• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Movies You've Seen Recently III: The Third Chapter

Status
Not open for further replies.
Charles Foster Kane said:
Can you people recommend me books about filmmaking, film history, or written by directors that might be interesting. I'd like some reading material and have no idea what to get (I'm really ignorant on this), I'd really appreciate it.

I'm interested in one by Tarkovsky called Sculpting in Time.




I thought it was strange, thanks.
Click to expand...

Worth every goddamn penny. In fact at the price listed below on Amazon, you would be crazy not to get it. Used to go for $200+
ZxJMj.jpg

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/3836508893/

I would also suggest looking into David Bordwell's catalogue and seeing what tickles your fancy. When I used to study film he was always one of the most illuminating film theorists.

If you want books on particular prolific directors, Scorsese on Scorsese is a pretty great one.
 
Scullibundo said:
Worth every goddamn penny. In fact at the price listed below on Amazon, you would be crazy not to get it. Used to go for $200+
ZxJMj.jpg

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/3836508893/

I would also suggest looking into David Bordwell's catalogue and seeing what tickles your fancy. When I used to study film he was always one of the most illuminating film theorists.

If you want books on particular prolific directors, Scorsese on Scorsese is a pretty great one.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'd like many recommendations . That's stuff I'd probably eventually get.
 
Oslo, August 31st - ****1/2 Adroitly dives in to how addiction compels people to pursue their own destruction. Oslo examines how mental illness vitally rewires how the internal and the external interact. I can't think of a film that similarly portrays how the burden of an active mind can allow someone to both comprehend the beauty in the fact that so many of us are simply freaking existing while not being able to embrace that beauty themselves. (If there's something similar I've missed tell me please!) The magnificent cafe scene illustrates this best, but I also loved everything with Thomas. Joachim Trier's imagery is lovely and humane and Anders Danielsen is astounding, but the technical field on which Oslo really shines is sound. Every room is textured and very deliberately constructed, and the it's-quiet-too-quiet city itself has a unique effect. Which ties into the one part of the movie I feel I'll need to mull over most: the treatment of the city in general. Is Trier trying to make a point about the city of Oslo specifically, that its quiet but alive nature has a specific distancing effect? Or is he simply saying that all cities naturally have layered and rich histories, containing stories that are dark, beautiful, destructive, and life-affirming? Maybe it's both.
 
big ander said:
Oslo, August 31st - ****1/2 Adroitly dives in to how addiction compels people to pursue their own destruction. Oslo examines how mental illness vitally rewires how the internal and the external interact. I can't think of a film that similarly portrays how the burden of an active mind can allow someone to both comprehend the beauty in the fact that so many of us are simply freaking existing while not being able to embrace that beauty themselves. (If there's something similar I've missed tell me please!) The magnificent cafe scene illustrates this best, but I also loved everything with Thomas. Joachim Trier's imagery is lovely and humane and Anders Danielsen is astounding, but the technical field on which Oslo really shines is sound. Every room is textured and very deliberately constructed, and the it's-quiet-too-quiet city itself has a unique effect. Which ties into the one part of the movie I feel I'll need to mull over most: the treatment of the city in general. Is Trier trying to make a point about the city of Oslo specifically, that its quiet but alive nature has a specific distancing effect? Or is he simply saying that all cities naturally have layered and rich histories, containing stories that are dark, beautiful, destructive, and life-affirming? Maybe it's both.
Click to expand...
Hey, i really liked that movie.

The blu ray is tricky to find though (at least in Europe) with english subtitles, but the French one has the original language + english subs, if anyone was wondering where to get it.
http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B007URUVQO/
 
John Carter. This didn't deserve the lashing it received. Its production is a fascinating study in which to glean many lessons from, but that should be sequestered from the product itself. Controversy and bloated budget aside, it's not a bad film.

For the several criticisms I have, I can think of several things I like. The visual effects lack consistency in compositing, but the film maintains a striking overall visual presentation. The story wavers in its narrative and its artifice is often transparent, but I remained engaged until the very end of my viewing. And yes, the film's marketing was appalling. The movie's quality is not analogous.

Andrew Stanton did surprisingly well for being handed a $250 million sci-fi adventure film with no prior experience in live action filmmaking. Had he been seasoned in the medium, I'd imagine the movie wouldn't have necessarily been a $250 million endeavor.

It's just shy of greatness, which makes the sequel's termination disappointing. I believe a successor would have transcended above the original. I suppose we won't ever know for certain.
 
UrbanRats said:
Hey, i really liked that movie.

The blu ray is tricky to find though (at least in Europe) with english subtitles, but the French one has the original language + english subs, if anyone was wondering where to get it.
http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B007URUVQO/
Click to expand...
heh seems like most everyone did, stalking letterboxds has revealed that pretty much everyone on here has the same favorite scene too.
I wonder what its blu release plans for the US are, I'd like to get it but I only see a DVD listed on amazon and even that's out of print.
 
A Human Becoming said:
ParaNorman: This movie certainly earned it's PG rating with ass grabbing, looking at asses, use of "jackass" and questionable morals. It's one of the most technically impressive animated movies I've seen since Toy Story 3. I think I like Frankenweenie slightly more, despite it being a safer movie than ParaNorman. A part of the reason why being inconsistencies with the reaction of people to the zombies in ParaNorman. It jumps between people being scared and wanting to kill them. A bigger reason is stories about boys and their dogs get to me emotionally.
Click to expand...
I haven't seen Frankenweenie yet, but this is vying with Brave for my favourite animated film of last year - I thought it was brilliant. Looked stunning, funny and very touching in places.
 
I've not been particularly impressed by any animated movie this year. I've not seen ParaNorman, Wreck-It Ralph doesn't release here until February and I found Brave to be, well, dull. Frankenweenie almost wins by default, though A Monster In Paris wasn't awful.

Solo said:
I recommend watching nothing on planes. I've never enjoyed anything on a plane.
Click to expand...

I saw There Will Be Blood for the first time between London and New York and loved it. Plane-age, Solo. Plane-aggggge!
 
Lone Cub and Wolf Box Blu-Ray box set is only 17$ at amazon today:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008H1Q3NW/?tag=neogaf0e-20

watched:

berberian sound system ***

somewhat amusing deconstruction of a giallo. the issue with both this film and amer is that while they do a good job of taking the dread and mood (and sound) from giallo films they don't deliver on it - and in my mind giallos are great - and more fun than slashers because of both. something like dressed to kill or even eyes of laura mars do a better job of deconstruction a certain element and contextualizing it in a new environment.

anyone seen masks?
 
Tarkovsky's

Stalker 9.0/10

Beautiful and visceral. Images that stay with you for days.


The Mirror 9/10

Awesome images of nature. Very good movie. I don't want to go into detail as too not spoil it for anyone who is looking to get into Tarkovsky.

I will say this. Anyone who wants to get to know the directors work, can start with these two films. Thank you to Charles Foster Kane for introducing them to me. I am better for it.
 
The Player: 8/10. Oh god the ending was so good. The whole thing had a kind of weird made for TV cheap aesthetic to it, I'm not sure why. Maybe he had trouble securing funding from people he was calling assholes.
McCabe & Mrs. Miller: 8/10. So this is like one of those anti-westerns, but I think for me and a lot of people of my generation, those are the westerns we saw first. So these are westerns, and regular westerns are just cheese. None of this means anything I'm just babbling, I liked the movie and I like cheese westerns too.
Bob Le Flambeur: 7/10. Slightly less good than all his other movies. By 1 point.
Beasts of the Southern Wild: 2/10. Talk about your overhyped pieces of shit. Incredibly condescending. Everyone in this movie can fuck off and die, including the people who made it.
The Magician: 7/10. I thought it was a lot more spooky than Hour of the Wolf, which was supposed to be horror.
The Hudsucker Proxy: 7/10. Hello again Tim Robbins. This was way better than Metropolis.
Tokyo Story: 6/10. Isn't this movie disappointing? Yes, it is. I first tried this like, 3 years ago maybe but I stopped watching when I shot myself in the face from boredom. I have more patience since then so I watched the whole thing, but it still doesn't do much for me. And not just the static camera and actors talking straight in to it, I mean just the core story of the film doesn't resonate with me. It's an Asian thing right? Like I don't want to be waisist but it's one of those things where you need to be from a culture that places a big value on family right? Like I'm supposed to be inherently shocked at these values but I'm more like jeeze grandma gtfo of the way these people just had their country blown up and are trying to rebuild it.
 
Liquidsnake said:
Tarkovsky's

Stalker 9.0/10

Beautiful and visceral. Images that stay with you for days.


The Mirror 9/10

Awesome images of nature. Very good movie. I don't want to go into detail as too not spoil it for anyone who is looking to get into Tarkovsky.
Click to expand...

Glad you liked them.

Borgnine said:
Tokyo Story: 6/10. Isn't this movie disappointing? Yes, it is. I first tried this like, 3 years ago maybe but I stopped watching when I shot myself in the face from boredom. I have more patience since then so I watched the whole thing, but it still doesn't do much for me. And not just the static camera and actors talking straight in to it, I mean just the core story of the film doesn't resonate with me. It's an Asian thing right? Like I don't want to be waisist but it's one of those things where you need to be from a culture that places a big value on family right? Like I'm supposed to be inherently shocked at these values but I'm more like jeeze grandma gtfo of the way these people just had their country blown up and are trying to rebuild it.
Click to expand...

:(

I'm not Asian or have any relation to the culture, but was still moved. To me is was universal in it's portrayal of people giving higher importance to trivial things in order to not be hurt by painful life events, and that sometimes blood isn't everything (regarding the relationship with the daughter in law and with their actual children). I also felt very sorry for the father. It is very slow though, so I understand being bored.
 
Charles Foster Kane said:
Glad you liked them.



:(

I'm not Asian or have any relation to the culture, but was still moved. To me is was universal in it's portrayal of people giving higher importance to trivial things in order to not be hurt by painful life events. It is very slow though, so I understand being bored.
Click to expand...

You are the man!
 
Man of La Mancha: This got pretty bad reviews, but I liked it a lot, even if Peter O'Toole doesn't sing himself. I liked the songs, and the movie was sad but hopeful.

Bonnie and Clyde: Great movie. I think they died at the end.

Badlands: I've only seen The Thin Red Line, and though I didn't care much for it I have been meaning to watch more Malick, so started with the first one. This was good stuff, one of the best directorial debuts.

Dances With Wolves: Best movie ever made.
 
Charles Foster Kane said:
I didn't like it very much, specially the girl. I saw the extended edition though, so maybe that made it worse.
Click to expand...

How can you not like Stands with a Fist? She likes to make the talk.


jarosh said:
Yeah, awful film. I hated it too.
Click to expand...

Great review, I also liked icarus's thoughts. Completely baffled as to how this received so much praise. Even Slant loved it and they hate everything.

big ander said:
Quvenzhané Wallis
Click to expand...

Right right, she is why it gets 2 points. She shall be spared.
 
Borgnine said:
Beasts of the Southern Wild: 2/10. Talk about your overhyped pieces of shit. Incredibly condescending. Everyone in this movie can fuck off and die, including the people who made it.
Click to expand...

Are you ready to go against the president of the United States of America on that, man? Are you ready for that?
 
UrbanRats said:
Are you ready to go against the president of the United States of America on that, man? Are you ready for that?
Click to expand...

Probably gonna get audited now. Has there ever been a real movie buff president? I remember Clinton really liked American Beauty LOL.
 
John Dunbar said:
Man of La Mancha: This got pretty bad reviews, but I liked it a lot, even if Peter O'Toole doesn't sing himself. I liked the songs, and the movie was sad but hopeful.

Bonnie and Clyde: Great movie. I think they died at the end.

Badlands: I've only seen The Thin Red Line, and though I didn't care much for it I have been meaning to watch more Malick, so started with the first one. This was good stuff, one of the best directorial debuts.

Dances With Wolves: Best movie ever made.
Click to expand...

If you pay attention while watching The New World, you will understand that Malick is really one of a kind.
 
I saw Reservoir Dogs a few days ago. That is a great damn movie. I liked it a lot more than Django, which was actually my first Tarantino movie. I'm really excited to see more of Tarantino's past work after seeing RD.
 
Chuck said:
I saw Reservoir Dogs a few days ago. That is a great damn movie. I liked it a lot more than Django, which was actually my first Tarantino movie. I'm really excited to see more of Tarantino's past work after seeing RD.
Click to expand...

Also be sure to see Tarantino directed section in Four Rooms, Robert Rodriguez also has a good section as well. You can tell their quality from the other 2 name directors. Its funny the difference in quality.
 
Chuck said:
I saw Reservoir Dogs a few days ago. That is a great damn movie. I liked it a lot more than Django, which was actually my first Tarantino movie. I'm really excited to see more of Tarantino's past work after seeing RD.
Click to expand...


Watch Jackie Brown.
 
Damnit I wanted to buy Pulp Fiction on BluRay and it's no longer available on Amazon.ca. How do you run out of that?

Might have to buy it on .com, it's only 10$ anyway.

edit: They have a blu-ray + DVD combo, whatever that is... Is it the same bluray? http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B005GNU5PG/
 
Ether_Snake said:
Damnit I wanted to buy Pulp Fiction on BluRay and it's no longer available on Amazon.ca. How do you run out of that?

Might have to buy it on .com, it's only 10$ anyway.

edit: They have a blu-ray + DVD combo, whatever that is... Is it the same bluray? http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B005GNU5PG/
Click to expand...

I think Tarantino supervised the HD transfer himself, so i doubt you'll find more than one version, in terms of video quality.
As far as extras goes, i have no idea.
 
Borgnine said:
Tokyo Story: 6/10. Isn't this movie disappointing? Yes, it is. I first tried this like, 3 years ago maybe but I stopped watching when I shot myself in the face from boredom. I have more patience since then so I watched the whole thing, but it still doesn't do much for me. And not just the static camera and actors talking straight in to it, I mean just the core story of the film doesn't resonate with me. It's an Asian thing right? Like I don't want to be waisist but it's one of those things where you need to be from a culture that places a big value on family right? Like I'm supposed to be inherently shocked at these values but I'm more like jeeze grandma gtfo of the way these people just had their country blown up and are trying to rebuild it.
Click to expand...

Tokyo Story is slow compared to some Ozu's other films - I know I put it down the first time I tried watching after 20 minutes - but it also has a greater emotional power than anything else he's done, or most movies period. The power comes from the contrast of the parents who just want to spend some time with their family versus their children who are too caught up in their own lives to care. Only their daughter-in-law - who is not related by blood - shows them kindness.

Ozu's approach is quiet. The camera is still, observant. His characters are ordinary and quiet. It would be hard to notice their suffering any other way because they don't complain and sacrifice their happiness for the sake of others. None of this is new to him. All of his films rework the themes of familial dissolution, of the ever-widening gap between generations. In the end we're left with the message that all things pass, life goes on, and all relationships end with somebody leaving. He reveals the inherent sadness and pain in living, and the stoicism of those who continue to live after giving something up for someone else - silently and without recognition or thanks, and not done entirely out of love or out of obligation, but from some mix of the two. (The cultural value of obligation to parents, friends, society-at-large etc., is one point I think is important to have an understanding of. I should know. [I'm an expert.])

I'd say that Floating Weeds is a much more accessible film to start with. It has comedy in it, derived from a humorous sidestory involving three actors who are all trying to pick up women. There are some visual gags like a lighthouse that is compared to a bottle or the sound of an airplane overhead is replaced with a seagull passing by in the following shot. He's much more playful in this, and the seaside environment combined with an accordion-infused soundtrack establish a small town during the heat of summer. The cast of characters that goes beyond the standard family-centric Ozu film. It's also my favorite film of his.
 
hard-days-night.jpg


A Hard Days Night

My love for these guys far outweighs any kind of objectivity I might have, but even ignoring that it's still a great picture. Such playful guys, I loved seeing John playing with boats on the tub, and George was as charming as always. Paul's Grandfather sure was a clean man too.
 
Slurmer said:
Nice. I get these all the time. Check out the dead space games too if you havent.
Click to expand...

Loved the first Dead Space, haven't gotten too far in the second one yet, mainly just cause I've gotta be in the mood to play a horror game ya know?

On Space movies, going to rewatch Sunshine soon(love it), 2001 for the first time as mentioned before and then.....I don't know.
 
Oslo, August 31st - Yeah, this was good. I really liked what big ander said about it on the last page so go back and read that. And I'd add that I think it's as much about alienation and loneliness as it is about drug addiction. A really haunting, sad movie. Been thinking about it a lot since watching it.
 
Watched a trio of films today that I picked up from a friend.

Midnight in Paris was an interesting look into nostalgia. I found most of the modern time plot to be a bit of a slog to go through, but enjoyed the parts in the past. I can see why it got nominated for some Oscars, but it didn't necessarily thrill me as a film. (**1/2)

Soylent Green came out of left field for me. It took itself very seriously for a sci-fi film from the 70s. It actually thoroughly hooked me. Really enjoyable film if you can get past the 70s special effects department. (***)

Casablanca has always been hailed as a classic, and I've never seen it. My literacy of movies before the 70s is scattered at best. I've seen Psycho, Rear Window, Vertigo, Dr. Caligari, Citizen Kane, The Wizard of Oz, and maybe a few others that I've forgotten. Many of those I admired for their vision but was not completely compelled (Rear Window and Vertigo were my favorite of those). Casablanca held my attention all the way through, very tight writing, acting, and plot. Great mix of romance, humor, and drama. May be one of my favorite classic films now. I searched GAF for a thread on it, and all that came up was the atrocity GaryWhitta brought upon us, too bad, it deserves a nice praise thread. (****1/2)
 
The Impossible (dir. Juan Antonio Bayona)

from my Letterboxd review said:
While it suffers from running through every play in the genre cliche playbook, this confidently directed film is nonetheless captivating from beginning to end. Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts give typically strong performances, but the film belongs to newcomer Tom Holland as the eldest of their three sons.
Click to expand...

Another thing I'll add is that this was easily the hardest PG-13 I've ever seen; there's some images in here that would be wince-worthy in a R-rated film.
 
Rosemary's Baby (Polanski)

There are many absurdities in Rosemary's Baby, but the tension between Rosemary and Guy must put the other relationships to shame. Their complex transfer of power, from relatively equal to largely unequal, makes too much sense: the Bramford's a man's world, that of Roman Castavet, and courageous desires like birthing the spawn of Satan—a metaphor for bastard children everywhere—take priority. Farrow, Gordon, and the rest turn out fitting performances for a reviling tale of social decay, and Polanski fuses his claustrophobic direction with clever cinematography and one of Komeda's great film scores from the decade. This movie's quite a feast for one's eyes and ears!
Click to expand...

It's quite a great one, though not on the level of Chinatown and maybe not Cul-de-sac—I'm not yet sure. ****|*
 
thestopsign said:
Casablanca has always been hailed as a classic, and I've never seen it. My literacy of movies before the 70s is scattered at best. I've seen Psycho, Rear Window, Vertigo, Dr. Caligari, Citizen Kane, The Wizard of Oz, and maybe a few others that I've forgotten. Many of those I admired for their vision but was not completely compelled (Rear Window and Vertigo were my favorite of those). Casablanca held my attention all the way through, very tight writing, acting, and plot. Great mix of romance, humor, and drama. May be one of my favorite classic films now.
Click to expand...

A couple of years ago I was at that same point: I was only vaguely familiar with pre-1980 movies. I felt I had to watch some more classics starting with a few Hitchcock titles. One thing led to another and now I've seen tons of movies from the thirties, forties and fifties. In a way you're lucky you're only starting out, because you can see these movies completely fresh ... It's a Wonderful Life, The Third Man, Double Indemnity, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Shoeshine, The Lady Eve, M, The Grand Illusion, My Man Godfrey, All Quiet on the Western Front, Sunset Boulevard, Paths of Glory, Singing in the Rain, Sunrise ... it just goes on and on and on ...

I'm now at a point where I'd rather put on a 70 year old BW movie than the latest Hollywood blockbuster.
 
True Romance - Awesome
Hunger Games - Not bad. Knew nothing about the book.
Taken 2 - Watchable. I had no expectations for the first one and thought it was good so that didn't help part 2.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

The worst commercials you've ever seen.
2
84
2K
Beretta replied
Film Limbo: 18 High-Profile Movies That Were Shot But Haven’t Seen The Light Of Day
12
518
Panajev2001a replied
What is the weirdest/creepiest thing you've seen while you had sleep paralysis?
2
68
1K
Dr.Morris79 replied
Greenland Movies
4
187
saintjules replied
Movies You’ve Watched Lately | OT | - 2026
|OT| Social  2 3 4 5
225
2K
ForAcademicPurposes replied
Top Bottom