Last (x) movies you saw

The Last Temptation of Christ (Scorsese, 1988)
The Jungle Book (Korda, 1942)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Gilliam, 1998 - rewatch)
Point Blank (Boorman, 1967 - rewatch)
An Inn in Tokyo (Ozu, 1935)
The Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins (Blank, 1969)
Cría Cuervos (Saura, 1976)
Rashomon (Kurosawa, 1950)

The Shop Around the Corner (Lubitsch, 1940) - the perfect film, in a way you couldn't apply perfect to a piece of music or a book like you can to this.

Elysium worse than Alice but not by much. Burton's film at least has a kind of twisted panache to its visuals and is going for broad from the start. Elysium just falls apart
after the first half hour for me.

Moneyball (7/10)
Justin de Marseilles (7/10)
Lumiere d'Ete (8/10)
Jurassic Park (6/10)
Benjamin (6/10)

watched National Lampoons Xmas vacation for the first time in years -- the opening animation is bizarre enough but i was even more surprised to see that Angelo Badalamenti did the music (and i guess not even the title song) -- it might be impossible to create original christmas music and have it sound traditional, i guess he gets some credit as some of these are catchy-ish in a rebecca black earworm way but mostly theyre disastrous; besides that, it holds up p well, we were entertained - it's m/l a 3 stooges movie w/ 1 stooge - 8/10

Did animated opening sequences all but disappear after the 80s?

not sure if I'm confusing her face with Mary Astor or something

uh she won an Oscar for Hud, was married to Roald Dahl and appeared in Altman's Cookie's Fortune

Parkland which was interesting to some degree but may have been no better than watching a drama doc.
& did leave me wondering how mixed a hospital in Texas in 1963 was. I enjoyed it I guess, but it does seem to be a bit flat.
I had the whole luxury cinema to myself so wonder if this has got any level of audience.
I saw Counsellor with one other person in the audience too.

I went at the Early Bird price time which may be set up because there would be less audience at that time of day anyway. Wonder how low an audience you need to get before it ceases to be worthwhile showing the film. I think they skipped sowing ads cos I was in there alone.

I would assume that if there was going to be nobody in a film showing they wouldn't go ahead with the showing. Or is it automated to such an extent that it would be more effort to cancel than continue? These are the first showings of the day but not having been into the technical area of a cinema I don't know what the set up is.
I heard several years ago that a film cassette or cartridge couldn't be rewound once started. Assume that technology has moved beyond that by now. Can't time when I heard or read that, so not sure how many years ago that was assuming it was over the last decade, possibly a little longer. Are cinemas showing discs or anything similar these days which would be a lot more random access?

not sure if I'm confusing her face with Mary Astor or something

uh she won an Oscar for Hud, was married to Roald Dahl and appeared in Altman's Cookie's Fortune

― eclectic husbandry (Dr Morbius), Monday, December 9, 2013 5:24 PM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

She's also the older woman in Breakfast at Tiffanys I think

Pretty sure cinemas are contracted to show a film a certain amount of times, so they'd have to screen it even if it's to no-one. People turn up late anyway sometimes.

Leviathan - first and last 10 minutes were the best bits, can't say I've ever seen anything like this before. A good half of the audience bailed out before the end, not sure if they were expecting a Morgan Freeman narration or what. (4/5)

Computer Chess - not really the nostalgic comedy it was marketed as, although the strangeness wasn't quite strange enough either. Worth seeing though. (4/5)

i loved leviathan and am considering getting a copy to put on loop in the background when i'm sleeping. the gopro sections of leviathan where the camera is on a rope and flying wildly from the mast are really difficult and beautiful; the horizon switches and you rapidly sway from watching birds above you to a shift on the horizon and now the birds are below you and the sea is the sky. not recommended if you're squeamish about watching hundreds of fish get hacked up into pieces; mammalian empathy means i don't really count bugs or fish as especially sentient but this gets kinda uncomfortable in a watching-a-kid-kill-ants way after awhile. great credits; all the fish are listed as cast members by latin name.

Love Me Tonight (Mamoulian, 1932)
A Gentle Woman (Bresson, 1969)
Heat (Mann, 1995)
Meteora (Statoulopoulos, 2012)
Iron Man 3 (Black, 2013)
Design for Living (Lubitsch, 1933)
Boy Meets Girl (Carax, 1984)
Into Great Silence (Gröning, 2005)

The last one is an austere three-hour documentary on the life of french monks. I'd hoped it would be more like Wang Bing, it didn't really have the filmic flair. But it was fine if you like that sort of thing, which I very much do. The best parts of Meteora were the documentary-like scenes as well, all the famous animation-stuff was quite kitchy.

watched thundersoul, the bandwagon and computer chess last night and took pride in being the only person in the world with that triple feature

watched "johnny mad dog" last night. its a movie based in an unnamed african country about a squadron of child soldiers in a civil war. one of the most upsetting movies ive ever seen. i was tempted to turn it off halfway. apparently real (ex) child soldiers were used. while it certainly didnt lack authenticity, i felt it was a bit exploitative. the film has rape scenes and theres a kind of delirious glee to the way its filmed.

To Do List -- it's a bit hamhanded and not quite as funny as it wants to be and I can't help but rmde at 90's nostalgia even though I secretly love it, but buried in there was a surprisingly accurate reading (in my personal opinion) of high school girls/sex and cmon who doesn't love a) Aubrey Plaza and b) Bill Hader. Score: B~ish

Les Salouds (Denis, 2013)
Before Sunset (Linklater, 2004)
Kandahar (Makhmalbaf, 2001)
Rhino Season (Gobhadi, 2012)
The Celebration (Vinterberg, 1998)*
Turin Horse (Tarr, 2011)*
Last Tango in Paris (Bertolucci, 1972)
Pierrot le Fou (Godard, 1965)*

NB * = watched on fast forward

Nah. *=watched while drunk

I watched Saving Mr. Banks today on 1.5x.

Sorry; I'm not devoting a full 2 hours to that shit.

Nebraska (Payne, 2013) - you never get the son's story here - it does look like he took the trip to think about his break/non-break with the gf (probably the film's most compelling scene), rather to merely be with his dad -- and why does he want to spend time with him when it looks like he was absent in all senses as a father? -- but then Dave's story is never told (tbh from my perspective the guy not making a decision is such a main theme through so much 60s Euro art film its not really that interesting but it might from US indie film angle). Packed with cliches of the absent war-ravaged father who drank had an affair and nagging mum (and wasn't that overplayed with the lift of the skirt at the funeral?) who says she did everything and heroically put up shame she never shuts up.

Its condescending but it did manage to be funny at times. Doesn't cohere to shit and the ending was sugary yuck.

whats the point in watching movies on fast forward? dont watch it if youre not into it.

I watched Le Quattro Volte on fast fwd and was totally into it.

I think Turin Horse would be fine on ff as well. Actually, most films with a focus on visuals - ie most worthwhile films - would be ok on ff.

haha yes I ff'd through a bit of Turin Horse after about 70 minutes.

whats the point in watching movies on fast forward? dont watch it if youre not into it.
― subaltern 8 (Michael B)

i sometimes did this with movies my gf rented that i had little interest in but wanted to be culturally aware of, the wedding singer comes to mind

Leviathan - A good half of the audience bailed out before the end

They were bored, and I hold them blameless.

Frederik, xyzzz and Alfred, you're out of my will.

Koyaanisqatsi might work well on ffwd, or maybe frame by frame instead. Either really.

It's really quite simple. I have to tell people how much I hated Saving Mr. Banks, and I couldn't spend more than 1 hour 30 minutes with it.

Also, I tell people that I enjoyed the first Hobbit movie more than the second because I fell asleep more often during the first one.

Frederik, xyzzz and Alfred, you're out of my will.

― eclectic husbandry (Dr Morbius),

when not a dust mote moves across the screen in six minutes it's okay.

^short attention-span pop critic

OK, I'll try ffwd method with Passion.

impact of hobbit zings diminished by revealing you even entertained watching hobbit films

Le Quattro Volte is amazing on fast fwd Morbs you should try it.

La Mama et la Putain (Eustache, 1973) - saw it last sun at the Lumiere, about 5 years after my first watch, and its still as affecting and powerful as ever, with new layers peeling off - a film to grow old with.

The Patience Stone (Atiq Rahimi, 2012) - a powerful presentation of what is for the most part a monologue (got Persona vibes out of it). Then again the dialogues - when they appear - also make a mark. Some of its power was stylized: I didn't like the last scene and shot. Its a minor complaint, you have to end a film somewhere however I wanted the words and pain to be trusted more than any desire to end a film w/action.

The Trial of Joan of Arc (Bresson, 1962)
Dillinger Is Dead (Ferreri, 1969)
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (Fassbinder, 1974)
Room 237 (Ascher, 2012)
Now, Voyager (Rapper, 1942)
Simon of the Desert (Buñuel, 1965)
Night and Fog (Resnais, 1955)
Drunken Angel (Kurosawa, 1948)
Bulldog Drummond's Revenge (King, 1937)
Berberian Sound Studio (Strickland, 2012)

Camille Claudel 1915 (Dumont, 2013) 4/5
The Grapes of Wrath (Ford, 1940) 4/5
The Stuart Hall Project (Akomfrah, 2013) 4/5
3 Women (Altman, 1977) 5/5
Ikiru (Kurosawa, 1952) 3/5
I Know Where I'm Going! (Powell/Pressburger, 1945) 4/5
The Act of Killing (Oppenheimer, 2012) 4/5
Blue is the Warmest Colour (Kechiche, 2013) 4/5
Leviathan (Castaing-Taylor/Paravel, 2012) 3/5
Gone with the Wind (Fleming, 1939) 3/5
Like Someone in Love (Kiarostami, 2012) 4/5
Post Tenbras Lux (Reygadas, 2012) 4/5
West of Memphis (Berg, 2012) 3/5
Le Pont Du Nord (Rivette, 1981) 4/5
Nebraska (Payne, 2013) 3/5
The Titfield Thunderbolt (Crichton, 1953) 3/5
Computer Chess (Bujalski, 2013) 4/5

Bit low on Ikuru there, its prob my fave Kurosawa.

Fill the Void (Rama Burshtein, 2013) - amongst the family vs. duty blah (and it was blah, whatever the community this is set under its a familiar bloody story not so refreshingly told) there were a couple of terrific comi scenes (the woman who interrupted a crucial meeting to get the rabbi to choose a new cooker for her, that was inspired)

The Innocents (Jack Clayton, 1961) - actually unsettling. I must see more films w/Deborah Kerr in them.

Django Unchained (Tarantino, 2013)*
Fanny & Alexander (Bergman, 1982)
Iron Monkey (Yuen, 1993)
Miami Vice (Mann, 2006)
Casino (Scorcese, 1995)
As Tears Go By (Wong, 1988)
Before Midnight (Linklater, 2013)
The Devil, Probably (Bresson, 1977)

The * means rewatch, btw. I really loved Fanny & Alexander and The Devil, Probably, I think I prefer Bresson's seventies to his sixties. Though his fifties are the best, obviously.

Should I watch the theatrical or miniseries version of Fanny and Alexander?

I've only watched the mini-series - stretched out over two days - so I'm not 100% sure. But I have a hard time imagining that two hours could be removed without the story suffering quite a lot. It really lives in the details.

V good piece on Fill the Void in S&S, wasn't feeling it in the end (think the footage of a nervous bride-to-be is terrific too and Jonathan doesn't mention the last shot where the couple are about to spend their night together, her final gaze was full of that nervousness, she is v good).

I suppose I should read some Jane Austen.

Should I watch the theatrical or miniseries version of Fanny and Alexander?

― oldbowie (WilliamC), Tuesday, December 31, 2013 10:53 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Miniseries! Never actually seen the theatrical cut myself, but I'm told its missing the "chair story" sequence, a scene which I frankly could not imagine my life without.

did you like As Tears Go By Frederick?

Adaptation (Jonze, 2002) 9/10
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Spielberg, 1977) 8/10
Raiders of the Lost Ark (Spielberg, 1981) 9/10 rewatch
Toy Story 2 (Lasseter, 1999) 6/10
Touki Bouki (Mambety, 1973) 7/10
Anchorman 2 (McKay, 2013) 5/10
Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence (Oshima, 1983) 7/10
The Housemaid (Kim, 1960) 9/10
Alice In Wonderland (Hepworth, 1903) 6/10
Way Down East (Griffith, 1920) 7/10

I'd say the pick of these was The Housemaid. quality thriller.

The Lincoln Lawyer (5/10)
Scanners (6.5/10)
Hideaway (4/10)
Hush (5/10)
History of the Eagles (7/10)
The Wolf of Wall Street (4/10)
American Hustle (7.5/10)
Inside Llewyn Davis (7/10)
Road to Perdition (6.5/10)
Nebraska (8/10)

The dreaded half-point; sorry for messing up the whole system.

gravity 7/10
the stepford wives (04 one) 5/10
ice cold in alex 7/10
johnny mad dog 6/10
*adventureland 6/10
spanking the monkey 7/10
the magdalene sisters 8/10
gertrud 5/10
*bridesmaids 8/10
up 8/10

* rewatch

some like it hot- this was funny you should look it up

In December:

American Hustle (2.5/5)
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2.5/5)
August: Osage County (3/5)
Bastards (4/5)
Camille Claudel 1915 (3.5/5)
A Christmas Story (4/5)
Faust (3.5/5)
Gremlins (4/5)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2/5)
Inside Llewyn Davis (4/5)
The Last Time I Saw Macao (3.5/5)
Like Someone in Love (3/5)
The Lords of Salem (3.5/5)
Meet Me in St. Louis (4.5/5)
Museum Hours (4/5)
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (3/5)
Passion (3.5/5)
The Past (3.5/5)
Post Tenebras Lux (4/5)
Room 237 (4/5)
Saving Mr. Banks (1.5/5)
Stories We Tell (3/5)
This Is Martin Bonner (3/5)
A Touch of Sin (4/5)
Viola (3.5/5)
The Wind Rises (3/5)
The Wolf of Wall Street (2.5/5)

The Selfish Giant (Clio Barnard, 2013) - Familiar miserablism, occasional bleak beauty. The kid's a livewire urchin, but charmless. 6/10
The Lone Ranger (Verbinski, 2013) - When I heard the William Tell Overture I forgot all about the mess leading up to it. A good western in here somewhere. 7/10
Laurence Anyways (Dolan, 2013) - I particularly liked the party scene set to Visage's "Fade to Grey", and shot like a New Romantic video. 7/10
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller, 2013) - Stiller is emotionless even in his wildest dreams. 4/10
Lovelace (Jeffrey Friedman, 2013) - A brave performance by Amanda Seyfried, but the film is a coy, movie-of-the-week Boogie Nights. 4/10
Robin Redbreast (James MacTaggart, 1970) - Excellent recently unearthed English folk-horror full of subtle menace and memorably creepy performances. 8/10
Bastards (Claire Denis, 2013) - Got a Fire Walk With Me vibe from this moody, elliptical thriller. Sexy. 7/10
Blue is the Warmest Color (Kechiche, 2013) - Not as sexy as Bastards. Adele Exarchopoulos gives good face. 7/10
Frozen (Jennifer Lee, 2013) - it may pass the Bechdel Test, but the female characters all look like Bratz dolls. 5/10
The Night of the Hunter (Laughton, '55) - Still stunning Bible black shadowplay. "Weren't you afraid, little lambs, down there in all that dark?". 9/10
Kiss Me, Damn It (Stian Kristiansen, 2013) - Norwegian film similar to last years (similarly titled) Turn Me On, Dammit, but far more conventional. 5/10