The 29th Hall of Fame

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I forgot the opening line.
That gives me an idea for an HoF People would pick a movie with their favorite actor or actress. Maybe it's somebody they have a crush on, like Mads, or somebody they think is cool or whatever reason they want.
I'm loving that idea as well. I don't think anyone here is really familiar with my major screen crush - but as time goes on you guys will be.

BTW Citizen, I'll make you a deal concerning a glimpse at the DVD stacks - because I think I misrepresented how neat and tidy they all are - I've got a self-imposed deadline coming up soon to straighten things out, do some serious sorting, and a bit of general rearranging. After that, I'll do a reveal and what things all look like. It feels like all of mofo coming over for a visit, and I want to be more presentable
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Remember - everything has an ending except hope, and sausages - they have two.
We miss you Takoma

Latest Review : Le Circle Rouge (1970)



I forgot the opening line.
To everyone reading this who hasn't joined - you now have 3 days to do so

To some of you who I've seen in the past few Halls : @jiraffejustin @Miss Vicky @pahaK @TheUsualSuspect @BooBooKittyFock @seanc - I'm tagging you in case you don't know a new Hall of Fame is in the closing stages of it's nomination window.

I'm pretty sure Takoma11, edarsenal and Thief know and have opted out.





Stroszek(1977)

Werner Herzog likes eccentrics and weirdo's his early films often are littered with people who aren't really actors but Herzog feels he can write the part for him. Bruno S is I assume a man on the spectrum that Herzog felt he could make two films with..this one also features his girlfriend as a hooker. This does feel like a vanity project for Eva Mattes she plays a sex worker who convinces Bruno to come to the US. Yes the actor has the same name as the character...

I don't know what we are supposed to think of Bruno...if Werner isn't treating his subject as some sort of dancing chicken. The movie has a lot of symbolism and cynicism towards the socialist state and the capitalist state. Basically everything is terrible...this is also a comedy if you like the most childish and dumb butt and fart jokes than I guess it's for you.

The third act has some amusing parts but it's such a long road to get their and if you don't connect with the characters I don't know what the point is. This one just wasn't for me, I've actually nominated a Herzog film in a hall before (Aguirre) but this just isn't my taste.





Das Boot (1981)

It's always important to contextualize when a film was made...Das Boot was made in 1981. This is a German epic that attempts to tell the story of a U-Boat during the later years of WWII. It misses the point of the novel which is an anti-war film which I believe the filmmaker did on purpose because he wanted to show the day to day life of shipmen. For it's time it was a revolutionary film...but just because a film is important doesn't mean it's good.

This is one of the more self-indulgent films ever made. When I say that it's because the filmmaker is more in love with what he can do rather than what he should do to make a watchable emotionally resonating film. Every character in this film is given just one personality trait they completely blend together. We get no drama from their interactions moreso because we know the film is 4 hours long all of those suspense scenes are pretty much hollow. You know the boat isn't going to get suck an hour in...you still have three more hours of the film to go.

The filmmaker doesn't explain why the third act has to happen and often times I felt like if you are going to make me spend all of these hours watching something like this...you can't just lean are jargon. It might be "accurate" but it's not cinematic and this is cinema. I also had no idea of how long they were on sea, how they got crabs, what happened to most of the characters at the end. To me this is something that Roger Ebert loved because it moved film making forward but today it's hateble because of the dated script.



That gives me an idea for an HoF People would pick a movie with their favorite actor or actress. Maybe it's somebody they have a crush on, like Mads, or somebody they think is cool or whatever reason they want.
We all know who I adore male wise but does anyone know my favorite actress?

I have seen 11 of her films and probably watch more. She's in a guilty pleasure film of mine as well as a favorite historical and she's married to one of my favorite actors.




Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Don Siegel, 1956)

What's there to say about this really? It's a low budget 50s B-movie with no real interest in being anything other than that. Like, it is what it is well enough and it passes the time but there's not really any artistry on display. I mean, I'm not upset a film that only exists to be background noise while teenagers make out at the drive-in isn't the most ambitious thing in the world but you could watch this with your eyes closed and get more or less the same experience. And its not like that experience is even bad, this is perfectly fine and passably entertaining the whole time but its definitely not going to be sticking around in my brain very long.



We all know who I adore male wise but does anyone know my favorite actress?

I have seen 11 of her films and probably watch more. She's in a guilty pleasure film of mine as well as a favorite historical and she's married to one of my favorite actors.
Hmmm, maybe Mrs Mads? I don't know if he's even married.




Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Don Siegel, 1956)

What's there to say about this really? It's a low budget 50s B-movie with no real interest in being anything other than that. Like, it is what it is well enough and it passes the time but there's not really any artistry on display. I mean, I'm not upset a film that only exists to be background noise while teenagers make out at the drive-in isn't the most ambitious thing in the world but you could watch this with your eyes closed and get more or less the same experience. And its not like that experience is even bad, this is perfectly fine and passably entertaining the whole time but its definitely not going to be sticking around in my brain very long.
Interesting review, it even works if someone hasn't seen a film Like this:

Enthiran (Shankar 2010)

What's there to say about this really? It's a low budget 50s B Bollywood movie with no real interest in being anything other than that. Like, it is what it is well enough and it passes the time but there's not really any artistry on display. I mean, I'm not upset a film that only exists to be background noise while teenagers make out at the drive-in theater isn't the most ambitious thing in the world but you could watch this with your eyes closed and get more or less the same experience. And its not like that experience is even bad, this is perfectly fine and passably entertaining the whole time but its definitely not going to be sticking around in my brain very long.







Hmmm, maybe Mrs Mads? I don't know if he's even married.
He's married but she's not an actress.

I figured you would be one to know.

Another clue, they starred in a film together that was directed by my favorite Irish director but the film had terrible reviews. The other films by this director are hits, and one of them won a HOF.



2022 Mofo Fantasy Football Champ
A Moment of Innocence



I had super high hopes on this one as I heard great things, but overall it's a film that I had a pretty difficult time connecting with. Again, it may have been a cultural barrier but I've seen a decent amount of Iranian films and have enjoyed a bunch. This one seemed to have pacing issues for me, strange for a film that isn't so long. I guess the story really didn't grab me either. I liked the concept of it though. I don't know I guess I was just left with the feeling of expecting more. Quite curious though to see why others love it.




Interesting review, it even works if someone hasn't seen a film Like this:

Enthiran (Shankar 2010)

What's there to say about this really? It's a low budget 50s B Bollywood movie with no real interest in being anything other than that. Like, it is what it is well enough and it passes the time but there's not really any artistry on display. I mean, I'm not upset a film that only exists to be background noise while teenagers make out at the drive-in theater isn't the most ambitious thing in the world but you could watch this with your eyes closed and get more or less the same experience. And its not like that experience is even bad, this is perfectly fine and passably entertaining the whole time but its definitely not going to be sticking around in my brain very long.




damn, my picks don't usually get this high praise



A Moment of Innocence (1996) -


When I first heard about this film, it didn't interest me much. All I heard was that it was about Makhmalbaf and a cop he assaulted forgiving each other, but what it actually turned out to be was much more interesting and it left so big of an impression on me it shot up real high on my favorite's list.

In order to explain why I like it so much though, I first have to give some background on the film. When Mohsen Makhmalbaf was 17, he was involved in a militant group, attempted to steal a police officer's gun, and ended up stabbing him in the process. As a result, Makhmalbaf was sentenced to death. After serving five years in prison though, he was released in the wake of the Iranian revolution. The officer in the film is the same officer Makhmalbaf stabbed when he was a kid.

Knowing this gives the film's themes some extra resonance as it turns the film into a story about forgiveness. Of course, there's the noticeable extension to this theme which concerns the cop forgiving Makhmalbaf, but the other extension of this concerns the cop's conflict with a former love interest. Though the cop and Makhmalbaf (and his love interest) never share a scene together in the film, the conflict concerning them is instead portrayed through younger actors, who provide their interpretations to the events surrounding the three of them. The cop bonding with the actor who plays Makhmalbaf as opposed to Makhmalbaf himself is a great touch.
WARNING: spoilers below
The final shot of two simultaneous offerings of a gift shows that the three of them found peace with each other and were finally able to find forgiveness. It's a beautiful shot and tops the final shot of The 400 Blows as the best freeze frame ending I've ever seen.


Overall, this film is a masterpiece and my favorite Iranian film. It blew me away when I first watched it and this viewing was no different.

Next Up: Adam's Apples
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Nice summary Spelling. Wish it worked for me as much.

By the way, my favorite Iranian film so far is About Elly
Thanks!

About Elly is really good. My favorite Farhadi film though is A Separation.



A Moment of Innocence (1996) -


The film also dips into fantasy once a doppelganger of the young actor who plays the cop is introduced. It's not stated where his character comes from, but I don't think that aspect needs to have a logical explanation for it to work when it makes emotional sense. It's later shown that the doppelganger represents Makhmalbaf and, since the issues the doppelganger causes to the production of the film impact the actor who plays the cop, this further echoes the conflict between Makhmalbaf and the cop through the younger generation.
lmao shit i'm going to have to watch this again i don't remember this at all.



lmao shit i'm going to have to watch this again i don't remember this at all.
Actually, after looking up the cast, I think I might be misremembering the film. I didn't rewatch it before writing this and went with a vague memory I had of the film.