I would like to be able to scroll through directors/films/etc on a person’s profile – to click on the thumbnails and drag across, like a slideshow.
Also, hovering over a film thumbnail could induce a pop-up with more info on that film.
I feel like every year or so, there’s one “indie” film that is for whatever reason embraced by the mainstream crowd and they all flock to see it, and they all say the film is “different.” I don’t hate those 3 films, I just hate that all my mainstream-ish friends recommend these movies and tell me, “You’ll like it, it’s like one of those indie movies.” There are so many hundreds of better films, but some magazine told them it’s ok to like Juno, so let’s all go see Juno! Oscar-worthy my ass!
Come on, Robocop is fantastic! Great satire, hilariously over the top, and the best Miguel Ferrer performance yet.
And F for Fake? Really? I love the balls off that film, it’s possibly the most self-indulgent Welles production, and has some of the most inspired editing in film history. But I understand, parts are slow and repetitive.
I really didn’t care for Milos Forman’s Love of a Blonde. It just didn’t go anywhere.
Band of Outsiders bores me to tears.
Vengeance is Mine doesn’t live up to the title.
In addition to all these great recommendations, I’ll throw in The Exorcist III and The Changeling – both starring George C. Scott and both relatively unseen.
For my money, Alien is the most perfectly-paced thriller of them all.
I saw Soderbergh’s film first, and enjoyed it. I liked the moodiness, ambiguity, and understated “sci-fi” of it all.
2 years later I saw Tarkovsky’s film and was blown away.
I feel like Soderbergh’s is the appetizer, that even many mainstream-minded viewers can enjoy.
But Tarkovsky’s is the real-deal 7 course meal that rewards those who offer their minds to it.
That being said, the “remake” is one of the least annoying remakes around, which is to Soderbergh’s credit considering what a weighty and difficult project that would have been to tackle. His vision seemed to focus simply on Kelvin’s issues with his wife, rather than the whole gamut of human experience.
I also agree with the chronological Welles – and do it in a weekend, if you can.
F For Fake is truly one of a kind and hilarious – I think no other film has played with the editing process like this one, and it fits the film perfectly. It’s my favorite Welles aside from Kane.
The comprehensive Arkadin is the only version I’ve seen, and it’s great. It has a nicely brisk pace, and any Welles fan will love his character.
Oh, and if you’re completely hardcore, check the radio plays he did with the Mercury Theatre of the Air and The Campbell Playhouse:
http://www.mercurytheatre.info/
Dracula is awesome.
I learned about that stuff from this bio on him, which I recommend:
http://www.amazon.com/Orson-Welles-1-Road-Xanadu/dp/0140254560/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228164934&sr=1-3
I would also like the video player to be more like Hulu’s in that the pop-out window resizes the video when you resize the window, and doesn’t take up an entire page.
I hate for that to sound like a complaint, because this site is awesome.
I’m glad someone brought this up – I’ve only seen Solaris and Andrei Rublev. I loved Solaris, but was became bored with Rublev halfway through and just barely finished it. I know that sounds ridiculous considering how painfully slow Solaris is, but the film just really grabbed me, whereas Rublev didn’t.
I’ve read about Stalker and Nostalghia, and am very interested in seeing both. Are either of those films comparable in tone or experience to Solaris or Rublev? Or are they each entirely different?
Vonnegut, Orwell, Palahniuk, Ayn Rand, Vincent Bugliosi, Richard Preston, early Stephen King
Some recent reads I highly recommend:
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell – Susannah Clarke
It’s like Harry Potter written by Charles Dickens – with some of the most imaginative ideas on magic I’ve come across.
Devil in the White City – Erik Larson
Mind-boggling nonfiction account of a serial killer during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, it’s really a must-read
The Alienist – Caleb Carr
A great mix of Sherlock Holmes, Silence of the Lambs, and Jack the Ripper.
I’ve recently discovered some great sci-fi stuff by John Wyndham, an underrated British author who wrote in the 50s and 60s. His stuff is somewhere between “sci-fi fantasy” and “thinking-man’s sci-fi,” kind of like “average Joe sci-fi.” I recommend The Chrysalids, Day of the Triffids, and The Midwich Cuckoos.
Agreed, all the Saul Bass sequences are great, with “Psycho” being my personal favorite.
I love the “Dr. Strangelove” intro, with all the planes doing the nasty.
Also, “North by Northwest,” “Fight Club,” and “Buffalo ’66” for its ridiculously large text.
Coming from an enormous Kurosawa fan, I’d have to say the Postwar Kurosawa set isn’t exactly essential. I watched all 5 films recently and but can’t imagine myself revisiting any of them, the way I have Red Beard, The Bad Sleep Well, High & Low, Rashomon, and others. That’s not to say those films aren’t worth watching – they each have their merits, but just can’t stack up to Kurosawa’s many later masterpieces.
Scandal is my favorite from the set, because I always enjoy seeing Kurosawa forcing a character to learn compassion for others. The Idiot has an amazing Mifune performance, but the film is much longer than it needs to be. One Wonderful Sunday is fun and light-hearted, making it somewhat unique for Kurosawa. No Regrets For Our Youth and I Live in Fear deal directly with the immediate war and post-war environment, making them a bit dated. But like all Kurosawa films, there is social value to be found in all these films’ stories and character arcs, so if you’re a die-hard fan, go for it.
Not to mention THE GARBAGE STRIKE! There are areas in America in extreme poverty that still enjoy the benefits of routine garbage collection. In Ratcatcher, being surrounded by garbage with no way out is an obvious metaphor – all around him things are bad, maybe not the worst in the world, but bad enough for him to feel forever trapped (his family will NEVER get one of those new houses), thus being forced into his own dream world.
So like the Panda said, it’s about how the option-less child deals with it.
Top Albums of the Year (aka What rocks your ipod) 2008 over 3 years ago
Portishead – Third
Scary, scary, scary. Different enough from their previous efforts to make it worth the wait.
The Mars Volta – Bedlam in Goliath
80 straight minutes of throat-punching prog-ness.
Opeth – Watershed
Quite possibly the best example of the whole game Opeth has offer.
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Help make The Auteurs totally awesome over 3 years ago
I would like to be able to scroll through directors/films/etc on a person’s profile – to click on the thumbnails and drag across, like a slideshow.
Also, hovering over a film thumbnail could induce a pop-up with more info on that film.
Go to Comment
WHICH MOVIES...PUT OUT IN LAST 5 YEARS...DO YOU THINK WILL ONE DAY JOIN THE CRITERION COLLECTION? over 3 years ago
City of God
The Fall
Adaptation
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Movies you hated that everyone else loves over 3 years ago
Garden State, Lost in Translation, Juno.
I feel like every year or so, there’s one “indie” film that is for whatever reason embraced by the mainstream crowd and they all flock to see it, and they all say the film is “different.” I don’t hate those 3 films, I just hate that all my mainstream-ish friends recommend these movies and tell me, “You’ll like it, it’s like one of those indie movies.” There are so many hundreds of better films, but some magazine told them it’s ok to like Juno, so let’s all go see Juno! Oscar-worthy my ass!
Go to Comment
Worst Criterion DVDs over 3 years ago
Come on, Robocop is fantastic! Great satire, hilariously over the top, and the best Miguel Ferrer performance yet.
And F for Fake? Really? I love the balls off that film, it’s possibly the most self-indulgent Welles production, and has some of the most inspired editing in film history. But I understand, parts are slow and repetitive.
I really didn’t care for Milos Forman’s Love of a Blonde. It just didn’t go anywhere.
Band of Outsiders bores me to tears.
Vengeance is Mine doesn’t live up to the title.
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Whats the scariest film ever or some of ur favorites over 3 years ago
In addition to all these great recommendations, I’ll throw in The Exorcist III and The Changeling – both starring George C. Scott and both relatively unseen.
For my money, Alien is the most perfectly-paced thriller of them all.
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Solaris over 3 years ago
I saw Soderbergh’s film first, and enjoyed it. I liked the moodiness, ambiguity, and understated “sci-fi” of it all.
2 years later I saw Tarkovsky’s film and was blown away.
I feel like Soderbergh’s is the appetizer, that even many mainstream-minded viewers can enjoy.
But Tarkovsky’s is the real-deal 7 course meal that rewards those who offer their minds to it.
That being said, the “remake” is one of the least annoying remakes around, which is to Soderbergh’s credit considering what a weighty and difficult project that would have been to tackle. His vision seemed to focus simply on Kelvin’s issues with his wife, rather than the whole gamut of human experience.
Go to Comment
VILLAINS. over 3 years ago
The volcano from Joe vs. the Volcano!
Go to Comment
Orson Welles, your recommendations over 3 years ago
I also agree with the chronological Welles – and do it in a weekend, if you can.
F For Fake is truly one of a kind and hilarious – I think no other film has played with the editing process like this one, and it fits the film perfectly. It’s my favorite Welles aside from Kane.
The comprehensive Arkadin is the only version I’ve seen, and it’s great. It has a nicely brisk pace, and any Welles fan will love his character.
Go to Comment
Orson Welles, your recommendations over 3 years ago
Oh, and if you’re completely hardcore, check the radio plays he did with the Mercury Theatre of the Air and The Campbell Playhouse:
http://www.mercurytheatre.info/
Dracula is awesome.
I learned about that stuff from this bio on him, which I recommend:
http://www.amazon.com/Orson-Welles-1-Road-Xanadu/dp/0140254560/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228164934&sr=1-3
Go to Comment
Help make The Auteurs totally awesome over 3 years ago
I would also like the video player to be more like Hulu’s in that the pop-out window resizes the video when you resize the window, and doesn’t take up an entire page.
I hate for that to sound like a complaint, because this site is awesome.
Go to Comment
Best Criterion? over 3 years ago
Brazil
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
Bicycle Thieves
F For Fake
Red Beard
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Tarkovsky over 3 years ago
I’m glad someone brought this up – I’ve only seen Solaris and Andrei Rublev. I loved Solaris, but was became bored with Rublev halfway through and just barely finished it. I know that sounds ridiculous considering how painfully slow Solaris is, but the film just really grabbed me, whereas Rublev didn’t.
I’ve read about Stalker and Nostalghia, and am very interested in seeing both. Are either of those films comparable in tone or experience to Solaris or Rublev? Or are they each entirely different?
Go to Comment
Who do you read? over 3 years ago
Vonnegut, Orwell, Palahniuk, Ayn Rand, Vincent Bugliosi, Richard Preston, early Stephen King
Some recent reads I highly recommend:
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell – Susannah Clarke
It’s like Harry Potter written by Charles Dickens – with some of the most imaginative ideas on magic I’ve come across.
Devil in the White City – Erik Larson
Mind-boggling nonfiction account of a serial killer during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, it’s really a must-read
The Alienist – Caleb Carr
A great mix of Sherlock Holmes, Silence of the Lambs, and Jack the Ripper.
I’ve recently discovered some great sci-fi stuff by John Wyndham, an underrated British author who wrote in the 50s and 60s. His stuff is somewhere between “sci-fi fantasy” and “thinking-man’s sci-fi,” kind of like “average Joe sci-fi.” I recommend The Chrysalids, Day of the Triffids, and The Midwich Cuckoos.
Go to Comment
Best title over 3 years ago
Best almost-a-title ever – the original working title for Mario Van Peebles’ “Baadasssss!”:
HOW TO GET THE MAN’S FOOT OUTTA YOUR ASS
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Your favorite title sequence over 3 years ago
Agreed, all the Saul Bass sequences are great, with “Psycho” being my personal favorite.
I love the “Dr. Strangelove” intro, with all the planes doing the nasty.
Also, “North by Northwest,” “Fight Club,” and “Buffalo ’66” for its ridiculously large text.
Go to Comment
Eclipse over 3 years ago
Coming from an enormous Kurosawa fan, I’d have to say the Postwar Kurosawa set isn’t exactly essential. I watched all 5 films recently and but can’t imagine myself revisiting any of them, the way I have Red Beard, The Bad Sleep Well, High & Low, Rashomon, and others. That’s not to say those films aren’t worth watching – they each have their merits, but just can’t stack up to Kurosawa’s many later masterpieces.
Scandal is my favorite from the set, because I always enjoy seeing Kurosawa forcing a character to learn compassion for others. The Idiot has an amazing Mifune performance, but the film is much longer than it needs to be. One Wonderful Sunday is fun and light-hearted, making it somewhat unique for Kurosawa. No Regrets For Our Youth and I Live in Fear deal directly with the immediate war and post-war environment, making them a bit dated. But like all Kurosawa films, there is social value to be found in all these films’ stories and character arcs, so if you’re a die-hard fan, go for it.
Go to Comment
Poverty (in Ratcatcher) over 3 years ago
Not to mention THE GARBAGE STRIKE! There are areas in America in extreme poverty that still enjoy the benefits of routine garbage collection. In Ratcatcher, being surrounded by garbage with no way out is an obvious metaphor – all around him things are bad, maybe not the worst in the world, but bad enough for him to feel forever trapped (his family will NEVER get one of those new houses), thus being forced into his own dream world.
So like the Panda said, it’s about how the option-less child deals with it.
Go to Comment
What's your favorite Jean-Pierre Melville film? over 3 years ago
Bob le Flambeur, because it was the film that introduced me to him.
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