I wouldn’t say I didn’t like “The Hurt Locker”?", but I had issues with the film. It has been praised by manly critic, I think is due to the lack of public’s interest in the war. The one problem I had with the film is the notion of a hero/myth characterization of Sgt. William James, as someone put it earlier "“new guy who is crazy and not afraid to die”. here is a soldier who is ready to die and seem not to question the reason behind it, , but for what? the film is empty when it comes to tackling the real issues about the war in Iraq, Bigelow has nothing new to say. Another film with the good guys vs the bad guys, nothing else.
It seems that “the Most influential film director of the 21st century” are all English speaking directors from Hollywood, what about the rest of the world? here is an alternative list, to name a few:
lisandro Alonso
Carlos Reygadas
Apichatpong Weerasethaku
Nui Bilge Ceylan
Pedro Costa
Yesim Ustaoglu
Kelly Reichardt
Gaspor Noe
Lucrecia Marte
Bahman ghobadi
Jafar Panahi
Ramin Bahrani
Hirokazu Koreed
Andrey Zvyagintsev
Abdellatif Kechiche
Corneliu Porumboiu
Paolo Sorrentino
Bruno Dumont
I thought it was a fascist film that must be on Bush’s top list of favorite films; a playboy billionaire goes by the name of Batman who run a city, control every aspect of it, break almost every law, wire tap every citizen, takes the law into his hand. As for the Joker, according to him, he is just trying to stop Batman’s domination and monopoly, yet he is called a terrorist and an evil….it all sound so familiar!
I kept a film diary since 1999, for the past ten years, the total film I had watched is: 3821. I have watched at least one film a day, if not more………. Before 1999…. my memory is blank.
I thought of starting a topic in which you would post a a few line about a film you just WATCHED or RE-WATCHED, give the title of the film, the director and the year of release, it will could be your film diary at the auterurs, here is one that I watched today:
WATCHED: China is Near (Marco Bellocchio, 1967) A political satire that offend the nature of politic itself.
The Avenging Conscience ,,,,,,,,(Griffith)
I Was Born But………… (Yasujiro Ozu)
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang ,,,,,,,,,,(Mervyn LeRoy)
Love Me Tonight,,,,,,,,,,, (Robert Mamoulian)
You Only Live Once ,,,,,,,,,,(Fritz Lang)
Only Angels Have Wings,,,,,,,,, (Howard Hawks)
I Walked with a Zombie ,,,,,,,,,,,(Jacques Tourneur)
Duel in the Sun…….. (King Vidor)
I Know Where I’m Going ………(Powell/Pressburger)
Out of the Past ……….(Jacques Tourneur)
They Live by Night…………… (Nicholas Ray)
Knock on Any Door…………. (Nicholas Ray)
Born to be Bad………. (Nicholas Ray)
In a Lonely Place …………(Nicholas Ray)
The Big Heat ………..(Fritz Lang)
Kiss Me Deadly………. (Robert Aldrich)
Bigger than Life……… (Nicholas Ray)
The 400 Blows……. (Francois Truffaut)
The Savage Innocents ……(Nicholas Ray)
A Woman Is a Woman ……..(Jean-Luc Godard)
Fists in the Pocket……. (Marco Bellocchio)
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul,,,,,,,(Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street……… (Samuel Fuller)
Life and Nothing More…….. (Abbas Kiarostami)
Colossal Youth…… (Pedro Costa)
Police, Adjective (Corneliu Porumboiu, 2009)
Le Conseguenze Dell’amore (Paolo Sorrentino, 2004)
The Tracker (Rolf de Heer, 2002)
Dong aka The Hole (Tsai Ming-liang, 1998)
JLG/JLG – Self-Portrait in December (Jean-Luc Godard, 1995)
Pandora’nin kutusu aka Pandora’s Box (Yesim Ustaoglu, 2008)
Confessions of an Opium Eater (Albert Zugsmith, 1962
The Perverts Guide to Cinema (Sophie Fiennes,2006)
Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana (Aki Kaurismaki)
Death.by.Hanging.(Nagisa.Oshima,.1968)
There’s Always Tomorrow (Douglas Sirk ,1956)
Matinee (Joe Dante, 1993)
Cinéma de notre temps – Aki Kaurismaki
The Great War (Mario Monicelli, 1959)
Bright Star (Jane Campion, 2009)
Vincerea ( Marco Bellocchio, 2009)
Hammett (Wim Wenders, 1982 )
L’Humanite.(Bruno Dumont, 1999)
Night Of The Demon (Jacques Tourneur, 1957)
The Indian Tomb (Fritz Lang, 1959)
Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (Budd Boetticher, 1960)
China is Near (Marco Bellocchio, 1967)
Berlin Express ((Jacques Tourneur, 1948)
The Comedy Of Terrors ((Jacques Tourneur, 1964)
El Patrullero (Alex Cox, 1991)
Journey into Fear (Norman Foster and Orson Welles, 1943)
O Sangue (Blood) (Pedro Costa, 1989)
Odds Against Tomorrow (Robert Wise, 1959)
Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch, 1995)
Searcher 2.0 (Alex Cox, 2007)
Europa (Lars von Trier, 1991)
You Were Like a Wild Chrysanthermum (Keisuke Kinoshita, 1955)
War Gods Of The Deep (Jacques Tourneur, 1965)
City Girl ( F.W,Murnau, 1930)
Flandres (Bruno Dumont, 2006)
The Reckless Moment (Max Ophuls,1949)
Director:Yilmaz Güney
Writer: Yilmaz Güney
Bekir Yildiz (Novel)
Cast:
Yilmaz Güney
Müserref Tezcan
Kuzey Vargin
“Baba” is a bitter melodrama set in Istambul. A father is not able to earn enough money to feed his family. He is waiting to emigrate to Germany. When his landlord’s son kills a man while drunk, the father is prepared to answer for the deed himself, provided that the landlord supports his wife and children. As there is little difference for the father between ten years in prison or ten years in a foreign country, he regards this to be the best solution.
Cast
Tuncel Kurtiz …
Ayse Emel Mesci Kuray …
Malik Berrichi …
Nicolas Hossein …
Isabelle Tissandier …
Produced in France, The Wall (aka Le Mur) was the last work of Turkish writer/director/political activist Yilmaz Guney. Like most of his best works (e.g. Yol), Guney based the wall on his own unhappy personal experience in his native country. The principal characters are a group of young disenfranchised orphans, detained in a prison in Ankara. Here the children are regularly brutalized and raped by the guards. The young prisoners ultimately stage an abortive revolt against their tormentors. Cowritten by Guney and Marie-Helene Quinton.
Cast:
Tarik Akan
Melike Demirag
Erol Demiröz
Levent Inanir
Sener Kokkaya
Tuncel Kurtiz
Meral Niron
Yaman Okay
Savas Yurttas
Because of a local blood feud, a peasant family decides to sell its sheep – a most precious commodity – in far away Ankara. During their long train ride, bribes must be paid to petty officials, sheep are stolen or die in the packed, airless wagons, and the sick wife of one of the family’s sons becomes deathly ill.
An aging rail worker, living a mononously quiet life with his wife, is asked to retire. The second of the two austere-looking, deliberately paced films Shaheed Saless made in Iran proved to be one of the turning points of Iranian cinema in the 70s.Winner of numerous prizes at the Berlin Film Festival in 1974, including the Silver Bear for Best Director, STILL LIFE examines the lot in life of an old man who guards a railroad crossing and his wife, who brings in a meager income weaving carpets. After 30 years in the same job, the man is forced into retirement by the arrival of the new guard. Finally, he is forced to a bleak epiphany of society’s indifference to his fate.
Saless made only two films in Iran; A Simple Incident (1973) and Still Life (1974), before falling out of favor with the Shah and going into exile in Germany while working on his never-to-be-completed third production, Quarantine. Despite this, Saless is very much the ‘father’ of contemporary Iranian film, these two films representing landmarks in the history of Iranian cinema. In Still Life, he introduced the minimalistic dialogue, (at times excruciatingly) slow camera movement, and methodical directing style that would become the hallmark of almost every other internationally popular Iranian director. A big influence on Abbas Kiarostami and Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
Pierrot le fou is my favorite film of Godard, everything that Godard represent is in the film, it was his transition film, a mix between his early films, the likes of Breathless and his later, more radical and political films like La Chinoise.
If you are new to Godard, I would suggest watching Bande à part (1964), it is one of the few of his films that reaches the so called “broader audience”.
Cruelest movie scenes over 2 years ago
The rape scene in Noe’s Irreversible (2002) has to be among the most brutal ever…Noe dig deeps into the human psyche…
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Am I the only one who didn't like "The Hurt Locker"? over 2 years ago
I wouldn’t say I didn’t like “The Hurt Locker”?", but I had issues with the film. It has been praised by manly critic, I think is due to the lack of public’s interest in the war. The one problem I had with the film is the notion of a hero/myth characterization of Sgt. William James, as someone put it earlier "“new guy who is crazy and not afraid to die”. here is a soldier who is ready to die and seem not to question the reason behind it, , but for what? the film is empty when it comes to tackling the real issues about the war in Iraq, Bigelow has nothing new to say. Another film with the good guys vs the bad guys, nothing else.
Go to Comment
Most influential film director of the 21st century? over 2 years ago
It seems that “the Most influential film director of the 21st century” are all English speaking directors from Hollywood, what about the rest of the world? here is an alternative list, to name a few:
lisandro Alonso
Carlos Reygadas
Apichatpong Weerasethaku
Nui Bilge Ceylan
Pedro Costa
Yesim Ustaoglu
Kelly Reichardt
Gaspor Noe
Lucrecia Marte
Bahman ghobadi
Jafar Panahi
Ramin Bahrani
Hirokazu Koreed
Andrey Zvyagintsev
Abdellatif Kechiche
Corneliu Porumboiu
Paolo Sorrentino
Bruno Dumont
Go to Comment
Anybody else hate the Dark Knight? over 2 years ago
I thought it was a fascist film that must be on Bush’s top list of favorite films; a playboy billionaire goes by the name of Batman who run a city, control every aspect of it, break almost every law, wire tap every citizen, takes the law into his hand. As for the Joker, according to him, he is just trying to stop Batman’s domination and monopoly, yet he is called a terrorist and an evil….it all sound so familiar!
Go to Comment
How many film do you think you've seen in your life over 2 years ago
I kept a film diary since 1999, for the past ten years, the total film I had watched is: 3821. I have watched at least one film a day, if not more………. Before 1999…. my memory is blank.
Go to Comment
What did you Watch today? over 2 years ago
I thought of starting a topic in which you would post a a few line about a film you just WATCHED or RE-WATCHED, give the title of the film, the director and the year of release, it will could be your film diary at the auterurs, here is one that I watched today:
WATCHED: China is Near (Marco Bellocchio, 1967) A political satire that offend the nature of politic itself.
Go to Comment
What is the most tragic scene in cinema history? over 2 years ago
The last ten minute of Ozu’s Tokyo Story….
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Last movie you saw and rate it over 2 years ago
O Sangue (Blood) (Pedro Costa, 1989) – 10/10
a tribute from Costa to CinemaGo to Comment
What is the greatest film title ever? over 2 years ago
Some marvelous titles:
The Avenging Conscience ,,,,,,,,(Griffith)
I Was Born But………… (Yasujiro Ozu)
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang ,,,,,,,,,,(Mervyn LeRoy)
Love Me Tonight,,,,,,,,,,, (Robert Mamoulian)
You Only Live Once ,,,,,,,,,,(Fritz Lang)
Only Angels Have Wings,,,,,,,,, (Howard Hawks)
I Walked with a Zombie ,,,,,,,,,,,(Jacques Tourneur)
Duel in the Sun…….. (King Vidor)
I Know Where I’m Going ………(Powell/Pressburger)
Out of the Past ……….(Jacques Tourneur)
They Live by Night…………… (Nicholas Ray)
Knock on Any Door…………. (Nicholas Ray)
Born to be Bad………. (Nicholas Ray)
In a Lonely Place …………(Nicholas Ray)
The Big Heat ………..(Fritz Lang)
Kiss Me Deadly………. (Robert Aldrich)
Bigger than Life……… (Nicholas Ray)
The 400 Blows……. (Francois Truffaut)
The Savage Innocents ……(Nicholas Ray)
A Woman Is a Woman ……..(Jean-Luc Godard)
Fists in the Pocket……. (Marco Bellocchio)
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul,,,,,,,(Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street……… (Samuel Fuller)
Life and Nothing More…….. (Abbas Kiarostami)
Colossal Youth…… (Pedro Costa)
and let us not forget:
Plan 9 from Outer Space (Edward D. Wood Jr)
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Who wants "Stalker" to appear on Criterion? over 2 years ago
Stalker on Criterion Blu-ray…..I
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What I Watched This Month over 2 years ago
January:
Police, Adjective (Corneliu Porumboiu, 2009)
Le Conseguenze Dell’amore (Paolo Sorrentino, 2004)
The Tracker (Rolf de Heer, 2002)
Dong aka The Hole (Tsai Ming-liang, 1998)
JLG/JLG – Self-Portrait in December (Jean-Luc Godard, 1995)
Pandora’nin kutusu aka Pandora’s Box (Yesim Ustaoglu, 2008)
Confessions of an Opium Eater (Albert Zugsmith, 1962
The Perverts Guide to Cinema (Sophie Fiennes,2006)
Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana (Aki Kaurismaki)
Death.by.Hanging.(Nagisa.Oshima,.1968)
There’s Always Tomorrow (Douglas Sirk ,1956)
Matinee (Joe Dante, 1993)
Cinéma de notre temps – Aki Kaurismaki
The Great War (Mario Monicelli, 1959)
Bright Star (Jane Campion, 2009)
Vincerea ( Marco Bellocchio, 2009)
Hammett (Wim Wenders, 1982 )
L’Humanite.(Bruno Dumont, 1999)
Night Of The Demon (Jacques Tourneur, 1957)
The Indian Tomb (Fritz Lang, 1959)
Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (Budd Boetticher, 1960)
China is Near (Marco Bellocchio, 1967)
Berlin Express ((Jacques Tourneur, 1948)
The Comedy Of Terrors ((Jacques Tourneur, 1964)
El Patrullero (Alex Cox, 1991)
Journey into Fear (Norman Foster and Orson Welles, 1943)
O Sangue (Blood) (Pedro Costa, 1989)
Odds Against Tomorrow (Robert Wise, 1959)
Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch, 1995)
Searcher 2.0 (Alex Cox, 2007)
Europa (Lars von Trier, 1991)
You Were Like a Wild Chrysanthermum (Keisuke Kinoshita, 1955)
War Gods Of The Deep (Jacques Tourneur, 1965)
City Girl ( F.W,Murnau, 1930)
Flandres (Bruno Dumont, 2006)
The Reckless Moment (Max Ophuls,1949)
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One film you love and will love for the rest of your life? just one film, no cheating, treat it like a marriage! over 2 years ago
Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954)
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Cinéma 21 (A GARAGE DISCUSSION GROUP) over 2 years ago
@apursansar; the list is great…wish there were more, how about:
Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Carlos Reygadas
Jafar Panahi
Bahman Ghobadi
Yesim Ustaoglu
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(Temporary) Film database submission mechanism over 2 years ago
Baba (1971)
Director:Yilmaz Güney
Writer: Yilmaz Güney
Bekir Yildiz (Novel)
Cast:
Yilmaz Güney
Müserref Tezcan
Kuzey Vargin
“Baba” is a bitter melodrama set in Istambul. A father is not able to earn enough money to feed his family. He is waiting to emigrate to Germany. When his landlord’s son kills a man while drunk, the father is prepared to answer for the deed himself, provided that the landlord supports his wife and children. As there is little difference for the father between ten years in prison or ten years in a foreign country, he regards this to be the best solution.
Go to Comment
(Temporary) Film database submission mechanism over 2 years ago
Duvar (1983) aka The Wall
Director: Yilmaz Güney
Writer: Yilmaz Güney, Marie-Helene Quinton
Cinematography: Izzet Akay
Producer: Marin Karmitz
Cast
Tuncel Kurtiz …
Ayse Emel Mesci Kuray …
Malik Berrichi …
Nicolas Hossein …
Isabelle Tissandier …
Produced in France, The Wall (aka Le Mur) was the last work of Turkish writer/director/political activist Yilmaz Guney. Like most of his best works (e.g. Yol), Guney based the wall on his own unhappy personal experience in his native country. The principal characters are a group of young disenfranchised orphans, detained in a prison in Ankara. Here the children are regularly brutalized and raped by the guards. The young prisoners ultimately stage an abortive revolt against their tormentors. Cowritten by Guney and Marie-Helene Quinton.
http://www.chris-kutschera.com/A/Yilmaz%20Guney.htm
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(Temporary) Film database submission mechanism over 2 years ago
Sürü (1979) aka The Herd
Director: Zeki Ökten & Yilmaz Guney
Writer: Yilmaz Güney
Cinematography: Izzet Akay
Cast:
Tarik Akan
Melike Demirag
Erol Demiröz
Levent Inanir
Sener Kokkaya
Tuncel Kurtiz
Meral Niron
Yaman Okay
Savas Yurttas
Because of a local blood feud, a peasant family decides to sell its sheep – a most precious commodity – in far away Ankara. During their long train ride, bribes must be paid to petty officials, sheep are stolen or die in the packed, airless wagons, and the sick wife of one of the family’s sons becomes deathly ill.
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(Temporary) Film database submission mechanism over 2 years ago
Tabiate bijan (1974) aka Still Life
Director: Sohrab Shahid Saless
Writer: Sohrab Shahid Saless
Cinematography: Houshang Baharlou
An aging rail worker, living a mononously quiet life with his wife, is asked to retire. The second of the two austere-looking, deliberately paced films Shaheed Saless made in Iran proved to be one of the turning points of Iranian cinema in the 70s.Winner of numerous prizes at the Berlin Film Festival in 1974, including the Silver Bear for Best Director, STILL LIFE examines the lot in life of an old man who guards a railroad crossing and his wife, who brings in a meager income weaving carpets. After 30 years in the same job, the man is forced into retirement by the arrival of the new guard. Finally, he is forced to a bleak epiphany of society’s indifference to his fate.
Saless made only two films in Iran; A Simple Incident (1973) and Still Life (1974), before falling out of favor with the Shah and going into exile in Germany while working on his never-to-be-completed third production, Quarantine. Despite this, Saless is very much the ‘father’ of contemporary Iranian film, these two films representing landmarks in the history of Iranian cinema. In Still Life, he introduced the minimalistic dialogue, (at times excruciatingly) slow camera movement, and methodical directing style that would become the hallmark of almost every other internationally popular Iranian director. A big influence on Abbas Kiarostami and Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
Review:
http://theseventhart.info/?s=still+life+sohrab
A scene from the film that Mohsen Makhmalbaf would imitate later in Once Upon a Time, Cinema (1992)
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Thoughts on Godard over 2 years ago
Pierrot le fou is my favorite film of Godard, everything that Godard represent is in the film, it was his transition film, a mix between his early films, the likes of Breathless and his later, more radical and political films like La Chinoise.
If you are new to Godard, I would suggest watching Bande à part (1964), it is one of the few of his films that reaches the so called “broader audience”.
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Best Cinematography you have ever seen? over 2 years ago
Sunrise (1927)
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