Recently Watched Films

[MRS]

Drug Wars: The Camarena Story

Craig T. Nelson is bizarre and poignant in this, I guess I just said that.

[Jesse]

Rewatched two of my favorite 70s John Houston films last night:


Wise Blood [1979]


Fat City [1971]

[Enforcer]

I just watched this and I'm fairly speechless. This film completely fucked up my ability to watch anything else for a few days, at least. Brilliant on a few hundred thousand different levels. Fuck.

[Jesse]

It's a beauty, Nags.

[eraritjaritjaka]

Age Of Assassins - Okamoto Kihachi (1967)














Affair In The Snow - Yoshida Yoshishige (1968)

[Enforcer]

It's a beauty, Nags.

My only other exposure was Ivan's Childhood, which also left a deep impression on me. I wouldn't know about Tarkovsky if not for our man, Schau. He started a thread about him on another board (wink-wink) many years ago.

[cheerios]

Tarkovsky - The Sacrifice

kind of baffled by this movie. thought it was pretty boring and was unimpressed overall.

[Dan Warburton]

I'm tempted to say something patronising like "wait until you're older and you'll understand" but I recall Satie's biting response to that line so will refrain. And my mum's 84 and doesn't find Jacques Tati's Playtime funny, so there's no hope for her either. In any case, I feel the same way as you do about Bela Tarr, and there's no point trying to convince those that love him otherwise. A chacun ses gouts.. but The Sacrifice blows me away every time and moves me to tears, and that's good enough for me.

[leroysghost]

Wise Blood [1979]

Fat City [1971]

these are favorites of mine as well, both brilliant

The Sacrifice blows me away every time and moves me to tears, and that's good enough for me.

I'm young and feel the same, guess that just makes me an old soul

[leroysghost]

Jean-Pierre Melville - Léon Morin, prêtre (1961)

the first Melville movie i've seen. i'll definitely get around to seeing some others now given that the direction was the only thing that really stood out for me with this one (Belmondo is Belmondo, there is just far too much long drawn out theological discussion, maybe if i were french....).

[Dan Warburton]

Interesting place to start with Melville, but far from typical! You may want to check out the more noir stuff, starting with Bob Le Flambeur and (if you're a Belmondo fan), Le Doulos. After that you can't go wrong, though the last one, Un Flic is a bit flat compared to killers like Le Samourai (Delon unbeatable as the contract killer), Le Deuxième Souffle, L'Armée des Ombres and Cercle Rouge. I also rather like his first movie, Le Silence de la Mer. Have fun!

[Chromosome]

Affair In The Snow - Yoshida Yoshishige (1968)

Looks neat.

[leroysghost]

Stanley Donen - Charade (1963)

lots of fun, even if there is nary a man alive who wouldn't see the twist coming a mile down the road. it's a treat to see Cary Grant play over-the-hill. the awkwardness of his character as he is hit on by Audrey Hepburn (a quarter of a century his junior) is adorable. also some nice support from Walter Matthau, Jacques Marin, George Kennedy and James Coburn (who flicks about a dozen lit matches onto Hepburn's lap!).

[horaflora]

TRIMPIN: the sound of invention

...And then he was there at the end for a Q&A!!! Positively titillating.

[Jesse]

Trimpin just screened here last week, at an annual Mpls film fest called Sound:Unseen, only music docs and films curated. I was alerted to this by IHM's own Austin-based percussionist and good egg Nick Hennies, decided to pass on it.
Looked up my alley, as I have some interest in stuff like Partch's inventions.

[leroysghost]

René Clément - Gervaise (1956)

I haven't read L'Assommoir, but this adaptation seemed too simplistic and tame for Zola. at least there were some nicely directed set pieces, including a raucous washroom brawl and a well staged fall from a rooftop. I've liked the other Clément films I've seen a lot (Jeux Interdits and Plein Soleil), this one just wasn't quite in the same league.

[Dan Warburton]

Nicholas Ray, In A Lonely Place, 1950

What a fuckin' awesome film. Bogart really scary, Gloria Grahame terrific (great how starts out so cool and femme fatale, and falls apart as the film progresses), excellent screenplay, direction and photography.

[Gaendaal]

Stanley Donen - Charade (1963)

lots of fun, even if there is nary a man alive who wouldn't see the twist coming a mile down the road. it's a treat to see Cary Grant play over-the-hill. the awkwardness of his character as he is hit on by Audrey Hepburn (a quarter of a century his junior) is adorable. also some nice support from Walter Matthau, Jacques Marin, George Kennedy and James Coburn (who flicks about a dozen lit matches onto Hepburn's lap!).

Walter Matthau is great in this...'liverwurst, liverwurst, chicken and liverwurst'.

[leroysghost]

Jean-Pierre Melville - Bob le Flambeur (1956)

so pleased to finally see this! I'd been meaning to ever since Melville's "immortal" line in À Bout De Souffle, but the years past and i just never got around to it (i've even had both Bob and Doulos sitting on my tv for a couple months now).

seeing as I have a thing for film noir, it would have been difficult for me to feel let down by that aspect of the film, but I wasn't expecting such great use of sound/music! the blaring alarm at the racetrack, the harp flourish when Bob lights a match, the blending together of the music wafting out from adjacent nightclubs -- great stuff!


Jean-Pierre Melville - Le Doulos (1962)

quite good, much more of a noir then Bob le Flambeur. the two films make for an interesting comparison: Bob is a fairytale full of fast edits, pans, wipes and fades with a focus on character interactions. Doulos is a plot driven crime flick full of shadows, long takes and fluid camera movements.
it's almost as if, after kick starting the whole new wave business, Melville just decided to go back to doing straight up genre pictures

[Jesse]

Paranormal Activity
D: Oren Peli