TokeZa's inane ramblings about film

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I want to write more about the films i watch, instead of just give ratings. I am not that good at English so hopefully you will bear with me.

This will be a thread mostly dedicated to (obscure) arthouse movies and foreign film.

I hope you will enjoy



Sorry if I'm rude but I'm right
Looking forward to this!

And don't worry about your language skills. Apparently my rudimentary grasp of English is enough to voice my opinions in threads like Movie Tab II and such, so you should be okay, too.
__________________
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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I want to write more about the films i watch, instead of just give ratings. I am not that good at English so hopefully you will bear with me.

This will be a thread mostly dedicated to (obscure) arthouse movies and foreign film.

I hope you will enjoy
Looking forward to this thread.. Thanks!





Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) by David Lynch

I was pretty happy to see the two first seasons of Twin Peaks which i rated
+ and wrote about in rate the last movie thread, but Fire Walk with Me seems mostly relevant for hardcore fans. I missed the central presence of Dale Cooper from the first two season, who in my opinion held the series together with a great performance by Kyle MacLachlan. Another thing i missed was the satire and humor from the tv-series which added nicely to a meta perspective on tv-series in general and how you perceive them. All that said it still adds something to the universe of Twin Peaks and has a nice balance between the real and the surreal. Still its probably the worst i have seen from the hands of Lynch (I have not seen Dune, which is probably worse). I must say i am looking forward to seeing The Return.






The Scarlet Empress (1934) by Josef von Sternberg

The only film i have seen by Josef von Sternberg so far is Shanghai Express (1932), which i rate
. As a former history student who had dwelled into modern Eastern European history i was a bit disappointed with this supposedly period drama. From what i read, Josef von Sternberg, was obsessed with Marlene Dietrich and that makes sense after seeing this film. The interesting thing about this film is more style (and costumes) than substance, which is primarily the reason for my rating. Its not a film i as such plan on revisiting.




Sorry if I'm rude but I'm right
I remember not loving Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. I thought it explained things attentive viewers got out of the series alone. On the other hand, it also introduced some additional material, whose importance I grasped after watching The Return. This is really crazy, but I think Lynch had it all planned from the very beginning. Either this, or he had to rewatch/revise the whole thing a countless number of times before writing The Return. Too many things just make sense (even if they make sense by not making sense).

The Scarlet Empress has one of the lushest cinematographies ever. The scenography adds lots to it. I wouldn't be surprised if Eisenstein (or maybe Tisse) was inspired by its visuals while making Ivan the Terrible. Dietrich is totally an empress there. She's a goddess. I never saw her fetishised like this (even in other von Sternberg films albeit I still have some yet to see). Von Sternberg's films are always outstanding visually. The Last Command is my favourite of his.



I remember not loving Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. I thought it explained things attentive viewers got out of the series alone. On the other hand, it also introduced some additional material, whose importance I grasped after watching The Return. This is really crazy, but I think Lynch had it all planned from the very beginning. Either this, or he had to rewatch/revise the whole thing a countless number of times before writing The Return. Too many things just make sense (even if they make sense by not making sense).

The Scarlet Empress has one of the lushest cinematographies ever. The scenography adds lots to it. I wouldn't be surprised if Eisenstein (or maybe Tisse) was inspired by its visuals while making Ivan the Terrible. Dietrich is totally an empress there. She's a goddess. I never saw her fetishised like this (even in other von Sternberg films albeit I still have some yet to see). Von Sternberg's films are always outstanding visually. The Last Command is my favourite of his.
I dont have my son next weekend so i plan on getting into The Return. I dont think i will be disappointed.

Ivan the Terrible also came to my mind after seeing this and i would not be surprised if there was a connection between those films. Though I think Ivan the Terrible is a lot more interesting and more succes full as a film.

I already have The Last Command on my to watch list and will get to it eventually.



Sorry if I'm rude but I'm right
I dont have my son next weekend so i plan on getting into The Return. I dont think i will be disappointed.
Wait, you can't watch movies when you have a child? I'll never have kids!



Wait, you can't watch movies when you have a child? I'll never have kids!
Haha yesterday we saw Where is the Friends Home? and we agreed to see My Neighbor Totoro next time.

The indoctrination has already begun and his favorite band is Kraftwerk



Sorry if I'm rude but I'm right
Wowzers, Akira isn't a children's film exactly either. Make sure he doesn't try to find the film on torrents afterwards. When I tried a couple of years ago, I got a lot of Asa Akira porn in the results. As a matter of fact I never regretted this, but you know, the kid is 10. When I was ten... Okay, that's enough. Let's get back to topic.





The Goddess (1934) by Yonggang Wu

An interesting silent film by Yonggang Wu, with Ruan Lingyu as the unnamed prostitute and loving mother. This was my first film with Ruan Lingyu who is the center of attention in Stanley Kwans epic biopic Centre Stage from 1992. The film revolves around themes of social injustice and stigma of the people living on the fringes of society in 30's China. Its an excellent depiction of #modernity and the heart wrenching performance by Ruan Lingyu makes it a must watch for cinephiles and social workers alike.






Husbands and Wives (1992) by Wood Allen

So far i have seen ten Woody Allen and while he might be a creep irl, his idiosyncratic movies are quite interesting and reminiscent of one of my favorite directors Ingmar Bergman. So far Hannah and Her Sisters have been my favorite, but i think Husbands and Wives are up their among his best work. Thematically it explores dysfunctional relations among the intellectual elite with sexual tension as a focal point. The film cuts between interview and linear narrative, which gives you intriguing insights into the characters mental being. As always there is a neurotic existential anxiety at play which feeds the dysfunctional couples. One of the major laughs was when a side character made an opinion, criticizing the movie itself and Woody Allens perspective on life. This meta perspective added a lot to the viewing experience.




movies can be okay...
I'm watching "Interiors" by Woody Allen pretty soon, have you seen it yet? If so, is it any good?
"Husbands and Wives" seems like a pretty enjoyable film from what you said, you got me intrigued.
__________________
"A film has to be a dialogue, not a monologue — a dialogue to provoke in the viewer his own thoughts, his own feelings. And if a film is a dialogue, then it’s a good film; if it’s not a dialogue, it’s a bad film."
- Michael "Gloomy Old Fart" Haneke



I'm watching "Interiors" by Woody Allen pretty soon, have you seen it yet? If so, is it any good?
"Husbands and Wives" seems like a pretty enjoyable film from what you said, you got me intrigued.
I havent seen it, but from the summary, it seems like a Woody Allen classic in terms of themes and narrative. Let me know what you think of it.





Stalker (1979) by Andrei Tarkovsky

It has been quite some years (maybe 4 or more), since i last saw Stalker by Tarkovsky. It is a very visceral and meditative experience going into a film that mostly works as reflexive lyrical and visual poem. It is a film who constantly ask question without certain answers, which in that regard makes you (me) reflect on the very existence of man. There is a certain modus of alienation and estrangement trough out the film which me in think of the marxist existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre and his work Being and Nothingness. In relation to that it also made me reflect upon Heideggers Sein und zeit, especially the terms being-towards-death and being-in-the-world. I dont see Stalker as much as a sci-fi as a reflection on the existential dispositives of man. A very metaphysical film and a masterpiece as such.






The Horse Thief (1986) by Zhuangzhuang Tian

A very poetic film, with nearly no dialogue focusing on nomads in Tibet. This is one of the more obscure foreign films that reminds you of Tarkovsky. As with Tarkovsky its a very visceral experience and the film should primarily be seen for its image language. Recommended if you want to dive in to an obscure Chinese arthouse film.

+





Franz Kafka - The Trial (1925)

In a small detour from the film reviews i recently reread the Trial by Franz Kafka. The subject matter of the book is foreshadowing the totalitarian regimes in Eastern Europe and is a great depiction of bureaucratization processes. There are many great scenes in the book, but i guess my personal favorite is Josef K. meeting with the painter and the final scene. A dystopian story that pays homage to Crime and Punishment and seems closely related to 1984 by George Orwell.