Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The (3/10)
Appreciate the effort that went into this, but it just didn’t work for me.
Delicatessen (6/10)
Lies somewhere halfway between Amélie and City of Lost Children; not as well formed as the former, and not as twisted as the latter, but good fun.
Harlan County U.S.A. (8/10)
Watched this one on THEAUTEURS last night. Great doc. Great characters.
Montréal, Québec here. Just discovered theauteurs.com, and that is so lately probably due to this issue. There is enough here to keep me busy in the meanwhile though.
The little person dance with the aged Cooper dream sequence in TWIN PEAKS. “Where we come from, the birds sing a pretty song.”
“Heineken? Heineken?! Fuck Heineken! Pabst! Blue Ribbon!” – BLUE VELVET
While I’m sure some will deride me for my choice of solely purchasing Criterion’s new line of Essential Art House boxsets, it really is the cheapest way for me to own some high quality transfers of classic films I have already seen. My only problem right now is that in three boxsets, Kurosawa has shown up thrice (Rashomon in the first, Ikiru in the second, and now The Hidden Fortress in the third). While I really have no problem giving kudos to the director, I would think that the purpose of an “essential” collection would be to put as much variety as possible. I would think they would try to put some of the top films by various directors before repeating Kurosawa. While Rashomon and Ikiru are timeless, The Hidden Fortress is maybe less so (and certainly regarded as lesser than The Seven Samurai). Where’s Godard, Ozu, Clouzot or Bunuel? Would add some variety methinks.
Special note to the committee that chooses the films for these boxsets: If you go with another Kurosawa for the fourth, make it High & Low.
Comes out to the same price per film. This way I can pace myself watching them (as well as pace the budget). Besides, the newest volume indicates that these sets will actually differ in content from the 50 DVD set. I don’t believe Ashes and Diamonds was in it.
Alex, it’s true I hadn’t thought of the term “art house” either – as Pygmalion and The Life & Times of Colonel Blimp may also not be considered “art house” films. Regardless, I don’t mind the inclusion of some more mainstream international films as long as the variety is there: Godard, of course, being a fine example. A BOUT DE SOUFFLE would be the obvious choice. Kar Wai’s CHUNGKING EXPRESS if they are willing to go more modern, and basically any Bunuel film.
I’d probably want to focus on an auteur from Québec or Canada; preferably one that has passed away and whose entire oeuvre is readily accessible. Maybe Claude Jutra or Norman McLaren. Not enough of them are dead yet!
I don’t think there is any film by an “auteur” that everyone will like. The very inclusion of ‘art’ in film denies any universal acceptance. Like any good art, you either ‘get it’ and appreciate it or you don’t. It would likely have to be something like a Raiders of the Lost Ark – and even then, with the question not being limited to absolutely loving the film.
I’m reviving this thread in the hopes that the lists may be a little more robust this time of year, considering whatever was not caught in theaters has mostly been “democratized” by DVD. My list is a strange mix of films I enjoyed and films I thought were important.
1. The Wrestler (dir. Darren Aronofsky, USA)
2. WALL-E (dir. Andrew Stanton, USA)
3. 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days (dir. Cristian Mungiu, Romania)
4. Waltz with Bashir (dir. Ari Folman, Israel)
5. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (dir. Kurt Kuenne, USA)
6. Up the Yangtze (dir. Yung Chang, Canada)
7. The Edge of Heaven (dir. Fatih Akin, Turkey/Germany)
8. Hunger (dir. Steve McQueen, UK/Ireland)
9. In Bruges (dir. Martin McDonagh, UK)
10. The Visitor (dir. Thomas McCarthy, USA)
My top four are pretty interchangeable, and I would argue represent the best of 2008, as well as being a good mix of wonder (WALL-E), cohesion of genres: animation and documentary (Waltz with Bashir), the aging performers of America (The Wrestler) and depressingly realistic drama (4 Months…)
Of course, these lists are constantly changing. 2008 I found a rather underwhelming year in terms of very high quality films. 2007 offered much more of interest – especially when it comes to films that advance the medium. 2008 was really the year where the big budget high-grossing Hollywood films were actually decent: The Dark Knight, Iron Man, etc.
The above list is widely distributed films in North America. There were a few films I caught in festivals that were also great: From Japan, The Magic Hour (a comedy) and Departures. From Bulgaria: Zift. From France: Lorna’s Silence and Distant Tremors. From my home province, Quebec: C’est pas moi, je le jure! Some of these are being released in 2009 theatrically.
I just caught The Class (Entre les murs) and I think it should make my list, but I don’t want to debunk anything else. Whoever decided on a Top 10 anyway? Should just be top movies – period, regardless of the number.
BARRY LYNDON although it’s a crime that there has been no decent DVD transfer yet. The recent re-boxing was the same DVD as the last, and the quality is atrocious. For a film that depends so much on its visuals, the DVD really takes away from the experience.
My personal favourite of his is PATHS OF GLORY. I also thought EYES WIDE SHUT was brilliant until it became a thriller.
It’s sort of a parents job to choose what their kids should be watching, so I see nothing wrong with this exercise at all; although I would hardly go so far as to call it or foresee it as a curriculum. Frankly, be sure to set the boundaries for TV watching in the first place – films should not be the be all and end all for our youth. Keep SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN for a rainy day; otherwise push them outside and get them to be active. Also let them know their boundaries early on. I think this is what you are going for when you mentioned a curriculum for each age: you want to make sure what they are watching is age appropriate. So obviously no NATURAL BORN KILLERS at 4.
Your kids will obviously form different nostalgia from yourself, so just pick age appropriate films when you can. They will obviously have influences from commercials, friends, school, etc. and will want to see whatever is a hot property (when they’ve developed substantially in the cognitive domain). Otherwise, pick the regulars: Disney, Wizard of Oz, etc. I know that I have very fond memories of older films like GUYS AND DOLLS, NEWSIES and WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, as my family was pretty inclined towards musicals. I also watched quite a few LAUREL & HARDY films. So you don’t need to keep everything contemporary.
Okay, so I’m very late to this party. INGLORIOUS BASTERDS was minor Tarantino (we can say this now, right?). Despite Lt. Aldo Raine’s (and perhaps by extension Quentin Tarantino’s) closing words, “I think this just might be my masterpiece”, post-modern Inglorious Basterds is a far cry from Tarantino’s sophomore effort, Pulp Fiction. While narratively it comes close to replicating the same quality of secondary story strands leading up to a final denouement, Basterds suffers from uneven character development, plotting and style. It’s like the film was gestating in his mind since Pulp and through to Kill Bill, because he constantly switches mood and affect from scene to scene. I still found it entertaining, but it felt all a little jumbled for me. The opening scene was a class act IMO.
On a side note (I didn’t have the patience to wade through 24 pages of this thread), did anyone mention how the characters’ ability to speak multiple languages or understand other cultures affected survival rates? The Jewish family at the beginning is slaughtered because they cannot understand what Landa is saying; the British officer gives away his cover by not knowing the traditional way to number in German; the Americans give themselves away as idiot Italians by not knowing Italian.
Did anyone catch any other instances where language was a deciding factor in the film?
On the light side, I’ve recently been enjoying Japanese comedy director Koki Mitani. I caught his latest film, THE MAGIC HOUR, at a fest last year and have since tracked down SUITE DREAMS and WELCOME BACK, MR. MCDONALD.
One of my personal favourite directors who is maybe not unknown or underseen but certainly never given any status as an auteur or considered for the entirety of his works is Peter Weir. PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, THE LAST WAVE, GALLIPOLI, WITNESS, THE TRUMAN SHOW, MASTER AND COMMANDER and even his overtly liberal minded DEAD POET’S SOCIETY are all pretty notable. But Weir just ain’t hot property.
Anything by HAYAO MIYAZAKI, BRAD BIRD, HENRY SELICK or NICK PARK, in terms of mainstream animation.
Recent classics have included WALL-E, which should have won some major awards for filmmaking, but didn’t because it’s a cartoon. Last year’s WALTZ WITH BASHIR was also a class act.
PERSEPOLIS was good, as well as its animated counterpart FEAR OF THE DARK (but of lesser quality).
I used to be a fairly big Japanese animation fan back in the day, so the usual AKIRA and GHOST IN THE SHELL get a mention. I have a soft spot for the PATLABOR films, except for the third. SATOSHI KON is a good mind-screw.
Short animated films lately that have been good: THE DANISH POET and PETER AND THE WOLF.
Some classic NFB animated shorts, like those by RYAN LARKIN, are also good.
Social consciousness: WATERSHIP DOWN.
Classics: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. FANTASIA.
The sort-of-animation award goes to WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? Apart from this film, Zemeckis needs to lay off the format. Yuck.
I used Helvetica Neue and then used the Free Transform tool in Photoshop to stretch it to the closest approximation. I’m not sure exactly what font the actual boxes are using.
I’ve ordered twice now, with a good mix of classics I’ve seen and would like to own, and other films I’m buying blind (basically most of the films in the Essential Art House and Eclipse Series sets).
Essential Art House Vol. 4
39 STEPS, THE
GERVAISE
JOUR SE LEVE, LE
MAYERLING
TALES OF HOFFMANN, THE
THRONE OF BLOOD
Eclipse Series: The First Films of Samuel Fuller
I SHOT JESSE JAMES
THE BARON OF ARIZONA
THE STEEL HELMET
Eclipse Series: Larisa Shepitko
THE ASCENT
WINGS
Others:
BLACK NARCISSUS
BREATHLESS
HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR
NIGHT AND FOG
PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK
SMALL BACK ROOM, THE
WHITE DOG
WOMAN IS A WOMAN, A
Last movie you saw and rate it about 3 years ago
Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The (3/10)
Appreciate the effort that went into this, but it just didn’t work for me.
Delicatessen (6/10)
Lies somewhere halfway between Amélie and City of Lost Children; not as well formed as the former, and not as twisted as the latter, but good fun.
Harlan County U.S.A. (8/10)
Watched this one on THEAUTEURS last night. Great doc. Great characters.
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Films for Canadians about 3 years ago
Montréal, Québec here. Just discovered theauteurs.com, and that is so lately probably due to this issue. There is enough here to keep me busy in the meanwhile though.
Go to Comment
Favorite Moment In A David Lynch Movie about 3 years ago
The little person dance with the aged Cooper dream sequence in TWIN PEAKS. “Where we come from, the birds sing a pretty song.”
“Heineken? Heineken?! Fuck Heineken! Pabst! Blue Ribbon!” – BLUE VELVET
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What films do you always catch shit for for not liking? about 3 years ago
American Beauty.
Scarface.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
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Essential Art House & Kurosawa almost 3 years ago
While I’m sure some will deride me for my choice of solely purchasing Criterion’s new line of Essential Art House boxsets, it really is the cheapest way for me to own some high quality transfers of classic films I have already seen. My only problem right now is that in three boxsets, Kurosawa has shown up thrice (Rashomon in the first, Ikiru in the second, and now The Hidden Fortress in the third). While I really have no problem giving kudos to the director, I would think that the purpose of an “essential” collection would be to put as much variety as possible. I would think they would try to put some of the top films by various directors before repeating Kurosawa. While Rashomon and Ikiru are timeless, The Hidden Fortress is maybe less so (and certainly regarded as lesser than The Seven Samurai). Where’s Godard, Ozu, Clouzot or Bunuel? Would add some variety methinks.
Special note to the committee that chooses the films for these boxsets: If you go with another Kurosawa for the fourth, make it High & Low.
Go to Comment
Essential Art House & Kurosawa almost 3 years ago
Comes out to the same price per film. This way I can pace myself watching them (as well as pace the budget). Besides, the newest volume indicates that these sets will actually differ in content from the 50 DVD set. I don’t believe Ashes and Diamonds was in it.
Go to Comment
Essential Art House & Kurosawa almost 3 years ago
Alex, it’s true I hadn’t thought of the term “art house” either – as Pygmalion and The Life & Times of Colonel Blimp may also not be considered “art house” films. Regardless, I don’t mind the inclusion of some more mainstream international films as long as the variety is there: Godard, of course, being a fine example. A BOUT DE SOUFFLE would be the obvious choice. Kar Wai’s CHUNGKING EXPRESS if they are willing to go more modern, and basically any Bunuel film.
Go to Comment
WHAT AUTEUR WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO WRITE A BOOK ABOUT, AND WHY? almost 3 years ago
I’d probably want to focus on an auteur from Québec or Canada; preferably one that has passed away and whose entire oeuvre is readily accessible. Maybe Claude Jutra or Norman McLaren. Not enough of them are dead yet!
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In your opinion is there a movie everybody 'has to like'? almost 3 years ago
I don’t think there is any film by an “auteur” that everyone will like. The very inclusion of ‘art’ in film denies any universal acceptance. Like any good art, you either ‘get it’ and appreciate it or you don’t. It would likely have to be something like a Raiders of the Lost Ark – and even then, with the question not being limited to absolutely loving the film.
Go to Comment
Top Ten Films of 2008 almost 3 years ago
I’m reviving this thread in the hopes that the lists may be a little more robust this time of year, considering whatever was not caught in theaters has mostly been “democratized” by DVD. My list is a strange mix of films I enjoyed and films I thought were important.
1. The Wrestler (dir. Darren Aronofsky, USA)
2. WALL-E (dir. Andrew Stanton, USA)
3. 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days (dir. Cristian Mungiu, Romania)
4. Waltz with Bashir (dir. Ari Folman, Israel)
5. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (dir. Kurt Kuenne, USA)
6. Up the Yangtze (dir. Yung Chang, Canada)
7. The Edge of Heaven (dir. Fatih Akin, Turkey/Germany)
8. Hunger (dir. Steve McQueen, UK/Ireland)
9. In Bruges (dir. Martin McDonagh, UK)
10. The Visitor (dir. Thomas McCarthy, USA)
My top four are pretty interchangeable, and I would argue represent the best of 2008, as well as being a good mix of wonder (WALL-E), cohesion of genres: animation and documentary (Waltz with Bashir), the aging performers of America (The Wrestler) and depressingly realistic drama (4 Months…)
Of course, these lists are constantly changing. 2008 I found a rather underwhelming year in terms of very high quality films. 2007 offered much more of interest – especially when it comes to films that advance the medium. 2008 was really the year where the big budget high-grossing Hollywood films were actually decent: The Dark Knight, Iron Man, etc.
The above list is widely distributed films in North America. There were a few films I caught in festivals that were also great: From Japan, The Magic Hour (a comedy) and Departures. From Bulgaria: Zift. From France: Lorna’s Silence and Distant Tremors. From my home province, Quebec: C’est pas moi, je le jure! Some of these are being released in 2009 theatrically.
Go to Comment
Top Ten Films of 2008 almost 3 years ago
I just caught The Class (Entre les murs) and I think it should make my list, but I don’t want to debunk anything else. Whoever decided on a Top 10 anyway? Should just be top movies – period, regardless of the number.
Go to Comment
What is Kubrick's Most Under-Appreciated Film? almost 3 years ago
BARRY LYNDON although it’s a crime that there has been no decent DVD transfer yet. The recent re-boxing was the same DVD as the last, and the quality is atrocious. For a film that depends so much on its visuals, the DVD really takes away from the experience.
My personal favourite of his is PATHS OF GLORY. I also thought EYES WIDE SHUT was brilliant until it became a thriller.
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What film scenes really make you cry? over 2 years ago
The final sequence of LAST OF THE MOHICANS (dir. Michael Mann) when that awfully manipulative music is playing. It gets me every time.
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http://www.ifc.com/news/2009/08/look-of-being-lost.php over 2 years ago
Perhaps the problem with this thread is that some of its participants have a SHALLOW FOCUS on the thoughts and feelings of others.
Zing?
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what did you watch today? over 2 years ago
Black Narcissus
Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Fairly complimentary films, no?
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Film Education for My Children over 2 years ago
It’s sort of a parents job to choose what their kids should be watching, so I see nothing wrong with this exercise at all; although I would hardly go so far as to call it or foresee it as a curriculum. Frankly, be sure to set the boundaries for TV watching in the first place – films should not be the be all and end all for our youth. Keep SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN for a rainy day; otherwise push them outside and get them to be active. Also let them know their boundaries early on. I think this is what you are going for when you mentioned a curriculum for each age: you want to make sure what they are watching is age appropriate. So obviously no NATURAL BORN KILLERS at 4.
Your kids will obviously form different nostalgia from yourself, so just pick age appropriate films when you can. They will obviously have influences from commercials, friends, school, etc. and will want to see whatever is a hot property (when they’ve developed substantially in the cognitive domain). Otherwise, pick the regulars: Disney, Wizard of Oz, etc. I know that I have very fond memories of older films like GUYS AND DOLLS, NEWSIES and WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, as my family was pretty inclined towards musicals. I also watched quite a few LAUREL & HARDY films. So you don’t need to keep everything contemporary.
Go to Comment
Reactions to Inglourious basterds over 2 years ago
Thread: With This Post, I Thee Resurrect.
Okay, so I’m very late to this party. INGLORIOUS BASTERDS was minor Tarantino (we can say this now, right?). Despite Lt. Aldo Raine’s (and perhaps by extension Quentin Tarantino’s) closing words, “I think this just might be my masterpiece”, post-modern Inglorious Basterds is a far cry from Tarantino’s sophomore effort, Pulp Fiction. While narratively it comes close to replicating the same quality of secondary story strands leading up to a final denouement, Basterds suffers from uneven character development, plotting and style. It’s like the film was gestating in his mind since Pulp and through to Kill Bill, because he constantly switches mood and affect from scene to scene. I still found it entertaining, but it felt all a little jumbled for me. The opening scene was a class act IMO.
On a side note (I didn’t have the patience to wade through 24 pages of this thread), did anyone mention how the characters’ ability to speak multiple languages or understand other cultures affected survival rates? The Jewish family at the beginning is slaughtered because they cannot understand what Landa is saying; the British officer gives away his cover by not knowing the traditional way to number in German; the Americans give themselves away as idiot Italians by not knowing Italian.
Did anyone catch any other instances where language was a deciding factor in the film?
Go to Comment
Favorite underseen/unknown directors over 2 years ago
On the light side, I’ve recently been enjoying Japanese comedy director Koki Mitani. I caught his latest film, THE MAGIC HOUR, at a fest last year and have since tracked down SUITE DREAMS and WELCOME BACK, MR. MCDONALD.
One of my personal favourite directors who is maybe not unknown or underseen but certainly never given any status as an auteur or considered for the entirety of his works is Peter Weir. PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, THE LAST WAVE, GALLIPOLI, WITNESS, THE TRUMAN SHOW, MASTER AND COMMANDER and even his overtly liberal minded DEAD POET’S SOCIETY are all pretty notable. But Weir just ain’t hot property.
Go to Comment
Top Animated Films over 2 years ago
Anything by HAYAO MIYAZAKI, BRAD BIRD, HENRY SELICK or NICK PARK, in terms of mainstream animation.
Recent classics have included WALL-E, which should have won some major awards for filmmaking, but didn’t because it’s a cartoon. Last year’s WALTZ WITH BASHIR was also a class act.
PERSEPOLIS was good, as well as its animated counterpart FEAR OF THE DARK (but of lesser quality).
I used to be a fairly big Japanese animation fan back in the day, so the usual AKIRA and GHOST IN THE SHELL get a mention. I have a soft spot for the PATLABOR films, except for the third. SATOSHI KON is a good mind-screw.
Short animated films lately that have been good: THE DANISH POET and PETER AND THE WOLF.
Some classic NFB animated shorts, like those by RYAN LARKIN, are also good.
Social consciousness: WATERSHIP DOWN.
Classics: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. FANTASIA.
The sort-of-animation award goes to WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? Apart from this film, Zemeckis needs to lay off the format. Yuck.
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The Auteurs' Fake Criterion Covers over 2 years ago
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The Auteurs' Fake Criterion Covers over 2 years ago
(Above) My first attempt. I figured Essential Art house was the easiest to start with, and the above is a title I’d like to see in Vol. 5.
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The Auteurs' Fake Criterion Covers over 2 years ago
Paulo,
I used Helvetica Neue and then used the Free Transform tool in Photoshop to stretch it to the closest approximation. I’m not sure exactly what font the actual boxes are using.
PS The Wall cover is a class act.
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The Auteurs' Fake Criterion Covers over 2 years ago
Frank Capra’s Arsenic and Old Lace deserves a nice transfer.
The art was taken from the Broadway show poster, and moved around to fit a DVD box.
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The Auteurs' Fake Criterion Covers over 2 years ago
Again I used Helvetica. It doesn’t seem exactly right.
Oh yeah, and apparently Arsenic and Old Lace came out right before the turn of the first century. Who knew?
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The Auteurs' Fake Criterion Covers over 2 years ago
indiebum, the Ponyo cover is a class act. I’d love to see some more Miyazaki titles.
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The Auteurs' Fake Criterion Covers over 2 years ago
Big fan of Peter Weir films.
Credit to original photograph goes to Ian Adams of the Greater Ohio website (http://www.greaterohio.org/picturing/picture7.html).
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The Auteurs' Fake Criterion Covers over 2 years ago
I also centered the title for Arsenic – it’s been bugging me for days.
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The Auteurs' Fake Criterion Covers over 2 years ago
Kozeluh, you used the URL for the Flickr page. Right click on the image within the page and Copy URL. Then paste that within exclamation (!) marks.
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The Auteurs' Fake Criterion Covers over 2 years ago
David Franklin, that Star Wars cover looks scrumptious.
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Criterion B&N November 2009 Sale now Live! over 2 years ago
I’ve ordered twice now, with a good mix of classics I’ve seen and would like to own, and other films I’m buying blind (basically most of the films in the Essential Art House and Eclipse Series sets).
Essential Art House Vol. 4
39 STEPS, THE
GERVAISE
JOUR SE LEVE, LE
MAYERLING
TALES OF HOFFMANN, THE
THRONE OF BLOOD
Eclipse Series: The First Films of Samuel Fuller
I SHOT JESSE JAMES
THE BARON OF ARIZONA
THE STEEL HELMET
Eclipse Series: Larisa Shepitko
THE ASCENT
WINGS
Others:
BLACK NARCISSUS
BREATHLESS
HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR
NIGHT AND FOG
PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK
SMALL BACK ROOM, THE
WHITE DOG
WOMAN IS A WOMAN, A
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