Mark F, Hour of the Wolf did creep me out!!! Ironically, last night I woke up and looked at my clock and it was exactly 3am.....my first thought was, "It is the hour of the wolf"....
Since I last posted have now watched, Scene's from a Marriage and The Shame. I loved The Shame, it was an amazing film and did an excellent job at portraying the emotional impact of a war on individuals. Liv Ullman is a superb actress!
Posts: 4 | Location: Paradise | Registered: 15 October 2007
If there are any Boredoms fans on the movie side of the fence, you should definitely check this one out. Pretty close to the most ridiculous, hyper-gorical, Tarantino-esque thrill ride I have ever been on. Yoshimi, Yamatsuka EyE and Seiichi Yamamoto (?) from the Boredoms are credited with "Kalera Musikation" (whatever that is). And that musikation kills. They play against the mood of the scene many times over, making torture scenes sound like cosmic bliss. a complete mindfuck.
brilliantly shot subtle film about the elegant sophisticated brothels in shanghai during the 19th century. there are maybe 2 or 3 shots with natural light coming in through windows. because the entire film is shot indoors the look of the film consists of candle orange glaze. The repeated events of drinking games and smoking are all tied up by the sexual tension(very modern for the time period shown) created by the actors in a mood induced by light scarce music and the movement of the camera. the stories are all to their bare minimum and every scene strikes a great tone leading to the next.
Saw a very interesting film this week. The english title is "Days of Glory." The original french title is "Indigenes." It tells the story of African conscripts from the French colonies fighting in WWII. The film was quite moving and explored an aspect of the war that I had never given much thought to. Packaged in the DVD is a short, I think rotoscoped, film about a massacre by the French of Senegalese conscripts who gathered to demand their soldiers pay. A worthwhile rental for those interested in WWII, and/or the French colonial experience.
B
--------------- I wonder if you're mythologizing me, like I do you
Posts: 1426 | Location: State of Disarray | Registered: 10 January 2007
I saw Pan's Labyrinth as well as Drunken Master. I enjoyed both films a lot. I am a huge kung-fu fan which is why I enjoyed Drunken Master. Pan's Labyrinth was really cool because it was like nothing I have ever seen.
watched a Japanese movie called 'all about lily chou chou'. i think it was released in 2001. the main character throughout the film is a 'nobody' in high school who is a fan of a singer named lily chou chou. his only escape comes from building a fansite for her where he and others talk about actually connecting to something (lily's music). the movie is visually beautiful thanx mostly to digital technology and the use of light is mesmerizing. The music in the film is a feast for the ears, ranging from debussy to lily, the pop star herself (i think she actually exists by a different name). her voice hits the perfect notes while the movie is progressing. the editing is excellent and adds to the disassociated youth's experience. the film is quite dark at times but it goes where a select few films have tried to go (i thought about elephant, while watching this) and it handles the material in a very delicate way.
i urge everyone to give this a try...might be too long for some people but its well worth it to sit all the way through
Yesterday I watched Le Grand Blond Avec Une Chaussure Noire. It was very enjoyable. It reminded me of the Pink Panther-films with Peter Sellers. Naturally I came to the conclusion that all French movies are excellent, and inspired by the words printed on the cover of my Les Triplettes de Belleville (yet another lovely frog), stating that it had the same humour as Jaques Tati, I decided that today I would watch Playtime. And so I did. For two hours and five minutes. I really don't think it had the same humour as Les Triplettes de Belleville. Someone must have been mistaken. I could be wrong, but it seemed rather boring. The jokes seemed both somewhat subtle and a bit childish. And I guess I had a problem with there not being much of a story. But they say that this is Tati's masterpiece, and that it should be watched on a tremendously big screen, and that it often needs to be seen more than just once. I don't know.
"[...]To all of which, I admit, I had nothing to answer, for it was but the truth. So I refrained from launching into useless palavers and quibbling, and, immediately drawing the two pistols which I had in my belt, I fired them both, by way of argument, into the faces of this droll fellow and his accomplice, which spared me the necessity of speech and ended the quarrel in the best possible way." - Louis Adhémar Timothée Le Golif
Posts: 24 | Location: I'm in a band | Registered: 21 December 2007
And today I've seen Marco Ferreri's La Grande Bouffe, (interesting short story-type satire about four successful half-old men, who tries to eat themselves to death in a nice old villa) Jeunet and Caro's Delicatessen (post-apocalyptic, very French, liked it a lot when I was a young man) and Emir Kusturica's Underground (very cool, very recommendable.)
"[...]To all of which, I admit, I had nothing to answer, for it was but the truth. So I refrained from launching into useless palavers and quibbling, and, immediately drawing the two pistols which I had in my belt, I fired them both, by way of argument, into the faces of this droll fellow and his accomplice, which spared me the necessity of speech and ended the quarrel in the best possible way." - Louis Adhémar Timothée Le Golif
Posts: 24 | Location: I'm in a band | Registered: 21 December 2007
Not sure if this has been mentioned already, but I recently saw the French film Love Me if You Dare (Jeux d'Enfants), which was pretty fascinating. Utterly unpredictable, very twisted, but also very creative. This one's good if you're already a somewhat experienced foreign film watcher.
Other solid French comedies I'd recommend are The Closet (Le Placard) and My Best Friend (Mon Meilleur Ami). Both star Daniel Auteuil, who's a brilliant character actor. These 2 films would also go over well with mainstream movie fans who may have little/no foreign film viewing experience...
I had the unexpected pleasure of watching Michelangelo Antonioni's L'Avventura recently. I had in fact intended to watch Damiano Damiani's L'Avvertimento, but got a little confused. In any way, I thoroughly enjoyed the existentialist detachment, and the despairing questions it asked of me, quietly.
Posts: 3 | Location: Downtown | Registered: 11 July 2008
Originally posted by WaylonJack: I had the unexpected pleasure of watching Michelangelo Antonioni's L'Avventura recently. I had in fact intended to watch Damiano Damiani's L'Avvertimento, but got a little confused. In any way, I thoroughly enjoyed the existentialist detachment, and the despairing questions it asked of me, quietly.
I've seen Antonioni's RED DESERT, which was excruciating for me to get through. But that's when I was a bit younger, and I don't feel it's quite fair to swear off Antonioni completely. How was L'AVVENTURA compared to RED DESERT, in your opinion?
Alas, I haven't seen Red Desert. Indeed, the only other Antonioni effort I've seen was Blow-Up. Cult classic though it is, I preferred the short story by Cortázar!
Of Antonioni's, I am intrigued by Zabriskie Point, and I would also love to see his short, Sicilia. I will add Red Desert to the list...
Posts: 3 | Location: Downtown | Registered: 11 July 2008
Metacritic Forums 
