My vote:
Tren de Sombras – 1 vs. 24 hour Party People – 0
Manchester is not Texas.
José Luis Guerín (Tren de Sombras) – 1 vs. Michael Winterbottom (24 hour Party People) – 0
in short tren de sombras is like a book one would like to go through again and again and dwell in to find something fresh each and every time. Few films pass that feeling of temps perdu. A very easy vote for me; no offence, ‘iggy pop’, but guerín and party people are not in the same weight category.
José Luis Guerín (Tren de Sombras) – 1 vs. Michael Winterbottom (24 hour Party People) – 0
Jose Luis Geurin (Tren de Sombras) – 1 vs Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People) – 0
Although I’m not too particular to either of these films, I would have to say that the Guerin film is the better film. The Winterbottom could have been really great if it was actually about the music as it said in the film, than the Coogan character. This film is supposed to represent some of the best music that came from late 70’s and 80’s England. But in the end it makes all of them look rather silly and meaningless.
Tren De Sombras 1 – 24 Hour Party People 0
Both films were excellent. Tren de Sombras was extremely interesting, first showing us a family video at full speed, then analyzing that video and revealing subtle hidden relationships. 24 Hour Party People is, in my opinion, a well told story about the birth of a kind of music I love, and I enjoy the meta-narrative style, but it’s not as successfully ‘Filmic’.
Tren de sombras 1 – 24 Hour Party People 0
Thanks for posting the thread, Sir, and for closing the other. Much appreciated ;)
I’ll be watching Tren de Sombas tonight, hopefully, but I very much enjoyed 24 Hour Party People.
Jose Luis Geurin (Tren de Sombras) – 0 vs Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People) – 1
Though I enjoyed both, I liked the fact that 24 hour does not take itself or the music so seriously. Too many music based films are caught up in their own myth and do quite a bit of revision to justify their own meaning. There are some weak moments, but I enjoyed Coogan’s performance.
Tren de sombras 1 – 24 Hour Party People 0
I had hoped to enjoy both films more. It was really a difficult decision. I didn’t dislike either, I just expected a bit more. I’ve even changed my vote since I began typing this post. It really came down to aesthetic appeal. I really liked the vintage feel of Tren de sombras during the archival portions and the parallels in black and white and color. I love Joy Division and thought 24HPP was creative, but it just wasn’t as pretty (subjectivity-at-work), at the end of the day.
Jose Luis Geurin (Tren de Sombras) – 0 vs Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People) – 1
Jose Luis Geurin (Tren de Sombras) – 0 vs Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People) – 1
This vote is more or less useless, as 1) Winterbottom is obviously going to lose this match and 2) he is already eliminated. However, I still think that this vote is deserved, because 24HPP was my first Winterbottom and what made me gravitate towards his films (as well as the works of Steve Coogan). I think Pierre hit it on the head when he said that the appeal of this film is the fact that it doesn’t take itself seriously. A simple comparison to Control (which I also enjoyed, just to clarify) shows this. In Control, everything led to this dramatic scene of Ian Curtis’ suicide, while 24HPP’s suicide was almost a footnote, while still being somehow dignified. This film also introduced some of the postmodern storytelling techniques that Winterbottom would use, in a higher capacity, in Tristram Shandy.
As for Tren de Sombras, I appreciated what Guerin was doing and, at times, I even found myself strangely captivated. However, overall, it was an easy choice.
Tren De Sombras 0 – 24 Hour Party People 1
Howard Devoto’s line
Jose Luis Geurin (Tren de Sombras) – 1 vs Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People) – 0
Easiest vote ever.
RUS says:
Tren de Sombras – 1 vs. 24 hour Party People – 0
I think Pierre hit it on the head when he said that the appeal of this film is the fact that it doesn’t take itself seriously. A simple comparison to Control (which I also enjoyed, just to clarify) shows this. In Control, everything led to this dramatic scene of Ian Curtis’ suicide, while 24HPP’s suicide was almost a footnote, while still being somehow dignified.
That’s because 24 Hour Party People is the story of Manchester’s music boom of the 80s as told by Tony Wilson. Actually, it’s the story of Tony Wilson as told by Tony Wilson, but I suppose they’re one and the same to him. I think this is the brilliant thing about the film, the little exaggerations and shifts in emphasis that indicate who’s narrating this thing much more clearly than any address to the camera could. Tony Wilson takes himself very seriously, but to him everybody else isn’t much more than a footnote anyway.
Control is also a great film, and actually a fascinating companion piece. They’re two stories that often overlap, told from very different perspectives, and painting a very different picture of the same time and place.
Train of Shadows (Guerin) – 0 // 24 Hour Party People (Winterbottom) – 1
Tren de Sombras is very clever and evocative and mournful and all, but it never really connected with me and wound up feeling like a sort of dry academic exercise with sprinkles of contemplative cinema throughout the old house. Nevertheless an undeniably interesting film and more evidence that Guerin is a very intelligent and daring director.
Winterbottom’s film is not without its subtext – it’s not just “party people” – although I can see why people see it as too slight in this match-up. But Tony Wilson achieves a wonderful sort of self-aggrandizing dignity in that final act and the ending provides the perfect capper for the winking meta-narrative that is so well-suited to him as Steve Coogan plays him.
Tren de Sombras – 1 vs. 24 hour Party People – 0
José Luis Guerín Tren de Sombras 1 – Michael Winterbottom 24 hour Party People 0
I’m glad someone choose Winterbottom for the cup. Looks like he lost but still. Now I need to go see Tren de Sombras.
I’m aware of Winterbottom, and interested in seeing more of his films. That’s more important than winning, no?
How do you “win” in art?
Vikram says:
José Luis Guerín (Tren de Sombras) 1 – Michael Winterbottom (24 hour Party People) 0
Easy. Get a lot of fans of your particular medium, and make them bored enough to start a contest.
I’mma start voting soon. Just need school to end and then I’ve got tunzafreethyme
Tren de sombras 1 – 24 Hour Party People 0
José Luis Guerín (Tren de Sombras) —1 vs. Michael Winterbottom (24 hour Party People) —0
I was looking forward to voting for Winterbottom in this one, and even halfway through Tren de Sombras I thought I still would, then the slow clicks and stops through the home films, juxtaposed with the music transformed the film into something completely different than what I thought I had been watching, and I was captivated.
Best film of Round 2 so far.
Very happy to have seen both films. I’ll see them both again, no doubt.
Jose Luis Geurin (Tren de Sombras) – 0 vs Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People) – 1
Jose Luis Geurin (Tren de Sombras) – 0 vs Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People) – 1
I like both films, but I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of either. It’s been a hew years since I’ve seen the Winterbottom film, but i do remember enjoying it more than the Luis Guerin film. I find all three Luis Guerin films I’ve seen a little problematic. He’s doing something very interesting both in terms of form and content, so I admire those qualities, but I can’t get rid of this niggling feeling that his films also seem a bit too contrived.
Tren des Sombras-0, 24 Hour Party People-1
Of the 3 Guerin films I have seen, this one is my least favorite. I love In The City of Sylvia and like Berta’s Motives quite a bit. Train of Shadows isn’t bad, it just didn’t move me.
24 Hour Party People among my favorite of WInterbottom’s. The Factory Records story is fascinating on its own, but Winterbottom makes the film equally entertaining. The things Michael Winterbottom does to Steve Coogan in his films never ceases to amuse me.
Sir Douglas
The extended voting period for this match lasts until 7pm BST (6pm GMT) on Friday, June 3, which means that users will have over 48 hours in order to publish their votes. The world map which lists all current time zones can be found on www.worldtimezone.com, so that everyone can be up to date about how much time is left.
After the voting period is over the votes will be counted and the results published. The next match will begin before 7pm BST (6pm GMT) on Sunday, June 5.
Each user can vote on any match as long as he/she has watched both films that are lined-up against each other. An explanation for the preference in each case would be greatly appreciated. Managers are not allowed to vote on matches that their director participates in. The voting should be handled like this:
Film A 1 (or 0) – Film B 0 (or 1)
Please mark the winning film/score in large or heavy print.
PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU DO NOT NAME BOTH FILMS IN YOUR POST YOUR VOTE WILL NOT BE COUNTED
The match (managers in parentheses) you´re going to vote for on this thread is:
José Luis Guerín (Tren de Garsas) Tren de Sombras vs. Michael Winterbottom (ComeandSee) 24 hour Party People
If you have not seen either of these films and are not able to access them on your own then pm me and I should hopefully be able to give you access to streaming links.