It is nearly impossible to begin a conversation about the film genres of suspense and psychological thrillers without returning to one of the earliest and most widely influential master of the genres, Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock. Hitchcock, also lovingly referred to as Hitch or ‘Master of Suspense’ was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1980 after a career spanning nearly six decades and more than fifty feature films. Many magazines, organizations, filmmakers, critics and entertainment professionals have called him one of the most significant filmmakers of all time and that honor continues to this day.
Full Article at: http://rorydean.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/sir-alfred-joseph-hitchcock-the-knight-commander/
Some really solid stuff here about Fincher. I think a very early post by Leaves of Grass paints a very precise and informative reason why (as some have questioned) he hasn’t been inducted into the ‘auteur’ group of filmmakers. I agree, we often do place the directors and filmmakers we admire into groups that they might not otherwise belong simply because we favor them. I’m of the notion that it should be a damn site more difficult to get into a special group or honor as that tends to validate the importance of the group — very much like how difficult it is to become a member of the ASC. Partly because you’re voted in by your peers, other cinematographers, and partly because they don’t want to just throw the rank around carelessly.
There are a lot of auteurs working today who just haven’t proven themselves over the long haul.
In the inevitability of chance, with the opportunity for exploration of the nothingness between a hole in your pocket and a blown out knee with one of those stiff, iron on patches you used to get from your mom in 7th grade, I haven’t any idea of how absurd this will be or how quickly it will be replaced by some other threadbare idea running and never really falling. Anyway.
Great thread here and thanks twodeadmagpies for providing that list. I see some familiar names but my experience with found footage filmmakers is pretty thin so I’m looking forward to digging in and exploring.
@Ben Simington – Good point about Grizzly Man and Wild Blue Yonder, both oddly engaging films for perhaps different reasons no altogether evident in the story. I think a lot of people were simply fascinated with the ‘idea’ behind the films and were often at odds with Herzog’s style. I haven’t seen La Soufriere so I’ll have to add that to my list.
I wanted to mention (though most probably are already familiar with) www.archive.org which is a great online database of sorts collecting all sorts of bits of audio, video, print, and assemblages from all over the world. If you haven’t made a visit you might consider.
cheers→
Mr. Godard will turn 80 this December 3rd and in honor of the auteur, The Filmpool in Canada will be honoring him with a film festival and I am proud to say my film was accepted and will be screening on December 3rd and the RPL in Saskatchewan.
Such an interesting range of comments, thoughts, diatribes, and totally irrelevant commentary regarding Jean Luc Godard, the man and his art, the man and his films, and the man who has evidently left an indelible mark on cinema history otherwise why would we continue to discuss him to this very day? I think it is foolish to argue over semantics or allege that Godard is this or that. If we are going to discuss the work than the work should be first and foremost the basis for any profound examination of what the artist wanted to accomplish and what he was saying with the medium of film. There are two perspectives here, intent and intention and further examination of his films, extensive writings, and yes even his interviews can offer much more than random opinion and selfish propagandizing. It is easier to dismiss one who was never there at all than one who remains, defiant in silence.
The film takes place in a wintry upstate New York, though unlike her follow-up Winter’s Bone (2010), the climate is less a sense of place and character as temperature, as the frigid space between forlorn lovers and the airy chasm that threatens life and limb as fueled by drug addiction and emotional vacancy. Down to the Bone is not a title as much as a declaration; this is paucity personified and minutiae examined.
I don’t generally followed the ratings game, two stars or three, five out of eight and all that. I think this is a strong character study with deep emotional and psychological themes that will appeal some and push others to more simple subjects.
I’d say watch it if you’ve seen or are interested in Granik’s latest film, Winter’s Bone (to which I reviewed here http://rorydean.wordpress.com/2010/11/12/winters-bone-2010-cuts-deep/)
Or I’d say stick to comic book and video game adaptations.
The Believer is the incredible true story of a confused, conflicted Jewish youth who turns on himself, his faith, and his heritage in pursuit of answers about Judaism. It is a shocking revelation that we discover the main character’s secret fairly early on in the film, one that expands on the story in ways that we hadn’t intended.
If you didn’t know the secret before watching the film, how did this knowledge change as you watched it?
If you knew the secret before watching the film, did this give emotional resonance to the character and how did you feel about his conflict and ultimate decision?
@Strawdog – Really? I can’t imagine anyone better in Barfly than Rourke. During filming Bukowski said of Rourke; “Mickey Rourke is a real human guy, on and off the set. And in Barfly he really came through with the acting. I felt his enjoyment and inventiveness.”
@CHRISTOPHER SEPESY – Good point about The Wrestler but I think you’ll find many, many solid performances from Rourke until he went a little nuts and left acting for boxing, among other things. He was a beautiful man in his early career and while that beauty has gone ‘inside’ he is still one of the best actors working today and clearly, if given the right script, could return to those former glory days in a snap.
Wow. Buffalo 66. I hated it the first time I watched it and the venom got worse the subsequent three tries to make something of it. Gallo’s ability as a director are painfully limited, trumped only as a mediocre actor – though I hear he was quite a model and in some respects had an eye as a photographer
As far as Mickey Rourke goes, he’s a powerful force and I hope we get to see more acting and less caricature soon.
Films of Merit:
2010 Iron Man 2
Ivan Vanko
2008 The Wrestler
Randy
2005 Sin City (though I hated the movie. passionately)
Marv
2002 Spun (quirky and fun, a notable small part, rest of the film lacking)
The Cook
1997 Another Nine & a Half Weeks
John Gray
1992 White Sands
Gorman Lennox
1990 Desperate Hours
Michael Bosworth
1989 Wild Orchid
James Wheeler
1989 Johnny Handsome
John ‘Johnny Handsome’ Sedley / Johnny Mitchell
Thanks for the note House of Leaves (Netflix) – I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on my thoughts, as well as when you get around to seeing Down to the Bone.
cheers→
Of course others have already pointed out http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287025/
At first I thought maybe you were referring to William Forsythe, as Rocoe mentions his master-work Housekeeping. Then I thought, william forsythe the more recent actor http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001235/ who is maybe the person you’re thinking about. He’s done some interesting bit parts, relegated to B-movie stuff that frequently goes straight to DVD now.
Bill Forsythe always reminds me of his film Being Human with Robin Williams – an interesting character study of a young Williams, a chance to see him stretching away from just comedy into more dramatic roles.
The Black Swan Ascends – Movie review at Above the Line: Practical Movie Reviews
Auteur Darren Aronofksy’s The Black Swan, his fifth in just over a decade, is a superb psychodrama rooted in character, corralled by the specter of perfectionism and the reality of failure. Reminiscent of his debut film, PI (1998) Aronofsky turns things up a notch as all films and filmmakers should strive, to burn away the creations that came before and build upon the ashes. Clawed and scratched from the dressing room walls and mirrored practice spaces of the ballet, all is immediately not as it seems.
Wow, just stumbled into this thread but I wasn’t aware there was so much hatred for Val Kilmer out there. Maybe it was just his portrayal of rock icon Morrison (though other posts seem the contrary). I don’t think you can find fault with his work in Heat, though admittedly it was a small part. I think he was notable as Willem DeKooning in Pollock in 2000 and I liked his portrayal of Doc Holliday in Tombstone, though the film was for the most part not exactly my cup of tea. But his performance as John Holmes in Wonderland in 2003 was by far his best work in recent memory. If you haven’t seen it the film is artful and fully realized, an interesting take on non-linear and one of the most stylish films of the early 2000’s.
@DENNIS: Nice “insiders” point. I think a lot of the time directors and producers, cinematographers as well have varying points of view about the “difficulty” working with an actor. My case in point would be a tremendously talented actress I worked with who for all intent and purposes was “difficult” but to be honest with you difficult and challenging aren’t the same – she definitely kept me on my toes and I respect her for that.
@MATT: That was an interesting part for Kilmer though you’d hardly recognize him in his brief appearance but the film on the other hand, was exceptional. I always find it interesting how that film, based on a Tarantino script, felt so much like a Tarantino film even though Tony Scott was at the helm. It’s “in the script” they say.
@JOKES: Really? I guess for some reason it worked for me on various levels – the brutality was intense, I can still hear those baseball bats, and the fragmented storyline and weaving back and forth between the interviews. Reminded me of The Usual Suspects, among others.
San news indeed. Good films as you point out CHRISTOPHER, he had an unusualness about him that gave his performances a sense of something else going on behind his ‘lines’ and while I’m not a big fan of The Town, hated it actually for a myriad of reasons better suited in discussions elsewhere, I’m sure his talents as an actor and as a man will be missed.
@JAZZALOHA; it’s been too long for me to recall Panic Room though in retrospect I too was first intrigued by the idea of this safe room in your home for such purposes. I actually looked into the phenomenon, the actual rooms and it’s pretty amazing the extent to which we wall ourselves up in dreams of invulnerability when our own bodies are the weakest part of the equation.
I love The Game except for the ending. Douglas is perfect here, able to achieve a level of believable that is at once convincingly bold and vulnerable at the same time. His run of films through the 80s and 90s are staggeringly simple yet some of the most effective, memorable character work in print. Like young Pacino and De Niro, the run they had until running got harder and the money got easier. That’s a whole other conversation. The Game is consistently dismissed as a lesser work when it is deserving of no less than a second or tenth screening before serious critique.
@SANTINO; I see your point and often express the very same sentiment about M. Night Shymalan’s run of films. He made a straight line to dull, unimpressive and insulting after we saw dead people with him. Signs and Unbreakable were his last good films period. It got to be a cheap, dime store gimmick that was only mildly interesting because of the work of his actors (re: Signs/Unbreakable) and I can’t imagine anyone thinking anything positive about The Village or Lady In The Water.
And the notion of numb you mentioned, exactly. I always thought that was such an interesting element that I could have watched the entire film from that angle alone, without ever going where Fincher went.
I’m just throwing rocks now, but Button was a crime. If you go back and really pay attention, the writing is incredibly bad and all the fuss over Pitt and the makeup and for what?
Christopher Nolan’s rise from obscure art house mechanic to Master and Commander of the Hollywood blockbuster is the stuff of legends and textbooks, behind-the-scenes featurettes and film festival Q&A panel banter. His connection with audiences from all walks and interests has catapulted his career to one of the most influential and commercially successful filmmakers of the last decade, if not of all time. Heavily influenced and readily sampled, conventional and experimental, his approach is often at odds with itself, conflicted and convoluted giving way to big budgets and endless writings, reviews and conversations. He chooses grand over nuance, drives his points forward with all the subtlety of a bull in a china cabinet but somehow it always pays off. All of his films have returned a profit – a rarity for any career. He gets at your internal need to know and problem solve in concept driven spectacles, big screen theatrics with mainstream appeal. Nolan’s films have explored broken misanthropes and wounded nobodies, followed sleepless psycho dramas to the ends of the earth for perpetual daylight revelations, made dreams come true and blown them up, explored the mysteries of magic and breathed life into fallen heroes.
[full article at Above The Line: Practical Movie Reviews]
http://rorydean.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/christopher-nolan-master-and-commander/
Looks like I have some catching up to do. First, thanks for the comments and great response to my article. I do want to point out that this is only the beginning of the article I wrote on my blog and as such, I’m sure if you visit the full entry it will probably answer some of the questions posed here (not that I’m suggesting answers as much as my thoughts).
Is it pretty much SOP or the norm to keep the discussions here in MUBI instead of following the article back to the source?
I’ll do my best to go over the comments just the same here, but do invite you to the full article:
@Micahel – such that his earliest films are indeed art films. That’s not intended as criticism. Memento is my favorite Nolan film. I described him as a “mechanic” because of the refined narrative structure and clarity, his adherence to story/character instead of concept in those films, also not meant to be derogatory.
@Lights/Dusk – Yes, the veneer is indeed a marketable asset in Hollywood and as such bankable – a brand name as strong as Ron Howard used to be, Scorsese remains though his films are vastly inferior to the fervor he once commanded, perhaps last seen in The Departed, and Burton continues to produce films that audiences as well as studio execs understand what they are going to get when they write the check, buy the ticket, watch the lights go down in the theater.
Above everything else one cannot deny Nolan’s mainstream appeal and yes, influenced by and influencer — the one thing that all filmmakers want to do is capitalize on the success of other filmmakers, good and bad filmmakers, or just mediocre ones. Master and Commander is a play on the IDEA of his role as a filmmaker of attention right now, not a measure of his talent, sustainability or even his effectiveness over time but suggesting he’s a hack or will be forgotten is allowing your dislike for him/his work to get in the way of the facts of his accomplishments.
@Billy – the trouble with trying to gauge success in Hollywood is it is an ever changing thing, it is a chameleon and the title is intended to titillate and by the response to the article it accomplishes that.
@Lester – indeed. Inglorious is ridiculous, poorly conceived and forgettable.
@Shaun – actually in this case no. Nolan is in charge in every way, which is one of the fundamental problems with his films – there isn’t anyone checking him, telling him to cut down that scene, leave out the third or forth explosion, and stop with all the overblown theatrics and micro-cinema because it’s not necessary. When Cameron and J.J Abrams and Michael Mann get in a boardroom with the people with the checks they are running the producers circles not the other way around.
Thanks for the thoughts, it’s much appreciated. That’s what I love about MUBI. I just wish I had more time to spend with you guys and return the favor.
Thanks for the info PolarisDiB, that’s exactly what I did here and I always cite references and give credit for everything I’m linking to or quoting. Cheers→
It’s interesting how quickly the conversation shifts to the last posts made. I suppose that is an inherent aspect of this forum. Nevertheless, I do invite those wishing to return to topic to continue the conversation at my original full length text here -
Wow, Sheldon there’s a ton of stuff in your post that’s hard to compartmentalize down to a sufficient response here right now but I’d like to extend the offer to discuss Inception in greater detail at any of my recent posts about Nolan and/or Inception. There’s two links here to start https://rorydean.wordpress.com/tag/inception/
That being said, I like your points about the differences between Burton’s imaginings and Nolan’s but it’s hard to go into any real depth given you haven’t seen the trilogy and while you might think the periphery scan you’ve given the material/Jokers is enough there just isn’t enough comparative observations.
What it really boils down to is the fact that extreme opinions are always going to amount to a tug-o-war of personal experiences that are never going to line up with a clear and detailed assessment of the merits and failures of either Burton or Nolan. To suggest perfection at all is revealing enough of your bias and inabilities to look at the material objectively. The best films are flawed because the medium is flawed. Filmmakers succumb to success syndrome after billion dollar franchise building, sitting in a room with people who have no idea how he did it or why but know they want to get on the gravy train. That ends up giving the filmmaker the boots of god and they set out to make airy, convoluted concept films that run on and on in slow motion drunkenness with entirely too many subplots, plot holes, and ridiculousness for the sake of pomposity.
The best films and filmmakers give us reason to talk about their creations and revel in the collective spirit of the medium. It’s best to come to an understand of our dissemination that fight to own it or change our minds.
Now what about this thing about Nolan as Master & Commander?
PolarisDiB your lengthy comment is appreciated and duly noted.
Adjustment Bureau has my vote, along with Source Code and I’ll throw this into the fire, Inception. This might be straying from the idea of editing overall, perhaps better in a discussion about structure and linear/non-linear story telling, but films that rely entirely on the jumble effect of a fragmented narrative and the microbiology of minutiae such as in Source Code, end up being about the concept not A story or A character or characters. Just go back to Source Code and you’ll find that the whole film is comprised of the same 8 minute scene played over and over again with tiny revelations until we reach the end and realize the main character we’ve just been following was actually dead the entire time. So yeah, Source Code then would be my choice.
I don’t know if worst edited applies to Michael Bay. I mean he is guilty of excess in the same way Nolan can’t not blow stuff up in 10 minute intervals, but there’s also some really interesting editing choices in his films. He might not get the right mix or the camera spends too much time as a character in his films, but he is committed to his audience – you just have to remind yourself what it’s like to be 15 again if you’re not.
I expand on Bay’s stuff here if anyone is interested http://rorydean.wordpress.com/2011/07/24/michael-bay-movie-mechanic/
Tree of Life? Malick needs a writer the way Tarantino needs someone to remind him he used to make great character films.
This is as relevant now as it was in December 2011 when I first discussed it at Above The Line: Practical Movie Reviews. I stand behind the premise, that Hollywood’s Blockbuster makes victims of us all.
It is the grandeur and splendor of overblown big screen theatrics and the fact we have to pay more for the same movie in 3D and IMAX that’s snatched our breath away, pushed us back and down into our stadium seating, reducing us to moot observers lapping up whatever we’re given. It’s like in our herd instinct to stand around and complain about it we’ve grown a taste for genuflecting at the altar of manufactured movie gods and no one is taking words of descent to the leaders of the shows. Why? We’ve lowered our standards or maybe mediocre is enough or perhaps we just don’t care. It’s not enough to say a movie was “OK” or “pretty good” or “entertaining”. We shouldn’t have to resolve the fact that a franchise was just getting started so all the exposition and drawn-out history lessons were important for the sake of the original comic book or just because Disney did it on a stone tablet we should keep on doing it the same for the sake of tradition.
We need to make a stand and start demanding more from the movie makers or scrap the whole lot of them and start over. I’m just getting started here. Check out the full article at Above The Line -
Sadly my notification button was unchecked and I missed the flurry of my post here. I’ll see if I can play catch up though in all practicality, once a post reaches this many responses it is a rarity that anyone goes back to the source, much less the initial responses.
That being said, the full article I wrote is available and I encourage you all to check it out.
It’s interesting how quickly these posts turn into an avalanche of mountainous proportions that are very nearly impossible to get at fairly, much less economically. I mean after 10,000 words your head starts to spin around and you forget if you’re agreeing with the last line or opposing it or you just want to round the corner, agree to disagree and formulate an exit strategy. At the end of a long road you find yourself glued to the red banner scrolling across the window asking if you want to start your 14 day free trial today!
I didn’t catch it already listed here, but I’m going to throw The Libertine in as my pick for the worst edited mainstream film ever. Well, not ever but lets say in recent memory. Until I forget.
We are living history and history is leaving us behind. In the last decade there has been a complete paradigm shift in the way we experience movies and entertainment, yet we are no better prepared than we were back in 1996 when the first DVD was introduced in Japan. Once the format had found its way around the world, a whole new approach to content creation, packaging and distribution made it easier than ever to experience media at home, at work and on the go. What took place in those first three years for the transition from VHS to DVD media in 2000, was the focus on the technology as a medium of transport and delivery rather than static physical media that required a new way of thinking about it. Video Home System (VHS) was designed as a system from the very beginning, and the architects of DVD did as well. DVD was often described as digital versatile disc, sometimes as digital videodisc. At any rate, the key here is that VHS, DVD and Blu-ray discs are only one part of the equation with the players involved creating a much broader and more sophisticated core. Components of a whole system – or gateway – provide a link between the consumer and his/her media of choosing; when, where and how they please.
FULL ARTICLE AVAILABLE: Above the Line: Practical Movie Reviews
Great points all. I do invite you over to the full post where I go into more details in support of the format, such as the BD-Live feature that’s actually pretty amazing if you’ve never experienced it or don’t know much about it.
Of course extra content might not be your cup of tea and what BD-Live offers varies from movie to movie and studio to studio (as well as the success of the film) but having the ability to engage bonus material in never before realized ways is pretty astounding. Some features include internet chats, pre-arranged chats with the filmmakers, Internet games, downloadable featurettes, downloadable quizzes, and downloadable movie trailers.
And yes Scubadonc, the PS3 functionality is a best of the best worlds case scenario.
If Hollywood is the giant metal shark of our generation, of the now generation then one of us needs to pick up the badge, put on the hat and pick up a pair of those stylish 70s shades and become the Chief Martin Brody of today and put the bomb in the shark’s mouth.
http://rorydean.wordpress.com/2011/12/30/hollywoods-blockbuster-makes-victims-of-us-all-2/
Thanks for the reference Chris, I’m looking for that book by Kermode right now.
The realism you’re talking about is out there, at least I feel that it is, in particular in films that portray genuine emotional responses to believable conflict and resolutions between characters you know or knew, people places and sentiments you feel can relate to, that are honest. Realism does exist in cinema, it is where all films came from and attempt, in various ways, to portray, pretend, imagine and examine in finite and indeterminate ways – it is less about tangible realism, that which you possess, and more about that which is nurtured in spirit, ushered in like breath, let go again, felt within.
I’m immediately reminded of films like The Hours, Doubt and the The Iron Lady with respect to Ms. Streep, and The Ides of March, Charlie Wilson’s War, and Magnolia looking briefly at Mr. Hoffman’s colorful, eclectic career, and of course a hundred others like Denzel Washington (Training Day, The Hurricane and his upcoming Flight looks very promising), Rosie Perez has it, lost it, rediscovered it and then there is television (Do The Right Thing, Fearless), and Joan Chen (Mao’s Last Dancer, Lust Caution, Heaven & Earth).
The idea that we are victims of blockbusters was meant to convey one who is tricked or duped into believing we have no control over the films that are being made. Our scattered voices can speak as one: stop accepting mediocrity as good enough.
On the note of Kermode..“Along the same lines, “Why Blockbusters Should Be Better” makes the point that Hollywood has evolved to an almost flop-proof business model with its mega-budget product. This being the case, the idiocy of blockbusters confounds Kermode, who wonders what the harm would be in making them smarter.” – Tim Robey, in assessing Kermode’s book “The Good, the Bad and the Multiplex: What’s Wrong with Modern Movies” for The Telegraph at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/8750110/The-Good-the-Bad-and-the-Multiplex-Whats-Wrong-with-Modern-Movies-by-Mark-Kermode-review.html
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock The Knight Commander over 2 years ago
It is nearly impossible to begin a conversation about the film genres of suspense and psychological thrillers without returning to one of the earliest and most widely influential master of the genres, Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock. Hitchcock, also lovingly referred to as Hitch or ‘Master of Suspense’ was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1980 after a career spanning nearly six decades and more than fifty feature films. Many magazines, organizations, filmmakers, critics and entertainment professionals have called him one of the most significant filmmakers of all time and that honor continues to this day.
Full Article at: http://rorydean.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/sir-alfred-joseph-hitchcock-the-knight-commander/
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Fincher, The Auteur over 2 years ago
Some really solid stuff here about Fincher. I think a very early post by Leaves of Grass paints a very precise and informative reason why (as some have questioned) he hasn’t been inducted into the ‘auteur’ group of filmmakers. I agree, we often do place the directors and filmmakers we admire into groups that they might not otherwise belong simply because we favor them. I’m of the notion that it should be a damn site more difficult to get into a special group or honor as that tends to validate the importance of the group — very much like how difficult it is to become a member of the ASC. Partly because you’re voted in by your peers, other cinematographers, and partly because they don’t want to just throw the rank around carelessly.
There are a lot of auteurs working today who just haven’t proven themselves over the long haul.
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Meaningless Thread (Absmurdity) over 2 years ago
In the inevitability of chance, with the opportunity for exploration of the nothingness between a hole in your pocket and a blown out knee with one of those stiff, iron on patches you used to get from your mom in 7th grade, I haven’t any idea of how absurd this will be or how quickly it will be replaced by some other threadbare idea running and never really falling. Anyway.
Go to Comment
Found Footage Films over 2 years ago
Great thread here and thanks twodeadmagpies for providing that list. I see some familiar names but my experience with found footage filmmakers is pretty thin so I’m looking forward to digging in and exploring.
@Ben Simington – Good point about Grizzly Man and Wild Blue Yonder, both oddly engaging films for perhaps different reasons no altogether evident in the story. I think a lot of people were simply fascinated with the ‘idea’ behind the films and were often at odds with Herzog’s style. I haven’t seen La Soufriere so I’ll have to add that to my list.
I wanted to mention (though most probably are already familiar with) www.archive.org which is a great online database of sorts collecting all sorts of bits of audio, video, print, and assemblages from all over the world. If you haven’t made a visit you might consider.
cheers→
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Jean Luc Who Cares? over 2 years ago
Mr. Godard will turn 80 this December 3rd and in honor of the auteur, The Filmpool in Canada will be honoring him with a film festival and I am proud to say my film was accepted and will be screening on December 3rd and the RPL in Saskatchewan.
http://rorydean.wordpress.com/2010/11/02/806/
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Jean Luc Who Cares? over 2 years ago
Such an interesting range of comments, thoughts, diatribes, and totally irrelevant commentary regarding Jean Luc Godard, the man and his art, the man and his films, and the man who has evidently left an indelible mark on cinema history otherwise why would we continue to discuss him to this very day? I think it is foolish to argue over semantics or allege that Godard is this or that. If we are going to discuss the work than the work should be first and foremost the basis for any profound examination of what the artist wanted to accomplish and what he was saying with the medium of film. There are two perspectives here, intent and intention and further examination of his films, extensive writings, and yes even his interviews can offer much more than random opinion and selfish propagandizing. It is easier to dismiss one who was never there at all than one who remains, defiant in silence.
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Debra Granik's Directorial Debut "Down to the Bone" - Is it worthy of such praise? over 2 years ago
The film takes place in a wintry upstate New York, though unlike her follow-up Winter’s Bone (2010), the climate is less a sense of place and character as temperature, as the frigid space between forlorn lovers and the airy chasm that threatens life and limb as fueled by drug addiction and emotional vacancy. Down to the Bone is not a title as much as a declaration; this is paucity personified and minutiae examined.
http://rorydean.wordpress.com/2010/11/21/down-to-the-bone-2005/
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Last movie you saw and rate it over 2 years ago
Down to the Bone – co-written and directed by Debra Granik
http://rorydean.wordpress.com/2010/11/21/down-to-the-bone-2005/
I don’t generally followed the ratings game, two stars or three, five out of eight and all that. I think this is a strong character study with deep emotional and psychological themes that will appeal some and push others to more simple subjects.
I’d say watch it if you’ve seen or are interested in Granik’s latest film, Winter’s Bone (to which I reviewed here http://rorydean.wordpress.com/2010/11/12/winters-bone-2010-cuts-deep/)
Or I’d say stick to comic book and video game adaptations.
cheers→>
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The Believer over 2 years ago
The Believer is the incredible true story of a confused, conflicted Jewish youth who turns on himself, his faith, and his heritage in pursuit of answers about Judaism. It is a shocking revelation that we discover the main character’s secret fairly early on in the film, one that expands on the story in ways that we hadn’t intended.
If you didn’t know the secret before watching the film, how did this knowledge change as you watched it?
If you knew the secret before watching the film, did this give emotional resonance to the character and how did you feel about his conflict and ultimate decision?
Go to Comment
Mickey Rourke over 2 years ago
@Strawdog – Really? I can’t imagine anyone better in Barfly than Rourke. During filming Bukowski said of Rourke; “Mickey Rourke is a real human guy, on and off the set. And in Barfly he really came through with the acting. I felt his enjoyment and inventiveness.”
@CHRISTOPHER SEPESY – Good point about The Wrestler but I think you’ll find many, many solid performances from Rourke until he went a little nuts and left acting for boxing, among other things. He was a beautiful man in his early career and while that beauty has gone ‘inside’ he is still one of the best actors working today and clearly, if given the right script, could return to those former glory days in a snap.
Wow. Buffalo 66. I hated it the first time I watched it and the venom got worse the subsequent three tries to make something of it. Gallo’s ability as a director are painfully limited, trumped only as a mediocre actor – though I hear he was quite a model and in some respects had an eye as a photographer
As far as Mickey Rourke goes, he’s a powerful force and I hope we get to see more acting and less caricature soon.
Films of Merit:
2010 Iron Man 2
Ivan Vanko
2008 The Wrestler
Randy
2005 Sin City (though I hated the movie. passionately)
Marv
2002 Spun (quirky and fun, a notable small part, rest of the film lacking)
The Cook
1997 Another Nine & a Half Weeks
John Gray
1992 White Sands
Gorman Lennox
1990 Desperate Hours
Michael Bosworth
1989 Wild Orchid
James Wheeler
1989 Johnny Handsome
John ‘Johnny Handsome’ Sedley / Johnny Mitchell
1987 A Prayer for the Dying
Martin Fallon
1987 Barfly
Henry Chinaski
1987 Angel Heart
Harry Angel
1986 Nine 1/2 Weeks
John
1985 Year of the Dragon
Capt. Stanley White
1984 The Pope of Greenwich Village
Charlie
1983 Rumble Fish
The Motorcycle Boy
1982 Diner
Robert ‘Boogie’ Sheftell
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Debra Granik's Directorial Debut "Down to the Bone" - Is it worthy of such praise? over 2 years ago
Thanks for the note House of Leaves (Netflix) – I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on my thoughts, as well as when you get around to seeing Down to the Bone.
cheers→
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Anybody here heard of Bill Forsyth? over 2 years ago
Of course others have already pointed out http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287025/
At first I thought maybe you were referring to William Forsythe, as Rocoe mentions his master-work Housekeeping. Then I thought, william forsythe the more recent actor http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001235/ who is maybe the person you’re thinking about. He’s done some interesting bit parts, relegated to B-movie stuff that frequently goes straight to DVD now.
Bill Forsythe always reminds me of his film Being Human with Robin Williams – an interesting character study of a young Williams, a chance to see him stretching away from just comedy into more dramatic roles.
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The Black Swan Ascends over 2 years ago
The Black Swan Ascends – Movie review at Above the Line: Practical Movie Reviews
Auteur Darren Aronofksy’s The Black Swan, his fifth in just over a decade, is a superb psychodrama rooted in character, corralled by the specter of perfectionism and the reality of failure. Reminiscent of his debut film, PI (1998) Aronofsky turns things up a notch as all films and filmmakers should strive, to burn away the creations that came before and build upon the ashes. Clawed and scratched from the dressing room walls and mirrored practice spaces of the ballet, all is immediately not as it seems.
morehttp://rorydean.wordpress.com/2010/12/27/the-black-swan-2010-ascends/
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More than Ham and Cheese over 2 years ago
Wow, just stumbled into this thread but I wasn’t aware there was so much hatred for Val Kilmer out there. Maybe it was just his portrayal of rock icon Morrison (though other posts seem the contrary). I don’t think you can find fault with his work in Heat, though admittedly it was a small part. I think he was notable as Willem DeKooning in Pollock in 2000 and I liked his portrayal of Doc Holliday in Tombstone, though the film was for the most part not exactly my cup of tea. But his performance as John Holmes in Wonderland in 2003 was by far his best work in recent memory. If you haven’t seen it the film is artful and fully realized, an interesting take on non-linear and one of the most stylish films of the early 2000’s.
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More than Ham and Cheese over 2 years ago
@DENNIS: Nice “insiders” point. I think a lot of the time directors and producers, cinematographers as well have varying points of view about the “difficulty” working with an actor. My case in point would be a tremendously talented actress I worked with who for all intent and purposes was “difficult” but to be honest with you difficult and challenging aren’t the same – she definitely kept me on my toes and I respect her for that.
@MATT: That was an interesting part for Kilmer though you’d hardly recognize him in his brief appearance but the film on the other hand, was exceptional. I always find it interesting how that film, based on a Tarantino script, felt so much like a Tarantino film even though Tony Scott was at the helm. It’s “in the script” they say.
@JOKES: Really? I guess for some reason it worked for me on various levels – the brutality was intense, I can still hear those baseball bats, and the fragmented storyline and weaving back and forth between the interviews. Reminded me of The Usual Suspects, among others.
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Another Great Actor has Died over 2 years ago
San news indeed. Good films as you point out CHRISTOPHER, he had an unusualness about him that gave his performances a sense of something else going on behind his ‘lines’ and while I’m not a big fan of The Town, hated it actually for a myriad of reasons better suited in discussions elsewhere, I’m sure his talents as an actor and as a man will be missed.
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Fincher, The Auteur over 1 year ago
@JAZZALOHA; it’s been too long for me to recall Panic Room though in retrospect I too was first intrigued by the idea of this safe room in your home for such purposes. I actually looked into the phenomenon, the actual rooms and it’s pretty amazing the extent to which we wall ourselves up in dreams of invulnerability when our own bodies are the weakest part of the equation.
I love The Game except for the ending. Douglas is perfect here, able to achieve a level of believable that is at once convincingly bold and vulnerable at the same time. His run of films through the 80s and 90s are staggeringly simple yet some of the most effective, memorable character work in print. Like young Pacino and De Niro, the run they had until running got harder and the money got easier. That’s a whole other conversation. The Game is consistently dismissed as a lesser work when it is deserving of no less than a second or tenth screening before serious critique.
@SANTINO; I see your point and often express the very same sentiment about M. Night Shymalan’s run of films. He made a straight line to dull, unimpressive and insulting after we saw dead people with him. Signs and Unbreakable were his last good films period. It got to be a cheap, dime store gimmick that was only mildly interesting because of the work of his actors (re: Signs/Unbreakable) and I can’t imagine anyone thinking anything positive about The Village or Lady In The Water.
And the notion of numb you mentioned, exactly. I always thought that was such an interesting element that I could have watched the entire film from that angle alone, without ever going where Fincher went.
I’m just throwing rocks now, but Button was a crime. If you go back and really pay attention, the writing is incredibly bad and all the fuss over Pitt and the makeup and for what?
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Christopher Nolan Master & Commander of Cinema 11 months ago
Christopher Nolan’s rise from obscure art house mechanic to Master and Commander of the Hollywood blockbuster is the stuff of legends and textbooks, behind-the-scenes featurettes and film festival Q&A panel banter. His connection with audiences from all walks and interests has catapulted his career to one of the most influential and commercially successful filmmakers of the last decade, if not of all time. Heavily influenced and readily sampled, conventional and experimental, his approach is often at odds with itself, conflicted and convoluted giving way to big budgets and endless writings, reviews and conversations. He chooses grand over nuance, drives his points forward with all the subtlety of a bull in a china cabinet but somehow it always pays off. All of his films have returned a profit – a rarity for any career. He gets at your internal need to know and problem solve in concept driven spectacles, big screen theatrics with mainstream appeal. Nolan’s films have explored broken misanthropes and wounded nobodies, followed sleepless psycho dramas to the ends of the earth for perpetual daylight revelations, made dreams come true and blown them up, explored the mysteries of magic and breathed life into fallen heroes.
[full article at Above The Line: Practical Movie Reviews]
http://rorydean.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/christopher-nolan-master-and-commander/
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Christopher Nolan Master & Commander of Cinema 11 months ago
Looks like I have some catching up to do. First, thanks for the comments and great response to my article. I do want to point out that this is only the beginning of the article I wrote on my blog and as such, I’m sure if you visit the full entry it will probably answer some of the questions posed here (not that I’m suggesting answers as much as my thoughts).
Is it pretty much SOP or the norm to keep the discussions here in MUBI instead of following the article back to the source?
I’ll do my best to go over the comments just the same here, but do invite you to the full article:
http://rorydean.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/christopher-nolan-master-and-commander/
@Micahel – such that his earliest films are indeed art films. That’s not intended as criticism. Memento is my favorite Nolan film. I described him as a “mechanic” because of the refined narrative structure and clarity, his adherence to story/character instead of concept in those films, also not meant to be derogatory.
@Lights/Dusk – Yes, the veneer is indeed a marketable asset in Hollywood and as such bankable – a brand name as strong as Ron Howard used to be, Scorsese remains though his films are vastly inferior to the fervor he once commanded, perhaps last seen in The Departed, and Burton continues to produce films that audiences as well as studio execs understand what they are going to get when they write the check, buy the ticket, watch the lights go down in the theater.
Above everything else one cannot deny Nolan’s mainstream appeal and yes, influenced by and influencer — the one thing that all filmmakers want to do is capitalize on the success of other filmmakers, good and bad filmmakers, or just mediocre ones. Master and Commander is a play on the IDEA of his role as a filmmaker of attention right now, not a measure of his talent, sustainability or even his effectiveness over time but suggesting he’s a hack or will be forgotten is allowing your dislike for him/his work to get in the way of the facts of his accomplishments.
@Billy – the trouble with trying to gauge success in Hollywood is it is an ever changing thing, it is a chameleon and the title is intended to titillate and by the response to the article it accomplishes that.
@Lester – indeed. Inglorious is ridiculous, poorly conceived and forgettable.
@Shaun – actually in this case no. Nolan is in charge in every way, which is one of the fundamental problems with his films – there isn’t anyone checking him, telling him to cut down that scene, leave out the third or forth explosion, and stop with all the overblown theatrics and micro-cinema because it’s not necessary. When Cameron and J.J Abrams and Michael Mann get in a boardroom with the people with the checks they are running the producers circles not the other way around.
Thanks for the thoughts, it’s much appreciated. That’s what I love about MUBI. I just wish I had more time to spend with you guys and return the favor.
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Christopher Nolan Master & Commander of Cinema 11 months ago
Thanks for the info PolarisDiB, that’s exactly what I did here and I always cite references and give credit for everything I’m linking to or quoting. Cheers→
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Christopher Nolan Master & Commander of Cinema 11 months ago
It’s interesting how quickly the conversation shifts to the last posts made. I suppose that is an inherent aspect of this forum. Nevertheless, I do invite those wishing to return to topic to continue the conversation at my original full length text here -
http://rorydean.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/christopher-nolan-master-and-commander/
Wow, Sheldon there’s a ton of stuff in your post that’s hard to compartmentalize down to a sufficient response here right now but I’d like to extend the offer to discuss Inception in greater detail at any of my recent posts about Nolan and/or Inception. There’s two links here to start https://rorydean.wordpress.com/tag/inception/
That being said, I like your points about the differences between Burton’s imaginings and Nolan’s but it’s hard to go into any real depth given you haven’t seen the trilogy and while you might think the periphery scan you’ve given the material/Jokers is enough there just isn’t enough comparative observations.
What it really boils down to is the fact that extreme opinions are always going to amount to a tug-o-war of personal experiences that are never going to line up with a clear and detailed assessment of the merits and failures of either Burton or Nolan. To suggest perfection at all is revealing enough of your bias and inabilities to look at the material objectively. The best films are flawed because the medium is flawed. Filmmakers succumb to success syndrome after billion dollar franchise building, sitting in a room with people who have no idea how he did it or why but know they want to get on the gravy train. That ends up giving the filmmaker the boots of god and they set out to make airy, convoluted concept films that run on and on in slow motion drunkenness with entirely too many subplots, plot holes, and ridiculousness for the sake of pomposity.
The best films and filmmakers give us reason to talk about their creations and revel in the collective spirit of the medium. It’s best to come to an understand of our dissemination that fight to own it or change our minds.
Now what about this thing about Nolan as Master & Commander?
PolarisDiB your lengthy comment is appreciated and duly noted.
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THE WORST EDITED MAINSTREAM FILM EVER????? 11 months ago
Adjustment Bureau has my vote, along with Source Code and I’ll throw this into the fire, Inception. This might be straying from the idea of editing overall, perhaps better in a discussion about structure and linear/non-linear story telling, but films that rely entirely on the jumble effect of a fragmented narrative and the microbiology of minutiae such as in Source Code, end up being about the concept not A story or A character or characters. Just go back to Source Code and you’ll find that the whole film is comprised of the same 8 minute scene played over and over again with tiny revelations until we reach the end and realize the main character we’ve just been following was actually dead the entire time. So yeah, Source Code then would be my choice.
I don’t know if worst edited applies to Michael Bay. I mean he is guilty of excess in the same way Nolan can’t not blow stuff up in 10 minute intervals, but there’s also some really interesting editing choices in his films. He might not get the right mix or the camera spends too much time as a character in his films, but he is committed to his audience – you just have to remind yourself what it’s like to be 15 again if you’re not.
I expand on Bay’s stuff here if anyone is interested http://rorydean.wordpress.com/2011/07/24/michael-bay-movie-mechanic/
Tree of Life? Malick needs a writer the way Tarantino needs someone to remind him he used to make great character films.
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Hollywood’s Blockbuster Makes Victims of Us All 11 months ago
This is as relevant now as it was in December 2011 when I first discussed it at Above The Line: Practical Movie Reviews. I stand behind the premise, that Hollywood’s Blockbuster makes victims of us all.
It is the grandeur and splendor of overblown big screen theatrics and the fact we have to pay more for the same movie in 3D and IMAX that’s snatched our breath away, pushed us back and down into our stadium seating, reducing us to moot observers lapping up whatever we’re given. It’s like in our herd instinct to stand around and complain about it we’ve grown a taste for genuflecting at the altar of manufactured movie gods and no one is taking words of descent to the leaders of the shows. Why? We’ve lowered our standards or maybe mediocre is enough or perhaps we just don’t care. It’s not enough to say a movie was “OK” or “pretty good” or “entertaining”. We shouldn’t have to resolve the fact that a franchise was just getting started so all the exposition and drawn-out history lessons were important for the sake of the original comic book or just because Disney did it on a stone tablet we should keep on doing it the same for the sake of tradition.
We need to make a stand and start demanding more from the movie makers or scrap the whole lot of them and start over. I’m just getting started here. Check out the full article at Above The Line
-http://rorydean.wordpress.com/2011/12/30/hollywoods-blockbuster-makes-victims-of-us-all-2/
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Hollywood’s Blockbuster Makes Victims of Us All 10 months ago
Sadly my notification button was unchecked and I missed the flurry of my post here. I’ll see if I can play catch up though in all practicality, once a post reaches this many responses it is a rarity that anyone goes back to the source, much less the initial responses.
That being said, the full article I wrote is available and I encourage you all to check it out.
http://rorydean.wordpress.com/2011/12/30/hollywoods-blockbuster-makes-victims-of-us-all-2/
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THE WORST EDITED MAINSTREAM FILM EVER????? 9 months ago
It’s interesting how quickly these posts turn into an avalanche of mountainous proportions that are very nearly impossible to get at fairly, much less economically. I mean after 10,000 words your head starts to spin around and you forget if you’re agreeing with the last line or opposing it or you just want to round the corner, agree to disagree and formulate an exit strategy. At the end of a long road you find yourself glued to the red banner scrolling across the window asking if you want to start your 14 day free trial today!
I didn’t catch it already listed here, but I’m going to throw The Libertine in as my pick for the worst edited mainstream film ever. Well, not ever but lets say in recent memory. Until I forget.
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Blu-ray: Not just a name but a beautiful future 9 months ago
We are living history and history is leaving us behind. In the last decade there has been a complete paradigm shift in the way we experience movies and entertainment, yet we are no better prepared than we were back in 1996 when the first DVD was introduced in Japan. Once the format had found its way around the world, a whole new approach to content creation, packaging and distribution made it easier than ever to experience media at home, at work and on the go. What took place in those first three years for the transition from VHS to DVD media in 2000, was the focus on the technology as a medium of transport and delivery rather than static physical media that required a new way of thinking about it. Video Home System (VHS) was designed as a system from the very beginning, and the architects of DVD did as well. DVD was often described as digital versatile disc, sometimes as digital videodisc. At any rate, the key here is that VHS, DVD and Blu-ray discs are only one part of the equation with the players involved creating a much broader and more sophisticated core. Components of a whole system – or gateway – provide a link between the consumer and his/her media of choosing; when, where and how they please.
FULL ARTICLE AVAILABLE: Above the Line: Practical Movie Reviews
http://rorydean.wordpress.com/2012/07/17/blu-ray-not-just-a-name-but-a-beautiful-future/
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Blu-ray: Not just a name but a beautiful future 9 months ago
Great points all. I do invite you over to the full post where I go into more details in support of the format, such as the BD-Live feature that’s actually pretty amazing if you’ve never experienced it or don’t know much about it.
http://rorydean.wordpress.com/2012/07/17/blu-ray-not-just-a-name-but-a-beautiful-future/
Of course extra content might not be your cup of tea and what BD-Live offers varies from movie to movie and studio to studio (as well as the success of the film) but having the ability to engage bonus material in never before realized ways is pretty astounding. Some features include internet chats, pre-arranged chats with the filmmakers, Internet games, downloadable featurettes, downloadable quizzes, and downloadable movie trailers.
And yes Scubadonc, the PS3 functionality is a best of the best worlds case scenario.
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Hollywood’s Blockbuster Makes Victims of Us All 8 months ago
If Hollywood is the giant metal shark of our generation, of the now generation then one of us needs to pick up the badge, put on the hat and pick up a pair of those stylish 70s shades and become the Chief Martin Brody of today and put the bomb in the shark’s mouth.
http://rorydean.wordpress.com/2011/12/30/hollywoods-blockbuster-makes-victims-of-us-all-2/
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Hollywood’s Blockbuster Makes Victims of Us All 8 months ago
Thanks for the reference Chris, I’m looking for that book by Kermode right now.
The realism you’re talking about is out there, at least I feel that it is, in particular in films that portray genuine emotional responses to believable conflict and resolutions between characters you know or knew, people places and sentiments you feel can relate to, that are honest. Realism does exist in cinema, it is where all films came from and attempt, in various ways, to portray, pretend, imagine and examine in finite and indeterminate ways – it is less about tangible realism, that which you possess, and more about that which is nurtured in spirit, ushered in like breath, let go again, felt within.
I’m immediately reminded of films like The Hours, Doubt and the The Iron Lady with respect to Ms. Streep, and The Ides of March, Charlie Wilson’s War, and Magnolia looking briefly at Mr. Hoffman’s colorful, eclectic career, and of course a hundred others like Denzel Washington (Training Day, The Hurricane and his upcoming Flight looks very promising), Rosie Perez has it, lost it, rediscovered it and then there is television (Do The Right Thing, Fearless), and Joan Chen (Mao’s Last Dancer, Lust Caution, Heaven & Earth).
The idea that we are victims of blockbusters was meant to convey one who is tricked or duped into believing we have no control over the films that are being made. Our scattered voices can speak as one: stop accepting mediocrity as good enough.
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Hollywood’s Blockbuster Makes Victims of Us All 8 months ago
[thanks PolarisDiB}
On the note of Kermode..“Along the same lines, “Why Blockbusters Should Be Better” makes the point that Hollywood has evolved to an almost flop-proof business model with its mega-budget product. This being the case, the idiocy of blockbusters confounds Kermode, who wonders what the harm would be in making them smarter.” – Tim Robey, in assessing Kermode’s book “The Good, the Bad and the Multiplex: What’s Wrong with Modern Movies” for The Telegraph at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/8750110/The-Good-the-Bad-and-the-Multiplex-Whats-Wrong-with-Modern-Movies-by-Mark-Kermode-review.html
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