Favorite:
The Right Stuff
Patton
The Grapes of Wrath
Yankee Doodle Dandy
The Best Years of Our Lives
All The President’s Men
The Iron Giant
Openly and shamelessly enjoyable patriotic films
1776
The Great Escape
Miracle sighs so few hockey movies not named Slap Shot around
Apollo 13
Air Force One
Stripes
They’re not historical or 4th of July films but they are undeniably American movies that can be watched for the holiday:
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
National Lampoon’s Animal House
National Lampoon’s Vacation
Caddyshack
Ghostbusters
Super Troopers
South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut
The early George A. Romero Zombie films, Night and Dawn most specifically. Any movie by Jacques Tati and Michael Haneke (talk about a contrast in presentation).
Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are also pretty fun, nerdy social satires takes that play homage to genre movies. The social critiques are less obvious, both are admittedly closer to a celebration of the films they emulate, but it is there.
More:
Cool Hand Luke
Robo Cop
Starship Troopers
Heathers and World’s Greatest Dad (both deal specifically with the cult of suicide)
This Is Spinal Tap
To Die For
Never Let Me Go
Nobody’s mentioned The Room? For shame! That movie is a comedy of errors, discontinuity, bad acting, poor pacing, and inane dialogue from beginning to end.
Other stinkers:
Troll 2
A Lot Like Love*
Fool’s Gold*
Havoc
21*
The Other Bolelyn Girl*
Sucker Punch
*Not my fault- I was stuck on an airplane.
Movies I wanted to zap from my memory bank:
A Serbian Film
Catwoman
Funny Games US (I liked the original too)
Last Days
Kurt & Courtney
Attack of the Clones (The worst of the prequels and that is saying something for this abysmal edition of an abysmal trilogy that had Yoda fight with a lightsaber for the first time.)
102 Dalmations (you read that right)
How to Train Your Dragon
8/10
-It was neither Toy Story 3 nor The Illusionist but it was definitely a good film that had more heart than any of the Dreamworks films in the last couple of years. The animators originally came from Disney and did the underrated Lilo & Stitch so you know they were filmmakers with heart but HtTYD is night and day compared to Lilo & Stitch. The voices are all over the place with Vikings played by Scots but the lead character voiced by Canadian Jay Baruchel which has to be one of my biggest pet peeves in any animated film. The movie is predictable but the score is a thing of beauty and the aerial shots really carry the second half.
Kaboom
6/10
-I felt like this movie should have been split up and spread out into an episodic CW program. I write that in the kindest terms because this quasi-sci-fi/quasi-sex comedy was pretty enjoyable until the whole reveal. It is not that the reveal was bad but it felt rushed and the villains in the movie just happened to be the weakest actors in the film. I know the ending was played for laughs in a Dr. Strangelove sense but it just did not work for me. But the first half to 2/3 of the movie where it is just sex and college life, I enjoyed the writing and characters.
Survival of the Dead
5.5/10
-I have heard so many different things about this new Romero film. I followed the recommendation of Ignatiy Vishnevetsky and looked at the movie not as a horror film but a Western. It made it better the film lacked the tension that I expect from Romero even when I expected less scares. The acting was not bad by any stretch, you had Alan van Sprang who has found his comfort zone in Romero films is a good lead, and Kenneth Welsh is also standout. The dialogue and set-ups are pretty laughable and there were times when I think somewhere there is a good film going on. It felt like the zombies were background inanimate objects until the third act which was too little too late. I loved the last shot and wished more of the movie was about that than seeing people travel back and forth to and from the island.
I have seen both the original and redux. I know the redux cut is heavily maligned but I liked the French colonial home scene included although I am still trying to make sense of the extended Playboy Bunny subplot. It is one of my favorite films of all-time regardless. But it is a pretty polarizing film. I saw this when I was 9 and completely enthralled by the experience and then I remember it was shown to us (the original cut) at school as a companion piece to Heart of Darkness when I was 17 and maybe one other person in the class openly enjoyed. Everybody else was bored.
I also disagree about the voice-over. The voice-over serves its purpose and it was part of the original source material, Heart of Darkness. Not sure about Blade Runner, or if it’s source material had voice-over, but I can think the film’s neo-noir nature could have made voice-over look attractive but Ford was not the right actor. Cannot say the same about Martin Sheen.
The slaughter scene was indeed filmed as it happened with the villagers having the authority and later added in to build up a allegorical comparison but how it was edited reminded me of Eisenstein’s cow slaughter in the final section of Strike. I believe Coppola was asked about this and said it was merely coincidental regarding the rather uncanny similarities to Strike.
“Coming clean: season 4 is one of my favorite works of art period. It means so much to me. I’ve never seen or read a better portrayal of a man collapsing/rebuilding himself ever. Took my breath away.
So, for a more progressive angle: has anyone read anything about season 5? Any predictions?"
I share the same thoughts.
As far as Season 5, I watched a Hollywood Reporter roundtable of TV actresses that included Christina Hendricks from a month ago. The cast already knows who has been written out. Christina Hendricks specifically said ‘a few people’ have been written out and looked pretty bummed about it, as you can imagine. So many different directions of who will get cut out.
Many want Betty but for all of her polarization, she is a character that gets a lot of attention on the show. Henry seemed tired of her in the last few episodes of Season 4 from her treatment of Carla to the kids to her behavior around the subject of Don. Could Betty seriously be a twice-divorcee? Could Henry? Could the kids go off-screen with her? I hope not, because Sally Draper’s awesome.
Some think Greg Harris will go (and by go I mean dying) but Weiner explicitly stated that ‘good men died in Vietnam, and Greg Harris is not a good man’. Others think Roger for all of his behavior this season, acting like his time has past and pretty much looking to Joan for another escape, not to mention health problems. But I just think there is no way you can just have Roger Sterling ‘leave’ (or die) off-screen. He could depart but I think it will occur during an in-season deal.
Some other speculations that I could buy include: Lane Pryce going back to England and never heard from again. Bert Cooper seriously leaving. Trudy Campbell leaving Pete (Allison Brie has a steady job on Community). Harry Crane ditching Madison Avenue for Hollywood.
For just predictions (and I am terrible as I seriously thought 1964 would be a focus and it went straight to Thanksgiving): I would love to see issues of Joan having a baby but suddenly having second thoughts about returning to work (will Megan take her place? Will Megan even still be in the work place?). Joan thought her place had become working at home but I think she will realize it was the office and that she could have done more to work her way up, and in some ways envies Peggy (she being the middle to the poles of Peggy and Betty).
Peggy is a character I definitely see as somebody who continues to grow. I am interested to see if that sad character Stan continues to be her rival and underling. Will there be friendship? Could there be romance? Would either want the same thing as the other? I think not despite the fact they seemed to be friendlier to each other by the end of last season.
I think Harry Crane and Bert Cooper are goners. There could be a surprise thrown in there that could definitely enrage fans. I doubt Lane Pryce would be one of those losses, however, though love his character.
As for narrative, more pressure will be for the agency to find younger people the way Sterling Cooper thought they found youth with Pete Campbell. It could lead to a finally more diverse group of people and I think Peggy’s role could have influence.
I also think the Don-Megan marriage will happen. How it goes- no idea.
I do think more people will begin to find out. Could Megan be one of them? Possibly. Her reaction in compare/contrast to Betty could be interesting and frankly, I would hate if that secret from her is dragged on.
So yeah, I am totally shooting at a haystack with needles with these predictions.
“if i’m not mistaken, Don confided his secret (by which I assume you mean his identity as Dick Whitman) to Megan already, I think it was in either the 12th or 13th episode of season 4”
I believe that was Dr. Faye Miller who Don told amidst a major panic attack when he thought his identity was revealed in a big way.
I am a Star Wars fan and I definitely think it is Space Opera than hard core Science Fiction. Very close to say a Kurosawa or American Western (even Spaghetti Western), just set in space with its own rules. Joseph Campbell will obviously be a topic of discussion as George Lucas followed that ’Hero’s Journey’ (Luke’s journey) and created this world that was ‘a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….’
Blade Runner is a mystery and takes from film noir. Its aesthetic arguably engulfs the film from the story that is basically man and machine. Are you looking at the original cut or director’s cut? Those two versions do beg different sets of questions, if Ridley Scott’s interpretation of Deckard is to be taken seriously.
As for other sci-fi, I adore Akira. It could be juxtaposed to Blade Runner in aesthetic or how it could reflect the nation of the film/manga’s origins (in Akira’s case Japan). It being animated could also open up how certain effects could be done through animation as opposed to live-action (and it should be noted that there is an attempt to do a live-action Akira which I think is impossible but that is another rant for another day).
2001 and Solaris are pretty tempting companion pieces but are each on their own tough movies to decipher let alone look at side-by-side. They’re sci-fi films but their views on humanity are quite interesting but again, you can come to these conclusions separately.
Top 5 Best
13 Assassins
Sound of Noise
Rango
Armadillo
Jane Eyre
Worst
Sucker Punch
Your Highness (It was not awful but it was boring, forced, and wasted a treasure trove of material and actors)
I’ve seen a lot of meh to all right films but those two listed stick out like sore thumbs. I felt pretty disappointed with some movies (Super 8 and Paul immediately jump to mind) but I would not say those movies were just all around poor.
Ian Curtis in both CONTROL and 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE. Both took the legends associated with the suicide in completely different manners and both films maintained their ethos in the choices made.
I read comic books (In early 20s) though entirely of Ed Brubaker’s run in Captain America (one of the last superheroes I thought I would read let alone thought would work in modern times completely caught me by surprise). I did read Batman though a lot of my time in that world involved more of the sadly short-lived Gotham Central series. This year I did make a run on Free Comic Book Day and have no regrets. I have read graphic novels (Alan Moore, Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim, and Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead series) and walking outside the genre of ‘superheroes’, zombies, and slackers, I read Epileptic, Persepolis, and Maus enjoying each graphic novel in their own ways.
As far as superhero movies, I am critical and some of the sacred cows of that genre do not impress me like Donner’s Superman (but I admit it was important), the first Batman film by Tim Burton (I did like Batman Returns), or the first two Sam Raimi Spiderman films. I knew Thor existed for The Avengers and be a moneymaker. Same for Captain America (though I am enthusiastic since it looks like Joe Johnston is revisiting The Rocketeer era of his filmography) and even as a fan of Captain America do I think he would not get a movie without The Avengers film happening. I know the decisions made in X-Men: First Class were entirely dictated by what the studios demanded in making a prequel for Matthew Vaughn to make a big budget film. It’s pretty studio-driven and Marvel Studios is the biggest and in terms of getting its money’s worth did its job and I think it does continue with Captain America.
I disagree that superhero movies will just go away if The Green Lantern’s lousy box office becomes an outlier of things to come. A Spiderman movie is happening with completely different actors. Superman is happening. Warner Bros. is completely prepared to do another version of Batman at year zero the moment The Dark Knight Rises breaks box office records yet again. I think the big names will continue to be made and be reinvented, retconned. I do think the real losers are the ‘lesser known’ superheroes or ‘cult’ graphic novels ever getting greenlit by a major studio with a big budget. I think if you had anybody not named Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man you would not have the same success. People misread the results of Iron Man thinking they could get lesser known entities in comics to break through and become mainstream.
8 1/2 (Federico Fellini)
The Leopard (Luchino Visconti)
The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock)
This Sporting Life (Lindsay Anderson)
The Haunting (Robert Wise)
The Great Escape (John Sturges)
America, America (Elia Kazan)
Lord of the Flies (Peter Brook)
Hud (Martin Ritt)
Tom Wilkinson in the opening of Michael Clayton completely stands alone from the movie itself.
“Michael. Dear Michael. Of course it’s you, who else could they send, who else could be trusted? I… I know it’s a long way and you’re ready to go to work… all I’m saying is just wait, just… just wait and please just hear me out because this is not an episode, relapse, fuck-up, it’s… I’m begging you Michael. I’m begging you. Try to make believe this is not just madness because this is not just madness. Two weeks ago I came out of the building ok, I’m running across 6th avenue there’s a car waiting, I’ve got exactly 38 minutes to get to the airport and I’m dictating. There’s this panicked associate sprinting along beside me, scribbling in a notepad, and suddenly she starts screaming, and I realize we’re standing in the middle of the street, the light’s changed, there’s this wall of traffic, serious traffic speeding towards us, and I… I freeze, I can’t move, and I’m suddenly consumed with the overwhelming sensation that I’m covered in some sort of film. It’s in my hair, my face… it’s like a glaze… a coating, and… at first I thought, oh my god, I know what this is, this is some sort of amniotic – embryonic – fluid. I’m drenched in afterbirth, I’ve breached the chrysalis, I’ve been reborn. But then the traffic, the stampede, the cars, the trucks, the horns, the screaming and I’m thinking no-no-no, reset, this is not rebirth, this is some kind of giddy illusion of renewal that happens in the final moment before death. And then I realize no-no-no, this is completely wrong because I look back at the building and I had the most stunning moment of clarity. I… I… I realized Michael, that I had emerged not from the doors of Kenner, Bach & Leeden, not through the portals of our vast and powerful law firm, but from the asshole of an organism who’s sole function is to excrete the… the… the poison, the ammo, the defoliant necessary for other, larger, more powerful organisms to destroy the miracle of humanity. And that I had been coated in this patina of shit for the best part of my life. The stench of it and the sting of it would in all likelihood take the rest of my life to undue. And you know what I did? I took a deep cleansing breath and I put that notion aside. I tabled it. I said to myself as clear as this may be, as potent a feeling as this is, as true a thing as I believe I witnessed today, it must wait. It must stand the test of time, and Michael, the time is now.”
ANA:)
I actually meant Akira as in the manga film based on the huge manga book but Kurosawa is also a good choice! ;)
Joseph Campbell wrote the book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Campbell had a theory that the myths that stand the test of time share the structure of the monomyth or the hero’s journey. George Lucas was very much influenced by the hero’s journey aspect in the original Star Wars trilogy and regularly cites Campbell as a source of inspiration. Many other artists mention Campbell’s influence but it is none greater exemplified than Luke Skywalker’s journey. The monomyth and what it encompasses can easily be found on the web.
Election
Heathers
Welcome to the Dollhouse (It proves Middle School is in many ways worse than High School)
Battle Royale (I find the first 5-10 minutes of the film to be absolutely hysterical)
In Bruges
World’s Greatest Dad (Arguably the best performance Robin Williams has given in years)
After Hours
The King of Comedy
Dr. Strangelove
Harold & Maude
Kick-Ass (sorta in the vein of Battle Royale but I will say I loathed the romance sub-plot and the girlfriend)
To Die For
Brazil
Ghost World
Bad Santa
Other 10:
Drive
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
A Dangerous Method
The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of the Unicorn (Incredibly worried about the risk of uncanny valley motion capture)
Melancholia
The Myth of the American Sleepover
Hugo
Take Shelter
War Horse (Will this be an overly sentimental Spielberg throwaway or something really special?)
The Muppets
Other July releases: Winnie The Pooh, Captain America: The First Avenger, and Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2
I think sometimes when somebody dislikes an art film on basic principles they are told ‘you just don’t get it’. That is demeaning, basically saying they are dumb. The reaction to that can certainly turn that person off to that art film.
I will say that all films, especially in awards season, are reviewed in the moment and are often overrated by critics (and even moviegoers) who expect to find a Best Picture-worthy film somewhere and overreact when they see a good film, especially if that film is labeled ‘intelligent’ or ‘cerebral’ or ‘original’. I agree with Pierre and Risselada, art films and mainstream films are in the same boat as far as derision and honestly, the mainstream film gets as much or more bile than an art film because more people have seen it.
From a musical (and I have not found satisfactory videos on it) is “Who’s that Woman?” from Follies. Video robs it anyway. It is thrilling to watch live.
But in a movie, I definitely go to Hedwig & the Angry Inch:
Gremlins
The Evil Dead
Evil Dead 2
Army of Darkness (more of a comedy, but still)
Return of the Living Dead
Special Admissions:
Brain Damage- It’s not a favorite but boy, is it something. It features one of the most indescribably gruesome and insane death scenes I have ever scene, down with a very low budget at that. It makes the forest scene in The Evil Dead look tame.
Student Bodies- Essentially a spoof but it is hit and miss a lot of the time as a lot of the spoofing is often spelled out.
1.) The Twilight Zone- There were lessons, there was great storytelling, there were great explorations of the human condition.
2.) Arrested Development- Unforgettable characters, great set ups, and continuous joke after joke. Also one of the best things Ron Howard was involved with since Happy Days.
3.) The Simpsons- The gold standard and I will contend it is still very watchable and clever.
4.) Rocky & His Friend/The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show- Amazing satire, indelible characters, and very accessible from kids to adults.
5.) Futurama- For many years it surpassed The Simpsons and not by default. Great characters and voice-acting. So glad it is back on the air.
6.) Mad Men- Says no to nostalgia and gives us a look into the lenses of the 1960s leaving criticism to the viewer. Great casting, great acting, and does not treat its audience as fools.
7.) Spaced- Endless jokes and homage to some of my favorite things in geek culture. Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright, and Jessica Hynes were such a good team.
8.) Daria- The rallying cry show for the jaded, precocious teenagers without being shrill. Incredibly clever and witty that holds up pretty well today.
9.) Friday Night Lights- The show that somehow survived and thank goodness. The interactions among these people cannot be considered acting, it is just so naturalistic and real. Sure, the football situations should never always come down to the final play but the football culture is what defines this show.
10.) Batman: The Animated Series- Made the preexisting characters unique from its comic book titles and other movies/prgrams and also created some great original characters. Some of the most gorgeous animation with the Art Deco design of Gotham City.
Others: The Ren & Stimpy Show, Community, Archer, The Boondocks, Breaking Bad, Battlestar Galatica, Six Feet Under, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, The Wire, Freaks & Geeks, Twin Peaks, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Office (UK), Absolutely Fabulous, Taxi, All in the Family, and Firefly
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (10:40 screening. I have no idea how I am going to handle my first midnight screening for Deathly Hallows Part 2, but seeing this movie again I think a lot of it had to do with quality.)
Where the Wild Things Are
The problem I often with a cinema verite/documentary-style (and television programs that use this style are one the biggest offenders) when filmmakers conveniently use it and abandon it. District 9 is no exception and arguably a textbook offender. In addition to the film being a cliche of action back and forth, it nearly abandons all of its style until maybe the final few minutes of the film (where the discussion is the whereabouts of Wikus) that was pretty inconsistently presented at that.
I have mentioned before that Kaboom felt like it could have been a television series and it was mentioned to me that it was based off a failed series written originally for MTV.
Fever Pitch’s structure as a book was just begging to be a TV series. I still think it would be a great coming-of-age serial in the vein of The Wonder Years with a reflective voice-over as Nick Hornby (and in my mind Mr. Hornby himself).
The Kids Are All Right to me did feel like a season finale to a Showtime series (Lisa Cholodenko has directed for various TV shows but has never written anything for TV to my knowledge). In fact the way some questions were not answered in that film (not even talking about the relationship status) felt very TV.
1 2001: A Space Odyssey
2 Dr. Strangelove
3 Barry Lyndon
4 The Shining
5 The Killing
6 Lolita
7 Paths of Glory
8 Full Metal Jacket
9 A Clockwork Orange
10 Spartacus
11 Eyes Wide Shut
Have not seen Killer’s Kiss or Fear & Desire.
1-5 Love these movies.
6-7 Very good movies that feel like they were on the cusp of greatness but missing one little thing.
8-11 Respect a lot of these movies (in fact I do like Spartacus but I agree this is one feels out of Kubrick’s control) but these films are not my cup of tea.
What are your favorite "patriotic" flilms almost 2 years ago
Favorite:
The Right Stuff
Patton
The Grapes of Wrath
Yankee Doodle Dandy
The Best Years of Our Lives
All The President’s Men
The Iron Giant
Openly and shamelessly enjoyable patriotic films
1776
The Great Escape
Miracle sighs so few hockey movies not named Slap Shot around
Apollo 13
Air Force One
Stripes
They’re not historical or 4th of July films but they are undeniably American movies that can be watched for the holiday:
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
National Lampoon’s Animal House
National Lampoon’s Vacation
Caddyshack
Ghostbusters
Super Troopers
South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut
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Good Social Satire Films? almost 2 years ago
The early George A. Romero Zombie films, Night and Dawn most specifically. Any movie by Jacques Tati and Michael Haneke (talk about a contrast in presentation).
Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are also pretty fun, nerdy social satires takes that play homage to genre movies. The social critiques are less obvious, both are admittedly closer to a celebration of the films they emulate, but it is there.
More:
Cool Hand Luke
Robo Cop
Starship Troopers
Heathers and World’s Greatest Dad (both deal specifically with the cult of suicide)
This Is Spinal Tap
To Die For
Never Let Me Go
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Worst films you have ever seen almost 2 years ago
Nobody’s mentioned The Room? For shame! That movie is a comedy of errors, discontinuity, bad acting, poor pacing, and inane dialogue from beginning to end.
Other stinkers:
Troll 2
A Lot Like Love*
Fool’s Gold*
Havoc
21*
The Other Bolelyn Girl*
Sucker Punch
*Not my fault- I was stuck on an airplane.
Movies I wanted to zap from my memory bank:
A Serbian Film
Catwoman
Funny Games US (I liked the original too)
Last Days
Kurt & Courtney
Attack of the Clones (The worst of the prequels and that is saying something for this abysmal edition of an abysmal trilogy that had Yoda fight with a lightsaber for the first time.)
102 Dalmations (you read that right)
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Last movie you saw and rate it almost 2 years ago
How to Train Your Dragon
8/10
-It was neither Toy Story 3 nor The Illusionist but it was definitely a good film that had more heart than any of the Dreamworks films in the last couple of years. The animators originally came from Disney and did the underrated Lilo & Stitch so you know they were filmmakers with heart but HtTYD is night and day compared to Lilo & Stitch. The voices are all over the place with Vikings played by Scots but the lead character voiced by Canadian Jay Baruchel which has to be one of my biggest pet peeves in any animated film. The movie is predictable but the score is a thing of beauty and the aerial shots really carry the second half.
Kaboom
6/10
-I felt like this movie should have been split up and spread out into an episodic CW program. I write that in the kindest terms because this quasi-sci-fi/quasi-sex comedy was pretty enjoyable until the whole reveal. It is not that the reveal was bad but it felt rushed and the villains in the movie just happened to be the weakest actors in the film. I know the ending was played for laughs in a Dr. Strangelove sense but it just did not work for me. But the first half to 2/3 of the movie where it is just sex and college life, I enjoyed the writing and characters.
Survival of the Dead
5.5/10
-I have heard so many different things about this new Romero film. I followed the recommendation of Ignatiy Vishnevetsky and looked at the movie not as a horror film but a Western. It made it better the film lacked the tension that I expect from Romero even when I expected less scares. The acting was not bad by any stretch, you had Alan van Sprang who has found his comfort zone in Romero films is a good lead, and Kenneth Welsh is also standout. The dialogue and set-ups are pretty laughable and there were times when I think somewhere there is a good film going on. It felt like the zombies were background inanimate objects until the third act which was too little too late. I loved the last shot and wished more of the movie was about that than seeing people travel back and forth to and from the island.
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Overrated almost 2 years ago
I have seen both the original and redux. I know the redux cut is heavily maligned but I liked the French colonial home scene included although I am still trying to make sense of the extended Playboy Bunny subplot. It is one of my favorite films of all-time regardless. But it is a pretty polarizing film. I saw this when I was 9 and completely enthralled by the experience and then I remember it was shown to us (the original cut) at school as a companion piece to Heart of Darkness when I was 17 and maybe one other person in the class openly enjoyed. Everybody else was bored.
I also disagree about the voice-over. The voice-over serves its purpose and it was part of the original source material, Heart of Darkness. Not sure about Blade Runner, or if it’s source material had voice-over, but I can think the film’s neo-noir nature could have made voice-over look attractive but Ford was not the right actor. Cannot say the same about Martin Sheen.
The slaughter scene was indeed filmed as it happened with the villagers having the authority and later added in to build up a allegorical comparison but how it was edited reminded me of Eisenstein’s cow slaughter in the final section of Strike. I believe Coppola was asked about this and said it was merely coincidental regarding the rather uncanny similarities to Strike.
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OT: Mad Men Season 4 Discussion (SPOILERS) almost 2 years ago
“Coming clean: season 4 is one of my favorite works of art period. It means so much to me. I’ve never seen or read a better portrayal of a man collapsing/rebuilding himself ever. Took my breath away.
So, for a more progressive angle: has anyone read anything about season 5? Any predictions?"
I share the same thoughts.
As far as Season 5, I watched a Hollywood Reporter roundtable of TV actresses that included Christina Hendricks from a month ago. The cast already knows who has been written out. Christina Hendricks specifically said ‘a few people’ have been written out and looked pretty bummed about it, as you can imagine. So many different directions of who will get cut out.
Many want Betty but for all of her polarization, she is a character that gets a lot of attention on the show. Henry seemed tired of her in the last few episodes of Season 4 from her treatment of Carla to the kids to her behavior around the subject of Don. Could Betty seriously be a twice-divorcee? Could Henry? Could the kids go off-screen with her? I hope not, because Sally Draper’s awesome.
Some think Greg Harris will go (and by go I mean dying) but Weiner explicitly stated that ‘good men died in Vietnam, and Greg Harris is not a good man’. Others think Roger for all of his behavior this season, acting like his time has past and pretty much looking to Joan for another escape, not to mention health problems. But I just think there is no way you can just have Roger Sterling ‘leave’ (or die) off-screen. He could depart but I think it will occur during an in-season deal.
Some other speculations that I could buy include: Lane Pryce going back to England and never heard from again. Bert Cooper seriously leaving. Trudy Campbell leaving Pete (Allison Brie has a steady job on Community). Harry Crane ditching Madison Avenue for Hollywood.
For just predictions (and I am terrible as I seriously thought 1964 would be a focus and it went straight to Thanksgiving): I would love to see issues of Joan having a baby but suddenly having second thoughts about returning to work (will Megan take her place? Will Megan even still be in the work place?). Joan thought her place had become working at home but I think she will realize it was the office and that she could have done more to work her way up, and in some ways envies Peggy (she being the middle to the poles of Peggy and Betty).
Peggy is a character I definitely see as somebody who continues to grow. I am interested to see if that sad character Stan continues to be her rival and underling. Will there be friendship? Could there be romance? Would either want the same thing as the other? I think not despite the fact they seemed to be friendlier to each other by the end of last season.
I think Harry Crane and Bert Cooper are goners. There could be a surprise thrown in there that could definitely enrage fans. I doubt Lane Pryce would be one of those losses, however, though love his character.
As for narrative, more pressure will be for the agency to find younger people the way Sterling Cooper thought they found youth with Pete Campbell. It could lead to a finally more diverse group of people and I think Peggy’s role could have influence.
I also think the Don-Megan marriage will happen. How it goes- no idea.
I do think more people will begin to find out. Could Megan be one of them? Possibly. Her reaction in compare/contrast to Betty could be interesting and frankly, I would hate if that secret from her is dragged on.
So yeah, I am totally shooting at a haystack with needles with these predictions.
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Last movie you saw and rate it almost 2 years ago
“Kaboom is based on an unsold MTV pilot Araki made about 10 years ago or so which is why it feels like a CW show.”
That makes perfect sense. Thanks for that tidbit.
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OT: Mad Men Season 4 Discussion (SPOILERS) almost 2 years ago
“if i’m not mistaken, Don confided his secret (by which I assume you mean his identity as Dick Whitman) to Megan already, I think it was in either the 12th or 13th episode of season 4”
I believe that was Dr. Faye Miller who Don told amidst a major panic attack when he thought his identity was revealed in a big way.
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TEACHING SCIENCE FICTION FILMS - WHAT? HOW? almost 2 years ago
I am a Star Wars fan and I definitely think it is Space Opera than hard core Science Fiction. Very close to say a Kurosawa or American Western (even Spaghetti Western), just set in space with its own rules. Joseph Campbell will obviously be a topic of discussion as George Lucas followed that ’Hero’s Journey’ (Luke’s journey) and created this world that was ‘a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….’
Blade Runner is a mystery and takes from film noir. Its aesthetic arguably engulfs the film from the story that is basically man and machine. Are you looking at the original cut or director’s cut? Those two versions do beg different sets of questions, if Ridley Scott’s interpretation of Deckard is to be taken seriously.
As for other sci-fi, I adore Akira. It could be juxtaposed to Blade Runner in aesthetic or how it could reflect the nation of the film/manga’s origins (in Akira’s case Japan). It being animated could also open up how certain effects could be done through animation as opposed to live-action (and it should be noted that there is an attempt to do a live-action Akira which I think is impossible but that is another rant for another day).
2001 and Solaris are pretty tempting companion pieces but are each on their own tough movies to decipher let alone look at side-by-side. They’re sci-fi films but their views on humanity are quite interesting but again, you can come to these conclusions separately.
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5 Best Movies of 2011 So Far and 5 Worst almost 2 years ago
Top 5 Best
13 Assassins
Sound of Noise
Rango
Armadillo
Jane Eyre
Worst
Sucker Punch
Your Highness (It was not awful but it was boring, forced, and wasted a treasure trove of material and actors)
I’ve seen a lot of meh to all right films but those two listed stick out like sore thumbs. I felt pretty disappointed with some movies (Super 8 and Paul immediately jump to mind) but I would not say those movies were just all around poor.
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Suicide in films almost 2 years ago
Ian Curtis in both CONTROL and 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE. Both took the legends associated with the suicide in completely different manners and both films maintained their ethos in the choices made.
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Too Many Men In Tights? Superhero Movies These Days almost 2 years ago
I read comic books (In early 20s) though entirely of Ed Brubaker’s run in Captain America (one of the last superheroes I thought I would read let alone thought would work in modern times completely caught me by surprise). I did read Batman though a lot of my time in that world involved more of the sadly short-lived Gotham Central series. This year I did make a run on Free Comic Book Day and have no regrets. I have read graphic novels (Alan Moore, Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim, and Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead series) and walking outside the genre of ‘superheroes’, zombies, and slackers, I read Epileptic, Persepolis, and Maus enjoying each graphic novel in their own ways.
As far as superhero movies, I am critical and some of the sacred cows of that genre do not impress me like Donner’s Superman (but I admit it was important), the first Batman film by Tim Burton (I did like Batman Returns), or the first two Sam Raimi Spiderman films. I knew Thor existed for The Avengers and be a moneymaker. Same for Captain America (though I am enthusiastic since it looks like Joe Johnston is revisiting The Rocketeer era of his filmography) and even as a fan of Captain America do I think he would not get a movie without The Avengers film happening. I know the decisions made in X-Men: First Class were entirely dictated by what the studios demanded in making a prequel for Matthew Vaughn to make a big budget film. It’s pretty studio-driven and Marvel Studios is the biggest and in terms of getting its money’s worth did its job and I think it does continue with Captain America.
I disagree that superhero movies will just go away if The Green Lantern’s lousy box office becomes an outlier of things to come. A Spiderman movie is happening with completely different actors. Superman is happening. Warner Bros. is completely prepared to do another version of Batman at year zero the moment The Dark Knight Rises breaks box office records yet again. I think the big names will continue to be made and be reinvented, retconned. I do think the real losers are the ‘lesser known’ superheroes or ‘cult’ graphic novels ever getting greenlit by a major studio with a big budget. I think if you had anybody not named Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man you would not have the same success. People misread the results of Iron Man thinking they could get lesser known entities in comics to break through and become mainstream.
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1963 Poll almost 2 years ago
High & Low (Akira Kurosawa)
8 1/2 (Federico Fellini)
The Leopard (Luchino Visconti)
The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock)
This Sporting Life (Lindsay Anderson)
The Haunting (Robert Wise)
The Great Escape (John Sturges)
America, America (Elia Kazan)
Lord of the Flies (Peter Brook)
Hud (Martin Ritt)
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Mubi's latest 'QT should be killed' thread: Screenplay for his next film 'Django Unchained' is finished almost 2 years ago
Leo playing against type is very much welcomed by me. I am getting very tired of him being good or damaged.
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Best Speech or Monologue In A Film almost 2 years ago
Tom Wilkinson in the opening of Michael Clayton completely stands alone from the movie itself.
“Michael. Dear Michael. Of course it’s you, who else could they send, who else could be trusted? I… I know it’s a long way and you’re ready to go to work… all I’m saying is just wait, just… just wait and please just hear me out because this is not an episode, relapse, fuck-up, it’s… I’m begging you Michael. I’m begging you. Try to make believe this is not just madness because this is not just madness. Two weeks ago I came out of the building ok, I’m running across 6th avenue there’s a car waiting, I’ve got exactly 38 minutes to get to the airport and I’m dictating. There’s this panicked associate sprinting along beside me, scribbling in a notepad, and suddenly she starts screaming, and I realize we’re standing in the middle of the street, the light’s changed, there’s this wall of traffic, serious traffic speeding towards us, and I… I freeze, I can’t move, and I’m suddenly consumed with the overwhelming sensation that I’m covered in some sort of film. It’s in my hair, my face… it’s like a glaze… a coating, and… at first I thought, oh my god, I know what this is, this is some sort of amniotic – embryonic – fluid. I’m drenched in afterbirth, I’ve breached the chrysalis, I’ve been reborn. But then the traffic, the stampede, the cars, the trucks, the horns, the screaming and I’m thinking no-no-no, reset, this is not rebirth, this is some kind of giddy illusion of renewal that happens in the final moment before death. And then I realize no-no-no, this is completely wrong because I look back at the building and I had the most stunning moment of clarity. I… I… I realized Michael, that I had emerged not from the doors of Kenner, Bach & Leeden, not through the portals of our vast and powerful law firm, but from the asshole of an organism who’s sole function is to excrete the… the… the poison, the ammo, the defoliant necessary for other, larger, more powerful organisms to destroy the miracle of humanity. And that I had been coated in this patina of shit for the best part of my life. The stench of it and the sting of it would in all likelihood take the rest of my life to undue. And you know what I did? I took a deep cleansing breath and I put that notion aside. I tabled it. I said to myself as clear as this may be, as potent a feeling as this is, as true a thing as I believe I witnessed today, it must wait. It must stand the test of time, and Michael, the time is now.”
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TEACHING SCIENCE FICTION FILMS - WHAT? HOW? almost 2 years ago
ANA:)
I actually meant Akira as in the manga film based on the huge manga book but Kurosawa is also a good choice! ;)
Joseph Campbell wrote the book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Campbell had a theory that the myths that stand the test of time share the structure of the monomyth or the hero’s journey. George Lucas was very much influenced by the hero’s journey aspect in the original Star Wars trilogy and regularly cites Campbell as a source of inspiration. Many other artists mention Campbell’s influence but it is none greater exemplified than Luke Skywalker’s journey. The monomyth and what it encompasses can easily be found on the web.
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best dark comedies? almost 2 years ago
Some of my favorites:
Election
Heathers
Welcome to the Dollhouse (It proves Middle School is in many ways worse than High School)
Battle Royale (I find the first 5-10 minutes of the film to be absolutely hysterical)
In Bruges
World’s Greatest Dad (Arguably the best performance Robin Williams has given in years)
After Hours
The King of Comedy
Dr. Strangelove
Harold & Maude
Kick-Ass (sorta in the vein of Battle Royale but I will say I loathed the romance sub-plot and the girlfriend)
To Die For
Brazil
Ghost World
Bad Santa
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10 Most Anticipated Movies Coming Out from July 2011-December 2011 almost 2 years ago
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Other 10:
Drive
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
A Dangerous Method
The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of the Unicorn (Incredibly worried about the risk of uncanny valley motion capture)
Melancholia
The Myth of the American Sleepover
Hugo
Take Shelter
War Horse (Will this be an overly sentimental Spielberg throwaway or something really special?)
The Muppets
Other July releases: Winnie The Pooh, Captain America: The First Avenger, and Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2
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Why do so called art films generate so much anger and vehemence on the part of those who disliked them. almost 2 years ago
I think sometimes when somebody dislikes an art film on basic principles they are told ‘you just don’t get it’. That is demeaning, basically saying they are dumb. The reaction to that can certainly turn that person off to that art film.
I will say that all films, especially in awards season, are reviewed in the moment and are often overrated by critics (and even moviegoers) who expect to find a Best Picture-worthy film somewhere and overreact when they see a good film, especially if that film is labeled ‘intelligent’ or ‘cerebral’ or ‘original’. I agree with Pierre and Risselada, art films and mainstream films are in the same boat as far as derision and honestly, the mainstream film gets as much or more bile than an art film because more people have seen it.
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What film scene is in your head today? almost 2 years ago
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Favourite Songs from Musicals almost 2 years ago
From a musical (and I have not found satisfactory videos on it) is “Who’s that Woman?” from Follies. Video robs it anyway. It is thrilling to watch live.
But in a movie, I definitely go to Hedwig & the Angry Inch:
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Favorite Horror-Comedy Movies of the 80s almost 2 years ago
Gremlins
The Evil Dead
Evil Dead 2
Army of Darkness (more of a comedy, but still)
Return of the Living Dead
Special Admissions:
Brain Damage- It’s not a favorite but boy, is it something. It features one of the most indescribably gruesome and insane death scenes I have ever scene, down with a very low budget at that. It makes the forest scene in The Evil Dead look tame.
Student Bodies- Essentially a spoof but it is hit and miss a lot of the time as a lot of the spoofing is often spelled out.
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Favorite Horror-Comedy Movies of the 80s almost 2 years ago
Editing Self: Totally forgot that Army of Darkness was in 1992.
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If You Met Godard, Would He Approve of Your Taste in Films? almost 2 years ago
For what it’s worth, his top ten list of films from 1956-1965 exists (also some other list of Best Sound Films and Best Post-Liberation French Films):
http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~ejohnson/critics/godard.html
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Top 10 TV Shows of all time almost 2 years ago
1.) The Twilight Zone- There were lessons, there was great storytelling, there were great explorations of the human condition.
2.) Arrested Development- Unforgettable characters, great set ups, and continuous joke after joke. Also one of the best things Ron Howard was involved with since Happy Days.
3.) The Simpsons- The gold standard and I will contend it is still very watchable and clever.
4.) Rocky & His Friend/The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show- Amazing satire, indelible characters, and very accessible from kids to adults.
5.) Futurama- For many years it surpassed The Simpsons and not by default. Great characters and voice-acting. So glad it is back on the air.
6.) Mad Men- Says no to nostalgia and gives us a look into the lenses of the 1960s leaving criticism to the viewer. Great casting, great acting, and does not treat its audience as fools.
7.) Spaced- Endless jokes and homage to some of my favorite things in geek culture. Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright, and Jessica Hynes were such a good team.
8.) Daria- The rallying cry show for the jaded, precocious teenagers without being shrill. Incredibly clever and witty that holds up pretty well today.
9.) Friday Night Lights- The show that somehow survived and thank goodness. The interactions among these people cannot be considered acting, it is just so naturalistic and real. Sure, the football situations should never always come down to the final play but the football culture is what defines this show.
10.) Batman: The Animated Series- Made the preexisting characters unique from its comic book titles and other movies/prgrams and also created some great original characters. Some of the most gorgeous animation with the Art Deco design of Gotham City.
Others: The Ren & Stimpy Show, Community, Archer, The Boondocks, Breaking Bad, Battlestar Galatica, Six Feet Under, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, The Wire, Freaks & Geeks, Twin Peaks, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Office (UK), Absolutely Fabulous, Taxi, All in the Family, and Firefly
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Films You Fell Asleep During almost 2 years ago
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (10:40 screening. I have no idea how I am going to handle my first midnight screening for Deathly Hallows Part 2, but seeing this movie again I think a lot of it had to do with quality.)
Where the Wild Things Are
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What are the most memorable musical numbers from non-musical films? almost 2 years ago
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TEACHING SCIENCE FICTION FILMS - WHAT? HOW? almost 2 years ago
The problem I often with a cinema verite/documentary-style (and television programs that use this style are one the biggest offenders) when filmmakers conveniently use it and abandon it. District 9 is no exception and arguably a textbook offender. In addition to the film being a cliche of action back and forth, it nearly abandons all of its style until maybe the final few minutes of the film (where the discussion is the whereabouts of Wikus) that was pretty inconsistently presented at that.
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Films that would be better suited as a weekly TV Series almost 2 years ago
I have mentioned before that Kaboom felt like it could have been a television series and it was mentioned to me that it was based off a failed series written originally for MTV.
Fever Pitch’s structure as a book was just begging to be a TV series. I still think it would be a great coming-of-age serial in the vein of The Wonder Years with a reflective voice-over as Nick Hornby (and in my mind Mr. Hornby himself).
The Kids Are All Right to me did feel like a season finale to a Showtime series (Lisa Cholodenko has directed for various TV shows but has never written anything for TV to my knowledge). In fact the way some questions were not answered in that film (not even talking about the relationship status) felt very TV.
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Ranking Kubrick almost 2 years ago
1 2001: A Space Odyssey
2 Dr. Strangelove
3 Barry Lyndon
4 The Shining
5 The Killing
6 Lolita
7 Paths of Glory
8 Full Metal Jacket
9 A Clockwork Orange
10 Spartacus
11 Eyes Wide Shut
Have not seen Killer’s Kiss or Fear & Desire.
1-5 Love these movies.
6-7 Very good movies that feel like they were on the cusp of greatness but missing one little thing.
8-11 Respect a lot of these movies (in fact I do like Spartacus but I agree this is one feels out of Kubrick’s control) but these films are not my cup of tea.
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