Just a heads up, I copied and pasted the following response from a review I had earlier written for a friend.
I have had this man crush for Gary Oldman every since I saw Leon the Professional. So of course I hunt out everything he has ever touched and find myself licking my fingers in anticipation for the next slice. In doing so I quickly came across a movie that not only did he write, but he also directed…(I am already at half mass at this point). So I picked up a copy, and I watched the trailer for it prior to starting the actual film and during the trailer there was a quotation from Eric Clapton that read “One of the finest films I have ever seen.” I later found out that Eric Clapton was so moved by the film, that he offered to write the score for it…and did!
So on pins and needles, I wipe the foam from my mouth and for the 128 minutes, I am like a deer whose attention is paralyzed by on-coming headlights only this vehicle not only runs you over but backs up to knock you the fuck out again and again.
Nil by Mouth has enough power to pierce the hard rind that’s formed over our collective senses of revulsion, outrage, and apathy. This film was based on real events that have taken place in Gary Oldman’s family life, and at the end of the movie it read “in memory of my father.” Which of course only means anything until after the movie is over.
This movie is unflinchingly honest and brutally graphic and if you can endure its uncompromisingly bleak vision, this is a film with much to offer.
I was at my local Videorama the other and decided to pick up John Cameron Mitchell’s Short Bus. The guy working there warned me that it was pornographic. I had read mixed reviews on it because of this factor. In some people’s words it is casually referred to as a Woody Allen movie with penetration. I told the guy that I am sure it’s not a porno flick, but if the use of non-simulated sex in film bothered him, he should check out Caligula. Caligula is in a class of its own!
This little moment sparked the thought of “where is the differing line between film with real non-simulated sex scenes vs straight up pornography”
I am interested in what the auteurs community would have to say on the matter, but my personal opinion is that I do appreciate how unapologetic and unbridled these films are, films like Short bus, and In the Realm of the Senses, and other films that contain non-simulated sex where the actors actually penetrate and ejaculate-for the sake of character development, relationship dynamics or simply fulfilling the vision the director intended for the film.
But the main difference between these films and traditional porn is that in porn the story line directs the actors to sex, its forced and unbelievable. Where as films like “In the Realm of the Senses” where the story line is about a couple who is so completely obsessed with each other that their sexual connection treads into the realm of self-destruction which in a way sounds really cool, and gratifying but when you start talking about penis-amputation to prove loyalty I start to think, ok I guess moderation in everything can at times apply to sex.
The second point to the argument of non-simulated sex in film is that if its ok to paint steamy graphic sex scenes in novels, then why should we not have it in film? In contrast though let’s not take the same route as porn and put sex in the film for the sake of watching sex, but if it adds to character development and brings new insight to the story then let’s not as Hollywood it up and falsify it and take away from the story and lower the quality of the film making it difficult for the audience to identify with.
I will now step off my soapbox now, and let someone else speak.
The following are a few good films to reference in this argument:
Baise-Moi
Ken Park
Lust Caution
Caligula
In the Realm of the Senses
Pola X
A Hole in My Heart
MK BTT >>I too would love to see ‘Santa Sangre’ get a proper U.S. release, and Criterion needs a Jodorowsky film almost as badly as they need a David Lynch film>> I completely agree! I am very surprised Jodorowsky hasn’t made it on the criterion catalog. Also that “the cook the thief his wife and her lover”-Directed by Peter Greenaway would be a great additional to the criterion catalog.
Heath’s performance saved the movie, the story was choppy and there where so many parts that were left unexplained. Watch it for Ledger’s performance other than that the only other redeeming quality it has is that Gary Oldman is in it, and he is the man!
I think the saying “if its not broken, then don’t fix it” applies to this film. It was done perfectly by Chan Wook Park, leave it alone and don’t turn it into Hollywood rehashed crap.
I agree with JP, I have over 1000 (20 or so criterion), and now I just look at them and think…“what the hell was I thinking?” I wish I had invested that money in 4TB of data storage and just ripped the DVD’s to my itunes but if I had money (which I don’t because I spent it all on the pretty box sets and criterion releases) I would get a system like kaleidescape, or beef up my itunes and hook up AppleTV.
Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for Dream changed me and has haunted me ever since. This movie was a perfect collaberation of talent in every way; Hurbert Selby Jr., Darren Aronofsky, Clint Mansell, The Kronos Quartet, and the rollercoaster of addiction conquering the human spirit.
You know how when we were little, we’d be watching a movie and if there was one bad scene, like some scene with slight nudity our parents would walk in. Right at that exact moment someone drops a “motherfucker” or a nipple is exposed-thus we’re caught and they demand us turn off whatever bad movie we were trying to get away with in watching. Then we justify it saying “its really a good movie, its just this one bad part that you JUST happen to walk in on, its just this one small part.”
Well my Mom told me this story to prove his point, and get us to shut up about having to turn the movie off.
She told us how this same thing happened to some kids she knows. They were watching a movie and their Mom told them to turn it off because it had inappropriate content for kids, and they argued that is was just this one small, tiny, little insignificant scene…BUT THE REST WAS GREAT!
Well this Mom knew her kids loved chocolate cake, so one afternoon she went to the store and picked out the best chocolate, and the richest ingredients and decided to make then a nice chocolate cake. She spent all afternoon working on the cake, and adding a little of Mama’s love to it.
So the kids get home, and they see this beautiful looking chocolate cake, and their Mom cuts them all a slice. As they start to eat the cake she tells them all the rich and wonderful ingredients she put into the cake. As she is listing them, one of the ingredients catches their attention like a record scratch.
Dog poop
The kids spit out their cake, and their Mom said…oh but it doesn’t matter it was just a small, tiny, little insignificant amount of dog poop.
The kids exclaim, we can’t eat dog poop. The whole cake is ruined
But if it’s just a small amount, the greater part of the cake is just fine. Replied the Mom
Needless to say, the Mom proved her point about the movie-sometime the one scene or one aspect of the movie can ruin the film entirely.
So with this thought in mind, and to start off the film argument of this thread. What film would you have loved, if it didn’t have that one small thing that just killed the entire film for you.
For me, it was Ladyhawke. The music was so off. It was some god-awful new wave heavy synthesizer bullshit. Honestly it killed the whole viewing experience of the film. I really liked the story, and cast was killer,…Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, and Michelle Pfeiffer was so hot. But Andrew Powell really screwed the pooch on the music.
I tried to watch it the other night with my wife who has never seen it, and she laughed her ass off the entire movie, the music was so misplaced it was distracting to the rest fo the film. She compared it to listening to “The Wiggles” while watching those grotesque documentary films that PETA puts out on animal testing.
So it’s dead to me, I can’t even enjoy it for nostalgic viewing.
Take the investment money, and spend it on an upcoming artist who produces their own original thought provoking content…a remake. Let’s repaint da Vinci “The Last Supper”…..wouldn’t think of it right!? Because it was done right the first time!
Vellaem-My point wasn’t about crazy mothers or debating about tough moral quandries open to young viewers, sorry to confuse you, I should have made that more clear.
Yes, my point was how “a film should cohere, but can ultimately be undone by a single seriously distracting element”. Great way of verbalizing my point-bravo!
movies that shake you to the core over 3 years ago
Nil by Mouth
Just a heads up, I copied and pasted the following response from a review I had earlier written for a friend.
I have had this man crush for Gary Oldman every since I saw Leon the Professional. So of course I hunt out everything he has ever touched and find myself licking my fingers in anticipation for the next slice. In doing so I quickly came across a movie that not only did he write, but he also directed…(I am already at half mass at this point). So I picked up a copy, and I watched the trailer for it prior to starting the actual film and during the trailer there was a quotation from Eric Clapton that read “One of the finest films I have ever seen.” I later found out that Eric Clapton was so moved by the film, that he offered to write the score for it…and did!
So on pins and needles, I wipe the foam from my mouth and for the 128 minutes, I am like a deer whose attention is paralyzed by on-coming headlights only this vehicle not only runs you over but backs up to knock you the fuck out again and again.
Nil by Mouth has enough power to pierce the hard rind that’s formed over our collective senses of revulsion, outrage, and apathy. This film was based on real events that have taken place in Gary Oldman’s family life, and at the end of the movie it read “in memory of my father.” Which of course only means anything until after the movie is over.
This movie is unflinchingly honest and brutally graphic and if you can endure its uncompromisingly bleak vision, this is a film with much to offer.
Go to Comment
Non-Simulated Sex in Film vs. Pornography over 3 years ago
I was at my local Videorama the other and decided to pick up John Cameron Mitchell’s Short Bus. The guy working there warned me that it was pornographic. I had read mixed reviews on it because of this factor. In some people’s words it is casually referred to as a Woody Allen movie with penetration. I told the guy that I am sure it’s not a porno flick, but if the use of non-simulated sex in film bothered him, he should check out Caligula. Caligula is in a class of its own!
This little moment sparked the thought of “where is the differing line between film with real non-simulated sex scenes vs straight up pornography”
I am interested in what the auteurs community would have to say on the matter, but my personal opinion is that I do appreciate how unapologetic and unbridled these films are, films like Short bus, and In the Realm of the Senses, and other films that contain non-simulated sex where the actors actually penetrate and ejaculate-for the sake of character development, relationship dynamics or simply fulfilling the vision the director intended for the film.
But the main difference between these films and traditional porn is that in porn the story line directs the actors to sex, its forced and unbelievable. Where as films like “In the Realm of the Senses” where the story line is about a couple who is so completely obsessed with each other that their sexual connection treads into the realm of self-destruction which in a way sounds really cool, and gratifying but when you start talking about penis-amputation to prove loyalty I start to think, ok I guess moderation in everything can at times apply to sex.
The second point to the argument of non-simulated sex in film is that if its ok to paint steamy graphic sex scenes in novels, then why should we not have it in film? In contrast though let’s not take the same route as porn and put sex in the film for the sake of watching sex, but if it adds to character development and brings new insight to the story then let’s not as Hollywood it up and falsify it and take away from the story and lower the quality of the film making it difficult for the audience to identify with.
I will now step off my soapbox now, and let someone else speak.
The following are a few good films to reference in this argument:
Baise-Moi
Ken Park
Lust Caution
Caligula
In the Realm of the Senses
Pola X
A Hole in My Heart
Go to Comment
Movies That Should Be In the Criterion Collection over 3 years ago
MK BTT >>I too would love to see ‘Santa Sangre’ get a proper U.S. release, and Criterion needs a Jodorowsky film almost as badly as they need a David Lynch film>> I completely agree! I am very surprised Jodorowsky hasn’t made it on the criterion catalog. Also that “the cook the thief his wife and her lover”-Directed by Peter Greenaway would be a great additional to the criterion catalog.
Go to Comment
Anybody else hate the Dark Knight? over 3 years ago
Heath’s performance saved the movie, the story was choppy and there where so many parts that were left unexplained. Watch it for Ledger’s performance other than that the only other redeeming quality it has is that Gary Oldman is in it, and he is the man!
Go to Comment
Oldboy remake - Good idea or sacrilege over 3 years ago
I think the saying “if its not broken, then don’t fix it” applies to this film. It was done perfectly by Chan Wook Park, leave it alone and don’t turn it into Hollywood rehashed crap.
Go to Comment
How Big Is Your DVD Collection? over 3 years ago
I agree with JP, I have over 1000 (20 or so criterion), and now I just look at them and think…“what the hell was I thinking?” I wish I had invested that money in 4TB of data storage and just ripped the DVD’s to my itunes but if I had money (which I don’t because I spent it all on the pretty box sets and criterion releases) I would get a system like kaleidescape, or beef up my itunes and hook up AppleTV.
Go to Comment
If you had to pick ONE film as your favorite... over 3 years ago
Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for Dream changed me and has haunted me ever since. This movie was a perfect collaberation of talent in every way; Hurbert Selby Jr., Darren Aronofsky, Clint Mansell, The Kronos Quartet, and the rollercoaster of addiction conquering the human spirit.
Go to Comment
Guilty Pleasures over 3 years ago
The Matrix Trilogy
Running Man
Lady Hawke
Enemy Mine
The Lost Boys
Nightmare on Elm St.
-All 80’s Horror Movies Actually
The Toxic Avenger
Go to Comment
A Perfect Chocolate Cake w/ Only a Little Dog Poo!? over 3 years ago
You know how when we were little, we’d be watching a movie and if there was one bad scene, like some scene with slight nudity our parents would walk in. Right at that exact moment someone drops a “motherfucker” or a nipple is exposed-thus we’re caught and they demand us turn off whatever bad movie we were trying to get away with in watching. Then we justify it saying “its really a good movie, its just this one bad part that you JUST happen to walk in on, its just this one small part.”
Well my Mom told me this story to prove his point, and get us to shut up about having to turn the movie off.
She told us how this same thing happened to some kids she knows. They were watching a movie and their Mom told them to turn it off because it had inappropriate content for kids, and they argued that is was just this one small, tiny, little insignificant scene…BUT THE REST WAS GREAT!
Well this Mom knew her kids loved chocolate cake, so one afternoon she went to the store and picked out the best chocolate, and the richest ingredients and decided to make then a nice chocolate cake. She spent all afternoon working on the cake, and adding a little of Mama’s love to it.
So the kids get home, and they see this beautiful looking chocolate cake, and their Mom cuts them all a slice. As they start to eat the cake she tells them all the rich and wonderful ingredients she put into the cake. As she is listing them, one of the ingredients catches their attention like a record scratch.
Dog poop
The kids spit out their cake, and their Mom said…oh but it doesn’t matter it was just a small, tiny, little insignificant amount of dog poop.
The kids exclaim, we can’t eat dog poop. The whole cake is ruined
But if it’s just a small amount, the greater part of the cake is just fine. Replied the Mom
Needless to say, the Mom proved her point about the movie-sometime the one scene or one aspect of the movie can ruin the film entirely.
So with this thought in mind, and to start off the film argument of this thread. What film would you have loved, if it didn’t have that one small thing that just killed the entire film for you.
For me, it was Ladyhawke. The music was so off. It was some god-awful new wave heavy synthesizer bullshit. Honestly it killed the whole viewing experience of the film. I really liked the story, and cast was killer,…Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, and Michelle Pfeiffer was so hot. But Andrew Powell really screwed the pooch on the music.
I tried to watch it the other night with my wife who has never seen it, and she laughed her ass off the entire movie, the music was so misplaced it was distracting to the rest fo the film. She compared it to listening to “The Wiggles” while watching those grotesque documentary films that PETA puts out on animal testing.
So it’s dead to me, I can’t even enjoy it for nostalgic viewing.
Go to Comment
People against the seven samurai remake over 3 years ago
Take the investment money, and spend it on an upcoming artist who produces their own original thought provoking content…a remake. Let’s repaint da Vinci “The Last Supper”…..wouldn’t think of it right!? Because it was done right the first time!
Go to Comment
What films do you want to see on BLU Ray the most? over 3 years ago
Planet Earth-I imagine would be a killer experience!
Go to Comment
A Perfect Chocolate Cake w/ Only a Little Dog Poo!? over 3 years ago
Vellaem-My point wasn’t about crazy mothers or debating about tough moral quandries open to young viewers, sorry to confuse you, I should have made that more clear.
Yes, my point was how “a film should cohere, but can ultimately be undone by a single seriously distracting element”. Great way of verbalizing my point-bravo!
Go to Comment