(11901,2150,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1138336260,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Frank Miller\'s Sin City (2005)','Didn\'t realize that I haven\'t posted my review on this site, so here it is.\r\n\r\nIn Sin City, director Robert Rodriguez - with the help of his creative partner, Frank Miller - has primarily incorporated three of Millers stories, The Hard Goodbye, The Big Fat Kill, and That Yellow Bastard, into a Pulp Fiction-type narrative, but unlike the model, it never becomes cohesive nor does it ever come alive enough to be cared for. Who wouldve thought that Rodriguezs biggest sin would his faithfulness to the source material?!\r\n\r\nThe third story arc of the graphic novel, That Yellow Bastard, is featured first in the film as we see Detective John Hartigan (Bruce Willis), a burnt-out cop with a bum ticker on the brink of retirement take down a child molester (Nick Stahl) - son of a high-class official (Powers Boothe) - as hes about to rape an 11-year old Nancy (Makenzie Vega). However, he is deceived by a friend (Michael Madsen) along the way and gets framed for various other crimes including the kidnapping of the little girl. We later find him rotting away in prison with the only ray of light being the weekly letters from Nancy who knows the truth.\r\n\r\nThe famous first arc which started it all, The Hard Goodbye, was originally published in 1991 as part of the Dark Horse anthologies and is presented next as a hideous tough guy named Marv (Mickey Rourke) spends the night with a kind hooker (Jaime King) and later finds her dead body laying next to him. Much like Hartigan, hes also blamed for the act but he fights his way out and makes his mind about avenging the woman in hysteria. There is no settling down! This is blood for blood and by the gallons, and he isnt kidding! What he finds is that this murder is linked with the highest of places and in his way is a silent killer (Elijah Wood).\r\n\r\nAs most of you have seen or heard by now, Sin City is as visually striking as any film ever made. And as I mentioned earlier, its faithful to a fault . One simply cant take a graphic novel (a friend claims that \"calling a bunch of comic books a graphic novel is akin to comparing rock n roll to Barry Manilow. Why dress up a bastard child?\" This is hard to argue even though I kind of disagree) and put it on the screen with all of its content intact. I hate to be so obvious, but on paper, the characters themselves arent judged by their dialogue and actions; its a freeze-frame and rest is up to your imagination. In Sin City the constant voice-over narration by both Willis and Rourke - while theyre walking around causing mayhem, constantly getting stabbed, shot, run-over by cars etc., then getting up and circling again - becomes tedious after a while and at various points I wasnt sure whether to laugh to not. I dont think the intention was there from Rodriguez to initially present these characters as humorous, but they needed to be fleshed out, with substance and weight. And whose brilliant idea was to cast Willis and Rourke? Yes, they do look like the character in the comics but once again, this is a film and it requires the participants to contribute. Im sure Willis has acted in a few films in front of a blue screen (or is it green?) but it seemed like he wasnt sure whether to give a professional performance or ham it up. Same goes for his partner Michael Madsen in the initial reel. As for Rourke, a friend said that she would rather watch a colored screen, and I dont blame her, although he did try. \r\n\r\nTake, for example, Millers dark and brooding Daredevil, (made out to look like your average PG 13-ish comic-book adaptation of the month) in which a non-actor like Ben Affleck was thoroughly outclassed by the villain played by Colin Farrell. And even though I dont care for Spider-Man and/or Tobey Maguire, and a lot of people werent happy initially upon his selection, but he isnt only a minimalist when it comes to his own performance but he has the same effect on his outlandish surroundings. Same cant be said for the two I talked about earlier.\r\n\r\nIn Sin City, things do start falling in place once its labyrinthine third part is introduced with Dwight McCarthy (Clive Owen). And when we find Jackie Boy (Benicio Del Toro) and his band of brothers outside the apartment of a local barmaid, Shelly (Brittany Murphy), the film gets a jolt of subversive charge it was looking all along for. (Dwight comes from The Big Fat Kill, even though in the novel, he was first introduced in A Dame To Kill For, the second story arc of the novel which isnt given priority here and thats a mistake because Dwights background and his exploits were key part of it and the film couldve used a bit more focus earlier on although all isnt lost with this pick.) One wouldnt mistake Jackie Boy and his thugs belonging to any place else other than the City of Sin, but apparently Dwight got his haircut from one of its suburbs. Anyway, the barmaids preference, Dwight, ends up making Jackie Boy taste his own medicine (youll see what I mean or you already do) and then follows him and his friends as they make their way toward an area controlled by woman who offer their services independently. Led by Gail (Rosario Dawson in a bewitching outfit), who shares a past with Dwight, they prefer to stay out of trouble but when Jackie Boy sets his eyes on a young one (Alexis Bledel), Dwight and Gails gang join to help not realizing what might be the consequences\r\n\r\nNot only this story is the most complex, with an amalgam of issues including, territory, loyalty, jealousy, misidentification, corruption etc., but here the noir element also properly surfaces as theres an unknown outside threat looming large if certain acts arent atoned for and love triangles are omnipresent. Also, right about at this stage one could also hear Tarantino breathing over the shoulders of the director duo as the violence, now mostly off-screen, is given perspective with a surreal comic-tone; whether its the Asian silent killer Miho (Devon Aoki) cutting down bodies so they can properly fit in the trunk or Dwight and a rather @#%$-up Jackie Boy having a conversation. The voice-over narration is also more controlled, but most importantly, and unlike the previous segments, these actors make their lines work; the same ones that looked so out of place earlier.\r\n\r\nUnfortunately, whatever momentum Sin City had gathered at this point dissipates when it revisits the shallow, meandering tale of John Hartigan, still suffering in prison, thinking of the little girl Nancy who he refers to as his daughter and what might have happened to her in the meantime. He eventually finds his way out of prison to look for her and ends up finding her working as dancer (Jessica Alba) in a local bar (same one where Shelley and Dwight first locked eyes). The senators son also resurfaces, now as The Yellow Bastard (an excellent Nick Stahl, once again) still chasing after the girl. The girls intentions and perhaps the fact that she now has a fine looking body, Hartigan becomes a little confused whether to hug her or @#%$ her. This morally bankrupt storyline perhaps ends on a right note, unlike the other recent release, Old Boy. That film not only romanticized its incest-laden relationships but offered us such grand statements as if one spoke out against it, theyll badly suffer which they can correct by practicing hypnosis. What a disgrace! But may be Im too old fashioned and well soon see the subject being part of a must-see comedy on NBC.\r\n\r\nWhile Sin City will never be mistaken for a monument of moral righteousness, it doesnt exactly wallow in mud either. Theres a streak of integrity which runs through many of the characters and justice does prevail in most cases. But once again, Rodriguez is simply borrowing from the graphic novels of his co-director. Rodriguez is an honorable filmmaker and there is nothing in his oeuvre that would lead him toward such crassness (after all, he has also directed the Spy Kids trilogy). As some of us know, in graphic novels, these situations are heightened and the damsel-in-distress factor is very high to provide a certain experience for their (younger) male readers which doesnt need an explanation. As for objectification of women, well, one look at Carla Gugino and youll forget what that means.\r\n\r\nUsing a Sony HFC-950 digital camera, Rodriguez shot the film himself. This IS the most faithful comic-book to screen adaptation weve seen yet. Shot-by-Shot the images ring true, but Rodriguezs City behind its inhabitants gets ignored. The bare and shadowy artificial background is even more convincing than what Kerry Conrad did in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow but it still required a sense of juxtaposed reality from the characters, but instead most of them simply end up chewing the scenery around them (Jim Hoberman is right in his assertion that Sin City lacks the human interest that Pulp Fiction had in abundance).\r\n\r\nMore scope for his visuals was needed but, once again, being true to the source was Rodriguezs mantra. Sin City also features the novels trademark black and white style - with the occasional splashes of color. Watching this film I thought of Road to Perdition, also based on a graphic novel, but one that fleshed out its narrative and its characters while making every bullet count. The film had its own problems, but it created a world which was more easily identifiable and that ended up creating a sense of drama. Rodriquez accomplished half the task w/out every needing someone like the late great Conrad Hall but his own stubbornness cost him in the end. (He even resigned from DGA so Miller can share the credit was him as a director.)\r\n\r\nSin City is one of the most original films ever made. One way or the other this line is being repeated by most of our critics and the fan boys. While that isnt exactly false, it also doesnt mean that this is a great film. Only few of them, you all know who they are as their names are often mentioned here, have decided to review the film while the rest have only used the opportunity to comment on how it looks. Good writers arent necessarily good critics and a lot of us make that mistake after reading well-written analysis, but Im sure no one has made that mistake here if youve gotten this far reading this piece of @#%$. \r\n\r\nHistory indicates that Rodriguezs will follow this up eventually with another similar film, and I have no doubt that he is capable of making a masterpiece using the graphic imagery he has invented, but well have to wait for that one.','2ce2aab248ad2ebe63055a653ec28822',0,'','RVocKSQN',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11902,2150,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1138399380,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Frank Miller\'s Sin City (2005)','You might want to update your review, at least about the Cannes comment.','14770d06b41467b7c86c49f4617de127',0,'','5XLREjry',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11903,2150,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1138421400,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Frank Miller\'s Sin City (2005)','Thanks.','5fabb598c2a623a07288015fd094d076',0,'','mUyjP8t1',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11904,2150,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147397400,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Frank Miller\'s Sin City (2005)','I agree more with arsaib than wpqx. Although I probably would go even further, and call it a failure. For me it failed in the acting department (mostly very unbalanced performances, probably due to \"green-screen\"), and a script that seems more like a best-of of Miller, than a coherent depiction of the complexities of Millers work. I haven\'t read all of the stories from the World of Sin City, but imo the film rarely manages to come even close to the comic-books. Rodriguez doesn\'t really seem to care about his characters, their surroundings and the story. What he\'s interested in is the mostly the atmosphere and feel of Miller, but he seems to forget that those things are closely connected to the factors he leaves behind on the roadside.\r\nThe visuals are interesting, but are not put into service. They stand more or less for themselves, being thus rather showy and pretentious.\r\nThough I\'ll give the film another - proper - try sometime in the future with the extended version and the right audio (I saw it dubbed )I\'ll probably at best end up with arsaib\'s position. \r\nImo dismissable and a disapointment.','2a837f1779b9dab2ea5da7e9eccd5bee',0,'','BnTZ0eC1',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11905,2150,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147499940,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Frank Miller\'s Sin City (2005)','I might\'ve been a little too harsh in my review, but only because it had the potential to be something quite extraordinary. Still, I liked the film very much, enough to \"honorably mention\" it in my Best of \'05 list. Depending on how the sequels turn out, it could be remembered very fondly.','b52bcecd8d5c49d0d7ed2773beeee0a8',0,'','7ly26DGE',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11906,2150,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147557480,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Frank Miller\'s Sin City (2005)','Ok, with me it certainly won\'t get a honorable mention, It won\'t even come close to it. But we\'ll see. \r\nTime changes everything','9f449d7f70c7462002c4ae59509fcac5',0,'','ZRl9D5NW',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11907,2150,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147716180,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Frank Miller\'s Sin City (2005)','Well I still say its the best comic book movie made, and the finest film (that I saw anyways) from 2005. I can\'t exactly fathom how anyone could not love it honestly.','27e4379211b7360030cd9b84307b0f04',0,'','3BshFne4',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11908,2151,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1132543380,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Walk the Line (2005) - James Mangold','Well another biopic is upon us. Last year we had Ray Charles and Jamie Foxx, this year it\'s Johnny Cash and Joaquin Phoenix. Both are well known musical legends, both started around the same time, both had problems with drugs, both eventually recorded country music, and both eventually cleaned themselves up. Walk the Line is Cash\'s life from the death of his older brother to his 1968 proposal to June Carter, the love of his life, played here by Reese Witherspoon.\r\n\r\nWell until Capote I never really realized that a biopic is a genre. Much like musicals or westerns would have dominated previous years, lately it seems like no Oscar season is complete without a few of these films up for contention. Joaquin is certainly going to be a contender for best actor, people love an actor who can play a singer and do his own singing, although who can\'t sing like Johnny Cash? The real shining star of the film though is Witherspoon, who has arguably never been better, although Election is a possible exception, despite being very far from it. She too does her own singing, and June Carter had a slightly better voice than Cash. You also have to look at the fact that Joaquin is a farely well respected actor. He has proven himself very capable, and even received an Oscar nomination before (supporting for Gladiator). Witherspoon on the other hand has not had a very easy time gaining the type of recognition as an actress, somehow two Legally Blonde movies seem to put off a lot of Academy voters.\r\n\r\nHere though she has arguably never been more beautiful (sporting a brunette mop), and certainly has never been so convincingly dramatic. Despite June Carter\'s reputation as a funny singer, Witherspoon doesn\'t play her as a comic, which could be easy because Witherspoon has certainly been funny before. She doesn\'t just play the supporting woman for the big man either. Her role is powerful, and since it was based off of Cash\'s own autobiographies, you can tell whatever he wrote about June was filled with pure love. \r\n\r\nThe dialogue in the film works wonderfully, especially between those two. Johnny doesn\'t always have the right things to say, and Witherspoon\'s dialogue isn\'t just believable, it is full of phrases and answers that I\'ve heard myself. That right there are the films two strongest points. Great dialogue, and great acting.\r\n\r\nWhat makes the film fall a notch is it\'s predictability. Capote steered clear of many biopic cliches and in the process succeeded in ways that Walk the Line doesn\'t. The disapproving father (Robert Patrick), the success montage, the drug addiction, the hard life on the road, it\'s all formulaic. It\'s as if someone was saying \"A movie about Johnny Cash would be perfect\", just like any movie about any early rock and roll legend would be. Substitute Cash for Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, or Roy Orbisson and you\'d have virtually the same movie. There are big chunks of Cash\'s life left out, but well the movie is certainly long enough as is. The pacing is off. This is a 140 minute movie that feels like it\'s three hours, it drags. The best of these films should fly by, but I never get a feeling like I\'m finding anything new here, either about Cash, who\'s life was a cliche, or about the genre. \r\n\r\nJust to be on the up and up, it would be advisable to see the film. Lots of people were in attendance, even though Harry Potter was playing in the next theater, and lots of people are going to be talking about it. I hope that the most attention goes to Reese Witherspoon, who is deserving of some damn recognition here, but most likely we\'ll here about the work of Phoenix here.\r\n\r\nGrade B -','460c87d0bc2403aa0b72a1d632938a2a',0,'','VSfCtF9h',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11909,2151,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1137490620,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Walk the Line (2005) - James Mangold','\r\ncongrats on the Golden Globe win\r\n\r\nBest Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy','5b767835650ca5cf9077929d80b4e580',0,'','lPEbLgFV',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11910,2151,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147395300,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Walk the Line (2005) - James Mangold','Saw the film yesterday for the second time with some friends on a PC. The first time was with my mother in a cinema were we were the only visitors. Both times the film was dubbed in German. Now I usually never watch dubbed films if I can avoid it, so I made a big exception - twice.\r\nWhat is so special about the film, to give it such attention? Not much one could say, but the film isn\'t so easily dismissible. \r\nAs it is based on Cash\'s biography, if you know the story you certainly don\'t have much to expect plot-wise. But if not it\'s as predictable or unpredictable as any other film. What was the most remarkable for me, was Joaquin Phoenix, and the way he portrayed the role. I wouldn\'t call it a portrayal, I wouldn\'t even call it acting. To me it felt much more like Phoenix emerged into the character of Cash as he imagined him fit for the film. And that is also how I watched the film. Not as a bio-pic about the real Johnny Cash, but as a fictionalisation of a story that is similar to Cash\'s, but that becomes something else through the sheer presence of Joaquin Phoenix. It was watching him move, watching him talk, sing and stutter that was the real deal. Anyone thinking too much about the \"real\" cash during the film misssed the point. It\'s like watching an \"adaptation\" of a book, and always comparing each scene with the original. That\'s beside the point, as a film will always be something else. \r\nSo if we leave behind the \"biopic-angle\" what the movie offers us, is a story of its own. \r\nFor me the film seemed about a person who is trying to fight his inner demons, who is inwardly weak and outwardly strong, but who actually has no reason to be weak, other than that this state was first inflicted upon him by others, and he keeps carrying on the burden. What redeems him in the end is not necessarily love itself, but a person where he feels safe enough to open himself up completely. The divide between how people see Phoenix and what they expect of him and how he himself feels couldn\'t be larger. And trying to make up for something he hasn\'t done, in combination with a further fractioning of the self through the public persona, is indeed a difficult task. Though the film itself only hints at most of these things, the personal obsession, and the constant fight with inner demons already reaches the viewer through Joaquin Phoenix alone. He is the message and the plot of the film, everything else (even Reese Witherspoon as his great love) pales in comparison. The actors sing themselves, and that is a good choice as it doesn\'t stand in the way of their performance but furthers it. They have enough musical talent to look and sound believable. Another remarkable thing about the film was the camerawork and the lighting. Keeping the whole film in the same tone, it mostly manages to express Phenix\' emotions and the surrounding atmosphere he finds himself in. In the best moments, it becomes something of a mirror of Pheonix mind, as in a remarkable scene where it follows and stumbles along with him, while he tries to inflict his fury upon a solitary room and everything in it. The cell which the protagonist has built for himself is ever present. Mangold\'s direction is solid. He manages to fit in some social crtitique through captioring the stifling atmosphere of the times remarkably well, though he only scratches the surface. The biggest problem of the film is often just this. Although it ran 140 min, I felt it was much too short for the material it tried to fit in. Sometimes I had the feeling of a slide-show, with the script trying to squeeze in too much information and the director not taking enough time to expand it properly. All other characters besides Cash - and at times June Carter - were nowhere developed enough to feel right whenever on screen. Either Mangold should have shown them less and focused even more on Cash, or he should have expanded the role of at least half a dozen of supporting characters. As it is, they point only in a perfunctory level towards Phoenix\' enclosure and alienation from his surroundings.\r\nIn the end a far above average film from hollywood that has its directors mark on it, but is clearly dominated by the main protagonist. The story is abstracted enough to resemble a universal myth that most people carry along in their subconscious and are able to relate to. Like a greek tragedy, a cathartic effect will most likely take place with most viewers who are willing enough to engage with it. \r\n\r\nGrade: B','95f41e93f7d5ddb393204a22a8f5e2c1',0,'','BUGiRzE6',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11911,2151,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147500900,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Walk the Line (2005) - James Mangold','I graded it a C+. It would\'ve been lower if it were not for the performances of Pheonix, who usually does interesting work, and Witherspoon.\r\n\r\n\"So if we leave behind the \"biopic-angle\" what the movie offers us, is a story of its own. \"\r\n\r\nI\'m not sure about that. With the amount of musical performances, it felt like a television special; and with the time left in-between, instead of talking heads, we are dealt the usual dramatic events. \r\n\r\nI didn\'t even realize that the film was directed by Mongold, who did some good indie work early on in his career with Heavy and Copland (or even Girl, Interrupted). His previous two features before Walk were Identity and Kate and Leopold. Not very encouraging.','bf692663466384c0c072e211ac59fe20',0,'','dE6Whenl',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11912,2151,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147557900,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Walk the Line (2005) - James Mangold','I\'ve only seen Heavy and Copland by Mangold. Liked both, and would rate all three on the same level. Haven\'t seen the other two. Yes, they had a big amount of musical numbers, but for me that is a plus. Music is clearly a very important part of their lives, so depicting them a lot on and off stage making music is essential. And the musical numbers always reflected or enhanced what was going on between them. Also I found it very interesting how they performed in the different situations, and the different qualities of the performances. I fyou saw them as \"just\" some musical numbers, you missed the point. The dramatic events are usual, but for me that doesn\'t make them bad - just usual. I don\'t know, i just had the feeling the film was honest with me. Probably because of Pheonix. I didn\'t care much about Witherspoon really, found his wife actually more interesting (the character AND the performance).','f73f4d5c6792f14d02567ab7246ce880',0,'','lapNTRLW',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11913,2151,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147560420,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Walk the Line (2005) - James Mangold','Yes, of course, music was an important aspect (after all, the film is about a musician, a great one at that), and it affected the lives of the participants . But I needed a little more reflection than what the film offered through the dramatic montages and pre-performance banter. Though it\'s hard to argue if you felt that the film projected their lives in an honest manner. I thought it was a by-the-numbers biopic whose title and subject could easily be substituted without much of a problem.','2cd1fc148b8ec8f030cde3860d89f107',0,'','7e0No3Z4',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11914,2151,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147716060,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Walk the Line (2005) - James Mangold','It was made commercially, which may be a problem with it, Ray was at least a little more adventerous. I just felt the film dragged and was far too long. As for Mangold, I loved Girl, Interrupted even if that too was predictable and by the numbers.','c85fca44a3cfab777d47d373a9915019',0,'','ysnzfQxJ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11915,2152,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147510500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Poseidon (2006)','\r\nI have watched it ...\r\nWill I be chided?!\r\nhee hee \r\n\r\nPS: I will write the review if time permits ...','33fc954550d3adac3a81c8107df95a33',0,'','tqrcwbWZ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11916,2153,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147261080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Mission Impossible III (2006)','\r\n\r\nDirector: J.J. Abrams\r\nCast: Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Keri Russell, Philip Seymour Hoffman .... \r\n\r\nThe official website\r\nsee\r\nhttp://www.missionimpossible.com/\r\n\r\nMy thoughts ...\r\n\r\n- There are some things I like about the film\r\n\r\n(i) The stunts in Shanghai performed by Tom Cruise ... wow ... I guess he does not have a body double ... does he?! ... although the images are sometimes too fast (for real appreciation) ... nonetheless, a laudable effort ...\r\n\r\n(ii) The beautiful scenery in some of the overseas location ... for example, the speed boat scene (when they escaped) ... there is not much action here, but the backdrop just looks nice ....\r\n\r\n(iii) Despite it being used in every episode, I still like the theme music ... \r\n\r\n- What could be better ...\r\n\r\n(i) The plot is not very convincing (or rather ... a feeling of having a twist for twist sake ...) ... and because of that, the characterization ...\r\n\r\n(ii) Somehow, I still think the first one has the best \"wit\" ...\r\nwhereas the second one is very \"John Woo\" style ... \r\nwhile this third one is full of \"action\" ...\r\n\r\nConclusion\r\n- If you like lots of bombs (and action), go for it! \r\nFor a commercial film, I think it has achieved its mission ...','1e667c495c9ddad8c8b632d4aa56c658',0,'','oyBGJiaR',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11917,2153,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147330500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Anasazie','Re: Mission Impossible III (2006)','Why do you watch films like that?','b37aa0dba172de4d22e0059e2ed34f8b',0,'','1jMgpmDt',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11918,2153,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147332960,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Mission Impossible III (2006)','well, there are many possible reasons ...\r\ne.g., as a socializing activity (i.e., watch with friends); and some of them find \"artsy\" films too boring/slow/etc ...\r\ne.g., sometimes, i need a break too ... ha ha ha\r\ne.g., sometimes, i just want to know what the hype is all abt ...\r\ne.g., sometimes, u want to know what the teens are watching ... so as to be connected with them ... hee hee','85ad73d57b7f5d8722f21b1db0df510b',0,'','6ys5CkQx',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11919,2153,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147336800,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Anasazie','Re: Mission Impossible III (2006)','I\'m a teen and i wouldn\'t touch those films with a barge pole.','593c9968407351f625bac2786aaee588',0,'','v3difzCb',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11920,2153,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147343040,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Mission Impossible III (2006)','Anasazie, you may be a teen but you\'re hardly typical are you?\r\n\r\nIn fact I\'d say you\'re A-typical............... \r\n\r\nAs to the film, one of my sons will be seeing it today so I\'ll have to get his opinion.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','279c72f1b9de73afe81cfcf4f9d9c55c',0,'','XuUgynJQ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11921,2153,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147412880,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Mission Impossible III (2006)','Hmm, I don\'t know if I\'ll watch this. I liked MI: I very much when I saw it in 96, and I also enjoyed the 80s TV series as a kid. Yet the second installment already seemed too commercial to me, and i have a feeling that the third is only there to showcase Tom Cruise\' ego. I wonder why else Fincher and Carnahan abandoned the project.\r\nMaybe if somebody can find some positive words about it?\r\nI think I\'ll check out Filmfreakcentral to read the (probably 0 stars) review of Walter Chaw.','68a0a2fb624da057bc2f64ef94a06615',0,'','MTHSqkgo',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11922,2153,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147417860,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Mission Impossible III (2006)','Well, I watched becos the ratings in rottentomatoes (with critics) and imdb (with mainstream audience) gave it good reviews.\r\n\r\nMore imptly, there are some critics (in rottentomatoes) who claimed that it was the best among the three franchise ...\r\nhee hee\r\n\r\nwww.rottentomatoes.com/m/...ossible_3/','41b0d40904a2de9e64d0cdf3a9bf08c8',0,'','guMbtYUJ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11923,2153,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147419720,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Anasazie','Re: Mission Impossible III (2006)','Quote:More imptly, there are some critics (in rottentomatoes) who claimed that it was the best among the three franchise ...\r\nhee hee\r\n\r\nThat wouldn\'t be hard now would it?\r\n\r\nTrev............you make it sound like a bad thing that i\'m not into those films. Anyway, the teen tag will be gone in weeks.','ccafe3ed894b150badc01cc044832cd7',0,'','HJ4kdEtv',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11924,2153,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147463640,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Mission Impossible III (2006)','Trev............you make it sound like a bad thing that i\'m not into those films. Really?\r\n\r\nNo I\'d say your taste and knowlege in foreign films is definitely A-typical for someone your age, most might know of Hero, Night Watch or Oldboy but they would probably think Fellini was some sort of sex act.......... \r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','b1c2e496d8e13d440f44ad92919e43f0',0,'','Bvj18atF',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11925,2153,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147471680,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Don Lope de Aguirre','Re: Mission Impossible III (2006)','Quote:Anyway, the teen tag will be gone in weeks.\r\n\r\nHappy belated birthday!','d198e97e9d5374d43d2c641fd540ee9c',0,'','wXksGvLy',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11926,2154,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1130286720,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Werner Herzog\'s GRIZZLY MAN (2005)','Man attempting to surmount nature, and failing miserably, has long been an obsession of German filmmaker/documentarian Werner Herzog -- his work during the 70\'s most ardently dealt with that. In his latest effort, Grizzly Man, Herzog has found a way to retread the concept through Timothy Treadwell, a man who spent 13 summers in the Alaskan nature preserve, often breaking laws in order to get closer to the grizzly bears he apparently cared for. The documentary consists of excerpts from the over 100 hours of footage Treadwell mostly shot himself over the course of 5 summers before him and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, were killed by one of the bears in October, 2003. \r\n\r\nEarly on in the film, its hard not to sympathize with Treadwell and his passion, but slowly and surely, it becomes apparent that he wanted recognition (not fame, necessarily). Its obvious to me that his accomplishment led him to believe that hes superior to other humans in a way (\"You wont @#%$ survive here like I did,\" he once says looking directly into the camera), something he always aimed for, rather than it allowed him to strive to \"become a bear,\" which is what we hear from various \"professionals.\"\r\n\r\nHaving said that, we need to be careful regarding making an ultimate judgment. After all, Herzog has given us only a few minutes of, as I mentioned earlier, over 100 hours of footage. What we watched fitted well with Herzogs overall agenda. Its quite possible that if another documentarian wouldve taken on the subject, wed be discussing something different. Still, in this doc, which is overall well put together, Herzogs shouldve dug deeper into Treadwells contentious relationship with Huguenard, which we discovered through his diary entries. The bear who killed them (and then later got shot) was provided more attention than the girl.\r\n\r\nAnd Herzogs penchant for details of their gory deaths was primarily incorporated in order to go around what he didnt wanted to do: let us hear the audio tape. I have mixed feeling on that. Is it more \"noble\" to have an overly excited forensic-embalmer(?) explain how the bear tore into Treadwells skull, or would Herzog have been able to make his obvious point by employing an artistic means? I recall Mexican director Alejandro Gonzlez Irritus mastery of sound editing in the anthology titled 11\'09\'\'01 - September 11 (2002) in which his segment simply consisted of screams of people jumping from the buildings after the attack. It was a moving and devastating account and not simply a technical showcase. But if Herzog was going to stay away from the sounds, then he shouldnt have tried to recreate a scene where he listens to the tape and then informs Treadwells former girlfriend to throw it away. It teases us more than anything else. Not good.\r\n\r\nHowever, what follows is the films most astonishing and, to some, possibly disturbing scene: Two bears fight it out for the \"Michelle Pfeiffer of bears,\" as Treadwell later notes. Herzog rightfully remains quiet during the sequence, which culminates with his protagonist recognizing the laws of nature while sitting not far away for the fallen bear. This is where Treadwell feels like a human being, one whos brave enough to be right there. (He also spoke about the possibility of his death on numerous occasions; practically he knew that his end would be through the animals he loved most.)\r\n\r\nThe filmmakers best moments, however, do comprise of his commentary, at times running along Treadwells. Herzog doesnt allow us to make a connection between his subject here and his \"favorite\" actor Klaus Kinski -- he makes it himself: \"[Treadwell]s rage is almost incandescent, artistic. The actor in his film has taken over from the filmmaker. I have seen this madness before on the film set.\" This was after Treadwells profanity-laden rant against the Alaskan park services. (The disappointing part is that the bears were doing perfectly fine. There are many, many other species out there that couldve used him.) And then later on, its Treadwell who provides him with the close-up of a bears face, making Herzog conclude that \"in all the faces of all the bears that Treadwell ever filmed, I discover no kinship, no understanding, no mercy. I see only the overwhelming indifference of nature.\"\r\n\r\nNature is cruel. Most of us recognize that, I think. But its also beautiful and majestic. While the focus here is certainly on the former, Herzog duly notes that Treadwells images, unwittingly, often consisted of the lush green hills and valleys in the region, not to mention the rivers and the lakes that surrounded them. But ultimately the filmmaker believes that the common denominator here is not harmony, but chaos, hostility, and murder. Looking at the direction we seem to be headed in, he just might be right.','58a8da85d806fd9f945b69e809e9cc0d',0,'','2zwRXNVc',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11927,2154,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1131086880,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Werner Herzog\'s GRIZZLY MAN (2005)','After reading your review, it seems to me that the reviews written by the main contributers on this site are getting more and more consistently good. I really like to read them more and more often, and sometimes when reading some film magazin I wonder why \"professional\" writers often fall in the trap of adding heaps of word- play upon each other without having anything subjective to say about the film. Obviously here it\'s not the case. Maybe it\'s only me, but I think if this tendency continues we will have some very fine writers on our board. Hopefully you guys try yourselfs on some essays in the future.\r\nI know we have few active members, but I think the activity of the small number that is more than makes up for it. \r\n\r\nAs for the film itself, I\'ll try to catch it, if it\'s released here in Germany. But Herzog gets sadly much more attention internationally than he does in his home country. Here in Germany everybody who talks with or about him wants to know the same old @#%$ (sorry for my language) from th 70s that has already been chewed and spitted out 1000 times. Well, maybe when he dies a critical study (and re-appraisal) of his WHOLE body of work will be undertaken...','779d7653c8aaae4e9173373db8142094',0,'','7jQLnarg',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11928,2154,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1131169260,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Werner Herzog\'s GRIZZLY MAN (2005)','Herzog does alright here, partially I think because Roger Ebert (who\'s treated as gospel to many Chicago filmgoers) worships him. Unfortunately The White Diamond only had a one week showing, so I was unable to catch it. This film is coming out in December on DVD I believe, so best of luck finding it. Lately a lot more of his work is being released, as New Yorker put out some rather long OOP early films from him. I honestly hope it doesn\'t take his death for people to notice his whole body of work.','f05f1cd52b33335402068d459a62600f',0,'','fPDisntL',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11929,2154,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1131224280,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Werner Herzog\'s GRIZZLY MAN (2005)','I think more of Herzog\'s work is already available (partly because he works here now) compared to, say, Wim Wenders. It doesn\'t hurt that Herzog doesn\'t shy away from publicity. The White Diamond is now available on DVD.','ac521e1dd9a353e5af7406b3d697a31d',0,'','FNfGvyXV',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11930,2154,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1137981000,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','Re: Werner Herzog\'s GRIZZLY MAN (2005)','GRIZZLY MAN\r\n\r\nDirected by Werner Herzog (2005)\r\n\r\nIn 100 years of keeping records in Alaska, less than 12 people have been killed by grizzly bears, according to German director Werner Herzog. Herzog\'s film Grizzly Man documents two of them, the first known bear killings in Alaska\'s 4.7 million-acre Katmai National Park. In October 2003, the bodies of environmentalist Timothy Treadwell and his friend Amie Huguenard were found near Kaflia Bay when a pilot arrived to pick them up and take them to Kodiak Island. A starving thousand-pound, 28-year-old male grizzly, unknown to the area had mauled Treadwell and Huguenard to death. The film tells the story of the self-styled protector of bears and co-author of the book \"Among Grizzlies: Living With Wild Bears in Alaska.\" \r\n\r\nTreadwell spent more than a dozen summers living with bears in the area he called the Grizzly Maze and videotaped over 100 hours of footage during the last five years. Complemented by narration from Herzog, Treadwell tells his own story in front of the camera. He was an aspiring actor who dealt with drug and alcohol problems in California before he moved to Alaska in the summer of 1989. It is unclear how much of his determination to live among the bears resulted from his love of nature or from his need to escape his problems at home. In any event, he became a friend to the bears and developed a brash confidence around them, giving them names such as Mr. Chocolate, the Grinch and Sgt. Brown, and often getting so close he could touch them. Though the image of Treadwell is of being reckless and foolhardy, according to John Rogers, owner of Coastal Bear Tours who knew him, \"his (Treadwell\'s) knowledge and understanding of bears was equal to the experience of any commercial bear viewing guide or bear specialist in Katmai National Park, better than most\". \r\n\r\nFar from being delusional or failing to deal appropriately with nature and recognize its dangers, Rogers says, \"he was not one to blithely walk up to a bear, he was cautious, even fearful, around bears he didnt know, but he developed relationships and mutual trust with a few individual bears over the years\". Though the film raises complex questions that do not lend themselves to easy answers, it has nonetheless been seized upon by the corporate media to denounce environmentalists and those who dare to live on the edge of society. Treadwell has been called a nut, a certified madman, foolish, obsessive, an egomaniac, bipolar, paranoid and schizophrenic. While his on-camera behavior is often bizarre and at times repugnant, we don\'t know how much this represents who Treadwell really was or even whether Mr. Herzog selected particular footage to produce a desired effect. \r\n\r\nBizarre or not, the fact remains that Timothy did what he said. He lived in open and honest communication with wild animals for thirteen long years, a feat that required mental and physical toughness, endurance, and commitment. In the process, he educated thousands of children by speaking in schools without compensation, and founded \"Grizzly People\", an organization devoted to preserving bears and their wilderness habitat. Though he does express admiration for his filmmaking ability, Herzog makes clear his antipathy to much of what Treadwell stands for. He refers to environmental activists as \"tree huggers\" and sees nature as \"chaotic, hostile, and murderous\". Treadwell\'s nature photography is beautiful, showing things that we may have never seen before, particularly a fight between two huge bears, yet Herzog cannot resist getting in a dig at unions with his remark that his footage is something \"studio directors with their union crews could never dream of\". \r\n\r\nGrizzly Man, under Herzog\'s direction, veers toward the sensational. In one sequence Treadwell demonstrates the emotional maturity of an eleven-year old in an expletive-laden rant against the Park Service, but the sequence has no timeframe and no context. Herzog also criticizes Treadwell\'s celebrity status, describing him as \"a star by virtue of his own invention.\" (He had appeared on David Letterman\'s Late Show, the Discovery Channel\'s Discovery Sunday, and other television programs.) Although interviews with people who knew Treadwell appear to be balanced, some of them seem staged for melodramatic effect. Herzog films Timothy\'s parents awkwardly clinging to Treadwell\'s childhood Teddy bear and we watch as he presents Timothy\'s still ticking watch to a former girlfriend, Jewel Palovak in a bizarre sequence that feels contrived. In another scene that can only be described as maudlin, the director listens to the audio tape of the bear attack (pretending to hear it for the first time) and cautions Jewel never to listen to it, yet at the same time titillating us with its contents. \r\n\r\nMany critics have called Treadwell delusional for thinking he was protecting the bears. Yet perhaps the most telling fact is that during his time in Katmai, no bear was known to have been killed by poachers. In the first year after his death, five bears were poached. According to leading Alaskan conservationist and filmmaker Joel Bennett, \"The recent poaching of bears in Katmai National Park shows that Alaskans should never be complacent about the protection of their treasured wildlife resources. Tim Treadwell\'s vigilance may well have saved other bears from the same fate.\" Was Treadwell a friend of the bears or their worst enemy? Was he a man that only wanted to share his observations that grizzlies are not the ferocious beasts we have always thought them to be, or a sick egotist, obsessed with his own demons? It is hard to tell from this film. Perhaps the answer is a little bit of both. Though I am grateful to Herzog for exposing Treadwell\'s work to a wider public, I am unclear as to whether Grizzly Man celebrates his life or exploits it. \"For now\", in the words of friend Louisa Wilcox, \"it is enough to honor the dead and celebrate a rare life, and the places and creatures he brought into ours.\"\r\n\r\nGRADE: ?','a996e2d39bfc0b8cf64ba1e2137c39bd',0,'','CGXdqNRa',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11931,2154,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1139493480,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Unregistered(d)','Re: Werner Herzog\'s GRIZZLY MAN (2005)','Film Review by Alaskan Author, Nick Jans\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\"Deadly Passion\" is a thorough, fair, and artful examination of the circumstances surrounding the death of California bear activist Timothy Treadwell and his companion Amie Huguenard. Rather than sensational, the approach is thoughtful and journalistic--a series of interviews by Alaskans who knew Timothy, interspersed with footage of Katmai bears. This 37-minute documentary by Kodiak resident David Kaplan and Stefan Quinth offers a unique Alaskan perspective which is far more objective than Werner Herzog\'s \"Grizzly Man.\" And overall, \"Deadly Passion\" is less judgmental in its approach, as well as more compassionate. I highly recommend this film.\r\n\r\n--Nick Jans, author of The Grizzly Maze: Timothy Treadwell\'s Fatal Obsession with Alaskan Bears','07c02f2af0eefa41cbb5b877d04d2554',0,'','wxS3BkTe',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11932,2154,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1139493660,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Unregistered(d)','Re: Werner Herzog\'s GRIZZLY MAN (2005)','On October 7, 2003 the world learned of the gruesome deaths of Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard who had been mauled to death and partially eaten by the very bears they sought to study and protect in Katmai National Park, Alaska. This story unfolded in newspapers and magazines across the globe, reporting Treadwells passion for bears, delving into details of Treadwells life and outlining the personal cause that ultimately led to his death. Now, several filmmakers are trying to present Treadwells life and death to a wider audience on the big screen and on television, each taking a different perspective on who Treadwell was and what his life stood for. Hollywood, The Discovery Channel, Werner Herzog, and two Kodiak documentary filmmakers have released or announced production. David Kaplan (Kodiak Resource Development) and Stefan Quinth (Camera Q) have collaborated in the film production of Deadly Passion The Timothy Treadwell Tragedy. This film will counter the inclination to mythologize Treadwell in death. The documentary aims to objectively examine the causes of Treadwells death, looking at what most likely happened. To gather first-hand material for the film, Kaplan and Quinth filmed exclusively in Katmai National Park, Alaska in 2004, capturing the bears and filming where Treadwell communed with these 1,000-pound animals. \r\n\r\nFor more information contact: David Kaplan email: krd@ak.net or visit Camera Q www.cameraq.com','e3a7b4e99a7fef017e18a90a6b39961a',0,'','WJZC40zP',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11933,2154,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147036260,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Werner Herzog\'s GRIZZLY MAN (2005)','Very intelligent comments arsaib4 and Howard. Taken as it is, Timothy Treadwell comes across as a man spiraling into madness. But documentaries can be manipulative and depend totally on the intentions of the director, it\'s certainly impossible to ascertain what sort of man he really was afer watching Grizzly Man. Still, an interesting film with some amazing footage of the wilderness and the wildlife.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','8a33ee9df92b0d65ee73d9ccc8898fa4',0,'','ucji5sHE',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11934,2154,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147052340,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Werner Herzog\'s GRIZZLY MAN (2005)','Thanks. I\'m glad you got an opportunity to watch it.','5c0f233c034cbe65d98827c69ade56f7',0,'','0Dac73jM',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11935,2154,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147071540,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Anasazie','Re: Werner Herzog\'s GRIZZLY MAN (2005)','Great comments by all. It\'s a very self-indulgent, contrived film by Herzog, very unobjective. He seems to be more interested in how Treadwell\'s experience fuels his own feelings on human nature, than in building up a decent portrait of the man and allowing the audience to come to the piece themselves, he kind of takes away our ability to form an opinion in a way, only slightly though. Talking over the top of people is a recurring issue in Herzog\'s documentary work. \r\n\r\nHaving said that, i still think Herzog interprets the situation with a lot of truth and i still think the subject matter is amazing.','1cfa8b2921bbebe40f5022eb383aa498',0,'','03WdcleS',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11936,2154,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147412640,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Werner Herzog\'s GRIZZLY MAN (2005)','Still haven\'t seen the film (or any of Herzog\'s recent documentaries), but I also must add that the two reviews are very good. It seems to be a difficult issue for anybody coming to terms with Treadwells complex personality and influence. Interesting to see so many people trying to make a film out of it. \r\nHas anybody seen the short mentioned above, or knows something about similar projects?','4edb249c316d42bbb46d5931e7137d68',0,'','MnN8lAd1',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11937,2155,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1145386560,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','Bee Season','BEE SEASON\r\n\r\nDirected by Scott McGehee and David Siegel (2005)\r\n\r\nIn Bee Season, a film by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, a suburban Oakland family discovers meaning and purpose in the Kabbalistic concept of tikkun olam, translated as repairing the world. Adapted by Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal (Running on Empty) from the novel by Myla Goldberg, the film explores the subject of Jewish mysticism and its effect on a dysfunctional family. Relying on the teachings of Isaac Luria, a 16th century Jewish Kabbalist, Berkeley Professor Saul Naumann (Richard Gere) instructs his students that God created the world by forming vessels of light but, as He poured the light into the vessels, they shattered and became countless shards. Thus, humanitys task is to free and reunite the scattered Light and restore the broken world. Naumann is an intellectual who reaches out to God but cannot connect with his family and they mirror the broken shards rather than the Divine Light. \r\n\r\nSaul is close to his musically gifted son Aaron (Max Minghella) with whom he shares a love of music but ignores his 11-year old daughter Eliza (Flora Cross) until her talent for spelling is recognized and she wins local and regional spelling bees. He takes advantage of the opportunity to become closer to her by training her for the national championship and encouraging her to explore the mystical states that he only relates to conceptually. He sees in Eliza the potential to put into practice the teachings of the Kabbalah scholar Abulafia that enlightenment can be achieved through alignment of letters and words. He tells her that many cultures believe that letters are an expression of a special, powerful energy; that when they combine to make words, they hold all the secrets of the universe.EYet as Eliza and her father delve further into their studies, they forget to look around and see that the people around them are in trouble. \r\n\r\nAaron rejects his father\'s teachings and turns to Hinduism at the encouragement of a young woman named Chali (Kate Bosworth). He pretends to go on a weekend camping trip but instead dons orange robes and spends the time at a retreat for Hare Krishna followers, much to his father\'s displeasure. Unfortunately, the story treats his decision to explore a different faith as an adolescent lark rather than a legitimate spiritual quest and we never discover his true reasons for his interest. Meanwhile, Saul\'s wife Miriam (Juliette Binoche) has flashbacks of a car accident that killed her parents. She takes the phrase Tikkun Olam Eto repair the worldE- literally and steals small glittering objects from people\'s homes in order to reconstruct the world but her own world begins to spiral downward. The sub-plots are not well developed however, and the characters\' behavior is insufficiently motivated to be plausible. \r\n\r\nThe heart of the film lies in the transformation that is taking place within Eliza, dramatized in the spelling bee competitions. Although she has never seen or heard of a particular word before, she is able to visualize it in different ways by concentrating with her eyes closed, depicted on screen by clever special effects. We follow the gifted speller as she moves through one competition after another and marvel at how she is able to remain centered while the world around her is crumbling. The acting is credible and Cross is a promising newcomer but Gere emotes too much personal warmth and \"star quality\" to be fully convincing as a self-centered, emotionally detached Jewish scholar. \r\n\r\nBee Season has a potent message in so far as it celebrates an individual\'s use of personal power to alter their experience of reality. The filmmakers, however, fail to clarify what the film is trying to say. Various threads compete for attention: Eliza\'s personal experiences of God, Saul\'s Kabbalistic teachings, Aaron\'s turn to Eastern religion, and Miriam\'s sickness, but none are sufficiently developed to make a coherent statement. Even the ending that is supposed to bring some resolution leaves us scratching our heads. Bee Season is a well-intentioned film that tackles an important subject but ultimately fails to fully explore the depth of its characters or the true meaning of its message, and I found its suggestion that a family can love God but not each other to be incongruous. \r\n\r\nGRADE: B-','a849a1e3fcad56981b4d30e5084d8bc5',0,'','Wkv9emNx',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11938,2155,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147408860,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Bee Season','Thanks for your insight. Your review is the first I\'ve actually read on Bee Season. Because of Gere I wasn\'t interested in it but you make it sound quite interesting.\r\nI wonder what I will amke of it when I see it.','9a56ac2f5849a3e61dbc4eb35f1ab27c',0,'','FzvR7TAb',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11939,2155,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147409280,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','Re: Bee Season','Thanks for your comment. I have a real interest in the teachings of the Kaballah and thought the film might explore some of them in a meaningful way but I didn\'t think it succeeded. There was too much going on that was left hanging. Perhaps more clarification is to be found in the novel.','2b3268e0849da5922e7e72ec54fa8a1e',0,'','aTSnKdyj',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11940,2155,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147411740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Bee Season','Maybe if you read the novel, you could do a comparison or write more about it?\r\nI don\'t know much about the kaballah, only what I got out of \"Pi\" and some conversations. But it seems a very interesting topic to me, how numbers and letters can be interchangable. For me they were always two completely different worlds, and seeing that they probably come from the same root...','a827d9f4d01b8891f0cdd12e4c8364bc',0,'','bPUidgYw',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11941,2156,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1122925260,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)','Directed by Tim Burton\r\n\r\nStarring Johnny Depp\r\n\r\nGenerally very entertaining with Johnny Depp having a ball as the slightly demented Willy Wonka.\r\n\r\nAnyone who has read the book or seen the original film will know the overall story and indeed some sets appear to have been ported from the original film particularly the set with the chocolate river and waterfall and the TV room. All the design work is excellent from the early 20th century style northern industrial town with all streets directed towards the factory, the factory itself looking as though it had stepped out of Metropolis while the inside is a chocaholic\'s dream (or nightmare).\r\n\r\nThe one slight niggle was with the Oompah Loompah\'s, I preferred the ones from the previous film and I also thought their songs were more timeless rather than the sometimes awful pop renditions of this film.\r\n\r\nI have heard people comparing Depp\'s Willy Wonka to Michael Jackson but I\'m glad to say I didn\'t make that connection, instead when we saw him having his hair cut all I could think of was Freddie Mercury the former lead singer of Queen when they performed Bohemian Rhapsody (for anyone who has seen the video you\'ll know how bad his hairstyle was). Christopher Lee played Depps father, the town dentist in an added story told in flashback but who would have thought that Johnny Depp could be more disturbing than Christopher Lee?\r\n\r\nA great change from all the over bloated action films the cinemas have been full of lately and it\'s nice to note that the Burton/Depp combination has pulled it off again although some of the humour may be a little disturbing for very young children.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','d03d1225fdcabc9feb16590a877b1159',0,'','g6fVXod2',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11942,2156,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1122928680,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Sara','Re: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)','Trevor, I have not seen Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I really like Johnny Depp, and I agree with you in that he is not emulating Michael Jackson.\r\n\r\nThat said, I just can\'t believe anyone can top Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. (When he limps slowly out to greet the crowd at the gate - then does a flip and lands on his feet- how could that be improved on? What does Johnny Depp do in this scene?)\r\n\r\nThere was only one bad piece of music in WW and the CF. It was \"Cheer Up, Charlie.\" We always fast forwarded through that. But the other music, especially the song near the start about the \"Candyman\" (I could almost see Dick Van Dike singing that!) and the \"Loompa Loompa...\" was just wonderful.\r\n\r\nI also thought Grandpa Joe was great.\r\n\r\nAnyway, this new film may be closer to the book. But I don\'t care!\r\n\r\nSara','9bb85a80099aa0b5456b39de997abfaa',0,'','6B8Lr5xA',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11943,2156,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1122935640,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)','They haven\'t in any emulated Gene Wilder\'s Willy Wonka but I\'d have to say the new film is far closer to Roald Dahl\'s story. So there\'s no old man turns acrobat act, you\'ll have to stick with Yoda for that but you definitely need a twisted sense of humour to get the most from this film.\r\n\r\nThankfully Johnny Depp doesn\'t burst into song at all and is certainly not the nice sweet Willy Wonka from days of yore.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','9fd7856078caeb3d5aae4cd00e989074',0,'','kQ3AsNcf',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11944,2156,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1122943020,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)','I haven\'t read the book, and I haven\'t seen the older version, so my expectations on these parts are pretty low.\r\nApart from having missed out on some american pop-culture, I have seen almost all of Tim Burton\'s films. \r\nAs he\'s one of my favorite directors, and Johnny Depp is one of a handful of actors I would see almost any movie in which he\'s in, I\'m anticipating this. But as I\'m on vacation I probably won\'t have any opportunity to see it before October, when I can only hope, it will still be playing in german theaters.\r\nBut lucky me, another Burton film is coming up this year, and as I think Nightmare before Christmas is \"his\" best film (I know he hasn\'t directed it), the stop-motion \"Corpse Bride\" hopefully is as good.\r\nTim, keep \'em coming.','bf5101ac539ac4db8fc8ca5630a5320f',0,'','p0uUwm4z',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11945,2156,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123148460,1,0,1,1,1,1,'kookook','Re: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)','Finally saw it for myself - it wasn\'t as bad as I thought, but it also wasn\'t nearly as good as people made it out to be...\r\n\r\nI have to say that one of the best aspects of this film was the set design, it was honestly eye candy (dum de dum!). I\'d be really concerned if this film didn\'t recieve a Oscar nomination for set design and art direction. They still had that wacky Tim Burton touch to them yet they managed to make them look like something I could imagine from the book.\r\n\r\nI really liked the Oompa Loompas, but I really hated their songs, even though they were the same lyrics as the book, they had these melodies and tones with annoying instrumentals, it just sounded TOO corny.\r\n\r\nDepp also over-acted more than once; that blemished his performance considerably, especially since most of his roles are virtually flawlessly pulled off. The whole thing was a big wasted opportunity. I give it a 6.8/10.','dd4ff1efe4552060eb2a61ebe33336e9',0,'','i1hACVXL',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11946,2156,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1134377220,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)','I wasnt sure what to expect from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In other words, I was unclear whether it featured the Tim Burton who made gripping and visually stunning films during the 90s (Edward Scissorhands [1990], Ed Wood [1994], Sleepy Hollow [1999]), or the one whos directed bland Hollywood \"products\" so far this decade (Planet of the Apes [2001], Big Fish [2003]). While it doesnt compare well with his best work, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a competent effort from Burton, along with being a minor-improvement over Mel Stuarts Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), the original adaptation of Roald Dahls classic book. However, since the new version is surrounded by many better films intended for children, it wont be granted the status given to the old one.\r\n\r\n*The early sequences between Charlie and his family were interesting and well done (no cheesy musical numbers this time around). Charlies residence looked like one of the dilapidated sheds from Sleepy Hollow, but it was just as impressive as any of the CGI work in the film.\r\n\r\n*The initial puppet-show a bit awkward (but Burton more or less made up for it by taking us to the \"hospital\" later on where the \"victims\" were being treated.) And then, it was difficult NOT to think of Michael Jackson when Wonka first appeared; more disturbingly, I also thought of Prince. (Perhaps Im the one who needs help.) \r\n\r\n*If I remember correctly, Stuarts film wasnt very crisp moving from one set-piece to another. Burtons doesnt waste much time in-between. Wonkas backstory, an addition by screenwriter John August, is fine, although it couldve been employed more effectively.\r\n\r\n*Enjoyed the treatment received by the spoiled brat. The squirrels were simply doing their job, so there was nothing malicious about it. However, the following Kubrickian sequence just looked out of place, and thus didnt work as well.\r\n\r\n*Every now and then, the theme music of the original film starts playing in my head. Its hard to shake it off. Cant say that there was anything special about the score (Danny Elfman) in Burton\'s effort.\r\n\r\n*The performances were first-rate, and helped accentuate the overall message of the film.','396374d3116d56d8ad219c564ee7d16d',0,'','QLsNc5Jk',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11947,2156,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144123020,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)','Sorry to hear you think Big Fish is bland Hollywood product, I thought it was Burton\'s best film in almost two decades. Concurrently I was rather disappointed with Sleepy Hollow. As for this film, which is the one in question I enjoyed it quite a bit. It is an improvement over Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, although I seriously doubt this one will ever achieve the cult status of the original. Can\'t say Depp makes a better Wonka, I wasn\'t overly impressed with him in this picture, but there was something particularly creepy about Wilder.\r\nI loved the score, the songs reminded me of Ellfman\'s Oingo Boingo days, and I couldn\'t help thinking of his first movie musical score for brother Richard\'s Forbidden Zone. I think the children were really well cast here, and you enjoyed them at the same time you were revolted by them. Occasionally annoying characters can get too damn annoying, and I\'m extremely hostile towards child actors in general so good work there. The backstory with Wonka\'s father was something of a welcome addition, but I really think it was just an excuse to use Christopher Lee, and you probably won\'t ever hear me say a bad word about him. Overall a rather well made picture, due to its nature I can\'t really call it a masterpiece, being both an overbudgeted CGI spectacle and a remake, but certainly enjoyable. I think it helped that Burton disliked the original film, he gave it enough of his own voice without even remotely trying to mimmick the first. And Charlie\'s house was pure Burton, he\'ll never fully shake his Expressionist roots.','c577fa2f052d732a9fb75525629f3841',0,'','0fYycxZX',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11948,2156,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144999320,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)','\"I thought [Big Fish] was Burton\'s best film in almost two decades.\"\r\n\r\nAlmost two decades? Well, that pretty much leaves you with Pee-wee\'s Big Adventure. Anyway, I thought Big Fish was quite derivative of early Spielberg, Zemeckis, and the likes. In other words, it looked and felt the least \"Burtonian\" among his films. I guess I prefer the dark, gothic Burton.','ce631b181232b71e9bd55238941520f4',0,'','mjFch9M1',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11949,2156,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1145038020,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)','Well glad you caught the reference, Pee Wee\'s Big Adventure is far and away my favorite film of his. Perhaps I enjoyed Big Fish because he wasn\'t really taking himself too seriously, he lightened up for a bit, but it still feels very Burtonian to me. It\'s still expressionist but not in such a cryptic way, and I\'ll probably watch Albert Finney in anything.','4987989bb583a4143c35416d0fa7365a',0,'','8kJQyEWx',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11950,2156,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147407780,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)','Still havan\'t seen \"Charlie or the chocolate factory\" (nor the corpse bride). \r\nBut as far as I am concerned I only thought \"Planet of the apes\" to be a failure. Liked \"Big Fish\" very much, (though I prefer \"sleepy Hollow\" )\r\nPee Wee has also aged well in my memory. I\'d like to see it again. \r\nThe only others I have partially problems with are \"beetlejuice\" and \"Mars Attacks!\".\r\nTalking about Burton, I should really rewatch most of his films.\r\nBut I like it most, when he is \"darker\" (my favorite is \"Batman Returns\"). In fact I think he hasn\'t yet been dark and quirky enough. Imo there\'s still a lot of hidden potential in him.\r\n\r\nAh, I think I\'ll start a rate the director thread on him right now. Would be interesting to see your preferences listed','a6fd74062aee34545e3163e352c6c11d',0,'','NCH8Kis4',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11951,2157,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1140224100,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Sara','Paths of Glory and a music question','This is one of the best war movies I have ever seen. The last 4 minutes are very moving - they really stirred my soul.\r\n\r\nThe music at the end was soul stirring, too. It made me think of wonderful endings to films with soul stirring music. Gallipoli and Come and See come to mind at once. Not rigorous, no, poignant.\r\n\r\nHave you seen it? It\'s 1957, but speaks volumes today.\r\n\r\nWhat other war movies have music that stir your heart?\r\n\r\nSara','6c308a0f14edfca0c7d66b8892e08002',0,'','ZYGkCSBa',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11952,2157,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1140489720,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Paths of Glory and a music question','I\'ve seen it a couple times, because it\'s Kubrick and everything he did is essential. I\'m watching a King Diamond video right now and it is the funniest @#%$ @#%$ ever, Christ he sucked. Anyways, the best use of music in a war movie would probably be either Apocalypse Now and \"The End\", and Platoon, both films used music quite remarkably.','f8c493b40561ccde4287f59468513586',0,'','aEQBuPRZ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11953,2157,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1140549000,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Sara','Re: Paths of Glory and a music question','Yes, Apocalypse Now has wonderfully effective music.\r\n\r\nSara','d3b1af88f99ad5efdf4649012d5fac15',0,'','iPozSab6',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11954,2157,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1143435180,1,0,1,1,1,1,'gratefultiger','Re: Paths of Glory and a music question','The \"Apocalypse Now Sessions\" is a favourite recording of mine, Out There (Naturally )Performances ,superb percussion workouts by Mickey Hart/Bill Kreutzman\r\nThe drummers & friends of the Grateful Dead,my favourite track is \"Napalm For Breakfast\" freaky Stuff.\r\na must for atmospheric music fans with that right touch of weirdness!','7586f915b4f91006cfccd48a723f48b8',0,'','1mgeKZa9',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11955,2157,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147399380,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Paths of Glory and a music question','The first time I saw it (and i was already a \"Kubrick-fan\") i didn\'t like the film. The last time I was moved to tears.\r\nClearly a masterpiece imo.\r\nBu the best (anti) war-film and the best use of music is for me in \"The thin red Line\". The malaysian songs are just perfect for the film.\r\nApocalypse Now also uses songs in a great way.\r\nAnd another Kubrick war film, \"Full metal Jacket\" ha also a great soundtrack. But almost all Kubrick films have.','82af66d14466d388e68a9fc7278442c9',0,'','48WGE9mL',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11956,2158,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1139926260,1,0,1,1,1,1,'MikLosk','Gilliam, Lynch and Depp will unit to make...','...A Nightmare on Elm Street prequel\r\n\r\nTo believe or not to believe?..\r\n\r\nAny thoughts?..','3954a53d82cf988933a97b2ddd3f76b3',0,'','S4uYHhL6',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11957,2158,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1139936640,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Gilliam, Lynch and Depp will unit to make...','Frightening, a frightening wate of talent that is. I can understand Robert Englund sticking with it but I honestly couldn\'t imagine any of those mentioned having anything to do with a Nightmare on Elm Street film. \r\n\r\nThat info is even more bizarre than the Takashi Miike - \"Halloween: Retribution\" link.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','0840b1e3e3a7e6520ced2a5c5e0f035b',0,'','6yQjH9L3',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11958,2158,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1139979120,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Gilliam, Lynch and Depp will unit to make...','Is that more bizarre that the upcoming WKW, Norah Jones film.','91f6e7af85b1e28ce891db649e091cd4',0,'','c7Qb83uf',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11959,2158,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1140033660,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Gilliam, Lynch and Depp will unit to make...','Arsaib4, I thought you were joking till I did a search on google. Whatever next, Jack Black to star in and direct a biopic of Abraham Lincoln?\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','bb9e30bafa4ec5634669f5e1773ffddf',0,'','d6QT2E8R',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11960,2158,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1140084420,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Gilliam, Lynch and Depp will unit to make...','It seems to be a minor project; hopefully it\'ll help him get back on track.','6db168cc519e97e28ebea40eb4e36ad7',0,'','sXi8KE9f',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11961,2158,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147397700,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Gilliam, Lynch and Depp will unit to make...','Oh my god. If all the rumors circulating were true even half of the time...\r\nBut I guess somke of these constellations would certainly make an interesting combination. My hope that Hollywood would redeem itself through making high-class \"Z-pictures\", that was initially fuelled with \"Charlie\'s Angels 2\" (which I enjoyed immensly), would then become more a probability, and not merely wishful-thinking.','7a382768950c6feacb594966ffb61b4d',0,'','6zDgHyoX',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11962,2159,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1124169000,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Oliver Twist (2005) (UK)','\r\nDirector: Roman Polanski\r\nCast: Ben Kingsley, Barney Clark\r\n\r\nAs I like novels by Charles Dickens, I will definitely watch the film.\r\n\r\nThe website and trailer in English is here ... \r\nwww.sony.com/olivertwist','c09ab0ab2e89df7eb4887e492192362e',0,'','V8C4EFDg',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11963,2159,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1127387340,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Unregistered(d)','Re: Oliver Twist (2005) (UK)','Please send ASAP the Oliver Twist Instruction guides and material for offering the class the best background to enhance their ability to discuss and write about the film and story of Oliver Twist, including economics, the difference in 1837 England and U.S. today and what still needs to be done to improve and prepare students for future lives and careers.\r\nNot enough changes and our students not prepared to be able to survive in today\'s world. Especiall in CA which is 50th in U.S. in education. \r\nI\'m an Instruction Specialist and available\r\nestpastor@aol.com\r\nPlease send to Esther Pastor MA/MS, 858-259-1611\r\n4145 Tynebourne Cr\r\nSan Diego, CA 92130','9bc19688da76a96f61476a08431c29ce',0,'','BT5j86cE',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11964,2159,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1127738760,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Oliver Twist (2005) (UK)','\r\nPardon my ignorance,\r\nbut I do not get what you want ...\r\nPlease kindly explain ...','ec851c1976dd56fe33da892c9e71318c',0,'','4lr3BvWQ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11965,2159,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1127741640,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Oliver Twist (2005) (UK)','I think (hope) somebody\'s just a little muddled.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','694a16931b2863196b7c54c7216a3881',0,'','8NPB4ADg',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11966,2159,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1131271260,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Oliver Twist (2005) (UK)','\r\nDirector: Roman Polanski\r\nCast: Ben Kingsley, Barney Clark\r\n\r\nThe website and trailer in English is here ... \r\nwww.sony.com/olivertwist\r\n\r\nMy thoughts ...\r\n\r\n-- In my humble opinion, the director should have \"exploited\" the drama ... the problem (if any) is that ...\r\n... the funny moments are not comical enough \r\ne.g., when Fagin and the children demonstrated their game of \"stealing\" ...\r\n... and the scary moments are not menacing enough \r\ne.g., the asking for \"MORE\" scene in the beginning ...\r\ne.g., the dog ... \r\nWithout manipulating the emotions of the audience, the film looks great cinematographically (though it might be too colourful/clean for effectively conveying the grimness/darkness of the society then) ... but it fails to grip the audience emotionally ...\r\n\r\n-- Well, enough people have commended on the performance of Ben Kingsley (as Fagin) or Jamie Foreman (as Bill Sikes) ... but allow me to also commend on the performance of Barney Clark too (as Oliver) ... he does have a good range of emotions ... and yes, he does have a melancholy look ... some scenes are especially memorable\r\ne.g., the scene when he was drunk\r\ne.g., the scene when he was shot\r\nHowever, unlike other recent child actors (e.g., in The Sixth Sense, in Finding Neverland, in The Return, etc), there is no 1 particular scene that is so tearful that it will wrench the audience\'s hearts (except for the gunshot scene probably) ... is it because Oliver comes across as a \"strong\" character who does not need the audience to worry for him??? or is it because of problems with the director\'s approach ... his story telling is less than gripping?? \r\n\r\nIn essence, I want to defend and commend that Barney Clark can act ... \r\n\r\nbut I guess he does not have a \"trademark\" scene in this film which steals the audience ... so he will likely miss nominations for any awards ... mainly due to not enough \"heart wrenching\" moments ...\r\n\r\nInterview with Barney Clark\r\nwww.bbc.co.uk/films/2005/...view.shtml\r\nwww.cinecon.com/news.php?id=0509307\r\n\r\n-- There are a few other scenes that are good too ...\r\ne.g., when Bill was about to club Nancy\r\ne.g., the final scene when Bill missed the jump ...\r\n\r\n-- Overall, it is a simple piece of work to understand ...\r\n-- It is faithful to the book ... \r\n\r\nConclusion:\r\nIt just comes across as a watchable film ... \r\nin my humble opinion, there could be more \"drama\"/\"emotional scenes\" that wrench the audience\'s hearts ...','972d5ae09b1d864d24eb527729f38236',0,'','1U3WgQZl',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11967,2159,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1131414420,1,0,1,1,1,1,'SenileFelines','Re: Oliver Twist (2005) (UK)','You forgot to mention the third best performance in the movie, after Fagin and Bill, I think the kid who played the Artful Dodger was great. \r\n\r\nI didn\'t like Barney Clark at all. Very melancholy, yes. But the way he spoke was very unconvincing. It felt uncomfortable watching him. His scene at the very end was pretty good though.\r\n\r\nBesides that, I agree with your overall thoughts about the film.\r\n\r\nI still adore the musical version \"Oliver!\" I think that movie had the best Fagin, Bill, Nancy, Oliver and Artful Dodger than any other Oliver Twist adaptations. The ending was also great.','3c21c068f43fe26d5054e78eb95f1dc0',0,'','XSslB8bA',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11968,2159,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1131715140,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Oliver Twist (2005) (UK)','\r\nHi SenileFelines,\r\n\r\nIt is nice to see you posting again ...\r\nI do recall you participating in one of the quizes, but have stopped doing so ...\r\n\r\nHope to see you around ...','5388b415c5e8f2fb827cece7ccb4c09f',0,'','4bRoVsiQ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11969,2159,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1145682480,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Oliver Twist (2005) (UK)','I watched the film today and it seemed a little unnecessary. Polanski was in top form with the Pianist, and although there are some similarities to Polanski\'s own childhood in Oliver Twist (mainly being an orphan) it doesn\'t ring as true as that previous film. It was uneven, and seemed like nothing new.','5c8468e8ab1b7c93095535fce0c0590e',0,'','m2WklM9f',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11970,2159,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1145778960,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Oliver Twist (2005) (UK)','Yes, Oliver Twist isn\'t as important as The Pianist, but I don\'t believe that it was meant to be so. It\'s a smaller film in every capacity. It ran a little too long, and I think I said somewhere that it \"never quite comes to life\"; however, I still consider it a minor achievement in Polanski continually fascinating oeuvre. It was a grinding, workmanlike effort.','f572655cb50e06cfa88529edfce419d5',0,'','wS64ysWm',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11971,2159,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1145905140,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Oliver Twist (2005) (UK)','I would agree with all of that.','cf2941d1363b299f08bfba05e6bbd73d',0,'','GKvVd3nE',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11972,2160,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1142890260,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','Nine Lives','NINE LIVES\r\n\r\nDirected by Rodrigo Garcia (2005)\r\n\r\n\"Pullin\' weeds and pickin\' stones, We are made of dreams and bones\" - The Garden Song\r\n\r\nWith one emotionally draining story rapidly following the other, viewing Nine Lives may be the cinematic equivalent of listening to all of Beethoven\'s symphonies without a pause. The film, written and directed by Rodrigo Garcia, son of Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, depicts key moments in the lives of nine women in emotional upheaval. Shot in only eighteen days, this powerful small budget film brings together such outstanding performers as Sissy Spacek, Elpido Carrillo, Robin Wright Penn, Amy Brenneman, Kathy Baker, Holly Hunter, Glenn Close, and Lisa Gay Hamilton and each are magnificent in their small roles. Occasionally, actors from one story reappear in supporting roles in another.\r\n\r\nEach story is separate but all are loosely connected by an underlying theme of emotional loss, each segment dramatizing how our relationships can be both solid and fragile at the same time. A happily married pregnant woman goes shopping in a supermarket late at night and meets a former boyfriend and realizes that she will always carry the profound connection they once shared. A teenage girl acts as a buffer between her disabled father and her overburdened mother but suppresses her own feelings. A young woman returns after an absence of many years to confront her abusive stepfather. A phone goes dead when a women prisoner attempts to talk through a window to her young daughter. \r\n\r\nIn other stories, a woman confronts her anger about undergoing a mastectomy while her husband tries to comfort her in the hospital. A mother visits a cemetery with her little girl that brings to life memories from the past. Shot in one continuous take lasting from ten to fourteen minutes, each characters past is a blank and the future is left to our imagination, but there is never a feeling of incompleteness. Though the dialogue is introspective, it is not overly literary and each piece has a grace and beauty that touches the heart. Awarded the Golden Leopard at the Film Festival in 2005, the stories in Nine Lives last only a few moments, but their emotional richness can last a lifetime. \r\n\r\nGRADE: A','5897492cc25a68f4480897aed4f994cf',0,'','3QSNPmZl',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11973,2161,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1139519340,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','Herzog\'s The White Diamond','THE WHITE DIAMOND\r\n\r\nDirected by Werner Herzog (2004)\r\n\r\nWerner Herzog\'s The White Diamond, a documentary about the exploits of Dr. Graham Dorrington, an engineer at St. Mary\'s College in London, England, might have been called \"Little Graham Needs To Fly\". Dorrington is a solitary dreamer who is eager to explore wilderness areas and tropical rain forests in a helium-filled airship. In particular, he wants to explore the rainforest canopy of Guyana and Werner Herzog brings his camera and his best narrative voice along for the ride. The film is both the story of a man and his dreams and an ode to an unspoiled wilderness that has so far withstood man\'s insatiable need for \"progress\". \r\nLike other Herzog films I have seen recently, there are moments of involving action pitting man against nature, along with stretches of dullness and sudden outbursts of enormous beauty. Just to watch the flocks of swifts fly in formation above Kaieteur Falls, a waterfall four times the height of Niagara, backed by the cello of Ernst Reijseger and the chorus of the Tenore E Cuncordu de Orosei, is an experience in itself worth the price of admission.\r\n\r\nThe film begins with a brief overview of the history of flight including scenes of the horrific crash of the Hindenburg Zeppelin in Lakehurst, New Jersey in 1937, a tragedy that ended the dream of travel in lighter than air vehicles. The film then shifts to Guyana where Dorrington is in the process of assembling a two-person airship to help him make his journey and confront his past demons. Dieter is a thoughtful man though given to childlike outbursts of enthusiasm. He dreams of \"drifting with the motors off in the peace and quiet, quietly floating above these forests in the mist\". Though Herzog seems to want to portray all his protagonists as slightly mad, Dorrington appears too grounded to fulfill the director\'s wishes. His purpose contains elements of both inner and outer exploration. He wants to move on from a tragic accident that occurred eleven years ago when his friend and companion Dieter Plage was killed while flying one of his airships. \r\n\r\nDorrington is reluctant at first to discuss Dieter and his tragic end, but later recounts in agonizing detail the precise details of the accident for which he blames himself. In a scene later revealed to have been staged, Herzog and Graham argue about whether cameras should be allowed on the test flight of his airship christened The White Diamond by a local miner, but Herzog prevails because he fears that it may be the only flight that will take place. We sense throughout the early part of the film that any flight is dangerous and extreme precautions are taken to ensure safety. There are other peripheral characters that we have come to expect from Herzog. \r\n\r\nA young cook does a Michael Jackson dance to hip hop music while standing on the edge of a cliff and we meet Mark Anthony Yhap, a diamond miner whose eloquent philosophy contrasts sharply with the more inner-directed Dorrington and he waxes poetic when talking about his beloved rooster. Yhap is a Rastafarian, an African religion that believes that Haile Sellassie is the living God. Yhap wants to fly so that he can visit his family in Spain whom he hasn\'t seen in many years and his contact information appears in the credits. All this is peripheral to the main event, however, and as we soar over the rainforest, we forget Herzog\'s description of nature as \"a brutal place full of murder and cruel indifference\" and simply bathe in its majesty. \r\n\r\nGRADE: A-','368c445dda5f84c16b1ed65c4cd0ba01',0,'','SakAMymN',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11974,2161,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1139529360,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Herzog\'s The White Diamond','arsaib4\'s comments The White Diamond.\r\n\r\nI saw it a while ago (luckily it was part funded by BBC4) and have it on video. In my opinion it was more enjoyable than \"Herzog\'s The Wild Blue Yonder\" but of course, they are very different.\r\n\r\nI\'ll write more once I\'ve seen it again.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','6f8d09a2354441ba894048707b3a37a6',0,'','2zL4ZsgU',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11975,2161,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1139531040,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','Re: Herzog\'s The White Diamond','Is the Wild Blue Yonder out on DVD as yet? That is fiction right, not a documentary?','9f37701aecd6b45f307cad91941b0654',0,'','GcVgA5UN',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11976,2161,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1139534700,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Herzog\'s The White Diamond','The Wild Blue Yonder and The White Diamond were both shown in a selection Herzog\'s films on BBC4 late last year. The Wild Blue Yonder is an imaginative mockumentary with a soundtrack that\'s as outstanding as The White Diamond, but because it uses a lot of stock footage it seems more of a filler than his other recent works.\r\n\r\nNeither are available on dvd in the UK yet.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','710c25436f626139548597933fce2f74',0,'','T9QxSLYo',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11977,2162,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1138706340,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Hooligans (2005) (UK/USA)','\r\n\r\nDirector: Lexi Alexander\r\nCast: Elijah Wood, Charlie Hunnam, Leo Gregory, Marc Warren, Geoff Bell\r\n\r\nwow ... from the posters alone, you could tell that there are various titles to the film ... Hooligans ... Green Street (UK) ... Green Street Hooligans (USA) ... Football Hooligans ... etc ... hmmm, market targeted titles?!\r\n\r\nThe official website\r\nsee\r\nhttp://www.hooligansthefilm.com/\r\nor\r\nhttp://www.greenstreethooligans.com/\r\n\r\nMy thoughts ...\r\n-- I particularly like the performance by Charlie Hunnam\r\n\r\n-- ... and also, I am glad that Elijah is trying to rid of his image/role as Frodo after the LOTR trilogy ... by being in Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, Sin City, Everything is Illuminated ... and now, Hooligans ... he has done a reasonable good job ...\r\n\r\n-- In terms of theme, the film probes at the use of violence, can it be justified? should it be justified? ... also, it deals with issues of family, friends, and gangs ... loyalty and betrayal, etc ...\r\n-- In a way, the filming is rather \"stylish\" (targeted at a young audience?!) and accompanied by a nice soundtrack ... one particular song is meaningful ...\r\n-- Anyway, if you are worried that you have to be a fan of football to appreciate it ... NO, you don\'t have to be ... the film is more about hooligans than about football ...\r\n-- Although I like the film in general, I thought some lines/dialogues could be more subtle and less intentional (i.e, those to bring out the differences between US and UK, and cultures, etc)\r\n\r\nConclusion:\r\nAbove average ...','9a940ddb8a849d94625247117ba11009',0,'','Bf9Nio5Q',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11978,2163,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1138704360,1,0,1,1,1,1,'netmankt','Siren the movie','What makes a film good? Is it the acting? The action? The music? Or the comic elements? I saw a movie that had all of the aforementioned elements. \r\n\r\nSiren is an independent film that portrays Storm as a relentlessly pursuing her dream as a rock star. There are a lot of really great scenes and essential ingredients which make this film one of the best independent films I have ever seen. A recent feature article in the L.A. Times tells how Michele Fiore-Kaime doesnt give up on her dreams in real life too!\r\nwww.calendarlive.com/movi...3613.story\r\n\r\nMichele is a truly inspiring lady in that she never gives up and is multitalented. She stars, created the story, and helped direct Siren. Where the story is funny, it is very funny. Where it is dramatic, it is very dramatic. And where it rocks with music, it really rocks! This movie is sure to start a craze all over the country as it has in several cities so far. The battle of the bands idea of this film has taken off in real life as a competition. \r\n\r\nI encourage all to at least click the link which takes you to the website to read more and view a trailer clip. Enjoy and follow your dreams!!!\r\n\r\nwww.sirenthemovie.com\r\n\r\nor\r\n\r\nwww.imdb.com/title/tt0449393/','d331b4ec0332395217eebf7ac87149f4',0,'','wpBnyNzW',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11979,2164,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1137922920,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','The Matador (2005)','Every so often you walk out of a movie realizing that you didn\'t exactly witness greatness, but you aren\'t ready to ask for your money back. Richard Shepard\'s The Matador is just a lot of fun. It isn\'t overwhelming, it isn\'t a non-stop laugh riot, but it\'s endearing and above all entertaining. It\'s a diversion, something to take you out of the every day world and put you in another one, or in this case all around the world. I would call it escapist entertainment, and it is done without a load of green screens and without any special effects to speak of.\r\n\r\nThe film has at it\'s core one hell of a performance. That performance is from Pierce Brosnan, who never remotely hinted at this type of potential in his other roles. He\'s bored of Bond, and not surprising that he would jump at this one. He can be smooth, pathetic, manipulative, but always likeable. Even at his worst which he often is, you pull for this guy. Brosnan stumbles around drunk, dazed, but at his core terribly lonely. Sure these mercenary killers are loners, but rarely do we really get to see how removed they are from society, Julian doesn\'t even have a home at all, simply living one job to the next. Not surprising to get a little burnt out after 22 years of it.\r\n\r\nGreg Kinnear and Hope Davis do fine work in their largely supporting roles. You get the feeling that they do love each other, and each of them has a sweet side that you also want to pull for. Yet this isn\'t your typical odd couple film were the crazy eccentric bad guy makes the straight good guy \"live a little\". Instead, Kinnear very much remains the man he was, but with a slightly better streak of luck. No doubt his meeting with Julian changed him, but not in a boring conventional Hollywood way. Likewise I can\'t say that Julian\'s meeting Danny helped him much. Sure he profited by it, and maybe now he has one person he can truly call a friend, but as a character Julian is every bit the manipulative charming assassin out for self preservation. You can never take anything he says too seriously, and that\'s what keeps you on your toes.\r\n\r\nThis isn\'t a film that tries to shock you with twists and turns. There are a few moments, but you stop and say \"oh that\'s it\". Not as a let down, but to say that it isn\'t what this film is about. Some movies try to make themselves based on plot twists, perhaps the Matador might be a better film with more revelatory circumstances, but it would be a different film altogether, and it would lose that laid back charm that it has. The film is light and easy, just like Julian, and that is for me the appropriate tone. I may be stepping over the line here but I think that Pierce Brosnan deserves an Oscar for his work here, and the sad thing is he won\'t even get a nomination. For a lead actor, I have found his performance here to be the best I\'ve seen of any 2005 film, and that may be a bold statement. Perhaps it is because all the other Academy front runners got too much publicity, but I think that humor can go a long way. Brosnan isn\'t playing a famous person, but a character that we wouldn\'t have expected from him. It\'s a stretch and it works. His meltdown at the race track is just as moving as anything from Brokeback Mountain or Capote, and at least this film is much more light so you don\'t have the overburden of seeing suffering disguised as \"art\".\r\n\r\nGrade B','abacbb25f4629b90bdad1d774644c67b',0,'','6HSejygu',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11980,2165,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1137790320,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005) - Stephen Frears','From the start this film is delightful. An opening credit sequence that seems out of Terry Gilliam\'s Python days. The story takes its first stab at being serious shortly after with the death of Mr. Henderson, but soon enough we see that Mrs. Henderson (Judi Dench) is far too eccentric and loveable to stay down for long. At the advice of a friend she now has no one to keep her from buying things, so she goes ahead and buys the Windmill Theater (named for the street it\'s located on). Knowing nothing about it she hires Vivian Van Damme (Bob Hoskins) to run it, and he agrees so long as he has complete control.\r\n\r\nThat\'s the plot in a nutshell, at least the beginning of it. The two leads in this film are absolutely perfect. Dench\'s role allows her much more eccentricities and it can be a bit showy, but whenever it may lose it\'s charm, she quickly rebounds with either a great comedy act or a moment of unexpected drama. Hoskins on the other hand is nothing less than perfect from start to finish. He goes all out for this role (and believe me he gives ALL of himself). He is something of a straight man here, as most proper men must appear at this time, but damn it if he doesn\'t have his moments to shine.\r\n\r\nWhat makes the theater memorable, hence the movie about it is in the nudity. It is slightly sensationalized, as it was then, but in all honesty these women don\'t move and they\'re more like sculptures. What really made the theater last and the name of one of the books about it is that it never closed. Even during the worst of the Battle of Britain it remained the only theater open. Part of the reason, as is explained, is because the theater is underground making it quite a resourceful bomb shelter, and also home to most of the theater troupe during the heaviest bombing.\r\n\r\nFrears, someone I would call an invisible director, handles the film remarkably well. It never lackens in it\'s pace and maintains a great deal of charm. Most of the actual performers are secondary here, and although a few are more prominently featured, their stories aren\'t really what makes the film. Granted certain liberties were taken with the story, most notably Mr. Van Damme\'s behavior to his crew (which wasn\'t entirely gentlemanly in real life), but it\'s based on his and his wife\'s memoirs so you can\'t blame them.\r\n\r\nGrade A -','6b8593126867b708617b9f072a5b2d79',0,'','yjekntmG',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11981,2166,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1136869800,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Elizabethtown (2005)','\r\n\r\nDirector: Cameron Crowe\r\nCast: Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst\r\n\r\nThe film premiered at Venice International Film Festival ...\r\n\r\nThe official website\r\nclick\r\n\r\nMy thoughts ...\r\n-- I do really want to defend Orlando Bloom (because some critics attribute the blame to him) ... in a way, I think the failure to engage the audience should NOT be attributed to Orlando Bloom, he can act (or at least does have a good range of emotions) ... his dancing alone scene was nice to watch ... his phone calls with Kirsten was reflective of real life phone calls ... his first encounter(s) with Kirsten on the plane was humorous ... etc\r\n-- The problem really lies with the director (for failing to let the audience feel a clear sense of either comedy or tragedy; he tries too hard to create a dark humor, but it just does not work) ... and to some extent, the editing (for failing to better pace) ... and to a minor extent, the initial part of the soundtrack (for being not absorbing enough) ... the soundtrack for the roadtrip is much better ...\r\n-- The tap dance by Susan Sarandon was good in the sense that she had to dance as though she was a novice ...\r\n\r\nConclusion:\r\nWatchable, but it is not very engaging ... In a way, the director was too \"ambitious\" ... otherwise, it could come across as a simple but nice romance and/or a film about discovery and realization ...','2a5f779598ecbf9aecb1c9f3a441f2ca',0,'','Z4iShgt7',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11982,2167,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1136871000,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Goal! (2005)','\r\n\r\nDirector: Danny Cannon\r\nCast: Kuno Becker, Alessandro Nivola, Marcel Iures\r\n\r\nThe official website\r\nclick\r\n\r\nMy thoughts ...\r\n-- Although there is nothing novel about the plot or story (i.e., a teenager who is fanatical over soccer, and has the potential to excel ... he is lucky to be spotted and offered a chance, BUT his father is against it ... he fumbles at his first chance ... will he be offered a second? ... will he finally overcome all odds? ... would he achieve his dreams? ...), the story does feel real ... \r\n\r\nConclusion:\r\nA \"feel good\" movie ... can watch, esp. if you like soccer! ... or just wanted to watch the cameo of David Beckham ... or Zinedine Zidane ... or Raul ... or Jermaine Jenas or Alan Shearer ... by the way, the \"cameo\" is really \"cameo\" ... * naughty grin *','e334c002a71b5a0e5009a9f3f3c5926c',0,'','htQHrEdq',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11983,2168,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1136158560,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','The Company of Wolves (UK - 1984)','The Company of Wolves (1984)\r\n\r\nDirected by Neil Jordan\r\n\r\nStarring Angela Lansbury, Sarah Patterson\r\n\r\nA strange fantasy film that contains stories within dreams within stories and enough symbolism and feminist subtext to keep Freud happy for a long time.\r\n\r\nBased on several short stories written by Angela Carter with a beginning and end set in a form of reality, fairytales dominate the majority of the film, adapted and given a feminist makeover, probably making them far truer to their original roots and intentions. The majority of the film is set within this dream world; a fantasy fairytale world of creepy cottages and mysterious forests, all created beautifully especially considering the small budget. \r\n\r\nBeyond this world are the tales told by a Grandmother warning of the dangers of wolves (as a representation of the bestial side of man), each set in similar though different villages. The grand daughter, around 13 years old is obviously going through the changes of puberty and is becoming aware of her own sexuality, these tales are meant to warn her off but they almost certainly have the opposite effect. Eventually the viewer is lead into a rewritten Little Red Riding Hood with all its connotations and the girl proves more than able to decide which path she will follow.\r\n\r\nWhat can you say, at times the symbolism is obvious but at other times, it is so subtle as to give the viewer plenty of food for thought. The acting is very good from the main cast and fairs from average to very good for the secondary players. The design work is excellent, from the village to the forest through to the pre cgi transformations from man to wolf.\r\n\r\nA film that opens itself up to a number of interpretations created with the care to attention and detail it deserves and an adaptation that Angela Carter herself was more than happy with.\r\n\r\nId love to know if anyone else has seen it especially A? It certainly gets my recommendation and takes me back to a time when the UK was producing some wonderful individualistic and artistic work like The Company of Wolves, The Draughtsman\'s Contract and \"Excalibur.\" \r\n\r\nCheers Trev.\r\n\r\nBBFC rated 18 (I dont understand why, I would have thought 15 would have been fine.)\r\n\r\nR2 Pal dvd released by Granada ventures. R1 ntsc dvd released by Hens tooth Video.','8695943602c1d7f066e938246fff61c1',0,'','s4R5eESd',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11984,2168,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1136201640,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: The Company of Wolves (UK - 1984)','Good review and thanks for the DVD info.','c34fa7bf09db79f50be8d5e87890f338',0,'','VnaZ9Niq',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11985,2168,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1136211660,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: The Company of Wolves (UK - 1984)','I forgot to mention one of the best visual elements, the lighting is superb and really adds to the haunting atmosphere.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.\r\n\r\nP.S Have you seen the film arsaib4.','79216eb0f9da0a446382aaf600a659eb',0,'','eMvb9qDK',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11986,2168,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1136278320,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: The Company of Wolves (UK - 1984)','Nope, not yet.','12bef5d1efdf1292f7ada75e45f78d0d',0,'','HsTGCD6d',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11987,2168,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1136315340,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: The Company of Wolves (UK - 1984)','Sadly I haven`t seen the film yet, though it`s been on my \"to see\" list for some years now. A couple of years ago I was watching some films by Neil Jordan, but discovered that \"The Company of Wolves\" is available in Germany only in a cut version.\r\nAs you say that you don`t understand the 18-rating trev, this won`t make it any easier. Normally Germany is more \"liberal\" than the UK ehen it comes to censorship (as far as I know), but here they unfortunately agree.','91137cd368f5214af87a795d4667cfb9',0,'','4XdpnrG2',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11988,2169,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1122756180,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)','Director: Rob Marshall\r\nCast: Ziyi Zhang, Ken Watanabe, Kji Yakusho, Michelle Yeoh, Kaori Momoi, Youki Kudoh, Li Gong, Kenneth Tsang\r\n\r\nSome new pics ...\r\n-- www.helloziyi.us/Gallerie...promo1.jpg\r\n(incl. Ziyi Zhang, Ken Watanabe, Kji Yakusho, Michelle Yeoh, Li Gong, etc.)\r\n-- www.helloziyi.us/Gallerie...promo2.jpg\r\n\r\nSome old pics ...\r\n-- www.helloziyi.us/Gallerie...tanabe.htm\r\n\r\nFor more info\r\nwww.helloziyi.us/Movies/m...geisha.htm\r\n\r\n\r\nWow ... there was a sneak preview ...\r\nAnd the comments by agoodfella are VERY detailed.\r\nus.imdb.com/title/tt03975...t/23166126','47a8274f708714217746d84ef90cc210',0,'','aeiCz4Xx',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11989,2169,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1122760680,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)','I still can\'t get over the fact that most of the star cast are not Japanese, I realise it\'s because it\'s for a Western audience and name association blah, blah, blah! In all honesty I don\'t believe the film will in anyway match up to the book.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','e14dcb9f2de1801c64e697cfb935dcdd',0,'','xGqmhoHU',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11990,2169,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1124824620,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)','\r\nmore pics\r\nent.sina.com.cn/m/f/2005-...18271.html','1f131b51af622ffb1f98f9daa5d7a9bd',0,'','WzRawcGU',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11991,2169,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1125317760,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)','I\'ve seen the trailer and while it looks fine there is absolutely no way in the world that any of the female stars and Zhang Ziyi in particular look Japanese. Amazing though that Gong Li still looks stunning and does pass for someone far younger than she is.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','cf86fb059608fa347a7a17bdda191d31',0,'','PZoGtF0J',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11992,2169,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1125360900,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)','I agree. That\'s also the reason Maggie Cheung didn\'t do the film.','d00550e22a8c02404a271e8372552a3e',0,'','3EruP7oJ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11993,2169,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1125889080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)','The men and young girl are at least Japanese\r\n\r\nAnyway, the trailer ...\r\nwww.trailerdownload.net/showItem/178/','321c55a363518614f4e626e09aaf3279',0,'','TdjynpPe',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11994,2169,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1126093860,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)','I will see it because I thought the book was excellent plus the cast is full of quality actors, actresses (despite the majority of the leading roles being the wrong nationality) but my expectations are not high because it is a Hollywood production and will not take the neccessary risks.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','86fd8ffbadcef1c4b68385793012f0fa',0,'','8mxitRwS',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11995,2169,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1135676100,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)','Well I finally saw the film and woof. The Chinese cast speaking broken English hurt the film. Sure Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi are arguably the two finest women in the Asian world, but they couldn\'t help elevate this film above a boring debaucle made to win awards. The reviews have been mostly negative, and it\'s justified.','ce66102540567914da227d63759fa4b7',0,'','Z0cSzQge',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11996,2169,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1135728900,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Johndav','Re: Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)','Not seen the film yet but same misgivings already as mentioned above; much as i adore Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi, why not Japanese actresses? Crass commercial considerations and more than a hint of all orientals looking alike? (even taking into account that many white actors play different nationalities). Director hardly a master in Chicago. I really liked 3/4 of the book then it started to tail off and seemed to me to end up as some statement about US having unquestionably a better life to offer.','4404557e6089ee68786b0f8a5f5e3946',0,'','QSejKygk',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11997,2169,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1135846800,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)','I\'m going to pass on Geisha for now. I\'m not sure exactly how many times, but all I heard during the trailer was someone screaming \"Geisha.\" And, of course, one could pretty much decipher the whole story based on those 2 minutes.','8323674b61d00c005786e8a41a41efa5',0,'','XmUosq0u',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11998,2169,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1135896300,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)','Yeah no surprises there. Hopefully Brokeback Mountain is worth the never ending praise I\'ve heard.','27fe002abd471580e7d0df1e9c85ddac',0,'','tqleanSo',1,0,'',0,0,0),(11999,2169,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1135915080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)','It\'s good, but it\'s being overrated -- not surprisingly, I might add.','da2ebba41a0b03d9ffe73903d88fb53a',0,'','yvw29osu',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12000,2169,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1136314020,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)','That`s also what I read (from my personally reliable sources), because after all the praise I was almost expecting another Ice Storm \r\nBut I`ll definitely watch it. Somehow I haven`t given up on Ang Lee: Saw four films by him, two good, two bad, and still don`t know what to think of him. Maybe he needs a good script, for a good film? I`ll figure it out in the future.','aa34e6245b6ed15131c69aff6091e754',0,'','FGuaYjqn',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12001,2170,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1133263680,1,0,1,1,1,1,'netmankt','Are you living your dream or just living?','I saw a private screening of this movie and thought it was magnificent. This is independent film that is quickly gaining lots of national and international attention. The story line, musical score, acting, inspirational, dramatic, and comical elements were all excellent. This is a very inspirational movie for anyone who wants to see an uplifting movie showing its possible to start a new life no matter what age/situation you are in. It is also one of the very first ever films shot in high definition DIVX format displaying the high quality resolution of this technique of the future. I highly recommend this movie for all to see. I am happy to answer any questions anyone may have. Thank you\r\nMore info can be found at: www.imdb.com/title/tt0449393/\r\nOr www.sirenthemovie.com\r\nMichele Fiore-Kaime - Homemaker becomes star\r\nWill you hold on to your dreams or keep your dreams on hold? \r\nWho says reality cant be your dreams?','4dd85263977a0ced2d905a7c166cb72f',0,'','7uzn06r3',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12002,2170,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1133272080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Are you living your dream or just living?','I highly recommend this movie for all to see. I am happy to answer any questions anyone may have.\r\n\r\nWell since you obviously got a lot out of it, how about a review?\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','ddccd2214873ffe05b29374224be49c7',0,'','8PcyE2LF',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12003,2170,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1135075200,1,0,1,1,1,1,'netmankt','Re: Are you living your dream or just living?','This is a genuinely very good uplifting movie that will leave you feeling good and inspired. Michele Fiore-Kaime nailed it on her first try at writing and starring in this story of a 35 year old woman that finds her life without meaning after her daughter leaves for college. She pursues her dream she put on hold for 20 years. The comic elements, drama, and good music all make for a very entertaining film. The best way to describe it is Rocky meets Field of Dreams. This film was entered into the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and from my opinion it will be another winner! To top it off it was filmed in high definition DIVX!','3dabc262d77d1fc911ed80c07834e19a',0,'','6V8iB9Fv',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12004,2170,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1135679400,1,0,1,1,1,1,'netmankt','Re: Are you living your dream or just living?','More than 450 films are created every year. Less than 100 make it to the big screen and more than 250 make it television and DVD. Every once in a while a film is made that doesnt make it to the big screen but warrants merit to be big screen material. Siren is one such film that depicts ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Independent films are the raw material of acting and film making. It is like the Toyota and big screen films are the Mercedes Benz; Overpriced, all show, and a gamble at desired results. Siren takes lots of different and quality elements and blends them into a well produced film with very good casting and storyline. \r\n\r\nI liked Narnia and King Kong but I also liked Motorcycle Diaries and Leaving Las Vegas (both the later being independent films). By supporting indie films we promote up and coming stars and push out the old. Its evolution with the support of the public.','3e71caf8e5c7c35770942d7c07d79482',0,'','qVXS5bEr',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12005,2170,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1136278440,1,0,1,1,1,1,'netmankt','Re: Are you living your dream or just living?','Much of the movies we see are made by big budget companies that steer the entertainment business world with their films that are marketed on the television, newspapers, and internet. Independent films are made with low budgets and pure acting ability. Big money movies dont depend on acting ability due to their pyrotechnics and special effects that mask the requirement for a truly good film. Its bad enough that movie theaters are in their 3rd year of consecutive declining attendance. Most movie goers complain of uncomfortable seats, distractions of other patrons, and expensive tickets and refreshments. Independent films are usually where actors/actresses get their start and are usually better in content. The independent movie Siren was made with the intent of presenting the public with truly good film attributes and acting ability. I truly wish that more movies like it will be made for us to see. I really liked the way the storyline with comic and dramatic elements brought this great film together.','f104f1ab5baa85fdaffbb812f4349504',0,'','TiWRb5XF',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12006,2171,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1134964740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Ward','\r\nDirector: Andrew Adamson\r\nCast: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Tilda Swinton\r\n\r\nThe official website\r\nsee\r\nadisney.go.com/disneypict...index.html\r\n\r\nMy thoughts ...\r\n* possible minor spoiler *\r\n-- In fact, I only like the scene near the end when the lion sacrificed itself ... very sad ...\r\n-- Also commendable are the technicalities of film making, and the costumes and set design ... thnks for bringing the mythical creatures to life ... (in fact, i have always enjoyed greek mythology ... any film makers out there?!)\r\n\r\nWhat could be better ...\r\n-- In terms of story telling, I just thought it did not grip (both my friend and i thought so) ... hmmm, was it the problem of the soundtrack? or editing? or director? Just as an example, the initial war scene (with planes and bombs) could be frightening, but it just did not come across so ... sigh ... \r\n-- I know she is a great actress, but somehow, I did not think the witch was evil/frightening enough ... and she was such an important character ... Without fear, my friend and I was not worried for the characters or what happened next ... \r\n\r\nConclusion:\r\n-- oh no, most people are going to hate me for this ... i find the film watchable but i was not crazy over it ... I actually enjoy Harry Potter more ...\r\n\r\nPS: Side story ... we initially wanted to watch King Kong (both tickets were available), but at the last moment, we decided to buy the tickets for Chronicles. HOWEVER, after watching it, we insist that we should buy King Kong and watched it on the SAME DAY! ha ha ha','c55313849d260fa907bc7fedd8532fdc',0,'','rA02L9xo',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12007,2171,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1134974040,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Ward','I didn\'t find it very enthralling either but maybe it was because it was aimed at a young audience; or maybe it was because they put most of the effort into the cgi and not enough into projecting the story. I do know it was dumbed down a bit.\r\n\r\nAs for the latest Harry Potter, I felt it took a leap backwards after the far darker third installment, again far too much time spent getting the look right not enough attention to the plot. My sons tell me this latest one should have been the darkest plot-wise but it failed to put it across.\r\n\r\nBy the way hengcs, what did you think of King Kong or will you comment on that seperately? \r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','deef88d0b5e482e2a1ce33871b7ba162',0,'','fdzLDixR',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12008,2171,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1134978180,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Ward','\r\nWe can start a thread on King Kong ...','08277e3004560c7f21ebec1685341544',0,'','eKDEyrgQ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12009,2171,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1135117620,1,0,1,1,1,1,'mcdan','Re: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Ward','Just saw this film twice in two days - in other words - two children decided to have \"Narnia\" birthday parties in my daughter\'s class. It was interesting to hear the children\'s reviews - mainly they all liked the scene as the wardrobe filled with fur coats opens into Narnia with the youngest daughter. After that, it was just OK. Most of the children liked the book better !!! (Same with Harry Potter.) \r\n\r\nAs the credits rolled parents were waiting to see New Zealand in the credits thanks to LOTR.\r\n\r\nI thought the trailer was terrific earlier in the year - and I still like the trailer better than the film. But I am just not a person who likes beavers that talk. The trailer focused more on the people and the snow covered land and had an excellent music score.\r\n\r\nLoved the White Witch but I wasn\'t suppose to...but anyone who can ride a CGI chariot and weld two swords gets my attention.\r\n\r\nWeak opening. The bombs over London scene did not depict terror (am spoiled by \"Hope and Glory\") but the goodbye\'s at the train were well done until the mother just happens to work her way to the front of the crowd to wave goodbye - how did she get that prime location?\r\n\r\nWeak script and acting - even when the dialogue was lifted exactly from Lewis\' book it just felt fake. I did not feel I had really entered a new (imaginary or real) realm. The lighting I am not sure about - was it suppose to make you feel that you are in a fantasy or was it just awkward lighting?\r\n\r\nCGI was excellent for the most part except those beavers. The lion rocked.\r\n\r\nThis is not a film I would see again or recommend to adults but I know I\'ll be buying the DVD anyway for my family. \r\n\r\n(Waiting to see King Kong 1933 so I can go to the new version. Should come in the mail today. I\'ll look for the new thread.)\r\n\r\nmcdan','63876b15df7ba900b5748384daabb9af',0,'','PgntDuB5',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12010,2172,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123649160,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Rubin & Shapiro\'s MURDERBALL','\"I\'m a guy in a chair. I\'m just like you, except I\'m sitting down.\" That was said by one of the athletes in Murderball, a riveting and eye-opening sports film/documentary on the game of quadriplegic rugby. After the film documents the 2002 World Championships in Sweden, it settles to project, rather vividly I might add, the lives of these competitors for the subsequent two years leading up the 2004 Paralympics in Greece. The overall focus might be on the American and the Canadian national teams but the film generates its true heart and intensity from two individuals: Mark Zupan and Joe Soares. Zupan (Mark prefers to go by his last name), who actually looks an \"X-Sport\" participant, hails from Austin and is the best player on the U.S. team due to his ferociousness. He deeply dislikes Joe along with the rest of his teammates. The reason being that the sullen and combative Joe, who was once an all-star on the American team but was eventually cut due to his age, defected to Canada to become the head coach of their team in order to get revenge.\r\n\r\nContrary to popular belief, quadriplegics are able to retain some movement in all of their four limbs (Christopher Reeves case was an extreme one). Murderball not only establishes that, but it also shatters any other misconceptions and stereotypes that people might have in an intelligent yet highly entertaining manner. The sport of \"murderball\" was created during the late-70s in Canada, but the name was eventually changed to appease the nervous sponsors. However, the rules remain just as shocking. Every athletes level of disability is rated on a scale of 0.5 to 3.5 points with one team only allowed to put out a total of 8 points on the court at once. The more mobile try to advance the ball while others stay back and knock over anyone trying to do so. Most of the participants have broken their necks at least once while playing (as a cute graphic shows us) so their level has only gone up, much to their pleasure. The wheelchairs used on the court are quite unique themselves -- theyre made to look like something the invading Vikings mightve used during the 10th century, but when the hits start coming hard and fast, they certainly get a good workout.\r\n\r\nJust like not every able-bodied person can play \"regular\" rugby, not every quadriplegic can participate in quad rugby on the highest level. These are the toughest among the tough. So perhaps it shouldnt be surprising that many of them were jocks, and in may ways, still are. Zupan, with his no-holds-barred attitude, is the most quintessential of them all. He was injured when a friend drove away and got in an accident after a heavy night of drinking not realizing that he was sleeping in the back of the pick-up truck. The film tries to play up the \"tension\" between the two, especially around their high school reunion, which doesnt quite work because we get the sense that theyve moved on long before the film started. Zupan has said that in many ways this is the best thing that has ever happened to him. Unbelievable, right? Youll have a much better idea where hes coming from after you watch the film. On the other hand, Joe is also having some personal problems. As a son of a poor Portuguese immigrant, \"hes learned the hard way,\" as he says, so he tries to instill the same kind of discipline in his unforbearing son, whos a viola player! In a somewhat unfortunate manner, Murderball gets a break when Joe is forced to reevaluate his life which ultimately brings him much closer to his son.\r\n\r\nDirected by relative new comers Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro, Murderball is approached with MTV-style rapid-fire pace and editing techniques (not surprisingly, MTV Films are part distributors). And while the \"narrative\" is rather conventional with all the necessary markers along the way, the film delivers it in such a manner that it invigorates your heart and soul. In a brilliant move, Rubin and Shapiro also follow a non-player (at least during the film shoot) named Keith Cavill, who was involved in crippling motorcross accident, and once his rehab is over, hes forced to deal with the realities including the behavior of others towards him which the film catches in a heart-wrenching moment. Murderball also doesnt feature any talking-heads telling you in a roundabout way that these people can @#%$. They can and they\'re happy to tell you about it; some even say that now they have a better chance than ever (\"wheelchair is like a chick-magnet,\" we hear). While the film doesnt go deep into the long term medical effects or how the insurance comes into play in all this, it not only shows you, but makes you believe that these men in chairs are just like us, except theyre sitting down.\r\n\r\n_______________________\r\n\r\nMURDERBALL','420635cb7afd5fc4917ee36f51a604b8',0,'','0WXersw7',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12011,2172,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1134191760,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Rubin & Shapiro\'s MURDERBALL','After many months, I have finally gotten around to Murderball, one of 15 documentaries currently in contention for the Oscars. The film is an MTV picture in ever sense. Not only does it have the X-game factor, it has the editing, style, pace, and feel of an MTV special. The film almost seems like a short piece made for MTV that was too damn good not to make into a feature film. \r\n\r\nMurderball is a constantly exciting film, and some of the camera work is absolutely stunning. They make wide use of microscopic cameras and wide angle lenses, although few shots are held long enough to really resonate. You have to accept it, and this isn\'t a blending of styles, instead it is a rather clear cut pace we are thrust into and the film doesn\'t break for it. \r\n\r\nI\'m very thankful that the film is a documentary. They could have easily made a fictional film about these same people, thrown in a weepy \"I miss my legs\" scene and had the US come from behind to win it all. As things turn out Murderball doesn\'t play out like a Cinderella story, or even a film of any conventional predictability, instead it is just a damn good story. \r\n\r\nAlthough the film is certainly one of the better non-fiction films I\'ve seen this year, it may not have a lock on the Oscars, considering they have a pre-determined bias towards MTV style films, Chicago notwithstanding. Plus they have a tendancy to go way off base when it comes to documentaries. These characters work, and I think that the film picked the right bunch to single out. Sure there were more players on the team, but only a few really made the picture, it helped that they picked the people with the most charisma, but they are making a film after all, and believe it or not even with a documentary the main objective is to be entertaining.\r\n\r\nGrade A -','9979b2fb548cc4cfc9a5aed9f9bb61ca',0,'','zxvW0JcX',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12012,2172,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1134211080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Rubin & Shapiro\'s MURDERBALL','Glad you liked it. I\'d be very surprised if doesn\'t make it to the final five at the Oscars.','2d334b354969113fc03890c560d88f46',0,'','mwUd8FhS',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12013,2173,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1134193320,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Pride and Prejudice (2005) - Joe Wright','Every year we\'re bound to see some familiar faces. Summers produce sequels, updates of TV shows, there are always a few biopics, and the inevitable remake. Remakes have the toughest mountain to climb, because they have to answer the tricky question of \"why do it again?\" Most often this results in bad choices and some films that no one likes, only causing nostalgia for a previous version. This particular 4th quarter we have two high profile remakes, both of which have been made more than once already. King Kong already cost a fortune, and if it can be pulled off, then Peter Jackson might wind up being Hollywood\'s most powerful filmmaker, if not then you may very well see him back to basics and perhaps writing about drug dealing, pornographic puppets. \r\n\r\nThe other, earlier remake is of Jane Austen\'s much filmed Pride and Prejudice. Most people would have figured that the 300 minute 1995 miniseries would have done it enough justice, but well who wants to sit through 5 hours? So we get another version, that this filmgoer for one was not excited about in the least. It got some good reviews, but that\'s to be expected, it has a great source material, and how hard is it to make the film at least partially enjoyable? \r\n\r\nBased on circumstances the film had to be seen, because it was the only convenient show remotely worth seeing. As it began I heard the familiar light opening music of so many faceless films, and of course the obligatory long tracking shot. That\'s how this film will be remembered in history, linking it with other 2005 films like Serenity, History of Violence, and the World, among probably many others. Interesting company this film keeps, but just as those films are all among the best pictures of the year, so is Pride and Prejudice. Within minutes I stop worrying about why another remake was made and gave into it.\r\n\r\nThe cast is delightfully inspired. Mrs. Bennet (Brenda Blethyn) is horribly irritating, but so was the mother in the 1940 version, and Blethyn wasn\'t quite as bad. The character is irritating though. The casting on one count wasn\'t particularly wise. Kiera Knightley, arguably the most beautiful woman in the world is supposed to be the 2nd prettiest sister? Hard to believe, and although Rosamund Pyke is very easy to look at, well Miss Knightley has got her beat.\r\n\r\nThe rest of the sisters work well, Mary Bennet doesn\'t get a lot of screen time, and the actress cast for her, is a lot less attractive than Marsha Hunt who played her in 1940. Mary was always my favorite of the sisters, the one most in tune with art, and least interested in dancing and making an ass of herself, shame they couldn\'t have given her a little more light in this adaptation.\r\n\r\nAside from that and Judi Dench\'s ridiculously \"Bride of Frankenstein\" hair, I can\'t say there was a fault in the film. It flowed with a remarkably light pace, and I could honestly believe the chemistry of Knightley and Mathew MacFayden. They easily come across as two people who don\'t want to admit to being in love with each other. There is a smoldering tension in their later scenes together, particularly during Mr. Darcy\'s first proposal. The whole film you just see that anticipation for them to kiss, that would make sex just seem insignificant. The film really remarkably has the feel of a classic MGM style costumed production. Something that Sense and Sensibility tried and failed to do in 1995. \r\n\r\nAbove all else the film is funny. I was amazed at how many times I was able to laugh at it. The cast worked like siblings, particularly Jena Malone (Lydia) and Carey Mulligan (Kitty), those two seemed like a perfect two halves of the same whole. Likewise there was similar bonding felt between Knightley and Pyke, poor Mary again seems the outsider, hence the reason I personally prefer her.\r\n\r\nDonald Sutherland is dignified when he could have easily been baffoonish here. Had he been, the film would have taken on a too silly tone, and Blethyn was silly enough for everyone. He somehow brings a dignity and degree of respectability to the picture, even if he\'s way too damn old to be the father of these young women. \r\n\r\nThe other thing I\'d like to point out/praise is the script. It is written in the dialogue used in the original novel, but it is insanely easy to follow. Even the quick random comebacks spouted by Elizabeth are easily picked up despite being much too clever for normal people to expect. I only saw the film with 3 other people in the whole theater, but we all seemed to get it. Somehow it was like watching a foreign film but being able to follow everything without subtitles, as if Shakespeare suddenly became Stephen King. This deserves a great deal of accomodation, and I honestly am pulling for this picture to get a best adapted screenplay award, or at the very least a nomination, because they made this classic story work in a modern context without modernizing it in any way. \r\n\r\nI can\'t seem to stop going on, but unlike numerous other films beginning with long tracking shots, Pride and Prejudice continues with them. Some of the shots are extremely well laid out and enacted, particularly the Bingley\'s ball, and what tremendously fantastic sets! \r\n\r\nGrade A','481237e256d15810dd43587f71bf69e0',0,'','J24exlpk',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12014,2174,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1133928000,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','U.S. x 2: Proof & Bee Season (2005)','Proof, one of the numerous delayed releases from the Weinsteins-owned Miramax, is a compact, gripping and highly-effective drama from Director John Madden (Shakespeare in Love [1998]). Based on a stage play by David Auburn (who co-wrote the films script with Rebecca Miller, director of films like Personal Velocity [2002] and The Ballad of Jack and Rose [2005]), Proof stars Gwyneth Paltrow as Catherine, an emotionally fragile woman whose mindset early on in the film is in just as much disarray as her domicile. The reason for her condition is that her father Robert (Anthony Hopkins), once a university professor and a mathematics mastermind, recently passed away after persistently suffering from a mental illness. Catherine, who had to drop out of school in order to take care of him, is unsure about her own mental health, even though she disagrees with her estranged older sister (Hope Davis, miscast as an insolent New Yorker), who now wants to take her for psychiatric help. But she gradually develops a relationship with Hal (Jake Gyllenhaal), Roberts committed former student attempting to uncover any traces of genius in his mentors old notebooks (which he eventually does). While almost claustrophobic in nature, Proof is comprised with a surprise or two to jolt the proceedings, that are usually maintained at a steady pace throughout. The script beautifully incorporates Catherines relationship with her father via flashbacks, discerning the toll it gradually took on the young woman. And Paltrows performance, arguably the best of her career, not only enables us to relate to her anguish, but it also overcomes a few awkwardly directed moments to guide the film to its logical, understated conclusion.','46474d5898d65afbaff5e95cf8879319',0,'','RWh83a7K',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12015,2174,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1133928060,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: U.S. x 2: Proof & Bee Season (2005)','A remarkably sensitive, consistently engrossing, and ultimately moving tale of a family facing an emotional and spiritual crisis, Bee Season is the third and best film so far from director-duo Scott McGehee and David Siegel (Suture [1993], The Deep End [2001]). Adapted from a 2001 Myla Goldberg novel of the same name, Bee Season exquisitely charts the individualistic struggles of a foursome who are gradually fading away from each other. \r\n\r\nRichard Gere plays Saul, a Jewish professor of religious studies, whos the subtly overbearing patriarch of the said family. His wife Miriam (Juliette Binoche) feels suffocated by his presence, and along with attempting to come in terms with her enigmatic past, she starts to wither away in mind and body. Their two children -- teenaged son Aaron (Max Minghella) and 11-year-old daughter Eliza (Flora Cross), our precocious guide -- become aware of the widening gulf between them. Aaron, who already resents his mother, starts to undermine his father as he begins to neglect him in order to tutor Eliza for the National Spelling Bee championships after discovering her uncanny ability. Perhaps to make up for his own failures, Saul institutes his fascination with Kabbalah, the ancient practice of Jewish mysticism, in the lessons to which Eliza ultimately responds to. \r\n\r\nOne could imagine how difficult it wouldve been to adapt a novel which devotes ample time to each of its fascinating characters, but working with screenwriter Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal, the filmmakers have molded and grasped its essence to the best of their abilities, while losing very little. Bee Season achieves visual and aural elegance due to DP Giles Nuttgens glassy compositions and Ben Barkers intricate sound design. But the most important contributions to this nuanced study are its performers: Gere is intensely physical; Binoche channels a bit of her best from Kieslowskis Blue (1993); Minghella is acutely sensitive; and Cross, whose bottomless blue eyes and a heightened worldview reminds one of Mara Alche, the other \"holy girl,\" is brilliant as she takes charge and brings the film to its emotionally earnest conclusion. A demanding, yet highly rewarding experience, Bee Season is one of the best American films of 2005.','9cd9f3227aac7cb1cc0437e77ea916d0',0,'','iurXR3xG',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12016,2174,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1134077280,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: U.S. x 2: Proof & Bee Season (2005)','Hey, you\'ve just made me put two more films on my to-see list \r\nHope this comes out in Germany. \r\nAnd I have Kieslowski\'s Blue on DVD lying beside me to re-view it (didn\'t get enough out of it the first time some years ago - stupid me ), but now that I\'ve come to appreciate it, my DVD player won\'t play it. \r\nI\'ll go and check my local Newspaper, maybe they\'re playing Bee Season somewhere here already. Need my fix of Juliette Binoche, right now!','a21ad75cb33916c4079a4620492b77c5',0,'','TqWd3RHr',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12017,2175,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1133447280,1,0,1,1,1,1,'kookook','Live Q & A with director Stephen Woolley','This Thursday 1 December at 6.45pm there will be a special screening of STONED THE MOVIE in London\'s Screen on the Green cinema, followed by a live Questions & Answer session with the director Stephen Woolley.\r\n\r\nThis is a once only opportunity, so book your tickets asap to get your chance to ask the man himself about the film.\r\n\r\nheres the link: London\'s Screen on the Green cinema\r\n\r\nCLICK THIS PIC AND GUESS WHO AM I...','6e6279e5b0c4ef333a9241242267f01b',0,'','Jo19XM7s',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12018,2175,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1133453220,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Live Q & A with director Stephen Woolley','If I went I\'d have to ask why the film has failed to draw the British public despite the level of advertising and hype.\r\n\r\nKookook, Stoned is not the only film in existence yet it\'s the only film you\'ve talked about. Since I assume that you must have seen it (and if not, why not?) perhaps you would care to share your opinion. Who knows you may convince me to go and see it.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','c49829907cd94c3a919b2bb3922af55c',0,'','Y95ug2AE',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12019,2175,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1133678460,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Live Q & A with director Stephen Woolley','Yes, I\'d also like to know something about it, OI mean something substantial on the film itself, not surrounding it\'s production, marketing, etc. How about a review?','6d932d529f7e79573f459d2f24d9f3a3',0,'','bA8rWmyE',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12020,2176,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1132320300,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)','\r\nDirector: Mike Newell\r\nCast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint\r\n\r\nThe official website is here\r\nharrypotter.warnerbros.co...index.html\r\n\r\nMy thoughts:\r\n-- I especially like the themes about love, friendship and even racial harmony ...\r\ne.g., there is old love, new love, those between lovers, those between parents and child, etc\r\ne.g., the friendship between Harry and Ron, the friendship between the competitors, etc\r\ne.g., compared to previous episodes, there seems to be a very conscientious effort to depict different ethnicity, and at the ending speech, there is a mention about harmony despite differences ... \r\n-- Also, it probes at issues of sportsmanship, idol worshipping, news reporting, the judicial system, etc ...\r\n-- Overall theme of transformations is also thought provoking too ...\r\n\r\nTechnically,\r\n-- I like the pacing and atmosphere ... \r\n-- In terms of cinematography, it is nice too ...\r\n-- I like the song in the ending credits (you have to be patient to wait for this ... it does not appear till much later ... ha ha ha) ... and the song by the \"sirens?\" ... \r\n-- As usual, there is some humor ...\r\n-- Teenagers and adults will likely like it ... but kids below 10 may get frightened ...\r\n\r\nWhat could be better, if at all ...\r\n-- Given the time, \r\n... some might complain it did not include every single event in the book ...\r\n... while others might complain it tried to include too much from the book ...\r\nsigh ... people are difficult to please ... hiaks hiaks ...\r\n-- It is a pity that the three champions scenes are not exploited enough ...\r\ne.g., no depiction of the other three fighting with the dragons\r\n-- Some people may find the acting occasionally exaggerated ...\r\n-- Nothing personal ... but some people may not find Cho Chang compelling enough (even in terms of the scripting) to understand why Harry Potter likes her ...\r\n\r\nConclusion:\r\nI actually find it excellent! \r\n\r\nHighly recommended for entertainment value and some nice but important messages ...','e9f7a677ee9cb9511182895d1aca96c2',0,'','jFXkYrUT',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12021,2176,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1133171280,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Unregistered(d)','Re: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)','When people watch The Land of College Prophets after they watch the new Harry Potter film they will be reminded of what is missing from Hollywood. The Land of College Prophets is an Underground comic book film that is absolutely uncompromised absolutely uncensored and twice the film that Harry Potter is. I think people should try to remember where film came from and support Independent and Underground film especially when it just so happens to be better and mean more than main stream hollywood films.','d18f6c62fc6d6d400ea55f76c1a74af5',0,'','vnmyoFKS',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12022,2176,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1133248860,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)','Was that spam I just read? Anyways about the film at hand, it was damn good, and for my money the best of the series, certainly the darkest.','a08117eb8d4767d1504a5bee5521f91d',0,'','1ag8pq24',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12023,2176,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1133272740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)','I thought this was a step backwards in terms of direction, it should have been the darkest in terms of feel but just didn\'t feel dark and fearful enough. \r\n\r\nAs for the acting, Daniel Radcliffe still doesn\'t do it for me although I\'ve never had a problem with the other central characters.\r\n\r\nThe real competition against Harry Potter this year is The Chronicles of Narnia and I\'m hoping it\'ll be outstanding in terms of acting and not just a CGI fest, this is a classic childrens book and in essence has a far larger target audience than Harry Potter.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','610b5b54cb7db2058797fcc734be018f',0,'','5aRgAHUv',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12024,2177,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1132608480,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','No Direction Home: A personal essay','NO DIRECTION HOME\r\n\r\nDirected by Martin Scorcese (2005)\r\n\r\nThe first time I heard the name Bob Dylan was at a party in Los Angeles in 1962. Someone put on a record of some guy with a twangy voice strapped to a harmonica. He was singing songs about death and dying and I wondered why a young folk singer would be singing songs about dying at age twenty. But it really moved. It didn\'t just sit there. It got up and moved and I remarked to people at the party that I never heard of this guy but it was really going and I didn\'t know where it was going to take me. He was singing \"I\'m a Man of Constant Sorrow\" and how could a boy of twenty be a man of constant sorrow, but I felt it deep in my being. Martin Scorcese\'s documentary No Direction Home brought it all back home and allowed me to relive those heady days when the world seemed ready to turn the page on the fifties fallout shelter mentality and embrace a new morning. \r\n\r\nNo Direction Home follows the career of Bob Dylan from his childhood in Hibbing, Minnesota to his motorcycle accident in 1966, highlighting the most creative years in his life and offering previously unseen footage of Dylan as a young man. It brings to life the promise of that period that belonged to us and Bobby and Joan Baez, and Pete Seeger and Dave van Ronk, and Woody and Cisco and Leadbelly too and it also brings back the sting of its failure. There is great music in the entire film and it is uplifting and wonderful but may be remembered only for its opening act, the act in which Dylan called us to greatness. He challenged us to wake up and look around and we did and for that brief period, our word was law in the universe. Through it all, he articulated our dreams and our sense of loss at the world that was rightly ours but had been temporarily taken away from us and in the jingle jangle morning we came following him. \r\n\r\nWhen we gathered to protest the war in Vietnam, we could hear him telling us about those that \"fasten the triggers for the others to fire\", those that \"set back and watch when the death count gets higher\". We marched to call attention to those that would hide in their mansions \"as young people\'s blood flows out of their bodies and is buried in the mud\". He asked, \"how many roads must a man walk down before you can call him a man?\" The answer may have been blowin\' in the wind but, until then, few had dared to tell it and think it and speak it and breathe it. We knew that the times they were a changin\' but we had not seen the direction they were headed in until the civil rights movement exploded and Martin Luther King told us about standing up tall and people dared to talk about peace at a time when our leaders seemed determined to blow us all to smithereens. \r\n\r\nDuring that time when young people began to open themselves up to the possibility of a more meaningful existence, he looked out and saw \"ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken, guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children\", and he knew that a hard rain was gonna fall and we knew it too but didn\'t want to believe it. He was the spokesman of a generation. He now says that he never wanted to be the spokesman of a generation, but he was and nothing else seemed to matter. Who cares if Shakespeare wanted to be the soul of the age? He was and that\'s all that counted. But a hard rain did begin to fall as Dylan had said and claimed John as the first victim, and then Martin, then Bobby and the country began to lose its soul. Dylan followed after that, perhaps a victim of too much, too soon, a young man without a strong sense of self who seized the opportunity to reinvent himself but lost who he was in the process. \r\n\r\nThough he gained new converts along the way, he crashed and burned until he finally became a man who would stop at nothing to convince us that it was all a mistake. At first it was the language of rock \'n roll, which at that time meant the language of commercial \"success\", the language of the top twenty hits, agents and producers and big record sales. And we noticed the hour when his ship came in. We understood but we couldn\'t relate. We smelled sellout. We felt a sense of loss, though we knew deep down that whatever he touched he would raise to a new level. He did but reached the heights without us. Like A Rolling Stone was a great song, perhaps the greatest rock song that\'s ever been written, but it wasn\'t our song. It didn\'t speak to us. Dylan had been a poet of people who cared, now he reflected a world grown cynical, people who wanted to go it alone, who looked to get in while the getting was good. \r\n\r\nHe broke new ground and was great at what he did, but if Ghandi had become the greatest university professor India had ever known, we would have looked on in admiration but it would not have been the same Ghandi that inspired us. For me Dylan will always be forever young and when he dies his Country period, his Las Vegas period, his born-again phase, and his other numerous phases will all be forgotten. He will be remembered as a man who challenged the status quo when it was not fashionable to do so, who tried to deny his own greatness but couldn\'t because we all knew better and when he is buried they will lower him down like a king.\r\n\r\nGRADE: A','ce2437b549ca44ac732e016e1088811d',0,'','RT3WESG1',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12025,2178,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123755600,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Marilyn Agrelo\'s MAD HOT BALLROOM','In the early-90s, a dance program from the American Ballroom Institute was introduced by NYC public school system in a few of its centers. Success came sooner than expected, and now up to 60 schools take part in hoping to win the ultimate Rainbow Team Matches Competition which features diminutive dancers performing the fox trot, the tango, merengue, rumba and swing. First-time filmmaker Marilyn Agrelo and her partner Amy Sewell, who serves as a producer while also being the one who wrote the original story for the local paper on which this work is based on, follow these fascinating kids from three different schools -- P. S. 150 of Tribeca in Lower Manhattan; P.S. 112 of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn; and P.S. 115 of North Manhattans Washington Heights -- as they prepare for the competition in their enthralling, energetic, and heart-warming documentary named Mad Hot Ballroom.\r\n\r\nThere are various social, class, and ethnic differences between the people who reside in those areas-- poverty rate runs about 97% in the largely Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood; working-class Bensonhurst is mostly Italian and Asian; while the hip and trendy populate the multi-cultural Tribeca. But Instead of deliberately focusing on those differences that exist among these kids, Agrelo brilliantly captures their mutual fascination and love for the art of dance. Its easy for us to decipher from the various conversations that those Dominican kids are much more aware of drugs and crime than their counterparts, so thankfully she doesnt parade them and their parents in front of us claiming how miserable life is. This is about documenting an hour or two these kids spend away from everything else doing something that they otherwise wouldnt have the opportunity to do. The dance program is exactly the same in every school and is available to 5th graders, who are mostly between the ages of 10 and 12.\r\n\r\nDocumentaries have become increasingly \"polished\" just in the last few years, and theyre now at a point where its becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between reality and fiction, and thats not what they are meant to be. Filmmakers now also believe that they can all cut like JLG, or Michael Moore for that matter. So its refreshing to see a work like Mad Hot Ballroom where theres some awkwardness, not just in the filmmaking process but also in the conversation taking place on screen. \"Awkward\" is also perhaps the right word to describe where the kids are age-wise. So its quite amusing to hear them talk about the other sex (they obviously have to hold hands and look into each others eyes for a few numbers which are a delight to watch) or how theyre coping as the competition grow near. Agrelo has also done well featuring the right amount of showmanship and professionalism that goes into preparation for the ultimate competition. But her best move is simply leaving the camera on these performers for the last 20 minutes or so at which point the competition and everything prior to it almost seem irrelevant -- and thats because all you can think while watching those kids is that theyre all Mad Hot Beautiful.','91971bd1f2ca832a23207971c0a166ef',0,'','FzLARtcX',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12026,2178,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123952880,1,0,1,1,1,1,'kookook','Re: Marilyn Agrelo\'s MAD HOT BALLROOM','Anything that can sneak the arts into the lives of children and even their parents is a good thing. There are so many incredible Latin artists that deserve to be listened to like Paquito D\'Rivera, Mario Bauza and Giovanni Hidalgo. Just to think of the many films that have caotured the beauty and intensity of the dancers you hardly ever stop to think of the dance.\r\n\r\nWhen a film can change the way you look at the world around you, the film has inspired you to change, and change is never easy but necessary... \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n_____________________\r\nSHOOT THE SHEEP.....(GAME)\r\nWANNA PLAY WITH ME... \r\nTRY ME... IF YOU CAN HIT ME...meeehhh\r\n\r\nHere\'s the link :Shoot the sheep','503afb60af0cb4b5385fb19ad5f79128',0,'','kp6FVT7D',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12027,2178,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1132238580,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Marilyn Agrelo\'s MAD HOT BALLROOM','I can\'t add anything to arsaib4\'s wonderful review except to say I smiled constantly through the majority of this film, absolutely brilliant. The kids were unbelievable, the way they changed during the film from their first faltering steps to their wholehearted performances in the final, I couldn\'t have felt more joy if they were my own kids giving their all.\r\n\r\nI came out of the cinema feeling better than I have for a long time (and wishing I could dance the Rumba, the Tango or the Merengue).\r\n\r\nThoroughly recommended, and for me a definite purchase once released on dvd, the perfect tonic and pick me up.\r\n\r\nDon\'t waste your time, go and see it now, you\'ll love it!\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.\r\n\r\nBBFC rated U\r\n\r\nSeen as part of the Cardiff Screen Festival, on general release in the UK from the 25th November.','08d735329e5d85be18787daf5b6104cc',0,'','sQHRGNP2',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12028,2179,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1132015680,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','13 Conversations About One Thing','13 CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONE THING\r\n\r\nDirected by Jill Sprecher (2001)\r\n\r\nOne thing life teaches us quickly is to expect the unexpected. For example, in Jill Sprecher\'s 13 Conversations About One Thing, Troy (Matthew McConaughey), a rather self-important lawyer tells a depressed insurance adjuster how happy he is during Happy Hour at a local bar then, while driving home, he hits a young woman crossing the street and his life is changed forever. Ms. Sprecher, a Philosophy graduate from the University of Wisconsin, explores the experiences of four New Yorkers and how their lives intersect. Although films about how people\'s lives are interconnected have become something of a clich, Sprecher\'s film has a freshness that catapults it far above the ordinary.\r\n\r\nOne of the New Yorkers who is forced to confront \"the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune\" is a Physics professor (John Turturro). The professor knows that what works is to \"wake up enthused, to experience life, to be happy\" but cannot translate that into his experience. He is involved in an extra-marital affair with a fellow teacher (Barbara Sukowa) and is unable to connect with the suffering of his wife (Amy Irving) or a student who is depressed about his grades. The film, however, really belongs to veteran actor Alan Arkin who is completely believable as Gene, an aging insurance executive distraught by the breakup of his marriage and the travails of his drug addicted son. \r\n\r\nAt work he is increasingly annoyed by an employee named Wade (William Wise) who walks around with a smile on his face and does not let the exigencies of life get to him. To see how he will react, Gene fires him but that doesn\'t stop Wade from looking at the bright side. Realizing how bitter he is becoming, Gene quietly finds Wade another job without letting him know that he has pulled some strings. In another sequence, Beatrice, a young housecleaner (Clea DuVall) believes that we are guided since she had been miraculously saved in a near drowning incident as a child. Her faith is shaken to the core, however, after she is hit by the car of the young attorney and is accused of stealing a watch by a client she had grown to admire. To the dismay of her close friends who relied on her optimism, Beatrice now believes that things in life happen for no reason and we are powerless in the face of a random universe.\r\n\r\n13 Conversations About One Thing ends up where it began, with a conversation between one who can only see the positive in life and the other, only the negative. During the course of the film, Ms. Sprecher examines life itself in all its ups and downs and its multifaceted contradictions. Although she does not preach or overtly put the experiences of her characters into context, it is clear that in her view there are no coincidences and that patterns emerge when we reflect from a distance on seemingly unconnected events. She depicts how the small things: the knowing smile of a stranger or the reaching out to others without asking anything in return can be among the most important ingredients in a happy life. Recently I said that the films I\'m attracted to are those that are honest, intelligent, sensitive, and thought provoking. 13 Conversations About One Thing is a perfect example and I am looking forward to seeing it again.\r\n\r\nGRADE: A','faceb22fd11d8dff66967476cca9de32',0,'','g3Q2TidG',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12029,2180,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1129223820,1,0,1,1,1,1,'kookook','STONED (UK)','\r\nSTONED\r\nDirector: STEPHEN WOOLLEY \r\n\r\nINTRODUCTION \r\n\r\nBrian Jones was the first martyr of rock and roll. Before Jimi. Before Janis. Before Jim. His life was the first of many rock and roll mini sagas that would replay themselves over and over throughout the latter part of the sixties and well into the seventies; all different, yet all frighteningly and eerily similar in their downfalls.\r\nBrian Jones entered the 60s young, ambitious, energetic and hungry about the future of his new band built around his newest obsession, the blues. He went about it with fervor, leading the band and in the beginning being responsible for much of the Rolling Stones\' musical experimentation with different sounds and instruments. In the beginning, it was Brian who used his charm to push the band\'s name around London when many were unsure of what The Rolling Stones and R&B were all about. The Brian Jones that exited the late 60s however, was a frail, unhealthy and ultimately sad shell of what he used to be.\r\nBrian Jones\' legend has, as with all young R&R martyrs, grown and his excesses have been chronicled extensively over the years. In the end, the question remains not so much if he was murdered but what other incredible contributions could or would he have made to music had his life not ended so tragically.\r\n\r\nSYNOPSIS \r\n\r\nArtist, popstar, fashion icon, womanizer and counter culture groundbreaker- Brian Jones was all these things and more. During the seven short years of his glittering rise to stardom and fateful plummet between 1962-1969 he became a music legend- creating the greatest rock and roll band ever, which he later treated with ill-disguised disdain.\r\n\r\nHaving reinvented the Blues, he turned his back on the world of pop and found more pleasure in scoring movies and recording ethnic music in Morocco.\r\n\r\nDescribed as one of the most decadent men of the twentieth century Brian rebelled against everything and when he wasnt hating the world, he adored it- an aesthete who loved to tease, his consumption of drugs and alcohol were legendarily copious and his temper vicious. His paranoia was becalmed by L.S.D, which led to paranoia. He became the boy who cried wolf.\r\n\r\nBrians life was a mirror for the swinging sixties- the world was at his feet but he became, like his good friends Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, lost in his own mesmeric stupor. Affecting the attitude of a Greek god, he inspired in equal measure, adoration and apathy, trust and disgust, which led to misplaced emotions, confusion and often betrayal.\r\n\r\nThis is not the story of the Rolling Stones after Brian died in 1969 the Stones created their own legend- Mick became more flamboyant, Keith indulged his proclivity for drugs, Bill was a heartbreaker and also left the band eventually and Charlie was the Jazzman and musicologist. But Brian was all of these things in 1963. This is a murder mystery about the death of one of the most talented musicians of the 60s who couldnt or wouldnt write pop songs. He died at the hand of someone he barely knew on a friendless summer night having cried wolf for the last time.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nOfficial Site: STONED','f4fa2a4d7a8ea95f6a6c9d4557b83415',0,'','xtmgfWEk',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12030,2180,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1129258020,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: STONED (UK)','Thanks for your great introduction to the theme. Seems like a legendary person, though I haven\'t heard of him, yet (well, I was born in 1984). I\'ll definitely try and catch the film.\r\nIs this Woolley\'s first directing attempt? I hope he can come up with something as good as some of the films he has produced.','55c4eec5986b525e129daeede66de3fd',0,'','UN41ofsa',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12031,2180,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1130384640,1,0,1,1,1,1,'gratefultiger','Re: STONED (UK)','I will Definitely check this out,i saw the stones with Brian jones in Oz in the middle sixties he was a great musician,brilliant slide guitar form a white guy in rock,an innovator can\'t wait to see it.thanks from an old stones fan.\r\nthis was my youth!','3ab627e85444285a8f2e74bba5b9cea4',0,'','LH7uMTNr',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12032,2180,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1131350100,1,0,1,1,1,1,'kookook','Re: STONED (UK)','thanks guys anyway ive gut this exciting music forum all about the rolling stones stuff maybe u would like to check it out and post there...heres the link\r\n\r\nFORUM\r\n\r\nCLICK THIS PIC AND GUESS WHO AM I...','1c2e21aa29038076c044286340d8d2a4',0,'','nV9g3sto',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12033,2181,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1129328100,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabit (2005)','Well claymation films aren\'t too common, which makes the few features delivered special events. In fact I don\'t think a full length claymation film has been made since Nick Park\'s last, Chicken Run over six years ago. Well Park, and claymation are back, and so are it\'s two best known characters Wallace and Gromit. Seeing them in mainstream American theaters, I was doubtful how it would play out. I was delighted to find that faith was kept, and not a single thing about the film was \"Americanized\".\r\n\r\nThe film got the October release because of it\'s somewhat comical horror plot, the curse of the were-rabit is basically a giant bunny let loose on the town\'s vegetable supply. Seeing how they\'re soon having their annual Giant Vegetable Tournament, this is quite the catastrophe. Lady Tottington (Helena Bonham Carter) is the animal loving host, whose character is just as ugly as one might expect seeing the previous pictures, and therefore certainly Wallace\'s type. The other \"star\" of the film is Ralph Fiennes who plays Victor the rabit hunting Lord attempting to marry Tottington.\r\n\r\nThe dynamic duo are still inventing, Gromit is still the brains of the outfit, and they\'re earning a living by protecting the town from pests eating vegetables. They do it humanely, so not surprising Totty (as she tells Wallace to call her) takes quite a shine to them. That\'s as much plot as necessary, but along the way you get some parodies of Frankenstein, King Kong, The Wolf Man, and possibly even a Ben-Hur.\r\n\r\nThe picture is more entertaining than one might expect. It isn\'t necessarily a laugh fest, as none of the W and G movies are. It is however entertaining, and there are certainly moments, and if you leave the theater wanting cheese, then you know it got to you.\r\n\r\nGrade B +','d1a26186ae099e6188ac33492dd56cc4',0,'','UQfRed9t',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12034,2181,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1130012520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Sara','Re: Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabit (2005)','I rented \"Wallace and Gromit: Three Amazing Adventures\" from Netflix. Loved it!\r\n\r\nSara','7ab444638e13d1b2048296e9d4c46476',0,'','8jDbT9v7',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12035,2181,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1130017980,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabit (2005)','Sara, is that the first time you\'ve seen them and which was your favourite?\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','c6d092448dddc2eeaa8b4b8839d7955e',0,'','0Q71WN6i',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12036,2181,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1130019780,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Sara','Re: Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabit (2005)','Yes. My first time. I loved all three of the short films. Don\'t make me pick - please. Also on the DVD there is a wonderful collection of all their \"inventions.\"\r\n\r\nThey are wonderfully British. Do you see them on TV over there? I\'ve never seen them before.\r\n\r\nSara','14b5a3bf4da87b25930c4ebbc49c5297',0,'','q5k84wDe',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12037,2181,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1130036880,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabit (2005)','They\'ve all been shown on TV here plus they have done some short clips that sometimes get used in between programmes.\r\n\r\nThey are very humorous although the comedy is generally very dry and \"Northern\". One of the best things they did was to use actor Peter Sallis to voice Wallace, I couldn\'t imagine anyone else doing it.\r\n\r\nAs for Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, I\'m waiting till the kids have gone back after their weeks school holiday before I go to see it.\r\n\r\nCan\'t wait.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','d9183facf3fec8238598d2481cf8d810',0,'','pGzmHMy9',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12038,2181,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1130911980,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabit (2005)','I enjoyed the movie but found it was a little too long and unlike the others a little slack, definitely worth seeing for fans of the pair but not quite the magic I was hoping for.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','e11a932b612718df4414b45029519758',0,'','TLliXDxz',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12039,2181,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1131088800,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabit (2005)','Watching the Wallace and Gromit shorts was a big part of my growing up with films and falling in love with animation (particularly clay-mation) when I was still young. I\'ve seen every film at least six times, as they were regularly shown on TV. Don\'t know how it is nowadays, as I have stopped watching TV years ago (don\'t even have \"TV-connection\" at home anymore), but I guess it hasn\'t changed much: German Television is still regularly running the 100th repetitive showing of all Mr. Bean episodes (maybe more on these cherished memories from my youth in the future - I haven\'t seen ANYTHING as often as those ), so I guess Wallace and Gromit should be still running somewhere from time to time. \r\nThe last time I saw one of the shorts is already several years ago, and somehow I still haven\'t come around to watching the original versions on DVD, so my surprise with the film will be indeed very great, cause I\'ve grown up with the guys speeaking German , thanks to Germany\'s fabulous (ironically speaking) policy of having EVERYTHING dubbed ( - one of the reasons I don\'t watch TV anymore). Naturally I intend to watch the film in English, so I\'m anxious. But though the film has been already running for some weeks here in Berlin, I haven\'t yet come around to watch it. As they are so precious to me, I want to see them with an important person from my life (same goes for the newest Jarmusch), but they are all living in other places than me. @#%$!! \r\nWell, I still haven\'t figured out, what I\'ll do, maybe watch them alone, maybe wait for the DVD, though the best solution would be visit a friend (but I\'m broke and travelling is very expensive...) so I don\'t know what exactly to do, yet.\r\nBut I promise to write a review, when I\'ve seen it - whenever it will be','6de8b9b8f4dc81f8d8738ac8403aae04',0,'','eoWaw3YP',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12040,2181,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1131169020,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabit (2005)','I\'ve learned that movies alone aren\'t really a bad thing. They\'re cheaper, you have more time to reflect, you can sit wherever you want, and you can go any damn time you feel like it.','eeafb76336fd2f08037d15e4f6170d4f',0,'','qwV7zcyd',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12041,2181,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1131260400,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabit (2005)','I agree with you, 90% of the films I watch in cinema I watch alone. And I am almost every second day in a theater.\r\nBut SOME films just beg to be watched with close friends.','5321cc79f7c963735d97d33bbf32e894',0,'','qUf3wG6s',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12042,2182,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1130101680,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Stay (2005) - Marc Forster','Well this film has baffled me, and I think it will baffle most. It is a remarkable departure for director Forster, and arguably the most visually stunning film of the year. There is a new cinematic language being expressed in the film, and not as a gimmick. Sure there is conscious art being attempted, but it is in the transitions, in the editing, in the pacing that this film attempts something that hasn\'t been done. It is surrealism but not the easily digestable (oh it\'s just dream logic). The film breathes life into Decartes\' whole theory of existence. \r\n\r\nTwo times in the film characters admit to not knowing what\'s real anymore. Henry tells Sam he doesn\'t know what\'s real anymore. Late in the film Sam, who\'s sanity seems rapidly deteriorating asks Henry what\'s real. He replies \"You\'re real\". This line is key to understanding the film I believe. It is the whole idea of \"I think therefore I am\" that carries the reality of Henry. A question I sometimes asked myself of whether or not we\'re all the result of someone else\'s dream. This theme becomes a major theme of the picture.\r\n\r\nYet there is more to the picture. There is still the issue of mental health, and not just that, the particular health of the main characters. There are questions that won\'t be answered, and possibly not explained even on a repeat viewing, but that\'s alright. How often do things make sense in a dream? They do while you\'re dreaming, but when you wake up, that\'s another story. I know that the whole \"it\'s a dream\" interpretation can be a cheat for explaining any of the logic, but it is a valid explanation. Then we need to ask ourselves, what in the dream does this mean.\r\n\r\nThere are glimpses of reality I believe. It is similar to waking up but not quite, just simply a flash. We see Henry in his car with Athena, who in the film is nothing more than a waitress who served him coffee and pie. The same glimpses show Henry\'s dead parents. The fact that Henry knows what is going to happen before it happens is the dreamlike deja vu of \"I\'ve been here before\". It\'s going to happen, because he wants it to happen, he\'s seen it happen. Henry is controlling this world, it is his dream, not Sam\'s despite Sam being the focal point of the film.\r\n\r\nI honestly hope more people see this film, and can throw their two cents in. I do not believe this is a clear cut easily explained picture. Ryan Gossling is all over the place as Henry, sometimes mumbling incoherently and occasionally offereing powerful glimpses of his mindset. Ewan McGregor is good, competent might be the word, he is the focus, but he doesn\'t necessarily carry the film. Naomi Watts is always great, but her screen time is unfortunately relatively short here. I\'ve seen more than one review list Bob Hoskins who plays Henry\'s father and a different blind psychiatrist as the best actor in the picture. There is some truth in this, for Hoskins makes his few scenes extremely memorable. I\'ll hold off on giving an official rating, because I believe his needs more reflection.','f53f9813a0a6ef55626a36ee00cbef16',0,'','21CkwZWP',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12043,2182,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1131086160,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Stay (2005) - Marc Forster','Thanks for another fine review. I\'ll certainly watch the film, because since I\'ve seen Forster\'s \"Monster\'s Ball\" in cinemas, I promised myself to watch every film he\'ll make, and \"Finding Neverland\" wasn\'t a disappointment. Am interested in the differences of his new film to his older works, as his former two films seemed already very different to me. The editing, sound design, camera, set-design (etc.) though always seemed very efficient, smooth, and to the point. \r\nIs this anything like Lynch, or more Memento-style. Would be glad if you could tell me more exactly what you mean with the dream-like qualities.','5ba4b828f5cabd097730f535fb1cd6a6',0,'','YMTfmc0t',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12044,2182,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1131168900,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Stay (2005) - Marc Forster','A little more like Lynch than Memento, if that helps. Just one of those films were reality comes into question. I must say I like it after it\'s settled on me a bit. I think many critics are just giving up on it, it can be overwhelming, but being a fan of different films, I have to say it\'s certainly worth watching.','42fb0d13a9f1e74187aeef60f6f67f69',0,'','bSiAjvzk',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12045,2183,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1130011440,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Capote (2005)','Capote (2005)\r\n\r\nWell it\'s fall, that means Oscar season. Which also seems to mean, let\'s make a biopic designed to garner at least an Oscar nomination or two for acting. This week\'s biopic is about Truman Capote, and this film\'s actor crying for an Oscar nomination is Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who\'s certainly been one of the best character actors of the last decade.\r\n\r\nNow the first thing you might think, at least I did, was that under no circumstance would Hoffman look like Capote. Truman was a bit of faint looking little mosquito of a man, whearas Hoffman is not exactly little. So we move on to the next trait of Oscar worthy immitations, and that\'s the speech. Truman Capote had a very distinct style of speaking, and Hoffman pulls it off. He succeeds admirably, that you get a sense that his wit is that of Truman\'s. That an anecdote at a party could be just as easily Truman as Hoffman. Part of this is due to the fact that Hoffman improvised much of his cocktail party chatter. It allows him the room to get into Capote.\r\n\r\nThe glaring physical differences are at once a burden and a benefit. On the one hand we have the somewhat nagging reminder of \"that\'s not Truman\". On the other hand we can look at this character not as the source of a biography, but as a regular movie character. No one really remembers what Harper Lee (Catherine Keener) looked like in real life or how she spoke, so no one seems to notice whether or not Keener pulls her role off, and honestly I don\'t think anyone will really comment on her performance. She compliments Hoffman, and makes a very clear supporting turn, but her acting is nothing to draw attention to her.\r\n\r\nThe next batch of plus and minuses comes in the structure of the film and the entire genre of the biopic. Capote steers clear of much of the cliches associated with the story of a man\'s life (as Ray embraced these cliches). There are no childhood flashbacks to Truman the abused, or bewildered child, there is no \"now I\'m a genius\" moments. Instead it is a portrait of a writer in a critical time in his life. He\'s using people, but they\'re using him. He recognizes in the killers his own need to make an impression, and they see in him a chance to seem human.\r\n\r\nAs one might obviously point out, the film of In Cold Blood (1967) is a wonderful companion to this picture, as would the book. This film\'s time period is the same as that in the film, beginning with the day after the killings, and covering until the final execution of Perry Smith. I was wondering if this would be a whole biography, a story of his life, but it isn\'t. Recognizing some of the patters of biopics we have certain expectations. When they\'re not met, we sometimes react with hostility, then with a little reflection can look at the moments and appreciate how they\'re different.\r\n\r\nCapote might garner some attention come Oscar season, and Hoffman might find himself getting that long sought after and deserved Oscar nomination, but I might object. I still find the film deliberate. Perhaps it \"tries to hard\". It isn\'t all encompassing, but it tries so hard to show Truman that we\'re left with nothing to guess about him. We see him as compassionate and manipulative, sober and drunk. I\'m not going to recommend the film as a must see of the season. It is an admirable job of a picture, but I think the best performance in the film came from Clifton Collins Jr., the man who played Perry. He shines, particularly because Perry isn\'t as recognizable, and partially because Collins is still unknown. We believe him as Perry. We see his vulnerability as well as his manipulation. He is a mirror of Truman, but in that strange sort of alternate dimension sort of way.\r\n\r\nGrade B','80e7c5f5d20eb76eb3554aa3e875ca5b',0,'','AXTdBaj3',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12046,2183,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1131085740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Capote (2005)','Wow, really nice review wpqx! \r\nVery well structured around one aspect, compressed and informative and to the point. Was a joy to read. \r\n\r\nI think the same: Hoffmann is one of the best american actors, and Oscars could have already be raining on him. Don\'t know if he\'s exactly keen on getting it, because imo for an actor of his caliber this would mean nothing, as he can virtually play anything deserving of an Oscar. And he\'s still young, so many big parts will probably come easily.\r\nAs I`m not and never was interested in Biopics (especially from Hollywood) I probably won\'t watch it. The time I\'ve watched a film because of the actor(s)/actress(es) is luckily long luckily long past (though there are some exceptions of course - hey, everyone has weaknesses )','2ccc2d8778d0067f02ed49f7a5681008',0,'','v8i5npNa',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12047,2184,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123266900,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Dark Water (2005)','Dark Water (2005)\r\n\r\nDirected by Walter Salles\r\n\r\nStarring Jennifer Connelly, Pete Postlethwaite\r\n\r\nI am working on a comparative review of both versions but these were my feelings after seeing the remake.\r\n\r\nHaving seen the original I was a little apprehensive to see this, I avoided seeing the Ring remakes and The Grudge but after noting the director and stars I thought well why the heck not?\r\n\r\nJennifer Connelly plays the mother of a young girl and has just been divorced, the first scene sets the course for the rest of the film as she and her ex meet to try and clear any problems as far as custody is concerned, how do we know they\'re freshly divorced? Simple they don\'t talk, they shout and scream at each other, subtle is one thing this film ain\'t.\r\n\r\nBecause of economic constraints she has had to move into a cheap apartment on Roosevelt Island, an ugly decaying apartment with some serious leaks, you know the area is cheap and rundown not just because of the ugliness of the buildings but because the camera pointedly directs you to a fat woman staring blankly out of her window (obviously nothing better to do) and a disabled person staring back from their wheelchair (everyone knows disabled people live in poverty or at least that appears to be the implied message). I must mention that the mother also has deep psychological scars dating way back from her childhood, this is important as a lot of the plot revolves around this. \r\n\r\nHow much do you like your films sign posted? Personally I hate it because I feel like I\'m being treated as an idiot, this film does it over and over again, none of the subtlety of the original, in fact no subtlety at all, as they reach the apartment block for the first time, you are drawn, NO! your attention is dragged to the big water tower at the top, how strange I wonder could that have anything to do with the story?\r\n\r\nThere are strange whispers and noises from the flat above and after a little while water starts seeping into the bedroom, from then on things get stranger. The daughter, Cecilia starts talking to an imaginary friend and the ex husband who is constantly looking for excuses to get custody of the girl seems to be involved in a plot with some of the local kids to undermine what\'s left of his ex wifes sanity. \r\n\r\nI wont go further into the plot because that would amount to adding spoilers except to say that despite the fine cast and good director, this is a very pale watered down (sic) version of the original, none of the tension or intrigue, no mystery in fact youre spoon-fed the story, yep its gift wrapped and bow tied Hollywood style and that ruins the whole film.\r\n\r\nDont waste your time on this one rent the original instead, youll get a lot more satisfaction from it.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.\r\n\r\nBBFC rated 15 though I couldn\'t fathom out why it wasnt a 12. \r\n\r\nPS Sorry if these comments are a bit muddled but the more I thought about the film the more annoyed I became at the total waste of cast and crew.','594a3bddba56973c8f69c2c421f95bf8',0,'','FqWjGCRM',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12048,2184,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123951980,1,0,1,1,1,1,'kookook','Re: Dark Water (2005)','Has anyone seen the original?\r\n\r\nOMG! I can\'t believe that they\'re going to do a remake! I love the original! I was shocked enough that they made a remake of Ring. It might be interesting, though, and good luck to them :-) I look forward to seeing the result(although, I hope it\'s better than the Ring remake, which was terrible)!\r\nHas anyone seen the original? I think it rocks! If a slow mover, it still gets to the point eventually, and boy(!) is that point fantastic! \r\n\r\n_____________________\r\nSHOOT THE SHEEP.....(GAME)\r\nWANNA PLAY WITH ME... \r\nTRY ME... IF YOU CAN HIT ME...meeehhh\r\n\r\nHere\'s the link :Shoot the sheep','a373621c1d3aea75fd71ae321ad1eb5b',0,'','tbSzmQWC',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12049,2184,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1129223520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'kookook','Re: Dark Water (2005)','I have seen the original Japanese movie and it is an agonizing bore, just like The Ring, The Ring 2, The Grudge, The Grudge 2, Face, The Eye, The Eye 2, One Missed Call etc etc etc. They are all the same, nothing happens till the end, and the end doesn`t make any sense, at all.\r\n\r\nThe first Ring was ok because it was the first one, it was dead boring but also relatively new and original. Dark Water is a copy of Ring in every way possible, nothing happens till the end, the end doesn`t make any sense, and it is not remotely scary because we have already seen it before.\r\n\r\nCLICK THIS PIC AND GUESS WHO AM I...','1b3419cce11337e4922f219c3ed53bd5',0,'','yMZB6Doz',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12050,2184,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1129224000,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Dark Water (2005)','Well it\'s usual to get diverse opinions on a film but such opposing opinions from the same hand, really weird!\r\n\r\nMPD?\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','7f619db183135bbc6102bf44d163f20d',0,'','8dMRaLW3',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12051,2184,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1129258200,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Dark Water (2005)','I hope someone has stolen his log in data','03b7659f025da3739bc685d6aede9c65',0,'','GYPNhL10',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12052,2184,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1129280820,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Dark Water (2005)','I like his username.','eff5efbe5fd6e0b83e4c79d375ec180e',0,'','lqsRYUwn',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12053,2185,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1124674740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)','\r\nDirector: Judd Apatow\r\nCast: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener\r\n\r\nWell, I guess I was one of the contributors who help make it to the top box office for this weekend. So, why did I watch it? Because the \"meta\" ratings from BOTH IMDB and rottentomatoes are very good, despite the large number of voters ...\r\n\r\nWhat is commendable ...\r\n-- Expectedly, the film has some good moralistic lesson ...\r\n-- The jokes are NOT too vile, but rather tastefully done ...\r\n-- The supporting cast are good ... and the film seems \"real\" ...\r\n\r\nWhat is problematic ...\r\n-- Frankly, I do not think it is that funny or comical ... I think the rest of the audience do not find it that funny or comical too \r\n(i.e., judging by the occasional, rather than continual, laughter; judging by the \"type\" of laughter as opposed to really hilarious roar ...)\r\n\r\nConclusion:\r\nWell, I guess I set my expectations too high ... \r\nit is just a watchable film (esp. during this weekend) ... \r\nI will not give it as high a rating as some critics do ...','246cf173a405c542aae4a6ea1ce9049f',0,'','pDKjYEh2',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12054,2185,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1127029620,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)','Made some other comments on filmwurld, I\'m not planning on copying and pasting.\r\n\r\nSurprised no one else has commented on the film, but I guess with this crowd you may be apprehensive about the film, as I certainly was. I figured a story about a 40 year old virgin would be depressing, and probably make me feel bad, and it did. The writers seemed to know this, hence the reason for an overabundance of happiness towards the end, and I\'m still not sure what the musical number was about. I also didn\'t like the way that women seemed to be throwing themselves (and throwing up) on Andy, didn\'t seem characteristic or remotely believable. In the world of this film sex is as easy to find as a pair of sox, but it\'s just a string of mishaps that has prevented Andy from getting anywhere for the last 40 years. My basic complaint is that it made things seem too simple.\r\n\r\nThere were plenty of laughs in there, so don\'t think the film doesn\'t have it\'s merits. I wouldn\'t picture a 40 year old virgin to exercise at all, and the whole bicycle touch seemed a little too much, although it did generate some comedy throughout. Damn fine supporting cast however, and the trio of friends were always entertaining.','8763ebfc5ce60f84de8da079547cff0a',0,'','NV6spLAU',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12055,2185,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1127039100,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)','I was due to see it with my sons but due to a last minute hitch I couldn\'t go. They went expecting to see this years Anchorman, rude, crude and infantile but they were all disappointed. It was nowhere near as funny as they expected, rude and crude yes, humorous no, apparently it was another case of the trailer being far better than the film.\r\n\r\nI must be honest, I\'m glad I missed it and more than happy that my wife did as well!\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','4710e12382064f357bb797108777c9ec',0,'','4aF72NAT',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12056,2185,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1129222980,1,0,1,1,1,1,'kookook','Re: The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)','I walked out of this movie after the 11th sordidly weak, disgusting thing happened within the first 15 minutes.\r\n\r\nThis movie...was a complete and absolute waste of time and $.\r\n\r\nI went with my fiance, who respects women in general, his own sexuality and mine, and he laughed only at the part when Carell gets his hair waxed.\r\n\r\nThis movie..was created for the adolescent with a dillhole, feebleminded, underdeveloped, witless, obtuse \"sense of humor\". The \'champion brilliance\' of Carell only added to the worthless waste and poo-poo stinking up hollywood and the rest of the world. Thanks a lot, for nothing!\r\n\r\nYeah, i really hated this movie! and for good reason.\r\n\r\nI can\'t believe I even sat through this movie for as long as I did without throwing a big nasty rotten tomato at the screen. But alas that would have proven futile in my attempts to express any honest disapproval.\r\n\r\nI went to this movie because I thought it would be witty and clever, considering how the title is something different, a concept nobody has really worked with before.\r\n\r\nBut it was just stupid. They ruined it with the downward spiral of excess perversion.\r\n\r\nFor the most part, I heard all the guys laughing, looked around and saw a few disgusted expressions on the girls.\r\n\r\nAny girl who can laugh through this movie and believe she still has any self-esteem or self-respect is kidding herself. And if your boyfriend/husband really liked this movie, I would sincerely ask why...\r\n\r\nBecause if a big box of porn, f***ing a donkey, excessive and profane adjectives about something as sacred and passionate as sex is hilariously \'funny\' to him, it means that he has no problem with it. So then, what precious thing does he take seriously and strive to protect and commit to?\r\nWhy have limits? Why not make a \"funny\" movie about pedophiles next, Steve?\r\n\r\nBig disappointment.\r\n\r\nCLICK THIS PIC AND GUESS WHO AM I...','06576f07eb3b6537f0801da25a84bf16',0,'','V4ALirZC',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12057,2185,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1129256400,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)','I don`t want to protect the film, and respect your opinion, but I think you shouldn`t mention a whole film, when you`ve only seen 15 minutes of it...\r\nNo offense.','5122471c6d11de4991420250eb154ad7',0,'','ESq4lKbJ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12058,2186,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1129222080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'kookook','Stephen Woolley - Stoned The Movie','British producer Stephen Woolley helped found the U.K.\'s distinguished but relatively short-lived distribution company Palace Pictures in 1981 (it went bankrupt in 1992). The company was behind such highly acclaimed films as Blood Simple (1984). Woolley began producing movies in the mid-\'80s with Nik Powell and Chris Brown , making such films as Mona Lisa (1986). Following the demise of Palace Pictures, Woolley founded Scala Productions with funding from Polygram. Before getting involved with films, Woolley had been a journalist. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide\r\n\r\nStephen Wolley Filmography\r\nSTONED - The movie\r\n\r\nCLICK THIS PIC AND GUESS WHO AM I...','e981197a84f80baa3c6be55fab8f384f',0,'','nF0qtjE8',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12059,2187,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1124675340,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Red-Eye (2005)','\r\nDirector: Wes Craven\r\nCast: Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy, Brian Cox\r\n\r\nAgain, I was one of the contributors to help make it to the second in box office this weekend ... Why? because \"meta\" ratings from IMDB and rottentomatoes seem very good, despite the large number of voters ...\r\n\r\nWhat is commendable ...\r\n-- It is basically a one woman and one man show ... \r\nso, if you like them, great; if you do not, too bad ...\r\n-- The scenes on the plane are rather compelling ...\r\n-- Overall, the pacing is very good ...\r\n\r\nWhat is problematic ...\r\n-- In my humble opinion, the last 30 minutes or so (i.e., starting from getting off the plane, in the airport to the final apartment scene) is really \"thriller for thriller\" sake ... these scenes are kind of contrived because (without revealing spoilers) there could be other better alternatives/solution/plan of action ...\r\n-- I also have a \"minor\" qualm about the beginning scenes (i.e., before they board the plane) ... not only are they slightly too long ... they are there basically to \"convince\" you how incredibly \"nice\" the female protagonist is ... ok ok ok ... we know ... I get it ... ha ha ha\r\n-- Also, on the plane initially, I feel that the two of them are kind of speaking too normally/loudly such that people around them could have easily overheard them and guess what is happening ...\r\n\r\nConclusion:\r\nCan watch ... the pacing is good ... but I won\'t give it as high a rating as some critics do ... \r\n\r\n\r\nPS: Oh yeah, if you know Colby from SURVIVOR (the TV reality show), he does have a minor role ... did you guess it? he acts as a bodyguard ...','a715c7c106c8fdba0e33230d7bcdece1',0,'','8A43Wnj9',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12060,2187,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1128754800,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Novotny','Re: Red-Eye (2005)','I completely agree with the review. Still, I liked Rachel MacAdams. She\'s so beautiful. Watching her helped me to stand the movie...','42dc0720ae729600609bf4593ec9dd71',0,'','FEo49eCm',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12061,2187,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1129223280,1,0,1,1,1,1,'kookook','Re: Red-Eye (2005)','Im going 2 c this film 2day iv heard its realy good can\'t w8 to c it. I\'ll reply wen iv seen it\r\n\r\nCLICK THIS PIC AND GUESS WHO AM I...','a9f27ada5f40a23dcb778aab2eaa7f07',0,'','fmhU5zwK',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12062,2188,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1128501960,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Serenity (2005)','Serenity (2005)\r\n\r\nWell I\'ve heard nothing about this film on this site, and very little in the ways of advertising, but that\'s a damn shame. Serenity is a Hollywood film without Hollywood. There\'s action, special effects, but no movie stars. There\'s also god forbid a bit of craft in there as well, and this comes from the mind of Joss Whedon.\r\n\r\nLet\'s get the fundamentals taken care of first. Serenity is the continuation of Whedon\'s cancelled show Firefly (which ran for a whopping 14 episodes, 5 of which never aired). The lost world of DVD has saved the show, and it is in this incarnation that I was able to see it. My basic description of the show is think of the wild west with spaceships and a mix of politics. In fact the war of the Independents vs. the Alliance is very much the continuation of Western themes of the Civil War, and like most Western heroes, these heroes fought for the confederacy. Granted the motives behind the Independants are far from those of the Confederacy, nevertheless they fought a losing fight, that many of which will never forget.\r\n\r\nThe two weary war veterans are Mal and Zoe, the old buddies, who know each other like only veterans can. Zoe is the warrior princess, and Mal is the self destructive stubborn man who has an innate ability to do the right thing. He abides by one rule, on his ship, he\'s the captain, right or wrong you don\'t disagree. As we saw in the show and in the movie, he usually is right despite what his crew may temporarily think.\r\n\r\nThe show allowed the format for great character development, and unfortunately for the movie many of these characters don\'t get the appropriate spotlight that the show gave them. If you\'ve seen Firefly then you shouldn\'t fear, but seeing the movie blindly will not give you adequate depth to really care about the people involved, with the possible exception of River.\r\n\r\nRiver is the basic star of this vehicle. She was the wild card in the show. The Alliance trained weapon that only briefly showed glimpses of her ability. That ability is unleashed in the film and to quite entertaing results. We see exactly why she is such a valuable weapon to the Alliance, and how she eventually pulls her weight as a crew member of Serenity.\r\n\r\nWriter/director/show creator Joss Whedon has a knack for good cinema. His musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a clear indicator if anything, and it is great to see his vision on a big screen. The crew of the Serenity is given their introduction through a brilliantly laid out tracking shot, which very intentionally ends on River. The shot is more elaborate than any single take from the show and deserves I think an honorable mention, it seems more complex than Jia Zhang-Ke\'s opening shot to the World, so if now you know what it\'s up against.\r\n\r\nWatching the movie makes me miss the show however, and I highly doubt it\'s coming back, and due to the film\'s slight box office chances there may not be another film, and this is shame. There\'s a lot more fun that these characters can have and a lot more sexual chemistry waiting to be explored. I won\'t get too much into this, because I can probably talk for another 20,000 words.\r\n\r\nThe plot of the film though is laid out so that even if you are unfamiliar with the show you can follow what\'s going on, and certainly be entertained. So I\'m gonna say SEE THIS MOVIE NOW. I\'m damn amazed with it honestly, it exceeded all expectations I could have had for it, and don\'t be surprised to see it listed among my favorite films of the year.\r\n\r\nand since everyone else likes to grade\r\n\r\nGrade A','a7a393192e4a8fff3c6911bc3fa0f584',0,'','cmRGD7pU',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12063,2188,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1128880740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Serenity (2005)','If you enjoyed the original Star Wars trilogy with it\'s camaraderie or the likes of Cowboy Bebop with a hint of Blade Runner, Aliens and the constraints of Red Dwarf then you\'re pretty much guaranteed to enjoy Serenity.\r\n\r\nI\'ve never seen Firefly but that doesn\'t stop this from being one of the best popcorn movies I\'ve seen for a long time, the characters are easily identifiable and the storyline is easy enough to get into and follow.\r\n\r\nUnlike wpqx though with his civil war analogy, I saw it more as the USA as the alliance with the rest of the world as the Independents (probably because I\'m not American) and because as River commented when told that the Alliance were trying to improve everyones lives, \"We\'re meddling, making the assumption that everyone should be like the alliance\". \r\n\r\nThere is a huge Western influence running throughout the film along with a fair dose of humour, the Space battles are on a par with anything from the Star Wars series. Overall despite its obvious TV heritage it\'s a great slice of entertainment.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','1e58a0e1884dc0189bcca58e38a2933b',0,'','BAWZvHsa',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12064,2188,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1129223160,1,0,1,1,1,1,'kookook','Re: Serenity (2005)','I thought the story was the strongest part of the film because it tied the Reavers to the evilness of the alliance. The script has to be what Whedon had in mind for the series finale.\r\n\r\nCLICK THIS PIC AND GUESS WHO AM I...','2dcab60c86c03c2996549d1b2df4e4e6',0,'','1oGnw7XJ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12065,2189,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1127152740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Sara','Vanya on 42nd st. Louis Malle','Have any of you seen this? It is supposed to be a great version on the Chekov play - as if they are rehearsing.\r\n\r\nI watched it for awhile yesterday. Then I turned it off as I found it very talky. After seeing the quiet (almost no dialogue) film 3-Iron of Ki-duk Kim\'s, and the films of Robert Bresson, I found the acting - like on a stage - and constant talking JARRING.\r\n\r\nI\'ll try it again this afternoon perhaps. I don\'t want to give up on it as it has gotten wonderful reviews.\r\n\r\nTell me if you have seen it and what you think.\r\n\r\nSara','1016185b270be159e6530ac7326644c8',0,'','mKNlMywD',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12066,2189,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1127153880,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Vanya on 42nd st. Louis Malle','I wasn\'t overly impressed with this film either. Some good acting, but again too wordy. I had a similar boredom watching the even more critically acclaimed My Dinner With Andre. I wouldn\'t really recommend this film to anyone, save for Louis Malle completionists. At least its miles above Damage.','30ff69a5021e745b3b4641db6c114c53',0,'','oXj8vheL',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12067,2189,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1127237520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Sara','Re: Vanya on 42nd st. Louis Malle','Thanks wpqx. That makes me feel better. \r\n\r\nI may give it another try before I return the film to Netflix. Maybe...\r\n\r\nSara','299907a807d05e0905e9cf6831617665',0,'','mkhr1t7V',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12068,2189,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1127273220,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Vanya on 42nd st. Louis Malle','Any film based on Checkov\'s work is bound to be talky. And since Vanya actually takes place in the theatre world, the performances and the rest are appropriately modulated. I do hope that you watch the film in its entirety. It\'s certainly no masterpiece but it\'s better than many other adaptations.\r\n\r\nI\'m not a fan of Damage either. On the other hand, among Malle\'s late works, Au revoir les enfants is great.','aea0137a363722833095809cd6e43011',0,'','3Qkuqfnd',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12069,2189,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1128038940,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Vanya on 42nd st. Louis Malle','I have also heard good things about it, but haven`t seen it, yet. But Julianne Moore in a young role makes it interesting for me \r\nBesides Damage which I liked, I haven`t seen anything else by Louis Malle, yet.','5cf4fc9befb1d01ecc9b749408c04a15',0,'','3RlJoUFw',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12070,2190,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1125262740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','LA Confidential (1997) - Curtis Hansen','Wasn\'t sure to put this under classic cinema or not, but because it\'s only 8 years old, I figured it was safer to keep it here.\r\n\r\n1997 hardly seemed like a great year for film. Looking at some of the films that received high critical praise at the time, we wonder what was happening. Yet arguably the two best American films of the year, both took place around LA, and both need to be seen at least twice. Ironically both films are period pieces. The first film was Paul Thomas Anderson\'s commercial failure Boogie Nights, and the other was Hansen\'s LA Confidential. At the time though neither film received hardly any Oscar recognition, because Titanic well, that was about the only movie the country went to see for about 5 months.\r\n\r\nOnce the hype dies down and several years later, one can appreciate Titanic, and see in it what people at the time liked. More importantly you can look at Boogie Nights and LA Confidential and see that these truly were the two best films of the year. The best of these would be Hansen\'s LA Confidential. I say this film is essential to see more than once because nothing makes sense the first time around. James Ellroy\'s source novel is epic in length and the characters are neverending. There are a lot of names to remember, and every character winds up different from how they started.\r\n\r\nWatching the film a second time (prefarably as soon as you can) you\'ll remember what\'s coming up next. Plus there are sequences that seem hard to understand, character betrayals, off key performances, and plot twists that may seem off or even go unnoticed. LIkewise even on the fourth viewing I was still so wrapped up in the story that I barely paid attention to the actual \"film\". When noticing it though, you pick up that Hansen is making direct reference to film noir. The deep focus photography is there, and the editing remains very classic, not the rapid fire cutting associated with modern MTV-era movies.\r\n\r\nParts of the film come off like a dream. Easy to see this type of fantasy interpretation, because there are three scenes where it rains (and anyone who lived in California knows that never happens). The rain works for the noir though, and there are plenty of classic film noir films with rain soaked streets. The ending of the film also has a dream like quality. Shot in soft focus (which predates noir), and with a bright glow to it, that makes it seem almost like a fantasy sequence, and *spoiler* seeing Russell Crowe survive certainly lends to this fantasy element.\r\n\r\nWhat impressed me most about the film, were the characters. It was condensed from the novel, but whoever is left is memorable and distinct. On the ride home from Grizzly Man last night I couldn\'t remember the name of the main character (who\'s Timothy Treadwell, after I was corrected), yet 18 months after the last time I saw LA Confidential I still remembered Edmund Exley, Budd White, Jack Vincennes, Dudley Smith, Lynn Bracken, and Piece Patchett. The names are distinct, which keeps them memorable. They have their own style as well. There is a face to associate with each character. It helps that certain actors like Crowe and Guy Pierce have emerged as stars since this film, but we can instantly associate the face with the name. The three main cops, Vincennes, Exley, and White are all unique. Vincennes the Hollywood cop, with more style than most movie stars. Exley, the clean cut kid with (and occasionally without) glasses. Then there\'s White, the brute who looks like he could have easily been a strong arm goon on the other side of the law.\r\n\r\nEach character mutates though, and finds some sort of conscience. Vincennes realizes that he\'s selling his soul. He stops crime for money, usually just drug busts to get his face in the paper, and always a little gratuity. Exley stops thinking about his career for a minute and remembers what got him on the police force in the first place (the man who got away). White loses his desire for force, and is desperate to escape the cliche of being just a dumb brute. I believe White is the least selfish of the main characters. He may be somewhat corrupt and racist, but his motivations aren\'t for himself. He wants someone to pay, and he doesn\'t really care who, yet he\'s not out for his own gain.\r\n\r\nCharacters can change in a movie so wonderfully well. No one is perfect, and there are no saints. Lynn is certainly no angel, and well as far as her and Edmund, it takes two. Budd even slaps her (the first indication that he\'s becoming his father), after the fact, but we remain supportive and apprehensive. We see the danger in it, just as he does. We also see (thanks to a career best performance from Kim Bassinger) how horrified she is with herself. As the story indicates, the \"job\" with Edmund is the last trick she turns, at least on camera. She has reached the end of her rope. She has found love with Budd, and realizes that she can no longer be what Pierce Patchett made her to be. She too has had a maturation, and a vital change has occured in her life. It is her self loathing that we pity in this scene, but at the same time we still can\'t help but feel betrayed by her, just as Budd does.\r\n\r\nTrue to some Hollywood conventions, we respond to the violence very well. In this regard Hansen is able to surpass classic noir with it\'s extremely short fight scenes (usually one punch knock outs), and of course no blood. In the modern film world he can shoot whoever he wants, and the characters can beat the crap out of each other repeatedly. It becomes hard boiled as films like the Blue Dahlia, Force of Evil, or Out of the Past could never be. It is these images of violence (particularly at the hands of Budd) that carry the most resonance when the film finishes. We can\'t help but be on his side almost immediately. Hansen opens the film with White, as he beats up a wife beater, and hand cuffs him to his front porch rail. It is Budd that gets answers the quickest, and it is him that has the lack of conscience to get the information necessary from criminals. It was the image of him putting a gun with only two bullets in it, in a suspects mouth and clicking the trigger until he talked that made me watch the film again so quickly. I spent the whole day replaying it in my mind, and just had to see the film again, almost for that scene alone. Therefore we\'re willing to accept the fantasy-esque ending that leaves White breathing, simply because he is the character we most admire, and we already had one casualty.\r\n\r\nIt\'s not surprising to see how Russell Crowe earned his reputation from here. He makes the biggest impression, and to me this is the first time he demonstrated how he was capable of being one of the best actors in Hollywood. Ironically both he and Pierce are Australian natives, but you would never know it from their performances here. They embody the roles perfectly. Then again, Hansen is a master at getting great performances (hell look at what he did for Eminem in 8 Mile). \r\n\r\nKevin Spacey was the \"star\" of the film, coming off a recent Oscar win for the Usual Suspects. His role isn\'t as major as Crowe\'s or Pierce\'s, but it is vital to the story. It also brings about the gay subtext brilliantly. Homosexuality was something that couldn\'t be brought up in classic noir (hence the reason Crossfire turned to an anti-semetic message picture), but in today\'s film world it could be an intregal part. Spacey is the one who brings out this in the film, partially from being assigned temporarily to vice. In this morally bankrupt LA, even the District Attorney has tendencies. Vincennes is the conscience of this, the one person who cares when Matt Reynolds is killed in a hotel room. Of course we find that his death links everything together, but in the LA of the 1950\'s the police force could care less at what they think is another homophobic murder. The belief that homosexuals aren\'t even real people is prevelant in this/that society, and he represents a part of a modern liberal conscience towards it.\r\n\r\nI think I\'ve rambled enough, and applause for those who have read this far. I didn\'t think I\'d come up with much to say, but well here we are. For those who haven\'t seen the film, I apologize for giving away a lot, but for those who have seen the film, your thoughts and opinions would be appreciated. This is a fantastic film for debate, and certainly one of the best American films of the last decade.','6119a99fb61d5cf59db4d7f4f30ea84c',0,'','r1RTHdt3',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12071,2190,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1125444240,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: LA Confidential (1997) - Curtis Hansen','Your review was a bit messy,and I had sometimes difficulties reading it, though I saw the film, but overall I`m with you. \r\nI don`t think that it is the best film of the year though, as 1997 was imo a great year for films (e.g. Fireworks, Lost Highway, Insomnia, Princess Mononoke, The Butcher Boy), but L.A. Confidential is already a bit of a classic, and viewers in the future will probably respond equally well to it as today`s do.\r\n\r\nI didn`t find the story too complicated (watch \"The Big Sleep\" for that ), because it was the screenplay and the acting that impressed me most. Great performances throughout, though I must say that Russell Crowe has long before shown his acting abilities and star-potential (see \"Romper Sromper\" from 1992).\r\nI wasn`t as \"impressed\" with the violence, (which is pretty graphic for a mainstream film) as wpqx, but it did help give a realistic touch the film was much in need of, and though the film maybe has a twist or two too many, and some Hollywood conventions, as the good guys have to win in the end, no matter how unbelievable it may appear, this didn`t realy bother me. \r\nBut what struck me most of all during my first viewing was the camera, and in particular the use of lightning or color. The images had a high-definition slickness I had rarely seen until then, and they fit the mood of this glamorous/decadent time in L.A. perfectly. In the following years this \"technique\", style, or whatever you want to call it became common property as nowadays almost every Hollywood movie looks way to slick, and US films have almost totally lost the more grainy look, that was predominant at the beginning of the 90s.\r\nNot a good basis for a fertile discussion, but what can I say... I still like the film very much, and I`ve seen it the fourth time already, and so does everybody else I know.','8e57601886112e4199cf1b14bbf324b3',0,'','eXcW91BR',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12072,2191,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1124657580,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Last Days (2005) - Gus Van Sant','From the opening shot of Gus Van Sant\'s latest film we are aware of something unique. A singular voice, and one that has really been finding itself lately. We get no traditional opening credits or titles. There is no cast of characters listed until the end, and our first shot of Blake (Michael Pitt) is distant. He is not seen in close up for a long while into the film and when he is, Pitt is covered in a mess of his own hair and dirt that we hardly even recognize him. It is the distancing nature of the story that lends itself to this tactic. We can\'t see him up close, because no one can. There is no one in the film that understands Blake, and no one who can get close to him, so why should we the viewers?\r\n\r\nBlindly entering the film you may not know what\'s going on for awhile. Van Sant doesn\'t need to rush to the plot, and background information is very sparse. For the first ten or fifteen minutes it seems more like Last Days is going to be a meditation on nature, and living in the woods. When we see Blake wander by a passing train, and later enter what we find to be his house (a decrepit European style mansion), we realize that this is the civilized world, but in his confusion, Blake would rather wander the woods and nature. He purposely distances himself from everyone in the picture. The few instances where someone attempts to contact him, he remains aloof. His \"friends\" that are staying with him do very little for him. Asia (Asia Argento) just checks to see whether or not he\'s dead, and when she feels a pulse, carefully props him back up and closes the door behind her.\r\n\r\nHis other friends either ask for musical advice, or money. Blake being so detached agrees to give both, but you have the feeling that a moment later he won\'t remember his promises. We learn that he is a father, but he\'s so far removed from his own life, that we wonder if he\'s even aware of it. He is visited by the matriarchal Kim Gordon (of Sonic Youth) who may or may not be a mother towards Blake, and she is the one voice of reason there. She attempts to get Blake to come with her to go back to rehab (where the bracelet on his arm indicates he escaped from). She isn\'t very insistent, and leaves without him. \r\n\r\nOne thing that Van Sant is careful of is not showing Blake abusing. The most we see from him is the puff of a cigarette, there is no visible drug abuse. So you have to wonder if he\'s using off camera, or he\'s just so far gone that it doesn\'t even matter.\r\n\r\nSimilarities between Blake and Kurt Cobain are very evident, and judging from the reference to Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead, I\'m lead to believe that the film takes place in or around 1994 when Cobain died. His hair, and clothes make him look disturbingly like Cobain, and even when he sings, his voice is nearly identical. The resemblences are spooky and Van Sant could have very easily made this film specifically about Cobain (perhaps then it might play in a few more theaters). \r\n\r\nLike his previous films, this one is shot rather slowly. Shots are long and there is no rush to get things moving in here. Van Sant also plays with time a little more, showing scenes two times, from different points. I\'m not sure what the purpose of this is, but it does however save from crosscutting, and lets us get a closer look at certain moments in the picture.\r\n\r\nIt should be digested slowly however. The film is a great work, and one of the best American films this year, but it should be allowed to be absorbed. It may take a few hours, or a few days, but the films images will stay with you, for a lot longer than some slicker productions like Batman Begins or War of the Worlds. You\'ll remember this film, and how it was filmed, and it won\'t leave you so easily. Highly recommended, but unfortunately it is doing absolutely no business in theaters. I\'d hate to see Van Sant resort to his mainstream ways, he\'s been on such a roll lately, even if no one is seeing his pictures. As long as he keeps the budget low though, I guess he won\'t lose too much money.','d51b36a316fa158a24d1438c22874133',0,'','W1QTjcS9',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12073,2191,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1124905080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Last Days (2005) - Gus Van Sant','After having seen Gerry last year, and having watched the trailer for Elephant about ten times in two days, I know hes on something I really love about film: Meditation on time. Its also about creating the right atmosphere, and i must say Gerry does that magnificently. \r\nSounds like this one is kind of the third in a unofficial trilogy, hope to see Elephant this year (have bought the DVD), along with his newest when/if it comes to German theaters.\r\nThanks for the fine review.','5c44e421986f9800a94baa9f9145aa51',0,'','A349m10H',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12074,2192,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1120983960,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Paul Haggis\' Crash (U.S.-Ger / 2004)','Sparks start flying early on in Crash, Paul Haggis\' remarkable second feature, as we hear one of its most enigmatic characters muse, \"We\'re always behind this metal and glass,\" and he continues while staring at the alternating lights at a scene of a crime, \"It\'s the sense of touch... I think we miss that touch so much that we crash into each other just so we can feel something.\" It may sound ostentatious, but it doesn\'t take long for one to realize that he ain\'t kiddin\'! Canadian Born Haggis is a veteran of television shows like L.A. Law, EZ Streets , and thirtysomething; programs known for their running commentary on issues such as race relations and social injustice. 2004 was certainly his breakthrough year as he also wrote the Oscar nominated screenplay for Million Dollar Baby. While race and class structures certainly played in a part in Eastwood\'s film, here they\'re heightened to a point of absurdity, yet its astonishing how intelligently the material is handled. \r\n\r\nFollowing the groundwork laid out by films like Short Cuts (1993), Magnolia (1999), and the lesser-known Grand Canyon (1991) (all set in L.A.), Crash follows several different characters as they go about their lives in about a 36-hour period. After detailing the initial crime scene where we met a righteous police detective (Don Cheadle) and his partner/girlfriend (Jennifer Esposito), the film loops back in time to show how it all transpired. The introductory sequences are important for more than one reason. They vividly expose the anger bubbling underneath the surface, which eventually pours over: from an Asian woman berating Esposito\'s character because her vehicle is in front, and since she\'s brown-skinned, she must be a Mexican who doesnt know how to drive (a similar comment by Cheadle makes her bark back that her mother is Puerto Rican and her father is El Salvadorian) to a perennially bitchy Brentwood housewife (Sandra Bullock) of a DA (Brendan Fraser) who gets paranoid about anyone who isn\'t white (including her longtime maid and a Hispanic locksmith simply doing their jobs) after their SUV was stolen at gunpoint by two young black men (Larenz Tate and rap artist Chris \"Ludacris\" Bridges). Almost everyone is angry and Crash slowly establishes the reasons why. \r\n\r\nThese tension filled vignettes come fast and fluid and the characters in them are mostly judged by their most obvious feature: the color of their skin. The locksmith (Michael Peña) also gets involved with an Iranian store owner (Shaun Toub) who, by his post-9/11 ideology, thinks that everyone is out to get him (and goes out to shop for bullets with his daughter). And in arguably the most crucial of all, a cop who knows that he\'s racist (Matt Dillon) stops an SUV (knowing full well that it isn\'t the stolen one). While his young partner (Ryan Phillippe) looks on in disgust, he humiliates a black television director (Terrence Howard) and his wife (Thandie Newton) who in return is enraged by the fact that her husband didn\'t speak out against the cop. (We later see Dillon\'s character with his father who\'s in pain due to his mistreated prostate, but the helpless Dillon can\'t get a straight answer from a black supervisor at their HMO because he insulted her earlier.) Many of the aforementioned situations involve some sort of an automobile, and it seems like Haggis has used them to validate the point made earlier in the film: the isolation and the sense of touch which is missing. Navigating the vast landscape of Los Angeles, these vehicles become the perfect metaphor for people in Crash, usually going about their own ways but occasionally crashing into each other just to see if they can still feel. \r\n\r\nThe screenplay written by Haggis (along with Bobby Moresco) is at once both humane and tough as steel. Sam Fuller might\'ve spoken about spraying bullets at his audience to have them feel what real war is like, but in Crash, it\'s the words that do the trick (there were certainly a few \"casualties\" early on in a screening I attended last week). Crash doesn\'t try to be provocative just for the sake of it; like the best films of Larry Clark, it\'s self-consciously intelligent about the way it goes about its business. I don\'t recall the last time an American film was so brave and blunt with the words spoken by its characters. Most of those hit the intended target. The aim isn\'t the main issue with the ones who do not, but it\'s rather the ambiguity of the objective. Amid this warfare, however, Haggis steps aside to observe a tender moment between Peña and his daughter as she talks about the bullet which went through her window in the old neighborhood. Haggis, who earlier established another father and daughter (the Iranians), comes around to have the daughters become the guardian angels for their fathers and that\'s just one example of complexity of the screenplay. \r\n\r\nCrash marches on, building towards a moment of clarity; it comes about halfway through, and Haggis gives it everything he has as if the whole film rested on it. As Mark Isham\'s evocative score reaches its crescendo, the downtrodden Newton finds herself stuck underneath her car only to be helped by Dillon\'s character who assaulted her the night before. Newton fights him off while Dillon tries to calm her down, knowing that he needs her as much as she needs him. It\'s a moment so breathtakingly vibrant and honest that even the best passages of Magnolia seem less in comparison. After that, there\'s no doubt regarding where the film wants to go and it\'s a good place to be. \r\n\r\nDon Cheadle, who also serves as a producer, recently stated that Paul Haggis was involved in an accident himself in the early-90s, and that incident became the catalyzing factor for the story. As for any film dealing with serious issues, Haggis had trouble coming up with the money. But the budget of roughly $7 million was eventually raised after a few individuals came on board. And what a cast Haggis has assembled for a film, which regardless of its budget, seems epic in every sense. A solid screenplay can make a lot of actors look good, but in a multi-character study like Crash , where the characters being inhabited for short periods of time are complex human beings, the onus falls on the actors. Sandra Bullock, in about half a dozen scenes, surpasses everything shes ever done in her career; Matt Dillon and Ryan Phillippe have never been better; Thandie Newton, one of my favorite performers, is brilliant once again which begs the question why she isnt employed more often (although one reason is pretty obvious); Cheadle brings a quiet intensity to his performance which is fast becoming his trademark. From Jennifer Esposito to Brendan Fraser, from William Fichtner to \"Ludacris\", everyone is worthy of praise. \r\n\r\nThematically speaking, Crash may not be covering any new ground, but it comments on an amalgam of issues with force and conviction. It\'s also a compassionate and deeply-felt meditation on hope and redemption in the face of doubt and despair. Frankly, in societies where there\'s true dialogue regarding racial politics and all of its manifestations, a film like Crash would be deemed irrelevant, but it shouldn\'t be a news to anyone that ours isn\'t one of them. We live in a \"melting-pot\" where nothing seems to be melting anymore. By trying to be politically correct, we have not only become detached from everything and everyone around us, but most importantly, from ourselves. Crash shows humanity in all of its glory and shame, where one act can break a cycle of anger and hate. In a world where paranoia roams freely, two wrongs certainly don\'t make a right.','ddb22f324db1efa859b6342310e9e125',0,'','eT1wLFlW',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12075,2192,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1120984200,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Paul Haggis\' Crash (U.S.-Ger / 2004)','You won\'t believe this, but over the last few weeks, I have recommended this movie to many many people ... ha ha ha ... I wonder if the distributor will let me earn some commission *just kidding*\r\n\r\nAnyway, I think it is a very good movie!\r\nIt has a very well written script.\r\n\r\nIn essence, it challenges all of us\r\n-- You think you know who you are ... until something happens ... and maybe we are not all that different after all ... (with all pun intended in this very line)','fc8deb96f5e5a5c74b0aecd2cb490192',0,'','G4uJ3wNl',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12076,2192,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1120985100,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Paul Haggis\' Crash (U.S.-Ger / 2004)','I loved this film, and would probably say it\'s the best film I\'ve seen from this year. Granted we\'re only in July so it isn\'t like the great movies are being released, but this one was fantastic, and unforutunately because of it\'s release date it probably has no Oscar prospects, with the possible exception of a screenplay nod. The film lingers in your mind, and I have a better recollection of scenes and characters from this movie than War of the Worlds, which I only saw a few days ago. In fact the more this film hangs in my memory the better it seems to get. I too have recommended this film to anyone looking to go to a movie, just wish some of them would take my advice.','53e383ebacbf67fb1b1b47064936ea0f',0,'','nUlGvXrt',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12077,2192,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1121904480,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Paul Haggis\' Crash (U.S.-Ger / 2004)','I\'ve seen Crash because of the postive remarks in this thread last week, and I must say I\'m not so enthusiastic about it.\r\nFor a Hollywood film it is certainly way above average, but for an independent film, definitely below.\r\nWhat was the worst thing in the film was the terribly pathetic score, which got on my nerves more and more, and which almost succeeded in ruining one of the best scenarios that has come out of the US this year. \r\nThis said, the scenario, and especially the dialogues are the films main support (though they too have some flaws), making very good performances by Matt Dillon, Thandie Newton, Don Cheadle and Sandra Bullock possible. In fact there isn\'t one mediocre performance in it. \r\nBut again one big problem is the flashy pacing and cutting, which are more of a show-off than a thorough reflection. Some moments appear pointless and \"overdirected\", and there are numerous deja-vus, as one remebers almost the same things made in a better way before (e.g. 21 Grams, Mystic River, Short Cuts, Magnolia, etc.).\r\nThe film doesn\'t offer any new insights, but is (at least from my pov) right in the middle of current invents where we observe that the american \"melting-pot\" concept doesn\'t work.\r\nI can\'t add much to the positive things that have already been mentioned, let me tell you only that the film had one great moment, in fact for me one of the best emotional experiences in film in my whole life. The scene where Matt Dillon rescues Newton from the car-wreck is in avery aspect a phenomenal achievement, one that should be studied in every filmclass. But it only works so good, because of the scenes and the atmosphere we\'ve experienced before. This scene is the films climax, and I\'d recommend evrybody to see the film, if only for this.\r\nThere is also a great scene at the end, when one of the immigrants is shown standing in a videostore in front of a huge display of goods, but I remember the exact same scene from another film (maybe somebody casn help me here), but nevertheless this one shot conveys maximum complexity in minimum time, and in the end says more about our world\'s problems than could be expressed in words.\r\nDespite myself praising certain aspects, the film as a whole doesn\'t say anything profound or new, that hasn\'t been said in a better way numerous times before. For me a film isn\'t automatically good, just because it makes one think. I think the pressing actuality of its topic and the need to discuss the things mentioned in the film in our society (which constantly tries to suppress them) makes a lot of people see quality#s in the film it actually hasn\'t.\r\nYes, the film is important, because it allows a big audience to discuss things that should have been adressed much earlier, but this doesn\'t make the film AS FILM much better than the mediocre Fahrenheit 9/11. But at least this film knows abouts its faults and it tries to show people in an honest way.\r\nIt\'s a good film that has raised more pressing questions than any other I have seen this year, covering a wide range of issues in a good way.\r\nMy rating **1/2 / ****, and a \"go see it\" to everyone who wants to understand our western societies (and especially the US\'s) problems, and have them presented in a compact way.','1511a68fddfa7e663c0baa86a9a61ec0',0,'','YgSMXCi9',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12078,2192,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123951680,1,0,1,1,1,1,'kookook','Re: Paul Haggis\' Crash (U.S.-Ger / 2004)','I saw it tonight... And all I can say, to give a quick recap without revealing the details, is what a planet we live on, eh?\r\n\r\n_____________________\r\nSHOOT THE SHEEP.....(GAME)\r\nWANNA PLAY WITH ME... \r\nTRY ME... IF YOU CAN HIT ME...meeehhh\r\n\r\nHere\'s the link :Shoot the sheep','bada8c9bda4fbf1f6f0fbc044764f375',0,'','ZqH9myrn',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12079,2192,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1124317560,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Paul Haggis\' Crash (U.S.-Ger / 2004)','Finally saw Crash this afternoon, a finely crafted film that shows that issues like race and colour are always bubbling under the surface of any multicultural society and are ready to flare at any given moment.\r\n\r\nI thought as I was watching the film, \"can things really be this bad?\" but then I remembered some of the comments I\'ve heard from parents at the highly multicultural junior school my sons attended especially if there were any problems or kids fighting.\r\n\r\nAnyway back to the film, the performances were excellent from all involved, the scene with Thandie Newtons character caught in her upturned car with Matt Dillon\'s cop being the only person on the scene to save her was played brilliantly.\r\n\r\nI did think that putting Ryan Phillippe\'s cop character in the position of killing Larenz Tate\'s character was a little too contrived as though there to oppose the previously mentioned rescue and to prove Matt Dillon\'s cop right, but that was only a little point that at least pushed the plot forward, plus he was only one of several characters who seemingly went against their beliefs either to protect themselves or others. \r\n\r\nThis is without a doubt one of the best US film I\'ve seen this year and one I will see again and thoroughly recommend. \r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','a705bed23d3b9386f2c73eb23cb24381',0,'','euwlTGnm',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12080,2192,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1124427960,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Paul Haggis\' Crash (U.S.-Ger / 2004)','Indeed, this is a great film and I\'m glad that you liked it. It did very well in the U.S. (surprisingly) and I guess it\'s expanding right now in other countries.\r\n\r\nI think the vastness of Los Angeles certainly provides the sort of environment where problems like these fester. Not that things are much better elsewhere but other places aren\'t as uncommunicative as L.A.','23632a5c390ef3767e7965c70a78d08a',0,'','VjTE412d',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12081,2192,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1124648640,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Paul Haggis\' Crash (U.S.-Ger / 2004)','I live in Berlin, asnd as it certainly cant compare to L.A., I felt a touch of familiarity (in the negative way). Big Citys seem to be a boiling point, everything always on the verge of tipping over, and help and trust are hard to get. It seems to be getting worse though, in the western world.\r\nI f we compare the film to some third world metropoles, the people in .A. live in a peaceful paradise.\r\nIll probably be in Belgrad (Capital of Serbia, ca. 4 million inhabitants) next month, and Im very curious regarding its situation.','3c29967162024165cd2e39abd5c49786',0,'','HJtXPhvg',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12082,2192,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1201597260,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Paul Haggis\' Crash (U.S.-Ger / 2004)','I had to watch the film again for an acting class and will be analyzing the structure, acting, directing in detail later but I\'d like to jot down some thoughts while its fresh in my head. \r\n\r\nThis film is a wonderful exercise in rationalized racism. Pretty much everyone is racist to some degree yet everyone finds a way to somehow be right about it. So is that saying racism is ok, or that it\'s just a human trait? I\'m sure Haggis intention was the latter, but you sometimes wonder if EVERYONE really is that way. He went to a great length to create believable and multi-dimensional characters. Unfortunately not everyone is as interesting as the next. I\'m not sure if the original script was much longer but it feels like we\'re almost glancing at certain characters and not spending enough time with them. My proposed solution would be to get rid of Brendan Fraser and Sandra Bullock\'s characters and just allot all of their screen time to the other more interesting characters. Bullock never really did anything that would constitute as good acting in her career and you my think that\'s because she wasn\'t given any good roles, but even here in a well written part she\'s lousy. \r\n\r\nI also noticed that the time of day seemed to fluctuate greatly. Now it doesn\'t seem to bounce back and forth in a way that we could be accustomed to. It just seems as though certain scenes begin at night and then wind up going on in broad daylight. Perhaps I\'m looking at things in the wrong way, and maybe Haggis does jumble his time frame around a lot more than I initially noticed. There is a sense however of misguided redemption. A few characters are allowed to make things right and apologize for their behavior, yet clearly in the case of Phillipe\'s character he is left a villain. It is interesting that the second time around Michael Pena seems to be the only one in the film who isn\'t racist towards anyone. Even when arguing with the Persian store owner he never resorts to racial name calling and although discriminated against never seems to lash out against it. \r\n\r\nI thought when I first saw the film that Matt Dillon gave the best performance and I still think he does. He is given a tough role to fill. He is supposed to represent the average white man, and therefore the average white American. Most of the people in this film are archetypes many of which are above stereotypes but all types in their own right. No one is really guilty or innocent and Dillon\'s character has a tough arc to follow. It makes sense that we first see him calling about his father before we see his molestation of Newton. It allows us to see a better side of him before he\'s a villain. The next day she winds up apologizing to her husband in a way that says it was her fault, and watching the incident again, it pretty much was. However no one is really guilty or innocent which is the main point of the film. Did she egg him on? Certainly, but did he go over the line? He certainly did and his message which turns tragically prophetic for his young partner is that racism is pretty much an inevitability. LA is perhaps the microcosm of the world, or perhaps it is the tensions in that noticeably racially charged city where movies and street gangs originate. \r\n\r\nIn some ways setting the film on a rare snowy night in LA makes the film out to be like a retread of classic disaster movies. It follows a similar archetype, letting us now what natural disaster will occur, and basing the film around an ensemble of characters and how they all interact leading to that moment where mother nature steps in. Anderson did this in Magnolia, and Estevez in Bobby, but it is the same policy of The Towering Inferno and Earthquake. In fact most ensemble films revolve around a central defining incident. Altman\'s Nashville had the assassination, Short Cuts had an earthquake, and this film seems tied to that legacy. Towards the end Haggis uses a piece of music while he slowly pans around each of his main characters in a move that seems shamelessly lifted from Magnolia. Most of the dialogue however is great and it remains a well written film. So Haggis is prone to some heavy handedness but he has created a rich and multi-textured film. The analysis of the film itself defies easy categorization. Saying this film is about racism is severely missing the point, saying the film is racist is even further misguided. There is a desire to paint well rounded characters and this film does that excellently. I certainly have no objection to the Oscar it won, and it seems odd how my prophecy of the film not getting nominated was so wrong.','7659fdcc73adf93531a82aa8e0f897f5',0,'','hNUbaZTs',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12083,2192,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1201598580,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Paul Haggis\' Crash (U.S.-Ger / 2004)','wpqx wrote: So is that saying racism is ok, or that it\'s just a human trait? I\'m sure Haggis intention was the latter, but you sometimes wonder if EVERYONE really is that way. How about ... \r\npeople (i.e., individuals) are seemingly so different (both externally and internally speaking) and yet so similar. There are things that seemingly separate and tease us apart, but the very same things are what may bind us together ...','1aa2832610e5ac0925296cacedced9a6',0,'','4Lco681Q',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12084,2192,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1201599120,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Paul Haggis\' Crash (U.S.-Ger / 2004)','Racism binds us together?','e516cf7baa9dcf46aeebe1d19b8a4b01',0,'','xqrcS41W',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12085,2192,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1201599780,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Paul Haggis\' Crash (U.S.-Ger / 2004)','it is the incidents/differences/races etc that make human become aware and see the need to come together as one ... call it the irony of life or the paradox of life ... \r\n\r\na wild idea from you statement ... how abt this \"weird\"/\"controversial\" take ... \r\n\r\nsince the film tries to claim that everyone is to some extent \"racist\" (dep on the situation you are thrown into and the experiences you have had) ... people are ALL HOPELESSLY SIMILAR, so that BINDS US TOGETHER because HEY, WE ARE ALL NOT SO DIFFERENT despite our DIFFERENCES in race, etc ... what a line of argument ... hee hee','d359b54eced375c3107e286d89fac34b',0,'','J5oqeEsm',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12086,2192,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1201600260,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Paul Haggis\' Crash (U.S.-Ger / 2004)','It does have a tone of \"hatred will bring us together\" at times. Perhaps the main thrust was to point the finger at well meaning liberals who in actuality probably are racist. The film is very self reflexive and that\'s why I think so many people were able to connect to it. By showing a wide variety of people this forces us in many ways to see how we would put ourselves in that situation, and almost daring us to act differently. The main point is that nearly all of these characters wind up doing the right thing when given the chance.','96ca8434c9be487c7a8efd8c2170bfc6',0,'','RZshVg96',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12087,2192,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1201600980,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Paul Haggis\' Crash (U.S.-Ger / 2004)','I thought \"Ryan Phillippe\"\'s character typifies all who try to claim that they are totally noble/sin-less/non villain/non racist?! ... so the film/director tries to point out: we shall wait and see ... until you are thrown into the situation, DO NOT BE TOO SURE ... \r\n\r\nI thought \"Matt Dillon\"\'s character is rather interesting ... \r\n(i) people who like the film may claim -- he is a portrayal of a real human being, always torn between good and evil ... there are times when he does good, there are times when he does wrong \r\n(ii) people who dislike the film may claim -- is the film/director trying to justify bad deeds by claiming all of us have our pressure and whenever we falter, that is because some things have happened in our life (i.e., the pressure is too great)','e9f1d94e1ef6f10b7c0d431c9a9f1fa4',0,'','S89yU1uL',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12088,2192,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1201606800,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Paul Haggis\' Crash (U.S.-Ger / 2004)','\"Saying this film is [simply] about racism is severely missing the point...\" \r\n\r\nCorrected.','715498d35b5e067eba6310f01feb7c52',0,'','laZt67CS',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12089,2193,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1120956060,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005)','Director: Miranda July\r\nCast: Miranda July, John Hawkes\r\n\r\nThe official website is here ...\r\nwww.meandyoumovie.com/\r\n\r\nAt the Cannes Film Festival 2005, the movie garnered the Camra d\'Or \r\nsee \r\nwww.festival-cannes.fr/pa...egorie=cor\r\n\r\nAt the Sundance Film Festival 2005, it also garnered the Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision \r\nsee\r\nfestival.sundance.org/200...Awards.pdf\r\n\r\nWhat I like ...\r\n-- A very philosophical movie about people who seek to connect with others in the oddest (or is it the most \"common?!\") way. Hence, the movie is peppered with tons of rather cryptic or philosophical lines, about life, love, relationship, etc. Frankly, I would think a second view is often necessary to remember these lines ... Hmmm ... maybe someone can do a compilation ... ha ha ha\r\n\r\n-- The movie also challenges societal stereotypes, preconceived perception, anxiety, etc. (simply by evoking similar thoughts in the audience). In a way, it has a few daring depiction of disturbing scenes. And yet, it seems to hint that it may not be as bad as what you think ...\r\n-- On a lighter note, it also pokes fun (and yet, celebrates) contemporary art! hee hee\r\n\r\nWhat I thought could be better ...\r\n-- Although the movie may seem to suggest that these people/events/relationships are all around us, and I do believe that they are indeed very common (or are they not?!), I somehow sense that many audience would walk away from the movie thinking: these characters are indeed weird. Instead of convincing the audience that these situations are pretty prevalent, it comes across as disturbingly distributed. Some may even lament that it is pretty manipulative/contrived by bringing together only odd characters to tell a story.\r\n-- Despite the common theme of \"human connection and relation\", the movie still comes across as a composition of several slightly disjointed short stories as opposed to a unified story.\r\n\r\nConclusion:\r\nOverall, I actually recommend watching this movie!\r\n\r\nIn particular, I like the movie for its thought provoking messages, although I feel that it could be better \r\n-- by being less manipulative/contrived, or\r\n-- by making the various roles/scenes appear more \"normal\" (and yet, on a deeper thought, quite abnormal).','48539c9969354818d8b0391b6816ad32',0,'','duyHVF6E',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12090,2193,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123952520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'kookook','Re: Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005)','Very unique and well done... \r\nComical yet extremely moving... \r\nAn intriguing film--you never know what will happen next with the cast of quirky characters... \r\n\r\n_____________________\r\nSHOOT THE SHEEP.....(GAME)\r\nWANNA PLAY WITH ME... \r\nTRY ME... IF YOU CAN HIT ME...meeehhh\r\n\r\nHere\'s the link :Shoot the sheep','62cf9832e437541f150d66a117783d0b',0,'','4hAsBxWV',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12091,2193,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1124177760,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005)','A droll, peculiar, oddly affecting but not wholly original film about peoples reservations and desires regarding connecting with each other in the modern world, Me and You and Everyone We Know is the feature film debut of the 31-year-old American artist Miranda July. July plays the lead, a struggling video/performance artist who in the meantime is running a taxi service for the elderly. She comes across an enigmatic but rather plain mall shoe salesman (John Hawkes) and gets smitten (dont forget that this is Amer-indie world where eccentrics dont have much trouble finding each other!). Anyway, it turns out that the salesman is the father of two more sensitive-types (Miles Thompson and Brandon Ratcliff) from a marriage which happens to be an interracial one. His neighbors, including a perverted co-worker, a couple of sexually promiscuous teenage girls, and a younger more responsible girl are also part of the makeup. (It also seem like all the \"interesting\" people live on the same block in the indie world; and if not, then they just keep bumping into each other.)\r\n\r\nFirst of all, July needs to be commended for trusting her vision and sensibilities. She isnt making many grand rhetorical statements here. I highly respect that this is a very personal effort and I wish there were more of them. Having said that, her vision is rather narrow-minded. Most of the teenagers in MaYaEWN are Clarkian manifestations: its all about sex. Slyly, though, July has a younger girl contrast the others (she collects minor household items for her dowry!) but in the real world its not one way or the other. Conversely, the adults in the film are awkward and shy since they practically have no interpersonal skills. But July has a charming personality and shes well supported by Hawkes so that doesnt become a huge issue. One particular scene between them which takes place on a sidewalk is well-documented and deservedly so because its one of the highlights of the film along with a remarkably tense sequence involving a goldfish (youll know when you watch the film).\r\n\r\nMaYaEWN tied for the Camera dOR at Cannes earlier this year with the Srilankan film The Forsaken land, but on the whole the film is a bit over-rated. Much has been written about her sensitive handling of the issue of child sexuality, which she has but without much depth. Other maverick filmmakers have done it better but their films arent \"cute\" and those filmmakers are certainly not photogenic young women. Amateurishly, July goes overboard with one of the characters: a bitchy and arrogant museum curator whose final scene in the film feels false and contrived, not to mention a bit exploitative. (One recent quote from her is very telling: \"Sometimes I think I\'m going out on a limb in a way that\'ll bring everyone together and it turns out completely alienating.\") While Im sure, like any performance artist, July went through some struggles early on in her career, but by staging those sequences she just seem a little too miffed for someone whose work has been shown at the likes of MoMA and the Guggenheim, and she already has a decent following in the art-world.\r\n\r\nWhat I do love, however, are the minor moments between the father and his two sons having trouble relating to each other in any way, shape or form. I love the pink dots on the dashboard; those pink shoes (its safe to say that pink is her favorite color); the aforementioned goldfish; the electronic score etc. Her minimalist approach is certainly consistent and she has the ability to transcend even the most mundane of activities. But, while Ghost World (2000) was comparably more cynical and certainly more conventional, it left much more of an impression as a whole. MaYaEWN has its moments but theyre fleeting and they dont come together as well, and much like its final scene, they leave you a little unsatisfied.','edae0cf905e652d970c495aea8099d83',0,'','1JtgyTYf',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12092,2194,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1120933080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Fantastic Four (2005)','It is just an average movie\r\n-- The best lines really belong to The Human Torch (i.e., Chris Evans) ... ha ha ha ... \r\noh yes, he stole the show literally.\r\n\r\n-- The movie attempts to contrast the agony/confusion with the coolness/fun of having super powers ... unfortunately, it does not touch one as much as the director desires ... neither does it come across as comical as the script seeks to be ....\r\n-- Overall, the pace does not really pick up ...\r\n\r\nConclusion:\r\nWatch only if you want to kill some time ... or is a fan of Chris Evans ...','308a14dc153041cf036b0bf7f33b8f07',0,'','S7ZKi1Gd',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12093,2194,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1120977600,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Fantastic Four (2005)','Looks like complete and utter crap, so unless I\'m forcibly dragged to it, most likely I won\'t watch it.','b61bcd4dcb9ae78b423c66222ac7b772',0,'','0Skc2rN6',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12094,2194,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1120987020,1,0,1,1,1,1,'nate','Re: Fantastic Four (2005)','nicest thing about watching this movie is that my ticket was free. heheheh\r\n\r\nthis movie is not that much fun to watched, there are moments that are dull, jokes that are delivered bland and a conflict that is not worth mentioning.','4b9c4231a0d1661f902f046eab32746a',0,'','PA8ZWaCD',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12095,2194,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1121091600,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Fantastic Four (2005)','Do you think the film will please the fans of the comics? \r\n\r\nBoth Spiderman, Batman and the X-Men managed to appease both the fans and the general cinema audience, others have been hit and miss. The Fantastic Four to me were always a 70\'s act and well below the favourites and from the trailers I\'ve seen and your comments the film looks a lot less than impressive yet I know it\'ll be in every multiplex while good (small) films will be ignored. Another cash cow I guess or maybe it\'ll be another Daredevil!\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','3467c14c93bab1b1ae0302ec54b6eb21',0,'','QBoUucCP',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12096,2194,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1121097660,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Fantastic Four (2005)','No Sir, you\'re not allowed to mention the Devil.','4f4e45c816350609fcc41be454b341aa',0,'','0XQCD8m3',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12097,2194,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1121126880,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Fantastic Four (2005)','What upsets me about FF and other pieces of @#%$ like it is that it takes the place of more interesting films in theaters. Last Thursday I attempted to see Rize but the theater had a power outage, that\'s what I get for going to the cheapest theater in the county. Anyways we got passes to come back, and come back we did. Only problem was that Friday brought new movies to the screen (among them FF) and now Rize was not showing. Oddly enough Rize seems to have dropped off of every other screen in the Chicagoland area, just when the film seemed to be generating some positive buzz. So I can see a piece of crap like FF, Rebound (which was playing on at least two screens at this theater), or Bewitched, but have to drive an hour to see March of the Penguins, and drive to another state to see Rize. @#%$ Hollywood.','bab0c6bf9d4175489466067f1990a3b0',0,'','g3BNcsu9',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12098,2194,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123148700,1,0,1,1,1,1,'kookook','Re: Fantastic Four (2005)','I\'m not holding any hope for this film, it\'s just hollywood running a good thing into the ground','8c86d7585ba5c7614775f56e7a9d5dc4',0,'','2ERPxumM',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12099,2194,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123179180,1,0,1,1,1,1,'kookook','Re: Fantastic Four (2005)','','d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e',0,'','vx9a1zVC',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12100,2195,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1122687600,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','War of the Worlds','Eventually saw it today, can\'t say I was over impressed, religion which played a fairly big part in the original novel and the 1950\'s film was soon knocked out of the picture and the turnaround of teen slob to all American kick ass hero was totally unbelievable.\r\n\r\nSo how was the film brought up to date and how in the future will people be able to ascertain when it was made without checking some film database? Simple, once the attacks start you have the teen slob son running round like a headless chicken and screaming at his father asking him if it\'s \"The Terrorists\" several times. When it\' becomes clear that it isn\'t terrorists he then asks \"Is it the Europeans!\" What on earth does that mean, I\'d love to know? \r\n\r\nThe design of the tripods was okay but the Martians were apalling and you saw far too much of them, there were actually many points that could be picked on but I don\'t want to pick holes just for the sake of it, if you\'re just out for a bit of the usual summer blockbuster fodder then this will probably suit you fine but if you want a little depth, you\'d do better to look elsewhere.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','a5fec384f880b814758aa1d4c14e3871',0,'','i6Y1285m',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12101,2195,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1122748320,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: War of the Worlds','\r\nDirector: Steven Spielberg\r\nCast: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin, Miranda Otto, Tim Robbins\r\n\r\nWhat I like ...\r\n-- Hmmm, unlike a number of people, I actually like the beginning segment where family matters came into play. I really think Tom Cruise came across as a father who tried occasionally but failed ... ha ha, the scenes were comical, yet sad and familiar ... we are reminded of fathers who do behave as such\r\n\r\n-- Hmmm, Dakota can act. But pardon me, after so many films with her screaming and/or crying, can we see her acting in other kinds of roles?!\r\n-- Hmmm, Tim Robbin\'s scenes were creepy ... hiaks hiaks\r\n-- Like most people, yes to the special effects, sound effects, etc ...\r\n\r\nWhat I think could be better ...\r\n-- Hmmm, the \"aliens\" seemed so omnipotent in the first 3/4 of the film. But, in the end, they all perished so easily ... sigh ...\r\n-- So many people died, but Tom\'s family escaped unscathed ... * are we watching \"The Incredibles\"?! * ... oops ...\r\n-- Likewise, they seemed to be the only family that managed to secure a movable solar car ... hmmm ...\r\n-- The scenes with military vehicles were not well utilized. We hardly see what they were doing ...\r\n-- Was there a message? ... about conquest and not being able to survive in a foreign land ... hmmm ... although the ending did hint at that, I doubt many people got the message ... \r\n\r\nConclusion:\r\n-- I like the first half of the movie, esp. those scenes where we do not see the \"aliens\" ...\r\n-- Can watch ...','46e340c2fcf94fd52065a4db6f827ba8',0,'','qZzhE2bX',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12102,2195,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1122761100,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: War of the Worlds','All I could think of as people were obliterated and their clothing came floating down was, well the charity shops are going to have a great time!\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.\r\n\r\nPS. Agree about Dakota Fanning.','947f77fe9453c1bd34cf5e97a46bbed9',0,'','jfLRZwTD',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12103,2195,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123092060,1,0,1,1,1,1,'kookook','Re: War of the Worlds','Well done and a good movie for what it was, (as you\'d expect from Spielberg) but i still didn\'t really like it as much as others seemed to have. I would have preferred more of an overview of the whole situation rather then a very narrow perspective just from Tom\'s point of view. Could have been about half an hour longer with an insight into how other people/societies were dealing with it. Also would have liked there to have been more insight into how society in general was dealing with the panick and fear. I thought the most riveting moment was when they were mobbed by the crowd while in the car and the chaos that fear was creating. With that said however, can\'t deny that given the scope they went with it was a very well done, suspenseful movie. 3 out of 5.','549cd11dcd7d9d4477c199827ec62c20',0,'','RoYqteQM',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12104,2196,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1121872860,1,0,1,1,1,1,'lonecubandchloe(d)','Before sunrise - The best usa movie of the last 10 years?','I believe it is, there is no other movie in the last decade from the USA to match it. I\'m not sure why exactly, I just think it has more of a European film feeling to it.\r\n\r\nI will try to expand more on this later.','194ad7594502a87bb4f53f6a415a640c',0,'','5bvrMmGL',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12105,2196,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1121895600,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Before sunrise - The best usa movie of the last 10 years?','I would be really interested in this. I don\'t think it is even under the best 500 american films of the last ten years, but maybe your argumentation will bring me to appreciate it more. Jonathan Rosenbaum has it in his 1000 best films of all times list (so he may be in agreement with you), but I sadly didn\'t find any writing on it.\r\nI myself thought before Sunset a far better film, one of the best of last year.','2a888d1eb5371df851915428692d2107',0,'','ugFEsi6Y',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12106,2196,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1121908500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'lonecubandchloe(d)','Re: Before sunrise - The best usa movie of the last 10 years?','I suppose it\'s all to do with age, I guess.\r\nTwo young people full of potential with the world at their feet, exploring each other while they explore Vienna for a day.\r\nIt\'s a very hopeful film that leaves you hanging, although was eventually followed up last year by the more cynical Before Sunset, which was my second favourite film from last year.\r\n\r\nIt was one of the first films to bring the breakthrough of indiependants, and in my opinion at least, has yet to be matched by any other American movie of the last decade.\r\n\r\nNone of this will change your mind of course, not that that was what I was trying to achieve, I am glad you loved Before Sunset however and thank you for dignifying my post with a reply.\r\n\r\nThanks.','d1a8ba0e68c6870392f6b2f9fc75b946',0,'','FdB4XrYZ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12107,2196,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1121917380,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Before sunrise - The best usa movie of the last 10 years?','\"It was one of the first films to bring the breakthrough of independants\"\"\r\n\r\nI\'ll let you expand on this. Steven Soderbergh\'s Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989) is the film widely considered to be the one which re-energized the indie community.','4613c3fb7fd60785fd6445c0b53f1c82',0,'','o8UfE5yn',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12108,2196,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1121917560,1,0,1,1,1,1,'gratefultiger','Re: Before sunrise - The best usa movie of the last 10 years?','yet to see it but will,but it will want to be bloody good to beat tod solondz\' \"happiness\" the one i rate the highest in the last 10 years.i also rate L.I.E & Elephant.','54be7c4d54f807c02657afd41c36ff0d',0,'','F2Rezcdk',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12109,2196,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1121929080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Before sunrise - The best usa movie of the last 10 years?','Keep hearing about Happiness and have a friend that was going to force me to watch it, but well she\'s a bit of a slacker.\r\n\r\nAs for Before Sunrise I absolutely adore the film, and it may certainly be in contention as one of the best films from the previous decade. I enjoyed Before Sunset a lot, but it couldn\'t live up to the potential of Sunrise. Maybe it is reflective of my age, but I could see a lot of myself in these characters, and damn it\'s just great.\r\n\r\nWe had a similar debate on the last site, only the film in question was David Lynch\'s Mulholland Drive, which would certainly be a film to beat. I may in fact go for the opinion that Mulholland Drive is the best film of the past decade, but well as soon as I\'ll say that I\'ll change my mind.\r\n\r\nPerhaps a better argument could be a top ten or twenty, or even fifty. There have been some amazing films from America in this time, and I\'d say certainly better than most of the limited foreign releases that make their way here. Granted I only get to see a small fraction of the foreign films made, but the US just has them beat. I don\'t want to start pissing in the face of foreign admirers, because I too am one, but the last several years if I looked at my top tens, I\'d be surprised to find foreign films representing even half of the list.','5cb0e1fbcf8f008ddf243b7a824944e9',0,'','bFlWdt0E',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12110,2196,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1122941940,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Before sunrise - The best usa movie of the last 10 years?','Mullholand Drive was the debate about the best film of this decade, not the 90\'s \r\nAs for my Top Ten lists, some great american films just keep creeping in, and I don\'t know what to do. Probably watch more foreign films.','4b09ecab3698f3eff3001be719be3a77',0,'','a6bZFUKs',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12111,2196,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1122950520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Before sunrise - The best usa movie of the last 10 years?','Happiness had to get a mention didn\'t it, its one of those films that is repulsive in its honesty and truth, I\'ve seen it once and know it\'s a film I\'ll never watch again.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','378643c81a67e8125edca90b75842e6a',0,'','LXGCpnlv',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12112,2196,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123080540,1,0,1,1,1,1,'groom daniel','Re: Before sunrise - The best usa movie of the last 10 years?','I personally think Mulholland Drive is the best US film since the original Manchurian Candidate. I did like Before Sunset and its sequel. I\'m tempted to say that together they\'re greater than the sum of their parts, but the sequel was a little unnecessary and didn\'t stand on its own two feet. I also wish it hadn\'t told us so much of what we didn\'t see (and didn\'t need to see) in the first film. Nevertheless, both films were filled with moments that any scriptwriter would\'ve loved to have written, especially the record store scene in the first one (w/ the listening booth) and the fight in the car from Before Sunset (which was scarily good.)','c1bef9fed812c50aa3a4002ce7de5d59',0,'','oQaviwCP',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12113,2197,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1116297300,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','I Heart Huckabees - my take','I HEART HUCKABEES\r\n\r\nDirected by David O. Russell (2004)\r\n\r\nDavid O. Russell\'s I Heart Huckabees is designed to make you laugh and/or think but does neither. It is a strip mall full of over simplified ideas, a cinematic discount store in which everything is for sale: interconnectedness, nihilism, sex, environmentalism, meaninglessness -- you pays your money and you takes your choice. An across-the-board hip satire that spoofs all sides: liberal activists, French intellectuals, self-help groups, Zen Buddhism, right wing Christians, and big business, the film spares nobody but touches nothing, leaving everyone looking slightly ridiculous. In trying to play everything for laughs, Huckabees ends up being bull session fodder, a film that lacks a coherent point of view, has no payoff, and propagates the lie that the world is so complicated that one point of view is as good as another. \r\n\r\nIn the film, Jason Schwartzman is Albert Markovski, a nerdy environmental activist who heads a protest group called the Open Spaces Coalition, involved in trying to protect a patch of marshland from being bulldozed by the Huckabees department store chain. When Albert begins to question a series of coincidences in his life involving a tall Sudanese man (Ger Duany), he engages a pair of so-called \"existential detectives\", Vivian and Bernard to sort out the meaning of the encounters and provide direction in his life. Played by veteran actors Lily Tomlin and Dustin Hoffman, the detectives attempt to \"dismantle\" Albert\'s ego, telling him that everything in the universe is interconnected and that we all part of the same blankie, but all Albert can imagine doing is hacking off the limbs of his enemies as he lies in a zipped body bag. \r\n\r\nThe investigation of Albert\'s case turns out to require surveillance of every aspect of his life, including his bathroom activities and his professional relationship with Brad Stand (Jude Law), a corporate honcho for the Huckabees Department Store chain. The soulless corporation is one of Russell\'s targets and he has crafted its perfect spokespersons in Brad and his girlfriend Dawn (Naomi Watts), the corporate poster girl. Brad has already prevailed in taking over much of the land and now seeks control of the coalition itself, using a public relations smile and vague promises of a sponsorship deal that will produce environmentally friendly television spots with singing star Shania Twain. \r\n\r\nAs part of the training, Albert is introduced to another of the detective\'s clients, a depressed firefighter Tommy (Mark Wahlberg), whose wife has just left him because of his outspoken antagonism to the petroleum industry. Both try to fit the detective\'s philosophy into their experience but are so frustrated with the lack of results that they turn to a French intellectual, Catherine Vauban (Isabelle Huppert), looking for better answers. What Ms. Vauban has to say, however, in an obvious spoof of the French Existentialists, is that life is full of drama and suffering, a random occurrence of events without structure or coherence, amounting to little more than cruelty, chaos, and meaninglessness. The two conflicting philosophies wage a \r\ndetermined battle right to the final frame.\r\n\r\nIn I Heart Huckabees, Russell wants to show Hollywood that important questions can be dealt with in a film that also entertains and he deserves much credit for setting his sights high. Russell throws out a bunch of ideas, however, then rejects them all, setting up a false conflict between advocates of \"pure being\" and \"everything is meaningless\" in a flip treatment of subjects that may seem funny and clever to some but which, in this era of Bush II, many people take very seriously. All protagonists try to come to grips with their place in the world, but the characters are so dopey that you wonder if they would be able to figure out how to program a VCR, let alone unlock the secrets of the universe.\r\n\r\nWhile the film raises many important questions, it looks for answers in the wrong places and key questions are not posed. What does it mean to be human? How does one operate in life to produce the maximum satisfaction? Who is responsible for our experience? Rather than looking at their life and seeing what works and what doesn\'t, the character\'s search is only for an abstraction, a belief system they think will provide the key. Without a larger context in which to hold its ideas, however, the film becomes a purely intellectual exercise that lacks emotional resonance. Mr. Russell has said, \"Philosophy doesn\'t interest me, except in so far as it is practical and it makes you feel more alive. He should have heeded his own words. \r\n\r\nGRADE: B-','a0f0c6f2daf638ab548337b91f4c1daa',0,'','jJ3Dk1d6',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12114,2197,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1116339120,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: I Heart Huckabees - my take','Wow Howard you\'ve certainly gone in deep on this one, I just took it as an off the wall comedy which (as you say) \"spoofs all sides\" guess I\'ll have to watch it again.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','b034d15829994fc688d267a066aa8373',0,'','LEuQeiqb',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12115,2197,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1116875880,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','Re: I Heart Huckabees - my take','That was just my experience. I took it the way I took it and it rubbed me the wrong way.','24e20970f811102b6a5f40fb128aa919',0,'','gqH9pLkc',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12116,2197,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1117123560,1,0,1,1,1,1,'mikevan9','Re: I Heart Huckabees - my take','the film spares nobody but touches nothing...\r\n\r\nThat was exactly my experience. I don\'t if any of you have read Sharon Waxman\'s \"Rebels from the Backlot,\" which profiles directors such as Russell, PTA, Tarantino, Jonze, Fincher, Soderbergh. But it sounds like I Heart Huckabees fits Russell\'s personality (a little crazy, interested in ideas, etc.). But that makes me wonder if he\'ll ever fulfill his promise. I\'m a big fan of Three Kings and laughed a lot through Flirting With Disaster, but Huckabees makes me wonder if he\'s ever going to do something again that he truly cares about (like Three Kings).','87c656d794d6df6def0ba86f18b580e4',0,'','pWfQuaNB',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12117,2197,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1117135380,1,0,1,1,1,1,'howardschumann(d)','Re: I Heart Huckabees - my take','I also liked Three Kings very much but was disappointed in Huckabees. I don\'t know anything about Russell but that book sounds interesting.','1c96493c74a91acfcab843ffad35da25',0,'','6bwGkuMh',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12118,2197,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1120871760,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: I Heart Huckabees - my take','I\'m also on the liked Three Kings very much camp, and I\'ve enjoyed Flirting with Disaster (though it wasn\'t that good), but I missed Huckabees in Cinema. I\'m curious though, because of lots of mixed reviews. But my expectations are maybe too high, as I\'m waiting for an even better film than Three Kings from Russell.','f01ce316cdcbdd761296c8744248c20b',0,'','BU9EVTCP',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12119,2198,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1200576060,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Easy Rider (1969) - Dennis Hopper','Several years can change a lot. I first saw Easy Rider when I was about 12 and my chief complaint was it didn\'t have enough nudity. Several years later I decided to revisit it when I was obsessed with the AFI\'s 100 Movies list and I found the film loathesome and detestable. 95 minutes of hippies talking out of their ass with one of the screens most anti-climatic endings. I was actually infuriated with the film. Since then I\'ve read a lot about the film thought about it and its significance, changed my stance somewhat regarding hippies and the road movie in general and thought I need to revisit it. Somehow with nothing new to present I found myself transfixed by the picture. Not in a \"This film changed Hollywood\" sort of way but as a film in and of itself. One that is dated yet timeless.\r\n\r\nHearing the lackadaisical audio commentary from Dennis Hopper it was remarkable how much has changed since the film was made. The then revolutionary soundtrack came about because those were songs playing on the radio when Hopper was editing the film. In 1969 all you needed was the artist\'s permission to use their music. Hopper spent nearly a year editing the film because they never actually ran dailies. Hopper\'s original cut was reportedly well over the three hour mark and my guess was that it just made the already heavy hippy talking go on for another 90 minutes or so. For commercial purposes it was a great move to trim the film drastically. Hopper had less restraint on his next film American Movie which was a box office disaster and kept Hopper from directing for nearly a decade.\r\n\r\nThe film is almost a backwards western. Considered outlaws they trade their horses for \"hogs\" and Hopper very appropriately named his two leads Wyatt and Billy after Wyatt Earp and Billy the Kid. They aren\'t lawless bandits who rob stagecoaches but deal drugs. Instead of whiskey and chewing tobacco they smoke grass and sell cocaine. Other than sampling the merchandise our two heroes largely refrain from the white powder and almost seem to condemn alcohol when George Hanson (Jack Nicholson) appears. However Hopper brings up an interesting point in the commentary, that this was pretty much the first time people smoked marijuana in a film and didn\'t go out killing nurses. \r\n\r\nWhat makes the film interesting may make it seem cliche. Dennis Hopper was very innovative in his editing. Non-linear editing was well recognized in European films, but was largely unseen in American movies. Hopper mixes 16mm footage, flash forwards, jump cuts, and all kinds of devices. The highlight of the film when I was 12 and when I\'m 24 is still the acid trip post Mardi-gras graveyard sequence. Its hard to even describe the sequence to someone who\'s never seen the film. Hopper\'s intention was naturally to make us feel like we were taking a \"trip\" and with the blurry and abstract images and the ultra-fast voice over I for one feel like I\'m about to \"freak out\". It comes at an opportune time, because the picture quickly wraps up afterwards and it serves largely as the climax. A physical consummation of their journey. Although an amalgam of the American Dream, Wyatt sees them as failures. Somehow they lost what it\'s about.\r\n\r\nThe ending may seem abrupt and shocking, but watching the film again I realized how blatantly it is foretold. The message may be that people are scared of freedom, and Billy seems completely clueless to this. The greatest indicator was when George was beat to death not more than thirty minutes before Billy and Wyatt receive a similar fate. Keeping in mind the time frame (principal photography was done in 1968) these violent confrontations don\'t seem like a disappointing end so much as a logical conclusion. Real prejudice that certain cast members faced shooting on location would attest that these conflicts were very much a reality. The abrupt end of music when the two are shot creates a serene ambiance.\r\n\r\nThe film was a success as everyone knows and what is even more remarkable is that it was nominated for an Oscar for best original screenplay and Nicholson for best supporting actor. The screenplay nomination is completely a shock considering how much of it was improvised and how little actual plot there is, perhaps it was an Academy concession to acknowledge something that people actually liked. Unfortunately for some this film would be bastardized rather quickly. Although made as a cheap motorcycle movie its success made Hollywood take notice of the youth culture, but only with the idea of how to exploit it. Few would argue that the quality of American cinema in the 1970s was extraordinary but I\'d say few if any films are as charmingly imperfect. So much is based on mood and it created a minor revolution in film aesthetic.','56d638f8a86cce29991e058b1b4c3212',0,'','kjNSbBRW',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12131,2200,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1184818080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Soviet Cinema Classics','.','5058f1af8388633f609cadb75a75dc9d',0,'','bj8GJyoZ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12132,2200,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1184818560,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Soviet Cinema Classics','CLEAR SKIES (Soviet Union / 1961)\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe fact that war features prominently in Soviet filmmaker Grigori Chukhrais early works shouldnt come as a surprise. Chukhrai, who was born in 1921 in Militopol, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, honorably served as a paratrooper during W.W.II, meriting numerous military honors for his courage (he was severely wounded on a number of occasions during this process). After returning from the war in 1946, Chukhrai entered Moscows famous State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK), where he studied under the likes of Sergei Yutkevich and Mikhail Romm. Upon graduating in 1953, Chukhrai decided to go to Kievs Dovzhenko Studios to work as an assistant, but later returned to Moscow and Mosfilm Studios to direct his debut feature, The Forty-First (1956), a Russian Civil War parable in which a no-nonsense Red female sniper falls for a White POW and is later forced to choose between her ideologies and love. Winner of a Special Award at Cannes 57 \"for original script, humanism and poetics,\" the film is distinguished by its exquisite desert vistas, courtesy of the renowned cinematographer Sergei Urusevsky (who went on to cement his name in cinema history with such remarkable films as The Cranes are Flying [1957] and I Am Cuba [1964]). \"A vehemently original, beautiful, humorous, patriotic, sentimental journey through war-churned Russia\" (Time), Chukhrais second, and arguably his best, effort, Ballad of a Soldier (1959), garnered the prestigious Lenin Prize along with winning a number of top awards on the festival circuit. This surprisingly propaganda-free film even fetched Chukhrai and his co-writer Valentin Yezhov an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Writing, Story and Screenplay.\r\n\r\nChukhrais third feature, Clear Skies (Chistoe nebo) -- a dynamic and affecting war-time melodrama -- holds significance due to the fact that it was one of the very first films to deal with the repressive post-W.W.II era under Stalin. Made during the brief period referred to as \"thaw,\" in which Nikita Khrushchev denounced Stalin and attempted to restore order, the film opens in an almost fairy-tale fashion as we witness a spirited teenage girl, Sasha (Nina Drobysheva), and her mature older sister (Natalya Kuzmina) playing the games of love and chance with the opposite sex. It isnt long though that war gets declared, and the latter is evacuated to another city. Once the duos father is called up for duty, Sasha is left alone and is forced to fend for herself . One night, while hiding in an air-raid shelter, she comes across an off-duty military pilot, Aleksei (Yevgeny Urbansky, who had a small role in Ballad), she used to idealize, and hesitantly decides to make a pitch for him. Romance ensues but tragedy strikes once Aleksei goes missing and is presumed dead.\r\n\r\nPlaying a character who in many ways is just as strong and doggedly determined as that of Izolda Izvitskaya\'s Maryutka from The Forty-First, Drobysheva gives a wonderful performance, especially in the second half of the film as she raises a child by herself and refuses to compromise her principles. And it is at this point that Chukhrai initiates his political agenda: in one sequence, Sasha gets photographed for a newspaper as a satisfied and enterprising factory worker even though the reality couldnt be farther from the truth. But more importantly, the matter is related through the predicament which arises when a celebrated war hero makes his return home and is immediately scorned and marginalized and gets withdrawn from the Communist Party. \r\n\r\nWhile all the sentimentality could perhaps be grating at times, the film isn\'t shy about wearing its emotions on its sleeves, and thus offers a grand, full-bodied viewing experience. Perfectly symbolizing the calamity of war for everyone involved, Clear Skies\'s greatest sequence, which comprises of an onrushing train brimming with soldiers and their loved ones eagerly awaiting on the platform to catch a glimpse, is comparable to any found in Chukhrai\'s earlier efforts. The film won the Golden Star Grand Prize at the 1961 Moscow International Film Festival and was later honored in the U.S. at San Francisco. By most accounts, Chukhrai only directed four more features over the next forty years. He died in Moscow in 2001 at the age of 80.','a94a6a848eaab2de1a21efe0c63c5c45',0,'','KrXqjlFN',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12133,2200,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1185007140,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Soviet Cinema Classics','DVD Info :\r\n\r\nAvailable in the U.S. from Kino International/Ruscico. Extra features include a pertinent video featurette, Death Camp, along with filmographies and photo albums.','923ab598cd253cdde945736a3cd0f8ec',0,'','7HynQpds',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12134,2200,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1185062460,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Soviet Cinema Classics','Hopefully I\'ll get a chance to see this one soon.','f98466b8f33f88e58dce2ed99c852671',0,'','KvPVQLdR',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12135,2200,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1185084480,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Soviet Cinema Classics','Looking forward to your thoughts. And if you haven\'t already yet, also check out Chukhrai\'s Ballad of a Soldier (Criterion). I\'ve gotten the opportunity to watch a few post-war Soviet films recently; time-permitting, I\'ll add a couple more reviews.','8eb27d71b5a36306ead1039b544c65d0',0,'','pbistk5X',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12136,2200,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1185262500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Soviet Cinema Classics','I\'ve seen Ballad of a Soldier a few years ago. I\'m pretty good on silent Soviet films, and have been trying to work on more films from the 30\'s, so I\'ll eventually work my way up to this.','fc69c2c132c2f444fa143d3d4fc6df27',0,'','xW29LiQ5',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12137,2200,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1196304900,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Soviet Cinema Classics','Dziga Vertov\'s Enthusiam was just released on DVD, I hope to check it out soon and report back here.','df73ea811a355d251de5290a96dd6738',0,'','sCp4QyZo',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12138,2200,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1196324280,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Soviet Cinema Classics','That\'s true, but I\'d like to see the Edition Filmmuseum release which contains both the restored and the unrestored versions of the film, not to mention Peter Kubelka\'s documentary about the restoration process. A has discussed it here.','b6179eda65374a564cbdbef2bbb7531e',0,'','3m6snw04',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12139,2200,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1196330040,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Soviet Cinema Classics','Considering how little Vertov is available, I\'ll take what I can find.','2c74bc547ce4ba6e16b37f265895c028',0,'','Fs7Qn0Bf',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12140,2200,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1200378120,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Soviet Cinema Classics','Have you gotten the opportunity to watch Enthusiasm yet?','9edade07b9c3b8d541bee6556422cf55',0,'','BvNmRjY2',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12141,2200,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1200395400,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Soviet Cinema Classics','Yes I watched it about a month ago along with Three Songs About Lenin. I like the way the film tried to incorporate sound into the visual symphony, but ultimately couldn\'t feel as compelled by the craft as I had in The Man With the Movie Camera.','55a6a4b7543ed48063ba292477efe2ca',0,'','kWZjNTuU',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12142,2200,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1210832880,1,0,1,1,1,1,'tzarine','Re: Soviet Cinema Classics','For its images, Battleship Potemkin. \r\n\r\nUtterly memorable.','0c891347f04b2998b28de39cfa0a1531',0,'','kjquQisX',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12143,2200,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1210842840,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Soviet Cinema Classics','I couldn\'t agree more.','2dc26fa149a9ee9f6e4b49f10362a872',0,'','frQZuACU',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12144,2200,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1210847460,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Soviet Cinema Classics','I\'d like to watch it again (it\'s been about 7 years). Has anyone seen the recent Kino restoration of Potemkin?','782714edf3ceae7e004d64749085df02',0,'','8Gk2VtrJ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12145,2200,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1210995360,1,0,1,1,1,1,'tzarine','Re: Soviet Cinema Classics','I saw a horrible thing Eisenstein did about Mexico some years ago at the filmforum. It was so racist and I was laughing so loudly. People were looking at me like how dare you laugh at ? The narration was totally colonial & condescending about the bronzed bellies.','215c74df496f62e2c9e7d7f0aab95c46',0,'','ySnoRtdC',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12146,2200,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1211013780,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Soviet Cinema Classics','I assume you\'re referring to Que Viva Mexico? In the 1930\'s it wasn\'t uncommon for people to look at non-whites as cultural curiosities. From what I\'ve read the film was never properly completed, but it has been some time since I read an Eisenstein biography.','0c982726d74ac2c8568d38ec1cca60c0',0,'','yE28aeSk',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12147,2201,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1187172960,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','HG x 2: Hunger (1966) & Night Train (1959)','.','5058f1af8388633f609cadb75a75dc9d',0,'','vLVgktFs',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12148,2201,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1187230800,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: HG x 2: Hunger (1966) & Night Train (1959)','HUNGER (Denmark-Nor-Swe / 1966)\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBased on Norwegian Nobel Prize-winning scribe Knut Hamsuns landmark semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, Hunger (Sult) is an engaging and timeless effort about a starving artist who refuses to compromise his prideful dignity. Directed by Danish filmmaker Henning Carlsen, this Scandinavian co-production -- the very first between Denmark, Norway and Sweden -- is set in 1890 Kristiania (now Oslo), where we find our desolate protagonist, Pontus (Swedish actor Per Oscarsson), practically living in the streets. Emaciated to the point of near-incapacitation, Pontus is a writer, perhaps a great one, without a kroner to his name, but he refuses to disclose his dire predicament to a soul, and shuns those who gather so anyway and attempt to help. Carlsen strives to honor the fierce subjectivity of Hamsuns first-person novel, reportedly a 200 page interior monologue, with a uniform visual approach (Pontus vision becomes ours). While wandering the overcast streets, Pontus is smitten by a young bourgeois woman (noted Swedish actress Gunnel Lindblom) who also shows some interest in him. But even in his current state (and quite possibly due to its effects on his withering mental health), hes unable to fully grasp the social differences which exist between them, and thus ends up behaving irrationally. The films most moving moments are perhaps the rare occasions when Pontus adamant demeanor gives way to frustration -- he breaks down in a lonesome alley after struggling to devour a discarded bone. Primarily shot on-location in Old Oslo, Hunger appropriately features stark b&w cinematography (Henning Kristiansen) and an ominously repetitive score (late Krzysztof Komeda), both underlining the plight of its subject. But it\'s Oscarssons intense, Cannes award-winning performance which truly allows the film to reach a certain depth and definition.\r\n\r\n________________________\r\n\r\n*HUNGER premiered at Cannes \'66 (in-competition). DVD info to follow.','4cf75cf972650b51ed493dc7c6a21841',0,'','FBTiEXG4',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12149,2201,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1187232840,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: HG x 2: Hunger (1966) & Night Train (1959)','Well, as this post from Last Film Seen thread indicates, I should\'ve reviewed the film back in Sep, 06. Better late than never, I guess. But I did include the work in my 2006 DVD List. \r\n\r\nCredit goes to Project X, the company behind most of the recent Peter Watkins releases (all distributed via New Yorker Video), for bringing Hunger to our shores. The digitally-restored transfer is absolutely wonderful. Extra features include an insightful inteview with director Henning Carlsen, and a discussion between the multi-faceted Paul Auster and Regine Hamsun, granddaughter of Knut Hamsun.','17a31cc03d7452e025a3e077537729e8',0,'','6JyPbcQu',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12150,2201,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1187239020,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: HG x 2: Hunger (1966) & Night Train (1959)','Looks like another classic film I\'ve never heard of that I\'ll have to check out.','6f8fe4bcc3363b6b279ba55ad18ec380',0,'','skgmY3Zl',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12151,2201,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1187518920,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: HG x 2: Hunger (1966) & Night Train (1959)','NIGHT TRAIN (Poland / 1959)\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSet to an elegantly mysterious lullaby, strands of which accompany certain characters and images throughout the film, the opening overhead shot of a swarming train station ultimately proves to be a symbolic delineation of humanity itself, not to mention that of the society whose cross-section we encounter in our journey in Night Train (Pociag). Directed by the gifted and versatile Jerzy Kawalerowicz (Mother Joan of the Angels [1961], Austeria [1983], Quo Vadis? [2001] -- who, alongside the likes of Andrzej Wajda, Tadeusz Konwicki and late Andrzej Munk, is regarded as a one of the key members of the post-W.W.II Polish film movement -- this alluring, noirish effort concerns a handful of passengers in the sleeping car of a crowded overnight express heading for the Baltic Sea coast during the holidays. Conflict arises early as a couple of strangers selfishly end up vying for privacy. Jerzy (the late, great Leon Niemczyk, Knife in the Water [1962], Inland Empire [2006]), a seemingly distraught and unsettled individual, eventually agrees to share a cabin with a beauteous blonde named Marta (Lucyna Winnicka, Mother Joan of the Angels; Mrs. Kawalerowicz), who herself appears to be hiding a mystery in her soulfully resigned eyes (\"No one wants to love, everyone wants to be loved,\" she once muses). Referencing Hitchcock and Lang, the film subtly incorporates the disparate group of passengers, some still nursing the emotional wounds of the Second World War and the uncertain political period which followed, while others, a generation younger perhaps, are either looking for love or are inclined to flaunt their vengeful mentality (the opportunity for which emanates once its discovered that a wife-murderer, the news of whom were found in a newspaper article being read early on in the film, is riding on the train). Exquisitely shot in b&w -- the expressive lighting schemes are absolutely masterful, especially considering the spare, claustrophobic setting -- Night Train is an existential yet intimate gem which contemplates various pertinent concepts, including that of, as one character remarks, \"the modern disease, fear of anonymity.\"\r\n\r\n_________________________\r\n\r\n*The film won the \"Premio Evrotecnica\" award at the 1959 Venice Film Festival.','1e1f1eff8f32bf7362c169c5927a2535',0,'','zgs7LJRe',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12152,2201,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1187594580,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: HG x 2: Hunger (1966) & Night Train (1959)','Night Train is available on U.S DVD from Facets/Polart. The transfer is serviceable at best; same applies to the other facets (no pun intended; Polart is to blame). Extras include short biographies/filmographies of the director and a couple of the actors.','0bb7fed70fe49a0a4df64d8bec1d6fc6',0,'','pmJQb5Et',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12153,2201,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1199083500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: HG x 2: Hunger (1966) & Night Train (1959)','Mr. Kawalerowicz passed away on December 27 in Warsaw at the age of 85. The Cannes award-winning Mother Joan of the Angels remains the best I\'ve seen from him so far.','9d8ef43bde1c87fc94e25814c21247e5',0,'','5aUJ2Qhd',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12154,2201,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1199089680,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: HG x 2: Hunger (1966) & Night Train (1959)','Sad to hear, as far as I know, Mother Joan of the Angels is the only film I\'ve seen from him. I do have some Polish films on my list to check out, so that might be on the horizon.','2b35872401598801fb9bf53f36c75bca',0,'','NdxtzQBr',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12155,2201,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1199962740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: HG x 2: Hunger (1966) & Night Train (1959)','I just watched Hunger tonight and was very much drawn to the visual look of the film. The few fantasy/surreal sequences provided a great contrast. The film seems familiar but in a way I can\'t quite place. Per Oscarsson gives an endearing performance which has to work in order for the film to be remotely successful. Oscarsson looked a lot more familiar than he apparently was, I checked his filmography and I don\'t think I had seen another film with him, but that may change in the future.','a5b7c9621955ef415885e35951749309',0,'','mLENcG7g',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12156,2201,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1199967300,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: HG x 2: Hunger (1966) & Night Train (1959)','I believe he\'s better known for his theater and television work, at least at this point in his career. Carlsen briefly discusses him in the interview provided on the disc. A great performance, indeed (physically, he reminded me a little of Johnny Depp). I wonder if Carlsen made another film as accomplished as Hunger.','e3166a49bf588aaebfb81149b195b863',0,'','HhPC68Mr',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12157,2201,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1200001140,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: HG x 2: Hunger (1966) & Night Train (1959)','Maybe I just assumed every Swedish actor as in an Ingmar Bergman film.','97c7cc21bd862817cd7876ba0cbf81c1',0,'','PQdx816K',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12158,2201,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1200025440,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: HG x 2: Hunger (1966) & Night Train (1959)','Bergman of course also did a lot of stage work, and if I remember Carlsen correctly, he was featured in his productions. Lindblom, on the other hand, was certainly part of Bergman\'s troupe for a short period of time. She also appeared in such films as The Virgin Spring, Winter Light and The Silence.','ce227d9914ece4ff7bdf4cc0148a34e8',0,'','mNdFe87R',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12159,2202,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1199664300,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','The Marx Brothers','Animal Crackers (1930) - Victor Heerman\r\n\r\nChaos is the best word to describe the Marx Brothers in particular their Paramount films. Animal Crackers, like The Coconuts was originally a stage play and the four brothers came to the film having performed it for months. The result is a film that besides the basic plot constraints seems like it was made up on the spot. Extras and supporting players noticeably laugh in scenes and there is so much in the script that even after a couple of viewings you won\'t catch it all. The film was directed by the largely forgotten Victor Heerman who only directed one more film after this, although he continued to work as a screenwriter along with his wife. Heerman didn\'t seem particularly well suited for the Marx Brothers and legend has it he built a jail on set with four cells for each of the Marx Brothers if they happened to get out of line during the shooting. Whether or not those cells were used is another matter.\r\n\r\nPlot is largely inconsequential in any of their films and the story is routinely done away with. A very weak story involving a starving artist who paints a forgery of a painting that winds up being stolen and replaced by another forgery. Groucho plays Geoffrey Spaulding a famous explorer who recently returned from Africa which he describes as \"God\'s country, and he can have it\". Little evidence that Spaulding is an explorer and actually went to Africa exists and constant holes in his story appear. Chico plays a musician who although a blatant thief at least does have enough musical ability to pull off his story. Harpo is ironically referred to as the professor and he\'s just there to ruin everything. Zeppo is Groucho\'s secretary and although he\'s given a few moments is largely kept off screen. Margaret Dumont plays her typical role as Groucho\'s punching bag. When Spaulding first meets her he remarks \"You\'re the most beautiful woman I\'ve ever seen, which isn\'t saying much for you.\"\r\n\r\nNow its quite possible to sit here and quote the film to death and most of the lines are memorable. Playing this on stage gave the brothers a sense of their audience, and you feel like they\'re performing for us as well as the people on the set. Heerman, despite his differences was fairly smart in his directing. Most of the scenes play out in one long take (particularly the Harpo and Chico bridge scene) and you can debate how he handles the extras. There are a few cutaways during scenes, and whatever character occupying the background usually just stands their smiling or more accurately trying not to laugh. However the film largely feels like a stage play brought to film with little to no alteration. The brothers make the film worthwhile and the anarchy is always worth the price of admission.','6963f70afe0939ce7d3434bac0f5b7eb',0,'','eowR3AfZ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12160,2202,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1199878140,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: The Marx Brothers','Monkey Business (1931) - Norman Z. McLeod\r\n\r\nAfter two stage to screen translations Paramount decided to make their next Marx Brothers vehicle specifically for the screen. The result is a much more open and expansive film, with several set pieces and a lot more breathing room. They may also have had an idea to make Zeppo Marx into a romantic idol. Zeppo gets his most screen time here by far, playing in essence himself, the one and only sane member of a rambunctious family. Although it isn\'t mentioned that they are related here, all four of the Marx brothers begin as stowaways on a ship, and the credits list all of them by their names so none of them are playing fictional characters. It really is starring The Marx Brothers. I\'d wager to say that at least considering their original work no film of theirs puts the brothers as such a group. They work together to achieve a common goal, and although temporarily put on different sides of a feuding gang war, they wind up working for the good guy, sort of.\r\n\r\nThe formula was significantly tweaked in this film, Groucho found a new romantic foil in Thelma Todd a woman worth pursuing because of her looks if nothing else. Zeppo found himself a more convincing and straight laced love affair with Ruth Hall, the daughter of the one time racketeer. As he plays his end fairly straight and getting into a knock down, drag out fist fight at the end to rescue his love, the rest of the film is more chaos. The scenes on the ship are by far the best as the brothers make themselves a nuisance all over the place. When too much time is spent on the \"plot\" things get bogged down. Unfortunately these straight sub-plots had been with the brothers since the start, and would become an even greater disgrace in the MGM years. However the film was a success, and I think it may be due to all brothers getting an equal footing here.','ceb07c31ab580255a2e79990c6ae466f',0,'','9stp30y2',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12161,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123641840,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','The films of the great Japanese directors \r\n\r\nThree names synonymous with classic Japanese cinema, all very different from each other with their own style yet each in their own way masters of cinema and highly influential. \r\n\r\nMizoguchi, an extremely humanist director especially where the suffering of women was concerned. He created films of subtlety, simplicity but with so much depth, a large number of his films are set during Japans feudal period and deal with peasants, geishas and prostitutes rather than the grand scale epics that Kurosawa is renowned for. Seen by some as the greatest Japanese director of all time. \r\n\r\nOzu, famous for his static camera work, minimalist approach to plot and films about life and the family, also showing the changing face of post-war Japan, its only in recent years that his name and films have become better known in the West as the films were seen as being too Japanese for a Western audience. Thankfully more of his films are at last seeing the light of day. \r\n\r\nKurosawa, probably the most well known Japanese director in the world, from the Samurai epics like Seven Samurai through to Ran to the smaller scale of Ikiru and Dersu Uzula, Akira Kurosawa was lauded on the world stage far more than he was in Japan where he often had great difficulty raising the money for his next project. \r\n\r\nPlease feel free to add your own comments, reviews and criticisms to this thread. \r\n\r\nINDEX \r\n\r\nMizoguchi \r\n\r\nInsight to Mizoguchi by Johndav \r\n\r\nSansho the Bailiff (1954) - Review by wpqx \r\n\r\nSansho the Bailiff (1954) - further notes by Johndav \r\n\r\nOzu \r\n\r\nLate Spring (1949) \r\n\r\nEarly Summer (1951) \r\n\r\nTokyo Story (1953) \r\n\r\nThe Only Son (1936) - Review by johndav. \r\n\r\nGood Morning (1959) - Review by wpqx \r\n\r\nEnd of Summer/Early Autumn (1961) - Review by wpqx \r\n\r\nKurosawa \r\n\r\nThe Seven Samurai (1954) - Review by wpqx \r\n\r\nThrone of Blood (1957) - Review by wpqx \r\n\r\nIkiru (1952) - Review by wpqx \r\n\r\nRashomon (1950) - Review by wpqx \r\n\r\nRhapsody in August (1991) - Review by wpqx \r\n\r\nRhapsody in August (1991) - Review by Howard Schumann \r\n\r\nStill to come. \r\n\r\n\r\nFor other sections of Japanese Journals, please use the links \r\n\r\n1.General \r\n\r\n2. Kurosawa, Ozu & Mizoguchi - The Classics \r\n\r\n3. Kitano, Tsukamoto & Miike - The Modern Cult Directors \r\n\r\n4. Anime \r\n\r\n5. Horror & Ghost Stories \r\n\r\n6. Jidaigeki (Chambara) \r\n\r\nCheers Trev','81b6b6d7f55c6fcaaef5cdd30c0bd22b',0,'','omyhbk6X',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12162,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123699260,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Here\'s a slightly dated review I did of Sansho the Bailiff. Just wanted to contribute something to this.\r\n\r\nAlmost as fierce a debate as who Japans greatest director is, is what particular film is the best of each said director. The big three (Kurosawa, Ozu, and Mizoguchi) contrast sharply in style, and their films are all in their own world, but the debate as to who the auteur supreme is, still continues. As for Mizoguchi his style was elegance. No other director used such beautiful scenery to contrast such horrible suffering. It is also safe to say that no one suffers quite like someone in a Mizoguchi film. Sansho the Bailiff is rank with suffering, the cruelty of man, and some of the best cinematography youll ever find.\r\nOne of the present themes in Sansho the Bailiff is good luck followed by incredible bad luck. A prime example comes when Tamaki (Kinuyo Tanaka), her two children and their maid are traveling to meet her husband. They meet a priestess who offers them food and shelter, and arranges for their travel plans. They are grateful for her help, but then the trick is played. After this kind gesture from this woman they are separated and sold into slavery, the children to the cruel Sansho (Eitaro Shindo) and Tanaka to a brothel.\r\nThis sets up the other present theme, which is that the world may be a cruel place, but there are people who care and will help. In many ways this may be Mizoguchis most humanistic film. From the advice of Masauji Taira (Masao Shimizu) we are given the message of the film. It is that Man without mercy is not a human being. Be tough on yourself, but merciful to others. Zushio (Yoshiaki Hanayagi) tries his best to live up to those words, but for a time forgets their meaning.\r\nIt is hard to describe ones feeling about the film. I may admit to not having a heart beat, because I couldnt really feel for these people. Mizoguchi bombarded us with too much misery that it becomes hard to swallow. It is nowhere near as extreme as Life of Oharu, arguably the most pessimistic film ever made, but it is hardly light hearted. The most effective scene in the film is the reunion between Zushio and his mother. The reason this becomes effective is because the film lets up a little before. Zushio escapes and becomes Governor. He frees the slaves and things are getting on track. He is dealt one more blow by finding of his sisters (Kyoko Kagawa) suicide, but since we already knew about it, the effect has already been made. This primes us for a very touching conclusion that should still move you even if the two hours preceding it failed to.\r\nMy only complaint is that one more bit of the world is a horrible place was thrown in. I ask for what reason Tamaki had to go blind? It couldnt have been enough that she suffered so, lost her family, was sold into prostitution, and was living a life of exile. On top of that she had to have lost her eyesight. This seems manipulative, and I offer it as proof that the film is clearly melodrama. With any melodrama though, the way to enjoy it is to accept it as such. Mizoguchi worked well in melodrama, and as long as you know what to expect, you can have a lot of fun with it.\r\nMizoguchis directorial style makes sitting through any of his films worth the time. Sansho the Bailiff was made as Mizoguchi was approaching his creative and commercial peak. Ugetsu was making him internationally known, so he had all the confidence necessary walking into this film. He also had the benefit of a couple dozen movies behind him. The camera does move here, but not in a ridiculous obvious way. It has a graceful presence. It tracks when it needs to, but primarily keeps its distance. It never gets closer than a medium close up in the entire film, and that is only during the reunion.\r\nBy keeping his distance it forces us to notice the composition. Since the thirties Mizoguchi had been a master at staging in depth, and this film is no exception. He keeps all planes in focus, and it is like watching a separate film paying attention to what is in the background. Keeping with the fluidity is a nearly unified use of dissolves. The pattern is to have a simple cut within a scene, but nearly every transition is done via dissolve. A dissolve always has a more graceful effect than a cut, and considering Mizoguchi is one of the most fluid directors, this fits his style perfectly.\r\nMusic is never really a focal point of Japanese films, and Mizoguchi nearly does away with his score completely. The most memorable bit of music comes from Tamakis song, heard throughout the film, although always sung without the aid of music. The reunion is a prime example of a scene shot with no music. It is only as the camera returns to the establishing shot of the sea that the score comes on to cue the end title. That moment is very well the only noticeable use of music in the film, and it does the job of hammering home that powerful moment. Mizoguchi is wise to keep music out of the reunion dialogue. It is too easy to use a dramatic score to highlight a poignant moment in a film, but Mizoguchi knows that this scene is powerful enough, and his style is not manipulation. Unlike Hitchcock, he seems to respect the intelligence of his audience, and lets us experience one of his film, without ever feeling overwhelmed by style or craft.\r\nI cant say that this is his best film, or a flawless masterpiece. Sure there are many great films that are flawed, but I lacked the emotional impact I felt was necessary. Perhaps if Mizoguchi had been a little more manipulative, it might have worked, but it seems that his greatest asset looks like his greatest fault. So Ill respect the effort, but for now resign myself to the fact that this film is a damn good film, but not exactly a masterpiece.','8664669394631de3e8f1090baa236f6e',0,'','LWZCM7VT',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12163,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123702020,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Wow, great start wpqx, I\'m glad somebody else covered this one. My collection is a bit short on Mizoguchi\'s films, only three and I haven\'t seen Sansho Dayu for a long time.\r\n\r\nI\'m making a start with the Noriko trilogy from Ozu.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','6fa655699b9d4c85553f7a625b44f786',0,'','Gm508s3N',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12164,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123762320,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Banshun (1949) Late Spring \r\n\r\nDirected by Yasujiro Ozu\r\n\r\nStarring Setsuko Hara, Chishu Ryu\r\n\r\nThe first of the films that have become known as the Noriko Trilogy is centred on a father, daughter relationship. Noriko is 27, single and more than happy to stay that way preferring to spend her time looking after her widower father. Pressure mounts on her to get married, from her auntie and her friends but her love and care for her father is far more important to her than to get married just because of her age. Its only when her father tells her hes thinking of remarrying that she finally caves in to the pressure, meets an arranged date set up by her auntie and agrees to marriage.\r\n\r\nThats the basic simple plot but there is so much going on throughout the film, so many tiny moments, understated but clearly understood. Noriko for the most part has a smile that at times is very natural but at other times is clearly a mask to cover up her true emotions. Her father who at first appears to depend on her for everything is clearly a clever man who dearly loves his daughter; enough for him to be deceptive to give her the final push she needs to start her own life, even though it means he wont have her company and care anymore.\r\n\r\nCentral to the film is a long segment that is the pivotal point for Noriko and her relationship with her father, they attend a Noh performance during which Noriko notices her fathers attention being taken with a widow, simple smiles and gestures are enough (on top of her aunties comments) to make her realise that her fathers life wont fall apart if shes not around.\r\n\r\nAnother point which is a regular feature of Ozus films, the modernisation/westernisation of post-war Japan, at home, Norikos father dresses in traditional robes but when he goes to work in Tokyo, he wears a suit and hat, many of the signs are for American businesses and are in English. Theres a moment when Noriko goes for a bicycle ride with her fathers assistant along a barren coastal road, there in the middle of nowhere is a post with a Drink Coca Cola advert, now of course that would be great product placement but that certainly wasnt Ozus intention.\r\n\r\nA great example of Ozus work where the performances are paramount to the storyline.\r\n\r\nInteresting point You would think the pressure of getting married by a certain age would be a product of the past but many women in Japan and China are still (usually by their families) expected to follow this centuries old practice or be seen as failures.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev\r\n\r\nBBFC rated PG','7efc5885083a40ca21bb83bdae3f5ef0',0,'','XSxu1Ebe',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12165,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123783080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','I\'m assuming we\'re not rating these films, because well they\'d all be pretty damn high. What I remember most about Late Spring was the fact that it contained what I believe to be the longest tracking shot ever in an Ozu film, following the father and daughter along a walk outside. I remembered thinking at the time (damn Ozu\'s camera moved!) Great film in general, and widely considered one of Ozu\'s finest accomplishments. I was able to get a DVD import of it, considering nearly every other part of the world is more evolved in their Ozu collections. But of course once you break down and buy the film imported, then Criterion will announce it\'s release (at least that\'s my current belief whenever contemplating buying an import). Speaking of imported DVD\'s I have one of Life of Oharu, and I haven\'t watched it (other than to see if it works), so I might have to drag that out in the near future. Just to warn you I wasn\'t wild about Oharu the first time I saw it, so no promises I\'ll be kind to it.\r\n\r\nI also have rather detailed reviews of Seven Samurai, Ikiru, Throne of Blood, Rashomon, and Good Morning on my old computer, which if I can retrieve it, I\'ll make sure to add them.','f810692320b08256f36fc1ffc57dd2d2',0,'','XGWJ2Uyn',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12166,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123816980,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Bakush (1951) Early Summer \r\n\r\nDirected by Yasujiro Ozu\r\n\r\nStarring Setsuko Hara, Chishu Ryu\r\n\r\nNow this is bizarre, you make three unconnected films, each with the same actress playing a character whose name each time happens to be Noriko. To complicate matters even more, the actor who played her father in Late Spring is the same actor who plays her older brother in Early Summer!\r\n\r\nThree generations of a family live in the same household on the outskirts of Tokyo, parents, their adult son and daughter, their daughter in law and two grandsons. Despite the fact that the son is a doctor and their daughter Noriko is a P.A money always seems to be tight and after a visit from an elderly uncle the parents decide that once Noriko is married off theyll retire to a small town and leave the house in the care of the son and his family. Efforts are made to find a match for Noriko but in the end and without her familys consent she finds her own future husband.\r\n\r\nA very simple plot but there are problems compared with the other two Noriko films (Late Spring and Tokyo Story), things just dont seem to gel as well, there are too many central characters vying for attention and most without enough depth. A lot of the more interesting characters are on the sidelines; the uncle who pretends to be deaf when confronted with the grandchildren. The two grandsons, the elder is very abrupt and is an overpowering influence on the younger one. Even Noriko herself doesnt seem that strong a character until towards the end when she takes her future into her own hands in defiance of her brother and parents who under normal practise would have more say in her marriage plans. \r\n\r\nIf anything, that is the message of the film, women can become empowered and make their own choices, a message that is just as potent in Japanese society today as it was in 1951.\r\n\r\nI lost count of the number of times the camera moved in Early Summer, quite an extraordinary event in any of Ozus films.\r\n\r\nA classic ensemble piece with some nice comedic touches, just not up there with the best.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev\r\n\r\nBBFC rated PG.','d3b9dc2f953fcdf6766db4cf4c465de5',0,'','Jhi93ZNA',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12167,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123818660,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','\"I also have rather detailed reviews of Seven Samurai, Ikiru, Throne of Blood, Rashomon, and Good Morning on my old computer, which if I can retrieve it, I\'ll make sure to add them.\"\r\n\r\nOkay I\'ll do my best to ignore these for now, I\'ve got quite a few other films to get through and hopefully others will contribute as well.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','602aaa7df8fa03f8e8bccdf893934b9c',0,'','XP0FWjxg',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12168,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123821300,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','I actually like Early Summer more than Tokyo Story and Late Spring, but who knows different tastes I guess.','91b97779343da52b61736f6d22312465',0,'','tUYbXAQp',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12169,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123827480,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Geez, Trev. I didn\'t realize that you were ready to rock n\' roll here. Some fine reviews from you and wpqx. I\'ll certainly contribute when I visit these films again. I guess it\'s okay if one film has a couple of reviews.\r\n\r\nI\'d hate to pick the best of Ozu since they\'re so similar in style and content. But if was forced to I\'d have to go with Tokyo Story. (It sounds cliched, doesn\'t it?) Where is Naruse?','d9172069b4eef5f760a6fbc32f8498b6',0,'','qUxaoCAu',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12170,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123840500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','wpqx \"I actually like Early Summer more than Tokyo Story and Late Spring, but who knows different tastes I guess.\" \r\n\r\nFor me the fact that minor characters overshadowed the major players plus the effort of trying to keep up with all the other characters who just seemed to pop in and out with no understanding of why? detracted from the overall impact. \r\n\r\nI love the intimacy of Late Spring and the cohesion of Tokyo Story but the fact that I\'ve seen both of the others a few times whereas I\'ve only seen Early Summer once may affect my overall judgement. \r\n\r\nThe more opinions on these films the better especially as an insight for those who haven\'t seen them.\r\n------------------------------------------------------\r\n\r\narsaib4 \"Geez, Trev. I didn\'t realize that you were ready to rock n\' roll here. Some fine reviews from you and wpqx. I\'ll certainly contribute when I visit these films again. I guess it\'s okay if one film has a couple of reviews.\"\r\n\r\nThanks arsaib4, wpqx set a high benchmark for the thread and I feel that whereas with a new(ish) film brief comments often suffice just to give people a taster, with these older films we can expand on that. I\'d like to see a few comments for each film, they can easily be linked together on the index page, just don\'t expect me to write to the high standard I have come to expect from you, wpqx and others. \r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','f710b2e96e0ad8c98d8a57911cbc42a7',0,'','JnjoLlYv',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12171,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123841460,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Tokyo Monogatari (1953) Tokyo Story\r\n\r\nDirected by Yasujiro Ozu\r\n\r\nStarring Chishu Ryu, Chieko Higashiyama, Setsuko Hara\r\n\r\nRated by many as Ozus best, again the simple plotline belies the depth of this film but it is without a doubt a classic in every sense of the word.\r\n\r\nNone of his other films touch on the change and division of old and new Japan quite so profoundly as this one. Shukishi together with his wife Tomi travel from their hometown to visit their middle class offspring in Tokyo, the problem is none of them have (or want to make) the time for them, they are too busy with their careers and lives to spare the time to show them the sights. Luckily their widowed daughter in law, Noriko makes time for them until their children pack them off to the hot springs. \r\n\r\nAfter returning to Tokyo they decide to head back to their hometown only for tragedy to strike, even then the eldest son and his wife cannot wait to get back to their busy lives in Tokyo. \r\n\r\nOzu was reflecting on the changing attitudes and way of life in Japanese society, the difference between the old couple and their children reflected changes happening everywhere. Modernisation, the hustle and bustle of City life and materialism all had an adverse affect on the family unit and is a problem that has affected most societies, certainly in the 20th Century. These changes are reluctantly accepted with an air of resignation in the film, things change and whether for better or worse there is little (if anything) that can be done about it.\r\n\r\nOverall, quite a melancholic film but one that doesn\'t hold even a touch of bitterness or anger, simply a highly recommended classic. \r\n\r\nCheers Trev.\r\n\r\nBBFC rated PG','d868fba960cf7c2833c0b6edc442ed68',0,'','oUHJC7hK',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12172,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1124648160,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Ok, great thread that has been started. Thanks for the good reviews. Ill probably have to contribute something in the future, but for now, i have no reviews on my PC on those three. And Ozu and Mizoguchi aren`t really available here in Germany, so it might take some time (read years) till I`ll see more of them. But you guys just continue, and Ill enjoy the reading.','55d97d869001cbca3ac9b14629210d37',0,'','cNPA2Y6G',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12173,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1135621440,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Johndav','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Well, a thread with the 3 best Ozu (that i\'ve seen anyway) and Mizo\'s peak! \r\n\r\nSansho: the use of sounds and music has a marvellous haunting quality, never for cheap effect that\'s for sure. Actually, Mizo had many dozens of films behind him by 54. For me, his most moving film, so wpqx view disappointing. Can a film with such a feeling for beauty, humane values, spiritual depth really be as pessimistic as you suggest? Like Tarkovsky, i think there\'s more an acceptance that there\'s more to life than simple happiness (so many corny Hollywood/crowd-pleasing endings!). And a reunion with mother- blind or not- is quite a compensation, especially given the importance of separation + longing throughout. I\'m sure Mizo himself would have loved such a reunion with his own mother who died when in his teens. Note Tamaki does miss Anju- not just joy at finding Zushio. Perhaps a personal element again with Mizo, as he hd such high regard for his sister. Is Tamaki\'s blindness really manipulative, laying on suffering too thick, or a means to deeper connections, emotional depth beyond the merely visual (recognition)? Sparing use of close ups in Mizo\'s later years, but he was now more comfortable for occasional power, than he\'d once been. His films are known for their graceful camerawork/ spatial exploration but again the moving camera had its purpose, he knew when stillness was crucial (Anju\'s death). Back to the level of pessimism; from my own perspective, a maternal reunion, under almost any cirumstances, would come pretty well top of the wishlist- so, as with all films, reactions are bound to be subjective! Oh, and not forgetting the overthrow of tyranny (revolution as well as Buddhist acceptance in the film!) and the redemption of Zushio\'s character. Pessimism? Nah!','bb4a5c0560173626fed8f6db14e93957',0,'','bGLxiXRv',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12174,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1135637700,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Thanks Johndav, I\'m expecting some input from you on this thread, indeed it would be very welcome.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','79d32ab05e5999bc525423a67848c52c',0,'','yZDJpl5a',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12175,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1135638480,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Watched \"Early Summer\" from Ozu recently, and I liked it slightly better than my other Ozu film \"Tokyo Story\". I think the camera movements in this one added to the film, and for me it was a very warm, more \"hearty\" film. Nice emancipation story, not quite a masterpiece for me, but very near.','e8ec2b1c32e80afdc05c6ee51c1e0351',0,'','68eHPtCu',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12176,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1135643280,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Johndav','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','David Bordwell\'s book Figures Traced in Light is excellent for study of Mizo\'s mise-en-scene, and makes point that Hou Hsiao Hsien has a lot more in common with Mizo than generally acknowledged. His debt to Ozu (more static camera, quiet dramas) widely recognised of course.\r\n\r\nThen Michael Kerpan makes useful observation about Ozu\'s frequent changes of camera position, if not movement between cuts, in Senses of Cinema article. May be obvious but needed saying. I like the little similarities and differences, variation on a theme, in Ozu films- the sea ending in Late Spring (i\'ve long thought ideal for an ending), beginning in Early Summer, train rides etc, different roles (e.g Ryu as older brother or father..), and i love that bike ride in Late Spring. One of the loveliest most joyful scenes in cinema, sets us up for a glowing romance, but things don\'t work out predictably...\r\n\r\nAnd finally there\'s been a book in English on Mizo; Mizoguchi and Japan by Mark le Fanu, well worth getting, though i\'ve not had time to digest it properly i must admit. His earlier book on Tarkovsky excellent too.\r\n\r\nClose-ups: Maborosi, another film- masterpiece actually- superficially very indebted to Ozu (focus on objects, off-screen space, stillness..) avoids close ups to the extent we hardly get to see female protagonist properly till quite some way into the film- a case of audience intimacy having to be earned, Far East expert Tony Rayns said. Apparently the film he admires most by Mizo, Straits of Love and Hate (i\'ve not seen), is notable for its avoidance of close ups. Le Fanu regrets this absence a little as he likes the striking close up in Osaka Elegy (made just before) for instance. Le Fanu agrees with me about Sansho as Mizo\'s crowning achievement, and his status.','59675cbe21b3893a521bd3a5bdb3254a',0,'','rjtpC8Vf',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12177,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1135644720,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Johndav','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','I like the little differences/ variations in Ozu, eg in this trilogy the sea ending in Late Spring/ sea beginning in Early Summer, train rides, Ryu as older brother or father etc. Tremendous actor. Love that joyous bike ride in Late Spring, sets us up for romance, but things aren\'t quite so predictable...\r\n\r\nDavid Bordwell\'s book Figures Traced in Light excellent for study of Mizo\'s mise-en-scene- makes point that Hou Hsiao Hsien (obviously indebted to Ozu) has more in common with Mizo than generally thought. And the avoidance of close-ups in Maborosi (another Ozu-indebted masterpiece) may owe something to Mizo too. Audience intimacy has to be earned, as Ton Rayns says. His Mizo favourite is Straits of Love and Hate, notable for lack of close-ups, regretted a little by Mark le Fanu in his book Mizoguchi and Japan- at last one on the great man, in English! His earlier one on Tarkovsky excellent too. He agrees with me on sky-high status of both directors\r\nand Sansho as Mizo\'s crowning achievement.\r\n\r\nMichael Kerpan makes useful observation in Senses of Cinema article on varied camera positions, (if only sparing movement between cuts), with Ozu; may seem obvious but needed saying. More varied than Hou (eg Flowers of Shanghai i thought was too static).\r\n\r\nJeez, what\'s happened? I was cursing the above message not appearing, so did it again, mindful of Trevor\'s wish, and it did appear after all!','e561e794da0f53c1224bf022d988f346',0,'','MyRnpWGA',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12178,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1135657920,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Johndav','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','A few more thoughts; not long back i saw a trailer for The New World, with a brief glimpse of s cene that immediately struck me as reminiscent of Anju going into the water in Sansho the Bailiff. Then i remembered Terrence Malick is a great fan of the film, in fact has directed a stage version- no doubt a homage, then.\r\n\r\nOne thing i\'d hoped a bit more of from Le Fanu\'s book was on Japanese art, woodblock prints etc, visual connections with Mizo\'s work, cos i\'m interested in trying to spot similarities. Harunobu (1725-70) has some fine diagonal compositions, Mizo a master of extremely (+ more) complex diagonals- incredible how his camera can smoothly lead from one beautiful deep arrangement to another (eg The Loyal 47 Ronin, among others). And the question of vanishing point v relaxed wandering eye of oriental art can be related to Western editing/close-ups v longer takes, more distant shots perhaps. Anyway, i love the delicacy of Hiroshige (19th century) prints, eg his series 100 famous views of Edo. Some striking foreground elements/framing devices in his work at times, i think may be worth linking to Mizo, eg 30\'s films like Sisters of the Gion covered by Bordwell in his book. Both are subtle masters. Might Hokusai\'s generally more dynamic, imposing compositions relate better to say Kurosawa\'s style? Or just shallow, fanciful thinking on my part? I\'d like some expert input on this subject.','08716bde94c393cb3411ed8a73a680b2',0,'','LRPQDu5d',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12179,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1143485580,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Still to come - please feel free to contribute.\r\n\r\nOzu\r\n\r\nThere Was a Father\r\nEarly Spring\r\nFloating Weeds\r\nEquinox Flower\r\nAn Autumn Afternoon\r\nEnd of Summer\r\nRecord of a Tenament Gentleman\r\nThe Flavour of Green Tea over Rice\r\n\r\nMizoguchi\r\n\r\nUgetsu Mongatori\r\nNew Tales of the Taira Clan\r\nStory of the Late Chrysanthemums\r\nCould really do with more.\r\n\r\nKurosawa\r\n\r\nYojimbo\r\nSanjuro\r\nRed Beard\r\nHidden Fortress\r\nRan\r\nKagemusha\r\nDersu Uzura\r\nHigh and Low\r\nThe Bad Sleep Well','3903d9100d5e807f348aeffb8b6b6a42',0,'','xJSgtTFn',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12180,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1143750540,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','I\'m sorry I wasn\'t able to get any comments (extensively) when I last saw The Bad Sleep Well. I\'m a little surprised that Kurosawa has nothing written on him yet, I figured his section would fill up mighty quickly. I have Rhapsody in August in my pile, so that will most likely be the first one I\'ll write about.','e4483c269c03a14786e29049a5d9de18',0,'','pWcnDE14',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12181,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144120680,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Pardon the amateurish quality of some of these reviews, many of them were written years ago, but I just feel Kurosawa needs something to start with.\r\n\r\nThe Seven Samurai (1954) - Akira Kurosawa\r\n\r\nThe beauty of a grand sweeping epic that we thought forever gone. The restoration of Seven Samurai in 1998 proved to be one of if not the greatest miracles of film. Since the initial American release of the film, the picture has been butchered. Enormous amounts of the film were cut, which resulted in a still unsuccessful film. Back was all its splendor and glory, and monstrously long running time. Like all the best epics though, this doesnt feel like three and a half hours.\r\n   It was a monster from the beginning. Akira Kurosawa had gone back to Toho, the MGM of Japan, and he planned to make his first real historical film. He also wanted to put to shame the other historical films that had been crowding Japan. He did just that making an all inclusive epic set in the 16th century. It follows the exploits of three groups of people. There are the farmers, the lower class peasants, with a somewhat honest profession. Then there are the bandits, the dishonest opportunists who prey off of the ill equipped peasants of the world. Then there are the samurai, the defenders of the earth, men of respect and integrity.\r\n   All of these groups though become interchangeable through Kurosawa. Toshiro Mifunes samurai is the best case. His parents were farmers, which means he could have easily picked up their trade. Yet they died at the hands of bandits. He wandered around and probably would have become a bandit, had they not murdered his family. So he ends up a samurai, the most undisciplined one, but the most eager, exciting, and admirable.\r\n   He has nothing in common with Takashi Shimuras head samurai. He is portrayed as next to Jesus in this film. He never makes a wrong decision, and it is no surprise that he is the first samurai approached by the farmers. Had he not been picked first the rest of the group may not have been formed. It is through his respect and dignity that he manages to round up another six master less samurai. Saint he may be, he is still a warrior, which means he does still kill.\r\n   The rest of the samurai have their own personalities, some of which are highlighted better than others. There is the youngest, who craves the adulation of the rest, and tries his best to be older than the rest. Throughout the film we watch him grow up, eventually becoming something of a man. Then there is the samurai who serves as his greatest inspiration. He is always one step ahead of his enemies, and the other samurai. Not surprising that Mifune ends up is slight competition with him, and tries to do what he does.\r\n   The basic plot is that a village of farmers are attacked every year and they have had enough. They hire seven samurai to help fight the bandits and protect them. Although greatly outnumbered, and promised nothing but three squares and the fun of fighting, the samurai accept. It is this that helps support claims that this is pro socialist. No one is motivated by money, other than the seemingly evil bandits, or capitalists. There is also the strength in numbers so common in communism. The farmers cant defend themselves alone. It takes the samurai to get them to work together, and proof that the individual is virtually powerless.\r\n   This may be refuted by the samurai being given personalities. They all have their own quirks and mannerisms. There are also a few farmers shown in detail. There is also the breakdown of the dream at the end when the farmers turn their back on the samurai, forgetting what they have done in order to concentrate on planting rice. Proof that eventually communism wont work. Either way, Kurosawa might not have had any political intentions in mind.\r\n   Not a moment of the film drags, even in the extended version. Kurosawa makes certain of this, keeping his shots short and proceeding. Lots of senseless dialogue is trimmed out, and a great deal is implied rather than shown. The battle scenes are all shown in great detail. They are fast and moving, in more ways than one. Before you know it this film will be over, so dont worry for boredom. Some people do still complain though, oddly enough preferring the John Sturges remake The Magnificent Seven (1960).\r\n   Over the years Seven Samurai has gradually been accepted as Kurosawas best film. Despite many great films to choose from, this still gets the most critical attention. The restored version brought about a whole new enthusiasm for the picture, and Kurosawa in general. Many leading critics consider it the finest Japanese film, and one of the ten greatest pictures ever made. High praise for an action film. Well that may be perhaps because this is more than that, as well as more than any one thing, historical picture, drama, or even comedy. It is everything at once, giving something grand for everyone.','38a98ae6e2399ac198b857c460260ae8',0,'','jraXvqxm',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12182,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144120740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Throne of Blood (1957) - Akira Kurosawa \r\n\r\n   There seems to be one path in art that must be traveled by everyone. That path is Shakespeare. Nearly every filmmaker has tackled the master at one point in time. Some, like Kenneth Brannagh and Laurence Olivier, have made their reputations on his work. Akira Kurosawa, the most Western Japanese director, was certainly familiar with his work. For nearly ten years he had wanted to adapt his Macbeth as samurai film. He knew just how everything would update, the only thing was someone else was one step ahead of him.\r\n   Orson Welles announced his own version of Macbeth in 1948, without samurais, but it was enough to have Kurosawa put it on the shelf for a while. When he had settled down to write the film, there was another setback. He didnt plan on directing it. Kurosawa was just writing the script for a younger director to handle. When the studio saw how expensive his picture would be, they didnt trust anyone else to handle the project. So finally in 1957, Akira Kurosawa set about to make Throne of Blood, his version of Macbeth.\r\n   Since his source is Shakespeare, many may think this his most Western film. The story may borrow from Shakespeare, but that is about it. The setting is changed to feudal Japanese history. The acting draws more heavily on the Noh than any other of his films. There is also an overwhelming spiritual essence to the film. Shakespeare wouldnt really deny that there were spirits out there, but Kurosawa uses Eastern mythology to blow up that element from the play.\r\n   Toshiro Mifune is our Macbeth. He delivers perhaps his finest performance here, as the easily inspired would be King. Lady Macbeth (Isuzu Yamada) is perhaps even more conniving here. While filming Kurosawa gave her a Noh mask. He told her to act, but to keep her face looking like that. So off went the eyebrows, on went the white makeup and that blank look. Imagine being told to deliver all your emotion with that expression. Somehow she pulls it off, and her performance is all the more remarkable for it.\r\n   The story is relatively the same. Two warriors repel a rebellion. On their way back, via that magic forest they encounter a witch (or fortune teller). She tells him that he will be king. They think shes bluffing as before, but she turns out to be right. Mifune now has the power and sets to living like a king. Like all men he is flawed and believes he is not. So he goes to the forest again. When he sees the witch she warns him again. This time saying he is safe until the forest moves.\r\n   Well we would all think he is pretty safe, because in the rational world, forests dont move. They dont, but theres a catch. An approaching army gets to the woods. This has served as the forts best defense. Following the paths will get you lost, and only the people under Mifune know their way around the place. So the army tries something new. They all chop down a tree. They then take the trees and use them as camouflage. In one of the most brilliant sequences in movie history, Mifunes own men turn on him and he is eventually bombarded with a sea of arrows.\r\n   This final sequence features the films only real close-ups. Kurosawa intentionally keeps his distance from Mifune. He doesnt want him to be identifiable. There are no point of view shots, and there is always space between the camera and him. It is only as he is dying that we get a close look at him. There is also a wonderful continuity in the picture. Like the fog during the final battle, this film seems to just float by. There are no distracting cuts. Everything is smooth, and there are great deal of dissolves here. Like Billy Wilder in Sunset Boulevard (1950), he tries not to make you notice you are watching a movie. \r\n   Kurosawa would return to Shakespeare for his final masterpiece Ran (1985). That story borrowed a little from Macbeth, but was closer to King Lear. Throne of Blood is not necessarily considered a true masterpiece from Kurosawa. It is yet to arrive on DVD. As for his historical films, Seven Samurai (1954), Hidden Fortress (1958), and Yojimbo (1961) are all far more popular. For those willing to hunt it down though they will not be disappointed. This may not be his best historical picture, it runs close to Seven Samurai, but it is certainly a masterpiece, that deserves the same recognition as his most popular films.','f71dddacaadc66e7862671363bc1cde8',0,'','sgyBXZrK',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12183,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144120800,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Ohayu/Good Morning (1959) - Yasujiro Ozu \r\n\r\nWell this may warrant a slew of tomatoes thrown at me, but in my opinion this is the best film Yasujiro Ozu ever made. Not at all the serious family drama of Tokyo Story (1953), but an extremely light hearted comedy. In fact this is the only film by anyone that I can truly describe as delightful. It seems silly to use the term feel good movie, but this is just that. Hard not to watch the movie with a large smile across your face the entire time. Again with Ozu is seems that everyone is part of one big family, some extended relatives, but the whole community always interconnected.\r\n   As for the plot, it is somewhat simple. Two boys want a television. After protest for it, their father tells them they talk too much. In retaliation both brothers decide not to say anything to anyone all day long. It goes on for a while, making the neighbors and their teachers confused about why they wont speak. Eventually their efforts pay off, and when another man in their complex gets a new job, they help him out by buying a TV. That is the gist of the plot, at least in terms of the very central characters. At first though this has all the makings of an ensemble picture. Whether it be the neighbors that have a TV, which all the neighborhood boys go to watch wrestling, or their English tutor and his mother, or just the other neighborhood children and their unique parents. \r\n   This is just a movie where everyone seems to win. The boys get their TV, the neighborhood parents reconcile once the boys start talking again, the unwillingly retired man gets a new job and makes a sale, and even the boys aunt and their English teacher seem to be falling in love. There are a few more little victories throughout, but there is one loser in the end. Ill leave the details of that one out of this review, especially considering the potentially disgusting nature of it. Dont misunderstand though, it is still the funniest moment in the film. \r\n   After an early dispute over misplaced dues, one mother thought that the other was holding a grudge, hence the reason why her children wouldnt speak to her. The boys have a game of passing gas every time someone pushes their forehead. It is under this pretext that Ozu saves the greatest laugh for, which should be seen rather than read. This practice is a little odd and is familiar to those who saw Ozus earlier I Was Born But . . . (1932). In this film a group of boys hold out there hand and whoever is pointed at has to lay on the ground and pretend to be dead. It doesnt make much sense, but hence why Ozu is the most Japanese of Japanese directors.\r\n   Although little of the film is laugh out loud funny, although some is, this is still a perfect comedy. As mentioned before, whenever not laughing there is still a smile on your face. I cant imagine any director capable of creating this much joy through a movie before. It is also impossible to state how much of a joy this is after a countless barrage of elaborate Japanese samurai films. This contemporary family comedy seems to be about the most radical departure possible from the work of the late Kenji Mizoguci. Nothing heartbreaking or sophisticated. Another perfect gem from the master of simplicity.\r\n   Ozu, as was typical, plays his cinema down. Every shot is a medium one, with almost no close-ups and nearly no distance shots. Everything is again shot at waste level, with no alternate angles. The camera is also stationary, planted in one spot for the duration of the shot. All these are trademarks of Ozu, who relied on simplicity to convey his message. If it might have been distracting, or boring before, it is perfect here. Accomplishing the goal of not even making us think were watching a movie anymore. Everything is too natural and seamless. \r\n   No other Japanese, and perhaps no other filmmaker period could quite understand and appreciate the family unit. He tackled this institution over and over again in his work. Occasionally as a drama, but then he would come out with a comedy. There isnt much different, as the characters are usually the same, and he certainly doesnt change the way he shoots. So stylistically this isnt anything special, but then again none of his films are. Occasionally you just need a picture like this to make everything relative again. Once again I must say, this is his masterpiece.','00ebafe63199e97814c9e36f2bea3147',0,'','BElqzdco',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12184,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144120860,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Ikiru (1952) - Akira Kurosawa \r\n\r\nWhile getting philosophical, Akira Kurosawa wondered what the world would be like without him, and what people would think of him. From there came the genesis for Ikiru, Kurosawas greatest contemporary film and most Japanese picture. It is the story of a man named Kanji Watanabe, played by Kurosawa regular Takashi Shimura in his greatest role, who finds he has six months to live. We then see what he does, and in the second half of the film, what others say he did.\r\n   Like Zhang Yimous To Live (1994), which is what Ikiru translates to in English, this film is truly moving and a little heartbreaking. This is quite a bit more subdued than Yimous film, which still had another forty years to wait before it was made. Whenever we know someone is going to die, and when that person knows we get a little affected. Watanabe is so pitiful, having wasted his whole life with nothing to show for it, that we immediately take pity on him. Kurosawa chooses to show nearly the entire first part of the film directly through Watanabes eyes. \r\n   Our narrator points out though that Watanabe has been as good as dead for the last 25 years. He has never missed a day of work, as a government worker, who does little else but stamp papers. He has a son that he doesnt quite understand, and a dead wife. Other than that he is completely alone. This all gets violently shaken up when he learns that he is going to die soon. At first he is terrified. Although he has done nothing for years, he is still scared to die. After a brief period like this he tries to cling to something, so he goes to his son. His son turns him out, and he doesnt even tell him he is sick.\r\n   Thankfully there is a girl at his office, who is even younger than his son. She is the exact opposite of Watanabe. She is alive in the fullest sense, and is nowhere near Watanabes perfect attendance. It exactly this that draws Watanabe to her. Yet he soon realizes that she cant simply exist for his entertainment. With no one left to turn to, Watanabe starts to look at his legacy. Wondering just what he is leaving behind. We are then brought back to an earlier scene. This involved a group of women trying to get a run down sump to be turned into a park or playground. They are directed to every office possible, eventually ending back where they started. It is this project that Watanabe decides to dedicate himself to.\r\n   Just as we here his resolve the scene stops. The narrator then tells us that he would be dead several months later. So no miracle cure or a regeneration of life by deeds. Yet there is something else. There is a story of someone trying to make good at the last minute. For the rest of the film, roughly forty minutes we are witnessing a memorial after his funeral. All the people who knew him then proceed to tell of his last days. In a series of flashbacks reminiscent of Citizen Kane (1941)we are shown the variances of truth similar to Rashomon (1950). \r\n   Ironically though, Kurosawa was yet to have seen Kane. Which means that the forty or so years people have been citing it as an influence on Ikiru have been lying. Proves the point that great minds think alike, or close to it. Unlike Kane, Ikiru starts to fall apart towards the end. The series of funeral guests get a little irritating and the whole ordeal goes on a bit too long. Supposedly this is how all Japanese funerals are, full of loud drunk praising of the deceased. Perhaps this is because it begins as something of an epilogue, but how many epilogues go on for forty minutes or more. The picture also loses most of its heart. \r\n   This second half does offer one saving grace though. In fact the finest sequence in the film, and perhaps the finest moment of any Kurosawa film. Once a police officer comes to return Watanabes hat, he tells of what he saw the night he died. The park was completed and it was snowing. First through the bars of the jungle gym, and from a slow pan around the park we see him sitting in a swing. Gently swinging, he is also singing the same song we heard earlier. A great sense of accomplishment on his face, and we are left knowing that he died happily. This is one of the most beautiful scenes in all of film, and this alone makes the entire film worth watching.\r\n   Although not as popular as Rashomon, Ikiru has come to be known as one of Kurosawas undisputed masterpieces. It is also deeply close to his heart. Tackling both modern Japan, and the problem identity and living, a common theme of Kurosawas. Like Rashomon this did win a few awards, and did quite well internationally again. Critically it was very well received everywhere, including Japan which was always notoriously harsh with their own art. Here is Kurosawa in a nutshell. His themes and his style in the forefront. A picture perhaps only he could have pulled off.','f8ccff6655dd0414af42613087589dad',0,'','XBlJK6qQ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12185,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144120920,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Rashomon (1950) - Akira Kurosawa \r\n\r\nFor many this was the first Asian film. At age 40, Akira Kurosawa introduced the western world to not only his work, and that of his country, but of an entire continent. The film that did it, would remain for years the most popular Japanese film, and truly among the most influential pictures ever made. All this came out of pure chance. Although Kurosawa did make the picture, it wasnt he who introduced it to the rest of the world.\r\nVenice sent an invitation to Japan for a film for their film festival. Prior to this Japan practically never participated in foreign festivals of this sort, another change brought upon by Rashomon. Although somewhat popular in Japan, Rashomon was not among the front runners. After Guilliana Stramigioli who was the head of Italiafilm in Japan, saw the film, she recommended it. After much debate she eventually won out, and the film ended up winning first prize in the 1951 festival. Perhaps without the intervention of Ms. Stramigioli, the West may have never noticed this film, and perhaps all of Japanese films would have stayed at home.\r\nAs it was though things worked out well for the film, and its director. Kurosawa became one of the most popular directors in the world, although his Japanese audience was modest. Yet dont by any means think that this is the first Kurosawa film, or even the first excellent Kurosawa film. He had maid roughly ten films beforehand, of which Drunken Angel (1948) and Stray Dog (1949) were the best and most readily available today. Watching those films, or some other previous pictures of his, one might notice quite a lot of familiarity in a film apparently so new.\r\nKurosawa had wanted to make the film for a number of years. The source of the stories comes from Ryunosuke Akutagawa, something of a Japanese Edgar Allen Poe. A tragic figure whose work remains deeply special to his culture. The title is from one of his stories, but that is about all Kurosawa took from that one. A little more of the plot is taken from another Akutagawa story, In a Grove. After signing a one year contract with the Daiei company, he managed to get the picture through. It was a risk, and the company boasted that they had no idea what their film was about. Of course they had no trouble taking credit for it once it became successful. \r\nThe essential plot seems relatively simple. A commoner, a priest, and a woodcutter are standing under a gate in the rain. The priest and the woodcutter keep repeating It doesnt make any sense. After the commoner inquires, they proceed to tell him a story, four times over. There are a few things agreed upon. First, there is a bandit who rapes a woman and then confesses to killing her husband. Then there is the woman who says that she killed her husband, after he shunned her following the rape. Through a little imagination, we are then shown the story from the side of the dead husband, who also claims to have killed himself. Then we get the eye witness account, from the woodcutter. He says that the two fought a duel after the rape, and the bandit won. Herein lies the confusion.\r\nIf we went by consensus then it appears as though the bandit was the murderer, but why would the other two lie? After all it isnt as though they are trying to protect themselves, the husband is already dead anyway. This is where Kurosawa really makes you think, and think, and think some more. In the end there is no solution. In order for any story to work, a great deal of exceptions would have to be made. Although Donald Richie, author of the Films of Akira Kurosawa, makes a good case for the woodcutter to be the possible murderer, he too admits that there really is no solution.\r\nSo knowing this it is safe to say that this isnt some impossible murder mystery. The killer is completely pointless to know, or even the details of each story. There is something else at the heart of this film and that is mankinds impossibility to tell the truth. He contends that is in our nature to lie, as the priest says, But it is because men are so weak. Thats why they lie. Thats why they must deceive even themselves. Here we have the thesis statement if you will for the film. \r\nLike all impossible films, this one was still attempted to be figured out. Many offering their own interpretations, or solutions. It seemed though that even the harshest critic couldnt have kept this film down. Venice was just the starting point, it would even receive Academy nominations in 1952, for best Art Direction. Critics, although some picking at the flaws, still regard it quite highly. It was selected by the National Society of Film Critics as one of the 100 Essential films, along with Seven Samurai (1954). \r\nWhat are those flaws that everyone complains about? Well the usual one mentioned is the acting. Everyone is large and grand, almost to an irritating extent. Then there is the usual boredom found in sitting through the same essential story four times in a row. The picture is short and after awhile it gets a little redundant. It seems as though Kurosawa was stretching to get the length up. One of his added scenes proved to be perhaps the most effective. This comes at the end when the woodcutter picks up a crying, abandoned baby, after the commoner took its clothes. He decides to take it as one of his own, figuring another mouth wouldnt make or break him. This act restores the priests, and therefore our faith in mankind. The saving grace of an entire species coming with just this gesture. Proof that Kurosawa wasnt all pessimistic.','b9da98a9be402e0bb939950a964d31d3',0,'','FYJL48eP',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12186,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144171080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Way to go wpqx, yes these may seem a touch naive compared to your current work but they are full of background information and bursting with enthusiasm, excellent.\r\n\r\nHope you still enjoy Ohayo as much as you obviously did when you originally wrote your review. \r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','e9384bec9b035f563c01911f44da541b',0,'','f7ot6Qry',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12187,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144187280,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Hey,\r\n\r\ndid I tell you there is a remake of rashomon?\r\ni have watched it many years ago ...','33513fec465202330e5ae89fbfdf3ad8',0,'','vqDdoV6P',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12188,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144207020,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','hengcs, do you mean The Outrage (1964) with Paul Newman and William Shatner among others? I have seen it but can\'t say I was too impressed, certainly not when compared with the original.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','161393ecb73cbcc9d256f71244fae324',0,'','QPh8Hn0x',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12189,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144209300,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Yes, these are wonderful reviews, wpqx. Keep \'em coming, though preferably one at a time.','41f57abe0437fb43bfc2917930d7a08e',0,'','CUpsoPwQ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12190,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144209840,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','hi\r\n\r\nnope ... i was referring to a Japanese remake ...\r\n\r\n* drum roll *\r\n\r\nMovie: Misty (1998) \r\nDirector: Kenki Saegusa\r\nCast: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Yuki Amami, Etsushi Toyokawa\r\n\r\n\r\nSynopsis\r\nhttp://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=245121','674c9fea7a67f7144f222aff3f07427e',0,'','YhD3Pwxj',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12191,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1144431360,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','thanks for the encouragment, and I think I\'ll stay away from that remake, however I would recommend an American musical by George Cukor called Les Girls. It plays with multiple views of the same story, plus there\'s Gene Kelly, and plenty of musical numbers, no where near as serious as Rashomon, worth checking out.','e492c253dbb1fe763fc0811aef30284b',0,'','h28cGuaW',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12192,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1146432360,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Rhapsody in August (1991) \r\n\r\nPerhaps it was because of his age, but Kurosawa left with this film dealing with some ghosts of Japan as well as America. A contemporary story that doesn\'t try to be anything bigger than it is. A simple tale about a family, and the ghosts of the atom bomb. It might be a common assumption that directors in their later years become more reflective and generally slow their films down. This is certainly the case with Kurosawa, who spent most of his career being more ambitious and working on such an enormous scale that a film this small might seem like the work of a completely different director.\r\nThe plot is not too dense. A family in Nagasaki happens to have a rich uncle in Hawaii. He married an American, and his children all speak English and broken Japanese. They are millionares in the pineapple business, and of course their foreign relatives are trying to be especially nice because of it. The patriarch of the Hawaiin family would like to see his little sister once more before he dies. The sister happens to be stubborn, and doesn\'t even remember her brother, after all she had 10 brothers and sisters. She recognizes that her children are going there simply to suck up to a rich relative, and they could care less about actually seeing their family. However her brother keeps insisting that she go. \r\nThe Story is mostly seen through the eyes of her grandchildren who are trying to convince her to take the trip to Hawaii (for selfish reasons as well, they want to go with). Kurosawa seems to have developed some small contempt for members of the adult generation. His story focuses on the young (and presumably innocent) and the elderly. These are the people who see the world as it is, not through filters. They say the truth because that\'s what it is, whereas the grownups are so worried about offending someone they weave a very pointless web of lies.\r\nI can\'t say the style fits Kurosawa well. Ozu might have worked wonders with this, but the quiet and lyrical aren\'t always Kurosawa\'s strongest qualities. He made one more film after Rhapsody (1993\'s Madayayo), but it seemed clear to me that his best work by this point was clearly behind him.\r\n\r\nGrade C -','6dc7978a76548dec217493c2b5651dc7',0,'','g8QSz2tY',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12193,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1146480300,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Thanks again for all your work wpqx, it\'s been a good while for me since last seeing Rhapsody in August and although it doesn\'t match the quality of the majority of his earlier work I do have a soft spot for it.\r\n\r\nYour review has given me the urge to revisit the film and no doubt I will very soon.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','2670e042a0e98c14fd0fe9258eb2572b',0,'','lyh4wL0t',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12194,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1148182500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Also a belated thanks from me for all your comments. I have finally come around to reading them, and your enthusiasm can be claerly felt. \r\nHaven\'t seen Ikiru, yet but Throne of Blood was my favorite Kurosawa film until I saw Kagemusha and Ran. But I need to see much more by Kurosawa Ozu and Mizoguchi.','78ddfeb5f71e9ab619d8d175b9299f5b',0,'','JMTYR7ra',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12195,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1154740740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Originally posted by Sara\r\n\r\nI\'m not sure where to put this, but anyway here it is.\r\n\r\nI just watched Ozu\'s Late Spring. I usually have loved all of Ozu\'s films.\r\n\r\nBut what is wrong with me? This film is said to be \"powerful\" and I could feel the father/daughter relationship. I really could.\r\n\r\nBut I got horribly annoyed at all the SMILING - especially the main female character (the daughter.)\r\n\r\nJust smile - smile - smile.\r\n\r\nDid any of you get annoyed - or a bit irritated - with all the smiling?\r\n\r\nMaybe it is better than 9/10ths of American films where they all blow up at each other and shout four letter words.\r\n\r\nBut maybe it was a little repressed... What do you think?\r\n\r\nSara','167190f8c6dca7fb1f74596b8d6bc9e8',0,'','lDmRs48d',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12196,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1154740860,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Originally posted by wpqx\r\n\r\nThere was a lot of smiling indeed. As far as where to put it, there is a thread for Ozu, Kurosawa, and Mizoguchi in the classic film section, but this would work fine. I found the film only slightly overrated, but I believe for different reasons.','31761dec1e5c14948b8540f748e31a40',0,'','YjvSTqec',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12197,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1154740920,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Originally posted by Sara\r\n\r\nFor what reasons did you find it over rated? I\'d be interested in knowing.\r\n\r\nIt was a very gentle, thoughtful film, but as I said yesterday, all those smiles just got under my skin.\r\n\r\nSara','f2787256c08a91e51afdca244cd2826a',0,'','JvjoBpSl',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12198,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1154740980,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Originally posted by wpqx\r\n\r\nI enjoyed it, and was impressed with the novelty of actually seeing the camera move in an Ozu film. However its reputation puts it on a level with Early Summer and Tokyo Story, and I just don\'t think its \"that\" good. One of these days I will watch the Criterion dvd I got of it, and perhaps that might help, it did a little for Tokyo Story the second time.\r\n\r\nOh and Setsuko Hara can smile all she wants.','682800fd447bb9f149a0f5963b55074b',0,'','Xk05r1qF',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12199,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1154741100,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Originally posted by Sara\r\n\r\nwpqx, could you move our discussion of Late Spring to the director\'s files? (Kurosawa, Ozu, Mizoguchi.)\r\n\r\nI have been so troubled by the film. It was all the pain behind the smiling that I am getting in touch with.\r\n\r\nAt first I was annoyed by all the smiling. But now the loneliness of the film, the father at the end peeling an apple facing aloneness, and the daughter going off to a marriage she did not want - all of it is bearing down on me.\r\n\r\nPlease move this to the Ozu director\'s spot so we can discuss it further.\r\n\r\nSara','e26e4fd27c8dc1cf49cc0dcef4f8090e',0,'','5PzynUcE',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12200,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1154741160,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Originally posted by Sara\r\n\r\nPlease when you move our discussion of Late Spring, include this review by Roger Ebert (which I just found) and he says it better than I can.\r\n\r\n\"Late Spring\r\nSadness beneath the smiles\r\n\r\nLink:\r\nrogerebert.suntimes.com/a...30301/1023\r\n\r\nBeautiful insight, don\'t you think>\r\n\r\nSara','426fb2cc65907de1348ffb2756e88511',0,'','bi9FgksV',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12201,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1154741580,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Sara, thank\'s for the Ebert link, I did do a comment on Late Spring (1949) and while it isn\'t comparable with Ebert\'s notes, the smile is one of the points raised.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','11ce861b457f40122916080c4d33b3ec',0,'','KW3xGe4S',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12202,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1161198900,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','I did watch Equinox Flower, but can\'t really come up with anything to say on it to justify a legitamate review. My library also has Mizoguchi\'s 47 Ronin and Street of Shame, so I\'ll try and get those, and try even harder to get some decent comments written as well. There\'s also a few Kurosawa films in their midst, but I generally just wait for Criterion to work their magic with his films.','e39319ef1710e7392f6a7aa33c642928',0,'','Ej5ZYM4F',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12203,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1162979460,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Well I watched all of Mizoguchi\'s 47 Ronin, and I must say snore fest and a half. I knew it was a subdued and restrained picture, but wow nearly 4 hours of a samurai film without a single sword fight. There\'s only so much talking about honor that a person can stand in that time frame. I know it has a few supporters on this site, namely John, but I found it a glorious waste of celluloid that could have easily been compacted into one film.','83ebce4a17de55f4d05a1bfdc600f9a5',0,'','WEfrscDd',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12204,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1163636520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','It appears that this film is very controversial, due to its supposed \"Patriotic\" stance. Haven\'t seen it yet. Is it available on VHS/DVD?','aeeaf0b42edecf2ac23de45f96957c37',0,'','E7KiyQLC',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12205,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1163636880,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','I believe this is one of the very few available on DVD. I watched it on VHS and it was a decent enough transfer. Patriotic or not, its so boring no one would be roused to fight for their country after watching it.','eced3c72858be566c8c30737ed3931a7',0,'','SpVAsgeB',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12206,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1163637300,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','\r\nAt least one good effect. And a very important one, I would say.','ef503d14e922b398e1936bcd174b5bd4',0,'','T82QpYyA',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12207,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1182301020,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Tokyo Twilight (1957) - Yasujiro Ozu\r\n\r\nReleased as part of Eclipse\'s Late Ozu series, this film is a remarkable transfer of a gem that I\'ve seen very little written about. The film is possibly Ozu\'s most melodramatic, and seems to offer more of the social dilemna\'s we would expect from Mizoguchi. The decay of a middle class family is again the focus, but when one daughter\'s marriage is failing, the other finds herself pregnant by a hoodlum, and finding she has too much in common with her estranged mother. The emotions are piled on high, and although Ozu sets the film up very slowly allowing us to dwindle on small conversations about sake, and food, he gradually lets us into this somewhat complicated world. I absolutely loved it and consider it one of Ozu\'s best, but to time restraints I can\'t say much more about it now.\r\n\r\nGrade A','6fc3c091b3ba05a5eac41c722f81af2b',0,'','4pAnVi3q',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12208,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1182323940,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Any extra features?','1cce29e2fd1eb725af4ca403549f9e79',0,'','AJl5Dps8',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12209,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1182325740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Unless you consider subtitles and chapter selections special features then no.','00bfd9f24b46238a53a134c7b7d79a16',0,'','Wp4sg16T',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12210,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1182332520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Too bad. I think it\'s hightime that I also make a contribution to this thread. Naruse isn\'t here but Mizoguchi is.','e4ce208a531dd17c085a0c2d2aa1607d',0,'','jXL4Vwpf',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12211,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1182364500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Yes but being moderators, we can always alter the title to accommodate Naruse. I have also rented An Autumn Afternoon, and based on the glorious transfer of the Eclipse DVD\'s, I\'ll probably rent the remainder of that set, and hopefully be able to get something here. I\'ve pretty much exhausted all of Mizoguchi\'s available films at Facets, so don\'t expect many comments on him from me.','6f60157b79e8e21d1864a89248755146',0,'','93kCuYfN',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12212,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1182481800,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','An Autumn Afternoon (1962) - Yasujiro Ozu\r\n\r\nThere comes a time when watching Ozu films were you realize the man pretty much made one film over his entire career. For some An Autumn Afternoon might seem the culmination of a brilliant career. The final chapter in his epic drama on the middle class Japanese family. However it leaves feeling almost incomplete. A sentence without punctuation. The story has been told by Ozu numerous times, and almost to redunancy. Rather than adding a new dimension or a different shade, the film instead feels like it is repeating itself. The prhase \"seen one, seen \'em all\" seems appropriate here.','b3c1356b35fc69a9ddd1ce0451f880c5',0,'','HVbz5i4d',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12213,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1182548640,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Late Autumn (1960) - Yasujiro Ozu\r\n\r\nAfter years of being out of print, Ozu\'s Late Autumn finally gets a DVD release courtesy of Eclipse. The film takes a familiar structure of a young daughter\'s marriage being delayed by loyalty to her widowed parent. In this case the widowed parent happens to be the mother, and that mother is played by Setsuko Hara, who once inhabited the daughter role in a nearly identical film a decade earlier. Somewhat somber, but still enfused with a light Ozu touch, the film is as familiar as watching family videos. The formula doesn\'t get much reworking here, but still an enjoyable picture, that makes more than a few comparisons to the old and young generation. For once Ozu is starting to call out that maybe today\'s kids aren\'t that different from their parents generation, they just think they are.','7e781a9c2dbb168eeaa74cf1eb891778',0,'','Nlsq1KuD',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12214,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1182998760,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','The Idiot (1951) - Akira Kurosawa \r\n\r\nWell just as I had a brief run of Ozu (a run that\'s not over btw), I decided to double dip on Dostoyevsky. First was Crime and Punishment, and then this film which seems so extremely well suited for Kurosawa. Very humanistic in its approach, except a little bleak at film\'s end, which isn\'t too far off for most of Kurosawa\'s work. It had been ages since I\'d seen a film of his, and this was a delight. Sandwiched in between Rashomon and Ikiru the film doesn\'t get a particularly large amount of recognition, but I would say its certainly worthy company.\r\n\r\nKurosawa has appropriated the recent war into the novel giving it a contemporary feel, and that was the leading cause to the main characters \"Idiocy\". Kurosawa also borrowed frequent Ozu leading lady Setsuko Hara who plays the proud love interest of nearly everyone in the film. Kameda (Masayuki Mora) seems to embody all of the inherent good that Kurosawa seems so willing to believe is out there. A man who is far from perfect, who is taking his second chance at life and trying to be kinder. He is contrasted obviously with Toshiro Mifune\'s character who is largely bad, but with his own good streak. No bad guy is ever completely evil in a Kurosawa film, and this is no different.','12d7525ddf5b67eacfca8dad35051a55',0,'','zimj6B8Y',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12215,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1199789940,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Street of Shame (1956) - Kenji Mizoguchi\r\n\r\nWell just as I had commented on Ozu\'s An Autumn Afternoon and Kurosawa\'s Madadayo, comes another signature farewell film. There is a sense of melancholy towards this work and the whole film has that feeling like catastrophe is only a moment away. This uneasiness is very common in Mizoguchi\'s work and if one can say his films collectively represent something I\'d say its something of a beauty within suffering, and in particular the suffering of women. It seems perfectly fitting that Mizoguchi\'s career would end here. It doesn\'t some up a lifetime of knowledge in the way Madadayo did, but seems a little more aligned with Ozu\'s last effort. Mizoguchi was not particularly known for his contemporary films, and there is a certain timeless quality to this picture, for as they say it depicts the \"oldest profession\".\r\n\r\nSince plot wise most of these films are somewhat simple, granted there are usually multiple narratives, I tried to focus more on the staging. Throughout the film I didn\'t notice a single closeup, but despite keeping a physical distance between the camera and the characters he still manages to create a tremendous deal of intimacy. It doesn\'t take much for us to feel for all of the characters. There are no particularly bad people in the film and even the characters that we may at first resent we leave with a sense of either admiration or at the very least understanding for everyone in the film. No one in particular thinks they\'re doing anything wrong. Although some may be over rationalizing their decision in life, all are doing what they are out of necessity.','4ba3caccbd643fd0c48ef448009167ce',0,'','JPUfX5t0',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12216,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1204183200,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','The Flavour of Green Tea over Rice (1952) - Yasujiro Ozu \r\n\r\nI never really noticed how much Ozu frames within a frame. Here he is constantly cutting his space down putting characters in door openings, blocked off, and narrow. Just an interesting device in what certainly seems a typical Ozu film. The idea of a woman not wanting to marry has had a few reasons in the past, here it might at first seem like the girl just doesn\'t want to stop having fun, but as Setsuko constantly watches the women she knows complain and nag about their husbands it\'s not hard to see why it wouldn\'t be too appealing for her. Very female driven here treating nearly every man as a very supporting part.','79e651520f4b32b9fc8e17248f62b211',0,'','jRYJLEqM',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12217,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1204702920,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','A GEISHA (Japan / 1953) \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe transitional nature of postwar Japanese society was one of the key thematic concerns of domestic filmmakers at the time. In A Geisha (Gion bayashi), which is set in the Gion district of Kyoto and is also known as \"Gion Festival Music,\" Mizoguchi Kenji takes us into the world of the geisha, where the traditional values were also in the process of being negotiated at the hands of modernity. Similar to the director\'s earlier Sisters of the Gion (1936), the film deals with the lives of two women, a 16-year-old runaway named Eiko (Wakao Ayako, Street of Shame [1956]) and a successful but aging geisha Miyoharu (Kogure Michiyo, Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice [1952]), who ends up taking on the young \"orphan\" as an apprentice. Mizoguchi credibly charts the duo\'s differing ideologies and ethics as they find themselves adrift in the treacherous new world that calls into question the very meaning of their profession (a true geisha, by definition, is a \"performing artist,\" not a prostitute). Consequently, Eiko\'s preconceived romanticism suffers just as much as Miyoharu\'s stoic independence. However, the film gains its emotional undercurrent from the bond which gradually develops between the two; Miyoharu ends up assuming the role of a friend, a sister and a mother, knowing full well the pitfalls which await Eiko if she didn\'t. Mizoguchi\'s spatial dynamics keenly convey an enclosing world that offers no respite to its victims. Yet at the same time, with his employment of traveling shots -- which according to his DP at Daiei, Miyagawa Kazuo (Ugetsu [1953]), confirmed a shift from the director\'s depth-of-field approach in order to accommodate his storytelling techniques in the \'50s -- Mizoguchi uncommonly hints toward a stance of defiance. Adapted from a novel by Kawaguchi Matsutarô, who collaborated with Mizoguchi on a number of occasions, A Geisha however lacks the depth and scope of Naruse\'s similarly themed Flowing (1956). But this beautifully acted effort is more emotionally reserved (i.e., less overtly melodramatic) than the infinitely popular Sansho the Bailiff (1954), the film Mizoguchi made next.','d03040cb818af11f6d45399bce2f449a',0,'','VFK9uc6t',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12218,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1205230380,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','wpqx: \"A Geisha (1953) 6/10\" \r\n\r\nWhat gives?','af94d31c37f66c12cbcfa86f515c6c65',0,'','xKqnN4ts',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12219,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1205231760,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','It\'s been a long time since I\'ve seen it, but I remembered it being overly melodramatic and seemed to be more by the numbers than most of Mizo\'s other 50\'s films.','d3742aeb9b272b76ac78c17426109ae2',0,'','laijNmRz',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12220,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1205295720,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','As I noted in my review, I was actually surprised by its emotional reserve, especially when compared to a few other Mizoguchi films I\'ve seen. By the numbers? Perhaps. At this point, I slightly prefer A Geisha to two of his 50\'s efforts: The Lady of Musashino, which also deals with the notions of tradition and modernity and at the least is, as they say, \"worth watching,\" and, yes, Chikamatsu monogatari, whose happenstance-laden narrative felt a tad on the manipalative side, though overall it\'s a good, solid piece of work. But I\'m not done with it, and I hope the same applies to you when it comes to A Geisha. On the other hand, after a second viewing of Naruse\'s Flowing, which I referenced earlier, I now consider it as one of his honest-to-God masterpieces.','44689ebc8324b350afbe1c357a55111b',0,'','qTbZXeiG',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12221,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1205306940,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','I haven\'t seen Lady of Masahino yet, but Crucified Lovers is arguably my favorite of all Mizo films (I was just completely won over by the relationship between the two main characters).','697c5cca7c577c7f72a7b1173de17990',0,'','gLAaCERp',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12222,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1205543760,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','U.K.\'s Artificial-Eye released The Lady of Musashino on R2/Pal DVD back in \'04. I believe it\'s the only English subtitled edition available at this point. Here, it\'s not even out on VHS. I won\'t mind if it\'s part of an Eclipse set devoted to Mizoguchi.','30c3bc603ac619d781192df51fcc1500',0,'','l5AmHZG6',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12223,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1206067200,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','End of Summer/Early Autumn (1961) - Yasujiro Ozu \r\n\r\nCall it what you want to, this is Ozu at his most formulaic. The plot is beyond similar and seems identical to at least three other films. So here\'s the story and stop me if you\'ve heard it before; a recently widowed man is looking to remarry and his friend introduces him to another middle aged widow who seems content to live the rest of her life single and happy. Instead of a young daughter to get married, she has a younger sister who is being courted by respective men but is unsure whether she is ready to tie the knot. Nothing remotely new here but for those fascinated by Ozu\'s few color films this will be of note more like Equinox Flower + color = this film. I shouldn\'t get too adamant about the lack of story because so many of his films tread similar water but this is yet another film about the passage of time and the emergence of a young and somewhat foreign generation.','83e5cfdf92f9ce02b2a6aecd3a57c3b1',0,'','viNyRS7s',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12224,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1208986320,1,0,1,1,1,1,'jcdavies','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Can i go back to Mizo\'s Loyal 47 Ronin; yes it\'s very long + testing if you want even some, never mind a lot, of sword fights and action (which i suppose is the general expectation of samurai films). But if you want an exploration of space then it becomes extraordinary. Darrell Davis cites it as the ultimate example of \"monumental\" Japanese cinema, and its style is certainly a sort of glorification of Japan\'s (historical) culture and philosophy. But as wpqx says that doesn\'t necessarily make for the most effective call to arms, even if it does address codes of honour + avenging a slight. Mizo had other fish to fry than simple militaristic propaganda. Instead of showing the main revenge action itself, he foregrounds the reaction of women (not for the first time). Far from his most accessible film but very rewarding if you want to take your time and engage with a completely different and probably unique cinematic experience.','eb476f0f2298a5b6e8cdb6f162ae907d',0,'','g9kZiu4y',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12225,2203,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1215315480,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Japanese Journals - The Classics. Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa','Miss Oyu/Oyu Sama (1951) - Kenji Mizoguchi \r\n\r\nWell amongst remaining Mizoguchi films this was by far my most sought after. While waiting several years for a R1 release I simply gave up and picked up the Eureka release. A decent transfer and a decent segment on the film from Tony Rayns. I was surprised how very little I found written about this film online. The picture is slow paced to a significant fault and seems like a drastic step down amidst Mizoguchi\'s golden final period. The first film he made for the Daiei company and therefore the inaugural film in a way to this great period. A tale of three people doomed to suffering and longing, making up a somewhat misled and tragic three way love affair. Essentially a man is meeting prospective brides and mistakes his new prospect for her sister. The woman he admires is a widow who is indentured to raise her son with her husband\'s family. Recognizing the longing her sister agrees to marry the man in order to be a bridge between the two lovers who can\'t really be together. So they get married in name only so they can remain pure until they can officially be together. In the meantime an awful lot of repressed emotions and a bit of miscasting in the two female leads. For the most part by the time the drama really starts getting going you\'ve been carefully lulled to sleep so it\'s hard to even care. A bit of a let down following my last excellent Mizo film.','f25ad86f1f50cc8262983dab45a9e86d',0,'','uxDsUQAm',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12226,2204,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1199490900,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Hellzapoppin\' (1941) - H. C. Potter','Oh Hollywood, why did you have to be so fickle? Finding words to describe this film is simultaneously easy and difficult. This doesn\'t fit into any reasonable description however as the line in the title song says \"Anything can happen and it probably will\". The film begins in utter chaos and the first act is positively astonishing. Reprising their roles from the stage play of the same name are Ole Olson and Chic Johnson, who play themselves, sort of. Never before in a film has the fourth wall been so repeatedly done away with. Tactics of this kind were used in some Merrie Melodies, but I can\'t recall any feature film so aware of itself being a film. \r\n\r\nThe story was Universal wanted to bring the stage play to the screen without any alterations. The only difference would be that some of the \"blue\" humor of the play would be done away with because as Shemp Howard\'s Louis says \"We still have a Hayes office\". However Universal practically echoed the sentiments of the film\'s disgruntled on screen director by demanding a love story. \"Every film has to have a story\" is the words echoed in the film from the front office, and the script seems to be begrudgingly brought up as a way of mocking the ultra-conservative studio system. That plot that we are transposed to isn\'t all that bad though. A basic \"puttin\' on a show\" musical with mistaken identities and getting two young love birds together. However they don\'t resort to telling the story in a completely conventional matter, there is a Greek chorus of a would be private investigator/butler/magician/anything else you can think of, and the action is interrupted several times to tell Stinky Miller to go home. \r\n\r\nThe musical production at the film\'s conclusion is basically an on screen re-enactment of the play, where the idea of ruining a conventional show turns out to be great entertainment. Watching the regular musical numbers though it almost hurts to watch them play it straight, in the same manner that MGM\'s Marx Brothers movies suffer drastically when the brothers aren\'t involved. They keep it interesting, and it draws attention to just how boring some of these old productions were. It is well crafted however, and the pace of the film can make some straight scenes seem terribly long and out of place. Its a slapstick problem where we are constantly expecting a pie in the face of some kind. For the most part though the film doesn\'t disappoint.\r\n\r\nI\'d like to say that Universal has gotten wise to itself in the year\'s since. Realizing that this film was special, and could have been even better had Potter\'s original ending been kept and the whole love story was axed. However they still seem scared of the project, which didn\'t do well at the box office and have kept it out of print in this country pretty much indefinitely. A few cult screenings have emerged, and thankfully a DVD was released on the other side of the ocean, which doesn\'t so much point out the failure of American audiences, but what studios think American audiences would be interested in. There was never a film like this, and I\'d venture to say there never would be another one like it. Potter\'s film certainly stands alone amidst studio productions of its era, and is so fast and quick that it almost seems to get away with murder at every stop. Chic and Ole are unfortunately turned into supporting players in their own film, but they excel when on the screen.\r\n\r\n*I watched this film via an AVI file I downloaded. Although the film was complete, there was a slight problem with the audio synchronization during the compression so the action had a slight delay from what we heard (only a matter of a second) but it wasn\'t enough to really miss anything.','7572cd641c6b52538ffee52ac2b08b95',0,'','zXCZ7Un6',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12227,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1157039160,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Films from Germany (1945 1989)','\r\nQuo Vadis, Germany?\r\n\r\nSoon after the complete surrender of the german army in May 1945 and the end of the second World War in Europe, efforts began to rebuild a new german film industry, primarily as a means of counter-propaganda from the four political sections that occupied the remaining parts of Germany. In the Soviet sector, the DEFA was established as soon as 1946. It would have the exclusive right to producing films in East Germany until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. On the western side, things took a bit longer, as the british, french, and americans hadnt yet united their efforts regarding the filmindustry. Films were of course nevertheless made, as they had been even in the last months before the surrender, and various new production companies were set up in the following years. \r\n\r\nThe first German film after WWII is said to be Wolfgang Staudtes Die Moerder sind unter uns Murderers among us, which came out in 1946 and would start a trend of rather bleak post-war films in both parts. Such a tendency was already apparent in another important german film from 1944, Helmut Kuntners Unter den Brcken Under the Bridges, which had been banned by the Nazis.\r\n\r\nFrom 1949 onwards, when the Federal Republic of Germany was officially declared an independent state, the two filmindustries developed in different ways. While in the west, as consumerism slowly took over, the american way of life began to be idolized, the primary rule in films from East Germany became the communist education and the glorification of socialist values. This tendency could be exemplary observed in war movies dealing with everyday life during WWII, which had already become popular on both sides, but respectively shifted their emphasis to fit the differing ideologies. But the most popular national movies remained escapist comedies and melodramas which took the viewers into another world and were for the most part meant as mere entertainment.\r\n\r\n\r\nIn West Germany the first huge wave of financial success came with the Heimatfilm which was to dominate the 1950s. In these films, set in a german landscape with green meadows and magnificent forrests, which were usually peppered with annoying dance and song numbers, continually smiling men and women in traditional costumes were to restore a sense of home and belonging in a (west-)german public which tried to come to terms with its loss of a historic continuity after the Third Reich and even the Weimar Republic were being mostly repressed as an actual part of personal history. In the Heimatfilm genre a false sense of history was established, which recurred to familiar themes of fascist blood and soil policy, but twisted them in a way which placed them in a fantasy netherworld where traditional values were put above everything else, modernity and progress being regarded as a threat to the stabilities of german life as it had existed before WWI. \r\nDuring the 1960s these tendencies had to be connected with a german public which had finally adapted their old ideology to the new capitalist ways. This was achieved in a number of european co-productions which offered a more varied scale of possible escape from reality. One of the most popular film-series of that time were for example the Dr. Mabuse films, which dealt with a mysterious and dangerous world through the application of contrived conspiracy theories, which beared a strong resemblance to a lot of extremely popular german dime-novels of that time. Another series-production concerned the adaptation of novels by german writer Karl May thrioughout the 60s, which can be in many ways regarded as a continuation of the Heimatfilm. \r\nIn the 70s, the New German Cinema - which had already been designed as a counterdraft to the dominant mainstream production during the early 60s finally came more dominantly to the scene, and for a short time the dream of an independent and creative film-movement that could compete with the industrial mass-production of the filmindustry seemed a possibility. But already during the next decade this illusion ceased to exist, as conservative tendencies began to manifest themselves once more.\r\n\r\nOf course, this is only a compressed illustration of a broader reality, and has necessarily to be taken with a grain of salt, although many parallels can be drawn from this description to other european cinematographies of that time, and similarities to film-history in the US become apparent. East Germany and its films on the other hand, were closer to the social and political reality of the Soviet Union and other communist countries, where you had a state-controlled production which included documentary films and films aimed at children. So if I would write a short outline of their cinematic history, it would bear huge similarities to the ongoings in countries like Czechoslovakia or Yugoslavia, and even the Soviet Union itself, and couldnt help in revealing the specific reaility of life in the GDR which would help to discern it from the rest of the Eastern Bloc. Hopefully, the understanding of an East- and West German cinematography will come through the reviews and analyses which will be presented in this thread. Although before we move on, I want to stress out one significant factor which has been adressed in the text above but merits further attention. \r\n\r\nEven if you are aware of the fact which films were made in a specific country, and of the sociopolitical climate which would produce them, the question why exactly certain tendencies came to dominate the culture, while others seemed to be ignored still remains. What I want to say, is that in every time and country there were limits set to the freedom of artistic expression, and as the medium of film has suffered from censorship since its beginnings it is very impostant to find out what films could be actually made? Although this was a question which posed itselfs on both sides of the Berlin Wall, the two industries had to face different restrictions.\r\n\r\nIn the East, the problem wasnt so much how far you could go in order to get a film done, but how far you could go in order that the film wasnt going to be banned. In the West, you could of course try do almost anything you wanted, but who would give you the money? Here, the problems faced came from commercial restrictions. How far could you go artistically, in order to get your film produced, and subsequently to have even a marginal chance at the box-office, so that you could continue making films in the future. While the film in East Germany was in the hands of the party, in the first decades it wasnt a real problem getting the opportunity to make your film that is if you were officially aknowledged as a filmmaker. In the West on the other hand, a continuos career was only possible if your films made some money. Thus we can speak of two primary restrictions which were reglementing the respective output of each country. The dictate of ideology on one side, versus the dictate of money on the other. \r\n\r\n\r\nOf course there existed films and filmmakers on both sides who tried to make films according to their own vision. But they were in an extreme minority, with their films being either constantly banned or not completed at all, or in the West, doomed to oblivion if they didnt find enough critical acclaim abroad. After the Reunification some have resurfaced, but a lot have also been lost or are still awaiting their discovery. It is both entirely wrong and extremely lazy to throw all of eastern german cinema into one basket, or to disregard films from the Federal Republic which were made before Fassbinder and his colleagues came along a misconception which can to this day be encountered among professional critics. Usually this stems from taking basic information at face value, and an an eagerness to accept established filmhistory as a God-given factand, paired with a laziness to dig deeper into a difficult topic where you may have to form your own opinion. \r\n\r\nI hope that this thread will work as a counter balance to this kind of criticism and offer a platform to re-think german filmhistory, maybe to the point were films from the GDR and the FRG will despite their differences be regarded as two sides of the same coin. Thus, I will try to present neglected films with artistic aspirations and some of the above mentioned commercial products alongside already established works, in an attempt to judge each film on its own, while putting it into a broader context. Maybe you will find enough stimulation to dig deeper on your own, and if you already have, feel free to share your thoughts.','30a46283c307ff3e9c18ea8b07b64a95',0,'','5V1GtEHw',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12228,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1157039220,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','INDEX','cb4ae3b37047fb4b2c0d16f8bf84f076',0,'','MsZuU6Wk',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12229,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1157071980,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','Very informative article, A. Were you inspired by reading other pieces through your research, or was this simply the result of the knowledge you\'ve gathered over the years?','4022164df5076ce3314bcf37617958bb',0,'','TYuPCxAv',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12230,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1157072820,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','Thanks for the nice words. \r\nIt was part personal knowledge, part inspiration. I was inspired by the stuff I had read in previous years, as I have even some literature at home. I\'m quite knowledgable when it comes to german cinema, as I\'ve lived hear for almost two decades. Nevertheless I have read far more about german filmhistory than I have actually seen myself.\r\nI wrote this piece yesterday and today without research, (though I think it\'s accurate) and my problem was actually limiting myself, when I began to write much more as I had intended. When I noticed this, I cut down several passages (I think this can be negatively felt while reading the text...). I mean, this is meant as an appetizer, and a short introduction to the period. If somebody wants to know more, there is enough literature to choose from. And the reviews which I\'ll try to write over the next months will hopefully provide further information. And maybe there are others who also watch some films from that period \r\nAnything by Fassbinder would qualify','948d6e9d6834d5eb9ded254691f7f3b9',0,'','oV91XK3S',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12231,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1157073600,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','Great! Looking forward to your reviews.','155f44d746534012023e08a03e594409',0,'','6j8mNuGl',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12232,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1157128920,1,0,1,1,1,1,'collectedsoul','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','Awesome!\r\nThis is such a brilliant forum.\r\nAm looking forward to your reviews.','8c922a685343fffe8e607a5f062e9613',0,'','BTW9G37j',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12233,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1160205720,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','BORN IN \'45 (East Germany / 1966/90)\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe period of DEFA (\"Deutsche Filmaktiengesellschaft\"), the state-run studios of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR; East Germany), ended up lasting from 1946 to 1992, a few years more than GDR itself. Perhaps theres some irony there because so have some of the nearly 750 films that were produced during the time-frame (many of them at Studio Babelsberg, with which the likes of Fritz Lang, Ernst Lubitsch and Marlene Dietrich are famously associated), even though the cultural authorities did their very best to make certain that they wouldnt be seen again. (The \"11th Plenum\" of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party introduced new laws in the mid-60s which, alongside other key works of art, caused many DEFA films to be banned.) It wasnt until the late-80s when late German critic and historian Rolf Richter began to discover and restore the films with support from the new regime and the affected filmmakers. Some films were then showcased at the 1990 Berlin Film Festival, and subsequently traveled to other sites around the globe. (Not surprisingly, 14 DEFA films were recently named among the \"100 Most Important German Films of all time.\")\r\n\r\nBorn in \'45 (Jahrgang 45), the only narrative-based feature directed by renowned painter and documentarian Jrgen Bttcher, was banned even before it was released. The authorities considered the rough-cut of the film to be \"indifferent and insignificant.\" But those adjectives are better suited to be attached to the films male protagonist, Alfred (Rolf Rmer), a 23-year-old car mechanic who lives in a tiny apartment in Berlins Prenzlauer Berg district with his beautiful, newly-wed wife, Lisa (Monika Hildebrand), a maternity-ward nurse. It becomes clear early on that this marriage isnt a happy one, and thats largely due to Alfreds nonchalant nature -- perhaps the result of him being regretful about losing his independence at such an early age. (Both Alfred and Rita could be seen as the younger versions of the married protagonists from Bla Tarr\'s The Prefab People [1982], carrying a brighter outlook towards the future at this point in their lives, yet facing many of the same dilemmas in their monotonous existences under the suffocating political climate.) Rita starts the divorce proceedings; Alfred eventually moves back to his mothers place and starts spending most of his time with his old crew.\r\n\r\nWhile the film isnt overtly political, its title symbolically refers to the post-war generation whose uncertain childhoods have left a mark on their current state. Also, with the conversations Alfred shares with his old neighbor and his grandfather, it becomes apparent that the differing ideologies have insinuated a new set of values that are constantly being negotiated. If the exquisitely poetic b&w camerawork of Roland Grf showcases the youth being dwarfed by the historical structures in the beginning, ultimately its the new generation who are atop the rapidly changing landscape of the city. Grf has acknowledged the influence the Italian neo-realists and Czech New Wavers had on him and Bttcher, and rightfully so, but the film largely unfolds via a breezy, nouvelle vague ambiance pregnant with wonderment and discovery. But Mr. Richter deserves the final word: \"[Born in \'45] is like a kind of ballet, expressing what cannot be said with words. There are the most beautiful arrangements. The naive nature of the performance and the beauty of the camera movements and angles are stunning. Every-day life is shown as both powerful and trivial - as space for movement in which we can study and develop ourselves and in which we define ourselves by means of endless repetitions and attempts to break out. The director\'s tools are sensitive feelers. He does not flaunt his professionalism; rather, he displays an excellent sense of timing.\" \r\n\r\n________________________\r\n\r\n*Now available on DVD in the U.S. (First Run). Simply put: this DVD is a pleasure all-around. \r\n\r\n*Extra Features:\r\n-Interview with director of photography Roland Grf\r\n-Doc/Discussion: \"Forbidden Films in Retrospect,\" with Professors Frank Hornigk (Humboldt University) and Peter Rabenalt (Potsdam-Babelsberg Film and Television Academy)\r\n-Newsreels about the film\r\n-Essay: \"Personal Reflection\" by film historian Rolf Richter','95b6e5bbbebd972df3fb264222445b64',0,'','hfQ1LSYb',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12234,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1160703360,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','Thanks for opening the thread with your review arsaib. I have so many things to do lately, that I find it hard to relax and write a few hours.\r\nHaven\'t seen this film yet, but I believe it was part of the 11th plenum you mention, which banned around a dozen films in \'66. And it is a rough-cut I believe, because Bttcher didn\'t get the opportunity to finish it.\r\nCinematographer Roland Grf whom you mention, became a director himself later in his career, and a remarkable one, judging by some recent articles I\'ve read on his life and work. \r\n\r\nA lot of Defa-films that were banned and sent to the vaults, resurfaced and were even re-constructed after the fall of the Berlin Wall. There have really been great efforts to re-evaluate and explore the cinema of the GDR, thanks in large parts to the excellent work of the DEFA Foundation.','470368720a5bd0569ce13b99c1cf7563',0,'','A6dz9R3l',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12235,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1160726880,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','You\'re welcome, A. I was fortunate enough to attend a retrospective of East-German films last year which also included a few lectures on the pertinent issues surrounding the films. Born in \'45 wasn\'t one of the films I watched, but director Bttcher did attend the event. Perhaps the best film I got to see was Egon Gnther\'s Der Dritte, which was introduced by its stars Jutta Hoffmann and Armin Mueller-Stahl. Since it\'s now available on DVD I\'ll try to write something about it soon \r\n\r\nThanks for the info regarding Grf.','c6eeba266559b7ff9eb751e251fd2193',0,'','wR3aHic7',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12236,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1161915540,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','HER THIRD (East Germany / 1971)\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nDirected by Egon Gnther, who has been described as an \"avant-gardist\" of East German cinema, Her Third (Der Dritte) is an intimate and absorbing drama about a woman attempting to grasp the kaleidoscopic social values in the early-70s GDR.\r\n\r\nJutta Hoffmann plays Margit Flieer, a thirtysomething mathematician working at a chemical plant who is a single mother of two and is seeking a male companion. She starts eyeing a co-worker but isnt sure how to approach him. Through a series of flashbacks, we gradually discover Margits past which largely defines her present state. After being orphaned at a young age, she sought comfort in a religious upbringing which she ultimately found to be too restrictive, and decided to pursue higher education on her own while being employed. Margit\'s first husband was her handsome chemistry professor who resented her youthful idealism; her second, a middle-aged author and musician (Armin Mueller-Stahl) who eventually succumbed to alcoholism due to his lacks. Both being responsible for a child each. \r\n\r\nBut Margit has found a way to survive the tribulations thus far, and wants to starts anew in a society which mightve been striving to provide equal status to women both professionally and otherwise, but their submissiveness was still considered a virtue in domestic matters. Hoffmann -- winner of the Best Actress award at the 1972 Venice Film Festival -- is truly a revelation here; shes tested in an array of emotionally complex situations by the taut screenplay (adopted from a short story by screenwriter Gnther Rcker) which covers nearly two decades of her character\'s life, but she comes through with flying colors. \r\n\r\nWhen the film was submitted to the authorities for approval, they didnt find anything problematic with how the turbulent life of this GDR woman was depicted (the truth was hard to refute, I guess), but an issue was raised with a brief yet intimate moment Margit shares with her spry best friend and colleague, Lucie (Barbara Dittus), according to whom \"socialism cant handle two things: fresh rolls and large busts.\" But Gnther was eventually able to get the film certified. Not surprisingly, Her Third became a box office success upon its release, and is now considered as one of the key DEFA films of the 70\'s.\r\n\r\n________________________\r\n\r\n*Now available on DVD in the U.S. (First Run). \r\n\r\n*Extra Features include:\r\n\r\n- Biographies & filmographies \r\n- Interview with screenwriter Gnther Rcker.\r\n- Essay: \"A Woman and GDR Society\" by Erika Richter (who I\'m assuming is related to critic/historian Rolf Richter.)\r\n- A DEFA short documentary, Sylvia (1983), which serves as an excellent companion piece to the feature.\r\n_________________________','aaaa1a6d34f7ab59089435b1ad5b1ebe',0,'','jcqw0FMV',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12237,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1167801480,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','Seems you in the US are getting more films from East Germany released onto DVD than we. \r\nGood to see that there is enough interest for this topic to explore it om your own, as I still haven`t finished my piece on a film that belongs here.','f4d7d168d68f052a72c8bbcfd13f5018',0,'','oAgwbRZV',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12238,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1167824160,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','I still have to get to a few DEFA-produced \"Red Westerns,\" in which the Native American are the heroes and the settlers are the villians.','836f712a66eee3bbcbd1a688ffef3f53',0,'','SXlC68WQ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12239,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1167880680,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','Ah yes. Some of those get regularly shown on German TV, though I sadly haven`t seen any of them yet. \r\nBut in West Germany there were also some Westerns with a similar topic. I think it might even be possible that east Germany started to copy this formula after the success of Winnetou (1963). Gojko Mitic who came to be a huge star in East Germany and the main choice for the indian protagonist that features in many DEFA films, also appeared in some early GDR films. \r\nWinnetou and its dozen spin-offs always had Pierre Briece as the noble savage who is trying to save his tribe from various dangers. In some of the films Lex Barker (he from the Tarzan fame) plays his \"sidekick\". \r\n\r\nSome of those West German westerns are actually watchable, and I can recommend two films which was a childhood favorite, and which I still found pretty good two years ago. Though they are also very corny, my experience was much like watching an Indiana Jones flick. Der Schatz der Azteken (\"The Treasure of the Aztecs\") and Die Pyramide des Sonnengottes (\"Pyramid of the Sun God\") are two of the last films Robert Siodmak made after returning to Germany. They were both shot at the same time (about 1965) and care actually one film that was split in two because of its length - much like Kill Bill. It could have also been planned like this, because it wasn`t uncommon for these kind of european co-produced Blockbusters to stretch a film into a series (Winnetou was followed by two sequels). Maybe you can get hold of a copy, but my advice is not to watch an edited version (the original is ca. 200 minutes), and going in without expecting a John Ford. \r\n\r\nI`ll write something if I catch any of those (East or Wes), but I have a feeling that you will be faster.','e460024ec3c2fcc0d8b9c00b9deb68e4',0,'','RGaDjknx',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12240,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1167915000,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','Good stuff. You\'ve heightened my interest!','51cae2bb4951a5a0b593b926798e13bc',0,'','7lZ1tbrj',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12241,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1167964320,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','I wanted to tape a couple of those from TV some months ago when i was living with my parents for a short time. Now I don`t even have TV. But at least the films are kind of around.','c9c27c1421cf6ebba3192603dc82b4fd',0,'','UmsuBcpK',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12242,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1195026780,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','Is R6dw6C into DEFA films?','bace071d7c523faf8895adf24a0988d0',0,'','ugrPhj0D',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12243,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1195064520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'R6dw6C','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','He is! At the latest since he has seen Egon Gnther\'s amazingly innovative and brilliant \"Abschied / Farewell\" on the big screen and some of the socialistic westerns with Gojko Mitic (A already mentioned them) on TV. Too bad that there are only very few DEFA-Films on DVD here - as A said, you seem to have more of them on DVD than we have.\r\n\r\nMaybe I\'ll revisit some of the west German \"Winnetou\" / \"Old Shatterhand\" (always played by Lex Barker) and \"Old Surehand\"- (three times played by Stewart Granger who was the best paid actor in a German production at this time)-Flicks and contribute a few little comments. I adore this cute, naive and incredibly kitschy Adventure films a lot since I grew up with them on german Television every year around Christmas time. And they definitely present the affection of our nation during the early 60ies, the economic miracle and all those things happening then. And - not to be forgotten - those were the most expensive and successful german films ever made to date. Other producers laughed at Horst Wendlandt when he decided to spend 3 Million DEM on \"Der Schatz im Silbersee / The Treasure of the Silver Lake\" and to produce a \"big, international Cinemascope-Epic in colour\" - they were awfully wrong and started to prepare their own Karl May-Adaptations very soon when the film hit the theaters, especially mighty producer Arthur Brauner who once was the boss of Wendlandt and couldn\'t watch the success of his former assistant. His \"Old Shatterhand\" (1963) probably is the only german 65mm-Film, mainly produced for a young audience. The Karl May Series went down when Wendlandt (in 1967) decided to go in the same direction as the italian westerns. \r\n\r\nJust to give you a little insight (If you didn\'t already check it out after A\'s teasing posting), here are a few trailers of those films - enjoy:\r\n\r\nTrailer (Winnetou Part 1, 1963)\r\n\r\nWinnetou and his Friend Old Firehand (Trailer, 1967) - this was the last film of the series produced by Wendlandt and it has some sort of \"Spaghetti Western\"-Touch)\r\n\r\nThe Treasure of the Silver Lake (1962, Trailer)\r\n\r\nThere were also some adaptations of Karl May\'s oriental-placed novels with titles like \"Wild Kurdistan\" or \"Im Reiche des silbernen Lwen / In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion\" but they never were as successful as the \"western\"-films (I like them quite a lot).\r\nAnd in 1988, there were an east German TV-Film, \"Das Buschgespenst\", which is a rare adaptation of one Karl May-Story set in the Germany of the 19th Century, about a smuggling \"ghost\" in the mountains at the German-Czech boarder which is also excellent but very rare.\r\n\r\nIf you want to know anything about those films or the german Edgar Wallace-Films - both are probably two of the strangest and most successful phenomenons in Germany\'s film history - just ask me, I know (almost) everything about those films and own two great books about them. \r\nI\'ll also try to post another index including the ones available with english subtitles. \r\nI also need to buy them on DVD by myself as I still haven\'t seen most of the films in their original Aspect Ratio of 1:2,35.','827d7c18868b7510e6ffec8baad51eb9',0,'','hXqV6yTG',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12244,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1195351500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','The \"Filmhauskino\" in Nuremberg have started a program which will focus in different sections on the East and West German cinema after the 2nd World War. The beginning has been made this November and December with a selection of respectively 6 films from both sides that were realized between 1946 and 1953. \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nToday I went to see one of them with two friends. Ehe im Schatten (Marriage in the Shadows / 1947) was not only one of the first German films made after the war, but is also reported to have been very popular amongst the population. It was released throughout Germany in all occupied sectors and dealt, as many films in the following years would, with the dictatorship during 1933 and 1945 and its effect on the German population. Produced by the DEFA, the film has a less overt political and propagandist overtone than some of the later films, and was the first feature-film effort of director Kurt Maetzig who would become one of the dozen or so filmmakers whose 1964/65 productions would be banned by the Government - in his case the contoversial Das Kaninchen bin ich (I Am the Rabbit / 1965).\r\n\r\nIn \"Marriage in the Shadows\", Maetzig appears as a technically assured director who uses a seemingly conventional story to confront the audience with their recent past and demonstrate the consequences of the fascist ideoloy on the outsiders of the Thirs Reich. Ilse Steppat plays a successful actress who is aspiring to become a new star of the German theater. It is 1933, shortly after the definitive rise to power of Hitler and his party, and the actress and her fellow colleagues are depicted as artists who are yet quite unconcerned about the political situation. Though they are aware of the political climate and even discuss it early on in the film when they are on holiday...\r\n\r\nto be continued...','9a90c22183ae736d594a4c8f52c55337',0,'','y2Jp8Hrd',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12245,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1195357260,1,0,1,1,1,1,'R6dw6C','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','\r\n\r\nSounds very interesting. Too bad I couldn\'t join you because of my cold. How about the talk with Kurt Maetzig? What was it like?\r\n\r\nI\'ve seen a very extraordinary (West) German film yesterday, and though I\'ve seen 22 films (!) by Alfred Vohrer before, this was a surprise nevertheless. Though the title suggest a detective story, \r\n\"Ein Alibi zerbricht / An Alibi for Death\" (1963)\r\n\r\nis more a dark marriage melodrama with a thrilling, criminal touch. The great, unforgotten Ruth Leuwerik plays a lawyer (her character hasn\'t much in common with the usual female characters of German cinema in the early 60ies) who happens to discover that her husband Gnther (Peter van Eyck) knew the man for whose murder her last client was innocently accused. She begins to distrust him and herself more and more just to finally find out that the only thing that could helped their love to last would have been repression.\r\nWhat\'s most unusual about the film (written by acclaimed screen writer Herbert Reinecker) is its attempt to tell about two different matters visual and acoustic. While the sound tells the thrilling story, the images are loaded with symbolism and correspond with the rest in a very complex and asscociating way. If you watch the film, you\'ll get a bizarre argument about what went wrong with the political and social rehabilitation of germany as a nation of wealth in the 1950ies (The ignorant, snobbish character of Peter van Eyck is the \"Best of the Worst\"...), if you listen to it, there will hardly be more than an entertaining chiller... but if you do both, you\'ll get some kind of quaint mixture including the interesting fact that Alfred Vohrer as a gay director tried to stage the tragedy of a breaking heterosexual relationship. Vohrer collaborated very often with Herbert Reinecker later but they never really reached the quality of this early work again. Also remarkable: The film suggests that the \"typical\" social solidarity among german people went down within the afore said rehabilitation. The film itself was a huge flop and hardly brought its budget back - it still remains a forgotten, obscure rarity. And the soundtrack of Germany\'s wizard of experimental film music, Peter Thomas, is brilliant. \r\n\r\nRated 22 out of 25.\r\n\r\nThere\'s a funny comment on IMDb which says it\'s a pity to notice that this was the last feature film to star Ruth Leuwerik. I can hardly agree with anything that guy wrote - \"An Alibi for Death\" is for sure one of the most unusual commercial (and consider the fact that, at this time, cinema in germany was almost only commercial, the new, independent german wave was still far away in 1963!) German films of its time and much more interesting than the before mentioned Karl May and Edgar Wallace-Adaptations. It is almost hard to select the interesting german films from those years - the terrible, kitschy and sentimental films with regional background (The Bavarian Alps, very often...) were still pretty overwhelming in 1963.\r\n\r\nEDIT: For those who are interested: \"I am the Rabbit\" and \"Schlsser und Katen\" (1957) by Kurt Maetzig are available on DVD over here - english subtitled!','c38ff6d4f89ae3f6bc823b99b63110e7',0,'','DLAropWe',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12246,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1195375980,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','R6dw6C: Since you didn\'t mention Gnther\'s Der Dritte/Her Third, I\'m gonna assume that you haven\'t seen it. He was known as an experimental filmmaker and the film you brought up seems to qualify as such. It isn\'t available here. The one I reviewed is a more traditional social-realist piece.\r\n\r\nAlong with Westerns, DEFA also produced a number of Sci-Fi films. Kurt Maetzig\'s Der Schweigende Stern, Gottfried Kolditz\'s Im Staub der Sterne, and Hermann Zschoche\'s Eolomea are said to be the key works. Have you seen any of them?','b1de3d08a915f6fb86ece4364f774322',0,'','LTpUrHPa',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12247,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1197898020,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','I WAS NINETEEN (East Germany / 1968) \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nWidely regarded as one of the most important postwar German filmmakers, Konrad Wolf (1925-1982) made thirteen theatrical features in his relatively brief career. Two of those were based on his war experiences as a member of the Red Army. (Wolf was only eight-years-old when his family was forced into exile due to his writer fathers anti-fascist activities. After becoming a Soviet citizen, he voluntarily ended up joining the army at the age of seventeen.) The first, and the most acclaimed, I Was Nineteen (Ich war neunzehn ) is partly sourced from the war diary Wolf kept against orders while serving as an interpreter. His surrogate is the eponymous nineteen-year-old who, for most of the film, roams the German countryside during the final weeks of WWII with an infantry division. A hotshot named Gregor (Jaecki Schwarz), his task involves calling on the last remnants of the Wehrmacht to capitulate instead of needlessly prolonging the battle. Episodically structured between April 16th and May 3rd, 1945, the script by the great Wolfgang Kohlhaase, one of the architects of the famous Berlin-Filme who collaborated with Wolf on four films, credibly brings forth numerous instances in which young Gregor is unwittingly forced to deal with issues regarding memory, language and identity. Whether it\'s due to the matter involving a young German girl (the only occasion the film hints toward the Soviet violations in Germany; after all, it was made under the watchful eyes of the authorities who had just banned nearly a dozen films after the notorious Eleventh Plenum), the tense negotiations at the Spandau Citadel, or when a severely wounded German soldier mistakes him for a comrade, the contradictory feelings evoked within Gregor, who isn\'t quite able to comprehend their nature, are skillfully mined. Neorealistically shot by Wolf\'s longtime DP Werner Bergmann, this contemplative and unsentimental effort was recently ranked by the Stiftung Deutsche Kinemathek among the 100 most significant German films of all time.','4608f4d6d6b42dfa97e615fb37279c3f',0,'','bC5D28Ve',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12248,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1197975120,1,0,1,1,1,1,'R6dw6C','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','Ah, I forgot to reply to your last post (I\'ve never heard of \"Ich war neunzehn\" before but your review sounds interesting, so I might check it out in the future - but I certainly got a backlog concerning east German films in general).\r\nNo, I haven\'t seen \"Her Third\" yet. I wanted to figure out in which direction Gnther developed himself after \"Farewell\" and what A told me about one of his last features, the post-Wend-Essay \"Stein\" (1991, \"...quite Godardesk, maybe similar to \"Notre musique...\") softened my Interest in his later works immediately - but only a bit. Egon Gnther (being 80 now and still very healthy) was present at the screening of \"Farewell\" I attended and he seemed very sympathetic and modest to me and he even confessed that he never intended to break walls in the DDR and that he just wanted to \"play with cinema\", that even most of his social criticism was unconscious. But he also confessed that he loved Godard (the early Godard, at least) at that time and that maybe left a bad influence on him. But A also told me that \"Die Schlssel / The Keys\" was - on the other hand - more similar to Antonioni and not too pretentious. So Gnther hopefully doesn\'t turn out to be an intellectual filmmaker in the future, I\'m willing to explore more by him (\"Farewell\" really is nearly a masterpiece, you should try to get it if possible, it has been released here one month ago in a poor version - full screen [O.a.r. is 1:2,35]). But at the moment, I\'m most interested in those three socialistic (of course they are - costley as they were) Science-Fiction-Films you mentioned (a colleague told me that they were also shown in our cinema a few years ago). It\'s funny because I already decided to buy a cheap but good 4-Disc-Set including those three films and a Soundtrack CD (it was also released by Icestorm Entertainment) when I read your post. If all those DVDs wouldn\'t be so @#%$ expensive... \r\n\r\nBtw, here are (German) reviews of those three films including some intriguing screenshots: \"Der schweigende Stern\", \"Eolomea\" (it was shot on 65mm Film - it would certainly be great to see it that way), \"Im Staub der Sterne\"','9842ed3831a122fbc31d1208b5392ffe',0,'','6EZUYVC9',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12249,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1197983520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','Oh, I\'m glad to know that my post was of some assistance. Sorry to hear about the price, though. Perhaps you would\'ve been better off importing the set from the U.S., but I don\'t think it contains a soundtrack CD and the shipping charges would likely have been pretty high.\r\n\r\nThose screenshots are certainly intriguing. In order to report back here, I\'ll try to get to at least one of those films in the upcoming days.','7c60a4611f33f2ac2efa868951593c21',0,'','9a85idR2',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12250,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1202334420,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','\r\nDie Tote von Beverly Hills \r\nDead Woman from Beverly Hills (1964 / West Germany / Michael Pfleghar) \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe 1960s were an interesting decade in German cinema. The crisis of the German film industry, which had recovered rather quickly after the Second World War and reached a peak during the 50s with the production of commercially reliable products that were often banal reenactments of a successful formula, had become apparent at the beginning of the new decade, when the public had slowly tired of the fast-food formula of \"Heimat-\" and \"Schlager\"-films, the reeanctment of sentimental love-stories disguised as costume epics, and the various other methods of escapism, designed to satisfy the Wirtschaftswunder ( the specific term for the economic boom in Germany in the 1950s and early 1960s) mentality of the wider public, which didn\'t want to know anything about the past, but everything about the future. While the creation af a new German identity was on the agenda, few people tried to recall alternative German film history as it could have been witnessed during the Weimar Republic between World War I and the Third Reich. Instead the same popular formulas that had been in use throughout the world since the creation of the medium, and which had also been appropriated to fit the ideology during the fascist regime, were merely redesigned to fit the newly fashionable and imported concept of American Democracy. The mixture was a weird conglomerate, in parts reminiscent of the popularity of US lifestyle concepts during the 20s (now in the guise of the repressed 50s), that was also trying to further develop the idea of a detached mythological German identity in a historic No Man\'s Land, which had become so popular during Hitler\'s reign. If you throw in the slowly blossoming consumer mentality, and the idea of anything goes paired with supposedly conservative values, the picture becomes clearer. One could probably draw strong parallels to Italy\'s development after the war, both in society and the emerging film-industry. It isn\'t a coincidence that especially those two countries came to rely heavily on international co-productions during the 60s and early 70s to ensure economic success. And with hindsight it seems merely a curious historical coincidence that Italy was chosen for the revaluation of cinematic reality through its Neo-Realist movement, while German films made in the same vein during and shortly after the war were largely ignored. If Bazin had seen some of the so called East and West German \"Trümmerfilme\", he would have probably realized that there wasn\'t a big difference between the two approaches (though arguably, Italy had the more interesting directors  - Staudte and Käutner were hardly as talented as Visconti and De Sica). \r\n\r\nNow in come the young turks of German cinema with the manifest of Oberhausen, only one year after the German film industry had taken its hardest blow in 1961, witnessing a national and international crisis during which not only numerous production houses and distributors were closing down (the renowned UFA had to merge with the Deutsche Filmhansa) while the market share of German films decreased from 47,3 % (in 1960) to 32,1%, but also the Venice Film Festival disapproved of all 5 possible German entries for its competition, and the jury of the German Film Awards refused to decorate any feature films at all (the spots for best Director and Scriptwriter also remained empty). The situation in 1961 may not have been as desolate as Volker Schlöndorff described it (\"I will return to my homeland to make films, because there are none.\"), but Werner Schroeter about nailed it, when he later stated: \"In a country like Germany, radical aesthetics aren\'t possible anymore. You have to put it on, like our terrorists. Why, everything has already permanently been laid to rest through the intoxication of money and middle-class life.\" This would also be a fitting description for the main theme of Die Tote von Beverly Hills . \r\n\r\nThe production history of the movie sounds as troubled as the story of the film itself.  Hans-Jürgen Pohland, producer and co-writer of Die Tote von Beverly Hills , was one of the signers of the Oberhausener manifest, and  when he and Michael Pfleghar (the film\'s director) decided to make a movie together, they indeed had the rights for the novel by Curt Goetz on which the film is loosely based, but couldn\'t find any investors. Despite the circumstances, they took the risk of shooting the film independently on location in Beverly Hills, and somehow they managed to convince the entire crew to join them in this adventure. Fortunately, Pohland and Pfleghar weren\'t complete novices in the field of filmmaking (both had already experiences from working for German television), and they were able to assemble a team of talented professionals and amateurs for this endeavour. I\'ll refrain from giving a long-winded description of the complicated plot of the film. Let me just say that it\'s a clever blend of 60s style German cinema (combining the established commercial patterns with a modern view on society) with the influence of the French New Wave and other emerging film schools, set in an all-American lanscape that feels completely out of place. It\'s a story about an inncocent girl who finds herself betrayed by society, and subsequently loses herself in a net of ideas and expectations that are encouraged and confirmed by a society from which she initially tried to break free. But as her love stemmed from a self-inflicted Phantasma, so does her life mirror more a dream (or a movie) than any concept of reality. At once banal and profound, satire and melodrama, the film manages to elude a definite meaning, mirroring merely your own ideas about the world we live in. Shot in Cinemascope, cinematographer Ernst Wild (who would later also do the camera for Niklaus Schilling\'s Rheingold [1978]) uses an impressive palette of textures switching between stark black & white photography and surreal and psychedelic color sequences to mirror the fragmented narrative structure of the film and the psycholgical states of its female protagonist Lu (an outstanding performance by Heidelinde Weis). Alternating between present and past, the film employs a large number of flashbacks in order to reconstruct the life story of the heroine, who is both used by others as well as using them for her own plans - similar to the relationship between the narrative of the film and its star. Heidelinde Weis thus has to portray a young girl that slowly turns into a kind of femme fatale, a transformation which she pulls of with incredible panache, while still retaining a charisma all of her own. The film takes her seriously while making fun of her, in the same way the filmmakers have treated their product. At first glance a crude mixture between art and trash that barely manages to hold the balance on the tight-rope walk it has set out for itself, the open-minded viewer is released with an insight into the mechanics of the human soul that goes far beyond the seemingly perfunctory construction and the homemade psychology of the film. If we return to the situation of the film industry at the time of its making, we can further shed some light on the importance of such a film at such a time. To quote a German filmcritic  from 1964 (loosely translated) : \"The penchant for the exotic, [...] has become the dominant feature of recent film production, resulting in an unparalleled phenomenon: the disappearance of the German character and the German milieu from German cinema.\" One can see the film as a clever and entertaining spoof of conventional Hollywood films (as well as their German imitators), but one can also try to find a deeper significance in its postmodern pastiche of playful ideas and inspired half-truths. At the cinema screening I attended, one viewer even found a deconstructionist stance in the film, which Pohland couldn\'t consciously confirm. But even if the film isn\'t always a revelation, it is definitely the much needed breath of fresh air everybody in the industry was talking about. Too bad, nobody took enough notice. \r\n\r\nUnfortunately, Die Tote von Beverly Hills remains one of the many unknown gems that got produced during the 50s and 60s (some independently, some not) and which are nowadays almost forgotten, because of the (critical) focus on 70s German cinema when personal films by Fassbinder, Herzog and Wenders became en vogue with the international film community. Nevertheless, Pfleghar\'s film was at its time a critical and commercial success. Not only was it nominated for the Golden Palm in Cannes where it got awarded the Technical Grand Prize in 1964 - as well as being well-received by the German film magazine Filmkritik - but it was also an instant hit with the audience (Pohland speaks of 3 Million visitors in Germany alone - even in those times an extremely impressive figure). Still, it\'s hard to imagine if the audience of those times was perceptive enough to understand the subtle and subversive take on Germany\'s obsession with the American Way of Life. After all, Douglas Sirk\'s lush melodramas during the late 50s (with which Die Tote von Beverly Hills shares some characteristics) also hardly got their public attention because of his denunciation of the cold-hearted environment in America\'s idolized upper-class. Like one German critic clearly observed, German and American sensibilities could have hardly been farther apart during the early 60s, but in this regard the two countries may share the fate of being in need of a later reevaluation of some of its cinematic output.','ecbe6b157a2b9ed31341c8fdf4ee1cc7',0,'','7vswRSYy',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12251,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1202366640,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','Good stuff, A. We needed you to get back in action! \r\n\r\nUnfortunately, the film isn\'t available in the U.S in any format.','3f6c4db9ca42013dd50cde974e017998',0,'','7TWhSlAt',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12252,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1202375280,1,0,1,1,1,1,'R6dw6C','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','And so it is in Germany, beside the new, gorgeous and more or less \"private\" 35mm Print we saw at the Filmmuseum in Munich last Friday. \r\nPohland told us that a DVD-Release is planned but he couldn\'t even name a company and even if so, there will probably be no english subtitles on it. It sounds ironic but German Cinema gets better treatment in the rest of the world than its home country - just compare the Criterion Disc of \"M\" with the German one and you\'ll see what I mean... \r\n\r\nAt least, I don\'t have to write anything now as I agree with A mostly (I\'m not in the mood for discussions right now and I\'ve got no time at all). I liked the film even more, it\'s definitely one of the most surprising discoveries I made in German cinema. I\'ve wanted to see this one badly since over three years and accidentally, Matalo Matango pointed this screening to me. No question, it was necessary to attend it. A mix of the early Richard Lester (1962 - 1970), Douglas Sirk, Walerian Borowczyk and a bit of the German Edgar Wallace Films (about which I wrote a few words somewhere around here, I believe). No matter how you describe it, it\'s just incredible and I\'m sure there\'s no other comparable German film in existence. Totally unique - during the screening, I couldn\'t believe my eyes that such a modern, fresh, playful and daring film was made in Germany in 1964, in the conservative and old Germany. (9/10) \r\n\r\nMy dream would be a Criterion Release of this gem but that\'s probably far beyond reality... \r\n\r\nThe poster A used isn\'t the original one, btw. The original version depicted a completely nude girl but the censorship asked to hide the girl\'s pubic area and so, these flowers were added. Very typical, the film itself was rated \"18\" nevertheless which was an extremely rare and strong rating then.','f03bd26f14cc0d61a7cd9144d383698f',0,'','UCFk825f',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12253,2205,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1202453100,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Films from Germany (1945 1989)','Thanks for the additional info, R6dw6c.','5b413df8557bec18007e9171b129ba74',0,'','d9hn5GLS',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12254,2206,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1192960200,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Takamine: Twenty-Four Eyes (1954) & The Mistress (1953)','.','5058f1af8388633f609cadb75a75dc9d',0,'','Mk0Tq7Ls',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12255,2206,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1193016540,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Takamine: Twenty-Four Eyes (1954) & The Mistress (1953)','TWENTY-FOUR EYES (Japan / 1954)\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nDespite the fact that he was one of the most prolific and beloved postwar filmmakers in Japan, Kinoshita Keisuke (1912-1998), much like Naruse Mikio, was a relatively unknown commodity in the west for a long period of time. While Kinoshita\'s 1958 effort, Ballad of Narayama, arguably remains his most famous work, Twenty-Four Eyes (Nijushi no hitomi), which not only finished first in Kinema Junpos 1954 poll but was recently selected as one of the greatest Japanese films of all-time by the country\'s critics, is his most lauded. \r\n\r\nSet in a poor fishing village on the island of Shodoshima, the second largest in Japan\'s Seto Inland Sea, the film unfolds over an 18-year span, starting in 1928 as we witness a dozen first-graders (the \"twenty-four eyes\") encountering their \"awfully modern\" new teacher on her bike on the way to school. Exquisitely essayed by the great Takamine Hideko (who initially appears as if shes just wandered off a Naruse set), the bright, headstrong Miss Oishi also draws some attention due to her western attire (her suit, it turns out, was made from an old kimono, thus symbolizing her regard for traditions despite her novel appearance) and unorthodox teaching methods, but in a short period of time she finds a way to win the hearts and minds of her young pupils and their parents.\r\n\r\nAt once epic and intimate, Twenty-Four Eyes, like some of the best films of the past and present, is set to the indeterminate rhythms of life. And life, as it has a tendency to do, regularly intervenes in various forms, even shattering the hopes and ideals of those who at one point here seemed to be beyond it all. If the young girls in Oishis class are eventually affected by the indigenous customs and the worsening economy, the boys bear the brunt of the countrys aggressive war efforts in China (which the film critiques via Oishis pacifist stance, not to mention by placing an emphasis on folk songs and nursery rhymes instead of official patriotic jingles). \r\n\r\nKinoshita -- whose 1951 Takamine-starrer Carmen Comes Home was Japans first full-color motion picture -- was considered to be quite proficient at melodrama, and its not hard to see why. Even though the film contains enough hankie moments to satisfy the most hardcore of Oprah fans (the nickname of \"cry-baby\" is appropriately, and ironically, deployed for one character), it remarkably earns most of them. Meanwhile, making sure that the emotional toll doesnt become overbearing is Kinoshitas spacious mise-en-scne, featuring strikingly eloquent compositions (this 156-minute effort is also beautifully edited). Based on Tsuboi Sakae\'s 1952 novel of the same name, Twenty-Four Eyes is a lyrical and profoundly moving piece of work which is fully deserving of its place in Japanese cinema history.','ff2c1c758018b9ca2d3b49eceb64cc5e',0,'','dU7NgB2Q',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12256,2206,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1193120220,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Takamine: Twenty-Four Eyes (1954) & The Mistress (1953)','I found this film far too long and a bit of a let down considering some of the praise I heard of it.','355fde89c82e842e44a23a05ce77b1cd',0,'','u0ojNyKw',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12257,2206,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1193126280,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Takamine: Twenty-Four Eyes (1954) & The Mistress (1953)','First of all, I\'m pleasantly surprised that you\'ve seen it; I hadn\'t come across anyone who was even familiar with it. As I\'ve stated before, it\'s difficult to argue regarding how one feels about a film\'s running-time. But what are some of the other issues you had with the film?','74285939e440cceb6726c46827a80f83',0,'','Eqephfi0',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12258,2206,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1193371560,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Takamine: Twenty-Four Eyes (1954) & The Mistress (1953)','Contrary to \"popular\" belief, Twenty-Four Eyes has been available in the U.S., on VHS (Sony). \r\n\r\nHK distributor Panorama released a Region-0/NTSC DVD of the film back in 2003. It\'s affordable, but the transfer isn\'t very good, especially when compared to Eureka/MoC\'s Region-2/PAL disc which was issued in 2006.','2e50590693e64f46fac77fcfdb8c6908',0,'','8rnlWXdw',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12259,2206,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1193387880,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Re: Takamine: Twenty-Four Eyes (1954) & The Mistress (1953)','I have the HK version.\r\nhee hee','43475e38ddaa8bae85de1abbd50f3476',0,'','nFsWb3jK',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12260,2206,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1193518560,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Takamine: Twenty-Four Eyes (1954) & The Mistress (1953)','Me, too. I\'ve had it for over a year now. It was only slightly better than the available VHS. But once I came across the U.K. edition, there wasn\'t \"much of a comparison\" (DVDBeaver).\r\n\r\nDo share your thoughts on the film once you\'ve seen it.','658fbf3bd2201083858bc52436788b74',0,'','dgW70Gor',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12261,2206,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1193645880,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Takamine: Twenty-Four Eyes (1954) & The Mistress (1953)','I saw it on VHS and the transfer was ok. I can\'t remember too much but the film seemed to drag on and on and on. There are a few Japanese films from this era with a rather slow pace and this could have been 30 minutes shorter.','3cb8c47d7de275138c60a2f1e7ceaef5',0,'','3lMxTASu',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12262,2206,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1193965320,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Takamine: Twenty-Four Eyes (1954) & The Mistress (1953)','THE MISTRESS (Japan / 1953)\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe Mistress (Gan) is based on a classic autobiographical novel by Mori Ogai, an important Japanese author from the Meiji period (1868-1912) whose work (a short story) was also responsible for Mizoguchis acclaimed Sansho the Bailiff (1954). (The novels English title, Wild Geese, is also the secondary title of the film.) Assuredly directed by Toyoda Shir (1906-1977) -- a Toho mainstay who, after serving as an assistant and screenwriter to Shimazu Yasujiro (one of the initial masters of the shomin-geki), came into prominence with such films as Wakai hito (1937) and Kojima no haru (1940), Kinema Junpos best film of the year, but went on to helm more genre-related efforts like Illusion of Blood (1966) and Portrait of Hell (1969) -- The Mistress relates a poignant story of a woman who struggles for personal freedom in a patriarchal, tradition-bound society. \r\n\r\nThe role of our eponymous protagonist is delicately rendered by Takamine Hideko, who, as usual, is not necessarily beautiful in her suffering, but persevering, dedicated and intelligent (Catherine Russell). She had a distinctive propensity for underplaying the most dramatic of moments, which she does here with aplomb. Her Otama is the daughter of a poor and sickly candy-seller who is manipulated into a becoming a mistress of a recently widowed merchant (Tono Eijir) with promise of a future marriage. But once she discovers the true nature of her patron, her dream, not to mention her self-image, is shattered. Consequently, she finds herself drawn towards a young medical student (Akutagawa Hiroshi), whom she envisions as the only ray of hope in her despairing existence. \r\n\r\nThrough graceful camera-movements which defy the congested crassness of the lower-middle-class milieu (authentically captured by the art-direction of the great Kimura Takeo and Ito Kisaku, who also worked with Mizoguchi during the mid-50s), Toyoda draws a parallel with the plight of his own central character. The persistent presence of fog during the nighttime sequences serves as a metaphor for the indeterminate social environment of the late Meiji-era. The western-influenced score of Dan Ikuma is appropriately deployed. Alongside the likes of Nomura Yoshitaro, Uchida Tomu, Kinoshita Keisuke, etc., Toyoda could perhaps be considered as someone who may not have been consistently great, but nonetheless produced films that qualified as such. The Mistress is one of them.\r\n\r\n__________________________','a4352510751df26097519a3a55c8ecbd',0,'','YEsMnkFr',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12263,2206,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1194519360,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Takamine: Twenty-Four Eyes (1954) & The Mistress (1953)','To the best of my knowledge, The Mistress isn\'t available on subtitled DVD at this point. But the film was issued in the U.S. on VHS by Embassy Home Ent. a few years back.','7fc75a20cac3447743ddcf5c371199eb',0,'','X7qwL59Z',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12264,2206,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1197672660,1,0,1,1,1,1,'jcdavies','Re: Takamine: Twenty-Four Eyes (1954) & The Mistress (1953)','I like Twenty Four Eyes- it may verge on being too sweet and sentimental at times but Hideko\'s performance (i prefer to call her Hideko in this case), the humanist anti-war message and the beautiful setting i find very endearing. I can see why it was a massive hit in Japan and it\'s a pity it\'s been neglected in the West','2886c29e9df0867f799960a84a043865',0,'','lpqo8tEw',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12265,2206,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1197708600,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Takamine: Twenty-Four Eyes (1954) & The Mistress (1953)','Thanks for the response. I think Criterion should consider it for the U.S. market. After all, many of their releases have found a home in the U.K. with Eureka/MoC, who just put out Sansh day.','7d2bb8b7f168fac83c751467ab07bc0f',0,'','RfZsoh3c',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12266,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1163679300,1,0,1,1,1,1,'MikLosk','25 Flawless Masterpieces','I promised to start this new thread. I do believe that real cinematic masterpiece is a miracle because cinema is the most complicated and complex form of art. Miracles can\'t happen too often. So, despite great number of films I\'ve seen in the years I consider only 25 of them as real, flawless, perfect masterpieces which changed my mind, my attitude to cinema and my taste. I\'ve decided recently to rewatch them. I\'ll try to understand what makes them so perfect, why they can strike me so much. Maybe I\'ll understand magic origin of cinema? I think some of you remember John\'s list of twenty must see movies on the old board (wpqx - the oldest member of all - must remember). I\'ll try to make a similar list. But this one will be more subjective. If someone find it too pretentious I\'ll ask him not to treat it too seriously: after all, it\'s just a list with some comments. Notes will be posted without any particular order. Some notes are already posted:\r\n\r\n1. Giorgino (Laurent Bouttonat, France, 1994)\r\n\r\n2. 8 1/2 (Federico Fellini, Italy, 1963)\r\n\r\n3. Picnic at Hanging Rock (Peter Weir, Australia, 1975)\r\n\r\n4. L\'Eclisse (Michelangelo Antonioni, Italy, 1962)','a0856082f881becda353eeb237f7b6c3',0,'','r6wkm1XN',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12267,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1163684580,1,0,1,1,1,1,'MikLosk','Re: 25 Flawless Masterpieces','5. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, USA, 1941)\r\n\r\nThis film is widely acclaimed as the greatest movie of all time. Both critics and directors in last Sight and Sound poll declared it as the best. Even imdb users rate it very highly (8.6/10). To say something new about this film is almost impossible, but I\'ll try to say a couple of words about its original screenplay because everyone knows everything about Toland\'s really great and innovative cinematography.\r\n\r\nMaybe the most amazing point of the movie is the fact that this technically brilliant and emotionally powerful masterwork was created by 25 (!) years old actor, director, producer and screenwriter Orson Welles. Today perspicaciousness of young author is becoming more and more obvious: on the base of contemporary for him material (he used destiny of newspaper owner Hurst) he created mythological personality. Inconceivability of Kane is in the narrative structure of the film: it used almost impossible for that time aesthetics of fundamental mismatching between chronological order of events and order of constituent parts of the work (they are five different stories by different people which thought they had known Kane). Besides, formal plot is not corresponded with so called \"time of narrator\".\r\n\r\nSome critics find Citizen Kane to some extent close to Proust\'s concept of time (although some episodes repeat we can see his life in its natural evolution). Word \"rosebud\" as told by dying Kane becomes initial point in the plot development - like in Proust\'s work the cookie \"madeleine\" in the cup of tea stimulates recollections. \"Empirical time\" dissolves in \"subjective time\". \r\n\r\nIt seems that simulated newsreel in the beginning of the movie should bring in historical objectivity. However it turned out to be a mythological situation: like in Joyce\'s \"Ulysses\" Dublin inhabitants correspond with heroes of \"Odyssey\". And Kane\'s attempt to build huge castle \"Xanadu\" with collection of art masterworks is an aspiration for running from the present to the past for the sake of creating of mythological world, \"neverland\". But after his death - it\'s a useless world, like a storehouse of forgotten, useless things. \r\n\r\nAnd far childhood of the hero loses its entity like his sleigh with rosebud - just a thrown out and burned down forever piece of wood. And glassy ball with winter landsape falled out Kane\'s hand is evidence of unavailability of that part of his being. Actually Orson Welles created not the secret of Kane\'s life but the greatest cinematic puzzle which becomes every day more and more unresolvable. There is a peculiar \"time of a viewer\" in the complex narrative structure of the film that allows to carry on a dialogue with this cinematic masterpiece, which makes multiversion nature of human destiny and many-sided origin of human personality an aesthetical principle of fixing of the eternally changing reality in the film.','cfb332b6ea0d1c3e02dd3fcee7291a1c',0,'','3QYLC0bg',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12268,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1163713500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: 25 Flawless Masterpieces','We seem to be in agreement with at least a couple of these flawless masterpieces. I\'ve made no secrets about Kane being my all time favorite film, and reading your thoughts kinda makes me want to watch it again, but everything makes me want to watch Kane again. I like the idea of this thread, and I like the way you gave yourself an excuse to revisit these classics. Perhaps Sara can contribute as she was also mentioning rewatching some gems. At this point I\'m far too immersed in watching new films (new to me anyways) that I don\'t really have any burning desire for revisiting my favorites right now. I look forward to reading your upcoming reviews.','d067b1a0749cf74665b866bd0f60ee2c',0,'','1rh86HTC',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12269,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1163769000,1,0,1,1,1,1,'MikLosk','Re: 25 Flawless Masterpieces','Thanks for kind comments, wpqx. You makes me continue this list.','ffa9e4007e445dd474d2addc31b82848',0,'','zEv4Cn1F',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12270,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164039060,1,0,1,1,1,1,'madhuban','Re: 25 Flawless Masterpieces','Please continue Mik. I\'m extremely curious to know which films will make the list. \r\n\r\nM','755399050675e26ec721707ed9edb469',0,'','7irkz2Wn',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12271,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164042960,1,0,1,1,1,1,'MikLosk','Re: 25 Flawless Masterpieces','Oh, my list is interesting for someone? These notes exhaust me, so it\'s rather hard to post them often. Ok, I\'ll continue tomorrow.','6a050e376329bd842abd3189d3f25090',0,'','9sFhevg2',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12272,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164052260,1,0,1,1,1,1,'madhuban','Re: 25 Flawless Masterpieces','Your Soviet cinema top 50 list still occupies pride of place on my desktop','52fd05835de18a33540a610f387610f4',0,'','B2UTCqs8',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12273,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164052980,1,0,1,1,1,1,'MikLosk','Re: 25 Flawless Masterpieces','Pleased to hear such kind words about my lists','00728b9db8734479ca0ec59e97d47cc0',0,'','h1ecQRDn',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12274,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164074700,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Sara','Re: 25 Flawless Masterpieces','Your lists are very helpful and insightful. Especially this one on \"flawless masterpieces.\"\r\n\r\nAnd your quizzes are wonderful and have introduced me to many films I would not have seen otherwise.\r\n\r\nSara','5d13c18b3ccc5619037235f8fa86faca',0,'','sPUbt1nQ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12275,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164119820,1,0,1,1,1,1,'MikLosk','Re: 25 Flawless Masterpieces','Thanks a lot, Sara!\r\nI try to make this board more interesting and funny. Pleased to know that users appreciate my benefit','f7913933eb9be2ea6190f2a9e184c57b',0,'','CZPLVyK4',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12276,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164124560,1,0,1,1,1,1,'MikLosk','Re: 25 Flawless Masterpieces','6. Fanny och Alexander (Ingmar Bergman, Sweden, 1982)\r\n\r\nBergman belongs to the handful of directors (that numbers 4-5 directors) whose masterpieces are not accidental. You can remember Nicholas Roeg whose Don\'t Look Now is his only great film. Also Carol Reed with The Third Man, Laurent Bouttonat with Giorgino, etc. But Bergman is undoubtedly one of the greatest directors: he created many masterpieces which will remain forever in cinema history. Fanny och Alexander is his last flawless masterpiece, that could be the great final \"accord\" of his filmography. I always thought that this film is absolutely perfect, but it\'s only a short version of TV series, eh? When I saw TV-version (all series in the row) I was blown away. My God, what a captivating, charming film, absolutely not overextended. In the film-version the director cut out the plotline of Isak Jacobi masterfully performed by Erland Josephson. Paradoxically it says about Bergman\'s great confidence in the actor who can only darkly be present at the screen bringing in calm and peace in the tearing apart world of Ekdahl. But nonetheless the movie - short version - is still one of the greatest works in cinema history. \r\n\r\nFanny och Alexander is the Bergman\'s journey to the past (actually he\'s told the story of his family), similar to the mental journey of Professor Isak Borg in Wild Strawberries, another Bergman\'s flawless masterpiece. This story about love and death, religion and faith strikes with its filigree directing, meticulous portrayal of the athmosphere of the days of old. It contains inner charm and simultaneously break-down of past childhood period. There weren\'t another epic cinema novel with such an emotional power and spiritual depth in cinema history. Magic of cinema in the movie captivates every viewer like Alexander in the beginning of the film...','4fb04eebbe7b366c9b02d787f231514e',0,'','1oetUELD',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12277,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164378180,1,0,1,1,1,1,'MikLosk','Re: 25 Flawless Masterpieces','7. Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, USA, 1954)\r\n\r\nAlfred Hitchcok was a great master. Nobody else could create such entertaining, exciting and thrilling movies. But once he managed to create a piece of real art within the limits of his genre. It was Rear Window where Hitchcock achieved the highest point of his career and penetrated into the secrets of cinema. \r\n\r\nObeying classicist \"unity of time, place and action\" (main hero photographer L. B. Jefferies due to injury can\'t move and being bored observes opposite windows through the binoculars) and using minimum of tools Hitchcock masterfully create suspense and - furthermore - allows us to reflect on one of the ontological entities of cinema. Camera, likening to the eye of the main hero who becomes a casual observer of a murder of a woman by a man, turned out to be an unintentional voyeur of the reality, it occasionally notices something that is hidden from the others. And a viewer who has to identify himself with the hero turns into a peeper of action. At that a viewer being without motion in cinema hall or at the TV set can\'t interfere in the action in the screen too. So, the viewer\'s situation is absolutely similar to the hero\'s one.\r\n\r\nConsequently cinema itself is in a way a \"rear window\" which allows to see the wrong side of the life, background of the reality which usually remains beyond the common sight. By the way, there is a concept \"back projection\" in cinema corresponded with the use of specially shooted background images behind the figures of heroes in the foreground. Hitchcock changes \"focusing\" of the shot and pay more attention to the things which happen behind the foreground. Secondary things acquires importance though not fully guessed by the observer. After all, we can interpret events happened in that apartment in a different ways. Actually Hitchcock anticipated philosophical question \"Is everything visible is true?\", one of the fundamental cinematic questions. This question will be considered later by Michelangelo Antonioni in his great film Blow Up.','28453b094e79a9bd4f8a9fa8f34c03fd',0,'','LnZ5NdQe',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12278,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164508620,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: 25 Flawless Masterpieces','Nice thread Miklosk, I\'d certainly go with the majority of your choices so far, can\'t wait to see what will appear next on your list.\r\n\r\nI have a few in mind that probably wouldn\'t come into consideration and can think of a few others that could well make an appearance here.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','cb66be78ce648cbb9ab3eef06ffddc04',0,'','rJNqH5FL',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12279,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164509280,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Re: 25 Flawless Masterpieces','Same here Trev, I could fit a couple of contemporaries in as well that probably wouldn\'t make the grade elsewhere. \r\n\r\nI am intrigued at MikLosk\'s inclusion of \"Don\'t Look Now\" in his various threads and am inspired to read up about it before touching my DVD of it. To me, \"The Exorcist\" remains the immaculate, utter masterpiece of the horror genre.\r\n\r\nThis is however just my own perspectives of Flawless Masterpieces that would probably differ from plenty others, and I would love to know the lists of others as well.','31d76884f019599bb9fc9f1d6eddfb20',0,'','SHN9lujr',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12280,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164553500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'MikLosk','Re: 25 Flawless Masterpieces','Trevor, what films do you mean? It\'s really interesting.\r\n\r\nIntrigue is maybe the most important thing in this thread','55d79256f20ebc49a4702645ead36e7e',0,'','rjukd6HS',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12281,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164672840,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: 25 Flawless Masterpieces','I don\'t really consider Don\'t Look Now a horror film, but I\'ve certainly seen it regarded as such. For my money Kubrick\'s The Shining is the first and last word in the genre and the absolutely perfect realization of all that can be done within it. For sheer fun though, its hard to top Bride of Frankenstein, which like The Shining I\'ve probably seen 25 or more times.','da3659691c88a558f65de04fa993e8b9',0,'','6C8xPyeE',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12282,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164730380,1,0,1,1,1,1,'MikLosk','Re: 25 Flawless Masterpieces','8. Mirror (Andrey Tarkovsky, USSR, 1975)\r\n\r\nThis film is exactly in the middle of Tarkovsky\'s filmography: he shot three feature films before it and three - after it. And I do believe it\'s the highest point of his work. It\'s one of the most complex and multilayer films in cinema history and simultaneously very simple and clear movie: it speaks with a viewer in the universal language of cinema. Originally the screenplay \"White, White Day\" (this working title of the movie is the name of the poem of the director\'s father - a celebrated Russian poet Arseniy Tarkovsky) appeared. It was a story about Tarkovsky\'s mother. He said: \"I can\'t bear with my mother\'s death. I will protest against it and will prove that she\'s immortal. I am going to convince other people of her being unique\". Later this idea developed into the plotless film that became one of the provement of the fact that cinema is an absolutely equitable to literature, music and paintings form of art (another Tarkovsky\'s idee fixe).\r\n\r\nMidway upon the journey of our life\r\nI found myself within a forest dark,\r\nFor the straightforward pathway had been lost.\r\nThis words of Dante\'s Divine Comedy could be an epigraph to the film. Do you remember final travelling of camera into the forest? I think it\'s not accidental - it symbolizes author\'s look: Tarkovsky was \"midway upon the journey of his life\" and \"found himself within a forest dark\". But in the end of the movie he sees an exit from this dark forest: his present and his past step together. So, the relation between the present and the past is in the base of Tarkovsky\'s philosophy. Conscience and memory (recollections are one of the main constituents of the movie like in Otto e Mezzo and Amarcord) are the two things that can help man to understand himself. \r\n\r\nThe gist of events in the movie is very complex: it contains the present life of unnamed and unfeatured main hero (we can only hear his voice), his recollections, dreams and newsreel: Tarkovsky\'s childhood fell on the WWII. So, by means of his childhood story (told only with the most bright points - the whole story remained unsaid) he said about the hard history of his own country. \r\n\r\nReticence is one of the most important features of the film: it makes the movie similar to the poem, where images (cinematography is undoubtedly marvellous: nobody could shoot nature in such a beautiful way!), mood, athmosphere and metaphors are more important than plot or formal narrative structure. In the movie we can hear voice of the Tarkovsky\'s father: he recites his poetry. It\'s not accidental: Andrey Tarkovsky acclaimed himself as a cinematic poet, successor of the Russian poetry traditions. And he was a real poet who felt relation between space and time, multidimensional and multilayer nature of time, strange and complex interpretation of time and space in our memory and in the art of cinema...','87ef3531765011218651534e7db78367',0,'','D7yqU2rt',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12283,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164811620,1,0,1,1,1,1,'madhuban','Re: 25 Flawless Masterpieces','I was expecting Mirror to make your list. Nice review','01d35df50544bd27462d22f3f46f7efd',0,'','3N82vmyL',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12284,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164836100,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: 25 Flawless Masterpieces','The mirror has been on my list of films to re-watch for years, and I swear one of these days I\'ll actually do it.','2ea7ad73cdec7512f16e37a0e9a7040e',0,'','oGxUq7VH',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12285,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1164915780,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: 25 Flawless Masterpieces','Great thread. I\'d love the idea, if some other users would also start a thread on their 25 favorites \r\nWhen I first watched Mirror at the cinema, I wasn\'t overwhelmed (though I was already a Tarkovski enthusiast). Since then, the film has grown in my memory and become one of my favorites. The first scenes of the film, with the protagonist sitting outside of the house and waiting, are one of the most marvelous transferences of nature onto film. \r\nNykvists cinematography in Offret (1986) is also remarkable. I\'d say that Angelopoulos was inspired by this in his later films.\r\n\r\nRear Window is by far the most complex film by Alfred Hitchcock I have seen so far (out of 25 movies). The last time I saw it on a large screen I was astounded by the many layers present in the film. The plot and ongoings were secondary as I was exploring the philosophical questions inherent in the material. But I must say that I like some other films by Hitch much more. \r\n\r\nKeep the comments coming Mik!','deba6c30f3fc2870e72bc1c6d030c348',0,'','Q4ZpqJ5u',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12286,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1165195860,1,0,1,1,1,1,'justindeimen','Re: 25 Flawless Masterpieces','For horror films, I think I might add The Innocents to it, edging The Shining for me as well. For The Exorcist, it might be a superficial choice but what works for me is it\'s overwhelming translation to a tangible physical bearing as well as its timeless quality of being viscerally unnerving. I would love to have been in a cinema packed full of people when it was first released.','8e64cd49fd43c8ee689efda1bc8254e1',0,'','UJhQzLMG',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12287,2207,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1193476440,1,0,1,1,1,1,'chard09','Re: 25 Flawless Masterpieces','Fanny and Alexander go boating to drown their sorrows (Ingmar Bergman, 1982)\r\n\r\nWritten and directed by Ingmar Bergman\r\nCinematography by Sven Nykvist\r\nCast: Bertil Guve, Pernilla Allwin, Ewa Frling, Jan Malmsj, Gunn Wllgren\r\n\r\nGlorious from start to finish, its three-hour length notwithstanding, Ingmar Bergmans Fanny and Alexander is pure cinematic brilliance. God bless the Swedish Embassy for lending us a spotless 35mm print, so fresh it looks like one of the first reels used when the film had its initial release more than thirty years ago. Every frame of this stunning genius breathes with fragile contradictions: life and death, kindness and cruelty, truths and lies, innocence and guilt, simplicity and extravagance, spirituality and the lack of it. Bergman manages to weave a canvas with such austere mastery and harrowing majesty, it turns wickedness into beauty, so moving one questions the law of emotions if there is even one.\r\n\r\nFor period pieces are fond of exploiting their exquisite sceneries, ancestral homes, lavish feasts, patios that feel like the most comfortable place on earth, and the royalty of these people whose exaggerated gestures let us feel how much has changed since then, it seems that we already know what will happen in the next stroke of their hands or the fate of a time-bound romance exalted by war. But in Bergmans universe they are nothing but mere devices, for even if you place his story into a setting more recent, or perhaps during the turn of the millennium, into a world where people are treated like zombies and loved like vultures, one would still feel the plight of Alexander and the entire Ekdahl family, the Bishops hypocrisy, and a country in despair behind those grand landscapes and fjords.\r\n\r\nThe philosophic nature of Bergman is enough to tick someone off and find his way out of the theatre whose exasperated air is shared by pseudo-intellectuals, highbrow socialites, passive moviegoers and, most interesting of all, students who, to their astonishment, leave the cinema with dreary eyes and nausea threatening in a few minutes. When someone watches a film and it ends almost on the day after, one starts to question, and in a brief second wonder, the devotion that he has to cinema. Did he finish the film just because he needs to finish it, while he has all the freedom to leave, or is it an unconscious desire to devote ones self to a beautiful film till it becomes a habit, an obsession? When darkness spreads its wings like a falcon in flight, it surprises me how Bergman, in almost the same amazement when Tarkovsky visits me in my dreams for a week and too bad it never happened again, looms his virtues with extreme pessimism a cruelty with passion, a family without its soul, a spirituality without god. This is the only time I enjoyed him, perhaps because I tend not to cross his path his path to emptiness and my respect to him now becomes lucid, sadly after his recent death.\r\n\r\nThe erosion of human soul, the decay of virtues, and the unending search for purpose and existence, Bergman speaks for us: these are nonsense. As I walk my way out of the theatre now filled with silent cries and elusive whispers, the thought of Alexander imagining the death of his stepfather through a fire that burnt him to death still haunts me. And from that door, as if our souls are clearly everywhere, I see Bergman staring at our faces, our wrinkled faces, and studying how they suffered from his film. He is smiling and for a moment I hear myself mumble, What an honor just to see him here.','b768cc389c2791822f6e7b0f2b61450a',0,'','pqdifjNr',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12288,2208,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1192246980,1,0,1,1,1,1,'hengcs','Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg)','Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) (1964)\r\n\r\nWinner of Cannes Film Festival\r\nNominated for Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Foreign Films\r\n\r\nMy thoughts ...\r\n\r\n-- Great music (not an easy feat for 1.5 hr) ... the French language + singing sounds especially nice in this musical ... \r\na great point\r\n(i) luckily, unlike Broadway, they do NOT sudddenly break into dance items, hee hee ... \r\n\r\n-- Deceptively simple plot, but it is so well executed that you feel for the characters ... there are light hearted moments (credit to the director/or scriptwriter for having some great sense of humor ... HA HA HA) ... and there are heart wrenching moments (credit to them for NOT becoming over dramatic, unlike some films) ... Yet, the realism of the story makes the audience feel for them, think what they would have done and of course, hurt at times ...\r\n\r\nthe ending is particularly GREAT, isnt that what life all about?! ... LIFE IS NOT SO SIMPLE ... \r\n\r\nSeveral thought provoking scenes ...\r\n(i) Choices in life (e.g., the female protagonist? the male protagonist? the two supporting male and female?! etc)\r\n(ii) The choice of \"umbrellas\" (i.e., as shelters) and the many depiction of changing seasons/weathers (i.e., the environment) ... analogy of life?! analogy of marriage/love? etc\r\n(iii) The choice of \"Carmen\" ... (giving it a new meaning?! giving it some excuses?!)\r\n(iv) The two kids have the same name ... \r\n(v) THE ENDING SCENE ... wow ... The line delivered by the petrol man, \"Super or Ordinaire\"! ...\r\n\r\n-- Nice choreography, esp the beginning rain + umbrella scenes ... Even the opening credits have some \"umbrella\" amidst their words ...\r\n\r\nConclusion\r\nHighly recommended.','0bd8336d5756b4dc74884bad7d3a3063',0,'','uPc3RMSo',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12289,2208,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1214200080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'tzarine','Re: Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg)','The opening with the parapluies is wonderful and never has an esso station seemed so melancholy. \r\n\r\nI saw this in a theatre and it was amazing.','0c9780f55baf8635f7697d3bfbc3935c',0,'','nETGwH58',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12290,2209,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1190710920,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Shinoda: Assassination (1964)','.','5058f1af8388633f609cadb75a75dc9d',0,'','kn2ESv6X',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12291,2209,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1190711340,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Shinoda: Assassination (1964)','ASSASSINATION (Japan / 1964)\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAlongside such figures as Oshima Nagisa, Imamura Shohei, Yoshida Yoshishige, Masumura Yasuzu and Teshigahara Hiroshi, Shinoda Masahiro was one of the key members of the so-called Japanese \"New Wave,\" whose wide-ranging scope also encompassed the likes of Suzuki Seijun and Shind Kaneto. Even though hes primarily known in the West for his 1969 effort, Double Suicide -- a \"theatrically cinematic\" experiment which realized a bunraku puppet play -- Shinoda was a prolific filmmaker who made more than 30 films before retiring from the arena in 2003 with Spy Sorge. 1964 was an important year for this one-time Ozu assistant at Shochiku, as two of his finest and most acclaimed films saw the light of day: Pale Flower, a radical and broodingly terse -- not to mention visually and aurally stunning, something that could perhaps be said about much of Shinodas work -- yakuza tale which resolutely aligned itself, both formally and thematically, with Oshimas seminal Cruel Story of Youth (1960), in many ways as important a film to the Japanese \"New Wave\" as Breathless (1960) was to the French; and Assassination (Ansatsu), Shinodas first, and rather modernist, foray into period films.\r\n\r\nTaking its cues from the oft-depicted turbulent sociopolitical period of Late Tokugawa Shogunate (1853-1867), which initiated with Colonel Perry commanded four American warships positioning themselves at a key Japanese port and thus terminating the countrys centuries-old trade impasse and more and edging it to the brink of civil war, Assassination begins in the 3rd year of Bunkyu, or 1863. In the opening moments, we witness a murderer being pardoned as per the Premiers orders. The man turns out to be Kiyokawa Hachiro (the ubiquitous Tamba Tetsuro), an exceptional ronin who was once known to be the Emperors supporter. (Shogunates most staunch opposition at the time was provided by the Imperial allies, demanding expulsion of foreign forces from their Divine Land, forces the Shogunate feared.) Nevertheless, hes granted the task of forming a \"Free Samurai Army\" against his former \"Emperor Worshippers\" (\"poison kills poison,\" Shogunate Lord Matsudaira once extols). But also fully expecting Kiyokawas betrayal, which mutates into an intricate political machination, an assassin is unleashed on his trail, who, along with Kiyokawas devotees, becomes the catalyst for revealing our protagonists true character, an ambiguous task for sure.\r\n\r\nIndeed, Kiyokawa isnt one of those run-of-the-mill \"righteous heroes\" who patrol the mean streets in so many jidai-geki yarns. The fact that hes also based on an actual person perhaps afforded famed author Shiba Ryotaro (Gohatto [1999]) an opportunity to capture the morally indeterminate milieu and contextualize its effects as they pertained to Kiyokawas mental and psychological state. He constantly feels the need to prove himself as an equal to those who regulate him, as hes paid his dues at the best Samurai schools and is considered a highly respected opponent for anyone. In one important sequence which unfolds at a brothel, Kiyokawa, disgruntled by the lack of change even after the \"Tempo Reformation\" which was supposed to assist \"ordinary\" ronins like himself, forcibly takes the innocence of a recently sold young woman under the impression that she refused to serve him due to his class. But after recognizing her situation, he buys her out and makes her his honorable servant, an immense gesture repaid by the woman with her life. (Oren is played by the beautiful Iwashita Shima, Shinodas wife.) \r\n\r\nDue to the fact that Shinoda readily employs elliptical flashbacks and voice-overs which constantly shift the point-of-view, Assassination admittedly is complex, but, unlike his subsequent effort Samurai Spy (1965), its not complicated. The latters highly stylized action choreography, which at times almost veered towards the comical, is mostly done away with, and is replaced by quick and bloody confrontations; no abstractions here. In both films, however, the protagonists are kept at a certain emotional distance, perhaps part of the reason why author Audie Bock used the term \"icy aestheticism\" in relation to the filmmakers approach. The hand-held camera work (which truly makes its mark in the films final moments), the freeze-frames, the existential themes, and other staples of the \"New Wave\" are applied with aplomb. Part of the credit certainly goes to Kosugi Masao, Shinodas favorite early cinematographer -- his expressionist use of light and shadow in the magnificent scope compositions is noteworthy. (And the appropriately austere music is courtesy of the great Takemitsu Tru, who provided scores for a number of key films of the time-period.) Shinoda once stated in an interview that \"I would like to take hold of the past and make it stand still so I can examine it from different angles.\" With Assassination, hes certainly gone a long way towards actualizing his goal.','d9905553f89d3301a1324a7fc48ea1b5',0,'','q749YeRF',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12292,2209,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1190789520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Shinoda: Assassination (1964)','*Related: Reviews of key Japanese \"New Wave\" films.\r\n\r\nNakahira K\'s Crazed Fruit (1956)\r\nOshima Nagisa\'s Death by Hanging (1968)\r\nShind Kaneto\'s The Naked Island (1960)\r\nSuzuki Seijun\'s Gate of Flesh (1964)\r\nShind Kaneto\'s Onibaba (1964)\r\nTeshigahara Hiroshi\'s Woman in the Dunes (1964)','dfa48913346b569405863276a736c939',0,'','cNCpwYUE',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12293,2209,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1190863860,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Shinoda: Assassination (1964)','How did you see Assassination?','5930a83bec785cb7c68d1dbebb3e3792',0,'','zH4SoV2T',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12294,2209,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1190876280,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Shinoda: Assassination (1964)','On DVD, our only hope in most cases. Assassination was released in the U.K. last year by Eureka/MoC. Alex Cox provides the video introduction.','45557473f77fd45ccaabb1f72fffe7fc',0,'','tTDlYj3g',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12295,2209,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1190968560,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Shinoda: Assassination (1964)','So in other words there is no US DVD?','30233bfaa408210878dcc0ca17298abc',0,'','fMSB8rNq',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12296,2209,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1190970840,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Shinoda: Assassination (1964)','No Assassination DVD or VHS in the Western hemisphere. But I believe you haven\'t yet seen Pale Flower, which is available on a gorgeous disc from Home Vision (U.S.).','de2ab90ba24d3e792cc56873e02da824',0,'','5URgJea8',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12297,2210,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186829100,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Naruse Mikio\'s Wife! Be Like a Rose! (Japan / 1935)','In his 2005 piece on Naruse Mikio, film critic and author Chris Fujiwara made the obvious but essential point that \"[Naruse\'s] female figures are always doubled. For every Naruse heroine there is another woman, her rival or mirror image, whom she finds waiting when she turns a new corner, who legitimately possesses the man to whom the heroine has at best a moral or sentimental claim, or who stands as a living reproach to the heroine.\" One could say that the Japanese master\'s 1935 film, Wife! Be Like a Rose! ( Tsuma yo bara no yo ni), contains two sets of the aforementioned women, all devoted to the same man -- not a particularly intelligent, successful or handsome man, but, in a patriarchal society, a man nonetheless. \r\n\r\nThe film\'s opening montage however forecasts something different than a domestic drama. Set to the kind of enterprising score usually heard in newsreels, we are initially greeted with early morning shots of a lively city (Tokyo) brimming with people in business attire. But as soon as you half expect a Walter Cronkite-type voice to start narrating the events, Naruse cuts to a table inside a spacious yet empty restaurant. A professional woman is seen writing on a piece of paper. It appears that she\'s a regular, as a waiter casually inquires about her love life. She leaves the domain in an almost Chaplin-esque fashion, and then meets her white-collar boyfriend (Okawa Heihachiro) who\'s waiting for her at a street corner. They quarrel like young lovers; she teases him about their impending marriage. A tracking-shot follows the duo on a sidewalk. Traces of golden-era Hollywood? You bet. \r\n\r\nThe next time we come across the very modern and sexy Kimiko (Chiba Sachiko), she\'s at home and is barely recognizable in a traditional kimono. Her melancholic mother, Etsuko (Ito Tomoko), who exudes bourgeois sensibilities, is a teacher and a haiku poetess. We discover that she still yearns for her long-estranged husband, Shunsaku (Maruyama Sadao), now living in a mountain village in Nagano with a former geisha. The casually topical conversation Kimiko shares with her well-settled uncle (Fujiwara Kamatari) serves as an exposition of sorts. Even without knowing much about her father\'s new life, Kimiko mentions how he was treated by her mother while they were together, though she still wants to see him return. The uncle, however, simply abhors Shunsaku\'s sinful existence and would like him to fulfill his duties as a husband and a father. And it isn\'t long that Kimiko is seen packing for her trip to the village in order to persuade her father to come back home. \r\n\r\nNaruse was born to a poor family in 1905. The death of his parents forced him to grow up fast; at the age of 15 he joined Shochiko as a prop assistant (\"I had to immediately become an adult,\" Naruse has said, \"it was the darkest period of my life\"). After a brief directorial stint for Japan\'s oldest movie studio, to which Ozu dedicated his career, Naruse moved to P.C.L. in 1935, which soon merged into Toho, the studio most of his great films belong to. Like early-Ozu, Naruse\'s specialty was a genre known as shomin-geki, \"home movies\" about the lower middle or salaried classes. It\'s been said that Naruse spent most of his life living alone, visiting the same old shabby pubs and eateries, where he developed a certain kinship with the society\'s marginalized, especially women, who kept on struggling for their survival. Thus Naruse\'s proud, willful heroines, often geishas or widows confined in one way or another, \"retain the dignity of evaluating their acts to the end, and the persistence of their search for happiness, despite accumulating evidence of its nonexistence, becomes the terrifying statement of all of Naruse\'s work\" (Audie Bock). And this is where Naruse\'s differ from self-sacrificing Mizoguchi heroines, though the differing approaches by the duo also plays a hand. \r\n\r\nOnce Kimiko reaches her destination, she doesn\'t find the retired geisha, Oyuki (Hanabusa Yuriko), to be the money-grubbing @%*@! she expected, but rather a gentle, down-to-earth human being who simply wants her family to live in peace, which requires Shunsaku\'s presence. Kimiko also discovers that the 20 or 30 yen she and her mother intermittently received from her father were in fact sent by Oyuki, who, instead of sending her own daughter (Horikoshi Setsuko) to school, chose to help the family she felt she\'d wronged. It turns out that Shunsaku himself is being supported by the income Oyuki and her daughter generate. (\"[Naruse\'s] cinema echoes with sums and salaries, tots and computations; all is commodity, and landlords, merchants, beggars and usurers are forever arriving to collect. Even in the comparatively well-off world of some of his late domestic dramas, money concerns frequently impinge\" [James Quandt].) \r\n\r\nSome might be surprised to learn that Wife! Be Like a Rose! was the first Japanese talkie to be released in the U.S. (in 1937, about two years after its premiere; in Japan the film won Kinema Jumpo magazines top annual prize). Those who\'ve now seen the film are probably aware of the fact that it received dismissive reviews stateside. I prefer not to emphasize this issue too much, as this wasn\'t the first masterpiece to be treated in such a manner, and certainly won\'t be the last. Having said that, it\'s hard to come to grips with Variety\'s remark that \"Jap femmes are okay for looks.\" Well, they must be because \"Yaruse Nakio\" (Naruse\'s nickname at Toho, which roughly translates as \"Mr. Sadness\" or \"The Inconsolable\") married the star, Chiba Sachiko, though that didn\'t last very long. Whether it had something to do with his disposition, I\'m not sure, but the great Takamine Hideko, who did about 17 films with Naruse, once asked the modernist master how she should approach a role: \"It\'ll be over before you know it,\" out came the reply. \r\n\r\nWife! Be Like a Rose! is \"lighter\" (look for the homage to Capra\'s It Happened One Night [1934]) and less emotionally reserved than the other \"pessimistic\" Naruse efforts I\'ve seen so far, most of them belong to his second great phase, the fifties (e.g. Repast [1951], Lightning [1952], Floating Clouds [1955], Flowing [1956]). Considering the fluent rhythm and the temperament, it appears that the master must\'ve been in full-control of his process from very early on. The editing is sharp but it doesn\'t draw attention to itself (when Kurosawa, a onetime Naruse assistant, compared his cinema to \"a deep river with a quiet surface disguising a fast-raging current underneath,\" he was specifically referring to his editing style). Naruse\'s use of space is also noteworthy, an aspect which truly makes its mark in his latter scope films (especially When a Woman Ascends the Stairs [1960], which is perhaps one of his most widely seen efforts by now). Also, midscene, Naruse often cuts to the exteriors, as if acknowledging the presence of the outside world. \"From the youngest age, I have thought that the world we live in betrays us,\" Naruse once said. \"This thought remains with me.\" \r\n\r\nGrade: A','c79c80fb070e5598935d2d0484f02f91',0,'','d52PpUWE',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12298,2210,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186858140,1,0,1,1,1,1,'trevor826','Re: Naruse Mikio\'s Wife! Be Like a Rose! (Japan / 1935)','You certainly know how to sell a film, excellent review and good to have some info regarding Naruse . There\'s little chance it\'ll become available here but you never know.\r\n\r\nCheers Trev.','7f69734b10c6de75fb07459af481e240',0,'','cQAYPmiS',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12299,2210,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186984440,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Naruse Mikio\'s Wife! Be Like a Rose! (Japan / 1935)','I appreciate it, Trevor. As far as I\'m concerned, it\'s always about the film, not me. I hope distributors around the globe consider this work the next time 1930\'s Naruse is brought into contention.','4a8585a6a05007b890d24620458c6a7f',0,'','90MXRJeK',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12300,2210,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1187039580,1,0,1,1,1,1,'jcdavies','Re: Naruse Mikio\'s Wife! Be Like a Rose! (Japan / 1935)','Thanks a lot for that, Arsaib. Wife, be like a Rose is the 30\'s Naruse film i most fancy seeing- it was picked as one of the BFI\'s 360 classics and voted #1 film of the year by Kinema Jumpo in Japan. Judging from YouTube Naruse clips from 1936 and 1941 (Hideko the Conductress) Naruse liked hitting the road at the time, and your Capra comparison may be suited to those films too. His later films seem a bit more restricted in their vistas- Naruse was known as preferring to limit exterior viewpoints, with quite narrow alley/lane/corridor-type shots. Chiba apparently later regretted their split. He was also thought of as a miserable pessimist, + not the easiest director to act for, but Hideko the Conductress, starring a young Takamine, seems remarkably cheerful for a wartime film; he managed to avoid the worst overt militaristic progandising','6ee1bb514d5d483f4a816a4bea10ab63',0,'','Z3o8LVPk',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12301,2210,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1187045040,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Naruse Mikio\'s Wife! Be Like a Rose! (Japan / 1935)','Yet another Naruse film I have to patiently wait for.','5d1dca5857fd0b200cb8847fd948fe9c',0,'','KqrMpeyb',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12302,2210,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1187072040,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Naruse Mikio\'s Wife! Be Like a Rose! (Japan / 1935)','Good god, even Naruse is on YouTube?! I appreciate the info, John. Until recently, Chiba was considered by many to be the cause of Naruse\'s \"decline\" in the late 30s and 40s. While I haven\'t seen any films from this time-period myself, those who now have vehemently disagree, and they ususally name Hideko the Bus Conductress among them. (Takamine played a similar character in the underrated Lightning.)\r\n\r\nCouple of notes I forgot to add earlier: Wife! Be Like a Rose! is based on a novel by Nakano Minoru called Two Women. And the film was released in the U.S. under the title of \"Kimiko,\" the name of the lead character.','e1aba3d97ed63808e63cce28093c4cb7',0,'','NMRVrBuG',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12303,2210,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1206349500,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Naruse Mikio\'s Wife! Be Like a Rose! (Japan / 1935)','Yuku-related edit.','fdaac491bf97c49a0fef7b48bf8cd039',0,'','azCcEZm8',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12304,2211,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1186109340,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Waterloo Bridge (1931) - James Whale','A long descending tracking shot takes us into the world of the theater. It is the final number of the last performance of a none too successful play. We are shown one beauty after another and can barely separate them. Our rules of continuity make us believe that once the camera stops rolling we\'ll catch a glimpse of our star. The camera finally settles on Mae Clark as she yawns her way through this last act. A few seconds later we are in a dressing room, and our heroine takes off her costume and spends the rest of the short scene discussing her new suitor, possible job opportunities all while in her underwear. At this moment you don\'t have to look at the copyright date, you can pinpoint this film within about a three year time span. This is that wonderful time in Hollywood when the movies learned to talk before censors decided to dictate what they could say. \r\n\r\nTwo years have passed and Myra (Clarke) has not found stage work since. Her minx fur which was brand new in the previous scene now looks like a well worn scarf. The company she keeps is not among the best, as she is joined on the street by a slightly older widow. The two live in a shady part of town and they have to pay the rent by the oldest profession in the world. The time is WWI and there are nearly constant air raids in London. Along one of these raids Myra meets a 19 year old soldier just back for leave named Roy (Kent Douglass). They meet after Mora stops to help an old lady pick up her dropped potatoes, and he readily obliges to lend a hand, meanwhile in typical Whale fashion the old lady being helped could care less for their assistance. She thinks of him as another young soldier she can take back, talk sweetly to and get to pay the long past due rent. However something changes. She gets him to give her the rent money plus a little something extra and apparently has no intention of asking for anything in return, but she refuses. This is her first time balking at an offer and the beginning of a change in her character. He on the other hand thinks his money offended her and leaves already in love and pitying this poor out of work chorus girl.\r\n\r\nOf course this boy, a fellow American in London happens to come from a rather well off family and joined the infantry in a moment of overzealous drunkenness. He tricks her into spending some time with his family in the country, where she finds some of the most caring and understanding people she ever met. The generosity is too much for her and she flees. She even confesses her profession to her would be mother-in-law and she still professes she\'s a great girl. Rather than shame this young man who by this point she can\'t help but love because no one had ever been kinder, she retreats back to London. Her conscience is bothering her however and she refuses one particular trick. Yet as one would expect Roy won\'t leave until he finds out the truth.\r\n\r\nThe film is melodramatic, but oh so great. The film often gets overlooked (as many films did) by its 1940 star studded remake with Vivian Leigh and Laurence Olivier. Yet that film was made when this subject was hot water. Whale\'s film gets a chance to be much racier and gets away with a lot more. His sense of humor is always present as he makes sure that all of his old actors are very distinct personalities including the step father who\'s \"10 years to old to be in uniform\" who happens to be near deaf and the two faced land lady who bears a striking resemblance to Una O\'Connor. As a melodrama not a horror film one wouldn\'t think the lighting scheme would be so vital but with constant blackouts and seedy parts of London, Whale is able to carry on his tradition of tall shadows. The film\'s climax is at once heartwarming and heartbreaking. I can\'t quite explain it but within a moment your emotions are wrung dry. I haven\'t encountered another Whale film that hits quite this hard and by far the best work I\'ve seen of Clarke who should have at least been nominated for an Oscar. The film might be a curiosity to viewers as one of Bette Davis\' earliest pictures, she plays Roy\'s sister.','afa95728d49915f33b06506b4e651d95',0,'','cw97TGfL',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12305,2212,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1123995960,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Michelangelo Antonioni\'s The Passenger (1975)','Well I was amazed for several reasons. One that the film was good itself, and two that a picture hyped up by myself was actually better than I thought. I was also amazed at the simple fact that I got a copy of the movie, but that\'s a whole other story.\r\n\r\nAntonioni wasn\'t exactly on a hot streak when he made this movie. His film prior to this, the even harder to find documentary Chung Kao went unseen, and Zabriskie Point was considered a muddled mess of a movie. He was a director without a home, wandering from Italy, to England, to America, to China, and for this film to Spain. The rootlessness of Antonioni is reflected in the Passenger, and it is the central theme of the story. Anyone who ever wanted to just get up and start a new life can identify with Jack Nicholson\'s character. He may do it in an extreme fashion, but it is his desire to break free that is universal.\r\n\r\nHe is a man fed up with his life. Not to say his life is particularly horrible, he just doesn\'t want it anymore. His wife is ineffectual, he has no children of his own, and despite having a decent high paying job, he isn\'t happy in it. The angst of the affluent is the central theme of Antonioni\'s career. People with everything, who want nothing. Not to say Nicholson\'s David was rolling in dough and could travel the world at his leisure, but he is pretty far from poor.\r\n\r\nThe identity of the dead man becomes somewhat melodramatic on first inspection (he smuggles weapons for a terrorist group), but it brings up the question of morality. David is intrigued by it, and appreciates the mystery of it, but has no moral obligation to doing it. There is no morality in the film. He has no guilt for leaving his life in the states, and he feels no guilt for handing weapons over to a group that is most likely gonna do more harm than good. This makes him a self centered protaganist, and one that only really warms to human contact when he meets another rootless soul, played by Maria Schneider. She is his match, much more so than his wife, for she has no home, and no destination. Running weapons seems even more idealistic to her.\r\n\r\nNow the Antonioni style is all over this. Towards the end there is one of the most incredible long takes I\'ve seen, as a static camera observes the action outside of David barred windows, it seems pointless. The camera slowly inches forward observing the action outside, until somehow it goes through the bars, and ends looking back in on his room from the outside. I justt sat in awe of this shot, that was longer than any other director would have made it, but it was the feeling that Antonioni was after. He wanted you to take this time, near the conclusion to think about what happened, and I personally had to watch this take a second time. The settings, shots, and general feel of the film are much more in tune with his trilogy, and to me it is his finest English language film. Hell for a first viewing, I liked it more than any of his previous films, but that\'s because I needed a repeat screening of L\'Avventura to adequately \"get it\".\r\n\r\nThe DVD is available in Japan I believe, and don\'t hold your breath for the release here. Jack Nicholson owns the rights, and he has no intention of ever getting it released here. This is probably the least Jack-like I\'ve ever seen him. Perhaps the reason he doesn\'t like the film. His acting is much more downplayed, and the cocky charm that we all love so much is absent. It makes unique in his career, but I believe that nearly any actor could have played this role, which is perhaps the intention. It is more of a look that Antonioni is after, not a performance.','349f6c4d889178f3424cafa5a549f3d5',0,'','UGWKPmR1',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12306,2212,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1124647740,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Michelangelo Antonioni\'s The Passenger (1975)','Thanks for your review.\r\nAnother film few people seem to have seen, but which I like very much. What I like most about it, is it`s air of mystery, the fact, that one never really knows what`s going on. And the use of landscape to counterpoint the characters is awesome. The ending shot was filmed - so i was informed - this slowly, because the bars were removed manually, and it could had only been done very slowly, as the sound was shot on location in this scene, I believe. The result is magnificent.\r\nI wonder why nicholson doesn`t want this out in the US? Probably bad memories of the shooting, or Maria Schneider?','7bfcf2acf86aa1607a03bf84f82bf880',0,'','1yguLbsl',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12307,2212,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1124672760,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Michelangelo Antonioni\'s The Passenger (1975)','I was a little surprised to find out that Sony Classics (?) is re-releasing the film in the U.S. theatrically. The new print will have its premiere at the NYFF.','4678352cec64cd30418a73913b613b67',0,'','4ZpNJMgt',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12308,2212,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1147661940,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Michelangelo Antonioni\'s The Passenger (1975)','originally posted by Sara on 5/14/06 6:48 pm\r\n\r\nI\'ve waited several years to see the Passenger. Finally it is on DVD. It was worth waiting for. (Seeing a young, skinny, beautiful Jack Nicholson was wonderful...)\r\n\r\nThe film was beautiful. The colors of the desert, the spaces Antonioni allows, the sparse architecture that sometimes \r\nlooks like totem poles or gargoyles, the emptiness, and the contrast in the concept of time (ie, the man going by in the desert on a slow camel, seeming content and unhurried - contrasted with the car chase), and the unbeliveable last 7 minutes of the film...\r\n\r\nA few weeks ago I watched the Eclipse. I got mad half way through it because nothing seemed to happen. Slow. Slow. Slow. But I stuck with it, and I am so glad I did. The last part of the film gives a real feeling of emptiness. Of nobody showing up. Of usual scenes but with no one in them. It finally dawned on me that this was a wonderful, meaningful film.\r\n\r\nI have seen La Avventura and Blow Up, too. Both were really good.\r\n\r\nBut I have come away from watching The Passenger with a complete love and admiration for Antonioni - his unhurried pace and his beautiful camera work.\r\n\r\nThe DVD here in the USA has a wonderful commentary track given by (an older) Jack Nicholson. It is not like some of those silly, babbling commentaries. Jack\'s gives a deeper understanding of the film and he increased my appreciation of it.\r\n\r\nThe Passenger has made me a true lover of Antonioni\'s works, and yes, of that young Jack Nicholson!\r\n\r\nSara','f5b06fda7ed9f357ab11f875ea221fdb',0,'','TKXY1BSg',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12309,2212,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1148026080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'Anasazie','Re: Michelangelo Antonioni\'s The Passenger (1975)','Quote:Zabriskie Point was considered a muddled mess of a movie.\r\n\r\nA lot of the greatest films ever made were received in a similar way WP, maybe you should re-watch it!\r\n\r\nBe careful though, it might turn you into a hippy.\r\n\r\nAlso, big mistake on the name spelling.','757b524b037ffe319ec5e3ea862f38df',0,'','xC4Mepr0',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12310,2212,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1148367240,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Michelangelo Antonioni\'s The Passenger (1975)','Wow amazed at how long it took someone to catch that. Well its fixed now.','49bf5938cf3a4b88bfd6507b35c913ba',0,'','2biRv3uQ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12311,2212,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1155901080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'jcdavies','Re: Michelangelo Antonioni\'s The Passenger (1975)','Well, it\'s utterly wonderful- i see why it\'s critic David Thomson\'s favourite film.\r\n\r\nI hadn\'t realised Antonioni had so much humour. Forget angst, this film is in love with cinema as an art form and in love with life. It overflows with a love of creation, space, architecture, the possibilities that each shot and scene can open up. It\'s a film about freedom and it\'s totally liberating.\r\n\r\nEdges of the frames, Tati, off-screen space, bikes crossing the screen, Angelopoulos, desert, Paris Texas, Until the End of the World (is this one of WW\'s favourites? can\'t remember, seems it must be), genre-defying, road movie, cars, Pierrot le Fou, Weekend, colour, Contempt, Voyage to Italy, voyeuristic mystery, church scene, Carlotta + Vertigo, tape recording, Blow Out- Blow Up, escape (including identity), The Sheltering Sky, 360 degree pan, camera moves, mirrors, Lady from Shanghai, Touch of Evil, Mr Arkadin, speech mannerism- Kubrickian deadpan/pauses- red, The Shining (+ its opening shot of car from above), great locations, widescreen, compositional precision, Jenny Runacre-Vanessa Redgrave-Monica Vitti (!), Maria Schneider-Anna Karina, Nicholson- Harvey Keitel for Angelopoulos, the music (a couple of lovely moments), Spain (wow, love that ending).. just things that came to mind, may cohere some time\r\n\r\nWhat\'s not to love? And that camera edging through the bars, we\'re freed, a miracle, Bresson eat your heart out; i nearly had an orgasm (well, perhaps i exaggerate, but it\'s so exhilarating). You can see that famous scene on its own as an academic exercise, which i \'d done, but it really comes alive, carries weight of meanings only as part of the whole feature- perhaps why some admired experimental films don\'t do much for me. I mention Bresson cos for me it\'s a sublime moment of spiritual release to match anything in A Man Escaped (for all that film\'s superb + meticulous creation of tension); yet another deft touch- as it approaches the bars (i\'d been busy admiring the scene\'s geometric interest), ever closer, there\'s a growing urge..and then like levitating or flying in a dream, we find we\'re freed, we can do + achieve anything. Some time since i had a dream flight but i do fancy hand/g-gliding. \r\n\r\nOne of the most vivacious films ever made, never heavy-handed or pompous; Antonioni-ennui? Nah!','530a9f69f87472dca248d46aca2cbcfd',0,'','ls2FoChP',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12312,2212,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1155929040,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Michelangelo Antonioni\'s The Passenger (1975)','You make me want to see it again.','2725a417dcdf95a17e223ca26b3eb554',0,'','SJPXyBaW',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12313,2212,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1155930360,1,0,1,1,1,1,'jcdavies','Re: Michelangelo Antonioni\'s The Passenger (1975)','I doubt i\'ll tire of it, as long as i treat it with the necessary respect, don\'t overwatch. I really like that seamless time shift with Nicholson sitting inside then he\'s outside with Robertson earlier (again brought to mind Ulysses\' Gaze, Angelopoulos\' masterful choreography of the annual family gatherings). Angelopoulos has said his films are only really influenced by Mizoguchi and Welles but for me Antonioni has the most obvious similarities. Then again i did also think of the ghostly homecoming scene in Ugetsu.\r\n\r\nI also love the scene with Schneider in the car, as we look at her along the avenue of trees, the light and shadows, the sense of joy (a la Pierrot le Fou + Karina, i thought). \r\n\r\nThe cars criss-crossing on and off screen; refreshingly impish, playful (Playtime) film, belies the lugubrious reputation.','9a048dfa97e98ac5ad4a15f79bfae23e',0,'','7ch1g5sK',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12314,2212,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1155955200,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Michelangelo Antonioni\'s The Passenger (1975)','Who is Michelangelo Antoini? :D\r\n\r\nWatching the restored version last year on the big screen truly made me realize that The Passenger is nothing short of a masterpiece, and it\'s arguably one of Antonioni\'s 2 or 3 best films.\r\n\r\nHere\'s what critic Robert Koehler, who played a role in its restoration, had to say about the release:\r\n\r\n\"What caused this unexpected, delayed timing to meet up with current events? According to Nicholsons attorney Ken Kleinberg, the actor had long wanted to purchase the worldwide rights to a film he loved as an art collector might; if he wasnt able to hang it on a wall, he could at least protect the film from potential corporate skullduggery and exercise some control over its proper exhibition. This is painfully ironic, since The Passenger had been mutilated to begin with. Antonioni had first made a four-hour cut of the film himself, and then brought in editor Franco Arcalli to trim it to JUST under two-and-a-half hours. This was still too long for MGM, which demanded a cut under two hours for the North American market, and required that it be titled The Passenger (certainly a more interesting title than the one its generally known by on other continents\"Professione: Reporter.\") At 118 minutes, the MGM version is shorter than Professione by approximately five minutes, and excludes two crucial scenes, one dealing with Lockes surreptitious return visit to his London home, where he finds evidence of Rachels infidelities with her lover Stephen (played with feral intensity by the great Steven Berkoff, whose name is misspelled in the closing credits, and whose screen time was clearly greater in the nearly 150-minute version.). In one of the last interviews he conducted before his massive stroke in 1983, Antonioni publicly condemned the MGM version, and was so disturbed at the cuts forced on him that he considers the longer version mutilated as well.\r\n\r\nNevertheless, Nicholson, through his company Proteus Films, negotiated a purchase of the negative in 1983, and obtained global rights to all versions in 1986. As part of an asset sale of portions of the MGM library to Ted Turner, the film was licensed to video for Warner Home Video until 1992. (This video version, a poor, non-letterboxed, full-screen transfer, has been the format in which most have seen the film for the past two decades.) A new round of video licensing continued in the 90s, all involving tape transfers of Professione in various countries, except in Japan where the license was held long enough for a DVD edition. (Its the only one to date, and, while a less than optimum transfer, its an instantly hot item for cinephiles with multiregion players. This version is now out of print.)\r\n\r\nNicholson was unhappy with all suitors for a theatrical and subsequent DVD release until discussions began with Sony Pictures Classics in early 2003, with a deal finalized in May 2004. In the meantime, Professione only rarely popped up on the special exhibition and festival circuit: in Canada, Cinematheque Ontarios 1998 screening as part of its comprehensive Antonioni retrospective amounted to a sighting of Halleys Comet. The new release print is culled from elements that have resided in reportedly excellent film vaults.\r\n\r\nBut nothing is ever simple with The Passenger. Sony Classics was originally intending to release Antonionis hated MGM edition. As part of the research for this essay, I came across Antonionis unqualified condemning statement (on page 218 of the edited compilation of the directors writings and interviews, \"The Architecture of Vision\") and passed it along to Michael Barker, co-President of Sony Classics and Richard Pena, director of the New York Film Film Festival, where the film is receiving a special presentation. The evidence, fortunately, was convincing enough for Sony Classics to pull the MGM version and instead release the longer version, which will retain the title of The Passenger. That there has been no apparent effort to search for the 20-odd minutes worth of material (described vividly by Antonioni in \"The Architecture of Vision,\" in a chapter tellingly titled \"The Passenger that you didnt see\") which made up the longer version before the final excisions is clearly a tragedyfor the moment at least. Antonioni, turning 93 on September 29, remains vital and active, as does the work to restore and maintain his oeuvreto say nothing of the vigorous movement in film archival restoration and (albeit sometimes controversial) projects to \"reconstruct\" previously trimmed films, from Touch of Evil (1958) to The Big Red One (1980). For a film about a man seeking to find another self, it should be possible to find this other Passenger, and bring its own history back full circle.\"','af551d7305475e8d6dd98c71ecb34d50',0,'','zEZcNt7o',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12315,2212,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1155978420,1,0,1,1,1,1,'jcdavies','Re: Michelangelo Antonioni\'s The Passenger (1975)','Well, we tried to get it for our film society a few years back but cos of Nicholson\'s rights were unsuccessful. No surprise Antonioni is still going strong- the film shows such a zest for life. The Berkoff character does seem very undeveloped in the dvd. Such a pity companies are so short-sighted and apparently lacking in genuine respect for film art, commercial considerations to the fore.','bf690ba80cb91fd4a5a18eb14f2457a8',0,'','Je8c0yQn',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12316,2212,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1156018260,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Michelangelo Antonioni\'s The Passenger (1975)','thanks for the info arsaib! I hadn\'t been aware that the film had been mutilated. So the new restored version is currently the longest available? Hope the missing 30 minutes will wind up somewhere. I have seen the film only once, but still remember that I had the feeling that a lot was missing plot-wise. But at that time I thought this was Antonioni\'s intention, to make the viewer more insecure about the ongoings, to keep him as lost as the main character...\r\nDo you know if any other films by Antonioni have been cut?','dea79ef7c5c52db54b41c67747ddc158',0,'','az5lArM6',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12317,2212,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1156020840,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Michelangelo Antonioni\'s The Passenger (1975)','\"So the new restored version is currently the longest available?\"\r\n\r\nYup.\r\n\r\n\"Do you know if any other films by Antonioni have been cut? \"\r\n\r\nWell, Zabriskie Point, and I think the U.S. release of Beyond the Clouds contains some minor alterations.','d977bc6087a875dd76bd71dae9a5bbce',0,'','HCJNw5VL',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12318,2212,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1156021380,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Michelangelo Antonioni\'s The Passenger (1975)','Perhaps some patchwork can begin on Zabriskie Point if and when that ever comes out on DVD. I did say I\'d eventually give it another shot, although like Easy Rider (which also had an extensive amount of material cut) I suspect that a longer version would just be even more boring hippy crap rather than fleshing out a flawed story.','fb5c6725c5deb84fc6c66730b0fd5fc4',0,'','1aJA9pHN',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12319,2212,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1156024080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Michelangelo Antonioni\'s The Passenger (1975)','Oh, I didn\'t know Zabriskie Point was cut either. Seemed coherent to me when I saw it the last time But I doubt that there will ever be a release featuring the \"@#%$ You, America\" sky-writing. \r\nDo you know how much of it, or which scenes, are missing arsaib?','f593618c96e4191db1296608020e3780',0,'','tn4WD08P',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12320,2212,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1156039680,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Michelangelo Antonioni\'s The Passenger (1975)','With Zabriskie Point, where you saw it is much more valuable than how. It wasn\'t released in its original form in many countries. But unlike The Passenger, I don\'t think that any reports of missing reels from the \"original\" exist, though that can change. (The soundtrack, a key aspect of the film, was altered for the U.S. release.)\r\n\r\nA new print of the film by Warner Bros. played a couple of months ago at the Brooklyn Academy of Music during an Antonioni retro, so there\'s hope.','7a883939989c7786991429257819b1de',0,'','7odPzU6T',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12321,2212,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1156142940,1,0,1,1,1,1,'A','Re: Michelangelo Antonioni\'s The Passenger (1975)','I saw a very good looking print at a complete Antonioni retrospective (they showed all his films, icluding his shorts and commercials) about one and a half years ago in Germany. \r\nMaybe it was the new print by WB...\r\nBut I\'m hoping for a DVD, of course.','f7ef8c0adb337468c853dc8aeed855ce',0,'','WKG9Bwy7',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12322,2212,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1185794040,1,0,1,1,1,1,'R6dw6C','Re: Michelangelo Antonioni\'s The Passenger (1975)','After I saw this one almost one year ago and being really disappointed (especially compared to his italian films and \"Blow up\") I spontaneously revisited \"The Passenger\" per Beamer (Sony really did a surprising job which isn\'t usual for them...) together with some friends (too bad that you doesn\'t liked it as much as the last time you\'ve seen it, A!) I\'m really stunned. What a masterpiece I was missing one year ago! The most interesting thing were the countless fascinating details on the edge of the images (The painting above Locke\'s bed, the old man beneath the cross - an almost ironic omen) and the omnipresent atmosphere of abstraction in which Locke, Maria (Schneider) but also Locke\'s wife are caught in. And, of course, the string between the usual mystic melancholy and a brighter, almost optimistic note after \"Zabriskie Point\" was also a much \"happier\" film than his italian works. There is a lot more freedom than in most other Antonioni-films but at the same time still a strong fear that the people will always stay what they are and never discovering themselves and the many options of communication. Amazingly, the breathtaking shot through the window at the end was interpreted by A as an act of deliverance and a bright view into the future. I absolutely disagree because the attitude of this scene, Maria Schneiders unresting walk outside the window and the following moment in which Locke\'s wife deny to know him, is - in my opinion - extremely distrustful, though not hopeless.\r\n\r\n10 out of 10 are really well-deserved!','076f8a1b616d3f2ecd6229926e14f037',0,'','hGdevumr',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12323,2212,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1185828540,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: Michelangelo Antonioni\'s The Passenger (1975)','Glad you came around. Just odd reading my review which was written before the restoration and re-release, how quickly time flies.','0b5bd942e824ba091282d7aacbb14645',0,'','DwP1n4dT',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12324,2212,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1206775680,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: Michelangelo Antonioni\'s The Passenger (1975)','\r\n\r\njust makin\' sure... \r\n\r\nExtras include a commentary by Nicholson, and one by journalist Aurora Irvine and screenwriter Mark Peploe.','59d89799e6b193129dce23e6a8e80b5e',0,'','nANTxjzk',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12325,2213,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1183535580,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - Lewis Milestone','Cabin fever can be a good thing. After being stranded at my mother\'s house for several days I grabbed a boatload of dvd\'s that I had previously seen and decided to revisit a few old favorites. The idea was to see which films have grown on me, which may have lost their impact, or if nothing else pick a film I knew wasn\'t going to disappoint me. It had to be night, and I had to be in the right mood for All Quiet on the Western Front though. Make no mistake 1930 or not, it is a very heavy film, and one that you certainly have to be in the proper mood for. The film is a devastating emotional experience and one that is so powerful that it would hurt to make repeated viewings a hobby. \r\n\r\nAfter the last AFI list was put out a low paid self appointed \"know it all\" was discussing the list. He claimed that comparing todays films to the films of the past was like putting Michael Jordan against basketball players of the 1930\'s. Rarely have I shook my head with more contempt over one man\'s ignorance actually receiving print in a major Chicago publication. You can look at films like Citizen Kane, Sunrise, and All Quiet on the Western Front and say that these films were innovative for their time, but can\'t compete with the effects of say the new Transformers movie. Are you kidding me? Gene Siskel and Pauline Kael would be spinning in their respective graves. Sure Welles, Murnau, and Milestone elevated the art of cinema, helped usher in sound, and set new benchmarks in mobile camera work, but is this really why these films continue to survive? Deep at the core of all these films, and the ones that truly matter after countless decades is the emotional core. The impact we get from movies does not diminish, and that is the sign of a truly great film. We feel Kane\'s isolation, we rejoice at the church scene in Sunrise, but no film I have ever seen in my life has hit me on such a powerful gut level like All Quiet on the Western Front. I spaced out my viewings, two years between the first two, and nearly 6 years since the last, but I found this film touched a raw nerve and provoked me the way no film has, except for the first two times I saw this one. \r\n\r\nFrom the start of the film the war myth is being debunked. The young students are being brainwashed by a professor too old to do any of the fighting who thinks its noble, heroic, and glamorous to die for one\'s fatherland. At the same time we see the students envisioning themselves in the uniform and we see what their parents would think of it. A mother weeps at the sight of her young boy in uniform, and he hides his head in shame. It is here that point one is being made, all of these soldier\'s are some mother\'s son. As Paul (Lew Ayers) later spends the night with a dying French soldier whom he stabbed, he realizes that these men don\'t all have mothers and fathers. Some of them are fathers themselves, leaving wives to run farms, raise children, and deal with the shortage of supplies on the home front. \r\n\r\nThe film never once holds up on any punches, and nothing is glamorous here. There is no glory in war, in each of the fights shown we don\'t even see which side won the conflict. What matters is living or dying. The point of war as Paul soon discovers is not to die, and as he says anything is better than dying for your country. He knows its not heroic, its painful and torturous, agonizing and miserable. In between wondering when you\'re gonna die you have to deal with starvation, eating sawdust, taking swings at rats, and endlessly marching in ill fitted boots. The film\'s lone dose of patriotism comes at the beginning during the gallant parade where all the boys see the triumphant band, the swarms of girls, and imagine a life of all glory in short combat. The words of the professor are repeated near the end of the film when Paul is on leave and they sound so hollow and empty, yet still resonate with the impressionable young minds. This time the streets are nearly empty, there\'s no parade, there\'s no band, and the students keep getting sent out younger. As one veteran soldier says \"The only thing they\'re good for is dying\". \r\n\r\nA sentiment echoed later in Apocalypse Now is Paul\'s disastrous leave. He is unable to handle life in the civilian world because he has been in the trenches too long. Out there he knows you live or die, and you have no time to think about anything else. At home he has to listen to his father and his drunken friends tell him how to win the war, young children call him a coward for speaking the truth, and a mother who still wants to believe her son is a little boy. At the end of his leave Paul says to himself \"Why can\'t I just put my head in your lap and cry?\" He says it to himself and its so potent, Paul is out of his world. The triumphant return home has been a crucial disappointment, and all he can think of is getting back to the front to join the only people who really know what it\'s all about. \r\n\r\nI can go on, and probably will, but Milestone and cinematographer Arthur Edeson put together an amazing film. Milestone was in a particularly inventive period at this point in time, and refused to let sound interfere with him. Despite much of the audio being recorded later the film does have a well mixed sound track. Audio fades in and out and there is a perspective to it. Edeson was also taking the camera out on the field and endlessly tracking it around. In one of the film\'s most memorable shots a line of French soldiers are mowed down by German gunners, including one soldiers hand\'s being blown off as they grip to barb wire. Roughly one minute later the same camera movement is repeated with this wave of casualties being German, the endless slaughter is repeated. Milestone didn\'t just rest on tracking shots, he infused his film with an occasionally frantic editing rhythm that seems more Soviet than anything else. Angles are canted, super impositions abound, and nearly every shot contains some extensive three plane activity. Sure lenses at the time might not have been able to keep everything in focus at once, but Milestone was staging in depth before it was even a conscious film choice. What is even more extraordinary about the film and its emotional impact, is the picture has absolutely no non-diegetic music. The only music we here is a soldier playing a harmonica, and the original marching band. No score was made for the film, and it makes the ending that much more harrowing. I\'ve said it before and I\'ll say it again, this might very well be the greatest film ever made.','c6db7ae7f3ac2b6cdd24c1aa56e4522e',0,'','fjPbue6k',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12326,2213,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1183537080,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - Lewis Milestone','Who got the cinematography nod over Edeson in 1930?','d39ae3de71eb7dabf0e10c8d20de4d70',0,'','iy52jv3f',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12327,2213,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1183571760,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - Lewis Milestone','With Byrd at the South Pole won, and yes I never heard of it either.','4ca4b517f7f3936b59aa7c97a09b2c53',0,'','xFmcJ1zP',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12328,2213,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1183708320,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - Lewis Milestone','If Western Front is the best, how do you rate the other Milestone films you\'ve seen?','1e4e5aec3024fd8f9f712ed7778b8d01',0,'','MQA4XhtC',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12329,2213,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1183841940,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - Lewis Milestone','Well few would argue that the Mutiny on the Bounty remake was an abortion. Milestone\'s other lesser known boat movie The General Died at Dawn wasn\'t that much better. He did the original Ocean\'s 11 which I liked. However only The Front Page and Of Mice and Men really do justice to this film. Front Page takes the experimental photography and goes to extremes, and Of Mice and Men manages to pack a similar emotional punch. I\'d like to get a hold of more of his silent films and compare them, all I\'ve seen is his work on Harold Lloyd\'s The Kid Brother, which is certainly one of the finest silent comedies I\'ve seen.','3151962c909f1d46b2bec2a277c9eab1',0,'','EfG6dkxJ',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12330,2213,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1183851060,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - Lewis Milestone','Thanks. I\'ll try to get a hold of The Front Page and Ocean\'s Eleven.','ec7982a2c1bf11a887eb04dae77f2897',0,'','Go2TnUDv',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12331,2213,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1184895840,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - Lewis Milestone','For selfish reason, I wish The Front Page had played at midnight last night instead of Western Front, but that granted me an opportunity to have another look at one of your all-time best. I felt pretty much all the same emotions one could sense in your review. The final moments, especially, are quite devastating to watch. The one minor issue I had concerns the rendezvous with French country girls, who spoke in their native tongue. Also, I wonder if the fans of Erich Maria Remarque\'s novel would be satisfied with its \"Americanization.\"','64de36cc6709e284177845d2a5adf96e',0,'','pA3VDmoy',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12332,2213,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1184896620,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - Lewis Milestone','I admit that the scene of the French country girls may have been a little Hollywood heavy, but I liked the girls speaking French. Can\'t complain about the language barrier being transposed though, after all the Spanish conquistadors from Aguirre spoke German.\r\n\r\nI\'m just upset I missed A Walk in the Sun, and although I watched a little of All Quiet I couldn\'t stay up long enough for the Sadie Thompson remake Rain.','48f7919219549f50af17c55074e25a31',0,'','dDoPvyUp',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12333,2213,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1184983920,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - Lewis Milestone','I\'m not attached to television enough to necessitate having a a TiVo or a DVR. But there are times when I wish I had such recording devices.','f3dc94a5937d3923a5f69ff60f893af5',0,'','5mL3n6Db',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12334,2213,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1184986440,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - Lewis Milestone','There\'s always programming the VCR, I did it for years, and have 14 boxes of VHS tapes to show for my efforts.','47b762b3eb4341ed8edf766c210a3035',0,'','gi3o1Q4S',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12335,2213,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1185002520,1,0,1,1,1,1,'arsaib4','Re: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - Lewis Milestone','I have a few boxes of my own but I\'ve gotten away from vhs recording. It\'s a bit of a hassle and tapes take too much space. As I mentioned earlier, I did record Wiseman\'s State Legislature, which I loved, but since it had been a long time I was worried if I did everything right for this 215-minute-plus marathon.','320e35fa3c7f03bbef107cc3d23cc74f',0,'','12Pxdzp7',1,0,'',0,0,0),(12336,2213,3,1,0,'69.120.114.47',1185062580,1,0,1,1,1,1,'wpqx','Re: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - Lewis Milestone','LP and you\'re all good.','cd7079559568a6c665c772540807e91d',0,'','vJ4BKFa3',1,0,'',0,0,0),