I think it’s completely worthy. I thought Fincher did a great job with the material he had, as did all the actors and (particularly) the effects team. Isn’t the collection all about variety anyway? I think it’s about time one of Finchers films made its way in.
Really? I liked both Dunes and Face of Another better than Pitfall, personally. That being said, though, all three movies are simply brilliant. Grade-a stuff, to be sure. Teshigahara really captures a bleakness that many films dare not even flirt with.
I’ve gotten each film individually over Netflix and I am probably planning on picking up the boxed set eventually.
I’m curious: having seen each “Video Essay”, how valuable is the bonus disc?
I recently watched Tolkovsky’s movie Solaris for the first time, and found myself quite in love with it, as I have with Tarkovsky’s Stalker, too. Now, I understand that Tarkovsky reveled in ambiguity in his narratives, but myself being quite fond of answers, I figured I might as well ask a question about one particularly strange moment in the film that stood out to me.
That moment: what the hell was Sartorius’s “guest” from Solaris in the movie? I understand that simply thematically in the film a midget in a hospital scrub provided a good shock to both the viewer and Kris, and the clearest indication yet that there were indeed more than three people on the station, but it was a moment that never seemed to be mentioned again in the film or on the commentary.
Now, I must admit I’m not done with the commentary (I usually have to take the really good ones in two sittings), but I am curious: does anyone have any ideas/theories/etc. as to what Sartorius’s visitor was or was supposed to imply? He has a very strange moment with the child’s ball at the end of the movie where he picks up and considers it. Jokes aside, is Sartorius supposed to be some kind of pedophile or something?
Also, was this ever brought to light in Lem’s novel? Has anyone read it?
Thank you. Just curious and wondering if anyone knew. Brilliant film regardless.
Oldboy was definitely pretty messed up. Loved the movie, though. The first time I saw Reservoir Dogs it took me a good few minutes to recover from the ending shootout. Oh, and god of course: Full Metal Jacket. That ending was terrifying in its implications.
Heh, and in all honesty, there was also Sleepaway Camp. :) In one hell of an awful movie, the ending actually was disturbing as hell. Heh, the last shot was scarier than the preceding hour and a half of movie.
TO Z-ZICO:
It was Tarkovsky’s. I must admit, though, I really want to see Soderberg’s version.
Tarkovky’s was a poetic meditation – I expect Soderberg’s to be Alien with George Clooney. I dunno, I’d enjoy to see two completely different directors take on the same material. I think it would be interesting.
I interpreted There Will Be Blood as simply a film about a man who is ruthless in his pursuit of money. I thought Anderson was making a really bleak comment about America: that being that Plainview is what every American should aspire to be. He’s the ultimate capitalist. I thought the movie was just a portrait of him, really.
As for the last scene, I thought Anderson was symbolically pitting against each other the two driving forces behind government, the two forces of power: the Church (Eli) vs. Big Business (Plainview) with big business winning as America moves farther into the 20th century and business becomes more prominent and powerful. I thought it was the symbolic taking of power by business.
That being said it was also Plainview at his lowest point, showing that he has indeed lead an empty life due to his greed. I thought the movie was fascinating, with a great score by Greenwood.
I didn’t really like A Clockwork Orange, personally. I thought the book was much, much better, even though McDowell’s performance was legendary. I dunno, though. I don’t really like Kubrick.
Well, he makes flawed masterpieces. All of his movies for me have incredible moments, but have major irreparable flaws which hold them back from being the perfection they deserve to be. The Shining was scary and beautiful, but it was overacted by Nicholson. Clockwork also had overacting problems with everyone BUT Malcolm. 2001 was too long and a little aimless in the middle, but had incredible sequences and effects in it. Strangelove was really funny, but also suffered from being a little bloated. I don’t know. I guess Kubrick’s never really done it for me.
Okay. Thanks Alex and Francisco. I could see that.
Oh my god yes, in response to Michelle. I thought the film was fantastically beautiful. The 30 seconds of weightlessness were incredible, as was the smash cut from them to Hari’s suicide. Oof. THAT’s filmmaking.
Well, there’s definitely the Edgar Wright films. They’re witty and incredibly well done. So funny.
Also the IT Crowd. I agree with Ben, I think it is mostly the underexposure deal. I mean, the original Office was pretty brilliant for its short run, and though it’s more sci-fi, the new Doctor Who is stunningly good.
I absolutely adore Pixar. There’s just something about the way those guys tell a story… I’ve yet to find another company (save perhaps Miyazaki) that churns out the consistent quality, originality, and simple entertainment Pixar does. Heh, I’m always first in line when new Pixar movies are in the theaters.
And yeah, Up was great. I liked it a lot more than I liked Monsters Inc (even though that film was damn good too).
Stanton’s movies are my favorite, though. Wall-e and Finding Nemo I think will always be a head over the others for me.
That being said, the only Pixar film I’ve yet to find inessential is A Bug’s Life. All the others are at least A material for myself.
I agree with Salter. While I truly enjoyed Day of the Dead (it was flipping brilliant, don’t get me wrong), I liked Dawn of the Dead just a tiny bit more. Personally, I liked Goblin’s soundtrack more than Day’s spacy 80s synths, and I liked the setup/commentary of Dawn more then I did Day’s.
Furthermore, I also liked the point/counterpoint that Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead were in their endings: Night ended pessimistically for the main characters (they were all dead) but optimistically for mankind (the hunters seemed to have things under control). Dawn was the exact opposite. I thought that was neat.
As for Land and Diary, while Land had a few moments (loved Dennis Hopper’s performance, I liked the fireworks distracting the zombies, etc.), it wasn’t up to par with the first three. And Diary was just awful. It was just a bad movie period, not to mention easily the worst Dead movie. It was just amateurishly done – the characters were the worst of cardbord cutouts, the horror was lame and predictable, the mockumentary format was not exploited well at all… If Romero decides to follow up with more zombie movies, I hope he gives forth more effort. He is getting up there in years, so maybe he won’t, it would just be a shame to go out on his worst zombie film.
I can’t wait to watch Mirror. Tarkovsky’s other films have been absolutely life-changing…
Just a general question, however: I’d love to see this film, but I hear the Kino release is really bad (blurry picture, missing subtitles, etc.). As much as I want to see more of Tarkovsky’s work, it seems to me that $30 is a steep price for a crappy release, no matter how strong the original film…
I was just wondering if the version on Mubi is the Kino release or a remastered version. Anyone know?
IS "BENJAMIN BUTTON" WORTHY OF BEING IN THE COLLECTION? about 3 years ago
I think it’s completely worthy. I thought Fincher did a great job with the material he had, as did all the actors and (particularly) the effects team. Isn’t the collection all about variety anyway? I think it’s about time one of Finchers films made its way in.
Go to Comment
Which film has changed your life forever? about 3 years ago
Fight Club. It taught me that the only one in control of my life is me.
It’s also one kick ass movie, so there’s that. :)
Go to Comment
Woman in the Dunes - Masterpiece? about 3 years ago
Really? I liked both Dunes and Face of Another better than Pitfall, personally. That being said, though, all three movies are simply brilliant. Grade-a stuff, to be sure. Teshigahara really captures a bleakness that many films dare not even flirt with.
I’ve gotten each film individually over Netflix and I am probably planning on picking up the boxed set eventually.
I’m curious: having seen each “Video Essay”, how valuable is the bonus disc?
Go to Comment
Sartorius's Visitor in Solaris almost 3 years ago
I recently watched Tolkovsky’s movie Solaris for the first time, and found myself quite in love with it, as I have with Tarkovsky’s Stalker, too. Now, I understand that Tarkovsky reveled in ambiguity in his narratives, but myself being quite fond of answers, I figured I might as well ask a question about one particularly strange moment in the film that stood out to me.
That moment: what the hell was Sartorius’s “guest” from Solaris in the movie? I understand that simply thematically in the film a midget in a hospital scrub provided a good shock to both the viewer and Kris, and the clearest indication yet that there were indeed more than three people on the station, but it was a moment that never seemed to be mentioned again in the film or on the commentary.
Now, I must admit I’m not done with the commentary (I usually have to take the really good ones in two sittings), but I am curious: does anyone have any ideas/theories/etc. as to what Sartorius’s visitor was or was supposed to imply? He has a very strange moment with the child’s ball at the end of the movie where he picks up and considers it. Jokes aside, is Sartorius supposed to be some kind of pedophile or something?
Also, was this ever brought to light in Lem’s novel? Has anyone read it?
Thank you. Just curious and wondering if anyone knew. Brilliant film regardless.
Go to Comment
Most Traumatic or Dramatic Film Endings almost 3 years ago
Oldboy was definitely pretty messed up. Loved the movie, though. The first time I saw Reservoir Dogs it took me a good few minutes to recover from the ending shootout. Oh, and god of course: Full Metal Jacket. That ending was terrifying in its implications.
Heh, and in all honesty, there was also Sleepaway Camp. :) In one hell of an awful movie, the ending actually was disturbing as hell. Heh, the last shot was scarier than the preceding hour and a half of movie.
Go to Comment
Last movie you saw and rate it almost 3 years ago
Battlefield Earth: 1 out of 10
Solaris: 9 out of 10
It was quite the double feature.
Go to Comment
Last movie you saw and rate it almost 3 years ago
TO Z-ZICO:
It was Tarkovsky’s. I must admit, though, I really want to see Soderberg’s version.
Tarkovky’s was a poetic meditation – I expect Soderberg’s to be Alien with George Clooney. I dunno, I’d enjoy to see two completely different directors take on the same material. I think it would be interesting.
Go to Comment
There will be blood - the end almost 3 years ago
I interpreted There Will Be Blood as simply a film about a man who is ruthless in his pursuit of money. I thought Anderson was making a really bleak comment about America: that being that Plainview is what every American should aspire to be. He’s the ultimate capitalist. I thought the movie was just a portrait of him, really.
As for the last scene, I thought Anderson was symbolically pitting against each other the two driving forces behind government, the two forces of power: the Church (Eli) vs. Big Business (Plainview) with big business winning as America moves farther into the 20th century and business becomes more prominent and powerful. I thought it was the symbolic taking of power by business.
That being said it was also Plainview at his lowest point, showing that he has indeed lead an empty life due to his greed. I thought the movie was fascinating, with a great score by Greenwood.
Go to Comment
Movie's you just don't like. almost 3 years ago
I didn’t really like A Clockwork Orange, personally. I thought the book was much, much better, even though McDowell’s performance was legendary. I dunno, though. I don’t really like Kubrick.
Well, he makes flawed masterpieces. All of his movies for me have incredible moments, but have major irreparable flaws which hold them back from being the perfection they deserve to be. The Shining was scary and beautiful, but it was overacted by Nicholson. Clockwork also had overacting problems with everyone BUT Malcolm. 2001 was too long and a little aimless in the middle, but had incredible sequences and effects in it. Strangelove was really funny, but also suffered from being a little bloated. I don’t know. I guess Kubrick’s never really done it for me.
I liked Full Metal Jacket, though. :)
Go to Comment
There will be blood - the end almost 3 years ago
Oh. Wow, heh, I missed that too.
Go to Comment
Anyone Else Sick of Clint Eastwood almost 3 years ago
….I like Eastwood…
Watching Gran Torino later. Really psyched for it.
Go to Comment
Sartorius's Visitor in Solaris almost 3 years ago
Okay. Thanks Alex and Francisco. I could see that.
Oh my god yes, in response to Michelle. I thought the film was fantastically beautiful. The 30 seconds of weightlessness were incredible, as was the smash cut from them to Hari’s suicide. Oof. THAT’s filmmaking.
Go to Comment
British film comedy is dead, isn't it? almost 3 years ago
Well, there’s definitely the Edgar Wright films. They’re witty and incredibly well done. So funny.
Also the IT Crowd. I agree with Ben, I think it is mostly the underexposure deal. I mean, the original Office was pretty brilliant for its short run, and though it’s more sci-fi, the new Doctor Who is stunningly good.
Go to Comment
Let's Talk Pixar almost 3 years ago
I absolutely adore Pixar. There’s just something about the way those guys tell a story… I’ve yet to find another company (save perhaps Miyazaki) that churns out the consistent quality, originality, and simple entertainment Pixar does. Heh, I’m always first in line when new Pixar movies are in the theaters.
And yeah, Up was great. I liked it a lot more than I liked Monsters Inc (even though that film was damn good too).
Stanton’s movies are my favorite, though. Wall-e and Finding Nemo I think will always be a head over the others for me.
That being said, the only Pixar film I’ve yet to find inessential is A Bug’s Life. All the others are at least A material for myself.
Go to Comment
the dead trilogy almost 3 years ago
I agree with Salter. While I truly enjoyed Day of the Dead (it was flipping brilliant, don’t get me wrong), I liked Dawn of the Dead just a tiny bit more. Personally, I liked Goblin’s soundtrack more than Day’s spacy 80s synths, and I liked the setup/commentary of Dawn more then I did Day’s.
Furthermore, I also liked the point/counterpoint that Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead were in their endings: Night ended pessimistically for the main characters (they were all dead) but optimistically for mankind (the hunters seemed to have things under control). Dawn was the exact opposite. I thought that was neat.
As for Land and Diary, while Land had a few moments (loved Dennis Hopper’s performance, I liked the fireworks distracting the zombies, etc.), it wasn’t up to par with the first three. And Diary was just awful. It was just a bad movie period, not to mention easily the worst Dead movie. It was just amateurishly done – the characters were the worst of cardbord cutouts, the horror was lame and predictable, the mockumentary format was not exploited well at all… If Romero decides to follow up with more zombie movies, I hope he gives forth more effort. He is getting up there in years, so maybe he won’t, it would just be a shame to go out on his worst zombie film.
Go to Comment
Movies That Should Be In the Criterion Collection over 2 years ago
Definitely Tarkovsky’s The Mirror.
The Kino dvd is truly awful in its handling of the film…
Go to Comment
RED CLIFF over 2 years ago
Yes, it’s been cut down to a two and a half hour cut.
Go to Comment
THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS about 2 years ago
I can’t wait to watch Mirror. Tarkovsky’s other films have been absolutely life-changing…
Just a general question, however: I’d love to see this film, but I hear the Kino release is really bad (blurry picture, missing subtitles, etc.). As much as I want to see more of Tarkovsky’s work, it seems to me that $30 is a steep price for a crappy release, no matter how strong the original film…
I was just wondering if the version on Mubi is the Kino release or a remastered version. Anyone know?
Go to Comment