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Crescent Wrench
Sep 30, 2005

The truth is usually just an excuse for a lack of imagination.
Grimey Drawer
Is there any good logical intermission point during Lawrence of Arabia if I try to split it over two days?

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Coaaab
Aug 6, 2006

Wish I was there...
Lawrence has an actual intermission, so yes

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!

Fun Shoe
Personally I always felt the intermission was awkwardly placed. I don't know the exact timing but it feels like the intermission comes after about 2/3 of the movie, then after the intermission is only about an hour of movie left.

I think a better place for the intermission would've been after they take Aqaba, but before Lawrence goes back to Cairo to make his report. That whole portion where Lawrence treks back to Cairo would've been better after the intermission.

Escobarbarian
Jun 18, 2004


Grimey Drawer
Yeah I think the intermission comes way too late. SOURCE: saw it in the cinema

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!

Fun Shoe
In terms of Lawrence's character arc the placement of the intermission does make sense though. Everything that takes place before the intermission is sort of his formative experience, and then after you come back from the intermission time has passed and Lawrence has changed a lot. The intermission helps to drive that home for the audience, i.e. this Lawrence is different than the one you left before the intermission.

It's still not ideal though to have it placed so unevenly.

Alfred P. Pseudonym
May 29, 2006

And when you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss goes 8-8

Zogo you get Fallen Angels because it might motivate me to start digging into my Wong box.

The Piano was pretty good! Holly Hunter is incredible. Wee baby Anna Paquimé was also very good. It’s absolutely wild that this movie was a pretty big commercial success ($140 million box office!). You really get a sense for how completely trapped Ada feels. I do have a couple of issues though. The portrayal of Māori people is pretty questionable, I think. And also the ending feels like a studio note. I think going through with suicide made more sense for Ada’s arc.

The List:

1. Cleo from 5 to 7: Started cracking into the Agnes Varda Criterion box earlier this year but got distracted when I got to this one.

2. Andrei Rublev: More Tarkovsky.

3. Sanjuro: More Kurosawa

4. McCabe and Mrs. Miller: Just making this my Western slot.

5. Lolita: This one seems essential but I can never work up the nerve

6. The Life Aquatic: I have never seen a Wes Anderson movie. As of 2020 I have seen a few Wes Anderson movies.

7. Bullitt: I’ve started this twice and gotten distracted and turned it off but it seems up my alley.

NEW 8. Jeanne Dielman: The newly crowned Greatest Movie of All Time. I didn’t feel like typing out the whole title.

9. 8 1/2: I've scrolled past this on Criterion Channel so many times.

10. The General: Never seen any Buster Keaton.

Watched (70): Goodfellas, Rear Window, Rashomon, The Searchers, Lawrence of Arabia, American Psycho, The Usual Suspects, L.A. Confidential, Unforgiven, Once Upon a Time in America, Blue Velvet, Schindler's List, Vertigo, First Blood, The Sting, Annie Hall, Twelve Monkeys, The Deer Hunter, Rain Man, Chinatown, Glengarry Glen Ross, Patton, Brazil, Casino, Scanners, Black Swan, Superman, Spartacus, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Seven Samurai, Double Indemnity, The Thing, Aguirre The Wrath of God, Badlands, Planet of the Apes, Shane, Léon: The Professional, Trainspotting, The Conversation, Miller's Crossing, A Fish Called Wanda, City of God, Psycho, Singin' in the Rain, Witness for the Prosecution, Se7en, The Wild Bunch, Oklahoma!, Cool Hand Luke, Paths of Glory, The Night of the Hunter, Blood Simple, Eyes Wide Shut, Memories of Murder, Sunset Boulevard, City Lights, The Artist, The Hudsucker Proxy, Stalker, Barry Lyndon, Stagecoach, Solaris, Reds, The King’s Speech, The Seventh Seal, The Man Who Wasn't There, Throne of Blood, Tokyo Story, Akira, North Dallas Forty, Touch of Evil, The Piano

Alfred P. Pseudonym fucked around with this message at 00:52 on Dec 7, 2022

Zogo
Jul 29, 2003

Alfred P. Pseudonym posted:

7. Bullitt: I’ve started this twice and gotten distracted and turned it off but it seems up my alley.

"Integrity is something you sell the public."



Fallen Angels - A series of glimpses at the riffraff lurking around Hong Kong at night. And the loneliness and isolation that occurs in the midst of their life changes. Its overproduced style dominates the loosely intersected stories. Without the narrative thoughts from the hitman and the ex-convict this film would be even more enigmatic.


Also watched:

The Lady from Shanghai - A seaman rescues a woman from muggers. She turns out to be a rich temptress. This one has a ridiculous amount of oddball characters and most of the film follows their sailing and scheming. Orson Welles plays one of the most gullible lead characters I've seen in a long time. The murder-for-hire scheme he falls into is ridiculous. I guess there are many who get caught up in romance scams everyday but I couldn't help but laugh and shake my head. At least his character openly admits to his stupidity right before the credits roll.

PS The hall of mirrors segment near the end was the highlight.



James Bond versus Godzilla (47/64 completed):

Hesitation (127 completed):

#103 Joyless Street - One of the few films I've recommended ITT that I haven't seen (as it's been hard to track down). 3/28/22

#108 Cabiria - This old epic was supposed to get a restored Blu-ray release many years ago but it never happened. I guess I'll just watch the available version. 4/23/22

#125 Frenzy - It's been called Hitchcock's last great film and it's rated R. :eyepop: 9/19/22

#129 Time of the Gypsies - It's been on my radar for a long time but it's been hard to track down. 11/9/22

#131 Targets - :rip: Peter Bogdanovich. 11/19/22

#132 Black Cat AKA Kuroneko - Another horror film from Kaneto Shindo. 12/2/22

AFI's 10 Top 10 (95/100 completed):

Bull Durham - A baseball movie I keep putting off. I have this one linked with The Natural in my mind but I'm sure it's different. 10/10/22

The Pride of the Yankees - This one has always looked really shmaltzy but you can't judge a film from only a few snippets. 9/8/22

Nerve's 50 Greatest Cult Movies of All Time (46/50 completed):

new #16 Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! - I haven't seen many of Russ Meyer's films. 12/8/22

new #20 The Harder They Come - A big film in Jamaica. 12/8/22

Crescent Wrench
Sep 30, 2005

The truth is usually just an excuse for a lack of imagination.
Grimey Drawer
Hmm, OK, thanks for the context. I'll have to play it by ear. Ideally I'd like to do it all in one sitting, of course, but having the option to split it over two days with the intermission might allow me to fit it in sooner. We shall see!

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!

Fun Shoe

Zogo posted:

#131 Targets - :rip: Peter Bogdanovich. 11/19/22

I've wanted to see this for a while, haven't gotten around to it though. Maybe someone else reviewing it will get me kickstarted on that.

I watched Dodes'ka-den.

This is actually a pretty sad film, especially with the real life context of it's release taken into account. Kurosawa took out a mortgage on his house to pay for it, and then ended up attempting suicide when it failed financially, so this was definitely a low point for him both personally and professionally. It was a departure in several ways, for one thing he hadn't made a film without Mifune for almost 20 years. Dodes'ka-den is also Kurosawa's first film in color, and the narrative, with it's different threads and lack of a central protagonist, is very unusual for him.

I can certainly understand why a film like this would lose money. There aren't a ton of characters to "root" for, and those that you do root for seem to get the short end of the stick. You won't be pumping your fist or laughing along with Mifune the way you might in so many of Kurosawa's more crowd pleasing films. But I do think Kurosawa was treated unfairly by Japanese audiences because for so long they criticized him for making shallow, Americanized films. So with Dodes'ka-den he creates something that is most definitely not that, and audiences still turned their nose up at it. He just couldn't win in Japan.

Visually the film is very striking, as you'd expect from Kurosawa. I've always wished that Kurosawa's career in color films would've been slightly longer/more prolific, so it was great to experience another one. I certainly don't think fully absorbed every character and plotline, so a rewatch will be in order at some point in the future. The film definitely felt Altmanesque in that way.



Current List:

1. The Bad News Bears: Not sure how I avoided this growing up, but I enjoy Walter Matthau as much as the next guy so I'm sure I'd enjoy it.
2. Five Easy Pieces: By all accounts this is a key Nicholson performance, which I have not seen
3. Chicago: Not sure if this is really considered shameful but it's still a big Oscar winning movie that I've never seen so may as well fix that, and I've become more accepting of musicals in recent years.
4. Dodes'Da-Den: This and Dersu Uzala are the big holes in my Kurosawa viewing. Made in that period after the difficulty of Red Beard's production but before Kagemusha and Ran(two of my favorite films).
5. Oliver Twist: David Lean is one of my favorite directors so I'd like to fill in the gaps I have left with his filmography.
6. Babette's Feast: Another Oscar winner that I haven't seen, I've read that it's one of the great food movies. Tough to go wrong with a movie about food.
7. For All Mankind: I want to check this out because there's a Criterion UHD release so if I like it I may want the UHD
8. The River: I love India as a setting for film and I've read a lot of good things about this one.
9. Mon Oncle I loved Playtime but for whatever reason it's the only Tati I ever saw, not sure why I haven't followed up on that
10. Castle in the Sky: More Miyazaki

Zogo
Jul 29, 2003

Basebf555 posted:

9. Mon Oncle I loved Playtime but for whatever reason it's the only Tati I ever saw, not sure why I haven't followed up on that

"Come see the house. This is the fountain."




Targets - This one is simultaneously unique and prescient. It starts by showing a clip from The Terror (1963). And Old Hollywood meets New Hollywood to a degree. It's a clinical and disturbingly bizarre look at how a shooting event can unfold. It reminded me of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986).

Anyway, the protagonist loads up on all kinds of guns and ammo. It's so American with its guns, cars, movies and mass shootings. It brings to mind the certainty of death and the drudgery that celebrities can endure while doing fan appearances.


Also watched:

Black Cat - Hungry samurai are getting drunk on sake and raping and pillaging through the local villages. Two women burn to death in their house and turn into vengeful vampiric ghosts who embark on a repetitive cycle of revenge. Samurai are then summoned to kill these women without much success. I was reminded of Ugetsu (1953) at times.

Later a Shakespearean conundrum arises when the long-lost husband/son returns as a samurai. It's a reckoning between family members to say the least. And I really didn't know how things would end.




James Bond versus Godzilla (47/64 completed):

new Quantum of Solace - All I know is that it takes place directly after the preceding film. 12/16/22

Hesitation (129 completed):

#103 Joyless Street - One of the few films I've recommended ITT that I haven't seen (as it's been hard to track down). 3/28/22

#108 Cabiria - This old epic was supposed to get a restored Blu-ray release many years ago but it never happened. I guess I'll just watch the available version. 4/23/22

#125 Frenzy - It's been called Hitchcock's last great film and it's rated R. :eyepop: 9/19/22

#129 Time of the Gypsies - It's been on my radar for a long time but it's been hard to track down. 11/9/22

AFI's 10 Top 10 (95/100 completed):

Bull Durham - A baseball movie I keep putting off. I have this one linked with The Natural in my mind but I'm sure it's different. 10/10/22

The Pride of the Yankees - This one has always looked really shmaltzy but you can't judge a film from only a few snippets. 9/8/22

Nerve's 50 Greatest Cult Movies of All Time (46/50 completed):

#16 Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! - I haven't seen many of Russ Meyer's films. 12/8/22

#20 The Harder They Come - A big film in Jamaica. 12/8/22

new #49 Welcome to the Dollhouse - An early Todd Solondz film. 12/16/22

Zogo fucked around with this message at 06:41 on Dec 17, 2022

TrixRabbi
Aug 20, 2010

Time for a little robot chauvinism!

Two and a half years ago Magic Hate Ball assigned me Gaslight and I just straight up never watched it. But I wanted to return to this thread with a fresh list, but couldn't not watch my assigned film, so I psyched myself up and finished it just now.

Overall, I enjoyed it although my interest did start to wane midway through as the film stretched on. Still, at its highs this is an immensely well acted paranoid thriller. I love the subtle ways the theme of manipulation and second guessing reality is reinforced throughout, from minor characters being asked to repeat themselves and saying something different to Joseph Cotton's own uncertainty that slowly unlocks the mystery. Bergman is of course the star here and her final monologue so satisfying to take in. Of course I assumed she was going to kill him with the knife, but where it went instead was much more gleeful.

I feel like I've spent a long time "off" of trying to check off canonical films, instead going off and watching a sporadic assortment of movies, but my gaps in the canon have long bugged me and the new Sight & Sound poll is as good a time as any to finally get to them and hopefully, maybe, recapture some of that feeling when I was first discovering cinema and having my mind blown by Bergman and Kurosawa. Going to start by trying to check off the handful of S&S Top 100 films I haven't seen (I'm at 85/100 seen) and then from there maybe just work off of the They Shoot Pictures list indefinitely (534/1,000 for the 2022 list).

My List:

Late Spring (1949) - Been a long time since I’ve sat down with Ozu. Maybe as I get older I’ll click with him more, as it is I more appreciated than really loved him when I watched some of his stuff in college.

Journey to Italy (1954) - Rossellini is one of those old masters I barely got my toes wet with when I first discovered film. Time to return.

A Man Escaped (1956) - Well, I know how it ends already…

Imitation of Life (1959) - I adored All That Heaven Allows but somehow that never pushed me into a Sirk kick. A lot of people say this is even better.

Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) - Among my most shameful blindspots. A classic of the French New Wave I have no excuse for not seeing.

Wanda (1970) - I know this one got “rediscovered” in the past few years but I don’t know too much about it. I’ve heard Cassavetes comparisons?

Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974) - This sounds like the type of film that is 100% up my alley but the length is the only reason I’ve never watched it.

News from Home (1976) - Big Chantal Akerman fan but somehow not seen this one.

Shoah (1985) - I’ve gotta start it sooner or later.

Daughters of the Dust (1991) - Not really even sure what the plot to this one is, will really be going in blind with it.

---

Zogo, I'm very happy to give you one of my all time favorite films, with one of the greatest titles in cinematic history, Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

TrixRabbi fucked around with this message at 19:12 on Dec 22, 2022

Heavy Metal
Sep 1, 2014

America's $1 Funnyman

Cool, welcome back! I've had some hiatuses like that myself. I notice neither of those lists have Repo Man (1984) or Castle of Cagliostro, so I'm gonna need to get a movement going on that.

TrixRabbi
Aug 20, 2010

Time for a little robot chauvinism!

Well I've already seen Repo Man so I'm not sweating it.

edit: I took a look at the Nerve's 50 Greatest Cult Films list and surprisingly there's only one I haven't seen, De Palma's Sisters.

TrixRabbi fucked around with this message at 02:01 on Dec 23, 2022

BiggerBoat
Sep 26, 2007

Don't you tell me my business again.
I still have Nashville on my list and it's probably been close to year now.

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!

Fun Shoe
You're only hurting yourself with that one. I put off Nashville for years too, was a big Altman fan but just didn't think the setting would be interesting to me. I was incredibly wrong.

Zogo
Jul 29, 2003

TrixRabbi posted:

edit: I took a look at the Nerve's 50 Greatest Cult Films list and surprisingly there's only one I haven't seen, De Palma's Sisters.

Another list I might try to finish at a later time: The Ringer's 50 Best Cult Movies. I've seen 43 of them so far.

BiggerBoat
Sep 26, 2007

Don't you tell me my business again.

Basebf555 posted:

You're only hurting yourself with that one. I put off Nashville for years too, was a big Altman fan but just didn't think the setting would be interesting to me. I was incredibly wrong.

I just keep waiting for it to show up on one of my streaming services. I'll chime in eventually. Just giving encouragement to the guy who was posting about slacking on the thread.

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!

Fun Shoe

BiggerBoat posted:

I just keep waiting for it to show up on one of my streaming services. I'll chime in eventually. Just giving encouragement to the guy who was posting about slacking on the thread.

Just messin with you(but Nashville is great), I've had some pretty long hiatuses from the thread myself.

TrixRabbi posted:

A Man Escaped (1956) - Well, I know how it ends already…

I need to get around to this one as well, it often shows up on various "best of" lists. I'm interested to read your thoughts on it.

I watched Mon Oncle, and was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed it just as much as Playtime(the only other Tati I've seen), possibly even more. I'd had the perception that Playtime was kinda like Tati's magnum opus and I guess the feeling that his other stuff wouldn't seem as good by comparison. And I'm sure in terms of the scope of the sets and the production design, Playtime is the most ambitious film Tati made, but Mon Oncle is naturally more charming because of the setting and the characters. I see much more of an influence on Wes Anderson here than I did with Playtime, especially Mr. Hulot's neighborhood.

I dunno I'm starting to think maybe I should go in for that Tati Criterion set after all, because his films seem to be fantastic for just relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere with tons of little jokes and gags to zero in on if you choose to. Perfect for rewatches because you can watch them kinda casually or you can try to appreciate every single gag. I appreciate movies like that where you can enjoy them on different levels depending on mood.



Current List:

1. The Bad News Bears: Not sure how I avoided this growing up, but I enjoy Walter Matthau as much as the next guy so I'm sure I'd enjoy it.
2. Five Easy Pieces: By all accounts this is a key Nicholson performance, which I have not seen
3. Chicago: Not sure if this is really considered shameful but it's still a big Oscar winning movie that I've never seen so may as well fix that, and I've become more accepting of musicals in recent years.
4. Dodes'Da-Den: This and Dersu Uzala are the big holes in my Kurosawa viewing. Made in that period after the difficulty of Red Beard's production but before Kagemusha and Ran(two of my favorite films).
5. Oliver Twist: David Lean is one of my favorite directors so I'd like to fill in the gaps I have left with his filmography.
6. Babette's Feast: Another Oscar winner that I haven't seen, I've read that it's one of the great food movies. Tough to go wrong with a movie about food.
7. For All Mankind: I want to check this out because there's a Criterion UHD release so if I like it I may want the UHD
8. The River: I love India as a setting for film and I've read a lot of good things about this one.
9. Mon Oncle I loved Playtime but for whatever reason it's the only Tati I ever saw, not sure why I haven't followed up on that
10. Castle in the Sky: More Miyazaki

TrixRabbi
Aug 20, 2010

Time for a little robot chauvinism!

Basebf555, go with Five Easy Pieces, which is certainly a key Jack Nicholson performance.

I just finished A Man Escaped and of the three Bresson films I've seen -- the other two being Pickpocket and Au Hasard Balthazar -- it's the first time I've really clicked with him. Perhaps it's the suspenseful plot-driven focus of the film, but I also really enjoyed the methodical pacing and the existentialist framing of the film via the looming threat of execution and death, freedom and imprisonment. Leterrier gives a fantastic performance with a face made for the screen, which is interesting given he seems to have avoided acting for most of the rest of his career. As well, for a character who seems so focused and guarded, there's an intense emotion fueling the movie. The subtle touch of the direction lends itself to seemingly small developments carrying massive emotional weight (a large chunk of door breaking, the relief of completing a step in the plan, the tension with Jost).

Glad to have finally caught up with this and perhaps I should revisit Pickpocket and Balthazar again with fresh eyes and see if they connect any more a second time around.

My List:

Sight & Sound 2022 Critics' Poll (86/100):

Late Spring (1949) - Been a long time since I’ve sat down with Ozu. Maybe as I get older I’ll click with him more, as it is I more appreciated than really loved him when I watched some of his stuff in college.

Journey to Italy (1954) - Rossellini is one of those old masters I barely got my toes wet with when I first discovered film. Time to return.

Imitation of Life (1959) - I adored All That Heaven Allows but somehow that never pushed me into a Sirk kick. A lot of people say this is even better.

Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) - Among my most shameful blindspots. A classic of the French New Wave I have no excuse for not seeing.

Wanda (1970) - I know this one got “rediscovered” in the past few years but I don’t know too much about it. I’ve heard Cassavetes comparisons?

Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974) - This sounds like the type of film that is 100% up my alley but the length is the only reason I’ve never watched it.

News from Home (1976) - Big Chantal Akerman fan but somehow not seen this one.

Shoah (1985) - I’ve gotta start it sooner or later.

Daughters of the Dust (1991) - Not really even sure what the plot to this one is, will really be going in blind with it.

Tropical Malady (2004) - I've enjoyed the Weerasethakul I've seen, although perhaps unsurprisingly he can be a bit of a challenge to settle into. Optimistic I'm going to like this one.

TrixRabbi fucked around with this message at 23:40 on Dec 28, 2022

Coaaab
Aug 6, 2006

Wish I was there...
A Man Escaped is Bresson's most surefire crowdpleaser and provides a lot of the thrills and chills like something out of a Hitchcock picture. Not sure if revisiting Pickpocket or Balthazar will be anymore enlightening for you since I fell for both about instantly, but perhaps you'll find something new to pick at. If you feel like going any further into his oeuvre, I'll give two suggestions (both in color): 1) Lancelot du Lac, a film I am decidedly mixed on but maybe you can get something out of it and 2) L'Argent, which remains one of the greatest swan songs for any artist ever.

Zogo
Jul 29, 2003

TrixRabbi posted:

Daughters of the Dust (1991) - Not really even sure what the plot to this one is, will really be going in blind with it.

"We carry too many scars from the past. Our past owns us. We wear our scars like armor for protection. Thick, hard, ugly scars that no one can pass through to ever hurt us again."



Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! - I won't detail the story too much but basically a few women are chasing after a hidden stash of money. It's a simple story (with some affected acting) but the characters and their actions make for a memorable aesthetic. The numerous low angle shots make the trio of buxom women even more imposing.

Free on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICe9aOuvIpQ




James Bond versus Godzilla (47/64 completed):

Quantum of Solace - All I know is that it takes place directly after the preceding film. 12/16/22

Hesitation (129 completed):

#103 Joyless Street - One of the few films I've recommended ITT that I haven't seen (as it's been hard to track down). 3/28/22

#108 Cabiria - This old epic was supposed to get a restored Blu-ray release many years ago but it never happened. I guess I'll just watch the available version. 4/23/22

#125 Frenzy - It's been called Hitchcock's last great film and it's rated R. :eyepop: 9/19/22

#129 Time of the Gypsies - It's been on my radar for a long time but it's been hard to track down. 11/9/22

AFI's 10 Top 10 (95/100 completed):

Bull Durham - A baseball movie I keep putting off. I have this one linked with The Natural in my mind but I'm sure it's different. 10/10/22

The Pride of the Yankees - This one has always looked really shmaltzy but you can't judge a film from only a few snippets. 9/8/22

Nerve's 50 Greatest Cult Movies of All Time (47/50 completed):

#20 The Harder They Come - A big film in Jamaica. 12/8/22

new #42 Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song - I've heard it's influential. 12/28/22

#49 Welcome to the Dollhouse - An early Todd Solondz film. 12/16/22

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!

Fun Shoe

Zogo posted:

#125 Frenzy - It's been called Hitchcock's last great film and it's rated R. :eyepop: 9/19/22

Yea it's good. Not sure if I'd say it's great but maybe you will!

As usual I totally forgot about this thread, and I watched my assignment like 2+ weeks ago. Five Easy Pieces is indeed an essential Jack Nicholson performance. I think the main reason for that is it's very very real, very genuine. And as fun as many of his later performances were, like a lot of actors he kinda developed a specific persona and as his career went on he stayed in that comfort zone more and more. His character in Five Easy Pieces feels like a real person that you've met before, and I liked that the movie didn't seem to want to force you to like him or dislike him. He's just a guy like any other guy, he has his flaws but also good qualities as well.

I can't say it was necessarily a fun watch though, which is true of many great films. So it's something that I needed to see, I'm glad I saw, but I probably won't be revisiting any time soon. But again, that's not a slight against the movie.

Current List:

1. The Bad News Bears: Not sure how I avoided this growing up, but I enjoy Walter Matthau as much as the next guy so I'm sure I'd enjoy it.
2. Five Easy Pieces: By all accounts this is a key Nicholson performance, which I have not seen
3. Chicago: Not sure if this is really considered shameful but it's still a big Oscar winning movie that I've never seen so may as well fix that, and I've become more accepting of musicals in recent years.
4. Dodes'Da-Den: This and Dersu Uzala are the big holes in my Kurosawa viewing. Made in that period after the difficulty of Red Beard's production but before Kagemusha and Ran(two of my favorite films).
5. Oliver Twist: David Lean is one of my favorite directors so I'd like to fill in the gaps I have left with his filmography.
6. Babette's Feast: Another Oscar winner that I haven't seen, I've read that it's one of the great food movies. Tough to go wrong with a movie about food.
7. For All Mankind: I want to check this out because there's a Criterion UHD release so if I like it I may want the UHD
8. The River: I love India as a setting for film and I've read a lot of good things about this one.
9. Mon Oncle I loved Playtime but for whatever reason it's the only Tati I ever saw, not sure why I haven't followed up on that
10. Castle in the Sky: More Miyazaki

Zogo
Jul 29, 2003

Basebf555 posted:

10. Castle in the Sky: More Miyazaki

"Take the stone and run!"




Frenzy - When a director works for so long it's only natural that his or her films can feel different decade by decade. Elements from Hitchcock's previous films are here but this one is much more explicit. The characters are introduced in one way but as the story plays out the villain and hero are reversed. So it subverts expectations but not in a mysterious way as the truth is revealed early on.

In short, it's a tragedy of errors as the friendly guy is actually the necktie murderer. A raging serial killer and maniacal rapist is lurking underneath his jolly demeanor. And based upon flimsy evidence his buddy is convicted of his crimes.

A lot hinges on whether the characters believe the newspapers or not. The same could be said for readers in the real world.

I liked these paintings:


Also watched:

Quantum of Solace - The first half hour is loaded with preposterous action sequences and editing that's a little too brisk IMO. Thankfully, things slow down slightly afterward. Bond acts more like a renegade hitman than a spy most of the time. And he's as durable as David Dunn is in Unbreakable (2000).

A lot is left as a mystery regarding the antagonists. Sure, some of the evildoers partaking in various aspects of neocolonialism are dealt with but it seems like most of the villains just got away.


Welcome to the Dollhouse - It's basically an edgier and darker, gender reversed Napoleon Dynamite (2004). It captures things from the time period really well. The antithesis of Hollywood in some respects. The punitive middle school teachers, the sibling rivalries, the unfiltered juvenile delinquents and the awkward sexuality. It's like opening a time capsule and going 25 or 30 years back. At times it's revelatory and at times it's an indictment of the era.

I have to see more Todd Solondz films in short order.




James Bond versus Godzilla (48/64 completed):

new Skyfall - All I know is that Adele sings the title track. 2/5/23

Hesitation (130 completed):

#103 Joyless Street - One of the few films I've recommended ITT that I haven't seen (as it's been hard to track down). 3/28/22

#108 Cabiria - This old epic was supposed to get a restored Blu-ray release many years ago but it never happened. I guess I'll just watch the available version. 4/23/22

#129 Time of the Gypsies - It's been on my radar for a long time but it's been hard to track down. 11/9/22

new #134 Dead of Night - An early horror anthology with a good reputation. 2/5/23

new #135 Demons - I've heard this is a rollicking time at the movie theater. 2/5/23

AFI's 10 Top 10 (95/100 completed):

Bull Durham - A baseball movie I keep putting off. I have this one linked with The Natural in my mind but I'm sure it's different. 10/10/22

The Pride of the Yankees - This one has always looked really shmaltzy but you can't judge a film from only a few snippets. 9/8/22

Nerve's 50 Greatest Cult Movies of All Time (48/50 completed):

#20 The Harder They Come - A big film in Jamaica. 12/8/22

#42 Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song - I've heard it's influential. 12/28/22

BiggerBoat
Sep 26, 2007

Don't you tell me my business again.

Zogo posted:

Welcome to the Dollhouse - It's basically an edgier and darker, gender reversed Napoleon Dynamite (2004). It captures things from the time period really well. The antithesis of Hollywood in some respects. The punitive middle school teachers, the sibling rivalries, the unfiltered juvenile delinquents and the awkward sexuality. It's like opening a time capsule and going 25 or 30 years back. At times it's revelatory and at times it's an indictment of the era.

That's a really well thought out and accurate synopsis. Well put.

Usually, in movies like this, the trod upon nerd with the weird name always winds up being The Hero and the movie goes out of its way to cast them in a sympathetic light. But Dawn and Napoleon are both pretty off putting and difficult to root for a lot of the time.

Always nice to see this thread moving along. I need to get Nashville off my list so I can contribute a little but I can't find it for free anywhere.

Zogo
Jul 29, 2003

BiggerBoat posted:

Always nice to see this thread moving along. I need to get Nashville off my list so I can contribute a little but I can't find it for free anywhere.

If you have no way of watching it you could always put it on hiatus and just select another film from your list to watch. It's not written in stone or anything. Many have had to do that before.

Occasionally some will come back to the thread with a completely new list etc. Disappearing films are the bane of streaming.

Zogo fucked around with this message at 00:01 on Feb 6, 2023

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!

Fun Shoe

Zogo posted:

new #135 Demons - I've heard this is a rollicking time at the movie theater. 2/5/23

Yup, Demons is one of those movies that gets going almost right away and once it does it never slows down. You'll have a good time with it at the very least.

I watched Castle in the Sky, which I think for me was probably the most consistently entertaining story I've seen in a Miyazaki film so far. Part of that is my own ignorance and attention span issues, but I felt Castle in the Sky had a very streamlined and easy to follow "plot" compared to some other Miyazaki films I've seen. That had the effect of allowing me to sit back and fully appreciate the visuals in an immersive way that I hadn't quite been able to do before. But regardless of plot or the specific order of how I'd rank Miyazaki's films, it's just always a joy to see the classic hand drawn animation and the unpredictability of what Miyazaki's imagination will bring to the table. Every vehicle, creature, machine, and setting are unique and memorable, and I think in the case of Castle in the Sky it was the vehicles that really stuck out. It's a pretty complete world that Miyazaki created, as he often does he's creating a fairy tale from the ground up, out of nothing.



Current List with new entries to replace the old:

1. The Bad News Bears: Not sure how I avoided this growing up, but I enjoy Walter Matthau as much as the next guy so I'm sure I'd enjoy it.
2. 3:10 To Yuma: The remake is a solid Western, but I've heard the original is excellent as well.
3. Chicago: Not sure if this is really considered shameful but it's still a big Oscar winning movie that I've never seen so may as well fix that, and I've become more accepting of musicals in recent years.
4. Cruising: One of the less talked about Pacino performances, but 80s New York directed by Friedkin is something I definitely need to see.
5. Oliver Twist: David Lean is one of my favorite directors so I'd like to fill in the gaps I have left with his filmography.
6. Babette's Feast: Another Oscar winner that I haven't seen, I've read that it's one of the great food movies. Tough to go wrong with a movie about food.
7. For All Mankind: I want to check this out because there's a Criterion UHD release so if I like it I may want the UHD
8. The River: I love India as a setting for film and I've read a lot of good things about this one.
9. From Here to Eternity: An iconic film that recently got a UHD release in a rather expensive box set, so I want to figure out if I like it before I consider buying it.
10. Kiki's Delivery Service: No reason to stop the Miyazaki train now!

Heavy Metal
Sep 1, 2014

America's $1 Funnyman

Gotta love Miyazaki. Castle of Cagliostro is my fav.

Demons is good times for sure, love that metal period of 80s Italian horror flicks.

Zogo
Jul 29, 2003

Basebf555 posted:

3. Chicago: Not sure if this is really considered shameful but it's still a big Oscar winning movie that I've never seen so may as well fix that, and I've become more accepting of musicals in recent years.

"And all that jazz."



Demons - A mysterious man wearing a metal mask is handing out free movie tickets. Later on the moviegoers realize that life imitates art as the horror film they're watching becomes a fully 3D experience. In short, they're trapped in the theater and all hell breaks loose. Imagine if The Exterminating Angel (1962) had monsters (and a guy on a dirt bike with a samurai sword).

As the dwindling survivors endure relentless demon attacks it brings to mind the fact that viewers generally want a taste of horror (or a taste of another genre) but not the full dose. Most don't want to be completely horrified by gore, explicitness or ideology etc. So finding that threshold or perfect balance can be a difficult thing. To be titillated but still remain grounded.


Also watched:

Skyfall - Unsurprisingly, this one has tons of chases and death-defying stunts. Bond being shot early on was a surprise. So he kind of gets hit by a reset button so-to-speak. He and M face reckonings revolving around performance issues and agism. M comes across even more dictatorial than usual. Her eventual death was another surprise.

The new villain has gone insane from torture and with agents covers being blown the stakes feel a little higher than usual. The second half reminded me of The Dark Knight (2008) at times. The last quarter was unpredictable and strange for a Bond film. We get a tiny morsel of Bond's backstory. And then a shootout and helicopter assault on Bond's childhood home.

If I wanted to nitpick I could mention that some of the tech stuff was pretty odd. But that's kind of a hallmark of Hollywood.




James Bond versus Godzilla (49/64 completed):

new Spectre - Somehow I've avoided reading anything about this. 2/17/23

Hesitation (131 completed):

#103 Joyless Street - One of the few films I've recommended ITT that I haven't seen (as it's been hard to track down). 3/28/22

#108 Cabiria - This old epic was supposed to get a restored Blu-ray release many years ago but it never happened. I guess I'll just watch the available version. 4/23/22

#129 Time of the Gypsies - It's been on my radar for a long time but it's been hard to track down. 11/9/22

#134 Dead of Night - An early horror anthology with a good reputation. 2/5/23

new #136 Blue Collar - Paul Schrader films are always interesting. 2/17/23

AFI's 10 Top 10 (95/100 completed):

Bull Durham - A baseball movie I keep putting off. I have this one linked with The Natural in my mind but I'm sure it's different. 10/10/22

The Pride of the Yankees - This one has always looked really shmaltzy but you can't judge a film from only a few snippets. 9/8/22

Nerve's 50 Greatest Cult Movies of All Time (48/50 completed):

#20 The Harder They Come - A big film in Jamaica. 12/8/22

#42 Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song - I've heard it's influential. 12/28/22

piratepilates
Mar 28, 2004

So I will learn to live with it. Because I can live with it. I can live with it.



Zogo posted:


James Bond versus Godzilla (49/64 completed):

new Spectre - Somehow I've avoided reading anything about this. 2/17/23

Gotta finish off the rest of the series. My dad "forced" us to watch this last Christmas, I hadn't seen any of the Bonds after Quantum until Spectre, not sure what to think.

Zogo posted:

Shameful!

piratepilates posted:

5. The Godfather: Never seen it, obvious why it's on the list

Well it took me 7 years but I finally got around to it, I watched Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather.

It was alright.

Nothing against it, I understand why every review on Letterboxd is a glowing 4-5 star review, but it didn't do much for me, 7/10. I liked Michael's ascension to be the titular godfather. Seeing Brando in what may be one of his prime acting roles was interesting, the only other movie I've seen him in is The Island of Dr. Moreau, and I wouldn't use that as a great example. I feel like I will be more in to the second of the Godfathers, due to the De Niro factor, and what sounds like a fun split protagonist framing device. Maybe I'll get to that soon, maybe you'll have to wait till 2030, we'll see.

This is the third Coppola I've seen, after The Conversation (9/10 for me) and One from the Heart (7/10, but I just like its weird style and aesthetic, its a pretty bad as a movie and I don't really want to place The Godfather as the same rating as it, forgive me). He's an odd guy, that Coppola, really seemed to be on a roll for precisely 4 movies (The Godfather up to Apocalypse Now), a major bust with One From the Heart, and then what seems to be a slow descent in to mediocrity. I definitely respect him as a director for his work on The Godfather, The Conversation, and Apocalpyse Now, and I even appreciate One From the Heart for everything except its characters, writing, and plot -- but I just don't understand what happened after that.

Anyway I also knocked out a few of the other ones on my list in the meantime:


2. Tangerine (7/10): really liked it, the amateur actors did great, the shot on iPhone gimmick I remember being a big selling point at the time, but frankly the visual fidelity did not age like fine wine. It proved you could make a movie with an iPhone 5S, but maybe you shouldn't.

4. Vertigo (9/10): I've now watched Vertigo what must be at least 4 times, including in a theatre on the 70mm print, and at home with a good UHD copy. I have a complicated relationship with Vertigo, it's not my favourite Hitchcock, I'm always a little baffled that its presented as being the best movie ever made in certain circles, but I don't dislike it. The movie is gorgeous with the new remasterings, quite the visual treat, I love Jimmy Stewart, but something about the story just doesn't grab me in as much as say, North by North West, or Rope, or Psycho, or The Birds for that matter.

8. The Conversation (9/10): Nothing much to say, it's great. I think it's as well made of a movie as The Godfather, but the shorter runtime definitely appeals to my millenial ADHD-afflicted brain, and I think the narrower scope of it appeals to me more. The Godfather does a great job being a sprawling epic over generations though.



And the new revised list:


1. Days of Being Wild: I've already seen Chungking Express, Fallen Angels, In the Mood For Love, AND 2046, so maybe I should watch the one that started it all off.

3. House (1977): I remember a long time ago when CineD was going crazy over the movie and the trailer is incredible

12. I Am Cuba (1964): one of the ones from the first year film school class that I skipped on watching for no good reason but laziness

13. Five Graves to Cairo (1943): Quentin Tarantino mentioned it in his Video Archives Podcast as being contemporary speculative fiction set around WW2, or something, which was a rare find for him when he was researching for Inglorious Basterds. Seems interesting

14. Singin' in the Rain (1952): hey it turns out I love musicals, a later-in-life revelation for me. Why not see one of the top musicals of all time.

And now choices from the Roger Ebert: The Great Movies list

9. Paris, Texas: Well why not, people say good things

10. The Manchurian Candidate (1962): I remember when the remake came out, I was still pretty young and didn't see it either, but it's on the Ebert list and has Frank Sinatra in it

11. The Man Who Laughs (1928): Ebert list, and has funny face Joker face on the poster. Also have a lack of films on my list pre-1950.

15. Being There (1979)

16. Bonnie and Clyde (1967): Saw a video essay on this marking the start of New Hollywood or whatever, and I bet I'd love it


Shame no more: Days of Heaven (1978, 8/10), Psycho (1960, 8/10), The Godfather (7/10), Tangerine (7/10), Vertigo (9/10), The Conversation (9/10) [Total:6]

DeimosRising
Oct 17, 2005

¡Hola SEA!


piratepilates posted:

Seeing Brando in what may be one of his prime acting roles was interesting, the only other movie I've seen him in is The Island of Dr. Moreau, … I definitely respect him as a director for his work on The Godfather, The Conversation, and Apocalpyse Now,

One of these can’t be true!

Zogo
Jul 29, 2003

Marlon Brando's camo face paint worked really well.

I recently watched FFCs Rumble Fish and liked it.

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!

Fun Shoe
I've watched the Godfather trilogy twice in the past few years, because it got a UHD release.

My main takeaway, and maybe this is blasphemous or some sort of hot take, is that they actually aren't very well written, but they are elevated to greatness(in the case of Part 1 and Part 2 at least) due to Coppola's excellent direction and the absolute powerhouse stable of actors he was working with during those first two films. But the dialogue itself actually tends to be fairly contrived and even cringey at times, because there are just a lot of scenes where characters are delivering expository dialogue in way that is very very tough to pull off unless you're a Robert DuVall/James Caan/Brando/Pacino level talent. These guys had a way of delivering the lines that made it seem like they were genuinely updating the other characters on events, not just for the benefit of the audience. The conversations felt genuine.

Cut to Godfather 3, and you have some glaring holes in the cast that create problems when they try to deliver that same type of dialogue. Joe Mantegna for one, in my opinion he just isn't up to it and his dialogue comes off as forced and artificial sounding. Andy Garcia does a better job but overall the cast isn't nearly as stacked and it leads to many moments where I'm taken out of the movie because a line delivery is just lame sounding or even laughable. It's a fine line and I think Part 1 and Part 2 easily could've been as weak as Part 3 if not for the ridiculous lineup of actors Coppola put together in the 70s.

piratepilates
Mar 28, 2004

So I will learn to live with it. Because I can live with it. I can live with it.



DeimosRising posted:

One of these can’t be true!

Oh right, I think I watched half of Apocalypse Now! before having to do something else, hence why I didn't count it as a Coppola I have seen, nor another Brando I've seen -- because I haven't gotten to the part with Brando yet 👀

BiggerBoat
Sep 26, 2007

Don't you tell me my business again.
I love the Godfather 1 and 2 but my hot take is that Apocalypse Now is a little bit dull and pretty overrated. There's a lot to like about it but for long stretches I just find it really boring, especially the extended cut. Not an FFC film, but I feel the same way about Blade Runner.

Escobarbarian
Jun 18, 2004


Grimey Drawer
Apocalypse Now Final Cut is almost the perfect cut but it still has the entire boring-rear end plantation sequence that adds literally nothing and just stops the movie dead in its tracks for 20 minutes right as it’s reaching the climax. Truly baffling decision

Zogo
Jul 29, 2003

piratepilates posted:

3. House (1977): I remember a long time ago when CineD was going crazy over the movie and the trailer is incredible

"Any old cat can open a door. Only a witch cat can close a door."





Spectre - The film opens with an impressive Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City. It reminded me of the famous sequence in I Am Cuba (1964). After James Bond destroys a few large buildings it's a reminder that some would consider him to be a well-dressed terrorist.

This one coalesces some of the previous Craig films together. The villain aspires to be the ultimate eavesdropper. So it pits traditional spying against a so-called evil new spy ring. It came across as a distinction without much of a difference as global spying apparatuses already exist.

The final third of the film suffers from an odd assortment of cat-and-mouse stuff between Bond and the bad guy. But that's a familiar complaint for the series.



James Bond versus Godzilla (50/64 completed):

Hesitation (131 completed):

#103 Joyless Street - One of the few films I've recommended ITT that I haven't seen (as it's been hard to track down). 3/28/22

#108 Cabiria - This old epic was supposed to get a restored Blu-ray release many years ago but it never happened. I guess I'll just watch the available version. 4/23/22

#129 Time of the Gypsies - It's been on my radar for a long time but it's been hard to track down. 11/9/22

#134 Dead of Night - An early horror anthology with a good reputation. 2/5/23

#136 Blue Collar - Paul Schrader films are always interesting. 2/17/23

new #137 The Serpent and the Rainbow - Another horror film I've heard good things about. 2/22/23

AFI's 10 Top 10 (95/100 completed):

Bull Durham - A baseball movie I keep putting off. I have this one linked with The Natural in my mind but I'm sure it's different. 10/10/22

The Pride of the Yankees - This one has always looked really shmaltzy but you can't judge a film from only a few snippets. 9/8/22

Nerve's 50 Greatest Cult Movies of All Time (48/50 completed):

#20 The Harder They Come - A big film in Jamaica. 12/8/22

#42 Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song - I've heard it's influential. 12/28/22

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!

Fun Shoe

Zogo posted:

#42 Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song - I've heard it's influential. 12/28/22

I've heard good things about this one too.

I watched Chicago. It can be hard to pinpoint why I like certain musicals and not others, probably because I'm fairly new to the genre. Ten years ago I wouldn't have wanted to watch a musical under any circumstances. So I'm still figuring out what I like and what I don't, and unfortunately Chicago didn't really do it for me. I think it was mostly just that I didn't click with the music. I wasn't digging any of the songs, and so the movie became a bit tedious because I wasn't enjoying myself during the music numbers as much as I'd like to.

Also I wasn't a huge fan of how most of the music took place on an actual stage, as if you were watching it in a theater. I can see how for some people that would be a cool thing, it sort of makes you feel like you went to the theater. But for me I like musicals that are bigger than that, I'm into huge lavish sets like you'd find in Oliver!, or even the newer live-action Disney remakes.

Oh well, still a good box to check because Chicago was a pretty big hit and won a bunch of awards, I enjoy filling in those blind spots.



Current List:

1. The Bad News Bears: Not sure how I avoided this growing up, but I enjoy Walter Matthau as much as the next guy so I'm sure I'd enjoy it.
2. 3:10 To Yuma: The remake is a solid Western, but I've heard the original is excellent as well.
3. Chicago: Not sure if this is really considered shameful but it's still a big Oscar winning movie that I've never seen so may as well fix that, and I've become more accepting of musicals in recent years.
4. Cruising: One of the less talked about Pacino performances, but 80s New York directed by Friedkin is something I definitely need to see.
5. Oliver Twist: David Lean is one of my favorite directors so I'd like to fill in the gaps I have left with his filmography.
6. Babette's Feast: Another Oscar winner that I haven't seen, I've read that it's one of the great food movies. Tough to go wrong with a movie about food.
7. For All Mankind: I want to check this out because there's a Criterion UHD release so if I like it I may want the UHD
8. The River: I love India as a setting for film and I've read a lot of good things about this one.
9. From Here to Eternity: An iconic film that recently got a UHD release in a rather expensive box set, so I want to figure out if I like it before I consider buying it.
10. Kiki's Delivery Service: No reason to stop the Miyazaki train now!

Zogo
Jul 29, 2003

Basebf555 posted:

9. From Here to Eternity: An iconic film that recently got a UHD release in a rather expensive box set, so I want to figure out if I like it before I consider buying it.

"I never knew it could be like this."



Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song - Sweetback is a man of few words. He finds himself in a predicament after rescuing another guy named Mu-Mu from a police attack. From then on he's on the run from THE MAN. Running and running with numerous improbable escapes from the police.

It explores methods of police brutality and the pulpier and seedier sides of society. At many points it has some of the style and substance found in two films released in 1969: Midnight Cowboy and Easy Rider.


Also watched:

The Harder They Come - There's an economic malaise in Jamaica and many have no job or money and are begging on the streets or running scams. The main character (Jimmy Cliff) sees a path forward by writing and performing a hit song. He then gets a crash course on the business side of music and ganja. The leaders of the various industries conspire against him to put him in his place. This leads to the first of many police shootouts. And from then on he's turned into a bargaining chip and folk hero of sorts.

I'm leaving a lot of the plot out but the film demonstrates how the legal and illegal hierarchies within a society work together with each other and function. It captures an ethos that intersects with Super Fly (1972) and Belly (1998) at times.

Free on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl6lFNYIAbg




James Bond versus Godzilla (50/64 completed):

Hesitation (131 completed):

#103 Joyless Street - One of the few films I've recommended ITT that I haven't seen (as it's been hard to track down). 3/28/22

#108 Cabiria - This old epic was supposed to get a restored Blu-ray release many years ago but it never happened. I guess I'll just watch the available version. 4/23/22

#129 Time of the Gypsies - It's been on my radar for a long time but it's been hard to track down. 11/9/22

#134 Dead of Night - An early horror anthology with a good reputation. 2/5/23

#136 Blue Collar - Paul Schrader films are always interesting. 2/17/23

#137 The Serpent and the Rainbow - Another horror film I've heard good things about. 2/22/23

AFI's 10 Top 10 (95/100 completed):

Bull Durham - A baseball movie I keep putting off. I have this one linked with The Natural in my mind but I'm sure it's different. 10/10/22

The Pride of the Yankees - This one has always looked really shmaltzy but you can't judge a film from only a few snippets. 9/8/22

Variety's 100 Greatest Movies of All Time (95/100 completed):

new #79 Waiting for Guffman - It's been recommended in the past. 3/6/23

new #80 Pixote - It sounds similiar to City of God. 3/6/23

Heavy Metal
Sep 1, 2014

America's $1 Funnyman

Zogo posted:


#137 The Serpent and the Rainbow - Another horror film I've heard good things about. 2/22/23

Wes is the best.


I watched Wonder Boys. Well, I watched half of it and then began posting this stuff with it still on, it didn't click with me. The tone, the humor especially didn't land. It seemed too pleased with itself, it would just linger and lean in on things and be like "eh? How about that, wacky yes?", also trying to be hip or in the moment and not succeeding. For example the shooting of the dog. It seemed like the movie wanted it to be a legendary shocking level of hilarity, and it just wouldn't stop. Even say 42 mins in, a long while after the incident, Michael's narration is talking about how he has this dead dog in the trunk like it's the most "oh no they didn't" thing. At 46 mins in he mentions the dead dog in the narration again. 49 mins in, Michael says to Tobe "Well... You did shoot the dean's dog" etc. Anyways, the movie wasn't funny. Or I guess for me it just didn't have the substance to back up the presentation of it, or something. Just didn't dig it much. Great cast, mediocre film.

By the way, how's the protocol look for a did not finish on here? Lord help me, this is what they didn't warn us about. Movies gone bad.

I feel like I'm on a different planet than this movie. Humor is simply a different thing there. A recent bit is Micheal Douglas I guess has a pale pink color to his robe, so now several characters are pointing it out like it's unusual. Tobe asked about it, now a cop is looking at it and Michael looks down at it, just really leaning into this moment. But what exactly is it? It's... humor? Is that what this is? I'm pretty close to retiring from both humor and movies 49 mins 29 seconds in. Has it really only been 29 more seconds?

51 mins in, Michael says "there's a few things I need to do today...", and I was sure we were going to here about the dead dog once again. At least he didn't say it, but it was suggested. They should really have just called the movie Dead Dog instead of Wonder Boys, honesty in advertising. Who are these Wonder Boys? Tobe (James) I suppose, but that's one dude.

52 mins in, Michael says "James story is the stuff of bad fiction". And he himself is in some bad fiction here, so, take that. I don't tend to do this sort of pause the movie and post thing, but I just gotta get through this. 54 mins in oh lord they're discussing the dead dog thing. This movie is my nightmare. They really hung their hat on that bit. How am I supposed to get into this material of Michael and Francis with this oh so nutty thing looming over it, I don't see how this movie functions. What a baffling decision, the next scene has Michael and Tobe discussing how the time wasn't right to confess to that thing. So this is it, the whole movie is about this. I kind of despise this movie. They're talking about how that thing is still in the trunk at 58 mins in, "Let's try not to think about that" he says. Hmm. I wonder how much of this is Chabon's fault, I've been meaning to read Kavalier & Clay. This movie is screenwritten by the writer of a bunch of Harry Potter movies, Steve Kloves. The director did L.A. Confidential, that was cool. They talk about that dead dogsituation thing again around 1 hr 4 mins in.

I pretty much "did not finish" at this point, just gonna half pay attention to the second half while surfing the ol' internet. Not gonna mark this watched or anything, but, I will throw my hat in the ring for another movie.

1 hr 9 mins in, every sentence Michael says "James", talking at the restaurant. Why does he talk like this? Who writes like this? Harry Potter movie guy and Michael Chabon, that's who. And they should be ashamed of themselves. Looking into the book, that leans into the dead dog thing a lot too. So I'm tempted to give that copy of Kavalier & Clay to the used book store, I can't trust this maniac.

So about 1 hr 19 mins into the film, seemed it was getting slightly better. Heart to hearts, classic cheesy movie stuff, and then they ahem put the dead dog from the trunk into Tobe's bed as a decoy when they go out. Now, I love Troma films, I enjoy nutty schlocky stuff, gross stuff, but I just don't understand what this movie is attempting here. It's like one of those ol' Family Guy gags that goes on too long, to make a 2005 reference, but it's the whole movie and it was never funny. The whimsical something or other ballad of a few cliche rambling movie dudes and their dead dog. There's a half hour left in this movie. Oh they're having the talk now, about the thing. Gonna be quite the payoff. No, no it isn't. Help me.

1 hr 32 mins in, I can't even comment on the unfunny lameness. There's a callback to a wacky James Brown looking (allegedly) guy from earlier, and some kooky music score to some car hijinks, there is 15 minutes left in this film. There was never a story or an interesting conversation or something funny in the runtime. It kind of acts like its a movie, it imitates style and beats from other movies, like a shambling monster. May God have mercy on our souls. There's the Marilyn Monroe jacket thing, that was a thing I guess. This is a movie that is out there, buy it or rent at vudu Amazon dot com. My apologies if you like the movie, I can't review a movie that fully baffled me without going off the deep end. The last 15 mins of the movie were watched, those are minutes of the film Wonder Boys. Michael Douglas says Wonder Boy.. Make of that what you will. I didn't dig it. It is always interesting and cool how wildly different everybody's take is on a movie.

So keeping it legit, I won't count it as a watch on letterboxd, but good enough for this fine shameful thread, I'll try to watch more of the next one.


The list:

Hard Times - Looks like a better Bronson movie, and is said to be must see by Tarantino.

Harold and Maude - Keeping some vibes and motifs going, a movie I've meant to see for years.


La Haine - I hear it's cool.

Trouble in Mind - keeping the 80s picks rolling.

Gridlock'd - looks like a 90s gem.

Duck Soup - keeping the comedy history thing going. Plus Nic Cage referenced Harpo recently, and he knows his stuff.

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin - More HK, because it's cool.

Watch Out, We're Mad - Italy corner. This stars those Trinity comedy duo guys. They have a beat em up game.

The Hidden Fortress - I'd like to check out more of Kurosawa's stuff.

Companeros - some high quality Sergio spaghetti I hear.

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Zogo
Jul 29, 2003

Heavy Metal posted:

But what exactly is it? It's... humor? Is that what this is? I'm pretty close to retiring from both humor and movies 49 mins 29 seconds in. Has it really only been 29 more seconds?

Comedy (like any genre) can be highly subjective and it can also age very differently within different cultures and periods. Sometimes offensive, sometimes inscrutable, sometimes banal etc. I recently watched a clip of David Brenner doing jokes on the Carson show from ~45 years ago. The audience is laughing uproariously and it was very inscrutable. Felt like stuff from another planet.

I remember finding The Other Guys and Dinner for Schmucks really funny but I could easily see others thinking they were really dumb ones.

Heavy Metal posted:

Oh they're having the talk now, about the thing. Gonna be quite the payoff. No, no it isn't. Help me.

:lol:

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