Best movies of 2017

[cinemabon]

Spielberg just argued to the contrary, decrying "Netflix" as undermining the award process. Several outlets carried the story. Here's a link to one: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/20...eserve-oscars/

[Chris Knipp]

But now three-time Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg has said that films made by Netflix should not be awarded Oscars simply because they have had a short cinematic release, and called the service: "a clear and present danger to film-goers". - Telegraph.

Good for him. That is a different issue, though, from whether or not "Twin Peaks" is a film, I thought, which is about length. Format. Rather than presentation method.

[oscar jubis]

I still don't have a firm opinion on Spielberg decrying Netflix.
Let's give Chris all the credit for linking Kubrick and Lynch via Nabokov. I found the comments very interesting and the links take you on intriguing paths.
I don't see reason to leave out a great piece of audiovisual narrative because of length, or "platform" or format. It's become increasingly difficult to separate what premieres in theaters from what debuts on broadcast TV or available via streaming. There are a number of made-for-TV films or series in my canon. They include Dekalog , Berlin Alexanderplatz,An Angel at My Table (1990), The Boys of St. Vincent, etc. Others that I need to watch (test) one more time before listing include Pride and Prejudice (1995), Angels in America (2003),and Mildred Pierce(2011). My listing of Twin Peaks: The Rturn in 2017 coheres with my desire to acknowledge my appreciation of these works.
I think it would be interesting to open a thread to discuss movies from the current millennium that have been maligned in some way, under appreciated, or "mismarketed", ignored, etc. I teach film history and one constant is that there are myriad films of all kinds which today are hailed as great achievements and widely viewed that were considered terrible or barely released at all when they were new. I have a couple of films I want to bring up that fit into these categories. One fits into the definition of "film maudit". Any interest in that kind of thing. Can you think of films you know that you think are great that few have seen? Or that you think it's been completely misunderstood?

[Chris Knipp]

It's good to be liberal, Oscar, but you can be too liberal, and then the world crumbles into chaos. "Dekalog" is great and profound, but it's a series of films, not a film. They certainly have validity as feature films. It's an "anthology series," in current jargon.

Cinemabon, at first I thought it was Johann talking with the fanboy talk, but then you say you haven't the time. I am not busy since the SFIFF ended so I could devote many hours to first "Twin Peaks: The Return" and then "Babylon Berlin." Which, incidentally, in my view are not movies, but TV series. My friend says this is "the golden age of television" and so, there is a plethora of great series. I think if we want to argue about this, the thing is, that there is a certain limit to what can make sense at one sitting, a rhythm and a flow that makes the experience of a feature in a theater satisfying. They can be long. Oh boy, can they ever. But we don't have to call something that's in 18 episodes a film. But call it that if you like. I just would hold back.

[cinemabon]

I'm such a colloquial pussy (but don't grab me). I have Pride and Prejudice (1995 Colin Firth) on "fast dial" on my laptop. Whenever I feel subservient or submissive too much, I pull it up and fantasize I'm Mr. Darcy, prancing around with too much pride. Just as Jeremy Brett epitomized Holmes, so too does Firth with Darcy. Nobody does it better (to quote Carly). The golden age of TV? Perhaps if you discount the 1950's when you had writers like Rod Serling cranking out things like "Requiem for a Heavyweight." Nothing like access to Broadway in which TV studios drafted talent in those days. Now they just turn to modeling agencies. Too cynical?

[Chris Knipp]

Cinemabon, the original TV Golden Age of the Fifties that you refer to was really special and I loved what little I saw of it. Everything was so simple and direct then. But now the quantity of good stuff is astounding. Even Emily Nussbaum, the excellent New Yorker TV writer from whose column I learned about "High Maintenance" and "The Deuce", can't keep up with it all. I learned about "The Good Wife," "Black Mirror" and "Babylon Berlin" from Peter. You cannot totally discount the claim that this is a new TV Golden Age. I am no expert, but some say it all began with David Chase and "The Sopranos" in the Nineties. And then he followed up with "The Wire" and lately, "The Deuce" (which I like a lot). And I don't think the casts are fielded from "modeling agencies." Yes, too cynical.

With HBO and Showtime access and a subscription to Netflix, I can watch a lot of this stuff on my computer screen. Other series I have enjoyed: "Mr. Robot." "Silicon Valley." "Bored to Death." Plan to watch: "The Americans." "Billions." ""Halt and Catch Fire," "The Leftovers."

I understand that "Twin Peaks: The Return" crowns all these, in a class by itself, and David Lynch's original "Twin Peaks" is considered to be a great influence on the best, most imaginative TV done since.


HALT AND CATCH FIRE

[cinemabon]

Ok, ok... I concede that Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and HBO have given us an incredible array of new TV shows that rival any historical period in TV history. As a sci-fi and mystery fan, I've been overwhelmed with the level of choice. On the quality side, there's Game of Thrones and Westworld along with Barry this season. Stranger Things and the Crown on Netflix. Altered Carbon was one of the finest sci-fi shows I've ever seen in a theater or on TV and no one's talking about it. I watch the Expanse and Lost in Space (new, released last month). I have Australia's Mrs. Fisher on fast dial (silly, I know) but there's also the weighty "Marcella," one of the finest murder mystery shows since Helen Mirren did Prime Suspect (and yes, I have all of those on fast dial, too). Documentaries and Science shows are of equal value to me and I have several series that I follow. Most recent? Hidden Houses is a retro English doc that delves into the history of Welsh manor houses. I could spend a whole paragraph on "Did you know..." The stand up comedy on Netflix is a standard Saturday night fare for me. Of course, so is Bill Maher and John Oliver on HBO.

This plethora of choice leads us off on our own merry path. No longer left with a handful of network choices, I can peruse the internet, go to my apps, and watch in the car, in the waiting room of the dentist office, in my bed before I fall asleep or in-between writing inspirations. I have my over-sized cell phone, my tablet, my living room big screen TV with Roku and my laptop. When we're together, my wife and I have a slew of shows that we parse like an open can of caviar, savoring each episode and counting down until we have to scramble for another series we like.

I wouldn't say this is a new golden age. I would say we're in the diamond jubilee; and the choices are so many that it makes my head swim on a daily basis.

[Chris Knipp]

I have watched the two first seasons of "The Crown" with great pleasure and admiration. I have started "Stranger Things" inspired by "Skam," the great Norwegian 4-season TV series, where a lead character, Isak, mentions it. It's good but I haven't gone on, yet. Why didn't you say which shows you and your wife Parse like a can of caviar (what does that mean, exactly?)? Aprropos of something you said, "silly" series can be addictive too, and my favorites have been "Doc Martin" and "Weeds."

[oscar jubis]

I'm glad you like that adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice" and thanks to you (and Chris) for all the comments about tv series that you've seen that are really good. Good to learn. especially for me, who hasn't seen most of them. There's just so many movies and so many other things to do. I'm doing a lot of running and cross training these days and spending time outdoors. I'm also "seriously" dating because it's time I have a "serious" relationship again and it takes time to do that.

[cinemabon]

Good luck. For Lori and I both, this is our second marriage. My first one lasted one year. For Lori, her first lasted eight. We just celebrated our thirty-second wedding anniversary, so for us, the second time was the charm. I think we made all of the mistakes with our first marriage and learned our lessons. TMI?

[Chris Knipp]

Oscar, I'm glad you're seriously running (as well as dating). I remember looking you up online when I first came to this site and found you listed as an accomplished masters runner with good times in road races and as a former road racer myself I was pleased to see that.

It is especially useful to compare notes on TV series because the scene is so rich now; as I said, even Emily Nussbaum, the excellent New Yorker TV columnist, often protests, or pleads, that she has missed some and just can't consider them all.

[oscar jubis]

Good luck. For Lori and I both, this is our second marriage. My first one lasted one year. For Lori, her first lasted eight. We just celebrated our thirty-second wedding anniversary, so for us, the second time was the charm. I think we made all of the mistakes with our first marriage and learned our lessons. TMI?

Congratulations! I miss the romance, but it gets more difficult to find as you get older.