The 13TH Hall of Fame

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"I don't want to be a product of my environment, I want my environment to be a product of me" (Frank Costello)

My first HoF and I can see why they are so good already. I have already watched 4 films that I probably would never have watched otherwise.
I have enjoyed some more than others but have appreciated every single one of them and feel as though even if I stopped now (I won't ) that I have already benefited greatly from this experience.

I watched The Marriage of Maria Braun last night, but was too tired to write it up. I'll try to get a write-up done tonight and maybe also watch another movie.

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The Marriage of Maria Braun (Die Ehe der Maria Braun) (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1978)
Imdb

Date Watched: 04/18/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 13th HOF, Cricket's Nomination
Rewatch: No.

I really, really hated Maria Braun. She was ruthless, manipulative, remorseless, and cold. But watching her journey from being lost in a country torn apart by war to being strong and independent was a fascinating one and I did fee l a bit of respect along with my hatred. That's due in large part to Hanna Schygulla As Maria Braun, she was absolutely fantastic and my strong feelings about the character are a testament to the quality of the performance.

Unfortunately, however, there was little else that I liked about the film. I felt the other performances were largely forgettable, the cinematography was good but unremarkable, and I found the score to be rather intrusive at times. Still, the central performance was strong enough to maintain my interest throughout.

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Yahoo! Finally I've watched one of the noms...which I will review next. But first I wanted to say something about my review style:

• I haven't read any of your guys reviews yet, but I will read them all, after I've seen the movie (I've only seen a few of these movies in the past). I'm glad Camo has links to all of our movie reviews on the second post of this thread. I figure if someone takes the time to write a review, the least I can do is read it! I know I appreciate any comments or feedback or any reviews that I will write.

• I won't spoil the ending or any major plot elements in my reviews. So my reviews are safe to read even if you haven't seen the movie yet.

• I will be forthright in my reviews and call it like I see it, so I hope no one gets upset by that. If I dislike a movie I will try and distinguish between a personal dislike of the subject matter (but still could be a well made movie)...and a movie that I think is flawed in how it was executed.

Everyone has nominated some very interesting films and I thank you for that!

The Hunt (Thomas Vinterberg, 2012)

A rather nicely made film about a rather sticky subject...What I appreciated most about this film, is the restrained visual style, which suits the almost documentary feel of the movie. The cinematography is personal, with it's use of medium range shots and a hand held camera. This puts us literally in the shoes of a falsely accused child molester.

Keeping with the realistic feeling of the film, the movie's structure is in present tense and the story takes place chronologically as a rather innocent event turns into something ugly for the school teacher. The abscess of multiple time frames and flash backs makes The Hunt all the more potent, as it's happening now....so we feel like Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen) does.

Staying within the realistic framework, the film makers wisely decided not to do grandiose camera shots, or uber dramatic music scores...as that would have drawn the viewer's attention away from the subject being explored. Simplistic cinematography can be beautiful as The Hunt proves.

Take a look at the photo I used above. That screen shot from the movie speaks volumes. It relays a feeling of peace and tranquility with the early morning sun shine, back lighting the actors, giving them a warm, halo rim light. That photo sets up an idyllic moment that once was...but is then ripped away as all hell breaks loose.

My hat is off to the actors, who all beautifully manage to play their characters in a subdued and there forth believable way. Which then dove tails perfectly with the realistic style of film making.

The Hunt explores a modern day witch hunt set in the innocents of Kindergarten. It's a powerful story, sadly it's happened many times over the course of human history that an unfounded accusation is taken as gospel, amplified and feed with the frighting power of self righteousness. Ignorance and hysteria go together like peanut butter and jelly, only as the film shows us those negative human traits leave a bitter taste in one's mouth.

Good nomination @neiba

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First off, I get why this movie got as many oscar nods as it did. The story's well told, the performances from most actors are at least good, with special mention going to Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges and C.J. Wilson for their parts in creating these three aspects of loss and how such a situation can affect different people in a wide range of ways.

With Lee we have an utterly broken man, already tackling one disaster and now has to shoulder the responsebility of careing for a minor, something he didn't ask for and is sure he can't do. As a respons, he falls deeper into the already aloof-seeming, violence-prone shell of his former self.

Then there's Patrick. Losing his father, he tries to cope by seemingly trying to return to normal, going on with his life as fast as possible, but without actually trying to process his feelings. They instead build, untill they escape in bursts, sending him into anxiety-fueled panic attacks. Despite his uncles urging to go see a doctor, he never seems to want to talk about his father with anyone, aside from listening to his friends nostalgia-tinted memories of him. And note that he never tells such a tale himself, he only listens.

And finally, George. His coping is never really gone into in-depth, but we can see that of the three, he seems the most level headed and grounded. Much of this I accredit to the fact that he isn't alone. His best friend and buisness partner dies, yet he still has people he can talk to and be around. All Patrick and Lee has is each other (not actually true, but as they don't accept the help that is offered, they themselves choose to stay isolated), and as they can't or won't talk to each other beyond snarky remarks and the occational grunt and grumble, they don't give comfort or grieve together. This is where George's family can help him process his feelings and stay the emotionally balanced man he is, even trying to help the other two. As the credits starts to roll, it seems he will only get the chance to help one.

The scene where Lee gives his reasons as to why he can't be Patrick's guardian is played understated, but the impact is still felt. He's been crushed by what he went through, and he never expects to be able to move past that. He can't take this responsibility and risk something like this will occur again (at least that is how I red it). Despite his demeanor, he really cares for Patrick and seemingly wants the best for him. Which doesn't include Lee taking care of him, as far as he's concerned.

This is a heavy, somewhat melancholy movie (but not without it's glimpses of humour), that ends on a...not sour note, but maybe a feeling of not being truly done. Our characters move forward from this point, but we as an audience doesn't get to see what lies beyond. It gives the movie at the same time a feel of non-closure, yet realism.

This wasn't really my kind of movie. As I said, I get why the academy likes it, and after reading Scarlet's review I get why someone would like it very much. It just didn't grab me they way it did Scarlet. I can agree that the movie is well done...but it's not something I'd pick out for myself to watch.

I also agree with something Cosmic said. She mentioned feeling like this was more a experience to go through, rather than a movie to be watched. I totally second that, as well as her point that it's something I needn't see again.

A very good nom, Raul. Just not my style of movie.

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Why not just kill them? I'll do it! I'll run up to Paris - bam, bam, bam, bam. I'm back before week's end. We spend the treasure. How is this a bad plan?

First time I had to go to a movie theater to catch a HoF nom. Had such a lucky break, as the movie's gone for so long here that it's just about out of circulation, but the home movie release isn't until after the HoF is over. Managed to get a ticket to the last showing (no kidding, asked the machinist and he told me this was the last run before they'd move on to other movies) at this smaller, four screen place that opened like nine months ago. They wanted to focus on more cultural stuff, movies that usually didn't screen at the bigger complexes (so of course they show oscar nominees?). The funny thing is, they opened shop less than 70 yards from another such place. This is a one screen place, has been there for nigh on 30 years and I love it. They too do the more niche stuff, more foreign films and lesser known stuff from around the world. But they also go in for the movie geeks. And that's why I love them. They host movie nights a couple times a year, mostly centered around a theme of some sort. Sometimes it's classic blockbusters (they did a double feature of Jaws and The Lost Arc), sometimes it's the classic midnight showings (Rocky Horror, The Room etc.) and this time they're doing 80's stuff. Which in this case means a double feature of The Breakfast Club and Ferris Beuler's Day Off. Haven't seen either, but I thought; when the opportunity presents itself to watch two movies like these on the big screen, why not?

That's convenient timing, Clazor. Luckily you were able to just catch the film.

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I watched Manchester By the Sea last night, and I will make sure to get something written this weekend so I don't end up the last one to even begin writing anything.

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I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity - Edgar Allan Poe

@Clazor ALWAYS a fun feeling when you slip right in under the wire on something. VERY cool!
Haven't seen Manchester so I'll be reading your review later (should be pretty cool) and did a sneak peek at the first couple of sentences of @Camo's review of Quiet Earth for that initial reaction (the curiosity was TOO MUCH to just scan past lol)
and knowing @Sarge's style I was able to read the opening of his and all of @Miss Vicky's review of Maria.
Thank you @Jeff Costello for the spoiler warning because I was SO tempted to sneak a few peeks into your review as well lol
Wrapping it up nicely with @Citizen Rules' review of the visual/cinematic aspect of The Hunt. A movie I'm both excited for AND dreading simply for the emotional kick in the teeth only. BIG fan of Mads and can't wait to add this to the small list of his movies.

As stated before, SO MANY great movies and I haven't done SQUAT! I am SO ashamed!! Bad Llama!

I did pick up The Intouchables and Wings of Desire from my library today, and I actually found an extended version of Dances With Wolves which I was PRETTY DAMN excited about since I never saw the extended version only get about 35 min into this 4 hr version and see there is no subtitles for the Native Americans - dammit dammit dammit

But that's alright, it will come and I'll keep popping into what discussions I can meanwhile

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What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
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~Mr Minio

I started The Three Musketeers on my lunch break, but I've got a headache now so I don't know if I'll finish it tonight. I've got six other the nominations waiting for me at the library. I'll probably pick them up Friday.

The Hunt***Spoilers***

I wondered the same thing too. If I put myself in Mads shoes, I would be irate!...But later as the movie progressed, I could see that the director had purposely taken a more subdued look at child abuse, than Hollywood would have....I think it's a cultural thing as I've heard that Scandinavians tend to be more reserved in their behavior than say Americans or Italians. Think about the differences between a Bergman film and a Fellini film. But yeah I though the same as you.

This is only my opinion, but I took the last scenes where Mads son was presented a hunting rifle and the town folks were there, including the big guy that Mads head butted in the grocery store, to mean that the town had healed and that things were all right again.


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. [/quote] I thought the best element of the story was that a cute little girl, was at least in some ways the protagonist. The most powerful scene in the movie is when his son goes to confront the girls family, and in a rage, spits in her face. That was one helluva powerful scene, the best in the movie IMO.

That's very true, and the film works like a cautionary tale when people let their fears run amok, the innocent get hurt. It reminded me of the Salem With trails which was sparked by two girls age 9 and 11 who acted bizarrely, causing the adults to blame demonic forces, which then resulted in people being falsely accused of witchcraft. The result was the executions of 20 people.

Me too, I'm glad I watched it, but I doubt I would want to see it again.

Jagten spoilers

Cosmic and I did a little analysis on what final scene was suppose to mean. If you'd like to read it, it's right below her review of Jagten.

Definitely a good point. I think the cultural aspect played a big part, in how Lucas handled the situation. IIRC his character at none point, decided to go against the child's integrity and openly call her a liar. Instead he chose to deal with the situation gracefully,hoping that the people will come to their senses, eventough the situation indeed demanded different approach.

Agreed. Definitely a powerful scene. Like someone else mentioned, I also blamed Clara for Lucas's misfortunes at first, but after further reflecting, it was quite obvious the culprits were incompetent adults, with the position of authority in child care. They never gave Lucas a fair trial and have basically decided his guilty, before he even got the chance to say anything. While simultaneously making zero effort, to properly examine the situation.

Yeah, like I already mentioned, I'm saving Jagten for last viewing. Exceptional film, but made me physically angry, the last time I saw it.

Speaking of culture and The Hunt, did anyone else find it odd how people kept saying that children always tell the truth? Am I the only person who lives in a place where children tend to be devious little brats who lie all the time?

That's mostly a joke. I actually worked in a day care for a few years (kids ages 2-3 on certain days, and ages 3-4 on others). It certainly didn't make me think that children are little angels who have no reason to lie haha.

I did wonder about that. I thought all little kids lie. I know I did.

The Three Musketeers

I'm familiar with The Three Musketeers story of course, it's difficult not to be, i can't say i've watched any live action adaptations at least unless i'm forgetting so i was looking forward to this. There isn't a whole lot of interesting things i can say about this but i did really enjoy it, as a movie all it set out to be was fun and entertaining and it was exactly that for me. The epic opening got in me in the right kind of mood, great start. One thing i wasn't expecting at least not to this degree was the humour, it was really goofy but in a charming sort of way; i laughed a fair amount. All i could keep thinking of was Monty Python, not that the humour in both are the same, just that they are both pretty silly and i think the historical setting added to this. Michael York was great as d'Artagnan, i loved the set-up of him annoying all of the Musketeers into scheduling fights with him at different times, i also liked that they just accepted him right away as soon as he impressed them too. Way too many films in that situation throw in a half-hearted 'you can't join us' sort of plot that usually ends up with some contrived reason that the person has to temporarily come along until he proves himself and becomes one of them. Glad they sidestepped that and went straight to the rest of the story as it's pretty tired. Oliver Reed was good too, it's not easy making a character with that sort of over the top attire, facial hair, etc cool but he really was. Everyone else was good too but they were definitely the two standouts. The costumes and set designs were excellent too, great attention to detail. Overall a very fun time, really glad you nominated this Ed as these Hall of Fames too often end up full of heavy dramas, it's a nice change of pace. If i'm completely honest this was probably the one i was looking forward to least as i already knew the story but i liked it quite a bit and hope it does well, no complaints.

The Great Dictator next for me. That's me watched 10/16 (11 actually but i'm rewatching Dances With Wolves) though so i might take a break.

The Hunt...I just rewatched the last two scenes in the moive.

I'm going to try and take another look at that first part.

I've meant to save "Jagten" for last, but since many of you have already watched it and commented on it, I'll try to do a rewatch this weekend.