Foreign Language Hall of Fame

The footage, as you might imagine, is even worse.

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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

Haneke sure is an ugly and ruthless film-maker, in the sense that he is brutally honest, and his films are a strong slap to the face, and that's my favourite aspect of his film-making. His presentation of traumatic experiences can be very hard to swallow, but I don't feel they're coming from a place of inhumanity or provocation, but rather, like most art, a place of questions. His films are showcased in a sort of objective manner, by having the story and acting portrayed in a hyper-realistic way, while also emphasising the artifices of the medium he is in. One can say he has his own way of blurring the lines between reality and fiction (death of real animals, the overwhelming presence of real media...).

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"A film has to be a dialogue, not a monologue — a dialogue to provoke in the viewer his own thoughts, his own feelings. And if a film is a dialogue, then it’s a good film; if it’s not a dialogue, it’s a bad film."

- Michael "Gloomy Old Fart" Haneke

I would have no doubt about that. Don't think I could sit through that at all. Just what I read stuck so horrifying in my brain for so long, can't imagine how badly actually seeing footage would effect me.

I think Stirchley was giving another example of what Japan was doing during those years in regards to occupation of other countries.

It's a feeling i get that Haneke has contempt for me as a viewer and that he wants to make the time i spend watching his films...um not good. It's a feeling i get with no other director not even horror ones. Like, i watched Stray Dogs the other day which is one of the most dark, depressing, hopeless things i've ever seen, i had a much more visceral reaction to that than anything i've seen from Haneke. Yet i didn't feel as if Tsai was leering at me, i didn't sense the same type of malicious intent behind the images i was viewing. Can't verbalise why it's only him (watching Funny Games first very well could be the reason) but there's got to be some reason as i'm obviously not the only one.

Like i said though i think there's value in that, it makes his films challenging since it almost feels like he is rooting against you. Hopefully i can discover why it's him specifically i get this feeling from only despite watching plenty of more dark, traumatic, whatever films the more i watch from him.

Her first post was just "the Japanese were barbaric in wartime" so i think she missed that Citizen was talking about their treatment of Korean's specifically.

Millennium Actress

Quite a beautiful and thoughtful story with exquisite imagery and some rather amusing moments tossed in that kept caught up in the movie the entire time.

What truly stuck out for me was a very well executed style of bringing not only us, the viewer, back into Chikoko's memories, but we travel back with the cameraman and the interviewer who, in time, begin to be involved in what occurs. Which I found clever and had some of my favorite scenes involving the two of them caught up in Chikoko's story.
Along with having the gentleman who interviews Chikoko being someone from her past as well, albeit in the background, was a real nice way of tying things together and bringing a nice arc to the story itself.
For a movie that jumps through times, locations, and movies, there is never a confused or bewildering moment where you have to figure things out and adjust your perception to the various changes. Which is a pretty brilliant bit of juggling, I must say.

Lovely, LOVELY film

I gotcha. I was following along the full conversation so I didn't catch that in that light.
Just as an expansion of what was being discussed.

Pretty curious to read your Haneke discussion more fully and holding back from too much sneak peeking so as not to stumble anything important presently before watching Benny's video.
I've only seen Funny Games by Haneke, so far.

I'm confused by that as well, but I'm not apart of the group who shares your sentiment. I will say though, "Funny Games" is his one film where I felt as if he went out of his way to provoke. I as well feel depressed and cold throughout my viewing of his films, but never judged or leered on. Maybe that's because I'm kinda obsessed with the old man, and I've read/seen many interviews of his, to the point where his answers become predictable to me. So I guess I suggest you get to know him a little bit outside of his movies, and then check back to see if the same sensation is still present.

La Haine; aka The Hate

Been wanting to see this since it showed up in the 90's Countdown, even more so since I'm a fan of Vincent Cassel.
Ideally shot in Black & White there is a tension that never leaves you. A certain dread that things will NOT go well and will only get worse. The opening scene that talks about someone falling, and as they fall, they tell themselves: "So far, so good. So far, so good." We are told that it is not the fall, it is how you land.
And that is what sets the tension in motion.
Entering an already volatile state of affairs the day after a riot where a young man is brutally beaten by police. We begin the day with our three young men who spend the day fighting boredom, causing trouble and continually getting into run-ins with the police.

La Haine is one of those movies that does not preach, or try to dissect, or attempt to examine the reasons of, and the social ramifications that would normally be discussed from outside the situation.
We are in the situation with 3 men who were born into it and live it. It is their day to day and we ride along on such a day.
We experience the anger. The friendship. The sh1t-talking. The boredom. The violence and vandalism that occurs to alleviate the boredom and attempt to release some of that anger.

And in the end of that day. . .

the fall ends and we witness how they land.

Even though I had a deep dread of what that landing would end up being, it still took me very much by surprise when it happened.
Pretty d@mn amazing ending.

Pretty d@mn good movie.

Have you seen' City of Life and Death' ? https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1124052/

It's a tough watch but is an absolutely barnstorming piece of cinema. Probably the best sound editing I've ever heard in a movie.

The Sword of Doom

I liked this. I usually like older Japanese cinema, especially when it's a historical theme. This was set in 1860 during the Samurai period and was like a window back in time. I might not have a time machine but by the magic of film I can see and experience the past. That's why I dig old movies btw.

What a powerful image that is of the actor with the intense stare. His reed hat and the photo reminds me of an old Clint Eastwood film. I thought the actor was great at making a striking and foreboding character. I liked the other actors too, especially the lady who took care of the girl, she was interesting in her manners.

The film is visually impressive with many realistic looking sets, villages, buildings, countryside, really beautifully done. I swear the cameraman did have a time machine as it looked so authentic.

No real complaints, I liked the sets, the story, the actors. I wasn't real big on the way the film ended but then I learned later that the author of the novel that this was based on, died before it could be finished, so the ending is an appropriate way to acknowledge that fact.

I'm not a fan of martial arts films, though I know it's big in Japan. Luckily the amount of sword fights were only a few minutes, and I liked the story itself. Oh it looked great too, as it was a restored Criterion print.

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Right on!

I just added a paragraph to my review, that you didn't read. I forgot to mention how great the film looks. It must have been an expensive film.

Did you use the link i sent and if so was it alright? Just wondering because i'm probably using that site for a film in the next few days.

I haven't watched Benny's Video so none of my posts are about that. They are about Amour, Happy End or just Haneke in general. The only major spoilers i posted were Amour ones that i put behind tags.

I watched another version that I already had and then found good subs marked for the Criterion version.

BUT I did watch a bit of your link and it's also the Criterion version with subs and looks great.

I actually liked Amour quite a bit but found Cache particularly infuriating. It's not just the idea of challenging viewers' expectations, it's more like putting two fingers up at the audience. There's something that comes across as disdainful in it, to me. I feel like that sometimes Haneke's preoccupation with voyeurism tries to make out that we the audience are somehow complicit in the violence on screen - but he is the one putting it on screen.

just finished watching the trailer. Looks like an extraordinary film. Not sure if I could stomach watching it, but I may have to.

great review on Sword of Doom, CR! Fully agree.