Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Pop Quizin It
1. Is there a TV show that you'd love to see a movie version of? If yes, what? If no, think a little harder. If still no, sorry for wasting your time.
I think in terms of being a seamless transition from television to cinema, BREAKING BAD would probably make the best film. It's already so well-made and intensely cinematic as it is that I think Gilligan could probably direct one hell of a movie out of it.
I previously would have also suggested ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT but after seeing the latest season of it, I'm not sure the format of the show would call for 90 extended minutes or so. It's sharpest when being short, sweet, and efficiently manic.
Actually to answer your question seriously: VERONICA MARS. I want to see it so bad I pawned everything I owned and contributed $5,000 towards it on kickstarter. Can't wait see my name in barely visible credits at the end of the movie!
2. What's your favorite place/setting to watch a movie (out of the choices listed below)? Why? ALSO, least favorite and why?
d) In a house, alone
If I had my own private theater I'd want to watch every movie on that. Since I don't, I vastly prefer watching movies on whatever screen I can find all by myself. I like the intimacy I can garner with a film by viewing it alone. It's easier to transport myself into its celluloid world without feeling self-conscious in any way. Plus, I'm used to watching most movies by myself, so it's become a habit.
My least favorite would have to be a drive-in theater or a small theater. You can't hear or see shit at the drive-in and you can't really hear or see shit at a small theater (plus there's people too close to ya). Not the best movie environments if you care what you're watching.
3. If you could be an extra in any film, what would it be AND what scene would you like to be in?
How much do extras make, ya think? From a utilitarian perspective, I'd want to be in whatever got me the most cash, so like SPIDER-MAN or some shit would be ideal.
However, engaging with the spirit of the question, I think it would have been awesome to be an extra in BARRY LYNDON. For one, I would have gotten to meet Kubrick. For another, it would have been incredible to get dressed up and then have him prop you in a very specific location so as to contribute in some way to the precise beauty of any one of those glorious compositions. Might've been cool to eat lunch with Ryan O'Neal too.
4. Name a movie you loved as a kid that still feels special even when you watch it now.
There are a lot of them. The first animated movie that springs to mind is THE SWORD IN THE STONE. We never owned that one on VHS, but I can remember always loving it and being excited whenever I did get to watch it. It still makes me so happy to watch it now.
For live action - RETURN OF THE JEDI. EMPIRE is my favorite now, but JEDI was my favorite as a kid and I still feel like one when I watch it.
5. Best film decade (out of the choices listed below)? And tell us why, if you're so inclined:
c) 00s (aughts)
The 80s are essentially the dark age for cinema. This was post-Golden Age, post-New Wave with no direction to go but down. The 90s has some great stuff, but I am also more familiar with the kids and mainstream stuff from this time period due to being a kid during its entirety. So I'd have to go with the aughts. It helps that I started getting fascinated by cinema in the early 00s, so I know the some of the good stuff from this decade better than the other two. Here's hoping the 10s end up being the best of the bunch.
Bonus: Hypothetically, your friends have rented out a theater for your birthday. You get to choose the movie that's screened; what are you going with?
Hmmm lots of great stuff to choose from. I'd want to show an old movie considering a majority of my friends don't watch them. So, I'd probably go with REAR WINDOW or SHADOW OF A DOUBT. It just seems like everyone could get down with those the easiest even if they don't like classic film since Hitchcock is the best. Maybe DUCK SOUP too for some lighter fare. That's easy to love.
Notes From a Dashing Bachelor
Hey Brandon. Thanks for the kind words, my friend. It's always hard to admit to people when you're feeling depressed, but I figured it was worth mentioning so as to offer an explanation for why I've found it so hard to write lately. I've been feeling slightly dejected for the past month or so, but in the last couple of weeks I've basically descended into some full-blown depression. It's nothing new for me and certainly nothing to worry about (I'll get over it), but it is enough of a problem that I've had trouble being motivated to do things or to find pleasure in the things I usually do. So writing has taken a back seat for a while. We all have our ways of coping with depression though. I think for me its all about re-establishing a rhythm and routine to follow and be comfortable with. Writing has always been a healthy thing for me, so I think getting in a pattern of writing more frequently will ultimately be beneficial. Seeing you and the family this weekend will also be great. Let's make that happen.
Anyway, I'm glad you were able to write so much back to me (so much rich stuff that's conducive to discussion too). I know I didn't really give you much material to work off of, but I appreciate how much you sent back my way. I'll do my best to help ya out on my end too.
Toally fair enough on THIS IS THE END. I don't think we'll ever reach common ground, and I'm completely fine with that. I don't begrudge you for not finding it funny either. I'm happy to stick up for it though. At least we'll always have SUPERBAD and PINEAPPLE EXPRESS.
I realize I'm way too late to the game on BEFORE MIDNIGHT. That's what happens when you wait so long. I'm glad I finally got something written on it, but I'm more than happy to let it rest for now too. You guys already said it all anyway in much more eloquent terms than I could.
After watching THE SON, I knew I'd be a Dardenne fan for life. I was initially disoriented by it, as well, but by the half hour mark I was thoroughly riveted. And by the end of it I was practically floating in thin air I was so touched and elated. THE KID WITH A BIKE had a similar impact on me (in terms of being so emotionally floored), but it was obviously much less arduous to sift through from the beginning due to the fluidity of its construction. I would highly recommend seeing ROSETTA to you, also. It has the same quality of grace and compassion to it, and while maybe not as instantly moving as these other two movies, it's just as impossible to shake or forget.
Man, there's nothing to do but shake your head at those who find the message in THE SON to be simple and expendable. What rock are they living under? In a world where vindictiveness so often serves as the primary solution to a problem, one small act of forgiveness can reverberate like a thunderclap and glow like a miracle. I pine for the day when our compassion has become so luxurious that the Dardenne's message is no longer necessary but redundant. As things stand now, however, we unfortunately need that message more than ever. I welcome their "simple" lesson on compassion, forgiveness, and mercy with open arms. More people should too.
I love Eastwood as an actor and as a director of westerns (hell, I even got a picture of the guy on my wall). So I've got nothing personal against him, despite some highly suspect political affiliations that I disagree with. In fact, quite the opposite. I like him a lot. I've just yet to be impressed or even mildly interested in any of his recent output. Again I haven't seen A PERFECT WORLD or MILLION DOLLAR BABY so my post-UNFORGIVEN worthless comment might not hold that much water. I would be interested in seeing these two films though. I'm not rooting against the guy. I'm just waiting for him to win me over. MYSTIC RIVER isn't totally worthless; I just don't really care about it. The same for the rest of the movies I've seen of his from the 2000s. They're all well-made, but uninspired, run-of-the-mill type shit to me. I don't know what any of the fuss is about. I also wonder if I'm just missing something?
To be fair though, I'm compounding my lack of interest in his recent work to full blown scoffing merely for the sake of argument. I don't mind playing the "Eastwood hater" if only because it gives us something to disagree about. I really don't feel that negatively towards him currently. I'm just mostly indifferent. But, I should say, you have Dave Kehr (and many other great critics) thoroughly ensconced in the Eastwood camp with you, so I think you've probably already won the Eastwood debate.
I would be interested in seeing MASTER AND COMMANDER if only because I trust you implicitly. I'll add that to my ever-growing list. I should see some of Peter Weir's 70s films too.
I'm glad you didn't exactly take it easy on my marriage comment. Even with the wink, I did say it to be deliberately provocative and hopefully spark a reaction. It was also said in jest. I don't need to be married or even be in a relationship currently to know how painful it is to be betrayed by someone you love or even to have them stop loving you. I've never been cheated on (at least not to my knowledge), but I have watched girls I loved lose all their feelings for me, and its basically the most painful non-physical hurt I've ever experienced. So, I don't want to create the impression that I'm callous to adultery and betrayal when it comes to their representations on film because that just isn't the case. I just meant that the relationship in LOST IN TRANSLATION didn't bother from a lens of adultery (same as with BEFORE SUNSET). I think both of those films make it pretty explicit that their main characters are: a) not happy and b) not in love with their partners anymore. This definitely has to be sad for their unseen or underdeveloped partners (I can sympathize with them, believe me), but they'll eventually have to realize that you can't change the way another person feels about you. Those main characters just aren't in love them anymore. And can they really help those feelings? If Bob and Charlotte don't love their respective spouses, but find enjoyment and maybe even love in each other, is that totally their fault? Sleeping together would be a decision and 100% their fault because they made that decision, but feeling something for each other wasn't necessarily a decision they made. It just happened, the same way it just happened that they no longer love their spouses. I'm not sure what is precisely meant by the term "emotional adultery" but it does seem less nefarious to me than a physical act of sexual adultery if only because one implies a deliberate choice while the other can be merely happenstance. You can feel emotion or desire for another person other than your partner and still not act upon it.
With all that I'm getting at here, I just want to stress that I believe that if you don't love someone anymore, you don't have to be tethered to them forever. It wouldn't be healthy for either party to stick together if there was no longer love between them. To my understanding, this is what is happening in LOST IN TRANSLATION. I feel for the neglected spouses, but I can also understand where Bob and Charlotte are coming from. Being the spurned party fucking sucks, but it happens and there's nothing you can do about it. People can be fickle, and if you want and care about them, you are unfortunately subjected to the uncontrollable reality of their freedom and individuality. It's a terribly brave and terrifying thing to love someone.
I liked SWEENEY TODD, as well. Though BIG FISH is far and away Burton's last great film. I'm still hoping he's got a couple more in him before he's done.
Not a huge Van Sant fan either, but he works wonders on ELEPHANT.
I'm also hoping that Eli Roth has a good career ahead of him. I think it's important to remind myself that he has only made three films (one of which was essentially a carbon copy of another), so he still has lots of time to set things right. CABIN FEVER is visceral, funny, and inspired enough that I'm still rooting for the guy, even if I hated his last two films. I did decide to add CABIN FEVER to the ten spot on my list. I actually remember a good deal of it, which is way more than I can say for many films from 2003. It had a positive enough impact that it's stayed with me all these years. (P.S. I don't know if you noticed, but I also previously added THE DESCENT and MARTYRS to my top ten lists for their respective years. Those are two other horror films that I've been unable to shake the impact of).
I'm not going to be that much of snide ogre and bad mouth FINDING NEMO too hard. It is, after all, just an endearing kids search-and-rescue movie. However, it strikes me as dull or uninspired (like CARS) when standing alongside the wonderful, brilliant Pixar output that would come later in the form of RATATOUILLE, WALL-E, and UP.
I also haven't seen THE BROWN BUNNY since it came out, so perhaps seeing it again would soften the pessimistic stance I have towards it. I can just remember being exceedingly bored by its pretenses. The blow-job at the end at least gave the film some character. Before that, it's just a whole lot of nothingness (haha this movie hasn't even been relevant in years, so I'm glad we're bringing up the old arguments for and against it. THE BROWN BUNNY lives! Gallo wins.)
Really, really great points/criticisms about DOGVILLE. I actually agree with you completely, though I do find Von Trier's myopic finger-wagging to be important in its way and not entirely self-serious. He does hammer a very specific, cynical point home about these characters and the nastiness they represent. The nature of the film is conducive to this though because it's basically a fairy tale. The characters aren't fleshed out; they are just one-dimensionally vicious and wanton because they are fitting an archetype. Von Trier has created a fairy tale or parable about the overarching harmfulness of closed, xenophobic communities. The chalked staging à la OUR TOWN should be enough to suggest that he's not actually trying to achieve realism with it but to suggest a very deliberate, generalized idea about human behavior.
It is funny that an unabashed Chaplin and Dardenne lover such as myself would find Von Trier's cynicism so personally indispensable. I guess I'm just glad that both THE SON and DOGVILLE exist, even if they are basically polar opposites. I think it's just that I want very badly to be the Dardennes, but deep down I'm afraid I may be Von Trier. The fact that I carry both of their opposing views on humanity inside of me makes me appreciate both visions. Long live both, I say.
Good talk, Brandon. Thanks for encouraging me to write. And thanks for the encouraging personal words too. Looking forward to your 2005 list whenever ya finish it.
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P.S. My friend Dan and I have been watching horror films fairly regularly these past few months. I watched a few newer ones recently, so I'll try to get up a post on them soon. I'll probably do a letterboxd roundup on here too sometime.
Anyway, I'm glad you were able to write so much back to me (so much rich stuff that's conducive to discussion too). I know I didn't really give you much material to work off of, but I appreciate how much you sent back my way. I'll do my best to help ya out on my end too.
Toally fair enough on THIS IS THE END. I don't think we'll ever reach common ground, and I'm completely fine with that. I don't begrudge you for not finding it funny either. I'm happy to stick up for it though. At least we'll always have SUPERBAD and PINEAPPLE EXPRESS.
I realize I'm way too late to the game on BEFORE MIDNIGHT. That's what happens when you wait so long. I'm glad I finally got something written on it, but I'm more than happy to let it rest for now too. You guys already said it all anyway in much more eloquent terms than I could.
After watching THE SON, I knew I'd be a Dardenne fan for life. I was initially disoriented by it, as well, but by the half hour mark I was thoroughly riveted. And by the end of it I was practically floating in thin air I was so touched and elated. THE KID WITH A BIKE had a similar impact on me (in terms of being so emotionally floored), but it was obviously much less arduous to sift through from the beginning due to the fluidity of its construction. I would highly recommend seeing ROSETTA to you, also. It has the same quality of grace and compassion to it, and while maybe not as instantly moving as these other two movies, it's just as impossible to shake or forget.
Man, there's nothing to do but shake your head at those who find the message in THE SON to be simple and expendable. What rock are they living under? In a world where vindictiveness so often serves as the primary solution to a problem, one small act of forgiveness can reverberate like a thunderclap and glow like a miracle. I pine for the day when our compassion has become so luxurious that the Dardenne's message is no longer necessary but redundant. As things stand now, however, we unfortunately need that message more than ever. I welcome their "simple" lesson on compassion, forgiveness, and mercy with open arms. More people should too.
I love Eastwood as an actor and as a director of westerns (hell, I even got a picture of the guy on my wall). So I've got nothing personal against him, despite some highly suspect political affiliations that I disagree with. In fact, quite the opposite. I like him a lot. I've just yet to be impressed or even mildly interested in any of his recent output. Again I haven't seen A PERFECT WORLD or MILLION DOLLAR BABY so my post-UNFORGIVEN worthless comment might not hold that much water. I would be interested in seeing these two films though. I'm not rooting against the guy. I'm just waiting for him to win me over. MYSTIC RIVER isn't totally worthless; I just don't really care about it. The same for the rest of the movies I've seen of his from the 2000s. They're all well-made, but uninspired, run-of-the-mill type shit to me. I don't know what any of the fuss is about. I also wonder if I'm just missing something?
To be fair though, I'm compounding my lack of interest in his recent work to full blown scoffing merely for the sake of argument. I don't mind playing the "Eastwood hater" if only because it gives us something to disagree about. I really don't feel that negatively towards him currently. I'm just mostly indifferent. But, I should say, you have Dave Kehr (and many other great critics) thoroughly ensconced in the Eastwood camp with you, so I think you've probably already won the Eastwood debate.
I would be interested in seeing MASTER AND COMMANDER if only because I trust you implicitly. I'll add that to my ever-growing list. I should see some of Peter Weir's 70s films too.
I'm glad you didn't exactly take it easy on my marriage comment. Even with the wink, I did say it to be deliberately provocative and hopefully spark a reaction. It was also said in jest. I don't need to be married or even be in a relationship currently to know how painful it is to be betrayed by someone you love or even to have them stop loving you. I've never been cheated on (at least not to my knowledge), but I have watched girls I loved lose all their feelings for me, and its basically the most painful non-physical hurt I've ever experienced. So, I don't want to create the impression that I'm callous to adultery and betrayal when it comes to their representations on film because that just isn't the case. I just meant that the relationship in LOST IN TRANSLATION didn't bother from a lens of adultery (same as with BEFORE SUNSET). I think both of those films make it pretty explicit that their main characters are: a) not happy and b) not in love with their partners anymore. This definitely has to be sad for their unseen or underdeveloped partners (I can sympathize with them, believe me), but they'll eventually have to realize that you can't change the way another person feels about you. Those main characters just aren't in love them anymore. And can they really help those feelings? If Bob and Charlotte don't love their respective spouses, but find enjoyment and maybe even love in each other, is that totally their fault? Sleeping together would be a decision and 100% their fault because they made that decision, but feeling something for each other wasn't necessarily a decision they made. It just happened, the same way it just happened that they no longer love their spouses. I'm not sure what is precisely meant by the term "emotional adultery" but it does seem less nefarious to me than a physical act of sexual adultery if only because one implies a deliberate choice while the other can be merely happenstance. You can feel emotion or desire for another person other than your partner and still not act upon it.
With all that I'm getting at here, I just want to stress that I believe that if you don't love someone anymore, you don't have to be tethered to them forever. It wouldn't be healthy for either party to stick together if there was no longer love between them. To my understanding, this is what is happening in LOST IN TRANSLATION. I feel for the neglected spouses, but I can also understand where Bob and Charlotte are coming from. Being the spurned party fucking sucks, but it happens and there's nothing you can do about it. People can be fickle, and if you want and care about them, you are unfortunately subjected to the uncontrollable reality of their freedom and individuality. It's a terribly brave and terrifying thing to love someone.
I liked SWEENEY TODD, as well. Though BIG FISH is far and away Burton's last great film. I'm still hoping he's got a couple more in him before he's done.
Not a huge Van Sant fan either, but he works wonders on ELEPHANT.
I'm also hoping that Eli Roth has a good career ahead of him. I think it's important to remind myself that he has only made three films (one of which was essentially a carbon copy of another), so he still has lots of time to set things right. CABIN FEVER is visceral, funny, and inspired enough that I'm still rooting for the guy, even if I hated his last two films. I did decide to add CABIN FEVER to the ten spot on my list. I actually remember a good deal of it, which is way more than I can say for many films from 2003. It had a positive enough impact that it's stayed with me all these years. (P.S. I don't know if you noticed, but I also previously added THE DESCENT and MARTYRS to my top ten lists for their respective years. Those are two other horror films that I've been unable to shake the impact of).
I'm not going to be that much of snide ogre and bad mouth FINDING NEMO too hard. It is, after all, just an endearing kids search-and-rescue movie. However, it strikes me as dull or uninspired (like CARS) when standing alongside the wonderful, brilliant Pixar output that would come later in the form of RATATOUILLE, WALL-E, and UP.
I also haven't seen THE BROWN BUNNY since it came out, so perhaps seeing it again would soften the pessimistic stance I have towards it. I can just remember being exceedingly bored by its pretenses. The blow-job at the end at least gave the film some character. Before that, it's just a whole lot of nothingness (haha this movie hasn't even been relevant in years, so I'm glad we're bringing up the old arguments for and against it. THE BROWN BUNNY lives! Gallo wins.)
Really, really great points/criticisms about DOGVILLE. I actually agree with you completely, though I do find Von Trier's myopic finger-wagging to be important in its way and not entirely self-serious. He does hammer a very specific, cynical point home about these characters and the nastiness they represent. The nature of the film is conducive to this though because it's basically a fairy tale. The characters aren't fleshed out; they are just one-dimensionally vicious and wanton because they are fitting an archetype. Von Trier has created a fairy tale or parable about the overarching harmfulness of closed, xenophobic communities. The chalked staging à la OUR TOWN should be enough to suggest that he's not actually trying to achieve realism with it but to suggest a very deliberate, generalized idea about human behavior.
It is funny that an unabashed Chaplin and Dardenne lover such as myself would find Von Trier's cynicism so personally indispensable. I guess I'm just glad that both THE SON and DOGVILLE exist, even if they are basically polar opposites. I think it's just that I want very badly to be the Dardennes, but deep down I'm afraid I may be Von Trier. The fact that I carry both of their opposing views on humanity inside of me makes me appreciate both visions. Long live both, I say.
Good talk, Brandon. Thanks for encouraging me to write. And thanks for the encouraging personal words too. Looking forward to your 2005 list whenever ya finish it.
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P.S. My friend Dan and I have been watching horror films fairly regularly these past few months. I watched a few newer ones recently, so I'll try to get up a post on them soon. I'll probably do a letterboxd roundup on here too sometime.
Monday, July 15, 2013
2003 & other things
I don't know if there's any point in arguing whether THIS IS THE END is funny or not. It'd be like arguing whether each of us finds a certain food to be delicious or not. As you mentioned Brandon, comedy, like our individual tastes for foods, is purely subjective. I personally found at least 90% of THIS IS THE END to be flat-out hilarious therefore I readily forgive all of its faults and decidedly weak ending. It made me laugh (a lot) at a time when I was experiencing some awful, debilitating anxiety, and for that I welcome it with open arms. If you didn't like it or didn't find it funny, then that's cool. To each his own.
I'm not sure what I can add to what's already been written about BEFORE MIDNIGHT. I essentially agree with most of what's been laid out here. It's definitely the best movie I've seen this year, even as it remains the most difficult to come to terms with. The painful fissures on display here are undoubtedly the logical movements for these characters regardless of how emotionally taxing it is to see them reach this nadir. If the first two films are more like miraculous, inebriated dreams then this is truly the sobering wake-up-call to the consequences and realities outside those dreams. I'm inclined to agree with Brandon and Chris when they say that the ending does nothing to cover or nullify the cracks that have formed in Jesse and Celine's relationship. The ending is surely a call-back to the youthful insouciance of the first film, but like their one-night courtship in Vienna, this romantic hotel getaway is likely only to last for a night as well. Just as they woke up in Vienna to a sunrise of transience and separation, they will wake up in Greece to one of calculated sadness and division. Too many wounds were opened, too many problems laid bare for these two to simply pretend that all is forgotten and forgiven. I don't think anyone would be shocked to find them divorced in another nine years. Sad to see, but probably necessary in terms of their arc.
I was glad to hear John mention Rohmer and Brandon to mention Kiarostami because Linklater is definitely working within the realms of both masters here. I can't think of too many other contemporary American filmmakers (apart from PTA) who would put so much faith in their actors and let their filmmaking be almost exclusively mapped by the intricate webs of personal relations. I also can't tell you how joyous and refreshing it is to see a couple of people talking breathlessly in long takes in front of a static camera. That, in itself, is a miracle.
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It's great to see your 2003 list, Brandon. And I commend you for posting as much as you have lately (you too, Chris) when things have been eerily quiet on the blogs. If I weren't going through a mild depression and actually had the motivation to write, I'd be happy to join you more frequently on here. As it stands, I just need to get out of whatever funk I'm in and start getting some shit typed up. I'll start with your list.
I'm terribly pleased to see you take to THE SON so affectionately. I knew that if you just gave it a chance and looked beyond the shaky-cam that you would love it unconditionally like me. It's just too masterfully executed and powerfully resonant to resist, in my opinion. The intense claustrophobia and rapid dizziness of the camera movements can be stifling at first, but once you realize that it serves a very exact purpose for the content of the film, it is easy to look past and eventually easy to admire. I think the scene in the car when the boy is sleeping in his seat is one of the most harrowing I've ever witnessed. And the ending is easily one of the most moving knock-outs I've ever beheld. It's an unbelievable lesson in the power of forgiveness and the mysteriousness of mercy. It's easy to see why Bressson gets evoked a lot when talking about the Dardennes. "What does it matter? All is grace."
MYSTIC RIVER: I've made my lack of interest in post-UNFORGIVEN Eastwood pretty transparent on here. I still haven't seen MILLION DOLLAR BABY, but from what I have seen, I don't really think that a lot of what he's made over the last twenty years is really worth a damn. I can't even remember enough of MYSTIC RIVER to expound upon why I don't like it though. My memory for movies is terrible. I'd say that I'd see it again, but I don't really care if I ever do or not. Is that wrong? haha.
I haven't seen MASTER AND COMMANDER (never really got into Peter Weir much). Or BALSEROS, DEMONLOVER, THE FOG OF WAR, IN AMERICA, WINGED MIGRATION, RAISING VICTOR VARGAS, THE COMPANY, THE GOOD THIEF, LOONEY TUNES, or OPEN RANGE. I have a lot of blind spots here, as you can tell. Just wanted to get those out of the way.
LOST IN TRANSLATION: It's been years since I've seen this, but I'll admit to still being a fan for the most part. It still manages to charm despite some subtle xenophobic digs and an unmistakable orientalist framework (It would be easy to criticize the film for using Japan as merely a colorful backdrop against which an existential crisis and tryst brews between two affluent Westerners). I'm much less concerned with the "adultery" argument against it, if only because I don't find the emotional relationship between these two to be all the problematic. Do I need to get married first for shit like this to bother me? ;)
I still love BIG FISH. It's a warm-hearted and generous little fairy tale of a movie. The ending still gets to me too.
SCHOOL OF ROCK is charming and funny, but it also didn't stand out enough to win me over. I like it, just not in love with it. I also love ELF though, so what the hell do I know?
ELEPHANT: I re-watched this a couple months ago. It submerges you in this haunting, gut-sinking sensibility. I love how every tiny gesture seems eternal and meaningful in the wake of the doom that lingers just beneath everything.
CABIN FEVER: I'm actually toying with adding it to my own list. I'd like to see it again to be sure, but as it stands I have nothing but fond memories of this one. The ending has stuck with me so vividly that I still get a wry smile thinking about it even now.
28 DAYS LATER: Pinpoint accuracy on what makes this so effective. The film loves its characters and consequently so do we. Killer ending.
DIRTY PRETTY THINGS is actually a surprisingly adept thriller. I had to re-watch it for a class a few years ago and thought it held up well. A smart lesson in drawing you in through strong characterization.
FINDING NEMO: Still don't like it. I don't doubt that it's heartfelt; I just wish it were more creative.
THE BROWN BUNNY: Still hate it. Dullness and stupidity under the guise of sincerity. A blow-job is the least of this thing's problems.
Since I'm adhering my lists to John's rules, THE SON is now on my 2002 list. Writing about it above convinced me to put it atop that list, as well. DOGVILLE is now my top film of 2003 because I'm a cynical little jerk. But we don't need to open the DOGVILLE argument again...
Great, comprehensive list though, Brandon! Are you planning any other years of the 2000s or is this just a one-off thing?
ONLY GOD FORGIVES this weekend, y'all?
I'm not sure what I can add to what's already been written about BEFORE MIDNIGHT. I essentially agree with most of what's been laid out here. It's definitely the best movie I've seen this year, even as it remains the most difficult to come to terms with. The painful fissures on display here are undoubtedly the logical movements for these characters regardless of how emotionally taxing it is to see them reach this nadir. If the first two films are more like miraculous, inebriated dreams then this is truly the sobering wake-up-call to the consequences and realities outside those dreams. I'm inclined to agree with Brandon and Chris when they say that the ending does nothing to cover or nullify the cracks that have formed in Jesse and Celine's relationship. The ending is surely a call-back to the youthful insouciance of the first film, but like their one-night courtship in Vienna, this romantic hotel getaway is likely only to last for a night as well. Just as they woke up in Vienna to a sunrise of transience and separation, they will wake up in Greece to one of calculated sadness and division. Too many wounds were opened, too many problems laid bare for these two to simply pretend that all is forgotten and forgiven. I don't think anyone would be shocked to find them divorced in another nine years. Sad to see, but probably necessary in terms of their arc.
I was glad to hear John mention Rohmer and Brandon to mention Kiarostami because Linklater is definitely working within the realms of both masters here. I can't think of too many other contemporary American filmmakers (apart from PTA) who would put so much faith in their actors and let their filmmaking be almost exclusively mapped by the intricate webs of personal relations. I also can't tell you how joyous and refreshing it is to see a couple of people talking breathlessly in long takes in front of a static camera. That, in itself, is a miracle.
------------------------------
It's great to see your 2003 list, Brandon. And I commend you for posting as much as you have lately (you too, Chris) when things have been eerily quiet on the blogs. If I weren't going through a mild depression and actually had the motivation to write, I'd be happy to join you more frequently on here. As it stands, I just need to get out of whatever funk I'm in and start getting some shit typed up. I'll start with your list.
I'm terribly pleased to see you take to THE SON so affectionately. I knew that if you just gave it a chance and looked beyond the shaky-cam that you would love it unconditionally like me. It's just too masterfully executed and powerfully resonant to resist, in my opinion. The intense claustrophobia and rapid dizziness of the camera movements can be stifling at first, but once you realize that it serves a very exact purpose for the content of the film, it is easy to look past and eventually easy to admire. I think the scene in the car when the boy is sleeping in his seat is one of the most harrowing I've ever witnessed. And the ending is easily one of the most moving knock-outs I've ever beheld. It's an unbelievable lesson in the power of forgiveness and the mysteriousness of mercy. It's easy to see why Bressson gets evoked a lot when talking about the Dardennes. "What does it matter? All is grace."
MYSTIC RIVER: I've made my lack of interest in post-UNFORGIVEN Eastwood pretty transparent on here. I still haven't seen MILLION DOLLAR BABY, but from what I have seen, I don't really think that a lot of what he's made over the last twenty years is really worth a damn. I can't even remember enough of MYSTIC RIVER to expound upon why I don't like it though. My memory for movies is terrible. I'd say that I'd see it again, but I don't really care if I ever do or not. Is that wrong? haha.
I haven't seen MASTER AND COMMANDER (never really got into Peter Weir much). Or BALSEROS, DEMONLOVER, THE FOG OF WAR, IN AMERICA, WINGED MIGRATION, RAISING VICTOR VARGAS, THE COMPANY, THE GOOD THIEF, LOONEY TUNES, or OPEN RANGE. I have a lot of blind spots here, as you can tell. Just wanted to get those out of the way.
LOST IN TRANSLATION: It's been years since I've seen this, but I'll admit to still being a fan for the most part. It still manages to charm despite some subtle xenophobic digs and an unmistakable orientalist framework (It would be easy to criticize the film for using Japan as merely a colorful backdrop against which an existential crisis and tryst brews between two affluent Westerners). I'm much less concerned with the "adultery" argument against it, if only because I don't find the emotional relationship between these two to be all the problematic. Do I need to get married first for shit like this to bother me? ;)
I still love BIG FISH. It's a warm-hearted and generous little fairy tale of a movie. The ending still gets to me too.
SCHOOL OF ROCK is charming and funny, but it also didn't stand out enough to win me over. I like it, just not in love with it. I also love ELF though, so what the hell do I know?
ELEPHANT: I re-watched this a couple months ago. It submerges you in this haunting, gut-sinking sensibility. I love how every tiny gesture seems eternal and meaningful in the wake of the doom that lingers just beneath everything.
CABIN FEVER: I'm actually toying with adding it to my own list. I'd like to see it again to be sure, but as it stands I have nothing but fond memories of this one. The ending has stuck with me so vividly that I still get a wry smile thinking about it even now.
28 DAYS LATER: Pinpoint accuracy on what makes this so effective. The film loves its characters and consequently so do we. Killer ending.
DIRTY PRETTY THINGS is actually a surprisingly adept thriller. I had to re-watch it for a class a few years ago and thought it held up well. A smart lesson in drawing you in through strong characterization.
FINDING NEMO: Still don't like it. I don't doubt that it's heartfelt; I just wish it were more creative.
THE BROWN BUNNY: Still hate it. Dullness and stupidity under the guise of sincerity. A blow-job is the least of this thing's problems.
Since I'm adhering my lists to John's rules, THE SON is now on my 2002 list. Writing about it above convinced me to put it atop that list, as well. DOGVILLE is now my top film of 2003 because I'm a cynical little jerk. But we don't need to open the DOGVILLE argument again...
Great, comprehensive list though, Brandon! Are you planning any other years of the 2000s or is this just a one-off thing?
ONLY GOD FORGIVES this weekend, y'all?
Monday, June 24, 2013
Quizard of Oz
1. Name your five favorite actors and actresses of all time.
Actors:
James Cagney
Jimmy Stewart
(copying Brandon) Humphrey Bogart/Jean Gabin
Robert Mitchum
William Powell or Cary Grant
I could have easily found room for Max von Sydow, Joseph Cotten, Joel McCrea, Toshiro Mifune, Randolph Scott, John Wayne, Charles Laughton, Robert De Niro, Paul Newman, or Dustin Hoffman. Obviously, that list goes on and on.
Actresses:
Carole Lombard
Veronica Lake
Ginger Rogers
Greta Garbo
Myrna Loy or Arletty
Could have also made room for Gene Tierney, Joan Bennett, Maureen O'Hara, and Joan Fontaine.
My more modern affections are split between Laura Linney and Cate Blanchett.
2. Can you remember the first foreign-language film you saw that made an impact on you? If so, what was it?
I can remember seeing RUN, LOLA, RUN as an early teen and it having a fairly substantial impact on me. It fit right into the sort of "cool cinema" that appealed to me at the time – films that emphasized aesthetics and editing tricks like REQUIEM FOR A DREAM and TRAINSPOTTING. I think it also helped open the floodgates in terms of seeking out new foreign films to see.
As far as foreign art-house classics go, I think 8 1/2 and SEVEN SAMURAI were among the first I saw, and I thought they were both mindblowing. They were like reading Faulkner for the first time – just completely changed my perspective on art and what "cinema" meant to me.
3. Favorite moment in a horror film? Least favorite?
First, I should say that probably my favorite horror sequence takes place near the end of THE SHINING when Wendy is running through the hotel and sees a series of increasingly bizarre imagery from a bear suit sex tryst to a cocktail party of corpses. My mom happened to catch the ending once, and when the blood started pouring from the elevator she turned to me and said "whoever made this is completely sick." And I thought, "well done Stanley."
My favorite scene, however (off the top of my head), is divided between the night stalk scene in CAT PEOPLE and the seance scene in THE CHANGELING. The night stalk scene has one of the best jump scares of all time and also builds tension better than just about any film ever made. The seance scene just creeped the living daylights out of me. I have a hard time even thinking about it without getting a chill.
Now that I think of it, I'm also quite partial to the crucifix masturbation scene in THE EXORCIST – if only for how truly outrageous and shocking it still is to this day.
There are probably many horror film moments that have rubbed me the wrong way. The first that comes to mind is actually two moments in HOSTEL when we find the Japanese girl getting her eyeball drilled out and then her consequently jumping in front of a train. It was just the bitter icing on one truly unpleasant cake, and even the prospect of revenge against these torturers couldn't redeem my sadness.
4. Pick a film for each member of film club that you’d really like for her/him to see.
Adrienne - YOU CAN COUNT ON ME (maybe she's seen this already...)
Ben - AU HASARD BALTHAZAR (I feel like pushing Bresson on Ben for some reason)
Brandon - BLUE/WHITE/RED (or THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE or THE DECALOGUE. Just want him to see some Kieslowski).
Chris - LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (Been tellin' him to see it for a while now...)
Gentile - THE PHANTOM OF LIBERTY (my favorite Bunuel)
Graham - PLAYTIME (feel like he might appreciate this being a Monty Python fan)
Jason - THE LEOPARD MAN (classic horror that still holds up)
John - THE SON (Brandon's on board with it, now I just need Bing to join him)
Lisa - STARDUST MEMORIES (Not sure if she has seen this one or not, but it's great)
5. Is there a film(s) that you once loved (and maybe even purchased) that now makes you question what you ever saw in it?
Oh god...too many. But I'm really not too ashamed of having bought shit like the THE BOONDOCK SAINTS when I was 13 because I didn't know any better then. I was just a stupid little kid. I think one of the slightly more recent films I always thought I loved until I watched it again a year or so ago is DARK CITY. I bought that back in the mid-2000s and used to really dig it, but now I think it's pretty damn dull and that Kiefer Sutherland's overacting annoys the shit out of me. I apologize to the memory of Roger Ebert, but I think DARK CITY is wack.
6. IFC has started releasing films on demand the same day they hit theaters. Would you like more studios to do this or are you afraid it may strike the death knell for movie theaters?
I would love for more independent studios to do this. I think it's a phenomenal idea. As Brandon was saying, it brings availability for smaller market areas such as ours to see foreign films or other art house stuff that would never come near us. I think it would certainly help these films and studios in the long run too because it provides a wide release at an essentially minimal cost. I'm definitely not worried about an On Demand system like this taking over movie theaters. Again to echo Brandon, the major studio systems and their overpriced, overblown blockbusters need a serious shake up. I never want to see movie theaters become obsolete, but I have no problem trimming the budgets, exorbitant actor salaries, and unnecessary spectacle of the hundreds and hundreds of movies the studios shit out each year. Most "big" movies are getting too expensive and too long and there needs to be some breaking point for this trend. Also, if the wave of the future for movie theaters is digital, 3D, 48 fps projectors then count me the fuck out.
7. Favorite movie(s) set during the summertime?
I actually had three movies in mind when formulating this question: SUMMERTIME, REAR WINDOW, and of course, DO THE RIGHT THING. SUMMERTIME, as the name implies, fantastically represents the idyllic beauty of how we'd all dream a summertime retreat in Venice to be (and also the potential loneliness behind the facade). REAR WINDOW and DO THE RIGHT THING are two of the best movies at making the feel of summer truly come to life on screen. And honestly (apart from STRAY DOG), I don't think there's ever been a hotter movie to watch then DO THE RIGHT THING. You can feel the sweat pour off ya just imagining it. It's one of the finest examples of using a season as a setting to enhance and comment on the conflicts inherent in the storyline being portrayed. Probably the quintessential summertime movie.
8. Which director working today do you think would make a great western if given the chance (assuming he/she hasn’t already made one)? Or if you don’t like westerns, which director working today do you think would make a great sci-fi flick (also assuming he/she hasn’t made one yet)?
Given the right script, I do think David Fincher could make a great western. I think he's a talented enough director that he could probably master any genre, even one so complicated as the modern western. Nicholas Winding Refn could probably make a pretty spectacular, stylish, and violent western. I also think Jeff Nichols could make the greatest western of the bunch. Hell, he could even pull a Raoul Walsh and remake SHOTGUN STORIES but just set it in the old west and he'd have one awesome western right there.
9. Describe a perfect moment in a movie (courtesy of Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule).
I think the restaurant scene in BEFORE SUNRISE where Jessie and Celine give fake phone calls to their friends (revealing their feelings for one another) is one of the great romantic moments in film history. It perfectly encapsulates the transparency, emotional candor, and impossible dreaminess of their serendipitous relationship. It's also one of the best moments at capturing the exhilarating and ineffable feeling of a burgeoning love. It makes you feel the excitement of the lived moment and also the quiet melancholy of its transience. Perfect movie moment.
10. Here’s a decent list of movies that came out in 1990: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_in_film
Can you name your top five favorites from the year?
Hate to be the hipster contrarian here (who am I kidding? I love it), but:
1. Close-up
2. Goodfellas
3. Metropolitan
4. Edward Scissorhands
5. Miller’s Crossing
I actually chose 1990 so as to encourage y'all to see CLOSE-UP and METROPOLITAN. Great, great movies.
Younger version of me probably would have had these on the list: DUCKTALES THE MOVIE, ERNEST GOES TO JAIL, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (agree that it's still great), THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER, and TREMORS.
Actors:
James Cagney
Jimmy Stewart
(copying Brandon) Humphrey Bogart/Jean Gabin
Robert Mitchum
William Powell or Cary Grant
I could have easily found room for Max von Sydow, Joseph Cotten, Joel McCrea, Toshiro Mifune, Randolph Scott, John Wayne, Charles Laughton, Robert De Niro, Paul Newman, or Dustin Hoffman. Obviously, that list goes on and on.
Actresses:
Carole Lombard
Veronica Lake
Ginger Rogers
Greta Garbo
Myrna Loy or Arletty
Could have also made room for Gene Tierney, Joan Bennett, Maureen O'Hara, and Joan Fontaine.
My more modern affections are split between Laura Linney and Cate Blanchett.
2. Can you remember the first foreign-language film you saw that made an impact on you? If so, what was it?
I can remember seeing RUN, LOLA, RUN as an early teen and it having a fairly substantial impact on me. It fit right into the sort of "cool cinema" that appealed to me at the time – films that emphasized aesthetics and editing tricks like REQUIEM FOR A DREAM and TRAINSPOTTING. I think it also helped open the floodgates in terms of seeking out new foreign films to see.
As far as foreign art-house classics go, I think 8 1/2 and SEVEN SAMURAI were among the first I saw, and I thought they were both mindblowing. They were like reading Faulkner for the first time – just completely changed my perspective on art and what "cinema" meant to me.
3. Favorite moment in a horror film? Least favorite?
First, I should say that probably my favorite horror sequence takes place near the end of THE SHINING when Wendy is running through the hotel and sees a series of increasingly bizarre imagery from a bear suit sex tryst to a cocktail party of corpses. My mom happened to catch the ending once, and when the blood started pouring from the elevator she turned to me and said "whoever made this is completely sick." And I thought, "well done Stanley."
My favorite scene, however (off the top of my head), is divided between the night stalk scene in CAT PEOPLE and the seance scene in THE CHANGELING. The night stalk scene has one of the best jump scares of all time and also builds tension better than just about any film ever made. The seance scene just creeped the living daylights out of me. I have a hard time even thinking about it without getting a chill.
Now that I think of it, I'm also quite partial to the crucifix masturbation scene in THE EXORCIST – if only for how truly outrageous and shocking it still is to this day.
There are probably many horror film moments that have rubbed me the wrong way. The first that comes to mind is actually two moments in HOSTEL when we find the Japanese girl getting her eyeball drilled out and then her consequently jumping in front of a train. It was just the bitter icing on one truly unpleasant cake, and even the prospect of revenge against these torturers couldn't redeem my sadness.
4. Pick a film for each member of film club that you’d really like for her/him to see.
Adrienne - YOU CAN COUNT ON ME (maybe she's seen this already...)
Ben - AU HASARD BALTHAZAR (I feel like pushing Bresson on Ben for some reason)
Brandon - BLUE/WHITE/RED (or THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE or THE DECALOGUE. Just want him to see some Kieslowski).
Chris - LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (Been tellin' him to see it for a while now...)
Gentile - THE PHANTOM OF LIBERTY (my favorite Bunuel)
Graham - PLAYTIME (feel like he might appreciate this being a Monty Python fan)
Jason - THE LEOPARD MAN (classic horror that still holds up)
John - THE SON (Brandon's on board with it, now I just need Bing to join him)
Lisa - STARDUST MEMORIES (Not sure if she has seen this one or not, but it's great)
5. Is there a film(s) that you once loved (and maybe even purchased) that now makes you question what you ever saw in it?
Oh god...too many. But I'm really not too ashamed of having bought shit like the THE BOONDOCK SAINTS when I was 13 because I didn't know any better then. I was just a stupid little kid. I think one of the slightly more recent films I always thought I loved until I watched it again a year or so ago is DARK CITY. I bought that back in the mid-2000s and used to really dig it, but now I think it's pretty damn dull and that Kiefer Sutherland's overacting annoys the shit out of me. I apologize to the memory of Roger Ebert, but I think DARK CITY is wack.
6. IFC has started releasing films on demand the same day they hit theaters. Would you like more studios to do this or are you afraid it may strike the death knell for movie theaters?
I would love for more independent studios to do this. I think it's a phenomenal idea. As Brandon was saying, it brings availability for smaller market areas such as ours to see foreign films or other art house stuff that would never come near us. I think it would certainly help these films and studios in the long run too because it provides a wide release at an essentially minimal cost. I'm definitely not worried about an On Demand system like this taking over movie theaters. Again to echo Brandon, the major studio systems and their overpriced, overblown blockbusters need a serious shake up. I never want to see movie theaters become obsolete, but I have no problem trimming the budgets, exorbitant actor salaries, and unnecessary spectacle of the hundreds and hundreds of movies the studios shit out each year. Most "big" movies are getting too expensive and too long and there needs to be some breaking point for this trend. Also, if the wave of the future for movie theaters is digital, 3D, 48 fps projectors then count me the fuck out.
7. Favorite movie(s) set during the summertime?
I actually had three movies in mind when formulating this question: SUMMERTIME, REAR WINDOW, and of course, DO THE RIGHT THING. SUMMERTIME, as the name implies, fantastically represents the idyllic beauty of how we'd all dream a summertime retreat in Venice to be (and also the potential loneliness behind the facade). REAR WINDOW and DO THE RIGHT THING are two of the best movies at making the feel of summer truly come to life on screen. And honestly (apart from STRAY DOG), I don't think there's ever been a hotter movie to watch then DO THE RIGHT THING. You can feel the sweat pour off ya just imagining it. It's one of the finest examples of using a season as a setting to enhance and comment on the conflicts inherent in the storyline being portrayed. Probably the quintessential summertime movie.
8. Which director working today do you think would make a great western if given the chance (assuming he/she hasn’t already made one)? Or if you don’t like westerns, which director working today do you think would make a great sci-fi flick (also assuming he/she hasn’t made one yet)?
Given the right script, I do think David Fincher could make a great western. I think he's a talented enough director that he could probably master any genre, even one so complicated as the modern western. Nicholas Winding Refn could probably make a pretty spectacular, stylish, and violent western. I also think Jeff Nichols could make the greatest western of the bunch. Hell, he could even pull a Raoul Walsh and remake SHOTGUN STORIES but just set it in the old west and he'd have one awesome western right there.
9. Describe a perfect moment in a movie (courtesy of Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule).
I think the restaurant scene in BEFORE SUNRISE where Jessie and Celine give fake phone calls to their friends (revealing their feelings for one another) is one of the great romantic moments in film history. It perfectly encapsulates the transparency, emotional candor, and impossible dreaminess of their serendipitous relationship. It's also one of the best moments at capturing the exhilarating and ineffable feeling of a burgeoning love. It makes you feel the excitement of the lived moment and also the quiet melancholy of its transience. Perfect movie moment.
10. Here’s a decent list of movies that came out in 1990: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_in_film
Can you name your top five favorites from the year?
Hate to be the hipster contrarian here (who am I kidding? I love it), but:
1. Close-up
2. Goodfellas
3. Metropolitan
4. Edward Scissorhands
5. Miller’s Crossing
I actually chose 1990 so as to encourage y'all to see CLOSE-UP and METROPOLITAN. Great, great movies.
Younger version of me probably would have had these on the list: DUCKTALES THE MOVIE, ERNEST GOES TO JAIL, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (agree that it's still great), THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER, and TREMORS.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
New Quiz
1. Name your five favorite actors and actresses of all time.
2. Can you remember the first foreign-language film you saw that made an impact on you? If so, what was it?
3. Favorite moment in a horror film? Least favorite?
4. Pick a film for each member of film club that you’d really like for her/him to see.
5. Is there a film(s) that you once loved (and maybe even purchased) that now makes you question what you ever saw in it?
6. IFC has started releasing films on demand the same day they hit theaters. Would you like more studios to do this or are you afraid it may strike the death knell for movie theaters?
7. Favorite movie(s) set during the summertime?
8. Which director working today do you think would make a great western if given the chance (assuming he/she hasn’t already made one)? Or if you don’t like westerns, which director working today do you think would make a great sci-fi flick (also assuming he/she hasn’t made one yet)?
9. Describe a perfect moment in a movie (courtesy of Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule).
10. Here’s a decent list of movies that came out in 1990: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_in_film
Can you name your top five favorites from the year?
2. Can you remember the first foreign-language film you saw that made an impact on you? If so, what was it?
3. Favorite moment in a horror film? Least favorite?
4. Pick a film for each member of film club that you’d really like for her/him to see.
5. Is there a film(s) that you once loved (and maybe even purchased) that now makes you question what you ever saw in it?
6. IFC has started releasing films on demand the same day they hit theaters. Would you like more studios to do this or are you afraid it may strike the death knell for movie theaters?
7. Favorite movie(s) set during the summertime?
8. Which director working today do you think would make a great western if given the chance (assuming he/she hasn’t already made one)? Or if you don’t like westerns, which director working today do you think would make a great sci-fi flick (also assuming he/she hasn’t made one yet)?
9. Describe a perfect moment in a movie (courtesy of Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule).
10. Here’s a decent list of movies that came out in 1990: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_in_film
Can you name your top five favorites from the year?
Friday, June 14, 2013
Pigs and Apocalypses
UPSTREAM COLOR left a strange, glacial feeling inside me. It just kind of sat there like a hulking slab of lead. Its chilly impact may have been enhanced by some unrelated and untoward anxiety I was experiencing while watching it (this is probably the case). But leaving my own personal problems aside for the moment, purely as a film to be consumed, it left me feeling a bit cold and lifeless inside. It's a mostly impressive film, from a technical standpoint, and it successfully elicits the kind of melancholia it portrays while also piquing our curiosity through its abstractions and diffuse narrative structure. It also does feel like it sways somewhere between the transient beauty of THE TREE OF LIFE and the fear and loathing of ERASERHEAD (both pluses). But it gets bogged down by its overly abstracted aloofness and some serious, eye-rolling indie cliches. As smart and impressive as a lot of the filmmaking is here, I can't help but feel that Carruth overburdens himself in a gargantuan effort to appear deeply poetic and solemn. He adheres too much to so many self-consciously indie images and tropes (isn't every fucking indie movie about joyless people trying to rebuild their ruined lives or does it just feel that way? And doesn't every self-serious indie movie create an image like two people cuddling in a bathtub that essentially occurs no where outside of indie movies?). I'm not consciously trying to be too hard on Carruth. I just think that for as talented as he is, he has a few cliched hangups to get over, and for as smart as he is, he still makes some glaringly contrived missteps. I'm still not entirely sold on him as a filmmaker, even as I applaud him for essentially doing everything to get this movie made and released.
To Carruth's credit, he has created a film that is much better than his last effort and infinitely more successful than the similarly-themed sci-fi indie flick ANOTHER EARTH (which I really disliked). He has an ephemeral editing style that remains intact throughout and doesn't make us pine for scenes to drag out longer than they should. We know the rhythms of the film right from the opening, and that's a positive. He also generates some thought-provoking and genuinely cool ideas, like the suggestion that these mealworms can create a connective fabric between two of their carriers (sharing memories or feelings) and sort of lifeline between two species (loved the last shots with the pigs). And decidedly, there's a lot to unpack in the narrative because it is so enigmatic and equivocal. I thought Brandon did an admirable job breaking down a lot of what was happening in the film, and I don't really have much more to add. I think it's entirely possible to figure out much of this film after one viewing, as long as you are connecting the dots and following along diligently. So, in that way, it's not so abstract that its indecipherable. Anyone who thinks this is simple obscurantism is wrong.
I'd say overall I was impressed by UPSTREAM COLOR, though I'm hardly in awe of it. It's perhaps too elusive and somehow stunted for me to fully connect to. I greatly prefer the complexities of LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE to it (and, yes, for the record, John, it is indeed as complex as I described - probably more so :) ). Still, I can see why it has its many stalwart advocates.
I have a pretty strong affinity for THIS IS THE END already. It's easily my favorite film of the year so far (beating out the only other two I've seen in UPSTREAM COLOR and STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS). It's frequently laugh-out-loud hilarious and, at the very least, pervasively amusing throughout. It's definitely up there with best genre/comedy mash-ups of recent times. It's also the spiritual twin of PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, and it delivers the same amount of hysterical banter, self-deprecating meta-awareness, and endearing male bonding that made PINEAPPLE so much fun. Honestly, if you enjoyed PINEAPPLE EXPRESS and SUPERBAD, then you'll love this. If you didn't like either of those or can't stand the guys involved, then just skip it entirely. It doesn't tread radically new ground for Rogen and Co. but continues in a lot of the same patterns they've been developing for years. Yet, for lovers of this pattern, it's terrifically executed. It's definitively hilarious and probably one of the best times you could have at the theaters this summer. I've got nothing else to really say about it, other than to encourage those interested to see it with some friends and cut loose.
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In other film news, I'm worried about MAN OF STEEL. I'm still going to see it soon, but all the negative reviews (especially those suggesting it falls into generic blockbuster and run-of-the-mill superhero territory all too easily) have really cooled my excitement. We shall see.
I'm infinitely more excited for BEFORE MIDNIGHT. Next weekend, y'all?
Brandon asked me to do another film quiz. I've been slacking on coming up with questions, but I'll have one up soon hopefully.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Beyond the Hills Into Darkness
Brandon, great post on BEYOND THE HILLS. I'm glad you found it as rich, complex, and engrossing as I did. I deserve that little dig for giving a caveat over the film's length and deliberate pacing haha. It doesn't move any more leisurely than your average art film, and truly there isn't a lot of dead space where nothing's happening to warrant such a warning. It remains intense and searingly complex through just about every scene. I was just worried its length and pacing might turn some people off of it. I'm glad that wasn't the case for you.
Your analysis of the film's content is basically spot-on, at least in terms of how I similarly read what was happening. We seemed to attack it from a homogenous angle. Obviously, our biggest initial disagreement was over the nature of Mungiu's "condemnation" of the institutions he portrays (or lack thereof). When I first finished watching it, I didn't get the sense that he was really condemning anyone or anything. I just felt his frustration and maybe his despair over the muck he finds pervading our modern societal disposition. But then as I've thought more about this, by the very fact that he suggests that we are all in "muck," there would have to be some condemnation. The final shot (which is certainly deliberate, and brilliant, in my opinion) is a sort of definitive visual condemnation; it's also intensely, painfully aware. I think he's saying that we are in a hell of a quagmire concerning the incompatibility of our institutions, and there's no apparent way of escaping it. The problem is not just this orthodox religion that seems antiquated and backwards within modernity, but the modern society that can hardly accept it. Medical institutions don't come across any better than the religion here. Neither shows any real capacity to handle the problem of Alina. You are completely right and succinct when you say here: "Both parties struggle to THINK up rational resolutions in the suffocating blur of emotion clouding each character’s judgment until tragedy finally strikes." Well said. I was gearing myself up for a solid discussion with you about how the film is not condemnatory, but I see now that you were right all along. There's no invective here; Mungiu is by no means preaching or trying to proselytize; he's just upset and frustrated, and he expresses it through a general outcry against the various guilty parties involved.
I think it's truly fascinating that at the heart of BEYOND THE HILLS we have a thwarted love story between two women. The religion, the hospital, the cops, the entire world surrounding the orthodox compound – they are all caught by Alina and Voichita's central, incommunicable predicament.
The religion and the nuns involved in it aren't evil; they just doesn't understand Alina's problem nor do they understand how to deal with her. The hospital isn't any different. You're right in saying that much of their irrationality towards her stems from their fear of her. They are much too powerless to have a reasonable or helpful solution for her. And Alina's reaction towards them is just as much irrational. She is also guilty of not understanding or for not willing to be.
So, yeah, there's definitely condemnation here. There is also a distance from the material in the way much the film is shot and framed, as if a "laying things bare and leaving you to ponder their consequences" type thing were happening. Mungiu's clearly frustrated by what has taken place in the film, and I read that last shot as him basically throwing up his hands in bewilderment, asking us all, "what the hell do we do?" I think he's an immensely talented and intelligent filmmaker, and that BEYOND THE HILLS is even better than 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS. I too am glad that he shows so much bravado in choosing provocative and controversial subject matter for his films. He's definitely not shy, and he's incredibly confidant based of the sheer artistry and audacity involved in his first two films. I already can't wait for his next one.
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In other recent film news, I thought STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS was a solid continuation of the first film. It's silly and contains many outlandish set pieces and narrative contrivances, but it's mostly thrilling throughout and, very importantly, it recreates much of the first film's sense of insouciance and playfulness between characters. I wasn't looking for much else from it other than to avoid boredom, and it didn't disappoint in this regard. Good, weightless fun.
THIS IS FORTY was largely disappointing, but to be honest, I wasn't expecting all that much from it. I'm still a huge fan of KNOCKED UP, but I'm about ready to give up on Apatow as a director after FUNNY PEOPLE and now this mess of a film. THIS IS FORTY is just as bloated and cloying as the worst parts of FUNNY PEOPLE, but it was somehow less funny and more aimless. It has no real sense of narrative cohesion or direction, and hardly anything compelling to say that isn't already obvious from observing most families. Also, as Brandon mentioned, it suffers irreparably from being nearly impossible to connect to unless you are incredibly wealthy. Apatow has written so much of his privileged status into his films lately that he's lost sight of what makes a story compelling.
There is, however, a single profound shot in the movie with one of the daughters playing with her keyboard while her parents are arguing in the next room, and apart from a few decent Paul Rudd jokes, it is easily the strongest moment of this otherwise dull, futile film. Apatow needs to step out of the coziness of his mansion and mingle with the people again real soon.
I don't really have a lot to write about LIFE OF PI. I enjoyed most of it, and there are even a few moments that I found in it to be quite beautiful and moving. It looks sharp, and it's a decent adventure story. That's really all I've got to say about it haha.
School is all done in a week or so. I don't leave for Philadelphia until late August, and I won't be working for the time in between. That should give me plenty of time to get more blogging in. Hopefully you'll see more from me on here.
Your analysis of the film's content is basically spot-on, at least in terms of how I similarly read what was happening. We seemed to attack it from a homogenous angle. Obviously, our biggest initial disagreement was over the nature of Mungiu's "condemnation" of the institutions he portrays (or lack thereof). When I first finished watching it, I didn't get the sense that he was really condemning anyone or anything. I just felt his frustration and maybe his despair over the muck he finds pervading our modern societal disposition. But then as I've thought more about this, by the very fact that he suggests that we are all in "muck," there would have to be some condemnation. The final shot (which is certainly deliberate, and brilliant, in my opinion) is a sort of definitive visual condemnation; it's also intensely, painfully aware. I think he's saying that we are in a hell of a quagmire concerning the incompatibility of our institutions, and there's no apparent way of escaping it. The problem is not just this orthodox religion that seems antiquated and backwards within modernity, but the modern society that can hardly accept it. Medical institutions don't come across any better than the religion here. Neither shows any real capacity to handle the problem of Alina. You are completely right and succinct when you say here: "Both parties struggle to THINK up rational resolutions in the suffocating blur of emotion clouding each character’s judgment until tragedy finally strikes." Well said. I was gearing myself up for a solid discussion with you about how the film is not condemnatory, but I see now that you were right all along. There's no invective here; Mungiu is by no means preaching or trying to proselytize; he's just upset and frustrated, and he expresses it through a general outcry against the various guilty parties involved.
I think it's truly fascinating that at the heart of BEYOND THE HILLS we have a thwarted love story between two women. The religion, the hospital, the cops, the entire world surrounding the orthodox compound – they are all caught by Alina and Voichita's central, incommunicable predicament.
The religion and the nuns involved in it aren't evil; they just doesn't understand Alina's problem nor do they understand how to deal with her. The hospital isn't any different. You're right in saying that much of their irrationality towards her stems from their fear of her. They are much too powerless to have a reasonable or helpful solution for her. And Alina's reaction towards them is just as much irrational. She is also guilty of not understanding or for not willing to be.
So, yeah, there's definitely condemnation here. There is also a distance from the material in the way much the film is shot and framed, as if a "laying things bare and leaving you to ponder their consequences" type thing were happening. Mungiu's clearly frustrated by what has taken place in the film, and I read that last shot as him basically throwing up his hands in bewilderment, asking us all, "what the hell do we do?" I think he's an immensely talented and intelligent filmmaker, and that BEYOND THE HILLS is even better than 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS. I too am glad that he shows so much bravado in choosing provocative and controversial subject matter for his films. He's definitely not shy, and he's incredibly confidant based of the sheer artistry and audacity involved in his first two films. I already can't wait for his next one.
-----------
In other recent film news, I thought STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS was a solid continuation of the first film. It's silly and contains many outlandish set pieces and narrative contrivances, but it's mostly thrilling throughout and, very importantly, it recreates much of the first film's sense of insouciance and playfulness between characters. I wasn't looking for much else from it other than to avoid boredom, and it didn't disappoint in this regard. Good, weightless fun.
THIS IS FORTY was largely disappointing, but to be honest, I wasn't expecting all that much from it. I'm still a huge fan of KNOCKED UP, but I'm about ready to give up on Apatow as a director after FUNNY PEOPLE and now this mess of a film. THIS IS FORTY is just as bloated and cloying as the worst parts of FUNNY PEOPLE, but it was somehow less funny and more aimless. It has no real sense of narrative cohesion or direction, and hardly anything compelling to say that isn't already obvious from observing most families. Also, as Brandon mentioned, it suffers irreparably from being nearly impossible to connect to unless you are incredibly wealthy. Apatow has written so much of his privileged status into his films lately that he's lost sight of what makes a story compelling.
There is, however, a single profound shot in the movie with one of the daughters playing with her keyboard while her parents are arguing in the next room, and apart from a few decent Paul Rudd jokes, it is easily the strongest moment of this otherwise dull, futile film. Apatow needs to step out of the coziness of his mansion and mingle with the people again real soon.
I don't really have a lot to write about LIFE OF PI. I enjoyed most of it, and there are even a few moments that I found in it to be quite beautiful and moving. It looks sharp, and it's a decent adventure story. That's really all I've got to say about it haha.
School is all done in a week or so. I don't leave for Philadelphia until late August, and I won't be working for the time in between. That should give me plenty of time to get more blogging in. Hopefully you'll see more from me on here.
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