Frankly, if a person's top 5 scorsese list doesn't contain at least three of those five then they aren't to be taken seriously, so the similarities are to be expected
yea, that's why it gets pretty dull. would it get any more interesting with people picking their favorite set of 3 features scorsese did in a row? last temptation / goodfellas / cape fear? mean streets / alice... / taxi driver? raging bull / king of comedy / after hours is pretty sick. quite a few interesting combinations this way actually
Love those Hard Case books. Go have a romp through one of the noir threads and you'll find some great recommendations (not all traditional noir - there's plenty of neo-noir, crime, capers, etc) and put The Long Good Friday at the top of your queue if you were feelin' Layer Cake.
I enthusiastically second the Hard Case love and the Long Good Friday recommendation. While you're at it, make it a Bob Hoskins double feature and watch Mona Lisa as well.
My weekend got very busy and I was only able to catch three flicks at the Nevermore Film Festival in Durham:
The Innkeepers - I have yet to see The House of the Devil, but I'd remembered hearing plenty of good things about it so Ti West's latest was at the top of my list. Overall I liked the flick but I'm not sure if I went in with a bit too much hype or if the flick just wasn't delivering as much haunted house horror as it could. I felt that The Innkeepers
ended just as it really started ramping up and that it could have used another reel of escalation and horror
. Everyone in the flick did a fine job, it looked great, it was pretty creepy and a decent flick, but I wish it had gone the extra mile. Ah well.
Night of the Creeps - I walked in expecting goofy B-movie 80s cheese and that's exactly what I got. A lot of the first half of the flick drags, especially all the scenes of utterly bland college humor. Despite that, there's enough gratuitous, well, everything to keep you entertained until the finale, which is chock full of all the alien slugs infesting frat boys, exploding heads, sorority girls with flame throwers, and two-fisted Tom Atkins action. Lots of fun despite a slow start!
Marathon Man - An absolute classic 70s paranoid conspiracy thriller. I hadn't seen Marathon Man for, oh, a decade or so and I was totally stoked to see it on the big screen. It completely holds up, everyone in the flick is completely terrific, and the "Is it safe?" scene still inspires plenty of squirming in yer seat. Awesome.
Absentia is up on Amazon instant rental if that helps you at all. Night of the Creeps is a blast and Atkins destroys in it, loved it. Sounds like we're on the same page with The Innkeepers, i liked it but just wanted more... feels like Ti West wanted to hold back a bit and not go as over the top as he did in House of the Devil (which was really one of the reasons I liked it so much... eh, who am i kidding, its all about the tapedeck dance sequence). not that it didnt work for the film, its just my fault for wanting more
For House of the Devil fans, keep an eye out for an Argentinian flick called Penumbra this year, from the guys that did Cold Sweat. less 80s throwback, but kind of a giallo feel with a slowburn to crazy ass ending. here's a trailer with no translation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJM8W4bXZww
that they both had the mental disorder now, if it weren't for the fact of the daughter doing this
:
The daughter starts making round spinning motions with her hands to point out the twisters, and she's too young to be influenced by his schizophrenia
.
I'm of the opinion that it's all fucking real. The wife, when she says "Ok" implies that his premonitions were right all along. He was right in the town centre, and everyone else is in for a rude awakening
I think you should get rid of that image in your original post. Ofcourse the image on it's own doesn't really mean anything to someone who hasn't seen the movie, but I guarantee some crazy GAFfer will come back proclaiming that you spoilt the movie for them because "they remembered an image that Messofanego posted." Nevertheless, in regards to your opinion on the movie, I agree with you.
Anyway, I recently saw The Help...
Lovely little film. Doesn't do anything that hasn't been done before, but it's a good watch for what it is.
Religulous - Very funny. Obviously it's preaching to the choir for the most part, I suppose, but it's amusing (and disturbing) to watch major religions make fun of themselves.
Die Hard - Great action movie. I thought the "Does it sound like I'm ordering a pizza?" line was probably the highlight of the movie for me. Hilarious.
Anyway, the only Tarantino movie I haven't watched is Resovoir dogs, hope it's good, the trailers don't make it look good but it's a Tarantino flick so it'll prolly be good.
Personally I thought Reservoir Dogs amounted to a few mediocre actors swearing at each other for an hour and a half. Plus violence, of course. I wouldn't say it's bad, really, but kind of shallow, and isn't quite as slick as, say, Kill Bill Vol. 1, which I loved.
Also, I think it's funny that Wes Craven apparently walked out on Reservoir Dogs. I happened to have watched Nightmare on Elm Street shortly before reading that on Wikipedia and thought it was awful.
I wish I had cooler parents. I bet the only R-rated movie they've seen in the last twenty-plus years is Passion of the Christ. Which I haven't seen, but kind of think I should for some reason...
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me - Enormous amount of wasted potential despite a few select scenes. It could have been a lot more with some cohesive structure. I'm a huge Lynch fan too.
I wish Mean Streets was higher on you people's Scorcese lists, it's one of his top 5 easy.
Waltz with Bashir - Easily favorite film of all time. I always show this to people just to see them lose their lacrimal gland at the end. This is the Schindller's List of this gen in that it should be shown in schools (already has been in my sister's uni).
Tom Atkins is definitely the MVP of that flick. Without him it would be goofy and fun, but not nearly as badass. "Thrill me!"
Sounds like we're on the same page with The Innkeepers, i liked it but just wanted more... feels like Ti West wanted to hold back a bit and not go as over the top as he did in House of the Devil (which was really one of the reasons I liked it so much... eh, who am i kidding, its all about the tapedeck dance sequence). not that it didnt work for the film, its just my fault for wanting more
I don't think it's your fault for wanting more, I just think The Innkeepers didn't deliver quite as much as it needed to. Meanwhile, it sounds like I need to go watch The House of the Devil posthaste. Too bad it's too late for me to score the awesome VHS release. I guess I'll have to make do with lousy ol' Blu-ray instead.
For House of the Devil fans, keep an eye out for an Argentinian flick called Penumbra this year, from the guys that did Cold Sweat. less 80s throwback, but kind of a giallo feel with a slowburn to crazy ass ending. here's a trailer with no translation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJM8W4bXZww
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me - Enormous amount of wasted potential despite a few select scenes. It could have been a lot more with some cohesive structure.
Both are amazing, but really, The Proposition might be better just in the sense that it's originally his idea and just slightly edited to a quicker pace. Ray Winstone's character and dilemma is mindblowing, jaw dropping, all sorts of wonderful, etc.
saw Kingdom of Heaven DC the other day for the first time ever... it was good... not straight up AWESOME like so many people seem to claim but i liked it! 7.5/10
Also saw the original Fantasia (1940 or something)... i was surprised at the format, thought it was supposed to be an actual movie but no, it's different segments with classical music, i liked it as well: 7/10
I HAVE to watch this again, maybe even multiple times. For now, I really enjoyed it. It was truly an experience. The "Everyone Is Everyone" Monologue just killed me. It should be a crime to make so much sense, and speak so much truth. Once you synch/connect with the movie, you will see yourself.
The dialogue was incredible throughout. From dark comedic lines to the gut wrenching ones.
.. Because I've never felt about anybody the way I feel about you. And I want to fuck you until we merge into a Chimera, a mythical beast of penis and vagina, eternally fused, two pairs of eyes that look only at each other, and lips, ever touching, and one voice that whispers to itself.
I think you should get rid of that image in your original post. Ofcourse the image on it's own doesn't really mean anything to someone who hasn't seen the movie, but I guarantee some crazy GAFfer will come back proclaiming that you spoilt the movie for them because "they remembered an image that Messofanego posted." Nevertheless, in regards to your opinion on the movie, I agree with you.
I'm pals with an ambulance driver and both flicks came up recently. She explained that all ambulance drivers know and love Mother, Jugs & Speed, which I reckon is a testament to it's excellence. Meanwhile, I don't think she'd seen Bringing Out the Dead, but a bunch of folks (myself included) sang it's praises, so hopefully that'll be corrected in short order. Hell, I need to re-watch the flick myself. Ving Rhames, why are you so awesome?
I HAVE to watch this again, maybe even multiple times. For now, I really enjoyed it. It was truly an experience. The "Everyone Is Everyone" Monologue just killed me. It should be a crime to make so much sense, and speak so much truth. Once you synch/connect with the movie, you will see yourself.
The dialogue was incredible throughout. From dark comedic lines to the gut wrenching ones.
So fucked up, yet beautiful.
Amazing film, and I'm sure it will become even more amazing next time.
by far one of my favorite movies of all time. For the past couple of years I've been trying to show it to a lot of my friends, but it just doesn't click with them. I've only shown it to two people who have enjoyed it, but not to the level that I did.
I HAVE to watch this again, maybe even multiple times. For now, I really enjoyed it. It was truly an experience. The "Everyone Is Everyone" Monologue just killed me. It should be a crime to make so much sense, and speak so much truth. Once you synch/connect with the movie, you will see yourself.
The dialogue was incredible throughout. From dark comedic lines to the gut wrenching ones.
So fucked up, yet beautiful.
Amazing film, and I'm sure it will become even more amazing next time.
I found out about this film by chance just recently and really loved it. I still don't understand how it's gone so unnoticed. I think it's going to be one of those films that after a decade or so become really popular. Charlie Kaufma is really one of the most unique writers of Hollywood.
Honestly? The more movies I watch and the more writing I read, the more Charlie Kaufman just kind of annoys me. I've come a LONG way from being a big Synecdoche, New York defender, to the point where I almost don't understand what I saw in the movie except that I hadn't seen other, better things that it (and other Charlie Kaufman works) is (are) derived from. He is what I think Woody Allen detractors think Woody Allen is, if that makes any sense.
Puss In Boots - Chris Miller 2011 C-
Re-Animator - Stuart Gordon 1985 B+ (so very awesome)
Detour - Edgar G. Ulmer 1945 B+ (I loved almost everything about the film, but wish it was a bit longer. Ending felt cut way short.)
Fitzcarraldo - Werner Herzog 1982 A
Last Night - Don McKellar 1998 C+
In the Heat of the Night - Norman Jewison 1967 A-
This Means War - McG 2012 D+
21 Jump Street - Phil Lord, Chris Miller 2012 B (hilarious, but not as well crafted as some other Apatow-esque films)
Hoop Dreams - Steve James 1994 A-
Being Flynn - Paul Weitz 2012 C
Metropolitan - Whit Stillman 1990 B
Barcelona - Whit Stillman 1994 B
Tiny Furniture - Lena Dunham 2010 B-
The Last Days of Disco - Whit Stillman 1988 B
Gosford Park - Robert Altman 2001 B (I liked it, but just don't get the adoration for Altman films. I see why they are praised but I find them very cold and hard to connect with characters due to his style. Still need to see MASH, Nashville, The Long Goodbye and more. I want to give him a fair shake.)
Lately, I've been seeking out the best foreign/art house/indie coming of age films like 400 Blows, Kes, My Life as a Dog, Ratcatcher, Leolo, Butcher Boy...
Lately, I've been seeking out the best foreign/art house/indie coming of age films like 400 Blows, Kes, My Life as a Dog, Ratcatcher, Leolo, Butcher Boy...
Honestly? The more movies I watch and the more writing I read, the more Charlie Kaufman just kind of annoys me. I've come a LONG way from being a big Synecdoche, New York defender, to the point where I almost don't understand what I saw in the movie except that I hadn't seen other, better things that it (and other Charlie Kaufman works) is (are) derived from. He is what I think Woody Allen detractors think Woody Allen is, if that makes any sense.
Gosford Park - Robert Altman 2001 B (I liked it, but just don't get the adoration for Altman films. I see why they are praised but I find them very cold and hard to connect with characters due to his style. Still need to see MASH, Nashville, The Long Goodbye and more. I want to give him a fair shake.)
Haven't watched any other Altman movies, but this one quite a bit. It didn't click at all the first time but every time since it's just a lot of fun to see how they set up a lot of characters motivations plus ways to do it. I'm a total sucker for upper class athmosphere in movies as well. I've actually borrowed it from my parents for another rewatch this week...
I usually have at least three screenings a week and been traveling to my fiancée's house (6 hour total trip filled with movie watching) each weekend. Plus I try to watch an average of one new movie on top of all that every two days or so. It adds up!
Lately, I've been seeking out the best foreign/art house/indie coming of age films like 400 Blows, Kes, My Life as a Dog, Ratcatcher, Leolo, Butcher Boy...
The Last Picture Show
L'enfance Nue
C.R.A.Z.Y.
Innocence (2004)
King of the Hill (1993)
The Reflecting Skin
Cria Cuervos
When Father Was Away on Business
Toto the Hero
Mysterious Skin
Wild Tigers I Have Known
The Last Picture Show
L'enfance Nue
C.R.A.Z.Y.
Innocence (2004)
King of the Hill (1993)
The Reflecting Skin
Cria Cuervos
When Father Was Away on Business
Toto the Hero
Mysterious Skin
Wild Tigers I Have Known
Grrr. The Bicycle THIEF, damn it! This is one case where the mistranslated title is actually MUCH better; the same can be said for High and Low, which is a much better title than the more literal "Heaven and Hell."
Kraftwerk: that's exactly what happened. I think what it is is that that sort of "straight to the gut, no matter how cliche or banal" style of writing that Charlie Kaufman (and to a lesser extent, Paul Thomas Anderson) uses just strikes me as so... easy, for lack of a better word. I don't necessarily have a problem with what their movies say philosophically, but they say it in such un-artful, blunt ways that it's hard for me to have much sympathy for them.
I will say that PTA doesn't outright annoy me and that Punch-Drunk Love is still a movie that I enjoy greatly, and even if I don't think as highly of TWBB as I used to, I still have a soft spot for it.
The Bicycle Thief is a MUCH better title because it
allows the viewer to cogitate on the potential similarities between the first thief and the protagonist and forces reevaluation of the entire story when the protagonist finally does make the decision to steal. "Bicycle Thieves" is a mediocre, blunt title that gives away the ending; "The Bicycle Thief" is a beautiful, artful title, one of the most fortuitous mistranslations of all time.
Grrr. The Bicycle THIEF, damn it! This is one case where the mistranslated title is actually MUCH better; the same can be said for High and Low, which is a much better title than the more literal "Heaven and Hell."
I know that this is the technically "correct" title, but I'm saying that the "wrong" title is actually a better title, so much better that the originally title is pretty much pointless and ought never be spoken of again.
Edit: It's the same reason why I say "High and Low" is a MUCH better title than the more 'correct' "Heaven and Hell," as it both contains the implications inherent in the original title as well as adding other layers of meaning.
Director named it Thieves for a reason and should be known as so. Are YOU going to argue that because of a bad translation we are going to ignore the Artist's intent.
Se7en. I really enjoyed the atmosphere in this one. I already knew the ending, but didn't know the specifics, so it was still pretty fulfilling. What was up with Pitt's acting in that scene? I couldn't help but laugh, and then I felt bad for laughing.
Midnight in Paris was awesome. I had no idea what this was about, so when F. Scott Fitzgerald showed up I was genuinely surprised and my interest jumped. Really excellent movie. Reminds me of a short story by also by Allen called "The Kugelmass Episode." Similar message of "enjoy the life you have" etc.
Sculli: Yes, I have. It was a good family film, but I didn't think that it was anything that'll be talked about in a few years. (And it feels absolutely nothing like a Scorsese film, which makes me think that he's pretty much lost "it," whatever "it" might be for him.)
CaptYamato: As I've said before (usually in response to people defending AbEx art, but I'm uniform in my application of it), I don't really give a shit about intent, especially since de Sico is, like, dead. I only really care about the art inherent in a thing, and whatever de Sica may have intended, "The Bicycle Thief" is a demonstrably better, more layered, and more meaningful title for the film that "Bicycle Thieves." I gave the reasons why I think so in my previous post to Expendable.
Sculli: Yes, I have. It was a good family film, but I didn't think that it was anything that'll be talked about in a few years. (And it feels absolutely nothing like a Scorsese film, which makes me think that he's pretty much lost "it," whatever "it" might be for him.)
CaptYamato: As I've said before (usually in response to people defending AbEx art, but I'm uniform in my application of it), I don't really give a shit about intent, especially since de Sico is, like, dead. I only really care about the art inherent in a thing, and whatever de Sica may have intended, "The Bicycle Thief" is a demonstrably better, more layered, and more meaningful title for the film that "Bicycle Thieves." I gave the reasons why I think so in my previous post to Expendable.
Because I am pointing out to Snowy that he has argued that the artist intent matters more than how we feel about something. Same reason I capitalized YOU.
The original poster was a bad translation. High and Low was chosen by Akira Kurosawa.
It's an Italian Realist film. The whole point was to give realism to film and in the film there are thieves. It's about as real as a title can be.
