What's the last movie you've seen?

[Tetro Kornbluth]

What Jas said.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Rashomon

I'm yet to be convinced of the merits of this film.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Rashomon

I'm yet to be convinced of the merits of this film.

Do you like Kurosawa's other stuff? Rashomon is probably my least favorite of the films of his that I've watched, but I still thought it was enjoyable.

I much, much preferred Ran and Throne of Blood. I've only seen the first half of The Seven Samurai but I didn't really like it all that much - it is one of those films which has simply been borrowed from far too much to have much punch any more (at least for me) and it reminded me alot of those old children serials/bad fantasy novels which I didn't think were much good in the first place. But will have to catch up with the whole thing eventually.

That's all of his that I've seen. Interested in seeing Ikiru and High and Low but tbh from what I've seen he only moderately interests me. Great Camera work though.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

The Brothers Bloom

Is this proof that there is now a "Wes Anderson" genre? In parts it is kind of fascinating and I do have sympathy with the ideas (quite strong sympathy in fact) running through the film but the problem is... it is just too wacky for it's own good and thus becomes extraordinarily annoying in places. Some strong parts but in the end mediorce at best. A Disappointment after Brick

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Bigger than Life

Very good expressionist drama which is yet more evidence against the most absurd notion that American popular culture was deeply conservative in the 50s (okay the film was a flop on release, but still that it could made at all...American Beauty is pretty tame in comparsion). The Ending is very insane (in a good way).

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Faust (1926)

Visually spectacular and has a brilliant opening 40 minutes (which would have been much more brilliant had I saw this on a big screen and not on low-quality google video) before descending into dramatically uninteresting melodrama which draaagggggggggggsss in parts and drops any of its prior interesting themes though it picks up somewhat again near the end. Basically watch for the visuals and camerawork and even the 80-year-old obviously-fake but still interesting special effects. Ignore the plot (well after minute 50 or so).

I also wonder how much visual cliches were actually invented by this film.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Inception

I found it fairly dull tbh, I was going to write a long winded post on this in the "Inception is boring" thread but why bother...? (One thing I'll add though... who knew the subconcious would be so dull?)

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Bob Roberts (1992)

Had some interesting elements which were sadly underplayed and was in the end rather mediorce all round albeit not unwatchable as far as party political broadcasts for the Democratic party go. Jack Black is not the best actor in the world but he is sure better now than he was then.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Strangely never this before. Yeah, great entertainment though I can't help but think this film had a bad influence on the American Film industry.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

The King of Marvin Gardens (1972)

Very Underrated I think though I really need to see it again to be sure. It is the type of confusing dialogue-driven bleak 70s movie that no-one even tries to make any more. Jack Nicholson actually proves he can act and is actually a very good actor and not just playing the sad parody of himself that he has done in every film since... Chinatown(?)... well at least, The Shining.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Rumble Fish (1983)

This "art film for teenagers" is kind of interesting though rather naff in places and sometimes collapses over its own artiness. I think the heavy stylized action was a big influence on the upper end of pre-adolescent TV of the 90s that I alas grew up (I kept having flashbacks to Eerie Indiana despite that series and the film being rather different in many ways) and the fight scene at the beginning recalled so many music videos made afterwards. Cinematography is awesome as is the Soundtrack but otherwise this film shows the strengths and weakeness of Coppola as a writer-director (he was one of two screenwriters).

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Week End (1967)

Has anyone here seen this? Anyone else going to tell me what the hell it is all about?

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Suspiria

Great (actually amazing if not fully used properly) soundtrack. Not sure what to make of the rest of it however.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Alphaville

Beautiful, totally sane pre-cyberpunk 1984-meets-Out of the Past-in-60s-Paris new wave film. Like all Godard, it gets a more dictatic at times though again like in Weekend I wonder whether the 'message' is actually part of the joke or not. This is a film after all not exactly easy to follow or  particularly concerned with its own narrative. But I can't help but really like a film (despite many flaws) which is so unconcerned which is so over-the-top in its romanticism, SF trappings (despite having zero budget and it shows) and in any way being conventional. All those of close-ups of Anna Karina wanted to make me move to Paris, circa 1965 and get involved in the movie business (Though the whole attitude to women does trouble me and would trouble me more if I didn't think the whole film was designed as an intellectual joke).

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

I'll happily admit it - I had so much fun watching it. It was great. And I didn't even like Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz all that much.

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Metropolis (1927).

I wonder how many PhD thesis' in Gender studies has this film inspired?

Anyway the ideas are totally banal and prosaic and the ending conclusion is laughable (and in a way, unsurprisingly - the screenwriter later joined the Nazi party. In parts, it shows). However it is, in it's second half once the plot gets going (the first half is mostly dull other than the imagery, which is o/c amazing) it turns into the most exciting silent film I've ever seen.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

Represents a certain type of cinema very well (Many would hold this to be the greatest silent film). However, whether that certain type of cinema corresponds to my type of cinema is dubious to say the least. Worth watching at the very least. Though I think I prefer Nosferatu due to my strange fondness of 19th Century German Romantic Kitsch.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

The Tree of Life

You know.. One day on and I still struggle to say anything remotely intelligent about the film (though I think it's not that much of a difficult watch. Certainly not when compared to The New World which I'll willingly admit defeated me). However I will say that enjoyed it a lot but I don't see the 2001 comparsions that well, if any film is similiar it's Tarkovsky's Zerkalo. And while it is a long time since I saw that film, I think it preferred to Malick's effort, which is perhaps a bit too American for my liking.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

The Tree of Life

You know.. One day on and I still struggle to say anything remotely intelligent about the film (though I think it's not that much of a difficult watch. Certainly not when compared to The New World which I'll willingly admit defeated me). However I will say that enjoyed it a lot but I don't see the 2001 comparsions that well, if any film is similiar it's Tarkovsky's Zerkalo. And while it is a long time since I saw that film, I think it preferred to Malick's effort, which is perhaps a bit too American for my liking.

Well, I haven't seen Zerkalo. Now that you bring up Tarkovsky, I realize that it has similarities with the one Tarkovsky that I've seen (Andrei Rublev). So I can imagine there could be one very similar movie.

It's only comparable with 2001 in certain ways, of course.

Oh, I see some similarities of course but the comparsion too journalistic for my liking ("Hey, which famous great American film is kind of like this?"). Anyway, it is always good to do a Tarkovsky shout out. Andrei Rublev is great too.

One further thing about Tree: The fact that this was made in contemporary hollywood shows that things aren't that bad after all (though in saying that, if Malick was trying to start his career now....)

[Tetro Kornbluth]

For like the eight time I saw (well, the last 45 minutes of this time) Blade Runner.

There are o/c many problems with the film but has there really been a film (or at least a hollywood film) which created a unique and credible world which has its characters actually live in it and be encapuslated in it as well as BR did? I really struggle to think of one that comes close (Please don't say Star Wars or LOTR).

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Withnail & I

A defining work in the history of western civilization.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Last Year in Marienbad (1960).

Anyone who thinks they know what this is about is, shall we say, being slightly liberal with the truth. Certainly worth a look mind and the French bourgeoise never looked creepier. (Best way of describing it: A 90 minute horror movie with all the 'shock' scenes taken out and no obvious villian).

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Last Year in Marienbad (1960).

Anyone who thinks they know what this is about is, shall we say, being slightly liberal with the truth. Certainly worth a look mind and the French bourgeoise never looked creepier. (Best way of describing it: A 90 minute horror movie with all the 'shock' scenes taken out and no obvious villian).

I haven't seen it but for me it's about the match stick game, oddly enough. My dad taught me that game as based on the movie.

I only watched one Resnais but I've been wanting to get around to this one as well.

Even though it is somewhat peripheral to the plot(? - wrong word to use. The, ummm, 'action') the match stick game (Initially played with cards and then possibly with non-existant photos, you have to watch it to get that bit) is one thing which constantly sticks in my mind. That and the black and white photography, which is great. In general though, like with The Tree of Life, I really have nothing intelligent to say about it (except that it was an obvious influence on David Lynch, if that classes as inteligent comment).

What was your previous Resnais film? The local Art film theatre here is doing a season on him atm so that's probably going to be my August cinema viewing.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Sunset Boulevard

Very good.

One of my favourite films.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Je T'aime Je T'aime (1968)

My interest was stoked by a fact recalled from long ago that this film was a major influence on Charlie Kauffmann. Though I foolishly tried to order my ticket by pronouncing the French title (there is no other title) it was a great experience really (albeit one very frustrating; the style of 60s Resnais is something that needs time to get used to). But really needs to be seen twice.