What's the last movie you've seen?

[Gustaf]

Changeling.

Why does it take Clint Eastwood to do what so many younger directors try to do and epicly fail; simple drama, no pretentious nonsense, no "Doesn't Society Suck" message (Are you Listening Sam Mendes?) just classic American style Drama put to perfection. Probably my favourite American film of the year, yes, that's ahead of No Country and There Will be Blood (I'm talking about Irish Release Dates, before anyone gets bitchy. You know who.)

I watched this about a week ago. It was better than I had expected. Don't agree with your assesment relative to those other films though. I feel Eastwood is a competent director with interesting stories to tell but he's a bit lacking when it comes to artistic touch in the delivery.

[Gustaf]

WALL-E.

Yes it was awesome. Who would've thought you could get more humanity out of two inanimate mechanical characters than most movies have altogether?

You liked it? Interesting.

There are many things for which one can criticize BRTD, but movies don't tend to fall into that category.

I'm not too surprised that he recognized the greatness of Wall-E.

[Gustaf]

Did anyone get the feeling that 6 mo. after the end of Wall-E, the landing site would look like a concentration camp with emaciated people eating each other?

Did you miss the after-texts with cute pictures of new life getting sowed, etc?

[Gustaf]

Changeling.

Why does it take Clint Eastwood to do what so many younger directors try to do and epicly fail; simple drama, no pretentious nonsense, no "Doesn't Society Suck" message (Are you Listening Sam Mendes?) just classic American style Drama put to perfection. Probably my favourite American film of the year, yes, that's ahead of No Country and There Will be Blood (I'm talking about Irish Release Dates, before anyone gets bitchy. You know who.)

I watched this about a week ago. It was better than I had expected. Don't agree with your assesment relative to those other films though. I feel Eastwood is a competent director with interesting stories to tell but he's a bit lacking when it comes to artistic touch in the delivery.

Actually I do agree with what you said there: Eastwood is good craftsman not an artist. I just preferred the film to the overblown NCOM and TWBB (Though now that I think of it, it isn't the best American film of the year. That would be Man On Wire)

Haven't seen that one. We're going to have to disagree on the films though. I'd rank both of those other two higher than Changeling.

I am definitely going to watch some more Eastwood-films though. I've only seen this one and Million Dollar Baby as far as directing goes.

[Gustaf]

Changeling.

Why does it take Clint Eastwood to do what so many younger directors try to do and epicly fail; simple drama, no pretentious nonsense, no "Doesn't Society Suck" message (Are you Listening Sam Mendes?) just classic American style Drama put to perfection. Probably my favourite American film of the year, yes, that's ahead of No Country and There Will be Blood (I'm talking about Irish Release Dates, before anyone gets bitchy. You know who.)

I watched this about a week ago. It was better than I had expected. Don't agree with your assesment relative to those other films though. I feel Eastwood is a competent director with interesting stories to tell but he's a bit lacking when it comes to artistic touch in the delivery.

Actually I do agree with what you said there: Eastwood is good craftsman not an artist. I just preferred the film to the overblown NCOM and TWBB (Though now that I think of it, it isn't the best American film of the year. That would be Man On Wire)

Haven't seen that one. We're going to have to disagree on the films though. I'd rank both of those other two higher than Changeling.

I am definitely going to watch some more Eastwood-films though. I've only seen this one and Million Dollar Baby as far as directing goes.

Never seen Unforgiven? What Blasphemy is this.... (I'm happy to agree to disagree on the other two btw; I just found them overblown, pretentious and incoherent in the case of TWBB.)

I actually have a reasonable excuse: I rented it, but the rental messed up and the DVD inside was something like Bride of Chucky or some other bad horror movie instead.

On TWBB I can sort of get how someone could feel that way. I guess I just "bought" the whole thing and was sucked in. Agree to disagree it is, I guess.

[Gustaf]

Romeo and Juliet (1968) - This is how the play should be portrayed on screen.  It's leagues ahead of the 90's crap.

A friend of mine showed that in her English class several years ago.  It didn't go so well, due to a certain scene in particular.  Now she shows the 1996 version

Ok...tell the scene!

[Gustaf]

Romeo and Juliet (1968) - This is how the play should be portrayed on screen.  It's leagues ahead of the 90's crap.

A friend of mine showed that in her English class several years ago.  It didn't go so well, due to a certain scene in particular.  Now she shows the 1996 version

Ok...tell the scene!

the one with the boob, probably.

[Gustaf]

There Will Be Blood

No problems with the acting (both Day-Lewis and Dano are very capable) or the cinematography or the direction or whatnot. But...I don't 'get it'. What was the point of the story?

It's a character study. It's not supposed to have only one simplistic plot coming to an easy conclusion.

I don't recall ever asking for simplistic plots and easy conclusions.

I just don't see why this story merited telling. Why is Plainview's story worthy of a big screen adaptation? I didn't feel the story was particularly entertaining or that there was a great deal to learn from it.

(This isn't to say that I'm trying to convince you of my point of view, art's meaning after all can only be really interpreted by each individual. I'm just saying, I didn't see the point of this particular film.)

*SPOILER ALERT*




Plainview is a fascinating character. He is not an evil person. There are clearly good feelings, like love and compassion within him. He takes care of the infant son of one of his workers, probably in part due to the responsibility he may have felt for the death of that man. In his own way, he clearly loves the boy. He is obviously disturbed by the religious bigotry and hypocrisy of Eli Sunday. He moves to protect the daughter in the Sunday family from her dad's beatings. And it is clear that he craves for love and understanding from someone.

At the same time there is an inner drive for wealth and success, a hardness and a ruthless determination that overcomes him. This is why he leaves his injured son to see to the oil field. This is why he has to kill the man who pretended to be his brother. Perhaps it is one of the reasons why we never see him with a woman. No wife, no mistress, not even a prostitute. There is thus a strangeness about the man, a contradiction and something within him which drives him towards despair and madness and makes us admire, pity, fear, love and despise him at the same time.

If you want to look beyond the personal story it can be seen as a metaphor too. It is the American dream turned upside down, converted into a nightmare. Plainview is the self-made man, starting with nothing but his own two hands, who builds himself a great fortune. He's a rugged individualist, a pioneer of the wild. But his life is a disaster. His final words, "I'm finished," sums it up: he's finished with his meal, his murder, his life. He got nothing left, not even his hatred. His wealth brought him nothing. On the other side of things, religion is, if possible, depicted in even worse terms. That other side of the American ideal is represented by Sunday, who is an evil little worm not even garnering respect and who dies pathetically, having renounced his God and pleading for his life.

Now, if you want to stretch it even further interpretation-wise you can ask yourself if Anderson is trying to say something about what happens to America when religion, greed and oil get mixed together and corrupts the spirit of the nation.

Not interesting?

[Gustaf]

Meh. Repeating the Hollywood view of Bush's America does not an interesting film make.

(just going off what thou wrote. Not seen the film myself).

It's not a Hollywood's view of Bush's America. Far from it, I'd say. Keep in mind that it takes place during the first 3 decades of the 20th century.

[Gustaf]

Also, as said before, it's a loose adaption of an Upton Sinclair novel and it's not really a "Hollywood" film either.

I disagree with Gustaf's interpretation of Plainview though, I see him as evil, just unlike your typical movie villain in that he possesses some redeeming characteristics, just a mirror image of the flawed but generally noble hero character really. I never found him likable, or even preferable to Eli. Maybe my view of Eli was tainted by the trailer where he's seen as somewhat noble though. But really nothing Eli did amounted to all the murder and deceit of Daniel. He even admits at the end he only adopted the boy to help him on business deals. Really he was halfway to being a sociopath, just only halfway.

He only says that to hurt him and to defend himself from the hurt of being left. Because of the kind of man he is he cannot bring himself to tell his son he loves him and wants him back. If he really didn't care for his son, why would he be so upset? Why would he do a crazy thing like killing Eli? Think of the scene when his son returns and kicks him and he says "that's enough." There is so much hurt in him once he realizes his son has begun to hate him. Or when he's in the restaurant and he's trying to look successful for his son.

I don't deny that he is a bad person in many ways and crazy in some ways, but I don't view him as evil.

As for Eli, he's just as bad morally as Plainview. He just lacks Plainview's coolness. Remeber the scene where he jumps his dad and almost strangels him? His own dad? Just because his dad didn't secure enough money for them. They both hate each other just as much, but the difference is that at the end Eli cries and Plainview kills. Eli has pathetic evil. He's a Uriah Heep.

[Gustaf]

I watched The Squid and the Whale again. Fuck that movie is brilliant.

I really hated the dad this time for some reason. What a dick.

He's a self-absorbed egoistic asshole who use everyone around him to project his own self-image, for sex, etc. He has this intellectual charm which gets people to be with him. Eventually they divorce him though, once the charm wears off. I guess it can work the same for the viewer.

But, yeah, great movie, though I thought it was a bit short (only 80 minutes, IIRC). I'd have liked to see a little more character development. Have you seen Margot at the Wedding? Very good as well. And pretty similar. Noah Baumbach must have had a hell of a twisted childhood.

[Gustaf]

Just watched "Match Point", the Woody Allen movie, the other night - really enjoyed it.

You just liked it that the main character got away with murder.

It is a very good movie, though.

Yes, and Yes!

I disagree, I didn't find it to be a "very good movie." Crimes and Misdemeanors make the same point to a large extent and does it better.

It was ok, but I found it to be a little too much in my face.

[Gustaf]

Frost/Nixon. Solid, but not great, imo.

[Gustaf]

Mulholland Dr.

I didn't know anything about the film before I watched it; I'm not sure I know anything about the film after watching it.

I managed to solve it while watching it, but I'm good at solving mysteries (I find it a lot easier than "interpreting" for instance). Most people are bewildered though.

If you want to think about the key is to consider the inconsistencies in the movie (such as some characters changing their names, etc). Then you just think logically of what could explain those inconsistencies.

[Gustaf]

Slumdog Millionaire

Better than I expected, actually. A little too sentimental at times, perhaps. The end dialogue was pretty bad. The idea that a couple should drop silly lines and then kiss at the end of a movie is annoying. Just let them kiss! Anyway, it's a story not usually told and it was told well. I don't have a problem with it being an Oscar winner, even if it wouldn't have been my first choice.

Män som hatar kvinnor (Men Who Hate Women)

Also better than expected. Based on a recent best-selling Swedish novel. Enjoyable detective story which involved brutal BDSM-scenes and radical national socialism.

Outside of cinemas: The Island of Lost Children (or at least I think that was the English version of the title)

French film by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (who directed Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulin). Very surreal, very funny, completely insane. There were some moments where you felt that this was a film made a little too fast, with a little lacking competence, but it made up for it with its originality. Reminiscent of these Japanese films like Spirited Away in its style (although this was not animated).

[Gustaf]

Blindness. Cool and disturbing. About as good as I expected.

[Gustaf]

Last in theatres was Milk. I was surprised by how good it was. Sean Penn was excellent and pretty much carried the film. The rest of it was more ok than anything else, imo.

[Gustaf]

My only real big problem with State of Play is the ending basically downgraded the whole scope of the story. They had this huge conspiracy going on and then kind of threw it all away.

I disagree, actually. The conspiracy theory was hard to believe and the ending made the story both more interesting and more realistic.

[Gustaf]

Burning Plain

Better than expected, not too shabby. Though I could tell the twist in advance.

Antichrist on Tuesday. Woho!

[Gustaf]

"8 women"

French musical detective story, filled with incest, lesbianism, jealousy and murder. Pretty weird.

[Gustaf]

Recently, I've seen the Informers and Bronson. And a Swedish film called Man Tänker Sitt. None of them were that good.

[Gustaf]

Zeitgeist. The most hillarious movie ever.

10/10

Zeitgeist was so stupid and unconvincing I never made it very far.

[Gustaf]

Inglorious Basterds

I really liked it.

On TV, I saw The Bourne Identity recently. That sucked. Action movies really are a worthless genre.

[Gustaf]

500 days of Summer. It was pretty good, I liked it.

[Gustaf]

Looking for Eric. And as with most of Ken Loach's movies, some parts of the plots stunk. But as with every single one that I've seen, the end product was great anyways.

Oh, and Laura Ainsworth is 18 and delectable.

Next movie on my list: Die Anwälte

I really liked that film, even though Ken Loach seems to be a left-wing nutter.

Anyway, recent watches:

The Amazing Fox
Whip It

The former better, but both very enjoyable. Whip It actually presented a solid form of feminism that I can agree with.