Movie Tab II

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

I like you for giving Elephant Man a high rating, but dislike you for giving The Bow a low rating. I love you anyway, mark!

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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.

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uuuu,Julie Christie ^^ Mark,why did you like Awakenings?And don't you think that Elephant Man is a at least a bit sentimental?


I'm now watching movies which I've seen only once and disliked and now I'm glad to be reminded of In Bruges

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"Anything less than immortality is a complete waste of time."

Mark I am wondering what your major issues with 12 Years A Slave are? I have not seen a lot of chatter about it here yet and would love to hear your opinion.

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Letterboxd

Awakenings is very sentimental, but most of the sentiment is earned. It's meant as a crowd-pleasing entertainment with a bitter pill to swallow in the end, and as that, it succeeds. Yeah, The Elephant Man is Eraserhead with a patina of sentimentality, but I think it's Lynch's most beautiful film, both visually and spiritually.

I'm not ready to talk too much about 12 Years a Slave but I will say I thought the storytelling was muddled, especially at the beginning and that there was a lot of overacting (Fassbender and Dano) while the central performance was underacted. Nyong'o rang true though and can probably expect some awards. It mostly seemed like a compendium of slavery atrocities rather than a focused story, and although what's depicted is repugnant and disturbing, it didn't feel like the lead character suffered for 12 years. That's another flaw with it - the detached direction. But I'm in the minority so I expect it will receive a myriad of nominations and awards.

The best use of a harpoon in a Western.

The Untold Story (Yau, 1993) - + (aka Human Pork Chop)

Wagon Master (Ford, 1950) -

Terror in a Texas Town (H. Lewis, 1958) - -

Run of the Arrow (Fuller, 1957) - -

Vera Cruz (Aldrich, 1954) - +

The Naked Dawn (Ulmer, 1955) -

Lone Star (Sayles, 1996) -

Guess the odd one out.

Give this a read http://www.colesmithey.com/reviews/2...s-a-slave.html

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Yeah, basically what I've been saying about him. A dull and unintelligent director who hides his poorly thought out exploitation films behind self-seriousness, difficult subject matter, and his interpretation of the art house aesthetic.

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Mubi

I certainly respect that take. I don't know if you saw what I wrote in my review thread but I mentioned I had an issues with a couple of characters that ultimately I thought the strong narrative overcame. While Fassbender was not one of those characters, Dano was my biggest problem with the film. If his character had spent more time on the screen it would have affected my score for sure.

This was response to markf's take

"This is a movie for Confederate-flag wavers to get their jollies."

This is like saying Schindler's List was made for the Nazis or Passion Of The Christ was made for non believers. It is an absurd statement. If anyone is enjoying the violence in this film they have their own issues to deal with it is in no way shape or form the director's intent. The violence (of which their is not as much as I expected) is realistic and appalling.

"it’s demeaning to the film that the weeks during which Solomon allegedly performs music to the delight of paying audience members is not included"

He must have missed the scene 5 minutes earlier where Solomon seen playing the fiddle. Or the half a dozen other scenes in which he is shown playing. I am always hearing critics say how directors need to let the audience fill in the blanks sometimes. McQueen does and it works. To have an issue with this is much different than calling it demeaning, again absurd.

"Cut to the suddenly demoted black citizen being whipped for several minutes by his callous captors. Oh the brutality. “Didja looka looka lookit alla blood?”

No I didn't, because there was none in this scene.

"Quentin Tarantino’s slavery masterpiece “Django Unchained” facilitates a catharsis that “12 Years a Slave” never even glimpses."

These two movies could not be trying to tackle two more different themes. People need to stop comparing them immediately. Tarantino's Django is a revenge fantasy, one I enjoy, but still a fantasy. 12 Years is showing the brutality and horrors that a real man had to endure. I believe absurd is the word that comes to mind.

I have no issue with someone not enjoying this film. markf brings up some valid points, and while I may not agree it his opinion of the film. This critic is going the way of Armand White and that ruffles my feathers a bit. He is not making any attempt to have a legitimate conversation about McQueen's film. He is trying to put the attention on himself and get clicks. ABSURD

I haven't seen 12 Years a Slave yet (out in January here, looking forward to it immensely) but I got the same feeling reading that review. That last point you pick out isn't even a valid criticism.

Cole Smithey is controversial and you won't agree with him a lot, I don't take him too seriously, just thought I'd link the article as it was kind of relevant

It got more ridiculous as you read further down, but I like anyone who's smart enough to call McQueen on his ********.

His self-advertisement above his name is the first of his "controversial" statements, but seanc already called him "absurd".

Cole Smithey? Yuck...

Only his mother called him that

That's how he's credited in the movie.

Zombieland (2009)
Maybe a little high, but this was just great fun.
Mephisto (1981)
Really good, amazing lead performance. Probably doesn't have a shot at making the 80s list, but I'd recommend you check it out.

Notes on a Scandal (2006)
Watched this immediately after reading the book, which was probably a mistake. The book is fascinating, the film is not.
Black Cat, White Cat (1998)
The climax with the riotous wedding is entertaining, but not quite enough to make up for the rest of the film. Underground was always going to be a tough act to follow, though.
The Handmaid's Tale (1990)
Margaret Atwood's brilliant novel reimagined as a softcore made for tv melodrama. It's not a great film, but there are interesting bits, and some good performances make it watchable.
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
Completely nuts, Almodovar on form.
Lawless (2012)
Tom Hardy is worth watching, but this film is not half as epic as it thinks it is.
Stoker (2013)
Flashes of stylistic flair do not make up for a second rate erotic thriller plot.
Plan B (2009)
I just finished watching this - I laughed, I cried and I want to watch it all over again, and if that doesn't deserve 5 stars I don't know what does. One of the most convincing depictions of falling in love I've seen in years of watching rom coms. I liked all the lingering shots of buildings and deliberately awkward camera angles. It reminded me of Show Me Love but with hairy Argentinian blokes. This has probably not recommended it to any of you, but I loved it.