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I just watched The Hunt. I wanted to get my write-up finished, but I didn't realize how late it was, so it looks like I'm going to be sleeping on it. Hopefully in the morning I'll have something more to say other than "children are awful, adults are worse" which is about all I have right now.
Looking forward to reading your review cosmic



For some odd reason, if a comedy DOESN'T work, I think, the viewer gets more disgruntled. We refuse to find anything, or find ourselves incapable of any attempt to find something else that is enjoyable in it.
In the Musical HoF I had trouble watching Tenacious D and since the comedic aspect didn't work, I had trouble enjoying the music or anything else in it.
I sort of had the opposite experience with The Pick of Destiny. I liked the music so much that I was much more forgiving when some of the comedic elements didn't work for me. But I was familiar with Tenacious D before seeing the film, and also knew exactly what to expect from seeing a few clips previously.

But I agree that if a film centres around its comedic aspects, if that brand of humour doesn't work for the audience, then it's likely going to ruin the experience. It's really hard to sit through an unfunny comedy if there's nothing else to catch your attention, so it's easy to let resentment build up.



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Wings of Desire



Previously I had only seen Wim Wenders Paris in Texas, which I was very impressed with. I had been happy to see that this film was nominated as I wanted to get to another one of his films.

First off, the film is gorgeous. The sharp contrast in the black and white images was a real treat, and I enjoyed when it toggled back and forth between color and the black and white scenes. I really liked it especially when it did that to differentiate the point of views.

That being said, I couldn't get into the story until Damiel became human. I almost feel as if either the film was pointless up to that point, or just that the film had no real story until that occurred. I will definitely be keeping this film on my radar as far as the discussion goes in her so I can get a better idea of how to interpret it.

I thought the scene near the end was really beautiful, with Damiel and Marion getting together, that was definitely my favorite scene in the film. Perhaps after I get a better interpretation I will watch it again. It seems like a film that is deep to digest, almost like a Bergman film in a way. After the first viewing though, it was an unfortunate tough sell.

+



I haven't seen Wings of Desire in ages, so I definitely need to rewatch it before I can discuss it fully, but I totally agree with everything you've said Raul. There is a distinct lack of real plot for a long stretch of the film, which has a tendency to divide audiences. A lot of people have mentioned that it took them two or three viewings to really appreciate the opening parts of the film, so I'm not at all surprised by how you received it.

From what I recall, Berlin itself plays a major role in the opening act or two, with the locations telling a story that's not present in the dialogue or events. The German title of the film, Der Himmel über Berlin can mean both "the sky over Berlin" or "Heaven over Berlin", which is a wholly appropriate title in my opinion, so taking "Berlin" out of the English title really does a disservice to the setting of the film which (again, if I recall correctly) Wenders has said is integral to appreciating those early scenes.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Dead Poets Society


WARNING: "Spoilers" spoilers below
Like Neil’s father getting all upset about Neil taking part in a play even though he’s got straight A’s. for me this was unreal. All that sternness of his father. It was overdone. Subsequently Neil’s suicide was also unreal for how the movie’s mood was set. Also Richard suddenly ratting out Mr Keating. I mean it was real, he just wanted to save his skin however he was overly convinced about Keating being responsible for Neil's suicide. It was unreal to me. It was like a coat with so many holes and someone would sew all kinds of colourful patches that don’t fit any more. Even that scene Mr Nolan striking, I think Knox, with that cricket bat was unreal to me. I thought he would yell at him or put him to suspension or similar. It just didn’t fit there.
great lil review; wanted to try to answer a few of your questions in your spoilers
WARNING: "hope this helps" spoilers below
Neil's father grew up poor and worked to get the money to get his son into a school that would get him a far better life. The idea of his son doing something that was going to put him in the poor house JUST WOULD NOT do. Also, he didn't have the "words" to tell him this. He was just terrified for his son making a huge mistake and got enraged/protective.
Also, this wasn't something Neil wanted to do on the side for fun. It was what, he felt, he was born to do. And when he couldn't "be" that... well, nothing else would matter.
Richard did firmly believe if Neil simply "went along" with what he was told to do and the life that was being prepared for him, he'd still be alive. Richard Is a VERY practical and conservative person. He played it safe when he didn't follow along. Which is also why he kept his head down at the very end. The courageous act would never be him and he wasn't happy about that truth and would not change it. Hence, remaining in his chair.
And, finally, the disciplinary action was a pretty common thing during that time, but I can understand how it "didn't fit" for you.
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Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin) (Wim Wenders, 1987)
Imdb

Date Watched: 04/15/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 13th HOF, CosmicRunaway's Nomination
Rewatch: No.


Well, that was... that was something. Something that I didn't like. Something that seemed to drag on endlessly. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not necessarily against films that are quietly contemplative. When done well it can be a very moving and emotional experience. But this wasn't that. It wasn't that for me at all.

From a visual standpoint, Wings of Desire is absolutely gorgeous. Whether the scenes were in black and white or in vivid color, the images were breathtaking and evocative. I also really liked the basic concept of the film and felt there was some definite potential in it, but my praise for it really ends there.

The constant repetition of certain phrases ("When the child was a child..."), the near total lack of humor, and the endless droning of people's ridiculously melancholy thoughts combined to nearly eliminate my interest in it. I felt every damn minute of its two hour run time and actually ended up taking a break about 2/3 of the way through. I get that there is beauty in most things, including sadness and despair, but I really didn't buy that the rather narrow view of life that the film presented would be enough to ignite the angel's desire to become human. And, frankly, I found his lady love Marion to be not so much intriguing as irritating, particularly in the final scenes.




I just watched The Hunt. I wanted to get my write-up finished, but I didn't realize how late it was, so it looks like I'm going to be sleeping on it. Hopefully in the morning I'll have something more to say other than "children are awful, adults are worse" which is about all I have right now.
Curious to read your observations, Cosmic. I myself will save "The Hunt" for last, as it made me physically angry, the last time I saw it. Still a terrific film though.



I had a feeling this MAY be up your alley, very happy to hear that it was. The cast IS rather rich with talent. Cassel's nuances were brilliant. Like so many others in this.
And on a side note, in that photo is Geraldine Chaplin, first daughter to Charlie Chaplin's fourth wife, Oona, who stayed with Charlie for the rest of his days.
For the fights, I actually enjoyed that some aspects were more realistic, not so over the top. Specifically with Oliver Reed's Athos who fought like an ex-soldier would; what ever way works.
Interesting tidbit. I noticed the surname on the cast last, but haven't realized she was related to Charlie.

And definitely agree with the fights aspect. It was cool to see, how everyone had their own style of fighting. Like you mentioned Athos, with his scrappy and buldozing style, while d'Artagnan and Aramis fought more attractively and visually pleasing.

I also wanted to ask you about the sequel and how does it compare to this one? I think I'd like to check it out, at some point.



Also @edarsenal could you do me a big favour just for this HOF even and not read peoples spoilers/reviews if you've not seen the film? It's completely up to you obviously mate but i feel if a film relies on some sort of twist you are going to read about it if you are reading everything everyone says before you watch a film and it may not work on the same level for you because of this. Even if there's no twist there's going to be central plot points people want to talk about that you shouldn't read until you've seen it IMO.

You've seen Buffalo '66 already so you know this is nothing to do with my own nomination it's just something i've felt for a while. Im genuinely considering not posting more than a spoilerless paragraph for every film and not taking part in any discussion because i think you'll read whatever i write and spoil the film for yourself.
So far, I avoided the reviews of films I haven't seen, but I plan to read&rep them all accordingly, after I finish.

Also, do we write the reviews of our own noms? Or we just discuss it with people, after they've completed it.



great lil review; wanted to try to answer a few of your questions in your spoilers
WARNING: "hope this helps" spoilers below
Neil's father grew up poor and worked to get the money to get his son into a school that would get him a far better life. The idea of his son doing something that was going to put him in the poor house JUST WOULD NOT do. Also, he didn't have the "words" to tell him this. He was just terrified for his son making a huge mistake and got enraged/protective.
Also, this wasn't something Neil wanted to do on the side for fun. It was what, he felt, he was born to do. And when he couldn't "be" that... well, nothing else would matter.
Richard did firmly believe if Neil simply "went along" with what he was told to do and the life that was being prepared for him, he'd still be alive. Richard Is a VERY practical and conservative person. He played it safe when he didn't follow along. Which is also why he kept his head down at the very end. The courageous act would never be him and he wasn't happy about that truth and would not change it. Hence, remaining in his chair.
And, finally, the disciplinary action was a pretty common thing during that time, but I can understand how it "didn't fit" for you.
you might have convinced me there Ed . I understand exactly what you saying however sometimes I'm a lazy viewer and I want movie to tell me the whole story. Perhaps it was not explicit enough and the shortcuts director took went too far cutting too many frames. But you told me once too use those imaginary deleted scenes. I'm probably gonna rewatch
WARNING: "possible" spoilers below
those dialogues between Neil and his father to exactly pinpoint the moment where Neil's father understands the acting is not just fun for him (Neil)
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I'm going to watch Manchester By The Sea tonight. I've started to watch it last night but was only too tired to finish it. Looks like I'm just gonna watch all noms by order how they are listed on page 1.
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Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin) (Wim Wenders, 1987)
Imdb

Date Watched: 04/15/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 13th HOF, CosmicRunaway's Nomination
Rewatch: No.


Well, that was... that was something. Something that I didn't like. Something that seemed to drag on endlessly. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not necessarily against films that are quietly contemplative. When done well it can be a very moving and emotional experience. But this wasn't that. It wasn't that for me at all.

From a visual standpoint, Wings of Desire is absolutely gorgeous. Whether the scenes were in black and white or in vivid color, the images were breathtaking and evocative. I also really liked the basic concept of the film and felt there was some definite potential in it, but my praise for it really ends there.

The constant repetition of certain phrases ("When the child was a child..."), the near total lack of humor, and the endless droning of people's ridiculously melancholy thoughts combined to nearly eliminate my interest in it. I felt every damn minute of its two hour run time and actually ended up taking a break about 2/3 of the way through. I get that there is beauty in most things, including sadness and despair, but I really didn't buy that the rather narrow view of life that the film presented would be enough to ignite the angel's desire to become human. And, frankly, I found his lady love Marion to be not so much intriguing as irritating, particularly in the final scenes.

A predictable reaction. So predictable (because I felt the same way) that I was worried it would be one of those goofy likes for you since we are film opposites. But it looks like we agree.

When I look at what was nominated as a whole I don't really see anything that screams Miss Vicky will like this. Maybe Three Musketeers, but I'd be surprised.



I think the people who didn't really like Murderers are Among Us in the 40s HoF are going to find Wings of Desire difficult to sit through, because they both rely heavily on visuals, but Wings of Desire lacks a discernable plot early on, which Murderers are Among Us did at least have.

I had a lot of difficulty coming up with a nomination, and went with Wings of Desire because of its cinematography, which I think is amazing, but partly because I've seen people mention the film (and/or Win Wenders) around before, so I figured it would be something semi-familiar that may have already been on a few people's watchlists. My hope is that even if people find the film's pace to be mind-numbing, they'll at least have some appreciation of the visuals. I think it's one of those films that critics tend to heap praises on, but most people find a bit boring, and that's the sort of reception I'm expecting.



If it's anything like Paris, Texas then i'll be happy. Oddly, and i'm not just saying this, Paris, Texas is the film that reminds me of Buffalo '66 the most. Hope someone who has seen both, maybe Nesto? Will kinda know what i mean.
I know what you mean. The pay off at the end gives you a similar feeling. Paris, Texas was brilliant, so I'm looking forward to Wings of Desire.



I haven't seen Paris, Texas. In fact, the only other one of Wim Wenders' films I've seen is Million Dollar Hotel, which I absolutely hated. I'm pretty sure it was on my Worst Films list for that Countdown Tongo was going to do.



That's crazy, thought you would have seen it. Guess it didn't interest you coz it's American despite being from Wenders?
Actually, I'd never even heard of it until recently. I looked it up a little while ago after seeing it mentioned somewhere, but don't really know what it's about.

I've had no incentive to look up Wenders' other films, because like I said I've only seen Wings of Desire about a decade ago, and Million Dollar Hotel, which I actually tried to rewatch a couple of years ago but ended up turning it off.





The Hunt / Jagten (2012)
Dir. Thomas Vinterberg
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Annika Wedderkopp, Susse Wold

I've been meaning to watch this film for a number of months now, but could never quite get around to it. Given the subject matter of the film, I was expecting something fairly heavy and difficult to sit through. I'm glad that it was nominated so I had an excuse to finally sit down and try it. While the film plays out how I expected it to, in the end it was nowhere near as uncomfortable as I had anticipated. Mads Mikkelsen gives an amazing performance as Lucas, and the supporting cast are all great as well. You can feel the tension in the air, and everyone's emotions are clearly evident without needing any dialogue to explain it. The film had a few “I think there's something in my eye” moments, and is definitely not something I'll be forgetting any time soon.

Normally I avoid mentioning plot points in my write-ups, and reserve any spoiler talk for other posts, but if you don't already know the basic story of this film, then you may not wish to read the next paragraph.

The film shows us why there is a disproportionate amount of women involved in childcare compared to men. It's so easy to accuse a man of misconduct in situations like that, and the phrase “innocent until proven guilty” seems to be thrown out the window. For a long time in the film, I blamed the girl for the circumstances Lucas found himself in. But children say things without understanding the consequences all of the time, so the fault is really with all the adults in the film who jumped to conclusions and particularly with those who started treating Lucas poorly. The most disgusting part of the whole ordeal is that it's pretty accurate to reality. Just being accused of something awful can have permanently devastating effects, even if all charges are dropped. It's particularly bad in a small town like the one portrayed in The Hunt, because gossip spreads quickly, and there's nowhere to hide because of how closely knit the community is.

The Hunt feels very grounded in reality, whether we want to admit that or not. It's shot in a manner which emphasises the characters' reactions and the emotions of the scene, forgoing fancy camera set-ups or unique visual designs for a more intimate connection between the viewer and the events depicted on screen. I think it works very well, as it easily engaged me and created a lot of sympathy for Lucas and his ordeal. While it's unpleasant to watch at times, it's still very engrossing. It's probably not a movie I'd revisit any time soon, but I'm glad I got the chance to experience it.
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Dead Poet's Society

After somewhat liking it the first time I saw it, I really must admit, it didn't work for me this time. I found the film to be very preachy and aggressive in pointing out its message, which I'm not even sure was suppose to be. It also didn't help, that plenty of scenes were overly cheesy and sentimental. I liked Robin Williams in it, altough I don't think this was his best role. Only other performance that really stood out to me, was by then 19-year old Ethan Hawke, who was great as an introverted young man, who just became to come out of his shell. Sure he had his moments of overracting, like majority of the cast, but I still quite liked him. I must say that I liked the first part of the film much better than the second. By the end the film turns into a heavy melodrama, sort of a completely opposite tone, of the one established in the first part. And there were some fragments in the plot, I felt were used just to achieve dramatic effect.

WARNING: "spoiler" spoilers below

I didn't like how Neil's dad was made as such one-dimensional character. I think they could have added a whole more depth to him, instead of painting him as a classic
authoritarian, with no regard for his son's wishes. Also I might be criticized for it, but I thought the film tried really hard to show us Mr. Keating as a saint, where in reality his methods weren't really that correct and moral. I mean he directly encouraged a group of pliable 15-year olds to actively fight against the authority and live some kind of Dionysian lifestyles. I'm not saying that his heart wasn't in right place, by wanting to teach his students to think independtly and live life to the fullest. But his methods could've been a lot subtler in my opinion.



There was a particular scene I very much liked ,at the end of the film. When a fellow professor
wawed at Mr.Keating, symbolizing how much he influenced him. I also thought the cinematography was pretty good, especially the shots in the cave and the snowy setting.
Sadly Dead Poet's Society didn't resonate with me this time, but at least I enjoyed Williams and Hawke performance.



@CosmicRunaway

Very well written and thoughtful review! Jagten was definitely a fascinating study of a lynch mob mentality and how one innocent little lie can escalate to such great proportions and almost ruin a man's life. I must ask you, what did you think about the final scene? To me it was perhaps the most poignant and intruguing scene in the entire film. While at the same time really ambiguous.

WARNING: "spoiler" spoilers below
At first, I thought that the shooter was Klara's brother. Remember how him and Lucas shared a really awkward eye contact, during Lucas's son celebration. I thought it was quite obvious, he felt guilty for introducing Clara to pornography and indirectly being a causer of the entire catastrophe.

Later I kinda adapt the conclusion that the shooter, didn't mean to be anyone in particular. Rather than a symbol of how this whole incident will haunt Lucas, and that he'll forever have to look over his shoulder. Basically his name was already dirted and he'll never be able to escape the jaws of a judgmental society.


Curious to hear what you think...