Recently Watched Films

[Yii]

[hatta]

Geez, I'm so sorry Yi.


As for myself I finally watched La Battaglia di Algeri (The Battle of Algiers) this week. Great film, unbelievably apropos to these times. I't makes me despair (even more) for humanity - do we really learn nothing?

[Dan Warburton]

.

[jpeatt]

At last I found the time to watch it!

And.......?

I went to see Persopolis yesterday, which I enjoyed. The very clean lines of the comic were well fleshed out by the textured backgrounds, without cluttering them, and the story was well told. It reminded me at times of Berthold Bartosch's "L'Idee", particularly in many of the scenes depicting the cruelty of various regimes.

[jpeatt]

And I just watched the Da Vinci Code on TV.

I feel like I've just been slapped in the face by big, wet hairy testicles. Or at least, I feel how I imagine that feels.

Recommended only to those with a serious need for profound vegetation AND an endless fascination for even the most banal of conspiracy driven movies.

[hatta]

I watched Lost Highway last night which I haven't seen in ages, maybe ten years. Primarily because it has been out on dvd in region 1 until earlier this year. Glad to finally have all of the Lynch catalog at home now. Anyway this film is by far Lynch's most nihilistic and I'd always thought of it as fairly impenetrable. If, for instance, you compare it to Mulholland Dr.. they are both films that are puzzles but enough of the pieces are given to you in Mullholland Dr. to get the picture. Lost Highway I always felt was just short of that critical number leaving you with dark, incomprehensible fragments. But watching it last night it actually didn't seem so impenetrable. I mean I won't claim to have the picture, but I think I worked out a consistent narrative of the whole thing. Beyond that aspect the level of menace in this film is amazing. I've said this before that Lynch is absolutely unparalleled at creating an atmosphere of overwhelming menace. I'm not at all a horror movie fan, mainly because I just find them ridiculous, but Lynch I think can leave you wanting to turn all the lights on in the house.

So while still not a top three Lynch film for me this is another great entry in the Lynch oeuvre. But damn the Rammstein was a serious misstep. Every-time that cranked up the carefully crafted atmosphere disappeared replaced by the humor of grown men gutturally intoning the word Rammstein.

[Chromosome]

I've said this before that Lynch is absolutely unparalleled at creating an atmosphere of overwhelming menace.

I've only seen the first half of Inland Empire, which I disliked, but I could kind of see how he can create a creepy atmosphere, although the use of "erie" bass seemed a little cliche. But to be fair, I'm basing that on memory from months ago. That screenshot from Lost Highway is intriguing.

[jon abbey]

I watched Lost Highway last night which I haven't seen in ages, maybe ten years. Primarily because it has been out on dvd in region 1 until earlier this year. Glad to finally have all of the Lynch catalog at home now. Anyway this film is by far Lynch's most nihilistic and I'd always thought of it as fairly impenetrable. If, for instance, you compare it to Mulholland Dr.. they are both films that are puzzles but enough of the pieces are given to you in Mullholland Dr. to get the picture. Lost Highway I always felt was just short of that critical number leaving you with dark, incomprehensible fragments. But watching it last night it actually didn't seem so impenetrable. I mean I won't claim to have the picture, but I think I worked out a consistent narrative of the whole thing. Beyond that aspect the level of menace in this film is amazing. I've said this before that Lynch is absolutely unparalleled at creating an atmosphere of overwhelming menace. I'm not at all a horror movie fan, mainly because I just find them ridiculous, but Lynch I think can leave you wanting to turn all the lights on in the house.

So while still not a top three Lynch film for me this is another great entry in the Lynch oeuvre. But damn the Rammstein was a serious misstep. Every-time that cranked up the carefully crafted atmosphere disappeared replaced by the humor of grown men gutturally intoning the word Rammstein.

I was right with you until the Rammstein, which works fine IMO. this is probably my favorite Lynch standalone film (not counting any of Twin Peaks).

[walto]

Right on!

[nate dorward]

(it's never really made clear whether the story's set in Mexico or not - a masterstroke given when the film came out.. think mid 70s Chile folks)

My recollection from watching w/ the roundtable commentary track turned on was that while the film's set in Mexico, the exact country where El Jefe's compound is (it's not Mexico--hence the plane flight near the start of the film) was deliberately obscured because Peckinpah needed to avoid offending the powers-that-be in Mexico.

Incidentally, though it's not a great commentary track, it's worth hearing just to sample four guys very uneasily/queasily dealing with that scene with Elita & Kristofferson's biker. -- Unfortunately the DVD often has that "recorded in someone's bathroom" distortion to some of the audio that I associate with certain Antonioni films (Story of a Love Affair & Red Desert).... I don't know the causes of this problem.

Lately, the watching has been Tekkonkinkreet (very interesting anime film--sort of a kung fu cyberpunk Grave of the Fireflies.... the ending kind of lost me but otherwise, great stuff) and Knife in the Water.

[Chromosome]

Amelie (Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain)

I just walked out of a showing of this about 35 minutes into it. I'm so tired of quirky little characters, cute little coincidences, Wes Anderson-esque zooming up to objects, and voice-over narration in films that make up the "cute, silly, but meaningful/ironic/meaningful" genre.

Sorry for the rant.

[franz bieberkopf]

to be fair, it mostly started what has now become, a certain shitty tendency of american independent cinema.

[Chromosome]

to be fair, it mostly started what has now become, a certain shitty tendency of american independent cinema.

Yeah, I think that's what I'm annoyed about.

Actually, I think film can easily annoy me in general.

Oh and the heat and humidity in the theater made being there kind of uncomfortable so that added to the situation.

[franz bieberkopf]

to be fair, it mostly started what has now become, a certain shitty tendency of american independent cinema.

Yeah, I think that's what I'm annoyed about.

Actually, I think film can easily annoy me in general.

Oh and the heat and humidity in the theater made being there kind of uncomfortable so that added to the situation.

verily, there is no time for cute in balmy conditions. when global warming really comes...

but yeah, no need to back pedal on yr reaction... it's just more acute now than it may have been back in the day...

film is annoying as hell.

[O'Grady]

Jacques Rivette - Duelle (une quarantaine) (1976)

The first part of an attempted trilogy. I was disappointed by this but I won't pretend to wholly understand the story either. Juliet Berto & Bulle Ogier were great, they brought the film to life. Duelle is never boring but never fantastic.

[kangaroo?]

Jacques Rivette - Duelle (une quarantaine) (1976)

The first part of an attempted trilogy. I was disappointed by this but I won't pretend to wholly understand the story either. Juliet Berto & Bulle Ogier were great, they brought the film to life. Duelle is never boring but never fantastic.

did you find a version that has english subtitles?

[O'Grady]

Jacques Rivette - Duelle (une quarantaine) (1976)

The first part of an attempted trilogy. I was disappointed by this but I won't pretend to wholly understand the story either. Juliet Berto & Bulle Ogier were great, they brought the film to life. Duelle is never boring but never fantastic.

did you find a version that has english subtitles?

Yes. I have Noroît too. But thinking of watching Belle noiseuse next

[Chromosome]

to be fair, it mostly started what has now become, a certain shitty tendency of american independent cinema.

Yeah, I think that's what I'm annoyed about.

Actually, I think film can easily annoy me in general.

Oh and the heat and humidity in the theater made being there kind of uncomfortable so that added to the situation.

verily, there is no time for cute in balmy conditions. when global warming really comes...

but yeah, no need to back pedal on yr reaction... it's just more acute now than it may have been back in the day...

film is annoying as hell.

Looking back on last night, I can say I was in a terrible mood. Maybe I'll try to give that film another shot, although it might remain annoying.

[franz bieberkopf]

Jacques Rivette - Duelle (une quarantaine) (1976)

The first part of an attempted trilogy. I was disappointed by this but I won't pretend to wholly understand the story either. Juliet Berto & Bulle Ogier were great, they brought the film to life. Duelle is never boring but never fantastic.

yeah saw this at the cinematheque last year. while it may not be obviously amazing, it has a few moments that are among my favourites from any of his films. chief among them being this when Berto (if memory serves) has her cape suddenly flap in this violent gust of breeze as she walks across a large empty room. a delightful appendix for cinephilia to be stowed away somewhere... passed on the chance to do Noroit in the same evening... i wonder what i was doing that i was too cool to seize the one opportunity i might've had for years to come...of course i also passed on La Religieuse and the shorter version of Out One...

[sound plague]