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Anyone else noticed how the same movies keep getting reviewed time after time? Entre Nos & Benny’s Video spring to mind.
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Anyone else noticed how the same movies keep getting reviewed time after time? Entre Nos & Benny’s Video spring to mind.
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Assassination (2015) is such a weird film to see after Age of Shadows. Both cover the same sort of story, they are espionage tales of Koreans fighting against the Japanese. Both films are very long and peak at strange intervals, they both have way too many gun battles that makes the films devolve into a sense of parody but it's the differences that you notice.
Age of Shadows doesn't do that good a job flushing about a large cast of characters, they mostly focus on one man. And for me that was the part that worked the best, with Assassination really is an ensemble piece with a dozen of so distinct characters.
Age of Shadows has one incredible train sequence and everything else is just sort of extra while Assassination sort of fails at it's big wedding scene but then all the other minor action set pieces work.
Both films have pacing issues, and you feel the runtime of Assassination, the first hour and a half is rough but it then picks up the pace and ends on a pretty good note.
My biggest complain with the film is it sort of feels like a slasher film at times. They kill so many characters it starts to get silly. Wounds don't seem to affect some characters while they become defining points in others.
I don't know where I'm going to rank this one when it comes to the final list, but I enjoyed more of it than I thought I would.
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Phoenix so the premise of the film is a woman survives the holocaust but is greatly deformed. She returns home to reconnect with her husband and figure out if he was the one who set her up to be interned.
It's a very contemplative film, the premise takes up about 75% of the film which is my biggest gripe. While the idea of plastic surgery chances the appearance for dramatic effect goes back to the several film noirs I was still a bit surprised at just how deliberate they made this story. Also the returning person who might not be who they seem to be trope has been around forever so it was interesting to see a film dive deep into it.
The final fifteen minutes of the film are fantastic, even if it leaves everything somewhat opened ended. I think I'm going to watch the original 1965 English version before judging the remake.
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I think I'm going to watch the original 1965 English version before judging the remake.
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After being interrupted by various things every time I tried to watch Samsara this week, the stars have finally aligned and I was able to see the entire film!
I just have to write something about it and figure out the order of my list, then I'm officially finished this HoF.
(other than continuing to host that is)
Warning: Spoilers for Samsara below.
I was under the impression that there was going to be some significance to this scene later on, but there really wasn't. We see the hawk again (or a different hawk, maybe Apo reincarnated?) when he returns at the end of the film, and the idea that he might also get hit over the head with a rock kind of amused me, but that didn't happen haha.
Did he make the wrong choice though? During the enlightening confrontation outside the monastery, he realized that he was being a coward by running away, and the film doesn't end with him walking in one direction rather than the other.
I just have to write something about it and figure out the order of my list, then I'm officially finished this HoF.
(other than continuing to host that is)Warning: Spoilers for Samsara below.
The rock dropping on the goat was lame. I hate the cliche of invoking a reaction by killing an animal in a movie, it's a tired idea that needs to be retired from use.
This didn’t get off to a great start for me when the rock fell out of the sky and hit the goat. Sorry. I don’t usually find goat death amusing, but something about the way that was filmed just seemed funny.
But then in the end I feel like he made the wrong choice.
WARNING: "Samsara" spoilers below
He was running away from his responsibilities. His wife and child are people, not material objects he can discard when it suits him. I also felt like he was running away from the failure and guilt of having had an affair rather than choosing the seclusion for the right reasons.
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Bought Phoenix last night so will hopefully watch tonight and do a review tomorrow. I'm picking up speed here people.
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La Haine
Using real footage of Parisian riots in the opening scene, La Haine tells the story of a group of three young, disenfranchised residents of a peripheral regions of France.
The narrative is laid out like a documentation whose dialogues convey a great authenticity. It's no secret that the people in France have great power because they feel something is wrong so they protest so the whole world hears them. Another point of authenticity, which is the great trump card of this film, are the young protagonists of the film. Hubert Koundé plays the most rational character - Saïd Taghmaoui plays the cheeky gossip - The then unknown Vincent Casselis the star of the movie.
This film is powerful and grim. The message is so important and these marks of the "apocalypse" can be found in our everyday life everywhere. The films most important quote is the one it opens and shuts with: - "Heard about the guy who fell off a skyscraper? On his way down past each floor, he kept saying to reassure himself: So far so good... so far so good... so far so good. How you fall doesn't matter. It's how you land!". One of the greatest films of the 90s
Using real footage of Parisian riots in the opening scene, La Haine tells the story of a group of three young, disenfranchised residents of a peripheral regions of France.
The narrative is laid out like a documentation whose dialogues convey a great authenticity. It's no secret that the people in France have great power because they feel something is wrong so they protest so the whole world hears them. Another point of authenticity, which is the great trump card of this film, are the young protagonists of the film. Hubert Koundé plays the most rational character - Saïd Taghmaoui plays the cheeky gossip - The then unknown Vincent Casselis the star of the movie.
This film is powerful and grim. The message is so important and these marks of the "apocalypse" can be found in our everyday life everywhere. The films most important quote is the one it opens and shuts with: - "Heard about the guy who fell off a skyscraper? On his way down past each floor, he kept saying to reassure himself: So far so good... so far so good... so far so good. How you fall doesn't matter. It's how you land!". One of the greatest films of the 90s
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A normal man? For me, a normal man is one who turns his head to see a beautiful woman's bottom. The point is not just to turn your head. There are five or six reasons. And he is glad to find people who are like him, his equals. That's why he likes crowded beaches, football, the bar downtown...
A normal man? For me, a normal man is one who turns his head to see a beautiful woman's bottom. The point is not just to turn your head. There are five or six reasons. And he is glad to find people who are like him, his equals. That's why he likes crowded beaches, football, the bar downtown...
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I'm pretty sure I'm on track to complete this HoF. I've seen La Haine, Pan's Lab and obviously my own nomination, so I am going to leave them to last if that's ok. I think I'll be doing thelma and assassination soon.
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Samsara (2001)
Directed By: Pan Nalin
Starring: Shawn Ku, Christy Chung, Sherab Sangey
Samsara took me awhile to really get into, since I found the tone of the film to be quite inconsistent for much of its first act. It starts off on the wrong foot with a horribly rendered CG bird, and I was uncertain whether I was supposed to be laughing or horrified at the results of the dropped rock. This lack of clarity over what the filmmakers' intentions were continued until Tashi's decision to leave the monastery, since the odd opening scene made me question how we were supposed to interpret his frequent wet dreams. I couldn't tell if I was supposed to be taking the film seriously or not, which is never a good sign.
Fortunately the film does eventually find its place, and I found myself enjoying the story the longer I watched it. There was some nice cinematography, plenty of natural beauty on display, and a few interesting transitions, especially in regards to changing seasons or skips in time. I still didn't get particularly invested until the very end, just before the final obstacle Tashi encounters during the finale. Pema's speech at the end was easily the best part of the film for me, so it was nice to see Samsara end significantly stronger than how it started.
What I got out of the story was that there is no right or wrong path towards enlightenment. No matter which choices are made, there is going to be suffering along the way. As a monk, Tashi desired to know the outside world, and justified himself by saying that his sacrifices are meaningless if he hasn't experienced anything. If he was being sincere I would agree, however his decision to leave was ultimately quite selfish. However, once he satisfies his lust, he learns that the world is not as simple as anticipated, and he begins to experience other, unwelcome emotions like jealousy, greed, and anger. Eventually, guilt makes him question his choices and where he truly belongs. He doesn't fully understand the weight of his actions until the last shot in the film, and I appreciate that there is no hard condemnation or praise for one path over the other. Either way, he has to give something up.
Fortunately the film does eventually find its place, and I found myself enjoying the story the longer I watched it. There was some nice cinematography, plenty of natural beauty on display, and a few interesting transitions, especially in regards to changing seasons or skips in time. I still didn't get particularly invested until the very end, just before the final obstacle Tashi encounters during the finale. Pema's speech at the end was easily the best part of the film for me, so it was nice to see Samsara end significantly stronger than how it started.
What I got out of the story was that there is no right or wrong path towards enlightenment. No matter which choices are made, there is going to be suffering along the way. As a monk, Tashi desired to know the outside world, and justified himself by saying that his sacrifices are meaningless if he hasn't experienced anything. If he was being sincere I would agree, however his decision to leave was ultimately quite selfish. However, once he satisfies his lust, he learns that the world is not as simple as anticipated, and he begins to experience other, unwelcome emotions like jealousy, greed, and anger. Eventually, guilt makes him question his choices and where he truly belongs. He doesn't fully understand the weight of his actions until the last shot in the film, and I appreciate that there is no hard condemnation or praise for one path over the other. Either way, he has to give something up.
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I watched Samsara last night, probably I'll watch Pan's Lab tonight. Tomorrow I will write about them.
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Need to knock out a few more of these. . .
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What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
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What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
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Benny's Video (1992)
Benny's video' is a disturbing film. Michael Haneke written an exciting story. A story that does not have a simple solution. As usual with Haneke, this is not a movie with spectacular effects or anything else that focuses on the story itself. Plot is a great hit for me to decode the Haneke violence codes - tries to create an image of an adolescent who is rotten through and through - cold society that does not bother to immerse themselves in others. 'Benny's video' has become an uncomfortable, pruning film, that makes you look at violent films differently.
Benny's video' is a disturbing film. Michael Haneke written an exciting story. A story that does not have a simple solution. As usual with Haneke, this is not a movie with spectacular effects or anything else that focuses on the story itself. Plot is a great hit for me to decode the Haneke violence codes - tries to create an image of an adolescent who is rotten through and through - cold society that does not bother to immerse themselves in others. 'Benny's video' has become an uncomfortable, pruning film, that makes you look at violent films differently.
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Samsara (2001) - Pan Nalin
(Sorry for starting this text by talking about something cliche)
It is very common to kill creatures in film, unfortunately using this kind of cliche affects the image of some work. It is a silly and sad way of communicating. Samsara begins with a stone falling on the head of a beautiful sheep. Whether he died or not in real life, I do not know. But in the film, this later act seems to draw attention when Tashi's son asks him about the terrible human culture of killing animals to feed on his flesh. It's cruel and unhealthy. "We do not kill, others kill for us." Just another mundane comment from Tashi.
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Samsara could be called, "There and back again." A journey between two worlds, the pursuit of pleasure. "What is more important: satisfying one thousand desires or conquering just one... "
The Quest for the Buddha Path: To pursue this path, Tashi must abdicate his most primitive desires, it is like giving up the world and living in seclusion. The serenity, the conformism, the open vision for the things that really matter, the beauty of the world, contemplation, peace... All this makes up the world of a monk. Years of meditation don't seem to be enough for Tashi, constantly chased by his sexual dreams.
The film could have taken more time to show us this world, the time spent in the temple is too little, there is no capture of the world in which they live, everything is centered only on Tashi, who seems to be displaced in the middle of this contemplative world.
The Quest for the Human Path: After surrendering to his desires, Tashi lets himself be carried by the current of life, naked, over a lake, it is his transition. There is no remorse, what awaits him in this new world?
Sex, family, love, envy, hatred, violence. All these feelings are within this new path, doubt no longer exists, good and evil have taken their place.
It is with regret that I accompanied Tashi to succumb to infidelity. I knew it would be the beginning of the end for him. The shame of betraying his family makes him once more give up his way.
There and back again: Between the two lives, the best sequence of the film - The pain of choice that destroys Tashi from the inside is a moment of pure beauty. Filmed and acted in a spectacular way. The wonderful soundtrack of Cyril Morin is delicate, contemplative, reminds us that deep down, Tashi still has his doubts, he is what he is.
Back to the River: Tashi is back to the river of transition, striped down of his worldly image, he's a coward and he knows. Pema it's there (she was? At leasts inside of him we know she was) to remember him that he founded not just pain, but also love. That now, he's attached to others, not just to himself.
The last 20 minutes of Samsara are beautiful! It's a shame that the film doesn't have more moments like this one (the ending). It deserved a more contemplative mood, we needed more time with his formation as a man, as a father, as a husband. Afterall, all of this are part of the beauty of our life and part of his search for more than one desire.
★★★
(Sorry for starting this text by talking about something cliche)
It is very common to kill creatures in film, unfortunately using this kind of cliche affects the image of some work. It is a silly and sad way of communicating. Samsara begins with a stone falling on the head of a beautiful sheep. Whether he died or not in real life, I do not know. But in the film, this later act seems to draw attention when Tashi's son asks him about the terrible human culture of killing animals to feed on his flesh. It's cruel and unhealthy. "We do not kill, others kill for us." Just another mundane comment from Tashi.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Samsara could be called, "There and back again." A journey between two worlds, the pursuit of pleasure. "What is more important: satisfying one thousand desires or conquering just one... "
The Quest for the Buddha Path: To pursue this path, Tashi must abdicate his most primitive desires, it is like giving up the world and living in seclusion. The serenity, the conformism, the open vision for the things that really matter, the beauty of the world, contemplation, peace... All this makes up the world of a monk. Years of meditation don't seem to be enough for Tashi, constantly chased by his sexual dreams.
The film could have taken more time to show us this world, the time spent in the temple is too little, there is no capture of the world in which they live, everything is centered only on Tashi, who seems to be displaced in the middle of this contemplative world.
The Quest for the Human Path: After surrendering to his desires, Tashi lets himself be carried by the current of life, naked, over a lake, it is his transition. There is no remorse, what awaits him in this new world?
Sex, family, love, envy, hatred, violence. All these feelings are within this new path, doubt no longer exists, good and evil have taken their place.
It is with regret that I accompanied Tashi to succumb to infidelity. I knew it would be the beginning of the end for him. The shame of betraying his family makes him once more give up his way.
There and back again: Between the two lives, the best sequence of the film - The pain of choice that destroys Tashi from the inside is a moment of pure beauty. Filmed and acted in a spectacular way. The wonderful soundtrack of Cyril Morin is delicate, contemplative, reminds us that deep down, Tashi still has his doubts, he is what he is.
Back to the River: Tashi is back to the river of transition, striped down of his worldly image, he's a coward and he knows. Pema it's there (she was? At leasts inside of him we know she was) to remember him that he founded not just pain, but also love. That now, he's attached to others, not just to himself.
The last 20 minutes of Samsara are beautiful! It's a shame that the film doesn't have more moments like this one (the ending). It deserved a more contemplative mood, we needed more time with his formation as a man, as a father, as a husband. Afterall, all of this are part of the beauty of our life and part of his search for more than one desire.
★★★
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It's funny, but sometimes it looks like if Tashi was searching just sex. Pan Nalin didn't focused too much in the beauty of being a father and watch his sons grows up. Also, a lot of time passed, and there wasn't anything different between him and Jamayang... -Jamayang wasn't developed at all..
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The Sword of Doom is a re-watch for me, I still have difficulty following the story with all the plot twists and new characters but man did I love what I saw.
So from what I gather an psychopath samurai who is very horny decides to throw a match to get laid. The wife of the opponent gives in yet somehow the husband finds out, divorcees the wife and tries to kill the samurai. The samurai then kills the wrong man in the match and ends up murdering dozens of other people who want revenge.
The story then jumps in time two years later and the psychopath in full ennui has a child and a strange job. And while I still can't keep all the characters and their motivations I still enjoyed the film. Kihachi Okamoto makes a samurai film just so gorgeous that you don't really care that much about the confusion.
The breakdown at the end is so weird and yet so damn good, so even though I kinda only knew one character after two hours I didn't mind.
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Cosmic Runway - Phoenix - Done
Thursday Next - The Age of Shadows - 13/15
Citizen Rules - Umbrellas of Cherbourg - 11/15
Edarsenal - Assassination - 10/15
Siddon - Thelma 10/15
Mija Frost - Samsara 9/15
Okay - Benny's Video 9/15
Ultraviolence - The Leopard 9/15
Nemanja - The Saragossa Manuscript 8/15
Cricket - Sword of Doom 7/15
@moviemad - The Belier Family 6/15
@Scarlet Lion - Entre Nos 5/15
@Luis - Pan's Labyrinth 5/15
@Captain T - Borgman 1/15
@Nope1172 - La Haine 0/15
Are you guys going to finish this or drop out?
Thursday Next - The Age of Shadows - 13/15
Citizen Rules - Umbrellas of Cherbourg - 11/15
Edarsenal - Assassination - 10/15
Siddon - Thelma 10/15
Mija Frost - Samsara 9/15
Okay - Benny's Video 9/15
Ultraviolence - The Leopard 9/15
Nemanja - The Saragossa Manuscript 8/15
Cricket - Sword of Doom 7/15
@moviemad - The Belier Family 6/15
@Scarlet Lion - Entre Nos 5/15
@Luis - Pan's Labyrinth 5/15
@Captain T - Borgman 1/15
@Nope1172 - La Haine 0/15
Are you guys going to finish this or drop out?
Last edited by Siddon; 06-13-18 at 06:29 AM.
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And this is just for my own edification between the maybes (orange) likely no's (red), and yes's (green)
Luis
MovieMad16
ScarletLion
Thursday Next
Luis
- Age of Shadows
- Assanination
- Benny's Video
- The Leopard
- Phoenix
- Samsara
- Saragosa Manuscript
- Sword of Doom
- Borgman
- La Haine
MovieMad16
- Age of Shadows
- Assanination
- The Leopard
- Phoenix
- Samsara
- Saragosa Manuscript
- Sword of Doom
- Entre Nos
- Borgman
ScarletLion
- Assanination
- The Leopard
- Samsara
- Saragosa Manuscript
- Thelma
- Entre Nos
- La Famille Belier
- Pan's Labyrinth
- Borgman
- La Haine
Thursday Next
- Umbrellas of Cherbourg
- La Haine
- Saragossa Manuscript
- Pan's Labyrinth
- La Haine
- Borgman
- Benny's Video
- Phoenix
- Samsara
- Saragossa Manuscript
- Entre Nos
- Borgman
- Samsara
- Thelma
- Entre Nos
- Borgman
- La Haine
- The Leopard
- Phoenix
- Entre Nos
- La Famille Belier
- Pan's Labyrinth
- Borgman
- Assansination
- Benny's Video
- The Leopard
- Samsara
- Saragosa Manuscript
- Borgman
- La Haine
- The Leopard
- Phoenix
- Saragosa Manuscript
- Sword of Doom
- La Famille Belier
- Pan's Labyrinth
- Borgman
- Assaniation
- Age of Shadows
- Saragosa Manuscript
- Samsara
- Sword of Doom
- Pan's Labyrinth
- Borgman
- Samsara
- Saragosa Manuscript
- Sword of Doom
- Umbrellas of Cherbourg
- Pan's Labyrinth
- La Famille Belier
- La Haine
- Borgman
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