Citizen Rules...Cinemaesque Chat-n-Review

Yeah, I remember that discussion a while back. I watched the George Clooney version based on your recommendation. I'm still working on watching the 1972 version.

I'm glad someone watches some of my recommendations.

I seen you mention John Cusack on another thread. I just seen him in an older Disney film.
The Journey of Natty Gann (1985) Have you seen that?

Yes, I've seen The Journey of Natty Gann. It's not my favorite John Cusack movie, but it's a good movie.

I think he's great in just about any movie he's in, but I like his romantic comedies best. My favorite movie of his is probably Serendipity (2001), and I also think he did a great job in the animated movie Anastasia (1997).

Solaris is a fascinating high quality movie, but slow, long Sci-Fi is a tough watch for me.

I watched Scaramouche last night and gave it It reminded me of The Adventures of Robin Hood, but the cast lacked the charisma of Hood's, especially from Errol Flynn. I also thought some of the settings looked subpar. Still, a very entertaining romantic adventure that was surprisingly funny. I really liked the 2 female leads.

I've not seen the original, but I recently (this year) saw the remake which, sadly, I thought was meh at best. It had its moments in terms of cinematography but mainly I just sat there. I think it's something I'd really have to be in the mood for and that's a mood I'm in less and less often.

__________________
5-time MoFo Award winner.

Cricket thanks for posting that, it's good to hear somebody else thoughts on it. Nobody tops Errol Flynn for charisma, maybe Cary Grant but in a different way. I liked the 2 female leads too



Like Cricket said the original Solaris is long and slow paced. There was a cut of it that was almost an hour shorter. That cut might have more impact, depending on what was edited. Generally I don't like directors cuts.

Naked Lunch (1991)

Director: David Cronenberg
Writers: William S. Burroughs (novel), David Cronenberg
Cast: Peter Weller, Judy Davis, Ian Holm

A bug exterminator in the 1950s becomes addicted to his bug spray, he hallucinates and has a wild adventure as a secret agent writing a report on alien-bug activity at a mysterious port in Africa.

If the subject matter wasn't so dark, this would be a fun kids movie, like Mars Attacks!...but instead we get a story that is ridiculously wacky with cheesy looking aliens-bugs. I wanted to shut this off in the first half hour but I hoped it would get better, it never did. The notion of a poor, bug exterminator getting hooked on his bug spray and using it like a narcotic with hallucinations, could have been a clever, fresh idea. But thanks to an overly wacky script written by David Cronenberg, we get a story that waste the talents of Peter Weller by going way over the top to zaniness.

I actually did like the scenes of Weller's talking alien-bug typewriter. That was the best part of the film as the typewriter serves as a narrator and Weller's subconscious too, giving him a chance to interact with himself. Had the script backed off a bit from the extreme hallucination scenes, it might have worked. There's an adage, 'less is more'. This is more, much more.

The sets look great and are fascinating to see. They really give an illusion of a different reality. The art direction uses a rich pallet of warm colors, it's eye popping and that fits the mood of the film.

Even the direction is excellent with one biting exception....the director choice to use close ups of the alien-bug, holding the shots for a long time so that the viewer can easily see the alien is just a cheesy prop. Less would have been more here too.

If you want to see a film of this style by Cronenberg that actually works, watch Videodrome.

Naked Lunch, (the movie, not the novel) reminds me of something Hunter S Thompson might have done, only he would have done it up right. I'm giving high marks to Peter Weller who's always great in his films. And to the sets, art direction, editing, scoring and even directing.

Attachments

 

I've almost watched Naked Lunch a few times because of the director, but always decided that I probably wouldn't like it. I won't consider it again.

You know funny thing, I was just bored and was updating my MoFo list and I seen Naked Lunch was #79 on the
Movie Forums: Top 100 of the 1990s. So somebody liked it.

Well if it's on the 90's list I will watch it at some point.

It took me a while to find the actual thread but here's a link to Naked Launch in the Top 90s Countdown. It looks like you guys had fun with that countdown. It was before my time.

http://www.movieforums.com/community...=32480&page=67

Mystery Train (1989)

Director: Jim Jarmusch
Writer:Jim Jarmusch

Mystery Train is a small indie film set in a run down area of Memphis, Tennessee. Director & Writer, Jim Jarmuschshows us a slice of life by telling three separate stories of foreign travelers to Memphis. The events take place over a 24 hour period with all three stories having a commonality: the seedy Memphis Hotel.

Shot on location, the viewer is treated to a rarely seen side of the forgotten back streets of Memphis. The cinematography is semi documentary style with some amazing footage of urban decay. In one impressive shot there's a vacant lot on a desolate street...in the distance is the gleaming skyscrapers of downtown Memphis.


Segment: Far From Yokohama
Cast: Masatoshi Nagase, Yûki Kudô

This was my favorite segment. A young Japanese couple who are obsessed with Elvis and 1950s music, travel by train to Memphis on a pilgrimage to see Graceland. The script is fresh and we see American culture though their young eyes. The girl is very animated and bubbly, she's enamored with Elvis. In sharp contrast is her stoic boyfriend, who's quiet and jaded and just to cool to care. They speak in Japanese so there's English subtitles for most of this segment. Their story gives the viewer insight into how the teen couple far from Japan views the Memphis landscape and the locals there. I rate this segment 5/5


Segment: A Ghost
Cast: Nicoletta Braschi, Elizabeth Bracco

An Italian woman traveling in Memphis has to contend with schemers and tales of Elvis's ghost. Finally she encounters a ditzy, talkative woman who has just broken up with her British boyfriend and is in need of a hotel room, but has now money. This was my lest favorite of the three, still it's interesting. I rate this segment 3.5/5


Segment: Lost In Space
Cast: Joe Strummer, Rick Aviles, Steve Buscemi

Joe Strummer of the band The Clash is a Brit working in Memphis. He's got a temper and gets mad when people call him Elvis. Which they do all the time, thanks to his hair style. His girlfriend from the second segment has left him and he ends up drunk in a bar and packing a gun. Things go from bad to worse for him and his friends. I rate this segment 4/5


Memphis Hotel
Cast: Screamin'Jay Hawkins, Cinqué Lee

Not actually a segment but the glue that holds the other segments together. We never really learn much about these two men who work the front desk at the Memphis Hotel. Their characters are intriguing and we see that they have a back story but we never found out what it is exactly.

Mystery Train is an undiscovered gem. The director & writer Jim Jarmusch deserves praise for making such and interestingly fresh film that's a treat to watch.

Attachments

       

V for Vendetta (2005)

Director: James McTeigue
Cast: Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Rupert Graves


I found V for Vendetta's message to be both disturbing and compelling...and that message is too dangerous to discuss here. I'm surprised the producer had the guts to use such strong subject matter in a film. It just goes to show that with a good presentation anyone can come along for the ride and cheer when the lever is pulled.

V for Vendetta is like many Sci-Fi action movies in that it has a duality to its story. During the fight sequences it has a comic book type feel, this works well with the action elements. But V for Vendetta dares to be different than your average comic book screen flick. The scenes where Evey (Natalie Portman) is imprisoned were somber and sobering...and yet uplifting in the message of overcoming one's innate fear of death. Powerful stuff!

V for Vendetta is done in a highly stylized, almost operatic style. The artistry is a thing of beauty and the production values are high. The cinematography, the music score, the sets and the acting are all first rate. It's strongest strengths are a blazing script alive with intelligent dialogue and laced with metaphoric phrases and stellar performances by Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman.

Attachments

 

I've only seen one Jarmusch film so far(Dead Man), and I didn't like it at all. I still want to try more of his movies, and Mystery Train sounds like a good place to start.

V for Vendetta is an excellent movie.

Mystery Train is far more accessible with a straight story, than Dead Man which is artsy-ecliptic. So you might like Mystery Train. I'm wanting to watch other Jarmusch films too. When I do I'll probable do a review.

I saw Dead Man and I thought it was a pretty good movie, but I wouldn't consider it one of my favorite movies. I rarely choose a movie by the director anyway, unless it's a director that I already know that I like most of their movies, like Steven Spielberg, Frank Capra or Billy Wilder.

I kind of feel the same way about V for Vendetta. I liked it, but I wouldn't consider it a favorite movie of mine. However I'm more likely to go back and re-watch V for Vendetta than Dead Man.

A LOT of MoFos choose a movie based on the director. I don't usually do that as I prefer to choose based on subject matter. But Dead Man was interesting enough that I wanted to see more from Jarmusch.

If you take a look at your manage list and look at Roger Ebert's Great Movies list, Mystery Train is on there. Which doesn't mean everyone will like it. But if you watch you can cross it off the list, like I just did

Mystery Train is my favorite Jarmusch film. It's one of those films that I just randomly think about from time to time. I'm glad you noticed my review of the film and felt some of the same things I felt when watching this extraordinary film.

__________________
Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2019

Hey Cob, you know I really wish Jarmusch had made 2 films out of the script. I liked to have seen a full length movie on just the Japanese couple. And then the rest of the material left in Mystery Train with the hotel clerks role expanded.

I didn't mention this in my review but my favorite moment was when the Japanese couple were at the train station and an older man ask for a light for his cigar. Which they do.....He then says Arigatou...and the girl gets really excited saying 'he's speaking Japanese'...Then she says a bunch of stuff in Japanese to the man. Of course he doesn't have a clue as to what she's saying. I love that scene.

If....(1968)

Director: Lindsay Anderson
Writer: David Sherwin
Cast: Malcolm McDowell, David Wood, Richard Warwick
Production and Shooting: England UK


If you liked Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange, you might like If....

If....is a rather notorious British film that earned an X rating when it was first released in the UK for it's subject matter of anarchy aimed squarely at the British class system. This was the first movie in the UK to have full frontal nudity in it, which didn't help win over more conservative taste. Reportedly a British ambassador once called the movie, "an insult to the nation".

And a member of the British Parliament after reading an earlier script of the movie called it, "the most evil and perverted script I've ever read. It must never see the light of day."

Malcolm McDowell is an impish rogue...a rebellious student, fighting the long established British class system in his school. He spends his time drinking, smoking, chasing girls and talking about revolution. His schoolmaster calls him a 'degenerate'.

Note: the ending might be disturbing to some due to recent news events. It's not graphic but is shocking in some ways. The nudity is a brief shot of an actress, pretty tame by today's standards but no doubt shocking in 1968.

I liked this film but the ending made me uncomfortable. I have no proof of this but this film might be the very start of the Punk movement and working class rejection of the British class system. John Lydon would approve of If....

Attachments