Thank you Claude Chabrol! The aspect of his cinema I love is the way he turns a thriller into a psychological character study, in subtle and humorous ways, such as in Le Boucher, La Femme Infidele, This Man Must Die, The Rupture, La Ceremonie, The Bridesmaid, L’Enfer, The Story of Women, Violette Noziere, The Color of Lies, etc.
Woody Allen (Zelig) 0 vs Andrzej Żuławski (Possession) 1
I enjoyed both films but Zulawski drew me in much more. And while his camera angles and movement are sometimes distracting, at other times I find them engaging and effective. An example is in close ups of the main characters Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani, where the depth is very narrow and so really even only part of the face is sharp (even on YouTube), which I thought was appropriate.
You’ve caught my attention! My first vote was in this round (for Possession), and I should be voting in 3-4 other matches this round. I watched Euridice BA2037 last night (a film I never would have seen otherwise) and it was great.
Derek Jarman (The Last of England) 0 – vs. Alain Resnais (Mélo) 1
On the surface Last of England was mesmerizing, sometimes, and Melo so theatrical. But with Melo it seems to me Resnais is successful in experimenting within a known framework (and with some underlying links to his other films) such as the hypnotic 6 minute monologue by Marcel at the beginning with his tale of lost love and disenchantment in Havana.
“The first and last scenes of Sweet Bunch where completely awesome.”
I completely agree. Nikolaidis’ complexity of frame is fantastic and had me engaged from the start. I love the way he directs scenes. I find in this style a lot of substance, which works on many levels: to set the psychological mood of the characters, to play with genre, to pay homage (which has been mentioned), for humor, etc.
Robert Bresson (Mouchette) —1 vs William Wyler (The Heiress) —0
While I would really like to see more from Wyler. and I appreciate the professionalism and attention to detail in “The Heiress”, it was the performance of the non-professional Nadine Nortier and Bresson’s ability to convey meaning with select images (and so few words) that impressed me.
Raúl Ruiz (On Top of the Whale) 1 vs Tsai Ming-liang (Goodbye, Dragon Inn) 0
Goodbye, Dragon Inn is alternately funny and touching and almost gets my vote for the shot if the ticket woman sitting and starting in the projection booth (I worked in one for a few years myself) and that of the peanut eating woman looking for her shoe.
But the thought provoking originality of On Top of the Whale won me over; I would like to see more of his films.
Uli³Cain, fair question, for me it’s the negativity in the overall portrayal. Lee is understated and observant, but I find these characters an exaggerated consolidation of unhappiness, which is for me too neat and judgmental. He is focused on the story, and not really about the people in the story, which isn’t always bad necessarily but in Ice Storm it felt fake. I think it could use a serious dose of Cassavetes.
Tommy: Safe was a frustrating movie for me, because like Ice Storm I think it’s probably a good film by a skilled filmmaker, but I didn’t come away from it with anything but a bad aftertaste. I think it’s an analogy but I don’t know for what, exactly.
Last movie you saw and rate it almost 3 years ago
Made in U.S.A 10/10
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Claude Chabrol is dead over 1 year ago
Thank you Claude Chabrol! The aspect of his cinema I love is the way he turns a thriller into a psychological character study, in subtle and humorous ways, such as in Le Boucher, La Femme Infidele, This Man Must Die, The Rupture, La Ceremonie, The Bridesmaid, L’Enfer, The Story of Women, Violette Noziere, The Color of Lies, etc.
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Directors' Cup Voting, Round 3, Match 9: Woody Allen (Zelig) vs Andrzej Żuławski (Possession) over 1 year ago
Woody Allen (Zelig) 0 vs Andrzej Żuławski (Possession) 1
I enjoyed both films but Zulawski drew me in much more. And while his camera angles and movement are sometimes distracting, at other times I find them engaging and effective. An example is in close ups of the main characters Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani, where the depth is very narrow and so really even only part of the face is sharp (even on YouTube), which I thought was appropriate.
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How to take part in the Directors' Cup - Newcomers are very welcome! :D over 1 year ago
You’ve caught my attention! My first vote was in this round (for Possession), and I should be voting in 3-4 other matches this round. I watched Euridice BA2037 last night (a film I never would have seen otherwise) and it was great.
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Directors' Cup Voting, Round 3, Match 11: Aki Kaurismaki (The Match Factory Girl) vs Béla Tarr (Macbeth) over 1 year ago
Aki Kaurismaki (The Match Factory Girl) 0 – Béla Tarr (Macbeth) 1
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Directors' Cup Voting, Round 3, Match 12: Nikos Nikolaidis (Euridice BA 2O37) vs Theodoros Angelopoulos (Reconstruction) over 1 year ago
Nikos Nikolaidis (Euridice BA 2O37) -1 vs Theodoros Angelopoulos (Reconstruction) – 0
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Directors' Cup Voting, Round 3, Match 16: Derek Jarman (The Last of England) vs Alain Resnais (Mélo) over 1 year ago
Derek Jarman (The Last of England) 0 – vs. Alain Resnais (Mélo) 1
On the surface Last of England was mesmerizing, sometimes, and Melo so theatrical. But with Melo it seems to me Resnais is successful in experimenting within a known framework (and with some underlying links to his other films) such as the hypnotic 6 minute monologue by Marcel at the beginning with his tale of lost love and disenchantment in Havana.
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Directors' Cup Voting, Round 4, Match 1: Aki Kaurismäki (Ariel) vs Nikos Nikolaidis (Sweet Bunch) over 1 year ago
Aki Kaurismäki (Ariel) – 0 vs Nikos Nikolaidis (Sweet Bunch) – 1Go to Comment
Directors' Cup Voting, Round 4, Match 1: Aki Kaurismäki (Ariel) vs Nikos Nikolaidis (Sweet Bunch) over 1 year ago
“The first and last scenes of Sweet Bunch where completely awesome.”I completely agree. Nikolaidis’ complexity of frame is fantastic and had me engaged from the start. I love the way he directs scenes. I find in this style a lot of substance, which works on many levels: to set the psychological mood of the characters, to play with genre, to pay homage (which has been mentioned), for humor, etc.
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Directors' Cup Voting, Round 4, Match 4: Werner Herzog (Land of Silence and Darkness) vs František Vláčil (Shadow of a Fern) over 1 year ago
Werner Herzog (Land of Silence and Darkness) 0 vs František Vláčil (Shadow of a Fern) 1
Both truly great, but Vlacil won me over with his storytelling.
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Directors' Cup Voting, Round 4, Match 5: Robert Bresson (Mouchette) vs William Wyler (The Heiress) over 1 year ago
Robert Bresson (Mouchette) —1 vs William Wyler (The Heiress) —0
While I would really like to see more from Wyler. and I appreciate the professionalism and attention to detail in “The Heiress”, it was the performance of the non-professional Nadine Nortier and Bresson’s ability to convey meaning with select images (and so few words) that impressed me.
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Directors' Cup Voting, Round 4, Match 8: Raúl Ruiz (On Top of the Whale) vs Tsai Ming-liang (Goodbye, Dragon Inn) over 1 year ago
Raúl Ruiz (On Top of the Whale) 1 vs Tsai Ming-liang (Goodbye, Dragon Inn) 0
Goodbye, Dragon Inn is alternately funny and touching and almost gets my vote for the shot if the ticket woman sitting and starting in the projection booth (I worked in one for a few years myself) and that of the peanut eating woman looking for her shoe.But the thought provoking originality of On Top of the Whale won me over; I would like to see more of his films.
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The MUBI Forum Users' Top 20 List: Longform List and Voting Series 8 months ago
A Time to Live and a Time to Die (Hsiao-Hsien) +2
JFK -1
Boogie Nights -1
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The MUBI Forum Users' Top 20 List: Longform List and Voting Series 8 months ago
L’Eclisse +2
Dressed to Kill -1
Back to the Future -1
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The MUBI Forum Users' Top 20 List: Longform List and Voting Series 8 months ago
Woman in the Dunes +2
The Host -1
Fargo -1
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The MUBI Forum Users' Top 20 List: Longform List and Voting Series 8 months ago
La Cienaga +2
American Beauty -1
Jackie Brown -1
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The MUBI Forum Users' Top 20 List: Longform List and Voting Series 7 months ago
In the Mood for Love +2
Robocop -1
Up in the Air -1
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The MUBI Forum Users' Top 20 List: Longform List and Voting Series 7 months ago
The Double Life of Veronique +2
Macbeth (Tarr) -1
Magnolia -1
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The MUBI Forum Users' Top 20 List: Longform List and Voting Series 7 months ago
Le Boucher +2
Ichi the Killer -1
The Shawshank Redemption -1
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The MUBI Forum Users' Top 20 List: Longform List and Voting Series 7 months ago
The Big Sleep +2
Hana-bi (aka Fireworks) -1
Safe-1
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The MUBI Forum Users' Top 20 List: Longform List and Voting Series 7 months ago
A Time to Live and a Time to Die (Hsiao-Hsien) +2
Ice Storm -1
Magnolia -1
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The MUBI Forum Users' Top 20 List: Longform List and Voting Series 7 months ago
Hiroshima mon amour +2
Ichi the Killer -1
Robocop -1
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The MUBI Forum Users' Top 20 List: Longform List and Voting Series 7 months ago
Face of Another +2
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles -1
Fargo -1
D
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The MUBI Forum Users' Top 20 List: Longform List and Voting Series 7 months ago
A Time to Live and a Time to Die (Hsiao-Hsien) +2
Ice Storm -1
Magnolia -1
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The MUBI Forum Users' Top 20 List: Longform List and Voting Series 7 months ago
La Cienaga +2
No Country for Old Men -1
Safe -1
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The MUBI Forum Users' Top 20 List: Longform List and Voting Series 7 months ago
A Time to Live and a Time to Die (Hsiao-Hsien) +2
The Killer (Woo) -1
La haine -1
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The MUBI Forum Users' Top 20 List: Longform List and Voting Series 7 months ago
La Cienaga +2
Silent Light -1
Back to the Future -1
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The MUBI Forum Users' Top 20 List: Longform List and Voting Series 7 months ago
Fists in the Pocket +2
Ice Storm -1
Safe -1
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The MUBI Forum Users' Top 20 List: Longform List and Voting Series 7 months ago
Uli³Cain, fair question, for me it’s the negativity in the overall portrayal. Lee is understated and observant, but I find these characters an exaggerated consolidation of unhappiness, which is for me too neat and judgmental. He is focused on the story, and not really about the people in the story, which isn’t always bad necessarily but in Ice Storm it felt fake. I think it could use a serious dose of Cassavetes.
Tommy: Safe was a frustrating movie for me, because like Ice Storm I think it’s probably a good film by a skilled filmmaker, but I didn’t come away from it with anything but a bad aftertaste. I think it’s an analogy but I don’t know for what, exactly.
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The MUBI Forum Users' Top 20 List: Longform List and Voting Series 7 months ago
No, I’ll add it to my list. The only other Haynes I’ve seen is I’m Not There which was great.
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