Directors' Cup Voting, Round 2, Match 29: Yoshishige Yoshida (Eros Plus Massacre) vs Jacques Tati (Mon Oncle)
So…Mon Oncle is….eccentric….anti-technological and invigoratingly awesome! Oh yes, what a word, sure an uncle’s job is easier but it’s also the middle man of the family, the one who can be as carefree as he wishes regardless of the consequences, or at least from the couple of uncles I have and have sensed it, hehe. Tati’s uncle is somewhat of a past romantic, not without his grudges against conventions from his newphew’s family and the unorthodox way of living (thanks to that charming local market or his attempt to “work” under heavily industrial conditions) proves to me that Mr Bean’s gimmicks are none other but rehashes of Tati’s colorful, exciting marvels!
Yoshishige Yoshida (Eros Plus Massacre) 1 vs Jacques Tati (Mon Oncle) 0
But as Ozufan stated…it’s facing a monster. A beast of 200 minutes proportions to be honest and how could I resist an anarchist’s philosophical encounters versus the mendacity of social life. What mendacity you’ll ask? Of course the stability of the simpleton, the one who rejects any fruitful advantages in his lifestyle, living with norms, monogamous opinions and of academic studies even for the liberal individuals! To think critics have compared Yoshida’s epic to Godardian sentiments is quite an insult although I will say it presents multiple references from French New Wave to Brazilian Novo traversing assaults, as if East+West melted and then came dialectics like in antiquity! So maybe a peek of another man kissing your lover isn’t that guilty in Osugi and Yoshida universe, it’s not that bad to light flames at your own disposal and no matter if you borrow the title from a Marcuse treatise, anything’s free in love and….anarchy.
Yoshishige Yoshida (Eros Plus Massacre) 0 vs Jacques Tati (Mon Oncle) 1
Favorite movie, favorite director. Looks like he doesn’t stand a chance :(
Eros Plus Massacre 1 Mon Oncle 0
Anarchic (even in its cinematic/narrative style) and subversive, I just love it :P. Every fucking minute of it.
But I felt indifferent towards Tati’s humour on Mon Oncle. So, really, an easy pick. And I can’t even believe how Eros Plus Massacre still doesn’t have any kind of DVD release. If there were one, I’d instantly get my hands on it and rewatch it in hopefully a more decent version. Criterion, Facets, Kino, Masters of Cinema, and whatever else, you all are missing out on a film of epic proportions.
^ ‘English subtitled’ DVD release.
France and Japan are doing quite well for Yoshida DVDs.
Yoshishige Yoshida (Eros Plus Massacre) 1 vs Jacques Tati (Mon Oncle) 0
I love Tati with all my heart, but I must say that from the first minutes of Eros Plus Massacre I could feel that I would absolutely love that movie.
I can’t say I was really paying attention to the story because when there is such beauty in front of my eyes I find it hard to read subtitles for 3 hours. Every shot in that movie is simply beautiful.
I wish I could vote for both directors since Tati is himself a directing genius, but I’m afraid I can’t do that. So, I’ll vote for Eros Plus Massacre, hoping that Tati will get more votes before this match ends.
“So, I’ll vote for Eros Plus Massacre, hoping that Tati will get more votes before this match ends.”
This won’t really happen, haha. An outsider beating a favorite director, it’s been some time but finally, some surprises again! (outsider and favorite directors, not films per se)
15 – 4 for Yoshida (if I’m correct, someone please count again)
“But I’m disliking it enough so far that if things keep going as they are I will hate it, and if things change drastically then I may still also hate it for being inconsistant.”
Oh man, you’ve hated some MASTERPIECES from both rounds so far :P
Yoshishige Yoshida (Eros Plus Massacre) – 1 vs Jacques Tati (Mon Oncle) – 0
Yoshishige Yoshida (Eros Plus Massacre) – 0 vs Jacques Tati (Mon Oncle) – 1
This is just a vote for slightly lesser Tati.
Yoshishige Yoshida (Eros Plus Massacre) 0 – Jacques Tati (Mon Oncle) 1
Congratulate me. After a grueling, restless night, I managed through what felt like an eternity of forcing my eyes to stay open and focused to complete this film. I’m thinking of making myself an “I Survived Eros Plus Massacre” t-shirt.
I haven’t been as baffled by the voting results in a match since the the How Wang-For Was Saved vs. Not Reconciled match.
I was considering myself a hero for fighting my way through Eros Plus Massacre and now you sadists want to put me through more torture from this director in the next round instead of giving us all a pleasant holiday with M. Hulot?
Yes.
And one of these days I’m going to tie you down and make you watch Tie Xi Qu.
^Ha, I’ve actually been wanting to see that! Do you suspect I wouldn’t like it based on my recent ravings?
It’s a seven hour minimalist documentary, outdone by his most recent work Crude Oil which clocks in at 14 hours and begins with a 4-hour static shot.
That’s realism, baby.
Nice!
Eros Plus Massacre – 1 vs. Mon Oncle – 0
No question.
Yoshishige Yoshida (Eros Plus Massacre) – 1 vs Jacques Tati (Mon Oncle) – 0
i have the slight reservation that yoshida’s deployment of astonishing beauty could make me swallow limitless atrocities – apologia for japanese war crimes, paedophilia, mushrooms, geese. thankfully none of those in eros, but obviously i absolutely must watch all his other films just to check that he doesn’t try that despicable seduction somewhere else ;)
kiju ♥
this match should be over too!
Voting is over
18-6 to Eros. Yoshida wins.
Someone’s happy…
M. Hulot probably doesn’t even know what a movie is, so he doesn’t care.
YES, Yoshida is by far one of the best ORIGINAL candidates to win this. Down with Godard, Down with Kaurismaki, GO YOSHIDA!
Kaurismaki isn’t a big name :|
With all of his films released through Artificial Eye, a major publishing company and with a huge amount of critics praising his latest output in top lists, I highly doubt that just because he’s Finnish he’s still a “small name”. The art-house crowd knows at least half of Kaurismaki works compared to a Rocha or a Yoshida.
Yeah, but Kaurismaki winning is nowhere near the level of Godard winning. Just because Artificial Eye publishes his works, it doesn’t mean he’s a big name…
Yes, I agree that Rocha and Yoshida are relatively unknown names.
But the biggest names left in this competition:
Allen
Resnais
Jarmusch
Godard
Bresson
Coppola
Miyazaki
Herzog
That’s about 1/4 of the competition; the other 24 are relatively unknown :/ There’s no point in attacking Kaurismaki when Herzog or Allen are left.
EDIT: Oh, and this probably doesn’t mean anything, but I had no idea who Kaurismaki was before this competition started. I thought he was Japanese…
ozufan
It is an easier job being an uncle than a dad, and the holding of hands at the end is heartbreaking, but the friendly uncle is up against something monstrous and magnificent.
Eros Plus Massacre 1 Mon Oncle 0