the scene from godard’s une femme est une femme where belmondo presents karina with pictures of brialy’s affair while the charles aznavour song plays on the jukebox is just freaking perfect in the way that their eyes are so sad and they can’t seem to summon the strength to look at each other.
ana torrent’s eyes at any point in spirit of the beehive are also unbelievably sad and amazingly(for a child) all-knowing.
the scene in the 400 blows where the class systematically disperses while being led on a walk by their instructor is beautiful to watch
as is the first encounter with maud in ma nuit chez maud.
i feel like, despite its somewhat innovative qualities, that people, regardless of their opinion on the film, tend to overlook the fact that the work is really just painfully boring to watch.
guerrin’s film is the best of the year as it is the only one that actually allows the viewer to think about the process and implications of looking. and after all, isn’t that what all this is about anyways, because we like to watch.
gummo is a piece of hipster made trash and is a perfect example of why directors should stick to what they know. wheras kids at least had some insight(as korrine spawns from urban blight), gummo seemed like a senseless and uninformed attack on the midwest by someone that has probably never stepped foot in it. a harsh judgement on middle americans in general and on xenia, ohio in particular, gummo essentially treads on ground it has no business treading upon. whatever happened to a director having at least a modicum of respect for their characters, or at least not so openly passing judgement on them. i can feel truffaut rolling around in his grave. if anyone should have made a film about the “middle of nowhere, ohio” it should have been jarmusch, who grew up near there, but frankly he has far too much class to ever unleash a piece of slanderous trash such as gummo onto the world.
loulou by maurice pialat is my personal favorite film of the 80’s if only because i am unsure whether or not whit stillman’s metropolitan and hal hartley’s the unbelievable truth count as 80’s or 90’s films as they came out sometime around 89/90. i also adore most of the john carpenter stuff, like big trouble in little china, from that era, as well as my dark horse canidate for best film of the 80’s; coming to america.
this is a topic that should almost be seperated by some idea as to what genre the film within a film belongs to. sunset boulevard is a great film about “old hollywood,” while fellini’s 8 1/2 is a perfect memoir of an auteurist’s concerns. while both revolve around the film industry, they do so in different ways, therefore making a comparison/judgement about which one covers the industry better nearly impossible
as for other films, tom dicillo’s living in oblivion is a smart, somewhat sassy ode to the often perilous world of “indie” filmmaking and truffaut’s day for night is a great film about a director eschewing his native toungue for a more cosmopolitan approach to filmmaking. then there is a film like les blank’s burden of dreams which is a wonderful expose on a filmmaking journey over the edge.
i still adore the dusty springfield version of wishin and hopin, even though it was horribly remade by ani difranco for the film my best friend’s wedding
sally hawkins deserves at least a nomination if not an outright win for happy-go-lucky. incredible job channelling dingbat commideinnes of the past like judy holiday and gracie allen.
dorthee is pretty much worth the price of admission by herself as she is absolutely gorgeous/photogenic.
i have to agree with christopher sepesy on this one. love on the run is obviously the worst doinel film, but really what is that saying considering the awesomeness of the others?
my personal fave is antoine and collette, although i’m not sure if that is just because i have a short attention span.
steve, my new friend,i think that is part of the brilliance in the role, as i thought that poppy was a fairly intelligent person that used her ditziness as a coping mechanism in the face of a cruel world. but then again mike leigh can do NO wrong in my eyes and i might just be taking on the role of apologist.
@skeleton- i think your film prof was wrong about antoine et collette as it is simply incredible for the way it uses a million techniques in the way that it tells its story. you want flashback, it has it. you want montage, you got it. you want person to person communication sans image to back it up, it’s yours. truffaut was really showing of his mastery of the methods off filmmaking with this one. a masterpiece, plain and simple.
@justin yes yes yes… i totally had forgotten about irma vep(insofar as this topic) until you brought it up. the final scene, in which you see the “finished work,” is mesmerizing, and wholly validates the struggle to make it which you see beforehand.
i can probably hang with shotzi on at least the first two of the trilogy(yes…insult meant to star wars & lotr people) the “bad boy of karate” lost me…and i have also seen a woman is a woman like a trillion times.
the oscars are a nice fashion show that very occassionally manage to squeeze in love for some decent movies.
however this year, they just seem like a reason for brad and angie to get all dolled up and leave all their adopted children home for the evening. i just hope they can remember all of their names during their acceptance speeches. good for them. good for the oscars.
anybody that looks to the oscars for the best in cinematic fare will ultimately always be dissappointed. in my world, the oscars don’t even rate.
i tend to agree with christopher. i try to watch 3 or 4 films per week because i find that when i go over this, i don’t have the time to fully digest, let alone thoroughly think about what i am seeing. i too keep a film journal and i notice that when my watching patterns become more obsessive, and i begin to creep into the 20’s for a month, that i tend to lose track of each individual film as its own special piece of art that needs its own special attention and it feels like i am just cataloging them for the mere fact that i can say that i have seen them, as opposed to the attempt to wring the most substance from all my viewings.
but then again, i could probably spend a month easy breaking down both viridiana and the virgin spring(the last two on your list) as they are both complex works, and i find that watching titles such as them right on top of each other is almost a tad untenable for the realm of concise analysis and understanding.
other than kieslowski fans, can anyone make a strong argument against whit stillman’s trifecta of films(metropolitan, barcelona, the last days of disco) being the most aesthetically complete and textually rich trilogy of similar themed films in cinematic history?
has anyone ever captured, with both sociological detail and sympathetic humanism, a milieu of generally misunderstood people(preppies) so effectively?
favourite scene from any film over 3 years ago
the scene from godard’s une femme est une femme where belmondo presents karina with pictures of brialy’s affair while the charles aznavour song plays on the jukebox is just freaking perfect in the way that their eyes are so sad and they can’t seem to summon the strength to look at each other.
ana torrent’s eyes at any point in spirit of the beehive are also unbelievably sad and amazingly(for a child) all-knowing.
the scene in the 400 blows where the class systematically disperses while being led on a walk by their instructor is beautiful to watch
as is the first encounter with maud in ma nuit chez maud.
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If you had to pick ONE film as your favorite... over 3 years ago
spirit of the beehive is the best film ever made, period.
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Top Albums of the Year (aka What rocks your ipod) 2008 over 3 years ago
mgmt!
and los campesinos
and i do love some lil wayne.
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The Blair Witch Project over 3 years ago
i feel like, despite its somewhat innovative qualities, that people, regardless of their opinion on the film, tend to overlook the fact that the work is really just painfully boring to watch.
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directors better than tarantino over 3 years ago
aaron katz has made two films and already has a more impressive body of work than old quentin.
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Peter Greenaway over 3 years ago
the use of color(and costumes) in the cook, the theif, his wife and her lover was really well done
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in the city of sylvia...best film of the year(possibly decade) over 3 years ago
guerrin’s film is the best of the year as it is the only one that actually allows the viewer to think about the process and implications of looking. and after all, isn’t that what all this is about anyways, because we like to watch.
Go to Comment
Thoughts on "Gummo" over 3 years ago
gummo is a piece of hipster made trash and is a perfect example of why directors should stick to what they know. wheras kids at least had some insight(as korrine spawns from urban blight), gummo seemed like a senseless and uninformed attack on the midwest by someone that has probably never stepped foot in it. a harsh judgement on middle americans in general and on xenia, ohio in particular, gummo essentially treads on ground it has no business treading upon. whatever happened to a director having at least a modicum of respect for their characters, or at least not so openly passing judgement on them. i can feel truffaut rolling around in his grave. if anyone should have made a film about the “middle of nowhere, ohio” it should have been jarmusch, who grew up near there, but frankly he has far too much class to ever unleash a piece of slanderous trash such as gummo onto the world.
Go to Comment
Thoughts on "Gummo" over 3 years ago
pseudo-hipster is absolutely right. i stand corrected
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Best Films of the 80's? over 3 years ago
loulou by maurice pialat is my personal favorite film of the 80’s if only because i am unsure whether or not whit stillman’s metropolitan and hal hartley’s the unbelievable truth count as 80’s or 90’s films as they came out sometime around 89/90. i also adore most of the john carpenter stuff, like big trouble in little china, from that era, as well as my dark horse canidate for best film of the 80’s; coming to america.
Go to Comment
Best Film About Film? over 3 years ago
this is a topic that should almost be seperated by some idea as to what genre the film within a film belongs to. sunset boulevard is a great film about “old hollywood,” while fellini’s 8 1/2 is a perfect memoir of an auteurist’s concerns. while both revolve around the film industry, they do so in different ways, therefore making a comparison/judgement about which one covers the industry better nearly impossible
as for other films, tom dicillo’s living in oblivion is a smart, somewhat sassy ode to the often perilous world of “indie” filmmaking and truffaut’s day for night is a great film about a director eschewing his native toungue for a more cosmopolitan approach to filmmaking. then there is a film like les blank’s burden of dreams which is a wonderful expose on a filmmaking journey over the edge.
Go to Comment
THE TIMELESS MELODIES OF BURT BACHARACH over 3 years ago
i still adore the dusty springfield version of wishin and hopin, even though it was horribly remade by ani difranco for the film my best friend’s wedding
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THE TIMELESS MELODIES OF BURT BACHARACH over 3 years ago
steve, with all due respect i believe moon river was henry mancini, a knock-off bacharach if ever there was one.
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Best Picture Oscar 2009 over 3 years ago
sally hawkins deserves at least a nomination if not an outright win for happy-go-lucky. incredible job channelling dingbat commideinnes of the past like judy holiday and gracie allen.
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Who here liked "Love on the Run"? over 3 years ago
dorthee is pretty much worth the price of admission by herself as she is absolutely gorgeous/photogenic.
i have to agree with christopher sepesy on this one. love on the run is obviously the worst doinel film, but really what is that saying considering the awesomeness of the others?
my personal fave is antoine and collette, although i’m not sure if that is just because i have a short attention span.
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THE TIMELESS MELODIES OF BURT BACHARACH over 3 years ago
no worries steve, as you are very correct about it’s lameness
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Best Picture Oscar 2009 over 3 years ago
steve, my new friend,i think that is part of the brilliance in the role, as i thought that poppy was a fairly intelligent person that used her ditziness as a coping mechanism in the face of a cruel world. but then again mike leigh can do NO wrong in my eyes and i might just be taking on the role of apologist.
Go to Comment
Who here liked "Love on the Run"? over 3 years ago
@skeleton- i think your film prof was wrong about antoine et collette as it is simply incredible for the way it uses a million techniques in the way that it tells its story. you want flashback, it has it. you want montage, you got it. you want person to person communication sans image to back it up, it’s yours. truffaut was really showing of his mastery of the methods off filmmaking with this one. a masterpiece, plain and simple.
Go to Comment
Best Film About Film? over 3 years ago
@justin yes yes yes… i totally had forgotten about irma vep(insofar as this topic) until you brought it up. the final scene, in which you see the “finished work,” is mesmerizing, and wholly validates the struggle to make it which you see beforehand.
Go to Comment
ONE FILM INTRODUCTION over 3 years ago
one film…to describe the magnitude of me…probably hoop dreams, cause i always wanted the american dream too.
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Quote - Unquote over 3 years ago
what’s your main goal?
to become immortal…and then to die
either the highlander or godard…i don’t know
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WHATARE YOUR MAJOR INTERESTS/AREAS OF EXPERTISE IIN FIILM? over 3 years ago
i can probably hang with shotzi on at least the first two of the trilogy(yes…insult meant to star wars & lotr people) the “bad boy of karate” lost me…and i have also seen a woman is a woman like a trillion times.
other than that…maybe baseball films?
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is this the greatest site ever? over 3 years ago
my vote is yes.
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There Will Be Blood or No Country For Old Men, which is the better film? over 3 years ago
i think this argument boils down to whether you would rather be around someone who will drink your milkshake or someone who ain’t got no fucking agua.
personally i’ll take the milkshake because it’s better to have had a milkshake that someone else drank than to never have any agua at all.
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You choose the book to make into a film. Then choose the director. Go! over 3 years ago
franny and zooey-andrew bujalski, the great gatsby-whit stillman, the rule of bone-francois truffaut
and lastly the tony dungy book quiet strength-ermanno olmi. humanist.
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Children of Men disdain forum over 3 years ago
that incredibly kinetic long take car shootout scene alone renders it as not boring…see:exciting.
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Oscars for Auteurs? over 3 years ago
the oscars are a nice fashion show that very occassionally manage to squeeze in love for some decent movies.
however this year, they just seem like a reason for brad and angie to get all dolled up and leave all their adopted children home for the evening. i just hope they can remember all of their names during their acceptance speeches. good for them. good for the oscars.
anybody that looks to the oscars for the best in cinematic fare will ultimately always be dissappointed. in my world, the oscars don’t even rate.
Go to Comment
My Top 25 Performances of All Time over 3 years ago
davd thewlis in naked…
jimmy stewart and cary grant’s tete a tete in the philladelphia story…
greta garbo as queen christina…
joseph cotten and teresa wright as dueling charlie’s in shadow of a doubt…
john holmes’s wiener(iconic)…
and alain delon’s mustache in le cercle rouge
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What I Watched This Month over 3 years ago
i tend to agree with christopher. i try to watch 3 or 4 films per week because i find that when i go over this, i don’t have the time to fully digest, let alone thoroughly think about what i am seeing. i too keep a film journal and i notice that when my watching patterns become more obsessive, and i begin to creep into the 20’s for a month, that i tend to lose track of each individual film as its own special piece of art that needs its own special attention and it feels like i am just cataloging them for the mere fact that i can say that i have seen them, as opposed to the attempt to wring the most substance from all my viewings.
but then again, i could probably spend a month easy breaking down both viridiana and the virgin spring(the last two on your list) as they are both complex works, and i find that watching titles such as them right on top of each other is almost a tad untenable for the realm of concise analysis and understanding.
Go to Comment
the whit stillman "trilogy" over 3 years ago
other than kieslowski fans, can anyone make a strong argument against whit stillman’s trifecta of films(metropolitan, barcelona, the last days of disco) being the most aesthetically complete and textually rich trilogy of similar themed films in cinematic history?
has anyone ever captured, with both sociological detail and sympathetic humanism, a milieu of generally misunderstood people(preppies) so effectively?
i bet not.
Go to Comment