subtle elements. Beautiful and vibrant cinematography, strong acting, and a powerful score are all found in this film, and the unique angle of telling a story from the point of view of street performers make this an excellent film that I can definitely say I will be adding to my collection. The film is ultimately tragic, but it tells the intriguing story in a way that doesn’t stop it from also being funny and that endearing quality is what makes The King and the Clown so enjoyable.

9/10

Reccomendations!

Lilja 4-Ever (aka Lilya 4-Ever) (2002)
Director: Lukas Moodysson
Genre: Drama
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0300140/

****ing Åmål (aka Show Me Love) (1998)
Director: Lukas Moodysson
Genre: Drama/Romance
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0150662/

Angel Heart (1987)
Director: Alan Parker
Genre: Noir/Thriller
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092563/

Adorenarin Doraibu (aka Adrenaline Drive) (1999)
Director: Shinobu Yaguchi
Genre: Comedy
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0197213/

Renaissance (2006)
Director: Christian Volckman
Genre: Noir/Thriller
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386741/

[thedeadwalk!]

Awesome! The relationship between Jang-sang and Gong-gil is one of the best I've seen. Jang-sang's highwire act at the end is also beautiful.

I still need to add it to my collection as well. But, after an unfortunate incident in which my grandmother mistook The Host as a "porn" movie when the clerk said "foreign" has slowed my already sluggish accumulation of movies.

[Luc214]

lol

"yes grandma it's a porn with a cgi giant squid monster thing. those damn asians"

[Der Übermensch]

lol

"yes grandma it's a animal photographs with a cgi giant squid monster thing. those damn asians"

Never heard of tentacle porn? I'd be surprised if there isn't some ****ing up porn knockoff of the host!

[Luc214]

lol I've heard of tentacle porn.

hence "those damn asians".

[Luc214]

sorry for double post but bumping this:



Lilja 4-Ever (aka Lilya 4-Ever) (2002)
Director: Lukas Moodysson
Genre: Drama
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0300140/

****ing Åmål (aka Show Me Love) (1998)
Director: Lukas Moodysson
Genre: Drama/Romance
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0150662/

Angel Heart (1987)
Director: Alan Parker
Genre: Noir/Thriller
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092563/

Adorenarin Doraibu (aka Adrenaline Drive) (1999)
Director: Shinobu Yaguchi
Genre: Comedy
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0197213/

Renaissance (2006)
Director: Christian Volckman
Genre: Noir/Thriller
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386741/

[honourosis]

I'll call dibs this week if no one else does.

[honourosis]

dibs

[Tillius]

Yay!

:)

[honourosis]

****ing Amal (or Show Me Love)

http://www.axelmusic.com/resources/covers/7/712267990726.jpg

After having watched this and Lilja 4-ever, I've come to the conclusion that Lukas Moodysson has an ease for writing cohesive scripts. It's not that he's wowed me with any of his films as of yet, but his talent for straightforward storytelling is obvious. And ****ing Amal or Show Me Love is just another testament.

Åmål is a small insignificant town where nothing ever happens, where the latest trends are out of date when they get there. Young Elin has a bit of a bad reputation when it comes to guys, but the fact is that she has never done *it*. Another girl in her school, Agnes, is in love with her but is too shy to do anything about it. For different reasons, Elin ends up at Agnes' birthday party as the only guest. They have a girl's night out together but after that Elin desperately avoids Agnes, refusing to even consider her own homosexuality


While the film's plot doesn't have anything out of the ordinary and it's told in a fairly conventional way (Much like Lilja 4-ever), the way Moodysson presents the material is what makes it intriguing. Sticking to the whole docu-drama feel, ****ing Amal is very truthful and honest with its subject but isn't afraid to enhance itself with poetic moments when it feels necessary (think Larry Clark's Kids, both in content and look). But even with this there are moments that feel too cheesy and cliched to be ignored (handicapped girl, Agnes' family troubles, Johan's coping/reaction to his broken relationship) and are definitely missteps. Visually it handles itself well while not making much of a fuss, with hand held camera being its primary weapon and the occasional mastershot. The score on the other hand is what I thought stood out the most. Like Lilja 4-ever, commercial alt-rock and radio rock fill up the movie, it feels strange and even silly at first (there's a point in the movie where Agnes in all her teen angst rips apart her room while "hard rock" is being played in the background), but I honestly wouldn't change anything about it. I'm not sure if its Lukas' intention to poke fun at Europe with the whole sterotypical "Euros love all things commercial and America", but it's interesting and very fitting.

Ending was godawful, jesus christ.

5.5-6/10




Espíritu de la colmena, El (The Spirit of the Beehive)/Victor Erice/1973
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070040/
drama

Batalla en el cielo (Battle in Heaven)/Carlos Reygadas/2005
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387055/
drama, romance

Heat/Michael Mann/1995
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113277/
crime, thriller

Weekend/Jean-Luc Godard/1967
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062480/
drama, comedy

Nói albínói (Noi the Albino)/Dagur Kári/2003
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0351461/
comedy, drama

[Tillius]

Dibs.

[Luc214]

****ing Amal (or Show Me Love)

http://www.axelmusic.com/resources/covers/7/712267990726.jpg

After having watched this and Lilja 4-ever, I've come to the conclusion that Lukas Moodysson has an ease for writing cohesive scripts. It's not that he's wowed me with any of his films as of yet, but his talent for straightforward storytelling is obvious. And ****ing Amal or Show Me Love is just another testament.




While the film's plot doesn't have anything out of the ordinary and it's told in a fairly conventional way (Much like Lilja 4-ever), the way Moodysson presents the material is what makes it intriguing. Sticking to the whole docu-drama feel, ****ing Amal is very truthful and honest with its subject but isn't afraid to enhance itself with poetic moments when it feels necessary (think Larry Clark's Kids, both in content and look). But even with this there are moments that feel too cheesy and cliched to be ignored (handicapped girl, Agnes' family troubles, Johan's coping/reaction to his broken relationship) and are definitely missteps. Visually it handles itself well while not making much of a fuss, with hand held camera being its primary weapon and the occasional mastershot. The score on the other hand is what I thought stood out the most. Like Lilja 4-ever, commercial alt-rock and radio rock fill up the movie, it feels strange and even silly at first (there's a point in the movie where Agnes in all her teen angst rips apart her room while "hard rock" is being played in the background), but I honestly wouldn't change anything about it. I'm not sure if its Lukas' intention to poke fun at Europe with the whole sterotypical "Euros love all things commercial and America", but it's interesting and very fitting.

Ending was godawful, jesus christ.

5.5-6/10

I can't tell if this is a negative or positive review lol

rating seems negative/neutral but actual review seems fairly positive

[Meatplow]

the score would point at somewhere in between I guess

[honourosis]

idk i don't necessarily consider a 5.5-6/10 rating bad in any way. maybe it seems a bit harsher of a rating than what most people rate things on this board but oh well.

[honourosis]

i always hate bumping this but w/e

[Luc214]

I was going to bump it but I couldn't find it and I lost patience

[Tillius]

I don't know why I call dibs I always wind up getting wrapped up in something else when I do.

**** it though I'll download the movie right now and watch it tomorrow.