The 'Recently Watched Films' Thread

[miercuri]

Originally Posted by waalkwriter

Oh, and this film has helped me come to one conclusion; Armond White can go fuck himself. What an overly sensitive, pretentious asshole. It's one of the reasons I can barely stand to stomach reading critics period, because of the few blokes like him, who seem to always watch a movie with the intention of disliking it, rather than trying to like it; same with critics of every field, either that or their tastes get too eclectic.

I like to believe that Armond White is a troll, but it's really upsetting to think that he actually gets paid for trolling.

[Refus de Sejour]

Still, ya can't argue with:

. . .intellectually juvenile New Zealander Peter Jackson. . .

If you want some decent, entertaining film criticism though, try the BBC's Mark Kermode. A lot of podcast clips are up on YouTube, and the full radio shows can be downloaded from somewhere. I highly recommend his rants on Sex and the City 2 and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

[Stevie B]

Originally Posted by Bjorn

Of course there are other actors in Sweden! At least... um... four. Maybe even the full half dozen.

That's the problem with being a small country that tries to prove it's still a great film nation by quantity, not quality: the few household names get cast in everything.

I was being facetious, of course, but I guess producers are always looking for "bankable" stars. However, it does seem rare that an actor like Nyqvist, who doesn't possess the traditional leading man good looks, gets so many great parts (in Hollywood, only Tommy Lee Jones comes to mind). It's nice to see talent taking precedence over looks. By the way, I have Everlasting Moments in my Netflix queue. I just checked the credits and there is no Michael Nyqvist in the cast.

On a different note, one of my favorite films of all time is My Life as a Dog. I especially liked Tomas von Brömssen who played Uncle Gunnar. I've never seen him in any other films. Is he primarily a TV actor?

[Liam]

- [] Syndromes and a Century by Apichatpong Weerasethakul: +++

OMG. A new kind of art film. I was shaken to the core. A simple love story set in the countryside gets retold midway through the film when the action moves to the city. Unforgettable performances, musical score, and visuals.

From the Freudian perspective, you could go on analyzing this film till kingdom come. Beautiful!


L.

[Bjorn]

Originally Posted by Stevie B

On a different note, one of my favorite films of all time is My Life as a Dog. I especially liked Tomas von Brömssen who played Uncle Gunnar. I've never seen him in any other films. Is he primarily a TV actor?

Not only is he a TV actor, he is - or at least he was before Dog - a TV comedian. Further proving that 9 times out of 10, you can make a good dramatic actor out of a good comedian but rarely the other way around.

Since the weather is finally back to its normal July shittiness over here, I finally got a chance to spend all day catching up on some movies.

Cop Out: Kevin Smith's new movie (originally titled A Couple Of Dicks). Basically, he's trying to do Hot Fuzz in American. Bad idea. I'm starting to realise that I probably like Kevin Smith much better as a script writer than as a director, and he didn't write this one. Loud, abrasive, and most of the time sadly unfunny.

The Losers: comic book-based action movie I probably wouldn't have looked twice at if it hadn't been for a pretty decent cast (Idris Elba, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana) and a short running time. Basically The A Team dialled up a few notches, with a bunch of disgraced soldiers waging open war on the CIA. Fun, well paced, dumb in the right way. Good popcorn movie.

Limits of Control: Jim Jarmusch's latest. Jarmusch favourite Isaach Bankoulé as a hitman traveling through Spain, running into cryptic contacts who give him hints on where to go next, all of which basically add up to "make it up as you go along". Everyone makes sure he doesn't speak Spanish, then offers him vital clues (not to the plot, but to the reading of it) in untranslated Spanish. Absolutely beautifully made, every single shot here could be put in a museum, and your typical slow-moving Jarmusch story which is more about impressions and ideas than actual plot. Not sure it's as good as his best, but one I'll want to go back to.

Hell Comes To Frogtown. Oh dear god no.

Straw Dogs. One of those films I'm not sure if I've seen before (to paraphrase Tilda Swinton in Limits of Control, there are some movies you're never sure if you've seen or if you've just dreamed them). Straw Dogs is a really uncomfortable movie, and I'm not sure exactly what to make of it; basically, everyone here is a complete asshole and while it's a fascinating drama that escalates to murder fairly believably, I'm honestly not sure how to read it. Which probably means it's good.

[miercuri]

Originally Posted by Bjorn

Limits of Control: Jim Jarmusch's latest. Jarmusch favourite Isaach Bankoulé as a hitman traveling through Spain, running into cryptic contacts who give him hints on where to go next, all of which basically add up to "make it up as you go along". Everyone makes sure he doesn't speak Spanish, then offers him vital clues (not to the plot, but to the reading of it) in untranslated Spanish. Absolutely beautifully made, every single shot here could be put in a museum, and your typical slow-moving Jarmusch story which is more about impressions and ideas than actual plot. Not sure it's as good as his best, but one I'll want to go back to.

I watched this some time ago, beautifully shot, enigmatic. The structure of the film definitely had me intrigued, being fed pieces of plot, that happen in between the key moments of the plot. All the action taking place off screen, while the hero is cryptically following a routine and gathering quirky advice. But then came the ending and it completely ruined the film for me. For once, I would have been happy with an anticlimax, because this whole thing was a sort of anti-thriller. Instead, it felt rushed and broke the pacing.

Straw Dogs. One of those films I'm not sure if I've seen before (to paraphrase Tilda Swinton in Limits of Control, there are some movies you're never sure if you've seen or if you've just dreamed them). Straw Dogs is a really uncomfortable movie, and I'm not sure exactly what to make of it; basically, everyone here is a complete asshole and while it's a fascinating drama that escalates to murder fairly believably, I'm honestly not sure how to read it. Which probably means it's good.

I've been meaning to watch this for a long time. I know there is a remake that's supposed to come out next year. Seeing it stars Alexander Skarsgard, I would probably watch that one as well, but for completely different reasons.

[Sif]

Originally Posted by Stevie B

On a different note, one of my favorite films of all time is My Life as a Dog. I especially liked Tomas von Brömssen who played Uncle Gunnar. I've never seen him in any other films...

Oh, that was an incredible movie. It's been so long since I've seen in, I really do need to rent it again.



I had the house mostly to myself this weekend, the boys spending it with their dad's family so I've had time to watch a few movies...

Burnt By The Sun. A Russian movie by Director/Actor Nikita Mikhalkov. There were times I wasn't sure if I was going to like but when all was said and done, I was incredibly moved by it.

Queen Margot. French, directed by Patrice Chéreau. I turned it off with 20 minutes to go because I decided it was silly.

Easier With Practice. And American indie release directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez.

As It Is in Heaven. A Swedish film by Kay Pollak staring...wait for it...Michael Nyqvist! A complete coincidence, my Mom and Dad have been telling me to watch this movie for months now and I'm just finally getting to it. A very sweet movie, I completely understand why my parents found it so charming.
( Michael Nyqvist reminds me of Mads Mikkelsen and Danish movies. I swear he was in at least the first 5 or 6 Danish movies I saw)

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring. Korean, by Ki-duk Kim. Another sort of coincidence, it was a recommendation by netflix because I watch a lot of Chinese movies but when I saw it, I remembered the discussion about the movie from this thread and thought it sounded interesting...and it was. An amazing movie, beautiful imagery, powerful message, good actors, the Autumn guy was a little melodramatic but then again, I tend to be uncomfortable with any over the top emoting so maybe it was just me.

[Bjorn]

Originally Posted by miercuri

I watched this some time ago, beautifully shot, enigmatic. The structure of the film definitely had me intrigued, being fed pieces of plot, that happen in between the key moments of the plot. All the action taking place off screen, while the hero is cryptically following a routine and gathering quirky advice. But then came the ending and it completely ruined the film for me. For once, I would have been happy with an anticlimax, because this whole thing was a sort of anti-thriller. Instead, it felt rushed and broke the pacing.

Really? I loved the ending, the hint that he's leaving the hitman persona for someone else to find and work through random clues, that maybe that's how he got into it himself... Then again, I interpret it subjectively.

I've been meaning to watch this for a long time. I know there is a remake that's supposed to come out next year. Seeing it stars Alexander Skarsgard, I would probably watch that one as well, but for completely different reasons.

Alexander Skarsgård in Dustin Hoffman's role? Hmmmm. Hmmm, I say. Really not sure about that.

[JTolle]

Originally Posted by Liam

Rented Syndromes and a Century for tomorrow.

L.

Definitely required the second viewing I never gave it, but its repetitions and the cinematography and those wonderful long takes made it one of my favorite films of the past 10 years.

[Heteronym]

I just watched Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer; I recommend everyone to check it out as soon as possible; it was an amazing experience. Such a well-made, tense thriller.

[lenz]

Quote:bjorn
Straw Dogs. One of those films I'm not sure if I've seen before (to paraphrase Tilda Swinton in Limits of Control, there are some movies you're never sure if you've seen or if you've just dreamed them). Straw Dogs is a really uncomfortable movie, and I'm not sure exactly what to make of it; basically, everyone here is a complete asshole and while it's a fascinating drama that escalates to murder fairly believably, I'm honestly not sure how to read it. Which probably means it's good.

Miercuri: I've been meaning to watch this for a long time. I know there is a remake that's supposed to come out next year. Seeing it stars Alexander Skarsgard, I would probably watch that one as well, but for completely different reasons. ________

__________

When I first saw it I thought it was just about an ordinary, peaceful man becoming a killer when his sexual jealousy is aroused - and so, thought it stupid. I suppose, though, you could give it a political reading and say that it criticises USA foreign policy by having the American "hero" killing a foreigner for attacking an American "possession" that wasn't worth grabbing in the first place. I still don't think it works that way and that it's kind of stupid.

[lenz]

Mulholland Drive continued ...

Originally Posted by lenz

Sorry, it's been a long time since I've seen Mulholland Drive and forgot that Watts plays more than one character. But, I still felt more angry at Lynch than at Hollywood corruption when it was over.
It's interesting to compare it to Sunset Boulevard (one of my favourites), where Billy Wilder sets out to show the seedy side of Hollywood, in a straightforward (if grotesque) story of high-minded innocence versus greedy small-mindedness. There's no question that Wilder has a message, just as Polanski did in Chinatown i.e., that political and artistic corruption are bad. Lynch is incapable of taking a moral stand on anything, which doesn't mean that he's objective, but just manipulative.

Liam: Ah, you need to see The Elephant Man before you jump to that conclusion! #623


OK. I've watched Mulholland Drive again and have changed my opinion somewhat. I'd forgotten almost everything about it except that I felt sorry for Betty/Diane (Naomi Watts) and felt that Lynch didn't really have any feeling for her and didn't care if anyone else did.

So, anyway, I take back what I said about his not taking a moral stand (I had seen The Elephant Man but it would be hard to tell that story without showing sympathy for the main character!). He does show the evil side
of show business and how a fresh young talent can be destroyed in it. The trouble for me, though, is that all of the surreal "dream" stuff that seems not to have anything to do with the girl (great line "This is the girl."), the
guy in the restaurant and his fear of the monster living behind it, the theatre piece with the "recorded band", seemed to be thrown in simply because Lynch didn't want to leave them out. Intriguing as they are and
wonderful to watch, I just felt that they were there to distance us from the central story. That's not a bad thing in itself, as a narrative technique, but they also seemed (there's that word again!!) to be mocking us the audience for taking the whole thing seriously - "Are you afraid of movie monsters?" It's that ironic sniggering in the background that gets to me. I'm reminded now that either the Betty version of events or that of Diane could be the "real" story or that they're both parts of "the girl's" real and imagined life along with the "weird" scenes. Maybe it's that the girl is a sort of every-girl and not a particular character who we can come to know that
disturbs me. Why does Lynch make make her a cliché if he is really moved by the reality of such a character? Which brings us back to the morality question.

Now I'm not sure again. I don't think Lynch is a monster but this film makes me want to go out back and give him a good talking to.

[miercuri]

Went to see Inception at last! I still haven't quite made up my mind about what I think of what's really going on in that film, but I'm certainly glad that Nolan happened to Hollywood. I highly doubt we're getting a better blockbuster this year.
Oh, my rating would be +

[Daniel del Real]

Originally Posted by miercuri

Went to see Inception at last! I still haven't quite made up my mind about what I think of what's really going on in that film, but I'm certainly glad that Nolan happened to Hollywood. I highly doubt we're getting a better blockbuster this year.
Oh, my rating would be +

I'll watch it tomorrow. From what I've heard and seen in the trailers it has a reminiscense of Murakami's Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World: Reading dreams, hiding confidential and highly important information in the mind, etc. Don't really know, but that's the impression I get by now. After watching the movie I'll be able to finally tell if my appreciation was correct. We'll see.

[miercuri]

Originally Posted by Daniel del Real

I'll watch it tomorrow. From what I've heard and seen in the trailers it has a reminiscense of Murakami's Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World: Reading dreams, hiding confidential and highly important information in the mind, etc. Don't really know, but that's the impression I get by now. After watching the movie I'll be able to finally tell if my appreciation was correct. We'll see.

My boyfriend was saying that it reminded him of Phillip K. Dick's Ubik. I thought it was a crossover between The Matrix and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, without borrowing any concrete elements from either of them. Anyway, watch the movie! I hope you'll enjoy it!

[Clarissa]

The Dust of Time - written and directed by Theodoros Angelopolos with William Hurt, Bruno Ganz, Michel Piccoli and Irène Jacob.

Overambitious, actors in need of direction, probably due to the different languages. The only 'foreign' actor who seemed at ease in English was Irene Jacob. The story is crammed with practically every important event in European history from 1938 to 2000.WWII, the Greek Civil War, Stalin's death, the Gulag, a survivor going to Israel, others to the US, Berlin divided and then the Wall coming down in 1989 etc. Even the punk squat scene in Berlin, Angelopoulos left nothing out. A disappointment as I have seen other of his films that I have appreciated, Landscape in the Mist comes to mind.

[Heteronym]

I've seen Inception, and it was a mildly-pleasing action thriller.

[pontalba]

Originally Posted by miercuri

My boyfriend was saying that it reminded him of Phillip K. Dick's Ubik. I thought it was a crossover between The Matrix and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, without borrowing any concrete elements from either of them. Anyway, watch the movie! I hope you'll enjoy it!

Great comparison.
But I think I need to watch it again to be sure.

[Clarissa]

Hunger - dir. Steve McQueen

Violent but not gratuitously so. A stunning performance from Michael Fassbender in the rôle of Bobby Sands.

Not sure how faithful it was to the actual events but left me ashamed of being a Brit.

[Liam]

Originally Posted by Clarissa

left me ashamed of being a Brit

I thought you were Austrian???

Now go watch The Wind that Shakes the Barley: you'll hang yourself afterwards, .




L