I think it's his worst. If I think a movie that references Luther, Bach, and Dostoevskii is someone's worst, it's his worst. I'd also say it's 1 of his least spiritually significant (everything before Andre Rublev is less, basically). Have you seen his others?
Of Tarkovsky, the only other movie that I've seen is The Mirror, which is a superior film. I gave Solaris 4/5 on Netflix because while I think that it is a beautiful movie with depth up the wazoo (how's that for a reductive way of putting it?), it is also a very dry and sometimes boring movie that perhaps overstays its welcome a bit.
It was my honest impression of the film. The only character that i could empathize with was the black guy but his character wasn't very plausible. His gym just got burned down by rioting youths and he didn't seem to care much about it. Instead he goes on tour with his two idiot friends.
Then all what happens in the film is some cat and mouse play with the police always with the message of "omg the police and the state is so bad to us". But the guys themselfes are complete douchebags and their antisocial, criminal behaviour makes them part of the problem why their hood sucks so much.
I can totaly see how youths in the Banlieus watch this film, cheer with the characters and see their way of living approved. Meanwhile they learn nothing from it and the film also doesn't show them any alternatives, hence my impression of the film glorifying the ghetto lifestyle.
It was my honest impression of the film. The only character that i could empathize with was the black guy but his character wasn't very plausible. His gym just got burned down by rioting youths and he didn't seem to care much about it. Instead he goes on tour with his two idiot friends.
Then all what happens in the film is some cat and mouse play with the police always with the message of "omg the police and the state is so bad to us". But the guys themselfes are complete douchebags and their antisocial, criminal behaviour makes them part of the problem why their hood sucks so much.
I can totaly see how youths in the Banlieus watch this film, cheer with the characters and see their way of living approved. Meanwhile they learn nothing from it and the film also doesn't show them any alternatives, hence my impression of the film glorifying the ghetto lifestyle.
There's a lot of films you could criticize for glorifying the ghetto lifestyle, but La Haine is certainly not one of them. These characters aren't mere criminals living it up with blood money, they're impoverished youth and don't have much in the way of money or possessions. Their daily lives are actually pretty shitty and there's honestly nothing glorifying about about it. I think you're confusing an impartially realistic window into the life of these types of neighborhoods, from their point of view, with something like Goodfellas which quite literally glorifies the crime life.
It's a realistic depiction of French life in the lower class, which unfortunately seems to be split along ethnic lines for the most part, and the reoccuring issues arising from living within such a class (and a lot of it is obviously bad).
It also does a lot to expose the groundwork for much of the tension within the ethnic and economic tensions between France's various demographics. Prophetic is another word I'd use (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_civil_unrest_in_France)
There's a lot of films you could criticize for glorifying the ghetto lifestyle, but La Haine is certainly not one of them. These characters aren't mere criminals living it up with blood money, they're impoverished youth and don't have much in the way of money or possessions. Their daily lives are actually pretty shitty and there's honestly nothing glorifying about about it. I think you're confusing an impartially realistic window into the life of these types of neighborhoods, from their point of view, with something like Goodfellas which quite literally glorifies the crime life.
It's a realistic depiction of French life in the lower class, which unfortunately seems to be split along ethnic lines for the most part, and the reoccuring issues arising from living within such a class (and a lot of it is obviously bad).
It also does a lot to expose the groundwork for much of the tension within the ethnic and economic tensions between France's various demographics. Prophetic is another word I'd use (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_civil_unrest_in_France)
It is glorifying because a) it puts ALL blame on the state and the police and therefore shows these scumbags as victims only b) the depicted youth culture itself is self glorifying, take for example the scene where the DJ plays anti police music from his window. So of course when you depict this in a realistic way the element of self glorification stays intact.
The film would have not been glorifying if it would have shown some suffering and the actual miserable life of some people who life there especialy ones who dont want to put up with crime and antisocial youths. But you see nothing of that. Infact the "projects" in this film look damn nice compared to the area where i grew up for example. And they would look even nicer if some people wouldn't life like pigs there.
One important scene is where the arab notices that the cop in the inner city is friendly and calls him sir. Well guess what if everybody would behave nicely where you live cops would be just as friendly. This would have been an important message for the movie but the director missed to build up on it. A lot of what happens in such areas is self-fullfilling prophecy. You don't get that into the heads of people by encouraging them in their opinion that everything is out of their own control.
Saw Japanese film "Still Walking." I liked it overall, and it was interesting to slowly find out more about the character's personalities and their past. The soundtrack was also a plus and I thought the pacing of the movie was also great. I give it a 4/5.
Gotta love watching Netflix streaming on the job! Watched "Timer". Wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I actually enjoyed it and wasn't exactly like ever other "chick flick". I would actually recommend watching it if you have tine.
I'm pretty damn exhausted...feel like renting a movie tonight. Can you guys suggest something that they'll have at Blockbuster, that ain't too arty? Kinda feel like shutting off my brain. I haven't seen a ton of newer stuff.
I saw The Ring Two last night, what a horrible piece of shit. The plot made absolutely no sense, it wasn't the least bit scary, and the CG deer were laughable.
I'm pretty damn exhausted...feel like renting a movie tonight. Can you guys suggest something that they'll have at Blockbuster, that ain't too arty? Kinda feel like shutting off my brain. I haven't seen a ton of newer stuff.
I'm pretty damn exhausted...feel like renting a movie tonight. Can you guys suggest something that they'll have at Blockbuster, that ain't too arty? Kinda feel like shutting off my brain. I haven't seen a ton of newer stuff.
A very interesting movie that does not always work but which certainly lives on the edge. Tom Hardy does a great job balancing the line between deadpan seriousness and scenery-chewing cheesiness, always knowing how far to push things before stopping so that when he finally does let loose, it is always somewhat of a "fuck yeah" moment; like Uwe Boll's Rampage, you are put in an awkward (but masterfully handled by Refn) position as the viewer because you are forced to root for a man who is amorally and gleefully attacking nice, innocent people. I also like that it does not try to explain why Bronson is the way that he is; it deals only in what it means that he is the way that he is. I think that sometimes the film dials up the craziness past the point of good sense or good taste, but I think it's admirable that it goes too far rather than allowing itself to be half-baked. If I have a main problem with it, it's that I don't think that it ever quite manages to cohesively come together into an organized whole, feeling instead like an episodic look into this man's life as a prisoner, but what the film lacks in organization it makes up for in energy and daring. It's not something that I imagine myself watching often, but I am definitely glad that I watched it.
Of Tarkovsky, the only other movie that I've seen is The Mirror, which is a superior film. I gave Solaris 4/5 on Netflix because while I think that it is a beautiful movie with depth up the wazoo (how's that for a reductive way of putting it?), it is also a very dry and sometimes boring movie that perhaps overstays its welcome a bit.
Pretty much. I love the highway scene, though. Go Stalker and Andrei Rublev before trying the less accessible but excellent Nostalgia and The Sacrifice.
Film about life in a french suburb with some serious social tensions. Maybe next time try with likable characters that actualy try to change something for the better in their lifes and in their neighborhood. If the film tries to open some eyes for the existing social problems and injustice in our society(which i think is the point it tries to make) it fails miserably. All it does is to glorify "ghetto" lifestyle and reassure negative stereotypes. Almost seemed like the target audience for the film are the kind of people that it portrays.
I just wasted a lot of time on the site rating movies and stuff. I'm more interested in just keeping track of what I've watched, and I Check Movies is kinda flaky.
Rope (1948): One of Hitchcock's most overlooked films I think, never usually ranked, or spoken of with his top tiers movies, but I really enjoyed this one. The LONG takes, and attempted "masking" of transitions was an interesting direction to take it, and the suspense built with
Rupert and the maid continuously getting closer and closer to opening the case, and figuring it out respectively
Zodiac - It took me a while to get around to this film after hearing it was based on Graysmith's book Zodiac, which is well known to be filled with inaccuracies and outright fabrications. I somehow overlooked that Fincher was the director when the movie was released. When one of my friends told me Fincher was involved, I went and bought a copy pretty quickly.
Zodiac is surprisingly accurate to the actual case as I know it, though much was changed or consolidated for dramatic purposes. Many of the inaccuracies from Graysmith's book were conspicuously omitted, and I was convinced early on the filmmakers had done their homework.
Most impressively, a movie about a notorious serial killer somehow never endows the killer with any real power or intrigue, and yet the film always remains intriguing. The decidedly outrageous events are thankfully explored with objective, detached camerawork. I was especially impressed by the early scene where
the two lovers are confronted and knifed by the lake as "the Zodiac" wears his strange black costume
. It was a truly bizarre situation that might have been tempting to shoot in a way that made the killer seem menacing and mysterious (as I'm sure was probably his intention). Instead, the incident comes across as a matter-of-fact depiction of the events that also manages to be pretty terrifying.
Zodiac is as much (if not more) about the people swept up in the case as the case itself, and I got much more out of it than I expected. (I honestly though it would be a thriller using the Zodiac case as a focal point.) Highly recommended.
Halo Legends - I'm not a huge Halo fan, but I do love animation. I thought this was about on the same level as The Animatrix: there are a few underwhelming or downright boring stories, but the good segments made the viewing worthwhile. The Babysitter, Prototype and Odd One Out were my favorites.
Obviously Halo Legends is a must-see for Halo fans, and I think it's worth watching for animation fans as long as they don't have some sort of aversion or Halo or game-related material.
Batman: Gotham Knight - I paid $6 for this and I definitely got my money's worth. I think Gotham Knight is much stronger than the similar Animatrix and Halo Legends projects. The stories are all fairly well-written and engaging (which must have been difficult considering how little time each studio had to work with), and a couple (Working Through the Pain and Field Test) are flat-out great. I liked the various art styles and designs and thought they all worked well in the Batman universe.
Any Batman or animation fan should give GK a purchase if they haven't already, especially if they liked The Animated Series (Kevin Conroy returns as the voice of Batman/Bruce Wayne in all six segments).
Watched a North Korean war film from 1960 entitled On the Railway - it's not an entirely terrible movie by any means, but the overtly patriotic tones of propoganda are unmistakable. The story is centered around a train engineer named Ko In Ho driving his train full of precious military goods back to North Korea, however with the bridge bombed Ko In Ho is stuck and soon finds himself behind the advancing enemy lines. He stashes the goods but is then captured, where upon he is recruited by the US/South Korean forces in need of train engineers. His comrades in the North Korean resistance take him for a traitor and his new alies don't trust him either, so he attempts to contact the resistance and arange for a way to get his goods back to North Korea and stop the US advance.
At one point, when Ko In Ho resolutely decides to return to North Korea despite the US troops in his way, the films breaks into mournful song about "with lovely home in mind, he will fight the agressors!", and again at the end of the film after Ko In Ho's triumph "through a rain of bullets, he fought for the motherland!". Apparantly the character of Ko In Ho is meant to recall Kim Il-Sung; a man devoted to the motherland who out-thought his enemies, despite superior numbers. Also, I thought the US soldier was a real nice touch; a malicious, mean and uncaring monster with a gun in his hand, but a snivelling, cowardly wretch with the gun turned on him :lol
Just watched "Infestation", a great little B movie with some smart writing and a well thought out story. It's the sort of film that could easily have been terrible, but the special effects and performances from the actors as well as good direction made it not only bearable, but really entertaining for it's 90 minute run time.
I caught it on one of Sky's movie channels, here in the UK. Just thought that maybe it's something others would enjoy too.
Film about life in a french suburb with some serious social tensions. Maybe next time try with likable characters that actualy try to change something for the better in their lifes and in their neighborhood. If the film tries to open some eyes for the existing social problems and injustice in our society(which i think is the point it tries to make) it fails miserably. All it does is to glorify "ghetto" lifestyle and reassure negative stereotypes. Almost seemed like the target audience for the film are the kind of people that it portrays.
Breathless - I'm sorry but I did not enjoy this. I'm sure it was influential at the time but this holds up poorly and the editing and pacing were awful.
Amadeus - This was pretty amazing. Salieri and Mozart's characters were fantastic and I love how the film was made. A great period piece which also makes me want to rewatch Barry Lyndon.
Well how about you explain why you think the film succeeds in bringing the point across that it tries to make? I don't see that. It's no Los Olvidados or City of God where also some people get portrait who are actualy victims and not just a part of the problem. I found La haine incredibly one dimensional in that regard and that is my main point of critique with the film.
Amadeus - This was pretty amazing. Salieri and Mozart's characters were fantastic and I love how the film was made. A great period piece which also makes me want to rewatch Barry Lyndon.
Sexy Beast - Had always heard of it, decided to give it a rent. Didn't have a clue about anything in it besides Kingsley. What a fucking hard edged, mean spirited, painted in black story. Something just felt off about the execution though - didn't turn out the way I envisioned. One nasty flick. I give it five cunts outta seven Bens.
Breathless - I'm sorry but I did not enjoy this. I'm sure it was influential at the time but this holds up poorly and the editing and pacing were awful.
are movies only influential at a point and time? or do they continue to show their influence over time regardless of the timeliness of craft.
also you can't just say breathless has poor editing and pacing and end it on a period. so you should expand that argument. also why it holds up poorly. people falling in love, talking about art and shooting each other isn't exactly high art or faddish.
Well how about you explain why you think the film succeeds in bringing the point across that it tries to make? I don't see that. It's no Los Olvidados or City of God where also some people get portrait who are actualy victims and not just a part of the problem. I found La haine incredibly one dimensional in that regard and that is my main point of critique with the film.
Jesus Christ, you've missed the entire point of the film. You're confusing empathy with glorification in a big way. Is the film sympathetic to the main characters? Absolutely. Does that mean they're being glorified? Hell no, I have absolutely no idea how anyone can come to this conclusion. These people, while good-for-nothing punks, are the end result of generational poverty and political neglect that has been in the making for decades.
I can only assume that you didn't watch the films conclusion, because it in itself neglects the bouts of glorification that you believe the film to have.
The film ends in tragedy and it's the direct result of their actions leading up to that particular moment, there is absolutely nothing glorifying about it.
They're impoverished and don't have much in the way of personal possessions, they're systematically marginalized by the country itself because of their ethnic backgrounds and social class, and if statistics remain prophetic, chances are their lives are going to remain this way and likely pass be passed on to their children. Sign me up!
And while the film is certainly a character study, it's also a social critique. If France continues to ignore the issues of racism and disproportionate class divide (and fifteen years later, that seems to be the case), the country's situation will ultimately end in catastrophe.
Do you not remember the story within the story, involving the man falling down the sky scraper? A man jumps off/is falling from a sky scraper and one his way down he continually says "so far so good", this quite literally embodies the main character's (and everybody who's like them) lifestyle, and while this tells us everything we need to know about where the film is heading, the film is ultimately about the fall itself and not their landing.
The Officer near the end is so bad ass, I really enjoyed how he kept cool the whole situation.
I've been meaning to watch a few of Johnnie To's other films, but I heard he has a mix bag of films. Some are really good and some just plain horrible.
I'm not good at articulating why I did or didn't like a movie, but I just felt like it wasn't funny enough to be a comedy, not hard hitting enough to be political commentary, but not serious enough to be a drama. The whole movie felt like one of those West Wing hallway-walk-while-talking-really-fast scenes.
I'm not good at articulating why I did or didn't like a movie, but I just felt like it wasn't funny enough to be a comedy, not hard hitting enough to be political commentary, but not serious enough to be a drama. The whole movie felt like one of those West Wing hallway-walk-while-talking-really-fast scenes.
No you did a fine job...And I guess I could see how the movie could really drag if you didn't find the scenes funny, especially considering its lack of strong plot direction.
I'm not good at articulating why I did or didn't like a movie, but I just felt like it wasn't funny enough to be a comedy, not hard hitting enough to be political commentary, but not serious enough to be a drama. The whole movie felt like one of those West Wing hallway-walk-while-talking-really-fast scenes.
Pretty much how I felt about it too. It was a nice enough satire but relied too much on british people saying cunt for its humor even though there were some funny bits about four times in the film if that. I did laugh alot at the toy instruments bit.
I'm not good at articulating why I did or didn't like a movie, but I just felt like it wasn't funny enough to be a comedy, not hard hitting enough to be political commentary, but not serious enough to be a drama. The whole movie felt like one of those West Wing hallway-walk-while-talking-really-fast scenes.
Yeah, I didn't like In the Loop a whole lot, especially the latter parts, but it introduced me to The Thick of It, which is sooo much better. Especially the specials.
I'm not good at articulating why I did or didn't like a movie, but I just felt like it wasn't funny enough to be a comedy, not hard hitting enough to be political commentary, but not serious enough to be a drama. The whole movie felt like one of those West Wing hallway-walk-while-talking-really-fast scenes.
need to break this here chain. In the Loop is side-splittingly awesome, if only for providing us with the first funny 'Switzerland is neutral' joke in who knows how many years.
