Schoolio's Movie Corner

[thelastgreatman]

J, you being sarcastic? The clip you just posted of the plane crash is from the Division Bell tour.

[J~$$$]

J, you being sarcastic? The clip you just posted of the plane crash is from the Division Bell tour.

I was second row and I dont remember the plane here in Denver I think it might have been on the other side of the stage. The disco ball also came up from the middle of the stadium. This was at the old mile high stadium.

[J~$$$]

Did you see Evan almighty foi?

[iv3rdawG]

AFI added some more movie screenings.

FEBRUARY 2008 - Modern Musicals and their Icons:

Wednesday, February 6, 8:00 p.m.
FUNNY GIRL

Wednesday, February 13, 8:00 p.m.
MOULIN ROUGE!

Wednesday, February 20, 8:00 p.m.
CABARET

Wednesday, February 27, 8:00 p.m.
ALL THAT JAZZ

FEBRUARY 2008 - 1970s Classics

Monday, February 4, 7:30 p.m.
THE FRENCH CONNECTION

Monday, February 11, 7:30 p.m.
M*A*S*H

Monday, February 18, 7:30 p.m.
CHINATOWN

Monday, February 25, 7:30 p.m.
THE DEER HUNTER

Some tickets on sale now, others will be later on.

https://www.arclightcinemas.com/ArcLight/faces/Home.jsp

[J~$$$]

FEBRUARY 2008 - Modern Musicals and their Icons:

= boooooorrrrrrrriiiinnnn gah

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

I'll try to see The French Connection and Chinatown.

[J~$$$]

I thought the ball descended during Comfortably Numb? At least that's how it is on PULSE.

shine on you crazy diamond

[thelastgreatman]

In PULSE it's definitely during Comfortably Numb. I've been watching it over and over again.

[J~$$$]

In PULSE it's definitely during Comfortably Numb. I've been watching it over and over again.

yeah ur right that fucking concert was over 1o years ago and alot of drugs since. I just watched on youtube. I never bought the Pulse DVD cuz I didnt want to forget the concert, or over write my memory, but now im stopping by best buy on my way home.

[thelastgreatman]

Okay, I actually wasn't sure if you were saying it was during Shine On or if you were just saying "shine on you crazy diamond" to me, in which case I was making a d-bag of myself in response.

But yes. Seeing that moment on TV one night completely sober was as thrilling as any concert I've ever been to.

[dorkfish]

8. Cloverfield - After months of anticipation on what the big surprise was, I finally found out: this movie blows. I get it "you're clever".

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

Yeah, I'm not sure I'll bother with that one.

[miscorrections]

I finally saw There Will Be Blood.

I need to see it again.

[breakjaw]

So a few movie things.
I saw "Juno" and cried like a little girl.Mostly because of the brilliant performance of the lead and the interaction with the dad.
I saw "Sweeney Todd" and remembered why I don't like musicals.
I saw "Cloverfield" with my son and liked it so much more than "Transformers",for reasons already posted.
It was criminal that Philip Seymour Hoffman and Albert Finney were not nominated for "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead".although at this point in his career,people will say Philip Seymour Hoffman should be nominated for everything he does.
Casey Affleck was great in "Gone Baby Gone".He obviously got the acting gene.
I think I liked the movie "3:10 To Yuma" the most this year.

[amyzzz]

I saw Atonement and didn't like it. The actors' performance were mostly really good, and the cinematography was very lush and beautiful, but the story and editing was just annoying and manipulative. Why did they need to go back and forth in time so much? Annoying. And I thought I'd heard Keira Knightley was going to be naked so I lured my husband there on that, but she wasn't. Big letdown.

[kreutz2112]

HUGE LETDOWN on the non-nakedness

[Jerm05]

And I thought I'd heard Keira Knightley was going to be naked [...] Big letdown.

You just saved me 7 bux.

[schoolofruckus]

I thought Atonement was substantially erotic without her being naked. The two of them have chemistry to burn.

[ghettojournalist]

the library scene is brilliant, for me. it had the right touch of modern humor dressed in a period setting.

[HowToDisappear]

I think the library scene is wonderfully erotic, but decidedly unfunny. I was flabbergasted when so many people in the theatre burst out laughing. Having children of your own will certainly drive the humor out of that situation.

[KungFuJoe]

No, no, no. Goblet is fine, Order of the Phoenix is shit. Azkaban is obviously the best one.

I pretty much agree with this. Azkaban is by far my favorite for it's dark tones and wonderful direction. Goblet is a good action film. There's some decent emotion & teen angst on display there. I'll have to watch Order of the Pheonix again, but when I first watched it I thought the dynamic between Harry, Ron & Hermione seemed off. I didn't particularly like how the direction was handle. The finale was decent & Luna was a welcome addition. Overall I though most the fx and performances were sub par.

[KungFuJoe]

Hey KungFuJoe, I finally saw Across the Universe tonight, and I really enjoyed it. I thought you'd like to know we're in agreement on this.

I'm glad I'm not the only one & that you enjoyed it. It's good candy.

[schoolofruckus]

I watched Killer of Sheep this morning. Shot as a film school project in Watts in the late 70's, it's an impressionistic, non-linear film that is primarily about a slaughterhouse laborer named Stan. Using a series of episodes involving him and the people around his neighborhood, the film paints a vivid and distincty non-violent look at life in the ghetto in that time period. Apparently, the film's soulful soundtrack is the reason that it wasn't released until last year; the $10,000 film would have required approximately 15 times that amount to secure the music rights - which director/then-student Charles Burnett couldn't foot, but which UCLA's restoration program deemed a worth investment. Despite some rough audio that necessitated several scenes being rewound and rewatched, I thought it was pretty much excellent. In its subject matter, beautiful low-budget photography, and terrific performances by non-professional actors, it reminded me of films like Shadows and George Washington. If you like either of those, definitely see this one.

[Down Rodeo]

My top ten of 2007:

1. No Country for Old Men
2. There Will Be Blood
3. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
4. Atonement
5. Zodiac
6. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
7. Eastern Promises
8. Rescue Dawn
9. Grindhouse
10. Across the Universe

Honorable Mention: The Orphanage - It's so hard to make a quality horror movie that's not just gore porn. I felt this movie did an excellent job of being creepy without having to resort to cheap shocks or gratuitous special effects.

[kreutz2112]

I just signed up for netflix so hopefully I will be able to make contributions to this thread more often. Also, I am supposed to ba able to stream movies from netflix, but my version of windows is not genuine so when I try install the latest version of windows media player it recognizes that and does not let me install it preventing me from streaming movies....anyone have a solution to this problem?

[KungFuJoe]

If anyone wants to watch Angel-A in 11 minutes, I kinda like this video someone put together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y4qBgQMD4A

If Natalie Portman were not available I would totally let Rie Rasmussen play Matilda in a sequel to Leon.

[ghettojournalist]

it's official, for me, "There Will Be Blood" is the best film of 2007.

[ghettojournalist]

I think the library scene is wonderfully erotic, but decidedly unfunny. I was flabbergasted when so many people in the theatre burst out laughing. Having children of your own will certainly drive the humor out of that situation.

i think there are two ways to view that scene. one, it can viewed through the eyes of the onlooker, in which it is horrifying and catastrophic. two, it can be viewed from the eyes of the participants and it's horrifying, but in a decidedly less shocking way. in another film, this scene could easily be played for laughs and, i feel, the way it was shot still lends itself to that interpretation, but for the overall tone of the film i agree with you and your take on the scene.

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

SPOILERSISH

I saw There Will Be Blood again tonight. The thing that really stood out to me on this viewing was the relationship between Daniel and H.W. It's kind of beautiful, the way this haunted, driven man finds it in himself to love his son the way he does. His confrontation with an adult H.W. is heartbeaking; I almost cried.

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

Earlier in this thread, a video was posted that was quickly deemed the worst trailer of all time.

HOWEVER

A friend of mine, the owner of this blog, showed me these two trailers.

THESE, friends, are the worst two trailers to ever exist.

http://droidguy1119.livejournal.com/137705.html

[suprefan]

So, I finally saw There Will Be Blood. Holy s**t is all I have to say.



Daniel Day Lewis should win 3 Oscars for this performance.



Sadly this movie will not win best picture cause Atonement needs to win something.

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

Atonement won't win Best Picture though.

[TomAz]

I saw No Country for Old Men tonight. had high expectations as I read McCarthy regularly and have enjoyed every Coen bros movie I've seen. I was not let down. that's a spooky film and the Coens captured the book perfectly. even worked in the quirks from the book that made it a less-than-straightforward rampage movie.

SPOILER ALERT











like, early on, we're following Llewellan's every move, but when he's killed we don't see it at all.. perspective has shifted to the Sherrif. he gets there too late and so do we.

funny thing. when the movie ended -- its just Tommy Lee Jones talking about this dream he had, then the credits rolled up -- someone in the theater yelled out "that's it????" and people were all confused. that was fun.

all in all, very well done.

[TomAz]

i am curious about Atonement. Ian McEwan's another author I read a lot. Atonement may be his best novel but then I see this movie marketed as some sort of Merchant Ivory-type romance, which the novel was not, for the most part. someone who's read the book clue me in, does the movie botch the coup-de-theatre or is it as much a surprise as it was in the book?

[corbo]

just came back from watching woody allens cassandras dream.
sighs. im disappointed. not to say it wasnt a good movie.
...it was an okay movie...the dialog could've been much better.
hes told the same story plenty of times before way better that this.

[bmack86]

Tom, when I saw No Country, during the credits, some guy yelled out, "Thanks Coens! Preppin' us for the sequel I see."

[wmgaretjax]

SPOILERSISH

I saw There Will Be Blood again tonight. The thing that really stood out to me on this viewing was the relationship between Daniel and H.W. It's kind of beautiful, the way this haunted, driven man finds it in himself to love his son the way he does. His confrontation with an adult H.W. is heartbeaking; I almost cried.

SPOILERS:

There is a really incredible parallel with his supposed brother too... How much Daniel searches for compassion with "family..." Leading up to this unhinging of these "tethers" there is percussion in the soundtrack (right before they get to the coast and Daniel figures it out, and when HW loses his hearing).... Interestingly enough.

[Down Rodeo]

SPOILERSISH

I saw There Will Be Blood again tonight. The thing that really stood out to me on this viewing was the relationship between Daniel and H.W. It's kind of beautiful, the way this haunted, driven man finds it in himself to love his son the way he does. His confrontation with an adult H.W. is heartbeaking; I almost cried.

SPOILER ALERT

Except I don't think he truly loves his son. He uses him as a prop to promote his business for most of the movie. When his son becomes deaf, Daniel grows cold towards him because H.W. can no longer serve his true purpose (portraying Daniel as a businessman with strong family values).

[wmgaretjax]

SPOILER ALERT

Except I don't think he truly loves his son. He uses him as a prop to promote his business for most of the movie. When his son becomes deaf, Daniel grows cold towards him because H.W. can no longer serve his true purpose (portraying Daniel as a businessman with strong family values).

SPOILERS:

nah man... You missed out on a lot of subtlety in their relationship. Sure, the greed takes prominence... The nastiness wins out. But there is definitely love and tenderness there. It never recovers from HW going deaf and turning somewhat against his father (also his father losing some of his ability to connect with his son), but it sure as hell is there.

[cloud9]

well just sawed th a tmovie gone baby gone and thought it was good i like it would recomended it also saw no country and eastern poromises thinked that no country for older men was great and ester n promise alright oh man and allso sawed that cloverfields and boy was that ohrible someboy tell me ther ea side story to it huoh am not sto sure it was horrible d in the movie especialyl if dranke a berr before

[amyzzz]

I saw There Will Be Blood, and my first impression was that I didn't like it. However, throughout the day I kept remembering parts of it, and I may want to discuss it more. It was just so violent and negative and more of a guys' movie. And my chick movie didn't pan out either, so I'm kind of frustrated with my movie-going this weekend.

[thestripe]

I saw Zodiac last night and thought it was great. I don't understand why the movie received such poor reviews? It was a little long, but I thought it's length was was necessary and didn't drag along too much. It was genuinely suspenseful, beautifully shot, and well acted. Zodiac eased it's why into my top ten of the year last night.

[iv3rdawG]

It was just so violent

I actually disagree with this. Although at times it is pretty violent, I think the movie could have gotten a PG-13 rating. Of course it would seem weird that it was PG-13 and I'm glad it's R.

[amyzzz]

there will be blood *spoilers*








































So beating a man to death with a bowling pin, shooting another guy in the head with a gun, and trying to suffocate a man in mud is not violent? What planet are you from?

[iv3rdawG]

Well first of all the film is rated R for some violence. That's all. There's no nudity, sex and hardly any language in the film. Now about the violence. When a film like Casino Royale (and pretty much any other 007 film) can be rated PG-13 for a lot of violence, sexual themes, nudity and torture, it just seems like a movie like There Will Be Blood could to. But like I said before, I wouldn't want it to be. I'm happy with its R rating.

[roberto73]

i am curious about Atonement. Ian McEwan's another author I read a lot. Atonement may be his best novel but then I see this movie marketed as some sort of Merchant Ivory-type romance, which the novel was not, for the most part. someone who's read the book clue me in, does the movie botch the coup-de-theatre or is it as much a surprise as it was in the book?

It took me by surprise, Tom. I read the book when it first came out a few years ago and had forgotten about that structural device. The studio's marketing, in my opinion, doesn't reflect the actual tone of the movie, which hews pretty closely to the book.

[roberto73]

I finally saw The Diving Bell and the Butterfly last night. Just a beautiful, beautiful movie. I had to sit through the end credits or else wander into the lobby sobbing like a baby. It definitely makes my top three of the year, but I need to let it sit for a day before I figure out how high it finally ranks. If it's still in your area and you haven't seen it yet, hop to it.

[iv3rdawG]

I finally saw The Diving Bell and the Butterfly last night. Just a beautiful, beautiful movie. I had to sit through the end credits or else wander into the lobby sobbing like a baby. It definitely makes my top three of the year, but I need to let it sit for a day before I figure out how high it finally ranks. If it's still in your area and you haven't seen it yet, hop to it.

Yeah I really loved it too. Currently sitting at #3 on my top 10 of 2007. I still need to see a couple more films from last year though.

[schoolofruckus]

There Will Be Blood - Spoilerz



















I think that the reason that the violence feels so extreme is because it's depicted to be so intimate. Sure, you could boil it down to there being these isolated scenes where he occasionally takes his bitterness out on someone in a physical sense. But that very bitterness never really goes away. It's uncomfortably clear that when he does act on it, it's coming from such a genuine feeling of contempt and malice that makes it that much more alarming.

I also think that Daniel had - or at least, tried to have - genuine affection for H.W. and, to a slightly lesser extent, Henry. It's why he reacts so badly towards H.W. with A. his going deaf after the accident, and B. his decision to start his own oil company in Mexico. He doesn't know how to deal with those feelings, and the fact that he's even having them confuses the shit out of him. So he lashes out. In Henry's case, I think he really was seduced by the idea that he might have a blood link in this world that he finds so detestable otherwise. When that connection is revealed to be false, he again has no capacity to deal with the betrayal he feels.

[schoolofruckus]

It took me by surprise, Tom. I read the book when it first came out a few years ago and had forgotten about that structural device. The studio's marketing, in my opinion, doesn't reflect the actual tone of the movie, which hews pretty closely to the book.

I have not read the book, but the movie delivers very little of the stuffy English filmed thea-tah vibe that originally made me weary of it. The tone is moderately contemporary and definitely lively (with large thanks going to the erotic charge I keep speaking of). This is also probably why it's fallen short with a lot of audiences, who most likely went in hoping for Pride and Prejudice: Part MDVIII

[schoolofruckus]

I finally saw The Diving Bell and the Butterfly last night. Just a beautiful, beautiful movie. I had to sit through the end credits or else wander into the lobby sobbing like a baby. It definitely makes my top three of the year, but I need to let it sit for a day before I figure out how high it finally ranks. If it's still in your area and you haven't seen it yet, hop to it.

Amen, brother. That Joe Strummer song that plays over the credits is one of the finest end-of-movie soundtrack cues I've ever seen.

[roberto73]

I have not read the book, but the movie delivers very little of the stuffy English filmed thea-tah vibe that originally made me weary of it. The tone is moderately contemporary and definitely lively (with large thanks going to the erotic charge I keep speaking of). This is also probably why it's fallen short with a lot of audiences, who most likely went in hoping for Pride and Prejudice: Part MDVIII

Definitely. I really think this movie's being marketed poorly. The commercials and trailers make it out to be a Remains of the Day/Howard's End/Room With a View kinda thing, where we watch people drink tea and discuss class differences for two hours. It's absolutely not this, which is why I keep trying to steer people toward it. It's so much better – and so much darker – than it looks.

[bleep]

The studio's marketing, in my opinion, doesn't reflect the actual tone of the movie, which hews pretty closely to the book.
the latest trailer for Atonement on the tele has that onerepublic song backing it - made me cringe. i think one ad also compared the movie to Titanic. thankfully, it is nothing like it.

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

There Will Be Blood - Spoilerz



















I think that the reason that the violence feels so extreme is because it's depicted to be so intimate. Sure, you could boil it down to there being these isolated scenes where he occasionally takes his bitterness out on someone in a physical sense. But that very bitterness never really goes away. It's uncomfortably clear that when he does act on it, it's coming from such a genuine feeling of contempt and malice that makes it that much more alarming.

I also think that Daniel had - or at least, tried to have - genuine affection for H.W. and, to a slightly lesser extent, Henry. It's why he reacts so badly towards H.W. with A. his going deaf after the accident, and B. his decision to start his own oil company in Mexico. He doesn't know how to deal with those feelings, and the fact that he's even having them confuses the shit out of him. So he lashes out. In Henry's case, I think he really was seduced by the idea that he might have a blood link in this world that he finds so detestable otherwise. When that connection is revealed to be false, he again has no capacity to deal with the betrayal he feels.

I think Daniel definitely feels some sort of affection for Henry. It's why he took him to meet with the guys from Standard and to the coast as he mapped out where his pipeline would go. I also don't think we ever see Daniel as furious as that shot of him right before he shoots Henry. Holy shit.

I also agree that the nature of the violence in the film is what makes it so disturbing, not necessarily its severity. It's the aggression that really makes it stand out. It's nothing like James Bond taking out a bunch of avatars that are attacking him for whatever reason. Also keep in mind that all of the violence Daniel perpetrates is always against an unarmed or weaker foe.

Also, Gabe, you'll be happy to know that I downloaded the DVD leak of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford last night and will watch it this week.

[ghettojournalist]

definitely agree. the marketing for "Atonement" is so misleading. it's not even a matter of leaving stuff out of the trailer and being surprised when one actually sees the film; it's portraying a different story than the one the film actually tells.

[schoolofruckus]

I will only be happy if you have the means to blow it up and watch it on a screen large enough to let it work its virtues on you.

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

I have a 26-inch widescreen TV, I could try to burn it to DVD. Not quite as good as a theater, but not the worst thing either.

[schoolofruckus]

If you can burn the DVD without losing too much, I would say that's the way to go. It's just....it's too big of a film to watch on a 17" (or smaller) laptop screen.

[iv3rdawG]

1- Meet the Spartans - 20th Century Fox - $18,725,000

:poo

[Down Rodeo]

SPOILERS:

nah man... You missed out on a lot of subtlety in their relationship. Sure, the greed takes prominence... The nastiness wins out. But there is definitely love and tenderness there. It never recovers from HW going deaf and turning somewhat against his father (also his father losing some of his ability to connect with his son), but it sure as hell is there.

See, I picked up on that subtlety at first, but when Daniel's behavior became so nasty, I was confused at what I had earlier thought were genuine feelings of affection towards H.W. Maybe he does love H.W. in some way, but the problem with the movie is that it doesn't give the audience a clear understanding of their relationship. Daniel is such an unbending character, it's a little hard to believe he can have genuine love for anyone but himself.

Another thing is, I think Daniel resents the fact that he has no blood kin in his life. That's why he reacts so violently to Henry, and why he somewhat despises H.W. because he's not his real son.

[anti-square]

See, I picked up on that subtlety at first, but when Daniel's behavior became so nasty, I was confused at what I had earlier thought were genuine feelings of affection towards H.W. Maybe he does love H.W. in some way, but the problem with the movie is that it doesn't give the audience a clear understanding of their relationship. Daniel is such an unbending character, it's a little hard to believe he can have genuine love for anyone but himself.

Another thing is, I think Daniel resents the fact that he has no blood kin in his life. That's why he reacts so violently to Henry, and why he somewhat despises H.W. because he's not his real son.

H.W. might not have been his son by blood, but Daniel certainly raised him like his own. Daniel instilled everything he knew about what he loved(which is the oil business) and truly felt that H.W. was a smaller version of himself. Sure, he utilized him as a way to get business, but I believed he wanted an extension of himself to share his passion and also continue his domination in the industry. This is why he completely lashed out at him when H.W. decided to venture on his own. His investment became formidable competition. Daniel's reasons might have bee self serving, but nonetheless betrayal was being felt at that moment.

[roberto73]

Here's my 2007 Top Ten. The rankings at this point are fairly arbitrary, except the movies in positions 1-3 are absolutely my three favorites of the year. But the exact positioning of the films in 1-3 and 4-10 could shift around given my temperament on any given day. And, okay, on a good day Zodiac could creep into the Top Three and temporarily displace No Country for Old Men.

Total 2007 releases seen: 81

Top Ten
1. There Will Be Blood
2. No Country for Old Men
3. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4. Zodiac
5. Atonement
6. Michael Clayton
7. Eastern Promises
8. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
9. Rocket Science
10. Once

Honorable Mentions
The Hoax; Waitress; Knocked Up; Grindhouse; Superbad; Sunshine; Juno; Hot Fuzz; Into the Wild; Gone Baby Gone

[full on idle]

I want to see Atonement.

You guys, Evan Almighty is not great.

[wmgaretjax]

After the Wedding was spectacular. Forgot about that one...

[paulb]

I just got back from the theater from seeing There Will Be Blood, meh, I think I need to see it again, i missed 1/2 the movie from having a low blood sugar, but it seemed really over acted and I kept waiting for something big to happen and nothing ever came. I also kept thinking, "i wish i was watching Last of the Mohicans"....

[wmgaretjax]

I also kept thinking, "i wish i was watching Last of the Mohicans"....

Jesus christ... please tell me you are kidding... you aren't that stupid are you?

[mountmccabe]

My thoughts on There Will Be Blood, concerning the topics covered by various posters:

Plainview definitely grows to like HW because the kid helps him get business and because he shows a definite interest in the workings of the job. There is genuine affection there; it's most evident on the quail hunting trip and in some of the early scenes after HW loses his hearing. That's quite a shot, with him and Fletcher watching the oil burn. Plainview never quite recovers from the loss of HW's hearing and the change this brings about in the boy.

Or, rather, sending HW away allows Plainview to turn his attentions to Henry. He is skeptical and cold at first but he warms up and gets downright friendly with him. They work their way to the ocean which is very nearly the expected rebirth for Plainview - he has opened up to Henry. He has beaten Standard Oil and is in a position to consider settling down and relaxing. He even talks about the house he'll build. He is even reminiscing about the old days back in Wisconsin and... and if Henry had actually been from Wisconsin and responded to Plainview's mention of the Peach Tree dance things would've turned out much happier, much warmer for everybody. There would've been hugging and smiles and probably babies! Instead Plainview broods while Henry - unknowingly - enjoys the last night of his life.

So, basically, I think Plainview definitely loved and cared for both HW and Henry but his relationship with HW never quite recovered from the accident and Henry, well, I'd guess that trip to the ocean did end up being a watershed in Plainview's life; I doubt he ever trusted or really loved another human being again.

[paulb]

Jesus christ... please tell me you are kidding... you aren't that stupid are you?

your sigs keep getting better and better...and Last of the Mohicans is an excellent movie...the ending is so fuckin great.

[wmgaretjax]

your sigs keep getting better and better...and Last of the Mohicans is an excellent movie...the ending is so fuckin great.

you are too good to be real...

[mountmccabe]

I love Last of the Mohicans. The story is shallow but it is pulled off due to excellent acting, great cinematography working with beautiful scenery and great music.

And I agree, the extended climax on that movie is stunning.


There Will Be Blood, however, is way better.

[wmgaretjax]

excellent acting

Kind of like those old, silent black face films.

[bballarl]

I only like movies that play in art houses. In Cantonese.

[suprefan]

there will be blood *spoilers*








What world do you live in anyway? Yeah those things happen, but you know what, there are things that will drive a person to do them, and he was driven and wired that way. You never noticed it in his eyes how much he despised other ''people'' and everything? Why dont you look at it in the way that he was doing everything in his power to get his way even it if meant doing those things and not regretting it.



I think one of the best scenes was when he was in the restaraunt with H.W. and he embarrased the s**t out of the Standard Oil guy and didnt even beat him down when you probably felt he was going to do so. The intensity he had and just restraint he even showed was incredible. Go watch pansy s**t movies if you are going to be all wishy washy on movies that deal with the core of human nature, and thats survival in whatever form.









Atonement won't win Best Picture though.



Yeah it will, see what else its nominated for in major categories that it coudl win. Oh, nothing, cause its only nominated for that. It will win cause the academy will spread it around.

[bballarl]

YEAH!

[ghettojournalist]

finally saw "Away From Her" and really enjoyed it. Julie Christie gave a marvelous peformance, but my Oscar still goes to Marion Cotillard (although, my growing personal bias could push Julie's perf. in front). overall, the film is really good, but there are two scenes with which i kind of take issue. the young punk rang false to me, but nicely done. the Iraq war comment felt forced. did anyone else have similar feelings?

[schoolofruckus]

I love Last of the Mohicans. The story is shallow but it is pulled off due to excellent acting, great cinematography working with beautiful scenery and great music.

And I agree, the extended climax on that movie is stunning.


There Will Be Blood, however, is way better.

John is right on everything.



Yeah it will, see what else its nominated for in major categories that it coudl win. Oh, nothing, cause its only nominated for that. It will win cause the academy will spread it around.

No, it really won't. It was the 5th nominee here, and was in doubt until the nomination was actually announced. I know I got burned on it even making the final five, but that in itself is a triumph. It's just not hitting with enough people to take home the gold. It will almost certainly win Best Art Direction, Costume Design, or (in my opinion, most likely) Score. IT WILL NOT WIN BEST PICTURE.

Let me state once again that I'm a huge fan of the film; just not a believer in its Oscar chances.

[schoolofruckus]

Kind of like those old, silent black face films.

Is this a reference to a British guy being the star of a film about Native Americans?

[wmgaretjax]

Is this a reference to a British guy being the star of a film about Native Americans?

yeah... i thought it was funny at first... but it's stupid.

[bballarl]

Sorry to interrupt a serious conversation about film (I always seem to do this) but I just finished watching Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who and really enjoyed it. They don't really sugarcoat anything. A really good broad overview of the band's career. I think it could have been more in depth, ala the Petty movie that was released recently, but it had some quite insightful interviews and great footage. Worth seeing if you are a fan of the band, and a nice companion to The Kids Are Alright. B.

[ThomThom]

I just got back from the theater from seeing There Will Be Blood, meh, I think I need to see it again, i missed 1/2 the movie from having a low blood sugar, but it seemed really over acted and I kept waiting for something big to happen and nothing ever came. I also kept thinking, "i wish i was watching Last of the Mohicans"....

Oh christ Paul, your abominable love for Bon Jovi and ABBA sent me to the very edge of the cliff, but comments like this just push me right the fuck over.

[wmgaretjax]

I'm gonna netflix it... I enjoy The Who, but don't have any clue about their history.

[Down Rodeo]

I love The Kids Are Alright. I need to check out Amazing Journey.

[Down Rodeo]

Oh christ Paul, your abominable love for Bon Jovi and ABBA sent me to the very edge of the cliff, but comments like this just push me right the fuck over.

Man, give the guy a break already. Not everybody's going to love this movie after first viewing. He's right about some of the overacting anyway.

[paulb]

Oh christ Paul, your abominable love for Bon Jovi and ABBA sent me to the very edge of the cliff, but comments like this just push me right the fuck over.

love for Bon Jovi? I have never expressed love for Bon Jovi. ABBA, they've sold more record than you have, right? and Last of the Mohicans is excellent, i dont give a fuck what anyone says...

[Down Rodeo]

Last of the Mohicans is excellent, i dont give a fuck what anyone says...

Word.

[Mr.Nipples]

abba is awful...

[KungFuJoe]

I only like movies that play in art houses. In Cantonese.

kHLKhpjDsZg

[full on idle]

TV SHOW recommended by J. Hoo is brilliant. My favorite rental of the past week.

[schoolofruckus]

yeah... i thought it was funny at first... but it's stupid.

You do know his character is supposed to be a white dude who was adopted by the tribe, right? It's not like it's Al Pacino playing a Cuban dude.

[wmgaretjax]

You do know his character is supposed to be a white dude who was adopted by the tribe, right? It's not like it's Al Pacino playing a Cuban dude.

I remember when they did casting for that they came to some of the reservations out here... But none of the American Indians wanted to do it, so they ended up getting a bunch of white people for some of the roles.

But no, I didn't really know that... I remember thinking that movie was ridiculous (even though it was beautiful), i actually have a copy my dad gave me... I might revisit it again.

[amyzzz]

Definitely. I really think this movie's being marketed poorly. The commercials and trailers make it out to be a Remains of the Day/Howard's End/Room With a View kinda thing, where we watch people drink tea and discuss class differences for two hours. It's absolutely not this, which is why I keep trying to steer people toward it. It's so much better – and so much darker – than it looks.
That's not the reason why I didn't like this film overall. I liked everything up until the couple were separated. The rest of movie didn't connect with me. I liked the sexual charge between the couple, but I really didn't give a shit about Briony, and all of that part just felt overly sentimental and manipulative of the audience's emotions. I cried at the end, but I still didn't give a shit.

[amyzzz]

What world do you live in anyway? Yeah those things happen, but you know what, there are things that will drive a person to do them, and he was driven and wired that way. You never noticed it in his eyes how much he despised other ''people'' and everything? Why dont you look at it in the way that he was doing everything in his power to get his way even it if meant doing those things and not regretting it.



I think one of the best scenes was when he was in the restaraunt with H.W. and he embarrased the s**t out of the Standard Oil guy and didnt even beat him down when you probably felt he was going to do so. The intensity he had and just restraint he even showed was incredible. Go watch pansy s**t movies if you are going to be all wishy washy on movies that deal with the core of human nature, and thats survival in whatever form.












Yeah it will, see what else its nominated for in major categories that it coudl win. Oh, nothing, cause its only nominated for that. It will win cause the academy will spread it around.
I guess I didn't convey my feelings about this film very well. I agree that it was very well-acted, and Daniel Day-Lewis should get the Oscar, blah blah blah, but I just didn't like the movie. Not my kind of movie. I would even say that it was a very-well done movie, but I didn't like it. I'm still trying to figure out why I didn't like it. Don't take it so personally. I'm not slamming your opinion of movies.

[Tylerdurden31]

i got a few SAG promo DVDs from a friend of mine. Juno, Sweeney Todd, There Will Be Blood and one other that I can't remember.


Then he also suggested I take the Amy Fisher porno too.

[schoolofruckus]

Remember a few months back when we were talking about Peter Jackson making The Hobbit into two full-length (or most likely, two over-length) features?

Well. It's happening (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i331d7d05b8008476b2fae087024a2b8e), although he's apparently not going to be the director.

[amyzzz]

Has anyone seen The Orphanage?
(re: new director for The Hobbit)

[Down Rodeo]

Yes, The Orphanage is great. Creepy without pandering to the lowest common denominator.

[KungFuJoe]

Watched The Assassination of Jesse James for the second time this weekend. Loved it even more. I think this should have been number two on my list. For some reason I was more impressed with Brad Pitt & Casey Affleck's performance this go round. I truly hope Roger Deakins takes home his oscar for this one. Nick Cave's score was pretty good too.

[Jerm05]

i believe thats out on dvd next week. if this is true, i'm going to grab it.

[KungFuJoe]

hey Gabe, do you know about the Get Smart screening on the WB lot tomorrow night? I just got a call from the screening exchange. Too bad I can't go. Wouldn't mind seeing that one for free.

[schoolofruckus]

I did not know about that. I'm kind of surprised that they're doing a Screening Exchange thing here. I only get those emails intermittently, and it's usually for the most dogshit movies out there.

I could see Get Smart being okay. For free.

[KungFuJoe]

their screenings are usually terrible. i saw Smiley Face last year

[J~$$$]

Has anyone been to the Sundance cinemas in Japantown, SF.? (Sundance Kabuki) Is it a nice theater or just over priced BS?

[downingthief]

Saw Superbad (finally) and Eastern Promises over the weekend.

Superbad was good, but not great. Some funny moments, and lines, but overall was disappointed based on the hype.

Eastern Promises was....how can I put this...disjointed? Empty? I kept feeling like something was missing. Can't put my finger on what. It wasn't a bad movie, but I wanted it to be better.

[KungFuJoe]

I agree on Eastern Promises. I believe that, as well as History of Violence receive more praise than they deserve.

[amyzzz]

That's because y'all are dudes. Naked Viggo! YES!

[downingthief]

I would have preferred a naked Naomi.

[nationocean]

holy shit this thread has alot of posts.

so i shall add to it. ;)

[amyzzz]

So go watch Mulholland Drive.

[downingthief]

Oh, that has been done Amy. :)

[iv3rdawG]

And 21 Grams ;)

[schoolofruckus]

I loved the shit out of A History of Violence.

I thought Eastern Promises was a little slight, although the suggestion of a deeper, richer story for Viggo's character lent it some added intrigue. The naked Viggo knife fight was one of my favorite scenes from last year, though.

[full on idle]

Plus he did an incredible job as an actor, don't you think? His character was perfect, he was practically unrecognizable as the guy from Lord of the Rings.

[amyzzz]

And 21 Grams ;)
That movie was so depressing that I'd forgotten she was naked in it.

[kreutz2112]

So go watch Mulholland Drive.

I hated this movie. It came highly recommended also. The acting reminded me of soft-core porn on cinemax.

[thestripe]

I hated it too. I have tried to re-watch it hoping to change my opinion or find something in the film I missed, but still ended up disliking it.

[amyzzz]

Do you not like David Lynch films in general?

[kreutz2112]

That's the only David Lynch film I have ever seen.

[amyzzz]

Well, that explains it.

[kreutz2112]

educate me amy.

[amyzzz]

No, I'll probably embarrass myself. All I can say is Lynch movies are sexytime movies for me. Sexytime movies with a lot of doppelgangers, dwarves and debutantes.

[kreutz2112]

so all of his films are similar then? And I should have known what I was in for when I watched Mulholland Drive? If that is the case I will not be watching anymore of his movies.

[Stefinitely Maybe]

No, I'll probably embarrass myself. All I can say is Lynch movies are sexytime movies for me. Sexytime movies with a lot of doppelgangers, dwarves and debutantes.

For once, I agree with Amy.

David Lynch rules.

Anyway, I watched "Little Children" a few days ago. What a weird film. I'd give it 7/10 because it was certainly different and watchable, and because Kate Winslet gets naked, but I'm not really not sure it knew what it's point was.

Tonight I went to see "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead". It was compelling, simply because it starred Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke and Albert Finney (all giving awesome performances) and also a naked Marisa Tomei, so I couldn't take my eyes off the screen, but the story itself was not worthy of such great actors. It's like they tried to make a weak script into a strong script by having great people act it out, which never really works. I felt exactly the same watching De Niro, Norton and Brando in "The Score"; perfectly watchable but ultimately a waste of great talent that could have been used for something far better. 6/10

[kreutz2112]

so if I did not like Mulholland Drive would I like any other David Lynch films? I just thought the acting in Mulholland drive sucked. I am down with weird movies though.

[amyzzz]

No, they're not all the same, although I've seen quite a few with doppelganger characters (Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, Inland Empire), and the actresses are usually super-glamorous and super-hot. Most of them don't make sense and don't follow a logical timeline. :thu
I haven't seen Eraserhead or Wild at Heart, and probably a few others. And then there's the rated G (yes rated G) movie The Straight Story which is a more straightforward, true (?) story about an old man who drives his lawnmower across a couple states to visit his dying, estranged brother. That one is kind of sweet.

I know the hardcore movie ppl in this thread are gonna rip me a new one because I'm horrible at descriptions.

[KungFuJoe]

of course. Wild at Heart is a fun one. Blue Velvet is great too.

[kreutz2112]

No, they're not all the same, although I've seen quite a few with doppelganger characters (Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, Inland Empire), and the actresses are usually super-glamorous and super-hot. Most of them don't make sense and don't follow a logical timeline. :thu
I haven't seen Eraserhead or Wild at Heart, and probably a few others. And then there's the rated G (yes rated G) movie The Straight Story which is a more straightforward, true (?) story about an old man who drives his lawnmower across a couple states to visit his dying, estranged brother. That one is kind of sweet.

I know the hardcore movie ppl in this thread are gonna rip me a new one because I'm horrible at descriptions.

I am not a "movie person" by any means, but I thought your explanation was good and it answered my question.

[schoolofruckus]

Plus he did an incredible job as an actor, don't you think? His character was perfect, he was practically unrecognizable as the guy from Lord of the Rings.

Yes, I do think. I think his performance also elevated the movie from being just a pulpy, filthy Russian mob story.


For once, I agree with Amy.

David Lynch rules.

Anyway, I watched "Little Children" a few days ago. What a weird film. I'd give it 7/10 because it was certainly different and watchable, and because Kate Winslet gets naked, but I'm not really not sure it knew what it's point was.

Tonight I went to see "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead". It was compelling, simply because it starred Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke and Albert Finney (all giving awesome performances) and also a naked Marisa Tomei, so I couldn't take my eyes off the screen, but the story itself was not worthy of such great actors. It's like they tried to make a weak script into a strong script by having great people act it out, which never really works. I felt exactly the same watching De Niro, Norton and Brando in "The Score"; perfectly watchable but ultimately a waste of great talent that could have been used for something far better. 6/10

I agree with Stef on all of the above. Although I would have rated Before the Devil Knows You're Dead perhaps a little lower.


so if I did not like Mulholland Drive would I like any other David Lynch films? I just thought the acting in Mulholland drive sucked. I am down with weird movies though.

The acting in Mulholland Dr. is very typical of Lynch's other work. He shoots for extremely mannered, kind of unnerving behavior and demeanor from his actors, as it plays well with his surreal leanings. Eraserhead is different in a sense because it's really not even supposed to be tangentially linked to the world we live in; if you're down for something super strange, this would be one way to go. Wild At Heart is, in my opinion, also a bit of a departure because it's a fairly straightforward lovers-on-the-run story, only with Nicolas Cage doing a running Elvis impersonation. Tarantino bit the shit out of this movie when he wrote True Romance. And of course, there's The Straight Story, which I have to confess to not having seen, but which is (by all accounts) the ultimate outlier in Lynch's filmography (although the notion of there being a "typical David Lynch movie" is absurd).

In summation: give Wild at Heart, The Straight Story, and (if you're in the mood for a serious and disturbing art film) Eraserhead a chance. Avoid the rest (and stay particularly far from Inland Empire).


No, they're not all the same, although I've seen quite a few with doppelganger characters (Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, Inland Empire), and the actresses are usually super-glamorous and super-hot. Most of them don't make sense and don't follow a logical timeline. :thu
I haven't seen Eraserhead or Wild at Heart, and probably a few others. And then there's the rated G (yes rated G) movie The Straight Story which is a more straightforward, true (?) story about an old man who drives his lawnmower across a couple states to visit his dying, estranged brother. That one is kind of sweet.

I know the hardcore movie ppl in this thread are gonna rip me a new one because I'm horrible at descriptions.

No rip here. You nailed it.

[amyzzz]

I really, really love Robert Blake's performance in Lost Highway. Oh my GOD is he creepy. HE IS SATAN.

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/people/shows/blake/interactive/gallery/07.lost.highway.jpg

[whynotsmile99]

eraserhead is amazing. You should really see it. It's my favorite Lynch. it's a really strange wonderful movie about fatherhood. Netflix it

[amyzzz]

Is it gross?

[Stefinitely Maybe]

I really, really love Robert Blake's performance in Lost Highway. Oh my GOD is he creepy. HE IS SATAN.

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/people/shows/blake/interactive/gallery/07.lost.highway.jpg

Yeah, the first time I saw that scene at the cinema, I pretty much shat myself.

[schoolofruckus]

Is it gross?

Yeah, it's fairly disgusting in terms of the imagery. It's fairly low-budget, though (and in a way that's noticeable), so you may be able to distance yourself enough to not let it impede your viewing.

[atom heart]

There was a brief description of Eraserhead way back in this thread. I remember that it creeped me out just reading it.
Hopefully I'll get to There Will Be Blood this weekend so I can stop averting my eyes when I'm in here.

[Down Rodeo]

I agree with Stef on all of the above. Although I would have rated Before the Devil Knows You're Dead perhaps a little lower.

That's disappointing. I really liked Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.


In summation: give Wild at Heart, The Straight Story, and (if you're in the mood for a serious and disturbing art film) Eraserhead a chance. Avoid the rest (and stay particularly far from Inland Empire).

You could also check out The Elephant Man. It's definitely more straightforward and "normal" than Lynch's other movies.

[kreutz2112]

That's the only David Lynch film I have ever seen.

I lied...I have seen Dune

[amyzzz]

Oh shit. I didn't know that was Lynch! I need a Lynch box set. Is there one anywhere yet?

[wmgaretjax]

I really enjoyed "Little Children." I loved the scene with the street lamp and the gnats...

[whynotsmile99]

the straight story is another great Lynch movie. So far and way different than anything else he has done. It's a G rated piece about an old guy riding his lawn mower across the country. It's a really simple and lovely little movie. wonderfully acted.

a1Wjql9JfaQ&feature=related the spanish narration makes it seem cornier than it really is.

Milo and Otis was more scary and strange than this one.

BTW, has anyone see Milo and Otis. It was one of my favorite movies as a kid. I've been really wanting to watch it again.



2-KiinB5Ib8&feature=related

for those that like their MIlo and Otis with some Sigur Ros

-kuuuGmYqoQ

YmuDLpzTdBY&feature=related

[whynotsmile99]

the REAL double post. sorry

[amyzzz]

yikes. double post.

[whynotsmile99]

saw IM NOT THERE and RAMBO

I'm Not There was good. I enjoyed it very much. Very abstract, but I enjoyed the performances, the photography and the real use of Dylans songs. I loved that cover of Going to Acapulco by Calixico who I could have sworn was My Morning Jacket. Blanchett was incredible. One of the main problems I had with it was the Heath Ledger/Gainsbourg (who I'm crushing big on now) segments, which I felt had little to do with the rest of the film. That said, I loved their scenes and almost wished they just made a separate film with those two characters. The stuff with the children was heartbreaking. A very poetic style you don't see much at all in film. Very interesting watch for sure.

Rambo was...dissapointing. If you've seen those uncut red band trailers you've pretty much seen most of the good parts. I actually like what I saw a lot. It had a great set up, great silly action scenes, quite intense but ended wayyyyyy before it should have. I guess it means I was really enjoying what I was watching considering how dissapointed I was when it just arbrubtly ended. It was a quick 90 minutes and easily needed another battle or two. See it, but I was expecting more.

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

I really enjoyed "Little Children." I loved the scene with the street lamp and the gnats...

I saw that film for the first time two weeks ago, and really liked it as well. One thing that I really appreciated was Field/Perotta's earnest compassion for the characters. So often these films about suburbia are exceedingly cynical and condescending, so the somewhat optimistic ending was kind of a surprise to me. Great acting too.

[mountmccabe]

saw IM NOT THERE and RAMBO

I'm Not There was good. I enjoyed it very much. Very abstract, but I enjoyed the performances, the photography and the real use of Dylans songs. I loved that cover of Going to Acapulco by Calixico who I could have sworn was My Morning Jacket. Blanchett was incredible. One of the main problems I had with it was the Heath Ledger/Gainsbourg (who I'm crushing big on now) segments, which I felt had little to do with the rest of the film. That said, I loved their scenes and almost wished they just made a separate film with those two characters. The stuff with the children was heartbreaking. A very poetic style you don't see much at all in film. Very interesting watch for sure.

That "Goin' to Acapulco" is Jim James (of My Morning Jacket) with Calexico.

I think I liked the same things about the movie - I SOOOO loved all the music - but I don't understand what you mean "had little to do with the rest of the film." None of the segments, really, had anything to do with each other other than being about Dylanesque characters.

Maybe what made that section stick out was that our point of view (and thus our sympathy) was more Gainsbourg than Ledger. Or maybe it is that there seemed to be much more of a background, much more of a story that we weren't seeing.

[full on idle]

My sympathy is always with Gainsbourg.

Little Children was great. At points hot, at other points, horrifying.

God that blind date. Fuck.

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

Yeah, that blind date was so uncomfortable to watch. Although I was more affected by the shot of his mother watching him come into the house as the car speeds off into the distance.

[paulb]

just saw Cloverfield....i liked it, entertaining....woulda liked to have seen more about the monster though.

[schoolofruckus]

Yeah, that blind date was so uncomfortable to watch. Although I was more affected by the shot of his mother watching him come into the house as the car speeds off into the distance.

Oh yeah.....the mother was fucking phenomenal. She was possibly my favorite performance in the film. Although they were all good.

I want to watch it again. It didn't rock my socks the first time I saw it, but I can't think of anything not to like about it. And NMH is right - the genuine compassion for the characters was a nice relief from the usual "suburbia is one fucked up joint, B!" histrionics.

[schoolofruckus]

Which is not to say that American Beauty, for example, did not have quite a bit of empathy - it did. I love the shit out of that movie, I don't care what anyone says.

[schoolofruckus]

In all this madness, I forgot to mention that I watched Waking Life for the first time ever tonight.

In a word: marvelous.

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

Waking Life is the first movie I can remember looking forward to watching a second time before I had finished watching it the first time.

[wmgaretjax]

King of Kong is one of my favorite documentaries ever. end of story.

[amyzzz]

Add me to the list of people who enjoyed Little Children.

Also, is it worth seeing I'm Not There if I don't like Bob Dylan's music?

[downingthief]

Which is not to say that American Beauty, for example, did not have quite a bit of empathy - it did. I love the shit out of that movie, I don't care what anyone says.

I do as well, Greg. A fantastic movie, all around.

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

Add me to the list of people who enjoyed Little Children.

Also, is it worth seeing I'm Not There if I don't like Bob Dylan's music?

By don't like do you mean don't care for or actively dislike?

[TomAz]

Add me to the list of people who enjoyed Little Children.

Also, is it worth seeing I'm Not There if I don't like Bob Dylan's music?

do you dislike Dylan's songs, or do you just dislike Dylan's voice? cuz if it's the latter you'll have no problem with the movie. If it's the former, you will.

[amyzzz]

Yeah, it's more his voice. I seem to recall listening to a couple songs, and the lyrics are great, but his voice is unbearable.

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

It's split pretty evenly between Dylan covers and actual Dylan. Anyone who has any interest in film history or technique really should see this film, it's a treasure trove of styles and ideas and countless cinematic references.

[KungFuJoe]

School, check your pm if you're interested in going to a screening of Forgetting Sarah Marshall tonight.

[J~$$$]

VCsJ5Tb6WY0&eurl

[PotVsKtl]

zU73EMalvCY

[bmack86]

That video is pure insanity.

[J~$$$]

sexman needs braces!

[samiksha]

i saw it
http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v183/62/114/220302261/n220302261_30731414_397.jpg

[iv3rdawG]

Man, 2001: A Space Odyssey was amazing at the Arclight.

[Down Rodeo]

Man, 2001: A Space Odyssey was amazing at the Arclight.

Damn, I'm jealous.

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

Man, 2001: A Space Odyssey was amazing at the Arclight.

Of course it was amazing, they showed it in the dome. ;)

I am more interested though to hear about your thoughts on the actual film itself, in terms of Kubrick's techniques and style. I myself think it might be the greatest film ever made, and will probably write about it in detail tomorrow. It was a truly special experience to see it on such a gigantic screen. I almost wept with joy. Kubrick is clearly in awe of the majesty and emptiness of outer space, and that doesn't translate as well on a television set. Of all films, this is one that needs to be seen in a theatrical setting.

[downingthief]

I am insanely jealous...

[wmgaretjax]

I am seeing it in 70mm on sunday at the Cinerama here in Seattle.

[Down Rodeo]

Ahhh, I hate you both.

[schoolofruckus]

Yeah, I'm super pissed I missed the Arclight screening last night. I've always intended to catch this one in 70mm.....one of the best films ever made.

I did watch El Topo last night. What an insane film that is - on par with the likes of Week-End for sheer lunacy captured on film. I'd have to see it again to dissect some of the symbolism - I detected a very strong current of man-as-animal depiction in the film's ultra-violent first half, and a spiritually-enlightening ascension into humanity in the second - but it was a blast either way. When reading up on it this morning, I was the opposite of shocked when I came across a sentence reading that David Lynch is a huge fan; Wild at Heart, in particular, has this film's essence all over it.

[wmgaretjax]

That was John Lennon's favorite film. "Holy Mountain" and "Sante Sangre" are great as well.

If you haven't seen "Un Chien Andalou," (and further into Bunuel, "Phantom of Libterty") I would check it out as well as it was a huge influence on Jodorowsky.

While I enjoy this films, I'm not a huge fan of ultra surrealist films. I think I prefer when this style becomes injected with some realist restraint. I love the Russian film "4" (Chetyre) for this, and I think that "Safe" is another great example of this.

[schoolofruckus]

Safe is a film I'd like to watch again. I admired it a lot, but I didn't love it.

I have Un Chien Andalou (due to the recent Dali exhibit I saw here) and Holy Mountain (just because it sounds equally awesome) both in my Netflix queue. I have Syndromes and a Century at home and once El Topo gets returned, it looks like Naked Lunch is next up. I also still have The Idiots, Damnation, and I'm a Cyborg But That's OK at home to watch (all of which I have bought in the last few months), among other things.

Silver lining for the fact that I'm losing a day of work per week starting tomorrow.

[wmgaretjax]

You have some good movies coming up my friend.

[iv3rdawG]

VCsJ5Tb6WY0&eurl

IuHcNkLo8Ok

Man these videos are great.

[Down Rodeo]

I did watch El Topo last night. What an insane film that is - on par with the likes of Week-End for sheer lunacy captured on film. I'd have to see it again to dissect some of the symbolism - I detected a very strong current of man-as-animal depiction in the film's ultra-violent first half, and a spiritually-enlightening ascension into humanity in the second - but it was a blast either way. When reading up on it this morning, I was the opposite of shocked when I came across a sentence reading that David Lynch is a huge fan; Wild at Heart, in particular, has this film's essence all over it.

Yeah, I really want to see that one. I've got the Werckmeister Harmonies arriving this weekend.

[wmgaretjax]

Yeah, I really want to see that one. I've got the Werckmeister Harmonies arriving this weekend.

You are in for a treat.

[schoolofruckus]

I have to say, I've gotten some really good recommendations from you, and Werckmeister Harmonies may be the best one. I can't wait to watch it again.

[bug on your lip]

holy tits schoolio

i just got back from watching THE KING OF KONG
it fukkin blew me away
it was packed and the audience were actually CHEERING! CHEERING!
FUKK!
they were that emotionally invested into it....
unbelievable...
i haven't seen something like that in a long time...
the fukkin characters too... i found myself a couple of times saying.. "oh mah caco/god, this is a documentary... this is real !!!"

i mean awesome man....
you have to admit.... even if lastgreatman and caco had a baby, it wouldn't be as strange as awesome man

i'll hang up and listen

[Jerm05]

Man, 2001: A Space Odyssey was amazing at the Arclight.

U23D at the IMAX was pretty amazing. fairly related (big screens) so i thought i'd mention it.

[schoolofruckus]

Good to know on both King of Kong and U2: 3D. I expect to see them both shortly (the latter in IMAX).

[KungFuJoe]

Number one guilty pleasure of 2007.

e3TcY_aBe7M



also, I bought and watched the director's cut of Demonlover tonight. It's batshit crazy, but I fucking loved it. Not sure how different it is from the original as I've never watched it in it's entirety. All I know is Connie Nielson is divine. The making of & behind the scenes with Sonic Youth is pretty bad ass too.

[algunz]

I tried to watch Ratatouille with my daughter tonight. She got freaked out by the animation of the cooks, and I ended up turning it off.


I am rather bummed that I have raised such a pansy ass.

[roberto73]

Last night I watched Black Sheep – not the fine David Spade/Chris Farley vehicle, but the recent New Zealand horror movie about zombie sheep. It wouldn't be confused for high art by anyone, but it was a lot of fun in a Sam Raimi/Evil Dead kind of way (and there was more than a little bit of Dead Alive in there, too). More importantly, it was nice to see a movie that wasn't oozing CGI at every turn. It's a throwback, I guess, but better this than another Saw/Hostel knockoff.

[TomAz]

I saw There Will Be Blood last night. I will incur everyone's wrath by not giving it unqualified praise, and actually criticizing it a bit. In the whole it is an excellent movie, extraordinarily well acted, directed, etc., but not without its flaws. My main problem with the movie is that the symbolism in the story gets so heavy-handed at times that it just made me roll my eyes a bit. Also, portions of the plot were obvious and predictable. Finally, and this is really only a small personal quibble that will only affect a few of us of a certain age, but there were several times during the movie that I had to remind myself I was watching the great Daniel Day Lewis, and not Tom Selleck in Magnum PI, due strictly to the uncanny physical resemblence.

All in all this was a very engaging movie, but.








Now, these aren't exactly spoilers, but I will talk specifics down here, in blue.









'Heavy handed symbolism': With a war in Iraq that has been criticized as 'blood for oil'. making a movie where oil and blood are interchangable or parallel symbols is already treading on well-traveled ground and has little wiggle room to start with. Two images strike me as crossing the line. one is at Daniel's baptism, where they are talking about being 'washed in the blood of christ', and Eli pours pure clear water on his head. I realize this is standard baptismal procedure in some churches, but the contrast of pure water as blood vs. dirty oil as blood is a little too much for me. The other is at the end when Daniel gets Eli's blood on his shoe, just as HW got oil on his shoe earlier in the movie. too much.

Predictable: did anyone ever doubt that Mary and HW would get married? even when they were 8 years old?

[KungFuJoe]

At first I thought you were saying that the film was trying to say something about the war, but after reading your critique I get what you're saying Tom. Perhaps you over analyzed the film though. To me, it was less about the oil and more about the importance of a family bond and the study of Daniel Planviews character. Heavy handed at times, maybe. Powerful & affective, absolutely.

In an interview PTA did for the LA Weekly he states that he tried to avoid exactly what your main gripe is about.


Possible spoiler alert.





Once on the film's Marfa, Texas, set, Anderson continued to whittle at and refine the screenplay with a dedication befitting his own monomaniacal protagonist, taking particular care to remove anything that risked overstating the movie's themes. He describes one offending scene, between Plainview and the mysterious drifter (played by Kevin J. O'Connor) who claims to be his half brother, in which one of Plainview's lines echoed Eli Sunday in an earlier scene. "That's not something I wrote with any kind of writerly intention — to parallel these two guys," Anderson says. "I didn't even notice it was there until somebody on the set said, 'That's an interesting moment.' And my alarm bell went off: Don't do that! No writer's intentions allowed! When you're working on something, there's always a danger of screwing the screws in so fucking tight that it's not breathing any longer."

http://www.laweekly.com/film+tv/film/paul-thomas-anderson-blood-sweat-and-tears/18140/


I found this artical very insightful to Paul Thomas Anderson's methods & overall intentions.

[noisemachine]

Two images strike me as crossing the line. one is at Daniel's baptism, where they are talking about being 'washed in the blood of christ', and Eli pours pure clear water on his head. I realize this is standard baptismal procedure in some churches, but the contrast of pure water as blood vs. dirty oil as blood is a little too much for me.
I don't know. I think thats kind of a stretch. May not have been intended, since as you stated, its standard baptismal procedure more or less. But then again, I didn't see the film at all as a "no blood for oil"/Iraq allegory.

[iv3rdawG]

Arrested Development Movie in Development!
Source: E! Online
February 2, 2008

Kristen at E! Online was told by Jason Bateman that "the creative minds behind 'Arrested Development' (Mitch Hurwitz and Ron Howard) have put the wheels in motion toward a major motion picture of the Fox TV comedy so many of us adore. I'm told by insiders that Jason and other Bluth family members have received calls from producers (Hurwitz and Howard) asking if they would be willing to shoot a movie."

"I can confirm that a round of sniffing has started," Bateman said. "Any talk is targeting a poststrike situation, of course. I think, as always, that it's a question of whether the people with the money are willing to give our leader, Mitch Hurwitz, what he deserves for his participation. And I can speak for the cast when I say our fingers are crossed."

She adds that other cast members were called and that everyone seems to be very much on board and excited by the prospect.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=41604

:dumbo

[schoolofruckus]

I saw There Will Be Blood last night. I will incur everyone's wrath by not giving it unqualified praise, and actually criticizing it a bit. In the whole it is an excellent movie, extraordinarily well acted, directed, etc., but not without its flaws. My main problem with the movie is that the symbolism in the story gets so heavy-handed at times that it just made me roll my eyes a bit. Also, portions of the plot were obvious and predictable. Finally, and this is really only a small personal quibble that will only affect a few of us of a certain age, but there were several times during the movie that I had to remind myself I was watching the great Daniel Day Lewis, and not Tom Selleck in Magnum PI, due strictly to the uncanny physical resemblence.

All in all this was a very engaging movie, but.








Now, these aren't exactly spoilers, but I will talk specifics down here, in blue.









'Heavy handed symbolism': With a war in Iraq that has been criticized as 'blood for oil'. making a movie where oil and blood are interchangable or parallel symbols is already treading on well-traveled ground and has little wiggle room to start with. Two images strike me as crossing the line. one is at Daniel's baptism, where they are talking about being 'washed in the blood of christ', and Eli pours pure clear water on his head. I realize this is standard baptismal procedure in some churches, but the contrast of pure water as blood vs. dirty oil as blood is a little too much for me. The other is at the end when Daniel gets Eli's blood on his shoe, just as HW got oil on his shoe earlier in the movie. too much.

Predictable: did anyone ever doubt that Mary and HW would get married? even when they were 8 years old?

You incur no wrath, but I do have responses to your comments.

Spoilerz (interpretive rather than narrative; not to say that my interpretation is empirical, but I don't want it clouding yours)....

I do agree with you that there is a very clear parallel drawn between blood and oil. I do not necessarily agree that it is intended to have any connection to the current political climate, even when you factor in the additional critique of religious fanaticism. I too read the interview that Joe posted, and also at the Q & A with PTA, when someone tried to ask him about the film's political message, he wouldn't spend even one word addressing it. Ultimately, of course, you have to trust what you see in the film and throw out everything the filmmaker says in interviews or commentaries. But to me, this symbolism has more to do with what runs through Daniel Plainview's veins - the way his single-minded pursuit ultimately consumes his humanity - than with George Bush's conquests in the Middle East. I honestly can't say how the holy water fits in, however, because I think the film is clearly not in favor of religion as an alternative devotion.

As for HW marrying Mary....did it really bug you that that was predictable? I saw it coming as well, but if a plot point isn't designed to be surprising, then I could really care less if it was telegraphed.

And finally - I am not old enough to have watched Magnum: P.I. regularly as an adult, but I have seen re-runs and apart from the obvious lip rat they both bear, I have no fucking idea where you can say that Plainview resembles Magnum in the slightest. Here:

This is the closest Plainview-resembling photo of Magnum that I could find. Look at this vibrant, wavy head of hair and those piercing, almost Newman-esque (or Roberto-esque) blue eyes.

http://images.art.com/images/-/Tom-Selleck---Magnum-PI--C10102602.jpeg

Okay, now, you can't really see it in this photo because of the lighting (a problem, for this purpose, with seemingly every available online still for this film), but Plainview's eyes to me were a more sullen gray color. But more than the color, there was always the veeeeeery un-Magnum glint of evil and near hysteria whenever he was forced to look upon another person. And he does have hair, obviously, but it has none of the 80's matinee idol body of his alleged doppelganger. Plus, if you factor in the body language of each man (Magnum's can-do, action man attitude vs. Plainview's labored walk and contemptuous spacial relationship to other people), they're on opposite coasts. But I will concede, after poring through these photos, that their jawbones are kind of uncanny.

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb52/The_Playlist/ThereWillBeBlood-3.jpg

[noisemachine]

Pretty cool, as long as David Cross is on board.

[Down Rodeo]

I saw There Will Be Blood last night. I will incur everyone's wrath by not giving it unqualified praise, and actually criticizing it a bit. In the whole it is an excellent movie, extraordinarily well acted, directed, etc., but not without its flaws.


I agree with you that it's a great, but flawed, movie. That's why I placed No Country ahead of it this year. I may go into more detail in the future.

[KungFuJoe]

I find perfection in imperfection

[HowToDisappear]

but there were several times during the movie that I had to remind myself I was watching the great Daniel Day Lewis, and not Tom Selleck in Magnum PI, due strictly to the uncanny physical resemblence.

Ok Tom, I'm your age, I had a HUGE crush on Tom Selleck, and I watched Magnum P.I. religiously.

Not once did Daniel Day-Lewis' appearance conjure up thoughts of Tom Selleck for me. Not in the slightest.

[TomAz]

thank you HTD, I can safely put to rest any fears of latent homosexual tendencies. for now.

everyone else, good comments all. I didn't read any interviews with the director, I just saw the movie and reacted.

[atom heart]

Ok Tom, I'm your age, I had a HUGE crush on Tom Selleck, and I watched Magnum P.I. religiously.


Hehe.
Okay, I should shut up.
David Tennant


Unfortunately I still haven't seen this movie. Classes just started up again and the weather has been awful. I don't feel like taking a bus across the river.

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

Just as a heads up, the Landmark in Los Angeles is showing Last Year at Marienbad in a week-long engagement.

I also recently bought a ticket to see U2 3D. The following, written by Matt Zoller Seitz, is really exciting to me:


This is an extraordinary movie, well worth seeing -- one that not only suggests new artistic potential for 3D, but new expressive possibilities for cinema generally. When "Beowulf" came out, I read some criticism of the 3-D version suggesting that cinema was of necessity 2-D medium, a pictorial language, and that adding a third dimension turned it into something else -- pure spectacle. I can see the logic behind that, but I'd suggest that anyone inclined to agree with it wholeheartedly reserve judgment until they've seen "U2 3D." Owens and Pellington have really thought through the visual properties of 3D, figuring out, for example, that it's not truly 3-dimensional in the sense that life is 3-dimensional; that the effect when you watch it more akin to those multiplane camera effects that Disney's animated movies pioneered (zooming out through multiple layers of 2-D panoramas), except that in this case, there is a sense of depth, of indeterminate but palpable space, between each plane.

Certain sections of this movie reminded me of the hall of mirrors sequence in "The Lady From Shanghai," only instead of a lateral series of 2-D reflections of a single person, you're looking at six, ten, or a dozen translucent screens layered on top of each other, each one fully comprehensible in all its details, and in some sense "separate" from all the others, yet also merged into a single image. The graphics on the big screen, the musicians moving onstage, the various perspectives on the audience (closeups of individuals, group shots, shots of whole sections of thousands of onlookers) all merge into a single unified whole. It's just dazzling -- and the fact that it dovetails so perfectly with U2's message (erasing national and cultural borders -- the utopian hippie fantasy of bringing the world together with music) is the aesthetic cherry on top of this multi-tiered wedding cake of a movie.

It's not so much the technology itself that made this movie possible (though I'm sure the relative portability of the digital cameras compared to IMAX film cameras, or even 35mm film cameras, helped make it possible; ditto the much greater control that could be exercised during postproduction compared to manipulating film). I suspect the adventurous spirit of the filmmakers -- and the band that encouraged them to try new things -- deserves much of the credit for what ended up onscreen.

Imagine what Stan Brakhage could have done with this technology, or Stanley Kubrick, or Jordan Belson. Imagine what Peter Greenaway could do with this. Or Errol Morris.

I can picture "Ulysses" and other novels that have long been considered unfilmable (without oversimplifying their essence) being credibly adapted using this format, which, much more so than 2D cinema, or any other form of 3D cinema, finds a visual equivalent for the crowded human imagination, a place where past events, present experience, a speculative future and mad flights of fancy all coexist simultaneously in real time.

I know that sounds like some Walt Whitman craziness, but don't rule it out.

I won't go so far as to say that what we're seeing here is the future of cinema -- but it does suggest to me that the 2-dimensional, narrative driven model that has persisted for over a century represents motion pictures in its infancy; that perhaps future generations will look back, after another few centuries of cinematic evolution, and think of the 20th and early 21st century as the cave painting years.

Also:


I think the refinement of 3 D aesthetics showcased in this concert film could be applied to certain works of literature, particularly works by authors (like Joyce, Borges and Proust) that slip in and out of present and past tense, memory and fantasy, description and feeling. As far as most viewers are concerned, commercial narrative cinema is the only viable, comprehensible kind of moviemaking, and while filmmakers have bent it to all sorts of uncharacteristic, uncommercial ends, ultimately they rarely depart too far from the template established by Griffith, which clearly sections off past tense from present, closeup from wide shot, via hard cuts or quick dissolves. There have been quite a few movies that attempt to infuse past with present, memory with experience -- "The Limey" and "Point Blank" and much of Wong Kar-Wai's and Stan Brakhage's filmographies spring immediately to mind -- but what Owens does in the U2 movie suggests that there's a whole largely unexplored country out there. The pristine sharpness of this new digital 3 D allows for the construction of scrims or screens that exist simultaneously within the frame without turning the entire image into kaleidoscopic , psychedelic mush (which is what many films that attempt to suggest multiple, simultaneous thoughts ultimate turn into). Eisensteinian montage allows one image to be juxtaposed with another image via a cut to suggest a new idea (synthesis), but the synthesis occurs only in the viewer's mind, not on the screen. This different approach to 3D suggests that it's possible to create true synthesis on the screen, in real time, and keep that synthesis going, while still maintaining the essential separateness of the ideas which create that synthesis. (Wow, it's 10:38 AM New York time, yet somehow in this comments thread it's become 3 AM in the dorm room.)

Here's a section of "Ulysses" that could be visualized, in all its wild juxtaposition and continuous flow of time/space, via the multi-plane 3D filmmaking that the U2 film showcases so vividly. Read this and try to imagine the different images being presented in translucent yet solid scrims on a 3D screen, so that you can see one image while another one comes up, and another, each image fading slowly, only when the filmmaker decides that its potency has ebbed from the mind of the narrator (i.e., the audience member):

"frseeeeeeeefronnnng train somewhere whistling the strength those engines have in them like big giants and the water rolling all over and out of them all sides like the end of Loves old sweet synnnng the poor men that have to be out all the night from their wives and families in those roasting engines stifling it was today Im glad I burned the half of those old Freemans and Photo bits leaving things like that lying around hes getting very careless and threw the rest of them up in the W C Ill get him to cut them tomorrow for me instead of having them there for the next year to get a few pence for them have him asking wheres last Januarys paper and all those old overcoats I bundled out of the hall making the place hotter than it is the rain was lovely just after my beauty sleep I thought it was going to get like Gibraltar my goodness the heat there before the levanter came on black as night and the glare of the rock standing up in it like a big giant compared with their 3 Rock mountain they think is so great with the red sentries here and there the poplars and they all whitehot and the mosquito nets and the smell of the rainwater in those tanks watching the sun all the time weltering down on you faded all that lovely frock fathers friend Mrs Stanhope sent me from the B Marche Paris what a shame my dearest Doggerina she wrote on what she was very nice whats this her other name was just a P C to tell you I sent the little present have just had a jolly warm bath and feel a very clean dog now enjoyed it wogger she called him wogger wd give anything to be back in Gib and hear you sing in old Madrid or Waiting Concone is the name of those exercises he bought me one of those new some word Icouldn't make out shawls amusing things but tear for the least thing still theyre lovely I think dont you will always think of the lovely teas we had together scrumptious currant scones and raspberry wafers I adore well now dearest Doggerina be sure and write soon kind she left out regards to your father also Captain Grove with love yrs affly x x x x x she didnt look a bit married just like a girl he was years older than her wogger he was awfully fond of me when he held down the wire with his foot for me to step over at the bullfight at La Linea when that matador Gomez was given the bulls ear clothes we have to wear whoever invented them expecting you to walk up Killiney hill then for example at that picnic all staysed up you cant do a blessed thing in them in a crowd run or jump out of the way thats why I was afraid when that other ferocious old Bull began to charge the banderillos with the sashes and the 2 things in their hats and the brutes of men shouting bravo toro sure the women were as bad in their nice white mantillas ripping all the whole insides out of those poor horses I never heard of such a thing in all my life yes he used to break his heart at me taking off the dog barking in bell lane poor brute and it sick what became of them ever I suppose theyre dead long ago the 2 of them its like all through a mist makes you feel so old..."

It's hard to imagine a passage like this one being visualized on a big screen without losing the sense of emotional/descriptive continuity Joyce conjures. Part of the problem is that we're so accustomed to seeing memory or fantasy represented as something that exists apart from our present-tense reality. But the fact is, this way of seeing is an artificial construct that does not reflect how we actually experience life. When you're walking down the street, you're not just experiencing the street -- you're thinking about your destination, and why you're going there, and how the street has changed over the years, and how that guy standing by the lamppost vaguely reminds you of your grandfather, and how your grandfather used to wear a particular hat and coat every day, and how he sipped his coffee, and the expression on his face as he sipped coffee in the hospital waiting room on the night your grandmother died, and your grandmother's funeral, and the flowers on the grave, and how the flowers were nothing like the flowers in the window of the shop you're just now passing on your way home.

Visualize the above as a sequence of shots and cuts, and it might take ten or fifteen minutes to convey that series of sensations and impressions while doing all of them justice -- and you wouldn't do all of them justice because whether you moved from one image via a cut or dissolve, you would still be leaving certain images behind in order to show new ones, resulting in a visual/emotional shorthand that doesn't reflect how multiple feelings and sensations linger in the mind, solidly or as a kind of psychic residue. Do the same passage onscreen in 3D, with long match dissolves that keep the different elements onscreen simultaneously, and you might actually get closer to approximating what it's like to see those images and feel those feelings.

What I'm getting at is this: cinema's potential to simulate the actual process of thinking -- to allow us to actually experience someone else's thoughts, to go inside their heads for a while -- has come a long, long way, but it's still in its expressive infancy. New tools could push it along -- that and bold artists with equally bold investors backing their bravery.

[wmgaretjax]

"Last Year at Marienbad" is essential viewing.

[bballarl]

I just finished "Don't Look Back". It was interesting.

[ivankay]

U23D at the IMAX was pretty amazing. fairly related (big screens) so i thought i'd mention it.

i just finished seeing it. It was awesome! Some of you might know i like to occasionally take pictures at shows. i really love good concert photos. U23D is a collection of some of the most excellent ways you can film a show, edited in different dimensions, HUGE IMAX, sounding fucking excellent great experience. i hope all the greatest live acts do this 3D IMAx thing with the same people who shot and edited this. Gimme a Radiohead/Roger Waters/Led Zepplin/Prince/next Coachella Movie 3D Imax version. A great way to spend your time in a theater.

i saw it at the Bridge and was running a little late. i asked the girl at the box office "Has it started yet?" She said "no". i go in, make a super fast detour to the bathroom, and miss all of "Vertigo" (no trailers). One of the managers and i talked after, so i got something to eat, and then saw "Vertigo" 45 minutes later. Fucking excellent.

[roberto73]

i just finished seeing it. It was awesome! Some of you might know i like to occasionally take pictures at shows. i really love good concert photos. U23D is a collection of some of the most excellent ways you can film a show, edited in different dimensions, HUGE IMAX, sounding fucking excellent great experience. i hope all the greatest live acts do this 3D IMAx thing with the same people who shot and edited this. Gimme a Radiohead/Roger Waters/Led Zepplin/Prince/next Coachella Movie 3D Imax version. A great way to spend your time in a theater.

i saw it at the Bridge and was running a little late. i asked the girl at the box office "Has it started yet?" She said "no". i go in, make a super fast detour to the bathroom, and miss all of "Vertigo" (no trailers). One of the managers and i talked after, so i got something to eat, and then saw "Vertigo" 45 minutes later. Fucking excellent.

Were you there for the 5:00 show? I was in row H, pretty much dead center. I thought it was pretty terrific. It captures the live experience in a way no other concert film ever has. The articles quoted by NMH above seem to be pretty spot-on for the promise represented by this technology.

[thinnerair]

I watched the original 'Funny Games' last night. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Has anyone seen this? Im curious to watch the upcoming remake.

[ivankay]

Were you there for the 5:00 show? I was in row H, pretty much dead center. I thought it was pretty terrific. It captures the live experience in a way no other concert film ever has. The articles quoted by NMH above seem to be pretty spot-on for the promise represented by this technology.

i was in sitting in the 3rd row from the back (i think row J) on the right hand side. Amen to the capturing comment. I was welling up more than a few times. The crowd was so energetic and joyful. The band was soooooo goooood. Edge was the best!

Anyone who said U2 would be lame at Coachella is just plain ol' wrong. They would be so perfect. It would be most goose bumply getting those Joshua Tree songs only a short distance from the trees.

[J~$$$]

holy tits schoolio

i just got back from watching THE KING OF KONG
it fukkin blew me away
it was packed and the audience were actually CHEERING! CHEERING!
FUKK!
they were that emotionally invested into it....
unbelievable...
i haven't seen something like that in a long time...
the fukkin characters too... i found myself a couple of times saying.. "oh mah caco/god, this is a documentary... this is real !!!"

i mean awesome man....
you have to admit.... even if lastgreatman and caco had a baby, it wouldn't be as strange as awesome man

i'll hang up and listen

I watched it last night. Awesome. Grown men crying over video games. It was true emotion though. I have stabbed my friend in the leg over mario kart so I understand their plight.

Next up.....Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade its documentary about the same group of nerds.

[PotVsKtl]

I'm not trying to shit in anyone's proscenium here but The Assassination of Jesse James by Etc. and the Malevolents was heartily and promptly ruined by an hour of endless expository voiceover and exceedingly drab and uninspired art design.

[bug on your lip]

Chasing Ghosts is next up on mah list now too

[J~$$$]

Oh and that dude steve is pretty badass on the skins.

[canexplain]

i watched and odd movie last night "Sunshine" reminded me a little of the 2001 feel ... and i watched scorsesy's sp movie about the daile lama sp geez my spelling sucks, that was long but had great images .. canx**

[wmgaretjax]

I'm not trying to shit in anyone's proscenium here but The Assassination of Jesse James by Etc. and the Malevolents was heartily and promptly ruined by an hour of endless expository voiceover and exceedingly drab and uninspired art design.

I generally hate voice over, but in this film it served some great purposes in regards to examining the nature of oral tradition.

[PotVsKtl]

I generally hate voice over, but in this film it served some great purposes in regards to examining the nature of oral tradition.

That's probably an accurate interpretation of the filmmakers' intentions, but it doesn't change my reaction to the technique. If you're going to give voice to the characters' internal monologues, I don't want to see the moment unfolding simultaneously. The worst example is the final few days with Bob and Jesse at his family home, the melancholy looks as he plays with his kids. I want to read the actors' face, not hear his thoughts. Leave something to the viewer.

[schoolofruckus]

I agree. This was one of my favorite voice-over tracks ever; for a film that seemed so novel-esque in its storytelling canvas, it felt wholly appropriate. A pox on the Skittle house.

There's a teaser on AICN for the new Shyamalan movie. The title is awful - The Happening? Really? - but this clip is extremely promising. (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/35498)

[PotVsKtl]

I've got $50 on the Rapture.

[wmgaretjax]

zombies?

[PotVsKtl]

No, just regular old sinners like you and me.

[Hawkings]

i just finished seeing it. It was awesome! Some of you might know i like to occasionally take pictures at shows. i really love good concert photos. U23D is a collection of some of the most excellent ways you can film a show, edited in different dimensions, HUGE IMAX, sounding fucking excellent great experience. i hope all the greatest live acts do this 3D IMAx thing with the same people who shot and edited this. Gimme a Radiohead/Roger Waters/Led Zepplin/Prince/next Coachella Movie 3D Imax version. A great way to spend your time in a theater.

got your link in the other thread. Jah loved the U2 3D too ! I didn't know when he got Miss Sarijevo how he do it, but Bono doing the Pavarotti part was pretty sweet. The flags of all the Latin American Countries, the discussion of MLK's dream as not just an American dream but a world dream was awsome, so many powerful moments. The crowd was so into the show too could feel their emotion in the soccer stadiums. Your so right about them needed to do 3D versions of other concerts.

[iv3rdawG]

http://i3.yesasia.com/assets/GalleryImage/r_g0000089587_0_02.jpg

http://i3.yesasia.com/assets/GalleryImage/r_g0000089587_0_01.jpeg

http://global.yesasia.com/en/ImageGallery.aspx/section-videos/code-w/version-all/pid-1005180368/#enlarge

This six-disc Japan release Grindhouse boxset comes with:
# Disc 1: Feature Film Death Proof
# Disc 2: Death Proof Bonus Features
# Disc 3: Feature Film Planet Terror
# Disc 4: Planet Terror Bonus Features
# Disc 5: Grindhouse (US Theatrical Release Version)
# Disc 6: Japan Exclusive Grindhouse Bonus Features
- Grindhouse US Version Original Trailer
- 2006 San Diego Comicon - Director and Cast Q&A
- Tarantino Interview in Japan
- Cast & Crew Comments (including Tarantino, Rodriguez, and Fake Trailer Directors)
- Grindhouse Films Featurette
- Making of Planet Terror

[Down Rodeo]

I just saw Werckmeister Harmonies, and I'm just speechless. I won't even attempt to describe it, but I'll just say it was one of the most glorious cinematic experiences of my life.

[wmgaretjax]

I just saw Werckmeister Harmonies, and I'm just speechless. I won't even attempt to describe it, but I'll just say it was one of the most glorious cinematic experiences of my life.

yes. this always makes me happy.

[Down Rodeo]

What are your thoughts on the film's meaning/possible allegory?

[Courtney]

I've seen two movies recently: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and 27 Dresses. I'm classy like that.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly has already been discussed here somewhat extensively, so I'll just say that I enjoyed it. As with Schnabel's other directorial projects, I am again taken aback by the fact that he is a much better filmmaker than painter. His visual idiom has lost all harshness from the bold, impasto, decadent neo-expressionist work of his 1980s heyday. What remains is just the sort of fragile, nuanced, thoughtful work that by revealing its imperfections in shades creates a sort of beauty that would have been unimaginable earlier.

27 Dresses is exactly the puffy, frivolous love story that it aims to be. Katherine Heigl is endearing as perpetual bridesmaid, although I'm not sure that she and love interest James Marsden have very much chemistry. The film is fairly predictable in its plot trajectory, touching all the expected highs and lows, but if you're a fan of the genre it will give you enough to keep you interested and rooting for the characters. Judy Greer is a delight in her best friend / comic relief role, and Ed Burns is believable as the crush-worthy boss. Malin Akerman is slightly less believable as the hotter younger sister to Heigl, but I guess it's fairly typical Hollywood convention to have blonde code for hot and brunette code for girl-next-door. Despite the numerous similarities to other wedding-themed romantic comedies (My Best Friend's Wedding, for example), 27 Dresses is a cute, amusing, neatly tied-up piece of froth. Just don't overthink it.

[whynotsmile99]

Courtney, you are a very good reviewer

[Courtney]

Thank you.

[whynotsmile99]

i just got El Topo on Netflix. Never even heard of it before, but reading the comments a few pages back I bumped it to the top of my list. I;m 40 minutes in right now and really digging it. Way out there, but pretty damn stunning.

I'll try and get Werekmeister Harmonies as well. Great thread guys.

One of the things I love so much about film is you can never see all there is. I've been a huge film buff all my life and exposed my friend to many unique and interesting movies from all over the world, and yet I had never seen any Jodrowsky before. Awesome

[schoolofruckus]

27 Dresses is exactly the puffy, frivolous love story that it aims to be. Katherine Heigl is endearing as perpetual bridesmaid, although I'm not sure that she and love interest James Marsden have very much chemistry. The film is fairly predictable in its plot trajectory, touching all the expected highs and lows, but if you're a fan of the genre it will give you enough to keep you interested and rooting for the characters. Judy Greer is a delight in her best friend / comic relief role, and Ed Burns is believable as the crush-worthy boss. Malin Akerman is slightly less believable as the hotter younger sister to Heigl, but I guess it's fairly typical Hollywood convention to have blonde code for hot and brunette code for girl-next-door. Despite the numerous similarities to other wedding-themed romantic comedies (My Best Friend's Wedding, for example), 27 Dresses is a cute, amusing, neatly tied-up piece of froth. Just don't overthink it.

Is it less sexist than Knocked Up?

You'll have to excuse my continued dead horse beating, but I've been waiting to pop this question since I saw the trailers for this movie.

[Courtney]

Is it less sexist than Knocked Up?

You'll have to excuse my continued dead horse beating, but I've been waiting to pop this question since I saw the trailers for this movie.

The male and female characters are all equally one-note, which differentiates it fairly significantly from Knocked Up.

[canexplain]

I saw something in a movie that cracked me up over the weekend … die hard with a vengeance... Don’t know how many remember this part … (part of the plot is they are trying to figure out who the 42 and 21st presidents were (try google dude) …… so jacksonl and willis are in a car racing around the city …. This woman pulls in front of them and Samuel yells “who do you think you are , hillary Clinton” then he says something like, who is the 42 president, and willis says “I don’t know, but she (hillary) will be the 43rd president” … one pres off, but it was kind of ironic being that the flick was made in 1995 so years ago … canx**

[schoolofruckus]

The male and female characters are all equally one-note, which differentiates it fairly significantly from Knocked Up.

Fair enough. I can't really reply with anything concrete - having not seen the movie. But I'd be really surprised if my preconceptions of it were inaccurate.

[schoolofruckus]

I saw something in a movie that cracked me up over the weekend … die hard with a vengeance... Don’t know how many remember this part … (part of the plot is they are trying to figure out who the 42 and 21st presidents were (try google dude) …… so jacksonl and willis are in a car racing around the city …. This woman pulls in front of them and Samuel yells “who do you think you are , hillary Clinton” then he says something like, who is the 42 president, and willis says “I don’t know, but she (hillary) will be the 43rd president” … one pres off, but it was kind of ironic being that the flick was made in 1995 so years ago … canx**

You're right - that IS funny.

[wmgaretjax]

What are your thoughts on the film's meaning/possible allegory?

Everytime I watch this movie I think I can get a hold on it, but I always want to watch it again before putting it to words. I haven't watched it in a while, I'll check it out this weekend and try and post my thoughts in as coherent a manner as possible.

[phxunderground]

I watched the original 'Funny Games' last night. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Has anyone seen this? Im curious to watch the upcoming remake.

Yes, saw it a couple of years ago. I liked it too but I'm not too sure about the remake with Naomi Watts and Tim Roth. They're both strong actors and the Michael Haneke is directing it again. He makes amazing and complex films with so much subtext that I don't know how that can be captured in an english version of the film. I'm afraid they're going to change the ending to make it more American audience friendly.

If you like Funny Games, check out some of the director's other films like Benny's Video, The Time of the Wolf or Cache. But definitely check out The Piano Teacher which I think is Haneke's best. Talk about repression. It's essential viewing for Haneke's admirers!

[PotVsKtl]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51OJwWWldzL._AA240_.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Collection-Continent-Fragments-Chronology/dp/B000SIWHAK/

[wmgaretjax]

He makes amazing and complex films with so much subtext that I don't know how that can be captured in an english version of the film. I'm afraid they're going to change the ending to make it more American audience friendly.

Subtext? Haneke said this film was originally about America, why wouldn't it translate into english?

Also, it's been said explicitly that it will be a shot for shot remake.

[phxunderground]

Well Gus Van Sant said the same thing about Psycho and look what happened there.

[PotVsKtl]

Luckily Gus Van Sant is not Alfred Hitchcock.

[KungFuJoe]

I'm going to watch The Ten now.

just watched D-Wars. man was that bad, although at 80 minutes it's fairly amusing.

[roberto73]

Last night I watched Mamet's House of Games for the first time in about ten years. I'd forgotten how good that movie is.

Today will be, I think, Persepolis. I'd see it anyway, but it makes the choice easier when the competition is Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins and Fools Gold. Man, I hate January and February.

[Jenniehoo]

I loved the first 4 to 5 sketches in The Ten - I think after a certain point both Gabe and I got bored. I can't speak for Schoolio - it's just a hunch. But it's still a very funny movie, either way.

[Courtney]

Why do Mamet videos always have such bad cover design?

[amyzzz]

I watched Sherrybaby last night (on regular TV). Heartbreaking movie. I gave my kids a hug after watching it.

[roberto73]

Why do Mamet videos always have such bad cover design?

Beats me. Does a director have any input in that area? At any rate, I also think his musical scores are usually pretty weak – pseudo-jazzy stuff. I've been a big fan for years and years, and I've always had the impression that he's a genius at what he does, but that fact has rendered him out of touch with the larger culture, which includes music and graphic design. Kind of like Woody Allen, who's been plowing the same furrow for thirty years, regardless of trends.

[schoolofruckus]

I think directors are at least allowed to offer opinions on marketing concepts - both print art and the trailer - but it's usually a marketing chief's decision as to the final product. Some directors are able to attain final say over the way their posters/video covers/trailers are designed. But it's pretty rare unless you have a ton of clout, or unless you're making independent films and the distributor likes your ideas.

The MGM DVD cover of House of Games sucks, but the Criterion cover is terrific:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41X-0XfC6vL._SS500_.jpg

I like the slightly-archaic jazzy quality to Mamet's scores. It complements his characters, who are always old-pro types.

[schoolofruckus]

I loved the first 4 to 5 sketches in The Ten - I think after a certain point both Gabe and I got bored. I can't speak for Schoolio - it's just a hunch. But it's still a very funny movie, either way.

You know, you're right. The bigger problem was really that this was one of many films I passed out in. I remember digging a few of the early sketches - though I have a hard time recalling which ones....and then thinking the idea was running out of gas....zzzz.....

[schoolofruckus]

I think directors are at least allowed to offer opinions on marketing concepts - both print art and the trailer - but it's usually a marketing chief's decision as to the final product. Some directors are able to attain final say over the way their posters/video covers/trailers are designed. But it's pretty rare unless you have a ton of clout, or unless you're making independent films and the distributor likes your ideas.


I just posted this in the Post Your Picture thread....but this may have something to do with why directors are not automatically given jurisdiction over their marketing elements:

PEEPS (http://www.thapeeps.com/trailer.htm)

[KungFuJoe]

I loved the first 4 to 5 sketches in The Ten - I think after a certain point both Gabe and I got bored. I can't speak for Schoolio - it's just a hunch. But it's still a very funny movie, either way.

Yes. I thought the movie was hilarious. The first skit with Adam Brody was kind of dumb, but after that the movie picked up some steam. I never got bored because it move along pretty fast and was very short. Overall I was very pleased. That Ken Marino cracks me up.

[schoolofruckus]

I watched my first movie in about a week this morning, and it was Cronenberg's Naked Lunch. What a twisted thing that was. I enjoyed it - it's off the fucking wall and morbidly funny. The lead actor, Peter Weller, was outstanding. I've never read any of William S. Burroughs' writings, but apparently this is an amalgam of many of them (with some autobiographical elements), rather than a straight adaptation of the novel Naked Lunch.

[Yablonowitz]

I just posted this in the Post Your Picture thread....but this may have something to do with why directors are not automatically given jurisdiction over their marketing elements:

PEEPS (http://www.thapeeps.com/trailer.htm)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA! Fucking Peeps had to have kicked ass, Gabe. You know this to be true.

Actually, what would a studio do with this movie to make it more palatable?

[Down Rodeo]

I watched Bringing Out the Dead today. This has to be one of the most underrated movies Scorsese has ever done. I thought it was great, but it gets very little praise and if I remember correctly, did poorly in theaters. It's similar in theme and style to Taxi Driver, and it has some pretty brilliant sequences in it. It's worth checking out if you haven't seen it yet.

[thestripe]

I just watched "Fearless Freaks: The Flaming Lips". It's a 2005 documentary directed by Bradley Beesley (also directed most of the Lip's music videos) that chronicles the band from their beginnings in Okalahoma. Most of the film consists of interviews with the band and their families, along with live performances and studio footage. The film stretches from their small time stage shows, signing to WB, battles with drug addiction, loss of guitarist Ronald Jones, to the Lips crazy live shows that they are known for now.
I really enjoyed this movie, and how it portrayed the band on a human level. The interviews with Wayne are very personal and funny. The film also shows how the band came up with the concept of Zaireeka (the four-CD album which is intended to be heard by playing all four CDs in four separate CD players simultaneously) and how the band conducted a series of parking lot experiments, and later boom box experiments with their fans. I could go on about the film, but it's really worth taking the time to watch, even if you are not a huge fan. I give it an A+.

[schoolofruckus]

I watched Bringing Out the Dead today. This has to be one of the most underrated movies Scorsese has ever done. I thought it was great, but it gets very little praise and if I remember correctly, did poorly in theaters. It's similar in theme and style to Taxi Driver, and it has some pretty brilliant sequences in it. It's worth checking out if you haven't seen it yet.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. I think this film is amazing.

[schoolofruckus]

I just watched "Fearless Freaks: The Flaming Lips". It's a 2005 documentary directed by Bradley Beesley (also directed most of the Lip's music videos) that chronicles the band from their beginnings in Okalahoma. Most of the film consists of interviews with the band and their families, along with live performances and studio footage. The film stretches from their small time stage shows, signing to WB, battles with drug addiction, loss of guitarist Ronald Jones, to the Lips crazy live shows that they are known for now.
I really enjoyed this movie, and how it portrayed the band on a human level. The interviews with Wayne are very personal and funny. The film also shows how the band came up with the concept of Zaireeka (the four-CD album which is intended to be heard by playing all four CDs in four separate CD players simultaneously) and how the band conducted a series of parking lot experiments, and later boom box experiments with their fans. I could go on about the film, but it's really worth taking the time to watch, even if you are not a huge fan. I give it an A+.

I also agree with this wholeheartedly. This is possibly the best rock band documentary I've seen. It doesn't hurt that the Lips are one of my most favorite bands.

[schoolofruckus]

I watched Syndromes and a Century last night. This Thai film is ultimately a paradoxical, dual story about a medical community - primarily focusing on the pretty Dr. Toey and the recently-arrived Dr. Nohng, but also extending to their colleagues, their romantic interests, and their memories. The story unfolds once in a hospital in rural Thailand - in an undefined but definitely decades-ago time period - and then again in a modern day big city (Bangkok?). It's a subtle and wholly unique narrative (not the device, but the way it unspools) that, at times, had me mystified as to what it was all adding up to. But the power of the filmmaking kept me absorbed, and reflecting on it this morning, the movie makes sense in an elemental (if not entirely tangible) way. If you're into cinema-as-tone-poem, this is a great place to go.

[roberto73]

Has anyone seen The Orphanage? I had to drive to Oxnard to see it because it only lasted for a week in Santa Barbara. That's a loss for SB because I thought it was really, really great. After years and years of movies, I'm so desensitized that not much bothers me, but there were sequences in this movie that were genuinely creepy. I'm not used to watching a movie with squinted eyes, but that was the case yesterday. I also thought the ending hit just the right note. It could have gone for crushing and depressing or shmaltzy and sentimental, but it somehow managed to strike a nice balance between the two. Recommended if it's still playing around you.