Ichi the Killer
Cavale
Funny Games(US)
Henry:Portrait of a Serial Killer
Requiem for a Dream(the soundtrack in itself)
Salo
Wild At Heart(Willem Defoe getting his head blown off with that grin on his face)
The Amputee(David Lynch short)
Last House on the Left(original version)
i like the first one but TDOWC2 is way more entertaining. there’s something about seeing a burnt out rock star floating drunkenly on a raft while his mother watches from the side as he chugs bottles of liquor and laughs at his overindulgence that i can’t help but love
Hunter S. Thompson (teen years to about early 30’s)
Jeff Buckley(underrated musician with a lot of mystique)
Hugo Chavez(especially his war of words with Bush)
Jim Jones(not the rapper, the cult leader cause he was super eccentric and interesting)
currently reading:
Tarantula by Bob Dylan
The Metamorphosis by Fanz Kafka
Black Power by Charles Hamiltom and Kwame Ture
Welcome To The Monkeyhouse by Kurt Vonnegut(i suggest everyone read this collection of short stories because it’s a revelation)
i have not seen more than a 1/4 of Godard’s work but what i have to say in defense of an artist is that who gives a f*** what anyone else has to say about someone’s work? most people, in your lifetime of pursuing art, will call you a hack, a fake, a failure and more god awful adjectives than even hitler could handle. the problem with fake artists is that they will take that “criticism” in and use it to influence their next film, song, book, etc. those outsiders, who are always looking in, are the reason that being a true artist is one of the hardest professions in the world because the whole world is waiting for you to fail miserably. what’s so great about being an artist is never allowing what those “monday morning” filmmakers say change your vision of what you are ultimately striving to achieve. thus, Godard was an amazing filmmaker who did not compromise his ideas because of what the papers said about him. instead, he would turn around and make a film with an 11 minute tracking shot that would of made Hitchkock proud.
Pulp Fiction- a film too influenced by film and too concerned with being cool and stylish
Taxi Driver- a tour de force that never recogonizes it’s full potential
Sympathy For The Devil-an expirement in filmmaking that is ready to chemically combust at any moment into a beautiful explosion yet chooses to fizz out at the end
….damn, this is easy. eat your heart out Roger Ebert
i would like to see Cat’s Cradle adapted but i don’t feel it can be properly conveyed through film and i would also like to see how Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk. it would be one of the most unusual road movies
if we are on the topic of threads that are stupid, i would say that this is certainly one of the most trivial ones. maybe not stupid but pointless because everyone thinks they are understand the motives and themes and ideas a movie is trying to evoke but, in actuality, viewers will never fully understand. i’ve watched SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL over and over and the only idea I can understand from it is that of a call for revolution. Outside of that, I don’t feel I truly understand everything that is trying to come across in that film.
But, isn’t that why we like film? Because we can always come back to it and keep pulling out our own abstract ideas about what we take away from it?
I just recently watched this film and I have to say it’s an underrated gem in the crime/drama genre. A gritty look at the Boston underworld before The Departed and an intricate story about the price of loyalty.
Also, some really great performances from Robert Mitchum and Peter Boyle.
Just wanted to express my gratitude towards a great film that made me remember how real a crime movie can feel.
You know, I’ve never seen Short Circuit 2 but I think I can feel safe in making the assumption that I didn’t miss ANYTHING. Soooo, that would be my opinion on a movie I didn’t see-it sucks.
And I am able to do such a thing because I have free will and freedom of speech. That’s the beauty of “art”, because it’s made to be put out there for people to see and it’s gonna draw judgement from everyone across the spectrum. Even from people who didn’t see it….and that’s ok.
yea but the point is that if you make a film(art) and put it out there or-in good ol’ Hollywood fashion- whore it out there for profit, people are going to remark about it whether they have seen it or not.
Isn’t that kind of commentary what drives the hype-machine of the film industry? Over-obsessive film bloggers and self proclaimed critics judging every last detail of a film before it even comes out-because in reality they fear the idea of creating something original?
I’m not defending either side because it’s pointless, but I will say that I personally have more respect for the filmmaker than the critic. At least he can face the firing squad whether he’s doing it by cashing a fat check or because he stands behind his finished product 100%. A critic wouldn’t even exist without there being things to judge.
it’s definitely his last great performance. which in my opinion is a good thing-go out with a healthy bang in a film you can appreciate for the craft, not the pay off.
it’s also a film that makes you remember that Peter Boyle was a force to be reckoned with before his stint as a geriatric on Everybody Loves Raymond.
i really fell into a bit of a literary rut for awhile, only reading Vonnegut and older short story collections. I just felt that there was nothing out there for me, but I started going to the thrift shop and picking up some randomn books for really cheap. It’s got me a little more excited about reading new authors.
exactly DOINEL. the simplicity of the action sequences and the incredible dialogue make it some worth appreciating-genre be damned. yates had a good sense of what people really wanted from crime/action films. there has to be a sense of realism in the film or, in my opinion, it just isn’t authentic enough to be passed as plausible.
not to say I don’t mind the eye popping special effects in, let’s say, a TRANSFORMERS, but I can really appreciate the kind of action sequences being presented in THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE because they were done minimally as to not overdramatize the film.
i’ve made this point before pertaining to critics of the arts, but what the hell…
I feel like in order to critique something, suchs as a film, the one passing the judgement should have an understanding of the artistic process (i.e. have already made a film or attempted to make one for that matter). Without understanding of the trials and tribulations, then you are really come from a place of pointless judgement that carries no weight.
I’m not saying that one is not entitled to their opinion, but it stops at that-it’s just YOUR opinion. It’s not a certainty or a guarantee-just another chop of the axe. So, I say, snobs-snob on. But bare in mind that life is art and art is life-a stagnant existence of passing judgement on other’s creations with never having tried your hand at the craft will just leave you a bitter person with nothing real to hold on to….except for your opinions that is.
this is funny because i actually tried watching this movie again last night, but realized i was not in the mood for a a movie that relies on a level of confusion to make the plot work. i think that it is a great film but it uses the first view-method to make the gimmick work, so after two to three views you are spent.
nonetheless, i think memento is a great film and definitely Guy Pearce’s best film to date. Nolan hit the nail on the head with this film and definitely made the art of out of sync storytelling something that was interesting again.
i bought STREETFIGHTER&SISTER STREETFIGHTER on the same DVD for about $5. I also bought a Kung-Fu DVD collection for about $13- it had all the STREETFIGHTER films, a lot of old Bruce Lee films, and couple old Jackie Chan films, and a lot of the classic “clones of Bruce Lee” movies.
also have a film called WHITE LOTUS on DVD that I have never watched but feel like I should. anyone know anything about that film?
i’m not really sure what the basis for this thread is….should every human see these films in order to help salvage humanity or because they are just too damn good to have been passed up by anyone? I guess if I were to tell every human they had to see a film i would say….
-Die Hard
Humans: stop acting like a bunch a pansies and start kicking some eastern european trash’s ass. John McClane is an exemplary human being and we should all take life lessons from him.
no, it’s pretty easy. just don’t be so general, ya know. like, here is a list of lists that would be ripe for discussion:
-Top Five Actors Named Robert
-Top Nude Scenes Involving Julianne Moore
-Top Three Twilight Films
-Top Four Movies Paul Rudd Will Be In This Year
see, now that narrows it down a little. makes it slightly easier to come up with concise, unarguable lists.
who cares? i don’t want there to be another Scorsese or another Lumet or another Godard. I understand that influence is inevitable, but the last thing a revolution in film needs is a bunch of carbon copies emulating each other’s film collection.
i think Wes Anderson has a very visual eye; quirky in many ways which make it hard for anyone to not want to see what’s happening on the screen.
i think P.T. is a good filmmaker who probably knows this himself (hence, THERE WILL BE BLOOD). I think that as long as he can keep a cap on his ego, he will continue to produce works of cinema that RIVAL the work of the older auters.
just….please, don’t imitate. flattery is only necessary when trying to pick up women.
I do agree that Le Doulos is a brilliant crime-noir film. It may be one of the blueprints for how to make a movie of that genre correctly, but when it comes to Eddie Coyle I feel it’s too different to compare to those films.
Eddie Coyle forces you to live in those neighborhoods, be a part of that lifestyle-and it’s all done through intimate shots of a gritty reality faced by our hero(anti-hero) Eddie Coyle. He is literally a walking, talking example of blue collar American; an small time ex con who realizes the axe is coming down hard on him, and he doesn’t have enough time left to stand one more blow.
It’s a movie that is at the heart of all of us-when does the price of loyalty become too expensive?
The scariest or most disturbing film you have EVER seen. about 3 years ago
Ichi the Killer
Cavale
Funny Games(US)
Henry:Portrait of a Serial Killer
Requiem for a Dream(the soundtrack in itself)
Salo
Wild At Heart(Willem Defoe getting his head blown off with that grin on his face)
The Amputee(David Lynch short)
Last House on the Left(original version)
Go to Comment
Decline of Western Civilization, I or II? about 3 years ago
i like the first one but TDOWC2 is way more entertaining. there’s something about seeing a burnt out rock star floating drunkenly on a raft while his mother watches from the side as he chugs bottles of liquor and laughs at his overindulgence that i can’t help but love
Go to Comment
If you could make a film about one person, who would it be - about 3 years ago
Hunter S. Thompson (teen years to about early 30’s)
Jeff Buckley(underrated musician with a lot of mystique)
Hugo Chavez(especially his war of words with Bush)
Jim Jones(not the rapper, the cult leader cause he was super eccentric and interesting)
Go to Comment
What Song Would You Have Played at Your Funeral? about 3 years ago
Halleluiah by Leonard Cohen
or
Ballad of a Thin Man by Bob Dylan (it would kind of be a big “fuck all of you for not understanding me” to everyone at the funeral)
Go to Comment
Who do you read? about 3 years ago
currently reading:
Tarantula by Bob Dylan
The Metamorphosis by Fanz Kafka
Black Power by Charles Hamiltom and Kwame Ture
Welcome To The Monkeyhouse by Kurt Vonnegut(i suggest everyone read this collection of short stories because it’s a revelation)
Go to Comment
Thoughts on Godard about 3 years ago
i have not seen more than a 1/4 of Godard’s work but what i have to say in defense of an artist is that who gives a f*** what anyone else has to say about someone’s work? most people, in your lifetime of pursuing art, will call you a hack, a fake, a failure and more god awful adjectives than even hitler could handle. the problem with fake artists is that they will take that “criticism” in and use it to influence their next film, song, book, etc. those outsiders, who are always looking in, are the reason that being a true artist is one of the hardest professions in the world because the whole world is waiting for you to fail miserably. what’s so great about being an artist is never allowing what those “monday morning” filmmakers say change your vision of what you are ultimately striving to achieve. thus, Godard was an amazing filmmaker who did not compromise his ideas because of what the papers said about him. instead, he would turn around and make a film with an 11 minute tracking shot that would of made Hitchkock proud.
Go to Comment
Critique Your Favorite Film about 3 years ago
Pulp Fiction- a film too influenced by film and too concerned with being cool and stylish
Taxi Driver- a tour de force that never recogonizes it’s full potential
Sympathy For The Devil-an expirement in filmmaking that is ready to chemically combust at any moment into a beautiful explosion yet chooses to fizz out at the end
….damn, this is easy. eat your heart out Roger Ebert
Go to Comment
The Best books that haven't been made into films about 3 years ago
i would like to see Cat’s Cradle adapted but i don’t feel it can be properly conveyed through film and i would also like to see how Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk. it would be one of the most unusual road movies
Go to Comment
Films with gay rape? almost 3 years ago
DESCENT with Rosario Dawson has both kinds of rape. but in the end, somehow, you are cheering during the gay rape scene.
i hope that last senetence doesn’t alienate me but that’s kind of how i felt.
Go to Comment
do u enjoy films u don't understand? almost 3 years ago
if we are on the topic of threads that are stupid, i would say that this is certainly one of the most trivial ones. maybe not stupid but pointless because everyone thinks they are understand the motives and themes and ideas a movie is trying to evoke but, in actuality, viewers will never fully understand. i’ve watched SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL over and over and the only idea I can understand from it is that of a call for revolution. Outside of that, I don’t feel I truly understand everything that is trying to come across in that film.
But, isn’t that why we like film? Because we can always come back to it and keep pulling out our own abstract ideas about what we take away from it?
Go to Comment
OT: What are you reading? almost 3 years ago
Filth by Irvine Welsh
Napalm and Silly-Putty by George Carlin
French Translator/Dictionary
Go to Comment
The Friends of Eddie Coyle almost 3 years ago
I just recently watched this film and I have to say it’s an underrated gem in the crime/drama genre. A gritty look at the Boston underworld before The Departed and an intricate story about the price of loyalty.
Also, some really great performances from Robert Mitchum and Peter Boyle.
Just wanted to express my gratitude towards a great film that made me remember how real a crime movie can feel.
Go to Comment
IF YOU DIDN'T WATCH THE ENTIRE FILM, YOU DON'T DESERVE TO HAVE AN OPINION ON IT almost 3 years ago
You know, I’ve never seen Short Circuit 2 but I think I can feel safe in making the assumption that I didn’t miss ANYTHING. Soooo, that would be my opinion on a movie I didn’t see-it sucks.
And I am able to do such a thing because I have free will and freedom of speech. That’s the beauty of “art”, because it’s made to be put out there for people to see and it’s gonna draw judgement from everyone across the spectrum. Even from people who didn’t see it….and that’s ok.
Go to Comment
Great Martial Arts/Kung Fu Films? almost 3 years ago
I can’t believe I scanned this whole post and didn’t see anyone mention….
-Sonny Chiba: STREETFIGHTER, REVENGE OF STREETFIGHTER.
I would say for that STREETFIGHTER was a pivotal kung fu film in the transition to more violent/crime oriented movies of the genre.
Go to Comment
If you could make a film about one person, who would it be - almost 3 years ago
Vlad the Impaler
Jean Luc Goddard(especially as a young thief)
G.G. Allin
Anton Newcombe
Go to Comment
IF YOU DIDN'T WATCH THE ENTIRE FILM, YOU DON'T DESERVE TO HAVE AN OPINION ON IT almost 3 years ago
yea but the point is that if you make a film(art) and put it out there or-in good ol’ Hollywood fashion- whore it out there for profit, people are going to remark about it whether they have seen it or not.
Isn’t that kind of commentary what drives the hype-machine of the film industry? Over-obsessive film bloggers and self proclaimed critics judging every last detail of a film before it even comes out-because in reality they fear the idea of creating something original?
I’m not defending either side because it’s pointless, but I will say that I personally have more respect for the filmmaker than the critic. At least he can face the firing squad whether he’s doing it by cashing a fat check or because he stands behind his finished product 100%. A critic wouldn’t even exist without there being things to judge.
Go to Comment
The Friends of Eddie Coyle almost 3 years ago
it’s definitely his last great performance. which in my opinion is a good thing-go out with a healthy bang in a film you can appreciate for the craft, not the pay off.
it’s also a film that makes you remember that Peter Boyle was a force to be reckoned with before his stint as a geriatric on Everybody Loves Raymond.
Go to Comment
Who do you read? almost 3 years ago
i really fell into a bit of a literary rut for awhile, only reading Vonnegut and older short story collections. I just felt that there was nothing out there for me, but I started going to the thrift shop and picking up some randomn books for really cheap. It’s got me a little more excited about reading new authors.
Vonnegut
Bukowski
Thompson
Poe
Welsh
Pierce
Ginsberg
I’m more than open to some good suggestions if anyone has anything interesting
Go to Comment
any advice on appreciating Kurosawa almost 3 years ago
i would have to say to really focus on the cinematography and the way the shots are set up and pulled off.
it really was an art form for Kurosawa which makes his films easy to appreciate.
Go to Comment
The Friends of Eddie Coyle almost 3 years ago
exactly DOINEL. the simplicity of the action sequences and the incredible dialogue make it some worth appreciating-genre be damned. yates had a good sense of what people really wanted from crime/action films. there has to be a sense of realism in the film or, in my opinion, it just isn’t authentic enough to be passed as plausible.
not to say I don’t mind the eye popping special effects in, let’s say, a TRANSFORMERS, but I can really appreciate the kind of action sequences being presented in THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE because they were done minimally as to not overdramatize the film.
Go to Comment
Film Snobs almost 3 years ago
i’ve made this point before pertaining to critics of the arts, but what the hell…
I feel like in order to critique something, suchs as a film, the one passing the judgement should have an understanding of the artistic process (i.e. have already made a film or attempted to make one for that matter). Without understanding of the trials and tribulations, then you are really come from a place of pointless judgement that carries no weight.
I’m not saying that one is not entitled to their opinion, but it stops at that-it’s just YOUR opinion. It’s not a certainty or a guarantee-just another chop of the axe. So, I say, snobs-snob on. But bare in mind that life is art and art is life-a stagnant existence of passing judgement on other’s creations with never having tried your hand at the craft will just leave you a bitter person with nothing real to hold on to….except for your opinions that is.
Go to Comment
Masterpiece or Gimmick? almost 3 years ago
this is funny because i actually tried watching this movie again last night, but realized i was not in the mood for a a movie that relies on a level of confusion to make the plot work. i think that it is a great film but it uses the first view-method to make the gimmick work, so after two to three views you are spent.
nonetheless, i think memento is a great film and definitely Guy Pearce’s best film to date. Nolan hit the nail on the head with this film and definitely made the art of out of sync storytelling something that was interesting again.
Go to Comment
Great Martial Arts/Kung Fu Films? almost 3 years ago
i bought STREETFIGHTER&SISTER STREETFIGHTER on the same DVD for about $5. I also bought a Kung-Fu DVD collection for about $13- it had all the STREETFIGHTER films, a lot of old Bruce Lee films, and couple old Jackie Chan films, and a lot of the classic “clones of Bruce Lee” movies.
also have a film called WHITE LOTUS on DVD that I have never watched but feel like I should. anyone know anything about that film?
Go to Comment
What movie(s) do you feel every member of the human race needs to see? almost 3 years ago
i’m not really sure what the basis for this thread is….should every human see these films in order to help salvage humanity or because they are just too damn good to have been passed up by anyone? I guess if I were to tell every human they had to see a film i would say….
-Die Hard
Humans: stop acting like a bunch a pansies and start kicking some eastern european trash’s ass. John McClane is an exemplary human being and we should all take life lessons from him.
Go to Comment
Anyone else find it virtually impossible to create a top list? almost 3 years ago
no, it’s pretty easy. just don’t be so general, ya know. like, here is a list of lists that would be ripe for discussion:
-Top Five Actors Named Robert
-Top Nude Scenes Involving Julianne Moore
-Top Three Twilight Films
-Top Four Movies Paul Rudd Will Be In This Year
see, now that narrows it down a little. makes it slightly easier to come up with concise, unarguable lists.
Go to Comment
Hyperbole Club almost 3 years ago
i still don’t see how this thread is about hyperboles. apparently i did not pay enough attention in english class.
Go to Comment
Films which well convey the sense of temperature... almost 3 years ago
Do The Right Thing
Fargo
Chinatown
The Sixth Sense(kitchen scene where he is wearing gloves)
Summer of Sam
Go to Comment
Maybe he was talking about the wrong Anderson? almost 3 years ago
who cares? i don’t want there to be another Scorsese or another Lumet or another Godard. I understand that influence is inevitable, but the last thing a revolution in film needs is a bunch of carbon copies emulating each other’s film collection.
i think Wes Anderson has a very visual eye; quirky in many ways which make it hard for anyone to not want to see what’s happening on the screen.
i think P.T. is a good filmmaker who probably knows this himself (hence, THERE WILL BE BLOOD). I think that as long as he can keep a cap on his ego, he will continue to produce works of cinema that RIVAL the work of the older auters.
just….please, don’t imitate. flattery is only necessary when trying to pick up women.
Go to Comment
The Friends of Eddie Coyle almost 3 years ago
I do agree that Le Doulos is a brilliant crime-noir film. It may be one of the blueprints for how to make a movie of that genre correctly, but when it comes to Eddie Coyle I feel it’s too different to compare to those films.
Eddie Coyle forces you to live in those neighborhoods, be a part of that lifestyle-and it’s all done through intimate shots of a gritty reality faced by our hero(anti-hero) Eddie Coyle. He is literally a walking, talking example of blue collar American; an small time ex con who realizes the axe is coming down hard on him, and he doesn’t have enough time left to stand one more blow.
It’s a movie that is at the heart of all of us-when does the price of loyalty become too expensive?
Go to Comment
Masterpiece or Gimmick? almost 3 years ago
hey, better yet! why don’t we just all say that they owe a deby to Ambrose Pierce and call it a night?
….or is that too easy?
Go to Comment