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I guess I'm picking up Blood Simple next time I go past Barnes and Noble
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Aug 9, 2017 19:31
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Big Mean Jerk posted:I'd love for Criterion to grab Raising Arizona or Barton Fink. Kino got Barton Fink and it looks like a packed edition. Coming out in a few weeks.
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Aug 9, 2017 19:32
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I always liked Blood Simple, but I didn't realise its true brilliance until I watched Zhang Yimou's quasi-remake A Simple Noodle Story. Yimou is a great director and his film by no means without merit, but contrasting it with the Coen brothers' original highlights just how tightly constructed their version really is. There's nothing you could add or substract to make it better.
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Aug 9, 2017 19:34
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My favorite part of Blood Simple is how none of the main characters actually know what's going on. Everyone is justifiably paranoid and suspicious, but they have all come to and are acting on the wrong conclusions. The viewer is the only person aware of what's actually happening.. It's a great way to write the story, especially noirs/mysteries/thrillers, and they would go on to master it in later films. To accomplish it so well in an early script and then land the execution in their first movie is insane. (Not really a spoiler, but some people haven't seen it, and it's a fun go-in-blind film)
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Aug 9, 2017 19:35
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Walsh's PI is hands-down the best part of Blood Simple, and definitely one of my favorite Coen characters.
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Aug 9, 2017 19:38
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Franchescanado posted:My favorite part of Blood Simple is how none of the main characters actually know what's going on. Everyone is justifiably paranoid and suspicious, but they have all come to and are acting on the wrong conclusions. The viewer is the only person aware of what's actually happening.. It's a great way to write the story, especially noirs/mysteries/thrillers, and they would go on to master it in later films. To accomplish it so well in an early script and then land the execution in their first movie is insane. Yeah this was absolutely my favorite part as well. Every character in it is doing what they think is right for what happened. They all think they know what's going on. Abby thinking it's Marty in the last scene is just an incredible hilariously dark ending. Stalker is up next, since you guys have been hyping the gently caress out of that one on here.
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Aug 9, 2017 19:40
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Big Mean Jerk posted:Walsh's PI is hands-down the best part of Blood Simple, and definitely one of my favorite Coen characters. "If I see him, I'll sure give him the message" is one of the greatest closing lines in film history.
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Aug 9, 2017 19:43
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Big Mean Jerk posted:Walsh's PI is hands-down the best part of Blood Simple, and definitely one of my favorite Coen characters. Turning on the titty light girl in his VW while they're sweating balls is one of my favorite moments in their whole filmography.
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Aug 9, 2017 19:46
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It's fun because the audience gets involved with the movie on a gameplay level - we know how many bullets are in the gun, we know what so and so really means when they say such and such - and the great joke is that it's still suspenseful and unexpected, even though we, the audience, get far more information than the characters, who are all playing their own separate games, do. The handcrafted nature is really fun as well, I miss that punky vibe from the Coen's recent works, that feeling of making a movie for the love of making a movie. If you haven't yet, check out the fundraiser trailer they made before they made the actual movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTHCKnhFkwM I mean, what could be more straightforwardly tantalizing than those shots of the gun waving and the woman backing away? It's pure cinema. edit: ich bin ein americaner Magic Hate Ball fucked around with this message at 21:57 on Aug 9, 2017 |
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Aug 9, 2017 20:15
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I was thinking maybe there's a risk of Stalker being overhyped here because it's been talked about so much recently, but then I remembered that I hyped it up in my mind for like 3+ years before I actually was able to get my hands on it and still it completely blew me away.
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Aug 9, 2017 20:42
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I first heard of Stalker from a former coworker ~6 years ago. We'd talk about movies on slow nights and he was a huge Russian cinema guy, Tarkovsky in particular. Solaris was actually the first Criterion I ever bought, on his recommendation. He talked up Stalker as if it was one of the greatest films ever made and I thought there was no way it would ever live up to his hype. I finally watched it last week and it absolutely deserves the praise. I've never rewatched a movie as soon as the credits rolled, but I was sorely tempted by Stalker. It's so drat good.
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Aug 9, 2017 20:49
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 here.After you watch Safety Last be sure to watch the behind the scenes supplements on how Lloyd and company pulled off the effect of appearing extremely high up. It's impressive as hell.
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Aug 9, 2017 21:45
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There's a shot in Blood Simple that's very Raimi - when the camera rushes into the house quickly, much like the shots in Evil Dead 2 where the camera zooms into the cabin from the woods. citizen.
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Aug 9, 2017 21:49
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Barry Sonnenfeld and the Coens definitely took some cues from Raimi, there are more of those kind of wild shots in Raising Arizona and Miller's Crossing. Sam Raimi even has a cameo in the latter!
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Aug 9, 2017 21:57
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Cloks posted:There's a shot in Blood Simple that's very Raimi - when the camera rushes into the house quickly, much like the shots in Evil Dead 2 where the camera zooms into the cabin from the woods. gently caress I gotta check out Blood Simple. Coens are maybe my favorite filmmakers and Evil Dead 2 is one of my top films ever. The comment about them being sticky and sweaty looking reminds me of the look of Barton Fink which is grimy as gently caress. That goddamn wall!
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Aug 9, 2017 22:07
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X-Ray Pecs posted:Barry Sonnenfeld and the Coens definitely took some cues from Raimi, there are more of those kind of wild shots in Raising Arizona and Miller's Crossing. Sam Raimi even has a cameo in the latter! My dream documentary would be following the Coen Bros, Raimi Bros, Bruce Campbell, Rob Tapert Francis McDormand, Holly Hunter, Barry Sonnenfield and everyone else who lived together telling stories about going from a bunch of drop-outs and nobodies to making The Evil Dead, Blood Simple, Crime Wave and coming to an end with them making Evil Dead 2 and Raising Arizona.
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Aug 9, 2017 22:31
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What a loving movie that was. Definitely not ready to type anything up about that yet... but wow.
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Aug 9, 2017 23:08
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Janus' trailer for the Blood Simple restoration had a quote about it being one of the best debuts since Citizen Kane. One of the rare times there's no hyperbole in such a statement.
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Aug 9, 2017 23:42
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GonSmithe posted:What a loving movie that was. Definitely not ready to type anything up about that yet... but wow.
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Aug 10, 2017 00:44
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For "The Stalker" I watched the first part and haven't gotten back to it in days. It was interesting so far, but I don't feel like it gripped me like it has so many others here.
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Aug 10, 2017 02:41
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I decided to watch Before Sunrise since I've never seen it. So far I love it.
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Aug 10, 2017 02:53
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Coaaab posted:Here's an old thread on Stalker if you want to chew on the themes a bit more. Oh lord, it's so cringey to read something I wrote when I was 22. I actually just finished Geoff Dyer's Zona and I'm straight-up jealous he could so eloquently gather his thoughts about the film in a freewheeling essay, as opposed to my dry, altogether stock reading of events that take place. I'm practically afraid to talk about it too much at this point because its visceral moments require no intellectual dissection. When the camera's gliding over shallow water and we see objects of a lost civilization nestled just underneath, my mind and soul are locked in. I've never understood art more purely then in moments like that. Paradoxically, all I ever want to do is talk about Stalker. e: One of the craziest things I read in Zona was how apparently Tarkovsky mentioned in a couple of interviews that he was down with the idea that everything about the Zone was merely Stalker's invention and none of it was actually miraculous or magical. I don't think it matters that much either way because it's his (and our) faith that makes it enrapturing, and not anything tangible. Does anything really ever happen that solidly proves to us that this place is abnormal? Kull the Conqueror fucked around with this message at 05:38 on Aug 10, 2017 |
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Aug 10, 2017 05:32
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One thing I read re: Blood Simple that really stuck with me was that because of licensing issues on certain video releases It's The Same Old Song is replaced by the Neil Diamond version of I'm a Believer, which is just hosed up.
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Aug 10, 2017 05:52
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I was gonna recommend Stalker too but you beat me to it, so I'll run with Throne of Blood. It's probably the weakest of Kurosawa's Shakespeare "adaptations" but Mifune is so much more of a presence than he is in a lot of the other Kurosawa flicks I've seen that it's essential viewing.
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Aug 10, 2017 06:05
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Throne of Blood is my favorite Kurosawa and has a spot in my imaginary top 10 list of best movies ever. The commentary on the blu-ray is a must-listen too.
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Aug 10, 2017 11:42
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Kull the Conqueror posted:I'm practically afraid to talk about it too much at this point because its visceral moments require no intellectual dissection. Stalker has had a very odd, similar effect on me as well, I saw it for the first time a few weeks ago. I've thought about the movie at least once every day since, but my mind seems to resist putting my feelings about it into coherent thoughts. I reach out to grasp at the concepts, but every time I do my mind kinda drifts away and I'm kinda like re-experiencing the film in my head but the end result is I never come out of it with anything approaching an insightful comment. The film is like a dream that I can go back to any time I want, but also like a dream it defies any sort of tangible definition, and almost actively fights against it any time I try.
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Aug 10, 2017 14:05
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Basebf555 posted:Stalker has had a very odd, similar effect on me as well, I saw it for the first time a few weeks ago. I've thought about the movie at least once every day since, but my mind seems to resist putting my feelings about it into coherent thoughts. I reach out to grasp at the concepts, but every time I do my mind kinda drifts away and I'm kinda like re-experiencing the film in my head but the end result is I never come out of it with anything approaching an insightful comment. The film is like a dream that I can go back to any time I want, but also like a dream it defies any sort of tangible definition, and almost actively fights against it any time I try. This is how I feel exactly right now, so review still pending on that. Also turns out I did watch Throne of Blood, I knew I had seen the arrow scene before but I thought it was on YouTube, then I read the blurb on the back and I remembered. Great movie. So it's
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Aug 10, 2017 15:52
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GonSmithe posted:So it's Nice I stayed in sick today and planned to throw this on in about an hour.
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Aug 10, 2017 15:53
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The Hidden Fortress absolutely does not feel like it's nearly as long as the run time suggests.
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Aug 10, 2017 15:56
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Detective No. 27 posted:The Hidden Fortress absolutely does not feel like it's nearly as long as the run time suggests. Most Kurasawa movies feel that was for me.
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Aug 10, 2017 16:51
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The Hidden Fortress felt as long as its runtime for me, and it's probably my least favorite Kurosawa so far. Might have been because I was trying to tie every single thing to Star Wars instead of, you know, just experiencing the movie.
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Aug 10, 2017 17:07
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Ah yeah. It's got some simarities, but it's far from a 1:1 pre-Star Wars movie. Rewatch it sometime if you can.
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Aug 10, 2017 17:37
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Detective No. 27 posted:Ah yeah. It's got some simarities, but it's far from a 1:1 pre-Star Wars movie. Rewatch it sometime if you can. You don't remember the part where C-3P0 sexually assaults Princess Leah?
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Aug 10, 2017 18:14
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Skwirl posted:You don't remember the part where C-3P0 sexually assaults Princess Leah? Gross. That's his sister.
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Aug 10, 2017 18:22
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 Kurosawa, I'm familiar with. I own every single blu-ray of his available in the Criterion collection. Ever since I saw Seven Samurai, he has been my favorite director and I don't see that changing in the future. I also have an unabashed love for Star Wars, ever since I was a kid. So how had I not seen The Hidden Fortress until now? Honestly, I believe I had put it off because I had heard how George Lucas "completely ripped it off" in order to make Star Wars. That really isn't the case though.Of course you can see where he was influenced by it, and you can see the parts that he did take directly from it, but it's really its own movie. Unfortunately, it's not Kurosawa's best. At no point during the movie was I bored, and it certainly didn't feel as long as it is, but there was just something missing for me that usually has me drowning in it, like other Kurosawa films do. I feel like the character work in this movie was lesser than that of most of his other films, and that lead to my disconnect it. All of the characters are well realized for what they are, but they lack depth. The two cousins are peasants, they want money, they try to rape the princess. They spend the entire movie trying to swindle the group and make away with gold for themselves until OH NO, THEY'RE ALMOST CAUGHT AGAIN! The princess is strong, and wants to be self-relient. She experiences the life of a commoner as she pretends to be mute, and learns a lesson of humility during the fire festival. Mifune is the hardened samurai who is a great fighter, tough through even sacrificing his sister. The only character with any major development is Susumu Fujita's General Hyoe, the "Darth Vader" character, and it helps point out how lacking it is with the rest of them. The cinematography is of course gorgeous. The way Kurosawa uses wide lenses to focus on the backgrounds, then immediately change to focusing on the characters lends such a nice contrast that the movie excels on. Shots of the princess holding her reed with the dark leaves of the forest behind her are breathtaking. The fight scenes are choreographed beautifully and are thoroughly engaging. The Fire Festival scene is raucous and energetic. But how beautiful the film looks can't make up for the failings elsewhere. I may be coming off very negatively about this movie, but I did still enjoy it. It's very funny. It has some fantastic individual scenes. Its influence can be felt throughout American pop culture today, as with most of his works. But it was far from my favorite Kurosawa. GonSmithe fucked around with this message at 20:11 on Aug 10, 2017 |
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Aug 10, 2017 20:03
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I just remember really digging that fight in the mud. Samurai mud battles are the best.
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Aug 10, 2017 20:39
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I haven't seen The Hidden Fortress in at least twelve years. It's still the one and only time I've seen it and I was slightly underwhelmed. I think I went in with the silly expectation - based on all the hype about it being a big influence on George Lucas - that it'd be exactly like Star Wars only with Samurai. I'm desperately in need of a re-watch.
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Aug 11, 2017 02:43
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I saw it back when it first came out on DVD and was underwhelmed, but I'm pretty sure it was the first Japanese and Kurosawa film I saw. I've enjoyed most of his films I've seen otherwise since then except for some of his really early ones (Sanshiro Sugata/Part II and Those Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail are tedious). Only 40s-60s films I need to see are The Quiet Duel, The Idiot, I Live in Fear, and Red Beard.
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Aug 11, 2017 03:58
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I recently watched it with my girlfriend and she absolutely adored Princess Yuki. I read in the booklet that there simply weren't any female characters like her in Japanese cinema at the time.
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Aug 11, 2017 04:43
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Red Beard is the most underwhelming Kurosawa I've seen so far - it sounds like a great premise, but when you get down to the granular dramatic details it's just sort of repetitive and shallow.
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Aug 11, 2017 07:12
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