Thank you. I think we can conclude this topic now.
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Thank you. I think we can conclude this topic now.
Sorry I missed out on your big Napoleon Dynamite and Sahara debate, never saw either film, and don't really care. I didn't like the original Sahara, so the remake seemed even less appealing, and as for Napoleon, well someone was gonna force me to watch it, but well that hasn't happened yet.
I just watched L'Argent (1983). New Yorker has done well lately, and glad to finally have this film available, and with more features than the previously available Man Escaped and Lancelot of the Lake. Can't say this film is a Bresson masterpiece, honestly I didn't really feel much for it. I'm not sure why lately every Bresson film I watch I absolutely adore, but for some reason this fell flat. Perhaps the crime story seemed wasteful, perhaps it wasn't compelling enough, I'm not sure. Best bet is that I just didn't pay close enough attention and have to watch it again, but it may be a long time before I'm able to do that.
Sahara (2005) turned out to be better than what I expected, but it's not something you'd miss.
Did you get a chance to listen to Kent Jones's commentary on L'Argent? I think that might help you. He's also written a book as I mentioned earlier.
You know, I almost wish I'd seen Sahara, but I'm not going to go back and find it now. Mr. and Mrs. Smith was enough in that pop vein. I have had an eye problem off and on for two months, so have only briefly been able to see movies in theaters. I didn't see the new Star Wars. But when I look in the Films section of
TimeOut New York, I know that if I were there I would be busy. I'm sure that it's worth seeing every Robert Bresson film, but not every one has to be considered a masterpiece. The circumstances under which you see one of them has a big effect. For me Diary of a Country Priest made a big and lasting impression, because it was the first one I saw in a theater and I had no idea what to expect.
I hope to have my movie reviews on my website back up next week, but it may be a while before all the current ones are restored completely.
It seems obvious from your comments that you didn't think very highly of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. I think tabuno liked it a lot. I'll probably end up watching it in a few weeks. I was kind of looking forward to Bewitched, starring one of favorites, Nicole Kidman, but it's getting mauled by critics so I'm not so sure anymore. I think the best film playing right now across the country is Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle.
I enjoyed Mr. and Mrs. Smith much of the way through, but eventually the overproduced battles began to cloy. I agree much more with the TimeOut New York evaluation -- a "guilty pleasure" that "dishes out" "fine-tuned escapism" "in abundance" and that for a while may make you think you've "stumbled in on the first successful screwball-espionage film" -- than I do with Rosenbaum's categorization of it as "worthless." Of course he means for him. For me, it provided mindless entertainment when I was going to head to the hospital the next morning and needed distraction, not profundity. The two leads do look pretty splendid and work well together. I couldn't go for Bewitched because I don't like that kind of thing even if the critics didn't maul it, though it's always tempting to watch anything with Nicole in it. You seem to be right about the critical consensus on Howl's Moving Castle.
Other new arrivals in the US: Ozon's 5x2, which doesn't seem to be doing too well with critics. I didn't like it, but I think you do. Cafe Lumière due for a brief showing in NYC. I'm eager to see Cronenberg's new one due to your promotion, but that seems to be held for the fall? Or (My Treasure) (NYC).
Oh, there's no lack of good independent/foreign films if you are in the right areas. Miranda July's Me and you and Everyone We Know just opened (I haven't seen it yet). But I didn't catch a British film called My Summer of Love, it's quite good. I plan to watch Mysterious Skin and The World next week. I think Tropical Malady also comes out this week.
Cafe Lumière wasn't officially distributed but it had a few screeenings thanks to "Best of Village Voice" series at Brooklyn's Academy of Music. I have the DVD but haven't watched it yet. Cronenberg's film is scheduled for September 30th I think. Jarmusch latest, Broken Flowers, comes out August 5th. I forgot about Van Sant's film which is coming out in July. So there's a lot going on. Haven't seen Or (My Treasure) yet; it won the Camera D'or last year for whatever it's worth.
Yes, Tropical Malady is coming soon to a Berkeley theater too.` As I said earlier I'd like to be in NYC now because there is no shortage of the small releases you're referring to. Cannes has really heralded some films I eagerly await now, as you mention, the Jarmusch, the Van Sant, the Cronenberg. I've read about Me and You and Everyone We Know; Mysterious Skin has been here and passed on. In retrospect it was much different from what I had imagined, more jolting and shocking, ultimately not really as good.
If I was going to go to a good blockbuster, I should have chosen Batman Begins rather than Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
Watched Land of the Dead tonight, and I'll try and get a thread going on it.
wpqx: Did you see Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later? How does Land of the Dead compare to that and some of the other recent zombie films?
Chris: I'm not quite sure what you mean by "Mysterious Skin has been here and passed on." I thought it just came out recently and was received very well.
I didn't mean to mislead you. Of course Mysterious Skin has been well received; it's just no longer showing in the East Bay. It opened in early May and ran for about a month. It is still showing in San Francisco.
Actually I didn't see 28 Days Later, or Shaun of the Dead, or the Dawn of the Dead remake, so modern zombie films aren't my area of expertise.
My gf did say that this movie reminded her of 28 Days, so by her amateur opinion they seem to be similar. I don't think the film quite measures up to the first two Living Dead movies, but Day of the Dead wasn't hard to beat.
In a Year of 13 Moons (1978) - Rainer Werner Fassbinder
I'm not sure what number this is for Fassbinder, I'm past the point of counting. Like all his films its offbeat, but makes sense in his world. The film is a wonderful companion piece to his earlier Fox and His Friends, and both films represent his most personal features. Perhaps Fox seems more personal because of the fact that Fassbinder plays the lead, but hearing a little about 13 Moons, this film is straight from the heart.
Like the previous film this deals with homosexuality and one particular emotionally unbalanced man/woman named Elvira. He has tried convincing himself and others that he is a woman, and it's hard to see his motivation for it. I'm not quite sure whether the reason of him having the sex change is to seek the approval of a man who tells him "Too bad you're not a woman", or if it is a self hating tactic. The belief that if you love a man you're not gay if you're a woman, so perhaps Elvira is in contempt of his homosexuality.
All of this is psychological mumbo-jumbo and I reckon both answers are true. the transvestite element makes this film anticipate almost the entire career of Pedro Almodovar, and the melodrama certainly helps. While watching it I couldn't tell how much I was getting involved. I felt a detachment from the characters in many ways for their behavior. Since the film has ended though it's starting to stick with me. I feel the pity and sympathy necessary of Elvira and I'm starting to see why Fassbinder made this film. It was made for his lover who committed suicide the same year the picture was made. That gives the film a painful resonance and a bit of cinematic truth.
I believe that no amount of recommendations can ever suffice for Fassbinder. All of his films need to be seen, and I just wish more companies went to the trouble that Fantoma did for this release, as well as the Criterion releases. Fassbinder has many great films, and all too many of his dvd's seem like they were just directly transfered onto disc from the already available video. I'm still ignorant of most of his work, so certainly plan on seeing more, alhtough this is the last of his films in my to watch pile for now.
The Five Obstructions (2003)
Von Trier is always interesting, and this film certainly has the mark of a Dogme film. Experimental in nature, but not quite as compelling as it could have been. The animated obstruction was the most interesting of the film. Overall though I can't say I really enjoyed it.
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (2001) - Chris Columbus
Well finally saw a film from this series, and pretty damn entertaining. I'll eventually check out the other two, and maybe even see the fourth in the theater. Oh and I haven't read any of the books, so I'm just that damn ignorant.