The 29th Hall of Fame

Tools    





2022 Mofo Fantasy Football Champ
Stroszek



I felt like this movie got stronger as it went on. The problem is that it didn't gain it's full head of steam until there was about twenty minutes left in the movie. It is one that made me already look forward to rewatching it though.

I feel like Herzog intentionally distances us from these characters for whatever reason rather than connecting us with them. These feel like humans that in real life have issues and aren't people that we want to associate ourselves with. Herzog wants to tell us a story but doesn't want us to sympathize with the characters situation. I didn't think the performances were bad but nothing truly stood out however.

I think it tries to strike hard as a comedy but it isn't my style of comedy either. However I really enjoyed those last ten minutes. The sky lift and dancing chicken scene was cool. And it was cool that parts of the film were filmed very near to where I live.

The film had it's ups and downs and I certainly wouldn't oppose watching it again.

+



I rewatched Vengeance Is Mine (1979) on blu ray today. Directed by Shôhei Imamura, this Japanese crime drama stars Ken Ogata as a murderer. I had seen this one before a few years back when I first got the Criterion blu ray and liked it. On a second viewing, I liked it just as much as the first time. This is a well made film. I thought Imamura did a fine job directing and the story is told in an effective and compelling way. Performances are good. Ogata is the stand out for me as the lead character. I also liked the look of the film. The only other film I have seen by Shôhei Imamura is 1983's The Ballad of Narayama, which I would rank slightly above this one. I will have to eventually check out more of his films.



I watched Enthiran/Robot tonight. This was fun, for the most part. I enjoyed how crazy and wacky it was. The humour was pretty clever and there were some funny moments. I also liked the song and dance numbers. The robot's dance towards the beginning of the film was great. The action sequences were very well done, better than a lot of big budget action films. This is a high energy, wild film and I appreciated that. My only complaint is the runtime. I don't think this needed to be nearly 3 hours. There was a lot of stuff they could have trimmed or cut out completely. Even though the movie was enjoyable and entertaining, I did feel the length at times. That being said, I'm glad this was nominated as I would not have likely seen it otherwise.



movies can be okay...
Stroszek (1977) directed by Werner Herzog


The biggest thing I adored about this film was its tone. It had a very dry, calm, and matter of fact spirit. The cinematography complimented the atmosphere quite perfectly. In essence, it moved in the same pace as Bruno's by being simultaneously tender and blunt. I'd like to compare it to a Cassavetes minus the chaoticness. The first few scenes in America with all their soothing vibes kind of reminded me of Jarmusch's Paterson. Our main characters were setting up their new life, everything was going just fine, and for a while I was hoping things would continue on in that direction without any emerging conflict. Personally, I wouldn't have minded.

The comedy was another huge positive to the movie. I was laughing all the way throughout, right from the opening where Stroszek is instructed to never enter a bar again, and then you have the very next scene him doing just that. Some of the funniest moments for me were for example when the crew was searching for Wisconsin in a South America map, The "****y-****y" scene, the crazy old man's "creations", and the rants between Stroszek and the American with neither understanding the other. The humor mostly came from the characters and their mannerisms, but the German language also kind of just makes everything sound funnier too.

Herzog at this point is one of my favorite filmmakers. His documentaries feel like fiction films and fiction films like documentaries, so I wasn't surprised to find out that most of the characters we meet pretty much are just playing themselves. He reminds me of Terrence Malick in a way, because he seems like an instinctive director who's more concerned about capturing fleeting and precious moments than following some tight script and schedule. This methodology births numerous fantastical sequences that become the heart of the overall experience. One of these sequences is the one in the hospital. The sight of all the newborns has a grand and majestic feel, as if you're witnessing some sort of miracle. The iconic auction is another one, as well as the static and contemplative image of Eva sitting on her bed. One could just tell what's on her mind and feel what she's going through. The disappointment of expectations not being met, realizing the road ahead is a dead end, and the American dream not being this guaranteed and sustainable lifestyle after all.

The ending is fantastical in its own right, especially as soon as Old Lost John starts playing in the background and the chaos ensues. Speaking of music, the lack of score throughout and Bruno's talents being most of the musical backdrop was quite the fitting touch. Anyway, after Bruno finishes circling around with his truck in a parking lot, leaving it consumed by fire, he rides a near ski lift that pretty much does the same thing and circles him around the place until it takes him all the way back to the starting point, this all obviously symbolizing and summarizing his overall mental state and journey throughout the movie. Bruno then shoots himself, and we have that followed by a prolonged image of a chicken dancing crazily, seemingly indefinitely, and all for the sake of our entertainment. Those two scenes being juxtaposed together were able to deliver so much meaning and feelings. It not only plays as a contrast between Stroszek and the trapped chicken, but it's also a slam on capitalism, the sadistic nature of the power-holders, and the pathetic state of the participants.
Attachments
Click image for larger version

Name:	StroszekHUg.jpg
Views:	153
Size:	50.4 KB
ID:	88278  



movies can be okay...
...this is also a comedy if you like the most childish and dumb butt and fart jokes than I guess it's for you.
We did this before I know, but I really would love to get educated on these "dumb butt and fart jokes". If anything, the humor was so dry it mostly went unnoticed.
__________________
"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



movies can be okay...
I really liked Paris, Texas which was chose for me in one of the Personal Recommendations.



movies can be okay...
Not gonna lie, I'm a tiny bit salty that I had to watch Adam's Apples for nothing, but I obviously wouldn't have felt that way if I didn't end up disliking it. Nothing against MovieGal though, hope everything's well with her.
I'll think about it
I doubt you're being serious cricket, but just in case, I am going to watch your nom tonight so if you're actually planning to drop out I'd like to know haha.



Not gonna lie, I'm a tiny bit salty that I had to watch Adam's Apples for nothing, but I obviously wouldn't have felt that way if I didn't end up disliking it. Nothing against MovieGal though, hope everything's well with her.


I doubt you're being serious cricket, but just in case, I am going to watch your nom tonight so if you're actually planning to drop out I'd like to know haha.
I will finish, have never not finished



Tomboy (2011) -


This film was fine. Not a whole lot for me to dig at, but I still enjoyed it. It really shines in a few places, but throughout most of the film, I felt it didn't provide enough character depth to Laure for me to grow invested in her character. Watching Laure's relationship with several kids (Lisa, specifically) and the measures she takes to hide her gender grow, one wonders why she goes to such great measures to hide her identity. There are a few interpretations you could make for the film (e.g., Laure wanting to be seen as tougher, that she developed a romantic interest in Lisa, that she could be transgender), but since the film refuses to get inside Laure's head nor give her much of a personality, there isn't enough evidence provided to determine which of these interpretations the film had in mind and I wasn't able to latch on to any of these readings. In the end, they all seemed superficial and weren't fleshed out enough. Regardless, I still enjoyed enough about the film to give it a loose recommendation. For one, the lengths Laure goes to hide her gender get appropriately disturbing at times, such as when she takes her shirt off in front of her friends or makes a clay penis. These scenes are effective as, not only do they show how far Laure is willing to go, but they also open up questions on whether she was pulling these kinds of stunts at her old house. I also enjoyed the different ways the people around Laure reacted to what she was doing. The reactions ranged from acceptance to violence and it was interesting to watch these situations unfold as they were all fairly compelling. Finally, while I think most of the film is just competent, I did like the ending quite a lot. It simultaneously feels like the end and the start of something big for Laure. For the most part though, I thought this film was alright and I don't expect for it to stick around in my head for long.

Next Up: Vengeance is Mine
__________________
IMDb
Letterboxd



Enthiran



I had seen one other Bollywood film before back around the time when this came out, but I have no idea what the title was. I have an Indian friend, and she asked me to take her to a special early showing at a cinema near Harvard Square. It was a packed house and I was the only one who wasn't Indian. There were no subtitles but I had a good time because of how into the movie the audience was. I could follow along well enough, and the joy from the crowd getting a taste of home was infectious. I texted my friend this morning to ask if she's seen this movie and she has.

I must admit that when I saw this movie nominated I thought what the heck. I went ahead and watched the trailer though, something I usually don't do, and I thought it looked pretty good. The musical numbers, like the film I watched a few years back, are very different from other films with how they're so randomly placed. To our friend Ueno, if you look hard enough, you can find questionable content that might make you say yuck even in this film. Chitti goes to Sana's home uninvited and doesn't take no for an answer until he gets his kiss. What if that kiss he finally gets led to more? There are also a few negative racial stereotypes littered throughout the film. If you want to look hard enough you can almost always find something that crosses a line, just sayin.

Anyway, this movie was awesome. This is normally not my type of movie, or at least there are things within it that do not suit my taste. For whatever reason however, it felt like everything worked within it's world. The cast is excellent, I enjoyed the musical numbers, it's charming and funny, it's a wild ride, and the lead actress is a total smoke show. It wasn't perfect, but it's also not the type of movie that the viewer should analyze. It's to be enjoyed. There were a couple of somewhat disturbing moments that surprised me, but overall it's pretty lightweight. Once Chitti goes bad, it does lose some charm for a while before it ultimately comes back, but during that time it's the action that is the focus. I had no issue whatsoever with the runtime. In fact, I felt like they squeezed in about 4 hours of material. Things move very quickly and there's no time to get bored. So anyway, this was a blast.

+



movies can be okay...
Enthiran (2010) directed by Shankar


Fun fUn FUn fuN Fun FUN Fun fun Fun FUn Fun FuN Fun fUN Fun FUUUN FUUUUUUUUUUUUUN! If you haven't guessed already, this was a fun movie. I had a lot of fun. Dumb fun, but fun nonetheless. Its objective was to entertain, and it lowkey exceeded that goal. The story was generic but sound, coherent, and complete. It actually reminds you why the presented story elements and beats are constantly regurgitated in most media, and that's because they work. They're classic for a reason, and in the case of Enthiran, there's so much creativity and effort surrounding the basic plot to make it feel fresh. And let's not act as if this is some so bad that it's good kind of fun, far from it. The filmmakers could've easily taken the lazier route and gotten their money back successfully, and yet we have extravagant musical numbers with great costumes, settings, and production design, an iconic fight sequence between mosquitos and a robot that ends with the former begging for forgiveness, and all sorts of other batshit crazy stuff you'll never see anywhere else.

The musical numbers as I said are something to marvel at despite being a little lackluster musically. Mostly though, it's just so entertaining to witness how much bigger things are gonna get, and how much fun the actors seem to be having participating. A few of the songs were catchy, in a guilty pleasure kind-of-way. I loved the main theme for example, especially with how it was reincorporated throughout the film. My favorite numbers though were Irumbile Oru Idhaiyam and Arima Arima, and I swear the former is a parody of Gaga's Telephone.

Speaking of Marvel, they ****ing wish their action sequences were this bomb, and you can't tell me they didn't copy some things off of this masterpiece. A lot of the action set pieces are similar, the score as well...Although, I have to say, about that Oldboy-esque battle scene on the train, I was starting to think that the thugs were the real robots since they seemed to be taking so much damage from a metal steel machine without much consequence, while the actual enthiran was getting his ass whooped at one point. It even looked like he was defeated once thrown out of the train, and I was already starting to predict that the heavy damage inflicted upon him was gonna mess with his programming and lead to a bigger conflict or evil turn, instead, a freaking red chip would later be enough to do all of that and some more, I love it!

None of the special effects are top notch 100% convincing, and that's to be expected when you've got at hand such an ambitious vision. Regardless, they're impressive because they're so unorthodox. The only times I was genuinely bothered by the VFX was during the fire rescue scenes (there's just no excuse there), and during the final battle when the giant robot is seen stomping away on approaching vehicles rendering them into cardboard (it was giving Birdemic vibes). What's more disgusting than whatever bad effects there might be, was the reaction to Chitti saving that one naked girl from the fire. Trust me, I come from a similar culture, and I get that this kind of mindset has existed for the longest and still persists to this day. However, seeing it in action, in this kind of life or death context, it's appalling. I was actually happy to see her get trucked by that car afterwards, because it's like well, if the state of you being naked or the compromise of your pride and honor trumps having your life saved, then why was your bitch-ass asking for help in the first place, dumbass.



Moving on to some strong independent women, our main girl Hands down one of, if not the most gorgeous female I've ever laid eyes on. It's great seeing the movie itself recognize her beauty, and treat her like the goddess she is. Every time she enters the screen, she comes along with a well deserved slow-mo effect, and it's such a gag. Her acting style, a.k.a making sure to maintain sexiness regardless of the happenings, is obviously appropriate and adds to the punchline. While I'd probably hate this in any other film, here, it works, because for one, the movie doesn't take itself seriously, and two, she's actually THAT attractive. The only unbelievable aspect about her is that she'd be so hung up on our main character, always waiting for him, always being dismissed by him. She's obviously way out of his league, but at least they have enough working chemistry together.

The rest of the acting is cheesy as hell, intentionally so. But even with all that, there manages to be some impressive feats. Rajinikanth does a great job with all the different characters he has to play, especially evil Chitti who becomes so over the top he started to remind me of Robbie Rotten. His change in mannerisms, his laugh...all some neat stuff.

The only strong negative feelings I have about the film are towards Dr. Vasee's subordinates. They were extremely annoying, unfunny, and downright obnoxious. The only redeeming quality there could've been, would've been had they gotten their comeuppance. The fact that they got off scot-free was such a weird choice to have in an overall feel-good flick. The last few scenes were particularly annoying too. Starting with Chitti giving his goodbyes to a room of our characters. I was like this is not Three Colors: Blue or Donnie Darko, we don't need to have such a serious contemplative scene where we pan from character to character in a circle, where's my ending musical number at ?! And then, we're subjected to a 30 years later flash-forward, and for what? To get one of the dumbest final lines I could've ever imagined. This flash forward literally lasts for mere seconds, and only exists to hamfist the main message even further, just in case you missed it. Here's how I would've done it: scrap all that Chitti's repercussions bullshit, this is not Captain America: Civil War, we can just immediately cut to the continuation of Sana's and Dr. Vasee's marriage, and have it erupt into another extraordinary musical dance. 10/10.

Robot is a great film to have in the background during parties, just as much as it would be awesome to sit through during family night. I for one have already pictured myself watching it with my future wife and kids, can't wait. It's 3 hours long, and none of it's boring. It's funny all the way throughout, and was actually surprised to never be egregiously annoyed by any of the delivered jokes. I'm going to be very suspicious with who says they didn't enjoy this.
Attachments
Click image for larger version

Name:	chitti.jpg
Views:	123
Size:	92.1 KB
ID:	88312   Click image for larger version

Name:	battle.jpg
Views:	127
Size:	91.4 KB
ID:	88313  



movies can be okay...
The one set in Macchu Picchu in particular almost made me forget I was watching a movie about robots!
Yeah, that one came so abruptly out of nowhere it was comical. Still, that don't-give-a-shit attitude and them continuously doing whatever they wanted in the most extravagant manner possible made this so much more entertaining than your regular Bollywood.



I forgot the opening line.
Is Ueno still in? I hope so, but she hasn't posted here since the thread was closed.
Ditto - I haven't heard word from her, and I think she would have PMed me if she'd dropped out - might just be taking a short break.
__________________
Remember - everything has an ending except hope, and sausages - they have two.
We miss you Takoma

Latest Review : Le Circle Rouge (1970)



The trick is not minding
A Moment of Innocence

There is a scene in the film that best captures its essence. A young girl and a young boy are both to be hired as actors. The girl, cast as her mother at a young age. The boy, cast as the director from the same time. They are to act out a scene from their past. The mother objects. She wants the past to stay in the past. As the director goes to discuss it with her, the girl and boy suddenly slip into character and start conspiring. Then, just as suddenly as it began, they slip back into their younger selves as if both bring had happened. It is a bit surreal. It is also easily the best scene of the film.


The director sets out to make amends with a police officer he had stabbed 20 years ago. He hires him as an actor and has him choose a younger actor to portray him. The former officer has fallen on hard times apparently. He quit the force and lost his chance at a mysterious woman he thought he loved. He had become aimless in his life since that tragic day.

What follows is part documentary, part fiction, as the lines blur at times. It sometimes works. It often doesn’t, however.

The former victim proves difficult to deal with, early on. He casts a young kid due to his looks. The director overrides him and he throws a fit. He goes on about the mysterious woman and what could have been. He insists on buying a flower, because apparently he had a flower with him on that day. He had planned to give it to her, he said.

The ending is easily the second best scene, as the mysterious woman’s identity is revealed (to us far earlier in the film) but not for the former officer until he watched the scene.

In the end, I’m not sure what the director really wanted to say here. Was he truly looking for forgiveness? It’s never brought up.

As such, it’s a near miss for me, but not by much.