i started off with Breathless and was hooked from the beginning. it is more free and improvised. a masterpiece that continues to influence cinema. Contempt, it also great, but much more solomn. the cinematography is breattaking (pun intended). godard loves the reds, whites, and blues (french flag). Contempt is much sadder. there’s nothing worse than watching the breakdown of a marrige. this was made not long after godard and karina divorced and there are references to it throughout. definitley see it one day. breathless is one of the easiest for getting into the godard scene. then, when it is time, see Weekend.
Breathless, no doubt is one of my fav. criterions. now i own the vhs, the non criterion dvd (has a good commentary by david sterrit), the criterion laserdisc, and finally, the epitome of the bunch…. well worth the wait.
i like Inland Empire more and more with each viewing. it is a difficult maze that keeps on giving. you can enjoy it over and over to try to unlock something new each time. it is a two disk set and is pretty cheap ($16.95usd or something).
benjamin here in austin, tx.
scientist by day and a self-taught film student (because i am still learning as much as i can) the rest of the time. i really enjoy godard, lynch, antonioni, bergman,…..whatever, i could go on.
i remember while i was watching O. Stone’s The Doors, there was a line something like… “script, i don’t need a script, Godard doesn’t use a script. He improvises with the camera.”….. i was in high school and did not know who this Godard was. it has been a full on snowball of everything Godard (which expanded into the new wave, then sweden, italy, etc.). all things film ever since.
i hope to share things with you all.
let’s have some fun
i’m with steve. if a long (or short) film can keep my interested enough by the end that i lose track of time, awesome. i have sat through 4 hr films and wanted more. intermissions have, for the most part, been a thing of the past.
the seats will help you on one of those 4hr journeys. in the multiplexes of the present, the seats are way more comfortable than the classic downtown theaters. when i see Gone With the Wind down at the paramount theater, man, that intermission is a welcome sight. those seats were not built for comfort.
wow. this takes me back. back to the university days when i had not much to do but work and study and watch movies. it was 1993 and i was not too keen to the computer scene yet, so i started a notebook. actually, one of those black and white compositon books. i listed the month and date. if i saw it in a theater, i put a star next to it. needless to say, that lasted only five months, and even after, i tried to scramble to put down what i missed writing down over a few months of not keeping up. i was watching 2-3 a day sometimes and one day i saw three in a theater (different theaters). i started two jobs and went to school so i had t let up. nowadays it is like 3 a week, maybe 4. Screw work, man. I wanna go to the movies.
as long as people pay to see the majority of the crap hollywood puts out, sadly, hollywood will keep making the same movies over and over. the handful of true autuers these days have to work the system to get anything relevant made. hollywood hates taking risks and are always going to put their money where it is safe. the breakthroughs just happen by accident sometimes. someone backed a good idea and it worked. something slipped through the system and struck gold i don’t know anymore. lynch has to distribute his own films city by city these days. hollywood will not touch him.
i love it. the end of cinema. new york video has had the rights for a while. i dont see this ever being a criterion any time soon either. this is one of my favourite godard films. wow. it really packs a punch. a giant f*uck you to mainstream cinema and the bourgeoisie where everything will revert to back to everything tribal… drums and cannibalism. the commentary is insightful also.
sholay may not be a deep or world class masterpiece, but it is historical in indian cinema. it is the gone with the wind, star wars, or e.t. the first indian blockbuster film where pretty much everyone in india lined up to see it and waited in line for hours to see. sure, there are more poignant indian films, but it is not to be discounted.
sid vicious, drexl, oswald, dracula, the cop in the professional. and from when he was on TV’s Friends as the actor opposite Joey who kept spitting on him. everything he does is great.
i agreee JRV. dubbing does throw off the pace of a film for me. However, a great story, etc. can make up for the dubbing.
sometimes, though, you just have no choice. take my guilty pleasure of Jess Franco films. it is hard to find a film of his that is not dubbed. it must be hard when everyone in the cast are from different countries and speak different languages. i believe that he often dubbed his films in the language of the country that put up most of the money for the film he was working on. with jess franco though, it is not really about the acting or the dialogue. it’s everything.
i love pychotronic films. generally lower budget b-movies. check out the Psychotronic Film Guide. i find it useful for info on gems of the genre. i am more partial to the foreign horror, sleaze, and erotic cinema. especially jess franco, jean rollin, argento, fulci. always interesting and just fun to watch.
The Paramou Theater – really nice classic summer film series
The Alamo Drafthouse – first run, old stuff, and just plain wierd stuff year round
The Arbor Theater – first run independent and arthouse films
The Dobie – small films and first runs (also a small theater)
I Love Video – i think i have rented everything in this store by now
Vulcan Video – another great independant video store
i love most of lynch’s work. Inland Empire may not be your cup of tea if you hated Lost Highway and did not like Mulholland so much. Empire plays through different levels realities, similar to the ones mentioned. what the hell? Give it a shot.
breathless or contempt over 3 years ago
i started off with Breathless and was hooked from the beginning. it is more free and improvised. a masterpiece that continues to influence cinema. Contempt, it also great, but much more solomn. the cinematography is breattaking (pun intended). godard loves the reds, whites, and blues (french flag). Contempt is much sadder. there’s nothing worse than watching the breakdown of a marrige. this was made not long after godard and karina divorced and there are references to it throughout. definitley see it one day. breathless is one of the easiest for getting into the godard scene. then, when it is time, see Weekend.
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Films you love but most people hate. over 3 years ago
Eraserhead
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DVD'S YOU MUST OWN over 3 years ago
Breathless, no doubt is one of my fav. criterions. now i own the vhs, the non criterion dvd (has a good commentary by david sterrit), the criterion laserdisc, and finally, the epitome of the bunch…. well worth the wait.
i like Inland Empire more and more with each viewing. it is a difficult maze that keeps on giving. you can enjoy it over and over to try to unlock something new each time. it is a two disk set and is pretty cheap ($16.95usd or something).
Go to Comment
Opinions of Van Sant? over 3 years ago
Private Idaho was my first van sant experience and i still enjoy it. also one of river phoenix’s best roles.
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New to The Auteurs? You Belong Here over 3 years ago
benjamin here in austin, tx.
scientist by day and a self-taught film student (because i am still learning as much as i can) the rest of the time. i really enjoy godard, lynch, antonioni, bergman,…..whatever, i could go on.
i remember while i was watching O. Stone’s The Doors, there was a line something like… “script, i don’t need a script, Godard doesn’t use a script. He improvises with the camera.”….. i was in high school and did not know who this Godard was. it has been a full on snowball of everything Godard (which expanded into the new wave, then sweden, italy, etc.). all things film ever since.
i hope to share things with you all.
let’s have some fun
Go to Comment
Movie runtime? over 3 years ago
i’m with steve. if a long (or short) film can keep my interested enough by the end that i lose track of time, awesome. i have sat through 4 hr films and wanted more. intermissions have, for the most part, been a thing of the past.
the seats will help you on one of those 4hr journeys. in the multiplexes of the present, the seats are way more comfortable than the classic downtown theaters. when i see Gone With the Wind down at the paramount theater, man, that intermission is a welcome sight. those seats were not built for comfort.
Go to Comment
How Many Movies Do You Watch in a Year? over 3 years ago
wow. this takes me back. back to the university days when i had not much to do but work and study and watch movies. it was 1993 and i was not too keen to the computer scene yet, so i started a notebook. actually, one of those black and white compositon books. i listed the month and date. if i saw it in a theater, i put a star next to it. needless to say, that lasted only five months, and even after, i tried to scramble to put down what i missed writing down over a few months of not keeping up. i was watching 2-3 a day sometimes and one day i saw three in a theater (different theaters). i started two jobs and went to school so i had t let up. nowadays it is like 3 a week, maybe 4. Screw work, man. I wanna go to the movies.
Go to Comment
Why aren't films as good as they used to? over 3 years ago
as long as people pay to see the majority of the crap hollywood puts out, sadly, hollywood will keep making the same movies over and over. the handful of true autuers these days have to work the system to get anything relevant made. hollywood hates taking risks and are always going to put their money where it is safe. the breakthroughs just happen by accident sometimes. someone backed a good idea and it worked. something slipped through the system and struck gold i don’t know anymore. lynch has to distribute his own films city by city these days. hollywood will not touch him.
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Appreciation over 3 years ago
au hazard balthazar is one of my favourites. realism. simple and to the point.
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Why Does Hollywood INSIST Upon Remaking Flawless Films? over 3 years ago
because they have not made enough money on them the first time. that, or they just do not understand what a cult film really means.
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Ommited Auteurs over 3 years ago
Jess Franco
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What films do you always catch shit for for not liking? over 3 years ago
mccabe and mrs. miller
-bored me to death.
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Directors over 3 years ago
i’m with rankin….. malick
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Anybody seen films from India? over 3 years ago
one word…. SHOLAY!
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MOMENT OF TRUTH: HAVE YOU EVER GONE TO THE MOVIES AND FALLEN ASLEEP DURING THE FILM? over 3 years ago
i slept through the through the first two installments of the lord of the rings. i was lights out as soon as the lights went out.
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Whats your favourite actor,and what actor is so bad you cant look at him over 3 years ago
paul newman is my fav. and i cannot watch a film with billy bob thornton in it. better yet, i refuse to watch anything with the guy in it.
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Jean-Luc Godard's "Weekend" over 3 years ago
well said mark. brilliant.
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Jean-Luc Godard's "Weekend" over 3 years ago
i love it. the end of cinema. new york video has had the rights for a while. i dont see this ever being a criterion any time soon either. this is one of my favourite godard films. wow. it really packs a punch. a giant f*uck you to mainstream cinema and the bourgeoisie where everything will revert to back to everything tribal… drums and cannibalism. the commentary is insightful also.
Go to Comment
Anybody seen films from India? over 3 years ago
sholay may not be a deep or world class masterpiece, but it is historical in indian cinema. it is the gone with the wind, star wars, or e.t. the first indian blockbuster film where pretty much everyone in india lined up to see it and waited in line for hours to see. sure, there are more poignant indian films, but it is not to be discounted.
Go to Comment
Favorite Gary Oldman Role!! over 3 years ago
sid vicious, drexl, oswald, dracula, the cop in the professional. and from when he was on TV’s Friends as the actor opposite Joey who kept spitting on him. everything he does is great.
Go to Comment
Great but dubbed over 3 years ago
i agreee JRV. dubbing does throw off the pace of a film for me. However, a great story, etc. can make up for the dubbing.
sometimes, though, you just have no choice. take my guilty pleasure of Jess Franco films. it is hard to find a film of his that is not dubbed. it must be hard when everyone in the cast are from different countries and speak different languages. i believe that he often dubbed his films in the language of the country that put up most of the money for the film he was working on. with jess franco though, it is not really about the acting or the dialogue. it’s everything.
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Last movie you saw and rate it over 3 years ago
Benjamin Button – 6.5/10
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Your Favorite Pychotronic Films over 3 years ago
i love pychotronic films. generally lower budget b-movies. check out the Psychotronic Film Guide. i find it useful for info on gems of the genre. i am more partial to the foreign horror, sleaze, and erotic cinema. especially jess franco, jean rollin, argento, fulci. always interesting and just fun to watch.
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IF WE IGNORE 81/2 AND DOLCE VITA, WHAT'D BE THE BEST FELLINI MOVIE? over 3 years ago
La Strada
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List the most exemplary acting performance(s) over 3 years ago
“Is it safe?”……….“Is…..it….safe?” Laurence Olivier – Marathon Man
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A List of Good Repertory/Specialty Theatres in Your Various Cities over 3 years ago
Austin, Tx
The Paramou Theater – really nice classic summer film series
The Alamo Drafthouse – first run, old stuff, and just plain wierd stuff year round
The Arbor Theater – first run independent and arthouse films
The Dobie – small films and first runs (also a small theater)
I Love Video – i think i have rented everything in this store by now
Vulcan Video – another great independant video store
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Guilty Pleasures over 3 years ago
Roadhouse – the Patrick Swayze one. i can watch that movie over and over.
Point Break is a fun one also.
i sure hope Swayze is tough enough to kick the sh*t out of the cancer.
Live Strong Swayze! You Can Do It!
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Your interpretation of this film over 3 years ago
i love most of lynch’s work. Inland Empire may not be your cup of tea if you hated Lost Highway and did not like Mulholland so much. Empire plays through different levels realities, similar to the ones mentioned. what the hell? Give it a shot.
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Age / Level of education? (An informal poll) over 3 years ago
35 Bachelors of Science and i work in the Biopharma industry.
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Iris effect? Scorsese and Hitchcock over 3 years ago
i thought this was a Taxi Driver post about Iris. “he called you a little piece of chicken.”
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