Movies Serious Movie Discussion

[Bullitt68]

I've also decided to use teaching David Lynch and Michael Mann as an excuse to rewatch Twin Peaks and finally watch Miami Vice. As of this post, I'm firing up Twin Peaks.

 

[Rimbaud82]

I've also decided to use teaching David Lynch and Michael Mann as an excuse to rewatch Twin Peaks and finally watch Miami Vice. As of this post, I'm firing up Twin Peaks.

Gonna rewatch it too soon, always do come autumn

 

[Bullitt68]

Gonna rewatch it too soon, always do come autumn

Nice. I love traditions like that. For me, it's not officially summer until I've rewatched True Blood.

 

[Rimbaud82]

Nice. I love traditions like that. For me, it's not officially summer until I've rewatched True Blood.

Yep, and it isn't Christmas until I've rewatched a very particular made for tv adaption of A Christmas Carol starring Patrick Stewart. No other version will suffice lol

 

[Deleted member 110072]

Honestly I was never a big fanf of kookiness for its own sake, never as taken with Being John Malovich as most seems to be nore alot of Wes Anderson. Much preffer it when its actually put to some kind of use, with Anderson for example stuff like Rushmore or Moonrise Kingdom the way the younger characters behave makes more sense as a way of dealing with their position, a kind of fantasy retreat.

 

[Gmork]

I liked The Devil All the Time. It's rough, dark (sometimes a bit overzealously so) bleak, but there's actually storytelling going on and the cast is absolutely superb. I feel like it deserves a positive review between the script and performances.

Tom Holland might be a real actor, btw, how neat is that? I didn't see that one coming, as much as I enjoy his so-so Spider-Man.

 

[europe1]

Not even gonna bother writing a particularly lengthy review for this one, just a wonderfully bizarre, witty and endearing film. Reflecting back no doubt there are some big ideas that the film grapples with

Being John Malkovich is, perhaps, the funniest film ever created. I especially like the buildings backstory as well as that documentary once the protagonist actually becomes Malkovich.

Reflecting back no doubt there are some big ideas that the film grapples with - existential questions, critiques of celebrity culture and so on - but this is all firmly in the back of the mind when watching.

Moreover, I think Being John Malkovich is one of the best and most poignant critiques of artistry and celebrity culture ever. The protagonist always speaks about high ideals and ambitions — about wanting to show the world what an artistic soul he is — but he is in fact just a vain, egotistic narcissist. For all his pretenses he just desires fame and admiration instead of art. I mean, he wants his John Malkovich-skin so that the world can finally love his puppetry, rather then let his puppetry speak for itself. He says stuff like "Never lie to your audience!" while inhabiting Malkoviche's body! It really captures that phenomenon where a lot of "art" is just the artist trying to feel good about himself or make the world love him rather then making any statement.

Synecdoche, New York (2008)

I've seen Syncecdoche, New York and was going to write something but... the movie is just SOOO boring. I think I'm going to go pet a dog or something. I agree with what you said.

 

[Rimbaud82]

First Cow (2020)

I absolutely adored this. Haven't seen any of the director's (Kelly Reichardt) earlier films to compare or to frame it in a broader context, but going off this alone I just loved it. A wonderfully restrained, elegant tale about bonds of friendship on the American Frontier.

In 1820 two men - a quiet chef called Cookie and a Chinese immigrant by the name of King-Lu - are seeking their fortune in the newly settled Oregon Territory. Attracted by the immense profits to be made from beaver furs, "civilisation" is slowly making its way to this as yet unconquered corner of the American continent. Travelling through the forest with a group of boorish fur-trappers, Cookie rather unexpectedly stumbles across King-Lu. Showing him an act of kindness which is later returned, the two men strike up a close bond. As ever I’ll avoid any specific talk bordering on spoiler territory, but the crux of the film is of course that eponymic First Cow, brought to Oregon by a wealthy landlord as little more than a status symbol. At the local settlement Cookie and King-Lu hatch a wildly successful business plan together. Unfortunately this is reliant upon stealing milk from this most symbolic of cattle, and things are not likely to go to plan.

The film looks wonderful in terms of the cinematography and visual style. Reichardt's presentation of nature is just gorgeous. Yet there are scarcely any wide, expansive shots showcasing this vast, untamed wilderness. Partly this is simply a restriction of the narrow 4:3 aspect ratio (so in vogue now), but obviously this is a very deliberate choice. The film possesses an earthy, sensual kind of beauty. More often we get close-ups of the earth, soil and plants. Characters are surrounded by the wilderness of the frontier. The trees seem almost immeasurably tall and at times the characters seem in danger of being totally subsumed by the landscape. However, in addition to simply being beautiful, this framing serves to reinforce the sense that the landscape is still wild and untouched by so-called civilisation. Yet, as the film reminds us this is all to come. The “soft gold” of beaver fur has attracted the forces of capitalism and there can be no turning back...

First Cow tells its story with a quiet, graceful tone. It's a wonderfully simple, human tale and I found it very touching on it’s own terms, but equally this intense humanism is deepened by the broader historical context which is ever-present through the film.

 

[Rimbaud82]

The Howling (1981)

Well it's October so that means some spooky films. Having re-watched An American Werewolf in London (1981) a few nights prior, I was ready for another werewolf classic.

However in all honesty, apart from solid werewolf practical effects, I found The Howling to be extremely poor and just utterly boring. For me it suffered from a strange, languorous listless pace. At no point did I begin to connect with any of the characters, their relationships or their motivations. It just feels like a bunch of things which you don't care about happen to a bunch of people you don't care about, until some werewolves finally appear.

The film just totally fails to build any kind of momentum despite the fact that the entire subext is basically over-dramatic 80s sensationalism about 24 hour new cycles, cults, sexual lust and "the beast within" all of us. I say subtext but in fact that is totally the wrong word to use. It's actually all so painfully on the nose that it falls totally flat and fails to delivery any kind of impact whatsoever.

Honestly, just don't bother.

 

[europe1]

The Howling (1981)

Well it's October so that means some spooky films. Having re-watched An American Werewolf in London (1981) a few nights prior, I was ready for another werewolf classic.

However in all honesty, apart from solid werewolf practical effects, I found The Howling to be extremely poor and just utterly boring. For me it suffered from a strange, languorous listless pace. At no point did I begin to connect with any of the characters, their relationships or their motivations. It just feels like a bunch of things which you don't care about happen to a bunch of people you don't care about, until some werewolves finally appear.

The film just totally fails to build any kind of momentum despite the fact that the entire subext is basically over-dramatic 80s sensationalism about 24 hour new cycles, cults, sexual lust and "the beast within" all of us. I say subtext but in fact that is totally the wrong word to use. It's actually all so painfully on the nose that it falls totally flat and fails to delivery any kind of impact whatsoever.

Honestly, just don't bother.

Yeah I've always been baffled by The Howlings popularity. It just is so utterly lacking in narrative propulsiveness. The very beginning and the very end are good but the rest is real a drag. It's especially baffling how people often put this on the same strata as mega-classic An American Werewolf in London, which truly lives up to and even surpasses its reputation.

That said however... it's sequel is an ultra-masterpiece in B-movie trash-fun. Don't believe me? Well... just looks at that title!

Howling II: Stirba Wherewolf Bitch!

Where Christopher Lee — freaking Dracula himself — teams-up with shotgun-wielding ultra-hunk Reb Brown to slay the Sorcerer-Queen of the Wherewolves in her Transylvanian Dread-Fortress.

@HenryFlower has 24 hours to agree with me or face destruction at my hands.

 

[Highway99]

3 days into 31 Days of Halloween...Am emerging myself in Italian horror as best I can this time.

So far:

10/1: Opera (1987)
10/2: The Black Belly of the Tarantula (1971)
10/3: Inferno (1980)

 

[europe1]

10/1: Opera (1987)

Opera I think is quite underrated from Argento. Feels like his most voyeuristic work. One of those movies he made more for the kinks then flexing artistically.

10/2: The Black Belly of the Tarantula (1971)

Ah yes, part of the Barbara Bouchet naked-hour. I've seen this film, and according to IMDB, thought it was perfectly fine, but the only thing I can remember about it is Giancarlo Giannini's mustache and a whole lot of pretty women standing around hippie-art.

10/3: Inferno (1980)

Inferno is just all over the place narratively. It's perilously unstructured but Argento manages some damn gripping visuals in the interludes.

Also, has there every been a woman whose face screamed "WITCH!" more then this gal? To bad Argento didn't managed to get the third part of the trilogy out in a timely fashion.

 

[Highway99]

I

Opera I think is quite underrated from Argento. Feels like his most voyeuristic work. One of those movies he made more for the kinks then flexing artistically.



Ah yes, part of the Barbara Bouchet naked-hour. I've seen this film, and according to IMDB, thought it was perfectly fine, but the only thing I can remember about it is Giancarlo Giannini's mustache and a whole lot of pretty women standing around hippie-art.



Inferno is just all over the place narratively. It's perilously unstructured but Argento manages some damn gripping visuals in the interludes.

Also, has there every been a woman whose face screamed "WITCH!" more then this gal? To bad Argento didn't managed to get the third part of the trilogy out in a timely fashion.

Of the three I liked Inferno best, for no other reason than the visuals. I was not surprised that Mario Bava had something to do with this film.

 

[HenryFlower]

Yeah I've always been baffled by The Howlings popularity. It just is so utterly lacking in narrative propulsiveness. The very beginning and the very end are good but the rest is real a drag. It's especially baffling how people often put this on the same strata as mega-classic An American Werewolf in London, which truly lives up to and even surpasses its reputation.

That said however... it's sequel is an ultra-masterpiece in B-movie trash-fun. Don't believe me? Well... just looks at that title!

Howling II: Stirba Wherewolf Bitch!

Where Christopher Lee — freaking Dracula himself — teams-up with shotgun-wielding ultra-hunk Reb Brown to slay the Sorcerer-Queen of the Wherewolves in her Transylvanian Dread-Fortress.

@HenryFlower has 24 hours to agree with me or face destruction at my hands.

i like The Howling (not my favorite Joe Dante film that’s for sure), but yes, Howling 2 is fucking bonkers & is way more fun imo

 

[Yotsuya]

However, while this constant shifting did frequently throw me off somewhat, it was more like an enjoyable puzzle.

In any case I didn't think it was really all that difficult to follow once I grasped the main contours of Kaufman was getting at.

Yeah, maybe the movie was more like puzzling than a puzzle. I felt like there was nothing to solve and just enjoyed the experience and themes. As you say,

It clearly revels in ambiguity to a certain extent and opens itself up to more specific interpretations - there is a lot to unpack no doubt - but in broad stroke terms the ideas are relatively clear. All in all I thought it was a very enjoyable, intriguing experience watching it.

I agreed with pretty much everything else too.

 

[Bubzeh]

Just watched my first John Wayne movie from start to finish. The Searchers.

Sensational. Loved it.

Just thought I'd pop this somewhere.

 

[europe1]

Just watched my first John Wayne movie from start to finish. The Searchers.

Sensational. Loved it.

Just thought I'd pop this somewhere.

I kind of hate The Searchers in how it's just such a trampoline of tone and quality.

One moment you have really gripping traumatic stuff. Then... *WHOPS!* I guess the sidekick accidentally married an portly native! Wacky hi-jinks ensues!

But I guess it doesn't matter when you have shoots like these:

 

[Bubzeh]

I kind of hate The Searchers in how it's just such a trampoline of tone and quality.

One moment you have really gripping traumatic stuff. Then... *WHOPS!* I guess the sidekick accidentally married an portly native! Wacky hi-jinks ensues!

But I guess it doesn't matter when you have shoots like these:

Where'd you manage to grab that photo from? IMDB has no such quality on their website! Unless I missed it.. But yeah, watching it in HD, colour, on a 55inch TV was a beautiful experience. Opening act I thought was perfect too.

Haha when he married the native and kicked her off the hill. Had me lolling.

 

[europe1]

Where'd you manage to grab that photo from?

I just remembered that picturesque scene, googled "Searchers Snow" and there it was!

 

[Yotsuya]

Just saw Wagon Master few weeks ago. Definitely Top-5 John Ford movie. No star power and nothing that dynamic either, but great atmosphere and really nice road movie'sque plot.