"Ramblings" is unnecessary in the thread title. That's already assumed.

Don't forget about Alien, dude!

Alien is only ok.

It's harder and harder to find tangible excitement in discovering directors' filmographies for me. Mainly because I've watched large chunks of filmographies of most great directors.

Quoted for truth. I watched it twice and disliked it both times.

Haha. I think the issue is, much like Minio, Scott hasn’t done much to really wow me as a director.
I get Alien being very much influential, but I always came away thinking it’s a good, not great film.

Quoted for heresy. When the inquisition comes, you are marked Minio!

Yeah, I imagine for someone such as yourself, who’s seen so much already, has to really dig to find a director that you would find note worthy. Thankfully, it will take me quite a few years before I reach that point, barring an untimely passing, but I aspire to reach such a point where I can rattle off some obscure film and only a few will get a the reference.

Re: Minio's Ramblings on Cinema
 

I don't know, bro, Zombi: La creazione is much better. It's more of an Aliens rip-off, though, at least the last third is. Before that, it was a quality zombie flick. Bruno Mattei's final film, too. Recommended!

I have to see Terminator 2. I mean, Bruno Mattei's Terminator II AKA Shocking Dark. It's more of an Aliens rip-off than a Terminator 2 rip-off, though, confoundingly. I find it much easier to lose myself in these rip-offs than in the actual movies they steal from. A lot of US originals are so cheesy, bad, and basic I'm afraid to rewatch them. I have no idea how I'd react to something like Star Wars (1977) if I watched it now, but I sure as hell preferred Starcrash years ago. My guess is I'd still love Star Wars because I even love the new Star Wars movies, but there's no topping Starcrash for me. Recently, I've seen a Japanese Star Wars-core called Message from Space. The music is so powerful it made me cry. Kinda Morriconian:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ath53qnC1-M

I've been sorely missing films like that in my childhood so I'm making up for it in my adult life, I guess.

Anyway, it was directed by Kinji Fukasaku, the director of the Battles Without Honor and Humanity series, but also the antiwar masterpiece Under the Flag of the Rising Sun. That film was so powerful, so gnawingly harsh that it made me cry. I watched it years ago but bumped its rating to 10/10 only last year.

PS: I'm such a sucker for Chinese Ghost Story clones & rip-offs. I love even the weak ones, as long as they've been made before 1997. Some are (almost?) as good as the original.

Not recommended. The more movies I watch, the more misunderstood I feel, even by other cinephiles.

If you don't like Alien then I don't like Alien

Conformist!

The only Mattei film I’m familiar with is Rats. Although I haven’t seen it myself.
As for Fukusaku? I love his Battles Withour Honor and Humanity series. I’ve seen the first 5 so far. Didn’t care for Virus. I missed an opportunity to watch Message from Space, but I’m sure it’ll be back soon enough. I have legend of the 8 Samurai, Samurai Reincarnation, Fall Guy and The Fall of Ako Castle saved and ready to watch.

Sounds great! It's really exciting when you find a filmography after seeing a really good movie by a director.

Re: Minio's Ramblings on Cinema
 

Hmmm, someone I haven't mentioned before.


Tom Noonan has a few awkward man-woman date that you might like. "What Happened Was.." and "The Wife".


https://youtu.be/6qyZxXfU6e8

Seen both, liked both, What Happened Was... more than The Wife, but The Wife was still good.

I just finished watching a 16-hour-long film in one sitting. I'm going to spend the rest of the night either watching another film before going to bed or writing down all my thoughts from watching the gargantuan movie. Oh, that film is titled 15 Hours by Wang Bing. And yes, it's 16, not 15 hours long, though at such a behemoth length one hour more or less makes little difference.

Re: Minio's Ramblings on Cinema
 

I'm an unabashed leftist and I can confirm I love John Ford. What matters most is to read and analyze auteurs/artists/thinkers/writers in new ways which they themselves could not have foreseen. What matters is to look at their concepts/ideas which can be used to explore problems we face today. Theres a universality to concepts/ideas as Strauss puts it. We rehabilitate thinkers of the past whom may appear problematic but have their way of approaching things. Take the best ideas and run away with it. Why focus on for example Nietzsche's misogynism, when he has created far more interesting concepts like the Will to Power, Eternal Recurrence, etc.?

Re: Minio's Ramblings on Cinema
 

It took me years to realise that but Wang Bing is one of the most important contemporary filmmakers.

I love what I've seen of Chinese cinema....where should I start with Wang Bing? I haven't got time for the 16 hour one as I have young children. Are there any others you'd recommend?

'I have no time' is perhaps the worst mindset you can have when approaching the cinema of Wang Bing. I understand it's something you can't do much about, having little children, and all that, but the essential Wang Bing (and also his debut) is Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (551 minutes long). As with most filmmakers, watching Wang Bing's films chronologically is best. Though there are some exceptions to the order you should best watch them in, including the fact it took many years to release Dead Souls (2018), so it's best watched BEFORE The Ditch (2010). It simply makes no sense to watch any of his shorter films without having seen the essential behemoths first.