Renoir’s “Bordu Saved From Drowning” (1932) – a very entertaining performance form Michel Simon as Bordu the tramp, some stunning long tracking sequences, particularly from a boat during the end party sequence on the river.
I recently saw “Pineapple Express” and, even though, I didn’t thought it was a perfect movie, overall, I Really did enjoyed the movie!!!! I thought the acting was great, in terms of making us believe and like these two out-of-luck, clueless, pothead protagonists of the movie. Besides that, most of the jokes were very well delivered by these actors and they were pretty fun… I also have been a fan of the director David Gordon Green, since his directorial debut “George Washington;” and he hasn’t disappointed me yet, so I want to the movie with high expectations and left pretty entertained… If you like “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” kind-of ‘psychedelic drug’ humor, you probably will enjoy this crazy ride called “Pineapple Express.” Though, just to keep in mind, some of the scenes and the humor of the movie, is very bloody and graphic – I mean it literally- like the movies of Tarantino, which wasn’t something that was particularly reflected in the trailer of “Pineapple Express.” However, it is still a decent movie, if the plot and the idea appeals to you, I recommend it…
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Mr. Woodcock.. I laughed my butt off during the first half of the film and then it kinda went downhill. Still a pretty good laugh. There’s just something about Billy Bob Thorton that makes me laugh, even when he’s serious.. He cracked me up everytime he said “taters” in Slingblade.. I guess he didn’t make me laugh as much in Monster’s Ball… was he supposed to?
yesterday, an unexpectedly resonant double feature:
Renoir’s “Picnic on the Grass” – interesting and good but not great. Renoir’s title card at the beginning (about being on the side of the lunatics against sane society) is my favorite moment in the film.
“The Dark Knight” – enjoyable, for sure. the direction was decent but the script is pretty great. A much darker vision of the space between order and chaos.
I saw Tell No One last week and enjoyed it. I don’t think Kim is being difficult in her reaction to it. All the answers to all the questions that kept piling up were answered in a scene toward the end and it was a little too tidy. But I liked it. I think maybe it wasn’t as French as you expected, Kim, because it was based on a story written by an American. But what could be more French than a pediatrician smoking cigarettes throughout the movie and extinguishing one right before entering the hospital? Haha!
I also just recently saw “Tell No One” and I did like it! I thought the cast was great, and ,especially the main actor, who was very charismatic…The story was decent, I like the way the director used music( especially the scene with the U2 song and how the song is actually a key in the story) and also the story was pretty interesting, it made you kept guessing until the end of it. But, I also totally agree with Teresa’s comments, I think they tried way too hard to tidy everything at the end in one short scene…I think the movie might have worked a little better, if they left some loose ends for the viewers to fill in in their minds! Though, overall I was happy that I saw the movie….
Aleksandr Sokurov’s MOLOCH
my video slowly slowly slowly rendering.. ugh
after that i plan to pop in two english girls – i’ve been reading a book of truffaut’s letters and i’m feeling inspired.
last night I saw only three movies but they were pretty nice:
L’age des ténèbres(days of darkness) A quebec movie wich was entertaining
Funny Games U.S. Wich was a pure Haneke movie like I like them
Saraband, Great! (like all Bergman movies)
Today I saw:
5 Griffiths (Politician’s Love Story, The Avenging Conscience, The Battle, The Battle at Elderbush Gulch, Home Sweet Home) and King Vidor’s Stella Dallas. All on film (and I’m exhausted). I thought The Avenging Conscience was very good in so many ways – it points to Griffith as a precursor to Bresson, to Kenneth Anger, to DeMille, and to Straub all at once. My favorite Griffith that I’ve seen. Politician’s Love Story was cute (at 6 minutes, it’s easy to be cute, but the gender politics are really interesting and the film is quite funny). Stella Dallas was just the right kind of Hollywood melodrama to cap the day off. It’s a film about class aspiration in a particularly American way, but also a story of complete sacrifice and love for a child.
Just saw “Mongol”. I would rate it 4 stars. Makes me want to visit Mongolia even more. And to think that China built The Great Wall to keep away the Mongols. They were the most feared and the most powerful then. Now China has developed so much while Mongolia has remained entrenched in their nomadic culture.
I just saw Mon oncle Antoine
It was great! The fact that it was filmed near my region in a place that I know made me feel nostalgic; old wooden houses, same landscape, It reminded me the winters when I was young. I loved this film!
Doesn’t quite count as “cinema” but I’m trying to dig into Simon/Burns follow-up to their truly magnificent HBO series The Wire with their new HBO mini-series, Generation Kill. Haven’t yet found the hook; the show has a laid back attitude towards narrative and theme but is nonetheless intriguing…
Persepolis, what a nice movie, great animation and nice way of telling the story about the conflicts in iran
I watched Mamma Mia (with Meryl Streep) and Wall-E… and am thrilled with neither. I understand that Mamma Mia is a stage musical and feel that it would be much better live on stage…while Wall-E seems definitely for intelligent children rather than adults, although accompanying adults could be entertained amply by the surprising love story between two robots.
I saw silent light. It was good but A WAY TO LONG! It would have been as good as an average Bergman movie if it was as long as a Bergman movie…
The third man again still great, also james mangold’s identity which is not a bad little movie. Perfectly directed and paced with vey good performances from its ensemble cast.
I saw Wim Wenders’ Paris Texas for the first time! In my top 5 movie now…
right now … “Down by Law” . Later , “Paris, Texas” ( I´m a big fan of Robby Muller´s work)
Just this month, in theaters only, I’ve seen:
- Savage Grace
- Brideshead Revisited
- Priceless {Hors De Prix}
- Dark Knight
- Tell No One {Ne Le Dis à Personne}
I highly recommended all of them!
Of course, the viewing pleasure will vary according to the individual and their own personal preference.
I’m planning to watch (in theaters) The Last Mistress and Man On Wire [documentary] this week, if I get the chance.
Also, I recently rented Perfume: The Story of A Murderer, directed by Tom Tykwer. The film is truly a masterpiece! It’s based on a novel by Patrick Suskind.
Plot Outline: Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (played by British actor, Ben Whishaw), born in the stench of eighteenth century Paris, develops a superior olfactory sense, which he uses to create the world’s finest perfumes. His work, however, takes a dark turn as he tries to preserve scents in the search for the ultimate perfume.
Chang Dong-lee’s “Milyang”. I didn’t expect too much. Surprisingly interesting.
David Lean’s The Passionate Friends – really, heart-wrenchingly romantic. It’ll be traveling in the David Lean retro that kicks off in the US in September at Film Forum in New York, and you should see it. period.
Jean Eustache’s Santa Claus Has Blue Eyes – just OK, but OK from Eustache contains strange moments of resonance that seem to escape the cinema.
Godard’s Sauve qui peut (la vie) – some moments of incredible beauty that point to the high points of late Godard (e.g., Eloge de l’amour), but also a surplus of Godard’s trite thoughts on prostitution’s equivalence to capitalism.
^ “Make a sound like you are being goosed in the subway…”
Good Will Hunting, great film that is beautifully directed by gus van sant.
Man on Wire (2008) by James Marsh… Astonishingly touching documentary, a must see-and-experience film. Strongly recommended! What I liked about it most is the way this film reveals the extent to which Petit’s exploit had an emotional (or other types of life-altering) impact on his friends and himself.
I saw copland and it holds up pretty well. Also my friends i finally received Salo and i have to say that i made it to the end. That is by far one of the hardest films that you will ever encounter. Making it through the middle of the film needs acknowledgement, because it is the most vile, disgusting piece of filmmaking. Yet you can see the amazing work that pasolini did. A movie that sets upon sending a message and never turns away not for a second. A horror film that leaves it’s images ingrained in your head and refuses to sweeten it for you. As ugly a film as you will ever see. A visual masterpiece of the horrors of mankind. Good luck watching it i myself almost threw up a couple of times.
I saw Ying hung boon sik (a better tomorrow ) , Chow Yun Fat was amazing…
“Four guns were pointed at my head! You know they made me drink? Piss! Drink piss in a night club! You want to learn? That’s learning! That’s how we got through out first job. "Dreyer – Day of Wrath.
mentioning one aspect of its brilliance is to ignore thousands more – something I’m not yet willing to do.
Brideshead Revisited (2008) by Julian Jarrold, a sensitive film that requires an understanding of the Catholic concepts of salvation by faith, sin, guilt, redemption, etc. which has a deep influence on the Catholic psyche. Charles Ryder (the main character)’s role is a fascinating one, given that he is the trusted outsider despite being openly an atheist. I liked it very much. :-)
This review rings true to me:
http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2008/aug/01/brideshead-revisited-marvelous-study-character/
Kim Packard
I just saw A Man Named Pearl (2006) by Scott Galloway and Brent Pierson. It is a documentary on a topiary artist. Very good and inspiring.