26th Hall of Fame

Yeah, I enjoyed all the films in this Hall to different degrees. Even my 12th place film was pretty good.

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This film was a victim to circumstances beyond its control for me this round. If I was able to give it a good, comfortable viewing experiences without having to break it up into segments, it probably would have fared much better for me. I can tell it is at least a very good film, possibly even great. Its director directed two other films that I think are deserving of the full five stars, Night and Fog and Hiroshima Mon Amour. This film is not much concerned with convention in the way the story is told and it is much more interesting for it. I think I would have been able to follow it more closely if it wasn't for my own stuff interfering with it. I'm going to be fair in my placement for these films and take everything into consideration. This film is clearly good enough to make me want to see it again, but its greatness isn't measurable to me as of yet. I like the "husband" or whoever he is, he looks very creepy, almost horror stooge levels. The stick game looks interesting, but I am too stupid understand what it represents.

Btw, I like how Last Year At Marienbad has what is probably the blandest looking Criterion poster ever.



I mean, just look at it. They put virtually no effort into it at all.

Ok! Passion of Joan of Arc and Daisies double bill starting now!

The Passion of Joan of Arc

Joan was a complicated woman, who today is debated on wether she saw God or was insane. What we do know for sure is she was brave. Probably braver than any had given her credit for during that time. But this isn’t about her life. It’s about her trial, and her death.
Dreyer wisely shows us the “trial” and the resulting execution, as anything more would have taken so too long.
(Rivette would direct a film in the 90’s about Joans life, that was divided into two parts, each about 3 hours in length)

Dreyer keeps the focus on Joans face (hauntingly portrayed by Renée Jeanne Falconetti), all close up so we can see her fesr and sorrow, tears streaming down her face. We see close ups of her tormentors, each one questioning here, trying to get her to confess her sins. The film is full of religious symbols, and we’re bear witness to the interrogation she is subjected to.

Along the way we see Joan’s face, capturing each moment of confusion, sorrow, fear, defiance….it is a Performance that had me studying her every movement. We watch her reaction, almost a bewildered look to her, as she is subjected to ridicule, threats, insults, and much more. And through it all, she stands tall until the very end.

The ending has, perhaps, the most powerful scenes. We bear witness to her body burning, which surprised me, as I fully expected the camera to turn away. But no, we see the body in flames. Dreyer doesn’t let us off that easy.
We, too, must suffer as she has.

A perfect film that drew me in the further it went.

I liked your recap and what you had to say! I'm always pleased as punch when someone watches one of my noms for the first time and really likes it...I too sometimes struggle with how to rank a film on my voting ballot, it's hard and I've done a lot of HoFs...and it's still a challenge.

You've been a great new member! Glad you joined and good to see that you enjoyed it. I hope to see you again in future HoFs!

The 27th will be starting up in mid December. Raul says he's doing a Documentary HoF. And SpelingError was going to host a Twilight Zone TV episode HoF. All sounds great!

Two rewatches left, Wizard and Paradiso. Hopefully knock them out somewhat soon here.

Not Quite Hollywood (Mark Hartley, 2008)

Presented like one of those VH1 music docs, a topic I'm not particularly interested in and features Tarantino as much as it does yeah this sucks lol. There's really nothing here other than a couple movies to put on my watchlist and never get around to. Not like a miserable experience or anything just an empty, pointless one.

Daisies up next for me. I skimmed through the file looking at the visuals, between the visuals and the short run time, this is the film I’m most looking forward to

Daisies


This is one of those films I feel I’ll need to watch multiple times to get everything.
Part of the Czechoslovakian New Wave,
The film centers around two girls who decide to be bad. They behave like robots when we first meet them, as if they’re mere objects to us, before coming “alive” with personality when they decide to go bad. What follows is a surreal adventure where they misbehave and treat men badly.

That’s the simplified version.

There’s a lot more going on under the surface, with its critique on how men view women and decides to flip the narrative on them. There’s also a few attacks thrown in at the society for good measure (the disruption of the swanky party with the dancers, and the empty dinner room at the end).

They cuckold many men, and there’s plenty of metaphors concerning castration, such as when a suitor calls to profess his love and they cut up phallic foods such as a sausage and a banana.

There’s also the constant theme of them eating apples, the forbidden fruit according to many religious scholars (the actual fruit isn’t readily agreed upon, but that hardly matters here). As they go “bad”, they eat apples as a symbolic gesture of this.

And all the while, when they walk they go “clack clack clack”!

This is a fun, amusing film that deserves a second viewing. Even as short as it is (1 hr 15 mins!) there’s a lot to unpack here.
Fascinating movie, and one I’m glad to have seen!

All the President's Men (Alan J. Pakula, 1976)

So here's the thing about investigative journalism: It's boring. It's boring and the film portrays it about as dry as possible. The elements of this film that are supposed to be entertaining or inspire intrigue are lost on me.All I really got out of it is a handful of tasty shots as the film really lacks any kind of atmosphere or feeling.to get sucked into. What is one supposed to write about these kind of films? "Yeah that's maybe what happened I guess?". The film doesn't seem terribly interested in offering anything more than that and I am not particularly interested in that offer. The actual number score I give this won't be as bad as this probably sounds because this didn't elicit any like negative feelings, it didn't elicit any feelings. Just neutral on this.

The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

Just as equally grueling (emotionally) as the first time I watched this Dreyer masterpiece, I am numb and a little beaten down from enduring the trial and execution by burning at the stake of the young French girl, Jeanne. She was a savior to her people from God, but the British priests and judges, she was a heretic spouting evil.
Her fate already sealed by the machinations of her captors, Dreyer uses the transcripts from the trial itself in this silent film that is so vociferous in its cramped close-ups that imprison us, much like poor Jeanne so that we cannot escape. Cannot flee. We must somehow endure, knowing full well the futility of it all.

Much like my first time seeing this, I am still impressed with this. Considering how emotionally wrought the trial is, it is nothing compared to the drawn-out execution. Which, like the trial itself, Dreyer ardently refuses to allow us any reprieve. Even more so when it comes to the burning itself of the condemned youngster.

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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

Going to hit up a few films from the aughts in preparation for the countdown (Polytechnique, Death of Mr Lazarescu), and will return to this on Monday. Sweet Smell of Success is noir, as I recall, so I may ask for a link to that in the coming days.

I rewatched All The President's Men on blu ray tonight. Directed by Alan J. Pakula, this Oscar winning drama stars Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein who investigate and report on the Watergate scandal. Although I liked it the first time I saw it, I appreciated the film a little more this time. Acting is very good, especially by Redford. The screenplay is excellent. This is an intelligent, well made film. Good nomination.

I rewatched The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) on Criterion blu ray. Masterfully directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, this is a masterpiece and one of the greatest films of all time. Maria Falconetti gives one of the all time great performances. Her performance is powerful and unforgettable. Truly, a haunting and beautiful performance. The Passion of Joan of Arc is an essential classic and a powerhouse revelation. This is cinema at its purest form. A very worthy nomination.

I watched Last Year at Marienbad. I thought I had seen it years ago, but didn't remember much of it, so I'm not certain if I had seen it before or not. There were some things I really appreciated about the film and others that I find lacking. The cinematography was beautiful. The film looks gorgeous. The sets and costumes are sumptuous and quite lovely. I also really liked the score. It definitely helped enhance the mood of the film. My main issue with the film is that I didn't find the story very engrossing or interesting. I didn't really connect with the characters and had a hard time getting invested in their journey. I can appreciate what they were going for and why so many people admire it, but it didn't do a whole lot for me.

Daisies


As good as I was hoping? Not quite. A great, weirdo, dadaist escape from the regular form and structure of the typical film? Yep. To call it a feminist film feels off to me, but I am not sure what all to make of it. The idea of just embracing the spoiled nature of the world and making yourself just as rotten is an interesting concept, and seems to have caused our gals to pay. Then again, I don't really know, because the whole thing is so weird that I am not entirely sure what message I am supposed to glean. Which is a good thing from my perspective, because I don't really need a preaching to. Visually the film is just as bananas as the content, so also bonus points there. Can I justify ranking this over some other heavy hitters that rely on the typical structure and form of a film, probably not, but this is an excellent excursion for those wanting variety in this game we play.

Can I get a link to Sweet Smell of Success, please and thank you.

Coming at you in a few minutes.

Hey, I'm supposed to be this forum's link provider. How dare you!