Schoolio's Movie Corner

[Backwater]

I know he wasn't American but no love for Hitchcock here? What gives? Also, John Huston and Billy Wilder should be mentioned in the top ten. As far as living directors, Todd Solondz is incredibly underrated.

Slimwang, two of your favorite movies are on AMC tonight back to back. Animal House, then History of the World, then Animal House again.

[whynotsmile99]

I'm inclined to put all three of the guys you listed in the discussion as well, even though I hated Alexander, Inside Man, and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.

With Antonioni - watch everything you can get your hands on. Here are my feelings on his work, covering his creative prime (I haven't seen any of his really early or later work):

Il Grido - A father and his daughter hit the road after her mother rejects him, staying with various former and future lovers along the way. It's more conventional than his other films, and it drags a little bit in the middle. But the bleak ending is terrific, and is a striking window into the future direction Antonioni would go.

L'Avventura - During a boating excursion among bourgeois friends, a young woman goes missing; her not-so-wealthy friend Claudia vows to find her, along with the vanished woman's extremely wealthy fiancee. They are soon sidetracked and begin a gaudy affair, with Claudia being seduced by the life that's always been outside her grasp. This film is fucking brilliant.

La Notte - A rich couple whose marriage is falling apart attends a party out of obligation, where both of them are tempted to stray by other partygoers. This isn't Antonioni's most engaging film, but it is a great depiction of what it's like to feel alone no matter how crowded the room is.

L'Eclisse - A young woman leaves her lover and embarks on a new romance with an aggressive young stockbroker. This is Antonioni's most detached, unconventional narrative, and it's definitely a film that needs a little time to marinate. But the ominous subtlety paints a vivid portrait of the undernourishment of the characters' souls. The finale is one of the most harrowing sequences I've ever seen on film.

Il Deserto Rosso - Antonioni's first color film; this will be the hardest one for you to find because it hasn't been released in the US. It's worth the effort to track down if you like his other stuff. A woman has moved with her recently-promoted husband to a remote industrial location; the stifling artificial landscape induces a growing hedonism among their acquaintances and themselves, and eventually begins to drive her to delusion. If you liked Todd Haynes' Safe - this is a very obvious predecessor.

Blow-Up - Impossible not to love. The photographer's feigned social conscious is one of the more cynical revelations I've seen, and one of my favorite endings ever. Obviously, it's a delicious feast, and worthy of all the praise it has been given.

Zabriskie Point - This is Antonioni's weirdest, most surreal film. A vigilante student and a hippie working in the corporate world convene unexpectedly out in the desert for an afternoon of exile that somehow becomes an orgy. Terrific Pink Floyd score. And one of the most cathartic out-there endings in movie history.

The Passenger - Antonioni's most "entertaining" film. Jack Nicholson plays an English journalist who journeys to Africa to interview a guerilla army and encounters a deceased colleague in his hotel room. Disenfranchised professionally and personally, he assumes the dead man's identity, and returns to Europe to find he has become a weapons dealer. The film's climax is a 10 minute long shot that is one for the time capsule.


There's a ton of consistency with Antonioni's work: stark, gorgeous, multi-layered photography that evokes things no prose ever could; a recurring disavowal of elite, capitalist values, and the way they often mask a person's hollow core; and, as mentioned in many of the above synopses, a phenomenal instinct when it comes to ending the film. He's like the anti-Spielberg in - well, in every way - but primarily in his ability to stick the landing like nobody's business.

And, along with Stanley Kubrick and John Cassavetes, he was in my personal holy trinity of filmmakers.

sounds good thanks for the info. Look forward to watching more of his stuff. Going to bump a bit of his stuff on netflix next week

[woogie846]

I just watched Midnight Run. It's a fun movie.

[whynotsmile99]

damn, how could i leave David Fincher and Tim Burton off my list. I'll see whatever those guys put out.

and Todd Solondz, as someone else pointed out, is getting up there. A few more Storytellings and he will soon be a favorite.

i have too many favorites.

[Somewhat Damaged]

Tim Burton kinda annoys me. Maybe 'cause I've worked with people who remind me of him and they've annoyed me tremendously. But also because Planet of the Apes and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory were really shit.

[Backwater]

Storytelling is the shit but it isn't even an hour long is it? Tim Burton started to slack off with some stupid remakes but Sweeny Todd is great, his best since Ed Wood.

[Somewhat Damaged]

I had a pot brownie when I saw Sweeney Todd and was fuckin' stoned outta my head. All I really remember from it is that Sweeney kills Sascha Baron Cohen's character and dies at the end.

When I saw Blazing Saddles, I took Ecstasy and all I remember is the black guy being sheriff and wondering what the fuck was going on. I should probably check that out again sometime soon.

[Backwater]

I once watched part of an episode of Lost when I was tripping on probably the best hit of acid I've experienced (like a lot of you guys last weekend at EDC.) It was fucking hilarious. I laughed harder than I can ever remember. What a stupid fucking show.

[Somewhat Damaged]

Speaking of Kubrick...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/03/channel4.kubrick

[KungFuJoe]

I finally got around to watching the Dasepo Naughty Girls movie. It was exactly the kind of goofy satire I was hoping it would be. Just as funny as the series, but a hell of a lot prettier. Candy cinema at it's most fun. I wanted to lick the screen half the time. I'm not sure how to exactly explain it, but it follows numerous stories of the korean students & faculty at a high school called "No Use" high. It's off the wall zanyness rarely loses it's charm. I was pretty much smitten by this film. How can you not be when there are cyclops, dragons, cross dressers named "big razor sis" & poverty riding a girls back. that's all I can say. lovely pic.

[RotationSlimWang]

I know he wasn't American but no love for Hitchcock here? What gives? Also, John Huston and Billy Wilder should be mentioned in the top ten. As far as living directors, Todd Solondz is incredibly underrated.

Slimwang, two of your favorite movies are on AMC tonight back to back. Animal House, then History of the World, then Animal House again.

Oh god, just shut up forever. Anyone who claims to actually enjoy Hitchcock's bullshit should be forcefed balls until death.

Also, forgive me for failing to include Beetlejuice on the ten best movies ever made.

[RotationSlimWang]

I finally got around to watching the Dasepo Naughty Girls movie. It was exactly the kind of goofy satire I was hoping it would be. Just as funny as the series, but a hell of a lot prettier. Candy cinema at it's most fun. I wanted to lick the screen half the time. I'm not sure how to exactly explain it, but it follows numerous stories of the korean students & faculty at a high school called "No Use" high. It's off the wall zanyness rarely loses it's charm. I was pretty much smitten by this film. How can you not be when there are cyclops, dragons, cross dressers named "big razor sis" & poverty riding a girls back. that's all I can say. lovely pic.

If you're going to insist on watching Asian b-movies, could you please not bring them up like they're anything more than some big Asia festish masturbation session?

You disgust me. Also, can I get a copy of that? With or without the come, thanks.

[algunz]

I agree on Beetlejuice, but the hate on Hitchcock is a bit surprising.

[Mr. Dylanja]

Guillermo Del Toro, what does the panel say about him?

[RotationSlimWang]

All that Old Hollywood crap can get fucked. I tried watching Hitchcock--it was absurdly contrived snail-paced bullshit.

[algunz]

Can it be contrived if it's one of the first?

Forced? He always just seemed like an explorer.

[Backwater]

Oh god, just shut up forever. Anyone who claims to actually enjoy Hitchcock's bullshit should be forcefed balls until death.

Also, forgive me for failing to include Beetlejuice on the ten best movies ever made.

You didn't enjoy Psycho or North by Northwest, even remotely? Are you alive?

[algunz]

My favorite Hitchcock is Rear Window.

[Backwater]

All that Old Hollywood crap can get fucked. I tried watching Hitchcock--it was absurdly contrived snail-paced bullshit.

Old Hollywood Crap? You don't have any appreciation for Film Noir at all? Did somebody order a hipster because there's one right here

[algunz]

Hitchcock is not film noir.

[RotationSlimWang]

Can it be contrived if it's one of the first?

I dunno, go watch The Man Who Knew Too Much, report back on whether or not there's such a thing.

[KungFuJoe]

hahaha. the movie is like a big Asia fetish masturbation session. if you're bored you can watch the series on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfXONIZYEXw

[Somewhat Damaged]

My favorite Hitchcock is Rear Window.

Same here. Although I think Disturbia is superior.

[Backwater]

Hitchcock is not film noir.

No kidding? Thanks for the info. I was refering to his post awhile back about how hardley any films made before the 70's are worth a shit.

Disturbia is BETTER than Rear Window?!?!? Anything with Shia Lebouf in it is automatically much worse than the original.

[Somewhat Damaged]

I was being facetious, dumbass.

[Backwater]

Well you never can tell who is being facetious or not on the internet. I apologize, you interneter.

[wmgaretjax]

Todd Haynes!!! One more film and I'd be willing to include him as a contender for best living American filmmaker (Safe, Poison, I'm Not There... and his other efforts are fantastic as well).

Todd Solondz is an interesting person to bring up, I fucking loved Palindromes.

[Somewhat Damaged]

Well you never can tell who is being facetious or not on the internet. I apologize, you interneter.

Good point. But don't call me "interneter." Too close to "nigger" for my liking.

[Mr. Dylanja]

I apologize, you interneter.

Shouldn't it be netter or did you do it because it sounds neater?

[Backwater]

Todd Haynes!!! One more film and I'd be willing to include him as a contender for best living American filmmaker (Safe, Poison, I'm Not There... and his other efforts are fantastic as well).

Todd Solondz is an interesting person to bring up, I fucking loved Palindromes.

I've actually yet to see Palindromes but Welcome to the Dollhouse, Happiness and especially Storytelling are fantastic. Yet he is never mentioned in great director conversations, that's why I brought him up. An underrated Jew, what do you know? The anitthesis of George Lucas, Solondz must be.

[Backwater]

I meant Spielberg, sorry. Lucas isn't a Jew but he's still overrated. Episode III was alright but it still wasn't even as good as Jedi. Can anybody think of one director that got better with age? I can't. Young directors like PTA don't count. Can anyone name an older director who is over 40 that has became better with age? It seems impossible, but I'm very welcome to any suggestions.

[Somewhat Damaged]

How can there be such a thing as an underrated Jew? Randy knows what I mean, amiright?

[RotationSlimWang]

Dear god just shut the fuck up.

EDIT: For Backwater, not you, Rick.

SECOND EDIT: Actually you shut the fuck up too.

[wmgaretjax]

I meant Spielberg, sorry. Lucas isn't a Jew but he's still overrated. Episode III was alright but it still wasn't even as good as Jedi. Can anybody think of one director that got better with age? I can't. Young directors like PTA don't count. Can anyone name an older director who is over 40 that has became better with age? It seems impossible, but I'm very welcome to any suggestions.

Kieslowski, Tarr, Tarkovsky... To name the ones that jump into my head. Kieslowski in particular really ripened and made his best work towards the end of his career. Bergman was very similar (his last couple of films are arguable). Bresson was the same way... Seems only in america we let our filmmakers decay...

Tarkovsky made Solaris at 40 and Stalker later than that

Kieslowski made Dekalog at 50, and Three colors at 55

Bergman made Cries and Whispers well into his 50s...

Tarr Werckmeister Harmonies at 45

Bresson Pickpocket at 58

there you go. and those are my favorite films by those directors, all made later in their career. I'm a firm believer in older filmmakers (whatever that means).

[Down Rodeo]

I don't know, Andrei Rublev was Tarkovsky's second movie and it's pretty damn fantastic. And Bergman's early work was still amazing, I don't care what anyone might say.

[Backwater]

[QUOTE=wmgaretjax;665083]Seems only in america we let our filmmakers decay...

QUOTE]

Yeah, you know it's sad but true.

[wmgaretjax]

I don't know, Andrei Rublev was Tarkovsky's second movie and it's pretty damn fantastic. And Bergman's early work was still amazing, I don't care what anyone might say.

Bergman's early work is great, but nothing matches "Cries and Whispers." Just an example of a director that continued to grow and produce great work that built upon what he did as a young filmmaker.

I agree, Rublev is great, Mirror is a masterpiece, but Solaris and Stalker are transcendental.

[Down Rodeo]

Don't forget Fanny and Alexander either. And I really need to see Cries and Whispers soon.

[Backwater]

What does eveyone think of Salvador Carassco and The Other Conquest?

[whynotsmile99]

I've actually yet to see Palindromes but Welcome to the Dollhouse, Happiness and especially Storytelling are fantastic. Yet he is never mentioned in great director conversations, that's why I brought him up. An underrated Jew, what do you know? The anitthesis of George Lucas, Solondz must be.

"Palindromes" is a riot. If you loved the others, you will love Palindromes.
I think that ties with "Welcome To THe Dollhouse" as my favorite Solondz film, followed by "Happiness" and my least favorite, "Storytelling", which I still love.

Has anyone seen his first film, before "Welcome TO The Dollhouse?" called "Fear, Anxiety &Depression"

never heard of it before. I for some reason always assumed WTTD was his first.

[wmgaretjax]

Don't forget Fanny and Alexander either. And I really need to see Cries and Whispers soon.

And "Scenes From a Marriage." Everything Bergman touched was pretty much gold for me.

[SoulDischarge]

Luis Bunuel was another one who improved as he aged. Although I do love me some 'Un Chien Andalou.'

[Backwater]

Has anyone seen Sydney? I wouldn't expect it to be as good as Boogie Nights but I'm just curious.

[whynotsmile99]

Luis Bunuel was another one who improved as he aged. Although I do love me some 'Un Chien Andalou.'

Pedro Almodovar for sure as well

[Backwater]

Luis Bunuel was another one who improved as he aged. Although I do love me some 'Un Chien Andalou.'

Girlie so groovy, I want you to know. Slicing up eyeballs, I want you to know. I want to grow up to be, be a Debaser.

[Backwater]

I love the Pixies so much I think I'm insane. How can one person like one band so much?

I just saw In Bruges . . . fucking awesome. After Wall-E and Forgetting Sarah Marshall it's the third best movie of the year!

[schoolofruckus]

I've actually yet to see Palindromes but Welcome to the Dollhouse, Happiness and especially Storytelling are fantastic. Yet he is never mentioned in great director conversations, that's why I brought him up. An underrated Jew, what do you know? The anitthesis of George Lucas, Solondz must be.

Count me out of Solondz worship. Happiness is a great film and parts of Storytelling were really sharp, but I had huge problems with Welcome to the Dollhouse and Palindromes.

Kieslowski, Tarr, Tarkovsky... To name the ones that jump into my head. Kieslowski in particular really ripened and made his best work towards the end of his career. Bergman was very similar (his last couple of films are arguable). Bresson was the same way... Seems only in america we let our filmmakers decay...

Tarkovsky made Solaris at 40 and Stalker later than that

Kieslowski made Dekalog at 50, and Three colors at 55

Bergman made Cries and Whispers well into his 50s...

Tarr Werckmeister Harmonies at 45

Bresson Pickpocket at 58

there you go. and those are my favorite films by those directors, all made later in their career. I'm a firm believer in older filmmakers (whatever that means).

Antonioni made Il Grido at age 45, and that's when his creative prime began. He went on to make 7 world-class films (including at least 4 at masterpiece-level) over the next 19 years.

Has anyone seen Sydney? I wouldn't expect it to be as good as Boogie Nights but I'm just curious.

Sydney is really good for what it is. It's obviously his least-impressive work, but it's a fine shoestring debut. The performances carry it more than the filmmaking.

[RotationSlimWang]

Welcome to the Dollhouse was bad enough in a specific way that I know I never have to see anything that man makes for the rest of my life.

[Backwater]

I think There Will Be Blood is the best American film made in the last ten years

[RotationSlimWang]

I think you're the worst American person made ever.

[schoolofruckus]

I don't think any of Solondz's film's are bad; there are just individual choices made in them that sink the ship. Plus, while he sometimes has some very interesting aspects of human nature to comment on (with Palindromes in particular), his stuff too often feels like an excuse to be sick for it's own sake.

[Backwater]

Welcome to the Dollhouse was bad enough in a specific way that I know I never have to see anything that man makes for the rest of my life.

In the specific way that you are a homosexual? We all know that Randy like to suck other mens penisis? This isn't a secret.

[Backwater]

Isick for it's own sake.


That's a great name for a metal band.

[Backwater]

I think you're the worst American person made ever.

Nice 4th of July rant, Spick. Go back to Mexico where you belong.

[RotationSlimWang]

God you can't even spell "spic" right.

[Blinken]

And your hat is fucking stupid

[Backwater]

And your hat is fucking stupid

Yeah, a hipster hat.

[RotationSlimWang]

Still funny.

[wmgaretjax]

Still funny.

Randy... Will you buy a hat like that and take a picture of yourself in it? Or better yet, Chris would you send the hat to Randy? It really belongs to him now.

[RotationSlimWang]

It is entirely possible that in the week leading up to Coachella I happened to find such a hat in a store and debate long and hard over purchasing it. There might even be a picture. Oh wait, there is.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h165/thelastgreatman/Randy01.jpg

[whynotsmile99]

Dr. Gonzo was a great documentary. If you enjoy Hunter's work or anything regarding the counter culture, there's no reason not to see this. Great stories and interviews, Johnny Depp's narration is perfect, well done reenactments, stellar music and it's hilarious. It felt a bit long at 2 hours, but I didn't mind much since everything was so interesting.

Not very objective, this is stricly a celebration of his work/life and how it started to unravel his life.

Awesome doc. Total crowd pleaser and a perfect movie to watch on Indepence Day

2008 is turning out to be on the best movie years I can remember in ages.

[rage patton]

Why the fuck has no one turned Randy's picture into thier avatar?

[anti-square]

I didn't know it was possible to be goofier looking than supre.

[RotationSlimWang]

I didn't know it was possible to be goofier looking than supre.

Nice. Very nice.

[rage patton]

Fuck this. You are all too slow.

[Mr. Dylanja]

It's like the ying and yang in full effect.

[rage patton]

Fuck. Everytime I look at any of my posts now, I think I am Randy. I have really confused myself.

[RotationSlimWang]

Does this mean that now people are going to come up to Supre at shows to kick his ass for being an asshole and people are going to start coming up to me to talk to me about unbelievably shitty bands you love, Rage?

[rage patton]

Something like that. Try steering the conversation towards Tool, NIN or Portishead... those are bands we both like. Just avoid talking about Gogol Bordello. People won't believe that you are me and it'll ruin everything.

[woogie846]

I just got back from Hancock. Will Smith is really funny in it.

[rage patton]

I think Supre should change his avatar to a picture of me and complete the cycle.

Also, I want to see Hancock.

[RotationSlimWang]

So here's the thing, Rage... I don't like your avatar. Now I'm sure your instinct is to rejoice that you turned the tables on me. Naturally. But the problem is I'm gonna make sure you change your avatar--not so much because I actually give a fuck about people seeing a picture of me but more because I know you're not actually going to do anything funny with it. You'll just run around being you with me in your avatar and it'll be both boring and annoying.

So you're gonna change it. What if you don't want to, you might ask? Well, I'm going to be force to take Supre's face out of MY avatar--a truly tragic fate, don't you agree? But, no, I won't be replacing it with YOUR face. That wouldn't be persuasive at all.



I have raided your photobucket and extracted every conceivably usable picture of your girlfriend from it. Return to your lame avatar of some musician who sucks or some band who sucks stupid gypsy slogan... or else there's going to be a rotating series of your girlfriend avatars soon.

Just sayin'. You've been warned. And just as an example, ponder the Photoshop potential of this gem:

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x224/joshmusic88/DublinCrossing1.jpg

What's great is I could even leave your goatee in cause it looks like a big pube bush.

[wmgaretjax]

avatar wars... that sounds fun for like... oh... a minute. and I didn't even get to see the picture. Can someone repost the full thing if you were prescient enough to save it?

[bmack86]

How did all you film buffs miss this one?

They've found Metropolis (http://film.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2288990,00.html)


The cinematic world was today celebrating the rediscovery of missing scenes from German director Fritz Lang's legendary silent film Metropolis - thought lost for 80 years, until they were found in the archive of a museum in Argentina.

Key scenes cut from the science fiction picture - either because they were considered to be too brutal or too long - will now be available for the first time since May 1927, when the original version was last shown in Berlin, where it flopped badly.

The head of the Berlin film museum Deutsche Kinematik, Dr Rainer Rother, called the find a "sensational discovery", adding that one of the most famous films of all time "can now be seen through new eyes".

Metropolis, which is set in a futuristic city state and explores the clash between workers and their capitalist exploiters, was at the time one of the most expensive films ever made. Produced in the Babelsberg studios on the outskirts of Berlin, it cost around 7m Reichsmarks, but was hated by critics and the public alike. It was shortened by the American company Paramount Pictures, who considered it impenetrable for the US market, leading to an oversimplification of the plot, the disappearance of key scenes and the sidelining of significant characters.

But the restored version, which has so far been seen by only a handful of film experts and critics in Berlin, is said to throw light on key questions that have puzzled and tantalised generations of film buffs.

The uncut version is said to solve the mystery as to why Maria, the workers' insurrectionist leader, is mistaken by a baying mob for her doppelganger, a female robot.

Schmale, a spy who is sent by the autocratic leader of the futuristic city, Joh Frederson, to pursue his son, Freder, plays a minor role in the cut version, but a significant supporting role in the original. "The role ... can finally be understood," Rother said.

A scene in which children are saved from the workers' underworld is also said to be "much more dramatic" - and more violent - than in the cut version.

The rediscovery, revealed by the newspaper Die Zeit, came to light after Paula Felix-Didier, curator of Buenos Aires' Museo del Cine, acted on a tip-off from a former film club director that the full-length version had been gathering dust in the museum's archive since the early 90s. Fearing that the discovery would not be taken seriously in Argentina, she flew with the footage to Germany this week to present the film to experts who have deemed it to be authentic.

Die Zeit has reconstructed the story of how the film found its way to Argentina. A copy of the longer version of the film was first sent to Buenos Aires in 1928 at the request of the Terra film distribution company. A film critic called Manuel Pena Rodriquez obtained the reels shortly afterwards, selling them in the 60s to Argentina's National Art Fund. A copy of them was passed onto the Museo del Cine in 1992, but their value was not fully realised until now.

Helmut Possman, director of the Friedrich-Wilhelm Murnau Foundation which holds the rights to Metropolis, said the film, which is badly scratched, would be made available to the public after it has been restored. "This material, which we had long considered to be lost forever, will help us to a new understanding of Fritz Lang's masterpiece," he said.

Martin Köerber, who restored a previous version of Metropolis, expressed his delight at the new footage.

He told Die Zeit: "It doesn't matter how bad the condition of the material is, the original intention of the film, including all of its minor characters and subplots, is now once again tangible for viewers. The rhythm of the film has been restored."

[mountmccabe]

The last version of Metropolis I saw was the 2002 restoration that had everything available at that time and then title cards attempting to describe what was missing. These were based on the original script; I believe. At any rate, that was 118 minutes.

This one is 210 minutes. Daaamn.

[PassiveTheory]

Didn't they make an anime remake of the movie too?

[bmack86]

The last version of Metropolis I saw was the 2002 restoration that had everything available at that time and then title cards attempting to describe what was missing. These were based on the original script; I believe. At any rate, that was 118 minutes.

This one is 210 minutes. Daaamn.

I have the 2002 version on DVD, and it's good, but I'm really excited to see the whole thing at some point.

[ghettojournalist]

another director seemingly getting better that's over 40 is Guillermo del Toro. might be too early to call, but "Hellboy", "Pan's Labyrinth", "Hellboy II:The Golden Army" and the potential of "The Hobbit" films make a good case.

[RotationSlimWang]

Pan's Labyrinth was good, but mostly it was pretty. If Children Of Men was an indicator of what's to come, though, I'd say Cuaron is definitely going to be a legend. We'll see how his follow up turns out though.

Also Meirelles has some serious potential to inherit the throne of gangster movies. He's probably talented enough to do other shit too, don't get me wrong, but I suspect the man does his best work with characters that are poor criminals.

[woogie846]

I just watched Billy Elliot.

[C DUB YA]

I just watched Stardust.

[woogie846]

I watched Sixteen Candles tonight.

[bug on your lip]

16 candles = heroooooo

[schoolofruckus]

Jennie and I watched Southland Tales tonight. I found it just as enjoyable as the first time I saw it....but I'm also now also sure that there's less to it than I might have suspected. There isn't really much to the film's political or thematic content beyond what's visible on the surface. I don't really care - I mean, I never looked at a movie starring The Rock, Stiffler, Buffy, and JT as something that was going to inform or enlighten. Sometimes a work of insanity needn't be anything but fun.

Also, Jennie and I agreed that Moby's score often held the film together in ways that wouldn't have been possible otherwise.

[RotationSlimWang]

.................................................. .................................................. ........................ I don't believe you.



You watched that movie a SECOND TIME?! VOLUN-FUCKING-TARILY?!

[schoolofruckus]

Oh, how much better it gets. I went to a store and purchased a copy so I can own it forever and watch it whenever I'm in the mood.

[RotationSlimWang]

...









That's it, we're fucking fighting. Where do you live now? I'll be there in fifteen.

[schoolofruckus]

I actually traded in my copy of Pulp Fiction in exchange for it.

[RotationSlimWang]

I'm gonna bite your face.

[bballarl]

I saw Hancock yesterday. I thought it was pretty good.

[woogie846]

I saw Hancock yesterday. I thought it was pretty good.

Anything with Charlize Theron in spandex is fine by me.

[KungFuJoe]

I saw Wanted yesterday. After all the negative response to it I thought I would end up being the one retard to come on here to give it a glowing review. Unfortunately for the film, that is not the case. I loved the man's first film Night Watch, but after Day Watch & this film I must admit the man's a sell out. He's definately got a knack for the visuals & can formulate a thrilling action sequence, but hot damn are his movies getting more & more dumb. Within the first 15 minutes of this movie I let out a big sigh fully knowing what I was about to be in for. It totally ripped from Fight Club with it's hero's narration & The Matrix with it's opening action sequence. And not in a good way. In a painfully ridiculous way. However, this sillyness actually subsided for a bit & the middle hour of the film was actually bearable. James MacCavoy's performance certainly helped, although his character has to be the whiniest hero we've seen since Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. As he grows some balls though you can actually get into the movie. I enjoyed the russian actor, Anton from Night Watch, character & I certainly did not see the plot twist coming, to my amazement. Which I thought was the coolest thing about the movie. All of a sudden there was this great plot twist & I though fuck this movie actually might redeem itself, but nooooo. Back to the tardness. Mother fucker fights with an army of rats & more ridiculous ensues.

As freakin' ridiculous & dreadful as this movie was, it was entertaining in a b-movie sort of way. I found myself laughing hysterically at parts, yet holding my head in shame. Especially during the gun fight on the train with all the dumb fucking passengers running toward the bullets. Spolier: Then homeboy sky surfs his dead father into the river.

Overall, it had it's moments & could've been pretty awesome if they took some care with the material. It's still not as bad as Indy 4, but it was pushing it quite a bit.

[ivankay]

I just watched Stardust.

i liked it when i saw it as an illegal double feature with Super Bad. i thought it was an above average Fairy Tale movie, When it crosses my path again, i look forward to checking it out a second time.

[woogie846]

I just watched Weekend at Bernie's. Talk about the essence of minimalism.

[Xenocide]

Stardust was great... Hancock wis not...

Day Watch was good, Wanted is not...

Southland Tales isn't nearly as bad as Randy thinks...




thank you, you may return to your regularly scheduled lives...

[RotationSlimWang]

You people are out of your fucking minds. I cannot remotely fathom how someone can not be driven nuts by that movie.

[C DUB YA]

i liked it when i saw it as an illegal double feature with Super Bad. i thought it was an above average Fairy Tale movie, When it crosses my path again, i look forward to checking it out a second time.

Yeah it wasn't bad at all. Good fantasy writing.

I like Gaiman's writing, esp. on Sandman stuff, and I thought Claire Danes was very good, Deniro was good too even if the role was less than stellar.

[shakermaker113]

I saw the Fall last night. it was garbage. I should have known better. I'm done with the whole fantasy genre.

[whynotsmile99]

I saw the Fall last night. it was garbage. I should have known better. I'm done with the whole fantasy genre.

GARBAGE?!?! WHAT? it's such a beautiful movie. Fantasy and reality scenes both worked for me greatly.

I watched "Revolver" last night. I didn't hate it like so many did. I actually liked it quite a lot for the first half. The shitty, muddled last act ruined it for me though. speaking in Ebert's terms, I'd give it a "borderline thumbs down". I liked Statham and Liota, thought the movie had a great strange look to it. Loved the assasian as well. He should have his own movie.

So much better than Swept Away at least.

[Blinken]

I saw Gonzo yesterday. Good docunmentary, a fair amount of footage that I hadn't seen before, especially in reference to the Hell's Angeles, the 1972 campaign, and the run for Sheriff. The only small gripe I have with the film is that they didn't really go into Chicano civil rights movement and Hunters involvement with it. Oscar Acosta was barely mentioned, and only in refernce to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. To me this is an interesting parallel to F&L because it was the crazyiness in LA that made Hunter and Oscar escape to Vegas for the weekend. Hunter needed to discuss the Brown Beret story with Oscar away from everyone else in the movement, since they didn't trust Hunter. That is why Oscar came with him to cover the Mint 400.

Other than the lack of that time in his life i felt the documentary was well done and filled with great interviews.

I think I am going to rent the Southland Tales to see how bad it is.

[RotationSlimWang]

GARBAGE?!?! WHAT? it's such a beautiful movie. Fantasy and reality scenes both worked for me greatly.

I watched "Revolver" last night. I didn't hate it like so many did. I actually liked it quite a lot for the first half. The shitty, muddled last act ruined it for me though. speaking in Ebert's terms, I'd give it a "borderline thumbs down". I liked Statham and Liota, thought the movie had a great strange look to it. Loved the assasian as well. He should have his own movie.

So much better than Swept Away at least.

Why do so many of you people completely defy everything logical in the universe?

[denies the day]

Checked out The Lives of Others this weekend. Great story and each scene is very thoughtful and deliberate. The director also wrote the screenplay so it kinda makes it even more impressive. Would like to see more from this guy Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck.

Also saw The Virgin of Juarez which deals with the murders of young women in Juarez (across the border from El Paso). It has a promising first and second act but soon devolves into a vigilante mess. Had such high hopes for it, too.

On a side note, Hancock was shooting in downtown LA during the weekend of the Daft Punk show and we got to see a lot of it from the Bonaventure as well as the roof of the Standard. But not even the awesome memories of that weekend will compel me to spend money on seeing it.

I neglect this thread way too much. Up next, Danny Boyle's Sunshine.

[bmack86]

I might watch Solyaris soon. That's the russian version, chum

[wmgaretjax]

I might watch Solyaris soon. That's the russian version, chum

DO IT.

[Somewhat Damaged]

GARBAGE?!?! WHAT? it's such a beautiful movie. Fantasy and reality scenes both worked for me greatly.

Yes, Tarsem's compositions are beautiful. Great. Howzabout writing a competent story to go along with them? That script was garbage.

[wmgaretjax]

Yes, Tarsem's compositions are beautiful. Great. Howzabout writing a competent story to go along with them? That script was garbage.

the Brothers Quay moments though (with the light through the key hole, after the fall, and similar segments) were fantastic. And worked well with the sparse storyline. It would have been great if more of it had been like that.

[whynotsmile99]

I thought the screenplay was fine for "The Fall". The story's simplicity is something I loved about it. The little girl's character was perfect, performed and written (if her lines were written ahead of time) perfect. She was a little girl being a little girl. I thought it had a strong sense of rising tension both in the reality and fantasy based sequence. I was expecting the pretty nurse to be more drawn out in the film, but what are you going to do.

To each his own, but The Fall totally worked for me on all levels. I thought most of the scenes in the hospital were terrific. if the movie was just the two of them in the hospital I probably still would have enjoyed it. I thought the man and the girl had great chemistry

nothing tops the visuals though.
and the stop motion scene was simply fucking awesome.

what wasn't competent about it?

[clumsy342]

If you had to recommend me one movie...
that I (probably) haven't seen...
What would it be??

I know you guys don't know everything I've seen.. but don't recommend obvious ones like Pulp Fiction, Donnie Darko, Memento, etc...

Gimme some of your favorite movies that I probably haven't heard of.
(I'm running low on inspiration AND I'd like to sign up for Netflix again, but don't have much to put in my queue.)

[whynotsmile99]

If you had to recommend me one movie...
that I (probably) haven't seen...
What would it be??

I know you guys don't know everything I've seen.. but don't recommend obvious ones like Pulp Fiction, Donnie Darko, Memento, etc...

Gimme some of your favorite movies that I probably haven't heard of.
(I'm running low on inspiration AND I'd like to sign up for Netflix again, but don't have much to put in my queue.)

if you like sadomasochistic sex and Koreans, check out "Lies"

"Bad Education" by Pedro Almadovar is phenominal

"The Dreamers" by Bernerdo Bertulluci

"Persona" by Ingmar Berman is great

"Hardcore" is worth watching just to see George C Scott react to porn

Ong Bak is has some great action scenes if thats your thing. Pretty cool Thai movie

3 Extremes is three different short asian horror movies by great directors. All of them are great, especially Fruit Chan's Dumplings, which has to be seen to be believed. "Dumplings' is actually a feature length film, cut to about 45 minutes for 3 extremes. watch it with your girlfriend. It's a great date movie :)

"Oldboy". if you haven't seen that yet, shame on ya buddy!

"happiness of the Katakuris" by Takashi Miike. words can't really describe. Take Evil Dead, make it a Japanese family musical add lots of stop motion

hope that helps

[bballarl]

I'm not a film buff, but "L.A. Confidential" is absolutely fantastic.

[RotationSlimWang]

You're not a taste buff either.

[bballarl]

Nope, it is absolutely fantastic. Really great.

[clumsy342]

if you like sadomasochistic sex and Koreans, check out "Lies"
who doesnt??

"Bad Education" by Pedro Almadovar is phenominal
Heard of it.. but didn't know if it was worth seeing.

"The Dreamers" by Bernerdo Bertulluci
I thought you were talking about the Gus Van Sant movie.. which I do like.

"Persona" by Ingmar Berman is great
I'm a fan of Bergman, haven't seen this yet.

"Hardcore" is worth watching just to see George C Scott react to porn
Got my attention.

Ong Bak is has some great action scenes if thats your thing. Pretty cool Thai movie
Think I might pass, but it did look pretty cool.

3 Extremes is three different short asian horror movies by great directors. All of them are great, especially Fruit Chan's Dumplings, which has to be seen to be believed. "Dumplings' is actually a feature length film, cut to about 45 minutes for 3 extremes. watch it with your girlfriend. It's a great date movie :)

I've seen this, and really really enjoyed it. Dumplings was full length?? crazy.

"Oldboy". if you haven't seen that yet, shame on ya buddy!
yup.. shame on me.

"happiness of the Katakuris" by Takashi Miike. words can't really describe. Take Evil Dead, make it a Japanese family musical add lots of stop motion
Heard or it, saw the trailer.. somehow just didn't get around to seeing it. Miike is clearly insane.



Thanks.

[clumsy342]

I take it you've seen Lady Vengeance?
Looove that movie. It's like if Miike teamed up with Wes Anderson.

[woogie846]

I saw Wall-E today and I loved it.

And I watched Waiting for Guffman tonight, which still remains as one of my favorite movies of all time.

[clumsy342]

You're all bastard-people!

[anti-square]

I saw the full-length version of Dumplings at the '05 HIFF and I thought it was great. Bai Ling gets a bad rap, but she carried the movie better than any American actress I can imagine. Quite a bit of gut-wrenching scenes I must say though.

[KungFuJoe]

3 Extremes is three different short asian horror movies by great directors. All of them are great, especially Fruit Chan's Dumplings, which has to be seen to be believed. "Dumplings' is actually a feature length film, cut to about 45 minutes for 3 extremes. watch it with your girlfriend. It's a great date movie :)



Dumplings is fuckin' great. Best film Bai Ling has ever been in. Mainly because of Chris Doyle's cinematography. I would definately reccomend watching 3 Extremes & then the feature length version of Dumplings. Miike's Box is pretty darn creepy. Park's Cut isn't that great, but has a good ending.

[anti-square]

Where the hell would I be able to find the full length version? I'm sure I tried a couple of times to no avail.

[KungFuJoe]

if you have an all region player you can get it here for $9 - http://www.yesasia.com/us/dumplings-three-extremes-dts-version/1003745876-0-0-0-en/info.html

if not, i'm sure you can find it on ebay or amazon. fivestarlaser would've been a good source but they're out of stock.

[whynotsmile99]

the 3 extremes region 1 dvd is a double disc set, with the entire second disc dedicated to the feature length "Dumplings" I'm sure you can request just the second disc on netflix?

Miike's "Box" is pretty cool, but "Dumplings' and Chan Woo Parks' one "Cut" are easily my favorite. Lots of people don't love "Cut", but I think it's great. Very much in the Oldboy vein of dark humor and horrific violence all tied into the film industry, which I always enjoy watching in movies.

I agree with Bai Ling being great in Dumplings. Aside from that, I have no idea why anyone knows her name. Aside from Dumplings, all I know her from is TMZ where she dances crazy and flashes her vag.


Three Extremes 2 however is junk and isn't worth watching at all.

[chairmenmeow47]

And I watched Waiting for Guffman tonight, which still remains as one of my favorite movies of all time.

maybe it's because i used to do a lot of community theatre, but i freaking love that movie. always makes me want "the dq" too :)

[woogie846]

You're all bastard-people!

Yeah? Well I hate you and your ass face!

[schoolofruckus]

Films I would recommend to someone who may not have seen them (excluding Werckmeister Harmonies, which Jared should be the one to properly endorse since he's the one who brought it to all of us on here):

Newer stuff
The Fountain
Buffalo '66
Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance (way the fuck better than Lady Vengeance)
Mysterious Skin
L'Enfant
Japon
Quiet City


Classics
A Woman Under the Influence (though this isn't on Netflix)
L'Eclisse
Week-End


Let me know if you would like more information on any of these.

[rage patton]

I liked Lady Vengeance, and I have heard Mr. Vengeance is far better... but I have heard Old Boy is without a doubt the best of them. I have been looking for the later two, but to no avail.

[schoolofruckus]

Oldboy and Mr. Vengeance both got a good Tartan DVD release in the US, so you should be able to get them anywhere (especially Netflix). In my opinion, Mr. Vengeance is the best one, possibly because I saw it first, but more because the nihilistic beauty of it is ever so slightly more in my wheelhouse than the relatively more-straightforward chase of Oldboy. But both of those, plus Park's first feature, J.S.A., are all among the best films made in the last decade.

I have tried getting into his newest one, I'm a Cyborg But That's Okay, on a couple different occasions. But I get the vibe really early on that it's going to be a tough sit, and I haven't really felt like digging in just yet.

[wmgaretjax]

Thanks Gabe. "Werckmeister Harmonies" by Bela Tarr, because it's the best film of the last 20 years without any question (it's crept into my top 3 of all time). Not only is it absolutely gorgeous, it's a film that follows in the rich tradition of film poems and managed to singlehandedly to change the way that I think about cinema. There is no other film that I can recommend without any consideration to what kind of person you are or what kind of films you enjoy. It doesn't matter because if it doesn't move you, just fucking watch it again.

[RotationSlimWang]

Wow, I guarantee that movie fucking blows just based on the recommendation. Film poems? I hope your kid somehow gets a role model who isn't an art fag.

[schoolofruckus]

I just read a report that Tarantino's script for Inglorious Bastards was sent out to a handful of different studios in the past few days. Presumably that means there's a PDF somewhere on the internet. Anyone feel like exhausting their studio connections to find it?

[schoolofruckus]

Also, here's Michael Bay's version of The Dark Knight (http://my.spill.com/profiles/blog/show?id=947994:BlogPost:355506). As far as parodies of "lost" screenplays go, it's not quite as funny or spot on as Quotey (http://www.somethingawful.com/d/news/diablo-cody-screenplay.php). But it's in the same realm.

[RotationSlimWang]

Ahahaha, I actually like the Michael Bay one way more. That's really good.

"Which one of the internets will we hack?"

[Tylerdurden31]

hancock was fucking horrendous

[woogie846]

Also, here's Michael Bay's version of The Dark Knight (http://my.spill.com/profiles/blog/show?id=947994:BlogPost:355506). As far as parodies of "lost" screenplays go, it's not quite as funny or spot on as Quotey (http://www.somethingawful.com/d/news/diablo-cody-screenplay.php). But it's in the same realm.

Those are hilarious, the notes for Quotey are perfect.

[rage patton]

That Michael Bay script is hilarious.

[Backwater]

Scroll down and look at one of the responses:

"I'm not so sure this script is even real to be honest."

HAHAHAHAHA


Michael Bay's philosophy is that a script has to have a "whammy" every ten pages or it won't be any good.

[CuervoPH]

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm234/gingersnap_011/whammy.jpg

[woogie846]

Are there anymore fake scripts?

[wmgaretjax]

Film poems?

It was a term coined by Stan Brakhage. In some writings he did on cinematic language.

I watched Tom Twyker's "Perfume" last night and loved it, it was nothing if not ambitious. It had it's flaws, but as a whole it was such a unique and surprising experience that I was engaged the whole time.

[Mr.Nipples]

I never knew there was so much dick sucking in Caligula

[amyzzz]

sexytime movie

[clumsy342]

I never knew there was so much dick sucking in Caligula

hhahhhaaa
Oh god.. I almost want to quote that for my signature.

I saw Caligula a few years ago.. good family flick.

[amyzzz]

good family incest flick anyway.

[Pixiessp]

These were my movie choices over the weekend:

Hancock or Wanted.


Chose Wanted.


Should have just poked out my eyes.

[clumsy342]

Pixiessp.. did you see this?
http://www.coachella.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21207
I remember you had the Kim Deal avatar for a while, so I thought you'd like it.

Anyhow.. I started watching Videodrome about a week ago. Made it half-way through because I had to leave, and haven't been able to make myself go back to watch the end.

[chairmenmeow47]

good family incest flick anyway.

my ex-boyfriend has this theory that movies with incest are automatically good. it was the only way i got him to watch gone with the wind, lol.

[locachica73]

i may have to go back and watch gone with the wind... there was incest?

[chairmenmeow47]

i may have to go back and watch gone with the wind... there was incest?

ashely and melanie were cousins. giggity.

[amyzzz]

Cousins don't count.

[locachica73]

wow, i don't know if I ever picked up on that, although I was about 10 last time I seen it.

[chairmenmeow47]

Cousins don't count.

*looks up amy's family tree*

*compares to photos of her kids*

hmmmmm, something you're not telling us, amy?! :p

[clumsy342]

Cousins don't count.

eeewwwww...

[amyzzz]

Hey, I just said that because old noble-born families used to have cousins marry all the time, not because I participate in it. I did have a crush on my first cousin once removed when I was 12, but that's far enough away that I could've done something without any consequences. (my first cousin's son)

[Mr. Dylanja]

Hey, I just said that because old noble-born families used to have cousins marry all the time, not because I participate in it. I did have a crush on my first cousin once removed when I was 12, but that's far enough away that I could've done something without any consequences. (my first cousin's son)


Now we know why you moved to Mesa...

[amyzzz]

Now we know why you moved to Mesa...
...because none of my family live here?

[Pixiessp]

Pixiessp.. did you see this?
http://www.coachella.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21207
I remember you had the Kim Deal avatar for a while, so I thought you'd like it.

Anyhow.. I started watching Videodrome about a week ago. Made it half-way through because I had to leave, and haven't been able to make myself go back to watch the end.

ha ha ha....I remember this. what a crazy gal she is. Thanks clumsy342!

[Stefinitely Maybe]

Movies I have watched in the past week:

In Bruges: Really enjoyed this. Excellent performances, and I didn't even hate Colin Farrell, for once. 8/10

28 Weeks Later: This was awesome too. I don't know why I took so long to see it. I probably enjoyed it even more because a lot of the scenes were filmed near where I work and live, but it was really exciting anyway. Another 8/10

Hancock: Contrary to most of the reviews, I really enjoyed this too. It was watchable nonsense. The first hour was excellent, but after that it wasn't so great. Still good fun though. 7/10

[amyzzz]

The trailers for In Bruges seemed stupid, and I hate Colin Farrell so much after that horrible Alexander movie, but everyone here seems to give it good reviews. What is there to like? Specifics?

[bleep]

The trailers for In Bruges seemed stupid, and I hate Colin Farrell so much after that horrible Alexander movie, but everyone here seems to give it good reviews. What is there to like? Specifics?
midgets, coke, hot chick, fairytale setting, blood & gore.

[Mr. Dylanja]

midgets, coke, hot chick, fairytale setting, blood & gore.

I think every movie should have a review like this, it's really all that's needed.

[amyzzz]

So it's funny then? Or it's a David Lynch-type movie?

[full on idle]

It's really funny and not like David Lynch at all. I thought it was great, albeit somewhat bloody.

[schoolofruckus]

Jennie and I just watched Jesus Camp. It reminded me of why I hate documentaries so much.

God, what a piece of shit! This sorry excuse for a hands-off "expose" was a redundant, ineffective, and frankly, not all that shocking account of a camp where kids are trained to be soldiers for Christ. The leader of the camp is an ugly, psychologically perverse narcissist named Becky Fischer, who sees Christianity as no less than one side of a battle to the death against anyone who dares practice any religion that does not involve screaming and crying about Jesus. To say she processes things strictly in black and white is an understatement, and the movie also implies (in the only stroke that even remotely flirts with subtlety) that she might be in this strictly to be fawned over and adored by a captive - and, obviously, highly impressionable - audience.

I knew all this going in. I saw the trailer 3 years ago when the fucking movie came out. And now, having just wasted 84 minutes in which the same sequence - Becky sermonizes about the fatal struggle all Christians must undertake, followed by shots of kids crying and reaching upwards and joining in the chorus of robotic Bible-quoting, followed by "contrast" scenes of the kids just being kids when they're not in her midst - is repeated approximately 27 times, I now know not one goddamn thing extra that I didn't learn from that trailer. Three years ago. Actually, I do know one thing - pit of a human soul as Becky Fischer may be, she is pretty much a run of the mill Evangelical Christian. As Jennie and I suffered through this thing, which kept flailing helplessly as it tried to convince us it was shocking and important, we agreed that it was tough to get worked up about it when there are literally one million people in this country who are exactly like her.

This is the problem with non-fiction films in the new millennium. Ever since Bowling For Columbine topped $100 million domestic, every self-righteous liberal who fancies him or herself a groundbreaking voice just picks up a camera and picks one specific aspect of conservative life to illuminate the world on. Normally I'd be all for it, except that many of these people don't have shit to say, nor a clue on how to say it well. This isn't art. This isn't even journalism. It's just somebody who hates Christians - and possibly with the same kind of no-grey-area paradigm that the subjects of the film so prominently wield - and wants to get people riled up about their supposedly growing influence. Maybe this is a cause worth highlighting, but it's going to take more than recurring footage of the occasional crying child (surrounded by kids who are just going along with what they're told until they become teenagers and disown this bullshit) to pull it off.

In summation: Jenskel and Gabert give Jesus Camp two middle fingers up.

[roberto73]

At the other end of the documentary spectrum, I just saw Werner Herzog's Encounters at the End of the World. Just as beautiful and unusual as you'd expect. It's being marketed as kind of a Travel Channel/National Geographic nature doc, but it's Herzog, remember. What he's more interested in are the personalities who have chosen to live in this most remote location. Yes, there's some beautiful footage of the ocean and glaciers, but what really sets this apart is Herzog's typically offbeat preoccupation with what makes people tick.

And he gets a chance to ask a scientist if there are gay penguins. There aren't, as it turns out, but there are penguin prostitutes. So it's educational, too.

[full on idle]

Jennie and I just watched Jesus Camp. It reminded me of why I hate documentaries so much.

God, what a piece of shit! This sorry excuse for a hands-off "expose" was a redundant, ineffective, and frankly, not all that shocking account of a camp where kids are trained to be soldiers for Christ. The leader of the camp is an ugly, psychologically perverse narcissist named Becky Fischer, who sees Christianity as no less than one side of a battle to the death against anyone who dares practice any religion that does not involve screaming and crying about Jesus. To say she processes things strictly in black and white is an understatement, and the movie also implies (in the only stroke that even remotely flirts with subtlety) that she might be in this strictly to be fawned over and adored by a captive - and, obviously, highly impressionable - audience.

I knew all this going in. I saw the trailer 3 years ago when the fucking movie came out. And now, having just wasted 84 minutes in which the same sequence - Becky sermonizes about the fatal struggle all Christians must undertake, followed by shots of kids crying and reaching upwards and joining in the chorus of robotic Bible-quoting, followed by "contrast" scenes of the kids just being kids when they're not in her midst - is repeated approximately 27 times, I now know not one goddamn thing extra that I didn't learn from that trailer. Three years ago. Actually, I do know one thing - pit of a human soul as Becky Fischer may be, she is pretty much a run of the mill Evangelical Christian. As Jennie and I suffered through this thing, which kept flailing helplessly as it tried to convince us it was shocking and important, we agreed that it was tough to get worked up about it when there are literally one million people in this country who are exactly like her.

This is the problem with non-fiction films in the new millennium. Ever since Bowling For Columbine topped $100 million domestic, every self-righteous liberal who fancies him or herself a groundbreaking voice just picks up a camera and picks one specific aspect of conservative life to illuminate the world on. Normally I'd be all for it, except that many of these people don't have shit to say, nor a clue on how to say it well. This isn't art. This isn't even journalism. It's just somebody who hates Christians - and possibly with the same kind of no-grey-area paradigm that the subjects of the film so prominently wield - and wants to get people riled up about their supposedly growing influence. Maybe this is a cause worth highlighting, but it's going to take more than recurring footage of the occasional crying child (surrounded by kids who are just going along with what they're told until they become teenagers and disown this bullshit) to pull it off.

In summation: Jenskel and Gabert give Jesus Camp two middle fingers up.

If you didn't find it shocking or at least disgusting, then I feel bad for you for your experience with Christianity.

You sound so much like Li'l Wang in this review. I'm stunned.

[schoolofruckus]

See, that sounds cool. I would watch that.

[schoolofruckus]

If you didn't find it shocking or at least disgusting, then I feel bad for you and your experience with Christianity.

Of course it's disgusting. But it's really not that uncommon. And it got boring in a hurry. If it had been a 10 minute short doc, it would have been good. And if it would have actually explored what's going on in the kids' minds, and the syndromes underneath what was happening onscreen, it could have been great.

[full on idle]

You overestimate both the intent and the message. IMHO

Maybe this movie wasn't aimed at you.

[Backwater]

Normally I'd be all for it, except that many of these people don't have shit to say, nor a clue on how to say it well.


I completely agree with this, actually if you watch the commentary it even confirms this even more. Those two women who made the film are completely lifeless with no opinions or emotions whatsoever.

If you want to see a great documentary watch King of Kong.

[woogie846]

I just watched Psycho. What a freaking awesome movie.

[full on idle]

I completely agree with this, actually if you watch the commentary it even confirms this even more. Those two women who made the film are completely lifeless with no opinions or emotions whatsoever.

If you want to see a great documentary watch King of Kong.

Yes, let's sweep everything into one big bucket.

You embarrass me that you went to my school. I'm putting you on ignore now.

[Backwater]

How do you know what school I went to???? You internet freaks are fucking scary.

[Backwater]

BTW congrats on putting me on your ignore list, you're a real champion for that. Why the fuck do you go on a message board to ignore people? Do you not realize the illogicality in that, you halfwit?

[rage patton]

While on the topic of documentaries... I know many people wouldn't have any interest in seeing it because of the subject matter, but Metal: A Headbangers Journey is actually an incredibly well done documentary. It goes very deep into the history of "metal" music and why people like it, and why people dislike it.
Anyways, I have gotten a few people who aren't really metal fans to watch it, and they really enjoyed it. It didn't compell them to go listen to metal or anything, because that is not the point of the movie. They all just said it was a very interesing, educational and well made documentary. So if anyone is interested, I suggest picking it up.
The same guy also made a new documentary, Global Metal and it is apparently really good as well, so I will hopefully see that soon.

[Stefinitely Maybe]

I watched The Devil's Backbone last night. It was good, and interesting to see as a pre-cursor to Pan's Labyrinth, but not excellent.6/10

[amyzzz]

Has anyone seen the movie Baraka? It has footage from all over the world of people from different religions and nationalities chanting, and it is all filmed in this strange rhythm of humanity (I can't remember exactly what they called it on the DVD synopsis). There is also footage of 3rd and 2nd world people in factories de-beaking chickens and other such stuff to show humans' impact upon the world. My (then-Mormon) sister-in-law and brother-in-law gave this DVD to us about 5 years ago as a Christmas present, and we never watched it until last weekend as part of our acid experience. The damn thing sent me off into this wicked bad trip, and I haven't watched it sober yet, although I want to. Very powerful.

[RotationSlimWang]

I don't understand what got Foi's vagina in a bunch.

[full on idle]

Long story, involving some offboard conversation, it's resolved. Moving on...

Has anyone seen the movie Baraka? It has footage from all over the world of people from different religions and nationalities chanting, and it is all filmed in this strange rhythm of humanity (I can't remember exactly what they called it on the DVD synopsis). There is also footage of 3rd and 2nd world people in factories de-beaking chickens and other stuch stuff to show humans' impact upon the world. My (then-Mormon) sister-in-law and brother-in-law gave this DVD to us about 5 years ago as a Christmas present, and we never watched it until last weekend as part of our acid experience. The damn thing sent me off into this wicked bad trip, and I haven't watched it sober yet, although I want to. Very powerful.

I've seen this on the wall at the store. Watch it sober and report back.

[wmgaretjax]

I enjoyed Jesus Camp, not because I thought it was going to teach me anything new, but it took me back to the kinds of places my parents sent me to as a kid. The movie is a pretty honest presentation of that shit in accordance with my experience. But it wasn't incredibly made or anything...

Roberto is spot on, everyone should go see "Encounters at the End of the World."

[chairmenmeow47]

I watched The Devil's Backbone last night. It was good, and interesting to see as a pre-cursor to Pan's Labyrinth, but not excellent.6/10

i really liked the devil's backbone. both this and pan's did a good job of finding child actors that don't make me want to stab my eyes out.

[iv3rdawG]

I'd say The Devil's Backbone was his second best film. I really liked it too.

[whynotsmile99]

Baraka is such a fantastic, important movie. I bet you loved the scene with the tribe doing that crazy dance...

I just watched "My Blueberry Nights". I'm still trying to form an opinion on it. It's not as bad as many critics made it out to be, but it's certainly a let down if you love Wong Kar Wai. It's a beautiful movie no doubt, as all his films are, but theres very little there. It's sort of this road trip self discovery film thats watchable, but void.

Theres some great performances out of a beautiful cast. David Stratham is great as an alcoholic cop and Norah Jones has a unique grace about her. Shes not much of an actress but she has this empty beauty about her that works for the film.

It started shitty, with the whiny female lead "WAAAAAAAAA my bf dumped me waaaaaa" but luckily pulled itself out of that mode.

It's not great by any means, but worth a rental if you like Wong Kar Wai, as everyone should. Only in a Wong Kar Wai movie could a 1/3 of the movie take place in NYC and only show two people

If you get a chance, "Happy Together" is one of my favorite Wai films


One week till Batman bitches

[shakermaker113]

Has anyone seen the movie Baraka? It has footage from all over the world of people from different religions and nationalities chanting, and it is all filmed in this strange rhythm of humanity (I can't remember exactly what they called it on the DVD synopsis). There is also footage of 3rd and 2nd world people in factories de-beaking chickens and other such stuff to show humans' impact upon the world. My (then-Mormon) sister-in-law and brother-in-law gave this DVD to us about 5 years ago as a Christmas present, and we never watched it until last weekend as part of our acid experience. The damn thing sent me off into this wicked bad trip, and I haven't watched it sober yet, although I want to. Very powerful.

you might also try koyaanisqatsi, and powaqqatsi. (don't bother with naqoyqatsi).

[amyzzz]

Baraka is such a fantastic, important movie. I bet you loved the scene with the tribe doing that crazy dance...

yeah that totally fucked me up. I also vaguely remember lines of naked little girls (tribal girls) dancing with the camera panning on their private parts, thinking "am I really seeing this? Can we watch this?" freaky.

[Mr. Dylanja]

i really liked the devil's backbone. both this and pan's did a good job of finding child actors that don't make me want to stab my eyes out.

"ofelia ofelia!"

[bmack86]

I saw Wall-E last night. Y'all had hyped this movie up to insane heights for me, and I wasn't sure if it could really deliver, based on everything people said. The first thirty minutes are as perfect as any movie I've ever seen. Until they introduced the humans, it would have been impossible to convince me that the film was animated. The world they made was so convincing, and Wall-E looked so damn real. I loved the story once they left earth, and the love story worked extremely well. I can't see this being much of a children's movie, though. The pacing seemed a bit too slow for a young kid, and the themes were fairly adult. I didn't mind that, and I absolutely loved it. The best movie I've seen in a LONG time.

[iv3rdawG]

8CGkiDKVTXY

[Backwater]

While on the topic of documentaries... I know many people wouldn't have any interest in seeing it because of the subject matter, but Metal: A Headbangers Journey is actually an incredibly well done documentary. It goes very deep into the history of "metal" music and why people like it, and why people dislike it.
Anyways, I have gotten a few people who aren't really metal fans to watch it, and they really enjoyed it. It didn't compell them to go listen to metal or anything, because that is not the point of the movie. They all just said it was a very interesing, educational and well made documentary. So if anyone is interested, I suggest picking it up.
The same guy also made a new documentary, Global Metal and it is apparently really good as well, so I will hopefully see that soon.

Is that the same one they showed on VH1 a couple years ago? That was pretty good. If not, even better. I used to be a huge metalhead and I still enjoy metal very much and I love to watch documentaries so I have to check this out.

[woogie846]

I got the Flaming Lips: Fearless Freaks today from Netflix. I'll probably watch that tonight.

[schoolofruckus]

I got the Flaming Lips: Fearless Freaks today from Netflix. I'll probably watch that tonight.

THAT is a documentary worth watching. I loved that shit.

[Backwater]

Yes, that metal documentary is the same one that was on VH1 and it is awesome. Thanks for reminding me about it rage patton. I had a great time watching it again. The whole thing is on youtube:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=dnbdTTwckas&feature=related

[schoolofruckus]

Anybody want to read some Inglourious Basterds?

Heeere ya go. (http://rapidshare.com/files/128794613/INGLORIOUS_BASTARDS_1_1_.pdf)

Heeeeeere ya go. (http://rapidshare.com/files/128795912/INGLORIOUS_BASTARDS_2_1_.pdf)

[iv3rdawG]

Saw Hellboy II: The Golden Army last night with a Q&A with Guillermo. You could really tell how much more freedom he had this time around since he just got off Pan's Labyrinth. This is just him running around doing whatever he wanted and it worked perfectly. I liked it quite a lot more than the first. The Barry Manilow scene was hilarious. The makeup and creatures were fantastic, specifically the Angel of Death played by Doug Jones.

[schoolofruckus]

Wow.....a new Tarantino script sits right in your water dish, and nobody laps it up? Well - I did. And now, I'm going to talk about it. And no, I'm not going to spoil it. Although this film is going to be absolutely spoiler-proof.

Assuming that brevity is wit - how do you turn three words into two? Easy - "Return to form" -> "Inglourious Basterds".

Sorry, there's no way I can spell it correctly. In fact, it'll be a minor miracle if I can get through this write-up without cannibalizing the art of written word. For Inglourious Basterds is a flat-out assault on the conventions of the English language. Quentin's scripts usually are a mess in this respect; although I don't remember Pulp Fiction being this egregious, he's famous for scrawling out scenes by hand and then turning in piles of thousands of scraps of paper to his producers and having them sort it out. This time, it seems that Harvey Weinstein took the packet and had it transcribed by Ronnie in the hours after a Florida Gators win in the BCS Championship, during which he was also unceremoniously dumped by a Swedish model.

But I digress. Despite the hilarity derived from all the crimes against text, this script was too goddamn much fun to waste any more time talking about the fucking spelling errors.

I'm going to briefly and, again, with respect for your experiences, describe the plot of the movie right here. Highlight to view.






Set at the height of Hitler's reign, the movie is a five-part chapter odyssey, simultaneously following a band of special ops American soldiers - all Jewish - whose leader implores them to bring him no less than a hundred Nazi scalps; and a young Parisian cinema proprietor whose beauty brings her (and her theater) to the attention of a German soldier - who also happens to star in a Nazi propaganda film that is looking for a place to house it's premiere in the French capitol.


On paper, this is an absolutely fucking hysterical read - a giddy, insane, head-shaking bit of revisionist history that, despite a million references I'm sure I'm missing (I almost never get Tarantino's homages), feels wholy unlike anything that has come before it. The pleasure from reading alone is more than enough to get him out of my doghouse for Death Proof - an unfortunate detour that I still find a trifling waste of both his and my time, unless doing it allowed him to clear his pallet for this.

You want me to employ further brevity and reduce two words to one? Here goes: "Inglourious Basterds" -> "Tarantino". There's just no other way to say it. This film is going to be as quintessentially Quentin as anything he's ever done. Here, Tarantino continues his global tour (I'm going to throw out Death Proof), which began in America (his first few), moved over to Asia (Kill Bill), and now lands squarely in Europe. Only the globe we're touring is Planet QT, and the Europe we're in is absolutely not a place that even the most well-traveled, post-grad hostel-hopper would ever recognize.

Because we're back in the middle of a lean story with awesome characters, that makes it an almost unqualified joy. To address both of those notes - for a script that sprawls 160 pages, this plays extremely fast. As it is now, I could see it clocking in at 140 minutes or less, and I actually wouldn't mind if he added quite a bit more to it so we could spend a little more time with these characters, particularly the soldiers in the early part of the movie. Rumors are that Brad Pitt has been approached to take the lead male role, and accepting that offer would be the smartest move he could make at this stage of a career that has been mostly (save for the Mr. and Mrs. Smith years) full of wise choices. He will absolutely fucking KILL in this part, if he takes it. I don't know who Quentin's thinking of for the main female role, but it's the juiciest role in the film, and it's going to be exciting to see what direction he takes it in.

There are a few sequences here (a genius-level reinvention of the Mexican stand-off and a jaw-dropping final bookend that had me gnawing on my fist) that are among the finest things he's ever done. And the attitudinal audacity of this thing is on par with Southla.....um....hope, in the Barack Obama sense of the word. As with Quentin's great movies, this will be pure cinema at a most fundamental level. And I wish I could watch it right the fuck now.

[Somewhat Damaged]

Saw Hellboy II: The Golden Army last night with a Q&A with Guillermo. You could really tell how much more freedom he had this time around since he just got off Pan's Labyrinth. This is just him running around doing whatever he wanted and it worked perfectly. I liked it quite a lot more than the first. The Barry Manilow scene was hilarious. The makeup and creatures were fantastic, specifically the Angel of Death played by Doug Jones.

Was really looking forward to this one but felt let down. The animation in the opening sequence (when Hellboy's dad tells him the "fairy tale" of the creation of the Golden Army) is fantastic, but I was already kind of annoyed by the cutesiness of including a 7-year-old Hellboy. Some of del Toro's ideas are terrific, such as the fact that Hellboy can't hurt Prince Nuana without also hurting Princess Nuala. And visually, it's predictably impressive. If anyone deserved to be given a big canvas to paint his vision on, Guillermo del Toro is it, but I felt like he got too distracted with showing us all the many creatures he could come up with and didn't devote as much time to hashing out the story better. My favorite film of his is Blade 2, which has a number of similarities to Hellboy 2. I think GdT juggled the action and the tragic love story in the former film more elegantly, largely due to his not digressing into doing something in the vein of the Star Wars cantina scene or Will Smith seeing the Men in Black offices for the first time. I'm intrigued enough by the foundations set for the plot of the (hopefully) inevitable Hellboy 3 to forgive those developments not being addressed sufficiently in this film, but I still came away from the theater underwhelmed.

[anti-square]

Wow.....a new Tarantino script sits right in your water dish, and nobody laps it up? Well - I did. And now, I'm going to talk about it. And no, I'm not going to spoil it. Although this film is going to be absolutely spoiler-proof.

Assuming that brevity is wit - how do you turn three words into two? Easy - "Return to form" -> "Inglourious Basterds".

Sorry, there's no way I can spell it correctly. In fact, it'll be a minor miracle if I can get through this write-up without cannibalizing the art of written word. For Inglourious Basterds is a flat-out assault on the conventions of the English language. Quentin's scripts usually are a mess in this respect; although I don't remember Pulp Fiction being this egregious, he's famous for scrawling out scenes by hand and then turning in piles of thousands of scraps of paper to his producers and having them sort it out. This time, it seems that Harvey Weinstein took the packet and had it transcribed by Ronnie in the hours after a Florida Gators win in the BCS Championship, during which he was also unceremoniously dumped by a Swedish model.

But I digress. Despite the hilarity derived from all the crimes against text, this script was too goddamn much fun to waste any more time talking about the fucking spelling errors.

I'm going to briefly and, again, with respect for your experiences, describe the plot of the movie right here. Highlight to view.






Set at the height of Hitler's reign, the movie is a five-part chapter odyssey, simultaneously following a band of special ops American soldiers - all Jewish - whose leader implores them to bring him no less than a hundred Nazi scalps; and a young Parisian cinema proprietor whose beauty brings her (and her theater) to the attention of a German soldier - who also happens to star in a Nazi propaganda film that is looking for a place to house it's premiere in the French capitol.


On paper, this is an absolutely fucking hysterical read - a giddy, insane, head-shaking bit of revisionist history that, despite a million references I'm sure I'm missing (I almost never get Tarantino's homages), feels wholy unlike anything that has come before it. The pleasure from reading alone is more than enough to get him out of my doghouse for Death Proof - an unfortunate detour that I still find a trifling waste of both his and my time, unless doing it allowed him to clear his pallet for this.

You want me to employ further brevity and reduce two words to one? Here goes: "Inglourious Basterds" -> "Tarantino". There's just no other way to say it. This film is going to be as quintessentially Quentin as anything he's ever done. Here, Tarantino continues his global tour (I'm going to throw out Death Proof), which began in America (his first few), moved over to Asia (Kill Bill), and now lands squarely in Europe. Only the globe we're touring is Planet QT, and the Europe we're in is absolutely not a place that even the most well-traveled, post-grad hostel-hopper would ever recognize.

Because we're back in the middle of a lean story with awesome characters, that makes it an almost unqualified joy. To address both of those notes - for a script that sprawls 160 pages, this plays extremely fast. As it is now, I could see it clocking in at 140 minutes or less, and I actually wouldn't mind if he added quite a bit more to it so we could spend a little more time with these characters, particularly the soldiers in the early part of the movie. Rumors are that Brad Pitt has been approached to take the lead male role, and accepting that offer would be the smartest move he could make at this stage of a career that has been mostly (save for the Mr. and Mrs. Smith years) full of wise choices. He will absolutely fucking KILL in this part, if he takes it. I don't know who Quentin's thinking of for the main female role, but it's the juiciest role in the film, and it's going to be exciting to see what direction he takes it in.

There are a few sequences here (a genius-level reinvention of the Mexican stand-off and a jaw-dropping final bookend that had me gnawing on my fist) that are among the finest things he's ever done. And the attitudinal audacity of this thing is on par with Southla.....um....hope, in the Barack Obama sense of the word. As with Quentin's great movies, this will be pure cinema at a most fundamental level. And I wish I could watch it right the fuck now.

I just read up to chapter four of this script and it's safe to say that Mr. Tarantino is no longer fucking around. I would be inclined to say that this film has the potential to outdue Pulp if that can be imagined.

[mountmccabe]

Yeah that sounds pretty badass. I don't think I want to read the script at this point, though.

Thanks for the info, though, Gabe.

[schoolofruckus]

I understand not wanting to read scripts in advance of seeing the finished movie. There's a reason why my copy of There Will Be Blood has yet to be perused. So I won't make every day a "talk about Inglourious Basterds" day. But reading through it this morning was hugely exciting in a very fundamental way, and I am now filled with enthusiasm for this project.

[Mr. Dylanja]

Where do you get these scripts???

[RotationSlimWang]

Same place you get your abundance of question marks from.

[anti-square]

I'm about to read the second part and don't regret it one bit. I'm looking forward to how this script translates on the silver screen just as much if not more so now that I see the nuts and bolts of this machine.

[Mr. Dylanja]

Same place you get your abundance of question marks from.


The uncontrollable twitch in my right pinky??? ?? (there it goes again)

[anti-square]

I shift with the same hand I type with. I'm sure it inhibits my wpms.


Meaning I use a different finger than you.

[RotationSlimWang]

You only type with one hand?

[Mr. Dylanja]

I shift with the same hand I type with. I'm sure it inhibits my wpms.


Driving and texting is illegal buddy!

[RotationSlimWang]

No it's not.

[anti-square]

Its a bad habit I guess. I shift with the same hand, so the alignment of my fingers has to readjust.

[anti-square]

You assholes gonna read the script or not????

[Mr. Dylanja]

Where is it? That was my question in the first place.

[anti-square]

This one post right here. (http://www.coachella.com/forum/showpost.php?p=672450&postcount=7941)

[RotationSlimWang]

Also, when the fuck was that ever your question, Dylanja, let alone in the first place?

[Mr. Dylanja]

Fuck off Randy, Casino Royale is coming on Showtime so that means its DroTime for me, mmm mmm mmm do I loooove Sour Diesel.

Speaking of the Casino, you never told me what you play at Commerce or was it The Bike?

[RotationSlimWang]

Poker. There's no point trying to play anything else with retarded California laws.

[Mr. Dylanja]

I figured that much but what game, Hold 'em I assume? What limit or do you go no limit? I hear there is nothing but aggressive asians out there at the tables...

[RotationSlimWang]

I dunno, man, I don't play much of anything anymore.

[schoolofruckus]

Where do you get these scripts???

Some guy posted the links in the comments section of a blog (http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2008/07/half_a_bastard.php) I was reading. All I did was copy and paste.

[schoolofruckus]

I just watched Guy Ritchie's Revolver. I thought it was pretty good. Confusing as all hell, but an interesting premise for a crime film. I'm surprised it has been declared unwatchable by so many of you here; but then again, I like Southland Tales, so what do I know?

[mountmccabe]

I just watched Wong Kar Wai's 2046. I thought it was pretty good. Confusing as all hell, but an interesting premise for a romantic film. I'm surprised it has been declared unwatchable by so many of you here; but then again, I like Southland Tales, so what do I know?

[KungFuJoe]

Cute to copy Gabe's review & replace it with 2046. If the review is any bit serious though, it must be know that In The Mood For Love is pretty much required viewing before watching 2046. It would also probably suit you to watch Days of Being Wild as part of a triple feature as these are all companion pieces. Days is a tough sit though.

I'm going to have to give Revolver a second viewing for serious, but there's no doubt in my mind that it will still suck. What do you make of that atrocious animated sequence?

[menikmati]

Just saw No Country for Old Men last night finally....hooray for Tommy Lee Jones for keeping the western alive these days. I still wanna see 3:10 to Yuma though.

[whynotsmile99]

I watched Alien Resurrection last week. It should have been so much better. it's watchable but not good by any means. I did like the alien baby getting sucked out of the space ship at the end.

I kept trying to think of why the movie didn't work. Jeanut directing an alien movie is well inspired. then I saw it. Written by "Joss Whedon"

fucking fanboys and the love for that guy. Serenity was awful too. WHy would they let him write a friggin ALien movie? STUPID

[suprefan]

Cause they think itll help when the true geeks write things now. Come on Batman, let it be Thursday/Friday already. Unless by a small miracle I get into the screening tomorrow night.....

[schoolofruckus]

I just watched Wong Kar Wai's 2046. I thought it was pretty good. Confusing as all hell, but an interesting premise for a romantic film. I'm surprised it has been declared unwatchable by so many of you here; but then again, I like Southland Tales, so what do I know?

HA HA HA HA HA HA

I LOVE 2046, but Joe is right. You need to see In The Mood For Love first.

Joe, as far as the animated sequence is concerned, I would say it has something to do with representing the way that Statham's character was losing his handle on objective reality, and was processing even the events he was learning of in an unrealistic way. But I don't know if that was the intent or not.

[RotationSlimWang]

I just watched Guy Ritchie's Revolver. I thought it was pretty good. Confusing as all hell, but an interesting premise for a crime film. I'm surprised it has been declared unwatchable by so many of you here; but then again, I like Southland Tales, so what do I know?

Wait wait wait--what about that premise was remotely interesting? Details, please. Or at least one detail.

[schoolofruckus]

Just saw No Country for Old Men last night finally....hooray for Tommy Lee Jones for keeping the western alive these days. I still wanna see 3:10 to Yuma though.

Did you see The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford?

[menikmati]

No. I'm way behind on films. I still need to see There Will Be Blood. But I enjoyed No Country for