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big business sloth posted:caiman, now that you are close to done, I'd be interested to hear what your feelings on Herzog and which are his most 'essential' or intriguing films. I've been following your posts cause I've been meaning to look into his movies more and I'm sure others would also be interested in what the best/most interesting Herzog works are after this real formidable undertaking. Yeah I plan to do a sort of summary write up when I'm all done.
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Jan 16, 2014 05:26
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sweet, looking forward to it.
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Jan 16, 2014 06:49
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I'm rooting for ya.
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Jan 16, 2014 06:52
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Director currently working on: Werner Herzog Progress: 59/62 Just Watched: Echoes from a Somber Empire - A 1990 documentary about Jean-Bédel Bokassa, the emperor of Central Africa in the 60s and 70s. It begins with a note from Herzog that he's "very worried" about Michael Goldsmith, the main interviewer in the film, who has disappeared since the shooting of the film. This is never followed up on. The bulk of the film is Goldsmith interviewing people about Bokassa. The interviewees share anecdotes, both direct and second-hand, about Bokassa. If we are to believe most of the stories, Bokassa was a tyrant. He had people executed on a whim, murdered children, and was even a cannibal. The interviews are intertwined with stock footage of Bokassa. At the time this film was made Bokassa was in an African prison serving a life sentence for his crimes. While Bokassa is indeed a fascinating subject, the film didn't hold my interest for its full duration. Many of the stories were interesting, but many were also pretty boring. I feel this could have been better suited as a 45 minute short documentary rather than a full length one. But it's still very much a Herzog doc, which means an exploration of extreme human behavior, beautiful music, and some fascinatingly bizarre images. The best being the final shot of a chimpanzee smoking a cigarette. I don't really know the significance of this shot, but it was the best thing in the entire film. After watching the film I learned that Herzog and his crew were a hair away from interviewing Bokassa in prison, but they were thrown out of the country at the last minute. A direct interview with the man could potentially have morphed this from a mediocre doc into something truly great. What we're left with feels a bit like wasted potential. But hey, at least we got that smoking chimp! 70/100 Next Up: Lessons in Film Directors completed by this thread: David Cronenberg (22/22)
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Jan 20, 2014 19:51
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caiman posted:Progress: 59/62 Congrats!
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Jan 20, 2014 20:30
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 Director currently working on: Edgar G. Ulmer Progress: 39/48 Just watched: The Pirates of Capri Next up: Club Havana The Western Front: Herman Cohen (7/9) Still chipping away at it. This is a double identity pirate version of Zorro, a premise as old as time. These were like the CSI of the day, every one was basically exactly the same, except the devil is in the execution. Ulmer remembers his German origins here with some really moody shadows crisscrossing every wall. The camerawork isn't revolutionary but effective, he mines a lot out of all his locations and it feels much, much bigger than it should. Good work from the lead actor, who has to juggle two opposing parts. He's less effective as the swashbuckler, but a delight as the foppish poet alter ego. He has this really affected Mozart-esque laugh, it's a nice little character beat. Not one of the best, but a good show.
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Jan 24, 2014 06:38
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Director currently working on: Werner Herzog Progress: 60/62 Just Watched: Lessons in Film (aka Filmstunde) - an 8-part (9 including the brief prologue) series of ~30-minute interviews and demonstrations by various artists, authors and performers put on in 1991 for the Viennale film festival (which Herzog directed). Herzog conducts the interviews himself. I'll go through each segment. Prologue - This is a short performance by tightrope walker Philippe Petit, the man who walked a tightrope between the World Trade Center towers and was the subject of the documentary Man on Wire. He walks a rope spanning about 500 feet across two very high buildings near the Viennale theater. Part 1 - Herzog first introduces the Lessons in Film initiative, explaining that his subjects exemplify the qualities that being a filmmaker requires. He then chats with Phillipe Petit. They discuss dangers he encountered during his previous-day's tightrope performance. Petit demonstrates both his lockpicking and magic skills. Herzog demonstrates how to falsify official documents, which was required for the film Fitzcarraldo. I enjoyed this segment. Petit is a fascinating guy, and it's always interesting to hear Herzog discuss the lengths he'll go through to get his films made. Part 2- Herzog's guest is German filmmaker Volker Schlondorff. Herzog admits he's not very prepared for this interview and they're just going to wing it. Apparently the two of them are longtime friends. They discuss why they've decided to take on particular films in the past, and how gut feelings are the best way to decide on projects. They also talk about their experiences with twins speaking in unison. And there's an excerpt of Schlondorff interviewing Billy Wilder about how to create comedy. The Wilder stuff was good, but the rest was pretty dull. The lack of preparation hurt this one. Part 3 - The guest is filmmaker Michael Kreihsl, and the main subject discussed is music in film. They show some excerpts of films with varying music to show how different music choices affect the mood of the film. The most interesting cliip was from Herzog's Scream of Stone, where he shows the same clip with two very different pieces of music. He explains that he fought hard to get to use the version he wanted. I enjoyed this segment. Part 4 - The guest who "needs no introduction" (he did to me) is famous Austrian playwright Peter Turrini. This segment simply consists of Peter reading an excerpt from one of his plays. It's about a boy and a girl who play a flirtatious game that involves throwing away everything they own, including the clothes they're wearing, in an attempt to understand who they are. It's pretty silly, honestly. This was my least favorite segment, mainly because Werner was barely in it. Part 5 - The guest is cosmologist Kamal Saiful Islam, who demonstrates "unimaginable algebraic spaces" like the Mobius Strip. He and Herzog discuss how this relates to the future of film, where the medium may work in a space or dimension that we currently can't even comprehend or concieve of. Much of the segment is taken up by incomprehensible math demonstrations and photos of strange landscape paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries. A somewhat interesting segment, though the math stuff was pretty horrible. Part 6 - Herzog interviews Polish author Ryszard Kapuscinski, who describes his strange and dangerous journeys through Africa and Middle East. He was imprisoned multiple times and even sentenced to death. The two men share various anecdotes and facts about the political and societal hardships of this part of the world. The most interesting part was Herzog's brief discussion of an upcoming science fiction film he's planning to work on. Unless I'm mistaken, I believe he was referring to Lessons of Darkness. Part 7 - Herzog's guest is Magician Jeff Sheridan who, as Herzog explains, is a street magician that shuns the big stagey productions and overly dramatic technical magic tricks. He is also apparently a master in controlling the audience's focus. Herzog feels magic and cinema are very similarly related. Sheridan performs some of his magic tricks (which are quite impressive), and the two discuss magic and cinema. I enjoyed this one a lot. Part 8 - In this final lesson, Herzog is alone. He discusses the orientation and sense of space used in filmmaking. His first demonstration is of the 180 degree rule, where the camera can't cross an axis during a two-shot dialogue scene. We see various clips from Aguire: The Wrath of God, Heart of Glass, The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, Woyzeck, and a car commercial that demonstrate various camera tricks, techniques and conventions. This is the only segment out of all of them that actually felt like a film lesson. This was definitely my favorite. Some of these were better than others, but overall it was worth seeing, especially as a Herzog fan. I quite enjoy hearing him converse casually with people he admires, and the guests were interesting for the most part. For a "getting to know Herzog" sort of thing, this was vastly superior to Portrait: Werner Herzog. It's not something I'd recommend to anyone unfamiliar with Herzog, but for people like me it's worth seeking out. 73/100 Next Up: Wheel of Time Directors completed by this thread: David Cronenberg (22/22)
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Jan 26, 2014 23:48
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Director currently working on: Werner Herzog Progress: 61/62 (So close I can taste it) Just Watched: Wheel of Time - A 2003 documentary on the Tibetan Buddhist ritual called Kalachakra, where hundreds of thousands of Buddhists travel to Bodhgaya, India to take part in spiritual initiations which are presided over by the Dalai Lama himself. This 2002 Kalachakra ends up getting cut short due to the Dalai Lama's illness and is completed in Austria some time later. Much like his short film Pilgrimage, Herzog showcases the great, GREAT lengths people go to in the name of their faith. Some of the observers of the Kalachakra travel hundreds of miles on foot to reach the ritual, and many of those perform prostrations all along the way; every few steps they take, they get down on their bellies, stretch their arms out in front of them, and touch their forehead to the ground... for hundreds of miles on rough rocky terrain. It's simply stunning. Herzog, as usual, is fascinated by the strange and amazing rituals that people commit themselves to in the name of their religion. The film is focused and confident, letting the images do most of the explaining. As the camera pans over a sea of people, you can sense the calm. And when we see closer shots of individuals, the typical countenance is one of peace and serenity. It's really fascinating. And as usual, much of the great images are accompanied by wonderful music. Of Herzog's religious-based documentaries, this is definitely my favorite. 87/100 Next Up: The White Diamond Directors completed by this thread: David Cronenberg (22/22)
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Feb 2, 2014 02:27
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Director completed: Werner Herzog Progress: 62/62 Just Watched: The White Diamond - A 2004 documentary about Graham Dorrington, a man who creates airships to fly over and document remote wilderness. In this case he's working on a craft to fly over the Kaieteur Falls in South America. This was the perfect movie for me to go out on. In many ways it's a quintessential Werner Herzog documentary. Dorrington is a man driven to realize his dreams, and to overcome guilt from his past. He's filled with passionate, even foolhardy ambition. Being such a man himself, this is Herzog's forte. Not only does the film do a great job of making us understand and sympathize with Dorrington's drive, it's filled with tons of great technical details about the construction, mechanics, and dangers of the airship. When Herzog and Dorrington make their maiden flight together, the sense of risk was quite real. Additionally, the film is filled with a multitude of beautiful shots of the Guyana rainforest and the Kaieteur Falls. This is a perfect example of how well Herzog is able to mix together stories, people, music, themes and visuals to craft a totally memorable experience. I think this might be Herzog's most visually stunning movie, and definitely one of his best documentaries. 91/100 Ah, Werner Herzog... When I first started this endeavor I had seen a good handful of Werner Herzog's films, mainly the famous ones. If at that point I had to sum up what his filmmaking was all about, I'd have probably said something like "man vs the wild", or "the overwhelming indifference of nature" (to quote Grizzly Man). But now that I've experienced Herzog's entire body of work, I'd sum it up thusly: "People are fascinating creatures". Herzog is awed by strange human behavior, whether it's our drive to overcome obstacles and achieve self-prescribed goals, our need to conquer our environment and dominate those around us, our peculiar religious and cultural customs, our proclivity to lash out violently, or our need to overcome personal demons. Nature is merely a catalyst (or often times a hurdle) for our odd quirks and obsessions. Herzog has scoured all seven continents to tell the stories of the most fascinating people in existence. His gaze, whether in fiction or nonfiction, is always objective, unflinching, non judgemental, and honest. At the end of the day I think what draws me to Herzog may have as much to do with the man himself as it does with his films. Herzog is as fascinating a character as any in his own movies. His tenacity, optimism, confidence, willpower and sense of adventure are truly something out of fiction. He goes to the greatest lengths, climbs the highest heights, submits himself to the most dangerous environments, and never compromises, all for the sake of his craft. He's truly larger than life. Everyone should check out the film Burden of Dreams for a glimpse into the utter madness that is Werner Herzog's filmmaking process. When I think back over his films as a whole, what comes to mind aren't plots and stories, but individual images: Kaspar Hauser unable to stand under his own weight; the preacher Huey pontificating behind his alter; a sea of windmills spread across a vast valley; Aguirre's ugly mug glaring menacingly over our shoulder; a lone penguin rushing off to the distant mountains to face certain death, the disoriented blind deaf child hitting a ball against his face; a dancing chicken, the crazy-eyed Wodaabe people; the strange musical duo in Fata Morgana; a little person laughing incessantly at a camel; a giant boat being hoisted up the side of a mountain. I could go on and on. Herzog creates hauntingly unforgettable images. Sometimes they tie in directly with his themes, other times they remain enigmatic, just out of reach but always strangely appropriate. He's a filmmaker who digs into us by merely showing us something remarkable. I throw the word around a lot, but no descriptor sums up his films better than "memorable." Nobody will watch a movie like Even Dwarfs Started Small and then just forget about it. Nobody. But his striking images do more than merely surprise and amuse us. From his depictions of these oddities often emerges much deeper emotional revelations. Herzog would be the first to admit that he often stages certain elements of his documentaries. He describes this practice in his Lessons in Film series, where he explains that he is not a cinema verité director; what he shows in his docs is not necessarily candid realism, but rather a presentation that may or may not be realistic on the most superficial level, but serves to reveal deeper truths. So you may be thinking, "Okay that's all well and good caiman, but I'm not going to watch 62 movies! Give me a rundown of the essentials." Fine. Here are the movies of his that I feel should not be missed: The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser Grizzly Man Aguirre: The Wrath of God Even Dwarfs Started Small Into the Abyss Land of Silence and Darkness Death Row The Dark Glow of the Mountain Fitzcarraldo Lessons of Darkness The White Diamond Cave of Forgotten Dreams Encounters at the End of the World But really, there are very few Herzog films that I WOULDN'T recommend. Werner Herzog has shown me the world, the incredible beings that inhabit it, and the tendency of humans to do awesome, bewildering, horrifying, wonderful things. This has been a great ride. Directors completed by this thread: David Cronenberg (22/22), Werner Herzog (62/62)
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Feb 9, 2014 21:45
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Congrats, Caiman. I've enjoyed reading.
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Feb 10, 2014 02:01
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Same here, thanks for the write-ups and exposing me to his infectious madness.
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Feb 10, 2014 02:12
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 Current Director: Alfred Hitchcock Films Completed: 33/56 Just Watched: The Trouble with Harry Well, that's just about the strangest romantic comedy I've ever seen. The Trouble with Harry is simultaneously a massive departure for Hitchcock, and purely a Hitchcock film. It takes his classic tropes - Murder, the Wrong Man, Deception - a gives them a new face in a goofy, and rather bizarre comedy. Also atypical for Hitchcock is that it's rather low energy. It's less plot and suspense oriented and far more focused on character. All in all I liked it a lot.
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Feb 13, 2014 05:31
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Caiman, fuckin' congratulations, dude.
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Feb 13, 2014 15:16
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Yeah, I forgot to say 'grats. I'd imagine there's only two different directions to go in from here, and that's to either follow up with either Jean Vigo or John Ford.
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Feb 13, 2014 18:32
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Thanks guys. I think I'm gonna go with someone much easier next. Like John Carpenter or something. Maybe finish off Bela Tarr.
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Feb 13, 2014 19:44
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I imagine part of the trouble with Herzog is tracking down a lot of the more obscure films.
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Feb 13, 2014 19:56
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TrixRabbi posted:Yeah, I forgot to say 'grats. I'd imagine there's only two different directions to go in from here, and that's to either follow up with either Jean Vigo or John Ford. Vigo would take a weekend. Ford's almost impossible because so much of it is lost. Trust me, I know: 
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Feb 13, 2014 19:57
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Current Director: Akira Kurosawa Progress: 25/30 [ Just watched: Red Beard was a strange film for me in that, even though it was 3 hours long, it felt like a lot of things were still missing. I think it would've been better as a miniseries than a movie. My biggest complaint is that I want to know more about the titular character - Red Beard - and we find out almost nothing about his background. The story is more focused on his young apprentice maturing and becoming a compassionate and caring doctor. It's a good story, but I think Red Beard's story would've been much more interesting. There's a scene where he beats the tar out of a bunch of thugs who run a brothel, but we never get a satisfactory explanation of how he was such an expert fighter. Maybe he used to be a thug himself but accidentally killed someone and became a doctor to atone? Despite it's length, the film didn't feel too long. I just wish Kurosawa had cut out some of the subplots and made a tighter, more focused movie. For example, there's a young woman with severe psychological trauma who shows up very briefly to almost murder someone, then basically vanishes into the background until it's mentioned offhand that she tries to kill herself later in the film. It felt a little pointless and the film could've been just fine without it. It's baffling to me how Kurosawa - who is usually an amazing editor - could produce a film like this so late in his career. It isn't bad, it just doesn't feel as polished as most of his other work. The ending is also kind of a "hey, let's suddenly tie up a bunch of loose threads and set up a happily-ever after ending out of nowhere". It is, of course, well-shot and full of Kurosawa's touches - I think Japanese sliding doors have become my favorite framing device - and the scene with the well near the end of the film packs a strong emotional punch. I enjoyed it, but it still feels like a bunch of vignettes crammed together rather than a single, unified film. Overall rating: B- Next up: Dodesukaden
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Feb 13, 2014 20:01
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TrixRabbi posted:I imagine part of the trouble with Herzog is tracking down a lot of the more obscure films. Indeed. There were about 4 that gave me some trouble. But I got 'em!
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Feb 13, 2014 20:17
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FLEXBONER posted:Red Beard The character of Red Beard is the same character from Yojimbo. Just think of the final duel in Sanjuro and how the character is somewhat reluctant and disappointed to do the duel. Yes, there's almost 300 years of history separating the periods that each film depicts, but the character feels very much like a continuation of Kurosawa's ronin hero. It's a character that is very much preoccupied with life, it's continuation and preservation of it, yet he carries a lot of ugly violence with him. Red Beard is atoning for something, what it really is doesn't matter, but one can guess from the way he dispatches those thugs. The real character of the film is the young apprentice, he's Kurosawa new hero, or at least the ideal hero, someone who isn't burdened by a heavy past, and still dreams of a better tomorrow and will not leave at the end of the film. However while I think Kayama does a solid job, he doesn't really have the chops to match Mifune who just hogs all the limelight, and doesn't manage to hold the whole thing together. I think it's Kurosawa looking back at his career. His later films are all very personal, a lot more expressionist, and deeply concern with social issues(more than usual). It's telling that his two late samurai films(Kagemusha and Ran were funded by Americans(Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg) who learned their trade with Seven Samurai and The Hidden Fortress.
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Feb 13, 2014 20:45
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penismightier posted:Vigo would take a weekend. Ford's almost impossible because so much of it is lost. Trust me, I know: Yeah, that was the joke. Wasn't that funny I guess. Either, something incredibly small (4 films, most of em shorts) or somebody with a bigger body of work than Herzog. Although, you could do Ford's surviving filmography, which is still a loooot. I was considering tackling F.W. Murnau's surviving stuff whenever I finally finish Hitchcock. Or DW Griffith. Somebody do Griffith.
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Feb 13, 2014 21:18
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Electronico6 posted:The character of Red Beard is the same character from Yojimbo. Just think of the final duel in Sanjuro and how the character is somewhat reluctant and disappointed to do the duel. Yes, there's almost 300 years of history separating the periods that each film depicts, but the character feels very much like a continuation of Kurosawa's ronin hero. It's a character that is very much preoccupied with life, it's continuation and preservation of it, yet he carries a lot of ugly violence with him. Red Beard is atoning for something, what it really is doesn't matter, but one can guess from the way he dispatches those thugs. The real character of the film is the young apprentice, he's Kurosawa new hero, or at least the ideal hero, someone who isn't burdened by a heavy past, and still dreams of a better tomorrow and will not leave at the end of the film. However while I think Kayama does a solid job, he doesn't really have the chops to match Mifune who just hogs all the limelight, and doesn't manage to hold the whole thing together. That makes a lot of sense, I'll keep that in mind moving forward.
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Feb 14, 2014 01:18
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TrixRabbi posted:Or DW Griffith. Somebody do Griffith. Oh man please somebody do this. That would be amazing.
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Feb 14, 2014 01:31
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penismightier posted:Oh man please somebody do this. That would be amazing. Criticker has him at 285 films with all of the Biograph shorts. No idea if any of them are lost. But it would certainly be a feat.
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Feb 14, 2014 01:45
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Grats Caiman, I've seen a good amount of Herzog, but not nearly enough.
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Feb 21, 2014 08:02
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caiman posted:Director completed: Werner Herzog This is amazing stuff. Congrats caiman!
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Feb 21, 2014 15:46
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Current Director: Alfred Hitchcock Films Completed: 34/56 Just Watched: The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) In Hitchcock/Truffaut, Hitch said that the original Man Who Knew Too Much was a film by "a talented amateur." Whereas this remake was by "a professional." Well, he's not wrong. This is certainly a much more polished film, clearly by an experienced director. However, it's not necessarily the better film. In fact, I'm not crazy about either as a whole. But both of them contain moments of brilliance. The 1956 film contains two sequences that qualify as some of the best footage Hitchcock ever put together: Stewart and Day crashing the church service, and the entire Royal Albert Hall scene. Both of these scenes are constructed perfectly. Brilliantly punctuated by music, edited without a single unnecessary frame, and gorgeously blocked. The dead-serious look Stewart and Day give Mrs. Dreyden when she seems them in the crowd of the church is simultaneously one of the most suspenseful shots of the film, and one of the most emotionally satisfying. There's a bit of catharsis in the couple finally confronting the woman who took their son, while the danger of what will happen next still looms over them. The rest of the film however, is a bit clunky. It's slow and meandering. The first half hour takes far too long to set up. This is one advantage of the original, it's quick and to the point. Very little time is wasted there, while the '56 version takes it's sweet time, to the detriment of my patience. The Morocco scenes play too much like a travelogue, trying to draw humor from the American couple struggling to adjust to those wacky foreign customs. If the film lost half an hour it would fly by, instead it drags its feet, waiting to get to the action. Why does Stewart need to accidentally go to a taxidermist shop? What purpose does that scene serve? Also, there's no Peter Lorre. But about every movie would benefit from having Peter Lorre, so I'll try not to hold that against it.
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Feb 26, 2014 02:01
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[post deleted]
TropiusInABox fucked around with this message at 17:24 on Mar 27, 2014 |
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Mar 11, 2014 18:07
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penismightier posted:
Hey, I didn't know if you'd seen either of these, but I thought you may enjoy them: an interview with Ulmer's biographer and an interview with his daughter.
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Apr 20, 2014 13:07
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 Current Director Project: Alan J. Pakula Just Watched: Rollover (1997)  A turkey to end all turkeys. This movie attempts to draw us into the wildly dramatic and compelling world of international banking! And in one of the worst instances of miscasting I've ever encountered, a beardless Kris Kristofferson plays one of these jargon-spouting suits. Dear lord, this poo poo is impenetrable. Not even an ending featuring world catastrophe and total anarchy can save it from being largely boring, unsuspenseful, and unromantic. Not much else to say. The range of quality in Pakula's career is astoundingly vast. 50/100 Progress: 10/16 Up Next: Starting Over (1979)
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May 3, 2014 20:33
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Progress:[4/16] Just watched: Next up:Who Framed Roger Rabbit? EDIT to avoid doublepost: Director currently working on:Robert Zemeckis Progress:[5/16] Just watched: Who Framed Roger Rabbit is an experience, this could've easily been a cheap marketing ploy but I find it really held up. The staggering amount of technical tricks that must've been used for this. Everything must've been rather difficult to do at the time but they pulled through and it really shows. Seeing the cameos was great but they didn't steal the movie. The characters are memorable, the dialogue is great. The acting was really great, especially by Christopher LLoyd who just does a fantastic job, like in most movies he's in. It's now up there as one of my favorite movies.(5/5) Next up: Used Cars Robert Zemeckis progress: |I Wanna Hold Your Hand|Used Cars|Romancing the Stone| SirFuzzington fucked around with this message at 20:35 on May 5, 2014 |
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May 5, 2014 15:28
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Current Director: Akira Kurosawa Progress: 26/30 [ Just watched: My progress on this got sidetracked a bit by the fact that I just moved to a new state and started a new job, but I watched Dodes'ka-den right before my final flight out to my new home. To me it was a film without a story, instead providing a tiny glimpse into the sad, strange lives of the denizens of a Tokyo slum. It's a beautiful film, one that makes me sad that Kurosawa couldn't make all of his movies in color. The make-up and lighting effects are amazing and often haunting - when the homeless man and his son both get food poisoning, the portrayal of their decline is disturbing and visceral but in a very satisfying way. The shots of the "main character's" house plastered in bright, cartoonish drawings creates a beautiful stained-glass effect that also highlights his situation as both pitiable and enviable when compared to the other denizens of the slum. And the bleakness of the hovel of the man who's wife cheated on him is my favorite kind of desolate. I honestly don't know if I love this film or not, but I do know that the striking visuals combine with the stark and honest portrayal of impoverished life to create a memorable experience. I can't remember the names of any of the characters, but I know that I was hoping for the best for all of them. It's clear between this film and Red Beard that Kurosawa was very concerned with shedding light of the problems of poverty in Japan and focusing his career toward tackling social issues more directly, though his portrayals of the poor and the disadvantaged in earlier films already hinted at his desire to address these problems. Regardless, for it's visuals and characters, I found this movie captivating despite its lack of traditional narrative. Overall rating: A Next up: Dersu Uzala
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May 14, 2014 02:50
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 Director: John Huston Progress: 20/37 Just watched: Reflections in a Golden Eye Next up: Freud (a.k.a. Freud: The Secret Passion) Reflections in a Golden Eye I was supposed to watch Freud next but I happen to be in a Southern Gothic phase lately, so I happened upon Reflections in a Golden Eye. It is Brando and Elizabeth Taylor as a failing couple on a military base in the south. I am not a huge Brando fan but this performance is probably my favorite of his after On the Waterfront. Taylor is a little over the top for my tastes. This is probably the best shot of all of Huston's work. Robert Forster actually steals the movie as a voyeuristic private obsessed with Elizabeth Taylor's character, and the movie is worth seeing just for the cinematography and his performance alone. Rumor has it that Scorsese was heavily influenced by this film. EDIT: I would be interested if anyone here has seen this film. It felt like it was all about Brando struggling with his suppressed homosexuality. And that he shoots Forester at the end, not because he was in his house, but because Forester's character was in love with the wife and not him. I wasn't particularly pleased with the ending and some of the themes get confuddled. I told my friend this movie felt like Whose Afraid of Virgina Woolf? (which was shot the previous year) meets Equus. (7.5/10) Seen: Must See: The Dead, Prizzi's Honor, Wise Blood, The Man Who Would Be King, Fat City, Moulin Rouge, The Treasure of Sierra Madre, The Maltese Falcon, Let There Be Light, Reflections in a Golden Eye See: The Life & Times of Judge Roy Bean, The Misfits, The African Queen, The Asphalt Jungle, Key Largo, The Red Badge of Courage Don't Have To See: Annie, Victory, Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, Moby Dick Seen: [/quote] York_M_Chan fucked around with this message at 18:57 on Jun 4, 2014 |
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Jun 4, 2014 18:54
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Current Director: Alfred Hitchcock Films Completed: 35/56 Just Watched: Sabotage This was a pleasant surprise. A really daring film for having the guts to blow up the kid and have Sylvia Sidney murder her husband. It's one that's been largely forgotten, as are most of these early films, although this one deserves some more recognition. To be fair, I don't have a whole lot to say about it. There's excellent scenes, especially that one in the aquarium, although there's also some clunkier bits, like the unnecessary time-filler of having the audience demand their money back during the blackout. But when it works it's great. A fun little thriller.
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Jun 12, 2014 17:14
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York_M_Chan posted:EDIT: I would be interested if anyone here has seen this film. It felt like it was all about Brando struggling with his suppressed homosexuality. And that he shoots Forester at the end, not because he was in his house, but because Forester's character was in love with the wife and not him. You're right.
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Jun 13, 2014 03:35
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Current Director: Alfred Hitchcock Films Completed: 36/56 Just Watched: Spellbound I was excited for Spellbound because I'd heard about the Salvador Dali sequence. Overall, it's an alright film, but a bit disappointing given its potential. The psychology was too Hollywood. It was kind of off-putting with a lot of the mumbo jumbo, even though I was trying to suspend my disbelief. As well, It's sometimes too slow and it repeats itself a bit too much. However, it serves as a fascinating precursor to Psycho, what with a man assuming the identity of somebody [they believe] they have murdered. The performances are good and I was really impressed by the flash of color when Leo G. Carroll kills himself. edit: Also, Peck holding the straight razor was right out of Bunuel. Although it makes sense given Dali's involvement with the film. TrixRabbi fucked around with this message at 19:50 on Jun 18, 2014 |
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Jun 18, 2014 19:35
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Director: John Huston Progress: 21/37 Just watched: Night of the Iguana Next up: Freud (a.k.a. Freud: The Secret Passion) Night of the Iguana I just can't seem to get around to watching Freud, but I found Night of the Iguana at the library. (Yes, I still check out movies from the library) This film never seems to find stable footing in plot or theme, just when I think it is telling one story it seems to shift focus. This is probably my favorite Richard Burton and Ava Gardner performances, however. Sue Lyon basically does what Sue Lyon does in every movie. Grayson Hall does a good job too, although Cyril Delevanti steals the movie as a dying poet. So, great performances but I was not a big fan of the plot or theme. It started as a great story about a priest who lost his faith and just kind of pitters out into a love story. It is worth seeing just for the opening scene. Must See: The Dead, Prizzi's Honor, Wise Blood, The Man Who Would Be King, Fat City, Moulin Rouge, The Treasure of Sierra Madre, The Maltese Falcon, Let There Be Light, Reflections in a Golden Eye See: The Life & Times of Judge Roy Bean, The Misfits, The African Queen, The Asphalt Jungle, Key Largo, The Red Badge of Courage, Night of the Iguana Don't Have To See: Annie, Victory, Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, Moby Dick Seen:
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Jul 2, 2014 15:47
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Current Director: Akira Kurosawa Progress: 26/30 [ Just watched: Haven't been keeping up with this as well as I'd like, but I finally got to enjoy Dersu Uzala this past weekend. Apart from loving the scenery and setting, I found this to be one of Kurosawa's most subtle films, in that it had a lot to say but was never preachy or obnoxious about it. There's a strong theme of old vs. new, man vs. nature, technology vs. nature, etc., but it never picks a side and says "this is better, this is what's right". Instead, it argues for a balance, for moving forward without forgetting the lessons of the past. The film is really well put together and feels much shorter than its 2 hour and 20 minute run time. Another great one from Kurosawa. Overall rating: A Next up: Dreams
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Jul 29, 2014 05:18
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FLEXBONER posted:Current Director: Akira Kurosawa I've really liked your take on his films. Although, I just read your review of One Wonderful Sunday and I disagree about the breaking of the 4th wall. I really liked it. They are in an empty amphitheater and she turns to the empty audience to yell her plea. And really, no response is given. It gave me chills.
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Jul 30, 2014 19:11
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| # ? May 3, 2024 05:12 |
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York_M_Chan posted:I've really liked your take on his films. Although, I just read your review of One Wonderful Sunday and I disagree about the breaking of the 4th wall. I really liked it. They are in an empty amphitheater and she turns to the empty audience to yell her plea. And really, no response is given. It gave me chills. Thanks! And yeah, I might have been a little harsh, I just felt like it was a bit over-the-top in tone compared with the rest of the film, which stands on its own pretty well. It turns a subtle humanist film into a melodrama and for me that was a big blow to the tone of the film.
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Jul 31, 2014 01:49
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