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Weird is relative.
I saw Phoenix the other night, and will write about it soon. The only one left now is Pan's Labyrinth. It'll be a re-watch for the first time in a decade.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
I saw Phoenix the other night, and will write about it soon. The only one left now is Pan's Labyrinth. It'll be a re-watch for the first time in a decade.
Should be intriguing to read a review on a secondary watch since I've always felt it really needs repeat viewing since it has such extreme settings from one another in regards to the reality and the fantasy.


1 week left and it looks like a lot of us slow pokes will be finishing on time - WAY TO GO EVERYONE!!

I'll have my final one, Entre Nos done in the next couple of days
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What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes
~Mr Minio



movies can be okay...
Y'all, I finished watching Saragossa Manuscript tonight, so I'm officially done with all of the films. I think I'll post my thoughts on the latter, along with Benny's Video tonight, then write about Samsara tomorrow.
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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



Thursday Next's Avatar
I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
Last but by no means least, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.



"Maybe happiness makes me sad."

This is a bittersweet, pastel dream of a film. Right from the start the gorgeous colours and the music just grab you.

"All that singing gives me a pain; I like movies better"

Musically it's the polar opposite of something like The Greatest Showman, ordinary film punctuated by catchy pop numbers, it's all music all the way and it's as much about the background music than the melodies, which aren't always melodies as such. The music is by turns upbeat, romantic or melancholic. At times the constant singing helps with the suspension of disbelief more than musicals in which people every so often burst into song, but at times that is deliberately broken - this is a musical aware of and revelling in its own artificiality.

Umbrellas has a classic musical aesthetic with a sixties sensibility. It reminds me of several other films from the same era, not in a copying way, more by way of association of similar themes - a little bit West Side story, a little bit Taste of Honey, a little bit Splendor in the Grass. There are individual scenes that recall, perhaps deliberately, Les Enfants du Paradis and Brief Encounter. Stretching into the future, some of the scenes of lovers meeting clandestinely in brightly coloured alleys in In the Mood For Love recall Umbrellas.

"People only die of love in movies."

Is it a romantic movie or an anti-romantic movie? Both, maybe. Was Genevieve's mother right all along, that Roland was a more suitable partner than Guy? Both couples at the end seem happy with how things turned out, but there's a bittersweet edge to it nonetheless. And if she is right, what does this more practical approach mean for other young and reckless movie couples like WSS's Maria and Tony? I like the ending a lot, I think it's really powerful.

Some little details I really liked: Genevieve standing among the mannequins with her veil on; Guy returning to Cherbourg in the rain, without an umbrella; the way the number of sailors seems to gradually increase at the beginning, before Guy is called up.

Gorgeous film.



I just finished updating the lists I've received with the new disqualification, and figured while I was at it I should update that review list I posted last week as well. There is now less than 1 week remaining until the deadline.

Completed:
Citizen Rules - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
CosmicRunaway - Phoenix
Thursday Next - Age of Shadows

Still to see:
@cricket - The Sword of Doom
Pan's Labyrinth (1hr 59min)

@edarsenal - Assassination
Entre Nos (1hr 21min)

@Luis - Pan's Labyrinth
The Age of Shadows (2hr 20min)
The Leopard (3hr 05min)
The Saragossa Manuscript (3hr 05min)

@MijaFrost - Samsara
Pan's Labyrinth (1hr 59min)
Phoenix (1hr 38min)

@Nemanja - The Saragossa Manuscript
The Age of Shadows (2hr 20min)
Assassination (2 hr 20min)
The Leopard (3hr 05min)
The Saragossa Manuscript (own nomination)

@Okay - Benny's Video
Benny's Video (own nomination)
Samsara (2hr 25min)
The Saragossa Manuscript (3hr 05min)

@ScarletLion - Entre Nos
Entre Nos (own nomination)
The Leopard (3hr 05min)
The Saragossa Manuscript (3hr 05min)

@Siddon - Thelma
Thelma (own nomination)

@Ultraviolence - The Leopard
The Leopard (own nomination)

If you've completed watching all of your films but haven't written about them yet, you can still send me your ranked list.

Most people are in good shape to finish on time. Luis and Nemanja, you guys might want to take a look at the runtimes for your remaining films and adjust your viewing schedules accordingly.



...sort of like Christmas, without the snow!
I know this is the wrong HoF, but it was really strange in Bachelor Mother to see it be the holiday season, but there wasn't a single flake of snow on the ground.

As someone who lives in a snow-prone climate (we even had snow this month ) it just seems so strange to me haha.



Pan's Labyrinth


This was my second watch as I first saw it around three years ago. I had never been interested in it, due to my struggle with fantasy, but considered it a must see due to all of it's praise. I ended up liking it quite a bit, and a little surprisingly, I loved it this time. Guillermo del Toro is most definitely my go to guy for fantasy as I also thought highly of The Devil's Backbone and absolutely loved The Shape of Water. He's a super talented director who comes up with dark, brutal, adult tales.

Del Toro is as good a director as I've ever seen at taking the viewer to a different time and place. This movie is a wonderful example of that. I felt like I was transported into these other worlds, the fantastical world and 1940's Spain. The result is a certain sense of adventure. It is a gorgeous movie with great attention to detail. This and The Shape of Water are two of the best looking movies I've ever seen.

The different aspects of the story; the fantasy, the Civil War, and the character dynamics weave together beautifully. There are some great characters with my favorites being The Captain, because I hated him so much, and Mercedes, who was just flat out awesome. It's a very violent movie with excellent tension and special effects. It is such a great combination. I feel like this movie falls just short of a major favorite for me, but I'm not sure why. My wife loved The Shape of Water so maybe I should order this on DVD. Maybe then I will indeed call it a favorite.




Keep your station clean - OR I WILL KILL YOU


I'm excited too to see the final results...sort of like Christmas, without the snow!
I live in south Texas so it's pretty much exactly like Christmas for me. Lol!



This and The Shape of Water are two of the best looking movies I've ever seen.
I feel like I should really rewatch that film. I just thought it was okay.

I think part of the problem was that I was waiting so long for the movie to come out (it was around 3 months late coming to theatres here), that I was going to be disappointed regardless. It also probably didn't help that Doug Jones hyped the film up quite a bit when he was here early last year.

Now that I know what to expect, I might appreciate it more.

I live in south Texas so it's pretty much exactly like Christmas for me.
I'll trade you as much snow as you want for just a tiny bit of sunshine.



Keep your station clean - OR I WILL KILL YOU


I'll trade you as much snow as you want for just a tiny bit of sunshine.
Done! Please, how do we do that, is there a contract? I've only experienced snow once and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Lately we have hit triple digits consistently, it's unbearable.



I've only experienced snow once and it was the best thing that ever happened to me.
I promise you that your love of snow will quickly fade once you have to shovel 4 feet of mostly ice out of your driveway on a frequent basis.



I know this is the wrong HoF, but it was really strange in Bachelor Mother to see it be the holiday season, but there wasn't a single flake of snow on the ground.

As someone who lives in a snow-prone climate (we even had snow this month ) it just seems so strange to me haha.
Really, damn, snow in July! You must be far north...It just recently got hot here, ugh! I hate it hot, especially as it's fairly humid too.



movies can be okay...
The Saragossa Manuscript (1965) by Wojciech Has

The Saragossa Manuscript, might actually be the worst film I've seen all year. Granted, the film is extremely well shot, and there was obviously a lot of care put into the set design and costumes, in fact, I could probably call this a great "piece of art", if I actually gave a single care about the events, or had I been at the very least remotely captivated by the storytelling...unfortunately, I wasn't. I was instead trapped in an endless loop, consisting of a bunch of uninteresting stories being told at me, as I'm wrestling my natural reaction of dozing off. Quite honestly, I think I was completely zoned out by the halfway mark, since everything that came after that point, seems like a total blur to me. The actors could've been talking riddles, and I wouldn't have guessed nor cared. That's why I'm writing my thoughts so soon after finishing the movie, because I'm afraid I might just forget all about it just days from now.

What it comes down to is, there isn't a darn thing interesting, captivating, moving, or even slightly funny, about this majorly disappointing 3-hours long mess. I have no other words, because the film exhausted me to the point of indifference. I'm not angry anymore, I'm just glad I finally got through it.