Born in the San Francisco bay area. Spent a few early years in Idaho. Moved back to Northern California and spent a lot of time in Nevada. Currently back in the San Francisco bay area. Would like to move to the UK in the future.
There are lots of great film blogs out there. I suggest first visiting the IFC Daily run by David Hudson who collects links to some of the best blog writing online each week. From there you should be able to find at least one or two blogs with content that will interest you.
A few of my own favorites include Girish Shambu’s blog, The Film Walrus, Arbogast on Film, The Self-Styled Siren, Acidemic, The Bright Lights Film Journal and Ferdy on Films just to name a few. My own blog is in need of a revamp and an update, but if you like ’60s & ’70s era cinema, you might find something of interest at Cinebeats.
If you enjoy writing and chatting about films with others, I highly recommend creating your own blog. A group effort is a terrific idea since it takes the burden off of one individual. Good luck with your efforts!
Couldn’t agree with you more, Richard. I’m surprised that anyone could think of Barton Fink, Miller’s Crossing and Fargo as “disposable.” I think all three films feature some of the Coen’s best writing. I also love the incredibly dark humor in them and Barton Fink is arguably their most surreal effort to date.
Define “torture porn.” I don’t understand why people insist on tossing that phrase around. It’s nonsensical much like other lazy terms used by critics such as “holocaust porn” and “poverty porn.”
With that said, many of the films mentioned so far are great movies, but they’ve already been released on DVD – some multiple times – with plenty of great extras. I’d hate to see Criterion waste their efforts on them.
There are a lot of terrific horror films that have NEVER been released on DVD in the US that I’d love to see Criterion make an effort to release instead. Hopefully some bored staff member will read this. My Top five picks would be:
1. Roger Vadim’s BLOOD AND ROSES (aka Et mourir de plaisir, 1960)
2. Lewis Allen’s THE UNINVITED (1944)
3. Alejandro Jodorowsky’s SANTA SANGRE (1989)
4. Philip Ridley’s THE REFLECTING SKIN (1990)
5. Nobuhiko Obayashi’s HAUSU (1977)
These are worthy selections for Criterion. They’re all superior films made by talented directors in desperate need of a DVD release and a wider audience.
One of the first directors that came to my mind was Ken Russell. Many of his films have only been released on Region 2 DVD and they’re out of print now.
I’d really welcome two 3 film collections. One featuring The Music Lovers, Lisztomania and Savage Messiah and the other featuring The Devils, The Boy Friend and The Rainbow.
I’m curious about this article so I’ll try and track it down.
A few of my own comfort films:
Any Hammer horror film!
The 400 Blows (1959)
Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring (1986)
Viva Las Vegas (1964)
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
Harold and Maude (1971)
Giant (1956)
The Magnificent Seven (1960)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
The Pink Panther (1963)
Danger: Diabolik! (1968)
I’m know there’s more, but these are the first few that came to mind. If I come across any of my “comfort films” playing on TV I usually drop everything and watch them.
Great call, JONNY B. The Wizard of Oz is one of mine as well!
And I can’t believe I forgot to mention Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Misfits and The Man Who Would be King. John Huston’s made a lot of my favorite “comfort” films.
“his career can only be categorized as a disappointment.”
I couldn’t disagree more. Unlike many director’s from the same period, I think Bertolucci is still making exciting films which makes his career anything but a disappointment.
Before the Revolution, The Conformist, Last Tango in Paris, 1900, The Last Emperor and The Sheltering Sky are some of the director’s best films, but I also think La Luna, Stealing Beauty and Beseiged had some fine moments. And last but not least, I’m personally really fond of The Dreamers and I think it’s an often unappreciated film for reasons I don’t understand.
I hope you get the opportunity to see Blood and Roses and The Uninvited, BNIES. Blood and Roses is one of Vadim’s best films and undoubtedly one of the most influential vampire movies ever made. The Uninvited tells a fantastic ghost story with some really innovative special effects for the time. You’re in for a real treat if you enjoy classic horror films!
I’m glad some others are eager to see Blood and Roses and the Univted finally get a DVD release.
Harry wrote: “It’s been defined.
A film structured around multiple victims ala FRIDAY THE 13TH, except that the death scenes are protracted with the victim screaming, sobbing & begging for mercy while the killer slowly dismembers, slices off portions of the anatomy, removes organs, etc.
Just the the masked stalker films have been dubbed Goreno, these exercises in sadism have been termed Torture Porn because, like pornography, they feature just enough plot to get the film from one money moment to the next. They have no mesaage, no subtext, no redeeming social value.”
That’s completely subjective.
The term was first used by Vincent Canby. A New York film critic whose knowledge and understanding of horror cinema, much less pornography, can be debated. The term is now bandied about as if it holds weight and I find it completely useless (much like “poverty porn” and “Holocaust porn”) when trying to seriously discuss horror cinema. It’s dismissive and extremely limiting.
To get some other insights into the term “torture porn” and the way it muddies the critical response to horror cinema I recommend reading Luke Y. Thompson’s piece from the OC Weekly.
at http://www.ocweekly.com/2007-09-06/film/why-torture-porn-isn-t/
We will make our meek adjustments,
Contented with such random consolations
As the wind deposits
In slithered and too ample pockets.
For we can still love the world, who find
A famished kitten on the step, and know
Recesses for it from the fury of the street,
Or warm torn elbow coverts.
We will sidestep, and to the final smirk
Dally the doom of that inevitable thumb
That slowly chafes its puckered index toward us,
Facing the dull squint with what innocence
And what surprise!
And yet these fine collapses are not lies
More than the pirouettes of any pliant cane;
Our obsequies are, in a way, no enterprise.
We can evade you, and all else but the heart:
What blame to us if the heart live on.
The game enforces smirks; but we have seen
The moon in lonely alleys make
A grail of laughter of an empty ash can,
And through all sound of gaiety and quest
Have heard a kitten in the wilderness.
Currently some of my favorite print publications are Video Watchdog, Cineaste, Sight and Sound, CinemaRetro and the English version of Cahiers du Cinéma. VideoWatchdog focuses a lot of it’s coverage on older and more obscure films available on DVD so you might enjoy that. All of them also offer some of their content online (just Google all the titles) so you can sample them and see if they appeal to you.
I love his vampire film The Hunger, but I haven’t really enjoyed anything he’s done since then. I usually forget his movies 10 min. after the credits role. But The Hunger is amazing. It’s easily one of the smartest and most adult vampire films ever made. Can’t recommend it enough.
Still need to see Domino, but I’ve been avoiding it due to the film’s star. I have a lot of problems with Keira Knightley or is it Natalie Portman? I can never tell the two apart. Fascinated with the subject of Domino though so I should really just get over my Knightley/Portman avoidance and watch the thing.
I think it’s a good idea. I’ve used Paypal for about 8 years and never had any problems with it. Offering multiple payment options would be a smart move.
I’ve only walked out of one film and that was the truly awful Highlander II: The Quickening (1991). In my defense it was a sort of pre-screening and a friend knew one of the producers so tickets were free. To this day it still rates as one of the worst movies I’ve seen. Since I went with friends I ended up playing video games in the lobby for 30min. until it finally ended.
1. The Diabolical Dr. Z (Jesus Franco; 1966)
2. Spirit of the Beehive (Victor Erice; 1973)
3. Cannibal Man (Eloy de la Iglesia; 1972)
4. Tombs of the Blind Dead (Amando de Ossorio; 1971)
5. Who Can Kill a Child? (Narciso Ibáñez Serrador; 1976)
6. The Awful Dr. Orlof (Jesus Franco; 1962)
7. Tristana (Luis Bunuel; 1970)
8. Viridiana (Luis Bunuel; 1961)
9. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Pedro Almodovar; 1988)
10. The Devil’s Backbone (Guillermo del Toro; 2001)
A few of my own favorites (some have been mentioned already):
Cleo from 5 to 7 – Agnes Varda
The Night Porter – Liliana Cavani
Siesta – Mary Lambert
A Real Young Girl – Catherine Breillat
Daisies – Vera Chytilova
Meshes of the Afternoon – Maya Deren
Smithereens – Susan Seidelman
Suburbia – Penelope Spheeris
Decline of Western Civilization I & II – Penelope Spheeris
Outrage – Ida Lupino
The Hitch-Hicker – Ida Lupino
Bad Girls Go to Hell – Doris Wishman
The Velvet Vampire – Stephanie Rothman
Orlando – Sally Potter
I Shot Andy Warhol – Mary Harron
American Psycho – Mary Harron
Innocence – Lucile Hadzihalilovic
Lost in Translation – Sofia Coppola
Harlan County USA – Barbara Kopple
Olivier, Olivier – Agnieszka Holland
Near Dark – Kathryn Bigelow
Titus – Julie Taymor (you’re not alone Jaspar!)
I can’t believe I’m the only person on the forum who enjoys Spanish horror films. Many of the films I listed are very political in nature and made by artists who worked with Welles, Bunuel, etc.
And if my vote for Tristina doesn’t count I’ll give it to Almodovar’s High Heels.
That’s good to know, but I do really like High Heels too. I’m really awful at making numbered lists. I hate the idea of placing one film’s value over another, but these kinds of exercises can be fun too.
Dirk Bogarde is one of the most beautiful and seductive actors that has ever appeared on screen imo. I couldn’t care less of he’s gay or appears “effete” to some people.
I understand Charlotte’s obsession perfectly and think Caviani’s use of him was brilliant in the film.
Sorry I Can’t Help But Talk, your intelligent & passionate defense of Antonioni in this thread and recent others is the best stuff I’ve come across on these forums. Thank you for talking!
The Coen Bros. -- Best film almost 3 years ago
Barton Fink is easily my favorite Coen Bro. work and Miller’s Crossing is probably my second. After that things get a little hazy and hard to place.
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Where are you from? almost 3 years ago
Born in the San Francisco bay area. Spent a few early years in Idaho. Moved back to Northern California and spent a lot of time in Nevada. Currently back in the San Francisco bay area. Would like to move to the UK in the future.
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Film blogs with a side of disappointment. almost 3 years ago
There are lots of great film blogs out there. I suggest first visiting the IFC Daily run by David Hudson who collects links to some of the best blog writing online each week. From there you should be able to find at least one or two blogs with content that will interest you.
A few of my own favorites include Girish Shambu’s blog, The Film Walrus, Arbogast on Film, The Self-Styled Siren, Acidemic, The Bright Lights Film Journal and Ferdy on Films just to name a few. My own blog is in need of a revamp and an update, but if you like ’60s & ’70s era cinema, you might find something of interest at Cinebeats.
If you enjoy writing and chatting about films with others, I highly recommend creating your own blog. A group effort is a terrific idea since it takes the burden off of one individual. Good luck with your efforts!
Go to Comment
The Coen Bros. -- Best film almost 3 years ago
Couldn’t agree with you more, Richard. I’m surprised that anyone could think of Barton Fink, Miller’s Crossing and Fargo as “disposable.” I think all three films feature some of the Coen’s best writing. I also love the incredibly dark humor in them and Barton Fink is arguably their most surreal effort to date.
Go to Comment
Howzabout Some Horror on Criterion? almost 3 years ago
Define “torture porn.” I don’t understand why people insist on tossing that phrase around. It’s nonsensical much like other lazy terms used by critics such as “holocaust porn” and “poverty porn.”
With that said, many of the films mentioned so far are great movies, but they’ve already been released on DVD – some multiple times – with plenty of great extras. I’d hate to see Criterion waste their efforts on them.
There are a lot of terrific horror films that have NEVER been released on DVD in the US that I’d love to see Criterion make an effort to release instead. Hopefully some bored staff member will read this. My Top five picks would be:
1. Roger Vadim’s BLOOD AND ROSES (aka Et mourir de plaisir, 1960)
2. Lewis Allen’s THE UNINVITED (1944)
3. Alejandro Jodorowsky’s SANTA SANGRE (1989)
4. Philip Ridley’s THE REFLECTING SKIN (1990)
5. Nobuhiko Obayashi’s HAUSU (1977)
These are worthy selections for Criterion. They’re all superior films made by talented directors in desperate need of a DVD release and a wider audience.
Go to Comment
What underappreciated filmmaker deserves an eclipse release? almost 3 years ago
One of the first directors that came to my mind was Ken Russell. Many of his films have only been released on Region 2 DVD and they’re out of print now.
I’d really welcome two 3 film collections. One featuring The Music Lovers, Lisztomania and Savage Messiah and the other featuring The Devils, The Boy Friend and The Rainbow.
Go to Comment
Comfort Films almost 3 years ago
I’m curious about this article so I’ll try and track it down.
A few of my own comfort films:
Any Hammer horror film!
The 400 Blows (1959)
Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring (1986)
Viva Las Vegas (1964)
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
Harold and Maude (1971)
Giant (1956)
The Magnificent Seven (1960)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
The Pink Panther (1963)
Danger: Diabolik! (1968)
I’m know there’s more, but these are the first few that came to mind. If I come across any of my “comfort films” playing on TV I usually drop everything and watch them.
Go to Comment
Comfort Films almost 3 years ago
Great call, JONNY B. The Wizard of Oz is one of mine as well!
And I can’t believe I forgot to mention Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Misfits and The Man Who Would be King. John Huston’s made a lot of my favorite “comfort” films.
Go to Comment
What happened to Bernardo Bertolucci? almost 3 years ago
“his career can only be categorized as a disappointment.”
I couldn’t disagree more. Unlike many director’s from the same period, I think Bertolucci is still making exciting films which makes his career anything but a disappointment.
Before the Revolution, The Conformist, Last Tango in Paris, 1900, The Last Emperor and The Sheltering Sky are some of the director’s best films, but I also think La Luna, Stealing Beauty and Beseiged had some fine moments. And last but not least, I’m personally really fond of The Dreamers and I think it’s an often unappreciated film for reasons I don’t understand.
Go to Comment
Howzabout Some Horror on Criterion? almost 3 years ago
I hope you get the opportunity to see Blood and Roses and The Uninvited, BNIES. Blood and Roses is one of Vadim’s best films and undoubtedly one of the most influential vampire movies ever made. The Uninvited tells a fantastic ghost story with some really innovative special effects for the time. You’re in for a real treat if you enjoy classic horror films!
Go to Comment
Howzabout Some Horror on Criterion? almost 3 years ago
I’m glad some others are eager to see Blood and Roses and the Univted finally get a DVD release.
Harry wrote: “It’s been defined.
A film structured around multiple victims ala FRIDAY THE 13TH, except that the death scenes are protracted with the victim screaming, sobbing & begging for mercy while the killer slowly dismembers, slices off portions of the anatomy, removes organs, etc.
Just the the masked stalker films have been dubbed Goreno, these exercises in sadism have been termed Torture Porn because, like pornography, they feature just enough plot to get the film from one money moment to the next. They have no mesaage, no subtext, no redeeming social value.”
That’s completely subjective.
The term was first used by Vincent Canby. A New York film critic whose knowledge and understanding of horror cinema, much less pornography, can be debated. The term is now bandied about as if it holds weight and I find it completely useless (much like “poverty porn” and “Holocaust porn”) when trying to seriously discuss horror cinema. It’s dismissive and extremely limiting.
To get some other insights into the term “torture porn” and the way it muddies the critical response to horror cinema I recommend reading Luke Y. Thompson’s piece from the OC Weekly.
at http://www.ocweekly.com/2007-09-06/film/why-torture-porn-isn-t/
Go to Comment
Our Favourite Poems- for a site anthology almost 3 years ago
Hart Crane: Chaplinesque
We will make our meek adjustments,
Contented with such random consolations
As the wind deposits
In slithered and too ample pockets.
For we can still love the world, who find
A famished kitten on the step, and know
Recesses for it from the fury of the street,
Or warm torn elbow coverts.
We will sidestep, and to the final smirk
Dally the doom of that inevitable thumb
That slowly chafes its puckered index toward us,
Facing the dull squint with what innocence
And what surprise!
And yet these fine collapses are not lies
More than the pirouettes of any pliant cane;
Our obsequies are, in a way, no enterprise.
We can evade you, and all else but the heart:
What blame to us if the heart live on.
The game enforces smirks; but we have seen
The moon in lonely alleys make
A grail of laughter of an empty ash can,
And through all sound of gaiety and quest
Have heard a kitten in the wilderness.
Go to Comment
Are any of those expensive glossy movie periodicals any good? almost 3 years ago
Currently some of my favorite print publications are Video Watchdog, Cineaste, Sight and Sound, CinemaRetro and the English version of Cahiers du Cinéma. VideoWatchdog focuses a lot of it’s coverage on older and more obscure films available on DVD so you might enjoy that. All of them also offer some of their content online (just Google all the titles) so you can sample them and see if they appeal to you.
Go to Comment
Wes Anderson Imitators, the worst kind of directors/writers? almost 3 years ago
I’ve always thought Wes Anderson was imitating Hal Ashby and Mike Nichols.
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What was the first Criterion movie you watched? almost 3 years ago
Purple Noon on Criterion Laser Disc
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Tony Scott almost 3 years ago
I love his vampire film The Hunger, but I haven’t really enjoyed anything he’s done since then. I usually forget his movies 10 min. after the credits role. But The Hunger is amazing. It’s easily one of the smartest and most adult vampire films ever made. Can’t recommend it enough.
Still need to see Domino, but I’ve been avoiding it due to the film’s star. I have a lot of problems with Keira Knightley or is it Natalie Portman? I can never tell the two apart. Fascinated with the subject of Domino though so I should really just get over my Knightley/Portman avoidance and watch the thing.
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Paypal for The Auteurs? almost 3 years ago
I think it’s a good idea. I’ve used Paypal for about 8 years and never had any problems with it. Offering multiple payment options would be a smart move.
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IF WE IGNORE 81/2 AND DOLCE VITA, WHAT'D BE THE BEST FELLINI MOVIE? almost 3 years ago
My vote goes to Satyricon.
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What films have you walked out on and why ? almost 3 years ago
I’ve only walked out of one film and that was the truly awful Highlander II: The Quickening (1991). In my defense it was a sort of pre-screening and a friend knew one of the producers so tickets were free. To this day it still rates as one of the worst movies I’ve seen. Since I went with friends I ended up playing video games in the lobby for 30min. until it finally ended.
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The Auteurs' Fake Criterion Covers almost 3 years ago
These are great! Decided to make a few myself for fun…
I made a bunch for Black Lizard since I couldn’t decide which one I liked best.
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The Auteurs' Fake Criterion Covers almost 3 years ago
Thanks! I’m really enjoying seeing what other people come up with and I really like that 3 Monkey’s design, Brandon!
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Can someone recommend good movies about The Troubles in Northern Ireland? over 2 years ago
Hennessy (1975)
Unfortunately it’s not easy to see since it has never been released on DVD but you can find VHS copies of the film selling at Amazon.
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Poll of the month, June: Top 10 films from Spain and Portugal over 2 years ago
1. The Diabolical Dr. Z (Jesus Franco; 1966)
2. Spirit of the Beehive (Victor Erice; 1973)
3. Cannibal Man (Eloy de la Iglesia; 1972)
4. Tombs of the Blind Dead (Amando de Ossorio; 1971)
5. Who Can Kill a Child? (Narciso Ibáñez Serrador; 1976)
6. The Awful Dr. Orlof (Jesus Franco; 1962)
7. Tristana (Luis Bunuel; 1970)
8. Viridiana (Luis Bunuel; 1961)
9. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Pedro Almodovar; 1988)
10. The Devil’s Backbone (Guillermo del Toro; 2001)
Go to Comment
Favorite Movies by Female Directors over 2 years ago
A few of my own favorites (some have been mentioned already):
Cleo from 5 to 7 – Agnes Varda
The Night Porter – Liliana Cavani
Siesta – Mary Lambert
A Real Young Girl – Catherine Breillat
Daisies – Vera Chytilova
Meshes of the Afternoon – Maya Deren
Smithereens – Susan Seidelman
Suburbia – Penelope Spheeris
Decline of Western Civilization I & II – Penelope Spheeris
Outrage – Ida Lupino
The Hitch-Hicker – Ida Lupino
Bad Girls Go to Hell – Doris Wishman
The Velvet Vampire – Stephanie Rothman
Orlando – Sally Potter
I Shot Andy Warhol – Mary Harron
American Psycho – Mary Harron
Innocence – Lucile Hadzihalilovic
Lost in Translation – Sofia Coppola
Harlan County USA – Barbara Kopple
Olivier, Olivier – Agnieszka Holland
Near Dark – Kathryn Bigelow
Titus – Julie Taymor (you’re not alone Jaspar!)
Go to Comment
Poll of the month, June: Top 10 films from Spain and Portugal over 2 years ago
I can’t believe I’m the only person on the forum who enjoys Spanish horror films. Many of the films I listed are very political in nature and made by artists who worked with Welles, Bunuel, etc.
And if my vote for Tristina doesn’t count I’ll give it to Almodovar’s High Heels.
Go to Comment
Poll of the month, June: Top 10 films from Spain and Portugal over 2 years ago
That’s good to know, but I do really like High Heels too. I’m really awful at making numbered lists. I hate the idea of placing one film’s value over another, but these kinds of exercises can be fun too.
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LETS TALK FRANKLY ABOUT FEMALE DIRECTORS over 2 years ago
Just had to add this…
Dirk Bogarde is one of the most beautiful and seductive actors that has ever appeared on screen imo. I couldn’t care less of he’s gay or appears “effete” to some people.
I understand Charlotte’s obsession perfectly and think Caviani’s use of him was brilliant in the film.
Go to Comment
Blow Up...What the hell? over 2 years ago
Sorry I Can’t Help But Talk, your intelligent & passionate defense of Antonioni in this thread and recent others is the best stuff I’ve come across on these forums. Thank you for talking!
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is "Blow Out" better than "Blow Up"? over 2 years ago
Absolutely not. And Dario Argento’s Deep Red (another Blow Up homage) is also better than Blow Out.
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The Master of the Crime Genre? over 2 years ago
My personal favorites crime masters are John Huston, Seijun Suzuki, Jean-Pierre Melville and last in line… John Woo.
If you like Melville I highly recommend giving the early films of Huston and Suzuki a look.
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