Recently Watched Films

[leroysghost]

Meanwhile, a good movie but a bit on the long side

the length works in the Anatomy of a Murder's favor i think. as a viewer you are already put in the position of juror so it's only natural that you have to endure the length and possible tedium of the trial.

I've got the OST on vinyl and love it.

if there is one thing you cannot fault Preminger for, it's his taste in soundtracks and credit sequences.


Jean Renoir - The Rules of the Game (1939)

what a bizarre history this film has: an epic script mangled by a rushed and troubled production and then cut another 10 minutes after a hostile premier (why do the french bother with premiers...all they ever seem to do is riot at them ) leaving what i can only imagine was a very truncated and incoherent jumble. that version was then inexplicably lauded by some critics until all the available footage was finally reassembled 1959 revealing a very solid and enjoyable Renoir film. the film is now frequently referred to as one of the greatest film ever made, which is a little surprising because i wouldn't even call it the greatest film made by Renoir (and i haven't seen Grand Illusion yet).

[Dan Warburton]

I hate lines like "the greatest film ever made" (though I've never heard this one touted as such.. that dubious honour usually goes to Citizen Kane..) Personally I prefer it to La Grande Illusion, but it's a bit daft comparing apples and oranges. I can't even say it's the best Renoir, not having seen all his movies yet - but it's certainly magnificent. Hope you've got good subtitles on your version: the dialogue is dense, and rich.

[leroysghost]

I hate lines like "the greatest film ever made" (though I've never heard this one touted as such.. that dubious honour usually goes to Citizen Kane..)

in my experience Citizen Kane is usually mentioned with The Rules of the Game as it's European counterpart.

i was trying to come up with my favorite Renoir film (i love La Chienne and A Day in the Country...but also Boudu and La Bête Humaine) and i decided that no single Renoir is his greatest, rather his greatness comes more from the cumulative effect of his best films put together (and The Rules of the Game definitely ranks among his best).

[surfer]

Ben Gazzara

Ben Gazzara is a national treasure, that nobody can deny. In addition to Preminger and Cassavetes, add Spike Lee, von Trier, Coen Brothers, Solondz, Vincent Gallo, he was even in "Road House"!!!

[walto]

I hate lines like "the greatest film ever made" (though I've never heard this one touted as such.. that dubious honour usually goes to Citizen Kane..)

in my experience Citizen Kane is usually mentioned with The Rules of the Game as it's European counterpart.

i was trying to come up with my favorite Renoir film (i love La Chienne and A Day in the Country...but also Bodu and La Bête Humaine) and i decided that no single Renoir is his greatest, rather his greatness comes more from the cumulative effect of his best films put together (and The Rules of the Game definitely ranks among his best).

I think my favorite Renoir film is The River. But I've only seen three or four.

[jon abbey]

I think my favorite Renoir film is The River. But I've only seen three or four.

I thought that was laughably bad, I really didn't understand what people saw in it. nice colors, little content...

[walto]

I think my favorite Renoir film is The River. But I've only seen three or four.

I thought that was laughably bad, I really didn't understand what people saw in it. nice colors, little content...

I feel that way about some of the more famous ones.

[Dan Warburton]

Douglas Sirk, All I Desire, 1953

[leroysghost]

I think my favorite Renoir film is The River. But I've only seen three or four.

I thought that was laughably bad, I really didn't understand what people saw in it. nice colors, little content...

I feel that way about some of the more famous ones.

really? which ones? (if you don't mind my asking)


George Cukor - My Fair Lady (1964)

i can't for the life of me figure out why this one seems to have fallen out of favor in recent years. for my money it's still every bit as good as Gigi. wonderful, sarcastic and endearing in every way (including Hepburn's exaggerated facial expressions), with a special mention for those phonetic phonograph recordings .

[walto]

I think My Fair Lady is much better than Gigi.

With Renoir, I was talking about both of the biggies--Rules and Illusion. I never really got them, I guess.

[Dohol]

awkward hollywood title night:

Chris Weitz - The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)

decidedly undoes all the good of the first film while retaining the originals entertaining atrociousness (no vampire basketball though ). all the main character is allowed to do here pine over her manipulative loser (vampire) boyfriend and engage in reckless behavior just so she can hallucinate him coming to her rescue!
it's worth noting that Taylor Lautner had to pack on 30 pounds of muscle to avoid being replaced and in doing so was kept on (shirtless 90% of the time) regardless of his inability to act worth a damn. talk about sexism...

I took my daughter to see it last Saturday ( my wife wisely declined the honor ) and I hated it ( Hannah LOVED it..)

Oh well..

To take the taste of that atrocity out of my eyes, I pulled out:

[leroysghost]

I think My Fair Lady is much better than Gigi.

they are both awesome, but My Fair Lady doesn't have Hermione Gingold and Maurice Chevalier.


Jean Renoir - Grand Illusion (1937)

i dunno, this is pretty great. all the acting is suburb (Stroheim knocks my socks off) and the plot is wonderful and unexpectedly even-handed for a war film. the use of different languages is very refreshing after so many films where everyone just speaks english.

i think i like this more than The Rules of the Game, although Rules has some fantastic sequences: the first scene, the hunt and the mechanical piano and organ scenes in particular are stunning.

[leroysghost]

awkward hollywood title night:
Chris Weitz - The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)

that atrocity out of my eyes...

no love for all the shirtless wolfman eye candy? about halfway through the film the air was so thick with pheromones that you could hardly breathe (apparently wholesale sexism isn't a turn off to twilight fans).

any enjoyment i got out of New Moon came from my sneaking in the back door of the theater with three girl companions to poke fun at the film with. having to actually pay to see it though...harsh.

...I pulled out:

speaking of Hammett. good choice.

[walto]

I think My Fair Lady is much better than Gigi.

they are both awesome, and My Fair Lady doesn't have Hermione Gingold and Maurice Chevalier.

I think the one (and only) superior thing about Gigi is that everybody does his/her own singing (at least AFAIK).

Jean Renoir - Grand Illusion (1937)



i dunno, this is pretty great. all the acting is suburb (Stroheim knocks my socks off) and the plot is wonderful and unexpectedly even-handed for a war film. the use of different languages is very refreshing after so many films where everyone just speaks english.

i think i like this more than The Rules of the Game, although Rules has some fantastic sequences: the first scene, the hunt and the mechanical piano and organ scenes in particular are stunning.

Yeah, maybe they were just hyped too much for me back before I'd first seen them. I was expecting....who knows?

W

[jon abbey]

I'm not sure how someone could read Hammett and then watch Miller's Crossing and not be thoroughly irritated by the superficiality of the latter. then again, I generally hate the Coen brothers' work (I haven't even bothered seeing the last few, they almost always just piss me off).

anyway, since my contributions to this subforum lately have mostly been driveby crankiness, here's a bit of content:

[img]http://auteurs_production.s3.amazonaws.com/stills/6073/Film_319w_BadSleepWell.jpg[/img]

Vengeance Is Mine (Shohei Imamura, 1979)

we've recently been making our way through some of the Imamura Criterion releases. this one's definitely recommended, a study of a serial killer with little motivation besides growing up in a thoroughly fucked post-war Japan, based on a true story. Ken Ogata is great as the killer, I liked this more than Imamura's earlier Pigs and Battleships and The Insect Woman (haven't seen Intentions of Murder yet).

[Jesse]

I've seen a half dozen Imamura films. keep going to The Ballad of Narayama.

The Coen brothers annoying factor is GREATLY enhanced by our local media, who NEVER stop reminding you, with cloying puff pieces, that THEY ARE FROM HERE!

[MRS]

I generally hate the Coen brothers' work

So do I. Watch No Country.

[leroysghost]

I'm not sure how someone could read Hammett and then watch Miller's Crossing and not be thoroughly irritated by the superficiality of the latter. then again, I generally hate the Coen brothers' work (I haven't even bothered seeing the last few, they almost always just piss me off).

but you like Tarantino? to me they seem like two (or rather three) peas in a pod, either you loathe them or love them all (the Coens have made some shitty movies that annoyed the hell out of me though).

Vengeance Is Mine (Shohei Imamura, 1979)

we've recently been making our way through some of the Imamura Criterion releases. this one's definitely recommended, a study of a serial killer with little motivation besides growing up in a thoroughly fucked post-war Japan, based on a true story. Ken Ogata is great as the killer, I liked this more than Imamura's earlier Pigs and Battleships and The Insect Woman (haven't seen Intentions of Murder yet).

i've loved pretty much all the Imamura i've seen but i'd say that Intentions of Murder and Vengeance Is Mine are probably his best. The Ballad of Narayama is good and is the most clear and direct illustration of his style and intentions, but personally i'd go for Black Rain, The Pornographers and Dr. Akagi first.

[jon abbey]

but you like Tarantino? to me they seem like two (or rather three) peas in a pod, either you loathe them or love them all (the Coens have made some shitty movies that annoyed the hell out of me though).

hmm. the Coens to me spend a lot of time trying to prove how endlessly clever they are, there's a feeling of condescension towards the audience quite often IMO. Tarantino has a massive ego, but it doesn't really come across in his actual films. he seems genuinely interested in making the best films he can in his own derivative-from-everywhere style, whereas the Coens often seem like their main goal is to make each other laugh.

also, while you could make a case for the best handful of Coen films against Tarantino's (I wouldn't agree, but one could make that case), they've released some brutal, indefensible duds also like The Man Who Wasn't There and The Hudsucker Proxy. Tarantino has never done anything like that, admittedly he's made way fewer films.

i've love pretty much all the Imamura i've seen but if i'd say that Intentions of Murder and Vengeance Is Mine are probably his best. The Ballad of Narayama is good and is the most clear and direct illustration of his style and intentions, but personally i'd go for Black Rain, The Pornographers and Dr. Akagi first.

can you slightly rewrite this so it makes sense in English? I think the problem is probably around the bolded part in the first sentence, thanks.

[Dan Warburton]

i've love pretty much all the Imamura i've seen but if i'd say that Intentions of Murder and Vengeance Is Mine are probably his best. The Ballad of Narayama is good and is the most clear and direct illustration of his style and intentions, but personally i'd go for Black Rain, The Pornographers and Dr. Akagi first.

can you slightly rewrite this so it makes sense in English? I think the problem is probably around the bolded part in the first sentence, thanks.

Add a "d" to "love" and remove the "if" and it makes perfect sense.