I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I’ll be the first to admit that I give Fincher way more respect than I probably should. That being said, as much as I liked it, I thought “Last Chance Harvey” did a much better job at making almost the same points about old age (albeit in a far different manner,) and did so much more effectively and concisely.
Despite people’s feelings on the Oscars it’s not going to make them not exist or demerit their worth in certain circles. It goes without saying that a Best Picture winner will definitely generate a certain amount of movie goers regardless of it being “worthy”. That being said, I think it’s a fine thread, for celebrating what performances or film experiences moved you the most in a particular year.
I agree that Saving Private Ryan is a much more intense experience, and I agree that my tastes lie more with that film than Shakespeare, but it’s hard to deny the creativity in retelling the ol “boy meets girl” tale by completely taking liberties with history.
This year is a bit of a mixed bag. I think that when the hype surrounding Slumdog Millionaire dies down people will realize that it’s not quite as amazing as it’s made out to be, (though I wouldn’t knock any of Boyle’s work. I think he’s quite enjoyable.) Personally, I don’t think Frost/Nixon should be nominated for Best Picture or Director as there were many other deserving films that could use that spot.
I think my biggest snub I can think of was actually at the Golden Globes when Richard Gere won Best Actor in Chicago over Adam Sandler in Punch-Drunk Love. But that just goes to show that your personal reaction to a film isn’t necessarily shared by the masses, which makes discussing films quite difficult sometimes.
I agree A Beautiful Mind was quickly forgettable, and had it not won Best Picture would be left on the slate of mediocre dramas that Ron Howard has left behind (The Missing anyone? Ransom? Hmm.)
On a somewhat related sidenote, I recently went through to see how many of the Best Pictures I’ve seen (41), and was surprised to see that I hadn’t seen many from the 80s. For whatever reason I have a hard time hyping myself up for the uber-dramas that dominated that decade. But I found it fun to pick and choose my favorites of what has won Best Picture over the last 81 years (out of what has won, not what should’ve won). My picks:
It Happened One Night
Casablanca
Marty
The Apartment
The Godfather
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Unforgiven
American Beauty
No Country for Old Men
My personal pet peeve due to new technologies is the Bluetooth ear piece. Perhaps it’s because I live in California where it’s illegal to drive and talk on the phone, but I’ve seen an increase in these things, and if you thought a cell phone shining a light in the corner of your eye three or four times throughout a film was annoying, try a constant blue bleep every 15 seconds. Worst part is, the wearer can’t even see it blinking so they have no idea how much it’s annoying people within its sight range.
I’ve struggled with this topic. There are a lot of people that would argue that films are ultimately made as a collective audience experience, which I think that has some merit. Seeing a film in the company of a mass changes my perception of it sometimes; things are funnier, more exciting, etc. Group experiences are contagious.
However, I find myself watching 95% of films alone. I cannot, for whatever reason, stand to watch a film I haven’t seen in the comfort of my own home with someone else. Ha, perhaps this is an intimacy issue and not one of cinema, but I feel like I need to shut myself off of all external stimuli to fully absorb the story, images, performances, editing, etc.
I’ve become very picky about what I see in the theaters, but I have come to a point where I have almost no desire to watch films like Iron Man or The Dark Knight alone in my apartment but rather with a large audience, and on the flip side, films like Wild Strawberries or Pandora’s Box I cannot watch with anyone else around.
There are some films that bridge the gap too. I can watch any Chaplin film by myself all day long, but seeing it in the theater with an audience breathes new life into it. I went to the theater to see Let The Right One In by myself, and there were only two other people in the theater. That was an odd experience, but I was glad I hadn’t gone with someone.
Bizarre indeed. I think it’s a case by case scenario.
A trend I’ve noticed with Oscars is that what’s happening in the world really affects the winner of Best Picture. Case and point is Rocky winning over the greatly other superior films that year. The Vietnam war just ended, Nixon just resigned after the Watergate scandal, and I’d say America was feeling pretty beat up and dejected. I can see how they could get behind the underdog of Rocky’s nature, especially since the other filmes (Taxi Driver, Network, All the President’s Men) were very dark and bleek looks at our society. Over 30 years later, it hasn’t stood the test of time. It’s a product of its era.
I’m sure that’s the case with a lot of the wins over the years, (I would argue that point with the Crash/Brokeback Mountain win too.) Not to mention the massive amount of politics that go into picking the winners.
It’s easy to see which films were more prevalent in retrospect. In the case of Oliver! vs. 2001, (and this is only speculation,) I’m willing to bet that the voters (and the world for that matter) hadn’t quite absorbed the massive effects it would have on cinema. I’m sure it was just as big of an experience, if not moreso, when it came out, but since then it’s had so much time to be studied and be the source of influence. If the Academy voters could go back in time and revote, I bet they would change a lot of their choices.
It’s funny how quickly blockbusters disappeared from the Best Picture category. I think E.T. was the last true blockbuster to be nominated? I may need to check my sources before committing to that statement.
@Steve: I think you’re right, which proves my point two-fold because I was thinking of people like Speilberg speak of seeing 2001 as a life changing experience, but that just effects my retrospect opinion of the film. And I can’t believe I forgot about Titanic! (perhaps I’m just bitter about LA Confidential not winning…)
How odd do you think Alec Guinness felt when he was nominated for best supporting actor for Star Wars when he so publicly defecated it?
My personal experience with both films were incredibly impacting. However, when There Will be Blood was over, I was just baffled at how a film like that could possibly be conceived of and put into execution. Where do you begin mapping out and defining the points you want to hit? I was really blown away in a very inspired manner by There Will Be Blood.
That being said, No Country For Old Men was so effective at making me squirm and feel uncomfortable whenever Javier Bardem was on screen, and really being swept into the story through the use of visuals. No Country is certainly in my top five of ’07, but There Will Be Blood edges it out ever so slightly by having that “How the hell?” factor, (which Wall-E currently has for ’08.)
Doinel: HAHA… Lorre. Fo sho. Though, Karloff had an interesting look going for him in The Black Cat.
I see I’m coming to this discussion pretty late in the game… so most of my choices have already been mentioned, (The Shining, The Exorcist, etc.)
After reading this entire thread though I hadn’t seen my biggest traumatic experience with film as a child listed on here which was Robocop. I saw it when I was like six or seven and remember crying my eyes out. I watched it again a year or two back and was thoroughly disgusted by the violence in it.
It’s unfortunate, but I don’t think I’ll ever have the stomach or mental capability to sit through Salo.
On a side note, in commenting on recent horror films (and the many sub-genres that have been created,) I do a lot of design work for some of them so I get to see [more than I’d like to.] It seems to me that the late 70’s brought forth the on screen violence that sacrificed nuance of mood or atmosphere, which was cemented by the 80’s. Since then it’s become a spiral of on screen blood and guts and long gone are the days of psychological imagination connecting dots and painting gruesome macabre images in our heads. That is with a few exceptions, (Let the Right One In and The Orphanage are two in recent memory that stand out.)
I’d hate to clog the forums with unneeded topics, but I didn’t see anything quite like this in the 39 pages of them.
As peculiar as it may be, I keep a thorough log of each film I see when I see it. I thought it might be a good discussion starter to post the list of films I watch each month, (and I invite everyone else to do the same) despite how embarrassing they might be. Some of them might be my first time, others might be the twentieth.
Without further ado, here’s the massive list from January ’09:
The Dark Knight
Last Chance Harvey
Wristcutters
Bottle Rocket
2 Days in Paris
Oldboy
Wanted
D-Wars: Dragon Wars
Chungking Express
Grand Hotel
The Nines
Step Up 2: The Streets
I’m Not There
Out of the pAst
Casino Royale (2006)
Life of Brian
Bridge to Terebethia
Man on Wire
Slumdog Millionaire
Steamboat Bill, Jr.
Son of Rambow
Tokyo Story
All the President’s Men
The Visitor
The Counterfeiters
Gun Crazy
Ghandi
The Set-Up
Dillinger
Kung Fu Panda
Born to Kill
Crossfire
Wall-E
The Wackness
Confessions of a Superhero
Wages of Fear
Mon Oncle
The Spirit of the Beehive
West Side Story
Laura
Wild Strawberries
The Lost Weekend
Horton Hears a Who
Clash by Night
Branded to Kill
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
The Simpson’s Movie
Bee Movie
The Virgin Spring
Viridiana
I suppose the reasons for the long list is due to a number of factors; A) I work from home so my collection beckons to me while I should be doing work, not to mention when I get sick of listening to music I throw on a film’s commentary instead, B) I usually fall asleep to a movie every night, obviously ones that don’t need to be fully absorbed (hence Step Up 2: The Streets, as well as others,) C) I’ve run into a bit of a financial wall, at least until tax season is over, so instead of going out and spending money I stay in and watch movies.
I think it’s definitely worth it to say that not every month do I watch so many. January has kept me cooped up and so I tend to watch a lot of films. Despite the girth of the list, I do make it a special occasion when I watch a film like Viridiana or The Virgin Spring so that I can fully absorb it and think about it. The Simpson’s Movie? That’s a coffee and donuts flick.
I’m happy to see that people have responded to this thread so quickly. I posted it when I went to sleep and I’m just waking up to the responses right now! I hope I answered a lot of the questions, so forgive me if I don’t respond directly to you, it’s not an intentional snub. Let’see if I can catch up:
@Dave: Chronological is my favorite sort of organization. Good luck with your viewings! Pandora’s Box is a favorite of mine
@Mr. King: Steel Helmet kicked my ass. So good, and completely shocking. Frozen River is at the top of my Netflix Queue
@Drew: I’m actually envious of your list. Wanna trade? I know you want to say you’ve watched D-Wars!
@Cineaste: I’m not going to lie, there is some truth to what you speak. But I do try to fully absorb films that require more out its audience than eating popcorn. Wages of Fear effected me more than any film I’ve seen in a good long while. But perhaps I am a zealous film watcher.
@Liz: I completely agree with a point you’ve made (despite the fact I haven’t yet seen Night & Fog). I personally have a really hard time watching documented violence or depicted as documented violence, which is why I have a hard time with war films. Schindler’s List scarred me when I was forced to watch it for a History class, and since then I’ve steered clear of films that show or depict violence in a realistic manner to show the brutality of human nature. It took me ten years to watch Saving Private Ryan, but since then I’ve been able to stomach it a little bit more. It’s much more of a mental thing for me that just traumatizes me every time.
@Bob: The Fall? Your thoughts on it? Personally it was one of the most visually magnificent films I’ve ever seen, and I’m a sucker for a fairy tale, so I ended up loving it.
I’ve noticed a lot of people watching the original Dracula. Coincidence or am I missing a common thread?
Ha, I’m not sure why Jesse’s post reminded me of a disturbing and down right wrong (couple of) scene in Bad Boys II…
When they are driving the hummer down the hill of homes, it’s pretty awful and in a lot of way disturbing. There’s a lot of mean spirited sequences in that movie… certainly doesn’t help that the movie is terrible.
@Yves: Drop out :) At least you spent your time watching very worth while films. I need to pop in Fires on the Plain again.
Anyone have any recommendations for films I absolutely should see in February? Perhaps with a romantic tone for Valentines or something for Black History month. Black Orpheus maybe…
Jesse, I think it was just that you mentioned Bad Boy Bubble and my short attention span only picked up Bad Boy. And my guess is that Bay was trying to say that death befalls us all eventually, so why get breast implants? That’s my educated hypothesis.
I certainly wouldn’t recommend doing web design for shitty horror films. That’s what I do and I’m quite sick of it. Maybe workman’s comp is better suited? Get paid to recover at home.
@Josh: I certainly did. But not in the same day. I think we should work on getting a Bee Movie/Virgin Spring double bill going at revival houses. A Hollywood children tale and rape go together like fine cheese and wine.
Just to add a personal experience to this film… I put it in knowing nothing other than it’s reputation among certain cinephile friends of mine, thus not knowing of its opening air raid and dead dog scene. If I had known that I may have waited more than three days after my own dog of fourteen years had died. I barely got through the opening because I was crying so much.
I’m surprised that James Cameron wasn’t mentioned more than two or three times. I think he’s by far the most overrated director in the history of overrated directors, (only inching Robert Zemeckis out by an inch.) Cameron though, has reached such stature in Hollywood that he can do anything he wants to, and has for a very long time. Thus, there is no one to tell him that maybe all of his decisions aren’t the right ones. Aliens clocking in at well over two hours, (and the director’s cut even longer)? Come on now, it’s an action flick, not a David Lean film. This is just my personal opinion, but I find Cameron the most overrated which has lead me to coin the term “Cameroning” in speaking about someone who no longer has any restrictions on what they do and loses the ability to refine their creativity, i.e. Judd Apatow & Gang and Christopher Nolan are in jeopardy of Cameroning if they continue down the path they’re on.
It took me a long time to decide how I felt about this film. I didn’t like The Squid and the Whale, but I think it was for the same reason that I initially didn’t respond well to this film which was that it was about despicable characters doing selfish things. However once I stopped looking just at the parts that make up the whole and looked at the film as a portrait of dysfunction, I warmed to it a lot more.
Amazing performances, for sure. I was even surprised by Jack Black. At this time and juncture I like it more than Squid, but that’s because I need to watch it again with the same frame of mind I watched Margot in. I have a feeling I’ll like it much more the second time around.
WHAT IS YOUR PICK FOR THE WORSE MOVIE EVER MADE? over 3 years ago
Leaving out anything that wouldn’t even be considered an “actual” movie (i.e. Kung Fu Mummy), here are a few in recent memory that were unbearable:
Southland Tales just made me angry.
August Rush
In the Cut
While She Was Out (I designed the Myspace page for this one… shhhhh.)
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Am I the only one who liked Benjamin Button? over 3 years ago
I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I’ll be the first to admit that I give Fincher way more respect than I probably should. That being said, as much as I liked it, I thought “Last Chance Harvey” did a much better job at making almost the same points about old age (albeit in a far different manner,) and did so much more effectively and concisely.
Go to Comment
Return your oscar statuetes over 3 years ago
Despite people’s feelings on the Oscars it’s not going to make them not exist or demerit their worth in certain circles. It goes without saying that a Best Picture winner will definitely generate a certain amount of movie goers regardless of it being “worthy”. That being said, I think it’s a fine thread, for celebrating what performances or film experiences moved you the most in a particular year.
I agree that Saving Private Ryan is a much more intense experience, and I agree that my tastes lie more with that film than Shakespeare, but it’s hard to deny the creativity in retelling the ol “boy meets girl” tale by completely taking liberties with history.
This year is a bit of a mixed bag. I think that when the hype surrounding Slumdog Millionaire dies down people will realize that it’s not quite as amazing as it’s made out to be, (though I wouldn’t knock any of Boyle’s work. I think he’s quite enjoyable.) Personally, I don’t think Frost/Nixon should be nominated for Best Picture or Director as there were many other deserving films that could use that spot.
I think my biggest snub I can think of was actually at the Golden Globes when Richard Gere won Best Actor in Chicago over Adam Sandler in Punch-Drunk Love. But that just goes to show that your personal reaction to a film isn’t necessarily shared by the masses, which makes discussing films quite difficult sometimes.
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WHAT IS YOUR PICK FOR THE WORSE MOVIE EVER MADE? over 3 years ago
Judy:
Apparently you can touch it. Mr. Lucas has proven so many times. Someone needs to tie his hands from touching it more.
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Return your oscar statuetes over 3 years ago
I agree A Beautiful Mind was quickly forgettable, and had it not won Best Picture would be left on the slate of mediocre dramas that Ron Howard has left behind (The Missing anyone? Ransom? Hmm.)
On a somewhat related sidenote, I recently went through to see how many of the Best Pictures I’ve seen (41), and was surprised to see that I hadn’t seen many from the 80s. For whatever reason I have a hard time hyping myself up for the uber-dramas that dominated that decade. But I found it fun to pick and choose my favorites of what has won Best Picture over the last 81 years (out of what has won, not what should’ve won). My picks:
It Happened One Night
Casablanca
Marty
The Apartment
The Godfather
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Unforgiven
American Beauty
No Country for Old Men
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About Criterion And Why Your Favorite Film Is Not On It. over 3 years ago
What he said.
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What Happened to Etiquette at the Movies? over 3 years ago
My personal pet peeve due to new technologies is the Bluetooth ear piece. Perhaps it’s because I live in California where it’s illegal to drive and talk on the phone, but I’ve seen an increase in these things, and if you thought a cell phone shining a light in the corner of your eye three or four times throughout a film was annoying, try a constant blue bleep every 15 seconds. Worst part is, the wearer can’t even see it blinking so they have no idea how much it’s annoying people within its sight range.
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Do you prefer to watch films alone or with friends? over 3 years ago
I’ve struggled with this topic. There are a lot of people that would argue that films are ultimately made as a collective audience experience, which I think that has some merit. Seeing a film in the company of a mass changes my perception of it sometimes; things are funnier, more exciting, etc. Group experiences are contagious.
However, I find myself watching 95% of films alone. I cannot, for whatever reason, stand to watch a film I haven’t seen in the comfort of my own home with someone else. Ha, perhaps this is an intimacy issue and not one of cinema, but I feel like I need to shut myself off of all external stimuli to fully absorb the story, images, performances, editing, etc.
I’ve become very picky about what I see in the theaters, but I have come to a point where I have almost no desire to watch films like Iron Man or The Dark Knight alone in my apartment but rather with a large audience, and on the flip side, films like Wild Strawberries or Pandora’s Box I cannot watch with anyone else around.
There are some films that bridge the gap too. I can watch any Chaplin film by myself all day long, but seeing it in the theater with an audience breathes new life into it. I went to the theater to see Let The Right One In by myself, and there were only two other people in the theater. That was an odd experience, but I was glad I hadn’t gone with someone.
Bizarre indeed. I think it’s a case by case scenario.
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Favorite use of a song in a film. over 3 years ago
Not sure why it always sticks out in my head, but “Gimme Shelter” from the beginning of The Departed and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” from Mean Streets.
Of course Wes Anderson. “2000 Man” in Bottle Rocket, “Judy’s a Punk” in Royal Tenenbaums.
“He Needs Me” in Punch-Drunk Love, “Wise Up” in Magnolia tears to my soul so quickly.
And fuck it… “Don’t Stop Me Now” in Shaun of the Dead haha, never ceases to make me crack up.
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How Big Is Your DVD Collection? over 3 years ago
…1126.
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Return your oscar statuetes over 3 years ago
A trend I’ve noticed with Oscars is that what’s happening in the world really affects the winner of Best Picture. Case and point is Rocky winning over the greatly other superior films that year. The Vietnam war just ended, Nixon just resigned after the Watergate scandal, and I’d say America was feeling pretty beat up and dejected. I can see how they could get behind the underdog of Rocky’s nature, especially since the other filmes (Taxi Driver, Network, All the President’s Men) were very dark and bleek looks at our society. Over 30 years later, it hasn’t stood the test of time. It’s a product of its era.
I’m sure that’s the case with a lot of the wins over the years, (I would argue that point with the Crash/Brokeback Mountain win too.) Not to mention the massive amount of politics that go into picking the winners.
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Return your oscar statuetes over 3 years ago
It’s easy to see which films were more prevalent in retrospect. In the case of Oliver! vs. 2001, (and this is only speculation,) I’m willing to bet that the voters (and the world for that matter) hadn’t quite absorbed the massive effects it would have on cinema. I’m sure it was just as big of an experience, if not moreso, when it came out, but since then it’s had so much time to be studied and be the source of influence. If the Academy voters could go back in time and revote, I bet they would change a lot of their choices.
It’s funny how quickly blockbusters disappeared from the Best Picture category. I think E.T. was the last true blockbuster to be nominated? I may need to check my sources before committing to that statement.
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Return your oscar statuetes over 3 years ago
@Steve: I think you’re right, which proves my point two-fold because I was thinking of people like Speilberg speak of seeing 2001 as a life changing experience, but that just effects my retrospect opinion of the film. And I can’t believe I forgot about Titanic! (perhaps I’m just bitter about LA Confidential not winning…)
How odd do you think Alec Guinness felt when he was nominated for best supporting actor for Star Wars when he so publicly defecated it?
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There Will Be Blood or No Country For Old Men, which is the better film? over 3 years ago
My personal experience with both films were incredibly impacting. However, when There Will be Blood was over, I was just baffled at how a film like that could possibly be conceived of and put into execution. Where do you begin mapping out and defining the points you want to hit? I was really blown away in a very inspired manner by There Will Be Blood.
That being said, No Country For Old Men was so effective at making me squirm and feel uncomfortable whenever Javier Bardem was on screen, and really being swept into the story through the use of visuals. No Country is certainly in my top five of ’07, but There Will Be Blood edges it out ever so slightly by having that “How the hell?” factor, (which Wall-E currently has for ’08.)
Doinel: HAHA… Lorre. Fo sho. Though, Karloff had an interesting look going for him in The Black Cat.
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The scariest or most disturbing film you have EVER seen. over 3 years ago
I see I’m coming to this discussion pretty late in the game… so most of my choices have already been mentioned, (The Shining, The Exorcist, etc.)
After reading this entire thread though I hadn’t seen my biggest traumatic experience with film as a child listed on here which was Robocop. I saw it when I was like six or seven and remember crying my eyes out. I watched it again a year or two back and was thoroughly disgusted by the violence in it.
It’s unfortunate, but I don’t think I’ll ever have the stomach or mental capability to sit through Salo.
On a side note, in commenting on recent horror films (and the many sub-genres that have been created,) I do a lot of design work for some of them so I get to see [more than I’d like to.] It seems to me that the late 70’s brought forth the on screen violence that sacrificed nuance of mood or atmosphere, which was cemented by the 80’s. Since then it’s become a spiral of on screen blood and guts and long gone are the days of psychological imagination connecting dots and painting gruesome macabre images in our heads. That is with a few exceptions, (Let the Right One In and The Orphanage are two in recent memory that stand out.)
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What I Watched This Month over 3 years ago
I’d hate to clog the forums with unneeded topics, but I didn’t see anything quite like this in the 39 pages of them.
As peculiar as it may be, I keep a thorough log of each film I see when I see it. I thought it might be a good discussion starter to post the list of films I watch each month, (and I invite everyone else to do the same) despite how embarrassing they might be. Some of them might be my first time, others might be the twentieth.
Without further ado, here’s the massive list from January ’09:
The Dark Knight
Last Chance Harvey
Wristcutters
Bottle Rocket
2 Days in Paris
Oldboy
Wanted
D-Wars: Dragon Wars
Chungking Express
Grand Hotel
The Nines
Step Up 2: The Streets
I’m Not There
Out of the pAst
Casino Royale (2006)
Life of Brian
Bridge to Terebethia
Man on Wire
Slumdog Millionaire
Steamboat Bill, Jr.
Son of Rambow
Tokyo Story
All the President’s Men
The Visitor
The Counterfeiters
Gun Crazy
Ghandi
The Set-Up
Dillinger
Kung Fu Panda
Born to Kill
Crossfire
Wall-E
The Wackness
Confessions of a Superhero
Wages of Fear
Mon Oncle
The Spirit of the Beehive
West Side Story
Laura
Wild Strawberries
The Lost Weekend
Horton Hears a Who
Clash by Night
Branded to Kill
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
The Simpson’s Movie
Bee Movie
The Virgin Spring
Viridiana
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What I Watched This Month over 3 years ago
I suppose the reasons for the long list is due to a number of factors; A) I work from home so my collection beckons to me while I should be doing work, not to mention when I get sick of listening to music I throw on a film’s commentary instead, B) I usually fall asleep to a movie every night, obviously ones that don’t need to be fully absorbed (hence Step Up 2: The Streets, as well as others,) C) I’ve run into a bit of a financial wall, at least until tax season is over, so instead of going out and spending money I stay in and watch movies.
I think it’s definitely worth it to say that not every month do I watch so many. January has kept me cooped up and so I tend to watch a lot of films. Despite the girth of the list, I do make it a special occasion when I watch a film like Viridiana or The Virgin Spring so that I can fully absorb it and think about it. The Simpson’s Movie? That’s a coffee and donuts flick.
I’m happy to see that people have responded to this thread so quickly. I posted it when I went to sleep and I’m just waking up to the responses right now! I hope I answered a lot of the questions, so forgive me if I don’t respond directly to you, it’s not an intentional snub. Let’see if I can catch up:
@Dave: Chronological is my favorite sort of organization. Good luck with your viewings! Pandora’s Box is a favorite of mine
@Mr. King: Steel Helmet kicked my ass. So good, and completely shocking. Frozen River is at the top of my Netflix Queue
@Drew: I’m actually envious of your list. Wanna trade? I know you want to say you’ve watched D-Wars!
@Cineaste: I’m not going to lie, there is some truth to what you speak. But I do try to fully absorb films that require more out its audience than eating popcorn. Wages of Fear effected me more than any film I’ve seen in a good long while. But perhaps I am a zealous film watcher.
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The scariest or most disturbing film you have EVER seen. over 3 years ago
@Liz: I completely agree with a point you’ve made (despite the fact I haven’t yet seen Night & Fog). I personally have a really hard time watching documented violence or depicted as documented violence, which is why I have a hard time with war films. Schindler’s List scarred me when I was forced to watch it for a History class, and since then I’ve steered clear of films that show or depict violence in a realistic manner to show the brutality of human nature. It took me ten years to watch Saving Private Ryan, but since then I’ve been able to stomach it a little bit more. It’s much more of a mental thing for me that just traumatizes me every time.
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What I Watched This Month over 3 years ago
@Bob: The Fall? Your thoughts on it? Personally it was one of the most visually magnificent films I’ve ever seen, and I’m a sucker for a fairy tale, so I ended up loving it.
I’ve noticed a lot of people watching the original Dracula. Coincidence or am I missing a common thread?
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The scariest or most disturbing film you have EVER seen. over 3 years ago
Ha, I’m not sure why Jesse’s post reminded me of a disturbing and down right wrong (couple of) scene in Bad Boys II…
When they are driving the hummer down the hill of homes, it’s pretty awful and in a lot of way disturbing. There’s a lot of mean spirited sequences in that movie… certainly doesn’t help that the movie is terrible.
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What I Watched This Month over 3 years ago
@Yves: Drop out :) At least you spent your time watching very worth while films. I need to pop in Fires on the Plain again.
Anyone have any recommendations for films I absolutely should see in February? Perhaps with a romantic tone for Valentines or something for Black History month. Black Orpheus maybe…
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The scariest or most disturbing film you have EVER seen. over 3 years ago
Jesse, I think it was just that you mentioned Bad Boy Bubble and my short attention span only picked up Bad Boy. And my guess is that Bay was trying to say that death befalls us all eventually, so why get breast implants? That’s my educated hypothesis.
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What I Watched This Month over 3 years ago
I certainly wouldn’t recommend doing web design for shitty horror films. That’s what I do and I’m quite sick of it. Maybe workman’s comp is better suited? Get paid to recover at home.
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What I Watched This Month over 3 years ago
@Josh: I certainly did. But not in the same day. I think we should work on getting a Bee Movie/Virgin Spring double bill going at revival houses. A Hollywood children tale and rape go together like fine cheese and wine.
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May I Have Some Thoughts on Forbidden Games, Please? over 3 years ago
Just to add a personal experience to this film… I put it in knowing nothing other than it’s reputation among certain cinephile friends of mine, thus not knowing of its opening air raid and dead dog scene. If I had known that I may have waited more than three days after my own dog of fourteen years had died. I barely got through the opening because I was crying so much.
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A TOAST TO THE REBEL IN FILM - WHO ARE THE GREATEST ON-SCREEN REBELS? over 3 years ago
Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate… the passive aggressive rebel?
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Who do you think the most overrated director is? over 3 years ago
I’m surprised that James Cameron wasn’t mentioned more than two or three times. I think he’s by far the most overrated director in the history of overrated directors, (only inching Robert Zemeckis out by an inch.) Cameron though, has reached such stature in Hollywood that he can do anything he wants to, and has for a very long time. Thus, there is no one to tell him that maybe all of his decisions aren’t the right ones. Aliens clocking in at well over two hours, (and the director’s cut even longer)? Come on now, it’s an action flick, not a David Lean film. This is just my personal opinion, but I find Cameron the most overrated which has lead me to coin the term “Cameroning” in speaking about someone who no longer has any restrictions on what they do and loses the ability to refine their creativity, i.e. Judd Apatow & Gang and Christopher Nolan are in jeopardy of Cameroning if they continue down the path they’re on.
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A TOAST TO THE REBEL IN FILM - WHO ARE THE GREATEST ON-SCREEN REBELS? over 3 years ago
I’m confused if we’re talking about actors or characters?
If we’re talking actors, I think Joaquin Phoenix should be mentioned.
If we’re still talking characters, quite possibly most of John Cusack’s characters as the underdog/loser rebel…?
Ooo, I know… everyone involved in the making of Wall-E.
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Margot at the Wedding over 3 years ago
It took me a long time to decide how I felt about this film. I didn’t like The Squid and the Whale, but I think it was for the same reason that I initially didn’t respond well to this film which was that it was about despicable characters doing selfish things. However once I stopped looking just at the parts that make up the whole and looked at the film as a portrait of dysfunction, I warmed to it a lot more.
Amazing performances, for sure. I was even surprised by Jack Black. At this time and juncture I like it more than Squid, but that’s because I need to watch it again with the same frame of mind I watched Margot in. I have a feeling I’ll like it much more the second time around.
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A TOAST TO THE REBEL IN FILM - WHO ARE THE GREATEST ON-SCREEN REBELS? over 3 years ago
James Cagney and Lawrence Tierney
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