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[Minamu]

Just finished The Long Kiss Goodnight from 1996. Pretty good even though I've watched far too many times. I noticed that Geena Davis' kid had this picture as a poster:

:lol Didn't know that pictures could survive that long on the internet :S

 

[Blader]

Watched Raging Bull for the second time ever, earlier today. I didn't really care for it the first time I saw it, but liked it more this time around.

 

[MPW]

great movie, great acting by ed norton.

 

[racerx]

No country for Old men.

It was compelling and I enjoyed it very much, but I felt empty afterwards.

Also, saw

Scanner Darkly.

It was meh.

 

[scenemissing]

Just saw Greenberg, thought it was very mediocre. 5/10

 

[Zutroy]

Just watched I Love Philip Morris. Had no idea what it was about going into it. Read 'this is a true story' at the start. Film ended. Was kinda angry thinking that I was lied to at the very start. Googled Steven Russell. Mind blown.

 

[SaggyMonkey]

Saw Hot Tub Time Machine last night. Pretty funny! Recommended.

 

[eXistor]

I saw the Princess and the Frog on bluray yesterday. First off, the image quality is spectacular, really really sharp and vibrant. The movie itself was really really good as well. It's all fairly predictable and fairly standard Disney fare, but for the first time in years it feel fresh again. 2d animation wasn't popular anymore because of "outdated technology", but because the movies were just very very stale. Everybody just took the easy way out and blamed it on the handdrawn animation. tPatF proves that all you need is a good movie and people will love it no matter the technology used.

The characters were great, it's very funny, it had heart and even where I expected the songs to be terrible (almost always a sticky point in Disney movies for me) they were almost all very good and fun. A worthy addition to the age-old Disney Classics line.

 

[Speevy]

Why did I read those Antichrist spoilers? You guys ruined my whole day.

 

[afternoon delight]

The Informant! - Dysfunction and corporate malfeasance. Enjoyed it very much, but don't know if I'd ever watch it again - it had a lot of potential to go in directions that it chooses not to, and I don't know if it's better for it. 4/5

The House of the Devil - Real surprise. It never gets a sustainable momentum until the end, but everything to that point is great. A slow burner that's worth it. Great idea to keep it in the eighties. 4/5

 

[Steppenwolf]

The Enigma of Kasper Hauser (1974)
What a wonderful movie. I have seen a lot of films by Werner Herzog and love most of them but this one is special. Maybe this is his best. Very quirky and emotional. Beautiful cinematography and without the little technical flaws and oddities that his movies often have.
10/10

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

I thought The Informant was pretty damn good; it has one of the most openly unreliable narrators that a movie could possibly have, and I think that that is a brilliant choice that elevates beyond comedy. It's almost like a mystery; you're trying to unravel what really happened and reconcile it with the lies.

 

[brianjones]

really enjoyable little movie

 

[Magni]

I didn't get so see so many movies outside of big blockbuster as a kid, so I'm fully profiting from my college's DVD library. The past two weeks I watched Elephant and Paranoid Park, pretty good films, though they left me feeling empty afterwards.. The ice rink in the mall in PP got me nostalgic a bit, I played against Portland once on that ice before moving 10,000km east.

I watched Apocalyse Now (redux) this evening, really great movie. Chef's head really got me

What should I watch next week? Pulp Fiction, or A Clockwork Orange?

 

[Futureman]

Lynch's commentary on "Eraserhead" was so awesome. It's quite entertaining to hear him talk about mundane topics for some reason. But of course there's also some good info on the movie.

Does he have these little talks on every DVD release, or only on Criterion releases?

 

[The Ward]

I don't know how I avoided this movie; but I finally got around to watch it last night: Fight Club.

So good. I'm having trouble deciding if I like it More than 12 Monkeys or not. Either way, both are amazing movies. And makes you realize just how good Brad Pit actually is at acting.

 

[Cosmic Bus]

Lynch's commentary on "Eraserhead" was so awesome. It's quite entertaining to hear him talk about mundane topics for some reason. But of course there's also some good info on the movie.

Does he have these little talks on every DVD release, or only on Criterion releases?

The Inland Empire DVD has a good amount of discussion, both film-centric and not, with Lynch, and there's a modest amount on Wild At Heart, but you won't find much on the other releases of his movies. If you're looking for a lot more random chit-chat and oddball stories, pick up Chris Rodley's book Lynch on Lynch, which is one of the best resources on the man.

As an aside, Lynch has never worked with Criterion before; the Eraserhead disc was produced and released directly by Lynch and his company.

 

[VALIS]

Fuck me, I keep forgetting about this great thread. I stumbled upon it again late last night and ended up reading it into the early morning. Subscribed. Nice job everyone. Here are some of my views from the past week or so...


Alice in Wonderland (2010, Tim Burton) ★★★
Frustratingly inconsistent. Some parts worked very well -- Helena Bonham Carter's Red Queen was pitch perfect, plus all the minor characters (Cheshire Cat, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the Caterpillar, etc.) were a pleasing mix of comical and flat out weird. The problem is the bigger parts of the movie are almost all off. Mia Wasikowska is absolutely lifeless as Alice, Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter never really took off and the movie is weighed down terribly by a hideous generic soundtrack and too much bad CGI. Half a good movie and half a dreadful one.

Sommaren med Monika [Summer with Monika] (1953, Ingmar Bergman) ★★★★
A pair of Swedish teens (19 and 17 respectively) meet, fall in love and feed off each other's youthful energy and enthusiasm as they break away from society and their unpleasant home lives and live on a boat together for one magical summer. But of course nothing remains idyllic forever (especially in a Bergman movie), and desires for better food and shelter, as well as Monika's pregnancy, have them return to the city where they become increasingly unhappy and frustrated.

A bleak and beautiful movie as summer turns to autumn in more ways than one. It never ceases to amaze me how Bergman frequently takes what would seem like the plots of mundane domestic dramas and animates them with psychological tension, metaphors and emotion. He really is the master auteur.

Lord of War (2005, Andrew Niccol) ★★
Far too splashy a movie for the subject of international arms trade and the tragedies that happen with those weapons. There's no meat to this story, it's just a series of thumbnail sketches on how a man went from the small time to the big time in this line of work, with a banal and unnecessary side plot of Jared Leto as his youthful, hip-looking coke fiend brother.

Equally problematic is Nicholas Cage. He never makes me believe in his character for even a second, and I don't think he leaves the screen in the entire two hours! Even when he's right on screen you get his nearly ceaseless narration, which should tell you all you need to know about what the filmmakers thing of their audience.

অপরাজিত [The Unvanquished] (1956, Satyajit Ray) ★★★★½
A hauntingly beautiful yet tragic story -- the second in the "Apu trilogy" -- of Apu's maturation from child to university student. I'm not sure I have the technical vocabulary to analyze what I saw in fine detail, but it truly is a beautiful movie even if punctuated by several sad events. The slow and steady pace, somber music and attention to detail are captivating. It's about family and death and its themes are universal.

Badlands (1973, Terrence Malick) ★★★★½
For a movie about a pair of serial killers (well, technically only one of them is a killer while the other one is along for the ride), it is a very beautiful and poetic and oddly comforting experience. I should of course be having the opposite reaction while watching someone murder indiscriminately, but maybe I take comfort in the fact that Kit is confused and misguided and polite rather than behaving like an angry savage who's fully aware of what he's doing. A deep movie, one that rewards multiple viewings.

Cloverfield (2008, Matt Reeves) ★
This is junk food. It's like they took the cast from a beer commercial and threw them into a disaster pic. The acting is just atrocious -- no, they don't come off like real people, they seem like awful actors trying to play real people. The plot has so many contrivances and cliches and sticking points, it would make a Michael Bay movie seem like an arthouse work of genius. Even the special effects were over the top and unbelievable. Very little redeeming about this at all, and the horrid acting stopped me from at least having some quick dumb fun with the movie. When you don't care about the characters, it's hard to care about the movie. I will give them credit for making this a speedy 84 minutes.

Cop Out (2010, Kevin Smith) ★★
Tracy Morgan's zaniness works about 50% of the time, which is a far better rate of success than the phone-in performance by Bruce Willis, or the effectiveness of the hideously cliched latino gangsters. Never strays from the classic buddy cop movie formula. Minor character Sean William Scott is his usually amusing self, and Jason Lee always knows how to play a good jerk. A few laughs here and there, otherwise forgettable. You'll see this on cable half asleep on your couch one night in the future, laugh at a couple scenes and probably fall asleep before it's over.

Hot Tub Time Machine (2010, Steve Pink) ★★
I really liked the absurd premise and thought I was in for some Hangover-type laughs, but the movie really didn't do it for me. A few jokes worked (Glover's recurring arm gags, the bet on the football game) but more of them didn't, and even though the plot was obviously meant to be outlandish and not to be taken seriously, there was an extra level of stupid to it. Mostly because they had some horrible idea to put in lessons about friendship and fidelity in a movie about a time traveling hot tub. You can't just stick to tits and booze in a stupid buddy comedy? Really?

Romper Stomper (1992, Geoffrey Wright) ★★★★
Fantastic debut for Wright, a level he hasn't reached again in his successive films, unfortunately. The movie follows a gang of neo-Nazi skinheads in Australia and their one-by-one demise thanks to the violent lifestyle they lead. The film isn't sentimental or sanitary; it doesn't shy away from the racist rhetoric, violence, sex or booze, and is all the more effective for it. Sure, you can predict who the last three people left standing will be early on, but that doesn't make the story any less effective.

Zombieland (2009, Ruben Fleischer) ★★
For a "zom com," this movie has an unmistakable lack of both zombies and comedy. The Bill Murray part is excellent, everything else is middling to awful. Every character is a cliche and so is the plot structure, it's not funny and after the first half dozen brutal zombie kills, it's not even fun anymore. Plays like a 14-year old's wet dream.

 

[Vigilant Walrus]

Submarino. It was great. It's more social realism... At first I thought it was just another film about drugs and alcohol abuse, but it's really about family, and about how we are affected by our parents, and take those things with us to the next generation.

I liked it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2o-LFchkNQ&feature=related

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) - Easily the least notable film from Ford in 1939-- but it was up against two Ford greats in Stagecoach and Young Mr. Lincoln. Fonda's typically stoic approach is spot-on here, but much of the film is lacking. The action sequences are pretty weak, especially when you compare them to the outstanding scenes from Stagecoach. One of the most interesting things to me about the films of John Ford to this point, is the wildly different manner and level of ambiguity that he portrays Native Americans with from film to film. Much like in Stagecoach, the Native Americans here are typically portrayed as bloodthirsty savages. The lone "civilized" Native American in Drums is the gentle Blueback, and his conversion to Chistianity is touted to show that he is unlike the savages the militia is combating. In an interesting turn at the end of the film, we see Blueback raise the scalp of the Tory captain, perhaps done to show his vengeance toward the Tory for treating Natives as pawns in their war. Native Americans are handled in a far different way in...

Fort Apache (1948) - The first of Ford's touted "cavalry trilogy," Fort Apache is a great film on many levels. Wayne and Fonda are just fantastic together, with Wayne playing the altruistic soldier to Fonda's slimy, fame-seeking general. This film is noted for its sympathetic portrayal of Native Americans. We find ourselves aligning with Wayne and the Apaches as we watch Fonda's desperation and hunger for glory lead to his end. The ending of the film is a bit hokey and indulgent in the American myth-building way we've come to expect, but the same grim pragmatism that we've seen before from Ford is alive and well in this film. Pour me some scripture.

Days of Heaven (1978) - Watching this film on blu-ray is like seeing the smiling face of God. As expected, this is phenomenal looking in 1080p, but let us not overlook how great the actual film is too. So much of what makes Days of Heaven a sublime experience is tied to its visuals-- the way Malick uses environment to tell a parallel story to his characters. The shots of animals, machinery, nature and architecture all say every bit as much as the sparse dialogue.

Annie Hall (1978) - I'm actually reading Jonathan Rosenbaum's "Placing Movies: The Practice of Film Criticism," and in it he has an essay titled "Notes Toward the Devaluation of Woody Allen." He criticizes Allen for producing cinema that fosters a sort of provincial narcissism that relates to our own situation. I happen to enjoy this movie a great deal, but I found Rosenbaum's Allen takedown and subsequent Jerry Lewis praise amusing.

Stroszek (1977) - This ranks almost equal with Aguirre for my favorite Herzog. What appeals to me most about Herzog's films is the authenticity of the experiences he creates. Stroszek is about as authentic as fiction can be, with the majority of the actors in this film being untrained amateurs with no acting background whatsoever. In Stroszek the people are ugly and the world is ugly. There is no interest here in making things presentable or glossy. Stroszek allows us examine people on the fringes of society that can never seem to find their place in this world.

Woyzeck (1979) - My least favorite Herzog film to date. Herzog works within the confines of the source material here, resulting in something a bit more ordinary. However, it is Klaus Kinski who salvages Woyzeck-- in typical Kinski fashion he is fascinating to watch onscreen here. He is at once abhorrent and sympathetic, a product of his own environment. Great performance in an average film.

Black Dynamite (2009) - Enjoyable spoof. Now that's a rarity. I found myself laughing a great deal early on, but it seemed like it lost a lot of steam in the final scenes. Still, it's a breezy hour and a half of ridiculous fun.

Fitzcarraldo (1982) - Or Werner Herzog drags a fucking 300-ton ship over a mountain in the Amazon. Without special effects. Outside of that, it's a solid film that feels a bit derivative of Aguirre in a number of ways. Its melding of fiction and documentary is quite interesting, but the film definitely drags at times. It's also worth noting that Kinski is expectedly great.

 

[Trent Strong]

I don't know how I avoided this movie; but I finally got around to watch it last night: Fight Club.

So good. I'm having trouble deciding if I like it More than 12 Monkeys or not. Either way, both are amazing movies. And makes you realize just how good Brad Pit actually is at acting.

I can honestly say without hyperbole that Fight Club is a trillion times better than 12 Monkeys.

 

[Mifune]

Stroszek (1977) - This ranks almost equal with Aguirre for my favorite Herzog. What appeals to me most about Herzog's films is the authenticity of the experiences he creates. Stroszek is about as authentic as fiction can be, with the majority of the actors in this film being untrained amateurs with no acting background whatsoever. In Stroszek the people are ugly and the world is ugly. There is no interest here in making things presentable or glossy. Stroszek allows us examine people on the fringes of society that can never seem to find their place in this world.

I love this movie so much. And its ending is one of the best ever.

 

[VALIS]

Fitzcarraldo (1982)[/B] - Or Werner Herzog drags a fucking 300-ton ship over a mountain in the Amazon. Without special effects. Outside of that, it's a solid film that feels a bit derivative of Aguirre in a number of ways. Its melding of fiction and documentary is quite interesting, but the film definitely drags at times. It's also worth noting that Kinski is expectedly great.

My second favorite film ever. The meta aspects just thrill me to no end: It's a movie about a man who was so devoted to the arts he risked his life to see his dream happen, made by a man so devoted to his art that he risked his life to make a movie about a man risking his life to see his dream happen. The central struggle of the movie was the central struggle in making the movie. God damn. <3

 

[Iron_Scimitar]

FINALLY saw this movie after years of avoiding it cuz of mixed reviews. I enjoyed it. It looked awesome on BD.

 

[CassSept]

HOLY CRAP!
This must be the best comedy I've ever watched. Every single scene is absolutely hillarious. The cast is great and they've done incredibly good job playing dumbs, no wonder some people were actually tricked into thinking this is a real documentary.
And the quotability of this movie is on par with the greatest ones like Pulp Fiction, maybe even better. "These go to eleven", "How blacker can you get", "Bizarre gardening accident" and so on, and so on. I've watched it twice within two days and I don't regret a single minute of it, hell, the second time it's even better!
Definitely a 11/10 movie for me.

 

[afternoon delight]

I thought The Informant was pretty damn good; it has one of the most openly unreliable narrators that a movie could possibly have, and I think that that is a brilliant choice that elevates beyond comedy. It's almost like a mystery; you're trying to unravel what really happened and reconcile it with the lies.

Once it hit me that he was unreliable, I enjoyed it so much more. Maybe it's too clever, maybe not, but I loved being tricked like everyone else. And if anything, Soderbergh makes the most technically competent films again and again nowadays.

If you're looking for a lot more random chit-chat and oddball stories, pick up Chris Rodley's book Lynch on Lynch, which is one of the best resources on the man.

Not only that, but if you have Netflix, check out Lynch and Lynch 2, both documentaries that consist of conversations on just about everything. Really fun if you like him (I do.)

What should I watch next week? Pulp Fiction, or A Clockwork Orange?

Um, pick one, they're both great. :lol

 

[Alphahawk]

Watched the Thin Blue Line in film class. I'm glad it was made and it got a wrongfully convicted man out of prison, but as entertainment it just doesn't do anything for me. 1/5

 

[Danne-Danger]

Just saw The Road and was pleasantly surprised. I haven't read the book, but I expected something a bit more lighthearted compared to what I got. The first 2/3 at least were close to perfect for a post-apocalyptic film, very, very bleak and brutal (though it probably could've shown a bit more violence, just to drive it home). Them finding the

Spoiler

food cellar

was a really good payoff. The ending felt pretty bad though, and I wasn't a fan of the kid for most of the movie. It's no:

Dead Man's Letters or Letters From a Dead Man or Pisma myortvogo cheloveka (phew!) (1986)
http://www.pici.se/pictures/eObhcUvvd.jpg
Man that was hard to watch! A post-apocalyptic movie straight out of Russia. No mutants, no action, just a plain depiction of mans struggle for survival in a dying world. Tons of pretentious speeches on humanity’s drive to destroy itself, that sort of thing. Certainly an interesting movie though.

when it comes to depressing post-nuke movies, but I respect it for how far it went.

 

[big ander]

Leon The Professional Longer Cut
I loved most of the movie, but I have one fundamental question.

Spoiler

Was the purpose of the entire character of Mathilda just Besson expressing that he thinks it's okay for an old man and a 13yo girl to have a relationship as long as they both think they love each other, or was he trying to comment on how death can distort the emotions of a person and make them grab onto those who have been thrust in their path? If Besson was just trying to say "It's okay to love anyone as long as the love is true," why not use an actress of 18 years of age or more? I just felt like they introduced a sort of social commentary, but never fully addressed it.

But Oldman was a fucking AWESOME villain. And the action was amazing. Portman was good, and Reno was touching.

 

[~Kinggi~]

Leon The Professional Longer Cut
I loved most of the movie, but I have one fundamental question.

Spoiler

Was the purpose of the entire character of Mathilda just Besson expressing that he thinks it's okay for an old man and a 13yo girl to have a relationship as long as they both think they love each other, or was he trying to comment on how death can distort the emotions of a person and make them grab onto those who have been thrust in their path? If Besson was just trying to say "It's okay to love anyone as long as the love is true," why not use an actress of 18 years of age or more? I just felt like they introduced a sort of social commentary, but never fully addressed it.

But Oldman was a fucking AWESOME villain. And the action was amazing. Portman was good, and Reno was touching.

I think the writer was simply illustrating the touching story of their particular set of circumstances. I dont think they were condoning the action of the characters, especially since they never actually go through with anything, since the adult in the situation acknowledges the issue.

I hold the movie in my top 5. I saw it at an important stage in my life when i was younger and just fell in love with it, so there is a lot of nostalgic value there. But really, i mean Portman, Oldman, and Reno are just brilliant and the story, for an "action" movie, was above and beyond what you get from most dramas today.

 

[big ander]

I think the writer was simply illustrating the touching story of their particular set of circumstances. I dont think they were condoning the action of the characters, especially since they never actually go through with anything, since the adult in the situation acknowledges the issue.

I hold the movie in my top 5. I saw it at an important stage in my life when i was younger and just fell in love with it, so there is a lot of nostalgic value there. But really, i mean Portman, Oldman, and Reno are just brilliant and the story, for an "action" movie, was above and beyond what you get from most dramas today.

Oh yeah, it was an excellent movie.
And I guess it can be interpreted more than one way.

Spoiler

1) Leon was, at the end, actually reciprocating Mathilda's love and truly wanted to be with her, in part due to both of them being so alone for so long. 2) Leon was just saying what he needed to say to keep Mathilda safe, and in that way he truly did love her as a daughter-figure.

Regardless, excellent film.

 

[BurritoBushido]

Freaking Brilliant. Got damn I love me some Wes Anderson (except for Darjeeling Limited)

 

[AqueousTransmission]

I was excited because I wanted to see Alia Shawkat but it was really bad.

 

[VALIS]

I ended up watching two Robert Montgomery film noirs in a row today without even meaning to, just a weird coincidence.

THX 1138 (1971, George Lucas) &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
A Nineteen Eighty-Four for the computer age. Who knew Lucas could be such a stylist? The movie's world is oppressively white, sanitary and orderly and the camerawork is gorgeous. It's as visually recognizable as other legendary dystopian sci-fis like Blade Runner and Brazil and far more stylish than the numerous other dystopian pics of the 70s. The film is short on plot, explanation and action, but heavy on atmosphere. It is here where the film will stick in your memory -- the prison that appears to be a wall-less room of endless white, the policemen with metal masks and electric shock sticks, the bald, uniform-clad, dead-eyed populace.

Ride the Pink Horse (1947, Robert Montgomery) &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½
Lucky Gagin is an ex-WWII vet down in small Mexican town during their carnival to avenge the death of one of his soldier buddies that came at the hands of a mobster. But in typical film noir fashion, maybe he has an ulterior motive. In fact, this movie is rife with noir signatures: Most of the film takes place in darkness and shadow, you've got your fedora-wearing, no-nonsense main character with a pessimistic outlook on life, scheming femme fatales, and we're never quite certain what any character's motivation is.

Our main cast moves in and out of the shadows while a festive carnival takes place in the backdrop and there's a constant air of uncertainty, especially surrounding Pilar, a local, shy peasant girl who seems to know more than she lets on and appears out of the shadows to try and guide Lucky on the right path whenever he needs it. Most fascinating is her scene at the end, spoken in Spanish without subtitles (as the movie often does), and open to numerous interpretations. A very unusual film noir, one that isn't recommended so much for the plot, but the atmosphere and mystery. Far better than Montgomery's other noir of 1947, Lady in the Lake.

Lady in the Lake (1947, Robert Montgomery) &#9733;&#9733;
A hard boiled Philip Marlowe detective story filmed from the first person perspective, meaning the camera is your eyes and everyone is almost always facing "you." The gimmicky camera angle is tiring enough, now add to that wooden acting across the board, an overripe story, no sense of style, stiff pacing; I really wanted to like this but it's one of the worst film noirs I've seen. Interesting as a curiosity, not so much as entertainment.

 

[Timber]

Fort Apache (1948) - The first of Ford's touted "cavalry trilogy," Fort Apache is a great film on many levels. Wayne and Fonda are just fantastic together, with Wayne playing the altruistic soldier to Fonda's slimy, fame-seeking general. This film is noted for its sympathetic portrayal of Native Americans. We find ourselves aligning with Wayne and the Apaches as we watch Fonda's desperation and hunger for glory lead to his end. The ending of the film is a bit hokey and indulgent in the American myth-building way we've come to expect, but the same grim pragmatism that we've seen before from Ford is alive and well in this film. Pour me some scripture.

I also saw this a couple of days ago. I don't really agree with you about the ending; I thought it was a great way to show how the legends of people like Fonda's character get perpetuated, and how even noble men like Wayne's character share some of that blame. I can understand if someone thinks the ending was laid on a bit too thick, but I've become a bit obsessed with the mythologising aspect of American (genre) films - also the reason why I love the far-from-perfect Buffalo Bill & The Indians - so that scene was candy to me.

I liked Fort Apache very much but I think it fell just short of being great. It probably could have been half an hour shorter and I personally could have done without all the Shirley Temple stuff.

One of the most interesting things to me about the films of John Ford to this point, is the wildly different manner and level of ambiguity that he portrays Native Americans with from film to film.

I haven't seen Drums Along the Mohawk, but this is something I've been paying attention to as well. Ford wasn't the most conscientious director in his portrayal of pretty much any race or nationality or people. In Fort Apache, for example, the only thing people took offense with was how the Irish were portrayed... and Ford was Irish-American himself!
He always kinda feigned ignorance about the meaning of his work. And while I do think the tone of whatever movie he was doing depended in part on the screenwriter of that particular film, there's no way Ford was unaware the 'larger implications' of his work. It's been said that the varying viewpoints of his films are a kind of extension of his personality... He was a conflicted man so he made conflicting films. And I don't think a person can make films like Fort Apache and Liberty Valance and not be privy to what they are saying.

I don't know if I'd describe the Native Americans in Stagecoach as bloodthirsty savages. Like in many westerns of the time, they're a faceless evil, and I think that's probably the most responsible way to portray them as The Enemy without being overtly racist. But it's impossible to decontextualise it completely, so Native Americans showing up only to kill and be killed is still problematic.

He criticizes Allen for producing cinema that fosters a sort of provincial narcissism that relates to our own situation. I happen to enjoy this movie a great deal, but I found Rosenbaum's Allen takedown and subsequent Jerry Lewis praise amusing.

I haven't read the essay you're referring to, but I can't help but ascribe Rosenbaum's love for Jerry Lewis to his Francophilia. I didn't laugh once during The Nutty Professor and I thought it was almost as dire as the films of Mel Brooks.

The Enigma of Kasper Hauser (1974)
What a wonderful movie. I have seen a lot of films by Werner Herzog and love most of them but this one is special. Maybe this is his best. Very quirky and emotional. Beautiful cinematography and without the little technical flaws and oddities that his movies often have.
10/10

There's a lot of great Herzog on the previous page but this one's my personal favourite as well. It's criminal that the English title is what it is; the original German one is the best title of a film ever.

Lady in the Lake (1947, Robert Montgomery) &#9733;&#9733;
A hard boiled Philip Marlowe detective story filmed from the first person perspective, meaning the camera is your eyes and everyone is almost always facing "you." The gimmicky camera angle is tiring enough, now add to that wooden acting across the board, an overripe story, no sense of style, stiff pacing; I really wanted to like this but it's one of the worst film noirs I've seen. Interesting as a curiosity, not so much as entertainment.

This has got to be one of the strangest films I've ever seen. At first I thought it was just a gimmicky tracking shot to open the film with... I was astounded when I realised it lasted for nearly two hours. I was in a state of disbelief for a while, but after 30 minutes the whole things just became unendurable.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

I also saw this a couple of days ago. I don't really agree with you about the ending; I thought it was a great way to show how the legends of people like Fonda's character get perpetuated, and how even noble men like Wayne's character share some of that blame. I can understand if someone thinks the ending was laid on a bit too thick, but I've become a bit obsessed with the mythologising aspect of American (genre) films - also the reason why I love the far-from-perfect Buffalo Bill & The Indians - so that scene was candy to me.

I liked Fort Apache very much but I think it fell just short of being great. It probably could have been half an hour shorter and I personally could have done without all the Shirley Temple stuff.

I don't think it was a bad ending at all, and I agree with you totally about the creation of war legends. Fonda's character throughout the film is obsessed with these legends, and even references the likes of Genghis Khan and Napoleon. I just could have done without the long-winded exposition from Wayne set to the tune of "Battle Hymn of the Republic." Still, it's a small gripe, because I enjoyed much of what the film has to offer.

I actually didn't mind Shirley Temple all that much-- her situation allowed us to see more of the obsessive and controlling traits of her father. Perhaps it could have been edited down a bit though.

I'm planning on watching She Wore a Yellow Ribbon soon, hopefully it will be even better.

On a different note, I watched The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser last night and was pretty impressed. What an amazing, cerebral film. Casting 40 year old Bruno S. as a 17 year old is something only Herzog would do. And it ends up working so brilliantly. From what I've seen, Enigma might have the most thought-provoking use of Herzog's signature themes.

 

[Minamu]

Finished Borat a few minutes ago. Watching it alone with my dad wasn't awkward at all :lol ...Not!

He was laughing most of the time though. Totally unexpected. Mom wasn't as enthusiastic though :lol She left early on so she missed the wonderful hotel scene xD

 

[G-Fex]

Sherlock Holmes!

Awesome movie, it was clever I really really liked it, Downey was a little hard to understand so that means he nailed the british perfectly. I really liked it.

 

[ChubbyHuggs]

I hold the movie in my top 5. I saw it at an important stage in my life when I was younger and just fell in love with it, so there is a lot of nostalgic value there.

Saw this when I was a little boy, still within my Top 10 favorite movies.

 

[Loxley]

I just watched Children of Men, holy shit. 9/10

What really impressed me were the shear amount of extended shots with no cut-aways. I know they used digital transitions between takes for a lot of those to make the it all seem like one sweeping camera movement, but fucking bravo to the people who had to add the digital transitions, they did it flawlessly.

Spoiler

The car ambush scene in which Julian Moore's character dies was a particular highlight, that had to be a bitch to film.

Spoiler

Also, the final fight at the end of the movie, specifically where blood spatters onto the lens in the middle of what I believe was the movie's longest continuous shot, that part really made me feel like there was a documentary crew just following Clive Owen's character through the battle. Some of the most convincing use of steady-cam that I've ever seen.

This movie instantly climbed into my top ten of all time list, an amazing movie.

 

[_Isaac]

I saw Funny Games. The original version. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. It was just disturbing and suspenseful. I also liked how

Spoiler

it wasn't graphic with the violence. It was just good old fashioned suspense. Great villains too

. So should I watch the remake?

 

[neoism]

RDJ is fuckin awesome, movie was really good!

Really great moive

 

[AlternativeUlster]

I saw Funny Games. The original version. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. It was just disturbing and suspenseful. I also liked how

Spoiler

it wasn't graphic with the violence. It was just good old fashioned suspense. Great villains too

. So should I watch the remake?

Give it a couple of months since it is a shot by shot remake. Go watch more Haneke in the meantime. I highly recommend The Piano Teacher.

 

[Mr. B Natural]

Just watched Taxi Driver for the first time. I enjoyed immensely...except for the ending. I wish it just ended after the "big scene." I really didn't like the semi-happy ending. It didn't fit and felt like a cop out.

 

[Lumpy Onion]

Just watched 2012. Pretty enjoyable summer blockbuster disaster flick. I Kinda wish I had seen it in the theater though. Overall it was good fun with some amazing special effects.

 

[Discotheque]

Give it a couple of months since it is a shot by shot remake. Go watch more Haneke in the meantime. I highly recommend The Piano Teacher.

And Cache.

Also I enjoyed the remake even more because of Michael Pitt. Dude owned that film.

 

[_Isaac]

I've already seen Cache. I remember being somewhat underwhelmed by the way it just teetered out in the end, but the whole ride up to it was good. It's been a long time though. I have actually never heard of The Piano Teacher. I'm gonna look that one up. I was also interested in watching The White Ribbon soon.

 

[harSon]

The White Ribbon is great, it's probably his most accessible and least Haneke-like film to date though. I watched Code Unknown a few weeks ago, it's quite good if you're willing to put up with the unconventional plot progression... but then again, you probably won't mind if your accustomed to his other films.

 

[VeryGooster]

Just finished Sherlock Holmes. Really thought it was going to be shit but I thought it was pretty damned awesome. Go, RDJ!

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

Just watched Taxi Driver for the first time. I enjoyed immensely...except for the ending. I wish it just ended after the "big scene." I really didn't like the semi-happy ending. It didn't fit and felt like a cop out.

That's the visceral reaction to the ending, but the ending is actually one of the most brilliant things about Taxi Driver, in my opinion. People often play up the irony aspect of it (and that's very clever), but I think that the ending is totally truthful in the way that it plays with the media's glorification of certain instances of violence.