Support NeoGAF

[Warm Machine]

I saw Tree of Life last night.

Not being a big fan of Terrence Malick I set my expectations as such for nature based fetish imagery revolving around a poetic narrative.

While the movie was close to that I didn't expect there to so little narrative. I was taken with a lot of the imagery of the home and the family. There was a wonderful use of editing to feel like old memories of youth and life rising to the surface.

While it would be easy to call the creation of the universe and evolution sequences pretentious, within the framework of the film's core idea I think they serve to show the incredible chain of events that brought the characters and even the audience into being. Because of that we should appreciate our lives more on the most base level of simply being alive.

For how celebrated the photography is I actual found most of it difficult to enjoy. Swooping wide angles create too much sickly distortion. While I understand what the point of the motion, that life isn't still and we are always in motion, observing and travelling while awake it many cases it took away from the appreciation of the space and the characters. I will say that the lighting was often beautiful and much of it seemed to be shot in natural light at magic hour.

The core story was frusterating as the main child never found any kind of redemption in his youth. He never was able to resolve his personal anger with his father or family and as such I more sympathized with Brad Pitt's excellent father character and his tenuous grip on his own life and successes.

Overall it was a better film than I expected it to be. I would have prefered less abstraction since there is really is an established narrative and characters as much as the film tries to fight it.

Not a movie I can recommend to everyone. It requires a patient viewer who can give in to the flow of the film.

 

[Thug Waffle]

I saw Tree of Life last night.

Not being a big fan of Terrence Malick I set my expectations as such for nature based fetish imagery revolving around a poetic narrative.

While the movie was close to that I didn't expect there to so little narrative. I was taken with a lot of the imagery of the home and the family. There was a wonderful use of editing to feel like old memories of youth and life rising to the surface.

While it would be easy to call the creation of the universe and evolution sequences pretentious, within the framework of the film's core idea I think they serve to show the incredible chain of events that brought the characters and even the audience into being. Because of that we should appreciate our lives more on the most base level of simply being alive.

For how celebrated the photography is I actual found most of it difficult to enjoy. Swooping wide angles create too much sickly distortion. While I understand what the point of the motion, that life isn't still and we are always in motion, observing and travelling while awake it many cases it took away from the appreciation of the space and the characters. I will say that the lighting was often beautiful and much of it seemed to be shot in natural light at magic hour.

The core story was frusterating as the main child never found any kind of redemption in his youth. He never was able to resolve his personal anger with his father or family and as such I more sympathized with Brad Pitt's excellent father character and his tenuous grip on his own life and successes.

Overall it was a better film than I expected it to be. I would have prefered less abstraction since there is really is an established narrative and characters as much as the film tries to fight it.

Not a movie I can recommend to everyone. It requires a patient viewer who can give in to the flow of the film.

Have you seen Badlands? If you say you would've liked less abstraction, I think that movie's worth a shot. Even if it ends up being the only Malick film you like.

 

[Warm Machine]

Have you seen Badlands? If you say you would've liked less abstraction, I think that movie's worth a shot. Even if it ends up being the only Malick film you like.

I've only seen The Thin Red Line and Tree of Life. Days of Heaven may be next.

 

[UrbanRats]

Oh, I think I'm in love with Marion Cotillard.

Goddess amongst men.

 

[John Dunbar]

House: Pretty good comedic 80s horror movie, though it was more amusing than scary. That neighbour lady was underutilized, ruh-roh.

The Goonies: That's 80s all right. Never actually seen this before, which is a shame. Though it was enjoyable in my later, more cynical years, this is definitely a film for dreamy youth that is not keeping a careful eye for the next upskirt panty shot. I don't know was it intentional, but a bunch of kids after One-Eyed Willie's rich stuff was very amusing to me. Anyway, it's a delightful adventure movie, and for someone like me who only knew the fat kid gif and the monster dude before seeing it, it lived up to the hype. Was surprised to see Short Round.

Prince of Darkness: Another movie that I knew from a gif, damn spoilers all over the place. Not among Carpenter's absolute best, but still effective enough. The lead guy had the charisma of a cereal box, probably explains why I've never seen him anywhere else. The transformation bit was sufficiently freaky, and the mirror was nicely done.

Fantasia: I love classic Disney, but have never watched this before. I can't claim to be a connoisseur of classical music, but it was an enjoyable ride, though at times I felt it started to drag a bit. Topless centaurs were a surprise in a Disney movie. They didn't have nipples though, but some still wore bras. Centaurs also apparently have not discovered interracial dating, or they're all a bunch of fucking racists. The endearing depiction of such murderous bastards as hippos remains as irresponsible as ever. As a movie I really can't think of anything to say, other than looks good on blu-ray?

Harvey: James Stewart at his best. When the man had classics like this under his belt I don't understand why so many people would want to watch shit like Vertigo. I knew what the movie was about, but was surprised to find out that the rabbit is apparently real. While a movie of a delusional, happy drunk would have been awesome and sad at the same time, I suppose it's more hopeful this way. He's still a drunk, though, so that's a plus.

JFK: I don't care what anyone says, some underhanded shit went done. Back and to the left, people. Back and to the left.

 

[TheKaeptain]

Goddess amongst men.

Best boobs

 

[UrbanRats]

Prince of Darkness: Another movie that I knew from a gif, damn spoilers all over the place. Not among Carpenter's absolute best, but still effective enough. The lead guy had the charisma of a cereal box, probably explains why I've never seen him anywhere else. The transformation bit was sufficiently freaky, and the mirror was nicely done.

The lead being the mustache guy, or Dennis Dun?
Because the whole middle part he's more prominent, IIRC.

 

[Expendable.]

Monthly theatrical listings are up, and I included a link to this thread:

10 Films To See In June (what are you watching?)

 

[John Dunbar]

The lead being the mustache guy, or Dennis Dun?
Because the whole middle part he's more prominent, IIRC.

the mustaches. i like dennis dun, though i've only seen this and big trouble.

 

[TheKaeptain]

Monthly theatrical listings are up, and I included a link to this thread:

10 Films To See In June (what are you watching?)

I'll link to your thread in the OP.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

So are we discussing Hong Sang-soo films at the end of the month or what?

 

[jakncoke]

10 bucks for a 4 pack of mean streets, goodfellas, the aviator and the departed = nice

 

[TheKaeptain]

Saw Frances Ha today.

Phenomenal. Baumbach's best since Kicking & Screaming. Maybe even a smidge better just because, obviously, he's evolved as a filmmaker.

Just incredible. This year's Cyrus or Beginners, as in: Best Movie of 2013.

It's really great. Easily his best film from his recent batch. Then again I hate most of his other movies and I've only seen K&S once. I think him and Greta make for good writing partners.

So are we discussing Hong Sang-soo films at the end of the month or what?

I'm waiting for people to bring them up. Did you watch any?

 

[Kilgore Trout]

It's really great. Easily his best film from his recent batch. Then again I hate most of his other movies and I've only seen K&S once. I think him and Greta make for good writing partners.




I'm waiting for people to bring them up. Did you watch any?

Yeah, the first one on the list, A Woman is the Future of Man. I hadn't even heard of this director before (Netflix suggested I would rate this film two stars) so I was a little ambivalent. What I got was a story about two friends who reconnect with a woman from their past, and what passes as existence for modern people suffering from lack of direction, and an enduring ennui.

There was no real ending, only confirmation that people don't change, especially when they are not acted upon by an agent of change. In a world where there is no struggle to survive, where perhaps one of the only things lacking is genuine human connection, the endless pursuit of pleasure is sufficient to momentarily fill that void.

It was simple, straightforward, and it made good used of flashbacks set up some parallel scenes to differentiate and reveal the similarities between the two men. I feel like it might be looked on as a film of our time--I don't know if this will still be relevant in 50 years--but it showcases a certain mindset that I find to be quite common.

In short, I liked it.

 

[OfWhiteSkinOnRedLeather]

I'm waiting for people to bring them up. Did you watch any?

I watched Woman Is the Future of Man last night. I'm not very good at analyzing films, so I won't even try, but I did enjoy it, though it didn't blow me away or anything. Something about the films composition seemed rather European to me, can't put my finger on exactly what though. I do wonder why these two men who were obviously barely friends after such a long time apart felt the need to look up a shared old flame. Were they bored? Did either of them expect things to spark again? Were they looking for closure? Both of them treated the girl pretty poorly throughout and she definitely had little self respect. All three seemed like empty, bored, depressed people. Basically everyday people in a very realistic situation, I guess. It was an interesting window into their sad lives.

 

[EliCash]

I've only seen The Thin Red Line and Tree of Life. Days of Heaven may be next.

Badlands is one of my favourite movies, and Days of Heaven is great. After that I don't like anything Malick's done, he came back a different dude and a different director.

 

[Liquidsnake]

I've only seen The Thin Red Line and Tree of Life. Days of Heaven may be next.

Days of Heaven is amazing.

 

[Solo]

Days of Heaven is amazing.

But how does it stack up next to TDKR?

 

[Femmeworth]

Huh, apparently Woman Is the Future of Man just came out on Blu-ray in South Korea last week.

 

[jakncoke]

John Dies at the End; Pretty entertaining lots of lol wut scenes. I knew i was in for something when

Spoiler

the girl explodes into snakes and the door knob turns into a dick

 

[Charles Foster Kane]

You're welcome! I'm, uh, eager to see what you think. I always like it when people bite on my more out-there recs.

Marisa Paredes is in it? Sold. I love her.

 

[jakncoke]

Really wish i had not just seen SXXX-80...

 

[Nappuccino]

But how does it stack up next to TDKR?

Clearly Nolan was heavily inspired by Malick's work.

 

[Femmeworth]

Clearly Nolan was heavily inspired by Malick's work.

Nolan is the postmodern Malick. (Don't ask me what this means.)

 

[Mr.Swag]

American Beauty saw this in class today, great fucking movie. No way is it better than Magnolia tho. But fuck it Academy don't matter.

Really liked Kevin Spacey in this film. Also, great portrayal of marijuana use in this film. Very realistic.

Great movie/10

Dogma. Another Kevin Smith movie in which everyone talks the same.
Not gonna lie didn't really like it much. I just can't stand religion, and this movie was really pro-theism. Chris rock was great and so were Salma Hayeks tits.

Ben Affleck/10

Traffic This movie is really blue. Love what it's about, but the story feels really confusing sometimes. Great performances from everyone tho.

 

[Charles Foster Kane]

Saw After Earth. This is at the level of The Last Airbender, it's just a boring and unengaging video game. From the flat and dull Will to the cringe worthy Jaden and everything in between, there is nothing in this that I found remotely interesting.

The goal is for Jaiden to learn to lose his fear and become an emotionless robot asshole like his father (because he's just a whiny wuss). Either way he's a weak, unlikeable and bad acted character to lead the film. The dialogue is also awful most of the time. 1/10

 

[WorldStar]

About to watch Dead Presidents

Only 18 years late

 

[big ander]

Woman is the Future of Man tonight. Certainly interesting.

Pleasant score that reminded me of Jon Brion or maybe even Penguin Cafe Orchestra. Hong Sang-soo blocking his actors in profile so frequently is striking, it leads to more intriguing but less decipherable conversation. The composition overall was really intelligent, example that stuck with me most is the first place Munho and Hyeon-gon (I think my subtitles were saying Hujoon though?) drink. The peach in Munho's sweater perfectly matches that of the type in the restaurant window, and Hyeon-gon's cool blue matches the cold street. So the strange woman with the lavender scarf who sends them into flashbacks really stands out. And maybe this is simple canine bias speaking, but I loved that pitch black goofy dog in the white apartment.

The flashback conceit really tricked me though. Maybe I'm just sleepy, but I was confused for the first 10-20 minutes before I figured out what the structure of all this was. Unfortunately I think those first 10-20 minutes were pretty vital. For instance, I'm not really sure what happened with

Spoiler

the rape. I couldn't even tell whether it was Hyeon-gon or Munho that, well, cleansed her. Think it was Munho. But wasn't Hyeon-gon supposed to be sort-of dating Seon-hwa at the time?

Ah well.

Despite/because of the ambiguity the passive, almost lackadaisical movement of the plot worked pretty well. Almost as if being unable to grasp more than minor pieces of the characters' identities emphasizes how those identities are in jeopardy.

This one will take a lot more thought, and more viewing of Hong films to see if one unlocks the others.

It was simple, straightforward, and it made good used of flashbacks set up some parallel scenes to differentiate and reveal the similarities between the two men. I feel like it might be looked on as a film of our time--I don't know if this will still be relevant in 50 years--but it showcases a certain mindset that I find to be quite common.

Agreed on the rest, I'm curious about this part. You could very well be right, but at the moment I don't see what about the film marks it as of-its-time. It doesn't really rely on modern cultural references or contemporary technology and its treatment of the male sexual appetite as somehow both lazy and insatiable could survive the ages very easily.

I watched Woman Is the Future of Man last night. I'm not very good at analyzing films, so I won't even try, but I did enjoy it, though it didn't blow me away or anything. Something about the films composition seemed rather European to me, can't put my finger on exactly what though. I do wonder why these two men who were obviously barely friends after such a long time apart felt the need to look up a shared old flame. Were they bored? Did either of them expect things to spark again? Were they looking for closure? Both of them treated the girl pretty poorly throughout and she definitely had little self respect. All three seemed like empty, bored, depressed people. Basically everyday people in a very realistic situation, I guess. It was an interesting window into their sad lives.

I do think they were bored and I think they're simple, empty, randy guys. And yet they still get laid (and don't get any less empty). They expected to get some, they got it, and felt nothing.

I don't know if Seonhwa lacked self-respect. She never seems to lose herself in the psychological darkness of the men. She's faced sexual violence and yet still seems fairly intelligent and reasoned in her capacity to approach sex in an emotionally competent way. I thought, at least.

She and Hyeon-gon really trailed off in the end too, right? Munho gets a nice epilogue and ending, they have a semi-conclusive parting and are done. Found that odd.

 

[mxgt]

Saw After Earth. This is at the level of The Last Airbender, it's just a boring and unengaging video game. From the flat and dull Will to the cringe worthy Jaden and everything in between, there is nothing in this that I found remotely interesting.

The goal is for Jaiden to learn to lose his fear and become an emotionless robot asshole like his father (because he's just a whiny wuss). Either way he's a weak, unlikeable and bad acted character to lead the film. The dialogue is also awful most of the time. 1/10

Honestly the terrible reviews just make me want to watch it more, but I don't want to give the makers of it money

What a dilemma

 

[sharnaak]

I dunno, I think if you liked the film that much then you liked his performance in it. I think a lot of people are reluctant to give him any credit, ever, for whatever reason (there's a lot of misconceptions about him I feel - he co-wrote Bottle Rocket, Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums and was an English lit major I believe, but hasn't wrote anything since, so I think having him as a disillusioned screenwriter with all these literary heroes wasn't a bad idea or that much of a stretch) but it's really easy for Woody Allen films not starring Woody Allen to suck, I think he's one of the best Woody surrogate's there's been, and Midnight in Paris might be my favourite Woody Allen film not starring Woody Allen (probably second to The Purple Rose of Cairo, which has a similar feel to Midnight). I can't think of anyone else in that role, and it was re-written for him so I guess that's why. Also, he has a good walk for the movie.

And I fell in love too, then I saw the Dark Knight Rises.

What you say is true and it was probably poor judgement and a lot of prejudice on my part, for some odd reason I still see him as the partner of Vince Vaughn in wedding crashers, and I hated that movie.
This was my first movie of Woody Allen so I can't see in him his surrogate, but if you have some suggestion for something else to watch that I might enjoy I'd be more than happy to give it a shot, both with and without Woody. Of course I'll try and check The Purple Rose of Cairo since you seem to consider it such a good movie!

For the Goddess, as UrbanRats addressed her, I think it was just a total misjudgment on Nolan part. They probably grew attached to during Inception and he wanted to give her another role no matter what. I just hope he doesn't do the same mistake with Anne Hathaway in Interstellar.

 

[Divius]

Shi AKA Poetry - Great heartbreaking Korean drama, if you like those well then this is another good one ****
Bullitt - AWESOME. McQueen is great, the plot is solid, there are a couple of phenomenally tense scenes and the famous chase is among the best I have ever seen. Those cars, that speed, those engines roaring and tires screeching oh my ****½

Expendable., make sure to watch Bullitt (according to flickchart you hadn't seen it)

2013 stuff
Jack the Giant Slayer - Despite being surrounded by greenscreens, the actors (including a pretty cool supporting cast) seem to be having fun. Besides greenscreen they are also surrounded by cliched mediocrity in CGI, story and direction **
Stoker - Visually one of the most impressive movies this year. It looks amazing and has a fantastic atmosphere due to marvelous direction, but the writing is subpar and not engaging at all ***

I'm really disappointed Stoker wasn't better, I had really high hopes for it.

 

[Serpentine]

Bullitt - AWESOME. McQueen is great, the plot is solid, there are a couple of phenomenally tense scenes and the famous chase is among the best I have ever seen. Those cars, that speed, those engines roaring and tires screeching oh my ****½

Nice, this has been in my DVR for a few days now

 

[luso]

Watched The Holy Mountain (1973), and that was weird, even compared with Malle's Black Moon (from 1975). This was one of those films that I don't think is possible to do anymore (at least in USA and on others western countries): animal cruelty, very sexual some time, with naked adults and even naked children. The disjointed narrative is more daring and strong in the first half, then it settles a little later on. Maybe I should have seen it high? And the director was trolling, us viewers, after all... 3.5/5

You can real feel somehow what the hippie subculture thought was about, and being released on 1973, it should be one of the last of their species, at least I think on the period 1967-1973 where this was more present. Any suggestion of similar movies? Where this hippie subculture is present? Besides Easy Rider I don't really know movies with this theme (ok, maybe Alex in Wonderland, which I have yet to see?)

 

[Divius]

Watched The Holy Mountain (1973)

I recently saw and was blown away by The Devils which reminded me of The Holy Mountain in certain ways. I'd say it has the same 'artistic attitude' (for lack of better phrasing) if you're looking for that and it even shares some similar themes.

 

[Thug Waffle]

I was just about to watch that (Holy Mountain) the other night but ended up going out. Going to make it a priority now.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

The flashback conceit really tricked me though. Maybe I'm just sleepy, but I was confused for the first 10-20 minutes before I figured out what the structure of all this was. Unfortunately I think those first 10-20 minutes were pretty vital. For instance, I'm not really sure what happened with

Spoiler

the rape. I couldn't even tell whether it was Hyeon-gon or Munho that, well, cleansed her. Think it was Munho. But wasn't Hyeon-gon supposed to be sort-of dating Seon-hwa at the time?

Ah well.

The "cleansing" was done by Hyeon-gon.

Agreed on the rest, I'm curious about this part. You could very well be right, but at the moment I don't see what about the film marks it as of-its-time. It doesn't really rely on modern cultural references or contemporary technology and its treatment of the male sexual appetite as somehow both lazy and insatiable could survive the ages very easily.

It was kind of an off-the-cuff remark, but in this instance, I'll admit it's hard for me to differentiate between how I related to the film personally, and what it actually accomplished as an independent work of art. With contemporary films that accurately depict life at that moment, I think there's a implicit understanding that an audience has of the environment the characters live in even if it isn't directly remarked upon, and this understanding is lost as the cultural context in which a film is viewed shifts. Certainly, as you said, the story of aimless and sexually-driven men can still be understood in the future. However, the environment that defines these men is a product of its time, and to understand that requires an understanding of this cultural and social context which is currently relevant, but will change in the future.

 

[Currygan]

Fast Five. I fell asleep twice during this one. I guess I really don't get this serie, and don't get the Dwayne Johnson fandom. He's boooring

 

[Anton Sugar]

So I just finished listening to the Upstream Color episode of The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith. A gaffer recommended it to me, as it explains some of the plot points.

I feel like I like the movie less in some ways and more in others.

What I like less:
The idea that the "bad guys" (the thief, the sampler, etc.) are

Spoiler

not associated with each other in any way

was a revelation to me. Maybe it was The Film Stage's article, but I thought that they were all

Spoiler

working in cahoots: the thief would do his stealing thing, then leave them for the sampler to extract, then the sampler would do his thing and toss the piglets into the water, etc.

But they aren't aware of each other at all, which adds a level of randomness and coincidence to the whole ordeal.

The Sampler's only reason for

Spoiler

killing the piglets was that they were acting aggressive, causing trouble, not that he had wanted to continue the actual cycle. IF the cycle hinges on this organism (in this case, from the pigs' blood) "infecting" the flowers, then the cycle depends on his pigs having a litter, then that litter acting erratic, then the sampler deciding to drown the pigs in the exact same spot every time, and then you have to consider that the thief may go long periods of time without his new orchid samples.

What I like more:
Carruth said he wanted this portray a terrestrial, organic, but nonsensical cycle. Kinda how parasites can cause certain organisms to act in seemingly foolish ways, without any idea of the purpose (they used the example of a feline fecal parasite/organism, which causes mice to be unafraid of cats, and thus be killed by cats).

I like the idea of a "natural" organic cycle occurring randomly with human beings. However,

Spoiler

what the thief, the sampler, etc. are doing is anything but natural--they seem to have specific goals in mind, and it just so happens that their goals lead to the production of something that is necessary TO their goals.

Something about it just doesn't sit right with me in terms of believability.

One audience member (I think he was also a critic) noted that he saw the film as an attempt to explore identity and social confusion in modern society. I thought that was an interesting way of viewing it.

My overall opinion is still unchanged: it is a beautifully crafted movie with a great story, but doesn't bother exploring a lot of the more interesting questions raised by the premise. Case in point: Carruth said he wanted ambiguity in

Spoiler

wondering whether the pigs were controlling the attraction between the two leads, or the other way around

. It's an interesting idea but I felt like all the movie did was say "hey, here's another cool idea" and didn't do much to explore it.

I really need to watch it again.

 

[UrbanRats]

Fast Five. I fell asleep twice during this one. I guess I really don't get this serie, and don't get the Dwayne Johnson fandom. He's boooring

What about Vin Diesel? Do you get the Vin Diesel fandom?

 

[mike7882]

鍵泥棒のメソッド

 

[Currygan]

What about Vin Diesel? Do you get the Vin Diesel fandom?

Vin Diesel is a weird one for me. The bloke doesn't even try, he just is. Monoexpressive, very few words, he doesn't try to be funny, badass or sympathetic. He doesn't want to be loved. The Rock tries too hard to be the next action movie star, but he lacks that edge and what comes out is just a VERY toned down version of Schwarzenegger

 

[Discotheque]

Fast five and furious 6 are far more fun than any other summer blockbusters these days

 

[dorkimoe]

Watched V/H/S. Was pretty boring and dumb. The special effects were good, and the violence/gore looked awesome. But other than that it was just random videos of violence ;\

 

[nilbog21]

Side Effects

Good flick.

Enjoyed it much more than Soderbergh's recent shlock even if it is a bit simple.
My only problem with it is that it tends to veer off the path. A lot of movies like this do.

It purports to be a movie about depression, pharmaceuticals, etc., when it really is a

Spoiler

story of renegade love and revenge

.

CZJ did a good job. JL is as handsome as ever.

just saw this too, very much liked it. soderbergh will be deeply missed, really enjoyed all his movies..

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

Bought this movie only on DVD since the only featurette was Valerie and her husband talking.

Directed by Doug Liman, he's also the director of photography on the film, and he does a helluva job. Yes, there is shakycam to give the movie a docu-look, but it's not bobbling out of control, like the Bourne films.

Great acting with Naomi Watts and I Am Sam. Not just those two, but the other actors in the film. There's one particular scene in the film where Scooter Libby goes to the CIA and basically interrogates the analysts. These analysts are shitting themselves as they walk out from the meeting while the next analyst nervously waits for his. One of the supervisors, the U.S. consulate agent who interrogates Bourne from Supremacy, has a great and well written dialogue with Scooter Libby.

The film switches from being a thriller to suspenseful political drama. The problem is that there's a subplot involving a scientist which is made up. It has nothing to do with the real Valerie Plame story. I really don't know why they decided to create this subplot, unless a lot of Plame's work is classified or they couldn't come up with anything better. But either way, I thought they were well shot and heartwarming with the way how Liman shoots human behavior.

Add to the fact that the film is based on real events (well besides the subplot), it makes the film even more real and gets your blood boiled over the justifications of going to war with Iraq.

Definately one of 2010's underrated films, and so is Doug Liman. Wish he continued doing the sequels to Bourne.

8/10

 

[Raptomex]

Romancing the Stone - good action adventure movie. One of my fav movies growing up. Good stuff.

 

[mxgt]

Late Spring -

<3

 

[BioHazard]

Speaking of Ozu, a theater is showing a TON of Ozu over the next 2 weeks and I have never seen any of them, I don't think.. What out of this list must I see?

LATE SPRING

I WAS BORN, BUT&#8230;

DAYS OF YOUTH

FLOATING WEEDS

THE FLAVOR OF GREEN TEA OVER RICE

I FLUNKED, BUT&#8230;

EQUINOX FLOWER

WALK CHEERFULLY

AN INN IN TOKYO / THE ONLY SON

THE END OF SUMMER

PASSING FANCY

A STORY OF FLOATING WEEDS

RECORD OF A TENEMENT GENTLEMAN / THERE WAS A FATHER

TOKYO TWILIGHT

WOMAN OF TOKYO / KAGAMIJISHI

EARLY SPRING

A MOTHER SHOULD BE LOVED

EARLY SUMMER

TOKYO CHORUS

THE BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF THE TODA FAMILY / WHAT DID THE LADY FORGET?

TOKYO STORY

DRAGNET GIRL

THE FLAVOR OF GREEN TEA OVER RICE

THE LADY AND THE BEARD

THE MUNEKATA SISTERS

LATE AUTUMN

WHERE NOW ARE THE DREAMS OF YOUTH?

AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON

THAT NIGHT&#8217;S WIFE

A HEN IN THE WIND / OHAYO

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Generally speaking, Ozu's later works are considered to be his best, but his early films are also great in their own right. Of the 18 (I think) films I've seen, none are bad or worth avoiding.


The Essentials:
Tokyo Story
Late Spring
I Was Born But...
Floating Weeds
An Autumn Afternoon
Early Summer

If that isn't enough:
Early Spring
Equinox Flower
Passing Fancy
What Did the Lady Forget?

 

[BaronLundi]

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds
Powerful and heartbreaking. It's a real prowess to make a fascinating movie with such a repulsive and embarassing main character.

Miraculous acting all around (Joan Woodward may have overdone it a bit but she sure didn't steal her award in Cannes) especially from the two girls (and I usually really hate kids acting). That final speech had me bawling and Newman and Woodward's daughter delivery in that scene was no stranger to that.

Now why the fuck didn't Paul Newman get any recognition as a filmmaker alongside Eastwood and Cassavetes (to speak only of actors turning directors who started around the same time) ? Or did he and I've just never been told ?

I'm definitely checking out the other films he directed.