View Full Version : The 11th Hall of Fame
Guaporense
09-23-16, 01:03 AM
Samurai Rebellion (1967)
https://projectedperspectives.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/mv5bmtk5ndu5ndy4nv5bml5banbnxkftztcwmzqzmtmwnw-_v1_sx640_sy720_.jpg
A very dry movie in my opinion. While tragic its impact felt a bit diluted in the minimalistic manner it was portrayed. While I loved Kobayashi's movies a few years ago apparently my tastes evolved through the consumption of enormous quantities of Japanese narratives. Now what once felt cool and exotic Japanese film, now feels like an outdated work that does not resonate in our own times (I think I should nominate a modern Japanese film like Kamikaze Girls (2004) to show how Japanese cultural aesthetics have evolved between the 60's and the 2000's.
Still maybe the fact that I watched this while being sick and with a headache negatively influenced my opinion of it. Its acting and directing are very good and the movie was carefully filmed and edited: I do not find anything wrong about it. However, while it's a very polished movie its drama didn't resonate with me, so that I did not care at all for the characters, although I was a bit moved in the end.
Miss Vicky
09-23-16, 02:59 AM
http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/bringingupbaby.gif
Bringing Up Baby (Howard Hawks, 1938)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029947/?ref_=nv_sr_1)
Date Watched: 9/22/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 11th MoFo Hall of Fame
Rewatch: Yes, though I've not seen it since childhood and remember almost nothing about it
I hated everything about this movie: Every scene, every character, every line of dialogue. How this is considered one of the film greats is beyond me. David and Susan are possibly the two most aggravating film characters I've ever seen. He's a bumbling, spineless moron who spews made-up bullsh!t phrases and I don't believe for a moment that he's any kind of scientist. But he's a paleontologist? Spare me. "Intercostal clavicle"? F*** you.
As for her, I can't decide whether this bitch is crazy, stupid, or a combination of the two. What I do know is that I wanted to punch her repeatedly in the face from the moment she appeared on screen to the film's final scene. The supporting characters are not much better, but at least I didn't feel any violent urges towards them.
There were moments when I actually wanted to cry at how painful this was to endure. I'm going to be generous and give it one popcorn box on the off-chance that there was some sort of semi-redeeming feature somewhere in this mess that I missed.
http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/headdesk.gif
Sorry, Camo.
1
MovieMeditation
09-23-16, 05:22 AM
I'm not as afraid about what to nominate now. No way it's gonna be worse received by anyone than that right there. :eek:
Have you decided what you are nominating yet MM?
MovieMeditation
09-23-16, 05:35 AM
Have you decided what you are nominating yet MM?
More or less, yeah.
But to be sure I'll possibly revisit it later and then post the nom before the end of today, friday. I hope that's okay with y'all.
Also, I just bought my first movie ever for a Hall of Fame. Flowers or War. Usually I get movies from elsewhere, but with my new 65 OLED tv and a movie like that for only about $2 on blu-ray, I simply had to go and buy it. :up:
rauldc14
09-23-16, 05:52 AM
That was a brutal review of Bringing Up Baby. I remember enjoying it quite well.
Miss Vicky
09-23-16, 05:55 AM
I was actually rather surprised at how much I hated it. I vaguely remember liking it as a kid. Perhaps I just liked the animals.
rauldc14
09-23-16, 11:44 AM
I'm pretty sure it's a top ten 30's film for me.
Now I gotta see Bringing Up Baby.
Citizen Rules
09-23-16, 12:47 PM
Now I gotta see Bringing Up Baby. Ditto, I'll be watching that one tonight. Hint to all, it's a screwball comedy;) So farcical situations and crazy characters are to be expected. (That sorta sounded like Mark f...Oh well, I'm in good company then.):)
Miss Vicky
09-23-16, 12:50 PM
It's meant to be a comedy, but it's not funny. It's just annoying, which is probably why it bombed when it was released.
Citizen Rules
09-23-16, 12:58 PM
They use to say that Katherine Hepburn was box office poison. Meaning the audiences didn't like her and her early films didn't do well. It almost killed her career as she was just too different of a type to fit into mainstream films. Now a days everyone loves Kate, but I'm not really a fan of hers. Oh sure I think she's one of the great actresses, but it wasn't tell she got older that I started liking her. So it'll be interesting (at least to me) if I like this one or not. The plus side is it has Cary Grant and I have liked him in everything I've seen him in.
Your review reminded me of my assessment of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? when I saw it a few years ago. I was absolutely annoyed by those characters, which completely turned me off from the film.
I've been trying to keep from posting in these lately, but this may be worth a laugh. Classic screwball comedy doesn't get much screwier than this. Paleontologist David (Cary Grant) receives the intercostal clavicle of a brontosaurus which will complete his reconstruction of the fossil dinosaur for his museum and proceeds to the golf course to try to obtain a million dollars from the lawyer of a rich benefactor. He immediately becomes entangled with flighty Susan (Katharine Hepburn) who just happens to be the niece of the benefactor (May Robson). Susan is taking care of her brother's pet leopard Baby, and when David visits her home, Baby escapes and the family dog becomes interested in David's bone and proceeds to take and bury it somewhere. What started out as manic turns into insanity as a visiting big game hunter (Charlie Ruggles) tries to hunt the leopard, and another, wild leopard gets added into the mix. Grant is an expert farceur here and plays well against Hepburn's slightly-quieter, yet equally-outrageous manner. There is no doubt that there's sexual attraction between the two leads, at least as much as possible between scientific "Dr. Bone" who "just went gay all of a sudden" and a 12-year-old girl running around in a 30-year-old's body. (Trust me, that last line makes sense.) Screwball comedies are basically romantic comedies at heart, but they just try to disarm you with crazy laughter before you accept the fact that the couple is a match made in heaven... or at least in this case, movie heaven. Or in Miss Vicky's case, movie hell. :cool:
Miss Vicky
09-23-16, 01:49 PM
Your review reminded me of my assessment of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? when I saw it a few years ago. I was absolutely annoyed by those characters, which completely turned me off from the film.
I found the characters in Virginia Woolf irritating too, but much less so than in this.
Your review reminded me of my assessment of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? when I saw it a few years ago. I was absolutely annoyed by those characters, which completely turned me off from the film.
I could totally see that, I loved it though. The writing is so sharp, brilliant.
MovieMeditation
09-23-16, 06:45 PM
God dammit, I'm so on the fence about what to nominate... :(
Hurry up or i'm nominating Kazaam for you.
cricket
09-23-16, 06:59 PM
Check in more often Mark!
MM, just nominate Rec and get it over with.
Seriously man, don't overthink it you'll drive yourself insane.
The Flowers of War (Yimou Zhang, 2011)
So, what to say about this?
Technically speaking is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen! The cinematography is always amazing with some really breathtaking moments. The soundtrack is fantastic, especially the constant constrast (and in the end, mix), between scared western polyphony and chinese folk music. I mean, the end credits song just blew my mind.
The acting is nice by everyone involved, especially by the leader of prostitutes, Mo, and Bale of course.
Now, the theme by itself should have had a greater impact on me. I felt I was watching a Spielberg film (though a lot better made), in the way that I always felt it needed more sincerity and more heaviness, especially considering that it was based of the Rape of Nanking, a terrifying real story per se.
It is a fine movie, that it's not very hard to watch and that's precisely its greatest issue.
rating_3_5 +
Didn't read you review because i haven't seen it but this popped out at me:
Technically speaking is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen!
Glad that's the case, Hero is one of the most beautiful films i've ever seen and i think i largely ignore some of its other flaws because of this, so i'm looking forward to Flowers of War.
Every film except Bashu (if it actually exists), Ronin and whatever MM nominates which i'm going to put a timer on soon has been reviewed.
Citizen Rules
09-23-16, 10:43 PM
It's not a dark or disturbing film, but it's not really about the rape of Peking...It's more about the diametrically opposed groups of Chinese girls: one group of prostitutes, the other school girls. The war is just the focal point to bring them together, so they along with a formerly unscrupulous Christian Bale have to learn to work together.
It reminds me of a French film called, Au revoir les enfants 'Goodbye Children' (1987) which is set during the Nazi occupation of France but focuses on how the war causes conflicts in the lives of several boys at a Catholic boarding school.
It's not a dark or disturbing film, but it's not really about the rape of Peking...It's more about the diametrically opposed groups of Chinese girls: one group of prostitutes, the other school girls. The war is just the focal point to bring them together, so they along with a formerly unscrupulous Christian Bale have to learn to work together.
It reminds me of a French film called, Au revoir les enfants 'Goodbye Children' (1987) which is set during the Nazi occupation of France but focuses on how the war causes conflicts in the lives of several boys at a Catholic boarding school.
Yes, it is about that but it doesn't go deep into the morality of the value of each life as sacred, prostitute or catholic children! It's a movie that should make me think, it should depress me, and it didn't... :/
Of course, it's absolutely spectacular from the technical and cinematic point of view!
MovieMeditation
09-24-16, 05:05 AM
Every film except Bashu (if it actually exists), Ronin and whatever MM nominates which i'm going to put a timer on soon has been reviewed.
If you don't stop pushing me I'll nominate Quarantine, so better back off'! :D
If you don't stop pushing me I'll nominate Quarantine, so better back off'! :D
haha. Nah, try to do it by some time tomorrow if you can.
MovieMeditation
09-24-16, 09:03 AM
Yeah, I'm sorry for the wait.
I planned this whole weekend off for movie watching, relaxing etc etc and then something came up that had me really busy and also out of reach from my tv. But I'm between two choices now and I'm pretty sure which one I'm leaning towards. I hope to reveal it soon.
Guaporense
09-24-16, 02:13 PM
God dammit, I'm so on the fence about what to nominate... :(
http://www.impawards.com/2003/posters/boat_trip_ver4_xlg.jpg
Citizen Rules
09-24-16, 02:34 PM
http://www.reelworldtheology.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/mrk003.jpg
Moonrise Kingdom(Wes Anderson, 2012)
What I really like about MoFo is the diversity of the films the MoFos like. A couple of years ago when I first joined MoFo, I was pretty well versed in classic Hollywood 1930s-1950s films, but I hadn't really watch much in the way of newer indie stuff. So in the last couple years, I've have grown as a film fan and learned to like directors & films that I never would have liked before. All thanks to MoFo:)
I'm glad Raul nominated this one! I had previously seen only two other Wes Anderson films. After not caring much for The Grand Budapest Hotel, I almost wrote off Wes Anderson as a goofy director that I don't like. But then I watched his The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) and liked it pretty well. So I was glad to see Raul nominate another Wes Anderson film.
Moonlight Kingdom I liked it as it was different, very different. My favorite scenes were when Sam and Suzy escape into the wilderness. I liked the feeling of two ostracized people at odds with the world around them, making their 'own world' in the wilderness on a remote island. The whole Scouting bit was cleverly done. Those two made an odd pair! Suzy reminded me of Christina Ricci in The Adams Family...And Sam, the overtly smart kid who's disliked by his own Scout troupe due to his lack of social skills, was annoyingly good. It was fun watching those two misfits interacting as they escaped reality.I just wished there was more of that in the film.
Because after their capture, so much stuff happens, with so many different sets, so many different characters, so much stuff, that my mind glazed over and I was no longer in the film.
I loved the brightly pastel-diffusion look of the film. And I loved the cinema style of 'flying' through house walls and quickly panning to each person as they speak. Visually Wes Anderson is a genius. And the man has amazing ideas for stories his very creative and unique. But IMO he needs to stop writing his own films. His weakness seems to be in developing too many characters and in not knowing when to say enough is enough. Towards the end of the film we get every visual trick that he could muster, which I found distracting and it took away from the story telling of the film.
Still, I enjoyed it and very glad to have seen it:)
Another person down on Wes's dialogue. That's a bummer. I adore his films above anything else in cinema, but if I had to choose between his abandonment of directing or writing, I would choose directing every time. I love his dry sharp wit. I could listen to his characters talk all day. While watchimg I think I wish I could write like that. I believe I could be a millionaire and feel fulfilled if I could capture that spark.
Citizen Rules
09-24-16, 02:59 PM
Another person down on Wes's dialogue. That's a bummer. Oh no, I didn't mean the dialogue was bad, I meant the story elements were lacking with too many superfluous characters and too many superfluous scenes, and not enough meat.
It's hard for me to explain. I liked the way Suzy and Sam talked, yes it wasn't natural, and I'm glad of it. It was highly stylized and unique. I got a kick out of it.
Wes lost me, when all the other characters started appearing after Suzy and Sam were captured. It just felt like he has so many ideas in his head that he had to put all of them into the movie. But I believe less is more.
Glad you enjoyed it Citizen. I'm watching Bringing Up Baby in about an hour.
Citizen Rules
09-24-16, 03:01 PM
Glad you enjoyed it Citizen. I'm watching Bringing Up Baby in about an hour.I'm watching that one tonight. I'm glad you nominated it, as otherwise nothing of classic Hollywood would have been represented in the 11th. I like at least one old film:p
I'm watching that one tonight. I'm glad you nominated it, as otherwise nothing of classic Hollywood would have been represented in the 11th. I like at least one old film:p
Your my best hope to like it, so don't fail me :p. Think Sean might have not sure if you've seen it?
Citizen Rules
09-24-16, 03:05 PM
I seen Bringing Up Baby like 12-15 years ago, when I was first getting into old movies. I was luke warm to it at the time, but my taste has broadened since then and I'm sure it will be enjoyable...And I'm glad Mark wrote about the synopsis, as I had totally forgotten what the movie was about.
Oh no, I didn't mean the dialogue was bad, I meant the story elements were lacking with too many superfluous characters and too many superfluous scenes, and not enough meat.
It's hard for me to explain. I liked the way Suzy and Sam talked, yes it wasn't natural, and I'm glad of it. It was highly stylized and unique. I got a kick out of it.
Wes lost me, when all the other characters started appearing after Suzy and Sam were captured. It just felt like he has so many ideas in his head that he had to put all of them into the movie. But I believe less is more.
I don't know how many people here like the old Rocky & Bullwinkle show. I loved it, because of the writing, shocking I know. It just occurred to me that Wes Anderson's stories remind me of a more fleshed out and refined version of fractured fairy tales, which was a segment on that show. He does get zany towards his third acts but I love the energy that comes with that. I also find it very amusing, which helps.
Citizen Rules
09-24-16, 03:25 PM
I don't know how many people here like the old Rocky & Bullwinkle show. I loved it, because of the writing, shocking I know. It just occurred to me that Wes Anderson's stories remind me of a more fleshed out and refined version of fractured fairy tales, which was a segment on that show. He does get zany towards his third acts but I love the energy that comes with that. I also find it very amusing, which helps. I watched Rocky & Bullwinkle as a kid, but I don't remember it. By far my favorite dialogue driven film is The Sweet Smell of Success.
I find Wes Anderson films amusing and clever, lots of clever little set designs and stuff happening in them. Which would make them very rewatchable, and probably help one to understand the many characters better.
At one point I rewound the DVD a minute back(rewound isn't the correct term I know)...And when I watched that minute over I spotted stuff in the background that I had never seen before.
Did you like The Life Aquatic? That's my favorite of his so far. BTW my wife really like Moonrise Kingdom.
I love Life Aquatic despite it being my least fave of his. I love them all.
Life Aquatic and Darjeeling are the only ones i wasn't crazy about but i've only seen them once. Wes ranked for me:
01.Fantastic Mr Fox
02.Rushmore
03.Moonrise Kingdom
04.Bottle Rocket
05.The Grand Budapest Hotel
06.The Royal Tenenbaums
07.The Darjeeling Limited
08.The Life Aquatic With Steve Zizzou
Also really random but i came across this the other day and was a bit surprised. Scorsese had Bottle Rocket as the 7th best film of the 90s. It was in a thing where him a Ebert came up with their top tens. Their lists
Ebert:
1. "Hoop Dreams" (top ten doc)
2. "Pulp Fiction" (like it a lot but not a favourite)
3. "GoodFellas" (great)
4. "Fargo" (great)
5. "Three Colors Trilogy": "Blue," "White," and "Red" (Red is one of my favourite films, like Blue a lot, need to rewatch White only seen it once and didn't like it much)
6. "Schindler's List" (still haven't seen)
7. "Breaking the Waves" ((need to rewatch this as i said in my writeup i don't have a clue if i loved or hated this)
8. "Leaving Las Vegas" (meh)
9. "Malcolm X" (can't really remember it)
10. "JFK" (good film, i never notice the length)
Scorsese:
1. "Horse Thief" (not seen)
2. "The Thin Red Line" (my favourite Malick so far, great film)
3. "A Borrowed Life" (never heard of)
4. "Eyes Wide Shut" (need to rewatch wasn't a fan)
5. "Bad Lieutenant" (barely remember it)
6. "Breaking the Waves" (see Eberts list)
7. "Bottle Rocket" (Great)
8. "Crash" (not seen)
9. "Fargo" (great
10. "Malcolm X" and "Heat" (tie) (heat is really good)
http://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/ebert-and-scorsese-best-films-of-the-1990s
MovieMeditation
09-24-16, 04:09 PM
Moonrise Kingdom
Wes Anderson goes west with some foster parents and a son, his new love, her family, a cop, his affair with her mother, a scout leader, his troup and a whole bunch of other characters in this cascade of major catastrophic events on this otherwise minor island in the middle of god damn nowhere...
In authentic Anderson fashion, Wes dresses up his quirky characters in charismatic fashion with calculated problems to the waist line and places all of them in a place with very little space and a dose of off-shore satire and subjective humor. No one does Anderson like Anderson and his style of writing, visuals and soundtrack is super easy to identity and almost impossible to redefine or duplicate and I admire that about him. 'Moonrise Kingdom' is no different in any of these departments, but despite not being atypical Anderson, it is still the suggestive abnormal Anderson all-around, whether you like that or not.
Personally I do enjoy his works, but subjectively he is the life action answer to Miyazaki films. I sometimes find myself stuffed to the brim with sensory inputs from every direction to the point of disorientation - something that sometimes lifts the film and other times it degrades itself downwards from its own high-flying expressions. Anyways, the visuals are arguably Anderson at his most playful yet, which suits the youthful and mysterious spirit of the movie. The images are still of the familiar static nature, but the look of the actual nature combined with the colossal colorful vision of the cinematography, really makes the compact look feel grand. Anderson's cinematic style still channels the idea of a real life doll house, where Anderson can place and play around with the people of his movie exactly as he pleases and move them around organically inside this little film adaptation of his mind. The images are endlessly impressive and entertaining to escape into, where his characters either stick to the image or act as stick figures to the story.
Now that we are at the story, I love the idea of Anderson's imagination being intergrated with a younger cast and a youthful story about young love. Having the main characters take on the "camping trip of a life time" with love and luring dangers duelling in the battle of forbidden feelings, adventures and emotions is just brilliant. The story structure is tightly vowen together in the vein of the visuals, but despite of the plot constantly progressing in an almost chaotically wild and weird way, it never loses a single step - at least not in the mind of the director. Anderson seems in control of his chaos at all times and whatever he is doing might not appeal to all but it is easy to admire and respect. The writing of the dialogue is just as precise as the plot and the attention to detail is almost obsessive in nature - an element to Anderson's filmography that might frustrate some audiences and fuel others. Personally I'm equally persistent and perfectionistic with my writings, so obviously I'm very fond of his pin-point plot structure and bullet point thematic flow. Anderson might be the most fluent off-beat auteur I can recall at the moment, whatever that means, exactly.
'Moonrise Kingdom' is like a fantasy tale of factual happenings, filled with enough heart and soul filmmaking to stimulate the senses and a story simple enough to follow and a core sophisticated enough to feel. Anderson is never on the wall about the emotions of his characters and they often appear more quirky than complicated. But it isn't about the level of each element but the layering of them. The weird may first in line, but the humane lies just beneath the surface. Admittedly, Anderson is not about creating complex characters, per say, more complex worlds, but the small hints of all the hidden things is hugely rewarding when you do catch it. Some are obviously obvious and some are even played up front for laughs, like the depression of Suzy's father - but you are still given a glimpse big enough to develop the darker side of it yourself and I liked that a lot.
The humane aspect is very much alike that of a depressed stand-up comedian - a very loud and jokingly funny attitude but the cracks may show at a few occassions even if he or she will try to hide it - actually that is often the most complex state of such emotions, but they may not adapt to the screen the way we want it to. However, back to the movie, there is no doubt Anderson's movies are about the world building, quirky characters, complex writing and weirdly costructed visuals - and I got to say, despite the problems I have, most of the times I love living in Anderson's world for those 90 minutes or more.
http://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/review/primary_image/reviews/moonrise-kingdom-2012/hero_EB20120530REVIEWS120539997AR.jpg
4-
cricket
09-24-16, 04:11 PM
I liked Fantastic Mr. Fox the most, and it did well on my animation list. I'd have to go with Rushmore next, followed closely by Moonrise Kingdom, followed closely by Grand Budapest Hotel.
cricket
09-24-16, 04:13 PM
I liked this little exchange-
The girl- "Was he a good dog?"
The boy- "Who's to say?"
I forget the names lol
Guaporense
09-24-16, 05:02 PM
Also really random but i came across this the other day and was a bit surprised. Scorsese had Bottle Rocket as the 7th best film of the 90s. It was in a thing where him a Ebert came up with their top tens. Their lists
Ebert:
1. "Hoop Dreams" (top ten doc)
2. "Pulp Fiction" (like it a lot but not a favourite)
3. "GoodFellas" (great)
4. "Fargo" (great)
5. "Three Colors Trilogy": "Blue," "White," and "Red" (Red is one of my favourite films, like Blue a lot, need to rewatch White only seen it once and didn't like it much)
6. "Schindler's List" (still haven't seen)
7. "Breaking the Waves" ((need to rewatch this as i said in my writeup i don't have a clue if i loved or hated this)
8. "Leaving Las Vegas" (meh)
9. "Malcolm X" (can't really remember it)
10. "JFK" (good film, i never notice the length)
Scorsese:
1. "Horse Thief" (not seen)
2. "The Thin Red Line" (my favourite Malick so far, great film)
3. "A Borrowed Life" (never heard of)
4. "Eyes Wide Shut" (need to rewatch wasn't a fan)
5. "Bad Lieutenant" (barely remember it)
6. "Breaking the Waves" (see Eberts list)
7. "Bottle Rocket" (Great)
8. "Crash" (not seen)
9. "Fargo" (great
10. "Malcolm X" and "Heat" (tie) (heat is really good)
http://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/ebert-and-scorsese-best-films-of-the-1990s
And Guaporense's top 10 of the 90's:
1st. Princess Mononoke
2nd. Porco Rosso
3rd. Only Yesterday
4th. The Matrix
5th. Eyes Wide Shut
6th. Schindler's List
7th. Ghost in the Shell
8th. Satantango
9th. Dreams (Akira Kurosawa)
10th. Three Colors Red
:D
Camo's (probably)
01.Unforgiven
02.Naked
03.My Cousin Vinny
04.Princess Mononoke (one in common Guap :highfive:)
05.Goodfellas
06.A Perfect World
07.Three Colours; Red (one in common Ebert :highfive:)
08.SE7EN
09.Dazed and Confused
10.Dead Man
Replaced Le Cercle Rouge with MM's nom he just sent me in the second post.
Not seen it yet but i've wanted to. Think its on Netflix so it'll be soon most likely.
Ida has been on my watchlist since it got out, so niiiiice nom, MM!
MovieMeditation
09-24-16, 05:48 PM
Now we got a HoF with TWO modern pretentious character journey movies shot blatanly in black and white. :D
Hope y'all dig the nom!
Citizen Rules
09-24-16, 05:57 PM
Ida (Pawel Pawilikowski, 2013) Nominated By MovieMeditation
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PYXnGlMds-c/Vp3ZCe1dHzI/AAAAAAAABko/kaLz9CuSh0Q/s400/IDA%2B%25282013%2B%2529.jpg
Very nice! MM...That was also a film that I've been mulling over watching, glad to see it. This is going to be a tight Hof and 1st place is up for grabs. So many fine noms:)
Looks interesting, MM. Not on my netflix, guess I get to do some more hunting.
That's all from me tonight, guys. See you tomorrow!
cricket
09-24-16, 06:09 PM
Haven't seen Ida before. Looks good, on Hulu.
Ida was really solid. The cinematography is aaaaamaze balls.
Bringing Up Baby - 5
https://s21.postimg.org/ja1eghgt3/baby.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/bu24uot3n/)
Haven't visited this in a while but i knew it would remain a favourite because it is an amazing film. One of the main criticisms of this is that it isn't funny. While i don't agree that it is unfunny even if it was it wouldn't bother me. I don't think it is absolutely hilarious, i don't laugh out loud much now i've seen it a few times but there's so much more i love about the movie that this doesn't matter. There's just something i love about how far out the farce goes, how this turns into a absurdly wacky adventure, i find it so fun. Everytime i return to it i have a good time. I find that Susan and David have intense chemistry, and the fact that they are polar opposites and that David does seem to have genuine contempt for Susan mixed in with his obvious feelings gives the romance a fresh and intriguing turn. I love their interactions, the witty and contemptous banter, i love the idea that someone like Susan Vance could exist. I love that the film makes me empathise with Davids feelings of annoyance towards Susan yet it somehow at the same time makes me find Susan extremely charming and endearing which is a gross contradiction but this film somehow makes it a reality for me. I thoroughly enjoy their wacky adventures and genuinely get a great sense of adventure and excitement out of them. These are just some of the reasons that me not finding this laugh a minute funny is of no importance whatsoever in my enjoyment of this film.
Susan Vance is just the best ever. I know she is often the main problem people have with the film but i don't care. She is probably my second favourite female character in film after Scarlett O'Hara. She's not exactly a progressive, positive representation a female but she is so fun and loveable and i want to marry her then divorce her a few weeks later after she drives me insane, keeping her as a friend but only on Twitter because i can only deal with her in short but delightfully nuts bursts. She is so childish, needy and actually pretty vindictive. Her fascination with David is fascinating to me, it seems to start off as a childish 'i know i annoy him so i'm going to go out of my way to do so', then of course a series of wacky circumstances forces them to stay together. I really couldn't tell you why she falls for David of vice-versa which feels so odd because i know it does come across but it is difficult to put into words why this is the case. They are somehow perfect for each other even though they really shouldn't be. David is a great character too. I've not seen a lot of Grant movies so i can't make any definitive statements but in most i have seen him he has been a cool, suave, charming character. In this he is a neurotic nerd and it is just such a welcome turn, coupled with Susan it works so well. I think Grant gives a genuinely amazing performance here, very underrated IMO. In the film he is quite frankly a dick, he is both mean and petty towards Susan but somehow i don't dislike him, i can feel his perfectly reasonable annoyance with her and just stress at all of the stuff that is and isn't happening to him. He does show genuine care for Susan but it is kept in with the spirit of the nutty story, like the moment he rushes to her home because he thinks she has harmed herself, the truth is he really shouldn't have cared, she was a stranger who he had had two unpleasant experiences with. I think he says it best himself in the middle of telling her he doesn't want to see her again "Well, i admit i'm strangely drawn to you and i don't know why" quickly followed by more put downs. Baby is such a great plot device. I adore how comfortable Susan is with what at the end of the day is an extremely dangerous Leopard with dubious origins. David reacts to it like any normal human being but he manages to come across like the weird one, mostly due to K-Heps perfect performance of a carefree person.
A legitimate criticism of this movie to me would be questioning why any of it happens. It is completely absurd. The characters intentions and actions don't make any sense. And there's really no defence for it other than, because it does. You either get enjoyment out of this madcap adventure or you feel frustrasted, i myself get immense pleasure from it.
While nowhere near as fast as His Girl Friday, the dialogue in this is similar. The everybody has a comeback and an answer to everything; noone in real life speaks like this.And i adore it. Chemistry is the key for this to work in my opinion. Some similar films or shows in my opinion like The West Wing on a bad day for example the dialogue becomes clunky mostly because the characters aren't written very well. Here David and Susan just have such a natural flow, they completely bounce off each other which makes the snappy dialogue entertaining, it works. The ending is legitimately beautiful while not betraying the absurd, screwball nature of the film. I so love how happy Susan is when he admits spending time with her is the best thing he's ever experienced. Also love that it's a bookend to the first scene of the film at the dinosaur replica except with David in a better place now he has someone he truly loves.
Anyway i hope this has explained some of my reasons for finding this a great film, no point in continuing to gush even though i happily would. Also i apologize for the weird stream of consciousness way this is, i just kept thinking of more things to say which is the mark of a great film. I recognize peoples problems with this and they are welcome to them but i don't understand them. Brilliant film.
cricket
09-24-16, 06:55 PM
Not going to read that until I watch it.
Yeah nobody read it til you watch it. It has spoilers. Don't use tags in the HOFs though.
Either Samurai Rebellion, Ida or one of my other two rewatches; Kiss Kiss Bang Bang or Ronin next for me. Going to get back to some Hitch first though.
CosmicRunaway
09-24-16, 07:02 PM
I know I've seen Bringing Up Baby before, I just don't remember anything about it (Samurai Rebellion is in a similar boat). I skimmed through that post a bit, but will wait until after I rewatch the film to read it thoroughly. What I saw was a good write up though. :up:
MovieMeditation
09-25-16, 06:47 AM
Ronin (1998)
I don't feel like I have much to say about this film. Not because it's bad by any means, but it seems to be an easily explainable film that is more or less straight forward and very well put together, yet it didn't blow me away or had multiple layers to talk about. It's a highly entertaining, well-orchestrated high-octane action thriller that does the job its been given almost to perfection. The film is filled with some nicely paced tension and calmer character moments handled by a competent director who admittedly hasn't kept up with time, which is the best and worst thing to say about this film.
I like how one critic put it... "Frankenheimer pretty much ignores everything that's happened in the action and thriller genres since 1975, and mostly that's a good thing." I would say that's spot on. 'Ronin' is a nice callback to the good old times of a simple set-up executed to great effect; a movie that's all about a simple plot device that everyone wants their hands on and off goes the plot with backstabbing, criminal master plans, foreign villains and what else can be crammed into this retro action homage. Usually I would call a film like this slick and elegant, if it's nicely executed, but 'Ronin' is a different kind of lone genre piece. The action is raw, gritty and not about filming car chases, but about following car chases. The camera is an accomplish in the plan and the actors are a player in plot - all of it feeling well balanced and never blown out of proportions.
The script does limp a little and admittedly doesn't appear as smart as it wants to be, partly because of the previous discussion of being stuck in a time where modern technology and expectations weren't on the same level. At times it even comes across as a little goofy or unintentionally amusing, but Frankenheimer clearly aims for a great ride and that 'Ronin' certainly is. This is certainly a great journey back to the barebone roots of the genre and most people should be able to at least admire that aspect of it, I would say.
http://www.jamesrocchi.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/ronin-robert-de-niro-jean-reno-car-chase-action-fi1.jpg
3.5-
cricket
09-25-16, 07:05 PM
Hoping to watch either The Dead Girl or Flowers of War tonight. Up to wifey:p
Watched Embrace Of The Serpent last night. Excellent about sums it up. Really good story telling. Great sense of time and place. Best of all it doesn't beat you over the head with anything. Just lets the characters and story speak for itself. Maybe it was because a couple of you put it in my head, because this has never happened before, but I did find myself wishing this was in color. I think the cinematography would have been even more striking. I would love to know the thought process behind that choice.
Citizen Rules
09-25-16, 09:59 PM
Watched Embrace Of The Serpent...but I did find myself wishing this was in color. I think the cinematography would have been even more striking. I would love to know the thought process behind that choice. My guess is: in the first act the B&W cinematography gives the film a 'a past tense look'. As the first part of the film is indeed set in the past.
For the rest of the movie, which is set in the present day, the absences of colors puts the focus on the spirituality and essences of the quest for the ancient herb, without overwhelming the senses with the riotous green colors of the jungle. The absences of color makes us focus on what is important....Or maybe the director just watched Dead Man and was impressed:p
Citizen Rules
09-25-16, 11:19 PM
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R8xi4dr91Dc/S71SoIEu2iI/AAAAAAAAAk4/lDiql1evlfc/s1600/cary_Grant_and_Katharine_Hepburn_%28bringing_up_baby%29.jpg
Bringing Up Baby (Howard Hawks, 1938)
This was my second viewing and I'm still not sure what to make of this film. I know it's considered one of the funniest of the classic era films and is highly rated. I liked it, but I didn't connect to it and I think I know why. After the movie was over I watched about 5 minutes of the commentary track with Peter Bogdanovic. 1st...he said something that told me I had made a mistake. Bogdanovic said, this film is very fast paced and you need to be up for watching it, with your full attention on the screen. And I didn't do that. I was exhausted that night So I plan on watching the full commentary, as I feel I missed a lot of what my eyes say.
I do have a hunch about the film. OK this might seem odd but...I don't think the genius of the film is in the story line or the characters. They are just window dressing for the true star of the film, the writing. I think the star of the film is the quick wit that was written and the ad lib lines done by Hepburn and Grant...with Hawks adding a bit of his own naughtiness. It's almost like this is a cryptic film and the actors and writers are bypassing the story and speaking directly to the audience. It's like an inside joke at a big party and the fun is in deciphering the double entendres.
In short, I think some of this film went over my head, so I will revisit it and hopefully become a fan.
cricket
09-26-16, 08:16 AM
The Dead Girl
http://91.207.61.14/m/uploads/v_p_images/2006/11/4907_10_screenshot.png
It turns out that this was the only movie from this HoF that my wife was interested in watching with me (she had previously seem Ronin and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang). We both love the sordid murder mystery types, so the quality doesn't even have to be very good for us to enjoy them. I'm not saying the quality of The Dead Girl was bad, and in fact my wife commented that she liked the way the movie was filmed. It's just that I'm not sure how good the movie is. We both very much enjoyed it, yet I do believe it has substantial flaws. I occasionally enjoy the interconnected storyline style. It's not a style that seems to be overused, and I think it worked well for this movie. It's a female driven cast, and I think most of the girls make a nice showing. I thought Ribisi, Franco, and Brolin did pretty much nothing to distinguish themselves, although I wouldn't blame them. The fact is that I don't understand why Ribisi and Franco were even in the movie. They were featured in the first two segments, and I believe those two are the weakest of the five. For the first segment, why do they show us that date? It seems to me that it is completely irrelevant to the movie. Likewise with the second segment, what does the relationship between Byrne and Franco have to do with anything? It's a fairly short movie, yet there is this time that is completely wasted with irrelevant content. Why the segments veered off into these directions is baffling to me. I read the other write-ups after watching, and I was wondering at the time the same thing as Camo; at the hotel, wouldn't the girl realize right away that the woman was the girl's mother? Perhaps she did, and was just a hardened soul? Despite these issues, I loved the morbid and dreary tone of the movie, and I thought it was powerful at times. Most movies are not powerful in any way, so that is something I give a lot of credit for. I very much enjoyed the movie, but I think it could have been much better if it had stayed on track throughout.
3.5-
For the first segment, why do they show us that date?
The full first segment wasn't needed at all and i think it had the worst performance of the movie from Toni Collete. I think you can make an argument for the second segment since the murder had a profound effect on her and her families lives, although if it was my choice i'd have cut the first two. The first segment was completely irrelevant; she found the body but what impact did it have on her life? Clearly she was already messed up and had that awful relationship with her mother before this. I'm guessing it was supposed to be her finding the body led to her dating Ribisi who was obsessed with Serial Killers and her mothers diapproval and mocking of her makeup she put on for the date coupled with the trauma of recently finding that body pushed her over the edge making her finally get out from the grasp of her abusive mother. Still it had very little to do with The Dead Girl, so i don't think it should've been in the film unless they had to fill time.
Anybody know what they are watching next?
If everything goes to plan i'm going Ronin (rewatch) > Bashu > Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (rewatch) > Samurai Rebellion.
CosmicRunaway
09-26-16, 02:06 PM
I think I'm going to rewatch Samurai Rebellion or Bringing Up Baby next, likely tonight. Depends on what I'm in the mood for.
MovieMeditation
09-26-16, 02:33 PM
I think I'll go for a rewatch of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang tonight.
I wonder when I'm actually gonna watch a nom for this HoF which isn't a rewatch. :laugh:
Citizen Rules
09-26-16, 02:38 PM
When?...when you watch my nom:p
I've decided i'm not going to rewatch Moonrise Kingdom for this. Somehow i've managed to see it twice this year as well as last year around christmas. As much as i love it i can't see a fourth viewing in a year doing anything other than harming its final position.
I might rewatch Her if i have finished everything else with time to spare but i doubt i'll do a writeup for it. I've read all the other reviews so far and i think others have said just about everything i would and better than i could.
Then so far i've watched The Dead Girl and Embrace of the Serpent and rewatched Bringing Up Baby. So i have first time watches of Good Bye Lenin, Bashu The Little Stranger, Ida, Samurai Rebellion and The Flowers of War as well as rewatches of Ronin (tonight) and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang left.
Citizen Rules
09-26-16, 02:50 PM
I rewatched half of Bringing Up Baby with Peter Bogdanovic's commentary track. I hope to finish it tonight. It's fascinating listening to his insight into the movie. He knew Howard Hawks and interviewed him in the 60s about the production of the movie.
rauldc14
09-26-16, 02:59 PM
I'm going to watch Flowers of War tonight or tomorrow.
Ronin
http://i66.tinypic.com/2jc81va.jpg
I had already watched this when i was 11. The only reason i remember what age i was is because it was randomly when i was in the US in 2004, it was on TV there and it is one of my brother in-laws favourite films but i didn't remember anything about it not even if i liked it or not. So this mostly felt like a first time watch, a few bits and pieces felt familiar but i was basically going in blind. There's not much i can say about it really, i'm not good at writing about these types of films. It was OK, pretty entertaining i don't regret watching it. Pretty standard thriller-heist movie with some good things going for it. It had some really good car chases and some solid action. Not sure what to say about the story it was a fairly standard chase the macguffin story with twists and turns, not terribly exciting for me i'm afraid but one thing i did really like was Sam and Vincents friendship; i felt that was pulled off really well. Robert DeNiro may be my favourite actor but honestly i would have preferred someone i like less who at least brought some enthusiasm, Deniro seemed like he didn't care he came across bored as if he had just read the script once and thought meh may aswell. Also his accent irked me it sounded like someone from the UK trying to do an American accent; it was like he had forgotten how to speak.
Anyway it was fine. Sorry i don't have more to say Clazor it just isn't really my type of film. I'm sure some here will appreciate it more.
Bashu next for me either tomorrow or Wednesday.
CosmicRunaway
09-26-16, 07:19 PM
http://83e2u32cf1b4dlzbl29etyxt.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/samurai-rebellion-japanese-.jpg
Samurai Rebellion/上意討ち 拝領妻始末 (1967)
Dir. Masaki Kobayashi
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Go Kato, Yoko Tsukasa
Samurai Rebellion is a very well crafted, elegant film that's focus is on the conflict of personal ethics vs loyalty rather than on action or physical conflict like its English title might suggest. The “Rebellion” in this film is less of a physical force (though it does resort to that in the end), and more so Sasahara taking a stand against the rigid structures of society, as he refuses to acquiesce to the unfair demands of their daimyo, whose whims create nothing but emotional turmoil. Needless to say, I definitely appreciated this movie more now than when I saw it first 14 years ago.
The story managed to completely keep my interest up until the end (around the duel), and by that point there were only a few minutes left anyway. For me, the fight choreography in the final act is the only aspect that drags this film down (and even then it's only slightly). Toshiru Mifune is great as Isabro Sasahara, as he plays a reserved man whose passion for life is reignited when he witnesses the love shared between Ichi and his son Yogoro – a love that was sorely lacking in his own marriage. Mifune has a strong screen presence, and delivers his more emotional lines with a great force that is simply amazing to watch and to listen to.
I hadn't watched any classic Samurai films in over a decade, because I really got tired of the genre after watching so many in a short period of time. I'm really glad that I was able to see this movie again without any of that fatigue, because it really was great experience, even if it ended on a bit of a low note for me. The rest of it was great.
MovieMeditation
09-26-16, 07:31 PM
Anybody got a good source for Samurai Rebellion? I would love to get the best experience possible.
Also, watched Kiss Kiss Bang Bang as planned. Thoughts will come soon enough, together with thoughts on my own nom, Ida.
Miss Vicky
09-26-16, 07:42 PM
I'm still pretty worn out from the weekend, so I doubt I'll watch anything tonight. Will try to get back to it tomorrow though. I'm thinking maybe with Ronin.
Guaporense
09-27-16, 12:23 AM
My guess is: in the first act the B&W cinematography gives the film a 'a past tense look'. As the first part of the film is indeed set in the past.
For the rest of the movie, which is set in the present day, the absences of colors puts the focus on the spirituality and essences of the quest for the ancient herb, without overwhelming the senses with the riotous green colors of the jungle. The absences of color makes us focus on what is important....Or maybe the director just watched Dead Man and was impressed:p
I think the movie is set in about 1909 (German explorer part) and 1940 (American explorer part) (what you mistook for "the present").
Citizen Rules
09-27-16, 03:14 AM
I think the movie is set in about 1909 (German explorer part) and 1940 (American explorer part) (what you mistook for "the present").OK thanks. I didn't know that, but that even makes a stronger case for why maybe the director went with B&W. I still have to watch that one.
The film was also shot on 35mm film. Here's part of an interview with the director.
"Cineaste: Why was it important to shoot Embrace of the Serpent in black and white?
Guerra: There were so many reasons. I could speak for two hours about why it was important to shoot the film in black and white. It was such a huge decision. The first inspiration for the film were the images taken by the explorers. Those images were unbelievable when I saw them. They were daguerreotype photographic plates. When you saw them, you saw an Amazon that was completely different than the Amazon that you think about. It was completely devoid of exuberance and exoticism. It was a different world and time. Looking at it through those images, I started thinking this film should be in black and white.
When I went to the Amazon, I realized that it would not be possible for any kind of film, any kind of video, any kind of representation, to give you a real idea of what the green of the Amazon is. As we mentioned earlier, Amazonian people have fifty words for what we call green. I thought, maybe by taking it away it would be possible to trigger the imagination. It’s not the real Amazon you see in the film—it’s an imagined Amazon—but what we imagine would certainly be more real than what I could portray. Also, when I talked to the Amazonian people, I realized that with black-and-white images there was no difference between nature being green and us being something else. Every human, every bird, every drop of water is made up the same in black and white so it was perfectly coherent. I decided the film had to be in black and white and we had to overcome the expectations of a lot of people, but we stuck to it. If I had been forced to film in color, I would have preferred not to do it.
Cineaste: With Colombia’s film industry kicking into gear no less than a decade ago when incentives were introduced, how did you convince the powers that be to let you film on 35mm?
Guerra: What happened was that the people who worked on films and made movies really made their living in advertising. Back in the Nineties, advertising was done on film. Advertising became a big industry in Colombia, so there was a lot of equipment for film, which is no longer used but is still in really good shape, so we can get it cheaply. The problem is getting film stock. That’s a challenge. Hopefully this lab in Argentina, which is the only lab left in South America, will continue to work.
My first film was a $30,000 film. I come from the low-budget school. For me, filmmaking is a lot about making the best of what you can with the resources that you have. I like that because it forces me to be creative. With this film there is as much creativity in the story as there is behind the scenes in the production and craft of making it. That excites me. This movie looks like it was expensive but it was not as expensive as it looks."
cricket
09-27-16, 08:50 AM
Bringing Up Baby
https://cinematalk.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/11.jpg
I don't normally care for screwball comedies, so my expectations were not high. For about the first 25 minutes, this movie was a hilarious surprise. For the rest if it's runtime, I was merely amused. I would have much preferred if this movie had gone in the typical direction of a rom-com. I was not crazy about the leopard storyline; it almost made me feel like the movie was partially aimed at children. I'm also not a Katharine Hepburn fan. I can't put my finger on it, but there's something about her that I find unappealing. One thing that keeps me from liking The African Queen more is that I can't buy Bogart's character falling for her, and I think if anything, it's supposed to be the other way around. Despite that, I think she generally does a pretty good job. She works well with Cary Grant, but I think he's great in everything. I can understand fans of classic screwball comedy loving this movie. I liked it.
3
Ronin
http://i66.tinypic.com/2jc81va.jpg
I had already watched this when i was 11. The only reason i remember what age i was is because it was randomly when i was in the US in 2004, it was on TV there and it is one of my brother in-laws favourite films but i didn't remember anything about it not even if i liked it or not. So this mostly felt like a first time watch, a few bits and pieces felt familiar but i was basically going in blind. There's not much i can say about it really, i'm not good at writing about these types of films. It was OK, pretty entertaining i don't regret watching it. Pretty standard thriller-heist movie with some good things going for it. It had some really good car chases and some solid action. Not sure what to say about the story it was a fairly standard chase the macguffin story with twists and turns, not terribly exciting for me i'm afraid but one thing i did really like was Sam and Vincents friendship; i felt that was pulled off really well. Robert DeNiro may be my favourite actor but honestly i would have preferred someone i like less who at least brought some enthusiasm, Deniro seemed like he didn't care he came across bored as if he had just read the script once and thought meh may aswell. Also his accent irked me it sounded like someone from the UK trying to do an American accent; it was like he had forgotten how to speak.
Anyway it was fine. Sorry i don't have more to say Clazor it just isn't really my type of film. I'm sure some here will appreciate it more.
Bashu next for me either tomorrow or Wednesday.
No worries, I understand that it's not for everyone. As a matter of fact, I thought that this would be the general consesus of the HoF. Right now it's been about a year since I saw it last, so I can't say on the spot what made me think of it when I had to find a substitute. I just know I greatly enjoyed it and I think I'll be more eloquent in my review (at least as eloquent as I ever am here). :p
As for my abcense yesterday, I pulled a double shift at work and more or less fell into bed when I got home. No movie then, but I'll get to Samurai Rebellion/Ida tonight (just came in to ITunes Cricket, total luck). I also tracked down Good bye lenin and Bringing up baby to the main city library, so I'll get going into town to see if I can get them. In that case, I might just polish off those too during the week to come.
Also, I'd like to second Camo's comment about the Andersson/Kaufman discussion. Really interesting even for a guy who's not well versed in either of the directors.
I don't think that I've seen anything of this Kaufman guy, but as far as Andersson and his characters are concerned, my two cent is as follows: Are the characters naturally written? No,not really, but isn't that part of the charm with him? I refer again to Fiennes portrayal of Gustav in grand budapest. Written naturally, that movie/character wouldn't have been half as funny. Then the movie would have to be more of a personal drama, following a manager who's directing a massive staff from an elevated point of control, rather than running around doing all the things he's doing on his own. I'm not saying that he doesn't order people around, but it's more in the line of meeting the guests himself. In a more real setting, wouldn't the guests ask bellhops to relay their wishes to Gustav, rather than talk to Gustav directly? Idk, maybe I'm talking nonsense. Feel free to say so in that case and discuss.
Miss Vicky
09-27-16, 11:09 AM
Charlie Kaufman is probably more known as a screenwriter than as a director. His best known work is probably Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which he wrote but did not direct. Other films he wrote include Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Synecdoche New York, and Anomalisa. Those last two he also directed.
rauldc14
09-27-16, 11:12 AM
I think the only Kaufman film I really didn't mind was Being John Malkovich.
01.Anomalisa
02.Being John Malkovich
03.Adaptation
04.Eternal Sunshine
Have to rewatch Adaptation and i haven't seen Synedoche yet.
Miss Vicky
09-27-16, 11:28 AM
1. Eternal Sunshine
2. Being John Malkovich
3. Anomalisa
4. Adaptation
5. Synecdoche, New York
Let me help you guys out
Spotless Mind
Adaptation
Synecdoche
Malkovich
Anomalia
That's the proper order
Miss Vicky
09-27-16, 11:47 AM
Let me help you guys out
Spotless Mind
Adaptation
Synecdoche
Malkovich
Anomalia
That's the proper order
Well you got the first one right, anyway. The rest is way off.
rauldc14
09-27-16, 12:06 PM
Malkovich
Spotless Mind
Synecdoche
Adaptation
Really don't care for the last two and haven't seen Anomalia.
MovieMeditation
09-27-16, 12:06 PM
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Anomalisa
Being John Malkovich
Adaptation.
...Something like that. I have yet to see Synecdoche, New York.
It's really weird to me that both Sean and Raul made the same typo with Anomalia. haha.
rauldc14
09-27-16, 12:15 PM
I just copied his spelling. Wasn't worth it to double check it.
Sean is a bad influence. You should've trusted the good kids.
Citizen Rules
09-27-16, 01:54 PM
Thanks Mark for posting that interview (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1585058#post1585058) with the director of Embrace of the Serpent. I found it interesting...enjoyed it too!
About to watch White Heat then depending if i'm still in the mood to watch movies i'll see Bashu. If not then tomorrow. So looks like i'll be the first to write it up.
Citizen Rules
09-27-16, 02:05 PM
So you found a link for Bashu? Is it good quality? The one I have is mediocre quality.
Citizen Rules
09-27-16, 02:44 PM
https://qph.ec.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-413a559f7608a35e0dbe89e4e34f997b-c?convert_to_webp=true
Her (Spike Jonze, 2013)
Interesting movie, its strengths were the visuals... both in the color palette used by the art direction, and the stunning on-location sets, they filmed at. I especially liked the curved, elevated city walkway, as shown in the photo above. I thought Joaquin Phoenix did a fantastic job of being an indecisive, emotional exuberate man, who had a hard time commenting to anyone. He was really good and so was Amy Adams, who's my favorite, modern day actress.
I didn't like a lot of the directorial decisions that Spike Jonez made. I didn't connect to the story, as the disembodied voice of Samantha (done by Scarlett Johansson) just wasn't believable to me as an artificial intelligence operating system. Part of the reason why is in the sound mixing. Samantha's voice was dubbed post production and is mixed at a different tonal quality than the spoken words of Joaquin. To me it didn't sound like they were in the same space.
I would have liked to hear the computer voice have a slightly mechanical sound to it, like it was coming out of a speaker. I also think Spike should have went with a visual reference for Samantha so that we had something to look at on the mobile screen when she talked.
Ultimately I just didn't buy someone falling in love with his computer. And I certainly didn't buy that people in the future thought bringing your computer on a picnic date was normal. But I did LMAO at the picnic scene. I don't think Spike intended it to be ironic?
Like I said, interesting movie and I liked the look and the actors, but not what Spike Jonez did as a director.
Charlie Kaufman is probably more known as a screenwriter than as a director. His best known work is probably Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which he wrote but did not direct. Other films he wrote include Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Synecdoche New York, and Anomalisa. Those last two he also directed.
You see, don't know what I'm talking about. Can't even keep screenwriter and director separated. Ignore me on the issue :p
About to watch White Heat then depending if i'm still in the mood to watch movies i'll see Bashu. If not then tomorrow. So looks like i'll be the first to write it up.
Mind PMing the link? Haven't found one that works for me at all.
MovieMeditation
09-27-16, 03:38 PM
It sounds like you kind of misunderstood parts of Her,CR. I don't have time to discuss it now though.
Anyways, I think I'm going for Samurai Rebellion in a few minutes. :up:
Miss Vicky
09-27-16, 04:05 PM
Ultimately I just didn't buy someone falling in love with his computer. And I certainly didn't buy that people in the future thought bringing your computer on a picnic date was normal. But I did LMAO at the picnic scene. I don't think Spike intended it to be ironic?
Like I said, interesting movie and I liked the look and the actors, but not what Spike Jonez did as a director
Shame you didn't like Her more, Citizen.
I found Samantha completely believable. I'm not sure what sort of visual reference you were expecting/hoping for though? In any case, I can completely buy that someone would fall in love with an OS as advanced as Samantha. People gain strong emotional attachments to people on forums and chatrooms, even though the person on the other side of the conversation is really nothing to them but text and there's no way to really know how much of what is being said is truth.
I think giving the voice a mechanical sound would've been distracting and taken away from the believability since it would have made her feel less real and more artificial. Also, Samantha's voice was recorded in post production, but Phoenix was in the studio with her reading his lines to give her a frame of reference. I thought the tone matched quite well. :shrug:
As to the double date, eh, I didn't think it was too far fetched. Pratt's character admires Theodore and seems to have an open, accepting personality type as well. It should also be noted that while Theodore and Samantha's relationship wasn't necessarily the norm, it wasn't unheard of either. Samantha herself had multiple relationships with humans, Amy had befriended an OS and knew someone who was dating somebody else's OS. And (unlike something like Lars and the Real Girl) it's not like everyone in Theodore's life was accepting of it. His ex had a pretty nasty reaction to it so it had that balance.
Anyway, just my two cents.
rauldc14
09-27-16, 04:09 PM
Flowers of War
A very powerful film. The most standout point of the film is its imagery. The film is simply stunning to look at and the costume design was superb. The story itself is quite depressing but it is really touching at the same time. It was great to see the chemistry that Bale had with the girls, initially I thought it would be a problem of the film but as the film went on over time it was really magnificent. It's hard to judge a film like this as it isn't something I would rush to see again, but it was really well done and the story feels really important. I felt like for an event that happened in the thirties it almost felt too modern. Just a minor negative to the film but I don't have anything to really bash it. The acting and the direction of the film were great as well. Films like this are always appreciated by me in a Hall of Fane format, even if I would say they likely won't gain enough of a fan base to win it.
3.5
MovieMeditation
09-27-16, 04:34 PM
On Her, in short, @CR's points
Samantha is supposed to be artificial intelligence, as in software developed to evolve and work on its own. It's not like Siri with pre-programmed answers and whatnot. Also, look at voice response then and now. Siri is actually pretty fluent compared to a few years ago, just imagine how it would be in the future. And her natural way of speaking also made us relate to her easier and that is also the reason for falling in love with "an operating system" and why it IS believable in the future. Theodore fell in love with the voice, personality etc and I think Miss Vicky was spot on about all that.
I mean, Just imagine the love of your dream becoming a reality. A person who is just like you want them to be; say the right things; help you with no complains. Imagine that for a second and put yourself in Theodore's place and the setting of the movie; a lonely introvert looking to overcome a past relationship in an advanced technological world - and also with a job that is focused on love as a language and not as a person per say.
About the tonal differences in their voices, I saw it as how Theodore had this little earpiece where he would hear Samantha speak, so as an audience, we also receive the sound crystal clear like she is talking directly to us;that's why her voice fills the room like that and seems more upfront and dominate. I think it was a very effective and wise choice, so we could also be spellbound by the operating system ourselves.
Citizen Rules
09-27-16, 04:42 PM
I found Samantha completely believable. I'm not sure what sort of visual reference you were expecting/hoping for though? Glad you mentioned that because I was just doing some work and thinking about that. In the movie Joaquin has a computer game that creates a talking hologram. So if I was the director (well I can dream can't I...:p) I would have used the same semi-transparent hologram technique with Scarlet Johansson. That way we would have a more visual road into Samantha. Her, was on my watch list, so I'm glad it was nominated BTW.
I can completely buy that someone would fall in love with an OS as advanced as Samantha. People gain strong emotional attachments to people on forums and chatrooms, even though the person on the other side of the conversation is really nothing to them but text and there's no way to really know how much of what is being said is truth. I've seen that happen on discussion boards too. I actually know of two sets of people who met, fell in love and got married from a discussion board. One of my old boards actually. And NO not me!:p
I think giving the voice a mechanical sound would've been distracting and taken away from the believability since it would have made her feel less real and more artificial. Also, Samantha's voice was recorded in post production, but Phoenix was in the studio with her reading his lines to give her a frame of reference. I thought the tone matched quite well. I don't mean mechanical sounding per say, but something like the difference between your speaking voice being recorded in a room vs your speaking voice being recorded and played back by a speaker. It has a different pitch.
And (unlike something like Lars and the Real Girl) it's not like everyone in Theodore's life was accepting of it. His ex had a pretty nasty reaction to it so it had that balance.
Anyway, just my two cents.I liked Lars and the Real Girl, I thought it was well done and it worked for me as I started viewing his doll girl friend as a real character in the movie.
I liked the part in Her with his ex wife and her objections to his relationship with a computer, as his ex was saying what I thought of his relationship. When watching the film I had intended to put that into my review, but forget so yeah good scene.
Just to let you guys know, I'll be starting a 56 hour shift tomorrow with breaks around 9pm (gmt +1), so tomorrow somewhere around there I'll post my review of Samurai Rebllion, but then I won't have time to watch anything until the weekend. With that, I'll say good night and finish off the movie.
Citizen Rules
09-27-16, 05:06 PM
You have a 56 hour work shift? Ouch! I hope you drink lots of coffee. :p
Miss Vicky
09-27-16, 05:10 PM
@Citizen
It seems odd to me that you have an easier time accepting a doll -which is a body without a voice or movement - than a voice without a body that is capable of expressing actual emotions.
In any case, I hated Lars and absolutely could not buy the widespread acceptance of his relationship.
Citizen Rules
09-27-16, 05:19 PM
On Her, in short, @CR's points
Samantha is supposed to be artificial intelligence, as in software developed to evolve and work on its own. It's not like Siri with pre-programmed answers and whatnot
MM, I'm not as outdated as you think! I know about A.I
I'm a huge sci fan fan.....I got that part. Samantha was a sentient OS, self aware with emotions.
I mean, Just imagine the love of your dream becoming a reality. A person who is just like you want them to be; say the right things; help you with no complains. Question for you and Miss Vicky and everyone who's seen Her....Would you enter into a relationship with a female Samantha OS or a male Sam OS?
You have a 56 hour work shift? Ouch! I hope you drink lots of coffee. :p
Never touched the stuff. 'Night.
Miss Vicky
09-27-16, 05:27 PM
I don't know if I can answer that, CR. You never know how you're going to react to any unusual situation until it happens. So I'm going to say maybe. I could definitely see a friendship happening with an OS. I think it's not too big of a stretch to see that evolving into more.
MovieMeditation
09-27-16, 05:29 PM
Question for you and Miss Vicky and everyone who's seen Her....Would you enter into a relationship with a female Samantha OS or a male Sam OS?
That's an unfair question in your favor.
I would want to say most likely not. But I'm not living in the future, you know...
Her works not because I neccessarily see myself in Theodore's place, but because the film does a good enough job for me to have the thought cross my mind - even if it's in absurdity - and at the least the movie convinces me really well with the relationship between Samantha and Theodore and that's enough for me to think it to be possible. Maybe not now but definitely in the future. That said, for some people it's probably closer than you think...
rauldc14
09-27-16, 05:29 PM
Man, I'm really looking forward to rewatching Her and Bringing Up Baby for this.
cricket
09-27-16, 05:32 PM
Question for you and Miss Vicky and everyone who's seen Her....Would you enter into a relationship with a female Samantha OS or a male Sam OS?
I haven't seen it yet, but I can safely say I can't imagine doing that. However, I never thought I'd be so deep into a forum like this either.
Citizen Rules
09-27-16, 05:34 PM
I don't know if I can answer that, CR. You never know how you're going to react to any unusual situation until it happens. So I'm going to say maybe. I could definitely see a friendship happening with an OS. I think it's not too big of a stretch to see that evolving into more. Thanks, that's a fair answer and I'm sure not an easy question for everyone to respond to...But I do hope some of you reply.
So, it's only fair I try to answer... and for me, no. I had this emotional response to 'Samantha' that made me mistrust it, fear it and not bond to it, in anyway. Notice I said it and not her, because personally I can't feel like an A.I. will ever be anything like human. I was hoping in the end of the movie Joaquin's character would realize what he was doing was escapist and delusional and 'pull the plug' on Samantha and send her to AI oblivion.
I haven't seen it yet, but I can safely say I can't imagine doing that. However, I never thought I'd be so deep into a forum like this either.
Yeah i wouldn't date Samantha but i'd take MovieForums out to dinner.
Also just want to point out how someone just bumped this thread - Avatars - Are you tied to yours?
:rotfl:
rauldc14
09-27-16, 10:00 PM
I'll attempt to tackle Kiss Kiss Bang Bang tomorrow probably
Miss Vicky
09-28-16, 02:17 AM
http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/ronin.gif
Ronin (John Frankenheimer, 1998)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122690/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)
Date Watched: 9/27/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 11th MoFo Hall of Fame
Rewatch: No
I don't have any real complaints about this film - the acting was solid (and featured quite a few familiar faces including a Game of Thrones alum or two), the story was interesting, and the cinematography matched the film's gritty tone - but I definitely didn't love it. It has some exciting car chases, car crashes, explosions, and cool shoot-outs and for that I could enjoy it on a superficial level. However, I never established any emotional investment in its characters, so when one was betrayed or killed I felt nothing for them. This is not necessarily the fault of the film and I'm not sure that this type of story truly requires an emotional investment from its audience for the average viewer to like it, but it is something that I require.
I have nothing but respect for what the film does well and for that I'll give it a good rating, however it's just not my cup of tea.
3.5-
MovieMeditation
09-28-16, 08:50 AM
Samurai Rebellion
It wasn’t easy finding a decent copy of this film, but thanks to cricket I did at least find one that was more or less watchable. But being the cinephile I am, with a tendency to track down the best quality possible for a film in order to get the best possible viewing experience and not miss a single detail, it really is a shame that ‘Samurai Rebellion’ has yet to hit any type of HD format.
Anyways, ‘Samurai Rebellion’ is a film I’m very happy to have finally watched, but I kind of wish it wasn’t nominated for a Hall of Fame to be honest (and that's purely a personal thing). It clearly stands as a competent piece of cinema, but because of the combination of a lot of things, I feel like I didn’t get everything I could out of this film. I won’t strike down on one singular reason, but I feel like everything from the sub-par quality, to the classic status, to the ambiguous nature of the movie were all partners in crime to make this a viewing experience instead of an experience viewing. There was a lot of things wrong with my viewing of it and it also feels like, most of all, it was one of those films where you have to be completely invested and immersed to enjoy the film to the fullest. It is one of those films that I can already call great but won’t certify as such until a second viewing.
It is really hard to explain, but the viewing and the viewer has to be connected for a film to fully work and with my viewing only the film worked. I was a little to distanced and it really is a shame… The best I can do is to revisit the film right before the deadline and hopefully that will give me enough time between the two viewings to award this film with the rating and ranking it deserves… For now, I’ll not comment further on the film out of respect for the film and because I won’t lower myself to a point where I will discuss something without being able to stand behind what I say.
CosmicRunaway
09-28-16, 10:09 AM
Sorry to hear that you couldn't really enjoy it. What was it about the copy you watched that ruined the experience, if you don't mind me asking? I watched the Criterion DVD (borrowed from a friend), and while it wasn't a pristine copy, it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the film at all. But then again that sort of thing never really bothers me, and I think it can even add to the charm of certain types of films. Unless we're talking like, really old worn out VHS tape quality. Then that would definitely irritate me as well haha.
MovieMeditation
09-28-16, 12:27 PM
Sorry to hear that you couldn't really enjoy it. What was it about the copy you watched that ruined the experience, if you don't mind me asking? I watched the Criterion DVD (borrowed from a friend), and while it wasn't a pristine copy, it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the film at all. But then again that sort of thing never really bothers me, and I think it can even add to the charm of certain types of films. Unless we're talking like, really old worn out VHS tape quality. Then that would definitely irritate me as well haha.
Well, a good story is a good story. It's not like I'll hate the movie if the quality is bad.
But comparing movies when watched at the best possible quality and subpar quality, the experience is so much more. The movie really feels like it was intended to feel and you are immersed in a whole other way.
But as I said, I feel like multiple things went wrong that had nothing to do with the film itself. Hopefully I'll get a viewing in close to deadline, as stated, and get a better experience out of it. :up:
Miss Vicky
09-28-16, 12:58 PM
Looks like I've only got three films left to watch for this HOF: Bashu, The Flowers of War, and Ida. I'll probably watch Ida tonight, then Flowers of War tomorrow or sometime this weekend.
After that I'll probably take a break and watch some non-HOF films, including Le Cercle Rouge, then I'll see about getting hold of a usable copy of Bashu.
6 left for me. As i said i'm not rewatching Moonrise and i'm only rewatching Her if i've finished everything with time to spare.
Bashu either tonight or tomorrow, depends if i'm in the mood after the Celtic game tonight. Then i think i'm going in this order: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (rewatch)>Samurai Rebellion>Ida>The Flowers of War>Good Bye Lenin!
MovieMeditation
09-28-16, 01:25 PM
Alright, I watched half of the movies for this HoF - as in watched them as part of the HoF - because it's one more if I'm counting Embrace of the Serpent too, which I saw very recently... But I do plan on rewatching that as well...
What I have watched so far: Samurai Rebellion, Ronin (re), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (re), Moonrise Kingdom (re), Her (re), Ida (re).
What I have yet to watch: Bringing Up Baby, Bashu the Little Stranger, Good Bye, Lenin, The Dead Girl, The Flowers of War, Embrace of the Serpent (re)
I might watch something else than a HoF nom tonight, but then I'll be back at it tomorrow. :up:
Citizen Rules
09-28-16, 02:41 PM
Samurai Rebellion
It wasn’t easy finding a decent copy of this film, but thanks to cricket I did at least find one that was more or less watchable....it really is a shame that ‘Samurai Rebellion’ has yet to hit any type of HD format.
MM, it's too bad you had to watch this excellent movie in poor quality. I know a poor quality viewing effects my enjoyment. Luckily I watched it on Criterion DVD and it's a HD restored quality. If you have a few bucks to spare, pick up the DVD. Or I might be able to find you a quality online link.
https://www.criterion.com/films/753-samurai-rebellion
...I feel like I didn’t get everything I could out of this film. I won’t strike down on one singular reason, but I feel like everything from the sub-par quality, to the classic status, to the ambiguous nature of the movie were all partners in crime to make this a viewing experience instead of an experience viewing. It sounds like you were distracted during the viewing, based on what you are saying. I didn't find anything ambiguous in the story but if you were distracted and not into the movie you might have missed the physiological aspects of it. Think of the movie as a big chess game, with family, marriage and pride the playing pieces. Or think of it as a Douglas Sirk melodrama set in Japan's feudal period.
The best I can do is to revisit the film right before the deadline and hopefully that will give me enough time between the two viewings to award this film with the rating and ranking it deserves…Admirable:) and spoken like a true cinephille.
Citizen Rules
09-28-16, 02:44 PM
Wow! you guys are fast at watching the films. I feel slow but I'll keep at. I've only watched 4 so far: Samurai Rebellion, Moonrise Kingdom, Her and Bringing Up Baby (but I did watch that one twice).
rauldc14
09-28-16, 02:47 PM
I'm impressed with MM, Miss Vicky, and Camos pace here. I watched Kiss Kiss Bang Bang this morning before i went and saw Don't Breathe. I'll have a little something posted for it soon.
MovieMeditation
09-28-16, 02:48 PM
MM, it's too bad you had to watch this excellent movie in poor quality. I know a poor quality viewing effects my enjoyment. Luckily I watched it on Criterion DVD and it's a HD restored quality. If you have a few bucks to spare, pick up the DVD. Or I might be able to find you a quality online link.
Yeah, I thought about trying to buy the dvd and hopefully it'll be better quality.
It sounds like you were distracted during the viewing, based on what you are saying. I didn't find anything ambiguous in the story but if you were distracted and not into the movie you might have missed the physiological aspects of it. Think of the movie as a big chess game, with family, marriage and pride the playing pieces. Or think of it as a Douglas Sirk melodrama set in Japan's feudal period.
I was distracted yes. Ambiguous was most likely the wrong word here, but there was a lot going on - like you said, like a big chess game - so when not fully invested I kept missing little key elements to what happened next and who was who etc etc.
Admirable:) and spoken like a true cinephille.
Thanks haha :cool:
Citizen Rules
09-28-16, 02:50 PM
So far Samurai Rebellion is my favorite film of the 11th....albeit I still have a boatload of films to watch:p
rauldc14
09-28-16, 02:54 PM
So far Samurai Rebellion is my favorite film of the 11th....albeit I still have a boatload of films to watch:p
After, watching 3 (not including 3 I've already seen, I'm with you.
MovieMeditation
09-28-16, 03:04 PM
I'm impressed with MMs pace here.
Haven't heard that in a long time, if ever. :laugh:
rauldc14
09-28-16, 03:14 PM
Haven't heard that in a long time, if ever. :laugh:
I'm proud of you bro!!
rauldc14
09-28-16, 03:26 PM
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
A movie that I liked but didn't love. It definitely was helped by the fact that Robert Downey Jr. Was in it. Without him, I think the movie wouldn't have really been anything. I thought Monahan was good and I wouldn't agree with her being miscast, though she was good for the role. Kilmer was ok but I wouldn't say anything extraordinary. The story was ok but it definitely had its faults. I enjoyed the movies humor and it had a nice enough pace to keep me interested. Far from anything extraordinary but it was a fun watch.
3+
*Sigh*
Note to self: Do not try to watch a brand new film after completing a 24 h shift, you'll just fall asleep, wake up after 20 min and realize that you won't be able to post the review you promised these nice people.
So, there won't be a review tonight, guys. I got 1h 35 min into Samurai Rebellion, then I fell asleep and woke up around the 1h 50 mark. I'll have to wait until friday night to finish it and I HATE to leave in the middle of a movie. It totally ruins the feel of the movie and I'll have to watch about 15 min of film I've allready seen just to get back into the mood of the film. To top it all off, I was really enjoying myself, too.
Anyway, gruff, gruff etc. I'll get the review up on friday/saturday, then I'll burn through Kiss kiss, bang bang and Ronin during the weekend. Or somthing else unrelated to the HoF, I haven't decided if I'm going to be responsible or simply goof off.
MovieMeditation
09-28-16, 04:28 PM
It's all good, Clazor. I screwed up too, also with Samurai Rebellion, what a coincidence. I think it's okay to make the assumption that it's not us, it's the movie that sucks. :D
Kidding. But what I wanted to say is that it's better to wait and be in the right mood than to screw up a good film. :up:
It's all good, Clazor. I screwed up too, also with Samurai Rebellion, what a coincidence. I think it's okay to make the assumption that it's not us, it's the movie that sucks. :D
Kidding. But what I wanted to say is that it's better to wait and be in the right mood than to screw up a good film. :up:
True, maybe best to wait awhile and watch the entire thing again. Anyway, it's the big LOTR weekend coming up to boot, so the early evening and night are occupied with awesome fantasy and talking on the chat. I'm pumped for it, sorry to hear that you got to work.
Guaporense
09-28-16, 10:03 PM
Samurai Rebellion
It wasn’t easy finding a decent copy of this film, but thanks to cricket I did at least find one that was more or less watchable. But being the cinephile I am, with a tendency to track down the best quality possible for a film in order to get the best possible viewing experience and not miss a single detail, it really is a shame that ‘Samurai Rebellion’ has yet to hit any type of HD format.
Anyways, ‘Samurai Rebellion’ is a film I’m very happy to have finally watched, but I kind of wish it wasn’t nominated for a Hall of Fame to be honest (and that's purely a personal thing). It clearly stands as a competent piece of cinema, but because of the combination of a lot of things, I feel like I didn’t get everything I could out of this film. I won’t strike down on one singular reason, but I feel like everything from the sub-par quality, to the classic status, to the ambiguous nature of the movie were all partners in crime to make this a viewing experience instead of an experience viewing. There was a lot of things wrong with my viewing of it and it also feels like, most of all, it was one of those films where you have to be completely invested and immersed to enjoy the film to the fullest. It is one of those films that I can already call great but won’t certify as such until a second viewing.
It is really hard to explain, but the viewing and the viewer has to be connected for a film to fully work and with my viewing only the film worked. I was a little to distanced and it really is a shame… The best I can do is to revisit the film right before the deadline and hopefully that will give me enough time between the two viewings to award this film with the rating and ranking it deserves… For now, I’ll not comment further on the film out of respect for the film and because I won’t lower myself to a point where I will discuss something without being able to stand behind what I say.
Nice respect for it. When I don't connect with a movie I am too lazy to give such a respectful note for it, I say it's shitte and that's it. I invoked the wrath of many
Anyway, I also wasn't very much connected with Samurai Rebellion, I think the main reason for me was it's lack of edge to keep my interest: since now I am used with Japanese narratives it's "exotic quality" doesn't draw my interest and it lacks the subtle psychological complexities of Ozu, the intellectual sophistication of Kurosawa's masterpieces or the pop culture appeal of modern Japanese film.
This movie feels like a 1970's period drama gekiga manga to me.
Ugh. You are the most boring and predictable member of this HOF Guap, and you really shouldn't be.
Citizen Rules
09-28-16, 10:25 PM
Nice respect for it. When I don't connect with a movie I am too lazy to give such a respectful note for it, I say it's shitte and that's it. I invoked the wrath of many
Anyway, I also wasn't very much connected with Samurai Rebellion, I think the main reason for me was it's lack of edge to keep my interest: since now I am used with Japanese narratives it's "exotic quality" doesn't draw my interest and it lacks the subtle psychological complexities of Ozu, the intellectual sophistication of Kurosawa's masterpieces or the pop culture appeal of modern Japanese film.
This movie feels like a 1970's period drama gekiga manga to me. Guap, that's the same generalized foo-foo, nothing write up that you always do for the Hofs. Ever since Camo said you needed to write more, you've only made your write ups longer, never do you do personally takes, like you just watched the movie. BTW I was the third person who told Camo that I don't believe you watch the movies. And I still don't think you do.
Well there's one. Citizen was third as he said to contact me. No point in dragging this all up again, you two can if you want but:
http://i64.tinypic.com/v7wemp.jpg
Think we should all just agree that this is the best thing of all time!
Miss Vicky
09-28-16, 11:33 PM
Re: Bashu
I searched YouTube again and found this. Not sure why it didn't come up in my previous search. I haven't actually watched it yet, but I skipped ahead a little and the subtitles seem to be working.
I'm gonna stick with my plan of watching it last, but in case anybody else is having trouble.
First Half:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2KgSRUSq7s
Second Half:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcohfed3RLg
That's the exact copy i have.
Miss Vicky
09-29-16, 04:06 AM
http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/ida.gif
Ida (Pawel Pawlikowski, 2013)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2718492/)
Date Watched: 9/28/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 11th MoFo Hall of Fame
Rewatch: No
Potential Spoilers Ahead
Despite its 82 minute runtime, this is by no means a film for those with deficient attention spans. It crawls at a snail's pace. There's little excitement. There's no color. There's only quiet contemplation, reflection, and questions with no concrete answers.
The film centers on two characters - Anna and Wanda. Anna spent her childhood as an orphan in a convent. Now a young woman, she is on the verge of taking her vows to spend the rest of her life as a nun. But first she must spend time with Wanda - an aunt Anna never knew, who will reveal to her a tragic family secret.
I instantly connected with Wanda and sympathized with her struggles to process her grief over the murders of her family. Anna was a little more difficult. I imagine it must be quite a shock to suddenly go from knowing nothing of your origins to learning that your name and your religion are not at all what they once were and that your parents are buried somewhere in unmarked graves - victims of murder that will never get justice. But her face and actions never seemed to betray any emotion at any point in the film, making that critical connection nearly impossible for me to form.
Which is not necessarily to say that this was a poor artistic choice. After all, how much grief can a person really have for people they never really knew? But even in Ida's (Anna's birth name) brief discovery and exploration of mankind's carnal urges she expresses neither joy nor regret or disappointment. Something that I found almost more frustrating than her near non-reaction to finding out about her family.
Still, the story itself was an engaging one and as frustrated as I was with Anna/Ida, she still somehow didn't seem unreal to me. I also really liked that the film never really vilified the killer and left his true motivations open to interpretation rather than painting a black and white picture of the how and the why.
Anyway, forgive my rambling, train-of-thought review here. There were several things that I really liked about the film, but ultimately I found myself respecting it a lot more than I actually enjoyed it.
4-
MovieMeditation
09-29-16, 04:38 AM
Glad to see the high rating, Miss Vicky! Great you liked/respected it a lot. :up:
Guaporense
09-30-16, 12:22 PM
Guap, that's the same generalized foo-foo, nothing write up that you always do for the Hofs.
That was not my "write up" for this movie.
Ever since Camo said you needed to write more, you've only made your write ups longer, never do you do personally takes, like you just watched the movie.
I don't understand. You want me to give a plot description of the movie? Because that is actually much weaker evidence of watching than writing up your subjective reaction to it.
BTW I was the third person who told Camo that I don't believe you watch the movies. And I still don't think you do.
The way I write about the animation I watch is also like that, in fact, it's less detailed than what I wrote in here: http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=40647&page=18
So there is absolutely nothing more I can do to convince you because I watched them and I reviewed them. If you find the way I talk about the movies indicative of not watching them, well, I guess there is absolutely nothing that I can do about it.
Miss Vicky
09-30-16, 03:37 PM
http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/flowersofwar.jpg
The Flowers of War (Jin ling shi san chai) (Yimou Zhang, 2011)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1410063/?ref_=nm_knf_i4)
Date Watched: 9/30/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 11th MoFo Hall of Fame
Rewatch: No
Like Raise the Red Lantern, the other film I've seen from Yimou Zhang, The Flowers of War is breathtakingly shot and features complex characters. Unlike Lantern, however, there were a few things that bothered me about this film.
I think my biggest gripe is that the film felt too Hollywood in all the wrong ways. The white hero - played by an A-list Hollywood actor, no less - in a foreign land BS particularly rubbed me the wrong way. I expect as much - and can better accept it - from a Hollywood director, but I hoped for something else from a Chinese one - especially since the story is only inspired by the events of the Rape of Nanking and the characters themselves are fictional. The shoe-horned in love story and the fact that Bale is among my least favorite actors didn't help much either. I was also a bit bothered by the one dimensional pure-evil portrayal of the Japanese, though given the event that inspired the film, its is far more forgivable than other issues I had.
Thankfully there was enough in the rest of the film to compensate for these problems. It's worth mentioning again how beautiful the cinematography is - from the vibrant colors of the women's dresses to the dark, somber scenes of death and destruction on the street. The film spins the tale of unlikely heroes (a drunken mortician and a group of prostitutes hiding in a church in order to save themselves) and of self sacrifice so that others may live. The juxtaposition of mankind at its worse and its best, was moving and heartbreaking. I just wish it felt more authentic and less like the fiction that it is.
4-
Citizen Rules
09-30-16, 04:12 PM
Good review MV, and I can agree with a lot of what you said too.
I think the director's intent was to create a Chinese arthouse-Hollywood fusion movie. So yah, it does feel more Hollywood with it's story line and with Christian Bale, than Raise the Red Lantern..but that's what the film is aiming for, a broader American audience. As the average movie goer won't watch an arthouse film with subtitles.
I'm not a fan of Christian Bale either, but at least here he's an unlikable actor playing a semi unlikable character:p I mainly picked Flowers of War as I thought I would try something different this time around, and I don't expect to win, but as long as people feel the movie was worth their time, then I'm OK with that.:)
CosmicRunaway
09-30-16, 04:53 PM
I remember liking Christian Bale's performance in The Machinist (or at least admiring his dedication to the role and the weight loss it required), but other than that I'm not really a fan of him either. I liked Equilibrium and The Dark Knight despite that, so it doesn't necessarily mean that I won't enjoy Flowers of War when I get around to watching it. Hopefully.
CosmicRunaway
09-30-16, 04:55 PM
Speaking of which, I just noticed that I've unintentionally watched movies in the pattern of rewatch, new watch, rewatch, new watch, rewatch. I guess I'll have to watch something new to me next. :laugh:
In reality, The Flowers of War was one of Zhang's lowest-grossing movies in the U.S. - $300,000. House of Flying Daggers made $11,000,000, Hero made $54,000,000 and even Raise the Red Lantern earned $2.6 mil.
rauldc14
10-01-16, 11:25 AM
I'll probably REWATCH my own nomination Moonrise Kingdom and then I'll go for Goodbye Lenin if I can find it,
Miss Vicky
10-01-16, 12:54 PM
I just have Bashu left.
I had intended to watch it this weekend, but I've come down with a cold so I don't know if that's going to happen. It may have to be put off a week or so.
Think I'll watch Bashu tomorrow and get that done. Thanks for the link Miss Vicky. Had a review written up for Samurai rebellion, but the page didn't load properly and when I hit return I got back to a blank box *sighs in frustration* Will do a rewrite in the morning.
Bashu tomorrow for me too.
Citizen Rules
10-01-16, 05:09 PM
Think I'll watch Bashu tomorrow and get that done. Thanks for the link Miss Vicky. Had a review written up for Samurai rebellion, but the page didn't load properly and when I hit return I got back to a blank box *sighs in frustration* Will do a rewrite in the morning. I did that with a long review yesterday. It was just about done when I accidentally closed the browser. Sucks when that happens.
I did that with a long review yesterday. It was just about done when I accidentally closed the browser. Sucks when that happens.
From now on, we both use the notepad or somthing to write the review, then we copy it into the reply box and make it pretty and stuff. Deal?
MovieMeditation
10-01-16, 05:42 PM
That's what I do. I don't dare trust the browser/forum textbox. I've lost write-ups one too many times before.
I usually use a note program, which also makes it easy to write something up on the phone, and then Word for my longer and more well-rounded write-ups (sometimes in extension of my note-write-ups).
Anyways, watched The Dead Girl not too long ago, so that's one less... gotta get around those write-ups though.
Citizen Rules
10-01-16, 06:10 PM
From now on, we both use the notepad or somthing to write the review, then we copy it into the reply box and make it pretty and stuff. Deal? That sounds like a plan! I sometimes copy what I write into notepad, but not yesterday.:rolleyes:
Guaporense
10-02-16, 02:41 AM
Flowers of War (2011)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/25/The_Flowers_of_War_english_poster.jpg
A blockbuster Chinese/American film, directed by a Chinese director aiming at a mostly Chinese market.
Anyway, this was a very nice movie, very nice to watch, it goes down very "smooth" like a Heineken. Although it's ending left a lot to be desired: the movie felt like it finished in the middle to the end, although in many cases an ambiguous ending is better than a well characterized ending (like in Once Upon a Time in America).
What I liked about it was the cinematography and the sets, really beautiful stuff. I also liked the dynamic use of the camera in some scenes such as when the two girls are trying to escape from the Japanese soldiers and one of them jumps into the lake.
Also, one cool thing is a movie about the Japanese invasion of China, since in WW2, most Japanese soldiers didn't die fighting Americans but Chinese, actually, in their futile attempt to conquer China. It reminded me of the Japanese movie about the occupation of certain parts of Japan by the Soviet Union after WW2, something that very few people in the West are aware of.
One thing I disliked about the film was the unrealistic portrayal of combat, specially given that by the time of the film, the vast majority of combat casualties were inflicted by artillery, yet, no artillery barrage is seem in the movie. Historically, artillery barrages were the basic form of attack while infantry's role was just to advance and occupy territory, and it was not designed to be the main source of casualties on the enemy through man-to-man combat. War had evolved to the point where 80% of the soldiers died without seeing their enemy: it was either an artillery shell fired a dozen miles away, or a mortar shell fired several miles away or a bomb dropped by an airplane 20,000 feet up on the air, that killed the soldiers in the battlefield. Yet, most movies about the war depict warfare as if it were still a man-to-man fight instead of a impersonal and brutal type of warfare (movies about WW1 like All Quiet on the Western Front, are a better in that regard).
The acting was ok, some of Batman's acting left a bit to be desired though (it left me unimpressed) while the Chinese actors spoke tremendously perfect english given the historical background of the film (I mean, I think the probability a Chinese back in 1937 of understanding English perfectly was less than 1 over 100,000 while in the film many Chinese and Japanese appear to speak and understand English fluently).
Citizen Rules
10-02-16, 03:32 AM
In reality, The Flowers of War was one of Zhang's lowest-grossing movies in the U.S. - $300,000. House of Flying Daggers made $11,000,000, Hero made $54,000,000 and even Raise the Red Lantern earned $2.6 mil. On the other hand, The Flowers of War:Grossed more than 310 million on the domestic (Chinese) box office making this the highest grossing Chinese production of all time.
Samurai Rebellion (1967) Dir. Masaki Kobayashi
http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/pDijiNjS6GNZsJJpKYrJT3SI3Rr.jpg
Ugh, I'm to old for this s***.
This movie falls into the same group of movies as Sunrise did for me, i.e. a movie with a simplistic story than none the less is expertly told. Samurai rebellion is the story of a samurai who must decide wheter to follow his lord's command or follow his own conscience, even if that entails putting his entire clan in jeopardy.
Toshiro Mifune plays a samurai on the hunt for a wife to his eldest son. When his lord wishes to make the son a husband to one of his misstresses that has disspleased him (even after she gave him a son), Mifune tries to decline, but find his lord adamant. He therefore accepts this dubious honor and to his great joy, finds that she makes a fine wife for his son. Fate's fickle though, and when the heir apparent dies, Mifune realizes that his new daughter-in-law is mother to the new heir and also that his lord will want her back, somthing neither of them wants.
With great acting from Mifune and as well from Go Kato (eldest son) and Yoko Tsukasa (son's wife), this samurai movie is two parts domestic drama and one part solid action. The sets look great (especially the courtyard of Mifune's house and the field of tall grass where the final showdown takes place) and the costuming's top notch. I've allways had a soft spot for Kurosawa's Ran (1985) just because of how the coloring of the costumes stood out so vividly when two forces came together on a battlefield, but here, even it black and white, you can clearly see who's to be rooted for by the use of lighter fabrics throughout the protagonists and the darker shades of the antagonist (nothing new, I know, but it stood out for me here for some reason). Kobayashi's an excellent director with an feeling for the fight scenes in particular, I think. The climactic final fight scene in the tall grass made me think of the raptors in The lost world (1997) and how they so easely could use the vegetation to their advantage. The same thing happens here with Mifune jumping through the grass and slicing guard left and right (even if to start with felt more like gophers sticking their heads out of their burrows).
He also has an eye for the single combat stuff, as shown in the duel between Mifune and Tatsuya Nakadai. Starting with a low shot as the two circle each other and then cutting to show them clashing. No five minute sparring with rapiers here, just attack and separate to determine what damage's been done.
The meat of the story though, is the interactions of the Sasahara clan and how they handle meeting and living with a woman they at first don't know. Mifune's own marriage was never what you could call harmonious, with his wife allway complaining and criticizing all he does. When she acts the same twoards her new daughter-in-law though, she takes it with a smile, but otherwise she seems sad. She's had a hard life, Yagoro Sasahara tells his father, and speaks of an evening when he himself asked his new wife why she felt so sad. What follows is one of two great performances given by Yoko Tsukasa in this movie. She pours heart and soul into telling and acting out her emotions, somthing only trumped by Mifune later in the movie.
Great movie, so far one of (if not the) favourite in this hof.
Bashu the little stranger (1989) Dir. Bahram Beizai
http://www.bitsofnews.com/images/graphics/bashu%20little%20stranger2.jpg
Choreographed dancing turns to beating turns to handshakes turns to WHAT?!!!
An emotoinally driven narrative about a boy losing his family and the road he takes to find a new one. A few steps up in complexity from Sunrise (and I liked Sunrise based on the simple tale that is told extraordinary well), but also a few steps down in interest from me as its capacity for keeping me engaged wasn't as high. There were some parts that dragged a bit, the teapartys and the market scene in particular, and I never understood the clapping and chanting Bashu did, perhaps somthing not carried over from its native Iran where it makes more sense? The child actors didn't bring much to the proceedings other than a very inconsistent vibe of not being ablr to make up thier minds. Do they pick on Bashu and call him an idiot or do they find him funny and want to help him? You can display both feelings, but don't try to jump between them with little to no warning. They litteraly go from a choreographed dance number led by Bashu to trying to beat the s*** out of him from one scene to the next. And we never find out why. A scene later and they're shaking hands and are smiling at each other again (note that when I say that the child actors didn't have impact, I'm excluding Bashu's actor from that group).
Then we have the mother, the shrillest woman I've ever heard, who despite a wierd habit of making animal call left right and center, is a very good actress in my opinion. This is totally her and Bashu's story. Any other character is so much window dressing, they could be part of the landscape. They form a belivable bond and her attempts to keep him in line and trying to understand him strikes me as very genuine. I could see a real woman with children of her own do this if she found a lost boy and were of the same nature as Naii.
Other than that there wasn't much for me to take note of, good or bad. The lanscape/setting wasn't really distinctive. If you told me this was Hungary or Romania I'd buy it just as much as if you told me it was set in northern Iran. Farmland is farmland when you don't know it intimately. As previously stated, Bashu's actor was the only one of the children who actually left an impression, can't even recall after just seeing it what the names of Naii's actual children were, if they were even mentioned. The kneeling dance with the sheet that Naii did after being to sick to move in the previous scene was wierd, but if the movie's not gonna mention it ever again, then why should I?
Overall, a kind of interesting but slightly wierd movie that was totally ok, but still it's a one-and-done for me.
CosmicRunaway
10-02-16, 10:40 AM
The climactic final fight scene in the tall grass made me think of the raptors in The lost world (1997) and how they so easely could use the vegetation to their advantage. The same thing happens here with Mifune jumping through the grass and slicing guard left and right (even if to start with felt more like gophers sticking their heads out of their burrows).
This is the one scene in the movie I really don't like, and is what I was referring to when I said my interest in the movie ended with the duel. It was just too silly looking, and it didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the movie to me.
The rest of the movie is great though, and it's definitely an early front runner for me as well. :up:
So, now I've acctually been good this weekend. Now I can enjoy the last of the LOTR viewing without feeling guilty.
:p
This is the one scene in the movie I really don't like, and is what I was referring to when I said my interest in the movie ended with the duel. It was just too silly looking, and it didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the movie to me.
The rest of the movie is great though, and it's definitely an early front runner for me as well. :up:
True, I did chuckle a little when they started poping their heads out of the grass. I think it wouldn't have looked amiss sped up and set to the benny hill tune.
Now I've just got Ronin, Kiss kiss bang bang, Ida, Flowers of war, bringing up baby, good bye Lenin and her left I think. Almost halfway with four of the remaining movies within arms reach ready to watch.
But that, I think, can wait until the coming week. Enough HoF for one day. 4 hours 12 min until Return of the King starts.
cricket
10-02-16, 11:08 AM
Great write-ups Clazor, and of course glad you enjoyed Samurai Rebellion!
I'll probably watch Bashu next while the link is still good.
Citizen Rules
10-02-16, 03:14 PM
Flowers of War (Zhang Yimou, 2011)
This film is so amazingly visual, that I've spent over half an hour looking for that one special photo from the film that would sum up the spirit of the movie...And there's just no way one image can do that, as Flowers of War has so many different sub stories running through it. I love images and the visual arts, but I also love a good old fashioned story...and Flowers of War combines both. And it does that while taking the time to develop the story fully without rushing it and yet is always spell binding.
http://mblogthumb2.phinf.naver.net/20131109_165/laseong_13839433862459fmsC_JPEG/flowers-3.jpg?type=w2
The film is set during the Japanese occupation of Nanking and war is a part of the story, but this is not a war film...it's a humanistic film that examines how war can bring out the worst and best in humans. I really liked the story elements that showed the conflict between the convent school girls and the prostitutes. And I liked the juxtaposition between George Chen the alter boy who wants desperately to honor the former priest of the church and John Miller (Christian Bale) who wants only at first to get drunk, paid and laid. I thought Bale was pretty good at being an opportunistic scoundrel...and the actor who played George Chen was amazing at relaying emotions to us.
https://cirkul.info/sites/default/files/uploaded/cvety-voiny-4.jpg
Of course the other big part of the film is it's sensuality, set against the liberality of war. I thought the story elements about the legendary Qin Huai river prostitutes was very well done. It never got cheesy or overly sappy. And the scenes between Bale and the lead prostitute played by actress Ni Ni, added a whole new level to what could have been just a war film.
http://img1.gtimg.com/ent/pics/hv1/205/150/937/60966880.jpg
This was my second viewing of Flowers of War, and I loved it even more the second time around.
Miss Vicky
10-02-16, 05:19 PM
Decided to just go ahead and finish off my watches for this HOF:
http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/bashuthelittlestranger.jpg
Bashu, the Little Stranger (Bashu , gharibeye koochak) (Bahram Beizai, 1989)
Imdb (httphttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096894/?ref_=fn_al_tt_6)
Date Watched:10/02/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 11th MoFo Hall of Fame
Rewatch: No
I definitely had some mixed feelings about this one.
My biggest gripe is that quite a bit of the acting, including the child playing Bashu, felt unnatural. I realize that Bashu was essentially suffering from PTSD and struggling to adapt to a different culture, but his reactions and emotions were over-exaggerated. I had a tough time buying the reactions of Naii’s neighbors. I didn’t so much have an issue with them going from one general feeling about Bashu to another, but rather how quickly their attitudes changed and then reversed. I had an easier time accepting this from the children because, well, kids are a**holes who change their minds about things all the time, but from the adults it was harder to swallow. I also found the constant animal noises from Naii to be both irritating and distracting and there were certain scenes I didn’t quite understand at all. What the hell was that (really fake looking) creature in the field and what was its significance? So confused.
Still the basic premise of the film was interesting and many of the scenes between Bashu and Naii were quite touching. The bond between them felt real and I couldn’t help but admire Naii’s conviction and perseverance in her efforts to make Bashu part of her family.
3.5-
You've finished with 2 months to spare :eek:
Miss Vicky
10-02-16, 05:23 PM
You've finished with 2 months to spare :eek:
Ballot sent. :D
I'll still be around to read other people's write-ups and participate in discussion.
I have 6 left. I've been saying i'm going to watch Bashu for like 5 days but i always end up needing to do something else. Since i missed the ROTK chat i should be able to get to it in the next hour.
Citizen Rules
10-02-16, 05:39 PM
Ballot sent. :D
I'll still be around to read other people's write-ups and participate in discussion. Good! that you'll stick around, even though you're done with the noms. We need people in the Hofs who are willing to say their opinions and wrangle around the films to keep the conversation going and you're always topical:p That's why I invited you to the 10th Hof BTW.
CosmicRunaway
10-02-16, 07:35 PM
I meant to watch a movie for this today, but time got away from me. I'm working long shifts all week, but I'm hoping to get another one done by Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest. I'm thinking of watching the The Dead Girl or Flowers of War next, depending on my mood once I sit down to watch something.
That's why I invited you to the 10th Hof BTW.
You invited her. I actually managed to get her out of retirement :D. Because in her own words:
This time I signed up to give myself incentive to watch movies again. Also because I have a hard time saying no to Camo.
:cool:
cricket
10-02-16, 08:40 PM
Bashu, the Little Stranger
http://www.scuolanticoli.com/cineforum/Bashu.jpg
One of the aspects I enjoyed most about this movie is the same thing I enjoy about my own nomination, and that's getting a glimpse at a different culture. I don't think this movie was made with nearly the same amount of skill, but I do believe the filmmakers probably did the best with the resources that were available to them. It's not a flattering portrait of the Iranian people, and even Nali didn't come off well when she first approached Bashu. As far as some things that come off as odd such as the animal noises, I overlook things like that by chalking them up to cultural differences. The acting by the boy who played Bashu could have been better, and that was the only real negative for me. It's a nice story that's very moving at times. I thought it started and ended well, and that's very important to draw the viewer in and then leave a favorable last impression. I would say this was a very good movie, and because of it's obscurity, an even better nomination.
3.5
Guaporense
10-02-16, 08:51 PM
Her (2013)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/44/Her2013Poster.jpg
This movie felt a bit underwhelming. While its certainly well made I didn't find anything about it to be really exceptional, in contrast with the reactions here regarding it. Let me explain:
Her is a movie that reflects very well our current times of social networks, stuff like Tinder and the increasing digitalization of life. This is reflected in the fact that I am posting here, on this forum, instead of talking to people face to face. Posting on the internet has some advantages over talking face to face in terms of allowing people to be freed from the constraints of direct interaction and of intimate interaction.
In the movie, however, the main character becomes intimate and falls in love with someone who essentially can be understood as an "internet person" in the sense that he cannot see and touch "her" but only talk to "her", essentially being a way of understanding love as something beyond the mere physical attraction and interaction but instead being in love with a personality and not a physical person. The movie's plot is hence an example of the purest form of "platonic love".
But the movie makes a case against Plato's claim that you only know a person after eating a certain quantity of salt with him/her: you can know and fall in love with someone without seeing and touching that person. True indeed. Although some people say that real relationships (I mean not just romantic but all types of relationships) are much more relevant than relationships on the internet.
I actually did not dislike any single aspect of the movie although I think some elements of the movie could have been improved. For instance, why the game the main character is playing has graphics of a children's wii game? Why not a game with cool graphics? :D
Anyway, the movie, despite being well made, doesn't have anything that made me jump out of the sofa or make me cry or send chills down my spine. So while a good and well made movie, it was rather underwhelming relative to it's reputation among movie fans in this forum.
Also, I noticed the high number of Asians walking around and the fact that the movie appears to be set in Shanghai. A prediction of a more Asian-centric future?
Anyway I am not a big fan of romantic movies but I really enjoyed Her. One strong movie among many strong movies in this HoF.
Guaporense
10-02-16, 08:52 PM
You've finished with 2 months to spare :eek:
Where is the deadline? I didn't find it in the first post.
cricket
10-02-16, 08:56 PM
Nice write-up, Guap. I'm very curious as to what my feelings will be about Her. It could go either way.
Where is the deadline? I didn't find it in the first post.
10th December.
Guaporense
10-02-16, 09:02 PM
Bashu, the Little Stranger
http://www.scuolanticoli.com/cineforum/Bashu.jpg
One of the aspects I enjoyed most about this movie is the same thing I enjoy about my own nomination, and that's getting a glimpse at a different culture. I don't think this movie was made with nearly the same amount of skill, but I do believe the filmmakers probably did the best with the resources that were available to them. It's not a flattering portrait of the Iranian people, and even Nali didn't come off well when she first approached Bashu. As far as some things that come off as odd such as the animal noises, I overlook things like that by chalking them up to cultural differences. The acting by the boy who played Bashu could have been better, and that was the only real negative for me. It's a nice story that's very moving at times. I thought it started and ended well, and that's very important to draw the viewer in and then leave a favorable last impression. I would say this was a very good movie, and because of it's obscurity, an even better nomination.
3.5
One thing that impressed me about Bashu is that although it's cultural elements are very different from any movies I had watched before it (the only Iranian movies I watched before Bashu are the pretentious art-house products of Kiarostami) I understood the movie on a very instinctive level and it talked to me on a very deep level as a result.
I am happy that people here are appreciating this nomination of mine more than previous ones (Utena and K-On! were particularly trashed :(). Well, this is essentially a conventional drama movie but infused with Iranian culture, something I though people here might like more.
Guaporense
10-02-16, 09:03 PM
10th December.
You should write the date for the deadline in the first post.
Not seen Topsy or Neiba in the thread for a while. Not worried or anything though, Topsy seems to like to watch them all then give her thoughts all at once going by the TV Tournament and her posting about a few movies in a row in both this and the 10th. And Neiba always finishes.
are the pretentious art-house products of Kiarostami)
What is with your deep hatred of Kiarostami, Guap? I've not seen anything from him so have no opinion, it just seems to come up in every other post you make now. And unless i've missed something you never go any further than saying he is boring or pretentious. Genuinely curious.
rauldc14
10-02-16, 09:13 PM
Not seen Topsy or Neiba in the thread for a while. Not worried or anything though, Topsy seems to like to watch them all then give her thoughts all at once going by the TV Tournament and her posting about a few movies in a row in both this and the 10th. And Neiba always finishes.
Where's Swan?
Where's Swan?
He posted Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in the Movie You're Watching Tonight thread a few days ago. I think he's been preoccupied with horrors lately but i'm confident he'll finish :)
cricket
10-02-16, 09:37 PM
What is with your deep hatred of Kiarostami, Guap? I've not seen anything from him so have no opinion, it just seems to come up in every other post you make now. And unless i've missed something you never go any further than saying he is boring or pretentious. Genuinely curious.
I've seen Ten from that director and didn't care for it at all.
Fair enough. From what i've heard of that movie i don't think i'd like it much; it mainly takes place in a car i think? I'm not saying he is any good obviously because i haven't seen anything by him but i don't think i've seen anyone mention their dislike of a particular director more than Guap of Kiarostami, so i'm interested in why he hates him so much. Will be a nice contrast hearing dissenting opinions as well when he seems to be so beloved.
Guaporense
10-03-16, 12:58 AM
Kiarostami is the most famous Iranian director in the West. I was contrasting Bashu with Kiarostami's films because it's also Iranian but very different. There is no "hate" for Kiarostami's films, I just said my impression from watching these movies.
Kiarostami is not actually "beloved", Ebert hated his movies as well. However, some people, a very restricted set of people, claim to like his movies. The reason is that his movies are pretty much the definition of "pretentious left wing art movies", movies without plot, without substantial characterization, without eye candy and without soundtrack. They are not movies meant to be watched but art movies meant to be discussed. They are the equivalent of modern art translated to movies. Art like this:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3296/2465925013_3bbdecb9da_b.jpg
Ten is the worst Kiarostami movie that I ever watched. It's a painful film: 90 minutes inside a car, no plot, no real acting, no atmosphere and no decent cinematography. What's the movie's message? Tremendously obvious: the movie plays like this:
Iran Oppresses Women
Iran Oppresses Women
Iran Oppresses Women
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
90 minutes later:
.
Iran Oppresses Women
Iran Oppresses Women
Iran Oppresses Women
Iran Oppresses Women
Then it ends. It was a complete waste of 90 minutes of my life.
Guaporense
10-03-16, 01:14 AM
Ida (2013)
https://filmgrimoire.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/1378722163.jpg
Ida is one of those "serious" European movies that do not entertain but instead require constant focus by the viewer in order to be properly digested. Tremendously slow, it's a an art film and like all art films, the images are supposed to be more important than the plot, characters and the writing. Indeed, the movie's plot is barely apparent, unlike normal narrative movies, it's a bare bones narrative wrapped around powerful images.
Now, about, the images, the movie tries to depict Poland in the 1960's, when the effects of WW2 were still very apparent in the country that suffered the most in the war. The movie's director was born in Poland and lived in Poland during his youth, as a result this movie tries to be a representation of his childhood perception of Poland. The film's images are reminiscent of Bela Tarr's movies, which also depict Eastern Europe in black and white and both are very slow, although in this case it's not as remotely as slow as Tarr's movies which are glacial.
One interesting thing is that these days apparently to have a female main character is considered "artsy", I guess it's because female main characters are not the standard for western narratives so deviating from the standards is considered artsy. Although I would personally think that male film directors would prefer to be looking at a female actress rather than a male actor while making the movie, hence the appeal. :D
Also, why make it black and white? Whats the appeal? Black and white was the color of movies in the early decades of film because of technological constraints prevented full color. Now that's trivial to make movies in color, arthouse directors still make movies in black and white because it's "cool", why it's "cool"? Because you are rebelling from the "mainstream" colored movies. :D Also, because you are referencing the history of film when you make a movie in black and white.
Overall, it's was interesting film as a work of visual art but I wasn't entertained by it and I didn't find it's bare bones narrative very interesting.
Kiarostami is the most famous Iranian director in the West. I was contrasting Bashu with Kiarostami's films because it's also Iranian but very different. There is no "hate" for Kiarostami's films, I just said my impression from watching these movies.
Please don't pretend you only bring up Kiarostami in relation to other Iranian films, don't be ridiculous you mention him all the time. Actually here are all the times you've mentioned him most of them negative and these are only the times you've spelled his name correctly:
http://www.movieforums.com/community/search.php?searchid=5219890
Kiarostami is not actually "beloved", Ebert hated his movies as well.
He's one of the most acclaimed foreign directors by 'western' critics which you always feel the need to point out. Ebert is the most famous Critic that's it, not sure why you brought him up as if he has the final say on the matter.
However, some people, a very restricted set of people, claim to like his movies. The reason is that his movies are pretty much the definition of "pretentious left wing art movies", movies without plot, without substantial characterization, without eye candy and without soundtrack. They are not movies meant to be watched but art movies meant to be discussed. They are the equivalent of modern art translated to movies. Art like this
This is nuts and incredibly arrogant. Love that everyone other than you is only claiming to love these movies.
CosmicRunaway
10-03-16, 04:16 AM
Not seen Topsy or Neiba in the thread for a while.
Topsy told me the other day that her time online has been rather limited lately.
It's possible that she's watching movies, but hasn't been online long enough to do write ups about them.
Citizen Rules
10-03-16, 01:44 PM
http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=27314&stc=1&d=1475513201
Ronin (1998)
I watched this one last night, I had never seen it before. I enjoyed it. I'm not really into crime action films but this one was exceptionally well done. It held my interest and I was into it! I liked the way the film was edited (straight forward without any tricky fancy stuff) that made for good old fashioned story telling. I thought the action sequences were exciting and the first car chase amazing. I'm not really a car chase kind of guy, so the second car chase seemed to me to go on too long, but oh well it was still well done. Good choice for a nomination!
.
:D
Glad you liked it CR. Now, to prove you acctually saw the movie, answer this very important question: What's the color of the boat house?
:p
Citizen Rules
10-03-16, 02:01 PM
:D
Glad you liked it CR. Now, to prove you acctually saw the movie, answer this very important question: What's the color of the boat house?
:p Ha! The running joke from the movie, yea that was a funny bit. Let's see Robert DeNiro asked that question as a test, then latter was asked that question himself and his answer was something like:
"I don't know what ****ing color it was!" :p
Where's Swan?
I quit.
Just kidding. Some personal stuff has kept me from really getting to this, and I admit I'm struggling to jump right in, but I'm not giving up yet. I will ask you guys not give up on me yet either.
Now watch me discuss a film that wasn't even nominated!
Re: Kiarostami. I recently watched Close-Up and I loved it for being the kind of film that literally could only be made as a film. It couldn't be a painting or a song, it was pure cinema realized. I always treasure films like that because on some meta level they give cinema it's inherent meaning. Like, these aren't just stories put to screen in a boring way, and thus could just as easily be a novel. No, Close-Up is cinema. And I love that it's through that cinematic lens that the film finds much of its meaning. I mean, that just feels really f*cking special to me, that a film could do that stuff, really separate itself as an artform and find meaning that way. I saw Ten for the HoF it was in, and I don't really remember it to be honest, but I think Close-Up will stick with me for a long time.
Guaporense
10-03-16, 11:31 PM
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2006)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/61/Kiss_kiss_bang_bang_poster.jpg
This is a very "cool" movie. It's said to be a parody of the noir genre. Since I am not a big fan of the genre I don't know many of the references this movie has, it's a movie for noir film buffs essentially.
Stil I found it very enjoyable and iron man was entertaining as always. Although he is certainly not an actor made for serious roles but for movies like this he is perfect. I also found the actress that played harmony really hot, specially for her age (34). Anyway, the whole movie was well executed but a bit tad too fast in some parts (I couldn't properly digest it when it already jumped to the next scenes).
Val Kilmer was also great although certainly not the character like iron man.
I actually want to show this movie to other people because I found it quite interesting in that way and that's perhaps a film finest achievment: that it becomes interesting enough for me to show to my friends and family.
Guaporense
10-03-16, 11:37 PM
Please don't pretend you only bring up Kiarostami in relation to other Iranian films, don't be ridiculous you mention him all the time. Actually here are all the times you've mentioned him most of them negative and these are only the times you've spelled his name correctly:
http://www.movieforums.com/community/search.php?searchid=5219890
He's one of the most acclaimed foreign directors by 'western' critics which you always feel the need to point out. Ebert is the most famous Critic that's it, not sure why you brought him up as if he has the final say on the matter.
You claimed that everybody but me loves Kiarostami, I gave you a counterexample: Roger Ebert: the English speaking world's most famous film critic, who also detests his movies. That proves you wrong in your claim.
This is nuts and incredibly arrogant. Love that everyone other than you is only claiming to love these movies.
Well only if by everyone you say pretentious movie critics and movie buffs. Otherwise nobody likes his movies: if you show close up to anybody walking on the street, they will not like it. Only artsy people will like his movies.
Anyway, why do you like to fight with me so much? Because that wax obviously a bait for you to fight me. I think I might need to start ignoring you at some point. ;)
I don't like fighting you i just think you say some very frustrating things. It wasn't bait i was genuinely curious because you mention him all the time. I didn't claim everybody except you likes him that would be absurd, noone is liked by everybody. What i said is he seems to be "beloved", i obviously meant he is a well liked director and you seem to have a burning hatred for him that leads you to mention him pretty frequently. Which is odd.
And your ask the average person to watch it is meaningless. The average person would dislike Stalker or whatever challenging film you like. We aren't talking about the average person, we are talking about movie buffs who you make very arrogant generalizations about.
Hey guys, I got a plastic chainsaw today, and if you don't stop I'm going to cut this argument to pieces.
MovieMeditation
10-04-16, 02:46 PM
I think the best to make time for is the movies themselves, so I will try and get some shorter more direct write-ups out of the movies I have watched but haven't discussed yet in the HoF thread...
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
This film is kind of like one of those parties you go to that you don’t expect to be anything spectacular, but then it just builds into one of the greatest nights ever; obviously, for the characters not so much, but for the viewer this is one hell of a ride. Whether a good or bad thing, I think I can safely say there isn’t any movie quite like this one out there. 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' is a completely crazy and chaotically controlled film that evolves like that of a snowball going down a hill, through a wall, travelling 110 miles per hour and hitting you like a slap across the face and you find yourself knocked out and with no recollection of what the hell is happening… that’s basically this movie. There is certainly some action in it, but mostly it is a crime drama of sorts, where the plot is precise and perplexing at the same time and the tempo comes from the talking. It is the dialogue, which comes pre-packed with action and adrenaline, while being delivered in a snappy and sappy style that is totally unheard of elsewhere.
The movie is also pretty much an exercise in building a plot and obviously the movie makes quite the joke out of all that, as well taking the piss out of the entire mystery genre, noir genre and whatnot, as this bitch-slap slash homage towards these elements. In its own absurd little twisted world, I think this movie totally works. Whatever negatives I might have is also what is positives about the film. The film is fully aware of being full of itself and it fulfills my idea of good fun doing just that, while also going that extra distance to deliberately annoy me in a playful way and I like that. Downey Jr. is awesome, but as always kind of plays a version of himself, while I personally really liked Val Kilmer as “Gay Perry”. But obviously it’s the dynamic duo of the two that makes it all work – or fail for that matter, which is why it’s such a fun ride.
4-
slightly generous, but the movie is a lot of fun tbh (especially in a modern cult classic kind of way...)
Guaporense
10-04-16, 03:00 PM
Bashu (1986)
http://www.dreamlabfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/BASHU-4.jpg
There are good movies, there are great movies and there are movies that truly show the potential of the medium of film: a movie that truly displays the capacity of art to extend the dimension of the emotions that one can feel. Bashu is such a film.
Directed by Bahrām Beyzāi, one of Iran's greatest directors alongside names such as Masoud Kimiai and Asghar Farhadi, Bashu is among the most acclaimed movies in Iranian cinema although it's relatively obscure among westerners. Its a simple but very effective movie.
Iran is a large country, although not as large as Brazil or the USA, but still pretty large and diverse in itself. Bashu shows the diversity of Iran as a country and even the, surprising, racism that permeates Iranian society, revealed by the interactions between Bashu and his adopted family and village.
Its a profoundly human film that's incredibly honest and touching.
You claimed that everybody but me loves Kiarostami, I gave you a counterexample: Roger Ebert: the English speaking world's most famous film critic, who also detests his movies. That proves you wrong in your claim.
Well only if by everyone you say pretentious movie critics and movie buffs. Otherwise nobody likes his movies: if you show close up to anybody walking on the street, they will not like it. Only artsy people will like his movies.
Anyway, why do you like to fight with me so much? Because that wax obviously a bait for you to fight me. I think I might need to start ignoring you at some point. ;)
But everyone on the street will eat up Tarkovsky and Kurosawa? I love how you said select people claim to love Kiarostami.
Kiarostami was a magnificent writer. I love the language in every single film of his I have seen. I also love how he plays around with truth and identity. He does love car scenes which I like, because I think dialogue in confined spaces adds tons of tension. It is also realistic. I have had more fights in cars than I care to admit. It's quiet, you are alone with someone many times. It's a good opportunity to bring up both poignant and controversial topics. I have had many profound discussions in cars as well.
If you wonder if Kiarastomi can do cinematography in open spaces check out Taste Of Cherry or The Wind Will Carry Us. Great film maker.
rauldc14
10-04-16, 03:27 PM
I've only seen 2 films but don't like Kiarostami currently.
Bashu, The Little Stranger
http://i67.tinypic.com/v5k1w5.jpg
This was my first Iranian film and i thought it was good. Wasn't sure what to expect with this. The opening bombing scene which i thought was very good made me think this would b just hardship after hardship, to my surprise though it quickly went in a different direction when he came across the mother in the field. I liked the mother a lot, she felt like a real person. She wasn't the usual loving motherly type who is sickly sweet, she was very stark and straightforward with him from when she first laid eyes on him and she clearly had concern that he was darker than her which must have grew out of some cultural ignorance. Still she never allowed him to be harmed by the dog and she gave him bread and rice, funnily enough i think this could've been a cultural thing as well, having most likely gone through tough times herself with Irans problems throughout the 20th Century it could've just been instinct to help a hungry person out even if they are alien to you. I know i'm reading into things that aren't there but i think it's an interesting way to explain both her kindness and prejudice.
It was hard not to feel for the kid. He was a little a-hole at times, it was understandable though from what he went through. Felt terrible during the various scenes his dead family appeared, particularly during the one were he breaks down and finally talks to , telling her everything what happened to him. He was pretty adorable at times, it was so nice seeing him bond with Naii over her teaching him her language during that scene, still it felt odd because he went through still extremely untrusting and scared of her the scene before to instantly easygoing and joking around with her. The racism was a surprise to me, mostly because i knew nothing about it going in and i'm of course not used to seeing depictions of racism from lighter and darker skinned people from other cultures even though it's not much different from what i am used to. The copy of this i had was in two parts and the first part ended with his "we are all children of Iran" reading, powerful scene. The copy i had was pretty mediocre and i don't think the cinematography was supposed to be stunning or anything, it came across like a more Ken Loach-like realistic look. I thought it looked good for the most part. Some nice looking shots of the fields and stuff.
Anyway, good film. Glad you nominated it Guap it was something a bit different for me. My favourite part was easily Naii and Bashu's relationship, i loved how she mostly just treated him like her other children rather than some special little snowflake, it came across alot more touching and realistic the way it was done. Really enjoyed the ending of them playing as a family as well, when Naii fell ill i thought it would end with her dying, i think this was probably the best way they could go though.
Five left, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang rewatch next.
McConnaughay
10-04-16, 06:03 PM
I think the best to make time for is the movies themselves, so I will try and get some shorter more direct write-ups out of the movies I have watched but haven't discussed yet in the HoF thread...
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
This film is kind of like one of those parties you go to that you don’t expect to be anything spectacular, but then it just builds into one of the greatest nights ever; obviously, for the characters not so much, but for the viewer this is one hell of a ride. Whether a good or bad thing, I think I can safely say there isn’t any movie quite like this one out there. 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' is a completely crazy and chaotically controlled film that evolves like that of a snowball going down a hill, through a wall, travelling 110 miles per hour and hitting you like a slap across the face and you find yourself knocked out and with no recollection of what the hell is happening… that’s basically this movie. There is certainly some action in it, but mostly it is a crime drama of sorts, where the plot is precise and perplexing at the same time and the tempo comes from the talking. It is the dialogue, which comes pre-packed with action and adrenaline, while being delivered in a snappy and sappy style that is totally unheard of elsewhere.
The movie is also pretty much an exercise in building a plot and obviously the movie makes quite the joke out of all that, as well taking the piss out of the entire mystery genre, noir genre and whatnot, as this bitch-slap slash homage towards these elements. In its own absurd little twisted world, I think this movie totally works. Whatever negatives I might have is also what is positives about the film. The film is fully aware of being full of itself and it fulfills my idea of good fun doing just that, while also going that extra distance to deliberately annoy me in a playful way and I like that. Downey Jr. is awesome, but as always kind of plays a version of himself, while I personally really liked Val Kilmer as “Gay Perry”. But obviously it’s the dynamic duo of the two that makes it all work – or fail for that matter, which is why it’s such a fun ride.
rating_4-
slightly generous, but the movie is a lot of fun tbh (especially in a modern cult classic kind of way...)
Have you seen The Nice Guys, I think it's fantastic! Shane Black-iest film yet. :)
MovieMeditation
10-04-16, 06:15 PM
Got that ready to watch any time now^^ :up:
A few questions that I've been mulling over for the past hour or so:
How many HoFs have there been? I've seen posts saying that they've participated in 14, so there must be more that 11 general HoFs.
What types of HoFs have those not general been? I've seen a wester-, silent- and B&W HoF, but are these all?
And finally, does there exist a documet or a list of all the HoF winners? Are these winners destined to make a MoFo Hall of Fame list when enough winners have been selected?
I GASTA' KNOW!!! :D
Also, yet again I'm starting a 48 hour shift, so I'll be gone most of the time for the next few days. Checking in on my break tonight around 9/10 pm-ish (GMT +1). Bye
A few questions that I've been mulling over for the past hour or so:
How many HoFs have there been? I've seen posts saying that they've participated in 14, so there must be more that 11 general HoFs.
What types of HoFs have those not general been? I've seen a wester-, silent- and B&W HoF, but are these all?
And finally, does there exist a documet or a list of all the HoF winners? Are these winners destined to make a MoFo Hall of Fame list when enough winners have been selected?
I GASTA' KNOW!!! :D
http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=1391839#post1391839
Here you go
Not seen Topsy or Neiba in the thread for a while. Not worried or anything though, Topsy seems to like to watch them all then give her thoughts all at once going by the TV Tournament and her posting about a few movies in a row in both this and the 10th. And Neiba always finishes.
Im in hospital so havent been able to get on much,however I just got connected properly and have loads of time to kill so i`ll have them all done in the next couple of days.
Thats why i havent been able to participate much,but im reading through it all now
Miss Vicky
10-05-16, 12:48 PM
I hope you're doing okay, Topsy. Hospitals suck. :(
Yeah,thank you! and all of you for the pms :) i got hit by a car but I`ll fine though,nothing serious!
yeah,they do,im not used the lack of privacy here :lol:
MovieMeditation
10-05-16, 01:00 PM
Yeah,thank you! and all of you for the pms :) i got hit by a car but I`ll fine though,nothing serious!
yeah,they do,im not used the lack of privacy here :lol:
Hit by a car?! Damn!
Did you land on topsy the car or below?
Sorry... uhhh, hope you are doing better and will be tip-topsy soon. :up:
:D had to
http://www.abload.de/img/britney-laugh-radio-gic7ev.gif
it was worth it though..ive been getting so many britney gifts :D
Glad you are doing OK. And don't worry the deadline is 10th December and as i said in that post i knew you'd finish.
Thanks,
ive been catching up on some of the reviews and im really excited about the movies i have left.
I think i might start with the flowers of war since i love Hero so much.I didnt know they were from the same guy,thanks CR!
I prefer those movies without the hollywood american actor,but then again ive liked him in most movies so I`ll give him a chance before writing him off.
Citizen Rules
10-05-16, 02:07 PM
Yeah,thank you! and all of you for the pms :) i got hit by a car but I`ll fine though,nothing serious!
yeah,they do,im not used the lack of privacy here :lol: Holy crap, Topsy girl, that sucks! But good for you that you have a positive attitude:p Give the nurses hell!...but not too much, or they will pull the plug on your wifi. Take care:)
cricket
10-05-16, 02:17 PM
Topsy, see if you can get some pictures of the nurses and then post them here. Make yourself useful.
CosmicRunaway
10-05-16, 02:21 PM
Glad you're okay Topsy! There's been a distinct lack of Britney on this forum in your absence, so I'm glad you're back to fix that. :up:
Hit by a car? Crap. Hope there's not too much broken. Good to hear from you and get better soon.
P.S
The nurses treat you the same as you treat them is my experience. Be good and you may end up with him:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/27/DougRoss.jpg/230px-DougRoss.jpg
Be bad to them and risk getting her:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ed/Nurse_Ratched.jpg
D.S
:D
Bringing up baby (1938) Dir. Howard Hawks
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Grant_Hepburn_Bringing_up_baby.jpg
Take a slightly befuddled anthropologist, add an oblivious girl who never stops talking, mix in a leopard with an evil twin and finally set up Chekov's dino skeleton. Voilá, I give you Bringing up baby, one of the most strenuous movies I've ever watched.
I've seen a few Marx brothers movies. Not alot, but some. Their way of talking someone of their feet can be funny and entertaining. Let's call their rate of talking super sonic.
Hepburn goes beyond light speed.
The Marx brothers have pauses in their dialouge. I think Harpo exists as a mute for that express purpose.
This movie never stops talking. It never lets up and gives that necesary calm between verbal bombardments.
This was the first 40 min of the movie for me, in which I had to pause 4 times just to get a break from Hepburn's ceaseless chattering. After that point I must have gotten used to her, because I no longer found her as irritating as I previously did, though I can't say that I discerned anything changing in her performance.
Cary Grant plays the anthropologist, but not really. He plays Clark Kent. A softspoken, demure, weak man with glasses. He even turns into Superman at one point, taking off his glasses and it's there (I guess, they don't set it up at all) Hepburns character falls in love with him. Later in the movie, when he finally tires of her s*** to the point that he grabs her and tries to beat her (figurativley) over the head with the fact that he's had enough, she suddenly loves him. She even tries to detain him so that he will MISS HIS WEDDING. TO HIS FIANCÉ. WHICH SHE DOESN'T GIVE A FLYING F*** ABOUT. Urgh, I don't like this character.
On the other hand, I might've shot straight passed a good part of the movie: the comedy and the writing. The writing isn't the problem. When you acctually listen to it it's quite funny, but not when it's delivered by the two main characters (except for once by hepburn...and once when Grant, clad only in a feminine bathrobe, gets questioned by Hepburns aunts as to why he's wearing said bathrobe, jumps up in the air and exclaims: "Because I just went GAY all of a sudden" ). The surrounding cast though, there we have the bulk of the comedy. The bumbling lawman, the studdering gamehunter and the aunt with her dog. Everything culminating in a jailhouse where Hepburn has her one funny scene with the lawman, acting a gangster's moll. That got an acctual chuckle out of me.
Also there's an subplot regarding a pet leopard who gets confused with a ferosious, wild dito.
All in all, absolutley not the worst comedy I've ever seen (not even close and that's kinda depressing, really) but not the best either. Didn't like the main characters (much), liked the writing and everything was kept standing thanks to the supporting cast (and the dog).
By the way, as far as I can determine, they acctually put a terrier and a leopard head to head and let them fight for real (they might have been playing, but still). Not ok.
thanks you guys <3
ive been laying in bed watching tv all day and getting (bad) food served so lifes not too bad ;)
Topsy, see if you can get some pictures of the nurses and then post them here. Make yourself useful.
anything for you Cricket
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/8e/1a/68/8e1a688cbd1f8441eba955ebe16e8ea5.jpg
By the way, as far as I can determine, they actually put a terrier and a leopard head to head and let them fight for real (they might have been playing, but still). Not ok.
The dog was Asta (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1208817/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t15), the best-trained-and-most-popular dog in movies during the '30s. He could hold his own with the leopard, but actually they used all kinds of F/X, trick shots, mattes, puppets to keep most of the cast separated from the leopard.
rauldc14
10-05-16, 09:07 PM
I'm shocked by the negative reception of Bringing Up Baby.
Citizen Rules
10-05-16, 09:10 PM
I guess Katherine Hepburn is still box office poison:(
Not really her fault, just the character seems to wrong people the wrong way.
I'm shocked by the negative reception of Bringing Up Baby.
I'm not. It's a fast paced screwball comedy featuring K-Hep who seems to annoy everybody. But yeah it is an amazing film.
Citizen Rules
10-05-16, 09:24 PM
I think a screwball comedy from the 30s-40s would have a hard time placing high in an Hof. I love em, but I don't think comedies go over well and especially old screwball comedies in B&W. My nomination of Lady Killer (1933) came in second to last and My Man Godfrey came in midway, but that's only cause the bottom 3 films had a lot of dislike.
Still, I might get bold and nominate another screwball comedy.
rauldc14
10-05-16, 09:28 PM
I'm not. It's a fast paced screwball comedy featuring K-Hep who seems to annoy everybody. But yeah it is an amazing film.
I don't like K Hep but I did like this movie. My rewatch will be interesting.
rauldc14
10-05-16, 09:29 PM
Trouble in Paradise faired well at least. It's 30s, though not a comedy.
I've loved K Hep in everything i've seen her in which is admittedly not much. She brings such energy to her characters which i'm sure some people think of as over the top while i find it really fun and endearing.
Citizen Rules
10-05-16, 09:31 PM
Trouble in Paradise faired well at least. It's 30s, though not a comedy.
I've seen that movie, I liked it too. I could see that one doing pretty well.
Trouble in Paradise is most assuredly a comedy.
gbgoodies
10-06-16, 02:26 AM
Im in hospital so havent been able to get on much,however I just got connected properly and have loads of time to kill so i`ll have them all done in the next couple of days.
Thats why i havent been able to participate much,but im reading through it all now
Is this the same accident that you were talking about a couple of weeks ago in your "TopsyPop" thread? From your comments, it sounded like it was a minor accident, but now it sounds like it might have been more serious. I hope you're doing okay, and you're back home and feeling better soon.
http://i.123g.us/c/gen_getwell/card/318528.png
gbgoodies
10-06-16, 02:31 AM
I'm shocked by the negative reception of Bringing Up Baby.
I'm not really surprised by it. I'm a huge Cary Grant fan, and Bringing Up Baby is one of my least favorite of his movies.
I think part of the problem is that there's no "straight man" in the movie. The main characters are both kind of crazy, so they don't play off each other very well. They just both become kind of annoying in their own ways.
rauldc14
10-06-16, 04:39 AM
Trouble in Paradise is most assuredly a comedy.
Yeah, you are right. So comedies can do well.
MovieMeditation
10-06-16, 06:12 AM
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
1
Just awful. I haven't seen it yet but whatever you know...
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
1
Just awful.
I haven't seen it yet but whatever you know...
Nice try. That bottom space always gives it away do it like this ;)
The way this is going wouldn't be surprised if that was your reaction anyway.
MovieMeditation
10-06-16, 07:31 AM
Nice try. That bottom space always gives it away do it like this ;)
The way this is going wouldn't be surprised if that was your reaction anyway.
Nice try. The smiley gave it away.
:D
The smiley was so you knew it was there :laugh:
MovieMeditation
10-06-16, 10:25 AM
The smiley was so you knew it was there :laugh:
I know, hench the smiley.
:rolleyes:
Hench? :rolleyes:
Yeah i was about 70% sure that was the case i mostly posted that because i'd get the answer either way.
rauldc14
10-06-16, 10:34 AM
I feel like I should watch Bringing Up Baby next to get some different opinions going.
MovieMeditation
10-06-16, 10:48 AM
Hench? :rolleyes:
Yeah i was about 70% sure that was the case i mostly posted that because i'd get the answer either way.
Sorry, hence is the post and hench is poster (aka me). :p
I was thinking the smiley was your henchman :p
MovieMeditation
10-06-16, 10:55 AM
I feel like I should watch Bringing Up Baby next to get some different opinions going.
It will probably also be the next one I watch. Maybe tonight.
Miss Vicky
10-06-16, 10:58 AM
It will probably also be the next one I watch. Maybe tonight.
My condolences.
Is this the same accident that you were talking about a couple of weeks ago in your "TopsyPop" thread? From your comments, it sounded like it was a minor accident, but now it sounds like it might have been more serious. I hope you're doing okay, and you're back home and feeling better soon.
http://i.123g.us/c/gen_getwell/card/318528.png
aw thanks!
Yeah,its the same,ive been here since.
im doing really good though so im happy,could have been alot worse :D
going to have a bit of a marathon tonight and watch through a few so i can catch up a bit :D
vBulletin® v3.8.0, Copyright ©2000-2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.